VOTOMS Ep. 29: Two People

As the shuttle flies through the sky, Chirico is blinded by a bright light. When he wakes up, he and Fyana find themselves inside a spaceship‘s shuttle hangar bay. They cautiously explore their surroundings and find no signs of life. As they explore they come across an AT hangar filled with Scopedog II units. Chirico investigates when he hears a noise and finds a rat chewing on some wires. They come across an engine room, and Fyana realizes they are on a warship. She says the blinding light that struck them over Kummen must have been from the ship. They stop for a moment in the crew’s quarters, and Fyana says they are completely alone on the ship. She moves closer to Chirico, but he tells her he wants to explore the ship some more. They continue to search the ship and eventually reach the bridge. Chirico sits down at a computer terminal and says he’s tired of playing games. Fyana examines another terminal and announces that the navigational and communications systems are locked. Chirico searches for the ship’s identifying information, but he’s denied access. He also searches for their destination and is again denied access. After digging for a bit, the most he can find is their present location, which is Balarant space. Fyana searches further and sees that there aren’t any planets or anything near them. She wonders who has captured them and what they intend to do when the ship arrives where it’s going.

Fyana stands by an observation window and looks out into space. Chirico comes into the room with a bottle of wine and explains that they have enough food to last a long time. He pours two glasses of wine, and Fyana toasts to them being together on the unknown ship with an unknown destination. Chirico takes a gulp of wine and coughs. He wonders how people can like it so much and admits that he’s never had any alcohol before. Fyana laughs at him and is interrupted when loud music begins playing across the entire ship. Chirico and Fyana split up to find the source of the music. Chirico walks into a room and is shocked to see a video with battle footage of the Red Shoulder Battalion causing death and destruction on various worlds. Fyana walks into the room and watches the video as well. She finds it barbaric that the Red Shoulders ruthlessly killed civilians like bloodthirsty animals. Chirico wonders why someone wants him to remember a past he wishes to forget. He returns to the lounge and is followed moments later by Fyana. She tells him the video stopped playing, and he begins to drink an entire bottle of liquor. He then goes to a cabin to relax. Fyana pities him and knows there is nothing she can do right now to ease his pain. The music begins playing again, and Chirico watches more of the video. The video stops when the ship is hailed by a Balarant patrol group. The Balarant order them to stop and fire several warning missiles before launching their AT Fatty units. Chirico runs to the AT hangar, and Fyana asks him if he’s willing to fight the Balarant alone and violate the ceasefire. Chirico launches in a Scopedog II equipped with a Roundmover space mobility unit. As the Fattys land on the ship, Chirico attacks them with a bazooka and destroys several of them. The Balarant Meez class ship fires its cannons across the bow of Space Battleship X. Chirico hides and fires several bazooka rounds at the Balarant ship. His own ship is hit by a missile, but the Fattys retreat. Chirico thinks about how he only feels at home while in battle.