Suffer for Me - Profit for Me

“Welcome to San Bernardino International Spaceport - the legacy of Norton Air Force Base! Please enjoy your stay in one of the DDA’s premier defense industrial cities - where all of orbital bombardment military capabilities and systems are designed.”

A hologram, blue and white harder waifu in a revealing stewardess outfit announced in a scripted, repetitive manner as Amelia and other passengers exited the spacecraft. She was in the same model of short sleeved, rather tight-fitting, combat uniform that she’d been in when she was launched as a gyokusai down at the “Red Gobi Desert” on Mars - and Amelia nearly doubled over and dropped her duffel bag when she heard what the hologram stewardess said, bridge catching herself, and taking a breath. In her mind, she was briefly taken back to those terrifying moments during the launch, and then seeing the destruction that had been wrought upon the “Red Gobi Desert”, while she also thought about all of those other shōjo of the Special Unit: Sakura Kamikaze who weren’t as lucky as she, Aya, Alice, and Kiyoharu were thanks to Yumeko. As Amelia did her best to manage her flash of PTSD and calm herself, she didn’t notice that civilians around her were cheering for her and smiling at her because of her uniform and thus her status. 

“Well - I’m like……home now for two weeks. I like, totally hope that I can make this an enjoyable stay.”

Amelia said as she walked towards a small spaceport convenience store, passing by a large, framed, antique command flag of the Defense Audiovisual Agency (DAVA) flag that has a detailed brass plaque telling its story centered under it. From 1979 to 1985, it was headquartered at what was then Norton Air Force Base, during a time known as the Cold War. Amelia smiled at the small historical display on the wall, before she kept on walking, before she once again nearly dropped her duffel bag out of shock!

In front of her on a wide, square pillar, was a hologram ad poster that had one of the Special Unit: Sakura Kamikaze capsules pointed downwards, with a stylized, green-haired waifu character who was drawn wearing the same uniform that Amelia was, with a slogan written in near white front in English, German, and Japanese written at the top and center of the poster: 

“Your Sacrifice is Our Victory! Redeem Yourself and Enlist in the Special Unit: Sakura Kamikaze Today!”

At the bottom and center of the poster, the painful message sunk into Amelia like a plasma combat knife even further: 

“Brought to you in professional partnership by the Combined Military Forces of the DDA and Defen-Tech.”

Amelia then pulled herself away as fast as she could into the spaceport convenience store, taking a few breaths and then sighing. As she looked around at all of the colorful, assorted digital magazines, snacks, drinks, and various small accessories for travel - she couldn’t help but feel the disconnect that those on Earth really did feel, since World War III had moved its battlefields into the space civil and defense settlements on planets like the Moon and Mars. 

“Yes! Profits are up 150% and because of that recent operation - what was it called…..Divine Typhoon, yes! Because of the success of that, the DDA’s CMF are now ordering even more capsules to be designed and built! I gotta say, it’s great not to have to fight this war - because hey, without us, the DDA would be toast!”

A young blonde man about Amelia’s age dressed in a pair of skinny navy blue pants, flashy zipper boots, a tight pink dress shirt tucked in tightly with a sharkskin belt, who was speaking on his hologram phone, said as he bought himself a canned coffee. 

Amelia wanted to scream at him for his callousness - but she knew that she’d probably end up in worse trouble than she could ever comprehend if she did. So instead, she went and brought an orange cream soda in an airtight can, taking deep breaths as she waited for him to leave before going up to the cashier, a shōjo about her age who had short, white and blue dyed hair and snakebite piercings. She was wearing a white and blue uniform polo shirt that had been jammed into a belly shirt, with her name tag saying “Macy”. 

“Hey! Like - thank you for your service! You’re like, totally epic for doing what you do to protect us.”

Macy said as Amelia blushed and sighed, pulling out her DDA card, before quickly switching it for her regular card.

“I’m just like…….lucky. I didn’t do anything that would like, totally be worth your praise.”

Amelia said as she bought the organ he cream soda, as Macy gently took Amelia’s hand, looking both ways and then leaning forward to whisper. 

“If you like, need some comfort - we can like, go out to the hills where no one will see us? It’s like totally secluded and comfy.”

Macy replied as Amelia blushed and nodded. Amelia couldn’t help but ignore that she was going to be breaking the very law that had landed herself, Aya, Kiyoharu, and Alice in the Special Unit: Sakura Kamikaze - and yet, she was too jaded to care, at least in that moment.

“OMG, totally - I like, will totally take you up on that offer!”

Amelia responded as she smiled and then looked around, making sure that no one was listening. 

It didn’t feel like too long before Amelia and Macy were in Macy’s two seater car, parked and hovering overlooking San Bernardino under the evening sky, while they were mostly undressed and messily kissing and striking each others’ hair, with Amelia’s uniform beret sitting on the dashboard. 

“So like, what’s it like to be well - in a war?”

Macy asked as she paused and smiled at Amelia. 

“It’s - “

Amelia replied as she paused, once again remembering the smell of the glassed section of Mars that they’d been on after the orbital plasma bombardment - as well as the site of the jagged Martian surface after it had been glassed, and the smell of the plasma-burned corpses. Amelia then stared at Macy, sighing before she missed her messily again, as a saliva trail connected their two cute mouths.

“Basically experiencing the combination of smelling burned flesh, sandy and rocky ground that’s been burned to such a high degree that it turns into a glowing glass from plasma, and desolation.”

Macy nodded and held Amelia as Amelia then wept - she couldn’t help but think about how detached this don Earth really were from the war, and she wondered what Aya, Alice, Kiyoharu, Yumeko, and Kirari were up to on their two-week leave?