"Here are three new T6 technologies. They are now in your hands. Draw up the production and build plans yourselves, and once they are drawn up, give them to me for approval." Lilith looked at the three Chief Engineers before her.
The air in the room was very heavy just now.
No one spoke.
"Lady Secretary, is His Majesty truly…" Spider Queen Iris could not help asking once more.
But Lilith cut her off, her words sharp: "The rest is none of your concern. You need only do what is yours to do."
"We understand. We'll see to these," Chief Engineer Nana said softly, her eyes a little red.
Just as she was about to take the data disks holding the three T6 technologies,
another hand got there first.
Chief Engineer Nana looked at her elder sister and frowned slightly; surely her sister wasn't going to, at a time like this…
"I'll do it." Chief Engineer Annie's voice came out somewhat shaky.
Chief Engineer Annie raised her head; her eyes were full of bloodshot veins, and she said with unshakable firmness, "I'll draw up the production plans for these in the shortest possible time. I'll supervise the production work after that myself too, and guarantee delivery on time and in full. I… I… I'll do my very best!"
With that, heedless of the others' surprised looks,
Chief Engineer Annie jumped down from her seat and left at once.
She went first to her office; just as she had said.
In the shortest possible time she drew up the production plans needed and uploaded them to Lilith for review.
Then she went in person to inspect the key stages of several production plans now running.
The heads of those important production plans, seeing Chief Engineer Annie appear, looked as though they had seen a ghost.
In the past, at most they would see Chief Engineer Nana and Chief Engineer Spider Queen Iris.
Seeing Chief Engineer Annie was out of the question.
And the stern look on her face made her a different person entirely from what she used to be.
"Um… Chief Engineer, here's today's production report." A production technician came into the office and saw Chief Engineer Annie sitting properly in her chair, at work.
She looked around the office in astonishment and sniffed.
For a moment she truly wondered whether she was seeing things.
Was this truly Chief Engineer Annie's office?
Chief Engineer Annie, sitting there properly at work?
Most of all, not a scrap of food could be seen anywhere in the office, and even the air lacked its usual smell of spicy snack sticks.
She rubbed her eyes and made sure she had come to Chief Engineer Annie's office and not Chief Engineer Nana's.
Chief Engineer Annie, her face stern, took her subordinate's report and looked it over quickly.
Then she signed her name on it.
But still left some suggestions at the end.
"You need to watch this stage a little. This stage of production is where defects most easily turn up. And then this stage can raise production efficiency…"
The technician heard Chief Engineer Annie go through these production tasks with her point by point.
Right up until the technician walked out of the office, her face was all astonishment.
Was that just now… truly Chief Engineer Annie?
Had the sun come up in the west today?
Her work done, Annie quietly tidied her things, then set off for the staff canteen.
But just as she reached the door of the staff canteen.
She saw a figure in a great hurry.
Seeing Annie, the figure ran over.
"What's happened?" Chief Engineer Annie asked.
"Chief Engineer Annie, Chief Engineer Nana… she's shut herself in her room all day, and whatever we say, she won't come out!"
This was Chief Engineer Nana's adjutant; one could see she was very anxious.
"I understand. Go on with your work, all of you. Leave Nana to me." Chief Engineer Annie, with no thought for her meal, walked straight out of the staff canteen.
And went to her sister's quarters.
She reached the door of the quarters.
She knocked.
But got no answer at all.
Chief Engineer Annie frowned slightly, then pulled something out and set it at the door.
Then quietly walked a good way off.
Then took something like a remote control out of her pocket.
And pressed it.
The next second, the tightly shut door blew up, leaving a great crater, still smoking.
Chief Engineer Annie watched it all quietly, waited a few seconds until the black smoke had thinned a good deal, and only then went in.
Past the wrecked doorway,
she went in.
Perhaps because of the blast at the door, the room's wiring had a problem too; the lights kept flickering.
Chief Engineer Annie looked around the room, and at last, in a corner of the bedroom, she saw Nana.
Nana was hugging her knees, crouched there in a sorry state.
When Chief Engineer Annie came, Nana raised her head; her eyes were full of bloodshot veins, with fear in them, and terror, and grief.
In that instant,
Chief Engineer Annie seemed to see the years cross over.
She was back five or six years before.
At a star port whose name she could no longer recall.
That man had stood where she was standing now, looking down at her, who had been like a little puppy.
"What's your name?"
"Annie…"
That man had held out his hand to the Annie of back then, but Annie had shrunk her head in timidly, like a frightened little mouse.
Gurgle, gurgle…
Just then her stomach made a noise.
"Is that your stomach growling?" the man asked, knowing full well.
"N… no…" Annie said in a voice like a mosquito's.
The man held out his hand again. "Then come with me, and I'll take you to eat something tasty."
It was that very moment.
That man had pulled her out of the dark and brought her into a life of light.
Let her learn that being alive could be something so happy.
She could eat delicious food, rest in a safe, comfortable room, and put her abilities to use here.
Could use her own abilities to go after the life she wanted.
All of it, that man had given her.
"Nana." Annie's voice rang out, somewhat cold.
"Sis…" Nana raised her head; just now she was as fragile as a little mouse.
Annie reached out her hand and stroked Nana's head. "He's only gone away for a while. He said he'd come back. He entrusted this place to us. Then we have to look after it for him. We'll work hard and build all this. And when he comes back. He still has to pay us our overtime."
Annie smiled then, the one and only time in all this while.
Though the smile looked very forced.
Nana's tears ran down in spite of herself.
Annie bent down and hugged her sister.
In that moment her own tears, too, ran down in spite of herself.