‘So, this is how the other half lives,’ Nava commented as the tiltrotor dropped toward the landing pad.
‘Not half,’ Mitsuko replied. ‘My parents are probably firmly in the one percent. That doesn’t bother you, does it?’ She answered her own question before Nava had managed to part her lips. ‘No, of course it doesn’t. Do you ever get upset about anything?’
‘Of course.’
‘Just not social disparities.’
‘My worth as a person is not diminished by someone having more possessions than me. For that matter, it’s not diminished by someone thinking they are my superior.’
‘Good answer. Just remember that you’re my guest and here as the guest of my parents.’
‘Oh? You didn’t mention the latter.’
Mitsuko smiled. ‘I didn’t? Well, they agreed to my bringing you and said that they were happy to have you here. My parents are quite progressive. My father spent eight years in the ASF before returning home when his father died. He left with the rank of commander having worked his way up from second lieutenant. My mother… My mother is going to look like she belongs in an old movie about feudal Japan, but she’s a modern woman with modern ideals. Their marriage was arranged, but they have much in common and were quite happy with the arrangement.’
‘If you don’t mind me asking, how Japanese are you? You have the name and some of the looks…’
‘My mother is pure Japanese. She was originally a Maki Sonkei. My father is… somewhere between a third and a half Japanese with the rest being English, Canadian, and French. I’ll let you do the math. I get most of my looks from my mother and my height from my father. Weirdly, my elder siblings take after our father, while me and my younger sister take after our mother.’
‘Genetics are random.’ There was a slight bump as the aircraft’s wheels hit the concrete. ‘And we’re here.’ Nava grabbed her overnight bag – containing some toiletries and a change of underwear – and got to her feet. She pointedly put herself in front of Mitsuko at the door of the cabin, which seemed to surprise the woman waiting to open it. Mitsuko appeared to think this absolutely normal so the attendant said nothing.
As soon as the door was opened, Nava walked down the steps, which had extended from the hull, and scanned their immediate environment. The house was to the west and north. There was a clear view of over a kilometre to the south and east, but the tiltrotor blocked a clear shot from the south. A sniper could have been waiting out there in the grass, but that could not be helped.
A man was waiting on the edge of the pad to the east. He was dressed in the uniform of an ASF officer. Nava could just about make out the rank insignia of a lieutenant commander in the naval branch. He was tall, rugged. His body was not muscular exactly, but he clearly maintained a high level of fitness. He was not exactly handsome, but you could not deny that he had a sort of ‘action adventurer’ attractiveness, like someone off the cover of a trashy ‘rescue the damsel’ romance novel. He had to be Mitsuko’s elder brother.
And the child hiding behind his legs had to be the youngest sister. She looked a lot more like Mitsuko than the brother did. He appeared to have sprung from European stock, while she looked like a Japanese child, though the yukata she was wearing possibly prejudiced Nava’s opinion. She was certainly a cute little thing with her long black hair, large dark eyes, and pink-and-silver abstract yukata. Nava figured there was every chance that she would grow up to give Mitsuko a run for her money in the beauty stakes.
Turning slightly, Nava gave a tiny nod to Mitsuko and her charge tripped down the steps carrying her own bag. They were both still in school uniforms and they had flown north to get to the mansion. The cooler air was noticeable on their arms and Mitsuko appeared to be quite keen to get inside. She was hampered in this by a shriek of ‘Onee-chan!’ and the envelopment of her legs at the knees by a pair of small but strong arms.
‘Onee-chan?’ Nava asked.
‘Older sister,’ Mitsuko replied. ‘It’s an affectation she picked up from Mother. This is my youngest sister, Michiko. Say hello to Nava, Michiko.’
Michiko looked a little reluctant to let go of her sister’s legs, but her social conditioning kicked in and she stepped back to look up at Nava. ‘Hello, Nava-sama, I am Michiko Trenton Sonkei. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’ A hand was thrust out for Nava to take.
Quite seriously, since Michiko was being quite serious, Nava took the girl’s hand and shook it. ‘Thank you for your warm welcome, Michiko Trenton. The pleasure is all mine.’
And then, before anything else could be said, Michiko went on. ‘Please allow me to introduce you to my Onii-sama, Lieutenant Commander Ruben Trenton Sonkei.’ This was all delivered in perfect English without any accent. Clearly, Michiko had had an excellent education thus far, as was to be expected.
‘Ahem.’ Ruben looked a tiny bit embarrassed to be introduced by his little sister, but he was an officer in the naval branch of the Clan Worlds’ military and he rallied quickly. He held out a hand. ‘Pleased to meet you…’
‘Nava Ward,’ Nava said, not taking the hand until she had judged his reaction. His reaction was barely noticeable and his hand remained unwavering. She took it firmly and shook. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Commander.’
‘What are you doing here, Ruben?’ Michiko
