Erma manages to reach the Ahnomia solar system and she hands over Shato to the EDF authorities in a relay space station, while waiting further orders. Meanwhile, she hears a very familiar voice for her: Her best friend, a Danetti Rodent (mouse) girl named Toki Zha was there too in Ahnomia as well and both girls were glad to see each other after many years since their academy years.
Erma asks Toki what she was doing all this years, and Toki replies she was doing staff work, since the EDF's higher ups cannot find the way of get rid of her, a fact at least glads Erma, which also ask why Toki is in Ahnomia. Toki further explains she and Erma were co-assigned to a command post in the Ish-tako solar system, when Erma will fly and Toki will work as a Desk Jockey there. She also add the reasons both girl will be sent there is because there's civil war raging on in that solar system and the EDF was requested to intervene on it. Erma also ask if is there's going to be combat on it and Toki replies that it could be and she ask Erma if she is worried to fight a war and Erma replies she's not.
When both girls went to take a lunch for the meanwhile, Toki asks Erma what happened with Tavas and why she is not with him. Erma explained with an annoyed face what happened between them and how Tavas decided to stay home rather than fight in Derzon. Toki quickly figured out what she was talking about and she adds Tavas is working as a instructor right now. Erma also asks Toki her current private life and she also replies she prefers having a variety of men for her at her disposition compared with Erma. While talking about the topic, Toki asks Erma if there's a place when they can find guys. Erma is somewhat surprised and annoyed as well, because they were in a relay space station, not a civilian one, but Toki doesn't seem to care, and she checks in a near computer about likely candidates, along them a musician. Erma was worried about wasting their time in such stuff, but Toki says that her Feline friend should become more sociable and relax more often, rather than working all the time. Later, we see both girls along with a musician and he gaves them some headphones, so they can hear his music. The narration explains how music is a relatively new thing in the Albedo universe, and the music played there is very simple compared with human music.
Meanwhile, Itzak Arrat is traveling into another ship towards an unknown destination, escaping from their own organization who wants him politically and physically dead. Arrat is at least happy to be able to escape, and the only thing he can think in that moment is how to find a new ship and a new crew as well, as the probability of evading those negative reports are nil.
In another spaceship bound to the Ahnomia solar system, a Feline (cougar) woman, after taking a look on her surroundings, simply starts shooting against anyone inside the ship, likely against her will, and the only thing she can think in that moment is finding someone who can kill her. In that moment, a security guard took her gun and tried to arrest her, but she quickly tried to recover her gun, but rather than trying to kill her aggressor, she puts herself in the harm's way of the gun intentionally and the security guard kills her at last by blowing her brains out, albeit we don't see blood, only her lifeless body instead.
Returning with Erma and Toki, both girls are discussing about the current political and military situation of the Ish-tako solar system, and the location of all the main factions of the conflict. To make matters worse, there's some unaligned forces in lesser moons and asteroids, working for one side or even for both. Toki keeps explaining to Erma what's the military might and the doctrines used by the combatants and how the whole conflict had being reduced so far to sabotaging or infiltrating into the valuable assets of each other. Toki also clarifies the role of the EDF in the conflict, as normally the EDF will not intervene into internal issues of a particular place, unless requested, something that actually happened this time by the civilian authorities and she also adds that Erma's role in the conflict will be lead an aerodyne squadron, with all the ACVs she can use, while Toki will take care of the paper-pushing instead, something that's music for Erma's ears, since she will be promoted to Squadron Commander (OF-4 in NATO rank scale).
And while Erma and Toki were sleeping in their bunks, they were awakened by an alarm, since a group of enemy-controlled ACVs were approaching to their ship, forcing them to suit up as quickly as possible. Erma cannot avoid to curse her bad luck, since she just arrived to Ish-tako and now she have to fight, something that she and the rest of the civilian ship's crew were not prepared for, as her crew only had experience with simulators but not with real battles, and they were going to need her help. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship tries to calm down the civilian passengers and warn them about the incomming attack. In that moment, the ship is attacked by the ACVs and while the ship managed to destroy them with their weapons they had for that case, the debris of one of them managed to hit the ship, damaging it seriously.
After the battle, Erma and her crew checked the damages and while the civilians passanger went unscathed, the same cannot be said for the rest of the crew, as they lost many personnel, especially in the engineering section, when they lost all their members there. Toki is also well, albeit busy trying to calm the passengers and Erma reports the situation of the ship. The engines of the ship and the fuel tanks were busted by the attack, forcing her and the crew of the ship to wait for help from another EDF ship for a while. Erma talks with the passengers, explaining them the current situation and how the rest of the crew will try to make the wait more tolerable. The issue ends with Erma and the rest of the crew playing with the rest of the civilians at zero gravity while waiting for help.
Tropes
- Art Evolution: Sort of. Since Thoughts & Images (Gallacci's self-publishing brand) was starting to lose money due to the end of the 80s black and white comics' boom, he was forced to switch from half-tones to pure black and white art, due of using a more cheaper paper for printing. In a more straight example of this trope, Gallacci's art has started to become more definited and cleared compared with previous issues.
- Death Seeker: This is what the Feline killer wanted, as she wanted to break free from the Mind Control of The Net, and she got her wish, with a bullet in her head.
- Desk Jockey: This is basically Toki's job, according with her, and she doesn't seem to mind at all being one.
- Genki Girl: Toki Zha, very, very, much.
- Mind Control: Just like what happened in the Ekosiak sub-arc, the Feline Serial Killer who attacked inside the ship was mind-controlled by The Net for unknown reasons, according with Word of God.
