AN: This takes place somewhere after A Ghost in the Machinder. Yay for Chiro/Jinmay fluff!

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Somewhere in space, a large robot hummed its way along through the stars. And within that robot, three voices sighed in unison.

A whole week had gone by with no activity. No attacks, no abnormalities, not even and M-class planet in sight. Boredom had overcome them all, save Antauri, who spent a vast majority of his time in his chamber meditating. In desperation, Chiro and Sprx had dug out their video games to pass the time. Otto soon joined them, and the three raced and battled each other with disinterested expressions. Gibson fiddled with his equipment, his pride keeping him from joining the group.

"Hey, Chiro," a soft voice from behind him said. "Pass me the controller."

The gold monkey took her seat in a worn beanbag chair beside the boy, wrapping her tail around her waist. Chiro shrugged and did as Nova asked, scooting back to give her a better view.

"I thought you were making training programs," Sprx said as his character on the screen dealt a brutal blow.

"I was, and I did." Nova cocked an eyebrow, unleashing a special attack combo. "Seventy new programs waiting for you guys. You can only make so many of those things before it starts getting old."

Another thousand years passed as Sprx and Nova battled it out, almost evenly matched. Best two out of three. No, best three out of five. Nine out of fifteen.

Gibson let out a breath and set down his scanner. No point in pretending he was doing something constructive. Just as he was making his way to the TV, a beep sounded at the main console.

The whole group stopped, Sprx dropping his controller. They stared at the control panel, a blue light flashing in earnest. Within his chamber, Antauri lifted his head in surprise.

With a great scramble of feet and paws they clamored their way to the center console like children to the tree on Christmas morning. Gibson stuttered for a moment before finding his voice.

"It's a message from Jinmay!"

Antauri floated to the back of the group silently. Chiro's face lit up, his blue eyes shining. "Well," he urged, "play it, play it!"

Shrugging, Gibson activated the communicator. After a few seconds of static and buzzing, Jinmay's form appeared, tinted blue from the holographic light. The monkeys leaned in eagerly.

"Hi Monkey Team," she began sweetly. "I wish I could talk to you directly, but because of the distance, a recording will have to do." She folded her hands behind her back and smiled.

"Things are going well in Shuggazoom. We've had a few level one attacks, but it's been otherwise quiet. Reconstruction efforts are coming along twice as fast as expected. It's funny," she paused, looking to the side. "It's almost a good thing the city was destroyed. Now, thanks to new engineering and disaster preparation plans, it's going to be stronger than ever."

She paused again, her expression softening. "I miss you all. Send me a message sometime and let me know you're still alive out there, okay?"

There was a short blip before 'end transmission' replaced her translucent body. Otto grinned wide.

"Alright! Sure is good to hear - "

His sentence was cut off by another small beep. The same blue light began flashing.

Sprx furrowed his brow. "Another message?" Gibson fiddled with the controls for a moment before his eyebrows shot up.

"No... it's a private transmission for Chiro." He pressed a button, ejecting a small disk from the console. He took it and held it out.

"Here you are, Chi - "

In a flash, Chiro had snatched the disk from Gibson's hand and darted out of the room. He slid around corners until finally reaching his door, rushing in. He dove into his sheets, crossing his legs and shoving the disk excitedly into the projector at the foot of his bed.

A buzz of static, then her twelve-inch form flickered to life. Chiro stared for a moment, confused. Her white outfit was replaced with a pastel blue dress that hung below her dainty shoulders, clinging to her delicate curves. A white rose sat behind her ear.

"Hi, Chiro." She brushed at her flowing skirt shyly, the fabric of her bell-shaped sleeves shimmering. "Do you like my dress? Mr. Gackslapper said I'd look good in blue, so..."

Chiro rested his chin in his hands and sighed. Her voice was like music.

"I really miss you, Chiro." Her expression turned almost sad. "I wish we could've spent more time together before you left. It... always seems like we're both rushing off somewhere, huh?"

She clasped her hands below her chin and smiled sweetly. "If you're ever on this side of the galaxy... stop by and see me, even if it's only for an hour, okay? Well," she sighed. "That's about it. Take care of yourself, Chiro."

Jinmay's hologram pressed her fingers to her lips, then held out her hand, just close enough to touch the end of Chiro's nose. His cheeks gained the tiniest hint of pink as he paused her transmission, gently wrapping his fingers around her, cradling her intangible form.

The blaring alarm tore him from his reverie. Chiro frowned and turned the projector off, rushing to the command center.

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Several hours later, Nova was hunched over, rubbing her back.

"Oww..." she whined uncharacteristically. "I was hoping for some excitement, not a near-death experience."

"I'm with you on that one." Sprx clutched his head, wincing. Otto gripped a wrench in his mouth as he worked on the red monkey's injuries. Gibson finished bandaging Chiro and motioned him towards the door.

"That should hold you. Now go get some rest." His voice was weary. "I know I am..." he muttered under his breath.

Chiro limped away. A good night's sleep had never sounded so good. Upon entering his room, he flopped face-down on his bed, not even caring to turn out the light.

When he woke, he was pleased to find the ache in his neck had subsided. Chiro sat up and stretched, cringing as his back popped loudly. His eyes turned to the projector at his side, and a wide smile made its was across his face. Picking up the adjacent recording device, he settled down atop his sheets.

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Jinmay smiled weakly and waved at the spectators that cheered her name. She had certainly been accepted with open arms by the whole of Shuggazoom. There was a huffle of boots as the Clean Ops began their organized straightening of the street below. The communicator on her chest began to chirp softly. Jinmay's face was suddenly filled with delight as she turned on her heels and rushed to her stronghold.

There was a flurry of fingers as she activated the holographic projector. Within seconds Chiro's crackling form was smiling tiredly at her, sitting cross-legged.

"Hi, Jinmay," he began. "Oh - don't worry about the bandages." Chiro motioned at his chest and arms. "We just had a rough day... a really rough day."

He shifted a bit. "...I got your message. It was good to hear from you, and to hear that Shuggazoom is safe. You have no idea how paranoid Gibson's been about that lately." He chuckled softly, rolling his eyes. "Everyone says 'hi,' by the way."

Feeling giddy, Jinmay hugged her arms and breathed deeply.

There was a long pause as Chiro stared at his feet. "I miss you too," he whispered, looking up. "We'll be home sometime. Even if we're not in the quadrant... I'll find a way. I think we're all a little homesick."

Chiro leaned forward. Jinmay unconsciously mimicked him.

"We'll go for a Hover Burger and ice cream when we come back, promise." He turned his head to the side to look at something, then back towards her. "I'd better go... it'll be morning soon. Well... goodnight then. You take care of yourself, too."

And just as she had before, Chiro pressed his fingers to his lips, then held them out. Jinmay was so close to his ghostly form, she could have sworn she actually felt his hand on her cheek. She paused the transmission, leaned on her palms and smiled.

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Yee-haw. I have an illustration for this fic here: .