[Prologue] From the Ashes

[Tom]

Day 1: 7:30, Kyoto

Araiah sighed at the stack of papers piled on her desk, tapping at it with the end of a pencil. The Nekovalkyrja leaned forward and, with a small putter from her lips, rested her head on her left hand. She tilted her head to watch the warming rays of the sun which filtered through the shutters of the window and onto a spot on the floor. Little bits of floating dust danced in and out of the light.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A few errant strands of her blue hair fell from the neatly kept bun on the top of her head and got in her eyes. She hated to imagine what the humidity was doing to her hair. With a puff from her lips, the offending hair fell away.

She took her glasses off for what felt like the 10th time that morning, holding them up against the light and checking for smudges.

The recruitment pamphlets had promised so much. She was a veteran of the SMX war and a shoe-in for command, they told her. They said it was a great opportunity to have the military life without all the military mess. And it was an opportunity to be a hero of a different kind: the of 'daily hero' that helped the everyman. There was something noble in that. The results were immediate, the kind of thing you got from a thank you and a smile. War was grandiose, but the rewards were abstract, unless you got on TV like those Miharu folks.

So, there she was, the leader of a silent empire which was only one floor of a nondescript building in central Kyoto. An empire tucked away two alleys from the main street, sandwiched between a junk yard and an old warehouse.

She glanced around the sparse room which was her office. There was a dead, potted plant in the corner--how long had it been there?-- and the dust was piling on the empty bookshelf which probably hid a crack in the wall or something. At least the console installed in her desk still worked, even if the software was 3 years old.

She reclined back into her chair and tapped away at the console. There would be new arrivals soon, and she looked over their files.

Today was going to be jam packed with boring office work and getting the whole unit oriented. She had told them to arrive by 9:00 sharp. Certainly, a few of them would be trickling in in a few minutes. Hopefully they wouldn't get lost trying to get there.

She reached down and opened a drawer to her desk, then pulled out the long, thin paperweight which would serve as a name card.

In carved letters, it read:

Araiah M. Lieutenant, Unit 4

 

[Lamb]

It was just a few minutes after seven-thirty that Sashi Tamayamo arrived, punctual as his record predicted. The blonde Minkan entered the office with a strong, upright gait and stood before Araiah with a firm salute.

"Sergeant Tamayamo Sashi, reporting for duty!" He said enthusiastically, before falling out of his salute to smooth down his perfectly pressed and completely unnecessary for his position YNP uniform.

 

[Yoshi]

"Of all the fething days to be running behind," Sera leaned into a turn and juice the throttle on her airbike. Decked out for pure unadulterated speed it jumped and race down another street. Dressed in her duty uniform with a red racing jacket over he was ready to join her new unit, odd that her old XO didn't tell much about it. It wasn't like she didn't want the transfer, her old unit was a drag, mostly desk work.

Arriving and parking her airbike behind the building, she started in and up the stairs to the unit's offices waited. As she neared the main office door she ran her hand over the top of her head to make sure there wasn't any stray hairs. Feeling confident she opened the door and headed to her new XO's office, and knocked.

 

[Tom]

A smirk spread on Araiah's lips at the Sergeant's militaristic salute.

"At ease, soldier," she said with a wave of her hand, although there was a playful tone to her voice. "We're not in the military, you know."

She ran her fingers along the rim of her glasses as she punched up the Minkan's profile. The glow of the screen reflected off her lenses as she scrolled through pages of text.

"Sergeant Tamayamo Sashi," she muttered as her eyebrows furrowed.

There was a pause, just a heartbeat, as if she had found something that struck her interest in the file she was reading. Her lips hung just a little loosely as she looked back up to make eye contact with the Sergeant. The orange in her orbs seemed to dance with energy.

"Well, first thing, that name's a bit of a mouthful," she said with a broad smile. "Not the type of thing you'd shout out under gunfire, you know. Do you have a nickname or can I call you Sashi?"

Then there was a knocking at the far end of the room. The Neko looked through the new arrival and at the shadowy figure standing behind the glass of the door.

"Come in!"

 

[Riko]

should have kept to the schedule!! Trudy thought as she whipped around a corner executing a perfect racing turn on her motorcycle But I just HAD to wait for Lilly to bake those cookies for the first day on the job, now I'm gonna be there at 0855 instead of 0830 like I scheduled!!

Flying down the roadway leading to her new Trudy let a grin cross her face as she heard the sound of her bike echoing off the surrounding buildings with a throughty roar, and held herself closer to her bike and accelerated becoming a pink blur with her long twin tails whipping behind her.

As she saw her turn comming up she made a hard left leaving a large skid mark behind as she gunned it into the parking lot, barley ramping over the lip of the road so when she lanes the bottom of Trudy's bike sparked as it hit the pavement.

Swerving into an open parking spot Trudy looked at her watch as it clicked over to 8:55."Perfect, right on schedule" she said Taking off her helmet and unzipped her bike suit revealing a near perfect YNP uniform "though I am going to have to check the underside later to make sure I didn't break anything.."

Neatly folding her outfit and placing it in one of her saddle bags and taking out a small bag of homemade cookies, holdin one in her mouth to munch on, she bolted inside and flew up the stairs to her new office. After reaching the door she paused for a second to straighten herself up and wipe her face off a bit before checking her watch "0857 perfect" and knocked on the door thinking Be polite be professional and don't make yourself look like an idiot.

 

[Lamb]

Sashi turned to glance at the knocked-on door with some hot nerves. 'Oh, why am I always forgetting those small pleasantries!?' He begged himself. Instead of letting it get to him, Sashi stiffened up again and responded hastily to Araiah.

"Yes, Sashi is perfectly fine, Araiah-sempai." He said, "While protocol states that you should address me by my surname; everyone in Unit Six had no problem calling me Sa-tan." His face crumpled slightly at this. He had hoped not to bring up his troubled memory of Unit Six, much less the well-abhorred nickname he was given by his superiors.

"But, uh, If you don't mind... I'd prefer Sashi."

 

[Yoshi]

Then there was a knocking at the far end of the room. The Neko looked through the new arrival and at the shadowy figure standing behind the glass of the door.

"Come in!"

Sera straighten up before opening the door. She was dressed in her uniform head to toe, the only thing out of place was her red leather racing jacket draped over her left arm. "Ma'am I'm Sera Aphoris and I was told to report to you for reassignment." She made a quick bow. she stood there relaxed but in a professional manner. neither slouched nor rail straight she looked confident of her place the the universe.

She reached under her jacket and produced a a set of transfer papers. Making sure that they were flat Sera handed them over to her new boss.

 

[Tom]

Araiah nodded.

"Sashi it is, then. Welcome to Unit 4, Sergeant."

When the new arrival stepped in, the Lieutenant looked her over, then glanced back to Sashi with a grin, showing her pearly white teeth.

"I'm glad you're both early birds," she said, energy creeping into her voice. "It prevents a lot of rushing around for me later."

Her chair screeched against the floor as the Nekovalkyrja pushed away from her desk. She hopped to her feet and made her way around the desk. There was a bounce in her first few steps, the lieutenant almost skipping towards the two.

She took the transfer papers from Sera and gave them a casual glance before tossing them onto her desk.

"Sera Aphoris," she said. "The second 'S' name in as many people. Yes, yes, I'll see to the papers later, but now, how about a tour of the facility?"

As she reached the door of the room, she glanced over her shoulder.

"And relax! You have plenty of time to be formal when the doors open to the public. I'm going to grab a couple cups of coffee. That's definitely the first point of order for the day."

 

[Lamb]

"Coffee?"

Sashi perked up at the word like a trained Labrador. One of his duties in Unit Six was to man the legendary Unit Six espresso machine; something he didn't take lightly. The super-amazing Unit Six with their perfect jawlines and razor-sharp case records needed a heavy pot of espresso and about three kilograms of eyeliner before they could even start the day.

"I'll make the coffee!" Sashi proclaimed in the way a six year old proclaimed that he'd helped with the the Shake n' Bake. "Where's the machine? How do you like your coffee, Araiah-sempai? Black, creamy, sweet, strong, tea?"

 

[Gallant]

"Second tea, please."

Door open. Door shut. Click, and click, again.

Shizu had chosen to show up to work, today, in heavily abbreviated business attire; she'd let her hair down in a dark, forest-green mass that reached nearly to the back of her knees, securing it away from her face with two expertly placed pins, which were performing quite valiantly in their duties. The rest of her was a pair of rather immodest jean shorts, an untucked black shirt she'd only bothered to button two thirds of the way, and a pair of dark boots that might have been former Star-Army issue.

The artificially roughed leather jacket she had her hands shoved into was the same color as her eyes were, though; dark, and gray, and pretty damn lifeless.

Taking the transfer papers from her jacket pocket, she offered them to the Lieutenant. Her voice was dull amber, quiet and soft, bereft of all enthusiasm - and, in truth, almost difficult to hear.

"Detective Hamada, reporting."

 

[Riko]

I'm late I'm late,way to make a first impression Agent Yoketsumaru Trudy's brain screamed at her as she entered the room and noticed the all the other members of the Unit already there.

Taking out a crisply folded envelope Trudy handed it over to Araiah "Agent Yoketsumaru Gertrude reporting in mam" she said and making a deep bow and noticed that she forgot to tie up her hair as it swished by her face "I applogize for the tardiness as well." as she straigtned up her hands moved with a practiced skill to tie her hair back into a more professional looking bun.

 

[Gallant]

Shizu sat the papers on the desk instead. They made a loose and depressed plop sound. Then, she glanced at Gertrude.

Lethargic at best, skeptical in full, it was a look that sized the individual up and classified them somewhere between useless and a floor. What was worse, the dark-haired woman seemed resigned, almost accepting of that assessment. Casually, Shizu drew a hand out of her jacket pocket and patiently checked her wristwatch.

"I believe your watch is an hour fast."

Her voice was just as quiet, listless, and dull the second time around.

 

[Tom]

Araiah smiled at Sashi's enthusiasm. "Why thank you, Sashi," she said. "The break room's right down the hall here. First door on the left. A black coffee for me, please."

"Second tea, please."

Araiah crisply turned on her heel and gently took off her glasses at the approach of the newcomer. She made a small flourish with them in the air before folding them in her palm.

Then she noticed how depressed the woman seemed. It practically radiated off of her. The Lieutenant sized up Shizu with a quirked eyebrow.

Her furry ears twitched.

"Yes, Detective Hamada," she said as she took the papers. "Welcome. We're just about to get everyone oriented over drinks. I think we could all use a good shot of caffeine before all the formalities, though."

Araiah looked at Tracy next.

"No, no, you're just in time for orientation, Ms. Yoketsumaru." More transfer papers were received. The neko shuffled them under her arm for later evaluation. "Everyone, come this way."

----

As coffee percolated on the counter and a tea kettle steamed on a single burner in the staff room, Araiah had the new arrivals seated around two circular tables joined together. The tables were chipped and scuffed, obvious hand-me-downs from other departments, and the plastic chairs creaked under the weight of their guests.

Two vending machines sat against the far wall, one for snacks and ready-to-eat foods, and one for various sodas and bottled drinks. The constant hum from them added on top of the buzz from the glowing tubes of the overhead lights.

While the burner was situated in one corner, a long counter ran along the adjacent wall, complete with overhead cabinets and drawers which housed various utensils, dishware and cleaning supplies. Ample space was provided for foodstuffs as well as pots and pans.

A television was installed in one of the corners of the room, near the ceiling and was switched to the locals news station. A young, brown-haired Nekovalkyrja was reporting on something, but the television was muted.

A row of empty lockers took up the third wall, below the television. Each of them had the name of one of the new recruits-- 10 in all.

The wall nearest to the entrance had a large whiteboard as well as a tack board for notes and other messages.

There were no windows. The floor was made of freshly-waxed tile and seemed still quite slippery to the untrained eye.

Araiah reclined in her chair, her hands clasped behind her head.

"So, why'd you all decide to join the YNP?"

 

[ShotJon]

Andrea was a little late, but she did not care really. These meetings were always chaotic and she could not really control traffic. Traffic was best excuse anyway, especially if it was true. She parked her blue Classico hovercar in the street in front of the station. Walking to the station she put on the sunglasses and took out her electronic cigarette.

She showed her badge to the man at the front desk and asked where Lieutenant Morita could be found. Heading to where Morita's office was, she found just an empty room. Andrea could hear voice's from the room down the hall. Poking her head she could see a group of cops, some in uniform, some in civvies.

Andrea herself wore her brown leather jacket, black turtle-neck and jeans. She brushed hair from her face and puffed on her cigarette, walking inside. "Good morning," she said looking at them. "I am looking for Lt. Morita? I am supposed to report to Unit Four."

 

[Gallant]

Shizu sipped the tea out of her paper cup, blowing on it gently, even elegantly, at first. She did this with an astounding amount of poise, bordering on ceremony. Then, she took another sip, and leaned back in her plastic chair, which bent slightly in the back. Reticient, she hooked an arm over her seat.

Her shirt moved in a way that suggested the articles of clothing beneath it, weren't. It could also be the NSP in the docker's clutch, suddenly visible beneath her jacket, nestled up against her slender frame.

Then, she rubbed at her scalp, and tried to fix one of her hair clips. It only took one look at her glazed expression to tell she wasn't interested enough to be provocative on purpose; whatever wardrobe mistakes she'd made had probably been out of lethargy, or carelessness. In fact, she looked bored and almost half asleep already.

It was therefore with all the purpose of a small tortoise that Shizu turned her attention to the newcomer. She turned in her seat, towards her arm.

She blinked, and then turned the resigned, disappointed, hopeless expression on the tea, instead.

 

[Lamb]

Sashi wanted to say hi to the newcomer. He really did. He wanted more than that to go on a rambling diatribe about the wickedness of criminals and deliver his reasons for joining the YNP-- hopefully glazing over his transfer to Unit Four from Unit Six. But he couldn't! Not with Shizu looking at his tea with that dreadful look on her face, like he'd plopped muddy stones in it the way one would usually apply ice-cubes. Sashi fidgeted nervously with his uniform again and twisted about in his seat; eyes darting between Araiah, Andrea, and Shizu's tea.

He drank a stiff gulp of scalding hot coffee without so much as a wince.

 

[ShotJon]

Andrea looked at the folks inside giving her funny looks, but no answer. THere was young man and tiny nekovalkyrja who looked like her pet-bunny died just ten minutes ago. Andrea sighed. Even though it was just few seconds ago, when she walked in those two still noticed her and did not even reply her with a shrug.

"Oh well thanks for ignoring me," She said, looking mainly at Shizu. "What about you lady, you look like someone pissed in your tea?" She asked the small neko. Andrea herself was not in great mood. She was just transferred to the unit that was said to be worst on the planet and felt like getting the drink. Alcohol was forbidden on duty though.

 

[Gallant]

Andrea looked at the folks inside giving her funny looks, but no answer. THere was young man and tiny nekovalkyrja who looked like her pet-bunny died just ten minutes ago. Andrea sighed. Even though it was just few seconds ago, when she walked in those two still noticed her and did not even reply her with a shrug.

"Oh well thanks for ignoring me," She said, looking mainly at Shizu. "What about you lady, you look like someone pissed in your tea?" She asked the small neko. Andrea herself was not in great mood. She was just transferred to the unit that was said to be worst on the planet and felt like getting the drink. Alcohol was forbidden on duty though.

Shizu looked up, but her expression did not change. She held the Nepleslian woman in profile for a few moments, but no more than that before her expression further dampened. It was as if just looking at Andrea was depressing. This was not going to be very fun.

What sterling representives of the law and justice we are.

Shizu glanced out the window. Sunny morning. People moving around. Not a bad place, overall. Looking up to the television instead, she noticed someone had been shot. Tragic. Then it cut to the weather, and it was more sunshine and joy again.

When the silence was almost too much to bear with, Shizu offered;

"Smoking is illegal."

 

[ShotJon]

Andrea chuckled and took her electronic cigarette out of her lip, holding it in front of her face. She then looked at Shizu again. "Well smoking tobacco is illegal. This has no tobacco in it, so it is quite legal." Andrea explained, looking that woman right in the eyes.

 

[Lamb]

"A-as frustrating as it is..." Sashi piped in, nibbling his lower lip between words, "Th-those electronic cigarettes are quite legal. They don't produce smoke, after all. It's steam. Nicotine vapor, or something else, depends on what you put in it. It's really annoying, because it looks just like an actual cigarette."

Sashi adjusted his tie and glanced to Araiah once more, as if expecting her to say something in his support; half-hoping she'd say, 'Yes, it is in fact legal despite the collective gripings of our many studious detectives; and my coffee is also fantastic.'

Instead, Sashi bubbled up again, this time addressing the tea, "Oh, just go ahead and tell me! What's wrong with the tea? I worked hard on it!"