The SS Atuan floated above Dawn station, having just taken on new frames and the recently repaired existing frames. The Ashigarus, it seemed, could really beat the crap out of each other. In a way, this was good, but, in a way, this was bad. Mass producing a test model was an odd way to make money, but Murakami Kensuke had thought it a good idea. In any case, Arah Tenner had a job to do, and that was get back the stolen goods. Sure, the model was open market now, but that didn't mean they could just let a somewhat expensive machine be stolen, along with a former employee whom had been paid rather well and cost the company quite a bit.

And so, the Atuan was tasked with finding this lost mechanized frame and retrieving it.

******
Arah sat in her chair on the bridge rather unenthusiastically. leaned over to one side, she lethargically rested her head on the cushions, barely glancing at her screen. strangely enough, the woman moved, activating a comm line to the Barrack. "Frame team, make you way up here. that's the old and the new people. We need everyone here now."

A loud ringing noise rattled through the Atuan's barracks, splitting the eardrums of the newly assigned pilots of the ship's two frame teams. Ensign Williams, the highest ranking pilot, stood at the head of the room, holding in his hands an old style meal-bell, and a cheerful smile on his face.

"Wake up boys and girls! Time for you to earn your pay!"

A ringing noise pierced Taela's ears, awakening her with a start. The Neko glanced around dazily, forgetting where she was for a moment before she saw her new superior with a bell. With a sigh, she spoke, "Do you have to use that thing? It's terribly annoying."

Taela Kaila hopped out of bed, her pajamas instantaneously turning into the Origin uniform. With a groggy "G'marnin," she passed Williams and headed up to the bridge. Taela bowed to her current boss with a polite "Ohaiyo, Sensei."

Shinji groggily rubbed his eyes as he was rudely awakened. " 'Ey! wazzup widdat noise?" he called, looking at Kelly and his device of mass annoyance. Shinji would have to do something about that. In any case, the mecha pilot slash demo expert tugged on a pair of black cargo pants, and threw the Origin jacket on over his A-shirt, straightening himself to head towards the bridge as ordered.

******

Meena jumped at all the excitement, and bounded out of bed to see what was up. Finding that it was just the new man; Kelly, she calmed down fairly quickly and returned to her bunk, grabbing her uniform and putting it on, then doing up her ponytail to be ready for the meeting.

Giblets of brain, flesh and bone hung in the air like the stars of a galaxy, the very center of the formation a starburst of light. The bits slowly drifted inwards, as though drawn together by a great force. Hair, flawless skin, teeth and eyes perfectly formed into the Ashigaru's pilot. Or not. It wasn't the same woman at all. A tomboyish Neko, still with a tail, smiled happily as she stood atop the Ashigaru. Shioko. Tentacles enveloped her, pistol pushed into the head. "I love you dear." Her head exploded outwards into a constellation of gore.

******

"Mama!" She woke up screaming for her other, dead, mother. Yoshiko tried to jolt upright, instead fell off and onto the floor, pinned down by something heavy on her lap. "Oww, wha? What's happnin?" Her eyes gazed downwards as the harsh noise went on; it was an additional optical sensor she'd been trying to put together. Yoshiko wanted to add one onto each of the shoulders on her Ashigaru, and it wasn't hard following instructions in putting together more. She ended up finishing the first, and spooning the second.

People were piling out of the Barracks for some reason. "Hey! Wait for me!" Yoshiko yelled, running, trying to pull her pants up.

Before Shinji could even leave the barracks, he felt a sharp THWACK on the back of his head, followed by screaming in his ears.

"INAKURA! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE GOING DRESSED LIKE THAT!" Kelly Williams, the commander of the Atuan's frame teams, was up in his face, yelling at the top of his lungs. Hitting his knees with his plastic stick, Kelly increased the loudness of his voice.

"WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR UNIFORM? DO YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF FREIGHTER, OR A PLEASURE CRUISE? MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE A RE-ASSIGNMENT TO ONE OF OUR MINING VESSELS? CHANGE INTO YOUR UNIFORM, THEN GIVE ME 20 PUSH-UPS BEFORE REPORTING TO THE BRIDGE!"

As Taela tried to get passed Kelly and on the bridge, her shoulder was nonchalantly grabbed as the drillinstructorlike turned towards her.

" KAILA! This isn't the Star Army! No holographic uniforms! Go back and put on your physical Uniform, or it's 15 laps around the entire ship!"

Taela sighed and hovered back over to her bed and pulled out the supplied uniform and undergarments - throwing them on quickly while still maintaining the hologram. Once the clothes were on properly, the Neko strolled out of the room - quickly sticking out her tongue in his direction when she was out of William's eyesight.

"Strange standards they have here. . . But who am I to question?" She sighed as she made her way onto the bridge.

Shinji held up a finger, completely unperturbed by Kelly Williams, indicating for the man to wait a moment. Yawning, he pulled a small roll of paper out of one pocket and a match out of another, then stuck a small fuse into the paper, lighting it, and handing it to the man. "I'm a demo expert. I need these pants to do my job" he explained, walking out of the Barracks and toward the elevator. A couple seconds later the roll of paper exploded with a whizzing pop, leaving the smell of sulfur in the air but otherwise doing nothing.

******

Meena wondered what all the yelling was about, but simply shrugged it off and continued towards the elevator. She giggled as she heard the whizzing pop, Shinji had pulled the same trick on her once.

As Yoshiko buttoned up her jacket, she bumped by the loud noise source. "Sorry!" she replied. A loud whiz and pop from behind had her jump in surprise. "Eep!" She squeaked as the little thing had it's run. She remembered how Shinji offered Meena the same thing. 'Hey, why wasn't I given one?'

The fond memory made her giggle as she ran. "Hehe." In front of her was Taela. The Neko was still ahead of Yoshiko because she had tripped over her own pants. 'Aww, lucky! She got to stay her old self!' the ex-neko pouted. 'At least I have someone kinda like me.' As she ran up to Taela, Yoshiko called out, "Hey Taela! Wait up!"

Taela whipped around to see one of her new companions calling after her. "Ta. . . Tachibana, wasn't it? Right. . . Ohaiyo, Tachibana-san. Williams-sensei is much of a stickler for regulations, isn't he?" She commented, stopping in the middle of the hall for the other girl. "You're from Yamatia too, correct?"