"And put those beautiful weapons to waste?" Async almost giggled, her shit-eating grin was almost palpable, "I'm afraid you don't know me well enough."

"Well I think it is waste to just let weapon lie somewhere mein freund." Viki replied.

Kelly, a little on edge already, bristled and slowed down at the spacer's comment. She was right, simply put, and he needed to focus. The dark skinned Nepleslian looked up from the screens as the Abwehran asked him a question. "The frame team will be taking orders from Arah Tenner this time around if combat does occur, as I'll be on the away team. With luck though, none of that will happen and things will stay quiet." Kelly had already looked over the information pertaining to his part, and he knew who he'd meet. But would he also meet her as well?

As he listened to Shinji speak, Kelly took up the piece of paper Meena handed to him. 'It should have been me to get out and do that.' he thought to himself. Kelly authorized the weapons she asked for, but frankly raised an eyebrow. 'Net rounds?' His mind briefly wandered back to the series of unfortunate events, particularly what happened in the girls' room, back at the onsen. Kelly then tried connecting it to this requisition. 'No, that's impossible.' he thought. Out of everyone here, Meena was a good, quiet girl. But wasn't that a reason for it these days too? Being cooped up and - Kelly just forced himself back to work and kept businesslike.

"Listen crew, I know we lost a man, but that's because things got far out of hand. We were never supposed to run into Mishhu, and this time around, combat shouldn't be an issue at all." he spoke, trying to assuage the team's concerns. He turned to Mark at his remark. "That sounds like good thinking Vintropolis. Just remember you'll also need to keep up the pressure with the drones if things get out of hand as well, and thing should turn out fine." He remained silent at Async's following comment though, and pretended to occupy himself with the volumetric screen, scrolling through the inventory before figuring out what else to say.

"Well, I think that's everything for this briefing. Is there anything else that's come to attention?"

*****

Meanwhile, Yoshiko sleepily got her datapad and went to the mailbox. Spam. Spam. Sp-not spam? It was a message from Async. From, like a few minutes ago. Couldn't she just say it out loud? People were getting lazy or something. Without much pomp, Yoshiko pushed the button to look at the message. She read it over twice and let it sink in; the ex-neko blushed slightly. 'Someone cares! Or, well, everyone cares, but they never explicitly say so!' she mentally cheered. Yoshiko snuck a glance at the suited spacer before going back to her datapad.

She sent a message of her own.

Async perked up as Yoshiko's message came through, but had to grip her sides against the restrained laughter, ah, she's still just a child at heart despite her figure... but that's what makes the pursuit so enjoyable, she mused before sending a reply; the Freespacer's language software reflexively using formal Yamataian.

"Just one." Taela replied to Kelly, fixing her gaze upon the Nepleslian. "What are our default orders in case combat does occur and/or communications go out? I'd rather not be left without standing orders in event of emergency."

The Neko felt a little coldhearted from the whole affair. Her best friend wasn't going to be on the mission, and so far she hadn't formed much of a friendly connection with anybody else. The Freespacer was. . . a Freespacer. Meena almost seemed like a caretaker of some sort, given the way the Nepleslian treated her and Yoshiko the other day. Kelly? A Drill sergeant. Nobody else had made enough of an impression on Taela.
This is going to be a long day. She thought, summing up her musings.

"Default orders?" the synthed-up voice repeated Meena's query, "In the words of the my people's book: GO GET 'EM!" Async chortled, pointing a finger at the volumetric display as if it were a pistol, thumb cocking back before dropping down in imitation of a slug-thrower's hammer; amazingly, the display actually winked out of existence.

Viki waited for Kelly to answer brown-haired neko. "I would have a request." She said then. Her attention already moved from Oyu and cowardice of the freespacer to other things, like what missiles she will equip her mecha. "If it would be possible I would like more time doing simulation. I would like to familirize myself with Asura some more before the mission." She finished her request. For once she was serious, joking should not be part of the briefing in her books. While waiting for response Viki took a piece of paper and wrote her equipmenr down. Hyper rifle, two chain swords, 150 Self guided HE, 40 EMP missiles and 10 particle-cloud missiles. That should be okay.

Kelly sighed. Did these girls and guys like briefings? Then again, it was a good enough question. "Unless hostilities begin, all frames are to standby. Default combat orders are to simply protect the Atuan, simple as that. It might even leave faster if you all do a good job keeping it in one piece as well." The Ensign paused to look them all over and added on, "Keep in mind guys, our frames are not, I reapeat, not FTL capable. We loose the Atuan, we're stranded with no way out."

He then shrugged at the Freespacer's gestures and suggestion. Cute. "Just don't wander too far away from the others while you're up and at them Async, and that'll be fine." he replied.

The dark skinned Nepleslian looked at the list Viktoria handed him and shook his head up and down, braids bobbling as he did so. "Looks good. You'll just have to switch between the launch tubes, but that'll be fine. Anyone else want a missile loadout like this?" he asked. Even though this briefing was boring, the journey was going to be either more so, or hectic as everyone rushed to get ready within the three hours it took to get there.

*****

Meanwhile, Yoshiko was diligently 'taking notes'.

I hope she realizes I'm not a mechanic despite the fact that the schematics and operator's manual is in- my- head, Async blushed as Kelly's volumetrics popped back to life for a moment, displaying a mortician's view of an Oban in the hot white of an engineer's blueprint, before the Freespacer quashed the renegade assistance program.

This cold is killing me... only now in a more inconvenient fashion, she grumbled to herself, thinking wistfully of the radiation-bathed room she had rested in during the worst of her fever.

At least the immunological boosters seem to have worked.

Viktoria noded as her choice of equipment got approved. Great now all she has to do is get in Asura and get some more simulation done. "Atuan is not that big," she said then. "I think we can cover it without problems, if we are careful. And its has some guns of its own too."