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RP: YSS Heartbreaker [Mission 1: Epilogue] Got Two Tickets To Paradise

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Reynolds

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"Last one in's a dirty Squid!" The Neko squealed in delight as she dove from the rocky outcropping next to the waterfall, slicing into the pool of crystal clear water at the bottom with practiced ease. Her black hair was messy and soggy as her head popped up above the water, giggling happily and waving to the group up above. The crew members had just been led into some sort of ruins, through a cave system, and into this secluded spot. The blonde Neko's frown had slowly softened over the last few days of questioning and debriefing aboard the Heartbreaker, but she still gave her new friends a stern look as she welcomed them into their safe little slice of the otherwise deadly planet.

The pair had been stranded there for seven years, along with the Crab-type and several other SMX creatures they had dispatched over the years. The Crab had been much harder to deal with, using only what they'd scrounged from the wreckage of the various crafts. They'd been able to injure it, force it to retreat, even kill some of the local wildlife it had infected. But never put it down for good, each side retreating into hiding after wounding the other. "...I had given up hope of being rescued, no matter their promises to return for us. Eventually." The blonde Neko glanced down at her partner, still cavorting in the pond. "Bettie finally convinced me to turn the distress beacon on after our second year here. Even though we were ordered not to." She sighed and turned away from the group. "...I will miss this. Just this." And she obviously felt conflicted about their 'betrayal' of heir creator.

"V....! V...! Veronika, get our new friends in the water already!" The spunky Neko shouted up at her partner and the rest of the crew up on the rocks. They had been allowed a night of shore leave, after scans had shown this site was relatively safe. The Heartbreaker was parked overhead, just low enough to be visible to the crew that had been allowed to return and relax. They'd needed a few days to process the rescued Neko, transfer Yumi back to the Seisenkyo for proper medical and psychological treatment, and welcome some new replacement crew members on board. Who were now lined up along with the veterans, all ordered to wear their regulation swim gear, mingle, and have a good time. Or else. The Captain, who was not joining the festivities, was very clear about that.
 
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On The Rocks

Kamatari looked over at the Neko shouting at them to join her in the water, he felt a little awkward in his swimwear as in just trunks his body was on show and he didn't like the feeling of people staring at the Red Minkan. He's only option as he could see it was get into the water and hid so only his head was visible 'Great plan' he thought as he got up and jumped into the water making a bigger splash than the little Neko before after a while his head popped out the water and he laughed "Woah this water is nice."
 
Miho floated about, stewing in a rubber-duck shaped dish (Likely a product meant to hold your things in the bath). She felt like taking this time off was a waste of her own time, as the two newcomers had much to offer in terms of new data to process. But the captain was very specific, and she was not one to disobey. So there the tiny red-haired neko sat, attempting to enjoy herself.
 
YSS Heartbreaker, Cabin 3 - 30 minutes prior

The freshly-showered, clad-only-in-a-towel form of the Type 33(S) Nekovalkyrja known as Inukai Sayoko let about a faint sigh, lost in thought as she strode past the Captain's Suite en route to her quarters - as the Santô Hei was (for the first time in her very brief existence) reluctant to carry out the orders assigned to her. Said orders, mind you, weren't related to assassination, surveillance, or anything of that nature; a task of that nature was, well, second nature for someone (such as a particular Inukai) who'd undergone SAINT training.


Rather, it was the opposite.


Sayoko had been told by Tsukisaki-Taii (quite explicitly) to partake in the one thing she dreaded almost as much as failure: socialize.


It was because of this that the normally-attentive (hyper-attentive, really) Neko failed to notice anything unusual as she entered her room, Cabin 3.

"You must be my cabin-mate," a woman's voice suddenly blurted out. "Inukai-Hei, right? I'm Blesi-Hei," she said as she strode out of the back corner of the cabin already wearing her swimsuit and nodding courteously to Sayoko. "Call me Ingrid, whydoncha? Well, at least in here."

Sayoko's eyes went as wide as dinnerplates as several thoughts immediately flashed through her mind upon noticing the blond-haired female standing before her - then narrowed into something a lot more...frightening as the SAINT agent's training kicked in a half-second later. Intruder detected. Neutralizing. Presence of weaponry? None detectable. Infiltration vector? Unknown; interrogation required.

Roughly 1.83 seconds after having finished speaking, the room's other occupant was tackled to the floor by an implacably silent Nekovalkyrja after the latter had cast aside her aforementioned towel; although the latter's form and (especially reaction time were horrifically poor (by SAINT standards, that is), the technique was still very effective.

Ingrid, unready, went down quickly with a puff of breath as the wind was knocked out of her. Pinned beneath Sayoko, she could do nothing but blink in astonishment as her mouth tried to summon some sort of response.

Her expression relatively unchanged from its usual, stoic self, said Neko began to apply decidedly lethal amounts of force to the intruder's larynx...


...only to practically leap off of the other, a look of horror evident upon Sayoko's face - for she, while strangling her-would be assailant, had made eye contact, thus inadvertently querying the Heartbreaker's MEGAMI about the person's identity. The MEGAMI's reply?


To display the intruder's personnel file.


It was one of the earliest things taught to all soldiers that served in the Star Army: "Never, ever attack another soldier - unless ordered to do so by your superior officer." Empress have mercy.........what have I done......

Ingrid gasped for breath and shook her head to clear the fog out of it. As her wheezing subsided, she said, "Holy crap. I knew you intelligence types were intense, but that's something else. You do realize I'm just a squishy science Minkan, right? I'm not as rough-and-tumble as the infantry." She rolled herself over to a wall and and sat up against it, saying, "Like, I wear a green suit." She touched her neck tenderly and winced with pain. "Ugh, and I might be wearing some black and blue to go with it." She took a sidelong look at her cabin-mate and chuckled, "Although, usually the hazer wears more clothes than the hazee."

Ingrid grabbed the towel that Sayoko had thrown to the floor and tossed it at her. Picking herself up and massaging her neck with her hand, she shuffled towards the door.


Sayoko winced, blushing (something she hadn't done since her days at Ichiban) at the comments of Blesi-Hei as the former put an end to her towel's brief jaunt through the air. Brilliant. Class-A brilliant, you damn baka...

".........Gomen'nasai..."

"I'll see you planetside."



UX-HB-1 I, 'Owan to Tama' - Surface (Waterfall)

"You know," Ingrid said to Sayoko as they watched Kamatari jump in after Bettie, "I think I can handle being in the butt end of space if it's got places like this." They began walking towards the rocky outcropping that the others had leapt from, looking at the cascading water, the lush plant life and the rock formations.

Sayoko -now clad in the regulation onyx of the Type 29 Exercise Uniform - merely blinked (having spent the past several minutes locating several optimal sniping positions and devising highly-intricate tactical plans for each of them), then quietly sighed to herself; the events that had occurred earlier were still keeping the SAINT Agent's mind quite pre-occupied. ".........pardon? Mata, about earlier......" I hope Blesi-Hei is able to forgive me for my earlier transgressions...for if she reports the incident to Hoshitomo-Shoi or the Captain... Despite the oppressive heat of the jungle (even at this hour), the Santô Hei shuddered, unsure if she could survive the sheer humiliation of a court-martial - or the shame associated with it. And if the worst happened, and she was dishonorably discharged from the Army...............


Self-termination, really, was the only possible choice at that point - and not the kind that could be restored via a Soul Transfer.


By now, the bruising was barely visible and fading fast. Ingrid held up a hand and assured Sayoko, "It's fine, don't worry about it. If a rough hazing is the worst thing that happens to me out here, I'll laugh the whole way home." They reached the edge of the rock and watched as Miho lazily floated around in her soapdish. "Besides, this means I'm an honorary intelligence agent, right?

"Hey, how deep do you think this is right here?" she asked, peaking over the edge a little.

Hazing? What does such an activity involv- Sayoko paused as she peered over the ledge. Let's see...factoring in light refraction, magnification lev-

"Take a closer look," said Ingrid and she shoved Sayoko off the ledge, sending her tumbling towards the water.

Distracted by the number-crunching involved with the aforementioned query, the Neko didn't realize what was happening until it was far too late (Wha-!), impacting the water with a SPLASH! - that promptly caused Miho to be swamped by a GIGANTIC (from the Mini's perspective, at least) wave. More concerning, however, was that Sayoko had to yet to resurface after five seconds.


Ten seconds.


Twenty seconds.


Forty seconds.


A minute.


Two minutes.


Sighing, Ingrid sat down on the ledge and dangled her feet over. There's no way she could be that sour about getting dunked. Surely she knows she had it coming.

It was at that moment that one dripping-wet SAINT Agent appeared (in typical anime ninja fashion) behind the scientist, whispered "5.87 meters" in the latter's ear, and proceeded to send her tumbling towards the waters below - giggling (quietly, yes, but it was still quite abnormal for the usually-reserved Sayoko to be this expressive) as she did so. Always be vigilant of your surroundings - for revenge on behalf of the Empress is now mine, Blesi-Hei!

Ingrid yelped and KERSPLASHED into the water, sending another wave at Miho who was re-enacting one legendary sea voyage after another. The Minkan surfaced quickly and spat out a stream of water, and scowled at the figure on the rocks. She watched her two-time assailant softly giggling up there and realized that the Neko wasn't connecting the dots. Knowing that further escalation wasn't going to pan out in her favor, she smiled softly, signaled surrender and swam off to join the others in the shimmering pool.

Sayoko smiled in return, then gracefully dove in as well - completely unaware that her instructors back at Black Sands would've been floored at how the no-nonsense, workaholic-to-a-fault Neko was behaving...
 
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On The Rocks

Darren was very much happy to have a day off that didn't involve fighting, getting into fights, getting drunk, or getting in trouble for something. Okay, normally he'd be okay with a nice barfight but after the recent events, he was more than okay to just relax. Which for him didn't involve jumping in the water like everyone else, even if he was wearing the exercise uniform too. He was sitting back from the rocks and looking over everyone else, a blanket laid out in front of him and strewn with... well, not strewn. Strewn implied disorganization, while the parts that covered it were organized. They were pieces of Darren's beloved Rebecca, that he had practically ruined using it as a club to protect Sayoko. Some of the pieces were parts that had avoided damage, while others- like the barrel and most of the upper receiver, were newly created and machined by Darren.

The captain had ordered him to enjoy himself, and he was doing just that. With a variety of cleaning tools and rags and even oil for lubrication with him on one side, and even a pitcher of cold and refreshing sweet tea at his others, he was doing just that. The rifleman was happy to see that, for the most part, so was everyone else, Sayoko included. He'd worried that she may have taken his actions the wrong way, but... she didn't seem to care so it was alright.
 
On the Rocks

Rin was standing up on the outcropping, as she watched the others a bit like a big sister with her icy eyed and somewhat aloof stare. Most soldiers would enjoy the chance to cavort and have such an impromptu leave in a secluded jungle planet grotto... but not the First Officer. Like some of her peers she was a woman dedicated to her work, and after her wounds from a hard-fought victory had healed it seemed very anti-climactic to suddenly be ordered to have fun when there was work to be done. The Minkan couldn't even remember the last time she actually donned the regulation exercise uniform for anything other than just that stated purpose.

The XO shifted a bit uncomfortably in the black bikini, folding her arms under her chest as she found herself sighing deeply and watching the splashes the others were making and at the same time listening to the blonde sprite recount her tale of their existence here on the planet. The mist from it hit her skin -- it was cool and inviting, nothing like the sweltering heat of the jungles outside. Still, she resisted the urge to take the plunge for awhile longer yet.

"Veronika, I have to say you were very resourceful to improvise a TASHA from the spare parts of the shuttle," began Rin with a even tone, with a twinge of perhaps regret as she looked at the clear water that matched her short teal hair. "You made the right decision turning on the beacon, too. Uesu most likely gave you those orders because he was afraid of it attracting more of the SMX to you at first."

The last part was perhaps only a half-truth... for Hoshitomo-shoi knew the more likely and uglier reality was because Uesu was never going to come back for the insignificant pair on his one-way trip of destruction. They, like their countless other Nekovalkyrja sprites were ultimately disposable tools... slaves really... and of little use with their original vessel destroyed. As she watched the wake from the next splash of the spunky Neko emanate outward, she wondered if this was going to be the way of things going forward. A vast sandy beach of pristine unexplored territory beckoned... yet it was also littered with the pretty, yet broken toy soldiers of the former Emperor washing up on its shores.
 
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UX-HB-1 I, 'Owan to Tama' - On The Rocks and In The Drink

Bettie cheered as Kamatari was the first one to join her in the water, making a big splash. Followed by the unsuspecting Sayoko...and the equally surprised, but much louder, new scientist. The castaway seemed delighted by all the company in the wide pool, giggling happily as Sayoko returned to willingly join them. Of course, the constant waves all the diving and splashing was creating was sending Miho's little ship on quite the eventful little trip, threatening to capsize it at any moment if she wasn't careful. "I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm so glad we finally get to share it with other people. It took forever for us to find this place. It's too bad we have to leave it behind...but..." She adjusted the new regulation swimsuit she had been issued, looking up above towards Darren and his refreshing beverage. Kiwi had been allowed to cut loose and pack them quite a feast to bring along, several small cargo containers repurposed as picnic baskets of a sort, packed full of food and drink. "...I could get used to life on a ship again."

Veronika turned from where she'd been watching her friend, realizing she'd still been keeping an eye out for danger even with all of their new allies around, nodding in response to Rin. "Thank you, Hoshitomo-Shoi." Now that their identities had been confirmed, she was very respectful and formal, even giving a quick bow to the officer as she was addressed. "They were not yet in service when we deployed and were created, but information about early prototypes were included in my programming. I thought it was a, ah...fitting choice, considering our opposition." The next statement made her frown, though. It was clear from their debriefing that the two had argued frequently about activating the beacon. At first they'd held out hope, then she'd made her peace with dying here, but had eventually given in. For her partner's sake. "Regardless, after going against the orders of the Emperor and our commanding officer, I did not think we would be...rewarded. Punished, perhaps dishonorably discharged and recycled, but not promoted."

She adjusted the swimsuit she'd been supplied, just as unused to it as the other Neko after their years wearing scraps, if anything at all. The Fleet had left Yamatai just as things were changing for Neko, and somewhat in response to those changes. The information they had been updated with had rolled off of Bettie's back without really soaking it, but it was obviously troubling the blonde Neko. Veronika bowed again as she moved away from the Shoi to begin setting aside some of the food for the two of them, glancing at Darren working nearby. Some of their own tools and equipment had been moved into the area to accommodate their visitors, but what he was working on, and with, was far different from what they'd had available.

"Veeeeeeeeee what did they bring to eat?" The excitable Neko called out and up to her friend, before glancing over at Kamatari and the others, her eyes lingering on the strange and unfamiliar sight of so much male flesh on display. Especially in such a shade. "Do you want to eat? Or swim? Or swim and eat? V tried to keep me from doing that, but it's totally safe! Fish and turtles and fish-turtles and snake-birds and eel-sharks do it all the time!" The names they'd settled on for some of the local wildlife were...descriptive, if not incredibly original.
 
In the Water

Ingrid guffawed at the names Bettie gave the local wildlife, but choked on her amusement when she envisioned the creatures that would be so bluntly named. Her brow furrowed and half a smile crossed her face as she riddled, “Is a name truly lacking in poetry if it still causes people to suddenly get the heck out of the water?” She backstroked away from the center of the pool party towards the rocks, climbed out, and proceeded to the smorgasbord where she grabbed a hefty sandwich and a juice bottle clad in condensation.

Her cheek full of sandwich, she looked over the crewmembers that had stayed out of the water. She’d heard of the abuse that Darren’s gun had taken while fighting mano a Mishhu. It was clear to Ingrid that he loved caring for that gun. She couldn’t imagine the moisture in the air being good for it, but he was probably actually gladdened by the prospect of cleaning it again as soon as they got back to space. Veronika was picking out food for her and Bettie to eat, setting piles on a blanket. It looked like they were about to eat well—a novel idea for them, probably.

The Shoi was overseeing the party, chaperone mode clearly engaged. Ingrid began approaching her, pausing a second to finish chewing the food in her mouth and take a swig of her drink, and then sidled up. “Hoshitomo-Shoi,” she greeted, with a respectful bow of her head. “I just wanted to say again how exciting this mission actually is. I thought I’d gotten sent to some backwater patrol, but I’m really looking forward to exploration,” she enthused.
 
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In The Water

Kamatari had swam away from the others not because he didn't want to try and be friends, more because he just wanted to relax and not be touching the basin floor with his huge size, when he got to a far enough place he smiled at the others and gulped as he realised he wasn't actually being a true crew member by doing this. He moved closer to the others in the water, he saw the little boat toy and smile as he used his body to make waves to steer it back to Miho "There you go, I know I am such a cumbersome person and I am sorry that I nearly sank your boat."

He smiled at Miho "if I had some tools and material I could make a little motor for your boat, make it a little wind up toy" he smiled at all the others, why was he so much calmer out here than before, was it that he was finally relaxed for one in his life, that must be it he thought to himself "Who wants to ride on the giant's shoulders?" He grin as chuckled, whatever made him feel like this he needed more of it "First come first serve but you can be taller than anyone else around" he laughed more and slipped on the wet rocks causing him to fall back in the water and caused another set of waves in the pool.
 
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On The Rocks

If everyone thought that Darren hadn't been listening, he probably proved them wrong with his next actions. Without even looking up from where he was working on his rifle, he reached back and with one hand hauled a sizable cooler in front of him and his work area. He looked up and smiled then, the kind of honest smile that showed he was enjoying himself and totally didn't have anything planned- he hadn't even so much as glanced at all of the nubile, female flesh on display, something that might've been the opposite of what you'd expect from someone like him.

"I ain't so sure about what Kiwi cooked for us; the tea's kind my addition: I dun see how ya city folks enjoy the stuff hot and without any sugar." Gingerly, the man pushed the cooler forward across the sand. "I'll eat after everyone else has gotten some." Darren went back to his work, meticulously cleaning and oiling the rifle, constantly checking measurements and tolerances to make sure that the newly machined parts fit right.

"Interested, uh, Veronika was it?" The big man was smiling at her, returning her gaze. "I've got a sister named that too, but its nice to meet ya. Thanks for pullin our asses out of the fire, if you haven't gotten enough of that already."
 
On the Rocks

Rin returned the nod with a calm expression, as Veronika seemed surprised at being rewarded for her mutinous decision to turn on the beacon. "Let's not focus on whether it was right or wrong -- what is done is done. You are a Santo Hei now, a fresh Nekovalkyrja soldier. You have my word that you and your partner's worth will be established from what comes forward from this point, not what comes from past regrets." These words came out with the intonement of truth, as the officer also had some incidents she would rather move past...

It was about that point that Ingrid approached her, the XO indeed looking like quite the chaperone of the group's frolicking. The woman's icy eyes met the fellow blonde-haired Minkan of similar stature, finding perhaps in her a bit of a comrade as she gave the enthusiastic newcomer a respectful nod. "I appreciate you enthusiasm, Blesi-hei. The Heartbreaker is tasked with chasing the ghosts of the Emperor, a most unique mission ... but it also is not for everyone. Our last science team member found out the hard way that exploration can quickly go from idyllic to extreme danger..."

In the Water

No sooner had these words escaped her lips, Ingrid saw Rin's body grow suddenly tense, her stare focused on the massive figure of Kamatari suddenly slipping off the rocks into the pool. Seeming like the epitome of a lifeguard on duty at the pool party, Hoshitomo-shoi summarily dove off her perch into the clear waters below right where the engineer had disappeared under the waves he had made, vanishing into the depths for a long moment.

The giant Minkan could soon feel a pair of strong ivory arms locking around his waist and a woman's swimsuit clad chest brushing against his upper back, hauling him back to the surface with a serious of strong kicks. Rin soon reached it with a gasp of air and short teal hair thrown back, a look of modest concern on her now drenched features as she looked at the ruddy-skinned Hei who bobbed up alongside her.
 
In The Water

Kamatari was shocked with what just happened, the girl that he recognised as the person he was very horrible to and never apologised for it had just grabbed him from the water and seemed to have saved him from his slip. He smiled slightly at the girl and whispered "Thanks for that, and um I am sorry about before" he looked down and mumbled something under his breath as he then looked back up at the woman "if you want we can talk in private about what happened, I think a proper apology is necessary."

He stood up and walked out of the water then sat away from the others, he was glad of his dark red skin as he could feel his own face heating up as he whispered to himself "That sounded so bad, I hope she didn't think wrong of me after I said that." He need something to do other than sit around and talk, he needed some material that he could fiddle with and create something from it, he needed to calm down, did he really just say to a girl who probably hated him to talk in private, he sounded like a weirder person than before the apology he hust said.

He lay back so he could look up at the sky as he smiled lightly, it seemed he was having a bad day at the moment and he didn't know what to do anymore so he just lay there, it was all he was good for in this situation.
 
Owan to Toma – On the Rocks -> In The Drink

Skade looked around the cave and all the activity of her crew mates and sighed. Everybody looks like they’re having fun…especially Kamatariover there with the drunk Nepleslian impression. She smiled, but that smile disappeared when she looked at the ‘native’ sprites that had recently joined the crew. Come on, girl. Why are you still hung up on the two other Nekos finishing off the Crab? Are you really that annoyed with them stealing ‘your’ kill? Grumbling to herself, the Neko slipped into the water, pushed off the side of the pool and floated on her back. I could blow up a monster SMX too, if I had an effing tank…
 
UX-HB-1 I, 'Owan to Tama' - On The Rocks and In The Drink

"We will attempt to fully integrate with the regular crew as soon as possible, Shoi. We crashed not long after our creation, so we did not have much experience to go along with our programming. I spent a few weeks in Engineering....and Bettie mostly watched vids and read some picture books another crew member had brought on board. We weren't prepared for...that...and now we have to do our best to be real soldiers." She sighed at the thought of another hard road ahead of them...before noticing Rin had dived right out of the conversation.

Bettie gasped dramatically at the accident and subsequent daring rescue conducted right in front of her. She clapped excitedly, causing more splashes, eyes full of sparkles. It was clear she was delighted to see all of her new friends doing so many interesting new things! She seemed to have forgotten about lunch for the moment, even as Veronika picked through her selection, looking over Darren's weapon and tools again. "Sister? Is it a popular name? I thought my registration number was perfectly fine, but Bettie insisted. She got them from some book. She had to name our weapon, too...I'm surprised she didn't cry when we had to leave it behind." She shook her head.

"No need for thanks, Leverton-Nito Hei, I assure you. That...thing...was dead before we managed to fire." Veronika furrowed her brow and almost snarled while thinking about the Crab-Type. "We just ensured any possible contamination or redundant brains and other backup biological systems were completely destroyed."
 
In the Drink

Rin was relieved that Kamatari was uninjured, though in hindsight she may have also overreacted. She was admittedly still a bit jumpy from the battle before, and didn't want to see any injuries resulting from what should be a fun outing at the secluded spring. But when the engineer started mumbling about an apology for something that obviously was not what just happened right now, the concern on the XO's face became more quizzical. "Before?" asked the bikini-clad officer of the red Minkan, seemingly confused as to what incident he was referencing. As she watched him skulk nervously out of the water -- the anti-social technophile likely spooked by the fact she grabbed him so suddenly -- she shot to him via private telepathy:

"Your apology is accepted, Nakane-hei, though I would appreciate the chance in private to clarify what specific incident it is in reference to."

Rather than follow him, Hoshitomo-shoi allowed herself to float onto her back on the surface of the pool with a small amount of inertial assistance, arms folded behind her head and gazing to the side as the rubber-duck shaped dish that held her mini-Neko assistant Miho floated by, carried on the waves of Betty's excited splashes. Her mind seemed to wander for the briefest moment about the next clue Ochiko would likely have for them, whispering quietly "Uesu-sama... what else follows in your wake?"
 
In the Drink

Floating in the water, Skade stared at the vaulted ceiling of the cave and thought back to yesterday, when she had returned to the Engineering department of the YSS Heartbreaker for her usual duty cycle.

YSS Heartbreaker, Engineering Deck

"Good to see you again, sugar."

The Technician perked up at her boss's greeting, which was a problem, since she was waist-deep into one of the Heartbreaker's panels. "Ow. Good to see you too, boss," the Neko replied, rubbing her head as she extracted herself from her work.

The Minkan smiled and said, "Sounds like you had an interesting first mission, eh?"

Skade nodded slowly, fingering the single green stripe of her new rank. “Yeah, quite interesting.”

Sunny chuckled and sat on one of the few chairs in the room. “So, since you’re going down to the surface soon, I’ll get to the point. With one of the new sprites joining us in here and Kamatari being his usual self, I need all the help I can get running this place." The blonde Engineer cocked her head as she studied her subordinate. "You think you’re up for it, Nitô Hei?”

The polka-dotted Neko was so shocked at her boss’s remark that she stared at the Minkan for a few seconds before she realized what she was doing, shook her head, then replied, “Ye..Yes Nitô Heisho!” She brought her hand up to salute her commanding officer, leaving an oil stain on her forehead. “I won’t let you down!”

Sunny snorted, but returned the salute before Skade could get offended. “Of course you’re not. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you could do it, sugar.” Smiling, the Engineer continued, “Just know that this is mostly an informal appointment. So make the most of it, impress the Captain, and who knows, maybe you’ll get a red stripe to replace that green one when we get back home.”

The Technician gulped and picked at her collar. “If you say so, ma’am.”

“It’s Sunny, sugar,” the Minkan said, raising her eyebrows in emphasis until her subordinate nodded in acknowledgment. “On that note, you should really get to know the rest of the crew more. You spend way too much of your time by yourself.” Waving off the Neko’s panicked expression, she continued, “I’m not saying you have to be the most social Yamataian ever. Just get a few friends. Talk to a few people when you’re down on the planet, splash a few people, etc.” Sunny leaned forward and asked, “You think you can do that, Skade?”

In the Drink

Yes, Sunny, I can…but with who? The blue skinned Neko rolled over onto her stomach and nearly choked when she saw the XO and Nakamaru floating a ways in front of her. She almost turned around in the water before she thought about what the Chief Engineer had said. But the XO?!? She might kill me! Or make me the cook or something…

After treading water for a few seconds, Skade mentally shrugged, took a deep breath and slipped under the water. What’s the Nepleslian saying? You only live once? Not technically true anymore, but the sentiment is still good. After reaching a depth where she knew she could swim under Rin and Nakamaru, the Neko swam towards them, performing the breast strokes she learned back in basic training. Once she was underneath the pair, Skade propelled herself upwards, emerging between the two and throwing her arms up in the air to make as big of a splash as possible.

Let’s see how much trouble I get in, the Neko thought as her fellow crew members reacted to her sudden appearance.
 
UX-HB-1 I, 'Owan to Tama' - On The Rocks

"Yep, and I'm mighty grateful that you did. We'd probably all have tur- okay, I'd be fertilizer or squid baby chow, but the rest of the away team would've certainly ended up with a fate worse than Yumi's." Darren said and gave her a quick smile, before once again focusing on his tinkering.

"Having girls like you around is easy on the eyes, but I'm a slight more thankful to have more guns next time we get sent out to die gloriously."
 
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