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RP: YSS Heartbreaker [Mission 3] Call My Name And It Feels Like Home

Reynolds

Reynolds

Well-Known Member
4/38 - Refuge of Sinners - Heartbreaker Kitchen/Scullery - 1300 Hours

"You really have to use some elbow grease to get that clean, Santo Hei. You should know that by now." Kiwi was in the kitchen, busy putting away leftovers after lunch, overseeing Skade while she washed the dishes. Just like she had every day for the last few weeks, starting on the trip back to the Seisenkyo with the alien visitors and all the way back to the next unexplored UX system on their list. The Engineer was good at seeing situations like these as a problem to be solved or challenge to be overcome, but the endless drudgery was starting to wear on her normally high spirits. "Oh, Pecan brought this one in today...said she forgot it under a crate...a few weeks back."

The energetic cook produced what seemed to be several plates sealed together with melted and congealed leftovers, along with a bowl somehow glued to the top. Of course, they had automated washers and other devices that could handle this in moments, along with all of the rest of the plates, but Skade had been ordered to do everything by hand. Just like how Sunny had her scrubbing down half of Engineering with a toothbrush. At this rate the Neko likely feared she'd be downgraded to cleaning the grime from between bulkhead panels with a toothpick by next week.


Bridge

"Scans show no obvious damage to the exterior, beyond a few dents from stray asteroids. Engines have been cold for years. Power is down, life support, gravity control, everything. No life signs, and no response to our hails." Usagi glanced towards Rin and the Captain. "It's like a ghost ship." Tsukisaki frowned at the image of the seemingly untouched Ayame-class Cruiser on the screen in front of them, surrounded by scattered asteroids from the belt in this system. Ochiko had provided a name for the area, the Thousands, which seemed odd when even the lonely, toxic planet went unnamed. The quiet ship was several times larger than the Heartbreaker, designed to accommodate several docked ships the size of the Yui. "Hundreds of crew members just...disappeared? Abandoned their ship, their home, their duty? That seems unlikely." Even for those who had abandoned Yamatai itself, hung unsaid, although Rin understood Valesti's view of the situation well.

"Why did the I'ee refuse to investigate this ship and declare it off limits? They examined other wrecks and surveilled operating vessels at long range. What is so dangerous about this ship?" Tsukisaki seemed to be thinking hard about the situation, looking over her console as she examined the data streaming in. "Assemble your Away Team, Ittou. Determine the cause of the vessel's abandonment and secure it. Along with any remaining weaponry or sensitive data. We'll have to leave it for the Seisenkyo to recover..." She looked up from her console for a moment, eyes cold. "...and keep your subordinates on a tight leash this time, Hoshitomo-Shoi."
 
Cabin 3, YSS Heartbreaker

Nito Hei Blesi Ingrid sat hunched over the desk in her cabin. The ancient inkwell passed through generations and generations of her family set before her, nearly empty. Her heavy calligraphy brush sat on top of its case, its precision manufactured, synthetic bristles cleaned and dried again. A large sheet of paper sat in front of her. In its center, large Yamataigo figures read, "The Empress is Watched." Ingrid was filling the space surrounding those figures with a small, fine pointed brush, writing words in a script totally new to her. She'd gotten alphabets and grammar guides from the I'ee ambassador Sally Ee'ith while she was aboard the Heartbreaker and Ingrid was trying her hand at them. She repeated the same short sentence, over and over, pointing the letters of the alien scrawl towards the middle of the page, rotating the paper as she went. The sentences were written interlinked and connected, a field of individuals rendered as one. She wrote, over and over, "We are the I'ee."

Her datapad beeped, and Ingrid studiously ignored it, dipping her brush into the inkwell. She hadn't had many opportunities to practice her writing lately. She was most fond of a call and response format developed by her ancestors ages before, when the Yamatai Star Empire was bound to a single planet. The format was simple: give the Emperor or Empress place of pride on the page and apply a verb: "The Empress Commands" or "The Emperor Guards". Then, in the runes of her ancestors, the writer would fill in an appropriate response. This was a modification of that format, with the menace of the I'ee's watchful swarm replacing the subservience of the thanes that were conquered in antiquity.

The datapad beeped again. The piece of calligraphy she'd done to commemorate the Vekimen was already torn to shreds when she found out that Edtoto Nar'sivaro was going to be staying aboard the Heartbreaker. It was a more pointed piece. One instance of the words "I am Vekimen" were pressed close to Yamataigo characters reading "The Empress Pukes". Ingrid still felt sorely embarrassed by the interview she'd conducted with the lizard-like alien woman and the moment of hazy lust that she had retched herself out of. Still, she needed to be polite. Edtoto was an alien, but if she had seen that piece of work, she'd likely become offended just the same. There was a shiny piece of metal in Ingrid's locker saying she'd comported herself very well as the face of the Empire and she felt obliged to continue that high level of cultural interaction.

Another beep and when Ingrid drew her brush from the inkwell, it had too little ink left to continue writing. She sighed and looked at the notifications on the pad.

SUBJECT: Re: Vekimen diet

SUBJECT: Nito Hei Blesi Ingrid, some questions for you about your experience with the aliens

SUBJECT: ARE THERE ANY ALIEN MEN AT ALL HOLY SH*T

SUBJECT: I'ee sensory organ evolutionary theories

Ingrid closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The tide of messages about these aliens would die down eventually, but at the moment, it was driving her crazy. She dipped her brush in water and swished it around for a bit and then poured some water into the inkwell to clean it out. Once she'd tidied up her calligraphy set and put the I'ee piece aside to dry, she started in on replying to her correspondence.
 
Edtoto had been having quite the interesting time on the Heartbreaker. Lots of different things were going on, lots of medical tests. The Nanites were... Interesting to say the least. She did rather enjoy her interview with the scientist of the ship despite the odd way it ended. She had actually been meaning to figure that out. Why did she leave so suddenly? Edtoto had hoped she didn't do anything wrong...

It had been a few weeks since she first got on the ship, and quite a lot was happening. First and Foremost, she was being fed... Much more than she was used to by far. Two notable things happened when the crew started more or less piling her with food. She got smarter, and she was substantially thicker than when she first was found. Her ability to speak trade at least was improving by leaps and bounds, and she was even starting to pick up Yamataio. Faster than Trade even, giving it's more iron clad vocabulary.

Getting used to being on the ship however was... Difficult at least. Her and the Crew had some mild issues trying to mingle. Being an Alien who survived off what the crew thought to be spoiled meat made relations awkward at times. She would often try to eat alone. It helped that the Captain had given her a space in the Cargo Hold where she could be herself. She didn't need to wear the respirator they had built her or clothes for that matter. She figured it was for the best, but she wouldn't lie it did get cold at night. Maybe one day the Neko would let her into their Nests?

Regardless, in her time mindlessly wandering the ship, she found herself at Ingrid's Cabin. Ever since Sally and Yui had left the ship, she had taken it to wander o over to Ingrid when she had time. She seemed more comfortable when Edtoto wore the Respirator, so she continued to wear it in her presence. She seemed to be working on something, so Edtoto planned to not take up too much time.

"Hello Ingrid... I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me sitting with you for a bit? There seems to be very little on the ship for me to do, and I've already cleaned my equipment a million times" She said, looking around the Cabin. They were substantially larger than she was used too, and the wide open, bright spaces often made her nervous. She looked at the Calligraphy Ingrid had been working on, and gave a weird smile under the respirator. "Those look good. What are they, if I may ask" She added, just to start a conversation.
 
YSS Heartbreaker, Scullery

Skade’s stomach churned at the sight of the new project in front of her, pausing in her admittedly distracted attempts at cleaning a particularly stubborn stain. What in the heck made that? The Vekimen? The Neko sighed, glad for the improvised clothespin that held her nostrils shut. Kiwi had forbade it at first, since the horrid smells of the galley were part of the atoning experience, but after Skade’s third dry heave after a particularly messy Taco Thursday, the cook allowed the Technician the luxury of her noseplug.

In comparison, the Neko’s other duties were easy. Being a jumped up janitor was fine, since that had been her job back during her training, but cleaning Engineering with a toothbrush was a new experience. At least Sunny isn’t making me brush my teeth with it. If Skade had been paranoid at all, she would have been sure that the MEGAMI was in on the disciplining. Who names a system ‘Refuge of Sinners’, anyway?

The Technician sighed and pulled the pile of dirty dishes towards her. Grabbing a butter knife, she started going at the gelatinous mass of rotting food, using the knife like a chisel to break apart the mess. So glad I can only smell of this awful stench right now. It’s bad enough as it is.

Of course, not everything of the last few weeks has been too terrible. A few days after Sayoko had woken up from her regeneration, Skade had worked up the courage to go and apologize to the SAINT agent for what happened during the last mission. The other Neko had remained silent during her confession and then accepted her apology. No idea whether she has issues with me or not, but at least I did my part to fix the issue. The Technician had also made sure to give her fellow crew member the password to her communicator that she had given the SAINT agent before she had violated orders in the last mission. I’m not sure if I’m happy or sad that she probably won’t get the Aethersperm reference of SU9ERM3G@_DE4THEAG7EF^(#YEAH!1...

Successfully prying a few plates clear of the mess, the Neko continued her thoughts. And the conversation I had with the XO was…interesting. She was still processing that whole experience. Did she really mean what she said? She shrugged and went at the mass of leftovers. I just hope that I get a chance to redeem myself.
 
Cabin 3, YSS Heartbreaker

Ingrid started when Edtoto barged in, but she was happy for the interruption, so she returned Edtoto’s greeting. She opened up another e-mail and cracked a crooked smile at Edtoto’s complaint of boredom. “I’ve been cooped up in these cramped quarters answering inane e-mails since we wrapped up in Shekhinah. I can’t wait for a chance to stretch my legs.”

When Edtoto’s attention turned to her calligraphy, Ingrid perked up. “That, Edtoto, is calligraphy. It’s stylized writing,” she explained. “The letters and words are written with particular flairs and forms to add an extra layer of meaning beyond the definitions of the words themselves.” She pointed at the Yamataigo characters in the center of the page and said, “These here say, ‘The Empress is Watched.’ It’s written with as much formal precision as I can muster, with little flairs to suggest grandeur. Remember all the protocol we tried to teach you before your conference with Empress Himiko? The glyphs are written to try to capture that level of formality.” She then pointed at the mass of I’ee characters and paused, furrowing her brow. She looked at Edtoto’s face, trying to estimate her opinion of the bugs. The jagged, angry lines she’d affected for the I’ee’s part in the piece could be seen as xenophobic, so she simply said, “And these are I’ee words written over and over. They say, ‘We are the I’ee.’”

Before Edtoto could ask for details about the stylization of the I’ee scrawl, Ingrid looked square in Edtoto’s face to draw her attention away from the paper and asked her, “Do the Vekimen have anything like this? I was trying to think of a way to stylize the scratches that the Vekimen use for writing down their speech, but I couldn’t do much with it before I ended up losing the meaning of the waves.”
 
Bridge, YSS Heartbreaker

Rin was standing at parade rest by the captain's chair, sharing some of her perplexed expressions as the data from the scans rolled in. It was indeed highly unusual to find one of Uesu's Ayame Cruisers virtually untouched by any scars of battle beside those caused by age and the local environment. So too was it without it's compliment of smaller strike craft in the docking ring, Ketsueki Escorts or the Yui 7's older sisters that once stood side by side now only empty slots that gave an even emptier sense of purpose for the derelict. As usual, even Ochiko's cryptic name of the Thousands only raised more questions than answers of the fate of what might've been thousands of Neko...

Hoshitomo-shoi gave a salute to Tsukisaki as she called for a scouting party to be assembled immediately to investigate. Indeed, on this journey there was no room for unknowns and no stone must be left unturned, regardless of what might be lurking underneath it. "Hai, Senchou. There must be a good explanation of why this Ayame is here, perfectly intact yet silent... my hunches tell me it may have been left here to contain something, a coffin rather than a discarded museum piece." The teal-haired Minkan caught the small condescending comment about what happened in the last mission with Skade, as one of her icy eyes twitched for only a second before she hardened her stare. "Corrective actions have been taken to ensure such does not repeat, Taii. The atmosphere of this mission should also work to keep us together... but I assure you, we will discover the secret of this 'ghost ship', be it a mutiny or otherwise."

The First Officer bowed her head to the Captain then brought up a volumetric display as she headed to the lift. "Ochiko, please issue action alerts to Blesi-hei, Luna-hei, Masashiga-hei and Hasewega-hei... assemble in Armor Bay for investigative mission of derelict spacecraft in 5 minutes." Rin's digital mind then interfaced to the MEGAMI more thoroughly. "Ready the VCMAD Space drone fleet in the meantime. Rover and Listener loadouts -- I want as many eyes and ears open as we can get."
 
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"Cramped is not the word I would use for them. Honestly, I feel uncomfortable with so much space around me. I'd feel more at home if the ship was darker, less space to move around. I'll admit, I miss the feeling of having to squeeze past others and the family dens where a majority of the stations heat was siphoned through. Nothing that warm on the ship from what I have learned other than the kitchen, and I've been kicked out... three times" She chuckled, turning her attention back to the sheet.

As Ingrid explained the Calligraphy, Edtoto was silently trying to memorize the fashion in which it was written. It made sense that creatures who weren't as in tune with Vibrations and Soundwaves would find it difficult to stylize the writing. Without being asked, or asking she picked up a pen, moving a sheet of paper so she was writing on a blank piece. "For quick messages, we can get by with what your race would see as scribbles, controlled" She said, "scribbling" rapidly on the page. The only thing that denounced controlled was that it was all within a certain boundary, and had odd markings before the message. "The markings indicate the speed of which we read the message as durration can change the words. For more formal occassions, we use smoother lines" She explained, doing so. She started drawing a wavy line. The waves would become shorter or longer depending on what "word" she was writing.

Finally, she went back and started drawing over the line again, only the waves directly opposed the origonal with their center following the same line. "For very formal occassions, we make it look prettier like this, and then add accents, emotion markers, and the like. Like I told you before, humor is made by a sound, which is indicated by this" She said, pointing to an oddly shaped character. She then handed the paper to Ingrid, smiling under her resperator. "They say "The Empress is Watched" in all three forms. I added humor in to give you an idea" She explained. "Do you understand?" She asked
 
Cabin 3

"The Captain is also fond of calligraphy. You've seen it, yes?" Ochiko appeared in Ingrid's cabin without warning, her pile of cushions blocking the doorway. She fluttered her fan before lowering it away from her face, revealing what seemed to be a respirator much like Edtoto's, although hers was fancifully decorated and lacquered. It resembled an oni mask, or the samurai armor she'd been spotted wearing before. "In her cabin, yes?" Her voice was slightly muffled by the new addition to her outfit, even though it was all a projection. The MEGAMI gestured towards Ingrid's inkwell and other supplies with her folded fan. Although it was rare for anyone to enter her quarters, the Taii did indeed have a set of traditional Yamataian calligraphy brushes and other supplies among her very limited personal belongings.

"Oh! I almost forgot, yes? Rinrin-chan wants you in the Armor Bay, on the double, yes? Five minutes...um..." Well a little less than that, now that Ochiko had started chatting. "You'll be joining them, yes?" She tilted her head at the alien in the small cabin, her respirator suddenly puffing out a huge cloud of smoke for her to fade into, before the entire projection disappeared...leaving behind a floating countdown of the four minutes or so remaining.

Similar projections appeared to the other crew members, scrolls unfurling to prompt them to gather for their latest mission. Skade thought she was seeing things for a moment, as one of the sudsy bubbles started inflating larger and larger, until it popped to reveal a similar message excusing her from her cleaning duties to join the others. It was the first real assignment she'd been given in weeks, even if it had been delivered oddly.

Rin arrived first, and could already hear the nearby Drone Bay preparing as requested. The extra eyes and ears loading into place, Kayoko's fighter leading them out. The Heartbreaker had moved towards the upper docking bay of the Ayame-class cruiser, while the Heart of Fire and drone wingmen circled underneath. Quiet and still, with the nearby asteroids looming in the background...
 
YSS Heartbreaker, Starboard Corridor

Excitement danced around Hasewega's mind, but kept a calm expression as she made her way towards the Armor Bay. This would be her first mission ever since she was assigned to ship, heck it was her first mission of her career. She could feel the pressure on here, being one of the few infantry units attached to the crew so far. She couldn't afford to make mistakes now, not after hearing the report of what happened during the last mission. A shameful act to endanger the mission like that, she could hear her father say in the back of mind. She hoped that the whoever was the cause of such issue was being punished accordingly.

She made her way into the Armor Bay and noticed the First Officer already there. "Shoi." She said, giving a bow before snapping to a salute. "Santô Hei Hasewega Sara, reporting for duty."
 
YSS Heartbreaker, Scullery

Skade was surprised, to say the least, when a soap bubble inflated and popped dramatically in front of her. She jumped back, pulling the butter knife back in self-defense. When the Technician realized it was orders, she put the knife back in the sink as she read.

Wait, ‘investigative mission?’ Five minutes? Ack! My Mindy is equipped for space combat! “Sorry to leave a mess, Kiwi. I got to go,” the Neko said, heading to the door. “I should be able to finish this up if you haven’t gotten to it by the time I get back from the mission.”

Leaving the kitchen, Skade hurried down to the main deck and moved quickly to her cabin, pointedly ignoring any odd looks she got from her crew members from her slightly waterlogged uniform. So sue me. After performing the quickest uniform change in her career, she ran back to the Power Armor bay, taking care not to trip in her haste. I’d rather not embarrass myself any more.

YSS Heartbreaker, Power Armor Bay

Reaching the Power Armor bay, the Technician sketched a salute to Rin, “Ma’am,” and walked to her armor to start uninstalling the Aetheric Pulse Cannon she had and replacing it with the Gauss Cannon. I am not getting in a position of not having the right weapons again. And just in case something comes up with space combat, I’ll have the missile pod ready to go.
 
Power Army Bay

Veronika and Bettie appeared soon after, halting their chattering just long enough to properly salute Rin before heading for their armors. Guard duty again, most likely. It was nice to know the pair of formerly shipwrecked Neko were there as backup, but Rin couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at the size of their current roster. Sayoko was not yet fully recovered (or, even more likely, fully debriefed by nosy SAINT officers) and cleared for duty, and their medic had transferred out while the Heartbreaker had been docked with the Seisenkyo. Tsukisaki had deemed the remaining veterans vital to keeping the ship running at maximum efficiency, so they weren't being deployed unless there was truly an emergency.

So, she had to work with what she had available. A fresh faced rookie, a recently demoted Engineer, the Scientist...and the alien? For some reason, Edtoto was following Ingrid into the Armor Bay, a location their passenger normally wasn't allowed and was rather unfamiliar with.

Outside, Kayoko and the drones were reporting all clear. So far. They had still found no evidence of space combat, no major damage to the hull, although the now-empty docking ring did show signs of several shuttles departing recklessly and rapidly. A few of the airlocks looked to still be in working order, though, if they were properly connected to by a shuttle that could provide the power to open the seal.
 
Cabin 3, YSS Heartbreaker

Ingrid admonished herself with a chuckle as she watched Edtoto’s demonstration of Vekimen calligraphy. “I keep forgetting just how complex your language is,” she remarked. “The detail in your written language must end up shaping your spoken language just as much as your spoken word influences it.”

Ochiko’s projection interrupted, and commented on Tsukisaki-taii's own penchant for calligraphy. Ingrid was only vaguely aware of the captain’s talent, not having had many “opportunities” to visit her. She said, “I haven’t actually had a good look at her work. Maybe she can make head or tails of Vekimen writing.” She titled her head at the wavy scribbles across the page that Edtoto had written.

She smiled politely at the AI and wondered what the actual reason for the visit was. Ochiko didn’t intrude just to offer a factoid about the captain, no matter how relevant it may be.

“Oh! I almost forgot, yes? Rinrin-chan wants you in the Armor Bay, on the double, yes? Five minutes, um,” Ochiko said.

Ingrid launched herself out of her seat. She wasn’t going to let herself be late anytime soon.

“You’ll be joining them, yes?” Ochiko asked Edtoto and disappeared in a puff of volumetric smoke.

Ingrid instinctively batted her hand at the holographic smoke to clear the air. When her hand completely failed to interact with the smoke, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “The shoi won’t wait for stragglers, so you’d better suit up fast,” she said to Edtoto. “I’ll see you in the Armor Bay,” she added as she left the cabin.

Ingrid crossed from her port side cabin to the starboard corridor and headed aft. She passed Skade hurrying down the hallway, and raised an eyebrow at the poor condition of the engineer’s uniform. Apparently she was still being made to consider very carefully the consequences of her actions in Shekhinah. Ingrid hoped that the baby-aged neko had the wherewithal to understand death and how close she’d brought Sayoko to it.


Power Armor Bay

She arrived in the Power Armour Bay and saluted to Hoshitomo-shoi, stepping around the new infantry soldier Hasawega, then verified her loadout. She swapped out the leg mounted counter measure system in favour of an array of energy cloak shield projectors. Satisfied that this was appropriate, she suited up, pulled her scanner out of the backpack and hung its carrying case across her shoulder. She flicked through the various scanner attachments and scrunched her face as she considered which to insert into the scanner right now. She shrugged and inserted the chemical scanner but left the life form sensor handy at the top. After attaching the scanner onto the front of her armour and double-checking her suit’s seals, Ingrid formed up and signalled her readiness to Rin.
 
Edtoto was admittedly surprised by the sudden appearance of the hologram, but listened in blatant confusion. It took her a minute, but when Ingrid started telling her that she had to get geared up, she was incredibly confused! Still thought, she ran and grabbed her things. She was told five minutes before she had to be there, so when she finally entered the Armoury, she was still doing up the straps and such to her BDU. She had her two firearms and her helmet strapped to her "Uniform", so she was prepared for EVA activity.

"I am here! I apologize if I am late, I had to rush to the Cargo Bay to retrieve my gear" She said, panting a little. Since her weight gain, she had admittedly lost much of her cardio abilities. She watched everyone get into their Power Armour, and was admittedy feeling a bit useless. She had been told some of the capabilities of the suits, as well as the capabilities of those in the suits. She had... Well nothing of that Calibure, but she could fit into tight spaces amd operate in the dark without any equiment. That had to account for something.
 
Power Armor Bay

Hoshitomo-shoi was indeed not pleased with the hand she had been dealt today, and it showed on her features as she decended towards the launch bay. A derelict like this was a potentially dangerous place, and yet she felt like she had once again been cast by the Captain to do "more with less" using the scraps that were available to her. Losing Inukai-hei was particularly not well received by the veteran as she was perhaps the most combat capable of the crew in a firefight... though the reduction in SAINT's direct presence was perhaps also a positive, as the Heartbreaker's infantry could operate a little more independently now without a black-panel agent in their midst.

Still, the teal-haired Minkan had a reputation to uphold, and as she arrived at her destination, she was at least pleased to see their new recruit was early, rendering a salute to Hasewega in return."Good, I'm glad to see the initiative. This will be your first official mission since arriving, so be sure to give me your best, Hei... and if you have any fears, then you better be ready to face them on the field."

Her icy gaze hardened as she said this, as often she applied the high standards she held herself to then to the rest of her squad. Thought when the XO noticed Skade as the second arrival, there was a respectful nod and the hints of a smile at the corner of her lips as she returned her subordinate's salute. "That goes for you too, Masashiga-hei. Remember what you've learned; second chances don't come easy, though they can make all the difference."

There was the returns of Ingrid's and the Neko twin's salutes to handle as well, though for the latter she followed it up with new orders as they were armoring up. Seems they had gotten their chance to shine at last. "I want you two to join the expedition team. We need the infantry manpower from you, Betty-hei, to protect our scientists... and Veronika-hei, your experience in the older technology of the Fleet would be useful to work alongside Masashiga-hei in restoring the Ayame's systems."

That done, Rin went to the changing area and began her ritual of disrobing and stacking her uniform, hat, pin, belt and NSP in a neat and perfect pile to step carefully backwards into the awaiting model 3A Mindy that soon sealed up against her body with its warm, muscular insert like a second skin. Something was noticeably different this time, however... the stock Durandium & Yarvex exterior plates of the power armor had now been replaced by Zesuaium-coated Titanium Boron Carbide plates covered by a pure Zesuaium chain mail mesh. This modification was one that was only available to the most senior of infantry pilots, ones who could properly handle movement with the additional weight it placed on the frame. The irony of wearing an up-armored Mindy that now boasted a similar external plating to that of the Ayame Cruiser they were tasked with investigating was not lost on the First Officer, either -- though she had been planning this upgrade for a long time beforehand.

Hoshitomo-shoi seemed to be taking an extra moment to see if all systems were checking out in the AIES, and movement was as expected with the load increase. When she was satisfied, the officer then reached for an equipment rack that was somewhat unusual for her -- choosing to install a Forearm Ellipsoid Shield on her left arm. Extra ammunition for LASR and SLAG soon followed into its underside niches, along with picking up the matching firearm in her right. Rather than ship breeching, the away team leader now looked fit for an intense, close quarters firefight... and knowing what happened last time they opened up a ruin, she had every reason to be much better prepared than last time.

Rin connected to drone's visual feeds and Kayoko's reports of the battlespace streaming into her helmet as she affixed it over her head and immersed herself fully in the armor's systems. Though the sight of the evidence of shuttles escaping was worrying, it was also clear what they had to do to get inside safely. "Alright people," began the XO, her eagerness to begin the investigation building in her voice, "The target cruiser still has functioning airlocks, so we are going to fly over in the Kourui and attempt to activate one of the docking rings to let us inside the vessel and examine its condition. I want everyone to try to stay together and be prepared for combat... we don't know why this place was abandoned in a hurry, but my hunch is that something was trapped inside."

It was then that the Shoi finally noticed Edtoto amongst the faces of the assembled, with her equipment hastily prepared... though admittedly she wasn't too excited about the prospect of the alien tagging along into the restricted area, no less now wanting to go on a risky, expeditionary mission. "You're our guest right now, Edtoto-san, and aren't under orders to comply. Though if you choose to accompany us on this mission in spite of this, then please understand that I can't completely guarantee your safety."

Rin waited a moment more for the reply before she strode into the connected shuttle bay to open the doors and begin preparations for its departure.
 
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Edtoto continued to watch the others gear up into their PA. She could not shake the feeling of being utterly useless in her BDU. She didn't know too much about how they work though she knew some of what they could do and it terrified her. It also made her presence on this mission utterly pointless if it came to blows. She looked around for any Mini Neko,s as those things were... weird. She saw no benefit to tiny little shoulder people other than the fact they could fit into tiny spaces better than full grown people.

When the XO started talking to her, telling her she "Didn't need to tag along" on the mission. Then why was she told to show up! What the hell was all this? Was this like some political thing? Telling her she didn't have to be there so they could avoid the potential lawsuit that her /starving/ race would place on an Empire who's one ship could probably destroy everything they have? The Alien was used to red tape and the like, but this was a little silly.

When she got a chance to speak, a smile did crack on her features. "A dark ship that's been abandoned in space? No offence, but after being on this ship? I wouldn't mind being on something a little darker and tighter" She said, pulling her helmet off her belt and messing with a display on the back of it. She seemed calm but the closer they got to going out into space, the more Edtoto seemed to need to keep her hands and eyes occupied.
 
Power Armor Bay

Ingrid's aggravation at the confusion surrounding Edtoto was hidden by her helmet. She quietly fell in behind Rin and moved to the shuttle bay where she went over the shuttle's inventory of science gear and containers. She was having trouble imagining a scenario that lead to an intact support cruiser like this Ayame being abandoned. She counted the last of the sampling containers feeling like she wasn't going to be needing them.

As Rin and she went through their final preparations, Ingrid grabbed the shoi's elbow as they passed and said to her, "Hey, shoi. Stay on your feet, wouldja?" She gestured at herself with her thumb. "This nito hei here is your second.

"Everything is in check on my end. I'll make sure Nar'Sivaro-san is strapped into her seat properly and then get into my own spot."

Ingrid moved to the passenger compartment and found Edtoto. As she checked her straps, she said to her, "I have no idea how it came to be that you're actually here right now, but you may actually know something of what we to run into aboard that cruiser. So, keep your head down. We may need you."

Ingrid satisfied herself that Edtoto was secured and gave her a thumbs up. She stood up and was about to go back to her own seat when she noticed the Vekimen's nervous fidgeting. She paused for a moment. The butterflies in her own stomach were fluttering furiously and Edtoto was wearing a quarter of the armour over a body with a quarter of the capabilities of a mil-spec Minkan. She took a deep breath, relaxed her posture and enabled the transparency on her helmet. She smiled and said, "And Edtoto. Watch my back." She winked and gave a casual salute. She disabled the transparency on her helmet as she took her seat and secured herself in. She used her AIES to signal her readiness.

"Hoshitomo-shoi, Nar'Sivaro-san is ready."

With nothing else to do, she pressed herself back into her seat and clenched her teeth to cease their nervous chattering.
 
Power Army Bay

Hasewega nodded before moving to verify her power armor's loadout and hoping that it would suffice for the mission. After making sure everything was in working condition, she stripped off her belt in the changing area and stepped into her suit, the Shoi's words ringing in the back of head as she slipped the helmet of her Mindy on. Her father always taught her to control her fear, so there wasn't anything physical she really feared. What she feared the most was failing her team, something she didn't hopefully see herself doing this mission.

The 3D display in her helmet lit up, showing each of the status of each part of armor with a green light. Everything seemed to be working order. She grabbed her rifle as she approached the shuttle, her thoughts going back to the situation. An entirely abandoned ship surely was a not a good omen, but hopefully combat could be averted if whatever caused an evacuation was already gone. Still; hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Hasewega shuffled onto the shuttle and took her seat, silently signaling her readiness over the AIES.
 
YSS Heartbreaker, Power Armor Bay

Skade nodded at the XO’s comment about fears and second chances. “Promise not to disappoint you, ma’am.” Or die trying.

The Technician blinked when she saw the Vekimen come in with Ingrid. Huh. Wonder what he is doing here. When the alien accepted the invitation to come along, she shrugged and got back to installing her kit. This ought to be entertaining, she thought, memories bringing a smile to her face. Her antics in the kitchen were the best moments of my punishment.

With the installation complete and running behind the rest of the crew, Skade nonetheless took the time to make sure that her armor was ready to go. Satisfied, she took off her belt, wrapped her tail around her waist, and clambered into her Mindy. Picking up her new Aether Sabre-Rifle, the Neko moved quickly to the shuttle, wondering who she should sit by. I’d love to talk to Sara and get to know her better…but she’s been ignoring me ever since she found out that I was on probation.

Kourui, Shuttle Bay

Walking onto the shuttle, Skade saw Ingrid strapping Edtoto into her seat and then sitting across from the alien. Otherwise, the alien was as isolated as she could be in the small passenger bay, with an empty seat separating the alien and the rest of the Yamataians. Well, I know where I’m sitting.

Catching the last couple of words that Ingrid said to Edtoto as she sat down, the Technician turned her helmet transparent and turned to the Vekimen. “I for one am glad you’re here, Edtoto. It’s always good to have a…unique perspective when going into these kind of situations. So, don’t hesitate to ask about something that looks weird or out of place.” Gesturing at herself and the other Yamataians, Skade continued, “We might not notice something that you will see, since we’re used to the layout of Yamataian ships.”

While she was waiting for a reply, the Neko brought up a schematic for the Ayame-cruisers, trying to familiarize herself with the vessel. That’s an interesting weapon system….
 
Power Armor Bay

"Y-yes ma'am, we won't disappoint you, Hoshitomo-Shoi!" Bettie saluted again rather vigorously, while Veronika was more restrained in her response, nodding and shepherding her partner onto the waiting shuttle. They stood at attention on either side of the cockpit entrance, waiting for all of the others to board before taking their seats. Kayoko, wearing her flight suit, nodded at Rin as the seat next to her was taken.

It was a short, uneventful trip, a lazy loop around the Ayame to line up with one of the more intact docking spaces. Even the small shuttle filled with crew members seemed a bit too spacious for Ed, though, and it was a good thing the only window was hidden away in the cockpit. She couldn't see the vast emptiness of space, or the giant Ayame-class cruiser they were approaching. Soon the port airlock was wedged up against the derelict, as Veronika began prodding the device into opening properly.

"Reports indicated life support was non-functional, and there seems to be no atmosphere on the other side. So don't try to take your helmet off to get some fresh air." She preemptively scolded Bettie, who didn't seem amused, and squirmed her way in front to be first through the airlock. Veronika sighed and followed her through, the duo securing the far side for the others to follow.


Ayame-class Cruiser, Docking Ring

Although the airlock had eventually complied and opened properly, it was struggling to operate, and the reason why was obvious as the rest of the crew entered the docking ring. The airlock had been damaged by small arms fire, much like the short hallway attached to it. Further down the corridor there was an empty opening with damaged sliding doors that advertised a lift system that transferred passengers to the main area of the ship, although a shaft half-clogged with debris was all that awaited on the other side. It seemed possible for a few of the smaller Neko to squeeze through some of the openings visible. And, indeed, this had likely been attempted by others in the past.

There were traces of dried blood on some bits of the destroyed lift and shredded shaft mechanisms, along with torn and ripped sections of clothing. One section of the destroyed lift seemed to have collapsed on someone mid-crawl, as it was easy to see the remains trapped inside, although further examination would be necessary to learn anything more. While their Mindys might protect them from a similar fate, it wouldn't make it any easier to get through. They could also continue around the ring and inspect the other docking bays and other lifts.

While the question of what had caused this damage and why the unidentified persons had been in such a hurry to escape hung in the air, Rin noticed Veronika studying something on the wall of the corridor. Once she joined the Neko, the veteran could see why her attention had been drawn to this, even though her partner was busy poking and prodding at the nearby debris. Next to all of the standard Star Army markings advertising the nearby lift and airlock, one additional image stood out. It fit in seamlessly, as if it belonged there alongside the red hinomaru and blue and grey lettering. But she had never seen it there before, on the Heartbreaker or anywhere else. Anywhere outside of a historical text, at least.

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Edtoto looked at Ingrid as she fiddled with the aliens seatbelt. She would have felt like a toddler being put in a car seat, but she figured Ingrid just wanted to make her life easier. She didn't mind really, bringing her hand up and tapped her nails against her polarized visor in a backward peace sign. It was a smile to her kind while in their suits, as their faces were not seen. "I will watch it as often as I can," She said, mimicking the casual salute the best she could. Then she saw the person she knew as Skade sit across from her on the shuttle.

She sat silently as the person spoke, unable to change the polarization of her own mask to let them see her face, not that it would be forgettable living on the ship for the last few weeks. Unique perspective, but she was sure there was more than that she could do. "The Vekimen are very accustomed to unnaturally tight spaces. Even the I'ee had difficulties navigating my ship when they took me in. I can squeeze through holes that your shoulders wouldn't be able to pass through naturally. I can also see in the Infrared spectrum without the assistance of specialized optics among other things" She explained, not quite understanding that they were complimenting her. "I think I would be useless with seeing things on a ship I have never examined before. I would not know what is or is not out of place" She added, keeping her head down as she felt the ship start moving.

She seemed quite uncomfortable, but other than her leg shaking, tail flicking, and her apparent need to look at /everything/ in the damn shuttle she was doing rather well. "I will always wonder how Vekimen in the past managed to go into space. Our entire species is agoraphobic" She said, striking up a conversation. "The requirements for being a station officer is being capable of dealing with the fear, and being able to exit the station on a spacewalk," she continued. "The Engineers who maintain the outer hull of the station often get the highest ration cards, given the extreme stress they face" She added, going silent till the shuttle "Docked".

The Lizard looked down on a control panel on her wrist. The screen showed a temperature reading, which looked strikingly like a thermostat. She then started to check the seal around her neck, obviously uncaring to if her suit was pressurized. She was curious to if she was the one being scolded. She couldn't see the various crews IR due to thermal shielding of the mindy, so she was lost on that front.

Walking into the ship, the first thing Edtoto noticed was the lack of gravity. Having several locations in her station that lacked gravity, like the Hangars, she instinctively moved to grab onto a wall much like a spider. Magnets in her boot toe and glove fingers letting her latch onto the various surfaces. It was dark, which made her feel a little better about the situation, but the ship was still quite large.

She was able to follow the others without any problems, seeming to be quite natural crawling on all fours along the walls like... Well, the lizard she was. Her head was in a near perpetual state of motion, her horns tight to her back and her tail waving as she moved. Given the vacuum, there was no air to transfer the sounds so she was soundless. Every small space she noticed, she would slowly stick her head through. Her horns stopped her from going through some, and she marked the ones she could get her horns through as they moved on.

The scene did disturb her a little. She wasn't alive for the wars, so she wasn't used to seeing such graphic, desolate scenes. For being an alien who would eat her dead comrades, though, the levels were negligible. When they came to the Elevator scene, she shifted herself to be closer to the unpleasant event. "How unfortunate. Do we need to go through there? If I can get my horns past, I can clear the gap without an issue" She stated, looking at the others. The symbol being examined didn't phase her in the slightest. She had no idea of its significance, nor the fact it wasn't a Military Yamatai Symbol.
 
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