YSS Eucharis, Bridge
As small as Eucharis was it didn't have the luxury of an office for the ship's clerk. Most duty shifts the vessel's winged administrative technician could be found at one of the spare bridge stations using the terminal to conduct ship's business. After their bout with the Kuvexian space station that had involved a lot of repair requests and filing after action reports for the Shosho. Suites-heisho had also had Shigefume-hei transferred and had apparently applied himself to award recommendations...
Her own submissions on that matter had already been prepared for the Admiral's review. Suites-heisho's involvement brought color to her pale cheeks; even though it had been some time she still felt her thanks had been inadequate in relation to, well, his saving her life.
There were routine matters too. Victory-heisho had prepared all the resupply requests for food, ammuniton, and etc. they'd expended on the mission, leaving her the task of actually putting it all together for signatures before forwarding it onward.
YSS Eucharis, PA Bay
In the center most armor rack hung a black colored M2-4, powered but stationary. He knew it was generally 'uncool' to use his higher rank to get the station that was most likely to survive an attack but having a mostly intact station sure made paperwork easier. The volumetric display illuminated his face from beneath the solid faced helmet as it displayed the documents he was filing, but a majority of the process was happening between his own brain and MEGAMI as he continued multitasking through the nagging headache he'd yet to address since they'd teleported the mainframe into space. It was time for a break, he'd have to sign off on Shigefumi's data transfer to Fort Minori anyway.
Code:
To: Calidius-Hei
From: Suites-Heisho
I'll be available to sign any necessary documents for the next hour. If you need me I'll be in the lounge.
With the message sent he exited his armor and dressed for his appointment with the coffee maker in the lounge, the only real concern on his mind being which couch he'd be sitting on for the next hour.
Eucharis Bridge to Lounge
Belle sent back an acknowledgement of Suites' message as soon as she finished reading it. It had been about time for a snack break anyway, or at least a reason to move around. Signing out of the workstation she made sure the right copies were on her communicator. She gave Blackberry a wave before hitting the hall.
It took longer then usual to reach the crew lounge; even with zero-g to help part of the way her bruises still stung enough to encourage slow movement from the volumetric paper pusher. Not sighting the spooky-type Heisho anywhere yet, she seized a cup of coffee and a place on the comfiest couch, or at least the one that let her sore wings rest easiest. Letting her eyes wander, she mentally noted the notice board needed updating...
Candon stepped slowly down the stairs from the wardroom as he entered the lounge, delayed only by a quick shower to clean off the hemosynth fluid from the older style liner of his Mindy. It had quite a cozy feel to it. Maybe it was the shaggy red carpet that lined the floor, walls, and ceiling of the circular room or the fact that he was just close to his cabin- that he shared with a semi-psychiatrist now…
That thought brought him no degree of solace as he dispensed coffee into the mug he'd pulled from the cabinet.
Little cream, little sugar, few feathers- wait.
He only saw Mehitabel as he turned back towards the couches.
"You feeling any better?" He asked in a hushed tone, for the sake if those sleeping.
"Sore, but far better then the alternative," she says softly, but smiling with the full force of someone who's recently escaped death. She didn't take up much space even with her wings out letting Candon choose his seat as he pleased.
Belle's brow furrowed, worried, "And yourself? You took quite the beating, Suites-heisho."
The spy shrugged.
"I've had worse. Actually hurt my brain a bit multitasking on that station," he replied, taking a seat next to the clerk at the opposite end of the couch "I miss my old body, I damaged that brain so many times that it actually stopped hurting when I overclocked myself. Even with so much perfection there's still no replacement for 'conditioning'."
He pointed to his temple as he said it. "Your file shows you have some experience with soul transfers."
She looked rattled as Suites opened up so frankly about what his mind had been through. To be so nonchalant about it... The winged clerk tried her best to look serious without being shocked. Of course the resident spy, and highest ranking rating, had access to her file. Even if he didn't it was a safe bet that most Elysians had been through the Caelisolan conversion.
"A little," Mehitabel replied. She gave a little more width to her wings, looking very proud of herself despite the modest words, "Nothing that serious. I just had to get used to having a body that was actually
functional more then new thought patterns."
"It must have been nice, stepping into a body with more to offer. Like dropping a heavy burden, right?" he asked rhetorically.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking his head as he took into consideration the feelings some had toward soul transfers, "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. Here's the creepy old war dog talking bad about your old body. It's easy to forget about the person living in it."
"There was. A little girl slaving away in the forge shop of an arsenal with no dreams beyond a life of labor," Mehitabel replies, sounding more then a little relieved if anything, "I know soul transfer is... A more familiar matter on Yamatai, but, learning that I could shed my form for another? Such talk is presumptuous but... I welcomed the chance to do more with my life then that."
It was a topic never to be broached among Elysians, if she was honest, such words would surely have brought the strongest of condemnations but... Suites-heisho was her superior, true enough, but she could someday aspire to be a Petty Officer in her own right. It made her open up a little. Now she snapped her own mouth shut, face fully red, "Ah, it's my turn to apologize. Much more about my personal life then you're interested in.
"I just want to say..." she had finally hit on a good way to thank him, hopefully, hands pressed into her lap, "I hope to prove it was worth risking your life for me. Now, ah, I did have a few things that required you to co-sign, and I believe you had a slate of commendations for the Shosho?"
Candon smiled softly. It wasn't often that he met others with the kind of drive he valued. From his infantry it wasn't an option but Mehitabel, she was different. A softer heart with intentions far more innocent than than his own type. It was for people like her that Candon had reforged his defeated soul. The people with desire to become more than just what they were told to be.
"Right," he said, a couple of moments late. He placed his communicator on the table and set it to display a holographically projected volumetric screen from which to access the ship's computer.
"You can log in on mine, it'll pull everything up the same," he offered.
"If you'd prefer," she agreed, paying no heed to Suites' momentary distraction. At least he hadn't been dismissive. That would have been far worse. Slender fingers manipulated the volumetric display, login screen winking briefly into existence then flashing past. A cascade of documents swam into view; Mehitabel pointed at the top one, "Shigefume-hei's transfer papers, campaign and service medal authorizations for your team, those are the two main items.
She flicked them around to the back, "And if you would co-sign Victory-heisho's ordnance reports."
"Alright," he said, using his finger to produce his electronic signature on the transfer papers and ordinance reports, "I won't sign for campaign or service medals though. The war is too young for the first and I don't believe in consolation prizes. The mission was a failure, blew up right in our faces. The analysts won't get enough readable date from the wrecked mainframe to accomplish anything and we won't even have ships available to claim the station's wreckage for weeks."
"Understood, Suites-heisho," she said, dismissing the War Medal and Combat Mission Ribbon recommendations with a wave of the hand, "Although as I understand it they're automatically awarded as it is."
"Not necessarily," He replied, "you don't get medals and promotions just for showing up. There was combat, they get an award for that. They didn't accomplish the goal, no service medal. And the war medal is given at the end of said war. Of course, Hanako-hime decides exceptions."
Candon rose up from the couch, taking his phone with.
"You did good back there. It was brave of you to help like you did."
She raises a hand, not dismissive but it was rather evident his praise wasn't fully sinking in, "It was nothing more then my duty. Thank you for your assistance, Suites-heisho."
Taking up her own communicator she rose and headed for the zero-G passage back towards the bridge.
A JP with
@Rizzo
