BRindustries
Inactive Member
YSS Kaiyo II
Crew Cabin 7
Sitting behind one of the two desks, Abart stared at the blue glowing screen of the computer, watching the little flashing bar of the text editor blink on and off. He was about to write a letter to his parents, brothers and sisters, like he would do from time to time. While it was something that exited him every time, telling about all the different exploits during training and in missions (as far as his declaration of Secrecy would allow), he couldn’t deny the fact he missed home a bit.
Still, that was all part of the experience, and surely he would get his turn to take a short vacation sometime, just not anytime soon. This time however, he wasn’t sure what to write about. He’d gotten to the point where things started to become routine aboard the ship, and there generally wasn’t much to talk about. Nerai was also up to the same old shenanigans, so nothing new there….
When that one name popped into his head, Abart smiled a bit. It was weird how things had come to this point, how much he and Nerai had changed… or rather hadn’t changed after all the events of the past few months. It reminded him of the day they first reunited as Star Army personnel, on that fateful day, weeks before the Komorebi mission…..
------------------------------
-Omg it’s a heckin’ flashback episode-
------------------------------
Gemini Star fortress
YSS Kaiyo II – Wardroom
The briefing on the Komorebi mission from just before had ended, leaving many questions answered, or yet to be answered. At this moment it didn’t matter too much yet, as the Kaiyo II’s shipwide schedule dictated that it was now time for breakfast. The many Kaiyo crewmembers went about getting their grub together, engaging in some light chit-chat along the way.
For Abart’huse however, this morning wasn’t quite the same as usual. Throughout the meeting earlier he had felt the gaze of a certain person locked onto him, a person who was very close to him….. or at least, used to be. Six years ago was the last time he had seen her face-to-face, spoken to her, spent time with her from time to time. Six years ago was the last time he had seen his aunt, Nerai’tha Uithersh Theisilis.
The tall snakeman, clad in the usual (top half of the) type-33 uniform took a tray full of foods to a table with some of his fellow infantry members, but while he usually was quite talkative around this time, he didn’t say a word that morning. Finishing up a bit sooner than usual, he excused himself and made his way out of the wardroom, putting away his tray in the process. His slitted emerald eyes shot a quick glance across the room, looking over all the tables. Apparently Nerai’tha had left already.
The automated doors to the wardroom slid open, allowing him to slither outside on his long, scaled, sandy-beige tail. He didn’t know what to make of it, the idea of seeing his aunt again after so many years, so suddenly….. it was a fairly overwhelming thought. However it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to ponder on it for much longer…
As he turned to head down the hallway, a soft rustling of scales on the flooring of the Kaiyo’s hallways was heard, approaching him from behind at a frightful speed. Just as he fully turned around to look behind him, a firm yet soft, feminine body, clad in the same type-33 uniform, slammed into him, wrapping it’s arms around Abart.
“BARRYYYYYYYY~~!!!” With a loud thud the two snakes came down on the floor, after Nerai’tha had glomped her little nephew with all her might. Her many squeals of happiness and excitement were accompanied by an uncomfortably tight embrace, as she even went about wrapping some of his tail up with her own. “Aww geez I haven’t seen you in so longgg~!!! You’ve become such a big boyyyyoh I’m so proud of youuu~!!! You should’ve let me known sooner you entered the armyy~!!! Kyahaha~!
“ACK-!!” Thrusted to the floor, Abart struggled fruitlessly in Nerai’tha’s grasp, unable to do anything agains the loving aunt’s affectionate assault. “Neraiii!!! Gh- L-lemme go you! Ghrr!”
Despite his words Nerai’s grip remained rock-tight, maintaining her firm hold on her adorable lil’ snekboii. His flustered face was like candy to her eyes, leaving her unable to resist the urge to tease the living heck ot of him. With a very fake looking pout she replied to the struggling Abart. “Gee…… is that how you treat your poor little auntie after 6 years? I’m never ever ever ever ever letting go until you say sorry you meanie~!!!”
“Heck you left from one day to the next, that’s all on you heckit!” With his aunt’s relentless entousiasm, his attempts at wriggling free slowed down, now lying limply in her tight coils, face-down. His one (somewhat) free hand lightly petted and stroked one of Nerai’s arms tightly clasping his torso. As much as she spooked him, it was indeed nice to see her again. Such a tsundere he was sometimes.
“Hehe, there we go. Much better isn’t it~?” Now that the boy was behaving properly, she loosened her grasp a little bit, still nuzzling the back of his head. “So, how has Barry been, being out on duty and all~?”
*sigh* “Eh, been alright. Just doing my job and all….now can you please get off me….. tail’s going numb…..” The very tip of his scaly appendage swell up with that nasty tingling feeling, as if he had been sitting in a bad position again. Chairs are difficult.
“Fiiiiine, you spoilsport~…..” With a bt of a sigh she hoisted herself up again, letting her big green lock of hair flutter about in front of her face. At the same time she helped her poor victi-… nephew up as well, ruffling some dust out of his spiky anime-protagonist hairdo.
“remind me to teach you how to greet someone properly next time, you might break some poor guy’s bones next time.” He joked, returning that ruffle right back at her, making her bangs a bit of a mess. “But yeah, I’ve been doing alright. Had some ups and downs here and there, but hey, that’s the army for ya.
“True, true, big mister Nito-hei~” Now that the two were standing next to eachother, one could easily see how Abart stood roughly three inches taller than her. “Can tell you, I have had my fair share of excitement as well, both good and …..not-so-good….” A brief moment of silence fell between the two, having shifted their conversation to an uneasy note. After a few seconds, Abart tried to change the toipic a bit.
“So anyways…. What exactly do you do nowadays as an…. Itto-heisho!?” The emerald green eyes lit up with surprise. Clearly this lady had been making a name for herself. In hindsight, reaching Itto-heisho after six years of service wasn’t all that spectacular, a bit mediocre at that, but nevertheless, he was impressed. “whoa….”
Nerai took his astonishment as a compliment, clearly still proud to be looked up at by her (big) little boyo. “Hehe, weeeell I do systems and safety now… but I’ve done loads of different things before, some logistics, communications, a little bit of clerk work here and there. Still I like my current job the best, kinda exited to be on a new ship too~!”
An exited swish of her tailtip backed up her words, though most of that excitement also came from this little reunion of theirs. “How has the infantry been treating you so far? Been much of an action hero yet~?
“Well….” With a bit of a defeated sigh, he thought back on his previous battles he’d been in so far. “It’s been going pretty well so far, buut nothing too special yet. It’s hard to stand out with those team members of mine, rowdy bunch…”
Nerai struggled to keep her laughter in check, as she toooootally could imagine what those combat scenes looked like. “Hehe, yeah, those Neko can get pretty heckin’ crazy alright….. can’t wait to see them in action again.”
“Hehe…..yeah. It’s been pretty crazy…..” Abart thought back on the last kaiyo mission, and their surreal trip through dimensions and spacetime, seeing things almost no-one else would be able to in their whole lifetime... During those days of nothing, something, then nothing again, he had plenty of time to think on everything he’d done up till then and things he’d do from there on out, if he would ever make it out of that tight spot.
“Say, Nerai…….. why did you join the army actually…? You never really gave us an explanation why… It kinda just… came as one big, unfair surprise.” He pointed a slightly melancholic look at his aunt, remembering the confusion that her departure had caused in his family.
“Ah…” That question wasn’t something she was prepared for. While her little nephew was always so predictable before, it seems his time aboard the kaiyo had made him grow a bit as a person as well. “Well……I’m not really sure…… it’s a long time ago isn’t it? Ehehe…” She tried to play it off with a silly smile, but Abart wasn’t having any of it. He really needed to know. “I’m serious Nerai…. Tell me….”
The two stared eachother down for a little while, Abart’s inquisitive green eyes locking with Nerai’s icy white ones, showing a hint of doubt. After a few seconds, she looked away with a slightly defeated sigh. “…well….. to be honest, there were several reasons…….” Nerai leaned against the metallic wall of the hallway, gazing at the other side in light melancholy.
“Surely you remember that time right? When Essia first made contact with Yamatai years ago… Truth is, at the time I wasn’t in the best spot emotionally. Surely I had a lot of fun hanging out with you guys and working all over the place, but somehow it didn’t really feel….. you know…. What’s the word…”
This was one of the very few times one would be able to see Nerai wear such a meek face, having lost that little sparkle of optimism she always had. Despite this, she’d always know this topic would come up sometime regardless, whether she wanted to or not. Now would be as good a time as any to get it over with, and start with a clean slate.
“It wasn’t very fulfilling, you know? Everyone all around me was settling down, marrying, having kids……. And some heckin’ cute ones at that…” That last comment was paired with a comedic poke on Abart’s cheek, making him flinch a bit. All the while he was listening with a serious face, haning on every word she’d said.
“And meanwhile I was just goin’ around partying, skipping from one job to another, and just general messing around……which isn’t bad per-se, of course….. I just got to that age where your sense of responsibility kinda catches up to you, and makes you think properly.”
Slowly, Abart was starting to see where this was going, and from what he could remember from those times, it all seemed to make sense now. He wanted to speak up, but his aunt stopped him, planting the tip of her finger on his lips.
“Long story short, I was having a liiiittle bit of a midlife….slash identity crisis... and wanted to do something that had some sense of meaning to it, really. Then not too much later when all the adverts came in to join the Star Army, my decision was made pretty quickly…..heh.”
A brief moment of silence fell once again, with both of the Separa’shan staring at two different blank spaces. “So there you have it….. the reason why i hecked off and left for Yamatai on such a short notice….. stupid huh?..... It’s not like I regret the decision….but thinking back…I really shouldn’t have done it this way….” It had been a while since Nerai had been in such an embarrassing, vulnerable position, finally letting go of that gnawing feeling of doubt that had always hidden itself inside of her. Even when going about her duties, having a laugh with her co-workers, or other kinds of shenanigans, that feeling still stuck around from time to time.
“Heck…..” Abart interjected, edging a bit closer. “You should’ve said something….that’s what family is for, isn’t it?...” Placing his hands on her shoulders, he lowered himself on his snaketail slightly, bringing himself to her eye level. Nerai replied with a light chuckle.
“Hehe… you really think your mom would’ve let me go if she knew…? You know how she is… heh.” Her response reflected itself on Abart, making him crack up a bit as well. “Yeah… I suppose….” Standing back upright, he let go of her shoulders, only to bring both of his arms forward and a big, beefy hug. “Oh well, not like it matters that much anymore… we’re here now, aren’t we, Auntie?”
Hesitant for a second, she returned the hug gladly. Not the zealous overexited glomp of before, but a much more intimate, understanding embrace….. one that you’d only find amongst very close family.
Unbeknownst to them, a good 10 minutes had passed already, and back in the wardroom the increased clanging in cutlery and trays meant that breakfast time was over. Time to get to work. Abart was the first to let go. “Well then…. Better get back to work before this Hoshi gets mad at us…. Wouldn’t want to leave a bad first impression, eh?
Nerai’tha followed suit, straightening herself up, preparing to move out to her station. “Yeah… you’re right. Then I guess I’ll be heading this way….. good luck with work~! With a wave, Abart watched her slither off into the direction of the bridge, feeling a sense of pride in seeing his aunt act as the Kaiyo’s systems operator. “Aye, likewise!.....” Then he went the other way towards the VR room, off to the infantry’s next training session. There was still a mission to be done after all...
------------------------------
-Present-
------------------------------
YSS Kaiyo
Crew Cabin 7
The soft, digital beeping of his communicator broke Abart out of his daydream, snapping back to attention. It seems it was almost lunchtime, and Thursday was egg day, his favourite day. Without having typed out a single word, he closed the message app, preparing to head out to the wardroom.
As he exited the room, Nerai happened to slither by, just coming back from a visit to engineering for some checkups. “Better be quick Barry, i’ll eat all the eggs if you’re not quick enouuugh~!" And with a wave she zoomed off, leaving abart to quickly hop on her trail. He rushed after her, letting a competitive smirk cross his emerald-eyed face.
“Aye, likewise!”
Crew Cabin 7
Sitting behind one of the two desks, Abart stared at the blue glowing screen of the computer, watching the little flashing bar of the text editor blink on and off. He was about to write a letter to his parents, brothers and sisters, like he would do from time to time. While it was something that exited him every time, telling about all the different exploits during training and in missions (as far as his declaration of Secrecy would allow), he couldn’t deny the fact he missed home a bit.
Still, that was all part of the experience, and surely he would get his turn to take a short vacation sometime, just not anytime soon. This time however, he wasn’t sure what to write about. He’d gotten to the point where things started to become routine aboard the ship, and there generally wasn’t much to talk about. Nerai was also up to the same old shenanigans, so nothing new there….
When that one name popped into his head, Abart smiled a bit. It was weird how things had come to this point, how much he and Nerai had changed… or rather hadn’t changed after all the events of the past few months. It reminded him of the day they first reunited as Star Army personnel, on that fateful day, weeks before the Komorebi mission…..
------------------------------
-Omg it’s a heckin’ flashback episode-
------------------------------
Gemini Star fortress
YSS Kaiyo II – Wardroom
The briefing on the Komorebi mission from just before had ended, leaving many questions answered, or yet to be answered. At this moment it didn’t matter too much yet, as the Kaiyo II’s shipwide schedule dictated that it was now time for breakfast. The many Kaiyo crewmembers went about getting their grub together, engaging in some light chit-chat along the way.
For Abart’huse however, this morning wasn’t quite the same as usual. Throughout the meeting earlier he had felt the gaze of a certain person locked onto him, a person who was very close to him….. or at least, used to be. Six years ago was the last time he had seen her face-to-face, spoken to her, spent time with her from time to time. Six years ago was the last time he had seen his aunt, Nerai’tha Uithersh Theisilis.
The tall snakeman, clad in the usual (top half of the) type-33 uniform took a tray full of foods to a table with some of his fellow infantry members, but while he usually was quite talkative around this time, he didn’t say a word that morning. Finishing up a bit sooner than usual, he excused himself and made his way out of the wardroom, putting away his tray in the process. His slitted emerald eyes shot a quick glance across the room, looking over all the tables. Apparently Nerai’tha had left already.
The automated doors to the wardroom slid open, allowing him to slither outside on his long, scaled, sandy-beige tail. He didn’t know what to make of it, the idea of seeing his aunt again after so many years, so suddenly….. it was a fairly overwhelming thought. However it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to ponder on it for much longer…
As he turned to head down the hallway, a soft rustling of scales on the flooring of the Kaiyo’s hallways was heard, approaching him from behind at a frightful speed. Just as he fully turned around to look behind him, a firm yet soft, feminine body, clad in the same type-33 uniform, slammed into him, wrapping it’s arms around Abart.
“BARRYYYYYYYY~~!!!” With a loud thud the two snakes came down on the floor, after Nerai’tha had glomped her little nephew with all her might. Her many squeals of happiness and excitement were accompanied by an uncomfortably tight embrace, as she even went about wrapping some of his tail up with her own. “Aww geez I haven’t seen you in so longgg~!!! You’ve become such a big boyyyyoh I’m so proud of youuu~!!! You should’ve let me known sooner you entered the armyy~!!! Kyahaha~!
“ACK-!!” Thrusted to the floor, Abart struggled fruitlessly in Nerai’tha’s grasp, unable to do anything agains the loving aunt’s affectionate assault. “Neraiii!!! Gh- L-lemme go you! Ghrr!”
Despite his words Nerai’s grip remained rock-tight, maintaining her firm hold on her adorable lil’ snekboii. His flustered face was like candy to her eyes, leaving her unable to resist the urge to tease the living heck ot of him. With a very fake looking pout she replied to the struggling Abart. “Gee…… is that how you treat your poor little auntie after 6 years? I’m never ever ever ever ever letting go until you say sorry you meanie~!!!”
“Heck you left from one day to the next, that’s all on you heckit!” With his aunt’s relentless entousiasm, his attempts at wriggling free slowed down, now lying limply in her tight coils, face-down. His one (somewhat) free hand lightly petted and stroked one of Nerai’s arms tightly clasping his torso. As much as she spooked him, it was indeed nice to see her again. Such a tsundere he was sometimes.
“Hehe, there we go. Much better isn’t it~?” Now that the boy was behaving properly, she loosened her grasp a little bit, still nuzzling the back of his head. “So, how has Barry been, being out on duty and all~?”
*sigh* “Eh, been alright. Just doing my job and all….now can you please get off me….. tail’s going numb…..” The very tip of his scaly appendage swell up with that nasty tingling feeling, as if he had been sitting in a bad position again. Chairs are difficult.
“Fiiiiine, you spoilsport~…..” With a bt of a sigh she hoisted herself up again, letting her big green lock of hair flutter about in front of her face. At the same time she helped her poor victi-… nephew up as well, ruffling some dust out of his spiky anime-protagonist hairdo.
“remind me to teach you how to greet someone properly next time, you might break some poor guy’s bones next time.” He joked, returning that ruffle right back at her, making her bangs a bit of a mess. “But yeah, I’ve been doing alright. Had some ups and downs here and there, but hey, that’s the army for ya.
“True, true, big mister Nito-hei~” Now that the two were standing next to eachother, one could easily see how Abart stood roughly three inches taller than her. “Can tell you, I have had my fair share of excitement as well, both good and …..not-so-good….” A brief moment of silence fell between the two, having shifted their conversation to an uneasy note. After a few seconds, Abart tried to change the toipic a bit.
“So anyways…. What exactly do you do nowadays as an…. Itto-heisho!?” The emerald green eyes lit up with surprise. Clearly this lady had been making a name for herself. In hindsight, reaching Itto-heisho after six years of service wasn’t all that spectacular, a bit mediocre at that, but nevertheless, he was impressed. “whoa….”
Nerai took his astonishment as a compliment, clearly still proud to be looked up at by her (big) little boyo. “Hehe, weeeell I do systems and safety now… but I’ve done loads of different things before, some logistics, communications, a little bit of clerk work here and there. Still I like my current job the best, kinda exited to be on a new ship too~!”
An exited swish of her tailtip backed up her words, though most of that excitement also came from this little reunion of theirs. “How has the infantry been treating you so far? Been much of an action hero yet~?
“Well….” With a bit of a defeated sigh, he thought back on his previous battles he’d been in so far. “It’s been going pretty well so far, buut nothing too special yet. It’s hard to stand out with those team members of mine, rowdy bunch…”
Nerai struggled to keep her laughter in check, as she toooootally could imagine what those combat scenes looked like. “Hehe, yeah, those Neko can get pretty heckin’ crazy alright….. can’t wait to see them in action again.”
“Hehe…..yeah. It’s been pretty crazy…..” Abart thought back on the last kaiyo mission, and their surreal trip through dimensions and spacetime, seeing things almost no-one else would be able to in their whole lifetime... During those days of nothing, something, then nothing again, he had plenty of time to think on everything he’d done up till then and things he’d do from there on out, if he would ever make it out of that tight spot.
“Say, Nerai…….. why did you join the army actually…? You never really gave us an explanation why… It kinda just… came as one big, unfair surprise.” He pointed a slightly melancholic look at his aunt, remembering the confusion that her departure had caused in his family.
“Ah…” That question wasn’t something she was prepared for. While her little nephew was always so predictable before, it seems his time aboard the kaiyo had made him grow a bit as a person as well. “Well……I’m not really sure…… it’s a long time ago isn’t it? Ehehe…” She tried to play it off with a silly smile, but Abart wasn’t having any of it. He really needed to know. “I’m serious Nerai…. Tell me….”
The two stared eachother down for a little while, Abart’s inquisitive green eyes locking with Nerai’s icy white ones, showing a hint of doubt. After a few seconds, she looked away with a slightly defeated sigh. “…well….. to be honest, there were several reasons…….” Nerai leaned against the metallic wall of the hallway, gazing at the other side in light melancholy.
“Surely you remember that time right? When Essia first made contact with Yamatai years ago… Truth is, at the time I wasn’t in the best spot emotionally. Surely I had a lot of fun hanging out with you guys and working all over the place, but somehow it didn’t really feel….. you know…. What’s the word…”
This was one of the very few times one would be able to see Nerai wear such a meek face, having lost that little sparkle of optimism she always had. Despite this, she’d always know this topic would come up sometime regardless, whether she wanted to or not. Now would be as good a time as any to get it over with, and start with a clean slate.
“It wasn’t very fulfilling, you know? Everyone all around me was settling down, marrying, having kids……. And some heckin’ cute ones at that…” That last comment was paired with a comedic poke on Abart’s cheek, making him flinch a bit. All the while he was listening with a serious face, haning on every word she’d said.
“And meanwhile I was just goin’ around partying, skipping from one job to another, and just general messing around……which isn’t bad per-se, of course….. I just got to that age where your sense of responsibility kinda catches up to you, and makes you think properly.”
Slowly, Abart was starting to see where this was going, and from what he could remember from those times, it all seemed to make sense now. He wanted to speak up, but his aunt stopped him, planting the tip of her finger on his lips.
“Long story short, I was having a liiiittle bit of a midlife….slash identity crisis... and wanted to do something that had some sense of meaning to it, really. Then not too much later when all the adverts came in to join the Star Army, my decision was made pretty quickly…..heh.”
A brief moment of silence fell once again, with both of the Separa’shan staring at two different blank spaces. “So there you have it….. the reason why i hecked off and left for Yamatai on such a short notice….. stupid huh?..... It’s not like I regret the decision….but thinking back…I really shouldn’t have done it this way….” It had been a while since Nerai had been in such an embarrassing, vulnerable position, finally letting go of that gnawing feeling of doubt that had always hidden itself inside of her. Even when going about her duties, having a laugh with her co-workers, or other kinds of shenanigans, that feeling still stuck around from time to time.
“Heck…..” Abart interjected, edging a bit closer. “You should’ve said something….that’s what family is for, isn’t it?...” Placing his hands on her shoulders, he lowered himself on his snaketail slightly, bringing himself to her eye level. Nerai replied with a light chuckle.
“Hehe… you really think your mom would’ve let me go if she knew…? You know how she is… heh.” Her response reflected itself on Abart, making him crack up a bit as well. “Yeah… I suppose….” Standing back upright, he let go of her shoulders, only to bring both of his arms forward and a big, beefy hug. “Oh well, not like it matters that much anymore… we’re here now, aren’t we, Auntie?”
Hesitant for a second, she returned the hug gladly. Not the zealous overexited glomp of before, but a much more intimate, understanding embrace….. one that you’d only find amongst very close family.
Unbeknownst to them, a good 10 minutes had passed already, and back in the wardroom the increased clanging in cutlery and trays meant that breakfast time was over. Time to get to work. Abart was the first to let go. “Well then…. Better get back to work before this Hoshi gets mad at us…. Wouldn’t want to leave a bad first impression, eh?
Nerai’tha followed suit, straightening herself up, preparing to move out to her station. “Yeah… you’re right. Then I guess I’ll be heading this way….. good luck with work~! With a wave, Abart watched her slither off into the direction of the bridge, feeling a sense of pride in seeing his aunt act as the Kaiyo’s systems operator. “Aye, likewise!.....” Then he went the other way towards the VR room, off to the infantry’s next training session. There was still a mission to be done after all...
------------------------------
-Present-
------------------------------
YSS Kaiyo
Crew Cabin 7
The soft, digital beeping of his communicator broke Abart out of his daydream, snapping back to attention. It seems it was almost lunchtime, and Thursday was egg day, his favourite day. Without having typed out a single word, he closed the message app, preparing to head out to the wardroom.
As he exited the room, Nerai happened to slither by, just coming back from a visit to engineering for some checkups. “Better be quick Barry, i’ll eat all the eggs if you’re not quick enouuugh~!" And with a wave she zoomed off, leaving abart to quickly hop on her trail. He rushed after her, letting a competitive smirk cross his emerald-eyed face.
“Aye, likewise!”
