SET: Taiie no Iori
Chui Tasha Nishimura watched from her desk of small monitors as Taii Suzuka Yukari's completely violated Kitty winked out from view. Good riddiance. Tasha nodded to the Shoi Mitsubi Kanno, who was on another monitor. Kanno was a cute Neko small in height and frame. Tasha felt a brief pang in her loins as she often did when she took notice of or recalled the tight, lithe bodies of her comrades in war.
Tasha walked away from her desk, a small grin on her face. There would be time for drugging her lonliness later. For now, she had a problem to deal with.
I wonder what the history books will say. Tasha wasn't much into reading anyway. Her job was the most important thing in her life. Tasha served the Taisho faithfully for some time, after all.
From the armor wings, to the Akuro, to the beautiful new Iori. Tasha was near her Taisho.
Across the stars, the galaxies, the universe. Tasha was there.
Bad days, bad assignments, bad dreams. Tasha.
Shimizu Akina hadn't been the last straw. The Taisho needed a lover, something Tasha knew she couldn't be. It was acceptable. Even welcome at times. Shimizu had never pushed Tasha away from her duties, after all. She treated her like a loyal soldier to the Empire, which suited her just fine -- no chit-chat, just business. Jealous? Not possible. It would have tainted her service to the Taisho. Even early on, she could accept the cold-eyed officer's presence.
This new one though. Suzuka Yukari. A bright-eyed Seitô, promoted over Tasha in the span of three heartbeats. "Flag aide." Wasn't that Shimizu's job? To add to it, Suzuka had never been a commander of any sort. She piloted tubs, for the love of the Empire! No wonder the enlisted personnel liked her. And her "officer training?" Intelligence personnel were supposed to be bookworms exiled to cold rooms full of computers, heeding the commander's every beck and call for information. Instead she had become, in 12 hours, de facto commander of the 5th's Star Fortress.
Most officers hadn't even heard of Suzuka Yukari. The warrant officers looked at Tasha queerly when she told the story. Flag aide's not a recognized position, they said. And there weren't many officers on board the Iori either; surely they'd have heard about this prestigious Yamataian running the entire base! Some of the enlisted knew, however, and they were happy. The woman practically wiped her ass with protocol -- showing such favor to enlisted wasn't unique, it was demeaning! She bowed deeply to them as well, as if they were her superiors! And her smile. Could she not be more like Shimizu-Taisa? Professionality was the very essence of being an officer.
Tasha shook her head. Another time. The problem facing her now was important and immediate. With Suzuka's intelligence background, she wondered how the flag aide had failed to notice.
SET: An enlisted mess hall
Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji chewed on his pork buns with pride. No one could tell he was eating that way by looking at him, which no one wanted to do anyway. But he was, and he had every right to.
Everything was ready, after all. It had been surprisingly easy. With the Iori in a half-ready state, and security concentrated in other areas, he only had to flash his credentials to the guards. Then it was just a matter of running the right diagnostics in the correct places. It was a bit of trial-and-error, but what great experiment wasn't? Besides, who was to know? The logs would classify it as maintenance, and he would continue smelling rosy. He'd only slipped once (on purpose, of course) and that stupid foreigner hadn't noticed. Off-hours could be used however he wanted, and as one of the most senior enlisted engineers, he was almost beyond reproach -- even on a ship run almost entirely by Amazonian females.
His clean-shaven face broke into a very big grin. All he had to do now was tweak the schedules a bit with KAMI's help, and the damage Suzuka Yukari was causing would end.
A panel of text appeared in front of him rather suddenly. He slowly rose from his seat as he read it.
Shinji took his pork bun with him as he ran toward the lift.
SET: &$Ejf7&(!^^!)@ -- Error detected
Floating through the halls, Tasha congratulated herself on bringing a police officer with her. The officer's access to the personnel tracking system KAMI had built into it proved invaluable. Their airborne state was due to the system showing Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji rushing toward the scene of the crime. Tasha clutched her NSP, which was set to stun. She didn't understand why the MP did not do the same, but the officer had her protocol to follow too.
When they arrived at the entrance, they could hear shouting in panicked Japanese. "Ichiro! You have to stop this, it won't help!" A pause. "They are at the door? Already?"
Tasha floated forward, NSP in front of her. She didn't fear an engineer who drew his gun only when he had to recertify on it. The officer flew in front of Tasha, drew her pistol and clicked it to stun before speaking. "Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji, I am Eiko Tachimaru with the Star Army Police! Cease what you're doing and get on the floor, NOW!"
"Ichiro!" was the response. "They will kill me!" A pause. "No -- NO! DON'T MAKE ME!"
Tachimaru flew past the corner in a blur, gun pointed at a space Tasha assumed had an engineer. The officer's eyes widened; she fired two shots before several tentacles closed on her limbs and throat. Tasha was around the corner just a second later, NSP set to normal. Her eyes locked on the source of the tentacles --
"What?"
She had only a few seconds to contemplate what she was seeing. What is that? And how did it get here? Impossible -- I must alert the Taisho!
Tentacles came rushing at her face and hands. One lodged itself deep down her throat and dragged her toward its owner, while the others grasped the NSP and ripped it from her hands. They then wrapped around her waist and throat. Tasha's eyes widened for a moment before she was put face to face with Tachimaru, who was in the same state. The two went flying at each other and smashed heads. Tasha could feel her forehead bleed from the smashed skin. They collided again. Again. Again. The blood clouded Tasha's vision; she hoped it would stop soon. Again. Again. Again. Her skull was cracked by now, of that she was sure. Had she heard it? Her hemosynthesis wasn't working as well as it should. It made sense, of course, she thought in her dazed state. It was being blocked.
Two tentacles, tipped with a Nekovalkyrja hand and an NSP, brought everything to an end quickly as a hail of stun bolts peppered the two Nekos. Tasha was dropped on the deck. At that moment, everything went black.
SET: Yuumi-class battleship YSS Munin
"What?"
"Forty-two SMX ships, Yomitomo-Shosa!" the sensors officer reported again, barely believing the words she said. "They're holding position between us and Murf! Count, four Blrakkrashiverinth II-class battleships, ten Ooghlrashithagg-class carriers, twenty-three Ghullfrashirv-class destroyers and five unidentified ships each less than one hundred meters long. Visual online now."
Shosa Yomitomo Asuko took a few precious seconds to gaze upon the Mishhuvurthyar fleet from the command chair. Her eyes might be fooled easily, but the ship's sensory equipment was not. But an entire fleet, from nothing? "Deus, systems check."
"All systems green, Shosa." The KAMI's avatar, a white-haired Nekovalkyrja with deep grey eyes and a quiet, masculine voice, appeared next to Asuko. "I have alerted Kazuhiko-Taisa."
" ... Comm, ship-wide alert. General quarters." The image of the XO of the YSS Dainslef appeared before her. "Deus, hold all other inquiries to me. Kawamura-Taisa, do you see what we see?"
"If it's a whole Mishhu fleet, then yes," the raven-haired Neko said. "I've sounded general quarters. Where the hell did they come from?"
"I don't know. Kazuhiko-Taisa will be here soon. Any word from the Iori?"
"Negative."
"Same here. Yomitomo out." The image gone, Asuko sent a standard message to the Iori. Her eyes fell on the viewscreen again. "All Nozomis stealth. Provide a defensive screen around the Iori. Get the Munin's escorts back over here in tower formation, starboard and port only." The comm officer relayed the commands to the appropriate places as Taisa Kazuhiko Minari appeared with her clothes holographed and dull brown hair in a ponytail.
"Status," she said.
"Forty-two SMX vessels, four of them Blrakkrashiverinth II-class, are about three light-years from Murf. They just appeared on our long-range scanners."
"They must've forgot which way home is." Minari gazed out at the image for another few precious seconds. "Where's the Taisho?"
"We can't hail the Iori." Asuko got up from the command pit and relieved the cadet in her position. Asuko attempted to hail the Iori again as Minari barked for a better image of the Mishhu fleet. "The Iori's KAMI says they're receiving, but no one's responding."
"Keep trying." Minari stood in the pit after her SLICS was connected. She narrowed her eyes. "Scanners, where did they come from?"
"I've gone through most every method I have at my disposal, Taisa. Nothing. They just appeared."
"The Mishhu aren't demons; they can't just appear. Teleportation?"
The scanners officer worked calmly but hurriedly on the operations deck. "Negative Taisa. These ships have their engines, weapons and shields off."
"Not much of a fight. Operations, where are we?"
"Dainslef is forming up on point two with the Fujin and the Sorayama. Armor pilots are reporting to their bays; weapons online and shields at full." The officer paused as she processed a message."Comm says Namiko Wing is asking for permission to take a defensive position for Taiie; other ships are taking standard positions."
"Namiko Wing can take their positions. All scouts and gunships are to cloak. What's the closest vessel to them?"
"Kagemusha," the operations officer said.
"No, who's next."
"Yukika," she said.
"Good, have them hold position; I may need them."
"Taisa, Dainslef and Fujin are asking for a conference," the comm officer said.
"Thank you comm." The two panels came up side-by-side, angled in from the outer edges. "Morimune, Yoshikawa."
"Have you reached the Taisho yet?" Morimune's hard brown eyes were on her viewscreen, not the panel.
"Negative. Something's wrong on the Iori."
"Shimizu-Taisa must be with her," Yoshikawa said, thin lips curled in a frustrated frown. "We can't find her either."
"I hope you're not suggesting -- " Minari started, but was cut off.
"You're the cold-headed one," Morimune said ruefully. "The Taisho would prefer you."
"Hardly the way to get promoted."
"We have no time," Morimune said. "The fleet is expecting it."
Minari's pulse slowed some as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could almost feel the Taisho's breath going down her neck at the same time. "Understood. Thank you."
"Lead us to victory first," Yoshikawa said with a smirk.
"Agreed." She closed the panels and stood up, wires from the SLICS following her. "Comm, fleet-wide message. This is Taisa Kazuhiko Minari, acting commander of the 5th Expeditonary Fleet. All ships are to maintain standard defensive positions unless corrected by your wing commander. The Mishhu are not moving for the moment, so neither will we. No need to spill blood until the situation has been properly assessed. Kazuhiko out." Her gaze returned to the viewscreen. "Any word from the Iori?"
"Nothing," Shosa Asuko said. "Could they all be dead?"
"If they are, I want to know what killed them and where I can get some." Minari brought her light-brown eyes down from the screen for a moment. "It would be nice to have the Akuro right now."
"The Munin can handle it, Taisa," Asuko said with conviction.
"Let's hope so. Send messages to Yui-sama and the colonies. Mishhu fleet sighted with shields down and engines inactive. No trace on its origin. Include the count and our intended actions. Mention the Iori."
"Hai. What about transports from the depot?"
"Another message to them as well." Kazuhiko's eyes bore down on the cluster of SMX battleships in front of her. Fear was not a reaction she subscribed to, but the ships were too far away to figure out what they were doing. Just because their capital weapons were powered down did not mean their attack pods weren't poised to be speed launched. There was also the matter of the unidentified ships, which were too small to be destroyers.
"Scanners, have you identified the five ships in front of the SMX fleet?"
"No, Taisa," the officer called out. "Nothing in the databanks about a ship that size."
"She is correct, Taisa," Deus said. "I have no files on Mishhu ships of that type."
"Not the answer I need, Deus. Work on contacting the Iori." A mental message from Asuko brought her attention back to her XO. "No, I want those pilots held back."
"Affirmative, Taisa," Asuko said. She blinked for a moment. "Taisa -- partial power has been restored to the Iori."
"About time!" The Taisa sunk back into her pit, bringing up an image of the Second ISFC group forming up behind the Munin. "Any word?"
"Negative ... though there's a shuttle that seems to be headed to it. Kitty-class."
"Scanners!" Minari yelled.
"One lifeform, NH-22C!" Comm yelled next. "Transponder frequency identifies it as the Taisho's private shuttle, Koneko-chan!" The Munin's pilot, who was normally very quiet, piped up. "She has a light aether cannon on a turret, but it is not targeting anything, Taisa." A heartbeat went by before Asuko spoke again. "Registered pilot is not the Taisho -- it's a Suzuka Yukari. Her orders are not coming up."
Minari's eyebrows furrowed as she closed the image in front of her. She knew of nearly every officer above Shoi on the big ships, and a fair amount on the Iori. "Operations, find out if the Taisho left the Iori in the past 36 hours. Comm, find out who's on the shuttle."
Scanners responded instead, her tone very surprised. "Taisa! The Iori is releasing LAMIAs! Count is 3,000 and rising!"
"Determine their flight pattern!" Minari looked to Deus, whose normally empty gaze held not a small amount of worry. "Emergency protective measures?" she asked.
"No, Taisa." Deus' grey eyes flashed for just a second. "A KAMI would not deploy all of its protective resources due to something that could be a non-threat. If no Star Army officers were available, it would work with other PANTHEON members in assessing the threat first."
"Have you spoken to the Iori's KAMI yet?"
"I have just received a message, Taisa. I am not sure if it is from the KAMI, however." Minari nodded as she heard the scanners officer yell out the Iori had deployed 17,920 of its 18,000 LAMIA armors. Deus put the message up as an image down low in Minari's pit to prevent others from seeing it.
Minari let the breath she was holding out. It made no sense ... none. "Deus?"
"It would appear the KAMI has fallen under someone's control."
"How is that possible?"
Deus closed her eyes. "In theory, it would require several Kessaku technicians with at least high-level clearance to manipulate the KAMI. There is no record of any technicians visiting the Iori, and no member of the 5th has all of the correct certifications."
"TAISA!" The scanners officer was getting jumpy. "Twenty Mishhu attack pods have landed in the Iori's first secondary bay!"
"What?" Minari stood up. "Where did they come from?"
"Nothing! They weren't there two seconds ago, and then they were already in the bay! The LAMIAs haven't moved!"
"By the claws of the Mistress ..." What are we dealing with? Minari thought. "Order the LAMIAs to attack them, Deus."
"I cannot, Taisa. They do not respond to my commands."
"Dammit all! Operations, who has a shot at the bay?"
A pause. "YSS Gosei!"
"Have them fire on it! Low power!"
The pulses of everyone onboard the bridge could be heard as they watched an image of the Gosei on the main display. The scout was lining up the shot; tactical information on either side of the image showed it had reduced its combined field to 1/20th of its normal power. As it was about to fire, small lances of purple-pink energy could be seen colliding into it. The Gosei fired a blast toward the bay, but it was stopped before it reached the target by a group of LAMIAs sacrificing themselves to stop it. Another wave of energy bolts pincushioned the Gosei's shields, nearly pricking the ship's light armor.
"Impossible." Minari blinked only once. "Get the Gosei out of there," she snarled in disgust, mostly at herself. "Comm, fleet-wide message: All ships are to keep their distance from the Iori. I repeat, stay away from the Iori." She looked toward Asuko. "Suggestions?"
"Comm intercepted a transmission from the Iori giving Koneko-chan clearance to land. Maybe we should talk to the pilot of the shuttle."
"Unless it's the Taisho, I don't see what she could do."
"She would be someone on the inside, which is more than we have now."
"Indeed. But we need a contingency plan to deal with the Iori if it becomes any more hostile. We'll conference in a moment; I'll talk to the pilot."
SET: Shuttle Koneko-chan
Yukari hadn't seen an SMX ship in years. She should have known better; karma never let such imbalances slip by. The hurried speech of the communications officer on the YSS Munin had set her blood racing so fast she thought it might bleed from her ears. Yukari instinctually made a note to kiss Ayano's feet for the work she did on the shuttle, which surprisingly included better engines to go with the power core. Gripping the yoke with white-knuckled hands, she kept the shuttle pointed toward the Iori. Uso, she thought to herself. If anything must be a lie, let it be this. She'd turned around from the Yukika just in time to have Koneko-chan's sensors zoom in on the scout destroyer being blasted by the Iori's own LAMIA power armors. She was not sure if that was more unsettling than the sight of SMX so far from their remaining strongholds. "Uso."
A bolt that had missed the Gosei managed to splash against the shuttle's shields. Yukari jumped from her seat, calmed only by her damage display's reading of her shields. Midori, she thought. It has been too long since I have been in a true battle. Yukari had at least remembered to power up the aether cannon, for all the good it would do her. It would not take many Mishhu attack pods to destroy her shuttle, no matter how modified it was.
Not all of her thoughts were so dire. There was some comfort in knowing the SMX weren't moving. She very strongly wished Ayano had installed a more-advanced sensor suite, as the original Kitty package left much to be desired in this case. But she had only given Ayano so much time, much of which was put into the interior and the aether cannon. Yukari shook her head. The SMX weren't moving, and that was enough for now. Though it would be nice to know what was happening ... the Munin had told her nothing she did not know.
"Pilot," said a cold voice in English.
Yukari jumped again. She took just a few seconds to calm herself, taking a deep breath and letting it linger in her lungs before exhaling. "Yes," she answered, also in English.
"Identify yourself." The person spoke with the authority of someone in control.
"Taii Suzuka Yukari, Flag Aide for the Taisho, 5th Expeditio -- "
"Where is the Taisho."
"Ah." They do not know? "Not onboard. I left to perform an inspection of the Yukika -- "
"She is still aboard the Iori?" Emotion was heavily laced in the first and last words. It was not the answer the voice was expecting.
"Hai," Yukari said. "Still in her private quarters."
The voice did not respond immediately. Yukari took the opportunity to call up an image of who she was talking to, as she was sure the voice already had. The image came up distorted by occasional static, but it was clear enough. Yukari could see the Taisa pin on the woman's breast, the jet-black hair held in a loose ponytail, and the icy onyx eyes. She looked as if she had not smiled since being born. "What about Shimizu-Taisa?"
"With the Taisho, Taisa."
The Nekovalkyrja swore, though it was muted. She then appeared to shout at someone. Yukari could not read lips, but she caught "message" and "SMX." The Taisa then turned back to her. "Your rank pin calls you a liar, Suzuka, but we cannot confirm or deny your orders. We have no contact with the Iori, and no vessel has been allowed to approach except yours."
"Eh?" Yukari suddenly looked back to her sensors -- The LAMIAs ... they have left the bay clear.
"Whoever is controlling the Iori wants you, Suzuka," the Taisa said. "I am going to give you to them."
"T-Taisa?" Yukari's cheeks drained at the thought. "But, I am not a commando -- " She regretted the words as soon as she said them.
The Taisa made sure she did. "You are a soldier of the Star Army of Yamatai, Suzuka," she said, emphasizing Yukari's lack of rank. "Find the Taisho and see to her safety." The image cut off.
Yukari looked at the Iori, and the two LAMIAs speeding toward her. They fell into position beside her, guiding her back into the bay.
Chui Tasha Nishimura watched from her desk of small monitors as Taii Suzuka Yukari's completely violated Kitty winked out from view. Good riddiance. Tasha nodded to the Shoi Mitsubi Kanno, who was on another monitor. Kanno was a cute Neko small in height and frame. Tasha felt a brief pang in her loins as she often did when she took notice of or recalled the tight, lithe bodies of her comrades in war.
Tasha walked away from her desk, a small grin on her face. There would be time for drugging her lonliness later. For now, she had a problem to deal with.
KAMI's logs said:
I wonder what the history books will say. Tasha wasn't much into reading anyway. Her job was the most important thing in her life. Tasha served the Taisho faithfully for some time, after all.
From the armor wings, to the Akuro, to the beautiful new Iori. Tasha was near her Taisho.
Across the stars, the galaxies, the universe. Tasha was there.
Bad days, bad assignments, bad dreams. Tasha.
Shimizu Akina hadn't been the last straw. The Taisho needed a lover, something Tasha knew she couldn't be. It was acceptable. Even welcome at times. Shimizu had never pushed Tasha away from her duties, after all. She treated her like a loyal soldier to the Empire, which suited her just fine -- no chit-chat, just business. Jealous? Not possible. It would have tainted her service to the Taisho. Even early on, she could accept the cold-eyed officer's presence.
This new one though. Suzuka Yukari. A bright-eyed Seitô, promoted over Tasha in the span of three heartbeats. "Flag aide." Wasn't that Shimizu's job? To add to it, Suzuka had never been a commander of any sort. She piloted tubs, for the love of the Empire! No wonder the enlisted personnel liked her. And her "officer training?" Intelligence personnel were supposed to be bookworms exiled to cold rooms full of computers, heeding the commander's every beck and call for information. Instead she had become, in 12 hours, de facto commander of the 5th's Star Fortress.
Most officers hadn't even heard of Suzuka Yukari. The warrant officers looked at Tasha queerly when she told the story. Flag aide's not a recognized position, they said. And there weren't many officers on board the Iori either; surely they'd have heard about this prestigious Yamataian running the entire base! Some of the enlisted knew, however, and they were happy. The woman practically wiped her ass with protocol -- showing such favor to enlisted wasn't unique, it was demeaning! She bowed deeply to them as well, as if they were her superiors! And her smile. Could she not be more like Shimizu-Taisa? Professionality was the very essence of being an officer.
Tasha shook her head. Another time. The problem facing her now was important and immediate. With Suzuka's intelligence background, she wondered how the flag aide had failed to notice.
SET: An enlisted mess hall
Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji chewed on his pork buns with pride. No one could tell he was eating that way by looking at him, which no one wanted to do anyway. But he was, and he had every right to.
Everything was ready, after all. It had been surprisingly easy. With the Iori in a half-ready state, and security concentrated in other areas, he only had to flash his credentials to the guards. Then it was just a matter of running the right diagnostics in the correct places. It was a bit of trial-and-error, but what great experiment wasn't? Besides, who was to know? The logs would classify it as maintenance, and he would continue smelling rosy. He'd only slipped once (on purpose, of course) and that stupid foreigner hadn't noticed. Off-hours could be used however he wanted, and as one of the most senior enlisted engineers, he was almost beyond reproach -- even on a ship run almost entirely by Amazonian females.
His clean-shaven face broke into a very big grin. All he had to do now was tweak the schedules a bit with KAMI's help, and the damage Suzuka Yukari was causing would end.
A panel of text appeared in front of him rather suddenly. He slowly rose from his seat as he read it.
Ichiro said:
Shinji took his pork bun with him as he ran toward the lift.
SET: &$Ejf7&(!^^!)@ -- Error detected
Floating through the halls, Tasha congratulated herself on bringing a police officer with her. The officer's access to the personnel tracking system KAMI had built into it proved invaluable. Their airborne state was due to the system showing Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji rushing toward the scene of the crime. Tasha clutched her NSP, which was set to stun. She didn't understand why the MP did not do the same, but the officer had her protocol to follow too.
When they arrived at the entrance, they could hear shouting in panicked Japanese. "Ichiro! You have to stop this, it won't help!" A pause. "They are at the door? Already?"
Tasha floated forward, NSP in front of her. She didn't fear an engineer who drew his gun only when he had to recertify on it. The officer flew in front of Tasha, drew her pistol and clicked it to stun before speaking. "Jôtô Heisho Yamatomo Shinji, I am Eiko Tachimaru with the Star Army Police! Cease what you're doing and get on the floor, NOW!"
"Ichiro!" was the response. "They will kill me!" A pause. "No -- NO! DON'T MAKE ME!"
Tachimaru flew past the corner in a blur, gun pointed at a space Tasha assumed had an engineer. The officer's eyes widened; she fired two shots before several tentacles closed on her limbs and throat. Tasha was around the corner just a second later, NSP set to normal. Her eyes locked on the source of the tentacles --
"What?"
She had only a few seconds to contemplate what she was seeing. What is that? And how did it get here? Impossible -- I must alert the Taisho!
Tentacles came rushing at her face and hands. One lodged itself deep down her throat and dragged her toward its owner, while the others grasped the NSP and ripped it from her hands. They then wrapped around her waist and throat. Tasha's eyes widened for a moment before she was put face to face with Tachimaru, who was in the same state. The two went flying at each other and smashed heads. Tasha could feel her forehead bleed from the smashed skin. They collided again. Again. Again. The blood clouded Tasha's vision; she hoped it would stop soon. Again. Again. Again. Her skull was cracked by now, of that she was sure. Had she heard it? Her hemosynthesis wasn't working as well as it should. It made sense, of course, she thought in her dazed state. It was being blocked.
Two tentacles, tipped with a Nekovalkyrja hand and an NSP, brought everything to an end quickly as a hail of stun bolts peppered the two Nekos. Tasha was dropped on the deck. At that moment, everything went black.
SET: Yuumi-class battleship YSS Munin
"What?"
"Forty-two SMX ships, Yomitomo-Shosa!" the sensors officer reported again, barely believing the words she said. "They're holding position between us and Murf! Count, four Blrakkrashiverinth II-class battleships, ten Ooghlrashithagg-class carriers, twenty-three Ghullfrashirv-class destroyers and five unidentified ships each less than one hundred meters long. Visual online now."
Shosa Yomitomo Asuko took a few precious seconds to gaze upon the Mishhuvurthyar fleet from the command chair. Her eyes might be fooled easily, but the ship's sensory equipment was not. But an entire fleet, from nothing? "Deus, systems check."
"All systems green, Shosa." The KAMI's avatar, a white-haired Nekovalkyrja with deep grey eyes and a quiet, masculine voice, appeared next to Asuko. "I have alerted Kazuhiko-Taisa."
" ... Comm, ship-wide alert. General quarters." The image of the XO of the YSS Dainslef appeared before her. "Deus, hold all other inquiries to me. Kawamura-Taisa, do you see what we see?"
"If it's a whole Mishhu fleet, then yes," the raven-haired Neko said. "I've sounded general quarters. Where the hell did they come from?"
"I don't know. Kazuhiko-Taisa will be here soon. Any word from the Iori?"
"Negative."
"Same here. Yomitomo out." The image gone, Asuko sent a standard message to the Iori. Her eyes fell on the viewscreen again. "All Nozomis stealth. Provide a defensive screen around the Iori. Get the Munin's escorts back over here in tower formation, starboard and port only." The comm officer relayed the commands to the appropriate places as Taisa Kazuhiko Minari appeared with her clothes holographed and dull brown hair in a ponytail.
"Status," she said.
"Forty-two SMX vessels, four of them Blrakkrashiverinth II-class, are about three light-years from Murf. They just appeared on our long-range scanners."
"They must've forgot which way home is." Minari gazed out at the image for another few precious seconds. "Where's the Taisho?"
"We can't hail the Iori." Asuko got up from the command pit and relieved the cadet in her position. Asuko attempted to hail the Iori again as Minari barked for a better image of the Mishhu fleet. "The Iori's KAMI says they're receiving, but no one's responding."
"Keep trying." Minari stood in the pit after her SLICS was connected. She narrowed her eyes. "Scanners, where did they come from?"
"I've gone through most every method I have at my disposal, Taisa. Nothing. They just appeared."
"The Mishhu aren't demons; they can't just appear. Teleportation?"
The scanners officer worked calmly but hurriedly on the operations deck. "Negative Taisa. These ships have their engines, weapons and shields off."
"Not much of a fight. Operations, where are we?"
"Dainslef is forming up on point two with the Fujin and the Sorayama. Armor pilots are reporting to their bays; weapons online and shields at full." The officer paused as she processed a message."Comm says Namiko Wing is asking for permission to take a defensive position for Taiie; other ships are taking standard positions."
"Namiko Wing can take their positions. All scouts and gunships are to cloak. What's the closest vessel to them?"
"Kagemusha," the operations officer said.
"No, who's next."
"Yukika," she said.
"Good, have them hold position; I may need them."
"Taisa, Dainslef and Fujin are asking for a conference," the comm officer said.
"Thank you comm." The two panels came up side-by-side, angled in from the outer edges. "Morimune, Yoshikawa."
"Have you reached the Taisho yet?" Morimune's hard brown eyes were on her viewscreen, not the panel.
"Negative. Something's wrong on the Iori."
"Shimizu-Taisa must be with her," Yoshikawa said, thin lips curled in a frustrated frown. "We can't find her either."
"I hope you're not suggesting -- " Minari started, but was cut off.
"You're the cold-headed one," Morimune said ruefully. "The Taisho would prefer you."
"Hardly the way to get promoted."
"We have no time," Morimune said. "The fleet is expecting it."
Minari's pulse slowed some as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could almost feel the Taisho's breath going down her neck at the same time. "Understood. Thank you."
"Lead us to victory first," Yoshikawa said with a smirk.
"Agreed." She closed the panels and stood up, wires from the SLICS following her. "Comm, fleet-wide message. This is Taisa Kazuhiko Minari, acting commander of the 5th Expeditonary Fleet. All ships are to maintain standard defensive positions unless corrected by your wing commander. The Mishhu are not moving for the moment, so neither will we. No need to spill blood until the situation has been properly assessed. Kazuhiko out." Her gaze returned to the viewscreen. "Any word from the Iori?"
"Nothing," Shosa Asuko said. "Could they all be dead?"
"If they are, I want to know what killed them and where I can get some." Minari brought her light-brown eyes down from the screen for a moment. "It would be nice to have the Akuro right now."
"The Munin can handle it, Taisa," Asuko said with conviction.
"Let's hope so. Send messages to Yui-sama and the colonies. Mishhu fleet sighted with shields down and engines inactive. No trace on its origin. Include the count and our intended actions. Mention the Iori."
"Hai. What about transports from the depot?"
"Another message to them as well." Kazuhiko's eyes bore down on the cluster of SMX battleships in front of her. Fear was not a reaction she subscribed to, but the ships were too far away to figure out what they were doing. Just because their capital weapons were powered down did not mean their attack pods weren't poised to be speed launched. There was also the matter of the unidentified ships, which were too small to be destroyers.
"Scanners, have you identified the five ships in front of the SMX fleet?"
"No, Taisa," the officer called out. "Nothing in the databanks about a ship that size."
"She is correct, Taisa," Deus said. "I have no files on Mishhu ships of that type."
"Not the answer I need, Deus. Work on contacting the Iori." A mental message from Asuko brought her attention back to her XO. "No, I want those pilots held back."
"Affirmative, Taisa," Asuko said. She blinked for a moment. "Taisa -- partial power has been restored to the Iori."
"About time!" The Taisa sunk back into her pit, bringing up an image of the Second ISFC group forming up behind the Munin. "Any word?"
"Negative ... though there's a shuttle that seems to be headed to it. Kitty-class."
"Scanners!" Minari yelled.
"One lifeform, NH-22C!" Comm yelled next. "Transponder frequency identifies it as the Taisho's private shuttle, Koneko-chan!" The Munin's pilot, who was normally very quiet, piped up. "She has a light aether cannon on a turret, but it is not targeting anything, Taisa." A heartbeat went by before Asuko spoke again. "Registered pilot is not the Taisho -- it's a Suzuka Yukari. Her orders are not coming up."
Minari's eyebrows furrowed as she closed the image in front of her. She knew of nearly every officer above Shoi on the big ships, and a fair amount on the Iori. "Operations, find out if the Taisho left the Iori in the past 36 hours. Comm, find out who's on the shuttle."
Scanners responded instead, her tone very surprised. "Taisa! The Iori is releasing LAMIAs! Count is 3,000 and rising!"
"Determine their flight pattern!" Minari looked to Deus, whose normally empty gaze held not a small amount of worry. "Emergency protective measures?" she asked.
"No, Taisa." Deus' grey eyes flashed for just a second. "A KAMI would not deploy all of its protective resources due to something that could be a non-threat. If no Star Army officers were available, it would work with other PANTHEON members in assessing the threat first."
"Have you spoken to the Iori's KAMI yet?"
"I have just received a message, Taisa. I am not sure if it is from the KAMI, however." Minari nodded as she heard the scanners officer yell out the Iori had deployed 17,920 of its 18,000 LAMIA armors. Deus put the message up as an image down low in Minari's pit to prevent others from seeing it.
Ichiro said:
Minari let the breath she was holding out. It made no sense ... none. "Deus?"
"It would appear the KAMI has fallen under someone's control."
"How is that possible?"
Deus closed her eyes. "In theory, it would require several Kessaku technicians with at least high-level clearance to manipulate the KAMI. There is no record of any technicians visiting the Iori, and no member of the 5th has all of the correct certifications."
"TAISA!" The scanners officer was getting jumpy. "Twenty Mishhu attack pods have landed in the Iori's first secondary bay!"
"What?" Minari stood up. "Where did they come from?"
"Nothing! They weren't there two seconds ago, and then they were already in the bay! The LAMIAs haven't moved!"
"By the claws of the Mistress ..." What are we dealing with? Minari thought. "Order the LAMIAs to attack them, Deus."
"I cannot, Taisa. They do not respond to my commands."
"Dammit all! Operations, who has a shot at the bay?"
A pause. "YSS Gosei!"
"Have them fire on it! Low power!"
The pulses of everyone onboard the bridge could be heard as they watched an image of the Gosei on the main display. The scout was lining up the shot; tactical information on either side of the image showed it had reduced its combined field to 1/20th of its normal power. As it was about to fire, small lances of purple-pink energy could be seen colliding into it. The Gosei fired a blast toward the bay, but it was stopped before it reached the target by a group of LAMIAs sacrificing themselves to stop it. Another wave of energy bolts pincushioned the Gosei's shields, nearly pricking the ship's light armor.
"Impossible." Minari blinked only once. "Get the Gosei out of there," she snarled in disgust, mostly at herself. "Comm, fleet-wide message: All ships are to keep their distance from the Iori. I repeat, stay away from the Iori." She looked toward Asuko. "Suggestions?"
"Comm intercepted a transmission from the Iori giving Koneko-chan clearance to land. Maybe we should talk to the pilot of the shuttle."
"Unless it's the Taisho, I don't see what she could do."
"She would be someone on the inside, which is more than we have now."
"Indeed. But we need a contingency plan to deal with the Iori if it becomes any more hostile. We'll conference in a moment; I'll talk to the pilot."
SET: Shuttle Koneko-chan
Yukari hadn't seen an SMX ship in years. She should have known better; karma never let such imbalances slip by. The hurried speech of the communications officer on the YSS Munin had set her blood racing so fast she thought it might bleed from her ears. Yukari instinctually made a note to kiss Ayano's feet for the work she did on the shuttle, which surprisingly included better engines to go with the power core. Gripping the yoke with white-knuckled hands, she kept the shuttle pointed toward the Iori. Uso, she thought to herself. If anything must be a lie, let it be this. She'd turned around from the Yukika just in time to have Koneko-chan's sensors zoom in on the scout destroyer being blasted by the Iori's own LAMIA power armors. She was not sure if that was more unsettling than the sight of SMX so far from their remaining strongholds. "Uso."
A bolt that had missed the Gosei managed to splash against the shuttle's shields. Yukari jumped from her seat, calmed only by her damage display's reading of her shields. Midori, she thought. It has been too long since I have been in a true battle. Yukari had at least remembered to power up the aether cannon, for all the good it would do her. It would not take many Mishhu attack pods to destroy her shuttle, no matter how modified it was.
Not all of her thoughts were so dire. There was some comfort in knowing the SMX weren't moving. She very strongly wished Ayano had installed a more-advanced sensor suite, as the original Kitty package left much to be desired in this case. But she had only given Ayano so much time, much of which was put into the interior and the aether cannon. Yukari shook her head. The SMX weren't moving, and that was enough for now. Though it would be nice to know what was happening ... the Munin had told her nothing she did not know.
"Pilot," said a cold voice in English.
Yukari jumped again. She took just a few seconds to calm herself, taking a deep breath and letting it linger in her lungs before exhaling. "Yes," she answered, also in English.
"Identify yourself." The person spoke with the authority of someone in control.
"Taii Suzuka Yukari, Flag Aide for the Taisho, 5th Expeditio -- "
"Where is the Taisho."
"Ah." They do not know? "Not onboard. I left to perform an inspection of the Yukika -- "
"She is still aboard the Iori?" Emotion was heavily laced in the first and last words. It was not the answer the voice was expecting.
"Hai," Yukari said. "Still in her private quarters."
The voice did not respond immediately. Yukari took the opportunity to call up an image of who she was talking to, as she was sure the voice already had. The image came up distorted by occasional static, but it was clear enough. Yukari could see the Taisa pin on the woman's breast, the jet-black hair held in a loose ponytail, and the icy onyx eyes. She looked as if she had not smiled since being born. "What about Shimizu-Taisa?"
"With the Taisho, Taisa."
The Nekovalkyrja swore, though it was muted. She then appeared to shout at someone. Yukari could not read lips, but she caught "message" and "SMX." The Taisa then turned back to her. "Your rank pin calls you a liar, Suzuka, but we cannot confirm or deny your orders. We have no contact with the Iori, and no vessel has been allowed to approach except yours."
"Eh?" Yukari suddenly looked back to her sensors -- The LAMIAs ... they have left the bay clear.
"Whoever is controlling the Iori wants you, Suzuka," the Taisa said. "I am going to give you to them."
"T-Taisa?" Yukari's cheeks drained at the thought. "But, I am not a commando -- " She regretted the words as soon as she said them.
The Taisa made sure she did. "You are a soldier of the Star Army of Yamatai, Suzuka," she said, emphasizing Yukari's lack of rank. "Find the Taisho and see to her safety." The image cut off.
Yukari looked at the Iori, and the two LAMIAs speeding toward her. They fell into position beside her, guiding her back into the bay.
