RP: 21st Fighter Sq [Mission 6.0] Mists and Mysteries

[Nashoba]

Location: Orbit above Yamatai

For five days after the Battle of Yamatai; the Heitan and the task force orbited above Yamatai. Beneath them was the constant visual evidence of the recent violation. The surface bombardment was clearly visible when the clouds would part. Shuttles and personnel were constantly going between the ships and the most heavily affected areas. Volunteers and medical personnel were going to the surface to help with search, rescue and recovery. Atsui had instructed the bridge crew to post any news and reports from the search teams to the crew. It was her way of helping to maintain morale.

Finally the 2XF was ordered to return to their home base Libra Star Fortress at Daichi. The surviving ships had been field repaired, and the civilians were transferred off the Urufu-Class Cruisers.

Atsui stood on the bridge of the Carrier and watched as the ships got into formation. They had their departure clearance and started moving out as soon as the last shuttle was aboard. The ships once beyond the Hicks Sphere of Yamatai initiated fold for home.

Location: 1100hrs Daichi System
Several hours later the 2XF ships arrived in Daichi space and made their way to the Headquarters.

Atsui picked up the intercom handset and dialed ship wide. “Attention all 2X-F21 Fighting Diamond Personnel. Report to the Flag Bridge immediately.”

 

[Gabriel]

Yaeko, who had been relaxing in her quarters, raised her head as she heard the intercom. Putting away the book that she had been reading, she proceeded to put on her neatly ironed uniform that was hanging nearby. Once she inspected herself in a mirror, making certain that her hair was properly done, she exited the room

Flag Bridge

Arriving about fifteen minutes after the squadron was called, Yaeko popped into the room. Selecting a seat, she walked over and sat down as she waited for the rest of the squadron to arrive.

 

[Kyle]

Elisto stared worriedly out of the window of the ships lounge, part of the reason was due to some 'rumours' he had heard while doing some of the rescue work from other pilots, he didn't like rumours - but in his line of work listening to them was still something he did just in case they revealed anything useful.

When he heard the call he grabbed his cup of coffee, gulped it down, then tossed the cup away and headed for the flag bridge. Stepping inside ten minutes later to find Yaeko, he gave the soldier a light curteous bow of the head, then headed over to a seat opposite and one down from her and sat down. His ICP under his arms just in case he needed it.

Still no luck in finding traitors amongst the crew working for the Tachibanas.... but there has to be at least 'one' somewhere, possibly hiding and laying low, just have to wonder if Konpeki-heisho has found anything, he looked to be in thought, pondering things, and even had a worried look on his face.

 

[ShotJon]

Anne was in her room readin a book on psychology. Atsui's message found her in middle of mother issues and Anne was glad to stop reading for now. She was wearing one of the older skintight suits that was re-issued. She did not wear because it was sexy, but because it was comfortable and she wore something like that a lot in past when she still lived with her Mistress. It was a reminder of good old days.

When she read the message she quickly put the datapd with the book again, put her belt with sidearm and other thing on and went out. She took it only because she was told to always carry it in the training. She was actually not fond of walking around with gun at her side and hoped she won't ever have to use it. She was a pilot and physician and not gun-toting hero like Luca Pavone and his sort.

When she arrived to the flag-bridge no one was there yet so she found a chair and sat down. Shortly after Yaeko arrived and Anne greeted her with bow, doing the same few moments later when Elisto arrived.

"What do you think will be our mission this time?" She asked the other two pilots.

 

[Khasidel]

Kenshin was navigating his way through the interior of the carrier when Atsui's instructions were conveyed over the ships intercom. With a soft sigh he about-faced and headed back to the nearest lift which would convey him to the deck housing the Heitan's flag bridge.

Flag Bridge

When Kenshin entered the chamber usually reserved for the use of flag-level officers, he looked around briefly and spotted several squadron members already waiting -- Anne, Elisto and Yaeko had all gathered in the room already. He moved over to join the group and issued a soft bow in greeting. Preferring to stand rather than try and seat himself at one of the scattered bridge consoles, the young Yamataian stood silently waiting for the briefing to start.

 

[Nashoba]

Flag Bridge

Konpeki came walking into the Flag Bridge with her ICP in hand and wearing a black form following body suit. The suit had the appearance of having padding in areas. She placed her computer onto the table and walked over to one of the consoles along the edge of the room. Her fingers flew across the controls, and several indicators illuminated around the room.

She walked back to the table and took a seat near the end of the table.

"Security Protocol Alpha has been initiated. All recording devices are inhibited, and all communications are blocked. This is being done per orders of Tamahagane Mai-Chujo." Hiromi the Heitan's MEGAMI said from the room speakers, her voice sounding rather flat.

 

[Kyle]

Flag Bridge

Elisto folded his arms while he waited, when he heard Anne's question he rubbed his chin for a moment in thought. "Probably something to do with what happened just a few days ago, I hope we get to hunt down more NMX and make them regret attacking the homeworld."

Sitting there, he continued to comtemplate things, including the rumour and the message he had stored in his digital brain. There was no way he could, at present, confirm whether it was true. A man he had spent many years tracking, and finally caught and put in jail, possibly out on the streets now? This worried him, given he knew this criminals entire past but what worried him more was not the mans past but whether he'd go back to committing crimes or perhaps try and go after 'him' for putting him in prison.... he was half wondering if he should inform Atsui about this concern of his.

 

[Gabriel]

Flag Bridge

Yaeko bowed in return to the different pilots as they entered. She started to answer the question, but her comm beeped, followed a few seconds later by Hiromi updating the security.

"Guys, I think our security clearance just got upgraded a few levels," Yaeko said as she looked up towards the speakers. "The only reason for them to use Alpha Security is if they're given information that they don't want anyone else outside this room to hear, which I'm guessing means that our upcoming mission is going be top secret. Or at least that's my guess, I don't think I've ever been in a briefing that made it to Alpha before."

Yaeko glanced over at Eika, "You know anything about this Konpeki-Heisho? If anyone is gonna get the information before us it would be you." As she said this she looked down to check the comm message she got a few seconds earlier.

"Hey look, our orders have been updated," she said with excitement. "Maybe I'll get a promot...." Yaeko's voice trailed off as her jaw dropped lower than anyone had seen it go. "But....I....Uh....Ohmy.....Ohmygod," she said through labored breathing. It was clear she was having a miniature freak out. "No, that can't be right. I mean, I was thinking Juni maybe, but...no way, I didn't lead that well did I?" Her eyes stared at the ceiling as she started counting under her breath.

"SIX!?" She screamed. "Six promotions, but I though admirals could only do three, unless this was approved by someone above admiral." Yaeko's face suddenly got the look of dread. "What if someone above the Taisho approved it? Above command? Ohmigod, what if the Empress herself looked into my work?"

Yaeko was talking so fast that it was difficult to understand her words, much less the thought process being used. It was likely that, through her incomprehensible jabbering, nobody was really listening anymore. Suddenly her head popped up as if she had calmed entirely down in a single moment. A look of mild confusion was upon her face.

"Wait, my salary just went down...That kinda sucks..."

 

[Khasidel]

Kenshin flashed the somewhat befuddled Neko a wide, amused grin. "Congratulations, Munkata-Shoi." He said whilst emphasizing the young woman's newly acquired rank.

Trying to settle the slightly over-excited girl down, the Yamataian hesitantly attempted to explain her new position to the best of his knowledge. "You've just been selected as a potential officer -- a Shoi Kohosei -- which essentially means you're an officer rookie or cadet. Any officer's-in-training attending Kyoto War College courses are granted the rank... and whilst it's rare to see anyone who wasn't at least an NCO first get recommended to the college or promoted to Shoi Kohosei, it's not unheard of. You could technically be any enlisted rank and still get a recommendation to be a Shoi Kohosei if you manage to prove to someone high enough up the chain of command you're officer material."

 

[Nashoba]

Flag Bridge

Konpeki looked at Yaeko with a knowing smirk, "I am the one who activated the security protocols. I will be briefing the squadron once all the members are present." she said fixing her violet eyes at Yaeko.

"Murasaki-Hei, I would recommend that you not refer to the Midshipman by that title. Shoi Kohosei is her proper rank, a senior officer may refer to her as a Shoi." She said with a grin.

--------------------------------------------------

Atsui walked into the Flag Bridge. "Stay seated." She called out before any of the crew present could jump to their feet.

"Munkata-San, your new rank is incumbent upon two things. First is that you accept admission to the Kyoto Academy. Second that you pass with satisfactory grades. Should you decline the admission or fail to achieve the necessary grades, your rank will be Nitô Juni. I will need an answer to the first condition before we leave this room.

As for it being an unusual circumstance I will agree. But it was one of the conditions I gave the Taisho regarding my new assignment. The powers that be have given the Heitan to me. I accepted with my own conditions, one that I get to have some latitude in selecting my future replacement. Second that until my replacement is fully trained I will retain flight status. I refuse to see the Diamonds be given to a green Shoi who has never logged any combat time. The Diamonds are mine, and I will see them passed to good hands, preferably someone intimately familiar with them."

 

[Jimmy]

Silic had been almost unreachable for the last few days, he hadn't slept in his quarters, he huddled in nooks and snoozed in crannies. He'd had no watches and basically taken this to mean he was on holiday aboard the ship for now, making sure that only the most determined of visitors would venture to see him. He hadn't heard from his family since the attack, but he wasn't too worried, Nepleslians living on Yamatai usually had various boltholes they could scramble to in emergency.

He'd given up drinking after a certain incident a few days earlier, at least for now, and had instead been working on other projects. Before him on the dusty floor of a rarely used supply room was his latest masterpiece.

Three salvaged thrusters from broken fighters bolted to a metal board re-purposed from scrap plate with ankle straps. A throttle with a line to the control unit was used to help control the thrusters and a tank for fuel was underneath. It was a hoverboard.

He smiled in satisfaction at his work. It was a hastily put together piece of crap, but he didn't care. Time to fly.

“Silic-san,” said a voice that seemed to come from the entire room, “Numa-Taii is calling all squadron personnel to the flag bridge.”

Silic didn't reply, he put his usual glasses on securely and belted his ankle onto the board. “The mountain is calling, Hiromi.” he said simply, lost in his thrill for speed. He hadn't done this since he was a kid, but it must be like riding a bicycle, right?

He clicked on the control the boards systems and the thrusters slowly warmed up. It was clear he had no intention of making it to the meeting.

“Vas-hei, I really didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice.” replied the computer, sounding oddly satisfied about something.

“Do your wors-” Silic was cut off as the board suddenly jerked out from under his feet, only one ankle strapped in. Silic yelled as board took off, dragging him across the floor rapidly. He screamed as the doors to the corridors opened to swallow him up, the doors shut promptly after him and the supply room fell completely still once more.

Out in the corridors, the terror had only just struck as the screaming Nepleslian was dragged across the floor of the corridors with harrowing speed, his fingers desperately trying to grip the carpet to no avail.

By the time the Nepleslian was forcibly dragged to the proximity of the flag bridge he was still screaming, the jets on the board fizzled and cut out depositing him to a skidding stop in front of the door, still screaming and thrashing belatedly. “Worst carpet burn ever!”

Eventually he stopped squirming in discomfort and stood up slowly, he gripped the metal handrail to steady himself. There was a loud crack and a shower of sparks from the handrail where Silic's hand was and the man fell backwards with a shuddering sigh.

Again, the nepleslian attempted to stand up. This time shakily succeeding and walking into the room with jittery steps without saying anything, seemingly unaware that his hair was standing on end and he was covered in statically attracted dust.

 

[Kyle]

Elisto was still in thought when he saw Silic step in, and the first thing that came to his mind was the hair, which made him blink several raise before raising an eye-brow in a 'what the' moment, after a brief moment he asked, "Ummm, Vas-heisho? Trying out a new hair-style I take it?"

 

[Gabriel]

"It's alright Juni," Yaeko told Konpeki. "I've never really been one for formality. Besides, it makes me sound better than I really am. Just don't use it in front of the Taii." She said the last sentence quietly, and with a big smile. That was when Atsui walked in. Yaeko was about to jump to her feet, but the Taii's orders beat her to the punch.

"Ma'am, after everything we've been through, did you honestly believe that I wouldn't want to serve as your officer? I would have informed Command myself, but the Juni blocked communications before I had the chance. Naturally, I would prefer to take the courses electronically as opposed to attending the college in person. I wouldn't want my promotion to interfere with my duties on the squadron."

 

[Jimmy]

Silic turned to Elisto with wide open eyes clearly not seeing him. He spoke in a slightly frazzled voice “Why thank you, Kitty. I'll have the spicy buffalo wings.” sounding like he was ordering in a restaurant.

 

[Kyle]

Now his eye was raised a bit higher. "Err... K-kitty?" he blinked several times in puzzlement before letting out a sigh. He stared at his fellow Heisho and though he didn't see what happened before he got her, a quick querie with Hiromi told him what he was curious to know.

 

[SSharp]

Lynn discovered that death didn't hurt all that much. Oh; there was the story about how she died, and by all accounts she likely hadn't felt much of that either, yet the biggest part of her death was: she didn't remember it. Not a thing. She didn't even remember living several days of her life, one moment she was making an ST backup, and the next she woke up in a tank filled with hemosynthetic blood. She was a Nito Heisho now.

Oddly, her first thought was to go and see Silic. As crazy as the Nepleslian was, he was... comforting. Familiar, even. She dismissed the thought, knowing he was likely asleep after the battle over Yamatai. Unable to rest, so newly reborn, she instead toured the ship again. Visited Hibiyashi Sekai briefly, and then went to the Safety Valve.

What should she think about death? It was inconvenient, certainly. She had a hole in her memory now, with no way of piecing any of what she said or did back together. That hole was a piece of her missing. Sitting at the bar, late in the evening, she shivered.

---

Five days passed quickly. Very little was expected of her from anyone, and she managed to hide out and mess with the Kawarime or play a bit of her music. When the call to assemble in the flag bridge went out, Lynn just short of ran to see what was going to happen next.

The 'next' was a familiar Nepleslian screaming his head off as he was dragged by some horrid contraption through the corridors, almost running her over. Lynn took off after him, significantly slower than the board, and burst into the bridge with hardly a second thought for the superiors in the room. "Silic-heisho, what were you thinking?! You could have been seriously injured, or worse!"

Then she saw the others, and bowed hastily. "Yagami-Hei..Heisho reporting."

Lynn straightened, and glared at Silic. "Not that I was concerned for you -- you nearly ran me over! Could have hurt me or someone else worse than you could have hurt yourself." She turned away, to hide the small blush, feeling awkward over the words.

 

[Jimmy]

//start//

Silic staggeringly turned to face the angry neko, eyes sill blank and voice still weak “No, no, I'll take the merlot.” he said, stumbling forward toward her, then slowly tipped forward and fell unconscious. On top of her.

The position was all too familiar to Lynn. It was how she had met Silic, but unfortunately she reacted the same as she had before: screaming, kicking, and yelling. She squirmed beneath him, twisted around, and threw an elbow, but she couldn't shove him off in her panic.

Silic gained air time as Lynns pummelling continued before finally flopping sideways in a puff of dust from his uniform, still out like a light.

Lynn scrambled to her feet, stammering confusedly. "W-what the hell?! What's wrong with you?! Baka! Hentai!"

Silic stayed motionless for a few seconds then slowly stirred, sitting up with a hand to his forehead, eyes squinting "Urh, I feel like I've had a fifth of tequila and an ass kicking, what the hell happened?" Silic looked around he room "Hey guys, hey Chief. I didn't know this room was he-" then he caught sight of Konpeki and gasped before he could stop himself "You!"

"Don't blame your... your... sickness on a superior officer!" Lynn shouted, taking a step closer, looking ready to kill.

Silic finally spotted Lynn and the look in her eye and immediately tried to shield himself with this arms, "Okay, let's stay calm! Let's not do anything stupid..." he said evenly, eyeing the door to escape.

Lynn set herself between Silic and the door. Silic audibly whimpered.

//pause//

 

[Nashoba]

Flag Bridge

Kayo had been busy finishing all the necessary paperwork for the recent promotions, submitting requisitions for pins and such. She was coming from the opposite direction of Silic's flight so she missed his arrival. However, she entered the room when the encounter between Lynn and Silic took place. She was confused by the event, and retorted with the only thing that she could think that she heard when others had done something embarrassing. "Get a room you two." she said and made her way around to the far side of the table.

"Coming drunk and disorderly to a briefing... shameful..." she said softly to herself.

Akemi had narrowly dodged Silic and his contraption. It was only after she was certain the corridor was clear that she resumed her journey to the Flag Bridge. I wonder why we are being briefed there? There are plenty of conference rooms we could use, even if the 21st's had been destroyed. she thought.

She stopped short of entering and watched the encounter between Silic and Lynn. Once the two had moved apart she walked into the room, she gave a slight bow towards Atsui then made her way to an empty chair. She was trying to keep her amusement off her face, but was not succeeding.

 

[Kyle]

Elisto couldn't help but shake his head, this was par for the course though from what he'd learned. Still though... he thought with one arm on the chairs arm-rest and another by his side, while he watched, he was compiling data on a person he was going to tell Atsui about.

 

[Gabriel]

Yaeko wasn't much surprised by Silic's conduct, it's not like any other day of the year was any different. However, when Lynn walked in fresh from her backup Yaeko knew that something bad was about to happen; it always did when those two were in the same room. She proceeded to watch the performance that the two put on in front of the crew, desperately trying to maintain her normal, cheerful demeanor. A vain in her neck began to bulge, which would have signaled to the crew that something bad was going to happen, but they didn't have time.

She snapped.

Without any warning, Yaeko zipped towards the two, shrieking, "Damn you both to hell!" She grabbed Silic by the back of his collar and hurled him towards the opposite end of the bridge, making sure that she picked a direction so she wouldn't hurt anybody...or the equipment. "You! Sit your ass down right there!"

Then she turned to Lynn, "And you! Move your ass out of the doorway and plant it on the ground!" As she screamed, she glared daggers at the Neko. "You've been back with the squadron for thirty damned seconds and you're already giving me a headache. Now, I don't want the two of you to speak a GOD DAMNED WORD to each other for the rest of this briefing or, so help me god, I will kick you both upside the head so hard than your mothers will be hurtin'! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

Ignoring whatever response the other two would give, she turned to the rest of the squadron with a smile. "Sorry about the interruption. You were saying Taii?"