RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 16] The Nest

[Wes]

Virginia Depot

Eucharis and her sister ships rested on a concrete landing pad surrounded by various other small starships and a large number of shuttles neatly parked in painted squares. The landing area was extremely busy: light blue vehicles zoomed around the tarmac the air was filled with the sound of noisy hydraulics as container handling vehicles moved containers to the ships. Formations of soldiers were visible with blue hats and black coats, most with a guidon flapping in the wind.

Victory opened the cargo bay’s rear door ramp. Outside, a blue-skinned neko with a tablet was waiting by a light utility truck. Pineapple, followed by Victory, went out to speak with her.

“Bad news!” the blue supply neko told the pair. “I wasn’t able to get you a restock of food supplies. The government is giving priority to the civilians and asking us to go on rations for the time being, at least until the new crops from the replacement farms and refugee camps come in. Please give my apologies to the Shosho, but we just don’t have anything to give and it’s important that we do not show favoritism.”

“Our cooks will not be happy, but we should be okay. We have several hundred rations on hand and Shosho Hanako also purchased a supply of preserved food through private channels,” Pineapple replied.

“Good, good,” the blue neko said.

“What is all this?” Victory asked.

“It’s a build up for an invasion!” the depot neko grinned.

- - -


Wardroom

The Shosho was now “whole” again and aside from the urges to chop firewood and forage for fruit, she was feeling pretty normal. She was dressed her typical pleated skirt and Type 30A uniform top. She stood on the balcony at the fore end of the teppanyaki table, briefing the crew that had gathered around.

“The orbital survey platform we left in the HX-22 system was later fitted by SAINT technicians to also serve as a listening post. What we have found so far is that it sits next to a particularly high traffic space lane,” Hanako explained. “SAINT has traced the lane to enemy jump points. While the NMX is recovering from the assault on Yamatai, the Star Army plans to take advantage of the situation to speedily counterattack on NMX shipbuilding and logistics operations with the aim of removing NMX ability to recover. We will therefore be conducting seek-and-destroy raids.”

 

[Nashoba]

Wardroom

Sune was seated at end of the teppanyaki table nearest Hanako. He was wearing his standard Type 30 Male Duty Uniform. He was listening to the start of the briefing. He was also working on his ICP. Multitasking was no problem for him, and to be honest, he had found that these briefings rarely had any real impact on the mission or the outcome. So far to him, the only good news was the lack of the word stealth in the briefing.

On his ICP the status of the Eucharis was scrolling past. The ship had been repaired, and all weapon and systems were operating within tolerance. One could not really ask for more given the amount of time they had on Virginia. The ship's supply status was pretty much the same as when the landed.

What had Sune more concerned was the last bit of data on his display. After taking care of a few personal errands, Sune had returned to the Eucharis and spent most of two days crawling through the bowels of the ship. He spent a good portion of the time doing metallurgical inspections of the core structures of the gunship. When he was not doing those he was taking readings with his sensors in the between spaces, the maintenance conduits and the ship's passageways.

Micro-fractures were forming on most of the primary struts and beams of the ship. Their presence was an indicator of the pounding the ship had been taking and the ramifications were clear. The micro-fractures were not critical but would continue to occur and the existing ones would gradually worsen.

He identified a dozen places in the between places where radiation was detected. The levels were tolerable provided exposure was limited. Some the sources were portions of the structure than had become so irradiated that they continued to emit radiation. Others were small leaks in the main array and drive systems.

He forwarded a copy of his findings to Hanako as duty required, he also made a second note of the radiation hot spots and had that routed to Takeyu, and the other crews responsible for maintenance.

He looked at Hanako, "Do we know what the target is for the Second Squadron ma'am, and will these raids be squadron sized or lager?" he inquired.

 

[Amaryllis]

Wardroom

Akemi sat a few seats away from Hanako so that she wouldn't deprive those most likely to speak to her of a closer seat. She listened intently to the others and made sure to be quiet.

 

[Riko]

Wardroom

Bors placed his hands behind his head as he reclined in his chair across from the Shosho, listing in to what was being said in the Wardroom.We're raiding those squid bastards eh? Bors thought to himself. Well it would be nice to get some boots on ground again, who knows i may have to fly a shuttle to hell and back again. Chuckling to himself at his last thought, Bors listened in to the conversation for more details on the current mission.

 

[Gabriel]

Ramiro was sitting in the seat next to Sune, listening intently on what Hanako had to say. He never had been that much of a strategist, so he just sat back and let the others do the talking, trying to formulate and gather all of the information in his head.

 

[Kyle]

Takeyu sat patiently and listened, he was seated next to Ramiro. He had his arms folded in an attentive gesture, he was curious what this mission would curtail and what might go on, but his main concern wasn't the mission but the ship.

Like Sune, he had spent the past two days tending to the needs of the ship, providing repairs and helping to replace damaged and broken components. However, he was getting more and more concerned about the ships capability of remaining battle worthy, he was getting closer and closer to asking the Shosho to allow them to completely refit the ship from stem to stern, replacing almost everything inside with that which was new, but with the war and the fact Yamatai had been attacked he knew that prospects of getting newer equipment weren't exactly very good - unless the Shosho authorized it herself that is.

He would keep an eye on her, monitoring the ship closely through their next mission and would decide after that if he needed to take it to the Shosho or not.

 

[DocTomoe]

On Arrival

Upon the arrival of the Eucharis, Helen strode down the loading ramp as she worked a datapad in her hands. Restocking the Eucharis was not one of her concerns, at least when it came to food and routine supplies, nor were repairs to the ship any of her concern either, such topics would be easily handled by the personnel assigned to their respective tasks. What Helen was concerned with were matters which boiled down to 'What is next?', with such thoughts in mind, she strode to one of the shuttle parking spaces, where she approached an old Cougar T5 Aeroshuttle which had the markings of the YC-28 painted in white upon its matte black hull. On approach, Helen would find a pair of Nekovalkryja, one clad in black panels, the other in orange, and when she neared them they immediately bowed.

What followed was a short exchange of information, an update on the status of the YC-28, current SAINT protocols, codes, and other information, as well as an update on the status of the YC-28's crew. There was a small frown from Helen as she looked over crew reports, as the pangs of nostalgia took a grip upon her. She released a sigh before she moved onto the next topic, cargo. A portion of her belongings which she left on Yamatai when the Eucharis left during the attack on the planet were brought to her, along with additional supplies from the YC-28. A pair of Kylie, replacement parts, a pair of aether gatling units, those were the highlights of what was delivered at Helen's request.

When the cargo was in the process of being transferred by the orange paneled Neko, Helen concluded her conversation with the black panel clad Neko, with regards to Sumomo, the ship's sprite which was in command during Helen's absence. Unenthusiastically, Helen strode back to the Eucharis, to find out just what was in store for her. No word of a new assignment had come her way from higher up, and it left her to simply remain with the Eucharis until told otherwise.

Briefing

Arriving on time, Helen took her seat to the opposite side of the Shosho in relation to Sune, and as she sat, she listened to the information which was spoken by Hanako. As she listened, she tilted her head slightly and furrowed her brow a little in thought. It all sounded good and decisive, but, it just did not sound right, not to someone in intelligence. It was a moment where Helen was glad to be in the officer ranks, though, she did dislike the notion of having to raise concerns to a Shosho. In Helen's eyes, Shosho was a rank that existed somewhere between the people who actually did the job, and those who gave the order to get the job done. It was no fault of a Shosho to be in such a position... it was just the matter of the position of being directly under the top brass of Chujo and Taisho. What she needed before she would raise any concerns, was more information.

Helen was lucky though, Sune had asked about one of her concerns, if the operation was going to be on the squadron-sized level of operations. She was not about to get in the way of the Shosho's response to Sune, so she arranged a list on a datapad of questions which she would inquire to once Sune's concerns were addressed.

1: How many squadrons?
2: Any operations divisions?
3: Is there intelligence available as to the exact locations of enemy assets?
4: Is there intelligence available as to how many enemy assets are present in the form of starships and defense emplacements?
5: What is the expected time duration intended for the raid?
6: Is there a plan in place to deal with the event of the NMX being prepared for such an attack in a manner which would render the raid tactic ineffective?

What came next on Helen's list, were larger concerns which she would bring up.

7: Are we sure this is not a trap to lure the First Expeditionary Fleet into a shooting gallery?
8: Why attack the very likely to be fortified hub, as opposed to targets such as System 87B and UX-29.
9: Why not use Standard Fleet assets as opposed to Expeditionary Fleet assets?
10: Concerns that the NMX may be aware of fleet strength due to prolonged engagement.
11: Why not use a long-range bombardment tactic as opposed to a close-range skirmish tactic?
12: Has there been any attempt made to reach a diplomatic solution since the NMX defeat at Yamatai?

With her list arranged, Helen waited to be able to ask some of the questions, at least the ones which would be most appropriate once Sune's question was responded to, and, once Hanako finished her presentation in full.

 

[Khasidel]

Wardroom

Reika listened intently from her place at the table. Whilst there might be little work specifically suited for her whilst aboard-ship or during space combat, the operative was pleased to hear that they would actually be taking the fight to the enemy for a change. Far too often it seemed as though the Star Army was stuck fighting a defensive war, constantly reacting to the incursions of the NMX without hitting them back in their own systems or territories.

 

[demibear]

Wardroom

Tomomi stood slightly away from the rest of the crew in her Type 30B uniform. She even had her hair completely down today, most likely due to laziness then any real change in attitude towards her hair.

Tomomi was a little shocked that they were going to take the offensive for once. She had gotten used to listening to reports of the Star Army of Yamatai almost always tactically withdrawing. She looked over towards Bors when he heard him laughing to himself.

 

[Wes]

Wardroom

"We are expected to find and attack enemy targets of opportunity deep within NMX controlled space that has not yet been traveled by Yamataian ships," Hanako answered Sune's question. "Once again, we will probably be in extreme danger," she said followed by a little smile. "We will have only our squadron; however, the strategic portion of the fleet will be ready to pounce if we have a big target for them. Since the ship is back to satisfactory operation, we will start the mission today."

 

[Nashoba]

Sune listened, kept his face passive. This mission was shaping up pretty much exactly like all the others, rush into a situation, with no preparation, no intelligence and try to survive.

"So to put it in simple terms, we are supposed to go around poking our noses into NMX occupied space to flush out big targets. Then stay alive long enough for the fleet to get in and deal with it. Or more to the point, we are playing Bird Dog to the fleet's Hunter.

Would not this be a role better served by our Scouts?" He inquired, it seemed to him that such a role was not appropriate for a person of Hanako's rank. The Eucharis was too well known, and once recognized, the NMX forces would come after it with all they had to try and capture it and Hanako as well.

 

[DocTomoe]

Eventually, Helen got tired of waiting for the dialog between Sune and Hanako, as she decided to interject. "Shosho, and Shosa, if you will excuse this interruption, I would like to bring up some very critical concerns." she spoke, as a minor scowl gripped her brow, but, notably her jaw clenched between words. "I do not understand why the Empire has chosen to toss a Shosho into a behind-the-lines raid. We expend resources, manpower, and time to retrieve a Hanako, only to risk another becoming MIA, or even KIA along with a squadron of Plumeria-Class, Plumeria which would be far better used for the purpose of long-range planetary bombardment at a distance of up-to a light-year, as opposed to skirmishing raids which would be better served by a few dozen Tora, Ginga, and Nodachi." Helen's tone was detached, precise, and still respectful, while carrying the venom of distinctive confusion and concern. "Shosho, ma'am, I am concerned about the viability of this plan, and as a representative of SAINT, I would like to officially state that the viability of this operation is dubious at best, due to a lack of proper intelligence beyond 'There are ships going through there', an insufficient allocation of squadron assets to actually provide a substantial probability of success, and the misapplication of a vital military resource, which is you and the crew aboard each ship in the squadron, Shosho."

It was clear Helen was displeased with the state of affairs, made increasingly apparent by her continued statement; "Shosho, I feel that I should remind you that the First Expeditionary is a fleet intended for surveying, colonization, and equipment testing. It would be the job of SAINT to gather target intel and designate targets for raids. I would like to know why the First Expeditionary insists on taking on the workload of SAINT. Unless sketchy sensor scans from an orbital platform counts as SAINT doing our portion of the job, then I'm embarrassed and would like to apologize for the condition of the division."

A steadying breath was drawn by Helen at that point; "What I would like to say is this, Shosho, it is advised that the operation as planned be revised to something which would stand less of a chance of placing us at a disposition in the form of tipping our hand to the enemy, while possibly losing vital assets."

 

[Wes]

Wardroom

"We were chosen because we have a reputation for being fearless and for getting results," Hanako explained. "We do not have time to wait on SAINT to do a long study of their assets. So far every attempt has fail. Here is how it is going to work. 1XF scouts will follow the trail to the star systems where it is expected to originate. The ships will conduct a stealth analysis of targets, which will be transmitted to us. We will fold to the targets and conduct long range mass destruction attacks and leave before the enemy can mount a major response. We also have been provided infantry units to deploy if needed. These raider parties could be used to capture enemy assets such as starships or could be used for stealthy raids on enemy ground facilities. If we choose to do stealth raids, we should do them before the long-range strikes, to avoid raising alarm."

 

[DocTomoe]

What the hell is this... boarding party raids, using mainly Plumeria-class as the means of transporting raiders? This does not make sense at all. Ships of this class do not have the passenger capacity to effectively carry a proper payload of combatants and equipment... Helen thought as she listened, and could not help but to find glaring flaws in every bit of the plan, aside from 'long range mass destruction', which was the only part that sounded reasonable. Though, it left Helen to look to Sune, before silently and privately speaking; "Sune... as a fellow officer of equal rank, I would like your opinion, do you see as many issues with this mission as I do? Why won't the Shosho listen to our concerns?"

 

[Konoka Miyazawa]

Konoka had sat quietly through the briefing, saying little. Noting the path Helen was trying to take the discussion on,however, she frowned. "Why to do this mission, or not?" was never as useful as "How to do this mission, or not?", after all. It didn't seem like the Shosho would run away from the mission because a few unknown variables were present, or because "somebody else could handle it". This was a WAR. Time was of the essence. Plus, every mission had a few question marks in it. That didn't mean you did nothing when you were given an assignment!

Hoping to get the mission started sooner by getting the briefing wrapped up before any other objections perked up, Konoka said quietly, "What will each crew member be tasked with in order to expedite the raids, ma'am?"
She would help however she could, no matter how risky things sounded. Obviously they had been given the mission for a reason.

 

[demibear]

Tomomi was slightly amused with the butting of heads between the officers. Having only recently joined the Star Army, she did not know the finer points of command. Nor would she likely ever assume higher then Santo Hei, but the argument from Helen made sense. Especially after response Hanako gave.

While thinking to herself, her body gave slight indications of amusement and then fear as her thoughts progressed.

 

[Gabriel]

"I'll need to be able to fly us into combat headfirst and get us out safely. As long as there are no variables getting in the way of that, I have no questions," Ramiro responded with a slight hint of arrogance. It seemed that he was beginning to think highly of his own abilities.

 

[Nashoba]

Sune listened to Hanako's more detailed explanation, while it was better than her initial statement, it was rather open ended. Lots of ifs in the briefing, it was almost as if the actual goal was something still not defined.

Sune was startled when Helen contacted him mentally. He looked at her briefly, then back to Hanako and replied to Helen.

"Klein-San... I believe I already indicated as much by my questions to the Shosho. If there is to raiding done, the squadrons should be equipped with a ship that has the actual capacity to carry sufficient Infantry in force sizes that provide the chance of success. The new Urufu-Class for example is capable of carrying an Infantry Platoon and has greater fire power. But sadly the 1XF has not seen fit to add any to its numbers.

As for your second question. The Shôshô has been more and more driven to do all she can to try and bring this war to an end. Her reputation in the past showed a tendency towards rashness. It would appear that of late that trait is surfacing under the pressure to succeed."

"Ma'am I can not help but feel these orders are rather vague. While I can see the intent. Without clear objectives, it will be difficult to execute these orders, at least without additional resources. You say we are going to have Infantry for conducting raids. But none of the Squadron has the space for more than a handful of Infantry. Should we not request some other ships more capable of carrying the Raiders to be added to the squadrons. A Sydney-Class Infantry Carrier would provide a reasonable force of infantry for landings. Or even an Urufu-Class if we can get some from the 2XF or 4SF would at least have a platoon available and increase the overall fighting effectiveness of the space force while the Infantry hits the ground."

 

[Amaryllis]

Wardroom

Akemi remained silent, attentive and expressionless. It was not her place to say or think anything of whether her superior's plans were reasonable or not. She was only to be focused on seeing them through.

 

[DocTomoe]

Helen betrayed no sign of communication on her features as she replied to Sune; "While her intent is noble, I doubt her method, I do not think we could afford to lose assets in a raid like this. I just hope that this raid is not born from a need to please her clan, or out of some sort of misguided need to be a(n) hero."

"Shosho, the suggestions made by Sune sound reasonable. I recommend that perhaps his suggestions be considered and integrated into the plan, such assets would be essential in the event of encountering enemy assets in which it would be ideal to capture, as opposed to destroy. If any of such assets have an infantry garrison, it would be quite difficult for a Plumeria functioning as a troop transport to be viable." Helen sounded a bit positive on the matter, making it clear she was not trying to ruin morale, but she was trying to ensure that the taskforce had the best chance of accomplishing its mission.