RP: 21st Fighter Sq [Mission 7.0] Operation Payback (Prologue)

[Nashoba]

After the events on Aqueous, the Heitan and its support group had been ordered back to Daichi. Once there the 21st was kept in quarantine and confined to the medical center for medical treatment and recovery.

Atsui made a point of coming down to check on the squadron, the first time she had to settle for seeing them through a transparent wall. The second time she was able to enter the ward where they were being cleared.

She had spent many hours with representatives of SAINT, who were going over the AIES logs of the 21st power armors. Atsui was grateful that the debriefing was over and despite the various incidents the squadron was not found culpable of any wrong doing.

Medical Center

The squadron had been in containment for twenty four hours when Atsui walked into the room and went to the center of the room.

"Good news people. You have been cleared by medical. All of you have a bit of down down. This would be a good time to consider body upgrades, or any training you might want. I am evaluating the performance of the team with regards to any possible awards and promotions.

Bad news, all personnel are confined to either the Star Fortress or their respective ships. The 2XF is gearing up for an offensive. So operational security is a priority.

However, while on the Star Fortress you may travel alone if you need to take care of errands." she said.

 

[Jimmy]

As Atsui entered the quiet room Silic's eyes fluttered open. The exhausted Nepleslian had crashed after his stimulant cocktail had run out, and slept almost the entire wait in the cell. He felt his head was raised on something soft and looked up to see Anne, and her impressive bust a few inches above him.

Anne smiled back down at Silic, who had spent the last few hours sleeping with his head on her lap. It was a nice feeling. Anne liked being useful and Silic looked so happy during his sleep. She wondered what he dreamed about. "Good morning," she said softly.

Silic smiled back up shyly but didn't move away as their commander made her speech. At the mention of body upgrades Silics fingers tightened slowly on the hand on his chest, clearly uncomfortable of such casual use.

Anne thought for a while. She herself did not consider these 'body upgrades', since it would change what she was. Even thougth minkan bodies surely gave you a lot of amazing abilities, it just was not worth it. Anne was Helashio and she did not plan for that to change.

"Silic?" she asked, her hand trailing down and pushing some of his hair from his forehead. Her hand burying itself into his hair. "Why are you keeping this body?" She asked him.

"It was the first thing my parents gave me." Silic replied quietly, his voice a mumur just for her. "It would be a shame to throw it away needlessly." His eyes closed again as he relaxed into Anne's hairbrushing, his breath sighing out.

"I see," she replied with smile, while her fingers ran through his hair. 'He could use a haircut,' she tought and smiled again.
"We are the same then," was what she said out loud though. "I don't think I could just put this body away. It is part of me, not just... a change of clothing."

The nepleslian murmured an agreement before snuggling to get more comfortable. His head still perched safely on her thighs. He stayed like this for a moment more.

"What are you going to do with your leave?" he asked softly. His indicating perfect bliss.

"I have something on my mind" was Anne's reply, accompanied with another hearful smile. She leaned slightly towards him and looked him in his eyes. "If I remember right you wanted me to remind you of something."

Silic returned the smiling coyly and chuckled in his throat. "After the debreifing, perhaps." he said as his natural hand reached to clasp itself over hers gently and bring it to his breast. Nowhere near as impressive as Anne's own.

 

[Samanthia]

Errowyn mostly slept through the wait to be released. Keeping pretty much to herself. Then Atsui entered the ward and spoke, She laid there listening to her speak.

She cheered up abit, hearing that they've been released. Knowing her weakness and being a liability in power armor. She would spend her downtime in becoming more profience with the Daisy power armor so she could live up to her callsign "Hellcat" both in the skies and on the ground.

She avoided eye contact with Atsui feeling that she let the team down by having troubles with her performance both on the training run and the ground action with the power armor. Hopefully her performance in ariel combat made up for the mistakes.

She waited till everyone else had left the room, before she departed, heading through the area to find someone willing to spend time with her on the Daisy power Armor.

 

[Khasidel]

Kenshin was definately glad to have been cleared as uncontaminated by the Tachibana plague, and when Atsui paid the squadron a visit in the medical center, he listened and gave thought to what she said about undergoing a body upgrade. Having already gone through a similar process once before when he changed from the Geshrin body-type to his present one, he didn't see much harm in undergoing the process once again.

Prior to leaving the medical facility, Kenshin went through the process of requesting a Minkan-type body for himself be made ready for him to transfer into. Whilst he waited for the body to be completed, the young yamataian set himself upon the task of grabbing a shower and finding something to eat.

 

[Kyle]

Elisto sighed in relief after hearing that things were fine, although he'd been unable to walk after the incident on the planet up until they had gotten back to the ship. He was happy that repairing his leg wasn't that much of a deal.

What was a deal was when he reviewed the sensor finding from his armor and found that the explosion that toppled the mountain was caused by the POW Cage he'd been driving, had he stayed with it he could've been killed but now he was wondering if he should've done a better job of examining the vehicle for traps.

Now, however, wasn't the time to think of that - another matter was on his mind. "Taii? That thing that was found on the planets surface that the Tachibana were using as a launcher, the odd object, was it brought onboard? And if so, may I please examine it?" he asked.

 

[Gabriel]

Yaeko hadn't slept a wink for the entire 24 hours that they had been on the ship. There were too many things that were floating through her head to allow her to sleep. She did, however, use the time to people-watch in order to learn more about her squadron. What she saw disturbed her.

Silic and Anne made no attempt to cover up their affection for each other, and in blatant view of the rest of the squadron, no less! She was glad to see Atsui enter the room, hoping that the same interaction would catch her eye. Never the less, when the officer entered the room she quickly brought herself to her feet.

"Attention on deck!" Yaeko called out as she brought her feet together and her arms to her side.

 

[Nashoba]

Atsui looked around the room, a slight look annoyance crossed her face when she saw Anne and Silic. While she had no problem with people in her command having relationships, laying their mooning when she came in definitely irked her.

She gave Yaeko a nod when she remembered protocol and called for attention.

"Vas-Heisho and Anne-Hei, kindly moon over each other on your own time. I come into a room I expect you to accord yourselves as soldiers." she said her voice losing any warmth. "Anne-Hei, I will expect your medical and psych reports on the Diamonds on my desk by 1600 hours tomorrow. That is if you can tear yourself away from Vas."

She turned her attention to Elisto, "Yes, it has been taken on board and has been through decontamination. You certainly make check it out, kindly make sure the technicians do not damage it. From what I have been told, its not any type of technology we've seen before."

"Munkata-Shoi, I would like a word with you once the rest of the Diamonds have left the Ward." She said.

 

[Gabriel]

"Of course ma'am," Yaeko responded. She glanced around the room, waiting for the rest of the squadron to leave.

I hope I'm not in trouble, she thought to herself. I'm probably going to get blamed Silic and Anne's idiocy. I'm going to need to discuss that issue with her.

 

[Kyle]

Elisto had been a bit nervous, he'd forgotten protocal and had just blabbed outward without thinking. Mentally, he had facepalmed but was surprised to find he hadn't been punished for it, perhaps there were other things going on that were more important than a soldier making a mistake.

"Thank you ma'am, if I find anything I'll let you know," said the intelligence operator as he got up off the bed. He was still in scrubs, which made him feel rather naked actually given was used to wearing uniforms, as he was about to leave though a matter crossed his mind - something he had originally meant to talk to Atsui about earlier. "Taii? There was a matter earlier that I wanted to discuss before the mission, but with everything that was going on I felt it wasn't a good idea to speak of it. Is it possible for me to talk to you later ma'am?" he asked.

 

[Nashoba]

Atsui repressed the urge to tell Elisto to take a number, and "Walk with me Shoi, we'll take this discussion to my suite."

She looked at Elisto, "Heisho, come by my suite later and we can discuss your idea."

Atsui turned towards the door and waited for Yaeko to follow.

 

[Gabriel]

Yaeko nodded and quickly fell in line behind Atsui.

"See you guys later," she called behind her as she left the room.

 

[Nashoba]

Atsui walked briskly through the hallways of the Heitan until she arrived at her office. She had been deep in thought during the passage. She keyed the door open and entered the office. The office had the overall standard layout of the Captain's Suite, but there were a few touches. A replica of the Heitan and a Kawarime were placed at either end of the desk. A closer examination would show that the tail number of the fighter was V8X2 32-0036.

She walked towards the desk but instead of going around it she chose to go to the front of the desk and lean against it.

"Kindly take a seat, Munkata. We have much to discuss."

 

[Gabriel]

Yaeko followed Atsui to her office, becoming more worried since Atsui wasn't saying anything to her. When she entered the office she glanced around, realizing that it was the first time that she had ever been in the room. Not much caught her eye, although she did notice that the Kawarime model was meant to be of the Taii's Kawarime.

Taking a seat, she sat straight and calmly waited for Atsui to start.

 

[Nashoba]

Atsui's Office

Atsui took a moment to think, repressing the urge to blurt out 'What the hell happened down there.' With her voice calm and her composure neutral she spoke.

"Not exactly a stellar performance for a first command. A pilot dead, numerous civilian casualties, members of your team going off on their own in every direction, and an epic Silic moment." she paused for a moment, "... but not entire uncommon when SAINT gets involved.

Is there anything you would like to say that was not in the mission logs?"

 

[Kyle]

Elisto gave a nod and thanked the Taii before getting off the bed and heading to his quarters where he quickly threw the scrubs off and got into more appropriate attire. His black panels, which he'd made certain were nice and shiny, adorned his uniform perfectly.

When he was done he have a quick talk with the ships computer to confirm where the 'missile' was and then grabbed his ICP before heading to the Fabrication Bay.

Upon arrival he saw the 'missile', it wasn't exactly difficult to miss given it was the only thing in the bay that stood out from the rest of the items in the bay, given it's profile was different from anything he'd seen Yamatai or any other faction use.

The 'missile' was up on raisers that kept it off the ground. He walked up to it and placed his hand gently on the 'missile' and rubbed it for a moment to see if he could perhaps figure out what kind of hull it had. What he did notice was that there was that it was sort of like a mirror surface, he could see his reflection on the hull but also noticed design lines that ran across it which were a general indication on where the panels meet but he also saw instances where these lines didn't exist or where they split off into various directions.

"Let's see if we can find some areas to open up, but no forcing any panels open please. The Taii wants us not to damage it," he said to some of the techs and then turned back to the 'missile' and tapped his finger on his chin. His eyes were focused on a small discolored area that looked to be smudged. "This had to be something, perhaps an identifable marker?" and glanced back at the rest of the 'missile'.

He stepped back a few feet to examine it's profile, long and slightly angular with odd protrusions on the sides. It had a 'ring' around the rear that he couldn't make out but did notice that it had a diameter that was wider than the probe was in width.

 

[Khasidel]

Kenshin took his shower sedately -- much needed after their long mission and being couped up in medical afterwards whilst they screened the squadron for infection.

The pilot got changed into a clean uniform and found himself navigating through the Heitan towards the Safety Valve, ordering himself a pizza and something to drink whilst he mentally reviewed the events of the last mission. Though ultimately successful, it definately could've gone better.

 

[Gabriel]

Atsui's Office

Yaeko sighed. The mission had barely begun before she knew that this was going to come up eventually. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she began speaking.

"Ma'am, I know that the military loves to the blame the actions of its soldiers on their superiors, but you of all people should know how little power you truly have over your soldiers once the bullets start flying. I can't hop into someone else's Kawarime and stop them from crashing into the water, that is a failure on the part of their piloting instructors for not properly teaching planetary entry.

The only thing that would have stopped Silic from going into that facility alone would have been me putting a bullet in his head, and for some reason I doubt even that would have stopped him. As for Anne, it is my opinion that her and Silic should not be allowed to see each other. I know you stated that you had no problem with soldiers being intimate, and neither do I, but on this previous mission they proved that they are unwilling to place the mission before each other. And as before, there is nothing I can do when a soldier disobeys other than deal disciplinary action. Which is why I recommend that Silic and Anne be charged and punished with insubordination. Nothing too drastic, but enough that they realize their mistakes.

As for the civilians and the way my team split up, we were a small task force of 10 soldiers sent to infiltrate a facility with over 50 opposing forces, not to mention that they had heavy weaponry and power armor. This, of course, hasn't even begun to include that a high probability of NMX forces presented itself, along with having to deal with civilian slaves and rescuing SSS personnel from a collapsing cave.

Under the circumstances given I think my team and I, with the exception of my stated issues, did a pretty damned good job. Although you already knew that, otherwise I wouldn't have a heart behind my white triangle right now."

Yaeko finished, realizing that she had barely paused to breath in her small. She noticed that she was now leaning toward Atsui, and that her hands had started motioning violently about half-way through her rant. Returning to her previous posture, back straight and hands folded on her lap, she awaited Atsui's response.

 

[Nashoba]

Atui's Office

Atsui took a moment to digest Yaeko's response, keeping her expression neutral as she did. After reviewing each point, she smiled at Yaeko.

"I see it was actually a very instructive first mission for you. You learned a great many things. So I am actually pleased with your report.

Once you set out on a mission, you have to deal with all sorts of unforeseen difficulties. I think overall the Diamonds will be in good hands with you in command. SAINT missions rarely as briefed, there is always the unknown factor.

As for Silic and Anne, I will leave the discipline for their failure to obey orders in your hands. Just advise me what you decide. And while I have no problem with interpersonal relationships. I draw the line when it interferes with the performance of their duties, or jeopardizes the mission or other lives."

She went around to the other side of the desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a small box. She walked over and handed Yaeko the box. "You can't command as a Midshipman, so you need to change those pins. These are my original Shoi pins. They will do until I submit your paperwork. Keep them for good luck.

I'll have the transfer of command paperwork drawn up and approved later today."

 

[Gabriel]

Atsui's Office

"Thank you ma'am," Yaeko responded with a smile. She gladly took the pins and traded them out with the ones currently on her uniform. "I look forward to leading the Diamonds. As for Silic and Anne, I will have a talk with them and would like to sanction them with deferred demotion, pending their performance on our next mission."

 

[Nashoba]

Atsui's Office

"I seem to recall that Silic had a suspended punishment for his behavior at the briefing before the last mission. I would suggest perhaps some additional duty. There is going to plenty of prep work for our next mission, so putting his technical skills would be good for the mission, and keep him out of mischief."