Nameless
Well-Known Member
At the apex of its stroke, Hoshi let her pink arm fall into the pool. The Kaiyō captain shifted her weight so that she was no longer gliding along on her side but buoyantly floating on the surface of the water. She looked up at the dome above despondently while her blue and white hair spread out beneath her, surrounding her like a sheet of fabric slowly unfurling at her bacl. There was an ache in her that hadn't gone away ever since Urtullan—or was it since Children's Day. Perhaps instead it had always been there, spurned into life during these lulls between missions. She had grown accustomed to this feeling of listless turmoil after the war when she had sequestered herself to the ranch. Being called back to duty had done something to temper its flames, but if this was the same feeling, Hoshi didn't know.
With an indifferent gaze she looked at the palms that edged her peripherals, trying to pinpoint where in her this confusion stemmed. Her body was pushed by a fake current the large wave pool had. Its uniformity made the lithe captain's neutral face furrow as she felt the perceptible difference between the timely ebb and flow of the wave pool and the real ocean.
Between swims, nightly dinners with the crew, and training drills as she hung fetally suspended in the Thought Armor pods, that unplacable feeling had only grown. It was different than the feeling that dawn to dusk farm work on the ranch had quelled. It was different than a call to duty. The waves moved her form again and she ducked her head under the water and only her pink shoulders and the blue of the back of her head bobbed out of the water as she readied to swim another dozen laps before she came up for air.
~
With an aloha shirt draped over her transparent white one piece and a towel over her shoulder, Hoshi took her usual route back from the pool to a konbini. Her face was still cloudy, but the look lifted when she saw the lilac-skinned enlisted crewmen of hers reading in a cafe on the way. Smile lifting on her face, she turned on her heel as much as a floating Nekovalkyrja could and turned her head just enough to nose in to try to read a bit of the book Sif Ignemar was enjoying, always one for curiosity.
"Ah, that's not Yamataian, is it?" Hoshi said with a lighthearted twinkle in her eye as she looked from the page of foreign words to Sif.
There was a gasp and a light thud as the book dropped harmlessly on the table as Sif's attention was ripped back to reality by the sound of her captain's voice suddenly drifting into her ears. "A-ah, captain, sorry I didn't notice you approach."
Sif picked the book up, holding it so the cover could be easily shown. "It's Abwheran."
"That's an unusual language to pick up," Hoshi said. "Interesting to pick up, in all honesty. Interested in Abwhers in general or—?"
"Oh, well..." she seemed a little hesitant to answer, mulling it over her head before relenting. "When I first got into reading, I started out with a mix of Yamataian and Nepleslian literature. They were borrowed, well, lent without asking I should say. N-not that it was stolen or anything like that, but I was given a part of a friend's collection when I was still training. And I noticed that they had... how do I say this... They have this different way of writing, different focuses, so I got curious and when I saw this Abwheran book at the store, I thought I'd try it out."
"To see if they, too, have their different styles?" Hoshi asked. "You know, not to make everything about our jobs, but having a knowledge of other cultures and their languages can be really useful in the field. I commend you for branching out, even if it stems from what truly interests you."
Sif nodded, slightly abashed at the commendation for something that was no more than a hobby in her eyes. "Thank you, captain." There was a moment's pause as she set the book down on the table once more, and she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious what your own hobbies are, captain." It was curious thought that just now popped into her head. Sif had always kept her head down, so she hadn't really noticed what any of her crewmates do in their down time.
"Mmmm," Hoshi murmured as her expression softened to a serene joy. "I paint. Took it up during the Kuvexian war when there wasn't much to do during the long journey to the frontline. I've alway enjoyed swimming and, as you can tell, I was just in the water. But I also like other things that are less easy to do on a ship like gardening and caring for animals, though you've probably seen the food garden I keep up in the Kaiyo's wardroom. Can't say I've read a lot for pleasure, but I'm still eager to take you up on a recommendation!"
That was quite a few listed down, and especially surprising was the revelation that the food garden was Hoshi's little project. For a moment, she wondered if there was anything she could recommend from what she had already read. But considering who she got the books from, it was a minefield of inappropriate topics and scenes too detailed. "There are some I could recommend, but I'm not certain if you'd enjoy their genres. There is one about a civilian painter who finds herself in foreign lands. And there's one about an old legend of a fish that becomes a dragon. I was told that was more of a classic. Hmm... Do either of those sound like something you'd be interested in reading?"
"Neither am I, so it's worth a shot," Hoshi said. "Mind if I try out both and see which I can really sink myself into? Neither sound close to mundane, in the least, though. We live pretty interesting lives where we're always doing something out of the ordinary, even amongst regular servicemen. It's nice to relax and whatnot, but I don't want to be bored by what I'm doing—or possibly reading—off-duty. I'm glad your tastes seem to align there. Speaking of, I was going to grab some konbini snacks and visit Molli before training. Want to tag along?"
"In that case, I'll personally deliver those books to you," Sif said with a smile, and internally hoping she did not just recommend something she'd get in trouble for. Hearing the invitation, Sif nodded, picking up her book and rising from her seat. "I'd be happy to accompany you."
"Eat lunch yet?" Hoshi said as her hand went to grip her hair and squeeze its ends into the towel on her shoulder as she walked a bit into the promenade. "They have nice tofu spring rolls at this place. They're one of your favorites, right?"
"Oh you remembered that?" she asked with a somewhat nervous chuckle. "They're pretty good, right? Well, at least the ones I've had had been. I haven't had tofu spring rolls yet, so I'll give that a try." She'd only had vegetarian and meat-filled ones, so she was curious how different tofu would taste like since its often fashioned as a meat substitute.
"Wait," Hoshi spoke, curiously bringing a finger to her lips. "Do you mean the fried kind? I'm so used to the ones wrapped in rice paper with mint and carrots but didn't realize you might mean the fried kind!"
"There's a different kind of spring roll?" It was clearly a surprise for her. "I mean I've had ones that weren't fried, but not one with rice paper."
"Then we're basically on the same page, then. Pick up anything for yourself or that you think Molli would like, it's on me," Hoshi said as they passed under the fluorescent orange and green lights of the konbini's signage. Hoshi was beelining for the onigiri section, picking up a trio of soy cured egg and meat stuffed rice balls along with a couple with salmon and spicy cod inside.
"What are you grabbing?" Hoshi called to Sif, wanting to make sure they brought the recovering Molli a good assortment of lunchtime treats.
"I found those springrolls you were talking about!" she called back happily, taking enough for her and Molli, wondering if that were something she'd be interested in tasting. Though just to he sure, she looked around and tried to recall if she ever said anything she preferred. As far as she could recall from the first time Sif mingled with the crew, she said she wasn't picky. Still, she did seem like she was enjoying what they had been served with. Some sushi maybe? She took a serving of that and walked over to Hoshi.
"Do you think she'd like this?" she asked, on the way also picking up a club sandwich cut into triangles and packaged to fit their shape.
"Something tells me she would," Hoshi replied as she wedged three bottled teas between her arm and her bathing suit. She tottered towards the register and thought. "She didn't even have a favorite meal when I asked all of you guys during Hanami. I'm trying to chip away at that steely palate of hers at every dinner. Eventually she's got to start actually enjoying food and not just seeing it as a means to an end."
"Is she stuck in survival mode?" she wondered aloud. "I've read that term before, it's when someone's brain is in this state where it's constantly being utilitarian. If I understood that part of the novel right, it's got something to do with anxiety."
The cashier handed the thin bag brimming with konbini lunch food to Hoshi and she held it at her middle as she and Sif walked out of the store.
"I hope it's not the case," Sif continued, or rather finished the thought as she realized that it wasn't the nicest thing to be wondering aloud what might be wrong with someone behind their back.
"Yeah, her childhood was very different from the type you or I have as Neko, but it's been interesting seeing the world from her perspective. It makes sense someone with such a unique past would be drawn to the Kaiyo crew with what I was saying earlier about how thrilling our day-to-day lives are. Not just Molli, but you stealing books from your friend. It sounds like you were a veritable child thief!" Picking up on Sif's feelings with the same of her own, Hoshi said, "We'll save talking about Molli until we're with her. She's got some nice quarters near the medbay right around here."
"I hope she's comfortable at least," she'd say before switching to another point. "And I didn't steal those books from her, she left it on my bunk before she had to leave for deployment."
Sif let go of a playful huff before mumbling out, "Besides, I have this feeling that I'd be horrified if I actually got to see her whole collection."
"Funny, that's the feeling I get about yours," Hoshi said giddily, then added as she knocked on Molli's door, "I jest, I jest."
"Occupied," came the reply from a coarse, heavily-accented voice, "Go'way."
In the hall, Hoshi shared a look with Sif then called, "Even for a couple of your crewmen?"
A long period of silence followed, and Molli was pleased to know they couldn't see her face buried deeply in her palms. Shuffling noises followed, the sound of thins being hastily moved around, before Molli spoke again. "...Uh, c'min," she said, and entering the room, the duo found it in a state of minor disarray. A pile of clothes were stacked in one corner, while a pair of dufflebags containing all of Molli's possessions sat in another. Beyond that, the window shutters were open, letting the light of the stars illuminate the pitch black room.
And laying upright in her bed, tablet in hand, was Molli Byrne, wearing a thin-strap shirt that made the bandages wrapped over her shoulder visible. Her thick, curly hair was even more unkempt than usual today -- no doubt a result of her prolonged, mandated, rest. "Lo, Taisa. Righty," she said, nodding to Hoshi and Sif with a smile. Despite her frosty demeanor, Molli looked happy to see them.
''Ello, 'ello," Hoshi said, imperfectly matching Molli's accent. "You look comfy, I like to see it! Thought we'd bring by some lunch. Want us to find a seat and join you or leave you with what we've brought?"
Though behind the captain at the doorway, Sif waved and beamed a warm smile at Molli, taking a quick second to guage how well she was doing having to stay put and rest.
Hoshi noticed the mess and disarray and almost said something about how this was the fault of the Star Army pulling back their Emma maid robots (which the Kaiyo still kept a retainer of) but bit her tongue. She relied a lot on those bots to pick up after her and wouldn't want someone else pointing out their lack.
Molli could read people pretty well, and could imagine the digital gears in the captain's head turning as her eyes wandered the room. "Ah wish we were on th'Kaiyo," Molli said, setting her tablet down on the podium beside her bed. Molli's room on the Kaiyo was much more maintained, as anyone who knew her could attest--she always took care of her home, after all. "Y'walked all th'way here, ah don't mind," Molli pointed to the small table opposite of her bed, where a bunch of empty bags and water bottles were strewn around.
"Just, uh...pull uppa chair."
"Me too." Sitting down, Hoshi was drawn in by the first thing Molli had just said. "I miss the Kaiyō, our real ocean. There's a wave pool here that mimics the ocean and it just makes me miss the real thing and our ship more than ever."
While the two were talking, Sif grabbed two chairs for her and Hoshi, pulling one behind the captain, and one right next to the bed and table for herself, making sure to lift them slightly off the ground rather than drag them on the floor.
"Life on the Kaiyo surely moves fast," Sif commented, lining the food picked out for Molli closer to the Nepleslian. "We picked this out for you," she said, gesturing to the rice paper-wrapped spring rolls, sushi and club sandwiches.
"If you like the sandwich, it was all Sif's idea. If not, well you know not to blame me. Good news, though," Hoshi said as she handed Molli the club sandwich and began unloading the food onto any free corner of the table. Once the bag was empty, she began pulling the trash on the surface into the bag. "The doctors told me you'll be ready for some training next week, which is serendipitous because the engineers and Aratani said the mecha they are assigning to you will be ready a bit around then, too. I think you'll like the design notes given for it."
Sif herself put down her book on her edge of the table and took the spring rolls she got for herself, and setting the packaging down on top of the book to conserve space.
Molli began to eagerly peel the wrapped sandwich open--before an aside glance at
Hoshi made her pause and continue with care and decorum. "Fanks," she said, after taking a large bite and chewing with her mouth closed, for once. Hearing of training made the Nepleslian perk up, and she gave her bandaged shoulder a slow, careful windmill motion. It still felt stiff and a little painful, as the two could surmise from the grimace on her face.
"Bout time," Molli replied grumpily, though there was a glint in her eyes and a big smile on her lips. The past month had been spent eagerly awaiting a return to Mindy piloting. Of course, now that it was so close, the wait was going to feel even longer.
"Only way to take out the mecha they're building on Urtullan. Well, at least the most fun one," Hoshi said as she unwrapped the onigiri she had been excited to try. Savoring with her eyes first, she said, "Sif'll tell you how tough the training's been. You're in for a treat!" Her word choice was somewhat influenced by the rice enrobed yolky beaf she was about to bite into.
"We gotta destroy it?" Molli sounded unusually disheartened to hear that, "Woulda liked t'capture it or somefin'..." She took another bite of her sandwich and stared off thoughtfully, imagining a universe where she chould've flown something that enormous and impressive-looking.
"How soon 'til we go?" she asked, "If it's tough on Sif, ahm gonna need way longer t'get through." It wasn't said with a hint of sadness or jealousy--Molli just recognized her limitations with upfront honesty.
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly!" Sif said cheerfully. "The way I heard it, you already have more experience with power armor than I do, and it's kind of similar. So I'd say you have more of an edge."
"Mm," Molli didn't want to argue, or bring up that Nekovalkyrja were made to pilot this kind of technology, so she just took another bite.
"It's tough on me, too," Hoshi said as she brushed a piece of rice off of the side of her lip. "Luckily you won't need to go through the intricacies of Thought Armor since you'll have something closer to hand controls. Counting on you picking it up quick since you do have so much experience with this sort of thing what with air biking since the controls are set up a lot like a bike."
Although she had time to internalize and accept that the full potential of Thought Armor wasn't accessible to her, there was still a hint of regret as Hoshi reminded her, though the Taisho couldn't have possibly meant anything bad by it. Hearing that it was designed like a bike, however, made Molli perk up. First with confusion, then excitement. "What? How'd y'manage that?" she asked.
"Well the idea is to have all of the mecha be a little different so that the prototype team can see what roles and specializes work best. They were happy to get a little prompting to try for this sort of internal setup. Sif's got a pretty cool build for hers, too," Hoshi said, polishing off the cured yolk ball and looking towards the other Neko.
Sif was in the middle of gently gnawing on a spring roll when Hoshi looked at her. She swallowed and cleared her throat. "Well, I was inspired by an old interpretation of a warrior. I was surprised they were okay with it. They gave mine this round shield in one hand and a spear on the other. I guess they didn't find it too useful at first since they had the tip be coated in plasma, and has this rocket at the back. I think they were also thinking of making it shoot from the tip too!"
"As it is, it makes you a bit more of a frontliner rather than a long ranger like myself," Hoshi noted. "I remember you were certainly in the enemy's face on the ground during that mission."
"Mhm," Sif nodded. "I was a little better in close combat than ranged back in training, so I think it's a bit better that way. At least I don't have to worry about dislocating my shoulder again."
Hanging onto Sif's description of her Thought Armor, Molli let out a while when all had been said. "Shields're badass, s'like this action hero back'n Funk City. Cap'n Shell." For some reason, the image of Sif with a massive spear and shield felt suitable in her mind's eye. "Howza suita armor wiv bike controls supposedta work?" Molli asked, scratching the top of her head,
"Something for you, not me, to find out," Hoshi said frankly. "Probably just throttle to move it forward, turn the bars to turn the mecha sort of deal. Maybe the weapons systems are additional buttons or some such? The AIES will still be there to smooth out targeting. I think the mecha's role will be good at kiting with speed being one of its biggest boons. Those spring rolls good, Sif?"
The neko nodded, "Mhm, it's a different texture overall, but still delicious."
"Yeah, with the tofu it's kind of softer," Hoshi said, putting her fingers around the sticky exterior of the rice paper.
"Ah mean... Ah'm not ah power armor builter," Molli replied, somewhat sheepishly. "Ent ever felt like ah needed m'Mindy t'be like ah bike... Kin these things, uh...change how ya control 'em? Like...turn from normal controls t'bike controls?"
"Well it's much much bigger than a Mindy. Instead of being a suit of armor that you wear like you said, you'll be in the chest section of the mecha. Yours I think can do that, though," Hoshi answered, nodding slightly.
Molli scratched her chin, "Fink it could b'easier if ah was like you 'n Sif?" she said, finishing off the rest of her sandwich. "What if ah got...like...ah neko body y'could put m'brain in? N'afterwards, y'can put it back in m'old body?" She had absolutely no idea how feasible that sounded, but it seemed like another way to go about things.
"That's complicated, you'd be losing a bit of your identity," Hoshi said, putting her spring roll down momentarily. "I guess we could do it to get you to use the Thought Armor, but it's all about if the benefits outway the costs. If you think they would, we could look into it."
"What d'you mean, 'ah bit of m'identity?' Would ah stop likin' stuff like bikes? Or...beaches?"
"Mmmm well, this is a bit personal, but I mean..." Hoshi's pink face squeezed up in a look of concern that passed quickly. "Just tell me if it's too much information, I suppose. But I have a boyfriend who I love very very much and he's Geshrin. His whole family is very proud of their Geshrin lineage and I would want to, you know..." The captain's pink face had turned scarlet and she wiped at it.
Hoshi continued, "I'd want to have a Geshrin with him, but as a Neko I'd just produce a Neko or a Yamataian, you see? I feel so silly for explaining copulation like this, but anyway! I'd want to transfer into a Geshrin for all of that, but it feels like I'd lose a bit of myself if I were to be a Geshrin, not a Nekovalkyrja. My species is integral to not only what I can do, but who I am. I think that hurdle has felt like an incredible obstacle to something I'd want to do, so I assumed it would be the same for you, Molli. But it might not be, I'm not even sure if it makes sense in my case."
"Yer talkin' t'someone what grewp in Funky City," Molli said flatly, before a sly smile crept onto her lips. She'd never seen Hoshi, her confident, competent captain, so flustered before. "Ah getcha. 'N y'know how ah felt," she was referring to their conversation after Nebel, and the apprehension she'd expressed over dying and waking up in a Neko body.
"But...ah don't know. Ah feel like ah'm holdin y'back, gettin' shot like that."
"Yeah, I remember that," Hoshi said, becoming more composed as she recalled the fears and challenges of battles past and of those in their future. With a nod and a straightened back, she added, "You know how much the Kaiyo has done, how much the core and veteran members of the ship have accomplished.
"Despite our accomplishments, we won the Kuvexians war while William was a baseline human. Him and Aiko were off the ship as prisoners of war and we had lost our two best warriors, but we were still able to hold a rescue operation for them despite that lack. Even me, I came to captain the YSS Kaiyō II and some of the first ship, the YSS Kaiyō I, didn't trust me at first to fill the role.
"There's always been difficulties for this ship that would hold us back if we let them. Instead, her and her crew were honed and polished by them. I wouldn't take the easy route if it were offered to me because that's never been the path we take. Maybe if it was, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we have. So, no, I'd rather you be you as you are, just taking a few less shots would help. For your health and my nerves."
Molli sat in rapt attention throughout Hoshi's tale, and the subsequent re-affirmation that her captain preferred her as she was now made Molli feel foolish for even bringing up the idea of transferring her consciousness. "Read ya loud 'n clear, Taisho. Thanks. Ah'll try'n be faster," she said, rubbing the back of her head and looking down, so as to hide the red flush on her bronze cheeks. "Guess ah got t'figure out howa bike suit works..."
"You can come sit in on training and maybe get a chance to talk with the engineers and Aratani, they know more than me on it. Unless Sif would get embarrassed having you watch her in shield maiden mode, that is!" Hoshi said.
"Not embarrassed at all!" Sif said with a chuckle. "I'd be happy to show what I've learned, and if Molli could catch any mistakes I make, then all the better." A different perspective or an outside point of view would be valuable, considering how large the mechs were, one slight opening for normal sized humanoids would be scaled up for the mechs, making small mistakes even more glaring.
"Shield Maiden... that sounds like a good nickname for the mech, don't you think?" she looked to the Nepleslian, part of her wanting to distract the girl from her worries, even if it was for a little while.
"Ain't got complaints" Molli said, with a metal hand raised to give a thumbs up. "Ah ent ever fought with a spear'n shield before, so...not sure ah can tell ya what yer doin' wrong. Kin try, though. More of a swordswoman m'self," she said, though Molli wasn't nearly proficient enough with the blade to consider herself anything beyond 'adequate.'
With a one-shoulder shrug, the Nepleslian's red eyes squinted in Hoshi's direction, "Dunno why she'd be embarrassed t'see me, ent like impressin' me's important," she said brusquely.
"Hopefully it doesn't make the wait unbearable seeing us train today," Hoshi said, knowing that Molli was likely eager to get back to training. "But it won't be long now until you're back in the saddle. Just a bit before we're feet on the ground, too!"
"And don't worry," Sif chimed in, "When you're in your mech, I'll be happy to help however I can. Probably not with the controls, but if you need a moving target, I can paint one on the shield! Then we can see just how good they made the shield and your weapon of choice."
Laughing just a bit, Hoshi pulled out three onigiri and threw one to Sif before handing the second to Molli. Unwrapping the covering on her own, the smile from her laughter didn't fade and she looked back to the two she had been enjoying lunch with. Whatever confused feeling from earlier during her swim along had seemed to lift and Hoshi reveled in the thoughtful optimism she felt alongside these two.
===========
JP by Ametheliana, Gles and Nameless
With an indifferent gaze she looked at the palms that edged her peripherals, trying to pinpoint where in her this confusion stemmed. Her body was pushed by a fake current the large wave pool had. Its uniformity made the lithe captain's neutral face furrow as she felt the perceptible difference between the timely ebb and flow of the wave pool and the real ocean.
Between swims, nightly dinners with the crew, and training drills as she hung fetally suspended in the Thought Armor pods, that unplacable feeling had only grown. It was different than the feeling that dawn to dusk farm work on the ranch had quelled. It was different than a call to duty. The waves moved her form again and she ducked her head under the water and only her pink shoulders and the blue of the back of her head bobbed out of the water as she readied to swim another dozen laps before she came up for air.
~
With an aloha shirt draped over her transparent white one piece and a towel over her shoulder, Hoshi took her usual route back from the pool to a konbini. Her face was still cloudy, but the look lifted when she saw the lilac-skinned enlisted crewmen of hers reading in a cafe on the way. Smile lifting on her face, she turned on her heel as much as a floating Nekovalkyrja could and turned her head just enough to nose in to try to read a bit of the book Sif Ignemar was enjoying, always one for curiosity.
"Ah, that's not Yamataian, is it?" Hoshi said with a lighthearted twinkle in her eye as she looked from the page of foreign words to Sif.
There was a gasp and a light thud as the book dropped harmlessly on the table as Sif's attention was ripped back to reality by the sound of her captain's voice suddenly drifting into her ears. "A-ah, captain, sorry I didn't notice you approach."
Sif picked the book up, holding it so the cover could be easily shown. "It's Abwheran."
"That's an unusual language to pick up," Hoshi said. "Interesting to pick up, in all honesty. Interested in Abwhers in general or—?"
"Oh, well..." she seemed a little hesitant to answer, mulling it over her head before relenting. "When I first got into reading, I started out with a mix of Yamataian and Nepleslian literature. They were borrowed, well, lent without asking I should say. N-not that it was stolen or anything like that, but I was given a part of a friend's collection when I was still training. And I noticed that they had... how do I say this... They have this different way of writing, different focuses, so I got curious and when I saw this Abwheran book at the store, I thought I'd try it out."
"To see if they, too, have their different styles?" Hoshi asked. "You know, not to make everything about our jobs, but having a knowledge of other cultures and their languages can be really useful in the field. I commend you for branching out, even if it stems from what truly interests you."
Sif nodded, slightly abashed at the commendation for something that was no more than a hobby in her eyes. "Thank you, captain." There was a moment's pause as she set the book down on the table once more, and she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious what your own hobbies are, captain." It was curious thought that just now popped into her head. Sif had always kept her head down, so she hadn't really noticed what any of her crewmates do in their down time.
"Mmmm," Hoshi murmured as her expression softened to a serene joy. "I paint. Took it up during the Kuvexian war when there wasn't much to do during the long journey to the frontline. I've alway enjoyed swimming and, as you can tell, I was just in the water. But I also like other things that are less easy to do on a ship like gardening and caring for animals, though you've probably seen the food garden I keep up in the Kaiyo's wardroom. Can't say I've read a lot for pleasure, but I'm still eager to take you up on a recommendation!"
That was quite a few listed down, and especially surprising was the revelation that the food garden was Hoshi's little project. For a moment, she wondered if there was anything she could recommend from what she had already read. But considering who she got the books from, it was a minefield of inappropriate topics and scenes too detailed. "There are some I could recommend, but I'm not certain if you'd enjoy their genres. There is one about a civilian painter who finds herself in foreign lands. And there's one about an old legend of a fish that becomes a dragon. I was told that was more of a classic. Hmm... Do either of those sound like something you'd be interested in reading?"
"Neither am I, so it's worth a shot," Hoshi said. "Mind if I try out both and see which I can really sink myself into? Neither sound close to mundane, in the least, though. We live pretty interesting lives where we're always doing something out of the ordinary, even amongst regular servicemen. It's nice to relax and whatnot, but I don't want to be bored by what I'm doing—or possibly reading—off-duty. I'm glad your tastes seem to align there. Speaking of, I was going to grab some konbini snacks and visit Molli before training. Want to tag along?"
"In that case, I'll personally deliver those books to you," Sif said with a smile, and internally hoping she did not just recommend something she'd get in trouble for. Hearing the invitation, Sif nodded, picking up her book and rising from her seat. "I'd be happy to accompany you."
"Eat lunch yet?" Hoshi said as her hand went to grip her hair and squeeze its ends into the towel on her shoulder as she walked a bit into the promenade. "They have nice tofu spring rolls at this place. They're one of your favorites, right?"
"Oh you remembered that?" she asked with a somewhat nervous chuckle. "They're pretty good, right? Well, at least the ones I've had had been. I haven't had tofu spring rolls yet, so I'll give that a try." She'd only had vegetarian and meat-filled ones, so she was curious how different tofu would taste like since its often fashioned as a meat substitute.
"Wait," Hoshi spoke, curiously bringing a finger to her lips. "Do you mean the fried kind? I'm so used to the ones wrapped in rice paper with mint and carrots but didn't realize you might mean the fried kind!"
"There's a different kind of spring roll?" It was clearly a surprise for her. "I mean I've had ones that weren't fried, but not one with rice paper."
"Then we're basically on the same page, then. Pick up anything for yourself or that you think Molli would like, it's on me," Hoshi said as they passed under the fluorescent orange and green lights of the konbini's signage. Hoshi was beelining for the onigiri section, picking up a trio of soy cured egg and meat stuffed rice balls along with a couple with salmon and spicy cod inside.
"What are you grabbing?" Hoshi called to Sif, wanting to make sure they brought the recovering Molli a good assortment of lunchtime treats.
"I found those springrolls you were talking about!" she called back happily, taking enough for her and Molli, wondering if that were something she'd be interested in tasting. Though just to he sure, she looked around and tried to recall if she ever said anything she preferred. As far as she could recall from the first time Sif mingled with the crew, she said she wasn't picky. Still, she did seem like she was enjoying what they had been served with. Some sushi maybe? She took a serving of that and walked over to Hoshi.
"Do you think she'd like this?" she asked, on the way also picking up a club sandwich cut into triangles and packaged to fit their shape.
"Something tells me she would," Hoshi replied as she wedged three bottled teas between her arm and her bathing suit. She tottered towards the register and thought. "She didn't even have a favorite meal when I asked all of you guys during Hanami. I'm trying to chip away at that steely palate of hers at every dinner. Eventually she's got to start actually enjoying food and not just seeing it as a means to an end."
"Is she stuck in survival mode?" she wondered aloud. "I've read that term before, it's when someone's brain is in this state where it's constantly being utilitarian. If I understood that part of the novel right, it's got something to do with anxiety."
The cashier handed the thin bag brimming with konbini lunch food to Hoshi and she held it at her middle as she and Sif walked out of the store.
"I hope it's not the case," Sif continued, or rather finished the thought as she realized that it wasn't the nicest thing to be wondering aloud what might be wrong with someone behind their back.
"Yeah, her childhood was very different from the type you or I have as Neko, but it's been interesting seeing the world from her perspective. It makes sense someone with such a unique past would be drawn to the Kaiyo crew with what I was saying earlier about how thrilling our day-to-day lives are. Not just Molli, but you stealing books from your friend. It sounds like you were a veritable child thief!" Picking up on Sif's feelings with the same of her own, Hoshi said, "We'll save talking about Molli until we're with her. She's got some nice quarters near the medbay right around here."
"I hope she's comfortable at least," she'd say before switching to another point. "And I didn't steal those books from her, she left it on my bunk before she had to leave for deployment."
Sif let go of a playful huff before mumbling out, "Besides, I have this feeling that I'd be horrified if I actually got to see her whole collection."
"Funny, that's the feeling I get about yours," Hoshi said giddily, then added as she knocked on Molli's door, "I jest, I jest."
"Occupied," came the reply from a coarse, heavily-accented voice, "Go'way."
In the hall, Hoshi shared a look with Sif then called, "Even for a couple of your crewmen?"
A long period of silence followed, and Molli was pleased to know they couldn't see her face buried deeply in her palms. Shuffling noises followed, the sound of thins being hastily moved around, before Molli spoke again. "...Uh, c'min," she said, and entering the room, the duo found it in a state of minor disarray. A pile of clothes were stacked in one corner, while a pair of dufflebags containing all of Molli's possessions sat in another. Beyond that, the window shutters were open, letting the light of the stars illuminate the pitch black room.
And laying upright in her bed, tablet in hand, was Molli Byrne, wearing a thin-strap shirt that made the bandages wrapped over her shoulder visible. Her thick, curly hair was even more unkempt than usual today -- no doubt a result of her prolonged, mandated, rest. "Lo, Taisa. Righty," she said, nodding to Hoshi and Sif with a smile. Despite her frosty demeanor, Molli looked happy to see them.
''Ello, 'ello," Hoshi said, imperfectly matching Molli's accent. "You look comfy, I like to see it! Thought we'd bring by some lunch. Want us to find a seat and join you or leave you with what we've brought?"
Though behind the captain at the doorway, Sif waved and beamed a warm smile at Molli, taking a quick second to guage how well she was doing having to stay put and rest.
Hoshi noticed the mess and disarray and almost said something about how this was the fault of the Star Army pulling back their Emma maid robots (which the Kaiyo still kept a retainer of) but bit her tongue. She relied a lot on those bots to pick up after her and wouldn't want someone else pointing out their lack.
Molli could read people pretty well, and could imagine the digital gears in the captain's head turning as her eyes wandered the room. "Ah wish we were on th'Kaiyo," Molli said, setting her tablet down on the podium beside her bed. Molli's room on the Kaiyo was much more maintained, as anyone who knew her could attest--she always took care of her home, after all. "Y'walked all th'way here, ah don't mind," Molli pointed to the small table opposite of her bed, where a bunch of empty bags and water bottles were strewn around.
"Just, uh...pull uppa chair."
"Me too." Sitting down, Hoshi was drawn in by the first thing Molli had just said. "I miss the Kaiyō, our real ocean. There's a wave pool here that mimics the ocean and it just makes me miss the real thing and our ship more than ever."
While the two were talking, Sif grabbed two chairs for her and Hoshi, pulling one behind the captain, and one right next to the bed and table for herself, making sure to lift them slightly off the ground rather than drag them on the floor.
"Life on the Kaiyo surely moves fast," Sif commented, lining the food picked out for Molli closer to the Nepleslian. "We picked this out for you," she said, gesturing to the rice paper-wrapped spring rolls, sushi and club sandwiches.
"If you like the sandwich, it was all Sif's idea. If not, well you know not to blame me. Good news, though," Hoshi said as she handed Molli the club sandwich and began unloading the food onto any free corner of the table. Once the bag was empty, she began pulling the trash on the surface into the bag. "The doctors told me you'll be ready for some training next week, which is serendipitous because the engineers and Aratani said the mecha they are assigning to you will be ready a bit around then, too. I think you'll like the design notes given for it."
Sif herself put down her book on her edge of the table and took the spring rolls she got for herself, and setting the packaging down on top of the book to conserve space.
Molli began to eagerly peel the wrapped sandwich open--before an aside glance at
Hoshi made her pause and continue with care and decorum. "Fanks," she said, after taking a large bite and chewing with her mouth closed, for once. Hearing of training made the Nepleslian perk up, and she gave her bandaged shoulder a slow, careful windmill motion. It still felt stiff and a little painful, as the two could surmise from the grimace on her face.
"Bout time," Molli replied grumpily, though there was a glint in her eyes and a big smile on her lips. The past month had been spent eagerly awaiting a return to Mindy piloting. Of course, now that it was so close, the wait was going to feel even longer.
"Only way to take out the mecha they're building on Urtullan. Well, at least the most fun one," Hoshi said as she unwrapped the onigiri she had been excited to try. Savoring with her eyes first, she said, "Sif'll tell you how tough the training's been. You're in for a treat!" Her word choice was somewhat influenced by the rice enrobed yolky beaf she was about to bite into.
"We gotta destroy it?" Molli sounded unusually disheartened to hear that, "Woulda liked t'capture it or somefin'..." She took another bite of her sandwich and stared off thoughtfully, imagining a universe where she chould've flown something that enormous and impressive-looking.
"How soon 'til we go?" she asked, "If it's tough on Sif, ahm gonna need way longer t'get through." It wasn't said with a hint of sadness or jealousy--Molli just recognized her limitations with upfront honesty.
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly!" Sif said cheerfully. "The way I heard it, you already have more experience with power armor than I do, and it's kind of similar. So I'd say you have more of an edge."
"Mm," Molli didn't want to argue, or bring up that Nekovalkyrja were made to pilot this kind of technology, so she just took another bite.
"It's tough on me, too," Hoshi said as she brushed a piece of rice off of the side of her lip. "Luckily you won't need to go through the intricacies of Thought Armor since you'll have something closer to hand controls. Counting on you picking it up quick since you do have so much experience with this sort of thing what with air biking since the controls are set up a lot like a bike."
Although she had time to internalize and accept that the full potential of Thought Armor wasn't accessible to her, there was still a hint of regret as Hoshi reminded her, though the Taisho couldn't have possibly meant anything bad by it. Hearing that it was designed like a bike, however, made Molli perk up. First with confusion, then excitement. "What? How'd y'manage that?" she asked.
"Well the idea is to have all of the mecha be a little different so that the prototype team can see what roles and specializes work best. They were happy to get a little prompting to try for this sort of internal setup. Sif's got a pretty cool build for hers, too," Hoshi said, polishing off the cured yolk ball and looking towards the other Neko.
Sif was in the middle of gently gnawing on a spring roll when Hoshi looked at her. She swallowed and cleared her throat. "Well, I was inspired by an old interpretation of a warrior. I was surprised they were okay with it. They gave mine this round shield in one hand and a spear on the other. I guess they didn't find it too useful at first since they had the tip be coated in plasma, and has this rocket at the back. I think they were also thinking of making it shoot from the tip too!"
"As it is, it makes you a bit more of a frontliner rather than a long ranger like myself," Hoshi noted. "I remember you were certainly in the enemy's face on the ground during that mission."
"Mhm," Sif nodded. "I was a little better in close combat than ranged back in training, so I think it's a bit better that way. At least I don't have to worry about dislocating my shoulder again."
Hanging onto Sif's description of her Thought Armor, Molli let out a while when all had been said. "Shields're badass, s'like this action hero back'n Funk City. Cap'n Shell." For some reason, the image of Sif with a massive spear and shield felt suitable in her mind's eye. "Howza suita armor wiv bike controls supposedta work?" Molli asked, scratching the top of her head,
"Something for you, not me, to find out," Hoshi said frankly. "Probably just throttle to move it forward, turn the bars to turn the mecha sort of deal. Maybe the weapons systems are additional buttons or some such? The AIES will still be there to smooth out targeting. I think the mecha's role will be good at kiting with speed being one of its biggest boons. Those spring rolls good, Sif?"
The neko nodded, "Mhm, it's a different texture overall, but still delicious."
"Yeah, with the tofu it's kind of softer," Hoshi said, putting her fingers around the sticky exterior of the rice paper.
"Ah mean... Ah'm not ah power armor builter," Molli replied, somewhat sheepishly. "Ent ever felt like ah needed m'Mindy t'be like ah bike... Kin these things, uh...change how ya control 'em? Like...turn from normal controls t'bike controls?"
"Well it's much much bigger than a Mindy. Instead of being a suit of armor that you wear like you said, you'll be in the chest section of the mecha. Yours I think can do that, though," Hoshi answered, nodding slightly.
Molli scratched her chin, "Fink it could b'easier if ah was like you 'n Sif?" she said, finishing off the rest of her sandwich. "What if ah got...like...ah neko body y'could put m'brain in? N'afterwards, y'can put it back in m'old body?" She had absolutely no idea how feasible that sounded, but it seemed like another way to go about things.
"That's complicated, you'd be losing a bit of your identity," Hoshi said, putting her spring roll down momentarily. "I guess we could do it to get you to use the Thought Armor, but it's all about if the benefits outway the costs. If you think they would, we could look into it."
"What d'you mean, 'ah bit of m'identity?' Would ah stop likin' stuff like bikes? Or...beaches?"
"Mmmm well, this is a bit personal, but I mean..." Hoshi's pink face squeezed up in a look of concern that passed quickly. "Just tell me if it's too much information, I suppose. But I have a boyfriend who I love very very much and he's Geshrin. His whole family is very proud of their Geshrin lineage and I would want to, you know..." The captain's pink face had turned scarlet and she wiped at it.
Hoshi continued, "I'd want to have a Geshrin with him, but as a Neko I'd just produce a Neko or a Yamataian, you see? I feel so silly for explaining copulation like this, but anyway! I'd want to transfer into a Geshrin for all of that, but it feels like I'd lose a bit of myself if I were to be a Geshrin, not a Nekovalkyrja. My species is integral to not only what I can do, but who I am. I think that hurdle has felt like an incredible obstacle to something I'd want to do, so I assumed it would be the same for you, Molli. But it might not be, I'm not even sure if it makes sense in my case."
"Yer talkin' t'someone what grewp in Funky City," Molli said flatly, before a sly smile crept onto her lips. She'd never seen Hoshi, her confident, competent captain, so flustered before. "Ah getcha. 'N y'know how ah felt," she was referring to their conversation after Nebel, and the apprehension she'd expressed over dying and waking up in a Neko body.
"But...ah don't know. Ah feel like ah'm holdin y'back, gettin' shot like that."
"Yeah, I remember that," Hoshi said, becoming more composed as she recalled the fears and challenges of battles past and of those in their future. With a nod and a straightened back, she added, "You know how much the Kaiyo has done, how much the core and veteran members of the ship have accomplished.
"Despite our accomplishments, we won the Kuvexians war while William was a baseline human. Him and Aiko were off the ship as prisoners of war and we had lost our two best warriors, but we were still able to hold a rescue operation for them despite that lack. Even me, I came to captain the YSS Kaiyō II and some of the first ship, the YSS Kaiyō I, didn't trust me at first to fill the role.
"There's always been difficulties for this ship that would hold us back if we let them. Instead, her and her crew were honed and polished by them. I wouldn't take the easy route if it were offered to me because that's never been the path we take. Maybe if it was, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we have. So, no, I'd rather you be you as you are, just taking a few less shots would help. For your health and my nerves."
Molli sat in rapt attention throughout Hoshi's tale, and the subsequent re-affirmation that her captain preferred her as she was now made Molli feel foolish for even bringing up the idea of transferring her consciousness. "Read ya loud 'n clear, Taisho. Thanks. Ah'll try'n be faster," she said, rubbing the back of her head and looking down, so as to hide the red flush on her bronze cheeks. "Guess ah got t'figure out howa bike suit works..."
"You can come sit in on training and maybe get a chance to talk with the engineers and Aratani, they know more than me on it. Unless Sif would get embarrassed having you watch her in shield maiden mode, that is!" Hoshi said.
"Not embarrassed at all!" Sif said with a chuckle. "I'd be happy to show what I've learned, and if Molli could catch any mistakes I make, then all the better." A different perspective or an outside point of view would be valuable, considering how large the mechs were, one slight opening for normal sized humanoids would be scaled up for the mechs, making small mistakes even more glaring.
"Shield Maiden... that sounds like a good nickname for the mech, don't you think?" she looked to the Nepleslian, part of her wanting to distract the girl from her worries, even if it was for a little while.
"Ain't got complaints" Molli said, with a metal hand raised to give a thumbs up. "Ah ent ever fought with a spear'n shield before, so...not sure ah can tell ya what yer doin' wrong. Kin try, though. More of a swordswoman m'self," she said, though Molli wasn't nearly proficient enough with the blade to consider herself anything beyond 'adequate.'
With a one-shoulder shrug, the Nepleslian's red eyes squinted in Hoshi's direction, "Dunno why she'd be embarrassed t'see me, ent like impressin' me's important," she said brusquely.
"Hopefully it doesn't make the wait unbearable seeing us train today," Hoshi said, knowing that Molli was likely eager to get back to training. "But it won't be long now until you're back in the saddle. Just a bit before we're feet on the ground, too!"
"And don't worry," Sif chimed in, "When you're in your mech, I'll be happy to help however I can. Probably not with the controls, but if you need a moving target, I can paint one on the shield! Then we can see just how good they made the shield and your weapon of choice."
Laughing just a bit, Hoshi pulled out three onigiri and threw one to Sif before handing the second to Molli. Unwrapping the covering on her own, the smile from her laughter didn't fade and she looked back to the two she had been enjoying lunch with. Whatever confused feeling from earlier during her swim along had seemed to lift and Hoshi reveled in the thoughtful optimism she felt alongside these two.
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JP by Ametheliana, Gles and Nameless
