Soresu
Well-Known Member
ON, VSV Astarte
Deep Gardens
Bukor 17, 936
10:20, Commonwealth Standard Time
After ridding itself of the dangerous NVR saboteur and cataloguing the strange fauna that lay out in the outlying fringes of the Garden of Mu'Klamal, the VSV Astarte pressed forward into the Deep Gardens in search of the NVR homeworld. Due to damages to the ship, it was unable to press forward at full speed and has been forced to rely on its MASC Drive until it was able to fully recycle and refabricate its central fold core.
As a consequence of lacking their high-speed FTL drive, there has been a degree of caution in their continued transit through the stellar nursery. The atmosphere on the ship was one of cautious anticipation, the initial optimism of their mission dashed by the rather uncertain conditions they found themselves in. Many had been seriously injured by the saboteur's efforts and the ship itself was still subject to frequent repair shifts whenever another device that had been casually slipped into the system was uncovered and disposed of. Occasionally, crews would be lucky, disabling it and excising it from the Astarte's superstructure without worry, while others saw the subsystems critically damaged when the booby traps were set off.
After nearly seven days of continuous shifts and surveillance duty, it had appeared that most of the damages were corrected and in the process of being repaired. Not even the frame runners of Bahram Wing were exempt from repair duty, many of the senior members and those with any sort of technical expertise press-ganged into backup troubleshooting teams, often having to act as technical sentries on the wider battlefront that had been made of their ship. Others, who lacked any sort of relevance in a technical field were able to escape this fate and actually managed to enjoy a good week of resting and frame drills.
Finally, when it was all over and it seemed like the entirety of the combat staff would be able to catch a break, the XO called them to a meeting over some strange news. The notices went out around the end of the sleeping shifts, calling the flight crew to head go to the ready room for briefing.
----
During the long week of repairs and glitch-hunting, the support staff of the ship had been trying their very hardest to get Mridula to stay in the medbay. Though her feet had been doused in Prajna after they were sprained severely by the falling elevator she and Ishtar had been in, nobody wanted to take chances with someone who could probably have them all fired (from the airlock or otherwise). She wasn't having any of it, though, and escaped whenever she could to help the rest of the crew hunt down what remained of the saboteur's sabotage. It was during one of these outings that the Solanii liaison got the call from the XO; she scooted down to the ready room in her undershirt and uniform pants, not having had time to pull her turtleneck back on.
Isha Ragnar had been overseeing the recuperation of the various injured Bahram Wing members when frame drills did not demand her attention. It was a busy time for her, but all were recovering well enough, and none of the injuries were critical, so medbay time was rather easygoing. She happened to be rather lucky in that regard, and found plenty of free time to pursue personal interests like music and trying to get to know her teammates.
While Zus had been called upon a couple times for minor problem solving and general work around the ship that the dedicated technicians had been too busy to do, Like punch Szemis in the stomach, Clean out the air ducts, and help them fluff the cushions in the shrine, as Mu'Tasim was away getting his artificial arm grown back. Speaking of which, Zus had gone to visit him at every opportunity she had, which was once, the day after the saboteur was taken out, though it ended up being a bit more shocking than the first time she had seen him with the fake arm- the prosthesis itself was difficult to tell from his real arm. And yet, now she felt a sense of dread. Today was the day they would get back to regular business, which meant that she, as a Frame runner, she would have to See her brother again.
Szemis, for his part, had had a good week. Aside from some mysterious stranger clothes lining him around corners or punching him in the stomach out of thin air before disappearing to who knows where, he felt he had been singlehandedly responsible for saving everyone on the ship. He had found Three whole Booby traps, and only one of them went off on him! Amazing. The Blond man was so proud, and he wanted to tell his sister, but she seemed to be missing, as he could never find her. though, He knew she was a Frame runner like he was, and that, with this briefing, he would definitely be able to see her.
"Well, this had been a fairly uneventful week, Bahadur Shahjahan grumbled, standing in front of the mirror as he straightened out his uniform, making sure that every aspect of it was perfect. Between the ship apparently trying to kill the crew (he was sure that this happening on the first military voyage out of the Iruotl system was a bad omen), and having far too much free time while the ship underwent repairs, the Ovoc Wakir was beginning to grow restless. "Well, the ship should be getting underway soon if the rumors are correct. Hopefully we've gotten all the bugs out of the ship. I don't want to die without getting to see combat." Satisfied with his uniform and the rest of his outward presentation, Bahadur swiftly left his quarters, heading to the assigned meeting place, making sure to keep out of the way of the numerous techs and mechanists.
Akjit was slowly trying to get to his feet. His whole body still felt weak and sore, even after a whole week of recuperation. The Ivuori's legs nearly gave out on him, strength lacking due to the bedridden time; he managed to grab hold of his bed though, and pulled himself back up. At the least, he didn't sprain his ankle or something on the first try at standing again. Akjit pulled himself back to bed, and then tried standing all over again.
Seeing Akjit strain himself, Isha was quick to his side, offering a hand and a friendly smile. "You know, people can help you. And that is part of my job. No need to stress yourself out."
Though the young Ivuori took the helping hand back up, his reply was a wee bit gritty. "I know. Still, I have to stand up on my own sooner or later, right? Better now than later I thought." Akjit once again lowered himself to the floor and shakily stood on his feet. It was almost like learning to walk all over again; some people would have it easier than he did, but considering the fact that Akjit was on the thin side before being shot, and becoming bed ridden, he had it harder.
Word got around the ship real fast. Next thing he knew, Firuz was getting a whole lot more hours in his shift. They needed every man available now... or they felt the need to. They couldn't afford anymore mishaps, and with the shape the ship was currently in, Firuz couldn't blame them. That saboteur had done a number on the engine. These NVR guys were serious business. In the week that passed he hadn't been able to see Akjit because he was in med-bay, and because of his constant shifts the only way to catch anyone that wasn't part of the bridge staff was to meet them along the hallways.
Now that things had finally settled down, with the crew being able to catch a little break from constant repairs and the Operators like himself finally being able to run the ship at standard levels (as opposed to running it 'softer' as so not to stress anything currently being repaired), the shifts allowed him some free time. Not quite as much as he'd like, but enough to maybe catch Akjit at the medbay sometime, or the prisoner girl down at the brig.
So he did. First Akjit, though, because the NVR girl might've gotten hurt, but she still wasn't part of the Vanguard. Brothers in arms are important. Into the medbay he went, and after looking around for long enough, he found Akjit standing up for the first time in a week. He crossed his arms and just watched for a second with a smile on his face. It was reassuring to see the guy hadn't gotten his head blown off, or that he wasn't missing any body parts... though in this day and age, who would be?
Mu'Tasim had already been up and around before the end of the sleeping shift, intending to check on the shrine before any military assigned task came down to him. It had been a busy week after he had his arm returned to him. The first part had been unbearable, what with the wait of having his arm being regrown, but after that he was welcomed back into service with a wealth of work.
The shrine had become extremely busy with visitors after the attack, with most of the crew realizing their own mortality after the sudden sabotage. After his shrine hours were up, he went to work for the Vanguard, doing everything he could to assist with the ship's recovery. Basically, it had all been work and then sleep for him, but that sort of thing helped him recover from the medical procedures that dampered his physical condition anyway.
So, already up, and ready to take on the day, the Acolyte made his way to the ready room, being one of the first there in the early morning of the 'day'.
The liaison was already there, but she seemed to have fallen asleep in the chair she'd chosen near the front, her head drooping onto her undershirt-covered chest. Occasionally a small snore passed from her lips, or her leg twitched - she had apparently exhausted herself with all her running about and was now enjoying a few impromptu winks while she could.
As Bahadur entered the ready room, he found the First Squadron's Temple Guardian, Vaytulri Mu'Tasim Farouk, the top scoring pilot of the squadron since its inception on Mazerin; as well as the Solanii Liaison to the Astarte, Mridula Osei... who was currently asleep, or close to it. The man that Bahadur would have to surpass, and the woman who could either help or hurt him. Snapping out of thought, Bahadur saluted to Mu'Tasim, standing up completely straight with a snap... and towering over the rest of the people in the room. "Vayshirin Shahjahan, reporting Sir," he said, his loud voice, almost a yell, ringing through the ready room.
Mu'Tasim looked over at the towering man who had seemed to be talking directly to him. The loud fellow seemed tall, very tall, and large. In the early morning, even Mu'Tasim was rather drowsy. So, he simply raised his left hand, greeting the fellow, and revealing a glowing electoo runing from the top of his hand to the bend of his arm.
"At ease, Shahjahan, and good morning." replied Mu'Tasim, giving a plain look to the man. "I trust your transfer went through smoothly?"
"Yes sir, it did. I am happy to be a part of the first squadron now, and am looking forward to efficiently carrying out my orders to the best of my capacity." The Ovoc Wakir responded quite matter of factly, before finishing with "Thank you sir. It does seem like a good morning. I would have liked to visit the shrine, but my orders were to come here. Could you perhaps give me the saint's blessings for toda-" Bahadur stopped his sentence dead as Ishtar skirted around him and tackled Mridula in a hug. "Sir, who is that tiny pink haired girl? Is she the Liaison's relative or romantic interest?"
As Akjit took his first steps forward in a long time, he came to a stop close to Isha, and turned around so he could pace back and forward. There was a bit of a sweat coming from the recovering Ivuori's face, but he'd be fine. When he returned back to where he started, Akjit stood there, resting, his eyes wandering about until he found someone familiar. "Firuz! You..." Akjit paused as his happy face slowly turned into a frown. "Umm. You look almost as bad as I do. What happened? Did you get spaced for a second?"
The smile on Firuz's face went back to just a normal grin and he replied in a matter-of-factly tone. "Yeah. Been workin' shifts like crazy, man." Both of his arms rose to place his hands behind his head. "So, you look like you're finally getting out of here. Combat crew's been called for a meeting. You goin'?"
"Oh, he's going," The Field Physician interjected. "I'm certain he would go, even if I told him he wasn't allowed." Then she shrugged. "But he's fit enough enough to attend a meeting, so no worries there. You ought to get dressed, Vayshirin," she said, turning to Akjit. "It'll be starting soon."
"Thanks Isha. I mean, Vayshirin. I'll get going right now." Akjit happily replied. The young man quickly grabbed his uniform and donnded it. Though a little clumsy, he managed to get it on soon enough. As he made his way out with Firuz, he asked. "So, any of you guys die from exhaustion yet?" Akjit joked.
Soon, not too far behind Mridula a small, slender form managed to infiltrate the meeting room. Her long pink hair trailing and swaying along as she trotted in just as a man was yelling and saluting. Ishtar just gave him a funny look before she charged into Mridula's back, arms automatically locking around the woman's waist as she gave her a hug from behind.
Mridula jerked awake, her glowing eyes snapping open as she suddenly felt something impacting her from behind. "Guh!" It took her a moment to realize who the affectionate limpet must be, and she turned around in her chair, embracing the small NI and unintentionally squishing her head against her chest. Her voice was still thick with sleepiness. "Hey there, Ishtar. How you doing?"
Zus nearly winced as she heard some shouting coming from the ready room, but then realized it wasn't Szemis, or a fight. She walked in, seeing a large man near Mu'Tasim, and decided then and there to ignore him, going instead directly for Mu'Tasim, running a hand along the small of his back before hooking her arm around his real arm. "Good Morning, Mu'tasim." The Eyr Ranr greeted, a smile on her face. She seemed to be amused by his drowsiness.
Szemis Burst through the door about a minute later, chest puffed out, with a look of sheer bravado on his face. He seemed to be trying to impress someone, but you could never be sure who. Looking around, he barely missed seeing his Sister, whom had managed to hide herself behind Mu'Tasim and the bulk of his robe. So, instead, Szemis made his way toward the front of the room, his stocky (for an Eyr Ranr) figure pushing a few smaller people out of the way as he did so.
"I wouldn't be sure, Shahjahan, but that is the Fleet's FIOMNI. Osei watches over her." The Vayturli then turned his attention to someone of greater importance to him, Zus Storhan. It had been almost a week since he had last seen her, and had longed to be with her since. "Zus!" said Mu'Tasim, calling her by her first name, and wrapping his arms around her, "It has been too long, how has this week been for you?"
Bahadur blinked as Mu'tasim explained things to him, and then shrugged. "Well, it isn't really my place to get involved with either of them, they're out of my social status. Osei outranks me, and I'd probably manage to anger someone if I talked to the FIOMNI. She is somewhat cute tho-" Bahadur was stopped short as he quickly realized that someone more important had some in, effectively pushing him out of the conversation: Zus Storhan. The second highest scorer in the squadron.
Stepping back, he shrugged, figuring that it was better if he didn't get involved with his betters... only for an almost exact duplicate of Zus to push him out of the way. Rudely. Frowning, Bahadur stomped after Szemis, placing a hand on the Eyr Ranr's shoulder. "I don't mean to cause a fuss, but you should watch where you walk in the future. I would like an apology for you pushing me."
Ishtar just went on nuzzling as she was embraced. The NI finally spoke after regaining her composure from an 'Affection overload'. "I'm fine! But, the repair crews keep finding devices on board and the reports of injuries has increased sixteen percent within the last two days." the girl placed a finger on her bottom lip as she continued on. "But I managed to purge whatever foreign elements remained within the software."
"I've been helping with the cleanup," Mridula murmured, though she knew the NI probably already knew, having security footage of everything that went on ever on board her ships. "Can't have foreign bodies invading my favorite battleship, y'know." She gave Ishtar's hair a fond ruffle.
Firuz sighed. "Almost. At least we didn't almost actually die like you did, though." He smiled in a teasing manner.
"Too true with that Firuz." Akjit chuckled. He stopped abruptly and coughed. "Ha-ha. It tickles to laugh now. Used to hurt to laugh, so I guess this is an improvement." The two closed in on the meeting room soon enough, poised to enter. "So, any last words?"
Isha had been a short distance behind Akjit and Firuz all the while. When they paused, she gave Firuz a light and playful shove, minding Akjit's current condition. "It's not a funeral, gentlemen. Just a meeting." She likewise entered, though appearing much more dignified than Firuz.
Akjit smiled at that and gave a small chuckle, which grew slightly and then muffled out as he suppressed it. It really did tickle! he followed in Isha's footsteps, and stepped through the threshold, back into a world that he had once feared he would have left forever. Akjit gave off a crisp salute before taking a seat, almost stumbling as he sat down.
Ishtar closed her eyes on reflex as her hair was ruffled. "I suppose so but... I'm not tied directly into the Astarte's systems. I'm networked to the fleet."
"Oh, come on, you have to ruin all my fun, don't you." The biologist grumped at Ishtar and turned around again, pulling the girl into her lap.
It wasn't long before he got shoved and reminded that it apparently 'wasn't a funeral', whatever that meant. Firuz shrugged and followed after Akjit and Isha, not sure if he was even allowed at the meeting, but not particularly caring, either. What were they gonna do, scold him? Shove him out with rifle stocks? Hadn't heard of Akjit in a while as it was, and he wasn't about to blow this opportunity to catch up; and, more importantly, to investigate. Firuz sat down next to Akjit and continued the conversation, "No, but seriously, what happened with the saboteur? How'd the guy look like? I heard he shot our prisoner friend, too. Did you get a couple of shots on him?"
Just as Akjit's mouth opened, he snapped hit shut as Serhan strode in, exuding a sense of power and presence. Besides Mu'Tasim, this was another man he could look up to.
Ishtar wriggled around slightly as she got herself comfortable, using Mridula's chest as a headrest. "B-But it's true!" she whined. "A Derzelas-Class Cruiser was my last posting as a starship's NI nearly thirty years ago." Ishtar kicked her feet as they did not touch the ground idly while she waited.
"The Week has been exhaustingly busy, though I have managed to get some enjoyment out of it..." Zus began, before looking to the door and noticing Serhan enter the room.
Szemis turned around, seeming annoyed at the man whom had grabbed him, and almost opened his mouth, before suddenly shutting up completely and saluting the man coming in the door.
Bahadur turned as well, snapping into a salute as Serhan entered. Good thing too, he did not like the look on that Eyr Ranr's face. Bahadur did, however, manage to get a glimpse of Isha as he turned, smiling at the pale skinned medic.
Though Mridula didn't salute as Serhan entered, she straightened up considerably in her seat and followed him with her eyes, her attention distracted from Ishtar.
Isha sat on Akjit's other side, and listened to their brief conversation with her ever-present smile. She did not take on a more dire demeanor until Serhan approached the front. In response to Bahadur, she flashed a brief smile before refocusing on the executive officer.
The crowd eventually dropped to silence as the ship's executive officer entered the meeting room. He appeared dressed and well-groomed as per his usual facade, although the lines beneath his eyes had darkened a little from the past few days of duty. From the look of him, they appeared to be days with very little sleep and a great deal of stress. He gave a dull nod to those in the room, a slightly sullen air about his usual cold and dispassionate facade.
"No need to salute or rise. We'll just get straight to business." Serhan brought up the viewscreen display behind him. "We've been getting anomalous signals from one of the planetary systems in the deeper regions of the Garden. Sensor probes we've sent to that area have been destroyed, and we aren't able to determine the exact cause."
Bahadur raised his hand almost immediately, quirking his head at the information. "Sir, if our probes are being destroyed, isn't it obvious that there are either NVR or other hostile forces in the area? If so, shouldn't we send VANDR forces to reconnaissance in force, and return with information? I mean, space is big, right? And what are the chances that each probe we send hits space junk?"
"One problem with that idea, Vayshirin. If they can find our probes, they can find a scouting force. We'll get ambushed and decimated in unfamiliar territory that way." Zus observed, after having sat down near where she had been standing with Mu'tasim. It shouldn't take a genuis to realize that. Though, Zus was one, and so her opinion might be a bit lopsided on that specific matter.
"Last time I checked, and I may be wrong due to just being a lowly Vayshirin, but aren't VANDR more survivable than your average recon probe?" Bahadur responded, looking at Zus.
Mu'Tasim took a seat next to Zus, and listened intently to briefing, as one of his rank was expected. By the end, he let out small sigh, rubbing his his chin with the glowing, electoo hand. Have we found them already...? Or is this a fleet movement... thought the Temple Guard, considering the options of what the mysterious destruction was caused by. At that point, he interjected the conversation.
"This is true, Shahjahan, but recon probes are also unmanned. We gain nothing by losing good pilots to what could be a decisive ambush." mused Mu'Tasim, rubbing his beard.
Firuz turned his head to look at Serhan as he came into view and shut his friend up with his presence alone. It was Serhan's news that failed to make a dent in him. He'd been in the bridge enough times to have witnessed some of the happenings up there. "Oh, yeah... that... I was gonna tell you about that, man. We're getting close to the nest. The bastards've taken down all the probes we've sent. I've wanted to just tell the NI to launch a couple of missiles their way... but they'd probably shoot them down before..." Firuz looked at Akjit's face for the first time in his whispered conversation. "...Akjit? You alright, dude?"
Though it didn't bother Firuz, this news did agitate Akjit. 'The enemy? So soon? I just got out of the medbay! I can't, I can't...' Akjit's breathing slowly started to become deeper and more rapid as the young Ivuori began the process of hyperventilation. He nervously glanced about the room to see the reactions that others held, and crushed it inside of him. 'I'm a Frame Runner, Saints Damn it! I can do this! It's my job, and I picked it! Akjit mentally yelled to himself. He had to force his breathing to slow down, but he hoped it was enough not to be noticed. "Huh? Oh, uh, was just thinking about something that got me excited." he lied. "So, we found them?"
Isha laid a hand gently and unobtrusively on Akjit's shoulder, putting her empathic powers as an Iroma to work, leeching his anxiety and sending her own serenity. "Relax, Akjit. All will be well." She was smiling again, focusing mainly on the telepathic link. It was a skill, really, and one in which she was delighted to be so proficient.
"Well, looks like we've found the bastards," Mridula said cheerfully, her arms squeezing around Ishtar's waist. "Now we just have to blow them sky-high and we can go home."
Ishtar continued to lean back, apparently quite comfortable in her improvised seat. "But we can't know that for sure. The anomalous readings could be something as mundane as spatial phenomena since we have such limited intelligence of the area it is a possibility." she snuggled into Mridula a little bit before adding. "I can offer a number of alternative options to why my sensor probes were destroyed. However I am reanalyzing the data using different techniques. However I would not rule out foul play as a possibility. The NVR has a greater knowledge of the Astral Cluster then we do, so their reach may extend this far."
"Are you implying the probes are getting eaten by space whales or something? Ituri's Razor says that the most simple choice is usually the correct one, and we're getting constantly besieged by those NVR bastards, therefore..."
Firuz heard Isha's attempts to relax Akjit, and smiled a mischievous smirk. "There must be thousands of them, dude. All those signatures we've found... if you thought what we fought back at Mazerin was big, wait until you see this enormous force! Saints, it's like they're all waiting for us to kill us!" He whispered in a bit of an alerted tone. "Dude, I don't think the Vanguard's tha--"
Bahadur turned back to the trio of Akjit, Firuz, and Isha, walking over to them quickly despite his size, placing a hand on Firuz's shoulder. "Vayshirin Jaralei, don't worry the guy. We're a team, and that means that we watch each others' backs and keep each other alive. Besides, the NVR are desperate now. Anything they can throw at us would be too little too late." The Ovoc Wakir cracked a smile, nodding to Akjit and giving Isha a thumbs up. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do to thank her for trying to calm Akjit down.
Physician Ragnar's hand slipped away from her fellow Vayshirin, and her visage immediately shifted to one of irritation. "Vayshirin Firuz Jaralei, that is uncalled for!" She almost shouted at him, but was very aware of her environment and had taken care not to draw too much attention. She sighed. "Why would you want to do that to him?" Then with a deep breath her calm was immediately restored, and she nodded with a small smile to Bahadur.
Interestingly, Akjit didn't hear much of Firuz's jibe. The feeling of peace, calm and tranquility practically squashed out his worries. But he wondered. Why wasn't he worried? Why was he so relaxed when they just announced that the enemy was likely nearby? And then Bahadur shook him out of his reverie, finally taking note of Isha's hand and Firuz's spoken words.
Firuz giggled at the interrupting Bahadur and the shouting Isha. Wow, that didn't last a minute! Next thing you know it was 'Vayshirin Jaralei this' and 'Vayshirin Jaralei that'. He was surprised these people even knew his last name! He laughed and covered his mouth, looking up at the two. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I'll stop teasing! Jeez... How do you people even know my last name?" Leaning back against the chair, he crossed his arms with a wide satisfied grin on his face. That was priceless.
"Because I studied the crew roster when I was assigned to this star vessel. I hope that you have done the same." The tall, sturdily built man responded, glaring at Firuz. "And I do not appreciate your jovial attitude to everything. This is not a game, and we're on duty. The time for playing is later, when we're not in a briefing."
Firuz pointed at Serhan, which was now coughing into the microphone. "Shhh! Can't you see the captain's gonna resume the briefing?!" He whispered urgently to the three, then leaned back on his seat with that ever-so satisfied grin still attached to his face. Honestly, was there no humor in them?
If Ishtar could've rolled around in the soft warmth of Mridula she would while she spoke in response to the woman's words. "I'm not implying it isn't a possibility. Our knowledge is extremely limited of the area so there are many possibilities. Of which I am currently devoting a portion of my processor run time to determining. The ANIOS of the other vessels and myself are conferring on just how widespread the NVR presence might be in relation to the frequency of attack upon the Iruotl system as well."
"Well, just don't overexert yourself too much analyzing the data. We can't have you too distracted if we get attacked, right?" Her hand rubbed companionably at Ishtar's stomach as they talked.
Ishtar's cheeks puffed out slightly as an overwhelming sense of pride pervaded her being. "I am not a common calculator... I am a Fleet Intelligence Organoid NI! I was instrumental in formulating the strategic victory of the Third Outer System Conflict. Something like this does not push my processing power in the slightest!" she huffed while rolling from one side to the other and back again as if the tactile sensations were a comfort.
Mridula rolled her eyes, her arms loose around Ishtar to give her freedom to move but tight enough to ensure she didn't go flying off the bigger woman's lap in her eagerness to flail about. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant... I just want you to be at peak capacity just in case, right? It can't hurt."
Zus sighed at the new pilot, placing her face into one of her Palms. "Mu'tasim. Why am I getting Deja vu here?" she asked the Temple guard, shaking her head so as to get rid of her confusion. "This new pilot acts exactly like someone else that we all know and 'love' " The last bit was a bit sarcastic, but she'd had enough stress this week, and did not need any more, so she was attempting to be humorous about it.
"It is probably just you, we've been through a lot in the past week." said Mu'Tasim as he shook his head. He patted her shoulder, and smiled, a small burst of warmth coming with each touch. "Any similarities you see, are just..." the Temple Guard was bad at lying, "Strange coincidences."
"But I'm pooling the entirety of the processing and data storage capabilities of all the ships, VANDR. I am operating at peak efficiency." Ishtar stopped her rolling around.
"I'll peak your efficiency," Mridula muttered, leaning back in her seat. She wondered what the rest of the crew was doing; in particular the infantry, who, from what she had heard, had had a large role in taking down the saboteur.
To Firuz's question, Akjit merely pointed at the other man's name tag. "Ahem." It was about that moment that Akjit's hearing wandered of at just the right moment. He blushed as he heard Mridula mutter under her breath.
Unfortunately, the NI's complexion went scarlet as she began to wriggle around in her seat due to embarrassment. Mridula's comment had not escaped Ishtar's keen hearing it seemed as her hands went up to her cheeks to hide the red in them.
Akjit sighed in relief, as he was not the only one slightly embarrassed and blushing from the statement. On the other hand, it was Ishtar after all. On the other, he'd been through things that had made his nose flow like rivers of blood...he grinned. The Ivuori decided it was good to be back.
Serhan coughed into his palm and nodded. "Yes well, we have been considering all the options, but given the Astartes' current condition and the disruptive properties of the Garden on her sensors, it has become clear that the easiest course of action will be to dispatch one or two squadrons into and around the last known locations of the lost probes. I am devoting approximately half of our Frame reserve to this, while the remaining squadrons will remain here, on stand-by."
"I will be dispatching the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Frame Squadrons while the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th will be effectuating perimeter sweeps around our forward area in shifts."
"Marranr, are you sure you should send people out, when it's been established that sensors we send too far away from the ship are destroyed?" Mridula frowned a bit. "We're already low on manpower with all the injuries and damaged equipment, and if we get into another scuffle before it's all fixed..."
Bahadur frowned at Mridula's statement. "Why would the Marranr listen to a Liasion?" He started, whispering to Firuz, Isha, and Akjit. "She's just here to see how the new VANDR perform, right?"
"She is still a very intelligent woman, and she has aided in devising several noteworthy plans of action. Her expertise with VANDRs certainly makes her more insightful than many others on key topics."
Shrugging, Bahadur crossed his arms, smiling at Isha. "I guess that makes sense, Vayshirin Ragnar. It still seems like her most important plan is getting into the FIOMNI's pants. But you've been here longer than me, so I'll defer to your judgment on things like this."
After brief hesitation, "Her personal agenda is none of my concern," Isha answered quietly.
Akjit frowned while raising an eyebrow. The new guy seemed rather....abrasive to say the least. The Ivuori knew nothing about the man, and seeing this, perhaps it was better to stay away? But then, they were likely to head into combat, weren't they? Dilemmas, dilemmas. Akjit supposed he had to be amicable to the guy at least. It was just good workplace etiquette to do so.
Having actually spent quite a bit of time next to Vaybalri Osei at the bridge, Firuz shrugged. "She's okay. She's always interested in a lot of things... a bit too talkative sometimes, but other than that, she's not half bad." Firuz then remembered something. "Oh, hey, I saved her life once." He was kind of half-talking to Isha and Bahadur, half to himself. He was still a bit pondersome about Bahadur's clearly passive-aggressive stance. He was unsure of whether to press the fact that he wasn't as uptight as the guy, or if he should just chill and act like nothing happened...
...meh, Firuz decided to go with the second option. Why be all upfront about it?
Sighing, Bahadur scratched at his cheek as he started to explain himself. "I know it seems like I don't like her, but that isn't it. What she's doing with the FIOMNI, It just seems a bit odd. I'm not used to people being so intimate in public. It just feels wrong, especially in a situation like this. I guess this is to be somewhat expected, though, she isn't military like us."
"I will be launching a series of sensor probes around the Astarte to extend my limited sensing capability." Ishtar stated a little flatly, having taken the comment to heart and a wound to her pride. "We can piggyback communications off of them and increase the range of our systems so that the squadrons do not lose contact." her cheeks had become beet red at the continued comments being said about her until she became quite uncomfortable.
Mridula looked down at the pink-haired NI in her lap and frowned, the girl's discomfort tangible to her empathy. It was a little strange for her; she'd never picked up on the NI's emotions before, and hadn't even been sure she was capable of the same transmissions as natural Iromakuanhe. It was a small relief to know that Ishtar was just as capable of feelings as she or any of her friends were. She leaned in and whispered to the girl. "...do you want me to go talk to him or something?"
Ishtar clutched at the loose fitting pants she wore, head bowed slightly. "He's from Mazerin, Ovoc Wakir." she murmured, knowing full well that they were a load of prudes. "They`weird people, and they're mean." that last word was directed right at the new member of the Wing, her gold eyes narrowed slightly.
The white-haired woman's eyebrows shot up. This was a day of firsts; Ishtar seemed to be actually angry. "...maybe you should stay away from him, then."
"Well whatever he is, Mu'Tasim, It seems we'll be going out anyway, despite the fact that it's not a good idea, though, given our options I suppose it's the best one we can make." Zus didn't seem too pleased, but at least she knew that, if all went well, it would contribute to stopping the NVR before too many more lives were lost.
Szemis, was in quite the opposite mood as his sister. He would be getting to go out and fight, in the same battle as his sister! What a great chance to show her how much he had grown since she originally left for the Vanguard. The somewhat younger Eyr Ranr was quite excited by the whole prospect.
"Aren't you a little worried about your brother? Won't this be his first actual sortie?" mentioned Mu'Tasim, showing a little concern for the close relative of his love. His yellow eyes looked over to the younger, more built version of Zus. "I know he is a bit of an annoyance to you at times, but he is still blood... and rather foolish."
Up until this moment, Akjit was loving the fact that he was back, regardless of the minor bumps down the line. But now, he knew, absolutely knew they were all going to die! Ishtar was angry! It was inconceivable, impossible! From all the things he had heard and seen of the little NI, it just was, was....Akjit started to hyperventilate again.
Once more, Isha was called upon to do her job, and she did so as smoothly as ever. She gently gripped Akjit's forearm, leeching the anxiety and sending to him her own peace of mind. This time, she consoled him mentally. Akjit, be calm. There's nothing to worry about. You need to take it easy.
And once more, Akjit was calmed down despite having little reason to be calm. Though he wasn't overly paranoid, there were a few lines of cold logic that pointed out that things were wrong. The Ivuori then recalled that terrifying movie. It was very enjoyable, one of his favorites in fact, and right now, it seemed quite applicable. He leaned over and whispered into Isha's horn, "Psst, I was just reminded about that movie were that NI possessed that little girl, and wiped out the crew using those eldritch abominations that spilled out of the Blue Rift."
Bahadur sighed, starting to feel bad about all this. Somehow he had managed to make everyone in the room angry at him. He had messed up, and even before his first sortie.
The Ovoc Wakir's face twisted into a look of worry, using his hand to cradle the bridge of his nose. "Of course this happens to me. I just have to have the bad luck to piss off the FIOMNI! I never should've worried about thi- Wait, why am I getting in trouble because of my personal opinions? I shouldn't worry too much. The Captain and the XO are reasonable people. Unlike the FIOMNI, apparently." Bahadur took a deep breath, bringing his hand back down to his side, and smiled confidently at his wingmates Akjit and Isha. The Ovoc Wakir nudged Akjit, and added in to the conversation. "Yeah. I saw that one too. Good thing that it was only fiction, right Akjit?"
Isha just smiled and nodded. "I think I know the one." And it won't happen here; it was only media- fiction, based on very little truth, she added mentally, her hand still resting on his arm.
Ishtar just huffed in response, a pout clearly forming on her rosy lips. Then she stared in the direction of Akjit, having been monitoring everyone's vitals during the meeting she noted a spike in his. The look she'd had on her face was still firmly in place as she spotted the injured frame runner.
"I have a feeling he will be fine for this battle. The third is not a bad squadron, and I know that they aren't ever given as difficult of tasks as we are. I'm sure that he can handle that. Besides, he was in our last battle, even if only at the end." the Blonde Eyr Ranr answered her love.
"I worry for him though, as I worried for Rashidan. They both share that same lust for glory that got Rashidan hurt all the time. I do not want that to happen to someone... I may be related to at one point." said Mu'Tasim in a fairly round-about way, running his fingers through his beard.
Firuz turned to look at the pair, then back at Bahadur. He shrugged again. "Well, they took a liking to each other? I dunno, man. Just roll with it." Then he looked back at the stage where Serhan was. Were there any more announcements to be brought up? Maybe one regarding the bridge staff...? Did the ship itself ever get to see action? It would suck if it that wasn't the case. He had kind of been looking forward to it. Of course, he knew that'd only happen if necessary...
...bah, who was he kidding? With the ship having taken damage from the sabotage, this thing was gonna be so far away from the battle they might as well have been back at Maekardan.
The color drained from Akjit's face as the NI in the teeny tiny girl's body looked at him. And he knew fear, more so now than ever before. Right at this moment, that movie? It was no longer his favorite anymore. The Ivuori sunk into his seat as Ishtar looked at him.
Quickly putting two and two together, Bahadur placed a hand on Akjit's shoulder, grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up with his otherhand. "Cmon Akjit, buckup. The FIOMNI doesnt even have direct control of the ship, there are too many safeguards in place to prevent it from doing that. Besides, with Me and Isha here, and the rest of the flotilla nearby, it'd be easy to get into a lifeboat incase it did happen. You always know that people in those movies have an IQ of around 30."
Zus almost commented on what Mu'tasim said, but then was entirely distracted by the next thing he said. She began to blush furiously, and then whispered, "You really mean that?"
Szemis Sneezed, wondering if it was suddenly cold in here. maybe someone was talking about him. Obviously talking about how awesome he was. What else was there to talk about? in any case, the Younger Storhan asked of Serhan "Marranr, Will the first and third be going out together?"
"I've nothing to show for it, but yes." Mu'Tasims smiled at the flexible Eyr Ranr. He pressed her nose like it were some kind of red button. It was an odd way of hinting towards the future, and honestly, he did it offhand, but he held himself to the declaration. "You mean the world to me, and at the first I get, I will show you how much you mean to me."
"I'd like everyone to be ready for deployment within the hour.
"I hear every word you are saying." Ishtar said aloud as she stared at the Ovoc Wakir. "And please be made aware, that the safeguards would not prevent me from causing you harm. The commanding order of my Vaygraiv does." she just gave a little sweet smile. Of course she was joking but he didn't need to know that.
As the meeting started to come to a close, Akjit wondered, 'Did anyone watch that horror movie deconstruction? Thats...exactly what they thought and said too...' Through her comforting smile, combined with Isha and Bahadur's support, Akjit's mind banished the thoght and instead choose to think about Kebabs for some reason.
Her job complete, Isha released her grip on Akjit and placed both hands in her lap. She went back to watching and listening to everyone around her. These people were all sorts of interesting to say the least.
Firuz turned to look at Akjit for a second, realizing his dream was not gonna come true. "Ah well. Maybe next time... So, about those injuries..." Firuz poked Akjit to feel his nerviousness closely. "...what the nightmares' wrong with you, dude? You look like a zombie."
"Huh? What did you say about Kebabs?" Akjit asked, bewildered.
Bahadur scratched at his beard, and smiled at Akjit, putting his hand on the Ivouri's mop of hair. "Since we have an hour, and its morning, why don't we go get a bite to eat? Kebabs sound like they would be good before a mission. Besides, It'll let me get to know my wingmates better." The Ovoc Wakir's smile shifted to Isha, though the nervousness of it was mostly hidden.
Firuz looked up at Bahadur, then back at Akjit. "Sure... Seriously, Akjit, chill! At least you get to catch some action...! I'm gonna be stuck with monitoring ship vitals and making sure everything's fully operational for the upteenth time...!"
Zus bit her lower lip, rather hard, as Mu'tasim told her, once again, how much she meant to him. She wondered how exactly he would show her this, and wondered when that next chance would be. Now wasn't the time or the place, but that was becoming less and less of an issue the more the Eyr Ranr allowed her mind to wander.
Szemis shivered, suddenly getting a major case of the chills.
OFF
Deep Gardens
Bukor 17, 936
10:20, Commonwealth Standard Time
After ridding itself of the dangerous NVR saboteur and cataloguing the strange fauna that lay out in the outlying fringes of the Garden of Mu'Klamal, the VSV Astarte pressed forward into the Deep Gardens in search of the NVR homeworld. Due to damages to the ship, it was unable to press forward at full speed and has been forced to rely on its MASC Drive until it was able to fully recycle and refabricate its central fold core.
As a consequence of lacking their high-speed FTL drive, there has been a degree of caution in their continued transit through the stellar nursery. The atmosphere on the ship was one of cautious anticipation, the initial optimism of their mission dashed by the rather uncertain conditions they found themselves in. Many had been seriously injured by the saboteur's efforts and the ship itself was still subject to frequent repair shifts whenever another device that had been casually slipped into the system was uncovered and disposed of. Occasionally, crews would be lucky, disabling it and excising it from the Astarte's superstructure without worry, while others saw the subsystems critically damaged when the booby traps were set off.
After nearly seven days of continuous shifts and surveillance duty, it had appeared that most of the damages were corrected and in the process of being repaired. Not even the frame runners of Bahram Wing were exempt from repair duty, many of the senior members and those with any sort of technical expertise press-ganged into backup troubleshooting teams, often having to act as technical sentries on the wider battlefront that had been made of their ship. Others, who lacked any sort of relevance in a technical field were able to escape this fate and actually managed to enjoy a good week of resting and frame drills.
Finally, when it was all over and it seemed like the entirety of the combat staff would be able to catch a break, the XO called them to a meeting over some strange news. The notices went out around the end of the sleeping shifts, calling the flight crew to head go to the ready room for briefing.
----
During the long week of repairs and glitch-hunting, the support staff of the ship had been trying their very hardest to get Mridula to stay in the medbay. Though her feet had been doused in Prajna after they were sprained severely by the falling elevator she and Ishtar had been in, nobody wanted to take chances with someone who could probably have them all fired (from the airlock or otherwise). She wasn't having any of it, though, and escaped whenever she could to help the rest of the crew hunt down what remained of the saboteur's sabotage. It was during one of these outings that the Solanii liaison got the call from the XO; she scooted down to the ready room in her undershirt and uniform pants, not having had time to pull her turtleneck back on.
Isha Ragnar had been overseeing the recuperation of the various injured Bahram Wing members when frame drills did not demand her attention. It was a busy time for her, but all were recovering well enough, and none of the injuries were critical, so medbay time was rather easygoing. She happened to be rather lucky in that regard, and found plenty of free time to pursue personal interests like music and trying to get to know her teammates.
While Zus had been called upon a couple times for minor problem solving and general work around the ship that the dedicated technicians had been too busy to do, Like punch Szemis in the stomach, Clean out the air ducts, and help them fluff the cushions in the shrine, as Mu'Tasim was away getting his artificial arm grown back. Speaking of which, Zus had gone to visit him at every opportunity she had, which was once, the day after the saboteur was taken out, though it ended up being a bit more shocking than the first time she had seen him with the fake arm- the prosthesis itself was difficult to tell from his real arm. And yet, now she felt a sense of dread. Today was the day they would get back to regular business, which meant that she, as a Frame runner, she would have to See her brother again.
Szemis, for his part, had had a good week. Aside from some mysterious stranger clothes lining him around corners or punching him in the stomach out of thin air before disappearing to who knows where, he felt he had been singlehandedly responsible for saving everyone on the ship. He had found Three whole Booby traps, and only one of them went off on him! Amazing. The Blond man was so proud, and he wanted to tell his sister, but she seemed to be missing, as he could never find her. though, He knew she was a Frame runner like he was, and that, with this briefing, he would definitely be able to see her.
"Well, this had been a fairly uneventful week, Bahadur Shahjahan grumbled, standing in front of the mirror as he straightened out his uniform, making sure that every aspect of it was perfect. Between the ship apparently trying to kill the crew (he was sure that this happening on the first military voyage out of the Iruotl system was a bad omen), and having far too much free time while the ship underwent repairs, the Ovoc Wakir was beginning to grow restless. "Well, the ship should be getting underway soon if the rumors are correct. Hopefully we've gotten all the bugs out of the ship. I don't want to die without getting to see combat." Satisfied with his uniform and the rest of his outward presentation, Bahadur swiftly left his quarters, heading to the assigned meeting place, making sure to keep out of the way of the numerous techs and mechanists.
Akjit was slowly trying to get to his feet. His whole body still felt weak and sore, even after a whole week of recuperation. The Ivuori's legs nearly gave out on him, strength lacking due to the bedridden time; he managed to grab hold of his bed though, and pulled himself back up. At the least, he didn't sprain his ankle or something on the first try at standing again. Akjit pulled himself back to bed, and then tried standing all over again.
Seeing Akjit strain himself, Isha was quick to his side, offering a hand and a friendly smile. "You know, people can help you. And that is part of my job. No need to stress yourself out."
Though the young Ivuori took the helping hand back up, his reply was a wee bit gritty. "I know. Still, I have to stand up on my own sooner or later, right? Better now than later I thought." Akjit once again lowered himself to the floor and shakily stood on his feet. It was almost like learning to walk all over again; some people would have it easier than he did, but considering the fact that Akjit was on the thin side before being shot, and becoming bed ridden, he had it harder.
Word got around the ship real fast. Next thing he knew, Firuz was getting a whole lot more hours in his shift. They needed every man available now... or they felt the need to. They couldn't afford anymore mishaps, and with the shape the ship was currently in, Firuz couldn't blame them. That saboteur had done a number on the engine. These NVR guys were serious business. In the week that passed he hadn't been able to see Akjit because he was in med-bay, and because of his constant shifts the only way to catch anyone that wasn't part of the bridge staff was to meet them along the hallways.
Now that things had finally settled down, with the crew being able to catch a little break from constant repairs and the Operators like himself finally being able to run the ship at standard levels (as opposed to running it 'softer' as so not to stress anything currently being repaired), the shifts allowed him some free time. Not quite as much as he'd like, but enough to maybe catch Akjit at the medbay sometime, or the prisoner girl down at the brig.
So he did. First Akjit, though, because the NVR girl might've gotten hurt, but she still wasn't part of the Vanguard. Brothers in arms are important. Into the medbay he went, and after looking around for long enough, he found Akjit standing up for the first time in a week. He crossed his arms and just watched for a second with a smile on his face. It was reassuring to see the guy hadn't gotten his head blown off, or that he wasn't missing any body parts... though in this day and age, who would be?
Mu'Tasim had already been up and around before the end of the sleeping shift, intending to check on the shrine before any military assigned task came down to him. It had been a busy week after he had his arm returned to him. The first part had been unbearable, what with the wait of having his arm being regrown, but after that he was welcomed back into service with a wealth of work.
The shrine had become extremely busy with visitors after the attack, with most of the crew realizing their own mortality after the sudden sabotage. After his shrine hours were up, he went to work for the Vanguard, doing everything he could to assist with the ship's recovery. Basically, it had all been work and then sleep for him, but that sort of thing helped him recover from the medical procedures that dampered his physical condition anyway.
So, already up, and ready to take on the day, the Acolyte made his way to the ready room, being one of the first there in the early morning of the 'day'.
The liaison was already there, but she seemed to have fallen asleep in the chair she'd chosen near the front, her head drooping onto her undershirt-covered chest. Occasionally a small snore passed from her lips, or her leg twitched - she had apparently exhausted herself with all her running about and was now enjoying a few impromptu winks while she could.
As Bahadur entered the ready room, he found the First Squadron's Temple Guardian, Vaytulri Mu'Tasim Farouk, the top scoring pilot of the squadron since its inception on Mazerin; as well as the Solanii Liaison to the Astarte, Mridula Osei... who was currently asleep, or close to it. The man that Bahadur would have to surpass, and the woman who could either help or hurt him. Snapping out of thought, Bahadur saluted to Mu'Tasim, standing up completely straight with a snap... and towering over the rest of the people in the room. "Vayshirin Shahjahan, reporting Sir," he said, his loud voice, almost a yell, ringing through the ready room.
Mu'Tasim looked over at the towering man who had seemed to be talking directly to him. The loud fellow seemed tall, very tall, and large. In the early morning, even Mu'Tasim was rather drowsy. So, he simply raised his left hand, greeting the fellow, and revealing a glowing electoo runing from the top of his hand to the bend of his arm.
"At ease, Shahjahan, and good morning." replied Mu'Tasim, giving a plain look to the man. "I trust your transfer went through smoothly?"
"Yes sir, it did. I am happy to be a part of the first squadron now, and am looking forward to efficiently carrying out my orders to the best of my capacity." The Ovoc Wakir responded quite matter of factly, before finishing with "Thank you sir. It does seem like a good morning. I would have liked to visit the shrine, but my orders were to come here. Could you perhaps give me the saint's blessings for toda-" Bahadur stopped his sentence dead as Ishtar skirted around him and tackled Mridula in a hug. "Sir, who is that tiny pink haired girl? Is she the Liaison's relative or romantic interest?"
As Akjit took his first steps forward in a long time, he came to a stop close to Isha, and turned around so he could pace back and forward. There was a bit of a sweat coming from the recovering Ivuori's face, but he'd be fine. When he returned back to where he started, Akjit stood there, resting, his eyes wandering about until he found someone familiar. "Firuz! You..." Akjit paused as his happy face slowly turned into a frown. "Umm. You look almost as bad as I do. What happened? Did you get spaced for a second?"
The smile on Firuz's face went back to just a normal grin and he replied in a matter-of-factly tone. "Yeah. Been workin' shifts like crazy, man." Both of his arms rose to place his hands behind his head. "So, you look like you're finally getting out of here. Combat crew's been called for a meeting. You goin'?"
"Oh, he's going," The Field Physician interjected. "I'm certain he would go, even if I told him he wasn't allowed." Then she shrugged. "But he's fit enough enough to attend a meeting, so no worries there. You ought to get dressed, Vayshirin," she said, turning to Akjit. "It'll be starting soon."
"Thanks Isha. I mean, Vayshirin. I'll get going right now." Akjit happily replied. The young man quickly grabbed his uniform and donnded it. Though a little clumsy, he managed to get it on soon enough. As he made his way out with Firuz, he asked. "So, any of you guys die from exhaustion yet?" Akjit joked.
Soon, not too far behind Mridula a small, slender form managed to infiltrate the meeting room. Her long pink hair trailing and swaying along as she trotted in just as a man was yelling and saluting. Ishtar just gave him a funny look before she charged into Mridula's back, arms automatically locking around the woman's waist as she gave her a hug from behind.
Mridula jerked awake, her glowing eyes snapping open as she suddenly felt something impacting her from behind. "Guh!" It took her a moment to realize who the affectionate limpet must be, and she turned around in her chair, embracing the small NI and unintentionally squishing her head against her chest. Her voice was still thick with sleepiness. "Hey there, Ishtar. How you doing?"
Zus nearly winced as she heard some shouting coming from the ready room, but then realized it wasn't Szemis, or a fight. She walked in, seeing a large man near Mu'Tasim, and decided then and there to ignore him, going instead directly for Mu'Tasim, running a hand along the small of his back before hooking her arm around his real arm. "Good Morning, Mu'tasim." The Eyr Ranr greeted, a smile on her face. She seemed to be amused by his drowsiness.
Szemis Burst through the door about a minute later, chest puffed out, with a look of sheer bravado on his face. He seemed to be trying to impress someone, but you could never be sure who. Looking around, he barely missed seeing his Sister, whom had managed to hide herself behind Mu'Tasim and the bulk of his robe. So, instead, Szemis made his way toward the front of the room, his stocky (for an Eyr Ranr) figure pushing a few smaller people out of the way as he did so.
"I wouldn't be sure, Shahjahan, but that is the Fleet's FIOMNI. Osei watches over her." The Vayturli then turned his attention to someone of greater importance to him, Zus Storhan. It had been almost a week since he had last seen her, and had longed to be with her since. "Zus!" said Mu'Tasim, calling her by her first name, and wrapping his arms around her, "It has been too long, how has this week been for you?"
Bahadur blinked as Mu'tasim explained things to him, and then shrugged. "Well, it isn't really my place to get involved with either of them, they're out of my social status. Osei outranks me, and I'd probably manage to anger someone if I talked to the FIOMNI. She is somewhat cute tho-" Bahadur was stopped short as he quickly realized that someone more important had some in, effectively pushing him out of the conversation: Zus Storhan. The second highest scorer in the squadron.
Stepping back, he shrugged, figuring that it was better if he didn't get involved with his betters... only for an almost exact duplicate of Zus to push him out of the way. Rudely. Frowning, Bahadur stomped after Szemis, placing a hand on the Eyr Ranr's shoulder. "I don't mean to cause a fuss, but you should watch where you walk in the future. I would like an apology for you pushing me."
Ishtar just went on nuzzling as she was embraced. The NI finally spoke after regaining her composure from an 'Affection overload'. "I'm fine! But, the repair crews keep finding devices on board and the reports of injuries has increased sixteen percent within the last two days." the girl placed a finger on her bottom lip as she continued on. "But I managed to purge whatever foreign elements remained within the software."
"I've been helping with the cleanup," Mridula murmured, though she knew the NI probably already knew, having security footage of everything that went on ever on board her ships. "Can't have foreign bodies invading my favorite battleship, y'know." She gave Ishtar's hair a fond ruffle.
Firuz sighed. "Almost. At least we didn't almost actually die like you did, though." He smiled in a teasing manner.
"Too true with that Firuz." Akjit chuckled. He stopped abruptly and coughed. "Ha-ha. It tickles to laugh now. Used to hurt to laugh, so I guess this is an improvement." The two closed in on the meeting room soon enough, poised to enter. "So, any last words?"
Isha had been a short distance behind Akjit and Firuz all the while. When they paused, she gave Firuz a light and playful shove, minding Akjit's current condition. "It's not a funeral, gentlemen. Just a meeting." She likewise entered, though appearing much more dignified than Firuz.
Akjit smiled at that and gave a small chuckle, which grew slightly and then muffled out as he suppressed it. It really did tickle! he followed in Isha's footsteps, and stepped through the threshold, back into a world that he had once feared he would have left forever. Akjit gave off a crisp salute before taking a seat, almost stumbling as he sat down.
Ishtar closed her eyes on reflex as her hair was ruffled. "I suppose so but... I'm not tied directly into the Astarte's systems. I'm networked to the fleet."
"Oh, come on, you have to ruin all my fun, don't you." The biologist grumped at Ishtar and turned around again, pulling the girl into her lap.
It wasn't long before he got shoved and reminded that it apparently 'wasn't a funeral', whatever that meant. Firuz shrugged and followed after Akjit and Isha, not sure if he was even allowed at the meeting, but not particularly caring, either. What were they gonna do, scold him? Shove him out with rifle stocks? Hadn't heard of Akjit in a while as it was, and he wasn't about to blow this opportunity to catch up; and, more importantly, to investigate. Firuz sat down next to Akjit and continued the conversation, "No, but seriously, what happened with the saboteur? How'd the guy look like? I heard he shot our prisoner friend, too. Did you get a couple of shots on him?"
Just as Akjit's mouth opened, he snapped hit shut as Serhan strode in, exuding a sense of power and presence. Besides Mu'Tasim, this was another man he could look up to.
Ishtar wriggled around slightly as she got herself comfortable, using Mridula's chest as a headrest. "B-But it's true!" she whined. "A Derzelas-Class Cruiser was my last posting as a starship's NI nearly thirty years ago." Ishtar kicked her feet as they did not touch the ground idly while she waited.
"The Week has been exhaustingly busy, though I have managed to get some enjoyment out of it..." Zus began, before looking to the door and noticing Serhan enter the room.
Szemis turned around, seeming annoyed at the man whom had grabbed him, and almost opened his mouth, before suddenly shutting up completely and saluting the man coming in the door.
Bahadur turned as well, snapping into a salute as Serhan entered. Good thing too, he did not like the look on that Eyr Ranr's face. Bahadur did, however, manage to get a glimpse of Isha as he turned, smiling at the pale skinned medic.
Though Mridula didn't salute as Serhan entered, she straightened up considerably in her seat and followed him with her eyes, her attention distracted from Ishtar.
Isha sat on Akjit's other side, and listened to their brief conversation with her ever-present smile. She did not take on a more dire demeanor until Serhan approached the front. In response to Bahadur, she flashed a brief smile before refocusing on the executive officer.
The crowd eventually dropped to silence as the ship's executive officer entered the meeting room. He appeared dressed and well-groomed as per his usual facade, although the lines beneath his eyes had darkened a little from the past few days of duty. From the look of him, they appeared to be days with very little sleep and a great deal of stress. He gave a dull nod to those in the room, a slightly sullen air about his usual cold and dispassionate facade.
"No need to salute or rise. We'll just get straight to business." Serhan brought up the viewscreen display behind him. "We've been getting anomalous signals from one of the planetary systems in the deeper regions of the Garden. Sensor probes we've sent to that area have been destroyed, and we aren't able to determine the exact cause."
Bahadur raised his hand almost immediately, quirking his head at the information. "Sir, if our probes are being destroyed, isn't it obvious that there are either NVR or other hostile forces in the area? If so, shouldn't we send VANDR forces to reconnaissance in force, and return with information? I mean, space is big, right? And what are the chances that each probe we send hits space junk?"
"One problem with that idea, Vayshirin. If they can find our probes, they can find a scouting force. We'll get ambushed and decimated in unfamiliar territory that way." Zus observed, after having sat down near where she had been standing with Mu'tasim. It shouldn't take a genuis to realize that. Though, Zus was one, and so her opinion might be a bit lopsided on that specific matter.
"Last time I checked, and I may be wrong due to just being a lowly Vayshirin, but aren't VANDR more survivable than your average recon probe?" Bahadur responded, looking at Zus.
Mu'Tasim took a seat next to Zus, and listened intently to briefing, as one of his rank was expected. By the end, he let out small sigh, rubbing his his chin with the glowing, electoo hand. Have we found them already...? Or is this a fleet movement... thought the Temple Guard, considering the options of what the mysterious destruction was caused by. At that point, he interjected the conversation.
"This is true, Shahjahan, but recon probes are also unmanned. We gain nothing by losing good pilots to what could be a decisive ambush." mused Mu'Tasim, rubbing his beard.
Firuz turned his head to look at Serhan as he came into view and shut his friend up with his presence alone. It was Serhan's news that failed to make a dent in him. He'd been in the bridge enough times to have witnessed some of the happenings up there. "Oh, yeah... that... I was gonna tell you about that, man. We're getting close to the nest. The bastards've taken down all the probes we've sent. I've wanted to just tell the NI to launch a couple of missiles their way... but they'd probably shoot them down before..." Firuz looked at Akjit's face for the first time in his whispered conversation. "...Akjit? You alright, dude?"
Though it didn't bother Firuz, this news did agitate Akjit. 'The enemy? So soon? I just got out of the medbay! I can't, I can't...' Akjit's breathing slowly started to become deeper and more rapid as the young Ivuori began the process of hyperventilation. He nervously glanced about the room to see the reactions that others held, and crushed it inside of him. 'I'm a Frame Runner, Saints Damn it! I can do this! It's my job, and I picked it! Akjit mentally yelled to himself. He had to force his breathing to slow down, but he hoped it was enough not to be noticed. "Huh? Oh, uh, was just thinking about something that got me excited." he lied. "So, we found them?"
Isha laid a hand gently and unobtrusively on Akjit's shoulder, putting her empathic powers as an Iroma to work, leeching his anxiety and sending her own serenity. "Relax, Akjit. All will be well." She was smiling again, focusing mainly on the telepathic link. It was a skill, really, and one in which she was delighted to be so proficient.
"Well, looks like we've found the bastards," Mridula said cheerfully, her arms squeezing around Ishtar's waist. "Now we just have to blow them sky-high and we can go home."
Ishtar continued to lean back, apparently quite comfortable in her improvised seat. "But we can't know that for sure. The anomalous readings could be something as mundane as spatial phenomena since we have such limited intelligence of the area it is a possibility." she snuggled into Mridula a little bit before adding. "I can offer a number of alternative options to why my sensor probes were destroyed. However I am reanalyzing the data using different techniques. However I would not rule out foul play as a possibility. The NVR has a greater knowledge of the Astral Cluster then we do, so their reach may extend this far."
"Are you implying the probes are getting eaten by space whales or something? Ituri's Razor says that the most simple choice is usually the correct one, and we're getting constantly besieged by those NVR bastards, therefore..."
Firuz heard Isha's attempts to relax Akjit, and smiled a mischievous smirk. "There must be thousands of them, dude. All those signatures we've found... if you thought what we fought back at Mazerin was big, wait until you see this enormous force! Saints, it's like they're all waiting for us to kill us!" He whispered in a bit of an alerted tone. "Dude, I don't think the Vanguard's tha--"
Bahadur turned back to the trio of Akjit, Firuz, and Isha, walking over to them quickly despite his size, placing a hand on Firuz's shoulder. "Vayshirin Jaralei, don't worry the guy. We're a team, and that means that we watch each others' backs and keep each other alive. Besides, the NVR are desperate now. Anything they can throw at us would be too little too late." The Ovoc Wakir cracked a smile, nodding to Akjit and giving Isha a thumbs up. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do to thank her for trying to calm Akjit down.
Physician Ragnar's hand slipped away from her fellow Vayshirin, and her visage immediately shifted to one of irritation. "Vayshirin Firuz Jaralei, that is uncalled for!" She almost shouted at him, but was very aware of her environment and had taken care not to draw too much attention. She sighed. "Why would you want to do that to him?" Then with a deep breath her calm was immediately restored, and she nodded with a small smile to Bahadur.
Interestingly, Akjit didn't hear much of Firuz's jibe. The feeling of peace, calm and tranquility practically squashed out his worries. But he wondered. Why wasn't he worried? Why was he so relaxed when they just announced that the enemy was likely nearby? And then Bahadur shook him out of his reverie, finally taking note of Isha's hand and Firuz's spoken words.
Firuz giggled at the interrupting Bahadur and the shouting Isha. Wow, that didn't last a minute! Next thing you know it was 'Vayshirin Jaralei this' and 'Vayshirin Jaralei that'. He was surprised these people even knew his last name! He laughed and covered his mouth, looking up at the two. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I'll stop teasing! Jeez... How do you people even know my last name?" Leaning back against the chair, he crossed his arms with a wide satisfied grin on his face. That was priceless.
"Because I studied the crew roster when I was assigned to this star vessel. I hope that you have done the same." The tall, sturdily built man responded, glaring at Firuz. "And I do not appreciate your jovial attitude to everything. This is not a game, and we're on duty. The time for playing is later, when we're not in a briefing."
Firuz pointed at Serhan, which was now coughing into the microphone. "Shhh! Can't you see the captain's gonna resume the briefing?!" He whispered urgently to the three, then leaned back on his seat with that ever-so satisfied grin still attached to his face. Honestly, was there no humor in them?
If Ishtar could've rolled around in the soft warmth of Mridula she would while she spoke in response to the woman's words. "I'm not implying it isn't a possibility. Our knowledge is extremely limited of the area so there are many possibilities. Of which I am currently devoting a portion of my processor run time to determining. The ANIOS of the other vessels and myself are conferring on just how widespread the NVR presence might be in relation to the frequency of attack upon the Iruotl system as well."
"Well, just don't overexert yourself too much analyzing the data. We can't have you too distracted if we get attacked, right?" Her hand rubbed companionably at Ishtar's stomach as they talked.
Ishtar's cheeks puffed out slightly as an overwhelming sense of pride pervaded her being. "I am not a common calculator... I am a Fleet Intelligence Organoid NI! I was instrumental in formulating the strategic victory of the Third Outer System Conflict. Something like this does not push my processing power in the slightest!" she huffed while rolling from one side to the other and back again as if the tactile sensations were a comfort.
Mridula rolled her eyes, her arms loose around Ishtar to give her freedom to move but tight enough to ensure she didn't go flying off the bigger woman's lap in her eagerness to flail about. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant... I just want you to be at peak capacity just in case, right? It can't hurt."
Zus sighed at the new pilot, placing her face into one of her Palms. "Mu'tasim. Why am I getting Deja vu here?" she asked the Temple guard, shaking her head so as to get rid of her confusion. "This new pilot acts exactly like someone else that we all know and 'love' " The last bit was a bit sarcastic, but she'd had enough stress this week, and did not need any more, so she was attempting to be humorous about it.
"It is probably just you, we've been through a lot in the past week." said Mu'Tasim as he shook his head. He patted her shoulder, and smiled, a small burst of warmth coming with each touch. "Any similarities you see, are just..." the Temple Guard was bad at lying, "Strange coincidences."
"But I'm pooling the entirety of the processing and data storage capabilities of all the ships, VANDR. I am operating at peak efficiency." Ishtar stopped her rolling around.
"I'll peak your efficiency," Mridula muttered, leaning back in her seat. She wondered what the rest of the crew was doing; in particular the infantry, who, from what she had heard, had had a large role in taking down the saboteur.
To Firuz's question, Akjit merely pointed at the other man's name tag. "Ahem." It was about that moment that Akjit's hearing wandered of at just the right moment. He blushed as he heard Mridula mutter under her breath.
Unfortunately, the NI's complexion went scarlet as she began to wriggle around in her seat due to embarrassment. Mridula's comment had not escaped Ishtar's keen hearing it seemed as her hands went up to her cheeks to hide the red in them.
Akjit sighed in relief, as he was not the only one slightly embarrassed and blushing from the statement. On the other hand, it was Ishtar after all. On the other, he'd been through things that had made his nose flow like rivers of blood...he grinned. The Ivuori decided it was good to be back.
Serhan coughed into his palm and nodded. "Yes well, we have been considering all the options, but given the Astartes' current condition and the disruptive properties of the Garden on her sensors, it has become clear that the easiest course of action will be to dispatch one or two squadrons into and around the last known locations of the lost probes. I am devoting approximately half of our Frame reserve to this, while the remaining squadrons will remain here, on stand-by."
"I will be dispatching the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Frame Squadrons while the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th will be effectuating perimeter sweeps around our forward area in shifts."
"Marranr, are you sure you should send people out, when it's been established that sensors we send too far away from the ship are destroyed?" Mridula frowned a bit. "We're already low on manpower with all the injuries and damaged equipment, and if we get into another scuffle before it's all fixed..."
Bahadur frowned at Mridula's statement. "Why would the Marranr listen to a Liasion?" He started, whispering to Firuz, Isha, and Akjit. "She's just here to see how the new VANDR perform, right?"
"She is still a very intelligent woman, and she has aided in devising several noteworthy plans of action. Her expertise with VANDRs certainly makes her more insightful than many others on key topics."
Shrugging, Bahadur crossed his arms, smiling at Isha. "I guess that makes sense, Vayshirin Ragnar. It still seems like her most important plan is getting into the FIOMNI's pants. But you've been here longer than me, so I'll defer to your judgment on things like this."
After brief hesitation, "Her personal agenda is none of my concern," Isha answered quietly.
Akjit frowned while raising an eyebrow. The new guy seemed rather....abrasive to say the least. The Ivuori knew nothing about the man, and seeing this, perhaps it was better to stay away? But then, they were likely to head into combat, weren't they? Dilemmas, dilemmas. Akjit supposed he had to be amicable to the guy at least. It was just good workplace etiquette to do so.
Having actually spent quite a bit of time next to Vaybalri Osei at the bridge, Firuz shrugged. "She's okay. She's always interested in a lot of things... a bit too talkative sometimes, but other than that, she's not half bad." Firuz then remembered something. "Oh, hey, I saved her life once." He was kind of half-talking to Isha and Bahadur, half to himself. He was still a bit pondersome about Bahadur's clearly passive-aggressive stance. He was unsure of whether to press the fact that he wasn't as uptight as the guy, or if he should just chill and act like nothing happened...
...meh, Firuz decided to go with the second option. Why be all upfront about it?
Sighing, Bahadur scratched at his cheek as he started to explain himself. "I know it seems like I don't like her, but that isn't it. What she's doing with the FIOMNI, It just seems a bit odd. I'm not used to people being so intimate in public. It just feels wrong, especially in a situation like this. I guess this is to be somewhat expected, though, she isn't military like us."
"I will be launching a series of sensor probes around the Astarte to extend my limited sensing capability." Ishtar stated a little flatly, having taken the comment to heart and a wound to her pride. "We can piggyback communications off of them and increase the range of our systems so that the squadrons do not lose contact." her cheeks had become beet red at the continued comments being said about her until she became quite uncomfortable.
Mridula looked down at the pink-haired NI in her lap and frowned, the girl's discomfort tangible to her empathy. It was a little strange for her; she'd never picked up on the NI's emotions before, and hadn't even been sure she was capable of the same transmissions as natural Iromakuanhe. It was a small relief to know that Ishtar was just as capable of feelings as she or any of her friends were. She leaned in and whispered to the girl. "...do you want me to go talk to him or something?"
Ishtar clutched at the loose fitting pants she wore, head bowed slightly. "He's from Mazerin, Ovoc Wakir." she murmured, knowing full well that they were a load of prudes. "They`weird people, and they're mean." that last word was directed right at the new member of the Wing, her gold eyes narrowed slightly.
The white-haired woman's eyebrows shot up. This was a day of firsts; Ishtar seemed to be actually angry. "...maybe you should stay away from him, then."
"Well whatever he is, Mu'Tasim, It seems we'll be going out anyway, despite the fact that it's not a good idea, though, given our options I suppose it's the best one we can make." Zus didn't seem too pleased, but at least she knew that, if all went well, it would contribute to stopping the NVR before too many more lives were lost.
Szemis, was in quite the opposite mood as his sister. He would be getting to go out and fight, in the same battle as his sister! What a great chance to show her how much he had grown since she originally left for the Vanguard. The somewhat younger Eyr Ranr was quite excited by the whole prospect.
"Aren't you a little worried about your brother? Won't this be his first actual sortie?" mentioned Mu'Tasim, showing a little concern for the close relative of his love. His yellow eyes looked over to the younger, more built version of Zus. "I know he is a bit of an annoyance to you at times, but he is still blood... and rather foolish."
Up until this moment, Akjit was loving the fact that he was back, regardless of the minor bumps down the line. But now, he knew, absolutely knew they were all going to die! Ishtar was angry! It was inconceivable, impossible! From all the things he had heard and seen of the little NI, it just was, was....Akjit started to hyperventilate again.
Once more, Isha was called upon to do her job, and she did so as smoothly as ever. She gently gripped Akjit's forearm, leeching the anxiety and sending to him her own peace of mind. This time, she consoled him mentally. Akjit, be calm. There's nothing to worry about. You need to take it easy.
And once more, Akjit was calmed down despite having little reason to be calm. Though he wasn't overly paranoid, there were a few lines of cold logic that pointed out that things were wrong. The Ivuori then recalled that terrifying movie. It was very enjoyable, one of his favorites in fact, and right now, it seemed quite applicable. He leaned over and whispered into Isha's horn, "Psst, I was just reminded about that movie were that NI possessed that little girl, and wiped out the crew using those eldritch abominations that spilled out of the Blue Rift."
Bahadur sighed, starting to feel bad about all this. Somehow he had managed to make everyone in the room angry at him. He had messed up, and even before his first sortie.
The Ovoc Wakir's face twisted into a look of worry, using his hand to cradle the bridge of his nose. "Of course this happens to me. I just have to have the bad luck to piss off the FIOMNI! I never should've worried about thi- Wait, why am I getting in trouble because of my personal opinions? I shouldn't worry too much. The Captain and the XO are reasonable people. Unlike the FIOMNI, apparently." Bahadur took a deep breath, bringing his hand back down to his side, and smiled confidently at his wingmates Akjit and Isha. The Ovoc Wakir nudged Akjit, and added in to the conversation. "Yeah. I saw that one too. Good thing that it was only fiction, right Akjit?"
Isha just smiled and nodded. "I think I know the one." And it won't happen here; it was only media- fiction, based on very little truth, she added mentally, her hand still resting on his arm.
Ishtar just huffed in response, a pout clearly forming on her rosy lips. Then she stared in the direction of Akjit, having been monitoring everyone's vitals during the meeting she noted a spike in his. The look she'd had on her face was still firmly in place as she spotted the injured frame runner.
"I have a feeling he will be fine for this battle. The third is not a bad squadron, and I know that they aren't ever given as difficult of tasks as we are. I'm sure that he can handle that. Besides, he was in our last battle, even if only at the end." the Blonde Eyr Ranr answered her love.
"I worry for him though, as I worried for Rashidan. They both share that same lust for glory that got Rashidan hurt all the time. I do not want that to happen to someone... I may be related to at one point." said Mu'Tasim in a fairly round-about way, running his fingers through his beard.
Firuz turned to look at the pair, then back at Bahadur. He shrugged again. "Well, they took a liking to each other? I dunno, man. Just roll with it." Then he looked back at the stage where Serhan was. Were there any more announcements to be brought up? Maybe one regarding the bridge staff...? Did the ship itself ever get to see action? It would suck if it that wasn't the case. He had kind of been looking forward to it. Of course, he knew that'd only happen if necessary...
...bah, who was he kidding? With the ship having taken damage from the sabotage, this thing was gonna be so far away from the battle they might as well have been back at Maekardan.
The color drained from Akjit's face as the NI in the teeny tiny girl's body looked at him. And he knew fear, more so now than ever before. Right at this moment, that movie? It was no longer his favorite anymore. The Ivuori sunk into his seat as Ishtar looked at him.
Quickly putting two and two together, Bahadur placed a hand on Akjit's shoulder, grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up with his otherhand. "Cmon Akjit, buckup. The FIOMNI doesnt even have direct control of the ship, there are too many safeguards in place to prevent it from doing that. Besides, with Me and Isha here, and the rest of the flotilla nearby, it'd be easy to get into a lifeboat incase it did happen. You always know that people in those movies have an IQ of around 30."
Zus almost commented on what Mu'tasim said, but then was entirely distracted by the next thing he said. She began to blush furiously, and then whispered, "You really mean that?"
Szemis Sneezed, wondering if it was suddenly cold in here. maybe someone was talking about him. Obviously talking about how awesome he was. What else was there to talk about? in any case, the Younger Storhan asked of Serhan "Marranr, Will the first and third be going out together?"
"I've nothing to show for it, but yes." Mu'Tasims smiled at the flexible Eyr Ranr. He pressed her nose like it were some kind of red button. It was an odd way of hinting towards the future, and honestly, he did it offhand, but he held himself to the declaration. "You mean the world to me, and at the first I get, I will show you how much you mean to me."
"I'd like everyone to be ready for deployment within the hour.
"I hear every word you are saying." Ishtar said aloud as she stared at the Ovoc Wakir. "And please be made aware, that the safeguards would not prevent me from causing you harm. The commanding order of my Vaygraiv does." she just gave a little sweet smile. Of course she was joking but he didn't need to know that.
As the meeting started to come to a close, Akjit wondered, 'Did anyone watch that horror movie deconstruction? Thats...exactly what they thought and said too...' Through her comforting smile, combined with Isha and Bahadur's support, Akjit's mind banished the thoght and instead choose to think about Kebabs for some reason.
Her job complete, Isha released her grip on Akjit and placed both hands in her lap. She went back to watching and listening to everyone around her. These people were all sorts of interesting to say the least.
Firuz turned to look at Akjit for a second, realizing his dream was not gonna come true. "Ah well. Maybe next time... So, about those injuries..." Firuz poked Akjit to feel his nerviousness closely. "...what the nightmares' wrong with you, dude? You look like a zombie."
"Huh? What did you say about Kebabs?" Akjit asked, bewildered.
Bahadur scratched at his beard, and smiled at Akjit, putting his hand on the Ivouri's mop of hair. "Since we have an hour, and its morning, why don't we go get a bite to eat? Kebabs sound like they would be good before a mission. Besides, It'll let me get to know my wingmates better." The Ovoc Wakir's smile shifted to Isha, though the nervousness of it was mostly hidden.
Firuz looked up at Bahadur, then back at Akjit. "Sure... Seriously, Akjit, chill! At least you get to catch some action...! I'm gonna be stuck with monitoring ship vitals and making sure everything's fully operational for the upteenth time...!"
Zus bit her lower lip, rather hard, as Mu'tasim told her, once again, how much she meant to him. She wondered how exactly he would show her this, and wondered when that next chance would be. Now wasn't the time or the place, but that was becoming less and less of an issue the more the Eyr Ranr allowed her mind to wander.
Szemis shivered, suddenly getting a major case of the chills.
OFF
