RP: YSS Mikomi [Completed] Mission 3: Patrolling The Southern Border

"Thank you, Mikomi," Jôtô Heisho Kurohoshi Masako replied as she hefted her bags up and began to walk towards the Mindy Pilot Bunk room. As she went through the ship, she began to look around at each door she went by. It was pretty much the same as the Nozomi had been so it was easy to find the Mindy Pilot Bunk room.

Entering it, she looked around at all the bunks. Scanning over each one, she chose an unoccupied bottom bunk and began to unpack her things into their appropriate places. It was kind of strange, seeing a bunk with four rather large, fluffy pillows on it, but that was just how Masako liked her bed.

Finishing her unpacking pretty quickly, since she had been getting pretty good at packing and unpacking on the fly due to the Nozomi, Destiny, and then Confidence. It seemed like every ship she transferred to went into a situation where it was forced to transfer it's crew again. What was she, jinxed or something!?

Sighing calmly, the short neko straightened her uniform up and made sure her sidearm was safetied and nicely polished. She had overheard about an inspection, so she might as well be ready for it. But staying around the quarters for hours wasn't her idea of getting to know the ship. So, the young Jôtô Heisho exited her quarters and decided to go for a walk...trying to get used to being on a small ship again.

Saeki hadn't been able to find a towel. Not that she really looked or anything...she mainly declared her dire need for towels and towel-related objects and then hauled it to the Mindy bay to flop down on her bunk and take a cat nap. As the new crewmembers entered the ship and all sorts of things went on, Saeki slept and dreamt of a planet made entirely of <i>grapefruit</i>.

Carlos was one of the last off the ship, having been interuppted in the middle of making some damn fine tacos. With home-made salsa too! He was a little pissed, sure. Not just about the tacos, it seemed like every time he got comfortable he was reassigned to yet another ship. A sigh was heaved as he started down the hall from the airlock, a rather large duffel bag slung over one shoulder and his medical bag hanging from the other.

"'Ey, Mikomi? Nitô Heisho Carlos Luera De la Vega reporting. Could you direct me towards the bunks so I can drop my stuff off? Also, is there any kinda smoking area on the ship?"

"Absolutely not," MEGAMI told him.

Looking over the area that he had created for himself, Tom took a deep breath, arched his back and cracked his knuckles.

"Ok. Let's do it."

Tom immediately began work on the staple of all Raltean dining: Zakuski. Known as appetizers and accompanied by liquor, they were intended to introduce guests to the varied taste of Raltean cuisine. This meant one thing: a smorgasbord of food.

However, it wasn't only about food. To the Raltean, hospitality was a tradition. Both position in the hamlet's society and family pride were at stake whenever guests came over. Tom wasn't about to screw that up.

The appetizer was also the most difficult step, as one had to juggle between ingredients and constantly change pace. First came the family favorite: thin potato pancakes about the thickness of a playing card each, used as a chip of sorts and armed with versatility-- one could slather anything from jams to sour cream to fish on each chip. The Mikomi's AI was tremendous help, taking a lot of the hassle out of frying/crisping the potato paste to the right size and texture in oil.

While that was happening, Tom prepared a basic salad for the vegetarians of the group. Nothing too fancy, simply chopped lettuce with the prerequisite vegetables. He put it into a large metal bowl for serving purposes.

The lack of salted herring in the kitchen bothered him. There would be none of that, unfortunately. It was a pity too-- that was one of his favorites.

But there were plenty of ingredients for a potato salad! Eggs, peas, pickles and meat went into the salad, as well as sour cream on the side for dressing. It was a thick, delicious and enough to be a meal for smaller parties. He let that sit in another large bowl, covering the top in plastic to preserve it.

Hot or cold soup? Hot, definately. Tom didn't want to move the party too far in one direction. Throwing a large pot on the stove, the Geshrin made a thick vegetable soup in a beef stock to be served with bread.

"Better drop the stew", Tom said to himself, moving instead to make a more solid main course. This would be something called Kotlety, ground chicken cutlets prepared with tons of butter. Not exactly the healthiest dish in the world, but the cutlets always melted in one's mouth. But why worry about your future health when you can impress friends in the present? A common Raltean saying implied that, through eating healthy, while one may live to a ripe old age, nobody would go to his funeral!

It didn't make much sense outside of Ralt, so sue him. It was a cultural thing.

Dammit. He still had to make the cake. Preparing a double order would take twice as long to cook, too, but as long as he got it into the oven before the two hour mark, it'd all work out in the long run.

3 tablespoons of cream liquor, 2 tablespoons of vodka, 1/2 a cup of white chocolate melted together under hot water, then stirred to blend. Add some baking soda and powder to resift the cake, then add the eggs, the buttermilk and the shortening to substantiate the cake, and Tom was ready to put it into the oven. He had just enough time to make the cream for the cake, which was composed of 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup creame liquor and 2 teaspoons of vodka. He mixed it until it was thick enough to ice the cake and let it sit aside while the cake cooked.

Crossing his arms, making sure everything was stable, the Geshrin smiled, a feeling of accomplishment washing through him.

But then he paused.

Memories flooded his mind. He remembered the first time he had the duty of preparing dinner for his families' guests. Eleven years old and full of spunk, he had worked four hours trying to make a salad. Good thing he had all those years of extra practice! Dad would always check on him to make sure...

...Dad...

Oh, forget him... I DO remember that one time when I first joined the Ice Troupe...

Dad.

He didn't want me to leave. He wanted me to be grow old with him in that tiny hamlet. That greedy bastard. I've got my own damn life to live.

He felt his lip start to quiver...

Why do I care so much? I left that place and I left him too. It was a stupid life... a boring life.

Tom brought his right hand up to his face, smearing flour all over it as he tried to control his tears.

"Are you alright?"

Across the kitchen counter stood what must have been one of the new arrivals, some dark-haired nekovalkyrja with golden eyes. She was looking at Tom with a puzzled expression at first but then came around to join him, concern in her eyes.

Rufus dressed again, making sure his boots and rank pin were shiny and his jacket without wrinkles. From the monitor room, he made another announcement: "Attention Mikomi crew: The inspection will begin in twenty minutes. Everyone but the cook should be there." After all, he didn't want the food to be left unattended. He really hoped it was some good fried chicken and mac-and-cheese, with salty green beans.

"Hell... that´s where my relaxation moment fades abrutly... coming to think of it, i have more than a damn hour inside this bath. The cap´n wasnt wrong at all about the sleep thing. I should listen to his orders more carefully the next time... by the way, i should find out what the hell is that "analysis" and the new captain thing. Maybe mr. Kestral decided to take a nap of a month, cuz, you know, he sends people to sleep. Grr... i am babbling about that thing again... anyways, i just hope this one is as nice as Kestral. My blade doesn´t likes arrogant psychopaths who comes out of nowhere just because the cap´n is taking a deserved nap" - Natalie ended her monologue while she started to dress up again. The bath was a mess, but time was short now. Stepping out the bath, she noticed the lot of new faces, or more likely, faces she haven´t met before, because everyone in the ship was new for her. Not bothering in discussing anything with anyone, she just headed to her room, waving and smiling to the ones who just turned the glance to her. Rushing a bit more now, she changed her uniform to the skirt one, messily combed her hair, and cleaned her katana´s saya and tsuka. Taking a deep sigh, she mumbled "I just hope to get some real action after this... if i am not demoted, of course". Holstering her pistols into her belt, she started walking towards the kitchen.

Saeki bolted upright at the message from their new interim captain announcing the pending inspection. She ought to get ready! But first...why did her back hurt so much? Upon closer inspection, it turns out her 'bunk' was really just a pile of crates she half-passed out on. She flitted off to the staterooms to get ready, looking to secure her formal uniform and belt and gun and the like.

Kotori said:

"Are you alright?"

Click to expand...

"Oh just leave him be. A man with memories of the past should never be bothered."

Behind the Neko sat the Geshin with an unruly mess of dirty blond colored hair (His hair isn't dirty it's a color like brown blond) and orange with white tipped Neko ears slightly resembling a fox. He was wearing a soft toned smile and along with the soft gray eye his uniform marked him as a sergeant. The man had been awfully quiet since he brought the liquor that Tom had requested. For the most part he was sitting in a both stretched out with his feet kicked up onto a chair.

"Beside Mrs. that's Tap Happy, bluegrass Tom himself. He's trying to atone for his deeds right now so just let him be. Besides looks like we've only got a bit of time left to get to the inspection area."

Removing his feet from the chair Kato slid from the booth and stood up. He towered over the Neko standing at over six feet tall yet with how big he looked he was still holding an aura of kindness around him.

"So what say you to walking with me to the port side Passage way? Maybe you can talk a bit with me? And what do you think about my ears?" Kato was grinning the whole time as he waited for the Neko to turn around and perhaps join him in the short walk.

With a last look to Tom Freeman - being told he was the one responsible for the blaring message hardly dampened her compassion - she nodded and turned around to match his stride.

Craning her head to look up at him, the woman replied : "I find them odd. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to make of you - I had assumed you we're some rather eccentric Yamataian until I looked over your personnal file." she offered a slender hand. "I'm Kotori Arathraka, LAMIA operator."

Taking hold of her offered hand he held it up and bowed yet instead of kissing it Kayto merely said. "Pleasure to meet you Santô Hei Arathraka." He didn't want to seem to forward by kissing her hand on their first actual greeting but the gesture was still there. As he lowered her hand his face rose still with that same simple smile.

"I'm Kato Tanaka one of the Mikomis engineers and only scientist." Leading them straight ahead through the passageway that connected the left and right passageways Kato directed her to turn right onto the port side hall. "So they sent another pilot huh? That means you'll be answering to Saeki and Eve good luck there." He gave a slight snicker at the end of the statement as they continued to walked down the passage way. He was going to take them to the bunk section to wait for the inspection unless he was stopped by some others.

Kotori eyed him curiously. "Why do you say that? I looked over their records and they seem rather competent. I read Sergeant Saeki has an unique psych profile and that Sergeant Yamazaki has rather exotic eyes... but..." she shrugged and waited for his answer.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise for you. I'm sure you'll get to meet them soon." Stopping outside the Male bunk room Kato leaned up against the wall and waited for the rest of the crew and such to show up. He'd be sure to get off the wall if he saw the captain coming but in the mean time he was just relaxing. He had taken a swig of sake before giving Tom the bag of liquor. Sure it wasn't enough to get him anywhere near drunk but the warmth of it still rested in his belly soothing him.

"So anyways whats that captain like? I mean you did come aboard with him so I figured you'd know a little more about him."

"Who is that? What makes Techard think he can desert his post? I'll have to chat with him later." Eve said aloud to no one. Keying her intercom, she asked somewhat perplexed, "Miss Suzi, who was that, and what inspection? Our alert has not been rescinded. I hope you inform..whomever that is of that fact. If a ranking officer comes aboard, please inform them of our situation if no one else does next time, please." the young pilot requested, flipping up and standing on the ceiling, staring out the exit of the empty bay.

"That was Taisa Rufus Sydney, who has taken command of the Mikomi. The alert has been cancelled for the moment," MEGAMI answered.

"I met him only minutes before you met him yourself." she arched an eyebrow, still standing straight with her hands joined in her back. "Taisa Rufus Sydney seems nice enough and willing to relax when off-duty. From his file, though, he seems to like to run a tight ship. I have yet to see this side of him." she said conservatively.

Taisa Sydney had confided to her, but she wasn't positive she should just run her mouth off. Not that she distrusted the Greshian engineer, but she suposed he'd learn about it soon enough.

"I wanted to ask, why did you jump him as soon as you could with those vials of yours?" she questioned him in turn.

"Huh?? Oh that. No no I was cleaning up something in that area. You guys just happen to be coming in as I had finished up so I thought I would wait and greet whoever was coming aboard. T'was only being polite." Kato held the warming smile for a bit longer as his ears twitched franticly. Other Neko ears didn't twitch as much as his did but that was only because they knew how to keep their hair from getting in and tickling them. It didn't bother him all to much other wise he would change his hair style.

"Well I hope they get this thing started. I just want to get this evaluation over with. I know I'm loyal to the SA.. just hope every one else is.."

"Don't worry. The Taisa is probably just making an inspection to get a first glance of his crew and where things stand, see how sharp is people are, etcetera." Kotori grinned. "After all, appearances must be kept. Taisa Sydney probably wants to impress us everybit as much as we want to impress him, I'd guess - I mean, show that he's up to the job since he's replacing the Mikomi's former captain."

Kato's eye's shifted when she mentioned replacing the Mikomi's old captain. Kestral was a fine Captain that was working on getting a lab for him.. Now they have some hard ass here right after the incident with 5th fleet.. This wasn't going to be no run of the mill inspection yet he didn't lead any of that on to Kotori.

"Yeah I guess.." Is all that he offered her while he waited for the rest of the crew to show up.

"Okay, so that´s it. More cats onboard. Nice!..." - Natalie whispered to herself, unaware if someone is near. She left out a soft sigh, then continued walking and whispering to herself "Did the last incident made the high command to overfill this poor little ship with cats? i mean, i´m glad i came early so i got something decent to put my stuff on... and to sleep... sadly there´s no space for training, not anymore now with the MINDY bays at their fullest"
Now stepping closer to the kitchen, she saw 2 people talking to each other. The one with the brown ears was definetly a known face, so she proceded to say hello to him
"Howdy Kato." Then she incounsiosly stared at his ears. She shook her head then brought her glance back to the man´s face. "Do you know anything about Kestral? He seemed quite starnge the last time i spoke with him, and i wanted to ask a thing or two about this inspection thing... " the she realized she didn´t greet the other person "uh, i should watch my manners better. I am sorry" - she said when looking to the nekovalkyrja next to Kato "I am the Santo Hei Natalie Dawning. I am a PHALANX pilot. Nice to meet you"

Kotori nodded back the greeting. "I am Kotori Arathraka, a Mindy pilot myself. Hagimemachite." she said, offering a polite nod to the scarred woman.

Rufus checked his watch; only seven minutes remainedsince he'd made the announcement. He headed over towards the pot-side passageway, and stood outside the laundry room near the front of the ship, waiting for the crew to assemble. He'd already decided that those who didn't show up were going to be the ones that were going to have the most dangerous (but least important) assignments in the mission to come. Those who made a good impression, on the other hand, he'd be sure to go out of the way to get them promoted and see their careers shine.