5tar
Active Member
ON: YSS Senbu
Only moments ago the members of the Senbu's esteem Pride Wing, along with their new ComOp, arrived on board the 1st XF's YSS Senbu. The vacation was over and the memories were left fresh in their heads. Once the group had finished discussing where and what they were going to do now that they were back, they broke up and went their separate ways with bags in hand. The whole ship seemed to be moving at the same bustling pace, buzzing with stories of vacations and time away. The crew seemed refreshed with a new energy, which was well deserved after all their hard work.
Ageha brought her bag back to her room. My room, she thought. It's hardly mine considering how much time I've spent in it. The stuffed dog that she had been given by Sakaki was peeking it's head out. "We're home, Icchin," the Yamataian announced as she set the bag down on her bed. "Home, and time to do some real work." Though, how many people can say that their first day on the job was taking a vacation with their new co-workers? She smiled at the warm thoughts of the last three days filled her head.
After a long few minutes of relaxing and reminiscing the door to Ageha's quarters made a calm beep to get her attention, apparently she had a visitor. On the other side of the door, visible through a small display beside the sliding door was one of the pilots from the other night. One of the ones who had invited her and Hiroko to their hotel after the music demo, he was the relaxed one out of the group. Tall for a Yamataian, but short enough to squeeze into a Mindy. He was dressed in civilian clothes still, designer brands, a simple ensemble of jeans, a white tee-shirt with a faded automotive logo and a leather jacket, modernised and stylish. He held something behind his back, looking down both sides of the hall in the enlisted girl enlisted accommodations deck casually as he waited.
Leaving her bag on the bed, Ageha trotted over to the door and opened it to see who was buzzing her at this time. She figured it must be someone else from the Pride Wing, seeing as she hadn't really had time to make many other aquaintances on this ship. When she saw it was one of the guys from the party, the brown-eyed girl blinked in shock. What was his name? Oh, what was his name? Saga? Saiga? No, that's the Taiisa. Ah, Saka. That was it. "Oh, Saka-Hei," she greeted, a little embarrassed by how long she stood there without talking. "What a surprise to see you here," she bowed politely to the young man.
Saga? Saiga? No, that's the Shosa. Ah, Saka. That was it.[/i] "Oh, Saka-Hei," she greeted, a little embarresed by how long she stood there without talking. "What a surprise to see you here," she bowed politely to the young man.
The tall, dark haired-- dark eyed pilot bowed in return. "I thought you might like to have this back Nanjo-chan," he said with a little smile as he revealed what was behind his back; the purse she had purchased in Harajuku to match her outfit. "You left it the other night in the room, when I realized it was there you guys had already left the building." He handed back the handbag, it was still light as a feather, seeing how the comms operator had bought it for nothing more than fashion and had never bothered to fill it.
"Thank you very much Saka-Hei," Ageha smiled as she bowed again and accepted the purse. "I haven't finished unpacking and didn't even realize I had lost it yet," she explained. "But thank you for bringing it back." The Yamataian girl almost invited him in for tea, before she realized that she hadn't the tea, or time available before her duty shift. "I'd invite you in, but we're launching soon," she told him.
He nodded, "yeah-- I hear my wing already has to head to briefing before we get settled in." He looked down at his wrist to glance at a volumetric chronometer display. "I have a little time before that though, and I know bridge staff need to show up early for checks," he glanced down the hall and then back to the other Hei. "I could walk you if you'd like," he offered in a friendly manner. "That way we could talk some more," he then added.
"Ara?" Her brown hair stayed firmly in place as she looked quickly back at her half-unpacked bag of stuff, being stuck firm with as many colorful barrettes as she could hold up there meant that there was chance of her long bangs getting in the way when she made quick, jerking movements like that. "Alright, that sounds like it would be nice," Ageha told Hideyoshi as she turned back to face him. Watch over my stuff while I'm gone, Icchin.
He chuckled, and stood there for a moment with a pleasant smile on his face. Then the much taller pilot stepped closer and placed a hand on her head, smirking playfully at Ageha. "Though your outfit is cute Nanjo-chan, I don't think your civilian clothes are the best thing to go to bridge duty with." Still smiling he took a step back and withdrew his hand so he was outside her doorway. "I'll wait here while you get changed."
"Excuse me," Ageha said promptly, flushed with embarrassment as she quickly shut herself in her room. Her face was red hot as she stepped gingerly over to her closet to get changed. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka, she scolded herself as she changed out of her civvies into a fresh, clean uniform. The ComOps couldn't believe that she had just done that. Feeling the stare of little button eyes burring on her back, Ageha knelt in front of her bed. "Don't tell anyone I did that, Icchin. Okay?" she whispered harshly to the stuffed animal. Finally, she ran to the sink to splash some water on her face to cool herself off, dried it off with a towel, took a deep breath and returned to open the door. "Sorry about that Saka-Hei," she apologized, bowing again.
"No worries, and don't call me by my family name. It feels too formal for a friend," he said with that same warm smile still on his face, the kind an older-brother would have or a friend you could count on for protection. "Shall we get going?" he pushed off the wall he was leaning on, and started towards the lifts at a casual pace. "If it's you, I'll be fine with Hide-kun or maybe you'd rather use my call sign, I respond to it better anyway. In gold wing, they call me Gazer. For some reason everyone in Gold Wing has to have one, they say the old leader made it mandatory."
Her ears and face till burning with embarrassment, Ageha only answered with a timid, "How about Saka-kun, for now?" It was still a little uncomfortable for her, especially while in uniform, but he was being so nice that she felt she should give it an honest effort.
"That's fine too," he said with an approving nod. They soon reached the lift, and he reached ahead and pressed the button to call for it. "So I never got to learn much about you Nanjo-chan, what do you do for fun?" He inquired as they waited for the next passing lift.
"Well, it's kind of silly," she said shyly, rubbing the back of her left leg with the toe of her right boot and clasping her hands behind her back, "But I love watching old movies and historical documentaries. Seeing what life was like before, wondering what it would be like to live without a lot of the modern conveniences we have today. I just find it... fascinating."
The pilot shifted in his spot, putting his hands in his leather jacket's pocket as he thought for a moment. "So, you like old samurai flicks then?" he asked curiously, he seemed generally interested in her response.
The lift opened up before Ageha's mouth could, and a few people stepped out and he gestured for her to go first and then followed her into the empty elevator. The ComOps stepped into the lift and waited for Higeyoshi to enter and the doors to close before she answered. "Well, Samurai films are okay, but they tend to be a little too manly hack and slash for me. I do like a nice old Drama, though." She paused, thinking to herself for a second, before adding, "What about you? What sort of movies do you like?"
He chuckled, the doors opened to the command floor and then he said with that smile still on his face, "old samurai hack and slash films, and anything that can inspire strong concepts or thoughts after watching it." He stepped out into the hallway and walked the communications specialist to the entrance to the Senbu's command bay. "Well this is it," he said turning back to face her, "I'd like to get to know more about you. We should do something sometime."
"Alright," Ageha answered just before heading into the command center of the ship, still too embarrassed to meet his gaze. "Something, sometime-- sounds like a solid plan. Thanks for the escort, Saka-kun. Send me a comm sometime and maybe we can get together for something. Should be fun, but I've got duty now," With a slight bow the Yamataian girl took her leave and headed into the command bay.
Sunday afternoon 1900 hours—the entirety of the ship was finally aboard and settled in. The personnel and the vessel had finished with preparations, on the bridge the various stations were reporting up to the command tier that everything was go. The Lioness in her seat sat with her arms and legs crossed had a growing grin, and then once the last checklist was cleared, the messy blonde haired Neko stood up and placed both hands on her operations panel. The internal intercom system throughout the entire ship came alive as the captain prepared herself to make an announcement she had been waiting for all day.
"Members of the acclaimed YSS Senbu, I hope your break was exceptional and your time off splendid. For today, we make our return to the far reaches of our glorious empire. We would have never been able to return to our home if not for the hard work of the Aries repair staff and our own engineering units, who graciously volunteered to forego their vacation to see to it that our amazing Anri is back in her former glory. Now, our new mission came in this morning, and we will be answering the call of one of our comrades. Once more we will continue to shine and live to our motto; we will go through the chaos to catch their tomorrow. Be prepared, the Taisho of the marvelous Star Army of Yamatai is watching, so let’s show her that we will always continue to shine!"
The Senbu’s Geshrin first officer stood flanking the right side of Shizuka’s command station, a place now familiar to him and no doubt the rest of the bridge crew. He clapped along with a smile as the starship operators all around him and the ship beyond the bridge roared in reply to Shizuka’s words. It was good to be back aboard a starship, encased in the sterile, refrigerated, perfectly-regulated wonder of Yamataian technology. Not that the visit to Yamatai hadn’t been enjoyable—at least parts of it—and at least his overnight visit home didn’t end in disaster. At least not as far as he knew. But Nicholas Saiga had grown accustomed to military life among the stars; it was good to be here while he still could, there would be plenty of time to be planetside when his career progressed and he eventually retired anyway. And so there he stood, only half paying attention, as he often did, to what was going on, waiting for the ship to make it’s magnificent exit from Aries.
Finally! After a short detour in Kyoto for a couple of days, Ageha was back on the ship and ready to start her real assignment. The butterflies dive-bombing into her stomach lining had caused her to wake up earlier than usual to make sure everything was just right. Her hair had to be perfect, her uniform had to be perfect. Everything had to be perfect for her first day of actually being on the bridge of a ship actually taking off. It was all so exciting. Were it three days ago she would've been similarly nervous, but now she had friends on the ship who would also be watching out to make sure she was doing a good job. The young ComTech looked over towards where the Captain sat. She's shorter in person, she thought, looking in awe at the Lioness as she gave her impassioned speech. Less scary than I thought, too. Ageha turned back to her console and went over her checklist once again. She had been warned in the academy multiple times for spending too much time rechecking her work, but if she missed something or messed up today then she might just have to curl up in a corner somewhere and die.
The tanned skinned Neko, dressed in her white-paneled skirted uniform looked around at the bridge crew from over the edge of her tier. Those amber eyes seemed so proud and happy to be back again. "Today we return to duty. I know you’re all just as excited as I am... so without farther adieu—" the Taisa turned to face her ship's pilots and nodded to them, "helm, take us out." Then she turned her eyes up to the main view, the main display that shown the area just out front of the ship. The doors to the Aries repair bay opened wide and on the smaller display up above the 3D screen a icon switched to green and they were permitted to leave. The massive repair vessel went ahead slow, the bow peeked out of the colossal space station compartment and continued on into the vast astral sea.
As the massive ship undocked and began to move away from the station, Ageha wanted to just look out the view port and watch, but really, what was there to see? The stars? That's at least how she tried to justify it to herself as she tried to recall if she had gone over every little last detail that she could. The ship was doing something that happened all the time. It was a banal act, just undocking, that's all. No need to get excited or anything. Still, it felt as if her heart was beating so loud that it was going to burst forth from her chest so hard that it would pierce straight through the hull and make the jump to warp ahead of the Senbu. Plus, wouldn't it make a better impression on the captain—the dutiful new deckhand doing her job as if she'd done it a thousand times before? Ageha tried to take a deep breath and center herself, but it didn't seem to help.
Then, as the Senbu pulled out into the space outside the station, the light of a distant star illuminated the brilliant hull of the Anri Deep Space Repair Vessel, the red lion blazon proudly facing out into the vastness of the void ahead with it's mouth open in a loud roar, as if it was warning its enemies that it was coming for them. "Alright, initiate FTL. Take us out two AU from conventional sensor range of the distress signal. We'll make our plans from there." Shizuka gave out her orders then took a seat, re-crossing her arms and legs. "It's good to be back, isn't it Shosa?" Shizuka asked with a normal tone. Then with that, the ship streaked forward in a burst of speed to cross the galaxy, their destination was 10 LY from their current location an area close to their previous operations.
“Hmm?” Nicholas grunted passively after a moment of silence, remembering that he was now the officer called “shosa” aboard this vessel. “Oh, yes. Of course, Endo-taisa. Most excellent,” he responded to her jovially, inwardly thinking that any occasion that gave her whatever excuse she needed to wear that uniform was a cause for minor celebration. “Your words to the crew were uplifting, as always,” the Geshrin said. He hadn’t actually paid much attention to exactly what she’d said, but he knew the generic comment was probably true, and if it wasn’t, the way he said it made it seem true. “This new mission seems fairly standard. Hopefully there won’t be a need to put more than one squadron on active service this time.”
In Engineering, Mayuki was busy overlooking the new equipment was stocked, stored, and secured when her commander was speaking to the crew. Her energy only grew as the ship slowly moved away from space port. "Holy shit, we finally are leaving!" she yelled at the top of her lungs in high spirits, not caring about the others though probably were just as nearly cheerful as she was. She couldn't readily contain her energy and was jumping up and down in excitement.
Kuriko had finally gotten all of her stuff reset. She had put away her new clothing, and had just sat down to review power armor technical specifications before she got a message indicating that the Wing should meet up. Hmm… where to meet? Kuriko wondered as she looked at the list of available rooms. Let's use the briefing theater. We seem to like it there. Kuriko reserved the room and composed a message to Pride Wing alerting them of the meeting and it's location before closing the windows that were open and heading there herself.
It was into a new day that the message to meet at the briefing theater came to Hiroko. Getting up from her seat, she moved forward. Today was a new tour of duty. She was… no longer an alien in humanoid skin. She knew some more about working with people than ever before. And... she was ready to return to the embrace of the void, to the mighty metal garb of war. Yes. And it was with this poetic beginning that she moved forward to the room.
Sakaki sat in her room, sorting her thoughts about the vacation and storing them in a nice box to look back onto. Yet to be sorted clothing, plushies, a new book, and a large object that took most of her credits to obtain lay around the room. Sakaki, in her uniform jumpsuit, once again looked up as snapped out of her thoughts and received the message. "Very well," Sakaki replied, though mostly to herself as she stood to leave her room. She made sure her katana was with her at her left side as she made her way to the briefing room.
The vacation had been great, sure, but at this point Hara was giddy about getting some more info on the new model of Mindy he had been hearing about. Now that he was back on board, that time was rapidly approaching. Sure, the Daisy was sufficient, but finally being able to pilot the top of the line gear was something he wouldn't pass by in a heartbeat. Receiving the order to meet at the briefing room, he let his current thoughts take a backseat while he attended to the matter at hand.
"Nnnn... no rest for the wicked, I suppose." Chikako chuckled to herself bitterly, pulling herself out of the couch she had only assumed she had fallen asleep on an hour or two prior. The Neko zipped her uniform back up to the appropriate height, and reaching into her pockets, withdrew her communicator with a flourish to see for what purpose she had woken up. "Oh… I guess it was today, then," she murmured to herself, decidedly walking towards the briefing room to avoid being the last person there. It would be unprofessional for the second-in-command of an armor wing to be late, after all.
Kuriko ran toward that same elevator that Sakaki was getting into. "Wait for me!!" Kuriko called with her arm outstretched to try and block the doors from shutting. Luckily, she wasn't as far away as she thought she was and the doors weren't as close to closing as she thought they were. In fact, they were wide open, even after she made it in. As Kuriko stood in the back her face turned a light shade of pink. "How was the break Ushimo-hei?" Kuriko asked her subordinate awkwardly.
"It was a pleasant diversion, Shifuda-heisho," replied Sakaki neutrally as the lift began to close off to move. "If not most of us, the Pride Wing has formed some kind of bond that may work for us, including the recently added Nanjo-hei."
Kuriko silently scolded herself for not having been available to really get to know Ageha. That will be something I'll have to do during my free time. As well as meet with Chikako. Kuriko mentally grimaced when she thought of Chikako. Is this another attempt of the Taisa's to say I'm incompetent poli—no… I have to stay positive. Akira said that the Taisa isn't subtle. Kuriko breathed deeply before speaking to Sakaki again. "How was your time with Nanjo-hei?" Kuriko asked.
Sakaki replied, giving her most honest assessment. "It was pleasant, though really that is a question for Ishida-hei, as she seemed to have been with Nanjo-hei the most.
Masako would roll over from the nap she'd been taking and looked over at her communicator to see where she'd have to be. Luckily she'd changed into a skirt uniform and stretched out. Combing out her blonde hair, she would head out of her quarters and down toward the briefing room. "Mmm… no rest for the wicked," she said as she continued on, entering the room. "Hi," she said to everyone and bowed.
"Mou... everything is so huge. I don't think I'll ever look at a gunship the same way again," Chikako murmured to herself as she emerged out of a corridor and into the briefing room, taking her seat. She supposed that this, after several days already onboard the ship, would be the first time she met the Pride Wing's field commander, Shifuda Kuriko, and her immediate superior. With any luck, the person would only be a charismatic newbie, trying to find her footing on the command platform, and the veteran would be allowed to do her job properly.
By now, a veritable legion of new people assaulted Hiroko's sight as she waited in the briefing room. Her eyes slid over them tentatively, watchfully. Who... were these people?
"I see," Kuriko replied before falling silent as the lift neared its destination. The elevator hurled toward the deck that the amphitheater was on before slowing to a stop to allow it's occupants out. "I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but we have Wing another addition to the." Kuriko stepped out then turned back toward Sakaki. "She'll be our new XO." With that Kuriko turned and headed into the briefing room.
Chikako briefly twisted her head to observe the new entrants and recognized the face of her wing leader from the personnel files she had to review. "Mmm, so that's Kuriko? Her breasts are smaller than mine, but I suppose it suits her body type," she thought to herself quietly, moving her head back to its natural position. She wasn't sure if she should feel disappointed or happy about her wing commander's appearance, and somewhat guiltlessly admired that sort of fragile, doll-like physique as opposed to her lean fighter's build. Chikako grimaced at the nature of the strange thoughts she was having and chuckled. No man wants an Amazon, after all. But then again… only strange men go after that type of Neko.
Kuriko glanced around after entering the room. Ah, there she is. Kuriko headed straight toward Chikako. "Ueda-hei. It's good to meet you," Kuriko said as she bowed to the Heisho. "I'm Jôtô-heisho Shifuda Kuriko," Kuriko introduced herself after bowing. "What do you think of the Senbu so far?"
Hiroko snapped her head towards the person Kuriko was addressing. So that was their new XO. Interesting. She seemed a lot rougher, and were it not for the radical difference in appearance, the hair coloration would have reminded her of Shin… no. No need to be reminded of that. But so far, this new person had yet to demonstrate… anything. She'd be watched. Those staring eyes made sure of it.
"Un. I am sorry that we were not able to meet previously, Shifuda-heisho." Chikako stood up from her seat and returned the bow, as it was the only polite thing to do. "She is a beautiful ship in the sense of her wondrous utilitarianism, but the size is something I am not used to. I was previously stationed on a Sakura, and then a Nozomi."
Kuriko nodded. "That's not a problem, we were off-ship anyway. Before the Senbu I spent a few days on a Type 26 Irim Gunship, but that was just as training. Before that though, I hadn't ever been on a ship at all. She is quite immense," Kuriko said while giving the Neko before her a quick glance over. "From the sound of it, you've been a lot of places. Do you have much experience at combat then?" Kuriko asked while indicating that they could sit down.
"I spent most of my career securing the rear lines and fringes of the war against SMX scouting parties and raiders plundering crippled divisions returning from the front," Chikako said in somewhat cut manner, showing that she was somewhat displeased by that thought, or the memories it evoked. "I'm not all mad about not being at the front lines, but it's frustrating having only these kinds of stories to tell." The Neko shrugged, her expression showing that she felt genuinely sorry for not being the kind of hardened war hero that was evoked by the title of “veteran.”
When Sakaki stepped off the elevator and into the briefing room, she blinked when she saw someone new that she didn't know of yet. I see, so she is to replace the previous Heisho. At first glance Ueda-heisho does seem like a hardened warrior. Though her thoughts were confirmed by her recent statement. In fact, it would be an honor to spar with a warrior who has seen combat.
Kuriko's brain switched automatically to comfort and re-assurance mode. "Nonetheless, it was a necessary role. War isn't about the stories you have when you're done with it. It's about surviving, you not only survived but you also helped others do so through your actions. You may not have had the impact in the way that you desired, but nonetheless you did have an impact. Perhaps even a greater one than what you had thought of." Kuriko paused before breathing out slowly. I think I got a bit carried away, Kuriko thought to herself. "Regardless, it's good to have another person to rely on in combat… I still am getting the feel for the Mindy M2-2A and its systems. I haven't even gotten a chance to look at the M2-3A yet." Kuriko let her smile drop from her face for a second before recovering. "It's slightly… overwhelming sometimes," Kuriko explained.
"I like to think that myself, and your praise has meaning to it. Arigatou, Shifuda-heisho," Chikako replied happily. "I just hope that I can teach the Pride Wing to walk that thin line between being able to rely and having to rely gracefully."
On the bridge, Shizuka nodded firmly, calling up a new item on the screen. A series of documents began transcribing down Shizuka's plans and thoughts so she could send them down the command chain. "That's the plan," she responded to Nicholas with a smile as she pleasantly went about working. "Chouko Chuis, I will be sending the both of you over to brief the Pride Wing on their assignment. I just finished the basic draft of the operation, luckily they have gathered in the briefing theatre so you two can get to them quickly." The two Neko twins, who were only a tier down in the reverse amphitheatre setup, nodded to the order, and then once the Captain wasn't looking, they both simultaneously smirked. Then with their data-pads in hand, the two got up and headed out of the bridge.
At this point in the conversation happening in the briefing theatre, the doors opened at the top of the stairs. The notorious pink and blue Chouko twins made their entrance; the two glanced around down their noses at the group then preceded to descend simultaneously down the flight towards the podium. Their tight skirts cut off dangerously as they clung to their shapely hips, and the rest of their frames were slender and shapely. The pair had their hair up in stylish buns, kept together with a pair of chopsticks that was the opposite color of their hair, elegant silver detailing on the ends. Once the two took the stage and placed their data pads down on the podium, they cleared their throats curtly to get the attention of the room, as they didn't have it already.
Down in the bridge’s communications pit, down on the lower tiers beside mission operations, the newly appointed head of the section received the new orders. "Santô Hei, Nanjo," the Yamataian man called out over the group of seven. He hadn’t really had the time to get acquainted or introduced yet so he had to figure out which one was Ageha by asking for her. The male commander was a Taii, dressed in his gray-paneled uniform, which was perfectly in order. He was rather good looking too, with short blonde hair and deep blue eyes and a figure that was so fit you'd expect him to be a combatant instead of a chief officer.
Trying to steady herself, Ageha took another deep breath and looked again at her console. This was her true test, after all. She'd made it through training and the interview and now it was time to show that she could do the job. Her eyes glanced about the room at the other bridge staff tending to their duties. The Captain talking to the Shosa. How different the Geshrin looked now than during her interview. Perhaps it was just that he wasn't the one in charge right now. And then the twins receiving their assignment. Ageha hadn't met with them yet. She wondered what her new friends in the Pride Wing were Focus! You have a job to do! With a start, the ComTech sat straight up and was suddenly extremely aware of herself. Strictly admonishing herself internally she went back to her task at hand. That's when she heard her name. "Yes, sir?" she asked as she started to move from her seat to stand. Quickly, the young Yamataian girl realized that sort of formality probably wasn't required in this particular time and place and she tried to play it off as if she was merely readjusting herself. Nice. Real nice.
The rest of the chatter about the bridge got louder with the seconds that passed, the current mess of seventy plus officers all speaking at once in the large command bay was organized chaos at best. "Relax a little, Hei. I wouldn't want you to jump out of the seat if your wing suddenly came under fire," he said, half-teasing, but still with a serious tone to his voice. "You have new orders; your squadron is the one who will be deployed this mission. So, prepare you self. The information regarding the mission should be on your panel now, familiarize yourself with the mission objectives and area of operations." Then as he went to look over his own panel, in his seat just a little above his section, he turned back. "Oh, and I'm very sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'll be your new chief, Taii Kanno Akira. It's a pleasure to work with you all."
"Yes sir. Pleased to meet you sir," Ageha said firmly, a grim expression on her face as she returned to her screen. Good job Ageha. Probably thinks you're some sort of flake now. She looked back at her screen, sat up straight, and started pouring over the mission objectives. No more mistakes, okay? The Taii seems nice, though. I'm pretty lucky to have gotten assigned to such a nice ship.
End
Only moments ago the members of the Senbu's esteem Pride Wing, along with their new ComOp, arrived on board the 1st XF's YSS Senbu. The vacation was over and the memories were left fresh in their heads. Once the group had finished discussing where and what they were going to do now that they were back, they broke up and went their separate ways with bags in hand. The whole ship seemed to be moving at the same bustling pace, buzzing with stories of vacations and time away. The crew seemed refreshed with a new energy, which was well deserved after all their hard work.
Ageha brought her bag back to her room. My room, she thought. It's hardly mine considering how much time I've spent in it. The stuffed dog that she had been given by Sakaki was peeking it's head out. "We're home, Icchin," the Yamataian announced as she set the bag down on her bed. "Home, and time to do some real work." Though, how many people can say that their first day on the job was taking a vacation with their new co-workers? She smiled at the warm thoughts of the last three days filled her head.
After a long few minutes of relaxing and reminiscing the door to Ageha's quarters made a calm beep to get her attention, apparently she had a visitor. On the other side of the door, visible through a small display beside the sliding door was one of the pilots from the other night. One of the ones who had invited her and Hiroko to their hotel after the music demo, he was the relaxed one out of the group. Tall for a Yamataian, but short enough to squeeze into a Mindy. He was dressed in civilian clothes still, designer brands, a simple ensemble of jeans, a white tee-shirt with a faded automotive logo and a leather jacket, modernised and stylish. He held something behind his back, looking down both sides of the hall in the enlisted girl enlisted accommodations deck casually as he waited.
Leaving her bag on the bed, Ageha trotted over to the door and opened it to see who was buzzing her at this time. She figured it must be someone else from the Pride Wing, seeing as she hadn't really had time to make many other aquaintances on this ship. When she saw it was one of the guys from the party, the brown-eyed girl blinked in shock. What was his name? Oh, what was his name? Saga? Saiga? No, that's the Taiisa. Ah, Saka. That was it. "Oh, Saka-Hei," she greeted, a little embarrassed by how long she stood there without talking. "What a surprise to see you here," she bowed politely to the young man.
Saga? Saiga? No, that's the Shosa. Ah, Saka. That was it.[/i] "Oh, Saka-Hei," she greeted, a little embarresed by how long she stood there without talking. "What a surprise to see you here," she bowed politely to the young man.
The tall, dark haired-- dark eyed pilot bowed in return. "I thought you might like to have this back Nanjo-chan," he said with a little smile as he revealed what was behind his back; the purse she had purchased in Harajuku to match her outfit. "You left it the other night in the room, when I realized it was there you guys had already left the building." He handed back the handbag, it was still light as a feather, seeing how the comms operator had bought it for nothing more than fashion and had never bothered to fill it.
"Thank you very much Saka-Hei," Ageha smiled as she bowed again and accepted the purse. "I haven't finished unpacking and didn't even realize I had lost it yet," she explained. "But thank you for bringing it back." The Yamataian girl almost invited him in for tea, before she realized that she hadn't the tea, or time available before her duty shift. "I'd invite you in, but we're launching soon," she told him.
He nodded, "yeah-- I hear my wing already has to head to briefing before we get settled in." He looked down at his wrist to glance at a volumetric chronometer display. "I have a little time before that though, and I know bridge staff need to show up early for checks," he glanced down the hall and then back to the other Hei. "I could walk you if you'd like," he offered in a friendly manner. "That way we could talk some more," he then added.
"Ara?" Her brown hair stayed firmly in place as she looked quickly back at her half-unpacked bag of stuff, being stuck firm with as many colorful barrettes as she could hold up there meant that there was chance of her long bangs getting in the way when she made quick, jerking movements like that. "Alright, that sounds like it would be nice," Ageha told Hideyoshi as she turned back to face him. Watch over my stuff while I'm gone, Icchin.
He chuckled, and stood there for a moment with a pleasant smile on his face. Then the much taller pilot stepped closer and placed a hand on her head, smirking playfully at Ageha. "Though your outfit is cute Nanjo-chan, I don't think your civilian clothes are the best thing to go to bridge duty with." Still smiling he took a step back and withdrew his hand so he was outside her doorway. "I'll wait here while you get changed."
"Excuse me," Ageha said promptly, flushed with embarrassment as she quickly shut herself in her room. Her face was red hot as she stepped gingerly over to her closet to get changed. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka, she scolded herself as she changed out of her civvies into a fresh, clean uniform. The ComOps couldn't believe that she had just done that. Feeling the stare of little button eyes burring on her back, Ageha knelt in front of her bed. "Don't tell anyone I did that, Icchin. Okay?" she whispered harshly to the stuffed animal. Finally, she ran to the sink to splash some water on her face to cool herself off, dried it off with a towel, took a deep breath and returned to open the door. "Sorry about that Saka-Hei," she apologized, bowing again.
"No worries, and don't call me by my family name. It feels too formal for a friend," he said with that same warm smile still on his face, the kind an older-brother would have or a friend you could count on for protection. "Shall we get going?" he pushed off the wall he was leaning on, and started towards the lifts at a casual pace. "If it's you, I'll be fine with Hide-kun or maybe you'd rather use my call sign, I respond to it better anyway. In gold wing, they call me Gazer. For some reason everyone in Gold Wing has to have one, they say the old leader made it mandatory."
Her ears and face till burning with embarrassment, Ageha only answered with a timid, "How about Saka-kun, for now?" It was still a little uncomfortable for her, especially while in uniform, but he was being so nice that she felt she should give it an honest effort.
"That's fine too," he said with an approving nod. They soon reached the lift, and he reached ahead and pressed the button to call for it. "So I never got to learn much about you Nanjo-chan, what do you do for fun?" He inquired as they waited for the next passing lift.
"Well, it's kind of silly," she said shyly, rubbing the back of her left leg with the toe of her right boot and clasping her hands behind her back, "But I love watching old movies and historical documentaries. Seeing what life was like before, wondering what it would be like to live without a lot of the modern conveniences we have today. I just find it... fascinating."
The pilot shifted in his spot, putting his hands in his leather jacket's pocket as he thought for a moment. "So, you like old samurai flicks then?" he asked curiously, he seemed generally interested in her response.
The lift opened up before Ageha's mouth could, and a few people stepped out and he gestured for her to go first and then followed her into the empty elevator. The ComOps stepped into the lift and waited for Higeyoshi to enter and the doors to close before she answered. "Well, Samurai films are okay, but they tend to be a little too manly hack and slash for me. I do like a nice old Drama, though." She paused, thinking to herself for a second, before adding, "What about you? What sort of movies do you like?"
He chuckled, the doors opened to the command floor and then he said with that smile still on his face, "old samurai hack and slash films, and anything that can inspire strong concepts or thoughts after watching it." He stepped out into the hallway and walked the communications specialist to the entrance to the Senbu's command bay. "Well this is it," he said turning back to face her, "I'd like to get to know more about you. We should do something sometime."
"Alright," Ageha answered just before heading into the command center of the ship, still too embarrassed to meet his gaze. "Something, sometime-- sounds like a solid plan. Thanks for the escort, Saka-kun. Send me a comm sometime and maybe we can get together for something. Should be fun, but I've got duty now," With a slight bow the Yamataian girl took her leave and headed into the command bay.
Sunday afternoon 1900 hours—the entirety of the ship was finally aboard and settled in. The personnel and the vessel had finished with preparations, on the bridge the various stations were reporting up to the command tier that everything was go. The Lioness in her seat sat with her arms and legs crossed had a growing grin, and then once the last checklist was cleared, the messy blonde haired Neko stood up and placed both hands on her operations panel. The internal intercom system throughout the entire ship came alive as the captain prepared herself to make an announcement she had been waiting for all day.
"Members of the acclaimed YSS Senbu, I hope your break was exceptional and your time off splendid. For today, we make our return to the far reaches of our glorious empire. We would have never been able to return to our home if not for the hard work of the Aries repair staff and our own engineering units, who graciously volunteered to forego their vacation to see to it that our amazing Anri is back in her former glory. Now, our new mission came in this morning, and we will be answering the call of one of our comrades. Once more we will continue to shine and live to our motto; we will go through the chaos to catch their tomorrow. Be prepared, the Taisho of the marvelous Star Army of Yamatai is watching, so let’s show her that we will always continue to shine!"
The Senbu’s Geshrin first officer stood flanking the right side of Shizuka’s command station, a place now familiar to him and no doubt the rest of the bridge crew. He clapped along with a smile as the starship operators all around him and the ship beyond the bridge roared in reply to Shizuka’s words. It was good to be back aboard a starship, encased in the sterile, refrigerated, perfectly-regulated wonder of Yamataian technology. Not that the visit to Yamatai hadn’t been enjoyable—at least parts of it—and at least his overnight visit home didn’t end in disaster. At least not as far as he knew. But Nicholas Saiga had grown accustomed to military life among the stars; it was good to be here while he still could, there would be plenty of time to be planetside when his career progressed and he eventually retired anyway. And so there he stood, only half paying attention, as he often did, to what was going on, waiting for the ship to make it’s magnificent exit from Aries.
Finally! After a short detour in Kyoto for a couple of days, Ageha was back on the ship and ready to start her real assignment. The butterflies dive-bombing into her stomach lining had caused her to wake up earlier than usual to make sure everything was just right. Her hair had to be perfect, her uniform had to be perfect. Everything had to be perfect for her first day of actually being on the bridge of a ship actually taking off. It was all so exciting. Were it three days ago she would've been similarly nervous, but now she had friends on the ship who would also be watching out to make sure she was doing a good job. The young ComTech looked over towards where the Captain sat. She's shorter in person, she thought, looking in awe at the Lioness as she gave her impassioned speech. Less scary than I thought, too. Ageha turned back to her console and went over her checklist once again. She had been warned in the academy multiple times for spending too much time rechecking her work, but if she missed something or messed up today then she might just have to curl up in a corner somewhere and die.
The tanned skinned Neko, dressed in her white-paneled skirted uniform looked around at the bridge crew from over the edge of her tier. Those amber eyes seemed so proud and happy to be back again. "Today we return to duty. I know you’re all just as excited as I am... so without farther adieu—" the Taisa turned to face her ship's pilots and nodded to them, "helm, take us out." Then she turned her eyes up to the main view, the main display that shown the area just out front of the ship. The doors to the Aries repair bay opened wide and on the smaller display up above the 3D screen a icon switched to green and they were permitted to leave. The massive repair vessel went ahead slow, the bow peeked out of the colossal space station compartment and continued on into the vast astral sea.
As the massive ship undocked and began to move away from the station, Ageha wanted to just look out the view port and watch, but really, what was there to see? The stars? That's at least how she tried to justify it to herself as she tried to recall if she had gone over every little last detail that she could. The ship was doing something that happened all the time. It was a banal act, just undocking, that's all. No need to get excited or anything. Still, it felt as if her heart was beating so loud that it was going to burst forth from her chest so hard that it would pierce straight through the hull and make the jump to warp ahead of the Senbu. Plus, wouldn't it make a better impression on the captain—the dutiful new deckhand doing her job as if she'd done it a thousand times before? Ageha tried to take a deep breath and center herself, but it didn't seem to help.
Then, as the Senbu pulled out into the space outside the station, the light of a distant star illuminated the brilliant hull of the Anri Deep Space Repair Vessel, the red lion blazon proudly facing out into the vastness of the void ahead with it's mouth open in a loud roar, as if it was warning its enemies that it was coming for them. "Alright, initiate FTL. Take us out two AU from conventional sensor range of the distress signal. We'll make our plans from there." Shizuka gave out her orders then took a seat, re-crossing her arms and legs. "It's good to be back, isn't it Shosa?" Shizuka asked with a normal tone. Then with that, the ship streaked forward in a burst of speed to cross the galaxy, their destination was 10 LY from their current location an area close to their previous operations.
“Hmm?” Nicholas grunted passively after a moment of silence, remembering that he was now the officer called “shosa” aboard this vessel. “Oh, yes. Of course, Endo-taisa. Most excellent,” he responded to her jovially, inwardly thinking that any occasion that gave her whatever excuse she needed to wear that uniform was a cause for minor celebration. “Your words to the crew were uplifting, as always,” the Geshrin said. He hadn’t actually paid much attention to exactly what she’d said, but he knew the generic comment was probably true, and if it wasn’t, the way he said it made it seem true. “This new mission seems fairly standard. Hopefully there won’t be a need to put more than one squadron on active service this time.”
In Engineering, Mayuki was busy overlooking the new equipment was stocked, stored, and secured when her commander was speaking to the crew. Her energy only grew as the ship slowly moved away from space port. "Holy shit, we finally are leaving!" she yelled at the top of her lungs in high spirits, not caring about the others though probably were just as nearly cheerful as she was. She couldn't readily contain her energy and was jumping up and down in excitement.
Kuriko had finally gotten all of her stuff reset. She had put away her new clothing, and had just sat down to review power armor technical specifications before she got a message indicating that the Wing should meet up. Hmm… where to meet? Kuriko wondered as she looked at the list of available rooms. Let's use the briefing theater. We seem to like it there. Kuriko reserved the room and composed a message to Pride Wing alerting them of the meeting and it's location before closing the windows that were open and heading there herself.
It was into a new day that the message to meet at the briefing theater came to Hiroko. Getting up from her seat, she moved forward. Today was a new tour of duty. She was… no longer an alien in humanoid skin. She knew some more about working with people than ever before. And... she was ready to return to the embrace of the void, to the mighty metal garb of war. Yes. And it was with this poetic beginning that she moved forward to the room.
Sakaki sat in her room, sorting her thoughts about the vacation and storing them in a nice box to look back onto. Yet to be sorted clothing, plushies, a new book, and a large object that took most of her credits to obtain lay around the room. Sakaki, in her uniform jumpsuit, once again looked up as snapped out of her thoughts and received the message. "Very well," Sakaki replied, though mostly to herself as she stood to leave her room. She made sure her katana was with her at her left side as she made her way to the briefing room.
The vacation had been great, sure, but at this point Hara was giddy about getting some more info on the new model of Mindy he had been hearing about. Now that he was back on board, that time was rapidly approaching. Sure, the Daisy was sufficient, but finally being able to pilot the top of the line gear was something he wouldn't pass by in a heartbeat. Receiving the order to meet at the briefing room, he let his current thoughts take a backseat while he attended to the matter at hand.
"Nnnn... no rest for the wicked, I suppose." Chikako chuckled to herself bitterly, pulling herself out of the couch she had only assumed she had fallen asleep on an hour or two prior. The Neko zipped her uniform back up to the appropriate height, and reaching into her pockets, withdrew her communicator with a flourish to see for what purpose she had woken up. "Oh… I guess it was today, then," she murmured to herself, decidedly walking towards the briefing room to avoid being the last person there. It would be unprofessional for the second-in-command of an armor wing to be late, after all.
Kuriko ran toward that same elevator that Sakaki was getting into. "Wait for me!!" Kuriko called with her arm outstretched to try and block the doors from shutting. Luckily, she wasn't as far away as she thought she was and the doors weren't as close to closing as she thought they were. In fact, they were wide open, even after she made it in. As Kuriko stood in the back her face turned a light shade of pink. "How was the break Ushimo-hei?" Kuriko asked her subordinate awkwardly.
"It was a pleasant diversion, Shifuda-heisho," replied Sakaki neutrally as the lift began to close off to move. "If not most of us, the Pride Wing has formed some kind of bond that may work for us, including the recently added Nanjo-hei."
Kuriko silently scolded herself for not having been available to really get to know Ageha. That will be something I'll have to do during my free time. As well as meet with Chikako. Kuriko mentally grimaced when she thought of Chikako. Is this another attempt of the Taisa's to say I'm incompetent poli—no… I have to stay positive. Akira said that the Taisa isn't subtle. Kuriko breathed deeply before speaking to Sakaki again. "How was your time with Nanjo-hei?" Kuriko asked.
Sakaki replied, giving her most honest assessment. "It was pleasant, though really that is a question for Ishida-hei, as she seemed to have been with Nanjo-hei the most.
Masako would roll over from the nap she'd been taking and looked over at her communicator to see where she'd have to be. Luckily she'd changed into a skirt uniform and stretched out. Combing out her blonde hair, she would head out of her quarters and down toward the briefing room. "Mmm… no rest for the wicked," she said as she continued on, entering the room. "Hi," she said to everyone and bowed.
"Mou... everything is so huge. I don't think I'll ever look at a gunship the same way again," Chikako murmured to herself as she emerged out of a corridor and into the briefing room, taking her seat. She supposed that this, after several days already onboard the ship, would be the first time she met the Pride Wing's field commander, Shifuda Kuriko, and her immediate superior. With any luck, the person would only be a charismatic newbie, trying to find her footing on the command platform, and the veteran would be allowed to do her job properly.
By now, a veritable legion of new people assaulted Hiroko's sight as she waited in the briefing room. Her eyes slid over them tentatively, watchfully. Who... were these people?
"I see," Kuriko replied before falling silent as the lift neared its destination. The elevator hurled toward the deck that the amphitheater was on before slowing to a stop to allow it's occupants out. "I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but we have Wing another addition to the." Kuriko stepped out then turned back toward Sakaki. "She'll be our new XO." With that Kuriko turned and headed into the briefing room.
Chikako briefly twisted her head to observe the new entrants and recognized the face of her wing leader from the personnel files she had to review. "Mmm, so that's Kuriko? Her breasts are smaller than mine, but I suppose it suits her body type," she thought to herself quietly, moving her head back to its natural position. She wasn't sure if she should feel disappointed or happy about her wing commander's appearance, and somewhat guiltlessly admired that sort of fragile, doll-like physique as opposed to her lean fighter's build. Chikako grimaced at the nature of the strange thoughts she was having and chuckled. No man wants an Amazon, after all. But then again… only strange men go after that type of Neko.
Kuriko glanced around after entering the room. Ah, there she is. Kuriko headed straight toward Chikako. "Ueda-hei. It's good to meet you," Kuriko said as she bowed to the Heisho. "I'm Jôtô-heisho Shifuda Kuriko," Kuriko introduced herself after bowing. "What do you think of the Senbu so far?"
Hiroko snapped her head towards the person Kuriko was addressing. So that was their new XO. Interesting. She seemed a lot rougher, and were it not for the radical difference in appearance, the hair coloration would have reminded her of Shin… no. No need to be reminded of that. But so far, this new person had yet to demonstrate… anything. She'd be watched. Those staring eyes made sure of it.
"Un. I am sorry that we were not able to meet previously, Shifuda-heisho." Chikako stood up from her seat and returned the bow, as it was the only polite thing to do. "She is a beautiful ship in the sense of her wondrous utilitarianism, but the size is something I am not used to. I was previously stationed on a Sakura, and then a Nozomi."
Kuriko nodded. "That's not a problem, we were off-ship anyway. Before the Senbu I spent a few days on a Type 26 Irim Gunship, but that was just as training. Before that though, I hadn't ever been on a ship at all. She is quite immense," Kuriko said while giving the Neko before her a quick glance over. "From the sound of it, you've been a lot of places. Do you have much experience at combat then?" Kuriko asked while indicating that they could sit down.
"I spent most of my career securing the rear lines and fringes of the war against SMX scouting parties and raiders plundering crippled divisions returning from the front," Chikako said in somewhat cut manner, showing that she was somewhat displeased by that thought, or the memories it evoked. "I'm not all mad about not being at the front lines, but it's frustrating having only these kinds of stories to tell." The Neko shrugged, her expression showing that she felt genuinely sorry for not being the kind of hardened war hero that was evoked by the title of “veteran.”
When Sakaki stepped off the elevator and into the briefing room, she blinked when she saw someone new that she didn't know of yet. I see, so she is to replace the previous Heisho. At first glance Ueda-heisho does seem like a hardened warrior. Though her thoughts were confirmed by her recent statement. In fact, it would be an honor to spar with a warrior who has seen combat.
Kuriko's brain switched automatically to comfort and re-assurance mode. "Nonetheless, it was a necessary role. War isn't about the stories you have when you're done with it. It's about surviving, you not only survived but you also helped others do so through your actions. You may not have had the impact in the way that you desired, but nonetheless you did have an impact. Perhaps even a greater one than what you had thought of." Kuriko paused before breathing out slowly. I think I got a bit carried away, Kuriko thought to herself. "Regardless, it's good to have another person to rely on in combat… I still am getting the feel for the Mindy M2-2A and its systems. I haven't even gotten a chance to look at the M2-3A yet." Kuriko let her smile drop from her face for a second before recovering. "It's slightly… overwhelming sometimes," Kuriko explained.
"I like to think that myself, and your praise has meaning to it. Arigatou, Shifuda-heisho," Chikako replied happily. "I just hope that I can teach the Pride Wing to walk that thin line between being able to rely and having to rely gracefully."
On the bridge, Shizuka nodded firmly, calling up a new item on the screen. A series of documents began transcribing down Shizuka's plans and thoughts so she could send them down the command chain. "That's the plan," she responded to Nicholas with a smile as she pleasantly went about working. "Chouko Chuis, I will be sending the both of you over to brief the Pride Wing on their assignment. I just finished the basic draft of the operation, luckily they have gathered in the briefing theatre so you two can get to them quickly." The two Neko twins, who were only a tier down in the reverse amphitheatre setup, nodded to the order, and then once the Captain wasn't looking, they both simultaneously smirked. Then with their data-pads in hand, the two got up and headed out of the bridge.
At this point in the conversation happening in the briefing theatre, the doors opened at the top of the stairs. The notorious pink and blue Chouko twins made their entrance; the two glanced around down their noses at the group then preceded to descend simultaneously down the flight towards the podium. Their tight skirts cut off dangerously as they clung to their shapely hips, and the rest of their frames were slender and shapely. The pair had their hair up in stylish buns, kept together with a pair of chopsticks that was the opposite color of their hair, elegant silver detailing on the ends. Once the two took the stage and placed their data pads down on the podium, they cleared their throats curtly to get the attention of the room, as they didn't have it already.
Down in the bridge’s communications pit, down on the lower tiers beside mission operations, the newly appointed head of the section received the new orders. "Santô Hei, Nanjo," the Yamataian man called out over the group of seven. He hadn’t really had the time to get acquainted or introduced yet so he had to figure out which one was Ageha by asking for her. The male commander was a Taii, dressed in his gray-paneled uniform, which was perfectly in order. He was rather good looking too, with short blonde hair and deep blue eyes and a figure that was so fit you'd expect him to be a combatant instead of a chief officer.
Trying to steady herself, Ageha took another deep breath and looked again at her console. This was her true test, after all. She'd made it through training and the interview and now it was time to show that she could do the job. Her eyes glanced about the room at the other bridge staff tending to their duties. The Captain talking to the Shosa. How different the Geshrin looked now than during her interview. Perhaps it was just that he wasn't the one in charge right now. And then the twins receiving their assignment. Ageha hadn't met with them yet. She wondered what her new friends in the Pride Wing were Focus! You have a job to do! With a start, the ComTech sat straight up and was suddenly extremely aware of herself. Strictly admonishing herself internally she went back to her task at hand. That's when she heard her name. "Yes, sir?" she asked as she started to move from her seat to stand. Quickly, the young Yamataian girl realized that sort of formality probably wasn't required in this particular time and place and she tried to play it off as if she was merely readjusting herself. Nice. Real nice.
The rest of the chatter about the bridge got louder with the seconds that passed, the current mess of seventy plus officers all speaking at once in the large command bay was organized chaos at best. "Relax a little, Hei. I wouldn't want you to jump out of the seat if your wing suddenly came under fire," he said, half-teasing, but still with a serious tone to his voice. "You have new orders; your squadron is the one who will be deployed this mission. So, prepare you self. The information regarding the mission should be on your panel now, familiarize yourself with the mission objectives and area of operations." Then as he went to look over his own panel, in his seat just a little above his section, he turned back. "Oh, and I'm very sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'll be your new chief, Taii Kanno Akira. It's a pleasure to work with you all."
"Yes sir. Pleased to meet you sir," Ageha said firmly, a grim expression on her face as she returned to her screen. Good job Ageha. Probably thinks you're some sort of flake now. She looked back at her screen, sat up straight, and started pouring over the mission objectives. No more mistakes, okay? The Taii seems nice, though. I'm pretty lucky to have gotten assigned to such a nice ship.
End
