Miyoko came next, looking as proper as she could, being one of the few Neko who had green panels against her white uniform. Her bow was spotless, and she presented an appropriately blank face to the crowd — though just before Yuumi spoke, her eyes darted over to look at Yukari.
"
Saito Miyoko. A Nekovalkyrja, now Yamataian. Medical officer. Suffered death in order to protect her crew, her home. Without failure, she defended all and nursed those who were injured back to health. Without her, many of the heroes Yamatai now has would be gone forever. Considering how often you were under fire during your work, you deserve many Combat Lifesaver awards."
A pause.
"Your analytical skills and technological aptitude helped seal the fate of Naraku and her criminal gang. The contents you extracted from the datacore you helped slice produced leads our best intelligence had not obtained up to that moment. That service alone was worth much to the Empire.
"But that is not as impressive as the totality of your story. You could have, at almost any time, transferred from a mission that grew increasingly dark, violent and hopeless. You did not. Instead, you remained with your ship, your crew, and your duty. There can be no more accurate a barometer of honor than that."
The medallion that Yuumi produced was unlike the other two that had yet been seen. This one's ribbon was blood red with pink bars within it — flesh-colored, Yukari thought.
She swallowed a gasp. The medallion was a profile of the eldest sister to all Neko,
the Mistress herself. The Neko seemed to have her head tilted back, looking up toward an eastern sun the viewers did not see. The medallion itself was gold, but across its length was a curvy ribbon of red ... a stain.
A blood stain.
"By the power granted me by the Mistress of the Star Army, Ketsurui Yui-Taisho, for extraordinary service that positively affected the future of the entire Star Army, and of the Empire itself, I hereby present you with Yui's Blood Medallion."
She placed the medallion around Miyoko's neck. Miyoko, for her part, appeared frozen in what Yukari could only read as unbelieving terror.
"The Taisho herself has recommended your promotion to
Santô Juni, and commands you begin work at the Kyoto War College. SANDRA has need of your caliber of researcher."
The rank pin on Miyoko's chest changed from red to blue, while the circle behind it changed from blue to brown.
"OFFICERS!" Yukari shouted, not letting disbelief capture her. Miyoko jumped a bit.
"HAU!"
"PREPARE TO BOW!"
The officers stood extra sharp this time.
"Ima!"
The officers bowed at a full 90 degrees, a limit normally reserved for those of vastly superior rank.
"Ima!"
They bowed again. One appeared to have tears in her eyes.
"Ima!"
They bowed a third time.
"ALL PRESENT! LET IT BE KNOWN THAT SAITO MIYOKO-JUNI IS WORTHY OF THE BLOOD OF YUI-SAMA!"
The officers stood upright. But everyone else — including Yuumi — bowed.
Miyoko practically floated away from the stage, her face caught in a state of mild panic.
* * *
Kai came up next. Yukari noted that no matter how pretty he was, he looked every inch the soldier as he bowed to Yuumi and faced the audience.
"
Nakamura Kai. Enlisted. Power armor pilot. You did not have to fight this war. You did not have to die for it. You did not have to kill for it. But that is you. You begged to be here, a part of this war, a part that always was ready to die in order to protect his crew. Whether it was battling Naraku's powerful minions, combating Mishhu Elites on board of an enemy flagship, or facing the Interpreter herself, you chose to fight. You chose Yamatai."
A pause.
"But you are a man who knows where he fits best. Where he is needed most. If that is on board the ship, assisting the crew to the fullest extent of your abilities, arming, coaching, prepping, protecting, it doesn't matter. You never stop caring for others. A quality rare in medics, rarer in soldiers and most infrequent in power armor pilots, the front line of Yamatai's defense against the spears of our enemies. For that, it is indeed right we thank you for blessing us with it. You deserve many Combat awards for your actions, but I have but one medal for the moment."
The medallion Yuumi produced had a grey ribbon and red disc.
"For displaying extreme courage and valiance, at the risk of your own well being, beyond what their duty demands, when engaged in honorable combat with an enemy of the Yamatai Star Empire, I hereby award you, Nakamura Kai, the Order of the Blazing Sun."
Kai graciously bowed his neck to help Yuumi slip the medallion around his neck. She smiled at him, something the cameras saw.
"As well, based on your actions to marshal those below you, Star Army Command, with the recommendation of your most recent commanding officer, hereby confirms your battlefield promotion to Nitô Heisho, and further promotes you to Ittô Heisho."
Yukari shouted for the officers to stand, smiling, after the disc of Kai's rank pin turned from blue to brown.
"Ima!"
The officers bowed.
"Ima!"
They bowed again, and sat.
Kai, stoic, took his place with his crew.
* * *
After Ashitaka-Heisho, stiff as ever, received his medallion — a Red Tessen — it was Masako's time. Yukari thought that the cameras actually adjusted themselves to make up for her height.
"
Kurohoshi Masako. Nekovalkyrja. Power armor pilot. A sharp, by-the-book fighter who never acted with undue haste or without good cause. As painful as it has been for you to fight your fellow sisters, you knew your duty to Yamatai and never failed to follow through. Even above Yamatai itself, your prowess in a power armor is a credit to the Star Army, but without your steely determination, all the training in the galaxy would not serve our Empire."
A pause.
"That determination kept the defensive line around your vessel hard despite onslaught after onslaught of
mindless soldiers. You held the line as others died around you. You held the line as you were threatened with death. No matter what, you held the line."
Yuumi produced a medallion with a blue ribbon and a medallion with a rusty red fan.
"For displaying courage beyond what their duty demands, when engaged in honorable combat with an enemy of the Yamataian Star Empire, I present you, Kurohoshi Masako, with the Red Tessen."
She slipped the medallion around Masako's neck — but this one was not the same as the others.
Along the blue ribbon, near the medallion, were blood-red metal dots the size of a coin, one on each side.
"A second Red Tessen is yours, as well, for your singular defense of the
Mokuren as it fought to save Yamatai. In addition, Star Army Command has determined you should pursue an officer's rank at the Kyoto War College. Should you accept, you will be promoted to Shoi Kohosei."
Yukari shouted for the officers to stand as Masako wore a cute, rather happy smile. The officers bowed once, then sat down. Masako left the stage, a little extra spring in her step.
* * *
Tom looked solemn when he took the stage.
"
Tom Freeman. Yamataian of Ralt. Engineer. A man of many talents, be they violent or peaceful, who never stops looking after the well-being of his crew. Cook, engineer, soldier, yes, but above all else, someone who struggled mightily against the horrors he saw and the deaths he watched. You did not let what happened during your previous tours to dampen your immense spirit. No other soldier embodies the description of the
Good Conduct award."
A pause.
"Your wellspring of cheer and good will was a bulwark against the NMX. Against Naraku. Against the broodmother. Your comrades did not even have to look to you in order to receive help in bolstering their own spirits. You were the positivity not just of a ship, but an entire mission. The Empire forever can hold you up as a model of the power of optimism, of the brighter side of any situation. Even in your darkest moments, in your most perilous moments, you chose to believe in your comrades, in their goodness. It saw everyone through. It saw the mission through. And it will see us through now."
The medallion Yuumi produced had the blood-and-flesh ribbon, but the stain on the medal itself was different than Miyoko's — individual, Yukari thought. Each one was different from the one before.
"By the power granted me by the Mistress of the Star Army, Ketsurui Yui-Taisho, for extraordinary service that positively affected the future of the entire Star Army, I present you, Tom Freeman, with Yui's Blood Medallion."
Tom's eyes looked wet. Yukari wanted to reach out to him, to hug him, kiss him, damn SAINT and anyone else. She was torn between how proud she was of him and her desire to comfort and shield him.
The medallion around his neck, Yuumi continued. "Star Army Command has determined you should be promoted to Ittô Juni."
The color behind Tom's rank pin turned to gold.
Yukari, through welled tears, yelled for the officers to stand.
They did. They bowed — once, twice, three times.
Yukari kept her voice steady, somehow, as she let all present know that her future husband, a simple man from Ralt, was worthy of the most precious blood Yamatai had ever known.
Tom's tears rolled over his stony face, though he cracked an impossibly wide smile through them anyway when he joined his crew.
* * *
Hinoto was gracious and beautiful, as expected, when she stood to receive her medallion. She was given the Order of the Blazing Sun, and was promoted to Chui. Every move she made embodied
Miharu's motto, and Yukari hoped that was impressed upon the viewers watching.
The volumetric makeup did wonders for Nyton, though Yukari thought it was more his posture that made up for his tired eyes. He was ramrod straight.
"Nyton Claymere. A Nepleslian by birth. Tactical officer. A man of infinite possibility. Growing up on the streets of Funky City, no one could imagine you would have been here. But you thought. You planned. You executed. It is your way, in all things and at all times, ever vigilant and always prepared with a plan. No path was too much for you to consider, for you knew, better than anyone, that any path might lead to victory. Might lead to peace. The Combat awards due you all involved meticulous detail on your part."
A pause.
"No matter the strategy, however, you put yourself at the front. You made sure that if anyone else were to come in harm's way because of a plan you crafted, you would go before them. Be it a ruse or a frontal assault, this was your ethos. Never once did it waver as you served your commander from the beginning of the mission to the end. Always steadfast. Always firm. Always ready. That is who you are, and this Empire was saved because of that."
The medallion Yuumi produced had a stripe of blood across Yui's eyes.
"By the power granted me by the Mistress of the Star Army, Ketsurui Yui-Taisho, for extraordinary service that positively affected the future of the entire Star Army, I hereby award you, Nyton Claymere, Yui's Blood Medallion."
Nothing about Nyton — his posture, his face, even the position of his spine — changed as Yuumi slipped the medallion around his neck.
"Star Army Command has deemed you not only fit, but desirable for command of a starship in the
Ninth Standard Fleet, where your aptitude for unconventional tactics suit you for combat against an unconventional enemy."
By the time the officers stood to bow for Nyton, he seemed renewed. In fact, he seemed energized, and when the three bows had finished, he marched with renewed vigor to his position.
The camera caught his lips mouth something when he took his spot, head not quite bowed all the way: "Thank you, grandfather."
* * *
With everyone living having received their awards, one might have thought the ceremony would end. But the camera centered on Yuumi.
"There are several awards that must be given, but their recipients are not here. It is beyond rare for someone to die in the Star Army of Yamatai and not be returned to duty. In an age where the divine spirit of Yamatai's place in the galaxy is in question, we still retain the power of
everlasting life.
"Yet that is the case here today. Several of the
Miharu's crew gave their lives knowing they never would be brought back. The ship's Soul Savior Pod was lost in the Blue Rift Expanse, leaving the crew with just one chance — one life — to give. Those that did will be forever memorialized."
An image of the exterior of the palace replaced Yuumi, showing a bronze station. The camera angle circled from on high as it showed a scale
YSS Miharu thrusting toward the sky on a tall, wide pedestal. The entire memorial was perhaps 20 meters tall, and down the pedestal portion, in giant kanji on two sides, were the names of those who died during the mission and were lost to time — the many members of the Miharu Clan, including Mara and Ichigo, as well as
Kimura Takuma and
Mizuno Yoroko.
"It is indeed right that this memorial is here, close to the palace whose inhabitants these brave souls died to save along with the citizens of our Empire."
Yuumi looked to Nimura and called her back to the pedestal.
"Miharu Ichigo gave her life to save you, her twin sister. I cannot fathom how hard it would be to lose a sister you cared so deeply for, and I cannot sympathize with you enough over this loss. Her actions have warranted this honor, the Order of the Blazing Sun." Yuumi produced the medal box, but did not open it, instead giving it to Nimura, who took it and bowed.
"May your sister's light shine on us all."
Nimura bowed and began to walk back. Yukari saw the ice finally melt in her eyes, but she held herself together. Hinoto then was called. Yuumi's words were softer this time.
"Miharu Mara gave her life and saved us all. No other soldier's singular sacrifice could surpass hers — a shipborne avatar crewmember committing herself to a suicidal attempt to destroy an NMX flagship in order to buy her crew time to escape. That distinction is crucial. She did not give her life for the Empire. She did not give her life for its citizens. She did not give it for its ideals.
"She gave it for her crew. She gave it for her family. This Empire and its citizens are blessed to be included in that extended definition."
Hinoto did not hold it back. Tears fell, for all the Empire to see. Yuumi produced a blue medal box, and she bowed as she held it out for Hinoto to take.
"Please take this with our unending love and gratitude. Yui's Blood is the highest gift we can give, though were it in our power, all would give a little to have Yamatai's most honorable heroine return to us, so that we could praise her name."
Hinoto returned the bow as she took the box with shaking hands and clutched it close to her chest. "Thank you," she choked, and returned to her space.
Yuumi faced the camera once more, though this time the view was expanded. She was on the far right of the frame, while the
Miharu crew stood in formation, at attention.
"Yamatai! These brave soldiers are your saviors this day! HONOR THEM!"
Across the Empire. In the largest mansion, in the most battered farmhouse, in the smallest apartment. In the halls of Ketsurui Zaibatsu. In the smallest workshop in Ralt. From Yamatai to New Vicky and Miyamae.
For a fleeting few seconds, that no one would ever forget.
Millions. Billions. All. The Empire itself.
It bowed. It bowed for them.
* * *
The camera light shut off. The ceremony was over. The crew of the retired
YSS Miharu was, for the moment, without a mission.