RP: Pisces Episode 01 - 'Under A Blind God'

"How dare you disobey my orders!" Irim growled. She shut off the screen.

"Taisa Sachiko!" she shouted down to her battleship's CO. "Prepare the carriers for action. "We appear to have a rebel Scorpio-class on our hands..."

Yuka said to Steel, "Get us the hell out of here.â€

The fact that the communications had been shut off was not good. Tetsuko quickly ordered the Custodians still on the station to enter formation to repel boarders. She next ordered the civilians to be grouped into the habitat cluster, provided with adequate food and water, blankets and pillows, and to be prevented from leaving for their own safety.

Quickly organizing the station's security force to supplement the Custodians, the two dozen attempting to breach the Ayame's bridge were issued revised orders: disable the ship or take over its weapons, whichever their logic engines determined as the easier task. No sense in letting a rogue cruiser join up with a potentially hostile force.

Lastly she compiled a quick summary of the events, firing off a message to the admiralty headquarters, with recommendations of disciplinary action against the Fleet admiral, as well as the Taisa who had shot one of her crew, and lastly against Marina herself.

This transgression was unforgiveable.

"Attention all Pisces personnel. As of this moment I, Taii Nozomi, am assuming temporary command of the station. Prepare for condition red, make ready to repel boarders." Her hand shook uncontrollably, and she held it firm against her side. If that medicine did not arrive she would soon be incapable of serving anyone at all.

To the ships surrounding the station, she issued an order deputizing the armed civilian craft into the Star Army under her direct command, and any ships of the Star Army itself that would remain loyal to the station were given instructions to defend it against a "mutineering carrier group."

Her last action was to ensure that whatever defenses the station had installed were running at maximum capacity. Then the world began to grow rather dim, and her body cold. The calm of impending battle, the world reduced to a tiny pinprick. Or perhaps it was her heart finally seizing up...

Camellia's voice pipped up through a comm link to Chief. "Can you please take it easy?" She asked. "The station is full of refugees, if you're thinking the Taisho would willingly KILL civilians of the Empire, you'd be a bigger fool then the Taisa of the station." She paused, "consider it, the imperial army willingly culling imperial citizens because a Taii was being beligerent."

There was another pause. "It's pure political suicide. Besides, the station's barely running as is. We wouldn't put up much of a fight if we tried." There was yet again another pause, "besides, I haven't made a backup since before my officer training, I do not want to go through that again if I'm revived."

"At this point I can assume nothing, except for the fact that a Fleet Admiral cut off contact with me, someone is trying to hijack an Ayame from under my nose, and that my captain is nowhere to be found. I am therefore going to operate under worst-case scenario." That scenario had no name just yet, but it was the worst that Chief's mind could come up with and it seemed to be coming true

"Send Delight up to..." she looked up, still so far from her office, "Junction 5-B. I need assistance." The comm didn't shut off, but Nozomi did.

"Uh. Chief." Camellia muttered through the comm, "the reason this is happening is because of Marisa-Taisa's blanket order about a Comm blackout." She said, and paused again. "Mind, all her current orders in the investigation, which led to this problem, were made without talking to her head of station security, which happens to be me..."

There was another pause, "and I am locked in the brig, with my two assistants being the only security force you have aside from the custodians." Again a pause, "please consider repealing the call-to-arms or I will be forced to superceed you."

There was no response, but the insistent beeping of something that Nozomi kept on her person at all times. Del likely had a communicator with him and could be summoned that way.

"Chief?" She said again, and again, for a few seconds Camellia pondered what was happening, before making her choice. Switching her comm to omnidirectional, she preped herself for what she was about to do.

"Attention all hands, this is Chui Sarri, I am taking command as of this moment, all civilians deputized are decommissioned and so are all other deputizations. This station is hereby standing down and I urge all who have decided to fight to stop. There will be no hostile actions."

She paused. "All custodians are to stop their actions and return to the station or deactive, this is a direct order from the highest ranking staff officer still sane enough to make a choice in the matter."

She was hoping this would keep her and by extention, the station alive for alittle while longer.

There was still the matter of Chief's request to have Del--or barring him ANY medical officer--sent to the junction she named...

One, then two, then three Sakura Gunships emerged from hyperspace and began on a cautious approach vector towards Pisces. A flash and the mighty Seijin no Umi dwarfed them, the massive Chiharu Flagship came to a full stop within a safe distance of the station.

Open all channels, Chui Mayumi ordered, finishing her cup of tea.

"Commander Pisces, respond immediately. This is Taisho Koyanagi Mayumi of the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet. Please stand down your defensive systems and prepare to transfer all Fifth Expeditionary Fleet personnel to this ship.â€

Taii Nakasato exited from the Seijin no Umi's hanger at almost full combat speed. The 17th Kasairyuu Wing followed after their commanding officer.

"All squadrons form up on your leaders." The NH-29 commented to her wing. "Our orders are to protect the Seijin no Umi at all costs. This station has been extremely erratic, expect anything."

The majority of the wing broke right after exiting and flew low, around the Chiharu's underbelly, closing in on the fore of the ship. The remaining squadrons broke left and began a flight around the aft of the flagship.

"Return fire only!" She barked into the communications network. The Taii and her personal group made a pass by the Chiharu's bridge, before boosting down the main superstructure of the ship, weapons at the ready.

"Taisho!" Came a happy reply, which quickly reverted to professionalism, "Ma'am, this is Chui Camellia Sarri, head of station security."

"I'm sorry for the mess this has caused. My commanding officer was ignoring security protocols during a multiple murder investigation, the blackout order was her idea, without my input." There was a pause from the audio-only transmission, "I am also sorry for the way I am communicating. I'm currently in the station's brig due to having a verbal altercation with the Taisa."

Another flash. The First Fleet flagship, YSS Musashi, arrived along with a handful of Kyoto carriers and the usual escort swarm. Taisho Irim immediately suited up in her pure white Mindy armor and headed for the station, followed by part of her enormous army of armored soldiers.

A column of aether pods flew past as they took up position around the station, ready to disable any weapon that charged up.

Soon enough, the First Fleet began reclamation of their star fortress.

* * *

Taisa Steel breathed a sigh of relief as command finally showed up to take charge of this mess. His cruiser pulled free of the station and moved to join the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet's formation.

Caine looked at the displays on the consoles as they managed to pull away fromt he station and join the 5th XF group. "I am glad to be out of that heap..." he mused. "I have to admit that the taisa there was a complete idiot too.. how she got to command I have no clue." he said to Yuka. "But I am worried about Cam... She was just trying to do her job as well but still, we're friends and comrades. We're the only two left of the Kasairyuu Wing from the battle at Murf too from the Akuro, I hope she doesn't get into too much trouble and certainly hope she survives this." Caine said with a sigh.

((Should Caine respond to Mayumi as well? *confused*))

Mayumi sighed as she received Cam's communication, responding "Camellia, its good to hear a familiar voice. You need to listen to me very carefully. The First Fleet just arrived and Irim is on her way. You need to either lay low or get off that station, is there anyone who can get you out of that brig?â€

Chief slowly came to her senses. Alive, but disoriented, it took her a moment to remember what was happening. She wasn't in the medical bay, but still at the junction. Her clopboard...there it was, and it was saying that the officer in the brig had countermanded her orders. Well, just to prove a point, she reiterated her orders to the two dozen custodians, and issued a directive to arrest Irim on sight. If she or her crew resisted then force was authorized.

Enacting a little-used subsection of military law to act as an arbiter of the peace, retroactive to the beginning of the terrorism, exempting her from any consequence as a result of her actions.

Just as Mayumi's communication was recived, Inou and Sasaki burst into the office. "Girls! Get me out of here!" She cried from her cell. "Taisho Irim's coming, we need to leave!" Camellia negelected to turn her comm off, and the omni-direction stationwide signal was being picked up everywhere. "She's probably pissed and is more then likely going to clean out the station!"

Not wasting a second between the two, Sasaki and Inou quickly got the brig open and the three beet feet out of the office, dodging Custodians as they ran, heading for one of the escape pods, or failing that, shuttle. "What about the civilians?" Sasaki asked as she dodged around a Custodian.

"I doubt she'd kill them, they're non-combatants, and they're under the 5th fleet's jurisdiction. If she did there'd be such a backlash she'd probably be executed for genocide."Camellia shot back as they rounded and corner and collectivly ran right past Taii Nozomi. "Taii! Get off the station! Taisho Irim's coming with her armor wing!!" Camellia called over her shoulder as she and the others rounded another bend.


Luckly one of the transport shuttles was still docked and the three quickly boarded and launched, heading as fast as it's sub-luminal engines could push for the 5th fleet's position

Naturally Chief heard all this, and dialed her board to Camellia's signal. "You fucking deserter! I'll have your eyeteeth for this!" But then again there was the problem of Irim. She hadn't heard much about the fleet admiral, and what she had heard was all bad.

Yaichiro grimaced at the chatter, orders, and counter-orders...he simply did not know which to follow. While it was true the Chief outranked him, from the sound of things something was happening...and her judgement seemed compromized. If nothing else, her orders were nigh suicidal.

"...To the Chief, to Camellia-Shoi, and whoever else happens to be listening in this chaos, 1st SF and 5th XF included. This is Santo Juni Kage Yaichiro of Pisces. I do not know whose fault this is, but I must decline the order of arresting the Taisho without sufficient reason, even if I were capable.

I declare neutrality in this instance for lack of knowledge to come to any conclusions, and my concern is only the 5th XF officers specificly involved in discharging firearms without provocation in an area full of civilians, and the safety of those civilians.

I will not risk the safety of a nearly defenseless station with civilians by being the aggressor in any way. If anything we need to begin communication rather than combat, as a lack thereof seems to be the reason for all of this, if I interpret the bits and pieces of data I am recieving through the chatter correctly. I highly recommend inviting the 1st SF and 5th XF for communication and discussion of terms to bring this whole messed up thing to a speedy and peaceful end. Even formal surrender is preferable to letting the civilians be involved..."

Camellia's voice piped through Chief's board as she responded from the shuttle.

"Call me a deserter all you want! I'm not getting killed by Taisho Irim because Taisa Arisa called for a blackout with fleet officals on the station, and you're general call to arms against the imperial Navy." She replied. "I've lived through too many battles and I've seen most of my friends and close comrades die before my eyes, and I will be DAMNED if I die disgracefully in the brig, over miscommunication between a fool Taisa, and her equally foolish Taii."

After that, the comm channel shut down, and the shuttle entered radio silence as it flew towards the Seijin no Umi.