B
Blizzard
Akemi's
It was a chilly Saturday night and the lights in the streets of former Osman City lit up early as the sun of the 188604 system was far long set, despite the early hour. A pink-skinned and low but large eared Neko with blueish white hair and she had a look of lust and determination the minute she entered the Cock Pit.
At this establishment a good many things went on and since Akemi's return to the planet, the Embassy to his Kingdom was bustling and booming. Still going were the rat fights and live action sword duels. Still going were the back rooms with 188604 natives predominantly. Unlike most other locations on the planet, this one was specifically geared towards the tastes of those that had inhabited this planet long before Arcoss the beautiful disembodied Freespacer was throwing horses at them and before mecha had roamed the skies freely.
So much so was this military grade Neko looking at the events around with an air of peversion that she realized she was bumping into a relatively tall, blonde Minkan who seemed ordinary save for a set of cat ears and a long, rope-like tail in the same shade as his hair. When he registered the bump, he turned to face the Neko, and instantly she could tell that he probably wasn't sober.
After learning that a rogue Elysian fleet was threatening his livelihood with destruction, Jax had gone off into a fit of rage, but after discovering that he really couldn't do anything to stop it at that moment, he'd done the only thing he could think of: hit the bar. Now, after wandering the streets of this odd, primitive city for a while, he'd wound up here.
"Uh, hey..." he mumbled.
Taiyou Hoshi pulled her long blue and white hair behind an ear and looked to the Minkan without much inclination to be anything other than embarrassed over it. "I-I'm sorry. After you." She looked up and raised an arm gracefully and bowed slightly to let him know he could go forth.
Before much could happen between the two, a scantily clad and ample bossom'd homeworlder put her own hands up and her chest jiggled on top a little as she did a bounce and jumped towards the two.
"Come in, the cock tease is about to start!" She pulled them towards her, grabbing each arm. She didn't begin to pull them her way, though, gently waiting to see if either were about to make their comfort levels known. She did seem very excited to get them out of the entryway and to wherever this 'cock tease' was.
Under any other circumstance, Jax would have batted quite a few eyelids in this situation. But his current buzz-level, combined with a mixed bag of emotions he was currently struggled with, and a hint of rebelliousness from being just released from the Star Army, urged him to follow with a shrug.
"Hey, you're only young once." he mused, still having no earthly idea what a "cock tease" was.
The woman pulled them both when the blue haired Neko that had bumped into Jax pressed further into the bar-maid's breasts.
As they walked a few moments after being released and led to the center of the expansive building which had a rustic feel with warm red oak and plsuh leather upholstery with the little hammered in nails around the seams to make it look top notch. There were also inlays of several pornographic acts patterned around the wooden walls with an emphasis on DP.
"I'm here for this," the Neko told Jax slyly as they walked, then turned more fully to Jax, saying, "Taiyou Hoshi, by the by, Jax. Do you already know who I am?" She looked away from him as they were seated at table up a ten-step set of stairs on a balcony overlooking a large wooden pit with lights shining brightly on the center of the pit. The rest of the room was dimly lit and even romantic. Not many women were perusing yet and it almost seemed like any other restaurant.
Jax took a moment to look around at the scenery. The pornographic wood carvings were certainly... avante garde. Was that even the right word? Didn't matter. But Taiyou was definitely a surprise. He grinned right back and shrugged. A neko with kinks wasn't all that surprising, given their nature, but to find one all the way out here?
"Maybe. I remember hearing your name once or twice in the SA. But my question is: how do you know mine?"
Hoshi tapped her head as she picked up a menu and then put it down a moment later, saying, "Digital minds are good for a good many things. But the SAoY is not here, so why talk like it is?"
"Fair enough," Jax replied with a small laugh. He looked at his menu as well. "This is a bit out of the way, though. Wasn't sure many people knew about this little hole in the wall..." said the nekojiin, with a question implied in the statement.
"My friend owns the whole planet," she said with a smile, twirling her hand in the air. "And then some. So I like to come here mostly to get laid while my girlfriend reads at the library a block over."
"Ah, you must mean Uso, my new neighbor." mused Jax.
Hoshi smiled, "Yes, indeed Uso. Ahhh... the show must be starting..." Hoshi said as a group of girls and two men emerged from different entrances to the large open main room they were overlooking. They were dressed in ostentatious old West wear in the first wave. Corsets and large skirts abounded as the lights dimmed even more and the women and men mingled with the crowd.
A barmaid came to them with two pints of a pale ale and walked away.
"Excellent service," Hoshi commented with a half laugh as the barmaid's hips swiveled as she walked away and Hoshi realized the back of the barmaid's skirt was left bare. Hoshi whistled gently and said, "C'mere..." and then looked to Jax. "Want one too?"
It had finally started to dawn on him just what kind of establishment he'd been dragged into. A year ago, he would've run for the hills. But now? A slow grin spread across his face.
"Why not?"
Hoshi bit her lip and smiled greedily as she found her way around the barmaid's hips and asked her, "You'll be okay if you stay with me for awhile, right? I pay in KS," she added with a wink to Jax. "And I'll need a friend..."
---------
More than a few minutes later and a few tired and loosened barmaids later, Hoshi and Jax were nearly blinded by the brightness from the rest of the restaurant as the sliding curtain that had been set up around their balcony booth was opened by the exiting girls.
Sorta had gotten her dress back on and asked before she left, "Anything to eat now that we've imbibed?"
Jax, his hair a little frazzled and one of his shirt buttons mismatched, looked to Hoshi and shrugged.
"Um, just your stongest whiskey for me." he sighed, then asked Hoshi. "You?"
With a slight chuckle at hearing him ask for something she herself might sip in her ready room, she asked for something easier on the body tonight, "Mazrit brandy, if you have it."
She nodded and said, "It was so much fun meeting the both of you... Bills will be on your tabs for our services."
"Arigatou," Hoshi replied and then when she was gone, turned to Jax, but someone else approached. It was the little man -only in stature- that had been holding the fights. His voice would be very familiar to the two of the seated Nekojin. It was because Koga Akemi of the Cock Pit stood in front of them with his hands steepled, pale face covered in shadow as he bent it down, looking at his feet.
Jax looked over at Hoshi and quirked an eyebrow. Then, putting on his friendliest post-sex smile that he could muster, greeted the man.
"Hi! Akemi, right? You must be the owner of this fine establishment!"
Akemi said before anything, "Please do not stand, but yes, that is my name. It was given by the same one that named Hoshi, here," He nodded a head to Hoshi who moved in her booth seat and he sat down beside her. "Enjoy yourself...?"
"Your employees are very, uh, talented... heh..." Jax replied, starring up at the ceiling and scratching the back of his head. Looking between the two, he made the connection. "So, like, vat-sisters? Is that the right word?"
Hoshi and Akemi made two different kinds of looks. While Akemi leaned forward and smiled slyly at Jax, nodding, Hoshi's brows had furrowed.
Sadly, she was the first to speak, "Akemi is like, half my age." Her guffaw was rounded out by a gently kiss on Akemi's soft cheek, though, before Hoshi said, "But I would like to have been his sister."
"I can always pretend...~" Akemi said, then turned his attention to Jax, "You have about half as much money invested here as I have invested in the Western Frontier. Tell me more." It was bunt, but so were his burgers, beer, and boobs was, too. How could you expect any different?
"Sorry if I offended." he muttered quickly to Hoshi with a wince while she patted the air with her hand and made a cute little fu~fu~ sound.
But to Akemi, he shrugged. "Well, Star Army technician for three years aboard the Eucharis until about five months ago. Transfered to a smaller station to focus on my business while counting down the days until my contract expired. Fronted the money for that space station they're building up there," he said, jutting a thumb to the night sky, where Howard Station shown brighter than a planet amidst the black. "Decided to get away from Yamatai to delve a little more into R&D that the empire may or may not like, per say. Weapons, ship-upgrades, that sort of thing."
Akemi nodded strongly, then thanked the waitress as she came with their drinks.
"I was on Euch the Beaut until I was a Jôtô Hei. Beautiful ship, beautiful people. I love them all. Han Han? A woman steeped in infamy and yet so unbefitting of her mystery at the same time. As for the rest..." he trailed off to take a drink and Hoshi interjected.
"I have an XO that is looking to join a team with her chief engineer. Have you heard of the Fuji-class? Her preliminary designs were used. She made a standardized onsen possible, of all things."
"I think this was a good opportunity for you to meet," Akemi said, after his sip, but what I was saying was-"
Hoshi interjected once more, "Let Jax tell me what he thinks! She basically want to become a civilian contractor or crush Kuvexians until the war is over. There seems to be no in-between with her."
Jax was rather surprised at this sudden developement. He WAS looking for other, more specialized hands for some of his more complicated projects. His standard, run-of-the-mill henchmen were useful, but only in the "hey, go make me component X/a pizza" kind of way.
Looking back up at Hoshi, he nodded a little, seemingly on board with the idea.
"My company's small. Still has plenty of slots open. If this XO and engineer you speak of feel like joining up, I would have to set up an interview of some sort before I could make a final decision."
"They wouldn't have it any other way. Do you have a good memory?" Hoshi chuckled, "of course you do. My Shôsa is Teien Eden and Jôtô Hei Anastasia Barlow. Both excellent thinkers. But I think Akemi was saying something?"
"So what do you want to do besides what you've done already and will be able to do with the Jôtô Hei and Shôsa? Beyond the scope of what you can do with what you have on your own," Akemi added as he picked up a menu and wiped it clean of... spilled liquid. Yes, that. "Best not to eat on an empty stomach anyway," he said.
"Well, lemme think..." Jax mumbled, looking upwards in thought. "With the Rixxikor becoming more of a problem, I wanted to make some highly-destructive weapons that would be useful against the hordes that they like to move in. Um, have something in the works that would improve soul-transfer tech to the point where a person's original 'soul' can be moved around without making a copy... Just a few things off the top of my head, really."
That last concept made Akemi cock his head and his deep black hair fell down to touch his thigh as he sat in the booth next to Hoshi. Another woman approached and he patted his leg and she soon found her seat.
"I'd like to know more about that. I would be willing to fund research into making this possible, but is that only something you would be able to do with SAoY backing?" Akemi asked.
Jax gave Akemi a sly grin, not wanting to say too much in front of the SAoY officer sitting with them. "I have to keep some of my operational secrets undisclosed, for the sake of professional integrity. But to answer your question, no, I can do it without Yamatai's help."
"Well what if you found a way to make Nepleslia's cerebral chips easier on the user?" Akemi asked. Jax shrugged at that.
"I dunno. I haven't really looked into NAM tech that much. If I studied it more, I might be able think of something. What kind of effects are we talking here?"
"I would like something... Well, you can never be on par with Yamatai, but something that is dependable when taking care of the soul transfers of those outside of the YSE. I want everyone to be able to transfer bodies seamlessly, not just one nation of the Kikyo Sector. Can you help me with this endeavor?"
Jax smiled and nodded. "Sure, just send me the details sometime."
"You'll be working with NAM's Medtech division," Akemi said flatly and Hoshi gave a little intake of breath.Jax took note of this and quirked an eyebrow.
"Is... that a bad thing?" he asked, becoming a little skeptical of the ordeal.
"It is like Kessaku Systems asking a Heram J. Wazu to be their project lead." Hoshi informed Jax and Akemi shrugged. Hoshi added, "Or maybe a young Heram J. Wazu."
Jax blinked. "That bad, huh? Well, Akemi, look," he sighed. "I'll consider the offer. But right now, my mind's not quite in business mode- thanks for that, by the way- and I need time to sleep on it."
"Aha," I understand, then. I won't float your name just yet, then," the business man said, standing. Jax stood as well and stretched. He used his datapad to pay his tab and turned to leave. Akemi handed him a pari of Emrys Uno sunglasses before he leaves with his contact info and that of Huey Graves, his contact in Nepleslian government.
"You'll be needing these," he said with a jovial smile and Hoshi uncrossed her legs to stand and gave Jax a hug.
"Thank you," she said, then held his hand with a soft squeeze and a wink of one deep blue eye before the pair of them turned away from Jax, about to spectate on either girls or the gunfight in the center pit. Jax was about to head out, but first...
Sliding up next to Hoshi, he whispered:
"So, if you ever want to get to know me better," he chuckled, jutting a thumb to the space station above. "You know where to find me!"
Akemi saw Hoshi bite her lip as she heard Jax's last comment and a smile raised on her pink cheeks.
It was a chilly Saturday night and the lights in the streets of former Osman City lit up early as the sun of the 188604 system was far long set, despite the early hour. A pink-skinned and low but large eared Neko with blueish white hair and she had a look of lust and determination the minute she entered the Cock Pit.
At this establishment a good many things went on and since Akemi's return to the planet, the Embassy to his Kingdom was bustling and booming. Still going were the rat fights and live action sword duels. Still going were the back rooms with 188604 natives predominantly. Unlike most other locations on the planet, this one was specifically geared towards the tastes of those that had inhabited this planet long before Arcoss the beautiful disembodied Freespacer was throwing horses at them and before mecha had roamed the skies freely.
So much so was this military grade Neko looking at the events around with an air of peversion that she realized she was bumping into a relatively tall, blonde Minkan who seemed ordinary save for a set of cat ears and a long, rope-like tail in the same shade as his hair. When he registered the bump, he turned to face the Neko, and instantly she could tell that he probably wasn't sober.
After learning that a rogue Elysian fleet was threatening his livelihood with destruction, Jax had gone off into a fit of rage, but after discovering that he really couldn't do anything to stop it at that moment, he'd done the only thing he could think of: hit the bar. Now, after wandering the streets of this odd, primitive city for a while, he'd wound up here.
"Uh, hey..." he mumbled.
Taiyou Hoshi pulled her long blue and white hair behind an ear and looked to the Minkan without much inclination to be anything other than embarrassed over it. "I-I'm sorry. After you." She looked up and raised an arm gracefully and bowed slightly to let him know he could go forth.
Before much could happen between the two, a scantily clad and ample bossom'd homeworlder put her own hands up and her chest jiggled on top a little as she did a bounce and jumped towards the two.
"Come in, the cock tease is about to start!" She pulled them towards her, grabbing each arm. She didn't begin to pull them her way, though, gently waiting to see if either were about to make their comfort levels known. She did seem very excited to get them out of the entryway and to wherever this 'cock tease' was.
Under any other circumstance, Jax would have batted quite a few eyelids in this situation. But his current buzz-level, combined with a mixed bag of emotions he was currently struggled with, and a hint of rebelliousness from being just released from the Star Army, urged him to follow with a shrug.
"Hey, you're only young once." he mused, still having no earthly idea what a "cock tease" was.
The woman pulled them both when the blue haired Neko that had bumped into Jax pressed further into the bar-maid's breasts.
As they walked a few moments after being released and led to the center of the expansive building which had a rustic feel with warm red oak and plsuh leather upholstery with the little hammered in nails around the seams to make it look top notch. There were also inlays of several pornographic acts patterned around the wooden walls with an emphasis on DP.
"I'm here for this," the Neko told Jax slyly as they walked, then turned more fully to Jax, saying, "Taiyou Hoshi, by the by, Jax. Do you already know who I am?" She looked away from him as they were seated at table up a ten-step set of stairs on a balcony overlooking a large wooden pit with lights shining brightly on the center of the pit. The rest of the room was dimly lit and even romantic. Not many women were perusing yet and it almost seemed like any other restaurant.
Jax took a moment to look around at the scenery. The pornographic wood carvings were certainly... avante garde. Was that even the right word? Didn't matter. But Taiyou was definitely a surprise. He grinned right back and shrugged. A neko with kinks wasn't all that surprising, given their nature, but to find one all the way out here?
"Maybe. I remember hearing your name once or twice in the SA. But my question is: how do you know mine?"
Hoshi tapped her head as she picked up a menu and then put it down a moment later, saying, "Digital minds are good for a good many things. But the SAoY is not here, so why talk like it is?"
"Fair enough," Jax replied with a small laugh. He looked at his menu as well. "This is a bit out of the way, though. Wasn't sure many people knew about this little hole in the wall..." said the nekojiin, with a question implied in the statement.
"My friend owns the whole planet," she said with a smile, twirling her hand in the air. "And then some. So I like to come here mostly to get laid while my girlfriend reads at the library a block over."
"Ah, you must mean Uso, my new neighbor." mused Jax.
Hoshi smiled, "Yes, indeed Uso. Ahhh... the show must be starting..." Hoshi said as a group of girls and two men emerged from different entrances to the large open main room they were overlooking. They were dressed in ostentatious old West wear in the first wave. Corsets and large skirts abounded as the lights dimmed even more and the women and men mingled with the crowd.
A barmaid came to them with two pints of a pale ale and walked away.
"Excellent service," Hoshi commented with a half laugh as the barmaid's hips swiveled as she walked away and Hoshi realized the back of the barmaid's skirt was left bare. Hoshi whistled gently and said, "C'mere..." and then looked to Jax. "Want one too?"
It had finally started to dawn on him just what kind of establishment he'd been dragged into. A year ago, he would've run for the hills. But now? A slow grin spread across his face.
"Why not?"
Hoshi bit her lip and smiled greedily as she found her way around the barmaid's hips and asked her, "You'll be okay if you stay with me for awhile, right? I pay in KS," she added with a wink to Jax. "And I'll need a friend..."
---------
More than a few minutes later and a few tired and loosened barmaids later, Hoshi and Jax were nearly blinded by the brightness from the rest of the restaurant as the sliding curtain that had been set up around their balcony booth was opened by the exiting girls.
Sorta had gotten her dress back on and asked before she left, "Anything to eat now that we've imbibed?"
Jax, his hair a little frazzled and one of his shirt buttons mismatched, looked to Hoshi and shrugged.
"Um, just your stongest whiskey for me." he sighed, then asked Hoshi. "You?"
With a slight chuckle at hearing him ask for something she herself might sip in her ready room, she asked for something easier on the body tonight, "Mazrit brandy, if you have it."
She nodded and said, "It was so much fun meeting the both of you... Bills will be on your tabs for our services."
"Arigatou," Hoshi replied and then when she was gone, turned to Jax, but someone else approached. It was the little man -only in stature- that had been holding the fights. His voice would be very familiar to the two of the seated Nekojin. It was because Koga Akemi of the Cock Pit stood in front of them with his hands steepled, pale face covered in shadow as he bent it down, looking at his feet.
Jax looked over at Hoshi and quirked an eyebrow. Then, putting on his friendliest post-sex smile that he could muster, greeted the man.
"Hi! Akemi, right? You must be the owner of this fine establishment!"
Akemi said before anything, "Please do not stand, but yes, that is my name. It was given by the same one that named Hoshi, here," He nodded a head to Hoshi who moved in her booth seat and he sat down beside her. "Enjoy yourself...?"
"Your employees are very, uh, talented... heh..." Jax replied, starring up at the ceiling and scratching the back of his head. Looking between the two, he made the connection. "So, like, vat-sisters? Is that the right word?"
Hoshi and Akemi made two different kinds of looks. While Akemi leaned forward and smiled slyly at Jax, nodding, Hoshi's brows had furrowed.
Sadly, she was the first to speak, "Akemi is like, half my age." Her guffaw was rounded out by a gently kiss on Akemi's soft cheek, though, before Hoshi said, "But I would like to have been his sister."
"I can always pretend...~" Akemi said, then turned his attention to Jax, "You have about half as much money invested here as I have invested in the Western Frontier. Tell me more." It was bunt, but so were his burgers, beer, and boobs was, too. How could you expect any different?
"Sorry if I offended." he muttered quickly to Hoshi with a wince while she patted the air with her hand and made a cute little fu~fu~ sound.
But to Akemi, he shrugged. "Well, Star Army technician for three years aboard the Eucharis until about five months ago. Transfered to a smaller station to focus on my business while counting down the days until my contract expired. Fronted the money for that space station they're building up there," he said, jutting a thumb to the night sky, where Howard Station shown brighter than a planet amidst the black. "Decided to get away from Yamatai to delve a little more into R&D that the empire may or may not like, per say. Weapons, ship-upgrades, that sort of thing."
Akemi nodded strongly, then thanked the waitress as she came with their drinks.
"I was on Euch the Beaut until I was a Jôtô Hei. Beautiful ship, beautiful people. I love them all. Han Han? A woman steeped in infamy and yet so unbefitting of her mystery at the same time. As for the rest..." he trailed off to take a drink and Hoshi interjected.
"I have an XO that is looking to join a team with her chief engineer. Have you heard of the Fuji-class? Her preliminary designs were used. She made a standardized onsen possible, of all things."
"I think this was a good opportunity for you to meet," Akemi said, after his sip, but what I was saying was-"
Hoshi interjected once more, "Let Jax tell me what he thinks! She basically want to become a civilian contractor or crush Kuvexians until the war is over. There seems to be no in-between with her."
Jax was rather surprised at this sudden developement. He WAS looking for other, more specialized hands for some of his more complicated projects. His standard, run-of-the-mill henchmen were useful, but only in the "hey, go make me component X/a pizza" kind of way.
Looking back up at Hoshi, he nodded a little, seemingly on board with the idea.
"My company's small. Still has plenty of slots open. If this XO and engineer you speak of feel like joining up, I would have to set up an interview of some sort before I could make a final decision."
"They wouldn't have it any other way. Do you have a good memory?" Hoshi chuckled, "of course you do. My Shôsa is Teien Eden and Jôtô Hei Anastasia Barlow. Both excellent thinkers. But I think Akemi was saying something?"
"So what do you want to do besides what you've done already and will be able to do with the Jôtô Hei and Shôsa? Beyond the scope of what you can do with what you have on your own," Akemi added as he picked up a menu and wiped it clean of... spilled liquid. Yes, that. "Best not to eat on an empty stomach anyway," he said.
"Well, lemme think..." Jax mumbled, looking upwards in thought. "With the Rixxikor becoming more of a problem, I wanted to make some highly-destructive weapons that would be useful against the hordes that they like to move in. Um, have something in the works that would improve soul-transfer tech to the point where a person's original 'soul' can be moved around without making a copy... Just a few things off the top of my head, really."
That last concept made Akemi cock his head and his deep black hair fell down to touch his thigh as he sat in the booth next to Hoshi. Another woman approached and he patted his leg and she soon found her seat.
"I'd like to know more about that. I would be willing to fund research into making this possible, but is that only something you would be able to do with SAoY backing?" Akemi asked.
Jax gave Akemi a sly grin, not wanting to say too much in front of the SAoY officer sitting with them. "I have to keep some of my operational secrets undisclosed, for the sake of professional integrity. But to answer your question, no, I can do it without Yamatai's help."
"Well what if you found a way to make Nepleslia's cerebral chips easier on the user?" Akemi asked. Jax shrugged at that.
"I dunno. I haven't really looked into NAM tech that much. If I studied it more, I might be able think of something. What kind of effects are we talking here?"
"I would like something... Well, you can never be on par with Yamatai, but something that is dependable when taking care of the soul transfers of those outside of the YSE. I want everyone to be able to transfer bodies seamlessly, not just one nation of the Kikyo Sector. Can you help me with this endeavor?"
Jax smiled and nodded. "Sure, just send me the details sometime."
"You'll be working with NAM's Medtech division," Akemi said flatly and Hoshi gave a little intake of breath.Jax took note of this and quirked an eyebrow.
"Is... that a bad thing?" he asked, becoming a little skeptical of the ordeal.
"It is like Kessaku Systems asking a Heram J. Wazu to be their project lead." Hoshi informed Jax and Akemi shrugged. Hoshi added, "Or maybe a young Heram J. Wazu."
Jax blinked. "That bad, huh? Well, Akemi, look," he sighed. "I'll consider the offer. But right now, my mind's not quite in business mode- thanks for that, by the way- and I need time to sleep on it."
"Aha," I understand, then. I won't float your name just yet, then," the business man said, standing. Jax stood as well and stretched. He used his datapad to pay his tab and turned to leave. Akemi handed him a pari of Emrys Uno sunglasses before he leaves with his contact info and that of Huey Graves, his contact in Nepleslian government.
"You'll be needing these," he said with a jovial smile and Hoshi uncrossed her legs to stand and gave Jax a hug.
"Thank you," she said, then held his hand with a soft squeeze and a wink of one deep blue eye before the pair of them turned away from Jax, about to spectate on either girls or the gunfight in the center pit. Jax was about to head out, but first...
Sliding up next to Hoshi, he whispered:
"So, if you ever want to get to know me better," he chuckled, jutting a thumb to the space station above. "You know where to find me!"
Akemi saw Hoshi bite her lip as she heard Jax's last comment and a smile raised on her pink cheeks.
