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RP: YSS Miharu Kyoto: Interview with a Neko(s)

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Large words, representing larger ideas. Yukari decided it was best to let it go. With Sora present, she was not going to get satisfying answers, assuming she could even ask the right questions.

"Thank you, Juni-san." She smiled as she looked at Sora. "Shoi Kohosei, you are excused with the Juni; consider yourselves on shoreleave."

She did not waste much time on goodbyes or pleasantries. "Now, Chui. I understand you are an expert mathematician and encryption expert, as well as an analyst of some repute. Please explain to me why, in light of these qualifications, my Taisa requires you on her ship."
 
"Every ship should have one," Aoiko replied, unhesitatingly. She bowed to Sora and Sumaru as they left before continuing. "Two would be preferable. Conflict of any kind is based upon deception, and seeing through it." She glanced up, and gestured with her hands. "A stealthed ship in the vastness of space can be completely undetectable. Or, a criminal lurking in a community's underbelly, working through proxies, may go unnoticed for years. It is informational theory that brings them to light; mathematics and cryptology give rise to informational theory."
 

A know-it-all ... Yukari could relate to that somehow. But there was a time and a place for it.

"I see. But we have more than two of these analysts; we have the entirety of SAINT at our disposal." A stretch of the truth, perhaps. "We require all of our crew to be excellent fighters while fulfilling their original occupations."

She did not ask about the Neko's ability to fight, however. "Speaking of, what occupation requires you to be inside the body of a Samurai? And would you be willing to transfer to an NH-29?"
 
"No," Aoiko said, flatly. She laid her hands on the table as if she was just about to push away. "I will beg you to indulge me on the point of my body; my occupation has instilled me with a certain sense of carefulness, and besides, I have grown used to this. I would not be comfortable in the slightest in a civilian frame; would you be willing to lose several limbs and be infected with a degenerative disease that robbed you of your physical capabilities?" She tilted her head slightly, regarding Yukari before she continued.

"As for your first point," she said, a little more confidently, "the entirety of SAINT is not of much help when you are in the field, or under radio silence. If you are concerned about my combat ability, please do not be. I am a soldier, first and foremost out of all my occupations. I am not lacking in martial ability."
 
"I was NH-17," Yukari said. "I was then NH-22C, and now NH-29H. My body is not a disease, nor have my capabilities been diminished by adopting it. On the contrary, I have become a more effective soldier. I have learned to rely less on myself, and that is a valuable thing in the military. All Neko who made this transfer have also learned to work within these limits, instead of the boundless world of the NH-17. Even more so, the NH-27."

Yukari paused. "How do you believe you could grow, were you to adopt the NH-29? How would you change?"
 
Aoiko's head tilted a little more as she listened to Yukari. She glanced down to the table, cupping one hand over her mouth as she thought for a moment. "I would likely have to take some time to grow used to it," she said, slowly. "I make extensive use of my extra limbs at present, as well as my physical ability. I would likely have to give up on the field-work I do at present, as well, if I could no longer confidently operate independently. On the other hand..." Her eyes flicked over to Miyoko for a moment before settling back on Yukari. "It would, I suppose, force me to learn to work better with others. And the extended thought range and operational time is tempting." Her eyes hardened, and one corner of her lips twitched back. "But it is not worth the cost, in my mind."
 
Yukari nodded. "On the Miharu, Chui, working with others is how we survive. We do not have room in our family for independent operators." Yukari was hearing more of what she had feared she would — the Nekovalkyrja was not willing to sacrifice her raw, personal power for the good and safety of the vessel. Yukari admitted to herself her own prejudice against Aoiko; she hated the power, warmongering nature of the Nekovalkyrja, and the NH-27 body outside the hands of a Samurai seemed the epitome of that nature. "I will speak to the Taisa about your body. She ultimately will decide. If you choose to transfer now, however, I can inform you of the details of our assignment. Until that time, I cannot. Is this acceptable, Chui?"
 
Aoiko looked quite clearly taken aback at that. "I can work with others, Shosa!" she said, sounding a little hurt. "I simply do not wish to compromise my own life in so fundamental a way. This body has become nearly irreplacable, given the trouble I underwent to get it in the first place, and I hardly think they would let me have another... I am very attached to it." She paused, tapping the table with one finger, her lips pursed as she considered her words.

"I do not like the idea of discarding advances that improve people's lives. My own has been significantly improved with this frame. This is no weapon, you see - I have used it to go places I would never have been able to go with a civilian body, to build things that would require extensive machinery otherwise, to live in such an independent and confident way that, now that I have known it, I... I simply cannot relinquish it." She paused for another moment, considering Yukari. "But I will accept the transfer, Shosa."
 
Yukari did not quite understand what Aoiko spoke of. There was nothing she wanted to do that she could not do ... she could build whatever she wanted, with the proper tools, and go wherever she wanted, with the proper vehicle. Kotori, as ambitious and powerful as she was, had left her NH-22M behind, had she not? Kotori wanted more than just power, though.

I was happy to become more human. No, become less thirsty for violence. " ... What do you wish to do after your commission is over, Chui? What do you want from your life?"
 
Aoiko visibly relaxed, sinking back into her chair. "I had been giving it some amount of thought," she said, folding her hands back in her lap. "There is, unfortunately, little for one of my profession to do in the civilian sector. I could teach, of course, which would be a profoundly interesting position, or I could stay on at SAINT as an advisor, and give up field duties. I had also considered taking up a monastic life, and perhaps rid myself of this pesky maya." She shrugged, lightly. "I might not even retire. Nothing is pushing me to it - I still have well over half a century before I will start aging!" She waved one hand, a little dismissively. "Nobody's life depends on what I will do in three years. Nothing rides on it at all. Why worry about it?"
 
Why indeed. " ... PANTHEON, please begin your system examination of the recorders in this room, under SAINT-grade authorization code nine-Beta-six-five-Rho."

"Code accepted," the computer replied. "Recorders withdrawn for sixty seconds and counting."

Yukari wasted no time. "Many in this crew, this family, want to fight and survive not for the Empire, Chui. We do not fight for its grandiose ideals, for those ideals have proven to be as solid as air. We fight for our futures. Real, tangible futures, that we hold close to our hearts. Not all of us have them well-defined, but we at the least fight to protect the ones that are defined. I expect you to not merely understand this, but eventually live it. Otherwise, you will die, as will the rest of us."

The recorders returned with a light beep. "Do you understand, Chui?"
 
Aoiko blinked, looking a little bewildered at Yukari's speech. After a moment, she collected herself and responded.

"I rather like people," she said, "and I rather dislike it when they come to harm. So yes, I understand, Shosa."
 
"You do not yet, if your history is accurate." Yukari's smile finally appeared, sincere at least. "But I have faith you will, after you get to know us."

She nodded. "I will not force you to change your body. And you will not transfer, yet. We will handle that aboard the Miharu, if necessary. For now, I ask you please leave the room, for a moment, so I might consult my adviser, please."
 
Aoiko tilted her head slightly, looking a little confused again, then quite visibly relaxed - as if nearly every muscle in her body went limp at once. "Thank you very much, Shosa," she said, rising up from her seat. She bowed low to both Yukari and Miyoko, then once more when she reached the door. After shutting the door behind her, she sighed a little and sat down heavily in a chair to ponder what just happened.
 
Yukari looked to Miyoko, and let out a sigh. "It would be easier if I enjoyed this kind of work," she said. "What are your feelings on her?"
 
"Mm." Miyoko steepled her fingers in thought--she didn't like this sort of work either. "A cryptographer certainly would have made our work easier at a few points. It isn't something I think that we could fully employ a specialist in, though... If we take her on, I imagine that she'll end up filling whatever positions are vacant half of the time, as I was during the last mission."

This was all a reminder of why Miyoko wasn't especially eager to rise through the ranks. All of this management was just a tedious distraction from science and leisure. Especially the leisure. "Were she a Hei, I'd unreservedly suggest that we take her on, primarily as a power armor pilot, serving as a cryptographer when needed. Given her rank, though, I doubt we'd want to use her as a front line fighter very often. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have her, I just don't see that there would be enough to keep her occupied."
 
Yukari nodded, keeping her gaze on Miyoko. "I concur. It appears you and I would share that in common with her. Our job duties vary by the day. And to not have her as infantry would be a waste of her body, as the NH-27 is likely more capable in a Mindy or Daisy than you or I would be. But ... she would be an advantage were we attacked upon the ship."

She thought a moment. "I do not believe we will have enough to do for her. I agree on this point. But we will be losing other personnel on this shoreleave, such as Sato-Hei, and therefore losing capable power armor users ... I believe I would have to give her an administrative demotion, so as to maintain proper seniority among the other officers."

Yukari paused again. "How do you feel about her, personally? And how she would fit with our crew?"
 
"I may not be the best one to ask... I still haven't gotten familiar with most of the new crew as it is. I don't see any glaring reason that she wouldn't fit in, though." Miyoko shrugged. Social dynamics were a mystery to her.
 
Yukari nodded again, then looked toward the window. "We will allow her onto the ship, then. I see no undesirable personality traits as well, and I believe we will also be losing Serizawa Ichi as our science specialist."

She paused as she looked out the window, then looked back at Miyoko and nodded. "Thank you for your help, Saito-Hei." A small breath. "PANTHEON, please invite Hasegawa-Juni, the Shoi Kohosei and the Chui back in."

Outside, a small bell rung, and volumetric windows appeared before the two candidates, asking them to return to the room.
 
Sumaru noted the bell and stood first before the ladies got up and waited for them before heading in to the room. "It seems they have made their decisions." He said quietly to neither of them particularly, then opened the when they got close enough, he walked in ahead and quietly took his seat, bowing his head slightly again to Yukari and her adviser and silently awaited their verdict.
 
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