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  • 📅 December 2024 is YE 46.9 in the RP.

RP: Lorath [LSDF] Project Herald

As anticipated the response portion of the initial briefing's Q&A provided answers that were not so much a response to the questions posed by one 'Mister Lewis' but rather provided information in how they were answered. From what Tamamo could parse, Chambers was not happy to be here working with foreigners, this indicated a more secular Lorath mindset which given their unfortunate history and near continuous demonizing was hardly out of place. Additionally Chambers appreciated someone willing to pass up the small details and get their job done, though in hand with her dislike of foreigners on some level made Taela's quasi-affectionate mutation of her name an unacceptable breach of professional behaviour. When considered together it suggested that Chambers was someone who was familiar with the respect and structure of the chain of command, which indicated that for the purposes of whatever they had been chosen for they hadn't been stuck with a green officer.

Simultaneous to the voiced information Tamamo's query had received a response, one that left Tamamo feeling a shadow of disappointment, though no real surprise. Re-evaluating her initial response, the small woman decided that she was content to accept the present circumstances and allowed that for the moment her endeavours would have to be put on hold for the sake of whatever project the Lorath had hired her to participate in. As the response had been more than a flat refusal, or simple silence Tamamo felt it proper to reply though she kept it short with a simple, "Acknowledged, thank you."

Reordering her priorities with her inquisitive endeavour stalled Tamamo returned her attention in full to the room she physically occupied and set about decision making. Needing to address the excitable thumping on her leg, Tamamo placed a hand on Taela's shoulder squeezing gently as she offered a small smile, all in a gesture intended to be simultaneously comforting and restraining. This lasted for only a short moment before the small woman stood, lifting her pack from between her legs, and letting her spherical companion return to the air to settle over her left shoulder. On her feet, Tamamo glanced at the table examining the food and her own mostly clean plate one last time as she stalled trying to think of what would be socially apropriate before intoning softly for the Nepleslian, "They need to know we are worth trusting. For that to be proven, we must give some trust."

Stepping away from the table Tamamo pushed her chair in before making her way around the obstacle to follow after Chambers, intent on moving forward with her assigned task. Had she, or the others with her been Lorath it might have been said that she were making a demonstration of faith, though given her status she assumed that it would be interpreted more as compliance, or perhaps even obedience. Prior to her time spent on Kotoku I, Tamamo likely would have thought the same thing. However her quarantine had provided her with ample opportunity to read whatever sections of the Lorath Codex of Canon Law that she was allowed and with it she had cultivated a small understanding for the Lorath as a people giving her an appreciation for faith and the demonstration there of, as opposed to simple self-interest driven consent.

With the number of unknowns in her present situation and with her unable to project with acceptable accuracy what her companions might do, or how they react (with unfortunate consequence) Tamamo grudgingly acknowledged that the best that she could do was lead by example and hopefully mitigate some of the dissent that came from the root human template, and its instinctual need to know that was present in both Nepleslians and the core of most Nekovalkyrja. It was with no small importance in her mind that Tamamo flagged the hope that Chambers was the sort of commanding officer who could inspire her subordinates to do what needed to be done, and that with time her distaste would give way to practicality and that it would be Chambers, not Tamamo who coaxed the group forward. Nothing in the information presented both during the scouting phase and this present state suggested that any leadership would be expected of her, and Tamamo much preferred it stayed that way.

For now she had the rote process of evaluation, medical screening (and likely poking), and whatever the securing process would be to look forward to as well as the idle act of slowly churning through the math that had been provided in the briefing document to keep her busy. These prospects were similar in that all of which would lead to decreased restrictions, and more information which was for the moment carrot enough to continue forward into the relative unknown that otherwise might have seemed too much like a con.
 
At least the Lorath cleared the air, and he was used to how straightforward Lorath were. "Thank you Chambers, rest assured I gain nothing from 'ratting out'." Danny replied as he nodded towards the Captain, and the blue-skinned ... fox? He settled on fox. His gaze meanwhile was pointed towards Chambers. "You've seen my employment history, rats don't survive long." Indeed, bounty hunting was thirsty work for returns uncertain at the best of times.

He decided have a last word, just to clear the air with the tailed Nekovalkyrja. "And I have been shot at." He inclined his forehead upwards, lifting his hair and showing a bandage hiding what looked like a glancing bullet against his skull. It was responsible for his total lack of personal information beyond the last few years, since he couldn't remember any of it, and there were no records updated. It was all his. He lowered his hair and got back to eating his dinner.

He mused about with a rogue NMX Nekovalkyrja back when he was with Desmond, he much preferred working with her and the Hunters - even the Separa'shan - than having to be alongside whoever the rapscallion with the tail was in some manner of experiment. True, the unknown's frightening. He considered. But what do I know? And it wasn't much in the grander scheme of things, even if he could make really good pancakes.

His datapad was resting beside his food, still open on the document, read about halfway with a couple of programs open to handle the near-eldritch mathematics for him, and a dictionary. All that said though, he'd still signed yes. Danny wanted to see how deep this rabbit hole went, even if it would challenge what he knew of the world around him. In particular, some of the sections he'd bookmarked regarded amnesia or memory loss.
 
So THAT'S the kind of person she is, Taela decided on Chambers's not entirely uncalled for response. The neko made to sign whatever other papers there were without reading the contents. At this point, it was an all-or-nothing. She continued thinking, Gotta be careful or else she'll throw me out of an airlock for eating the last chip and have the legal say-so.

She gave Tamamo a toothy smile on the shoulder contact. Taela brushed off the crumbs that'd fallen on herself, getting most of them off before following after the fox after the bird. She let herself skip along until Danny finally responded. She snapped back with a dissuasive wave and a haughty, "Yeah talk to me AFTER you shoot a nuke at a bunch of squids piloting bots."

Taela's tail made circular motions as she strolled by Tamamo.
 
Biesi Orbital Operations Platform
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: Examination and Preparation

Once the three applicants had inscribed their signatures upon their initial documentation, the gears of the Matriarchy's operational machine were set into motion. Chambers had her orders, just as any extension of the Matriarchy's will would have, for her, it was simple at this point: Get the crew ready.

"Each of you will receive an individualized induction process consisting of a personalized medical evaluation and treatment, individual specialization and skill-set adjusted training, and mission critical equipment briefing directly related to your personal part in this endeavor." Chambers explained, as she guided the group beyond the almost industrialesque grit of the loading and processing area, and into the inner portions of the operations platform.

As the group progressed into the interior, an occasional grey-black uniform clad Lorath Self Defense Force soldier, and the occasional low ranking officer, passed by the group, or vice versa. There was a blend of the three castes of Lorath present, Fyunnen, New Tur'listian, and Lmanel. Each of which were busy about their business with little to no care about the group of recruits, at least until the group reached a security checkpoint that was manned by a pair of operators, one of which had a service animal of some-sort at their heel.

It was a seemingly short creature, its form partially obscured by segmented plate armor and a sort of structural mesh webbing that seemed to churn and pulse with the animal's subtle movements. On approach, the animal stared at the group, small red pupil adorned eyes stared intently, with a focused gaze set upon only two members of the group. Nanomechanical webbing flexed as the hackles of the animal stood up as the animal came to its paws. As it stood, it appeared to be some sort of canine, until the ears of the animal could be noticed; long, slender, almost like some sort of rabbit or hare. Anyone who knew their Lorath xeno zoology would recognize the animal as an Ey'tis, but not some trash mixed breed that was common stock among casual owners who would keep them as pets. Gleaming teeth were brought to bare, as an almost feline hiss wrapped in a growl rolled from the animal, it smelled hemosynth, and it exclaimed the fact as its hind legs met the deck plate with a resounding sound of a thump intermingled with struck metal.

Chambers placed her hand upon a nearby panel, the Nekovalkryja of the group with their refined senses could likely smell the fresh but faint scent of blood, as a sample was gathered through the skin of Chambers' hand. One of the operators stepped forward, extending a glove adorned hand which was absent finger-coverings, grasping the Commander's hand which was not busy being evaluated by a machine. There was a glance exchanged between operators, before the animal suddenly was quiet and calmed, and the door which the pair guarded slid open with a hiss.

"Staff only, you see." Chambers lightly stated, as she gestured for the group to follow.

Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Nepleslian

"Mister Lewis." Started a small framed New Tur'listian, clad in white robes, as opposed to some sort of lab coat, or the standard LSDF uniform. Her amber eyes were set upon the Nepleslian which was sat across a table from her, a table where the Nepleslian's available medical records were spread out. "We have completed our initial exam, and we find that your general health is in order... However, admittedly, it does concern my colleagues and I that there is no extended history available. Could you perhaps elaborate on the reason for this?" As she asked her question, she also brought a small tray onto the tabletop from a bag that was set beside her on the floor. On the tray were an assortment of electronic and simply metallic instruments. "Perhaps while I conduct an exam of your hands. We need detailed data, as to prepare individualized tactile feedback." an assuring smile crossed her pastel-blue clad lips, which matched to the dyed ear-length hair which framed her features.


Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Blue Fox

Hello! Network connection status update is available.
Your network connection permission has been updated.
You are now granted 'Adjunct Personnel Grade 4' access.
Thank you for your patience.
Please use Matriarchy data network resources responsibly.

It was a small whisper of digital sound which trickled into the Nekovalkryja's mind, as she was sat at a solid table, constructed of some sort of molded resin. Firm, solid, but genuinely boring. A hiss of a door sounded, before a LSDF uniform clad individual stepped into the room. Upon their arm was a goldenrod colored arm-band, a quick network check would reveal to the azure biological android that the color was indicative of a former United Outer Colonies citizen in LSDF service. "Greetings, ah..." There was a glace into a digital folder held in the man's hand, a hand that held the gleam of durandium. "Miss Sesshoseki." He started, as he appeared to browse through the digital folder, but in actuality, he was just keeping his hands busy with a fidget as he took a seat across from the Nekovalkryja. He appeared to be quite typical for a Nepleslian, a medium muscular build, the sound of micro-servos churning, and an eye that was not quite the same as the other. What set him apart though, was a peaked officer's cap, adorned with insignia which indicated he was a member of the LSDF's medical corps.

"My name is Howard, Howard Ziddler. I've been assigned to be your point-of-contact for your medical service. As you are a Nekovalkryja, you may have guessed we're not here to check you for a fever or see if you've got a functional liver, we're here to get work done, highly illegal work that we had to pay an asshole a lot of money to be able to do." There was a smile that crossed the weather-beaten features of the Nepleslian, who had undoubtedly seen a fair share of planetside operations; "I'm more of a boutique salesperson at this point, you have a network connection now, the one you were wanting since you came aboard. Based upon the questionnaire you filled out when we first scouted you, and the data we have on you, I'm sure you're going to want to do some browsing."

Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Other Neko

"We will be conducting some routine evaluation procedures today, Kaela-san" Explained a goldenrod armband adorned LSDF medic, it was clear from her accent, and her use of an honorific, that she was a Jiyuuian. "I will be needing you to change into an examination gown, as to reduce sensor interference." she stated.

It all seemed rather routine, a medical bay room, examination tables, all the comforts of 'home' away from home, at least for the former Origin and YSE service member. "While you change, could you please state any noteworthy medical history? Any ST transfers, surgical interventions, parasite infestations, critical injuries including amputations, things of that general nature." Came the words from the Jiyuuian, who put on their own labcoat, after setting out a plastic wrapped exam gown for the nekovalkryja.
 
Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Nepleslian

Looking down at the most recent medical records, Danny could see various records he made of his own injuries he had sustained during his work with the bounty hunters, in addition to the handiwork made by various medics. There were also files from various small Search and Rescue agencies dotted around Nepleslia, and a clean bill of health from when he worked at Origin Industries. In addition were reports of injuries he sustained while he was being undergoing training with the Lazarus Consortium. Though, none of the records he or anyone else kept went past YE29.

With a New Tur'lista at the desk, he knew they would look at more than the records when they asked for his hands. "You see," he said, lifting the hair that covered his brow up again, showing off that little sticking plaster. "Someone shot me," Danny explained as he peeled it away, revealing a visible divot full of scar tissue in his forehead. The given cause according to medical analysis from Lazarus was a glancing bullet, "but it did not kill me. I don't remember who shot me, or why."

Based on how he was explaining this, Danny seemed quite calm about it, so the examiner had no doubt that he had come to terms with his lack of identity, and seemed to be succeeding on his own. The blonde Nepleslian put his hands down in front of the New Tur'lista. "My name, meanwhile, I don't remember my original, so I..." he looked aside, wary of whether the chequered past would dampen his chances of staying aboard with this operation, "made one up, and I started life again from there, doing odd jobs, taking cash where possible, favours otherwise."

The employment history he'd kept recorded spoke for itself. First known record was being press ganged to the Reds, then working as a thief as they collapsed, a personal assistant to Aerin Tatst of Origin Industries, then a search and rescue operative, then a bounty hunter as his most recent venture. It was all held together by a huge string of odd jobs for local clients from all across the sector. His footprints lead him through Nepleslia mostly, with Lor being the second most travelled place, then Yamatai in last, behind lots of other small nations, and private clients who had no stately jurisdictions.

While he waited for the hand examination to take place, he tried to inject some levity, or at least a good word in. "I suppose I had some trouble working in Yamatai for a while since I had no legal identification... I had suitable records fabricated by some friends after I assisted them with stealing - er," he made a verbal backspace, "reclaiming some Lorath artworks from the Yamataian black market and putting them back in a museum." He knew New Tur'lista had a thing for hands given their touch psionics, and his fingers were like pianist's.
 
Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Blue Fox

As they left the food laden ready room behind, Tamamo almost immediately found herself acutely aware of how out of place her group was within the Lorath orbital platform. With all of the Lorath personnel passing by it was hard to ignore how out of place an excitable Nekovalkyrja with a tail, a short blue not-quite-a-Nekovalkyrja, and a Nepleaslian were when travelling in a group.

To compound with this sense of excessive exposure it seemed, from Tamamo's perspective, that despite leading the trio on their way Chambers had somehow managed to create a functional isolation bubble that made it clear that she was no directly involved with those she lead. A sort of social construct that Tamamo could not fathom the purpose of but could easily note the appreciable effect as they progressed.

More helpfully as they walked Chambers once again spoke, explaining in brief what the group of mercenaries had in store, something that Tamamo listened to with no small amount of interest. It seemed to imply that the LSDF hoped to hone their raw acquisitions into effective parts of a larger whole, rather than just shipping them somewhere as they were for a purpose. It was becoming clear that as much as this was a job, it was also an investment. One that the Matriarchy hoped to get positive returns on.

Upon arriving at a security checkpoint, Tamamo found her interest piqued. The mannerisms of the guards, unlike the casual aloof attitude of those they had encountered in the halls, was on the border of being hostile. Something that was especially clear in the mannerisms of the present Ey'tis. From what little she understood and had experienced of the species, it seemed rather odd to her that one was performing active service in a security role, though upon re-evaluation it was becoming clear that her opinion of the species was tainted by the representative she had tangentially encountered, and would need to be rapidly reconstructed.

While Chambers conversed with the guard, Tamamo found herself in the awkward position of trying to study the Ey'tis while not actually looking at it. Attempting to discern the construction that had gone into its armor, particularly the use of the mesh-like material, was an effort in futility as she couldn't exactly take advantage of her optical magnification in her peripheral vision. As they proceeded onward Tamamo once again found herself wishing that she had managed to acquire an Eihei chassis as intended and that she hadn't instead been assailed suddenly by SAINT.

Given the nature of the NH series, Tamamo appreciated what she had observed of the checkpoint. The Ey'tis she supposed was in place to detect hemosynthetic material which given the capabilities of some of the more useful chassis models available to the YSE was vital to preventing shapeshifters, or perhaps more accurately shape stealers. The hint of the pleasant scent of blood indicated its use in the security system was of note though Tamamo couldn't help but wonder whether a recently deceased individual could still be used to bypass the checkpoint, or whether there were additional safety measures in place that prevented the use of pilfered anatomy. For the immediate future, Tamamo hoped she wouldn't have to find out.

***​

In all honesty, Tamamo had not particularly wanted to sit down in the room. Further, she had not wanted to be seated in a chair. Again. Especially when in her opinion a corner of the ceiling would be more comfortable, and relatively safer. Of course, given the circumstances her personal preference was for the moment pushed aside for the purposes of polite interaction.

She had been directed to a room of her own for the duration of her examination, and Tamamo found herself wondering if she would be spending much time on her own waiting. This thought was pushed aside with the advent of a digital notification from the station's local systems indicating that she had been granted network access leading Tamamo to idly wonder if she would not be interacting with a corporeal entity for this next portion of her examination and integration process.

The arrival of a Nepleslian shortly there after was both curious and reinforced the decision to maintain a polite front instead of partaking in behaviour that would have possibly unsettled the man. After all, her template's kind had a history, one that she doubted any effort of her own would diminish.

Tamamo bowed her head in greeting to the Nepleslian as he made his introduction while taking note of the armband adorning the Nepleslian's arm marking him as an immigrant to the Matriarchy. The symbol though functional, served to remind Tamamo that hoped to be allowed to achieve citizenship of her own, though in all likelihood in the event that their positions were reversed her own armband would be black. When the man introduced himself as one 'Howard Ziddler' Tamamo broke her typical 'stare into forever' expression long enough to offer a smile that genuinely seemed kind and warm, "I thank you for your time, Howard," Tamamo made note of using the Nepleslian's offered introduction of familiarity instead of imposing Yamatai mannerisms or stiff detachment, "You are correct, in your assessment. Given the nature of my... Employment I however, feel that I should provide some background information. As such I hope that you will forgive me for delegating the rest of this conversation to my partner."

As Tamamo finished speaking her eyes seemed to lose focus and glaze over, making her already wide-eyed and somewhat unsettled gaze truly look as if she were staring into infinity. After a moment as if suddenly aware of her appearance her eyes closed, notably the only time it had happened since Howard had entered the room. At the same time the white sphere that had for the most part been benignly floating near Tamamo's head drifted a couple of feet to her left before shimmering as a volumetric image began to form, coalescing into the form of a tall woman that, had she had red hair, a red horn, and a smaller build would have looked uncannily like an NH-17T.

A broad smile greeted Howard as the features settled on the face, as the facsimile of crystalline blue-green eyes shaded by verdant green hair settled upon his face. A moment later she dipped her blue horned head and spoke in a high, peppy voice that seemed more suited to a party goer than an individual who was conducting business, and oddly her voice and mannerisms seemed more human than Tamamo, "It is a pleasure to meet, and work with you, Howard. I am Kanshi Koa, or just Koa if you are more comfortable with that. I hope you don't mind if we speak for a little bit~ Though I suppose I should start by filling you in with what information we have deemed relevant to this exchange, as we are aware that there are some unique aspects to this arrangement.

"Amusingly enough have some experience in the field of highly illegal Nekovalkyrja modification. It may interest the Matriarchy that starting back in late YE 36 Tamamo found herself in the presence of a Lazarus Consortium representative," there was no small amount of venom in her voice as she spoke the corporation's name, though her smile didn't falter, "At this point Tamamo was offered a MODUS endoskeletal replacement package, an offer which in hindsight was unwisely accepted. She is, to our knowledge, the only military grade Nekovalkyrja to have both used and survived the installation process. Exploring the new hardware and the customization API that accompanies it she began experimenting with minor modifications and hardware testing eventually resulting in additional augmentation in mid-YE 37. This included a SynAra subdermal mesh, a more powerful volumetric array, and the installation and the ad-hoc transfer of memory and personality files to a Lazarus developed Electroptic/Quasitransistor Femtoprocessor done with no small amount of help of a sympathetic Type Five Freespacer.

"Unfortunately, the MODUS API was not intended for a military unit and as such, we have been dealing with some 'auto-immune' issues which flare up as the hemosynthetic components of the body try to locate the foreign material. This coupled with the black box and generally aggravatingly restrictive nature of the Neko-OS have led to the conclusion that a wholly new body, and hopefully OS platform would be preferred. To this end, we have been looking to purchase a high-end military-grade SILVER chassis, which we hope to modify and configure to her preferences."

At this point Koa, or rather the projection of her paused and brushed idly at her hair giving Mr. Ziddler some time to process what had been spoken. After an appreciable pause but before Ziddler could respond, Koa leaned forward (a rather distracting action given the life-like simulation of the ample heft of her chest) and cheerfully inquired, "Despite her intention to move her self to an entirely new body, hopefully with some help removing any risidual bits of the Neko OS present in her ST data, would the Matriarchy still be interested in keeping her present physical form around for testing purposes?"

At this point Koa seemed to settle into a posture that indicated a readiness to listen, twitching her ears in a manner that some might have considered adorably inquisitive, or alternatively it would be unsettling depending on previous experiences with animal eared gynoids. In this area of space it was almost even odds either way.
 
"Man, what a weird dog," Taela remarked about the rabbit-creature that they passed, clearly not an expert or even a novice in Lorath fauna. She stuck her tongue out at the beast as it hissed at her and continued on to her handler for the time being.

DocTomoe said:
Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Other Neko

"We will be conducting some routine evaluation procedures today, Kaela-san" Explained a goldenrod armband adorned LSDF medic, it was clear from her accent, and her use of an honorific, that she was a Jiyuuian. "I will be needing you to change into an examination gown, as to reduce sensor interference." she stated.

It all seemed rather routine, a medical bay room, examination tables, all the comforts of 'home' away from home, at least for the former Origin and YSE service member. "While you change, could you please state any noteworthy medical history? Any ST transfers, surgical interventions, parasite infestations, critical injuries including amputations, things of that general nature." Came the words from the Jiyuuian, who put on their own labcoat, after setting out a plastic wrapped exam gown for the nekovalkryja.
Click to expand...

Taela shrugged and began stripping in front of the former UOC resident, looking bored with the task all the while. Once she was properly gowned, she finally responded to what the Jiyuuian was asking.

"Never had a formal ST transfer, had aftermarket modifications done to the body. Custom SPINE alterations, decentralized organs, can breathe through my skin, uh. . . ."

The neko paused as she tried to think of the things she could do.

"Oh yeah, this tail is actually not part of my ass," she added, disengaging it from her SPINE with a click and holding it up to the Jiyuuian. "I've lost my left arm three times now, never been parasitically infected, definitely been shot in the stomach more than once, and I'm pretty sure I lost a finger at one point but I might've been drunk for that. Oh yeah, I can get drunk too. Great modification, lemme tell ya."
 
Operations Platform, Exterior

While scores of Matriarchy personnel worked upon preparations concerning the ‘crew’ which had been selected, work continued outside of the atmosphere blessed confines of the operations platform. Polymers, metals, and materials somewhere between were woven together in vacuum. Thin strands of material were created, as precision manipulation of nuclear strong force and electromagnetism were applied in the femtoscopic scale, building atomic bonds and molecular chains. Links formed between those chains, extending, reaching, grasping onto the next as each strand met to the next, and forming like a synthetic muscular sleeve over the framework of the heavily modified Star Seeker frame.

As the sleeve encompassed the framework of the craft, precision bursts of high intensity x-rays delivered destabilizing bursts of heat, which served as a catalyst which caused each individual strand of the sleeve to bond to the next, until forming a hard smooth shell over the frame of the Star Seeker, effectively laminating the spacecraft in a protective layer of the latest variation of ‘Stone Thread’ material. Once the sleeve was in place, work crews scurried to create access points, clear exhaust and intake ports, and generally shear away the excess using high-intensity plasma torches, which if misused, could have sheared off a chunk of hull.

Construction of the spacecraft was nearing its final stretch, as it was being refined, perfected, and brought to the ready in preparation for its journey. With so much at stake, work crews remained driven, operations crews remained fixated, as a trio of gawking gazes peered from a porthole, eying the spacecraft in a mix of primitive curiosity and primal want, before scurrying through the depths of the operations platform.

Operations Platform, Interior
The Nepleslian

Cold finger tips. They were the contact that Danny had with the New Tur’listian as skin met to skin. Tender, supple, soft, untouched by a moment of genuine labor, the New Tur’listian’s touch was precise, just as precise as her focus as she looked upon, and into, the Nepleslian before her. Beyond the façade of the man before her, she saw void, a gaping chasm, torn through what could be deemed the ‘soul’ of the man. Scientifically speaking however, what she saw was sign of physical trauma to the frontal lobe, which extended into the temporal lobe, but by some miracle, had dwindled into minor trauma to the occipital lobe. There was no question, Danny was damaged goods. Even with the technique and ability granted to the New Tur’listian examiner, she could not begin to piece together the person behind the trauma in any quantitative way, though, she was able to skim the surface, enough to put doubt to rest; beneath her touch was a ‘good man’, as Nepleslians would say.

“Mister Lewis, it does seem you have rather well kept hands. Perhaps, when you get paid after all this, you could maybe take on a line of work better suited to such hands. I would suggest that a career in art may be in order.” Spoke the New Tur’listian, as she smiled softly. As the smile crossed her lips, a telepathic signal was received by a neural-link controller, which took to dictation, emblazoning across Danny’s file: Authorized For Trial.

The Blue Fox

Introductions were easy enough for the Nepleslian assigned to Tamamo’s interview. Howard had met his share of synthetic life-forms in his time of service, from Freespacer Junkers, to the assorted models of Nekovalkryja, and with that experience, he was not put off in the least by Tamamo’s more ‘eccentric’ mannerisms. Only one thing did scratch at the back of the Nepleslian’s thoughts; the fact that such a vacant gaze as the one Tamamo wore, when upon a Nepleslian, carried so much of a different meaning, a meaning that spoke to the very Nepleslian soul.

“The pleasure of meeting is mutual.” Howard spoke in greeting to the volumetric projection, the nature of which he could not help but to ponder upon, but through a degree of speculation, he settled on the assumption that he was speaking to Tamamo’s AI assistant, a digital avatar, like those found aboard many older space vessels. Inwardly, the Nepleslian could not help but to feel just a little put off by the conversation being delegated to an AI, but it was just something he knew he would have to cope with, considering that Tamamo was not exactly a replaceable candidate.

Patience paid off for the Nepleslian, as a case history was explained in detail, with enough specifics to leave very few technical blanks as his cybernetic brain browsed through Matriarchy catalogs of Lazarus technical data. What he put together was clear; it was another Lazarus job, dressed up like a peak of technological advance, yet could be compared to meatball surgery in its lack of finesse and stability. Quite simply, they went and fucked up the details while jerking themselves off over the accomplishment of the general procedure.

“So what you’re saying is, Tamamo’s perfectly functional Nekovalkryja body was fucked up by hack-job Lazarus technicians that just wanted to do something to say they can and did, and now we’re going to discard the body that is attempting to tear itself apart because nobody bothered to read the fine print in the technical manual?” It was blunt, it was direct, it was just the nature of the species as Howard spoke his viewpoint, before he touched on responding to the question that was presented as something of a courtesy; “The Lorath Matriarchy would appreciate that she use her current body, if it would be so kind as to remain in one piece. However, we won’t be risking an ‘if’. On this side of the border, we have no laws against a single ‘soul’ having two active bodies. For the sake of efficiency, and guaranteeing Tamamo’s survival and satisfaction, I’m going to have to recommend that we duplicate her neurological data over to the requested chassis, while also maintaining the current Nekovalkryja body… which we can hopefully stabilize with our more ‘tried and true’ methodology.”

Where Howard was left after his proposition, was to wait, to see just how open the Nekovalkryja, and her digital companion, were to the prospect of doubling their chances of survival, which he decided, and was authorized, to bump up a degree; “We would also be willing to give you the same odds, Koa, as we can furnish you with an additional storage and processing node similar to that found in non-humanoid ARIA type units.” There it was, the cherry on top.

The Other Neko

Variations of ‘Mhm’, ‘Mmm’, and ‘Uh-huh’ came from the Jiyuuian, as she documented the medical history of the Nekovalkryja before her. “Taela-san, your account of your physical records do seem to match up, though, information as to how and when you received your modifications would be greatly appreciated as to allow us to better accommodate your unique physiology. Furthermore, aside from your physical status, do you have any history of psychological trauma, abnormalities, periods of being influenced or ‘out of control’ of your actions?” There was not even a pause, as the Jiyuuian grasped a long slender device which she pressed against Taela’s SPINE “Sumimasen, your OS will be prompted with an approval dialog to allow for a diagnostic and memory test, please confirm authorization so we may begin the process.”

What was unspoken by the Jiyuuian, was the level of scrutiny she was assigned to exercise while processing Taela. Quite simply, she was documented as a Neko who served in the Star Army, and then with Origin, those two organizations were high up on the ‘red flag’ list for the Matriarchy, worse was the ‘gap’ in regard to what could be dug up in regard to her activities since. It came down to the fact that while Taela was a promising candidate for her unique nature, it was also the very thing that could prove to be a problem.
 
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"Sister, you don't know the half of it. I went through so much shit in Origin, it was like being on a goddamn yoyo. I'm just glad I never actually served the SAoY in person, because it'd probably be so much worse. Can you even imagine?" Taela guffawed, before pausing and thinking. "Three and a half years since I got the mods. And through a black market job opportunity working for Shlock Grunder. And before you ask, no I don't know what he actually looks like. Nobody knows. And most of those uh. . . bad things you were talking about were under his employ. But also a lot of trauma from that whole OAW bullshit. You can look at the news reports for that one, fucking parasite infectors."

Taela responded to the prompt with an accept.

What the Jiyuuyan found was surprising to say the least. Working backwards, at least a good half of the content from the last several years was sexually explicit, and the other half was violent. The doctor could see that while her recent days were pleasant, most of Taela's middle years were spent in various forms of abuse. Some self inflicted, but mostly at the hands of Grunder and his associates. There were records of her inhibitors for the effects of alcohol and drugs being removed or disabled in some capacity since the modifications that were made, and small swaths of her OS were outright corrupted - mostly in the memory centers. But it didn't seem to affect her recent memory (save a spot in the last week), just the content from her time under Grunder. But for the most part, her mind was intact.
 
Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Blue Fox

During the interaction with the Nepleslian a flurry of digital notes skipped between Koa and Tamamo over their shared quantum modem an active, extremely private exchange that remained lively despite Tamamo's visually quiescent state. During this note passing, they exchanged impressions of their assigned ward taking note of his body language and curiously pleasant disposition despite his Nepleslian nature, had more like Howard Ziddler existed Tamamo probably would have enjoyed her time among the Nepleslian territories.

Apart from the background discussion Tamamo was digitally connected to the Orbital Platform's digital network combing through the available Lorath catalog and making in-depth queries as to the specifications of many of the products as she evaluated and narrowed her options. It would not be long until she had assembled her 'shopping cart' and bring closure to an issue that had plagued her for the better part of two years.

Listening to Howard's response, Koa took note of a few particular points to address and waited for him to finish before responding promptly, "We greatly appreciate the effort that the Matriarchy and yourself Howard, are taking to ensure that we are accommodated. Duplication of neurological data and running two instances of Tamamo in tandem is not something that she will take issue with, and will be happily complied with. Assuming of course, that she will be allowed to interact with her copy freely, and will be allowed to perform an analysis and authentication operation with her duplicate to ensure that nothing has gone wrong and that there are no major changes to her psychological structure or other hidden modifications. She would like to emphasize that this is not a reflection on the Matriarchy, merely a desire to exercise a healthy amount of caution given our previous experiences.

"To address your query, you are mostly correct. However, it was not a team of technicians, but rather a single very specific technician who suggested the installation. One that in hindsight was likely only accepted because of the startling good character of one Luca Pavone, whom they were in the company of. It is thanks to this technician's efforts and influence that we have some reluctance giving full trust in these circumstances despite the kindness and tolerance demonstrated.

"For myself, I would be more than happy to accept your generous offer of new hardware. Increased security and survival chances are not something I would reject. Thank you again, truly." At this point, Koa paused to simply look at the man before her an expression of thankful appreciation coloring the features of her projected avatar studied the man before her. Despite the uncertainty she felt in their present circumstances, and the ingrained difficulty trusting other entities that her history had cultivated, Koa noted that it was nice to believe at least for the moment that someone was genuinely looking out for their best interests, a sentiment that seemed to be a rather rare commodity in the sector of space they occupied. Unfortunately, the feeling was quick to fade balanced by the likely assumption that the Matriarchy was merely working to ensure the success of its mission and that the perceived kindness was for the most part incidental.

In the moments that followed, Tamamo seemed to return to the table mentally earning a glance from Koa as the smaller blue woman fluttered open her eyes before smiling apologetically. Seeming to have lost her momentum Tamamo shifted in her seat visibly uncertain casting a brief glance toward the projection of her companion before speaking up quietly, "I am terribly sorry if I have inconvenienced you, Howard, however, I wished to ensure that I had properly considered all of the options available and constructed a decision that would best benefit the mission. I have a manifest prepared with the desired hardware and services outlined however I am uncertain if I should submit it to the Platform's network or if you would rather I forward it to you."

"Again we are both very grateful." Lapsing into silence Tamamo settled into an awkward smile as she waited for the answer of where to submit the manifest.

Manifest said:
For the purposes of this business interaction the articles have been divided by related platform.

Tamamo Alpha (Present NH-33 "Tennyo" chassis)

The following modifications to the NH-33 body would be appreciated, however, if the present state of the body or the limits of available technology invalidates one or more of the options it is not a concern.
  • For the purposes of stabilizing the body, the removal of the MODUS modifications is permissible and if possible encouraged.
  • The replacement of the present synthetic arachnid mesh with a subdermal stonethread weave.
  • The retention of the EQFM processor would be ideal unless an alternative equivalent can be provided and installed.
  • The addition of thermoptic camouflage capabilities to the body.
  • The addition of a secondary powers source such as a QNC to increase operating time.
Tamamo Beta (Military grade custom SILVER android chassis)

The following specifications and modifications are considered ideal, should there be any issues alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated as it is recognized that our familiarity with the technology is not complete and that Matriarchy expertise may provide superior results.

Desired modifications to the base unit include:
  • Base hard components and braincase are to be constructed of a mix of boron carbide, boron nitride, and stonethread as a non-metallic base is preferred. (Attached is a proposed construction diagram)
  • An improved processing suite over that which is present in the stock SILVER would be greatly appreciated.
  • A secondary processing and memory suite installed in the cradle of the pelvis to provide a backup in the event of critical damage to primary processing hardware in the braincase is desired.
  • The installation of a hardened emergency data storage unit for the purposes of preserving memory and data in the event of primary and secondary systems failure.
  • Improvements upon the base SILVER's sensory perception suite including; the enhanced, hardened optical hardware mimicking the function of Peeper units; hearing extending far into infrasonic and ultrasonic bands; improved chemical analysis hardware in the olfactory and gustatory systems; and secondary electromagnetic sensors allowing for passive detection as well as LIDAR function.
  • Pico-jelly based skin allowing for thermoptic camouflage functions.
  • A greater range of matter ingestion capabilities for the purposes of acquiring materials for self-repair or energy generation.
  • Modification to the audio output system to allow for infrasonic and ultrasonic audio projection.
  • Military grade synthetic musculature balanced with an equal ratio of possible strength and speed.
Secondary modifications include:
  • Integration of the hardware to utilize a power armor grade QNC. (A total of six (6) QNC batteries are requested to ensure backups are available.
  • Installation of Structural Layering Mesh to limbs and core structures where possible.
  • Integration of production and deployment capabilities of Lorath Assault and Recombination Nanoprobes into the hands of the unit.
  • Integration of concealed deployable cradles for a personnel grade Lorath Confined Plasma Saber in each of the unit's forearms. Totalling two (2) systems and plasma sabers.
  • Integration of a more powerful communications suite (No suitable models were found in the catalog. Uncertain if LSDF specific military hardware exists and is available, or if a communications unit from a Hunter or similar platform could be used.)
  • Integration of a power armor grade Unified Field Manipulation Suite throughout the body of the unit.
  • Installation of an integrated Nutritional Supply Pack port in the right arm.
Recommendations are welcome.

Koa - Modifications

When the suggestion was made a list of companion purchases was compiled.
  • The offered non-humanoid ARIA processing and memory node.
  • A replacement boron carbide chassis. (Present chassis is durandium and there is concern over radiological hazards.)
  • A Lorath made Empathic sensor similar to the one present in the AMX-102 Winter, however, a SILVER grade sensor is acceptable if the AMX-102 would be too large or resource intensive.
Additional Equipment

Other equipment purchases unrelated to chassis modification are presented here.
  • One (1) Wind armor system.
  • One (1) Gust Armor Kit.
  • One (1) Deshe'vo Plasma Rifle
  • One (1) Unified Field Manipulation Suite - Power Armor Grade
  • Ten (10) Deshe'vo Plasma Rifle power cells
  • One (1) Power Armor Grade QNC
  • One (1) Advanced Entrenching Tool with all available physical tool heads, and both a QNC and hydrogen fuel cell.
As the parameters and available equipment that will be provided on the mission are unknown the following items will be considered non-essential but desired if permissible:
  • One (1) high power personal computing node or device.
  • One (1) high-efficiency electrical generator for the purpose of providing surplus power for either group or personal equipment.
  • As many replacement components as permissible to ensure equipment remains functional even in the event of unforeseen failure.
Click to expand...
 
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Operations Platform, Interior
The Nepleslian
Danny could feel the New Tur'lista's presence in his mind as her fingertips settled, probing his thoughts and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He could feel that something wasn't quite flowing with her examination. A past lost, and its future made elsewhere, like the flow of a redirected river through a canyon. Above all else, he'd made something of what he had. When the examiner lifted her hands away, Danny felt clarity return.

As he watched the goosebumps on the back of his hand slowly settle down, the examiner appeared to give him the greenlight, giving him. "Perhaps. Maybe painting or sketchwork would be up my alley." A scan of the contents of his duffel bag as part of his check-in to the Lorath facility did pick up an A4 sketchbook and some stationery amidst his belongings and equipment.

Though, Danny had scribbled into half of it already. Plans of attack drawn over pencil-drawn maps, and bits of information he'd acquired to make ends meet or clinch bounties. Phone numbers, day schedules, and even receipts, newspaper clippings, and fliers taped onto the pages, competing for space with silly cartoons and marginalia. "So, what happens now?" Danny asked as the the New Tur'lista examiner was concluding her business.
 
The Other Neko

While there was surprise to be had as Taela’s onboard memory was fetched, parsed, and reviewed, the surprise was less in regard to the fact that the content existed, the surprise hit the Jiyuuian in the form of a flicker of doubt in the Matriarchy’s judgment that Taela was even near being a suitable candidate. Sex, violence, mental disturbance, a good sum of it was ‘normal’ for the life of a Nekovalkryja, but there was also much more which caused the Jiyuuian medic to tag her file with a number of ‘red flag’ markers. Each tag added to a running tally, that tally was compared to an ‘acceptable candidate threshold’ which had been set by the brass on-high. Each violation, each self-mutilation, each physiological modification, they were counted until the review came to the present.

988/1000

There was some sort of scoring process the medic was unaware of, some sort of mission-specific tabulation, according to the scoring system Taela passed as ‘suitable’, but just barely so.

“Going to be blunt,” Started the Jiyuuian, as she quietly filed away Taela’s information into the neural data record system held by the Matriarchy. “You’re fucked up pretty bad, but, my superiors set up a score system and you seem to have passed the psychological portion. Though…” There was a pause “It seems your physiology modifications have brought you somewhat outside of specification and your OS corruption is cause for concern.” A troubled hiss of breath came next; “Do you desire any treatment for this mess? If not, I’ll mark you down in the record as-is and Chambers can have her final say on the matter.”


The Blue Fox

Howard listened to the words which flowed from Koa. As far as AI avatars went, she was a decent conversationalist, and it was a welcome interaction for the Nepleslian representative of the LSDF. Some concerns were raised by Koa, and for those concerns Howard had just the response. “I can understand the trepidation about having psychological data handled by someone outside of an immediate circle of trust. I can provide assurance that the data is handled properly, as our neural data management system does not require a subject to be ‘put under’ and does not result in any disorientation or loss of faculties. Due to the way the procedure takes place, Tamamo, you can actively take part in the procedure, and even assist in the handling of your personal data.” It was quite the assurance from Howard, but the way he spoke it was as if he were a salesman attempting to sell a luxury air-car back on Nepleslia.

There was a momentary furrow of the Nepleslian’s brow however, as he opened a file folder that he had brought with him. A folder of actual paperwork, real, genuine, printed on pressed cellulose, paperwork. “We’re not the same kind of technical hackjobs like the technician you dealt with before.” His fingers fished a photograph from the folder, which he set out upon the table. The square of cellulose bared the image of someone who looked like an unkempt child, with red framed glasses, a messy floof of hair, and a generally ‘sickly’ appearance. “Based on observations, I would assume this is the technician? She is a representative of Lazarus Corporation, they tend to do work and check on their results only after they’ve botched up whatever person, place, or thing they’ve decided to involve in their work. We in the service of the Matriarchy don’t work like that.”

“If the assumption about the technician and the source of technology is correct, we can correct the damage and stabilize Tamamo’s body. We will still make the duplicate, for the sake of redundancy, in the event of Lazarus-made equipment failure.” Howard explained, as he pulled a plastic sheet from the file folder, the surface of the plastic sheet glowed faintly. “I’ll take a copy, and submit a copy to the platform server. Duplicate submissions are actually welcome, it helps paperwork.” Stated the Nepleslian, as he soon watched the shopping list flicker to life upon the sheet he was holding.

Mumbling came from Ziddler, as he read through; “MODUS stabilization, mesh, camo, power source…” His voice raised to clear audibility; “I don’t see why not.” He then lapsed back into mumbling as he continued through the list. Eventually, he came to a stop as he looked to the pair; “The body hardware will take a couple of days to procure, manufacture, and assemble. Due to the degree of modifications, and an off-the-cuff risk assessment, I imagine the boss woman is going to want to put a collar on you for the duration of the mission.” There was a momentary consideration, he knew he had to clarify; “A literal collar.”

“That bit of fuss aside, speculative fuss that is, I think this will all go over just fine.” Howard gave an evaluative and approving nod, rolled up into one gesture. “If there are any conflicts with the hardware as the technicians throw it together, I’m sure they’ll do what they need to do so you will get the best out of your new body.” His tone was that of coming near closing a deal; “Have any questions? Anything you feel that you need to know before this goes on… aside from the mission itself that is, I don’t know a thing about that. If you don’t have any questions, I do not see a reason to keep you until we’re ready to get work done.”


The Nepleslian

“Honestly, Mister Lewis, I do not see any reason that you would be unsuitable for this operation, and since we are done here, I do not see any reason to keep you here either.” Came the New Tur’listian’s words, a sharp contrast to the exchanges and doubts which took place with the other candidates. “Since we are done here, I will pass you back to the care of Commander Chambers. She may keep you waiting until the others are done, if they have not completed their examinations yet. You may want to handle any correspondence, shopping, or other affairs which you may need to address before you are sent out on your mission, good common sense matters for men living the life of danger, I imagine.”

There was a gentle touch to Danny’s hand from the New Tur’listian woman, there was warmth, sentimental kindness clung to that warmth that was added by a bit of neurological influence. “Safe travels Mister Lewis.” With that, the New Tur’listian scooped up her documents as she left the room, and in the doorway stood a watchful and familiar Fyunnen; Chambers. There was a short exchange of words in Lorath, as the New Tur’listian explained the examination results before she strode away.

“Mister Lewis, you seem to be a favorite so far.” Chambers spoke, before she gestured with her hand; “Come along. We shall talk, while I show you to your accommodations.”
 
"Fuck no. Most of that shit that's missing is shit I don't want to remember. Besides, my body's better than most of those shit-tier neko bodies right now."

Taela reattached her tail after disconnected the SPINE reader, casually flicking it a few times to get the feeling back.

"Unless you got something else, can I go? I'm tired of all this sitting and talking about my feelings." She said, fully aware of the fact that she did very little talking about her feelings at all.
 
Operations Platform, Interior.
Lorath Matriarchy Employment Day 1: The Blue Fox

Despite the polite and appreciated efforts of Howard, it was hard to avoid the knowledge that despite the assurance and thus far positive interactions with the LSDF personnel that the looming feeling of disquiet would remain. No matter how much it was desired or faith was applied the fact of the matter was that there simply wasn't enough experience to properly judge the reliability of the relationship. Something that Tamamo knew with certainty was presently going both ways.

The attempted brokering of trust was momentarily distracted by the appearance of a familiar face, earning a brief dark look from Koa contrasting Tamamo's apparent failure to react as the image came to a rest. Eventually, Koa took a breath and replied with some restraint evident in her voice, "That is indeed the Dr. Kalopsia we are unfortunately familiar with. We are grateful to be allowed to experience some of the Matriarchy's compassion and aid to fix some of the damage that child has done in the name of false friendship."

What wasn't immediately addressed was the conclusion that a collar would be brought into play. It was clear that with the requests being made and the minimal working history between themselves and the LSDF, that it would make sense. After all the LSDF would hardly want to risk having something approaching a sentient PA as an unknown variable on what was clearly a mission that could not afford potential catastrophe.

It took nearly a five minutes for Tamamo to finally speak up after forcing back the anxiety, stress, and brief bubble of vitriolic response that died deep beneath the placid surface of her blank expression. Instead, Tamamo spoke softly, "If a collar is required to give the..." She fished for an appropriate title only to find a hole in her recognition of LSDF rank markings before continuing, "Commanding officer peace of mind, then I shall submit without complaint." Given the implied importance, Tamamo felt that it was not wrong to decide that the success of the mission came before personal comfort.

"I am glad to hear your confidence that this will proceed smoothly Howard," This was spoken with a bit more warmth, and a hint of genuine comfort, "As for questions, there are none that would be overly productive at this point in time. Though... I suppose given that this mission is of indeterminate length would it be of interest for us to donate our profits to the Matriarchy in full? I will not be capable of using the millions of KS that I am making at present, and leaving the wealth to sit seems a waste. Perhaps it would be useful for buying raw materials from Nepleslia?" Pausing for a moment she considered her words before explaining, "I am going to be in the hands of the LSDF for the foreseeable future, however, long or short that may be. It would be to my benefit to lend my resources toward supporting the Matriarchy as they will be the ones who I will be coming back to, and at the behest of. To this end, it is to my benefit to take whatever small action I can to contribute to the place which I will eventually return to. Assuming that altruism is viewed with suspicion, perhaps viewing it as an investment would be more acceptable?"

Fidgeting Tamamo considered how she had gone from literally lacking clothes on her back to being quite wealthy even by the standards of this sector of stellar space. The wealth had never truly been her goal, instead simply desiring to build a base of self-sufficiency that would allow her to be productive and pursue her goals efficiently. With the prospect of a long-term mission and a lack of access to her own autonomous assets, Tamamo knew that the knowledge of millions of KS piling up in her accounts would have bothered her, turning what had been an efficient enterprise into a stagnant thing that with time would have turned into putrid decadence. At the very least she hoped to achieve some sort of function with the fruit of her labors.

With Tamamo for the moment lapsing into thoughtful silence, it was Koa that closed the conversation speaking up, "Aside from acceptance or rejection of her offer, there is nothing that we need answered at this moment. As such after your answer, we shall no longer keep you from attending other duties."

At this point Tamamo blinked and stood, offering her hemosynthetic hand with a smile as Koa mirrored the gesture with volumetric skinned hardlight. Tamamo speaking up, "It was nice to meet you, Howard. Thank you for talking with us."
 
Operations Platform, Interior
The Nepleslian
Danny wasn't sure what could possibly be keeping the other two candidates, though he had an inkling as to why the Nekovalkyrja with the tail would be held back for extra questions with her horrendous attitude. As for the fox with the white-ish hair, Danny could only imagine the sorts of questions she was having levelled at her - but he didn't have any doubt that she'd be able to answer the Lorath queries clearer and more concisely than the mouthy one.

"You too," Danny replied to the examiner, giving them a firm handshake as he stood up, smiling at them. He saw the woman in charge of the operation standing in the doorway, and inclined his head towards her. Chambers was able to see glimpses of the suit the blonde was wearing under his clothing, seeing it around their neck, and over their fingertips as he gave the New Tur'lista a handshake as she was getting up.

There were a couple of things on his mind, such as making any further correspondence, or making some last minute shopping. He had his correspondence sorted prior to leaving - all of his usual contacts knew he was 'out on a job, date of return uncertain'. As for shopping for extra items, he felt as though his duffel-bag was packed with enough to keep him ready, but perhaps something extra along the way wouldn't be amiss.

Danny made a mental note to treat himself a little once he'd been accommodated: A teddy bear, some ice cream, and a good bit of airport reading being the first things to come to mind. Bringing them forward in polite conversation would've been a little odd, so he opted to see where the scarred Fyunnen had in mind. "What's new?" He asked, falling in behind Chambers as she lead the way.
 
Operations Platform, Interior
The Nepleslian and The Scarred Bird



“What’s new?” echoed the Lorath, as if weighing the question, and in truth that was exactly what she was doing. With a gesture, she guided Danny to walk with her, as she made her way through the secured corridors of the operations platform with the Nepleslian in tow. “Such an innocent question Mister Lewis, but it also carries a subtle sharpness that most fail to recognize.” It was quite the intense response to such a mild question, but there was a purpose for Chambers’ sullen attitude. “What’s new, for my people, is everything around us right now, even the language that I speak to you in is new. From the perception of my people, the last ten years have been a surge of activity kin to a mere two to five years of how you would perceive time. In that short time, we went from being bound to a single star system, to having an interstellar nation, beset upon by numerous foes, and bolstered few friends.”

Chambers spoke the usual lament of the Lorath people, a lament that had been spoken enough times to perhaps be considered the Matriarchy’s new anthem. A new verse poured from her lips, as she guided Danny to a corridor apart from the rest of the ‘testing’ compartments. “What’s truly new is that we’ve done the math. To keep ourselves in a sovereign position, my people would require three times as many spacecraft as we have available, and our population would have to swell to thirty-two times its current compliment to account for potential losses in a conflict, and to increase our industrial and commercial output. Quite simply, what’s new is that we have acknowledged our limits. Maintaining our civilization and culture is untenable.”

It was an honest admission from the Fyunnen, as she slid a fingertip over a panel on a wall, causing a bulkhead to shift and glimmer before it took on the role of a simulated window, peering at the spacecraft in dock. “My people know what it is to be in a losing position. We are not prideful to the point of denying our eminent demise in the event of our continued persistence. We do however refuse to be locked away; we refuse to be eroded by the unrelenting tide of opposition which surrounds us. We are left, as a people, with one option: retreat.”

“If you’ve been wondering why you’re here Mister Lewis, and why I’ve been saying all of this to you, it is because you’ve been chosen to be part of our expedition to evaluate and verify the viability of our potential destination upon our exodus.” There it was, the start of a straight explanation, which only was added to; “You have been chosen, because you are the most reliable non-Lorath without artificial components available that has been vetted to be worthy of trust, enough trust so you will be my second in command for this expedition, while the other two will be there to test the effects of our… relocation.”

The man walking alongside the Fyunnen warrior listened, and heard their story out - almost from the source. He'd heard of the moon drop, he'd heard the spin and watched the ongoing bad blood between the Lorath and their Yamataian neighbors. The truth and extent of the assignment stunned him, staying still and falling behind Chambers before murmuring an indistinct expletive under his breath, cricking his neck, and catching up.

When he weighed it all up, it made reasonable sense - the Lorath way of living wasn't viable here despite the rapid advancements, they couldn't stay. Danny was actually impressed at the extent of how far they were going to start anew. "Well, with neighbors like ours..." he mused, rolling his shoulders and looking out a window into starry infinity - watching the lights in the distance and the small craft fly by on errands "I don't blame you.".

“Who could, really?” Chambers asked rhetorically, before she reached into a small pocket on the belt of her uniform, producing a plain plastic keycard. “This is a pass-key for your quarters. Just continue down this corridor until you reach room Q-eighty-eight. If you require anything to make your stay more comfortable, use the communication panel in the room, you will be connected to a relay operator which can direct your request to the appropriate personnel. Tomorrow, we begin preparation for our expedition.” With that disclosure given in full, Chambers turned and went back the way they had come from, there were two more ‘crew members’ which needed to be addressed.

Once the pair of Nekovalkryja were released from their respective inductions, Chambers received them. Soundless speech resounded in Chambers’ thoughts as she reviewed their respective interviews. One of the pair was just a matter of investing capital and even had the benefit of resulting in a spare in the event of catastrophic failure; Tamamo was certainly the prime investment, a sound choice by the recruitment ARIA units which handled the initial process. Chambers’ concerns were heavily placed upon the other nekovalkryja, who was riddled with malicious technology, had a psychological profile begging for intensive psychiatric treatment, and affiliations which were dubious to say the least, Taela was there for something quite different than the other members of their crew; she was a control sample, twice over.

“From what I understand, you both check out for continued involvement in our operation. Tomorrow, we will begin preparation procedures; training, procurement of required equipment, and so on.” Chambers’ tone was upbeat, a sharp contrast to the way she had spoken with Danny. For anyone on the outside looking in, it was apparent that there was a double-standard in play for the two Nekovalkryja.


Eight Yamataian Days Later


Since the induction of the foreigner crew, days had passed. Over those days, operations training had been bestowed upon Danny, at least a crash course. Piloting, Lorath and Lazarus equipment usage, standard operating procedures, a range of other refreshers to tack onto Danny’s existing skillset, it all came together to put him into a position suitable for being a second in command, as opposed to merely a street urchin shoved into a uniform. For Danny, the training was actually work, for the Nekovalkryja it was an entirely different affair; simply plug and play. Educational programs were uploaded into the pair of nekovalkryja, cramming weeks of training into mere seconds, it was certainly a beneficial perk of having two synthetic organisms on the ‘Herald’ program.

Tamamo was set apart from Taela and Danny however, as there was more work to be done on the unusual Nekovalkryja than the other two combined, largely due to her physical requirements and requests. It had taken the better part of six days to fabricate the replacement body for Tamamo, and the AI housing module for her companion avatar. Manufacturing and fabrication was just a matter of procedure, fitting metal to metal, bringing components together in a carefully orchestrated harmony. Effort came in the form of repairing Tamamo’s body, to stabilize the damaging alterations which had been done to her. Cleaning up after someone else, it was never favorable work to take on.

Once the days had passed, synthetic souls had been placed where they needed, and filled with the knowledge they needed. Mind and body had been brought to a condition ready for the venture ahead. Polymers and metals had been brought together to complete the spacecraft which awaited the group of explorers. It was time.


Operations Platform – Pilot Ready Room


Much like when the venture started for Tamamo, Taela, and Danny, the group found themselves right back inside of a ready room. Again, there was a feast set out, but this time it was not just measly snack foods, it was a proper feast that was set out for the group, including Chambers, who had received the members of the expedition, clad not in the typical gear of the LSDF, but the serviceable field-deployment intended plate armor of the Fyunnen, armor that had been adorned with numerous scrawlings of scripture, which reflected light more than the matte surface of her gear. “Tamamo-A, Tamamo-B, Taela, Danny, today is the day. Grab some food, and I will give you the last briefing before our departure.”


Minutes Later


“… And so, once we leave this operations platform aboard the ‘Herald’, we will make our way to a point in space which our scientists have determined the universal ‘M-brane’ is thinnest. At least, the thinnest point we can access with any semblance of expedience.” As Chambers made her explanation, a map lit up behind her, and for the convenience of those gathered a navigational grid was placed over the map, using a standard Yamataian grid layout, placing their objective destination somewhere between spatial grids 0822 and 0821, there was an additional landmark; a Free State flag, marking the Freespacer outpost ‘Null and Void’.

“Once we reach the gravitational anomaly, we will engage our gravitic shields and proceed into the event horizon of the anomaly. Once fully beyond the event horizon, we will engage our subspace wake-drive engines to maximum output, in unison with a directed subspace tunneling beam. Our intention, is to create a momentary ‘quantum tunnel’ linked by super-gravitational forces. We will enter the quantum tunnel, at which point we should traverse beyond the influence of our current space-time, and transition beyond the dimensional layers of our universe, completely departing the influence of our multiverse. Theoretically, assuming that our procedure has been executed properly, we should transition into another multiverse. Granted, this explanation glosses over much of the fine engineering and technical aspects of the process, however it is as much as I am authorized, and able, to be aware of and disclose.” Chambers concluded, as the projection behind her ceased.

“Our mission is to determine the effect of full universe departure and transition.” She summarized, before she gestured with an open hand to the group; “Any questions or concerns?” She asked, as if it would even matter.
 
Previously...

Following the thankfully rather pleasant meeting with Mr. Howard Ziddler of the LSDF, Tamamo found herself transferred into the mildly unexpected presence of her direct Commanding Officer, and the woman who possibly would want to collar her. With Koa's spherical chassis close at hand, the volumetric and hardlight social construct shed for practical reasons, Tamamo took a small comfort in the support that was offered and met with the curiously upbeat Fyunnen in the hall almost simultaneously with Taela to outline their immediate future.

Following the functional acknowledgment that their parties had been cleared to progress, and the brief explanation of what would begin on the next day Tamamo oddly found herself thinking upon several unusual aspects of her circumstances rather than the implications of her future training and what the mission held in store.

Firstly and most obviously concerning was that the Nepleslian hadn't been present when Taela and herself were addressed, which implied that their group had been subdivided. This was especially apparent, as it would have been trivial to ensure that all three members were together for collection by the Commanding Officer. This in and of itself upon reflection was not surprising given the political landscape and history between the nations present in local space. After all Lor and Nepleslia had shared extremely warm relations compared to those between Lor and the YSE. Tamamo noted that due to her relative youth she was not lucky enough to have been a part of the short-lived UOC and that she likely had a stigma upon herself simply due to her association with her place of manufacture despite her failure to integrate with her birth nation, one that she doubted she would be able to clear anytime soon.

Beyond this Tamamo noted that it was curious, and perhaps odd that this mission had filled up with others that she was familiar with. Albeit to varying degrees. Taela was especially unexpected as the independent Nekovalkyrja had only been a recent but surprisingly genuine friend encountered while out and about in Sargasso, and who against all odds had been kind and had shown an honest, ardent willingness to simply have fun with Tamamo. Despite the oddity of her presence the friendly face in the Tamamo's present company was, however, very much appreciated.

The Nepleslian however, was a special case. Given the limited information that she possessed, Tamamo was only able to hypothesize that she knew of him, as she knew for certain that the two of them had never actually met. Instead, she believed had learned of the man through her previous endeavors in the rigorous investigation of the past of one Luca Pavone, referencing encounters on a planet that had been marked only as N357 in the records, while the Phoenix crew had ventured off in pursuit of an old family friend by the name of Cain at the behest of the IPG. This obscure bit of information had come to mind as curiously the Nepleslian presently on the Biesi Orbital Platform, possessed traits in appearance and mannerism that had reminded her of one "Danny the Rifleman" who had been recorded in the mission logs. This man had aided the Phoenix team in their mission and gifted them with the Vampire Class Patrol Craft that Tamamo had learned to fly in her own time with the Phoenix.

If she was correct in her assumptions, Tamamo had somehow managed to end up in the presence of two individuals known to her in an environment that was otherwise devoid of practical or comforting information. Whether this arrangement was by coincidence or merely a result of the types of individuals that she had the chance to meet in her brief life she did not know. The knowledge, however, gave her some small comfort as she was not operating entirely in the dark.

Operations Platform, Pilot Ready Room - Present Day, Present Time

Seated with the others Tamamo found herself reflecting upon her recent past as they shared a sort of final meal pre-mission in the ready room. Tamamo, both of herself, together, noted that all in all things had been rather pleasant in the hands of the LSDF. The training especially, Tamamo noted, had been almost indulgent in its composition. The raw injection of information, as all high-density data injections were, had been almost euphoric for the small not-quite-Nekovalkyrja. Lavishly indulging her thirst for knowledge and skills in ways that she hadn't had access to in almost a third of her short life.

This unexpected font of happiness had caused her some issues, however, as her genuinely good mood had put an almost perpetual spring in her step and had made the ordinarily quiet, reserved, and almost mechanical Nekovalkyrja cheerful and bubbly in her own quiet way. One among the consequences of this joyous state had come in the form of unfortunate bouts of contented absentminded purring. These instances which had been awkwardly choked down immediately when she noticed them in her haste to mute the heavy, diesel engine-like sound were among the few things she regretted as she was almost certain they were considered disruptive and likely distasteful by those who had the misfortune of sharing her company. Unfortunately, as the days progressed these awkward instances had only grown in number following the events that led to Tamamo, now Tamamo-A being introduced to Tamamo-B, the fully synchronized and mentally linked individuals only serving to double the effective volume during the graceless occurrences.

Her down time on the Orbital Platform as well had been relatively pleasant, at least from Tamamo's perspective. She had spent her time observing the LSDF in operation around herself when able or permitted, while also making sure to take time to do what she could to bolster Taela's morale as Tamamo wasn't certain that her friend was taking to the training and environment as well as herself. In this efforts Tamamo had done what she could, offering an example of contentedness and friendliness to offset the polite, yet professionally detached manner of their Lorath handlers as well as the possible irritation with their training and activities. After all, Tamamo assumed everyone needed someone who was happy to see them, especially in unfamiliar circumstances.

Pulling out of the brief reflection, Tamamo-A and Tamamo-B twitched their ears in synchrony as they returned their full attention to the present. Their twinned, digitally linked minds turning and refocusing on the question of concerns relating to a mission that even in brief explanation was for all intents and purposes unprecedented, barring possibly the early TTD tests performed by the SAoY, and even so the scope, and goal of the Lorath mission exceeded those relatively tame parameters. It was the share opinion of both Tamamo instances, and Koa, that questions and concerns hardly addressed their situation, and that really words were simply not an adequate tool to address the task. Though perhaps a poet would have had better luck.

Eventually, a few milliseconds of rapid thought later, Tamamo-A and Tamamo-B shook their heads in unison knowing that anything they might ask would only be answered with conjecture and theory as no one would know until they tried, and that their questions if posed would likely only serve to lower the morale of her fellow mission crew. Instead, Tamamo-A (being the only one of the pair who really needed food) settled to attend to what remained of her meal, carefully working through it, while allowing the others to get any worries off of their chests.
 
Operations Platform, Pilot Ready Room - Right here, Right now
The blonde of the group was still examining some of the specifics of the equipment he was going to be working with, looking through some console details on his datapad and was eating what could've been his last meal. All throughout his learning, he was privy to the end goals of the LSDF's mission. Throughout, he only had assurances that his mission would take him to places unknown, and poring through the technical manuals for both LSDF and Lazarus equipment was only a cold comfort. He noted that the Lazarus related materials often contradicted themselves or flew off on tangents without annotations and clarifications from the LSDF, frequently bemoaning 'worst bun'.

There was some quiet resentment of the other two crewmembers who were able to download all the information necessary without fail, but he did wonder if Taela would forget parts of what she learned. The idea of having a faulty Nekovalkyrja on board who wouldn't shut up and always seemed to be irritated wasn't ideal for a very long distance trip, but he'd gotten used to at least one person in any given group being like that. When a second Tamamo showed up a couple of days ago, he wasn't surprised in the least, thinking that she was capable of self-replication. It was nice knowing there would be at least two level headed people on crew plus Chambers, sort of.

The blonde had eaten a light, but relatively opulent meal of toasted flatbread, jerkies, light ale, and vegetable salad as he rounded out his studies, wistfully recalling the first time he'd eaten something genuine. Everything else he'd eaten between then and and now was just lacking something extra, and he'd missed the taste of something real. Danny was thankful that if this was going to be a last meal, it was something worth getting a fork stuck into. "Seems reasonable to me," he said, placing an empty coffee cup down next to his datapad and tugging at the collar of the piloting suit he was wearing - it was a little tight around the neck and still couldn't figure out why - aside from probable safety concerns - the neck was emphasised on Lorath.

Somewhat distracted from reading at the 'basics' of quantum tunnelling and its implications, he looked up at Chambers' ornate armour, examining the holy scriptures written in the dialect not intended for foreigners. Even though he couldn't read a word of it, it all looked beautiful, if a little verbose.
 
Before
Unlike Tamamo, Taela hadn't thought much of the Nepleslian's absence, first assuming he'd been kicked out and then simply not caring when he'd reappeared. Now, having two Tamamo's was much more interesting. Every time they had a chance to interact between the "learning" sessions, Taela found her mood lifting. For whatever reason, that odd not-a-neko seemed to know exactly how to make Taela not pissed off at things. Not that she had too much to be angry about, even with the sometimes cold way the Lorath in the project handled her. Though, she never could tell the two apart.


Operations Platform, Pilot Ready Room - Present Day, Present Time

"So just so I got this right. . . we're dicking the universe up its ass and hoping we don't get quantum STDs?" Taela asked, stuffing her face with the delicious buffet before her. It never did to adventure on an empty stomach, and with her metabolism she'd (almost) never feel overfull. "Helluva thing."

She'd made her last few arrangements with the Opportunity's Knock over the last few days, as a "just in case" measure (Vetted by her Lorath handlers, of course). Taela didn't like thinking of that sort of thing, but it never hurt to let her strange lovers and companions have some security for the very worst case scenario.
 
Operations Platform, Pilot Ready Room - Right here, Right now
Noticing Taela's disquiet, the blonde was quick to rib on her. "Well, look on the bright side," Danny added, grinning in her direction, "it isn't being 'shot at'." If anything, this assignment was going to be much worse.
 
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