RP: YSS Heartbreaker [Mission 1] Promises Better Left Unsaid

Wardroom

Tsukisaki nodded as both Yumi and Rin asked the same question, something she'd been curious about as well. "I appreciate your attention to detail. I am not the sentimental sort that gives everything they come across a name." Her hand found its way to her sword, idly rubbing the hilt. "I am not fond of nicknames, either. I found the allotted registration numbers sufficient. However, upon entering our designation into the navigational computers, Ochiko immediately attached these names to their official designations. Attempting to pull up similar information about future destinations received no response. Direct questions to the MEGAMI were refused." Her customary frown intensified, as she audibly gripped her weapon more tightly. "...apparently I do not possess the required clearance level for that information."

The Captain continued, looking as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Life signs and movement have been detected, although we have no visual data from this elevation. Some marine life has been spotted, although the landing sight is located far from any coast." She managed to relax her grip, crossing her arms over her chest instead. "I am no magician or fool, but this planet is likely more than meets the eye. Even accounting for fold time and possible signal loss or degradation, power loss or interruption...there is still a noticeable delay in activation that cannot be accounted for at this point in the investigation."

"We are not here to lose valuable time and equipment dealing with more NMX traps. If some sort of ambush seems likely, abort the mission. If there is Star Army technology being used as a lure, or otherwise unsalvageable, destroy it. Do not endanger the transport shuttle." The next conditions were a bit more severe, as was her frown. "If rescuing any survivors would result in loss of crew and/or equipment, abort the mission. The Mindy is not built for a surface mission, especially with heavy entanglement possibilities and reduced visual range. We will not be risking them, or our limited allotment of Daisys, on a potential trap. The materials to replace any of you are far more common than armor. If I order a retreat, the shuttle will return without delaying for any stragglers. Am I clear?" Her arms uncrossed, hand moving to the hilt of her sword again, as she prepared to turn the mission over to the First Officer.

Wardroom

Skade sat up, the Captain’s bitter words surprising her. What? She doesn’t have the clearance for why the system has names?! What else don’t we know about this place?

Was this what it was like fighting against the Mishhuvurthyar? The Santô Heipursed her lips in contemplation. I mean, I understand the caution, but what’s with the whole “your armor is worth more than you” line? It’s not like they can magically teleport back to the ship without us…right?

The Nekovalkyrja shook her head and looked down. Ack! During her musings, she had floated a few inches of her seat. Calmly now, Skade… Slowly, she lowered herself back onto her seat, letting out a small sigh once she was once again not in the air. Now, let’s just hope no one important saw you… she rolled her eyes and listened to what the others had to say about the Captain’s words.

Wardroom

Hoshitomo-shoi was obviously not surprised when her Captain revealed the fact that Ochiko had indeed supplied that name for the system, a confirmation of her theories that only served to make her reevaluate the AI's need for secrecy. At least it appeared that both officers were in the same boat with access to information. "So, it was the MEGAMI after all," began Rin with a look of concern, "As much as I trust Ochiko, I cannot help but feel that part of her Yui original core is still protected by a firewall of some kind that only Uesu or one of his subordinates can truly break through. Until then, we are just chasing the ball under her bowl, as it were... though we have little choice but to press on for the sake of this mission."

The teal haired Minkan folded her hands again as she looked over each member of the crew with her icy blue eyed stare, as it was brought up about how cheap Neko lives were to replace compared to their equipment on such a deep scouting mission. It was a harsh but true fact of military life in the SAOY, one that Rin had fought under for most of her adult life, but the implications of the Taii's harsh commands still disturbed her somewhat. But she would follow them to the letter in her ruthlessly efficient way if necessary. "Senchou, so I'm correct in understanding that due to the environmental factors and other risks we are to go down on this away mission unarmored for quick insertion and extraction?" Rin likely spoke for everyone at the table with these concerns. As tough as she was, the veteran soldier felt nearly naked in combat without her Mindy and did not look forward to crossing paths with the NMX in such a state.

Meanwhile across the table Kayoko-hei perked up from her near catnap when someone mentioned "shuttle", the pink-haired Neko pilot's ears twitching a few times in response to the orders. At least she could stay in the relative safety of the T8 transport craft...

Briefing Room

You idiot. Skade would have slapped herself if she could have without drawing more attention to herself. That’s what she was talking about. Which makes complete sense, now that you think about what the Captain said exactly.

The Nekovalkyrja wasn’t all that pleased about the prospect of going down onto a hostile, possibly NMX trapped, planet, but if that’s what the service required of her, that’s what she would do. Let’s just hope I don’t trip over my own two feet doing it.

YSS Hearbreaker, Wardroom

Santo Hei Darren Leverton really wanted some of his 'chew right about now. He'd gone for months without taking any of it and it was starting to get to him. Oh, he wasn't becoming irritable or unstable or anything like that; instead he was starting to get more bored than he had any rights to be. Even spending most of the last two weeks working in the Ship's armories hadn't absolved him of that boredom, and when working on guns began to get boring for Darren you knew that things were boring. After being transfered onto the ship during its last rendezvous with the Seisenkyo, he had expected to have far too much to do. Lucky him that the downtime had allowed him to mostly ingratiate himself with the crew. Now if o- Oh wait. They were talking about an away mission right now.

"Gawd dayumn, It's about time we had one of these." He almost mentally shouted to himself, before standing up- figuring it was polite to stand and bow before speaking. Still not quite used to the psychic parts of his Minkan body, that mental shout may have been heard by more than just himself.

"Ski- Err, Tsukisaki Taii, Hoshimoto Shoi, Iffin this planet is anything like home, we'll want to be armed if we're going into deep brush." He started, with a smile, suppressing his accent. "And if this here planet may have been trapped by the Squids or Uesu or whatever we'd be better off bringing some kind of armor. 'Specially if they got any of those big crabbers or creepy skitters." Another pause from him.

"I mean Mishhu Crabs and Parasites. They've got some of dem left over from the war crawling around in the deep brush back home. Anyway, I figure that if we're going down there, we should break out the Daisies. I volunteer to take one, of course, Iffin yall'll have me coming along."

YSS Heartbreaker, WArdroom

Sayoko's eyes widened as her (relatively) orderly thoughts came to a crashing halt when the Shoi mentioned information that (according to Sayoko's superiors) shouldn't have known outside of a fairly small circle. Th-th-that's impossible. She cannot have learned of such details from myself...therefore, the leak must exist elsewhere in Command. This complicates things immensely...

Deep in thought, she nearly missed the Tsukisaki-Taii's comments about their ship's MEGAMI - thought the revelation wasn't exactly news for Sayoko, who'd been notified of such long before boarding. SAINT, needless to say, had been rather...irritated that they could not access the entirety of Ochiko's files (without triggering her hardwired self-destruct mechanism. that is); due to this, Sayoko had been careful to avoid any direct contact between the ship and her bracelet.

Fortunately for Sayoko, the Taii then moved onto far less dangerous topics - though the former was admittedly disappointed about not being able to utilize a Mindy (having missed her chance during the crew's previous excursion) - however, when Hoshitomo-Shoi spoke of "quick insertion and extraction"," the SAINT Neko had to suppress the urge to smile. Hit-and-runs tactical simulations had always been her favorite during training. Plenty of cover and plenty of camoflauge. Excellent.

Wardroom

"I believe our MEGAMI is loyal to the Star Army, and will properly support our mission. However, it still reflects its creator, and the era of its creation. We should remember that the programming causing these...eccentricities...also provided the data that makes this mission possible." The Captain's eyes flickered over to Skade momentarily, before the Neko settled back into her seat, Tsukisaki's attention returning to the First Officer. "That is correct, Hoshitomo-Shoi."

Her expression darkened as the former Nepleslian stood to give his opinion. His current, upgraded form was likely the only reason he had outlasted Skirnir, as far as she was concerned. "Santo Hei, you will be under Joto Heisho Matonaka's command for this mission. All weapons or equipment you wish to bring with you must be approved by her." The fire that always seemed to be lurking behind those cold eyes flared up as the topic of armor was brought up once again. Her fist slammed down onto the main table, rattling plates, her other hand gripping that sword hilt tightly. "Sit down, Santo Hei! If my commanding officer ordered me to head into battle armed only with my sword and harsh language, I would! And I did. Gladly."

She recovered quickly from the outburst, standing up straight and turning to depart without pausing for any more opinions. "You have your orders. Complete the mission with the equipment available, Ittou. That is all." The Captain was clearly finished talking, not even sparing Rin a glance as she swiftly exited the Wardroom, that icy cool composure back in full effect.

Wardroom

Darren did as he was told, bowing again and sitting. He wasn't sure what had gotten the captain's goat with what he'd said: Maybe it was his appearance or the fact that he'd given his opinion. But he thought that's why you had meetings like this, so tat people with rele- oh what's the point? Skipper's already made her decision, both on how things are gonna be done and on how she feels about him. No way to change either of those. Of 'course, if he was going into some nasty bush, he'd be bringing more than just his service pistol. Especially if there were any crab squids or parasite squids down there. The large man turned his head and looked at his direct superior, giving her a friendly grin and a respectful nod of the head.

"I guess yer responsible for me now, Joto Heisho Matonaka." Another respectful nod- he didn't dare stand and cause another outburst. "Don't you worry, I'm tryin' mah best to be a good soldier. Now, Sir, do I have permission to bring some of my own weapons with me, or should I go rooting through the armory? Like I said earlier, could be some nasty beasties out there, and who knows what? I've used Rebecca on a Crab Mishhu back home before, and she does pretty good," For the briefest of seconds, Darren paused and thought about making up for his earlier mistake. "She's yours if you want'er."

Wardroom

Sunny whistled once the Captain was safely out of earshot. "Well, you certainly managed to make an impression on her, huh?" She chuckled, catching Darren's eye before Yumi responded. "I have my own personal armaments. And I understand your desire to bring weapons you trust with you." The Neko nodded, before standing to prepare to leave. "I"ll do a quick check before we enter the shuttle, just to ensure there is no danger to any other crew member due to defects or improper modification." Around the room, others were standing, moving plates, shuffling about.


Kuma T8 Shuttle - Kourui

Kayoko was performing the final pre-flight checks as Hoshitomo and the away team she had selected settled in for the hopefully uneventful ride down to the planet's surface. Everyone had been given just enough time to grab whatever weapons and equipment they wanted to bring, as long as it met the Shoi's approval. The main door opened to reveal the Launch Bay which led directly into space, open and clear now that the Heart of Glass had been temporarily relocated. After separating to prepare, the group had only been fully reunited inside the shuttle. Now they had a few minutes to discuss plans for this mission during their short trip.

Kourui

It hadn't taken Darren much time to get prepared for their little jaunt down to the surface; a natural born jungler like himself was always mentally prepared to go into the bush. After leaving the wardroom, he had quickly headed to his cabin and suited up into his AMES- it wasn't likely that the air down there was going to suddenly become poisonous, but he'd gotten a blast full of some kind of nasty pollen once as a kid back home, so he wasn't going to take any chances. Then, once he was sure that his AMES was on right, he went to the ship's armory to load up.

To those who heard him speak about his guns without context, it often sounded like he was referring to fond lovers he still spent time with. And, truth be told, Darren loved all three of his guns: his .45cal pistol, snugly tucked into a holster at his right hip, didn't have a name yet, but in a pinch it'd help if he couldn't reach his service pistol; Sandra was sure to see a lot of use however, the 12ga shotgun having been a prized possession of the country born man since he was 15 years old; Rebecca was a nice and big whomper of a rifle, and what it lacked in rate of fire it sure made up for in power. He carried both of those long arms with him now, Rebecca strapped to his back, and Sandra in his arms. Naturally, ammo for those weapons were plentifully carried by him.

Still, even with all of his preparations, something seemed off about this entire thing. And he made that clear as he sat in the shuttle. "Don't the rest of yall find all o' this a bit odd?"

Wardroom

Skade sighed in relief as the tension in the room lowered a few notches. Glad I survived that meeting. The blue skinned Nekovalkyrja looked up at the hulking Minkan that had drawn a lot of the attention away from her. I wonder how he got in without being noticed. She shrugged and left the wardroom while Sunny was occupied with talking with Darren.

Cabin

Entering her cabin, she sighed and looked longingly at her bed. Come on, Skade, she thought. There’ll be time for sleep later. Walking past her bunk and to her locker, she pulled out her Type 29 Butt Pack and started lugged everything out of that and put it into the Type 31 Backpack. They say that the Butt Pack can be used outside of power armor, but it’s all lies. Especially with a tail. She made sure to throw in a couple of extra rolls of Molecure tape into the backpack from a box she had in her locker. You never know when you might need that stuff. Taking off her duty uniform, she put on her Type 31s and headed towards the armory.

Kourui

After picking up a Saber-Rifle and a pistol at the armory, Skade was ready to go. My first away mission! Let’s hope I don’t die… Sitting in the shuttle, she listened to Darren’s question, then replied, “You mean the whole ‘this is probably a trap, so no armor’ thing?” She laughed and said, “Just a little odd, yeah.”

Wardroom

Hoshitomo-shoi blanched a bit as Darren stepped on a landmine with his trying to press for power armor on this mission despite the Captain's wishes. The teal-haired officer understood his desires from the glance she cast his way, but that was why she chose a different way to voice it, knowing Tsukisaki would have reacted in the way she did otherwise. Some things had to be learned the hard way it seemed, though she did hope the fellow Minkan lasted longer than the pilot Skirnir had. There was no room for insubordination on such a covert ship as the Heartbreaker, though fortunately they would be armed with a bit more than sharp swords and sharper language if Rin could have anything to do with it.

"Hai, Senchou," replied the First Officer to the departing form of the rankled Taii, before turning back around to her compatriots when she had disappeared behind the doors. "Regardless of our own personal opinions, the Captain's orders are binding and need to be followed. There will be no more pointless discussion of the why's, only the how's of this mission." Rin then gave each of the remaining soldiers at the table a glance from her icy blue eyes, the look that they knew meant she was in get-down-to-business mode as choices were being made. "The away team will be as follows: Matonaka-heisho and Leverton-hei as our infantry, and Nakumaru-hei and Inukai-hei as our scouts. Masashiga-hei, you will also be coming as our engineer. Kayoko-hei will be our pilot."

Once that was declared, Rin continued as she spun the volumetric image of the planet upon the wardroom table. "As discussed, everyone is to prepare themselves for an unarmored ground mission. Suit up with Type 31 Working Uniforms, and a Type 31 Survival Kit for each of you at bare minimum -- we do not know what sort of hazards we will face. Without PA's, we are limited to stand-alone infantry armaments only -- this means issue NSP sidearms and whatever else you are proficient in and can comfortably carry for long periods. Extra ammo batteries in your utility belts, test all communicators and scanners before we depart." The teal-haired Shoi gave another glance about the gathering once she had spoken these orders, and, hearing little argument she shut off the projection with a sense of finality. "Meet at the Kourui shuttle in the Launch Bay in 15 minutes. Dismissed."

Kourui

Rin had wasted no time changing into her well-used working uniform, the white colored version standing out more than the cornflower blue and dim black of her fellow away team members that were loading up into the shuttle. Following her own advice, naturally there was also a survival kit backpack slung on her back, and a standard issue LASR with SLAG attachment in her hands at the ready, and an extra bandolier of shells along with the batteries in her belt.

Notable too was the fact that the First Officer had in a hastily constructed scabbard with what appeared to be the Zesuaium blade of an Aether Beam Saber Rifle that had been detached and mounted on a handle to function like a machete to cut through the jungle brush cleanly even without being powered as a plasma sword. Thanks to her upgraded Minkan body's strength it was much lighter than it would have been in her old Yamataian form and thus a viable option for the excursion. Perhaps it was jury rigged for this mission only, or could Rin have already been thinking of it as a counter to the proper dress sword that Tsukisaki-Taii wore, and only now chose to field it for testing?

The XO began quietly taking a headcount of everyone, while also checking the Kuma T8 was sufficiently stocked in the overhead lockers with the standard compliment of survival and medical gear, and that any discrepancies were corrected before launch time. As much as the Captain thought Neko life was cheap -- and perhaps it was -- Rin still had a reputation to maintain for always coming back from battle battered but still alive, and did not intend to purposely lose any of her team members if she could help it. Chance favored the prepared mind, after all.

As Darren and Skade resumed their discussion, Hoshitomo-shoi frowned a bit like her commanding officer did as she zipped a medical kit she was sifting through back up and stowed it back overhead. "There must be more of a reward than a risk here, otherwise we would not be going."

Kourui

Once her group was on the shuttle, she did a check over everyone’s weaponry, not just Darren’s. She wanted to make sure everyone was properly prepared this time, she wasn’t going to have any bloody surprises like the last mission. She took a breath, and leaned back once everything came back green. She crossed her arms, and entered her serious mode. “Listen up! I don’t want anyone caught off guard this time, who knows what could be down there. I don’t want anyone to come back harmed, or worse for wear.” She slowly opened her eyes and looked around at the group, the Neko’s eyes were filled with experience, and anyone who knew anything about the Mishuu war would know of her part in it, it was a pretty gallant tale to be honest.

“We are all family when we’re down on the battlefield, we watch ourselves and the rest of our squad like brothers and sisters. Do I make myself clear? I don’t care if you hate the person next to you, I don’t care if you like someone more than another… When we are down on the battlefield we are all equals, and we will all come back alive if we work together.” She seemed to have a habit of giving speeches before they left, maybe it was for a good cause though, it seemed to raise morale last time she did it. She turned her attention towards Hositomo-Shoi, and shook her head lightly; “…I’m not so sure about that.” Is all she stated.

YSS Heartbreaker, Wardroom

The SAINT agent replied with a barely-audible "Acknowledged," then rose from her chair, bowed, and departed - infinitely glad that she'd put some distance (even if it was merely physical) between herself and what had just happened.

YSS Heartbreaker, Kourui

Sayoko - now clad in a black-paneled Type 31 Working Uniform and sporting quite a bit of equipment, was sitting away from the others, partaking in the same activity she'd been doing ever since the rest of the crew had noticed her upon boarding: calibrating her Type 33 Rifle - and, though it wasn't exactly obvious to an outside observer, doing her level best to avoid any thoughts of just what the events of the pre-mission briefing implied: that Star Army Intelligence, the closest thing one Inukai Sayoko had in terms of a family, had lied to her.

Despite the turmoil of her inner thoughts, however, Sayoko paused after hearing Yumi's response to the Shoi, and, after a moment, spoke up, her voice a very delicate soprano. "With all due respect, orders are orders - regardless of how effective they may or may not be."

Kourui

With a quirk of his eyebrow, Darren listened to everyone... and for the life of him couldn't stop from beaming with a grin. The man certainly didn't seem outwardly concerned, contrasting with the others around him. And that was just the way he wanted it! He was damn well terrified of going into an obvious trap, and he was damn well sure that just about everyone was too. But someone had to seem like they were eager for this, and it might as well be the odd man out.

... And it didn't hurt that Darren would much rather see the beautiful women he was effectively living with all in good spirits. 'A smilin' dame is prettier than a scared or frownin' one, after all!'

So he kept that smile, even if he was sure there was a good chance that he'd end up dying down there without ever seeing it coming, or that one of his shipmates would bite it. "Hell, Matonaka Heisho, this'll be just like that time I took a girl I was sweet on out into the bush back home on a huntin' date. Just now, I've got about five pretty ladies with me to worry about. Not that big of a deal, though I'm pretty sure that most of you are better shots than I am, and it ain't like we won't have the shuttle nearby to pull us out, right?"

Kourui

Rin finally sat down in her seat near the front of the shuttle, strapping herself in once she was satisfied all was in order. They were about as prepared as they were going to be... implied suicide mission or not. The First Officer gave an approving nod to Yumi's attempt to rally the troops, though Darren's own unique take on the situation gave her some mixed feelings when he mentioned "watching out for the ladies". She certainly didn't ever have a penchant for likening things to a date, being one of the types that many considered "married to her work" already and not engaging in such frivolous pursuits. She was like the unreachable ice queen to other lower ranked male soldiers, and the rumors said that the last guy that got a little too close to her years ago got stun blasted with an NSP for his misguided efforts. One could imagine how her love life since then had turned out.

The female Minkan folded her arms, asking offhandedly "And would that have been 'Rebecca', Leverton-hei?" Her blue eyes were indeed sliding over his arsenal of custom weapons he was taking along in typical Nepleslian fashion and assessing them silently. At least she could respect a man who seemed ready for anything that could come his way, even if his impressive guns were obviously references to his numerous ex-girlfriends. "The shuttle will be our safe zone of retreat for now should things go sour. Kayoko-hei will remain on standby until the Taii orders the withdrawal. Let's try not to go too far into the... 'bush', as you say... without knowing our way back."

"Like Matonaka-Heisho said, we must watch over eachother," Came the small voice of Miho, hovering at the feet of the team. Her gaze settled on Darren, a blank stare on him. "But, don't try braggart tactics. It's unbecoming of a member of the Star Army. I'm sure you, being the responsible young recruit you are, already knew that."

She bounced up next to Rin, folding her arms over.

"No unnecessary showmanship or bravado to save comrades. Measured risks always need to be made. And I will be in the shuttle, helping you make those decisions."

Kourui

"Tinkerbelle to Heartbreaker, departing now." The dainty Neko pilot carefully moved the transport shuttle into the Launch Bay and straight through to open space. The unexplored planet loomed before them, all greens and blues, steadily filling the main window as they approached. Everything was going smoothly enough, it seemed, although something did stand out to Rin as she surveyed her away team. While Kayoko was wearing her Flight Suit as expected, Darren looked a bit overdressed in his AMES compared to the cluster of Working Uniforms otherwise on display.

"We are in the pipe, five by five~" Shii gave a little wave of acknowledgement when she heard her name mentioned, sparing a small grin for the group, feeling a bit sorry for everyone that had to leave the comfort of the shuttle. While Cosima hadn't been assigned to this team, she had taken the time to make sure the shuttle was fully stocked, which Rin noted during her quick inventory. The Medic had even slipped Yumi an extra personal injector full of hemosynth, just in case.

Soon enough the shuttle began to slow, turning, angling as it neared the surface, signalling the end of this relaxing little ride. Their destination became obvious, as did the reason for the large clearing on this planet choked with life. The land was blasted and burned, ground torn up and gouged deep, several feet lower than the surrounding area. Chunks of metal dotted the area, with the largest main piece easily identified as a shuttlecraft. There was a long furrow dug across the clearing, where the ship had scraped into the ground as it crashed, the wreck far beyond any hope of repair. Interestingly, the distress beacon they'd picked up did not seem to be emanating from the wreckage...

Darren stayed quiet as he looked over the crash site, gears running in his head. He wouldn't say he was the smartest person here, and believed himself to be more "resourceful" than "intelligent", but an obvious trap was an obvious trap.

... And this didn't look like an obvious trap to him. No, it seemed all wrong for a trap, too complicated. If it was a trap, why not leave the shuttle mostly intact, why not put something even more tantalizing out for them to bite than a distress call? This was many things, and there was a danger still here, but this didn't seem like a trap to him.

"Erm, Matonaka-Heisho? Nakamura-Hei? I aint gonna say anything dumb, but it looks to me like this may not be a trap after all. It looks more like that shuttle crash landed here and the crew and passengers, whoever they are, took refuge nearby." Darren pointed at the shuttle. "It's all banged up, isn't it? And it looks like it came in hard. If its salvageable, then maybe it and the signal were bait, but if it isn't, then it seems like an overly elaborate trap that maybe nobody'll spring." He shrugged and smiled, continuing. "If you'll excuse my presumption for getting this suggestion, maybe we should see how long the shuttle's been here?"

Kourui

That shuttle looks like it has better days. Skade had her face pressed as close to her part of the window as she could, trying to pick out every detail their height could allow. I wonder what they were able to grab from the wreckage to survive until now…if they’re still around.

Oh, now he thinks it’s not a trap? The Neko snickered and said, “If we’re going to be checking out the shuttle, it would be interesting to see what supplies the survivors took with them. If the beacon’s a trap, the shuttle might give us some warning of that.”