Henry nodded, sensing that his troops were getting restless. "Follow me to the shuttle bay then."
A few moments later, in the shuttle bay...
As the five away team members entered the shuttle bay, they saw Meemeel helping a Kohanian embark a Jilanth shuttle. The two crewmembers and the shuttle were at least 20 yards away from where the away team was standing.
"Stay here for a moment," ordered Henry, before heading over to the shuttle to greet Meemeel and the Kohanian.
Shina, Motoyama, Mazda, and Drake could hear the ensuing conversation fairly well, despite the distance:
"Is this Nei?" asked Henry.
"Yes sir. This is Santô Juni Nei. She's being transferred over to..."
"Yamatai, for convalescence. Yes, I've heard," said Henry, interrupting Meemeel with a smile.
"Taisho Chen? Nei cannot see very well," said Nei.
"Yes. It's me... Have a safe journey, and get well soon."
"Thank you, sir."
"No, no, no... Nei, thank
you," replied Henry, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I've read your files. You're an inspiration to all of us... Come on, let's get you home."
Henry and Meemeel helped Nei inside the shuttle, where a pilot was already waiting for her, then exited the shuttle.
"Good luck on your mission, sir," whispered Meemeel, before hurrying out of the shuttle bay.
Henry walked back to his away team. "Let's get inside our shuttle," he said, pointing to an Aerokitty in the corner. "So Celia can depressurize the shuttle bay."
As the away team members entered the shuttle, they found several
AMES suits lying around, as well as the shuttle's pilot waiting for them. The pilot, a red-haired Neko, was already in her AMES suit, although she had her helmet in the co-pilot's seat. The pilot was also wearing her Nitô Juni rank pin.
"Put these on," ordered Henry, grabbing one himself. "There should be enough for everyone." The shuttle's hatch closed behind them as the last away team member entered the shuttle.
Meanwhile, the air inside the Celia's shuttle bay was quickly pumped out.
A few moments later, a Jilanth and an Aerokitty could be seen flying out of the shuttle bay. The Jilanth flashed out of existence as it entered hyperspace, while the Aerokitty descended toward the planet.
(OOC: RP continued on the next thread. You guys know the drill.)