RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 21.2] Return to Ether - Spaceside Thread

Bridge

"Understood" Natsumi replied. She reached out with the ships sensors. The invisible waves of energy produced from the gunship's long range high resolution sensor arrays, bathing the unidentified ship. Within moments the sensor returns came back.

Natsumi examined the data, ran it through the system to see if the computer could automatically ID the vessel. At the same time she adjusted the ships course, angling the Eucharis in the direction desired by the Shosho.

The operator kept an eye on the target as she piloted the gunship, if it changed course to continue it's intercept of the Eucharis there would be little doubt in her mind that it was hostile.

With the course change in place and the Eucharis rocketing on its new vector she checked back with the computer to see if it had an ID for ship type, possible operator and identifying hull markings or IFF transponder.

Bridge

The CIC subroutines couldn’t positively ID the contact from the first light speed signatures, finally arriving at the Eucharis. The resolution had been affected too much by the fold exit emissions. But as those dissipated the passive sensor readings became clearer and clearer. When the active returns from Natsumi’s scans began arriving, the computer finally decided it had enough information. Based on mass, acceleration figures, drive emissions, and rough hull form, the CIC track was updated to reflect an 87% chance of Bogey-1 being an Odori-class medium freighter. Also noted were indications of hull damage, which unfortunately obscured any markings that might have confirmed its identity.

That issue became moot though as the contact suddenly began squawking IFF codes from its transponder beacon, previously silent; the computer quickly confirmed the IRN and ship’s name, YSS Pack Horse. FTL sensors showed the contact quickly correcting course to return to an intercepting vector with the Eucharis as the reply to the Shosho’s hail arrived.

“A gunship, thank the Empress!” came the transmission. The visual on the main display showed a man in the captain’s chair of an Odori bridge. He was wearing an AMES, though the helmet was set aside at present. More concerningly, the bridge was lit with red emergency lighting, some sort of vapor clouded the air, and the man had a distressingly wild look in his eyes. “Our convoy got jumped and we only just got away. This was as far as we could make it before the fold systems failed. I thought for sure that we’d get blown away before we could hide in-system. I never thought we’d run into help in the outer system!”

Bridge

Hanako's directions to the crew were simple: "Protect the cargo ship." She gave the freighter captain a reassuring nod. "Captain, what is your ship's condition and contents?"

Still seated at the Mission OPS/Communications station, Deziarra looked up some information about the cargo ship they had been told to protect. She scanned through the information trying to decide what was important to their mission, what was somewhat important to the mission, and what was just trivia as far as the mission was concerned. Information like top speed, weapons, and maximum capacity came to mind. She knew she would not have long to gather the information together.

Medbay

Sienna shuffled into the medical facility, the front of her V-neck blouse still pinched between her fingers as she held the now cool but wet fabric off of her reddened and tender skin. She gritted her teeth against both the pain of the mild scalds on her chest as well as the headache which had now returned in full fury after her temper-induced outburst in the lounge. Today just wasn't her day, it seemed.

She was hoping to be able to find some burn cream or something in the medbay unbothered by anyone else, thinking by now that the entirety of the crew was on the bridge or deployed in whatever training exercise the Eucharis was conducting at the time, but upon spotting Ayumi she quickly realized that such a hope was probably misplaced; it wouldn't have made much sense for them to leave the area unstaffed at any time. At first she was annoyed, but quickly realized that the medic would be able to help her much more efficiently than if she had simply taken it upon herself to turn the place upside down looking for something to sooth the pain of her burns.

Swallowing her pride, she lightly rapped on the wall to get Ayumi's attention. "Hey Doc," she said in a gravelly, exhausted-sounding voice. "I had a little accident with a cup of coffee. You got anything for burns?"

Medbay

Ayumi looked up from her place of doing absolutely nothing as Sienna entered with her knock. The medic tilted her head slightly at Sienna's words. "You burned yourself, Sienna-san?" She asked softly, her tone only slightly incredulous, her expression only entertained for a split moment before slipping back wherever it was that Ayumi held all her emotions. She had trouble picturing Sienna as clumsy in any way, still remembering how deftly she handled a weapon and how easily she escaped a medbay manned by several Neko crew members.

Despite her trouble, Ayumi stood from her spot without another word and went straight to the cupboard to pick out the burn cream which she had just finished reorganising earlier. "I have this," She noted, holding the tube out so Sienna could see it, "But I am afraid it won't do much good through fabric." The Neko gave a pointed look to Sienna's shirt as she spoke. Telling without telling the civilian that she needed to remove her top. She also motioned with her hand for Sienna to take a seat on the bed which sat closest to them, her expression neutral and trained.

'Protect the cargo ship'

It was all Natsumi needed to hear. The operations neko went to work. She took the Combined Field System to full combat power,, then began energizing the main Aether shock cannon and loading the anti-ship and anti-armor gund.

While the combat systems came up,, Natsumi swept the Eucharis into a loose protective formation with the cargo ship, farenough back to cover them with protective fire.

Medbay

Clearly further annoyed by the fact that the medic apparently needed more of an explanation, Sienna's shoulders slumped as she gave Ayumi an exasperated look. "I have a hangover and I got spooked," she replied in a clipped tone of voice, rubbing her temples. "Still got a massive headache, so don't make me wax poetic about it."

She made her way over to the examination table Ayumi indicated, reasoning the more quickly she complied, the quicker she could be treated and subsequently get back to avoiding all contact with everyone else aboard the ship until her hangover cleared up. Feeling far too beaten down to be bothered with modesty, she slid her shirttail up and pulled the garment off over her head, leaving her in only her shoes, stonewash skinny jeans, and a smooth white bra by the time she made it to her seat. As she sat on the edge of the table, she looked down at the skin on her collarbone and sternum; it was quite red and tender, but it didn't look too serious. Even so, she was no stranger to burns, even if it wasn't typically from something like a beverage, and knew from experience that if left untreated it would be an uncomfortable nuisance for a good while.

Bridge

At hearing himself addressed by his title, the man visibly straightened up and the look in his eyes calmed somewhat.

“Well, ma’am, er, I mean-.” His words cut off with a strangled sort of choking noise. In calming down it seemed he had finally recognized just who exactly he was talking to. He blinked rapidly and cleared his throat. “Admiral, Your Highness… Ma’am. I have serious atmosphere loss throughout the ship; roughly 75% of compartments are open to space in one way or another. My FTL systems are all down. Power generation is down to emergency levels, but I can sustain high-STL for a few more hours. My XO and Chief Engineer are dead and the rest of my Engineering crew is seriously injured. I need emergency medical treatment for at least two of them, or else I’ll just have to write them off for later back-up. CFS shielding is a total loss and the best I can do would be some piddling point defense fires. Otherwise, the ship is relatively stable. We can make it in-system to hide if you’ll cover us, ma’am.”

As Natsumi maneuvered the Eucharis to the aft of the Pack Horse the stream of vapor and atmosphere bleeding out of the ship became obvious, as if to emphasize the situation. The displays showed the CFS systems instantly responding and the weapons systems coming online at the expected pace. In a few more moments, the Eucharis would be ready for whatever sort of fight was coming her way.

Engineering

As Junko saw the CFS and weapons power demands flare, she calmly reached down and grabbed her helmet. She sealed it over her head and made sure the shock frame of her chair was locked in place. General Quarters hadn’t been sounded yet, but Junko knew what it meant when combat-readiness inputs flowed in from the Bridge.

She watched, pleased, as the CFS spun up to combat settings and on her own authority brought the rest of Engineering to full military power. All power, cooling, and wear levels stayed in the green as the Aether generator came up to combat levels and the secondary reactors came out of standby. There was a minor fluctuation in the number four coolant recycler in Power Systems, but it was within tolerable levels - as long as peak power demands stayed below redline for the majority of the time, there wouldn’t be any issues.

“Bridge, Engineering,” she called into her handset. “Confirming CFS combat balance. I’ve brought us to full military power and switched to the combat power-load scheme. We’re ready to make maximum power if necessary; my projections show being able to maintain 0.4% under redline indefinitely.”

Medbay

Ayumi simply blinked innocently at Sienna's comment. Poetic was certainly not a word which would normally be used to describe her. Still, she was amused. Having not ever really partaken in alcohol she wondered how a hang over even felt. Neko body systems were so good at handling foreign chemicals that she had barely even skimmed the section in her texts about hang over cures. Though, she did know how to take care of a headache. That much was simply a pill or two away.

With slight trepidation the medic looked from her hand, where the cream was, to Sienna's chest, and then after a moment back up to Sienna proper. "Would you rather apply the cream yourself?" Ayumi asked. She was not shy about applying the cream, she was concerned that Sienna would be uncomfortable. Not many people appreciated anyone rubbing anything all over their chests, and Sienna was prickly at best- Sharp at worst. This was definitely not the citizen's best moment, so Ayumi was cautious.

Despite the fact that it had been under drug induced stupour, the medic couldn't quite get the look of Natsumi's face after their encounter out of her head. None of her apprehension showed on her face, or even in her posture, however. She simply looked like she was interested in Sienna's best interests. She fully intended to go and find the painkillers if Sienna wished to apply the cream herself.

Medbay

Sienna hardly seemed to notice Ayumi approaching through her quarter-closed and glazed-over eyes, but when she realized that the medic had the burn cream in her hand, she stiffened. Her eyes locked warily onto the medic's, and the two women stared uncomfortably at one another for a beat. "Yeah, I would," Sienna replied to the doctor when she broke the silence, and snatched the tube brusquely from Ayumi's hand. Opening it, she squeezed a bit of the salve out on her first two fingers and began to rub it gingerly on the burned area. Surprisingly she didn't even wince even though the burn was fresh and tender; the translucent white goop was instantly soothing on contact. One eyebrow raised ever so slightly, impressed and relieved.

Sighing, she turned her eyes up from her chest and looked back at the doctor, who lingered just long enough for Sienna's expression to soften slightly. The medic was just doing her job, after all. In barely noticeable sheepishness, she cast her eyes, but not her head, down in the direction of Ayumi's midsection, then back up at her eyes. "Sorry," she offered in a somewhat kinder tone, continuing to apply the salve to herself. "I got a... thing about people touching me." It wasn't the medic's fault she felt the way she did; it was her own. No sense taking it out on her.

Medbay

Ayumi's lips quirked in the slightest of smiles before she turned back to the cupboard and began looking for the painkillers. She had expected as much, and having the cream snatched from her had barely produced a twitch from the stoic medic. Without any trouble she found the orally administered pain killers, there wasn't really any need for an injection for a simple headache, and then wandered over to the sink to fill a cup of water.

"It's no problem." Ayumi assured, returning to Sienna's side with both the cup and the pills offered in outstretched arms. "I asked for a reason." She added, the slightest of shrugs gracing her shoulders. She figured she would similarly want to apply any possible self medication to herself as well. Though for her it was more that she figured she was the superior care giver. She knew Sienna was no doctor.

"I hope this helps." She continued, "Even burns with coffee can be dangerous if not taken care of." Though, unless the coffee was actually scalding temperatures it wasn't that big of a deal. Ayumi simply wished to assure Sienna that she had not come to the medbay without good reason. Not that she would have been doing anything if Sienna hadn't come.

Medbay

Continuing to apply the ointment as she exhaled through her nose, Sienna raised an eyebrow at Ayumi, and one corner of her mouth curled upwards slightly. "To tell you the truth, I didn't think you were gonna be in here," she replied, and held up the tube of burn cream, waggling it in her fingers slightly. "I was just gonna see if I could find something like this on my own. Believe me, I've been burned enough times to know what's serious and what ain't." Rubbing the last bit of ointment into her coffee burn, she twisted the cap back on and offered it back to the medic, wiping the oily remains from her fingertips on her bare stomach. Exchanging the tube for the cup and pills, she clapped her hand to her mouth, tossing the painkillers in front of her throat and washed it down with the water. Right after she swallowed, she coughed quietly and cleared her throat, holding the empty cup out in front of her again. "Could use some more water," she continued. "S'about the only thing that'll speed this along, but hopefully those pills kill the headache at least."

Medbay

For a moment Ayumi looked honestly taken aback and almost insulted that Sienna didn't think she would be there. Her eyebrows flew up a few centimetres, drawing together in the centre, and her mouth turned into a decided frown, before she returned to her stoic manner and waited until Sienna was finished. She took the burn cream back and glanced at it for a moment before taking the cup Sienna offered and moving to return the cream to it's place. As she turned her back to the civilian, she stated a soft, "I would never leave the Eucharis without a medical attendant." As if the very idea was almost uncomfortable to think about.

The medic placed the burn cream back into the cupboard, straightening it so it's label faced outwards, and then wandered over to the sink to fill the cup again, "Alcohol does dehydrate." She offered, returning to Sienna's side and offering the water, "Though I think it does better in your stomach than your lungs." There was another slight quirk of her eyebrows, though with more humour, as she mentioned Sienna's cough earlier. She was hardly going to tell a full grown, volatile, woman to drink slowly or be careful with water.

Medbay

As she handed the cup back to the medic for a refill, Sienna almost didn't notice the astonished, even somewhat offended look on Ayumi's face, it was there for such a brief time. Her own forehead knotted in slight puzzlement as she watched her go back to the cabinets and sink. When she heard her comment, the smirk came back. "Yeah, well, I figured maybe you were off on whatever training everyone else is wrapped up in," she explained. She didn't explicitly say she'd actually hoped to find no one in the medbay, given how crummy she'd felt. "I just meant I didn't come here looking for surgery or nothin' over a stupid coffee spill. I ain't a sissy."

She remained seated on the edge of the exam table, patiently waiting for Ayumi to bring her second glass of water, and shivered a little. Before the medic turned around, she momentarily eyed her wadded-up and damp shirt in her hand. Much as she wanted to put it back on, both due to the fact that she was starting to get cold as well as that she was starting to feel rather silly just sitting there in a bra and blue jeans, she knew it wouldn't be too good of an idea. The ointment she'd just applied likely needed some time to breathe in the open air to do its job properly, and because her shirt was still wet and now cool from the spilled beverage, the thin fabric would probably make her feel colder rather than warmer.

Ayumi returned with the cup, and she took it, making a point not to be so crass in her body language or movements. Her headache was already starting to feel better; whatever medication the doctor had given her was working pretty fast. Her throat was still dry and her tongue prickly, however, so she wasted no time in tipping the glass up at her lips and slowly draining its contents. Ayumi's final comment made her grin slightly in surprise as she neared the end of the glass. So the stoic automaton of a ship's doctor did have a sense of humor after all, buried underneath all that professionalism. Finishing off the last swallow of water, she exhaled suddenly, as if relaxing from a midly strenuous activity, as she rested the cup on her lap and regarded Ayumi with a curious, sideways look. "You know, you seem a good bit smarter than the rest of this crew," she observed, pushing some of her unkempt hair out of her eyes.

Medbay

Ayumi observed Sienna as she finished her water and made sure everything was well. Her chest was already starting to look less traumatised, which was a good sign considering that burning anything which needed clothes on it most of the time was uncomfortable. Speaking of things which needed clothes most of the time, Ayumi noted that Sienna hadn't put her shirt back on. She quickly came to the conclusion that putting on a wet shirt, while uncomfortable, would also make the civilian cold.

"Training can be dangerous, but it is far easier to recall an injured ground team member than it is to send an injured crew member to the medic on the ground." She offered as she turned back to her precious medical cupboards and pulled out a thin blanket which she assumed was kept around in case someone needed to spend the night in the infirmary. True, they could call her back, but this way there would be no possibility of not getting a hold of her.

She was about to offer to go get Sienna another shirt, as well as holding the blanket out for her to take, when she spoke again. "Smarter?" Ayumi asked, her mind automatically flitting to the other crew members who she was certain were every bit as intelligent as she was. She didn't want to insult Sienna by outright disagreeing, but she also wouldn't insult or bad mouth the crew in any way. For a moment she wondered if it was easier for Sienna, having no real alignment, but she quickly came back to the situation at hand, "In what way?" Perhaps she was smarter in a medical sense than say, one of the infantry who were not trained medically, or one of the engineers who were similarly trained in a different area. It didn't even occur to her to think that anyone on the crew was less intelligent than she was.

Medbay

Sienna shrugged in response, accepting the small blanket without much of a reaction or gratitude. "Dunno," she replied. "You just strike me as the type that listens more than talks. Uses her head," she explained as she threw the blanket around her shoulders, covering her torso except for the small V where her collarbones came together above the overlapping sides of the blanket. "Doesn't get all emotional at all the wrong times, you know? I ain't saying that everyone aboard is that way, but it sure seems like a good chunk of them have a hard time keeping their judgment clear, or keeping from losing their minds when things get ugly."

She shifted her hips back slightly, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, rubbing her forehead slightly before looking back up at Ayumi with an expression that seemed to wordlessly ask if what she was saying made sense. "I respect that is all," she added. She opened her mouth as if to continue, but after a beat, closed it again and smirked slightly, saying nothing further.

Medbay

Ayumi listened intently, considering what Sienna said and nodding slowly as she understood what was being said. This was something she could agree on without insulting her crewmates. The slightest of smiles graced her features, "When you listen you end up with more options than when you talk." Ayumi explained softly. Rather that being the type of person who always spoke her mind, she simply collected everyone elses opinions and weighed them against their own. It certainly helped in a pinch, it also made it easier to manipulate things to work in the way she needed them to.

"Emotions are... Cloudy." Ayumi added, nodding again as she spoke. It certainly made it harder to pay attention to what needed to be done. She remembered the state of the armoury after the droids had taken over, and how damaged Misato's hands had been. "You have very quick and decisive judgement." The medic offered, considering Sienna's strong points, "Also to be respected." She did respect Sienna, quite a bit. She was cautious of her, but she was cautious of almost everyone. Sienna was just the type of person who deserved to be afforded respect.

Medbay

Another wry and slightly sardonic smirk tugged on Sienna's lips at Ayumi's first comment as she nodded in agreement. She was still finding it hard to accept the fact that the Eucharis was crewed by what were supposed to be one of the strongest, most formidable military forces in the known universe, yet they bickered and squabbled like a bunch of hardheaded adolescents who each thought they were wiser or more qualified than those around them. Ayumi's standoffish, disconnected demeanor was refreshing to her. A bit boring, perhaps, but it certainly gave meaning to the old adage "better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." And in her experience so far, Ayumi was one of the people aboard the ship that certainly appeared to be among the least foolish. "That's what I'm talking about," she replied to her first comment, pointing at her as if the medic's words were physical objects floating from her mouth. "Most people don't realize that the more you talk, the more rope you give someone else to hang you with. You seem to get that."

She shrugged again with another nod, blinking, further astonished (and quite relieved) to find that her headache was rapidly diminishing. "They are that, and a lot more," she agreed with her next comment. "But then I guess y'all Nekos mostly don't have enough life experience to learn how to deal with them. Kinda makes me wonder why they give you emotions at all, seeing firsthand how much they get in the way."

She tilted her head at the medic's compliment, the look on her face making it obvious she wasn't expecting it. Yet again she shrugged, looking past Ayumi for a second. "If I didn't, I'd be dead by now," she replied flatly. "Or a slave of a way less respectable caliber than what I was when y'all found me, at least. I dunno if that commands respect or not."

Medbay

Ayumi nodded absently at Sienna's statement. It was true, despite just liking to keep quiet, Ayumi knew that listening was important to understand the situation and act accordingly. It was the reason she was able to act without second guessing herself, at least out loud. "I prefer to give no one rope." Ayumi explained, "This is a military, sometimes you don't know who you're giving the rope too." Similarly, this was the reason Ayumi refused to outright agree with what Sienna was saying. She'd simply speak about herself, without speaking of any of her crewmates.

"I believe," Ayumi began, folding her hands over her lap, "That if you send in ten computers which all think the same, they will come to the same conclusion- But eventually their conclusion will be wrong. They do not have the ability to sense and react to the situation. That requires self awareness. As soon as one is self aware, they will yearn for emotions, for freedom, for a real self and this constant yearning would cost the ability to make sound conclusions. At least since we have, apparently, all we could want as a self we can come together and properly debate situations- Hopefully coming to the correct conclusion." She definitely agreed that emotions could complicate a situation, but they could also be used to solve it. Ayumi wasn't certain if Sienna would quite grasp what she was trying to say, but it was a complicated subject to explain.

"I did not know you were a slave," The medic admited, "But if you are no longer one, and your actions are what got you here, then it certainly does command respect." Having not been on board when they encountered Sienna, she wasn't up to date on exactly what Sienna's situation had been prior to being on the Eucharis.