RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 23.1] A Distant Threat (YE 37)

Wardroom

Sigurd frowned as he considered Umeshu's last question. After thinking about it shortly he said: "Well... I'm sure the Rixxikor have something burnable and if only wood. Although it may take some time if we'd have to use wood. It might even create a sense of solidarity if they, too, provide a part of the cook out that way. And as grill lighter we could just use a good old fashioned flamethrower." Sigurd shrugged speaking that last sentence.

"Anyway", he said and came to attention. "I'll move into my cabin and see you at the shuttle afterwards, ma'am."
Then Sigurd left for the zero-g-passageway.

Wardroom

Natsumi got up, the discussion had moved on to preparation of cooking hardware and such, so she excused herself and departed from the wardroom and headed down to the shuttle bay.


Shuttle Bay

Boarding the shuttle they would be using for the mission, Natsumi slipped into the pilot's seat and started bringing the small craft's systems online in proper start up sequence. She put everything into pre-launch standbye and began the pre flight checks.

"Shuttle will be ready shortly" she sent wirelessly to Umeshu

Medical

"Now you're going say you was injured when we left port?" Aikiko looked directly at him. Her almond shaped, bluish-purple eyes looked at him unwaveringly, widened a bit. Pausing in her poking at her SPINE Interface.

She let her t-shirt drop back down. She moved gracefully towards him and sat on the foot of Sam's bed that he laid on. "So what you know about being Infantry?" Totally changing the subject. She studied him as she waited for the Doctor to show up.

Medical

"Aikiko are you here?" she called out as she entered the Med Lab "Sorry I went to the shower to find you, saw you were not there so assumed you would be here" she smiled seeing both of them "Hello you two, listen Darkfire-hei.... I wanted to apologise for earlier, I was unprofessional and annoyed.... It is just that I don't like creepiness." She walked over to Aikiko "Wow you have some bad damage on your spine, you seem to always injure your spine don't you" she grinned and checked on her spine "It is healing slowly, does it hurt?"

Bridge

Hanako returned to the bridge to oversee the operations, keeping communication lines open with both teams. "Other than Victory moving the burgers and other food for the cooks, does anyone need to roll anything out of the cargo bay before I try lifting off?" she asked, powering up all of the working engines and anti-gravity systems. The ship began to emit a deep, low hum as everything came back online.

Cargo Bay

Meanwhile down in the cargo bay, Victory was doing just that, putting a medium-sized refrigerated container down on the dirt with the ship's internal crane system. She had it rigged with chains so that a T7 shuttle would be able to pick it up and move it anywhere once the ship moved out of the way.

Misc. Systems

"...And then I got dragged into a firefight with the bugs before I could do anything further." Jax finished his recount of events, standing over the machine which had given him so much trouble. The neko rubbed her chin and thought for a moment, also inspecting the life support module.

"...Did you try hitting it with something? Like a hammer?" she asked, looking at the small ding on the top of the metal box, then to Jax. Jax blushed a little out of embarrassment. He felt his ears droop, and his tail fidgeted anxiously. Should he be truthful, and get verbally berated? Or lie, and chalk it up to battle damage?

"I, erm...- I mean..." he stammered, looking to the floor and scratching the back of his head. Then, ever so quietly, he muttered a weak "yes".

He could feel the other technician's eyes on him. He hesitated before looking up, but when he did he found her starring back at the device, looking puzzled. Her next words shocked him.

"...And that didn't work?!" she asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Jax looked at her, stunned, lost for words.

"Well, yeah, basically." he replied with a shrug, feeling his anxiety melt away. Suddenly, the two techs had simultaneous heart attacks as the ship began to come to life. Jax fished out his communicator and opened a line to the bridge.

"Uh, Shosho Hanako? Ma'am? I'm sorry if I'm stepping out of place here, but are you actually planning on taking us off this planet?!" he asked with a nervous chuckle. His look turned manic, and he nearly shouted into the device, but managed to restrain himself. If the captain really had gone off the deep end in some revenge-fueled rage at whoever had shot them down, he didn't want to send her any deeper.

"We aren't exactly at full operational capacity at the moment, if you catch my drift. Just- Please, I know we're all itching to take the fight to the enemy, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that I don't wish to die by violent-fucking-decompression in the cold vacuums of space... ma'am."

He'd raised his voice slightly during that last part, but ended the sentence with a gentle, respectful tone. Now, with his heart racing, he awaited his captain's response, which would be the deciding factor on whether or not he hopped out of the landing gear openings and hauled ass into the open, welcoming arms of the bug-men.

Wardroom

Mitsuko didn't have any problems with Sigurd personally. In fact, she was glad to see he was doing better, after the incident they'd been through together. She seemed to dislike the idea of sharing her cabin with anyone, no matter who the new roommate was. She paused in her retreat as the Shoi called for her, the Logistics Neko standing up a bit straighter as her (relatively) long history was complimented. There was a moment of silence as she paused to think, combing through mental records for something that would match the request. She blushed just a touch as she remembered something that fit the bill, thankful that Hanako was returning to the Bridge.

"W-well, there might be something. A few years back, we cataloged a cargo drop filled with odds and ends. The Captain let us all request a few items for ourselves. Um...she denied my request for a large portable grill due to safety concerns, but...I might have found some space for it. Just in case she changed her mind. I've never actually used it." She tried to make it clear she hadn't been trying to disobey Hanako, since she'd only disapproved of it being used on the ship, not stored on it. After a few moments, she wirelessly transferred a burst of data to Umeshu containing the model number of "The Griller" and its specifications.

The second request changed her mood entirely, sending Murakami frowning. "Standard Starship Cargo Containers are for storage. In one piece. Mutilation and misuse of that nature is not recommended. And also wasteful." She seemed rather upset by the suggestion.

Wardroom

Umeshu quickly reviewed the information communicated to her and was very thankful that Mitsuko seemed to have something in mind that fit the bill, and it helped ease her concerns about the mission being able to go as planned. However, the Shoi was well aware she had inadvertently struck a protective chord within the Heisho when she had suggested the improvisation of a cargo container into a grill. This was something that technical people such as Jax-san would do without a thought, but to her it was obviously anathema.

Always a master at polite apologies, Hoshitomo-shoi bowed to the fellow Neko a bit lower than her station would require, "Sumimasen, Murakami-heisho. Your concerns are well noted and within regulations, and this shows your sincere dedication to your work. Please be at ease, as there will be no need for such now that we have a more appropriate solution to the problem, thanks to you." The purple hued officer hoped that such praise would help to restore her mood to the positive side. "If this goes well, then perhaps I can convince the Shosho to let you keep it officially for said personal uses?"

The communication from the Captain went out, as suddenly there was a sense of urgency added to the room. Natsumi and several others had already filed out, and it was time for Umeshu to do likewise. She opened up communication to the bridge, "Hashimoto-shoi to Hanak0-shosho, there is one more small item to be unloaded for the cooking, Murakami-heisho and myself will be handling it, so please give us a few moments. I think Jackson-hei is also still working on the underside of the vessel and can use that time to clear out."

She straightened up her grey paneled uniform and skirt, and said her proper goodbyes before falling into step with Mitsuko. She made sure to remember to head to the Lounge to procure the Lorath wines on the way to the cargo area and eventually the awaiting transport shuttlecraft.

Bridge

"If you do want to survive the vacuum of space there are two things you can do: first, you should put on a spacesuit. Second, do not ever curse at me again," the admiral warned Jax. "The ship is safer when it is mobile and we would be better off in a real repair bay. Also it apprears this world is the Rixxikor's and we are the invaders of their territory, so getting the ship off their planet might help our relations. Let me know when you are ready, Hashimoto-Shoi, and make sure technician Howard-Hei is safe."

YSS Eucharis, Medical

Suites, who'd been walking with Chasen, entered the Med bay with his FAR floating above him through the door. “Were short on time, Chasen-hei,” Candon stated flatly, "how long will it take to just patch them up?"

Misc. Systems

Jax winced at his CO's reply, feeling deflated, to put it simply. His ears pinned down to his head, and he currently wanted to find a small corner to go hide in.

"Smooth." the neko beside him said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. Jax shot her a glare and pulled up his communicator.

"Er... Point taken. Sorry, Shosho." he mumbled.

"Well then, it looks like your newbie-patch will have to suffice. I elect that we get out of here." the cat woman announced, already walking for the cargo lift. Jax, still embarrassed deeply, trudged after her, letting his tail drag on the floor behind him. Hopefully Hanako wouldn't hold this against him. In high school, during the rare occasions where he'd go out for sports, he'd always had a bad habit of getting on a coach's shit list. He didn't want to bring back that same atmosphere, especially in an enclosed spacecraft several light years from home.

"We're clear. You can go ahead and take her up." he announced into his communicator.

Shuttle Bay

Once at the shuttle bay, the neko hopped off the lift and headed back outside, to rejoin the Vesper. She hadn't spoken a word to him since he'd been reprimanded by Hanako. Understandable, considering most neko's had a reverence for royalty. Didn't mean it hurt any less, though.

Engineering

Jax dragged himself back into the dark, cramped space of engineering, which was once again filled with the hellish noise of the engines. He grabbed his chair, which had shifted during their hazardous landing. He sat down in his usual position, feet propped up on the console. It seemed like an eternity since he'd first walked in here on Hanako's World.

"Aw! The wittle kitty get yelled at?" his FAR cooed with a giggle, appearing in her holographic form beside him. She reached a hand down and scratched behind his ears. He couldn't feel it, but it did annoy him. he swatted the floating drone away and crossed his arms.

"All set in Engineering." he announced to the bridge in a level tone.

Medical

Akane rubbed her forehead. A soreness still lingered in her skull, a ringing in her ears.

She stepped through the door, seeing the wounded, wondering where Taharial was. "Are you here?" Akane asked.

Unsure, she lifted her fingers, seeing a brush in her hand. There was nothing for her to hold, but she remained determined. "The fight's over. I'm going to paint." The Neko looked around, wondering where she'd left her canvas and paints. Surely, she'd left them in Medical, why else would she be there?

"I'm going to paint our victory," Akane said. Such an act would be difficult. She couldn't remember anything of what the battle looked like.

Shuttle

Natsumi hunched over the control consol, busy preparing the shuttle for departure. She noted Hanako's broadcast and took it into account when planning her launch.

"Shuttle is ready to go" she reported on a channel to the bridge and Umeshu as soon as the pre flight checks reported back good.

Natsumi tapped at the controls, setting the anti grav drive and engines to standby. Now she just needed the landing party to board with the supplies and they ccould go.

Medical

The confusion erupted when Taharial entered along with Candon and then another showed up. "Yeah. Just not used to having it placed where it is now." Aikiko stood up and turning to let 'Doc' take a look at the mess. "Of course it hurts and itches like hell!" Lifting her t-shirt up just enough to let Taharial check it out. "It feels messed up inside."

Aikiko gave Sam a small wave as she left his bunk he was laying on as she moved to where ever she was directed to go to allow the medic to preform her work on her SPINE Interface.

Medical

"What do I know about being Infantry?" Sam looked confused. What did he know about being Infantry? Or, actually, what did he remember after Candon almost gave him a concussion? His head still hurt when he got slammed into the wall. Odd, now that he thought about it. It felt like blood was dripping down his face. He tried to wipe at the blood with his hand only to see there was no blood on his hand. Was the bleeding beneath his skin? Could it be a hemorrhage? Damn, he sure hoped not. He didn't want to die a virgin!

"Um, well... You get in Power Armor and go outside. Then, mean, little bug things shoot at you. And... And, then..." Sam went silent as his angel finally arrived, not wanting to look stupid in front of her.

Sam frowned, looking down. Angel just said he was creepy and she didn't like him. A tear dripped down his cheek. He didn't even bother to look up when the other girl lifted up her shirt. After all, what was the point of looking at girls anyway? Nobody loved him.

Cargo Bay

Umeshu exited the cargo lift, the case of Lorath mood-altering wines carefully nestled under her arm, and was soon in the cargo area. As per her previous orders, one of the personnel rolled out "The Griller" from where Mitsuko had instructed her it would be. Perhaps something had been lost in the transmission though, as the Shoi immediately noticed the Emfratec cooking unit was not large at all, and seemed rather fit for someone's private picnic or small beach party on Hanako's World rather than something to feed a whole village of hungry bug-men. She frowned slightly at the corner of her mouth, before turning to the Logistics NCO.

"Well, Heisho, it appears we have overestimated the capacity of 'The Griller' module here for our plans. That means there is good news, and bad news. The good news is, I believe this is excellent evidence to convince Hanako-shosho to let you use this for your own purposes." Umeshu paused and delivered the next part with as positive a face as she could muster to the orange paneled soldier. "The bad news is... I believe we now have to go with 'Plan B'. Gomenasai." Her apology at the end spoke volumes, as Murakami-heisho could only shudder at the thought of one of her beloved containers being cut in two and subjected to the fires of Hell. "If it is any consolation, it will be fulfilling it's duty to the Star Army's future in a way that no SSCC has done before. We could even retire its serial number in respect of its humanitarian mission." Odd as it may have sounded, the purple-haired officer spoke this last part with the dignity of a eulogy, trying her best to soften the blow.

Hashimoto-shoi hesitated only a moment for Mitsuko's response, before she would gave the order to send an empty medium-size container to be modified by the fabrication technicians to her specifications, turning it into a set of two improvised grills, one for each cook... as well as Mindy Ke-M2-W2904 flamethrower equipment to be procured from the armory and loaded onto the shuttle. They would likely come in handy to ignite some fuel they could find on site, or the fuel canisters themselves could supply a heated jet that could slow burn through the makeshift grills. Or so she hoped.

Medical

Taharial smiled when she saw Akane "Hello there Akane, what's up?" she heard what the girl said "A-Akane are you all there?" she felt quite worried about Akane but knew that Aikiko came first because of the SPINE being so bad.

When Taharial and Aikiko where hidden from the others she took of Aikiko's shirt gently so she could see all the damage for herself and winced slightly at the sight "that is really painful, sorry I wasn't there to help you earlier, when you left on the shuttle with the others.... I feel like a bad medic not being there to help." She gets some antiseptic "this will hurt, I am sorry Aikiko" she started to clean the SPINE to see the actual damage that was done, also to make sure her wounds were clean and wouldn't cause infection.

When the SPINE was cleaned she inspected it better "it is a lot worse than I thought, a lot of tissue damage.... well it will heal in time, but you are lucky that you have rapid healing or you wouldn't be able to do anything with this much damage, would you like to use a tube? It will heal quicker than just waiting for it."

Medical

"The tube sounds fine" Aikiko spoke softly through gritted teeth caused by the sting of the antiseptic. She gave a shrug, "Don't worry about it. We can't be everyplace all at once, Taharial. I'm just glad I'm still alive so you can still fix me up."

On impulse, Aikiko gave Tarahial a quick hug of friendship and appreciation, being careful not to trap her wings in the embrace. Then climbed into the tube under Taharial's instructions.

YSS Eucharis, Medical

With no feedback from his crew mates Candon was starting to feel like cellophane.
I guess a quick fix just isn't going to happen…
He took a look around at them. All injured, all tired. He calmly looked through the cabinets and retrieved a brace for his left forearm. Once it was on and tight he made a silent exit, leaving with his FAR under the cover of medical commotion.


YSS Eucharis, Shuttle Bay

With his power armor back on he commed Hanako as his AIES calculated the location of the crash site, accounting for weather, planet rotation, and everything else Suites didn't care to think of.
"Shôshô Hanako, the infantry team is in bad shape but assuming the downed fighter had a crew of three or less I can at least apprehend them until the shuttle arrives. Just to keep them from getting too far from the crash, really. I'm requesting permission to launch."

Cargo Bay

When the Shoi made her stop to pick up the Loratch wines, Mitsuko made her own detour before they met up again in the Cargo Bay. Swinging by the Armory, the bookish Neko reappeared with a massive Type 30B Machine Gun held in both hands, barrel extending over her shoulder. If Power Armor was not an option due to the Bay damage and the Captain's desire to attempt negotiations first, she wanted to bring along something with a little more presence than her NSP. This particular weapon had served her well when defending the Eucharis from a horde of small, insectoid invaders before, so hopefully it would do as well for their little shuttle this time.

She had seemed relieved by Umeshu's words in the Wardroom earlier, but now everything seemed to be falling apart. Murakami frowned behind the visor of her AMES as the Shoi turned to her. "...but, the box seemed so big. If we just rotated items and cooked in shifts, surely..." She trailed off as Umeshu continued, head hanging slightly. "It's okay. I'll remember it." With a sigh, she selected a certain SSCC-M that she knew was empty, passing along the number and location to the Shoi for her project. "...we put a bunch of Nepleslian clothing in it, one time." With that, she headed into the shuttle Natsumi was warming up, barely even noticing the refrigerated box full of food they'd be wasting on the Rixxikor.

Mitsuko didn't even greet the other Neko, wordlessly beginning to set up the large gun on its tripod. She planned to deploy it near the entrance to the cockpit, to both keep it out of sight and protect the pilot that would get them out of there when everything inevitably went wrong. Murakami used connecting devices on the floor meant for securing cargo to fasten the weapon in place, keeping herself busy to avoid glimpsing the Logistics atrocity that was being committed outside the shuttle, even if she couldn't keep from thinking about it.