RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 27, Part 3] Expanding Horizons II (YE 39)

[Zack]

While Bronzi worked that side of the Plan, Wazu began to work his. He would type up a message to Hanako.

---
Hanako,

I would like permission to use the communications facilities of the Eucharis to contact the Rixxikor we encountered earlier and attempt to trade food for information.

-Wazu

 

[Navian]

Wardroom (before returning to the Medical Center)

Tan Ann Pan (while still eating her tacos) listened to Bronzi ask about Fumiko, and wondered if he was really expecting someone to explain the alien, inter-species birds and bees to him. Thankfully, it didn't seem necessary, and the direction of conversation soon moved away from her field of expertise.

 

[Blizzard]

Fabrication

"I don't know what happened, and I don't really want to. If there's gonna be a 'Gyoza Incident Part Two' later, I want no part of it."

Jax then realized he'd invoked an inside joke to an outsider, and shook his head. Leaving Sura to clean the armor, Jax walked back to the recycler just as the output doors opened and a stack of pure yamataium bricks was pushed out. Jax began hefting the bricks- which were seriously heavy despite the alloy's light characteristics- and began tossing them into a fabricator. First piece he would recreate would be the chest panels of the suit.

"It's good that you're here though. Aside from reading all of the manuals and scouring online forums, I've never touched a Heirophant."

 

[Primitive Polygon]

Wardroom

Tsuguka stood up and made a complete bow before responding to Hanako. It was only right. Familiarity was no excuse for lack of effort.

"I'm... Considering making some changes to our team's standard combat load out, ma'am." Their darkly contrasted eyes made some attempt at looking congenial. "I feel as though an increased use of small arms could somewhat alleviate this sledgehammer vs thumbtack situation in future... It is unlikely that the team will like this suggestion, but it seems to be a natural swarming trait of the Rixxikor that they always run towards explosions, and not away... It's not quite bravery, but something else..."

A pause. They were surprised at their own verbosity today. Perhaps it was because it had been a long time since her and the captain had actually talked.

"Hanako-Shosho... Would you mind if I asked a question that could be considered a little... Off color, to some?..." Suddenly, the red thing's mouth felt rather dry. Toyoe had an aloe vera juice in the wine glass before her, but was held away from drinking it by good manners. "...It's about... Your thought process behind the recruitment of new members..."

Well, there it was. She said it. But a high turnover rate must have landed her with some interesting mail from command, too. Was it purely searching for people who thought outside the box, or was there some element of nostalgia for the way that things were before the Star Army of Yamatai was so efficiently formalized?

 

[Ira]

Fabrication

Sura continued cleaning the Mindy. She was diligent and patient, she didn't get upset at the tedious task. She usually set the drones to do hard repair works and saved cleaning and tinkering for her self, or simply enlisted aid. This part she enjoyed. The humm of the sonic brush was soothing.

Jax would feel Sura's look as he made his joke. She didn't laugh but she noticed he had paused and not continued. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. The crew has obviously been through a lot together."

The mention of the Heirophant. "Oh!"she said smiling "That! Gartagen technology isn't sophisticated like Yamataian tech as best I can tell. It doesn't have all the electronics and technology made flesh. It is all machine. We heavily modified it though. Added a new reactor, graviton system. The best however is the Zesuium enameled armor plates and the mounted turret. Truth is, that Heirophant should work fine even win out regular maintenance."

Sura paused from cleaning the armor, and tapped on her fire arm mounted data pad. Jaxon would get the full file on the super Heirophant.

"It was a rush job unfortunately, if we had the time we probably could make something out of it that would be close to unstoppable"

 

[Fay]

Making a mental note to urgently review the most recent mission's log, concern was written all over Takumi's face as Hanako issued out her orders to him. "Very well... Hanako-Shosho. I will coordinate with Saiga-Chusa as soon as possible," was his reply before the captain left. With the first officer down for the count, that left a new face as second in command for the away team, and the Minkan couldn't help but feel worry. This was his chance to make a good impression to the whole command, though.

The crimson-skinned Neko at the end of the table that Hanako would sit at didn't seem very friendly at a glance, but judging a book by its cover wasn't something that Takumi did often. However, planning out this next mission should be priority. Food could wait since he already ate a small meal aboard the Tomoyo. The next step would be to mentally consult with his records and MEGAMI to find the Chusa, who was likely in the wardroom still or at least close by.

 

[raz]

Wardroom

Saiga was, in fact, still in the wardroom, having waited for the taco rush to die down before approaching the buffet. Though he was the tallest man in the room and wore his Type 35 jacket in the ever-conspicuous black shade identifying him as a SAINT soldier, Saiga had a strange, inherent knack for going unnoticed, so it made sense that Takumi had him. He'd just finished up filling his plate with around eight tacos, give or take, and was finishing them off to perfection when the Gartagen walked up and asked Lime about leftovers.

"You don't formulate mission parameters, Garta-san," Saiga said, eyes still locked on his tacos as he sprinkled cheese, dabbed sauces, and arrayed whatever fixings the cooks had provided for them. His tone was neither harsh nor welcoming, and the words were simply stated while he focused on his more important task of garnishing food. "Stick to your element," he added, looking over to Bronzi with a knowing grin when he was done. "Better for you to keep your head down and leave 'special projects' to the professionals."

With that said, Saiga nodded his gratitude toward Lime and turned away, leaving the buffet behind. He made his way over to the table and took a seat near Hanako at one of the two seats that were near the staircase. He didn't have much to say right now, since he had a big hunger after the fighting, but thought it best to dine near another officer for appearances' stake.

"Shôshô," Saiga acknowledged in a friendly way when he sat, right before unfolding a napkin onto his lap and chomping into his first taco.

 

[Ira]

Bronzi looked at Saiga as he spoke to him. The good news was this didn't bother him. Years of being in mercinary troupes and working menial labor had given Bronzi patients and a pretty even temper. Others of his kind probably would have demanded satisfaction and called Saiga's sword arm to back his words up.

"I'm jus askin fer da left ovas, Chusa-San, gotta keep muh girth." Bronzi said smiling and turning his head to follow Saiga as he turned his back to him.

 

[Blizzard]

Fabrication

"It was a rush job unfortunately, if we had the time we probably could make something out of it that would be close to unstoppable"

Fabrication

Jax listened attentively, even taking a moment to read some of the file that had been sent to him. But that last sentence caused his ears to perk up, and a devious grin to spread across his features. He began wondering how many missile-pods he could strap to the armor. Maybe even add a "snow plow" on the front. With a little speed boost from some thrusters, it would be absolutely devastating against a horde of Rixxikor.

"...I like the way you think. You'll go far in this business with that kind of attitude. Every machine can be made more efficient. Every weapon more deadly. Seriously, I urge you to consider a gig with Havok-"

He shook himself back to reality.

"-Sorry, I ramble sometimes. Shouldn't be promoting business while working." He sighed and grabbed the dolly, heading back to the elevator to grab another armor from the armor bay. "I've got a lot of armors and zero time to get them back in fighting shape. Plus, that weapons job Tiger- I mean, Tsuguka-Heisho- wants me to do."

He punched the button.

"Welcome to the glamorous life of being the only person around who knows how to use a wrench. Well, besides Candon. But he's too busy being tacticool at the moment. Er, don't tell him I said that."

The doors closed, and a few minutes later came back down with Freyja's armor.

"By the way, you're not enlisted. If you want to go grab some food or something instead of being my assistant, you can. I'm not your boss."

 

[Fay]

The verbal exchange between the black paneled crew member and the alien did not go unnoticed as Takumi turned away from the pair sitting at the wardroom table. Tensions aboard the Eucharis seemed to be high at the moment, but that was not surprising if their last mission had a rough ending. It would take leadership to bring the team back together again, and that in itself would be the hard part.

As Saiga moved past him with his taco load, the science officer finally recognized him as the person that Hanako wanted him to coordinate with for tomorrow's mission! ...and he just sat near probably the two scariest women aboard. Takumi decided that he would have to risk it and approached where the SAINT officer was sitting with a brave face. Once at an adequate range for speaking, the Minkan cleared his throat softly before bowing respectfully.

"Saiga-Chusa, I presume? I am Higashi-Shoi, one of the new members of the Eucharis crew. I know you are busy with your dinner, but Hanako-Shosho requested that we coordinate for the upcoming mission as I will be your second-in-command. Would you prefer if we meet up later to discuss the mission details?" His calm voice belied the worry in his gut at interrupting yet another person's meal.

 

[raz]

Wardroom

The SAINT chusa had just bitten off a big mouthful of taco when Takumi walked up, but didn't let the newcomer's interruption disturb him too much. He simply kept chewing for a few seconds while he looked the other man over, taking the science officer's measure for the first time. Saiga had only overheard that he would be in command for round two when Hanako told Takumi minutes before. The wardroom wasn't terribly large — also why he knew Bronzi was full of it, as usual, when he'd delivered his parting lie — and his career had given him the habit of listening to everything all at once. Still, Saiga hadn't given the next sortie much in-depth thought since the last one had just ended.

"Welcome aboard, Shoi," he said in a rather plain way after gulping down the last bit of his food. "Glad to have you with us," he added, more as a pleasantry than anything else. "We can handle the finer details later on and in a more private setting, but I'd like you to direct the team's research and retrieval efforts when we return to the metal moon. Someone focused on the station's technological secrets themselves while the rest of us make sure nobody dies is going to be paramount this time around; the analysts back at command are going to want more than just the first-hand accounts of some harried uchuugun soldiers to work with.

"Check over the roster and let me know who you'll need for the task," Saiga added. He still needed to review Takumi's personnel file himself, having not had the chance to check out any of the new arrivals just yet. "Oshiro-hei might be an obvious choice, but she'll likely be called on to troubleshoot any problems that we can't solve with a plasma blade or scalar blast, so consider the needs of the team."

 

[Ametheliana]

Recreation Room

Masumi ran hard, fast, and without cessation. She ran for her future and to escape her past. The thick, redwood trees flashed past her while she pumped her arms at her sides while her legs kept going. Her hair was undone and its pink ribbons splashed behind her, whipping and lashing at the space her body had only just occupied.

A bestial sort of cry echoed throughout the forest and she looked behind herself, blue eyes scanning the flora while her legs kept going, bringing her forward until the moment when her front-most leg crashed into a solid object. Masumi gasped and turned her head to look forward once more only to see before her a pair of black hakama and a black yukata on a slender but tall Neko. A wakizashi and katana dangled from their obi and Masumi's eyes darted from one feature to another after pulling herself up from where she had nearly fallen after running into the Neko.

As soon as Masumi was no longer prone, the Neko got into a fighting stance with one foot behind them and the other bent at the knee. Both hands were up and their fingers were curled into fists. They hopped gingerly from one foot to another. Masumi nodded and her pastel bangs dropped in front of her sapphire eyes for a moment before she lifted her own fists and brought one leg back, squared her jaw and pulled her head up, eyes trained on her opponent.

 

[Wes]

Wardroom

"We are not going to talk to the Rixxikor until the next attempt at the mission," Hanako stated to everyone. "It's likely we left a bad impression."

She turned to Tsuguka. "Eucharis is a crucible. I take raw metal and see what becomes hardened steel, and what does not. We lead from the front, we do the jobs that are wanted either by everyone or by no one, we find a way no matter what, or die trying. Some of the people here will go on to be starship captains and some of them will languish in mediocrity but it's this ship, its mission, and the battles we fight together that will not only leave a mark on us forever and become part of our identity, to make us part of history; and, it will allow us to be sorted and measured for better or worse."

Hanako nodded to Saiga. "Since Natsumi is recovering, you are in charge of the planning and execution of the next attempt. I would appreciate if you present your plans in advance tomorrow morning."

- - -

"Fine, but only if the captain gives her permission," Lime replied to Bronzi's question about he leftover food.

 

[CadetNewb]

Wardroom

Just as Hanako was about to finally start eating her tacos, another person came into the wardroom, and after a quick, intense scan of the scene with her eyes, came to stand before the Ketsurui.

"Hanako-shôshô, Yukimura Noriko-hei reporting for duty," the snowy haired Nekovalkyrja crisply saluted. Though her blue eyes stayed firmly fixed on the officer as she did so, her tail stood high, its tip hooked over, yet slightly twitching. It was difficult to gauge just exactly what this Santô Hei was thinking given her plain, almost stoic expression, but perhaps that didn't matter. They were both waiting for something; Noriko for her orders, and Hanako for her tacos.

 

[Rizzo]

YSS Eucharis, Wardroom

"Great," Candon expressed just loud enough to be heard, his words carrying a genuinely pleasant tone, "nothing like rank before experience to get the job done..."
He stood up and headed back toward the buffet to return the half laden plate to the kitchen. With another round of officers from beyond the team scheduled to lead the morning's mission every second he would spend on his armor was worth its weight in survival. If the current day's mission was any indication at least one person was going to die.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

YSS Eucharis, Wardroom

"I can respect that, Shosho." Tsuguka responded with a subtle look of renewed resolution. It might have been a little grandiose as dinner table talk, certainly, but having Hanako actually act like the Hanako once and a while was certainly cause for a flutter in the crimson neko's heart...

You know, blood and conquest flutter. The kind that some Neko girls have, here and there.

"Rest assured, I'll make sure the team learns from these mistakes." An urge not to move into full patriotism mode, avoiding placing her balled fist against her chest. "It's a matter of equipment, and a change in the scale of conflicts we've been trained in. I'm sure of it, Ma'am."

A look sideways, and a moment spent correlating a new face with the ship's crew logs. Santo-Hei Yukimura Noriko?...

"Shosho... Would you like me to obtain some sustenance for you?" Digital brain or not, there were too many things going on at once at the minute. Tsuguka didn't have enough self awareness to be embarrassed about demoting their duties to that of a waitress, though. "Would you like soft-shell or hard shell?..."

Disturbed her that Candon seemed so willing to leave, and it was obvious on her face as she stood up to preemptively complete the service for their leader. But, still, her brain was still on the Pantheon, looking for that missing piece of the puzzle. The need to confer with Saiga before tomorrow was also obvious, but first of all, she needed to make her new ideas for tactics physically possible through valid equipment suggestions...

Hum, couldn't use the forearm weapons even on stun, too much muzzle flash... Was solid round ammo the way to go? Something one-handed, like that age-old SMG she'd seen knocking about?... Not enough stopping power, even against the Rix...

 

[Fay]

Wardroom

"Thank you, Saiga-Chusa," Takumi replied to the greeting politely. "I understand. Please message me whenever you are available, and I will prepare a list of individuals that could be of aid to me for when we next meet. Was there anything else before I settle in, sir?" As they spoke, the problem began to mull over in the science officer's mind. PANTHEON could give him an accurate idea of who to bring on this mission based on their skillset, but could the most recent mission have affected the crew's morale and mental health beyond what the AI could give him?

Hanako's words seem to have left a mixed reaction among the crew. A lot of it what Takumi overheard her saying to the crimson neko was inspiring, but the rest would leave a bitter taste in his mouth. These 'Rixxikor' were likely to be unfriendly now, but he was still interested in learning about them... even if he may regret it later. Still, it wouldn't be the first time that this Minkan had gained significant knowledge of another species through autopsy.

 

[Wes]

Wardroom

Hanako pointed down to her plate and the two tacos sitting neglected on it. "These are mine, actually," she commented. "You must have a lot on your mind," the Shosho added, commenting on a certain lack of observational powers Nekovalkyra were generally known for. "I propose you meet me after dinner in the power armor bay. I helped design the Mindy 4 and I have some things to show you about its melee capabilities that I think you would find quite useful and interesting."

When Noriko appeared, Hanako stood back up long enough to salute back and greet her. "Welcome aboard, Yukimura-hei, . Infantry...speak to Tsuguka," she then directed.

Finally Hanako started eating her dinner.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

Wardroom

"I would be honored to join you, Ma'am." The red neko spoke in return, cool and cold. They certainly did a masterful job of shrugging off the realization that the Shosho already had food, but was simply too busy to tend to it. "Any advice you might offer would be extremely helpful in our upcoming squad reorganization."

After this comment, their attention was forced to mechanically snap away, and regard the new soldier in the flesh. The tall oni of a woman was a good half a foot taller than the rather pale-skinned new recruit, staring down with piercing green eyes. The fact that their last batch of new infantry members were already veterans of the YSS Orochi, well... It was a good thing that this Santo Hei had an unusually high pass rate on their skill assessments, at least. This was all bound to be a hard sell.

A small quirk of the head, dark eyes narrowing, and a fanged smile desperately trying to look welcoming. Friendship mode activated.

"Do you prefer the name Noriko, Santo Hei? My name is Nitô Heisho Tsuguka, current squad leader of the SOFT 408 operations team." The woman began simply. "I believe there is still a space free in cabin 5, if the sleeper modules are not to your liking. Please talk to Wazu if you are interested... Other than that, our team is still engaging in a spot of internal reorganization, so attendance of the meeting tomorrow at zero eight hundred will be necessary to define your new role within the team... Is there any other area in which your information is inadequate?"

 

[raz]

Wardroom

"That should be all for now, Shoi," Saiga said back to Takumi, glancing down at the half dozen soft fish tacos still waiting for him. "You're welcome to join us, of course," he offered with a smile, not really caring but thinking it was prudent to extend the invitation to dine with the Eucharis' other officers. "But if you've got other duties to attend to then don't let me stop you. We'll share plenty of meals before getting back to Yamatai, I'm sure."