Bronzi exited his quarters and went straight to the mess hall. He was in his full kit. Helmet on his head, boots and armor on. The little procedure Tan Ann did to him last night had him feeling much better today. He had his pistols in their holsters. Though, his armor and gear was still battered, used. Old. The armor like Bronzi was a veteran of hundreds of clashes and fights. Across his lower back, was an empty holster for a weapon he no longer had with him.
Another mission was at hand, and though the last one was total FUBAR, he was confident that if Wazu opted to go out on this one, he could keep them both safe and secure. Still, Natsumi wasnt in command. That concearned Bronzi greatly - which is why he started making an extra large cup of coffee.
"Hand-Bronzi," a husky bedroom voice called to him. Standing behind him was the same snow-haired Neko from yesterday, her stare hard and firm. "I'm sorry if I was a little unpleasant yesterday," the young woman began, trying to keep in mind what tone of voice and words would get her what she wanted quickly. "Since I'm new here, I was looking to figure out how things worked here, and the last mission's data didn't look very good." Taking a few slow, almost sultry steps closer to him, she looked up at his eyes. "Would you be able to tell me your version of events?"
Noriko wasn't sure she got everything right, but hopefully, it was close enough.
Bronzi paused as he heard her voice. Creamer, sugar, cinnimon. The black liquid soon turned almost white. The Gartagen preferring his coffee to be sweet rather than bitter, while still retaineing its strength. He shook his head and sipped his steaming beverage. "Hand. I ain't sure how ta...Good Mornin Santo Hei- San. May I fix ya a mug-a-coffeh?" He said with a bit of a morning growl to his voice as he got his day started. The Neko simply shook her head - no. Bronzi then had to admit he did not really wish to rehash what happened. But this Neko was young. Fresh out of the tubes. "Beh. I've been gettin insults and name callin since I got hea. Yer was bein pretteh sweet compared to----neva mind." Best not to name names.
"Well. I can't tell ya how it works hea. Looks like SOFT team is da infantry, and SAINT is runnin dat." He said calmly.
"Now dat mission started routinly. Shuttle was called. Order's were fer an exploratory mission. Dats why I assumed da shuttle was called ya? We docked, dat Candon fella opened da door, I told him to let the shuttle move---we were in armors. Well he opens da foc'n door and a tango shot the shuttle ta shiet." Bronzi then took a swig from his mug and rested calmly against the counter top, his tail curling around into various shapes almost hypnotically.
"Well we pull out, and dat XO - Saiga calls fer an immediate counter attack...which da team gleefully does. CO Natsumi orders em to pull back--- she didna know what was up, and wanted ta get a betta idea of what was in there. Well one of da team, disobeyed that command...an explained why."
"I...see," Noriko slowly replied, her white feline ears drooping back in thought. She had been silent at first, listening to him recall what happened with her tail held tall in an inquisitive question mark. The Neko was physically above coffee, and his accent was atrocious, but the information lined up with what she read and managed to see based off what little access she had. "And what about contact with those aliens?" From what she could tell, things had gone badly soon after.
"I wasnt around fer dat. Onleh heard it on da comms." He then smashed his coffee, finishing it off. "Team encountered a bunch of Buggers---Rixxikor---sorreh, came out talkin. CO gave an order of non aggression. They started beggin fer food. Natsumi ordered Wazu and I to get down there. We did, but by then it was too late."
"I dialed up the CO fer a SITREP -- She said she was shot, friendly fire."Best I figger? Tha bugs got handsy, Freyja got jump and opened up. So did tha othas. Natsum tried to stop em and got mowed down."
"Dat Rixxicor threw what I thought was a bomb. Retreat was called, and da new CO ordred meh to be da last one out."
"Abnormal that they would shoot her," Noriko observed, her deep voice held even lower as she sunk into thought, eyes drifting down. The soldiers sounded undisciplined, ill trained based off of all this. She had to watch out for 'Friendly Fire' then. But, the officer. The snow haired Neko could only think of one reason why she'd end up in their line of fire. She continued,
"I have yet to speak to Yamashiro-Taii myself, but I cannot understand why she would be gunned down by her own soldiers," the new Neko spoke, copying the inquisitive tone she had heard so many times before. The officer-enlisted relationship couldn't possibly be that bad. No. "Could Yamashiro-Taii have been attempting an officer's method for aquiring soldier's attention by entering their line of sight?" she asked nobody in particular. It was the only thing that came to mind.
Noriko suddenly blinked twice and looked back up at Bronzi's face. Abnormal. She had never thought out loud before. Bronzi looked down at the girl.
"I reckon she was fixin on gettin em to order. But a buncha hungry bugs beggin fer food was too much fer em. Makin her self be seen." Bronzi stood over the much smaller Neko. "Ya, I could under stand." Bronzi grumbled. "Worse part is....Freyja owned her mistake. Da others all let her get punished an kept quiet. A mistake is a mistake. No shame in dat. But...letting her team mate face it alone? Beh." He grunted,
"Tha answer is ya. thats what Natsumi-Sama was attempting to do. Maintain control of her operation. I suspect they didna mean to shoot her." Bronzi paused. "What are ya tryna learn kid?" Bronzi said advancing on the much smaller Neko, invading her space. "I know ya can use da Megami. Why are ya comin ta me?" He said calmly -- trying to figure out what her game was on this.
Again, she blinked, the momentary look of innocent surprise making the Neko look absolutely adorable.
"From what I understand, multiple perspectives are necessary to form a complete picture Hand-Bronzi," Noriko replied, hoping he liked that. He did like that, didn't he? She wasn't sure. Bronzi's hand made a talking gesture, clapping open and closed.
"'Spook talk." He snorted softly. She tilted her head again and blinked in confusion again. Yes, he was right, but he was also asking a very stupid question. Of course she needed more than one source. Looking away from him again in thought for a moment, her cool blue eyes soon darted back to the burly Gartagen.
"From what you have told me, it would seem that...certain personnel require additional training," the Neko carefully replied. That sounded like the least of their problems. This SOFT team was likey 'soft', as one of her drill sergeants would have said. The more Noriko thought about this, the less likely it sounded that they were going to all survive. "Thank you for your help Hand-Bronzi," she tried mustering a smile. Not too smily, but not too un-smily, the Neko hoped.
"No shit." He said in response to the observation that additional training was required. "look all that talk bout multiple perspectives. Dats ova thinkin it. Yer eitha a grunt or ya aint. Think fer ya self. Bronzi's question wasnt stupid, it was a pretty direct question. He knew the answer to it, but it wasnt the one he had gotten. "Just follow yer orders, an stay low. Anything else ya wanna know?"
"Nothing more for now," she curtly replied. "Again, thank you for your time. I'll be in the armor bay, Hand- Bronzi." Hopefully, the Neko wouldn't have to shove someone hanging on to the edge of a shuttle door or outrun a squadmate and the following monster in order to survive.