RP: YSS Miharu Mission 3 Prelude: Rise; you better shine

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

As soon as Kotori left, Activity exploded into the wardroom. Kai did his best to ignore it, He just wanted dessert. Now if only they would bring it out so he could eat it....

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

B-but dessert.... Yoroko pleaded silently as she watched Yuzuki walk away. Yoroko took a deep breath before turning to face the rest of the crew, "Saa....let's eat dessert!" Yoroko said as she seated herself again. After my shift tonight...I'll talk to him then. Yoroko resolved as she waited for dessert.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori had waited patiently for Kôsuka to collect her thoughts and then listened to her words. She finally shook her head.

"If what you hope to do is discourage me from the decision I have settled on by implying I do not have the right, I am afraid that you stand on very slippery footing here. I am the representant of the Mistress-Taisho on this vessel as both its commanding officer and a princess of the same clan. If I deem it that Hagesawa-Juni must prove himself in my eyes before he should serve in the full representative capacity of a Ketsurui Samurai aboard Miharu, then that is how it is going to be."

The Taisa joined her hands, interlacing her fingers. "In the meantime, he can respectfully put his robes and swords in his assigned quarters and still fulfill his purpose. I have not denied him the opportunity to do so."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Respect? You speak of respect as if you have offered it to him. To Sora-hime. You do not have any right to take his robes away from him without just cause, and you have none. Sora has chosen him. If you do not hold faith in the Taisho's judgment, nor a fellow Samurai, you should at least respect hers. If you deny him the honor he has already earned, and the Ketsurui Samurai bodyguard she has a right to, you disrespect us all."

Kôsuka shook her head. "I will not engage in further argument. It is without purpose. If I sponsor Hasegawa-dono's Samurai training, and you still take away his soul — " She meant his sword — "Then I will leave this ship, with Kei, Yuri, Hasegawa-dono and Sora-hime. As a Samurai of the clan, I cannot leave her unprotected on this vessel."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"I trust her with you." --- He canted to both of the Samurai trainees in the ancient samurai hand sighs with a fluid motion that seemed as if he was just simply shifting himself before his walk with Nyton. "My destiny is mine to bare, even if it comes with humility, Seito-chan. Just remember... Yuumi's spirit watches over us as we watch over the living, I trust her to understand, and I trust my fate in the worthy hands of Kôsuka. There is nothing more we can do." Sumaru did his best to calm the young Kei; his soothing tone of telepathy seemed to not carry his worry, which was very hard to notice anywhere on the Samurai, if at all.

The once outside with Nyton, he listened to his words with a tiny smile coming to his nearly flawless complexion. "And both body guards to Ketsurui princesses. There's a lot of similarities between us, despite our vast differences, which though; also make up many of our similarities. A very unique circumstance that our fates have crossed here indeed." Sumaru answered Nyton, a bit more longwinded then the initial question. But Sumaru was a man of many words, and even now, after the whole ordeal, they carried a calm serene tone. He matched steps with the Nepleslian man, the male neko's arms returned to cross into his own wide ended sleeves in front of his frame.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"You noticed too." Nyton replied with a slight bit more levity. "I find that to be intriguing." he said while continuing to walk down the hall next to Sumaru in no particular direction. "I take it you are of male Yamataian origin then? I have yet to meet a Nekovalkyrja who was originally created male."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori looked daunted for a moment, her ears hanging back like a cornered animal. She looked away, dismay flashing in her eyes, before she took a deep breath and faced Kôsuka. "We are at an impasse then," she said, her voice tight. "If how you are going to have debates with me involves threatening me with ultimatums whenever we are not in agreement, then you certainly cannot stay."

"However, your words are not Sora's," the Taisa added. "Nor are you to decide things for her or Hagesawa on the level of their assignments. If Sora decides to leave, then she may. Dismissing Hagesawa's services is also up to her. If Sora decides to stand up for herself and make an appeal to me, she can as well."

"You may do as you must," Kotori concluded, "but you are not leaving my quarters until you apologize to Miharu for implying that she and the rest of her crew are incapable of protecting Sora. Midori and Chisou might have gotten away with it on the Sakura, but I will not suffer such here."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Hm." Kôsuka, for the first time, seemed to relax some. "Has it been too long for you to remember your training, daughter?"

She shifted her weight, then sat lotus-style on the floor, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. "Miharu and her crew can 'protect' Sora-hime better than any crew and vessel in the Star Army. But you know I was speaking to something else.

"The hime-sama asked for a Samurai to personally protect her. It is a right all Ketsurui have. You have elected to be on your own, and it is your right to do so. But now you, through actions that are outside of the clan, have taken her right away, and shamed one of my fellow Samurai in a way I cannot fathom. And your reasoning ... is disrespectful. No Samurai could leave a clan member unguarded who wished for a guard, but to take the place of a Samurai shamed for reasons unjustified ... it cannot be done. The shame is too great for any Samurai.

"Please see that I do not threaten you. I state only what I, as Samurai, must do."

She paused. "If it is your intent to use your position within the clan as a means to the end you desire, then allow me to speak to you as a lowly Samurai, and beg you to please, hime-sama, not take away my fellow warrior's robes." Kôsuka shifted her knees expertly and bowed, face on the ground. "You kill him by doing so, by killing his only reason to exist, and you kill a part of all Samurai with your decision.

"Please, hime-sama. Do not force us to die this way."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Sora watched Sumaru and the others leave with a nod. She sat at the table with a cup of tea, quietly sipping it as she tried to reassure herself of everything that has happened with her and her family since she left for the Sakura. All the memories and the information of the new mission all swam together in her mind. After a few moments, she looked for Sanjuro, remembering that he wanted to ask her something before they left the med bay.

"Ashitaka-Hei? Before I forget, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori glowered at the bowing samurai in front of her. She emitted a seething hiss and with a petulant toss of her head snapped: "I will think about it and decide tomorrow!"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Thank you, hime-sama, for your generosity with we Samurai," Kôsuka said, still bowing on the floor. "It will never be forgotten."

She had not been excused, so she did not rise.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori gave a sigh and looked back to Kôsuka. "Was there anything else?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"No. That was all." Kôsuka's thumbs and fingers formed a perfect little triangle-shaped hole that her head rested in as she bowed.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

The Taisa closed her eyes. "You may go, then."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Thank you, hime-sama. By your leave." Kôsuka slowly unfolded from the ground and stood upright, turned on the balls of her feet and exited. Outside, with the door shut, she paused. Her body clenched, as if awaiting a blow. She closed her eyes, relaxed for a second, then walked away from the door.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Sumaru nodded once. "Yes indeed, I was born as Yamataian." He said quite casually, his tone carrying no grief or shame over his origin. Then as they walked along Sumaru was reminded of his days on the Asamoya and the samurai there who was a glimmer of hope in Sumaru's desire to be a Ketsurui guardian himself. "To my knowledge there was only one Nekovalkyrja made male from creation, I had the pleasure of meeting him. We served on the same ship, and could be partly attributed to why I decided on this path to tell you the truth."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Partly attributed?" Nyton replied as they continued walking. "What were the other reasons for choosing to become a Samurai?" he then asked.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Sanjuro's attention was quickly brought back to the table as Sora reengaged their earlier discussion. He was inwardly very glad to have the distraction, as the earlier topics about flying into the heart of the enemy outnumbered and outgunned were, surprisingly, not the good news that the medical officer would've preferred to hear.

"Ah...right," Sanjuro replied simply back to his superior. He glanced down the table for a moment before returning to his conversation.

"What I meant to ask you was that if you feel that our current medical staff is...adequate. Adequate for what the ship requires, and on an individual basis. Do you have any personal opinions?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Sumaru nodded once, taking a moment to clarify what he meant. "In the sense, that because he existed, it appeared that my impossible dream could actually become reality." Then as they came back around towards where they started their walk, Sumaru began leading Nyton towards the Miharu's Observation Deck. Having served on the Asamoya, the second only Himiko-class Light Escort for most of his short carrier, the samurai knew his way around quite well.

Once they arrived to the top, Sumaru casted his sharp frost blue eyes outwards to the vastness of the space around them. "Most honestly Claymere-San," Sumaru paused a moment, losing himself in a swirl of nostalgia as his reasons and memories were so very clear, "a princess can only be protected by a knight." His quote came off as if he was reading philosophy from a datapad. "I wanted to become that knight so that I could protect Sora and becoming a samurai to me, was the only absolute way to do that." He chuckled faintly, knowing how silly he must sound. "Or at least, that's how it all started."

He then turned his eyes back to the Nepleslian -- but to Sumaru, he turned back to the other protector -- as they had come to a good point to pause in their walk and enjoy the environment as they continued their conversation. "How about you, Claymere-San. What were your reasons to become Kotori Ketsurui-Dono's retainer?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

When they arrived at the observation deck Nyton took notice of their pause and stood off a few paces from Sumaru. He placed his left hand on his hip as he watched him with his cybernetic eyes. The eyes analyzed and recorded movement data, angles, calculated speed, along with possible future movement. While his systems noted all that it was Nyton himself that caught something the all of his technology would miss: Sumaru had a flair for the dramatic.

The Observation Deck, as Nyton's other eyes noticed, had a good view of space and the stars around them. It seemed to add more presence to Sumaru's explanation. It still sounded like something out of the fairy tales he heard as a child. Does he have a hero sydrome or a protector complex? Possibly, but the way he talks it almost sounds like he is in love with Sora. Could that be the driving force behind his desire to be her knight? Nyton thought to himself. He made a note to himself to determine whether Sumaru had served alongside Sora before. Perhaps this bit of history would give him the insight needed. The Samurai sounded drawn to Sora. Nyton knew he had his own unsettled emotional discoveries to unravel so he was no expert. He decided not to question the validity of Sumaru's motives now but rather observe them over time. He wondered just how old this man had been before shifting to a Nekovalkyrja body. That's the trouble with these Yamataians sometimes. You can never tell just how old they are sometimes.

"How about you, Claymere-San. What were your reasons to become Kotori Ketsurui-Dono's retainer?"

Click to expand...

This was one question that Nyton had been expecting. After all, it was obvious they were each trying to figure the other one out, one anomaly to another. "My reasons are not as fancy as yours." he said as he looked back into Sumaru's eyes. "I became Kotori-sama's retainer because I believe in her. My ambition is to become the greatest strategist ever. I was also raised to believe that to be the best I have to serve whom I deem to be worthy of that service. I am no believer in a bushido that would ensnare me to serve someone I find unsavory. Thus I have been searching while at the same time trying to prove myself. I have had to follow my instincts on occasion so there is no need to completely dismiss choices made with a little bit of emotional influx." he said with a slight hint of a smile. "I trust her to lead us properly because her vision for a better Empire is one I believe is worth defending."

Nyton then let out a breath. "Don't let her decision to take away your Samurai status dishearten you. I believe you have endured much to arrive here. Continue to do so and you may yet resume your duties. After all, a Nepleslian does not earn the rank of a Shoi during the Species Restriction Act without working hard." he said.