RP: YSS Kaiyō Mission 32: Uchū Kaubōi

[Ametheliana]

Unknown Planet
Daybreak Ridge
12日 8月 YE 46

The far distant blue sun of this world was especially old, but still rose every morning. Its affect could be seen in the light that topped the wide smattering of clouds and in the pale, icy cast of light on the dusty pink and purple grasses below. As if spurned on by daybreak, birds had started the morning vociferations, ruminating to one another with shrill chirps. A few of them swam through the sky and their black forms were dark stains against the brightening sky. All the creatures of this planet were melanistic, inky black creatures evolved to avoid soaking up the excess UV rays from their blue sun that would otherwise cause damage. The smaller birds darted out of the tree line at Hoshi and Aiko's back as they looked down at the caldera below. There was a bundle of cows down there that were their responsibility. William was waking and saddling up somewhere amongst them, though the captain and her XO were already mounted, having set off early to survey their destination.

With curious eyes the color of deep ocean, Hoshi watched a bird dart from behind her and around before her horse haphazardly. Yamatai didn't have birds—it didn't have much wildlife at all. The Kaiyō's captain had beheld the small creatures on this planet for the fortnight since arriving. The bay mare she rode didn't interest her as much as she preferred larger drafts like her yaks back on Tami. Even now in the calm of morning, she could feel underneath her seat the tumult of the horse as it took a step forward and then two back as Hoshi flicked her finger and tugged at her reins almost imperceptibly.

The Kaiyo had been sent to this previously unexplored and uncharted system after the former NMX Neko on the planet of Nebel had reported unusual activity to the North of them. In truth, the former NMX Neko had their hackles raised, worried the Mishhuvurthyar were coming to collect them after the Kaiyo had made a deal for their lives and let them live independently. It seemed, though, that the Mishhu had hastily built a secret base on a nearby planet to the Neko of Nebel instead of going to them directly. What's more, the base was deep underground and couldn't be bombarded or attacked by conventional means. Two weeks ago, the Kaiyō had sent in a team to pose as NMX long enough to gain the enemy's trust. It all culminated today. And the day was starting with a beautiful sunrise.

"No movement at the base. I believe we can move forward with the operation today," Hoshi said much later. The clouds had turned white, clumped into tightly packed puffs separated by rivers of the cornflower-colored sky. The horse under her had grown steady, perhaps dozing as its rider had kept a vigilant watch over the lifeless cauldron-like hollow far below them.

"Assuming our people are okay, "Hoshi said, her words reflecting the danger Molli, Sif, and Rio were in. "Assuming they're still alive."

 

[raz]

Daybreak Ridge

"They are good soldiers," Aiko replied, arms crossed under her bust as she looked out to survey the old volcanic crater and morning landscape that stretched out before them. "If you believe the operation can commence then you must trust in their success, so your concern is unfounded."

For her part today, the princess wore a rugged outfit of brown leather so dark it was almost black. Simple, tight five-pocket work pants fashioned of the tough material and a dark lilac colored crop top blouse with its sleeves rolled up—supported by a leather underbust harness—provided some measure of basic protection from the elements and scuffs. A similarly deep umber hip harness held an old model SiZi six-shooter at her side, and another belt with a large brass buckle stamped with Yamatai's national Kikyo flower hung loosely around her waist to host a collection of spare shells for the pistol. Matching her shadowy attire, she had a pair of brass-tipped cowboy boots at her feet and a big felt wide-brimmed hat holding a bundle of purple flowers in its band. A waxcloth poncho stained in the same dark lilac as her linen shirt hung back over her shoulders, ready to shield the princess from the sun and elements as the day wore on toward high noon.

"As always, I am prepared to go on your word," Aiko said from atop her own dappled grey steed. "Shall I handle the talking or will your expertise as a rancher carry our story?"

 

[Ametheliana]

Daybreak Ridge

“Always one to bring me back from my doubts,” Hoshi said as her dark blue eyes squinted under the strain of the smile below. "We'll see which of us they trrust more. Let's get a move on." Juxtaposing Aiko’s optimism with a bit of pessimism had become a running theme when the two shared words alone, but the captain also wore a contrasting outfit. Denim blues were splashed with color, like the handkerchief tied around her neck that was white paisley pattern on red and the dusty mustard collared shirt that had been tucked into her jean vest. She of course wore the hundred gallon cowboy hat that was a staple on her ranch on Tami and some simple paddock boots of the same tawny brown leather. Lifting the reins off her saddle, Hoshi pressed the heels of those boots into the horse, squeezing with her shins as she did. The horse backed up slightly, then followed Hoshi’s lead as she steered her down the ridge and back to the bunching of cattle far below.

The Kaiyō crew had been on planet for fourteen days but had separated soon therein. The trio of fresher recruits were being dunked into the deep end by being placed in the NMX base surreptiously. With new NMX bodies and no connection to SACN, Yamatai, or the Kaiyō, the trio had to perfectly intermingle with the NMX enemy. To Molli, Hoshi had given her a more clandestine mission to find any sympathizers or NMX whose views aligned more with those they had overheard at the Mishhuvurthyar Warlord meeting much earlier in the year. But the mission that took precedence was to destroy the subterranean base from the inside by allowing William, Aiko, and Hoshi in to the NMX compound when they arrived to deliver cattle. Since the base within the caldera was deep below and invulnerable to an airstrike, such would have to be done from within. The NMX usually got a hundred heads of cattle a month to use as fresh meat, but they had never gotten a shipment quite like the one being brought today. And though Hoshi, William, and Aiko looked enough like the locals of the planet, the safeguard that Molli, Sif, or Rio would be able to pass them through into the NMX base was the extra insurance they needed for this mission to be fully realized.

 

[Gles]

Caldera Base, Bunks

Deep below the waters of the caldera that the locals affectionately referred to as Cauldron Lake, Myga Ghorne's dark brown eyes fluttered open from the harsh lighting that burned down upon her. She was a reasonably tall nekovalkyra, with short black hair and light brown skin. At the sound of myriad booted footfalls, Myga rubbed her long, pointy ears with a groan -- she'd slept on them again -- and rolled out of her hammock. A long tail swished around her bare legs, a reflexive response to the chilly barracks the NMX had made for her and her kin. All around, various neko in identical uniforms prepared for their day-to-day duties, and Myga was quick to dress herself in the dull yellow uniform they all wore. By the time she'd fastened her hair into a bun and fastened the rank pin onto her uniform, Myga looked as professional and militaristic as her peers.

"Slow to rise again, I see. Are you trying to get in trouble?" A low and husky voice called out from behind Myga, before she felt a hand roughly slap her on the back. She stumbled forward, only to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled around to face a much taller woman with straight blonde hair fastened in a tight braid. Her broad smile was disarming, but the iron-grip she held -- no doubt a result of her muscular arms -- made it clear she wasn't entirely harmless.

Myga, however, was unafraid. "Come off it, Hihja," she said, slapping the other soldier's wrist until she released her grip. Hihja was one of the three soldiers under her command, and had quickly proven herself a reliable sort. "I haven't been put in stasis once," the younger neko proclaimed proudly.

"Because you make us pick up all the slack," Hihja replied with a smirk, "In all seriousness, I'm glad you're my squad leader. We're the most productive ones in this base. Doesn't matter how many thralls the others see; they never seem to think that could be them."

Both of the women's smiles seemed a little strained after that, and there was an unspoken conversation in their eyes. Despite all of the pretense of sisterhood and cooperation, every neko in the base was united by a common motivator: fear of punishment from the Mishhuvurthyar that commanded them. For Myga, she knew that this wasn't the right way to command an army, and it wasn't an army she wanted to fight for. That in itself was a tether that connected her, a newly-born soldier of the NMX army, to her old identity as Molli Byrne.

She had been a human from Nepleslia, and a new recruit aboard the Kaiyo after fleeing a home she no longer loved. Though Molli considered herself wholly inferior to her nekovalkyra comrades, she nonetheless strove to serve the Star Army to the best of her ability, which must have been why Taisho Hoshi chose her for a clandestine operation deep in the bowels of the enemy's installation. It was to be accomplished through a process that transferred one's consciousness to another body, a neko body, to be precise. Molli had jumped at the opportunity, even knowing the risks if her cover was blown, to say nothing of letting her old identity fade away. To the young Nepleslian, this was the chance she'd dreamed of -- she could finally be an equal to everyone else.

So far, Myga made it a ritual to recall her past every night so that there was little risk of losing herself in this new world. It was somewhat odd to think that she wasn't exactly a real person, or that she once had difficulty speaking comprehensible sentences, to say nothing of the sheer unfamiliar power that a neko body afforded her. Thankfully, two of the Kaiyo's crew had accompanied her on this mission, and all three were meant to keep each other focused on the mission, as well as their former lives.

"We're going topside today, aren't we?" Hihja asked, her emerald-colored eyes lighting up in excitement when Myga nodded, "Finally, some fresh air! Even if all we're smelling is stinking cows."

"We're just waiting on the others," Myga said, looking around the barracks for the last two members of her squad.

Myga's mission was two-fold: assist in destroying the base from within, and keep the Kaiyo's newest recruits safe at all costs. However, Taisho Hoshi entrusted a secret task to her alone: discover how common sentiments of cease-fire were within the NMX ranks. It was easier said than done, given the constant surveillance from the squids, as well as the militaristic attitude they were all forced to take against "the enemy." So far, all Myga did was ask questions about the war, and what they could do to end it; few of the answers were encouraging.

 

[Nameless]

Caldera Base, Armory

Day in, day out, the armory saw a lot of use for a secret base. Guns, batons, not to mention body armor -- everything needed to be accounted for. And almost every damned day one of them ends up missing. The head armorer -- as she was more casually referred to as on her own insistence -- was just about ripping her hair out as she was ripping into the latest pair of recruits who thought it was alright to bring out a suit to test how effect it was against a misplaced baton.

"--And another thing! You were not even using the right tool!" As if to punctuate her point, she picked up a rod with two sharp prongs at the end, and another that had a rounded tip and a telescopic body. "This one is for electrocution! You poke with it! This one is for bashing! You hit with it! If you use the electric one to bash into someone, you're going to break the circuitry inside!" The crimson-haired neko shook the telescopic rod in front of the younger nekos, angrily and with a fervor that was concerning to say the least. "That is this thing's job! This is the bashing stick! It was made for that kind of harsh treatment! But you can't poke anyone with it, otherwise it'll just collapse back! These things have their purpose, and if you don't use them as intended, they'll fail on you!"

The door to the armory was crowded as girls peeked in. This was not a rare occurrence as the head armorer had a breakdown every other day, and those who worked with her had learned to live with it. But despite the yelling and how big of a deal the smallest things become, she was never much of a burden, just... a little too invested in her work.

"Cynea! Cynea where are you?!" the armorer called out as she whipped around to face the eavesdropping crowd, who did not disperse, but pushed forward a neko with a similarly crimson head of hair that was kept short except for a bundle that was wrapped in a black band.

"Y-yes, Nari?" came the neko's reply, frozen like a deer in headlights.

Nari, the head armorer, hung her head and held out the electric rod, bent from multiple strikes. Her hand was shaking, and Cynea had her hands up, unsure how to proceed. Looking to the others at the door, they offered no help as they were just there for the show. A wail of dismay brought Cynea's attention back to Nari who threw her hands up and began to fall forward.

Cynea was able to catch her, but Nari started becoming hysterical. The two nekos who were just scolded also rushed to her side, afraid that she might hurt herself, or someone else with her flailing.

"I'm doomed! I'm going to get the stasis treatment!" Nari cried.

"Nari... you said that last time..." Cynea answered as she tried to console her superior. "Besides, it's just the rod. We have spare parts from the tens of other broken ones in the back."

Nari suddenly stood up, nearly bumping heads with the two nekos behind her. "You're a genius! Yes! We can use that!" Just as quickly as she turned around to call out for her assistant, Nari turned around and shoved the two weapons into the scolded pair's hands before grabbing them by the lapels. "You two! You're going to fix this!" she said as she dragged them to the workshop at the back, slamming the door behind them.

"H-hey Nari, I need to get my gear! It's my squad's turn for door duty!" Cynea tried calling out, but from what she could see from the glass wall separating the armory and the workshop, Nari was already set on having those poor souls working for her. It reminded her of her first few days there. Accidentally knocked a gun off its rack, and she found herself doing inventory. Unfortunately, she was doing too good of a job and Cynea found herself being one of Nari's assistants. On the bright side, despite how volatile she seemed, she knew a lot about working with the equipment they were given.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Cynea. I'll make sure you're gear's logged," tired eyes greeted her, belonging to another armorer's assistant who was brought on much in the same way Cynea was, but she had to deal with Nari for much, much longer.

"Thanks, Rem... Do you think those two will be fine?" The girls looked through the glass and saw the poor souls digging through the boxes.

"... They'll survive."

Caldera Base, Bunks

Walking into the bunks, already geared up and ready to go, Cynea Cesgymr headed to her squad, pale pink face slightly flushed. "I meant to come earlier, but Nari went on one of her rants... a-again... But Rem-Rem will make sure we can just pick up our stuff as we pass by to head for topside. Well-- your stuff. I already got mine." She glanced back the way she came, to the general direction of the armory. "I'm still not sure if I should be more afraid of her antics, or be thankful that she's more violently dramatic than plain violent."

 

[Gunhand4171]

William took in the morning air as he hefted his saddle onto the huge 22 hands tall black stallion. Looking more warhorse than draft horse, the ID-SOL affectionately patted its neck, before synching up the saddle. He was dressed in a leather duster, jeans, and a black cowboy hat. Under the duster he had two underarm holsters, with an HHG in each. Besides that he had his kusarigama attached to his belt. Once William was happy with tack, he stuck his boot into a stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn and mounted.

The large stallion huffed as William sat back in the saddle and took hold of the reins. Patting the horses neck again, he turned towards where Hoshi and Aiko were only to see them returning. "Come on, boy." William said, tapping his heels against the horse's flank, urging him into a canter. Snorting the horse obliged, heading straight towards the the two women.