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RP: YSS Celia Mission 3C: [Space] Grace Under Fire

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Riding the lift down towards Deck 25 Kiyoko gave thought to Celia’s suggested load-out; previously she had dismissed the extra equipment as overpowered and potentially just as damaging to comrades as to foe, though looking over the anti-infantry configuration with a less-biased view she found that it could well prove to be of benefit.

“Thank you, Celia-Chusa; the Hornet’s Nest will be a welcome addition. I shall not need a weapon for the right should mount, however.” Neither the Aether Beam Rifle nor the Accelerated Plasma Rifle would be particularly friendly to use around the Taisho, so Kiyoko would take neither.

Arriving at the power armour armoury deck, the Neko moved straight over to the weapon racks the enlisted group had been to earlier and without hesitating picked up one of the Type 28 SMGs, automatically running through the relevant checks to ensure it was in good working order. While the LASR did have an anti-personnel setting that wouldn’t put holes in bulkheads, Kiyoko preferred the comfort and familiarity she had with the smaller energy weapon – the hours spent on Kyoto War College’s various firing ranges with the SMG left her a solid confidence in her ability to use the weapon with precision under every condition she could put herself through. And if something should appear that the SMG couldn’t take care of, well, the LASR would be just a shoulder-mount away.

Kiyoko finished up her inspection by sighting in on an unoccupied area of the deck and checking the iron sights against the inbuilt laser and light, apparently satisfied she turned them off again and switched her hold on the weapon to carry it with her left hand. With her right hand now free Kiyoko retrieved two extra battery magazines then stepped away from the rack to locate her armour.
 
It appeared that Celia had been keeping her Sprites busy. After retrieving the now empty hover pallets, the orange-paneled Nekos pushed out two more armors from wherever they were stored. Kiyoko could see her Mindy M2-2A and a Daisy M6-1C sitting on the hover pallets, next to a few tech sentries dressed in Daisy armors. The changing rooms were on the other side of the large hatchway behind them.

Nearby, four Lamias stepped out of the lift, which closed behind them and went back the way it came. The Lamias waited by the lift, quietly exchanging a few words between them. One of them bowed to Kiyoko when she noticed her.
 
Taking the time to acknowledge the LAMIA pilot’s bow with a nod of her own, Kiyoko crossed the distance between the weapon racks and her Mindy and slotted the two SMG magazines she was holding into the corresponding slots on the power armour’s right thigh. Placing the SMG itself on the hover pallet beside the Mindy’s feet the Neko officer ran through an external inspection of the armour and its attachments, confirming that everything was accounted for and that the was nothing untoward about it.

Content with the results of the visual inspection, Kiyoko moved over to the group of tech sentries and – with a short “excuse me” – retrieved the roll of duct tape that TangoZulu had used then returned to the Mindy. Unclipping her survival knife from her belt, she taped it to the inside of the Mindy’s right forearm then did the same for her NSP, securely taping it to the unit’s right thigh behind the NSD hanger. Leaving the duct tape on the unclaimed Daisy’s hover pallet Kiyoko moved to the change rooms.

Less than a minute later and she reappeared, her hair clipped back more aggressively and securely than in her normal professional look, and without her uniform... or a bodysuit for that matter; Kiyoko had never used one before when piloting a power armour, and saw no reason to do so now. Walking up to the Mindy she took of its helmet and, after it had kneeled and splayed open its chest for her, hung it on one of its hands. Then with a practiced movement she turned and stepped backwards into the fleshy embrace, nimbly entering the armour in one smooth motion; sensing that its pilot had entered the Mindy closed around her, sucking her into its snug, form-fitting interior.
 
The tech sentries turned to look at Kiyoko as she walked out. None of them were probably expecting her to pilot her Mindy in the nude. Woot chuckled while Leet whistled in Kiyoko's general direction.

“Hey! That's a superior officer you're whistling at!” shouted Sixthree. “Show some goddamn respect!”

“Sorry, sir,” mumbled Leet reflexively. He rolled his eyes when Sixthree was not looking.

Sixthree stole a glance in Kiyoko's general direction. After making sure that his external speakers were off, he whispered under his breath, “I love this job...”

The two red-haired Nekos simply shrugged and continued inspecting each other's armors.

Liam walked down the hall, toward the nearest lift, when he caught his reflection in a computer terminal's monitor.

“It'll only be a few red-shirts... Still, it wouldn't do to show up dressed like a slob...” He murmured to himself. Examining his reflection more closely, he ruffled his hair, and adjusted his uniform jacket.

... Then he noticed the blemish on his neck.

“Damn... I guess it's a good thing this uniform has high collars.” Tugging his jacket collars a bit higher, Liam continued on his way.
 
Avaldamon was busy futsing with the HUD trying out different displays and getting a feel for the armor when he heard leet's whistle. He turned and was immediately slightly embarrassed. A senior Neko officer was walking to an armor only a short distance away. She was very attractive and though Avaldamon had seen naked troops before, but he hadn't realized how long it had been. Needless to say it was hard for him to politely remove his glance.

He turned back around and stared at one of the bulkheads to try and figure out which way the the deck was oriented in the ship. As he waited for further orders he slowly rocked back back and forth playing in his mind an old battle song his father had taught him.

"A yankee ship came down the river . . ."
 
Joey turned around when he heard one of the hatches open, and he immediately saluted to the Shosa who entered through it, the same officer who had observed their team aboard the Freya's Heart. He stood totally still, making sure not to get in her way, until she had entered one of the dressing rooms. After shifting his weight and assuming a more relaxed posture, he began to wonder why she was suiting up...

...Then, about forty-five seconds later, the Shosa emerged from the changing room, and he corrected himself, asking himself why she had totally stripped down. He remembered Tangozulu's remark about either wearing a bodysuit or nothing at all when operating a power armor, but he thought he had been joking; now the joke was on him, it seemed. Before he could fix his gaze on her, he turned his head and occupied himself with monitoring his Daisy's systems. He heard the two Ittou Heis jeering at the nude Shosa and snarled silently in mild disgust as he continued to busy himself while she suited up. It wasn't like he didn't want to stare himself; he simply believed that focusing on their current mission was of greater priority.

Once he heard the Shosa's power armor's chest plate seal shut, Joey believed it safe to look again, and he closed the visual diagnostics of his suit he had pulled up as he shuffled his legs a bit to let loose a bit of pent-up nervous energy, anxiously awaiting their next orders.
 
The nearby lift opened again, unloading two more Lamias, who joined the four Lamias waiting for them. The group then briskly walked up to Sixthree. “16th squadron reporting, sir!” said the one in the lead position.

“More fire power, huh? Good! Fall in next to my men,” ordered Sixthree. “We're currently awaiting orders.”

He looked around in time to see Liam walking up to him, and acknowledged Liam with a nod.

Liam sheepishly nodded back at Sixthree. “Tangozulu-Heisho.”

“Can I help you, sir?” Sixthree asked.

“I've been asked to join you on this mission, Ittô Heisho.”

“Oh?”

“Don't worry, this will be your show. I will operate strictly in a support role... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to suit up...”

“By the way, sir, have you been briefed about our mission?” asked Sixthree as Liam turned to leave.

Liam turned around to face Sixthree. “No, I assume that Branard-Taisho will contact you with details soon.”

A small beep sounded from somewhere within Sixthree's Daisy armor. Sixthree touched his helmet. “Speak of the devil,” he whispered. The two men shared a knowing smile.

“Tangozulu-Heisho, status report,” Aurore's voice barked when Sixthree switched on his Daisy's communications system.

“I have six Lamias and Lu-Taii reporting for duty, sir,” answered Sixthree. “The Lamias and my own men are ready. Lu-Taii just headed out for the changing rooms.”

“Good, I'm sending your the specifics of your mission now.”

“Understood, sir, standing by for data transmission...”

In the mean time, Zug had met up with Aurore in the main shuttle bay.

Aurore looked at Zug. "So you're a Troll, huh? We don't see too many of your kind in the army... A pity..."

"Yes ma'am!" replied Zug, doing his best to appear respectful yet intimidating.

"Please, call me sir."

"Yes sah!"
 
Kiyoko kept her expression carefully neutral as she finished suiting up in her Mindy; the latest antics confirming the concerns over the red-shirts lack of discipline in the Shosa’s eyes. Placing those trains of thought to one side for now – the enlisted’s behaviour was something to take up again later – the Neko quickly but thoroughly ran through the remainder of the checks required on the power armour, pleased to find that nothing was amiss. Removing her helmet so as to be recognisable – she had fitted it for the checks – Kiyoko picked up the SMG she had placed at the Mindy’s feet and made her way to the Celia’s main shuttle bay.

Arriving at the appointed bay, Kiyoko walked over to where she spotted Branard conversing with Zug. “I have completed my preparations, Taisho.”
 
Aurore nodded to Kiyoko. She gestured at the Lion-class shuttle behind her. “We'll be going in this. I doubt that Leonhart-Hei will fit in anything smaller. Besides, it will offer a bigger profile for our troops to hide behind. Zug...”

“Yes sah!”

“Get in the shuttle,” ordered Aurore.

Zug nodded and climbed through the open hatched way on the back of the shuttle. “Um, sah...” he asked once he was inside. “Where is da pilot?”

“I ordered the Celia to program a pre-set course into the shuttle,” explained Aurore. “It will auto-pilot itself to the pirate ship and back... I figured I'm putting enough of the crew in danger with this mission, without throwing in a shuttle pilot as well.”

Sixthree read the displayed instructions on his data pad carefully, then looked up.

“Okay, our new rally point is Deck 28. We'll leave as soon as...”

“I'm here!” said Liam as he ran to the group in his bodysuit. “Just let me suit up in my Daisy real quick.”

Sixthree nodded. “Demaro-Hei, take Aoki-Hei, Thulesius-Hei, and... four of the Lamias down to Deck 28 first. We'll catch up to you there.”
 
"Aye, sir," Joey said, saluting his superior officer. "On our way now."

Switching to another radio frequency, Joey called his two fellows and four of the Lamias, telling them, "OK, guys, if you can hear me, follow me to the elevator lift; we're to relocate to Deck 28. Looks like Tangozulu-Heisho will follow in a few minutes with the others, so we've got no reason to stick around any longer."

Joey toggled off his radio unit and stepped down from the hovering panel with his power armor, then headed for the one of the hatches, which opened as it sensed his presence. As he stepped into the corridor, he pulled up a layout of his sector of the deck he was on, using it to locate the nearest lift. Thankfully, it was just down the hall to his left; he and his crewmen wouldn't need to walk far to find the lift.

Motioning for his teammates to follow, Joey led the way to the lift, turning left out of the armory and then right at the second door. As he approached, the lift opened up to him, and he stepped in, waiting for the rest of his team. As he stood there, he began to wonder why Tangozulu had asked him specifically to lead the way for the group of seven, if there even was a reason; after all, he held the same rank as Aoki and Avaldamon, and he didn't consider himself better than either of them. Resolving that Tangozulu had decided it by random chance, he came back to his senses, waiting for his comrades to board the elevator with him.
 
Orie took a few seconds to snap out of her daze once the order was issued. After hastily dipping a bow to Sixthree, she scrambled to catch up to Joey, half-floating and half-running. When she did catch up to him, she hovered alongside, her limbs dangling like she was floating in a pool. "I wonder what we're gonna be doing..." she pondered aloud distractedly.
 
Ren found herself wandering the ship, determined to find her way to her destination on her own in order to better learn the ships interior. She entered a lift and pressed for the next floor down. The doors opened to deck 25 the Power Armor Armory deck, Ren's destination. Stepping off the lift the average hight red headed Ren marched briskly across the deck to stand in front of the officer who seemed to be in charge.

Saluting briskly to the Ittô Heisho Tangozulu. Ren came to attention snapping out, "SIr! Santô Hei Hibiki Renko reporting for duty, Sir!"

Blushing slightly she added, "Sir I also apologize for my tardiness! I'm still familiarizing myself with the ships layout, Sir!"
 
Sixthree stared at Ren for a moment, then thumbed his communicator. “Branard-Taisho, just how many people are you sending me?”

“What is it, Sixthree? Are you ready or not?” Aurore's voice snapped from the other end.

“I just had a blue-shirt come up to me, reporting for duty, sir.”

“Ah... that. Listen, human resources always take time. The recruits are going to trickle in. Can't be helped... I believe we have one last tech sentry being flown in via shuttle.”

Sixthree looked confused. “Um, do you want me to wait for her to suit up, sir?” He turned to look at the Daisy M6-1C approaching him. “Lu-Taii is ready. We're ready to go.”

“Her skills would be useful for your mission, but no. You go on ahead. I have another job for her and the other tech sentry.”

“What do you want me to tell her, sir?”

“Tell her she's got salvage duty. Have her contact Sasaki-Shosa for details. You just worry about getting to Deck 28 and launching right after me. No, Zug! Don't touch that!” Sounds of someone apologizing could be faintly heard in the background. “Listen, I got to help Itkatsu-Shosa finish diagnostics on the shuttle. Branard out.”

Sixthree thumbed off his communicator. “Sorry, err, Redko, was it? You're a little late to the party, soldier. Go find Sasaki-Shosa and ask her about this salvage mission the Taisho's cooked up. Ask Celia for help if you have trouble finding your way around here. All right ya grunts! Let's move out!”

And with those words, Sixthree led the rest of the tech sentries and the two remaining Lamias toward the nearest lift, leaving Ren alone with a few Sprite Nekos. The Sprites were picking up some stray pieces of litter, and looked to be ready to push back the hover pallets to wherever they were stored.

As the lift opened to Deck 28, Joey, Orie, and Avaldamon could see the now familiar motif of a Celia hallway.
 
As her shuttle neared the YSS Celia on final approach, Kuroaki Isuzu allowed herself a sigh of relief. I'm finally here; the Third Expeditionary Fleet...

It was still hard for Isuzu to think of herself as a member of the Third XF. She'd only worked on Hotaru Star Fortress for a few months, but a sort of besieged camaraderie had infused her life in the Jiyuu system. With the war right on their doorstep, everyone had to pull together to survive. The Fifth XF was like her family.

Suddenly, Isuzu felt very alone and very, very far from home. I should stop thinking about this, she chided herself, straightening her uniform to put her mind at ease. This was an 'added feature' that she'd discovered in the new male-style uniforms; the pants and jacket sometimes got wrinkled.

Checking her reflection in the glass, Isuzu decided that she looked okay. Short black hair and green eyes combined with her dark skin and diminutive stature gave her a look that was interesting enough to remember, but not interesting enough to provoke comment. She was also curvier than the average Neko, but her uniform hid that a little bit; another 'added feature' she'd discovered.

Once the automated docking sequence had completed, Isuzu disembarked into an empty shuttle bay. Following her mental schematic of the Ayame-class cruiser to the nearest lift, she stopped one level down in the enlisted quarters to drop off her bag, and then proceeded to Main Engineering on level 17.

When she'd hailed the Celia's computer for permission to board, Isuzu had been informed that she already had an assignment, and that she was to contact her superior officer, Sasaki Sakai-Shosa, for details. The head of Engineering wasn't hard to find, as she looked exactly like her picture in the crew manifest; tall, busty, and smug.

Walking up to the purple-haired Neko, Isuzu stopped a respectful distance away and bowed. "Santô Hei Kuroaki Isuzu reporting for duty, Shosa," she announced.
 
Snapping off a crisp salute Ren turned and headed for the bank of lifts. Choosing one she stepped in and let the doors close before she palmed herself in the face with a resounding smack.

"Damn it! There i go fucking up on my first assignment already....Celia? Can I get a file on this Sasaki-Shosa and be sent to the proper level? No more messing around. I'm going to make a better impression this time." Ren paused and sighed before saying "Or everybody's going to think I'm a fuck up...."
 
“Sasaki-Shosa is currently on duty in the main engineering bay, Deck 17,” replied the Celia. “I've sent all publicly available information on her to your data pad.”

A message was stored in Ren's data pad:

Personnel Profile said:
Name: Sasaki Sakai
Rank: Shosa
Species: Nekovalkyrja
Gender: self-cloning
Age: 9
Hair Color: pinkish purple
Eye Color: purple
Height: 168 cm
Click to expand...

The lift went up for several levels before depositing Ren on level 17.
 
Ren steps off the lift reading the data pad and stops just outside to finish looking it over. Nodding to herself she looks up and scans the area. Spotting the person she was sent after by the prevalent purple.

Ren marches straight up to Sasaki Sakai-Shosa and salutes crisply, ignoring the other Santô Hei standing there for the moment.

"Shosa, Ma'am! Santô Hei Hibiki Renko reporting for duty, Shosa!"
 
Avaldamon ran after Demaro and Orie, stepping carefully into the elevator and trying not to bump into anyone. Damn, I forgot how bulky a Daisy was. he though to himself. He watched as the Lamias shuffled in after them and the doors closed.

He felt an excitement building up along with a little bit of fear. A thought struck him "wait a second, where are we going on deck 28?"

Maybe it would be obvious later, but right now since hadn't seen the deck it was a very valid question.
 
As the lift descended, Joey opened up a map of deck 28 on his HUD. He noted that the power armor launch bay was located in the same relative location on deck 28 as the armory back on deck 25. As the lift's doors opened, Celia conveniently placed a marker in the launch bay, designating it as their destination.

"Power armor launch bay," Joey said shortly, answering Avaldamon's question over the radio. "It's in the same place as the armory on Deck 25, so if we turn left out of the elevator and take the first hatch on the right, we should end up right there."

Joey exited the lift and held the door open gently until the rest of his allies had also disembarked, then released it and followed them at the rear of the group.
 
Sakai turned to look at the two Santô Heis. “Oh, hello. You two must be the new recruits who signed up for the salvage mission. You girls haven't met each other before, right? Renko, this is Isuzu. Isuzu, Renko. You'll be working together today. Let's go to the armory and get you suited up. Follow me.”

Joey, Avaldamon, and Orie did not have to wait long in the launch bay before Sixthree showed up with the rest of the away team. “Oh good,” commented Sixthree when he saw Joey. “I was worried that you guys wouldn't know where to go once you reached this deck. Gather around, kids.”

When everyone had stepped closer to him, Sixthree began speaking in a loud voice over the short range radio: “Okay, kids, here are the rules for our little game today! Out there is a pirate ship docked with a merchant ship. The pirates have taken the merchanter's crew hostage, and we're the rescue party! We are to follow after the Taisho's shuttle on our way to two ships. Minimize your energy profile! Minimize engine thrusts! Try to rely on inertia once you leave the launch bay! And whatever you do, maintain radio silence until we reach the pirate ship and Lu-Taii turns on our signal jammer! ... You did bring the signal jammer, right, sir?”

“Yeah,” answered Liam, patting a small box-shaped machine he was holding. “This is the ECM gadget that I've been working on. I can only wield my pistol while operating this though.”

“That brings me to another point!” continued Sixthree. “Once we close in on the two ships, we will split into two teams. Kaori, Kaede, Leet, and Woot will take three Lamias and search through the merchanter, while I will take Lu-Taii, Joey, Avaldamon, Orie, and three Lamias and search the pirate ship. Our first order of business will be to disable any wire-based communication systems that the pirates have! Then we will neutralize the pirates aboard the two ships and rescue the hostages! Let the Lamias do the heavy hitting! Us tech sentries will provide cover fire and take care of disabling their comm system. Also, those on Lu-Taii's team will need to protect him, since he'll be busy operating the signal jammer! Any questions?”

“I have one thing to add, Tangozulu-Heisho,” said Liam. “I recommend that you use your weapons on stun settings unless it is insufficient against some armored opponent. I've heard stories about pirates disguising their hostages to look like pirates, giving them empty rifles and using them as decoys and human shields. To avoid civilian casualties, we should minimize the use of lethal force in this mission. Any pirates that you see may in fact be a hostage.”
 
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