RP: YSS Miharu Mission 4: The Fame and the Fury

Fred said:

Nimura turned to Rin and tonelessly explained: "The capacitors are no longer under charge. We must cover each segment of the assemblies to run maintenance checks on their circuitry. We need to make updated to our maintenance logs and our inventory as we attend to any compromised units - either as we fix or replace them. Jury-rigged wiring done in the previous mission will need to be double-checked as well to guarantee the ship's operation under duress."

"Take note of any heavy duty work that would require a power armor's strength or industrial cutting capabilities. We are to attend that once we've dealt with the finer work and made a better evaluation of what needs to be done to keep the vessel's endurance at optimal levels." Perhaps assuming Rin could take things up from there, Nimura turned back to the circuit board she had been attending.

Click to expand...

"Ah, hai..." Rin replied, giving a slight nod. She didn't exactly know how to address Nimura. Technically Nimura would be Rin's older sister, but they weren't exactly close so using something more casual could seem awkward and disrespectful. But then something polite would seem too distant. It was confusing!

Instead of continuing with her dilemma, the lavender-haired sprite retrieved the tools she needed for her job and went to work.

Nyton's ice blue eyes seemed to shine a little as the man felt the thrill of the debate. It was after all another form of conflict and that was something he thrived on. "The Taisa has established within her ship a standard apart from what is the culturally accepted norm. You will note that we do not play the famous Dare Party and are encouraged to show a good bit better restraint in such matters. So while the rest of the Empire may embrace what it does, we of this ship go by what it's Taisa dictates. I am simply trying to uphold those standards," he began in rebuttal.

"Now I will admit that I was hard in my correction. I did so because I was talking to a soldier, not a child. She has proven herself to me that she has a lot of fortitude both in the past and the immediate present. Of all the sprites who fought Nimura in their sparring match she was the only one who refused to quit. I saw that and acted in a manner which I felt would be necessary to prove my point to someone with as much determination as her. I believed the portrayal of turnabout would be effective in making clear the subject that would indeed be clouded by emotion. Correction can be difficult to take sometimes but I believed she would have taken it a lot better than this," he continued evenly.

"However I do see a fault in my correction in that I did not take Mara's violation of Hinoto's privacy more seriously. If anything I should have made Mara aware that what she did was unacceptable as well. While I know we have to adjust ourselves to the knowledge that MEGAMI is always aware of our activities, Mara herself is not always aware and must access the data. If I have given her the impression that she may do so again whenever she wishes then I have committed a serious error which must be corrected," he then offered.

"From what I can tell the current situation is easily rectified. I make Mara aware of the severity of her infraction in violating Hinoto's privacy and have her promise never to do so again in matters not pertaining to security and professional business. An apology should also be in order since her violation of privacy caused Hinoto serious distress. However Hinoto's pornographic artwork depicting crew members still does not contribute to the good working order of this ship. I have already laid out my case as to why," Nyton then concluded.

"Sir, with all due respect, the explanation of Hinoto being a brave soldier does not exempt you from my earlier statement. If I burn our dinners tonight and demoralize the crew, does that warrant a similar punishment? I am not saying to treat us like children, but I humbly request that discipline be given with a certain degree of tact."

Tom moved on quickly. The engineer still had lots of firepower.

"Sexuality expressed tastefully is art. I do not see how art endangers the safety or morale of the crew. Furthermore, I do not see how the Taisa encourages censorship on this vessel. The Taisa prides herself on Miharu being a family. Shouldn't creativity be cultivated, as it improves morale?"

He rubbed his chin thoughftully for a brief moment.

"This difference of opinion continues to be a thorn in our sides, so I have a counteroffer based on your rebuttal just now. You have accepted that Mara violated the privacy of Hinoto by accessing Miharu's databanks recklessly. But you are suggesting that we punish both sprites, and rather severely. I feel that this will demoralize both sprites and cause potential rifts within their group.

Again, I reiterate that the sprites did not see their verbal sparring as being such a big deal until the reprimand."

He counted with his fingers as he stated his next points.

"Based on what we know the following is true: 1. Only Mara, Ichigo and we in this room know of the existence of Hinoto's art. 2. If we are to tell Mara and Ichigo that they cannot divulge personal information about the crew to others, this art shall remain secret. 3. Therefore, the art poses absolutely no threat to anyone on this ship and should not be destroyed."

His hands came down.

"Destroying Hinto's art only rewards Mara for her violation of Hinoto's privacy, which you just admitted is wrong. We do not have to turn this into a disciplinary action for everyone."

He opened his arms to both Nyton and Hinoto.

"My proposal is to make Mara and Ichigo aware of the consequences of violating crew privacy, to make Hinoto promise that she will keep her drawings depicting crewmembers in homoerotic positions to herself, and to let bygones be bygones. Through this, everyone is happy, we do not have potential morale problems and said art is forever secret. And while I very much disagree with the destruction of art of any kind, if Hinoto is willing, I believe we can have art depicitng you in homosexual situations destroyed, with a promise not to draw any in the future of you Taii."

He smiled.

"Is this a suitable compromise?"

"That should suffice. Given that this has not been adequately handled then this may simply have to do." Nyton replied before looking over to Hinoto.

"How do you stand on this idea Freeman-Juni has proposed?" he asked.

Hinoto had been in the middle of gingerly probing her damaged teeth with her tongue, perhaps slowly working them loose before Nyton addressed her. The tips of her ears perked up and she made eye contact with Nyton in acknowledgment of his question before looking away thoughtfully.

After a moment, she looked back to Nyton. "Objectively, if you would have put a stop to Mara's teasing and then taken me aside to express to me how what I was doing made you uncomfortable, with perhaps some insight as to why it worried you... I would have felt far more helpful and accommodating."

The sprite frowned. "At the core of the issue, I do not really mind disposing of the drawings if you are worried others might eventually see them. I do not mind refraining to draw recognizable people without their permission. I do, however, feel it should be my favor to grant and not your order to give. The reason I am so vexed is because I feel you are being unjust and unfair, not because I am unwilling to accommodate you."

Tsuya's agile fingers tapped quickly on the window, selecting her loadout. She'd already put some thought into different situations involving power armor at EF-1, but she hadn't had an opportunity to actually put them into use - she hoped she wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

With a bit of a sigh and a glance back to Tom, Nyton visibly relented. "Objectively Hinoto, I am the one who owes you an apology. While it may seem difficult to realize, there ARE people who would be offended by such material. That person would be myself. This may have not seemed so serious a matter within the culture of Yamatai, but on Nepleslia this sort of thing could get people into fights. Because I was deeply offended I allowed myself to be blinded by it rather than think things through logically. I took it out on you and excused my actions on the grounds of military protocols." he said apologetically.

"This being said I still have not changed my stance on how I perceive the effect of having porn drawn with the likeness of crew members. I do however believe I should have handled things better. Had I not blown up at you then we could have discussed them more rationally. And for that I do sincerely apologize." Nyton concluded before going to attention. With that he then gave a deep bow of apology to Hinoto.

Tom crossed his arms with a relieved sigh, thankful that the Nyton had swallowed his pride to resolve the dispute. It was just another reason why the Nepleslian earned his Taii rank.

As he looked over to Hinoto while Nyton was bowing, he nodded slowly.

Hinoto sighed before she admitted: "There are about half-a-dozen drawings I've made which you would be uncomfortable with. I was working on mastering figurative drawings more than anything else so they really only share your builds and hairstyles. The improvements I've made in regard to traditional sketching are much more significant than the drawings themselves. I can dispose of them within the hour."

After a moment's hesitation, she added: "Ah, there's one of Sigurd and you being in an embrace... would you like to have it? I mean - ah - you do make for a cute couple. Really. I think. I mean, there's something about the gritty half-man-half-machine and the android, isn't there?" Hinoto flushed in embarassment and she started to ramble a bit. "It's not like Sigurd could really mind and it could look more like... ah, manly bonding? Brothers in arms and all? I mean, it's just hugging. Hugging can happen, right?"

Nyton stood upright again and shook his head. "Its.... its just not... the same," Nyton tried to explain as he imagined the picture. His thoughts were not very flattering as he considered how he was drawn.

"Manly bonding is different from what is presented in those works. The Yamataian population and it's matriarchal views cannot properly understand it without experiencing it. Because many nekovalkyrja have no qualms in regards to sharing their sexuality with each other many seem to believe that the men of Nepleslia also think the same. It is one of the obstacles that prevents us from understanding each other," he said, struggling to get the words out. Finally after a moment of looking troubled his mind managed to put his thoughts together.

"It just looks like what is presented is more a feminization between the two male subjects which is not what the 'manly bond' entails. On Nepleslia men share hardship, and blood, and struggle together to overcome odds. We push our minds and bodies to the limits of endurance while pushing each other to go beyond those limits. Our vulnerabilities are only shared when we've truly reached that point of collapse and then we stand each other up, supporting each other through that," Nyton explained, his face beginning to reflect a sort of deep joy.

"No matter where you grow up there is always violence. Yet somehow we endure it and still share a laugh about it afterward. A joke, a deep thought, a dream, perhaps just a clap on the back; sometimes even a manly hug when you see someone alive again or for the first time in a long while." he said while looking at them.

"Do you know what I mean?"

"Quite. I'll dispose of them all." Hinoto nodded - the offer had been a nicety, nothing more. "Thank you both for coming to help clear this up. If you'll excuse me, I have to attend to my broken teeth."

"Would you like any help with that, Hinoto-san?" Nyton asked off hand, just to try and be helpful before departing.

Hinoto shook her head slightly. "No Taii, thank you. It won't be a pleasant sight, so I'd rather do it myself."

"You don't know unpleasant until you've put several rounds into another man's skull at close range." Nyton replied with a serious expression.

"But suit yourself. Let's go Freeman-Juni. Hinoto-san needs her privacy."

Tom gave Nyton a blank "What-the-hell-was-THAT?" kind of look before he nodded to him.

"Uh, sure, ok."

As he reached the end of the door to Hinoto's room, he saw off the sprite with a smile.

"Oh, Hinoto? If you're free after you get well, I'm going to need your help in engineering. The shosa needs us to get this ship operational as soon as possible and I really really need as many sprites as possible for this. The portside repairs are coming along behind schedule."

Suddenly, he remembered he had left his helmet at the side of Hinoto's bed and wend to retrieve it.

"Is that fine?"

Hinoto gave an awkward smile. Something was obviously up with her teeth. "I'm not much of a technician, Juni. Perhaps I might best help by monitoring the repairs from the bridge?"

"Ah. I thought all sprites had technician training," Tom said absently as he plopped his helmet on his head. "Oh... well no rush."

He turned around, left the room and closed the door, making his way back to engineering.

Nyton meanwhile had already begun walking away in the direction of the bridge. He recalled Mara had mentioned Sanri and bridge duty so he thought he might find her there. At the same time he began to wonder if Kotori was still busy with her own duties.

Well she has not summoned me so I suppose she does not need my assistance at the moment. he thought while he walked.

"That would be up to them," Masako responded to the Miharu with a thoughtful expression. "Even I haven't certified on the Mark III yet, so I don't think I should very well suggest they do until I have." the Warrant Officer explained as she began to pull up a simulation she had been working on for a while now.

"Besides, I may not have told them this, but I'm looking for how well they can work together as well as testing their judgment and fortitude it lopsided situations," she explained to the AI as she looked at the load outs of the participants.

Kyou's seemed to be a pretty standard set-up, though Masako probably wouldn't have chosen a missile pod for shipboard combat. It did give the newly recruited Santo Hei the ability to fight in space if necessary.

While the young Warrant Officer was surprised the Shosa was participating, it was probably for the best. The three Santo Hei could probably use some direction since Masako was running the simulation. The young Warrant Officer didn't bother double checking Yukari's load out considering her experience.

Kaida's load out bothered Masako a bit. While it was true that the Santo Hei was a Marks-woman, the lack of sidearm was a bit disconcerting. But this was about allowing the new recruits to make mistakes. After all, that was the best way to learn.

Now Tsuya's was probably the most interesting load out of the bunch. "A Flamethrower, eh?" she mumbled to herself. Of course, the lack of secondary weapon was a bit disconcerting, but the 50mm Gauss would help with that (if she didn't damage any vital systems because of over penetration.)

"All right, everything checks out," she told the participants over the intercom. "Since it looks like everyone is chosing the Mark III Mindy, we will make this a certification simulation as well. "Simulation Set-up is complete, loading Virtual environment now," the Warrant Officer reported as the four would find themselves in the Power Armor Bay, already in their power armor.

"If everyone is ready, we will begin the simulation in three, two, one..." the raven-haired Neko counted down as the simulator was suddenly filled with the sounds of distant combat. "Alert, enemy intruders detected," the Miharu warned the four armored individuals. "Numbers and composition are unavailable due to damage to internal sensor network. Currently, Engineering is under attack, the Bridge and MEGAMI are currently secure."

When Tom entered engineering, he saw Ichigo turning to look to him expectantly. Now clad in her AMES suit and only lacking the helmet (it was over one of the consoles) she walked up to him.

"Freeman-Juni, distorsion and hyperspace flight check out," she began. "Maintenance on sensors and comm systems is underway but I don't expect any problems there. Directed Beam weaponry and fire control systems are also nominal. Shields are offline until we're done overhauling our capacitor units as you ordered."

She grabbed a datapad, tapped a 'page down' button on it and added: "We've received a shipment of torpedoes that we will have to load up in the rollbar's storage space via extra-vehicular work. We've work going on with the MEGAMI involving gaining access to the Bowhordia databanks and a ongoing armor simulation, so any software updates would presently be unadviseable."

Ichigo sighed. "Finally, we're starting to come short on heavy industrial spare parts for damage control. Armor plates, power connectors and plumbing - losing a launchbay's worth of cargo when we got impaled didn't help and Star Army Logistics can't accommodate our needs in Central Yamatai."

She set the datapad back. "The good news is that our trip in the nebula helped us gather plenty of raw materials via our matter collection system, so, we can make up for our low resources partly thanks to our fabrication bays... well, at least for a bit. Also, if we can reach Virgo Star Fortress we should be able to effect complete repairs, even to our doomed gravimetric drive - their cleared supply lines to two of our mining colonies really helps."

* * *

Nyton entered the bridge, catching Mara and Sanri in the middle of a debate.

"I mean, what's the point of a craft like this if a large shuttle would amount to the very same?" Mara asserted.

Sanri frowned in concentration. "Wasn't the Kansashi-type designed to be a mobile field base for extended periods of time on the ground? It seems that was something that applied in the Bowhordia operation."

"Except that she has nowhere near the endurance she needs to have," Mara returned. "I don't deny she has a couple of unique strong points, but those simply aren't enough to make up for all the liabilities she shares with shuttlecrafts. We might just as well be using that space we waste on starfighters to carry a decent-sized shuttle instead, like the T7 Raccoon."

"What about our Cougar and Fox shuttles? Do you think we should we try to replace them with the T8 Kuma?" Sanri asked.

Mara snorted in disgust, shaking her head. "Let's not. Triple-S and Geshrinari Yards can't design something that's not an eyesore to save their lives. Even NovaCorp does better there."