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

Masako had been afraid of this, but she hadn't expected it to turn out this way. With Tsuya being straight from EF1, Sanjuro had the capability to do last damage to the poor enlisted woman's self-esteem. Not only could that keep poor Tsuya from developing properly, but it could make it harder on the Warrant Officer to try and bring out the young Neko's abilities into fruition. "Yamada-Hei, why don't you go on ahead?" she suggested with a smile. "The Wardroom and Observation Deck are straight ahead so you will be able to get a beautiful view of Yamatai from here."

Turned back to Sanjuro, Masako never allowed her smile to falter for a moment in front of Tsuya, but the Warrant Officer's voice carried a subtle, yet dangerous tone in it. "Ashitaka-heisho, please stay here for a moment. We have something to discuss."

"Of course," Sanjuro replied flatly, his eyes widening only slightly signifying some measure of curiosity. While he still had the chance, Sanjuro turned his stare back to Tsuya. He was a little confused by her mannerisms...he would definitely need to pour over her psychological profiles during his medical interview, as she seemed very...secretive.

"I will see you soon, Yamada-hei," Sanjuro gave his farewell as his gaze bored into the top of her head.

The beleaguered neko bowed deeply to Masako, though her ears didn't straighten up any. Afterward, she gave a somewhat more perfunctory bow to the medical man.

"Yes, Kurohoshi-juni. I am sure my home will look even more lovely from above. ...and I will see you as well, Ashitaka-heisho." She scurried off into the wardroom, her bags bouncing against her legs as she walked. Once she was there, she made a beeline for the windows - in the face of Yamatai's beauty, she was able to forget about Sanjuro for a moment. She put her heaevy baggage down and leaned against one of the Zesuaium viewports, pressing her palms and nose against it. Taken by patriotism, she murmured to no one in particular. "...beautiful."

With Tsuya out of the way for the moment, Masako turned to Sanjuro for more pressing business. The smiling face from before was now expressionless as her eyes bore into Sanjuro with a dangerous glitter. "Ashitaka-heisho," she began coldly, not even raising her voice as she spoke to the NCO. "While I appreciate your medical knowledge and experience, I am quite appalled by your lack of social tact," she commented almost casually, but that dangerous undertone was still present.

"You were atrociously rude to Yamada-hei, despite how polite and respectful she was to you. She gave you the respect you deserve for your rank. Quite frankly, I don't believe you deserve such respect as an individual though." she dressed Sanjuro down without raising her voice any. "Yamada-hei comes to us straight from Educational Facility One and while they have tried to prepare her for what life is like out here, she is still developing and from what I've seen, she's quite a shy individual." the raven-haired Neko explained, not once taking her eyes off the tall Yamataian in front of her.

"What you have done, with your insensitive greeting, is possibly endanger the self-esteem of a valuable member of our crew!" Masako accused for all her soft tone. "Did you know that we only have four combat specialists on board the Miharu? Generated sprites can't replaced highly trained combat personnel and this ship doesn't need an armor pilot who can't grow into her potential."

Pausing for a moment, the small Warrant Officer's eyes narrowed in a glare that Masako rarely used at all. "I would suggest, Heisho, that you reflect on your 'bedside manner' and become more sensitive to the needs of this crew. Because I am not in the mood for any of my work in improving the demeanor of my pilots to be wrecked by your thoughtless actions, do you understand me?" That last bit had a harsher bite to it than what she had used before in this one-sided conversation. There was also the familiar tone of command, the tone of an officer expecting their non-commissioned listener to straighten up or else.

For all of Masako's harsh words and strict tone, Sanjuro began looking more confused than embarrassed or frightened. Of course he himself was aware of his small social problems...but the exchange earlier seemed innocent, free of whatever apparent atrocities Masako had seen. As the small raven-haired neko finished her berating lecture, Sanjuro had to pause for a moment before bowing, looking very lost in her words.

"I...must apologize, Kurohoshi-juni," he started, his flat expression relenting an ever-so-small hint of worry. Sanjuro was, in fact, clueless as to what exactly Masako was trying to point out. "...but I cannot lie to you and say that I do understand. When exactly did all of this happen?"

Masako seemed to look at Sanjuro as if he had said that the gravitational constant of the universe had been changed. Her space-black eyes widened for a split second before narrowing once more as she glared at the poor, confused NCO. "When did," she began to retort incredulously before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I will tell you when this happened," she replied with a sharper bite to her tone. "Right here only a scant few minutes ago," she stated as her voice returned to the tone she had been using before.

"In fact, why don't I explain it in detail so you can understand fully," she said as she stood in front of the Yamataian. "Let's start with the way that you merely held up your finger in a silencing gesture and continued to read your datapad even though she was greeting you with the respect your rank deserves," the raven-haired Neko began to explain. "Not only was that rude, but you probably gave her the impression that you don't really care at all! But that's not all, no sir, you finally got around to greeting her after your intense reading of said datapad. Yes, you did greet her politely, but do you realize what tone you were using? You didn't sound welcoming at all in that greeting. Quite frankly, you sounded like you wanted her off the ship and out of your hair!" the Warrant Officer accused as she seemed to bristle at Sanjuro like a Terrier barking at a Great Dane, no longer able to suppress her temper as she cataloged the problems.

"If you treat people like that all the time, I'm quite frankly amazed that you were even allowed to work at planetary hospitals, let alone practice medicine!"

Masako's last quip about even being allowed to work in a hospital setting struck Sanjuro fairly hard...mostly because it stirred up plenty of past memories of the several hospitals that he held positions in. As well as the several resignations he had to write out after incidents concerning patients and staff. Sanjuro decided to leave that particular exert of Masako's explanation untouched, however; from her dictation he figured it was merely an attempt at exemplifying her point.

"I don't understand. I only had a few more paragraphs of the medical article I was pursing through," Sanjuro began explaining. "I did not want to interrupt her by asking her to wait; according to my studies on peer-to-peer etiquette in a professional setting, telling someone to wait for you while you are in a conversation is considered very rude. So I opted to simply gesture for her patience," Sanjuro said plainly. "I felt it was the better alternative to giving her my divided attention...I could not have possibly left her waiting for my reply for more than...three seconds?" Sanjuro didn't sound too certain about the ending of his explanation, his eyes trailing off to the side as he tried to recall, fruitlessly, just how long he had held his finger up. It was only seven paragraphs...but they were rather long...and he did have to reread two of them because of grammatical errors left in by the editor...

"As for my tone...," Sanjuro continued on. "I don't see how I could have offended anyone. I was completely earnest with everything I said. I would never be so impertinent to a new member of our team as to imply that they are not welcome; that is not a decision I have jurisdiction over," the doctor clarified. "I do not see how I could have been any more appropriate, Kurohoshi-juni. This revelation of yours comes as a...slight surprise to me."

This time, the young Warrant Officer seemed to sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She was starting to get a more clear picture into Sanjuro's personality than she had before. He really did have a problem with socialization. "Ashitaka-heisho," she began before pausing. Looking up at the medical officer with a weak smile. "Ashitaka-kun," she started again with a more informal tone. "Another method you could have used would have been 'Please excuse me, I would like to finish this important article' or even better would be to put it aside and give her your undivided attention." Masako explained in a softer tone, though it sounded more like an exasperated mother explaining a simple thing to her child.

"Ashitaka-kun, from what it sounds like, you've got a few of your priorities backwards. It's all well and good to concentrate on furthering your knowledge of medicine, but isn't a Doctor about healing people?" the Warrant Officer emphasized calmly. "Yes, I'm not too familiar in the science of medicine, but I've been to enough Doctors to know that treating the patient kindly and with respect is just as important as medical knowledge and experience. What you seem to have is a misconception between what you think is polite and what others believe." the small Neko commented.

"What sounded earnest to you, sounded completely different to Yamada-hei and myself." she explained with a frown. "From what you've told me, it seems like you are trying hard to be polite and respectful. But maybe, you need a little help in that facet of your life."

ON: Starbase above Yamatai

With Kaida gathering her things, and Tsuya already on route for the Miharu, Yukari took a moment to relax herself for the third, and hopefully least contentious, interview. Gunshin Kyoufuu appeared to be a relatively standard soldier, but one that would give Masako the power armor combatant she needed. Finding an armor specialist was not easy; Yukari had to go with who she could find. Inside the small conference room (the base seemed to have nothing but such rooms) the Shosa settled into her chair and waited, datapad in her lap.

Kyou walked toward the conference room, twitching her uniform into place as she went. She hadn't really done anything that would mess it up, but it couldn't hurt to make sure. As she reached the room,she rolled her neck, more out of nervousness than any other reason. She knocked lightly on the door frame to get Yukari's attention. "Ma'am? Santo Hei Gunshin reporting as ordered."

The Shosa looked up from her pad and smiled at the Neko, with her striking orange eyes and contrasty blue hair. She stood and offered a small bow. "Welcome, Gunshin-Hei. Please, sit." The round table had enough room for about six chairs, putting the two close together.

Kyou bowed deeply, then seated herself across from Yukari. "Thank you ma'am." She studied her potential CO as she sat, taking in her appearance. She's quite pretty. I feel so normal next to her...

Yukari's eyes went down to the datapad as Kyou sat down. She bit her upper lip as her finger twirled something on the pad's screen. "You are nervous, Hei-san?" She looked up with a warm smile.

Kyou blinked in surprise. She thought she'd been doing a fairly good job of hiding it. "Yes... yes ma'am. This has the potential to be my first assignment, so I'm feeling a little nervous."

The ceiling of the room seemed steepled in a trapezoid shape, with lights projecting into it, causing the room to be softly illuminated. The effect cast strange shadows on both occupants; Yukari hadn't turned on the other lights. "That is natural, Hei-san. I apologize if I heighten your concerns." A brief pause. "You have not been out of the Educational Facility system for more than a week. Did you enjoy your time there?"

"Yes, ma'am, I did. I enjoy spending time with others, and I enjoy learning. I was quite disappointed when the time came to leave, but I look forward to my future assignments." She smiled softly. The lighting in the room was quite pleasant, and was actually helping her calm herself down.

"What news did they discuss at the EF you were raised in? It has been some time since I was so young!" Yukari laughed a little.

Kyou's smile broadened slightly. "From what I hear, the normal things. We talked a bit about the war starting again, argued about who was the better shot..." She shrugged. "I heard a lot of things, since I spent a lot of time making drinks for everyone."

Yukari's expression froze. She leaned in on her arm. "The war is starting again?"

Kyou's smile slowly faded. "Yes, ma'am. Not too long ago, the Mishhu reemerged. Many of my friends from EF have received orders for frontline ships..."

The Shosa's face paled, though it was hard to see in the light. She seemed to deflate, but nodded. "War is a perpetual occurrence for Nekovalkyrja," she said, her words formed slowly by her mouth and projecting directly at Kyou. "We live for it, and die from it, neh?"

"Hai. That doesn't mean that we have to enjoy it though." She shook her head. "Some of my friends who went aren't even fighters, and I fear for their safety."

"You grew close to some of them, in the EF? They are like family for you?"

"Yes, very much so. As I said, I enjoy being around people, and I value my friends. And whatever my training, I don't think I could take seeing many of my friends die, So I requested assignment to a non-frontline ship." She shook her head. "It's not that I can't fight, but watching the death of so many would be too painful for me to bear."

Yukari's smile was genuine, but she looked pained. Her eyes went to her datapad. "Why did you become part of the infantry?"

Kyou noted her expression, and then continued. "I took up the infantry position because it seemed most suited to my abilities and tastes. The only other position would have been Science officer, and I only have a liking for a very small range of subjects in that field." She paused. "Also, I hope I don't offend, but forgive me for mentioning the war. I was unaware you hadn't been informed."

Yukari barely shook her head, apologetic but dismissive. "The vessel you plan to join is not front-line, but its mission is of the most vital importance, and carries with it danger much more intimate and deadly than the throes of our weakened, perverted sisters." Yukari brought up a projected image of a Neko with bluish hair, red eyes and a horn growing from her head. "We hunt murderers and traitors, Hei-san."

"Hai. I understand. That does not bother me. It is watching the slaughter of sisters who have done no wrong that disturbs me." She nodded. "Yours is a noble mission, destroying those who would pervert what is good. I would have no problem performing my duties, I am sure."

A simple nod. "You can identify this person, yes, Hei-san?" Yukari gestured to the image with her open palm.

"Yes, Shosa-sama. That is Eve, one of the oldest of our kind, and also one of the most hated." She frowned slightly. "From that, would it be safe to assume that your current mission is to eliminate Eve?"

Another nod. Yukari had activated the KAMI blackout upon entering the room, freeing her to speak without concern for prying eyes and ears. "Our methods are not always in the interest of the Empire. But our purpose is pure. We seek justice, Hei-san, the justice that comes from apprehending a criminal and her associates." Yukari paused, but let the faintly glowing image hang between them, its red eyes flickering. She looked down at her datapad. "Your scores from the EF are fresh, so I do not question your capabilities. Were you to accept your assignment, you would be put under the command of Kurohoshi Masako-Juni, our Armor Wing commander." Yukari looked up from the pad, expecting an answer.

"Ma'am, it would be my pleasure to accept the assignment to the Miharu if you will take me. I believe that what you are doing is as important to the survival of the Empire, and would be proud to serve in Masako-Juni's armor wing." She bowed her head. "I feel that I could serve to my fullest in that capacity."

"Forceful words," Yukari replied. "You would likely be trained into an armor specialist, as most of our missions require maximum protection. You are comfortable with armor?"

"I am. I have no true specialization at the moment, so that would not be unwelcome training." She nodded. "I feel that your ship is a close-knit group, and would like to be part of that, and part of protecting it."

Yukari's smile was the most happy Kyou had seen. "We are a family on the Miharu, Hei-san, with all the word encompasses." She stood and bowed. "Welcome to our family, Gunshin-Hei."

Kyou stood, and smiled broadly. "Thank you very much for this opportunity, Shosa-sama. I am delighted to be considered part of your family." She then bowed very deeply, to show her gratitude.

"Then I have a lesson for you, your first, Hei-san — 'Shosa' is acceptable." The officer waited until she saw Kyou's eyes, then winked and laughed a little.

Kyou smiled back at Yukari. "Of course, Shosa. I am glad to receive anything from you, no matter how small the lesson."

"I have another, then, that I neglected to share with one of your new shipmates." Yukari walked out from behind the table and to the door, gesturing for Kyou to join her as the room returned to its normal, brightly lit condition. "The Juni very much enjoys sweets."

Kyou chuckled as she followed Yukari. "I take it a small gift would not be taken amiss?"

"In the future, yes," Yukari said as the pair left the room. "The thought did not form in my mind until I thought of lessons I could teach. It would be unfair to your shipmate, Yamada Tsuya, if you appeared with bribes."

"I understand. It would seem favoritist." She smiled slightly. "I thank you for the advice though. I'm sure it will come in handy."

Yukari smiled. "Your commanding officer will be Ketsurui Kotori-Taisa. Do you know the name?" The two walked one of the wide, polished white corridors, seemingly directionless.

"I do indeed, Shosa." Her smile broadened. "I feel it's safe to say that few of us this fresh out of EF wouldn't know the name. She is another of the reasons I asked to be assigned to this ship, as she is somewhat of a hero to me."

"She is not so much older than you, Hei-san," Yukari said. "What have you heard of her?"

"Nothing more than most. That she is an able commander, that she is brave, and has worked her way up from the lowest of ranks." Kyou smiled. "She has done what few have, and doesn't seem likely to stop anytime soon, and for that, I applaud her."

"How do you feel about Nepleslians?" Yukari asked.

Kyou hesitated when that came up, but went ahead and answered the question. "Ma'am, I have no experience whatsoever with them. I have no particular prejudice against them, though I am aware of their normal dislike of our kind."

A relieved smile, and a little sigh. "Nyton Claymere is the tactical officer of the Miharu, and is from a long line of Nepleslians who have the Empire served with distinction. You will find he does not fit the stereotype of Nepleslians most Neko are familiar with. How did the older Yamataian personnel of the EF treat you and your sisters?"

"I am glad to hear that he does not. And on that subject, there is little to say. My instructors were very average from what I heard from others. They were more than adequate in their teaching, but I know there are better instructors as well."

"I believe our crew will have much more to teach you, Hei-san. But that is for later." Yukari stopped in the middle of an intersection and smiled. "I have notified a shuttle you will be arriving shortly. Gather your things and settle onto the Miharu as soon as you can. Our next mission should be a brief one, and it will give you time to adjust."

"Yes ma'am. Will you be coming with me, or am I to travel alone this time?"

"Alone. I have a final matter to attend to, but it will not take long. When you arrive, if no one is present to greet you, query the Miharu's MEGAMI and ask for Sigurd. He will assist you." Yukari bowed lightly. "Welcome aboard, Hei-san."

Kyou bowed once more, in return. "I will remember that name, thank you. I am glad to be with you, Shosa." With that, she turned, and headed for the shuttle.

END

Kyou was desperately trying to distract herself as she waited for the shuttle, simply to keep herself from showing how desperate she was. To this end, she was scribbling down notes in a tight, neat scrawl in her notepad, just random thoughts on possible combinations of foods and drinks to go with the cheeses she had with her.

She did this all of the way through the shuttle ride as well, stopping only just before the shuttle arrived at the Miharu. She sighed as she stood up, and shrugged, deciding to simply take things as they came, and hope for the best. She disembarked, shouldering her bag, and stepped out of the shuttle, looking around to see if anyone was there.

Abwehran Commander said:

This time, the young Warrant Officer seemed to sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She was starting to get a more clear picture into Sanjuro's personality than she had before. He really did have a problem with socialization. "Ashitaka-heisho," she began before pausing. Looking up at the medical officer with a weak smile. "Ashitaka-kun," she started again with a more informal tone. "Another method you could have used would have been 'Please excuse me, I would like to finish this important article' or even better would be to put it aside and give her your undivided attention." Masako explained in a softer tone, though it sounded more like an exasperated mother explaining a simple thing to her child.

"Ashitaka-kun, from what it sounds like, you've got a few of your priorities backwards. It's all well and good to concentrate on furthering your knowledge of medicine, but isn't a Doctor about healing people?" the Warrant Officer emphasized calmly. "Yes, I'm not too familiar in the science of medicine, but I've been to enough Doctors to know that treating the patient kindly and with respect is just as important as medical knowledge and experience. What you seem to have is a misconception between what you think is polite and what others believe." the small Neko commented.

"What sounded earnest to you, sounded completely different to Yamada-hei and myself." she explained with a frown. "From what you've told me, it seems like you are trying hard to be polite and respectful. But maybe, you need a little help in that facet of your life."

Click to expand...

As Masako lectured on, Sanjuro slowly nodded his head to her words. His eyes, still looking very tired and stolid behind those cemented eyelids, began to flash with realization. In fact, Sanjuro's face began taking on a whole new look as Masako's words settled in after she had finished. His eyelids widened, his green eyes' intent stare beginning to lose focus, and his mouth slowly opened, perhaps to comment on the truth behind Masako's explanation of his social problems. The small neko could hear him begin inhaling through his mouth, as though finally ready to give her the reply of agreement that she most likely sought...

...but instead, Sanjuro simply sneezed. Luckily, he was able to cover his mouth before exhaling the breath sharply, lest Masako suddenly find herself a whole new reason to be angry. When he rose back, his face had reverted back to its original state.

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Kurohoshi-juni."

Aendri said:

Kyou did this all of the way through the shuttle ride as well, stopping only just before the shuttle arrived at the Miharu. She sighed as she stood up, and shrugged, deciding to simply take things as they came, and hope for the best. She disembarked, shouldering her bag, and stepped out of the shuttle, looking around to see if anyone was there.

Click to expand...

The person greeting Kyou — if he could be called a person — towered nearly half a meter above the Neko. He wore a jumpsuit that was more like a second skin. It did nothing to hide the hulking musculature of his body, which hinted at an innate ability to crush heads as if they were ripe fruit. His head was surprisingly slender, not blockish as his body would suggest. His brown eyes were still, as were his hands, which were in front of him, folded.

"Welcome to the Miharu, Gunshin-Hei," the man said, voice as deep as space. "I am Sigurd, a Custodian War Droid of original Novacorp manufacture. The Shosa alerted me you were to arrive soon, and I was expecting Nagamira-Hei, but have found you here instead. Yamada-Hei is already speaking to Kurohoshi-Juni. May I help you with your things?"

Masako stared at Sanjuro in complete disbelief. He still didn't understand? How socially dense could a person be!? Did he even care about his attitude at all? Taking a deep, calming breath, the Warrant Officer gave Sanjuro a stern expression. "Ashitaka-heisho...I think it's time you invested in some sensitivity training," Masako stated bluntly.

"If I can't get you to understand, then I'm obviously wasting my breath. Therefore, I would like you to seek out someone on board that can help you to 'lighten up'." the raven-haired Neko stated as she crossed her arms under her ample breasts.

"Because if I see you lowering the morale of any of my pilots, I will come at you with the fury a meteor strike," she promised as she sighed once more. "Now, if you will excuse me. I have duties to attend too." And with that, Masako left the Doctor to his own devices and headed towards the Observational Deck.

It only took her a quick glance to spot where Tsuya had gone and she smiled lightly at the sight. Taking a couple more calming breaths, the small Warrant Officer walked up beside the enlisted woman with a smile. "Wonderful, isn't it?" she asked.

Kyou simply stared for a few seconds, then caught herself. "Ah... yes, you can help me, ah... how should I address you, sir?" She was slightly shaken, and not averse to showing it to a droid. This was one of the few things she HADN'T expected to encounter at all. She had no clue how to deal with this situation, or even whether or not she would be expected to deal with it at all.

Tsuya had been lost in thought as she stared out at the planet below, her hands pressed lightly to the glass as if she could touch the blue-green marble below. So much had happened already - the interview, meeting Masako (more or less the sweetest person she'd encountered in her short life - she hoped she could make the grade for the armor wing), the small altercation with Sanjuro... the last time she met so many people was just after she was born. It was all a bit overwhelming for the poor neko.

As such, when Masako addressed her and she turned, it took her a moment to determine what she was actually talking about - the potential for friendship, the ship itself - Oh. The view, she realized, then offered a deep, apologetic bow to the wing commander for her pause.

"It is very wonderful, Kurohoshi-juni. The bustle and the business can hardly be seen at all from up here..." She smiled, gently. "...where are you from, if it is not too much for me to ask?"

"Bloody security checkpoints..."

Perhaps Kaida was naive for thinking so, but she hadn't expected to be held up so much at each place simply because she had a weapon that wasn't standard issue for type 29's. They wouldn't even tell her why they were so picky about it... though at one point, she managed to overhear one guard at a checkpoint make a comment about her violet eyes being 'suspicious'. No one had said anything to her about it before, but she began to wonder if there wasn't a bit of elitism towards natural-born Neko's from created ones.

Her thoughts were broken as her shuttle came to a stop. She checked her bag to make sure nothing had fallen out and made sure her rifle was holstered properly. She didn't know what kind of security detail was on board the Miharu, but she didn't want to give them any reason to detain her if they were at all like what she had to go through to get here.

She flipped out a pocket mirror quickly and made sure her creamy white hair was all in order. She didn't want to look sloppy. The long hair on her sides was still tied back behind her head in the small but long ponytail she usually had it in. She put the compact away as the shuttle door opened and tried to straighten her uniform as she stood up. With one last deep breath, she walked out and took her first step onto the Miharu.

ON: A starbase above Yamatai

Yukari was waiting at a small mobile noodle shop along the food corridor on the starbase. She sat high on the stool as low curtains masked her head from those passing by. She had not touched her steaming bowl of noodles, wanting to wait for Miyoko to show.

After some time, Miyoko arrived. The violet-haired Yamataian walked up, dipping a bow to her XO as she laid a datapad on the counter in front of her. "Here's my report. Nothing shocking on the two of them from Ichiban."

Yukari understood, bowing her head and pulling a wire from her own datapad to hook to Miyoko's. "That is good news, even if it is not directly helpful to us. Please, sit. The noodles here smell very good!" A kindly old Yamataian man approached the counter opposite Miyoko and asked for her order.

Miyoko took a seat next to Yukari at the offer. She inclined her head toward the man as he approached. "Somen, please." Once he'd started off to prepare her order, she leaned on the counter, relaxing slightly. "This is my grand outing for our time in port, so I have to make the most of it. We're going to need four of every dessert."

Yukari's grin confirmed her agreement to participate in Miyoko's plan. "If we do not have sweets now, we will have to make them ourselves." She snatched up a menu as the datapads continued to securely transfer data. The man in the "kitchen" was noisily preparing the dish. "There is much here with strawberries attached."

"Strawberries are a good one..." Miyoko, of course, had little actual experience with them, but what little she'd seen was quite positive. "We must confine ourselves to only things that are already prepared, though, or I'll just end up buying a cart full of ingredients and dumping them in the kitchen as a subtle hint."

The Shosa laughed. "Tom would be so upset with us! But I could convince him to do it anyway." Her lips formed a demonic little smirk, suggestive of more than Miyoko likely wanted to know about. She pointed to another one. "'Banana cream pie, 1 KS per slice.' Bananas are good."

"It would be a public service to the crew to attain a variety of chocolate and fruit for Freeman-Juni. I'm almost certain there's some sort of medal we could be awarded." Fortunately for Miyoko, her fantasies were a bit too grounded in the varieties of cake that Tom could make given enough chocolate and time. "And sure, let's grab some of that. I've learned to trust your dessert recommendations."

"There are four chocolate deserts. Perhaps we should have eight of each, instead of four?" Yukari had not touched her noodles yet, but there she was with her mouth watering over deserts. "To ensure the crew receives samples."

Miyoko's 'four desserts' had been more hyperbole than anything else, but it wasn't a bad idea. Still, she looked skeptically at Yukari. "With that sort of expression I'm not sure you want them for the crew... but it could be a good idea. I've been trying to bring the sprites back gifts when I can, though I'll admit to not knowing much about the newer ones. Food always works."

Yukari almost appeared wounded by Miyoko's implication. Of course the thought had burbled in the sugary cauldron of her dreams. "The sprites deserve at least this much. More permanent favors can be obtained when we have more time." She placed the menu down, with plans firmly in her mind, and brought her chopsticks to her hand as Miyoko was served. "Were there views you had on the recruits you wished to share?"

Miyoko got at her food while it was still fresh, digging into the noodles while she composed her thoughts on the recruits. "None of them had anything incredibly noteworthy. Yamada-hei was noted as having some minor disciplinary problems involving ground vehicles, Nagamira-hei apparently has some issues with PANTHEON, and Gunshin-hei's record is about as clean as they come."

A nod and a quiet slurp of noodle. Yukari finished her bite before speaking. "That is what I gathered in the interviews. It is good our conclusions match. Were there any worries you have?"

Miyoko shook her head, prodding at her lunch with her chopsticks. "They noted Nagamira as having an aversion to automated systems, which could be problematic for a power armor pilot, in a position where she could need to learn to rely on AIES. Other than that, no. Yamada's record doesn't suggest any sort of huge problem with authority, so that helps some of my earlier concerns."

Yukari tried to quietly chomp one of the carrot pieces that came with her food, but to no avail. She finished first. "Nagamira-Hei's intrinsic capability with such weapons will, I believe, relieve us of some of that worry. And if Yamada has no logged issues, we need not judge harshly. This is good news. There was nothing you formulated about Gunshin-Hei? She did appear very, ah, 'straight.'"

Miyoko shrugged a bit. "No disciplinary records, no outstanding combat skills. She's noted as having interests in tactics, biology, and cooking; not exactly three areas I'd say we're desperately hurting for right now. So fresh out of Basic that we might need to give her an illustrated primer to the universe outside of Kyoto, but the same goes for Yamada."

Another noisy carrot was demolished before Yukari spoke. "Because she appears to be blank slate, I have opted for her to join the Black Knights and become an armor specialist. Kurohoshi asked for more if she could have them."

Miyoko took a few moments to slurp up more noodles as Yukari talked, relishing the break in her reporting. She nodded along with the statement. "That makes sense. Nagamira-hei was noted as being a sniper... do we plan to use her in that role?"

Yukari nodded, finishing off another noodle bite. "That is correct. I do not believe she was engaged in the technical part of being a technical sentry, which is acceptable with our level of sprite crew. Yamada is the one I am uncertain about. Where she fits ... I am not sure."

Miyoko frowned a bit. "She is an armor pilot... why not stick her on the front lines?"

Yukari nodded. "She has mostly combat training, true. Something about her makes me wonder if she is set for the front lines. She knows our targets ... I do not know." Yukari straightened up from her bent eating position and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I cannot place my finger on it. Perhaps Kurohoshi can absorb all three."

Miyoko's quizzical look left little doubt that she wasn't quite absorbing Yukari's point, but she didn't make an issue of it. "If not, her technical experience might make her a good choice for guarding the ship during missions." That Miyoko was quite in favor of people guarding the ship that she, personally, was going to spend her time on during fights was left unspoken.

A frown remained on Yukari's face as she sipped down the broth her noodles had been in with a (previously wrapped) straw she'd found in front of the counter. "Perhaps. But our sprites are most capable for that. Kurohoshi-Juni will be the best judge of who belongs under her command. I should not dictate."

Miyoko nodded again--at the end of the day, the combat end of things fell more upon Nyton and Masako anyway. She didn't envy them it. "I don't think we're in danger of being over-staffed any time soon, so I'm sure we'll find somewhere."

"That is so." Yukari returned the bowl to the shop owner with a smile and a bow. Her eyes returned to helping her fingers navigate the menu of deserts. "Caramel ... that is a rare one."

The last of Miyoko's noodles were quick to follow, at which point she added her bowl to the empties, chopsticks laid across the top. "Do you think that we'd be able to carry it if we did get several of every dessert for the others?"

Yukari thought about that. "Mastah-san," she asked the owner. "Could we borrow a big container for your deserts? We can pay for it." The Yamataian owner, who had the face of a sourpuss, smiled and nodded, bringing out a blue plastic container about three feet high. It would be enough for all the deserts, but barely. It had six trays.

Miyoko looked at the container appraisingly. "That should hold plenty of food for everybody, I'd think..." She slid a menu across the counter to the proprietor, sliding her finger down the dessert list. "We'd like a mix of all of these, please. Just see how much you can fit in the container. That's how much we'll take."

The old man narrowed his eyes at Miyoko. "Pay first." Yukari brought out her KS card and took care of that with an easy pass before a pay station. The container quickly started to be filled.

Miyoko glanced over to Yukari. "The idea of bringing enough for everybody was practically my idea, so I can split the cost with you."

Yukari shook her head. "It is nothing." Soon the container was full. Yukari handed her datapad to Miyoko as well as her own. "If you can hold these, I can take this!" The Shosa clutched the handle of the now sealed container and levitated up, becoming parallel with the ground as she floated and held it.

Miyoko clutched the twin datapads, watching blankly as Yukari lifted the container. "... generally, it's the lower-ranked person who's left to do such things."

"'An officer should never make an enlisted do something she or he is not willing to do.'" The officer smiled at Miyoko, not under any strain. She was liking using her anti-gravity power against her arms, too.

Miyoko clipped her datapad back to her belt, but kept clutching Yukari's as she followed the XO--she had to look like she was doing something, or else she'd look a bit ridiculous and lazy walking alongside Yukari. "Well, that's a philosophy I fully support until I'm an officer."

Yukari laughed as the two started to travel toward the shuttle they needed to return on. The shopkeeper behind them was closing shop; he had made more than enough money with that one purchase to take care of everything. "You will be a good officer someday, Heisho-san, if you so desire. It is not the greatest thing to be, many times."

Miyoko hurried ahead of Yukari to clear the way as much as she could. "I can wait. No offense to those of you currently filling the role, but I don't envy the position. While there's a war on, at least. Once the letters to widows are done with, I'll take my pay raise."

Yukari's cheery smile devolved into a rueful one at that thought. She had not been called on to fulfill that duty yet. She did not want to every be called on. "A wise observation," she said in Yamataian as folks moved out of the way. One man, a Nepleslian, whistled; Yukari shot him a cold stare, which made him laugh nervously and elbow his buddy to move with him away from her.

"Call it a medic's eye view of things..." Not that Miyoko particularly counted as a medic anymore, but hey. "Between that and the incident with Mara, I've been responsible for others' life and death enough to know that I'm not going to be enjoying it any time soon."

"Where do you see yourself, when our mission is complete?" If it ever was. Kyou's words hung heavily in Yukari's mind, dragging it down toward despair with thoughts of informing Nyton's or Tom's family about their deaths, if the soul backups failed for some reason.

Miyoko shrugged indecisively. "Very little has changed since the last time we discussed it... and I still have the better part of five years left in my military contract, so that puts a bit of a lock on my short-term plans. If the Miharu were to suddenly fall apart and I found myself being reassigned, I'd like to get a position on a station or science vessel--somewhere where my lack of combat experience would make me feel like less of a hindrance."

"That is a more comprehensive answer than your last one, however," Yukari said with a smile down Miyoko's way. "It must be difficult to be a science officer without someone higher above you, guiding you toward that path."

"The Miharu isn't much in need of science most of the time, so it hasn't been as big an issue. The times where it's been needed... well, I've usually been able to pull through. Of course, given how urgent most of those have been, if I fail once..." Miyoko left the implications of that unspoken.

The shuttle bay was starting to come into view, far down the main corridor they turned onto and just a touch to the right. Yukari could not find words to reply with other than "I see" in Yamataian, so she offered nothing more. They were soon at the shuttle.

Miyoko seemed willing to let that line of conversation die there too, simply following after Yukari after that.

With the container set down, Yukari touched the ground again, too. Logistics personnel took over from there, and the Shosa allowed herself a brief rest. "I hope they will enjoy the Miharu," she quietly said, waiting for the cargo loaders.

"I haven't noticed anybody seem to particularly not enjoy it, so I think that they'll be fine." After a moment, Miyoko hesitantly added, "Well, there was Veressis-hei, but he was a special case."

A wry smile broke the melancholy on Yukari's face. "Most special." The cargo loaders finished. "After you, Heisho-san," she said, seemingly back to her more cheerful self.

Miyoko stepped into the shuttle and took a seat. "And now for the real problem, finding some way to handle the logistics of fairly distributing dessert across a dozen or so people."

Yukari took her seat next to Miyoko as the shuttle's rear-loading bay door closed and the ship prepared to disembark. "I believe that is a problem that will be delightful to solve."

END

Aendri said:

Kyou simply stared for a few seconds, then caught herself. "Ah... yes, you can help me, ah... how should I address you, sir?" She was slightly shaken, and not averse to showing it to a droid. This was one of the few things she HADN'T expected to encounter at all. She had no clue how to deal with this situation, or even whether or not she would be expected to deal with it at all.

Click to expand...

Sigurd's reaction was cool as the metal beneath his synthetic skin. Which might not have been so cool, as close as it was to the droid's power supply. But without even a hint of a smile, he relaxed his body, appearing slightly less imposing.

"Most Yamataian natives call me 'Sigurd-san,' including the Shosa. That is likely the best form of address. Alternatively, I can be referred to as 'Sigurd,' 'Sigurd-chan,' and 'The Hulk ... ing Droid.' It is your call, Hei." Sigurd's brown eyes focused squarely on Kyou, until the sound of the shuttle door opening behind her distracted him.

"Ah," the droid said, closing in on a spot next to Kyou with long, limber steps. "Nagamira-Hei has arrived." The droid continued on his way before coming face-to-chest with the slightly taller Neko. "Nagamira-Hei, welcome to the Miharu."

"Thank you...?"

Why is this thing staring at my chest? Of course, she knew he didn't mean to, what with the height difference and all. But still, it made her somewhat uncomfortable. She cleared her throat in hopes that he would adjust his initial view to be at her eyes instead. "Um... Wh-where should I put my luggage...?" Not counting the fact her 'luggage' consisted of a weapon and a single bag, of course.

She noted someone else was present, but she didn't think it would be polite to be switching her attention to someone else yet without being addressed.

"Eh?" the Warrant Officer vocalized her surprise at the question before pursing her lips in thought. "Well, I guess you could say I'm an alumni of Ichiban as well," she replied calmly before shrugging. "As for where I was created," she started before fading. "It really doesn't matter where," she stated with a small chuckle.

I honestly don't want to say I was created by PNUgen, she thought to herself with a mental frown. I don't even feel comfortable being connected to that place anymore.

"Anyway, we were expecting more recruits for the Miharu," Masako said, changing the subject. "I don't know how many exactly, but I'll contact the Multifunction Bay to see if anyone else arrived," she explained as she pulled her communicator out.

"Kurohoshi to Multifunction Bay," she spoke over the communicator. "Sigurd-san, if you are still down there, could you send any new recruits up to the Observational Deck?"