RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Aftermath (5th day)

Nyton resisted the urge to be smug. He had not drawn the same conclusion that had given Yukari cause to be worried. The situation was delicate though and there was no place for ego at the moment.

"Suzuka-Shosa was successful in obtaining Melisson's consent to assist us your highness." Nyton stated and looked to Yukari to signal he deferred the full report to the superior officer.

Yukari didn't notice Nyton. Her eyes were on Kotori.

With brevity and without her own conjecture, Yukari delivered Melisson's words. At the end, Yukari offered her own succinct analysis:

"Melisson is not an ally, but her words mostly have rung true. I did not detect her lying, but her theory is incomplete: if you have the 'souls' of Eve and Yui, then you also have the soul of the NH-23 Kotori. Through her might lay our solution.

"As well, I believe she underestimates the flexible nature of the NH-29 and the Nekovalkyrja OS to facilitate what she asks."

Yukari then bowed, concluding her report.

Kotori's face tightened; her lips pressing together, her eyes narrowing slightly, her brows inching closer in an almost-frown.

"It's fortunate that I asked ahead of time to have this area's surveillance disabled on excuse of maintenance. I'm not sure I would've liked the KAMI knowing this much."

She took a breath, slowly let it out, and said: "I cannot die to free them. That leaves our former plan, or Melisson's proposed one of instead trying to disable the sentient computers in this fleet to retain cover. I agree to being uncertain that I can pull off the former, while being more confident about my chances with the later."

Amber eyes then looked at one and the other before she asked: "What is your take on that? What do you both think we ought to do?"

"The IES units being disabled is most within our reach," Yukari said. "It also will give us time to puzzle out how to free the members of the fleet. Besides which, it is a plan in which Melisson might not necessarily be required."

"There's one thing I've been wondering," Kotori admitted. "Is it we, whom might be getting too paranoid about this issue? True, the false loyalty and devotion shoved on the people of this fleet is wrong, but the computer AIs haven't yet done anything to us about it. So far, they seem to understand the extenuating circumstances as long as we don't abuse from them."

"My own crew so far hasn't criticized me on the same account, because you all - so far - understand the choice made was between two evils and I had to pick the lesser one."

"I mean, why shouldn't we be willing to trust Yui-Taisho if we're willing to contemplate going so far as to rely on Melisson? Isn't that kind of ironic and hypocritical? Any workaround on the forced fealty of the fleet's survivors could be done with her being aware of it, and perhaps using her own resources to help with the situation - those would definitely be better than ours."

"I cannot help but recall that Melisson went after the Yui-clone's YSS Empire first and disposed of it before she started trying to subvert the rest fleet into her control. That tells me that Melisson expected possible interference from the Yui-clone. If Melisson expected it, perhaps we should as well."

Most of Nyton's opinion was plainly explained by Yukari without any need for his own bias to color it. However once Kotori forwarded her idea he thought about this for a second. "Perhaps you have something there. If an outdated Yui-clone would have caused interference against Melisson then perhaps the Taisho is also capable of repairing this damage."

"Taisa there is another option. Why not go to Yamatai and speak to the Taisho? Send a long range transmission, explain the situation, retrun to Yamatai, have the entire fleet stand down so that she does not detect any treachery, and then we work together to repair the damage. The KAMI and our own Hoshi will testify to the impossible choices that had to be made. A reset may make things seem suspicious. Once home we also have access to the scientific resources of the Empire to find a means of curing the fleet without having to resort to trusting Melisson." he added.

"We either trust Melisson or we trust the Madame-Taisho. Both options carry their share of risk."

Kotori stood up and slowly walked to one of the pavillions's railings, looking down from it. Beyond the railing was a sandy patch of the islet's shore which had rocks artfully arranged just like the stars of the Empire's coreworlds.

"I'm moved to want to meet Yui and try to solve this together. There has been too much paranoia during this mission of ours." The princess' hands tightened on the railing. "I really want a more honest approach to this. These are lost people of the Empire. I want them to be found. I want a happy, worthwhile homecoming for everyone."

"But I share Yukari's concerns about us being a stealth operation. Us being easy to dismiss. We have Melisson, but I think we could have more." She turned back to face them, her hand pointing down at the pebble-made sandy starmap. "Some of the Empire's coreworlds have been taken by the NMX. I say we use the Second Draconian Fleet to reclaim one of those star systems for the Empire, hold it, and then invite Yui-Taisho for tea."

Kotori then fiercely added: "It's going to be pretty hard to dismiss us or to consider ill of us when we'll give her something she couldn't spare the military power to accomplish."

"I agree wholeheartedly. The Interpreter and a core world should more than prove our loyalty to the Taisho. Maybe this will even send a message to the NMX that we are not out of this fight." Nyton said enthusiastically. A new offensive against an enemy was just what he needed to get his blood pumping.

Yukari half-listened as Kotori and Nyton talked. She was puzzling out exactly what choices they had and what they could reasonably accomplish without combating undue complications.

Dreams of retaking a core world nipped at her concentration. She breathed a little, deliberately, to retake her focus back.

When she was ready, about 34 seconds later, she spoke.

"The Mistress will not see our liberating a core world as a boon to her. We will be a threat, especially with another Ketsurui as our leader, one not under the thumb of the Mistress or the royalty. One who is perhaps designed to kill the Mistress. The effect of that could shake the clan to its roots. It will destabilize Yamatai.

"Reprogramming the IES units of the fleet will take time, but is time we could use to help free the fleet's members. It avoids putting your life at risk, Taisa, and we will be able to return without immediately putting everyone at risk.

"Also, my paranoia is not exclusive to the Mistress. It is SAINT we cannot trust. They operate outside of the confines of the Mistress' authority. Even if the Mistress is understanding, SAINT is not. Reprogramming the IES units ensures we are protected against their treachery."

Kotori eyed Yukari as her XO spoke. She took a moment to consider and then said: "I don't really agree with you there, Yukari."

"I don't think the concerns over the competition I pose is valid. I serve Yui-Taisho. She gave me my mission and she is my Clan-Mistress. She's the sponsor behind everything I have done - any of my victories are her victories by extension."

"We're in a war that hasn't been going too well for us considering the coreworlds that were taken from us. In such a situation, having one retaken overtly for the Yamatai Star Empire would indeed be cause to be puzzled, but the advantages of regaining such a star system and the unhoped for addition of ships thought long-lost ought to make us pretty welcomed."

"Our deeds include defeating the rebel organization Daughters of Eve, Eve herself. She destroyed Melisson's flagship, captured Melisson herself and destroyed her progenitor Mefpralphra. We resolved the mystery of the disappearance of the Second Draconian Fleet and even rescued an amount of surviving warships which could prove a welcome relief to our beleaguered forces."

"Much of what we've done could still be swept under the carpet by SAINT," Kotori allowed. "But retaking a coreworld makes it very overt, very public. It does something on the scale of the UOC break-up; which was supposedly done in protest of some of Yamatai's action."

"The Ketsurui did not want to act further on it because Empress Himiko was concerned about the Empire's public image. Even SAINT had shortly before started being held accountable for doubtful actions done against the Nepleslians."

"If we reconquer a coreworld, we effectively become war heroes. Much of what was gained during our operations will become visible. You can't brush that away unless you want to face a lot of questions; not only from your citizens but also from other nations."

Kotori brushed some of her hair back behind one furred ear and added: "Some of the other repercussions would only happen once we actually get debriefed by Yui-Taisho. But then, what exactly could she do that would cause us ill? We kill Eve, we bring her Melisson, put thousands of ships back into her service, openly explain some of the complications we face and then leave it to her to call the shots from there."

"But, what could she do that would really be ill for us? In her presence, her samurai bodyguard could easily swoop in and kill me if it came to it... but if I'm killed before the problem with the fleet is solved, Melisson wins. If the problem gets resolved, then I'm much less a threat to Yui."

"Of course, she could still decide to kill me on account of what I am," Kotori continued. "But then, it could still draw attention; especially from the very people we rescued even if they have free will. Maybe she could simply devote resources that would finally allow me to have a mental backup and choose another body for myself - I certainly wouldn't be unwilling."

"Or she could simply choose to trust me to be on her side even if I do have the potential to kill her. Distance is really her best protection. Even so, I'm willing to bet Yui has spare mental backups like Eve has in her three safehouses. She might be able to afford keeping me around anyways. Swords cut both ways, but as long as I am her sword, I'll cut in the direction she wants."

"As calculated risks go, I'm thinking this is pretty good. Yui still remains in a position of force, and it still remains disadvantageous for her to dispose of us. We're more of an asset if she keeps us around; Yamatai can use all the war heroes she can get," the princess concluded.

Yukari remained unconvinced, though she felt more inclined to trust the Mistress-Taisho after hearing Kotori's arguments.

SAINT remained the chief adversary, in her mind. SAINT was not infallible, but neither was it incompetent or kind to potential threats.

Nonetheless, she stood down from the argument. "We should quickly decide on a target. One easily taken and held."

"Don't humans say that nothing worth doing is ever easy?" Kotori allowed herself a mirthless smile before casting a glance back down at the pebble-and-sand starmap. "A world that would be worth taking and holding..."

After a moment, Kotori pointed down at one of the pebbles. "This one. Nataria. Ever since we lost that Warmaster world, things have been going south for us. With the underground depot it has, it might be the only place we can readily take which would be able to logistically support the Second Draconian Fleet in the short-term too if we can retake it."

"We do say that, don't we?" Nylon mused as he examined Kotori's selection. "There may be a way to make this a little easier." he added.

"We are currently in possession of an old fleet that was supposed to be in the hands of Melisson when it reappeared. When the NMX see the fleet designation they may believe that it is Melisson arriving. Like you said, this site would be ideal to refit and supply such a fleet. The logistics plus the expectation of who is supposed to be in control of it could make the enemy lower it's guard." Nyton suggested.

Kotori shook her head.

"If the NMX would've been aware of Melisson's actions, they would've already been down our throats," she told him, disagreeing. "Melisson's plans make it plain that her intent was to stand up to her rival and have the True Nekovalkyrja Empire use the Second Draconian Fleet to wipe his forces off the map to reclaim the NMX nekos."

"There's no subterfuge involved. Just nearly four thousand ships coming out of nowhere. Nataria is a rather dense system with only short travel delays between its planets so its bound to be heavily fortified, but our numbers should still be much more than they'll be able to defend against."

Nataria. Yukari had not been there before, but she knew of its famous planetwide forest. She wondered if it stood still.

"The NMX destroyed the depot two years ago, and the tunnel system likely was not utilized because of that. Perhaps we would be able to take it." Stars began to circle within her eyes. "To retake a world ... and hold it."

She worried about SAINT, even so. However, the chance to turn the tide of the war, to make the life of Yamatai's citizens that much less stressful ... it was worth it, was it not?

The fleet's denizens would agree even if Kotori did not tell them. Yes?

She hoped so.

"When should we embark, Taisa? Absent a strategy, the fleet can be combat ready inside two minutes."

"Tomorrow," Kotori decided. "Get in touch with Kasami-Chujo, get her to prime the fleet to combat readiness for tomorrow. Plot me an hyperspace path that will lead us there with minimal interference. Refer to Melisson's files and see if briefing our people on the NMX warship schematic and configuring our weapons and shields to match with NMX weapon and shield frequencies can be done."

Nyton smiled as he watched the plan begin to mobilize. "Your orders for me, your highness?"

Kotori blinked, and the two others got the sense that she wasn't sure what to immediately reply: "The tasks I've given Yukari may be a lot to cover in the time given. If she wants to delegate anything to you, you can assist her with that."

"My orders also have not taken into account our own crew. While Yukari is busy with concerns for the fleet, you may want to bring people up to speed and be prepared to take a role in the battle. If the fleet's survivors are going to risk their lives, I don't see why we should be exempt of it."

Yukari snapped to attention, then bowed. She knew what had to be done, and she was eager to do it. It was not saving the lost ... not yet. But it was a step toward the right direction.

"At once, Taisa," she said, and began to leave. She already was preparing to hand orders off to Nyton and others, but she wanted to give him and Kotori a moment without her, if they wanted it. There was more than enough for her to do.

"Very well, Kotori-dono, I will see to Hoshi's crew. They may ask where Hoshi herself will be in positioned during this maneuver. Anything specific in mind for her?" Nyton followed up.