RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Aftermath (8th day)

Her expression drawn, Yuzuki followed Nimura's movements with heavy contemplation. The Mindy... the Mindy...

The Mindy had a PSC device.

It wasn't just a faint glimmer of hope - it was a bonfire.

Yuzuki crossed to the panel, stood in front of it for a few moments examining the loadout that Nimura had given the Mindy II, and then began to input commands as a second armor was produced. The Hoshi began to outfit it. The two were almost identical.

"Kit out," she stated over her shoulder to Tori and the group as she began to strip, "If the worst happens, the Mindy can stand alone. We will have to deal with PANTHEON eventually, but..."

The rest went unsaid.

Cho's head twisted up at Tori, but Tori already was pulling away. She was heading for an armor too.

Cho watched as the other Neko started doing the same, getting out of the stretch uniforms and jumpsuits they wore and toward the armor racks. None hesitated.

"Wh — wh, what? What?" She started to go forward. "Are you crazy?! That's the Taisho! The Mistress! We can't raise arms! You're all malfunctioning!"

"Whoa whoa, hey? Wass' goin' on?" asked Rolf as he watched Nimura strip down with vague interest, while focusing on the seemingly ulterior motive in place. The Malifarian looked between Cho, Yuzuki, and Nimura. "Are we doin' somethin' dangerous and stupid?" He began to pull his uniform's top off, "'Cause I can dig that! I can dig tha' hell out' it."

The stretchsuit kicked to the side, discarded in a pile, Yuzuki took her place in front of the armor rack, in front of the armor that had been assembled.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Yuzuki demanded, her expression tense, stubborn, annoyed, even as she stepped back into the armor chassis. This one, she had worked on some of the components herself. Now they might not be perfect; the battle had torn many of them to nearly scrap, and the armor plating was scarred and blackened in places where it could not be replaced. But the systems? They worked, well enough.

"It could force us to fight," Yuzuki continued, unmellowed, "So I'd rather choose which side I'm on. I don't even want to believe in the possibility I could be enticed to betray Kotori-Taisa-sama, even against my own will. After everything she did for us? That would be completely unforgivable."

Kyou frowned, her arms still by her sides, not moving to join the other, or to protest them. "How would this result be any different then Rolf's suggestion of simply declaring war and attacking from the start. Division in the empire is division, regardless of it's source. Do you truly believe that the Taisho-sama would behave so dishonestly when we've come this far to help?"

"The Taisho-sama is not part of our family. She is only interested that we conform. Not by who we are. There would be no so-quick seizure of control of the other ships if she cared. She's afraid of losing control, and in that we are expendable," Nimura flatly returned to Kyou.

"You do not need to go, Yuzuki," Nimura added, walking to her armor and launching herself to hover aloft a second before sliding down into it. "We can't turn the Mokuren's bridge into a warzone. The Taisa and the Shosa are there - any more and they might be killed. It has to be surgical and out of any of us, I stand the best chance of landing a hit on Yui."

"If I can destroy Yui's body, the Taisa's abilities will destroy her for good. She should in turn be able to free the fleet from PANTHEON's control. We'll be able to deal with the two fleets and have our freedom ensured. It was a mistake to come back here - we should've gone off on our own and made our own homes. It would've been that had had it not been for our senior's attachment for homes we've never seen."

Armored shoulderplates moved to settle over Nimura's arms. Suzume inched closer and exclaimed: "No, don't! Nimura, we fought an enemy that would've layed waste to Yamatai - that's what Miharu was sacrificed for!"

"Besides," Suzume wrung her hands. "Just you? There's too much that could still go wrong!"

Nimura shoved her helmet atop her head, sealed it, and once the HUD came up disabled network access for her AIES. "You're right," she said through her loudspeakers. "That's why I'll also take Melisson with me to help."

Suzume's eyes widened. The Mindy II was disengaged from its harness, but she rushed forward to cling to it. "No, you mustn't. That's insanity Ni-" ...and then Nimura just shoved her away as if the red-haired technician was a mere child and headed out the armor bay.

"Someone stop her!"

Kai could no longer stand idly by. At first, it had been almost amusing, if it wasn't so damn disturbing that PANTHEON wanted to connect directly to the sprites. What especially worried him, was what it could do to Yuzuki. He didn't want anything to happen to her. Or any of the sprites, really- they had lost enough as it was.

"Hey, Guys, Stop being stupid." The Yamataian called out.
"It just wants information, right? Just give it copies, You don't have to give up anything. There's no reason to fight, to sacrifice yourselves. Sure, that's what we've been doing for so long, but, now? The fighting's done for a bit. We don't need to screw this up."

Kai shook his head and walked closer to the sprites. "Doing something rash will only make things worse. Kotori knew what she was up against. She knew what she was doing. This is her decision. Don't Fuck with it."

Yuzuki attached her helmet, and it fixed into place with a turn and a snap. Then, she left to catch up with Nimura. The time difference wasn't so bad - and Yuzuki was in a hurry.

"Nimura," she stated as soon as she caught up, "I understand, believe me, I understand. When I saw you going for this, I agreed with you. Still do."

She spoke through the loudspeaker, since she had gone offline as well. Nimura and Yuzuki were now stand-alone; completely seperate from the Hoshi, from PANTHEON, from any outside intervention. A quick check of her HUD assured her that this was so.

"However," the loudspeaker buzzed, as Yuzuki engaged the suit's antigravity manipulation, floating a half a foot off the ground, stretching her legs so to speak as she adjusted. She had never piloted a Mindy, before, but the interface was the same - streamlined, even. "Attacking Yui-sama is wrong, and I can't agree with that. Not unless she makes herself our enemy."

Yuzuki drifted forward, adjusting the aether rifle tucked snug against her shoulder. In the passageway's lighting, the zesu's matte coloring seemed to eat the light. She caught Nimura on the shoulder, the touch more empathic than demanding. The two of them stood like dark, metal-winged angels, isolated in the corridors of the Hoshi. Two Kurokishi. Two Black Knights.

"Just standby. We're ready if something happens," Yuzuki asserted, "And if it does you aren't going alone. If it comes down to it, you won't be alone. Fuck the universe but you've spent enough time like that, and I won't let you be, anymore. Ichigo gave her life to prevent that. Don't disrespect her!"

The words hung jagged in the air. Yuzuki squeezed Nimura's shoulder. Hopefully she would understand.

"We'll open an encrypted channel between the suits," Yuzuki stated, her voice crisp to give action to the silence. As long as there was direction, and action, and purpose, maybe everything would turn out alright. It had worked in orbit of Bowhordia. She had no idea whether or not Nimura would listen, though. "We'll have inter-suit communications without risking exposure. If you let her loose we don't know what Melisson will do. We don't know what anyone will do, that's why we're preparing."

Kotori-sama, I know you know what you're doing, Yuzuki thought in the back of her mind, a thought that was now protected from all and sundry, but I wish you would have told us too.

"Come on," Yuzuki stated, "The others are getting dressed out. If we do anything we're doing it as a group."

The gauntleted hands of Nimura's Mindy II were closed shut, tightly so since Yuzuki had mentioned Ichigo. Perhaps that stung. Perhaps Nimura had even acted because she thought Ichigo would've made that stand too.

Those were several perhaps, but Nimura's helmeted head revealed little answer as to what might be going on in her head. What Yuzuki did get, though, was the result she had hoped for.

"You are the ranking officer," Nimura - it sounded sullen - answered through her loudspeakers. "I will do as you say."

Nyton folded his hands and quietly nodded. "Very well. Comply with the request and give PANTHEON the full data dump of Hoshi's memory banks. They did not ask for a time frame so do it as painlessly as possible." he replied.

At least they did not ask for full control of the ship. he thought to himself as he eyed the results of PANTHEON's domination of the 2nd Draconian Fleet.

"Go ahead and let the rest of the crew know that PANTHEON has not demanded control of Hoshi. I do not want anyone growing nervous as this proceeds." Nyton then added, mostly implying towards the sprites. There was nothing he could do for Rolf though. While the Nepleslian doubted the Malifarian would be unnerved this meant that the knowledge of his illegal clone status would be known.

Hinoto nodded, but afterwards asked Nyton: "Taii, PANTHEON is not infallible and much of the information we have is of sensitive nature. Can I appeal for a more secure mean of data transfer other than a subspace transmission?"

Nyton raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled a little. "Definitely. Make all non-sensitive files that are not connected to sensitive data readily available for transmission. We are simply trying to be secure not evasive." he replied.

"You're right," she said through her loudspeakers. "That's why I'll also take Melisson with me to help."

Click to expand...

What? went the the red alarms up in Rolf's mind. It didn't take much after that to snatch off the rest of his clothes, which he tossed his aside, to mount up another Mindy II. The soldier quickly shoved himself into an insert, letting it contour up his body. It was a quick sliver of a reminder of his first time piloting a Mindy on the Meng Po boarding action. It was a time that didn't seem long ago at all, but in this crazy warp of time, it was years. The sensation reminded him of Mara, as the Meng Po was when he was paired up with her, and she had come out terribly injured. The sharpest memory of that auburn-haired girl was the smile she gave him when she consoled his doubts after that mission. The worst memory was that smile disappearing in a bath of aether.

That recollection seemed to fuel a small, angry fire in his chest, made evident of how he brought his helmet down over his bitter, red eyes. He began patching a link up with the other two, isolated armors as he made his way after them.

He had heard Nimura mention 'using' Melisson, but in the case of the interpreter that was unlikely. No one simply 'used' Melisson, she was a humanoid embodiment of something short of a god. Gods had their own way of doing things, and chose to help who they cared to help. The only reason she chose to come along was because she felt like 'rewarding' the crew for all their hard work in defeating her.

He was doubly unsure on the controller being on the move so freely in the ship. The Malifarian was short on the details of just how strong Melisson was now, how much sway she could force, how many little parasites she sneak into people. Rolf had his own experience being under the interpreter's influence, the honey-dripped poison that were her words still rang like a luminous bell in his mind. It was fuzzy, what he did exactly, but the fact that he followed so willingly never left his mind.

"So." started Rolf, floating on up to the other two, but keeping just a short distance. "Either of you feel like explainin' just how you intend t'use Melisson? 'Cause, uh..." His fingers rolled over into a fist, clearing the range of his fore-arm weapons to activate. "... she's not walkin' free outta' that pod until she's in pieces or dead."

Yuzuki relaxed her grip on Nimura's shoulder, realizing only afterwards that perhaps she had been gripping a little too hard. They were armored, though; probably Nimura hadn't even noticed.

I'm a Heisho, Yuzuki had wanted to say, But I'm your sister. I miss them too.

Nimura and Ichigo were twins, and Ichigo had been one of Yuzuki's best friends, as far as their short and turbid lives had allowed. The loss of Ichigo, the deaths of everyone else, felt like a weight too heavy for Yuzuki, and she was very keenly aware of it. It was almost too much to bear. It would be harder for Nimura, harder for so many reasons. How conveniant it would have been if Yuzuki had also died back then, all unaware that the world outside the engineroom of the Miharu was such a terrible harsh place. Times like now, she found herself thinking those things. It was tempting to try what Nimura suggested.

Would it start a revolution? Would they be traitors? Would they be executed, or reprocessed, their memories wiped?

Did it matter?

As Rolf floated up from the bay, Yuzuki attached the rifle to one of the magnetic hardpoints at the side of the Mindy, wearing it as if it were a pistol. It stuck out at a jaunty angle, but it freed her hands, and for some reason that was important to her just now. If she went armed, with a gun in her hand, Yuzuki would feel the urge to use it. After so many simulations, for days on end, she had an itch in her palm that both excited and terrified her. If she held a gun, she'd be tempted to do exactly as Nimura suggested, herself.

Yuzuki turned, moving along the ground just to get used to the gait of the Mindy, which she was finding she did not have to compensate for, as she would have compensated for the Daisy's bulk, and took the few steps toward Rolf and away from Nimura.

"We aren't using Melisson," she stated, but that was the only explination she gave. "Go explain, verbally, to the bridge why we're dressed out like this. Tell them, we're keeping our memories to ourselves unless it's an absolute necessity. We're going back to the Bay."

Nyton said:

Nyton raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled a little. "Definitely. Make all non-sensitive files that are not connected to sensitive data readily available for transmission. We are simply trying to be secure not evasive." he replied.

Click to expand...

"Hai." Hinoto nodded, turned to her station and announced to Nyton: "Sir, the Mokuren has given us orders to return to their landing bay."

Meanwhile, Hoshi replied to PANTHEON.

"I have approval for the data dump. However, due to the sensitive nature of the information I have and the nature of possibly remaining hostiles (which have been known to compromise the security of PANTHEON), we would like to request a more secure mean of transmission. I have orders to return to the YSS Mokuren; may we have permission to provide Taisho Yui directly with the data?"

Tori was in her armor, and had been ready to go, but at the mention of Melisson, she'd stopped cold.

Melisson? The bitch who had caused the deaths of so many of her sisters? Nimura must have been mind-blitzed by her again or something to even suggest it.

Yuzuki was holding it all together. At least someone was. The armor idea had been a good one; a little tweaking of allowed channels and she could feel the white noise of PANTHEON deaden until it no longer surrounded her. She turned her helmeted head to check on Cho.

Cho was set in stone, eyes wide and mouth agape. It was like she was about to be hit by a tug; she just stood there staring at the door out of the Multi-Function Bay.

"Cho," Tori said, closing the distance between her and her sister. She used the loudspeaker. "Cho."

The Neko did not move. She wasn't even shivering. Just standing there.

"Cho." Tori, clad in her armor, stood almost in front of her sister, then put a gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder. "Cho."

"N-no," Cho said, then started to slump. Tori caught her against her chest. "No more fighting ... no more, OK?" Her voice was tiny. "Onee-san said it was all over ... no more, OK?"

"Uwah!" Rolf ripped his helmet off, giving Yuzuki a look of surprised and utter relief. "Fuckin' hell, Yuzu, don't give no scares like that! Shit! That kind bat-shit thinkin' I cn'expect from Nimura, usin' Melisson, but you? Even I think 'dat far."

The Malifarian put his face into his armored palm, with his helmet wrapped under the other. He honestly seemed relieved, if not slightly disappointed at the sudden resolution. With a sigh, he took to walking past the two of them, and slight gaunt in his expression. Still, Yuzuki was a Heisho, and as long as she wasn't defying the mandates set by the Shosa, he was entitled to follow her lead. It seemed he was going to be making a trip up to the bridge.

"I'd put those pieces up if y'ain't gunna use'm, otha'wise y'juss' gunna make y'self antsy. If we ain't 'causin' trouble, we don' need t'hold on t'it." said Rolf, walking his way up the hall. He made a half turn, looking back at them as he stepped sideways. "B'sides. Ya'usin' a Mindy." He patted down the forearms of his armor. "Y'don't need guns."

"I understand that you want to update your security before dumping the data," Yui replied (over the network) to Hoshi, "That is reasonable, especially since the ship's codes are so outdated. I will have Shosho Hanako rendezvous with the Hoshi to hand-transfer a physical encryption key to your system to facilitate secure data transfer. She is already here at Nataria. I will also have her physically connect your ships so that the data can be sent without transmitting it through space."

- - -

@Mokuren Bridge

Yui nodded in return to the ship captains. "It has been a long time and I know it could not have been easy," she told Kotori. "Let me be the first to welcome you back to Yamatai. A lot has changed since you set off on your mission. You've seen some of it already. Although the UOC has recently fallen to the NMX, the moral values of the UOC have been absorbed to make the YSE a better place...and we are striving to uphold high values even in the midst of this war. I invite you and your crew to continue your service of defending the empire and its people...we will be visiting ships with information and enlistment contracts. If you need some time to think things over, that is alright." Yui grabbed a fine Yamataian bottle of wine from a nearby yeoman. "I brought you something from home. How long of a shore leave do you want before you return to duty? You have earned...well, a great deal...and of course I'll want to recognize your crew publicly."

Wine. It seemed very much like a Yamataian officer of the old school to offer wine as a congratulatory gift. Yukari remembered officers from previous posts procuring wine for such occasions.

However, it made her blink. Wine. At a time like this. There was more to do! The NMX fleets near the galactic center were ripe for attack; now was the moment to strike. Eve's safehouses needed destroying; Melisson needed to be processed. This was no time to imbibe.

Yukari kept her face blank and her eyes forward. Kotori knew everything she did. She knew the stakes. The thoughts helped keep her calm.

@Hoshi:

Hoshi acknowledged Yui's proposition, finding it more than satisfactory. Hinoto herself made a sigh of relief and turned a slight smile Nyton's way. "We can rendez-vous with Ketsurui Hanako-Shosho's ship, the YSS Eucharis, to receive an update to our security codes and upload our data through physical lines."

"I'll bring us to Mokuren to allow the Taisa to embark in the meantime that Eucharis reaches the rendezvous point."

@Mokuren's bridge:

"I would love to have the luxury to wind down," Kotori returned with a polite nod of her head. "But - with respect, Taisho-sama - I believe we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves."

"There are things on Hoshi that I need to show you. I had her out on recon for this battle, but I ordered her back to one of the Mokuren's landing bay. Would it be possible to continue our discussion aboard her?"