RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Part 1: Amaya's Gate

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton gave Kotori a faint smile before putting his arms around her. He could feel her increased warmth while he looked into her eyes as deeply as he could. He was focused on her while ignoring the dull pain still clinging to his side. "Kotori, this wasn't your fault and you did not kill her. Your plan had it's fair share of risks on all ends. There was nothing more you could have done for her." he said before bringing himself closer so that he could whisper into her ear.

"She gave everything so that we could have our chance. It's okay though. You don't have to hold it in." Nyton told Kotori. When Yukari arrived he paused to look at her.

Yukari's visor still glowed in front of her eyes, so the Taisa could not see them. Her lips were tight, as if holding back. As she knelt down next to her and Nyton, though, she let her visor peel back around to her headset, revealing lightless green orbs surrounded by red cracks. Her face softened. She only looked into Kotori's eyes for a second before speaking to Nyton.

"Taii-san, help the Taisa to the medical lab, and ensure her vitals are examined by Ashitaka-Heisho." Her eyes met Kotori's again for another second, followed by another tight smile before she rose back to her feet and faced the damaged main screen.

Click to expand...

With that Nyton then looked again at Kotori. "The Shosa is right, you should get looked at. You're feeling much warmer than normal and even my thermal vision reads your temperature higher than normal." he then said, pulling back a little to give Kotori some space. "Come, I'll support you." he continued, offering her his arms in any way she needed.


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Akiko was sitting in the kitchen area, going between cringing in fear from the shaking of the ship to cooking food to keep her mind occupied. Shizuka was still away trying to chase some revenge thing she did not understand and it made her really nervous. She was not used to being apart from her older sister for very long periods of time. Then she got the message from Tom and was barely able to reply in time.

"H-hai, F-F-Freeman....J-Juni!" Akiko stammered. The message had been sent to both of them though so perhaps Shizuka would return soon?

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Hai!" Ichigo answered Tom and left, ordering two of the other armored tech sentries along with her to get the coolant canisters out from storage.

"Deploying Yamataium Regenerative Repair Drones," Miharu shortly confirmed to Tom as the disc-like mobile pods shot out of the slit-like launcher behind Miharu's rollbar and underneath Hoshi. As the drones swarmed over the ship's armor to begin repairs, Miharu added: "Level 3 systems diagnostic engaged. Level 2 diagnostic on weaponry, heatsinks and computer hardware. Stand by."

* * *

Kotori's eyes opened, initially glaring at both her bridge officers for trying to send her off to the medlab. She was about to snap at them when Miyoko left of an unusually optimistic note.

That diffused the Taisa's spark of anger somewhat. She made of long sigh and then shook her head. "No, I'm not going. It's unlikely Sanjuro will tell me anything I don't already know; and unlike Saito Miyoko, he's been kept in the dark about what I am anyways. Even if there are hazards involved it's not like I can just stop at this juncture anyways."

Kotori straightened in her seat some. "The both of you - as well as Saito-Heisho - have far better reasons to have yourselves checked up in the medlab. In fact, taking advantage of the lull to take a new ST backup might not be a bad idea. My console is still mostly intact, so, I'll monitor things from here."

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Cancel that," Masako suddenly sent to Nimura as she sent an image of the reactor chamber interior to Tsuya and Nimura. "I'll send a grenade into the center of the neko group to pin them down. Yamada-hei, I want a barrage on the nekomachina. Nimura-hei, support Yamada-hei, but be careful of the reactors. We don't want to kill ourselves along with the enemy." the young Warrant Officer sent a quick string of orders to her charges with superimposed icons onto the image before storming the chamber.

Having already seen an image of the room, Masako raised her LASR and aimed her SLAG in a way to send her grenade in the midst of nekovalkyrja. Statisfied with her aim, the young Neko unleashed a SLEX round moments before she brought up her shield. Crouching down off to the side of the entrance, she began to fire quick bursts of LASR fire at the group.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Yukari frowned. Tom was on his way here, and she was being sent away?

She did not want to accept the Taisa's tough-as-nails bravado routine, but then, Miyoko had seen right through her own. The Taisa's voice was steady, and she sounded as if she was able to maintain command.

Turning around to look at her, Yukari reasoned the glare she received was all the evidence she needed.

"Yes, Taisa," she said, dipping down in a stiff bow before exiting the bridge. She knew an order when she heard one.

Off the bridge, she saw Miyoko's back getting farther away from her, about to round the corner to the medical lab. She did not pursue the violet-haired Yamataian; the reassurance Miyoko gave her would cheapened by whatever bumbling words Yukari tried to offer her. No, she thought, she was going to go to the Main Passageway and wait for her beloved to come to her.

Such a passive choice made her head stall. Her hand went down to her revolver, lightly adjusting the holster on her thigh as she walked. Being a commander ... was it always about being active? It felt that way. Like a power rush after exercising.

She had nearly sentenced the entire crew to die. Was it the power that made her choose that way?

Yukari knew that was not the case, even if it made her feel guilty to think she had become drunk with authority. She wanted the guilt to justify never being allowed again to take command. Nyton was much more tactically minded; why not let him have it?

It had been just as Kotori said. She was too "honorable."

She realized she was gripping the butt of her revolver. Yukari stopped, instead merely resting her hand on top of it. Honorable? she thought. I sense no honor in my actions — Kotori-sama. You died. I failed. There is no honor in failing a loved one.

Yukari relaxed her jaw, then forced herself to look up and wrench her mind back from the edge of despair. Too much was at stake. Even if she failed Kotori, she would not fail the others. Especially the Taisa.

Most of her focusing rituals, if they could be called that, used firearms as a starting point. She would picture herself in front of a target, breathe, narrow her eyes, then zang! She would draw and fire. Repeating this in her head was her own way of clearing her mind of clutter; the Neko OS could always forcibly purge unwanted data and input, but her method made more tangible sense to her.

As she neared the lip of the Main Passageway, she tried music, instead. Notes on the koto panged in her ears. She rarely composed her own works, preferring to play things already deemed beautiful, but her thoughts lingered on Kotori, on the time she played for her on the bridge of the Sakura. She smiled at the memory, and kept arranging notes. Something a little bittersweet, but with a happy ending. Densetsu no Kotori.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton took a breath and stood up. With a nod he returned to his normal demeanor. "Very well your highness. I will get my injuries looked at." he said, placing a hand on his side where the metal had pierced him. With that he quickly bowed, acknowledged all those coming and going, and rushed to the medlab. If anything this injury, with the pain for now under control, was not about to slow him down. He would go so far as to punch any doctor who even dared recommend he stay out of the fight now. There was too much at stake now.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Tom was briskly rising through the main passageway to reach the main deck and then head for Hoshi's bridge, just missing Miyoko's own rise to the upper deck. He looked ahead with a steely expression, his armored figure with his helmet removed and held to the side giving him a rather knightly appearance.

There were so many things to think about right now. The ship, the crew, the now-deceased NH-23, the enemy. It was stressful enough just trying to give everything the proper attention it deserved.

Usually the mathematical side of his brain would take over in cases like this, prioritizing and dividing as necessary the tasks in order of importance. It was the way an engineer had to think, lest he be bogged down in the minutiae of his tasks.

But Yukari was not minutiae. She was his equal.

So, when he encountered her in the corridor just outside the main passageway, his plans came to a halt.

"Shosa," he said with a bow. "Diagnostics and repairs are underway. I was just on my way to the bridge... to fix the..."

He voice died down, and he stood straight, locking onto her with a concerned, pained look in his eyes. Why was she smiling?

"Yukari, are... you ok?"

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Yukari looked up. Tom was just at the ledge, his blue-grey armor and mashed blond hair painting an amusing picture of her knight from the snow.

She kept smiling. "I was composing music in my mind. Koto music." Yukari did not say for whom she was composing. Her smile faded, her expression chilled. "Carry on with your duties, Juni. The Taisa will be glad to see you."

The Shosa paused, then — with a little anti-gravity assistance — she rose up and kissed him full on his mouth. It lasted for a pair of seconds, her lips pressed just hard enough against his own, then she was gone, floating toward the upper deck.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

With most everybody participating in the battle in some form, the ship was oddly quiet. For Miyoko, it was sort of a throwback to the first mission or two, when the crew had only been a fraction as large as it was now. Similarly, pickings in the kitchen were scarce, since preparing for lunch hadn't exactly been anybody's top concern when going into the battle.

It struck Miyoko as a little absurd for her to be doing something so prosaic as sneaking around the kitchen looking for a snack during what could be one of the most important battles in her lifetime, but that was life. Ten minutes ago, she'd been fighting desperately for her life and watching a clone of her commander lose her own; at the moment, she was deciding which form of dessert was best. Indeed did many things come to pass.

Besides, she was vaguely familiar with an adage that old veterans liked to throw out about how one should never pass up a chance to eat during a war. Or maybe that was a chance to sleep. Or both. She'd heard a few variants on it. The point, she was certain, was that there weren't many more productive options available to her, and who knew when she'd get another chance to have lunch. Might as well eat while she had the chance.

A few minutes of searching scored Miyoko some onigiri, and she made a small pile of them on a plate, then carried it out toward the bridge, already chewing one as she walked.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Tom was... confused by the actions of his lover, but he enjoyed the kiss. His eyes tracked her movements in the air before, with a shake of his head, the engineer reconnected with his surroundings.

He couldn't help but think that there was something... amiss. But she was gone, and the urgent matters before him pressed back into his mind.

His pace picked up on his way to the bridge.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

The scene awaiting Tom on the bridge was a shocking one. His memories of Hoshi's command center had always been a clean, utilitarian work environment and yet made sleeker with the digital touch interfaces and the blue-gray shine of the metal bulkheads.

Now, he saw it as it was after the Black Mindy's brief rampage: The walls scorched and even cratered in places where the mini-missiles had struck. Soot trained the floor, with metal shrapnel mascarading as shiny dirt alongside glinting glass-like shards expulsed from the now cracked consoles. The cushions on the seats were pierced and torn by the scattered debris. The laminated glass of the main viewscreen was dark, and spider-webbed with cracks.

More marking where the exposed structural struts of the bridge's ceiling, where part of the life support - a ventilation system - had taken a plunge down to finally hang from a twisted bit of durandium. A couple of cables also joined in, though thankfully the power to them had been cut and they no longer posed an hazard.

He had expected this. He had had small peeks before. But seeing it like this was different.

In the center of the storm, Kotori sat at her station, leaning back into her battered seat. She was wrapped only in the old, stained yukata she had worn on the morning of Miharu's first battle at Taiie.

The Taisa turned her head to look at the chief engineer, looking feverish. Despite that, she managed a smile. "Tom," she said warmly, only using his name to convey both her welcome and her appreciation.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton hurried into the medical center with the intent of getting out of there before he arrived. He saw two nurses treating the injured sprite from the Black Mindy attack. Nyton began looking for pain killers and disinfectant among the medical supplies without even waiting for a doctor. "Excuse me, Taii, what are you doing? If you need treatment then wait for one of us to get to you." said Ayumu as she approached him.

Nyton almost glared at her but just gave her a grim look instead. "I need to get back to the bridge now. Can you do something about this quickly? I had a chunk of metal jammed through my side and it was lightly treated with some hemosynthetic fluid."

Ayumu quickly looked at the injury and went a little wide eyed. "What the hell are you doing still on your feet?" she said before turning around to call out. "Sanjuro-Heisho! You need to have a look at this!" Ayumu said loudly.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

The doctor was already upon the small group as soon as Nyton explained his condition, silently sliding his way between them and nearly knocking Ayumu over as he abruptly placed his palms against Nyton's back to closely examine the wound. Sanjuro Ashitaka's eyes narrowed onto the afflicted area, his mouth curling into a grimace. "This wound...was not properly treated," the medical officer said venomously. This work is amateur... most likely Saito-Heisho's handiwork. The doctor delicately moved the skin around the wound a centimeter or two, watching the hemosynthetic skin contort slightly as he made his assessment.

"Kazuko-Hei, hand me an Orphenadrine hypodermic, and Mizuki-Hei, bring me the scan plate," Sanjuro gave orders in a stern tone as he stood back up from his hunched position. "Claymere-Taii, you need to sit down for a moment while I check the wound."

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton stifled a sigh and found the nearest open seat so that they could examine him. He was in a hurry but he mustered his patience together. "Of course it wasn't treated properly, Suzume used the hemosynth from her Armor. I don't care if it scars or hurts, I just need to be able to function. Be quick doctor, I have to get back to the bridge." he said while removing his uniform jacket and shirt to give better access to the wound.

Ayumu recovered from the sudden impact, a little peeved at Sanjuro's demeanor but still professionally calm. With an unflinching smile she went to retrieve what he called for. Azuki was still pulling bits of shrapnel from the injured sprite when she was summoned. "Ah wha? But I wasn't done-?" she said before shaking her head and putting down her tweezers. She had to remember that this patient would be alright and she could finish removing the bits of metal after doing what was ordered.

Ayumu and Azuki immediately delivered what had been asked for and stood by out of the way for further orders.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Sanjuro simply waved for the two to continue with their work as he took the instruments they retrieved for him. Before administering the painkiller, however, Sanjuro took the flat, wide tool and raised it towards Nyton's wound. After pressing a small button in the corner, the middle of the small slate turned transparent and gave Sanjuro a simple x-ray view of the afflicted area. Flipping through the small knob revealed several other views, removing the layers of skin and fat to reveal muscle, sinew and nerves. "A wound such as this needed to be treated properly, not with such a simple fix."

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Sanjuro noted the presence of 4 small burnt flakes of durandium around what he surmised had been the deepest point of the stab wound the Nepleslian had suffered. Those could, in time, prove to be medical hazards. There was, fortunately, no internal bleeding.

Unfortunately, however crude the hemosynthetic 'treatment' Nyton had received, it had also restitched the flesh together. If Sanjuro wanted to remove the metal flakes, he'd have to reopen the wound.

Nothing actually stopped Nyton from functioning for the near future. His side was probably tender and the sloppy healing would definitively leave an unsightly scar.

The nepleslian also had a collection of cuts and bruises. There were potentially small bits of metal still lodged in his skin's dermal layer.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton shifted impatiently while the doctor looked him over. "Just do what is necessary now. If anything can wait I would prefer to do that after the battle." he said.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Tom quickly accessed the damage on the bridge, his lips drawn drawn into a thin line. Worse than he had thought.

"Taisa," he said with a quick turn to face her and a bow. "Diagnostics and repairs on the ship are underway. I'm here to get the bridge into better condition."

Images of the technician crew, grim faces taxed by work and fear, flashed through his mind.

He stood stiffly after his bow, locking eyes with the Taisa. He noticed her flushed face and the glistening of her amber eyes.

"We're trying our best," he added.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Hai hai, Kurohoshi-juni!" Tsuya grinned maliciously inside her armor, bloodlust filling her - one of the few emotions she allowed herself to feel during combat - as she raised her rifle, compensating for the weight of the ammo she was about to fire and the position of the grenade launcher. She sighed in delight as the deep foomp, foomp of the two incendiary grenades being launched resonated through her armor.

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Sanjuro narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the deepest area of the wound. The shards of metal concerned him greatly, and it was a possibility that smaller fragments could have entered his bloodstream and, in the worst case scenario, his heart. Nepleslian bodies were not built as rigorously as Yamatain models... the danger of fragments of the alloy doing serious internal damage was a real possibility. However he would not be able to tell without further testing and a full-body scan.

"There are several objects still embedded in the area of the wound that I will need to remove," Sanjuro explained as he turned off the scanner plate and began to make his way to one of the long tables in the center of the medical bay. It would appear that Sanjuro's sense of duty was outweighing his sense of urgency. "Please carefully move to the operating table and lay down on your stomach."

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton shot a glare towards Sanjuro before standing up, not moving to the table. "Hold up Heisho, you need to operate? How long is that going to take?" he quickly asked.