RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Part 2: The Fight For The Lost

"Westwood-Hei, I order you to shut up!" Hinoto snapped over the comm line. "...and if you want to sulk, we do not want to know about it!"

Hoshi's avatar took a deep, audible breath and closed audio to resort to more neutral-sounding mental communication: "Shosa, if she wants to be 'handle with care' cargo, I say we go with it if it allows us to capture her. We're still dying down here and we can't afford being finicky."

Asher visibly jolted as Hinoto's voice erupted over the comm. As she spoke, he had whipped out his 50mm Gauss Bazooka, and was quickly spinning back and forth, pointing the gun at every corner before finally realizing what exactly had transpired. He calmed down and set aside his weapon, his external speakers and out-ward communications turning mute.

The pilot simply crossed his arms, and awaited further orders, whatever he was saying in his helmet, quite unhearable. If he was even speaking. Which he could've been doing, but it was hard to tell, since no one could hear him. That was something to think about it.

If a man talks inside a helmet, n'no one cn'ear'm. Is 'ee makin'a sound?

Nyton listened solemnly, still breathing heavily while trying to move his exhausted body. Finally after what seemed like forever he managed to find enough life in him to roll himself over and move. It was as though Arethusa felt the same because floating back up seemed to take a little bit longer than usual. The Armor locked Nyton's leg in place to reduce the pain of movement being inflicted to it. Nodal material held the wound to his right shoulder area together to staunch the bleeding where he had been bitten. There was little he could do for his face so he refrained from moving his jaw.

It was difficult though because Nyton still had a lot to say. The death of the Umbral had left much on his mind that he had wanted to say to it. Much had been unsaid because of the battle. Now the being was dead and there was no way to convey it. Except perhaps to it's representative.

The argument between Yukari and Asher was only partially heard at times. Then there was whatever terms Yukari gave to Melisson. It was obvious that once again Yukari was showing mercy, a trait that he still had trouble with. Part of him did not argue with the notion. After all he could always learn. However there was still matters that needed air if and when the time came for it.

"Shosa, I have no issue with taking Melisson alive and as much as I want to kill her we probably need her alive to call off her forces from the ship. I leave her disposal to the Taisa. I however don't trust her nor do I think she deserves to keep any of her limbs while she is our prisoner. However, all that aside, I don't care what promises of live capture you made to her, I am not through with her. She still owes me that much." Nyton telepathically messaged to Yukari while floating closer to where she stood near Melisson. If telepathic communication had any ability to convey feelings then his conveyed the cold emotionless voice from his mind.

Before Yukari could even reply though Nyton was already looking directly at Melisson with his one good eye and glaring daggers at her through his helmet. "Mefpralphra may be dead but there is still a lot to be said, Mel. Your life is Kotori's to take not mine. Before she passes whatever judgment though, understand this: we are not done yet." he telepathically messaged to Melisson, the phasing interdiction field well active along with his plasma rifle aimed at her face.

Yukari narrowed her eyes as she focused on Melisson. The "counteroffer" sounded more like the indignant words of an ignorant foe, but Yukari was sure the demon meant them. There is but one of her. We are a legion she cannot cow to her will. She was about to respond when Nyton telepathically spoke to her.

She listened. Her breathing was slow by the end of his words, but she did not face him, even with the plasma rifle she heard clicked toward Melisson. Instead, she brought her arms forward, biting back the urge to recoil in disgust, and picked up Melisson in her arms. The demon, after all, did not appear to be able to move on her own.

Once Melisson was held, her shield haltingly turned to cover as much of the demon's body as possible, even to the detriment of her leg. Her armor made an electronic groan near her right elbow joint; it was not happy to take on the extra weight, but it held. She did not look at Melisson, but Nyton.

"Nyton Claymere-Taii, you and she are 'done' as long as I am alive and she is under arrest. I am your superior. My terms are binding, and she has accepted them." The dismissive nature of her words obviously were purposeful, as was her forceful tone. "You can discuss this when we are safe."

Her eyes went to Asher. "Asher Westwood-Hei, you will cover our aft. Yuzuki-san, please take point." She glanced down at Melisson, gritting her teeth as her elbow and chest burned from the pressure her weight added. Her visor remained up. "How can we safely exit this place without drawing more hostiles?"

Asher's Shikamaru stared at Yukari for a few moment before looking down at his chest, and pressing at the fleshy insert with his hand. He tilted his head and looked around, as if trying to find something. When his gaze seemed to rest on Mefpralphra, his head dipped silently, as if to sigh. The soldier drew out his Flamethrower and shouldered it, scanning around the room. His AIES sent a small green check-sign floating over his head, for their HUDs, to them.

Looking like a damsel in distress plucked aloft by a Knight in not-so-shining armor, Melisson held eye contact with Yukari and answered: "Your escape isn't a matter of hostiles alone. Mefpralphra's dying act was an irreversible command to the ship: the parameters of the main array have been altered beyond returning the content of the fold sphere to realspace - the fold sphere is now shrinking."

"She could not allow you to obtain the Kotori-enslaved Second Draconian Fleet," the red-haired woman explained. "So instead she's made this dimension collapse on itself, shrinking the fold sphere's boundaries until even this ship is destroyed. Right now, with every second that passes, hundreds of vessels are being obliterated from existence, and we are at the center of the trap."

* * *

Hinoto's eyes blinked wide and her hands flashed across her volumetric displays. With a clamor, Hoshi's rear hatch slammed to a close - stopping the fighting cold.

The defenders eliminated the opponents lingering still inside and Mara called Hinoto. "Hey! If the hatch is closed, they'll just bring heavy guns and blast it to pieces. We don't have any emergency shutters to replace that!"

"We're not staying, Mara!" Hinoto returned, sounding frantic. "The Infection Queen is dead. Melisson has been captured and we have to recover our people somehow. On top of that, the fold sphere holding this dimension together is shrinking with everything striking its boundaries being destroyed and I have to figure out someway of getting us out."

Mara paused, silent as she thought, and asked: "Aether. If this place was being normalized, does aether work?"

"What does it matter?!" Hoshi's avatar griped back.

"It does!" Mara snarled back, the first time she actually mustered the verve to be authoritative over her younger pale-haired sibling. "Well? Can we tap in aether?"

"...some."

"Some will have to do." Mara stalked off toward the power armor bay, leaving Masako to supervise those whom were holding the fort, now given a reprieve by the closed hatch.

If ever there was a time Nyton wished he could show belligerence it was now. But now was not the time. Mefpralphra had left behind a trap to destroy her vanquishers. They had to escape but there was little time to do it. He had to remain professional despite his pain. He told himself that Yukari was just as revolted by the situation as he was.

Ignore me if you wish, Mel. I will be watching you.

"Very well Shosa. Where do you want me?"

There were urgent matters at hand now. Unfortunately he would be of little use in a fight given his condition. His Yamataian body could not regenerate fast enough and he was still in agonizing pain but he bottled it up into a steady grimace. Holding his plasma rifle up and at the ready he tried to put forth some semblance of ability.

"Nakamura, get everyone gathered up and ready to move. We are evacuating along with one prisoner." Nyton radio'd ahead to Kai and the others who had remained with him.

Yukari blankly stared at Melisson, stunned into disbelief. No. To come so far! ...

"S-shimatta ... SHIMATTA!" Yukari swore, eyes suddenly tearing. NO! she thought. All this way! They cannot all die now, they CANNOT!

She turned hard in one direction, head sweeping one way as if to find a way out. Her eyes were wide and wild, suddenly realizing how close they were to failing the people who mattered at that moment. She then pivoted off her left foot, ready to turn through Melisson's room, only to feel her leg give out behind her. She fell to a kneeling position on just her right knee, grinding her teeth together at the brilliantly forceful pain that shot up from her thigh, as if it were about to snap in half.

The fall jostled Melisson some, but she held onto her, body shivering. She was trying to compensate for the pain, to think her way through it, but her own OS told her how low on energy she was. More pain compensation would drain her further.

She tried to stand, but her armor simply floated her up to her feet. Melisson could not hear her, but she saw Yamataian words snarled through Yukari's visor.

Part of her mind told her, bluntly, that crying would not help. She had to move. They had to move. Had to get off the ship. Had to save themselves at least. Had to save the Miharu crew. Had to. Had to move!

She visibly breathed, looking up again, but with her visor down. "We must move," she sent to everyone, not wanting to use the radio. "We collect our fellow crewmembers. Claymere, you might have to carry someone."

"Hinoto-san, we will be returning to you as quickly as possible," she said over the radio, voice just a little unsteady.

Kai perked up to the sudden sound of Nyton's voice directly contacting him, after the over-tired Nimura failed to respond to his earlier question. Deciding himself, the Yamataian moved over to Kyou, and gripped the spike, pulling it out as swiftly as he could to minimize the duration of the probable pain from it.

"Nimura, would you like some assistance? it won't be comfortable, but I can Carry you." he asked the sprite, before responding to Nyton.
"Acknowledged, Claymere-Taii. COuld I have Gunshin-Hei's armor set to self-propulsion? she seems to still be paralyzed."

Kai thought about what was left for him to do, and remembered Rin just outside of the chamber. "Claymere-Taii, is anybody capable of carrying Rin?" he asked, finally.

With a vicious sound the spike left Kyou's body, letting her Daisy pour in healing blood into the thin but deep wound.

Nimura's reply was a curt: "I can still fly."

* * *

The five whom had confronted Mefpralphra retraced their steps into Melisson's room when Hinoto suddenly told them: "Black Knights, hold position! Stand by!"

That at first was slightly startling considering the urgency of the situation. Then Hinoto was away from her console and couldn't be contacted anymore.

"I guess this gives you the time to plunder my room," Melisson noted sourly. After an eyeblink she made a small gesture toward where her babydoll dresses hung and added: "I'm naked. Can you get me one of these?"

* * *

Hinoto rushed out of the bridge in a mix of sprinting and flying before she arrived into the port armor bay.

There, she say the discarded Daisy armor Mara had worn during the defensive effort, bloody and inanimate on the floor. Mara - her body covered with wounds - was inserting herself into a Mindy II which had its usual durandium armor replaced with Yamataiaum plating; a shield module and extra leg capacitors had been added as well.

Hinoto stalked closer. "Mara, what are you up to?!"

"You should be on the bridge, preparing to disconnect Hoshi," Mara returned in a no-nonsense fashion, her sandy blonde hair swaying as the Mindy secured itself around her torso and shoulders.

"Answer me!"

"We're at the very base of a third of the flagship's main array. A sufficiently powerful explosion should be able to disable it," As she spoke her power armored body briskly disengaged itself from its support frame.

"You won't be able to lead a team out and plant some explosives inside the flagship!" Hinoto angrily argued back. "We don't have enough ammunition for this. Besides, it'd be suicide to go out now!"

Not stopping for an heartbeat, Mara walked toward the other discarded MCAS power armors and took in hand one of the Meni-Custom saber rifles before securing it on one of her shoulder racks... and then the other. "We have the aether generator in Miharu's starboard wingpod. Nao and Suzume assured me that - with its scalar shielding damaged - it should be able to make a powerful bomb if aether worked."

Hinoto froze. There was no way they could make that happen remotely with the time and resources they had at their disposal. "No way..." she breathed out.

Mara's eyes hardened and she seized her Mindy's helmet from the scaffolding. "Someone is going to have to get out, reach the aether generator, and hold it until Hoshi is a safe distance away - then activate it. With a third of the assembly gone, it won't be able to hold the fold sphere and everything in it will be spewed out into realspace. I doubt the flagship itself will survive having its two other reality-bending claws suddenly go out of control while working at full-power."

Nyton exhaled slowly and acknowledged Yukari's suggestion. It was not just a possibility but more likely a certainty. With the battle over it was becoming harder to keep his injuries in check. Floating along he had given up attempting to walk although Yukari's sudden drop took him by surprise. With another exhale Nyton looked around at the remaining team members.

"Yes Nakamura. However we just received word from Hinoto to hold our position. You may need to move towards us. Stand by." Nyton painfully replied, a few grunts of pain audible in the response.

Upon transmission Nyton then began to send command codes to Kyou's DAISY. Basic life saver protocols tried to activate and the most basic of floating movements was initiated. The Armor kept Kyou laying prone and could only move very slowly. If she were to be extracted faster she would have to be towed or carried.

With a bit of a pained swallow Nyton then looked at Yukari. "Shosa, I am not going to be of much in a fight. Despite my earlier contentions I would probably be more useful carrying Melisson. While she states that she is our willing prisoner I do not trust her. My phasing interdiction field can prevent her from some mischief so I may as well be the one to carry her. The last thing we need is for her to merge insects inside you if should I move out of range."

Melisson's request was not Nyton's to attend. Nor was their present situation. Whatever it was Yukari wanted to do, plunder, destroy, or comply with the request for clothing, he simply waited for her word. At the same time AIES continued to monitor Melisson's condition and state of healing. He wanted to be sure she was not hiding more strength than she let on.

Tom remained by Yukari's side as she moved. He simply wanted to be close to her. When she fell to one knee, he moved to help her up, but she was already lifted by her armor.

A lot of the telepathic chatter going on was lost to him; he was not the recipient of some of it, making the conversations somewhat difficult to understand.

"Shosa," he said, his voice carrying the concern he felt inside. "It may be prudent to let someone else carry Melisson and let me support you."

"Shosa," he said, his voice carrying the concern he felt inside. "It may be prudent to let someone else carry Melisson and let me support you."

Click to expand...

Despite already being assigned the rear Asher's AIES pinged everyone else with a green symbol over his head of a stick-man giving another a corpsman's carry. He squatted his legs twice and then shakily curled his broken arm upward, and then swiveled his flamethrower around on an arc. It was all to show that he could support weight, hold something on his shoulder, and properly hand his weapon all at the same time.

That, or he was offering himself to carry someone.

Nyton witnessed Asher's gyrations and drew the conclusion that he had decided not to speak per the previous direct order.

"Great idea, Westwood. Maybe you can carry Rin once we collect her." Nyton suggested over the radio.

Yuzuki, who had taken a position nearest the exit to Melisson's room as point, took another look at her surroundings. She had her back to them all, but that didn't matter. Skin vision, and all that.

The models. The terminal. The bed with the curtains, and the cage and the corpses. Yuzuki had wanted to blow them all to smithereens - still did.

She had wanted to smash the delicately crafted models to bits, set the terminal on fire, and crush the messy bed with the curtains into kindling. Now it felt stupid and juvinile; if she had wasted her ammunition on this room, even if she had been satisfied by its destruction they all would have died. The margin for error had been non-existant. Now it really didn't matter - everything was going to be destroyed by collapsing space, anyway.

Peevishly, however, Yuzuki still begrudged Melisson this place. Why should it be left in tact, with all civility, when the Miharu was so much scrap metal? Why did Melisson get to take along anything from this place - even clothing?

The firefight just outside of the medical center seemed to pause and slow down. The defenders continued to mow down what invaders had filled the hall just before the doors were sealed. Now however with the enemy's numbers no longer replenishing they dwindled until finally coming to a halt. For Masako and the defenders it was like some sort of miracle. A brief eye of the storm.

They could not stop being vigilant since they knew the doors were only a temporary reprieve. Just what was the purpose of sealing the doors though? Hadn't the Black Knights won? What happens next? Why were the enemy still attacking? Some even speculated that it was nothing like the video games where defeating the final boss achieved victory over all.

The medical center meanwhile was still locked in mortal combat for the lives of grievously wounded crew. After having a harrowing removal of Shizuka from her wrecked DAISY Ayumu called for more hemosynth.

"We're running out of fluid! There's just not enough left and we can't process more from the ship fast enough!" cried out a conscript sprite nurse.

"Then cut open the wrecked DAISY's! There has to be fluid left inside some of the inserts!" Ayumu ordered. Right now there was probably enough hemosynth on the floor to pour out a few more gallons.

As the medics tirelessly worked Akiko leaned against the dead Elite Mishhu that had been moved to provide shelter for Kotori's hemosynth tube. She was tired too and her leg hurt so leaning on it let her take some weight off of it. The whole time though she wondered began to wonder if they were going to survive.

Mommy, I wanna go home. I wanna go home with onee-chan. I don't care how messy you let home get. I'll clean it every day if I have to. I just wanna go home! Akiko thought sadly as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Yukari was glad her wails were not carried over via telepathy. She shook her head, and as a Neko should, she started to process. Her breathing still came in short, sobbing gasps while she forced herself to calm down, calm down ... calm down.

Hinoto told them to stand by, so they would. Hinoto had a plan, she thought; Hinoto always had plans somewhere below her snowy white hair. Snow led to Tom, which only led to feelings she could not embrace, not then. She already had made a crucial mistake, becoming so emotional over the loss of so many of her comrades. So many of her sisters.

Claymere first, she thought. Though she believed he could control himself enough to carry Melisson without assaulting her, Yukari decided not to give her up. She placed Melisson under arrest; the demon was her responsibility, now. Despite her wounds.

The same went for Tom, but she sent back to him, just him. "My lover," she said. " ... Stay near me. Please." The request felt insufficient; she truly did want to drop Melisson on her butt and be held by Tom, arms around his neck. His presence, however, was what she could afford.

Asher appeared ready to handle someone. Possibly Rin. That satisfied her.

"Yuzuki," she said. "Please retrieve one of the dresses. Do not destroy the room."

Yukari could sense the young Neko's agitation about something, but not what.

Yuzuki gave Yukari a long look, unsure if she had heard correctly. She had to? Well, Fine. Yuzuki lowered her rifle, walked to the dresses, snatched one from the numerous, and carried it in a gauntleted fist back to Yukari and the Demon.

She thrust it forward without ceremony, eying the enemy distrustfully and with a loathing so strong that it was but thinly concealed by the physical visor.

So many of her sisters dead; so many real people dead; her ship destroyed; her life, and the lives of everyone on board, and the lives of all the people Melisson had ever come into contact with, and the lives of the people in the fleet that hitherto Yuzuki hadn't really cared about - all those that were gone and had suffered for these things to exist in this place at this time so this demon could enjoy common courtesy like regular prisoners.

It just wasn't fair.

Asher spotted Yuzuki going for one of the dresses on the rack. His head tracked her stride to receive the garment before he seemed to realize what was going on. That was a fresh, cleaner dress. That didn't belong on his owner. That belonged on his head! He unsecured the knot on his own spoil, and then draped it over his flamethrower to reveal it to the rest of them. His free hand went to secure the panties on his helmet, ensuring that they were still secured in their Hentai-Kamen style.

An arrow pinged on their AIES, pointing at the damaged dress. Though, with the way Asher's hand flowed by the presented item, it wasn't damaged at all! No! In fact, those weren't black, charred marks at all! They were simply... Black polka-dots! Why, who would be caught dead wearing a clean-looking whitish dress, when they could wear one that had burn mark polka-dots and a few holes in it?

Melisson stretched out an hand to accept the dress, though since Yukari was holding her she contented herself with covering herself with it rather than slipping it on. She seemed not at all aware of Asher's HUD-related antics. "Thank you."

* * *

"You can't!" Hinoto came forward, hands gripping at the collar of Mara's Daisy. "You'll die, Mara! There has to be another way."

Mara returned a pained look, her expression resolute. Gauntleted hands came up and gently pried Hinoto's hands off. "I don't have time to argue with you, Hinoto. It's the only way we can think up right now, the only one we have.."

"No..." Hinoto moaned, shaking her head in denial, her voice choking. "I don't want this! Who will tease me if you're gone? I need you! you're the eldest, the others need you! Tom, Yukari and Miyoko... they all like you! It's not because Miharu was destroyed that you have to chose to die too!"

"Hinoto!" Mara took hold of the paler nekovalkyrja's shoulders. "I can't afford having you crumble apart like this." By that point, Hinoto was sobbing disconsolately. Mara gave her shoulders a little shake. "So... you need to have your wits about you! You're clever, find a way from here to rescue them! You're the little sly one; you'll find a way. I'll give you that chance, but it'll be up to you now."

Then, Mara let go... and put her helmet on before she headed for the rear hatch.

Through her sobs, Hinoto cried: "What should I tell them?!"

Mara did not slow down, but her loudspeakers carried her voice back to Hinoto. "Tell them that I died as I lived. Tell them to be proud of me."

* * *

Mara got to the rear hatch, where the remains of the defenders waited. Clamors and explosions had been heard from the other side of the hatch and it was only a matter of time before it ceded under the assault.

"Listen up," Mara called them out. "Disabling the mishhu ship's main array is the only way Hoshi can escape in one piece, and for that someone has to stay behind and activate the main hull's last aether generator. That someone is me."

Sternly, she added: "No questions, no arguments. What I need from you is to cover the hatch and clear a path out for me. Once I'm through, the hatch closes, and I'll make sure you're home free."

* * *

Despite her grief, Hinoto made good time back to the bridge, though she was still sobbing. She had tried to compose herself, to wipe her tears dry, but they just kept on coming.

She sat. Volumetric displays appeared, displays she had no heart to look at. She did anyways, fingers making a fluttering dance in the air.

"Hinoto, I'm going to need the hatch open soon," Mara transmitted to her. Hinoto gave a mute nod, sending acknowledgment of her reception of the message, but no reply. Her chest felt too tight - she couldn't find any words that she could credibly say that would save Mara from the course she had chosen.

She eyed the schematics of the SMX Flagship, the lines initially blurry and then clearer when she blinked away the tears in her eyes. She took a bracing breath and reopened communication with Yukari's group.

"Black Knights," Hinoto started, and didn't hide the tears in her voice. "We have a solution for the diminishing fold sphere and will now proceed to your extraction. Regroup at the observation room and prepare to return to the elevator you previously used. Hoshi will make pick-up at the neighboring shuttlebay."