Yukari tried to stay out of the way of the other armored personnel, who were many and moving. She saw Asher, jubilant at the opportunity to wreak havoc on any unsuspecting (or fully aware) enemy combatants. Tom ran ahead of her, calling for a Daisy. Nyton flew up above her as she moved along the wall. Everyone was rushing, rushing. The Mishhu could be on top of them at any moment.
Another armored crewmember dashed past her, nicking her shoulder with one of the dull, roundish shoulder spikes. She winced, but kept floating forward until she reached the armor bay.
Her eyes swept across the chaos. Munitions scattered across the polished floors, some loaded into magazines, others belonging to weapons or vessels they no longer had. She saw Rin — poor Rin — sealed into her armor. Tom, too. Everyone was preparing for war.
Yuzuki already was there.
She saw the Neko inside her Daisy armor, clutching an
APR so tightly in her hands the armored fingers looked like they might crunch the rifle into scrap.
Yukari remembered that urge. From not too long ago.
She gathered herself as she floated in front of Yuzuki. She brought her free hand up and grasped the armored Nekovalkyrja by the helmet, staring right into the spot where Yuzuki's eyes were behind the helmet. She did not speak, but she steeled her face.
"Miharu-san's death means nothing if we do not succeed," she sent.
"Harness the lust, but do not let it consume you! We no longer are mere weapons who serve at the pleasure of our human masters! Do you understand? We are the future of Yamatai, and we must live to see it!"
She smacked the side of the Neko's helmet.
"Wakarimashitaka?!"
Yukari stared down Yuzuki for a few seconds more, eyes burning green, before stiffly nodding and turning away from her. She went to the armor racks.
She started to strip before the one she imagined was for her. She remembered the
Harpy had a similar package, though without the sensor unit on the back.
M6-1C SAS ... Yukari got out of her clothes and ordered the armor to open. It did.
Her body welcomed the slimy feel for once, especially when the massaging started. She locked the helmet over her head and let the sensors come online. The tachyon unit she kept off; no sense in telling the entire enemy force where they were. Brief blips would do if needed.
Her helmet screen came up and she inspected her surroundings. "All armored personnel, status!" She began linking up with each one, too, acting as a hub for their AIES to use her armor's better sensors. She unharnessed herself and easily floated off the ground. There was no time to worry about the thinner armor of her sensor pack; she would have to be good about protecting herself.
She had capacitors on her legs. Her shield, when raised, was vertical with her body. The longer LASR mags, two of them, were attached to the back of the shield. She snapped up a LASR Mk. II and hooked it to her back.
She scanned for other weapons and landed on just the thing. She picked up the
pistol for her primary weapon. Extra magazines she stuffed in her right-side thigh chamber. A little tape and her revolver, and its extra load of rounds, was placed where a butt pack normally would go. Hand-held grenades already were loaded into the left thigh compartment.
Yukari was ready.
