RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 5 Prologue] A breath of fresh vacuum

Hanako frowned. "Cherry! Get rid of those ideas. If you were really only a sprite we wouldn't be having this conversation because you would have been content to work on the ship. You have not been a sprite for a long time. You are your own person and you have the power to become anything you want. Stop living in the past. Stop living as a Sakura or Asamoya refugee and start looking to the future! Stop acting emo, man up, and figure out what to do with your life. If you get out, you can start a automobile garage, or a ship repair center, or if you stay in, you can rise in rank...you're nearly a Juni now and I could see you commanding your own repair ship or a shipyard. Imagine that! The point is that the Star Army has provided you with a life full of opportunity ahead of you, and you are fully capable of living it out. You're as much of a person as any other citizen of the Empire."

Nana cringed visibly, stopping dead in her tracks and drawing her fingers through her hair. She glanced towards Yaichiro, shoulders slumping.

"Nobody has referred to me as that since I... joined my first ship." Turning to face him, she shrugged, mustering up a plastic, cornfed smile.

"I'm fine. I just don't like to participate in projects I can't contribute to." The smile faltered, replaced quickly by a look of confusion.

"I'm sorry. I do not think we've been formally introduced."

"I'm Shosa Kage Yaichiro, and have just been assigned Chief Engineer of the Eucharis...I'm your new superior. I'm also a former Sakura Crewman, but was transferred off of the ship before you came aboard. If you prefer Nana, I can use it, but I just felt it would be disrespectful to be too familiar too soon."

He softened a bit after the introduction, looking at the woman.

"Don't talk like that now...if you don't stick around to at learn things you don't yet comprehend, how can you expect to advance?

I was the defacto Chief Engineer of the Sakura when I was your rank, not due to any merit or skill, but because there was just no one else around. I knew very little myself, and the only things that could fix that were training and experience. Stick with it, and you'll learn a great deal, alright?"

"I don't find it disrespectful -- I am just Nana, after all." Again, she shrugged, dropping her hands to her sides and toying absently with the hem of her skirt. A smug little smile began to work its way across her face when he mentioned learning and advancement.

"It's not that I am unwilling to learn. It just seems that all of my work has become highly redundant and repetitive. I doubt there's much insight I could offer. I was surprised when I was assigned to change out the thermal generator and replace it with a piece of Lorath technology ... that was the only thing I've actually had to do in quite some time. You see, my specialty is maintenance, repair, things like that, and it would seem there isn't too much need for that.."

Unless I've taken it apart myself.. She thought to herself, her smile widening just a bit.

"Either way, I wonder if I am, in fact, spending a bit too much time down here. I wouldn't want to leave all of the other technicians without any work, after all."

Yaichiro nodded, having been there himself.

"I know what you mean...but it's not just an Engineer's job to perform repair and maintenance. An Engineer should also learn to optimize a system. To learn to gradually squeeze every megawatt of power without compromising the safety or the stability of the system. When you have gotten a system pushed safely to its effective limits, then you'll likely know enough about that system to come up with something better yourself. Then you start tweaking THAT system, and continue the cycle.

If you do that with enough different types of systems, maintain your studies, and keep your mind open to new ideas and new ways of doing things; your skills will steadily improve. A person who properly does maintenance and repair is certainly a welcome addition to any Engineering Crew, but those who learn to do more are more likely to thrive. It's those people who invent the next generation of technologies."

He actually gave her a small smile after that little speech, realizing how preachy he sounded.

"Of course, make sure everyone else knows what you've done with the systems, run lots of simulations and get approval before any major changes. It's not nice for one technician to find another has rewired a system when it needs repaired in mid-mission.

As for spending too much time down here...that's relative. It varies from person to person how much time they're willing to split between this and their other duties, or their personal life."

"It's not that I can't do other things. .. that would be silly. I was just saying.." Nana's voice faded into nothing as she lost her train of thought, bringing her arms to fold beneath her chest and straightening up.

"My duties are my personal life. Since the crew of the Asamoya left for the United something-or-other, I have had few pleasantries, fewer companions, and little to do but sit on my hands in my downtime. I know this.. probably isn't healthy."

Cherry actually growled a little in the back of her throat, a feral noise of hostility very unknown to her. However, her tone wasn't hostile sounding in the least, a charm of Cherry, no?

"Hanako... I am not you. Sprites are different from you. We are made with a purpose and created with forced aspects and personalities... Opinions and thoughts generated by -- In this case -- MEGAMI... And the Sakura's MEGAMI is long since gone. I've traveled, seen a lot... Heard Kessah's and everyone elses' stories... I... Want to be more, but I am not supposed to. We sprites are made just to be filler for the positions not taken by real crew, disposable like a napkin or some trash. Something used for something suicidal, so a real person wouldn't be hurt." She stopped and paused for a long moment, sighing afterwards. Raising a hand, Cherry flicked a bit of hair back. "But I don't want that. But I was made to be like that... And think like that..."

...

"... Are you going to set it up so I can leave some how or no, Hanako?"

Yaichiro gave Nana a sympathetic look.

"I know what you mean. All of my crew stayed with the UOC as well, even my daughter. One of the reasons I came to Eucharis specificly after that is because Hanako-Taisa was my original CO. The other, to be honest, was because I wanted a break from being a Battlegroup's Flag CO again. The Chusa's job is a tough one.

But we have to take something away from this. In my case, I realized that Yamatai has political and moral changes to make, and dedicated myself to trying to enact those. Humanitarian aid, writing laws, whatever can be done.

As for personal life...well, we're both lacking in that department. I still get communications from my daughter, as well as my friend and former XO, but other than that..."

He scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I've never been one for lots of personal time either. I may have to change that now and again."

The Taisa crossed her arms. "Blueberry is doing fine. Other sprites are fine as well...so it seems to me this is not a matter of being a sprite, but rather a personal problem. Though, I suppose that means I can discharge you for psychological issues."

"Daughter...?" Nana raised a single, pinkish blue brow, blinking several times.

"But you look so.... ..." Pausing, she blinked, then chuckled faintly to herself, "Nevermind. It must be nice to have a family.. and friends. I .. considered most of the Asamoya's crew to be my friends previously. But that was...."

She quickly shook her head, dropping her hands to her sides and chuckling dryly. "Nevermind. This is no time to pine for the past. I'm Na-" The pink-haired technician abruptly paused, realizing she had already introduced herself.

"...na. Um. I.. I think I need to... do.. something.." Suddenly, she seemed lost, the tips of her ears falling into a droop as she placed a single palm over her face, softly groaning. "...sorry..."

"...Anno..."

Yaichiro blinked, wondering what this sudden breakdown was.

"Um, to clarify, my daughter is an adopted sprite whose ship was destroyed. I'm not her biological father...and I guess that's enough preaching if you're tired of it, though you really should open up if something is wrong, Nana."

"Yeah? Well I bet Blueberry and the rest haven't had much time to think on it. Or fall in love with someone and need to be more... And fail." Cherry spoke in a bitter tone, although not a hostile one, and afterwards she slumped her shoulders once again. "That'd be acceptable..."

"Where will you go from here?" Hanako asked Cherry.

Cherry shrugged gently, as if helplessly. "I don't know. I don't know a thing of the universe as a whole outside... Well... The vessels I was on..." A pause, and then another shrug. "I'll figure it out."

"You know too much," Hanako told Cherry, her face even more serious now. "I am worried you might fall into the hands of the UOC or Nepleslia. Not only that, the fact that you have no plan on where to go concerns me. You need to stay here, at least until you figure out where to go. Why not finish your enlistment term and use those few months to plan your civilian life?"

Relaxing in one of the chairs, sipping a cool beverage in the Wardroom as she finished off her last pastry, Hotaru heard her PDA beep. Opening up her UNREAD List she finds the culprit. After reading the message she thinks for a few seconds before replying:

To:Santô Hei Kumiko Endoh
From: Jôtô Hei Yamamoto Hotaru

Kumiko-san, you are welcome to bunk with myself. Drop your stuff off and if you wish to meet up, I am currently in the Wardroom.

Hotaru

Click to expand...

After sending the reply, Hotaru decides to try looking up Kumiko on her PDA. Searching the crew database she is unable to find her. She must have literally just been assigned onboard, thought Hotaru to herself.

"Forgive me." Nana said simply, hanging her head in shame. "..This is why I stay in Engineering. I.. don't say anything stupid there." Straightening up soon after, she brushed off the front of her uniform with a solid nod.

"..If there is anything I can do to assist you, please let me know, sir."

"It's fine, Nana. You should have seen me when I first boarded the Sakura. Anyway, the only way to fix that particular issue is to make yourself deal with people.

Also, I will remember your offer. Thank you, Nana."

Yaichiro saw a bit of himself in this person, the uncertainty, the detachment from people, etc. It showed him just how far he himself had come.

Cherry blinked a little, raising a brow almost questionably to Hanako, "... I'm a sprite. I have things in my head when I was made to keep me loyal to the Empire, and it hasn't changed." She crossed her arms a tad bit, a little vexed at the suggestion of falling into the hands of the blah and blah. "That said, how do I know too much? I know almost nothing... I don't even know what I'm fighting for, for Chiha- I don't even know who Chiharu was, really!" She didn't make a comment on Hanako's urging to stay, though.

"I mean you know things like how the Star Army's fastest CFS works, secret operations the Sakura and Plumeria have been on, and such," Taisa Hanako explained to Cherry. "Anyway, I do not not think you are a sprite anymore. You ceased to be a sprite and were a simply Nekovalkyrja before even the Sakura was lost. We gave you a red uniform and a rank first for that reason! You have become so much more than a ship's automaton and I wish you would wake up and see that you are not so different and definitely not alone. You have been part of my 'family' for a long time, Cherry, and it hurts me to see you in such a depressed state. Stay on the Eucharis, with the crew that knows you."

The timer, by now, had got down to two and a half minutes.