RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 9.2] Salvaging Parts and Hearts

Junko rocked backwards, still in a crouch, and tried to wipe a grease spot off her forehead as best she could with the sleeve of the AMES. Power Systems was always a few degrees above ship normal and it had left her feeling dirty and bedraggled, even more so that the actual grime on her warranted. A shower and a change into a proper uniform would be nice, but for the moment she had work to do. Sighing, she set down the cutting torch she had used to remove the last of the recalcitrant port and set her grip firmly around the blown out power feed.

With a grunt, she tugged backwards, pulling with all her might for a moment before the cable gave way and snapped out of the melted port. She toppled over, unbalanced from the exertion, but quickly recovered and threw the worthless feed to the side. A few kicks with the heel of her boot knocked the remnants of the port away from the capacitor bank housing; she hastily slid the replacement into place, sliding in the new feed cable behind it. With a twist, she moved the locking mechanism into position and stepped back, satisfied with her work. A brief consultation of her communicator, set to relay the console screens form the Mainspace, showed the stand-by power figures waver for a moment before returning to 100% of capacity.

Nodding in satisfaction, Junko pondered her next task to set about for a moment. She quickly settled on repairs to the main cannon. Stepping over power runs and capacitors, she made her way over to the hatch to the main cannon junction, sparing a glance at the shut-off switch – still set to ENABLED. Her fingers briefly flew across her communicator’s inputs, dismissing the relayed screens and triggering a transmission.

“Captain, this is Takeda. I’m currently in Power Systems. All power systems are back online and at full functionality, according to my diagnostics. At this point I’d like to proceed with assessing the condition of the main cannon and, if practicable, begin limited repairs. As such, I would ask for your permission to manually disable the cannon systems and to unlock the hatch to the main cannon junction. Please advise.”

"Junko, this is Hanako," the Taisa replied. "Permission granted, but first I want to call everyone to the cargo bay for promotions."

Seconds later Hanako was on the intercom. "All crew members please report to the cargo bay for a brief meeting."

Takeyu positioned the damaged turret in the bay; then let out a sigh of relief and moved the pod out of the bay. As he was about to send off a message to Nika, asking if she needed any assistance, he received the message from the Taisa.

"Scratch that plan," he muttered to himself and sent off a message message to her.

Irenika-hei, we're needed in the cargobay

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Though he figured she already got the message from the Taisa, he didn't know how busy she might've been and felt that in case she didn't get the first message, then the second one might help.

Then he carefully, and with precision, moved the pod over to the shuttlebay. Again, like before, he had to maneuver his way into the bay, avoiding the fighter and finding the spot he had found the pod in earlier.

Touching down; he did a brief systems check and then shut her down. "May need it later, depends on what the Taisa wants," he popped open the pod and got out, then started to make his way, at a relative pace, to the cargobay.

As he walked; he thought to himself. Would this be a good time to apologize.... guess I'll wait and see if the Taisa has us to make any comments

"I'll be there once I close up the DOC."

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Nika replied back to Takeyu as she finished up her tasks, making sure the DOC was empty before closing it. With that done, she returned to the Eucharis through the shuttle bay and reset the configuration of the PA before getting out.

"Hmm... AAR was finished way back then... I wonder additional stuff our Taisa wants to brief us on..." Nika wondered, making her way to the cargo bay.

Yaichiro was already in the cargo bay, noting the condition of the turrets while he waited for the others to arrive. He still wore his AMES, and estimated that they could probably get two or three functioning turrets out of the damaged six. Afterward, he contacted Charisma and brought himself up to date on the ship's repairs and status. He was impressed with Junko's progress specifically.

When people started to arrive, he'd leave the turrets for later and join the group for the meeting.

Sune looked up from his console when he heard Hanako's announcement over the intercom. Regulations say the bridge needs to be manned, but she wants all the crew to gather. he considered the matter and tried to figure out how to resolve this.

He picked up his ICP and activated the networking subsystem. "Charisma, please establish a secure connection to this ICP and route the Science and Sensor station controls and displays to it. This way I can monitor and operate my station while reporting to the Taisa." he asked the MEGAMI.

After seeing the connection established, he linked his Uno Sunglasses to the portable computer. Okay, now I can virtually man the bridge while heading down to the cargo bay. he thought.

Sune then exited the bridge, turned and ensured that the hatch was secured. He descended via the 0-G passageway, and made his way aft via the Fabrication area. Once he entered the cargo bay he looked around. He spotted the 'Advisor' and figured this was a good time to break the ice.

He walked over to where Toshiro was standing. "Greetings Kage-Shosa, I am Jalen-Ittô Heisho." Sune said bowing out of respect for the others rank.

Yaichiro looked to Sune when he heard his name called. Hanako had told him to get to know the crew, after all. The information in Sune's file indicated that they had some similarities in origin, among other things.

"Nice to meet you." Yaichiro bowed as well. Though it wasn't necessary due to his rank, he did recognize Sune's position. "I understand you're the acting Executive Officer. I hope that the unusual command structure won't be too confusing. We both report directly to the Taisa, and given the odd situation, we'll probably have to do a lot of communication to stay on the same page."

Rising Sune smiled What was normal when it comes to the Eucharis. he thought.

"Unusual command structure seems to be something of the norm of late. Shortly after I joined the Eucharis we had two Executive Officers. I agree that communication between the two of us will be essential to the smooth operation of the ship and crew. The Taisa informed me that you are good with technology, and you were rather efficient in coordinating the repairs. I would appreciate hearing your opinion of the crew's repair efforts later, and where we may need additional training."

Takeyu sighed as he approached the cargo bay, his muscles were in some pain and he was feeling rather tired. His side still hurt, but it had calmed down much since the mission.

When he walked into the bay; he noticed the Heisho and Shosa, but he saw that they were talking to each other so he decided to just leave them alone and walk over to a small collection of crates and just stand there, waiting.

Yaichiro nodded, trying to recall his general impressions for the Heisho.

"I'll keep that in mind. As for what I can say right now, quickly...I'm impressed with Takeda-Heisho's performance, and Nayacesen-Hei has also performed quite notably. Irenika-Hei was willing to aid in a task she wasn't trained for, under supervision, which is also something admirable and beyond her responsibilities. I would like those Lorath Pods' controls and basic information added to Charisma, however. When I looked them up, I was unable to find any data. I'll have to learn everything about them from scratch. The crew is generally also a bit lost when left with open-ended orders, from what I can tell, but given the apparent difficulty of the last mission; that may have been abnormal for this crew. I don't have a reliable baseline of them just yet."

"Things were very rough on this mission. We suffered the heaviest casualties since I came on-board. I believe the best word for what most are experiencing is a bit of battle shock, and fatigue. But you are right with the recent attrition I will have to work to make sure the right people step up when they should. Thank you for your time." Sune said and then looked around the room.

Once the crew had gathered in the cargo bay, Hanako called them into a formation. "FALL IN!"

"Blueberry, Blackberry, Sune, Junko, Nika, Kumiko, Takeyu: report."

Hanako continued once the selected crew members lined up in front of those remaining.

"The Star Army of Yamatai exists to ensure the survival of our nation and to fight our enemies by using skill, thought, and effective action to combat our enemies and aid our allies. Without the combined and coordinated efforts of individual soldiers, the Star Army would not be able to function. As soldiers in the Star Army there are great expectations put upon you as outlined in the Star Army creed. Say it with me."

I am soldier of the Star Army…an expert in combat and exploration…a warrior ready to destroy our enemies where ever they are found.

I am a dignified professional – I will act in a manner that reflects well on the Star Army, and I will maintain my mind, body, and equipment in constant readiness. I will take pride in my starship or unit and work hard to make it the Star Army’s finest.

I am loyal to the Empress. I will follow her orders and the orders of those appointed over me. I serve the people of Yamatai; I will never betray their trust in me and I will always do what's right.

Hanako continued: "Those of you who continue to meet these expectations, who take charge and are proactive, and perform expertly in your occupation will be recognized and rewarded. Today I would like to recognize and reward the soldiers standing here."

"Attention to orders! The Empress of Yamatai, on recommendation of the Commander of the Star Army of Yamatai, has placed special trust and confidence in the valor, loyalty, and professional excellence of the YSS Eucharis and her crew. In view of these qualities and their demonstrated leadership potential and dedicated service to the Star Army of Yamatai, they are promoted as follows:

Sakura Blueberry to the rank of Chui, Sakura Blackberry to the rank of Shoi, Jalen Sune to the rank of Nitô Juni, Takeda Junko to the rank of Ittô Heisho, Himeya Irenika to the rank of Jôtô Hei, Kumiko Endoh to the rank of Jôtô Hei, and Nayacesen Takeyu to the rank of Ittô Hei."

Hanako walked down the row and handed each of the just-promoted soldiers their glimmering new rank pins and patches. After that, she told them to return to the the formation.

"Nishizaki Hikari, Victory Kuroki, report!"

Two of the Nekovalkyrja they'd rescued from Sbuhfaba jogged to the front of the formation. "I would also like to introduce these two new crew members, who will assist in manning the bridge and the cargo bay."

The nekos bowed to the rest of the crew.

"I am proud of all of you! Dismissed!"

Junko twirled her new insignia in her fingers for a moment before slipping them into a spare pouch on the AMES. She looked down at the deck for a moment longer before lifting her gaze. “Thank you, Captain,” she said quietly.

Glancing around, she decided to get back to work and thus slipped out of the bay. She reflected, briefly, on her experiences aboard the Eucharis as she trudged back toward Engineering. Even after all of the time she had spent aboard she still felt a little distant from the rest of the crew; no surprise, really, given her first internal reactions to her shipmates. Time had softened her views of the others quite a lot, if not by conscious consideration than by unnoticed attrition. At least, she thought with a small smile, she felt close to the ship. Stepping through the hatch to the Mainspace, she paused to look up and take in the hum of the starship’s systems. She patted the bulkhead next to the hatch and then strode off again, scampering up the ladder to Power Systems.

Recalling the Taisa’s permission, she set the manual cannon override to DISABLED and sent the code to unlock the hatch to the main cannon junction. The hatch hissed slightly as it slid aside – she noted the need to lubricate it later – and she stepped into the compartment. With the overhead so low it almost felt like a tighter fit than the maintenance conduits. At the very least, it was packed just as tightly as the conduit spaces with equipment. All around her cables ran between the scalar pulse initiators, power flow regulators, waveguides, and other assorted systems. The lower cannon assembly was equally full, but the systems overview she had consulted before showed the main disruptions stemming from the upper assembly.

She set down the Repair Kit she had grabbed from Power Systems and pulled out the laptop, plugging it into a local systems port. The diagnostic software chugged along as she took a brief glance around the compartment. Almost simultaneously, her trained eyes and the laptop both seized upon one of the primary initiators. The link to the power feed appeared fine, but the control run to the bank of waveguides - most of which lay beyond the forward bulkhead, accessible only by a conduit - was clearly shot. Without careful coordination and field strength, the pulse could dissipate or potentially act catastrophically upon an unintended target, or even the Eucharis itself.

Kneeling down next to the initiator, Junko yanked open an access port and peered inside. “Let’s see what we have here…”

He looked down at the rank pin; and looked it over in his hand. It took him a few moments to realize that what he held was in fact a rank two levels higher than he had been just a minute ago. From Santô Hei to Ittô Hei, and now he hoped to live long enough to get the next rank.

Pocketing the pin; he gave the Taisa a curt bow of his head, even though she probably didn't notice it. With that he turned on his foot and headed out of the bay, but he stopped briefly to glance over his shoulder. Another time perhaps, he thought with a mental sigh and started to make his way back to the shuttle bay.

As he walked, he clasped his hands behind his head and thought about a few things. I wonder what Layven is doing.... I'm sure she survived, she's not dead... not by a long shot, he shook his head and looked on with determination.

"One of these days, I'll figure out where she is," he balled his fists up and walked into the power armor bay and, after double checking that his suit was still secure, he headed through the atmospheric field and into the bay.

Along the way he had grabbed a cutting tool from the damage control station; and looked at the last door that needed to be cut off. He pushed off the deck and started floating up to the door and caught the leading edge of it. He moved across to the first 'brace' and then started to cut it away.

He stopped for a moment and looked around the room. "Once I'm done here, I'll get to repairing the other damages here and there," he then went back to his work.

Konoka had slipped into the cargo bay unnoticed, without her usual fanfare, seeking to observe the goings-on since her brief absence. She was deeep in thought: There was a definite reason for this brooding mood.


Konoka had never died before.


Until now.



Seeing her colleagues promoted, she felt a surge of happiness for her friends, and a sense of curiosity for what her back-up technology had forced her to "miss"-the entirety of the events of the last mission she'd been on.



However, noticing two new crew members, apparently refugess or some such thing, from the looks of it, Konoka felt the inevitable return of her desire to send forth a whole-hearted welcome.


Having taken the time to put on a fresh uniform and get prepared before her summons, she immediately rushed toward Victory and Hikari, pronouncing her strongest, "Welcome to the Eucharis!" She continued, "Heh, I'm not sure how in the stars you got here, but......I'm Konoka Miyazawa, medical specialist. You are....Victory.....umm, -Hei? And you're Nishizaki Hikari-Hei? That's a pretty name! Oh well....I'm happy to help if you need anything! Let's be firiends , 'kay? Bye!"

Turning to skip away, Konoka sighed, and seemed to recall something.


A bit earlier, she'd realized her ribbon was missing.....somewhere, along with her "old" body. She'd located an old jacket she'd bought at New Year's.....It had seemed a long while ago by now, longer than it really was.


The whole of everything seemd different since the advent of the war. Where Konoka used to have felt a pinprick of worry for dangers asssociated with each mission, now...it was an expectation. Bigger injuries, bigger worries.....Everything had been intensified, like a stimulant Konoka had read about in training. This whole fiasco was a stimulant.


But, looking around, as she'd earlier looked at that coat, which had had a matching ribbon on the pocket, which she'd torn off, as if for a bandage, she thought, to put hersellf back to normal again, she saw.
She saw her friends, and her ship, her home. This was all the same. Crew, tech, came and went....But her friends, her home...She'd hold onto that.


Like any good medic, Konoka knew to balance out whatever medicine you gave someone, not too much stimulus, or too much depressiveness. Then Konoka realized: to cure...THIS, she'd have to be a remedy herself.. SHE HAD TO MAINTAIN THE BALNCE OF WAR AND CONFLICT WITH HOPE AND KINDNESS, THINGS SHE HAD TO HERSELF CREATE. Smiling, she turned to Victory, saying,, "Are...there any oithers who could use my help? Anybody new? " Smiling, she added, "Could any of those, perhaps, use a jacket?'


Smiling, seh said, "Never mind, I'll ask Charisma. Welcome, anyways.'
She querid Charisma: Who are are refugees right now? I think they could use some things. some help. any that could use some rwarm clothes?

Then, she noticed someone familair and her eys widened.


"Kage-Shosa?" She queried aloud, unable to believe it herself.. Her firsdt patient had returned!



""Fish, it must have been a while sicne I started out." Konoka mutterd to herslef. Konokas had been different then: panicky for the fact that her first patient rewquired Soul transfer....and here he was, on the very day she herself had need it.

konoka no longer quite understood what fate willed, but this was sign...of what, konoka didn't know. but a sign for action, and for the winds of change.

Yaichiro heard his name being called, and turned, to see a surprised-looking Konoka.

He smiled and took a step toward her, before speaking.

"I wondered if I'd see any more familiar faces. Are you doing well, Miyazawa-Hei?" He was a bit surprised she was still a Hei after two years on the Eucharis. Medics seemed to increase in rank far more slowly unless they saw routine combat.

"This body is holding together quite well. It's still got the genetic flaws of the original, but given the rush to transfer me to this new body before my old one died, that was quite understandable...if I should wind up dying and needing truly revived though, can I count on you to fix my olfactory system? I like what the flaw has done done to my eyes and hair though."

Nika was surprised when her name was called up by Hanako. Once the creed was spoken, the neko went speechless as her Taisa promoted her to Jôtô Hei...

"Umm.... wow..." Nika replied softly to herself as she returned to the formation, staring at the new rank pins until her superior dismissed them.

"Taisa, do you need help in the Bridge, if not, I can offer my assistance to Kage-Shosa... if he needs any."

Thinking, and getting over her surprise, Konoka responded politely, "All things have become....quite different since our meeting, Kage-Shosa. But....."


She thought of what to say next: she now realized just how much time had passed. After all, it seemed like one grand and altogether worrsiome adventure to another onboard the famed Eucharis. Konoka, too, had changed. She wasn't the fresh neko who had freaked over the Shosa's restoration. She wasn't even sure she was the neko who had supervised the destruction of an infestation of NMX bugs. No, Konoka was somewhere in between.....the happy neko who had welcomed those early patients, and the responsible one who could help them. Early on, all Konoka had wanted was to help out. She had, in so many ways....not of all the ways she had expected.


Fate had brought her over the hill and through the woods, and now....The Shosa' unancitipated return brought on a sense of: Well, Miyzawa, what have you actually DONE?


Still, konoka had found her niche here, and along with that, her friends. That was important. So she finished cheerfully, "...I believe when all is said and done, I'm here as I'm supposed to be. Still...if I may, sir....How have you fared since your departure, as well? I'm so glad you've returned, even so! Do try to not, well, die again, like the first time we met...." she added, muttering at the end.


Her voice resuming it's usual cheerful pitch, she said, "I've been hoping your body has adjsted as welll, if not better, than the original! has your health fared well since the transfer? I do hope you have begun treating your body with more care then.....last time, but...oh....."


Hearing the Shosa's request, she said,"Oh, that would indeed be a nice challenge to fix! Kage-hosa, last time, due of course to urgency, I inferred that the said genetic flaw could be considered a quite livable condition, having note that no treatment had been required previously, and it had not impeded you from work, however.....I should love to learn or observe more about his condition, but....Shosa..." Konoka began with a long, compassionate sigh, "Please, do try your very best to avoid the situation of dying again. I've had........"


She glanced down, seemingly in thought.


".......significant experiences to reccomend against the process. But, welcome back, anyways, Shosa, in whatever capacity. Ii-is there anything else, perhaps, I could do for you?"



Konoka, then, starting as if she'd forgotten someething, made a polite bow, and awaited a repsonse.

Yaichiro nodded, acknowledging and recalling the Neko's bow and demeanor. It was endearing, though she had to have been effective as well to have stayed on the Eucharis this long.

"I'm glad to hear that you've found your place here. Not everyone is so lucky. It's not an easy life, but enjoy this home while it lasts, okay?" He said, his eyes looking ever so slightly different for a moment as he thought back to his days on the now destroyed Sakura. Of course, it was only momentary.

"As for my condition, it is indeed livable, it's merely an annoyance that I'd like fixed if the opportunity should ever arise. I am not sure if there's a way to easily fix my genome and the olfactory nerves without actually transferring, so I thought I would ask. Even after it's fixed, I'll likely keep the option to turn off my sense of taste and smell if I'm eating something I dislike. Thank goodness for digital brains." He lightly knocked his fist on the side of his head as he said this.

"I could tell you stories about the strange things I've eaten to get any sense of taste in my mouth, but the Taisa likely wouldn't appreciate it."

"Check with Yaichiro. I can get along if he needs your help.

Hanako checked her communicator and then went to Sune, quietly informing him. "It looks like we have company coming soon. A Nepleslian ship wants to come talk with us. We will need some place to meet. See if you can find someplace suitable. I hear their ships are laced with drugs so going aboard them is not desirable."

- - -

Just then, the rest of the Second Squadron arrived, to include the light starbase.