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RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 9 Side-Story] The Road To Eucharis

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"If we run into anything serious, the Tenth Fleet is right here to save us,"' Gally explained. "This debris field is right next door to their home system, Elysia Novus, and much of the wreckage comes from their fellow Elysian Celestial Navy ships."

After finishing with her cheesecake, the captain offered him to take control of the ship again. "Once you get back to the bridge, we can start scanning for any debris of interest. I will meet you there, okay?"

The Nekovalkyrja rose from the table, her spandex-covered butt swaying with every step. The Phod peeked out from the kitchen to watch it, even. Or maybe it was just the Phod's eyes being near waist level.

Shortly thereafter the troll showed up to get his meal. Was that moss growing on his head?
 
Shika was still shoveling his cake away (how did someone as petite as Gally tuck away food so quickly?) when the troll heaved into the mess. Shika waved to him. "You should try the cheesecake," he said around a mouthful of dessert. "It's outstanding."
 
“Your presence is requested on the bridge,” the Troll rumbled, making his way toward the kitchen. As the giant lumbered over, the chef appeared in the doorway and the troll told him. “Dessert First.”

When Shika arrived on the bridge he was once again alone with Captain Gally. She was instant messaging someone on her console. It took her a moment to look up.

“Ah, welcome back!” she greeted him with a big white smile. He got a glimpse of her fangs.

“I would like you scan the nearest 100 objects in this debris field and let me know if there’s anything worth retrieving out there. Another one of our passengers should be able to help you in a moment, but I think he’s in the cargo bay right now. Let’s not wait on him. Tell me right away if we come across any starships or survivors.”
 
Said person had been making sure all of his items were properly packed as he waited to arrive, unaware that the schedule had been changed. The red-paneled Shosa had nothing when he went to the Sakura, and only a bit more when he went to the Eucharis the first time. This time, however, he had more items to take along.

Some of them were things like the comfort bed and assorted personal items, others were assorted tools and datapads. He hoped he was adequately prepared, because of the ambiguity of his assignment. He wasn't going as an Engineer or even a Technician, but an "Advisor". What was that supposed to mean? It had to be technical in some capacity. Maybe an upgrade to the Eucharis?

His thoughts were broken by an instant message from the Captain of the ship, alerting him that they'd start salvaging shortly. He gave a brief reply before he started for the bridge of the ship, leaving the cargo bay behind and going to meet up with the Captain. He arrived promptly, nodding to Shika in acknowledgment and lightly bowing to the Captain of the ship before quietly manning a console and starting to assist in the item identification process.


(OOC: He bowed slightly out of respect to the Captain for her status as the ship's CO, though his rank was greater.)
 
Shika noted the Shosa enter the bridge while he intently listened to the captain's orders. The confined nature of his seat did not permit much other than a respectful albeit distracted nod.

He began his work even before Gally finished her sentences. The possibility of a survivor gave reason for Shika to prioritise expediency over protocol.

Code: 
Blanket (S Elysia, TC: 2-43, IC: 143-2422-45)
Ceramic Plate (shattered) (S Elysia, TC: 92-16, IC: 1437-489-97)
Hatch from a ship (S Elysia, TC: 81-79, IC: 6456-4244-151)
Random severed chunk of flesh (S Elysia, TC: 86-4, IC: 315-297-80)
Fully intact shuttlecraft (S Elysia, TC: 5-98, IC: 547-1233-103)
Weapons Pod (repairable) (S Elysia, TC: 79-92, IC: 7325-8061-162)

If the detritus of war bothered Shika, his face did not betray it. He coolly sifted through contacts of limbs and fingers, derelict parts and battered personal effects without emotion, knowing that each passing moment could mean life or death for a sister or brother who still drew breath.

"Heads up, ma'am," Shika said. "We've got an operational shuttlecraft -- looks like a Kuma -- and a salvageable weapons pod. Forwarding the two contact data to all bridge stations now." He tried his best to keep the urgency from his voice. The shuttle's IFF transponder wasn't functioning; ballsy, since it helped to conceal it from hostile scrutiny but also denied it from being easily recovered by comrades. Shika knew a Kuma could support its passengers for quite some time, but he knew what being on a crowded, hopeless shuttlecraft felt like...
 
"IFF offline in a friendly system means the shuttle is likely empty and offline, tossed from a ship's bay. Can you pull the shuttle in with a graviton beam?" Gally asked. At first she hadn't throught there would be any survivors on a non-moving shuttle, but Shika's question made her wonder. Besides, functional shuttles were important to the war effort.

"We may need someone to grab a spacesuit and check out the shuttle in person once we have it near. We could put it in our shuttle bay but we'll have to launch the one we have. The bay is tiny."
 
Yaichiro was analyzing it from one of the consoles that Shika had forwarded it to.

"Good eye. That shuttle would have been an easy thing to miss. What is the condition of the weapons pod though? I'm wondering if we can have it look for us while it's out there, like a probe. After all, the Mishhu have captured a fair amount of SAoY technology and craft. It could as easily be an enemy unit, and I'd prefer verify its contents at a suitable distance from this ship if possible...since it's not my command though, it's the CO's choice.

If we have to check in person, I'm willing to go out if needed."
 
"Can't give you a one-hundred answer on weapons pod status, sir," Shika answered honestly. "I can't give you any more than what the telemetry indicates. You're right though; a friendly shuttle isn't the only thing that can play dead..."
 
"Bring it into our DOC," Gally ordered. "You two suit up and start grabbing anything that looks useful and put it in there too. The DOC has an air-containment forcefield so the cargo should be fine. Watch out for any NMX stragglers."

The troll returned from lunch and started to scan. "Hey, I think I see some rations."

The Frederick closed in on the debris a bit more, close enough that the crew would be able to zip around in power armor and carry things back. the battle had been pretty recent so the items were still fairly dense.
 
At the Captain's behest, Shika tapped out a string of commands requesting MEGAMI to pull in the shuttle.

With a nod to Captain Gally, he left the bridge and went to his personal effects near the airlock. He shed his uniform and wrestled his AMES gear on, secured his service pistol in the drop-leg holster.

Shika put his helmet on last. He grimaced while he read the projected diagnostic prompts. He hated suit work. "Yaichiro-shosa, mind checking me?" It was standard operating procedure to never leave anything to chance, especially when EVA was involved. A puncture was sure to ruin anyone's day...
 
(OOC: Wes confirmed it before I posted this, Yaichiro's assigned PA is a Mindy 3A. I do not know what Shika's would be if he has one yet.)

"Acknowledged, Gally-Shoi," Yaichiro said as he gave a measured bow to the Commanding Officer in spite of his superior rank. He rarely found himself working within command structures as clear-cut as some others since he became an Officer, and this was no different.

He had followed Shika to where the suits and Power Armor were, and had noticed the impressive Mindy 3A that Hanako had obtained for him.

"So they assign these directly to the pilots now...I remember when one just looked through the ship's bay at what was available and picked what best fit their skills -- personal units were the privileges of Aces and Nobility." He was in the process of inspecting its armaments and verifying the contents of its Butt Pack when Shika asked for assistance.

"Shika-Hei...I would ask first if you've been assigned a Power Armor before using that. This is a fresh battlefield and we should stand ready for combat. Besides, I highly recommend the protection of a Power Armor over an AMES, if any high-speed Zesuaium shards should be zipping about."
 
Shika rubbed the back of his head and smiled. He felt a faint trace of embarrassment, as if his error reflected poorly on his own professionalism. "Ah, I see, Yaichiro-shosa. It didn't even occur to me that I'd have the privilege to operate a PA..." He was loathe to even think about adding that his operational EVA time outside of training was spent in an AMES doing menial tasks, like performing field retrofits and other relatively boring maintenance work.

He looked about the hold, and quickly spotted a crate labelled with his name. Beneath it was a bold string of characters: MINDY M2-3A. Shika's eyes boggled. Wow! I didn't even think these things were field-deployed yet. No doubt it was yet another perk of serving with the Eucharis outfit. The ensign wriggled out of his AMES in record time, set it neatly aside, then went about unsealing the package with gusto.
 
Ahead of them, a selectively permeable force field flashed and then the giant door on the end of the Detachable Outer Container swung open, revealing the black starfield beyond. Reflecting against the bright light of the nearby Elysian sun, hundreds of items and mangled starship parts tumbled around like prizes waiting for whoever would pick them up first.

Gally called down to the Mindy-suited men below. "I will have the ship's guns ready if you run into any trouble. So let me know."
 
Yaichiro removed his belt with his NSPs and put it away before putting on the armor following the instructions included in its AIES. He chose to load it out with the "Balanced" configuration inherited from the Mindy 2A, after deciding the Ke-M2-E3000 Leader Support Pack wasn't needed if he could tap into the home ship's sensors. He took a Ke-M2-W2901 Aether Beam Saber-Rifle both to cause massive damage against enemies, and to allow him to cut through armored hull quickly and effectively if needed.

"This is Kage-Shosa. Acknowledged, Gally-Shoi. Launching, and also requesting tie-in with ship's sensors for better target tracking and coordination." Rather than rushing out, Yaichiro emerged with care, letting his machine track assorted targets. He noted a GP-12 Phased Pulse Rifle, which he grabbed as he emerged.

"Shika-Hei, there's another advantage to the Power Armor...it's Quantum Computer, combined with the AIES loaded onto it, will help you keep track of many targets. The ship''s computer is superior, naturally, but the AIES and its sensors are far better for things of this scale than the AMES, even if there wasn't risk of combat...I detect multiple large hits out here to investigate. Since we're looking for survivors, I think we should investigate those too...

Yaichiro, not liking the excessive cover an enemy would have in the area, took one more precaution -- He decided to deploy the 6 NSBs from his Mindy 3A's legs and had them float on his CFS in an Octahedron formation around his Mindy. If he detected something in any direction, he could react quickly, and floating on the CFS allowed the NSBs to stay charged. The Octahedron pitched and rolled around him as it oriented itself to cover various potential sources of cover for targets as his Power Armor moved out.

(OOC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octahedron , the NSBs are at the vertices of the Octahedron, with the Mindy in the center, to provide better coverage.)
 
Shika gingerly removed the Mindy's helmet and stepped into the armour. The carapace-like suit enveloped him. He was cast into a gloom upon sealing his helmet, but the darkness was quickly banished by the pale light of the HUD readouts.

A message blinked on his visor.

Code: 
NOTE TO OPERATOR: Your PA comes with a LASR MK II in the storage crate, with a 200-rd AP magazine. You'll find that the PA's butt pack has another two 200-rd AP magazines. It's loaded for bear, with a Ke-M2-W2908 Offensive Augmentation Pod and a Ke-M2-W2906 Shoulder-Fired Missile Pod, and some other goodies we'll let you figure out on your own.

All we ask in return is that you please send back an AAR asap. We take your feedback very seriously! Take care of this sexy minx, and go get some!

- First Fleet Depot, Mindy 3A Section D

Shika snorted quietly upon reading the humorous message, then dismissed it and focused on the task at hand. He accustomed himself to the 3A's temperament. It felt explicably a lot more responsive, more predatory, than the clunkier predecessors he had been trained on.

He delved into the Mindy's loadout. The team back at First Fleet Depot hadn't been kidding; his kit had teeth and then some to spare. Impressive, he thought. Shika picked up the aforementioned LASR and loaded the magazine next to it. He carefully worked the mechanism, then checked the safety. Finally, he imitated Yaichiro by deploying his own drones and dispersing them in an identical pattern. He was, as he always said to his band-members before starting a gig, ready to rock and roll.

"Roger that, Kage-Shosa," Shika answered on the comms. "Showing all green. I have your six, sir." Playing point-man wasn't really his style, especially with the way he was presently kitted out. Besides, he was satisfied to have his more experienced team-mate take lead.

He drifted cautiously into the void, adopting a low ready stance with his rifle as he kept an eye on his multiple sensor feeds.
 
When it came to Power Armor combat, Yaichiro wasn't really much more experienced. He'd been in some engagements, but most of what he'd done was from officer training and some ideas here and there. The things he'd said were general knowledge and experience mixed with Engineering know-how...he noted the pilot's use of the Octahedron, and decided to say something.

"Shika-Hei, just letting you know, I'm not sure the deployment pattern is fool-proof. I've never seen or used it anywhere, but it seems like something worth trying is all. If you think of something better or spot a problem, feel free to let me know...do you see anything nearby, Shika-Hei?
 
"Copy that, sir," Shika responded earnestly. "I'll let you know if any moments of genius strike." His self-deprecating smile was almost tangible over the comm net.

"Uh..." Shika sighted a scattering of ration packs that drifted lazily past him. The Mindy's computer automatically flagged them on his HUD.

Code: 
3 Type 29 Field Rations B-Type (150 KS each) (S Elysia, TC: 28-5, IC: 169-102-30)

Shika grabbed the fistful of rations in his spare hand. "Got some snacks for after the job." Tucking the packages into his butt pack, Shika sorted through the clutter of sensor contacts. "On your four o'clock is the Kuma shuttle, and five degrees above and further out is that weapons pod. Both still seem to be inert..."

He peered at the telemetry outputs. "I don't know...Gally-Shoi, Kage-Shosa, any recommendations?" He didn't want to say it out loud, but he had a bad feeling about this...
 
"I see some airbikes. Ever you ever wanted to own one, here's your chance!" Gally suggested. "Oh, and get any frozen food you find. There's a shortage. And uh, I'll have someone bring down some bodybags for any unfortunates that need a proper burial."
 
"I've logged the airbikes with my AIES. I'll grab one if they're still there later, but I think I'll investigate the shuttle first. If it's full, we need to act accordingly to rescue or fight promptly. If empty, we can bring it back to the ship." He noted Shika-Hei's tone, and detected how nervous he seemed...

"We don't have any reason to get agitated just yet, Shika-Hei. Just be on guard." With that, the Engineer wondered if he was being too preachy to the subordinate, since his own experience lie less with combat than Engineering.

"Utilizing thermal vision to search for heat signatures." As Yaichiro switched to thermal vision to hopefully see the sources of heat inside, he increased magnification on the shuttle to get a good look...without shields or power, there shouldn't have been much to interfere with any life forms' thermal signatures.

He also made a mental note to recommend elements of the Type 31 Science Scanner in further upgrades of the Mindy and Daisy -- the Life Form Scanner could have been useful here, even with its limited range. Graviton Beam Projectors could be useful as well for this kind of work, though he was already long aware of that.
 
The shuttle did not show any heat signatures. Either the shuttle was empty or everyone aboard had already died.

Across his field of vision, he saw an Elysian's severed wing float by.

- - -

Meanwhile, two battle pods stealthily moved through the debris and behind the Frederick. The bomber pod let loose its torpedo, striking the small cargo ship directly in the engines. A massive explosion blew off the back half of the ship.

The pods the worked on eliminating the Odori's defensive weaponry.

- - -

YSS Frederick Bridge

"Oh shit!" Captain Gally squeaked as the lights went red. "Status report! Shields up!"

The troll's stony voice replied, "Shields not responding. Engine room not responding. Fires and hull breaches detected. Hull integrity 40 percent. Jettisoning cargo container..."

- - -

The large box floated away from the mangled starship above.
 
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