YSS Kaiyō II
Bridge
"I think I'm growing used to this feeling," Boss said to the bridge through her olive-skinned and deep blue-haired sprite as it showed itself on several of the viewscreens. She spoke again, "It's...
pleasurable."
Hoshi gave a little breath out as she saw the MEGAMI's face, which appeared rarely and not once under her command.
Asuka looked over with a look of dissatisfaction at the scientist, having been locked out of science equipment she normally had access to.
"Boss, is there any way you can override Iemochi-juni's parental controls?" Asuka asked, perturbed.
"Affirmative," she said, nodding on the viewscreen. "There is no reason for Deio-heisho to not have access to the equipment she has been handling since the launch of my first iteration. It would be—" Boss gave pause, looking dumb-founded on screen. "Another ship has exited the transuniversal stream alongside us, starboard-side."
"Vessel identification?" Hoshi asked, standing.
"Plumeria! No SAoY identification. It does not match the known registry of IYS ships nor our own."
Asuka called out, "
WARMS is showing a major quantum event in this area in three minutes.
Main weapon shock array... of a Plumeria!"
"We're being hailed," Boss said, crossing her arms behind her back while she inhaled deeply, making her B-cup chest push ever outward in her uniform.
Hoshi commanded, "Bring them on screen."
"Hai, Captain," Boss said. Soon, Hoshi was looking on as the prow's main viewscreen showed a woman's portrait as she looked on at the captain and her bridge crew, smiling softly.
She was bestowed with bright pink skin that made Hoshi's own hue look pale. She had sharply pointed, furless ears of the same color. Her orange hair matched that of Asuka's and Hoshi, for a moment, wondered if the sensors operator had birthed a child some time ago surreptitiously.
"This is Chusa Taiyou Hoshi, Captain of a Star Army of Yamatai vessel," she said. "Please state your purpose and identification."
"The same as yours," came a smooth reply from the woman. "I am here to stop your enemy."
"To whom am I speaking?" Hoshi asked, not convinced of anything. "And who is your enemy?"
"I am Pumpkin," said the Nekovalkyrja.
The lights of the bridge lowered significantly and console panels brightened while Boss spoke out throughout engineering, the power armor bay, the science dome, and wherever that mysterious collar-bearing Neko had run off to, saying the change of readiness condition as Hoshi had telepathically ordered her to do so.
"Maximum readiness condition. Combat imminent..." said the MEGAMI to all hands over comms and telepathy, where appropriate.
The orange-haired woman continued, "And my enemy is difficult to quantify in words. If you would allow me to explain myself, I can. Right now I know that you are working to stop an Empire whose cause is Neko supremacy. I am correct, yes?"
"Are you working with them? Are you working against the Yamataian Star Empire, Pumpkin?" Hoshi went on, "Against Himiko? Yui?"
Pumpkin asked, "Why would I? I'm here to help you."
"I don't want to work with you," Hoshi said.
"You'll work with me," Pumpkin replied quickly. "You need my help."
"With what?" Hoshi asked Pumpkin.
"Protecting Yui. Protecting yourselves." Pumpkin said, "and stopping Eve."
"We can do so on our own," Hoshi said.
Pumpkin began, "Would a—"
"Cut the transmission," Hoshi ordered and the screen went blank, then was replaced by a Type 38 Hinomaru. "Jam their comms with Type 31 EWS unless they're talking to us. Barlow-heisho, check with engineering and see if we are reconfigured to utilize aether generators at this time! Chlorate-hei and Iemochi-heisho, please arm the ship. Juni, gather all possible data on this Mishhuvurthyar woman. Thesilis-heisho, apprise the away team that our mission is—" Hoshi was cut off as her heart sank and her deep ocean eyes saw her console's readout.
Asuka spoke, "One more Plumeria just powered down CFS stealth 1 AU out from us," Asuka gasped.
"Identification?" Hoshi asked.
"IYS Uvularia, NG-X28-1230," Boss said over comms.
"Deploy the armor team, apprise the XO!" Hoshi ordered, then looked to her bridge, waiting for answers.
Power Armor Bay
The doors opened on the power armor bay and only one matte-black Plumeria could be seen for a moment before the other shone in the depths of space as it approached. Its shining blue-grey was much like that of a Yamataian main hull.
Boss flooded the XO with information and Teien Eden called out an instant later.
"We have company at the table! That ship," she marked the matte-black one on HUDs of the Mindy in the PA bay, "thinks we're together in this! Attack them and their crew only if and when ordered to by myself or the captain! Otherwise, avoid at all costs! That ship," she marked the blue-grey hulled Plumeria, "is an IYS ship, this universe's Uvularia. We're going to go for their bridge. Forward and on their top deck; it should be easy. Beeline for that and nothing else, we'll get to them before they have time to even think about getting in their PA. Go!"
With that, Eden sprung from the Kaiyō II. As she pushed off of the ramp of the power armor bay, she felt the physical disconnect from her ship that she always hated. They had to protect the Empire, though, and sometimes that meant leaving what you loved behind to do so.
She flew to the IYS Uvularia.