- RP Date
- YE 41
- RP Location
- Kikyō Sector
Nataria Fleet Depot
YSS Amagi
War Room
35 日 3月 YE 41
The Ninth Fleet's command center abord its glorious flagship, the YSS Amagi had been alive with with the quiet chaos of war planning for the better part of a month. Yui's directive launching the Ninth and the Third Fleets to take back the spacelanes over Essia from Kuvexian occupation had come swiftly and was expected to be carried out with just as much expediency. The Seventh Fleet alone had been unable to break the blockade in the months since the enemy had come, mired down and overwhelmed by this new foe's tactics and sudden appearance in the heart of the Kikyo Sector. Dozens upon dozens of flag aides, SAINT analysts, fleet tacticians, and strategists from Star Army operations buzzed around the expansive two-deck chamber, coordinating and planning the invasion with exacting measure. Over on the Third Fleet's flagship, the YSS Musashi, the scene was occurring in duplicate and feeding off of the work being done here in perfect symbiosis. Such was the neverending pace of how war was made.
Today, Taisho Hokusai Akiyo of the Third Fleet was aboard the Amagi. It had been her old flagship, christened under her command back when the Ninth was founded just before the Second Mishhuvurthyar War. Not much had changed here except for the faces, though even some of the soldiers were the same — those Hokusai-taisho didn't take with her when she was reassigned to command the Third. She stood up on the command platform beside the fleet admiral's chair and console reserved for Suigetsu — Taisho Suigetsu Kyōku, her successor two times over — and gazed down at the officers murmuring and darting around with purpose in the pit below. The hem of her Type 35 duty uniform's blue skirt sat a little high, Hokusai having long since given up on making sure it stopped riding up her thighs, much less ensuring her outfit remained pristine during the long hours she'd been here away from her own ship.
"The last of those new crews Yui-sama promised me seem to be manning their ships now," Hokusai said to her Ninth Fleet counterpart as updates streamed into her mind and onto the volumetric display projected from the console in front of them. The thought of the Ninth being commanded by a nine-tailed trickster still amused her to no end, and, combined with the respect she'd gained from working with Kyōku, now believed there was no better taisho fit to lead the fleet she'd built a decade ago. "We're lucky she made such a genius cover story for us with the refugees here on Nataria and all of that," the little orange-eyed pixie of an admiral added with a cheeky sound in her voice. "Without the extra blood and steel for my fleet, I'd have been worried about how my old ships would fare in the coming battle. How goes the Ninth's preparations?"
The silvery haired counterpart sitting beside Hokusai nodded tersely as her pale, open hand raised toward the volumetric panel, "As you can see," Suigetsu Kyōku said, "well enough for what we have. We lack new blood and spotless steel, but an old ship is still a manned ship." Her hand and voice lowered as one of her silvery brows raised, "I will note that the veterans of the Ninth are some of the best, if not the best, Taisho Hokusai. I can thank you for that, no doubt."
"Is that so?!" Hokusai-taisho chuckled in feigned disbelief. A big grin grew across her face with just one of her Nekovalkyrja canines poking through and pressing against her lower lip. "Ora ora!" she exclaimed in rough sounding Yamataigo, "I thought I'd taken all of the good ones with me! But really, the credit's for the Ninth's veterans of today is all yours, Suigetsu-san! Plus, your ships aren't that old at all — at least not compared to my flying museum. My Ayame and Irim should do the trick just fine, though, combined with your ships and the new ones Yui-sama gave me!"
Just then, a yeoman in grey panels with a Star Army Command patched approached where the two taisho were standing. They were a Neko taii named Akane with blazing, neon purple hair and eyes to match, and carried with her a small data pad containing information deemed sensitive enough to be delivered in person rather than over a network. After she bowed, she waited for one of the two admirals to address her, silently holding her salute until prompted.
After she moved her eyes away from other Admiral, Suigetsu Kyōku nodded tersely to the grey panel, saying tersely, "Taii?" She stood from her chair and put a hand out for the pad as she spoke again, "Arigatou gozaimasu."
"New intelligence report, fresh from SAINT, Taisho," Akane-taii said in a manner friendly enough to not be considered too chummy for someone addressing a taisho, before taking one step forward to hand the pad off to Suigetsu. "Also, Hokusai-taisho, your request for military police to assist with repatriation operations planetside has at last been finalized. A battallion has loaded onto the YSS Chīsana ne, one of the new Super Eikan-class cruisers assigned to the Third."
"And they're completely ready to deploy alongside the Rikugun as soon as we've secured system space?" Hokusai asked, every detail of Yui's orders at the front of her consciousness. "Shuttles, ground transport, supplies, prefab facilities? And we've got Separa'shan soldiers among them, yes? I told the last yeoman who was sent to coordinate on this something like 'every snake we've got in the service,' I think! Yui-sama was very particular about how the Empress wanted the locals handled with the utmost care and respect."
"Yes, Taisho!" Akane-taii said, nodding hurriedly with every one of Hokusai's points. "All preparations have been made. Rules of engagement, too!" she added, preempting the little admiral's next question.
"Perfect," Hokusai smiled, not so much replying as expressing what sounded like immense satisfaction. "You've done a good job, Akane-san!"
The yeoman Akane seemed a little overwhelmed, now, because she'd done nothing but deliver intelligence and the new report, but kept nodding along and accepted Hokusai's praise. "T-thank you, Taisho!"
Suigetsu, too, was pleased during the exchange, even while she shot a glance toward Hokusai and when she spoke next, "You are excused, Taii." She bowed as best she could with the pad still in hand, and sat as she looked back to Akiyo. "Taisho, if you please?" She read, then pushed the data pad the short distance along the console, toward where Hokusai Akiyo was standing.
Akane-taii stepped back to give the two taisho some discretion as Hokusai picked up the data pad she'd delivered. The young purple Neko wouldn't leave just yet, as it was her duty to secure the information and dispose of it once the Hokusai and Suigetsu had both received it. It didn't take Hokusai long at all, however, taking in all of the text given to her quickly and efficiently with her computerized Neko brain. Not two seconds after Hokusai had picked it up, she tossed the data pad back over to Akane-taii and went back to examining the volumetric strategic feeds displayed at the command console.
"You heard Suigetsu-taisho, did you, Taii?" Hokusai grumbled without looking back from her place at the console, hands firmly planted and leaning in close to the display. She had a big smile on her face, of course, but the yeoman couldn't see it. "You're 'excused.'"
"Y-yes, Taisho!" Akane shot back as she caught the data pad out of the air and then bowed before scurrying off over the transparent walkway and over to the deck's exit.
Hokusai waited until she'd left before glancing over to Suigetsu with a little grin. "Gotta keep 'em on their toes, ya know?" she said, sounding quite amused with Akane-taii. "That's how they become 'the best' veterans!" she teased, recalling Kyōku's praise from a few minutes before. "Well, other than fighting Mishhuvurthyar with a Mindy."
"Our newest enemy will be on their toes soon enough, Taisho," Suigetsu said as she looked pointedly at the gilded eyes of the woman beside her.
"Everything seems to be coming together nicely indeed," Hokusai agreed, having just read the same intelligence as Suigetsu. It was time to commence operations. "We're lucky the Kuvies saw fewer supply ships sent through to Essia this week, and that even fewer still made it through Star Army pickets." The diminutive taisho pushed up off of the command console with both hands and leaned back on her heels, patting her flat tummy while she pushed out what little guts she had for effect. "Meanwhile we're over here fat on freshly-minted Natarian conscripts!" she chuckled, still slapping her unimpressive attempt at having a big belly.
Suigetsu had to close her eyes, though a wide smile was plastered on her face as the imagery of Akiyo's gesture imprinted itself into her digital memory. The purpley grey masses of Kyōku's hair were bundled together by her two hands as she brought the mass in front of her body. Both of her hands laid on top of one another, separated from her heart by the parcel of her hair. Her expression tightened before the fox-like whiskers bounced up on her face and her eyes opened, along with a smile.
"We have all of our pieces aligned, now, while our opponents are spread and struggling," Suigetsu said.
"How does 0900 Yamataian Standard tomorrow sound to you?" Hokusai stated more than asked. "All that's left to do is inform our captains that it's go-time so they can make sure their crews get one last night of peace before being sent off to battle. Every crew should already be good to launch at a moment's notice, if only barely."
"I will see to telling them," Suigetsu said before she stood. "It has brought me immense enjoyment working with you, Taisho Hokusai. I look forward to more of the same, when the time calls." She gave a deep bow to the black haired woman opposite her. "Including that which comes tomorrow."
For the first time in hours, Hokusai took a moment to straighten up her uniform, tugging her skirt back down to where regulation demanded it be kept and centering the gold buckle on the belt that secured her NSP at her hip. As a last touch, she picked up her Type 36 officer's cap from where she'd left it atop Suigetsu's command console and placed it on her head, pushing it from side-to-side by its immodestly decorated visor until it was aligned just where she wanted it.
"Happy hunting, Suigetsu-taisho," Hokusai said with a truly outstanding salute as if to offer thanks, return Kyōku's compliments back to her, and say "good luck" all at once.
YSS Amagi
War Room
35 日 3月 YE 41
The Ninth Fleet's command center abord its glorious flagship, the YSS Amagi had been alive with with the quiet chaos of war planning for the better part of a month. Yui's directive launching the Ninth and the Third Fleets to take back the spacelanes over Essia from Kuvexian occupation had come swiftly and was expected to be carried out with just as much expediency. The Seventh Fleet alone had been unable to break the blockade in the months since the enemy had come, mired down and overwhelmed by this new foe's tactics and sudden appearance in the heart of the Kikyo Sector. Dozens upon dozens of flag aides, SAINT analysts, fleet tacticians, and strategists from Star Army operations buzzed around the expansive two-deck chamber, coordinating and planning the invasion with exacting measure. Over on the Third Fleet's flagship, the YSS Musashi, the scene was occurring in duplicate and feeding off of the work being done here in perfect symbiosis. Such was the neverending pace of how war was made.
Today, Taisho Hokusai Akiyo of the Third Fleet was aboard the Amagi. It had been her old flagship, christened under her command back when the Ninth was founded just before the Second Mishhuvurthyar War. Not much had changed here except for the faces, though even some of the soldiers were the same — those Hokusai-taisho didn't take with her when she was reassigned to command the Third. She stood up on the command platform beside the fleet admiral's chair and console reserved for Suigetsu — Taisho Suigetsu Kyōku, her successor two times over — and gazed down at the officers murmuring and darting around with purpose in the pit below. The hem of her Type 35 duty uniform's blue skirt sat a little high, Hokusai having long since given up on making sure it stopped riding up her thighs, much less ensuring her outfit remained pristine during the long hours she'd been here away from her own ship.
"The last of those new crews Yui-sama promised me seem to be manning their ships now," Hokusai said to her Ninth Fleet counterpart as updates streamed into her mind and onto the volumetric display projected from the console in front of them. The thought of the Ninth being commanded by a nine-tailed trickster still amused her to no end, and, combined with the respect she'd gained from working with Kyōku, now believed there was no better taisho fit to lead the fleet she'd built a decade ago. "We're lucky she made such a genius cover story for us with the refugees here on Nataria and all of that," the little orange-eyed pixie of an admiral added with a cheeky sound in her voice. "Without the extra blood and steel for my fleet, I'd have been worried about how my old ships would fare in the coming battle. How goes the Ninth's preparations?"
The silvery haired counterpart sitting beside Hokusai nodded tersely as her pale, open hand raised toward the volumetric panel, "As you can see," Suigetsu Kyōku said, "well enough for what we have. We lack new blood and spotless steel, but an old ship is still a manned ship." Her hand and voice lowered as one of her silvery brows raised, "I will note that the veterans of the Ninth are some of the best, if not the best, Taisho Hokusai. I can thank you for that, no doubt."
"Is that so?!" Hokusai-taisho chuckled in feigned disbelief. A big grin grew across her face with just one of her Nekovalkyrja canines poking through and pressing against her lower lip. "Ora ora!" she exclaimed in rough sounding Yamataigo, "I thought I'd taken all of the good ones with me! But really, the credit's for the Ninth's veterans of today is all yours, Suigetsu-san! Plus, your ships aren't that old at all — at least not compared to my flying museum. My Ayame and Irim should do the trick just fine, though, combined with your ships and the new ones Yui-sama gave me!"
Just then, a yeoman in grey panels with a Star Army Command patched approached where the two taisho were standing. They were a Neko taii named Akane with blazing, neon purple hair and eyes to match, and carried with her a small data pad containing information deemed sensitive enough to be delivered in person rather than over a network. After she bowed, she waited for one of the two admirals to address her, silently holding her salute until prompted.
After she moved her eyes away from other Admiral, Suigetsu Kyōku nodded tersely to the grey panel, saying tersely, "Taii?" She stood from her chair and put a hand out for the pad as she spoke again, "Arigatou gozaimasu."
"New intelligence report, fresh from SAINT, Taisho," Akane-taii said in a manner friendly enough to not be considered too chummy for someone addressing a taisho, before taking one step forward to hand the pad off to Suigetsu. "Also, Hokusai-taisho, your request for military police to assist with repatriation operations planetside has at last been finalized. A battallion has loaded onto the YSS Chīsana ne, one of the new Super Eikan-class cruisers assigned to the Third."
"And they're completely ready to deploy alongside the Rikugun as soon as we've secured system space?" Hokusai asked, every detail of Yui's orders at the front of her consciousness. "Shuttles, ground transport, supplies, prefab facilities? And we've got Separa'shan soldiers among them, yes? I told the last yeoman who was sent to coordinate on this something like 'every snake we've got in the service,' I think! Yui-sama was very particular about how the Empress wanted the locals handled with the utmost care and respect."
"Yes, Taisho!" Akane-taii said, nodding hurriedly with every one of Hokusai's points. "All preparations have been made. Rules of engagement, too!" she added, preempting the little admiral's next question.
"Perfect," Hokusai smiled, not so much replying as expressing what sounded like immense satisfaction. "You've done a good job, Akane-san!"
The yeoman Akane seemed a little overwhelmed, now, because she'd done nothing but deliver intelligence and the new report, but kept nodding along and accepted Hokusai's praise. "T-thank you, Taisho!"
Suigetsu, too, was pleased during the exchange, even while she shot a glance toward Hokusai and when she spoke next, "You are excused, Taii." She bowed as best she could with the pad still in hand, and sat as she looked back to Akiyo. "Taisho, if you please?" She read, then pushed the data pad the short distance along the console, toward where Hokusai Akiyo was standing.
Akane-taii stepped back to give the two taisho some discretion as Hokusai picked up the data pad she'd delivered. The young purple Neko wouldn't leave just yet, as it was her duty to secure the information and dispose of it once the Hokusai and Suigetsu had both received it. It didn't take Hokusai long at all, however, taking in all of the text given to her quickly and efficiently with her computerized Neko brain. Not two seconds after Hokusai had picked it up, she tossed the data pad back over to Akane-taii and went back to examining the volumetric strategic feeds displayed at the command console.
"You heard Suigetsu-taisho, did you, Taii?" Hokusai grumbled without looking back from her place at the console, hands firmly planted and leaning in close to the display. She had a big smile on her face, of course, but the yeoman couldn't see it. "You're 'excused.'"
"Y-yes, Taisho!" Akane shot back as she caught the data pad out of the air and then bowed before scurrying off over the transparent walkway and over to the deck's exit.
Hokusai waited until she'd left before glancing over to Suigetsu with a little grin. "Gotta keep 'em on their toes, ya know?" she said, sounding quite amused with Akane-taii. "That's how they become 'the best' veterans!" she teased, recalling Kyōku's praise from a few minutes before. "Well, other than fighting Mishhuvurthyar with a Mindy."
"Our newest enemy will be on their toes soon enough, Taisho," Suigetsu said as she looked pointedly at the gilded eyes of the woman beside her.
"Everything seems to be coming together nicely indeed," Hokusai agreed, having just read the same intelligence as Suigetsu. It was time to commence operations. "We're lucky the Kuvies saw fewer supply ships sent through to Essia this week, and that even fewer still made it through Star Army pickets." The diminutive taisho pushed up off of the command console with both hands and leaned back on her heels, patting her flat tummy while she pushed out what little guts she had for effect. "Meanwhile we're over here fat on freshly-minted Natarian conscripts!" she chuckled, still slapping her unimpressive attempt at having a big belly.
Suigetsu had to close her eyes, though a wide smile was plastered on her face as the imagery of Akiyo's gesture imprinted itself into her digital memory. The purpley grey masses of Kyōku's hair were bundled together by her two hands as she brought the mass in front of her body. Both of her hands laid on top of one another, separated from her heart by the parcel of her hair. Her expression tightened before the fox-like whiskers bounced up on her face and her eyes opened, along with a smile.
"We have all of our pieces aligned, now, while our opponents are spread and struggling," Suigetsu said.
"How does 0900 Yamataian Standard tomorrow sound to you?" Hokusai stated more than asked. "All that's left to do is inform our captains that it's go-time so they can make sure their crews get one last night of peace before being sent off to battle. Every crew should already be good to launch at a moment's notice, if only barely."
"I will see to telling them," Suigetsu said before she stood. "It has brought me immense enjoyment working with you, Taisho Hokusai. I look forward to more of the same, when the time calls." She gave a deep bow to the black haired woman opposite her. "Including that which comes tomorrow."
For the first time in hours, Hokusai took a moment to straighten up her uniform, tugging her skirt back down to where regulation demanded it be kept and centering the gold buckle on the belt that secured her NSP at her hip. As a last touch, she picked up her Type 36 officer's cap from where she'd left it atop Suigetsu's command console and placed it on her head, pushing it from side-to-side by its immodestly decorated visor until it was aligned just where she wanted it.
"Happy hunting, Suigetsu-taisho," Hokusai said with a truly outstanding salute as if to offer thanks, return Kyōku's compliments back to her, and say "good luck" all at once.