RP [Pisces Station] And All the Rest

"Good question. We were wondering if you could answer it." Mercir responded as he turned the corner. The Britva lowered its weapon but remained stealthed. It watched for a moment before darting ahead once more.

Mercir seemed somewhat taken aback when he first laid eyes on the Abwerhan. The IPG didn't have too many files on them. "Interesting. We don't see many of your race this deep in human space."

Schwab grinned slightly. "Well, that's because we're fairly new to the big universe. I've been working on that though." He sheathed his sword. "Mind if I holster my pistol?" he asked.

Mercir nodded dismissively, and waved his marine accompaniment to follow closer.

Wintergreen jerked his head forward, signaling his marines to keep closer. He leaned in towards Mercir and asked him.

"Do tell, Sir, what 'is' that strange chap?" Wintergreen said, a little confusion dripping in his voice. The other marines looked a little surprised, not too familiar with the alien.

Schwab smiled slightly as he folded his upper arms, and holstered his pistol with his lower arms. "I am, as I said, an Abwehran. In particular, I am a Nightwalker." He lifted wiggled the googles around his eyes. "We lived underground so our eyes can't handle the amount of light that most beings find normal. But enough about me, where are you going?" Schwab asked.

After the the previous wave of Traitors (as he termed them in his mind) had stopped, Arkase reloaded his weapon, and for the first time looked at the bodies with anything more than a glance as they fell.

Several things ran through his mind at the same time - Did I shoot that one? Why are they doing this? Who was he before? - the questions filling his mind until he gagged with the realization he had probably killed his fair share of them. People who were once like him. People who had been the sons and daughters of someone, somewhere. A cousin, brother or sister.

Now their blood was drying on the floor, their lives were gone. Taken at his hands or others'. Arkase felt a familiar feeling of hollowness and shame that he hadn't in a long while. That Nepleslian senator was wrong, though. He didn't regret his decision at all.

"Ma'am..." He said, leaning toward the Aide so she could hear. "I hope the Taisho is almost ready to go. If there are more of them that come, or are within the lines right here, we'll have hell extracting her and the Empress to a safer location." He looked at the hall.

"A siege wouldn't work in our favor at all."

The flux of remaining infected were dwindling away in a blizzard of firepower.

For a few moments, it didn't seem that way to the defenders of the main hall. Arkase's fire hit Aoyama, and some of the other personnel had sent the NIWS out after, which had made shot, but grisly work of Setsuko. Still, the snap of gunfire, the sound of guns of several types, and strangled cries of the dying infected swam about the heads of the people standing to defend their leaders.

The way had cleared for the Nepleslian boarding party, and the Lorath contingent present, but as the NIWS bolted through the fight, leaving a trail of death, the sound of conflict became more, and more sparse.

Screams that had torn through all of the concourses were dying out. Half of one of the armour wings from the Nadare was beginning to take measures to secure the remaining hotspots. Medical teams were boarding after from the Nozomi that had been ordered closer in to the station after verifying status as non-infected.

On the matter of being verified, the questioning of Santô Hei Chiaki had finished, and she was given her sidearm back, along with orders to get in a uniform, and go towards the Yamataian concourse in case one of the ships needed a spare operator.

Soon, a MINDY could be seen from most points in the station. They were putting down the pockets other nationals didn't find and destroy themselves, and setting up sentry points where possible. Of the team of 500, a dozen shot in over the corpses strewn about the battle torn scene outside the conference, where the NIWS was being put back into a standby mode. One Shosa, complete with a rifle, and green paneling on her bodysuit and one nasty looking cut, finally had time to put a bandage to her head, and respond to the arriving team from the Fourth.

"No one gets in or out of the main hall until we contain the situation completely or I get higher orders from stat-com. We'll have to get them out a different exit. I need a real medical team here. Get suits ready too, and keep open for other orders from command." Chaos was replaced with relief in her voice. One medical team was already en route, but was unaware what had transpired inside the conference room.

The fighting was over, for a short, bittersweet time. Friends, colleagues, soldiers, civilians, and merchants from most corners of space had died, and the quick thinking of their military bodies had been the only thing keeping it from being a total massacre.

Intercom said:

"Pisces Station, attention, attention. Full control has been restored, and hostiles are being swept for but it appears their main concentration has been stopped. If you are in need of medical assistance, the medical facility is overcrowded, but several stations are being set up at concourse hatches...."

Click to expand...

Schwab sighed in relief to hear the announcement that everything was under control. He turned to the man in the PA. "Where's the nearest command station?" he asked. "I think it's time we found out what's going on around here."

"There's one set up near the gates going to the Nep stretch of the station, and another at the Yamataian concourse. The main office is still locked down but they should have what you need." The woman's voice replied. She pointed in a direction for Schwab.

The intercom message played again, and command was starting to contact the flagship military vessels from each nation to inform them what took place, and possible precautions to take before evacuating their civilians from Pisces.

"My thanks," he replied "Can you contact the other two Abwehran ambassadors on board the HMS Wayfarer and let them know that I'm alright and will return as soon as I have everything straightened out?" He asked as he started down the corridor that lead to the Yamataian concourse command post. "Perhaps that ambassador we met with can explain what happened. He thought to himself, What was her name....ah yes Ambassador Mersina

"Copy. Relaying now." The armoured Nekovalkryja responded, sending the message to command, who relayed to the waiting Abwehran ship. The doors to the conference center opened, and brisk action was being taken by forces around the station. Bodies were cleaned, and medical teams began scanning others for infection before letting them go. Containment was underway, and outside, ships that were cleared started to depart, mostly civilians.

A message filtered out to the two who had helped defend the area from the infected from Princess Taisho Shimizu.

Arkase, Honoka, we'll need to get back to the Yacht soon. I might need a hand, once I get out of the conference hall here. You are both outside, correct? We're Going to leave the wing here for now, and withdraw to Spirit City.

Oh, and I'm a mother.

Schwab jogged down several hallways, following what signs he could and asking for help when he got lost, but eventually he finally made it to the command post. He tapped a soldier's shoulder that didn't look too busy. "Can you tell me what happened or direct me to someone who can?"

"She had them here?" He asked incredulously to the aide (though he didn't expect an answer.)

"This reminds me so much of... Wasn't the name of the movie Crystal St -" He broke off with a sigh. The Aide probably would never have seen it anyway. It was an old movie.

He didn't yet put away his weapon, but Arkase did flip the safety on and let his arms and hands relax at his sides. He personally hoped he didn't have to deal with the Taisho's children, he liked kids but he always found it awkward and confusing to handle them - though, he had never met a Nekovalkyrja child.

Honoka practically squee'd. With the danger gone for now, she relaxed but was ecstatic at having some younglings to help the Taisho with.

"I suppose she did." Her own sidearm was kept in hand, though she reloaded. Nothing could threaten something so precious, so long as Honoka had a say about it.

"Well at least you two are alive. Thank all stars for that. Help me here, would you?" Akina's voice called to the two members of her staff. The doors had opened to the conference area. She, and some other delegates had stepped out.

...she was the only one with younglings, however. The two on her shoulders both waved exuberantly while darting looks around to all the different faces that seemed taken off complete guard, or were just astounded by what had happened. "Honoka-san holster that please." The Princess Taisho requested, sliding an arm around her shoulder for support. She still felt tired after the ordeal, but was somewhat lifted to find armour teams from the Nadare maintaining order while station security got the rest under control.

"I wish the Empress had not left so soon...I had something to ask." It was mostly a question of her children, something more important than names. Glancing towards where she thought Davis might be following her, the eldest Shimizu felt a sudden pang for her lost fiancee. What was she thinking?

"We're going to the Nymph. Come on. Arkase..on point." The smell of her dead comrades still lingered, she was eager to get on board the yacht, and go back to the command ship. A few of the clothed soldiers bowed at the procession of delegates. Most had to leave soon after, as Pisces became more operational the less people there were on board to worry about.

"You take good care of Momma!" The youngest child, on the shoulder between Akina and Honoka lectured, poking her in the cheek.

Honoka complied, putting away her sidearm. She wrapped an arm around the Taisho's backside, helping the no-longer-pregnant woman along. Still, the aide's eyes kept vigilant. There was likely not much of a threat left, but you couldn't be too careful, right?

She smiled up at the youngling poking her cheek, a playful and purposely missed bite at the finger. "Of course I'll take care of her! You two as well."

Davis had politely followed the princess so as not to interrupt her command of her subordinates.

He stood quietly as the farewells were given, his hands clasped behind his back. Even in this chaos, he exuded calm, rational confidence. After all, they were in Nepleslian space, and the Sky Marshall trusted the defensive capabilities of his military.

When a brief period of silence fell, the Sky Marshall spoke.

"My lady, I greatly appreciated your time here and am happy for your additions to your family. Please, take care... you too, young ones."

"I won't forget it, Marshall Davis. Come visit us if we're still alive in a while. Katsuko no Iori is a lovely station. Everything you've done here will surely stay with all of the Shimizu women." The Princess Taisho replied softly, inclining her head towards the man she felt she'd seen a different side of. "The girls I'm sure would appreciate it, especially Tomoko." She had almost asked to send the girls with him, but imagined it was too much for him to be known doing, with his people's natural aversion to Nekovalkryja.

"Goodbye, Uncle Davis." Tomoko said in earnest, bowing a little and floating from him, to rest on Honoka's opposite shoulder from her younger sister.

This meant she yelled next, "Byeeeeeeeeeeeee uncy!" Causing the Taisho to darken.

"I'm...sorry about that. It seems you have fans already. Please be safe. I'll need your permission to depart orbit of the station as soon as possible with my contingent. Zero Fleet can handle taking her home." When they left, she wondered what the grizzled Marshall would do to safeguard the DIoN.

"The -three- of us will take care of her fine." Miu, the middle child, announced from Shimizu's other shoulder. They continued along through the massive station, to the Yamataian concourse where civilians were still waiting to leave. It had been decided once Pisces crossed the border that they could leave. That wasn't stopping military vessels and other governmental ships, and independents from fleeing though. Thankfully, they were able to be scanned, and cleared of infection before being allowed through the airlock into the plush ship, the Yousei or Nymph, as Akina often referred to it.

"Okay..get us to the bridge. I need to sit down." The Taisho told Honoka. "We'll be going to the Nadare as planned..however, I'm not sending the girls into a warzone. We'll bring a crew on board, and they can take this ship to Katsuko no Iori or...well I am open to suggestions. We have to get to Spirit City before it's not there anymore."

Arkase had taken point. But he had focused on what lay ahead, but when the Taisho talked about Spirit City, he had nodded. He was finally sure that he could calm down.

"Spirit City, Ma'am?" Arkase finally said, and looked almost for the first time at the younglings.

"Err..." He blinked. He didn't have any suggestions or comments -- he kept looking at the younglings though, with a sense of amazement. She had them in the conference room?

(OOC Note: Sorry for being absent, it seems I missed a small bit!)

"Gomen, three. I'm a bit distracted.... Fine, well, I'll help take care of all of you," Honoka replied to the little ones.

As she was leading Akina away, Honoka did a small awkward bow for Davis in respect, though it would likely go unnoticed.

From there, the aide helped the Taisho to the ship. It was only a little further... hopefully. After all that had happened, and the stress she had earlier with handling fleet logistics while the Taisho was busy with the conference had led her to forget exactly where she was supposed to go. But, she had Arkase to count on where to go, seeing as he was in front of the rest of them.