RP: YSS Eucharis [Post Mission 20] Back on Hanako's World

On the road

"Except what happens if that plan nearly gets an officer killed?" Takeyu asked, knowing that this might put a dark shadow over the conversation. "A few years back when I was.. mm.. gunho and wanted to get into the thick of things, I nearly made a mistake that would've gotten our captain killed, had she not yelled at me and knocked me to my senses. That's why its always best to take a step back and ponder things before executing anything, provided the situation allows it naturally."

Peering up at the traffic light, Takeyu said. "The others will fall in line as time goes on, its like I said before, if they are truly your friends - they'll support you and not jump to conclusions. A good friend is someone who is always there for you, and you going up in rank, should never serve as a block toward that friendship." Takeyu sighed, he had to wonder if the reason Kumiko left the ship so quickly was due to his fast promotions he'd received after he had joined the ship.

On The Road

Misato nodded, "I know,I know but Tell you the truth boss... I'm scared shitless about going back." She put her forehead on the handle bars as she tried to gather herself and keep the tears from coming out. "I didn't want this I just wanted to stay a grunt and fight." Her breathing started to get ragged as she fought the loosing battle.

"I don't want to go back at all..." She strained as she looked back up and saw the light switch, so she throttled up and took off again slower this time. She was having to put a lot of effort to focus on driving.

Cargo Bay

Natsumi smiled, Bowing to Sune respectfully as he departed from the Eucharis. "Good luck" she said as he went. Then she turned her attention back to Sienna. "Oh a PHC, very nice!" she grinned and started back off for the ships interior. She wanted to pack and go quick. She still had to settle into the hotel and then wanted to spend some quality time at the beach before Sune's dinner party tonight.

"Hey" she said as they walked along, "You ever been to a beach?" she asked.

Cargo Bay

Junko's smile broadened as Mitsuko managed her own little smile, and had to fight to stop herself from giggling a little. She hated the way she sounded when she did but moreover it was totally inappropriate for the moment. Even still, Junko was having a hard time thinking of herself as intimidating. She realized she wasn't always the easiest person to get along with and even then that was a major improvement over some of her earlier, formative years. To see someone reacting to her with timidity and a touch of fearfulness was bizarre, to say the least.

Managing to even herself out a touch, she cocked her head slightly toward Mitsuko. "Well for now you've got a lot to be feeling good about, between your promotion and all of this leave, at a resort hotel, no less. As for the rest? You'll be just fine, Murakami-Hei. I have every confidence in you."

Still smiling, she nodded politely to her junior and headed for the zero-g passageway. For all that she would have preferred to stay aboard the Eucharis, she could recognize the inevitable and so needed to get packed for the stay in the resort. It didn't take long, as she stowed her uniforms, a few small assorted possessions, and her very limited collection of civilian clothing. Shouldering her bag, she left her cabin and headed back to the Cargo Bay.

Enroute to the Crew Cabins from the Cargo Bay

"Nuh uh," Sienna replied to Natsumi, shaking her head as they walked. "I've seen vids and photographs, even think I remember seeing one from altitude once, but that wasn't a water ocean coast, or very inviting. Never been to one that I remember, though."

The tone of her voice made her sound slightly indifferent to the idea, but in truth, Sienna found herself actually excited about it. About the entire concept of being invited to a luxury resort, actually. Her entire childhood was spent aboard aging, dingy starships held together by duct tape and spit, jumping from port to backwater port, and her adolescence and early adulthood so far had been much of the same. She'd considered it a lucky break on the occasions when she was able to sleep with both eyes closed for more than a few hours without fear; that was as close to luxury as she'd ever come. Now here she was, being treated as a queen, for no reason other than being in the right place at the right time. She knew she couldn't allow herself to get comfortable or complacent, but it was getting increasingly difficult the longer this day went on.

As they approached the crew cabins, she slowed to a stop as they passed cabin six. "It won't take me long," she said as she opened the door and stuffed the KS card and PHC in one of her leg pockets. "Everything I own fits into one bag. Where you want me to meet you?"

Cargo Bay (near ramp)

Hanako's outline looked small in comparison to the tall, rugged Chelti in front of her. She ran a hand through her bangs as she looked up at his face. "It was reasonable to take precautions," she agreed. "My culture does indeed prefer planets with large oceans. Rather than being hosts to Krauls and Lagimopes, the oceans here are teeming with fish. Fish are a major food source for Yamataians, and are more popular than any other types of natural meat," Hanako explained to Haka. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hanako, captain of this ship. My military rank is Shosho. "We did not get a chance to speak with each other earlier and I would like to learn more about you, and if you are interested in staying in the Yamatai Star Empire. It is possible for me to grant you citizenship if you request asylum here. Otherwise, you may simply move about as tourist would. It is our custom to treat guests with hospitality; may I get you something to eat or drink?"

Natsumi nodded. "Meet me in cabin 2?" she asked. "I'll be packing there for a little she said.

With that she left Sienna to pack her things, making her way up a few more meters to the hatch to cabin 2. Opening it she slipped inside and went to her locker. She opened it and took out her luggage and set it open.

She was not sure how long they would be away so she got out all of her civilian clothes, not that she had a lot. She smiled and figured she would have to go shopping for more, she also figured Sienna might want to as well.

Natsumi looked at her collected outfits and decided she did not need to e in uniform. She pulled off her uniform ad folded it all up and set it aside to be cleaned, then put on a civilian outfit. She chose her pink and orange floral print sun dress, sandals and straw hat.

Once changed she also packed a fresh uniform just in case she needed it.

Outside Cabin 6

"Sure," Sienna replied, and entered her cabin. It took her less than a minute to gather her meager possessions together into her backpack and sling it over her shoulder; she was wearing everything else she owned. Looking over the cabin one final time to assure herself that she didn't miss anything, she turned and went back out into the corridor.

Outside Cabin 2

Knocking on Natsumi's door lightly, she waited casually for an answer.

Cabin 2

"Come in" Natsumi said as she heard the knock at her door. She smiled as it opened to reveal Sienna. "Hi, I'm almost done" She said as she stuffed the last few things she wanted to bring into her luggage.

On the road

Takeyu could relate to that, he didn't exactly want to be an officer but here he was. He carefully placed a hand on Misato's shoulder in an effort to calm her down a bit, it wasn't good for her to be upset and potentially in tears especially while they were driving - but seeing her like this also made him wonder if there was something more going on than what she was speaking of.

Cabin 2

Sienna stepped inside the cabin, glancing around more out of habit than any actual desire to check out the environment, since she already knew every cabin would be more or less identical. "I ain't in a hurry," she replied as she did so, idly adjusting the pack hanging off of her right shoulder and leaning the same one against the wall by the door. She watched with detached curiosity while Natsumi gathered up her things. "It never occurred to me to ask," she said, "do any of you Nekos have a proper home? Or do you just live on the ship wholesale?"

Cargo Bay

Junko stood idly by for a few moments, unsure of what to do. She usually found herself listless while on leave, and so took very little of it, and without anything concrete to do until the Chusa’s dinner later in the evening she felt rather adrift. The urge to crawl back into a maintenance conduit and do some fiddling was almost overpowering, but the yard techs would be handling that now.

Finally, she mentally chanced upon some unfinished business she had to attend to. She glanced over, but found the Shosho occupied in conversation with their alien guest. Not wanting to interrupt, she sent a message as she walked down the ramp and out onto the flight line.


The walk across the tarmac was quiet, which satisfied Junko. It had taken her years to finally start acknowledging her emotions, to admit that they were as legitimate as they were unavoidable. Times like this, when they swirled up and occasionally threatened to overwhelm her, made her question the wisdom of that transformation. Still, she did have a lot to think about.

So much of her childhood and even her first years in the Star Army had been driven by an internal, dysfunctional self-concept about her body, her species, and fundamental doubts about the existential worth of life in general. The NH-29H model she had been using for the past five years was both a blessing and a curse, alleviating some parts of her dysfunction and exacerbating others. And then there was the effort her mother had put into securing it for her.

She knew, from reading about the process, that the upgrade didn’t actually involve a transfer to an entirely new body, but rather a total internal femto-machine restructuring of her present one. Even its appearance would remain the same to her own unusual human-form Nekovalkyrja model. Still, the loss of the identity, of the “NH-29H” label meant something to her. She wasn’t yet sufficiently at peace with herself to know what, exactly, but could at least admit the deep significance of the moment.

Junko ground to halt on some unconscious order and looked up. She had to blink away tears from her eyes; she hadn’t noticed them until that moment. When her vision cleared she realized she was in front of the hospital. Taking a moment to wipe her eyes and straighten her uniform, she nodded to herself, straightened her spine, and marched into the building and up to reception.

“Hello,” she said, wondering if her eyes were obviously puffy and red. “I am Itto Heisho Takeda Junko of the YSS Eucharis. I’m here for an NH-29 to NH-33 conversion.”

On The Road

Misato was startled when he put his hand on her shoulder. She slowed the bike a bit more and looked back at him for a split second before going back to watching where she was going. "I'll be fine. I have to be." she said trying to convince him as much as herself.

The road ahead opened up to the beach and teed off to a boulevard that ran a bit of the coast. Suzume gasped when she saw the crystal blue waters. Almost everything forgotten in those few moments. "I... I remember it from last time we were here, but it still takes my breath away." She spoke as she pulled the bike to a stop at the junction.

Cargo Bay

Mitsuko nodded again. "Thank you, Takeda-Heisho." She let the officer leave first, pausing in the Cargo Bay long enough to let her get a good head start. Then she headed into the ship herself. The other crew members she'd seen seemed to be changing out of their uniforms, so that's probably what she needed to do as well. She pulled out the luggage the Shosho had gifted her during the holidays, smiling at the memory. The expression faded a bit as she looked at Misato's half of the storage space, letting out a sigh.

She had too much to think about. Junko's pep talk had helped a little, but this was still a lot to take in. Murakami changed out of her Duty Uniform, updating her rank on it and her other uniforms while she was at it. All of her uniforms were hung up again, for now, as she pondered what to wear. A long blue skirt, sandals, an orange tanktop and thin white overshirt. The Neko even exchanged her glasses for the cat eye sunglasses she'd picked up before. She had only picked up a few outfits last time they were here, including her swimwear, so she didn't have much to choose from. She would definitely have to go shopping again.

Helen, Kokona and Tomomi were no longer on the ship, but perhaps Natsumi would go to that store with her again? Mitsuko didn't know if she could bother Misato with something like this, but it would be nice if she came along again, too. With all her summer clothes packed, she added a few other essentials, along with the spa coupon she'd received as a gift. She hesitated before packing her utility belt, complete with tools and NSP. Mitsuko had not run into any trouble last time, so she didn't think she needed to wear it, but after their last mission she wasn't going to leave it on the Eucharis, either.

Soon enough Murakami was exiting her cabin, rolling her luggage along behind her. Her eyes glowed dimly without her glasses, sunglasses currently hanging from her shirt pocket. She blinked, spotting Natsumi's door opening to admit Sienna, catching a glimpse of the other Neko inside. She hesitated here for a moment, frowning, the desire to speak with her friend measured against her desire to avoid the civilian passenger.

Outside Eucharis

Izokia continued to look at her feet, constantly afraid of displeasing Ayumi with some kind of outlandish idea, "I was going to try to find food maybe we'll meet someone else from the crew and figure out if they are trying anything interesting.....I'm not very good at leading most people." She hated that even the act of asking a colleague to get something to eat was a nerve wracking endeavor. She continued on "If we are going to leave it would be best if do so soon so everyone else doesn't get ahead of us." Izokia was concerned that her last statement was to harsh but she grew tired of talking in her own circles.

Outside Eucharis

"Perhaps it would be best to pack our belongings for the trip to this resort, and then find food there?" Ayumi offered calmly, not at all displeased by Izokia's idea. It was very hard to elicit any sort of strong emotion from the Neko regardless of how she actually felt about the situation. Ayumi still felt a strong tug of appreciation when she thought of Izokia standing by her before the Eucharis left the dream world, but she had not actually spoken to the other medic on the situation.

It was sort of funny that Ayumi was able to intimidate Izokia so, considering the six inches that she had on Ayumi. Ayumi, however, was not concerned about Izokia's nerves, even though they were clear to her. She did not feel it was her job to worry about her colleague's nerves.

Outside Eucharis

Izokia nodded and forced a smile "Yes it would be a good idea to pack first." She motioned for Ayumi to follow her back to the cabin so that they could begin packing.

Cargo Bay

Chieko did a good job of keeping her confident face because Deziarra was totally unaware of it. If she had been aware of it, she would have found someplace else to go. That was why she asked in the first place. After Chieko replied she no longer felt like she was in the way. She glanced over at Kale as if expecting him to say something before heading towards her cabin, leaving Chieko and Kale with each other once again.

Eucharis Cargo Ramp

"Alright," the scientist smiled confidently after Deziarra had wandered of, "Let's get a move on so we can get this leave started!"

Chieko through an arm into the air as if to make her words a cheer, then gave Kale a wink before taking off for her cabin.


Cabin 6

The academic had missed her cabinmate by minutes; however a miss is a miss and all she could do was notice a few things missing. She must have already taken off, the Minkan thought to herself with a soft smile, hoping the Nepleslian woman wasn't going alone. Chieko then opened up her locker and began removing her uniform, then setting it aside as laundry, packing it into her duffle as neatly as possible with what ever else she may need for reporting back in.

The scientist located her white flower print sun dress and pulled it over her Star Army undergarments. Next Chieko found her maroon strapped geta and slipped her feet into them, making wooden clopping sounds as she tested out her steps. Then finally she grabbed her harisen, putting the handle through the back of her dress' top opening, then her bag, and rather noisily exited her cabin.


Aft Zero-G Passageway

There was still ten minutes left until the time Chieko had said to meet when she arrived at the top of the passageway and sat herself down on the ledge. Realizing she was a little early, the young Minkan began drifting off into SYNC looking up the locations of malls and other shopping strips near by. She liked that there was some close by, but the one that she really liked seemed to require a taxi ride. More logistics to look into...

Cabin 2

"Some of us do, I think" Natsumi replied. "For me the ship is home. Before the ship the academy was home, before that, well there was not any before that for me" she shrugged as she packed her red and white striped bikini, then sealed up her luggage. "I figure whenever I decide to retire from the service, either when my contract is up or later if I stay in, I will get a home on a planet, either on Yamatai, or maybe here on Hanako's world" she shrugged again and looked over at Sienna, smiling.

"Or maybe I will get my own space ship and explore the galaxy" she set her rolling luggage on the floor, extending its handle out. "I've just got started and have a long time ahead of me, so have not thought too far ahead" she eyed Sienna, "I guess all this is sort of a new lease on life for you too, getting off that planet?" she smiled, shifting subjects a little. "You can do whatever you want now and nothing can stop you"