RP: YSS Eucharis [Post-Mission 21] Kyoto Blues

Restaurant.

Tony had been about to answer the hard question that Aikiko had asked, but then Red showed up and then they moved back into the foodery. She really didn't know why she was back here. She was so ready to walk all the way beck to the ship, that damned Neko following her and leading her back to the restaurant with her witchy neko ways. tony had heard how they could get into your head and hear your thoughts. Maybe she could get some foil and line her Marine cap with it...

The Shosho was asking about operations the ship could go and do, slipped into her seat and slowly started munching on her food that she had left. "Well We could always do training, I would love to get to fire the weapons on the ship." She spoke not realizing the ship had just finished a training cycle.

Restaurant

"I know of a few criminals you could use for a target," Aikiko smiled a bit predatory, as her eyes lit up. She spoke softly as she stabbed a cold chunk of meat off her plate with her fork.

Restaurant

Tsuguka pretty much just stared at Stark and Akiashiro as they re-entered the restaurant, waiting for an explanation that never came. No situation reports, no reasons for leaving their posts, nothing. Too late to get angry now, she had just done the exact same to Mitsuko as well. She was the only person who hadn't gotten a single bite to eat, too.

Shrugging deeply, she simply followed them back inside and did her best to ring the water out of her hair braids for the second time today.

Damn, was the Shosho staring the briefing? Moving from the buffet back to the table as quickly as possible, she then sat down with a large plate of nothing but those dumplings and a large glass of water. Thanks to the abuse of abhuman abilities, it didn't seem like Toyoe had missed too much. She was still annoyed that it didn't make her look very professional, through. She'd have to formally apologize to Murakami-Hei and probably the Shosho later.

"Why Hici'Emi II, Santo Hei Akiashiro?" She responded to Aikiko in standard blank tone, whilst she was still taking her seat again. "The Lorath simply dumping Helashio into the wild on the fourth planet doesn't seem right to me... But I don't really think we are in the right organization to be doing anything about that..."

She shrugged again, realizing she was probably exuding that elitist vibe she was so worried about. In actuality, she really couldn't imagine what it would be like to be raised in such conditions... Just like people from those conditions seemed to think Tsuguka was being big-headed for taking pride in her own place of creation.

Looking into the table a little bleakly, she simply decided to stop talking.

Restaurant
Aikiko looked up at Tsuguka and spoke softly with patience, “It where I was an indentured to a Mining Consortium illegally in the United Outer Colonies before the Second Mish War.”

She smiled at Tsuguka as she spoke telepathic to her. ~~ “It’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking questions about stuff you know nothing about.”~~ Turning her attention back to the Shosho.

“I’d like to go there and retrieve some information I was forced to leave behind, Shosho. Unless there is something more important for us to do,” Aikiko looked a bit hopeful at Hanako.

Restaurant

Mitsuko began working at her plate, circling through the variety of food she'd selected. The Neko seemed to like just about everything she'd sampled so far. She continued to eat as the large image appeared over the table, eyes flickering back and forth as she took it all in. "Oh, well...it would be nice to stay close to home. For a change." She glanced at Hanako, before focusing on her plate again.

Restaurant

"Last time we had an encounter with the Lorath we had to flee into Gartagen space to get away from the fleet they sent after us. Going to a Lorath-control system like Hici'Emi would be extremely difficult and dangerous and could provoke an international incident," Hanako explained. "What sort of information did you leave behind, and what value would the mission have to the Yamatai Star Empire?" she asked Aikiko.

Taxi

"Well i am sure you will find something to do" Natsumi said to Sienna as the cab came to a stop. "Maybe get your own spaceship and go adventuring through space?" She shrugged and got out once the door was open.

"For now though, food!" She grinned.

Restaurant

Aikiko straightened up, almost imitating Tsuguko’s posture, when Shosho directed her comment and question to her. Aikiko took a quick drink to gather her thoughts. It was like facing a superior officer in the PF.

She spoke clearly with her usual respectful tone. “Shosho, it has come to my attention that a criminal organization been kidnapping intelligent species for indentured work at poverty level existence. In my first body was a military grade NH without the proper activation of some of my abilities till I became part of the military branch of the UOC.

During my tenure as a Peace Officer, I ran my own investigation to see whether or not I was a Neko or natural born. My Co-workers at the Mining Consortium had brought it to my attention I was different from a lot of them.

As a Peace Officer, I could gain access to a lot of data with help from my unit. We found out that an organized gang of operatives were using illegal means in supplying workers for a lot of hard dangerous physical work without proper compensation in health benefits and pay.”

Aikiko paused to let the Shosho ask questions, while taking a polite speaker's drink of water.

Restaurant

"The amount of untapped mining opportunities in that star cluster would suggest to me that manpower is their biggest concern..." Tsuguka gave her own input, folded her hands onto the table before her. "With the UOC gone, and Yamatai taking control of the prospects near Gensou, it would make sense tactically that they would try and expand as quickly as possible, by all means possible."

"Problem is, well... Neko are individually pretty big things to try and hide. If there was really some kind of massive kidnapping and smuggling organization in place, we'd be accusing our local outposts there of either large amounts of corruption or large amounts of incompetence." She didn't need telepathy to make an expression of apology towards Akiashrio. "Sorry, but I'm not so sure a single ship, or indeed, Shosho Ketsurui in particular, are the right tools for the job..."

"Well, not unless we were trying to shake the worms out of the woodwork."

Aikiko looked thoughtful for a few minutes. Then she spoke softly, “I’d say they are a threat if they can get one NH. They can get more. Just think of all the other NH’s being taken and used like I was? Not just being skilled workers. For a private army that’s not controlled by any legal Star Empire? Space covers a lot of territory that you could hide in.”

Restaurant Table

Hanako shook her head a little. "The Lorath government supports slavery. Until that changes, the only way to effectively stop individual slaver organizations in their territory is to topple the Lorath Matriarchy or to risk war by clandestinely going in against the Lorath will. Currently, there is a defense treaty under discussion between Lor, Nepleslia, and Yamatai that could be jeopardized by the mission. The operational requirements of the Star Army generally preclude violating the space of other, recognized nations like Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, the Lorath Matriarchy, and the Gartagen Union, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I suggest we look at other star systems that are Yamataian or unclaimed. We are also able to take up civilian job offers so long as they align with the goals of the military and are good training opportunities."

Restaurant

Aikiko nodded, keeping her feelings hidden as she cringed on the inside about hearing about the Lorath supporting slavery. She glanced at the volumetric display, enjoying the view it offered.

"It's bull shit I know! But unless you Yammis want both Neplesia and the Lorath going to war... Cause that is what the treaty seems like it says it'll be a bitch to pull off..." tony spoke looking at Aikiko with a bit of sympathy.

"That is the sad price to pay for this galactic peace. It's stupid, all of it really is, but I'm just a grunt so what do I know about these things." she spoke between bites of her fishy rolls and chicken. "I hate the idea anyone is treated like a slave... But now the two biggest kids on the block have condoned it."

Restaurant

"You can't empathize with someone by bullying them. I'm afraid I agree with our Shosho." Tsuguka remarked in standard monotone. Her stern face seemed to say she'd be indifferent to attacking them should it be ordered, but that wasn't a sound reason in and of itself. "Our diplomats will surely be talking to them about abolishing it. That is... Well, part of their occupation as our representatives."

~~"I'm sorry, Santo Hei Akiashiro, but there will come a time and place."~~ Her telepathic voice was unexpectedly hushed and soft, a subtle whisper in the ear. Without the steel cladding of her outward regimental decorum, it sounded almost.... Well, like a person. ~~"Somebody on this side of the boarder must be helping the smugglers, and the kind of places we'll be going, I'm sure we will catch a lead eventually. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open for that opportunity, comrade."~~

"What about the Splorfin system?" She spoke out loud again. For Akiashiro, the dull and heavy tone was like getting mental whiplash. "Nobody has been there for six years, and it's pretty close to a lot of the colony interests. Emperor Ketsurui may have glassed the entire place for all we know, but it still seems like it is in an alarmingly good location for a base."

Restaurant

Aikiko kept her stoic Peace Force stern expression as she listened to her comrades. She gave a slow wink at Tsuguka in a manner that if anyone wasn’t paying attention to her. Anyone would’ve missed it. She appreciated the support of Cadet Stark and Santo-Hei Tsuguka, that she missed the suggestion of a new star system to recon. She dug into her memories for anything that would help her case to bring justice to the criminals that were at least in Yamatia Star Empire. But that data storage case would be essential to putting them on the right track.

Restaurant

"That is a strange Star System. It has a red dwarf with a gas giant with a wet terrestrial moon orbiting it that has its own large moon. I have never been to the surface but my ship fought a battle in the system in YE 29," Hanako told Tsuguka. "The system has a lot of bad memories for me. During the fight I was impregnated by a Mishhuvurthyar. I ended up giving birth to three of their kind because of it. I also lost a samurai I was close to. You are right that the system, despite being within our sphere of influence, has received almost no attention. Are you suggesting setting up a base there or just checking it for enemy bases?"

Outside the Restaurant

Sienna shrugged, not able to help a slight smirk at that thought. It actually had occurred to her to strike out on a starship of her own, no longer dependent on stowing away and hitching rides to keep herself a step ahead of trouble, but it still seemed like a silly fantasy. But now, in fact, she actually might have the resources to pull it off. Perhaps she'd consider it.

A quick sigh made her shoulders rise and fall as she cleared her mind of everything that had been plaguing it, and she nodded in agreement with Natsumi's sentiment. "Yeah, let's eat," she concurred, and followed the white-haired Neko into the establishment, her hands clasped tightly on the straps of the backpack riding on her shoulders. "I'm frackin' famished."

Restaurant

"I'm terribly sorry, Shosho Ketsurui. I forgot you had been posted to the YSS Sakura." Tsuguka immediately bolted to her feet, arced her hands together, and made a full bow of apology, remaining there with her head lowered. She probably couldn't have thought of a worse system to bring up. "To be perfectly honest, I have difficulty thinking of you as anything less than our own rear admiral, ma'am."

There was a strange grimace on her face, as if trying to hide a feeling of deep self-disgust. It was hard for her to think of Hanako in normal, personable terms. She was nearly two decades older than most of them. She had stars named after her. The stories during training had painted her as some lightning-spewing god of battle... Yet the short, comely, polite woman sitting before her just sat there, politely putting up with the yammerings of this weird selection of renegades, miscreants and clueless greenhorns. It would have been less terrifying if she was the seven foot tall demigod. Or, at least easier to attach the person before her to the history that Tsuguka had fawned over so much in the past.

"I will accept a reprimand willingly for my disrespect, ma'am. I meant no offense." She still hadn't exited from the bow. "I only wished to draw your attention to an obvious staging point for possible enemy operations, ma'am. It warrants an investigation, at the very least, in my opinion, ma'am."

Restaurant:

Aikiko couldn’t help but give a soft chuckle at Tsuguka antics once again. Aikiko bowing her head to allow her now free hair to hang freely before her. It effectively hiding the humorous grins and help muffle her soft laughter. Her shoulders shook a bit. ~~Poor Tugs.~~ The thought shot through her mind. Whoever did her personality was overzealous in doing it.

Aikiko liked the kid she saw in Tugs, knowing she meant well. She hoped Tsuguka was as good as she was overzealous to please. She softly gave another chuckle as another thought shot through her mind. ~~ She’s like a friggen puppy! So eager to please! ~~

Restaurant

"I wouldn't want to start another interstellar incident, no..." She seemed to go a bit paler at the thought, needing a long sip of her tea to recover. Mitsuko listened to Aikiko pleading her case, as the others tried to pitch their own alternate ideas. She knew Hanako would likely just do whatever she wanted, and even that might change without much notice. The Neko shivered as their captain went into a bit too much detail about her past, not particularly wanting to think about that sort of fate. Tsuguka seemed as disturbed by it as she was, although Murakami just kept quiet and worked on keeping her mouth full of food while the other Neko stood and asked for punishment.