Gunsight1
Potato Salad
YSS Kaiyō
Medical Bay
17日 1月 YE 39
1500 Hours
Her eyes opened, slowly. She had passed out again from her injuries. Passed out just as she had discovered that the Yamataian warship had not gone. As she came to once more, she found herself in a liquid environment, a hemosynth tank of all places. She had not been in one of these for years. That only meant one thing. She had been captured. Finally, after years, she had been taken. She tried to focus her eyes and get a look through the blur of the thick goop she was suspended in, seeing something of the sterile white medical bay outside. She had never been aboard a Yamataian ship save for boarding actions when she had been tearing them and their crews to pieces. This should be interesting, she mused, wondering how long until she was to be put to death.
'Ara, ara,' a smooth, pleasant voice rung in her mind. 'Who do we have here?' From outside the tank, a figure clad in a black uniform approached, her face becoming clearer and clearer with each step the woman took. Feline ears perked up as her tail held itself high in a question mark, it was as clear as daylight who and what she was. A Nekovalkyrja from SAINT. Leaning in close at the waist, the woman looked on in curiosity at Amanozako's bare, exposed form within the hemosynth tank. The way her eyes glanced about however, it was difficult to tell if she was looking at her wounds, or her body, which was perhaps a little disturbing in and of itself.
The tubed neko fixed her eyes on the SAINT operative. She recognized the black uniform, the uniform of the enemies hated spies and covert operations agents. Her red eyes bored into the other neko, the malace and will to do harm more than obvious on the predatory expression that had settled onto her face, the slight change in her posture even as she floated in the healing tank. But she did not strike out, did not try to punch or claw her way out of the tank. She knew how strong the tank walls were. This was not the time to attack. It was time to size up her enemies.
'Oh, don't be so cold!' the woman outside the tank feigned mock hurt, the voice in Amano's head sounding playfully wounded. This didn't last long however, as the woman was already probing, prodding at the red eyed Neko. 'Are you feeling well in there? It's almost time to get out you know. We can go get something to eat together if you'd like,' she kindly offered. Despite the tubed Neko's cold stare, the black clad operative never ceased in her politeness. And the offer itself was, as always, tempting. After all, who did want to rot in a cell?
Amanozako said nothing. Showed no sign of interest in stating how she felt, or of taking a meal with her enemy. Silence was her only defense right now and she was not going to give this operative anything.
'Ara, so stubborn!~'' the operative laughed. Though dulled and muffled by the tank, the brief song-like notes remained pleasant. 'Well, we are getting a green light now, so I will begin decanting you.'' With that, a deep, ominous rumble sounded through the hemosynth tank as the transparent Nekovalkyrja blood was drained, leaving her painted red. The water sprays inside the tube activated to quickly rinse her off, however, the feeling of blood was simply something that wasn't washed away so easily. 'Would you like to take a shower? Hm? Otherwise, your hair is going to start feeling sticky,' the woman spoke again. With that, the tube cracked itself open as the black uniformed woman handed over a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers to the red eyed Neko, her tail playfully swaying.
As the tank opened, Amanozako's ears flattened back and she took two quick steps forward, ignoring the offered bathrobe and slippers, but instead, she swung her balled up right fist forward, driving it hard into the SAINT operative's middle. Her fist hurtling forward, the SAINT simply vanished as the slippers and towel plumetted to the floor. Alone in the seemingly deserted medbay, the place could only be described as eerie. Without question, she wasn't alone, as something unseen quickly tapped her on the nose.
"Boop!~" the unseen operative sang, having tapped Amano with a finger. Amanozako snarled and lashed out, trying to catch the hand, or whatever had touched her. She cycled her vision, switching to infared, trying to spot the now cloaked enemy. As she did, she drew herserlf into the long practiced combat stance, ready to defend herself, or attack.
"I wonder, just what were you planning to do?" Despite cycling her vision modes, Amano failed to spot the operative. "Multi-spectrum coverage - the latest!~" the unseen woman playfully added from somewhere in front of her. "But really, just what are you thinking?" One might think that answer was quite obvious with the look of pure animal rage on the black haired neko's face. The clawed hands, the bared teeth. She glanced about, looking for something, anything of use. There were various medical tools in the cabinets, most likely scalpels and such just hidden away, waiting for her to find and grab them. But the one thing that was constantly there was the operative. Lingering just out of sight, Amano was at her mercy so long as she felt like playing nice. "You're on board a Star Army ship. The only reason why nobody has come is because I asked them not to, you know," the kind voice sounding a little miffed at her insistance. "As long as you don't make a mess, it's just the two of us," she added, her voice unseen. Amanozako spotted something of use. Bottles of various colored liquids lined up on a shelf to her side. She sidestepped over, grabbed a couple and wrenching off their caps, splashed the brightly colored fluids around, hopefully to drench the hidden said operative and give herself some idea where it was.
"Ara, ara! What a mess! Flip a table too, why don't you!" The liquid splashed about uselessly, frustratingly missing its mark. She had to give the captive credit though - it was the right move to make, but, it was the same thing she would have done too. It was just too predictable however. Enough was enough however. With a sting in her rear, Amano felt the strength in her limbs start to slip away as the bottles she held fell, only to stop mid-air as she collapsed to her knees, too weak to stand. "Muscle relaxant," the operative explained, appearing in front of her. Feet floating off the ground, the womanly Neko drifted back over to the cabinets and leisurely shelved the bottles before coming back over. "You know. You're acting like you're hiding something. Oh, silly me, I've been so impolite! No wonder you're angry at me!" the woman replied, her ears perking up as sudden realization hit her. "My name is Sakamoto. Sakamoto Hina. What's yours?" she smiled down at her as the syringe was tossed in the sharps bin.
She remained silent. She was not going to talk to the enemy, socialize, give any single detail about herself, especially not to a SAINT operative. She hissed at the other instead. It was about all she could do, since this Sakamoto coward couldn't even be bothered to face her in a stand up fight.
"Ah, the strong, quiet type are you?" Her feet landing on the floor again, Sakamoto reached over and simply tossed the towel over Amanozako before working to dry her off and wrapping her with it. "Well, since that's the case, I'll go ahead and give you a shower, since you're not even saying no!" Reaching around the red eyed Neko's waist, she was hoisted up and held under an arm like a sack of potatoes. Careful to keep an eye on the prisoner's hands, Sakamoto began to blissfully walk through the ship with the near-naked Neko in tow.
At that moment however, Boss chirped up in her friendly tone, asking Sakamoto, "Anything I can do to help?" The AI directed the medic that was taking Navian, the infantry Elysian, back to the medical lab to choose a new path there. She didn't want Miya and Navian to interrupt what Sakamoto and Amanozako had going on, nor did she want Sakamoto's newest possession disturbing them.
"Daijōbudesu~~~<3" the woman happily replied. "I'm just giving this cat a shower, that's all. But she's just really angry about it!" Sakamoto added, finally entering the shower room. A moment later, and she had the ever defiant Neko sitting up on a shower chair. "Now, are you going to shower yourself? Or...do I have to do it for you, little missy?" the woman smiled at her. The words, though delightfully playful, were in their own way, a clear threat to Amano's privacy. It was degrading, being so helpless and forced to comply, but, the SAINT operative held all the cards in her scheming hands.
Amanozako glared at the SAINT operative, gritting her teeth as she willed her muscles to obey her commands, to move. To overcome the drugs that had been injected into her. She did manage to, even, and lunged, albiet weakly, at Sakamoto. The SAINT operative simply watched as she toppled off the shower chair onto the floor however, and for a moment, looked utterly perplexed. Should she laugh? She was very tempted to laugh. But at the same time, what if the prisoner bumped her head? That had to have hurt, if only a little bit!
"Ara, ara, so stubborn, yes you are." With those motherly words, it began. Brought back up onto the little shower stool, warm water came streaming down on Amano's head as what remaining red blood was washed out of her hair. While keeping an eye on the time mark for when the muscle relaxant would wear off, she began to lather up the mean Neko's hair with shampoo. "Close your eyes now, you don't want to get any in them," the black clad woman reminded her. As Sakamoto's warm, soft, gentle hands massaged her scalp, she asked an all important question. "Now, am I going to have to wash up the rest of you too, or are you going to do it youself? Hm?~" the SAINT asked her. It was clear now, with the way things were going, her hands were going to travel across every single inch of Amano's body if she didn't speak up. "Is that a yes I hear? Hmm?" A loofah never looked so threatening in Amano's life before.
"Don't touch me with that thing," She said indignantly. The woman however, squee'd with delight.
"Hora, hora! She speaks!" However, Sakamoto's smile took on a more mischievous cast as the very tip of her tail twitched, "But you know. You still haven't told me...will you be washing yourself up?" Again, the big, pink loofah loomed nearby, offered to the Neko while also threatening to scrub her from head to toe if she didn't play nice.
"I'd rather die," Amanozako hissed, and wondered what all this rubbish was for, she should have been properly interrogated and executed by now. Not this, whatever it was. She grabbed at the soap, to clean herself with, making sure her motions splattered water on Sakamoto.
"You naughty girl!" the woman laughed. Seeing the water splash at her, but fail to wet the uniform immediately told Amano all she needed to know right then and there. Sakamoto was either naked, or next to naked, the 'clothing' she was wearing nothing more than a volumetric facade. The prisoner however, cleaned herself, and that meant she was rewarded; Sakamoto went quiet and waited for her to finish cleaning herself up, watching the Neko closely as she did so. The moment the red eyed Neko was done however, Sakamoto offered both a towel and the typical pink prisoner robes. However, she wasn't quite done with her prisoner yet. "Now, I have a question for you - do you want ribbons in your hair?" Her smile was like a cat's, full of mischief.
Amanozako dried herself off with the towel, but rejected the robes, instead switching on her own volumetrics and projecting an NMX infantry battle uniform. She might as well look the part, since that was what she was to them.
"Ribbons or no ribbons?" Sakamoto asked again, this time, procuring several bright, pink, frilly ribbons in her hand. Though the prisoner was able to stand and walk on her own now, there was no way she'd be able to put up any real fight; she was just too weak, her muscles refusing to respond with their full strength. There, in the SAINT operative's hands, rested something that felt as heavy and daunting as Amano's very fate.
"Get those away from me" she hissed and glared at Sakamoto. She wanted nothing more than to bash that smug face into pulp with her fists and it infuriuated her that she could not right now.
"See? If you speak up, good things will happen." As ever, the soft patient smile remained as she offered a hand to the prisoner to help her back. "So are you going to start talking some more? Hmm?" The question lingered in the air like a guillotine threatening to come chopping down at any moment. With what this operative had done to her so far, there was no telling what kind of horrors she'd inflict on Amano's helpless form if she didn't. Did she want to keep resisting? And what for? It was so petty, so pointless, and yet, felt like the truest of torture.
The red eyed neko glared, "Just kill me now and get it over with" she hissed. There was no reason to prolong this any more.
"Nope! Not until you're singing like a bird," Sakamoto chirped back. Guiding her along, they were soon back where it all began; the medbay. In the back was a cell waiting for her, slippers included. Despite looking extremely comfy however, they were of the pink and fluffy variety. Gesturing for her to enter, she offered again, "Would you like something to eat? If you promise to be good, I might even get you some sake, or maybe a beer. Not even the cheap stuff either." After all that this SAINT had put her though, the mere idea of drinking alcohol felt utterly tantalizing.
Amanozkao stepped silently into the cell, rather than showing any desire for food or drink. She did not want any hospitality from her captors. What she needed now was to plan her escape, however the hell she was going to do that.
"Aw. Don't you like a good drink Amanozako?" Sakamoto suddenly called her by name. As ever, her tail was held high like a question mark, the very tip twitching with anticipation.
The anger boiled up in her again, hearing the SAINT operative use her name, the name she had given herself when she had claimed her freedom from her vile creators. She spun around, not caring heer muscles were still weak, the venom in her voice was plain as she spat out the words, "Don't speak that name!" she hissed. "Don't dirty that name with your disgusting tongue!" she screamed and lashed out at Sakamoto.
"Well, I have to call you something Amano-chan~" Sakamoto replied. "I'm curious though. Just what are you doing here?" she asked, a hand leisurely resting on her hip. "And why the anger? Did we kill your lover by accident?"
"You're Yamataian" She spat in response. "And a Yamataian spy at that" the word spy was emphasized with extra contempt.
"Ara, jumping to conclusions? I take offense to that you know," Sakamoto's tail began to wag. Though such a thing was friendly with a dog, it was anything but when it came to cats. "I still think of myself as a Jiyuuian. As for this job, it's a living," the woman crossed her arms defensively. Though the red eyed Neko didn't know it, she had struck a nerve.
"Good, I'm glad you take offense to it" Amanozako hissed, a feral grin touching her lips
"Oh?" Sakamoto began, reaching into a bag by the prisoner's cell. Inside was a bottle of beer which she tossed over to her. The operative had been preparing for this it seemed. "Do you hate Jiyuuians too?" Her voice quickly changed from quietly hostile curiosity to deadpan seriousness. "Don't waste that by the way - it's one of the nicer brands," the woman offhandedly remarked, grabbing for herself a bottle. Indeed, the label made it look as such, and glancing around, though there were others off on the other side of the medbay being treated, they were steering well clear of the two it seemed.
Amanozako nudged the bottle aside, but otherwise left it alone. "Everyone that is part of Yamatai" she growled.
"And why is that?" Sakamoto asked, leisurely sitting atop one of the nearby examination tables. "I had to threaten you with the big pink loofah of doom to get you talking, so it must be a good one." With that memory still fresh in both their minds, the faint, playful smile returned to the woman's face again. Truth be told? She wished that Amanozako had resisted for just a little bit more. That way, there would have been no denying the loofah. The black haired neko just glared at Sakamoto and set down on the floor. She had no more desire to speak with the enemy spy that had been sent to interrogate her. Sakamoto however, had other ideas. "Ara? You won't talk?" The woman's feline ears twitched with pleasure as her tail dangerously swished ever so slightly. Hands on her knees, she bent at the waist with a smile that could only be perverse. "Lots and lots of pink. A nice pink dress, maybe even one that's designed after something Hanako wore when she was a little girl. Unless...you start talking. If not to me, maybe someone else?"
Once more, a threat loomed over Amanozako like a guillotine. Amanozako however, turned her face away from the SAINT operative, ignoring the threats.
"Ara, ara. So stubborn! Though, I suppose SAINT's reputation has something to do with it, not that I can blame you," Sakamoto admitted with an elegant shrug. Thinking for a moment, a finger pressed to her lips in thought, she came up with a brilliant idea. "I'll give you one chance to talk to someone else other than me, the Taii, but if you don't however, it will be just you and me - and I have so many designer dresses in mind too!" she pleasantly smiled. Taii Eden was so honestly eager and straightforward, that this Neko would likely see that and perhaps talk at last. If not...well, Sakamoto wasn't going to complain. There were many ways to break someone, and pretty dresses and ribbons and frills were just the beginning of her arsenal. "Stay put for just a moment," the SAINT stepped back. The containment field popping into place, the Neko-turned-Jiyuuian-turned-Neko-Again made a call. 'Taii Eden?' her voice rang in the other Neko's mind. 'It seems SAINT's reputation precedes me, causing some amount of distrust. Would you try offering some kindness to the prisoner in exchange for what she knows?' the woman asked.
"Hai!" Eden used her mind to relay the message back to Sakamoto. "On my way, Joto Heisho."
Having finished up in the wardroom now that the briefing was over, Eden's brows raised on her forehead as she walked the halls of the Plumeria. What she had in store for her, she did not know, but wanted desperately to find out.
"Joto Heisho Sakamoto Hina," she said with a salute as she eyed only the SAINT operative when she had entered the med bay. With her other abilties of sight save for her eyes, she watched the prisoner behind the containment cell. She made no move to take them into account until she and Sakamoto had formally greeted one another, though, as was custom.
"Taii Teien Eden-sama," the black paneled operative replied with her own salute. Crisp and professional despite her laid back demeanor, she politely gestured with a hand as she stepped aside. "Perhaps she will be more trusting of you?" she pondered aloud. With that however, Sakamoto delivered just as she had promised Amanozako before backing off, only to sit upon one of the examination tables and cross her silky legs.
Eden grimaced openly as she laid eyes upon the ex-NMX Neko. She spoke softly, but with a tone that was not condescending or half-hearted, either.
"This won't do. Are you alright? We have your records from Nepleslia up and I want to know, may I call you by your name?" Teien Eden watched Amanozako for her answer with patience.
Amanozako opened one red eye slowly, examining the newcomer. "I could care less what you call me at this point" she responded in an icy tone. "Seeing as soon you will leave me to continue to be interrogatged by your lacky, here" she added with a hiss.
"I have nothing more that I would want to be doing than relieving you of the bonds you find yourself in. If that is what you want. What was your role in the war?" Eden asked.
"A soldier" she replied, eyeing the newcomer with suspiscion.
"I can see that," Teien Eden said, sweeping her hand up and down to indicate she was indeed capable of seeing Amanozako's volumetric display. "But what side?" She wanted to believe, and all it would take were a few words, if not only one word, to set her mind at ease. "I am a curious creature, as is Joto Heisho Sakamoto who you have been... speaking with. We want to know so that we may know what position in life you now have. Speak wisely, though these will not be the last words to come from your mouth, regardless of what words come."
Eden didn't beleive herself, Murakami Mitsuko's words still resonating in her mind. She knew she had a duty to the Empire as well as her own moral conscience, and preferred to think of her future actions as a beautiful baby between the two and not one or the either, as both had their faults.
"I'm not a soldier any more, if that's what you're wanting to know" Amanozako replied. "But the files from Nepleslia would tell you that, wouldn't they?" Her voice was less than friendly, as it had been with Sakamoto. Though at least this one was not a despised SAINT operative.
"They don't tell me more than they do," Eden replied. "There are things I want to know, but more than that, there are things I want to do. I'll tell you them, now. Though, as I put them into words, I wonder if it's really me doing anything for you or just the crew of this Yamataian vessel you find yourself on doing things for you, instead."
Eden continued, "Regardless of who is doing what, we are repairing your armor. You can thank us by coordinating with Yamatai next time you choose to shoot down an enemy of the Empire. To know more about what we are going to do for you, tell me some of the information I want to know. Why were you attacking that shuttle and its pilot? Who sent you and what information were you trying to gain? I know that's a lot, answer what you can."
She pondered for a moment. "On a couple conditions" she said after some silence. "I want to be released and to have my things returned to me" she said. "And no longer be tortured by your spy" she added for good measure.
"Ara, it's not really torture~~~" Sakamoto playfully whined. "Besides, I was going to do all that since I prefer being kind. However, she just wouldn't say anything at all, and even tried to punch me when she came out of the tube naked," she gently replied. "She even made a mess that some poor person on the ship had to clean up too," the woman sighed with a shrug.
Eden breathed in and exhaled forcefully, saying without the gentlesness Sakamoto had endearingly spoken with, "I don't want to know those things, not while I'm trying to barter with you, Amanozako. Now, your things are yours to have. They affect us not. We have ascertained that despite your NMX body, you are no threat to the Star Army of Yamatai."
To Sakamoto, she telepathically sent over encrypted channels, "If anything, she is an asset to us. Treating her as such may do us well."
She referred to Amanozako again, saying hushedly, "You're going to be released, but before you are, I need those answers."
'Oh, of course. I've been treating her very well,' Sakamoto replied in Eden's mind. 'It's just that she's such a stubborn one. Did I tell you I had to threaten her with a big pink loofah to find out if she would wash herself in the shower or not?' the woman slyly asked. 'I would have done it myself, but she finally said no at least.' She then sighed. 'SAINT's reputation preceeds me unfortunately. Shikata ga nai.'
"True," Teien Eden replied to their encrypted telepathic communcation.
"I attacked it to stop it so I could recover information off the shuttle's computer" Amanozako said, her red eyes glancing between the two, she knew they were holding a telepathic conversation about her, though she could not tap into it because of encryption. "No one sent me, I was collecing information that might be usefull to future clients about these new enemies that have been showing up over the last few months"
"Months?" Eden said to Sakamoto. "This does not bode well for us. Do you want to press that issue for me? We've only just come across these new enemies and yet she's seen them for months?"
"I'm not surprised," the SAINT spoke aloud. "As a prelude to war, it'd only make sense that one side would make the first move in advance. After all, if one is to throw a party, one must get ready, hmm?" Still sitting atop the examination table nearby, she crossed her legs again. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if things out here looked just like what I saw back in the UOC, shortly before the Mishhuvurthyar made their move and crushed us," Sakamoto continued, her airy voice aloof. Though the memories this brought back were bitter, in truth, it amused her. Eden was, so far, just another cookie cutter career officer it seemed, and the realities of warfare were throwing her off balance perhaps. Time would tell her more about Taii-Eden of course, but for now? She'd keep pawing at the younger Neko as she pleased. Turning her attention over to Amanzoneko however, she asked with a smile, "Will you please tell us what you've seen so far?"
"Not much" the red eyed neko stated, though she kept her gaze on the Taii instead. "There has not been much to see. Hit and fade attacks, little left behind when they are done."
"We will not b having fun, it seems, then." Eden said unamusedly, looking to Amanozako. "When do you start?"
The question was odd, that was for sure. To Eden, it only followed from what their conversation had entailed to ask this question. Eden needed eyes that had seen snippets —which were volumes more than what she or any of the crew had seen— to lead the fight against these new and obstructing foe of Yamatai.
"Start what?" Amanozako asked, raising a black eyebrow.
"Work!" Eden answered, delightedly. "You don't need clients when you have the Star Army of Yamatai!" Sakamoto however, only laughed.
"Truely? Though I wished to give her back her things and let her go, why would Amano-chan here work for us?" the operative asked., turning to look at the red eyed Neko. "I mean, you hate us, don't you? I'm not even sure the right price would buy your services, am I right?" All in all, Sakamoto was right on this account. As much as they needed more experienced power armor infantry, there really wasn't any reason for her to join. At least, none that she could see at the moment. Even if her hate of Yamatai was purely from the Mishhu programming her, it wouldn't be surprising if Amano found her own reasons to hate Yamatai anyways. Though, Sakamoto did want to be wrong in this case.
Amanozako eyed them with distrust. She was curious how badly they thought they needed an independently operating mercinary such as herself. "The great and powerful star empire of Yamatai, lowered to trying to hire mercinaries to help them out," she laughed bitterly. "That's a new one," she scoffed. "And just how much would you pay for my services?"
"Ara! What a surprise," Sakamoto delightedly exclaimed. "I thought you'd outright say no, but...you're willing to work with us? For the right price?" She blushed, the points of her feline ears wiggling as she covering her face with a single hand. "I'm humbled." Eden however, looked to Sakamoto's display, then back to Amanozako, eyeing the ex-NMX Neko quite openly, remaining quiet.
"How much?" Amanozako repeated, her eyes fixed on the Taii's.
"You'll make as much as Sakamoto does, here. You do know how much Joto Heisho make, don't you?" Taii Teien Eden asked. She then added, "We would want nothing less for you." Sakamoto eagerly nodded with a delighted smile.
"No, I don't know how much you make," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She was sure it did not pay as much as her regular fees earned her.
"Well, then, consider this a learning opportunity. Help us for a few weeks and find out what you get paid. Don't help us and see what happens when we issue a persona non grata on you. The choice is yours. I suggest you choose the one that keeps you working and well, the former offer I stated." Eden held her chin high while she spoke, knowing not what Amanozako would choose.
To Sakamoto Hina, she telepathically said in an encrypted message, "Be prepared to offer something better or worse, depending."
'Of course, of course,' Sakamoto's voice hummed in Eden's mind.
Eden threw the acronym, "Ty," to Sakamoto's mind quickly while looking to Amanozako for her response.
"Work without knowing what the pay is?" she grumbled, "And why would I care if you issue some decree in Yamatai space. I'm never going there."
Eden furrowed her brow, saying, "Under Yamatai-Nepleslia NMX Nekovalkyrja POW Agreement of YE 33, you will be transported to Yamatai immediately upon being picked up by any Nepleslian military. I don't want that for you, nor do you. Travel with us and you will find what you are looking for. Return to doing what you have been doing and you will find yourself being put into a new, less Neko, body and possibly containment for the rest of your life."
"Hai, hai. Eden-Taii is bending the rules for you - we are supposed to return you to Yamatai, and never let you leave again if you remain a Neko," Sakamoto honestly added. "36,000 KS a year and freedom aboard this ship as a crewmember isn't so bad in that light, especially since we might just...drop you off somewhere provided your services are good." Either way, Amanozako was getting a pretty crummy deal, but, that was simply the reality of the situation. Yamatai was completely and utterly strict when it came to Nekovalkyrja, perhaps to the point of being obsessive, but in the end of the day? Even they had few options considering the rules; they could only bend them so much.
"I am no longer an NMX soldier, you cannot capture me as a prisoner of war" Amanozako hissed, "Or does Yamatai abduct civilians now, too?" she glared at them, her body tensing.
"You're still a Nekovalkyrja in the end of the day. You, and all Neko, belong to Yamatai as far as Yamatai is concerned sadly," Sakamoto admitted. "The only way around this, to gain true freedom, is to sacrifice your body for a lesser form," she continued, wistfully looking at her own hand. This all reminded her of her own past.
"Then we're back to the same problem as before. You better kill me now, because I will not be your slave!" Amanozako snapped, pushing herself back up to her feet, coiling to spring.
"I don't want a slave, having been one myself, and if Eden-Taii is wise, neither will she," Sakamoto sharply rebutted her. "I will not speak on Eden's behalf as she can speak for herself, however, I am simply telling you the rules which bind us. The ones we are forced to either follow, or perhaps...bend." Hopping off the examination table, the black paneled woman strode over to the Ex-NMX Neko and leaned in as the containment field vanished. "Let us hire you, and for your services, we can try vouching for you." She then smiled. "Besides. You might be mistakenly labeled 'MIA' or 'KIA' during the course of our time together. You may never know." The hint, the suggestion that they might simply let Amanozako leave, flee in safety, if she did well enough and hellped them was a strong one. Because the other option? The other option had the Yamataian Empire bearing down, with all of its cruel bureocracy.
It would strip Amanozako of her body and toss her out on the street for her attitude, simple as that.
Amanozako was shaking with rage. She wished she had never made a move on the shuttle, she should have just remained in full stealth, waited for everything and everyone to pass, then gone on her way. She glared at them, the look of a caged animal close to breaking into suicidal violence in her eyes. She balled her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, cutting her skin and drawing hemosynth, which dripped slowly from her hands.
"Fine" she said finally.
"Wonderful! Shall I show her to her room?" Sakamoto eagerly clasped her hands together, glancing over to Eden.
"I couldn't be happier," Eden said. "That would be most beneficial, Sakamoto. I'll tell you when your armor has been repaired. Perhaps you can work with the engineer that offered to reconstruct the engines. I can't wait to see what we do together!" She was ecstatic outwardly, but inwardly, Eden was full of fears. Fears that she pushed back and fears that she and Sakamoto likely shared.
Medical Bay
17日 1月 YE 39
1500 Hours
Her eyes opened, slowly. She had passed out again from her injuries. Passed out just as she had discovered that the Yamataian warship had not gone. As she came to once more, she found herself in a liquid environment, a hemosynth tank of all places. She had not been in one of these for years. That only meant one thing. She had been captured. Finally, after years, she had been taken. She tried to focus her eyes and get a look through the blur of the thick goop she was suspended in, seeing something of the sterile white medical bay outside. She had never been aboard a Yamataian ship save for boarding actions when she had been tearing them and their crews to pieces. This should be interesting, she mused, wondering how long until she was to be put to death.
'Ara, ara,' a smooth, pleasant voice rung in her mind. 'Who do we have here?' From outside the tank, a figure clad in a black uniform approached, her face becoming clearer and clearer with each step the woman took. Feline ears perked up as her tail held itself high in a question mark, it was as clear as daylight who and what she was. A Nekovalkyrja from SAINT. Leaning in close at the waist, the woman looked on in curiosity at Amanozako's bare, exposed form within the hemosynth tank. The way her eyes glanced about however, it was difficult to tell if she was looking at her wounds, or her body, which was perhaps a little disturbing in and of itself.
The tubed neko fixed her eyes on the SAINT operative. She recognized the black uniform, the uniform of the enemies hated spies and covert operations agents. Her red eyes bored into the other neko, the malace and will to do harm more than obvious on the predatory expression that had settled onto her face, the slight change in her posture even as she floated in the healing tank. But she did not strike out, did not try to punch or claw her way out of the tank. She knew how strong the tank walls were. This was not the time to attack. It was time to size up her enemies.
'Oh, don't be so cold!' the woman outside the tank feigned mock hurt, the voice in Amano's head sounding playfully wounded. This didn't last long however, as the woman was already probing, prodding at the red eyed Neko. 'Are you feeling well in there? It's almost time to get out you know. We can go get something to eat together if you'd like,' she kindly offered. Despite the tubed Neko's cold stare, the black clad operative never ceased in her politeness. And the offer itself was, as always, tempting. After all, who did want to rot in a cell?
Amanozako said nothing. Showed no sign of interest in stating how she felt, or of taking a meal with her enemy. Silence was her only defense right now and she was not going to give this operative anything.
'Ara, so stubborn!~'' the operative laughed. Though dulled and muffled by the tank, the brief song-like notes remained pleasant. 'Well, we are getting a green light now, so I will begin decanting you.'' With that, a deep, ominous rumble sounded through the hemosynth tank as the transparent Nekovalkyrja blood was drained, leaving her painted red. The water sprays inside the tube activated to quickly rinse her off, however, the feeling of blood was simply something that wasn't washed away so easily. 'Would you like to take a shower? Hm? Otherwise, your hair is going to start feeling sticky,' the woman spoke again. With that, the tube cracked itself open as the black uniformed woman handed over a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers to the red eyed Neko, her tail playfully swaying.
As the tank opened, Amanozako's ears flattened back and she took two quick steps forward, ignoring the offered bathrobe and slippers, but instead, she swung her balled up right fist forward, driving it hard into the SAINT operative's middle. Her fist hurtling forward, the SAINT simply vanished as the slippers and towel plumetted to the floor. Alone in the seemingly deserted medbay, the place could only be described as eerie. Without question, she wasn't alone, as something unseen quickly tapped her on the nose.
"Boop!~" the unseen operative sang, having tapped Amano with a finger. Amanozako snarled and lashed out, trying to catch the hand, or whatever had touched her. She cycled her vision, switching to infared, trying to spot the now cloaked enemy. As she did, she drew herserlf into the long practiced combat stance, ready to defend herself, or attack.
"I wonder, just what were you planning to do?" Despite cycling her vision modes, Amano failed to spot the operative. "Multi-spectrum coverage - the latest!~" the unseen woman playfully added from somewhere in front of her. "But really, just what are you thinking?" One might think that answer was quite obvious with the look of pure animal rage on the black haired neko's face. The clawed hands, the bared teeth. She glanced about, looking for something, anything of use. There were various medical tools in the cabinets, most likely scalpels and such just hidden away, waiting for her to find and grab them. But the one thing that was constantly there was the operative. Lingering just out of sight, Amano was at her mercy so long as she felt like playing nice. "You're on board a Star Army ship. The only reason why nobody has come is because I asked them not to, you know," the kind voice sounding a little miffed at her insistance. "As long as you don't make a mess, it's just the two of us," she added, her voice unseen. Amanozako spotted something of use. Bottles of various colored liquids lined up on a shelf to her side. She sidestepped over, grabbed a couple and wrenching off their caps, splashed the brightly colored fluids around, hopefully to drench the hidden said operative and give herself some idea where it was.
"Ara, ara! What a mess! Flip a table too, why don't you!" The liquid splashed about uselessly, frustratingly missing its mark. She had to give the captive credit though - it was the right move to make, but, it was the same thing she would have done too. It was just too predictable however. Enough was enough however. With a sting in her rear, Amano felt the strength in her limbs start to slip away as the bottles she held fell, only to stop mid-air as she collapsed to her knees, too weak to stand. "Muscle relaxant," the operative explained, appearing in front of her. Feet floating off the ground, the womanly Neko drifted back over to the cabinets and leisurely shelved the bottles before coming back over. "You know. You're acting like you're hiding something. Oh, silly me, I've been so impolite! No wonder you're angry at me!" the woman replied, her ears perking up as sudden realization hit her. "My name is Sakamoto. Sakamoto Hina. What's yours?" she smiled down at her as the syringe was tossed in the sharps bin.
She remained silent. She was not going to talk to the enemy, socialize, give any single detail about herself, especially not to a SAINT operative. She hissed at the other instead. It was about all she could do, since this Sakamoto coward couldn't even be bothered to face her in a stand up fight.
"Ah, the strong, quiet type are you?" Her feet landing on the floor again, Sakamoto reached over and simply tossed the towel over Amanozako before working to dry her off and wrapping her with it. "Well, since that's the case, I'll go ahead and give you a shower, since you're not even saying no!" Reaching around the red eyed Neko's waist, she was hoisted up and held under an arm like a sack of potatoes. Careful to keep an eye on the prisoner's hands, Sakamoto began to blissfully walk through the ship with the near-naked Neko in tow.
At that moment however, Boss chirped up in her friendly tone, asking Sakamoto, "Anything I can do to help?" The AI directed the medic that was taking Navian, the infantry Elysian, back to the medical lab to choose a new path there. She didn't want Miya and Navian to interrupt what Sakamoto and Amanozako had going on, nor did she want Sakamoto's newest possession disturbing them.
"Daijōbudesu~~~<3" the woman happily replied. "I'm just giving this cat a shower, that's all. But she's just really angry about it!" Sakamoto added, finally entering the shower room. A moment later, and she had the ever defiant Neko sitting up on a shower chair. "Now, are you going to shower yourself? Or...do I have to do it for you, little missy?" the woman smiled at her. The words, though delightfully playful, were in their own way, a clear threat to Amano's privacy. It was degrading, being so helpless and forced to comply, but, the SAINT operative held all the cards in her scheming hands.
Amanozako glared at the SAINT operative, gritting her teeth as she willed her muscles to obey her commands, to move. To overcome the drugs that had been injected into her. She did manage to, even, and lunged, albiet weakly, at Sakamoto. The SAINT operative simply watched as she toppled off the shower chair onto the floor however, and for a moment, looked utterly perplexed. Should she laugh? She was very tempted to laugh. But at the same time, what if the prisoner bumped her head? That had to have hurt, if only a little bit!
"Ara, ara, so stubborn, yes you are." With those motherly words, it began. Brought back up onto the little shower stool, warm water came streaming down on Amano's head as what remaining red blood was washed out of her hair. While keeping an eye on the time mark for when the muscle relaxant would wear off, she began to lather up the mean Neko's hair with shampoo. "Close your eyes now, you don't want to get any in them," the black clad woman reminded her. As Sakamoto's warm, soft, gentle hands massaged her scalp, she asked an all important question. "Now, am I going to have to wash up the rest of you too, or are you going to do it youself? Hm?~" the SAINT asked her. It was clear now, with the way things were going, her hands were going to travel across every single inch of Amano's body if she didn't speak up. "Is that a yes I hear? Hmm?" A loofah never looked so threatening in Amano's life before.
"Don't touch me with that thing," She said indignantly. The woman however, squee'd with delight.
"Hora, hora! She speaks!" However, Sakamoto's smile took on a more mischievous cast as the very tip of her tail twitched, "But you know. You still haven't told me...will you be washing yourself up?" Again, the big, pink loofah loomed nearby, offered to the Neko while also threatening to scrub her from head to toe if she didn't play nice.
"I'd rather die," Amanozako hissed, and wondered what all this rubbish was for, she should have been properly interrogated and executed by now. Not this, whatever it was. She grabbed at the soap, to clean herself with, making sure her motions splattered water on Sakamoto.
"You naughty girl!" the woman laughed. Seeing the water splash at her, but fail to wet the uniform immediately told Amano all she needed to know right then and there. Sakamoto was either naked, or next to naked, the 'clothing' she was wearing nothing more than a volumetric facade. The prisoner however, cleaned herself, and that meant she was rewarded; Sakamoto went quiet and waited for her to finish cleaning herself up, watching the Neko closely as she did so. The moment the red eyed Neko was done however, Sakamoto offered both a towel and the typical pink prisoner robes. However, she wasn't quite done with her prisoner yet. "Now, I have a question for you - do you want ribbons in your hair?" Her smile was like a cat's, full of mischief.
Amanozako dried herself off with the towel, but rejected the robes, instead switching on her own volumetrics and projecting an NMX infantry battle uniform. She might as well look the part, since that was what she was to them.
"Ribbons or no ribbons?" Sakamoto asked again, this time, procuring several bright, pink, frilly ribbons in her hand. Though the prisoner was able to stand and walk on her own now, there was no way she'd be able to put up any real fight; she was just too weak, her muscles refusing to respond with their full strength. There, in the SAINT operative's hands, rested something that felt as heavy and daunting as Amano's very fate.
"Get those away from me" she hissed and glared at Sakamoto. She wanted nothing more than to bash that smug face into pulp with her fists and it infuriuated her that she could not right now.
"See? If you speak up, good things will happen." As ever, the soft patient smile remained as she offered a hand to the prisoner to help her back. "So are you going to start talking some more? Hmm?" The question lingered in the air like a guillotine threatening to come chopping down at any moment. With what this operative had done to her so far, there was no telling what kind of horrors she'd inflict on Amano's helpless form if she didn't. Did she want to keep resisting? And what for? It was so petty, so pointless, and yet, felt like the truest of torture.
The red eyed neko glared, "Just kill me now and get it over with" she hissed. There was no reason to prolong this any more.
"Nope! Not until you're singing like a bird," Sakamoto chirped back. Guiding her along, they were soon back where it all began; the medbay. In the back was a cell waiting for her, slippers included. Despite looking extremely comfy however, they were of the pink and fluffy variety. Gesturing for her to enter, she offered again, "Would you like something to eat? If you promise to be good, I might even get you some sake, or maybe a beer. Not even the cheap stuff either." After all that this SAINT had put her though, the mere idea of drinking alcohol felt utterly tantalizing.
Amanozkao stepped silently into the cell, rather than showing any desire for food or drink. She did not want any hospitality from her captors. What she needed now was to plan her escape, however the hell she was going to do that.
"Aw. Don't you like a good drink Amanozako?" Sakamoto suddenly called her by name. As ever, her tail was held high like a question mark, the very tip twitching with anticipation.
The anger boiled up in her again, hearing the SAINT operative use her name, the name she had given herself when she had claimed her freedom from her vile creators. She spun around, not caring heer muscles were still weak, the venom in her voice was plain as she spat out the words, "Don't speak that name!" she hissed. "Don't dirty that name with your disgusting tongue!" she screamed and lashed out at Sakamoto.
"Well, I have to call you something Amano-chan~" Sakamoto replied. "I'm curious though. Just what are you doing here?" she asked, a hand leisurely resting on her hip. "And why the anger? Did we kill your lover by accident?"
"You're Yamataian" She spat in response. "And a Yamataian spy at that" the word spy was emphasized with extra contempt.
"Ara, jumping to conclusions? I take offense to that you know," Sakamoto's tail began to wag. Though such a thing was friendly with a dog, it was anything but when it came to cats. "I still think of myself as a Jiyuuian. As for this job, it's a living," the woman crossed her arms defensively. Though the red eyed Neko didn't know it, she had struck a nerve.
"Good, I'm glad you take offense to it" Amanozako hissed, a feral grin touching her lips
"Oh?" Sakamoto began, reaching into a bag by the prisoner's cell. Inside was a bottle of beer which she tossed over to her. The operative had been preparing for this it seemed. "Do you hate Jiyuuians too?" Her voice quickly changed from quietly hostile curiosity to deadpan seriousness. "Don't waste that by the way - it's one of the nicer brands," the woman offhandedly remarked, grabbing for herself a bottle. Indeed, the label made it look as such, and glancing around, though there were others off on the other side of the medbay being treated, they were steering well clear of the two it seemed.
Amanozako nudged the bottle aside, but otherwise left it alone. "Everyone that is part of Yamatai" she growled.
"And why is that?" Sakamoto asked, leisurely sitting atop one of the nearby examination tables. "I had to threaten you with the big pink loofah of doom to get you talking, so it must be a good one." With that memory still fresh in both their minds, the faint, playful smile returned to the woman's face again. Truth be told? She wished that Amanozako had resisted for just a little bit more. That way, there would have been no denying the loofah. The black haired neko just glared at Sakamoto and set down on the floor. She had no more desire to speak with the enemy spy that had been sent to interrogate her. Sakamoto however, had other ideas. "Ara? You won't talk?" The woman's feline ears twitched with pleasure as her tail dangerously swished ever so slightly. Hands on her knees, she bent at the waist with a smile that could only be perverse. "Lots and lots of pink. A nice pink dress, maybe even one that's designed after something Hanako wore when she was a little girl. Unless...you start talking. If not to me, maybe someone else?"
Once more, a threat loomed over Amanozako like a guillotine. Amanozako however, turned her face away from the SAINT operative, ignoring the threats.
"Ara, ara. So stubborn! Though, I suppose SAINT's reputation has something to do with it, not that I can blame you," Sakamoto admitted with an elegant shrug. Thinking for a moment, a finger pressed to her lips in thought, she came up with a brilliant idea. "I'll give you one chance to talk to someone else other than me, the Taii, but if you don't however, it will be just you and me - and I have so many designer dresses in mind too!" she pleasantly smiled. Taii Eden was so honestly eager and straightforward, that this Neko would likely see that and perhaps talk at last. If not...well, Sakamoto wasn't going to complain. There were many ways to break someone, and pretty dresses and ribbons and frills were just the beginning of her arsenal. "Stay put for just a moment," the SAINT stepped back. The containment field popping into place, the Neko-turned-Jiyuuian-turned-Neko-Again made a call. 'Taii Eden?' her voice rang in the other Neko's mind. 'It seems SAINT's reputation precedes me, causing some amount of distrust. Would you try offering some kindness to the prisoner in exchange for what she knows?' the woman asked.
"Hai!" Eden used her mind to relay the message back to Sakamoto. "On my way, Joto Heisho."
Having finished up in the wardroom now that the briefing was over, Eden's brows raised on her forehead as she walked the halls of the Plumeria. What she had in store for her, she did not know, but wanted desperately to find out.
"Joto Heisho Sakamoto Hina," she said with a salute as she eyed only the SAINT operative when she had entered the med bay. With her other abilties of sight save for her eyes, she watched the prisoner behind the containment cell. She made no move to take them into account until she and Sakamoto had formally greeted one another, though, as was custom.
"Taii Teien Eden-sama," the black paneled operative replied with her own salute. Crisp and professional despite her laid back demeanor, she politely gestured with a hand as she stepped aside. "Perhaps she will be more trusting of you?" she pondered aloud. With that however, Sakamoto delivered just as she had promised Amanozako before backing off, only to sit upon one of the examination tables and cross her silky legs.
Eden grimaced openly as she laid eyes upon the ex-NMX Neko. She spoke softly, but with a tone that was not condescending or half-hearted, either.
"This won't do. Are you alright? We have your records from Nepleslia up and I want to know, may I call you by your name?" Teien Eden watched Amanozako for her answer with patience.
Amanozako opened one red eye slowly, examining the newcomer. "I could care less what you call me at this point" she responded in an icy tone. "Seeing as soon you will leave me to continue to be interrogatged by your lacky, here" she added with a hiss.
"I have nothing more that I would want to be doing than relieving you of the bonds you find yourself in. If that is what you want. What was your role in the war?" Eden asked.
"A soldier" she replied, eyeing the newcomer with suspiscion.
"I can see that," Teien Eden said, sweeping her hand up and down to indicate she was indeed capable of seeing Amanozako's volumetric display. "But what side?" She wanted to believe, and all it would take were a few words, if not only one word, to set her mind at ease. "I am a curious creature, as is Joto Heisho Sakamoto who you have been... speaking with. We want to know so that we may know what position in life you now have. Speak wisely, though these will not be the last words to come from your mouth, regardless of what words come."
Eden didn't beleive herself, Murakami Mitsuko's words still resonating in her mind. She knew she had a duty to the Empire as well as her own moral conscience, and preferred to think of her future actions as a beautiful baby between the two and not one or the either, as both had their faults.
"I'm not a soldier any more, if that's what you're wanting to know" Amanozako replied. "But the files from Nepleslia would tell you that, wouldn't they?" Her voice was less than friendly, as it had been with Sakamoto. Though at least this one was not a despised SAINT operative.
"They don't tell me more than they do," Eden replied. "There are things I want to know, but more than that, there are things I want to do. I'll tell you them, now. Though, as I put them into words, I wonder if it's really me doing anything for you or just the crew of this Yamataian vessel you find yourself on doing things for you, instead."
Eden continued, "Regardless of who is doing what, we are repairing your armor. You can thank us by coordinating with Yamatai next time you choose to shoot down an enemy of the Empire. To know more about what we are going to do for you, tell me some of the information I want to know. Why were you attacking that shuttle and its pilot? Who sent you and what information were you trying to gain? I know that's a lot, answer what you can."
She pondered for a moment. "On a couple conditions" she said after some silence. "I want to be released and to have my things returned to me" she said. "And no longer be tortured by your spy" she added for good measure.
"Ara, it's not really torture~~~" Sakamoto playfully whined. "Besides, I was going to do all that since I prefer being kind. However, she just wouldn't say anything at all, and even tried to punch me when she came out of the tube naked," she gently replied. "She even made a mess that some poor person on the ship had to clean up too," the woman sighed with a shrug.
Eden breathed in and exhaled forcefully, saying without the gentlesness Sakamoto had endearingly spoken with, "I don't want to know those things, not while I'm trying to barter with you, Amanozako. Now, your things are yours to have. They affect us not. We have ascertained that despite your NMX body, you are no threat to the Star Army of Yamatai."
To Sakamoto, she telepathically sent over encrypted channels, "If anything, she is an asset to us. Treating her as such may do us well."
She referred to Amanozako again, saying hushedly, "You're going to be released, but before you are, I need those answers."
'Oh, of course. I've been treating her very well,' Sakamoto replied in Eden's mind. 'It's just that she's such a stubborn one. Did I tell you I had to threaten her with a big pink loofah to find out if she would wash herself in the shower or not?' the woman slyly asked. 'I would have done it myself, but she finally said no at least.' She then sighed. 'SAINT's reputation preceeds me unfortunately. Shikata ga nai.'
"True," Teien Eden replied to their encrypted telepathic communcation.
"I attacked it to stop it so I could recover information off the shuttle's computer" Amanozako said, her red eyes glancing between the two, she knew they were holding a telepathic conversation about her, though she could not tap into it because of encryption. "No one sent me, I was collecing information that might be usefull to future clients about these new enemies that have been showing up over the last few months"
"Months?" Eden said to Sakamoto. "This does not bode well for us. Do you want to press that issue for me? We've only just come across these new enemies and yet she's seen them for months?"
"I'm not surprised," the SAINT spoke aloud. "As a prelude to war, it'd only make sense that one side would make the first move in advance. After all, if one is to throw a party, one must get ready, hmm?" Still sitting atop the examination table nearby, she crossed her legs again. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if things out here looked just like what I saw back in the UOC, shortly before the Mishhuvurthyar made their move and crushed us," Sakamoto continued, her airy voice aloof. Though the memories this brought back were bitter, in truth, it amused her. Eden was, so far, just another cookie cutter career officer it seemed, and the realities of warfare were throwing her off balance perhaps. Time would tell her more about Taii-Eden of course, but for now? She'd keep pawing at the younger Neko as she pleased. Turning her attention over to Amanzoneko however, she asked with a smile, "Will you please tell us what you've seen so far?"
"Not much" the red eyed neko stated, though she kept her gaze on the Taii instead. "There has not been much to see. Hit and fade attacks, little left behind when they are done."
"We will not b having fun, it seems, then." Eden said unamusedly, looking to Amanozako. "When do you start?"
The question was odd, that was for sure. To Eden, it only followed from what their conversation had entailed to ask this question. Eden needed eyes that had seen snippets —which were volumes more than what she or any of the crew had seen— to lead the fight against these new and obstructing foe of Yamatai.
"Start what?" Amanozako asked, raising a black eyebrow.
"Work!" Eden answered, delightedly. "You don't need clients when you have the Star Army of Yamatai!" Sakamoto however, only laughed.
"Truely? Though I wished to give her back her things and let her go, why would Amano-chan here work for us?" the operative asked., turning to look at the red eyed Neko. "I mean, you hate us, don't you? I'm not even sure the right price would buy your services, am I right?" All in all, Sakamoto was right on this account. As much as they needed more experienced power armor infantry, there really wasn't any reason for her to join. At least, none that she could see at the moment. Even if her hate of Yamatai was purely from the Mishhu programming her, it wouldn't be surprising if Amano found her own reasons to hate Yamatai anyways. Though, Sakamoto did want to be wrong in this case.
Amanozako eyed them with distrust. She was curious how badly they thought they needed an independently operating mercinary such as herself. "The great and powerful star empire of Yamatai, lowered to trying to hire mercinaries to help them out," she laughed bitterly. "That's a new one," she scoffed. "And just how much would you pay for my services?"
"Ara! What a surprise," Sakamoto delightedly exclaimed. "I thought you'd outright say no, but...you're willing to work with us? For the right price?" She blushed, the points of her feline ears wiggling as she covering her face with a single hand. "I'm humbled." Eden however, looked to Sakamoto's display, then back to Amanozako, eyeing the ex-NMX Neko quite openly, remaining quiet.
"How much?" Amanozako repeated, her eyes fixed on the Taii's.
"You'll make as much as Sakamoto does, here. You do know how much Joto Heisho make, don't you?" Taii Teien Eden asked. She then added, "We would want nothing less for you." Sakamoto eagerly nodded with a delighted smile.
"No, I don't know how much you make," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She was sure it did not pay as much as her regular fees earned her.
"Well, then, consider this a learning opportunity. Help us for a few weeks and find out what you get paid. Don't help us and see what happens when we issue a persona non grata on you. The choice is yours. I suggest you choose the one that keeps you working and well, the former offer I stated." Eden held her chin high while she spoke, knowing not what Amanozako would choose.
To Sakamoto Hina, she telepathically said in an encrypted message, "Be prepared to offer something better or worse, depending."
'Of course, of course,' Sakamoto's voice hummed in Eden's mind.
Eden threw the acronym, "Ty," to Sakamoto's mind quickly while looking to Amanozako for her response.
"Work without knowing what the pay is?" she grumbled, "And why would I care if you issue some decree in Yamatai space. I'm never going there."
Eden furrowed her brow, saying, "Under Yamatai-Nepleslia NMX Nekovalkyrja POW Agreement of YE 33, you will be transported to Yamatai immediately upon being picked up by any Nepleslian military. I don't want that for you, nor do you. Travel with us and you will find what you are looking for. Return to doing what you have been doing and you will find yourself being put into a new, less Neko, body and possibly containment for the rest of your life."
"Hai, hai. Eden-Taii is bending the rules for you - we are supposed to return you to Yamatai, and never let you leave again if you remain a Neko," Sakamoto honestly added. "36,000 KS a year and freedom aboard this ship as a crewmember isn't so bad in that light, especially since we might just...drop you off somewhere provided your services are good." Either way, Amanozako was getting a pretty crummy deal, but, that was simply the reality of the situation. Yamatai was completely and utterly strict when it came to Nekovalkyrja, perhaps to the point of being obsessive, but in the end of the day? Even they had few options considering the rules; they could only bend them so much.
"I am no longer an NMX soldier, you cannot capture me as a prisoner of war" Amanozako hissed, "Or does Yamatai abduct civilians now, too?" she glared at them, her body tensing.
"You're still a Nekovalkyrja in the end of the day. You, and all Neko, belong to Yamatai as far as Yamatai is concerned sadly," Sakamoto admitted. "The only way around this, to gain true freedom, is to sacrifice your body for a lesser form," she continued, wistfully looking at her own hand. This all reminded her of her own past.
"Then we're back to the same problem as before. You better kill me now, because I will not be your slave!" Amanozako snapped, pushing herself back up to her feet, coiling to spring.
"I don't want a slave, having been one myself, and if Eden-Taii is wise, neither will she," Sakamoto sharply rebutted her. "I will not speak on Eden's behalf as she can speak for herself, however, I am simply telling you the rules which bind us. The ones we are forced to either follow, or perhaps...bend." Hopping off the examination table, the black paneled woman strode over to the Ex-NMX Neko and leaned in as the containment field vanished. "Let us hire you, and for your services, we can try vouching for you." She then smiled. "Besides. You might be mistakenly labeled 'MIA' or 'KIA' during the course of our time together. You may never know." The hint, the suggestion that they might simply let Amanozako leave, flee in safety, if she did well enough and hellped them was a strong one. Because the other option? The other option had the Yamataian Empire bearing down, with all of its cruel bureocracy.
It would strip Amanozako of her body and toss her out on the street for her attitude, simple as that.
Amanozako was shaking with rage. She wished she had never made a move on the shuttle, she should have just remained in full stealth, waited for everything and everyone to pass, then gone on her way. She glared at them, the look of a caged animal close to breaking into suicidal violence in her eyes. She balled her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, cutting her skin and drawing hemosynth, which dripped slowly from her hands.
"Fine" she said finally.
"Wonderful! Shall I show her to her room?" Sakamoto eagerly clasped her hands together, glancing over to Eden.
"I couldn't be happier," Eden said. "That would be most beneficial, Sakamoto. I'll tell you when your armor has been repaired. Perhaps you can work with the engineer that offered to reconstruct the engines. I can't wait to see what we do together!" She was ecstatic outwardly, but inwardly, Eden was full of fears. Fears that she pushed back and fears that she and Sakamoto likely shared.
