RP: YSS Miharu Prologue, Day 3

When he heard Dige's comment he glanced over at him and couldn't help but grin. He had nearly forgotten about why he was here, and the ship that was awaiting him. Unable to contain his excitement any longer he began fidgeting in his seat.

"I must confess, I feel the same as Dodge. I absolutely love prototype ships!" He proclaimed enthusiastically as he sat up in his seat. "You get to tinker and modify her to your heart's content under the guise that you're working out bugs. And if anything goes wrong I can just blame it on the untested design!" Leutre couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh as he said this.

If the data they sent is any indication, the equipment I get to work on will be top class, he thought. I can't wait!

"If anything goes wrong at a very bad time, we could just as well pay a much heavier price than just having the luxury to blame the untested design." Kotori pointed out sourly. She didn't fancy her new ship blowing up because some enterprising technician had decided to 'soup up' the fold system without taking proper precautions.

Yukari stole another glance at Tom, but seeing as he was unresponsive, she just nodded and made a mental note about the cookbooks. She could get them before they left.

"Is the vessel mostly experimental technology, Taii?"

Kotori set her menu down again. "Much of it. It has Mishhu-reverse engineered particle cannons, a newtype of small aether rapid-firing cannon, new dual-tube railgun-like torpedo launchers, the latest weapon pods which launch faster and cover some support functions too. It has the hull structure similar to the newer Takumi-class cruiser, but on a very small vessel; so the Miharu happens to be pretty well armored for its size class. Derivating of extension slot technology, the Miharu includes a autonomous subsection which is dubbed an 'auxiliary ship' too..."

"You know," Kotori continued, tilting her head at Yukari. "I also heard its shields are special: they aren't that powerful, but they've been made to counter the effect of tunneling weapons." Kotori knew Yukari had probably not forgotten the Sakura's confrontation against the Xianthrafruglu gunship and how easily its tunneling cannons had shredded past even the Sakura's powerful shielding.

Tom had taken a slip of paper and scribbled some items on it, mainly an extra set of tools, including a specialty set with tools used for not-so-common repairs. Considering this was an experimental ship, more things could go wrong. He also requested a hardcopy of the technical specifications of the ship that he could carry around should the worst happen on the ship and all the power systems go offline. He added a request for an emergency flashlight as well, something that could fit into tight places.

For domestic items, he requested a few cookbooks covering the Yamataian cuisine, as well as one covering some more exotic foods, one he could experiment from. For specific food items, he requested vegetables from his homeland and some specific varieties of fish that would not be so common in other sections of Yamatai. He added a request for some liquors as well.

"Well, you're our cook now! Perhaps things won't turn out so bad, then ... I, for one, am looking forward to getting underway," he offered lamely, trying to lighten the mood.

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"Yeah," Tom replied softly. "I'm sure we all are."

His food had arrived and he was eating it a bit slowly.

"Thanks for your compliment, really, but I'm just not feeling like myself right now and I'd like to be left alone," Tom said to James as he passed the slip of paper across the table to him. "Could you do me a favor and give this to Ms. Yukari?"

Yukari's eyes lit up at the idea of better shields. No matter how much she enjoyed flying, she preferred to do it with as much protection as possible — something this new ship seemed to have in plenty.

The less we rely on flying, the better.

She was bumped by James and given the piece of paper. She looked to Tom, but he wasn't looking at her still.

Nothing really found Kotori's fancy in the menu, so she went for the fairly traditional two eggs sunny-side up, roasted potatoes and bacon with buttered, toasted bread. By the time she was done, most of them seemed done with their own meals, so, she stood up and invited them to return to their rooms and gather their luggage (along with sneak toothbrushing in) before vacating the rooms.

The Taii thanked the attendants still cleaning up the kitchen for their services and then led the group down the elevator, bearing her own bag with two japanese curved swords (one longer, the other shorter) strapped on the outside.

In a bit of a rush, Yukari had both collected her things -- which thankfully were few, she noted as her duffle and keyboard remained slung over her shoulders -- and ordered the items as necessary for Tom and Kotori, as the lists were a bit different in their needs.

Not that she minded, she thought as she turned her now-helmeted head toward Kotori's swords. A mental rush was good to help start the day after a light breakfast. But now, the thrill of a new vessel had raptured her. It was not a dingy freighter, nor a doomed gunship -- an experimental wonder, a question mark, something she would have to feel to be able to pilot between the stars. She would be the first to take her away from her berth and into the sea of darkness.

Yukari could not help but smile excitedly at the thought. She hoped the new vessel handled well. Her helmet shifted a little on her head; she tipped it back on.

Kotori led her entourage at a brisk walk through the corridors of the space station, but eventually couldn't help send Yukari a look.

"Chui, mind explaining me why you are wearing a pilot's helmet inside a station with no shuttle in sight? You look a tad silly." The neko finished with an appologetic smile.

Nyton still had most of his things packed from leaving the Sakura so all he had to do was just add his new purchases along with his toiletries. His duffel bag was slung to his back and he had another bag on his shoulder. While Kotori was interrogating Yukari about her wearing a helmet, which he did find rather amusing, Nyton had moved over to talk to Masako as they walked. "I can't wait to see how our Armor bay is going to look like in person. I always enjoy embarking onto a new ship." he said.

Leutre followed the group with a bag over his shoulders and his precious box of books in his arms. Nearly bouncing with anticipation, Leutre kept pace with the others while happily singing to himself.

"Little bitty electron, went down the quantum slide, didn't reach the middle, but came out the other side..."

He felt quite excited at the prospect of the prototype ship awaiting him. For once in his life he felt a hint of nervousness as he recalled the complex systems aboard, especially the CFS system. His head spun as he recalled the large file they sent him about the new system, as well as a sizable volume on the theory behind it.

I have to stop worrying about the theory, he thought. Just keep the parts up and running, and let the quantum forces and the ship's computer handles the rest. Still, Leutre couldn't help but let out a shiver as he imagined the consequences of a system failure.

So. Here she was.

Saito Miyoko scanned the empty hallways outside the Scorpio Base docking bay as she transferred the weight of her personal belongings between shoulders with a light sigh. Transferred to a base she hadn't been told the name of to serve on a ship type she'd never heard of on an unspecified mission under an unnamed captain... and now, there was nobody here to greet her. She was starting to suspect that the entire order had been some sort of elaborate joke. But, just in case...

She stared straight ahead. A bit self-consciously- she'd always felt a bit stupid when addressing the thin air, regardless of whether there were actually systems listening to her- she spoke. "So, am I cleared to know whether or not this secret base has a KAMI around to relay my updated orders, or am I just on my own?"

"Welcome aboard, Santô Hei Saito." Scorpio Base's KAMI replied. "You are assigned to the YSS Miharu of the First Expeditionary Fleet, registry NJ-X1-00. You may settle in the ship at your discretion; it is located in Concourse D, Terminal 17."

James nodded at Nyton's words. He was rather keen on seeing how everything had come together.

"All I've seen is the specifications. Actually setting foot inside should be quite a rush."

Shifting his own bag over his shoulder, he smiled softly at Yukari's exuberance.

Tomi blinked as the computerized voice faded. Convenient. No down time between arrival and moving in. Calling up directions to the ship's berth from the system, she hefted her stuff and plodded down the corridor, legs still stiff from the series of rides needed to get here.

As she travelled down the smooth hall, she ran over the assignment for the thousandth time in her head. Science, medical, and research- it was what she'd been wanting to do for quite some time now, but now that the opportunity had arisen, she was nervous. The fact that the vessel's mission had yet to be revealed to her was also worrying. In theory, the fact that they'd assigned her to it meant that there would actually be some call for her skills. The last thing she wanted now was more time spent sitting around, feeling worthless.

Nearing her destination, she set her things down for a moment; pressing her face against a viewport, she took in what she could of the ship's hull stretched outside. Huh. Spaceships weren't really her thing. It looked nice enough, but it wasn't like she was qualified to figure out what this mystery ship was made for at a glance- in retrospect, she wondered why she'd bothered looking at all. With a slight shrug to herself, she hefted her luggage again and set off down the last few meters of corridor between herself and her new home.

Yukari had been lost in her own little world when Kotori had pitched her question. Her smile was as unapologetic as Kotori's had not been.

"I could not fit it into my duffle, and I do not wish to leave it with Hrist," she said plainly. "It is made for my head, so I believe it is a good fit."

"Hrist?" Kotori frowned, not having the slightest idea of what Yukari was talking about. Something then clicked in her head. "Wait, that old Hoplite Fighter you used to travel back to Yamatai?"

"Mm!" Yukari replied, obviously giddy. "It was returned to me here. I do not know why, but I was very grateful. You will have to see it when we return; it is magnificent! A matte black all over. It is a swooping blackbird in the sky."

"Matte black?" Kotori asked as they walked past some black-suited nekovalkyrja security guards leading to the pier the Miharu was docked in. "Is it really personnal property?" Kotori remember what had happened with Sasada's custom paint job on her Kylie and Miles' alteration to the SMG Type 28. She wasn't eager to get fined by the logistics administration

One other thing she meant to say was that the Miharu wasn't exactly a fighter carrier... but Yukari's bubbling excitement and Kotori's reluctance to criticise her XO in public had her remain quiet about it.

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The docking arm allowed passage toward the Miharu's ventral airlock hatch. As soon as Tomi was through, she was met in the zero-gravity passageway by another nekovalkyrja wearing an orange-panelled uniform.

"Welcome aboard!" The neko greeted merrily, her wavy sand-colored hair floating above as she descended to Tomi's 'altitude'.

The question struck Yukari right in her too-excited head. Luckily, she had the helmet on.

A quick check through her datapad gave her all the answer she needed: Hrist was registered to her name, the title having transferred to Xenedine Corporation temporarily before being transferred to her. She smiled and slipped her datapad away back into her skirt's pocket.

"It is mine," Yukari sent, an image panel of the title appearing level in front of Kotori's waist, so she could glance at it quickly.

She looked over to Leutre and smiled brightly. "Is this not exciting? We are going to be the first to set foot on an entirely new vessel!"