RP: YSS Resurgence Resurgence of Yamatai - Mission 1: Homeworld

[Wes]

RP Date

20日 1月 YE 43

RP Location

Kyoto, Yamatai

Empress Palace
20日 1月 YE 43

"Crew, Attention!" Majime's voice sharply called out.

It was a cold morning in Kyoto and the crew of the Resurgence was standing in formation in their black overcoats and gloves in the garden courtyard at the center of the Empress Palace, and none other than Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Himiko I of Yamatai, had come out to greet and address the new crew. "Good morning, everyone. Now that we have defeated the Kuvexians, it is time to take stock and explore again. I have asked Taisho Ketsurui Yui to send ships on a special mission to survey the Kikyo Sector to find its condition after the war. Your ship, the YSS Resurgence, is one of these ships going on this mission, which will probably take a long time. You will be my eyes and ears, reporting back to me as you go on a grand tour of my domain and beyond, building friendships and rebuilding Yamatai's relationships with the cultures around us. I have asked for a ship equipped for long missions and diplomacy and Yui tells me the Fuji-class is perfect for this. It is about half-way finished and in the meantime, I would like you to explore the starting place of your journey, planet Yamatai." She nodded to captain Majime.

"At ease!" Majime ordered.

"Do you have an questions for me?" the Empress asked the crew.

Gabriela Lively, a pretty anthro bridge officer, instantly raised her paw-like hand.

"Yes, Shoi?" Himiko-denka faced Gabriela and looked into her eyes.

"Are we kind of starting here and expanding our way out?" Gabriela asked.

"Your destinations are everywhere in the Kikyo Sector that we can make arrangements to visit, but the order of them will be up to your captain and she may let the crew make suggetions. In other words, you may mix it up a bit."

"Ah, thank you your Imperial Majesty," Gabriela nodded. This was so cool, actually meeting the Empress and talking to her! She could barely contain herself. "I'm gonna put your picture on my wall," she blurted out.

"Thank you for thinking of me. I am always looking out for my subjects," Himiko replied with a hint of of amusement in her voice, trying not to smirk too much.

"Who else has questions?" Majime asked.

 

[hyralt]

When "at ease" was called, Kwabba-an immediately tucked her cold hands under her arms. This was uncomfortable for two reasons in addition to the fact that she couldn't stand being outside in the cold. The first reason for her discomfort was that it pulled her overcoat tight across her ample bosom, which already felt awkwardly squished under her form-fitting clothes. The second reason was that this meant putting some pressure against the fresh scars on the side of her body under her lower arms where she had been injured by shrapnel in the Battle of Glimmergold. With her cold hands pressed up against her new scars, the musician couldn't help but think about kintsugi pottery repaired by joining broken pieces together with gold, giving the item a new beauty through imperfection.

The ant insectoid watched with disinterest as a cute anthro ask questions of someone she vaguely recognized as the Empress. The only question that lingered on her mind was "when can we go back inside where it's warm?" But Kwabba-an understood that any variation of such a question would be rude, so she quietly suffered in silence.

 

[Soban]

At the call for attention, Cheilith moved into a perfect attention stance. The cold didn't bother her too much, and it was exciting being addressed by the Empress like this at 115 days old. At the end of the speech, she moved into the at ease posture. There were so many different ways of standing. She didn't really have a question but a chance to be at least fleetingly recognized by the Empress was a huge honor. So her hand went up. When she was called on, she asked "Why are we starting with Yamatai? You live here and it seems like you should at least already know about how things are going here." Immediately after asking it, she regretted the question, what kind of question was that anyway?

 

[Wes]

The Empress walked over to Chelith, her bulky red silk kimono and fur coat gliding over the garden cobblestones as she moved. "I cannot work alone. I need help to be my eyes and ears. Starting with Yamatai will ensure we see the place most important to the Empire: our homeworld. It will also let you create norms for visiting other places and enumerating what you hope to accomplish there. For example, you might develop a list of goals for each place, like talking to the local people, building a monument, or recording what is most interesting about the place. Besides that, you are already here now and your ship is not quite ready for you. Does that answer your question?"

Meanwhile redheaded technician Pidole's sweater turtleneck wriggled and the face of a giant blue beetle poked out near her neck, looked around, and then it disappeared back down, crawling into Pidole's coat where it was nice and warm. Pidole froze and just kept staring at the Empress, trying to ignore the tickling sensations. Cassie noticed this and stifled a chuckle.

 

[Soban]

Cheilith nodded, "Yes Ma'am, thank you your Imperial Majesty." She said crisply. Still disappointed in herself that she didn't really ask a good question. But happy she got to see the Empress up close.

 

[hyralt]

Kwabba-an stared off into space while listening to the unfamiliar voices of her crewmates question the Empress who responded with equally alien speech. Though she understood the words, she only really heard the sounds. Without thinking, she soundlessly mimicked the way each of them spoke, making the shape of her mouth and throat that would reproduce their words, albeit in her voice if she were to activate her vocal cords.

The insectoid unconsciously turned when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she saw a technician with red hair and the most adorable pet beetle poking out of her sweater. Kwabba-an couldn't help but giggle.

 

[Blizzard]

Spoiler: The Memoirs of Jackson Howard - YE 43

Entry 02:

Today, the crew gathers to meet the empress herself. Many of the new neko are getting antsy. Understandable, considering they come out of the tube with a pre-programmed love of the royal family. Lively-Shoi is practically bouncing around like an excited puppy.

Oh, wow, that was kinda racist. Gabriela, if you find this journal, I'm sorry!

I myself am kind of neutral. I was born on Nepleslia, where one learns from a young age to never put too much stock in politicians. I also remember learning about some of Yamatai's past failures in history class. The parts I was awake for, anyways. So, I know that the empress isn't exactly perfect herself. Furthermore, I just spent the last four years hanging out with rock stars and actors from around the galaxy. I really can't bring myself to be star struck anymore.

It's probably good I decided to write all of this in an actual paper journal that can't be hacked. If it were ever found, I think I'd be executed for treason or something...

No longer standing at attention, but still maintaining a professional posture with his hands behind his back, Jax's fluffy, feline ears picked up some of the enlisted giggling.

He was distinguishable from the regular crewmen by his gold bars on his sleeves, revealing that he was a Chui. Like some officers, Jax had taken up the tradition of wearing a sword. Not a katana or saber worn at the hip, though. The bulky lion-man wore a more fitting two-handed, double edged longsword, reminiscent of the knights of old. It rested in a sleek, black scabbard that blended with his overcoat flawlessly, strapped across his back, with the black handle protruding from over his right shoulder.

When Jax figured out what was so funny, he had to fight the urge to laugh as well, though he also felt a twinge of fear. They were standing in front of the literal Empress of Yamatai. And they were starting to giggle. Watching Pidole squirm would have been absolutely hilarious at any other time.

<Everyone, knock it off.> Ordered the Chui telepathically, as he himself fought to keep a straight face.

<Pidole-Hei, next time leave your pet in your quarters.> Jax admonished the tiny redhead, more exasperated than anything. He couldn't really fault her for having a pet. He had his own tiny pet robo-dragon, Doofus, the very first drake ever created. It probably wasn't in line with regulations, but if anyone asked Jax liked to call him an "experiment with advanced artificial intelligence and robotics".

In order to draw attention away from his subordinate and give her time to get squared away, Jax raised his hand, and when acknowledged, asked the empress:

"Your highness, may I ask the current status of Kuvexian remnants throughout the sector?"

 

[hyralt]

Kwabba-an, possessing nothing that would allow her to hear Jax's telepathic command, nevertheless did her best to regain her composure so she wouldn't seem impolite to her crewmates and her sovereign. She simply hoped the Empress didn't hear or wouldn't acknowledge her unintended outburst.

 

[Cowboy]

Sanda stood at attention as best she could on the cold morning. She still hadn't fully recovered from that intense fight at Glimmergold. Or the victory celebrations that had occurred afterwards. As the command for at ease came Sanda tugged the corner of her great coat tighter against her. The right sleeve of her coat hung empty. She had wounded her shoulder on the scrap yard supply depo. Upon returning to the ship, she had had to repel boarders and really hurt her arm in the process. And then there was that stupid incident with the gurney table during the victory celebration... Her shoulder and arm were tapped up tight underneath her uniform and she had almost not be allowed to join this ceremony. But Sanda wasn't going to miss a chance like this. A chance to meet the Empress in person.

Sanda glanced sideways at one of the officers, one of the many anthros that served aboard the Resurgence. Her giddiness almost made Sanda roll her eyes if they weren't to busy focusing on the Empress herself and taking stock of her surroundings. Sanda didn't have much love for the upper echelons of command. Having fled Nepleslian at a young age because of political clashes and then having suffered and rebelled against the system most of her adolescent life she didn't really care much for these bigwigs. Though she had developed a respect for command when she joined the Star Army, Sanda cared more for those around her then some far away Taisho or Empress. Those were the people she was loyal to. Her shipmates.

Speaking of shipmates, Sanda smiled at Kwabba-an as she stood there trying not to giggle. The little music bug was quite a character. A timid soul who could hardly speak unless she was playing an interment, but what musical talents. And what a fighter! Her, Sanda and Kozakura, another unlikely friend she had made, had stormed the supply depo and taken out the security room, effectively shutting down the automated defenses at the base and had allowed the base to be captured quickly. She glanced at Kozakura standing next to her in line and wondered what the reporter would have to say about this meeting with the big kahuna.

 

[Wes]

Pidole felt a deep sinking feeling inside and her heart ached at the idea of not being able to bring her insect friend and companion places. She knew she couldn't disobey Jax's orders without risking her career and she suddenly felt trapped and an intense hate for her new boss who was now trying to take one of the most reliable parts of her life away from her. Pain and grief filled her mind and her eyes burned and watered. Her face went from sadness to anger and she clenched her fists, unable to say anything but burning inside. She began to consider her options like trying to go to the new captain or requesting a transfer to another starship.

"Your highness, may I ask the current status of Kuvexian remnants throughout the sector?"

"That sounds like a question best left for your starship's SAINT officer than for me. I know they are still a problem but the Star Army is finally able to start getting things under control. That said, I understand the Fuji-class packs considerable armaments if you find yourself in need them," Empress Himiko replied.

 

[Andrew]

The soon-to-be-retired First Expeditionary Fleet Taisho and former Empress walked through the garden, in full uniform, and at a relatively brisk pace; she had been in the palace for meetings to do with her impending retirement and her intention to run for Imperial Premier. She slowed down when she noticed the meeting that Her Majesty, Empress Himiko was in with the group of officers from the YSS Resurgence, an ambitious ship whose upcoming mission had been the talk in several meetings at Star Army Command. Katsuko bowed fully and gracefully in the presence of the Empress.

She decided to stop and observe the crew of the Resurgence and intended to wish them and their CO luck. She tucked the Star Army Datapad she had in her hand under her arm and watched. Her fuzzy blue ears twitched slightly as she listened to the exchanges between the crew and the Empress.

 

[SageShooter]

There was a certain swell of pride in her chest as she watched the Empress of Yamatai address her and the crew she was with. It had been some time, but the blonde Neko had once again returned to a starship based assignment, and what better way to start the assignment than a personal visit by the Empress herself... Hoshiko thanked her training as an agent in SAINT for the stone poker face she presented to the others, but she could only silently agree with the one that had blurted out about the picture of the Empress in her room.

Hisae Hoshiko had fallen into place much like Jax. As an officer, and one of SAINT background, she knew she had to be proper and professional as she stood there and listened to the questions of the others. Of course she knew about the Kuvexian presence throughout the Kikyo sector at large, she knew of their retreat and recovery process, she knew of the negotiations of different groups trying to make a profit where they could in the sudden withdraw and she knew of an overview of what was going on with their fleets and personnel, but she stayed quiet until she was properly asked. There was no point in seeming like to much of a know-it-all or brown nose in the situation. Instead, she stood with the group at parade rest in her black paneled uniform that denoted her SAINT affiliation. Eyes flitted over to the woman that had joined them, the blue haired head of the Motoyoshi family, and the soon-to-be retired Taisho of the First Expeditionary Fleet. Most everyone in SAINT knew of this, as there were concerns of just what would happen with the woman. All to familiar in the mouth of Hoshiko was the taste of the UOC and everything that had been wrapped up in that failed experiment. Since then, the woman had always been suspicious of anyone from the fifth fleet that had gone that way, or had any affiliation with the group...

But again, nothing was voice, just a bow of the head to a superior officer and a salute, though one far less excited as there had been for the Empress herself.

 

[Blizzard]

Pidole felt a deep sinking feeling inside and her heart ached at the idea of not being able to bring her insect friend and companion places. She knew she couldn't disobey Jax's orders without risking her career and she suddenly felt trapped and an intense hate for her new boss who was now trying to take one of the most reliable parts of her life away from her. Pain and grief filled her mind and her eyes burned and watered. Her face went from sadness to anger and she clenched her fists, unable to say anything but burning inside. She began to consider her options like trying to go to the new captain or requesting a transfer to another starship.



"That sounds like a question best left for your starship's SAINT officer than for me. I know they are still a problem but the Star Army is finally able to start getting things under control. That said, I understand the Fuji-class packs considerable armaments if you find yourself in need them," Empress Himiko replied.

Jax winced a little, and his ears flattened.

"Of course. Thank you, ma'am."

Great. He'd already made a fool of himself on his second outing as an officer. It almost felt like he couldn't do anything right as a commander, which was odd considering he'd been in charge of a galactic corporation for several years. The military was a different beast entirely, it seemed.

And now, it seemed, Pidole was silently fuming, probably about his order. Spectacular. All he'd done was ask her to try and follow regulations when in the presence of the actual leader of the galaxy-spanning empire they worked for. Such a reaction seemed very unreasonable and immature, and made him silently wonder how someone could have ever made it through basic training with such an aversion to simple commands. But then again, maybe he was in the wrong here. The nekojiin racked his brain for a solution, because Pidole was a competent engineer, and good help was always in short supply. He tried to place himself in Pidole's shoes, to see why she would have reacted so poorly to being told to leave her pet in her quarters. Then, he repeated the order in his head, and found where he'd gone wrong.

<Relax, Pidole. I just mean that, when we're in the presence of high-ranking brass, and especially the royal family, it is important to maintain a higher level of professionalism than normal. You may still bring your beetle with you on duty shifts and missions, provided it doesn't interfere with your duties. All I ask is that in the future, you try to keep a better handle on your companion when in the presence of our superiors. I am sorry for my failure to properly communicate. I will try to do better in the future.>

He really didn't want Pidole, nor any of his subordinates, to hate him, or think he was a hardass. He just wanted to do well as an officer, and it was clear he still had much to learn.

 

[raz]

Kagrura had been graced by Himiko's presence a few times before, as Star Army soldiers were from time-to-time during en masse assemblies like award ceremonies or special visits on planet Yamatai, but never so intimately. This sort of visit seemed like the kind reserved for heroes like Admiral Hanako's YSS Eucharis crew or those aboard Captain Hoshi's YSS Kaiyo II — the frontline warships you see featured on SANDRA and YINN every week — rather than that of a vessel newly commissioned in the face of imminent peacetime. But, after all, Hanako's Jackson Howard was among their number today. So maybe the YSS Resurgence was destined for a place alongside the greats, for here they were standing in formation close enough to the Empress to see her breath cloud up the frosty morning air!

The freshly-minted first officer held her own excited questions, which Kagura realized would amount to self-serving displays mostly aimed at having the Empress speak toward her direction. Her position in the crew was to know everything that needed to be known and ensure that operations proceeded smoothly, not to pre-empt her subordinates as they pursued their own paths to success. All of their chatter was growing tiresome for the XO, though, even despite Jax's best intentions.

"Thank you for reminding us all as to the gravity of our Empress's visit, Howard-chui," Kagura said to the crew via telepathy. She fully agreed with him with regard to all of the giggling and fidgeting; these sorts of behaviors should have been un-learned and filtered out in basic training if not earlier for those non-synthetics who should have gained reverence for the Empress from their earliest age. "Maybe you would like to lead us in a seminar on proper parade behavior another time — schedule it with me later if you are interested.

"For now, let us all bask in Himiko-heika's presence and show her mindful respect with our attention," Kagura added with a soft telepathic tone that matched her stance at ease. "Do remember that our Empress is entitled to the highest levels of PANTHEON access and may not appreciate even unspoken cross-chatter. I am confident that we can defer to her sublime authority in the immediate situation if she takes issue and otherwise rectify our etiquette later."

With that said, Hojo-taii resumed being just happy to be there.

 

[Wes]

Himiko paused for a moment to see if anyone had anymore questions. "If there is nothing else, I will leave you to stat planning," the Empress smiled, and headed back into the palace, flanked by four Ketsurui Samurai. She gave a wave to Katsuko as she passed her.

"Crew, Attention!" Majime ordered. "On the command of fall out, please head back into the palace and meet me in the red room. Fall out!"

The room that the small crew entered had bright red walls, with gold everywhere, running up the walls, lining the floors, making up the ceiling, which was one gigantic mural-statue of a battle between Nekos, Geshrin, and some sort of enemy alien race, complete with tanks and ruined buildings, all jutting out from the ceiling in gold. The explosions in the panorama were the room's light fixtures. The room had a lowered area in the center, and carpeted circular steps around it, making it a good place for meetings.

"The palace is the first place on our list, the point from where we will start our exploration of the universe," Majime told her crew, her voice echoing in the Red's room's large and ornate space. "We have a lot to see but we should start with the center."

 

[Blizzard]

Courtyard

After once again going at ease, Jax began walking towards the Red Room. Despite his best efforts, it seemed Pidole still had some hard feelings. He pushed it from his mind for the time being. He had acknowledged his error and apologized, and at the end of the day he really couldn't control the feelings or thoughts of others. The Chui fell into step next to Kagura.

"Seminar? You sure about that, Taii?" he whispered privately with a wry little grin. "With all due respect, I don't think I'm capable of such cruelty."

Jax hated seminars. They were long, there was no food, and most of the information contained therein could all be delivered via a mass SYNC message. He was convinced that they were just a tool used for mass punishment. Which is why, upon earning his bars, he made a silent vow to never subject others to such torture...

...Unless someone took the last bagel at breakfast. Then all bets were off.

Red Room

Jax listened to his captain's orders, then got to work doing... something. Exploring, he guessed. This was his first time within the Imperial Palace. But he wasn't much of a history buff, so the mural in the ceiling didn't mean much to him. Yamatai had fought so many wars that the mural might not have even been about a specific conflict. More just... a concept. Sort of like really deadly modern art. Then again, he thought most art appreciators were full of it. He could at least appreciate the effort and skill that must have gone into crafting such a mural, at least from a builder's point of view.

"Huh, the explosions were a nice touch." he said to no one in particular. He lowered his voice, and muttered, mostly to himself:

"Upon closer inspection, I have discovered that this is, in fact, a palace."

Running out of ideas, Jax stepped back and allowed the enlisted to do whatever their hearts desired. He already missed the fabrication bay, and his beloved coveralls. Just for grins, he reached down and lifted the lapel of his jacket. He lowered his head and whispered into the garment a phrase that was so absurd and nonsensical that it could never be uttered accidentally by passerby.

"Tsuguka Toyoe was always such a carefree, vivacious woman."

The reason for such a phrase was that it was an activation code. Jax's overcoat rustled a bit, and then ever so slowly, a golden snout began to protrude from the garment. It sniffed a few times, before revealing a pair of sky-blue eyes and pointed, scaly ears. A little dragon. With only its head visible, the tiny creature yawned and began slowly surveying its surroundings. The tiny robot was so lifelike as to be indistinguishable from its fantastical counterpart, aside from its durandium teeth. It had actually been based off of photos of actual dragons, from a different universe. Long story, that.

"Hey bud. See, hear, or smell anything interesting?" Jax asked quietly. Jax didn't expect Doofus to find anything. It was more a spur of the moment thing. But who knows? Maybe the Kuvexians had managed to slip listening devices into the palace or something, much like Yamatai had no doubt engaged in intelligence gathering themselves. Or, maybe all of the gold in the walls was actually gold-wrapped chocolate.

 

[Soban]

As the crew made their way into the red room, Cheilith looked around in awe. "This is so amazing, just look at the detail and the lights are explosions! I wonder what battle it is?" She made her way down the steps to the center of the room. She stood there for a long moment, spinning around slowly to take the whole room in. She was in a sense, at the center of the whole empire right now. The height of its glory.

She took a breath and started to consider what the Empress had said, that she was to be her eyes and ears. She turned it over in her head a moment before voicing the question aloud to herself. "So what does she not know that she would want to know?" The room was designed for announcements and so the acoustics were perfect, bringing Cheilith's unraised voice to everyone in the room with perfect clarity like she was standing beside them.

 

[Andrew]

As the Resurgence crew passed her, Katsuko said, "Good Luck on your mission! Yamatai is counting on you." She smiled politely and then returned Himiko's wave. She had business to finish at the palace as she intended to continue to investigate what she would need to proceed with her plans to run for Imperial Premier. It was nice to give well wishes to the young crews that had begun to take the place of the older generation to secure Yamatai's place in the sector.

Katsuko continued on her way through the garden and back into the Palace to continue with her day.

 

[hyralt]

Kwabba-an stood at attention on command, then filed into the so-called "red room" along with her crewmates. Along the way, she was startled as someone unexpectedly seemed to be talking to them.

"Good Luck on your mission! Yamatai is counting on you."

The insectoid musician searched for the source of the speech and then saw a blue-haired woman of roughly Kwabba-an's height with pointy blue-green ears. Kwabba-an made a quiet "eep" sound and then turned away. Feeling flustered for a moment, she tried to calm herself down. Surely, whoever this person may be, she was just being polite and didn't expect anyone to reply. It was a small comfort, but it let her move on from her social anxiety.

Once inside, Kwabba-an's eyes wandered lazily over the opulent surfaces until they found the enormous mural-statue on the ceiling and began to dance. It was so big she didn't know what to focus on first and her gaze leapt from one area to another as detail after detail caught her attention. The insectoid glanced down to re-establish her bearings. As she did so, she heard someone talking. Even before the voice had finished its first syllable, she knew it was the black-haired woman who had nudged her before Glimmergold and talked about a big aether sword.

"This is so amazing, just look at the detail and the lights are explosions! I wonder what battle it is?"

Kwabba-an tried to look up again, but so much hit her all at once that she nearly lost her balance until she tried unfocusing her eyes. The scene was abstracted and she began to process it as a formless composition of light and colour. Even with the vagueness that she imposed upon it, she could clearly distinguish the blobs that seemed to be the good guys working together from those that were the enemy.

"I-" Kwabba-an felt overwhelmed as she tried to speak, but did her best to form the simplest sentence she could muster. "It is a symbol for all battles."

Emotionally, if not visually, the unfocused scene above reminded her of breaching the security centre with Sanda and Kozakura. Under her still-cold hand, the memory made her scar throb. Looking around, Kwabba-an tried to find her friends. After not too much searching, she spotted the ranger and smiled, then continued to look for the journalist who had stood guard over her while she was injured.

OOC: Tagging @Soban since Kwabba-an is trying her best to reply to Cheilith. I guess she's also responding to Katsuko, @Andrew but I don't expect a reply.

 

[Cowboy]

Sanda followed the rest of her shipmates inside the palace at a much slower rate. For one, her shoulder was taped up so tight to her body that it was affecting her balance. She was also taking in all of her surroundings. The palace was certainly pretty, but Sanda wasn't real impressed by it. To her, it seemed like a big waist of resources. Her mind was more concerned with where was the nearest cover, If an attack came from the left, over by that big fountain, where was the best cover to approach from. Walking inside she stopped just for a moment to look over the decretive doors, making a mental note of their locking mechanisms and the number of guards that patrolled the area. Sanda was a Ranger, a recon specialist and very proud of the fact.

She did take a moment to examine the ceiling. That was some décor she could appreciate. Looked like quite the battle. She wondered if the battle of Glimmergold would ever be painted into a ceiling mural like this one. Sanda hoped so. She'd pay money to see that. She turned her attention away from the ceiling and looked around the room, smiling briefly at her friend Kwabba-an. She saw the little red head technician with the little bug she had as a pet. Sanda hadn't had much interaction with her. In truth, besides Kwabba-an and Kozakura Sanda hadn't really spoke to anyone. There had been some victory celebrations, but she had been mostly drunk and high on pain meds at the time. Then the last few weeks she'd been in hospital, trying to rest her shoulder. She was honestly just about to say Feth it with her shoulder and get a bionic replacement. This slow healing was driving her crazy.

In fact, this whole place was driving her crazy. What were they suppose to be doing here anyway? Look over some artwork? Let the officers do that. She'd much rather have a strong drink in her hand. Or better yet, be in a kitchen cooking up some food. Sanda hadn't been able to cook anything since she'd been wounded and she was missing how relaxing cooking up a big meal felt.