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  • 📅 February and March 2024 are YE 46.2 in the RP.

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

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Cheilith smiled at Kwabba, "keik,weab, no cki-waba. sorry, thats... a mouthful of a name." Cheilith said, valiantly trying and failing to pronounce Kwabba's name. "Kwabba will have to do. I'm Cheilith Unknifto, I'm not really a specialist in anything yet. Yhea, I'd like to sing with you, it would be fun. We'll probably have a lot of time with all the travel we'll be doing and all."
 
"Cheilith Unknifto," Kwabba-an repeated, trying to mimic the exact way that Cheilith had pronounced it. Then she visibly rehearsed the name a few more times under her breath before she continued. "There is no need for an apology. My name is in a language that is dead but for myself and one other, and we both have a mouthful of assistance in pronunciation."

As a demonstration, she opened wide and rapidly clicked a set of vestigial mandibles that were normally hidden in her cheeks.

"I thought you were a specialist in big aether swords," with a smile the insectoid tried to speak the last three words with the same inflection that Cheilith had used before Glimmergold. She enjoyed any opportunity to demonstrate her auditory memory, even if she often didn't quite understand what people were saying. "I am a specialist in music. I enjoyed your singing. Perhaps you should consider a specialization in music? I look forward to singing with you again. Until then, please excuse me."

The musician bowed again and walked over to Kozakura, weaving her way between her crewmates until she was standing next to the reporter.

"Have you finished your recording? I do not see your drone," the insectoid noted. "If we are to stay in Kyoto until Victory Day, it would please me if we had a drink together. Perhaps after the medal ceremony."
 
Kozakura had been lost in thought as she rattled off their travel route within her brain, it took her a moment to realize that her friend Kwabba-an was talking to her. When she finally roused from her inner thoughts she smiled softly and rubbed the back of her neck while her brain played back what Kwabba had said. "Maru's here for now," she replied with a quick pat to the sort of medium hard case that was hanging above her hip. "Truth be told, I was unsure if this area could be shown so I went with caution and stowed it."

Lowering her hand now, she smiled at Kwabba-an. "Getting a drink together sounds good. Honestly I was never very good with award ceremonies so such a thing will probably hit the spot nicely after the fact." As she spoke Kozakura felt an urge to do something with her hands but she didn't know what. It was at this time that she really wished she had a pair of pants with pockets rather than a skirt. Which as she thought about such things, made her somewhat regret her choice to try and follow the norm of her female fellows wearing the skirt and heels with the uniform rather than pants. At least the heel length was up to her so she only had to deal with little one inchers. Also though she felt sort of stupid for wearing a skirt in winter. At least she had a long warm coat to wear, and the saving grace of her legs being covered by long tights.

Self consciousness aside she was happy to receive the offer from Kwabba-an, which also made her remember how badly hurt the music bug had been. Her red eyes drifted over Kwabba's form for a moment before she asked in a softer quieter tone, "How are you holding up anyway?"
 
"Maru," Kwabba-an quietly emulated Kozakura's name for her drone while nodding along.

At this point, she realized that she was still wearing her coat and that she was finally starting to feel warm so she unbuttoned it and pulled it off. Underneath she was dressed quite similarly to Kozakura but opted for the pleated skirt because of the increased freedom of movement over the standard one which felt overly tight to her especially since her insect abdomen needed to stick out from underneath. Her unique anatomy made tights and shoes deeply impractical, so she didn't wear them. Her feet were well-adapted to walking around barefoot. Aside from putting on more layers to warm up or taking off layers to cool down, she spent approximately zero time thinking about what she or anyone else was wearing.

The insectoid's mind was singularly occupied with their acoustic environment. The rhythmic noises of the machinery around them were an orchestra in her mind, and everyone who spoke was a soloist. The harmonies were complex and the rhythms were poly, but she could always hear it and it always delighted her. Now she was focused on Kozakura's performance and had to concentrate to hear her words and not simply enjoy her song.

"I am holding up well," she replied and put a hand gently on her side where she was injured. "I understand that the metal fragments from the explosion ricocheted around within me against the inner walls of my Mindy, but I was fortunate that the worst they did was a little nerve damage. My left leg is a little tingly and a little numb sometimes, but I usually feel the same as I did before. Or at least I cannot tell if there is any difference. I am lucky that most of my organs are in my abdomen."

The insectoid's chest swelled as she took an experimental deep breath then flinched.

"If I breathe too deeply, it pulls where the wound was, which is still quite tender," she explained and looked up into Kozakura's eyes. "It sounds worse than it feels when I describe it. Suffice it to say that I feel well."
 
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"We can take the train North ... Finally we'll stop at Black Sands and the Central Fleet Depot on the way out and get supplies for our ship, which should hopefully be ready by then. Does that sound okay? Also, before we go, we should stick around a few days and attend the Victory Day Celebration!" Majime replied.
"You're the boss, Ikigai-shosa!" Kagura grinned, already formulating an itinerary in her digital brain based on Majime's travel outline. Arranging transport for a gunship's worth of soldiers would be easy enough any other time. But now that the Kuvexian War was over, the Empire's capital world was jam-packed with Yamatai's warriors returning from the frontlines and visiting allies ready to celebrate victory over the Interstellar Kingdom.

"It sounds like quite the lead-up to the Resurgence's launch," the first officer added. She had no intention of having her crew separated in different train cars or scattered across multiple lodging locations (much less in different room blocks at the same place) on any leg of this trip. The thought to use one of this palace's terminals to make all of the required bookings crossed her mind for a moment. And then it lingered there even longer; it was a good idea, after all. What rail attendant would refuse a Star Army officer's request originating from the Empress' Palace? Kagura was certain none of them would.

"I'll make sure everything's in order for us. Consider it done, Shosa."
 
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There was a quick wince upon Kozakura's face as Kwabba-an described her injury, it sounded very painful and like something which would have been lethal if she had been the one injured instead of Kwabba-an. "I'm glad you're doing better," she replied with a soft smile. Kozakura wanted to say more but she couldn't find the words. Instead her eyes looked around for a moment, it was then that she noticed they seemed a bit lighter on crew members then when they had started. Though for someone in her position it would probably be odd to comment on that fact so she remained silent.
 
Kwabba-an saw Kozakura's wince and frowned, unhappy that she had made her friend suffer unintentionally. She looked away at nothing in particular and listened to the conversation play back in her head. As she did so, she mouthed the words as she recalled them. In her mind's ear, she heard herself describing her injury in what must have been too much detail. She tried to make a mental note to perhaps spare some of the details next time she was asked a similar question, but she couldn't help playing the words over and over again and imagining different ways she could have explained things.

After a few minutes, her focus started to wander and she imagined where they might go for their drink. The awards ceremony was likely in downtown Kyoto, where she knew a few places. Never where she'd had a drink, but several places where other people had gone for drinks while she played gigs where nobody seemed to mind that she was a half-ant insectoid. Just then, Kwabba-an's eyebrows jumped up as she remembered something Kozakura had mentioned that she wanted to know more about. The insectoid looked up into the dragon woman's eyes again.

"In what way are you not very good with awards ceremonies?"
 
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A few days later...

The Resurgence crew assembled for a brief meeting after their stay in Kyoto for Victory Day to make sure everyone made it and then fell out to grab their bags and their tickets. Hojo had taken care of travel arrangements and had arranged for a private train car for the crew with several sleeping rooms and a small dining area.

"All aboard," Captain Majime called, with a big smile. "I've always wanted to say that," she added afterward.

Pidole moved forward carrying her duffel and backpack, while Kawa Euikoshi followed her with a camera, getting footage. Pidole's blue beetle followed in the air as well.

Kwabba-an hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and looked down at her caseless Zesuaium bass, admiring the carbon scoring it had gained when it was blasted by a Kuvexian, before grabbing it by the neck and lifting it. She stepped forward with the rest, excited to get on board. She took a moment to look around, past her crewmates, and appreciate the train station. She had visited before, when travelling back and forth between her school in Kyoto and her parents' place in Ternifac, but something felt different before such a big journey.

Chelith wore her uniform with immaculate pride, her bag was slung over her shoulder. She blended to the point of near invisibility with the other Nekos.

Gabriela and Poppy Pink followed along next, with a speediness to their step so they could claim a room together. They were friends who had shared a train ride before. "Poppy, will you watch what you drink this time?" Gabriela giggled.

Poppy gave her a look. "I'll have to ask before accepting random drinks from random aliens in Ternifac, that's for sure," she replied. She gave a wave to Kwabba, too.

Taii Hojo Kagura stood at the edge of the platform beside the train's door, playing the role of depot usher for her crewmates as they entered. With a datapad in hand, she smiled and nodded as each passed her while they carried themselves and their luggage onto the locomotive. She marked Pidole, Kwabba-an, Chelith, Gabby, and Poppy with a quick swipe of her finger — and the others who followed — all the while daydreaming about what the journey ahead would bring. This would be Kagura's first train trip; the abundance of easy access to shuttlecraft made travel easy and quick within the Yamatai Star Empire. So the first officer was excited at the prospect of going overland through Yamatai's terrain instead of flying above it.

Kwabba-an noticed the pink-haired medic waving at her. She felt a little embarassed, but smiled and waved back. She didn't know many of her crewmates' names yet and felt like she should introduce herself, but the thought made her chest tighten with anxiety.

Kalena scanned the area with her gold eyes and followed the group towards the train. "Gabriela, do you mind if I share a cabin with you?" she asked. "You're okay with nudity, right?"

"Sure," Gabriela laughed. "Just watch out for Poppy, she might get excited!" she grinned.

Poppy made another funny face at Gabriela.

Cassie still looked a little jittery from the giant battle they'd been through in the Glimmergold system. They were quiet and withdrawn compared to his usual self lately.

Majime waited for everyone to board near the door of their private train car.

With everyone else on the train but Majime, Kagura lowered the datapad to her side and gave the Captain a quick salute before boarding herself. She'd only brought a backpack for her part, packing light because she preferred to rely on volumetrics to project the uniform of the day over her Type 40 exercise uniform's bikini bottoms and fitted sports top. Other than battle, Kagura was always prepared to surf or wrestle, and was most comfortable wearing less.

Gabriela, Poppy, and Kalena claimed a room. Each of the rooms had four beds, two on each side. They had navy blue wool blankets and white cotton sheets and two fat looking pillows each. The walls were made of dark stained wood paneling.

Kwabba-an couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation between the crew ahead of her in line. Sharing cabins? Somehow, she had envisioned their train car being one big room with bunk beds. She wondered with whom she would share a cabin, and couldn't help but think about her friend Kozakura. Looking around, she couldn't see the journalist. Oh well, she thought, we'll see plenty of each other on the ride.

Cheilith sidled up to Kwabba, "This is going to be fun, like a train is like a ship, but all in a single long line. We can watch the scenery pass and just relax. I wonder if they serve sandwiches here? Anyway, you want to share a cabin for this trip?"

Kwabba-an was momentarily startled when the black-haired woman walked up beside her, but visibly relaxed as soon as she started speaking.

"Hello, Cheilith," the insectoid said with a smile as she hopped on board. "I also love trains. They have a wonderful, hypnotic rhythm. It puts me right to sleep if I close my eyes. It would please me to share a cabin with you."

"Awesome!" Cheilith enthused, "Lets see if we can grab a good one, I think this might be a double decker, so do you want to be on the top or bottom? Also we should figure out port or starbord. I don't think it will matter much, but it's something to think about." Cheilith asked as she moved towards the cabins.

Kwabba-an nodded, clearly impressed with her friend's knowledge of trains as she followed closely behind through the narrow corridor of the train. "I prefer to be on top but I have no preference for port or starboard," the insectoid stated. "If I knew the route better, I might know which side had better scenery. Alas, I am quite ignorant on the matter. Have you been this way before?"

"Nope, I'm only like a hundred and twenty days old. So I haven't done much yet. But I will someday!" Cheilith responded as they headed up some stairs.

Kwabba-an's eyes went wide with excitement. "Oh! Are you a Nekovalkyrja?" Kwabba-an asked. "I did not realize. How unobservant of me. My genetics were created in a similar way to yours, but I did not develop nearly as quickly as you did, I am afraid."

Of all of the things that Kwabba could have said, that was perhaps the last thing Cheilith would have ever expected. "I am, and a pretty average one at that. Average height, average weight, common colors, nothing special. Are you blind or something? All of us Neko look pretty similar."

Kwabba-an laughed nervously. "I have no such excuse. I suppose I just never noticed." She looked around at their crewmates and finally saw others who looked similarly. "Indeed, now that you have pointed it out, it seems quite obvious. Perhaps if I heard you all singing, I could tell you shared similar voices."

"Perhaps, do you mostly experience things through sound? I've never really thought about it, or met too many species from outside the Empire." She said as they found a cabin.

Kwabba-an nodded. "I pay much closer attention to how things sound than how they look. It is not a feature of my species," then she frowned. "Or rather, it is not a feature of the species of my mother nor the species of my father."

"You parents were of different species then you? Did you develop in a tube like me? I thought that most people who weren't Nekos were born the other way you know." Cheilith asked curiously as they unpacked.

"They are. My father is Minkan and my mother is !Khoekhoe," Kwabba-an pronounced the consonants of the last word with clicks just as she had with her true name. Rather than unpacking, she simply placed her bass and bag in one corner of their cabin. "Very similar to the insect known as an ant, except much larger. Unfortunately, to the best of our knowledge she is the last of her species. I believe my parents had their genes combined and inserted into one of the eggs of my mother."

A chime and a loud hiss came from the train.

Cassie took a look around the station and hopped on the train just before it started lurching forward, and rubbed his chin considering who they should share rooms with. Cassie didn't want to get in the way.

Kwabba-an looked out their cabin's window for a moment, but then closed her eyes and let the sounds of the train relax her. She sighed calmly.

Deciding to give everyone else a chance to pick their bunks first (and thus, perhaps, curse whoever happened to have an empty bed at the end with the presence of an authority figure), Kagura posted up in the dining level for now. The booth seat she chose was on the side of the train that faced away from the station so she could watch the scenery out of the locomotive's big, panoramic windows as it coasted out of Kyoto. She pulled out a little sealed pouch of dried fish jerky that she'd saved from a Type 31 ration pack from her backpack beside her, which she'd saved for just such occasions.

This was already shaping up to be a fine trip, Kagura thought, perfectly content with her setup. And now that she was out of the public eye, the first officer decided to drop her uniform's projection in favor of some loose forest green running shorts plus a white crop top t-shirt that had a wide, loose collar that showed off her compression top's left strap. With the privacy afforded to them by the reserved car, she decided to make the most of it and get comfy.

Euikoshi came out her her cabin and grabbed Cassie by the waist with both hands and maneuved the gray cat-anthro into her cabin. "I know how to make you smile," she promised.

Cassie's eyes got big as they were pulled into the cabin, but they didn't resist.

The train took North off for Pagoda No Uesu.

As the train pulled away, Cheilith looked outside, "Ohh, We're starting the trip! Comeon let's see if we can get good view in the lounge car or perhaps the dining car if your feeling pekish."

Kwabba-an opened her eyes, turned to Cheilith and nodded. "Let us go," she replied confidently before slipping into a more tentative tone. "I am not sure if I am peckish. How are you feeling?"

"I could eat, but if the lounge car has a better view, I'm into that. Perhaps we can grab a sandwich on the way." Cheilith said as they left the cabin and started down the hall.

Kwabba-an listened to her friend's voice and then nodded and followed along. In truth, she was hungry but felt shy about eating with others and avoided it whenever she could.

"Hey, the XO is in her exercise uniform," Poppy observed with her pink hair protruding into the passageway and the dipping back in.

"Well, she can't be wrong," Kalena laughed, starting to undress immediately. Poppy and Gabriela did too and soon the trio were in their exercise uniforms as well. "Interesting tattoos," Kalena remarked. She had seen Poppy's cat tattoo, the face on her arm, and a third one that had a heart shape and a lewd word. "Is that a suggestion?"

Gabriela ducked out of the cabin with a wink and joined Kwabba and Cheilith to get some snacks. "I love trains," she told the two.

"Hey Gabs! We're seeing if they got any sandwiches. I've never been on a train before, have you? Was it on this route or somewhere else?" Cheilith asked.

Kwabba-an smiled and made a small wave at the bright-eyed anthro who joined them. Though she wanted to speak her agreement, she simply nodded instead.

"Yeah!" Gabriela grinned. "I got to ride one up to Ralt for for the Year-End Yule festival! But I got called back early for the Battle of Glimmergold. Poppy was with me! We stopped at a bar in Ternifac and she drank something weird and I ended up having to hold her hair in the bathroom."

"Glad you're all getting cozy, girls," Kagura called when she saw that some of the junior crewmen had taken a cue from her attire. Their little pow-wow had drawn her attention away from the view and down the hallway. Poppy's tattoos gave her pause for a moment, but the first officer didn't think much of them. If the medic's body art had made it through recruiting and health checkups then someone must have cleared them as appropriate. "Just remember that we're still representing the Star Army even though we've got this private car, so be on your best behavior if any train staff come through."

Kwabba-an turned and gave a serious nod to the executive officer. She made a quiet "mm" sound to indicate her understanding.

"Yes Ma'am" Cheilith chimed in, grabbing herself a BLT from the bar. "That sounds interesting, are we going to be stopping there on this trip?" She asked Gabriela.

"No, it's far East of here and we're going to the West," Gabriela replied.

"Ok, I'm sure we'll find new places to have adventures!" Cheilith enthused.

OOC: JP by Wes, @hyralt, @raz and @Soban
 
Sanda had reached the station and had spent some time talking to some of the train engineers about the route the train was to take. Her questions were casual, but she gathered a lot of good intel about the route the team was to take, the number of stops, what the country was like they were going to travel through, all things a good scout should take note of. Satisficed, Sanda boarded the train and took an unoccupied cabin. She unhooked her weapon belt and lay it on the bottom bunk where she could quickly and easily reach her sidearm and danger before taking off her duty 42 jacket. Under her jacket, she was wearing just a tank top, reviling toned and muscular arms. Each arm was covered in a tattoo, a streak of lightning that started at her shoulders and ran down her arms, branching off into smaller streaks around her forearms and ending at her wrists. Sanda raised her left arm twisted it around. She had gotten these tattoos with a special dye that changed color and reflected the light depending on the angle you looked at them, giving the appearance that there was really electricity running down her arms. She loved that effect.

Sanda sat down on the edge of her bunk and carefully raised her right shoulder. It had been badly damaged at the battle of Glimmergold over a month ago and hadn't healed properly. Thank her stars, Sanda's sister had brought her a cybernetic replacement. She had had it installed 2 days ago and was told to take it easy. Her right arm looked exactly like a real arm, but underneath the fake flesh was Yama-Dura incased power arm with five times the strength of her lost arm. It was covered in the same tattoo as her left. Sanda craned her neck around to examine her shoulder, the doc who installed the arm said she should keep an eye on the flesh to make sure the sutures held to watch for infections. So far there had been no problems. Except for a few times when she was trying to calibrate the arm and didn't realize how strong her grip was. Sanda rubbed her left eye that was covered with another Thunderbolt tattoo. The eye was taking some more getting use to than the arm. She had also had her left eye replaced with a cybernetic one. Not because it was injured, but because she wanted the extra intergraded sight, targeting and interface that a cyber eye allowed. She still hadn't gotten use to the words that would suddenly appear in mid air, telling her of some message her personal com unit had received or asking if she wanted to change to low level lighting. Her sister had assured her that once she got use to the settings and stuff Sanda wouldn't even notice it but right now it was very annoying.

Speaking of something else annoying, Sanda could hear some of her crewmates in the hallway giggling and laughing like they were at a high school sleepover. Worse, the ones doing it were officers! Sanda just prayed they were more competent and professional aboard ship than they were in this private train car. Having checked that her shoulder was ok, Sanda stood and buckled back on her belt with with side arm and straight silver. The others could lounge around in their underwear if they wanted to, the Nepleslian woman was way more comfortable wearing her cargo pants and weapon belt. She did throw back on her duty jacket, but detached the sleeves and left it unzipped so that her tattooed forearms were visible and headed to the lounge car.

As Sanda made her way to the lounge area she saw Kwabba-an talking with Cheilith. Sanda smiled at her musical companion and threw her a casual salute. Sanda and Kwabba-an had fought together at Glimmergold and even though the two seemed completely different, they had developed a friendship. The tall, tattooed, Nepleslian ranger and the short music bug. Although come to think of it, all of Sanda's crewmates were shorter than her. The tall ranger was just shy of 6 feet tall, a fact that she rather resented. The closest one to her height was Chui-Howard and even couldn't quite look her in the eye at eye level. Sanda saw the XO, Taii Hojo sitting alone by the window. The ranger was curious about her. She hadn't had much opportunity before to meet or talk with the Captain or the XO and wanted to get the measure of them. There were officers you followed because they had the rank and there were officers you followed because you believed in them. What kind of officers were they? Sanda was going to find out. "Excuse me ma'am." Sanda said to the XO. "May I join you?"
 
Kwabba-an heard someone approaching and turned to see that it was her friend Sanda, whom she greeted with a warm smile. Thinking back on it, she wasn't sure exactly how she felt about her experience as a whole at Glimmergold. There was a lot to unpack that she hadn't yet done. But one thing she was sure about was how she felt about Sanda and Kozakura, with whom she had assaulted the security centre of the Sakura Fleet Depot. Fighting side-by-side with them had established a bond of trust that she had never felt with anyone else. She felt like she could rely on her "sisters" for anything, and in turn, she would do absolutely anything in her power to help them if they needed it.

When Sanda saluted, she returned the gesture automatically and smiled a little wider. She felt a little silly saluting her friend, though certainly not because of any lack of respect. Kwabba-an simply found no pleasure in formality and a salute, even if it was a casual one, felt like a very formal gesture.
 
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Lounge Car

Gabriela gave Sanda a wave. She was now in her exercise uniform with its skin-tight blue shorts and white T-shirt with the big maroon hinomaru meatball on it. "I had to step out of my cabin for a little while," she grinned. "It seems like everyone's excited! I wonder if you've heard of the rumors about the North, too?" she asked. "They say that the Star Army has some ancient bases up there from the pre-Yamatai times, and some of them have magical secrets, like portals to other universes! For instance the ancient temples represent the elements. Also, I hope you brought your cold weather gear. It's going to be brutal up there when we get North of the Ice Queen Mountains. Ketsurui no Iori is a military town with a Ketsurui Zaibatsu plant there so we could pick up supplies there if we need anything. I'll have to ask the captain first but I was thinking we could get some ground vehicles like LSTVs. Do you like to go offroading?"
 
"Offroading sounds like fun, I wonder if I could do it in my truck." Cheilith wondered outloud.
 
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"Excuse me ma'am." Sanda said to the XO. "May I join you?"
Kagura had been watching the buildings and scenery pass by in the window beside her as the train began leaving Kyoto, staring through her own reflection's pink eyes that were barely mirrored in its polished surface. She blinked once or twice when Sanda addressed her and turned her face to the Ranger, still chewing on a chunk of the dried mackerel that she'd retrieved upon sitting down a few minutes earlier.

"Sure, Sanda-san," she said with a touch of bewilderment behind her voice. Even though this was Kagura's first assignment as a First Officer, she was well aware of the how distant the position made her from anybody not entitled to wear white panels. For a moment, she had vivid recall of how daunting it was the first time she'd spoken to her XO on the YSS Kyūsei back in YE 38.

"It's a pretty good spot to relax, have a seat," Kagura continued, her eyes drifting to appreciate the tattooed lighting bolts that jolted down Sanda's arms as she spoke. Between Kagura's own Neko genetic markings, Poppy's racy advertisements, and Sanda's electrical charge, this crew was probably the most tattooed group she'd served with.

"You want some fish? I've still got salmon and tuna," she offered with a grin, already moving a hand to one of the smaller compartments on her backpack. "They're just from some old rations, but they're the only part worth saving. Salmon's the best."
 
While everyone was busy boarding the train, Kozakura had been dutifully filming the train, the station, and of course everyone else boarding. The station for its part was magnificent in both size and architecture. As a central hub for the region it had numerous platforms for trains that ran both locally and abroad. If it hadn't been for her previous visits through the station she very well might have gotten lost while filming. Perhaps one of the last ones to actually board the train she was unsure of where to actually stay herself. Though as luck would have it she noticed Kwabba-an leaving a room ahead of her. As Kwabba-an and a certain Neko walked down the hall she was quick to pop into their cabin and find an empty bunk. Depositing Maru's case atop her bunk she unslung her gear sack and placed that on the bed too.

For a moment she stared out the window of the car with a heavy sigh, before her hands began to undo her dress uniform. She'd grown so accustomed to wearing it through her work with SANDRA that removing it for for more casual attire felt somehow... wrong. After removing her uniform it was dutifully folded and placed upon her bed, at which point she opted to put on her cold weather variant of the type 40 exercise clothes. Once she was dressed again, this time with actual pants instead of a skirt that feeling of wrongness was abated at least a little bit.

After changing her attire, she wandered off from the room to go find the others. It was only when she arrived in the lounge that she spotted her friends. As Sanda seemed preoccupied with talking with the XO, Kozakura made her way over to Kwabba-an and the neko. "I hope you two don't mind but I put my belongings on one of the bunks in the room you two picked out."
 
"Don't mind at all! Welcome to our cabin, this is going to be an exciting adventure. I don't think we've met before, I'm Cheilith!" Cheilith said, reaching a hand out to shake Kozakura's.
 
Sanda returned Gabriela wave. The anthro was quite the chatterbox, but there was no mistaking her enthusiasm. Sanda found she was smiling. Gabriela's smile was quite contagious. Sanda turned back to the XO as she was invited to join her. She sat down across from the XO and looked out the window herself. "Thank you ma'am." The larger building of the city were starting to be replaced with the small buildings of the outliner edge of the city center. Sanda turned her attention back to Kagura when she offered her some Salmon. The tattooed Nepleslian smiled. "Why not?" She said and took some of the offered food. It was pretty good for old rations. "That's not bad." She took another bite, savoring the smoky flavor. "You know ma'am, I know you've been looking for a ship's cook. I'm pretty good in the kitchen. I worked several years in my sister's restaurant before enlisting. I don't know what you we'll have any need for it but if you would like to make use of my culinary skills they are at your disposal."
 
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Kwabba-an perked up when she heard Kozakura speak.

"Of course," the insectoid replied as she turned to look at her friend. "It pleases me that you will be near while I rest."

The ant woman's face took on a puzzled expression, as she noticed that something was different about the journalist. Kwabba-an's gaze perused Kozakura's form, travelling down her body, then back up. Something had changed, she was sure of it, but she couldn't tell what. She listened intently and her antennae wriggled, but her powers of observation were simply too weak to notice that Kozakura had changed into exercise clothes.
 
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"You know ma'am, I know you've been looking for a ship's cook. I'm pretty good in the kitchen. I worked several years in my sister's restaurant before enlisting. I don't know what you we'll have any need for it but if you would like to make use of my culinary skills they are at your disposal."

"Really?" Kagura said to Sanda, more as an acknowledgement than with any sort of disbelief. A cook was important for any Star Army ship to have; as much as the XO enjoyed her rations, things were always better when there was someone professional to make chow time truly enjoyable rather than just a necessity. The thought made her mouth water as she remembered the officer's mess back aboard the YSS Shinsengumi and all of the delicious menus the heavy cruiser's cooking staff put together with selections from across the sector in the best of times.

"I'll keep you in mind for that," Kagura continued with a grin. "I saw on Pink-hei's medical reports that your shoulder still isn't better after Glimmergold. If she can't make it right with her hemosynth magic soon then we might have to put you in yellow panels!" she chuckled, clearly not being overly-serious about the idea. "In any case, you're welcome to feed us anytime you'd like.

"What sort of restaurant does your sister have?" the First Officer asked. It was an important part of this whole proposition, of course. "We talking big ol' Nep burgers or fine omakase dining, here? Both are fine, of course!" she added, making sure Sanda didn't think she was only interested in fancy food (as if Kagura's affinity for ration fish wasn't clear enough).
 
The Train
They better have good brakes on this thing...


Wings flitting excitedly, the colorful Elysian woman had to stop herself from hovering as she boarded the train. She was still pretty abuzz and wound up from the victory day celebration, and it was easy to locate her through the distinct, buzzing sound of her flight appendages. Needless to say, though, Aradia Sivins still... Looked quite lost. On a train. Which was in itself quite the impressive feat, if one were to think about it.
 
Sanda rolled her shoulder then flexed her arm a few times. "My shoulder is good to go. I got a cybernetic replacement just two days ago and though there is a little stiffness my shoulder is well on the way to recovery. Though I love cooking, I don't think I'd trade it for field work." Sanda thought about that. It was strange that she hadn't enlisted as a cook. She loved cooking. It was the one thing that kept her and her sister together during her rebel years. But towards the end of boot camp, one of her instructors had suggested that she try out for the rangers. She had shown real talent for stealth and recon work. Sanda had tried and loved it. She exceled at it. It was almost as if she had found her true calling.

"What sort of restaurant does your sister have?" the First Officer asked. "We talking big ol' Nep burgers or fine omakase dining, here? Both are fine, of course!" Sanda laughed at that. "A little bit of both I guess." Sanda thought about her sister's restaurant. It had started as a job when they had first fled Nepleslia. But Estrella had sown real promise and the owner had made her head chief by the time she was 17. That had been a fancy place. Sushi, Teriyaki, hibachi. Then they had moved to Jiyuu III and set up her own restaurant. The place had started out as the menu was whatever Estrella had fixed that day. That was back when Jiyuu III was rebuilding. They had hungry works coming in who just wanted food. But as they established themselves they started getting more diversified. They still had the worker rush, but then had families come in for dinner, then the late night crowd who wanted more special and fancy items. By the time Sanda enlisted, Estella's little restaurant had grown to be one of the most popular places to eat in their city.

"I can cook a fancy dinner for two or I can fix a mass of food to feed a small army. And I guarantee both will be equally delicious." said Sanda confidently. She looked out the window. The tall buildings had disappeared and they were fast approaching the edge of the city where large and small towns were separated by large tracks of empty land. Sanda finished the piece of salmon and absently reached inside her coat and pulled out a silver hip flask. On the side were engraved a lightning bot and a star. Sanda unscrewed the cap and took a small mouthful to wash down the fish. As she was putting the lid back on she realized that drinking in front of her first officer probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but then she figured they weren't exactly on duty. Sanda held the flask up to Kagura, offering her a drink if she so desired. "Rum?"
 
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