Captain Majime said "We're going to stop in Ketsurui No Iori first and visit Ketsurui Fleet Yards and maybe the old PNUgen facility there. These are places where they make a lot of the Star Army's technology and it might be interesting to see what we can get for our crew and to find out how things have changed during the war. I want to be casual about this, though, in the sense that this mission isn't strictly business but a chance to go experience Yamatai and other places firsthand. So have fun, just don't embarrass the Star Army," she said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Pidole's bug came racing from the cabin area and grabbed a wad of napkins from a table and then flew back to the cabins.
"Does everyone have their Mindy armor yet? We could get armors fitted at KFY," Gabriela said.
"We had to store ours in Kyoto because we can't securely store them on the train," Majime said. "We can get those LSTVs you mentioned, though! There are flatcars available to secure them to."
A server from the train came through with a cart and began serving everyone lunch consisting of tacos, a chipotle avocado salad, and a lovefruit-and-cream pie.
"I got fitted right before Glimmergold, not that it was hard, I'm pretty close to standard. I think that's why I was pipelined into it when they needed every hand they could find." Cheilith said.
Kwabba-an tried hard to focus on the Captain's words, and picked up on the major ideas. She didn't really know many of the places being referenced, but she was excited to see more of the world than just the train line between Kyoto and Ternifac down which she had travelled several times. When Pidole's bug entered, she made a quiet high-pitched noise indicating she was overcome with affection for the little thing, and her vestigial mandible clicked rapidly.
"What is an LSTV?" The insectoid said after the Captain spoke again. She was sure she had learned about them at some point, but couldn't recall.
"It is a light surface terrain vehicle," Gabriela told Kwabba. "It's an off-road utility vehicle. It's like the STV--but much smaller--whereas the STV is essentially a monster truck." The anthro claimed a seat at one of the dining cab's tables next to a window where the trees were flying by outside, and started on her salad.
"Aha," Kwabba-an nodded and smiled. "You mentioned off-roading. That sounds like fun."
"If you like speed and kinetic energy forces applied to your body," Gabriela smiled.
Kwabba-an thought back to Glimmergold when she pushed herself so hard in her Mindy that she lost vision and navigated briefly by sound. It was certainly not her favorite sensation, but she had found it thrilling. "I enjoy both of those things, yes."
Kagura couldn't remember the last time she actually got formally fitted for a power armor. It was probably during her initial training. But in the few-and-far-between moments she did don a Mindy 4, it always seemed to work properly for her. Among the many benefits of Nekovalkyrja life was that their bodies underwent very limited changes over the years. LSTVs sounded more fun, anyway. She'd always wanted to get a surplus one to serve as her sand cruiser to pack with surfboards and a bedroll for beach trips during leave, so Majime's mention of them made her pointed Neko ears twitch at the prospect of getting to mess around with some new ones.
When the attendant came by, Kagura took an avocado salad and the dessert. She'd already had her fill of protein for the meal from the fish snack she was still working on.
"How many LSTVs do you think we'll get, Shosa?" the First Officer asked Majime. "I think a
Fuji is set up to only have one aboard, but we could easily do without our complement of cargo trucks or tankettes."
"There is a lot of room on that ship class," Majime said. "LSTVs do not take up nearly as much space as STVs, so I think we can fit at least four. The standard models seat three each if you fold the cupholder in the middle. I don't know about you but I kind of want to use them on as many planets as we can because it's just fun and after the end of this bloody war I think we're entitled to some."
The XO nodded at Majime with a smile. While Kagura was of the mind that the Star Army must always remain vigilant, she thought it refreshing that the captain recognized peacetime's benefits when they came.
"Gotcha, Captain," she acknowledged. "Sounds like a plan."
Kwabba-an imagined herself sitting in an LSTV, wiggling her awkward insect abdomen as she did so. Unfortunately, she didn't fit very comfortably on most seats, so she wondered if she could fit herself in one by sitting sideways.
Sanda quickly put her flask away as the Captain came in and explained their first stop. She perked up at the mention of them going to Ketsurui Fleet Yards. Though she personally preferred a Daisy over a Mindy there might be a chance to pick up some cool Daisy gear as well.
An hour later, the train pulled into the ornate train station of Ketsurui no Iori. Unlike the new and shiny stations of Kyoto, the station was over a hundred years old with tracks flanked by moss-covered stones, and a station platform made of stone titles overlooked by a massive traditional building made of stone walls on the bottom and whitewashed wood on the upper levels, with a curvy tile roof. Red banners with the Ketsurui clan's insignia fluttered in the cool wind and the platform was filled with locals, Star Army personnel, and Ketsurui Samurai.
At the sight of the train lazily pulling the last few meters into the marvelous station before coming to a halt, a small group of Elysians had perked up. They got to their feet, seeming to be a couple, with a child being held by each of them. The doors of the nearest cabin hissed open, people of all walks of life passing to and fro between them. "I think this is theirs!" Seinosuke whispered excitedly to his wife, straining his neck to see who might be stepping onto the platform that he would recognize from the pictures he had been sent.
Kwabba-an, a short humanoid who looked like a standard Yamataian crossed with a giant red ant, walked out of the train onto the platform, weaving her way between the locals until she was sufficiently far away from the train doors to pause and close her eyes. She listened to the people around her chatting and the banners flapping. When the cool wind caught her, she used her hands to rub some warmth into her four arms and was glad that she had kept her duty uniform on. She suspected that it was significantly warmer than her exercise kit.
Cheilith came bustling out of the train with the rest, blending in with the rest of the crew almost invisibly.
Sanda stepped off the train and took a good look around. She instantly noticed the group of Elysians standing together. It was hard to miss their huge wings. Sanda also took note of the entrances and exits around the station, not that there seemed to be a lot of them. The place looked old but well maintained. This definitely was going to be fun. Probably a lot more fun than the palace.
After getting back into their duty uniforms, Pidole, Euikoshi, Cassie, Poppy, and Kalena joined the group as well. Pidole's bug didn't like the cold so it burrowed down into her coat. Gabriela looked at them with questioning eyebrows as she wondered about how they'd spent their train ride, but quickly turned around to avoid making funny faces and focused on their mission. She thought about what the empress had told them, about finding the state of the places in the universe and who the war had affected them, and that the empress would want some sort of report from each place they visited. "We should take notes," she suggested.
Seinosuke's eyebrows raised as he spotted several of the more distinctive members of the Resurgence's crew. One of his sunrise colored wings twitched nervously, as he nudged Arbitrated lightly with an elbow, "It's definitely them, we should go and introduce ourselves!" The officer beamed, before realizing his cap was absent from his blonde head. Glancing around for where it may have gone, the Iemochi spotted that his son, nestled against his chest by one arm, had managed to steal it unnoticed. It took some negotiation and sleight of hand to retrieve the hat, which Sein quickly returned to its rightful position as he took a few steps towards the nearest crew member. "Hey there! Am I right in seeing that you fine folks may be the crew of the
Resurgence?" The soldier jostled the young Daniel lightly, to keep the boy occupied.
Sanda turned and regarded the Elysian for a moment before snapping a salute to the officer. "Yes sir. We are the Resurgence." A Taii by his rank pins.
Just how many officers did this ship have Sanda thought. Out loud she said,
"Is there anything I can do for you sir?"
Aradia Sivins, who had been quite quiet through the journey so far, perked up at the familiar sound of a man's voice - could it be...
A few moments later and she confirmed it. Much more casually than one would expect, she waved at the Taii, exclaiming as she approached,
"Heya Sein, Arble! Didn't know you guys were coming over to greet me!" A playful chuckle escaped her lips, and Arbs - daughter Alicia in tow.
"Aradia! You didn't tell me! I'd have totally sent you a message ahead of time if we knew you were here!" The appearance of Arbitrated Iemochi would spark some concern for the medically-knowledgeable people in the Resurgence's crew. How someone so... Short, managed to walk at all with what seemed to be a late-stage pregnancy was in itself surprising. Arbitrated herself, as well, was rather surprised she'd made it this far with just Mochi's help. A little
ahem from Arbles reminded her cousin that Mochi was, in fact, still an officer-prompting a quick correction in attitude, for display.
"Erm- Iemochi Taii. It is a pleasant surprise!"
Kwabba-an heard an unfamiliar voice that seemed to be addressing them, and turned to see a group of Elysians. Feeling anxious around the new people, she walked up behind and slightly off to the side of Sanda so as to be within her friend's peripheral vision. The insectoid was grateful that her friend had taken the lead when it came to answering their query. From her somewhat more comfortable position, she admired the color of the male Elysian's wings.
Cheilith followed Aradia as it seemed like the thing to do.
The father of two straightened his back at receiving the salute, raising his hand to execute one of his own in return, as was the done thing. Internally, Seinosuke realized that this had been the first salute he had been given, rather than had given himself. What strange, alien sort of feeling. "We're here to-" Mochi began, before hearing a familiar voice, but one he couldn't place immediately. Then, above the crowds, the distinctive wings of one of the few family members which he considered a friend.
Aradia's greeting was echoed by the officer, who exclaimed, "Aradia! Oh my word, I had no idea you'd be here!" The Elysian grinned, offering a wave with his free hand, just as Daniel began to gently lift his cap free of those messy golden locks. Seinosuke's fiery wings rustled gently in joy. "How lovely to see you!"
Sanda saw her musical friend Kwabba-an standing what seemed like behind her. She laughed and said, "What's the matter music bug? Scared of the big, tall bird man?" Which was even funnier because Sanda was the tallest one on the ship. At 5'11" she was just short of 6'. A fact that annoyed her very much.
Kwabba-an made an "eep" sound as her friend Sanda addressed her. She smiled nervously and nodded in reply. The man's height had nothing to do with it, but she didn't really want to explain her social anxiety in front of strangers.
Another laugh from Aradia, who took a moment to make a squishy, funny face at her cousin's daughter. Alicia didn't seem to mind, staring curiously at the woman that looked a bit like her mom, but not quite the same. This brief interlude faded back to relaxed talk.
"Saw your retirement mishap, by the way. Got a little chuckle out of that. What, did ya forget to hit "confirm" again?"
"Shuddit! No, they just didn't process it correctly. Probably accidentally logged it as another medical leave or something. I'm surprised they didn't ask for service, because of.... Yeah," the albatross-winged wife responded. She fired back with a taunt of her own,
"At least you made it here for once!"
Cheilith watched the reunion of the friends. "I don't think I've met you before. I'm Cheilith." She said, introducing herself.
Cheilith's comment snapped Sein out of the little bubble that the winged family had found themselves in. He should probably give a bit of an explanation, other than this seeming like some sort of private occassion. "Right- I'd best give some context, eh?" Mochi chuckled warmly, running his emerald eyes across the crew members, quickly giving a knowing glance to his wife too. "I'm Taii Iemochi Seinosuke, and this is my wife, Arbitrated. We're to report to the Captain, if they're present?" The Neo-Caelisolian tilted his head to one side curiously, scanning the rows of personnel with some purpose.
"Majime-Shosa is... Ahh, I saw her just a moment ago! I remember seeing her disembark. She might be chatting with the conductor or the station management about something important," Aradia claimed.
Cheilith found an arm, pale and small, extended towards her in greeting.
"Like my husband said, I'm Arbitrated - though many people simply call me Arbs or Arble. This is my daughter, Alicia, and her brother-" Indicating the cap-doting blonde toddler,
"-Daniel. I used to be in the Star Army, actually," the little mother said with a proud, glowing grin.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I think the captain is over there." Cheilith motioned towards where she thought the Captain is over there.
Seeing Kwabba-an's unease and knowing how stressful this might be Sanda took the momentary confusion of the two old friends reunion to side step closer to Kwabba and quietly said, "Let's step over there and see what's around here. It's getting too crowed over here for my liking."
Kwabba-an nodded and moved in the direction that Sanda indicated. She felt bad about not joining in greeting the newcomers, but it was very difficult for her to meet people for the first time.
"Look at that castle on the mountain," Gabriela gasped, looking up at the huge and ancient Ketsurui Castle that loomed over the historic town. "It is amazing that the Empress lives in Kyoto and not up there," she said to Poppy and Kalena, who were by her side. "I have seen on video but never with my own eyes before."
Upon the Elysian taii's approach, Kagura lifted her datapad and entered a few commands before eyeing the information she'd accessed. Now that the crew was in public again, she was back to her white paneled uniform and command cap. Everything seemed in order with the ship's roster and, it seemed, Star Army Personnel Command had indeed given them another crewman.
"New science officer, Captain," Kagura said as she stood beside Majime. "Freshly assigned during our transit."
"I asked for a clerk and a cook but okay," Majime softly replied to her First Officer, with a chuckle. "Apparently we're going to science the Hell out of this mission."
"Plenty of science around the Empire, ma'am," Kagura replied with a wide, toothy grin.
Mochi finally spotted the CO and XO of the Resurgence, whose pictures he had hastily memorized while waiting at the platform. Snapping a crisp salute, Seinosuke threw in a bit of Elysian culture, merging some of the way Elysians salute with the traditional Yamataian method. While his fingers were touched to his brow, the officer bowed his head a fraction and extended his burning wings out beside him somewhat. Their reddish orange tone billowed out like a cloak of sunrise.
"Iemochi-taii, reporting for duty." The science officer added simply, a pleased smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Science is always useful, Shosa, so I hope I'm of some benefit to you and the crew." The Elysian folded his wings back to their usually tucked state, Daniel now suddenly very interested in grabbing handfuls of his feathers.
OOC: JP by
@Wes,
@hyralt,
@raz @Soban @Cowboy @Arbitrated and
@Ethereal
