RP: YSS Resurgence Resurgence of Yamatai - Mission 4: The Hand That Feeds

Wardroom

Sanda listened to Captain Aoba explain their mission then raised her own hand. "Sir, what is our plan of attack? Are you planning to just blast the pirates' to space dust with the Resurgence? Or do you have something else in mind?" The lighting tattooed Ranger asked. She saw very little that she'd be able to do on this mission. Unless part of the mission was to board the enemy ship. Now that idea appealed to her.

Wardroom

Thad listened to the briefing being provided by the captain. His muscles tensed as more of the details were shared. He knew this type of situation all too well. War torn areas left behind to fend for themselves. The strong grab power and consolidate resources towards the few. Though he had mixed feelings on this topic since to some degree Yamatai took some responsibility on this as well. They might not have started the mud slinging, but does not change the mess it left behind.

He continued to listen and hoped that this had some good too it. Then the question was asked about what was being transported. Which he was not shocked to hear was a package of unknown content. Odd that Star Army would not trust its own unless it had some questionable content in it. Or just the fact a side had been selected and whatever was in there would bring good to the one side and death to the other. Standard military operation trying to bring stability to an area. Which in the end still left those lacking power at the bottom suffering while the few commanded to reach some level of peace in the area.

This reminded him of his youth and the war lords that he served. Granted in this case the pirates compared to Yam was the same as an ant vs Thad's boot. "Welp, looks like we get to play the role of hero once again. Just point out the bad guy and I will make sure they get the hospitality they have earned."

Koyama tapped a finger hard against the surface of the table both Yayoi and Sanda had chosen. Her pleased expression turned to one of a hard disposition. ~"Forgive me for saying, Shosa. But there are also other implications to consider. Favoring one side over the other in a given turf war and thereby strengthening their presence? Will this not just increase the pressure on those that try to eke out a living there?"~

The Neko placed a few strands of hair over an ear. There would only increase collateral damage amongst the populated areas in which they decide to engage. Her jaw tightened upon having had come to some conclusion. And with an exhalation, the look had melted almost instantly.

Casualties were a given. If they were criminals, bully for them and less they had to deal with should they ever move in.

~"Sir, considering that I am your first officer, should I not also have knowledge of what we are carrying? This is purely for safety and insurance purposes should you become incapacitated and needs to be taken."~ the request quietly sent through the wireless communications her kind were known to have. As well as himself.

Delmira elbowed Thad in the side. "Shush." Her full attention on Captain Aoba and shifted that to her fellow crewmates when they spoke. Del had largely missed out the last war in fact she had spent most of her time guarding her old ship she was stationed on. Delmira raised her hand. "Sir what are the chances there may be remnant Kuxevian forces in the area or even unsavory types that have Kuvexian equipment?" she lowered her hand after she asked her question.

Wardroom

The captain looked over his crew. "We must keep in mind these people we are supporting are Yamatai's long-standing neighbors, and it's in our interest to support our neighbors. They will remember this. When Halna was invaded by Freespacers in YE 30, we supported the locals and Black and Red faction relations with Yamatai have been quite good ever since. Even the criminals among them are at least the ones we know and not the ones from Kuvexia. The war is over but the invaders didn't just disappear. Kuvexian mega-corporations and splinter factions are actively trying to recover and regaining power already. Standing back and letting them take over the sector uncontested is not a viable option. Don't think it's impossible because it's already happening on the small scale. If we can grow allies or do things to slow their growth, we absolutely should. Taisho Kessaku is determined to be proactive."

He turned to Delmira, "The chances of running into Kuvexians are high, and I expect combat. If we run into more than we can handle, we have quick support of the First Fleet's forces but we're going to need to hold our own for a few minutes before they arrive. We can disguise our ship as a transport to be better bait."

Aoba answered Sanda next, "We can either destroy the enemy ships outright or hit them until their shields fail and teleport aboard and take the ships with infantry."

To Koyama, he telepathically replied, "It's not really our concern what the long-term effects are. This is the mission we've been given. Do you really think they told me what the cargo was? Let's just get it over with in the smartest way so we come out alive."

Hearing Thad's words made Zanven smile and he knew the right and wrong way to answer this follow up, but this was not the time nor was it the place to be a smart ass just to see the smirk on the man's face...that and it was literally his first damn day there and he was still feeling things out. He was becoming complacent already and doing his best to fit in with the crew. He did look at Del though and smirked as she was not at all bad looking, but also...no woman on this damn ship was. When he answered about taking him up on that offer to fly him into battle Zanven merely nodded and finished the piece of catfish as the captain finished explaining the mission. There were others that spoke up and the details were easy to follow from what he understood. However there was one thing that he noticed in the roster of ships being held on the Resurgence, his Nodachi was one of the few "large" starfighters on board. If he were to fly as a lone escort...it would not look too out of the ordinary and it would allow the Resurgence to possibly stay a little farther back. He was about to raise a hand, but something told him that the captain was not done explaining the details. However, even from Thad's obvious viewpoint the laid back Minkan went from casual to serious really quick as he leaned forward to hear everything.

YSS Resurgence: Wardroom

"We will begin our mission on 43.7.11," Aoba told the crew. "Are there any other questions?" he asked the crew in the wardroom.

Delmira looked around the room. She had questions but she thought better than to ask the captain when she could talk to Koyama her CO and other crew.


Thad looked around to wait to see if anyone would ask the burning question. When no one seemed to bring it up he thought why not ask. "So, if this is a mission of aid, why all the secrets about what is in the cargo. I feel some bacon and eggs doesn't need to be top secret if you know what I mean."

"Does it matter?" Aoba asked. "There is no reason we need to have a list of the items the other ships are carrying. They didn't give me one and I didn't ask. It's supposed to be humanitarian aid. Some things are on a need-to-know basis and we don't need to know."

"I mean if it is a cargo of sex bots I might feel more inclined to put my neck on the line. So no, it doesn't really matter. I was just curious if you happen to know." This was said with a serious tone and look.

Yayoi was quiet save for the slow chewing as her mind processed not only the taste of the food, but also everything she heard, the questions that were asked, and the answers given. She learned of the criminal activity in the area, and she learned how unofficially they were supposed to operate.

Poor shrimp was cut in half as dull weapons mashed them forced the sweet tasting liquid if there was any to enter and captured by her mouth. She liked the idea of humanitarian work and thought that maybe once she got out of the military she’d create something with regards to that, though remembered there were already companies that did that.

Yayoi remained silent as she continued to listen. “Officially, we’re humanitarian, unofficially we’re doing clandestine work?” was finally asked, causing the Neko across to jump at the suddenness. She processed Aoba’s words, and nodded in understanding, on the whole need to know topic. She’ll follow orders either way so it didn’t exactly matter to her what the mission truly was.

She rolled her eyes at Thad’s comment of sex bots.

"The clandestine part of our mission is that we are baiting out Kuvexian pirates to be exterminated," Aoba told Yayoi. "We'd like that to be a surprise for them."

"So is the XO going to be the princess in distress we use for the bait?" This time around Thad couldn't help but smirk.

Koyama rubbed at her wrist. Right on top of her hidden bracelet. Oh, she could find out what was in those crates if she wanted. And none would be the wiser. While the do your duty mentality was a valuable trait, carrying things that could potentially endanger them as much as others was another. Especially under the guise of humanitarian aid. But as Thad spoke, and the Shosa gave the same answer she had received, it made her desire burn all the brighter in her chest.

At the word clandestine, the XO's impassive look remained just that. The woman ran a finger back and forth ever so slightly against the tabletop.

But at the mentions of royalty, Koyama gave Thad a flat stare.

Sanda had been listening to what the Captain had been saying but had been all but tuning Thad out. But at his joke about Koyama she began to get very mad. Sanda knew Koyama didn't flaunt that information around casually and she thought it was extremely disrespectful for Thad to be making those kinds of jokes. She had had enough oh him.

"Nito Hei-Maximus, Our first officer is status is not something that should be bantered about willy-nilly. Instead of talking out your ass, maybe you should listen for a change." Sanda was pretty heated.

Delmira elbowed Thad in the ribs again and gave him a look. "Shush."

"How was that? Is that really the best you got?" Thad chuckled. "I know why the sex robots are in the crates, but not who they're supposed to belong to."

Koyama sighed, "It is fine, Hoshi-hei." and gave the woman a brief, but thankful smile. "The Shosa is trying to continue...?"

Sanda stopped and nodded to Koyama. "Aye, Ma'am." She whispered, giving Thad a hard look before turning her attention back to the Captain.

Aoba’s attention turned to Thad. “It is not a shipment of sex robots.”

There was a brief, akward silence in the wardroom.

"We've been given no details as to what is in those crates. Is that correct?" Thad asked Aoba.

"That is correct," Aoba told him.

"So to clarify, it’s not a sex robot then?"

"The cargo is classified," Aoba said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his hand like he was starting to get a headache. "That's enough."

Koyama lifted an eyebrow to Aoba. As if trying to convey: 'See what I deal with daily?'

Yayoi felt she desired to smack Thad for that one she disliked the idea of using someone especially not Koyama as bait. She attempted to keep her cool and not cause a scene. Though she wondered how Thad would far in a sparring match with her. It wouldn't hurt to punish him for the remark but Koyama's words help

Thad felt satified with the information provided. Granted he was still curious about the cargo but that could wait till after they slap some pirates. "So who is for boarding the pirate ship once we get one to fall for the trap?" He asked looking around the room at the different people present.

Demira will look over at Koyama. {Permission to elbow Thad Ma'am?} She said to her CO through a private link.

"Be ready for the mission," Aoba told everyone. "The danger is out there," he warned, before heading out of the wardroom to let them finish their catfish and shrimp.

Cassie, still hurt by Thad's rejection, let out a little growl at him after the captain had left.

Just then Mia came in through the wardroom door, looking really excited. "Oh, Thaddy!" she grinned. "My big strong stud," she cackled.

"Hi Mia! You just missed the briefing," Pidole waved, but Mia didn't pay any attention to her, she just went straight to Thad.

The hair on the back of Thad's neck stood up as many eyes looked onto him. It was like that moment when a new inmate walks out into the yard and you know you done messed up. Though with Mia bursting onto the stage at least helped divert for a moment the attention.

Delmira looked up at Thad with a look that said what did you do now?

Thad looked to Del and gave her a confused look and shrugged his shoulders.

Koyama looked to both Yayoi and Sanda. She'd only touched a little of the food. Partly due to her tastes running elsewhere. While fish was something she enjoyed, the girl had grown up on more traditional Yamataian fare. Face closed, the Neko laced her fingers together and leaned her head forward. Not her usual thinking pose, but one of a harder bent.

Either she was thinking of the mission, or of buying Thad a sex robot. And programming it to self-destruct. The woman had known Yugumo had made a line of assistants. They after all had used her inventions for part of the build. Chewing at her bottom lip, Cassie's growl went unnoticed as did Mia's entrance.

Mia wrapped her arms around Thad. "Let's hang out some after this," she grinned, practically glowing. "I want to be all yours," she added.

Cassie pointed her clawed finger at Mia. "Mfpphh!" she grunted through a mouthful of fish. No wonder she hadn't been able to get an answer out of him.

Sanda sat back down and resumed eating, although the food had lost some of its appeal.

Delmira looked back at Koyama and chewed the inside of her cheek before looking at Cassie.

"Clandestine," Koyama muttered as if finding the whole thing inadequate.

Yayoi made no comment as she proceeded to eat her food once more.

"You are being unusually quiet, Yayoi." Koyama commented after having mulled something over.

Beryl and Sakuko entered the wardroom and made a beeline for the buffet line together.

Thad wrapped his arms around Mia and gave her a hug. "You seem just as cheerful as always. Excited for the mission?" He asked with a big smile on his face.

"You're my mission now," Mia whispered in his ear. "Be my man, okay?" she asked. She tried to resist her urge to just haphazardly spill the beans.

Delmira flicked an ear and looked at Mia and Thad "Oh my i will give you two some space." She said and looked over at the people in the room before walking over to Koyama. "Uh Ma'am do you have a moment? I have a couple of questions if your free."

Sanda looked up from her plate of food as Delmira approached with a hard look. As if Del's association with Thad had tainted her in Sanda's eyes. She pulled a flask out and took a drink of it. "Este maldito barco es peor que una telenovela." Sanda muttered.

"Soap opera indeed," Koyama snorted.

Koyama for her part had ignored Delmira's communication. Not out of inattentiveness. But that the matter had been dropped. But as the same young woman walked over to the trio, the first officer turned her head enough to give Delmira a sidelong look. A single golden eye seemingly containing latent fire given the lighting. It could've been the eye of a dragon sizing up a morsel for entering their hoard for all one knew.

But her voice was pleasant, "Yes, Lulie-hei?" came the question.

Cassie got up, put her tray in the dirty tray bin, and left, waving her tail back and forth and holding both middle fingers up and waved them back and forth at Thad behind Mia's back as she walked out of the compartment.

Pidole stared at Cassie's performance with a mildly surprised expression and scratched her head. Her bug just sat there in front of her eating a popcorn shrimp.

Thaddeaus was a little taken back by the actions of Cassie. He was not sure if she was just messing around or if she was upset at him. He knew he would have to make things right sooner than later. The mission put the brakes on him sitting down and talking with Cassie. It would seem his popular phase was grinding to a halt. He reached down and lifted up Mia's chin so he could look her in the eyes. "After the mission, then you are welcome to claim me." A big smile crossing his face as he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"After the mission?!" Mia frowned. "Thad! I'm gonna have your fucking baby!" she blurted out. "Miss Mia's gonna be a mommy."

Pidole's bug slapped Pidole's back as Pidole briefly choked on her own food, coughing and reaching for her glass of milk. She stared at Mia.

Delmira watched Cassie leave and pointed a ear in the direction of Thad. Things where getting interesting but for now she had a mission to do before the mission even started. Her attention remained on Koyama however. "I am wondering if you could point me in the direction of who i should speak to about getting my gatling gun modified for use with my Mindy. I could pull up that information in my head but i also wanted to come over and get actually speak to you in person." She tried to not look awkward but she was torn between standing at attention parade rest or just stand there. "I was also interested in learning more about the rangers in the hopes of attempting Ranger school when i get the chance next."

Yayoi finished her food before taking it to be dealt with, and silently, she made her way towards the door. Her mind on the mission once more, though the idea of sparring Thad and potentially beating him up couldnt help but cause a small smile to form.

Sanda stood up and took her plate of food to be washed. The whole way she was just muttering to herself. "¿Por qué yo? ¿Cómo me asignaron a un barco tan loco? Soy una buena chica. Crecí yendo a la iglesia. He trabajado duro. Son todas las otras personas en este barco. ¡Están todos completamente locos!"

Thad stood there with a blank stare on his face. The wait was long enough for the word baby to travel around the universe and get back to him before he replied. "Uhh, what..." He said as his confused look turned into a smile. "Well then, I guess I am not the only one who likes playing with the safety off huh."

Delmira turned her head a bit. "Oh shit, Cassie is going to go ballistic." She turned back to Koyama torn between going after her crew mate and staying and talking.

Koyama wore a thoughtful expression then. Both at Delmira's requests, and the simple fact the girl had opted to walk over and ask instead of merely sending the request digitally. "You may speak to me about your gun... I would need specifics." her tone conversational as she nodded, hand spread open before the Nito Hei. "Relax, the Shosa is not here, and while I share his sense of duty in most respects we are in a Wardroom."

The smile that followed was genuine, showcasing a pair of delicate if a little bit longer than the norm top canines. "As for the latter," she nodded to Yayoi who had left and then back toward Sanda. "Both of my friends are Rangers," Cassie's display, well, the sounds of it only garner the XO's ears tilting backward. She would have words with the Anthro later.

"Let's get captain Aoba to marry us, Thad," Mia suggested. "Pidole can make a ring in the fabrication room," she told him.

Pidole's stare intensified. She tilted back a little, her eyes growing wider.

This was all coming in fast. Like a space station in unstable orbit and coming in hot. While he was not opposed to marriage, this thought was a distant thought for him. He had much left to explore before he'd look to settle down. "Yeah," he said in a sheepish laugh. "I think we should focus on the mission at hand. It is not like that baby will be born in a day." Then a concerned look came over his face. "Uh, unless that is a thing with Minkan." While Thad had did his best to study, he had skimmed over the reproduction part since he didn't even believe he was fertile to start with. Seems the gods have other plans for him.

JP END

OOC: JP by Wes, Ajax, Soresu, Charaa, Cowboy, Miko

Ward Room

Zanven sat silently as he listened to it all. The ship seemed to be a tight knit group and to be honest it was almost touching as he listened to the back and forth, even the bickering and nudges, the quips and even the verbal jabs. However the mission was set and operation commenced soon. So after the captain left Zanven went to grab a plate finally and as he came back he witnessed the lady from the medical lab come back in and hang on Thad like she was…well words used here are probably less suitable to say in a public space but needless to say as he ate the whole room was having their eyes glued to the scene unfolding with Thad and Mia. Eventually however there was a bit of a bombshell that was dropped and since he felt like the ill placed third wheel he finished his plate and replaced the piece of catfish he nabbed earlier before taking his leave, bringing his tray to the rack before making his way out of the wardroom and towards the hanger…he needed some air.

Hangar

As he made it into the hangar he gave a sigh before going to his ship and then grabbing a data pad off of a nearby shelf and plugging into a data port on the side of the starfighter he began to run a diagnostic. “They all seem nice enough…but…I’m not like them.” He said with a light hearted chuckle as he was making sure his ship was running at its tip top. He did notice there was a slight data lag and began to go through its processes to try and find a way to bring everything back up to speed. This was how he spent his time before a mission, keeping his hands and head busy so he did not go idle.

(OOC: Minor time skip)



YSS RESURGENCE - NG-S1-575
Yamataian Space, YE 43.7.11

With the transport ships at its side, the Resurgence was ready to start her mission.

Bridge

"Navigator Lively," Aoba ordered, "We'll go for the safer destination first and go system by system, starting with the Nataria system. Plot a course there and then to Tatiana and so on until we reach planet Valaad in the An Rhy system. Send the course to the cargo ships."

"Aye, sir," Gabriela nodded. "Plotting course and calculating hyperfold fold coordinates...ready."

"Execute," Aoba nodded. The ship disappeared in a teal shimmer.

The Resurgence reappeared in the outskirts of the Nataria system, amidsts a great many other Star Army of Yamatai warships, mostly from the massive Second Fleet, which was the big fleet that was deployed when things got serious.

Dojo

Grunts echoed on metal walls and sweaty wooden floors as the crew started their morning workout routines. The bridge officers were notably absent since the ship was moving around, as was the cook since breakfast came next, but most of everyone else was there. Some of the female soldiers were doing tons of sit-ups and crunches in pairs: Miriam and Pidole, Poppy and Euikoshi, Sakuko and Beryl. Meanwhile Cassie sprinted back and forth across the room and Mia followed Thad around like a puppy. Resurgence was still in safe territory for now, but the crew would need to be prepared for later.

Zanven was in the workout room, finishing up his core workout with a treadmill finish. So far he had gone fifteen minutes and the incline began to increase exponentially now every two minutes, his goal was four miles with a a sprint in the last two miles. He knew the crew had been working hard and he had minimal output to other crew members except for those in the hangar for the past few days...he needed to make sure that everything was in order. He wanted to get to the sim room soon so he could get some more experience running the Nodachi in combat situations.

Overall, Zanven seemed focused even though he saw the crewmates he had at least established himself with and seen daily...it was easy to see he was trying to keep himself grounded, so that way he would perform to his fullest.

Aboard the enemy ship (VR Room)

The pirates had reacted faster than Sanda had expected. She had barely made it through the ships hanger before she was being shot at. With shield raised in front of her to block the incoming shots the Ranger returned fire. Most of the pirate crew wore basic body armor. They were easy targets to her powerful plasma rifle. They might be easy targets but they were packing some heavy weapons. Nothing to worrying for her Daisy suit, but heavier than expected. She would have to watch out for other surprises.

The other surprises came as Sanda fought her way to the next deck where she believed the bridge was located. She had paused at a corner and used a fiber-op cable to peak around to see what the welcome party might be doing. Her eyes widened in disbelief. There were two gold plated PA's guarding what she thought was the bridge. "¿De dónde sacaron esas servoarmaduras?" She grit her teeth. She had fought similar suits at the Battle of Glimmergold and they weren't pushovers. She was trying to figure out if there was a better approach when she was hit hard from behind. She hadn't seen anything! Quickly Sanda activated her heat vision in her cybernetic eye just in time to see a heat signature swing something at her head. She managed to duck then lunged forward, tackling her attacker. In was a Kuvie scout suit. On par with some of the Star Army's equipment but those things created a lot of heat and would stand out like a ID-SOL at a Neko family reunion through infrared.

Sanda raised her rifle but the enemy scout got a hand around it, forcing her barrel out of line. With a grunt, Sanda swung her shield around and stuck the scout on the shoulder. Unfortunately they were too close for her to get much momentum so the blow wasn't serious. She dropped the rifle and grabbed her Straight Silver. The scout saw it coming and grabbed her arm and twisted both arm and knife around behind her back. Sanda let go of the knife, caught it with her other hand and jammed it into the scouts neck where the armor was weakest. The scout let go of her arm and Sanda wheeled around and took a better hold of the knife and thrust it deeper into the neck. The scout flailed a moment before laying still. As Sanda stood to take stock the other two PAs that had been guarding the bridge opened fire from close range. There was nowhere to run too. It was all over.

*SIMULATION OVER. NITO HEI-HOSHI HAS BEEN TURNMINATED*

Sanda sighed as the lights came back on and the VR room went back to normal. Ever since learning of the upcoming mission the Ranger had been running simulations of ship boarding. She had the computer upload the most common ship layouts used by pirates. Although there was no way of knowing exactly what kind of ships they might have, many ships had similar layouts, or at least similar enough to practice on. She had been trying a variety of approaches. Complete stealth and attacking from the shadows had been most effective, but it took way too long. In a real situation the ship would just leave and she'd be stranded aboard. Just rushing the ship had it's advantages, but also some disadvantages.

Sanda mopped her face with a towel and took a long drink of water. She saved the recording of the fight. Yayoi and her had been reviewing the data in the evenings, along with Koyama. Sanda knew that they had better results when there was more than one person running the sim, but the tattooed woman liked running them solo as part of her morning workout. She usually tried to get up before the rest of the crew and do her workout in the dojo before them. She liked working out alone, partly because she was not a morning person and hated small talk first thing in the morning. The other thing was all the small talk lately was about Maximus and Mia and she had no stomach for that conversation. So after her morning workout she would hit the VR room while the rest of the crew worked out. Sanda rolled her cyborg shoulder around trying to loosen a knot out of it.

Crew quarters

Thaddeaus snapped out of a deep sleep. He looked around in a slight panic. A moment passed and it all came rushing back that he was on a star ship. He reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek. He pulled the finger out in front of himself, the light reflecting off the wetness that was on his finger. It had been awhile since he had that dream, one he'd hope would have stayed away forever. He reached over and ran his hand through the hair of Mia. He was shocked to hear the news but also slightly relieved. For the longest time he feared he'd be consumed by that dream. The image of his lover and unborn child was still etched into his mind. Another victim of a war over the smallest of things.

He moved Mia to one side and the feet of Del out of his face so he could exit the bed. He looked back and smiled, all that bed and still ended up in a pile in the middle. His smile returned as he put on his clothes to get ready for the day. The dream faded into a distance memory with each passing second. It would never be forgotten but maybe this time, the outcome would be different. Granted Mia having to give up the drink was going to be murder, though maybe Minkan can filter the booze before it reached the baby. Though if she was crazy enough to turn the safety off getting knocked up, he'd not have much faith on that front. He'd need to keep an eye on her.

Dojo

Thad had a little free time to himself which allowed him to clear his mind and think of his next move. Though he'd need to learn more about this marriage Mia talked about. Given his travels this meant different things to different groups so was curious what this meant for her. His time alone however was short lived. Mia having the nose of a blood hound located him quickly. Least with her hanging around close, he could keep an eye on her. Granted the fear of something bad happening still haunted him.

Dojo

Delmira wasn’t too pleased with the news of Mia being pregnant with Thad’s baby, but she was also she wasn’t the one having a baby. Regardless it wasn’t her issue and really, she was still new to galaxy in a relative sense, so this was just one more thing to figure out. However, her romantic prospects dropped to Kinie and Delmira was now unsure of that despite Delmira herself having strong feelings for the neko.

Her early workout was dominated but the swirl of thoughts of recent events, but she was able to complete her exercise. She however did the required amount of PT for rangers which wasn’t that difficult she just had to be a bit faster than normal. She brought up the PT requirements for both of Yamatai’s special forces unit and was pleasantly surprised to see they where similar in some areas.

The neko didn’t know she could have gone into special forces right away, but she didn’t remember much from her simulated life other than basic training. Sure, she just had the knowledge of how to do things, but she never thought on it before.

She caught up with Cassie the neko keeping pace well with her crewmate. “If you want to talk about the Thad thing with someone that’s not say a superior officer, I’m all ears. However, I have to look for Sanda soon so can school me as a ranger if you want to talk later.”

Dojo

Cassie slowed down to a rapid walk, putting her hands on her hips, able to speak only in pauses between heavy breaths. Her heart was still pounding hard. "It," she gasped, "is not...a big deal...I decided," she managed to reply to Delmira. She swallowed and continued, "I like big, strong men...but it doesn't have to be him. I was...not in love, mainly looking for...the sex. Really...let's not talk about guys...on duty," she requested as she recovered. "I am," she huffed, "...staying focused. This is work." Cassie reminded Delmira. She jogged over to one of the punching bags and started rapidly hitting it with her fists. "Frack 'em," she muttered lowly as she channeled frustration into violence, punching hard and fast.

Bridge

"Ms Lively," Aoba ordered, "Proceed to the next system when ready."

"Aye, sir," Gabriela replied. "Verifying space-fold coordinates...looks good, sir!"

"Execute fold," Aoba nodded. Once again, the ship disappeared in a shimmering teal glow and re-appeared somewhere new.

The Resurgence, immediately followed by the to cargo ships, emerged in the edges of Tatiana star system, which was an interesting system because it somehow was in the middle of a Venn diagram of systems that were considered core Yamataian systems but also "fly-by" systems that Star Army ships often passed on their way to and from Nataria but rarely stopped at. It was one of the few places in the Empire that still had a large amount of regular humans living there and it still had a bad reputation in the Star Army because they quickly surrendered during the Second Mishhuvurthyar War and their leadership had even made deals with the Mishhu.

"Verifying location," Gabby said aloud as she did her calculations. "...Good jump."

Dojo

Pidole stopped and stared at Cassie for a moment and then got her weights and laid down on a weight bench and started pumping iron while the blue beetle that always followed her rode the bar up and down between her hands.

"There you are, my big strong daddy," Mia cooed as she gave Thad a big, long hug around his torso, pressing hers amply-topped self into him. "I was dreaming of you last night," she told him. "I couldn't get you out of my mind. I kept waking up and wondering what you were doing, and then I'd go back to sleep and do it all over again. Anyway it was in the future, and we had a house and our boy was going to school. It was so incredible. I'd never had a dream like that. It was perfect. You have such a wonderful smell. You're so handsome. All those beautiful muscles. All those wonderful muscles!" she said, and let out a warm laugh.

Euikoshi rolled over and awkwardly rolled up on her side because her body couldn't to a single more sit-up at this point, and then went over to see Delmira. "Cassie cat's in another mood, isn't she?" she asked with a giggle. "I remember how we solved that last time!" she cackled. "Everything okay?"

“That’s why I said talk later.” Delmia called after Cassie. She was a bit surprised when Euikoshi walked over to her. “Here I am worrying about Cassie and how she will effect the mission like I’m her squad leader.”

She will turn to Euikoshi in full now and shrug at her. “Got a lot on my mind as well.” She gestures vaguely to Mia and Thad. “As well as Kinie. Plus, it seems I can’t remember anything from my simulated life.” She smiles. “But yeah, Cassie needs to get laid and not by Thad.”

Dojo

Everything started moving a bit faster, his run ended smoothly and he toweled himself free of the sweat as he looked around the room. The mission weighed heavily on his mind now and he needed a release from this, so he walked over to a punching bag that was free after cleaning his station off manually. He took pride in making sure he performed to the best of his abilities. The bag was a standard 100 lb. bag and was coated in a durable leather, and after a brief inspection Zanven taped his hands up and breathed calmly before beginning to perform basic hand to hand movements to ease his mind. Slowly yet surely his mind was moving from being focused on what to do should he not be able to find a co pilot, to what he would do if not able to use his own fighter...slowly moving to how he would string various hand to hand combinations in a close quarters knock down fight. Before each punch there was an intake of breath, before releasing right as he hit, the impact on the bag made it swing, then a second impact caused it to rotate and after the third, sometimes fourth he would have to stop and correct the bag before continuing on.

Dojo

Thaddeaus reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew when Mia joined the ship that she would be a handful. Now she was reaching new levels of cling he did not even know existed. He got it, she was expecting and super excited about it. He still needed time to process all that was happening. In the span of a very short time he went from his popular phase to bottom of the barrel. Though friction existed before, this had reached a new level. He could understand some of it, nothing worse than to bring an innocent child into a war they never signed up for. This mixed with the fact many of the crew came out of tank, so may not even knew what it meant to be a family. And here he stood, with a trophy maybe wife and a baby on the way. This was one for the books he was sure Star Army would not forget.

Thad took both his hands and grabbed Mia by the shoulders. He picked her up and placed her dead center in front of him. "Honey, I get that your excited but we have a mission to do. We can daydream about what might be once we complete our objective." He was doing his best to be serious but not too serious. "You can fond over my muscles soon enough." He smiled and did a little flex. As he did so his eyes looked her from head to toe. He could tell she had a certain glow to her now.

Bridge

Koyama felt through her SPINE connection the Fold drive's energy expenditure. As the generators funneled energy back into the capacitors, the XO let the flow of Datafeed bleed into and from her. "One of the Warmaster systems..." the woman murmured more to herself than anyone. She had been born a scan year after the war had ended. Second Draconian Fleet survivors had taken to the field in one of the most climactic battles in her Empire's short history. And with a spine-tingling sense of horror recalled serving in the Tenth with a healthy number of the golden oldies. Having a guard with her at the time who had deterred some of their... overtures had been a godsend from Chiharu herself.

But of course, she knew the history of the system. Pulling up its data from the ship's MEGAMI and into her mind. Images of its verdant beauty as real as if she had experienced them all herself nestled there. Atmospheric, topographical data, details, details. To her, she would likely never set foot on the world yet know it as intimately as if she had lived there her whole life.

Instead of a diagram, with a lift of one small, pale hand a small sphere popped up before her. With a look of interest at the three-dimensional map of the local region, Koyama examined it. The orbital satellites caused a frown. 'Almost as old as I am.' grousing over the lack of upgrades to the systems.

"Real-time map and data updated, Shosa." home of the 'Luckies' as some had come to joke of the Seventh Legion. Just not to their face. With a thoughtful look, Koyama filed away a recommendation to put forward to Her Majesty in regard to Tatiana's industrial and commercial development. Instead of despoiling its natural beauty, a star system was a comparatively vast place if one thought about it.

Orbital habitats could be used for greater heavy industry and commercial production. The planets closer to the system's sun could be easily mined through automated systems. Repairs could be handled by workers of flesh and bone. Transports the same from said places to the habs. As Tatiana itself was mostly self-sufficient from an agricultural standpoint, the entirety of the system itself could become an economic and industrial powerhouse if given time and incentive.

And playing host to the Giretsu's training base and Fort Ingestrie proper should have greater protection overall. In this period of relative peace rebuilding and growth should be of the highest priority.

PASSAGEWAY

After getting cleaned up, Cassie went to speak to find Yayoi.

Yayoi’s face was calm and expressionless as she walked through the passageway. Reflectively she flipped her hand, as memories came to mind of how the hand had the hidden blade in the cybernetic. She smirked somewhat at the realization of what she did, but she pushed her thoughts towards Cassie, who she recalled was the same rank as she was, but she’d been at the rank longer, which meant she was her sempai. She thought Cassie might be able to teach her something from her experience and that it couldn’t hurt to chat. This caused her to stop moving and glanced around to see if she could find her.

"Yayoi, let's set up a boarding team," Cassie suggested as soon as she saw Yayoi. "Maybe we can gather the infantry at breakfast."

Yayoi spotted her approach immediately, and nodded her head."sure, sounds like a good idea, and also I was just thinking,unrelated, you're the same rank as me, but been at it longer, so you'd be my Sempai, do you have some advice to impart?' she asked as she began thinking of Delmira and getting her in on this too.

"Yes, don't try to date Thad," Cassie told Yayoi with a chuckle. But really, I think the key is to catch them off guard. I think we need a team of 4, go in, get their bridge."

Yayoi snorted. "Based on what I've seen, that's a good rule to have" She commented on the Thad rule and nodded"sounds logical" She added in.

"You wanna get some food, then?" Cassie asked, hoping to run into more of the infantry soldiers (like Delmira) in the wardroom. By this time most of the crew were finishing up their exercise routine and hitting the showers with breakfast being the next item on the daily schedule.

Yayoi thought getting something to eat before the mission would be good, as it will keep her energy up. “Sure, ” she said simply as she moved to follow Cassie into the wardroom. She was unaware of the activity in there, or that a member of the crew was pregnant.

WARDROOM

In the wardroom, Rossa had prepared omelettes with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, and peppers in them, blueberry and pecan waffles, a fruit salad, sausages, and grits as well as a selection of breads and pastries, and so on.

After showering and getting into their uniforms, the crew began to gather to eat. Pidole, Euikoshi, Beryl, and Sakuko arrived. Mia was conspicuously absent even though she was supposed to be in charge of the coffee.

Thad finished pushing iron and sat on up on the work bench. The sweat was running down his face and his shirt was soaked. He flexed this arms a few times, feeling he may have over done things just a little. Granted it felt nice to release some of that pent up stress from all the happening that hit recently. Thad jumped to his feet and walked over to the meal Rossa had prepared. "I see you have made some good food like always."

Delmira followed Euikoshi into the wardroom. "I dont think your idea will work. I'm not sure Kinie is up for a romp in the neko nest again." She sniffed the air and it smelled good in the wardroom.

"Ever since her promotion that girl has been stuck in officer country or manning the bridge," Euikoshi replied to Delmira. "I don't see her as much as I did before."

Thad started to look around and was confused why Mia was not around. Maybe his manliness had become too much for her. "Uh, did anyone see where Mia ran off too? I'd think she would want something to eat given that she is eating for two now."

Several of the female crew members looked at each other then back at Thad. They knew. They didn't tell him or say anything, they just got up and got food.

"Yeah and i think the rank discrepancy between us is kind of making her think it may be a bad idea." Delmira looked at Thad and sighed "Go check the bathrooms Thad, she may have morning sickness."

Thaddeaus was still getting use to the new normal around him. Before it would be laughs and smiles. Now he had reach the rank of the nerd in the back of the class room. None the less he was slightly concerned about his Mia. "Yup, thanks." He said with a sheepish laugh. "Guess I will just have to search myself." He took a few more bites then stood to go look around.

"No coffee," Cassie hissed, discovering the dispenser was dry.

Pidole and the new technician Miriam sat down at Euikoshi and Delmira's table.

"i see Del, over there" Yayoi commented before glancing to the absent coffee, and silently she cursed no coffee meant limited energy that wasn't always good, but she glanced around for a replacement that would work well.

Sanda had finished in the VR room and had grabbed a quick shower before heading to the Wardroom for some food. She saw several people around, but moved towards Yayoi who was chatting with Cassie. "Morning." She said simply.

"One pregnancy and a lack of coffee and suddenly everyone loses there minds." Delmira said walking over to the coffee machine to start brewing a fresh batch. "Don't worry I got this, just save me some waffles."

MEDICAL LAB

Thad eventually found Mia sobbing her eyes out in the medical lab talking to Poppy about something personal but they immediately stopped talking when he came in.

For a person who was soon to be a dad, Thad found himself quickly on his own little island. "Hey Poppy and Mia. I thought Mia might be hungry so I brought her something." He offered up a plate of food. "So how are things or is this something I am not to know?" He tipped his head to one side in a curious fashion

Poppy tried to put herself between Mia and Thad protectively but Mia's crying just rapidly intensified when Thad appeared and she ran out of the medical lab, pushing past him and knocking the food on the floor. Poppy's eyes stared daggers at him. "Are you here for a medical reason? If not, get out!" she barked.

Thad looked to the floor where the food he brought was now holding it down. He then looked to Poppy who was giving him dagger eyes. "Uhh, I feel shortly I sure will be. The heck is going on around here?" His face showed he was both confused and clueless. "I just came to check on her, nothing more, nothing less."

WARDROOM

“Sanda,” She said with a pleased grin “I’m glad we caught you, eat up well, we may have a mission you could be involved in, we need four Infantry, according to Cassie-sempai. She noticed Thad leaving but she chose to pay attention to Sanda and Cassie. Delmira's words caught her attention though.

Sanda grinned and her eye's took on a predatory look. "Good, I'm sick of all this socializing. I need to kill something. What have you got?"

Sakuko brought Yayoi a cup of hot tea. "Here you go," she said. She went around getting a cup for anyone else who wanted one as well.

Delmira walked over to Yayoi "What's this about a mission." She looked at Sanda "I was told you may be able to help prep me for Ranger school if you are willing."

Sanda looked over at Delmira and eyed her for a moment the way a dog might eye a rat. She hadn't known Del very long. In fact all she really knew about her was that she was sweet on Maximus. Which didn't rate her very high at all. But that might be a little unfair to the young Neko. She had never seen her in combat. "Why do you want to be a Ranger?" She asked with a steady tone.

Yayoi nodded “Yup, a group of four infantry, could be us here now, Cassie has the details for the mission, though.” she said with amusement of Sanda’s words and glanced to Delmira and Sanda’s interaction.

"I was made for combat and special forces can make me efficient at my job. Plus i want to be a better soldier." She looked back at Yoyai "I'm in, do i get to bring my gating gun?" Delmira asked the other woman.

"Is it a Star Army weapon?" Cassie asked Delmira. "If so, you should be good to go."

Sanda mouth tightened slightly at Del's seemingly short attention span. One second she's asking to be a Ranger, the next she's asking if she can take a Gating gun on a mission. Never mind if said mission required a gating gun, it showed Sanda a lack of discipline in Delmira. Again she asked, "Why a Ranger? You can become a better infantry through hard work and training, Why specifically a Ranger?"

Yayoi blinked in surprise as Delmira asking if she could bring her Gatling gun, and then Cassie's words made her wonder if civilians can get a Gatling gun or something

Delmira looked back at Sanda. "True but Rangers are reconnaissance troops a skill set i dont exactly have just yet. Plus i also wish to get training as Giretsu training on top of Ranger school."

"So the idea is that we can use the ship's guns to lower their shields, then we can teleport aboard the enemy ship and take over or we can have Zanven pilot us over in a shuttle with a breaching module attached," Cassie explained. "This way we can get intel from the enemy ship and maybe even capture the ship.

Yayoi remained silent as Cassie spoke, and nodded silently, both ideas seemed like good ideas to her, they just need to choose which they do. "both seemed to be good choices." Yayoi commented.


- - - -

OOC: JP by Wes, Ajax, Charaa, Cowboy, Thad