YE 45.1.6 - The Next Morning
Koenic Star System
The next morning, the YSS Resurgence and YSS Renaissance arrived in the Koenic system, a hub for Delsaurians in the Yamatai Star Empire.
YSS Resurgence - Bridge
As the two ships dropped out of hyperspace, Captain Aoba took his seat on the command chair, while Trowa and Yoshiro manned their respective stations. The viewscreen displayed the Koenic system, its planets and stars shining brilliantly against the backdrop of space.
"Report," Captain Aoba ordered, his eyes scanning the various readouts before him.
Trowa checked the sensor readouts and responded, "No immediate signs of Kuvexian activity, Captain. The system appears relatively calm at the moment."
"Good," Aoba replied. "Let's not waste any time. Begin scanning for any traces of the Kuvexian slavers or their ships. We need to locate the Seelie as soon as possible. Gabriela, start plotting a course to the next star system, An Rhy, then through the Wazu Corridor into Old Mishhuvurthyar Space."
Random Passageway, to Briefing Wardroom
Kiyo felt very happy that she'd gone into the Onsen yesterday, now she was ready for anything. The blue Neko made sure her Aether Katana, Silverlight was secured to her waist.
"Infantry, Security Detail, Go Team, report for operational briefing as soon as you're ready," Emiko transmitted over the comms. She headed straight for the briefing and staging area, and began checking equipment and loadouts before anyone else could arrive.
Thad heard the call and pulled himself out of bed. For the most part Thad had been keeping a low profile and just going with the flow. He was use to being the center of attention, mostly not by choice, so it was refreshing to just chill. He got himself dressed and made his out of his room and towards the wardroom.
"Hai!" she said outloud, as she heard Emiko on the comms before she turned and walked right to where she was ordered to go.
Yoshiro was on his way to the briefing area to get his mission. He was upset on hearing that people were getting enslaved. He walked with purpose toward the briefing room and arrived at the operations room.
Cassie woke up late in Cabin 1 with Euikoshi cuddled up in her arms. Hearing the call to go to the operations room, she gently slipped away, pulled on her exercise uniform T-shirt and shorts, and booked it to the wardroom for breakfast and the briefing.
"Intel," Emiko paged Mineko, "I need a high-speed assistant for this briefing, if you could be so kind as to bring that robot's intelligence with you for show-and-tell, hm yes?"
Ohara Chiasa was not Infantry, but she had always been part of the "Go Teams" during missions and the short-statured pharmacy specialist didn't intend to stop now. She was a Nekovalkyrja after all, a warrior just as much as she was a pharmacy specialist or a nurse. Accordingly, Chiasa quickly finished her work in the medical center and floated her way to the wardroom, with no small amount of pep in her balletic movements.
"Medical, reporting!" Chiasa piped up as she floated into the room, her pink gaze taking in the others within.
Inside the wardroom, chef Rossa had a spread of grits, cheesy eggs, hashbrowns with ham chunks in them, sausages and bacon, and big fluffy waffles, in the style of a familiar waffle restaurant found in Nepleslian space.
Thad walked into the wardroom, cracking his knockles. He had a strong distaste for slavery so this grinded his gears to no end. This had only one ending and the foes were on the winning side of it. "Hey everyone!" Thad called out to those in the area.
Kiyo entered the wardroom to a yummy smell immediately attacking her sense of smell. "ohh, looks yummy!' she said as she grabbed her tray and got her food ready. "Good Morning, Thad" she said in reply.
Yoshiro looked around the room and smiled. He was ready for action but at the moment he was ready for breakfast. He got some fruit salad, scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. He wanted justice for the Seelie and whoever elses was enslaved by the Kuvexian slavers.
"Hey, Raddeus," Mineko said to Thad. She, too, made her way into the wardroom with a quick step. She had been up for several hours already, having cleaned some common areas and trained in the dojo before a quick and cold shower. She took two long sausages from the spread while refilling her cup.
As more crew members filed into the wardroom, the atmosphere was a mix of determination and camaraderie. They knew the task ahead would not be easy, but they were all united in their purpose: to save the Seelie and bring the Kuvexian slavers to justice.
Cassie looked to Emiko while she stuffed her face with a waffle, wondering what she would have for them.
Kiyo sat beside Cassie as she set her tray down. "Good morning, Cassie, sleep well i hope?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah!" Cassie grinned.
Chiasa's nostrils twitched as the savory notes of the breakfast spread reached her senses. She wasn't hungry enough for a full meal, but a snack couldn't hurt. Before long, Chiasa had prepared a small plate for herself, but the food on it quickly became the equivlaent full meal complete with a stack of waffles, a side of hashbrowns, and bacon, rather than the snack she had initially intended to eat. Upon realizing it, Chiasa blinked, then shrugged her narrow shoulders. If they were going on an away mission soon, she might very well need the energy.
For now, Emiko was shoveling a Kodian-sized pile of food into her face as fast as she could, while awaiting the intelligence from the Kuvexian bot for the briefing. 'That little intelligence kitten could not spend that long eating, right?' she thought to herself.
Kiyo smiles at Cassie's response, before her attention went to the others of the Resurgence Crew.
Thad grabbed himself up some eggs and bacon and everything else meat related. He was going to need all the protein he could get. He grabbed his meal and wondered towards his battle buddy, Mineko. "Ready for some action?" He asked as he smiled bright.
"Oh, hey No-Show," Mineko said. "That's what a afew of us are calling you after you didn't show up to be part of the ground team on Ahmar."
Kiyo looked over at Mineko and Thad. She remembered Thad hadnt been there, but ground team wasnt for everyone.
Thad reached up and rubbed he hand across his face. "Hey, some of us need to stay behind and fix the gear you all break. Though your in luck, this time I am coming along." He then shifted himself and bumped up against Mineko. "Isn't that great, battle buddy?"
"Maybe I really am in luck and I went up and replaced you with a different battle buddy," Mineko replied, cheekily taking a bite of her spartan meal.
"oooohh" Kiyo couldnt help but say as she observed the conversation. "Mineko with the cheeky come back!" she finished.
"Oh the betrayal, I thought you was the one. Whatever shall I do, cast aside, love is gone." He said with a chuckle.
Mineko looked amusedly at Thad, but recofused her attention to the o
After making a scan of the Koenic system, the Resurgence hyperspace folded to the Ahn Rhy star system and then headed for the Wazu Corridor at top CFS speed, racing towards the Wazu Corridor and passing Ushobrakflug on the edges of Nepleslian space in the area where the First Mishhuvurthyar War had been fought. Soon they were near Fujiko, a Nepleslian enclave in Yamatai full of what were known as Reds. Beyond this they would be leaving Yamataian space.
As the ships reached the outskirts of Fujiko, the crew members couldn't help but feel the weight of history around them. The First Mishhuvurthyar War had been a brutal conflict, and the scars it left on the galaxy were still visible. The crews of both ships knew that the fight against the Kuvexian slavers was just another battle in the ongoing struggle for peace and justice.
Emiko shifted uncomfortably a bit when the computer pinged her that they neared Fujiko, but it didn't show much.
Yoshiro didn't realize how hard a grip he had on his fork while he ate He was upset about the Kuvexian slavers after hearing about them from his friend and superior officer Trowa. He growled to himself and swore much painful torment to the Kuvexian slavers.
Mitalar, the polished golden Kuvexian robot, entered the wardroom with a quiet grace. Despite her metallic appearance, she moved with an elegance that seemed almost organic. As she arrived, the crew members couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and caution towards their new, enigmatic source of information.
Chiasa ate quickly, in decisive, yet clean military fashion. However, she was all too shocked to see that Emiko was cleaning her plate faster than her, in spite of the fact that the Infantry Officer had started with more food! The tiny pharamacy specialist's features went red with embarassment, but she quickly resolved to clean her plate.
Eat now. Taste later. Chiasa reminded herself as she finished her plate.
The infantry officer finished eating then rose, quietly depositing her tray with those enormously long strides that made it take only a few steps to get anywhere. She signaled to get the intelligence Neko's attention while gesturing at the robot. "Playground-friend. It is showtime."
"Good morning," Mitalar Sevinna greeted the crew. "Captain Aoba said I should join you and provide information," the robot said, neglecting to mention how Aoba had basically shooed her away from the bridge for being too nosy.
Mineko looked up to Emiko, then the robot. "Be seeing you," she said in a sing-song tone to Thad before she dropped her plate off near the galley to sidle up next to Emiko. Mineko's own body was limber from training hours before and she bounced on the balls of her feet before bending at the knees and hovering on her heels in a plié. Her attentive red and blue eyes kept the room, Emiko, and Mitalar in view on her otherwise expressionless face.
Kiyo looked at the robot, and just waved. It wasnt her fault she was created by Kuvexians so it didnt do for her to be rude.
Euikoshi joined the crew in the wardroom at this point, filling her tray and taking a seat next to Cassie. "Did I miss anything?"
"Nah," Cassie said. "I think we're still on our way to Kazumi but that's going to be, uh, Kuvexian ship central. I guess the question is how are we gonna find out if these...pirate dudes..."
"Zelkor Raxim and Vilara Kresh." Euikoshi said, easily recalling the names of the kidnappers with her photographic memory.
"...Yeah, them," Cassie nodded. "If they made a pit stop at Kazumi."
Thad had finished his meal and wanted to make it a point to speak with Mitalar. After putting his plate away he walked over and gave the robot a strong pat on the back. "Clanks, if you need anything, just give me a shout." He flashed a bright smile towards them.
After finishing her plate and cleaning the table, Chiasa moved back into the seating area. Her next order was business was sorting out her battle buddy situation. With Seinosuke arrested and Nanook reassigned, the tiny pharmacy specialist found herself bereft of one. She would need to address that soon, but for the moment, Chiasa floated towards Mineko, offering the Intelligence Analyst a soft smile as she did, before taking a seat as the briefing went underway.
//Mineko-Hei, do you have a battle buddy? I am in need of one after Nanook was reassigned.// Chiasa transmitted to the Analyst, an inquisitive, yet friendly expression splayed across her features.
Looking directly at Chiasa, Mineko nodded emphatically. It was less of a nod to indicate she had one, but a nod of trust and reassurance. She and Chiasa shared a bunk and the analyst liked her company almost as much as she respected her professionalism.
Yoshiro finished eating and got a cup of tea with a bit of sugar. After clearing his dishes and utensils, he was sipping his tea. "Damn Kuvexian slavers, i swear on my honor, you and your kind will pay for your crimes!" Yoshiro said and slammed his hand on the table.
"Perhaps someone could get acccess to the sensor log files of the Kuvexian Navy station there," Pidole suggested from the serving line. She handed a strawberry to the large blue beetle sitting on her shoulder.
"All right," Emiko began the call to order, "And that is good idea red one." She nodded. "We are going to get everything we know about the station up, and go in with plan! We have inside source, we have intelligence small one, we are going to make this efficient, effective, and over before they know what hit them."
Euikoshi raised her hand.
"Yes, green one," Emiko acknowledged her.
Euikoshi ran her hands through her green bob-cut hair. "Star Army records show that when the YSS Eucharis first explored UX-6, Kazumi, they left an Orbital Geological Survey Platform in orbit of Kazumi II. When the Kuvexians invaded and the system fell to them in YE 41, they destroyed Kazumi no Iori star fortress but there's no record of them destroying the OGSP. Is it possible the OGSP has sensor or communication logs we can use to see what ships have been through the system without bothering the Kuvexians directly?"
Kiyo silently licked her lips as she savered the jam of her waffles. She listened like a polite Neko as they spoke.
"Yes! This is good. Small Gymnast Friend, put that as Euikoshi-heishō said on projection, with robot's intel, overlaid. We shall do the information fusion!" Emiko raised her nose a bit, smiling as everything seeming to go well lifted her motivation.
"On it," Mineko said as she went over to the volumetric projector near the galley of the wardroom and overlaid the information as Emiko had requested it. After the projection was up, she started mentally making a checklist of the ideas shared that she was responsible for looking into while also prioritizing what could run in the background while the meeting was underway, like looking for the OGSP's log banks.
"Just point me in the right direction and I will give the slavers some new holes to breath through." Thad said outloud to the team.
"Thad, you and Yayoi are close arent you?" Kiyo asked him, as the doors opened to admit Luna and her growling belly.
"Aye, Yayoi is someone who I know has my back. I'd say we are close." He said reaching up and rubbing his hand across the back of his head. "Is nice on the eyes too."
A tone sounded and Aoba's voice came over the intercom. "Attention Resurgence crew, this is the captain. We have departed the Fujiko Star System and are on the next leg of the journey to the first and closest of the three areas of interest, Kazumi. Star Army Intelligence says there are a large number of Kuvexian ships there so we're going to stop at Higaflan and then go in stealthy and try to blend in. At this point we are engaging radio silence so do not attempt to call anyone off the ship. Readiness Condition is three. That is all."
"Adéu, germans i germanes, tornaré," Emiko, or rather Angelina, in that language, muttered under her breath as she heard the announcement that they were leaving the Fujiko system behind. At the mention of readiness condition, she double-checked her Kodian-sized NSP, the only one that didn't look hilariously tiny in her massive hands, even if it was just a touch large. No more than a Neko getting her hand around a .45 Nepleslian double-stack, though.
When Emiko said this, Mineko turned to her with an open mouth that hinted at the surprise the analyst felt when hearing her playground buddy speak anything but Yamataigo or Trade.
Kiyo nodded to what Thad had said, as she knew Yayoi probably felt the same about Kuvexians after her experiences with them. She didnt say anything as she listened to the captain's announcement.
Luna sat down with a massive tray of food and quietly, and she began eating her food.
Thad looked to Kiyo. "And what about you, do you see us as close too?" Tilting his head to one side.
"Well.. i dont know you that well, but i could see us geting closer, you remind me of a old crewmate of mine, Alastair Belmont. so it is possible." Kiyo said in response to Thad's question.
"Now, Ideally," Emiko didn't acknowledge the cross-talk in the gallery or Mineko's shock at her having expressed solidarity with the Fujiko Reds in her native tongue, instead continuing, "We will come at them from at least two directions, without crossing our lines of fire."
"A classic pincer movement," Mineko said after closing her mouth under determined eyes.
"Oh gosh, I never thought I'd remind someone of that uptight captain. I must be doing something right for this to be true. But thank you, I am doing my best to be a good solder." Thad said.
"Alastair a captain is a interesting thought" Kiyo said with a smile at Thad's words.
"No more strange than a refine person like you getting to know a rough and tough farm boy like me. Sometimes, wild things just happen." Thad chuckled and did a small hip bump against Kiyo.
Kiyo just smiled, fortunately for Thad, she wasnt as uptight as Yayoi was.
Emiko drew in the air with her hand, reflected as glowing lines on the diagrams and layouts in the projected presentation. "Now, it has to be a complete surprise, and we need to make sure any escape is cut off. They cannot harm the hostages, or ... is the word abscond? With them."
"Maybe we can have a demolitions team tasked with disabling any shuttles!" Chiasa spoke up in suggestion, her high-pitched voice ringing through the wardroom.
Noticing that someone was sitting alone, he decided to say hello. "Hello. My name is Yoshiro Tanaka. What's your name? "
Luna looked over at the new crewmember, and smiled one of her best, and sweetest smiles. "hello! Nice to meet you Yoshiro Tanaka! I'm Luna Soban, Technician, I'm pleased to meet you!" she said to him. "Have you eatten these waffles? they are yummy!"
"Maybe next time. I have already eaten." He said with a chuckle. Never had he seen any person extolling the virtues of waffles so wholeheartedly. He smiled as it reminded him of his brother and sister back home.
Luna smiled at him"ok, welcome to the Resurgence!" Luna finished.
"Thank you, Luna. I appreciate that. " Yoshiro said with a smile.
Emiko nodded, tracing the words in the air beside the diagrams. "Yes, explosion, això està molt bé! No more shuttle! We do not blow them before team bursts in, however, cannot alert to presence. This mission is... it is the stealth, then the loud. First quiet, then loud, no?"
"Yes! Sneaky sneaky, then boom boom!" Chiasa piped up in understanding, a playful giggle escaping from the pharmacy specialist's lips as she did. A most dastardly plan, if she said so herself!
"Now we are speaking something I can understand. Bring out the boom boom makes Thad a happy boy." He called out towards Chiasa.
- - -
YSS Resurgence - Bridge
After breakfast, the ship arrived in Higaflan and then slowly crept into the Kazumi system, which had been turned into a sort of space naval base by the Kuvexian Navy during the later days of the Kuvexian War. While it was not official flagged as part of the Kuvexian Kingdom, its provenance was clear in the fact that it had dozens of standard model Kuvexian Navy ships still docked at a huge Kuvexian space station similar to a Star Army Star Fortress. At least twenty other ships were in the area, and most of them looked pretty heavily armed. Mercenaries from the war?
When summoned to the bridge, Mitalar got to have a look at the ships present. "Two of these frigates are part of Zelkor Raxim's network," she told the Aoba and the bridge crew.
Emiko and Mineko also came onto the bridge after the briefing-breakfast was over, following Mitalar.
"Do you think we can sneak a pair of Mindy soldiers on board one?" Aoba asked. "Their logs could tell us a lot."
"Before we blew them? Yes. We will begin the downloading of logs, while entry teams are getting into position," Emiko opined in response to the Captain's question. "Have to make sure security alarm of shuttle is disabled, so we need to take tech or three with us."
"Alright, you can take Pidole. She is the most experienced. I cannot spare too many technicians right now, though, because half of our junior techs are moonlighting on the Renaissance," Aoba explained.
"I'll start looking at our backlog of known Kuvexian vessels and see if we have a deck plan on these frigate classes," Mineko said. "It could make getting around inside them to upload what we need to know that much more easy."
"Thank you, Mineko," Aoba nodded. "Good thinking."
"Hai, Captain." Then, to Mineko, "Is very good, Mineko-hei! Please with more of the information fusion to the plans!" Emiko nodded crisply back at her.
"Of course," Mineko said crisply to the two, already starting to run the processes in her mind.
