RP: YSS Resurgence Resurgence of Yamatai - Mission 8: The Search for Wakaba

[Wes]

RP Date

YE 45.4

RP Location

Central Fleet Depot

Central Fleet Depot
Central Uesureya, Yamatai
YE 45.4

The now-seasoned crew of the YSS Resurgence received word from Captain Aoba Kuronosuke, now a Taisa in rank, that their ship was finally ready after months of extensive repairs at the Central Fleet Depot, and that they'd waste no time getting back out amongst the stars. He ordered all crew members to report to the YSS Resurgence with their Star Army gear to get ready for a new mission. Most of them had gained a rank, as he had. Aoba took a moment to look over his crew, as was reminded of doing the same thing a year ago in the same place, yearning to always do more with the time they had.

Addressing the formation, Aoba told them, "Resurgence will be continuing our survey mission, but we will also be multi-tasking and doing other missions at the same time. I have been ordered by Taisho Ketsurui-Shinjuku Hanako on Star Army Personnel Command, to find the YSS Wakaba, which is missing in action, on behalf of PEARL. We will figure out the details on the way. Fall out." After lining up in formation, the crew was released outside the ship to start boarding through the cargo bay ramp.

There were many familiar faces, some of whom hadn't seen each other in months. There was Gabriela the multi-colored anthro navigator, Poppy Pink the pretty medic, Euikoshi the green-haired science girl and walking wiki, Pidole the wrench wench, Bidole the Beetle, and the engineering squad members Azumi, Tomoko, Plum, Taro, and Caihong, plus Norita the armorer. There was Rossa the cook and the reliable supply specialists Sakuko and Beryl, and more...there were also a few new faces as well.

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Yoshiro had enjoyed the downtime he had while waiting for the Resurgence to be repaired to working condition for the next mission. He boarded the Resurgence after hearing about the mission ahead. He was going to do his best since he heard that Hanako had assigned the mission to the Resurgence. He went to his quarters and laid on his bed, wondering how the Seelies were doing after their rescue and when the time was appropriate, he decided that he was going to ask Aoba about it.

 

[Charaa]

Central Fleet Depot
Central Uesureya, Yamatai
YE 45.4
Dressed in her medic teals, Yuri stepped up to the group with excitement, and impatience. She felt excited at the prospect of going on a ship, and at the prospect that she will gain experience that will eventually help her career, as a doctor. As the young Neko looked around, a familiar sight came to view. Yoshiro, a friend of hers she’d met at the festival.
She winced suddenly, as her mother, Yayoi nudged her and with a stern look that could scare even the most evil of people, she indicated Yuri should be paying attention. Yuri blushed as she listened to the captain as Yuri, and Yayoi learned of their mission.

For Yayoi a rescue mission brought back a memory, the resurgence was the one that rescued her from Hanako’s World, and soon they would be doing the same for the Wakaba. For Yuri, she was just happy to be of help. When they were dismissed, she turned to look for Yoshiro but found him gone. Though certain he’d gone up to the ship, she turned her attention to Aoba, and approached him. “Captain Aoba, sir! Trainee medic Yuri-hei reporting for duty! I understand you might be busy, sir, but I wanted to make sure you're aware of an honorable conduct of one of your crew during Hanami Festival.”

Yayoi was about to head up to the boarding ramp when she noticed that Yuri had approached the captain. Her closed eyes as she pondered what Yuri was doing. I swear, she’s so easy going Yayoi thought and turned and made her approach, hoping that if Yuri did anything foolish she could stop it, but she heard Yuri’s words. She’s not talking about the necklace Kiyo and I made is she? Unfortunately due to the rules, she couldn’t wear the cherry blossom Necklace.

 

[Cowboy]

Central Fleet Depot
Central Uesureya, Yamatai
YE 45.4

Trowa Yamamoto stood at attention with the other officers of the Resurgence. He had really enjoyed his leave. He had spent every possible moment with his family. Elanor Aeon already looked more like a young lady then she had before he had left. And his son, who had been little more than a new born when he had transferred was already fast approaching a year old. Trowa glanced down at his new rank insignia. He couldn't believe that he was now a Shosa. He had started his carrier as a lowly Santo hei. Now he was a highly decorated officer. He was really enjoying his ship assignment. Nothing could compare to his first assignment, the Aeon. But the Resurgence was a fine ship with a great CO and a great crew.

Trowa was especially ready for this new mission. Finding the Wakaba was personal for him. His cousin was first officer aboard her. Chusa Thomas Canterbury. Trowa and his cousin were close. Almost all those of the Canterbury Clan were close despite how spread out they were. The Wakaba had gone missing almost 2 years ago without a trace. The Clan had done all they could to find out any information about it, through official channels and other, less savory ones. But nothing had been found. There had been no leads. That is, until a few months ago...

Sanda Hoshi also was standing in formation, once again part of the Resurgence. Her short time away at been hard. She had been pretty beat up both physically and mentality. But she was about as tough as they came and had endured. She had several new ribbons on to add to her lapel but what the ranger was most proud of was her new red chevron. She had finally been promoted to a Heisho.

Sanda had spent part of her leave at her sisters, along with Trowa. Although she managed to spend a little bit of time with her fiancé which had been wonderful and much needed. She was also happy to see Yayoi again. She had missed her bunkmate and fellow Ranger aboard the Res.

 

[Ametheliana]

Central Fleet Depot
YSS Resurgence

Mineko had taken to sleeping oddly, with everyone gone. Something about the beds on board didn't suit her. Or at least, they hadn't suited her. She had only really tried to get a good night's sleep on them for a week. But many of cabin 5's compliment had gone off for adventures away from the ship during the past missions, leaving her alone and to her own devices. And so, in that time, Mineko had slept on the floor.

The floor's rigidity brought her peace in the down hours of starship life and had reminded her of home. Even while she was back in her apartment on Yamatai while the ship was fixed up, Mineko had slept on a futon so thin there was barely anything separating her from her tatami floors. That is, when she wasn't spending the night at Stella's place.

But now she drearily saw Yayaoi and Sanda, knowing they too would be sharing a cabin with her and she'd be back on the bunk. She didn't want to set a bad first impression with her cabinmates, but the pained look on the analyst's face was apparent as she imagined the coming nights as she sleeplessly lay atop the all too squishy bedding of the cabin they shared. She walked an otherwise elegant gate up the cargo bay ramp, duffel over her black Type 37 jacketed back.

 

[Wes]

YE 45.4

For the returning crew, it was a mix of emotions seeing their ship again. For some, it was a sigh of relief knowing that they could finally resume their mission. For others, it brought back a sense of nostalgia as they remembered the challenges they had faced and the camaraderie they had forged. Aoba took the time to give everyone a firm handshake as they boarded the ship via the loading ramp. It was time to get moving. Even while the crew was still boarding, Gabriela and Kalena made a beeline to the bridge after putting their bags in their cabins and began to spin up all the ship's systems, filling the hangar bay with a deep hum.

Yoshiro got out of his room and headed to the armor bay. When dropping off his duffel bag, realized that he had missed this place. He stopped by the med bay After checking his armor.

"Welcome aboard," Aoba told Yuri.

After Yuri said her piece to the captain, she scurried up to the ship and made her way to cabin 7 where she was assigned to sleep, then made her way to the Medical area to report to her sempai, Poppy.

Okimi was vibrating with happiness at being home again. Oh sure, the three months spent living with Luna had been wonderful, but she had always felt like a guest there. Somehow, even though she had only been aboard her for 10 days, the Resurgence just felt like home. After eagerly shaking the Captain's hand, the caretaker had bounded aboard. She had to drop off her stuff and then go check all her service cupboards to see what had been left unstocked or half-finished. Plus she had to make sure that certain specific supplies were on hand as well.

Yayoi took in a deep breath, before she made her way to her cabin. She was silent as she thought back to what Kiyo had told her.

Not far behind Kalena and Gabriela and heading for the bridge was Mineko. She had missed her hands on electronics and holographic displays as she searched for what missions needed and what they didn't yet know. The woman had felt like her stint on the ship months prior had only been a quick taste that had left her wanting more. Now she was hungry for more of the same as she sat at a console and looked into the Wakaba's last known place amongst the stars

Yoshiro was helping the logistics crew get supplies for the Resurgence on board as fast as they could. He brought it where it needed to go.

"We brought extra food in case we're gone a very long time," Sakuko explained to Yoshiro, gesturing at the huge quantities of boxes of canned goods and other long-term stable foodstuffs. "Word on the street is the Wakaba isn't anywhere to be found in the Kikyo Sector so she must be further out.

"Better to have it and not need it than to need it and to not have it." Yoshiro said to Sakuko.

"Well, it will be blocking a few of the less-used passageways for a while," Sakuko chuckled.

Yoshiro finished putting the food away and bowed to Sakuko. "By the way, my name is Yoshiro Tanaka, Joto Heisho of the infantry. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

On the bridge, Gabriela and Kalena diligently worked on bringing the ship's systems online. The consoles blinked to life, their familiar glow bathing the bridge in soft light. "All systems are green," Gabriela reported, her fingers dancing across the control panel. Kalena gave a nod of satisfaction, her focus turning to the navigational systems, plotting the Resurgence's course based on the last known location of the YSS Wakaba.

"So they were providing humanitarian aid in the Tange System before going off the map," Mineko said to hersef as much as to the other two bridge crew nearby.

"Okay, I'll calculate a course for there then," Gabriela said.

"I'm going to the briefing when it begins," Mineko said. "But I'll come back afterwards."

Down in the med bay, Poppy was busy doing inventory checks and ensuring that all medical supplies were in order. The smell of sterilized equipment was a comforting familiarity, easing some of her lingering anxieties. As Yuri reported in, she offered the young medic a warm smile. "Welcome aboard, Yuri. Let's do our best to keep everyone healthy, okay?"

Yuri nodded with a bow "hai, Sempai!" She replied and got to work readying herself.

In the armory, Norita was meticulously inspecting each and every piece of equipment, ensuring that the Mindy power armors were in top condition and all weapons were properly calibrated. The last thing they needed in a combat situation was faulty gear.

There was a certain amount of "unwrapping" that was needed since the ship was rebuilt, meaning that everything had been left essentially in factory condition with all the protective coatings and stickers on everything like the ship was brand new. The crew would have to re-personalize their cabins again. It was like moving in to a new apartment. The ship even smelled new with a vague fresh paint and fresh carpet aroma.

Okimi waved to the crew members she recognized and made a mental note to up that number to 100% in the days ahead. Checking the last hospitality cupboard on deck 4, she mentally flagged it as clear, pending the addition of a couple packs of coffee beans and tea leaves and updated the mental map she was sharing with her fellow caretaker, Julia Meadows. Honestly, it was like the people who supplied the ships had no understanding of just how quickly a crew could burn through beverage supplies. Which, now she thought about it, would explain why they were doing these checks now.

It was nice to see the Resurgence looking all shiny and new, but Okimi was secretly looking forward to when the ship would have that 'lived in' feeling to it. She absentmindedly patted the wall of the corridor. "Don't worry, Resurgence-chan, we'll have you back to your old self in no time!"

As the last of the crew boarded, and with all the cargo stowed, Beryl closed the door ramp after Taisa Aoba entered the ship, and rang the bridge they were ready for launch. As Aoba entered the bridge he gave Gabriela the order to ease the ship out of the hangar and out into the starport, where she requested permission to take off. Soon, the ship was airborne and heading up into space.

Aoba got on the intercom once they were in space and asked for volunteers to meet in the wardroom. "Anyone with a big brain who wants to be part of a planning team for this mission should report to the wardroom for a discussion of our options."

YSS Resurgence - Wardroom

Yoshiro headed to the wardroom for the meeting. He wasn't sure about a big brain but he would try to contribute. He arrived and took a seat.

Trowa and Sanda both headed to the Wardroom. They both had a personal investment in trying to locate the Wakaba's whereabouts. Trowa probaby knew more about the Wakaba's disperence then anyone else as he had spend much of his off duty time the last 2 years looking into their disappearance.

Well, Okimi wasn't sure she qualified as having a big brain, what with it being the exact same size as millions of other nekovalkyrja. However, she could deploy snacks and beverages up there with the best of them, so made her way to the wardroom and began getting things ready.

Yayoi silently walked to the Wardroom, spotting others in it as she did before finding her seat.

Kawa Euikoshi, the ship's green-haired science sage, joined the others in the wardroom. The ship's cook, Rossa, had made coffee and chocolate pastries for Okimi to hand out.

Yoshiro took only the coffee as he was too nervous eat any food.

"So..." Euikoshi said, "the captain has asked us to come up with a plan to locate the YSS Wakaba," she began. "First, the basics are that she is IRN NB-X1-4227, a Sharie-class Battleship in the First Expeditionary Fleet and was assigned to Task Force 48 as flagship. She is commanded by Taisa Motoyoshi Kazue, an experienced captain." A volumetric model of the ship in question appeared in the center of the wardroom. Euikoshi then gestured to Mineko, the Star Army Intelligence officer, to continue.

Sanda took the offered coffee but Trowa declined. Instead he stood and addressed those present. "I have an invested interest in finding the Wakaba. My cousin is first officer aboard her and my Clan is most interested in locating her."

Yayoi silently observed Sanda, with a bare hint of a smile as she noticed her new uniform, before turning her attention to the conversation.

Sanda moved over to sit with Yayoi. "Good to see you again. Boy am I glad to be back here."

Yayoi actually smiled at her. "like wise, I've been hearing things, and i see things too. I'm proud of you, Hermana! now we just need to figure out how to help your cousin" she said in a whisper before focusing on Euikoshi.

Sanda smiled at Yayoi. "He's not my cousin yet. I'm just engaged to the family. Trowa is an actual relative."

Yayoi blinked before nodding her head, as she realized her mistake

"So," Mineko said, moving her red centered eyes from Sanda and Yayoi to the group at large. "The YSS Wakaba was fighting a Kuvexian Battleship in the Tange System near Tange V. The battle could be seen from the UOC Station Helios along with her sister ships in the task force. Then the Wakaba disappeared from sight and sensors."

"Indeed." Trowa nodded to both Mineko and Euikoshi. "The 48th Task Force spent month searching for any trace of the Wakaba. Taisa Motoyoshi Kazue is a valued member of the Motoyoshi clan and there was great interest in trying to locate her. No evidence was ever found that the ship was destroyed, but it simply vanished without a trace, safe that a few of its fighter patrols were recovered destroyed but from their logs it is clear that they had been launched prior to the ships disappearance."

Pidole came into the room, grabbing some fruit from the breakfast bar, and then took a seat to listen into the conversation as she shared it with her beetle buddy.

Having passed around the coffee and pastries provided by Rossa, Okimi sat next to Pidole and Bidole, nodding towards them as she memorized the information being provided. The caretaker also kept an eye out for anyone needing refills.

Yayoi listened as Trowa spoke. Motoyoshi Tachiko, and Yue were there when she decided to reopen a bar. She thought that if they can rescue Kazue as well, that would be amazing.

Yoshiro thought about the Kuvexian Battleship. "You know that we can't go toe to toe with a Battleship so what do if one does show up?" Yoshiro asked.

"So, if I understand correctly, the Wakaba vanished in the middle of a battle with no signs of destruction. It's plausible that it could have been captured or somehow transported elsewhere," Euikoshi nodded, chiming in, "It's also possible that there was some sort of technical malfunction or anomaly that caused the ship to disappear. We've seen cases where ships disappear due to things like FTL drive malfunctions or even rare spacial anomalies."

"We should be prepared to test for such an event upon arrival to the Tange System," Mineko said with a nod in the scientist's direction.

"I'll start work on our sensors to help them find any irregular or anonymous structures in space-time," Euikoshi nodded.

"It's been almost two years since it disappeared." Sanda chimed in. "Do you really think we'll find any trace of 'irregular or anonymous structures in space-time?'" Slightly mocking the scientist. Not because she didn't like Euikoshi, but because she didn't understand any of that science mumbo-jumbo.

"There is only one way to find out, which is to test," the science specialist said, raising her index finger in the air in that stereotypical professorial way.

Okimi tilted her head, actually knowing something of use here. "Um, I recently learned that some space-time anomalies are cyclical in nature, so could only reappear according to a certain schedule."

"There's few other ways to know where it could have gone, so we have to try some kind of method of finding out." Mineko said to Sanda as one of her brows raised into her choppy bangs, "Unless you have a better idea."

Sanda shook her head. "Tracking is one of my specialties, but a two year old trail is going to be hard to pick up. And when you throw in those space anony...anomyos... Space stuff! It makes it so I'm not even sure what to look for."

"We shouldn't put all of our estimates in an anomaly. If it was captured, the battleship would be the first indicator of how," Mineko noted.

"Yes, we need to consider all possibilities. The Wakaba was a flagship, and that means it was likely a high-value target. If it was indeed captured, we should be prepared for a potentially hostile situation when we find it. We'll need to plan accordingly," Euikoshi pointed out.

"I personally doubt it was captured." Trowa said. "If it had been, whoever captured it would have been all too happy to gloat about their prize. Also, I know my cousin and some others stationed on her. If they were captured they'd have a hard time keeping them captured for very long. but I concede that we really can't rule out anything at this point."

Yayoi crossed her arms sternly over her chest as she listened to everything. "Sanda is correct. Also do we know who was stationed onboard the Wakaba?' she asked the room in particular. She tried to think not only with Star Army training but whether there were crews with special things with them.

Trowa nodded to Yayoi. "We do have the crew manifest of who was assigned. There are quite a few big names. Taisa Motoyoshi Kazue, Chusa Thomas Canterbury, Shosa Fletcher II the son of Taisho Fletcher, Joto Heisho Setsunu Meiosei leader of the famous Angels of Death squad, just to name a few."

"That is quite the crew," Euikoshi mused. "Any one of them could potentially have valuable knowledge or skills that could be of interest to an enemy. And it's possible that there might have been sensitive information or equipment on the Wakaba as well, which could also be a reason for it to have been captured. "We should also consider what tactics the enemy might use if they did capture such high-value targets.They could use them as bait to lure other Star Army forces into a trap, or they could try to extract information from them."

Pidole felt a pang of sadness as she thought about the crew of the Wakaba and what they might be going through. "I hope they're okay," she murmured, mostly to herself. "We should do our best to find them."

Okimi reached an arm around and patted Pidole on the shoulder. "Don't worry Pidole, we'll just have to do out best to bring them home!" She offered a smile towards her technician friend.

There was little more they could do until the ship arrived in Tange to begin its search, so they decided to end the meeting and open breakfast for everyone. A consensus formed among the crew: they would need to prepare for any scenario. The search for the YSS Wakaba would require all of their skills and resources, and they knew they had a long road ahead. They left the meeting with a newfound resolve, each of them ready to contribute their unique skills and knowledge to the mission.

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yuuki, Yoshiro Tanaka, iaincarter

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Armor Bay

Yoshiro had been doing his usual push ups and sit ups. After getting done he ate an apple he grabbed from the cafeteria and sipped from a bottle of water. He had a strong distaste for the Kuvexians as they were slavers and way too hedonistic for his taste. He hated slavers more. To take a person away was one thing but to make money off their suffering was something that he could abide no longer. He worked on bicep curls and while he did he started to understand that was true evil.

 

[Cowboy]

Cabin #5

Since more information was needed before they could move forward Sanda decided that she would quickly unpack her stuff back in her cabin. She headed for cabin on deck 4. The doors opened automatically but Sanda just stood in the doorway looking at the room. She had heard that during the last mission that the Res had taken quite a beating but she didn't realize that the damage had spread to this part of the ship. She looked around at the room. It was barren, except for a few items that showed someone had already moved in. It smelled almost of disinfectant and new plastic. Sanda wasn't sure how she felt about that. Before she would have shrugged and gone about her business but now it felt strange.

Sanda closed her eyes. She could see the room as it had been just before she left. She could even smell it. A mixture of the rum, gun-oil, a hit of sweat and the sweet aroma of Sanda's Platycodon grandiflorus, or the Yamatai bellflower plant. Those were the smells that the lighting tattooed Ranger had added to the room. Her roommate Yayoi had added far more subtle smells. Apples from her favorite drinks that were made at a bar that she owned. An even subtler body odor that was never very strong because of Yayoi's obsession with washing. From Chiasa, the short overly busty pharmacist, the slightly sterile smell of the Med Bay that she worked in.

Sanda signed and opened her eyes again. She hadn't seen Chiasa yet. She wasn't sure if the pharmacist was even still around or not. Yayoi she had seen though. It would be great getting to room with her again. Sanda had really missed her fellow Ranger although wasn't sure if she would still be bunking with her or if she would be getting a room with her daughter. What ever happened, this was still her cabin anyway. The tall Nep quickly unpacked her things. Hanging her uniforms in the closet and securing her other personal belongings in her locker. She took off her dress uniform then just sat on her bunk in her shorts and black tank top. Sighing with annoyance that she was feeling so sentimental she got up and retrieved her hip flask and took a drink from it. She sat down on the desk and leaned back in her chair placing her long tattooed legs on the desktop. She still had her ankle holsters on both her feet. One for her backup Straight Silver and one for her dark type 33. She took another drink, looking at the new bellflower she had brought. Well, at least some things were the same. She managed a smile as she set her flask on the desk.

 

[Charaa]

Cabin #5
The doors opened again, and a shadow appeared on the floor in front of it. The Hetero chrome eyed Neko entered, and immediately spotted Sanda’s presence there. “So, Sanda-heisho” She said, emphasizing the heisho part. Yayoi was very proud to hear of Sanda’s promotion, and prouder still to see her new uniform. She knew that Sanda deserves it, and more than earned it, and what's more, she and Sanda had a thing in common, both had to fight on a planet belonging to Yamatai. As she moved into the Cabin, she moved to her familiar bed, and sat down on it.

For a moment, there was an odd look on her face, she’d missed the bunk beds. While on leave, she hadn’t been ale to get a ‘normal’ bed, but a civilian one, and it felt odd. “If you ever need someone to talk about what you’ve been through, even a wall or something to vent at, let me know, hermana.” Yayoi said finally. She thought despite how different their opponents were, she’d know what Sanda had been through. She also knew Sanda, and that she wasn’t the type to show her feelings, unless of course the person she’d been interacting with was Thad.

 

[Ametheliana]

Wardroom

"Nitô Heisho," Mineko didn't seem done with preparations as she turned to Euikoshi. "I'd like to work under you during the initial investigation, if that's okay. For instance, if there is any updating to the sensor array that needs to happen beforehand, I've got your back. I'm going to go over the region's reports from the past and see if I can dig anything similar up while also looking into anomalies that could do this."

Mineko's voice had gotten strained and anxious and the lithe analyst could hear it wavering on the end of her sentence like a high pitched note plucked indelicately on a shamisen.

She explained herself a bit, "The ranger's right. It's going to be a really cold scent to pick back up. I want to be as prepared as possible. You seem to always have your shi— You always have yourself together, Heisho." Mineko had just barely stopped herself from really stepping in by cursing on top of being a nervous wreck.

 

[Cowboy]

Cabin #5

Sanda smiled as Yayoi walked in. "Yeah, I finally made it." Referring to her promotion to Heisho. She had worked so hard to get that promotion. For the longest time most people treated her as if she was a Heisho already but it never sat right with her that even though she was treated like one she didn't really have the authority of one.

Sanda took her feet off the desk and spun around to face her friend. She was silent for a moment, as if she was debating what she was going to say. "I know Hermana." She went silent again before continuing. "It was unlike any mission I've ever been on. It was like some of those simulations I sometimes run in the VR room. The ones where there is no victory and you just see how long you can last and how many enemies you can take with you, but worse. Way worse. It was real." The tattooed woman shuttered a little. "I'm not ready to talk about it just yet, Although the.... Therapist that I was required to talk to said that it might be beneficial to talk with a trusted friend." Sanda managed a smile at Yayoi. "I'm just not ready to talk about it yet but you can be sure you'll be the first person I talk to when I do."

 

[Ametheliana]

Wardroom

With a little jolt of her delicate hand, Mineko looked up and then stared dead center into the sea green eyes of the scientist she was speaking to.

"I need to report to the bridge, heisho!" Standing, she made her way out of the wardroom at a brisk pace, hoping the curious scientist would follow in pursuit of her new protege. The analyst had to grab the bulkhead around the zero g passageway as she turned from the wardroom to float up to the third deck, where she made the same sharp turn into the hallway there and the few short steps to the bridge itself.

"Here to report a transmission from the missing ship, captain!" Mineko flattened her charcoal field jacket at the doorway as she spotted the serene Taisa and approached him with a curt bow. The woman was still jittery and anxious but now spilling with information. Some of which, like the transmission, she sent to Aoba.

"The general whereabouts of the Wakaba are being worked out now by Intelligence, sir! I think we're going in the wrong direction, though!" She pressed her brows down from her bangs and over her denim and red eyes, darkening them. "You see, they're working on triangulating but there's a delay from the third sensor by which we'd have means to do that. In galactic terms, we need a sensor in the far Northern region to bounce the signal off of to get an accurate read but it's being held up."

"It could be technical issues, sure, but," she narrowed her eyes, "SAINT isn't known for them. I think it's taking so long because the Wakaba is so far North we don't have any probes there."

 

[Wes]

YSS Resurgence: Bridge

Aoba nodded to Mineko, "Hmm," he said, "I am glad to hear that we at least have a clue to go on." He turned to his trusty navigator, "Set course for the Ake system, the furthest Northern system of Yamatai. From there we will go into the unexplored space to the North, taking care to go around the Iromakuanhe territory."

"Aye sir," Gabriela responded, her hands gliding over the ship's navigation controls. "Plotting course for the Ake system, then proceeding to unexplored Northern space. Avoiding Iromakuanhe territory." She input the course, checking and double-checking her calculations before setting the ship on its new trajectory. The soft hum of the engines changed pitch as the ship adjusted course, the stars on the main screen shifting as they headed in a new direction. "We should be arriving at the Ake system in a few hours," Gabriela informed the captain, then turned her attention back to the navigational display, carefully monitoring their progress.

"Make sure to keep an eye on our sensors, Gabriela," Aoba advised. "We don't want any unexpected surprises in unexplored territory."

"Yes, Taisa," Gabriela nodded, her fingers dancing across the console, adjusting the sensor range and sensitivity. "Sensors are set to maximum range and sensitivity. I'll keep a close eye on them."

Aoba turned to Mineko, "You did well. Keep us updated on any new information."

 

[Charaa]

Cabin #5
Yayoi was familiar with Therapists, as she saw one during her extended off time while raising Yuri and dealing with her bar, and like Sanda had mentioned they had told her to talk to a trusted friend. She felt proud that Sanda was her first choice, and she was Sanda’s choice. She nodded her head “when ever you feel ready, Hermana” she said

Armor Bay
“Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here, Yoshiro!” a voice spoke after the doors opened. Yuri had arrived wanting to familiarize herself with the ship, though she would of course be in the medical bay when on duty. Yuri stepped forward towards him, observing his movements, and taking note of what he was doing. “Oh my, ” she commented as she examined his body from where she was standing. He appeared to be very muscular”

 

[Wes]

Ake System

The Resurgence arrived in the Ake system, which was mainly known for being the headquarters of Origin Industries, a company that seemingly tried to make everything for everyone.

YSS Resurgence: Bridge

As the ship slowed from its FTL jump, Gabriela immediately set the sensors to scan the system, casting an electronic net far and wide to pick up any possible anomalies or points of interest.

"We've arrived at the Ake system, Taisa," she reported to Captain Aoba. "No immediate anomalies detected. Local traffic is as expected for this system."

Aoba nodded, "Good, Gabriela. Now, plot a course towards the unexplored Northern space. We'll go at cruising speed and keep the sensors at maximum range."

"Yes, Taisa. Plotting course now," Gabriela responded, her fingers working swiftly over the console.

As the navigator plotted the course, Aoba looked over to Mineko. "Has there been any new intelligence coming in?"

"Yes sir!" Mineko said, not looking up from her console. "There is confirmation from SAINT that the tertiary sensor is out of range, confirming my theory."

"Tertiary sensor?" Aoba repeated inquisitively.

Mineko replied, "To get pinpoint accuracy when triangulating the signal from the Wakaba, we would need three locations to ping the transmission against. Only two have done so and are waiting on a Northerly third location to ping off of. The most liekly cause is the ship is too far North to bounce off of that tertiary sensor. But by intelligence estimates the positioning would be two or three sectors above the Kikyo Sector."

"What definition, as in size, are you using for sector in this case?" Aoba asked. He was the type of leader who always wanted accuracy and detail.

"Mmm," the analyst nodded approvingly, getting a satisfaction out of the line of questioning. "One such as our own, for measurement's sake. Without the Resurgence sending out sensor drones, we'll only know the size of the sectors in front of us once we get there."

"The expanded Kikyo Sector block is 240 Light-Years across," Gabriela helpfully chimed in. "With the Resurgence's hyperspace fold drive we can go about 1 light-year a minute, which means we can cross the sector in 4 hours. If the Wakaba is three Kikyo Sectors away we should be able to arrive in her vicinity in about 12 hours. Naturally things are a little more complicated in practice, but it shouldn't be a problem to reach there. What could be an issue is actually finding them."

Aoba nodded. "Every Star Army ship has a set of matched quantum pair communication plugs for securely communicating with Star Army command and other key facilities over vast distances. Normally half of each pair is stored on the starship and the other is at a Star Army headquarters base, typically at least Nataria and Yamatai, for redundancy. The Resurgence has the pair for the Wakaba aboard and we might be able to use this to talk to them once we get close, even if we're on the other side of the sector," he explained. "Otherwise we will have to keep our eyes and ears open and start asking around, provided we can communicate with the locals."

From under her bangs, Mineko had been looking between Gabriella and then Aoba with inspired enthusiasm. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it to get our people home safely." Her words held the same tone that Aoba would have employed, albeit Mineko's voice. The conviction caught her attention and made her smile slightly as she beamed with pride at where she had come and what she was doing.

Deck 2

On the deck above, crew members were getting in their morning exercise.in the ship's dojo and the VR Room, and some of them were jogging around through the ship's cluttered passageways the best they could with all the extra boxes of food and consumables clogging them up. It was clear the two supply specialists had prepared the ship to be gone for quite some time.

Okimi carried load #7 into the laundry facility on Deck Two and, almost on autopilot, began separating the items out into different piles so everything could be cleaned appropriately. At least this would be the last of the morning washing from this deck. Laundry wasn't exactly the favourite of her duties, but it was certainly one of the most important. The caretaker dreaded to think about how crew morale and performance would sharply decline without a steady supply of clean and impeccably folded clothes and bedding!

Poppy popped into the laundry room carrying a load of medical lab clothing items, including lab coats and several sets of scrubs that were heavily covered in blood stains. "Is there a free machine for these?" she asked Okimi, her bold green eyes making eye contact.

Okimi looked up as she finished the last of the sorting and smiled at the ship's resident medical expert. "Oh, hi!" The caretaker quickly surveyed the laundry room as well as the load in Poppy's arms. "Hmm, tell you what - give me a few seconds to set this lot going..." She quickly and efficiently loaded up the separate piles into the machines and set the necessary programs to activate. "...and how about I give you a hand getting that lot ready for the machine? Most if it looks like it could use a pre-cycle to work on those stains!"

"It just has to be sterile," Poppy shrugged. "I'll defer to your expertise," she told Okimi. "You're new here..what are your first impressions of the crew?"

"Well, I haven't had the chance to get to know everybody yet, even if I think I have now seen all the crew at one time or another." Okimi replied as she automatically reached for the spray bottles dedicated to helping break-down stubborn stains. Grabbing a spare basket, the caretaker spread out the first set of scrubs and spraid over the worst of the stains. Leaving the chemical wonder-spray to do its work, she dropped them into the new basket and reached for the next item. "However, so far, I am highly impressed with everyone's dedication - I don't think I have seen anyone give less than their all towards whatever it is they are doing." She paused, tilting her head and chuckled lightly. "Why, even Yoshiro-san was creating guilt for himself with a hundred percent of his focus, back after his unfortunate incident in the previous mission."

"Yeah, I'm just glad we managed to pull the rescue off. A lot of other things could have gone wrong," the medic replied to her caretaker coworker. "I suppose I was a bit pessimistic but after that I thought it was basically done. It's a good thing we, as a crew, don't give up easily, especially the captain. He's always telling us that giving up is not a Star Army value," Poppy explained.

"Oh yeah, Aoba-taicho is the best!" Okimi nodded to herself. "He really knows his ship and his crew. I was helping with damage-control during those last two battles and I'm convinced a lesser commander would have lost the ship doing what the Captain did." The caretaker looked a little sorrowful. "I actually felt a little incompetent by comparison, especially when there was nothing I could do to help the injured. About all I was really good for was shining a torch and making notes on the damage we had taken." Absentmindedly, she reached over and patted the wall of the laundry room as if to reassure the ship that everything was better now.

"Well, Okimi, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Everyone has a role to play in the ship, and each role is as important as the other. Besides, we all have moments of feeling inadequate or unsure.That's just part of being a person," Poppy said with a gentle smile, hoping to comfort the caretaker. "That said, we've just begun our journey and there's plenty of time to learn new skills. Don't hesitate to ask if you're interested in learning more about the medical field or anything else for that matter. We're all here to help each other. As a matter of fact, I was considering holding a basic first aid seminar for the crew. What do you think of the idea?"

Okimi smiled widely. "That would be AWESOME!" She had to throw her hands up for emphasis. "During leave I studied a bunch of short courses to try and learn some useful skills, but I would really enjoy picking up some medical skills." The caretaker shrugged. "I know I'm still new - heck, its only a few days over a year since I was created and nearly all of that has been spent on training or leave. But, I'm willing to learn whatever I can to help the Resurgence and her crew as much as I can. I'm no pilot, warrior or engineer and certainly no medic, but I can do what I can to make sure that those who are, can do what they do without being weighed down with needless worries!"

"I'm glad you think so, Okimi. I'll make a note to organize the seminar soon." Poppy responded, giving Okimi an approving nod. "And I think the crew is lucky to have someone as dedicated as you."

She really tried not to blush, but Okimi failed. For some reason, she had always been able to give compliments, but just found it so difficult to receive them. Maybe because she always felt there was more she could be doing and consistently fell short of that expectation? "Thank you, Poppy-san!" The caretaker bowed her head to the medic before returning her attention to preparing the medical supplies for a wash.

Dojo

Yoshiro was practicing hand to hand in the dojo, anxious for the mission to start. Since he had heard that they were going to rescue fellow soldiers, he wanted to make sure that he was ready.

Yuri silently watched as Yoshiro trained, observing him with her new medically trained eyes for any physical issues as he practiced his hand to hand. Yuri wasnt trained for the mind, that she knew would be left to Okimi but physically goodness gracious.

Yoshiro was doing some shadow boxing against imaginary assailants when he noticed someone watching him. He gave a polite wave and smiled. "Hello there." He said.

Yuri smiled and waved back, before she moved towards him, getting a closer look. "hiya Yoshiro-chan, been a while since we last spoke." she said and gentlly lifted her hand. "may i feel your muscles?' she asked knowing that it was the polite thing to ask. She wondered if he remembered her, or recognized her since she was wearing a uniform.

He blushed but he flexed his bicep. "Didn't we see each other at the Hanami festival? " He asked.

Yuri smiled as he responded to her words. "true' she said and gently felt his muscles. "hmm.. your muscle tone is good, very good" she commented before she moved her hands. "i think what you have been doing is doing well, for your body, keep it up!" she said.

Yoshiro nodded and went back to his workout. "Just like to keep myself in shape. " He said with a grin.

Yuri smiled back at him, and moved into position beside him. "it is good for you to do so, but you dont need little young me to say that' she said as she began doing some exercising.

"So, what did you think of the Hanami festival?" He asked Yuri.

A few of the 'lower decks' crew were present in the dojo as well, including Wong Caihong and Miyagawa Taro, both technicians typically on the night shift. As Yuri and Yoshiro talked, they could see Caihong flip Taro on his back with a judo throw. He landed on a mat with a loud thwap sound. "Ow..."

Yuri grinned"it was the most amazing thing ever!" she said "I got to meet new people make friends, including.. a cannibal lady at least I think she's a cannibal, but the food was yummy!" Yuri said with a childlike wonder in her voice before she became distracted by the technicians. "whoa! be careful, you two!" she couldn't stop herself from saying, though she was certain that they were skilled enough to not get seriously hurt.

"Nice throw. Where did you train?" Yoshiro asked.

"Who, me?" Caihong asked. "I went to Fort Victory just before it became a Reserve Center," she told Yoshiro. Caihong was a cute-faced asian woman with purple hair styled in odango-style buns. She had big brown eyes and a warm smile.

"Well, that was very well executed. You had some very good trainers." Yoshiro complimented

Meanwhile Taro got up, "I'm pretty sure she knew martial arts before she joined up," he laughed.

Yuri watched the interactions between them and grinned. "i'll say, she looked amazing doing that. Kinda similar to what mom tried to trrain me in.

Caihong blushed a little at Yoshiro's compliment. "Thank you. My family's been involved in the military for generations, so I learned a lot growing up. But I was always a geek and into math so I went into starship power systems and propulsion."

"Nothing wrong with doing whatever makes you happy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Yoshiro said and smiled at the two techs. "The only person who can determine what path they take is you."

Yuri nodded "yeah, he's right, mom wanted me to be a ranger, but I chose a different path for myself" she said/

Yayoi Running Course

Yayoi silently vaulted over a box as she ran through a passageway she'd specifically chose for its number of clutter. She thought it would be good for her exercise. stomp! huah! The Giretsu-trained Ranger ran

As Yayoi sailed over the box she also leapt over Beryl, who was squatting over another box getting some jars of praline pecans for Rossa.

Yayoi blinked when she spotted Beryl at a corner of her yellow eye. This caused her to gasp, as she not only sailed over the box but Beryl as well.

Beryl let out a squeak as she looked up to see Yayoi sailing over her. She stood up quickly, nearly dropping the jars she was holding. "Oh, Yayoi! You gave me quite a startle. Please be careful when you're running about."

Yayoi nodded her head. "yeah, sorry about that, Beryl, I thought this would be the perfect course to run, and didn't see you"

Beryl shook her head and smiled. "That's alright, Yayoi. I'm just getting some supplies. But I'll be more aware of my surroundings next time. Don't let me stop you from your exercise."

Yayoi nodded her head. "Keep up the good work.. and good to see you again," she couldn't help but comment.

Beryl pulled out an orange-red bottle of a hot sauce that said RECTAL INFURIATOR on it from another box. "Oh, who snuck this onboard? I don't remember ordering this," she rubbed her chin.

"is that.. that famous hot sauce I've been hearing about?" Yayoi asked "I've been hearing about that." she said a little uncomfortably.

"It sounds like a torture tool," Beryl laughed as her eyes glided over the label. "I guess it's one way to prove your stoicism?" Beryl tossed the hot sauce bottle to Yayoi. "Take it with you for later," she giggled, "There's a whole carton of them...even though the label says you only need one drop to become, quote, traumatized."

Yayoi nodded her head. "yup, could be, anyways I'll go back to my run, keep up the good work" she said and turned from Beryl and took off running, after she caught the bottle. "thanks for the bottle"

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yuuki, Yoshiro Tanaka, iaincarter

 

[Wes]

YE 45.4

The expeditionary gunship YSS Resurgence continued her journey, exiting the safety of Yamataian-patrolled space into the unknown frontier to Yamatai's "North" (which, for clarity, is based on West being towards the center of the Kagami Galaxy). The next star system they encountered would be one never before visited by Yamataians. It was an unusual one.

Uncharted System

As they approached the uncharted star system, the crew was on high alert. Aoba and the bridge crew were busy scanning and analyzing the celestial bodies and stellar phenomena that comprised the system.

The system was unlike any they had encountered before. It had an unusually high number of planets, fourteen in total, and they varied dramatically in composition and size. There were gas giants with complex ring systems, rocky planets covered in vast mountain ranges and deep chasms, and even a planet entirely covered by a single massive ocean. The star at the system's center was a vibrant white dwarf, much smaller but far hotter and brighter than a typical star.

The system also possessed an intricate array of asteroid belts, teeming with mineral-rich asteroids that reflected the star's intense light in a dazzling spectacle. However, it was the strange energy signatures and unusual sensor readings that truly caught the crew's attention. There were intermittent bursts of what appeared to be tachyon particles, often associated with faster-than-light travel, yet they emanated from fixed points within the system rather than from a ship or other mobile source.

Further observation revealed that these tachyon bursts were originating from a handful of seemingly random locations within the system - some from deep within asteroid belts, others from the surface of planets or even within their atmospheres. The signatures were unlike anything they had ever seen before.

Bridge

Captain Aoba looked to Kalena. "Do a full sensor sweep and see if there's any signs of the YSS Wakaba."

Kalena nodded to Captain Aoba and turned back to her console, fingers flying over the keys to initiate a comprehensive sensor sweep of the system. The display in front of her lit up with a flurry of information as the Resurgence's advanced sensors reached out into the system, probing every corner in search of the lost ship.

As the initial results came in, Kalena frowned. The mysterious tachyon signatures were causing some interference, making it hard to pick up a clear reading. However, she was able to make out some promising signals - faint echoes of Yamataian technology. They were weak and scattered, possibly due to the interference or the sheer size of the system, but it was something.

"Captain," she began, her gaze still focused on the readings in front of her, "I'm picking up faint signs of Yamataian technology, but the readings are sporadic and hard to pin down. It's possible that we're picking up traces of the YSS Wakaba, but I'll need more time to filter out the interference and get a clear fix."

She continued her analysis, doing her best to narrow down the source of the signals and gain a more precise fix on their location. All the while, the mysterious tachyon emissions continued to pulsate around them, adding an extra layer of intrigue to their search.

Koyama could only frown at the readouts on the screens. It was such a small universe. She'd served aboard the Wakaba as it acted as a search and rescue vessel. While that short posting had been particularly eventful. Enough to want to forget a goodly portion of it. And now here she was. Helping hunt down that exact same battleship. Following the sparse trail of breadcrumbs left behind.

Recreation Room

The Recreation Room on board the YSS Resurgence was alive with activity as the crew found time between shifts to relax and unwind. Some crew members gathered around a table, engaging in a spirited game of cards while others sprawled out on couches and chairs, engrossed in books or handheld video games.

Poppy was talking animatedly with a small group of crew members. She was holding a holographic tablet, showing them images of different alien species. It looked like an impromptu lecture on xenobiology.

Meanwhile Pidole was seated cross-legged on the floor in front of a volumetric fighting game playing against Bidole who had their own controller, and the beetle was actually doing pretty well.

Yoshiro was going over strategies to use as contingencies if they encountered enemies or hostile indigenous life. "I wonder what the terrain is like." He said to himself.

"Hey Yoshiro," Julia Meadows, the teal-haired catgirl caretaker, greeted him, holding a freshly brewed warm cup of tea in her hand and offered it to him.The distinct aroma filled the room, adding to the overall atmosphere of calm relaxation.

Yoshiro looked over at the person who called his name. "Hello. I don't think I ever had the pleasure of meeting you." Yoshiro said as he took the cup of tea. "My name is Yoshiro Tanaka, joto heisho. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. " He gave a polite bow of his head.

"Oh, you probably see Okimi more than me, but we're both caretakers on the ship. I'm Julia, I got here back when Mia Barber left the ship. I was her replacement," Julia explained to Yoshiro.

"I see." Yoshiro said and took a sip of his tea. "This tea is excellent. Thank you, Julia."

"Mia, i've heard of her, she's the wife of Mr Maximus right?' Yuri asked Julia as she continued to try and memorize the crew names.

"That's right!" Julia nodded. "She, uh, didn't reenlist because she wanted to be there to raise their baby. The little guy must be walking around by now," she reckoned. "You're very welcome, Yoshiro!" she grinned, giving a curtsey and then disappeared to get the next cup of tea.

Yoshiro was reminded of his brother and sister at home. He sipped his tea and thought about what models he was going to get from his brother and laughed.

Yuri nodded her head. "yeah, it didnt take me long to walk after i was born, but then I'm a Neko. " she said in reply. "mom accepted a extended leave so she could raise me too, so i think its nice of Mia to do that" she said

As the crew waited on the bridge crew to scoot around the universe, Sakuko went over to Yayoi and waved hello. "Hey, I heard Zanven will be coming back to us soon, he went with you to Gashmere for the Kodian Civil War, right? I am looking forward to it. It seems like we had just started getting serious when he got pulled away."

Yayoi glanced over towards Sakuko and confusion appeared on her face. "i believe your mistaking me, for Sanda, she's the one that went to Gashmere, i got extended leave cause of a certain Neko. Yayoi said trying to keep her emotions cool, as she wished she'd been there to fight along side Sanda.

"Extended leave?" Sakuko tilted her head.

Yayoi nodded "ah, you weren't here for that? I'm.. a mom.. Poppy's new medic side kick now on the ship was born three months ago." she said.

"Oh, wow!" Sakuko said. "Yeah, I remember I saw her on the roster when I was ordering gear for everyone and that she had the same clan name."

Yayoi nodded her head. "indeed, a clan of two.. though from what i hear my batch sisters are planning to have the same last name as me, so we'll be a larger clan soon. as for Yuri i can only hope she behaves well and is a good member of staff for Poppy and that i had done well in raising her.

Okimi sat by herself with a basket in her lap. Her tongue lightly poked out between her lips as she concentrated on completing the last few stitches of her current knitting project. With a happy flourish, she slipped the last stitch off the needle and drew the strand of wool taught, tightening the final stitches and bringing the top of the wooly cap together. A quick check against the mental picture that had accompanied the pattern showed a 97% match with approximately eleven percent deviation from the expected tension. Not bad and entirely in keeping with her general progression with the hobby. With a happy nod, she put the needles back in the basket and began pulling on the stitches, slowly unraveling the off-white hat.

Julia offered Okimi the next cup of tea. "A bellflower coin for your thoughts?" she smiled.

Okimi looked up at her fellow caretaker and dropped the wool into the basket in order to take receipt of the offered beverage. "Ooh, thank you Julia!" She bought the cup to her face and took a long inhale through her nose, savouring the scent of the brew and feeling her body relax in response. "It's nice to see the crew relaxing." Okimi took a hand from holding the cup to indicate the basket held in her lap. "Knitting was one of those things I decided to pick up back in Socialization. I haven't had too much time to devote to it, but am happy with my progress so far. It's not up to a standard I would be happy to present as a gift, but I will get there one day!" The year old Neko nodded with determination.

"You can make some nice things knitting. Socks, hats, even underwear," Julia said. "It's nice to be able to physically make things with your own hands. And every piece is unique, right? I think it's a great idea."

Okimi nodded. "Yeah, it seemed like a good skill to pick up to aid me in the never-ending war to keep crew morale at a high! A deliberately personal, hand-crafted item of knitwear made just for you is supposed to be a wonderful gift to receive, after all." She tilted her head and gave a soft smile. "It doesn't hurt that it can be quite relaxing. Plus its nice that if you make a mistake, you can just undo the stitches and knit them again."

Yayoi glanced towards Okimi, recognizing her from Hanami festival, atleast the pictures yuri had of her. "Knitting is a relaxing hobby to have" she couldn't help but comment

"If only all mistakes were easy to undo like with knitting," Julia shrugged, rubbing her chin in thought.

Okimi smiled faintly. "Indeed." She took a sip of her tea, taking a moment to enjoy the flavour.

"NOoOoO!!" Pidole moaned, looking exasperated and frustrated as she put down her video game controller. She couldn't believe she'd lost to a mysterious blue space beetle. "Ffffff..."

Yayoi glanced over to Pidole and almost smiled at her before she'd regained control over it.

"It's not fair, you read my mind, didn't you?" Pidole accused the Bidole, which noisily flapped its wings in the jubilation of victory.

Yoshiro had come to see what the commotion was and saw Pidole complaining to a bug about something. "What happened?" He asked, stifling a laugh.

"aww so cute!!" Yuri exclaimed as she saw Bidole, and remembered mention of it. "OH! is this Bidole?" she asked

"Bidole wanted to try playing Funky City Fight Club 6 with me, and she knew every move I was going to make," Pidole complained to Yoshiro.

"I see. So how Bidole get this information?" Yoshiro asked. "Changing characters once in awhile may help."

Yayoi nodded "of course she would, she's been with you for a long time right? i figured she'd get a sense like that" Yayoi said as if it was perfectly normal.

"I think we have a two way network thing going," Pidole said, pointing at Bidole then back to her head. "I can even see the world through Bidole's vision. Back on the machine planet I was able to navigate the area under the floor that way to scout the next rooms and to help get the doors unlocked."

"I see." Yoshiro said, very impressed."That is something. I have a question. Who is your main in this game and how often do you play the character?"

"Wowee!" Yuri said with a shocked expression on her face. "that's so cool!" she said

Yayoi simply nodded her head.

Poppy wandered over and looked at Pidole and Bidole. "I wonder what that beetle's brain scan looks like," she said. The beetle flew back to Pidole's side defensively, which elicited a chuckle from the pink-haired medic. "Someday," she said.

"hmm.. interesting idea, Sempai" Yuri said and glanced closely to Bidole, and its body.

Mineko's Cabin

When the rest of her cabinmates had gone about their daily tasks and duties, sometimes Mineko stayed behind to do requisite research in the solitary confines of her bunk. As the Resurgence came upon the uncharted system, this was one such day.

Captain Aoba called down to Mineko using the ship's internal phone system. "We've arrived in a system in the general area of the Wakaba's suspected location but really we have no idea if this is the place or not. Initial scans show a lot of strange tacyhon anomalies, which may or may not meant anything relevant, and we are finding possible signs of a Star Army type ship but again, it's not a certainty. I will continue to keep you in the loop if we gain any intelligence. I was also wondering if you had any ideas about this system or its characteristics. I've also asked Euikoshi to see if she can make sense of it with her scientific knowledge," he told her.

"Thank you for keeping me apprised," Mineko said.

"Of course," Aoba nodded. "I am tremendously grateful to have not only an intelligence officer but your talented mind as part of my team. I don't know how I managed without you before."

"Thank you sir," Mineko said, happy that her grateful expression was kept private within her cabin. "The random bursts we're seeing within the system that are indicative of faster-than-light travel could be a naturally occurring phenomena. I would speculate that they're our most likely culprit if the Wakaba displacement was not intentional. See how they're popping out out of nowhere, though? I really hope the starship wasn't pulled out of the Kikyo Sector and placed into the middle of a planet."

"The sensor interference would make this system a good place to hide a starship. It could be a potential ambush location as well," Aoba speculated, his inner strategist showing.

"Since we're able distinguish signals we're getting as Yamataian technology, we should try doing the same for any foreign or Kuvexian technology," Mineko replied. "At least then we'll have a better sense of what's laying in wait, if anything."

"Excellent suggestion," the captain said, relaying it to Kalena in the background.

"Thank you, sir," Mineko said with a sharp nod, as if she were on the bridge too. "I'll keep looking over MEGAMI's sensors and will let the bridge know if I come up with anything else on my end."

"Very good," Aoba nodded. "Don't be afraid to take some time to relax as well while we can," he encouraged her.

Mineko's chiming laugh was the kind that only saw humor in what her captain had just said.

Bridge

"Captain, you're going to want to take a look at this," Kalena Matsushita said, pulling up her sensor scans on the main viewer. "Based on Mineko's suggestion, I started having MEGAMI try to pattern match various signals and signatures to known patterns and she's saying there's a 55% match of this particular waveform to aether, but not Star Army aether, but rather the dirty orange kind the Mishhuvurthyar use...We're going to have to go into the system further to get any sort of confirmation, though."

"Then that's what we'll do," Aoba nodded. "Take us in, Gabriela."

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yoshiro Tanaka, iaincarter

 

[Zanven Brax]

His eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he opened them suddenly, everything was white and blinding for a moment as the bright, disinfecting light in the grey-ish colored space made his mind race as everything was still flooding forth. He wanted to call out but found himself unable to do so and he blinked a few more times before looking around. The last thing he remembered was...fuck it was blurry, but this was not the medic station on Gashmere or any ship associated with that task force...He looked around and noticed the writing on the wall, after thinking for a moment in between his head throbbing he remembered where he was...the Resurgence.

He coughed and felt his body move, stretching out as he felt joints pop and adjust. His head was throbbing but he was starting to remember...leaving to go get glory and show the empire that the Resurgence was still honorable...he crashed in uncharted territory...there were hybrid bugs...and the secret tech and ship he flew...god dammit, what happened. That was when the computer started to pulse and let out a loud alarm as if to signify that something was wrong or that "HEY! Your frozen food is cooked in the microwave." He waited to see what would happen next. He closed his eyes and let his heart adjust as he caught up on breathing, compartmentalizing his pain so that he could go through a mental checklist to make sure he was...well himself.

 

[Wes]

Medical Lab

A leg swung over Zanven's body and he felt the weight of Poppy on his hips. She felt so warm and he could smell her scent, a faint sweet flowery mix from her soaps and shampoos. As he lay on the table she straddled him and leaned over him, her long pink hair tumbling down onto his face and tickling his cheeks as she looked into his eyes, shining a pen light into them while her other arm pressed his chest down so he didn't immediately shoot up out of the bed and fall over before he came to his senses.

"Zanven?" she whispered, "You online now? All checks came back good and the machine says everything that's supposed to be in your head is in there. Welcome back. Let me fill you in. We're way deep in unexplored space and due to the distance, your mind backup was sent via quantum data stream and I loaded it into a new, identical body I made based on your medical records. It should be what you're used to save maybe needing to restyle the hair. So this means you, unfortunately, died but you're okay now and you're safely back on the YSS Resurgence. When you're ready I'll let you up. Sakuko is making new uniforms for you and they should be ready soon. I spoke with her and she's excited to see you again."

 

[Zanven Brax]

Feeling the weight over his body and then seeing the leg swung over him he raised an eyebrow. Soon he was mounted as if it was that one time…catching her scent he looked up and saw Poppy, the doctor of the YSS Resurgence and he was instinctively at ease…well…mostly…at ease. He cleared his throat as her hair tickled his flesh. He was fully aware now as she spoke and he breathed calmly. She asked if he was ok and then informed him of being online before a quick briefing to tell him where he was and that here pretty quick Sakuko would have him his new uniform. He nodded before finally speaking as the throbbing in his head finally started to normalize.

“Seems like I’ve missed a few things, but I can tell you besides the headache I am experiencing I am…fully aware of my body and that I’m back home at the Resurgence. Dying is…apart of the job right, that’s why we get regular backups to ensure we can finish the fight. I remember most of what happened but…the end is still blurry for me. As for…letting me up, you can do so at anytime and I will not stop you. Might I compliment you that you are at least warm though. And thanks for the upload and remake of my body.” He said as he waited for Poppy to move, hearing that Sakuko would be there soon he was instantly drawn to thoughts of the last time he was able to see her face to face.

When he was let up he stretched and would stand up and be thankful that there was at least…some modest cover for him. He then looked around as the bit about being in uncharted area of space piqued his interest. “I assume I will need to be debriefed and filled in by the captain, and since I do not know if Sanda has made it back or not I want to know where I will be of use moving forward. I do not want another incident where I am not of help…”. he sat back on the table and looked for the nearest data pad as he logged in to his profile for the ship and was at least going through messages and logs…trying to pass the time.

 

[Wes]

Medical Lab

Poppy nodded, looking into Zanven's eyes for a lingering moment with her bright green gaze, then she affectionately rubbed the top of Zanven's head with her hand, ruffling his short, freshly-grown hair, and carefully swung herself back off of him, heading back to a computer display showing his vital measurements.

Just a moment later Zanven's girlfriend, supply specialist Hachirobei Sakuko arrived and entered the medical lab with a hiss of the automated door, carrying a cardboard box full of Star Army Blue uniforms she'd just made with the ship's onboard fabrication machines. She sat them on a counter near Zanven and then gave him a strong hug and big long kiss. "Zanven! Welcome back!" Sakuko greeted him. "I am so sorry what happened to you. You're safe now, though. I brought you some clothes," she told him, handing him underwear and a Star Army T-shirt to start with. "They're all your size."