YE 45.4
YSS Resurgence
Engine Room
The engine room was abuzz with activity. Engineers worked tirelessly to keep the ship running smoothly, each one of them focused on their specific task. Amidst the chaos, the Chief Engineer, Pidole, was busy coordinating the efforts. She was given the responsibility to hold down the fort in the absence of the XO, a task she took seriously.
Pidole looked up from her console as she received an update on the ship's status. They were about to exit hyperspace and do another short jump. She relayed the information to her team, telling them to prepare for the jump and to monitor the engines closely.
As the countdown began, Pidole took a deep breath. She knew they were not out of danger yet, but she trusted her team to do their jobs well. She looked around the engine room, meeting the eyes of her fellow engineers, and gave gave them a nod of reassurance, her confidence in them clear.
"Stay alert, everyone," she told them. "We're not out of the woods yet...but if we keep the ship's engines at peak output we can likely outrun them. The Fuji-class is the fastest in the fleet!"
Medical Lab
As the ship continued to evade the enemy at top speed, the medical staff was working hard to get the bridge crew back in action.
Poppy Pink glanced around the room, her big eyes taking in all the commotion around her. She nodded at Okimi and pointed to an empty spot near one of the tanks, "Over there should be fine, Fujikawa-Hei. I'll get to them soon, I promise." She offered her a reassuring smile, but there was an undeniable tension in her expression.
"Hai, Pink-Heisho" Okimi followed the directions given, easing the injured crew-mate into as comfortable position as she could manage given the cramped, overflowing conditions of the medical center.
At Mineko's question, she turned her attention to the analyst and offered her a nod, "Yes, absolutely. We're swamped right now. If you could help with minor injuries and aid with any comfort measures, that would be great." She looked gratefully at Mineko.
Poppy's appreciation was mirrored in Mineko's expression as she agreed to the simple but necessary tasks. She set to helping Kalena, who had been transferred to a hemosynth tank for her blood loss. The minutiae of the hemo was doing the job of healing, so Mineko took to the latter portion of Poppy's request.
"Are you comfortable in there, Kalena?" Mineko asked through their digital minds. She then added with a wan smile, "It's a little less comfy than your normal place on the bridge, but anything at all I can do for you, let me know."
Once certain her crew-mate was as comfortable as she could get them, Okimi headed back to Poppy. "Um, I only know the basics of first aid, but if you can use another pair of hands, mine are at your disposal, Pink-Heisho."
The hemosynth tank was doing its job on Gabriela, and a new arm was beginning to take shape, essentially being 3D-printed by the hemosynth nanomachines.
Yuri watched and then smiled as she noted how it appeared that she'd operated the tank correctly. With Gabriela being taken care of, she turned and opened her mouth to speak and see what else she could help with.
Poppy was no stranger to war, but the thought of encountering these creatures again filled her with a sense of dread. The mention of the Ghost-type Mishhuvurthyar had her glancing at her Soul Transfer Machine's control panel with a frown. "I recall the reports of those," she murmured quietly, "They caused a lot of havoc during the First Mishhuvurthyar War. Not something I'd want to see again. In medical training they still have a section on removing Mishhuvurthyar parasites. Okimi, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to get this place sanitized now that we've got the bleeding stopped."
Yuri nodded "yeah i remember seeing that" she said and then shuddered. But at least seeing disturbing things made her stronger, as she knew this would.
Okimi smiled sadly at the need and saluted the medic. "Hai, Heisho, that I can do." Fortunately, the caretaker was intimately aware of the location of just about every piece of cleaning equipment to be found on the Resurgence and it was the work of seconds to locate the Medical Center's janitorial closet. A quick survey of the contents matched against the immediate memory of the required work allowed Okimi to prioritize the equipment needed for maximum efficiency. With a nod to herself, the caretaker enthusiastically got to work on the monumental task of returning the medical center to its former pristine luster.
Thad had gotten himself dressed and made his way back to the medical bay. He had missed his chance to remodel the Mishhu which had him slightly sad. Figured he'd pass the time chilling this those in recovery. The door slid open and Thad walked into the room. "I see much work is being done here. Anything I can give a hand with?" He asked of the group.
"No," Poppy scowled, "I found you had been trying to alter the captain's personal appearance by moving the slider bars around earlier," she confronted him. "It's entirely unethical. If Vec Wilson was still here he'd be on the Red Phone about it already."
Yuri gave her best and most dangerous frown towards Thad as he arrived. She'd heard about him extensively from her mother, and to hear what he'd done, bothered her greatly.
A big smile formed across his face as Poppy let him know she was onto him. His smile then quickly faded away at talk about the red phone. "Oh gosh anything but that. Last time someone picked that phone up all kinds of hell broke out." He said out loud. "Anyways, that man earned a big pair facing down those Mishhu, would had been fitting but it wasn't saved so no harm done." He said letting his head drop.
Kalena managed to get out a response, "It was awful. It happened to fast none of us even has a chance to react," she told Mineko. "I know I am in good hands with the medical care but I'm worried I'll have nightmares about this day for years," she telepathically replied. "Also I'm a little out of it on pain meds so don't let me say anything too weird."
At the last part of Kalena's statement, Mineko could feel a genuine smile try to twitch up on her cheeks, but her next words were more solemn, "You were the first person to let us even know there were ships and you also were on top of them firing on us. When it came to your assignment, you were faster than the enemy." Mineko had speaking to her same fears from hindsight that she shared with Kalena, but she knew that didn't make the experience any worse.
"If you have a nightmare, my cabin's always open to you," Mineko promised. "As long as the same goes for me. Offer's open for years to come. It's not been easy processing this in the past few minutes. I hope it gets easier with time.."
"Thank you," Kalena said. "I think I'll take a soak at the onsen after this."
- - -
Later that evening the crew was finally able to stand down as the ship had sped away from the grasp of the Mishhuvurthyar ships, which had eventually gone out of range and were last seen turning back. With the help of Pidole and MEGAMI, the ship had gone into stealth mode and was hidden among the ruins of a rogue planet drifting in deep, uninhabited space.
Power Armour Bay
Okimi let out a deep sigh of satisfaction as she finished stowing the last of the cleaning supplies. Once the medical center had been cleaned to Poppy's satisfaction, the caretaker had returned to the scene of the battle, eager to get to work with the decontamination of the Mishhuvurthyar remains. That had been fun, requiring special bio-hazard protocols to be followed. Okimi had even had to look them up, having not expected to need them before.
Yuri was somewhat stealthy as she approached Okimi, and gently hugged her from behind. She wanted to thank her for her hard work, and also see if she also needed help.
With the sound of Yuri's approach being muffled by the latching of the cleaning cabinet, the caretaker's heart-rate spiked as she was grabbed from behind and she let out a startled cry. Fortunately, her less-than-stellar combat reflexes were much slower to process than the soft and squishy nature of the contact and her brain recognized the hug for what it was, rather than an attack from an unknown. Okimi turned to look at her friend and returned the hug properly. "Hey Yuri-chan." She looked the medic up and down. "Are you okay? Hard day, huh?"
Yuri nodded her head as her mind began realizing maybe hugging her so suddenly wasn't the right call just then, but she still got a hug. "yup! I'm okay, just happy to see you are okay too." she said before adding "i think i want to give everyone a hug, not sure if the captain would like it though. What do you think?' she asked her.
Okimi tilted her head. "Well, you can always apologize if he doesn't like it and claim your joy at seeing him up and about temporarily overrode your sense of decorum..." She shrugged. "Might use that excuse myself, actually, now that I think about it." The caretaker let out a deep sigh. "As for me, I'm sure I'll be fine eventually. I've never been in an actual battle before, or had to fire a gun at a living opponent."
Yuri grinned up at her 'ya! lets do that together" she said before she listened to her speak. "same here, it was surprising, but i knew it would happen eventually when i signed up." she said and gave her another hug.
Returning the hug, Okimi smiled wryly. "Yeah, I know, but it was always one of those 'happens to other people' things." Releasing the hug, she shrugged. "Honestly though, I'm not sure what bothers me more - that it happened, or that I'm not terribly bothered about what I had to do. I always figured I'd feel terrible at taking a life, even of an enemy. And I don't."
Yuri nodded her head, though she'd been lucky in that she had yet to fire a bullet at her enemy. She knew the impact it had on other people. "I thought the same way, that healing would be better, since I wouldn't be good in a fight."
Okimi snorted at that. "Oh, don't you worry, you more than pulled your weight today. Honestly, I suspect we could have done with another half dozen just like you in the Medical Center today. I bet Poppy would agree too!"
Yuri smiled bashfully with a blush on her cheeks as Okimi complimented her. "by the way, if you need any help cleaning, let me know, okay?' she asked since she didn't want Okimi to overwork herself.
"Yeah, will do." Okimi took a quick look around the bay. "Honestly, I'm about done with what I can immediately do. I've documented all the battle damage in here, the corridor outside and at the airlock on Deck Three. "I'll send the report to Engineering and let them figure out if there's anything they don't want me to work on." She shrugged as she sent the file to Engineering. "Until they get back to me, I guess I've got some free time." The caretaker smiled mischievously. "We should totally track down Aoba-Taicho and hug the stuffing out of him..."
Yuri smiled at her "your doing awesomely" she said and nodded, knowing the engineers were amazing. Though this info came from Luna, when she spoke to her last so she might be a little biased. She smiled as she heard Okimi had free time. "wanna come with me to the wardroom? and yeah we should!"
With a happy, carefree smile, Okimi reached out and grabbed Yuri's hand. "Let's go!" She stated with enthusiasm, pulling the medic after he as she started the trip to the wardroom.
Yuri giggled and hurried alongside her.
Dojo
Yoshiro sat down as he felt exhausted and upset. He had been reminded of what he had lost during his first encounter with the Mishhuvurthyar. He started to hit the wall and started to sob but hoping no one heard him this weak, he was a warrior of Yamatai after all.
Thad walked into the Dojo to find a nice play to relax. After all the excitement going on, this would be a nice change of pace from what he had seen. He took a few steps into the place when he heard someone was already here. He poked his head around till he found a lone Yoshiro having a moment with a wall. "I guess what I heard about crying was true. Good way to throw the Mishhu off their blood thirsty killing urge." Thad called out towards him.
Yoshiro laughed a bit but the look in his eyes was that of rage. "Those mutated NMX bastards took my father away from me! I swear to whatever gods or goddesses i will end them all!" He said.
"Ah, some fight still in that soul of yours. Good, we may just need it." Thad said as he walked over to him. "We have all lost someone I feel. A sad heart breaking fate we all face." He then sat his bag onto the floor. "Care to have a round? I personally missed the action so I have a little rage to burn off myself." He reached his hands and arms in front of himself. His fingers interlocked and a loud pop filled the room. He then twisted his neck to the side and another loud pop sounded out.
Yoshiro put his gloves back on and smiled. "Let's go." He said and got into a fight stance. "You know the music, it's time to dance."
"Aye, time to start the rock track and have some fun." He stepped into the circle and dropped into a low wide stance. His hands extended towards Yoshiro. He did a quick step to close the distance and tossed out a jab.
Yoshiro sidestepped to the right and threw a chop at the back of Thad's neck as he passed by. "Nice move." he said as he watched for counters.
Thad tossed his arm up to counter the chop. The impact was solid and Thad could feel the power behind it. "Same." He said with a smile. Thad turned in his heels and returned his own chop.
Yoshiro was watching but even he wasn't prepared for the power behind the chop. Just barely managing to block, he slid back a few inches. "You must have trained a long time to get that kind of strength. " He said with respect. He got under the chop and uppercut Thad.
Thad was quick but not quick enough to completely dodge the uppercut. It caught him partly on the end of his chin as he slide backwards. He reached up and adjusted his jaw. "I been known to throw a few punches." He said with a smile. He once more quick stepped though put his shoulder into Yoshiro.
This time Yoshiro was not quick enough to dodge the attack. With a resoundingly loud "oof!" He hit the floor and raised his hands in surrender. "You had to have been ann ID-SOL. Your strength is amazing." Yoshiro said, gasping for air.
Thad walked over and extended a hand. "Half, but yes." He said with a smile. "Though not that it did much good not being in the right place. Here is to us being around to make a difference."
Yoshiro took Thad's hand and stood up. "As I said to myself a couple of times...Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! Thank you for the spar." He a genuine smile upon his face.
Wardroom
Captain Aoba appeared in the wardroom after being re-spawned by Poppy earlier in the day. He kept rubbing his chin as it could be a few hours before he could force his body to get his beard to come back and it just felt weird. He shuffled through the buffet line, feeling as if he'd never eaten before in his life, because that was at least partially true. At least the dinner menu of Squid had been changed at the last minute to steak and potatoes.
Trowa was in the Wardroom getting himself a cup of coffee that he reinforced with a shot of whiskey after the day. He saw Aoba enter and moved over to him. "Glad to see you back on your feet Sir. How are you feeling?"
"I feel we learned a valuable lesson. It wasn't our day and we weren't prepared enough," Aoba told Trowa. "It is unfortunate the Mishhuvurthyar are still lurking out there, and in a much wider range than we previously anticipated. I'm treating this as an opportunity to grow and study the new tactics of this old enemy."
Trowa nodded. "We did take some licks. But all things considered I think we did pretty well. We've seen that our crew, for the most part, know exactly what they should be doing and did it." Trowa had reviewed the logs and had found that a few of the crew had not been at their battle stations the whole time but that was something he could bring up with Aoba later.
"So what is are next step? Do we head back to Yam for repairs and regroup or do we stick it out here?" Trowa asked.
Yayoi nodded her head in agreement though seeing nothing of importance to add she remained silent.
"I intend to keep looking for the Wakaba. They've been waiting long enough for help already," Aoba said. "Giving up is not a Star Army value!" he said, taking a seat at one of the tables. "And all drinks are on me tonight."
Yayoi nodded her head. "Agreed, about time, we brought the Wakaba and her crew back to Yamatai proper."
Trowa smiled and raised his coffee cup. "Here here." He said. He was glad the search for the Wakaba was still going forward. He for one needed no encouragement to find the mission ship. His cousin was on there and Trowa meant to find him or at least learn as to what his fate was.
Aoba had gained a bit of a shadow since leaving the medical bay. Mineko had been trailing him. It was something a SAINT operative might do, but not an analyst like herself. She was staring out of her peripheral at Trowa and Aoba while uncharacteristically loading up her plate at the buffet— she hadn't had more than the most spartan of meals since coming aboard but now had a full plate of mashed potatoes with a side of prime rib. She was obviously a bit distracted while taking sidelong glances at the fresh-faced captain.
Sanda had finally gotten to shower and was now starving. She hurried to the Wardroom and was loading up her plate with food. But Mineko seemed to be taking forever to get her food. Sanda cleared her throat and said, "You going or not?"
Startled, the analyst looked in shock from her plate to the tattooed womain next in line, then back to her food. The plate looked foreign to her and she looked back to Sanda, about to ask her if there had been a mixup, but the implausibility of that hit her before she could get the words out.
"Sorry," Mineko said, instead apologizing as she took the mashed potato ladel and plopped some of her food from her plate back in its buffet container. "Bet you had a hell of a time fighting today, huh?" The analyst was going off of what records told her about her roommate, but she hadn't made the fighter's acquaintance proper until that moment.
Sanda shrugged and took the serving spoon and scooped up the potatos that Mineko dropped back into the container plus another helping. "It's what I signed up for... But yes, this was a tough fight today."
Mineko nodded resolutely, "See you around." She looked outwardly amicable while inside she was kicking herself, wishing she had the fighterly instincts Sanda possessed and that her kind held practically as birthright. 'Maybe then...' she thought.
"I'm going to get the crew to come down here and we'll talk about some things," Aoba told Trowa. He silently contacted Beryl...
'Welcome back to the land of the living, sir.' Koyama sent to Aoba. And then to Sanda she sent, 'Welcome back to hell.' the woman had escaped Thad once, and now she was back.
Sanda send an image of her rolling her eyes back to Koyama. Plus a smile.
Yayoi sipped her drink as she heard that Aoba planned to bring everyone down to the wardroom. She'd been happy to see that Yuri had been alright in the Medical Bay.
Bridge
After relieving Trowa of his short time is interm captain, Koyama sat in the big chair. Aoba's, it was more than a little intimidating truth be told. On simple reflex she felt her hand stroking one of the armrests while heaving a sigh. At the very least they'd brought him back via his backup.
"How are we looking?" she asked Zanven.
Zanven was still at the navigation panel Just plugging away at coordinates on the console. He was seriously engaged in finding what the Resurgence was after...of course since he was gone he felt a need to help even more than possible, since he had awoken though he was at the ready in case everything went tits up.
Koyama found that someone had moved Aoba's personal katana and left it next to his captain's chair, as if to say "never again." In fact, one of the technicians, Taro, had literally built a mount for it onto the side of the chair in the last few hours.
"Brax-Heisho?" Koyama raised her voice, staring down at the man from her seat.
Looking up from the computer he blinked a few times. "Yes ma'am?" he responded As he waited to see what the issue was or next command.
Koyama lifted an eyebrow, "I asked how we're looking." she understood what it meant to be in the zone. Zanven seemed to be on a whole other plane than she ever could achieve it would seem. Perhaps pilots were simply like that by nature. Granted he was currently flying several million tons of gunship at the moment.
"Are we still within the shadow of this rogue planetoid?"
Next, Gabriela returned to the bridge, looking better than the last time she was there.
Gabriela received a nod from Koyama as she arrived.
"Y-yes...sorry about that, I was plug in numbers to see if the probes and drones aboard could do reconnaissance for us...as for the rogue planetoid, yes we are still in It's shadow. And there is nothing out there scanning from what I can currently pick up." He said as he scratched the back of his head A little bit tired but not willing to stop just yet.
"They should be able to, if not, we can easily fabricate recon probes and drones to specification." Koyama answered looking thoughtfully at the weapon resting close to the command chair. It made an eyebrow twitch seeing it there just a slight uncomfortable chink in her armor.
"Well when another navigation officer comes back I will get back to tuning some specifications based off of the engine readings of our ship and the missing vessel. Just...precautionary planning Is all. I'll keep my eyes peeled and keep us in the shadows while we regroup and repair." He said before going back to work on the computer as he kept his eyes peeled for any indicators for anything bad.
"I've let Pidole and Euikoshi know to fabricate and prep them as needed." Koyama responded as she tilted her head. Beryl's voice piping into the bridge's audio. "If you wish, Zanven, you could go enjoy yourself with the crew. But the choice is yours. Not every day you get to jump from fighter to gunship."
"Hard to believe I would be on the ship hunting for a ship I once served on." she remarked with a shake of her head, "Small universe."
"Thank you for the offer ma'am but as you said...not every day I can go from flying fighters to a gunship." He said with a smirk as he was already sending small probes out at intervals and coordinates that he had already plotted when Trowa was on the bridge earlier. "I am sure Sakuko will understand and she can show me my new bunk later...". He said with just a hint of remorse as he listened to the acting captain state what a small universe it was. "You are correct on that ma'am..." He said before quieting down once again.
"Hmm?" Koyama answered, giving Zanven a sideglance, "Trouble between you two?" she asked.
Hearing Koyama speak up he shook his head. "Honestly no there is no trouble. All of the issues stemmed from the sudden attack. I woke up and came around in the med bay probably five minutes before shit hit the fan. She helped Sanda from what I saw, but there has been no time to talk. I assure you all is well." He said as the pilot was being truthful, but there was the slight thought that perhaps Sakuko...could be mad at him.
Koyama inhaled a breath, exhaling slowly, "You will have your chance to talk. Don't worry." assured the XO, all the while wondering if there was trouble in his little slice of paradise.
Hearing her inhale and exhale slowly he gave it some thought, pulling out the data pad he took earlier he sent a quick private comms to Sakuko asking if she was alright and where she was. "Thank you for the assurance, but...there is work to be done Right. Can't just hit the showers or the mess hall yet." He gave a lighthearted chuckle as the initial reports of the probes showed they were still in the clear.
Koyama brought a finger to her cheek, scratching at it idly, "I won't pry into it anymore if you don't want to talk about that particular subject. But know I am around and am more than happy to hear you out."
Seeing that the mission right now was quiet and Koyama was at least speaking to him and he wasn't being his usual loner self. He spoke up and reclined in the seat. "It's not that I wouldn't or don't want to ma'am. I am still trying to grasp at it all as well. I had a few issues fitting in around here, me and Sakuko...we just fit, but I have never been one to really...talk about relationships I guess." He said as he looked optimistic and carefree even as the subject was a bit heavier than most he has had on the ship.
"Kind of like being the new kid at a new school?" Koyama asked as her hands came to a rest in her lap. Eyes half closed as she began going through the sensor data of when the event with the Mishhuvurthyar occured. "Relationships are... complicated. I have only ever had two in my life. Both complicated. There are times I would've preferred to hunker down in Engineering and not leave than deal with them while I had them."
"But I can tell you this. Cherish it. She is a good woman, and you're a good man. And as you say you both fit. A rare thing out here."
Nodding in agreement about being the new kid at a new school he understood what she was getting at. When she seemed to relax he just looked at her with a studious stare before he stretched out to feel his joints pop...it was not like he was aching, but it was just a reflexive action. She then filled him in on her own experience and that made him smile before he opened his mouth to speak, but in reality...he did the same damn thing with the Nodachi when he first arrived.
when she spoke about the pair fitting together; Him and Sakuko...it made him smile. She took it further as she called him a good man and Sakuko a good woman, with their relationship being a rare sight. "I hear you loud and clear ma'am, perhaps once we find the ship and potentially have more shore leave...I'll make sure to take her out on a proper date...". He said as he put his hands behind his head, looking relaxed.
One of Koyama's eyes, still slitted open seemed to glance his way again. His observations of her was indeed of a woman relaxed, and she was to a degree. Because at the moment she was in her element. Solving problems. There was just something soothing about trying to solve this particular puzzle with the YSE's age old enemies' adaptations to SAoY countermeasures.
"If you ask her friends, beware, small ship, and we tend to gossip. That is if you wanted it to be a surprise." she warned, "But does anything come to mind? Wine and Dine? A movie? Those old cliche's? Or something else, hm?"
Her warning made him smile as he nodded as if he had heard this before. "I remember Thad and Mia's incident quite well...loose lips sink ships as they say so don't worry, if it is meant to be a surprise...I'll make sure it is one. However upon hearing you speak about exactly WHAT to do, well if I am to be honest...I want to take her out on a flight, rent a personal shuttle and go sightseeing, then enjoy some wine and spend some time under the stars...some quiet, slow paced fun. Besides, I owe her a back massage since Thad interrupted me when I was in the middle of one last time." He said before getting a notification on his screen from one of the probes. He scrambled back to the console to read what was going on.
"Pick anything up?" Koyama asked, keeping on as she had been but swiftly shifting from their friendly chat.
Shipwide
"Attention crew, this Beryl, Queen of Boxes, the captain has authorized a release of his personal adult beverage stash as a thank you for getting the ship out of a bad situation while he was out. Anyway who wishes to take him up on this may report to the wardroom," the intercom blared out.
Wardroom
"Sounds like a celebration...of life," Rossa laughed a little. "Oh, the Yamatai Star Empire. Where you can enjoy your own funeral," she said, pulling out hot apple pie, ice cream, and warm triple chocolate brownies for the crew about to converge on her wardroom.
While the flood of people diverged on the sundaes and booze, Mineko sidled into the empty seats around the captain.
"Sorry for not being there for you, captain Aoba-chusa," Mineko said before she had even sat down.
"It was an ambush," Aoba shrugged. "It was a classic case of overconfidence on my part. I don't blame you at all," Aoba told Mineko. "You know, in the Star Army sometimes we get a little too comfortable as the winners and there's a temptation to feel like we can win anything, but that's simply not the case."
The analyst shook her head, "You even knew it could be an ambush, though, sir! To me, that's the opposite of overconfidence."
Aoba just replied, "Mmm," with a distant expression and then started eating his steak.
It hadn't taken long for Yuri and Okimi to reach the wardroom. Upon entering, they quickly located the Captain. "Hmm, what do you think? Happy squeal then we each move in and hug from the rear?" The caretaker turned to look at her friend and tilted her head. "The positioning is all wrong for a glomp-style hug, plus that would be a little too unprofessional. What do you think?"
Yuri nodded her head as Okimi spoke to her and they made their plans. She thought she was right. "i know.. how about we just ask to see him, and then do it?' wont be from the behind, but in front of him like a proper hug.
Okimi looked at Yuri, confused. Then, she recalled her initial reaction to the earlier hug. "Oh yeah, totally not a day for surprise hugs. Can't imagine what I was thinking. Hmm, you think we should just ask permission from Aoba-Taicho to hug the Captain?"
Yuri thought about it, she knew that her mother told her that the captain was strict, probably the strictest out of all Star Army captains, but it didnt stop her. "mm i think we should ask."
Sanda sat down across the table from Trowa, who nodded to her as he sipped his coffee. That also put her sitting beside Mineko. Sanda didn't say anything right away. She had three huge steaks on her plate that she needed to put a dent in.
Yayoi had her plate of four huge steaks when she spotted okimi and Yuri's arrival. Her eyebrow was raised. She knew her daughter having raised her personally, she could tell she was up to something.
Sanda barely breathed as she woofed down her first two steaks. She had also taken Aoba at his word and had secured a fine bottle of Rum from his stash. A few drinks had her feeling pretty good. As she started on her third steak she glanced over at Mineko who was moving her food around on her plate.
"You were on the bridge when the Mishhu attacked?" Sanda asked Mineko.
Mineko suddenly seemed interested in her food and took her first bite, chewing while she thought. Finally, she had to reply, "Yeah, but they had attacked other parts of the ship first." The analyst's tone was forcibly blase as she avoided looking to her other side, towards Aoba.
Sanda raised a tattooed eyebrow. It seamed her question had struck a nerve. Then she realized that the Captain was sitting right there and she put two and two together. "Ah." Sanda cut a piece of her steak and chewed it thoughtfully.
"A lot happened really fast," Mineko divulged. She wanted to remain cool and collected, but her other desire, the desire to not let what had happened happen again, outweighed that shallow need. "If you wanted to run a new simulation, maybe we could reconstruct what happened and, uh," Mineko trailed off, pushing at her potatoes again.
"I'm always down for running sims to try to get better. I'd be especially interested in hearing an analysts take on things." Sanda agreed.
Mineko's eyes popped hearing that. In all the worry and concern about what she could have done better, she hadn't come to think that she would have a helpful take on the situation.
"I really look forward to that," Mineko said simply, but her eyes were grateful above a grim smile as she nodded to Sanda.
Sanda took a sip of her rum. "Good." She eyed her glass thoughtfully a moment before saying. "Don't let the incident on the bridge rattle you too much. Remember, they got past me first."
Okimi nodded to her friend, Yuri, and started walking determinedly towards the seated Captain. "Okay, although is it just me, or is way scarier to think about asking for permission to hug than just hugging?"
Yuri tilted her head as she thought about her question. "might be" she said as she followed Okimi as they approached their captain. As they got close enough to the captain to speak "Captain, Okimi and i wanted to start a morale initiative and we wanted you to be the first, sir. This initiative is where we hug people who might need it, and we were hoping to hug you, sir, if thats ok?" she asked/
Okimi just smiled at the Captain, nodded in agreement and rolled with Yuri's start. "We figure that if the crew know the Captain agreed to and accepted it, they would be much more open in turn to accepting this gesture of comfort and camaraderie!"
"If you want to, that is alright," Aoba told Yuri. He stood up from his dinner and stood there with his arms raised a bit. His expression looked a little suspicious of them, as if wondering what this was really about.
"Yes! Hugs!" Okimi cried happily, throwing her hands up, before nodding at Yuri and moving in to hug the Captain. Ah, yes, he was just as solid as she had imagined he would be. Good, he was back and seemed fine. The Captain was the first person Okimi had known who had died and been reborn. While she knew the technology was sound and more than proven, there had been that tiny seed of doubt that she was only too happy to banish. Releasing the Captain after a few seconds, Okimi immediately began making a mental list of all the crew. She put a tick next to the names of Yuri and the Captain. "Thank you Aoba-Taicho!" She bowed to her Captain. After raising her head, she turned to inspect the other occupants of the wardroom, trying to decide who was next in line to receive the new counseling treatment.
Sanda glanced at Okimi and Yuri, overhearing what they were saying about hugs. "Anyone who tries to hug me will be immediately put on the floor." She warned. Sanda promptly received an image of her being hugged by the XO. Just for giggles. It made the tattooed Ranger smile and she sent an image of a returned hug, adding. /There are a few exceptions./
Yayoi was stunned, and placed a hand on her face.
= = =
OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yoshiro Tanaka, iaincarter, Yuuki, Soresu, Miko, Zanven
