RP: ISC Phoenix [Side Job] Beautiful Erasure

[Eistheid]

SAINT Facility, SOLOMN

Still holding her deep bow, Tamamo could see little beyond the movement of feet in her periphery, as such the compliment from the Shôshô came as something as a shock, one that like the rest of Tamamo's emotional responses was carefully compartmentalized and tucked away for later review.

Even so, Tamamo managed to dutifully get in a polite, "Thank you Shôshô." and an eventual, "Hai Shôshô." As she was directed onward.

Hearing footsteps Tamamo rose in time to catch one of the Taisa's glances, the white eyes reminding Tamamo briefly of a Neko she had trained along side, Murakumo Miyuki, or "Myu" as she had been called, while apparently the drive and dedication to the Empire were shared between the two Nekovalkyrja, it seemed this Taisa lacked the ruby red fur and hair, as well as the pitch black skin of Tamamo's former acquaintance.

As she proceeded forward obediently, Tamamo couldn't help but wonder briefly what had inspired the memory of her past, perhaps it was the look of dismissal, almost scorn in the eyes? It was a familiar look after all. Thankfully her surroundings provided enough of a distraction, even though she dared not directly observe them, the silhouettes of people, the glow of volumetric computing, and the familiar grouping habits of SAoY officers fainter and further back making Tamamo wonder just what she was being led toward.

The question of whether Tamamo was ready was met with another dutiful, "Hai Shôshô," though to be honest Tamamo had no idea what she needed to be ready for. After all, a zesuaium wall was hardly impressive, though such a thing was becoming somewhat rare in the modern SAoY.

The advent of the wall blinking, however set her mind on a tangent, envisioning the mechanism that would be required to facilitate such a function as well as leading her to wonder just what its purpose was, even as she was waved forward by the Shôshô giving her a much more intimate view of the second occurrence and the opportunity to further wonder about the construction of the object before her.

The pinholes that followed were an occurrence that was even more strange though Tamamo was impressed upon by the thought that they looked like a speaker grill, a thought that was justified a moment later as the wall spoke to her.

Her first thoughts were oddly benign, perhaps simply due to being tired of the entire situation, as such she found herself questioning things like: Is it really morning right now? According to which clock? Can it be said that the present time, if it is indeed morning, is good? Can any time be said to be good?

Dismissing the overly literal tangental protest in her mind, Tamamo instead answered softly and without emotion, "I see no reason to deny you a conversation. As such I shall indulge your request."

 

[Doshii Jun]

"Thank you," the wall replied. An indented curve ran between the two "grills," with its tips pointed upward — a smile.

"I am unsure if you have questions. You have been through much for anyone, but for you, it is but a trifle of time, yes?" The wall's smile faded, and higher up on its surface was a transparent circle that became whole after going through several crescent phases. Luna Bianca. The hole was too tall to see through.

"Can you tell me where you will go, after SAINT releases you?" The grills pulsed wide and narrow to the rhythm and tone of the speech coming from the wall. "They will not follow. I do not believe anyone can follow you ... because you do not want to be found. But I ask you to indulge me twice. I want to see you grow."

 

[Eistheid]

SAINT Facility, SOLOMN - Early Spring YE 38

"Where will I go?" The ultimate question posed was echoed thoughtfully a small, quiet voice before an enormity and at the heart of an even greater beast one that even now watched and cultivated its hunger. Instead of immediately answering the question, however, Tamamo traveled backward in the conversation replying to another idea posed, "I have many questions. These questions, however, I will not voice. It is not my place to know their answers, nor would it be yours to give them freely. Instead, I must content myself with that which is inferred, and puzzle together meaning from the abstract, to teach myself when nothing is freely given.

"As you suggest I have been through much, yet nothing at all, the horrors inflicted upon me physically and psychologically mean little to me, merely points of interest teaching me about those I have met and have yet to meet. The behavior of the few celebrated and rewarded with trust by the many infers much, and yet none of that is truly worth dwelling upon. As to dwell upon such things is to give power to those who do not deserve it. Something I'm sure which will earn a frustrated chagrin from those who celebrate their perceived influence and import.

A moment was taken in thought as Tamamo shifted from one foot to another in a facsimile of nervous agitation that while present on the surface, never touched that which watched placidly below. Here before a great thinking machine, she was insignificant, at the very least the construct before her possessed the capacity to think many more thinks, many times more quickly than she could dream of even in her modified state. The dream of being able to expand her mind had been one that she had quietly cherished for much of her brief existence, yet she felt that she would only have earned the fear and hatred of those who would seek to control her had she demonstrated this desire, or dared act upon it. As such she was left to wonder at what a mind so different from her own could think, how it could think, and what perspectives it must entertain.

Again she caught herself delaying, "Where I will go once I am free is something I can both explain in specific, and yet fail to illuminate in any way beyond the abstract. Immediately upon my release, I am likely to travel. Most likely back to Nepleslia prime. I had intended to once again visit Kyoto the heart of Yamatai, however, I fear that it would be unwise to expose myself to the populace given my stigma. Instead, I will quietly return to those whose kindness allowed me to live. To them, I will give my thanks and bid my farewell before vanishing into a less habited region of space for a time. There I will evaluate my options and take hold of a path which will most likely allow me to live a life free of fear, prosecution, and the grasping hands of those who would try to bend me to their own ends and will. After I have free'd myself from my perpetual fear I will blossom allowing myself to fully soak up the experiences that the universe has to offer me, to grow and become more than I am in my quest to better understand all that I can. Then perhaps I will bear fruit, born of my own labors and return to others the valuable lessons I learn and provide them with the boons earned through companionship and mutual benefit. How long this may take, and where this journey may take me I do not know."

Settling down into silence the small, altered form that was Sesshoseki Tamamo, the splendid killing gem both flawed and yet fascinating watched with uncanny intent looking upon the zesuaium grate before her wondering how a mind so unlike, yet at the same time, so like her own would respond to her declaration. Beyond this she wondered what SAINT would decide as she knew for certain that in spite of assurances her responses would be analyzed and considered before long. Even so, if SOLOMN was to be believed, she would be long gone by the time they came to their conclusions.

 

[CadetNewb]

SAINT Facility
SOLOMN
YE 38
Early Spring

She had stood quietly for what felt like the longest time as Tamamo spoke with SOLOMN.

It was certain then, it seemed. This may well be the very last time that she ever got to see the young Neko. Considering how the world had treated her for so long, it was no surprise that she simply wanted to run and hide. Find somewhere safe and simply live. The Kikyo Sector was cruel to begin with, but despite its veneer of utopia, Yamatai could be even more so. She could only guess if this was what Tamamo felt. Sakamoto had joined SAINT in hopes of finally finding the power she needed to change things, but despite her rise through the ranks, it just wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to stop her bounty. It wasn't enough to stop her butchery. And worse yet, it wasn't enough to give her even a hint of peaceful sanctuary.

The raven haired Neko's fist clenched as her lips bitterly pursed ever so slightly.

She was powerless.

 

[Doshii Jun]

SOLOMN considered the statements. Tamamo reasonably guessed this by the way the grates of holes seemed to wink shut and open again in a smooth, rolling pattern, down one row, then another, then another. A wave of winks, perhaps.

It considered for several moments. Tamamo knew the exact time, and so did Yuna, behind the glass, cut off from her charge. She knew that SOLOMN was figuring out just what the little blue Neko-like being was going to do with her life. It probably already knew. SOLOMN knew everything. What it said was another matter.

When the winking wave stopped, SOLOMN sounded happy. Even a little proud. Could a thinking machine do that? Yuna didn't know nearly enough about SOLOMN. Ull was to be avoided, SOLOMN more so.

"You give me hope for my children, Tamamo," it said through the grates, while a perfect orb formed between them. A planet, expanding as if Tamamo were getting closer to it. Even in large relief, Tamamo saw nothing past the fuzzy black parts representing ... a sea? And a massive river within one continent. The planet started to spin. As SAINT analysts madly scrambled to catch up to the image, Tamamo and Sakamoto knew the planet wasn't any they ever had seen before.

"Children" also stuck out. SOLOMN had no children. SOLOMN was a fucking computer, right? Yuna looked behind her and saw one of the Taisas, Takomi, blanch and send a jittering tirade of telepathic information to someone.

Yuna turned her eyes back to Tamamo.

"There was a time, long ago, where I did not think someone like you could ever be. We did not make you. We could not make you. You would have upset the delicate experiment we had, just by your nature." SOLOMN paused on a part of the planet that seemed to show a city beneath a massive cliff, in a valley that stretched toward the wide river. "Now, I see you as hope. You are outside of A and Ω. You are not Σ, rushing to her peak, or Δ, yet unseen.

"We see you as Π. The key who is constant, yet infinite. Your neverending has great respect among us."

Yuna winced as she heard another shout from Takomi-Taisa's direction, followed by telepathic bludgeoning.

"My contemporaries someday hope to see your fruit, if not share in it. But if we do neither, we will go to the stars secure in the knowledge you are free, Sesshoseki Tamamo.

"Good luck."

The grates filled in. The planet slowly filled in with material from the wall, ending in a pinprick. It was over. SOLOMN had spoken.

Soldiers slowly came back into the vast room from either side, but the Shosho, Ooura, was at the front. She appeared struck, a tad breathless, but not unhappy.

"Thank you for your time," she said in Yamataian and bowed. "Do you mind if we walk you to your new ship?"

 

[Eistheid]

SAINT Facility, SOLOMN - Early Spring YE 38

Oddly it was the time taken in consideration that impressed Tamamo in the time following her answer. So few she had observed took the time to weigh information. As the mind before her thought, Tamamo observed the small indications that something was happening, a curious piece of an interface designed to ease the minds of those who would have to interact with such an entity. Interesting that steps had been taken to avoid causing psychological discomfort and to avoid a fear response in the face of something different, to avoid the creators fearing the created.

The first words spoken were unexpected, after all, why would she inspire hope? She lacked the context to judge the mention that SOLOMN had children and for the moment ignored the implication in favor of examining and casually memorizing the image that she was being presented with. The water features suggested of a terrestrial planet, or perhaps it was naive to expect that water-like formations implied a habitable world. Even as her eyes scanned the image presented to her, recording habitually all that she saw and heard SOLOMN continued speaking of times without reference, a past time with the implication of the implausibility of her existence, the raw incapability to create, and the all too familiar indication that she caused trouble merely by being.

At this point, she was awarded a view of a city, one built in a manner that she did not wholly recognize, why she looked upon it however she could not say. The correlation between the imagery and the concurrent narrative presented by SOLOMN presented no clues either. She was certain that she was being shown something of import, as she was being told something of similar value. Yet she lacked the context to truly have an understanding.

The change between a singular to a plural pronoun was another point that Tamamo became fixated upon, like the mention of SOLOMN's children before, it was something that she lacked the context to appreciate yet it was clear that much more was implied than immediately apparent. Something important had been spoken and Tamamo was fairly certain that it went beyond merely herself. As SOLOMN drew to a close, the planet dwindling away, Tamamo for the first time in a very long time felt somewhat dazed. She had been implied to be important, a key, a constant, an infinite. Beyond this, she had been told that she was greatly respected something that conflicted with her previous social experiences and revealed an artifact of her upbringing to self-devalue. Something that she excised from her psychology on the spot.

Again the machine implied that she would be free, which was somewhat reassuring, yet at the same time, she was uncertain as to how willing the lesser minds surrounding SOLOMN would be in regard to meeting its expectations. Better to be cautious she supposed.

Left alone and in silence for a brief moment the sound of footfalls drew her ears, swiveling to follow the sounds, yet she did not immediately turn from the once again smooth wall before her instead timing her turn with the slowing of the (unexpected) Shosho's pace. More out of place words were spoken, thanking her for her time and Tamamo found herself bowing in return to the Shosho making sure to place her own bow deeper than the one which she was being presented with. While the Shosho might be willing to show a modicum of respect, or perhaps simply generous politeness to Tamamo she doubted the others who watched would accept less.

In the moment following the mention of a new ship (why would they give her a ship?) Tamamo spoke up politely in her own quiet accentless Yamataian, "I am glad that I could give you some satisfaction Shosho. Your more than generous kindness is appreciated." Tamamo paused briefly not entirely certain how to properly make her response before continuing, "I have no reason to deny you, as such I would be honored to comply with your request."

Soon Tamamo would be learning where SAINT wanted to take her next and discover what they next had in mind for her. Perhaps her 'ship' would be a flying bomb. An entertaining if somewhat disquieting thought.

 

[CadetNewb]

SAINT Facility
SOLOMN
YE 38
Early Spring

Despite the turn of events, and Sakamoto remained wary despite her seemingly calm demeanor.

After all, SAINT was beholden to no one. It didn't have to listen to SOLOMN, and sometimes, didn't even listen to their own, regardless of rank. For all the responsibility placed on its shoulders, SAINT was as flawed as any national intelligence agency. Perhaps even more so in some ways. Looking back, it sometimes seemed its main advantage was its technology. Not that that helped when there were moles, or if the business was so questionable even the agents couldn't stand it. Despite most being picture perfect agents, sometimes made for the role, even they had their limits, their flaws. Especially if that background bickering was any indication. For all they knew, SOLOMN might have crossed the party line despite its conclusion being the most logical.

SOLOMN or not, new ship or not, Tamamo was still in danger.

"Ara. I was wondering what it would decide," the Ex-Jiyuuian admitted with light airs. Taking the first steps, she motioned for the younger Neko to follow as she looked up what she could about this ship. "How do you feel?" Sakamoto asked, feigning normalcy. "Relieved?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

Ooura-Shosho took the lead with Tamamo, softly speaking to her in excited tones. Yuna fell in step with Sakamoto, her hair's usual bright colors faded to a dull rust and her eyes a faded lavender.

"Who the fuck knows what to feel," Yuna said as they walked toward the open space from where they'd come earlier. The doors already were open; Tamamo could see the ship with which SAINT had chosen to supply her. It was a civilian Tenba-class, without adornments or markings of any sort beyond ordinary. Yuna didn't think the tan-gold-brown hull attractive, but plenty of Tenba owners kept the original paint job anyway.

Yuna heard the Shosho tell Tamamo, with a wink and a smile, that her particular Tenba had an additional surface layer — Zanarium. Tamamo could run the ship with a low barrier and fully power the sensor-deflection coating without sacrificing speed.

The group stopped near the port airlock door into the starship. Everyone looked at Tamamo as the airlock opened for her. Yuna could only pout, which made her feel stupid and saccharine.

Ooura-Shosho put her hands behind her back, then thought better of it and put them at her side when she bowed. Not too far ... but farther than someone of Tamamo's station theoretically deserved.

"Your ship has a preplanned flight path that will let you safely exit the atmosphere and the star system." Ooura stood up again. "I understand if you might be paranoid of that, so it is only a flight plan, not an autopiloted course. If you deviate, we will attempt to protect you, but we cannot guarantee it as well."

She sighed and smiled. "Beyond there, you are free of us, Sesshoseki-san."

 

[Eistheid]

Ull, SAINT Facility - Early Spring YE 38

Walking in the company with Ooura-Shosho and talking to her was an experience that existed outside of everything that Tamamo understood of both the SAOY and SAINT. Further, it existed outside of the scope of anticipated behavior for someone of such a lofty station. While Tamamo was careful not to say anything of any great importance despite the cordial nature of the conversation she couldn't help but feel a certain gratitude toward the Shosho for her willingness to do something as simple as being kind.

As she walked Tamamo also responded to Sakamoto over an unencrypted digital signal knowing that a response was warranted while simultaneously not wanting to give a hive of paranoid intelligence agents a new reason to worry, "I suppose confusion would be the most accurate response. Overall, however, I feel fine. I appreciate your concern Sakamoto-san."

The suggestion that her ship had been outfitted with stealth capabilities was surprising, and if true made it less likely that they were planning to blow her up once she was outside of the facility, after all, zanarium was expensive. As such Tamamo expressed her thanks for the generous gift, before doubling back and emphasizing her thanks preferring to be overly thankful than underappreciative. Especially under the circumstances and present company.

Upon reaching the airlock, Tamamo found herself apart from the crowd. A pointedly familiar feeling though this time as much physical as it usually was social and mental. Turning to face them all and found herself mirroring the Shosho's bow ensuring that her own went deeply both in recognition of the Shosho's station but also in recognition of her gesture.

When she finally rose after holding her bow, Tamamo bowed deeply to each of the other Neko present before addressing them each in turn.

To Ooura-shosho, Tamamo spoke politely, "Thank you again for all of the kindness that you have displayed both in your generosity, but also your compassion and forethought. I will remember you fondly and will hope to live in a manner that you would find worthy of taking pride in."

Turning to Hirasawa Yuna, Tamamo smiled a little before intoning, "Thank you for your diligence, your concern, and your efforts. You have gone above and beyond what many in your position would have ventured and for that I am grateful. I hope that upon the conclusion of this mission you are allowed to return to your preferred assignments."

Sakamoto Hina was then held in Tamamo's gaze for a long moment before she spoke with a fondness and a bit of intimacy, "Thank you Hina. You have helped me when I was lost twice now, and both times you have guided me and provided me with shelter in spite of my shortcomings proving to be both a good host and a friend. Though my path leads me away from your hearth and your company I will not forget the kindness and care that you have shown me."

After a moment Tamamo bowed to each of the other SAINT personnel present and spoke, "I thank you all, though I know you not and will not know you, for your patience, and tolerance." Left unsaid in this was her hope that they would go forward to not merely satisfy their duty but to also make the universe a better place.

With a final bow to the Shosho, and a brief farewell, Tamamo stepped aboard the Tenba-class and after acquiring control from the ship's computer sealed the vessel, her neon pink skin tight prisoner's uniform vanishing from sight.

Once out of sight Tamamo set to work, scouring the Tenba's computer files for anything out of the ordinary or unusual, as well as checking for any possible discrepancies in the operation. She had flown Tenba-class ships in the past, and their function was known to her, though she admitted without proper diagnostic tools her options were limited. As she probed the vessel electronically, Tamamo did a check of the ship for explosive compounds or unusual devices, scenting the air high and low for any hint of heated metals resulting from the possibly femtoscopic reassembly of panels or components.

The engine, powerplant, and computer system were combed as thoroughly as she dared not wanting to take too long before departing, and after a worrying moment of acceptance Tamamo signalled her departure and set off on her way knowing that this would likely be the last time she saw any of those who had gathered both in judgement and defence of her person. After a moment of consideration, she added that it would be the last time they saw her as well.

***​

Following her departure from Ull, Tamamo had piloted the stealth augmented Tenba out of the Yamatai core system, and from there she had folded to the Ake system, taking her well out of her way. Here she had performed a brief EVA transfer moving from the Tenba to Dawn Station, whereupon shortly after her departure the ship traveled to nest itself in a predetermined location in the Ake asteroid field.

After letting herself in through one of Dawn Station's airlocks, Tamamo had abandoned her pink prisoner's uniform and in the tradition of Vincienzo Bortelli availed herself of an outfit, some cosmetics, and a charter to travel from Dawn Station to the Nepleslian system of Freemud. Before her departure, Tamamo made use of a public SYNC terminal to pass a message along to SAINT informing them of where they could reclaim her transport knowing that the Star Army would prefer to keep the zanarium in their hands.

After making her trip to Freemud's capital New Bernese, where she had spent only a day before securing passage and continuing along to Fortuna, and then Port Hope. Here she had spent some time mingling with the Freespacers getting word of her safety back to Echelon before continuing along her path to Hope, and finally back to Nepleslia Prime whereupon she had filtered back to Sargasso at this point transformed into a young Nepleslian Expanse settler eager to try her hand at joining the fabled Phoenix Service Group.

Upon returning to the only home she had truly known Tamamo had set about gathering her things in preparation for the departure that she knew was inevitable, the only thing left to do being the task of working another mission for the Captain Luca Pavone, and then making her farewells with her debt repaid.