RP [Yamatai] Star Army Recruiting Center (YE 42)

Guerrero seemed genuinely pleased and immediately gave Takashi a warm and enthusiastically vigorous handshake. "Welcome to the Star Army! You're going to do fine, kid. Just pay attention and stay focused and you shouldn't run into any problems. The next step is medical, which is out the door and to the right. Lin-Taii (the MP) will show you the way. You're on a three-year contact until the last month of YE 45. Make it count and I hope you like this life enough to re-enlist when the time comes. Good luck out there!"

Takashi was taken by surprise by the clerk's sudden change in attitude from being so coldly professional to being so enthusiastic. Unable to find any words, he silently shook hands, nodded, and followed Guerraro's directions out the door and to the right.

Was that it? Takashi thought back to what Davonte had told him. There was a background check, a physical...and then the real test of his knowledge? Clenching his jaw, he realized that his day was only just beginning.

Blizzard said:

If Jax's arms were free, he would have pinched the bridge of his nose. He was really trying to turn over a new leaf here. Most of his issues during his last enlistment had been caused by his complicated romantic entanglements. He didn't like it, but he had no choice. It was time to put on the officer hat.

"Leila," He whispered quietly, yet firmly. "I have had a very trying morning, and I am just now coming out of a bad break up. You are a beautiful young woman, and under any other circumstances this behavior would be welcome. But at this moment, I am neither comfortable with this nor in the mood. To boot, there is a high chance that I will become your superior. The Star Army may not take issue with such an arrangement, but I do."

Jax straightened his back and looked at her with a calm, neutral expression, ignoring the very physical reaction he was having at the moment. He may have been an up and coming NCO, but he was still a guy.

"Please, get off of my lap." he commanded in a hushed voice, but in a tone that left no room for ambiguity as to his feelings on the situation.

All this time as a CEO and he still wasn't used to acting like this. How would he fare as he rose in rank and gained more responsibility? He assumed it would get easier.

Click to expand...

Leila looked up over her shoulder and made eye contact with Jax for a few seconds with this mixed expression face of sort of slight surprise, sort of bratty annoyance, and sort of bedroom eyes before she popped up out of his lap and smoothed down her dress. "Okay, Mister Boner," she said in a not-particularly-subtle voice, causing several other recruits to look over. There was a lot of smirking, chuckling, and whispering as Leila trotted away with her bounciest walk.

It was both a blessing and a curse that, at that moment, Jax's number was called signalling it was time for an interview.

Jax watched Leila go with a deadpan stare, which probably would have looked intimidating were his pointed ears not laying flat against his head, and his fluffy tail not lashing in annoyance.

"...Dammit." he grumbled his breath, because Leila's nickname was spot on.

Then his number got called.

"...Dammit!" Jax said again, a little more urgently. In his custom tailored suit, Jax stood and flexed every muscle in his body as hard as he could. The greenhorns were still giggling at him, but he didn't care. He'd get his revenge later. The catman shuffled towards the office, almost walking like a gingerbread man in an effort to "take down camp".

Satisfied all was back to normal, Jax knocked on the door, and once allowed in, took a seat.

"I'm Ittô Heisho James Guerrero," the interviewer introduced himself. He was a serious-looking, tanned, and somewhat aged Yamataian recruiter. He looked at his data pad for a moment. "I understand you have some prior service in the Star Army?"

"That's correct, sir." Jax nodded, folding his hands in his lap and sitting up straight as a wave of familiarity hit him. "I served under Taisho Hanako for three years aboard the Eucharis at the outbreak of the war. 05-Technician. I attained the rank of Nito Heisho before my contract expired."

"Wow, excellent," Guerrero grinned. "We could use some experienced NCOs. I can recruit green new trainees all day but it won't help the Star Army's shortage of officers and experienced NCOs. So having you come back would be a great thing. Taisho Hanako is one of those names everyone knows. I got a chance to know her when she became Deputy Director of Star Army Personnel because she went around training herself in personnel matters and that included coming here and helping me get people recruited. She still drops in from time to time. She seems like the type of admiral not afraid to chip in and get her hands dirty with the regular ranks. Anyway, I guess for starters I should ask why did you get out after the first run, and what brought you back here?"

The cat man took a few moments to ponder that. He had many reasons why he left, and why he was now returning, some of which he still didn't fully understand, but he eventually found an answer he thought would suffice.

"I first joined as a 19 year old immigrant who didn't think he had another option. I got into a few messy romantic entanglements with fellow crewmembers, I nearly died several times, killed a bunch of people, and by the end of the contract I wasn't sure I wanted to make a life out of that. I wasn't sure of much in general. I was only 21.

"So, I let my contact expire. I struck out, made some investments, started a business, got more money than I knew what to do with, started rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, traveled the galaxy in a private yacht and stayed in penthouses with room service. And at the end of it all, I realized I was less happy there than when I was getting shot at.

"It's not that I couldn't handle the challenges associated with the lifestyle, but that I prefer the challenges only the Star Army can provide."

Jax finished his speech and winced when he met Guerrero's eyes again. He'd gotten used to the flowery nonsense of boardroom politics. He hoped a few weeks spent amongst fabrication machines and enlisted would fix that.

"...Uh, sorry about that. You're a recruiter, not my therapist. Short version? Civillian life is boring and filled with trivial drama, and I'm going to go bonkers if I have to listen to another trust fund baby complain about totaling his sportscar. Please get me out of here and on a spaceship ASAP... sir."

"That's outstanding," Guerrero said. "I'll make sure you get your old rank back. Hell, we could go for officer if you want."

Guerrero stood and went to the flags at the end of the room: one Star Army and one Yamatai. "Ready for the oath?" he asked, "raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, (state your name), have truthfully, honorably, and voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the Star Army of Yamatai for the full length of my commitment. I vow to protect the peoples of Yamatai, to follow the orders of the Empress and the officers appointed over me, to live by the Star Army Creed, to obey Star Army rules and regulations, and to destroy the enemies of Yamatai."

Jax nodded and did as he was told. Officer, huh? Tempting. Despite his earlier complaints, one of the things he did enjoy about being a CEO was the lack of people giving him orders.

Any effort to put as few people above him in the pecking order was decidedly a good thing, he figured.

"I, Jackson Howard, have truthfully, honorably, and voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the Star Army of Yamatai for the full length of my commitment. I vow to protect the peoples of Yamatai, to follow the orders of the Empress and the officers appointed over me, to live by the Star Army Creed, to obey Star Army rules and regulations, and to destroy the enemies of Yamatai."

"Welcome back!" Guerrero grinned, giving Jax an enthusiastic handshake. "So, what do you want me to put in this box under rank?" he asked. "We can get you back at your old rank or I can basically say your business experience is translatable to military experience and use that for officer rank. Honestly, the Star Army has a severe shortage of officers right now. All these Santo Heis and no one to lead them, you see..."

"Let's aim high. Go ahead and mark me down for an officer position." Jax replied.

"And what should I put down for MOS specialty?" the recruiter asked, happy to help Jax find the perfect new job. "Any assignment preference?"

"05 Technician. Right up my alley." Said the nekojin. When asked about where he'd like to be assigned, Jax thought through his options.

He didn't want a planetary assignment. That would be more of what he was already doing here, but with worse food and pay. Deep down, he wanted to get far away from Yamatai. He wanted to be on a ship.

"Forgive me if this above my paygrade, Heisho," he began, leaning forward slightly and glancing quickly to make sure there weren't any prying eyes. "I heard a rumor about a vessel in the works. I think it's called the Resurgence, or Resurrection, or something. Supposed to be doing long haul deployments to the outer empire- exploration, diplomacy, that sort of thing. It's supposedly still in the planning stages, so I've got time to go to officer training before it launches. Think you could help me get a spot?"

"You sure you don't want to join SAINT? Because you seem to have a lot of connections and know a lot," Guerrero asked with raised eyebrows. "But yeah, I think can arrange that. So I've got you down for Mayame Officer School emerging as a Chui and then a posting on YSS Resurgence as acting Chief of the Engineering department. How's that sound to you?"

"That sounds perfect, thank you, Guerrero Heisho." Jax beamed, leaning back in his seat. It was all coming together now. Pretty soon he'd be headed to officer school, and from there, the stars beyond.

SA Recruiting Depot - Exterior

A dragon-esque figure stood outside the enormous gates of the recruiting depot, their red eyes scanning the recruitment fliers while they listened to an angry man shouting at them on the phone. The figure was of moderate height, and their gender was not easily apparent due to their baggy clothing concealing most of their more feminine features. Though their rather unique hair which possessed two tones, deer like horns, and reptilian tail were readily apparent. They looked bored mostly, not at all concerned with what the loud man on the phone was saying.

"Tatsugami-san think about your career! It'll be completely dead if you enlist!" the man on the phone shouted. "Look I know things haven't been your favorite lately but I'm sure something will come through for you!"

Finally the figure spoke, their voice was distinctly feminine though in the deeper range. She sounded quite aloof as she replied, "Watanabe-san my career is non existent these days and I'm tired of playing minor parts in animated content. I want to actually make a difference in this galaxy."

"But you can do that here in Kyoto! Please just think about what you are doing Tatsugami-san!"

This time the figure sounded much more stern, "Watanabe-san, control yourself. You may be my agent but I control my life, not you and not your firm."

"Please Tatsugami-san don't..." click, she hung up with an irritated sigh. Her phone quickly began to ring again but she just sent it to voicemail. Her eyes gently closed as she took a deep breath. It was time to take the plunge. When her eyes opened she moved to join the throngs of others entering into the compound.

SA Recruiting Depot - Interior
The strange modified minkan woman had made her way through the security checkpoint into the lobby of the recruitment center. A few people sitting there in the lobby seemed to whisper to each other as she passed, though she clearly paid them no mind. Whether it was her appearance or she was recognized didn't matter, she was used to the former and well if it was the latter she'd be happy to speak with them after she got her number. After all with the sheer amount of people present it could be a while before she was actually called. When she finally reached the end of the line for checking in she was quick to enter her name, Tatsugami Kozakura, and then her personal identification number in the console before her. A ticket was spit out from the machine, bearing a number. Her red eyes glanced down at the number and with a sigh she looked around. 'Looks Like I'm gonna be here a while...' she idly thought before finding herself a seat.

As she sat there she heard some whispering going on behind her and to the left. "Wait, are you sure?" One of them asked the other. "Of course I'm sure, who else could they be?" another replied in that sort of hushed harsh way of being forceful yet quiet. "Why would she be in a recruiting center though?" The first responded. "I don't know why don't you just ask her?" the second retorted. "What if it's not her?"

Kozakura simply smiled as she sat there listening in on their little argument before she became distracted by some of the informational videos playing on the video screens...

As Kozakura sat there she was surrounded by a motley assortment of other people all waiting for their numbers to be called. To her sides she could see a nervous catgirl of sorts with aquamarine hair and a long tail as well as a very muscular and self-confident male with dark brown skin who was drinking some THRUST-brand bodybuilding protein testosterone-infused soda and bulging sweatpants. Other people, include four-armed grasshopper insectoids, hulking lizardmen, a bearlike Kodian, a feathered, pig-like Phodian, and chromed-out robot were also around her. A faint fart smell from someone in the room lingered in the air for a moment, producing wrinkled noses and angry faces as people looked around silently trying to pick the culprit. A clatter of ice came from a robotic drink machine.

Looking at the screens Kozakura saw that the Star Army of Yamatai had dozens of occupations divided into color-coded categories like technicians, scientists, starship operators, and even musicians. The video showed a smiling pair of cooks in a tiny, shiny metal box of a kitchen with burger patties sizzling in front of them and then cut to some red-shirts sliding an replacement aether engine into a starfighter.

Occasionally breaking her eyes away from the screen, she noted the people around her. The muscle head next to her didn't interest her in the slightest, she was a proponent of body autonomy in that one should be free to do as they wish with their body but at the same time she just didn't find his aesthetic to be pleasing. As for the nervous catgirl sitting on the other side of her, well she did like the particular color of her hair. Though for the most part Kozakura was occupied with the videos. Particularly the one on occupations as there were a couple that stood out to her even. She was probably qualified for both the roles of a combat camera operator and a public affairs specialist, but she was also interested in the rangers. Leaning back in her chair she considered being involved with intelligence operations as well. So it was that with a soft sigh she closed her eyes for a moment to think. There were just so many options, and she didn't know what would be best. Of course that was partly why she was here.

The smell of the lingering fart snapped her from her thoughts and caused her eyes to narrow as her nose wrinkled. Annoying... she briefly thought. At present the video on the screen was showing some information she'd already seen and the whispering behind her had stopped. Apparently whomever was back there hadn't been able to muster up the courage to speak to her. That made Kozakura wonder how they were ever going to manage life in the military but ultimately it wasn't her business so she let that train of thought end. Her eyes drifted to the cat girl for a moment, it was then that she noticed how nervous the girl seemed to be.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" she asked with a soft tone towards the girl. "This place is a little intimidating right?" She was mostly just being nice, the building and the guards didn't intimidate her in the slightest. Of course she'd also had the luxury of thinking about this for some time, and had worked with ex Star Army personnel in the past when they served as experts and advisors on some of the shoots she'd been a part of.

The catgirl looked up at the woman next to her, first at her face and then glanced up at the antlers. "I am just nervous. I am not sure about joining the military but they talked me into coming. I like the idea of being able to travel around the universe and learn a job skill and be respected...but I am really scared of basic training and afraid I won't make it through. Also I am afraid I could die in the war. I don't want to get shot at or to hurt anyone. I'm hoping to get some a non-combat job on a logistics ship or something. Ughh, that smell..." She winced. "My name is Julia, by the way. Have we met before? You seem kind of familiar."