RP: YSS Wakaba [YSS Wakaba] Episode 3: The Scenic Route Home.

[demibear]

Engineering

Since Hiroshiko was not explicitly mentioned to be part of the shuttle teams, she made her way towards engineering to prepare fighting whatever fires were going to manifest themselves. Especially with the YSS Wakaba in the current state it was.

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba
Power Armor Bay

Setsunu Meiosei headed for the Power Armor Bay as soon as the meeting had ended. She had team to assemble. She reviewed her roster as she walked. Less than half of them green, marking that they were good to go. There were quite a few names highlighted in yellow and red and sadly, too many in black. She would need to pull other infantry to get her squad back up too full strength.

Setsunu examined her options. She quickly filled up two squads for two of the shuttles that Captain Canterbury had wanted ready to launch at a moments notice. But the third shuttle she was taking a lot longer to fill. No wonder, she was going to be on the third shuttle. Setsunu had been in the Star Army a long time. She could have been a high ranking officer by this point had she chosen that path. But Setsunu enjoyed being enlisted. It kept her in touch with the fighting enlisted as opposed to the insulation that so often occurred with the officers.

She was still reviewing potential candidates when she arrived in the Power Bay. Several members of her Angels of Death squad were there suiting up as well. Joto Heisho Haruka was leaning up against the wall playing with her Katana. Haruka was Setsunu's roommate and the second in command of the Angels of Death. "You done yet filling out the squads?" Haruka asked, somewhat impatiently. Setunu didn't answer while she got into her Mindy. Once she was suited up she began to braid her long dark green hair. "Almost." She sent her recommendation digitally to Haruka. The short haired blond eyes widened in surprise. You have got to be kidding me! Setsunu allowed the smallest of smiles to show before it disappeared again.

Before Haruka could say anything else, a bright colored neko entered the PA bay and began to suit up. When she was done she announced that she was Santô Hei Wakaba Yukina, and that she was ready for orders. Setsunu finished braiding her hair before wrapping it into a tight knot. She then began issuing orders. Haruka would take four Mindy's with her in one shuttle. Itto-Heisho Michiru would command the second shuttle. Setsunu had command of the third and announced two others to go with her. Then she added. "Yukina-Hei, you are also with me. Grab your weapons from the Armory, range and close quarters and head to the shuttle bay." Setsunu headed for the Amory herself and took an Aether rifle. Her Aether spear was always with her and was attached to her back.

 

[Immortal Cyan]

YSS Wakaba
Power Armor Bay -> Shuttle Bay

Yukina felt no small amount of shock at being assigned to the legendary Angels of Death.

"Yukina-Hei, you are also with me. Grab your weapons from the Armory, range and close quarters and head to the shuttle bay."

Beneath the unreadable mask of her helmet, the Maid Sprite’s jaw went slack as her new assignment filtered into her computerized awareness. Her hairless ears twitched in disbelief as she processed the call signs of her new squadmates, committing their names to her digital memory even as she tried to regain her stricken poise. Of course, the Sprite had known that she would be suiting up with the power armor teams due to the losses suffered during the boarding. However, she had believed that there were more qualified personnel available to take the empty spots on the Angels of Death. Surely, there was no place for a Maid on an elite power armor squad, right?

And yet, she had been mistaken.

“Hai! I won't keep you waiting, sama!” The Sprite answered in spirited tones, before offering her new commanding officer a bow. Shaking her head, Yukina marked herself as present in the registry, at which point the system automatically placed her in the empty slot, at the very end of the list:

Angel 10.

Wasting no more time, Yukina made her way to the armory to check out a newly-fabricated pair of Ke-M2-W3500 Forearm Weapons, before slotting them into the hardpoints. Her secondary weapon would be her standard issue NSP, so that she could still fight in the event that her Mindy was compromised. With that done, the Sprite marched towards the shuttle bay, not too close behind the towering figure of her commanding officer, her aether spear gleaming under the light.

Steadying herself, Yukina quickened her pace and took her place in the gathering formation, as the newest member of the Angels of Death!

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba, Shuttle bay

Setsunu went around and inspected all of those chosen to head out with the shuttles. As she expected, everyone was geared up and ready. Her Angels of Death were always ready. Checking the time, the Wakaba had only been in hyperspace for about 20 mins. If everything went to plan, they'd be another 40 mins before they came out. "At ease." Setsunu ordered. That was the signal that the Angels could remove their helmets and chat. There was PA Ready Room next to the shuttle bay where they could wait. It had heavy duty benches and some drinks in there for PA pilots on standby, like they were.

Setsunu entered the Ready Room as well. She kept a second Cello in the ready room as this was one of the more stressful rooms to be in. A lot of pilots hated the Ready Room because it meant they were on stand by, which meant they were not the ones already in action. That waiting to be called, not knowing what was going on outside could be stressful so Setsunu would play her to help her girls relax.

The dark skinned Neko sat down on one of the benches and spent a moment tuning her instrument. While she was doing so she sent a wireless message to Yukina. Sit with me. That was it. Her instrument tuned, she began to play. Eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to everything around she played. Most of the other Angels were talking quietly together or getting something to drink.

You're surprised to have been chosen to join the Angels of Death. Setsunu sent wirelessly to Yukina. It wasn't a question. She continued playing. I reviewed the reports and logs of the fight to defend the Wakaba. I was impressed with you. A maid, holding off the enemy as bravely and as fiercely as any of the Angels did. Setsunu opened her eyes breifly and looked over where the other two Heisho's Haruko and Michiru were speaking quietly, before closing her eyes again, savoring her music. Don't let them fool you, they were both red panels originally, good at their jobs, but both possessing a fighting ability waisted in the repair bay. Maybe you're the same? We'll have to put you to the test to find out. She continued playing before adding. Music is my passion, I play every chance I get. You never know when you might get another chance to. You're welcome to ask me any questions if you wish. Setsunu glanced sideways at Yukina and smiled briefly. I'm not near as scarry as everyone thinks I am.

Setsunu also sent another message out. This one was to Runa Seo. Santo Hei Seo, report the the hanger bay and get your shuttle ready for lift off as soon as the Wakaba exits from hyperspace.

 

[Soban]

YSS Wakaba, Shuttle bay

Fletcher made it to the shuttle bay after about thirty minutes into the jump. His job as the acting XO was to be wherever the Captain wasn't, which left him with a lot of things that needed to be gone over. His tall lanky form moved over to Setsunu. "Everything on track?" He asked.

 

[Immortal Cyan]

YSS Wakaba
Shuttle Bay -> Ready Room

Yukina had been prepared to board the shuttle and launch herself into the fray of high-speed power armor combat there and then. Her computerized mind and body had been primed to do so, her muscles tense with anticipation as her heart raced inside her chest. As such, it went without saying that she was somewhat discombobulated by the order to fall back into ease. And yet, as the newest member of the team, Yukina sensed that this might only be the first thing to catch her by surprise within the next few hours. The affairs of the Infantry were far different from the laundry rooms, kitchens, and storefronts that she was used to.

Accordingly, Yukina was the very last to take off her helmet and enter the ready room, though she wasn’t too far behind her new squadmates in that regard. The Maid Sprite took a deep breath as she did, before shaking out her hair and moving to one of the benches. However, it was only then that she was compelled to sit with Setsunu upon processing her commanding officer’s request. She was surprised to find a cello positioned nearby, which the dark-skinned Neko began to tune, then play a few moments later.

At that point, Yukina felt the stress escape from her body like air rushing out from a balloon.

The dark skinned Neko sat down on one of the benches and spent a moment tuning her instrument. While she was doing so she sent a wireless message to Yukina. Sit with me. That was it. Her instrument tuned, she began to play.

//Hai.// Yukina transmitted back as she sat down next to the Giretsu Neko. It was only then that the Maid Sprite had the opportunity to study Setsunu’s features at length, beyond merely passing her by in the passageways or watching her from a distance. Indeed, the gossip of her being a distant, unapproachable beauty was true—she was graceful beyond any shadow of a doubt, a realization made that much more evident as her sepia-toned features went serene with focus.

And yet, the Sprite didn’t dare stare at her for long.

//Thank you, sama.// Yukina answered telepathically. //I am, yes.// She admitted, in response to Setsunu’s observation of her mental state. //I knew that I was going to fight, but I thought there were still...// The Sprite’s transmission lingered, a hitch manifesting in the flow of her telepathic conveyance. //Better options available, to take the empty slots in the Angels. I’d ask why I was chosen, but I’m terrified at what the answer might be.// She continued.

Indeed, Yukina could only guess at how dire their situation truly was if things had gotten so bad that a Maid Sprite had been chosen to take a place in an elite power armor infantry squad. While she was a Nekovalkyrja and therefore obligated to fight, the implications of such a decision were too alarming to think about.

Instead, the Sprite decided to shift the topic of the conversation to other matters. Like violence.

//If you don’t mind me asking, what was it like to fight the Warrior?// Yukina asked, with no small amount of girlish spirit in her telepathic tone.

//I heard a rumor that you took one of the spikes off of her armor and stabbed her with it. Is it true?//

At that point, the lanky, yet lean and statuesque figure of the XO entered the ready room, compelling the comparatively tiny Sprite to jump in salute, firmly at attention!

 

[Charaa]

YSS Wakaba​

Bridge transition to Shuttle bay​

Runa had sat in her seat, ready to pilot and guide when she got the message. It appeared that she was going to be relieved of her post so that she could pilot the shuttle. “Hai, Ma’am! I‘ll be right there! ” She sent back. Runa lifted off her seat. “I shall be reporting to the shuttle bay as ordered!” she said to the other members of the bridge crew.

She flew through the hall, where she was reunited with Exyrus, who wanted to explore on its own and protect the territory. The two raced each other, and whether it was because of loyalty or some malfunction in the havoc drake’s flying technology, Runa won. The doors opened to allow the two to enter. “Hah! I won! Exyrus you cute little slowpoke!” She said, though, in her mind, she made a note to give him a check-up later, as if his slowness was the result of a malfunction, then she wouldn’t think she won.

The two immediately headed to her assigned shuttle. ‘Oh! The seats, adjustable!” She said, taking note of the signs and sat down. She watched as the seat shifted as it reacted to her presence and remade itself to fit her. “hehe! This is better!” She commented.

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba, Shuttle bay Ready Room
Setsunu continued to play, but her tempo quickened as her song changed; almost as if Yukina's question had affected her. It had in a way. Three months ago the Wakaba had a been in the toughest, bloodiest fight of it's career. Setsunu had been at the center of it, fighting against an enemy NMX soldier. The soldier was slightly different though. It had been in a Mindy, although one covered in grotesk spikes and other fetishes. The suit had been responsible for over 20 deaths alone, including two Angels. Setsunu, in her 13 years in the Star Army, had never fought against someone so skilled and so fierce and she had spared with the Empress's own samurai before!

After the battle, word had quickly spread about the "Warrior" who Setsunu had fought and forced to retreat. Setsunu wasn't one to brag, in fact she would often put down any rumors she heard about herself very quickly. But this one she had allowed to make the rounds. It was a moral thing. The ship needed something positive to focus on and to keep their spirits up. It had been Thomas' idea and Setsunu hadn't argued. She and he knew one another too well and knew that even if Setsunu didn't like it, it was necessary.

Before she could answer however, Haruko called out "Officer on Deck!" as the XO Fletcher came in. Setsunu stopped playing and came to attention. In answer to Fletcher's question, the Lady of Death, as she was sometimes referred to by her companions responded. "Aye Sir. Each shuttle has a three man team for security plus a pilot and science officer. We will load up just before the Wakaba leaves hyperspace and be ready to launch as soon as ordered to." Setsunu paused a moment then asked, "Will you be joining us Sir?"

Unknown part of the ship

It was dark and cold. This part of the ship had been heavily damaged in the initial catastrophe that had flung the Wakaba into unknown space. It was low on the repair priority because there were no vital components there or anywhere near there. It was the perfect place to hide. The NMX Neko checked her surroundings to make sure she was completely alone one more time. She had been part of a detail to stow aboard the ship in the very unlikely event that the Wakaba escaped. It had. So her mission now was to track it, learn what she could from it and cause any damage she could. The NMX Neko had a half dozen Mishhuvurthyar Parasites that she would use to infect the Wakaba crew. She had to be very careful though. If discovered they would track her down. But Arta had been trained by Warrior herself and knew the value of patients.

She had waited nearly three months, slowly exploring the abandoned part of the ship, setting up a base to work from. She had studdied the movements of some of the patrols in the nearby parts of the ship and the techs that were working in that area before she had stuck. The red panel Neko never saw what was coming. Arta had carefully dragged her prize to her lair. She had knocked out the Neko so that the parasite could infect it's host silently. It had worked. Arta had allowed it almost 24 hours to take complete hold of the poor Neko before sending the now infected being back out. Every few days it would report back to Arta. In the mean time, Arta would look for another chance to strike.

 

[Immortal Cyan]

YSS Wakaba
Ready Room

Yukina allowed herself to return at ease when ordered to do so. However, the Maid Sprite couldn’t help but to feel starstruck in the presence of the Angels of Death and the XO. With a calming breath, Yukina glanced back towards the other Angels in the ready room as Setsunu and the XO conversed, idly playing with her hair as she did. Then, her gaze shifted down towards her helmet—an unreadable mask that was yet the symbol of the Star Army. It wouldn’t be long before she would need to put it on again, but for the moment its teal lights were dim, indicating that her armor was in idle mode.

After glancing at her helmet, Yukina felt a brief surge of confidence. This would be over soon and before long, the Wakaba would be back in the Kikyo Sector.

Right?

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba Bridge

Thomas sat in the command chair watching the readouts, rubbing his beard absently. Things were looking good. No major issues with the engines. Everything that was running was running as it should be. The countdown timer until they exited Hyperspace was rapidly dwindling. At T minus 20 minutes he sent a telepathic message to Setsunu. //Are you all set?// She sent back an audio of the music she was playing. Thomas chuckled, he should have known she would have had everything in hand. //What's the mood? My girls are always ready to go... What's the mood on the Bridge? Watchful. Things seem to be running as they should but we're keeping a close eye on things. We're 20 mins out. At T minus 10 load up in the shuttles and prepare to launch. I want the shuttles ready to go as soon as we exit. They will be ready. Good.//

Shuttle Bay

Setsunu finished playing and put her Cello away. "Time to go ladies." Setsunu picked up her spear and carried it out of the ready room. She boarded the shuttle that was being piloted by Runa moved to the cockpit. She glanced at the miniature havoc drake. "Can your Drake survive in the Void?" Setsunu asked. "It might be safer to leave him behind, in case something goes wrong."

 

[Immortal Cyan]

YSS Wakaba
Ready Room -> Shuttle Bay

Upon seeing the Giretsu Neko putting away her cello, it immediately registered in Yukina’s mind that it was time for the Angels to load up. Swiftly putting on her helmet, the Maid Sprite re-synced her computerized mind back with her Mindy’s sensors and interfaces, the action coming as instinct to her as she quickly made her way back out to the shuttle bay.

From there, Yukina let her more experienced squadmates take the lead. She quickly filed into the shuttle, before strapping herself in and warmed up her digital mind with a few three-dimensional chess games played against her Mindy’s AIES, each initiated and completed within milliseconds. While she wasn’t good at the game by any stretch of the imagination, the challenge kept her computerized awareness primed for the demands of power armor combat. It also kept her from being distracted, so that she could better prepare herself for the task that was to come.

Before long, the normally peppy, empathetic Sprite fell silent as she waited for the others—the unreadable mask of her helmet a cold mirror for her thoughts.

 

[Charaa]

Shuttlebay
Like a good loyal and noble dog, Exyrus sat there beside its mistress ready for trouble and those troubles to cause it. Runa impatiently waited for the others to board the shuttle she will pilot when she heard Setsunu’s voice and giggled. “If a Fars drone can survive in space, Exyrus can, besides, it's been enhanced more than the warranty recommends. Don’t worry, Exyrus can handle the vacuum of space.” Runa said as she watched the others join them. Especially the cute pink sprite. “Alright beautiful warriors, crazy people, and best drake! It's time to rumble! Launching now!” Runa called back as the doors were immediately closed. The shuttle shot out of the Wakaba like a wasp or bee, ready to attack an intruder. “woooooo!” Runa couldn’t help but say, though fortunately for the others, she had activated inertial dampers so they didn’t feel it. “you know… its a shame I had activated inertial dampers because man, launching feels amazing and fun!” She couldn’t help but comment out loud.

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba Bridge
The Wakaba exited hyperspace without any issues. Thomas sat in his command chair studying the readouts that came pouring in. Normally he would have preferred to be on his feet, but he still just had the metal stump replacing his amputated leg. The data looked good. No dangers in the immediate area. "All Shuttles. You are clear for launch. Helm take us forward, course three-seven-five-five by minus one-one-nine-zero. Inaho, what are the scanners picking up?" Inaho looked up. "We're getting some promising feedback. Sending coordinance to the shuttles now."

Shuttle #1
Shosa Fletcher was in shuttle one with Jotto Heisho Haruka. They received their coordinates and launched. After a moment to get into position they made their own jump away from the Wakaba. Their travel was uneventful and they shortly exited. Almost at once they began to get single pings from they system. Several large gas giants orbited the star in the area. None of the planets looked inhabitable, but there seemed to be an interesting signal coming from one of the planet's large moons but it would take some time for the computer to scan and get a clear picture.

Shuttle #2
Itto-Heisho Michiru twisted a strand of her wavy blue hair absentmindedly. Like Setsunu, she enjoyed playing music. But there was no opportunity to play at the moment. She had received her orders and watched as her shuttle headed out in the opposite direction that shuttle one took. The system the entered was far more busy than Haruka's. There were some strong signals coming from one of the planets in the system. It looked like it could be inhabitable. They would need to take a closer look.

Shuttle #3
Setsunu smiled as Runa shot the shuttle out of the hanger bay. The mini Neko certainly had spirit. Setsunu extended her hand towards the Havok drake, allowing it to sniff her hand before gently rubbing its neck with her finger. It was good to have a special, close friend that was always by your side. With such a friend around, you could take on anything. For Setsunu, it was her spear and cello. Even though they were inanimate objects, they were very special to the dark skinned Neko and had personalities of their own. She was also very close with her Angels. Everyone had been picked by her personally and most had served with her for many years. Haruka and Michuiru had served with her the longest. In fact, the three of them had formed to Angels of Death squad. But as close as she was to them, there was someone she was even closer to...

Setsunu was brought back to the present as they received the the coordinates and Runa flipped the shuttle around and punched it into hyperspace. A short time later they also came to a system filled with several planets. Some were gas giants but a few looked inhabitable. Setsunu turned to the green panel with them. "Scan the system. Look for any ships or space stations first, then scan each planet. See if any are inhabitable or are inhibited. If we could find someone that could help us that would be ideal." She turned to Runa. "Keep a sharp look out for any dangers though. We have no idea what could be out there."

Back in the back of the shuttle, Yukina and Nito Hei Kai sat silently. Kai was like Yukina in that she had only recently been assigned to the Angels of Death. You could tell that she was honored to be part of the Angels, but that she was also nervous. She looked over at Yukina and asked, "Do you think we'll find anything... dangerous out there?"

 

[Cowboy]

Wakaba Bridge
Despite his peg leg, Thomas was up and pacing back and forth behind his command chair. Every other step made a loud clang sound as the piece of metal dinged against the deck. After a few minuets, Inaho finally turned around looked at him with a very annoyed look on her face. Thomas sighed and sat down again. Waiting for the three shuttles to report back was gnawing at him. He had intentionally sent each shuttle just out of scanner range so they could get the widest scan range but that meant for the next however long it took to scan the area they would be without contact. Anything could be happening right now. He forced himself to breath and stop worrying. Thomas suddenly had a craving for a smoke. With Yam being a 'non-smoking zone' he thought he had kicked the habit but the stress of command found him longing to light up. He had a couple of cigars and his pipe stashed away in his cabin, but there was no where he could go. Frustrated, he got up again and began to pace.

Shuttle #1
Fletcher and Haruka studied the readouts together. It looked like one of the moons in the system used to be a mining colony, although it appeared to be abandoned. But there was still some power or something down there because their was a signal coming from there. After a short debate, Fletcher decided to investigate further. The shuttle would drop off the team then hyperspace back to the Wakaba to report. That would give Fletcher and his team a little bit of time to explore the colony and see if they could find anything useful.

Shuttle #2
Michiru's shuttle moved further in system. The closer they got, the more signals they were getting. The system was definitely inhabited, but at this point they couldn't make out by what. However their scanners began to get stronger signals, Michiru was becoming more and more on edge. Something was telling her that there was trouble ahead. Finally a clear picture came through. Michiru felt like she had been punched in the gut. Her eyes widened and she could barley breath. "Get us out of here. Now!" She ordered. At that moment warning alarms began to flash in the cockpit. They were under attack! The shuttle began preforming evasive maneuvers. Michiru grabbed the long range comms. She had to warn the Wakaba. "Wakaba, this is Mermaid! Report Hostiles! I repeat! Hostile Contact! It's..."

Shuttle #3
In another system, alarms suddenly began to go off on Shuttle 3. Runa's board was suddenly lit up with contacts. Setsunu took one look at the board and quickly put her helmet on. "Evasive maneuvers!" She told the mini pilot. Over her comms to Yukina and Kai she said, "Angels! Launch now! Defend the shuttle!" With spear in hand Setsunu disappeared in a flash of light as she teleported out of the shuttle and into space. Her own scanners identified the contacts. About a dozen fighters were streaking towards the shuttle.

Over an open Channel, Setsunu said, "This is Joto Heisho Meiosei of the Star Army of Yamatai. We mean you no harm. Break off now or we will defend ourselves." Opening her comms like that would light Setsunu up to targeting but that would hopefully distract them from the shuttle. She was also hoping that the contacts would prove friendly. She was disappointed. Her suit began to beep warnings that she was being targeted by weapons. She could see two fighters coming at her. They began to fire. "So you have chosen death." Setsunu said as she flew straight at them. A PA suit is an awful small target to try to hit when you are in a fighter. Before the enemy pilots could react, Setsunu was on top of them. In a blur of motion she had sliced the canopy of one fighter away and stabbed the engines of the second. Two down already in barley 30 seconds. The others would soon learn why she was known as the Lady of Death.

 

[Charaa]

Shuttle 3
Runa smiled as the shuttle was launched, delighted to pilot and impressed by the engineers' creation that even she could use to pilot the shuttle. Runa focused on the task at hand, but Exyrus didn’t need to focus on helping its mistress pilot, thus it allowed itself to become distracted by Setsunu. It sniffed the invading hand, but allowed her to rub its neck, before giving Setsunu a lick as a reward for her gentle actions. Her screen showed her the appearance of the system, and immediately set her systems to scan as ordered. A moment her board was lit up with alerts and warnings, “oh shit of the elders!” she cursed as she immediately began evasive maneuvers even before she was ordered to. Indeed, they have chosen death she thought even as she worked to pilot the shuttle.
Exyrus sensing the danger around it, prepared itself for battle should the shuttle be boarded.

 

[BloodyScarlet]

YSS Wakaba
Infirmary
Dreams, that was all Calandri was experiencing while she laid on the table strapped up to different monitors. Some good, some bad, but all from her past, her home, her reliving her old stories. She was out in the jungle, with just a spear and her arms, as she stalked the undergrowth, she had a target, the trail will end one of two ways, she will take the creature back to her people and be honoured as the warrior princess she was, or she would die. She was not going to let the later option happen, she had been tracking the large beast back to it's den and it was almost time to strike.

She pounced and the world faded out and suddenly she was at a table with her family and the heads of another tribe, the talk of marriage between her and some random male, that definitely wasn't hunter material, so she hatched a plan as she raised a hand to silence the other chieftain "I will only unite with one of my skill level, if your son can beat me in a duel, I will accept, if not you can leave now." She smirked as she knew that they would either just leave, or she was going to put on a show.
And again everything faded out as the son stood up to meet her challenge, next she was ramming her spear through a random creature she had never met, it came with others on an airship as he chained people and killed others, she watched as her family was killed, she ran to try and save them but slammed to the ground and she jolted up, no more dreams, a white room, noise and things attacked to her. She was still in chains, she grabbed them and ripped them away from her with a grunt of pain as alarms went off, her vision slowly coming back into proper focus the thrill of the jolt dissipating. The beeping wasn't alarms it was the medical instruments connected to her, she looked around and saw a scared nurse "Oh.... oh no I am so sorry." the woman looked a little bit as ease. As the nurse got her up to speed with what has happened since the attack.

Hallways -> Bridge
When Calandri felt more stable she left the infirmary and was headed to the bridge, she wanted to let the captain know she was still alive and that she was at least in her mind fighting fit. She broke into a gallop as there wasn't many other people around as she moved to dodge people, her uncanny body being a surprise to most and others welcoming her back to the living. Soon she made it to the bridge at the speed she was going as she paused to make sure she was presentable, checking her horns, her uniform and her fur before stepping into the bridge.

"Santô Hei Valtok, back in the land of the living and ready to help out the crew in anyway I can." She gave a bow as she waited for a reply and orders, she heard a little bit of what was going on and tensed up a bit, another attack would be bad, with the state she remembered the ship in.

 

[Cowboy]

YSS Wakaba
Bridge

Thomas looked up as Calandri entered the bridge. He smiled and returned the salute before turning back to the caregiver he'd been talking to. After a moment the caregiver saluted and left the bridge. "So you're back in the land of the living hey Valtok?" Thomas said as he motioned the tall alien closer. "You gave us quite a scare there. That last fight was fierce for how brief it was. I'm glad to see you back on your feet." Thomas checked a screen and made an note on it before continuing.

"The truth is you've been out for almost a month so let me bring you up to speed. Supplies are running out. We still can't get the damn long range communication working right. Right now I've three of our four working shuttles investigating three different systems. Hopefully one of them will find something useful. A habitable, friendly planet where we can get help is the best case but any planet we can potentially get supplies from is good. At the moment we're just waiting. If the shuttles don't find anything useful, or if they encounter hostiles, then we'll pack up and try to make it to another set of systems and try again."

Thomas again had to turn away a moment and review another report that had come in. When he turned back to Calandri he said "By the way, that last fight where you almost bought the farm... Joto Heisho Meiosei was very impressed with how you handled yourself." There was a slight pause. "She wanted to speak to you about your fighting style. She's currently leading one of the exploring shuttles but I'm sure she'll want to speak with you as soon as she comes back."

 

[Cowboy]

Shuttle #1
Fletcher and Haruka explored the abandoned mining operation. Evidence pointed to the miners being some sort of humanoids. Based on the layout and the quality of the colony, they had done rather well. But the whole place was abandoned. There was some evidence of a fight but it had taken place awhile ago. Most valuables had been taken from homes. The city center, at least that is what it looked like, was were the signal originated from. Haruka took the point as they entered the building.

Shuttle #2
...

Shuttle #3
"Shuttle, break right...NOW!" Setsunu ordered. As the shuttle broke to the right, Setsunu flew straight into the two fighters on the shuttle's tail. The enemy fighters had no time to react before she was on top of them slicing with her spear. Two more brief explosions that were swallowed up in the vacuum of space. Setsunu didn't take any time to enjoy her kills. She was already moving to her next target. Already the three Angles of Death had taken out eight of the dozen fighters. Nine, Yukina had just taken out another.

The remaining fighters were warry now. At the beginning they had been lazy and heavy handed on the stick. Seeing easy prey most likely. That had cost them dearly. As Setsunu flew after the remaining three she was searching the area for more contacts. A dozen fighters didn't just appear from nowhere. They had to have a base or a larger ship they had come from. Angel 12, Kai, suddenly shouted over the comms. "New Contact! Bearing One. Eight. Five. Zero." Setsunu looked and saw. It looked like a large freighter, but the guns and energy signature coming off of it was more like a frigate than a freighter. Server smaller ships hovered around it. Looked like Gunboats. Far more than what they could handle.

"Angels. Regroup with the shuttle at One. Zero. Three. Five. Runa, plot a jump back to the Wakaba. We'll give you cover and teleport aboard just before you make the jump."

YSS Wakaba, Unknown part of the ship.
Arta now had captured three of the ship's crew and had them turned into Mishhu puppets. Through them she had learned of the state of the ship, their dwindling food supplies and their damaged long range communications. She had also, at great risk, learned the ship's location. Very interesting. Arta looked at her transmitter. She could send a signal out to her masters to report, but that would give herself away. Not yet. There was at least one thing she wanted to accomplish first. A strike that would absolutely break the crew's already fragile moral. Her master would be very pleased. Once that was accomplished, she would report in. Soon. Very soon.

 

[demibear]

Somewhere in the depths of the Wakaba

Mizumitsu Hiroshiko moved like a wraith through the half-lit corridors of the YSS Wakaba. The usual hum of the ship's life-supporting systems was noticeably fainter, replaced by an ominous silence. There was a chill in the air that bit through her uniform in that part of the ship, a remnant of the power generation system's failure to maintain the temperature. Hiroshiko could not help but feel personally responsible for it.

The aftermath of the command meeting lingered like a raw wound in her mind. She like she was the blame for everything since she failed to get the sensors into any real working order. The added weight of the failure was a burden she wore heavily on her shoulders, but she had no time for self-pity. The lives of her crewmates (and herself) and the fate of the Wakaba itself were tied to her determination and resourcefulness.

She made her way to a damage control console, an essential tool to figure out what was going on with the ship. Her hands became a blur over the console as she meticulously checked and rechecked every aspect of the power systems. She remembered the training simulations, the guidance of her superiors, their collective wisdom resonating in her mind.

To her left, an auxiliary power feed displayed an unsteady output. She knew it was a crucial component for the ship's auxiliary engines. If those failed, the Wakaba would be an easy target for any enemy lurking in the uncharted space.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Hiroshiko got to work. She moved with a deliberate speed, her nimble fingers dancing over the control panel as she worked to stay ahead of problems by rerouting power, bringing down nonessential systems, and redistributing the energy to maintain the ship's vital functions. But everything was being stubborn.

 

[BloodyScarlet]

YSS Wakaba
Bridge

Calandri was taken back by how Thomas seemed to greet her, of course she was alive, she was never dead, but she could disrespect him. Her puzzled look probably spoke more for how she was feeling at this interaction than what her words would ever say "Yes I am glad to be around, I am surprised how long I was out..." She could understand what was going on, dangerous circumstances to be in especially with a ship already quite damaged from an attack.

She looked completely dumbfounded at the way Thomas spoke about a farm and someone else wanting to know her fighting style that it took her a few moments to reply to anything even anything about the ships problems as she stood there for a bit too long. She shook away her confusion as she smiled and nodded slowly "Yes it would be good to show these fighting styles, I may have to change it for someone with less body parts, it is an ancient traditional fighting." She smiles as she something clicked in her brain "oh yes, I promised you to tell you what the words I spoke were, before I left Jia Luy avila, it would roughly translate to, to your last breath." She bowed as she thought for a moment "it is a shame I dont know where home is located, if I did, we could of landed there, the planet was very fruitful with fruits and meats." She looked away as she saluted "I should go and investigate what I can from the ship, maybe I could find some rations or other resources that may have been moved to other parts of the ship.."