>>992737
>>‘Who do you think I should bring?’

>>992737
>‘You say battering ram… am I getting any other means of help?’

Welcome back Mech

>>992737
>>‘You say battering ram… am I getting any other means of help?’

wb Mech

>>992737
>>‘You say battering ram… am I getting any other means of help?’

>>992737
>>‘You said that playing defense would only be patchwork – isn’t there another way to do this?’

wb MECHANIC

File: It'll Be Okay Son.jpg (45 KB, 240x180)

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'You said batttering ram.’ You furrow your brows as you go over the next set of files – this time estimating the wind and pressure. It seemed like such a useless add-on, really, considering that you weren’t going to be the one in the muck. ‘Usually that implies that there’s at least an army at my back – am I getting any outside help outside of The Ominato Commander?’

The Admiral gets to his feet again, placing his arms behind his back. You wonder if you’d taken the tone a little too aggressively or rudely – but when he changes his expression to a thoughtful one, you realize that you’re not in trouble. It was an honest question from your end, after all. After your botched assignment at Aquarius, you wanted to know if there was a fallback.’

‘Not on this one.’

It was a nice thought while it lasted.

‘All it means, Commander, is that you’re going to be crashing down what we understand to be an enemy gate – only, in this case, the gate’s bearing down a little too uncomfortably to give it a light nudge open.’ He seems to hold back a frustrated growl, gesturing to small photo attached to the document. One that you had failed to notice. ‘In-battle, we can’t give you the support that we want to. The RAYs are still under the discretion of The Admiralty, and to scramble everything we got on one go isn’t something that they’re keen on after being brought back down to earth like we have. The Navy’s offered gunships to keep you on your bearings, but they’re not entering the conflict zone.’

Indeed, there were several dots – five, in fact – littered along the grid of the photo with green and orange markers labeled PRIMARY and AUXILIARY with some numbers along the bottom that you didn’t make sense of until you realized that they were code designations for the gunships in question – apparently they would be working together with The Ominato Commander more than they were with you, if at all.

‘Once you get in there, you and The Commander are going to have to sort whatever mess is in there with your own wits.’ The Admiral adds, taking out his pipe… and dropping it as the rubber handle slipped. The item breaks in half as it hits the concrete… and The Admiral grumbles under his breath – you try not to comment on it. ‘It’s as simple as it gets.’ He snorts – Fusou picks up the pieces with a neutral expression, as though used to it. ‘And as hard as it can possibly be.’

You nod, going through the file. The objectives were simple. The task itself seemed to be too much too soon for an organization that had been sent with its tail between its legs not a month before – especially considering that you had been on the job for less than that and the other Commander was an unknown factor.

‘An awful big risk to take – I would’ve thought that something at my back would’ve covered more quarters.’

TBC

File: Fusou.jpg (2.23 MB, 4096x5911)

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‘We do what we can with what we have.’ He takes off his hat, sighing heavily. ‘I’m not usually on the side of The Court, kid, but more than anything, this is supposed to be a confidence boost for Taiyouga… and everyone else watching. After what happened, I don’t think that anyone’s expecting us to even give ‘em a bloody nose, and our job, for now, is to prove them wrong – for everyone’s sakes.’

‘A standby group would help, wouldn’t it?’ You press – you try not to sound desperate, but it ends up that way anyway. ‘I don’t think after what happened that they’d give me any vote of confidence.’

‘Contrary to belief, they are a practical bunch.’ The Admiral chuckles mirthlessly. ‘They won’t tear off any limbs than they can afford to, and right now, The Court can’t afford to lose anyone – especially not someone who’s lived through and managed to attach himself to one of their top two war machines.’ He snorts, almost smirking at this point. ‘Make yourself useful enough and they’ll run out of reasons to throw you overboard.’

He looks thoughtful.

‘I’m not encouraging you to do it, mind you.’ He adds, pointing a finger in your direction. ‘It’s just some friendly advice on my end.’

‘Of course, sir.’

‘As an all-out open warfare, your highest chance of success is to employ the methodology of power for power.’

Fusou, the raven-haired KanMusu, approaches you hesitantly – it had been the first time she had spoken up on the topic.

‘I read through the reports – and while I do not know The Ominato Commander, I don’t think that the both of you will have time to care for anything other than your tasks. Your status as the Squadron dipping their toes in… doesn’t leave much room for you to maneuver, so subterfuge will hardly be a factor in this case. It’s not a surgical strike; it’s a stormfront.’

You blink – strange as it was, she sounded a bit like Tenryuu to you.

‘I don’t wish to overstep my bounds, of course, sirs, but considering the nature – and the lack of volume in our personnel – I don’t think going by the way of over-thinking the stratagem would be beneficial.’ Fusou adds with conviction. ‘It’s not as though they’re as green as y – forgive me – as if they share your bowl of experience, and it would be…’

She gazes up at the both of you… before wilting and waving your attentions away, dropping into a sort of babble and bowing profusely with an off combination of words.

‘It’s just… an opinion, sir.’

You nod dumbly.

>‘Who do you think I should bring?’
>‘Is there another way to do this?’
>HAND IN SQUADRON MAKE-UP/GEAR ASSIGNMENT
>Write-In

>>993542
>>‘Who do you think I should bring?’

>>993542
>>‘Who do you think I should bring?’

>>993542
>‘Who do you think I should bring?’

although i do want to add that bringing BIG GUNZ is what i would vote for

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‘The Squadron make-up’s not specified.’ You point out – usually there’d be an inkling of what The Admiralty wanted you to bring on the assignment, but for some reason or another, the only thing that was present were the forms. The detail practically ended there. ‘Not that I expect it to be all the time, but…’

‘Missions are delegated on a pick-up basis.’ The Admiral replies, looking out towards the sea. Fusou approaches the both of you, handing you over another document. This one was of your own detail – you decide not to go over it, choosing to keep talking with The Admiral. This piece of paperwork was just a formality – you’d fill it up later. ‘The Court would like to give out more, but they can’t expand what they have left – as always, team composition is going to be at your discretion.’ He turns to you and gives you a look. ‘Bring who you think’s going to do the job right.’

‘Who do you think I should bring?’ You muse – if the paper didn’t say anything you reason that The Admiral probably had some advice. ‘You’ve been at this longer than I have – if this is an opening swathe, a stormfront, then I’m going to have to go in hard and heavy.’

‘I’d run the team that I believe can get the job done.’ He says simply. ‘That’s it.’

‘That’s it, huh?’

You look out to sea, watching the seagulls – the first you’d seen in a while – try to make their landing on one of the broken lower walls of the compound. It looked so peaceful now; orange, green and blue and the lazy roll of waves made it look like some sort of rippling blanket more than the home of your enemies – that would be where you’d be headed out to, again, and again, you find yourself swept with a sense of unease. The jitters always got to you – you weren’t made for battle, you were made for the kitchen and a barking head chef.

Now, the future of the war’s success was conveniently placed on your lap. It was almost insanity in motion.

‘That being said…’ The Admiral begins, frowning, ‘Nagato and Houshou are capable Field Commanders in their own right and Kaga’s one of the heaviest hitters on her own.’ He gives you a reassuring nod. ‘That’s not even going to go into detail on Musashi, if you want to take the risk with her.’ He jabs you on the chest, looking at you seriously. ‘Choose who you think you can work with and achieve the priority objective – that’s this old man’s opinion; take it how you want it. Your KanMusu are as dependent on your decision-making just as much as they are on their cannons and the Fairies.’

You almost wince at that. It always felt hard to come to terms with the degree of responsibility on your lap.

‘On every mission, on every front, you are the fixed point.’

>‘You mentioned patchwork?’
>HAND IN SQUADRON/GEAR ASSIGNMENT
>Write-In

>>993869
>>‘You mentioned patchwork?’

>>993869
>>‘You mentioned patchwork?’

>>993869
>‘You mentioned patchwork?’

>>993876
>>993884
>>993901
checking to see if the (yous) are back

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‘Sir, you mentioned that playing defense would only serve as patchwork.’ You catch on, biting your lip as you tentatively continue, ‘If that’s the case, shouldn’t there be another way to get this done?’ You try to bring up a point you find valid. It seemed like just a pointless show of strength on paper. ‘If they’re circling like buzzards, shouldn’t we bide our time before we push on? After what happened during the assault, it seems like such a huge gamble to… you know, do this on such short notice. You said it yourself, sir – if we’re at less than half a gross, we can’t stand lose anymore than what we already have.’

He grunts, picking at his broken pipe. You stop, hoping he wouldn’t sock you with it out of annoyance at your line of questioning.

‘That is a practical approach to things – but if we establish just a border, we only give them an excuse to push in.’ He answers grimly, not meeting your eyes. He seemed more interested in trying to get a smoke from his broken pipe. ‘What we hope to do with this operation is to not just establish our borders, but show that we’re able to push and hold ‘em better than what happened the last time. The Abyssals knew that we stretched ourselves too far and too quickly – it’s how they beat us and why we’re where we are right now.’ He finally turns to you. ‘Theoretically, this mission’s suppose to do three things intangibly – get our confidence up, get theirs down and to show that we’re still in the fight; and more than that, that we’re able to push up just as we were when we went on the offensive.’

‘Still sounds like a gamble.’ You thin your lips. ‘I don’t question orders, sir, but putting it in my hands seems like – !’

‘Son, I believe you were the one that picked out that folder from the briefcase.’

Your cheeks turn slightly pink.

‘I did, but – if I’m being honest, how do we know this just won’t provoke them to push us back even more and finish the job?’

‘All war is fought by assumption and prayer. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes the big guy decides to throw you a bone.’ He looks to the old, worn ceiling of the gazebo. ‘We’ve worked on the certainties as well as we could, Commander – our expectation is that we get them out of our space as much as we can afford on our side.’

‘So we tear into their poke, push them back, show them who’s boss and hope they re-think instead of coming right back at us full-force this time?’ You cross your arms.

‘How do you think wars are won?’ He looks at you incredulously. ‘It’s five-at-a-table with weighted dice and a button hidden from view. It never not.’

>HAND IN SQUADRON MAKE-UP/GEAR ASSIGNMENT*
>Write-In

*If you choose Musashi, you may only bring one other KanMusu

So, choose Mushi or not guys? Personally, sending a full team is sounding mighty attractive right now, especially using that Getsu we got from last thread.

>>993969
Hey MECH, can non-DDs do the point-man or scout roles?

>>993998
If it was that Lvl. 3 mission, Sushi would be good to go, but we're going up against a large group of ads so numbers would help us. Lurkers we need your thought on this shit

>>993969
if we can only bring 4 then it better be kaga, nagato, takao and nachi, if more than 4 then add shiggy and fluffykumo

>>994004
The assignment of your Squadron's roles is fully at your discretion. Common sense dictate which roll goes best where, but you guys should know that by now.

>>993969
Nagato, Nacho(Nachi), Takao, Houshou or Kaga and if possible Shigure

>>994075
How about Nagato, Nachi, Shiggy, Kaga? Because a CV sounds stronger than a CVL, and she can use this:

>Special Item: Getsu
>Stat Bonus: Support (+1) Defense (-1) upon Equip
>Bonus Effect: A magical rune infused with spirits from a world beyond yours. Generates an AUTO-CRIT (8) for ONE Roll in-combat. Usable only once per battle.
>Equippable by: Carriers

>>994082
Sounds good to me

What about iowa? Is she a "guest" in the literal sense? Or in the expetionary force sense?

>>994167
She stays in our barracks, but ain't hooked up to our Stream like the rest of our division. So she's really just an actual guest. She doesn't even have stats or equipment up in the statistics page.

This discussion is getting pretty long, so I'll leave you folks to it and come back later.

>>994167
>>994171
>>994075
>>994082

Why are we picking a Musashi mission and not putting Musashi on it?

Get Houshou and Musashi.
Houshous planes can scout around, and she can get the crit item.

>>994698
unknow amount of enemies and power
even she can get swamped, and RNG is a ficle bitch

>>994082
I second this. Even though we don't have Getsu equipped on anyone

>>994698
No CV's or CVL's allowed if we use Sushi

>>993998
>>994004
>>994006
>>994020
>>994075
>>994082
>>994141
>>994167
>>994171
>>994698
>>994703
>>994806
>>995061
Can I please have full confirmation on your Squadron make-up? It feels odd that there hasn't been a confirmed decision after a day and a half.

>>999349
I'm pretty sure the votes are in favor of Nagato, Kaga, Nachi, and Shiggy

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You tentatively fill out the form. There’s no room for doubt here – you needed your best soldiers on the job, and with the battlefield potentially falling into chaos again, you don’t hesitate to make use of your powerhouses one more time. The Admiral takes it back, giving a nod of thanks and getting to his feet as Fusou lifts the briefcase, which The Admiral takes from her to deposit the files and folders. At the back of your head, thoughts churn as you hope that things would go better this time. After what had happened with Nagato when you had gone off-grid and Nachi and Tenryuu being deposited into the MASH on your first operation, there was no room for you to get cocky – even with three consecutive successes under your belt.

‘Yuubari tried to do what she could with the trans sections, but we can’t give anymore adequate shielding for your Stream than we did during that last fiasco.’ The Admiral sounds as the briefcase clicks shut. ‘You’ll be taking the manned RAY again, so you’re going to be right at the thick of it.’ Your lips thin into a line – you’d read as much in the report, but as much as you wanted to stay on the shores in the safety – relative safety, anyway – of the Prep Dock again, you didn’t want to open your brain to yet another tenant. ‘Because you’re going to be effectively heading into a war zone, I suggest you try not to get too close. The chameleon circuit may keep your presence shielded – for whatever value, but those bastards still have eyes.’ You reluctantly nod. ‘Maintain an effective distance, but don’t hesitate to move out of their sights if the battlefield comes to you. The girls may be a little bit out of it, but Nagato and Nachi have enough between them to hold the fort for you if it ever comes to that.’

‘Telling me to keep vigilant, sir?’ You raise a curious eyebrow.

He doesn’t reply. He doesn’t need to, of course.

‘You have three hours before you’re required to be at the Prep Dock, Commander. I’ll see you then.’

Fusou and The Admiral leave soon after – Fusou, again, dropping some of the paperwork on the pavement as they exit the compound. Letting out a sigh, you drop yourself onto the creaky wooden bench and look out to sea again, trying to gather your thoughts. Once again, you and your team were dropping into the breach.

Three hours. You’d be prepped and ready to roll out in just over three hours in one of the most upfront missions of your, thus far, short career. Thankfully – or not thankfully, depending on which way one leaned – you’d been in enough life or death positions by this point to feel, honestly, a little calm. You had Nachi and Nagato there with you – and Kaga –

‘Didn’t think you’d be here of all places, Commander.’ A familiar voice reaches your ears. You wheel around to see a friendly face. ‘Penny for your thoughts?’

>Who? (Specify)

>>999526
YOKOSUKA FIRST DIVISION COMMANDER OPERATION FORM - 22C: ASSIGNMENT COMPOSITION

CODENAME: SHATTERED SHAFT

BATTLESHIP: Nagato
CARRIER: Kaga
HEAVY CRUISER: Nachi
DESTROYER: Shigure

>>999541
YOKOSUKA FIRST DIVISION COMMANDER OPERATION FORM - 26A - EQUIPMENT REQUISITION

Assigned:

Kaga - Getsu

>>Special Item: Getsu
>Stat Bonus: Support (+1) Defense (-1) upon Equip
>Bonus Effect: A magical rune infused with spirits from a world beyond yours. Generates an AUTO-CRIT (8) for ONE Roll in-combat. Usable only once per battle.
>Equippable by: Carriers

CREW STATUS: APPROVED

>>999526
>>Who? (Specify)
LEIA

Not like we ever talk to her

>>999526
>Iowa

>>999526
Iowa

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Iowa, clad in an open blouse – which you know you had seen somewhere, but can’t quite place where or when – and a rather tight leather skirt – which you, again, know that you had seen before – approaches you, her face glowing from the sunset’s light. Oddly, her expression doesn’t look anywhere between reluctance or neutrality. In fact, she actually looks like she’s. Well. glowing for lack of better word. In fact, being framed against the soft orange light of the sun like that actually made it all the more appropriate. It takes you a whole second for you to realize that this wasn’t woman – not just a woman – but a fully-capable summoned being able to tear a city in half if she was in the right – or wrong – mood.

After all, underneath the prim and proper attempts to be a superior officer, there was still a red-blooded male that couldn’t help but ogle. You try your best to keep that part in check – thus far, there had been minimal need to worry about it. Especially with Kaga and Nachi around.

‘Why’re you out here?’

‘Can’t I just roam around when I want to?’ She rolls her eyes – there was that sarcastic expression you had grown used to seeing now and again. ‘Or have you penciled out my place as a guest and put in prisoner as the role instead?’ You sigh, but before you can attempt a comeback, she’s already right next to you. ‘Mind if I take a seat?’

She doesn’t wait for your answer for that, either.

‘So,’ she grins widely as she begins conversation, ‘what has the Master of The House looking like he’s heading for the noose?’

Sometimes, you wonder, if Iowa wasn’t just a little too well-read; then again, considering that she had struck up quite a friendship with Tenryuu – another smart aleck and the most intelligent KanMusu on-paper, mind – perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing.

‘The Division has an assignment. An operation.’ You let out a sigh, feeling your worries spill over a bit more than you would like. ‘We’re heading up north and meeting up with another Commander.’

‘So that’s it.’ Iowa grimaces, lifting up what you make out to be a hard-cover book with worn pages and corners. There was even a tear on the side, but the emblem, while faded, was definitely familiar. ‘Guess it’ll just be me by the fire until you folks get it done, huh?’

‘If we get it done.’ You had meant for it to sound a little funny than worrying. It didn’t turn out that way.

She smacks your shoulder with the book.

>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)
>‘How are you liking things here so far?’ (Inquire into her well-being)
>‘Did you like your trip in-land?’
>‘Is that… Lionheart?’ (Inquire about the book in her hand)
>‘What has you in such a chatty mood?’ (Suspicious)
>Write-In

>>999837
>>‘Is that… Lionheart?’ (Inquire about the book in her hand)

>>999837
>>‘How are you liking things here so far?’ (Inquire into her well-being)

>>999837
>>‘How are you liking things here so far?’ (Inquire into her well-being)

>>999837
>>‘Is that… Lionheart?’ (Inquire about the book in her hand)

>>999837
>‘How are you liking things here so far?’ (Inquire into her well-being)

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‘How are you liking things here so far?’ You inquire. The Grand Lieutenant had designated her as your guest, after all; you might as well see into how she liked things around – the only inkling of her satisfaction that you got was the fact that she had Tenryuu had hit it off pretty well.

‘It’s different.’ She answers, quickly and thoughtfully. ‘Still, with it being that bad everywhere else, I…’ A ghost of a smile, a sad one, plays onto her lips. ‘I don’t think that any of us are in any position to complain about what we have and don’t.’ She turns to you, her eyes a little clouded, but still shining as they always did. ‘Right?’

‘When you put it that way,’ you begin, your tone a little tired; a small part of you remembers the glares and the calls from the civilians – eyes and words you were reluctant to remember. ‘I don’t think I can disagree.’

‘Although, I am a little confused as to the…’ she scrunches her nose. ‘presence of a mixed shower.’

You almost laugh. Almost.

‘This used to be a storage and staff building back in the day for some of the old dockhouses.’ You try to remember the details. ‘It was practically abandoned… the town didn’t want anything to do with it – The Admiralty hired it up for The Division to use as a temporary barracks until the Base is back up right. I don’t think the contractors had genders in mind when he installed those – last I heard from the report it was used by the old coast defense before it was abolished.’

‘Interesting.’ She says dully.

‘It was all in the forms.’ Your cheeks turn a little pink as you realized you’d droned on a little. You quickly add, ‘ The Admiralty has money to burn, if you’d believe it.’

‘I would.’ She nods agreeably, before giving the rolling waves a quick glance. ‘They couldn’t afford a partition splitting the showers, though.’ She sends a glare your way, but the teasing shine in her iris gives it away much too easily for you to rise to it. ‘I mean,’ she melodically continues, ‘it’s all right for you of course.’ Her grin widens. ‘You’re like a hungry dog locked in a prime butcher store after hours.’

You shoot her an unamused look. She doesn’t seem intent on backing down with her words.

‘I’m so glad that you’re enjoying yourself by flinging around alecky jibes at me.’ You answer her snappily, looking away and stretching your elbows – they felt a bit stiff now – as you hear the ghost of a giggle escape between her lips. ‘You and Kaga can start a club and hold general meetings.’

‘Oh, now that’s an idea.' She smirks. 'I can be a pretty good Vice-President.'

You only pout in response.

>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)
>‘Did you like your trip in-land?’
>‘Is that… Lionheart?’ (Inquire about the book)
>‘What has you in such a chatty mood?’ (Suspicious)
>Write-In

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>1000530
>>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>1000530
>>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)
It's not a happy topic, but I do want to get to know her better.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>1000530
>>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)

>>1000530

>‘Iowa, about why did they send you away?’ (Roll a 1d6 each)

>>1000692

>>1000692
put dice+1d6 into the 'options' part of the reply to roll a 1d6

>>1000692
Forgot to roll and dont mind this>>1000707

>>1000749
it can't be caps either.

Fuck this somebody can roll for me please? I think after this i going to sleep.

>>1000773
just put dice+1d6 in the options field. No spaces, no caps.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>1000773
If the QM will accept it, sure.

>>1000784
Thanks.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>1000530

>>1000565
>>1000628
>>1000639
>>1000846
>>1000886
5+4+4+2+3
DC:17
Totals:18

Result: PASS

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The both you sit back for a while, watching the rolling waves. Iowa had taken out the book and began reading it, for some reason or other unwilling to part company with you; either from laziness or the fact that the gazebo, bad as it was, was still a nice place to sit under and just… do nothing. The clocks must be winding by now, you supposed, lazing under the orange rays with a woman, a KanMusu, who wasn’t as bad company as you suspected during the transfer. Iowa read her book next to you, humming and following a pattern of crossing and uncrossing her legs, her eyes focused intensely on the pages. You, on the other hand, have your thoughts, strangely enough, rather full of what had the both of you into this odd arrangement.

The Grand Lieutenant had made a formal request of you and your Division to take care and accommodate her until further notice. The weeks that had come and gone hadn’t changed. Iowa may have been a newcomer and had shaken up the room arrangements, but otherwise, business had been as usual. You’d done your paperwork, sorted your team out and made your dues with the Admiralty and the chain of command of Yokosuka, and yet…

You didn’t know how all this had transpired. The questions rack your mind as you steal a glance at your companion, who was humming a little off-key – not that you could tell properly, but it did sound like it – as she immersed himself in her hobby. She definitely was a reader, this girl, and outside of Tenryuu, you don’t think that anyone else was particularly close to her. You suspect Nachi, of course, considering the fact that the three of you had come up with a farce to throw The Submarine off-course, but…

The circumstances that landed her onto your lap were still strange – and with your mind latching on to the days prior to her arrival – just what had been going on and just how it had happened, you find yourself losing a battle against the curiosity that now niggled at you. You decide to approach the matter, hoping that it wouldn’t backfire tremendously as your approaches had been known to before.

You try to start slowly.’

‘Iowa, that day that The Vice-Admiral and I retrieved you… what happened?’

To your surprise, Iowa grins at you.

‘Commander, what’re ya askin’ me here?’ She takes a tone not unlike Tenryuu’s. ‘You were there – you know what happened.’

‘Nations don’t just send out their last bastion of defense.’ You point out, almost a little too harshly, swinging one leg over the other. Iowa’s expression immediately changes. ‘The Vanzer Branch says that it’s given up on the war, and I can accept that on paper, but…’

Iowa shuts her book, regarding you neutrally.

‘Iowa, I want to know what happened.’ You say it bluntly, clearing your throat.

She bites her lip, but otherwise staying silent.

>Press on
>Let her go at her own pace

>>1000957
>>Press on
Hopefully we're not doing something bad, but I'm concerned about what kind of issues she's having that we don't know yet. Knowing is half the battle!

>>1000957
>>Let her go at her own pace

>>1000957
>>Let her go at her own pace

>>1000957
>>Press on

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You leave the rest up to her. There was no sense to push her if she felt so uncomfortable with it, but you felt that there was a need to know just what exactly had happened in regards to Vanzer and The Admiralty and… her. One didn’t just give up their one lone asset – their one lone defensive measure – without a fight and just decide to retire… and judging by Iowa’s reaction there was definitely more to it than meets the eye. You let out a sigh and turn your back to the compound, half-expectant half-reluctant. It was one thing to do the Grand Lieutenant’s dirty work… it was another to sate your own curiosity as to the occurrences that led up to the now.

After about two – maybe five – minutes, Iowa lets out a sharp breath, closing her book and setting it aside.

‘The official document stated that Vanzer would withdraw from the coalition in order to find other avenues to combat the Abyssals.’ She takes a tone not unlike Ooyodo’s. You turn to her to see her eyes closed, as if she was reciting something from memory. ‘That all assets would be turned over to The Admiralty, KanMusu included.’ A surprising, mirthless chuckle escapes her lips as she turns to you, a dark smile playing on her features. ‘The thing is, it was… it is a whole lot more complicated than that.’

It scared you, even if only a little.

‘You don’t have to – !’

‘I’m sorry, but… I kind of hoped I’d be able to put this off a bit longer,’ she looks at you with conviction – you don’t know ehether it’s to steel herself or to shut up, but you keep quiet anyway. She had decided to talk… and for now, you are thankful for that. ‘but I guess the truth’s got to come up sometime.’

You furrow your brows, confused by the terminology. It sounded like a sort of confession.

‘The truth?’

Your interest piques. A sort of hesitance settles over the both of you now. Iowa’s features grow ashen and… weary, while you find yourself – to your surprise – bracing against what looked to be the inevitable flood. Iowa’s expression of cheer had left her completely by now, and a certain tiredness – and acceptance – seems to settle in her eyes as she readies herself to finally divulge to you what had lead up to her transfer. Your mind keeps falling back on the day that you met her – how the both of you had met; how she had called out to The Admiral and practically phoned in her own rescue.

She lets out a breath.

‘The first of things was that… my father was growing unfit to maintain his position as my Commander – my Admiral.’ ‘I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but my Stream is a lot more… calm than your other KanMusu. That’s not a good thing.’ ‘A Stream that is too stable is recognized by the soul – the minds and essences of The Commander and The KanMusu – as its counterpart, and the synchronization rate overshoots and practically renders the human brain-dead.’

TBC

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‘I know that much.’ You could slap yourself. You didn’t mean to sound so snappy. ‘I mean, I know that’s why there are recruiting sessions, drives… we’re – humans – not designed to maintain connections above a certain threshold, even with magic and tech. The Admiralty cycles through Commanders enough that it’s practically an open secret – insanity or death, right?’

Iowa gives a small nod, her eyes focused on the horizon. There’s a tinge of anger – something not quite going in your direction, but enough that you ready yourself for any potential harm; Nagato had mentioned that Iowa’s presence was strong enough that she could feel it even without her being active at the time; you weren’t a firm believer in auras and the like, but after seeing the living rivers that were Yamato and your newest Division member, you really can’t help but realize that there may be a little bit of truth when people talked about how powerful KanMusu were.

Shigure and Nachi were capable fighters – Iowa, even here next to you in an open blouse and a closed book on her lap… was powerful, like roaring muscle car raring to go, its engine revving loud enough to shake, but not quite shatter windows.

You tell yourself not to step on any bad mines. Even at your best, you didn’t wish to go through another Musashi-esque experience.

‘Before my father, there were dozens of test subjects and a few deaths.’ Iowa’s voice seems to go on edge as she says the words. You yourself say nothing – you neither prompt her to go on ‘The stability of Stream is enough that it meshes too well – a Commander able to run through it with me is as good as brain-dead after the first run.’ She lets out a humorless snort. ‘I’m such a badass that they can’t hold on for any longer than a night. Impressive, isn’t it?’

You don’t react – almost immediately, Iowa turns away, clutching the side of her head.

‘I – I’m sorry, I…’ She grits her teeth. You can tell that she’s a little unhinged now, gripping the hem of her skirt. ‘On one operation I had to take on an Oni and… he had to activate my Override to supercharge me – that was the last time we were able to connect. We drove of the Oni the best we could – I broke my legs and had my guts barely held in,’ she lets out another breath ‘but after that, they said that he was gone. His mind couldn’t handle the aftershocks – that his next connection to me would kill him. We… after that, The Admiralty made the decision to try and find another candidate to take his place and… they couldn’t. So they tried something else – they tried to get someone that the candidates could form a safe connection with… and tried to engineer another summoning.’

>‘Tried?’
>‘Your father, he…’
>‘The Grand Lieutenant must have known about this.’
>Write-In

>>1001171
>>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>>‘Tried?’

>>1001171
>>‘Tried?’

nb4 Sister Sara

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‘Tried?’

It wasn’t that odd, but the fact that Iowa brought this attempt specifically piqued your interest; during your try-outs, when you’d bothered to join the others at tables, sometimes the topic would turn to how there hadn’t been an influx of KanMusu in years – how the roster had stayed practically the same but the numbers, from the war, had dwindled. It wasn’t until later that you’d found out that the Fairies and The Shamans were at wits end as the Summoning Modules were either malfunctioning or that there just weren’t anymore KanMusu to summon, which was odd considering the fact that the first half of the war so far saw hundreds of them mobilizing. That this particular attempt was brought up was curious… and you couldn’t help but go back to the reports and the rumors from that night at the table

‘I remember people saying that you were the only successful summoning in about a hundred attempts.’ You begin hesitantly – Iowa’s expression doesn’t change, her lips thinning into a line as her brows furrowed even deeper. ‘What happened on this attempt?’

‘Commander,’ Iowa turns to you, an unreadable expression upon her features, ‘do you know how a KanMusu summoning works?’

You scratch the back of your head – they did showcase the summoning of KanMusu, but as far as you knew, it was just about half a dozen Shamans standing around a pillar and chanting as the fairies danced… or at least that’s what the videos had shown. You didn’t get the specific details, but you supposed that it couldn’t be that much further from the truth, would it?

‘I know a little bit – not the whole technical process,’ you feel a bit stupid right now, stumbling on your words as Iowa raises an eyebrow, ‘but isn’t it just a bunch of Shamans dancing around a pillar with the Fairies doing the barnyard two-step?’

Iowa’s face goes immediately blank.

‘You know,’ she looks away… and then you realize that her shoulders are shaking. She was holding back laughter. ‘You should seriously stop watching those TV shows about us – yes, we get them back in Vanzer too.’ She snorts, snickering lightly. ‘But it’s a bit more complicated than that – it can take as short as hours or as long as weeks to find our spirits in the Afterlife.’ She quickly adds, cutting you off. ‘Not what you think. We KanMusu are concentrations of will and hope… if you don’t mind the description, sir.’ She cuts you off before you can snort your amusement – it just seemed so egotistical to declare it. ‘We… live, in a sense, from the dreams of the people we served in our past life as…’

Iowa bites her lip again, shaking her head. You kind of followed what she was getting at – that KanMusu were embodiments of sorts, but…

‘So, um…’ you try not to sound too pushy. ‘It failed, I take it?’

TBC

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She doesn’t reply just yet. She looks somewhere between thoughtful and reluctant.

‘It wasn’t a regular summoning.’ Iowa bites her lip, her voice low as she begins again. ‘The Summoning Modules were not able to find any KanMusu forms that were able to crossover through it – by official report, there were 78 Summoning Modules that malfunctioned and rendered inert in the attempts after me. I can’t… get into the details, but The Shamans said that to be tethered to this world, we KanMusu, we… needed some kind of humanity within us – I don’t know just what it is that gets us grounded, but they said that Vanzer’s waters couldn’t hold any of them. Any of us.’ She mumbles something under her breath. ‘That’s when they decided to use… other avenues.’

‘Other avenues?’

‘Commander,’ Iowa doesn’t look at you, her gaze distant, as though she was in some far-off place. You wait patiently for her to continue, unwilling to change the mood. After a hesitant second, she turns to you, her expression serious. ‘Summoning modules are… they’re a luck of a draw sort of thing – even here, or even there in Vanzer, to pull out a KanMusu’s soul – a ship’s essence and person out of the vortex and tether them here… it’s not just a typical operation. People can die. The KanMusu can be lost if the Shamans aren’t prepared or experienced enough to commune with The Deep.’

‘The Deep?’

‘The Deep is… it’s something of a portal. A gateway – according to the Shamans…’ She runs a hand through her hair, looking troubled by the minute. ‘That the Fairies are attuned to across realities and timelines and… how they bring us through. The Summoning Module and the Shamans, the Fairies… they act as a sort of conduit, but sometimes, most of the time, you get nothing.’

You nod, not quite understanding… but you get the gist of it.

‘The Admiralty wanted a hundred percent success.’ She states. You didn’t like where this was going one bit. ‘A Shaman… proposed to use some kind of call spell that she knew and proposed it – she guaranteed that a KanMusu would be able to be summoned just as I was – but the Module’s components would be… different.’

You definitely didn’t like where she was going with this.

‘Different how?’

‘I was assigned to capture an Abyssal of any Command Unit Type.’ Iowa closes her eyes. ‘I did… and we used the Shaman and the Admiralty would use the corpse as a component of The Summoning.’ She looks at you, her eyes duller than usual. ‘The guarantee was foolproof.’

>‘Go on.’
>‘The Admiralty went ahead with this? Willingly?’
>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’
>Write-In

>>1003696
>>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’
Really? Really??? I am unsure how they thought that Wouldn't screw up.

>>1003696
>>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’

>>1003696
>>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’

>>1003696
>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’

>>1003696
> Write in: "Like Prometheus stealing the flame... I take it they Frankensteined it?"

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>>1003696
>>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’

they succeeded, but in the wrong way

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>>1003798
What metaphor are you going for anon?

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>>1003837
That's a win in my book

>>1003840
Seiba class

>>1003696
>>‘They used an Abyssal corpse – an Abyssal’s husk – as a makeshift conduit. For KanMusu soul bait.’

I can just imagine how horribly that worked out, probably ended in fire

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‘They used an Abyssal Corpse – a husk – as a conduit?’ You practically snarl, getting to your feet. You hold back your anger as best as you can, clenching your fists as Iowa looks away, guilty. You barely hold in a swear, placing your hands on your hips and pacing up and down the gazebo floor – this was not the kind of bombshell you were expecting just minutes away from your launch. ‘What in the world would made that such a good idea.’

The pale, torn faces of the creatures that you had fought come back to the fore – that thousands of miles away, someone had thought up an equally-ridiculous and dangerous method… using what could have been a component from the eldritch depths and see it as a solution was beyond you. You had been a chef and working wall-to-wall with bosses that might as well been incarnations of nightmares and the fires of Hell itself, but you don’t think that any of them would be bull-headed enough to not see just how terrible an idea it was to use an Abyssal to try and summon a KanMusu.

‘Believe me, everyone was skeptical at the time.’ Iowa seemingly backtracks, a distressed – and somewhat guilty – tone taking over her voice. She tries to meet your eyes… but falters, looking down to her ‘I think we should have stayed skeptical, given the circumstances.’

‘You damn right you should’ve been!’

Iowa looks down guiltily. Seeing her down-turned visage, you cool yourself down the best you can… but find your thoughts incredulous at just how many missteps The Admiralty had taken in the face of desperation. First had been Aquarius – now you’d just found out that Vanzer itself had employed unscrupulous methods to get their problems out of the way; it was almost enough to make you just hit something nearby – one that wasn’t Iowa. As much as you are angry at the decision and that she had a role to play in it… you reason that she wasn’t the one to make the decision, and judging by how she looked she felt immensely bad about it anyway.

‘Commander, if you’d…?’ She trails off, unsure on how to either pacify you or how to continue. ‘Please, I’m… not done.’

You’re not either.

‘What possessed The Admiralty to – ?’ You sigh, running a hand through your hair. ‘You know what, never mind… but can you tell me how an Abyssal corpse was going to be used as a conduit? Especially right under The Shamans and The Fairies?’ Your voice raises itself. ‘After what’s happened, I don’t think that it would’ve been anywhere near a go-ahead for either party.’

Aquarius is definitely on your mind now.

‘She was convincing.’ Iowa doesn’t sound like she’s making an excuse. She practically spits the words out as she adopts your troubled expression. ‘Basilius’s pretty conservative when it comes to their magic… and The Shaman that came to us, she was part of a heretical sect.’

TBC

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You feel a headache coming along; taking the initiative, you decide to have a seat before your head exploded from the sheer idiocy that The Admiralty’s branch in Vanzer had decided to take – associate themselves with pariahs of their allies? How anyone could have seen that as a good idea was beyond you.

‘A heretical sect.’ You feel your voice hitching at the back of your throat. ‘When have any of those ever been good news in the history of mankind?’

Iowa stares at you.

‘You tell me, it’s your species.’

Despite the gravity of the situation… you can’t help but grimace.

‘All right. Go on, please.’

She brings a hand to her chin, closing her eyes, apparently trying to remember the course of events. You hang onto her every word.

‘The theory that she presented to The Admiralty was that The Deep was a sort of program that still needed fine-tuning… and that the spirits of any entities that weren’t yet bonded – spirits, essences that were uninterested and didn’t need to be tethered, needed to be forced and bound so that The Admiralty could materialize it.’ Iowa furrows her brows further, turning towards you with a serious expression. ‘I was their only KanMusu… but the higher-ups of The Vanzer Branch were split on whether or not the risk was worth it – if they were doing this… The Shamans and The Fairies would come down on them. They weren’t sure if the cost was worth the risk.’

‘That generally is the kind of thing sane people would think of.’ You answer crisply. ‘Why a Command Unit’s corpse?’

She sighs heavily.

‘I’m fuzzy there,’ Iowa bites her lip, going over her fingernails, ‘but according to her, they needed a conduit strong enough for her to contain and tether the KanMusu’s spirit to this world.’ Her lips thin to a line as she pauses for a moment. ‘It was… different from my summoning. According to them I was a lot… calmer than they expected after the tethering and materializing was done… but they weren’t going to do it slow and steady like they did with me.’ She shakes her head. ‘I went hunting with my father and we were able to get a Command Unit for The Admiralty… I lost an ear and a finger doing it, but… I managed to get it into their hands.’

She braces for your onslaught.

‘You didn’t think that there was anything wrong with it at the time?’

‘My father was reluctant to take part in it – but it was mostly because finding a Command Unit and keeping it alive meant I had my work cut out for me.’ She sighs. ‘We managed to bring it back and The Shaman did the rest.’

She lets out a heavy breath.

‘The next day, Vanzer had its second KanMusu… Saratoga.’

>‘Who was The Shaman and The Heretical Sect?’
>‘Saratoga?’
>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’
>Write-In

>>1004256
>>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’
Wait, so it worked? what went wrong then?

>>1004256
>>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’

>>1004256
>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’
>>1004261
Everything

>>1004256
>>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’
Time for Despair

>>1004256
>‘Saratoga?’

>>1004256
>‘Saratoga?’

>>1004256
>‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’

in before we encounter her and she gets very friendly with her tentacles with us

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‘That sounds like a… success, actually.’ You frown. A part of your feels a little silly for being so panicky, but… there was one thing that felt a little odd. ‘So what happened?’ A small, niggling feeling of confusion begins to tug at you, but you can’t quite tell

‘The summoning was a success,’ Iowa explains, biting her lip, more hesitant than ever to continue with her tale, ‘but The Admiralty, taking the shortcut by using an Abyssal as a summoning conduit, as part of the module, made the end-result tainted, corrupt… one of the MagiTek departments saw an odd secondary wave – that’s a core frequency, in case you’re not aware – and reported it, but everyone… even me… was just so happy that we were able to finally have something.’ She tries to smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes – they grow more sorrowful, more regretful, ‘I… at least for a while, I… I had a friend – someone to watch my back out there, and…’

The tears fall now, and she clutches her head as a hiss sounds. Despite yourself, you reach out and place a hand on her back, running your palm up and down the fabric of her blouse as she grumbles and curses, wiping away her tears.

‘Iowa?’

‘It was stupid.’ Iowa growls, angry – but you can tell that the frustration was mostly directed at herself. Why she’d do that, you have no clue, but you think that the best thing that you can do for now is to at least reassure her that you weren’t here to judge or call her out, but listen. ‘They should’ve… I should’ve seen it coming.’

‘The secondary wave?’ You frown, voicing your confusion, despite the atmosphere. ‘Iowa, what’s so strange about a… secondary wave?’

‘Sara – Saratoga was a Carrier, so it felt strange that there was only one link.’ Iowa explains. ‘I don’t understand it anymore than you do, but apparently Carrier KanMusu secondary waves… should have a certain property to them on the instruments – or something, I don’t know.’ She bites her lip. ‘They thought it was a loop – that it kept coming back to her, as if she was calling on herself instead of the planes, her pilots.’

Iowa shakes her head, running a hand through her hair as she stands up, lifting her arms and crying out, clutching the back of her neck.

‘She conditioned herself to her new surroundings faster than I did. She learned, computed the languages better than I ever was – at first I thought that it was just part of her, you know, but…’ She says it quickly, but you’re able to catch most of it. ‘I only know what was on the report – that she was exhibiting odd… powers.’

'Odd powers?'

'Changes in air-pressure. An insane ability to compute and sense magical presence.'

That did not sound good. Not at all.

TBC

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‘They saw air pressure rise and drop around her – there was an odd connection between her and her armaments, but because she was a Carrier, and Vanzer’s first, they didn’t think anything of it. They thought that The Heretics had given them what they had wanted – the means to make their stand against The Abyssal… when the day before her unveiling, she…’

She gathers herself – the string of words, one after the other, had taken a toll on her, but Iowa, as she was, wanted – needed – to finish this.

‘The Shaman didn’t just summon a KanMusu.’ You look up at her. ‘She had fused her spirit with the Abyssal’s essence – The Abyssal connection was her tether.’ She grits her teeth. ‘That was the shortcut.’

You close your eyes, looking downward.

‘Saratoga wasn’t a KanMusu.’ ‘The Heretics had summoned a Princess.’

Of course they had.

‘The base was destroyed after – I don’t…’ She pushes a lock of hair away from her cheek, looking away from you. ‘I don’t know how many more died, but I remember what it looked like – black, burnt soil… the smell of something dead; fire everywhere.’ ‘I saw her, you know… lifting herself into the sky and then there was light and…’ ‘She was gone – a few hours later, both nearby towns by the sea had been destroyed by a Princess.’ She continues, quietly. ‘The Admiralty had no choice but to turn to The Monarchy.’

You could see the whole incident flashing before your eyes right now.

‘By the time I was back, The Admiralty had lost most of its assets and standing.’

That, of course, was to be expected after dabbling so readily into.

‘After that, The King of Vanzer… he decided to have nothing to do with The Admiralty anymore.’ She rubs her temples, snarling again. ‘My father; he said that The King had to choose between permanently severing their relationship with Basilius and its Shamans – and by extension, the fairies or he could completely disassociate himself from the coalition.’ She says it breathlessly. ‘Dad tried to at least retain me – that even without The Admiralty, Vanzer could go on, but…’

‘Holding on to you would be a political risk.’ You nod. ‘Vanzer’s Admiralty became its own scapegoat.’

‘I saw her again when I was being transported into your care.’ ‘I… I don’t know if she was behind the attack on my convoy, but…’

She stops… and takes a seat next to you. The both of you don’t talk for a good while, stewing in your thoughts, until…

‘You’re going to tell The Court of Admirals, aren’t you?’

>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’
>‘I have to – if there’s another Princess out there, we can’t take chances.’
>‘This can stay between us for a while, but…’
>‘Were you… close to Saratoga?’
>Write-In

>>1004421
>>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’
tell the Admiral about this

>>1004421
>>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’

he's the Old Man for a reason and we trust him

>>1004421
>>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’

>>1004421
>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’

>>1004421
>>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’

>>1004421

>‘No, but I have to tell someone about this.’

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Your first instinct is answer with an automatic yes. Everything that she had divulged was dangerous enough information – now it was dangerous, classified information that you were a party to. A part of your mind wonders if Iowa just enjoyed making your life all the more complicated than it already had been without her presence… before you realize that you pretty much dropped yourself into trouble anyway, with knowledge or unwittingly, and if it wasn’t her, it might have been someone else or just your own lack of awareness that would land you into such situations.

There was one confusing statement that had begun to scratch at you as soon as she’d finished with her words… one that you look to clarify before you make a decision.

‘So the Court doesn’t know about this?’ You question her again. Iowa shakes her head in response – to your chagrin, the negative response only served to raise your confusion. After Aquarius and Yamato and Musashi’s previous predicament, you would have assumed that The Court of The Grand Lieutenant to be responsible for almost every sleazy backwater project gone wrong. ‘You sure about that?’

‘The Admiralty’s a coalition of independent bodies.’ Iowa starts, biting her lip and hesitating to continue. Telling you all this in the first place must have taken quite a bit out of her. ‘Taiyouga might have most of the sway, but every branch of The Admiralty acts on its own set. The Vanzer Branch operated under the consultation of The Royal Vanzer Navy and acted under the counsel of The House of Arms.’ You frown, wondering just what she was referring to. Sensing your confusion, she begins to elaborate, ‘It’s something like a war council in Vanzer; like an executive branch for decisions of the… military kind. The Court might’ve been established by the League of Nations, but every nation that was able and chosen by The Shamans operates almost independently – for nations like Romeria and Vanzer, The Court is more of a review body than an actual command link.’

That part of the explanation did make sense – with The Abyssals taking over practically every over-ocean air base route, The Admiralty wouldn’t have been allowed to go unchecked, especially not in Vanzer – and especially not when their King was in charge. You may not have been well-versed in Vanzer’s historical logs, but you knew enough as a child to know that Vanzer’s line of royalty always had a strong hand in their military arms. It was almost a tradition for The King to be at the bow of the ship or commanding his troops.

‘So how did it get approved? The House of Arms… just decided it would be a good idea?’ You fling your arms open, exaspeated. ‘No one around took a step back and wondered just why or how a Heretical Sect would bring Vanzer back from the brink?’

TBC

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Iowa gets to her feet, glaring daggers at you.

‘You don’t know how bad it was over there – the coast was almost under a weekly attack chain. We lost cities, towns, people… and in the last year Vanzer two major cities were swept away by Princesses and their forces.’ She raises her voice, jabbing you roughly with a finger. ‘If you think things are depressing here, they were horrible there.’ She looks her way, closing her eyes and calming herself down. ‘How do you make a choice between which cities to take care of and which ones to let drown?’

‘Desperation doesn’t make a decision any better.’ You grab onto her finger and pull it away from her chest… experiences come bac – wisdom seeps through. ‘Sometimes… it can even make things worse.’

‘I know.’ She says in a small voice.

‘The Court of Admirals don’t know a thing about this, then, I suppose?’

‘The Court’s aware of the dissolution of their Vanzer Branch and the withdrawal of Vanzer from the coalition.’ She looks troubled now, pulling her hand away from yours. ‘That’s as far as they know about it – that, and that I’d be transferred into their care.’ She lets out another sigh as she continues. ‘The monarchy didn’t want anything that would’ve damaged their standing in the nation, so they did their best to cover it up… and whatever was left of The Admiralty would agree to just slip away quietly in return.’

As she finishes… you realize this wasn’t something that you could just keep down.

‘I have to tell someone about this, Iowa.’ You answer – she nods meekly at the declaration, prompting you to continue. ‘Something this big… why’d you decide to just keep quiet about it? Why tell me?’

‘I was under orders to deny the existence of any and all information that led back to Saratoga’s summoning and… everything that came after.’ Again, she sounds like Ooyodo. ‘It’s stupid, but my role in this whole dig is to just join you and The Taiyouga Admiralty and just shut up and do my job – everything to that project, as far as they – and as far as I’m concerned – is a closed book.’

She smiles a little now, framed by the orange glow of the sun.

‘But you’re… strange to me. The Vice-Admiral, The Admiral… you’re good people. So I guess that what you can say about this is that this is my little desperate measure.’ ‘Saratoga is still out there… and everything with Vanzer and The Admiralty, I think that if there’s any stranger worth opening this can of worms up again for, it’d be you and your crew.’

She is definitely trying to butter you up now.

>‘You’re lucky you’re pretty, really.’ (Joke, lighten the mood)
>‘This is big – I’m going to have bring this up top, so I can’t make any promises on how you want this done.’ (Professional)
>‘Iowa, were you and Saratoga close?’
>Write-In

>>1007117
>>‘Iowa, were you and Saratoga close?’

>>1007117
>>‘You’re lucky you’re pretty, really.’ (Joke, lighten the mood)
>‘Iowa, were you and Saratoga close?’

A bit less depressing stuff, some more personal stuff. If not possible to do both, I pick first one.

>>1007117
>>‘You’re lucky you’re pretty, really.’ (Joke, lighten the mood)

>>1007117
>‘You’re lucky you’re pretty, really.’ (Joke, lighten the mood)

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‘You’re lucky you’re pretty, really.’ You try to make it sound light-hearted – with everything that had just spilled out you’re not sure if this was the particular tone to take, but… you’d just about had enough with the dreary atmosphere. ‘No, really, if you were, you know me spilling the beans it’d probably end up with me being in the brig and with-holding information.’ You pause, biting your lip and feeling thoughtful. ‘Which is probably what’ll happen, in any case, if this gets into the wrong hands.’

She brushes a stray lock of hair away – a gust of wind had blown, warm and rough.

‘I know.’

The both of you share a grimace and look back out to sea – you lean against one of the worn pillars of the gazebo and watch the sun set. The noisy seagulls from before had all but left, probably to their nests or to another side of the beach to have their fill… and Iowa had swung her leg onto the bench and her book resting on her lap, pressed against the stomach as the both of you take in the serene sight of the oncoming darkness. The passage of time reminds you of your assignment – The Admiral would sort out your team’s preparation, as always… you’d have to concentrate on your own part of the operation.

‘I don’t know what you expected coming to me, Iowa, but I’ll do what I can.’ You answer with a finality. You really couldn’t promise anymore than you could do… but someone, maybe The Vice-Admiral or The Admiral, perhaps even someone else could make sense of what to do with the what you’d been given. ‘But you gotta understand, this… this is more than just big, you know? Summoning an Abyssal Princess, that’s…’

You trail off, crossing your arms and sighing. The gears of your thoughts click and whirr as you regard your guest – instead of ending up finding out more about her, there’d been an array of questions that just sprung up. She doesn’t seem to listen to you right now, though, stewing in her own train of thought.

‘The Admiralty and Vanzer were fully committed to the event of failure.’ Iowa laughs humorlessly, throwing her head back and regarding you with dull, deep eyes. ‘I don’t think they – I don’t think I… or any of us thought that this would happen.’

‘Like I said,’ you give a half-smile, sliding down the pillar and scratching the back of your head, ‘desperation doesn’t make things better. It only means you ignore what makes it worse.’

‘You know, I find it a little strange that you used to be a kitchen hand.’

‘Cook.’ You frown.

‘Mind sharing with me some of your days behind the stove?’

You blink. No one had ever asked that before.

>Talk about yourself (Write-In Extras optional)

CHANGE TOPIC
>‘Why do you think the Summoning Modules aren’t working anymore?’
>‘About Saratoga…’
>‘That’s about it, right?’ END INTERLUDE
>Write-In

>>1007600
>>Talk about yourself (Write-In Extras optional)
Err... Other than the few bits from thread 1, I don't remember that much about the MC himself. Anyone else has ideas?

>>1007600
>>‘Why do you think the Summoning Modules aren’t working anymore?’
>>1007653
I don't think we know much about the MC's past

>>1007653
He used to be a cook in a few restaurants like any minimum wage slave, bounced around, whatever happens in between is up to you. Did he have good bosses or co-workers that gave him sound advice? Were there people that he used to know and want to get to know again? What did he learn from his work?

Draw on your own experiences in work and the like and put them here.

>>1007600
>Talk about yourself (Write-In Extras optional)

MC probably had a terrible time in all the kitchens he's been in, aside from the one time a creation of his own made it to the permanent menu.

More importantly since video games do exist in the world, does something akin to metal gear solid exist, and if so we should talk about that being our other inspiration in life besides the kanmusu.

>>1007677
Ooooh, got it.

>"You know, I didn't really intend to become a cook, life just happened that way. I started my cooking experience with a minimum wage job in a fry-cook place, and found that I was better at handling the food-making part than talking to people. Eventually I got other similar jobs, and learned more cooking methods, recipes, and how to talk to people without stuttering as much. It may not be all that special, but being good at something, anything, and get thanked for it from time to time from happy customers? That made it special to me. Being appreciated, knowing you can be proud of yourself, even if it's for a skill as normal as cooking, helped me through my life."

Fuck fuck fuck, plz don't copy and paste this for the response if it's not in-character enough. I'm literally writing this from the top of my head here. Ughh... maybe there won't even be enough votes for it...

>>1007754
vidya's only up to SNES level in universe

>>1007765
So that means the original Metal Gear exists. As well as their deadly Zanzibar hamsters.

>>1007754
Video games are only about FAMICOM level.

And no, you CANNOT invent Super Mario, if you're asking That's not the point.

>>1007758

This one goes

File: I Bet It Does.jpg (125 KB, 724x1023)

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You find yourself speechless for a while – Iowa regards you curiously, her head slightly tilted to make better eye-contact with you. Finally regaining your bearings, you stutter an answer; of all the things she could have picked up, you hadn’t expected her to ask you about your life before being an Admiral.

‘No one’s actually asked, I – !’ You raise your prosthetic, the soft sheen of orange and silver bouncing off its plate oddly calming you down. ‘I’ve never really talked about my time back as a cook with anyone.’

‘What’s your specialty?’ She doesn’t miss a beat, swinging her leg over

‘My what?’

‘What’s your specialty?’ She grins, bringing her knees to her chest. ‘Every chef’s got one, don’t they?’

‘I wasn’t a…’ You trail off, your brain already picking answers from your memories. There had always been a few you’d fall back on. ‘Casserole… and cold noodles.’

‘Never had cold noodles before.’ She tilts her head. You can’t help but won

‘They’re really bland.’ ‘I don’t recommend them without the right kind of sauce.’

‘Doesn’t make a difference to me.’

A certain fact about KanMusu hits you again, and you almost swear for forgetting it in the first place.

‘Oh, right.’ You wince. ‘That.’

Iowa offers an understanding smile.

‘I didn’t set out to be cook.’ You begin – for some reason the words just slipped out, hitting air as naturally as your breath. ‘Now that I think about it, I… I’m not sure what I wanted to be. Changed things, changed surroundings so often that sometimes I just got lost thinking what I was going to do next instead of planning ahead and setting things up… but I guess life takes you where it wants to, whether you like it or not.’

Her smile doesn’t fade.

‘I started as any blue-collar bum did, of course, with minimum wage at a fry-cook place somewhere inland.’ You sigh, scratching the back of your head. You remember the fights, the insane demands that came with the role of assistant. ‘Couldn’t talk to people worth a dime… I don’t know if it was me or them but I just never felt like I was in that picture frame, right?’ You lick your lips, rubbing the back of your neck. ‘Time went by, I went city to city when one place decided that I was extra to requirements – Eastern cuisine, Southern specialties, you pick things up here and there until you finally get to the meat of it – that you get something you’re good at and…’

You pause for a while, remembering the first dish you personally served… and smile.

‘Being thanked by a happy face for a nice warm casserole or a nice batch of cold noodles?’ Your gaze becomes serene ‘It makes you feel proud you know, that you did a right good job, even if it’s for a lousy shilling worth of food.’

She giggles lowly, the cheerful bob of her head back.

‘I bet it does.’

END INTERLUDE

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The whine of the klaxon hits your ears. Around you, the crew of engineers and MagiTek specialists rush, led by Yuubari and her insistent, authoritative commands. The place is bustling a lot more than usual, you find, with raised platforms, cranes and the like in your direct view. The fairies spins and scramble, carrying tools and bottles to assist the humans and the KanMusu in their endeavors in the RAY’s preparations. The craft in question sits still above the water, a low, rumbling, humming sound coming from its frame; the placement cranes lower the last necessary parts as the klaxon dies off and the crew began calling out to each other to clear – it was time for the machines to do their part now.

You hear a booming sound and look downwards from your position on the railing to see what looked like a large hook latch on to the head of the craft and, oddly enough, slowly begin to push it out. The crew, carrying tubes and cables rush to the side of the RAY, calling out to each other. From the corner of your eye, you spy several men in bright orange wear – the men in charge of KanMusu preparation, shuffle towards what you can only assume to be your girls; four of them carry a large case that looked too heavy for any two of them to carry. Ooyodo, in a table at a corner, is engaged in conversation with an important-looking man in a blue jumpsuit with a rank band around his arm and flanked with two MPs. Everyone looked to have something to do now… and you were just waiting your turn to – !

‘Commander.’

It was a crew member – probably a junior adjutant this time, if his years were any indication. He was a little bit older than the last person to have taken you to the RAY. There’s no need to answer for your part – you give him an acknowledging nod and make your way to the RAY, the personnel clearing the way for you to do so. Your boots hit against metal and you let out a nervous breath you had not known your were holding in, moving into the upper deck and into the cockpit, which, to your surprise, looked a little more simple and streamlined than before.

They had definitely cleaned house a bit.

‘Yuubari-san took the liberty of streamlining,’ you snort a little at the man’s words, ‘the interior. With the patchwork the crew’s done, there shouldn’t be anymore issues with you having to… watch where you step. The cables are all held in place and the Interface is as is.’ He gives a slight bow. ‘I don’t think I need to instruct you on the startup procedure do I, sir?’

‘No,’ you shake your head, leaning against the hardware of the interface, ‘I got it all up here.’

‘That’s a relief, sir.’ You turn to him, raising an eyebrow. ‘It would be a great joy to the crew that you haven’t forgotten just how to turn things… on.’

He gives a coy smile before leaving.

You step into the interface…

STANDBY

It hums into activation.

>Request Calibration
>Request Readout
>Bring RAY Online

>>1009710
>Request Calibration

>>1009710
>>Request Calibration

>>1009710
>>Request Calibration

>>1009710
>>Request Calibration

>>1009710
>>Request Calibration

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You put the visor on.

‘Request Calibration.’

Immediately, the familiar and unfriendly sensation hits you. It feels like you’re floating again, like your body’s limbs are doing acrobatic flips and your eyes – your good eye, at least – is spinning around. Your roll your shoulders and shift your neck to the left and right as one particularly curious fairy, clad in what looked like a middle school uniform – and eerily resembled Ikazuchi – moves up to you and gives your cheek an inopportune poke, prompting you to give it a light glare in return. The hum in the chamber distracts you from your new friend for a moment… and the fairy, not a moment later, is out of your sight as though it had never been there at all. You let out a breath and bring up the instruments.

CALIBRATION INITIALIZING

ATTUNEMENT – 0 %

The windows pop into existence on your prompt… and the familiar fairy pops into existence with a zip, angrily chirping at you for whatever it was that you had done. You tilt your head in confusion… and follow her finger pointing to one of the safety bars which you had neglected. Not that you thought you needed it right now, but the fairy was insistent enough that you reached down to the bar and pulled it up – immediately you feel a soft sensation against your left arm; the inertia dampeners were now fully activated from all sides. The boisterously nosy fairy… turns up her nose, walking on air with her hands, on her hips, chirping in happiness.

CALIBRATION INITIALIZING

ATTUNEMENT – 11 %

You raise your eyebrows in surprise… when the communications channel comes into existence with an unusually chirpy giggle on the other end. It was distinctly Yuubari’s.

‘You like what I’ve done with the TEST 2.5?’

‘I think it’s convenient.’ You nod, holding yourself up against one of the cockpit’s pylons. ‘I don’t have to watch my head or my feet when I walk around here anymore, so that’s always a nice thing.’

Frustrated growling reaches your ears and you wonder if you’d said something wrong.

‘I’m not talking about the cleanup! I’m talking about the comm patches and the calibration software I just installed!’

You blink… before you realize that, indeed, you were talking to her before even turning on the communications channel or checking on connections. The holograms even seemed a little… neater.

‘I had it done two-way for communications – I can check and calibrate the connection remotely from here; not as much as you can, but I can at least turn your switch on and off from our channels by my hand.’ She says so with some pride. ‘I’d like to see The Abyssal jam our Comms with this little – !’

A shock runs down your spine as the lights on your dashboard turn into their usual green and blue.

WELCOME, COMMANDER

>Request Readout
>Bring RAY Online

>>1009878
>>Request Readout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9PhfUsFvj0

>>1009878
>Request Readout

>>1009878
>>Request Readout

>>1009878
>>Request Readout

>>1009878
>>Request Readout

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‘Give me a second, Yuubari.’

‘Request readout.’

INITIALIZING

You flick several physical switches up and down to get the parameters for your RAY to your liking. Several of the scopes had, as Yuubari had said, been expanded on and improved – a few decimal places here and there, an extra bar to check on the RAY’s balancing scheme – it all added up quite well. You give your almost-ritualistic request of a permanent fixture on fuel efficiency, overall hull integrity and bearing. A small, niggling feeling hits you as you bring up a window that wasn’t there before – it was the Emergency Retreat System window, new and improved with specific links to certain components of the module that enabled it to work.

‘Commence check on emergency retreat system.’ Familiar error signs come up – your Squadron probably wasn’t fully-installed into their spots yet. ‘Run trial retreat – demo mode.’

SYNCHRONIZATION MODULE STATUS: YELLOW

‘Yuubari,’ you try not to sound so uppity about it, but considering that it was your Division members that would be relying on this old rustbucket – and you use the term with affection, really – you couldn’t help but feel a little bit on the edge at the prospect of a malfunctioning retreat module. ‘I thought you made fixes?’

She doesn’t answer immediately, prompting you to bring up the Magic Engine’s status to give it a check of your own. You weren’t an engineer, but if you could at least see for yourself just where it was going wrong, maybe you could – !

MAGIC ENGINE STATUS: ONLINE –

CAPACITY: 27% – WARNING

‘I did.’ She finally replies. You can hear the annoyance in her voice ‘I did what I could with your interface, but the Magic Engine’s not just something you can patch through overnight. If I’m going to get that running as hard as the GY-7 models, you’re going to have to give me more than a handful of MagiTek specialists and one port.’ She appears hesitant, almost regretful at her lack of progress. ‘All I was able to do was give you a two retreats on the ERS. So you’ll either get two shots on a rescue effort or you can bring back two. It’s all on – !’ There’s some static over the comm – someone was on the other line with her now. Your ears here crackles as she gives her attentions back to you. ‘Commander, your Squadron’s loaded and the hatch is manually sealed.’

The display on the Synchronization Module turns green – it was time for the last item on your checklist.

‘Right.’ You nod, swiping a few windows away. ‘Commence crew analysis and status check.’

STATUS: GREEN

STATUS: Active

Your hand flicks one last switch as a word of prayer leaves your lips.

>Bring RAY Online

>>1010100
>Bring RAY Online

>>1010100
>>Bring RAY Online

>>1010100
>>Bring RAY Online

File: All Yours, Commander.png (629 KB, 1254x836)

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‘The crew is clear of the bay doors. Your Squadron members are loaded and at your disposal, Commander.’ Yuubari informs you. ‘You’re cleared to bring the RAY online.’

‘Acknowledged.’ You let out a breath – this was getting to be a habit. ‘Attunement complete, synchronization locked. Division Commander on field.’

The sensations are a little bit stronger this time, but no more than you’re used to. Your whole body, your sensations of sight, sound, all extend to the RAY. You feel like you’re in two, maybe four places at once but again, it doesn’t feel so alien or want to make your lurch just as hard as you were during your little audition… a time and place that felt so long despite being not even two months off your calendar. A thought hits you as you regain your proper bearings, the invisible cushion allowing you to ease back as you open a few windows and close several others that had popped up – most of them were just double-confirmation readings anyway. You had what was important already in front of you.

SYSTEMS ONLINE

SENSORS SYNCHRONIZED

AUTHORIZATION CODE: BLUE

‘Barracuda, this is base,’ you hear your newest callsign, ‘we’re commencing the detachment sequence in 15 seconds. After that, the baby’ll be all yours, sir.’

‘Roger that, base, Barracuda acknowledges.’ You reply, swiping away the screen.

From the eyes of the RAY, you see several of the crew members, engineers and MPs and everyone in between, clearing the way as the pylons and cranes finally begin their procedure. You raise your arms up and down, feeling the craft breathe and feel just as you do. You see a klaxon light up; everyone was safely on the platforms now.

PYLONS DETACHED: ENTRY POINTS SEALED

‘Barracuda, moving out.’

A loud rumble echos as you reverse into the bay almost effortlessly – and as you fully hit the water, another channel comes online.

‘Commander,’ it was The Admiral, ‘ the coordinates are keyed in – when you reach the meet-up point, connect with The Ominato Commander. His designation will be Hawkeye.’

‘Roger that, sir.’ You bring the throttle up.

‘I’m about to leave your channel – no sense clogging things up until you’re done with the job… unless you’re going to relay things back to Yokosuka, all right.’ You nod, despite her not being able to see it. ‘Oh, and one more thing, Commander,’ you perk your ears, ‘I left a little surprise for you on the EXTRAS module. Something to at least get your spirits up before you and your Division before you drop into the breach.’

‘Surprise?’ You frown… but a small pinch at the back of your head tells you that the communications was indeed shut on her end now.

Your crew was in the hold and you were at the controls. It was all you now.

>Shoot the breeze (Specify)
>Discuss mission (Specify)
>Try out ‘Yuubari’s Surprise’
>Continue quietly
>Write-In

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>>1010269
AUTOSAVING...

PLEASE DON'T REMOVE MEMORY CARD IN MEMORY CARD SLOT 1 OR REMOVE CONTROLLER

>>1010269
>>Try out ‘Yuubari’s Surprise’

>>1010283
Why do people always want to press shiny red buttons?

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>>1010269
>Try out ‘Yuubari’s Surprise’

>>1010269
>>Try out ‘Yuubari’s Surprise’
She did say it was meant for before the drop...

>>1010269
>surprise

File: Yuuyuu.jpg (60 KB, 835x768)

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Your curiosity overtakes you as you open a window. You were already on-course for your rendezvous, so there wasn’t a need to check the scopes and the windows so often. Yuubari’s surprise had an ominous feel to it, but you reason that it couldn’t be anything… too malicious. After all, with everything that was going on, they still needed you alive… and it wasn’t like Yuubari was under direct command of The Grand Lieutenant or The Court of Admirals, right? The link looked harmless enough – just a simple caricature of Yuubari with her tongue out and a wink at you, animatedly blinking.

You tap on it, prompting a dull grey window with 5 virtual buttons for you to tap on further.

CHOOSE ONE

TEE-HEE~ <3

01-Long Tall Sally
02-Fortunate Son
03-Back In Black
04-In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
05-Capu2

*Type in your number choice, don’t scroll over the spoilers

>>1010451
3

Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>1010451

>>1010451
may the dice gods choose for us

Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>1010451

Rolled 5 (1d5)

>>1010490
Forgot to roll

>>1010451
5

Your choices are noted - I am rather behind on my prayers so I will see you folks in 2 hours, right?

>>1010451
3

Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>1010451

Rolled 4, 5, 4, 3, 1 = 17 (5d5)

>All these 3s

>>1011229
>Sing-along

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You hesitate a little, wondering which one to press. There hadn’t exactly been an indication from the interface as to which button did what, but you decide that at this point – one tap into the menu – you’d gone too far. The teasing, winking display of Yuubari’s blob caricature of a face menaced you like no other – and if nothing else, you wanted to be rid of it as soon as you could; never mind the fact that you could just close the hologram window. You choose a button – 3 seemed like a safe choice.

Nothing happens.

‘Very funny, Yuuba – !’

A pink window with blue lettering pops up with what looked like a wiggling line on a graph. You move to swipe it away, when it nests itself in the far corner of your immediate visual area. It didn’t seem to be in the way, but – !’

The rhythmic beating of drums start, crashing against your senses as much as the waves against the RAY, as gentle – as primal – as the naked moon. The thundering jam of the guitar blasts – not just into your ears, but rocking through the whole craft with an almost-devoted ring. The twang of the guitar meets the rough beat of the drums… but not quite, like missed lovers – two mustangs swerving and turning at each other in a chaotic but minutely orderly, planned course. You bob your head up and down instinctually as the whine of the guitar reaches the last phases of what you understand to be barely the introduction of the listener to the tune, a rebellious, boisterous but proper riff that had you bobbing your head up and down and your teeth clenched.

Truly, Yuubari’s taste in music could only amount to that of the echelons of patricians.

Back in black I hit the sack,
I've been too long I'm glad to be back,

You turn your head to the side, feeling your spirits rise up as the jam kicks up and beyond, the pace kept the same. You felt strong, in command and most of all… that you could probably rip yourself one.

Yes I am,
Let loose from the noose,
That's kept me hanging about,
I kept looking at the sky cause it's gettin' me high,

‘Commander, what’s going on?’ The communications channel tries to – and fails – to blare itself over the loud, obnoxious tune… you see and hear Nagato, your Sub-Commander, whose eyes are wide and looking around confused. ‘Did you connect a tape deck to the RAY Interface?’

Forget the hearse cause I'll never die
I got nine lives cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and runnin' wild

‘Yuubari gave us a little something to get spirits up.’ You grin, catching a glimpse of Kaga’s amused face on the visual feed… and Nachi’s rhythmic bobbing up and down to go with her tapping toes. ‘How’s the music?’

Shigure, however, is silent

Cause I'm back
Yes I'm back
Well I'm back
Yes I'm back

‘Sir?’

>Sing-along
>Turn it down
>Write-In

>>1011229
>>Sing-along
If Shigure doesn't like it, we can stop later.

>>1011232
>Sing-along

maybe she will like it?

>>1011232
>Sing-along
morale!

>>1011232
>>Sing-along

>>1011232
>Turn it down

>>1011232
>Sing-along

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‘Come on Nagato, live a little.’

She doesn’t reply, biting her lip as the song blares louder and louder like some sort of war march – with the situation that you were in, the state things were in, it might as well have been a makeshift one. For you, though, it was something to take your mind off things rather than keeping it on – it was barely past 2100 right now and there was going to at least be another five hours before you made it on-site, barring any unforeseen interruptions. Still, with things as they were, you feel that you owed something to take the edge off on your participating Squadron – which was what Yuubari had probably intended by putting the song into the system in the first place. Sensing that you weren’t going to get a straight answer from her, you decide to – despite your better judgment – try to coax her into a sing-along, throwing in your own inappropriate voice into the otherwise steady mix.

To your surprise, Kaga joins in – as odd as her voice is trying to keep pace with a rock number you can’t help but feel that you were a bit hypocritical in judging her considering that you yourself could barely play a note. Amused with your own bout of overthinking, you dial up your instruments – the ones on the Interface – and turn up the volume slightly as the both of you throw caution to the wind and move to embarrass yourselves in front of the other Squadron members. Nachi doesn’t join in, but from the visual feed you can tell – with the very visible whip of her ponytail –

Well I'm back back,
Well I'm back in black,
Yes I'm back in black

‘Commander is off-key.’ Shigure mumbles into the comm channel… before opening her mouth joining in.

Back in the back of a Cadillac,
Number one with a bullet I'm a power pack,

You’re surprised by Shigure’s ability – she’s not as refined as Kaga, but the rough attempt at a soprano, the clumsy shuffling of her words seemed to just fit with the song. There was a certain energy, a rhythm to the way that she sang – no, spoke the words in small instances, enhancing it more than she was a part of it… but more important that that, Shigure, for the first time since you’d met her – outside of the company of Samidare – genuinely looked like she was enjoying herself in this clumsy little exercise. The rapid, funny movements of her hands, as though she was spinning something in the both of them was a sight you had too take in, at least once in your life, really. It was unlike anything you’d seen before.

‘Oh, so the Second Nightmare can hold a tune after all.’ Nachi speaks into the general channel. You’re not sure whether that’s a jibe at the lone Destroyer of the Squadron or her stating the obvious. ‘Mind if I rob it, sir?’

She doesn’t wait for your answer.

TBC

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Shigure and Nachi join Kaga for the next dip into lyrics – over the comm, you can hear Nagato’s stunned stuttering as even the fairy crew bangs their heads to the beat of the music, enjoying it as much as the Squadron evidently was. The lone fairy up with you in the cockpit even drops into an odd dance that consisted of spinning with their legs split and upside-down, although you supposed that being able to fly and float so casually with magic it wasn’t that hard a task to do. You grin in amusement as you check the bearings and the RAY’s speed, bringing your arm forward to push it a little further.

You have to admit that the three of them made a pretty good singing trio.

Yes I am,
In a bang with the gang,
They've got to catch me if they want me to hang,

It takes a while for her to join in, but Nagato finally surrenders to the musical cries of her comrades… and tries to join in – as clumsily as you had been in your attempt. Not that it mattered. Kaga smiles as she watches her Sub-Commander move in a method akin to a seizure with her shoulders – considering her loadout, you almost pitied Nagato for trying to get with it as the rest had. It doesn’t stop her, though, and before long she was wailing on an air mic and singing into the comm channel as you steadied the craft, a smile playing on your face.

It was nice to see her cut loose like this, really.

Cause I'm back on the track and I'm beatin' the flack
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
So look at me now I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck just get out of my way

Kaga and Shigure alternate lines with one another, clumsily gyrating their shoulders and tilting their head side-to-side, held in place within their stations as they executed rhythmic motions with their hands as best as they could.

Cause I'm back,
Yes I'm back,
Well I'm back,
Yes I'm back,

Nachi throws her palms forward, spreading them from the middle to the side as the fairies their heads on top of her head.

Well I'm back back
Well I'm back in black
Yes I'm back in black

The guitar solo whined into existence – Shigure prompts herself to shred onto air, her eyes closed in the utmost concentration, as though she had a live audience. An impressive minute goes by – you had never seen anyone twang themselves on nothing.

Well I'm back yes I'm back,
Well I'm back yes I'm back,
Well I'm back, back,
Well I'm back in black,
Yes I'm back in black,

Nachi and Kaga join in again.

Ho yeah
Oh yeah
Yes I am
Oh yeah, yeah oh yeah
Back in now

Nagato and Nachi share a look.

Well I'm back, I'm back,
Back, I'm back,
Back, I'm back,
Back, I'm back,
Back, I'm back,

Back,
Back in black,
Yes I'm back in black,
Outta sight,

The music fades… and you’re greeted by the sound of amused, giggling girls

>Write-In

>>1011278
Time to reveal our (players) autism?
>I love you all so much that was so cool thank you lets kick ass!
>All gear ok ladies?

>>1011278
>(joke) thank you thank you, i will be here all night!

>>1011278
>10/10!

I'm going to need a better feel of the situation or mood you're trying to convey here, guys. I don't know what you're trying to put across.

>>1011330
I guess we're glad we could lighten the mood and raise the morale, coupled with the fact that the girls are getting along so well.

>>1011348
Pretty much this

>>1011330
-Thanks for letting it loose comrades
-Lets kick some butt when we get there
-Anything we need to know about calib etc (open question to the squad)

Additionally we can say
>There are four more for the voyage home.