>>2901072
>'Then what are you all in a jiffy about, then?' (Annoyed)
>'You sure? Sounds like the type of thing she'd do.' (Comment)
>'So there's no problem, right?' (Indifferent, Nonchalant)
>'Is this about what we found, then?' (Press)
>Write-In

>>2901076
>>'Is this about what we found, then?' (Press)

>>2901076
>>'Is this about what we found, then?' (Press)

>>2901076
>'Is this about what we found, then?' (Press)

File: Neesan.png (694 KB, 811x1235)

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It doesn’t take much to piece it together.

‘Is it about what we found, then?’

‘Akashi’s been continuing her study on the recovered … material,’ the Admiral begins, slowly, briefly glancing at the floating fairies. ‘She’s come to a conclusion that the material, whatever it is, was reverse-engineered from Fairy Magic and Shaman Alchemy.’

You frown.

‘We already came to that conclusion on contact.’ Your reply is curt … and a tinge of annoyance permeates through your words. You didn’t need something repeated that you’d been told before. ‘Whatever it was, it was weaponized for Abyssal engagements and had enough potency to render a Princess dormant. I know that … I wrote that report. What’s changed since?’

Another bout of silence.

‘Akashi,’ Fusou starts, sounding hesitant, ‘was able to break it down … at least, she was, um … she was able to break the synchronization of components, uh … enough to tell at least some of what it’s made of. She, er …’

Another glance to the fairies. The duo seemed more agitated than before, chirping like a pair of angry magpies as they floated about mid-air. Fusou’s voice fades away as she steps back, her apprehension finally taking ahold of her tongue. The Admiral doesn’t take point, surprisingly allowing Fusou her retreat. Neither does Ooyodo, who looks as though a plantation of lemons had taken up real estate in the corners of her teeth.

‘Akashi-san wasn’t able to pin-point the magicks that made the sliver,’ the technician finally sounds out, taking a step forward. ‘However, she was able to separate enough of the properties from what you retrieved to come to a significant conclusion in regards to the origins of the components … as, of course, unbelievable, as they are.’

‘Unbelievable?’

‘Only KanMusu can kill Abyssals,’ the Admiral says, catching your attention. ‘You know this … and so does the rest of the world. Humans can’t kill Abyssals. I don’t think I need to bring in a literary analogy to get that across anymore than the last ten years already have for you, Vice-Admiral.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s not a hard science,’ Ooyodo speaks, her brows furrowing, ‘but … it is a truth. Only we have the spiritual wavelength that enable us to combat the Abyssal forces … and they can do the same to us. It’s a principle, I suppose … and it’s why we’re here in the first place.’

You didn’t need the reminder.

You already knew.

The whole world knew. It was as the Admiral had said.

‘How does that apply here?’

The technician comes to the fore once more.

‘Because,’ he starts, sounding oddly giddy. ‘what we found … were traces of a KanMusu’s Core.’

>‘What?’ (Disbelief)
>‘I expected as much. Creepy magic stuff never has a clean opening.’ (Indifferent)
>‘How were they … how were you …’ (Inquire)
>Write-In

>>2901192
>>‘How were they … how were you …’ (Inquire)
>could it be related to those "things" me and my team ran into at that outpost on my first mission?

>>2901192
>>‘I expected as much. Creepy magic stuff never has a clean opening.’ (Indifferent)

>>2901192
>>‘How were they … how were you …’ (Inquire)

File: TTK.jpg (50 KB, 340x503)

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‘How were they … how were …’

‘It’s actually not that hard when you actually understand of what the Shamanistic Arts are,’ the technician huffs proudly, crossing his arms and nodding. ‘A lot of people work on the assumption that they operate in violation of our rules … when it actuality, they work on a different plateau of gaming. It’s like we’re on a checkers board and the KanMusu, the Abyssals and magic … well, they’re playing chess. It takes some measure of practice trying to cut the proper—’

He’s cut off by an urgent grunt from the Admiral … and quiet glare from Ooyodo to go with it.

He gets the message clearly enough.

‘Ah, r-right, sorry,’ he stammers, holding his hands up in a gesture of apology. ‘It wasn’t … easy. What you brought back was an … well, in essence, I guess we can call it a neutralizing compound with magical supplements. We haven’t figured out everything about it, but, uh … well, I think I can say that we’ve found out some of its components by applying some of our own reverse-engineering.’

You frown, confusion scratching the top of your thinking cap.

‘So what did you do?’

That proud smile returns.

‘The short of it is … magic. We did—or simulated, to an extent—magic.’

You stare, incredulous.

‘You performed Shaman magic?’

‘No, no, no, not at all!’ he backtracks just as quickly, prompting your frown to deepen. Now it was only getting more confusing. ‘What we did was essentially, uh … operate on the chessboard rules instead of the checkerboard rules. Like I said, right? Anyway, uh … we kind of did that and … what we found was, uh, essentially … the same principle of magic applied to a KanMusu Core.’

‘You took it apart?’

‘As much as Akashi-san could, yes,’ he reveal further, making pinching gestures with his hands. ‘She’s a KanMusu, so her limitations aren’t … our limitations so to speak. We weren’t able to discern much of the other components, but we’re definitely positive that a KanMusu Core was used in its … creation. The fairies were kind enough to verify our findings. I don’t understand them myself, but Akashi-san gave us the assurance that their judgment was indeed, sound …’

You spare a quick glance towards the floating pair, their faces contorted in something between indignation and an agitated snarl.

‘That kind of explains why they looked so ticked, I guess.’

‘The Court of Admirals hasn’t been informed of our findings yet,’ the Admiral cuts right in, getting up from his chair and glancing around the room, before continuing, ‘and with the current climate, we’re not going to. At least not for now.’

Keep it … from the Court?

>‘I think we should.’ (Protest)
>‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)
>‘So it’s just the base staff? Isn’t that kinda … you know …’ (Inquire)
>Write-In

>>2901332
>>‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)

>>2901332
>>‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)
Old man knows what hes doin.

>>2901332
>>‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)

>>2901332
>>‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)
>>Write-In
We'll need the list of all those who're privy to this. Its not something the entire base needs to know about.

>>2901332
>‘So it’s just the base staff? Isn’t that kinda … you know …’ (Inquire)

>>2901332
‘I guess that would be the way to go for now.’ (Agree)'
if i read it right some smartass managed to rip a shipgirl core to make a anti-princess bullet
other than being such a monstrous waste of resorces and flagrant disregard of shipgirls/warmaterial, impressive
unless its not actualy made of a core, but i doubt that

Session in an hour and 5 minutes.

File: TTK Replies.jpg (39 KB, 466x600)

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Ultimately, you can only abide by your superior’s judgment. You did agree with the course of action, of course; with everything going around in the bureaucratic mess of Haszad and Taiyouga, the last thing that you wanted was something like this leaking out without due consideration. Plus, the fact that you knew—that there were members of personnel privy—to the details … made you unsure if you wanted to share the discoveries with a potential suspect. Paranoid, perhaps, you may have been, but …

Well, the spy films you watched in the past are an ample reference for your suspicions here.

You very much enjoyed not being … rubbed from existence, for lack of better terminology.

‘I guess that would be the way to go for now,’ you reply in support, albeit a little tentatively. ‘Feels a little bit … weird doing the Court of Admirals dirty like this. I mean … after all that’s happened, I kinda …’

You trail off, biting the inside of your cheek.

You weren’t sure where you were going with that, but … the creeping worry of the Court of Admirals—and a certain Submarine—peeking over your shoulder with a rope and a label wasn’t something that you—previously-believed—could shrug off too easily. The Admiral, in his own communication of solace, gives a nod of understanding. A huff of air escapes his nostrils as his mustache bristles in the coarse movement of his elbows. He gets to his feet, a gaze of comfort dawning upon his features. The man moves from behind the table to a mere measure of feet before you, shoulders broad and no slouch present.

He’s aware of your apprehension, even with your agreement.

‘I’m asking for a lot, I know,’ he starts again, casting a brief glance towards the oddly-neutral technician, ‘but it’s all the more reason, I assure you, to keep this investigation within our—’

‘Investigation?’

He spares the fairies—now little more than absent-minded balls of light—a look, before turning back to you.

‘Whatever was used to disable that Princess wasn’t something that I know to be on any official record of operations.’ He takes a step back, re-assuming his professional stance. ‘KanMusu weaponry have a significant signature, a specified, pin-pointed property … but it’s never been deployed on the level of what we discovered. There’re a few things that we still haven’t been able to actually make opaque, so anything beyond what Akashi and her team have given us, is … well, it’s going to be up to speculation.’

To your credit it only takes three seconds for it to fire your neurons.

‘You’re talking about a suspect list. You think that the Court is … involved?’

The fairies buzz around again, resembling angry hornets more than they do idle butterflies.

Fusou bites her lip, looking away.

‘There’s four known powers with interests. You tell me, Vice-Admiral.’

>>2902285
>'What about the ISSF? Couldn't they potentially be culprits?'
>'The Court would be the ones behind it, if anyone is.'
>'Wouldn't the Congregation of Lords and the Armed Forces be a suspect, too?'
>'I say Haszad's behind it. They have the motivation more than anyone else.'
>'What about an independent party?'
>Write-In

>>2902285
>>'The Court would be the ones behind it, if anyone is.'

>>2902289
>>'The Court would be the ones behind it, if anyone is.'

File: Akashi.png (297 KB, 551x377)

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‘The Court would be behind it, if anyone is,’ you concede, albeit a little reluctantly. You didn’t like throwing accusations left and right without actual evidence … and as far as what you had was concerned, there really wasn’t that much bone to the leg you were attempting to stand on here. ‘If we go down to resources and standing … they’d be the primary suspects in any case.’

‘I’m not gonna be jumping to conclusions on that,’ The Admiral counters, to your surprise. ‘On the other hand … we can’t discount that they might be involved, either. And if they are … they’re not going to be happy at us snooping around. After what happened in Haszad, I don’t have to tell you about the shit flying around waiting for a landing strip.’

You give a light snort.

It looked like the professionalism had given way to the Admiral’s grimed and gritty roots.

‘I reckon,’ you shoot right back, a sigh escaping your throat. ‘So they really could be …’

‘They’re prime suspects,’ The Admiral follows up, nodding and taking another step back. Ooyodo and Fusou close in on him like alert guardians, ready to strike back at anything going forward. ‘I ain’t about to put any markers until I get something more concrete. Not about to toss my chips in that they’re responsible, either; something this big couldn’t have gone down without at least a whisper going above ground.’

‘You mean like that Princess being downed?’

He pauses.

‘Maybe … but again, we’re operating on a thread-bare basis right now. Akashi’s found out just what it is. We can’t attribute just who it belongs to yet. Not without something concrete.’

‘You’re sending me out to do some snooping?’

The Admiral fixes you with a flat gaze.

‘Vice-Admiral, in what universe would I trust you with subtlety … knowing what I know about you?’

You can at least say you had the decency to be sheepish.

‘In any case, it’s good that you know about it now … means that I got one of you briefed up.’

‘Right … anything else that we found out?’

‘Not much just yet to go on,’ the technician steps in, catching everyone’s attention, ‘but we’ve been able to cut the harmonization of the patterns enough that we might have a little bit more to go on after. Akashi-san and the rest are still busy at work … so if there’s anything that we’ll be able to cut up, we’ll be sure to tell you as soon as possible.’

You cock a visible eyebrow.

‘You’re surprisingly on board with this.’

‘Magic and science have always been thought to be opposites; for the first time since—’

‘Right, right, let’s not, all right?’ The Admiral interjects. ‘In any case, Akashi’s crew and the current change of command above a C-grade pay—’

>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’
>Stay silent
>Write-In

>>2902439
>>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’
WE MUST KNOW THE TRUTH HERE
THIS MYSTERY MUST END

File: Checking Money.jpg (180 KB, 1300x866)

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>>2902444
I think I've run the joke to the ground at this point

>>2902439
>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’

>>2902439
>>Stay silent

>>2902439
>>Stay silent

>>2902439

>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’

>>2902439
>>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’
The TRUTH is out there!

>>2902439
>‘Wait, so I do get paid?’

I want to believe

File: Akashi In Bikini.jpg (108 KB, 600x800)

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‘Wait, so I do get paid?’

Incredulous stares.

An odd cough.

‘Of course you do,’ the Admiral replies, albeit a little dismissively than you’d like. ‘This isn’t a slave barge, Vice-Admiral.’

‘I mean … I haven’t seen even a sheet of—’

‘Payroll is behind on the accounting for personnel,’ Ooyodo cuts in, adjusting her glasses to suit her creased brow. ‘Developments in the last month or so have resulted in the re-shuffling of certain … accountability thresholds in regards to the financial side of operations. It’s not as if The Admiralty operates on an independent node from banking operations and other external … nuances, after all. Rest assured, your efforts are recompensed even as we speak.’

‘So I am getting paid … but I won’t be able to see the money just yet?’

‘Your needs are taken care of by the base, are they not, Com—Vice-Admiral?’

Fusou’s voice has an odd, soothing effect on you. The way she throws her words out has you almost scratching the back of your head in embarrassment at such an obvious ask … almost. You still wanted some concrete—some materialization—on just what your status here was. Either way, at this point you just wanted an answer on if you were about to physically receive that whispered legend you called a paycheck … or if you were in for another merry-go-round of waiting. The Admiral had already said as much before: that the departments were behind, that everything was still being sorted out …

But still …

‘I just want a proper answer … I mean, I already know just what’s going on, but am I going to, uh, actually … see the paycheck? I don’t wanna trouble anyone and money’s no good with everyone dead, but, eh … er … I just wanna know if I’m gonna be waiting for something that’s not gonna reach my table.’

‘The Admiralty employs an external firm to sort out the financial day-to-days in regards to personnel operations,’ Ooyodo declares. ‘With the involvement of your government … the Congregation of Lords … in current operations, you’re looking at a re-shuffle on top of a re-shuffle. It is the … same, I suppose, as a company actually looking to sort its assets outs in an acquisition of a smaller company. There are portions that require delegation … and the current situation is merely an example of such a phenomenon.’

You wince slightly.

‘You make it sound so complicated …’

‘Are you telling me that accounting isn’t such a field, Vice-Admiral?’

You … couldn’t.

You feel a comforting pat on your shoulder. The technician, with a hand and a smile at the ready.

‘It’s okay, sir … I know how you feel.’

The door slams open. You’re met with the haggard, maddened gaze of a pink-haired KanMusu, a mess of pads, sheets and books ...

‘Sorry I’m late! Had to go over a few things!’

>>2902581
>'That's my cue, I guess.' (Leave)
>'You all right there, Akashi?' (Inquire to her state)
>'You could be more professional.' (Chastise her)
>Keep your silence and stay
>Write-In

>>2902581
>Keep your silence and stay

>>2902583
>>'You all right there, Akashi?' (Inquire to her state)

>>2902583
>'You all right there, Akashi?' (Inquire to her state)

>>2902583
>>'You all right there, Akashi?' (Inquire to her state)
>>Write-In
Help her with her things, take some items off her

>>2902583
>'You all right there, Akashi?' (Inquire to her state)

>>2902583
This>>2902604

File: Akashi Can Fangirl, Too.jpg (32 KB, 275x291)

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‘You all right there, Akashi?’

‘I’m fine!’ she returns, a manic energy coursing through her vocal cords as she practically drops everything in her arms on the Admiral’s table. There is a maddened look in her eye that carved fear into your bones; the crackle of her knuckles and the groan of her bones emphasize the tendrils of barely-restrained enthusiasm that she radiated. She turns around to face the group, her hands flailing wildly. ‘More than fine! More than fine! Admiral … I was able … I made a breakthrough!’

‘B-Breakthrough?’

The technician’s the first one to voice his surprise.

‘I mean, I thought I was able to isolate the signature as far as I could, but … I was able to do a little bit more! Here!’

She lifts a folder on the table, causing several folded sheets to clatter noisily to the floor. Ooyodo glares at the disorganization, shifting in place as Akashi ignores the small mess pooled around her feet. The pink-haired KanMusu is definitely excitable, if there was any doubt to the fact before. She peels what appears to be a graph … and another sheet and another, setting them all along the edges of the table in some sort of strange arrangement. You yourself can’t make heads or tails of what any of them mean. They’re either in Akashi’s unique brand of script (Shorthand; definitely shorthand) or made up of jargon and graphs that are out of your payroll category.

Not that you shouldn’t be paid, of course.

Not at all.

‘What am I looking at, Akashi?’

‘I was going through some of my old libraries to screen what kind of MagiTek was used … and I wasn’t able to find anything substantial from the get-go, but!’

She almost knocks you in the teeth by whirling her elbow around to pull out a graph.

‘What I was able to do was cut a method out to narrow down a possible suspect list!’

‘You mean you can tell who—’

‘The core is from! Yes!’

That wasn’t what you were trying to lead into, but you go along with it anyway. Anything to get something into a clearer line of sight for you was something you wouldn’t turn away.

‘So we can zero in on who’s responsible?’

‘Well … no, not exactly,’ she clarifies, registering a manner of calm back into her demeanor. She tosses one of her locks back, glancing around before continuing, ‘But … I can narrow down the KanMusu whose core was used … or copied to engineer the weapon.’

‘How?’

Fusou’s the one talking this time.

‘Every one of us has a unique … build,’ Akashi explains, holding up one of the graph sheets. ‘A deviancy rate to resonate with our … power levels, you can say. Battleships, Carriers, Destroyers, Light and Heavy Cruisers, there’s a unique frequency, in your terms, that pin-points what we are. I guess you can call it something like a … DNA scan, yeah.’

‘Hang on, I’m kinda fuzzy on my science, but … that’s not how a DNA scan works, I think.’

Akashi huffs.

The Admiral and Ooyodo roll their eyes.

‘I didn’t say it was a one-to-one comparison!’ Akashi retorts …before staring at you in confusion. ‘Wait, why are you here?’

>‘Because it’s in my pay-grade?’ (Snark)
>‘Admiral?’ (Get the Admiral to vouch for you)
>‘Because I choose to be … and because you wouldn’t have that sample if it weren’t for my crew.’ (Annoyed)
>‘Akashi.’ (Stern)
>Leave

Sorry guys. Net had issues. Running now.

>>2903709
>‘Admiral?’ (Get the Admiral to vouch for you)

>>2903709
>Write-in
I was nosy and decided to help if i could anyways.

>>2903709
Because I *care*

>>2903709
>>2903767
Yep

>>2903709
>‘Admiral?’ (Get the Admiral to vouch for you)

>>2903715
>>2903947
>>2903767
>>2903857
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

>>2903709
This>>2903762

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‘Admiral?’

The Admiral’s door doesn’t need to be rung twice.

‘Considering the circumstances that have led us here in the first place wouldn’t have been without his assistance … it’s only fair that he’s here for this, Akashi,’ he imparts neutrally. ‘Go on.’

‘Right,’ Akashi returns, lifting one of the notepads. ‘Anyway, I went through the what data we were able to dig up on it again … and I went through the pattern scanning releases about a dozen times and I couldn’t find anything that actually told us more than what we already knew. So I tried applying a few other principles in tandem with what we already did … and I was able to come up with this.’

Another sheet that you couldn’t make heads or tails of.

Perfect.

Lucky for you, however, the technician notices your vacant stare … as well as the Admiral.

‘What Akashi-san’s trying to say is … that she ran some additive trials of an … unorthodox nature on the retrieved substance beyond what we’ve observed and come up with a more detailed result as to its nature. Through this’—he indicates a paragraph at the top of one of the two pads held by the pink-haired KanMusu—‘she’s been able isolate and observe properties that we were unable to before. The points here indicate that there are recognizable patterns that suit certain KanMusu spectra in regards to Core resonance theory to—huh? Wait, how did you do that?’

‘Pure luck!’

Now it’s your turn to stare incredulously.

‘We didn’t have much to go on … and I thought that a few more tests couldn’t hurt. We already tried everything that worked … so I decided to try a few things out of the box, so … there may have been one or two rules I may have, uh … broken. I mean bent. I may have used acceleration and equal theorem in MagiTek. A little.’

The other occupants of the space let out a collective groan echoes the warm chambers of the Admiral’s office. Akashi, to her credit, only gives a nonchalant shrug. The technician wears a worried look, taking a step back from his superior.

‘I … I don’t think there’s a moral precedent to observe here, no … I think. I hope.’

The Admiral runs his hands over his face.

‘Akashi …’

‘No one was hurt,’ she cries out defensively, continuing, ‘and I was able to run some scans and pick up some data. We should be able to pin-point just which KanMusu’s Core was used.’

‘Scouring through the MIA records?’ you shrug.

The technician gives an approving nod. You feel a little proud of that.

‘Not a bad call,’ Akashi commends (To which you almost puff your chest out), ‘but going through records of MIA KanMusu are going to be hard without alerting Taigei and her drones … and it’s not like I can’t make do without the official paperwork, anyway. The first method would be to actually do a synchronization reference test on the KanMusu on base and in Ominato.’

‘A what now?’

‘If the KanMusu involved in the synthesis of that substance you and your team has any sisters at all or belongs to any class, we can find a right match and narrow our search down. It’s clean and simple … and the checks are routine enough that I can have compile them within a week or so … or two, depending on if the other Commanders and bases start asking questions. I mean …’

Fusou shifts uncomfortably in place.

You’re uncertain why she would.

‘Anyway, that’s one of the options we have … the other’s as you say: we get an official inquiry in—’

‘Out of the question,’ the Admiral grunts out. ‘Not the way things are right now.’

‘I thought you would say that,’ she sighs, ‘which is why I have one more option: I need someone to go and scout that battlefield again to bring back something that can cause an identical reaction and reactivate that compound.’

Your eyes practically bug out of your head.

‘What?’

‘If it’s reactivated, even for ten seconds, I can recreate and reapply the same principle to pin-point the exact … or at least, most of, the Core’s properties to know just who it belongs to. Right now, it’s all I can do to drag this out … and we can get to the bottom of this a lot faster if I’m able to get my hands on more active samples.’

‘Can’t you just get some chunks of Abyssal meat or something?’

She shakes her head.

‘Different reactions to different properties. I won’t be able to get the same data that I want.’

>‘Actually … I have a man on the inside. Maybe she’d be able to get the records and references we need.’ (U-511)
>‘Better suit up, then.’ (Mission)
>‘I … honestly think we should go through official channels here. We might get a cleaner picture, even if we risk discovery.’ (Official)
>‘Collecting those test results from the bases probably sounds the least risky. Let’s do that.’ (Test results)
>Write-In

>>2904096
>‘Actually … I have a man on the inside. Maybe she’d be able to get the records and references we need.’ (U-511)

>>2904096
>>‘Actually … I have a man on the inside. Maybe she’d be able to get the records and references we need.’ (U-511)

>>2904096
>>‘Better suit up, then.’ (Mission)

>‘Actually … I have a man on the inside. Maybe she’d be able to get the records and references we need.’ (U-511)

>>2904096
>>‘Actually … I have a man on the inside. Maybe she’d be able to get the records and references we need.’ (U-511)

File: I Yuu see that coming bec(...).jpg (259 KB, 700x872)

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‘Actually, I have a man on the inside.’

The Admiral’s eyes widen … but he’s not the only one who has a reaction to your declaration. Fusou mimics her superior’s expression, but Ooyodo and Akashi stare at you in the same manner that you had them not moments ago. The technician scratches the back of his head, making doubtful sounds at the back of his tongue as his head shifts its focus between you and the others present. The fairies, to your non-surprise, don’t look like they particularly care of this development … or understand it at all. If they did, you suspect they wouldn’t be doing pirouettes by the bookshelf like a pair of carefree moths.

It’s a contrast to their angered buzzing from before.

‘What?’

‘I … met a sub named Yuu.’ You take a half-confident, half-apprehensive, step forward, ready for the avalanche of denials at a twinge. You could already see Ooyodo readying a pen … or you think she does. ‘She’s one of the First Admiral’s own; I think that I can convince her to do the digging that Akashi needs. The Hunter’s Lodge should have full access to the records, right?’

‘If she can get past Taigei,’ the Admiral counters, albeit not without some hesitation himself. ‘That’s not even counting the fact that she works with the Hunter’s Lodge just yet. You tell her, you might risk everything spilling out.’

‘It’s not as if we’re doing anything bad, right?’

You grin.

No one returns it.

You get rid of it as fast as you can.

‘Whatever you need, Akashi, I think she can get for us.’ Your voice tries to sound convincing. As much you can manage, anyway; the doubt-filled gazes has you on the verge of stammering a counter out. ‘We don’t know if the archipelago’s secure for another run and the other two options take too much time. I think I can—’

‘You think you can?’

‘Well, I’ve met her once,’ you confess, prompting skeptical frowns from both Fusou and Ooyodo. ‘But I think she can really …’

‘Vice-Admiral.’

>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)
>‘Right, no … you’re right. I don’t know her well enough.’ (Concede)
>Write-In

>>2904458
>>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)

>>2904458
>>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)

>>2904458
>>‘Right, no … you’re right. I don’t know her well enough.’ (Concede)

>>2904458
>‘Right, no … you’re right. I don’t know her well enough.’ (Concede)

>>2904458
>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)

>>2904458
>>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)
Yuu is a good girl

>>2904458
>>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)

I'll be running in about 2 hours. Going out for a run and we'll be in business.

>>2904924
add on another 30 more minutes lads

>>2904458
>>‘We can trust Yuu. I’ll set it up.’ (Convince the Admiral)
>>Write-In
"There is a method to guarantee her aid. Would you trust the First Admiral with this information? She hold's Yuu's complete trust and would ensure she'd not compromise us."

>>2905133
and that is a very good idea

>>2905133
>>2905171

As the QM/DM/GM, I concur. It is, indeed, a good option to add on. I'll leave it open as a pathway in case you wish to pursue.

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You can’t blame The Admiral for his stern reality-check. You didn’t know Yuu that well; in fact, you can probably count the number of words exchanged between the both of you to be barely scraping by the three digit mark. At the same time … there was twinge, a feeling, that Yuu was someone that you could trust. As timid as she had been during your encounter, she’d been most trusting of you in her quest of going back home to her—for lack of better word—family. Not that you were someone to bite on favors the moment they presented themselves, of course, but … you don’t think Yuu would be disinclined to help.

At least … not if you brought the First Admiral into the conversation.

If you had to.

Maybe you were being manipulative, after all?

‘We can trust Yuu,’ you declare confidently, pumping a fist energetically. ‘I think that she’ll definitely help out.’

‘I don’t remember a submarine named Yuu on the manifest,’ Ooyodo inquires, holding her elbows as she takes a quizzical stance. ‘How do you know her?’

‘She might not be in actual active operations in the Hunters Lodge,’ you half-admit … and half-guess. ‘She’s actually part of the unit that’s bunking in with The First Admiral. The one that got sent in from Romeria.’

‘You mean … the ones that were here just now?’

You nod. ‘Yeah. Yuu wasn’t with them, though … but she is part of that unit. I had to drop her back at The First Admiral’s place after my trial last time. She doesn’t seem to get along well with the rest of the Hunter’s Lodge, though … it’s like Taigei and the rest of them don’t want her around.’

The Admiral furrows his brows, grunting and sitting back in his chair.

‘Admiral?’

‘Thing is … with recent developments, I’m not sure who to trust.’

‘I don’t think that—’

‘It’s not what you’re assuming,’ the Admiral cuts right back in, fixing you with an uncertain, apprehensive gaze. ‘If we’re bringing association into this, then she might already be compromised. By Akashi’s studies, we can’t … discount the possibility of The First Admiral is a suspect in this case, either.’

You make a face.

This was ludicrous!

‘That’s just being paranoid,’ you cry out, albeit a lot more softly than you intended for it to be. ‘You’re saying that The First Admiral might be the one behind it? Unreal!’

‘We can’t discount the possibility,’ he repeats.

‘Why?’

‘Because …’

Fusou, to your surprise, takes point.

‘Because the First Admiral … we believe … we know that she has known associations with the Shamans. In particular, one that is … on their terms, a heretic.’

Ooh, you’re in a corner now, aren’t you?

‘If your contact’s associated with her … and she is the culprit, then ...’

You bite your bottom lip.

>Write-In

for what i see, i dont think it adds up
the first admiral giving it the go to a "rip shipgirl hearts for superbullets"? not think it rolls for her

>>2905245
>Even if that is the case, the First Admiral's views on the treatment on kanmusu seems pretty obvious. Do you actually believe someone like that would actually willingly use the core of kanmusu for something like this? Even with contacts the idea of it just seems ridiculous.

>>2905253
aye it dont mesh with her at all

>>2905245
>Heretics from what I understand all have different forms of heresy. The type of heretic to weaponize Kanmusu hearts isn't the type who would be trying to make Kanmusu more human.

>>2905256
>it wouldn't make sense for the culprit to be her, with what i know about her, what was done to make these bullets is the exact thing she would condone with fury and stand against with all her might
worded it somewhat better i think

>>2905300
>>it wouldn't make sense for the culprit to be her, with what i know about her, what was done to make these bullets is the exact thing she would condemn with fury and stand against with all her might
IGNORE PREVIOUS POST

>>2905301
suportin'

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‘If I may argue the point, sir, I don’t think she’d be the culprit,’ you argue. ‘She may have a few acquaintances that don’t actually inspire confidence and you can argue the point that I’ve only met her a few times, but … I don’t think that she’d be the type to actually put a KanMusu’s Core into use as what’s effectively a bioweapon.’

The Admiral levels his gaze, unimpressed but … attentive.

‘You can say this with full confidence, Vice-Admiral?’

The heavy, professional atmosphere returns.

‘No,’ you admit with honesty. Your answer garners a pair of grimaces from Ooyodo and Fusou. ‘I can’t discount the possibility that she could be behind it, but … if I’m going to put her on a suspect list, sir, I’d have to do the same for you and the Vice-Admiral.’

‘Ain’t that something.’

‘I’m not … trying to sound insubordinate,’ you continue, trying power on through with your words, ‘but I don’t think she’s behind whatever killed that Princess. We don’t know what did the job, but if The First Admiral is behind it, then she’s running a bunch of contradictions trying to play negotiator like she is.’

‘Probably,’ the Admiral concurs, ‘but I can’t just ignore what I know either.’

‘If we’re going through that, then the both of us should be behind bars by now, sir,’ you retort pointedly. ‘Considering what we did in Haszad.’

He pauses.

‘Good point.’

‘Thanks.’

‘You do realize that, guilty or no, we might be bringing her into this dig of ours if Yuu decides her loyalty to her is worth more than absolute discretion?’

>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’
>‘I think I can convince Yuu to keep quiet … I think.’
>‘You know what? This might be a bad idea.’
>Write-In

>>2905401
>>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

>>2905401
>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

>>2905401
>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

>>2905401
>>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

>>2905401
>>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

>>2905401
>>‘Then I suggest bringing her into it, too. If we’re going to go all in, why not?’

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‘Then … why not bring her into the investigation too, if we’re going to ask Yuu-chan?’

All eyes—save for the fairies’—rest on you, more shocked than you would have pegged anyone to be. The Admiral himself looks like a teacher that had been reading off the wrong textbook to the class. Ooyodo and Fusou are silent, but Fusou looks like she’d had her tongue and jaw caved in by a sucker punch. A reaction that you think was most unwarranted.

It’s not long before The Admiral buries his face in his hands. An almighty sigh reaches your ears to go along with the tired droop of his shoulders, signaling that you’d either scored a point … or that The Admiral really just didn’t want to bother with it anymore.

Either way, you find yourself bracing for the retort.

‘Fine.’

That … was surprising.

‘Akashi, you report to him, tell him what you need. For the duration of this investigation, I’m placing our junior Vice-Admiral in charge.’

‘WHAT?!’

If nothing else, the technician and Akashi made a good pair of sopranos … or sopranists. You’re not sure how that went.

‘Why?’ Akashi shrills, scattering the sheets on the table. ‘He … I mean … why?’

‘It’s his suggestion,’ the Admiral returns neutrally. ‘I’ll oversee our operations on the whole, but if the Vice-Admiral says he can get what you need … I’m not about to see if he fits his pay grade.’

You’re not quite sure if that was a declaration of confidence or an insult.

‘Vice-Admiral,’ he calls out, catching your attention again. ‘This is your dig now. If you’re willing to put your own ass on that railroad track, I’m willing to give it a try.’

You wince. ‘Does it have to be so—’

‘You tell me, Vice-Admiral. You’re the one who suggested it.’

That … you did.

>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)
>‘You know what? I do think that we’re kinda … stepping the mark.’ (Backtrack)
>Write-In

>>2905473
>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

>>2905473
>‘I … I’ll do my best, sir.’ (Accept)

Continuing tonight. Be there if you want to. About ... 4 hours from now, I suppose.

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‘I’ll … do my best, sir.’

‘Good,’ he declares. His voice takes a more relaxed quality as he falls back into his seat and nods, pulling a drawer open. ‘Then I’ll trust you with this investigation, then. You and Akashi will be in charge. I’ll brief that hungover bastard when I see him. Nothing goes outside the immediate chain of command. You can brief your Secretary and your Sub-Commander if you want to, but not a peep out the window.’

‘Understood, sir.’

You throw up a salute.

‘Dismissed.’

The technician heads to the door, holding it open. Akashi is the first to step out into the biting cold of the evening … and you follow right behind her. The sound of a clicking handle that follows not two seconds into your re-introduction to the merciless chill of autumn tells you that Ooyodo and Fusou wouldn’t be following you out. They probably had more business to attend to with The Admiral. They would, of course … they were his ships after all.

‘So you’ll handle this?’

You turn to face Akashi, giving a small nod.

She doesn’t argue or pick the point up, throwing up a quick salute and walking off with the shivering form of the technician, heading back to what you can only guess would be her work station. The yards were clear of personnel and KanMusu … and no wonder: night time was pretty much waiting for its turn. The winds had died down slightly and every trace of Murakumo’s classes was gone from sight. The KanMusu had more than likely retreated into their dormitories or worked themselves into their patrol rotations. Maybe Murakumo would hold some supplementary classes at a later date; the whole event was something you wouldn’t mind repeating again in the near future. You’d had fun showing up Sendai and Tenryuu at their own game; one of the few times you’d actually got the physical best of anyone before a gathered crowd.

Haszad didn’t count.

It was hard to believe you’d been in there for an hour … but The Admiral’s toasty quarters were a dream compared to the elements that crept over your bones. Night would be here soon. You could head back right now … go and have a shower or something and pull some rations for dinner out. Maybe this time Iowa wouldn’t be draped all over you just to activate her taste buds.

She didn’t even need food.

Plus, there was the little issue that you had to announce Takao’s induction as your Secretary.

Hopefully you wouldn’t go deaf or lose another limb there.

‘You’d think that a friggin’ logistics unit knew addresses existed!’

Two soldiers, hauling a beer crate between the both of them, jostle past you, cursing and grumbling.

‘I told ya we should’ve asked one of the drivers up!’

‘Shut up and haul ass!’

That’s right.

The Army was having a cookout on the beach tonight.

>Go
>Don’t Go

>>2908034
>>Go
eh we can pop on by for a bit, aint no harm in taking a peek

>>2908034
>Go

>>2908034
>Go
Be a good Samaritan and help them, I mean, we CAN cook, right?

>>2908034
>>Go

>>2908034
>Go

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The barracks were still empty by the time you got back.

Your Division was probably

That allowed you to freshen and warm yourself up before … “suiting” back up for the beach cookout. Or whatever it was. A part of you couldn’t help but feel a little enthusiastic at the prospect of a social gathering of this … specific nature. You’re reminded of your days as a college student rearing yourself for a frat boy party on the weekend, which … after much consideration was probably what this was going to amount to, really. As disrespectful as the comparison was, with the collective attitudes of all the soldiers you’d encountered, you hardly thought that the—

‘Oh, so you decided to show up after all.’

You blink as you stop in your tracks, not thirty meters from the steps down to the beach.

‘Vice-Admiral.’

A familiar smirk.

‘Vice-Admiral.’

You reflexively rub the back your neck, cheeks turning pink.

‘Just in responsibility,’ you remind him, raising a hand.

‘Well, nice to have someone to share the workload with,’ he comments, cricking his neck. ‘So what brought you into this neck of the woods?’

‘You said there was going to be a beach gathering,’ you return pointedly, ‘I’m just trying to be social.’

‘Right.’

You frown at the dismissive, slightly sarcastic answer … before immediately noticing that the man before you was, well, for lack of better word, less than dressed for the occasion. In fact, you feel the temperature drop some degrees observing his manner of dress … and your own gut boiling a sun’s worth of envy as you observe his weathered, chiseled body. The Vice-Admiral was in nothing more than a pair of baggy board shorts and slippers, a checkered shirt with the sleeves torn off the only barrier (And you generously use that word, as half the buttons on the damned thing were reduced to frayed nubs that probably once held said buttons) between him and the cold.

He looked more like a beach-comber than the ex-paratrooper that you knew him to be.

In fact, you wonder why he wasn’t keeled over and begging for a blank—

‘I told you I passed every test they could throw at me when I was sixteen,’ he declares, practically reading your mind. ‘One of ‘em was a survival run in the northern tip. When you go through two weeks of winter with a Hound Unit on your ass, you can practically get warm from a dip in ice.’

You highly doubted that.

‘Come on,’ he gestures, prompting you to follow.

It’s not long before you’re down the steps … and greeted by loud, primal cries from half-dressed men and a small collection of women, brandishing paper plates and cans of half-filled booze. There are three lines of barbecue pits and a spit in the middle of the sand and a pair of bonfires and rows of torches that marked the designated—

‘CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!’

—Party Area.

>>2910625
>'Frat boys and sorority girls in perpetual repression. The human race in a nutshell.' (Snark)
>'I imagined some dignity, but that'd be optimistic.' (Disdain)
>'Not what I expected.' (Indifferent)
>Leave
>Grab a beer, light some conversation
>Write-In

>>2910640
>>Grab a beer, light some conversation
we need to NOT get wasted again
granted their probably drinking some piss-tier booze

>>2910640
>Grab a beer, light some conversation

>>2910640
>>Grab a beer, light some conversation

>>2910640
>>Grab a beer, light some conversation

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The Vice-Admiral had already abandoned you.

You’re not sure if that qualified him as smart or disloyal. The beach was lit, figuratively and literally. A surprising mass of soldiers was before you, howling and chatting. It probably wasn’t even in full swing just yet, even with the trio of shirtless men (with a small sprinkle of the feminine persuasion standing at the front of the gathered dozen playing witness) who downing what could only be several flagons worth of alcohol. There are pumping fists, high-pitched voices and no sign of either dying down … at least that’s what you think when the first man drops on all fours, holding a hand up in surrender. The second falls not two seconds later, shaking his head. He appeared to be more popular with his people than even the winner, however, as two of the girls in the crowd rallied around him with half-worried, half-comforting gestures.

The smell of a burning slab of meat strikes your nose as you dig through one of the open coolers and pick a bottle out.

You turn to see the grills in question, manned by two men who looked like they could have swallowed the cows that made up those slabs whole … and another familiar face overseeing the task, standing to the right of the small line of enthusiasts. There was no mistaking it … despite the rather fluffy set of clothing that he had donned: it was The Major. It’s a comfort to know that you’re not the only one who had something to say of a grill-slash-cookout in the opening act of autumn on a chilly beach.

He wasn’t the only one, either.

To your surprise, your Consultant has a space to herself, seated on a log with her ever-serious expression on her face. Loudmouth has her legs slightly crossed, clad in a heavy-looking jacket and fatigues. No one seems to pay her any attention … and you wonder how she got herself an invite here. She was from the Navy … and judging by her expression and lack of company, there is a smidgen of doubt that one of the Imperial Army would have offered a brew-decorated seat. An eye into the distance and little reaction to the chilly wind, she could have been a statue if the light from the fires didn’t offer their illumination.

She doesn’t look … lonely, however. Contemplative. That’s what she looks like.

‘Sarge, where do we put the nugget packs?’

‘By the crates, but don’t mix them in with the beef.’

You crane your neck slightly to find the Sergeant, taking The Vice-Admiral’s example and wearing little more than her jacket over a bikini and shorts, gesturing her equally-in-the-buff subordinates over to a corner by the fire … before having your view obscured by the moving crowd, hoisting the winner of the drinking contest off to one side.

If nothing else … there are people you know here.

>Talk to The Major
>Talk to The Sergeant
>Talk to Loudmouth
>Write-In

>>2914568
>>Talk to Loudmouth

>>2914568
>>Talk to Loudmouth

>>2914568
>Talk to Loudmouth

>>2914568
>Talk to The Sergeant

>>2914568
>>Talk to The Major

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‘Consultant.’

Loudmouth looks up from her position on the log, immediately standing up and throwing a salute. You give one right back, gesturing towards the space next to her on the log. She doesn’t protest to your presence, scooting over slightly to allow for you to sit. Despite her welcoming attitude, however … Loudmouth is hardly the conversationalist that you desire her to be (As your immediate companion). Around you, the party begins to kick it up a notch. The Major disappeared behind a body of robust men and The Sergeant takes her place sitting on crates and going over what appears to be a checklist as some of the other attendees approach her; more than likely to ask for further instruction.

You sip your bottle of beer in silence, finding the cool beverage oddly … invigorating … in the face of the cold.

The chill reminds you not to go overboard.

Through it all, however, Loudmouth keeps her silence.

>‘Cold, huh?’ (Awkward)
>‘So how’s … life?’ (Casual)
>‘Didn’t expect to see you here.’ (Inquire)
>‘Good talk.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2914982
>‘So how’s … life?’ (Casual)

>>2914982
>>‘So how’s … life?’ (Casual)

>>2914982
>>‘Didn’t expect to see you here.’ (Inquire)

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‘So,’ you start slowly. ‘How’s life?’

Your reply is an amused half-chortle, followed by a pensive glance in your direction. ‘Is this how you begin small talk with your subordinates, Commander?’

You give a slight, wry smile in return.

‘Don’t know any other way to kick a conversation off,’ you return, shrugging. ‘Topics don’t really fall out of the sky for me to pick and read out.’

‘Very dry,’ she comments, ‘but I stay by my evaluation that prepping KanMusu up for training isn’t exactly how I imagined it to be.’

‘What was the preconception?’

‘That it’d be a lot less … organic than what I have to go through,’ Loudmouth returns, taking a bottle from the sand and smarting a brief sip … before setting it back down with a fleeting show of disgust. ‘They’re a lot more receptive compared to the usual unfiltered collections, but I don’t have to deal with anyone throwing something back at me or crying their way to the infirmary. Tough bunch of girls there.’

You can’t help but feel a little proud at that.

‘Nice to know that even someone like you can still get surprised.’

‘I think we’ve already talked about this before,’ she continues, albeit a little hesitantly. ‘If so, I apologize for repeating myself.’

‘No,’ you reply hastily, raising your hands and almost dropping your bottle. ‘It’s all right, I mean … things can change, right? Not like you couldn’t have a change of opinion on the cards.’

‘I suppose so,’ Loudmouth agrees, nodding slowly. ‘If nothing else … they’re perfect soldiers. Each unique in their needs, wants and tactics … but ultimately able to adapt themselves to the command and needs of combat in immediate or sudden turns. It’s a little intimidating at times. I find myself scared what’ll happen if they ever decide that they make more effective combatants than the bulk of humanity.’

You snort, taking a swig.

‘I think a tortoise would make a more effective combatant than the bulk of humanity.’

‘Then it’s fortunate that we decided that there are thresholds to our habits of weaponization,’ Loudmouth shoots right back, a small, wry smile appearing in the corners of her lips before shaking her head. ‘Pardon my morbid humor, sir.’

‘Just glad you got one,’ you dig right back. Loudmouth chuckles again, but otherwise says nothing in return. ‘Back to it, though … I think there’s a degree of irony there that the greatest weapons in our lifetime are both able to level cities at a thought but choose not to out of a sense of love for a species of hooligans who’d stab each other in the back for a leg up on the rest of the hooligans.’

You don’t know where that came from.

You do know where half your bottle’s ended up, however.

Perhaps you could bring half a crate or so back.

‘So you don’t think that we deserve to be saved either, Commander?’

>>2915168
>'Either?'
>'I never said that.' (Deny)
>'A part of me believes that. I guess.' (Confess)
>'Have a good evening, Consultant.' (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2915179
>>'Either?'
i am intrigued by this

>>2915168
>I think some of us do deserve to be saved, or at least the opportunity to save ourselves, and others don't. I do not know which group I am in.

>>2915179
>'A part of me believes that. I guess.' (Confess)

>>2915186
>>2915195
>>2915205
Let's see where it goes.

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‘It’s hard to say that humanity as a whole deserves that kind of TLC,’ you answer morbidly. ‘Considering we were on the way to Screw Up City just fine without the Abyssals, I find it hard to actually believe that everything about us is worthy … but I can’t be the judge for that. I don’t know where I belong in, myself.’

You pause for a moment.

‘I don’t think if I even want to know the answer.’

There’s silence between the both of you.

Maybe you were a bit too preachy for your own good. Ever since you’d turned your head away from that monotony of a kitchen, alley and a mess of a room, you’d found yourself seeing that … certain things had taken a different tint. You hadn’t been this … chatty before, for lack of better wording; or contemplative. There’s the argument that you were making up for lost time, but ever since making Commander—and now assuming the duties of Vice-Admiral—you had to admit that you found yourself on the end of a quite a few uncomfortable truths that you didn’t even have the ghost of an answer to. You’re not sure if your job scope even had a guideline regarding those, but regardless of everything, your experiences with KanMusu had left you a little …

Unsure.

A race of weapons with complete love and confidence for those that probably didn’t deserve it on a good day.

That was poetry, all right.

‘Commander?’

‘Oh, sorry I was,’ you take a brief pause, ‘thinking.’

Loudmouth gives a small nod, turning her attention back to the crowd of soldiers, partying like it was the afternoon of summer break instead of the young night in the opening act of autumn. It’s a little silly, really. You wonder how none of their nipples had fallen off from the sheer cold; you yourself are wearing three layers of clothing … and the Vice-Admiral looks like he’s about to have a gander at the surf, chatting away with two young Privates and probably one of four sensible soldiers that had decided that full uniform was the way to go on a night like this. It’s all the more jarring that Loudmouth is here … and that you’re the only one resembling familiar company.

You wonder why she’d be here at all, considering her background.

‘What do you think of the Imperial Forces and the Admiralty joining up.’

‘Not much,’ you retort, if a little cruelly, ‘only that I don’t think that there’s any political body, literal or bureaucratic, in that bunch that’s going to make things easier. It’s never the nature of administrative expansion to make things easier for the ones actually out on the field.’

To that, she chortles again.

‘We agree on that much, then,’ she returns. ‘A very candid opinion.’

‘I can mince words when I want to,’ you confess. ‘I just don’t feel like I have anything nice to say about being potentially hamstrung.’

‘Is that what you told yourself during the operation?’

>>2915310
>'You're repeating yourself.' (Retort)
>'Is this really the place to be talking about that?' (Professional)
>'If you'll let me be honest on that? I just wanted to get them out.' (Honest)
>'No.' (Dismissive)
>'Have a good evening, Consultant.' (Leave the question unanswered)
>Write-In

>>2915311
>>'If you'll let me be honest on that? I just wanted to get them out.' (Honest)

>>2915311
>>'If you'll let me be honest on that? I just wanted to get them out.' (Honest)

>>2915311
>'If you'll let me be honest on that? I just wanted to get them out.' (Honest)

>>291531
>'If you'll let me be honest on that? I just wanted to get them out.' (Honest)

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‘If you’ll let me be honest on that?’ you let out, taking another sip and continuing, ‘I just wanted to get them out. The last thing on my mind was a paperwork stack or a form that needed stamping.’

Loudmouth makes her amusement known with a snort.

‘Consistent,’ she comments, shifting slightly. ‘It’s probably something I should learn to expect from you.’

‘That I don’t care about the consequences?’

You’re met with a surprised look.

You return it with a small smirk.

‘I’m more aware of my tendencies and habits than you think I am, Miss Consultant,’ you jibe playfully, shifting for a little more butt room on the log. ‘I know what they mean for me and the Division … for everyone.’

‘I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds,’ Loudmouth returns apologetically, the both of you taking a brief pause from the conversation to stare at the fireball reaching for the night sky. It’s from the barbecue; someone had apparently thrown too much fuel on the grill: typical barbarians. ‘I just … I think the proper word to use is that I find it hard to reconcile that someone who wouldn’t be fighting a war on sheer lack of qualification alone is someone that I have to rely on to keep humanity’s survival going. You’re slightly overweight, have little combat experience, no background of significance whatsoever …’

It doesn’t take long for you to realize that Loudmouth may have had a tolerance to alcohol, but in the end it was just that: tolerance.

Maybe there was a truth to “liquid courage” being a euphemism for the drink.

‘And somehow, you’re handling the driver’s seat better than anyone thinks of you.’

‘I’m not the only one fighting,’ you reply evenly, the noise practically reaching a din around you … but doing nothing to shake or stir you from your thoughts. You’re oddly focused; eye on the crowd, hand on a bottle and thoughts reaching out to the days that had gone by. ‘Admiral’s doing his job, too … so’s the Vice-Admiral; and there’s everyone else that’s still on the frontlines with KanMusu.’

‘The Admiral and The Vice-Admiral are exceptions,’ Loudmouth retorts strongly, much to your surprise. ‘The Admiral’s a qualified military engineer, the Vice-Admiral probably one of the greatest un-commended soldiers in Air Force history and you … are an ex-cook with an inconsistent weight-loss regimen, if you pardon my directness, Commander.’

‘Chatty tonight, aren’t you?’

‘It’s a cold night and talking helps keep my face from freezing solid.’

‘Like usual?’

A mysterious smile breaks out in response. ‘Touche, Commander.’

‘It’s that why you came out here?’

‘Huh?’

‘Because you were scared of being irrelevant?’

She pauses. You hear a poorly-played violin being strum somewhere in the midst of the jumping crowd.

‘I suppose you’d have more experience with that fear than I would, Commander.’

>>2919939
>Take offense
>'Have a good one, Loudmouth.' (Leave her be)
>'If were you, I'd be doing what you've been doing: what I need to. Not what I think I can do.' (Patient)
>'Why don't you actually try out to be a Commander? We have a new batch.' (Option)
>Stay silent
>Write-In

>>2919942
>>'Why don't you actually try out to be a Commander? We have a new batch.' (Option)

>>2919942
>>Stay silent

>>2919942
>>'Why don't you actually try out to be a Commander? We have a new batch.' (Option)

>>2919942
>'Why don't you actually try out to be a Commander? We have a new batch.' (Option)

‘Why don’t you actually try out to be a Commander, then? We have a new batch of candidates on base; it wouldn’t hurt to put your name on that shortlist … if you think you can give a little more than just playing Specialist or a Hired Consultant, I don’t think we’re going to turn you away if you’re able to establish a Stream of sorts …’

That one was a little hard to shore up.

After all, you had been capable of establishing and managing the Stream just as well as at least the median of your fellow candidates … but for some reason or other, the late Vice-Admiral and the proctors had deemed you inadequate. You were glad to have proven them wrong over the last several weeks, but what Loudmouth could offer as a Commander was something that you believed to be worth the try. She was from a military background, for one, and—

‘I don’t need the Admiralty’s screening process to tell me what I already know.’

‘Eh?’

‘Despite appearances, The Admiralty doesn’t have that adversarial a relationship with the Armed Forces,’ Loudmouth elaborates, taking a light sip of her drink. ‘Scouting runs usually coincide with recommendations from the military arm to write their shortlists up. I’m unable to meet the set criteria.’

You blink. That … was new information.

You’d thought that the Armed Forces and The Admiralty would bite concrete before doing anything of the sort now, what with the jurisdiction between frictions. Then again, considering The Admiral and The Vice-Admiral were from military backgrounds themselves, it probably wasn’t—shouldn’t—have been that far out a pick.

‘So … you know you’re not …’

‘I’m not Commander material.’

>‘Right.’ (Concede her point)
>‘Makes me wonder what the criteria is, if I can make it and you can’t.’ (Try to be diplomatic)
>‘You know … I was rejected, too.’ (Reveal your own origins)
>Drop the topic
>Leave the conversation
>Write-In

>>2920059
>>‘Right.’ (Concede her point)

>>2920059
>‘You know … I was rejected, too.’ (Reveal your own origins)

>>2920059
>‘You know … I was rejected, too.’ (Reveal your own origins)

>>2920059
>>‘You know … I was rejected, too.’ (Reveal your own origins)

>>2920059
>>‘You know … I was rejected, too.’ (Reveal your own origins)

File: loudmouth2.jpg (100 KB, 640x398)

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It would’ve been easy to drop the matter there and then.

The results were tangible and the outcome had already been decided long ago; there was no need for you to spur someone into what could be a probable failure. She’d done it; she’d stepped up and had been found lacking. That was all there was to it; that is all there is to it. And yet … something inside you stirs. Something nonsensical and foolhardy that you can’t help but twist your metaphorical head … and listen. It isn’t your lodger, much to your surprise, but …

‘You know, they turned me away, too,’ you muse, chuckling and sipping the last of your beer. ‘I was, uh … unfit, for lack of better word. Didn’t make the cut.’

‘And yet here you are.’

‘Everyone that did make the cut died.’ Your reply is practically dipped in venom. ‘Anyone that could’ve made a difference among them—more of a difference than I have—isn’t here anymore. All that’s left is what I can do with what I have. It’s hard to be more than what I am, but I have to. It’s what I chose to saddle myself with coming out from the middle of the city thinking I could be an action hero.’

You let out a great big sigh, running a hand through your head.

And you’d thought that the breeze was chilly.

‘Thing is, I … chose to saddle myself on this horse,’ you let out throatily, ‘and I think … KanMusu or no, whatever my intentions are, I came out here to do something that’d make a change, no matter what it was. I didn’t come here to half-ass things just because I didn’t make the cut once … and I think in times like these, the last thing someone like you wants to do to yourself is put another excuse between you and what you want for yourself.’

Loudmouth doesn’t reply.

You decide to dial it back … if only a little.

‘What I’m trying to say is,’ you continue slowly, ‘is that you know what you’re expecting of yourself … and even if you fail again, it doesn’t make a difference. You will, however, regret not trying. You joined me as a consulting Specialist because you wanted to help in the war effort; I can’t guarantee that you’ll fit the criteria now anymore than you did then, but, uh …’

Crud.

So much for being philosophical.

‘Look,’ you let out with a sigh, ‘to put it in simple terms … we could use all the help we can get, right? That’s what I told you last time and … if the criteria hasn’t changed, then don’t count on that changing, either … and if you think that—’

‘Commander.’

‘Yes?’

‘People are staring.’

So they were.

Your cheeks turn red.

‘I’m … going to go and get some food,’ she declares, getting to her feet with a small, apologetic … and embarrassed smile. ‘I’ll think about it.’

And you’re alone again.

They will sing songs of your spilled spaghetti through the echoes of eternity …

>>2920143
>Just stay where you are
>Engaged with members of the crowd
>Try to find the Vice-Admiral
>Try to find the Sergeant
>Try to find the Major
>Leave
>Write-In

>>2920145
>>Try to find the Sergeant
never regret the spaghetti

>>2920145
>>Try to find the Major

>>2920145
>Try to find the Major

>>2920145
>Try to find the Major
Haven'ttalked to him in a while, wasn't going through the major by raising our relationship with the military one way to get kanmusu upgrades anyway? This might help with that.

>>2920145
>>Try to find the Major

>>2920145
>Try to find the Major

Sorry guys, still in KL. Family emergency. I'll try to drive back ASAP

>>2920145
>Try to find the Major

File: Major.png (133 KB, 619x447)

133 KB PNG

The Major isn’t hard to find.

He’s the only one that looks halfway to sensible in dress.

Arms tucked underneath his pits and a fallen hood around his shoulders to accompany a literal blue neckline, the Major holds himself in a hold you can almost describe as … almost comical, really. It doesn’t take much of a squint to notice his shivering, his intolerance to the cold. It’s a kindred spirit that you had found here; hunched over, chattering his teeth and with an intention to be anywhere but on an autumn-kissed beach in the middle of the night. No one seems to be paying him any heed, however, busy yelling and cat-calling and … whatever it is that they intend to do with those crates of potatoes and fish.

Fish?

Someone at HQ must have liked them a lot.

‘Nice party.’

He turns a weary gaze towards you.

‘It’s an adequate reprieve.’

‘Surprised that you’d throw a cookout a time like this,’ you continue loudly, shifting yourself closer … and more importantly, out of the way of the rowdy bunch that dragged their friends across the sand. ‘Who’s footing the bill?’

‘Logistics had a surplus of luxuries,’ he states simply. ‘The Colonel and I decided to take what we could out of it for our own use.’

You wince slightly.

‘Under the table, huh?’

‘The Army does not condone wasting resources,’ he corrects you crisply. ‘We distributed what we could to the relief areas; what we have here is a leftover of what we couldn’t distribute or went into the overflow. The acquisition and signing off on these supplies are legitimate and declared under the proper paperwork.’

You snort in response; he sounded a lot like Ooyodo.

‘Is there a reason you’re not joining in?’

‘I am not here out of my own volition,’ he reveals further, creasing his brows and staring at the dancing masses … who’d just been able to get ahold of what you can only guess to be a radio, if the crackle and beat were any indication. ‘These type of gatherings aren’t really my kind of engagement.’

‘So … why are you here?’

‘Covering for The Colonel. He’s out with food poisoning.’

‘Is he now?’

‘He ate one of the radishes from the rejected batch. Word is that he might have a worm.’

You wince.

‘Ouch.’

‘One of the reasons why I tread around the Logistics Units with a clean knife and a smile,’ he muses, much to your surprise. ‘You don’t mess with someone who has a hand on what you’re about to eat.’

You laugh. ‘Nice to know someone heeds that message in this wide, wide world.’

‘Considering your background, I’m not surprised that you would find the statement amusing.’

>‘My background?’ (Inquire)
>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)
>‘And I can assume you’ve been doing some snooping with THAT statement.’ (Apprehensive)
>‘Good to know someone’s got an ear to the ground. See you, Major. Nice talking to you.’
>Write-In

>>2925259
>>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)

>>2925259
>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation

>>2925259
‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)

>>2925259
>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)

>>2925259
>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)

>>2925259
>‘Did some digging, did you?’ (Ease into the conversation)

File: Parteh.jpg (26 KB, 640x480)

26 KB JPG

‘Done some digging, have you?’

‘I didn’t have to,’ he clarifies, briefly pausing and blowing into his hands. ‘The Admiralty gave full disclosure on current operations … including your profile and operational history … or lack thereof.’

‘Not impressed by my culinary history, are you?’

‘Such a consideration would be irrelevant,’ the Major returns, sound almost mechanical. ‘I will, however, admit my curiosity to how you found yourself in command of one of the last bastions of humanity’s defense … but I think that in the scheme of things, the inquiry wouldn’t matter. At the end of it, I can only thank you as a fellow soldier.’

You cock your head to one side, unsure of how to reply to that.

There’s a bit of an inability for you to discern whether it’s a stealthy attack on your person or a tepid form of praise … so you decide to take the middle road; just like you always had: you give a small nod and turn your attention to where the Major’s gaze is focused on. Which, in this case, just happens to be the tribal ritual that the half-dressed excuses of soldiers are engaged in. The cookout is now in full swing, with several more sensibly-clad soldiers playing server and hoisting plates and plates of meat … and discipline is but, if only temporarily, a worry for yesterday.

‘I’m sorry about how I, uh, handled your … situation.’

The Major doesn’t reply.

You’re referring, of course, to the tumultuous affair regarding the Admiralty’s MPs and the Army’s peacekeeping and relief efforts. With everything a whole deal calmer now … no, that’d just be your assumptions running where they shouldn’t be going; you’re going too fast with that. Things are still in their limbo; you still had your District to manage and the infrastructure of Yokosuka still needed adjustment, even with the roads and the power—at least more consistently—back. You couldn’t—you can’t—fall back into the assumption that the man is more at ease now than he had been before … that’d be working against the human factor present in all errors unaccounted.

And The Major, if nothing else, is not a man that you would take lightly, even with his youth into account.

‘Could’ve gone a lot better.’

‘Considering your background, it would be disingenuous of me to not realign my assumptions.’

‘You shouldn’t change your opinion on me just because my status has changed.’

‘Even if the approach should have been different?’

‘Hey, I screwed up on that,’ you … confess, ultimately. ‘I’m at least man enough to not … well, not just pass the buck. Whatever you think I am, or who I was, doesn’t change I made a bad call trying to sort the whole damn thing out.’

‘You’re … taking the blame?’

‘You think I’d shuffle myself out of it?’

He chuckles.

‘No,’ the Major concedes, turning a handsome smile in your direction. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’

>>2925480
>‘I saw you working around the other day … you get down and dirty too, huh?’
>‘How’re operations running now?’
>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’
>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’
>'What're all those tents at the back for?'
>‘Be seeing you, Major.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2925483
>‘How’re operations running now?’

>>2925483
>>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’

>>2925483
>>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’

>>2925483
>>‘How’re operations running now?’

>>2925483
>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’

>>2925483
>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’

‘Why are we the only ones out here who’re feeling the cold?’

It’s a sudden inquiry … but one that you don’t feel is entirely out of place. The way that the soldiers acted … it was as if they were frolicking in tribute to Spring Break than they were on the beach in the middle of the night during autumn. Personally, you would have chosen somewhere warm and indoors. The fire made it less uncomfortable, but that was like saying that you were content pushing a car uphill with the axle busted and the engine past its mileage limits.

‘We’re not,’ is the answer you get, accompanied by a slight scowl and a shift, ‘but the Imperial Army’s nothing if not zealous in its adherence to tradition … and there’s only so much pent-up frustration that you can pile up before it explodes.’

‘Seems a lot just for some stress release.’

‘The Army’s been relegated to support duties for a decade and a half,’ he answers further. ‘There’s not one soldier here who signed up just to tick boxes and carry crates around a warehouse or take stock. You can imagine the restlessness.’

‘Eh, but aren’t you kinda condition for … that sort of thing?’

The Major turns to face you.

‘There is a truth to that,’ he concedes, ‘but are you going to tell a whole battalion to suck it up for four months of monotony twice a year?’

You consider the point.

‘Right.’

>‘I saw you working around the other day … you get down and dirty too, huh?’
>‘How’re operations running now?’
>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’
>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’
>'What're all those tents at the back for?'
>‘Be seeing you, Major.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2927503
>>'What're all those tents at the back for?'

>>2927503
>'What're all those tents at the back for?'

‘What’re all those tents at the back for?’

‘Stress release.’

He doesn’t elaborate further. The expression on his face communicates equal parts distaste, annoyance … and embarrassment.

It puzzles you, if only slightly.

>‘Stress release?’ (Inquire further)
>‘Right.’ (Drop it)
>Ask something else
>Leave his company
>Write-In

>>2927687
>>‘Right.’ (Drop it)

>>2927687
>>‘Right.’ (Drop it)
>Ask something else
>‘How’re operations running now?’

‘Right.’

You decide not to pick up on it. If he was being so averse to the topic, there was no reason for you to pursue and pick up on any of that ire. You wouldn’t have been happy being pushed into a conversational pit you’d have to dig yourself out of by someone else … and there was no reason to think that the Major would be any different. The both of you settle into a sort of reverie, not saying a word to one another and sipping your beers as you watch the cookout hit its stride. Sizzling slabs of meat hit your ears, the scent on the grill powering through your nostrils; a welcome reprieve from the beach’s chilly confines. A glance at the grill has you witnessing the site of organized chaos: paper plates and flying hats lit by the roaring flames, clamoring for the first serving. They’re treated to stern warnings by the guardians of the cookout, making a barrier up between them and the masses of hungry men and women, the coolers and crates of beer tended by a reasonable few that had decided they wanted no place in that chaos.

The Sergeant sits herself on a crate by one of the torches, hunched over with her cap pulled down. The Vice-Admiral is just out of sight behind one of the bonfires; you’re unable to see just what he’s up to, but the set of legs poking out (a pair definitely not his) from the other side warns you off any further curiosity.

For now, at least.

‘I wonder if we have enough cabbages for salad.’

‘Eh?’

‘Salad,’ the Major repeats. ‘We might run out.’

You cock an eyebrow, shaking your head.

That … was random.

>‘I saw you working around the other day … you get down and dirty too, huh?’
>‘How’re operations running now?’
>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’
>‘Why are we the only ones here who actually feel the cold?’
>'What're all those tents at the back for?'
>‘Be seeing you, Major.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2927870
>>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’
this is important

>>2927870
>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’

>>2927870
>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’

>>2927870
>>‘How long until the BBQ meat gets served?’

>>2927870
>‘I saw you working around the other day … you get down and dirty too, huh?’

right lurkers, Mech got whacked with another ban cause the mods hate Malaysia something fierce but thats not important
we are officially entering Mid-game and our chances dont look good cause our gear is shit
why is our gear shit?
cause we spent too much time chasing and talking to waifus instead of scrounging for quests and doing them to get upgrades, stat buffs, and gear
what im getting at here is LESS WAIFU CHASING, MORE QUEST DOING

Testing