There's other work being done, of course- the crew's swelled to nearly three times it's usual number as specialists overhaul both engines, and a pair of technician witches, nominally under vought's employ but basically navy themselves, go through and check the web of foci and magical routing present in the fighter, replacing the standard crystalline quartz in places with ruby assemblies. It's hard not to notice the number of foci assemblies being replaced that are already cracked as they do so- something even Aunt Merlin didn't do very often. The electronics crew is present as well, checking over things and installing the latest iterative upgrades to Muninn's systems- nothing spectacularly major, just fairly minor upgrades to the memory arrays. At the numbers you're working at, a few extra gigabites aren't much to write home about.

You've stepped back out of the way with the chief as she watches the work with a practiced eye. "This ain't so bad. Starting to understand why all them foremen and shit do it." She says with a slight smile, sipping her coffee. You don't mention that it's almost noon- coffee and crew chiefs seem to be a thing. "Lotta work though. That Merlin, she likes loading it up. Cannon install, electronic overhaul, foci overhaul and replacement-" She shakes her head. "That girl of yours too damn strong, sir."

You smile. "I haven't had a complaint."

The chief laughs. "who you tellin?" She says, then shakes her head. "Naw, I didn't think you would. Prolly get a different look at her than we do here on the pad."

You nod. "How are the IJN guys?"

The chief frowns. "They alright, but they keep to themselves. They're learning from us, but it's clear they ain't us, you know?"

[] Is that causing problems?
[] Even with the doc here?

>>4492070
>[] Is that causing problems?

>>4492070
>[X] Is that causing problems?

>>4492070
>[x] Is that causing problems?

>>4492070
>[x] Is that causing problems?

>>4492070
>[X] Is that causing problems?

>>4492070
>[X] Is that causing problems?

Ok, votes called! We're going to go back to the half hour voting periods for the time being, but I don't expect that to last very long.

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[x] Is that causing problems?

"Is that causing problems?" You ask.

The chief shakes her head. "Naw, not really." She says. "It's a pain in the ass sometimes, when one of them doesn't want to take orders the way they're supposed to, all of 'em are pretty senior rates, but cos of the arrangement I have threes and fours giving orders to equivalent sixes and sevens that have fifteen years in uniform on 'em." She shrugs. "Shoulda known they was givin me the interesting one when the name 'Bishop-Laroux' came across." She laughs.

"How about the vought plant crew?" You ask- there's at least ten vought people on site, most of the busy with the cannon's installation and the attendant airframe changes.

"Oh, they're fine." the chief responds. "They work with us enough they wasn't going to be a problem. Plus with admiral Wells around, no one wants to cut up too bad. I swear, that woman gets more done by looking unhappy than I've ever seen. Ain't no one wants to disappoint her."

You're about to respond when you notice a witch walking over. She's stunning to a fault, you notice immediately- long, well toned legs, dark hair and a face that, even partly hidden behind aviators, wouldn't look out of place on a sculpture. Too good to be real, you think somewhat dryly- and that instantly puts you at least slightly on guard. You and the chief salute as she joins you and she nods- she's wearing a flight jacket with the insignia of VFC-13, the local navy aggressor squadron on the shoulder.

"Morning, Lieutenant, Chief." She says. "Mind if I join you for a couple minutes?"

"I was just gonna head back to my bird, ma'am." The chief responds.

The witch nods. "I wanted to talk to the LT, really." She says. "Not too many people have tangled with one of those flying damn battleships."

The chief smiles. "I getcha, ma'am." She says, then pauses for a second. "Ma'am, sir." She finishes, stepping away from you and rejoining the oversized crew working on Muninn.

"Sorry about ambushing you, Lieutenant." The witch offers. "But the ghost prince is a rare sighting, even if his aircraft isn't. You're a hard man to find."

You blink. "Shouldn't have been, ma'am." You respond. "Haven't been going anywhere."

She smiles. "Sorry, I misspoke. You're a hard man to get hold of." She corrects. "Most of the time we've been begging just to talk with you, since you're the only one with combat experience like you've got, but you're either 'otherwise occupied' by orders no one can bounce, or you're off in the spirit realm."

"The spirit realm?" You ask with a slight smile.

She shrugs. "Impossible to find." She responds. "At least, for us mortals. So, got a few minutes? I'd really like to talk if your chief can spare you."

[] I'm probably just in the way here, ma'am.
[] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[X] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[X] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[x] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[x] Yes, ma'am.

>>4492222
>[x] Yes, ma'am.

What rank's this one? Major? Colonel?

>>4492222
[] Yes, ma'am.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] Yes, ma'am.

"Yes, ma'am." You respond, and she smiles.

"That's great, thanks LT. And you can stop calling me ma'am, most of the guys call me Remi. You can call me Remilia if that's too informal."

"Morgan." You respond, nodding. You're still a little suspicious of this witch- then again, you're suspicious of every witch other than a select handful, almost all of whom are related to you.

"Let's get off the flight line." She says, gesturing for you to follow her. "This is informal as hell, but like I said, you're really hard to pin down to talk to. Either Admiral Wells has you or you're under some inscrutable Wyvern squadron code that no one short of the CNO can override." She shrugs. "So I kinda had to jump when someone at ops remembered we'd been looking for you when I came in. We'll head up to my office, it's over near ops."

You nod.

She doesn't talk much on the walk over to the squadron building. It's about the same size as ops, housing all of the offices and workspace of the aggressor squadron's pilots and witches, along with their witch's small arms and all their senior enlisted's offices as well on the ground floor. The unit is a little oversize compared to a carrier squadron you know, but you're not sure of the exact composition. There's more than one witch, of course, though.

Remilia leads you to an office up on the top floor, it's windows overlooking the drake line. The name plate on the frosted glass reads "CPT. CARNEGIE", with her wings just below the name- confirming a suspicion you were holding.

"Leave that hatch open, but have a seat." She says, walking around the desk to sit down. "First off, I want to say thanks. We've all been after the AARs, but that's not the same as being able to talk first hand."

You nod. "Of course."

"So the AAR you provided indicated you came under attack by UCAVs deployed to defend the ship?" She asks, launching right into her questions. "There wasn't any wreckage recovered, and the AAR wasn't real clear on their capabilities." She says, then pauses. "We've got an estimated number, but are you under the impression that they'd have been a significant danger to a witch?"

[] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.
[] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.
[] I don't think so, no. They had limited cannon armament and were all subsonic. I don't think they'd be especially dangerous.

>>4492274
>[X] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.

>>4492274
>" Yes Ma'am. The drones, if directed by a master AI were dangerous. However once the Control AI left, they became easier to deal with.

>>4492274
>[] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.

>>4492274
>[X] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.

>>4492274
>[x] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.

Relative numbers are important; Wendy went ham on them but ordinary witches would've gotten surrounded and struggled against that lot.

>>4492274
>[] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.
>[] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.
level of danger is *heavily* dependent on numbers and the presence of the AI controller

ok, votes called!

>>4492274
>[x] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.
>[x] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.

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[x] Yes, ma'am. Those drones were dangerous when the control AI was present, I think they'd be murderous against witches.
[x] I think with enough present, yes, but it'd depend on how many witches were there.

You frown for a second before nodding. "It depends on how many there are, and if the control AI is present or not." You respond. "I'd say they'd be murder against small groups of witches, but if they don't have a numbers advantage or there's no AI, then they're not very threatening."

She nods. "That's what we were thinking, based on your AARs." She smiles. "Pass my compliments on to Commander Maloney, by the way. Her report was extensive enough we were almost able to entirely recreate the engagement on the simulators. Good thing the rumors about her flying again were true."

You smile a little. "We're pretty lucky to have her." You agree.

"You are." She agrees. "We all gave the simulation a couple shots, both with our own gear and simulating as much as we could her setup." She shrugs. "With her equipment minus your AIs and links, we got about a fifty-fifty rate. With our own gear, it was more like ten-ninety, their favor."

"Pretty rough." You note, and she nods.

"Solo and pairs, but yeah." She admits, then smiles. "A few of us are considering putting in for the wingwitch program."

"Wingwitch?" You ask.

"Like commander Maloney." She explains. "The navy's opening up slots for the first general intake, I guess they intend all drakes, from here on in, are gonna be flying with a partner."

"I see." You say. "They have the airframes?"

"No idea, but here we are." She pauses. "So how is it?" She asks. "I mean, we all hear rumors about the whole deal, but how is it, really?"

"Flying with the MIU?" You ask, and she nods.

"I guess you get asked that a lot?" She asks.

"You could say that." You agree.

"Sorry to ask it, but these drones and these battleship- things, they're making it look more and more like the days of a witch just wearing a pair of strikers and carrying a rifle are coming to an end." She says. "You've seen these things in action. Do you think strikers are going out and leashes are coming in?"

You frown. "Leashes?"

"Commander Maloney and Sho-sa Kyou both answer to you in the air, right?" She asks. There's no heat or anger in her tone at all- it's a question. You nod. "Think about how that looks compared to how we're used to doing it, where it's you and a wingmate, maybe you and a wingmate and a couple steelwings."

[] I don't see a difference, ma'am. You'd still take orders from an element lead, right?
[] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

>>4492337
>[X] I don't see a difference, ma'am. You'd still take orders from an element lead, right?

>>4492337

>[] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

I'm surprised she didn't ask about having to eventually settle down with a Wyvern pilot

>>4492337
>[] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

>>4492337
>[] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

>>4492337
>[] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

"Unless they want to be AYOOOOOOO"

>>4492337
>[x] I don't see a difference, ma'am. You'd still take orders from an element lead, right?

>>4492337
>[X] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

Oh shoot, sorry guys, got a little sidetracked. Votes called! This'll be our last update for the evening.

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[x] Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate. they're hardly on leashes, ma'am.

You frown a little at the description. She's not wrong, not exactly, but at the same time that's a fairly pessimistic way to look at things. If anything, on the ground, Kyou is very much in command- at least most of the time. "Wendy's a wingmate and Kyou's a crewmate." You correct. "They're hardly on leashes, ma'am."

She nods. "I understand, but that's not how it sounds to us." She responds. "I get that all drake teams are just that- they're teams, and they all function as such." She smiles, perhaps a little wistfully. "And every drake driver or witch I've ever met has made it abundantly clear that they're partners, equals. But up there-" She indicates the flight line out of the windows, and the sky beyond- "The thought of ultimately giving up control is a little scary to us."

You can understand that, you guess- ultimately, it's not something you have to do. You know that Muninn can, in theory, if you're injured or otherwise rendered unable to fly the aircraft, take over control and get the drake home, but in practice, the process for him to do so is basically impossible- odds are if you're so badly injured, the aircraft is unflyable anyway.

Still, you shrug. "I guess so, ma'am." You say, though it still bothers you a little to think of it like that- you almost wonder what Kyou would say. "But that's really just true for Kyou. Wendy still flies her own aircraft under her own control."

"And still linked to the MIU you guys have." She points out. "That's a little creepy for us too."

You shrug. "It's comforting, once you get used to it." You say, parroting one of the most standard lines about the system- it's an adjustment, but once made, it's hard to see how you got along before it.

She nods. "Yeah, so I'm told." She says, then leans back in her chair. "So what do you think. With these flying battleships out there now, how much longer is the navy going to be able to let witches and conventional steelwings keep flying? There's already some calls to retire everything but wyverns and specialized carriers for them."

You blink. That's news to you- there's always been a small fraction that has held that with Wyverns being so powerful, relative to anything else, that everything else is an effective waste of money. The navy's counter is that, while wyvern combat teams are incredibly powerful and useful, there's no way to field enough of them to do everything the navy needs done- retiring every single other combat airframe they own might save enough to field another forty or fifty wyverns, at most.

[] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.
[] I can't possibly guess, ma'am.
[] They're not wrong, but I can't say how fast it ought to be done.

And that's going to be it for the evening!

Going forward, we're going to be shooting for about an hour, hour-fifteen between updates, which I think is pretty fair with a half hour voting time. We'll also be shooting for a pretty consistent 1800EST-2345-ish EST run time. Anywhere from 23 to midnight, give or take. Hopefully that works out pretty well.

Anyway, that's it for the evening, but I'll be around another hour or so to answer any questions or comments. Otherwise gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4492406
>[X] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

>>4492411
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4492406
>[x] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

>>4492411
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4492406
>[x] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

>>4492406
>[] I can't say for sure, ma'am, but I don't think they're wrong, at least not in the long term.

>>4492406
>>4492450
This.

>>4492406
>[x] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

Wyvern teams are great force multipliers, but there's the inherent issue of finding and vetting enough pilots and witches willing to get MIUs.

That and a Wyvern is massive overkill for most day to day operations.

>>4492463
>That and a Wyvern is massive overkill for most day to day operations.

That's the kicker, yeah
for 90% of applications a Wyvern is *mindblowingly* cost-inefficent.

Total replacement just isn't feasible with the current or even next generation of airframes. It's likely a many-decades-away thing if at all

>>4492474
It would depend entirely on what they were replacing honestly.

Like if the Navy can do with 1 maybe 2 air frames what would otherwise take 3-6 squadrons, they're saving time and man power, reducing logistics and freeing up resources that that could go elsewhere.

Not to mention if Wyvern production goes up, the costs involved will most likely go down.

You could reduce the crew for the air wing just about everywhere.

>>4492478
while that's technically correct, so far its been implied that Wyverns are so assblastingly expensive that it'd still be more cost efficient touse those extra squadrons instead, manpower costs and all

not that we have hard numbers yet but that's the impression i'm getting

>>4492489
Each Wyvern costs about as much as a Burke according to Ghost.

>>4492516
Well that makes for a flyaway cost of about 30 Super Hornet/Growler airframes per Wyvern then.

So yeah, that's substantial.

>>4492529
Yeah but the question is, can a Wyvern Wyvern do as much or more as 30+ Super Hornet air frames.

From what we've seen, the answer is "Probably."

And while it increases the number of qualified personnel required, it decreases the overwall number of personnel which is the military's biggest expense.

>>4492542
It can do as much in *direct combat*.

It can't do the same tempo of ordinary continuous-tempo operations like Air Patrols, Escort, or strike missions.

Even if you kill the pilots from exhaustion keeping up a deathmarch tempo, one single Wyvern *cannot* undertake the full range of sustained day-to-day tasks that 30 Superbugs/Growlers can do.

Wyverns are an *amazing* weapon for short, intense direct combat situations. They cannot replace conventionals because there are a lot of tasks that straight up require multiple crews and airframes that not even the US could afford to do with Wyverns.

>>4492547
Addendum; the cost of the Valkyrie. I have no idea how much *those* cost, but I expect its not cheap, and we'd not have come out of the Dreadnought fight anywhere near as good without Valk Support.

So add at least another witch and a valk and the required specialists to the cost of each wyvern too.

The math for full replacement just doesn't add up on any practical level.

Don't get me wrong, Every carrier is going to need *some* Wyverns. But replacing conventionals any time this century? No hope in hell.

>>4492406
>[] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

>>4492542
>From what we've seen, the answer is "Probably."
I'd disagree, actually

Morgan and Kyou together are worth maybe 30 conventional airframes in a fight. Morgan and Kyou are... kind of fucking bullshit by anybody's standards. Plus, yanno, Wendy.

Wyverns are good, but most of them aren't quite so OP as what Team Kyou's Harem can accomplish. I'd put the normal ones at maybe worth a squadron on their own, tops.

>>4492547
>>4492555
Wyverns already keep up a deathmarch tempo for the entire 20 years that they're in contract, if anything having them replace conventional squadrons would reduce their operations tempo.

And while it's true enough that a single Wyvern cannot undertake the full range of sustained day to day tasks that 30 Superbugs/Growlers/Tomcat E and F models (The actual mainstay of the Navy in the Witching World because the Hornet sucks), it's not just gonna be 1 Wyvern taking over the duties of 30 Superbugs/Growlers, it'd be closer to a single wyvern replacing an entire squadron of aircraft, so instead of 50-70 Tomcats and Growlers, they'll have 10 Wyvern Combat Teams, reducing manpower, material and logistical requirements.

Like theoretically some of the SEAD missions we did when we were practicing with Danielle are the kind of bread and butter mission you're talking about which should have required multiple aircrews. In practice they only required one Wyvern with a specialist crew.

So no, I don't agree with your assessment.

>>4492578
>I'd put the normal ones at maybe worth a squadron on their own, tops.

The Navy wouldn't be buying them for the cost of a Burke if the average Wyvern was only worth a squadron of aircraft my dude.

>>4492602

Look, I'll be blunt. I feel like you're absolutely delusional about what a wyvern is capable of, and what would be needed to maintain the kind of operations required to replace the entire combat arm of a CAW with a mere 10 airframes.

10 airframes is a *pathetic* amount for sustained operations, and a Wyvern is 30x more expensive for a job a hornet or even tomcat can do *identically* when not being faced with ace combat hordes of opponents.

Airframes break. Airframes need constant maintenance. Pilots have their own *maintenance* needs, and with a mere 10 airframes, with no possibility for relief pilots or even spare airframes the way these things seem to be set up with AI cores, the entire all-wyvern capability us one accident away from rendering the entire carrier and it's wing ineffective.

All-wyvern has no operational depth nor endurance, and completely lacks the flexibility and sustainability if a conventional wing.

All-wyvern is not even remotely feasible with the airframe and systems as they are.

>>4492624
>I feel like you're absolutely delusional about what a wyvern is capable of

Funny, I feel like you're confusing the Wyverns in this quest with the Wvyern from Ace Combat and haven't been paying attention to what has been the operational capabilities or expectations of a Wyvern crew during this quest and the previous one, particularly during our selection phase. While they might share a name and a shape, that's basically where the similarities end.

The Navy can and does expect a Wyvern to do what it would take 30+ other airframes to do. Remember that during the MEF landing, we were requested to hold air superiority over the beaches. Us, Wyvern Combat Team Muninn. And remember, what they had us replacing, was a pair of Wyverns. So two wyverns are absolutely expected to be able to hold air superiority from a peer or near peer opponent over a highly visible landing operation, a job usually reserved for well more than 30 aircraft.

Then we have our selection missions, all of which had us going up against either more than 10 aircraft, witches (which automatically makes any mission against them with conventional air frames a loss because witches eat conventional air), or super fighters and it is expected that a wyvern come out on top.

We can carry basically anything in the inventory, we can carry more air to air or air to ground than 3 entire squadrons of aircraft, and we almost as much sensor power as an AWACS.

To put it another, a single wyvern can and is expected to accomplish pretty much any mission or tasking other than being a gas station that could require anywhere from 1 to 30 aircraft, or more depending on the specialization of the crew in question.

A wyvern is more flexible than a Cirque de Soleil contortionist when it comes to what they can be used for.

Further more you're making a very large assumption that there wouldn't be further organizational changes, in regards to spare pilots, and air frames, instead merely assuming that things regarding the Wyvern as it exists right now as a QRF and Troubleshooting unit would remain as they are when switching to completely replacing conventional air with the wyvern.

But I'm the delusional one. Lol ok.

>>4492651
> But I'm the delusional one.
At least we agree on something.

I am entirely aware of which Wyvern i'm talking about. This one. From this quest. I don't even know the first thing about the stupid nipshit games; and I couldn't care less.

The Navy expects, via the necessities of the quest format, that *the designated protagonist*, hyped up on superwitch juice, personally sponsored by the mad scientist Admiral who runs their superfighter program, with proven prior results, with a decorated veteran wingiwtch in another super-airframe, to do absurd things.

The deployments we've seen from other Wyvern teams are not nearly so absurd. Recall, those two wyverns that replaced us were doing so in a cleared airspace where enemy air assets were in full retreat. This was in addition to the considerable conventional air assets on station and in the operational theatre. The Navy clearly did not expect two Wyverns to hold the entire damn landing zone like we did, and to suggest so indicates a total lack of awareness of the overall battle.

As far as the wyvern's capabilities, we already know they can do a lot. That is not in contention; we know any given wyvern can unleash a rapetrain of ordnance and intel; that's *never* been the problem. The problem is that it's still *one single airframe*, with multiple significant points of failure. Each Wyvern, as currently set up, binds a specific pilot, a specific witch and a specific airframe together. No relief/replacement pilots. No spare airframes. If there is any problem at all with just one of these three critical components, that's *one-tenth* of your entire 10-Wyvern CAW out of action. A conventional wing does not have anywhere near that level of sheer fragility.

Nor can 10 airframes sustain the required level of actual missions to match those performed by a 70+ aircraft air wing. In peactime, *maybe* you could get away with it. In a shooting war? Absolutely no hope. That's far too much of a strain on the pilots, witches and machinery to be sustainable beyond critcal surges. Any single mission that a wyvern undertakes is going to be a total curbstomp, yes.

But a mere 10 Wyverns, nearly $20bn worth of equipment, *cannot* sustain the same operational tempo as a conventional CAW with 70-120 conventional aircraft.

I make no assumption about "spare pilots, and air frames" because right now, and for the forseeable futrure, the entire system is predicated around inseperable sets of individuals and equipment literally plugged into each others brains. That is an impossible hurdle to overcome in the short to medium term.

So yes, you are the delusional one, because *you* are treating this like a videogame mission with magically perfect rest and resupply and maintenance after every mission, no fatigue, no attrition, as opposed to the practical exigencies of running an actual CAW in realistic conditions and not in a fucking videogame.

>>4492673
Oi, asshole. Calm your tits, Take a chill and stop being a cunt.

Yeah, maybe 10 Wyverns is a low ball number based purely on monetary equivalence, but from a practical standpoint if they switched over to all Wyverns all the time, they could almost certainly reduce the number of airframes and crew needed on all levels by half at bare minimum, if not more than that.

Doing that drastically reduces the logistics required for the carrier overall, and the airwing in particular, since the vast majority of personnel on a carrier are involved with the air wing in some way.

>>4492685
Oi, asshole. Calm your own tits.

We're working on the numbers given to us by word of Ghost/God. Wyvern costs about as much as a Burke, give or take a bit. If you're going all Wyvern, *with enough numbers to be useful on an operational level*, you're looking at a 30-40 aircraft wing *per carrier.* $60+bn per air CAW, plus the huge number of witches needed. Now multiply that by however many carriers there are in SWQ land.

At that point the theoretical savings in crew requirements are basically immaterial in comparison. Doesn't matter that you've saved a hundred million on crew costs, when you've accomplished that by spending trillions.

>>4492673
Ah yes, insults, the best way to get your point across and totally not come across like a spergtacular douche. Cool your jets jackass.

First of all, Wyvern crews are already operating under higher operational tempos than you've outlined here while they're aboard, so if anything this would reduce the load on them by a substantial amount. So there goes your complaint about fatigue.

Second of all, I'm sure a fine intellectual gentleman such as yourself is aware that a smaller unit means a smaller logistical train, and a smaller logistical train means less disruptions to logistics, which means resupply becomes much less of an issue.

Thirdly the point that you yourself brought up about Wyverns being a rapetrain of ordinance and intel, and the fact that every country is looking desperately for an answer to them means that Wyverns are incredibly difficult to shoot down, with the implication that it hasn't actually been done short of Frank getting nuked at the end of World War III, means attrition becomes much less of a factor than with conventional steelwings, even if the impact of a single loss is greatly increased.

>I make no assumption about "spare pilots, and air frames" because right now, and for the forseeable futrure, the entire system is predicated around inseperable sets of individuals and equipment literally plugged into each others brains. That is an impossible hurdle to overcome in the short to medium term.

See there you go again making those assumptions. Assuming that there isn't going to be a ready reserve, assuming that they're not going to have spare hulls, assuming that they're not gonna actually do the work in doing a switch over. You really should stop doing that.

>>4492687
Or hundreds of billions, whatever. At that point it's such silly money all common sense goes out the window anyway.

>>4492687
Ah yes, because a trillion dollars up front spread out over 10 to 15 years is totally not worth trillions of dollars saved over the course decades by the the reduction in personnel and their related expenses, which is the single biggest chunk of military spending. Fascinating.

>>4492690
You are the Pierre Sprey of this quest. Please just stop being a spergy asshole and try to enjoy things, yeah?

>>4492689
Well if you didn't want to be called out for being an incredible ignoramus, perhaps you shouldn'tve been wrong on 4chan. What the fuck did you expect here? Flowers and teacakes?

>Wyvern crews are already operating under higher operational tempos than you've outlined here while they're aboard

I beg your pardon? Are you seriously trying to say that a couple of wyverns per carrier, supported by an entire conventional wing, have a *higher* operational burden than a a dozen or so Wyverns without any such conventional support and a far larger range of tasks to perform? Pilot fatigue and the burden on individual airframes would increase under those conditions - they have more to do and less airframes and pilots to do it with!

And you wonder why I claim you're delusional.

>Logistics
And you continue to prove you know nothing about it. Yes, there are smaller needs for smaller air wings. Smaller bottlenecks. That doesn't change the fact that operationally speaking a smaller, all-Wyvern unit is exponentially more sensitive to any and all disruptions, logistic or otherwise. If a witch catches a 'flu that's one bird out of the air no matter how perfect everything else is. That's on top of the increased rate of wear and attrition, pilot and machine, from the necessitated increase in mission rates to maintain anywhere near an equivalent tempo to what was replaced.

Your third point is functionally absurd. *Of course* no Wyvern has been shot down since WW3, because there hasn't been a proper shooting war until now! Operational attrition is a function of operational wear and tear over this period, not planes getting blown up; your comment has no sensical bearing on it or this argument.

>assuming that they're not going to have spare hulls
Everything this quest has indicated so far is that the current crop of Wyverns are almost inextricably linked to their crews, and replacing a busted one with "a spare hull" would be the functional equivalent of building, testing and certifying an entirely new airframe from scratch, aboard the carrier, possibly in wartime. It is not a realistic proposition based on the evidence we have. Granted, there's no accounting for the fantasy land that seems to exist in your head of course.

If you want to claim the switchover is viable in another 20+ years when there's been time for radical changes in the way it all works, sure, all bets are off then. But with the Wyverns *as they've currently been presented to us*? No.

>>4492707
And you continue to be an utter cunt, despite absolutely no provocation whatsoever. Did your parents not love you enough or something, or do you just get a perverse pleasure out of being an anonymous jerk to people on the internet? Or perhaps is your life so miserable that being a raging cunt waffle on an anonymous Mongolian finger painting board dedicated to storytelling is the only way you can get stress relief from your sad day to day existence. It's ok, we're all friends here.

>>4492725
Proving you wrong isn't "being an utter cunt", no matter how you rationalise it, i'm afraid.

I'm sensing some projection here. Is there something in that rant that *you'd* like to talk to us about?

>>4492707
>Well if you didn't want to be called out for being an incredible ignoramus, perhaps you shouldn'tve been wrong on 4chan.

Because being a gargantuan spergtacular asshole is totally excusable because lol we're on the interwebz. No, it just makes you look like a cunt.
>Are you seriously trying to say that a couple of wyverns per carrier, supported by an entire conventional wing

Are you seriously saying that flying 3-4 sorties a day, every day barring a variable break every 7-9 months, with no leave, for 20 years, is a lower operational burden than 10-20 Wyverns replacing the current CAW paradigm?

>And you wonder why I claim you're delusional.

You keep using that word. Pretty sure it doesn't mean what you think it means.

>That's on top of the increased rate of wear and attrition, pilot and machine, from the necessitated increase in mission rates to maintain anywhere near an equivalent tempo to what was replaced.

Again, Wyverns are already operating at an absurd operational tempo while they're at sea to begin with, so this wouldn't be that much of a change.

>Everything this quest has indicated so far is that the current crop of Wyverns are almost inextricably linked to their crews

Well no shit. That's what a ready replacement pool is for. They're not gonna completely rebuild a wyvern at sea, that'd be stupid, and there's no way you'd be able to fit the required equipment on a carrier, even if you did drastically reduce the actual space available by significantly reducing the aircraft aboard.

Further more you're speaking like this would be just a straight up "Oh we're dropping all production and support of all other airframes and switching over to all wyverns all the time over the course of a couple years" and not the decade or multi-decade gradual process that it would actually be. No shit that they're not gonna switch over to Only Wyverns and Valkyries in middle of a shooting war, and no shit they're not gonna do it RIGHT NOW ALL TEH WYVERNS over the course of like two years. That's stupid and completely unrealistic, but as gradual change over over the course of 10-20 years? Probably.

Also, seriously. Stop being an absolute cunt and take a chill pill.

Huh, when was the last time we had something like this, feels a bit nostalgic.

>>4492736
>Proving you wrong isn't "being an utter cunt", no matter how you rationalise it, i'm afraid.

Nah, but being unnecessarily dickish and picking fights when someone disagrees with you is. You've proved exactly nothing except that you're a prick who can't stand people with differing opinions, so congratulations on that I guess.

>>4492740
>Are you seriously saying that flying 3-4 sorties a day, every day barring a variable break every 7-9 months, with no leave, for 20 years, is a lower operational burden than 10-20 Wyverns replacing the current CAW paradigm?

In what universe is that the currernt wyvern operational tempo? That's *wartime surge tempo*. Notwithstanding that you're conflating Operational tempo with the entire service life of the crew; which is beyond absurd.

>Pretty sure it doesn't mean what you think it means.
And at this point i'm certain you don't know what *anything* means.

> No shit that they're not gonna switch over to Only Wyverns and Valkyries in middle of a shooting war, and no shit they're not gonna do it RIGHT NOW ALL TEH WYVERNS over the course of like two years. That's stupid and completely unrealistic, but as gradual change over over the course of 10-20 years? Probably.

If you were just going to end up agreeing with my original point you could've saved yourself a lot of frustration and humiliation by not going off on your spiel, you know.

>>4492474
>Total replacement just isn't feasible with the current or even next generation of airframes. It's likely a many-decades-away thing if at all

>>4492747
If you think this qualifies as 'being dickish' and 'picking fights', well. I'm honestly impressed; I didn't think such think-skinned people still existed here.

Learn something new every day, I guess.

>>4492406
>[x] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

>>4492750
>In what universe is that the currernt wyvern operational tempo?

This one that's being written in, but now I'm assuming you missed the lore discussions with Ghost.

>If you were just going to end up agreeing with my original point
Dude you were the one who made the misunderstanding/assumption that anyone was saying that it was going to happen immediately within the span of a shooting war and then started acting like a jackass when you thought I disagreed with that particular point, don't you push that back on anyone else.

>>4492752
This isn't /b/, or /k/, or /tg/ or /v/.

It's /qst/. Everyone's here to have a good time, not deal with some cunt who thinks being abrasive is a personality, it's not about thin skin, it's about harshing the vibe you nob.

>>4492759
The only misunderstandings and assumptions I see here are yours, not to mention your frankly dismal grasp of the lore. You're getting Ghosts's comments on the Wyvern's *career* mixed up with your own assumptions about a wartime sortie rate. If the actual operational rate is what you claim, the logi train wouldn't matter at all because the pilots would be *dead from accumulated physical stress*. Magic or not,
>3-4 sorties a day, every day barring a variable break every 7-9 months, with no leave, for 20 years
isn't grounded in anything even resembling human capability.

And if you want to try and deflect your own misunderstandings back on to me, well, that's your problem, not mine.

>>4492760
It is indeed /qst/, by the standards of which you are still incredibly sensitive.

It's really fascinating, I haven't seen someone as touchy as this in quite a while.

>>4492767
>>4492768
Ah so you just got off on being an abrasive asshole, got it.

>>4492768
Never looked in a mirror? Thats surprising.

>>4492767
>>4492768
>The only misunderstandings and assumptions I see here are yours,
Whatever man.

>by the standards of which you are still incredibly sensitive.

Nah, you're just a raging cunt. Kindly go fuck yourself with a rusty potato peeler.

>>4492772
Fascinating, not fun. Having to correct you constantly is kind of a drag. Like swatting a rare species of mosquito.

It doesn't speak particularly well of you that you butted yourself into the argument and now have the temerity to claim I actually *enjoy* your existence here, you know? Why on earth would you think I like having to deal with fragile individuals such as yourself?

>>4492780
Not really doing a good job of disabusing anyone of the notion that you're a raging cunt.

People who disagree with you are delusional, anyone who calls you out is fragile. Honestly this kinda strikes me as narcissistic personality disorder. Kinda irrelevant though.

Cause you're not the one who decides whether or not your behavior qualifies as being a cunt. That's everyone else here who gets to decide that.

>>4492787
>>4492775
For a pair of guys (or just one? Hard to tell) who are getting so mad about civility and manners, you sure defaulted to "raging cunt" and "fuck yourself with a rusty potato peeler" *super* quick after... being called delusional?
And the one who storms headfirst into someone elses' argument is calling *me* narcissistic?

Man. Not sure you really want to be asking the thread to adjudicate who's being a cunt here. Might not end so well

TARD FIGHT TARD FIGHT, GETCHA MONEY ON THIS SPICY HOT TARD FIGHT!

>>4492406
>[] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

Ok gents, votes called! I'll probably get this update out and then go get dinner, so there may be a slightly longer voting period here.

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[x] I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important, but we'll never replace conventional.

You hesitate a second before answering. It's not an uncommon question to hear, or so you're told- at least, it's common enough that it comes up in the pipeline as part of your charm classes. The navy has a lot of reasons why they can't or won't commit to replacing conventional elements entirely, the pipeline being a major one, but they still think that you need to be aware of how to respond. "I think mixed crews like mine are going to be more important," You say, "But we'll never replace conventional."

"Probably not," the captain agrees. "But we're wondering if they're not going to start pushing witches towards it. We're not as vulnerable as JSFs or Tomcats, but we're still a lot more vulnerable than we used to be up there." She pauses, then shakes her head. "I guess the navy's going to do whatever they want regardless."

You nod. "Probably." You say, agreeing- that does seem to be how things go in general.

"Anyway, that's not why I asked to talk, sorry. We've seen reports that the Chinese are playing really conservative with their higher end assets, almost none of their fandances or witches."

You nod. "That's mostly true." You respond.

"Mostly?" She asks.

"Yes ma'am. We encountered a few fandances, but for the most part everything was more common airframes. I only recall meeting witches once, and that was in the first couple days."

"Have their tactics been unusual at all?" She asks.

"Yes, ma'am." You respond. "They're not engaging with long range SAMs much at all, and are absorbing losses to their fighters as a result."

"Really?" She asks, sounding interested. "That's a significant departure from what we thought their doctrine was. You say they aren't engaging with long range SAMs at all?"

"They're very rare." You respond. "They've got them over the border in China, but they don't engage with them."

She shakes her head. "That just makes our jobs harder. How do you train against people not even using their doctrine?"

You stay silent for a minute- you wouldn't really begin to know, whatever the IJN thinks aside.

"Well, thanks anyway, Lieutenant." She says. "If you don't mind, could you pass on to the Sho-sa and Commander that I'd like to talk with them, too? I'd like to get their input on what's going on as well."

[] I'll pass it along, ma'am, but I can't promise anything.
[] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

>>4493413
>[X] I'll pass it along, ma'am, but I can't promise anything.

>>4493413
>[X] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

>>4493413
>[] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

Make Friends, Influence People

>>4493413
>[] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

>>4493413
>[x] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

>>4493413
>[] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

>>4493413
>[x] I'll pass it along, ma'am, but I can't promise anything.

ok, votes called!

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[x] I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too.

"I'll have them out this way as soon as possible, but they're in demand for the school at north island, too." You say- the captain returns a thin smile.

"You'll have them out this way?" She responds, her voice amused. ""And here you were just telling me they're partners, not subordinates."

You shrug. "I'm team lead, but you can ask either of them if they feel like they're my subordinate."

She shakes her head. "I'm sure they'd say the same thing you did earlier, that it's a team effort, not a commander and his troops." She shrugs. "You'll understand our concern. If the navy really is looking at making drakes a more significant portion of the fleet, we're going to see increased recruitment efforts."

[] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.
[] We're not the only WCT on base, ma'am. If you're that concerned, you could talk to them too, see what they say.

>>4493491
>[x] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.

>>4493491
>[X] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.

>>4493491
>[] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.
>[] We're not the only WCT on base, ma'am. If you're that concerned, you could talk to them too, see what they say.

Both seems good.

>>4493491
>[x] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.
>[x] We're not the only WCT on base, ma'am. If you're that concerned, you could talk to them too, see what they say.

Both works

>>4493491
>>4493498
Both is good.

ok, votes called!

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[] Pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am. I don't think any witch who isn't comfortable with it will have to worry.
[] We're not the only WCT on base, ma'am. If you're that concerned, you could talk to them too, see what they say.

You frown. "Well, the pilot pipeline can only move so fast, ma'am." You respond. "I don't think any witch that isn't comfortable with it will have to worry."

"We hear that a lot too." She says, smiling. "I'm pretty popular with the recruiters, so I've heard all the sales pitches."

You nod. "Yes ma'am, I'm just saying that the pipeline can't really scale up that quickly, there's too much to it."

"So it's true you spend eight months with MHU docs checking in with you every week?"

You nod. "And they do a background check deep enough to dig back into elementary school." You say. "And there's a lot of red flags that can get thrown. They don't like taking risks. All that takes time and the MHU docs are all very good at picking out trouble and getting you out of the pipeline."

"They do like to tout their flawless success rate so far." the captain responds. "Makes me wonder how many fails there are?"

You shake your head. "They don't tell us, ma'am." You say. The pipeline is designed like that for a reason- the primary fail-out point is designed to come before you progress to flight training, and you never attend that with any of your other classmates- so you never really know who made it and who didn't unless you run into them in the fleet. That said, so far as you know, you're the only one out of your prospective class of six to make it all the way through.

"I know the witch failure rate is high enough." She says, then smiles. "Sorry LT, it's easy to get sidetracked talking about drakes. Even if it's a hard no, we're all interested."

You nod. "I understand, ma'am."

"Besides, I'm getting too old for that." She continues- if you didn't know better, you'd say she's talking herself out of it. "A drake contract would have me pushing forty years active."

You shrug. "Commander Wendy Maloney flys my wing, ma'am."

She laughs. "And I'm not a legend." She retorts. "Anyway, thanks LT. I might come bother you later, if that's alright. I know you're grounded, but I do have some girls in from the fleet that I want to introduce to some of the drake pilots around right now."

You frown. "If I may, why's that, ma'am?"

"They think you guys are just oversold Tomcats." She responds with a thin smile. "I've got a nearly eighty percent victory rate against drakes in the date flight phase, and closer to twenty when I've tangled with you fleet guys."

[] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.
[] We'd be glad to talk with them.

>>4493575
>[] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

>>4493575
>[X] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

>>4493575
>[×] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

>>4493575
>[x] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

>>4493575
>[x] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

>>4493575
>[] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

[Grin]

>>4493575
>[X] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

ok, votes called! This is prolly gonna have to be our last for the evening- I realize I'm cutting out early, but I was on blackboard and realized the due date for all my online stuff is 'before Thursday, oct 15.' not "Thursday, oct.15' My fault, but I gotta get this shit knocked out- and these haas videos are both mind numbing and long.

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[x] Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you.

"Shame we're grounded, or we could teach them for you." You say with a slight grin.

She laughs. "Maybe, but those kinds like to make excuses, and word has it your backseat is a superwitch." She shakes her head. "and if that's the case, getting spanked red wouldn't matter since they'd have that to fall back on. Thanks for offering, though."

You nod. "Of course."

"That said, there's other drakes around, and not all of them are grounded." She says. "So maybe we can work something out. I doubt they're quite as hard to get hold of as the ghost prince is."

"Probably not." You agree.

"One more thing, on topic, I wanted to ask." She says, frowning. "Before I forget. The actual flying battleship, how would you describe it's weapons systems? For a witch, I mean. We know the one they ran into back in nintey-one had some pretty high speed stuff on it for the fifties, but this wasn't equipped the same, was it?"

You start to answer, but you're interrupted by another witch knocking on the open door and stepping in. "Heya, skip." She says, crossing the room to drop a manilla folder on the captain's desk. "There's my packet."

"So you decided to go for it?" The captain says, reaching out to open the folder.

The other witch nods. "Yeah. That AAR Maloney filed was unreal, I want that kind of shit."

"Even with the MIU?"

"Ah, it can't be that bad, right?" The other witch responds, dismissively. "I mean, yeah, sure we've all heard the same damn stories, but hell, it can't be that bad. None of the witches we've ever talked to seemed to mind."

The captain shrugs. "Well, I'm not gonna try to talk you out of it. When do you leave?"

"I don't know yet." The other witch says. "They're still building the class, so there's no kind of dates yet. I'm thinking I might go see if any of the three of them here have anything they want to talk about, I hear they're all down at north island talking to the drake witches."

The captain smiles. "As it so happens, we might be able to help you."

"We? oh. Sorry." The witch says, as if she's noticing you for the first time.

"Commander, this is Lieutenant Bishop-Laroux." the captain says. "LT, this is one of my girls, Commander Prescott."

"Ma'am." You greet.

"I'm kinda shocked he's real." the commander responds, blinking. "How'd you get the ghost prince in for a one on one skip? should I ask?"

"We were discussing Korea." The captain responds. "Sit down and then you can bother him all you want."

"Ma'am." The witch says, taking the seat next to yours.

"So, weapons?" the captain responds.

[] Modernized, for sure, but I'm not sure how dangerous they'd really be. The close in mounts were soviet heavy machine guns.
[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

ok gents, I gotta call it there for the night. I've got two quizzes and four Haas videos to watch- and that's probably a solid two hours of work, at least. Sorry about that, that's entirely my bad.

I'll be around a bit after I'm done with homework, but probably not before then. So till tomorrow, gents, cheers!

>>4493652
>[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

>>4493652
[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

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>>4493652
>[X] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

>>4493653
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4493652
>[x] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

>>4493652
>[x] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

>>4493653
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4493652
>[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

thanks for running ghost

>>4493652
>[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

>>4493652
>[] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

ok, votes called!

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[x] What we saw wasn't dangerous, but I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept.

"What we saw wasn't dangerous," You start- the CIWS mounts couldn't track in close well enough to really threaten you, and you know that, against a witch, that problem is going to be even more pronounced. The old heavy machine guns are a little more threatening to most witches, but not by much- while they track much better, they don't throw enough firepower for anything but a lucky hit to matter. "But, I don't think we were up against more than a proof of concept."

"I'd seen that in your after action, but do you think you could elaborate?" the captain says. "That was one of our bigger concerns."

You frown. "It's hard to pin down, ma'am. It flew in with a fandance escort, but they didn't stick around to help, just stood off at range."

"Observing?" She asks.

"I couldn't say." You respond. "But they didn't stick around very long. And most of the aircraft was baseline for the type, the engines might have been overhauled but they were the original Kuznetsov powerplants."

"Nuclear?" She asks.

"Not running in nuclear, they were dual-fuel." You say. "But these were the original powerplants, that much I'm sure of."

"Salvage teams have been picking it apart and they've run into radiation." The captain counters. You nod.

"They had six onboard reactors, and if even if they'd been defuelled, there's no way there wasn't contamination all over those engines." You say. "They weren't exactly designed with safe operation in mind, and they had an open cycle air cooled mode."

"You sure know a lot about these things." Commander Prescott notes. "How much did you study them?"

"My final paper for my degree was on the one encountered over Megalith back in the nineties." You respond. "There's not a lot on them, though."

"So it had a new weapons suite, and maybe an overhaul?" The captain asks.

"And the UCAVs." You note. "It looked like they had converted all of the old gravity bomb racks to carry those, but we didn't run into nearly enough for that to be the case."

"So it was only partially loaded?" She asks, and you shrug.

"I can't say for sure, but we should have encountered far more than we did."

"Those drones," Commander Prescott says, looking over at you. "How did they operate? Like, how did they fly?"

[] They attacked in swarm and didn't make much effort to defend themselves.
[] Missiles with guns, honestly. They didn't seem to think anything of ramming into Kyou's shield.
[] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they weren't very hard to deal with.

>>4494725
>[] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they weren't very hard to deal with.
[] They attacked in swarm and didn't make much effort to defend themselves.

>>4494725
>[] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they weren't very hard to deal with.

MASTER. MASTER. MASTER OF PUPPETS PULLING YOUR STRINGS

>>4494725
>[x] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

bit of column B, bit of column C.

>>4494725
>[x] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

I'm going with this, too

>>4494725
>[X] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

>>4494725
>[X] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they weren't very hard to deal with.

>>4494725
>[X] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

>>4494725
>[x] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

ok, votes called!

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[x] With the AI they flew and fought very well, but without it they were just Missiles with guns, honestly. They liked ramming into Kyou's shield too.

You frown a little. "With the control AI, they flew and fought very well, but without it they were more like missiles with guns." You say, shaking your head. "They seemed to like ramming attacks, as well, especially without the AI."

"That's a little more disturbing." The captain says. "You said these were probably just testbed units?"

You nod. "It seemed that way. these were subsonic and their weapons didn't look to be more than a cannon. I'm not even sure they had an onboard warhead."

"Which would mean if they were doing that as testbeds, the actual thing will probably have a warhead, too." The captain notes. You nod.

"I'd imagine so." You agree.

"Depending on how big it is, that may be a problem." The captain says. "I mean, we already have issues with just blast causing injuries with SAMs, especially with the bigger ones like the gargoyles."

"Did your wingmate have any problems with them?" The commander asks. "Or was she able to handle them well?"

"Commander Maloney-" You have to stop yourself from calling her Wendy in the office here, since rank is still very much in play, it seems, despite the 'informality'- "Didn't report any problems to us, and her handling of the UCAVs left us free to attack the mothership."

"See?" The commander says, turning to the captain. "I'm telling you, remi, this is the way it's going. Strikers just don't cut it anymore, not against threats like that."

The captain nods. "Maybe not, but the navy isn't gonna just switch over entirely to MIU teams and drakes. Some of us have to stick around to teach the next group how to fly and fight everything that isn't a superweapon. Besides, it's not like you'll be leaving for any kind of pipeline today. There isn't even a school for it yet."

"No, but there's three crews here." The commander retorts. "And even just getting to talk to them can't hurt my chances, right?"

The captain shakes her head. "Who else is looking at it?" She asks the commander.

"No one, yet. I think they're waiting to see what happens with me." The other witch responds. "But some of them are making noise where they think I can't hear."

1/2

"Of course." The captain says, then turns back to you. "If you don't mind, LT, I'm going to give you my and the commander's phone numbers, both office and personal." She says, writing four numbers on a card and handing it to you. "If you could pass that on to the Sho-sa, I'd really like to speak with her as well, and Commander Prescott would really appreciate getting a chance to talk with Commander Maloney."

You nod, taking the card and pocketing it. "Any time I shouldn't call?"

The captain shakes her head. "Not really." She says, smiling lightly. "I keep an open door policy, and don't sleep more than a couple hours a night. And the commander won't care, will you?"

"I kinda doubt commander Maloney would be awake when I'm not anyway." The other witch says. "She's a little older than I am, afterall."

You nod.

"That's all, LT. I'm going to talk with my witch some more, are you good to find your way out?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. We'll be waiting for those calls, don't forget."

"I won't, ma'am." You say, and she nods.

"Thanks again, LT." She says as you stand up to leave, and you nod again before heading out of the office.

2/3 (oops)

The squadron building is fairly nice, you note- and far larger than you'd have expected for just one unit, no matter how large it is. You wonder if there were more units assigned here at one point- you know, for example, the west coast wyvern squadron used to be based at Miramar, though most of the administration work is handled at NAS Alameda now. Rumors have long held that the move was a political favor, since most, if not all of the actual hardware for wyvern support is still here at Miramar on the west coast, the only other similarly equipped base being NAS Oceana, in Virginia, and that also houses the administrative section for the Atlantic-assigned Wyverns.

Stepping outside and replacing your cover on your head, you return the salutes of a pair of enlisted as they step in the building at the same time, and then head down the stairs, already thinking about your next moves. Of course, you could head back to the flight line- you doubt they've gotten much further along in the maybe half hour you've been gone, but they might welcome the help. Another option is to go talk to Merlin, who's been holed up in her office most of the day so far- must be buried under paperwork for that to be the case, though she could also just be napping, you figure. Her sleeping habits have never been the best. Or you could head back to quarters, and see if either Kyou or Wendy is back yet- they usually only spend part of the day at north island, and one or both of them might be back already.

[] Head back to the flight line, see if you can lend a hand.
[] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.
[] Head back to quarters, and see if you can get Kyou or Wendy or up with the captain or commander.

>>4494846
>[] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

>>4494846
>[×] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

>>4494846
>[X] Head back to quarters, and see if you can get Kyou or Wendy or up with the captain or commander.

>>4494846
>[x] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

Make sure she's not secretly being Merlewd

>>4494846
>Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

>>4494846
>[X] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

>>4494846
>[] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

HELLO LEWD AUNT, SURPRISE RACK INSPECTION

>>4494846
>[x] Head back to quarters, and see if you can get Kyou or Wendy or up with the captain or commander.

ok, votes called!

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[x] Go chat with Merlin about Commander Prescott- if the navy is accepting packets, you're sure there's going to be noise about lending help to get the instructors up to speed for a valkyrie school.

Prompted by what Commander Prescott was saying, you decide to head for Merlin's office, over in the admin building. It's one of the better ones, top floor, though not overlooking the flight line. You're able to walk in, of course- it's standing orders you have all hours access to the admiral, barring specific instructions to the contrary.

She's working on something on her computer there, her familiar out, though the AI tank on her desk stands empty for the moment, completely powered off. She looks up as you step in and smiles- though she closes out whatever she's working on before you sit down, a sign it's either classified above your clearances or something she just doesn't want you to see. Could be either, honestly. "Morgan." She says. "I thought you were down on the flight line?"

You nod. "I was, then I got shanghaied by a Captain Carnegie to talk about Korea and the corpsebird."

"Mars." She responds. "Well, that was their soviet name, anyway."

"Mars?" You ask, and she nods. You shrug.

"Well, either way. While we were talking, a commander Prescott came in and dropped a packet on the captain's desk. Apparently they're taking witches onboard for valkyrie?"

Merlin frowns, but nods. "Sooner than I'd expected, but yes." She says. "I've got three more units coming online, and there's heavy competition for them, and the navy's making noise about going to four vehicles per combat team now, so wyvern plus three."

You blink. "They what?" You ask. "They know about the MIU and what that does, right, auntie?"

She nods. "Covens aren't real happy with the suggestion, I don't think it's going to go anywhere. It's hard enough finding three people that work together, let alone five. I think if we do agree to three valkyries per wyvern, it won't be fleet wide."

"I'm surprised they're talking three as is." You say. "Is the current arrangement not working well enough?"

1/2

Merlin shakes her head. "I have no idea, Morgan. The proposal came from higher up the chain, somewhere in the pentagon."

You nod. "Sorry auntie."

She smiles. "You can make it up to me with dinner and dessert?"

You laugh. "And I'm sure I know exactly what you're after." You say. "I'll think about it. Commander Prescott?"

"Oh, right." Merlin responds. "The navy's trying to have a class of about ten or so available for the three units coming online now, and they want to run simulated tests with them. I've got a training simulator and a nonflying instruction model here now, but the navy wants to borrow one or two of the witches here to help teach the instructors before the classes start."

"When are they scheduled to start?"

She shrugs. "I'm not sure. I don't know how long the three of you are going to be here with the yellowstone install, along with anything else I need from you."

"Such as?"

She pauses for a minute, then shakes her head. "I don't know yet, but that doesn't mean there won't be anything.

[] If they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?
[] Would this be a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?

>>4494933
>[X] Would this be a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?

>>4494933
>[] If they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?
>[] Would this be a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?

Time for both.

>>4494933
>[] If they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?

>>4494933
>>4494936
Both is good. Information is key.

>>4494933
>>4494936

Yah both of those are kind of important to know.

We need to know how long wendy might be 'borrowed' for, for us to have an accurate timeline for onboarding Kyou's new toy- er, Bodyguard.

>>4494933
>[x] If they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?

>>4494933
>[] Would this be a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?

Ok, votes called!

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[x] If they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?
[x] Would this be a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?

"So if they borrow Wendy, how much longer does that keep us here?" You ask.

She shakes her head. "I don't know yet." She responds. "Probably no less than four weeks, more likely six or eight. But that's if they pick Wendy-"

"We both know they will. She's the best option overall for an instructor." You say, and Merlin nods.

"Most likely." She agrees. "We'd have to stay while she was here, since we can't split up a WCT operationally."

"What about detached duty?" You ask, and she shakes her head.

"Same issue as when the Japanese floated the idea." She says. "No one assigned to WCT Muninn can be reassigned elsewhere alone for more than seventy two hours, and even then for noncombat roles. The only way any of us leaves is via injury." She responds.

You nod- though you're not sure if her inclusion of herself in that is a slip of the tongue, basic command team building, or something else entirely. Normally you'd assume it's the first- but Merlin, you know, has graduated from command college, so it's entirely possible she's just making an effort to make sure you remember she's part of the team, too.

"Either way, we're not losing Wendy, regardless of how much people suddenly want her." Merlin continues.

You nod. "So is this a good time to get our IG witch onboard, then?" You ask.

Merlin frowns, but nods slowly. "It's probably one of the best chances we'll have, yes." She responds. "I have their dossiers, but Wendy had me edit them a little before passing them onto you."

You blink. "She did?"

Merlin nods. "She asked me to remove any pictures of physical description." She says, then smiles. "She said she couldn't trust Kyou to not put undue importance on the appearance of any of the four of them, and so to remove them so the decision would be based entirely on merit."

[] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?
[] Did she say anything about me? I'd like to think I can be trusted.

>>4494990
>[X] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

Nice plan to foil the guys who wanted to vioe for MUSCULAR BUNNYGIRL to the exclusion of all else, DESU

Wendy *is* right though, Kyou is far too horny.

>>4494990
>[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

>>4494990
>[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

Ok, votes called! This'll probably be our last for the thread!

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[x] That's actually reasonable, I think. Do you have the dossiers?

You smile. "That's actually reasonable, I think." You say, and Merlin nods. "Do you have the dossiers?"

"I do." She says, turning back to her computer. "I'll put them on a flash drive for you, you can plug it into the display table at your quarters and talk it over there."

You nod as she transfers the files. "Have you looked at them at all?"

She nods. "Of course." She says. "She'll be part of my combat team, so I have to know what she'd be capable of. I'll get your exact decision at the same time as the IJN."

"Have they said how they're going to do it?" You ask. "I mean, not getting picked would be a big deal for family honor and all, right?"

Merlin nods. "Probably. As far as I know it, all of the ones they've put forward for us, these four, aren't being told why they've been reassigned and pulled away, and they're being kept confined to post for the time being."

You wince. "That seems harsh."

"It is and it isn't. Japanese witches have always been servants of the emperor." Merlin reminds you. "So something like this isn't as big a deal, they're just doing what the emperor demands via his military officers. I don't think they know what's going on, but they probably won't know what's happened till after you make a selection and she's seen with you and Kyou."

"Ah." You say. "Speaking of Japanese transplants, how's the doctor doing?"

"Oh, fantastic." Merlin says with a smile. "She's wonderful to work with, so eager to learn and get hands on with all the equipment we have. I'm glad she's going to be heading up the imperial Wyvern effort, she's an excellent pick for it."

You nod. "That's good. As long as Kyou doesn't scare her, we should be fine?"

"Oh, that's not going to be a problem, I don't think." Merlin responds. "She really likes the princess, but feels overwhelmed by how... personal? she can be." She says, then shrugs. "I'm sure she'll get used to it, though."

You frown- while that's not impossible, there's also the possibility her 'getting used to it' means getting pulled into Kyou's 'immediate household'- at least, as long as Kyou has anything to say about it.

"Anyway, she only just left a couple minutes ago to join the team on Muninn." Merlin continues. "Which means I should head down, too." She stands up. "So you'll make dinner? and dessert?" She asks, hopefully.

You laugh. "I suppose I can, oui." You say- her smile is worth the work dinner's gonna be, you figure.

And that's gonna be it for the week! Sorry again about last night, I thought we were ticking along pretty well and then I saw that announcement in blackboard, haha! Hopefully that's the only thing that's gonna pop up this semester, but who knows? I do know that next semester is going to be a little more... difficult. I'll be taking an 'industrial systems' class to try and get more machine time, just because we've been so badly hamstrung this semester. That's an afternoon/evening class, so we'll have to see how things shake out.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Was the break worth it? I hope so, I really don't like announcing them- I know they've got a.. ah... reputation, haha, but people were right, and I was kinda drifting. I don't think they'll be a regular thing, but we may have more, especially if school starts getting more stressful.

But that's it for the week! I'll be around over the weekend, though most of saturday I won't be on. Otherwise I'll answer any questions or comments either here or in the discord. Otherwise, gents, till next week, Cheers!

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>>4495056
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4495056
Thanks for the run Ghost! Taking the break seems to have gotten things back on track so it was definitely worth it.

>>4495054
So how long before Merlin is convinced to leave her husband and join Kyou's harem by the promises of a lifetime of chocolate cake?

>>4495073
Kyou hasn't yet cottoned onto the power of the cake.

Otherwise the answer would be "Probably not very"

>>4495056
thanks for running ghost

qualiy is GUD, so I'm assuming that means the break was worth it

>>4495178
Well, that'd be up to you gents to decide, haha! I feel like things went better, but that doesn't matter much if you guys didn't!

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So no real news this week, I don't think. Class tomorrow, so the run may end a bit earlier- 2300-ish instead of midnight- but I'm not sure about that just yet. I do know I'll have to duck out for food, so there's gonna be at least one long voting period tonight.

===================================

Wendy, you have to admit, has adjusted well- and you're finding fewer and fewer reasons to have an issue with her updated position in the house. Especially as you gaze upon a fully stocked and equipped kitchen. All that's missing, in your opinion, are the things you can't really keep anyway- a good solid butcher's block and really, really good utensils. Nothing you can take with you, and things that are a bit expensive to let sit unused for months or years on end. Not that what you've got access to won't work- it's just all cheap things that won't hold an edge as well as you'd like, that'll wear out more quickly. And there's a distinct lack of cast iron, as well, which is marginally more distressing.

She and Kyou are still out, though you expect them back soon- the Wyvern witch classes going on on north island are more than happy to use fleet witches as additional instructor and instructor's aides, but neither Kyou nor Wendy are instructors proper. Yet, anyway, you think as you frown and try to decide what to make. By the sounds of it they'll be de facto instructors for the Valkyrie school, at least temporarily. You're not exactly thrilled about that, but you can see the necessity of it, too. Fact is, right now, that's the best thing you can be doing- and while it means Muninn is sitting far longer than you're sure the fleet would like, long-term it benefits everyone because bringing valkyrie witches on will be far easier once the school is set up. There's also your new IG witch- who's going to be joining you without Wendy's extensive history- so you'll have to bring her up to speed.

But, for now, your concerns are for more food oriented. It's been a while since you were really able to cook, and by the looks of things, Wendy could almost read your mind. Or, at least, she got a peek into a few of the worn cookbooks you keep- you'll not lack for ingredients for anything you want to make, with even a selection of superhot peppers she picked up somewhere sitting in labeled jars in the fridge. Those might be useful in a couple dishes- Kyou likes spicy food, and you've got an idea for a pepper steak you think she'll like. But not for tonight, you think, instead turning back to dinner.

1/2

The cake is a given- you practically have to, you know. That's not a problem- Wendy again got exactly what you need, by name, across the board. You suspect she wants it as much as anyone else does, but you doubt she'd say anything- though she might these days. You're still adjusting to her being more willing to ask for things she wants, which may provide an answer to dinner, too, you think. Waiting till she's back gives you an easy way to decide- just spoil her a bit.

You shrug to yourself, stepping back out of the kitchen and getting your laptop out of the bedroom, frowning at the slightly undersize queen bed in there- You'll need at least a king for sure in the future, you know.

Sitting down in the living room, you shake your head as you pull up youtube to find your suggestions all over the place. You frown, dismissing a few channels that've been suggested, and think for a second before just turning on some background music. You're not entirely sure what to, honestly.

[] Review the IG witches yourself now, just so you'll be better prepared when Kyou and Wendy can sit down and look over them.
[] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.
[] Sit down and figure out what to make- you'd kind of like to have it at least cooking when everyone shows up back here.

>>4501304
>[X] Sit down and figure out what to make- you'd kind of like to have it at least cooking when everyone shows up back here.

>>4501304
>[x] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

Good lord Wendy is far too good to us

>>4501304
>[] Sit down and figure out what to make- you'd kind of like to have it at least cooking when everyone shows up back here.

>>4501304
>[] Sit down and figure out what to make- you'd kind of like to have it at least cooking when everyone shows up back here.

>>4501304
>[x] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

>>4501304
>[X] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

ok gents, votes called! sorry about that, had to help with groceries.

...ooooor we could have a tie! haha. We'll give it fifteen minutes for a tiebreaker!

>[] Sit down and figure out what to make- you'd kind of like to have it at least cooking when everyone shows up back here.

>>4501304
>[] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

Something something Lewd The Merlin something something

>>4501304
>[] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

Ok, votes called for real this time! thanks guys!

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[x] Start on the cake now- it'll be done well before everything else this way, but having it ready should provoke interesting reactions.

You shake your head, deciding to start on the cake now. It means that it'll be done well before anything else, but having it sitting out should provoke some interesting reactions from the witches. That, you think, is reason enough to do it.

You change the music from whatever youtube had decided to radio free mars- the music off of cowboy bebop alone making it probably your favorite series, though you haven't been able to watch it properly in a couple years. Still, the remix playlist, while short, is the perfect length to get the prepwork done, and you find yourself losing track of time in the kitchen, perfectly happy to groove along to the music while you mix everything together in a glass mixing bowl- the recipe specifies it must be glass, for some reason, and you're nowhere near confident enough to begin to start second-guessing it.

You get it in the oven and get started on the frostings- there's two used here, one a much heavier, richer dark chocolate frosting, the other a much more standard one with just a hint of roast coffee bean in it. You reflect that it's a pity you never really got to know the man that came up with this- legend has it he was an F-8 pilot in southeast asia before settling down and opening up the restaurant that's become a minor navy legend in it's own right. Neither takes very long, with the longest part being actually melting the chocolate that's going into them- there again, Wendy's seen to it you're well equipped for the task, a stainless double boiler having appeared at some time in the cabinets with the rest of the pots and pans. She's thought of everything, it seems- as with Kyou, you're starting to wonder how you got along without her.

The cake's only just come out of the oven and been set under a glass cover when the doorway opens and Kyou and Wendy both walk in. Both look over at you, Kyou very clearly smelling the cake. "I see we are to be spoiled again this evening with your cooking." She remarks, smiling as Wendy closes the door. "What is the occasion?"

"And I hope I've gotten everything right." Wendy adds. "I'd no idea what all you'd need for your cooking, but thought that should be the majority of it. I'll happily run to get anything else you should need, though."

[] No occasion, just felt like cooking.
[] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.

AND

[] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.
[] It's almost everything I'll need, yeah. Couple oddball things I'll need, but not now.

>>4501410
>[X] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.
>[X] It's almost everything I'll need, yeah. Couple oddball things I'll need, but not now.

>>4501410
>[x] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.
>[x] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.

>>4501410
>[X] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.

>[X] It's almost everything I'll need, yeah. Couple oddball things I'll need, but not now.

>>4501410
>[] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.
[] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.

>>4501410
>[x] No occasion, just felt like cooking.
>[x] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.

>>4501410
>[] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinnner.
>[] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.

ok, votes called! I'll be fixing myself something to eat after this one goes up, so the voting period will be a little extended.

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[x] I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinner.
[x] The kitchen stock is perfect Wendy, thank you.

You smile. "I owed Merlin an apology, so she asked for dinner." You say.

Kyou frowns a little. "You owed her an apology? What did you do?" She asks. "Surely you didn't offend her that much?"

You shrug. "I was chatting with a couple of the top gun witches here, and one of them is putting in for a valkyrie posting." You respond. "I went to talk to Merlin about it, and she said the navy is considering going to a four element arrangement for the combat teams. One wyvern, three valkyries."

Kyou nods. "I'd heard this as well, and can see the value in such an arrangement."

"I guess I made it sound like she'd been involved in that decision." You say. "She corrected me, but I owe her dinner."

"Ah. Well, so long as you didn't offend her so badly as to make working with her difficult or impossible. Losing her would be an incredibly harsh blow to our effectiveness, I feel." Kyou responds. "I assume that's also the reason you made that cake?"

You smile and nod. "Yeah." You say. "And Wendy, the kitchen stock is perfect, thank you."

"Oh good." Wendy responds, smiling, as Kyou heads back to the bedroom to change- both of the witches are still in uniform, though neither is bareleg. "I'd hoped I'd gotten it quite right, but I wasn't sure." She laughs a little. "I'm not one to complain of it, but your talent in the kitchen makes it so there's quite a lot to get to make sure you're well stocked."

You nod. "I appreciate the effort." You respond, then smile. "Maybe I should make another cake for you?"

Wendy blinks- then laughs. "As much as I wish to say yes, I'm quite afraid I'd be rather too tempted to control myself, and it's more challenging at my age to maintain my figure." She responds. "And as fond as I may be of that cake, I'm rather more fond of my figure."

You nod. "Well, I'll owe you one, then."

"I shall be sure to use that to my advantage later." Wendy responds, then laughs, shaking her head. "Had I known this was where the future was going to take me, I shouldn't have worried so much. It's all rather idyllic. Ah, but I should go get out of uniform. Excuse me." She says, heading into the bedroom as Kyou emerges.

"I must admit, I'm somewhat surprised to hear the Navy wishes to expand the combat teams." Kyou says, taking a seat on one of the high bar chairs at the counter looking into the kitchen. "I was under the impression they were well aware of the... situation the three trial crews were in."

[] Merlin made it sound like the coven was going to oppose it. If they do it's not going anywhere.
[] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

>>4501450
>[X] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

>>4501450
>[x] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

>>4501450
>[x] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

>>4501450
>[] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

Tryhards gonna tryhard

Ok, votes called!

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[x] With how hard it is to get a drake posting? they'll sell the valkyries the same way and it won't matter.

You shake your head with a frown. "With how hard it is to get a drake posting?" You ask, part of your mind also thinking about dinner- it's too late to start the chili, so that's out. Maybe jambalaya? "They'll sell the valkries the same way and it won't matter."

"Is that navy so much powerful politically they can afford to go against the covens on this?" Kyou asks, sounding a little surprised. "It was my impression that it is very much the inferior partner in that relationship."

You shake your head. "They're pretty equal, honestly." You say. "Witches have the freedom to do what they want, and if the navy puts this forward, even without coven support, they'll have plenty of takers."

"That's still quite a few witches. Over a hundred to fill the existing spaces in existing wyvern teams, especially as only three of us have Valkyries thus far." Kyou responds. "Though if they do approve it I imagine we'll be at the top of the list for the expansion."

You frown- she's right, and you're not entirely happy with that. "Probably." You admit.

"I wonder if there's a way to remove ourselves from that list." Kyou muses. "I'm happy to accept one or possibly two imperial guard witches, but I'm much more hesitant to agree to any further additions being forced upon us. One seems to be enough to me."

You blink, and she smiles. "I'm happy to add further to our household, but on our terms." She says by way of explanation. "Though you must admit, Wendy has been an excellent decision on our part."

You nod. "I can't argue." You admit, and she smiles.

"Still, I agree that there's little point in adding another so soon after we're to integrate an imperial guard element." She says. "But perhaps that's being premature. Was there any discussion on when this would come about?"

You shake your head. "No, but not soon, it sounds like." You say. "Weren't most of the units coming online being farmed out without a witch, so teams could ask favorites?"

Kyou nods. "That was my impression as well." She says. "But perhaps that's been changed?"

"Maybe." You agree.

"However, that does introduce another point." Kyou says. "I'm sure the navy intends to use Wendy to assist in any training programs they intend to establish."

[] Merlin said we'd remain here if that happened, but she wasn't sure if they'd want Wendy or another one of the three.
[] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

>>4501511
>[X] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

>>4501511
>[] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

>>4501511
>[x] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

>>4501511
>[] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

Bored Nyan is Bored

ok, votes called!

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[x] They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater for much longer than we already are. I think we're fine.

"They can't detach Wendy and they can't keep us out of theater much longer than we already are." You point out, going to tie on an apron. "I think we're fine."

"You know," Kyou remarks. "There is popular thing among the artists who do such things for one to be entirely naked beneath their apron."

"I'm sure there is." You respond, and she smiles.

"It was just an observation. I would never suggest something so undignified for you." She responds- though her smile gets a little wider indicating that she would, in fact, suggest just such a thing.

Wendy steps out of the bedroom, wearing what she calls comfortable- a lightweight T-shirt and a pair of shorts that barely cover the top couple inches of her legs. It's enough to be decent when Merlin shows up- but only just, in your opinion. She takes a seat next to Kyou. "That's better." She says with a smile. "Wearing a full uniform is somewhat unusual after so many years bareleg."

"Didn't you wear a full flight suit when you were flying race planes?" You ask, and she nods.

"Yes, but at public appearances I always went bareleg." She responds. "The twins insisted it improved our marketability, and it didn't bother me any." She laughs. "I find I rather prefer it, in fact."

"As do we." Kyou says, and you nod, agreeing.

Wendy laughs. "Well, then I shall endeavor to do so more often." She responds. "Though if we're to have company perhaps it would be more fitting that I at least make an attempt to be clothed normally."

Kyou nods. "Regrettably."

Wendy laughs again, then looks over at you. "I know the kitchen is normally entirely your domain and off limits, sir Morgan, but if you'd rather have some help, I'd be happy to assist."

[] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.
[] Sure, I could use a hand.

>>4501554
>[X] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.

>>4501554
>[] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.

>>4501554
>[x] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.

>inb4 they start making out on the couch

>>4501554
>[x] Sure, I could use a hand.

>>4501554
>[X] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.

Ok, votes called! This'll be it for the night!

>>4501554
>[] Sure, I could use a hand.

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[x] I've got this Wendy, you and Kyou just take it easy.

You shake your head. "I've got this, Wendy." You say, getting out the bell pepper, onion, and celery. "You and Kyou just take it easy."

Kyou smiles. "I think we will do just that." She says, looking over at Wendy. Wendy's nod is more hesitant, but she smiles as well.

"I do think you are both out to spoil me." She says, smiling. "It's been a long time since I've had so many meals cooked for me. And never ones quite so good as these have been."

"It is fortunate." Kyou agrees, then stands up. "I intend to check to see if the dossiers for our potential wingmates have been made available yet." She states.

"I've got them." You respond. "Check my pants pocket, there should be a flash drive there."

"Ah, I see. Excellent." Kyou says, heading back into the bedroom, while Wendy looks over her shoulder, watching her.

"I must admit," Wendy says, turning back to look at you. "I do wonder at the timing of the navy's rumored decision."

"To expand the teams?" You ask, and she nods.

"Most of the existing wyvern fleet hasn't the advantage of even one valkyrie, and the existing pool of available talent must be rather small." She says. "Had it not been for our history, I'm convinced I'd have not taken Miss Wells' offer to test the system for her, and had it not been for the history between your family and myself, I'd have been much more hesitant to accept your offer to fly with you. I don't regret either decision for an instant, of course, but I dare say making them would have been much harder."

"Because of the link?" You ask, and she hesitates some.

"That and the nature of the system itself." She says, with a slight nod. "It's rather intimidating, and not a little unnerving, to fly a valkyrie after being used to strikers for so long. It's not something that will bother pilots like yourself or me, but for a witch it's difficult to be cocooned in metal like that, unable to feel the wind or see or hear or smell what's occurring. I suspect it will be a stumbling point for many witches."

You nod- that makes sense. "So you think this'll get killed?"

1/2

"I don't dare presume." She responds. "Though I'm rather less worried about the possibility of there being a sudden rush to operate the system. I'm sure the openings in the fleet will go to witches approached by wyvern crews individually, as you did with miss Spears, before it will to any out of a class system."

She blinks. "Speaking of which, miss Spears and Miss Earhart send their regards." She says. "Both are assisting at North Island as well. And your youngest sister has expressed a desire to visit, but as she's currently a student, she's confined to post there. However, you can visit her, as you're family. If you'd like, I'd be happy to accompany you. Men visiting the student dorms there must be escorted, you see."

"Even family?" You ask- those kinds of restrictions aren't uncommon, but usually most coven buildings will waive them for family members- brothers and such.

Wendy nods. "Even family, I'm afraid to say." She says.

[] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.
[] I have too much to do here right now, I think. It'll have to wait.

>>4501630
>[] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

>>4501630
>[x] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

IMOUTOS

And that's going to be it for the night! Bit of a slower night tonight, it seemed like- but don't worry, we're moving along with a purpose, haha! I just kinda wanted another cooking thread, and we had a good setup for one, I thought.

Anyway, that's it for the evening, but I'll be around a little before I sack out to answer questions or comments if there are any! Otherwise gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

>>4501630

>[] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

Imouto time

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>>4501630
>[X] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

>>4501635
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4501630
>[] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

>>4501630
>[x] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

>>4501635
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4501630
>[X] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

>>4501630
>[x] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

Always take the time to see family.

>>4501630
>[X] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.
Youngest sister would be Tatyana, right? Katya's daughter?

>>4501777
Yep.

ok gents, votes called! sorry about the delay there, just woke up from a desperately needed nap

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[x] Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that.

"Well, if they don't need me around here, yeah, we can do that." You say, nodding. You're not too happy with the required escort, but you guess it makes sense- while the military in general tends to avoid mentioning, or even recognizing certain things, they're also well aware of what an unescorted man would probably be visiting a witch's dorm for. It why the covens usually make an exception for family members- there's a certain standard of behavior expected if one claims to be visiting a sister, for example.

Wendy nods. "I'm sure that would make her quite happy." She says with a bit of a smile. "She does occasionally direct some questions towards myself or Kyou that, I'm sure, are meant to reinforce her position as one of your sisters."

You nod again- it wouldn't be exactly out of character for Tatyana to want to see you just to help enhance her own social standing with her classmates. You doubt that's entirely the case here, but it's probably part of her reasoning regardless. That and, you reflect, you're fairly recognizable probably already- you know your crew's missions over Korea in the opening phases made the news, and the public affairs office has pictures of you for just that kind of thing. You know you made the news stateside once or twice already- nothing front page worthy, but still.

Wendy seems to prefer sitting on the stool to observe as you go through all the steps of making a jambalaya- not that any of them are hard at all, really. You've got it all in the pot after about twenty minutes, and all that's left is to let it cook- which doesn't really require you to be in there over it.

"This is most interesting." Kyou says as you leave the kitchen, noting that Wendy has already moved from her place at the counter to one of the chairs in the living room. "All of these witches are not what I'd have expected."

"How so, mum?" Wendy asks, and Kyou shakes her head as you take a seat next to her. "They're all much younger than I'd have anticipated, given the nature of the posting they're being given, and none of them are highly ranked guard veterans. All of them have completed the guard's training program, of course, but most of them aren't even active guard currently."

[] You think they're trying to do something underhanded?
[] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[x] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[X] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[x] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[x] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

>>4502520
>[] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down.

"Sounds like they took notes on what we'd shoot down." You observe, glancing at the profile she's got open. You remember glancing at the original packet the Imperial military sent, but that seems like it's been months ago- probably closer to a week, week and a half at most. Time flies, you think to yourself.

Kyou nods. "Most assuredly mother's hand and direction." She says, leaning forward. "Especially the presence of two separate enhancement talents. I have some minor abilities in that regard, but nothing like a talent in any case. Of course I'm able to make it quite effective, but I find their presence interesting regardless."

"I'd think the command talent would be moreso." Wendy responds. "Especially given our ability to coordinate so well. Situational awareness such as that would be..." She pauses for a second. "Well, quite useful, to put it mildly."

Kyou nods. "Yes, but it's also slightly redundant." She points out. "Though that one also is noted for having a minor talent in healing, as well, which may prove useful to us regardless. All guard witches are trained in it, of course, but you well know that's not equivalent to a talent's abilities."

"There's also the machine enhancement witch," Wendy points out.

Kyou frowns. "I'm not so sure about her." She says. "Yes, the talent would be interesting, especially coupled with the enhanced nature of our craft, but also somewhat redundant, due to our experimental nature."

"Redundant?" You ask.

Kyou nods. "I think so." She says. "She's listed as being similar to other witches who are able to make machinery perform to it's listed theoretical maximums, which would no doubt be useful, especially with experimental equipment such as ours, but at the same time it does mean any test data we provide would be effectively useless. Yellowstone, for example, may be much more powerful under her influences, but it's role as a test prototype means that it wouldn't be useful as an actual trial weapon."

You nod- she's got an excellent point.

"I think it's between the magic enhancement talent and the command witch, personally." Wendy states. "I've no complaint if I'm overruled, but as you said, the other two seem less likely to make a good fit with our way of flying."

"What was the other one? A signals witch?" You ask, and Wendy nods.

"Area stealth." She explains. "Among other things. She can project a selective signal blocking field, one that can prevent hostile signals operation while still allowing for her own to work."

"That sounds like it could be something we'd really want if we run into Mars again." You point out.

"Perhaps, but Merlin was already preparing countermeasures." Wendy says. "And the command talent is more broadly useful to us."

[] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?
[] I think I agree. Kyou, what about you? Are we decided?

>>4502592
>[X] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?

>>4502592
>[] I think I agree. Kyou, what about you? Are we decided?

>>4502592
[] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?

>>4502592
>[] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?

Any bets they want that healing talent on tap to make Morgan go longer in bed?

>>4502592
>[x] I think I agree. Kyou, what about you? Are we decided?

>>4502592
>[x] I think I agree. Kyou, what about you? Are we decided?

Looks like we've got a 3/3 tie, gents, so I'll give it another fifteen minutes! vote called at 21:28 EST!

>>4502592
>[] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?

>>4502611
>>4502624
I'll switch my vote since it looks like we're tied up.

>>4502644
>>4502624
Or...not I guess?

>>4502644
Thanks for the tiebreaker vote! Ok gents, votes called!

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[x] Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy. Kyou, what do you think?

"Sounds like you've made your decision then, Wendy." You say, and she nods. "Kyou, what do you think?"

Kyou frowns again. "I'm inclined to agree with Wendy." She says, though she doesn't sound quite as sure. "It strikes me as odd that she'd be included here, given what they've presented she'd be almost perfectly suited as a squadron commander or a guard captain."

"Politics?" You ask, but Kyou shakes her head.

"I doubt that. More likely mother's favorite." She responds. "I doubt very much that she'd do anything overt, but this witch's inclusion is probably her influence." She pauses. "I understand if that may seem as if it's an argument against her, but it's very much not. Mother can be very... exacting... in her selections for close guards for us."

"I imagine that your relationship with Morgan, and your brother's with young Cassiopeia is rather a challenge for her." Wendy says with a smile.

Kyou smiles, shooting a glance your way. "Perhaps, but Morgan, particularly, is known to the guard." She responds. "I imagine my safety is taken for granted. This is perhaps more to mollify the guard, as Morgan, despite his suspected abilities, isn't a member of that organization himself, nor would he be eligible to be. As for Cassiopeia.." her smiles gets slightly more pronounced. "While I very much doubt she's considered an adequate replacement as Morgan is, I also rather imagine there's less trouble in maintaining a guard with Hohiro."

"And Cass isn't quite as camera shy." You say, and Kyou nods.

"And she appears to have benefit from being quite stunning. I suspect that may be a Bishop trait." Kyou responds. "It does make me wonder how the press will receive us when we return to the home islands. I'm sure they're quite anxious for pictures of us that don't originate from a public affairs office."

"We're getting sidetracked." You say- not entirely comfortable with the idea of being a major public figure, but at the same time accepting it.

"Well, I'm quite sold on having the command talent girl with us, regardless of any connections to the imperial family." Wendy states. "She fits with us the best, and by all indications will be an excellent addition to our growing combat team."

"Kyou?" You ask.

Eventually, she nods. "I believe Wendy is correct." She says, after a minute.

[] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.
[] I think I'd like a chance to look over the other options some more.

>>4502678
>[] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

>>4502678
>[] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

>>4502678
>[X] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

>>4502678
>[] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

command and deli heal

>>4502678
>[] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

>>4502678
>[x] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

>>4502678
>[X] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

I am wondering if Kyou and Wendy will actually ask what morgan thinks since he is only asking them what they want.

ok, votes called!

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[x] That's settled then. We'll let Merlin know when she comes over.

"That's settled then." You say, nodding. "We'll let Merlin know when she comes over."

Kyou blinks, a little surprised looking. "You're satisfied with that decision?" She asks.

You nod. "The reasoning is sound, and I agree." You say. "Not much to add to the discussion."

"Oh." She says, then smiles. "Well, I had expected more, but I'm just as pleased to have things work out as they have."

You nod, standing up to head back into the kitchen to check the pot- while messing with it too much will ruin the food, you do need to occasionally check it, just to make sure it's cooking properly. Just about the same time as you've satisfied yourself that it is, there's a knock at the door- Merlin, probably, you think.

Opening it, you find your 'aunt' there with the doctor in tow. "Hi Morgan!" she says, giving you a quick hug before stepping into your rooms. "Dinner smells good!"

You laugh. "Well, it's not the chili, but I thought you might like it. Cake for dessert."

"Ooh. Is it what I think it is?" She asks.

You nod. "The very same. Wendy made sure I had the stuff to make it exactly to the recipe." You say, smiling. "They're in the living room, we've decided on our IG pick."

"Oh good." Merlin says. "That'll be good to get sorted out, she's going to need all kinds of conversion training too, so it's good you got that done now." She says, taking off her light coat and hanging it on the hooks by the door. "Anything else to report before I go sit down?"

[] Can't think of anything, no.
[] Tatyana wanted me to go see her, I'll be doing that tomorrow unless you'll need me here.

>>4502728
>[X] Tatyana wanted me to go see her, I'll be doing that tomorrow unless you'll need me here.

>>4502728
>[] Tatyana wanted me to go see her, I'll be doing that tomorrow unless you'll need me here.

>>4502728
>[] Tatyana wanted me to go see her, I'll be doing that tomorrow unless you'll need me here.

>>4502728
>[x] Tatyana wanted me to go see her, I'll be doing that tomorrow unless you'll need me here.

>>4502728
>[] Can't think of anything, no.