You smile. "She probably made chicken." You say- maman isn't as passionate about cooking as you, but her fried chicken is amazing, and one of the things you just can't quite seem to get entirely right. You're not sure if it's something she puts in or leaves out, or just the way she cooks it, but you've never been able to perfectly replicate it.

Wendy nods. "Quite often, yes." She says. "If you remember Patty Mitchell, she was quite a fan of it."

You nod- you've only met her once or twice, but the blonde witch does seem the kind who'd have liked it. It's usually pretty popular, and you'd considered giving it a try tonight, but burgers seemed the safer option.

"Ah, still." Wendy sighs as she slices the tomatoes. "I find it difficult to compare those days to now."

"Better or worse?" You ask.

She shakes her head. "Oh, it's unquestionably better now." She responds. "I miss those days, yes, but I'm far happier now than I was then, even if I was the happiest I'd ever been in Poland."

"Glad to hear it." You say, turning in time to see Merlin take a seat at the counter. "Hi Morgan, Wendy!" she says- you note she's already about halfway through a bottle of what looks like a hard cider. "Dinner almost ready? I'm starved!"

Wendy laughs, looking over at you.

[] Just about, auntie. I can have Wendy start setting things out, if you want.
[] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572484
>[] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572484
>[X] Just about, auntie. I can have Wendy start setting things out, if you want.

>>4572484
>[x] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572484
>[X] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572484
>You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572483
>[x] Just about, auntie. I can have Wendy start setting things out, if you want.

Don't spoil the main

>>4572484
>[] Just about, auntie. I can have Wendy start setting things out, if you want.

>>4572484
>[x] Just about, auntie. I can have Wendy start setting things out, if you want.

And we're on a tie vote, haha! Well, that's ok, I can head back in the house for seconds and we'll run a ten minute tiebreaker.

>>4572484
>[] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

>>4572609
Thanks for the tiebreaker! ok, votes called!

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[x] You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie. I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast.

You frown- both at the fact that Merlin's drinking this early, and at the fact that she's doing it on an empty stomach. For a brief second, your thoughts flick back to what Maman told you earlier- you wonder if your aunt got bad news recently. YOu push the thought aside- it's not really you job to dig and you're not entirely sure you want to- especially not right now.

"You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, auntie." You say, shaking your head at her and motioning Wendy over to watch the burgers. "I'll see if I can find you a snack real fast."

"Oh. Thank you!" Merlin says, smiling. She sighs. "I'd be in a lot of trouble if some people didn't look out for me so well." She says, laughing lightly at herself.

You frown again, looking over at Wendy, who holds up two fingers- so this is Merlin's second bottle. You're going to have to keep an eye on her- and the fact she's already that far in almost certainly means bad news.

Instead of dwelling on it- you'll deal with as it happens- you reach into the fridge, grabbing a few extra eggs and a potato. You rough chop the potato and part of one of the onions, then bump Wendy over a little with your hip, clearing a little space to crack the two eggs on the skillet. "Scramble 'em up good." You say to Wendy, who nods. You throw the potatos and onion on the skillet as soon as she's got the eggs done, letting them brown up a little before pulling them off and chopping up a couple strips of bacon and throwing it all in a bowl and setting it in front of Merlin, along with a fork.

"There." You say, nodding to bowl. "That should keep you till dinner, oui?"

Merlin nods and smiles. "Oui" She responds, trying to mimic your accent and failing miserably.

You take the skillet back from Wendy, taking the burgers off and throwing the last several on, putting the finished patties on a tray and covering them to help keep them warm. You're kind of setting up a make your own deal- not normally how you'd prefer to do it, but in this case about the only thing you can do.

It's another ten or fifteen minutes before everything's done and you have Wendy start carrying things out to the table. She's noticed immediately, of course, and Kyou and your guests both head over, taking seats, with Merlin leaving her place at the counter bar and taking the seat to Kyou's immediate left.

"Man, I can't imagine how you don't all weight like, four hundred pounds." Lotus remarks as you set out the food. "Do you cook like this all the time?"

[] I don't always cook, but when I do, yes.
[] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

>>4572668
>[x] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

Teasing cat mode: activated

>>4572668
>[X] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

>>4572668
>[] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

>>4572668
>[] I don't always cook, but when I do, yes.

>>4572668
>[] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

>then bump Wendy over a little with your hip,
[Merlin noticed that]

>>4572668
>[X] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

>>4572668
>[x] I don't always cook, but when I do, yes.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] No, and I'm sorry this is was as quick as it was. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

You shake your head. "No, and I'm sorry this was as quick as it was." You say, getting surprised looks from Lotus and Summer. Ulysses is harder to read- but you think you're going to have to be careful, lest you end up getting him in some shit with his team's witches. "We'll have to plan ahead next time."

"Maybe after the meet!" Lotus says, nodding. "You guys are gonna be there, right?"

"Meet?" Kyou asks, looking over at you- you shrug. "This is the first we've heard of it."

"It's a traditional thing." Merlin says. "I meant to tell you, but we got so wrapped up in the work on Muninn that I forgot."

Lotus nods. "All the drake crews on the coast all meet up at a bar near here." She says. "It's kinda a how-do-you-do sorta deal, but this'll be our first."

"Of course we'll attend if we're able." Kyou says. "Given the location, I expect it's informal?"

"Very." Summer responds. "civvies, rank's not a thing, beer, that sorta thing. It's all drakes, too, so it'll be a mix."

"It sounds to be quite fun." Wendy offers, and Kyou nods. "how often does this meet happen?"

Lotus shrugs. "I dunno." She admits, taking a bun and setting up herself a bacon cheeseburger. "They said it's kinda just when there's enough drakes around, I guess like three or four is normal."

"There's six here now, are there not?" Kyou asks, and Lotus nods.

"Seven, if you count the IJN drake." Lotus says. "But I don't know if they've got a crew in or not."

"Both witches are here." Merlin says. "They still haven't got their pilot candidates yet though."

"That should be interesting." Lotus says. "They're doing things backwards, right? Their witches pair up and then pick their pilot?"

Kyou nods, smiling lightly. "The imperial military has decided on two unit elements for the entirety of the force, and this is felt to be the best way of doing things." She says. "Finding a pilot should be less difficult this way."

"Can't imagine why." Summer remarks dryly. "I mean, hell, what pilot's gonna turn down that posting?"

"I might have, had I known about you." Ulysses says. "I still think becoming a monk is lookin like a good deal."

"No one asked your opinion, boot." Summer responds, though their tones indicate this is entirely joking- normal back and forth banter.

"So, they're sticking with two ship elements?" Lotus asks, and Kyou nods. "Huh. I'd thought they'd go three or four, like we're talking about."

Kyou shakes her head. "The imperial military can't afford that." She says. "Not without cutting back unacceptably in other areas."

"Hell, the navy's gonna have one mother of a fight to get the coven to agree to go to four anyway." Summer points out. "You guys are only at three cos of your bodyguard."

1/2

Kyou nods. "It will be interesting, integrating another element into our team." She says. "We will be quite busy reexamining our tactics in light of our increased team size and capability."

"Speaking of capability." Lotus says, leaning in. "So now that you're here, admiral, what can you tell us about your Yellowstone."

"My yellowstone?" Merlin asks, sounding a little surprised, then shakes her head with a light laugh. "No, I helped, but this is from someone else in the shop. And the parts that aren't classified are pretty simple, really. It's a molten metal railgun with a millisecond pulse infrared laser to create a shot channel before firing. In terms of effectiveness, our ground testing shows it performs similarly to a conventional railgun."

"Of what size." Summer asks. "I mean, if it's performing the same as those monsters they've got on the lancers, then..." She shrugs.

"Well, it's range is shorter than that." Merlin says. "But the damage profiles are similar."

Lotus blinks. "Similar?"

Merlin nods. "We should be doing flying tests by the start of next week." She says, looking over at you. "And so we'll have the data available for review then."

"Y'all over there talking about molten metal railguns and the wonderful Wendy and I still stuck over here with damn popguns." Summer grouses. "Any chance we can work on that at all, admiral?"

Merlin blinks. "Well, there's a challenge for space.." She says. "We just didn't leave enough room to really install anything big."

"Pfft." Summer says. "Shit, I know you could fit one of our old bushmasters in there."

"Bushmaster?" Merlin asks.

Summer nods. "Thirty mil semiauto we used in the armor." She explains. "Beefy enough that when you juice it, it can punch through MBT armor, but not so damn big you need a strength talent to use the fuckin thing. Uses the same ammo as the mark forty fours, but we used a box mag. "

"Semiautomatic?" Merlin asks.

Summer nods again. "Yeah, but shit, you can prolly convert them without any problem. You're gonna lose ammo, for sure, but I'd rather have one of those rather than the damn popguns we got now. Shit, better off throwing rocks."

"That's... a possibility." Merlin says, nodding. She looks over at you. "I can start prototyping one, but if we're going to do a test install, it may mean Wendy is grounded for however long it takes us to figure out the mounting."

[] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?
[] Wendy, what do you think?
[] I don't think we'll have the time, we've already been offline a while.

>>4572798
>[X] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?

>>4572798
>[] Wendy, what do you think?

>>4572798
>[x] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?

>>4572798
>[x] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?

Need more data

>>4572798
>[] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?

I sense a glorious disturbance in the Force

>>4572798
>[] Wendy, what do you think?

ok, votes called! this'll probably be our last for the evening, hopefully it doesn't quite run away from me the same way, haha!

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[x] How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?

"How long will we be flight testing Muninn's new equipment anyway?" You ask, looking over at Kyou.

"Depends on how soon I can have a target hulk released from the ghost fleet." Merlin responds with a frown. "It's the only thing I can think of we can get a good read on the Yellowstone's functionality and actual performance with, but they're dragging their feet on releasing anything right now. Hopefully they'll get the Cape Girardeau cleared and towed down to the test range for us before we're ready for firing tests though."

"But the firing tests shouldn't take that long, correct?" Kyou asks.

"Maybe." Merlin says. "The navy wants a chance to board and inspect the target hulk after the first couple of shots, to determine exactly how much damage the cannon does. Depending on their findings, we may be towing it into deep water before finishing firing tests."

"Deep water burial, huh?" Summer asks. "That to keep the findings secret?"

Merlin nods. "But it depends on what the teams find." She says. "And we might not even get a ship, in which case we'll have to use the NTTR or Goldwater range. We'd use Irwin, but they're slated to start exercises next week."

"Surprised the army's bothering." Summer remarks. "Shouldn't they be spinning up everyone for asia?"

Merlin shrugs. "I'm not sure." She admits. You note that, as she talks, she's still managed to put away two burgers- and is working on a third, piled high with bacon and tomato slices.

"So, what's the under-over on another crew getting a Yellowstone?" Lotus asks, leaning in. "I mean, what are we talking for, uh... "

"Encouragement." Summer supplies, and Lotus nods with a smile.

"Yeah, encouragement." She agrees.

Merlin blinks. "Well, I have another one that's being used as a nonflying test installation." She says, frowning. I guess it could be brought up to flight standard, but I'm not sure how long that would take."

Ulysses shakes his head. "Doesn't matter." He says, and Lotus looks over at him. "We can't afford to lose the bays."

Lotus' pained expression contrasts with Summer's amused one- clearly, Ulysses is right, but it looks like Lotus really doesn't want to have to admit it.

"So is that pretty much it for the test cycle?" Ulysses asks. "You got, what, new powerplants and that cannon, right?"

[] Yeah, that's it so far.
[] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

and that's going to be it for the night! Wanna apologize for the long delay there between the second update and the third, that post kinda got away from me, haha!

Anyway, I'll be around a little more tonight to answer questions or comments if there are any, and of course I'm in the discord as well. Otherwise gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4572888
>[X] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

>>4572889
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4572888
>[x] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

>>4572888
>[x] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

>>4572889
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4572888
>[] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

Now I'm curious as to why they can't afford to lose the bays

>>4572888
>[] Yeah, that's it so far.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] We've also gotta integrate a fourth member, but that shouldn't take too long.

"We've also gotta integrate a fourth member," You say, getting a nod from Kyou, "But that shouldn't take too long."

"And that's more a function of time spent together than anything else," Merlin points out. "Test flights are fine, and she'll be flying with you on them as well unless we decide to rearm her valkyrie as well, but there won't be any additional ground time because of her."

"That's good to know." Kyou says. "So you expect us to be flying again by the start of next week?"

Merlin nods, with some slight hesitation. "I think so." She says. "We don't have that much more work to do, and all the really heavy stuff is done, but we still have some cabling to run to the cannon's receivers, and the ammunition magazine still has to be mounted. It's a cylinder-type magazine, so that should make reloads in the field quick for the ground crew."

"So they get their star wars guns, what about our weaponry?" Spears asks.

Merlin frowns, thinking. "I didn't consider looking at existing weaponry to upgun with." She admits. "And never thought to look at tank witch guns, but it makes a lot of sense. I'll have to sit down and work out something, but I think we'll be able to get some improved guns for valkyrie."

Spears smiles, leaning back in her chair- she's four burgers in, at this point. You wonder if she's starting to get full- she's slowed down eating, for sure, but still looks dead set on finishing the one in front of her, at least. You're starting to wonder if you shouldn't have made more sides to try and fill space- french fries wouldn't have taken that long, you know.

"Man, how crazy is it gonna get when everyone starts getting valkyries?" Lotus asks, laughing a bit. "I mean, how's that even gonna go?"

"We've got a few units here now," Merlin responds. "But no one to fill them yet."

"Might work out better." Spears points out. "The rest of the horsemen want valks now, and if you've got to upgun all of them, that's a lot of work."

Merlin nods. "Of course if the navy decides to treat the valkyrie fleet like the wyvern fleet and allow crews to modify their craft to their own personal tastes, I don't think the support elements we have now will be able to handle the work."

"Doubly so if they increase all combat teams to four craft." Kyou says.

Merlin nods. "I don't think they will, at least not across the whole fleet."

"Coven would flip their collective shit." Summer states. "I mean, this has to be bad enough, right?"

1/2

Merlin nods. "I think so." She says. "And the oldest WCTs have already said they don't want valkyries at all, much less three of them."

"They're allowed to make that decision?" Kyou asks, and Merlin nods.

"The most senior crews are already at the point where they can leave service." She responds. "They'd have to resign their commissions, but they're past their thirty. Most of them have already said they have kids, and bringing another witch onboard is out of the question."

"Those are the home drakes, right?" Lotus asks, and Merlin nods. "I was reading about them while we were in the waiting room in medical this morning."

"Home drakes?" Kyou asks, and Lotus nods.

"Yeah, they're the oldest crews. They've got kids and families and all, so the navy tries to keep them stateside for the most part. There's six up at north island and then another two out east. Then there's another two that will probably cycle back pretty soon, but it might be more than that with a fleet expansion."

"Interesting." Kyou says. Lotus nods again.

"Yeah, it's kinda a retirement thing. They stay stateside and used to be the go-to to test new equipment or fittings, but-" she shrugs, smiling.

"Unnecessary." Kyou states, smiling lightly.

"Well, kind of." Merlin corrects. "They still fly with VX-4 sometimes if we've got something to flight test but can't clear for a combat test yet. But all of them have stated pretty concretely that they don't want a valkyrie, and will resign if it seems like they'll be forced into taking one."

"They'd be the first actual retirements, right?" Spears asks.

"Mhmm." Merlin says, nodding. "We've got some things put aside for that, but I don't think the navy will force it on them. They'd rather get all the active teams outfit first, then worry about that kind of thing."

"That is rather considerate of the navy." Kyou says, frowning lightly. "I understand why, but is it necessary to coddle wyvern crews so much?"

Merlin shakes her head. "No, but it helps keep the best interested." She says. "If there weren't a war on, we'd probably be based at NAS Atsugi."

"So how's that work, anyway?" Spears asks. "What, have kids and you get to stay in the world unless there's a serious shooting war going on?"

2/3 (oops)

Merlin shakes her head. "It's supposed to just be for crews that have finished their service commitment and decided to extend another term or two." She says. "The navy is willing to work with crews, but a lot of those kids end up spending time with relatives all the same."

"Well, that's all way down the road for us anyway." Lotus says, smiling. "I think I have a couple trips to burning man left in me before I want to settle down."

"Burning man?" Kyou asks, and Lotus' eyes light up.

"Oh, you have to go!" She says. "It's this whole amazing thing they have every year, it's like a big festival where everyone can express themselves and there's music and dancing and-"

"Buncha hippie BS, is what she's tryin to say, Princess." Spears says, frowning, then nods at you. "Right killer?"

[] Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys. It sounded interesting.
[] From what I've heard, yeah, that's about right.

>>4573726
>[X] From what I've heard, yeah, that's about right.

>>4573726
>[] Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys. It sounded interesting.

Because Maman would.

>>4573726
>[x] Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys. It sounded interesting.

Maman in a burning-man-tier outfit is... an image.

>>4573726
>[x] Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys. It sounded interesting.

Maman be Maman, try everything at least once. She liked having kids enough to do it twice.

>>4573726
>[x] From what I've heard, yeah, that's about right.

ok, votes called!

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[x] Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys. It sounded interesting.

You shrug. "Maman talked about going once, back in the ninteys." You say. "It sounded interesting."

Wendy smiles. "Oh, I remember that!" She exclaims. "I had a race in New Orleans around that same time, and she was among the matrons that greeted me."

"The Mother of night went to burning man?" Lotus asks, sounding more than a little surprised.

You shrug. "Maman likes to try anything once." You say. "She must have not enjoyed it too much, she didn't go back that I know of."

"Huh." Lotus says. "I mean, I guess I can see it, but it's really surprising to hear she's into that kind of thing."

You smile- maman is, if nothing else, surprising to most people. She puts on the image she wants to, always has, even, to some extent, to you and Liz. But you, and your sister, you guess, both also know what to look for. You've heard a few stories about the trip- and you and Liz are both pretty sure that Maman met Liz's father there and kept in contact with him for at least a few years afterwards. He at least seems the type, you think.

"I mean, that is kinda a fuckin shock." Spears says, frowning. "You sure it was your momma?"

You smile, but Wendy nods. "Oh yes, she had quite a few small stories for me when we met after the race." She says. "She sounded as if she quite enjoyed herself."

"It's pretty popular." Lotus says, then frowns. "But it's getting all commercial and corporate these days, and a lot of people are going just to say they went, they don't care about the art."

"I mean, you keep trying to get me and uly to agree to go." Spears points out. "You think either of us is gonna care about the art?"

"I bet I can make you." Lotus says, her smile returning.

"Pft." Summer responds. "Yeah, right."

"It does sound interesting." Kyou says, cutting in.

1/2

"Yeah, till she talks about how she didn't wear anything but body paint for like three days." Spears responds, jerking her head to indicate Lotus.

Lotus nods. "I only started wearing anything else cos a dust storm blew up." She says, then frowns. "That was a little... unpleasant."

The look on her face gets a laugh out of you, and Spears snorts. "you'da never made it in the tanks. More than one time we had to sit out a haboob on a guard mount or checkpoint or something with nothing to keep the sand out of our skivvies or striker interface."

"I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to deal with that." Lotus says.

"Cos if you're not a grunt, you exist to support grunts." Spears responds. "I mean, shit, think about it. There's like six billion dollars worth of hardware here, and all of us were tasked to get grunts ashore in Korea."

Kyou nods. "Ultimately it does fall to the infantry to complete their mission." She says. "But without us, they could not. They are important, but we are critical"

Spears shakes her head. "They'd just use something else without us." She says. "Or they'd bleed more. Either way they'd get the job done."

"I won't argue that the infantry isn't important." Kyou counters. "But missions such as the attack on Megalith couldn't have been done by anything other than an advanced fighter such as ours."

Spears shrugs. "Maybe it's a branch thing." She says. "But being a grunt is a good feeling in the corps, cos everything exists to support you."

"So, um.." Merlin says, looking around. "Is there dessert?"

[] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.
[] I didn't really make anything, but I can make you a milkshake or something, if you want.

>>4573838
>[] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

SASS VULNERABILITY DETECTED

>>4573838
>[X] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

>>4573838
>[x] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

>>4573838
>[x] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

>>4573838
>[] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

>Yeah, till she talks about how she didn't wear anything but body paint for like three days.

Lewdtus

>>4573838
>[X] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

ok, votes called!

>>4573838
>[x] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

Sorry auntie. But we can't have you getting diabetes from all the sugar.

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[x] There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure.

You smile sadly. "There's no cake, but there's a few things in the kitchen I can bring out, sure." You say, standing up. "Everyone else ready for dessert?"

"None for me." Lotus says. "This is all gonna go straight to my thighs anyway, and I don't feel like letting Sumsum do her slave driver routine on the morning run."
"I'm quite full, but I'll help clear the table." Wendy says, standing at the same time as you. "It's rather much for one person to do by themselves."

You nod, taking a few plates and heading into the kitchen. There's actually not much here- you don't tend to keep anything sweet around, just because you can't- Kyou and Wendy see to it that anything left out like that rapidly disappears. You don't mind of course, and honestly it's kind of nice to see them enjoying your cooking that much, but it does lead to situations like this.

"There's ice cream." Wendy says, entering the kitchen behind you. "And Some fresh fruit I'd picked up for Mori. Perhaps you could make strawberries and cream?"

You frown. "For Merlin, maybe, but that's not quite what I'm after." You say, shaking your head. "Ice cream may be the best option. What do we have."

"Cookie dough and chocolate." Wendy responds immediately. "Both should still be unopened, I'd only just gotten them. Lady Kyou had yet to get to them."

You smile a little. "I think she'll be ok without them for a bit."

Wendy nods. "Though she may demand concessions from you later." She warns, then laughs. "I don't imagine that will be a problem for you, though."

"Whatever will I do." You deadpan, then smile at her, pulling the ice cream out. "Wanna bring the bowls and some spoons?"

"Of course." She says. "I'll be along presently."

"Sorry about the selection here." You say as you step back into the dining room. "All we had was cookie dough and chocolate ice cream."

"Short notice." Spears says with a shrug. "But you best watch Lotus. She says she wasn't gonna get any, but she's a sucker for cookie dough."

"I have some self control, thank you." Lotus announces, then laughs. "But she's right." SHe doesn't move to get a bowl, but she's not far from it, either.

"We can always do an extra mile in the morning." Summer says, her grin more than a little evil as she helps herself to a few scoops. "I mean, that wouldn't be that bad, riiiight?"

Louts shoots a smile over at the other witch, but addresses you. "Do they do this to you, too?" She asks.

[] Nope. It's all easy over here.
[] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

>>4573936
>[X] Nope. It's all easy over here.

>>4573936
>[] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

>>4573936
>[x] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

Tease the Wendy

>>4573936
>[x] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

>>4573936
>[] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

>>4573936
>[] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad.

You smile a little forlornly. "Well, Wendy's a taskmaster sometimes, but otherwise it's not so bad." You say. You don't quite get the effect you're after- Kyou scoffs as soon as you've said it.

"Wendy?" She asks. "A taskmaster? Hardly." She says. "Now, if you wish for that sort of thing, I'm sure I'll be more than able to provide such an experience for you."

"Walked into it." Ulysses opines, and you nod.

"Yeah, I did." You agree.

"Mine team up on me too." He says. "Guess that's just how it goes."

"You should be so lucky." Spears says, cutting your fake commiseration short. "But it'd be fuckin rude to discuss your fantasies in front of the nice folks that fed us. Even if they are navy."

"I am too, sumsum." Lotus says, smiling. It's her usual megawatt smile, but there's a bit of a threat behind it- the kind that says the smaller marine witch may want to remember who's listening.

"Yeah, but you're ok cos you're stuck with us." Summer says. "I mean, I guess Kyou over there keeps the rest of them straight, but-" She pauses, then shakes her head. "Already dug a hole." She says.

The smile never leave's Lotus' face. "Yep!" She agrees, cheerfully. She looks about ready to say something, then yawns. "Oh man, I'm sleepy all of a sudden. You put something in those burgers?"

[] That's just the itis. I'll get you some coffee.
[] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.

>>4574060
>[x] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.
>[x] But i'll get you some coffee too.

>>4574060
>[] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.

>>4574060
>[X] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.

>>4574060

>>4574063
+1

>>4574060
>[x] That's just the itis. I'll get you some coffee.

>>4574060
>[x] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.

It's the only way Morgan can get a full 8 hours.

ok, votes called! this'll be our last update for the evening!

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[x] Rhino tranquilizers. It's the only to keep her imperial highness normal.

"Rhino tranquilizers." You respond, indicating Kyou with a nod. "It's the only way to keep her imperial highness normal."

"I see." Lotus says, stifling another yawn. "As is I'm gonna have to get Uly to carry Spears home."

Kyou smiles. "As he inflicted this on you, do you wish me to have Morgan assist you?"

"Mmm." Lotus says, standing up. "As much as I want to say yes, I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee instead."

You nod. "I'll put a pot on." You say, heading back into the kitchen as everyone else displaces to the living area, with your guests occupying the couch and Merlin taking a seat next to Kyou.

"So has anything come out of our op in Iraq?" Spears asks Merlin as you bring out the coffee, and hand everyone a mug. Kyou doesn't take any- she's not quite developed a taste for it- and Merlin's still drinking cider- she's on her fourth now, which means either Wendy or you are probably going to have to drive her home. Either that or she takes the unused bedroom and crashes there- you get the distinct impression that if her marriage really is falling apart, she'll be all but moving in there.

Still, she seems reasonably alert as she shakes her head. "No" She says, drawing it out just a bit. "DIA and the NSA are still looking into the equipment they had, but all we know for sure is the ones that were captured were from all over. One Algerian, two Pakistanis and a Malasian witch."

"All Muslim?" Spears asks, drinking her coffee quickly and pouring herself another cup- you'll probably have to make another pot.

Merlin nods. "They claim to be." She says.

"That's weird as fuck, if you don't mind my saying." Spears responds, frowning. "Most Muslim witches won't come within a hundred yards of that kinda fundamentalist shit unless they're planning to kill it."

Kyou looks over at you, curious, and you shrug. You know some about the ideological split between most of the Muslim world and the so-called 'fundamentalists' of Iran and ISIS, but Spears probably knows more than you do.

[] Why's that?
[] So what would have made them join up like that?

and that's going to be it for the night! all this talk of the itis, I think I caught a case, haha!

I'll be around a little bit to answer questions or comments, but otherwise gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4574180
>[X] So what would have made them join up like that?

>>4574181
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4574180
>[x] So what would have made them join up like that?

F for Merlin's marriage BTW

>>4574180
>[x] So what would have made them join up like that?

>>4574181
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4574180
>[] So what would have made them join up like that?

>Either that or she takes the unused bedroom and crashes there

Isn't Mori in there for now? or is there more than one extra bedroom

>>4574187
Overnight? Mori's still in the hospital- she won't be released till tomorrow.

Otherwise, yes, it could get a little crowded.

>>4574191
guess it depends on how quickly Mori enters into the more intimate stage of the arrangement

room could be vacant sooner rather than later

>>4574180
>[] So what would have made them join up like that?

>>4574180
>[] So what would have made them join up like that?

>>4574180
>[] So what would have made them join up like that?

Thonkang Catte

>>4574180
>[X] So what would have made them join up like that?

ok, votes called!

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[x] So what would have made them join up like that?

"So what would have made them join up like that?" You ask.

Spears shrugs. "Who the hell knows?" She says. "I mean, you look at it, no one with a damn brain in their heads is gonna touch it. But we know they've got witches on their side, I mean, hell, even the Iranian coven exists, for what it's worth."

"Aren't a great deal of them emergent talents?" Wendy asks.

"Most of 'em." Spears says, nodding. "I mean, I'm not really the one to ask, but from what I know, most of the old coven fled the country when the revolution went down. There's maybe a handful there that stayed or couldn't get out, but most of 'em fled to Iraq or Saudi or Europe or wherever."

"I had always been curious about that." Kyou says. "What is the difference in the religion Iran practices, and that of the rest of the Muslim world?"

"Oh man." Spears says, leaning back. "I mean, there's a lot of them, but it really boils down to their view on witches in general, right? For most of the world, shit's the same as it is for anyone else, more or less. A talent is a gift given by god for a witch to use to further some goal or other to the benefit of mankind, that sorta shit, and for her to really use it correctly, a witch needs to consult with and listen to the guidance and teachings of the Imams or whoever."

"That is remarkably similar to the teachings of the catholic church." Wendy remarks, and Spears nods.

"That's basically line for line how the big three come at it." She agrees. "For the fundies, though, it's different. A witch isn't given her powers by god, a witch is a gift from god to an influential and powerful leader to further his goals."

1/2

Kyou blinks. "So they're denied freedom?"

Spears nods. "More or less." She says. "The idea is that with power like this comes drawbacks. A witch is granted such great power and then sent here, but only to serve an influential or powerful leader, so she really has to do everything he tells her, full stop."
"And witches willingly join this?" Kyou asks, sounding more than a little shocked.

Spears shrugs. "Yeah, but I mean, how different is it from what we did? I mean, shit, we signed up of our own free will, but we're still signed on for thirty years, and end of the day we're still kinda bound to do what the navy tells us."

"But we're hardly slaves." Kyou retorts. "Yes, we are contracted, but that doesn't mean we don't still have a way to exit our contracts, should we so desire."

Spears shrugs. "I mean, I'm just saying, I kinda get it." She says. "You think they're gonna go somewhere, maybe you sign on because even if you do belong to a warlord, if you've been there since the beginning, you're gonna get treated better and have it pretty good. They say the ayatollah's witches all live pretty damn well."

"Gilded cages." Kyou says, derisively.

Spears shrugs again. "I ain't here to defend it." She says, then grins. "Hell, I always thought that shit was annoying anyway. Every damn patrol they'd be mean muggin the fuck out of your boys, but you, shit, nothing but gifts and smiles and invitations. But back to the point, nah. I think they did it for the same reasons you hear those silly bitches run off to be war brides or whatever. Adventure or some shit."

"Utter foolishness." Kyou announces.

[] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.
[] I guess I can see it. I know a few people that took commissions for the same reason.

>>4574997
>[X] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.

>>4574997
>[x] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.

>>4574997
>[] I guess I can see it. I know a few people that took commissions for the same reason.

>>4574997
>[x] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.

ok, votes called!

>>4574997
>[X] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.

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[x] Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that.

You nod, frowning. Spears has a bit of a point in that your kind of in a similar situation, but there's more than enough significant differences that you shake your head. "Yeah, that's a pretty stupid reason to sell yourself away like that." You say.

Spears shrugs again. "It is what it is." She says. "I mean, like I said. I ain't trying to sell it to anyone and I don't agree anyway. Shit's fuckin creepy."

"It also doesn't sell very well, from what I've heard." Lotus remarks.

Spears shakes her head. "They think we got about three quarters of ISIS' witches in our little op, and they've got max one or two left now." She says. "And they're bein kept as far out of it as they can be."

"So what happened to all the witches in occupied territories, then?" Ulysses asks. "I mean, they don't just leave them alone, right?"

Spears shrugs. "Most of them got out, but the rest disappeared." She says. "It was a big deal for a while, but no one has found a damn trace of them. Prolly buried out in the desert somewhere for refusing to serve."

"That's rather grim." Wendy says.

Spears nods. "Yeah, but that's how they operate." She says. "It's why they had such a big thing when I was with the armor about never leaving an AO without everyone accounted for. Last thing we wanted to do was leave someone behind for those sick fucks to get hold of."

"Fortunately, it sounds as if they'll be destroyed soon." Kyou says, and everyone nods.

There's some more small talk- mostly about getting back in the air, in your case, or about Yellowstone, which utterly fascinates Lotus, apparently. You detect more than a little jealousy in her tone when she asks about the weapon system.

You concern, of course, is Merlin- she's downed a solid half dozen bottles of cider by the time your guests head 'home'- about three doors down the corridor and across the hall from you- and is already a little giggly and loopy by the time you've finished clearing the table. Wendy's got her sipping water, which is good, and has collected all but the last bottle Merlin had opened, putting the few remaining full ones in the fridge.

Kyou walks in as you finish loading the dishes and get most of the dirty cookware into the sink- you'll clean it later, you think. "She is in no condition to drive." She says.

"I noticed." You respond, and your other half shakes her head.

"And it would be entirely improper for one of her rank to risk being seen in such a state." She states. "With your permission, I'll have her stay in Mori's room for the evening."

You look over.

[] Why do you need my permission?
[] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.
[] I'd rather we let her sober up some and then Wendy or I can take her home.

>>4575110
>[X] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.

>>4575110
>[x] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.

Slow night, I guess, haha! Ok, votes called!

>>4575110
>[] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.

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[x] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.

You nod. "Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway."

Kyou frowns. "It's irresponsible of her to drink this heavily where others may see her." She says, shaking her head. "I understand that I haven't known her as long as you, but I do find myself wondering how she was able to manage two children and a household at all. She's far better suited to being taken care of."

You smile. "Trying to play on my emotions?" You ask- Kyou's rarely that transparent about things, or at least, attempts to not be- but with you that's a lot more difficult than you think she's managed to get accustomed to.

She shakes her head. "I promised I'd follow your instruction regarding her." She responds. "But I do feel it necessary to point out that if this becomes habit of hers, we may need to intervene. I understand the American military and people make great allowances for the privileges of rank and witchdom, but being seen in such a state is entirely unacceptable for one of her station and rank."

[] I don't think that's going to be an issue.
[] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>[X] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>[] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>[x] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>If that happens, we will.

>>4575110
>[X] Yeah, sounds good. She's going to need a good breakfast to head off a hangover anyway.

>>4575202
>[X] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>[X] If that happens, we will.

>>4575202
>[] If that happens, we will.

I don't know how but maybe imply that we know what's causing it even if we don't let on fully

Ok, votes called! This may be our last for the evening, but it might not be!

... haha!

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[x] If that happens, we will.

"If that happens, we will." You say, and Kyou nods.

"I will admit, I'm unsure of how it would be dealt with, should we decide to bring her into the household." She says. "There are many tales of witches requiring their lovers to ride to their honorable deaths in Japanese literature and folktales, but somehow I doubt the navy would agree that provides a suitable grounds for leaving her in command of us."

You shrug. "Dad and Tabitha were open about their relationship during the war." You point out. "And she was a squadron CO with two drakes at the time."

Kyou nods. "I'm aware of the tales. Her executive officer was also involved, meaning the chain of command would have had to skip to the next highest ranking naval officer involved- Patricia Mitchell, was it not?"

You nod. "Yeah." You say. "But it didn't become an issue and the navy didn't have any complaints."

"The difference being, of course, that for all her gifts, Admiral Wells is not Tabitha Kazinski." Kyou says. "She is not a combat commander, she is an engineer and scientist. An incredibly gifted one, no doubt, but that hardly translates to leadership of men."

"Good thing it's just us, then." You point out, and Kyou frowns.

"That is not what I meant." She says. "A commander must present themselves a certain way at all times. Even if it is known she is close with us, there are certain things that must not be done. Appearing out of control to those under you is one of them, regardless of circumstance."

She pauses, then shakes her head. "Of course we'll see to it that this doesn't become an issue, but preventing it from doing so may require more active measures on our part, at least while we remain in the United States." She says.

You nod, looking out into the living room- Wendy and Merlin are talking as Merlin sips water, Wendy having removed the remains of the last bottle of cider from Merlin's reach. "She's under a lot of stress." You say, finally.

"Then either we make arrangements to deal with it quickly, so her suitability for command isn't questioned, or we make arrangements to hide her reaction until such time as she can deal with the situation herself." Kyou says, then shakes her head. "I will, of course, bow to your wishes in this matter, but I do hope you decide quickly."

You nod, and Kyou smiles.

"And regrettably, with her here, I'm afraid our evening will be somewhat less... ah, energetic than usual." She says. "Such are the sacrifices we make, yes?"

Personally, you're looking forward to a good night's sleep regardless- and Kyou not having to heal you first thing in the morning.

And that's gonna be it for the week! That's actually a really good stopping point, I think, and not at all influenced by eating a bit much pie after dinner at all. Haha! No, really, it's a good stopping point for the week, I think.

No real news here, but that discord link should be good forever, I think. I'll hang around over the weekend to answer questions or comments here, and of course, in the discord as well.

Otherwise, gents, till next week, cheers!

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>>4575278
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4575278
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4575278
Thanks for the run!

>>4575278
thanks for running

>MFW I only vote once and accidentally fall asleep, but Anon picks all the choices I want

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Ok gents, a couple things here. So, it's Christmas week and looking at things, a full three day run would end on Christmas eve. That's... not really gonna work out for me, since my family is planning some things for then this year. And even if it would, I expect most of you have better things to do than read my garbage on Christmas eve, haha! So it's just going to be a two day run this week, today and tomorrow.

School resumes Jan. 11, but like I said, we've got a mandatory 2 week quarantine period at the beginning of the semester. This may or may not effect the weekly run, since attendance to the class's online collaborate sessions is mandatory and tracked, and those are fairly early in the morning compared to my usual schedule. We'll see how it goes.

That's it for news, haha! Links for both the discord and archives are up in the OP for last week, as usual.

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

You hate long international flights.

Honestly, they're not as bad as they could be- you know, for example, your father absolutely hates being stuck in the passenger section of any aircraft, let alone a civilian airliner. You've never had a problem with it, and the post-war aeroflot liners are, functionally, no different than any similar aircraft in the west.

You pocket your music player- a gift from your father, given a few years ago at christmas, and pull out your headphones, the small earbuds disappearing into the same pocket. You've traveled light- not that that's unusual for you- with a simple bag stowed under the seat in front of you and little else. You won't be here that long, you know- a few days at most.

Most of the flight, you've been asleep, having come the long way around, one one of the very few direct flights from the US to Moscow. Despite the thaw in relations since the war, there's still limited trade between the two nations, and only a handful of flights originating from US airports end up in Soviet ones. This flight, from New York, is one of them- you'd flown out of San Deigo international after learning Morgan's mother was in the area- and that he was busy with yet another witch being added to his combat unit. You've got suspicions about how readily that seems to occur, but you've not voiced them yet, being unable to find any proof thus far. Perhaps, you think, you're looking in the wrong areas.

1/2(?)

The big passenger liner touches down fairly hard- aeroflot pilots largely being made up of wartime veterans and a handful of dedicated civilian pilots. Most of the veterans are easy to tell, preferring much more aggressive sink rates when they land, a legacy of the terrible losses they took in the west near airbases. The passenger complement here isn't much different than you'd expect, but for the presence of what you've clearly made out to be a fairly high level corporate executive and her staff- an unusual sight, flying into Moscow like this. Despite the thaw, the USSR hasn't exactly opened it's borders to the capitalist world yet, either- severe restrictions remain in place on trade to 'protect domestic industry'. Considering how much of that industry ended up bombed into rubble, that's hardly surprising, even if the recovery is, by now, mostly done.

You're off the plane early, one of the perks of your employment as it is being you rarely, if ever, aren't in first class. You watch as the corporate entourage deplanes ahead of you, being greeted by uniformed interior security officer and a suited government bureaucrat. You can only just barely hear them exchange pleasantries in English, oddly, as your own hosts approach- a uniformed military witch, flanked by two others.

"Natalya." Konstantina greets you. She doesn't try for any gestures of familiarity- no hugging or anything of the sort. It's neither of your ways- even if you two have remained fairly close. She's the closest thing you've got to biological family, afterall, even if the Bishops have made every effort to make you feel as if you're one of them.

It's mostly worked, too.

"I traveled as quickly as I was able." You say, sizing up the two escorting witches. They're rarely the same, and this time it's two different ones- newly minted junior lieutenants, by their rank pins. "You made it sound urgent."

Your 'big sister'- how she styles herself, nods. "They've uncovered the location of one of the former premier's aviation battleships." She responds. "We were told that the American navy encountered one over Korea, and there was great interest in an American observer being able to get a first hand look at one."

You frown, shooting a glance at the slightly too-loud corporate group. "I am hardly a technical observer."

2/3

She smiles. "Of course not." She says. "But despite your American's wishes, you are one of the few of their assets the premier trusts."She shoots a glance with a scowl over at the corporate group. "And with their presence here, it is more urgent that these matters be dealt with."

You nod. That much you knew- the soviet premier, Putin, has on more than one occasion made it clear he'd prefer it if you were to 'return home'- meaning repatriate to the soviet union. You've flatly refused any such offer, having never bothered to explain how such a thing is entirely impossible for you- both because of your history and because of the efforts of your adoptive family. You can hardly stand thinking about leaving them- the mere thought raising uncomfortable feelings at best. "I expect I'll be given as much technical data as possible." You say. "I can hardly carry it back."

She smiles. "Better." She says. "The premier wants this dealt with. Once we open the base, I'm told that in the interest of friendship, he's allowing the UN and Americans in to examine it in it's entirety, and allowing them to remove the aircraft."

You frown. That's entirely too generous, even for a man fixated on restoring the soviet union's place in the world.

[] What's his price?
[] Because of the corporate entourage?

>>4580836
>[X] What's his price?

>>4580836
>[] What's his price?

>>4580836
>[x] What's his price?

>>4580836
>[] What's his price?

>>4580836
>[] What's his price?

>>4580836
>[x] What's his price?

"A sample of Beloved's DNA."

Ok, votes called!

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[x] What's his price?

You frown. "What's his price?" You ask, suspicious. As eager as he is to wipe away the stain of the previous premier- to the extent of attempting to remove the insane man's memory from the collective consciousness by focusing on the much more recent rebuilding and 'rebirth' of the USSR- the premier never does anything without it in some way advancing the goal of improving the situation in the soviet union.

The matron general shakes her head. "I don't know." She says. "Regardless, it's apparently been agreed to, since you're here."

That's accurate, you guess- and while, years ago, you'd have assumed it involved you being sent back to the soviet union, you now know that's not how the US operates- and even if it was, you're fairly certain that your family has more than enough pull to make sure such a thing never came to pass.

"Come. We've a flight to catch." She says, turning to leave. You walk next to her, her two witches trailing the both of you.

"I hear my beloved's son is flying now." She says, conversationally. You frown at her use of the term 'my beloved'- she's mostly dropped her wartime love for your adoptive father, though, like Morgan's mother, there's no indication she's taken a husband otherwise. Given her nature, you're not sure she would anyway, nor that even if she did, children were a possibility. There's a general push in the union, you know, for families, but especially witches, to have children. For the matron-general, perhaps the most visible of the soviet coven, to have neither a husband nor children is... telling.

"Morgan." You say. You'd never have given her even his name, other than you know she's already aware.

"Yes." She says, nodding. "Our intelligence indicates he's flying with the Japanese Princess, who is very strong in her own right."

You shrug. "I've not met her." You respond. It's true enough on the surface, but you also know that she's like you and Konstantina- which concerns you more than a little.

"A pity." She responds. "Were we not so busy with the special economic zones, I'd be interested in sending one of my witches back to meet them. What few stories make it back are... " She pauses. "Impressive."

You remain quiet. Technically, the soviet coven is allowed to send a witch to function as a liaison to the US coven- a position that's never been filled, owing both to the possibility of defection and the relative pointlessness of it. Your own defection badly rattled them, you know, enough so that they prefer to not risk it anymore, especially given the badly depleted ranks of the soviet coven.

The ride out to the military airbase nearby is quiet- though you note you're escorted by both a marked police vehicle and a blacked out security forces one, the second a western SUV, which is an instant giveaway as to it's nature. You note that it's also heavily armored, and follows closely.

1/2

"We won't be far from our birthplace." She says. "Two hundred miles, west, perhaps a little more."

You frown. "The Caspian sea?" You ask.

"Near there." She responds. "The base was designed to launch and recover over a dry lakebed in the national preserve."

That's a bit of mixed news for you. You've sometimes wished to go back to Kantubek- see where you were 'born', as you were removed from there very quickly and sent to other facilities for training. On the other hand, the place is no doubt little more than an abandoned ruin- the UN having insisted that weapons such as yourself had no place in the future, and the fear of mass-produced superwitches was one that the rest of the world was easily able to get behind. In some ways it bothers you- part of you wishes that they could see how you've changed, but it's a part that's both small and unimportant. Things are as they are, and you may well be the last of your kind.

"Also, you'll be taking one of my witches back to the US with you." She says. "I intend to place her in the liaison role for the duration of hostilities, especially with confirmation that you've captured a Russian national flying for the Chinese."

[] You didn't know about her before?
[] My return trip doesn't involve Washington DC.

>>4580905
>[x] You didn't know about her before?

>>4580905
>[X] You didn't know about her before?

>>4580905
>[x] You didn't know about her before?

>>4580905
>[X] You didn't know about her before?

>>4580905
>[X] You didn't know about her before?

>>4580905
>[] You didn't know about her before?

ok, votes called!

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[x] You didn't know about her before?

You look over at her. "You didn't know about her before?" You ask.

She shrugs. "We had unconfirmed reports of some local commanders allowing their troops to serve with the Chinese." She says. "The recovery in the far ends of the union hasn't been as complete as it has here."

That both is and isn't a lie- it's not a lie in that she's telling the truth about things being more difficult in the eastern ends of Siberia. Most of the major cities there spent some time during the war under Japanese occupation, with more than a little fighting taking place in and around the cities and bases there as a result.

But you're also positive she knows the witch- and that the girl was acting, as she told you, under orders.

[] "You're lying."
[] Let it go, for now.

>>4580954
>[] "You're lying."

"You're lying, but you'd do that anyway."

>>4580954
>[x] "You're lying."

I get the feeling that Natalya isn't one for subtlety.

>>4580954
>[X] "You're lying."

>>4580954
>[] "You're lying."

>>4580954
>[] Let it go, for now.

>>4580954
>[x] Let it go, for now.

>>4580954
>[X] "You're lying."

>>4580954
[X] "You're lying."
We must press this button.

>>4580954
>[X] "You're lying."

ok, votes called!

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[x] "You're lying."

You regard her blankly for a second. "You're lying." You say, flatly. There's no way the nation's matron-general, the one witch in charge of all others, doesn't know she's got witches flying with the Chinese- especially as the one encountered in Korea insisted she was following orders. In the event of war, the soviet witches were to surrender at the first opportunity, with the understanding that they'd then be sitting the war out in custody.

Your hostess smiles. "I don't know what you mean." She responds, shaking her head. "We've launched investigations, but of course there's no way of knowing for months, yet."

You frown. "You're evading." You state. "I have talked with a soviet witch, brought down over Korea. She indicated she was following orders to get herself captured as soon as possible and removed from Chinese service without prompting suspicion on the part of her employers."

"I am sure some of the local commanders have allowed their troops to serve with the Chinese." She responds. "But there are no such orders from my office or anywhere else."

You frown- she's still lying, clearly, but also very clearly doesn't intend to budge on this point.

"Besides." She says. "Had I wished my witches to end up in American or Japanese custody for any reason, would it not follow that I would send my daughter west as well?"

[] You know you can't hide this forever.
[] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

>>4581031
>[] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

>>4581031
[X] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

>>4581031
>[x] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

>>4581031
>[] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

"You really aren't helping your case."

>>4581031
>[x] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

Wow, fluffy learned how to be coy about things.

>>4581031
>[X] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

ok, votes called!

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[x] Your daughter isn't in Siberia.

"Your daughter isn't in Siberia." You respond.

Konstantina blinks, then shakes her head. "Of course not." She responds, then shrugs. "Regardless, I don't know what you're talking about. No such orders were ever issued by my office. I'm pleased to hear that any soviet witches flying for the Chinese aren't fighting, it's not our war and I'd prefer if none of our witches were killed or injured fighting it."

"And defectors?" You ask. It's not exactly the best point for the soviet coven- even today, there's fairly notable bleed of witches from Siberian posts into Alaska and Japan, among other places, a group of three having turned up in Micronesia a year or so ago. Your point is clear- regardless of the source of the order, the possibility for a number of soviet witches refusing to return is probably much more distinct than the matron-general wants to handle.

She smiles. "If they chose to leave the union, then that's their right as people." She responds. "And of course, if my beloved's son is flying, then it may be that some of them wish to, no?"

You frown.

[] Why would you order them to surrender, rather than recalling them to the soviet union?
[] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

>>4581086
>[] Why would you order them to surrender, rather than recalling them to the soviet union?
>[] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.
BOTH

>>4581086
>[x] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

>>4581086
>[X] Why would you order them to surrender, rather than recalling them to the soviet union?

>>4581086
>[x] Why would you order them to surrender, rather than recalling them to the soviet union?

It's probably politics, can't really pull the girls without looking like they're leaving their 'allies' flapping in the wind.

>>4581086
>[] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

>>4581086
>[] Why would you order them to surrender, rather than recalling them to the soviet union?

>>4581086
[] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

>>4581086
>[X] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

ok, votes called, this will probably be our last update for the evening!

[x] They're wasting their time, if they are. He is not father.

"They're wasting their time, if they are." You state. "He is not father."

"Of course not." Konstantina responds. "No one could compare to him. But that doesn't mean a hopeful might not make an attempt at something similar. Assuming, of course, such a thing were to happen."

"In what way would this strengthen the USSR?" You ask. "Witches that leave the USSR rarely return."

"Regardless." She says, shaking her head. "I've no information on this event, but I'll order my staff to begin looking into it. Discussing it further is a waste of our time."

You stare at her for a second. It's clear she doesn't intend to let go of what she knows- but you can't figure out why she'd be protecting the information, either. It's not as if there's much to protect- anything you learn isn't going to get back to the Chinese. And even if it did- you somehow doubt they can afford a major political row with the USSR right now, with Japan and America arrayed against them. She's hiding something, which inherently bothers you- you don't trust her very much to begin with, and assume anything she's trying to hide, she's trying to hide because she knows it's a problem for you- or would be a problem for her, anyway.

Still, she's clearly not going to talk about it- and you've nothing to talk about yourself for the rest of the drive to the military airbase near Moscow. Most of the 'military' airbases in the area are dual-use, and this one is no different, playing host to a transport regiment and being an air freight hub. Air freight has picked up significantly in the wake of the war, and Stalin's wall- while most air traffic will fly north or south to get around the radiation belt, some corridors exist through it while flying high enough up. Not cleared for passenger service, of course, but enough that it's not as dead as it once was.

Getting out of the car, you're met by the two other witches. "We won't be taking a large team." Konstantina explains, leading you toward an An-32. "We've encountered three of these facilities before, and large teams don't perform well until after the self-defense mechanisms have been disabled."

You frown, and she smiles. "Fear not, little sister. We'll handle the combat, if there is any."

[] Good. I didn't come for a fight.
[] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

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Image should have been attached to previous post gents, sorry!

Also that's gonna be it for the night, haha! I think missing an image is a good sign it's time to take a break for the evening! Remember, we'll just be running tomorrow, no Thursday run this week, owing to Christmas eve and Christmas. We'll be back to three days a week next week though!

Anyway, as usual, I'll be around a little bit, both here and in discord, to answer any questions or comments, but otherwise gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4581164
>[X] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

>>4581167
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4581164
>[x] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

>>4581167
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4581164
>[] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

>>4581164
>[] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

>>4581167
thanks for running Ghost

>>4581164
>[x] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

Thanks for the run boss.

ok, votes called!

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[x] I expect you brought equipment for me regardless.

"I expect you brought equipment for me regardless." You state.

"Of course. You still remember how to operate our strikers? They're rather different from the western sets you're no doubt used to." She says, nodding.

You nod, boarding the aircraft and noting the presence of four sets of tank strikers. T-90 models, by the looks of it, to include their signature main gun and the armature mounted light machine gun, stowed on the back of the right leg.

"The facility was encountered accidentally." Konstantina provides, taking a seat next to you and directing her witches to sit across from the two of you. "A survey team was operating in the region and noticed the blast doors set into a cliff face overlooking the dry lake bed. The external camouflage had been damaged at some point. They withdrew from the area and reported the find."

"And that's all?" You ask. You don't exactly trust the story- a bit too convenient- but it's also entirely possible.

"The base doesn't appear on the known list." She responds. "Which means it's probably one that was considered complete and functional, with all records erased and the work force scattered or eliminated."

"Also means it's untouched." You note.

She nods. "Most likely. It's been identified as one that the premier would have no problem allowing the EDF and US military to investigate, owing to it's remote location and distance from any other active military base of the soviet union."

You shrug- ultimately, that's your mission, to determine if the US should take the premier's offer or not. In theory you're a 'technical observer'- in practice this is more of a scouting mission. You'll get a pretty good look at the inventory and parts of the base, and if you make the call that it should be used, you'll stay on site with a small caretaker force until UN or US troops arrive to take possession of it.

The flight out takes a few hours- it's a little over a thousand miles from Moscow to the base, and you're landing well outside the range of any automated defenses. You're also pretty far away from help, should you need it- though you note that an army combat trauma pack is hooked to one of the striker frames.

"The nearest settlement of any size on our map is Zhanozen, to the northwest." Konstantina says, as your aircraft starts descending towards the far end of the dry lakebed. "Response forces have been positioned there, but they anticipate that, should we need them, it will still be at least half an hour before they can arrive."

[] So we're on our own.
[] Why aren't they in distance to assist?

>>4581823
>[X] So we're on our own.

>>4581823
>[x] So we're on our own.

>>4581823
>[x] So we're on our own.

Nothing new for the resident Super Witch

>>4581823
[] So we're on our own.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] So we're on our own.

"So we're on our own." You state

She nods. "Like old times, yes?" She asks, smiling. "Though perhaps both of us have slowed down some."

"You, maybe." You respond- a simple statement of fact. You've checked your reaction times, maintaining a careful inventory of your personal traits and abilities. They've not changed appreciably since 1998, not that they should. You were designed, you know, as a long-term investment, one the scientists involved produced as the first of a new breed of witch entirely. You've occasionally wondered how much of that would pass along to any children, but not for very long- even Konstantina's 'daughter' is rumored to be anything but- indeed, it's thought she's either a late generation superwitch, no doubt patterned after yourself, or something else entirely. It helps explain the soviet public being kept ignorant of her existence- at least, according to the intelligence agencies you work for.

She smiles as your aircraft bumps down on the dry lakebed, dust rising behind it as the crew slows leisurely- you're nearly ten miles distant from the cliff, but even from here you can make out the sharp contrast between the rock wall and the exposed portion of door. They must be truly massive to be visible from here, you realize- you've seen the size estimations, and of course, the initial findings from the wreckage in Korea, but still. The base must be enormous, you realize.

You help dismount the striker racks from the aircraft, the field racks designed to be easily moved proving to be at least slightly superior to the similar units you've used in America- they're light and easy to move even for one person, easily navigating down the ramp at the rear of your aircraft and onto the dried, hardened dirt of the lakebed. The four of you mount the strikers shortly later, the site being 'secured' by the aircraft's crew of four, who remain behind to handle any curious locals. This far out, though, you doubt they'll have much to do but smoke and play cards,

1/2

"These facilities are noted to be extremely heavily armed." Konstantina warns as the four of you power towards the massive doors. "We've lost people to them before, especially in cases like this."

"We'll have to disable any defenses before I can make any decision." You say, and she nods.

"That is why I was asked to go." She says. "the premier felt he needed to be certain of things. Our records indicate that a base such as this will have the vast majority of it's defenses arranged so as to be able to prevent it's resident aircraft being unable to launch and recover as necessary. I expect that to mean heavy automated weapons arrayed around the lakebed and in the cliff face near the doors. They were designed to fight martian war machines, and have significant troubles tracking small, fast targets on the ground. If we approach at speed, we should be able to reach the access doors without taking any damage."

You frown. You're not sure you like that plan- you're sure both you and Konstantina can make it without taking a hit, but you don't know either of her junior witches.

[] is there a safer method?
[] If you think that best, then.

>>4581872
>[x] is there a safer method?

Probably wouldn't look too good if our little outing had 25-50% casualties.

>>4581872
>[X] is there a safer method?

>>4581872
>[] is there a safer method?

>>4581872
>[x] If you think that best, then.

>>4581872
>[x] is there a safer method?

>>4581872
>[x] If you think that best, then.

ok, votes called!

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[x] Is there a safer method?

"Is there a safer method?" You ask. You're mostly concerned for the two younger witches with you- you don't know the extent of their abilities or powers, and while you've no doubt that there's very little here that can threaten you directly, enough firepower will inevitably force it's way through your defenses, regardless of how significant they are.

"We could approach slowly." She offers. "The systems were designed to defend the installations against all threats, but it's possible it would recognize us as friendly and allow us in without activating it's defenses." She pauses. "It's worked on some of them before, but not always."

"With yourself in the lead, matron-general, even if it does engage us, we should be able to respond." One of the junior witches offers- a surprising move on her part, considering the usually very rigid soviet command structure. "And our weapons should outrange anything it has available for it's own defenses."

"Destroying each emplacement would take a great deal of time." Konstantina says, shaking her head. "And we are not supplied for a long engagement"

"We wouldn't have to destroy every emplacement." The other witch points out. "Just the ones in range to threaten us as we approached the access doors."

"Hmm." the Matron-general responds. "I'll leave the decision up to our american friend."

[] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.
[] We'll engage only the emplacements we have to secure entry. I'd rather not risk injury.

>>4581937
>[X] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.

>>4581937
>[] We'll engage only the emplacements we have to secure entry. I'd rather not risk injury.

>>4581937
>[] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.

>>4581937
>[x] We'll engage only the emplacements we have to secure entry. I'd rather not risk injury.

>>4581937
>[] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.

>>4581937
>[x] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.

Sorry about the delay there gents, votes called! This'll probably be our last for the evening! Had some ideas I'll bring up after the thread, stuff to think about over the holiday for everyone!

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[x] We'll approach slow and friendly. With us leading if it engages we'll be able to respond.

"Slow and friendly, we'll lead." You say. "If it engages us, we can respond."

The matron-general nods, happy enough that you're volunteering yourself to lead the way. She's less powerful than you are, you know- she's a superwitch, but not one that, like you, can break the rules of physics. Not for the first time you catch yourself wondering about your little brother's witch- who you know is capable of inertialess acceleration.

The four of you set out, initially closing quickly before slowing down to just over a walking pace. You're not sure what the defense systems of the base were programmed to engage, though you know that they had to have allowed for some sort of crew access. You wonder how they intended to do that- clearly, simple visual signals wouldn't work, as easily as those may have been compromised, and given the nature of the bases you're sure they wouldn't have simply programmed them to not fire on humans.

Regardless- it works. The four of you pass through the initial engagement area of the turrets without any of them emerging from their armored holes in the ground, the hatches plainly visible as you cross over and around them. "A place like this must appear on MAD gear." You observe, stepping on one of the steel hatches with a ringing thud.

"Perhaps. It's not been tried." Konstantina responds, stepping around a turret hatch herself. You make them to be spaced perhaps a hundred meters apart in rough alternated lines. There's probably thousands of turrets here, you realize- enough that it would take an armored brigade to clear the approaches, easily- assuming the defenses had no other systems available to them.

1/2

The doors, as you approach, loom large in the cliff wall, at least a hundred meters tall. It's impossible to guess their age correctly- you can see some spots of rust, though the dry conditions here have prevented much from forming, and the steel seems to be almost the same as it was when it rolled out of the mill, the sand-colored paint covering it scoured off in a few places, but not many that you can see. Most of it is still hidden behind the camouflaged outer door, which looks to be much thinner, only supporting the false rockface the main hangar door sits behind. It's the outer door that's damaged- how or why, you can't tell, though it almost looks like it was damaged by some kind of weapon, the lower inner corner of one of the outer doors having been blasted away. Regardless, it strikes you how lucky the survey crew was to see them at all- they're very well camoflagued.

"The access door is here." Konstantina says, directing you to a much smaller door, one large enough still to fit a large truck through comfortably. She flips open a panel near the door and punches in something on a keypad there, the mechanical clicking giving away it's age. She steps back as the door opens with a hiss and a slight breeze- enough to kick up the sand at your feet.

The four of you step inside as the base's lights come on, the overhead lamps flicking on without any hint of their age. You blink at the sheer, immense scale of the place- and at the massive, six-engined aircraft, sitting, pristine, on the concrete pad in front of you.

"Ah." Konstantina says, smiling. "One more off the list."

You'll have to shut down the defenses entirely, you know- but the base is huge, and you realize that, even with full cooperation from the USSR, it's going to take months, if not longer, for any team to search it fully. You'll be here a while, you think, and, not for the first time, you kind of wish Morgan could have come along to see this.

And that's it for the week!

So a couple things, here at the end of the run. First, I caught myself thinking about how nice it would be to have... well, mechanics, for lack of a better term. It's pretty late in the quest to be introducing them, I think, but I was considering working on something, presenting it in the discord and here, and seeing what everyone thought? It'd be a super simple system- I've not got the time to really deal with anything crazy, but I was wondering what everyone thought? We could finish up the current arc, then introduce them for the next part of the run. Or not, if you gents would prefer to not at this point. Either way, I'm fully open to discussion on the point.

Second is less a point of discussion and more a simple statement: I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Anyway, that's it for the week gents. I'll be around most of the weekend, save for probably Christmas eve and part of Christmas day, to answer questions or comments if there are any! And as always I'll be in the discord if anyone wants to hit me up there! Otherwise, gents, again, merry Christmas, and till next time, cheers!

Depends on the mechanics, what did you have in mind?

>>4582002
I'm gonna vote no. We've done two entire runs without them, I don't think introducing them at this late stage of the run is a good idea.

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>>4582002
Thanks for the run boss, have a good Christmas.
I'd agree it seems a bit far in to add some new mechanics...

>>4582002
I think at this point in the quest, the most appropriate place for any mechanics would be in the little side quests like this Natalya PoV segment, gives you a chance to test them in a relatively minor aspect of the quest without affecting the main body of it.

>>4582040
also derp, thanks for running Ghost!

>>4582008
Something fairly simple- a couple stats, like, no more than 3, simple "Roll over" stuff using averages, and maybe some kinda persistent bonuses. I'm not sure- a lot of the response so far has been that it's a little late to be introducing it now, though if we have a break like we did with 89, that may be a chance to test it out like >>4582040 suggests.

Did the Soviet witch captured try to pull a Katya, I do not remember?

>>4583590
Not yet, she has been trying to get in contact but Morgan hasn't talked to her at all so far.