RP: YSS Kaiyō Mission 36: Mizu no Iro

[Ametheliana]

Kenichi's Star
Kokoro

Hoshi had died. The Nekovalkryja OS startup sequence, lungs made and filled by hemosynth, consciousness beginning again while looking into a medical bay from a transparent tube—none of it would have been new to her. She had been expecting the relief those familiarities would bring. The solace of such was not to be met by the Neko, though.

Her body had broken in more places than she could reliably count and felt like the inextricable tangle of crushed stain glass. She stared up at the world tree's branches, the boughs of which had slowed her perilous fall and broken her like circus netting that had held momentarily only to comically break, at a cloudless sky. Morning had come quickly and the planet's harsh sun was biting through the omnipresent tree, claiming its stake on the water below in golden dappled puddles within the sea.

Floating on the surface like some detritus, Hoshi felt and saw two things at once. At first, above her, a bizarre shimmering light above her like a blazing new star twinkling in the morning light. Curiously, she stared at it, enamored. Underneath her, though, she felt ridges and rock-like crags. Next to her body, a silhouette blotted out the sun and strode through the air with as much ease as it did the water. Seeing it, she understood what was below her. Or, at least, what she believed her hallucinations thought was below her. Hoshi closed her dark blue eyes as she felt lifted out of the water. Surrendering, or perhaps relenting, she listened to the planet's heartbeat coupled with the sonorous lullaby of water falling off the whale's back that she was now on. For a moment, it became a song she knew—the Kaiyō's ship song sung in a wavering baritone.

—
XSS Mordrakka

That twinkle in the sky Hoshi had seen, the NMX ship the XSS Mordrakka that Hoshi's old crew had taken control of, had been alone in its search for the better half of an hour. But its sensors indicating life as it dipped below the atmosphere of the outer planet of Kenichi's Star, Kokoro, had not gone unnoticed by the NMX ships also searching for the lost Yamataian captain.

"Report on findings on planet designated Kokoro," came a gravelly Mishhuvurthyar's voice through comms to Ketsurui Aiko's place in command and the SAINT operative's at helm. "At once!"

"Gunships XSS Yggfristall and XSS Braxxrrsil are en route to intercede," came another voice in response. Whatever reputation the little patrol ship Aiko and her crew had taken, it did not seem good as the rest of the NMX fleet seemed to give little thought to the the Mordrakka's autonomy. Close by, the two gunships sent to assist were entering the planet within the minute.

The life signs that scans had picked up on the Mordrakka, though, were that of a dozen biological life forms—not just that of their captain. And they were moving out of the planet quickly as a group.

Elsewhere on the ship, Asuka and Charbon and any of those that would help were refitting the torpedoes once again. They had not needed to be used in commandeering the ship but now that the NMX vessel was in their hands, it was easy guesswork to figure they may be useful in a fight for Hoshi, if it were to come to that. The cargo bay doors had been opened, too, in preparation for Aiko's orders to easily and succinctly collect their lost captain. Those like Molli and Sif stood at the ready for just such a task as they watched the patrol ship dip lower towards the world tree and the watery ocean that sparkled below it.

 

[Sunny D]

"Mordrakka acknowledges." Erika said with a terse inflection "With no further information we've simply picked a starting location while we conduct further analysis. Preliminary scans occluded by the planets organism. Will confirm and report. Intercept would reduce total scan area." She made sure to make it sound a touch bitter, as though she was annoyed at being micromanaged.

At the same time she altered heading towards the dozen moving bio signs, and accelerated to intercept.

"Unidentified group of bio signatures numbering twelve, this is the XSS Mordrakka." She said, more authoritively, transmitting along NMX infantry frequencies. "You are instructed to rally on our vector and await extraction via the main hangar. Confirm reicept of this transmission."

 

[raz]

XSS Mordrakka, Bridge

"Keep them off our lead," Aiko said calmly to Erika from where she stood centrally on the bridge. Her hands were crossed beneath her bust as she watched sensors for Hoshi and listened to the incoming chatter. "Send out false signals if you can. Lie to them about where we are headed to match. Even if these are but shadows and echoes of a false reading as we close in on the target, every extra moment will allow us to remain ahead of our rivals. The Warlord will reward this ship for the prize and no other."

The princess only said that last part to keep up appearances. Doing so wasn't yet exhausting; indeed Aiko had settled in well to her deception and needed to think little toward the maintenance of her ruse. But every moment that brought them closer to Hoshi and the other Mishhuvurthyar who wanted to find her first wore at the back of Aiko's mind.

She somewhat dreaded that the Mordrakka would likely come to blows with other ships. Because for all of Aiko's unflinching gallantry and immediate action in personal combat, she was at this moment in control of an enemy ship class she'd seen destroyed countless times from behind the Kaiyō's guns. But in the same way she carried the ragged old katana she'd found in enemy hands months before, the princess would wield the Mordrakka against any Mishhuvurthyar threat even if she didn't appreciate the odds.

"Cynea, Myga," Aiko said to Sif and Molli over comms broadcast to the cargo bay. "Can you see anything sensors may have missed? Be prepared to bring the target straight to medical. We must ensure she is kept alive for Yaggorahurl," she added to convince any genuine NMX Neko who stood beside the pair of Star Army snoops. "Inform me immediately if there are any complications."

 

[Gles]

Cargo Bay

After her heart-to-heart with Sif in the confines of a maintenance closet, Molli had dutifully accompanied her to the cargo bay, where the pair could observe their ship's descent through a see-through field. They were bound to an ocean planet with one curious landmark: a tree more massive than any Molli had ever seen before. "It's like a giant flower pot," she noted to Sif, whom she often shot glances to with unconcealed concern. Thanks to the parasite stripping Sif of her characteristic nekovalkyjra strength, Molli had to ensure none of the ruthless NMX crew uncovered her condition, lest she be purged and unable to participate in a mission that needed all hands on deck. Sif was downplaying her vulnerability and possible death, as neko typically did, but even in a borrowed body, Molli still viewed death as something to fear like any human.

"Asset is supposed to be down there," Molli said, crossing her arms and leaning off of the cargo crate. She had to refer to Hoshi impartially, in the case of any eavesdropping soldiers, but with how she chewed on her fingernail as she paced across the room, eyes firmly fixed on the world tree, Molli was plainly worried about all the attention on her beloved captain. "We have more backup than I thought," she murmured, flicking her gaze to the unsightly starships off in the distance. She knew ahead of time that they would be a factor, but that didn't make it any less unsettling to be so deep in the embrace of Yamatai's enemy.

Aiko's voice crackled through the room with a query, and Molli could only shrug in response. She approached a wall with a receiver, pressed down on a button, and spoke into the wall, "Nothing your sensors haven't told you, probably," she leaned over to gaze at the world tree, which was so gargantuan that one could lose track of any one spot if their gaze shifted from it. Frustrated, Molli shifted her attention to the endless ocean expanse, before blinking at the off-color mass that seemed to move against the tide. "I see a...big sea creature." She'd never seen anything quite like that animal, but as she focused on its movements, something else caught her attention--a tiny pink blot on the creature's back.

Molli hadn't depressed the button transmitting her voice, and so Aiko could hear the rapid breathing from the console she was speaking through. "Permission to suit up and descend?" Molli's made the request with a degree of calm that Aiko, who'd known her emotional subordinate for years now, could tell was masking excitement and fear. Molli didn't elaborate, couldn't elaborate, not while they now held a key advantage:

Hoshi was in the Kaiyo's sights first.

 

[Nameless]

Cargo Bay

Awaiting deployment, Sif had been looking at the scenery outside the ship, her normal demeanor replaced with a contemplative distance as her gaze over the planet below being nothing more than a blank gaze. The scene was pretty, almost like the cover of a fantasy book retelling the legends of Yggdrasil. But her mind was elsewhere, in a tiled room, looking at a reflection of another. There was a sense of dread, like a presence was hiding within the walls of the enclosed space. Something foreign and unwelcomed. An unaddressed question that lingered in the air like the smoke from incense.

"Is this who you are?"

Was she?

She could not answer the question. No matter the situation, the answer was always going to be yes. Was she herself or the unwelcome presence puppeteering a body? If the question was asked, the answer would be "Of course, I am your friend, you ally." Call it an over-active imagination, but Sif wasn't trusting herself, not while the shadow of a looming puppeteer hasn't been dispelled. Yet she could not excuse herself from all this. For the sake of the mission and their covers, Sif had to hold out just a bit. Once they return to the Kaiyo, they can get her checked. Who knows, maybe she would wake up having to read the after-action reports. It would be a relief, for sure, when the alternative is worrying about losing control with no one to notice.

Molli's comment about the planet looking like a flowerpot drew Sif's mind out of the darkness. Not completely, but just peaking out of the door to see what was happening. "Do you think there would be giant beetles on it to match?" she'd ask, an amused smile on her lips, but a hint of sorrow in her gaze towards the tree.

Her finger tapped idly against the frame of the NMX gun in her hand. She would need to rely on this weapon should things turn sour. With her lack of strength, she was unsure how she would be able to handle the weapon if she had to use it. How different would it feel? Perhaps before she gets a new body, she could ask permission to do some training in her underpowered state. How much could change, and how well would she fare in combat simulations? Would pain feel the same? Would it hurt more?

Could she even still float? For a moment, the pall hanging over her gave way to genuine curiosity as a hand went over her mouth as she thought whether she should try it or not, momentarily forgetting about the mission.

 

[Gles]

Cargo

While she waited for Aiko's reply, Molli gave Sif another once-over, as though scanning for a sign of fatigue. The most obvious sign of discomfort was that hefty NMX rifle in her hands, which was never designed to be used by one of lesser strength than a Nekovalkyja. Wordlessly, Molli unlatched the shoulder holster she wore and held it out at Sif. "Want to trade?" she asked, "A pistol might be easier for you."

 

[Nameless]

Cargo

Looking to Molli, Sif shook her head to decline the offer. "No need, I'm actually curious how this'll feel if I shoot in my state..." she said, trailing off a little as a thought occurred in her mind as she studied Molli, letting out a quiet hum. While the state she was in was not optimal, she couldn't help but nurse the budding curiosity her weakness is now affording her. Breaking through limits was a constant goal, but what was her current limit?

There was an opportunity to test that out right in front of her. "Hey, can I try carrying you?"

 

[Gles]

Cargo

"H-Huh?" Molli's expression was that of wide-eyed surprise at the question. Her tail, which had been idly swaying, gently curled around her leg as her mind conjured a certain image. Then she realized what Sif actually meant, thanks to her initial refusal to trade weapons. "Sure," Molli said as she latched her holster back on, "Just don't hurt yourself." She gave the cargo bay a quick examination -- nobody was paying attention to them at the moment.

 

[Nameless]

Cargo

With consent given, Sif slung her rifle onto her back before taking a measured approach to picking up Molli. There was definitely a few positions to choose from, from the classic fireman's carry to the over-the-shoulder. But considering Sif didn't know her own strength, the safest bet for both of them was an arm behind the back of the knees and the other arm as support at the back. 'Bridal carry', as it's sometimes referred to.

"I won't, I just need to gauge where I'm currently at." Carefully, Sif picked Molli up. She set her expectations low, so she was surprised how relatively easy it was to pick her up. "I think I can carry one or two more of you," she said with a chuckle. A light weight lifted from her shoulder. Now she wouldn't want to fight with another Neko in hand to hand, but being able to lift Molli up did give her a boost in morale.

 

[raz]

Bridge

The long moments of dead air that Molli spent silently panting when she spotted the fleck of Hoshi's vibrant skin, bright against the dark cerulean oceans that swirled beneath the world tree's shade, rasped out across the bridge and shared the Nepleslian soldier's anticipation with Aiko, Erika, and the others.

It was clear enough to Aiko that something had quickly changed for Molli. Whether Molli had spotted a lead in the moments after her initial report or had something to deal with among the NMX Neko now subordinated to her was uncertain. But the lack of any transmitted revelation only added to the concern already present among all of the undercover Star Army crew.

"Helm: decrease our altitude," Aiko said to Erika straightaway, using what little information Molli had shared, before toggling a transmission back to the cargo bay.

With Molli's consciousness inhabiting a Valkyrja body for this mission, Aiko knew the other girl had more telemetry even if Molli herself did not.

"Acknowledged," the princess first said over the ship's comms. She'd expected that everyone would have already suited up but the fact Molli and Sif apparently had not bought them some extra cover among the other NMX Neko down in the hold. "Finish your final preparations and be ready to bring the target in. Do you have a vector on anything?" Aiko asked. "When you see something, ask your consciousness for the distance to a spot in your vision," she continued, walking Molli through the use of Valkyrja abilities. "The information should come to you as a certainty. It is intuition and not a guess, so recognize it as such. Report the bearing to helm immediately when you have one."

 

[Ametheliana]

XSS Mordrakka
Bridge

With just the Mordrakka's signature to follow, the XSS Yggfristall and XSS Braxxrrsil were making quick time of catching up to the patrol vessel. They were two Vurfrapurl gunships, fast and armed with an aether shock array, positron cannons, and three torpedo launchers, they were more than deadly to the tiny patrol ship Aiko had commandeered.

Cargo Bay

"Hastily all, as the captain said. Let's armor up," Charbon said to her conspirators from the Kaiyo. Guiding them covertly there and in the mechanics of donning the foreign NMX armors in her nasally accent, the turncoat was the penultimate out of the ship, followed by the actual NMX soldier Leepa as she presumed to be following actual NMX orders. Their Reaper armors were designed for humanoids. Even those with less acuity than a Neko, as Sif found herself after her parasite contingency had weakened her, could pilot them and their shoulder-mounted gauss cannons and forearm plasma cannons.

Above Kokoro Surface

In and out of consciousness, Hoshi lay splayed on the back of the whale as it ascended. The captain's dark blue eyes opened and she saw the new, twinkling star from earlier flying down towards the ocean. It looked like a shooting star.

She made a wish.

The star fractured as NMX armors spilled out of the armor bay. Suddenly, Hoshi's body jolted out it last stores of pain suppressants and hemosynth flooded her veins and she saw the XSS Mordrakka for what it truly was- an NMX patrol ship. The captain's hands clutched the hard, craggy barnacles as she worked herself to a less vulnerable position. Part of her saw them as her saviors. The part corrupted by the Mishhuvurthyar curse wanted to raise her arms, ready to be swept up by the NMX Reapers to greener pastures. Her true self that had been resurfacing with work during her months alone on Kokoro was ready to fight against her imprisoners with her last dying breath. The badly burnt and broken Nekovalkyrja stood, wobbly as she was.

The whale below her listed its back away from the Mordrakka. While tunneling into a gap in its pod, a shimmering green font sprouted from each of the flying whale's blowholes that enveloped the pod. Hoshi knelt, emboldened by the apparent safety net cast by the creatures.

 

[aitoseigi]

Cargo Bay

"Got it," said Asuka. None too soon, really, the itching need to do something, anything, other than prepare armaments had been pestering her. Not that she disliked the work, but there was a limit to how much prep work could be done. Eventually the gun had to fire. She could only hope there were enough. Asuka was fairly certain Aiko was good at ship commanding--they'd gotten this far, after all--but if and when it came to a fight, Asuka was certain they'd need every torpedo they had, and then some. Such thoughts were hardly the sort to cheer her up, as she got into her armor with all haste and little modesty, but she needed focus more than cheer just now.

Her not-so-crash course in the Reaper armor had, if nothing else, made her appreciate Star Army engineering all the more. Learning to pilot it had been simple enough, and the differences between it and a Daisy, while noticeable, weren't enough to make her lack confidence as she suited up. I just have to not think about all the vulnerabilities I could exploit if I was on the other side. The right side. Whatever you want to call it.

One last check of her suit's telltales, and then she joined her co-conspirators, making sure to keep track of Sif and Molli at all times, ready to back up her seniors.

 

[Gunhand4171]

Bridge

William's finding had been disseminated by Aiko as he tried to break through the encryption. They had found her. He mentally urged Molli, Sif, and Asuka on as he watched them leaving the ship. He would need to leave retrieval to them. In the meantime, they had some uninvited guests that were vectoring towards their location. He couldn't allow the Mordrakka to get inside their weapon envelope. As he attempted to come up with a solution, he turned back inwards to the network and surveyed it. As he viewed each system, his focus fixed on the comms and life support systems. A sinister smiled played across the ID-SOL's face as the inkling of a evil plan began to form.

Within the system, William began crafting new code. Upon activation, it would overide all safeties and open the ship to space. The new code was then buried within data packets filled to the brim with useless information. Finally he comandeered the comms array. "Burst transmissions to the Yggfristall and Braxxrrsil away." He said to Aiko. "Contains a few surprises for them. Their ships are about to have alot of open windows... Let see if the Mishhuvurthyar can breath in a vacuum. Or survive temperatures near absolute zero."

 

[Sunny D]

Bridge

Erika watched as the squad of Reapers shrunk to dots in the distance. It was a strange feeling, rooting for that particular platform.

She rolled her head back towards the telemetry. Watching the icon for the XSS Yggfristall and XSS Braxxrrsil approach, then she looked to the world tree.

“Commander, the ships approaching are Vurfrapurl class Gunships. If they want to take the glory of our catch off us, fighting is a loosing proposition,” she said, mirroring Aiko’s intonation. “However, the world tree provides significant cover. We could try an hold out until more friendly allies arrive, or at least until the Fold drive is spooled and transition calculated.”

 

[krisslanza]

Bridge

Isuke was starting to feel a little restless, she was really out of her element in this kind of situation... well, it wasn't like it was realistic to expect a Lorrfolk to be able to do everything and anything, but still. It was probably thanks to her background as a bodyguard to Sachiko all those years that she still felt guilt over the entire Hoshi situation.

She was meant to be playing the role of an attendant to Aiko, so the pink-haired Lorrfolk carefully made her way closer.

"Excuse me ma'am, do you still require my presence on the bridge?" Isuke offered respectfully.

 

[raz]

Bridge

Aiko looked over to address Isuke directly, departing from how she'd remained preoccupied with monitors and viewscreens while rattling out any orders up to this point. The horned demoness could see some softness behind the determination in Aiko's gaze — a foggy warmth and hopefulness that had been absent from the Star Empire's most revered warrior since Captain Hoshi was taken those months ago.

"Go and make ready for her," Aiko answered to Isuke, knowing the Lorrfolk neither wanted nor was required to join the rest of the team out in power armor. "The others may need to fight off our rivals, so it will be up to you to ensure Hos—" she halted, stopping herself from showing too much familiarity with their lost captain, "the target is well taken care of in medical. You should have access to anywhere on the ship, so gather whatever you need and be there to meet the others to take her off their hands."

That said, Aiko then refocused on the information streams being displayed around her, as well as William and Erika's ideas.

"Harsh measures, slave," the undercover princess said to William. "Nonetheless good. Your tricks will at least slow down those other vessels. If the Warlord makes me answer for his lost crews then I will ensure it is your head he takes."

There were still, after all, other NMX bridge crew still present. So Aiko had to make a show of keeping what could only be a cocky ID-SOL thrall in line.

"We will all have to trust in your skills at the helm," Aiko added, projecting her voice toward the silvery-haired SAINT operative Erika. "Prepare evasive pattern delta-six-five-green to start if the situation escalates, and then get us through the canopy so that we can make a break for a safe jump point. The torpedoes that Charbon and Dusugu prepared, too, ought to surprise any who dare attack this helpless scout ship."

 

[Gles]

Cargo

Molli knelt down to make it easier for Sif to pick her up, but it turned out that her friend didn't need much help to sweep Molli off her feet and carry her with ease. Molli, for her part, tucked her arms in and wrung her hands as she stared up at Sif, her expression that of uncharacteristic timidity in the wake of her new, vulnerable position. Molli started to focus on a lot of things unrelated to the mission, like how secure she felt in Sif's well-built arms, how warm her body was, and how easy it'd be to wrap her fluffy tail around Sif's waist. "All that exercise paid off," Molli joked, reaching out to gently squeeze Sif's bicep, "I know who I'm asking to carry me off after too many drinks." Molli wasn't much of a drinker, but she was seriously considering picking up the habit now.

Aiko's response over comms shook Molli out of her spontaneous fantasy, to which she wriggled out of Sif's arms, landed on all fours, and snapped upright with a bright flush on her dark cheeks. She fumbled to press the button and reply with a breathless voice, "A-Acknowledged," she said, too embarrassed to be annoyed that she had to be walked through a basic function of her borrowed body. Molli stared out of the force field once more, her eyes reconfigured themselves with hemosynth to gauge the extreme distance between the ship and the alien whale bearing Hoshi, and after a few minutes, Molli buzzed in with her report: "Target is two point four miles out, northeast heading, close to hitting the stratosphere," she said, a hint of incredulity in her voice, which Aiko could understand as utter confusion at how their captain had ended up atop a whale of all things.

That question was better left to Hoshi once they'd rescued her, and Molli didn't need to told twice to armor up once Charbon arrived. Though Molli had never piloted a Reaper before, she recognized it for the stolen and repurposed Daisy it was as its slick interior molded itself around her lithe form like a coat of jam. She was more comfortable with a Mindy, but this would do. The armored women gathered at the door of the bay, and with furtive glances to Sif, Asuka, and even Charbon, Molli stepped through the forcefield and entered the soundless expanse of space. Gravity and some help from her greaved thrusters helped Molli down into the planet's atmosphere, a burning descent that had become second nature to the seasoned pilot. "Heat shields are green," she chirped over the radio, "Watch your arc, girls. Don't work the suits more than we have to."

They were getting closer to the whale, but the creature didn't seem to want that, judging from the way it pivoted away from the squad descending upon it. "Target is fleeing," Molli said, shifting her flight path to match the changing intercept trajectory. "Hold your fire -- we can't risk hitting the passenger." It was more for Leepa's sake than anyone else, who obviously didn't need to be told not to shoot at their captain. As Molli dipped further down to pick up speed, she focused on Hoshi's distant form and tried to reach out to her via psicom.

'It's me, Taisa, it's Molli! Sif, Asuka and Charbon are with me!'

 

[Nameless]

Cargo

Sif had forgotten how flustered Molli could get in certain circumstances. She's witnessed it before, but this was the first time she got flustered as a result of an action just between the two of them. Admittedly, after realizing the position they were in, Sif felt a bit of warmth in her cheeks, especially after the tender squeeze at her bicep. "You can call on me anytime, maybe I'll make some more bonbons too," she'd say in response to Molli's quip. Perhaps she could surprise her by learning a thing or two about bartending.

She was almost sorry that Molli scrambled to her feet to respond back to Aiko, but it served as a much needed reminder of the mission at hand. Ushered into bastardized Daisies, she recalled the tales of a certain armorer recounting her time working with them, and how she had to retrofit a system or two because of mismatched models being clobbered together by prideless hacks.

Sif had spent a good amount of time with the Daisy armor while she was away, so operating a derivative of it was no harsh issue. The only concern would be if the NMX added any unwelcome additions to the internals. As far as she was concerned, the only reliable piece she had on was the Impaler she had since the start of the mission. Sif was relatively quiet once she was in the Reaper as she lined up with the others, still worried about the parasite bite, but shoring up her mental fortitude to not let it get to her. Once she was back on the Kaiyo, they'll be able to do some scans to see if she'd lose the events of the mission or not.

That meant getting this over with quickly was a top priority, especially when Hoshi had been missing for so long. She could still remember that sight of her doppelganger on the beach. How did she end up here, she had to wonder, and what had she gone through?

She gripped her weapon tighter as they deployed. With the power armor, her own weakened state didn't factor into her performance, she could at least take solace in that.

"Screening the right flank for vultures," Sif would transmit, moving to the edge of the formation. "They're not going to take her from under our noses." 'Not again.'

 

[Ametheliana]

XSS Mordrakka
Bridge

Dipping below the threshold in which William’s cyber attack could do irrevocable damage, the two gunships aiming to assist the Mordrakka’s shields shimmered as they activated. Bristling and aware of some attack, the ships were on the offensive suddenly and aiming to gun down something. They were not yet aware their enemy was the NMX patrol ship and were tight on the Mordrakka, now, as if the patrol ship were a shepard and they were the flock.

Above Kokoro Surface
Armor Team

Perhaps because they had seen the Reapers spilling out or perhaps they were preparing defenses of their own, but the gunships also loosed a team of armors each above the water.

The Reapers and brain-slave piloted Rippers jetted forward, lighting up the sky with plumes from the burst thrusters of the latter. It did not take long before they registered the behemoth targets and honed in on them.

The Reapers and brain-slave piloted Rippers jetted forward, lighting up the sky with plumes from the burst thrusters of the latter and jets from the reactors of the former.

“I can’t trust it’s you,” Hoshi spoke back to Molli’s wireless appeal. As Sif was recalling, Hoshi was rousing memories of how easily the NMX created a false image of Hoshi in order to capture her. Rather than see the calculated subterfuge as perfidy, it was with a sense of pride in the NMX that Hoshi recalled the cunning deception. Something in her mind shifted along with her stance as her shoulders tightened up towards her triangular pink ears.

“Char-Charbon? Her batch sister told me enough to know I can’t trust her. Moreso after her betrayal.” She was speaking vehemently as if an NMX herself and added wirelessly to all the armor units converging on her, “Stand down hostilities on these creatures and—” Her courage and voice faltered momentarily.

 

[raz]

XSS Mordrakka

Silence reigned on the bridge while the pair of Mishhuvurthyar warships threw out their countermeasures against an enemy they were not yet aware of. Aiko monitored their adversaries on the main viewscreen, her arms still coolly crossed as the state of play evolved around the stolen scout ship. She had no intention of making any sort of strike unless the Mordrakka was in an overwhelmingly advantageous position to win. Or at least escape.

"Send them a message of inquiry as to what is occurring," the princess said. "Relay that we show nothing on our sensors. Helm: set us on a slow course away from the target. Those ships should follow in their state of disarray whilst looking to us for direction. The armor team should be able to keep up and deliver our prize, at which point you can initiate the escape we discussed just prior."