'Input-output capacity limitations, perhaps?'

Shigure hangs her head, looking oddly ... dissatisfied.

>'This is the most I've heard out of you in an open setting, Shigure.' (Pointedly/Amused)
>'I'll try to check with the req office if I can get something done for you next time, Nachi.' (Coy)
>'Input-output what?' (Confused)
>'Iowa, you all right?'
>'Everybody clear on our objective?'
>Keep silence
>Write-In

>>4189394
>>'I'll try to check with the req office if I can get something done for you next time, Nachi.' (Coy)

>>4189394
>'I'll try to check with the req office if I can get something done for you next time, Nachi.' (Coy

>>4189394
>>'I'll try to check with the req office if I can get something done for you next time, Nachi.' (Coy)

>>4189394
>>'I'll try to check with the req office if I can get something done for you next time, Nachi.' (Coy)

>>4189390
>>'This is the most I've heard out of you in an open setting, Shigure.' (Pointedly/Amused)

I'll be continuing the session in approximately an hour. Had a crisis on my hands: Cookie rejected her litter, so we had to go and find a vet to tell us what to do next.

>>4191223
Testing.

Happy Easter, OP. Wish good health to you and yours, especially these days.

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>>4191252
I'm a Muslim, but the sentiment is appreciated. A Happy Easter to you, too.

Sorry, I dozed off. Kittens took more out of me than I realized.

Very late for the Americans, but I can run right now if you guys want me to.

>>4192715
Amerifat here. Personally, I'm just waiting for the next prompt. Not very likely 4 other people will suddenly change the vote to something not (coy). Also need to refresh since last time.

>>4192724
All right, I'll get to typing then.

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Nachi’s comment allows a slight chortle to rumble through the lining of your throat.

‘I’ll try to check with the techies to see if they’re able to get something done for you, Nachi,’ you announce, prompting an upward glance and a slightly-raised set of brows from the Heavy Cruiser.

‘It’s not as if I’d like anything done in specification or with urgency, of course,’ Nachi immediately backtracks, her intonation taking cues from Takao more than anyone else. ‘I just think that I’d be more effective with more up-to-date equipment. Not that I’m … unaware of the nature of core circuitry lock-key functions, of course.’

You frown, sparing your coordinates a look before turning your attentions back to the conversation.

‘Lock-key functions?’

‘While the majority of auxiliary equipment and upgrades to weaponry are of a … universal nature, Vice-Admiral,’ Houshou starts, taking an academic turn, ‘there are still … specifics in spiritual resonance that enables certain modes of installation, equipment and the like, to be more suited or compatible with certain categories of KanMusu. General and specific frameworks that work for Nachi wouldn’t work for others.’

So it was like how Carriers could use only planes and how the Battleships could deploy heavy weapon configurations?

‘Like I said, though … it’s not an urgent matter,’ Nachi sighs, crossing her arms across her chest. ‘While it’d help, I understand the state of resources and that tuning gear for certain types of KanMusu would take away from our current priorities. It’s not as if I’d like a kinetic accelerator conditioned by the end of the week or anything …’

‘Now that’s an idea.’

‘Commander!’

‘Vice-Admiral,’ you teasingly correct her.

Nachi’s groan is faint, but audible.

Houshou’s giggle, however, is very much out there.

‘It’s nice to see that the both of you are getting along so well,’ Houshou observers, leaning just out of view from the general feed. ‘I would’ve vouched for you to have taken a transfer within a month, Nachi.’

Nachi makes a sound akin to a dying cow, her features turning purple as the arms around her chest seemed to constrict tighter as she turns her nose up to Houshou’s comment. Iowa leans curiously into the conversation as Shigure, as she had done for the last few minutes, wiggles her hips in an attempt to make the scarab fanny pack more comfortable; even the fairies seem to be of her mind, now that you thought about it. The crew of four tiny bulbs of light were flickering all about her waist—

‘Well, it’s not something I didn’t consider,’ Nachi admits, to no one’s shock. ‘You’re telling me that you didn’t.’

Houshou’s smile doesn’t leave her lips.

‘I am bound to my duty.’

Nachi snorts.

‘Of course.’

Houshou laughs. ‘So it wasn’t his cock, then?’

What?

>Write-In

>>4192786
>and here i thought you girls loved me for my charming personality and my cooking. (mock hurt)

>>4189408
Supporting

>>4192793
Supporting, meant this one, ignore the last one

>>4192786
>Supporting
>>4192793

>>4192793
Supporting

>>4192793
Sounds good

>>4192793
support

Running in 20 minutes.

File: Iowa.jpg (210 KB, 850x741)

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You let out a bemused snort. ‘And here I thought that it was for my sharp wit and culinary mastery.’

‘Neither of which make you a capable Commander, mind,’ Nachi retorts, albeit not without a titter of her own.

You try to run your had through your hair, only to realize that your helmet prevented you from doing so. Nachi wasn’t totally wrong … you’d mostly subsisted on adaptation and deferment of the nitty-gritty of operations to your Squadron Leaders and the more experienced KanMusu up until now. At the same time, however, you couldn’t help but feel … quicker on your feet. Not just right now; but the more you dipped head-first into combat, the more … de-sensitized, natural, routine, it felt. Your decision-making felt less … in a panic and more in-tuned; applicable, deliberated.

This was probably what they called “experience”.

‘By human standards, the execution of his duties would be violating more tenets outside the confines of social limitations,’ Iowa mentions stiffly, glancing over at Nachi. ‘He does seem to be a practitioner of animal magnetism, at the very least.’

You almost bring the RAY to a halt.

‘[i]Excuse you?[/i]’ you shrill, offended.

‘I can’t comment on that,’ Nachi comments off-handedly. ‘I don’t know what either of those imply and I refuse to fall into a trap made of my own lack of logic.’

‘I believe what Iowa’s saying is that if that he wasn’t our Commander, we wouldn’t really be considering him.’

Nachi, much to your offence, lets out a hum of agreement.

Iowa, however, looks thoughtful.

‘[red]I don’t know … I think I’d give him a shot[/red],’ she lets out nonchalantly.

‘[i]Eh?[/i]’ the bay inhabitants go.

For the second time in twenty seconds, you almost give the RAY a swerve.

>‘I … uh … what?’ (Confused)
>‘Th-Thank you.’ (Flattered)
>‘You don’t have to back-pedal, Iowa. I’m … I can take it.’ (Reluctant)
>‘I believe that’s enough casual chatter for now.’ (Cut it off)
>Keep quiet and let the girls go on
>Write-In

>>4194508
>>‘Th-Thank you.’ (Flattered)

>>4194508
>write-in
why whould you even do that?

>>4194508
>>Keep quiet and let the girls go on

>>4194513
>>4194522
>>4194523
3-way tie, so 10-minute extension for tie-breaker.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>4194513
>>4194522
>>4194523
Let's see who fortune favors.

>>4194508
I wonder if these are recorded for post mission review...

Anyway, I guess we let this go on long enough. Let’s Focus on Business now, girls.

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Even you couldn’t take Iowa’s side on that.

‘Why would you even do that?’

Iowa turns her head up, her expression conveying the absence of any amusement.

‘Yes, why did I do that, I wonder?’ she lets out in a deliberate monotone.

Nachi slaps her palms together in an odd sort of realization.

‘Oh, right, you’re … you weren’t part of the standard attunement and assignment, right,’ she announces, piecing together the jigsaw before you could even count the number of parts required or make out the corners for yourself. ‘I guess you … you did.’

Iowa sighs.

Shigure, off in her spot, had lost any interest in the conversation, instead choosing to engage with the fairies in regards to the chamber of discomfort she’d been encased in. Personal issues of the external nature had never been her forte, anyway; it is of no surprise to you that her attentions had been delegated elsewhere. Houshou fingers the limb of her bow, her expression unreadable as she stares across at the blonde Battleship, as if contemplating her own words. You yourself dare not comment on what she deems fit to convey. After what had happened last time, jeopardizing the synergy of the team composition wasn’t—

‘It’s not my place to say this, but … what were you thinking?’

Nachi’s puzzled—and someone incredulous—tone over the comm gets you right back on track.

‘Is that really the sort of thing that you should be asking?’ Iowa throws right back, reluctant and—from the visual feed—embarrassed.

‘You’re the one that said, you know,’ Nachi interjects, oddly eager. ‘Don’t see a lot of consideration from our end on that spectrum. Even the Carriers have their programming going for them.’

‘Nachi,’ you let out, warningly, not wanting to set Houshou off. She’d been oddly quiet, and—

‘It’s not very often that a non-Carrier takes the initiative on her end. It’s not unheard of, but you don’t really see us trying to adjust to the norms of courtship that you humans have set for yourself.’

‘No,’ Houshou suddenly voices out. ‘We … really don’t.’

Her tone is troubled, but otherwise steady … and contemplative. Her gaze is curious as she sets it across the bay, to Iowa, who is now the focal point of the conversation.

‘It is kinda odd that you would, though, Iowa.’

You can’t help but weigh in on the matter yourself, despite more important matters at hand … and every bone in your body cackling their disapproval at shooting your utterly ignorant self in the foot.

Iowa, for the most part, does keep herself from going beyond the shade of pink that tinges her cheeks.

‘Oh, come on … I may be a revenant of a lost weapon, but I’m still a woman at heart,’ she huffs, looking away. ‘It’s not as if that it’s … hard to … you know … actually … get to know people … share in them … with each other …’

Perhaps you’d spoken too soon.

‘Look, it’s just normal to actually connect with people who’re willing to open up, right?’ she lets out, exasperated. ‘I mean … that’s how people make friends, find people who they want to be with … it’s not that hard! What’s the deal?’

Houshou doesn’t answer.

Nachi’s expression communicates an attempt at contemplating such a hypothesis.

‘It’s basic, you know? Opening up, talking, getting to know one another … finding solace … I mean, I … I found it with the Vice-Admiral, at least. What’s so hard about probing inaccuracies to find somewhere you can belong?’

She says it as though it’s purely mathematical theorem.

Incredible.

Was this the Vanzer upbringing talking?

>Write-In

>>4194588
>I believe what Iowa is saying is that there is nothing wrong with being human, sure you may be spirits who died from another world or place but theres nothing holding you back from trying to live like a normal person this time round
cept for the Abyssals, and politics, and dumb ass humans
god this sounds cheesy as fuck

>>4194607
I suppose since this is the only one I'll support it.

>>4194588
I think Iowa's on to something here.

>>4194607
>cheesy as fuck
That's good.

When life gives you cheese, make a cheeseburger!

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‘That’s a valid approach,’ you observe, steering the craft slightly. ‘Nothing wrong with … being human once in a while; diving into that uncertainty and trying to see if you can fish something out of it. Not that I’d … endorse it, of course; I prefer a certain thing over sifting through probabilities myself, but … that’s the human experience, I guess? Not knowing if the other person’s putting the honest work; treading with your boots on because you don’t want to get hurt … getting to actually know someone walking the split in the crossroads and hoping that this is the one that meets yours? Nothing wrong with going through all that for yourself.’

‘You just said that you wouldn’t, Vice-Admiral.’

Much to your surprise, it’s Shigure that speaks up.

‘I … well, I guess that you girls have spoiled that for me,’ you continue, not missing a beat as you throw your instruments another glance. ‘Won’t say that it’s totally unwelcome not having to deal with that uncertainty, but … I think what Iowa’s trying to put together is that it shouldn’t put you off wanting to do something that you’re not … well, what you want to do for yourself. Especially when it comes to people.’

‘Most people would rather not have anything to do with KanMusu,’ Nachi replies sardonically.

‘Maybe,’ you concur, letting out a breath, ‘but that’s only because they’re scared and don’t know where else to turn that fear to. Fear clouds a lot of the judgment calls we make … as humans. We take the easy way out; the biggest target that we can pin a tail on and we let loose. I … that’s something that I want you to know that … that none of you deserve; that you should have the chance to experience life for yourselves, even with terrible examples to follow through like us.’

‘Feeling a little guilty, are we?’ Iowa teases, albeit in a manner that is so transparent an attempt at roundabout comfort, she might as well have reached through and given a pat on the shoulder.

‘I want you to live your lives as humans do,’ you declare, scanning the darkness of the ocean. ‘At the same time, I think that … I think you deserve that claim more than any of my species can rightfully take as theirs. Not that I don’t like how we can be direct with each other at times, of course, but …’

You’re rambling again.

‘I just want you all to be happy, whichever path you take and … well, I guess what I’m trying to say is that that happiness isn’t really all that upfront with you most of the time, as straightforward as our roles on this stupid rock are.’

Nachi rubs her chin, a thoughtful expression dawning on her features.

‘Is that why I didn’t feel satisfaction when you inserted your penis into my vagina?’

You hang your head.

‘No, that’s just my ineptitude rearing its head again.’

Shigure tilts her head.

‘I think sexual relations are confusing and unnecessary.'

File: Shigure thinks sexual rel(...).jpg (177 KB, 850x1396)

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Nachi nods in affirmation.

>Write-In
>Move on

>>4194764
>i think you are a bit too young for that, dear

>>4194764

I'm just glad that you're with us.

Let's >move on.

>>4194769
this

File: Hello (2).jpg (28 KB, 500x376)

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Planning to resume in like 15 minutes if you guys are alive?

>>4194906
Well I'm here, a few hours late.

Posting in like 15-25 minutes.

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You wear an uneasy smile at Shigure’s comment, uncertain on which direction of address would be most appropriate. Ancient warship spirit she may be, the fact that her mannerisms and looks resembled a troubled teenager more than the former gives you pause at taking the easier route out in regards to … approach. At the same time, however, you didn’t want to sound too patronizing or dismissive.

So, as always, you elect to try your best.

‘I think that’s a conversation for another day, yes?’

The lack of a reply is as welcome an answer as any.

>SAVE GAME
>CONTINUE WITHOUT SAVING

>>4195840
>>SAVE GAME

>>4195840
>SAVE GAME

>>4195840
>>SAVE GAME

File: Vice-Admiral.gif (1.73 MB, 500x327)

1.73 MB GIF

It had been an hour since you’d breach the patrol border.

‘Seagull, this is Wendigo, do you read?’

That was the Vice-Admiral.

>‘I read you, Wendigo. What's our current op status?’ (Professional)
>‘How did I end up with Seagull and why are you Wendigo?’
>‘I read you. Initiating deployment in t-minus ten minutes.’ (Hurried)
>Write-In

>>4195884
>>‘I read you, Wendigo. What's our current op status?’ (Professional)

>>4195884
>‘I read you, Wendigo. What's our current op status?’ (Professional)

>>4195884
>>‘I read you, Wendigo. What's our current op status?’ (Professional)

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You spare your girls a quick glance, organizing yourself as you try your best to scope out your current status.

‘I read you, Wendigo, what’s the current Op status?’

The answer is immediate. ‘No sightings on our side so far, but our support from Ominato’s had an encounter some ways up north.’

‘Trouble?’

‘Nothing that we didn’t sign on for in the first place,’ is his answer.

You’d signed on to validate your own existence and rise above what you’d resigned yourself to being the last twenty-odd years, so you couldn’t really relate to that. Still … you hoped that the Ominato Commander—if it was, indeed, him at the wheel—hadn’t run into too large of a snag to pull himself out of. A silent nod trickles out from that mess of thought, and you begin slowing down to begin your own set-up of the launch sequence … but not before you cleared out the rest of the kinks that niggled at you like so many irritating woodpeckers.

‘What’s the current situation around Agamemnon and Paris?’

‘The same as it’s been the last twenty-four hours.’

‘Hostiles?’

‘Unknown or unquantifiable within an acceptable range. Better to just get ready for anything short of a Princess.’

Same old, same old, you suppose.

‘It’s suddenly very apparent to me why we’ve been locked in a losing situation for the last decade.’

‘It’s not by choice.’

You couldn’t disagree there, either. ‘Agamemnon and Paris will be coming up on my scopes soon, Vice-Admiral. How far are you from initiating deployment procedure?’

‘Two minutes on my end … which’ll give you about the same time frame to breach, secure and disable the objective. Anything on your end?’

You give the scopes another once over. All quiet on your end, thus far … outside of a few ticks of movement just within sensor range. None of them appeared to be setting a collision course with the RAY, however.

‘Some shadows, I guess, but not much else. Engaging deployment protocol in t-minus one-hundred seconds. Synchronize timers; comms out. Check-ins periodic at 10 minute intervals unless priority.’

There’s a ghost of a snort from the other end. ‘Roger that, Vice-Admiral,’ the Vice-Admiral acknowledges, cutting the channel dead. As you count down the seconds until deployment … you couldn’t help but wonder just what the man truly thought of the both of you being of the same rank. He’d had been fighting the Abyssals for almost as long as the KanMusu existed … there must have been something in those thoughts regarding your sudden promotion.

The display turns orange as you come within range.

Your hundred seconds are up.

‘Look alive, Squad,’ you declare, opening the channel, bringing the RAY to a gradual halt. ‘Deploying in fifteen seconds.’

‘Acknowledged,’ Houshou replies.

‘Engaging Hunker Mode.’

It’s routine at this point.

>HUNKER MODE: ENGAGED
>UPLINK SYNCHRONIZATION INITIALIZING …

The fact that it felt like you were looking through pairs upon pairs of eyes, however, would never be relinquished of its novelty.

'Wow,' Iowa breathes, taking a step out of her bay, reaching forwards with one hands and grasping ... air. 'It feels a whole lot different from dad's.'

>[Make a raunchy joke]
>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)
>Write-In

>>4196386
>>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)
time to see how our luck is like after a year bois

>>4196386
>>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)

Yep

>>4196386
>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)

>>4196386
>>[Make a raunchy joke]

>>4196386
>uncomfortable coughing
>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)

>>4196392
>'Look alive, people. I'm opening the bay doors. Our objectives ...' (Urgent)
We have time to play later, right now, game faces on.

Shipgirl Commander session in approximately 15 minutes.

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‘Look alive, people,’ you announce, prompting your Squadron to step out from their personal bays and towards the doors. ‘Our objectives are just up ahead.’

The bay doors swing downward, revealing the bleak, starlit sea. Shigure takes an uncharacteristically enthusiastic flop onto the surface, briefly going calf deep before springing back up as though she was on some sort of trampoline. Nachi and Houshou slide right out without ceremony, followed by the hesitant steps of Iowa. As they make contact with the surface of the water, you feel an odd pull all about you. Nothing that you’re not used to in the synchronization process, but an odd feeling nonetheless.

‘Activating night vision.’

The horizon is clearer now, but—

‘No signs of enemy activity within visual scope. Sir?’

You shake your head. ‘Nothing on my readings. I have some activity, but … nothing that looks like it’ll be a criss-cross between us and where we’re supposed to be.’

‘Acknowledged.’

You deem not to waste the clock. As fortuitous as the lack of belligerents on arrival was … you didn’t want to risk shaving the minutes more than absolutely necessary. There was a three hour window for you to get in and get out … and only the fates knew how long it’d take Houshou to disable the—

‘Sir?’

Perhaps it’d be a wiser to keep the soliloquy to a minimum.

‘Objectives are sites Agamemnon and Paris, hex identification B-0-0-6-8 and J-2-3-7-4. Vector is east by south-east. Disable the summoning modules. Houshou will be in charge of their deactivation. Give her cover if need be; Iowa, you’re in charge of playing the defensive vanguard. Nachi, I want you to give me some hands-on babysitting … Shigure, you’re point. Don’t engage unless absolutely necessary.’

‘What’s the status of the support squadrons?’

‘Ten minute reporting intervals will check-in, inter-squadron communication under operational restriction protocol,’ you answer, watching Shigure take to her role as Nachi and Iowa speed right after her. ‘We’ll be informed of any stragglers, but if the Vice-Admiral’s at the helm, I don’t think we can expect much in the way of intercept courses.’

You hope, anyway.

‘We’ll be hitting Agamemnon first. Exercise caution.’

‘Acknowledged, sir,’ Houshou replies. ‘Houshou, moving out.’

You’re quite surprised at the fact that the only thing that you had to respond to for the next fifteen minutes were two check-ins from your Vice-Admiral and a call for Iowa to keep to formation, having caught her straying behind or lagging on three separate occasions. You’re not quite sure what to make of the lack of Abyssals, but you weren’t about to complain. The less you had to deal with on that end, the better it’d be for—

‘Agamemnon in sight.’

Your jaw tightens as the outpost comes into view.

The shape of it, anyway.

A raised platform, standing on three pillars some three hundred feet up and across, its outline only visible by the light of the stars and the convenience of night vision. The concrete is marked by missing chunks and blast marks, the base of the titanic structure barely held together by steel beams threatening to drop it right into the sea. A sense of unease comes over you with your Squadrons approach, memories of Aquarius fresh in your mind with every meter they close between them and Agamemnon. You don’t see I-Classes anywhere. The readings give you no bead on activity whatsoever.

That doesn’t console you one bit.

‘That’s … Outpost Agamemnon?’

‘Looks like it’s still in one piece, at least.’

They stop ten feet away from the base.

>‘You say that like it’s a good thing.’
>‘Eyes sharp.’
>‘Houshou, anything you got on this place that I haven’t been told?’
>Write-In

>>4197829
>‘Eyes sharp.’
>‘Houshou, anything you got on this place that I haven’t been told?’
There's nothing inside that outpost again, hopefully.

>>4197829
>‘Houshou, anything you got on this place that I haven’t been told?’

>>4197829
>>‘Houshou, anything you got on this place that I haven’t been told?’
lordy lets hope we dont accidentally sink this bitch

>>4197830
this

>>4197829
>‘Eyes sharp.’
>‘Houshou, anything you got on this place that I haven’t been told?’

I'm planning to run, but does anyone here want me to?

>>4198257
You could post the update for now I suppose.

>>4197829
>>‘Eyes sharp.’

Running in 25 minutes.

‘Houshou … anything that you know about this place that we don’t?’

‘Unfortunately, nothing beyond cover sheets and whispers,’ she replies, the four of them skating underneath the decaying structure, eyes looking upward into pitch darkness. ‘There have been many … attempts at the Admiralty to reactivate the Summoning Modules or weaving through alternate methods to breach the clog, but to my knowledge, none of them have yielded a positive result. It was as though the tether between the spiritual after-realm and this reality had been severed. If this is just another one of those attempts, it wasn’t important or unique enough to break typical speculation, but …’

‘But?’

Houshou appears to consider her words, glancing around. ‘I can’t help but feel like there’s something … different about this one.’

‘I hope not,’ Nachi grumbles.

She doesn’t need to explain why.

>Agree with Nachi
>Keep them on target
>Write-In

>>4198514
>Write-In
"Different how?"

>>4198514
Well, either way we’re gonna find out.

So... Shigure on perimeter patrol, Nachi escort Houshou and Iowa on overwatch?

Can Houshou launch a wing to help keep watch around the facility while she does her thing?

I have no idea what I’m doing, just floating things so thread doesn’t feel deserted.

>>4198532
>>4198543
Yeah, I feel you. I think I may just pull the plug on this Quest, the way responses have been. I try to be enthusiastic, but I guess people just outgrew it.

>>4198514
>>Keep them on target

>>4198553
Well, there has been a lot of threads with a lot of information that can resurface to bite us and stakes are high (nobody wants a hair to drop off our fleet) so even the people who at least partially follow the quest will be afraid to post.

>>4198561
Yeah, I suppose. Might be better to just cull it. No one even responds on whether they're here to run. Haha. I don't want to run if people don't wanna play, so I'm definitely leaning towards a shut of this chapter. Don't see any protests about it, either.

>>4198532
>>4198543
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

>>4198568
That was always your prerogative although I’d advise against making such decisions when frustrated.

Plus I don’t know to what extent your players know or can share your schedule, or what other channels you’re using to communicate ie discord

You can always end the quest with an epilogue if you feel it’s no longer worth keeping alive. I personally feel it would be a shame considering amount of world building if you just cut it off.

>>4198579
Noted.

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‘Different how?’

You don’t see Houshou’s expression … but the feedback is enough to give you a gist of what wrinkles went where.

‘I suppose that it’d just be a … gut feeling?’

A small smile stretches across your lips.

‘Can that gut feeling find us a ladder?’ Nachi interjects, sounding as irritable as the day you’d met her. The pan of perspectives would have prompted you to vomit, but constant exposure had you mimicking all four movements of your KanMusu in an attempt to find a viable insertion point. Shigure skates along one of the columns, slightly out of formation and … finding no luck. There was a built-in ladder for maintenance on the pillars, but none of them seemed to lead up into the platform itself.

‘There should be a small dock somewhere, shouldn’t there?’

‘This place looks like it’s seen better days … wouldn’t be surprised if it’s at the bottom of the sea,’ Iowa comments, taking a spot between Nachi and Houshou. ‘What’s our window like?’

‘Comfortable, but closing fast,’ you reply. ‘Is there a door? A hatch?’

Nachi turns her head upward, the night vision barely able to make out the outline of the outpost’s underside. Iowa was right: the place had seen better days. The metal bars and struts morphed into twists as the gaze went along, telling the tale of a rather intense attack on the outpost. You could see the railing and the bracings of the structure barely hanging on to the cement and pipes that made up the bulk of the under—

‘Nachi, stop.’

She does so.

‘Over there.’

You’re able to make out an access hatch; its outline barely visible even with night vision enabled.

‘I see it,’ Iowa chimes in. ‘Guess that’s our way in.’

‘A bit of a jump, though,’ Houshou interjects. ‘Isn’t there any other way to get in?’

‘I don’t see any ladders … and the only other way up would be to scale the pillars and try to hook ourselves in from the side, but that’ll take some—’

BAM.

A shell—no, a light shot—hits the railing next to the entrance, causing it to … drop.

The metal groans and whines in a second that feels like a baleful eternity, chains and bars twisting to form a crude shape of a lowered … railing platform, tier by tier. It clatters into crude shape, bits of rusted metal occasionally falling off as it forms a strange sort of stairwell, hanging by chain and integrity alone. The mechanism holding the damned thing falls in to the sea with a great splash, of splintered metal and broken gears.

It’s a crude structure … but a way in was a way in.

‘That does not look safe,’ Iowa comments. You’re inclined to agree.

More than that, however, you’re inclined to—

>Warn Shigure
>Scold Shigure
>Ask Shigure how she figured it out
>Hurry up with the mission.
>Write-In

>>4198610
>Ask Shigure how she figured it out

>>4198610
>>Write-In
Praise Shigure on her quick thinking

>>4198610
>>Hurry up with the mission.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>4198614
>>4198637
>>4198650
Rolling to see who wins.

>>4198653
Hah! My bad ideas always win!

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‘Wow, that’s … good job, Shigure.’

While the more conservative side of you had quite a few choice words, you couldn’t fault someone for taking action instead of just participating in conversational middling. Shigure, to your further surprise, lets out a happy chirp as she re-establishes her position as the Squadron’s point man, skating towards the rickety structure of the forcibly-lowered platform … and hopping an athlete’s gap upwards, hooking herself onto the railing and acrobatically transferring her weight to the hooped, metal ladder. Shigure gestures for the rest to follow … which they do.

If you’d believe that it couldn’t get any darker … the inner corridors of the outpost were worse. Luckily, however, the contrast filter offered by the night vision was enough to prevent the four KanMusu from bumping and crashing into one another … which was a boon, considering how narrow the access shaft was. You could make out the grate and more stairs, some peeling paint and reference numbers, but you might as well have been upside-down with whatever gibberish it spouted. Numbers, letters and symbols were on the walls; some faded, but most—

‘Door.’

Nachi takes the initiative this time.

Her raw strength is enough to crack the wall and peel the metal door open. Realizing the conundrum of having to fit a set of cannons that were eight feet across … Iowa dismisses her gear with a single thought, fitting through into what looked like one of the lower levels of the former station, lest she be the subject of immediate ridicule. It wasn’t as if there were any hostiles nearby anyway … and if there were, you’d trust Shigure and Nachi to be able to hold them off for a span

‘Which way towards the Summoning Module?’ Nachi questions, looking around. Shigure shrugs in response; Houshou, however, wears a thoughtful expression, glancing left and right.

‘I … don’t know.’

‘Well, we’ll just have to—’

‘No, I mean … I really don’t know,’ Houshou … clarifies, much to your confusion.

‘We’ll just fan out, then.’

‘No, you don’t … I mean … I should know.’

You frown, wondering if she was feeling apprehensive over her lack of knowledge.

‘It’s your first time here, Houshou. It’s all right.’

‘I don’t feel it.’

Your frown deepens. ‘What?’

‘I … when we arrived here, I felt a … pulse somewhere, but now that we’re … here, it’s as though it just … went away.’

‘Went away?’

‘It’s …’

Houshou raises a hand, as if caressing the air itself. She peers upward, towards another flight of stairs, before taking several steps back and glancing at the corridor bending into a t-junction at the end. Your stomach does small flips as an unwelcome deja vu overtakes your thoughts. There’s an unease that dominates your thoughts as the dark corridors seem to close in with every second—

'So what? We split up?'

>‘Iowa, do I look like I’m unaware of how death flags work?’
>‘There has to be at least five levels … maybe, yeah.’
>‘There should be a chamber …’
>‘First thing’s first. The layout for the structure should be in one of the admin’s offices. Those should be marked, at least.’
>Write-In

>>4198695
>>‘First thing’s first. The layout for the structure should be in one of the admin’s offices. Those should be marked, at least.’
find map

>>4198695
>‘First thing’s first. The layout for the structure should be in one of the admin’s offices. Those should be marked, at least.’

>>4198695
>>‘First thing’s first. The layout for the structure should be in one of the admin’s offices. Those should be marked, at least.’
Seems reasonable. Having an idea of how things *should* be will let us plan ahead a bit and save us some time overall

>>4198695
>‘First thing’s first. The layout for the structure should be in one of the admin’s offices. Those should be marked, at least.’

‘First thing’s first. The layout of the structure should be in one of the Administrative Offices. There should be signs for that, at least … if this place complies with measures of convenience at all.’

Nachi’s gaze rests on an arrow hanging from wall.

‘Guess we’re heading this way, then.’

It’s a quiet walk for the most part. The atmosphere is eerie and wretched, with naught but a soul haunting the corridors. It’s not hard to imagine how the outpost once was … technicians manning the corridors, engineers covered in grime and administrators yelling at people to not smoke outside of the designated areas. The only remnant of which were the littered ashtrays and littered pieces of paperwork. The outpost was, effectively, a ghost town … perhaps worse. Every corner turned has you expecting to see at least some semblance of evidence in regards to a human presence, but aside from broken mugs, littered hard-hats and random littered garbage melded with powdered concrete and glass … you’re able to find nothing. Were you a little morbid in anticipating a dead body missing a jaw? Clutching at the last vestiges of its life and in denial of its own end?

Yes, maybe. Definitely.

‘This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies,’ Iowa announces … prompting a surprising glance and empathic nod from Shigure.

‘I get what you mean,’ Nachi concurs, nodding. ‘It’s like we’re walking through a … a tomb or something.’

You try not to pursue that train of thought.

‘Are we headed the right way?’ Iowa questions, glancing upward. It must have been the third corner and flight of stairs that—

‘This should be the floor.’

Your Squadron finishes ascending the latest flight of stairs, rounding around and finding themselves face-to-face with a particularly … open part of the outpost. By which you mean a side of the upper offices with a hole blown clean through. You could only imagine the sheer force at the disposal of the belligerents, blasting their way through thick layers of concrete and metal. None of them dwell on it as you do, however, electing to make a bee-line for the offices to scavenge for anything resembling a layout. You don’t blame them, either. Your window was shrinking by the second.

‘Here,’ Iowa waves, bringing the attention of the Squadron to her, before gesturing to a room with door off its hinges, leaning onto the frame, its glass window mostly shattered.

>ADMI

Close enough.

The office is oddly intact. You make out a dead plant, a set of filing cabinets and a table that was at an angle, but in otherwise serviceable condition. Even the phone’s receiver was still on the handle.

You don’t see anything resembling a layout, however.

‘What now?’

>Search the office for clues
>Explore the compound
>Write-In

Can the girls safely jump off the platform should the need arise?
Can Iowa blast open a new exit should they need one?

>>4198798
>>Search the office for clues

>>4198798
>Search the office for clues
something happened here, might as well investigate

>>4198798
Time to split the party. Shigure goes clockwise, Nachi counterclockwise, Iowa towards the center, Shouhou takes a look around the office and then follows Iowa.

Hopefully the summoning chamber is big enough that it cuts at least one level in either direction and will not be that hard to miss.

>>4198816
>hard to miss
Derp. Hard to spot or easy to miss.

>>4198798
>Search the office for clues
Might not be a map, but doesn't mean there isn't useful info here

>>4198798
>Search the office for clues

I'll be running in about 45 minutes, so if you wanna play, I'll be here.

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‘Even with night vision … feels like I’m stumbling through a jungle.’

You share the sentiment.

Whatever that could have helped you … nature had claimed first.

The spectrum available via MagiTek was close to what was available to the military, though not quite so detailed. From what your enthused mind had digested in regards to KanMusu tech deployment, there were certain differences between what made the nuances of military tech and what MagiTek could replicate from them … and one of them was how night vision operated through the eyes of a KanMusu: shapes and outlines, extra sensitivity from points of light … and practically zero ability to read anything that wasn’t white text against a darker contrast.

Your girls are able to navigate the office, however, being as small as it was. If you had to make an estimate, it would’ve been, at most, two-thirds the size of the kitchen and pantry area. The papers scattered all around the immediate area were practically unreadable, anyway, what with the damage accumulated from weeks of exposure to the elements (in no small part from the shattered windows and that gaping hole in the side of the structure). Perhaps you’d made a bad call on—

‘Activating spotlight.’

‘What?’

You’re blinded.

One of the drawbacks of having four separate perspectives on a situation was that your sensitivity to sudden changes bordered on … painful, as you’d just discovered.

No, not bordered on. Just pure painful.

It’s just as well that you’re not the only one that had something to say about it.

‘Iowa!’ you, Houshou and Nachi exclaim in unison (Shigure had elected to just drop and roll, covering her eyes with her hands as she tried to regain her bearings proper.).

‘S-Sorry,’ she apologizes, brandishing her spotlight towards the nearest wall, highlighting a wet, damaged recruitment poster that featured one of the Four Horsemen; you couldn’t make out who, however … what with it being cut off from the shoulder up.

‘Deactivating Night Vision.’

Sometimes having a proper light to operate around was just more practical.

‘I’m sorry,’ Iowa apologizes again, flashing the spotlight towards the only other intact wall surface. ‘Still gotta get used to operating with people around me … hah.’

Nachi sighs, navigating around the table. ‘Nothing doing here,’ she comments, running a hand across the warped surface. ‘Looks like we’ll have to just dive down the levels until we find the module.’

‘Try the cabinet.’

Iowa walks over towards the filing cabinet in the corner … and gives one of the drawers a good yank, pulling its contents out with a thud and a groan. She nonchalantly pulls out three folders, giving them once overs of her own as Houshou and Nachi follow through on the—

The six-point star is unmistakeable.

‘Vanzer docs.’

‘They did send a contingent this way. Not surprising …’

>‘Yeah, nothing to see here, I guess. Better get a move on and try to find that Module.’ (Move on)
>‘Anything in there that we can use at all?’ (Continue sifting through the documents)
>Write-In

>>4199468
>>‘Anything in there that we can use at all?’ (Continue sifting through the documents)
one last check then we move on

>>4199492
>>‘Anything in there that we can use at all?’ (Continue sifting through the documents)

>>4199492
>‘Anything in there that we can use at all?’ (Continue sifting through the documents)

‘Is there anything in there that we can use at all?’

Iowa sifts through the details, letting out a light snort. ‘Not unless you think inventory logs with … Site Code: Aquarius … are important. Whatever that is.’

Your blood runs cold at the mention.

>‘Yeah, that’s … it’s got nothing to do with us.’ (Drop it)
>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)
>Write-In

>>4199555
>>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)
>desire to know more intensifies

>>4199555
>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)

>>4199555
>>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)

>>4199555
>>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)
the rabbit hole is deeper

>>4199555
>‘Aquarius?’ (Pursue)

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‘What’s that about Aquarius?’

You lean forwards, uncertain as to why. It wasn’t as if you’d be getting a better look of things unless Iowa’d take the time to scrutinize the piece of paper for yourself. It’s not long, however, before you’re able to actually get a better look on the faded brown piece of paper; courtesy of the huddled mass of four heads belonging to your Squadron.

‘Not much, just … it looks like there’s been an inventory exchange between … Aquarius … Agamemnon … Paris … Helen … not much in the way of … hold on … yeah, nothing much—’

‘Iowa, would you mind giving me those?’

Nachi peels herself from the huddle, placing her hands on her hips as Iowa complies with Houshou’s request.

‘Do we really have the time to keep—’

‘It’ll be just a moment,’ Houshou declares, gesturing for Iowa’s spotlight. Nachi, while miffed at the prospect of further delays, nonetheless complies; Houshou lays the folders on the decaying wooden surface, flipping through their details at a speed that doesn’t allow you to process beyond mere glimpses of syllables. Her finger trails down manifestos and paragraphs, muttering words with an irritability that you find slowly rising through the emotional feedback; the folders seem to turn into blurs and flip-books as the seconds tick by … until she suddenly stops, closing the last folder and tapping her palm onto the rotten table, a strange sort of unease sinking into her cheeks.

‘Houshou?’

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

‘What?’

‘These dates, these logs … the alliance between the Shamans broke off at least three weeks before …’

‘Uh … I’m not sure that I’m following you there, Houshou?’

‘Sorry, I … I mean … see, look at this,’ Houshou scrambles, flipping the third folder and jabbing a finger onto one paragraph over what looked like a table of sorts. ‘There’s no question of Vanzer’s involvement in this outpost, as … hard as the logistics are to comprehend, but these designations … these are external and these … the documentations; Tanaka Salt, core materials, everything … Vanzer wasn’t the only one involved in the operation of this outpost. Basilius or the Shamans had a hand in it, just as well.’

‘That’s not exactly a surprise. The Shamans only recently pulled out of operations. It’d make sense for any back-logs to make it through as per the separation details.’

‘Not on this scale. The Admiralty and the ISSF agreed to the split under very specific terms, but this … and this … this says that there were still operations between Basilius, Vanzer and the Taiyouga branch of the Admiralty without—’

‘Does anything there tell us where the Modules are?’

‘I … yes, I think. Facility Beta—’

‘Great,’ Nachi declares, brushing her hands.

>‘Hang on. I want to know what we’re getting into here.’
>‘Yeah, let’s leave this mystery for another day.’
>Write-In

>>4199555
Grab the folder and get moving, time is shortening.

>>4199689
Thinking the same thing

>>4199687
>>Write-In
>right grab the folders and lets get moving to the Module

>>4199689
Supporting

>>4199687
>>‘Yeah, let’s leave this mystery for another day.’
better grab the paydata and skedaddle

A bit of a delay. My kittens are acting up.

>>4199687
This>>4199692

>>4199687
grab the data and leg it good and proper

Running in a bit (30ish minutes)

File: CA_Nachi_063_Full.png (233 KB, 400x880)

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‘Tuck that away and let’s get moving,’ you command, to which the rest complies. ‘We’re losing hours. Make your way down to the facility … beta was it?’

‘I’ll lead the way,’ Houshou announces, gesturing for the girls to follow.

They do.

You don’t know why you expected there to be a shift in atmosphere as Houshou leads the girls down a stairwell and down a hallway that led into a section of the structure that resembled a steam room right out of a horror serial than it did anything else, but a quick digest of the labels has you realizing that you were passing the central heating system for the west side of Agamemnon; couldn’t really expect technicians and staff members to go without it this far out at sea, after all. The wide hallways eventually give way to narrowed corridors, with large wet pipes and dangling, decimated light sources that hadn’t seen activation or maintenance since the last time a living soul had bothered to pass through. The girls, to their credit, don’t spook that easily.

Once one went face-to-face with death, being spooked from atmosphere alone would be quite the anti—

‘We’re here.’

You arrive at a great blast door, its hinges unaligned and the frame slightly bent.

‘Allow me,’ Iowa chirps, cracking her knuckles … and with an almighty grunt, pulls the door apart.

Right on time.

It never ceased to amaze you just what the girls could accomplish with their bare hands—

‘This is it.’

Four columns.

No; three columns.

You’re able to make out the outlines of three dark columns of an unknown, unreal metal, standing in the middle of what was a large chamber littered with all manner of cables, hoses, consoles and mechanisms, derelict and abandoned. From up on above, you recognize a series of platforms and connected railings, leading into another section beyond a concrete bunker at the top in what you assume to be either a control or observation deck. Metal and plastic littered the site, end to end … with a strange sort of lifelessness that marked a kind of … finality. You’d never waxed the poetic well.

You suppose you could get away in saying that nothing about this place seemed … right.

‘It’s dead,’ Houshou points out, walking down onto the lower platform and resting her hand on the one shattered column.

‘What’s dead?’

‘The Summoning Module,’ Nachi clarifies, walking down to Houshou’s side before glancing up at the intact columns. ‘Intel must have been wrong, then, there’s—’

‘No,’ Houshou announces, frowning. ‘It was active; it’s just—’

You hear a clatter.

Shigure’s weapon trains itself to a prospective source … before turning away and fixing her targets into a jumbled mess of circuitry.

‘What was that?’

‘This place is falling apart is what,’ Nachi declares with distaste.

As if in response, the fallen column groans as Houshou lifts her hand from the offending object.

‘Do we move on?’

>>4200023
>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.'
>'Yeah, let's ... we're losing time already.'
>'Let me call this in.'
>Write-In

>>4200024
>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.'

>>4200024
>>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.'

>>4200024
>>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.'

>>4200024
>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.

>>4200024
>'Hang on. Houshou, Iowa, Shigure, sweep the area. I don't like this.'

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Perhaps it would have been a better idea for you rush to the next objective and pet yourself on the back for getting through the first leg of the journey without so much as a casualty … but you weren’t quite sure of moving on. Not just yet, anyway. There was something about this place, this spot, that had you … hesitant to just brush off and power beyond without so much as a glance behind.

Or maybe you were just being unnecessarily paranoid.

‘Houshou, everyone … give me a clean sweep of the premises; something’s not right here.’

Nachi clicks her tongue, summoning her guns. ‘Really? Wouldn’t have guessed.’

Iowa concurs, smirking as she does the same. ‘Probably the décor; it’s all very eldritch space lab-ish, don’t you think?’

‘Cut the chatter,’ you command, one that the four of them immediately obey. ‘Eyes front, ears to the ground.’

>CLANG!

Three heads whirl so quickly that you almost feel your own neck translating the experience into whiplash.

‘What was that?’

>CLANG! CLANG!

‘Shigure, do you have a lock?’

‘I can’t read any movement; the debris’ interfering with any attempt at recognition.’

Houshou collapses into the centre of a three-point formation; Iowa plays vanguard while Nachi and Shigure are side by side, keeping their eyes trained and their sensors sharp. You’re unable to make anything out from the echoing sound of metal banging against metal; your mind races as you try to drum out an educated guess. Abyssals topping the list; had you corralled your Squadron into a kill-box? You had no reading. The chamber couldn’t have been infiltrated by an I-Class or even a C-ranked unit; you would have noticed. Houshou would have been able to—

‘I’ve got a track,’ Nachi announces, her cone of vision darting from a shattered pod to a set of pipes and cables leading into the floor grill platform some six meters up. Iowa syncs up with Nachi, training her titanic arsenal in the direction of the alleged source, the proverbial finger brushing against the trigger.

That’s when you see it.

A white … frisbee flies between pipe, disappearing past the damaged console display.

It’s brief, but—

‘Got a lock,’ Shigure says, her voice monotone and to-the-point. ‘Unknown hostile.’

‘Acknowledged,’ Nachi returns, her tone as mechanical as her fellow KanMusu.

You see it again.

Briefly, but you see it. Definitely circular in shape, that.

Or rather, it’s what you think you see, anyway.

‘It’s fast,’ Iowa comments, her voice on edge. Clattering sounds echo throughout the chamber as the … thing appears to circle your team; the echoes become more frequent, more disorienting. You steel your team, ready for—

>CRASH! CLANG! DING! BANG!

And the noise … stops. Right behind the set of pipes where the commotion had begun. A light whining sound echoes through the chamber, much to your confusion.

>>4200066
>‘Shigure, light them up.’ (Destroy whatever that thing is)
>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)
>Write-In

>>4200066
>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)

>>4200070
>>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)

>>4200070
>investigate
Go poke at the mystery box. Carefully.

>>4200070
>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)
Bit the donut.

>>4200072
>>4200074
>>4200078
You call yourselves American.

>>4200070
>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)

>>4200081
we also moonlight as horror movie protags

>>4200070
>‘Move in; stay vigilant.’ (Inspect the … thing)

Your Squadron fans out, eyes front, guns trained. You’re not sure why they were getting so worked up over this, but you suppose your command had enough gravitas for them to take it to the letter. Shigure rests on Iowa’s wing, taking the first step towards the pipes. Iowa sits back, her large cannons aimed at the presumptive point of impact; a shuffling and light rattling sound echoes through the chamber as Nachi and Shigure close in, slowly and carefully as to not allow any points of escape. Shigure side-steps behind a damaged pod chamber, turning behind a generator … before leaping out and—

‘Skee! Skee!’

You blink, mouthing your sheer incredulity.

‘What the Hell?’

The closest thing that you’d describe it by was that it was some sort of … doughnut. That is, if a doughnut had a mouth, small protruding horns and a set of stubby arms and legs that looked as though they were made out of plastic. At its tiny feet, you see what appears to be a makeshift sack, filled with what appeared to be … scavenged components, collected from all about the chamber. Just above one feet in height with its arms stretched upward, the creature shivers in what you presume to be unfiltered fear, its tiny palms facing Shigure in what seemed to be a gesture of … surrender.

‘Is that an Abyssal?’

‘Hostile recognized. Eliminating target.’

‘Acknowledge.’

You feel a surge of power …

>Stop them from killing the Abyssal
>Terminate the abyssal
>Write-In

>>4200114
>Stop them from killing the Abyssal
i have a feelin' that killing it will piss the hell out the boss of this little guy, so lets not

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>>4200114

>>4200114
>Stop them from killing the Abyssal
Secure the donut.

>>4200114
>>Stop them from killing the Abyssal

>>4200114
>Stop them from killing the Abyssal
Secure the abyssal guinea pig.

>>4200114
Can you hear it? It’s the sound of the entire collective of the base staff planting their palms in their faces at our shenanigans.

That being said,

>hold fire, were taking this little guy with us. For science! And cuddling.

File: Get Away From That You Meanie.jpg (12 KB, 233x200)

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‘Hold your fire.’

‘What?’ Nachi hisses in disbelief.

‘Hold your fire.’

‘Are you insane?’

‘That is an order, Nachi … Shigure.’

Nachi hesitates for a moment … before complying; the feedback tells you that she’s not exactly enthused at the prospect of letting her guard down around an Abyssal, but you’re thankful that she’s willing to risk it on your word. Shigure, meanwhile, glances over at her squad-mates, guns still trained on the tiny Abyssal, as if searching for affirmation. It takes a raised palm from Houshou for her to comply … but comply she does. Iowa follows thereafter, lowering her guns and communicating her incredulity in a brief, shared gaze with the former. The Abyssal, meanwhile, looks …

‘Is it … scared?’

Even with its circular figure, the trembling is unmistakeable … at least until it glances down at the makeshift sack, giving an almighty, panicked squeak as it tries to gather whatever components it had collected in a hurried scurry and hoisting it over its bag … which promptly tears, sending plates of dark metal clattering all over the floor once more. The tiny creature bends over, grabbing the tiny plates of metal—which were no larger than a stretch of a finger at best—in a panicked attempt to gather them … before tripping and spilling the items all about the floor again.

‘What … what’s it doing?’

You’re not sure yourself.

Houshou observes the panicked being’s act, before taking long strides towards it.

The Abyssal’s reaction is immediate … if unexpected.

It hides behind a broken pipe and valve, squeaking in what appears to be heightened fear.

Houshou, undeterred, kneels over the scattered components; most if being the aforementioned meta—

‘This is synthesized Kantai Steel,’ Houshou observes, picking one of the tiny pieces of metal on the floor. ‘Deactivated, but—’

An angry squeak comes from behind the valve, where your team observes the tiny Abyssal shaking its fist in an attempt to shoo the larger KanMusu away.

Shigure raises her gun.

The small Abyssal immediately cowers, hiding behind the pipes again.

>Write-In

>>4200253
these guys gotta be escape boats so, we ask them to help us out?

>>4200253
>Write-In:
Secure the donu- Secure the abyssal.

>>4200253
>>Write-In

ask the girls to stand down, let the donut get its stuff and just follow where it goes, it most likely is doing the bidding of its master who preferably is someone of interest

>>4200270
>Supporting

>>4200270
Supporting, we must find out where it's going

>>4200253
help out the donut to gain his trust, and follow him

if the creature is not forthcoming we could look for a container to trap it in and lure it inside with some of those metal scraps.

In any case if we succeed in capturing it we better make sure to emphasize that the nerds don't do any invasive tests on it because I can see it prompting some abyssal reprisals...

>>4200253
This>>4200270

Be running as soon as I finish brunch. So ... give or take half an hour to forty-five ish minutes.

Sorry. I let my brother-in-law play Plague Inc. Running in half an hour.

File: Nachi - Furious.jpg (37 KB, 268x322)

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‘Let it be.’

‘What?’

‘I must protest this course of action.’

‘S-Sir?’

To say that your Squadron is flabbergasted would have been an understatement. The most reserved expression of the lot is Shigure’s … and her face looked like it had been unjustly treated by the forces of gravity. Nachi’s knees bend as she grasps air, almost to the point of wheezing, trying to comprehend the command you’d given out. To their credit and your gratitude, none of them had opened fire on the scared little thing just to do the complete of opposite of what you’d deemed to be the appropriate follow-up to current developments.

That the protests were below a hundred decibels in loudness was already a boon in itself.

‘You’ve gone insane,’ Nachi practically shrills. ‘That Princess we met back then. She must have done something funky in there that we couldn’t find, didn’t she? She’s planted the roots of corruptions in the depths of your mind and infiltrated this operation right under our noses!’

Nachi could never know just how close to the truth she was.

Iowa, caught mid-stance, bites her bottom lip.

>No, she cannot.

You hush the voice in the nexus of your thoughts, unwilling to prove your Heavy Cruiser right.

‘Let it do what it’s here to do,’ you continue, letting out a breath. ‘That thing’s most likely some sort of lower rung patsy running on routine. It’s probably got a master nearby. If there’s a fish that we have to hook, I’d rather have it be something worth the mobilization.’

‘You’re kidding me,’ Nachi lets out, communicating her incredulity even further. You couldn’t blame her, though; you’d be yelling at you if the circumstances allowed for such a paradox.

‘Stand down, Nachi. Keep—’

‘Sir?’

‘Yes, Shigure?’

‘It’s running away.’

‘What?’

Four heads; four viewing cones, each shift to the spot and find that Shigure’s words rung true. The doughnut-like Abyssal, was, indeed … gone. The girls look around the chamber, cursing and grumbling as the seconds ticked by; your small argument must have allowed a window of time for the—

‘There!’

Standing by the hatch where you’d entered … stood the Abyssal, hauling its sack of metal plates and scavenged components. Nachi stomps menacingly towards the tiny creature, who raises it’s eyeless head (or rather, what you assume to be its head) up to the furious KanMusu … before blowing a raspberry and hoisting its sack over its shoulder, sprinting away.

You close your eyes, feeling the onset of a migraine.

‘I’M GONNA KILL THAT THING!’

And the chase is on.

The four KanMusu (rather loudly, you might add) follow after the tiny creature, whose little legs were positively filled with energy. Down the corridors your team went; up flights of stairs and through grill-laden railings, like a cartoon cat in pursuit of vengeance and retribution.

‘Let it be, Nachi,’ Nachi imitates, taking a nasally, sarcastic tone. ‘Let’s hook some fish, Nachi. Should’ve let us blown that damned thing to pieces.’

Houshou smiles nervously, her clogs clattering loudly against the metal surface with each step, uncertain on whether to take your side in this particular miscalculation. ‘Ah … haha …’

‘Skee! Skee!’

‘That thing is super annoying,’ Shigure concurs, very much irritated.

>Write-In

>>4201546
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg

I feel like there's no sound more appropriate than this.

>>4201546
>just keep after it, i gotta weird feeling about where its trying to go

>>4201550
>Supporting

>>4201550
this because we need more donut in life

>>4201546
Follow it, but be cautious. It may be tempted to lure us into a trap.

This may be valuable intel, girls!

>>4201546
This>>4201550

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The best that you could do was placate your justifiably-peeved set of KanMusu. You could tell that you were about to get an earful the moment they set their feet back in the RAY.

‘Just keep after it,’ you manage, keeping your voice as steady as possible as the girls continued their pursuit, dashing some three floors down and two sections across … and trying your best to ignore the obscenities born out of the frustration in keeping in line with your rather unconventional command for mercy.

‘Just keep at it, he says,’ Shigure mumbles, uncharacteristically … emotional. ‘Vice-Admiral hit his head hard against the bulkhead, I think …’

‘Cut the chatter and just stay in pursuit; that thing should be—’

‘Ah, it jumped.’

You’d arrived back at the offices … and the mischievous critter makes no missteps in its attempt to widen the gap between itself and its pursuers, making very liberal use of the hole in the side of the outpost. Time seems to stop as the Abyssal jumps off the concrete ledge of the obliterated sector, its sack secure over its shoulder, uncaring for the sheer hundred-ish foot drop from the main platform into the sea below.

It even manages to perform an admittedly graceful flip into a dive …

‘Nyee! Nyee!’

But not before it cocked a snook at you.

You can feel the collective fury rising from here.

>Write-In

>>4201621
>>Write-In
advise them to keep up the chase and implore the ships to keep their cool as any information/intel is good

>>4201640
Supporting
Might need to promise to make it up to them later too

>>4201651
that too

>>4201640
supporting

>>4201621
Alright, unless we can with some reasonable measure of security pursue it underwater I'd say we're done here.

Let's move on to the next objective. Hopefully the smugness of the little one will make the opposing force consider us beneath their notice.

Honestly I can't really tell if Mechanic is just putting us into a goose chase or not, considering the fact that the ships are getting angrier.

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>>4201729
>Honestly I can't really tell if Mechanic is just putting us into a goose chase or not, considering the fact that the ships are getting angrier.
:)

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>>4201738
There is only one way to go and it's to go down.

>>4201621
Get one of Houshou's planes to tail it maybe? It's got to have a place to drop all that loot off.

>>4201729
Nah, that's just their purpose taking over their faculties. They were called to fight abyssal, not study or capture them. Stands to reason they would not see the benefit in studying and/or capturing a living specimen when it comes in such a small and harmless variety.

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‘Continue pursuit,’ you command.

‘Continue—sir, we’d be abandoning the premises!’

Houshou wears a hesitant smile, scratching the back of her head. ‘Not like that there’s an objective to be achieved here … the module’s deactivated, after all.’

‘Even so!’

It’s hard to make out under the sole assistance of starlight against the black curtains of the high seas, but you do see the Abyssal … doughnut, or whatever it was making a mad sprint towards the horizon.

‘Your orders … sir?’

>‘Nothing left to do here. Continue pursuit.’
>‘No point tracking that thing if it’s going off-site …’
>Write-In

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Okay, sorry, maybe I was wrong in saying that this was a ... "small" prompt, considering it involves violating current objectives in favor of chasing after a fucking doughnut.

>>4202518
>Write-In
"Houshou, are you able to continue tracking it with one of your aircraft? It has to be heading somewhere, and every bit of information we can gather will likely be important"

>>4201748
actually, this is a good option for this >>4202518
>Write-In
"Houshou, can you keep track of that thing with one of your recon seaplanes?"

>>4202528
supporting
if not we keep at it

>>4202528
>>4202532
Houshou's aircraft have an effective range and can't track very well. They can serve as scouts, but they'd lose the signature of the target very easily the moment they go off course. They're not autonomous drones ... in that sense, anyway.

>>4202518
Our job here is done. Module is deactivated and only “survivor” is an alien creature scurrying away...
We have job to do on the other base, right? Maybe we should move on to that.

Although...

Based on our charts, where was the abyssal donut headed? Are we aware of any points of interest it could be running for? If not, it could lead us to something interesting (and likely worth running away from)

>>4202537
In that case I’d say let’s have a seaplane track it for as long as it can and record heading.

If the creature is simple enough to not trick us right away AND we find something similar at site 2 we could triangulate their destination if we spook another one too.

>>4202538
You can check as an action.

>>4202544
>>4202538
Same, continue tracking as far as we can the abyssal with recon seaplane, it could be just be distracting us from something, if the recon find something then we can try to pursue.

>>4202544
>seaplane
That's not a thing in this quest, sorry.

>>4202518
changing from >>4202532
to
>‘No point tracking that thing if it’s going off-site …’
Better keep the objetive going, especially if the tiny donut is going to tell his ''nee-sans'' that we are here.

>>4202518
Also changing from >>4202528
to >‘No point tracking that thing if it’s going off-site …’
We need to keep Houshou concentrated on the mission for deactivating the modules, no point in a wild goose chase.

>>4202518
>>‘No point tracking that thing if it’s going off-site
We gotta another base to poke so let's get there quick

‘Houshou, are you able to track it down?’

‘I could,’ she answers, nodding, ‘but I’m not sure how far it’s going. I can’t exactly predict its bearings and I’d have to maintain my familiars manually … if you insist, however, I’ll try my best in doing—’

‘Tracking it down? Are you serious? Houshou’d be bones by the time we find out where that thing’s headed.’

You bite your lip, wondering if you were being led on some wild goose chase. That tiny thing was making a mad dash toward the horizon, halfway through breaking the nautical kilometre … but at the same time, you couldn’t help but ponder on the strange creature. Abyssals, for the most part, had been aggressive and very territorial; yet that small thing had, at worst, been mischievous and averse to conflict. Did it truly have a master? Was it running a mere routine as you had so confidently and steadfastly assumed?

‘Vice-Admiral,’ Iowa starts again. ‘We’re losing it.’

>‘Jump. Not like we have anything left to do at Agamemnon. Continue pursuit.’ (Follow it)
>‘Houshou, launch.’ (Tell Houshou to keep tracking it manually with her craft)
>‘Give me a sec.’ (Check/plot the presumptive vector)
>‘Stand down; let’s keep to our current objective. No use jumping blindly into the abyss.’ (Abandon the labour)
>‘Let’s split up, gang!’ (Because 4 years of repeating myself isn’t enough)
>Write-In

>>4202695
>‘Give me a sec.’ (Check/plot the presumptive vector)

>>4202695
>>‘Stand down; let’s keep to our current objective. No use jumping blindly into the abyss.’

>>4202695
>‘Let’s split up, gan-
=^)

>‘Stand down; let’s keep to our current objective. No use jumping blindly into the abyss.’ (Abandon the labour)

>>4202695
>>‘Give me a sec.’ (Check/plot the presumptive vector)

How long can that take?

>>4202740
>Turns head
>Checks vector
Four seconds to check, ten seconds to tell the girls.

>>4202695
>>‘Give me a sec.’ (Check/plot the presumptive vector)

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‘I’ll get some triangulation up; give me a second.’

‘Copy that.’

You bring the grid up, scanning the—

‘That’s strange.’

Iowa frowns, tilting her head out against the sea breeze, her eyes still on the rapidly-vanishing bead. ‘What?’

‘It’s … headed for Outpost Paris.’

‘Paris? What?’

‘I don’t know why myself, but the grid vector plots an intercept course between our little friend and the next objective.’

Nachi cups her chin, wearing an expression of uncertainty.

‘So what do we do?’

>‘We keep to our own schedule. Scour the area. See if there’s anything else we can find.’
>‘Get moving. Keep a reasonable distance but stay in pursuit. Don’t spook the guy off the sensors.’
>‘Let’s split up, gang!’ (Because no one has listened to the GM for the last four years and keeps suggesting this)
>Write-In

>>4202765
>>‘Get moving. Keep a reasonable distance but stay in pursuit. Don’t spook the guy off the sensors.’

>>4202765
>‘We keep to our own schedule. Scour the area. See if there’s anything else we can find.’
thats a mission to prep for later

>>4202765
>>‘Get moving. Keep a reasonable distance but stay in pursuit. Don’t spook the guy off the sensors.’

>>4202765
>‘We keep to our own schedule. Scour the area. See if there’s anything else we can find.’

>>4202765
>>‘Get moving. Keep a reasonable distance but stay in pursuit. Don’t spook the guy off the sensors.’

>>4202765
I have a bad feeling about this.

>‘Get moving. Keep a reasonable distance but stay in pursuit. Don’t spook the guy off the sensors.’

‘Continue pursuit.’

‘Acknowledged.’

Shigure’s the first to make the jump. Nachi, Iowa and Houshou follow in sequence, stepping over the edge and landing on the surface of the sea as though it was made of hardwood, causing great ripples with each point of impact. The old you would have been impressed by their ability to make such a show of agility so effortless … the current you, however, was already shuffling their priorities and the next set of orders. You glance over at the previous vector, triangulating a prospective intercept point and trying your best to—

Gotcha.

‘Get it in gear, team,’ you declare, watching Iowa take Shigure’s place at the tip of the formation, to which the latter responds by taking the starboard flank; you have half a mind to correct Iowa on her tendency to forget that she was no longer an independent operator … but for now, you have more immediate concerns. ‘Accelerate until you’ve closed the gap to approximately forty meters. Maintain speed and keep your weapons hot and ready for engagement. Don’t go wasting your ammo with any unnecessary skirmishes; stay on course and have an eye out. Don’t lose sight of the …’

You pause, wondering just what to call—

‘—Donut.’

‘Yes, sir; orders received and acknowledged,’ is the collective chant.

Giving the grid another once over, you make some calculations for yourself. It’d be at least a half hour until they made contact with Paris … what with it being some twenty miles or so off-east. The girls weren’t out to break any speed records at the current pace … and while you enjoyed marvelling at their ability to break the hundred-mile limits with relative ease …

Now wasn’t the time of that.

‘I’ll keep an eye out for any enemy forces breaching course. Stay sharp.’

‘Sir.’

>Open a private channel with one of the Squadron
>Check in with the Vice-Admiral
>Stay idle until further developments come your way
>Write-In

>>4202931
>>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>>4202931
>>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>>4202931
>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>>4202931
>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>>4202931
>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>>4202931
>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

>Check in with the Vice-Admiral

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‘This is Seagull checking in; the Summoning Module at Outpost Agamemnon has been disabled. We’re heading to Paris now; resistance is minimal and we should be done before the window’s up.’

No answer.

You wait another twenty seconds.

‘This is Seagull checking in; the Summoning Module at Outpost Agamemnon has been disabled. My Squadron and I are proceeding to the second objective; resistance is minimal and we should be done before the heavy hitters start noticing what we’re up to.’

Thirty seconds this time.

No answer.

‘Wendigo, do you read? This is Seagull checking in.’

Still no answer.

Fifteen seconds.

‘Wendigo, do you read? This is Seagull checking—’

‘Sir?’

‘Houshou?’

It’s a private channel.

‘Is there something the matter?’

You bite your bottom lip, wondering how you’d forgotten how the Stream connection worked. She’d probably felt the rise in distress by the time it’d manifested.

‘The Vice-Admiral isn’t picking up on the check-in,’ you reveal, calibrating your instruments and watching a pair of fairies float on by, leaving trails of blue dust in their wake. ‘No response, acknowledgement, no beep … nothing.’

As much as you try to ignore the dread that creeps on your shoulder … you can’t.

‘You think something happened?’

Houshou pauses, glancing over to her starboard flank, pondering the possibility as much as you are.

‘It’s not a probability that I’d discount, given the circumstances. We’re beyond the safe zones … if the Vice-Admiral’s encountered an overwhelming force, I’d … we can’t rule anything out. However, it’d be silly to immediately expect the worse, considering how the interference in communications has been so … prevalent outside of designated points, and especially with both us being so aware of just what the capabilities of the man you’re worried for … well, amount to.’

You close your eyes, feeling a grimace stretching across your features. It was just like you to jump the gun so quickly.

‘Yeah,’ you let out, leaning back and closing your eyes … but not before sparing the grid a brief glance. ‘Sorry, just … a little jumpy, I guess.’

‘It’s all right,’ Houshou reassures you, turning her gaze back towards the horizon. ‘I’m surprised by how … quiet it’s been, myself.’

‘Well, it hasn’t been totally without incident,’ you return, a light smile pulling at a corner of your lips. ‘No reason not to have our ears to the ground and our eyeballs clicking.’

Houshou laughs. ‘That’s from the Army recruitment advert, isn’t it?’

‘Maybe,’ you chuckle, Houshou’s gentle tone putting you at more ease than you’d experienced since starting the mission clock. ‘How’re things looking on your end?’

‘If that little Abyssal cares at all that we’re following, it’s not showing it. No changes in course detected.’

>>4207111
>[Try to contact the Vice-Admiral again] (Persist)
>‘Anything that you’ve picked up that I haven’t on the sensors?’ (Worried)
>‘I keep forgetting that you’ve been at this since I was failing Physics in school.’ (Casual)
>‘Spread out, but keep formation. Put Iowa as vanguard and Shigure as her support.’ (Current Priorities)
>‘Break off formation, run independent routes but keep pursuit.’ (Let’s Split Up, Gang!)
>Write-In

>>4207117
>>‘Anything that you’ve picked up that I haven’t on the sensors?’ (Worried)

>>4207117
>‘Anything that you’ve picked up that I haven’t on the sensors?’ (Worried)

>>4207117
>‘Anything that you’ve picked up that I haven’t on the sensors?’ (Worried)

>>4207117
>[Try to contact the Vice-Admiral again] (Persist)

>>4207117
>‘Spread out, but keep formation. Put Iowa as vanguard and Shigure as her support.’ (Current Priorities)

>it doesn't care if we're following
Something tells me we're about to do some 360 degree turning and moonwalking away

>>4207117
>‘Spread out, but keep formation. Put Iowa as vanguard and Shigure as her support.’ (Current Priorities)

>>4207316
this

>>4207127
>>4207141
>>4207169

>>4207316
>>4207514
>>4207784
A few things:
1. I flipped a coin and there was a winner like ... 2 hours ago.
2. I forgot to pre-post that I was going to be running, so it'd be unfair to catch you off-guard with an actual session.
3. I'm just going to make a one-off post instead, like the one before.
4. Apologies, again.

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‘Spread out, but keep formation,’ you command, changing the broadcast to the general channel. ‘Iowa, you’re still vanguard. Shigure, hang off her shoulder and play support. If we get anything running an intercept out of sensor reach, that’ll give us enough time to realign into a defensive shape without corralling ourselves into a kill-box. Nachi, slow down to approximately fifty knots and bring up the rear. If we get hit port-side, I want a full on shift of shape and Houshou to go on the wing for cover fire duty; she’s not to engage in isolated combat situations. Support priorities are in order: Shigure, Nachi, Iowa. Iowa, you’re to put yourself between anything that breaks the formation and the Squadron. Do not break off unless absolutely necessary: understood?’

‘Roger!’

‘Reading that.’

‘Acknowledged.’

‘Yes, sir.’

It’s a quiet ten minutes that follows.

The cliché lends itself too quickly for you to refer to it so blatantly … and too inaccurately for you to actually bother with its nuances. You’d learned that lulls and breakthroughs came in even measure over the last month or so in command of the Division … and that silence didn’t require a heightened sense of paranoia nor a chance to put yourself at ease. Regardless of whether there were loud booms or the rustle of the ocean roll as your choice of serenade, while you were—you are—in the midst of executing your objectives … your approach would be the same.

Get in, do what you need to do, and get out alive.

And never, ever, take your foot off the gas pedal until you were out of the hot zone.

‘Sir?’

‘Yes, Houshou?’

‘We’re coming up to Paris.’

You don’t allow yourself the luxury of relief. Not yet.

‘Roger that,’ you let out, bringing up the grid as you sync yourself to your KanMusu’s perspectives once again.

That’s when you see it.

Not that little doughnut creature (Although you do notice it slowing down somewhat). No; what you see is a half-sunken ruin that is the site of your objective. Where there was probably once a city on columns, you see a dark, collapsed, concrete platform that is held merely by the impossible physics of friction and stress. It resembles—more closely than one would have believed possible—a house of cards mid-collapse. You’re not able to make out the whole shape, but you’re able to outline that one of the pillars was propping the structure up against its brothers … and that a whole wing of the complex is set diagonally against what appears to be either a raised railing-cum-platform or a crane.

You feel as thought the slightest shift would have the whole damn thing sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

‘What the Hell happened there?’ you mouth, shocked at its state. Agamemnon may have been decimated, but it was at least still … intact.

‘Sir?’

>Write-In

>>4208059
>keep following the Doughnut, it must have a reason to be heading to this deathtrap

>>4208060
this

>>4208060
Supporting
Hopefully it knows a way in that is larger than donut sized

>>4208089
Yeah, you'd have to be rather Krispy-Kreme'd to squeeze in other wise.

>>4208059
This>>4208060

hopefully the layout of the base, warped as it may be, will be similar to that of Paris, helping us navigate to the module chamber.

Okay lads, gonna run in 2-3 hours if you'll be alive by then.

>>4208184
Sounds good, should be very much alive

I'll be running in approximately 40 minutes. Any of you automatons running?

>>4208339
Still not dead

>>4208339
I'm here.

‘Keep a distance but don’t let that doughnut out of your sight; sensors are coming up with a lot of interference, so you girls will have to rely on your eyes and ears. Watch that flank, don’t break formation and … keep an ear to the ground. We don’t have comms checking in, so be ready for stragglers.’

‘I’ve got nothing, sir.’

‘Stay alert.’

You don’t repeat yourself.

The small Abyssal comes to a standstill, before proceeding to perform what you could only call a rather impressive show of agility, flipping itself onto one of the points of rubble before—

‘Don’t lose sight of it!’ you call out, watching the creature vanish behind a collection of half-sunken concrete.

The girls don’t need telling twice, accelerating and closing the gap within seconds—giving you a bout of nausea in the process—proceeding to make land on the cracked cement of the decimated outpost in a set of harsh landings that had you further worrying for the structural integrity of the complex (or what is left of it, in any case). You aren’t quite sure just what the weight limit was … but, now that you actually put some thought into it, four young women would hardly tip the scales, even if they were—

‘Excuse you?’

‘The nerve!’

Ah, right. You’d forgotten that you were connected. Bloody Stream.

>‘What?’ (Innocent)
>‘I didn’t say anything.’ (Defensive)
>‘Does anyone have a bead on the doughnut?’ (Redirect)
>‘I was just … observing that this place seems like a feather’d send it sinking.’
>Write-In

>>4208492
>>‘I was just … observing that this place seems like a feather’d send it sinking.’

>>4208492
>write in (innocent)
your rigging gotta weight around a ton on the down low, it be a miracle if that rubble pile could hold *me* up!

>>4208492
“...concentrated perfection. Girls, please, mission first, thoughtcrime tribunal when we’re back safe and sound.”

Hey guys, I know it's unexpected, but I'm calling it here. My new kitten just passed and I'm just not into it right now. I'm sorry.

>>4208492
This>>4208499

You have my condolences Mech.

>>4208510
I'll go with this
>>4208556
And that sucks to hear man

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I just buried Hot Rod this morning. I know it's not very appropriate, but I just thought I'd share in it. It's not a fancy place or anything. We buried him in my parents' backyard.

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>>4209916
Sorry for your loss.

God willing, I'll be resuming in half an hour or so.

>>4208499
>Justifying your retort by insinuating that the girls weight more than you
I'm using this.