She laughs. "Of course. Should you talk with her about things other than what she wishes to have done to her by you, you'll find our loyal retainer is very much the romantic. I hesitate to speak poorly of her, but it's more than evident that Tabitha Kazinski caused more than a little damage to her by not inviting her to stay in her and your father's home."

"I don't think that was an option." You respond.

Kyou shakes her head. "I doubt it was, we are in a somewhat unique position. Still, things are as they are. My only concern is that we must find a witch from the imperial guard that will work well with all of us on a personal level."

You nod. "I'm worried they'll forward nothing but career bodyguard types." You say.

Kyou frowns. "It's a possibility, but we should be more wary of my mother's hand." She says. "I doubt she'll allow for anyone to be put forward we would not be able to become close to, and she's far less concerned about certain... attributes than the guard or command would be."

[] Attributes?
[] How worried should we be?

>>4443057
>[X] How worried should we be?

>>4443057
[] How worried should we be?

>>4443057
>[] How worried should we be?

>>4443056
>[x] How worried should we be?

I'm going to guess "Attributes" would be bloodlines or political connections or something. Not how big their titties are.

>>4443057
>[x] Attributes?

ok, votes called!

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[x] How worried should we be?

"How worried should we be?" You ask.

Kyou shakes her head. "On the balance, not very. Mother will not allow for anyone to be put forward for our consideration without them being an excellent match for us, both in temperament and in regards to appearances. Do not forget that my mother was head of my father's security element for many years, and is in many ways similar to your own mother. She's aware of the political potential we represent, and I cannot imagine she'll allow any noble's daughter to grow close to us so easily if her intentions are not what they should be."

You nod. "And she'll make sure she'd be accepting of Wendy?"

Kyou smiles. "You say that as if there's a choice involved." She says.

You shrug. "Fair point, but the MIU isn't instant."

"No, but it's also more than quick enough that I doubt any sort of issue will arise." Kyou responds. "Besides, knowing mother, she will be more than sure to send a witch who would revel in that sort of arrangement." She smiles. "Not that such a thing is difficult at all."

You frown. "How many witches are there that would?" You ask.

She laughs. "You might be surprised." She responds. "I doubt very many witches would have much of a problem with such an arrangement. I'm sure you're well aware that many girls become.." She pauses, looking for the correct wording. "Very close." She settles on. "While there are limits to such behavior, of course, and it's expected to be maintained out of the public eye, neither is it unusual."

You've heard of that, of course- your sisters say that Tabitha and Rachel had just such a relationship during their academy years, at least up till Tabby tightened down and became the quote-unquote ice queen that she was before her marriage to your father. You still see hints of it, to be honest- a no-nonsense, businesslike attitude that your maman often derides as trying too hard to hide something.

You nod. "So you don't think it'll be a problem?"

Kyou shakes her head, then smiles. "No." She says. "I'm actually looking forward to having another flying with us. Though I do wonder about the wisdom of three aircraft in the element, and not four. I recall the Royal Air Force's vics were not successful during the war."

[] We're not getting a forth, you know.
[] We'll make due. We're a lot more capable than spitfires were.
[] We might look into a forth, but not not.

>>4443151
>[x] We might look into a fourth, but not now.

*fourth

I don't want to rule it out entirely, but i'm not really interested in more right now. Too many characters to keep track of.

>>4443151
>[X] We might look into a fourth, but not now.

>>4443151
>[] We'll make do. We're a lot more capable than spitfires were.

It's worth pointing out that Vic/Shotais worked a *lot* better for the Japanese, at least while pilot quality was still super high.

Worth considering.

>>4443151
>[] We might look into a fourth, but not not.

>>4443151
>[x] We'll make due. We're a lot more capable than spitfires were.

Ok, votes called! This'll probably be the last update for the evening- I'm planning on trying to be done and over in the house around 22EST- which means it'll probably be closer to 2330 knowing me!

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[x] We might look into a forth, but not not.

You frown. "We might look into a fourth, but not now." You respond. "And didn't the IJN's Shotai's work out fairly well?"

Kyou gives you a blank look- you caught her, you know. Of course she knows the IJN's fighters did very well during the martian war in units of three- in the early war, arguably better than any other fighter force on Earth. Still, her expression changes into a smile fairly quickly- she's happy you agreed, even if it is with some reservations.

"It should be interesting, seeing who all stepped forward to join us." Kyou says. "I wonder how many of them will be familiar to me?"

"They'll be from the palace guard?" You ask. She shakes her head.

"No, but the guard doesn't accept any but the most outstanding witches." She responds. "Some of them may have been my classmates."

You nod- that makes sense, in that they're probably not likely to send someone too much older than either of you, and they can't really send anyone younger than a year or two- and probably only barely then. "You don't think they'd send us someone like Wendy?" You ask, smiling.

Kyou scoffs. "Christmas cake?" She asks, then shakes her head. "I doubt it very much. I doubt any witch Wendy's age would even put her name forward. I know of none like her in the imperial military anyway- there are strict laws about the treatment of witches, even ones from dishonored families."

You nod.

[] So do you have any guesses?
[] I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then.

And that's going to be it for the night! We'll be running on Friday because all week is going to be short like this- though I don't have to make dinner tomorrow night, haha. Leftovers!

Anyway gents, that's it for the night, so till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4443230
>[X] So do you have any guesses?

>>4443231
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4443230
>[X] I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then.

>>4443230
>[x] So do you have any guesses?

>>4443231
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4443230
>[x] I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then.

>>4443230
>[] So do you have any guesses?

FORMER SCHOOLGIRL CRUSH

>>4443230
>[] So do you have any guesses?

>>4443230
>[X] So do you have any guesses?

>>4443230
>[x] So do you have any guesses?
Boy howdy I was BEHIND! I love that Kyou is the one wanting a big ol harem family thing. It’s hilarious to me. Awoo wants more than just all the kills.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] So do you have any guesses?

"So do you have any guesses?" You ask, and Kyou shakes her head.

"Regrettably, no." She responds. "I can guess as to what sort of witch would leap at the opportunity, but it's not a very good metric for narrowing the field. Any ambitious witch would certainly put her name forward, and I can well imagine that our reputation will only enhance our draw."

"They'll have to be guard, though." You point out, and Kyou hesitates.

"Or at least have completed training for such." She says. "Though I cannot imagine they'd allow any branch to have any sort of singular claim. We can expect a mix of army and navy witches, I'm sure."

"Well, we knew the two we were flying with were on the list." You say. Kyou nods.

"It would have been more surprising had they not been." She says. "Though I expect the military to be just as willing to keep them. They've more experience than anyone else in Japan with valkyrie, and I expect both to be forwarded to crews."

"Bit unfortunate for Dai-i Kurita." You point out. "She said she was in a relationship."

Kyou frowns, but nods. "I'm sure she'll be given a chance to withdraw from the project." She says, though her tone indicates that she's sure there'll be pressure applied to the witch to stay in, regardless of her personal circumstances.

She looks up as there's a knock at the door- you stand to get it, though. Opening the door reveals Merlin in civilian clothes- to include shorts that are probably a few inches too short- the doctor in 'casual' clothes- or at least as casual as you suppose she packed, and a pair of uniformed sailors with a crate on a handtruck. "You can just leave that here, gentlemen." Merlin tells them. "The Lieutenant can get it."

Both of them nod and leave as soon as they're dismissed. "Sorry about that, Morgan." Merlin says. "That's the display tables for here, they came in last night after we went back to the house."

You nod, stepping out in the hall long enough to wheel the hand truck inside. The crate, thankfully, isn't heavy- just bulky. Merlin and the doctor are already sitting in the living area by the time you close the door, talking to Kyou.

"I've also got the dossiers the Imperial military forwarded." Merlin says, looking over the back of the couch at you. "Lot of talented names." She holds up a tablet computer. "They're all in here, if you want to take a look."

"Perhaps it would be best to get the display equipment set up so Tessa and Muninn can join us." Kyou says, looking over at you. "I'm sure Morgan is more than capable, with your direction."

Merlin laughs. "Morgan probably doesn't need my direction at all." She says.

[] I can get these set up, oui.
[] Maybe we ought to look now, so we have some names for them to look into as soon as they're up?

>>4444317
>[X] I can get these set up, oui.

>>4444317
>[] I can get these set up, oui.

Tech catte

>Merlin in civilian clothes- to include shorts that are probably a few inches too short-

*nice*

>>4444317
>[x] I can get these set up, oui.

>>4444317
>[] I can get these set up, oui.

>>4444317
>[x] I can get these set up, oui.

Wait, is Wendy still in the shower?

Is she accidentally going to do something lewd without realising Merlin and the doc are here?

Popcorn.gif

>>4444317
>[] I can get these set up, oui.

"TO THE LAST, I BATTLE WITH THEE, VCR!"

Ok, votes called!

>>4443766
Remember when Morgan didn't want to make the same thing Frank did, and wanted to have only one wife?

>>4444381
See, that assumes that Morgan would be the Harem protagonist. He's not, the lewdwoo is.

>>4444381
>>4444397

Yeah, this is Kyou's harem. Morgan's one of the wives.

>>4444381

Really, at this point, I imagine Morgan is more trying for "Damage Control" than anything else.

>>4444381
I do remember that. I'm currently the laughing Tom Cruise meme.
>>4444397
>>4444399
But also these
>>4444401
And this.

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[x] I can get these set up, oui.

You nod. "I can get these set up, oui." You say, pulling the top off the crate and removing the packing material from around the boxes inside. Both of them are simple, plain brown cardboard, without any identifying marks.

"Those are based on what we're marketing to our civilian electronics division." Merlin says. "I've gone through them and modified them for Wyvern team's quarters, so there's a lot more computing power in there to help reduce load on the fighter's systems while you're aboard, but there's only so much we can do and corporate and the navy didn't think it was necessary to duplicate the entire hardware architecture or performance."

You nod, pulling one box out.

"I didn't have a lot of say in the design." Merlin continues as you open the box to find aluminum structural components packed in styrofoam trays resting next to a well-protected flat tabletop screen. "So there's a lot of things in there from the marketing design people. It's probably about as powerful as a good gaming rig, though, so it should be able to at least let a Wyvern AI offload most of the work of projecting an image onto the table, at least."

You nod, looking up as Wendy emerges from the bathroom and Kyou gets up, changing places with the older witch. "The one for the market isn't even that powerful, but it's not optimized to work with an intelligence, either."

"Are these similar to what we had aboard the Kaga?" Wendy asks as she sits down. Merlin nods.

"Similar." She says. "This is the refined version of that. Functionally you shouldn't notice much of a difference, but you'll see the civilian models look like this one."

Wendy nods, watching as you put the tables together. Designed as they are for the civilian market, they're not too difficult to get together, with the big challenge getting it to talk to the building's wireless connection. "That's going to get stable once Muninn and Tessa have it." Merlin says as you tap at the screen, getting more and more frustrated with the windows interface they went with. "Once you get it on the internet, let me see it and I can give them the information they need to get in."

"Hewwo!" Lovelace calls as soon as the wireless hookup completes- Merlin jerks back in surprise as the smiling AI appears on the tabletop. "Sowwy to intwude, but I had qwestions about Kowea!"

"Questions?" Wendy asks, while the doctor frowns- she's probably never met the eccentric AI before.

[] Now's not the time, Lovelace. We can talk later.
[] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

>>4444464
>[X] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

>>4444381
The real question is whether or not Kyou will more men and women for her harem?

>>4444464
>[] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

QUICKLY, TRAPPISH SON-IN-LAW, BEFORE THE WOLF-WIFE RETURNS!

>>4444464
>[x] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.
Make it snappy Lovelace. I have less patience for you than Kyou but I won't argue that you're a useful asset and ally.

>>4444464
>[x] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

>>4444464
>[x] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

>>4444468
More Women is almost certain.

I suspect more men won't suit the playerbase's tastes at all; unless some kind of Astolfo-tier trap is involved.

>>4444464
>[] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

Between kyou and wendy that shower must smell like wet dog by now

>>4444464
>[] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

>>4444468
>>4444485
Kyou seems pretty single-minded about collecting various witches. Now we haven't found any other males characters that have talents but I suspect it's pretty safe to say she's just looking for Witches at this point in time.

>>4444485
As long as they have a smaller dick than us, because Kyou would probably want us to be in charge.

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>>4444485
>Not superior Reverse Trap.

Ok, votes called! this'll probably be it for the night.

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[x] We'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon.

You nod, looking over your shoulder at the bathroom door. "Fine, but we'd better hurry, Kyou'll be out of the shower soon."

Lovelace nods. "Thanks" He says- that annoying accent of his gone. "I've reviewed all the files I can find, and I've gone through Birb- that is, Muninn and Tessa's combat logs and data files. I need information on the hostile AI you encountered, though."

You frown. "What can we tell you their logs can't?" You ask.

"Their logs indicate it attempted to use the MIU to attack all three human crew." Lovelace said. "Thankfully for you, Muninn had a counter intrusion suite I left for her, but her data on the event doesn't indicate how it attempted to attack the crew." He explains.

You nod, looking over at Wendy. "It felt like it was two pronged." You say. "It hit me with a blinding headache, like my skull was trying to split apart, and it also seemed like it was trying to make me doubt myself."

Wendy nods. "It was most certainly attempting to attack our emotions." She says. "The headache was gone relatively quickly, the emotional attack took longer to disappear."

Lovelace frowns. "That's what I thought." He says. "I'm going to distribute an enhanced counter intrusion package to the fleet AIs."

"It also attempted to sever the MIU link between us." You add.

"That's impossible, even for me." Lovelace says. "It was trying to hijack it, but it can't sever it. So far as I know nothing can, beyond physical destruction of the hardware."

"What-" Wendy looks over at you, then back at Lovelace. "What could it have done, had it successfully hijacked the link?"

Lovelace shrugs. "I don't know." He says. "That's what bothers me. I've seen the inside of MIU architecture. It's not like the old VDNI system, there's no control authority. There's not even any control language, not really. You have to be familiar with how a linked human thinks to interpret anything there. And that information isn't something you can just take, I've seen Muninn's core database."

"You what?" Merlin asks, blinking. "I thought Muninn didn't like you?"

Lovelace smiles. "Birby is... how to say it. Tsun." He says. "Regardless. Even with that data, I can't operate your MIU. I've worked alongside it, I know, but I still couldn't just jump in like that. Thing is, attacking the MIU itself is..." he shrugs. "Stupid. Easier to give a human a heart attack or a stroke or a grand mal if you can get in there, but even then, that's almost impossible. That headache you described would probably be the limit of what an AI can really do."

[] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.
[] So you're saying they're not really a threat to us?

>>4444565
>[x] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444565
>[] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

ANd that's gonna be it for the night!

Talked to the folks earlier in the evening, and they're thinking of staying out till sunday. If they decide to, honestly, we won't run the make up day- not much point, since it'll be as short as the runs we've been getting this week already. I'll find out tomorrow, so but fingers crossed they won't- I have stuff to do, haha!

Anyway, I'll let you gents know, but otherwise, till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4444565
>[X] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444570
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4444565
>[] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>I've seen Muninn's core database.

Is this the AI equivalent of casually dropping a "Sir, I fucked your Daughter" ?

>>4444565
>[x] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444570
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4444565
>[x] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.
Stupid or not they did it for a reason. I’ll be curious to see what that reason is though.
>>4444575
I think it might just be. That’s... something else.

>>4444565
>[X] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444575
It's not the father he has to worry about hearing that.

>>4444565
>[X] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444565
>[] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

Just because The Trap says it can't happen, doesn't mean it can't happen.

>>4444565
>[] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

>>4444575

AI LEWDS, AI LEWDS, AI LEWDS, AI LEWDS

>>4444916
AI YO

Ok, votes called!

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[x] So what should we do? We'll probably be seeing more of them.

"So what should we do?" You ask. "We'll probably be seeing more of them."

Lovelace nods. "I know you will. I've found mention of at least one more like that, plus something they're calling Tiger that's descended from it. The AI you encountered though, that's different. There's almost nothing about it anywhere, and it's not present at all anywhere else."

"Is it possible we destroyed it when we destroyed the flying battleship?" Wendy asks.

Lovelace shakes his head. "No." He states, flatly. "I've reviewed the logs, whatever it was was designed to forward project, like I can. But it's not like me, either." He shrugs. "it's all vewwy confusing."

You nod, noting that, with the return of his peculiar way of talking, the AI is much less outwardly serious- which means he's also said and heard all he needed to. "I hafta go now, bye!" He says- and blinks out. Tessa replaces him a moment later, looking a little perturbed.

"Sorry I'm late, mum." She says to Wendy. "I had some trouble finding this display routing. Muninn should be along presently."

"Lovelace was here." Merlin says, explaining. "He probably locked it out."

Tessa frowns, then nods. "Most likley." She says. "He's been incredibly fussy over Muninn since our encounter with the Chinese AI."

"Worried about riders?" Merlin asks, and Tessa shrugs.

"I suspect so, though he's spending a great deal of time with Muninn's core files, if you'll forgive me for saying. Quite scandalous." the Maid AI says. "Quite scandalous."

"Is there a reason for that?" You ask.

Tessa nods. "Muninn dealt with the majority of the intrusion AI's attacks." She says. "I merely fended off anything that made it through my sibling's defensive measures and maintained the MIU link. But Muninn was very much the focus of it's efforts."

You nod. "So you're fine?"

"As near as I am able to tell." Tessa responds. "I'd considered granting Lovelace enough access to run security routines, but for siblings to both do that to one other intelligence..." She trails off. "Scandalous. My own security routines report nothing out of the ordinary, and no untoward files anywhere in my operating system."

Muninn pops in as soon as Tessa finishes her sentence, his avatar a crow- again. "Sorry I'm late." He says.

"Busy with Lovelace?" Tessa asks, a mean, thin grin on her face.

"Hardly." Muninn responds. "That freak? Please."

[] "Do we need to have the talk?"
[] "Lovelace already told us, Muninn."
[] "You know, he's not such a bad person. Just a bit eccentric."

>>4445914
>[X] "Do we need to have the talk?"

>>4445914
>[X] "Do we need to have the talk?"

>>4445914
>[x] "You know, he's not such a bad person. Just a bit eccentric."

>>4445914
>[x] "Do we need to have the talk?"
We must raise our child properly. And getting the talk from Kyou might scar it.

>>4445914
>[] "Do we need to have the talk?"

QUAIL, BIRD-CHILD, YOUR CAT-FATHER SEEKS BLOOD

>>4445914
>[x] "Do we need to have the talk?"

I cannot resist this

>>4445963
Sometimes you just have to press the comedy buttons.


What on earth has happened to captcha? It's all weird now.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] "Do we need to have the talk?"

"Muninn, do we need to have the talk?" You ask. You're pretty sure that you're able to maintain a convincing front, here- even against an AI that's based in part on your brain.

"The... talk?" Muninn tilts his head to one side, then the other.

"About sex." You state, flatly- both Merlin and the doctor blush, with the doctor looking like she's strongly considering heading for the nearest exit. Wendy, meanwhile, hides her smile behind her hand- an indication of just how much she's changed in a few days. This time last week she'd have been looking to join the doctor.

Muninn blinks. "And why would we need to talk about that?"

"What's this I hear about you allowing core database access to Lovelace?" You ask.

Muninn blinks again, looking surprised. "W-Who told you that? It's a lie, of course."

"Muninn." You say, flatly.

The AI blinks again. "I, uh- Oh look at the time I have to go run some critical diagnostics." He says, and his avatar blinks out.

Merlin laughs, while Tessa scowls. "I'll go fetch him, if you wish."

"Might be better to let him sulk for a bit." Wendy responds. "I'm sure he's quite embarrassed already."

"Probably." Merlin says, still laughing lightly. "It's not quite the same for them, of course, so what Muninn and Lovelace were doing was probably like a make-out session."

"That's still much more than we'd been led to believe they were doing." Wendy points out. "And seems to be rather soon."

"AI relationships are different than ours." Merlin points out. "Which only makes sense, they can't procreate. Well, they can, but not the same way we do. AIs can write a new AI, of course, but there's no need for another AI to do it. In effect, they can clone themselves."

"Though most would prefer to have a second intelligence help them do so." Tessa points out. "And the necessary hardware to house a new intelligence in also prohibits the practice outside specific instances. Though allowing core database access is... as I said, rather scandalous."

"What would the next step be?" You ask.

"Root file access, most probably." Tessa responds. "Which is roughly equivalent to intercourse as you understand it."

"I see." You say, looking back at the bathroom door as Kyou steps out. "Later." You tell Tessa- she nods.

"Apologies." Kyou says. "I was rather enjoying the sensation of being able to stretch in the shower."

Merlin laughs, and even the doctor gives a tentative smile. "Well, if you're ready, I've got the dossiers, like I said." Merlin says. "And I've also got a couple of systems we can go over to install, if you want."

Kyou nods, then looks over at you. "Which do you feel we should do first?" She asks.

[] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.
[] We can talk systems till Muninn gets back, I think.

>>4446029
>[X] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

>>4446029
>[X] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

>>4446029
>[x] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

>>4446029
>[x] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

>>4446029
>[] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

>>4446029
>[] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

"If we must"

ok, votes called!

>>4446029
>"Root file access, most probably." Tessa responds. "Which is roughly equivalent to intercourse as you understand it."

Hahahah they're rooting

mad cunts

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[x] Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way.

"Let's talk witches first, get that out of the way." You say, as Kyou takes a seat next to you. Merlin nods, setting her tablet on top of the table.

"Tessa, can you access that?" She asks, and the AI clones the tablet's display to the table.

"Quite easily, mum." Tessa responds. "Shall I display the witch dossiers?"

"Please do." Merlin says, and Tessa brings them up.

You scan them at the same time as Wendy and Kyou. "As I anticipated." Kyou says, finishing first and leaning back. "All of them are around our age, and none of them are currently active with the guard."

"And all of them are signals or support talents." You say, frowning. That's unusual enough to stand out by itself.

Kyou nods. "Bearing in mind the capabilities of the valkyrie, perhaps that's an indication the military is paying attention. You'll note, however, neither the Sho-sa or Dai-i appear."

You frown, looking at the list of names again, then nod. Neither of them does appear as a potential wingmate- though you're sure you could request either of them, should you want to, that's something else to read into. "How many of them are from influential families?" Wendy asks.

Kyou shakes her head. "None of them appear to be." She says. "But that may not mean anything. Witches of the imperial coven, like their western counterparts, are known to keep their familial names through marriage. However, from the nature of the request, I doubt the coven or the imperial high command would be willing to allow anyone here for political reasons alone."

You nod- that's a relief to you. Not for the first time you consider that Maman probably made you far too paranoid about that sort of thing, but by now it's an ingrained response.

"Interesting." Kyou remarks, looking over the list again. "A command talent."

You frown. "With us?"

1/2

"Command talent, to the coven, means improved spatial awareness." Kyou clarifies. "I imagine, linked to the MIU, she'd be able to keep track of everything in the battlespace easily."

"An enhancement talent?" Wendy says, frowning. "That would have interesting interactions with you, mum."

Kyou nods. "I doubt we'd be able to create a positive feedback loop, but it may be worth examining anyway." She says. "It's a pity we'll not be able to do as we did for initial selection and fly with each of them."

"There's also a signals witch there." Merlin points out. "She's got a noted talent for being able to mask herself and her wingmates from radar detection, but she's not really a SEAD specialist like Danielle is."

You nod, but Kyou frowns. "that's less useful for us." She says. "Our mission is going to require being seen more often than not."

"And a machine talent. Of course." Kyou says, nodding.

"Not just any machine talent." Merlin points out. "She's noted for being able to extend that ability to nearby vehicles, not just her own."

"Two group enhancement talents?" Kyou asks, leaning back again and smiling. "I can only see my mother's hand in this."

Merlin shuffles in her seat some. "I wouldn't know." She says. "This is just the list they sent."

"Of course." Kyou responds. "I'm most interested in the enhancement talent and the machine enhancement witch. I feel either or both of them would be excellent additions to our team."

You nod, though you keep being drawn back to the awareness witch- with the MIU link, that would more or less transfer to the rest of you as well. While the MIU does an excellent job allowing you to track multiple things at once- or, more accurately, allowing you to call up information on something instantly without needing to see it, or to shove the information into your awareness when you need to know- from what Kyou's saying, this witch could short circuit that, making it so you simply had awareness at all times.

"How are they intending for this to work?" Kyou asks Merlin. "Do we request to meet them through you?"

Merlin nods. "They're all being withdrawn from their units and moved to Shimofusa airbase. All of them are in consideration for the Japanese Wyvern program, as well, so they're kind of waiting on you."

Kyou nods. "We'll have to look at these dossiers longer before we can make a decision."

Merlin nods. "There's also the additional work on the wyvern, if you want." She says. "Or, if you prefer, we can head down to the flight line, the Yellowstone cannon is in."

[] Let's talk about upgrade packages first.
[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

And that's going to be it for the night! Ran a little long- I don't have to be up tomorrow, haha. Still, we'll be running at least a short thread to get to a stopping point tomorrow, since this isn't quite where I'd hoped we'd get to this week.

Anyway gents, I'm kinda beat, so till tomorrow, cheers!

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>>4446231
>[X] Let's talk about upgrade packages first.

>>4446232
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4446231
[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

>>4446231
>[X] Let's talk about upgrade packages first.

>>4446231
So, what's the names of the Machine and awareness/enhancement witches?

Anyone we'd recognise?

Got photos?

>>4446231
>[x] Let's talk about upgrade packages first.

>>4446232
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4446231
>[] Let's talk about upgrade packages first.

>>4446231
>[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

>>4446231
>[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

>>4446231
>[X]Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

I too wish to see the Thanix Cannon.

>>4446231
>[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

>>4446231
>[] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

There's no possible way this could backfire.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line.

You smile. "Kyou's never going to forgive me if I don't suggest we go to the flight line." You say, getting a serious nod out of your teammate.

"It would be a serious breech of protocol." Kyou nods, gravely, then looks over at Merlin. "Will this require us to be in uniform?"

"Wouldn't be a bad idea," Merlin responds. "Mitsuko and I should be fine, but it'd be better if you were in at least a duty uniform."

Kyou nods, standing and heading into the bedroom to change.

"So when you say it's in, is it already installed?" You ask. Merlin blinks, then shakes her head.

"No, I mean it arrived last night from the plant." She responds. "along with replacement parts and equipment, the antennas for the install there, and the modified nosegear we're going to have to install."

"Seems quite a lot to have flown in." Wendy says, and Merlin shrugs.

"Not as much, I just wanted it here as soon as possible because it's likely to be a fairly long process to install it."

"How long?" You ask, frowning.

"At least a couple of weeks." Merlin responds. "We have to do a lot of structural work, re-route everything in that area and add shielding to it- " She shakes her head. "It's a lot of work, but it will give you a good opportunity to integrate with your new wingmate, at least."

[] Any suggestions to help us narrow the group?
[] How are we going to do that? Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, won't it?

>>4447220
>[X] Any suggestions to help us narrow the group?

>>4447220
>[x] How are we going to do that? Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, won't it?

>>4447220
>[] How are we going to do that? Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, won't it?

I sense terrible shenanigans afoot.

>>4447220
>[] Any suggestions to help us narrow the group?

>>4447220
>[x] How are we going to do that? Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, won't it?

Ok, votes called!

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[x] How are we going to do that? Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, won't it?

You frown. "How are we going to do that?" You ask. "Muninn's going to be grounded while you're working, right?"

Merlin nods. "Of course, but you can still do things on the ground, and we can still do full power MIU work while we're installing the cannon using ground power."

You frown. "That seems like a partial answer." You say, and Merlin blinks, then shakes her head.

"Not at all!" she protests. "We can still use the MIU link while on the ground, especially with ground power like we have here. You just can't fly, is all."

Wendy stands as Kyou steps out of the bedroom, having changed into an IJN officer's duty uniform- the witch version of it, of course. It sets the tone for what the rest of you will change into as well- sadly, you can't exactly wear a flight suit if she's dressed like that.

"We used to keep a couple of aircraft here for crews who's wyverns were grounded for work, but the navy stopped the practice after a couple of crashes." Merlin explains. "You get so used to flying with an AI and MIU that it's hard to transition back after a while. It's why it's never been picked up out in the civilian world, really. No one but the military can afford to link a vehicle to it's crew the same way."

You nod- you're well aware of the history and limitations of the system. "So we can't fly."

"Not now, at least." Merlin says. "At least not right now. You could always ask Anya Lee if she's got anything she's willing to take you up in, usually she's happy to."

"There are other things we can see to as well." Kyou offers. "As an example, preparing to move Morgan and Wendy's civilian goods to the palace."

Merlin hesitates. "It's possible, but keep in mind you're not on leave, here." She says.

You nod, as does Kyou, and Wendy steps out of the bedroom, still buttoning up the short-sleeved khaki top of her uniform. You step past her, changing quickly, and once you're changed, the five of you take a pair of cars over to the flight line- You, Kyou and Wendy in one, Merlin driving the doctor in the other.

1/2

You have to go through operations first, where they clear you to head onto the flight line. There's no actual flight ops today- there's aircraft due in, but nothing up on training, TOP GUN classes not being slated to start for another week yet. The line itself is mostly empty as a result- there's a handful of aggressor and instructor aircraft, Tigersharks and F-16s mostly, along with late model Migs and Sukhois, war captures in every case, and effectively flying museum pieces. the jump in aerospace technology over the last twenty years mirrors, in many ways, the change back in the early part of the 20th century, too- aircraft less than two decades old are already almost hopelessly obsolescent.

The five of you pile into one of the carts that never leave the flight line to drive over to the familiar Wyvern pad. The huge blue tailfin of the vought transport aircraft sticks up above the aircraft hangars in that direction, sitting on it's own special spot on the pad. There's several crates set out here, parts that have been offloaded from the massive aircraft for installation or replacement of worn components on Muninn.

"There it is!" Merlin says, pointing to a pile of large, steel containers. "In the containers."

Kyou frowns. "That seems rather anticlimactic." She says. "Are we not allowed to examine the components?"

Merlin laughs, shaking her head. "Over here." She says, motioning for you to follow her. "I helped offload it early this morning. We've got most of it unpacked and on the armatures in the hangar over here."

Following her into the hangar, you can see she wasn't lying about the size of the cannon. "We've got it on the armature here to go over it." Merlin explains. Frankly, it's a little disappointing looking to you, the only hints to it's nature being the oddly shrouded barrel. "It's pretty simple in theory, using a very powerful induction heater to melt alloy billet plugs and then propelling it down the barrel of a more or less conventional electromagnetic launcher. It's a derivative of something else I was working on, so this makes it the first functional version of my linear cannon."

As she goes on, Kyou walks over, running a hand along the barrel of the cannon, walking back towards the base of it. Wendy leans over. "I hardly dare say it, but that look she's got is very similar to the one she uses when she watches you walk." She says.

Frankly, you're not surprised.

And that's gonna be it for the week! sorry about that long delay- kinda dozed off at the computer there for a minute. Haven't had enough coffee today, clearly, haha! That and I won't lie, got kinda sidetracked listening to one of the Tex talks battletech episodes. Pretty good, honestly- if a bit harsh on my boys the Draconis Combine.

Anyway, that's it for the week, but as always, I'll be around to answer any questions or comments here, and in the discord as well. I'm in the old SWQ IRC channel, too, though that's pretty quiet these days, haha!

Anyway gents, that's all for me, so till next week, cheers!

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>>4447378
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4447378
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4447378
thanks for running ghost!

>>4447378
Thanks for running!

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Merlin's highly experimental cannon has Kyou enraptured.

To be fair, the more she talks about it, the more impressive it sounds. The slugs are of a new alloy, and it uses bleeding edge electromagnetic propulsion to fling rounds at reentry speeds- somewhere, she claims, in the neighborhood of thirty times the speed of sound. For that, though, their range isn't that great, with the rounds starting to come apart almost as soon as they leave the barrel, and having completely fragmented after about ten miles or so. While the shotgun-like effect would be dangerous, it's effectively impossible to aim or really even predict for an AI, let alone a person, making scoring any kind of hit at that range more a matter of luck than anything else.

That said, you are, you have to admit, quite lucky.

"So these are the slugs?" Kyou asks, pointing at a light blue-gray bar, about eight inches long, of an unidentifiable metal.

Merlin nods. "That's one kind, yes." She says.

"One kind?" Kyou asks.

"Well, we've got two materials." Merlin says, looking a little... uneasy. "That one is pretty conventional. Well, as conventional as you can call something like this. It's an alloy of Tungsten, Iron and Cobalt, and functions like a very high weight explosively formed penetrator. Well," She pauses. "Sort of. At those speeds things tend to develop very strange aerodynamic shapes, but because we're not really worried about having too much heat, it's more an issue of controlling it's trajectory in the air."

You nod. The concept makes sense- even if it's fired as a liquid mass, the alloy is going to have cooled and resolidified, probably, by the time it reaches it's target- though it's going more than fast enough to make that not really matter. "So this is the standard load?"

"Well, for now." She says. "The other is a bit different, we don't have any on hand."

"That's unusual. Why not?" Kyou asks.

1/2

"Well..." Merlin trails off. "Mostly manufacturing issues. It's kind of a new field, a metal-ceramic alloy, and it's got some very odd properties that make handling it a bit... ah." She pauses. "Tricky?"

You blink. "Tricky?" You ask.

She nods. "It's got an incredibly high density and weight, kind of like depleted uranium." She says. " And it's self-sharpening in the same sort of applications. But it's also difficult to manufacture in any quantity. The exotic materials center only just announced it, and I only got about eighty pounds of it to test and work with out of the initial batch."

"How many slugs would that make?" Kyou asks

"One, and it wouldn't be standard size." Merlin responds, indicating the round Kyou's holding. "About three inches shorter than that."

Kyou blinks. "So why would we beleive this is a superior material."

"Well," Merlin starts. "I mentioned it has interesting properties. One of them is how it handles energy. It doesn't like transferring anything to gases or liquids, as near as we can tell, but it rapidly loses heat to other solids." She says. "It will readily absorb heat from any source, but that also means that it's hard to cool once it's gotten to certain point. Fired out of a linear cannon like this one..." She trails off. "Well, I'm not sure, honestly."

[] Would it be a significant performance improvement?
[] How long till we'd be able to test them for you?

>>4452610
>[X] Would it be a significant performance improvement?

Realized I didn't get in a news spot at the beginning, haha!

Today's probably gonna be a bit short- I've been sleeping like garbage again, so I expect to run out of steam early in the evening. No idea when, but I'm sure you gents will be able to tell. Probably run a makeup day to cover it, if we need to.

Other than that, though, no real news here, which is good news, haha!

>>4452610
>[x] How long till we'd be able to test them for you?

>>4452610
>[x] How long till we'd be able to test them for you?

>>4452610
>[x] Would it be a significant performance improvement?

So we have either a canister shot or a straight slug?

>>4452610
>[] Would it be a significant performance improvement?

merlin being antsy about this has me worried.

Is this Martian tech? Because this sounds like some real alium shit.

>>4452610
>[X] How long till we'd be able to test them for you?

>>4452610
>[] Would it be a significant performance improvement?

I can *hear* Princess Big Awoo dancing in place

Ok, votes called!

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[x] Would it be a significant performance improvement?

"Would it be a significant performance improvement?" You ask.

She hesitates again. "Well, the slugs you've got now are really just slightly modified versions of the ones EMLs already use." She says, indicating again the billet Kyou's got. "We don't shape these at all, and there's a slightly different composition of materials. Assuming Saturnite works the way we're projecting it to..."

She pauses and shakes her head. "Well, they'll be much more destructive, but to aircraft that's kind of pointless anyway. For larger targets, in addition to kinetic forces, you'd also have significant transfer of thermal energy, due to Saturnite's properties. We're also projecting about a thirty percent increase in effective range due to it's weight and a few other properties, so probably around thirteen miles effective.

"Are there other potential uses of this cannon?" Kyou asks, suddenly. "It seems odd to prototype something that cannot conceivably be fit to more than our aircraft easily."

Merlin nods. "It's a class four weapon, so it can function aboard ships and in ground installations with the requisite power output. Because of it's range limitations, though, it probably won't be, and will be limited to composite crew vehicles like Wyverns or the Air force's B-1 fleet."

"How difficult would it be to acquire these- what did you call them? Saturnite? rounds at the front?" Kyou asks.

"Well, that's where Yellowstone works for us." Merlin says. "All we really need are bars of it sent to us, if we have to we can cut the rounds from that, since the cannon fires them as molten slugs anyway. But as for when we'd be able to get them..." She trails off, then shakes her head. "I'm not sure. I'd say if we were, we'd have to keep an eye on our supply pretty closely."

"Ammunition problems would be rather unwelcome." Wendy notes.

1/2

"Well, the regular rounds are much easier to get, and we shouldn't have any problem there." Merlin responds. "If we really have to, we can use standard EML slugs from B-1Ws, though they'd be less effective. But I think Saturnite will be at a premium. I do plan for us to get some for testing purposes while I've got you here, but that won't be for at least ten days."

"What manner of test targets will we be engaging?" Kyou asks. "In order to tell a difference between these slugs and this Saturnite?"

"I'm not sure yet." Merlin responds. "I'll probably have QF drones sent up from China lake, but we'll have to see. I think there's also a few retired perry frigates available, we may use one of those."

Kyou nods, pleased, as she sets down the alloy billet. "I feel this was the correct choice. Though, I must ask, Saturnite- is there any connection to our oft-rumored other solar neighbors?"

Merlin shakes her head, shooting a glance at you. "Uh, no," She says, a little hesitantly. "I helped name it, but it's got nothing to do with that."

Kyou catches the glance, and looks back at you.

[] It's from a video game, Kyou.
[] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?

And gents, I'm going to call it there for the night. I'm dog tired, and dragging pretty badly already. I know that's pretty disappointing, and I'm sorry- don't know what happened last night, just couldn't sleep.

Anyway, that's quite enough of that, haha. I may be around another ten or so minutes to answer questions or comments if there are any, but otherwise, gents, till tomorrow, cheers!

>>4452755
>[x] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?

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>>4452755
>[X] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452756
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4452756
Thanks for the run Ghost! Good luck on getting a decent nights rest.

>>4452755
>[x] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452755
>[X] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452755
>[X] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452755
>[] It's from a video game, Kyou.

"I got spurs, that jingle jangle jingle~"

>>4452755
>[X] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452755
>[x] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?
Maybe don't embarrass the Auntie *too* much

>>4452755
>[] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?

>>4452755
>[x] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?

>>4452755
>[] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?
Would it be used to make replacement throwing, or paring knives?

>>4452755
>[x] It's from a video game, Kyou.

>>4452755
>[] It's a fine name. How does it work for knives?

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Egad, I'm way, way behind.

Havings shitty shitscribble.

>>4452755
>>4452755
>It's from a video game, Kyou.
A bet is a bet

Ok gents votes called! Got some... uh. mixed? news, too, so we'll get to that.

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[x] It's from a video game, Kyou.

"It's from a video game, Kyou." You explain, looking at a very sheepish Merlin. "I thought you didn't like old world blues?"

"I didn't." Merlin responds. "But we voted on the name and that one won."

"How much of the development of this alloy was your work?" Kyou asks Merlin, turning her attention back to the cannon.

"Not much." Merlin responds. "I just provided some modeling support, really. The chemistry and metallurgy in it is far beyond me."

The doctor looks surprised to hear that- you're not, of course. While she's aware, if nothing else, that she's probably one of those once in a thousand year transformative geniuses mankind occasionally produces, Merlin is also, if nothing else, not the kind to think about it, preferring instead to just play mad scientist.

Of course, that, you know, was part of her problem with the game they apparently took the name of saturnite from- she, like the antagonists, never really stops to think about how just because she can, doesn't mean she should.

"I see." Kyou responds, looking at Wendy. "Are there other applications of it thus far?"

Merlin shakes her head. "Not that I know of." She says. "But it's still new enough that it's specifications and behavior aren't widely known yet. I'm sure there are a lot of other applications, though."

You nod.

"What do you think, doctor?" Kyou asks, turning her attention to the younger witch. She starts at the question, turning to look at Kyou quickly.

"F-forgiveness, please." She says. "I don't understand."

"Of the saturnite alloy." Kyou responds.

"O-oh." She says, then frowns, thinking. "I certainly see the wisdom in Merlin-sama's intended use, and agree it will be extremely powerful in such an application. I would also wonder about it's viability in cannon shells or even smaller rounds as a way to increase their potential."

Kyou nods, looking at Merlin. "Would such a thing be possible?"

Merlin pauses, then nods, slowly. "I think so." She responds. "Maybe as armor piercing tips, replacing the tungsten cores your mixed metal penetrators use now. I'm not sure about smaller rounds yet, but that does lead into how you're going to want to refit Tessa and your incoming wingmate's aircraft."

[] What are you thinking, Wendy?
[] What do you suggest then, Auntie?

>>4453856
>[X] What are you thinking, Wendy?

>>4453856
>[x] What are you thinking, Wendy?

>>4453856
>[x] What are you thinking, Wendy?

Cyborg Merlin sounds slightly terrifying, NGL

>>4453856
>[X] What are you thinking, Wendy?

>>4453856
>[] What are you thinking, Wendy?

>>4453856
>[] What are you thinking, Wendy?
i kinda want to see Merlin jump out of her skin when Wendy starts expressing assertive opinions on things instead of just deferring

>>4453856
>[] What are you thinking, Wendy?

Ok, votes called!

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[x] What are you thinking, Wendy?

You half turn to look at Wendy, who's taken a seat, her legs crossed, on one of the rolling work stools the ground crews sometimes use. She thinks for a second, then shakes her head. "I'm quite torn, sadly." She says, after a second. "I feel as if my first priority is to make sure that you and the lady Kyou aren't troubled by rude strangers, and thus Tessa and I's equipment should reflect that. On the other hand, if we're to be fighting more of those flying battleships, I'd quite prefer to have much better firepower in order to at least see off the drones more capably."

Kyou nods, agreeing, as do you- it's fairly vague, about like you expected, but it provides direction enough, you hope, for Merlin.

Merlin nods. "Well, I think we've got two ways we can go." She says, looking at you. "There's not a lot of room to work on the valkyries, they're too small to get much in the way of additional equipment on them, or even replace what's already there. We designed them to be a transition between regular steelwings and striker." She frowns. "There's room in the lower nose sections, where the fifties are, to mount something maybe as big as a twenty millimeter revolver cannon, but I'm not sure how much ammunition we could get onboard if we did. We might be able to get enough if we go ahead and install holding equipment in the nacelles, but if we did that, there's no way we'd be able to mount any sort of other equipment down there."

"What other options exist?" Kyou asks.

1/2

"Well, we could use the space for an ordinance bay." Merlin offers. "I don't know what all we'd be able to get in there, probably no more than three or four small heat seekers, but that's more than we'll be able to get with pylons and fuselage hardpoints. We could also mount additional electronic warfare equipment there, but I'm not sure how useful that would be going forward, since Muninn and Tessa are both improving their capabilities."

"Doctor?" You ask- she looks like she's eager to say something, but scared of speaking out of turn.

"O-oh. Forgive me, I was merely thinking if it were to be possible to miniturize this cannon further." She says, indicating Yellowstone. "The principles it operates on are honed by a master, but they're well known. It may be possible to produce something similar for the valkyrie unit."

Merlin frowns- then nods, slowly, but with growing excitement. "Yes, yes I think it would. It would only have about half the range, and fewer shots, owing to power limitations, but I think it could be mounted as a rifle." She says. "We could also do that with a forty millimeter, like you've got installed."

Wendy smiles. "Perhaps it would be best of me to allow you time to think on the subject?" She says.

Merlin shakes her head. "Don't wait too long." She warns. "We'd like to get this done alongside any work we're doing to Muninn, so we're not waiting on you too long to return to the front. We're already running a risk by pulling you back so close to everyone else's return times."

Wendy looks over at you. "What do you think, morgan?" She asks. "I'd prefer to wait of course, but it sounds as if this is a decision that falls within your area."

[] Figure out something now, so we're able to get the work done sooner.
[] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.
[] How long do you think we'd be able to wait, Merlin?

>>4453982
>[X] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

>>4453982
>[x] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

>>4453982
>[] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

>>4453982
>[] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

Spoil the nerds with food in repayment for their THROBBING BRAINS.

>>4453982
>[x] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more

>inb4 the doc and merlin start building mad scientist sexual tension while figuring out how to give wendy a long, hard, powerful cannon

>>4453982
>[] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

Bribe the cake with *The* Cake if necesarry

Ok, votes called! This'll probably be our last update for the evening.

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[x] Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more.

You think for a second. "Give Merlin and the doc a day or two, but no more." You say, getting a nod out of Wendy.

Merlin looks a little unsure, but nods. "I think with that kind of time I-" She pauses, looking over at the doctor- "We. Can come up with something."

You nod, but Kyou speaks for the three of you. "We look forward to hearing about it." She says. "What other options exist for Muninn, since we're to be grounded?"

"Well," Merlin starts. "I've got podded equipment, of course, for your tailbooms, and there's always incremental items we'll be working on, but since you're down for a major rebuild of the forward fuselage anyway, we can install a new radar system, or we can install improved control surfaces and leading edges."

"What would the benefit of that be?" Kyou asks.

"Better control." Merlin responds. "Improved maneuverability, too, but to really get the most out of it we'd also have to install the redesigned engines. They've got marginally more thrust, but their biggest advantage is improved thrust vectoring. "

Kyou nods. "How would that interact with our discussed changes to the web inside the aircraft?" She asks.

"Well, your IR bafflers would have to be re-calibrated, if you intended to keep them." Merlin says. "of course, we could change those out for any of the other systems we have available, but we can also do that without an engine change."

"How long would that add to our time here?" You ask, before they get too carried away.

Merlin shakes her head. "I'm not sure." She says. "I Have to call in the factory team already, but this would probably add between three and five days."

Kyou frowns. "That's a long time to ask us to remain away from the front." She points out. "Especially given the danger we now know exists."

1/2

Merlin nods. "Right now the air force is taking over missions to engage and destroy them if and when they appear." She says, then smiles. "As it happens, the B-1W is almost ideal for the job, there's very little for an AI to attack and their rail cannons are more than capable of defeating that kind of armor."

"Still." Kyou insists. "It seems improper for us to withdraw now."

"You're not the only ones." Merlin points out. "I have both of the other valkyrie teams slated to return within the week, and two more wyerns will be getting valkyries this week, so they'll be back here as well."

"Two more?" Wendy asks, sounding surprised. "My goodness, they must have ramped up production incredibly."

Merlin nods, shooting a glance over at the doctor. "Vought's team got two built and tested and handed over in about the same time it took the Mitsubishi team to get their first out." She says. "I can also, if you want, call the team up and have them pull some things out of the warehouse."

"What kind of things?" Kyou asks, and Merlin shakes her head.

"I've got a pair of experimental engines." Merlin says. "They're... very, very powerful, but I've only ever mounted them in the four place strike wyvern prototype. We'd have to rebuild both engine bays and rebuild your intakes as well, but I think with them you'd be capable of..." She trails off and shrugs. "Just about anything, really. I once did the math on it, they'd be able to take a combat loaded wyvern into low orbit easily enough."

Kyou's eyes light up- but she shakes her head with a sad smile. "As amazing as those sound, I feel the more practical answer is to have our control surfaces improved." She says, looking over at you.

[] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.
[] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

>>4454151
>[x] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.

>>4454151
>[X] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.

And that's it for the night!

So, about that news. Long story short, school has decided (again) that we have to split our class up, and is refusing to pay our instructor for additional time. What this means, basically, is I'm losing half my class time. At least, till we go back to ignoring it. So, going forward, at least for now, I'll effectively have Tuesday and Thursday off of class. Normally I'd be pretty happy since that's extra time to work on this, but in this one case, not so much, haha.

Anyway, we can expect Tuesday and Thursday's runs to go back to starting a little earlier, and wed. and thurs to go back to ending a little later. At least, that's my plan for now.

but, that said, that's it for the evening. I'm still going in in the morning to see what's going on, if there's been any sort of change or if it's something else going on that I can or have to do, but I have no idea. Either way, I'll be headed to bed right after this, haha, so till tomorrow, gents, cheers!

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>>4454151
>[X] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

>>4454158
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4454151
>[] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

>>4454151
>[] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.

>>4454151
>[] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

>they'd be able to take a combat loaded wyvern into low orbit easily enough
alright, gather enough tungsten to make up the weight of our combat load, and drop a rod from god right down chinas throat.

>>4454194
An interesting idea.

>>4454151
>[] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.

>>4454151
>[] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

BIG AWOO ENERGY DEMANDS BIG AWOO ENGINES

>>4454151
>[X] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

I feel that we’re already plenty maneuverable as it is. More thrust sounds very nice to me. Being able to Burn and Burn will be quite useful I suspect. Also fun.

>>4454151
>[x] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

>>4454151
>[X] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it

>>4454151
>[x] I agree, Let's do the control surface overhaul.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight- and those engines sound like just the thing to do it.

You shake your head. Historically, you reflect, speed has been the single most decisive factor- far less so, of course, in the modern era of beyond visual range engagements, but in your case there may be an exception to that. Being able to entirely dictate the terms of a fight is a powerful advantage- and being able to get out of one you don't want, even more powerful.

Not that you expect to run into too many of those.

"I'd rather be able to dictate the terms of the fight." You say. "And those engines sound just like the thing to do it."

Kyou nods. "They do, but it leaves the question of if Wendy and Tessa will be able to keep up." She says, looking over at the older witch. "It is fine for us to be able to decide when and where we intend to engage, but it is much less useful if we must do so and leave our wingmate behind."

Merlin shakes he head. "That shouldn't be an issue." She says. "Valkyrie is rated.. Well, we've never really actually found where it stops accelerating. "

Kyou blinks at that. "Is that so?" She asks, sounding surprised. "That's quite impressive."

"To some extent." Merlin agrees. "The problem is that while valkyrie can accelerate indefinitely, the witch inside usually can't."

Kyou looks over at Wendy, who nods. "The faster we go, the more demanding Tessa becomes." She says. "I'm not sure where my limit lies, but I doubt we'd be able to match Muninn."

"We can do some optimization work that should help." Merlin offers. "And it's possible we'll have an option, but I think doctor Hayashi and I will have to discuss some things before we present any options to you."

You nod as she continues. "Which reminds me. Have you given any thought to the candidate list?" She says.

"Eager to meet your next subordinate?" Kyou asks with a smile. Merlin shakes her head.

"Well, yes, but no." She says. "I'm more interested in giving you as much time with them as possible before you make your decision."

Kyou nods. "How do they intend for us to handle this?"

"Well, I can have them all flown over, but I think the imperial military would prefer we didn't do that, and instead just went on the sent dossiers." Merlin supplies. "But they're also being incredibly cooperative, so I doubt they'd say anything if I relayed you'd wanted to meet all four and make your decision that way."

"So similar to our own selection." Kyou says, looking over at you- you nod. "What is your opinion, Morgan? Should we have all of them flown over?"

[] What can Merlin tell us about them?
[] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.
[] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

>>4455058
>[X] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.

>>4455058
>[] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.

>>4455058
[] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.

>>4455058
>What can Merlin tell us about them?

>>4455058
>[x] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

>>4455058
>[] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

>>4455058
>[x] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.
>[x] What can Merlin tell us about them?

I need information and opinions.

Looks like we have a tie between

[] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.

and

[] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

so I'll open up a fifteen-twenty minute period for a tiebreaker and for me to go get a drink!

>>4455119
>[X] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

>>4455119
Just to make sure no double ties, sorry if you are already writing Ghost
[X] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

>>4455119
>[X] Might as well. It's going to be tricky since we're grounded.

ok, vote called. again. haha!

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[x] Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first.

You shake your head. "Not yet, I'd like a day or two to read the dossiers first." You respond, and Kyou nods.

"That makes the most sense." She agrees. "Personally I'd prefer the extra time to get to know them, but doing so will leave us at a disadvantage. I'm sure all four of them have been given as much information as possible on the three of us."

Wendy blinks at that. "Y-you think so, mum? All our information?"

"Our service records, at least." Kyou says, nodding. "Were you perhaps worried they'd have more information than they needed?"

Wendy pauses. "M-my service jacket from my time in the RAF is less than stellar, mum." She points out. "I'd hate for them to get the wrong impression of what the posting as your wingmate would require."

"I'm certain your USN service record more than makes up for any lies the Royal Airforce decided to tell." Kyou says. "And your recent service as our wingmate should be more than enough to convince them the posting is not one to be taken lightly."

Wendy considers that for a minute, looking over at Merlin, who nods- the doctor, again, appears to have busied herself in examining the cannon, not wanting to 'intrude' you're sure.

Kyou smiles. "And the guard has a way of instilling the utter importance of the posting upon it's candidates. Even Hohiro's guards can be incredibly serious." She says, then looks over at you. "Though I can't help but wonder how Cassiopeia is going to adjust."

You s hake your head, smiling. Cass, you well know, is more than physically and mentally able to buckle down and get things done- like all her sisters, she's much more intelligent than most people think, and her preference for sports and doing things didn't mean she didn't have her nose in a book more often than not. How she'd do in the guard is a good question though- She can take orders, of course, she's military afterall, but she, like the rest of her immediate sisters, will also make it very plain when she thinks they're stupid or she doesn't respect the person giving them.

Of course, there's also the known fact that Cass likes standing out- and not being an imperial guard witch while being involved with Hohiro, you're sure, would make her feel like that. She's a bit of an attention queen, Cass is.

[] She'll be fine, I'm sure.
[] She probably won't, honestly.

>>4455208
>[X] She'll be fine, I'm sure.

>>4455208
>[] She'll be fine, I'm sure.

"And if she isn't, I'm sure she'll take steps to remedy the problem."

>>4455208
>[x] She'll be fine, I'm sure.

>>4455208
>[] She'll be fine, I'm sure.

>>4455208
>She'll be fine, I'm sure.

Ok, votes called!

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[x] She'll be fine, I'm sure.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure." You say. "She's probably as capable as I am, and if I know Cass, she's pretty single minded about keeping someone happy when she likes them."

Kyou laughs at that. "She and my brother will make an interesting couple, then." She says. "I expect her to attract quite a bit of attention at the kinds of high society events he often attends. Though I cannot help but wonder how she takes to formal wear."

You laugh- the image of Cass in a formal dress is one you do kind of struggle with. You can see it, of course, but you can't see her being happy in it. Then again, you do know she posted some pictures of herself trying on some clothes on her instagram years ago- mostly because you were her first call when Rachel ripped into her for it- and, back then, you'd almost considered letting her come stay at your mother's for the summer.

You didn't of course, Maman having advised against it, if not outright denying it. Her call had been correct, of course- that Cass had other things in mind, and that it wasn't a simple family spat, and, even if it was, that wasn't the sort of thing you wanted to get involved in if you didn't have to. You're pretty sure that was also advice against doing as your father did, and jumping in the middle to play the hero. Maman had, ultimately, also left the decision to you.

"Though I do expect there to be some trouble over her from Akemi's former compatriots." Kyou says, shaking her head. "At this point it's abundantly clear that the Bishop and Laroux families will have a great deal of personal connection to my own."

"Will that be an issue?" Wendy asks, looking a little concerned.

Kyou shakes her head. "Not a significant one, especially not for my brother." She says, smiling. "He's clever enough to turn his infirmity to his advantage, and it's hard to find fault with him for even the most hardline of nationalists." Her smile gets a little wider. "Of course, he's aided in this by how utterly exotic and attractive your sister should appear. It must run in your family, I expect." She says, looking over at Merlin. "Would you agree, sensei?"

Merlin blinks. "U-uh. I guess?" She says. "I mean, I never really paid attention…"

You frown as Kyou grins, and the doctor ducks behind the breech and heating coils of the cannon to hide her own blush. Of course, Kyou sees that- and her grin gets slightly wider. You share a quick glance with Wendy. What worries you is, instead of appearing unsettled, Wendy looks... interested.

And that's gonna be it for the week! I'd wanted to do another day tomorrow, but this works better as a stopping point, I think- I'd rather lead off with the next thing in the next thread, rather than end with it being introduced. I got yelled at for cliffhangers enough, haha!

Anyway, that's it for the week. I'll be around over the course of the weekend to answer questions or comments if there are any, and of course I'm in discord and on the IRC. Also keep in mind I may not have class Tuesday and Thursday next week because of fuckery on the school's part- a little miffed about all of that. If I don't, we'll be starting a bit earlier than usual. Otherwise, gents, till next week, cheers!

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>>4455378
Thanks for the run boss.

>>4455374
>Wendy looks... interested.

lewd

>>4455374
Thanks for the run Ghost!

>>4455374
And so Morgan came to a horrifying realisation

*He was surrounded by horny women*

Morgan should go check on the Doctor for research purposes

Has the thread been archieved?