OK. You meet at the designated location at 0930. What ahve you been doing before then? * Keika and Kiku had a nice friendly talk. (Keika/Kiku had that running mini wherin Kiku retrieved a change of clothes, yeah.) ( Asking for directions ) (Good choice!) * Hilde has been waiting anxiously cuz she loves space (eatting and that's about it) OK, you all arrive. The Major is there, as are Katsu and a couple of others you don't recognize. The major stands and clears his throat. "All right, we're all here. First, we have a new member fo the suqadron. Would you please introduce yourself, kula?" * Kiku is there. She brought a small duffel-like bag along with her and is firmly biting her lip. Same green dress as before. * Hilde has on a short pleated plaid miniskirt and a blue turtleneck sweater * Keika walked in a step behind Kiku and not late for once, in uniform and her shiney metalic bird riding along on her shoulder. * Kula is a small girl, no older than 17 at the most. Her pale skin stands in contrast with her long, black hair. She bows a bit. She looks a bit oddly familiar to anyone who's familiar with history and genetic engineering. H-hello... "Hiiii~" (Woo! Black hair!) (Yay. May have picked up a K, but at least it was without blue hair.) Hello. (There's always hair dye) * Nova says, "Hello." * Kiku looks over at Kula and nods a little. She starts to get an absent smile but it fades away before it really gets anywhere. * Karasu croaks "hello" and looks around at the other people present. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kiku (2d6) and gets 11. (Oh, good start, empathy. You suck.) * Nova looks neutral in expression. * Kiku looks over at Keika and then back at Kula before saying, "Do you not have a last name either?" I am sure it will be nice operating with you all. Marel... Kula Marel. I apologize for the... er... what is word... * Hilde cocks her head to one side * Nova responds, "Nova does not know." What language would you prefer to speak in? (Ancient Egyptian.) I... um... well, I suppose it doesn't matter... (Oh, no, ancient babylonian is better.) (Curses, the one that's not on my list!) (I'm not sure I can speak in stone tablets. ;_;) I just apologize for forgetting to mention my last name. (You just need to find one guy who knows how and then you're set for life.) Do not worry about it. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kiku (2d6) and gets 11. (Heh. Dice is looking out for the newbie.) * Kiku smiles a little at Kula before looking over towards the Major and resuming the lip-biting. * Keika points at her own blindfolded face. "Officially, I am Hotaru Ayasuri, but you may call me Keika if you wish." Then at her bird. "And this is Karasu." The major smiles indulgently. "There's someone else I need you to meet. Captain Kurata?" The man sitting next to katsu stands. "Captain Kurata will be the pilot for the Adventure, the spacecraft that you will be using. He will instruct you on what you need for space. Captain?" * Karasu chirps. (go LAG!) (YAY LAG.) (LAGarific) (Also, go K.) * Kula bows to the Captain. "It is good to be operating with you." Kurata is a tall, handsome gentleman if a JSDF dress unform. he has short, close-cropped hair and a neatly trimmed moustache. * Karasu looks at Kurata. * Kiku moves her look slightly towards Kurata. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kiku (2d6) and gets 6. "hello ladies. My name is Hiroshi Kurata, and I am going to be taking you into space to go after the Slythe where they live, so to speak. It is a pleasure meeting all of you." (Finally.) * Nova observes him as he speaks. "Now first let me clear up a few misconceptions about how we will be operating in space. In all the anoime and TV shows you've seen about battles in space, no doubt you've noticed that all the characters have no trouble standing upright. The shows assume artifical gravity. Well, in reality that technolgoy does not exist. From what i undertsand, not even the Slythe have it." "You sure?" "That means you are going to have to operate in what we call microgravity. It's not the same thing as what is called 'zero gravity' -- there is no such thing as a state in whic gravity does not exist at all." * Keika nods slightly. (And Hilde gets a refresher course on Space Camp!) * Kiku closes her eyes slightly and nods along with him. * Hilde nodnodnods "but it does mean that 'up' and 'down' will have very little practical meaning in the orbits we will be using. You will have to constantly be thinking, planning and mauvering in three dimensions, not just in your mecha but also while you are aboard ship." I understnad. I've had the Seraphim equipped with a few extra restraining belts for this... "that is a very good idea, Kula. lt. Katsu will be fitting extra restraints into all of your mecha as well, so that you don't have to concentrate as much on how you amnuver your bodies while you pilot your mecha." * Kiku rubs her arms and murmurs, "Sounds good to me." I will speak with him about their...placement. "However, while you are aboard the Adventure, you will not be walking anywhere. You will need to effectively swim through the air to get places, using the rings place on the walls for guidance." * Kiku glances over at Keika for a second before her gaze shifts over to Kula. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kiku (2d6) and gets 7. * Keika is sitting still while Karasu's head darts around from one speaker to the next. "Awww, no velcro slippers?" "In addition, we will be providing for you what we euphemistcally refer to as "sanitary aids", but most of us just call them what they are -- diapers. You'll find it harder to control your baldders for logn periods in mircgravtiy than it is in normal gravity." * Hilde is mildly disturbed "They didn't mention that in Space Camp..." * Kiku looks over at the Captain like he's crazy and makes a face. "Ew! Ew." One of the few things I envy of the males. * Kula nods slowly. * Kiku rubs her arms and looks down after the ewie exclaimations. "Now, unfortunately, we do not have a good way of simulating microgravity that does not carry the risk fo beign notcied and attacked by the Slythe, so your first experience of it will probabyl be aboard the Adventure. However, I can tell you what to expect." And the lecture continues... it takes about three hours and there's a lot of stuff in it. (Please tell me there's somewhere to sit.) You're all seated in not-very-comfortable chairs. (Whew. Ish.) (...that will make us feel extra uncomfortable when one of us eventually craps themselves) (Keika's been assumed to be sitting before things started. ^^;) * Nova doesn't seem to care, sitting there attentive and neutral in expression. * Kula sits down and fidgets a bit. * Hilde still grossed out over the "soiling themselves" part * Kiku looks veeeeery bored. * Keika has been sitting still for the entire lecture and making an occasional comment. Kuarat looks at his watch. "Oh, my. It looks like it's 1245 hours already. Let's break for lunch. When we come back we'll have a demonstration fo the nevrioment suits we'll be taking up." * Kula ndos slowly. "As long as it doesn't involve diapers..." * Keika shakes her head silently and stands up. * Kiku blinks and yawns, before stretching in her chair, "Nnh... uhf." * Kiku stands up slowly. "Too much talking. Reminds me of school." "Am I boring you, Miss Eriko?" Kurata asks you. * Nova stands up and walks away, presumably towards the mess hall. * Kula wanders towards the food area. "How is the food here?" * Karasu looks at Kula. * Kiku blinks and looks at Kurata. "S'just sorta... slow." She looks away slightly. "It's been a long time since I went to school." I've had worse. "You'll catch up once we're aboard the Adventure. I just need to give you some idea of the conditions you'll be operating in so that when the battle comes you won't have to think about it." * Kula blinks at Karasu. "Won't have to think about _it_. Ew!!" * Karasu is a shiney metalic raven sitting on Keika's shoulder and looking back at Kula. "I can't stop thinking about it!! Oh god!" "It's not that bad, Hilde. The 'sanitary units" are very absorbent. You'll feel just enough dicsomofrt to know they have to be changed." * Keika follows Nova out. "...that doesn't help" "It won't be so bad when you go up there, I promise." * Kula shivers. * Kiku nods weakly. "Yeah..." she rubs her arms again and doesn't meet anyone's eyes. "I--excuse me." She heads out but takes a different direction, instead of towards lunch. "I hope she'll be all right." you hear Katsu say as you leave. "She's had a lot on her mind lately." * Kula blinks at Kiku as she leaves. * Kula nods slowly at Katsu (... Not going to eat, then? ^_~) A question... I am curious as to what the history of your group has been like. Could you enligthen me? Katsu smiles. "You'll want to talk to Keika, then. the woman in the blidnfold. She's been here as long as anybody." * Kula nods, and looks at Keika * Keika isn't there anymore. (SHe's like a NINJA.) (A blindfolded ninja.) * Hilde heads for the mess hall (Phear my M4D ninja Ski11zors) * Hilde pokes her head back into the room "You coming, Kula?" * Kula frowns. * Kula follows along! * Hilde goes to the mess (What's for lunch?) (FOOD!) (I approve.) (Narrow it down a bit? ^^;) (Lunch stuff.) (Just make something up! Bologna waffles.) (Yay! That means we can try Slythe dishes if we want!) (Woo! SANDWICHES!) (... Ew.) (Luckily Kiku and Araki are the only people who know what Slythe dishes are. >_>) (Actually, Kiku, you do know how to make Slythe cuisine in theory.) (Roast dodo with gravy :P) (I KNOW. And I'd even like it. ._.) (Mhm, babies.) (Unicorn steak with mashed Middle Earthian potatoes) (... how about you actually get to the eating instead of debating what to eat? ^_~) * Hilde gets a burger and a Notcoke (And what about you, Kiku? Don't you want to eat?) (She's got things to think about.) (I'll get there. I've got a little more ground to cover. ^_~) * Kula gets some katsudon. * Keika picks up a roast beef sandwidch and a thing of juice becuase she's weird and boring like that. Then she walks back to the usual table. If Kula's watching by this point, Kieka isn't having any troubles navigating around the mess hall despite being blindfolded. (Cuz she is Daredevilette) * Nova fetches a set of food on her tray and sets in her usual spot and goes about eatting in her usual quiet manner. (I am the fear that flaps in the night o/~) Excuse me, Keika-san... I was curious about the history of your group so far. Katsu walks into the mess hall along with Kurata. They are talking amiably and go straight to the food line. * Karasu looks at Kula. * Kula blinks at the robocrow. I belive I can tell you that. Would you like me to begin with the first Slythe attack, or at the very begining. Er... also, might I ask why your companion keeps staring at me? I-it's a bit unnerving... (-. +?) Um... the very beginning sounds like a nice place to start. (Well, when a Mommy Keika and a Daddy Keika decide they like eachother enough to enter into a mutually advantageous sexual relationship...) * Keika reaches up and with two fingers on Karasu's beak pulls his head down twords her sandwich. (HA!) (I thought you'd like that.) (Talk among yourselves for a bit. Your GM needs a soda.) * Nova eats * Hilde eats Right, the very begining. As you may or may not know this city was desperate enough to offer full pardons to all comers as long as we were to fight for them. Kiku and I are both in that catagory, and were the first to respond. Nova I belive is on loan from the Ares coperation. * Kiku shows up a little bit into everyone's eating. Which can qualify as now, she supposes. She is walking with a bit of stiffness, like someone trying to keep their back straight on purpose. She heads over to foodland. * Kula blinks. "On loan?" * Keika gestures at the blue haired elf sitting at the table. "I suggest you ask her yourself." * Kula nods. * Keika reaches down and picks up a half of sandwich so she can start eating before it reaches room temperature. * Kula continues eating her katsudon, waiting for Keika to continue * Kiku eventually makes it to the table with a bunch of random things from the lunch line and sits down silently. * Keika takes a bite, and chews, and swallows before continuing. "The Slythe posses powerful telepathic abilities, and thus have always had the advantage of surprise over us. Twice they were able to establish bases within the perimiter of Tokyo itself." * Kiku looks over at the discussion of the Slythe for a second and then picks up a sandwich and chews on it a little. Her gaze shifts to Nova and she just looks at her idly. * Nova eats quietly. * Kula frowns * Hilde munches on her burger while listening in on Keika, hoping to catch up on a few things herself They have also launched at least one large scale telepathic attack at the base and managed to kill most of the command staff. During the reorginisation from that a fourth pilot was added, but her mecha has since been destroied. I belive she is still working in the medical sector. A few raids by the Slythe later Hilde was added, and now you have come. If you insist I can tell you more about each of us, but for now my sandwich is growing cold. * Kula nods. "I shall ask after, then..." * Keika nods back and takes a sip of juice. Kurata and Katsu walk up to your table. "Hello again, ladies. We're going to be starting the briefing again in fifteen minutes. I hope you're able to finish up. The food may not be much to write home about here, but compared to space cuisine it's like a four-star restaurant." "Diapers and bad food..." *looks about to cry* * Karasu looks up at Kurata. * Kiku laughs slightly and looks away from Nova to Katsu. I'll wait to find out how it compairs to submarine food. * Kula nods. She finishes up her katsudon, and gets ready for briefing * Hilde eats her burger like its her last meal (Gentles, I've been called away for an urgent business consultation in RL. We'll ahve to pick this up next time.) (Such is fate.) (Hilde: IT IS. DUN DUN DUN.)