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The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Printable Version

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The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Denelo - 06-05-2024

Hokkaido, deep within the Shiden Cloud


[Image: MohY7F4.png]


Space and time broke in half. Where the two halves of reality folded to meet, a small tear opened, and between the folded pages slipped the Ichihara. The refitted prison liner-turned-home slowed as it exited its jump from the Taus, turning towards the Kyofu Gap, but its single great engine did not burn. It sat idle, waiting.

"Hi, this is Yoko on the HFL Ichihara to Kyoto Base. We're here in Shiden awaiting escort as instructed. Both ships are on board, and we brought presents too." Yoko Mori turned in the great oversized chair to look over towards her friend, Yukiko Hideyoshi. "Okay, that should do it. Now we wait."

On Yoko's other side, her partner—Kaoru Nishimura—was already at work on the navigation console, scanning the radiation field for an irregularities in the deadly field of radiation. "The Kyofu is as calm as I have seen it. We picked a good day."




RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Cherry Blossom - 06-08-2024



As the Liner arrived and sat idle, Yukiko fiddled around on her oxygen mask. Her eyes wander the bridge, just as they did the first time she sat on the chair next to Yoko. It was the first time in a while she was back in Kusari. A soft sigh left the woman as she looked at her friend. "The worst part of it all, waiting. Let's hope they welcome us. Back home, at last. Feels a bit weird, if I need to be fully honest but I think I will manage. Thank you for letting me be here, Yoko." The gentle smile she had on her lips was hidden by the mask she had to wear on the ship. But it was clearly noticeable that she did indeed smile under it. Right after, her eyes wander to the window on the bridge, staring outside. "Time for diplomacy. I hope it works out for Prometheus."





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - 0xCosmin - 06-09-2024


[Image: Screenshot-16.png]



Space shimmered with the eerie glow of the nebula, it twisted and turned, a maelstrom of swirling colors and baleful energy. In the midst of this turbulent beauty, the Blood Dragon escort wing emerges, their leader’s voice crackled over the comms.

"HFL Ichihara this is Kentaro Abe, we are here to escort you to Kyoto, the designated coordinates have been transmitted to your neural net. All systems are green and we’re ready to proceed, fighter pilots form around the liner and maintain tight formation."

The dragons gracefully took their formation around the convoy, their movements decisive and coordinated. The liner's engines bursted to life, and the group began its careful journey. The transition through Hokkaido was uneventful and the convoy reached the dark expanses of Chugoku as planned.

“Chugoku system entry complete. No immediate threats detected.”

Lieutenant Genki, Abe's right man, reported over the comms. Barely enough time has passed for the group to retake positions after the jump as they were swiftly intercepted by a considerable fighter wing on patrol.

"Report."

"The True Sons are escorting this liner to Kyoto under the protection of my sensei".

"Understood, make your way."

The convoy advanced, the fighters weaving through the dense asteroid field, their movements precise and vigilant. The dark, jagged rocks cast long shadows, creating an eerie landscape. From there it didn't take much to reach the legendary dragon homestation, its towering silhouette could be seen looming ahead.

“Kyoto base, this is Abe. Escort mission successful. We are approaching the perimeter.”

“Welcome back, Abe. The perimeter is secure. You are cleared for docking.”





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Denelo - 06-10-2024


Yoko returned the smile. "Honestly, I'm mostly here for me. It's been a long time. Not everything has to be work, yeah?" She paused, for a moment, frowning. "Still, if it does go well for the Task Force, that'd be a nice bonus. But don't make any grand statements of allegiance or anything, okay? No matter how we may personally feel, we've gotta maintain a pretty delicate balance. It'd be bad to m-"

Yoko was cut off by Abe's voice breaking through the quiet chatter on the bridge. She sat back to reply. "Understood. We're with you." Her Kusarian was clearly accented, but fluent.

The liner erupted through the edge of the cloud to cut across the deadly gap. The harsh sunlight of Hokkaido shone through blinding and brilliant on the main windows, but only for a moment—their dimming was delayed by age, but not yet lost entirely. Still, the journey across the unshielded space was tense, and that tension did not break until they slipped back into the safety of the Unyo cloud. Soon the small convoy was in Hokkaido and powering its way forward to the hidden base. Unable to dart nimbly around the rocks as the fighters could, the Ichihara slowed their progress, engine reduced to keep from dashing the shields apart on the harsh terrain.

It took time, but eventually the homeship found its way to the legendary base. "Gosh. I've barely been back here since we stripped the Ichihara in the first place. Hard to believe it's really been over a decade." She shook her head as the pilot guided the great vessel in to moor. "Welp. Let's go get changed, then down to the airlock. May as well be ready for our meeting when we get parked." She offered the woman with the breathing mask a hand to lead her to the elevators, issuing instructions even as she walked off the bridge. "Toru, go ahead and get Ocai and Pipilo ready, yeah? Yasou, could you make sure the shipment's ready to offload?" Already the crew in question were in motion, though, rendering the prompting perfunctory at best.





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Cherry Blossom - 06-11-2024



A frown fell upon Yukiko, keeping her eyes locked to the outside. A soft sigh followed. "I doubt I will make any statements. Right now I am just a woman who accompanies a friend to see... home. And hey, don't blame me for always thinking about work, even though it is not really work for me. It is me thinking about it because I wish for you and your mother to be reunited." Yukiko offered a gentle smile as her eyes adjusted towards Yoko.

As the unfamiliar voice broke through the chatter of the bridge, Yukiko fell quiet. She listened, letting Yoko handle the talking. Taking a deep breath right into her oxygen mask, she closed her eyes for a mere second. The darkness before her eyes filled itself with images of the past. Images that caused the woman to shiver slightly. It took time. It went slowly. The entire time of the ship maneuvering and mooring, Yukiko sat there in her chair with closed eyes. Her breath slightly increased, and the grip on the armrest of the chair tightened to the point it released an unhappy creak.

The torture of her thoughts was broken by the voice of her friend. Shaking her head, her eyes opened once more as she stared outside.
"R-Right. Sorry, I phased out for a moment. We should go, yes. Change is a good idea. I can't get seen by the Dragons in... this. I took something special with me, yes." Accepting Yoko's hand, she followed her without adding to it. But it was very much visible in her expression. Yukiko was nervous and in pain.





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Denelo - 06-11-2024


Yoko chewed her lip, looking worriedly at her friend as they rode the lift down. Before she could speak, though, the lift came to a stop and opened into the living quarters hallway. "Hey, are you gonna... o- oh. Here we are. Um. Shit. We're on a time crunch, but... if you need anything, let me know, okay? Or if things get to be too much, you can always go back to the ship. I don't want you tormenting yourself if it's hard." She shook her head and hurried down the hall to her own quarters, disappearing into one door while Yuki passed into another.

Dressing for a formal meeting took no short amount of time, and by the time both women were ready and met again by the mooring fixture, they were already barely on time. Yoko was still adjusting the high bun she had managed to wrangle her shoulder-length hair into, tightening it as best she could with the limited available material. Her mo and chrysanthemum-print tarikobi were adjusted to perfection—curiously traditional attire for a woman who was herself once a Sister of Matsuda in all but name. Still, the small white tube slipping out of her collar up to her nose made no secret of her addiction. To her right, Yuki stood a full half-foot taller, dressed in a full Blood Dragon military dress uniform. The black uniform was, however, altered with a number of golden accents, not the least of which was a golden dragon design. It wrapped around her left leg, climbed to her hip, and finally disappeared beneath her near floor-length platinum locks.

With both women fully made up and dressed to the nines, they crossed the narrow bridge into Kyoto. Midway across, the door sealed behind them, and a soft vacuuming sound interrupted the silence. The faint orange haze in the air cleared, and Yukiko was at last free to remove the oxygen mask she was bound to within the cardamine-tainted liner. Yoko paused a moment to watch a Hercules-class Lifter carry her Tanto into the into the legendary base, but her reverie was interrupted by the opening of the door, and they both turned to greet the welcoming party.





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - 0xCosmin - 06-16-2024



As the HFL Ichihara moored at Kyoto, the dragons prepared to receive Yoko Mori and Yukiko Hideyoshi, the docking bay buzzed with activity as the liner's cargo was unloaded. Abe stood at attention, flanked by a few trusted warriors. The ship's ramp descended, revealing our guests, their garments unusually glamorous for outsiders—ornate and richly detailed. "Welcome to Kyoto," greeted Abe, bowing respectfully. "Your ships are in the equipment room, ready to be worked upon. Now, you may follow me."

The guests were guided through the dimly lit, wide corridors of the base, the air felt thick with anticipation and anxiety. The halls, adorned with relics and banners, echoing with history. At the end of it all, they finally arrived at the meeting chamber, the grand door ornate with two intertwined golden dragons. "My sensei is expecting you, please step inside." said Abe, gesturing towards the doors that begin to slide open.

The room was warm and welcoming, designed in a traditional style and lit by lanterns, casting shadows that moved harmoniously on the walls. Sasaki Mamoru rose from the floor where he was meditating, offering a formal nod as the guests approached. “Yoko Mori, Yukiko Hideyoshi, I am honored to receive you, come now, sit." At the same time Abe took a sit near his sensei while gesturing his retinue to leave. “I find it unexpected that some solitary mercenaries would arrive in such a formidable vessel." Remarked the council member with a suspicious tone. “Before I proceed with my proposal to you, I must inquire: who exactly are you, or whom do you represent?'"





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Denelo - 06-18-2024


Yoko bowed in greeting to their host. "No, the honor is ours, Councilor Sasaki. I appreciate your receiving us. I am Mori Yoko, once an associate of the Sisters of Matsuda. I serve as an Adjutant to Task Force Prometheus in Liberty now, and can speak on their behalf about possible cooperation, but right now I'm here about this as just me. The Ichihara is, um... actually kind of a long story, but it used to be a Kusari prison ship. We took it over in a prison revolt, and a previous Blood Dragons group—the Rising Sons—helped repair it. It has served me and some of my fellow escapees as a homeship ever since."

She glanced at Abe, then over to Yukiko with a nod. "Um, we brought some gifts that're hard to get a hold of right now: Gold, sourced from Dublin via Port d'Amelie, and iridium too, all bought with my own money. It's yours as a gesture of goodwill. If, um, you want it." She shifted in place, subtly adjusting her tarikobi. Her stance was stiff, and she appeared slightly uncomfortable in the formal outfit, as if unused to it.





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - 0xCosmin - 06-20-2024



Councilor Sasaki acknowledges Yoko's introduction and the gifts with a slight incline of his head. "We live in daring times, where the struggle against the corruption within the Kusari government sees no end, it demands resilience and resourcefulness. Your gesture of goodwill is deeply appreciated, these resources will be of great use in our continued efforts to restore Kusari to its rightful path."

He paused for a brief moment, his gaze shifting between Yoko and Yukiko, assessing their sincerity and resolve. "The Blood Dragons will always be welcoming to reliable allies. I see potential in you, whether on your own or in the name of Task Force Prometheus. If you are willing, we would ask for your cooperation as our external agents in Liberty. Conduct surveillance and gather intelligence on the navy's movements at the border with Kusari. The True Sons already have reliable info coming from our men in the LSF, but the rivalry between the libertonian factions requires us to have additional operatives there.

Sasaki's tone was measured but firm, underscoring the importance of the knowledge he has shared. "In return, the Blood Dragons will offer our support as well, whether it be resources, protection, or more, we stand ready to reciprocate. This friendship could serve both our interests well. What say you?"





RE: The Princess, the Sparrow, and the Long Journey Home - Denelo - 06-20-2024


Yoko furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Um, it'd be pretty... erm, it would quite unethical of me to include my own ship repairs in negotiations for the Task Force in general, so it would be best if we kept those two separate. I would like to negotiate for the repairs of Pipilo and Ocai first, then we can talk diplomatic business. Is that okay?"

"On a personal level, most of my resources are economic. While I used to do intelligence work for pay, I can't really do that now without violating the trust the Task Force has placed in me. However, I'm sure we could come to an intelligence arrangement in my position as a Legionnaire later and separately. I just wanna handle personal business first to make sure Pipilo and Ocai get fixed. Is that okay?"