CitrusArms

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Fffffff- Miyuki, please don't point that like that. Quietly, Yumeiko had readied herself to jam the gun with hardlight, but thankfully that was never necessary. Miyuki knew what she was doing more than the blonde had given her credit for. Maybe.

The change in Miyuki's expression certainly did not get past Yumeiko, nor the way she handled the weapon. The way she held it was a bit strange, but her effectiveness was clear. She learned quickly, or adjusted well. The golden fox turned from the harsh look on the other's face to study the target, unsure of how she felt about that coldness she saw. It was necessary, she understood.

At any rate, Miyuki was quick to adapt to new weaponry, then? As much as she hated to make the consideration, Yumeiko knew that would be valuable. The black fox's voice drew her back from the target, and the pseudo-goddess was relieved to see those eyes that matched her fur had warmed again.

Aah. Piss tool, now. Ass rifles and piss tools. Oh dear.

She bit back laughter more successfully this time, "this weapon? Some of them. Many of them, no. This one is more useful for," she hemmed for just a moment, "internal security. More for engaging the enemy, we do have things with much more oomph." Yumeiko glanced out at the target again. "We've got some shotguns, more rifles. The fleet is trying to make a handheld laser using Aevon - that's what they're calling the crystal you see all over the ship. We've got a prototype, but there's trouble powering it when off the ship."

"Anything you wanna try out?" She'd use her hardlight to swap out weapons for the black fox, sending them through a side door into the armory.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

"We didn't find or make this. It's from," Yumeiko hesitated only slightly, "one of our allies. They say they found a stockpile, but won't tell us more. That's where we got most of the military deck from, honestly. That ally is using old starships from that stockpile, as well." That particular ally was particularly crude and demanding. She didn't like dealing with him.

"Ooh?" Miyuki claimed to know how to use these inventions of man. She nodded softly at the other, about to cede until the black fox was kind enough to remind the blonde of something.

"Miyuki, a-salt. Assault rifle, please." Yumeiko snickered more, putting the pistol carefully on the counter while she giggled. "Ass rifle.." she mused to herself, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Ok, ok. Come close."

She picked the pistol up again and held it carefully, finger off the trigger, safety on. "I believe what you're used to are flintlocks. Those are museum pieces, these days. Not very useful when someone's got even something as small as this pistol. It wouldn't be useless, but," she shook her head. That's whatcha call outgunned. So she showed Miyuki the new(er) gun, "this little cartridge holds the ammunition; this one holds," she thought a moment, trying not to cheat by polling the ship's database, "eight."

The safety, the slide, the ejection port, where else not to put your hands. The golden spirit fox was better at understanding it than she was using it, but maybe that was just practice, as well?

She had tried not to pace her explanation well - explain in enough detail that Miyuki would have time to absorb something, but not become so long-winded she would bore her - and when she was done, she set the gun down on the counter again and gave Miyuki a grin, "care to try it? It might feel a bit different than the old rifles." Of course, she would step back, should Miyuki accept.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

For reference

Japanese Warfare:
youtube.com/shorts/JqUI54qi2lU
youtube.com/shorts/6G8FRqvYQso
youtube.com/shorts/ghuFZ_Jw5mU

This guy is hilarious.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Right. Yes, she'd probably been sealed. No, she didn't want to talk about it. She was probably embarrassed or just upset about it. Yumeiko Miyuki was not impressed? From what she'd described before of her life, she was more of a forceful tyrant, so perhaps this was a rather dull demonstration for her. "Ass r-" Yumeiko turned her head and withheld a snicker. She recalled an sight from earlier in the day, blushed a bit and, still grinning, shook her head. "Aah, well. I typically remain on the ship. And we have newer weapons than this one." Yumeiko held the loose bullet long enough to clean it with a hardlight screen and then inserted it back into the magazine.

"But, essentially, yes." The golden fox nodded, taking the gun and the magazine and approaching Miyuki. "When we have to fight them with precision, humans have made weapons like this. The bullets go into this, this goes in here. There are different configurations than this, too, different ammunitions. It's really impressive how many different kinds of gun there are." Maybe unhealthy, too, though she was certainly thankful for them, now. "They've even got kinds that shoot beams."

"Speaking of. That isn't the only way we fight them." She laid the assault rifle on a hardlight tray, with the magazine, and let it be carried away. A different weapon came to her, then, with a rather stunningly wide barrel and a battery for a magazine. "This one's different than you might know." She pressed a different button on the side of the stall, and a much sturdier target rose in front of her.

"Have you seen a naval battle, Miyuki? The great ships of the sea, and their cannons. The battle we underwent just now was like that, but in the Sea of Void. Our ship lent power to the rest of the fleet. The crystal ships that make up much of the fleet are power-hungry, they use energy shields and lasers. It's not as though traditional weapons cannot be fit to them, we would then need to produce ammunition."

Her eyes turned, "hm?"

Her expression shifted as she received information. Surprise, concentration, then thought. "There's a platform in orbit the fleet wants to investigate. I've been asked to supply a compliment of infantry. They say the platform could be infested."

She held the new weapon in her hands with discipline, never pointing it away from downrange. She turned her attention to it, remembering what she'd intended to do. "Right, this thing." She raised it to her shoulder, took aim, and unleashed a ball of plasma at the metal target. The center of it vaporized.

Yumeiko gave a small triumph for her accuracy before she disassembled and sent the plasma gun away, as she had the first. "We've only got the one of those on board."

In truth, she got a little bit of a rush out of the sheer sense of power the things gave. She liked and disliked it. It was a little frightening, not being able to feel and shape the energy, herself.

She sighed, then, holding her hand out as a pistol now came and was deposited in her hands. "I'll teach you how to use these, if you want, Miyuki. There's some concepts that are common between most of them."

She would send men, just a few. What she could spare. The ship rumbled gently as it accelerated, though the noise was minimal. It didn't pitch them suddenly or hard, but they would feel a little bit of the shift in momentum. The crew on the firing range would compensate, or try to.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Yumeiko picked a weapon from the wall, some kind of rifle with a magazine at the front that swept forward, and slung it over her shoulder. "Human weapons have come a long way. Do you remember what year you, ah," the blond thought for a moment, considering how to phrase it without insulting Miyuki's power, "started your long nap?" She might not like being called out about it, if she'd truly been sealed. "Probably not, huh? Uhm... what about the Emperor? Do you remember who the Emperor was?" Yumeiko was hoping for some frame of reference for just how far back she had to think to start explaining things well.

She lead the way into the firing range. There were a few security crew within, though they'd picked more modern weapons than Yumeiko had. Yumeiko, who approached a firing stall and turned to Miyuki. She took the rifle from her shoulder, careful not to point it carelessly. "What I have in my hand is called an assault rifle. So called because, well," she smiled wearily, "they're useful if you're, eh," she realized the modern military lingo might strike Miyuki as strange, but it was so concise, "well, assaulting a position. It provides," she wasn't used to talking about weaponry, her mind had to decide what words to use, "rapid-firing ability. Mm, why don't I just show you."

She turned, shouldering the weapon as she pressed a button on the stall wall next to her. A target popped up down range, she aimed, and

Brr-rr-rr-rrap!

She'd done it before, but she wasn't exactly used to it. Holes appeared in the target downrange as the bullets pinged off the partition of ship shielding set up at the end of the range, to repel all infantry weapons. The holes that appeared were not well grouped, but they weren't plainly awful, either. They at least all hit the paper, if not the target on the paper.

"Mmnn." Yumeiko looked at the holes that had hit farthest from anything meaningful on the target. "Well, I suppose I don't really need a rifle, anyway."

"Wanna see something?" She looked over her shoulder, a look decidedly distinct from the Goddess she portrayed sneaking on to her face. A desire to show off, just a little, brought her a smirk. She clicked the safety on, on her rifle, popped the magazine and ejected the round from the chamber before laying it down on the stall counter. Then, she held her hand out, one finger extended. A small ball of energy formed, appearing as gently blue light, before it shot out and tore a big hole in the center of the target.

"I learned a new trick!" It was power from Aevon, if Miyuki could sense such nuance. Yumeiko had channeled power from the ship to form that blast. It didn't seem to affect the ship's power capability, in the grand scheme of things, but there it was.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Aww, shucks. Alright, that's fair. Good luck with your things and all, and have fun with that collab!

Sleep well. :3

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Yumeiko heard what Miyuki meant, or she thought she did. She knew it, herself: neither she nor this ship were ever meant to fight. Long ago, she was a messenger. She acted as a priestess sometimes, got into a bit of lighthearted mischief here and there.

And then, as she explained a bit about the hangar, the black fox hit her with that look, and Yumeiko suddenly remembered exactly who she was talking to. Right. "No, this is where we," Yumeiko took a moment to chew her words, "store those flying machines of war, there." She pointed through the glass. "Warriors trained to operate these machines board them, and then drop out of the hatch below, riding within. They control the machine as it flies. They are then able to guide the machines back here, where we can maintain and repair them."

She would get around to explaining about how the night sky was actually the same as the daytime sky and that the sky was filled with void after you got so far and all the weirdness that went with it.

She'd have to try and ease her into things. And try not to disparage the ship's abilities where crew or flock might hear her.

"Our warriors on foot train in the room down this hallway." Yumeiko led the way down the hall. This part of the ship seemed much more uniform - plain steel panels framed by roots with crystal filling between. Very sturdy. This hallway was wider than the one upstairs, and there was a larger door further down that had a top and bottom half that would slide away. "Down there is the disembark platform, if we ever land somewhere and need to get off. For now, though, the training room is in here."

The door she approached opened into a modest arsenal, though she turned to Miyuki first. "Don't touch anything until I've taught you." She held up a hand and ear protection headphones appeared in her hand in a puff of fox flame, specially designed for fox spirit heads. <3

Once Miyuki had it on, Yumeiko would give herself a pair in the same fashion and, shortly, a little chat HUD would appear in The corner of Miyuki's vision. She could see the same appearing in front of Yumeiko's eyes.

"The locker room and armory is first, then there's the firing range and the melee training rooms." Muffled and barely audible through the headphones as she was, her words appeared in the chat box for Miyuki.

Who can surely read? Yumeiko was going to have to watch closely for a moment, as she lead the other into the next room.

The armory had a decent number of lockers in it, first, then behind a metal barricade were an array of weapons. Some were old-fashioned - there were a few swords, for instance. More were newer, but still very old - restored, old guns. Anywhere from pre-stellar era to right up before the fall of Terra.

"Well, ok. So, the stuff you shouldn't touch yet is all behind that barricade. I'll unlock it." Several latches unlatched simultaneously as Yumeiko approached the gate and lifted it. "Warfare is very different, now. It had already changed drastically, before, but now it's gone and changed again."

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

"They are." Yumeiko did not turn to face her supporter immediately.

She had noticed the other's apprehension for all the domestic applications aboard the ship. Indeed, it wasn't the sort of thing that she would expect from a combat vessel, herself. However, she understood the position they were in.

Earth was still teetering - they hadn't recovered, yet. Scourge forces on the surface were becoming rarer and rarer, and things were improving, but the surface still wasn't a very safe or hospitable place. After she'd lifted the shrine from an unfavorable place, she'd picked up pieces of this or that looked useful.

Yumeiko spoke softly, "this ship was never intended for combat, Miyuki."

It was never really intended. It just came together.

She turned to face the other, that fact bringing forward a closely guarded fear.

Carefully, the priestess assessed her surroundings before she continued. There were too many passengers to hear.

She looked deeply into the eyes that matched her fur. She saw the worry, guarded like her own fear. She nodded softly, and then a movement to their side caught her attention, her ear perking. Yumeiko's head turned subtly, her eyes shifting more and she saw that some of the passengers had gathered in attempted stealth to get a better look at whatever was happening with their goddess and her provocative counterpart.

"Ah," she thought for a moment, quickly, of how to respond without starting some crazy rumor that she'd brought a demigoddess for a consort or something. "Shall I show you the military decks, then? And the Core Tree. We'll take the lift, back here."

Yumeiko led the way, back to the intersection, and then the lift next to the clinic. The elevator console was a simple Aevon slab from which a holo-screen popped out. The call button opened the doors immediately, to a utility elevator within. Enough space for a gurney or two, doors plenty wide enough for maneuvering wide or long things. Plenty of room for all of their tails.

The doors closed and Yumeiko sighed as the elevator began to move. "This is a support ship, Miyuki. We stay back, behind defenses, and support the fleet. I send energy for shields, fighters for defense. I don't need to fight directly."

The doors of the elevator would open to the observation room for, "the hangar bay, where we keep our compliment of fighters. You probably shouldn't go in without a suit on. If the hatch fails for whatever reason, that's just space out there. The shield might catch you, if it's still up."

This room was empty, as well, Yumeiko noted, though crewmembers walked the catwalks on the other side of the thick glass.

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

The recreational center could be a bit busy on the second floor, so she decided not to go up. On this floor, there were some less cacophonous machines, like air hockey. Plenty of space between them for maneuvering, watching, or just having a chat without being in the way. Upstairs was much more crowded.

"Alright." The priestess nodded and led the way to the left across the food court, the other way, to another door that sank into the floor. This time, there was a wide hallway that led to an four-way intersection. Along the edges of this intersection were little workshops and utility rooms - a tailor, a classroom, a space for childcare. "The laundry is in that storefront, over there. You can probably find some nice things in the goods dispensary, there, too."

The hallway itself was made of old starship bits buried into the wood that had grown around it. Old steel walls were interrupted by gnarled, natural wood, the ceiling had been forgone in favor of more luminescent crystal. The floor was covered in moss, and children could be seen running around, some barefoot. There was a lift nearby, as well.

There were more large doors ahead, to the right, and back toward the shrine to the left. She continued ahead, going around the shrine in the center.

The next door opened, revealing a room of living wood and sealed wood. The light in the room was relaxingly dim without making it difficult to see, there were massage chairs and refreshments available.

The scent of water and cleanliness; a bathhouse. There was even some traditional signage around, indicating for men or for women.

"There are other decks, but I think we'll stick to this one, for now. We can explore the other decks tomorrow."

Foxes in SPAAAAAAAACE (Xaltwind and CitrusArms)

Yumeiko took a moment, herself, to look up at the dome overhead. The life that had been brought with the shrine was real, and depended on her, as well, though it also did a lot of work to take care of itself, the way wildlife did. Some crops even grew in the garden.

The door was shockingly different to the rest of the shrine, which only became clearer as it was approached. It was made of a sleek, white metal, and it sank into the floor to open.

Beyond the white door lay a food court robbed from an old derelict shopping mall. Table and chair groupings were comfortably sparse, damaged sections of the building had been carefully cut away to leave openings to more of the sky-blue that served as the primary body of the ship. Roots formed floors and occasionally sported a small tree where the tile had previously been destroyed. "We've fixed up a kitchen or two in these old store fronts. If you can get yourself out of bed, food isn't too far."

The people in the room looked up as the door had opened. Some of them waved with various levels of excitement, some stood and saluted. The priestess offered a smile and motioned them to go back to their business. The ones the saluted were, mostly, in a uniform.

Instead of venturing into the food court, Yumeiko led the way aside. "This deck is dedicated to everyday needs. To the right, we've got the recreational center. Someone from another group is really into collecting old media, so we've actually got a nice collection of movies and games." Another metal door sank into the floor at the edge of the food court, where there had once been a doorway. On the other side of this one was a room with a much lower ceiling, though there were stairs immediately to the side, which Yumeiko pointed to, "there's more to this area those stairs."

Yumeiko slowed and halted, a thought occurring to her as she turned to face the other Fox, "you aren't hungry again, are you?"