[x] "Brahe, where is the crew?"

...did we just patch into and use some of the minds of our crew to improve our own processing power, inadvertently mindraping them?

[x] "Brahe, where is the crew?"

Things are getting a little weird.

[x] "Tell me, Brahe. What just happened, exactly?"
[x] "And where is the crew?"

I have no idea what's going on.

[x] "Brahe." Motion for her to come closer, "Help the captain to her quarters, would you? She's feeling a bit tired."

We need privacy to be able to ask what the fuck just happened with the appropriate candor--away from the bridge, where we're being recorded and observed by any number of spies.

[x] "Brahe, where is the crew?"

More votes, more votes

[x] "Brahe, where is the crew?"

This has more votes and I want an update.

[x] "Tell me, Brahe. What just happened, exactly?"
[x] "And where is the crew?"

[X] "Tell me, Brahe. What just happened, exactly?"
[X] "And where is the crew?"

update, you slowfag

>QWL's back, for the time being. Transmissions should continue as normal.

Normal is what? Twice a week?

You scan the empty seats in the pit. Weapons, Tactical, Navigation...

You consider reprimanding Nav for leaving at a time like this, but dismiss the thought.

"Brahe, where'd the crew go?", you ask absentmindedly.

She turns back to her console, continuing to monitor the scans.

"Ah, sick bay, sir. You were unresponsive; scans showed brain activity halting. We didn't really know what to do... And then some of the crew started to feel sick, before entering something similar to what you were experiencing... Heiseimi had to escort 1st Lieutenants Rikuken and Gengetsu to the bay for medical attention."

The missing officers, presumably... but this doesn't make sense. The trance had nothing to do with them...

"Just them?", you try asking offhand.

Brahe nods. "Just them, Captain. The rest have experienced little to no such phenomena. But their condition is currently unknown, sir; I haven't received reports from sick bay yet." She starts a deep space scan, to keep watch over warp, transferring the data to Nav's console, a junior officer uneasily taking the helm. "Then again, if you recovered, they might not be in as grave a danger as we expected..."

Brahe trails off, sounding as if she didn't really believe what she was saying. Working away at both scans, she changes the subject quickly.

"Doctor Tenyuushi said she dispatched a medical team to retrieve you; they should be here momentarily. In the meantime, I've been sending her the scans for analysis."

[ ] "That's all well and good, but what exactly happened to me?"
[ ] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
[ ] Let her go on.

>>9316

Normal's 7 minutes, on average. Give or take... well.

[x] Let her go on.

Humdedum.

[x] "That's all well and good, but what exactly happened to me?"

We probably just mindfucked the two Lieutenants with our eyeh4x. God knows what we ordered them to do. We better play this one safe, lest we end up like the Belligerence.

[x] "Goddammit, Eirin! Patuxent, I want you to contact the Adjutant and send a copy of those brain scans to her over an encrypted, personal channel. Mark as urgent. Also, be prepared to send out the pan-pan medico distress signal if this... syndrome starts affecting any more crew members."
[x] "Alert security to enter a readiness state. After medical releases us, I want the lieutenants and myself confined to our quarters under guard until we reach Luna, as a precaution."
[x] "Anything else, Brahe?"
[x] Sigh. "What would I do without you guys?"

[x] "Patuxent, I want you to contact the Adjutant and send a copy of those brain scans to her over an encrypted, personal channel. Mark as urgent. Also, be prepared to send out the pan-pan medico distress signal if this... syndrome starts affecting any more crew members."
[x] "Anything else, Brahe?"

Don't go blaming Eirin for everything that happens. Even if it is her fault, don't blame her without proof.

And confining vital members of the crew is not a good idea, even at times of peace.

Can't say I like the idea of Eirin getting wind of this. She's not exactly a friend, and seems more like a superior who wouldn't hesitate to deceive us or otherwise screw us over if it fit her purposes. This is particularly pertinent since this whole incident started when we began struggling with negative thoughts about Eirin back in >>8840. It's possible that was related to breaking free of some sort of "loyalty" conditioning. If that's the case, letting Eirin learn of it would be less than judicious, and may make her more suspicious of us or may prompt her to try and reassert the conditioning.

>[ ] "That's all well and good, but what exactly happened to me?"
Sounds a bit callous towards the others who were affected, no?

>[ ] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
Directing the line of information we're receiving.

>[ ] Let her go on.
Information, but of an uncertain nature.

[x] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
We were muttering something before we went into the trance, and then from >>8840 there's this:
>"Reisen, stop this!", a voice shouts out. Heiseimi.
I'm curious to know what exactly others thought was going on, and what we may have been doing/saying.

>>9392
>She's not exactly a friend, and seems more like a superior who wouldn't hesitate to deceive us or otherwise screw us over if it fit her purposes.

The vision of her with the princess showed that she is in truth fond of Reisen, just as long as she doesn't threaten her plans for the princess' safety.

Note that the only thing that prevented us from slipping into a coma was focusing on the "illogical" voice speaking for Eirin. Eirin goes into trance states of her own and can apparently communicate with us amid them ("this the power of Lunacy, Reisen"), so she would know best about dealing with it. So, I don't think it's conditioning, but rather an ability that we can't yet control.

Anyway, it's likely that every piece of data on the ship is routed to Eirin eventually, either through spies or built-in safeguards, so we may as well put it out in the open.

[x] "Patuxent, I want you to contact the Adjutant and send a copy of those brain scans to her over an encrypted, personal channel. Mark as urgent. Also, be prepared to send out the pan-pan medico distress signal if this... syndrome starts affecting any more crew members."
[x] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
[x] "Anything else, Brahe?"

This should do.

[x] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
[x] "Patuxent, I want you to contact the Adjutant and send a copy of those brain scans to her over an encrypted, personal channel. Mark as urgent. Also, be prepared to send out the pan-pan medico distress signal if this... syndrome starts affecting any more crew members."
[x] "Anything else, Brahe?"

In that order. She just used her Mystic Eyes of Lunacy Projection to unwittingly incapacitate two crew members, and as Captain Reisen's first duty is to her crew, she would lay some failsafes in the event she once again loses herself.

Brahe seems to take on leadership readily in the captain's absence so we should at first convenience request her promotion to major and officially designate her as our XO.

[x] "I see. Brahe, what did I do, exactly?"
[x] "Patuxent, I want you to contact the Adjutant and send a copy of those brain scans to her over an encrypted, personal channel. Mark as urgent. Also, be prepared to send out the pan-pan medico distress signal if this... syndrome starts affecting any more crew members."
[x] "Anything else, Brahe?"

>>9396
Sound points. Reading through it again, it does read more like an odd "analysis/logic/concentration trance" than "mental conditioning breaking". I was misled by the fact that most of the voices were hostile to Eirin. And it seems concentration on the illogical, emotional voice--as the contrary--broke the logic trance.

[STATUS: Detailed]
[ENCYCLOPEDIA: Lunatic Eyes]

Want to find out if that trance had any lasting changes on Reisen, as well as how the rabbits' lunatic eyes function in this continuity.

"I see. Good. Brahe," you continue gently, "what was I doing while I was in this trance?"

"Well, to be honest sir, it's hard to describe." Brahe answers. "You started ranting about the Adjutant, and then abruptly... passed out, I suppose. Except it wasn't like you were unconsious; you were mumbling things, something about the Adjutant, 'puppets', 'victory' - but it was as if you were talking to yourself. You kept repeating 'victory', again and again. That was where all the trouble started...."

She pauses for a bare second, searching for some way to describe the event.

"There was an odd air about, like... like a thick fog of thoughts, swirling around. Stifling. I can't really explain it; it sort of choked the mind, distracted and distorted... you could hardly think, let alone focus. And everyone felt this, the lunarians especially. Navigation and Tactical couldn't even speak without effort. Then you started to talk in gibberish, and then the 'fog' was gone; that was when Navigation and Tactical started feeling sick. They said they felt headaches, heard voices... they sounded horrified. And they just fainted. You started to pause intermittently, like you were concluding something... and then... they got back up, started talking like you..."

Brahe falls silent, revolted by something. With a slight stammer, she continues.

"W-we could hear whispering, all of us, at the edge of hearing, of hundreds and hundreds of voices... but something about it wasn't surprising. Rather, it was enticing... we wanted to hear more, but then some of the voices changed; it was then that Heiseimi helped them up, and dragged them to sick bay. She said the voices were talking to her, telling her to do it... You woke from the trance about a minute after she left."

She brings up a second scan, apparently a playback of the past scans, while minimizing the first, resuming the recollection with a more analytical confidence as the scan begins to play.

The feeling of fear from them is gone, you notice.

"The scans follow this progression.", she explains. "As time went on starting from the beginning of the trance, most higher brain activity decreased -" the front of the brain flashes - "almost to the point of absence. But activity in the lobes responsible for logical reasoning dramatically increased, until you started pausing; this seemed to be some turning point, as brain activity began to return to a normal state. Activity in areas responsible for logic are still in high activity, but all higher brain functions are basically back to normal."

Your scan stops, replaced by two more; like the last, they play, but are far shorter; within a few seconds, they repeat.

"Scans run on the Navigation and Tactical Officers show a similar suppression of higher brain activity, but the trigger is unknown; for now, we can only hope that they will show a similar progression... that is all, sir."

You can always at least warn us when you're gone QWL

Well, that was a bit more powerful than expected. The reason Lunarians are weak to it is probably through lack of conditioning, and this is also probably why they haven't been able to snap out of it.

Also, awaiting rest of wall.

Holy shit.

Woah. Forget Lunatic EYES, Reisen can mindspam people directly.

QWL, there's more to this wall right? Or is it write-in time?

Also, [STATUS]

>>9488

There's more to the wall, I'm just having a hard time writing both it and answering some summer writing questions I had to do for school.

Summer is very clearly over.

[STATUS: DETAILED]
'Resonant With Vivid Tones'
Commander RN-13B REISEN
COMMANDING: INS Night Unbroken (de facto)
AUTHORITY: Primary command over fleet
HEALTH: 20%
ARMOR: 100%
MAGIC: 90%
EFFECTS: LUNACY AFTERSHOCK (+15 to Intelligence, -500% to morale, -80% health and Second Wind Ability disabled; 2 turn cooldown)

LOYALTY: EIRIN (Low)
RANK: COMMANDER
MAGIC LEVEL: 2 + 1 (After rest)
MAGIC GAIN PER TURN (BATTLE): 7%
SPELLS AVAILABLE:
(LUNATIC EYES)
[USABLE]
* INTIMIDATE Lvl. 2 (-60% Morale to Multiple targets for 2 turns, 60% Magic)
* RALLY Lvl. 1 (+100% Morale to Ship for 2 turns, 100% Magic)
[UNUSABLE]
* BATTLE MEDITATION LVL. 0 (+50 to Intelligence, ** -1500% to morale ** for 3 turns, 500% Magic)

[ENCYCLOPEDIA: LUNATIC EYES]

Although it is rarely observed, some moon rabbits have been seen to be capable of manipulating the minds of themselves and others, sometimes to the point of being able to drive a target insane. Rabbits with such an ability are referred to as having "Lunatic Eyes", for the eerie visual effects that appear to come from the users eyes. Officially, there is very little explanation as to how these rabbits can actually use this kind of direct mental manipulation, let alone the genes that could grant such abilities, but it's conjectured that the users eyes are refracting and warping light, possibly up to frequencies as high as 10^19 hz, and as low as 10^4 hz; how this affects the minds of others, however, is unknown...

(Skipping to section LUNATIC EYES: INCIDENCE)
...The incidence of the Lunatic Eyes among moon rabbits is highly skewed; in the entire population of rabbits, it has only been seen to occur at 1 per 120,000 to 140,000 births; however, in the Reisen line this is seen at dramatically higher rates of around 8 per 9 births. So far, every rabbit exibiting this trait was either a Reisen, or was very closely related to the line...

>however, in the Reisen line this is seen at dramatically higher rates of around 8 per 9 births. So far, every rabbit exibiting this trait was either a Reisen, or was very closely related to the line
>a Reisen

Spooky. A nice setup for getting our ass kicked by some special mindraping hit team in the future, or otherwise encountering mindwarping bunnies.

>however, in the Reisen line this is seen at dramatically higher rates of around 8 per 9 births. So far, every rabbit exhibiting this trait was either a Reisen, or was very closely related to the line...

So Eirin is using or will be using Reisen's gene-seed for mass production? If Reisen is Big Boss, I guess that would make Eirin The Boss.

Though the truth may be something darker: The description of those from the line as "a Reisen" bring to mind the frightening possibility that our Reisen is just one in a series of clones of the original progenitor Reisen. That she seems to fight against the memories relating to Eirin might mean that they really are just planted memories from the original. It makes sense that Eirin would be willing to kill this Reisen during the Belligerence incident if she could just create a new clone with the original's memories.

The scans show the same situation again and again: a flurry of activity, quickly shrinking into a small corner of their brain. For a few seconds, you say nothing, just watching the ebb and flow.

And to think you really caused all this in a few minutes, without even trying... And what if you did? What would you do with this kind of power, this lunacy?

You sigh quietly. You've seen enough... this 'power' is for now a threat, at least as long as it can't be controlled. But there is one person who might be able to help you understand it, maybe even control it... Eirin.

Hopefully, that dream wasn't too far off from fact.

"Patuxent,", you call, "I want you to send these scans to the Adjutant right away, encrypted personal channel. Mark as urgent."

"Reise- er, Captain... are you sure about this?"

You make an affirmative grunt. "I know the Adjutant cannot be fully trusted. But her knowledge of neurology far outweighs the risks in informing her. Transmit the data immediately. And be prepared to broadcast pan pan medico over all channels, should this... syndrome affect any other members of the crew. Until we have a qualified analysis of the recordings, nothing can be assumed about the nature of this condition." You bring up the starmap on your console; ETA 29:44, no new damage. "Brahe, do you have anything else to report, aside from this trance?"

The lieutenant closes the scans, putting a side view of the Eternity onscreen. "It's not very much... but I've detected odd power fluctuations along the bow of the Adjutant's flagship, extending directly through the vessel's fuselage. A large energy spike built up on the bow section, clustered around three points, before dissipating... what it was meant for is unclear. A single bomber was seen docking with the Eternity as well - scans of the crew showed the Minor Lord Yoakeya stowed in the rear gunner's seat. That is all, sir."

[ ] Write-in

~

And now I rest. School tomorrow, don't expect me to be able to respond until around 13:30 boardtime.

Although it might not help much, Heseimi and Brahe are also "lines". And the Korai have a personal line of pets, which has evolved slightly alongside the house's other families.

[x] "I'm assuming piloting the bomber then was TU-09 Tsuryoku?"
[x] "Keep attention on those power fluctuations on the Eternity. Maybe Eirin was developing some new kind of weapon; ask Heiseimi if she's heard anything rumors from Weapons R&D when she returns."
[x] "Patuxent, after you send those scans, I want you to wipe the bridge recordings for the last few minutes."
[x] "I'm going to talk to Dr. Tenyuushi and check on Gengetsu & Rikuken. Thank you, Bridge, that is all."

[ENCYCLOPEDIA: Moon Rabbit]

>>9498
Daaaamn. That's pretty devious there, Anon.

>>9554

Seconding everything.

>>9560
What he said.

>So Eirin is using or will be using Reisen's gene-seed for mass production?

ONCE THE BIG UDONGEIN IS MASS PRODUCED

>MAGIC LEVEL: 2 + 1 (After rest)

NEED MAX STAT GAINS PER LEVEL

I'm assuming this will make our danmaku do more damage, right?

>BATTLE MEDITATION LVL. 0 (+50 to Intelligence, -1500% to morale for 3 turns, 500% Magic)

I'm assuming this ability is the end result of that "epiphany"--unusable because of the massive 500% Magic cost. Shows how big the gap is between Reisen & Eirin's abilities.

[x] >>9554

[x] Judicious write-in

Also seconding [ENCYCLOPEDIA: Moon Rabbit]

List of entries that have been referenced, but not entered:
[ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Unification]
[ENCYCLOPEDIA: Adjutant]
[ENCYCLOPEDIA: Branches of the Imperial Military]
I'd like to read these entries if you've already written them.

Also, [INVENTORY] because I don't think we've ever actually checked it.

Back 2 /work/, finally~

History lessons not engaged yet; that last entry just happened to be significant to the story.

>>9628

We await only your word, Honored Writefag.

>>9628
>Back 2 /work/, finally~

;_;

>>9628
>History lessons not engaged yet; that last entry just happened to be significant to the story.

We can still check our inventory though, right?

>The lieutenant closes the scans, putting a side view of the Eternity onscreen. "It's not very much... but I've detected odd power fluctuations along the bow of the Adjutant's flagship, extending directly through the vessel's fuselage. A large energy spike built up on the bow section, clustered around three points, before dissipating... what it was meant for is unclear.

That this happened while we were in that trance is too suspicious. Since we've confirmed that the unknown weapons on the Eternity are not offensive in nature. It's possible Eirin had built some kind of rabbit mindrape device and was either testing it, explaining what caused the trance, or after being informed of our state by a mole on the bridge, used it to end the trance and direct Heiseimi to bring the two to medical.

That the two officers weren't restored to normal could be because they're Lunarians and immune to the device but not our eyeh4x. That Brahe was hearing "hundreds of voices" brings to mind that according to CiLR all rabbits can communicate with each other over long distances telepathically.

"I assume the pilot was TU-09, then?", you ask rhetorically. "Check scans to confirm the pilot's identity, and try to retrieve comm logs between the bomber and the Eternity if you can; I don't see why she'd want to leave the ship just yet. In addition, keep track of the power fluctuations on the Eternity, and ask Heiseimi's opinion on the data, as well as any rumors of new weapons development she may have heard; this could be some weapon the Adjutant was developing -"

The sound of the bridge entrance sliding open interrupts you. Medical team, you know immediately, all boys around 20. Minimal neural interfaces; odd for Guard personnel, but then again they're not quite part of the Guard...

The leader coughs uneasily.

"Ah, the Commander is conscious, bridge...?"

"I'm conscious enough.", you respond sharply but politely, getting up to look at them. "You're the medical team dispatch?"

The medic - nurse - falters. "...Uh, that's right... please forgive our lateness, mi'lady... we have no excuses." One of the other nurses looks as if to disprove that, but a quick glare is enough to dissuade him; you can hear him scold the nurse over an unencrypted channel.

{ She's the commander. Compared to her, two lieutenants are little concern, 'Gen. }

"...But, uh, we should get you to sick bay quickly, madam." the nurse continues. "Doctor Tenyuushi would like to confirm your status herself."

You shrug informally, the assignment data being broadcast to the team confirming their intent. Always look before you leap, you recall from Sister's various mantras.

"I suppose there's little time, then.", you answer. "Bridge, I'll be off duty for the moment; maintain course and remain on standby. Patuxent, wipe bridge recordings for the past few minutes, and alert me to hails over private channels. That will be all."

With that, you follow the team out to the hall.

[ ] Write-in again

~

Will respond to replies around 13:30 boardtime, as will be standard.

>>9678

Well, they're no real threat to you outside a fleet. But weapons are still weapons.

[INVENTORY]
1x CAP. GRENADE (holstered)
1x SUICIDE CAPSULE
1x TSURYOKU'S NOTE
1x MASS DRIVER PISTOL (holstered)

WEARING:
NAVAL UNIFORM (IMPERIAL GUARD) (+2 to Charisma, +10% to Morale, -1 to reputation, +12% chance to Intimidate)

>{ She's the commander. Compared to her, two lieutenants are little concern, 'Gen. }

Your lack of faith disturbs me.

[x] "Nurse 'Gen, was it? You were late because you were treating Rikuken & Gengetsu first, weren't you? I've always believed that medics were be healers first and soldiers second, and there's no reason to be ashamed for following proper triage protocol. What is their condition?"

[x] "Nurse 'Gen, was it? You were late because you were treating Rikuken & Gengetsu first, weren't you? I've always believed that medics were be healers first and soldiers second, and there's no reason to be ashamed for following proper triage protocol. What is their condition?"
[x] "Were there any effects felt among crew members not on the bridge? Yourselves for example?"

>Always look before you leap, you recall from Sister's various mantras.

I'm assuming "Sister" here is meant in a figurative sense, as it was used in Tsuryoku's note. Guessing Reisen's old squad leader.

>>9699

You're partially right; Sister is one of Reisen's actual biological sisters.

[x] "Nurse 'Gen, was it? You were late because you were treating Rikuken & Gengetsu first, weren't you? I've always believed that medics were be healers first and soldiers second, and there's no reason to be ashamed for following proper triage protocol. What is their condition?"
[x] "Were there any effects felt among crew members not on the bridge? Yourselves for example?"

Seconding the write-in, but modified for the typo.

[x] "Nurse 'Gen, was it? You were late because you were treating Rikuken & Gengetsu first, weren't you? I've always believed that medics should be healers first and soldiers second, and there's no reason to be ashamed for following proper triage protocol. What is their condition?"
[x] "Were there any effects felt among crew members not on the bridge? Yourselves for example?"

>>9705

Reisen has a sister? Do want to meet her, so write write write write WRITE WRITE

>>9712

I'd love to do that, if it weren't for Ceti III and all. Writan again.

>>9713
>I'd love to do that, if it weren't for Ceti III and all.

Oh, so she was part of the 58th? I'd assume her death is tied to Reisen apparently going FIESTA TIME and the resulting PTSD.

>Writan again.

Hooray!.jpg

update

7 minutes

Hey, I had school to go to~

>>9751

Are you back, then?

>>9751

Do you have school on Saturdays?

Why are you so slow, QWL? Don't you know this hurts Anonymous?

;_;

;;

SlowQWL, why are you so slow?

I am in despair.

WHERE ARE MY WALLS QWL?
YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE WALLS!

QWL died. Anon cried.

?_?

The hall is empty. Not like before, when the night shift was about to change, but in a sort of atmospheric way... the ship suddenly feels alien, unnerving. The cold, lifeless glare of the deck lights does little to soften the unease.

Just a feeling, you remind yourself. Just a feeling. You sigh wearily, walking slightly ahead of the nurses.

The leader - Tsuuchi, according to broadcast ID - looks up, anticipating a question; ignoring his presence, you beckon to his subordinate, the one that almost spoke up. He breaks from his place in the group to follow you.

"You're Nurse Jyougen, correct?", you ask quietly. "You were late from treating Rikugen and Gengetsu, weren't you?"

"...Ah, yes, my lady...", the boy answers, somewhat timidly.

"Good.", you reassure, almost putting a hand on the underling's shoulder. "I've felt that medics were healers first and soldiers second; doing your job right's nothing to be ashamed of. How is their condition?"

"It was hard to tell, my lady...", Jyougen recalls. "They're in a stable condition, in a way; vital signs are all back to normal, and their brain activity has been restored to that of a normal lunarian in REM sleep. Despite this, we are still unable to wake them - the doctor's tried just about everything that won't kill them. But there's been no significant response from either of the Lieutenants..." The nurse gulps nervously. "I... I'm not sure if they'll survive at this point or not. But we haven't given up quite yet. That is all, my lady."

Having finished his report, Jyougen starts to fall back to his place with the other nurses; you motion for him to stay.

"Wait just a minute.", you ask. "What about you?"

"...Madam?"

"What is your condition?", you repeat softly. "Have you experienced any of the effects seen by the bridge officers?"

The boy pauses. "Us? Um... we've seen nothing out of the ordinary, I suppose. But we didn't think to take scans of ourselves..." The team stops by a door next to the lower deck ramp; Jyougen pecks at a keypad by it quickly. "Ah, here we are, my lady. Right this way."

~~

shit, shitshitshit...

>>9957
Take it easy.

>>9957

Assuming there's more?

>>9963

Yeah, just when I get back home.

>>9964
See you in seven then.

Hooray!

Anon waited.

QWL, your boss is a slave driver.

>>9964

DO you live on the moon?

QWL lied, Anon cried ;_;

Fuck the Moon, nigger is Martian.

UPDATE

Walking inside, the bay seems larger than you remember. Granted, you don't have any actual memories of being here anymore, but you just feel it... a gut feeling. A bit brighter too.

The nurses make their way to the right, where the Navigational and Tactical Officers lie on bench to the side, resuming their monitoring of the officers. To the left is a large surgery chamber, fortunately empty; the Doctor - and for that matter, Heiseimi - are nowhere in sight. As if reading your mind, Jyougen promptly explains.

"Ah, the doctor's discussing something with the Weapons Officer in her office, milady. The door's to the left, she'll see you in a second." He gestures to a bench by the unconscious officers. "Please, sit here milady. I'll begin scans right away."

You nod, climbing onto the bench, and Jyougen starts working at a console on the bench, little beeps filling the room. You look over Nav - Lieutenant Rikuken - first to the monitor by him, and then at his face. Blank. Soulless.

You hear the whispers again. And mixed with them, your unconscious crew's voices too, hinting at their trance thought. They're trapped... scared.

<<Help me.>>, you can hear. Faint.

<<Help.>>

[ ] Answer them using the trance. Tell them to wake up.
[ ] Keep silent.
~
Not Martian.

[x] Answer them using the trance. Tell them to wake up.

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE

I get the feeling that messing with other people's minds without knowing what exactly you're doing is a bad thing.

[x] Keep silent.

At least for the moment. Patience is an important virtue.

[x] Answer them using the trance. Tell them to wake up.

This ability is important, so you should learn to control it now, on someone you've already fucked over, than to be blindsided by it again later and still having no idea how to handle it.

[?] Answer them using the trance. Tell them to wake up.

We've taken the necessary precautionary measures, namely telling Patuxent to prepare a distress signal and sending word to Eirin by now. Let's see if this {Power of Lunacy} she'd been sending us messages about can be used for good.

[?] Answer them using the trance. Tell them to wake up.

If they can still be saved (and I'm guessing they can, if they can still think) they should be saved as soon as possible. We don't know how long the trance will last or how long they'll remain responsive. Best not to risk waiting for Eirin.

[X] Use mind hax to talk with them.

Could have developded the update a bit better QWL. Too long for so small text.

>>10120
^
Bitter truth.

Writan, 7 minutes, etc. Prepare for more stat effects.

>>10134
>Prepare for more stat effects.

Hooray!

>>10134

bracing for wall at the speed of slowpoke

>>10134
...well, I'll be back tomorrow.

There's got to be some way to break them out of this coma... you'd have to put yourself into that trance again, though.

Your mind is set when the lieutenant's voice begins to fade away, subsumed by the trance.

Placing all your focus on the whispers, you try to listen to them, willing them into reality. It takes a few tries, but eventually, the chorus of thoughts fills your mind in one fell swoop, flaring into existence. It washes over you like a wave, overwhelming; this time, however, you're slightly more prepared for the sensation of other sentience.

A few blinks later, you realize that you can't see anything - or rather, that your mind isn't always completely focused on it. With some effort, the nothingness around you fades back into the sick bay a little, little figures blurred about; but no matter how hard you try, sight inevitably vanishes.

In its "place" is instead a kind of intuition, a feeling of connectedness. You can feel the /existence/ of others, the ones linked to you in this... this hive, a thousand points of "light". Each one, you surmise, is another mind, another personality. But it's too murky; there can't be more than two minds in this link now. These other thousands of minds must be the other-yous that first consumed you. The ones, the individuals - your lieutenants, you remind yourself - seem to be hidden within these decoys.

You can feel them fading, letting go, and with each second, a wave of pain shudders through you. The whispers of the decoy minds seem to grow...

They're being absorbed into the hivemind, you realize.

Without a second thought, you speak out to the other minds. Only to the decoy souls, you think, both to yourself and to the mind.

<<Part.>>

The other-yous freeze, as if in surprise. You repeat it, more forcefully.

<<Part.>>

They remain still for several more moments, murmuring to each other; but they then heed your call, speeding away in every direction. Only two remain, more like flickers and shades of life - the two lieutenants.

Both barely seem alive, their silence almost total. Rikuken mumbles disjointedly, begging for help.

You don't think they'll be able to hear you... but at the least, their subconscious should still be able to react. You command them, or at least their bodies, to awaken; seemingly compliant, the officers' presence seem to vanish from the hive... and the thousands of decoys with them.

And now, you are alone. Silently, you command yourself to awaken...

~

3AM IS TOMORROW
GOD SAVE THE ALARM

FUCK YEAH

NO MAN OR MOON RABBIT LEFT BEHIND

IN YOUR FACE SPACE COYOTE

>>10169

part 2 ETA?

>>10173

seven minutes

>>10176

More like 5 or 6 hours. So yeah, 7 minutes...

>>10178
Six and a half by my count!

WHERE ARE THE UPDATES QWL
YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE UPDATES

...Alright, moar like 12 hours. Writan continues, whether I like it or not.
~~~
VOTE HOURAISAN/YAGOKORO 2008
WHY CHOOSE A LESSER EVIL?

This better be one hell of a wall.

>>10202
>>VOTE HOURAISAN/YAGOKORO 2008
>>WHY CHOOSE A LESSER EVIL?
WHEN YOU CAN CHOOSE THE GREATER ONE!

Still no update? Glad I didn't stay up.

<<Wait... she's breaking out of it.>>

It takes a lot of effort, but slowly, you force your eyes open, the light blinding you for but a moment. The nurses' chatter fills your ears; your hands tiredly run over the soft fabric of the bench quickly, as if subconsiously confirming the concreteness of the world around you.

You're back in the real world, for the most part.

<<'Gen, you're sure about that? Confirm.>>

A series of beeps follow the command. Still feeling the pull of the trance, you manage to tilt your head enough to look at Nurse Jyougen, a look of surprise on his face. It's hard to say what he's looking at, you or the screen, with drowsiness blurring your sight.

For a second, he flinches, backing away with a gasp, but he quickly gets a grip on himself, returning to his station.

<<Ah...Confirmed, sir.>>, he answers, frowning embarrassedly. <<Activity is returning to normal distribution, as seen in the recordings - Lady Reisen is stable and returning to consciousness.>>

You blink a few times, the blurriness fading from sight. With a grunt, you sit up from the bench, still leaning on one arm as you look around, swinging around to let your legs hang off the edge. The others are awake from the trance too... trembling from lingering fear, it seems, but awake.

It's not good enough. They didn't have to suffer for so long...

<<...Alright, good. But be ready to restrain her.>>
<<I won't need to, sir.>>

Jyougen clears his throat.

"Ah...Lady Reisen?"

Looking away from them, you reply with a quiet "Hm?".

"How do you feel, milady?", he asks, with slight worry.

You can't really decide what to say; after a few seconds of thought, you answer.

"...Tired, I suppose. But fine otherwise." You move to get off of the bench, and the boy offers to help you up; you shake your head as you get back on the ground. "Tell me, Nurse... how are they?"

"The officers, milady? Well... they're conscious..."

"...But unstable at the moment.", you finish.

Jyougen hesitantly nods. "They'll recover, but right now they're on edge. It'll take some time for them to get used to whatever they saw... The best we could do for them right now was give them a sedative...", he trails off.

"Forgive us, milady. It was the best we could do at the moment."

[ ] Write-in

[x] "No, you did everything you could, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, why those two lieutenants? I had no especial personal relationship with them, while Heiseimi heard voices but was fine, as did others on the bridge. Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack? Neuro-implants or history of psychiatric illness?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to apologize to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll have to request help from the Adjutant."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

>>10215

I've been thinking the reason eyeh4x was SUPER EFFECTIVE on them was because they were actually Imperial Guardsmen with neural implants, like that assassin on the Belligerence, Commander NS-62. Might be the reason the doctor is keeping you waiting here while speaking with Heiseimi in private.

>>10217

Though it might not help much right now, the Night is an Imperial Guard vessel, and thus all of the crew are Imperial Guardsmen (with some exceptions in the marine and medical contingents); almost all of the crew has some kind of interface installed.

Can speak again in 5-6 hours, assuming I don't fall asleep after getting back from school.

>>10221

Huh. The write-in still stands, as there's still the possibility modifications were made or there was a malfunction.

[x] "No, you did everything you could, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, why those two lieutenants? I had no especial personal relationship with them, while Heiseimi heard voices but was fine, as did others on the bridge. Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack? Neuro-implants or history of psychiatric illness?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to apologize to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll have to request help from the Adjutant."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

Tacticanon never fails!

Why taking the blame?

>>10225
I'm wondering that too. I'm not too sure about this write-in.

>>10217
this actually seems incredibly similar to an idea I had awhile back, though pure speculation.
In the past, apparently one Edgar Cayce hypnotized himself multiple times, and during each trance, telling information he couldn't have possibly known, nor anyone linked to him. My theory on this is that while under the effects of hypnosis, it is possible that the afflicted human gains connection to the rest of the human subconscious, allowing them to either directly access knowledge know to others than themselves, or gaining access to part of the processing capacities of this pool of consciousness, thus allowing them to apply this extra power to make (potentially highly) accurate predictions on upcoming events or contingencies that may occur (which is not disssimilar to a data miner), along with the potential to successfully postulate knowledge that no one knows using the perspectives of millions of points at once.
Secondly, The hyper-capabilities for logical processing in this are not at all dissimilar to the Mentats of Dune, especially in its potential application, although as above mentioned, this could have far broader implications (and with all liklihood will).
>>10221
and QWL: from one dunefag to another, read the rest of the series, it only gets better.

>>10249

That's a pretty good theory you've got there. You're right about the "multiple implications" thing especially, I'll tell you that. But it might not be worth it going crazy to find out... or accidentally subsuming everyone's personality in the trance. Or a lot of things, frankly.

I guess what I'm trying to imply is to not use this new found power so much today, because you're on the border between life and death:

[STATUS]
'Resonant With Vivid Tones'
Commander RN-13B REISEN
COMMANDING: INS Night Unbroken (de facto)
AUTHORITY: Primary command over fleet
HEALTH: 7%
ARMOR: 100%
MAGIC: 80%
EFFECTS: LUNACY AFTERSHOCK II (+15 to Intelligence, +5% to morale, -93% health; 2 turn cooldown)

Take it easy. I like what was done here, though. Lots of progress, even though I seem to stop at the precise place in the story where a decision is confusing as hell to make. Anon's a real trooper, and I have to admit- AH FUCK IT'S ALMOST TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL

BYE

>and QWL: from one dunefag to another, read the rest of the series, it only gets better.

I'll keep that in mind~

>>10225

Changed it a bit.

[x] "No, you did everything you could. As the officer of highest rank, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, what happened to those two lieutenants? Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to talk to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjuntant's help, we won't abandon them."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

[x] "No, you did everything you could, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, why those two lieutenants? I had no especial personal relationship with them, while Heiseimi heard voices but was fine, as did others on the bridge. Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack? Neuro-implants or history of psychiatric illness?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to apologize to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll have to request help from the Adjutant."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

Bandwagon, jumping on, etc. This doesn't seem like a bad (set of) choices to me.

[x] "No, you did everything you could. As the officer of highest rank, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, what happened to those two lieutenants? Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to talk to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjuntant's help, we won't abandon them."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

>>10249
>read the rest of the series, it only gets better.
We ARE talking about Dune, aren't we?

[x] "No, you did everything you could. As the officer of highest rank, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, what happened to those two lieutenants? Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to talk to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjuntant's help, we won't abandon them."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

[x] "No, you did everything you could. As the officer of highest rank, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, what happened to those two lieutenants? Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to talk to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjuntant's help, we won't abandon them."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

It's not my fault! They put themselves in coma because they wanted it!

QWL UPDATE YOU NIGGER

you are the slowest slowpoke in slowtown, QWL

[x] "No, you did everything you could. As the officer of highest rank, their suffering falls on my shoulders." Furrow your brow. "I can't help wondering, though, what happened to those two lieutenants? Is there anything special about them that would make them particularly susceptible to mental attack?"
[x] "Let me know when they become lucid; I need to talk to them. If they continue to be unstable... well, we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjuntant's help, we won't abandon them."
[x] "Now, I need to speak to the good doctor." Knock on the door to her office.
[x] Smile wryly at them before you leave, "Oh, and boys, I don't mind note passing in my class, but some things really should only be said over an encrypted channel."

[x] beg for updates

"No, don't be.", you reply. "You did all you could. As their commanding officer, their suffering falls on my shoulders. But even so...I don't quite understand why it had to be them." You lean slightly against the bench, the dizzy feeling not entirely passed. "What happened to them? And how? Is there something about them that makes them vulnerable to mental attack?"

He pauses. "Well... we don't know for sure about pretty much any of those questions. But we think the problem's simply that they're lunarians, milady."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ah. You see, there's a difference in the way a lunarian brain operates, and the way a moon rabbit's would. An 'group intuition' of sorts, or a 'hive mind', depending on how you look at it. There's an additional signal on which rabbits communicate, which allows them to contact and receive unconscious messages between each other in relatively short range. Through this, they can feel where their groupmates are, how they feel physically, hints at what they're doing, and their emotional state, to name just some of what we know is transmitted. As milady is a moon rabbit herself, I suppose she knows this better than our research could describe... but that's beyond the point. The problem is that lunarians don't have that signal, and as such have no conception of such a sense..."

Your attention drifts off slightly, as you look at your two lieutenants, their eyes dulled by the narcotic effects of the sedative, but their bodies still shaking like twigs. And they look back at you with a mixture of sadness and gratitude, the combination of shock and medicine having robbed them of words.

In sycronization, they turn their gaze away absentmindedly, as if you suddenly ceased to exist, turning to nurses who help them lie down.

The lights around them dim, and with a slight pang of pity, you turn your attention back to Jyogen, still explaining his theory.

"... and not only were their brainwaves forced to match your own base waves - which, in addition, had abnormally fluctuations in this hive mind wave - but they were also forcibly 'fed' massive quantities of information through these waves. The sensation of either event may have simply proved to be too great a stress on their minds, leading them to lapse into shock."

He coughs carefully. "But that's all just theory, milady." You nod quietly, if only because you're used to it.

"I see..."

~

Update, Part 1/x+1, where x = { 1, 2 }. Yes, I am still being a slownigga, and that's due to me not understanding the concept of doing things, it would seem. I could say I'm not 9... but that's not a fair comparison at all. Updates continue while I struggle against the hated Test of Physics, and all through out an inevitable training montage.

By the way: if you're reading this, 9, then GET BACK TO WORK!

>Updates continue

hooray!

>all through out an inevitable training montage.

Eye of the Tiger is now playing in your head. Manually.

Hey QWL how about taking a break from studying so you can GET BACK TO WORK

>>10425
now, now, he's got to have some way of feeding himself (in the future)!

updates

[X] Updates!

"Jyougen, let me know when they're lucid again; I need to talk to them.", you answer. "And if they continue to be unstable?"

You pause. What exactly will you do if it turns out they've really cracked?

"Well? we'll think about that later. But even if we need the Adjutant's help, we're not going to abandon them."

"Of course, Lady Reisen.", he answers, nodding more in agreement than in deference. "We don't leave anyone behind."

"In the meantime, I've a word with the good doctor.", you continue, taking a few steps away from the bench. "If anyone talks about leaving them in some med station, tell them it's my orders to keep them here."

"Ah..."

"You're nervous?"

"No, i-it's not that...", Jyougen tries to explain, trailing off pretty quickly. "But... even Dame Tenyuushi?"

"Even her.", you nod. "Don't worry about their rank, alright?"

"Ah...a-at once!", he answers, quickly bowing.

"Good kid.", you praise warmly, a slight, kind smile on your lips. Walking up to the door to Tenyuushi's office (surprisingly well armored, you notice), you look behind you, speaking to all of them. "Oh, before I go... boys, some things are better left on an encrypted channel. Got it?"

The nurses look up, slightly surprised for a second, before looking away in embarrassment, Jyougen nodding slightly. The sight is too amusing to answer with words; you hold back laughter, instead pressing the bell key on the door, which slides open almost immediately. A slight rush of air blows past you, before you enter Tenyuushi's office.

~

Part 2/3. My teachers love me... too bad it's tough love. Shift key appears to have become stuck, as well...

I'm insatiable, this offering pleases me, but I demand more. Please... ;_;

>>10532

I know, I know. I'll get right to it, after getting my grade raped by today's test.

In before "I call bullshit".

>The nurses look up, slightly surprised for a second, before looking away in embarrassment, Jyougen nodding slightly. The sight is too amusing to answer with words; you hold back laughter, instead pressing the bell key on the door, which slides open almost immediately.

That laugh comes in part from knowing exactly whose image will be in their heads as they lie awake on their bunks tonight.

>A slight rush of air blows past you, before you enter Tenyuushi's office.

Well armored and pressurized. Now you know where to hide when the shit hits the fan. Since the doctor is apparently nobility and unlikely to be a guardsman (possibly a civilian), she may prove to be the perfect confidant regarding matters you don't want reaching Eirin's ears.

Aside from the air inside smelling oddly... dry, and the room feeling several degrees too cold, Doctor Tenyuushi's got a pretty nice office. Bright lights, clean, soft white rooms lined with various lab instruments... it feels pretty nice. Almost better than your own quarters, in fact. And it feels bigger...

You grumble a bit, seeing that the room is just a section of the rest of the office.

Passing by tables neatly ordered by some study of biology, you marvel at one particular station, still slightly disheveled by activity. A large, slightly familiar chunk of metal lies beneath a sort of combination microscope/electric probe system, a deluge of charts splayed on a screen next to it; looking into the scope, you can see the probes, little more than mounted needles, barely contacting what look like terminals on the block. Curious about the device, you look by the scope, picking up a lone report. Flipping it over from the handwritten back, you look the title:

"Rapid Analysis Summary: I.G. Neural Interface, Commander NS-62"

Without bothering to read further, you place it back in it's original spot, continuing on your way to the Doctor's office... the thought of what that nutbag was thinking, while offing his own crewmates, is just a little too unsavory. But right before you make the corner, something else catches your attention... a voice. Woman's, noble sounding... Tenyuushi's.

You stop in your tracks.

"At least consider it, Sir...", she deals. "If anyone's able to do it, it's you. We all know this-"

A calmer, slightly miffed voice - Heiseimi's, you know immediately - responds.

"And that's exactly why I'm not going to do it, Doc 'Na. Your well-being or not, she's my war-sister; we owe each other right about everything. We trust each other like family..."

It sounds like she's getting ready to get up and leave, but ultimately, there's only the quiet noise of a boot tapping against the office's floor.

"...and in case you haven't noticed with Reisen, trust is a very fragile thing. I don't break it. Not so easily."

A sigh.

"Well, I can understand... I think.", the doctor admits, preparing to finish the conversation. "But, at least keep it in mind. Eventually, what I can learn will be limited by the fact I'm not a rabbit..."

Right before Tenyuushi finishes, you round the corner, walking alongside the office. You can see into it pretty easily, the wall one of reinforced glass: inside, the Doctor sits behind her large desk, trying (and failing) to propose some plan to Heiseimi, who looks pretty well offended already. Tenyuushi, facing you directly, looks up from some documents in her hands, a mixture of surprise and expectation; Heiseimi, on the other hand, almost looks relieved, her brow softening... It actually makes you feel better, too.

After a few seconds of silence, Doctor Tenyuushi speaks again, her voice broadcasting through a speaker system above you.

"Ah... Lady Reisen....", she greets, surprised, before gesturing to a glass door up ahead.

"Please... do come in, milady!"

[ ] Enter the office; let Heiseimi leave
[ ] Enter the office; ask Heiseimi to stay

~

And yes, this has a large effect on how the scene plays out. Vote, wait forever, get drunk, cry, etc.

You are the best voters ever, and that's a factual opinion... I also can't feel my eyes.

Goodnight.

[x] Enter the office; ask Heiseimi to stay

I'm not that convinced that it's pertinent to have any of our crew members present at any conversation we might have with the doc, but I'm interested in seeing how Heiseimi's presence might just pressure her into limiting any misinformation. Or then again, it might just go the other way.

This write-in is punishment for being such a slowpoke, QWL.

[x] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[x] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[x] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

What's the worst she could've suggested? Knock you out so she could perform exploratory brain surgery? Humoring mad scientists is something Reisen should have down to an art form; this should be taken in stride.

"Yagokoro Conditioning: The assurance of being able to say you've had worse."?

[?] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[?] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[?] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

Power leveling in preparation for the upcoming boss fight with Kaguya, and goddamn, I nearly genuflected reading this. Reisen is reading more and more like Eirin's protege rather than a favored pet or servant.

>>10555
[x] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[x] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[x] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

Why can't everyone write-in this well? Good job anon!

[x] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[x] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[x] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

>>10555
Lol, I like it.

[x] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[x] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[x] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

Tasty writein~

>>10555
Oh, snap.

[X] Enter the office; motion for Heiseimi to stay.
[X] Make it clear you overheard the conversation: "Trust is very important to me, Doctor, and while I understand first-hand the need for 'blinding' in experiments, Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject."
[X] "So, spare me the indignity of seizing your files and interrogating you under confinement, and just tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant." Think bitterly of Eirin and force a smile. "I assure you that there is no treachery too large for me to forgive."

Even if voting is probably closed.

>>10606

Well, it wasn't, but looking at it now, I suppose it pretty much is. Writan when I get back from school.

Amnesia is the best worst cliche.

>>10615
Hooray!

>Lady Yagokoro at least lets me know when I'm the subject.

Is that so~? Are you sure of that?

>>10615

You must have long school hours.

UPDATE

I wish I could say I was disappointed in you, QWL, but this has become too routine for me to muster strong feelings about it anymore. Selah.

>>10670

harsh, dude

>>10680
Doesn't make it less true. Most of the Touhou Imageboard seems paralyzed by widespread hiatus, at least from what I have seen.

Isn't it sad Anon? ;_;

>>10683
http://z4.invisionfree.com/touhouvn/index.php?showtopic=81
Out of about 60 stories, 6 are abandoned, 3 are on official hiatus, and at least 15 are stalled (for unconfirmed reasons). If I added "sporadic" that would probably cover half the remaining stories, but I'm not sure exactly what criteria to use for that (or for "stalled", for that matter).

>>10704
judging from just how sporadic some of these stories are, it almost seems they are on hiatus. In any case, thank you for the clarification.

update

baby don't be like this please come back to me QWL baby darling

With a bit of hesitation, you oblige the doctor, silently entering the office. It feels awkward.... For some reason, it feels like your face is just arranged wrong, as Tenyuushi's unease grows with your every step; and with every step, Heiseimi's expression comes closer to her previous coldness, which just makes the doctor feel worse. And this feeling of burnout...

You try to force a slight smile, but all it does is make the poor doctor squirm more. The cathartic feeling you get from her increasing nervousness - no, bewilderment - is reassuring for you, though. Rather than think it over more, you merely sigh, finally taking a seat by
your lieutenant.

Heiseimi moves to leave, beginning to get up from her seat hastily; you motion for her to stay.

This feeling is frustration, then. For some reason, you really want to smack the doctor in her face - whether that's Heiseimi's desire or yours is hard to tell. But you keep silent, only glaring at her cooly. To give her a chance to explain herself, you think.

Tenyuushi closes her eyes for a few seconds, to try and calm down. If it worked, you can't tell. She begins, first with a quiet cough, then a stammer:

"You? you would like to know about the syndrome, milady?"

For some reason, you're not surprised. Of course she'd pick now to try and hide things from you... at this point, it should be expected. Doctors.

The only sign you allow her of your anger is a slight, cruel curve to your smile. Not so forced, now...

But that she'd do this to you, too... you drop the thought. Just get the answer out of her, already.

"Yes, that is what I came for, Doctor?.", you try to answer. "At least, at first. But you've caught my ear, though."

You want to go easy, but at the same time...

"Tell me, Tenyuushi... what am I, to you?"

She looks at you with confusion, before answering nervously, but quickly.

"You are my lady, the o-one I pledge my fealty to?"

"And what are you, to me?"

"I... I am your vassal, milady."

"Do I not trust you?"

"Milady, I can't-"

"Answer me.Do I not trust you?"

A pause.

"?You trust me with your life, my Lady.", Tenyuushi answers, quietly.

"And yet, you use my trust, to hide things behind my back?"

"M-milady, that's not what I was doing! I..."

"You were what, Doctor? 'asking for a second opinion'? What? Just tell me. After all, you know I've been through worse. Much worse."

You think of Eirin, the day she installed your neurals... the nausea, the dizziness... the fear. How you couldn't move... and then it felt like you were slowly dying, as it began interfacing.

"You wouldn't feel a thing", she said. And then that... it felt like a violation. Somehow, so terribly, horribly wrong. Eirin killed you, more or less.

You didn't blame her, of course. But even so... it felt like betrayal. She never did anything like that to you again.

And now, this one wants to dick around in your head, apparently... you sigh, letting the stress go.

"I trust you, Tenna.", you answer without even thinking. "And it's bad enough you don't seem to trust me. Even Lady Yagokoro offered me that little bit of dignity. So, instead of making me just seize your files and shove you in confinement for a few days, why don't you tell me what you were suggesting to my lieutenant?"

Silence. Heiseimi seems... entertained, if somewhat worried. The doctor merely looks away from you, fearful.

"Go on, tell me.", you start to goad. "It's not like you could do worse."

She continues to look away, looking oddly at the foot of her desk; her eyes are wet with confused tears...

Blinking the tears away, she tries to answer.

~

>>10670
>>10698
>>10704

Oh god, I'm becoming YAF...

>Blinking the tears away, she tries to answer.

AND THEN?

>>10821

And then Anonymous cried.

>>10826

And then I killed myself out of stress, because I have to go to school for 7 minutes longer than usual.

I might as well be dead for a little bit. BBL.

>>10827
>7 minutes

(? ???)

>>10819
>For some reason, it feels like your face is just arranged wrong, as Tenyuushi's unease grows with your every step; and with every step, Heiseimi's expression comes closer to her previous coldness, which just makes the doctor feel worse.

Looking kind of Eirin there Reisen.

In b4 it was something innocuous and we come out looking cruel.

>I might as well be dead for a little bit. BBL this week.

fixed

>>10864
Let's hope so...

update

"I...I wanted to monitor you.", she sighs. "And install a failsafe, in case this event happened again."

"Speak up.", you urge. "What kind of failsafe? You wanted to kill me? Knock me out? What?"

"...A coma, milady. Your interface would have been extracted, to facilitate in the treatment of the ship's crew - assuming the effect could be reversed. Your lieutenant - " the doctor glares at Heiseimi - "expressed several... concerns about the plan."

For a moment, Heiseimi looks as if about to object to Tenyuushi's explanation, but her gaze - or rather, the aggression in it - is enough to stop her. She backs off, leaning back into her seat with little more than a grumble. You want to ask her something to figure out what's going on between them, but at this point, it seems the two of them are pretty much shut away from anything besides the trance...

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to give the good doctor a few weeks in confinement, after all. A good way to vent stress, in any case. Eirin would have enjoyed it. Then again, Eirin's in many ways a sadist...

You sigh calmly, more for lack of options than from instinct.

Relax. For now, relax.

"Alright, Tenyuushi..", you start. "Go on. She had objections to it... specify."

"Yes, milady. She felt that the surgical operations required were too risky, and that she didn't trust me to such things as your raw mental processes. Not that such a thing was minded before, of course." The doctor picks out a few files from a stack on her desk; opening the topmost one for all to see, she brings particular attention to several prints of your brainscans - one year ago, two, three, all the way back to five years ago - as well as a single, empty datachip. "Milady's records are quite extensive already, as one can tell. And although the data can be recorded, reading it is not nearly as quick or as easy as the Lieutenant fears. This, I believe, was her only real qualm."

"I see.", you nod to both. "And this was all?"

"That was all.", Tenyuushi answers without a hint of dishonesty.

"Good. You understand that you won't even breathe without my permission now, Tenyuushi?"

"...Yes, milady. ", she submits.

"And that you'll most likely be under armed surveillance until further notice?"

"...Of course, milady."

You smile, just a little bit.

"Glad to see we understand each other, Tenna.", you deadpan, motioning both to her and Heiseimi. "Now, do go on about the trance..."

[ ]"...Heiseimi, you go ahead first. What happened?"
[ ]"...Would you like to do the honors, Doctor?"

~~~

There, done! Now to scramble like a headless chicken again. I feel like I'm gonna die, at this rate.

I know this sounds stupid, but what's a good energy drink?

Hooray!

[x]"...Would you like to do the honors, Doctor?"

>I know this sounds stupid, but what's a good energy drink?

Anything with caffeine and ginseng.

>"Good. You understand that you won't even breathe without my permission now, Tenyuushi?"
>"...Yes, milady. ", she submits.

Good Reisen, you sound kinda badass.

[x]"...Would you like to do the honors, Doctor?"

More exposition requested.

[x]"...Would you like to do the honors, Doctor?"

Heiseimi seems to have some history with the doctor; we could ask her about it later in private. For now, let the doctor at least save some face by allowing her to do her job.

Writan, for lack of votes, then.

>>10940

hooray!

>>10940

See you next week, space cowboy.

"Why don't you start, Doctor?", you offer. "Tell me what you know."

The doctor dutifully nods in submission, setting aside your folder for the one below. It's thin - for a book, anyway. The last one had the excuse of probably covering your entire adult life; what this one's got is hard to say.

Opening the file to the front, Tenyuushi takes out a pack of papers, copies of Brahe's scans clipped behind some of the pages.

"..It's not really much at the moment, Lady Reisen," she begins, dismissing her previous shame, "but what we've learned has some serious implications for the entire crew, if the records are to be believed. You see, the trance appears to be something like... like a control system, to try to describe it."

You don't like her two facedness, but at the same time, she can bounce back pretty quick when she needs to, admittedly. An admirable trait, you think, were it a different time.

"Elaborate.", you beckon. "Exactly what do you mean by a control system?"

"More or less what it literally means, milady.", she explains. "During the trance, small traces of the crew's thought patterns appeared to show up, however fragmented, within your own mental activity. At the same time, the affected crew's mental signatures seemed to be taking on the major characteristics of your own.... Tellingly, areas focused on self-awareness and independent thought were suppressed to various degrees. It looks a lot like a system of command: your thoughts - orders, perhaps - were broadcast to the crew, who unconsciously responded to some degree."

Turning to the second page, the doctor hands you a copy of the scans clipped to it; she points to the first set of images, tersely labeled with a long ID string - the first section, however, reads 'BE-02C'. Like your own scan, the set depicts activity spiking in corners of Brahe's brain; unlike yours, activity remains normal in the rest of the scan.

"As you can see in this first set,", Tenyuushi continues, "most of the crew scanned were only affected slightly by this trance; their individual thought is more or less unhindered, except for some almost nominal dampening, and even though their brain waves have taken on a lot of the 'noise' of your own, the only apparent effects were slight headaches and audial hallucinations...with the exception of Lieutenant Heiseimi, who did seem to be more susceptible to commands. Despite the report's description of the stress, it's a far cry from the seizures that could've happened with the kind of activity the crew was getting. However, the two officers were not quite so lucky... look at this one." She points at another scan below Brahe's, marked 'GENGETSU'; put simply, it looks like hell. "The lunarians seem to have taken the trance at full blast, so to speak. The mental dampening affected them gravely; within seconds, their own brain activity seems to fall apart at the seams, being replaced with something very close to your own thought patterns - and it should be noted that around this time that a kind of feedback appeared in your scans for a brief moment, possibly them returning information. This would explain reports of your lieutenants repeating your words, milady, and possibly why they fell into comas when the trance ended, as the primary signal keeping them conscious would have been abruptly cut off."

[ ] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[ ] "I see. What effect could this have on the crew?"
[ ] "I see. That will be all, Doctor."

~~~

Dialogue, dialogue...

I think my life might not be going as down the tubes as I thought.

[x] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[x] "It will be disastrous for crew morale if word gets out that they're possibly being mind-controlled. None of this leaves this room, at least until we get back to Luna. Tenna, I want you to encrypt the relevant files and move them to private storage; I don't want you talking about this to the Adjutant, to your colleagues, to anyone. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikuken personally as to the nature of their condition once they become lucid."

>I think my life might not be going as down the tubes as I thought.

Hooray!.jpg

[x] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[x] "It will be disastrous for crew morale if word gets out that they're possibly being mind-controlled. None of this leaves this room, at least until we get back to Luna. Tenna, I want you to encrypt the relevant files and move them to private storage; I don't want you talking about this to the Adjutant, to your colleagues, to anyone. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikuken personally as to the nature of their condition once they become lucid."

>>10963
This wagon, I must band it.

[x] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[x] "It will be disastrous for crew morale if word gets out that they're possibly being mind-controlled. None of this leaves this room, at least until we get back to Luna. Tenna, I want you to encrypt the relevant files and move them to private storage; I don't want you talking about this to the Adjutant, to your colleagues, to anyone. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikuken personally as to the nature of their condition once they become lucid."

[x] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[x] "It will be disastrous for crew morale if word gets out that they're possibly being mind-controlled. None of this leaves this room, at least until we get back to Luna. Tenna, I want you to encrypt the relevant files and move them to private storage; I don't want you talking about this to the Adjutant, to your colleagues, to anyone. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikuken personally as to the nature of their condition once they become lucid."

[x] "I see. Do you have any theories on the nature of the trance?"
[x] "It will be disastrous for crew morale if word gets out that they're possibly being mind-controlled. None of this leaves this room, at least until we get back to Luna. Tenna, I want you to encrypt the relevant files and move them to private storage; I don't want you talking about this to the Adjutant, to your colleagues, to anyone. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikuken personally as to the nature of their condition once they become lucid."

"I see...", you breathe, looking over the slides' progression again. First normal, then an explosion of activity... then virtually nothing.

This could be much worse than you first thought. Even if she's wrong, and this isn't being forced on them, it's still clear that the crew took on your thoughts, overwhelmed by it... or perhaps absorbed, for some of them...

You swallow, trying to dismiss the sick possibilities of that thought.

"Well then, what are your theories on the nature of the trance?"

Tenyuushi blinks. "The nature of it, milady? I haven't the faintest idea. The most likely culprit is some kind of electromagnetic wave; background scans of the bridge indicate that it was flooded with extremely low-frequency radiation. However," she continues, "scans also indicate a spike in nearly wavelength of radiation below red light, so the specific frequency still can't be pinned down. I do know that the origin of the radiation is a massive distortion, and that you somehow generated the distortion, but beyond that, everything else is speculation."

"Everything?"

"Everything, milady."

"When do you expect further progress on this information, Tenna?", you ask slowly. She frowns.

"At the moment, I don't expect any progress, milady. Not with the data or instruments we have currently; one or the other must be more precise in order to make any more useful distinctions between the waves in the EM flood."

"Then it's a dead end...", you mutter. "Tenna, listen closely. I want you to destroy all relevant files on the trance. Make copies, encrypt the copies, and store them under private records; afterwards, don't say a word about anything mentioned in this room, or in these files. No one can know about this, not your nurses, not the Adjutant, and especially not the crew, at least not until we reach Luna. Understand?"

Tenyuushi nods, albeit hesitantly. "I understand, milady."

You turn to Heiseimi. "This goes double for you, Heiseimi; if word got out that the crew was under some kind of mind control, morale would be eradicated. If anyone asks..."

"...This whole conversation never happened.", she completes, with an understanding smile. "I got it, Captain."

"Good. I'll inform Gengetsu and Rikugen personally of the nature of their condition once they're lucid again."

[ ] "Before I go off duty, however, I'd like to hear your side of the story, Heiseimi. Could you tell me what you experienced?"
[ ] "In the meantime, we're all officially off duty until the next day shift. It's... been quite a day for us all, I think."
[ ] "In the meantime, I'll return to the bridge. The crew needs me at a time like this."

~~~

Crap, I don't know what I want to say here, this time.

[x] "Before I go off duty, however, I'd like to hear your side of the story, Heiseimi. Could you tell me what you experienced?"

[x] "In the meantime, we're all officially off duty until the next day shift. It's... been quite a day for us all, I think."
[x] Upon leaving the office. "Heiseimi, would you care for a drink? My quarters?"

Want to ask her on the relationship between her and the doctor as well as get her side of the story and reassure her. Given that the doctor was able to glare her into silence before, I don't think we can expect her to be entirely open in her presence.

[x] "In the meantime, we're all officially off duty until the next day shift. It's... been quite a day for us all, I think."
[x] Upon leaving the office. "Heiseimi, would you care for a drink? My quarters?"

Our bridge bunnies deserve some face time.

[x] "In the meantime, we're all officially off duty until the next day shift. It's... been quite a day for us all, I think."
[x] Upon leaving the office. "Heiseimi, would you care for a drink? My quarters?"

This seems like a good choice to me.

[x] "In the meantime, we're all officially off duty until the next day shift. It's... been quite a day for us all, I think."
[x] Upon leaving the office. "Heiseimi, would you care for a drink? My quarters?"

Two updates in one day, QWL? I am shocked and amazed.

Updates?

(Now look what you did, QWL. You've spoiled Anonymous.)

>>11056

That reminds me, QWL do you subscribe to the theory that Sakuya is a Lunarian y/n?

>>11054

I had to do something, and for once, it wasn't school. It was homework. Granted, it was a big ol' project which ended up as a snowjob after I forgot about it, but that's still homework... sorta.

My grade's fucked again, so I'm going to probably not have a computer for the next few days after Thursday; hopefully with my newfound "do things before it rapes your grade" work ethic, I'll be able to finish the update. Life is a roller-coaster.

>>11057
Why can't it be both? Or even better, why can't her Lunar Dial be a Long Lost Artifact of the Ancient Ones, just like every other super advanced device in every story ever?

I haven't decided, frankly.

Writan continues, and it won't take a week this time... read that as you will.

>>11066
>Writan continues, and it won't take a week this time...

Hooray!

>>11066
>I haven't decided, frankly.

I was just wondering if such an encounter was possible. There is a dearth of canonical Touhous in this story, which is understandable, given the setting.

Have you thought about using the Watatsuki sisters?

"In the meantime, we're all off duty until next dayshift.", you say. "It's... been quite a day for us all, I believe." You get up from the chair, turning to leave. "Doctor, deal with the files, and get some rest. That'll be all."

Tenyuushi affirms with a "milady"; you motion to Heiseimi to follow you as you leave. At the same time, you open up a quick channel to Brahe:

<<Brahe, you have command of the ship for the rest of the ship.>>

<<Something's come up, sir?>>, she asks, sounding like her normal, calm self.

<<In a way.>>, you answer. <<The good doctor's got some ideas of what happened on the bridge; suffice it to say that I find I'm not in the best condition to command at the moment. This goes for the rest of the crew; inform them that anyone feeling unfit for duty is free to switch off with the night shift today. You have command of the ship until the end of this shift, unless you would like to switch over.>>

<<Understood, sir; I'll notify you of the off-duty personnel in four. 02A out.>>

With that, the channel closes with two chimes. You leave the doctor's office, then the sick bay, trying to ignore the sight of the Lieutenants, now laid on the benches in something like sleep. Their eyes still open, trying to look at the same point on the wall, at the same nurse still watching over them.

And then at you, moving in that horrible unison. You leave hastily, trying not to look back.

The hall outside somehow feels inviting, compared to the sick bay now. Turning to look inside the bay, you wait for Heiseimi, just a few seconds behind you. She doesn't look much better than yourself, you think.

How, exactly, do you look? You can't really say. Do you look frustrated? Cruel? Vulnerable? You don't know. You don't dwell on it for long, as Heiseimi catches up with you.

"You wanted me, ma'am?", she asks quietly. You nod.

"Yes, but it's not important...", you answer, finding it hard to speak. "Not if you don't want..."

Just say it, already.

"Would you... care for a drink, Heiseimi? My quarters?"

Her expression lightens up. "I... sure, Captain." You smile warmly, leading the way to your quarters. This feels... familiar. Or rather, your lieutenant seems familiar to you...

"You can drop the title, sister.", you say kindly. "I'm Reisen. You're Heiseimi. I'm not a Captain and you're not a Lieutenant..."

"'We're sisters.'", she finishes with that same warmth. "Of course, Reisen."

You've said this before, a long time ago. It used to be, you recall, that she was a corporal, and you were a private... but that was ten years ago, on Ceti III...

You sigh, happily. It's the only good thing Ceti gave you.

[ ] "It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?"
[ ] Let her talk first.

~~~

I have no last words. My next updates will probably be over school systems, so they'll be earlier in a way, at least.

>>11082

Well, I can understand how you feel about it. It's a bitch trying to write like this, as I don't usually write a story composed mostly of OCs. The Watatsuki sisters command the Defense fleet in orbit around the Moon, so if you're going to talk to them, it's going to be more in a Kaguya route. Probably also in missions on Serenity Station; despite appearances, it's not under Eirin's command.

Picture related only because of that last thing Reisen said. I wasn't thinking of it when I wrote it, but... hey.

[x] "It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?"

>You've said this before, a long time ago. It used to be, you recall, that she was a corporal, and you were a private... but that was ten years ago, on Ceti III...
>You sigh, happily. It's the only good thing Ceti gave you.

If I remember properly, the encyclopedia entry said only two members of the 28th survived. So either the official records are incomplete or TU-09 Tsuryoku wasn't actually part of the unit and instead has some other connection (e.g., deceased relative).

[x] "It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?"

[x] "It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?"

[x] "It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?"
Morale vote~

Back to work, finally~

>>11147
hooray!

WHERE IS THE UPDATE QWL
YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE UPDATES

update

"It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?", you wonder whistfully, almost not believing it yourself. Ten years...

Ten years. And yet, it's as though it's only been a day. You've tried hard to forget, but the memories are still fresh... the loss and the pain. But even so, you can still look back on it, as though... as though there was nostalgia. Because of her.

Like in a dream, the smoke, the dust, the fires come back, the hellish landscape of death and ruin. But for once, you don't feel a thing. Only the memory that you met this girl you call sister, the thought that you two are brethren through war...

Comfort.

Does it feel the same for Heiseimi? Does she sometimes feel like this?

As if in answer, she nods, radiating with that same happy feeling of finding shelter in the storm. Not that you can see, but rather that you can feel that she has done so.

"Mm, a lifetime since then.", Heiseimi reminisces, reciprocating your thoughts. "You... miss it, sister?"

"Well, not the war...", you answer. She already knows your reply, of course. "Ceti was hell. I miss being a Marine..."

...Miss being there beside you, you leave out. Right there in the gunfire, in the alleyways, struggling for life together. It didn't die with your transfer into the Guard, of course. It was just that it was another world.... one of a superior and her subordinate.

You miss the feeling of supporting each other, sheltering one another. The feeling of safety.

"I see...", Heiseimi nods, smiling gently with comprehension. "That's what you mean."

"It was the only thing worth missing.", you reply, still lost in your thoughts. "And a wonderful thing, at that." You unlock the doors to your quarters absentmindedly; letting Heiseimi enter first, you reset the lock, before walking through the dimly lit room to a hidden cabinet beside your locker.

"Sorry about the lack of seats.", you say, looking back to see her sitting by your desk, before opening the cabinet. Inside, several glasses, and a few bottles of various drinks, mostly vodkas and liqueurs from various colonies. "What would you like?"

"It's fine. Ah... vodka. Alshaini, if you've any."

"Of course." Taking two bottles from the back, one clear and nearly unmarked, the other covered in print, you pour the drinks. A glass of amaretto for yourself, and a shot of vodka for Heiseimi. Cheap, almost tasteless, and burns like hell. But it's an artifact of your homeworld... Alshain, the cold little ball in the middle of nowhere.

Or is it Alnasl II, the palace-world of the Yagokoro? You can't tell anymore. Dropping the thought, you take the drinks to your desk.

"Here.", you offer, handing Heiseimi her drink as you sit down.

"Ah, thanks. Could you turn the windows back on?"

"Sure." Accessing the window controls, you force them back on, and the room is flooded with the cool, beautiful glow of warp space.

"Thanks...", she says again, sounding very much contented.

"No problem."

[ ] "So what's happened since I've been out, sister?"
[ ] "How are you? Do you feel any better?"

~~~

Okay, that was pretty hard. But I liked the results; not too odd-sounding, I hope.

{~} "How are you? Do you feel any better?"

I liked it.

[x] "How are you? Do you feel any better?"

[x] "How are you? Do you feel any better?"

[x] "How are you? Do you feel any better?"
[x] "Why would Tenna ask that of one of my closest officers, Heiseimi? Is crew morale really so low that she'd expect you'd go along with it?"

Subtle way to ask Heiseimi about the suspected relationship between the two of them. Also a dipstick for the crew's general attitude towards you.

[X]"Thinking about it, nothing really changed." give a quick glance at the window then look back at Heiseimi "The Belligerence, the lockdown, the battle against the forces of the Pact, Yoaeka's defection, then this "incident", we're quite busy as always aren't we?" sigh softly "I know I shouldn't be worrying about you, but I can't help it. So, how are you, feeling all right?"

[x] "How are you? Do you feel any better?"
>>11181
I personally would prefer to spy on comms logs between crew members to find that sort of thing out. But then again, I just like snooping around in general. As for >>11182 I think it's just a bit too specific and might direction the conversation too hard to the topic of these recent events.

Well, time for school. New thread for new post; ETA probably not for a day or two, thanks to school projects.