|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:57 pm
Lieutenant Mica was wandering around the Negaverse subspace, looking for someone. She had been brought here in case her medical skills were needed while people trained in the Rift, but she herself wasn’t able to enter the Rift yet. She was left behind, trying to find someone to make her delivery to so she could be on her way. The problem was that she had a Senshi starseed with her, and she doubted the wisdom of carrying it with her into the Rift; seemed a good suicide tactic.
In truth, Mica wanted the starseed gone. It was nothing but trouble. She wasn’t stupid enough to bring it into the Rift with her, plus it served as unfortunate reminder of her lapse in control. It don’t bother her that she killed the Senshi – they deserved to die - but that she hadn’t planned to kill this Senshi, hadn’t done it with a clear head. The deed itself was hazy, as was much of that night, and she’d be glad to forget the whole thing.
Queen Beryl was proving as elusive as always, which left Mica seeking the next best thing. She doubted she’d have to look long, which was good, as then she could make her delivery and go sit somewhere. For once she didn’t feel tired – something about the subspace made her alert – but her feet were bitching from hours of working and patrolling. She was tempted to get some Dr. Scholls inserts for her boots. Very tempted. She didn’t get how all her comrades in high heels did it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:47 pm
"A pleasure seeing you here, Nyasa..."
The 'next best thing' didn't take very long to arrive. After a few minutes or so of watching and waiting for someone to show up who could help her take care of the burdensome Sailor Crystal, the waifish form of General-Queen Laurelite passed into the hallway, quickly taking notice of the Lieutenant and the crystallized, magic essence she had with her.
"It's always rewarding to see Lieutenants taking some initiative in their duties," she remarked as she approached. Whether she was talking about Mica's volunteering as a medic or the detectable evidence that she had killed a senshi recently was uncertain. Laurelite's expression was placid and resigned, but not unpleasant, as she fixed her gaze on Mica, seemingly giving her a once-over. "But you also seem... a little troubled..." she observed, hands moving from her sides to clasp at her front. "Is that from anything in particular?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:49 pm
At the appearance of the petite General-Queen, Mica bowed slightly. It was satisfying to have her work recognized, but the recognition of her less then optimal state had her suppressing a grimace. It would not do to lie to the General-Queen, but Mica had no desire to say anything that could be construed as a weakness either.
“ My schedules have been conflicting lately.” She admitted reluctantly, but added,“ I’m working on a solution.”
Any details, she figured, were unnecessary. Laurelite had more important things to do then to worry about one Lieutenant’s trouble with time management, surely. At least, until it negatively affected her performance; a possibility she wouldn’t dwell on. Though not normally one to seek praise of approval, she thought it best to throw out some tidbits that might be taken more favorably.
“ I’m working my way into a civilian street gang. They owe me a large favor already.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:49 pm
"Common challenges to face," mused Laurelite, her features breaking into a bit of a wider, warmer smile. It seemed she sympathized a bit with the scheduling struggles Mica was dealing with. "It'll get easier... especially with you taking such an active role in making it so. An admirable approach, indeed." Her tone was amicable; pleased, even. "One worthy of the Negaverse. We'll just have to wait and see how effective your solution is."
The mention of a civilian gang landed on the General-Queen's composure like a light breeze: there was some reaction, but not necessarily a pleased or displeased one. If anything, she looked a bit intrigued. "Working with civilians to gain more control over the city... an interesting strategy. But be sure not to get too attached to them, Lieutenant, and be aware of their limitations." There wasn't much else that she could say on the subject without more information, so that is where she left her feedback. The fact that she had managed some kind of success out of the venture, however, didn't go unnoticed.
Laurelite mused for a bit, giving Mica another once-over... their brief exchange and her observations flowed to the forefront of her mind, percolating.
"You strike me as someone who's very passionate about problem-solving, Lieutenant," she observed after a moment. "Considering how you're taking responsibility in getting your priorities in order... and how it seems that you've already been able to solve one of the many, many problems this city has been dealing with..."
It was obvious that she was referring to the Sailor Crystal on her person.
"What kind of problems do you see yourself solving in the future, Mica?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:52 pm
Mica was well aware of the thugs’ limitations. For example, they were not typically known for their intellect, but they had their uses nevertheless.
As for future problem-solving, well, she had ideas. She was not particularly good at conveying such ideas though, so her words were more halting as she spoke.
“ Problems… I’ll solve any I can. But, I guess I’m focusing on… civilian connections?” Mica’s brow furrowed as she scrabbled for the right words. “ Like, with Captain Wolframite. He needed an apartment, but he’s young, so it could’ve been hard, but I knew who to ask. Say the right words, put money in the right hands, and people turn a blind eye. I’m trying to find those people, then pass the word on to our comrades.”
Did that make sense? She hoped it did. It was more then just apartments, of course: pawn shops to sell loot in, people to buy medical supplies from, jobs to make money, and more. It required some degree of street sense, which she had, plus her age was less likely to arouse suspicion then her younger comrades'. She thought it would be a useful contribution, but she wasn’t sure if it was ambitious enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:24 pm
There was little hint of any reaction in Laurelite in features for the most part, but at the very least she was considering the Lieutenant's words. She wasn't displaying any disappointment. She wasn't informing Mica that it was a terrible idea, either. So, that was a sign, which became illuminated more clearly when she spoke.
"Connections and accomodations for that part of our lives we can't fully abandon..." she mused, tapping the ends of her index fingers together. "That was essential for our operations in Europe... our ranks were much smaller, but everyone was expected to be able to contribute." A small smile broke through, almost reminiscent in nature. "What little activity we saw was never localized to a single city, and some of us had to move between different countries on a regular basis in order to continue our operations. That... took a lot of work... finding apartments and hotel rooms, knowing who to bribe and when..."
She was looking at Mica with a thoughtful eye, imagining the American officer working with what her old post had to deal with. The Lieutenant fit in seamlessly...
...just not as a Lieutenant.
"You must find your rank to be a bit of a hindrance at this point," she remarked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:29 pm
Laurelite’s reminisces served as a reminder that this war was not confined to Destiny City alone, a fact Mica sometimes lost sight of. Having rarely ventured outside of Destiny City, she often felt as if the rest of the world was something that existed only on TV. It wasn’t though, and the General-Queen’s story was proof that the rest of the world wasn’t so exotic that people out there didn’t encounter similar problems, though Destiny City did seem to rank top in Senshi-related problems.
“ There are some… logistical issues.”
Mica couldn’t teleport away to prevent getting a rib cracked. She couldn’t drive her car to the Negaverse subspace. She could only drain energy from one person at a time, which made picking off groups of thugs risky. Mica didn’t want to seem ungrateful - she was glad to have been recruited, to have had her eyes opened and to serve a purpose - but being a higher rank would certainly make some things easier.
“ Having a higher rank would increase efficiency.” she said, as if commenting on a company’s budget.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:49 pm
" Having a higher rank would increase efficiency..." Laurelite parroted. Her tone wasn't mocking or irritable, just candid. "That's something Marthozite would have said." It was a bold statement. "It will do." Mica would have trouble remembering whether the General-Queen had said those words before or after her fingers had sunken into her chest. The motion was quick and silent, with only the clattering of her footsteps across the reflective floor serving any indication that she had suddenly moved forward, her placid expression incredibly close. Laurelite's voice always had that strangely intimate quality to it, even from a distance, all subtle whispering and calm murmurs. Now the intimacy was borderline overwhelming. Laurelite was saying something, whispering something in that quiet tone of hers, but besides the sensation of the air being stirred around her, it didn't register. Everything else was just too loud. The sound of their boots scraping against the floor was too loud. The footsteps and voices of other Negaversers milling about their business elsewhere in the subspace was too loud. Breathing was too loud. There was so much breathing, everywhere. She couldn't tune it out, it was impossible. It was unbearable. Every squeak, every scratch, every whisper, every last conceivable noise in the grand cathedral of their headquarters had been amplified to some horrific volume that abused not just her eardrums, but her entire being. There was nothing left to the universe but noise -- terrible, unintelligible, eternal noise. It drowned everything else out. It was drowning her out. The noise swelled like a wave, and receded like one as well. When Laurelite's grip finally released Mica's star seed, however, she couldn't escape the strange feeling that not all of it had left. "...lations, Captain," the General-Queen was saving. "Are your plans going to change at all, knowing what you're capable of... and what you've been entrusted with now?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:07 pm
Being compared to the former General-King was a compliment and Mica might have let herself relish it, but she did have time to. Suddenly the General-Queen was much closer, and there were fingers in her chest, on her starseed, and there was noise; painful, painful noise. It wouldn’t stop and she wanted to jam up her ears – surely deafness would be better – but it stopped. Most of it.
Through the ringing in her ears, Mica could hear the General-Queen was saying something about a Captain. She realized that something felt off, and when she glanced down she noticed that her uniform had changed quite dramatically, and at last her spinning brain was able to fit all the pieces together. Captain Mica; and unexpected, but pleasant surprise.
“ Only to include new parameters.” She said with as steady a voice as she could manage. “ I would not fail you by doing less then what I am now capable of.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:41 pm
"Good answer," said Laurelite. Her voice was practically a purr, narrowed eyes seeming to admire her own handiwork -- well, half of it was Mica's. She had provided the body, and the star seed. The General-Queen had simply provided the energy, and a new level of potential to live up to.
"Teleporting will take some concentration, and knowing where it is you're going... and takes a lot of energy, for now." It was a fair warning. Teleporting felt something like trying to cast your own shadow somewhere in the distance and forcing it to reel you in. It was a headache, and it was exhausting for beginners. "You also have enough power to convince a decent youma to listen to you... if you so choose, it might be worth your while to spare some time for a trip to the Rift..."
The massive door to the Rift loomed at them from nearby. Laurelite took a cool glance at it, before returning her attention to the newly-promoted Captain. "And with that, you may consider yourself dismissed. Use your power well... though I have no doubts that you won't, Nyasa."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
