Public Neo-Shogun Camp.

After MachMan made his speech, DragonierMan nodded. "You three as well. It was a good idea that they got you guys into the organization." He then frowned. "However, the hunt is still not over. We did not find Roc's sister." Aya nodded. "We completed the mission yes, but all we did was find out that where she was last seen. Not a lot to go on beyond the idea that she might be at some holding area near a home for unoperated navis run by the NetPolice."

Suzume walked up to Aera, Vector, and Roc. She placed her hand on Roc's forehead to check her temperature. Then withdrew and looked at Aera and Vector. "Good job on the mission, partners. Sorry that we all got off on the wrong foot. And that we didn't really work more closely together beyond coordinating between groups that have already worked together... But we pulled it off without many problems. So, thanks for the help," she smiled. "Perhaps we should spend some time off the clock to get to know each other. Would make the next time we work together go a little smoother," she suggested.

"That might not be a bad idea," Aya agreed. Then she looked at Aera, "I bet I could drink her under the table." Drago, however, moved to stand in front of Mach, then offered his hand. If Mach took it, instead of a handshake, Drago tried to pull him in and put him into a crushing bear hug. However, this bear hug was not a friendly one. Drago grunted as he tried to squeeze the life from Mach. "I haven't seen you fight yet. Time to show me what you really got!" he grunted, squeezing tighter. If Mach managed to free himself, Drago would charge him like a bull, then swing at him with his fists whether or not he managed to knock Mach down. Aya and Suzume both rolled their eyes after recovering from the shock of Drago taking it out on Mach.

"Fight me like you mean it! Show me the strength that makes you my equal."
Their ally took Mach's comments well, but illustrated the somewhat lackluster results gained by their mission. They had run down a lead, but it only lead to another source that needed investigating. If it did in fact move them closer to finding Scavenger's location, the change seemed fairly negligible from where the group stood. "True, but now we can remove the Mafia from the picture, less players on the table make things more manageable regardless," Mach replied, affirming their comments, whilst trying to reveal the silver lining of the situation.

Both Vector and Aera shifted their focus temporarily from their ailing ally to Suzume as she spoke, making light of their tensions while hoping some "off the clock" interaction may allow for better understanding of each of the group members. Vector responded without moving, still supporting the majority of Roc's weight. "It would be preferable to get to know eachother in less trying circumstances." Suzume's "sister" agreed with her sentiments while also proposing a challenge towards Aera, to which she half-heartedly accepted. "I just might take you on that bet, Aya."

Meanwhile Mach accepted DragonierMan's handshake, but it quickly became a vice-like bearhug accompanied with a challenge to spar. Mach audibly exhaled before he blinked away in a blip of cyan light, only to re-appear behind DragonierMan. The armored Navi showed no hesitation and pressed on the attack, urging Mach to fall back, but continue to remain unscathed from the assault thanks to quick boosts from the myriad of thrusters in his chest, feet, and wings. If Mach managed to get a word into the the exchange, he would've said "You have power, I have speed. Both are strengths, albeit different."
Pest, Skywriter, and Vee assembled with MachMan, DragonierMan, and their respective crews in short order, since all were going to the same place. The SPs attended to Roc while MachMan summoned her some attention.

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You all should have informed me of the severity of Roc's condition immediately. I'll get have Sake and Dee take her for medical attention. I saw you appear close by. Stay where you are and I'll come to you.


When Suzume checked on Roc, the bird-lady's fever was still quite evident, although it was also possible that her body heat was always naturally high. At any rate, DragonierMan and his group were in high spirits, which seemed to infectiously rub off on Pest as well, as she began buzzing and thanking the others for their work. Skywriter, on the other hand, looked nervously between the others, stealing short glances at Vee, who was not joining in on the rest of the revelry. DragonierMan and MachMan made a brief show of bravado that had Pest buzzing harder (perhaps hungrily).

This was just the sort of situation where Yasu often interjected with her own brash personality, and so she did here, arriving with a sharp bark. "Subordinates! Here I've come, intending to honor you all on the work well done, and what do I find but the two of you men, making fools of yourselves and fighting amongst one another! There is a time for sparring, but directly following a strenuous mission, while awaiting your senior officer, is not that time!" Assuming she'd properly conveyed to the two that she didn't want them fighting, she'd motion with one hand for Dee and Sake to approach, to relieve the group of the strain of caring for Roc. Dee's healing magic would most likely be administered, perhaps with some assistance from Sake.

The white haired general gave a wink to DragonierMan, a playful smile curling across her painted lips, as he was accustomed to seeing when she was not showing her true form. "Trapped up there with all of those sex-crazy girls! I hope you didn't have too much fun without me!" she giggled. Skywriter gulped again and seemed to sink into her own shoulders, as if trying to disappear. Dee eyed her suspiciously, raising one eyebrow. "Or if you did... I hope you didn't pick our freshest recruits to have that fun with!" she joked, which seemed to do nothing to improve Skywriter's mood. Seeing that, Dee decided to give up and carry Roc off.

Now that those three were gone, Yasu seemed to soften up and spared the rare, though strained, smile. "Ah, you know I'm not always the best at expressing it, but I am pleased with your efforts on this mission. You Subordinates shall all be rewarded handsomely for your efforts so far. Simply name your reward and I will endeavor to match it. As for your evaluation, although I'm told the intel we received was not ideal, you still carried out your mission with zero casualties and, as I understand it, without straining our delicate position with the Mafia too far. Roc's state is unfortunate, but at least no one else had to suffer that sort of brutal, shameful ordeal. Roc is a tough woman, I will admit that. I think she'll bounce back stronger than ever, burning with vengeance against those who wronged her. Again, we should just be thankful..." as the First General spoke, she spotted Vee, who had not left, but rather, simply stood silently at the back of the group. "Vee... Your clothes are in disarray as well! What happened?" she asked, speaking quickly but with something of a nervous hush.

Vee stared blankly for a moment, then look down at the ground of the net. "I'm not sure... But I know they got me," she murmured, looking to the side in an expression that looked fairly familiar on her. She might have planned to keep quiet about it, or otherwise hadn't made up her mind yet, but now that her state was so plain for Yasu to see, she couldn't help it.

The non-patched eye of Yasu gazed back at Vee unblinking, her lips curling into a slow snarl. "Got you? Who? Was this before the others arrived?" she asked, her face gradually contorting into a mask of pain. "... If only I had dispatched help sooner... Who did it?!" she snapped again. "I will avenge not only Roc, but also you, immediately! Tell me the name of the perpetrator!"

"I don't know," Vee answered quickly, wearing a cold frown, neither angry nor crying. "My memories are all a blur from the moment I arrived onto the ship to the time when I arrived here. It could have been before or after the others arrived. I don't know any of the mission details... But I must go to see my sister now," she murmured, looking away from the rest of the subordinates. There was no stolen glance at DragonierMan, nor expectation, nor hope that he'd be the one to reveal he'd taken her first time.

Growing still more furious, Yasu dug her fingers into the plates on the palms of her gauntlets and struggled not to spit angry words or accusations at her own subordinates. "Who?! Why in our Lord's name did you all not report this to me?! You all must have picked up some clues! Who is the bastard that took advantage of the situation in NetVegas and... and spoiled the honor of your general?! I'll take them in my hands and I'll rip them in two... without hesitation... I'll rip out their beating heart and smash it inside of my fist!" she roared, clasping her hands atop her head as if a vicious headache had suddenly overtaken her. "You subordinates will tell me, NOW! Any failure to surrender information will be seen as nothing short of treason against our Lord! Give me the name or names of the curs so that I can give them the tortuous death they deserve!"

Vee shook her head slowly. "There's no point. We still haven't finished our mission. Roc's sister may still be out there... And nobody has died," Vee reassured Yasu. "The Neo-Shogun Empire owes it to Roc to see that mission through. Now, I must go see Lee." She then vanished in a burst of electricity before the others could stop her; Yasu herself had reached out one hand and stepped slightly forward, as though she were going to move forward and embrace the young ninja.

This didn't seem to have calmed the First General down much as she stamped angrily, looking between all of the others, with an expression slowly fading from anger to bitter tears, running from both her exposed eye and her patched one. "Damn... Damn!" she cursed, pressing one of her palms to her good eye and turning her back to the others. "Oh, damn it all... Forgive me, Vee... Forgive me, Lord Neo-ShogunMan... It should have been me up there... I should never have sent you on such dangerous reconnaissance," the muscular lady groaned, tilting her head up in a helpless expression of defeat. "The Mafia will pay... I'll kill every one of them that I can get my hands on!"

At this point, Skywriter looked almost as though she was going to wet herself, falling back in wide-eyed terror from the crowd slowly while Yasu's back was turned; she'd clasped both hands over her own mouth to avoid crying herself. The behavior was eerily reminiscent of Flambe's from earlier. Although MachMan might be counting on some unity with his squadron, there was something besides basic nervousness, perhaps distrust, in Skywriter's face as she looked between everyone: DragonierMan, Aya, Suzume, MachMan, or even his SPs. Someone was going to have to say something, or Skywriter would probably be the one to do so as soon as Yasu turned around and began shouting again.
DragonierMan gave a wink back to Dee before she left.

Then his eyes widened as the situation developed with Vee. She didn't remember? The whole thing was a blur? Well, that didn't bode well for him on any level. Especially since Vee seemed to be in good spirits after it happened. But now she wouldn't remember. And Yasu was pissed. He would have to tread carefully here and see to Vee later.

"General Vee was unharmed when we arrived on the scene," Drago said finally. "And even though she was infected, we made sure that during the mission no one touched her..." He paused for a moment, mentally preparing himself. But it was clear what needed to be said. So he stood up straight and tall, ready to take a beating for what he said next. "... Besides myself."

He mentally braced himself for Yasu's wrath as he continued, not flinching from her gaze. "The drug and song removed many of one's inhibitions. However, it only enhanced one's longing toward those they already were attracted. I noticed this in the first few minutes after we arrived. General Vee did not immediately try to seduce MachMan or anyone else on the three airships. She only focused on me." He lowered his head slightly and gave a tiny, yet sad smirk. "She confided in me how she felt unwanted. How she saw how I looked at the others, at her sister, and not at her. She begged me time and time again." Drago looked back up at Yasu, the smirk gone, and bore into her eyes with his own. They were like steel. It was clear that he believed what he did to be the right course of action.

"So I made love to General Vee. I showed her that she had value, that she could be loved. She even thanked me afterwards and said that it didn't scare her anymore." He squared his chin. "I may be a beast, and I even may have taken advantage, but I am willing to take responsibility for it. I did not harm her. I kept her from suffering a worse fate. So do your worst... You know I can take it," he growled challengingly.

Suzume and Aya took a long step back from their master to clear the line of fire. Aya cleared her throat with a cough. "We also took samples of the delivery method for the virus," she said while producing half of the cake they had taken from the airship. Suzume also produced her own pad of paper, "And I tried to write down the tune and frequency of Piper's song. We can probably find a way to counter it for next time."

Suzume then bit her lip. "A lot of things happened at that party. It was a warzone. And General Vee would not stop asking the Master to take her right then and n-." Aya cut in, "General Vee was compromised. She was a distraction. She couldn't function. However, after they 'did the deed' she was back to her normal self. She was able to help complete the mission." Aya watched Yasu closely, like a hawk. "You shouldn't punish him for bringing the General back from her mindless state. She could have compromised the mission if he didn't do what he did."

"She could have been deleted... He saved her life."
General Yasu and her entourage consisting of Sake and who Mach could only assume was Dee from Yasu's message. He folded his wings down and touched down lightly to the ground with a twinge of embarrassment as he and DragonierMan were chastised for sparring. Aera and Vector carefully handed Roc off to Dee, who apparently knew DragonierMan quite well, enough to know of his lecherous antics. With their injured ally *hopefully* in good hands, the SPs moved to take their positions at MachMan's side. However, Aera noticed Skywriter appeared troubled, even more so than usual, and stood next to her before gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Everything okay? Looks like you have something on your mind," she asked calmly, showing legitimate concern for her favorite member of the newly formed squadron.

The other two stood at varying levels of attention as Yasu showed her appreciation for the overall success of the mission, and giving a very open-ended offer of reward. This piqued both MachMan's and Mazer's attention, causing them to ponder what sort of reward would best fit their needs as they continued to listen. Mach was prepared to detail the intel gained, but Yasu appeared to focus her attention on Vee's disheveled appearance.

The ensuing exchange enflamed Yasu's anger to a level not previously seen by the group. She was livid, and obviously itching for vengeance, reminding Mach a bit of Roc's impatient, hot-headed personality. She quickly turned on both DragonierMan and Mach, demanding who had "taken advantage of" the situation as well as General Vee's honor. Mach could safely say none of the group had taken advantage of the situation, but it was... painfully obvious who had 'spoiled General Vee's honor.' He wasn't one to immediately narc on an ally, but that proved to be unnecessary as DragonierMan immediately came clean. Mach nodded slightly as his ally explained himself, [[i]Hm, a bit blunt, but still... He's owning up to his actions honorably. You're quite an odd one, DragonierMan. Impulsive, violent, headstrong, perverted... but apparently mature as well.[/i]] Mach mused in his head, summing up his mental evaluation of the Navi.

His SPs moved to their Navi's aid, providing additional data as well as openly giving the general the opportunity to take the samples of Piper's poison and song data. DragonierMan explained who'd taken advantage of Vee, but Mach anticipated Yasu would then ask what caused Vee to be infected in the first place. Skywriter looked absolutely terrified, causing Aera to show growing concern on her face, and attempted to hold her close in an attempt to comfort the Navi, but she noticed her actions seemed... familiar. Was she hiding something, like Flambe? Mach took a step forward in an attempt to get Yasu's attention. "General Yasu, I agree with my allies' statements. Additionally, we did not know the vector of Piper's tech until after Roc, Pest, and General Vee were already infected. Thanks to Aya's intuition and Skywriter's eyewitness account, we were able to identify and secure the source of the contagion, to prevent further infection of our forces. If not for them, I doubt the mission would've succeeded," he explained, further supporting DragonierMan while also trying to exonerate the team from any wrong doing. To further explain, Mach offered up a theory for the mission's initial state of disarray.

"I believe the initial treachery came from Piper herself; with no idea or warning what form her poison would take, I think she set us up. It appeared she was working with Gala, the "hostess" of the event with the intent to wreak indiscriminate chaos regardless of programs' loyalties. She instantly made a lot of enemies, namely Kismet, who by the time we left was in the process of hunting her down with murderous intent. I don't think we'll be hearing much of her now."
Skywriter didn't move away from Aera, but shook her head. "No, it's not okay... We all saw what he did and didn't stop him," the nervous navi responded in a hushed whisper, speaking through her gloves, which were still pressed over her mouth. "I don't know how I'm going to live with myself..." Hopefully, some of the ensuing conversation would help her with that some, but it remained to be seen.

Yasu crossed her arms and turned her head slightly, having dried her eyes, to listen to DragonierMan's explanation of the events. She nodded along impatiently until he got to the part about his own involvement. Thankfully, Yasu had a lot of experience by this point trying to pull her punches and avoid walloping DragonierMan out of instinct, so, despite her obvious rage, she held her fists close by her side and listened to the rest of DragonierMan's story. Her expression looked especially pained as he continued, a mixture of indignation and helplessness to prevent what had already occurred.

Unfortunately, the First General was not in the least relieved by what she'd heard. "Is that it? You insufferable fool, mark of all that is unsavory about your gender!" she scolded him, obviously fighting back the urge to hit him as he'd asked her to. If he thought about it, he might think it was because she was actually wary of starting a fight in what was essentially a crowd of DragonierMan, his SPs, and his subordinate-status equals who'd returned from the mission and now appeared to be supporting him. "What you've just described is no more than inebriation! Removing inhibitions? Pulling out the 'real feelings' of whoever is affected? Did Vee appear to be in her right state of mind?! Of course she didn't! You have been with the girl on all of what... possibly three missions? Some with limited contact? Who the hell would think he had the right to judge the true, inner feelings of a girl he barely knows based on words she produced after obvious exposure to an enemy drug?! The attraction-based-in-fact that you thought you saw could just as easily have been a dream she had, a minor mental suggestion, the faintest, foggiest element of finding you 'handsome!' None of us know that drug yet! And yet you, you heinous worm, decided to act upon your basest desire, knowing she was not in the right state of mind, and take advantage of what you perceived you were offered! Did you think yourself 'bold?' Did you think yourself seizing upon a 'once in a life time opportunity?!' The audacity! The brazen ignorance! I cannot believe that you would offer this petty and trite defense of your deplorable actions! But what's worse..."

She spread her arms here, looking at all of the others. "Is that he seems to have your support in this! Has DragonierMan claimed each of your minds? Are you all brainwashed?! I know that you two girls are SPs and bound to be loyal to him, but can you honestly support his decision? Think, for the love of the Shogun! Did he need to penetrate General Vee to keep her safe and quiet? How could that possibly be the case?! What, was binding her and stringing her along the whole time not an option?! Could he not have even placated her with some other, less vulgar touches or promises?! Your master has raped one of the Shogun's most valuable, most loyal, hardest working generals and here I am being asked to understand him, to see that what he did was for the good of the mission! It disgusts me; my scars feel new, like they're burning at my flesh! Even if I accept for a moment that he was misguided because of a lack of understanding of the drug, that he was acting in what he perceived to be the best interests of Vee or the team, or that he has a genuine care for the General, what of it? He still committed one of the absolute gravest mistakes I have ever had the extreme displeasure to hear from any report during my time as First General, since my ill-fated military occupation attempt. I place this right alongside that in terms of overall detriment to our organization and the total degree of poor judgment. That is quite a low bar to reach, but you've matched it."

Her eye next turned to MachMan, no less severe. "It hurts me to think that you would agree with DragonierMan in this, MachMan, after the excellent leadership you showed during your previous battle. You are correct: Piper is first and foremost to blame for this outcome, having betrayed us. You all adapted excellently to the situation and minimized the threat to our forces from her treachery, also ensuring that she received her due punishment, as I understand. That is entirely unrelated to the fact that you each turned a blind eye to the rape of a senior officer! You honestly all thought that seemed like the right way to handle Vee? I can't even picture the events! Did you all watch? No, I can't imagine anything so sickening. But you all knew, that much is clear."

Skywriter and Pest were both standing towards the back now. Pest had clearly only just caught on to what was being discussed, having been away from the group for most of the mission. Skywriter, on the other hand, was still clutching her gloved hands hard over her mouth, unable to say anything in support of either side.

Yasu threw up her hands again, glaring hard at DragonierMan. "But what am I supposed to do? Punish you all, throw you out of the army? You, our most valuable aerial forces, who have accomplished so much over your short time in our organization? There could be no greater blow against the empire. Am I to condemn you all forever, because DragonierMan and all of you made a severe error in judgment during a highly dangerous mission in a hostile environment, one where he perceived certain signals based in what he believed to be past precedent? To scorn each of you as harshly as my anger tells me to, when Vee has seemingly already forgiven each of you? Therein lies my greatest struggle; I do indeed owe it to Vee to respect her decision. So, knowing that, I see fit not to issue punishment at this time. But I will certainly let both Vee, not to mention our leader, know exactly who they have to blame for this misstep, besides the late Piper."

Still not content to stop, she crossed her arms behind her back again and breathed deeply, her note-worthy chest rising and falling slowly as she did. "Vee was like a little sister to me. I was once a ninja myself; she lives a youth that I never enjoyed. While she may seem cold, cunning, and mission-focused, we all knew there was a part of her that was curious and impressionable as well. Her innocence, her loyalty... those are her defining traits, for me. She never sought to do anything more than she sought to serve our Lord, and she was one of his finest assets, never thinking about her personal life when she had the opportunity to instead work for the good of our empire. I know all of you wanted to rest after your difficult mission, but what has been done cannot be undone, and I need you all to reflect upon the gravity and magnitude of it. DragonierMan here exploited Vee in a moment of weakness; despite the evidence that has been presented to me, there is nothing to suggest that he should have acted as he did. This means that he has committed the gravest sin possible against the empire: betraying his fellow officer. The most important strength of the imperial army is that we share a bond as officers. We protect one another and act in each other's best interests, we grow together and all fight for one cause... indeed, the unity of our cause is to be what distinguishes us as a faction. Therefore, betraying your fellow officer is a dear, dear mistake. What DragonierMan has done is no less than that. What you all have done, by not intervening and supporting this viewpoint, is no less than that. You are all victorious in this mission. But- for this moment- you are all traitors, in my view. Try as I might, I will not forget that. No amount of merit that you ever display will cause me to. I can only pray to come to peace with it the way Vee herself did."

Finally, she allowed her arms to hang again for a moment briefly, then raised one hand in an open-palmed gesture. "Before I leave, please, both of you men specify your chosen reward. Again, we will place the mission you performed and your terrible error in judgment apart from one another, and as much as I am loath to do so, I will make sure that what was good and useful of your service receives its proper reward," she finished. "And surrender both the poisoned food and the musical notes you mentioned. I will take them to those best suited to research their effects. We will make certain that a counter-measure to this accursed NetMafia technology is developed as quickly as possible."

Skywriter didn't look like she was holding up very well; her thoughts were clearly in line with Yasu's on the matter. Pest, on the other hand, was remaining mostly quiet, but her wings occasionally produced an angry, erratic fluttering, accompanied by a low-pitched buzz. It was hard to tell whether she didn't agree or whether she was angry at being lumped in with those who had a chance to stop DragonierMan but didn't.
Yasu, unconvinced, tore into DragonierMan. However, her anger didn't seem to be that of her usual "power trip" flavor, and she wasn't pulling any punches. Though at first Mach wasn't the target of her verbal assault, he could still feel the impacts. He and his SPs remained silent, and watched with fairly neutral expressions as she continued, but their NetOp's expression started to change. As Mazer listened to the details Yasu's rant, he made a shocking realization, one that caused his eyes to widen as he felt a surge of adrenaline along with a growing knot in his stomach. "Oh shit," he mouthed silently moments before Yasu summed up the situation with a damning conclusion: Vee was raped, and no one did anything to stop it. It was textbook, especially if two humans were involved. She was clearly under the influence, and he wasn't. Even worse yet, pretty much everyone knew about it, but none of them acted to stop them. He mumbled an additional expletive under his breath as he put his palms to his temples.

Mach and his SP's reactions were slightly delayed, first of surprise before finally "putting two and two together." They hadn't ever been exposed to this sort of crime. It became all too real as Yasu effectively detailed his failures. His brow furrowed not out of anger, but of frustration as he replayed the mission time and time again in his mind, trying to wrap his mind around it all. Vector's head slowly, silently sank in wordless shame as Aera's expression more-or-less matched Skywriter's own.

Though their thoughts were thrown into little more than chaos, they still managed to pay attention to Yasu's emotionally-charged rant, showing her frustration in what she should do as a result of the group's criminal behavior, citing her emotional attachment to Vee to further drive home the graveness of their failures as members of the Neo-Shogunate. She ended with outright condemnation of the group as traitors, and how they've fully lost her trust. There were no disagreements in the minds of Mazer or his programs, they would feel the same way in her shoes. Mach's fists clenched in frustration, he had so many opportunities to step in, but his one-tracked mentality had him instead focus only on satisfying the mission objectives. Thanks to the combined disappointment of Yasu as well as his own shame, he felt as if he was an inch tall.

In response to Yasu's offer of reward, which she appeared to only offer begrudgingly, Mach struggled to maintain eye-contact with the general. He saw the pain and disappointment in her eyes, and he wished he could just stare at the floor to avoid her gaze. Mazer was about to cut in to decline the offer, but Mach beat him to the punch. "It's clear the mission cost too much already. I can't in good conscience accept a reward." Both Aera and Vector agreed wholeheartedly, they worked hard to accomplish the mission, but their efforts were dwarfed by this failure. They let a superior officer be taken advantage of, and completely lost all credibility with the head general of the NS. Even worse, from their experiences with the Shogun and his focus on unity and family, it wouldn't be surprising if this development wouldn't go well with him either.

Mach's mind was decided, and he sent a private message to General Yasu, deeming it appropriate to keep it between them.

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General Yasu,
I offer no excuses, only my sincerest apologies. I failed to realize what was going on, and worse yet failed to act upon it. I accept any punishment you desire. Regardless, I feel it appropriate to resign from my position in the Anti-Air Attack Squadron. You can declare I was fired or removed, to illustrate the Neo-Shogunate's stance on such egregious failure. We will continue to serve the Shogunate if you allow it, but I'm clearly not fit to lead. I only ask you to forgive Pest and Skywriter.
Yasu was correct. What DragonierMan did would constitute rape in any situation, regardless of the intention. Perhaps the group did not grasp the magnitude of the problem at the time, distracted as they were by the mission. When Yasu's words bit into Drago, his face dropped from one of determination to one of pain, then back to determination. "Traitors!?" He bristled as his wings appeared again, spreading out from his back. He bit back the bile rising in his throat as his fists shook. He would have to make it right somehow. "I'll show you a traitor. I decline my portion of the reward. I already got it. Now I will show you that I earn it fair and square." And with that, he lifted off the ground with a furious flap of his wings, and sped away to find Vee.

Aya and Suzume looked unsure as to how to continue. They could apologize, but that wouldn't undue the damage or make up for it. They stepped forward and silently handed the portion of the tainted cake and song they had in their hands, keeping the other hidden half of the cake and a copy of the song in their pouches. "We request 250 BugFrags... And we'll see if we can help around the camp," Aya commented. "Yeah," Suzume agreed halfheartedly. The twins would then wander away slowly, looking for something to do to get their minds off what had transpired over the last few hours. Aya looked back and gave MachMan a head-tilt as she moved away, indicating that he should follow when he can.

------------------------

When they got out of eyesight of Yasu, they would stop and look back at where the sheds stood. There they waited for Mach and crew in case they wanted to have a discussion. If Mach did show up the twins would nudge the dirt under their feet and look at Mach for some sort of comforting look. "She was right you know. Even with my keen eyes I turned a blind eye to it," Aya stated. "Even though he did an admirable job of restraining himself for as long as he did," she looked at Suzume, "We should have been the ones to keep them both from making that mistake." The twins looked to Mach, Aera, and Vector, and bowed low. "We're sorry you were burdened by what we didn't do."

"We caused you to be lumped into this mess. I hope you can forgive us our trespass." Aya then straightened up with her sister, the smiles returning to their faces. "At least we can say that we worked well together otherwise." Suzume agreed, then stepped forward with another pad of paper. This one contained contact information for DragonierMan, Suzume, and Aya. "If you guys ever need help in the future, don't hesitate to give us a call."

"... So I guess the next question is what we should do next," Aya said. She thought a moment in silence, before slapping one hand in the other. "Perhaps we should see Neo-ShogunMan," she suggested. "Not only should we explain ourselves to the Lord directly, but we can ask for ways to make up for it." Suzume looked unsure. "Would she even see us?" she asked. "Yasu is going to tell her everything before we get there. It won't be easy to convince her to forgive us."

It was after she ended her statement that Suzume noticed that she had called Neo-ShogunMan 'her'. She slapped a hand on her mouth. "Sorry. Oh I'm so sorry. Don't repeat that Neo-ShogunMan is a woman. Please. It's supposed to be a secret," she pleaded with Mach, Aera, and Vector.

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Drago sped through the air like a super-sonic jet. Eyes darting around furiously to find Vee. He darted to the ground multiple times in order to search every tent, hut, and shack. Assuming he could find her, probably in the presence of Lee, he would fall to one knee in front of her. "I was wrong. I should not have succumbed to temptation. You do not have to forgive me, but know that I care for you, even though we have not known each other for long. I do not have any regrets on what we did during the mission. But what we had should have been clean. If you feel as if some recompense is necessary for what I did tonight, I am willing to do whatever you ask to make it up to you."

If Lee was there as well, then Drago then turned to speak to her as well. "I offer no excuse. Even though I kept both of us in check for a time... I did what I did not to hurt her, but to show her that she is loved. Any punishment you deem appropriate, I will take. I do not ask either of you as Generals, but as the sisters, the women I've wronged.

What say you?"
Yasu was beginning to look as though she was having some regret over her words, although it wasn't apparent as to whether that was over sympathy for those who'd come back from the mission or because she wished she'd said something differently. "Wait," she signaled to MachMan and DragonierMan, but the latter took off to go find where Vee had disappeared to. She clenched her teeth and cursed DragonierMan for the fifth or sixth time today. "Dammit. I was going to say, in the end, Vee could have been in a significantly worse spot if you all hadn't intervened. I won't say that raping her was protecting her... but taking her with you and keeping her in your sight was. You all deserve to be rewarded for that, at least. Aya, Suzume, please accept 250 bugfrags for your effort. Subordinate MachMan, I will award you with a sum of 12000 zenny for your effort as well. While it was a severe error in judgment to allow DragonierMan to do as he did, if I look at the situation objectively, you each carried out the mission and... even if Vee was hurt... she is still with us. Had you all not intervened or done so less effectively, there is a chance one of those Mafia bastards could have deleted her. So I will thank you, at least, for that. I'll also place a few faction points in each of your accounts."

((MachMan got 12000z and 10 Faction Points, DragonierMan got 250 Bugfrags and 5 Faction Points))

Skywriter seemed to be somewhat relieved now that she knew that she and the rest weren't going to be hated forever, but was still concerned. "I hope DragonierMan will be able to find the general and apologize," she muttered to Aera. "We all probably should..." Buzzing quietly and nodding, Pest agreed. Aya and Suzume first surrendered a portion of the items Yasu had requested, then took MachMan and his crew away for a talk, which Yasu apparently thought was a good idea, since she made no move to stop them. In the mean time, Skywriter and Pest would tag along with the First General.

During their private meeting, Suzume made a slight slip-of-the-tongue and gave away the secret gender of Neo-ShogunMan, the leader of the empire. One could easily figure it would be best if the sharing of that secret remained hidden from Yasu, who was in a foul enough mood already.

The First General would respond soon enough to MachMan's private message:

Quote ()

Pest and Skywriter will be forgiven for their poor judgment in standing by without action, just as you and the others have been. There is still none more fit to lead our aerial forces than you. Let's not throw away the fruits of the previous mission so quickly. If you truly wish to atone, then strive to lead the squadron as well as you can to make up for today's transgression. You will do more good in that position than out of it.


-------------------------

With Yasu reporting first to the shogun and DragonierMan searching instead for Vee, he was able to locate the general and her sister in their tent together before Yasu got there. The scene looked remarkably ordinary: Vee had redressed in a new undersuit and ninja garb, while Lee was busy sharpening a black-handled spear, one of many that lined the wall of her room. The two looked to DragonierMan with identical expressions of surprise as he touched down. "What's the matter? Yasu got you performing inspections?" Lee laughed, perhaps referring to an undesirable task that she'd been given in the past.

The two looked confused as DragonierMan began apologizing, seeing as neither of them were aware it was DragonierMan specifically that had taken Vee's virginity during the mission. While Lee looked thoroughly shocked, Vee's reaction was perhaps unexpected; she looked more embarrassed at DragonierMan's statement that he cared about her than anything else. "That's enough," she scolded him in her usual cold, official tone, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "I had no idea it was you... and I can't imagine how it happened... but it's in the past now. I've already forgotten about it and so should you," she advised.

Lee looked back to her sister with her mouth agape, then back to the subordinate. "Woooah! That's intense! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, dropping the spear she'd been working on. "So... You're in love with my sister?! Holy mackerel! I always thought you and Dee were an item, or uh, you and Arch! Or... or you and Yasu!" she continued, perhaps realizing that it was somewhat strange for DragonierMan to be romantically linked to as many women as he seemed to be. "You picked Vee over all of them?! Wooow!"

"E-Enough!" Vee interjected, clapping one hand over her sister's mouth after subduing her from behind. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need to be told that. We in the Shogun's army all care for each other, that is a given. The important part is that all of you protected me while I was vulnerable in Mafia territory, and for that, I thank you," she responded.

Managing to wiggle free from her sister and free her mouth to make further inappropriate remarks. "I've never seen Vee come on to anyone before! What was she like? H-How did she even...?! I mean, she doesn't really know that much about it, right? How would you? Have you read some of the magazines I keep telling you to read?" she asked, turning her eyes over her shoulder to Vee. "So are the two of you boyfriend and girlfriend now?!"

"No, I never read your dating tips magazines, and no, we're not together now! That was a one-time thing. It's over now, in the past, forgotten," Vee clarified, moving from silencing her sister to now choking her. "DragonierMan, let's talk again the next time business brings us together... in an official capacity," she murmured. On one hand, he'd been forgiven, but on the other hand, she'd put a fork in the idea that they might have another fling together in the future.
Relief was palatable on DragonierMan's face. He stood back up and straightened himself up. "Thank you," he said to Vee. He wasn't exactly in love with Vee, more of an infatuation. Sure he had the twins who were basically ninjas, so he was used to their scantily-cladness, but he hardly knew the Yellow General. If he had to say who he was truly in love with out of all the girls in the Neo-Shogunate, it would most likely be Dee/Mist. Probably followed by Arch. But he wasn't going to admit that out loud.

He then looked to Lee. "Next time we see each other, I'll tell you all about it," he teased. But before Vee could react, he spread his wings and flew away. Next on the agenda was to find Arch and Dee. Those two he knew the best, besides Yasu. And both of them were attracted to him. In fact he still remembered the time he had to fight some guy, because the guy was trying to make sure that Drago would be suitable to marry them. He shook his head as he tried to forget that unpleasant interruption to what was going to be a relaxing day. Though it was cute that Arch and Dee went to the trouble to cook for him.

However, Drago did not think far enough ahead as to why he was looking for them. So when he arrived at Arch and/or Dee's location, all he could do was stare at them doing whatever they were doing, and say "Hi, I'm back from a mission. How are you?"
The group's attention remained focused on Yasu, even while their comrade took off in an attempt to prove his honor and/or save face. The general seemed to calm down enough to re-address the ultimate results of the mission in a somewhat more positive light, such as to show the group deserved a reward. Mach silently accepted the reward with a bow of his head, and Mazer watched as the zenny total near the top of his PET's screen jumped significantly. Normally this would be cause for some jubilation, but the group was still in a fairly somber mood; they succeeded, but it was costly.

Skywriter seemed to be a slightly better mood than before, but mentioned the desire to apologize to Vee. Aera nodded and responded softly, "Yeah, we should, if she's in the mood to talk." Aya and Suzume began to move away, then Mach noticed Aya gestured to him to follow along. He gave a polite bow to Yasu before he turned away, it seemed Pest and Skywriter were going to stay with the general. After a short distance, the two armored SPs spoke with him and his own SPs. They admitted their own faults and apologized for dragging him and his group into this, before offering some contact information if they wished to meet up again. "We should've stepped in or at least spoken up; we're equally to blame as well," he responded to their apology, showing he nor his crew considered anyone solely at fault.

He accepted the paper, and in the other hand presented a small data file containing their email address. "Same goes for you all, we're just a message away." The two SPs considered what to do next, coincidentally the group now didn't have any commitments either, leaving them free to do whatever. He was thinking of getting back to assisting in the reconstruction, until Suzume mentioned something odd. Did she refer to Neo-ShogunMan as "her?" Her admission confirmed it, which left all three with muted surprise. Mach wasn't entirely surprised the organization consisted of women at every upper level, but from his experiences with the Shogun there were zero indications she was female. Then again, stranger things have happened on the net. Regardless, he was curious how they managed to discover this secret. "How did you find that out?" he asked quietly, cautious to not allow others to overhear.

Soon after asking, he received a reply to his earlier message from Yasu. Seems she still desired him to remain in the squadron as it's leader. It appeared she wasn't eager to dish out additional punishment, but that may change once she reports to the Shogun. Mach and his crew were still in the doghouse, and they'd have to work hard to try regaining Yasu's trust, if possible.

Quote ()


Understood General. We will push onward and improve.
Suzume seemed hesitant to answer the question. She looked around her for a moment to make sure the place was clear and then got in close so only they could hear. "If I tell you, you promise not to tell anyone else right? Well, see, we were on a mission. And the mission apparently involved some sort of dream therapy. So, Aya, DragonierMan, Sparks, and I went into their dreams at the behest of Wake and Fancy, who were hired by the Generals for the service. I don't think the Generals knew what they were getting into...

Anyways, Master went into Yasu's dream. Aya got Lee, I got Dee, and Sparks got Vee,"
she continued. "Yasu let slip during conversation that Neo-ShogunMan is really a Neo-ShogunWoman," she concluded. "Just make sure you don't tell anyone else though. We don't want to make the whole situation with Yasu any worse. You know, besides giving away that Neo-ShogunMan is a woman to everyone out there."

And with that Suzume had given away a lot of information, probably raising even more questions. Like, who was Sparks? Who was Wake and Fancy? What else was revealed during the dream diving? Drago and the Twins have also been around in the Neo-Shogunate for a while as well. Long enough to have gained the trust of the Generals. Who knew what else they might know about the Neo-Shogunate? And they also seemed more than ready to tell them if they asked.
DragonierMan left Lee laughing and Vee pouting, as Vee did not want any details of her fling with DragonierMan shared (even to herself) and Lee was, in contrast, very eager to hear them.

After just a bit of searching, DragonierMan would find Arch and Dee; locating the two of them was not particularly difficult, since he'd seen which direction Dee was heading when she left Yasu and the others. As it stood, the two, along with Sake, were hanging out near the medical tents. Sake was drinking, to no one's surprise, while Arch folded one of many white bed-robes, the kind which appeared to be standard for those receiving treatment at the camp. Whatever Dee was doing, she'd already dropped it once DragonierMan showed up. Presumably, Roc was inside the tent.

"Yo!" Dee called out, waving her fan upwards as DragonierMan descended down from the sky. "Did you come to check up on Roc? She's just fine. Her constitution is incredible; a hard blow to the head had knocked her out, but she's already seemingly recovered. Like a phoenix, you might say!" the sorceress exclaimed, her personality carrying the more animated tones of her disguised self. "She doesn't remember much of what happened, though. Well, I'm no doctor, but I think she'll be as good as new with a little rest."

"She's lucky that she's as well off as she is! I think a lesser navi, spending that much time amidst mind-altering drugs and violent mafioso probably would have been destroyed," Arch sighed. "Nobody should be making light of the situation."

"Ho ho ho! I've already heard it from the horse's mouth that she's just happy she managed to down one of the ships by herself, according to the mission report. She's in great spirits!" Dee laughed, waving off Arch's concerns. "So, I suppose you already know, but reporting in to me is no responsibility of yours! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Arch gave another deep sigh and turned her eyes down to the laundry. "You do have a responsibility to help me clean up the rest of these, General," she scolded her friend.

"And you also have a responsibility to have a drink!" Sake announced, skipping into the conversation with a small, red cup of alcohol ready for DragonierMan. "Drink, drink!"

------------------------------------

Suzume recounted the bizarre details of the dream mission she had taken part in along with DragonierMan, Aya, and Sparks. She also warned against the possible consequences of revealing the information to anyone else.

Each of those present, along with DragonierMan, would receive another message shortly enough from Yasu:

Quote ()

I have spoken to the Shogun. No punishment for this mission's indiscretion will be rendered unless Vee requests it. I've spoken to Vee briefly and she appears to be more informed on the situation than I expected. She has not seen fit to request any sort of punishment, so the matter will be dropped for now. I still recommend that you all reflect on what happened and be thankful to both Vee and the Shogun for their grace in handling this matter.

As I speak to the Shogun, we have already begun preparations for another mission. I spoke to our Mafia contact Meridian briefly about what we've learned from the mission and she has recommended we seek the aid of Cabal, a Net Police navi who specializes in investigating conspiracies. Furthermore, Cabal is especially interested in investigating the internal affairs of the NP themselves. If anyone is likely to cooperate with us in investigating the NP from the inside, it's her.

Unfortunately, the relationship between the NP and our empire remains tense. They view us as antagonists and will most likely not allow us to march in through the front door, especially not if we request to see Cabal, who is something of a black sheep due to her suspicion of her own comrades, as I understand. Therefore, the Shogun and I are currently devising a plan to draw Cabal out into the open. We will stage an event of interest, one which she will want to investigate, then speak to her once she has arrived.

If you are interested in taking part in this mission, please respond and also list your requested reward. If you have other obligations or would appreciate a rest from missions, I assure you, the Shogun understands and will not hold that against you. Additionally, if you have any input on the mission criteria so far, we would appreciate the feedback, as this is still in the planning stages.
"Hm," was Mach's only response to Suzume's explanation of how they obtained that previous nugget of info. The means through which they made their discovery brought up even more questions, but they didn't seem pertinent at the time. It seemed hard to believe, but Mach took her word for it; he surmised it wasn't that unreasonable to think one could tap into a program's "dreams." Aera held a hand to her chin, as she too pondered the idea of exploring a Navi's dreams. Would one just pull their memory cache and access it like a file, or did it require them to somehow tap in while they were actively dreaming? Was it like a stand-alone network, where one could interact, or was it more like a video file?

Later they received a message from General Yasu, interrupting their contemplation.

Quote ()

Understood, General. We will still work to atone.
As for the mission, what sort of 'event' would we work to create, and what do we know of Cabal's motivations beyond conspiracies and internal investigations? Is Cabal expected to resist our efforts to extract information, or attempt to undermine our operations? If these questions would be best answered in person, name the location and we'll be there with our reward request.


DragonierMan took the news of Roc's recovery quite well. It was good to see that everyone managed to get out of that party almost entirely intact. He ignored the message from Yasu and took the sake from Sake, swigging it down in one gulp. "Ahh, thank you for that. I had nothing to eat or drink during the mission, everything was poisoned." Drago gave the sake cup back to Sake and then walked over to where Arch was folding sheets. "Here, let me help you with those while we talk," he said as he grabbed a sheet and tried mimicking Arch's folding technique as she folded.

"I'm not really reporting in to you," Drago began. "I just wanted to see some friendly faces after my chewing out by the Head General. Apparently she didn't think the way I handled myself during the mission was good enough." Although who could blame her for the way she reacted to what amounted to rape of another general. And the supposed 'innocent' one at that. "According to you gals, Roc came out ok. Heck, everyone came out of that dangerous spot more or less ok. And we accomplished our mission... Sort of. Well, regardless I think it was a great success. Though I wish we actually found her sister. Not just a possible location that she might be at."

He paused as he folded some laundry. "How about you? Anything interesting happening around here since last I came around?" he asked. He then leaned toward the two and lowered his voice a little so that only they would hear. "And what do you know about this MachMan guy? I haven't seen him around before. Is he new? How and when was he recruited? Also who are Roc, Skywriter, and that girl with the stinger for a face? Did they get recruited at the same time?"

------------------------------------

Aya and Suzume, however, took up the call.

Quote (Aya)

"I assume that means creating a trap specific to this Cabal. Perhaps a rumor that we are meeting with a member of the NetPolice. We could try meeting with Aroma. She is a NP Sponsor that I met during the recruitment fair. Apparently she was also at the party we infiltrated earlier. But we didn't see her there. Apparently she was undercover, and it was a good enough disguise that even Gala couldn't find her. I believe I have her contact information stored somewhere."

Aya searched in her pockets for a moment before producing a pad of paper. She studied it a moment and frowned.

Quote (Aya)

"Oh no it isn't contact information per say. However, she told me to tell someone named Bayonet, of Internal Affairs, that Aroma sent me to open up a dialogue. See, during the fair we talked about the NS having closer relations to the NP. Some sort of working partnership. So, perhaps you can use that to somehow bring Cabal out of the shadows."
Another message from Yasu came, reaching each of them (including DragonierMan, who probably still wasn't paying attention to it):

Quote ()

Let's meet up again to discuss these questions. The same spot from earlier will be serviceable.


---------------------------

All who assembled would find Yasu wasn't far behind, arriving in a flurry of dust kicked up from her swift, ninja-like running. She brushed the sand from her thighs and shins, then turned her stern frown back to her subordinates. "These are good questions you all have asked, and I will endeavor to answer each of them as best I can. First off, she has several ongoing investigations. Meridian suggested that, specifically, Meridian has become convinced that there is some vast, vague net conspiracy to create as many perverse scenarios and eye-catching moments as possible, so something like that would be a simple way to lure her out," Yasu began, closing her good eye and furrowing her brow. "Obviously, I'd like not to resort to that, so let's explore other options. You said that you met an NP sponsor named Aroma, who advised you to meet Bayonet? Bayonet is, I hear, profoundly loyal to the NP and also distrusting of other organizations, so that comes as a bit of a surprise. Still, if we wish not to degrade ourselves, then I would imagine the Neo-Shogun Empire making a request to meet with either Aroma, Bayonet, or both would be sufficiently enticing to lure Cabal out of the office as well."

She opened her eye again and put on another thoughtful grimace. "Hm. I don't suspect Cabal will be adversarial, based on what Meridian has told me. Really, the only organization she seems to pose any significant threat to is her own, as she mostly archives 'dirt' from inside her own organization. That said, if we do meet her, we should all keep very tight lips about any of our organizational secrets." She would have glared at DragonierMan at this point, but he wasn't around for her to look at. Noticing this, she allowed her crossed her arms and looked from side to side. "Where is DragonierMan?" she asked in a short, curt bark. "Is he still with Vee? No matter. I'm not certain whether he wishes to bother with such a mission regardless."

She shifted on her legs again, rebalancing weight to her alternate hip, before continuing. "We do have a bit of leeway here to form our team for the mission freely, as no particular skills besides a rudimentary understanding of acting is needed. As I understand that all of our forces are present here in the camp, I will allow you to specify anyone who you think might be an asset to your cause on this mission... assuming that you all are accepting in the first place," she continued. "Let me know who you need and I will assemble them here. Obviously, we can't spare our whole force to this one relatively small task, so please limit your selections to two candidates. MachMan's team will choose one and we will allow DragonierMan's team to choose the other. The Shogun is... clearly... not a valid candidate. I'd also request that you allow Roc some time to rest up, especially since she's likely to want to head straight out whenever we discover potential whereabouts of her sister. Oh, and you may state the reward you're seeking, of course."

---------------------------

In the mean time, DragonierMan was busy flirting with his favorites. Sake clapped along with DragonierMan as he quickly drank down what she'd offered him; Arch seemed less enthusiastic about surrendering any of the laundry to him. Disappointingly, it was indeed all white robes, with no personal articles from any of the ladies that might interest him. Dee arched her eyebrow suspiciously. "Poisoned? Sounds like a rough party," she joked, having only vague knowledge of the events of the mission. As he continued, she made an incredulous face, the corners of her mouth raising into a scoffing smile. "Ha! That Yasu doesn't know a good thing when she's got it, Drago! You could hand her the net on a silver platter and she'd ask for a gold one!" the general joked. "She's got just about the least friendly face on the net... including the rogue and chaos nets! Possibly under net as well. You shouldn't break your back for someone who appreciates you as little as she does!" It was always Dee's job to get personally offended over how DragonierMan and she were treated by the First General, it seemed.

"Come on, that's not a good thing to say in front of a subordinate! You're going to kill morale," Arch scolded, trying to be a serious soldier.

"If anything's killing morale, it's Scarface, with her gorilla body and her sour disposition," Dee sighed. "Have you ever thought about trying to become our First General, Drago? You'd make a much better one!" she laughed, tapping his arm lightly with her fan. "Anyway! No, Arch and I have been on standby here at the base. We've been bored, waiting for you to show back up~"

"I-I wasn't," Arch defended, staring down into the clothes she was folding. It was true, she probably wasn't, but that didn't make it any less fun for Dee to tease her.

"Oh ho ho! Well, Arch is a good girl, so she probably wasn't fantasizing like I was," the sorceress guffawed. DragonierMan had a few more serious questions, which caused Dee to frown briefly, partially because her information wasn't great on any of the topics. "Well, MachMan and his forces were recruited in a mission with my favorite gal, Escort, some time ago, along with that neat spider woman. I know he played a big part in repelling those terrorists and their stupid tank-plane a little while ago. At that time, they brought in some other girls too, the three you mentioned, with the intention of making an air squad... since, you know, none of us besides you can fly," she explained. "Oh! The purple-haired one wears super naughty, stringy thong underwear! Isn't that something? She doesn't look the type!"

"Dee, that's a terrible thing to share!" Arch cried, looking personally embarrassed. "A-Are you sure though? She seems like a sensible girl to me."

"Now, now, just because a girl likes sexy lingerie doesn't mean she can't be sensible," Dee retorted, running one gloved finger up the exposed thigh that showed at the slit of her dress, smiling to DragonierMan as she did.
DragonierMan listened to Dee and Arch talk about the others. About how they were on standby and bored. How he might consider the position of Head General. "How did Yasu manage to become Head General anyways?" he asked. "Was there a vote or a tournament or something, or did Neo-ShogunMan pick her to lead?" It was clear that the was thinking about making a bid for the seat. He just needed to know how one rose to the task. Though it was unclear if he would make a better or worse Head General than the current one.

But then some names he didn't know came up when they explained how MachMan and the rest came to work for the Neo-Shogunate. He filed away the tidbit of Skywriter being skimpy under her clothes for later. That would have been something to see if she became poisoned like the others. Though he smiled at Dee's attempt to play with Arch and him. "Escort? SpiderWoman? Who are they?" he asked. "I don't believe I have seen them around. Do you think you can introduce me? It would be good to know everyone I am working with."

---------------------------

Suzume stuttered as Yasu asked where Drago was. "A-ah, u-um."

"He is seeing to some things," Aya stated as she stepped in to relieve Suzume. "He'll be informed before we leave. Now as to who we choose..." Aya placed her hand over her mouth and tapped her index finger on her nose in thought. Then she had an idea. An awful idea. The GrinchAya had a wonderful, awful idea. She put her hand down with a cheek-to-cheek grin on her face. "We want General Dee."

She took a moment to let Yasu recover from the probable elevated heart-palpitations. "She is an illusionist is she not? A sorceress that can manipulate ice and snow. I've heard about her powers from my masters. She can act, to some extent, and she can also aid in any escape we might need to do by putting up some sort of fog cover. I call that a good pick."
Mach and the gang listened to the general's briefing; more new contacts, and a somewhat open-ended strategy. "I see..." he responded at the short briefing's conclusion, thinking about who he could choose from the NS's standing forces to assist in their mission. After hearing Aya's choice, and possibly waiting for Yasu to calm down, he made his choice. "Escort did very well in our first mission, she'd be a logical choice unless you think someone else would be better a better fit," he explained to the general, watching her carefully to see if she showed any particular reaction to his choice. He wasn't sure if Escort was still in the "dog house" for dropping the Terror Girls' nullification bombs during their bombardment. His SPs were more or less in agreement, mostly because they regrettably didn't know many of the NS's members, so their available pool of options was fairly small.

"Her limousines could prove useful as well, especially combined with Dee's abilities," Aera chimed in, noting Escort's other skills could be handy as well. It also helped she was a bit excited to ride in them again, it wasn't the MachFighter, but she found them intriguing nonetheless. Vector remained silent up to this point, but he spoke up after a moment or two after Aera finished. "General Yasu," he said politely, hoping to catch her attention. "If I may ask, do we have an alternate plan to make the event more 'eye-catching' should a simple meeting request not be enough to draw out Cabal?" He remained unnervingly still as he spoke, inadvertently looking like a statue talking from some hidden internal speaker.

Quote (MachMan)

"Escort did very well in our first mission, she'd be a logical choice unless you think someone else would be better a better fit,"

As MachMan stated his choice of partner, Aya and Suzume looked confused. "Who is this Escort person?" Suzume asked.
((I'm going to go ahead and dump some FXP so it doesn't keep building up!

MachMan gets: 22 DragonierMan FXP, 10 Skywriter FXP, 6 Zazz FXP, 5 Pest FXP, 2 Roc FXP, 6 Yasu FXP, 1 Kismet FXP, 3 Vee FXP, 1 Escort FXP

DragonierMan gets: 22 MachMan FXP, 4 Skywriter FXP, 2 Zazz FXP, 3 Flambe FXP, 1 Pest FXP, 2 Roc FXP, 4 Gala FXP, 2 Yasu FXP, 2 Kismet FXP, 7 Dee FXP, 1 Arch FXP, 2 Sake FXP, 4 Vee FXP, 2 Lee FXP))

"First General, Drago. Yasu will bitch you out if she hears you mess up her fancy title," Dee commented, whilst rolling her eyes again. "She's the First General because, as her name implies, she was the first subordinate that our leader ever gathered to his cause. The two go way, way back, further than I really know about... we were the next three to come, then I brought in all of our soldiers. Since then, we've been growing in subordinate ranks, the new rank above soldier and recruit but below general. It's all very convoluted!" the sorceress admitted, smirking as she continued fanning herself. "I was just joking, though! I don't know if there's any way to replace her, and even if there was, there's no one the shogun trusts more than her. I don't think it'd be even remotely possible, unless you spent a lot more time with the shogun... and that kind of bromance doesn't really seem to be your style, if you don't mind my saying so," she chortled. "It's a shame, but you wouldn't want to be something stuffy and stuck-up like a First General anyways, would you? It's much more fun down at the subordinate rank, where you get to continue being bossed around by your favorite general: me!" It was funny how everyone seemed to be getting the impression they were DragonierMan's most favorite.

Her eyebrows peaked when DragonierMan mentioned he hadn't met Escort yet. "You know, Escort? Tall, dresses in all black, acts a bit like a guy? Sort of acts like a lesbian? Drives a limo? Always writing in her little pad?" she questioned, mimicking those actions as she came to them. "She's my best friend, besides Arch here. She can be a bit rigid, but she's more of a fun girl than she lets on. She's also the strongest person I've ever met! Why, I am honestly not certain whether Yasu could defeat her, if they came to blows!" Dee boasted, not knowing the ideas that such information would likely put into DragonierMan's head.

"But she's very modest and level-headed. She isn't the type to go picking a fight," Arch added, wanting to curtail the possibility of DragonierMan flying off to challenge her right away. "She's polite, but she doesn't like to waste time."

"Phooey! She wouldn't be my friend if she wasn't willing to waste time at least a little!" Dee defended, crossing her arms with a pouty face. Arch returned a stern frown, as if to say that she hated wasting time more than anything.

"And she wouldn't be my good friend if she didn't love to drink with me!" Sake added, raising her cup back into the air as though toasting. "Well, that's not really true. Hic! I'm not so judgmental."

Dee nodded in confirmation of Sake's statement. "As for the Spider Woman, I think... she was hired as a masseuse and trained by Meridian, our NetMafia contact? Or something like that! Escort mentioned working with her once in a mission against the mafia in NetVegas. At any rate, I hear she's a great masseuse who got the approval of General Yasu... That must have been something to see, right?! But she clearly didn't do that great of a job, seeing as Yasu's ass is as tightly clenched as it ever was," the sorceress joked. Just then, her eyes widened, and she paused, before her lips curled into a sassy smile again. "Speak of the devil and the devil will answer! There's Miss Personality, asking me to 'report at once, no detours.' I must have another mission to attend to! Toodles!"

DragonierMan might realize that he was also involved in this particular mission and choose to go with her to the spot Yasu had most likely specified.

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Aya's answer caused Yasu to stiffen up and frown even harder than usual. "Dee?" she repeated after Aya, with a face of disgust that could have been either intentional or uncontrollable. "I hesitate to resort to her sorcery for any application, but you must know that she lacks qualities of either professionalism or reliability! I hardly see how she can be of use in this mission. Skywriter or even Sake could provide the diversion you all need to cover your retreat. Still, I did say anyone, so if you want her, I shall call her," the First General sighed, pausing to do that. "And what of you, MachMan?"

She brightened up a a bit as MachMan responded. "Ah, an excellent choice! Your experience with her from the Hera's Fortune mission should be invaluable here, as you may be required to play a character. Escort is well suited for the role and she is one of our finest officers, besides. She is a resource that should be utilized gladly and thoroughly," Yasu agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "I will summon her at once." Vector had more to say; that always surprised her and it seemed to take her a moment to realize the armor was the one talking. "Hm. Well, your group will need to act flexibly and adapt, so it will be best if you all can devise the particulars of your approach. However, it would not hurt to go over what we do know once more and develop a basic game-plan, while we wait for Dee and Escort to arrive. If you would, please record this message so you can relay it to Dee, Escort, and DragonierMan once they arrived." Amusingly, it sounded as though the First General was not capable of recording her own messages, perhaps due to her own inexplicable lack of tech savvy.

The First General began pacing and kept her gaze leveled on Vector, perhaps because he had addressed or, or perhaps for some other reason, like curiosity. "I believe if you all request a meeting with Cabal, it will be intercepted. While, from what I have heard, she'd be quite eager to listen to us, she is not particularly high ranking in the NetPolice and has to report to a superior. Her superiors- including Bayonet- are not fond of her and are especially wary of her communicating with those outside the NP. Therefore, the better option is to lay a 'trap;' we'll need to cause a scene in the backyard of the police, something she will want to investigate. The disturbance needs to have several key traits, in my estimation. First: it should look perverse. From what I understand, her investigation into various... unscrupulous incidents of that nature... across the net is mostly conducted solo. She will likely be one of the first to respond in a case like that and will also not perceive it as a threat. At the same time, it's one of the few investigations that she's made public, and therefore, our contact who revealed it to us will not be at risk."

She held up one of her gauntlets and raised two fingers. "Secondly! It should appear 'unexplained' but not 'insane.' We want to create a situation where she will want to ask questions... something confusing or distinctly out of the ordinary. At the same time, we want her to believe she is looking at rational beings, so as not to perturb her before the conversations begin. If you could make it look like an incident, perhaps a regular meeting interrupted by despicable, unknown perverts, that might be best."

She extended the third finger while holding her thumb tight. "Third! We should not do anything to incur a violent response from the NetPolice. For obvious reasons."

"Fourth!" The pinky shot into the air. "We may wish to make use of DragonierMan's contacts, Aroma or Bayonet. Since he already has some leverage with Aroma, and by extension Bayonet, it may be easier to explain what we're doing to them after the fact, if need be. On the other hand, we could sour our relationship with the NetPolice by doing so... but, then again, I understand that Aroma has been involved in quite a bit of sexual scandal already. In my research, I have also discovered some... rather risque photographs... of Bayonet as well. It would be best if you did not mention them to her, though, as they appear to be a sore spot. However, whether you wish to utilize their aid or not is up to you. Doing so may just complicate the situation; it could be easier for us to act independently, so as not to involve others. On the other hand... well, I will say that both... what is the right way to put this?" she murmured, becoming surprisingly somewhat red in the face. "Both are believable targets for perverts. That is all I will say on that." Of course, the group would already have Dee and Escort; those who knew them knew that they had the third and first largest busts in the Mafia, respectively. They'd have no lack of eye-candy to draw Cabal out regardless.

Surprising all, she suddenly shot her thumb out as well, now standing very close to Vector, perhaps without realizing it. "Fifth and finally! Remember the end goal of our mission: we want any leads on the real location of Roc's sister. To that end, make certain that Cabal talks once you have her. I gather that she is quite forthcoming with information, but if need be- for instance, if the situation is too chaotic- bring her back here for further questioning," Yasu finished. "Any other questions, while we wait?"