2023-09-08: Briefing - Gallia IV Expedition

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<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        The announcement of the expedition to Gallia IV had come at an
 interesting time. Just days after the revelation about the Universal Century
 Charter, many have dismissed the mission as a play by the Federation to shift
 attention away from more important matters. Others doubted the need for it,
 claiming the Vajra threat to be minimal at best. Yet more believed that
 humanity should just leave the rest of the galaxy alone. As a result, there's
 been little actual interest in the expedition.

        But that doesn't mean they're not going through with it.

        Today, those at Strategic Military Services spearheading the expedition
 have gathered the representatives and individuals who have shown an
 interest-and relevant skills-for participating. The location: SMS Headquarters
 on the Frontier Fleet. Upon arrival at the building, people are ushered into a
 large conference room. A long, fancy table stretches across most of it, with
 numerous chairs at the ready. At one end of the room there is a large screen.
 At the other, a selection of food and drink.

        Although the meeting start time is still a little away, there's already
 quite a few people here. And they're from a wide selection of fields.

        The most imposing figure in the room is the man seated at the head of
 the conference table. He's wearing a rather elaborate SMS uniform along with a
 large cap which, combined with his head being slightly bowed, hides much of
 his face. But that which can be seen suggests a grizzled older gentleman, with
 a large scar across his face and a seriously strong beard. He sits patiently
 in his chair, barely moving. One might think him to be asleep, but that would
 be a foolish mistake. Probably.

        Standing a little behind this man, next to the large screen, are three
 young women wearing slightly more generic SMS uniforms. They are all quietly
 chatting to a fourth, slightly older, woman whose uniform is different again
 and lacks the SMS logo, though still retains the 'military' style. It does
 bear the insignia of the Federation, but the uniform is not one from any of
 the major blocs.

        Sitting at the table around the mid point is what looks like a kid
 who's roughly fifteen. In actuality he's eighteen and he's wearing a SMS
 pilot's jacket, though he does have a lab coat over it. He's busy typing away
 on a laptop while chatting to a few older men-also in lab coats but lacking
 any SMS affiliated signage-crowded around his chair.

        Spread out through much of the room are several more people wearing SMS
 pilot jackets. Including a bespectacled young man oozing with charisma. An
 apparently young Meltrandi girl with long, blue twintails berating him. Two
 young Meltrandi women watching in amusement. A slightly older man with a
 rough, brown ponytail and tough expression, who occasionally glances over at
 one of the women near the large screen. And, of course, Alto himself who is
 leaning against a wall off on his own, arms crossed while he waits for the
 briefing to begin.

        There are additional people present, representatives from several other
 organisations that are contributing to the expedition in one way or another.
 But they're not very important so we can ignore them.

        The quiet chatter in the room continues for now, as everyone waits for
 the briefing to start, for which there is still a little time to arrive and
 interact with people.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.


It's an unusual time for Ranka Lee. She wasn't born in the Earthsphere after
 all, she was born far afield on the Macross fleet. Where? Well she'd learned
 not to ask that question.

Earth has never felt like Ranka's home, yet it always felt like the Macross
 fleets were tethered to that Azure sphere in ways she herself didn't feel.

All of them being ordered to return - to 'come home' she didn't feel it. She'd
 never quite resented it, she'd just never felt like it was a homecoming.

It was only when she learned the Fold Drives were stolen that she started to
 resent it, all of them being tied here at the whims of people like that.

So to hear of an expedition far afield?

Well...

She's certainly here. And beyond being here, Elmo told her she was ASKED to be
 here? And made accommodations to her schedule given how important it was that
 she be here???

Ranka today is wearing a lacy soft pink blouse overlaid by another pink dress.
 There's two barrettes in her hair, a pink line, and a trio of starry charms.

She recognizes many people in this room of course but she's strategically
 positioned herself near Alto. Not too near since she doesn't want to subject
 him to her brother's scrutiny but...

She does lean out sideways, to murmur to him at where he stands, holding up the
 wall, "They're really keeping us in suspense here aren't they?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        Whether or not Yurika Misumaru would be on board for an operation this
 potentially outlandish all depends maybe on which time of day you'd ask her
 at, and maybe if she'd had breakfast recently.

        Two or three months ago - Yurika would've found the decision to have
 the Nadesico tag along to such a distant anti-Vajra operation as kind of
 ridiculous! After all, isn't their mandate to defend Earth!? (this is not
 actually anywhere in Nergal's mandate!) A heroine can't go leaving behind
 everything that matters to her, after all!

        But now, recent events have put her in...a rather different mood!

        Thankfully this is Not the reason she was trying and failing to wear a
 very elaborate Aestivalis cosplay (since it's a teeeeensy bit of EX-Gear
 bootlegging!), so Yurika's meandering from table to table, asking everyone
 present if they've ever been to this Gallia-IV place. What the music's like.
 What the food is like! Howmei has to step in and assure Yurika that they are
 not going to be adding unknown alien ingredients to their pantry no matter how
 potentially appetizing they look. Unadventurous? Maybe. Responsible? Very!

        "Ah, Ranka, Alto, hiiii-!" Yurika meanders over with her winningest
 smile, arm raised high. "...Are you two excited or nervous? Honestly, I...even
 though I've lived in and around Earth for a while, it's always felt
 kinda...stuffy, and maybe a bit sad. So I want to see if that's just how a lot
 of places feel, or if there's a whole new vibe going on in this gallant planet
 we're about to visit...!"

        Dr. Fressange's head pops into frame. "It's definitely Gallia-IV,
 please don't start calling it strange things, captain." 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


Even corporate groups are represented here.

Armand Lioncourt is a handsome man in his early fifties distinguished, in large
 part, by his bald head. While his garb is Britannian in cut, and includes a
 lion-and-serpent lapel pin out of Patriotism, his firm (Lioncourt Signallers)
 are mostly involved with this because they got a contract for upgrading
 deep-space sensor gear for the expedition. And thus, the fleets may
 benefit(however marginally) from the advances of data processing in the Earth
 Sphere, given the aftermath of the One Year War and the constant Minovsky
 particle clouds and all that other bad shit.

Armand has several younger people with him, who are absolutely just hangers-on
 and who are behaving themselves.

Louis, his son, who is basically the same guy thirty-two years younger and with
 a full head of hair. (Though...?) Louis has a data tablet and is preparing to
 take notes.

Samantha Crowley, his son's -- friend? girlfriend? Armand is unclear. She's
 actually involved in amateur radio astronomy. Armand likes Samantha,
 personally, but she does seem rather intense. Samantha has a data tablet and
 has *prepared questions* in the application.

Rin Mei Starking, his son's -- friend? girlfriend? Armand is also unclear here.
 Rin seems alert, but her data tablet is visibly open to a (muted) game of some
 horrible advanced derivative of riichi mahjong. Armand was glad to bring along
 Rin because he is, inaccurately, hoping he can do some bank-shot business with
 his son marrying a noblewoman and making them actually able to get a damn
 contract to put a LS board in every Knightmare Frame.

As for FREELOADER RIN, though, she glances -- twice -- and then tells the
 others, "I see someone I know, save me a seat if we siddown," before sidling
 over and sidling to come up next to Ranka and lean over to tell her:

"Boo!"

After this, Rin looks towards Alto, blinking twice. "You know," she says, "I've
 seen you around but I don't think we ever officially met. I'm Rin, I'm one of
 Ranka's top fans." A hand is proffered to Alto, the other being occupied by
 holding her tablet and -- yes, she just took a mahjong turn without looking.
 The good news is that she totally tanked her hand, which is what she deserves
 for this level of multitasking.

<Pose Tracker> Emalya Zamana has posed.


One of the women in uniform--with long, blue hair and pointed ears--is also
 sitting with a notebook, scribbling away as she listens. Or at least, she
 will be, once there's a briefing; right now, Emalya Zamana is instead just
 doodling in her notebook while she waits.

SHe looks up, spots Ranka, and gets a ':D' sort of face to see her present.
 But she doesn't head over, yet, even if Ranka might notice her. She is about
 to be busy, after all!

Though... Everyone else is talking with them...

Hmmm.

Emalya turns the page, and starts a diagram of potential relationships. Hmmm... 

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika Sheder, as it turns out, has relevant skills (driving a highly
 experimental mobile suit real good; also, mechanic and engineer) *and*
 volunteered. The Ra Mari II is unlikely to make the trip, being so focused on
 earthly problems, but that doesn't mean that nobody from the Three Ships
 Alliance is coming.

Mostly to avoid questions, Riika slipped in with the Nadesico detachment. She's
 not wearing any kind of Nadesico uniform (inasmuch as they have one; Riika has
 gotten the idea that they're informal enough that the exact *uniformity* of
 the uniform is a bit iffy) but she is dressed pretty professionally and
 manages to blend in reasonably well.

...probably better than some of the Nadesico crew do, but that doesn't bother
 her.

Riika has brought a tablet, in case she needs to take notes, but otherwise
 looks pretty unremarkable unless you already know who she is; a short woman
 with poofy red-brown (mostly red) hair and a pair of pink-tinted glasses, who
 looks reasonably serious.

Everything Riika knows about outside the solar system could be written on...
 well, you wouldn't need a whole lot of paper to do it; she mostly studies
 things closer to home. But she does know a little about the Vajra, or at least
 about the Vajra attacks.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl's arrived too, wearing something between casual and
 formal--long, form-fitting black slacks, a high-necked cream-colored silk
 blouse with faint spiral designs set in place with a Chianti belt, a black
 jacket with wine red inlining and black high heels. Her hair is twisted into a
 side braid, and she has light make-up on--a bit of blush, a bit of lipstick, a
 bit of eyeshadow. Somewhere between a natural and a professional look, to
 match her outfit. And, of course, her iconic drop earring.
        
        One of her big projects for the fall semester involves flying in an
 actual mission--not necessarily fighting, but flying alongside actual
 professionals and seeing how they do things. Technically she's been doing that
 all along with Alto, but that was just a friend helping her out with her
 schoolwork rather than anything official. When she'd gotten that assignment,
 she'd of course contacted the SMS about it--and with that ancient signal set
 out over the Vajra...
        
        Well. Sheryl is more aware of her limitations as a pilot now, but she
 still hasn't given up on her revenge on the Vajra. She'll hear what there is
 to say about this mission one way or another.
        
        But for right now--
        
        "Oh, you're one of Ranka's top fans now, are you?" she teases,
 coming up from behind Rin. She elbows her a bit, then flashes a smile to Ranka
 herself. "Hii~ So you're here too, hm? Not that I blame you!"
        
        Her smile fades as her expression turns stern. "The Vajra are
 everybody's problem."
        
        Despite the gravity of this statement, she still shoots a wink at Alto
 and wiggles her fingers in greeting at Yurika before taking up a spot on the
 wall and folding her arms. 

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        It's probably wise that Ranka is keeping juuuuust a little distance
 from Alto. As when she'd arrived, her brother, Major Ozma Lee (the pilot with
 the brown ponytail) had not looked especially pleased. As for why, he hasn't
 said... But it seems like he knows something she doesn't.

        Alto doesn't seem to know what that something is though. So he's mostly
 just chilling and waiting, figuring he'll learn soon enough. As Ranka leans
 over to speak to him, he replies, "This is a pretty significant trip we're
 about to embark on. They're probably just taking this very seriously."

        Oh hey, it's the Nadesico's weirdo captain. Alto had of course
 doubletaked at her choice of attire, but he's had enough time to at least
 become aware of Yurika's strangeness, so doesn't actually say anything about
 it.

        Doctor Fressange managing to Suddenly Appear is something he still
 hasn't managed to figure out yet though.

        After Fressange finishes correcting Yurika, Alto replies, "I'd say I'm
 probably excited. Even if the Frontier itself doesn't change much, for most of
 my life it's been moving through space. To stay still in one place for so
 long... It'll be nice to get out there again. And yeah... It's very Crowded in
 the Earth Sphere. The rest of the galaxy is hardly a paradise. But I think
 it's a little more... Freeing?"

        Rin introduces herself and Alto shakes her hand, doing the same, "Alto
 Saotome. Valkyrie pilot." Alto assumes that Rin isn't here JUST because she's
 a Ranka fan. Though then again... And apparently Sheryl knows her too? He
 glances his cheek and glances away for a moment at the wink she sends his way.
 It's when he's doing so that he notices the time. It shouldn't be long now.

        The quiet chatter continues throughout the conference room as the
 scheduled time for the meeting quickly approaches. At which point, the
 imposing gentleman at the head of the table leans forward, reaching out with a
 gloved hand to touch a button on the control panel built into the table.

        The sound of explosions and gunfire suddenly start to echo through the
 room, coming from speakers positioned around it. They're quite loud and a
 shock to many, who all suddenly go quiet, looking around in confusion.

        The sounds of battle fade a little and a panicked voice speaks over
 them, <"This is the SDFN-4 Global, lead vessel of the 117th Research Fleet-">
 The sounds of rapid fire bullets ripping through metal armor is ominously loud
 for a moment, before the voice continues, <"-We have come under significant
 attack from hostile alien creatures, called the Vajra, in the orbit of Gallia
 IV."> Another explosion, before the voice laments, <"They are tearing the
 fleet apart and we require emergency assistance from any nearby vessels! All
 attempts to escape are being met with destruction."> There's a woeful pause as
 the battle plays out in the distance, before the voice finishes:

        <"Please... Help us!">

        The recording ends. Everyone is silent, many looking at the man that
 triggered it. He finally turns his head up, looking back at everyone from
 beneath his cap as he says, "Thirteen years. That's how long ago that
 transmission was sent. You might think it has gone unanswered for that long.
 That we didn't learn about the Vajra until two years ago when they attacked
 the Frontier and Galaxy fleets on their return journeys."

        "You'd be wrong."

        The grizzled man turns his head a little, saying to the three SMS women
 standing behind him, "Monica?"

        One of the three, with short orange hair, steps forward, "Yes,
 Captain." She gives everyone here a nod, "Hello all. I am Monica Lang. Chief
 Operator for the Macross Quarter. I, along with my fellow operators, Ram Hoa
 and Mina Roshan, will be organizing and managing the expedition fleet through
 the whole mission." The other two young women wave in greeting.

        Monica taps a command into the tablet she's holding, causing the large
 screen to come to life. It displays a map of the galaxy, before zooming in and
 highlighting a section of space. Monica begins to explain, "Thirteen years
 ago, a scout detachment force from the Megaroad-4 received a distress call. It
 was from the 117th Research Fleet. At least, part of it. They were under
 attack in open space. It was the Vajra. The scout force wren't able to find
 out where the rest of the fleet was, nor the Macross vessel that was its
 flagship, the SDFN-4 Global. But they did what they could to rescue the mostly
 unarmed ships."

        Judging by some rather grim looks from many of the SMS personnel-who
 have apparently already heard this story-it did not go well. Monica confirms
 this, saying, "There were only a handful of survivors." There's a brief pause,
 before she continues, "It was always assumed that the Global sent all those
 they could away while they distracted the Vajra. But unfortunately some still
 caught up. This information about the 117th Research Fleet was never made
 public, out of concerns of causing a panic about this alien threat. As such
 there were no follow up searches and the fate of the Global remained unclear,
 but assumed destroyed with all hands." Pause. "Until last month, when we
 discovered its distress call at an abandoned fold communications hub."

        The map on the screen scrolls for a little, before highlighting the
 nearby planet of Gallia IV. Monica says, "We don't have much information on
 Gallia IV, beyond incomplete survey results from a few decades ago. But we do
 know it has an extensive ecosphere and can support human life. Not that we're
 expecting any survivors this long after such a devastating Vajra attack."

        The old man, who is apparently a Captain, regretfully says, "There's
 nothing we can do to save them now, after so long. But the least we can do is
 give them the respect of a proper burial..."

        Monica quickly cuts in though, clarifying, "However, that is not the
 reason we are going to Gallia IV." Another tap on her tablet brings up a new
 screen, showing a variety of information about various vessels and crew
 manifests. Though a lot of the information appears to be incomplete. Monica
 explains, "Further investigation into the 117th Research Fleet has revealed
 that one of their main research projects was to study the Vajra. We don't know
 the specifics of their research, but the information we have suggests they
 were making significant progress. If there's anything of that research data
 left intact, we may just find something to help us combat the Vajra, the
 threat of which continues to escalate."

        The grizzled man proceeds to sit up straight as he says, "I am Captain
 Jeffrey Wilder. Captain of the Macross Quarter and top ranking officer of
 Strategic Military Services. Under the direction of the Nergal Fleet Branch
 leadership; in cooperation with the Frontier Fleet Government, LAI
 Corporation, and all of you here; I will be leading this expedition to Gallia
 IV to determine the fate of the SDFN-4 Global and recover any information that
 will help in our fight against the Vajra."

        Monica proceeds to hug her tablet to her chest as she asks, "Any
 questions so far?"

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.


"Maybe so but a lot of the SMS here have a pretty informal vibe about it."
 Ranka tells him with a light tease as if to indicate 'you too Mister Cool Guy
 leaning against the wall', "It's kinda sending mixed signals."

Ranka waves towards Yurika, "Kinda both right now! Elmo tells me it'd be good
 PR to be on this trip, but to me it kinda feels like a vacation away from...
 everything being so..." She waves a hand as if to say things have been so grim
 lately, "...you know? Just... there's something about this that feels way
 more serious than I'm... expecting."

Ranka's hair leaps at the 'Boo!' from Rin, as she starts in shock, balling up
 her fists as she says, "Mean! Is this why you wanted to introduce yourself to
 Alto?" She looks exasperated for a moment, before it turns to a fond smile,
 "I'm lucky to have fans - no - friends like you."

After all it's a proven thing that she DOES like Alto despite her professing
 all the time he's mean. Perhaps she enjoys a certain type of personality?

"Ah-! Sheryl!" She lights up, "I was asked to come apparently? Elmo didn't
 really say why except - they really wanted me here."

When the sounds start up, Ranka leans over, before quieting down, the distress
 signal causing her to suddenly go a shade paler, and grip the desk.
 Fortunately...

... for all the sounds of violence, there's no obvious death cries in the
 recording. It takes her a moment, to relax, to keep her breathing from going
 into a full panic attack.

Thirteen years? She was...

She doesn't even know about her life, thirteen years ago, this is a time
 capsule from a time before she can even remember.

"The Vajra were... active back then?" It may draw Ozma's eye briefly, because
 he knows very well, and he knows very well that Ranka should know that too.
 Only she doesn't, for a reason.

And not for a lack of him trying to tell her, again and again.

Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, and forces herself to listen. Her
 hands aren't shaking yet, she just has to let go of the table. She doesn't
 trust herself to try yet.

Instead, she just keeps listening, and doesn't respond to whether there are any
 questions so far. Certainly she has questions.

She's just afraid of what might happen if she gives voice to them, and doesn't
 know why.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


BEHOLD: A SHERYL. "Oh, don't be jealous, bebii," Rin tells her. "I have room in
 my heart for all of you."

The mirth does not remain at Sheryl's next comment. "Yeah," Rin continues.
 "They are."

Back to Alto, after the handshake, Rin beams. "Great to meet you, Saotome!" she
 chirps, with some effort behind the performance.

Then the presentation begins.

The contingent of actual corporate representatives (ish) pay attention during
 the presentation. Samantha looks briefly, authentically horrified before
 putting her surly mien back on; Armand mostly frowns. Louis is busily taking
 notes.

Armand Lioncourt folds his arms and watches. He is relatively impassive, but it
 wears on him; the frown is a thing of some tension, keeping a stony face on.
 "Hrm," he says, scratching his neck afterwards.

Rin for her part is grimacing at the news of this. "Jeez," she says quietly.
 "All of us were children when this was happening... it's horrible to think of
 how lonely they must have been." A beat or two. "Or, are."

Gotta have hope.

Then there is a prompt for questions.

"Scuse me," says Samantha, raising up a hand. "I understand you said the survey
 of Gallia-4 itself is limited, even if you could confirm a complex biosphere
 that wasn't obviously hostile to human life. Do you have intel on the star
 system at large available?"

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        There is, momentarily, a very deep blueness at the phrase 'the least we
 can do is give them the respect of a proper burial', in Yurika's expression.
 It can't be happening again. She can NOT possibly be sent out of the solar
 system JUST for funerary rites for people assumed dead over a decade ago.
 She's about to speak up. She has it prepared in the back of her heart: ((no no
 no this is too much, I'm not covering this, I'm not dealing with that yet
 agai-))

        The tension spills from Yurika the instant Monica clears that notion,
 and the captain collapses back into her seat with a kind of too loud sigh of
 relief and a big "oh thank the heavens". So to that, Yurika immediately raises
 her hand with a very clear and straightforward question.

        "Hiii! Good to meet you, Captain Wilder. I'm Yurika! Yurika Misumaru!
 Captain of the Nadesico! V! Hey really quick how exactly is the Nadesico
 getting that far from Earth? Our ship is pretty amazing, but the Phase
 Transition Engine isn't capable of warping, is it?"

        This is what Inez Fressange has lived for her entire life. Pulling down
 a screen (from where?) and turning on the projector she brought along (since
 when?), Inez starts to explain, through pointing to a dense and nearly
 incomprehensibly scientific diagram: "While there are similar technological
 breakthroughs that you can see in the Phase Transition technology that clearly
 derive from Fold Drives, the main difference is in application and power
 supply. While in theory, with extensive modification, the former could be
 reconfigured into a very messy and very ill advised form of a Fold Drive, in
 practice, only power plants of the sort mounted on a Macross-class ship could
 theoretically fuel such a process. This is because, in the process of shifting
 potential energy forward a phase, we-"

        "OKAY SO WE NEED HELP TO GET THERE thank you Doctor!" Yurika swiftly
 moves to drag Inez from her perch. She is still expositing until she's placed
 safely in the off-screen containment zone. "Sorry about that!!! So that was my
 question. Yes. Mhm. ...How do we get there then. Yep."

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika almost immediately starts taking notes when the meeting starts, as one
 does.

Does she have questions? Several, but she waits, because some of them are
 answered by later explanations. She's frowning, though. Thirteen years...
 "What was the 117th Research Fleet's original project?" she asks, suddenly.
 "Is it relevant at all? Could they have disturbed the Vajra somehow...? Gotten
 their attention, by investigating something? I don't know - they could have
 been doing anything from distant-star astronomy to high-energy physics."

Pause.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Riika Sheder," Riika adds. "I should have given that
 first." Her identity is no secret, even if she decided to slip in with the
 Nadesico crew rather than making a statement by showing up in the Three Ships'
 semi-official uniform. (Riika is not used to considering the political
 consequences of her actions. It's a work in progress.)

"I don't know very much about the Vajra so perhaps this is an obvious question
 to people here, but... ZAFT didn't study them, and I didn't know anything
 about them before their attacks. So... that's the question, I suppose.
 Obviously, they were studying the Vajra *afterwards*, from what you say,
 but... presumably they didn't know about them beforehand, so what was their
 original field of study?"

She pauses, then adds, "I'd also like to know about the star system. An
 Earthlike planet! Well, that's what the ships were sent to find, but it's nice
 to know they found one," says the person who hadn't ever been to Earth until
 she was nineteen. 

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Awww, Alto's being shy. How cute. <3 But...
        
        "Jealous? Moi?" Sheryl declares in mock outrage, one hand splayed
 on her chest. "Maybe you just need to figure out who you love best. <3"
        
        That isn't relevant to anyone else in here, no sir.
        
        Ranka greets her back, but says that she was invited to join. That
 makes sense, as just having a problem with the Vajra wouldn't be enough of a
 reason to go on a mission like this, but... "Hmmm... Really?" Sheryl says to
 Ranka, blinking, then frowning.
        
        They didn't ask her to be here. She had to make the first move.
        
        There's no time to mull on that, though, as Captain Wilder presses a
 button, and the sounds of combat erupt all around them. Sheryl tenses, being
 more sensitive to noise than most, but as it's clearly a recording, that's
 all. It's even one she's heard before, at least in part--but this would be her
 first time hearing it so clearly. She frowns, glancing at Ranka, but...
 she seems to be holding herself together fine so far. Sheryl opts not to
 remark.
        
        She listens to Monica's explanations. A recorder device attached to her
 jacket means that Grace is able to hear too, and that the information will be
 passed on to Brera in turn, even if they're not here at the moment. Thirteen
 years would definitely be too long to save anyone, and Sheryl feels sorry for
 the people on the 117th Research Fleet. They were just one of the first of the
 Vajra's victims... Her nails dig into her sleeves. Just like the people of
 Galaxy. But maybe...
        
        She glances at Rin, who seems to optimistically assume there maybe are
 survivors. Sheryl smiles a little at that. It's a nice thought. If they
 survived, maybe the Galaxy did too--or some form of it. Then maybe--for all
 that Frontier's been very good to her and she does like living there--she can
 finally go home.
        
        But she refrains from asking about that specifically. Everyone else has
 already brought up a lot of very good questions, and besides, it feels like
 it'd jinx it if she did. Without knowing it, she's on Ranka's wavelength
 again... 

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Samantha comes out with a question, Monica turning to look at her and
 then nodding, "Yes. The rest of the system was also scouted at the same time.
 They were orbital scans from long distance probes. The one sent to Gallia IV
 recorded vegetation and fauna, along with an atmosphere sample to confirm
 human suitability. Later analysis by colonization experts decided it was not
 worth pursuing, so there were no further investigations. The other planets in
 the system are fairly typical rocks or gas giants, uninhabitable."

        Judging by the variety of people in this room, there's a good chance
 that even if Riika HAD shown up in a 3SA uniform, nobody would have really had
 any problem with it. The Vajra are clearly an issue for Everyone and now is
 not the time to worry about political issues. Though it helps that the
 Frontier Government is a fairly autonomous member of the Federation and has
 not shown much interest in the wars within the Earth Sphere. Riika does ask
 about the 117th's original mission, to which Monica responds, "Unknown.
 Information on the fleet is sparse... It was privately funded and launched a
 little under three decades ago. And since then they operated fairly quietly,
 up until their loss. This suggests some level of secrecy to their work."
 Smells like Science Crimes. Maybe.

        Yurika introduces herself in her usual Hyper Captain style. The older,
 serious looking Captain Wilder turns his head to give her a look... And then a
 respectful nod, "Captain Misamaru. A pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard
 of some of your past exploits. Some impressive work. I look forward to working
 with you."

        Yurika then asks her question, which Fressange helps expand upon with
 an Explanation. After which, Monica interjects herself, "It's true that
 interstellar travel requires a different approach to design that was
 apparently deemed unnecessary for the Nadesico. Which is not surprising given
 it's a more recent ship design built in a time when interstellar travel from
 the Earth Sphere has essentially ground to a halt due to Difficulties in
 reproducing the technology."

        "As for how we'll be getting there... I will now pass this on to
 Lieutenant Glass to cover the specifics of that and what we'll be doing once
 we do get there." Monica nods towards the fourth woman that she and her fellow
 operators had been speaking with.

        The woman steps forth, introducing herself, "I am Lieutenant Catherine
 Glass with the Frontier Fleet Defense Force. However, I am joining this
 expedition as liaison and representative for the Frontier Government, which
 has a significant interest in seeing this expedition bear fruit." It might be
 a bit strange for a Lieutenant to take up such a role. But the fact that her
 last name is the same as the Frontier Fleet's current president is probably
 not a coincidence. Though she is definitely coming off as a competent
 individual so this may not be a simple case of nepotism.

        Lieutenant Glass continues, "Firstly. As most of you are probably
 aware, the Federation government has confiscated all fold drives in the Earth
 Sphere in their attempts to reverse engineer the technology. Attempts to
 requisition one or more of them have been stonewalled. As such, we are
 utilizing an alternative source, as they are not the only ones who are
 researching the technology."

        Lieutenant Glass nods in the direction of the young-looking SMS pilot
 surrounded by lab geeks, "Luca Angelloni, in addition to being a pilot for
 SMS, has ties to the LAI Corporation. They are in the business of mobile
 weapon and ship R&D. Mister Angelloni?"

        Luca proceeds to stand, still being a little on the short side though
 which goes further to obfuscate his age. He speaks, "Even before the
 Frontier's return to the Earth Sphere, LAI have been researching the next
 generation of fold drives. For those who are not aware..." Luca reaches down
 to his laptop to press a key. The large screen comes to life again, this time
 displaying a wireframe representation of, well, not much yet. Just an arrow
 amidst a sea of dots.

        Luca continues, "Fold travel times can vary, due to a phenomena known
 as Fold Faults." The arrow, which appears to represent a ship in space, begins
 to move forward, a red trail following behind. As it does so, a counter of
 Days Elapsed begins to increase. A large red field appears in front of the
 arrow, forcing it to go around. Luca explains, "Going through a fold fault is
 possible, but it slows travel time extensively. Going around is often the
 better option, but still adds time to the trip." The arrow continues to dodge
 around the red fields as they pop up, even going through a small one near that
 end that rapidly increases the counter. Until finally it reaches its
 destination, a large dot labeled 'Gallia IV'. The Days Elapsed counter has
 reached '28 Days'.

        Almost an entire month, just to get there. That... Would be quite the
 trip! Thankfully though, it seems that Luca is not finished with his
 presentation as he taps his keyboard again. The simulation restarts, but this
 time the arrow just keeps going straight through the red fields without
 stopping, "However, LAI has been working on an experimental drive that will
 allow us to reduce the impact of travel through fold faults, significantly
 reducing travel time." The arrow reaches the end quickly, with the counter
 only saying '7 Days'. Luca proceeds to sit down.

        After the presentation, Lieutenant Glass takes over once more, "LAI
 will graciously be allowing the expedition to borrow this experimental fold
 drive. Unfortunately, only the one exists at the moment. Which means we will
 need to be cautious with its use and limit the size of the expedition."

        Tapping her own tablet, Lieutenant Glass takes over the large screen
 herself, bringing up the profiles of several ships. Those of note include the
 'Macross Quarter', 'Nadesico' and 'Shakuyaku'. She explains, "SMS will be
 providing the Macross Quarter. It will be primarily responsible for expedition
 security, spearheaded by SMS's Skull and Pixie squadrons." A few of the more
 friendly SMS pilots wave as they are mentioned.

        Alto is not one of them. He remains Mister Cool Guy leaning against the
 wall.

        Catherine continues, "The experimental fold drive will be fitted to the
 Quarter and it will open up a fold window for the rest of the vessels to
 travel through. Nergal is providing the Nadesico and Shakuyaku for their
 advanced scientific suites to assist in the gathering and analyzing of
 whatever data we are able to acquire. Plus as additional security should it be
 necessary." It's unsaid, but should be pretty clear about the possibility of
 encounter Vajra at their destination. "Then there are a few transports that
 will support the expedition during its time."

        Lieutenant Glass finishes, "Upon arrival, we will perform initial scans
 and locate an appropriate landing site. The ships will land and establish a
 basecamp from which we can operate. We will then seek out any remains of the
 117th Research Fleet and attempt to salvage whatever data we can."

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


Rin's eyes turn towards Riika, who looks familiar, even if she can't place
 where. (There was probably a piece on KNOWN TERRORIST which Rin saw in the
 corner of her eyes. Rin pays attention to a lot of her surrounding more than
 might be expected, especially since Riika's talking about ZAFT...)

"Jeez, and that research fleet went out when Mr. Lioncourt was our age," Rin
 marvels at the continuing commentary. Her arms fold as the presentation
 continues.

"A 4x improvement," Armand muses. "Not bad. Good to see technology's actually
 moving forwards for once."

"It wasn't confiscation, it was safety inspection," Louis says quietly to
 himself, brow furrowing. He glances at Samantha, but Samantha is scribbling
 down a crabbed summary of the report on Gallia IV's ecology. Not suitable for
 colonization?

It's Armand Lioncourt's time to speak, though. "You're confident that any
 remains will have impacted or landed on Gallia IV's surface? You've got an
 entire planet to comb. Even with your preliminary guidance, there's all sorts
 of natural processes, and that's before bringing wildlife into play."

Rin asks something to Ranka, very quietly. "You meant that? About friend, I
 mean."

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.


Not relevant to anyone else at all, Sheryl.

Not. Relevant. At. All.

"Yeah... we were..." Ranka echoes quietly to Rin, she knows she was a child,
 but she remembers nothing of that time.

Not the slightest detail.

Yurika's excited questions and Inez's cut short response are something Ranka is
 perhaps thankful for as it gives her time to work through the surge of
 emotions.

So too does she listen through Rin and Riika's questions and the responses.

As Catharine Glass steps up, she's perhaps more heartened, because it's a
 familiar face. Her brother's Ex. Eventually she brings her fingertips off
 the table.

Relaxing, taking a breath with her eyes closed as she shifts the conversation
 over to Luca. "A drive that ignores fold faults? That's very impressive..."
 She murmurs to the people beside her, remembering getting into those pods as a
 child...

... it was frightening back then, but now it's comforting, but she's still glad
 it's not going to take the full month.

As she listens to them list off the expedition squads. Her eyes shifting to
 Alto.

With that in hand, it seems simple enough. "It all sounds pretty straight
 forward..."

So why does she get the feeling that this isn't over?

After a moment, she does ask Sheryl, "What do you think? Is this something
 you're still interested in going on?" She says, giving her an inquisitive look.

She's not certain what answer she's actually hoping for here. But something
 about this whole thing...? She was excited before... and now something about
 it makes me anxious.

"Hm!?" As Rin asks that, and after a moment, she smiles, "I did! You've been
 there for me too, since long before I debuted, right? So of course I think of
 you as a friend."

It at least momentarily cuts through the tension for her, even if... she
 expects it to return in short order.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl listens closely to the various explanations and answers. She's a
 reasonably intelligent woman, she'd like to think, but she knows she's no
 brainiac; she needs to have high-level stuff explained to her. That includes
 the particulars of fold travel, including fold faults--and this experimental
 fold drive that'll let them bypass them all.
        
        She sweeps one side of her bangs back. Her drop earring sways from the
 motion, light catching on the violet crystal.
        
        The one question she'd gained during the explanation gets explained in
 turn--i.e., just how limited this expedition will be. The trip there will be
 about a week, so hopefully it'll be the same in return. But the all-important
 expedition itself... "How long is that going to take?" she wonders.
        
        It sounds a lot like there's no way to know, though. After all, Armand
 points out that there's a lot of factors that might contribute to making the
 expedition a lot longer than planned.
        
        Ranka asks her if she's still interested, though, and Sheryl scoffs.
 "Of course! I still have to get my revenge on the Vajra, and this is a perfect
 opportunity to sharpen my skills as a pilot, and if there's information about
 what happened to the 117th Fleet, then maybe there'll be a clue about what
 happened to Galaxy! I can't not go!" She pauses, though, the ferocity in
 her gaze shifting to an inquisitive look of her own. "What about you? Taking a
 break when you're still starting out is always a risk."
        
        Technically she's taking a risk on her own career, having her
 hiatus go on this long. But Sheryl has faith in the hard work she's
 established, and anyway, this trip would only increase the chances that she'll
 graduate at the end of the year and get right back to being a cultural icon.
 She's thought this through. Arguing with Grace about it ensured she'd have to. 

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika expects to be noticed. She gives Rin a slight smile to try to defuse
 things when she catches a gaze - and not just Rin. Maybe she misread.

'Unknown' could be anything! Riika's mind doesn't immediately jump to science
 crime because she likes to look on the bright side of things; it could be
 anything. Even Fold technology, since some of that might be best tested way
 out in the middle of nowhere. Especially if they were studying 'fold faults'
 and needed to go find one.

"Well, a rocky planet might be enough for materials," Riika says, "but I
 understand that you might not want to start by building space colonies, when
 you could do that elsewhere..." She still has the mindset of someone who grew
 up off planets. Plus, people live on the Moon, and Mars, which they're even
 terraforming these days.

That's really beside the point though! Only one has a biosphere they could
 study and possibly move into.

Riika makes a few notes. To get there that fast really *is* impressive, and she
 nods along with it. "I'm interested in how long that fold window lasts, and
 its characteristics - but I can ask the engineering team later, for the
 non-classified parts of it?" She sounds hopeful. "Though, will we have to make
 any adjustments to our units or ships? I assume we're not fighting in fold
 space - at least, I really hope not! I don't understand at all how it works as
 I never studied it - but just for coordination or emergency pickup purposes,
 if we have to install a new kind of beacon I'd like to know ahead of time."

"And, how long are we expecting to stay there? I know this is an important
 mission and how long we'll need is not entirely known, but... we'll need
 supplies," Riika says. "We can't assume anything is available and useful on
 the far side. Everything from bullets to water..." She makes another note.
 She's not the quartermaster, but she can definitely scrounge some stuff.

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        Oh noooo there's several of them, Yurika thinks as the Macross
 Quarter's cohort explains how exactly they plan to use complex new
 applications of things that also are not quite Fold Drive related but are
 very close. (Inez's sparkling admiration causes a slight glow of light just to
 Yurika's left.)

        "So the long and short of is is that you guys can make a wormhole type
 of thing, and the Nadesico and Shakuyaku can hop right into it? Hmhm. That
 does mean, of course, that the Macross Quarter is really important. If
 you guys go down, we're pretty much stranded. Okay then!"

        Yurika's gloved hand prods at her own chin, before she asks further:
 "You said you didn't know if anyone actually lived on Gallia IV, right? Do you
 know if anyone lives near it? As in, if something DOES happen to any of our
 ships, is it somewhere that if we sent out a distress signal ourselves, anyone
 theoretically would show up? I guess if the one we're answering went
 unresponded for thirteen years, it's a little unlikely, but to be honest, I
 know so little about what everyone who has managed to stay outside of Earth
 Sphere problems has gotten themselves up to..."

        Elbows on her table, Yurika finishes her questions to the authorities,
 and glances between Ranka and Sheryl. "...You're really serious about trying
 to get a handle on the piloting thing, huh, Sheryl? I actually - that's really
 something I respect a lot! I'd have thought mastering your craft as an idol
 took up most of your stress-y time, but...I guess if you're already the most
 popular singer in the galaxy, changing your direction to expand your skills
 is...really cool! ...No wonder I thought to turn to you when I was wondering
 just what I should do. Maybe...I need to find that second pursuit that'll push
 me forward! What if I find it while we're out way in the stars?! That'd be SO
 romantic...!" 

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Armand Lioncourt comes out first with the next round of questions, to
 which Catherine responds, "We are of course going to include a search of the
 planet's orbit. But that should be a relatively easy process given how little
 there will be there." Unlike Earth's orbit, which is littered with centuries
 of debris from space colonization, Gallia IV's orbit would be relatively empty
 and so not too difficult to notice any remains of a fleet. As for the planet,
 "Of course, searching an entire planet will be difficult. But the fact that
 there's been no actual colonization attempts will mean that anything we detect
 down there to be man-made should be from the research fleet. As such we will
 begin with long distance flights to identify any such possible sites, before
 moving in on-foot research teams to begin the salvage process."

        There are a few questions of how long they'll actually be there, as
 well as the issue of resources. Catherine explains, "We do not expect this to
 be a quick process. The actual length will depend upon our success in finding
 what we're searching for. But we are planning to be out there for no more than
 three months. That will be the extent to which our supplies will last, carried
 on the support transports accompanying us. There is the possibility of
 gathering local supplies to supplement our own... But as there has never been
 a full survey of the planet, we cannot guarantee anything there is safe for
 human consumption. And Gallia IV is in a relatively remote area of space... So
 unfortunately, if we get into trouble, it's unlikely anyone will be coming to
 our rescue."

        Speaking to Yurika and Riika about the actual method of travel, "It is
 not necessary for any changes to be made to the other vessels. Any ship can
 enter a fold window that has been created, provided it remains open. So yes...
 This does make the Quarter of particular importance in getting home. But
 unfortunately there's not much we can do about that..."
 
         Going a little further into the explanation of fold travel itself,
 Catherine says, "Once travelling through fold space, maneuvers will be
 limited. Thus far no one has ever been able to intercept vessels travelling in
 fold space so combat will not be necessary. In fact, travelling within fold
 space is an unusual experience, especially for those who have never done it
 before. There are no permanent health issues, but there are visual and
 auditory effects which are disorienting and can cause nausea and stress is
 those unfamiliar with it. As such, it is recommended that during the trip, the
 ships operate on rotating skeleton crews, while the rest remain in light
 stasis until arrival. This is a common approach for long distance fold travel.
 We can prepare appropriate stasis equipment for any vessels that require it."

        "I will now return this briefing to Miss Lang, who will be discussing
 the Vajra specifically." Catherine steps back once more and goes silent.

        Monica steps forward as it is her time again, "To briefly recap... We
 are aware of four classes of Vajra." Tapping her tablet, she brings up some
 profiles on the Vajra.

        ( https://i.imgur.com/ZgLt1zQ.png )
        ( https://i.imgur.com/EWrQ9Jy.png )

        The first two are actually a combined pair, mostly similar in
 appearance to each other, "These first ones we have simply labelled 'Fliers'
 and 'Walkers'. They are relatively small compared to the rest, only a little
 taller than the average human adult." Judging by how one has wings and the
 other doesn't, but does have some additional pairs of legs, it's clear why
 they've been named such. "On their own, these Vajra are deadly to people but
 little problem to a mobile weapon. However, their strength is in numbers. If
 there is enough of them to operate as a swarm, they can overwhelm even mobile
 weapons." Monir switches to the next screen.

        ( https://i.imgur.com/5ll5UWa.png )

        "Next are the Mobile Soldiers. They are the smallest of the mobile
 weapon scale Vajra. Equipped with machine guns, missiles and claws capable of
 tearing through military grade armor. A single Mobile Soldier is only a minor
 threat to a decent pilot. But again, they are most often encountered in
 numbers and will attempt to overwhelm." New screen!

        ( https://i.imgur.com/QIQRnc8.png )

        "The Heavy Soldiers are where the threat really starts to escalate.
 These larger Vajra are about twice the size of your average Variable Fighter
 at about thirty metres. In addition to all the same weapons as a Mobile
 Soldier, they also have a heavy energy cannon mounted on their backs. These
 have been used to destroy warships in a single shot. They are not as numerous
 as Mobile Soldiers, but the threat they present is far greater." Last screen.

        ( https://i.imgur.com/gnC8cCw.jpg )

        "Finally, the Knight class of Vajra. These large vessels, which appear
 to be a single organism, are the size of a full Macross class battleship.
 Their secondary armaments include those weapons used by the smaller Vajra.
 Machine gun and energy cannon turrets, along with missiles. But they also have
 a primary weapon... A spinal mounted energy cannon that rivals a Macross's
 main cannon in terms of firepower. Thus far we have only encountered one of
 these vessels, which likely would have wiped out both a ZAFT and Federation
 fleet if not for additional assistance." Those from the Nadesico would recall
 THAT battle.

        Monica frowns a little as she continues, "Note that the Vajra have the
 capability to, which each new generation, adapt to weapons used against them.
 We have already seen some level of reduction in the effectiveness of beam
 weaponry as well as nuclear weapons and the Nadesico's Gravity Blast Cannon."

        Monica takes a bit of a deep breath for this next part, suggestion that
 there have been some Issues with it, "Thankfully. We have been able to develop
 a potential means of identifying the location of Vajra over long distance.
 Thanks to the advanced sensors of the Nadesico and the efforts of its
 operator, Miss Hoshino, they were able to detect fold distortions during the
 investigation of the abandonded fold communications hub. This revealed the
 location of numerous Vajra throughout the Earth Sphere." Not so bad so far,
 that's good news!

        But then the other shoe drops, "Unfortunately... Further research
 indicates that these distortions have only occurred during specific moments.
 Outside of which we have not been able to repeat the effect." Monica winces a
 little as she finishes, "Those moments being when Miss Ranka Lee sings...
 Which is why she has been invited to participate in this expedition."

        Ozma Lee does NOT look happy about this fact.

<Pose Tracker> Emalya Zamana has posed.


Emalya listens thoughtfully, unperturbed by the sounds of violence and death,
 as one might expect of a Meltrandi warrior. NEvertheless...

NEvertheless, when the shoe drops--

"Miss Ranka!?" Emalya cannot help but exclaim, aghast. Her pencil breaks
 against her notebook.

She is troubled, but... "If that is what is best," she supposes, "But... We
 will have to protect her quite specifically then."

A pause. "I will volunteer for these crews of awakeness during the mission. I
 am familiar with Fold travel."

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


"I mean," Rin answers Ranka, a little shyly. "You know how it is, it's a little
 bit of a surprise to just HEAR it, right?" Her face is faintly colored. She
 raises her hands, but folds them behind her head, watching, listening.

"True... if the planet's uninhabited, any technical product is going to stand
 out," Armand answers Catherine, though it's more an observation than another
 question. (He remarks to Louis, "The SQUID mode firmware's going to make them
 a killing if this all works out.")

("How is it going to make them a killing?" asks Samantha, who wasn't invited to
 the conversation, but gets an answer anyway: "It can interrogate even damaged
 data storage remotely. If you got parallax and there wasn't any active
 protection, you could read a EPRAM chip from fifty kilometers away." "BS."
 "That's the defense sector, young lady. And it's a pretty big 'if'.")

After this, there is a presentation on the Vajra themselves.

Rin looks aghast. "It has organic machine guns? That's what those were??" Rin
 half-exclaims, which may seem like a non-sequitur, although the first part
 probably can get some degree of sympathy.

"The Emperor wept," Armand says in some disgust, "These damn things are
 here?" "They must be in a shoal zone or something, Father."

The question of stasis - skeleton crews - it sounds vulnerable, or so Rin
 thinks, but it's an academic question.

Rin blinks a couple of times.

"Wait," she says, looking at Ranka. (The other two teenagers look that way;
 Samantha stands up on the balls of her feet to also look at Ranka.)

"Can't you -- use a recording or something?" Rin asks, looking away. "That'd
 have the same effect, right?! Get a bunch of session tapes!"

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.


Ranka didn't realize Sheryl was that serious about getting PERSONAL revenge on
 the Vajra, but when she says it that way, she nods thoughtfully, listening to
 Yurika ask what she was thinking, so instead she focuses on the Galaxy. "You
 might be right. If Gallia IV is a world where the Vajra come from... the
 Galaxy could be there." Still something in her eyes shine, "You must have
 really come a long way as a pilot if you're thinking of vengeance!"

And then the worry sets in, does she REALLY want Sheryl exposing herself to
 harm this way? Well... she supposes she lets Alto do it without too much
 fuss now, but Ozma... Alto... and Sheryl putting their lives on the line?

It's definitely terrifying for her.

Still, Sheryl does ask a good question about her own career? "A little bit, but
 if it's short term, Elmo thinks it'd be really good PR? It's the first fold
 travel in years, so he thinks it'll help build my image as a Macross Idol even
 more."

And then - Rin, "Well, it's true." She smiles happily, "And I have no problem
 saying it."

The briefing turns to the Vajra, and she sucks into a breath, because certainly
 she recognizes the images of some of the Vajra.

She recognizes nearly all of the types, so very well. At several points she
 has to avert her eyes, with a small sound of distress.

Eventually the conversation turns to Ruri, "Way to go Ruri..." She murmurs
 softly, before...

'Those moments being when Miss Ranka Lee sings...'

"Eh?" Ranka utters, in confusion.

"Eh?" She does it again, a moment later, as her eyes become dots.

And then suddenly her chair falls backwards, as she stands up suddenly, nearly
 tripping over her chair and being dumped to the floor, but somehow managing to
 stabilize her stumble with a hand on the table.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

Her hair is certainly getting some hang time.

When Ranka looks from side to side in low key disbelief and obvious anxiety,
 "That- that has to be a coincidence. I can't really be causing any... of these
 distortions!"

Blink blink.

"R-Right?"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl chuckles a light 'ufu~' at Yurika's praise, indulging her with a
 smile. "I've already mastered my craft as an idol!" she boasts--though maybe
 not so much when she adds, "Just kidding~. You don't stay the best if you
 don't keep practicing, and trust me, I do still keep practicing. But I'm
 already a professional in that area, and when it comes to being a pilot, I'm
 still learning. I have to be serious if I'm going to nail that too!" She
 winks. "So if you think it'll help you as captain to take on a second skill,
 I'm all for it. It would be romantic to find something among the stars!"
        
        Besides which, if she can combine singing and piloting, then she'll
 just make herself stronger in both fields. And why shouldn't she be able to?
 Fire Bomber did it to incredible effect!
        
        Ranka's wonder gets a rueful smile out of her. "Just the opposite. I've
 learned just how far I still have to go," she replies. "But that's an
 important step. That's when you realize just how much better you can become.
 And I won't just sit back and let someone else do the hard work for me. That's
 not who Sheryl Nome is!" ...even if she's come to realize that being
 specifically a fighter pilot is not something she's into. That's beside
 the point.
        
        Her lips purse at the talk of PR, though. There is that angle, even
 if the expedition isn't that popular in the Earth Sphere. Still, she nods
 once. "If things go well, it could," she concedes. "So if you're really
 sure..."
        
        Her good cheer fades back into that serious look as Catherine resumes
 her explanations. They've really got a solid plan here, don't they? Well, of
 course they do--they're professionals, too. She's not a fan of the news that
 there won't be any help coming their way if things break bad, and she glances
 at Yurika for her reaction. Still... she's made up her mind. That's not going
 to dissuade her.
        
        Monica comes forward to do a review of the Vajra. This is
 especially relevant to Sheryl's interests. She has a sort of broad
 understanding of them, having seen quite a few of them up close and personal,
 but the details help.
        
        But then the hammer drops.
        
        Her eyes widen, and she shoots Ranka a sharp glance. So they'd noticed
 too. Of course they would. Even she'd realized that Ranka's song seemed to
 affect the Vajra. She hadn't wanted that to be the answer, but... Her eyebrows
 furrow as her lips purse. Even she'd realized, but Ranka herself hadn't.
        
        She doesn't say anything about the distortions. She doesn't have an
 answer for that--not any that Ranka would want to hear, anyway. Sheryl thus
 looks from her to Alto--to see how he has reacted. 

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika gets her question answered with a thankful nod. She marks down something
 about the Quarter on the tablet - keeping a fold system is important, they're
 not getting home without it. And it's not even like they can have a backup
 *regular* fold system, since it'd be the Quarter that carried it!

"I think I'll pass on the stasis, personally," Riika says. "If possible. I can
 handle visual and auditory effects. If it gets real bad I'll take my glasses
 off." Well, that's one way to handle it - at least, if you're Riika. The
 concept of stasis for it is viscerally unpleasant to her, more so than the
 possibility of distortions.

But the pictures of the Vajra go up, and Riika - well. She doesn't go pale
 (she's already pretty pale) but she does look startled. "Are these organic
 beings or machines? Bio-machines?" Riika doesn't know what to think about this
 kind of alien, as it turns out. Zentredi and Meltrandi, she understands.
 Something like this - where half of it looks like a bug, half of it looks like
 some kind of drone designer's work while on pharmaceuticals, and all of it
 looks unpleasant -

Not so much.

Riika is getting down rather a lot of notes from this, but then she looks up
 again - mostly when Ranka knocks her chair over. "...any music?" she asks,
 suddenly taken by the line of questioning. "Is it a wavelength thing? Or a
 psychic wavelength? Or - "

She hesitates, shooting an apologetic look at Ranka. "Ah, maybe I should ask
 later instead." Is it really her business? Well, they need to know SOMETHING
 about it if they're going to use it as a probe, but... it doesn't feel great,
 asking about a girl younger than she is.

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        "Piloting...and performing...at the same time...that's loading up way
 too high on capabilities!" Yurika gets a pouty look at Sheryl, hands on her
 hips. "I'd better not catch you coming back to Earth as like the world's best
 ace pilot who singlehandedly defeated every Vajra, so now you've decided to
 become a master painter in your spare time! ...Wait, don't don't actually
 seriously take that idea-!"

        The subject of Ranka's singing causing the Vajra to react interrupts
 everyone with an 'eeeeeeh?!' heard round the globe, and Yurika's head tilts
 this way and that. "...Is it really that bizarre? I mean, the Zentradi went
 from mortal enemies to best pals with the Earth due to singing, and Fire
 Bomber did a whole bunch of stuff using the power of song. Is it really that
 hard to imagine the Vajra are having a reaction to your singing? I mean, don't
 worry that much, Ranka - it's probably just that they're fans! Slightly too
 clingy and possessive fans! So our mission to Gallia IV is gonna be to get
 them to knock it off and respect your boundaries, obviously!~"

        Stasis, stasis. Yurika's at least passingly familiar with the notion.
 "I think the Jupiter Energy Fleet does something kinda similar. I haven't
 heard a lot of what they do, but I have heard that it's very boring and most
 of the work is done when they actually get to harvesting the helium. So they
 wind up sleeping away most of the days! Ahaha~ As the captain, obviously, I'm
 gonna have to be on one of those rotating shifts, so I can't just nap my way
 to a distant planet...but hey! The weird wibbliness of a warp journey could be
 interesting thanks to that! If nothing else, I'll have a lot to think about if
 it's that trippy!"

        Flowers bubbling from Yurika's head. Remarkable comfort about the idea
 of serious audio-visual hallucinations! One wonders... 

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto has remained relatively calm through much of this. Most of it is
 all information he's heard before. After all, SMS has been at the forefront of
 encounters with the Vajra, ever since the first attacks against the Frontier
 Fleet. And as one of those born on a long distance colony fleet, he's
 relatively used to what that kind of life entails.

        However, when Monica mentions that the method by which they have been
 able to detect the Vajra across long distances hinges on Ranka's signing...

        Alto's eyes go wide. That's clearly news to him!

        Alto quickly turns to look at Ranka, wondering if she knew about this.

        Clearly she didn't.

        Alto looks back towards Monica, "So... You want Ranka to sing... For
 the Vajra?"

        Monica nods a little, "Assuming Miss Lee agrees, of course. The
 expedition will be going ahead either way, but having some means of advanced
 warning and location of the presence of Vajra would be extremely helpful.
 Plus, there may be something to learn as to why this is happening."

        Monica turns to look at Ranka specifically, especially after she tries
 to insist it's just a coincidence, "Perhaps if it was just once. Or twice. But
 with Miss Hosino's help, we've been able to go back through Vajra encounters
 thus far and confirm several such occurrences." She looks a little apologetic
 as she says, "We don't know why your singing has an effect on them... And it
 is JUST your singing-" Monica weaves in an answer to Riika, "-No other uses of
 music have had any noticeable affect. It's not like the culture shock with the
 Zentradi, or the relationship between spiritia, sound energy and the
 Protodeviln. That's another reason why we'd like you to come. We may be able
 to learn more about it." Monica looks a little doubtful at Yurika's suggestion
 of them being fans.

        While Alto just shakes his head a little bit.

        Monica then gives Ranka a serious look, "This is a lot to ask. And we
 understand if you wish to decline."

        Alto actually speaks up here, saying to Ranka, "You don't have to go.
 With the Quarter, the Nadesico, along with all the pilots going along... We
 can handle the Vajra if they show up." It might seem like bravado on Alto's
 part. But beneath it, it he is clearly worried about Ranka.

        Rin suggests the possibility of recordings, but Monica shoots that
 down, "We've already tried using recordings of Miss Lee's concerts during
 attempts to clean out two of the Vajra sites detected on Earth. They showed no
 apparent reaction."

        Finally, Monica lowers her tablet, "That covers all the information
 being provided in this briefing. Over the next few days we will be sending out
 additional details about the logistics of preparing for the expedition. As
 well as the expected launch date. Are there any further questions?"

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.


It's quite a thing learning Sheryl say she has a long way to go on something!
 And it's piloting! Ranka was certainly a bit shocked, but it was a bit
 inspirational in a sense?

She's always know how hard a worker Sheryl is. She's tried to take it to heart
 in her own performances, and she knows she has a long way to go herself.

So it's still inspirational to hear it from someone like Sheryl who's already
 at the top.

Certainly she takes her advice on the PR - but perhaps she doesn't TRULY know
 the angle of PR that they're going to go with here.

Indeed it soon becomes clear. She looks to Sheryl? Sheryl seems to know? She
 looks to Rin, nodding emphatically at Rin's question. She looks to Emalya,
 grateful for her concern and...

"I don't know!" She tells Riika, and she seems genuine enough in her ignorance
 of how it works. Certainly some unusual things have happened around her
 but... distortions that affect the Vajra?

Yurika brings up a good point and understanding glints in her eyes, until she
 mentions the Vajra being her fans, and Ranka laughs brokenly, giving Yurika
 this nervous looks, "My fans?! M-Mostly they just try to terrorize me when
 they're around... one time they... tried to carry me away even, until Alto
 saved me..."

They seem like they'd be REALLY BAD FANS! Even if she told Kaworu she wanted
 her music to reach everyone

And finally she looks to Ozma, and Alto, and Monica. Her initial shock wears
 off, and she listens to her. Really listens...

It's a lot to ask... of her...

The Vajra terrify her...

But... there could be people still out there? Somehow? Her eyes turn to
 Sheryl again, who's hoping for any sign of the Galaxy.

And indeed, she thinks of all the people here who have protected her. Time and
 time again. Maybe they'd just put her on the Nadesico again, where she'd be
 safe behind the distortion fields?

Well. Mostly safe.

Part of her wants to ask for time to think about it. But the longer she delays
 the harder it is to make plans? In the end, she takes a deep breath, relaxes
 her hands at both her sides and says quietly.

"... This expedition is really important to a lot of people here right?" She
 says, with another glance Sheryl's way, before her eyes move forward to back
 to Monica...

"I'll go."

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

"Well, if it is a psychic wavelength, would that show up on a recording...?"
 Riika is reaching - and she knows it. Psychic phenomena are nothing she's ever
 studied. They never even came up in any of her classes! Quantum brainwaves are
 someone else's problem.

She looks worried, again - this time for Ranka - but if Ranka's volunteering,
 it's not like it's a press-gang going on...

"I don't have any," Riika says. "Not right now. But if I do, should I get in
 contact...?" She knows she's going to. Her mind's already working a mile a
 minute, though - at the moment - mostly on logistics for the mobile suits
 she's likely going to have to upkeep through possible (probable) Vajra combat.

She rises, and bows, just slightly. "Thank you for your time." Another glance
 over - especially at the civilians (not just Ranka; she's pinned Rin's entire
 party, except maybe one, as also civilian). But she says nothing to them,
 right now. 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


Riika has a good and somewhat terrifying question. ARE they really animals of
 some kind? And what would lead to them getting protective equipment like this?
 Rin can speculate, because she's played a lot of science-fiction video games.

You do not want to live in the world of most of those.

Recordings are no good, the lady says. Rin blinks several times.

Acceleration of thought does not let you find the impossible solution.

There has to be something.

Ranka finds something: By agreeing to it.

Rin looks at Ranka in astonishment. She is struck silent, in fact. A few
 body-lengths away, the cluster of Lioncourt Signalling-affiliated personnel,
 who had also been looking upon Ranka -

"Well said!" says Armand Lioncourt, clapping his hands. His son echoes him,
 although Samantha hugs her tablet to her chest with a frown.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        It's a strange feeling, seeing Ranka look at her, and look at her, and
 finally agree to the SMS's proposal about functionally being the Vajra's idol.
 Is she doing this to make Sheryl proud? To follow in her footsteps? To step up
 as her rival? Or...
        
        "Ranka..." Sheryl murmurs, eyebrows knitting in concern. Still, while
 Alto might try to tell Ranka she doesn't need to do this, Sheryl doesn't
 countermand Ranka's decision. There might be something to what Riika says
 about Ranka's song having some kind of psychic wavelength that doesn't parse
 over a recording, but Sheryl doesn't weigh in on that. Instead, she folds her
 arms.
        
        "If you're going to do this, make sure you won't regret it," she tells
 Ranka. "Don't just do it for us. Do it for you."
        
        No further questions for Monica, either. She's already explained
 everything quite well. 

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Ozma Lee definitely seems to think this is a bad idea, as Ranka agrees.
 There's some quiet grumbling from him but he doesn't object. Out loud, anyway.
 Judging by this fact, there's probably a good chance he's already had the
 discussion (see: argument) with the higher-ups and been overruled. So
 grumbling is all he can do at this point. That and proceed to get up and leave
 as the briefing ends.

        Alto meanwhile continues to look concerned, his own thoughts on the
 matter actually somewhat close to Ozma's. He's often been the one there to
 help get Ranka out of trouble, which means he knows how close it's been
 sometimes... And when it comes to the Vajra. Well, knowing what he does about
 Ranka's past, this definitely seems like a bad idea.

        But, Alto knows that Ranka is going to give her all to do what she can
 to help. So he sighs, echoing some of the sentiments of the others, "Alright.
 Then we'll do what we can to protect you." Alto looks at Sheryl, "Right?"

        Monica ponders Riika's possible suggestion for a moment, before
 replying, "Something psychic related is possible. But unlikely. We're talking
 about distortions which resonated across an entire planetary orbit."
 Admittedly not impossible, but unlikely. Monica then adds, "Besides, studies
 of Vajra corpses show they have extremely small amounts of cerebral mass. I'm
 not sure they'd be capable of such interaction."

        "But yes, if you have any further questions, please direct them to the
 Macross Quarter. One of us will get to them quickly."
 
  

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka doesn't really know much about psychic stuff, after all she's not really
 had anyone to direct her for that. She thinks she's a Newtype? She certainly
 sounds like she's one from how Lucine describes it...

... as the people with Rin compliment her, she rubs the back of her neck,
 looking momentarily shy, but putting on a smile...

... as Sheryl says that though...

"Well..." Ranka trails off, as if she's considering the words, rolling them
 around in her head and...

"...can't it be both?"

She definitely doesn't look /excited/ not yet, but...

... she certainly seems to have found a sense of resolve at least. She
 doesn't spell out perhaps /why/ this is for her too... but maybe one doesn't
 have to look far, for that.

She then turns to the whole room but NOMINALLY more in Alto's direction. Just
 enough to have plausible deniability. Just enough so her Brother won't make
 him do seventy five laps in his gear.

And bows, "I'll be placing myself in everyone's care, please look after me."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "Right," Sheryl tells Alto firmly. Internally, though, it's a little
 startling to hear him say that. Her, protecting Ranka, hm... Has she entered
 the line-up of Ranka's potential love interests, as if they were characters in
 a dating sim? Sorry, Brera, your competition's just gotten fiercer... (She
 won't be sorry eventually when she learns that particular truth.)
        
        She smiles, though, at Ranka's response. "Of course it can be both!
 Didn't I say don't just do it for us?" she says, raising a finger and
 winking.
        
        In their care, hm... Ah well; Sheryl can't help herself. Ranka's just
 too cute.

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