2024-09-08: Company Policy

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It was 0749, and Ryoko was on her hands and knees, creeping down the hall of the Nadesico outside of Erina's office. There was no sign of additional security or personnel, and they weren't in NUNE territory, but one couldn't be too careful.

"It's so hard to get around like this in the uniform." Ryoko complained, having to fix the pencil skirt and hose every few paces, because priorities. Eventually, she got up to the door, and listened with a cupped ear against it for a moment, before placing a glass from the mess hall against it, and her ear against that. Squinting, she concentrated at the ambient noise in the room.

"... Sounds like she's talking to someone, but who?"

"I seriously doubt that." Someone contradicted her, as Ryoko hissed, "And you're the expert? I'm listening to her chat someone up right now!" Ryoko put her ear back up to the glass again.

"Yes, I would be the expert..." Ryoko looked up only to see Erina Kinjo Wong, eye twitching, with a stress vein popped up, arms crossed as she stared down at her like a misbehaving dog, "... on my own affairs, Ms. Subaru." "GAH!" Ryoko recoiled so hard she slammed against the door, which slid open in response to Erina badging the door, before she stepped past her, revealing a brief image of a TV screen playing a cooking show. "It is not yet Oh-Eight-Hundred, Ms. Subaru. Do wait here and we'll begin shortly."

Ryoko got up in a flash and turned around, "What do you mean wait here!?" Only to try to march into the office, and have the door close abruptly, with her face slamming against it. "God-DAMNIT!" She kicked the door so hard it shook, "Stop treating this like it's just some stupid chat! YOU'RE PLAYING GAMES WITH MY FUTURE!"

The door slid back open, with Erina standing in the way, "Don't pretend you actually care about your future when you're the one who has been acting so childishly about this. If you truly wish to remain an employee of Nergal, then you'll allow me to handle this matter entirely by the book. Oh-Eight-Hundred."

The door slid back closed, and while Ryoko's foot cocked back, she flinched as if in pain over the thought, and slowly, sidestepped to the wall beside it, standing there and crossing her arms, tapping a finger against it. Two minutes into it, that posture became a slouch, as that tapping of her finger against her opposite arm became a rapid tic from annoyance before-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The door slid open, "It is Seven-Fifty-Four. Still much too early to begin." It slid back closed, and Ryoko had to bite back a scream from her temper, before moving back to the wall, her finger tapping more violently against the opposite arm.

An eternity later, or three hundred and sixtyish seconds, who's counting? (Erina is) The door slid back open, only for Erina to see Ryoko click a tile, and blow up at Neo-Mindsweeper that she was playing holographically with Omoikane, immediately losing the game. "Goddamnit!" She cursed, as Erina noted, "It is Oh-Eight-Hundred, and I note rather than waiting patiently like a responsible employee that you're the one who's actually playing games. That is about the usual gravity I'd expect of you. You may now come in, Ms. Subaru. Let's get this over with so I can go about the rest of my day."

Omoikane flashed a screen of-

                                     <FUNCTION NOT FOUND;LUCK(GOOD)!>

"Sounds about right." She said, as the screen vanished, and she walked inside, Erina hitting the button to cut Omoikane's ability to surveil her office. The door slid shut and locked with a click.

"Seeing as you were far too cowardly to come to me as you know you should have, the moment you breached your agreement with Nergal; it is clear to me that you believe that we were planning to turn you over to the authorities."

"What else was I supposed to think?" Ryoko pointed out, "That was the threat you always hung over my head!"

"A felon like yourself has need of someone to wield the stick, to make certain you can behave in a society of laws, amidst decent people. If I had it my way - we would do just as we promised."

Erina puts a hand to her forehead, still hearing his laughter and 'She's a joy to mess with.' from a certain man. 'But I've been overruled' never came out of her lips, what did instead was - "But corporate policy dictates that your situation be handled with the gradual disciplinary escalation outlined by Nergal Human Resources." Ryoko raised an eyebrow, "Since when we have we cared about policy in my situation?"

'Since our boss got involved' Erina also doesn't say, instead uttering, "We are in the middle of an unprecedented PR crisis within this company, due to the recent disaster perpetrated by these terrorists. As such, merely terminating you for your breach of agreement, and handing you over for your crimes would place us under further scrutiny we would prefer to avoid at this time."

Ryoko raises an eyebrow, "So you're stuck with me." She dared to hope, before Erina dashed those away expertly, "Not at all. You have endangered this company and our image by recklessly divulging the circumstances of your past history as a war criminal." She slides over several printed images from Comiket, with Hikaru speaking to Himeyuri and Michiru.

Abruptly she stands up, "The hell is this!?" "Our leverage." Erina told her icily, "Should you fail to learn right now the position you are in and behave going forward, then Nergal will have little choice but for our internal investigation to turn over new evidence of your involvement in corporate espionage at the behest of these terrorists. The embarrassment would be substantial, but compared to the damage you could do with your reckless behavior - arguably an improvement on our situation." She gave her a hard stare, "It's quite convenient that the three of you survived the attack on Satsuki Midori II, which happened to give you a post on our prototype Warship, the Nadesico."

"What's that have to do with anything!?" Ryoko blurted, astounded, not seeing the link, as Erina offered her a hard look, "You'll see." "Leave Hikaru and Izumi out of this! They didn't do anything!" "They say there's no accounting for taste - but I disagree. Having poor friends is quite indicative of one's character. The three of you are fools whose loyalty to each other enables each of your worst traits, thus you remain right where you are - with no goals, no ambitions, and absolutely no prospects for the future."

Ryoko looked furious for a moment as she shouted, "Stop talking about them like that! You can say whatever shit you want about me! But not them!" Erina replied smugly, "And what will you do if I continue to speak as I like?" The threat was obvious, and Ryoko continued for half a heartbeat, "I'll-" Then she made a noise, like she was restraining herself, and stepped back.

"That's what I thought. From now on - you are to obey all of my directives to the letter. I'll be sending you additional job responsibilities fitting of your meager capabilities, which you are to give your all to completing. You'll also be receiving a fifteen percent paycut-"

"Seventy percent of nothing is still next to nothing!" She thinks? Math eludes her. Erina paused only to give her a derisive look, "You should be on your knees thanking us for paying you anything at all. Now you will sign this writeup..." She slid it forward, "...and get back to work."

Ryoko reached for a pen, and scrawled it on the form without reading it, before slamming the pen down and sitting back.

Erina picked it up, and put it away in an open safe, which locked with a click, "Oh, my apologies, that was an undated confession admitting full responsibility for your misdeeds, now signed." Ryoko suddenly stood up, "You Goddamn SNAKE!" Erina gave her a bored look, "Yes yes - get it out of your system right now, because from this moment on, Ms. Subaru." Erina smiled at her...

"You're mine."

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