text; un: y.mikotoba

[softshoes]

(ooc: please feel free to threadjack around with discussion and info; yujin's npc thread with emerton for context!)

[Unlike his previous posts to the network, Yujin doesn't bother with a polite introduction. Things are tense, and half the team's already in the middle of an outer space firefight-- there's no time for idle chitchat here.

So, short and sweet:]

I spoke to Emerton after the gala. He has agreed to ally himself with us, and to help provide Zandr with the harvester access codes.

Before you ask, no, I have not told him that he was once a member of the Ximilia's crew. I ask that we continue to respect Viveca and Degar's wishes, unless sharing that information becomes absolutely necessary to the success of our mission.

[he hesitates.]

I am no fighter, and even less of a pilot. Aside from my work on the medical team, under the valuable instruction of our more experienced doctors, this is the most I can give by way of assistance. I pray that placing our trust in Emerton may tip the scales in our favor, and in the favor of this galaxy's safety.

Comments

text; un: romanoff

[deaddrop]

I'd call that a fairly respectable contribution.

[softshoes]

Yes, well... I just hope this works. We still need to actually get the codes.

[deaddrop]

One step at a time, but it's a good first step.

[softshoes]

[SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, after Ivy's post:]

About that first step...

text; un: mccoy

[homeostatic]

Great work, Yujin.

[softshoes]

Thank you. But you may want to hold the congratulations until those codes are in Zandr's hands.

[homeostatic]

Shut up and take the compliments, Mikotoba, they're not idly given.

You got a way out of there?

text; un: A2

[a2brutus]

You really think it's a smart idea to keep that information from him? Doesn't he have the right to know about his past?

[softshoes]

[He does. Yujin knows it well. He's been down the road of withholding vital information like this before and it has never gone well, if the strained relationship he still has with Kazuma is any indication.

And yet--]

We will all forget our time here when we return to our own worlds, in the end. Viveca and Degar trusted us with this, and I would not betray that trust without a good reason.

[a2brutus]

That isn't an excuse. You have the ability to tell someone about something that they've forgotten.

If it were me, I know I'd want to know. Why do other people get to decide someone doesn't get to know something about themselves?

text; un: geraniums

[rootlessly]

That's amazing! Good job!

[softshoes]

You, as well. Are you safely en route to Nuhiri now?

[rootlessly]

I've mostly been running interference for others to get there, honestly, but I've been as safe as I can be!

[This is what happens when you don't want any of your fellow Orbers to die but you also don't want anyone in the Federation to die ahaha. haha. ha.]

text ↪ un: うちは 🔒

[blackfire]

For what it's worth, I believe you made the correct decision given the information we have at hand. Viveca and Degar believe him to be trustworthy, and having him on our side will very likely be invaluable, come what may from the efforts of Zand'r and the others.

Your efforts are not unrecognized, Mikotoba-san.

[softshoes]

[Yujin doesn't get back to Itachi until after Ivy's announcement goes up, and it's a good thing, too: the extra bit of reassurance doesn't go unappreciated, either.]

Thank you. I only wish we had more optimistic news to give him in return.

[blackfire]

He is a soldier, but more than that it is important to recall he is one drawn to leadership. Optimism would very likely mean much less than fact to him.

You are helping him. You have shown compassion and care. That matters. The rest will follow whatever undertaking is required of us to retrieve the orb.

If I may make use of my experiences — I have been nearly two years aboard the Ximilia, and in that time the most important thing I have done was to offer my trust to one similarly positioned to help us. Perhaps this moment will resonate similarly for you. Trust your instincts have lead you to this point, and have faith.

（ ladies and gentlemen, the only man to have ever reverse-uno'd #talknojutsu to uzumaki naruto, at your service. ）

text (un: major.yzak.jule)

[coordination]

Every single part of a team is just as important to success as the rest, from the mechanics to the cooks to those who excel at interpersonal relationships to those fighters and pilots.

Having Emerton's support is a big deal. You did well.

[softshoes]

[Some time later:]

Thank you. I can confirm that he has provided me with the codes, now, as well: two copies, in case of emergency.

[coordination]

What did you say to him, then? To gain his support? If you didn't speak of his past.

text; un: felix

[swordandshield]

How's he planning on getting them to us? He already have them- [the guy was pretty high ranked; if he didn't already have them on hand, he could easily get them. that was the idea, right?] -or something and he's just going to hand them over to you?

What then?

[Need an exit strategy, old man. Not trying to belittle any of this--it's pretty great, all things considered--but Felix is engaged in a space battle right now and doesn't have time to pat anyone on the back. Call him an asshole, it's all right, everyone else does it already anyway.]

[softshoes]

[Loath as he is to admit it, Felix does have a point. Fortunately, he does get those codes after a little while.

Some time after his reply, Yujin answers, simply enough:]

Actually, he did just hand them over to me but a moment ago.

[swordandshield]

Right. Well. That's great.

And now? Can you get the codes out safely? Send them over the network to the crew?

[Just in case something happened before you got into trouble, old man. Presuming, of course, the chief of staff hadn't relocated Yujin all the way to the mining planet facilities where this was all needed.]

un: lion cub

[heyciri]

Good it was you speaking to him and not me.

( it's very, very hard for her not to say things without being there to evaluate what it would apparently cost this man, but also, her own history of not being told things important to herself that she was ignorant of weighs heavily in this bias.

regardless. )

Thank you for making him see us as viable allies.

private

[softshoes]

[He isn't a mindreader, but he gets what she's implying, at least. And from experience, he knows this isn't quite right. But...]

I'm not certain what he's forgotten. Or if he has chosen, himself, to forget.

[That, too, is something to respect, if they can.]

I am glad to do what I can.

[heyciri]

( it's so nice not having to find words to frame everything in her head, or to try and use this mental messaging to make sense versus to ramble. she's done that, too, and not strictly with coherency. ugh, what a disaster, if she lets herself think about it. too much access to each other's thoughts, albeit shared willingly, not on accident.

she's done that too, but that's neither here nor there. )

I feel that's part of our choice, isn't it? On fulfilling enough of our bargain with the big orb. Remember what happened, the world as it was before, or remember none of it.

Just... so he had something change. He didn't go back early, that's what I mean, that's what others made it sound like. Is this what we'll all see, Yujin? We solve one regret for the world to be surrendered to the influence of an orb that only came there because we regretted in the first place?