Sanada Junko

[Yaoquizque]

Etsujiro chewed his cigar reflectively while skimming through the cargo list.
"So we're doing the hearse today?"
"Looks like it." prosaically answered his co-pilot while performing the launch checks.

"And the destination... Oh great, New Tokyo."
Etsujiro spat in the spittoon that was sitting between them, making his comrade grimace.
His superior made it clear this accessory was the most important thing in the big dragon's cockpit, and that he'd better not touch it if he wanted to keep his legs in one piece.

"You know Mitsuaki... I'm familiar with a nice establishment in Setagawa district..." The man roguishly smiled.
"Gives us a good opportunity to appreciate its charms, uh?! What do you say?"
"Hm. No, thank you. I already told my wife there were good chances for i to return to core space within the next weeks."
"Ehhhh?! You told her you were back? What kind of idiot are you? Oh well... More for me... Are we good anyway?"
"Yes. Everything is in order. Disengaging from the mooring points."

The two men watched Stokes shrink slowly as they were gaining some distance, and after some exchange with the traffic controllers, headed to Tau 31.

"So. Any corpse worth looking at?" mumbled Etsujiro while chewing his ignominious cigar.
Mitsuaki slightly frowned "Didn't have the liberty to check. I heard most of those were wounded during the taking over of LD-14."
"Ah yes!" belched his captain "But why are they sending them back home only now? Did they rot all this time in Stokes?!"
"I'd believe so." Mitsuaki reflected for a while before saying "I guess they were lacking of space in Stokes medical quarters. Or maybe those just couldn't be treated with the equipment we have there."
"Right. War is finished for them if you ask me. Lucky bastards." commented the captain after a soundful spat.

"My my... Look at this mess..." said Etsujiro after having moved the cigar to this right of his mouth.
"Uh... How many...? That's quite amazing! It's as if all our fleet was there."
"Bet it is. Keep your distances with that battleship. I hear an operator yelling at us already."

While they were moving through the fleet, an amazed Mitsuaki asked while looking around :
"Did you hear the Emperor reached Seto? He's leading us to our great victory!"
"Yeah yeah..." replied his comrade with disillusion. "He will be there watching us dying for glory. Wonderful."

Ignoring his tone, the younger man carried on.
"I wonder why they did put an hold on the scheduled assault however."
"I guess you should ask them." ironized the captain while pointing at strange vessels with a menacing shape that were gathering far away from the Kusari controlled space.

"They stand no chance against our holy forces. If they are foolish enough to attack us, they will be crushed."
"Yeah yeah... Instead of uttering a stream of.. erh... Right. Just keep an eye on the scans and be ready to explain we're a transport filled with wounded heading to Kusari, uh? I don't want those idiots to shoot at us and start a war because of a misunderstanding."

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