Post by Ruo Meiyahima on Jul 13, 2009 23:51:52 GMT -5
Date: Monday, August 10th
Time: 09:30Hrs.
Location: Office of Commander Le'Xing Zoa, Sunama, Amphi
The Commander detested to be kept waiting, so Ruo had been sure to arrive at her office a good 10 minutes early. He was regretting allowing Ryonosuke talk him into stormsurfing the night before. The large purpling bruise under his right eye was tender as all hell.
He was surprised to find that he was the only one present when 09:20 approached and passed. The summons he received had sounded as though he was reporting for a new assignment. He couldn't have been the only officer getting a new assignment that Monday morning. That was just simply unheard of. Unless he was in trouble for something and a formal reprimand was in store for him. That would have easily explained the odd hour at which had been told to report. As he stood in the hall outside of the commander's office, Ruo racked his brain for anything he may have said or did that would have gotten him in to trouble. There were so many ways to get in trouble for men with a lower rank than captain. If your commanding officer got up on the wrong side of the bunk, just having one wrinkle in your uniform was enough to get you into a world of shit. And they were tough on him. He was a Meiyahima, he was supposed to be able to take it.
Ruo fidgeted with the cuffs of his uniform jacket as he watched the clock at the other end of the hall tick the seconds past 09:30. He hadn't had breakfast. Attempting to force anything down his throat prior to 9:00 always was a bad idea. But now nerves were taking the unused acid in his stomach and threatening to throw it up his throat like a garden hose.
Finally, Commander Zoa's door opened. "Lieutenant Meiyahima," she greeted Ruo, who intern greeted her with a quick salute. She nodded her acknowledgment and took a step back from the door, gesturing him inside. Ruo followed her inside. He stood in front of her desk in between two spartan chairs. She took a seat behind her neatened desk. Everything in order, everything in its place. A small pile of files was at her right elbow, but even that looked as though it had purposefully been arranged there. "Have a seat, Lieutenant," she gestured to the seats in front of her. She waited until he had taken a seat in the chair, perched on the edge of it, stiff as a nail. After a moment, she finally took pity on him and gave a vague gesture, "at ease."
She was an older woman, the Commander. She had never risen above her rank, though she easily could have made Admiral. She professed she preferred where she was. She was still able to be in touch with the soldiers who did the actual fighting, and she didn't have to deal with the political BS that being an Admiral often entailed. Her graying hair was pulled back severely from her face into a tight bun in the center of the back of her head. Her icy bold eyes settled on Ruo. Her hands rested on her desk, one over the other. "I'm sorry for the odd hour, Lt. Meiyahima," she told him, "it was not my intent to put you out."
"Not at all ma'am," Ruo answered her quickly.
Zoa paused for a moment to eye him carefully, scrutiningly before she continued. Then she took her eyes from him and over to the folders next to her, "its come to my attention that Madaras is celebrating its anniversary in the coming month. Its a very important anniversary, I'm told." She raised her eyes towards him, "your alma mater, am I correct, Lieutenant?"
Ruo nodded curtly, "yes, ma'am."
Zoa nodded her head, "I'm surprised that you hadn't put in a request for leave to attend."
"I did not expect that I would be granted leave," Ruo answered her truthfully. "I didn't graduate."
Zoa tilted her head a little as though his answer both surprised and puzzled her. Then she shook her head with a bemused look. "Lieutenant-Ruo, you've been enlisted three years."
"Yes, ma'am."
"In that time, how much leave have you actually requested?"
"I honestly couldn't say, ma'am," Ruo was becoming confused with this line of questioning, and he was trying (and failing) not to let it show.
"Well, I can, actually." Zoa picked up one of the files and tapped the screen to activate it. Every piece of his service record was on that tablet for her draw up in a second. She gave it a cursory look over before looking at him again, "never." She looked at him expectantly.
Ruo shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't know what she wanted from him. He didn't know how to answer her.
She took pity on him again. She set the tablet down and folded her hands once more. She leaned a bit across her desk as though to be more candid with him. "It isn't healthy."
"Healthy, ma'am?"
"Even your father took leave every once and a while, Ruo," the commander confided. "Its necessary to every now and then be removed from a ship and duty. Particularly for a young officer such as yourself. Its far too easy to burn-out out there. You have such promise, I'd hate to see that happen to you." She paused for a moment as though to allow him room for comment. When he said nothing, she continued in a much brisker tone that was business once more, "besides, the others in your chain of command are starting to worry."
"Worry?" Ruo repeated as though he didn't understand the meaning of the word.
Zoa nodded. "That either you're loosing your mind, or have lost it already. I fear perhaps they may be right."
"But, ma'am, I haven't done anything to-"
Zoa held up a hand to silence him, "the fact that you are fighting me tooth and nail on this only makes me agree with them, Lieutenant. Therefore, I'm ordering you on leave."
Ruo's brows furrowed together, "you...you are?"
"Yes I am." She had picked up the tablet and pressed the screen to activate it again, "I have that sort of authority. You will be granted enough leave to go to Earth and attend the anniversary." Using the stylus, she made a few notes and drew a few lines, as if to drag and drop items from one file to another. "However, before you are to return, you will be joined by four other officers. Your assignment then will be to accompany ambassadors from Earth to Neptune." As she went on she spoke almost conversationally, as though Ruo had a right to be privy to this sort of information, "its been decided that Amphi needs to improve its relationship directly with our sister planets. And seeing as none of them will speak with us directly we will be aided by these ambassadors." She glanced up from the tablet. "This is a very important assignment for you, Ruo," she told him candidly. "If ever you were looking for an opportunity to prove yourself as a Meiyahima, this would be the time to do so. Do you understand?"
Ruo got to his feet quickly and nodded, "Yes, ma'am, I understand."
Zoa looked at him carefully. She still held the tablet containing his file in her hands. Then she nodded, "good. Your leave starts next week. You will be given the details of your return assignment before you leave. You are dismissed."
Time: 09:30Hrs.
Location: Office of Commander Le'Xing Zoa, Sunama, Amphi
The Commander detested to be kept waiting, so Ruo had been sure to arrive at her office a good 10 minutes early. He was regretting allowing Ryonosuke talk him into stormsurfing the night before. The large purpling bruise under his right eye was tender as all hell.
He was surprised to find that he was the only one present when 09:20 approached and passed. The summons he received had sounded as though he was reporting for a new assignment. He couldn't have been the only officer getting a new assignment that Monday morning. That was just simply unheard of. Unless he was in trouble for something and a formal reprimand was in store for him. That would have easily explained the odd hour at which had been told to report. As he stood in the hall outside of the commander's office, Ruo racked his brain for anything he may have said or did that would have gotten him in to trouble. There were so many ways to get in trouble for men with a lower rank than captain. If your commanding officer got up on the wrong side of the bunk, just having one wrinkle in your uniform was enough to get you into a world of shit. And they were tough on him. He was a Meiyahima, he was supposed to be able to take it.
Ruo fidgeted with the cuffs of his uniform jacket as he watched the clock at the other end of the hall tick the seconds past 09:30. He hadn't had breakfast. Attempting to force anything down his throat prior to 9:00 always was a bad idea. But now nerves were taking the unused acid in his stomach and threatening to throw it up his throat like a garden hose.
Finally, Commander Zoa's door opened. "Lieutenant Meiyahima," she greeted Ruo, who intern greeted her with a quick salute. She nodded her acknowledgment and took a step back from the door, gesturing him inside. Ruo followed her inside. He stood in front of her desk in between two spartan chairs. She took a seat behind her neatened desk. Everything in order, everything in its place. A small pile of files was at her right elbow, but even that looked as though it had purposefully been arranged there. "Have a seat, Lieutenant," she gestured to the seats in front of her. She waited until he had taken a seat in the chair, perched on the edge of it, stiff as a nail. After a moment, she finally took pity on him and gave a vague gesture, "at ease."
She was an older woman, the Commander. She had never risen above her rank, though she easily could have made Admiral. She professed she preferred where she was. She was still able to be in touch with the soldiers who did the actual fighting, and she didn't have to deal with the political BS that being an Admiral often entailed. Her graying hair was pulled back severely from her face into a tight bun in the center of the back of her head. Her icy bold eyes settled on Ruo. Her hands rested on her desk, one over the other. "I'm sorry for the odd hour, Lt. Meiyahima," she told him, "it was not my intent to put you out."
"Not at all ma'am," Ruo answered her quickly.
Zoa paused for a moment to eye him carefully, scrutiningly before she continued. Then she took her eyes from him and over to the folders next to her, "its come to my attention that Madaras is celebrating its anniversary in the coming month. Its a very important anniversary, I'm told." She raised her eyes towards him, "your alma mater, am I correct, Lieutenant?"
Ruo nodded curtly, "yes, ma'am."
Zoa nodded her head, "I'm surprised that you hadn't put in a request for leave to attend."
"I did not expect that I would be granted leave," Ruo answered her truthfully. "I didn't graduate."
Zoa tilted her head a little as though his answer both surprised and puzzled her. Then she shook her head with a bemused look. "Lieutenant-Ruo, you've been enlisted three years."
"Yes, ma'am."
"In that time, how much leave have you actually requested?"
"I honestly couldn't say, ma'am," Ruo was becoming confused with this line of questioning, and he was trying (and failing) not to let it show.
"Well, I can, actually." Zoa picked up one of the files and tapped the screen to activate it. Every piece of his service record was on that tablet for her draw up in a second. She gave it a cursory look over before looking at him again, "never." She looked at him expectantly.
Ruo shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't know what she wanted from him. He didn't know how to answer her.
She took pity on him again. She set the tablet down and folded her hands once more. She leaned a bit across her desk as though to be more candid with him. "It isn't healthy."
"Healthy, ma'am?"
"Even your father took leave every once and a while, Ruo," the commander confided. "Its necessary to every now and then be removed from a ship and duty. Particularly for a young officer such as yourself. Its far too easy to burn-out out there. You have such promise, I'd hate to see that happen to you." She paused for a moment as though to allow him room for comment. When he said nothing, she continued in a much brisker tone that was business once more, "besides, the others in your chain of command are starting to worry."
"Worry?" Ruo repeated as though he didn't understand the meaning of the word.
Zoa nodded. "That either you're loosing your mind, or have lost it already. I fear perhaps they may be right."
"But, ma'am, I haven't done anything to-"
Zoa held up a hand to silence him, "the fact that you are fighting me tooth and nail on this only makes me agree with them, Lieutenant. Therefore, I'm ordering you on leave."
Ruo's brows furrowed together, "you...you are?"
"Yes I am." She had picked up the tablet and pressed the screen to activate it again, "I have that sort of authority. You will be granted enough leave to go to Earth and attend the anniversary." Using the stylus, she made a few notes and drew a few lines, as if to drag and drop items from one file to another. "However, before you are to return, you will be joined by four other officers. Your assignment then will be to accompany ambassadors from Earth to Neptune." As she went on she spoke almost conversationally, as though Ruo had a right to be privy to this sort of information, "its been decided that Amphi needs to improve its relationship directly with our sister planets. And seeing as none of them will speak with us directly we will be aided by these ambassadors." She glanced up from the tablet. "This is a very important assignment for you, Ruo," she told him candidly. "If ever you were looking for an opportunity to prove yourself as a Meiyahima, this would be the time to do so. Do you understand?"
Ruo got to his feet quickly and nodded, "Yes, ma'am, I understand."
Zoa looked at him carefully. She still held the tablet containing his file in her hands. Then she nodded, "good. Your leave starts next week. You will be given the details of your return assignment before you leave. You are dismissed."