driftfleet | (no subject)

Thanks! I was the lieutenant in charge of Wrath Platoon back home. Well, like, when I was in the army.

[Combat fox is ready for anything.]

It's never to late too learn, and I bet you'll be great at it. And there's tactics in space, like ship tactics, but also personnel combat tactics are a thing too. We've got ship weapons and hand weapons after all.

I like ginger! Thank you!

[A year ago, the idea of women actually belonging to the army, let alone leading any of it, would have stunned her. Now she just feels a faint pang of wistfulness.]

In my time, women are not meant to fight. It wasn't always the case, but we've had peace for a long time, now, and swordsmanship has become largely ritualised and for men only.

[That being said, she adds mildly, placing Wrath's tea on the table a moment later:] I think I might be better at learning personnel combat tactics. Though I haven't used a gun before. The ones on board are quite different to the one I've seen.

[Wrath makes a face.]

I'm starting to think like boys try to make everything about themselves as soon as they have an excuse. Whenever they can.

I can help you learn how to use a gun! I'm not that great at it, but I can help with the basics. Like, my big thing was always plasma sword.

[Makie doesn't think she'll ever use a gun if she has the choice, but she's pragmatic and knows sometimes there aren't choices to be made. There's a small quirk of a smile at Wrath's statement on men, and she sits at the table a moment later herself, nursing a hot mug.]

I would be happy to learn. Thank you.

What kind of sword is a plasma sword? [Swords are definitely more her thing.]

Okay, just tell me when you want!

Looks like a regular sword... well, it can be any kind of weapon. Like Maine has a big-ass hammer, and the General has a pickax. But anyway, it's got a plasma generator in it that uses the blade as a reservoir, so it's a little heavier than normal. But when the generator's off, you use it like a normal blade. And when it's on, you're channeling plasma that's like... several thousand degrees celsius.

We used them to cut through the armor on tanks.

[Hilariously she's not familiar with celcius either, really, but with the description she can get the general idea of what plasma is meant to be. And how hot it is. Especially with the cutting armour off ...tanks, was it?]

I think I get the idea. Though there are many things you just listed that I think may be far beyond my time. Either way, a plasma sword sounds very effective. Does the plasma not melt the sword?

Nah, because it's made of special metals and magnetic channel fields and uh. Engineer stuff. I don't really know how it works cause I'm not an engineer, but it works really well!

I'll assume they took your sword from you when you arrived here. [It's said slightly wistfully. She misses her own weapon of choice.] I find it so strange that they would take weapons only to supply us with new ones that may arguably be more effective.

Nah, I snapped the blade off Howl when I took my big fall a couple months ago.

Kind of depends I guess? Like these are okay weapons, but to me, the ones from home are better. But I guess it's not the same for you.

[Ah. That's... probably why she's hobbling?]

Guns are slow to load and quite inaccurate where I'm from. Most people still favour the sword; I think it's only the shogunate who employs gunmen. Bandits, on occasion.

[She considers it for a moment, then shakes her head.] I know these are much faster, but I think I'd still prefer the blade.

[It was a really long fall.]

Oh, interesting. The guns here are pretty good... the limit's on how good your aim is rather than the gun itself I think.

We can definitely see about getting you a sword. You gotta go with what you're most competent at.

[Ouch :c]

My aim is excellent. Though I suppose that might differ between a knife and a projectile weapon. [She's actually thinking about that, though at the mention of getting her a sword she looks up and smiles.]

I would appreciate that. My own weapon was custom made, so I suppose I won't ever find its like out here. And I bought a blade from one of the other ships, but it's not the right length for my uses, either. [But it was something. And vaguely familiar, at least.]

Yeah, it's a really different feeling. But there's a range where you can practice on the Iskaulit, so I bet you can get really good at it.

We can talk to Vision about engineering something. Maybe if there's a good 3D printer...

3D printer...?

[Ahaha. Please explain.]

Um. It's a machine. That like. Uh. You tell it what you want and it just kind of. Um. Makes it inside and spits it out? It's complicated. Vision would be able to explain it better. It's tech stuff. I don't really do tech stuff.

[Filing that under future technology magic then... she's never going to understand all this stuff, but it sounds awfully convenient.]

If it can be reforged somehow, that would be useful. I'm rather attached to the old one, but I suppose I'm not going to get it again while I'm here. I will ask Vision.

Yeah, we'll figure something out. The commercial stuff is all just shit. So we gotta do for ourselves.