The Utaku wasn't visiting the temple's library for the first time, but it was probably still a weird sight to see the very modernly-dressed Unicorn offering her prayers to the Fortune of Wisdom... and then hitting the shelves to learn more about... robotics?

It seemed like the Phoenix were planning to do some robotic-related contest at some point, and she knew that was a weak point for her. She wasn't an engineer or a mechanic, and had no idea about how this worked at all. And the tactical thing to do was to try to make up for this lack of knowledge.

She actually more wanted to hit the club though, and it probably had an impact on her focus...


---------

D3 EN Researching at the library about robotics. TN 20 (hah): 2d10 12

Hyeon-ju noticed the Lion, nodding in return, and she tried to focus back on the text about... building a robot.

Oh boy. This was way more complicated than she thought it was.

Figuring she'd probably spend her time a little better socialising, she picked up the book she was currently reading and carefully left a bookmark on her last paragraph before closing it.

"Murame-san?" she said, her voice almost hushed. It was still a library after all. "... Do you mind the company?"

Shoan glances down.
‘The Utaku are an honourable family and respond best to confidence, honour and stories about riding things.’

“Not at all Utaku-sama, I’m confident I have this mastered now.” She closes the book with a thump
“I was just thinking about the time my shuttle was struck by enemy fire and our pilot had to ditch the craft in the ocean as we fell from low atmo. It was very honourable of him to work so hard to save us.”

"Eh?" Mastered what now?

Not that she disapproved of the sudden story Shoan shared, but it did kind of catch her by surprise. "... That sounds like a pretty rough event. At least it wasn't on a hostile world...?"

“Closing books dramatically. I feel I have mastered the art, it may be useful in the future.”
She opens and closes the tome again to demonstrate.

“Oh it was on a hostile world Utaku-sama. But we confidently and honourably achieved victory, often by riding various vehicles.”
This really seemed to simple, if only she’d known the technique before

"I see," taking a seat opposite of Shoan, she nodded along. "Did you take these vehicles from your enemies then, considering it was a hostile landing zone? That's always pretty rough. Some of these... pirates... they rig their vehicles to explode."

“Yes, actually. They were standard imperial models that had already been repurposed once. We simply restored them.”
Sounding slightly troubled
“They were not trapped but the enemy was not above filling their vehicles with explosives and using them as.... one-use weapons. It was an unpleasant conflict.”

She frowned slightly. "It is a troubling scenario to find oneself in. Some of the spooks that have been in our space have been doing similarly with their aircrafts and vehicles, leaving very little of whoever was riding the thing or of its make."

"Has Murame-san been in many conflicts?"

Shoan nods, the damage a spacecraft could do in a one way missions was considerable

“Only the one Utaku-sama. Although it continued for some time. I hope my new duties are different in that regard.”
Looking over at the Unicorn
“Probably less different conflicts than yourself?”

"Well, that's the life of a pilot. More conflicts, shorter ones too. There's a limit to how long a fighter can fly, after all." And they didn't really deploy planet-side for lengthy conflicts like the ground-pounders did.

"I've not had the chance to meet with anyone else from the Jade office. I thought it was mostly for shugenja?"

“When there’s a portal to some awful dimension spewing out all sorts of monsters it’s the shugenja who close it, but samurai like me stand between them and the monsters while they do. I believe it is an honourable duty, although it perhaps lacks the glamour of being a fighter ace.”

Dramatically reopening her book and turning it so the Unicorn couldn’t see, Shoan points to the ‘so young went to date an imperial legionary sub section for the jade legion.

“We’re a small group. But some one would say an elite one.”

"I would say it is an even more elite group than almost any fighter-pilot squadron, Murame-san. Really, it's quite a rare honor you've been given to fulfill such a role."

She gave a respectful nod to the Lioness.

"Do they require you to study more about theology and the kami then, to understand more about what the shugenja are saying when they're talking their lingo?"

Nod acknowledged with a counter respectful nod.
“Yes, we are expected to understand their-“
With a hint of amusement
“-lingo. Although my own personal knowledge is still rudimentary are best. I’m an acceptable soldier but a poor scholar.”

"Sounds like a lot of work to learn... but I imagine many might find this an attractive trait during this miai. I don't think there is anyone else here appointed to an Imperial office in a similar capacity to yours?"

“Not that I know of Utaku-sama. Although uh, nobody has let me know they find my positions attractive. It feels very minor when compared to all the high status samurai present.”

"Oh? I can't imagine that the Crab would frown at someone who is part of the Jade Legion, considering the state of the Empire these days. Though this Crab delegation has left me scratching my head, so what do I know." Hyeon-ju gave a hapless shrug to that. The Children of Hida were further removed from the Children of Shinjo than she had expected going into this miai.

"Your rank is the same as a hohei?"

“Hai, it has glory but I will be starting at the bottom of the jade ranks. As it should be. I will prove myself and in time rise. Or die doing my duty, I prefer the former.”

Shoan frowns slightly, she hadn’t seen many Crab so far, but Kimi-san has been... friendly?

“As you say Utaku-sama, I do not know them well enough to say. Inter-clan communication is... quite something.”

"It certainly is. At moments like these, we truly notice how different some of the clans can be." A wrinkle of her nose made it hard to tell if that was a good or bad thing in her eyes.

"Makes sense that you must work your way up. It's important that people in such an important group are not swamped with too much responsibility to start with when there's so much to learn. But... if you don't mind me asking, how did you come to earn this position? That's a story I'm interested in."

“Oh. Well, if you would hear it.”
Shoan squares her shoulders slightly, as if bracing herself
“I was part of a large force present on a planet whose identity is not something I can discuss. We had to deal with a large and highly motivated insurgent force. It was a difficult assignment as our enemies would often hide amongst the local populace.”
She looks away and there’s a short pause

“My squad was stationed in a small town in a farming community. We’d been conducting sweeps in the area for insurgents and had been engaged in low intensity conflict for nearly half a year. Eventually the enemy became bold enough to attack us directly. There was an assault on our barracks at night with massive casualties for both sides. I... survived, others did not. My conduct during that engagement was deemed exemplary and I was moved to a different squad that pursued the enemy through more unorthodox means.

I was part of that team until the conclusion of the conflict and afterwards most of our members were promoted to various other commands. I was given a position in the jade legion.”

It had been one of Shoan’s longest monologues... ever