Part 4: Byuu's Journal: Second Entry

10th day, 4th month, 2 years after the fall of Kahna

It's been a tiring couple of days since we liberated Kahna's flagship, and I almost don't know where to begin talking about it.



As soon as we had finished wiping out the enemy, Matelite charged in and started making himself at home.



The results were fairly predictable, but I was certainly amused.



A few of the earliest members of the rebellion have been stuck on here ever since the ship was captured. I'm hoping that they'll provide some alternative to relying on the mini-devils. At the very least we should be able to reorganize our forces to make them more useful.



The entire crew of the ship assembled to greet us. I've heard some good things about Hornet, and his crew members are certainly enthusiastic, although some of them are a bit strange.



One of them was evidently disguised as an enemy. I can't imagine how that worked with such a small enemy presence on the ship. You'd think theyd all have known each other too well.



I hadn't realized before today that Sendak was a naval man when he was younger. It's a bit hard to believe that such a frail old man actually did something that physically demanding in the past.



He actually asked me to think up a new name for the ship...as if the name it had before was somehow no good now that it had been in enemy hands for so long. At least, I hope that's the explanation... he could have actually forgotten. At any rate, I told him that I didn't care what he called the damn ship. That's when it all started.



Matelite might have jumped on it, or he might have just been pissed off. He had been locked in that room for a bit, so I wouldn't have been surprised at him not being fond of the ship..



But somehow everyone actually accepted that as a name. I don't understand people at all sometimes. It was all around the ship before I could offer any explanation. I suppose it doesn't really matter.. it's not like it's something important like a dragon.



Frederica and Diana were waiting for me when we came up to the bridge. It's been quite a while since I've seen them, but I guess they still remember me pretty well. I have missed both of them since the DamnShip was captured.



After a bit of fussing, Sendak officially made an announcement about the ship's new name. I'm just glad that he didn't try to give me credit for it. If I have to I'll say that it was entirely his idea.



Right away Taicho points out that we still have something left to do. I don't think anybody's dealt with reclaiming a ship from an enemy for quite some time so the customs are a bit vague at this point. I thought that alcohol was supposed to be involved somehow...



Regardless of that, Taicho seemed a bit unsteady after putting up our flag. I'm not sure if that was really worth injuring one of our heavy knights.



I could hear Matelite muttering to himself looking up at the flag. I think he's planning to start a collection, which could be very bad for Taicho's continued health. We should probably either look into getting a ladder or perhaps consider hanging flags at a lower level.



The next morning, Matelite called everyone on to the bridge to supposedly teach us the basics of how to fight. Unfortunately he couldn't bother to show up himself, so I wandered around the ship to get reacquainted with her and everybody aboard.



To be honest, Frenze and Reeve worry me a little bit. I don't think I ever really see the two of them doing anything apart. I suppose that working together is a good thing for soldiers, but I can't help but think they take it a bit too far. It's bad enough when they're in unison, but if one speaks just a bit slower than the other it's actually kind of creepy.



Melodia asked to be picked up so she could see, and I just couldn't help but pick her up. I can only imagine that she's been spoiled rotten by all the women on board.



Unfortunately there's nobody at the bar serving drinks. We've got to find somebody to fix this, and soon.



Matelite was waiting outside when I came out. He had enough time to chase me down, but not enough to actually come out and teach everybody about fighting...naturally I pretty much blew him off.



After he ran off I talked with the only crew member I could see. He was keeping an eye on Yoyo's room...supposedly.



As well as selling magazines and such on the side. A lot of it seemed pretty expensive to me, but I guess that the Granbelos soldiers had plenty of spare cash



The merchants onboard the DamnShip are back in business again, although they don't have anything terribly interesting to sell. It's a little bit disheartening when our enemies are obviously so much better equipped than we are.



The owner of the armor shop offered some very interesting advice... when exactly has this become a problem that needed to be addressed? Are there that many people running around naked because they can't or won't buy armor or clothes?



I couldn't think of much else to do, so I went back to the bridge and waited for Matelite to show up. In retrospect this was probably a mistake. He was obviously incredibly nervous about talking to everybody at once.



Once he got going, though, it sounded like every inspirational speech you've ever heard. I suppose I should be more patient, but he just kept going and going. I honestly think that at some point during the speech his brain shut off.



Eventually he resorted to the time-honored tactic of finding somebody's face to shout in. Unfortunately for me, I was in most prominent position and caught the brunt of it.



I wasn't the only one who was unimpressed with Matelite's speech, however. Hornet pretty much told Matelite to shut up and sit down, and since he's the pilot there wasn't much that Matelite could say about it.



After that he asked me to let him know when it was time to go. I think I'm going to have to buy Hornet a drink once we get the bar up and running.



After Hornet decided to go back to piloting the ship, Matelite pressured Taicho into speaking in front of us. If anything he was even more nervous and uncertain of himself..I don't think the Heavy Knights are used to dealing with crowds. Author Note Taicho (隊長) actually means commanding officer and is commonly used in military situations, making this statement sound like a blatantly obvious introduction.



After Taicho talked to us for a bit Matelite actually tried to to lead us in a game of Simon Says. I don't know if everybody was just numb from the speeches, but for some reason we all went along with it.



Eventually I got bored enough to just stop carrying, although Matelite made a big deal about it. If he weren't so utterly ineffectual as a leader I think he might really irritate people. He really tries hard, but it's so obviously a show that he's trying to put on.



The dragon keeper popped in afterwards and wanted to talk about the dragons. I felt pretty bad after they'd spent so much time out on the deck, so I went out with him to see about getting them something to eat. We only had so much dragon grass to give out, so I worry that some of them might have gone a bit short.



It's really obvious how much he cares about dragons when you listen to him talk about them. Even when I can't be with the dragons because of the business of this resistance, I feel a lot better knowing that there's someone like him to keep an eye on the dragons.



Pinky was acting a bit oddly. He didn't really seem to be interested in his favorite grass, but he chowed down on a suit of plate mail that was lying around. If you think about it, it's pretty frightening watching a dragon tear right through the same kind of armor that you're depending on to protect yourself. Pinky's too gentle to really be afraid of, but I'm definitely glad he's on our side.



Clyde continues to show a marked preference for poison grass, and the rest of the dragons keep to a pretty standard diet. I'm really hoping that we can get a lot more food for the dragons in upcoming battles. I'd like to see them eating well enough to be really happy.



After feeding the dragons I went to check up on the rest of the people who had suffered through Matelite's lesson. They were all pretty much standing in the same spots. Melodia asked for a piggy back ride this time, which I was more than happy to give her. She kind of makes me wish I'd had a little sister of my own.



Lukia asked for one too, but with the kind of additional question that it's nearly impossible to answer in a way that turns out well. I'm not really sure if she actually wanted me to pick her up or not...she's certainly not too heavy. I wonder if she's jealous because I said hello to Diana and Frederica?



I was saved from having to answer when Sendak motioned me over to ask if he could have a word with me later. After the past couple of days I'm not sure if this is actually an improvement.



It turned out, however, that all he really wanted was to ask me to take charge of directing the DamnShip to our next destination. Sometimes it seems like the only person who doesn't want me to take charge of something is Matelite. I have to wonder if it's because everyone thinks I can handle it or if it's because they know I'll say yes. Also, why did he climb in bed before he asked me to talk?



After I agreed Sendak went off to do some more paperwork. I left him there happily fiddling around with ledgers and such, although I don't see what he means about keeping this a secret. It should be pretty obvious when I go out and tell Hornet to take us to the last place we'd heard that Yoyo was located.



Coming out to the bridge I find Matelite asleep at a window, muttering about Yoyo even now. I'm a bit worried that he's going to fall out of the window one day if he keeps this up.



It's hard to remember that things that all of us know haven't been communicated to the people who just rejoined our Resistance.



Before I could say anything Rush piped up, as eager as always.



Tomorrow the assault on Campbell will begin, but in the meantime I've got other things on my mind.

Reader Participation Alert



The dragon keeper has entrusted me with another dragon, but I have no idea what to name him.