He merely nodded at each slave as they followed him. Rei, his maid, was a known value. Ritsuko and Kaworu were less so.
Then came something he COULD focus on with considerably more expertise and critical consideration.
"Gore-tex?" asked Ranma, feeling the material of the sleeping bags.
"Yes," said Kaede. "As you can see..."
Ranma unstoppered a vial, sniffed it and made a face. "Container's too heavy. Need to go with something lighter if you're going to be carrying it through wilderness."
"Don't be a wimp, Ranma," said Genma.
"Don't forget we're supposed to be testing this stuff, old man," said Ranma, hooking his thumbs into a backpack and giving it an experimental tug. "Not everyone's gonna be in our sorta shape. Besides, remember that cliff in the Navajo Territories? How that rock there crumbled? Couldn't use the climbing tools either - sacred ground and all that stuff."
"True," mused Genma, remembering he'd had to take off his pack and toss it free. He'd had to pick it up later, but it HAD been a tricky climb.
"The 'Navajo Territories'?" asked Kaede, curious.
"Amerikan Ainu, mostly traders, very adaptive society," volunteered Rei.
"We were there 'cause of some legendary warrior they had in the last century, during their big Indian Wars, martial artist type," said a distracted Ranma, otherwise occupied by checking a gadget that included a firelighter and compass and tent peg puller. He put that item on the 'discard' pile.
"Now THIS looks handy," said Genma, holding up a frypan.
"Carbon alloy?" asked Ranma. "Don't those break down in high temperatures?"
"Not this one," said Kaede. "You could leave it in a fire all day and then just wash the soot off."
Ranma took the frypan, rotating the handle so that it was inwards and then clicking it into a locked position outwards. "Maybe."
Kaede was a little disappointed at some of the items ending up in the discard pile. She knew some of the designers had been particularly enthusiastic about various multipurpose gadgets, but most of those were ending up being discarded.
Ranma glanced over at the two new slaves. "You two take two of the softpacks. I dunno what all you can do, so pick stuff that you think you'll use and that ya won't be carrying too much weight with."
Kaworu 323 looked over the items and chose sparingly. He was a soldier unit, one who had seen combat in the latest flareup in the Achaean Territories and in the Sicilian Conflict.
The current five-year contract was unusual but he understood both the duties that were open and those that were not. He also understood that the Rei unit had received a considerable combat upgrade.
"There will be fighting?" asked Kaworu of his new Master.
"Probably, there's the Yakuza-Triad war going on down in Kansai, we've been helpin' the cops down there," said Ranma, glancing over at what his male slave was doing. "Some urban, some mountains, some water."
Kaworu nodded and began the selection process based on those criteria. Guns were generally not allowed, not in Japan, so he was looking over various other sorts of mayhem. Kunai and shuriken were useful mainly as distractions, while a trenchknife had both combat and noncombat uses. Ninjaware™ supplies weren't available - another company made those, but there were some similar "knockoff" designs.
"What's your combat specialty?" asked Ranma.
Kaworu considered all the potential answers before settling on one. "Sniper. Special ops."
"Try the crossbow," said Ranma, inclining his head.
Kaworu picked up the small crossbow and considered it. Light composite construction, air tubes likely made it buoyant in water, black with a dull finish. Cranked back satisfactorily. It came with a telescoping nightscope sight. "Expecting a target to show?"
"I've been in situations where having a sniper watching my six woulda been REAL welcome," said Ranma by way of explanation.
Kaworu accepted that, then glanced over at Ritsuko. He knew well who she was, and why she was there. Part of his duties were to keep an eye on her.
(Posted Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:54)
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