Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 2: Of Dire Tides

[Sandalphon]

"Pool?" Nikolai asked with a strange, choked noise. 

What kind of operation is going on around here?

He scratched his head, trying to figure out just what that word referred to. Whatever it was, he was certain it didn't sound pleasant. It brought up mental images of deep, dark water, bodies of frigid, churning water creeping into his lungs as he desperately fought to breach the surface. At least, he was sure that's what the word buried in the pages of the books that Johannes would read him so long ago meant.

No, that seemed entirely unpleasant.

"What is..." He muttered, furrowing his brow, "why is where we are going, sounds dangerous and like big waste of time... cruel and unusual, da?"

 

 

[scorri]

"Hey now, no apologizing. I don't care what you say or do with all of this, there's no apologizing. You had something absolutely terrible happen to you. You're allowed to cry, ok?" They began to gently rub her back, feeling completely helpless. What were they suppose to say here? Probably nothing. Letting her cry for a while about it might be the best thing to do. She'd clearly been holding all of this in for a long time and maybe purging some of the pain and grief would help. Even if it meant crying herself dry for now.

And so they just held her, continuing to rub her back with one hand and hold tightly on with the other. They didn't try to talk too much, knowing that could just make things worse if they said the wrong thing. Better to just hold her, let her know that they were here, and let her talk more when she was ready.

[Juliette]

"Ah?" Juria looked up from her training for a minute, surprise with who interrupted her. "Oh, hello, Mr. Turner. Juria practicing weapons for learn stay attentive more in fight. It help for keep track, since Juria not focus very well before, but doing well learning how, and am not bad with weapons in case of emergency! And know enemy to do better for self, yes? Am going to be the best co pilot ever for Astin friend and impress everyone with how helpful I am, just wait!" She leaned back in her chair, patting Reo next to her, who had come along as requested. "Everyone take Juria serious at that too after, not just engineering. Very good."

[Ether]

It seems that seeing Tonya and the talk of confidence had gotten Christina's own up, just a little bit. Enough for her to come out of her shell and remove the shirt that had been hiding her swimsuit. A shy 'Don't stare' accompanied the act, a request which Sasha swiftly denied. For Kim's own part, she certainly took a look, but respecting Christina's wishes, didn't allow her gaze to linger for too long. The swimsuit was simple, nothing fancy, no frills or extras, just a light blue two piece. The simplistic, classic charm seemed a good fit for Christina, who would have looked out of sorts wearing something flashy.

"See, look good. Nothing need worry about, Chrissy." Kim noted, giving the other girl a supportive smile before turning back to Sasha. So they were just going to let Firmia wear herself out, huh...?

"If say so. You know Firmia better me. Just hope thing stay relative control." Kim noted, as Brant and Tonya finally approached, Tonya commenting on their situation as Brant asked for a quick debrief, and Christina answering Tonya's comment on their ages, eliciting a light giggle from Seung-Min.

"Old enough fly mech and fight to death, old enough wear whatever want. Beside, eighteen two week anyway. As for what talk, Brant... worry Firmia going overload self going hard like is, Sasha say best let wear out once calm down bit. Aside that, try make Chrissy understand nothing wrong with. What think?"

[Balcerzak]

Things were going well. Thorvald had been a little surprised his spike had connected, he'd been sure Elaine would've seen it coming and at least slapped it away if she couldn't manage a proper return, but since she had a giant dopey grin on her face even after the fact, it seemed like there were no hard feelings at all. In fact, the three of them, Roxanna included, looked to be in for a grand old time. While the XO hadn't really gotten a chance for a proper warm-up, she was certainly applying herself diligently, making her way toward where Elaine had fired her shot and nearly connecting with it perfectly. There was a bit of wobble as it flew toward him through the air, but he didn't have to do any more than one or two shallow side strokes to get over and under where its trajectory was taking it. "Nice hit! I got it," he called out with some feedback as he reached up and snatched it with a firm grasp. Then he paused a moment before deciding where to throw it next.

While part of him wanted to involve the Russians, make them feel welcome, that just didn't really seem to be much of an option. One of them--no, a closer look revealed that one of the women was wearing an ill-fitting bikini that might not survive heavy exertion--correction, two of them were definitely not dressed for sports, and with their leader currently engaging the captain in conversation, that just would have left trying to rope in Brant. Hardly a grand overture of friendliness at that point. Thorvald felt confident that if Brant wanted in, he was comfortable enough to make that call without needing an invitation.

Would roping Kim, or Christina into the mix be a possibility? It wasn't out of the running, but then again, since they were actually making conversation with their foreign guests, pulling them away would have end up having the opposite effect. Looks like they'd just continue along awhile just the three of them. "Alright, this next one's gonna be fair game in open waters. Make sure to call it if you're going for it, don't want any collisions now." That warning out of the way, Thorvald served up a nice lob of his own towards a space a bit in front of and between the other two swimmers.

As he watched it sail off, and the response it gathered, he found himself thinking back to a suggestion he'd remembered throwing out awhile back. He'd mentioned running some paired drills to Elaine, to help improve her sense of teamwork among other things, and she'd seemed somewhat receptive to the idea at the time, or at least not opposed, though he couldn't have exactly called the response enthusiastic. Maybe he should try broaching the subject again? If she got to feeling like she had a partner out there on the field, someone she could rely on, perhaps it would rein in some of her more lone wolf tendencies too. And honestly, perhaps taking advantage of a partner would be something he could benefit from as well. He'd been feeling that his own offense had been a little wanting, as of late.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Dandragon]

"I got it!" Elaine swam forward, trying to quickly predict where the ball would land. Thorvald had aimed just in front of the space in between both her and Roxy, deliberately, but Elaine wasn't going to let him get that theoretical point. It almost hit the water, but with near precise timing, Elaine was able to catch the ball with both her hands, albeit by bending back in a rather awkward position, thankful that she was flexible enough to do so, and that she was in water rather than on solid ground. Still, Thorvald's precision with the beach ball had been rather on point. Twice she had been hit in the head by it, and each time he had thrown it had gone to it's intentional spot, exactly. If only Thorvald was as accurate with a gun as he was with a ball. Maybe they could fashion a ball-like weapon for him to use...

"Roxy! I'll toss this thing up and you hit it back at him!" She said, moving over to the XO. As competitive as Elaine was, she knew that it was better to share in the fun than to hog it all to yourself. Besides, she wanted to see how hard Roxy could spike it at Thorvald to get back at him. "You ready? One...Two...Three!"

[Shin]

"I'm not entirely accustomed to swimming for leisure, but it appears to be something the Captain feels that we should partake in. It would at least be a good time to speak with her." Tarquin replied, wondering if Nikolai's only experience with water was some kind of torture. From the state he'd arrived in, it was unlikely he was particularly fond of showers or water in general. 

He began leading his fellow misfits to the pool area. One could question the abnormal level of comfort on the Heion Riese, but it was on par with its technical specifications/

-

Tarquin lacked both the experience and social skills for any sort of community gathering, and the pool party was no exception. Seeing all his comrades and superiors half-naked and frolicking in the water was extremely confusing. He looked around the setting curiously, wondering why the Captain and Abigasil were voluntarily boiling themselves in a large basin. Roxanna's uncharacteristic recreation with Thorvald and Elaine only puzzled him further - he had been under the impression she resented everyone else around her.

"Nikolai, I am uncertain of how you feel currently, but I'm certainly rather out of place here." Tarquin commented, wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of navy swimming trunks. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself, Jess appeared busy in conversation with Firmia. "Perhaps we should attempt to integrate ourselves and then speak to the Captain at a more suitable opportunity?"

There was one thing that he had learned though. People appeared to enjoy getting wet whilst wearing very little. People were confusing sometimes.

[Balcerzak]

Yeah, let's go with that for now, Abigail nodded to herself, having worked through to a solution to her current dilemma, temporary though it may be. Putting all other distractions behind her for the moment, she began following along the conversation between Firmia and Jess more closely, right about the time when the former was admitting they felt it best to work together on this crisis. Wait, that hadn't already been decided earlier, when they'd stayed back in the meeting room with the captain? Just what had they been doing in there then?

Abby's frown of confusion quickly disappeared when the young Russian continued to elaborate. Ahh, she had very real--and on the boat of any ordinary feddie captain, entirely reasonable--concerns that had been holding her back. This, this she could probably help out with, at least a little. Jess was going about trying to answer her, with the sort of arguments that might make some logical sense, but didn't jump out to sway the heart so much. She had to grin a bit wryly at the apologetic look directed her way regarding the situation with the Heracles, but wasn't about to gainsay anything. Instead, she flutterjumped her way over to the other side of the jacuzzi, coming up to a stop a bit behind and to the left of the captain. While it might have been nice if Abigail had been able to rest a reassuring hand on Jess's shoulder, letting her know she had her back on this, their current arrangement's relative height levels would have made that awkward at best. Verbal reinforcement only, this time then.

"Look, I'm sure you won't believe me straight up, not until Brant confirms it for you, but I'm perhaps even less a fan of the ANF than you are." Her secret would never have lasted long anyway, not from this one, and the boy from Colony One wasn't anywhere close enough to hear... so what did it matter? Better she hear it from the horse's mouth, no? "There definitely was even more reason for Jess to keep me locked away out of sight and out of trouble, but she was willing to take a chance and work things out. If my case can turn out all right, yours sure as shit will too. At least from her end of the deal. No real need for you to go out of your way to cloister yourself off from the rest of the crew either, unless you want to. If they can handle me, they'll do alright with you." While her last point had yet to really be fully put to the test, it hopefully sounded persuasive enough. And it was an entirely different tact for convincing the woman than the one Jess was taking.

[Sandalphon]

Nikolai eyed the large body of water warily, feeling vaguely vulnerable and naked in what he was assured was something properly suited for the occasion. The swim trunks felt slightly too short, devoid of places to hide any weapons or tricks... and somehow, the women's selections seemed even less adept for concealing weaponry.

If anything were to happen here, it was clear that they would all be at a severe disadvantage.

Nikolai wasn't certain that the captain's decision-making was particularly logical, but then again that was to be expected somehow. 

He slowly made his way to the water's edge, staring into the clear blue with intensity as his brows furrowed. He sniffed the air curiously, making out a strangely chemical, anti-septic scent. it was clear that this was a foreign territory. On one hand, it was less dangerous than he assumed it would be, but it was clearly unknown and strange... was swimming in these something people did for fun? It was difficult for Nikolai to imagine paddling around in strange smelling water in such a brightly lit space to be much fun, but then again he was pretty sure his idea of leisure was probably atypical to begin with.

"Sounds like a good idea to me..." he answered, gingerly dipping a hand into the surface of the water as he crouched along the side of the pool. "I am unsure... how deep is water? Swimming not good... Last time I have to is because we escape firefight, and is clear I swim like drowning puppy or stone. Either way, is pathetic display."

The cool water rippled around his hand, sending a chill running through his body. This would clearly be problematic...

[Xinnidy]

Coordination

Well, Thorvald was theoretically giving them equal chance to get the ball, but there just wasn't a chance to compete with Elaine once she got going, so Roxanna didn't move from her position, simply enough. How eager... it was kind of closer to me, you didn't need to do that at all. Elaine would exert her strength too soon this way. Whatever suited the woman, Roxanna supposed.

With the ball caught, Elaine thought to suddenly give Roxanna a game plan, having her set up to do a spike on Thorvald. "I don't think --Wait." She didn't have much time to react as Elaine already threw the ball on the air. Needing to align herself hastily. When was the last time she actually did a spike? Oh well, it was the pool, she'd learn through osmosis. "Ha!" Setting herself in a similar manner as Elaine did in her earlier spike, Roxanna did a short jump from the pool floor to catch the ball at a better height, spiking it with less wobble than her last attempt. That wasn't so bad, for her... getting used to coordinate with Elaine if it came to it was a bit awkward, though. It's not like she ever needed to before.

Poolcrashers

Makoto was content with following Tarquin and Nikolai to the pool. The older boy seemed to have reservations with regards to the pool itself... why did he think it was dangerous at all? No matter, Tarquin quelled his concerns well enough with some logic. It'd be the best (and probably only) way to get the captain's attention while that pool party was going on.

Of course, not being a pilot himself, and leaving most his stuff at home, Makoto certainly didn't feel right in entering the pool in his usual casual pants and shirt, but it couldn't be helped. He needed Tarquin's help. Even if the captain was preoccupied now, they'd have good odds to get a talk in soon. "Uh, Tarquin... I'm just a civilian still, and this place seems kinda crowded. Is it really fine if I stay here?" What if some people just enjoyed talking about important things over their pool time? Makoto didn't really know what to do in the Riese.

"Oh, that water doesn't seem that deep, Nikolai... can you really not swim?" Now he was curious. Makoto figured it was part of military training to swim... "And, uh, should I change, Tarquin? I don't know if I should, but I really look like an outlier in normal clothes here..." Perhaps it'd be for the best.

[Phoenix]

"I should be the one asking that question," Megumi noted, her expression completely blank, "There are a million things I could have you try if you stop by in fit, some to actually help, and some just for my amusement." Maybe that was a bit too open and honest, but it was generally better to let people know what they were in for, especially given her career choice.

---

So Christina was nineteen, and Seung-Min was the same age as Firmia, plus a few months. The irony in that was a little annoying for Sasha, but only a little. Regardless, there was no need to get too serious about any of this. Sasha just hoped Christina would eventually forgive him for the teasing he had planned. Firmia would find some way to punish him for it if he tried that on her, and Kim was probably numb to that kind of treatment, so that made Christina a good fit.

"Nineteen, was it?" Sasha gave the girl another once over. Sure enough, she did look to be around that age. Maybe it was just the bust selling him. "No mercy, then," he grinned.

"If you're worried about Firmia causing problems in the field," Tonya chimed in on the main topic ... it was the main topic, right? "don't. Brant's piloting the Regalia, and the Mantle doesn't have a T-Link, so she'll probably just be on the ship most of the time." No need to mention the prototype--even Brant couldn't fly that machine properly without some serious adjustment. Having to use a standard SKIN suit in place of a full G-suit would compound matters even further. Tonya felt like coughing up an organ or two after certain maneuvers, and could do with a full G-suit, herself. That meant Firmia was just plain out of mobile suits to pilot. "She can't really cause any trouble around here, so I wouldn't worry about it. Even if she went out into the field with someone, she wouldn't take any dumb risks."

Brant somewhat agreed with Tonya's assessment. She probably felt the way she did since she'd taken charge of the situation when the transport came under attack. Firmia had apparently been following Tonya and Sasha's directions from start to finish. Brant's own experience told a similar story. Firmia was extraordinarily amenable in a firefight. That was why Brant was always able to coach her when they were fighting or flying together. Loud as she was when things were going sideways, he could count on Firmia to listen when it truly mattered.

...

Firmia couldn't help but wonder what might happen if contact with Jessica's superiors became easier or more stable. What then? Surely they would want the minor, with her three practically stolen mobile suits handled differently than this. She doubted Jessica would stick to her guns if ordered to be more firm, with both her crew and the rogue Alkaev. Still, as long as Jessica agreed to Firmia's terms here and now, the Alkaev had an escape route of sorts. If there was a way out, then at least she wasn't just stuck, hoping for the situation to eventually change in her favor. More importantly, with no unsupervised modifications to her machines, she could only be strong armed by a group like this at gunpoint, and Firmia would see that one coming and act first.

Looking around at Jessica's prompt reminded Firmia of why she was both skeptical and confused. Why was this particular captain so fond of close relationships with her crew, anyway? The buddy treatment always seemed like a good idea in theory, but once soldiers got it in their heads that their opinions were on the level of their commanders, things got stupid and very dangerous. Those so called friendships would shrivel up quickly once Jessica had to start handing down controversial orders and arguing for minutes at a time to get them acknowledged, Firmia was certain of it. For now, though she absolutely hated the theory on principle, this method of 'leading' might have something to do with their string of victories over Apotheosis. Not that she really understood how that could possibly be the case. It was a standout feature of this crew, though. Firmia preferred to think their pilots were just very good at adapting to bad situations and Apotheosis was overconfident, drunk on victories in other theaters. Even if Jessica's methods of leading were borderline insane, she fully acknowledged how much more a harsh defeat, the death of a subordinate especially, would truly hurt compared to a normal crew. As long as it wasn't anyone Firmia herself cared about ....

The last request the Captain made before Firmia began to cobble together a response, was to trust her, or at least try to. Really, Jessica wanted Firmia to trust the team and not just her. That was too tall an order, right now. Firmia was willing to make an effort at trusting Jessica and just be cautious with virtually everyone else until she had time to figure them out. She needed to know where everyone beneath the captain fit before she would be comfortable with anything more than 'reacting' to them. Who was the no nonsense person? Who followed orders blindly without thinking and could in theory be trusted right away? Who was the overly friendly papa or mama bear that tied things neatly together? Who was the reckless hot head? Every decent sized group she'd encountered in her life seemed to have at least one of each.

In the end, Firmia could only promise, "I won't be anti-social ..." Just saying as much felt like a kind of lie, but she did plan to try. It was easier to respond than to ignore someone talking directly to you in person. There was just so much more she needed to focus on, now: her plan to contribute to the destruction of Apotheosis, her ideas for the mobile suits, and so on.

With the woman in red finally putting in her two cents, Firmia was starting to feel the pressure to socialize, and it was really awkward. One person asking didn't faze her, but two felt like a crowd, somehow. Fortunately for her own sense of normalcy, Firmia had filled up her schedule for the next few hours well in advance. "That has to wait for now. Depending on how this went, I need to let the others know what we'll be doing and then get settled in. The stimulant is going to wear off soon anyway ..." She'd only taken a sip, after all. "If Apotheosis is too damaged or too stupid to attack us while our guard is down, then I'm sure there'll be a next time."

Firmia quietly wondered to herself if the blonde behind the Captain was a recruited criminal. She'd certainly implied something like that, and she had the vocabulary of someone without a firm respect for authority. Probably not Apotheosis at any rate. Even if this woman was an Apotheosis operative at some point, there was no reason to get into it, here. Jessica was ... weird, but there wasn't a chance in hell she, along with everyone else aboard, would have neglected to get every scrap of information they could out of any prisoners they took, so whatever intel could be gleaned was already cataloged. Come to think of it, Christina might have also been a prisoner at one point, or maybe a defector. What was a Troy doing fighting against the ANF anyway? Well, at least they had something interesting to talk about ....

[Ether]

"Give bit mercy, please. Chrissy not most confident." Kim chimed in... a little bit of friendly banter might do Christina some good, but if it went overboard it would only put the girl further back into her shell. Hoping it would be enough, Kim listened to Brant and Tonya's thoughts on the matter, though it seemed they hadn't quite understood. Still, it was good to hear their side of things.

"Not worry field, really. See Firmia capable enough, more worry wear self out, hurt, or make tougher for you."

[Shin]

Finding a moment to approach or interject naturally was incredibly difficult - Jess was quite the social butterfly. Nikolai's reaction to water wasn't unexpected, if anything, he was grateful that he hadn't reacted too badly to it, especially after his story. He had perhaps felt a little bad about Makoto's lack of swimwear, it hadn't even occured to him that Makoto was lacking something to wear. 

"I'm certain there should be no issue. You are not the only non-military personnel present." Tarquin replied, still hestitating to approach Jess. "It may be best for you to change, if only to enable to you engage in the social activity if you so desire. It is likely the end of the gathering would be the best time to speak with the Captain."

[Nanami Touko]

Always a Doll

Cheryl could only snicker, shaking her head. "Yeah, that's just like you. But that's fine. Wouldn't keep coming to see you if you didn't make me laugh. Alright... I should see about getting rid of what I have, then." Bill seemed like he needed more of the attention now, anyway. "What'd you do to yourself anyway, Bill? Get into an argument with your broom?"

Fixer Upper

Avery was still quietly sniffling, trying to contain herself, and come back to somewhat of a functioning human being. It was going to take a bit of work. "Broken girlfriend a-ain't that good a birthday present, huh... S, Sorry, Astin... Missed that, an' now yer dealin' with this." She kept up the deep breaths, trying to find some platform to cling onto to try and stop crying.

No Mercy

Christina stuck her tongue out at the further comments, shrinking up against the chair. This had definitely been a mistake. At least there was conversation to try and save her. "No, I-I'm not worried about her performance in the field, just... I just hope she'll be okay. I can't forget what I felt, even if I'm out of the loop... And look at her. She just... I dunno. Looks like she feels out of place. I think she could use a friend, or two," even if I'm not a great candidate for being that friend. That was all she could think to add, though, the comment on piloting took a moment to sink in.

"As far as piloting goes, I think if she needs to get into anything, she'll be a great asset. As upset as she was, she still fought better than I'd ever be able to. So when she's better, I can only imagine she'll be flying circles around plenty of us."

Socialize

No hand shake, huh... Jess set her hand down on the jacuzzi's edge, still managing to smile. "Well, if you say so. Just know that we don't bite... Most of us don't bite. Elaine can get a bit, er... Overexcited," was a good way to put her attitude swings. "Otherwise, you already know Brant, and I'm sure you'd get along with Kim. If you're too busy to worry about it this time, then just remember for next time. I don't think it's to do with Apotheosis being stupid per say, more than I don't think they can afford these constant operations. From everything we've been able to gather so far, they're more equipped for guerilla warfare, and a constant assault, or continuous ones wouldn't result in much success. Even then, I'm not afraid to run upstairs in my bikini. The Riese can hold off any up front force while the pilots get ready." How would they be able to know what they were up to, anyway? The Riese was airtight as far as she was concerned.

Abby's comments made her worry, but Firmia didn't seem to be taking them poorly. "Abigail and Nikolai were part of a rebel faction that was attacking Colony One... Christina was captured by Apotheosis and made to pilot for them. But, well... If Abby's a mole for anything, she's really bad at being one. More so, anyone we've picked up doesn't have to agree with the ANF, or join up after. We're not here to fight for a government, after all. We're trying to save the world... As lofty and ridiculous as that sounds." But that was what they were doing, wasn't it? Apotheosis was attacking everyone, going for a cliché but terrifying global conquer approaching.

"In any case, I trust that she's not going to cause any trouble, nor do I think you will. If any of the hangar staff gives you trouble, just say you have the captain's permission, okay? Er, as long as it's about your own suits, of course." Didn't want to give Firmia full cover of everything up there.

"Anything else, Firmia?" Jess' smile was as wide as ever.

[scorri]

Astin chuckled slightly at Avery's comment and shook their head. "The fact that you even knew it was my birthday is exciting enough. I didn't exactly go around announcing it so it's nice. Plus, you're not broken. You have a lot of hurt, yeah, but that doesn't mean you're broken. And hey. My first ever girlfriend is still a pretty great birthday present. Even if it's a little late." They pulled her closer, so she was leaning fully against their chest and gave her a squeeze and then kissed the top of her head. "Don't beat yourself up over something silly like that, alright?"

[Phoenix]

"Be strong," Megumi warned, just before Cheryl began to question Bill's situation. As the doctor recalled, Bill had gotten into a fight with a lamp rather than a broom. He'd lost just the same. Or perhaps it was a draw. It really depended on the state of the lamp. Either way, it was a good thing he had the day off. He could use that time to recover. "Ceiling lamp, actually. At least that's what I thought I heard."

Megumi could use a day off. As much as she enjoyed the infirmary as a setting, it wasn't the lonely and barren place she came to know it as. Her own room was steadily becoming a better fit for her by comparison, and she wouldn't mind just relaxing there for a day. Come to think of it, tomorrow wouldn't be a bad time for that. It was her 'birthday,' at least according to her file. According to Megumi herself, she had no clue when she was born or even how old she was. She'd narrowed it down to roughly a five year period with the help of Michelle and her two older sisters, but that was it. August 1st was still worth celebrating, and Megumi was already coming up with some ideas~ It just depended on how much free time she would actually have.

---

"Pff," Sasha waved a hand at Kim, "I've got one cigar left. That's worse than anything a worn out Firmia can drop on me. If someone gets through to her before she burns out, that's fine by me, it's just generally safer to let Alkaevs figure things out themselves."

"Yeah," Brant frowned at Christina, "I don't think she ever spent any time with other people her age. There weren't many at the testing facility, at least. She and I trained together and I helped coach her through the exercises, so that's why we're more or less friends, now." It was probably better not to mention that Firmia didn't seem to mind things being this way. Whether or not she did was up for debate, but she was definitely used to being almost entirely closed off. Brant didn't know how he felt about trying to remedy that issue. It hadn't been a serious problem, and it wouldn't negatively impact the people around her while trying to deal with Apotheosis. It was just a little sad to think about. 

Tonya was more interested in the topic of piloting. "She pulled it together out there, thankfully. Still, we've got enough pilots for the Alkaev suits."

"They're all two-seaters," Sasha said pointedly.

"Yeah, but the OS they use handles most of what a copilot would be focusing on," Tonya countered, "She'd be redundant in anything but the Regalia."

Brant's frown only deepened as the talk of copilots inevitably brought the Regalia into focus. "I'll be able to focus easier without a passenger. Besides, Firmia needs to take it easy, right now. She's not going to make any friends going on sorties, so let's give her some time to adjust to the ship and the crew." The idea of having a copilot, even one as familiar with the equipment as Firmia, was a very annoying prospect. Brant already found that he was too easily distracted; another person in the cockpit with him, accompanied by the responsibility for that person's safety, was seriously pushing it.

...

Elaine, was it? Firmia committed the name to memory and continued to listen as Jessica segued from the Alkaev's social prospects into the likely reasons behind Apotheosis' timely absence. It was a suspicion Firmia herself had been inching toward during her bout with fatigue, but couldn't quite reach any solid conclusions on. As comforting as it might have been to view Apotheosis as nothing more than an arrogant pack of thugs, haphazardly swinging their advanced tech around, they were easily winning most of their battles. The fact that this detachment was still alive meant there was something special about this ship or its crew. At the very least the ship was something special if it couldn't be taken out before the pilots could deploy. Add to that the effective adaptability to dangerous situations and Apotheosis' guerrilla tactics weren't nearly so effective.

"I'll take your word for it, I guess," Firmia said, figuring the ship could easily shrug off Cressida abuse for a few minutes, but wondering if it would take just two, or three shots from the massive serpent-esque machine to down the ship.

Firmia didn't have to ask about the Christina situation, after all. Jessica seemed to want to clear that up, immediately. She was probably motivated by Firmia's own trust issues. Fair enough ... So the woman's name was Abigail, and she and a Nikolai were captured while attacking Colony One ... and Christina had been captured and forced to fight for Apotheosis. What awful luck. Then again, she was alive and fighting for a lenient ANF officer. No wonder this ship felt so off. The Captain had an open door policy, a good portion of the pilots were flipped, at least one was a loaner, and this flying behemoth was out of regular contact with those at the top. If that wasn't a recipe for weird ...

"Huh ..." Firmia was almost glad to hear that she could refer a mechanic to the Captain if they tried to do something the young Alkaev hadn't already signed off on. Firmia was looking forward to trying that out, if only to see if it would actually work, or if she'd have to rely on herself and her two annoyingly apathetic employees instead. "No, nothing else," Firmia shook her head as Jessica wrapped the discussion up for her, "Thank you for listening, and for your hospitality."

[Ether]

As enlightening as the expose on Firmia's past was, Kim couldn't get the cloud of worry surrounding Christina out of her mind... it seemed she wasn't acclimating well, just yet... standing up from the chair, Kim extended her hand towards the girl for a moment.

"Hey Chrissy, can come with for second? Want check something."

[Balcerzak]

The XO didn't even move for it, apparently ceding the contest before it had even begun. Thorvald was a little disappointed, to be perfectly honest. Maybe that was why he let his guard down a little? It would be hard to say, but he'd begun moving anticipating the response he'd expected from Elaine, only for it to have been a feint, as the pilot set up the officer for a classic combination maneuver. It was the sort or return one should easily have been able to predict and prepare for, but the old man had got himself off on the wrong foot, so to speak, and had to try to recover from an off-balance position. While he managed to get his arms up in time, he hadn't set them properly, and with Roxanna's spike impacting into a knuckle instead of flat palm, the ball went careening off wildly, over towards a clump of people by the side of the pool. Oh bother.

"Heads up!" Thorvald called out to potentially unaware bystanders. "We've got a loose ball on the warpath." Then, after giving a small shake of the head in self-defeat, he turned to face the pair who'd outwitted him in the pool and gave them a thumbs up. "Good hustle on that one, and clever thinking you two."

 

---

 

"A mole? And a bad one at that? You wound me, Jess," Abigail snorted and slapped the captain (lightly) on the back. "If we're gonna poke fun at people being bad at things--" her instinctively competitive response was cut off by a cry of 'heads up', and Abby immediately dropped that line of thought before she could even notice that, contrary to where she'd been taking things, Jess hadn't really been stuttering recently. Instead she quickly placed both hands on the rim of the tub and practically vaulted over it, hoping that a new position on the outside might let her intercept or deflect the advertised loose ball if it seemed to be coming for either the captain, or the Russian envoy's leader. Luckily she didn't end up slipping and falling on her ass, which would have been beyond embarrassing, due to the tiles by the edge of the jacuzzi having been designed with the same texture as found on those rough, pebbled bathmats, and for just the same purpose. Whether she would be able to accomplish her goal, or if the projectile was even headed their direction, however, was a question as of yet unanswered.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

How Terrible

"That sounds awfully lonely... I'll do my best." Whether she ended up being a lapdog, or some form of actual friend, Christina wouldn't mind if it helped the girl fit in better. She seemed to have settled down slightly, her posture over with Jessica looking a bit better, but that was all she could tell. Maybe the talk went well?

Brant's talk of not wanting a co-pilot made sense to her, and was something she thought of, whenever she got into the newly named Artemis. Kim having to shoulder the burden of caring about herself and Christina's life, wasn't that a big strain on the girl? Piloting must've been difficult as it was. "Huh? Uh... Sure, Kim." What's this about? Oh, maybe... She was probably picking up on how Christina was feeling. Getting up, still hugging that shirt, she nodded.

Something Silly

With her sobs slowly quieting, and Astin's comfort starting to take good effect on her, Avery slowly cuddled themselves up against their new partner, breath starting to even out. "Yeah... S'pose gettin' more upset ain't a good idea. Thanks, Astin... You really know how t'make a girl feel better... Uhm..." The kiss against her forehead made her shiver slightly, hugging them tighter. "D'you mind stayin' here, fer longer? An'... An' maybe overnight? I know I'm still tipsy, but... I won't be, later. An', even iffin nothin' happens. I just... I'd like it, iffin ye were here. Bein' alone right now's... Real tough. If not, I understand... But I wanna ask anyway." She didn't know what Astin had planned for the day, but hoped it wasn't much.

Catch!

"You're welcome. Don't be a stranger. And come on, Abby, you don't want me to actually think you're--"

"Heads up!"

Jess flinched at the sudden call, turning her eyes to the pool. That had been Thorvald, right? And heads up could only mean--

Her legs moved before her brain did, stepping forward to catch the ball headed for Firmia's head. She blinked, blushed faintly, and lowered her newly caught beach ball. "Wow... Uh, nice throw!" she called over. Whatever the pass had been, she'd caught it, looking between Firmia and Abigail. "Er... Rowdy pilots, huh? One sec." Jess looked to who seemed open, tossing the ball up for a second, and spiking it back at the water. Unfortunately her little maneuver took her off balance for a moment, making her slip back into Abby. Nothing toppling, but definitely a mite embarrassing, ushering a giggle out of the captain.

"At least everyone's having a lot of fun."

---

Heion Riese, 17:00 CST, Bridge

Tristan, having finished his training a while ago, returned to the bridge with his performance on his mind. He'd only been able to replicate the captain's performance three times out of the ten he'd tried... And the more he tried, the worse his attempts got. It was just too much to keep in mind, the ship's trajectory, the aim, the movement of the enemy machine... Either Jess was lucky, or her perception was just beyond anything he had. It at least made sense why she was on the Riese, even if it didn't for why she was the captain.

He sighed, checking in on the progress of their salvagers... It seemed that things were nearly finished, and Buck had made their team bring in something rather large... Was that one of the downed enemy machines? It certainly looked like it. "Wouldn't be the first time." If the boy could fix it up, then there'd be no point in not using it. As long as they scanned it, and made sure that there wasn't anything wrong with it, of course. But, if the smaller models were meant to detonate like the larger ones, Tristan had a hard time wondering why they wouldn't immediately. Can't be anything on them that we're not used to seeing, then. They didn't have those barriers, either. Curiouser and curiouser...

Check The Hangar

The swim with everyone had really helped Jessica calm down from before. The thoughts were definitely still lingering in her mind, but Rosa wasn't an immediate threat, and Firmia seemed to like her... Enough. Enough to not take things and try to run off. That would be both foolish and suicidal. Even if she couldn't see eye to eye with the girl's attitude, she didn't want her ever running off on a death mission.

With Firmia's slight approval-- of Jessica at least, perhaps not her captaining, she headed off to the hangar, because there was one loose end that needed tying up. Luckily for her, that loose end seemed tied up already, by the time she got there.

"Wow... What, happened, Buck?" It was more than tied up... It had entirely been replaced! Hannah... Was that still Hannah? Jessica made her way across the hangar floor, staring at their newest... Tan crew member? It had to be Hannah, her hair and those earlike receptors were still... Mostly the same. But, her skin-- she had skin! That... What? Why? How...?

"Well, little lady here wanted some skin. So, I fabricated her some, as per her instructions. Took a few hours to get ready and applied, and, uh... W-Well, I had to have Ignatius help with some specific areas, but! Doesn't she look great?" Hannah smiled sheepishly, her new covering unable to blush.

"I... I can see that. But, why? Not that I think it's a problem, Hannah, but..."

"It is fine, Captain," the android saluted, standing up straight. "I may confuse some of the crew for the next few days, but I am happier like this. And I am pleased that Buck went so far out of his way to aid me in something like this."

"It was nothin'~" He sure seemed happy with himself, sporting a wide grin.

Jess could only slowly nod. Somehow their android tag along had developed complete feelings and asked for skin... I really hope that comment of making her callsign Terminator was just a joke. This is a bit too eerie, even for me. Still, she smiled. "Well... As long as it makes you happier, Hannah." That was all there was to it, right? "Are you good to deploy, next time? No issues with a new leg and fixing your arm?" She was standing, so obviously not.

"None, captain. Thank you for your concern~ I will be fully able to deploy the next time a need arises." Her smile was as genuine as they came. Almost alarmingly so. That a machine could fabricate a person...

Jess saluted, nonetheless.

Edited October 13, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Dandragon]

The swim and volleyball session had been refreshing for Elaine, allowing her to stretch her limbs and get some exercise outside of the weight room, and she had plenty of fun, too. But, between that and the deployment that day, Elaine was pretty tired. After going back to the locker room to change out of her swimsuit, she took her pilot outfit back to her room, intending to change into something more comfortable for the evening.

Now, Elaine was simply laying in her bed, though not yet asleep, instead looking up some videos on her phone and relaxing on the soft, comfy surface. Her sleepwear consisted of a white undershirt and a pair of silk, grey pants, as well as a pair of socks. It was easy to slip into, or out of in case of an emergency, and comfortable enough to wear, which was good enough for her. She had grown out of the need for dedicated pajamas, often just choosing the plainest set of clothing she had to sleep in, but here on the Riese, she had decided to at least have sets of clothing only used for sleeping. 

Elaine lay on top of the covers, browsing the latest videos on the usual site she went to. Yes, there were plenty talking about the news and the like, but there were also plenty going on with their lives, vlogging, making gameplay videos, or whatever content they felt they wanted to make. It had brought Elaine countless hours of entertainment, and tonight was no different. Despite everything, Elaine felt like she could truly relax this night.

[Nanami Touko]

Making Contact

"Hello? Is this thing on~? Elaaaaaiiiiine~?" A likely familiar voice spoke out the communicator near Elaine's bed, humming quietly to themselves after doing so. "I'll give you... Mmmm, ten seconds to respond. And if you don't by then, I'll contact the bridge and tell them you're an Apotheosis operative~ How does that sound? I think that sounds hilarious. Ten, nine..."

[Dandragon]

It didn’t immediately click in Elaine’s head who was on the other end if the communicator, distracted and still tired by the day’s activities. Fortunately, she was quick enough to snap out of her daze and recognize her tormentor, Louise Park, threatening to call her an operative to everyone. Elaine quickly dropped her phone onto the bed, and nearly dropped the communicator, too, fumbling with the damn thing before getting a firm grasp.

”I’m here! I’m here! Jesus!” She yelled back, praying that Louise didn’t continue to count down out of spite. God, why was this happening to her? Not just once, but twice today, she was now being contacted by a Lieutenant of Apotheosis, and right when she was going to go to sleep, too. 

[Nanami Touko]

Poke and Prod

"Wow, no need to freak out. Jesus indeed, hmhmhm..." Louise sighed over Elaine's intercom, continuing to hum to herself for a few more moments, before uttering, "have you thought anymore on my proposal? And how was swimming?" A giggle followed, and a quiet, metallic clank. "I've just gotten back from dealing with another unfortunate military installment... Have you seen my new toy? I'm sure that video's circled around enough for your Captain to have picked it up. It fits like a glove~ I can't wait to test it out on the rest of you... Not today, of course, my darling Elaine, but... Soon enough." Louise full on laughed at that, trying to calm it down with a snicker. "The Riese's E-Field is so much stronger than a Kraken class vessel's... I wonder how long it'll hold out against my Regina...?"

[Dandragon]

Of course she had thought about it. It was the only damn thing on her mind, the fact that Apotheosis was coming to her with a damn job offer. Okay, maybe there were other things, but that thought had been stuck in her head ever since that moment. How could anyone just brush off something like—...wait.

”Ho-how did you know...” Elaine’s eyes widened with fear. The realization had hit her, and it was hitting hard. She placed the communicator down, her arms curling around to hug herself, going overtop her chest, as her face was lit up red with embarrassment. “You... You were watching us. Watching... me. Even then.” The thoughts of being spied upon in all tge wrong places flooded back into her mind, like a dam breaking from the pressure. How much had she seen? Had...Had this creep seen her naked in the changing rooms?!

Edited October 13, 2017 by Dandragon

[riariadne]

Dwight smiled at Juria's enthusiasm, regarding her results on the screen. "You're showing good proficiency for someone without any sort of background or military training, Juria. Certainly not the level of a certified pilot, but you should take pride in yourself and take care not to overexert, either. Training is of no use if you don't have your thoughts straight to remember how to act properly. You are a valuable member of the Heion Riese crew, and we appreciate what you do for us, both in engineering and your co-piloting efforts." He gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Have you found that your focus has increased more when you have your own hands on the control than when you're simply serving as a co-pilot? It can be difficult to stay aware of everything in motion when you aren't the one controlling said motions. Try to ask Astin what they're paying attention to if you find yourself lost- that way, you can be on the same page. Communicating is key to better awareness."

--

A few hours passed, and Dwight had managed to use his time well enough to exercise himself and keep healthy before returning to the bridge once again as their quiet time winded down. He wasn't at all surprised that Tristan was there again, smiling. "Back to work already, and even your break was practicing on the machines. What were you up to down there, Ensign Calvin? General practice, or something more specific you were aiming to work on?" With the dedication he always showed, Dwight quietly expected the latter.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Reinfleche