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


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This not smoking this was definitely way too difficult to deal with... Cheryl had been walking throughout the entire ship for the past while, before launch... She'd paced the top deck, tried to distract herself with some exercise, and had finally ended up in the hangar... Where the faint, almost undetectable smell of smoke lingered just beyond the entrance. "Oh, fuck me, who's smoking?" It was almost pleasant for a moment, before she reminded herself that she wouldn't be having any. It was... Ohhh... That wasn't good. The Russian she'd made eyes at. "Great... Figures he's a smoker. Add another rung to the challenge here."

Still, she couldn't leave that look after being so blatant. Maybe he was almost done, and they could talk without the intoxicating waft. Slowly, on purpose, walking on over to tall, scruffy and handsome, Cheryl kept her best smile. "So... You're not a regular pilot? I figured after your showing yesterday, you'd be out there with the rest of them."

"Hm?" Well if it wasn't the lovely doctor from yesterday. Sasha hadn't gotten around the ship much, so he'd been a little disappointed when he hadn't run into her. Lucky him, the hangar seemed to attract all sorts. "Morning," he grinned, "Yeah, I'm not the Mantle's usual pilot, but he might be dead, and he's halfway around the world, regardless. I'll take the Mantle onto the field if I'm needed, but I could definitely use a break. That android girl, Hannah, I think? She's flying it for now. We'll see how it goes."

Firmia wasn't difficult to please, but she was extremely easy to disappoint, just like all the other Alkaevs. Noticing how little of his cigar he had left, Sasha grimaced, and put it out. "A few more and then I'm cleaned out ..." He looked back up at Cheryl. "This ship doesn't make convenience stops, does it?"

"Not for something trivial like that. And I just finished burning the last of mine... Looks like you're out of luck, fly boy. I guess we'll just have to spend our time with different... Recreations." She didn't want to lay it on too thick... But she wanted him to know the invitation was definitely there.

"The Android? Oh, right, we did pick one of those up from the colony, didn't we. I didn't think they'd become advanced enough to pilot in place of a human... Must be some serious programming in that shell. You're not bothered? Getting replaced my a computer?" Cheryl smirked a bit, folding her arms underneath her chest. Maybe a read on his pride would help understand him better~

No spares? Drat. That was interesting, though. Most of the smokers Sasha knew preferred cigarettes. It was nice to find a kindred spirit, especially one that wore her hair like she wasn't stepping within ten feet of a cockpit. It seemed like they'd be suffering together soon, and the doctor noted as much. She quickly brought up one hell of an alternative, and Sasha couldn't do much to hide his surprise at her forwardness. He certainly wouldn't mind getting to 'know' her a little better while Firmia and company were all stuck with the ANF.

There was a pang of worry that caught Sasha as he smiled back at her, his understanding clear on his face. 'What if ...?' That was an annoying question, with countless appendixes. He knew this arrangement with the ANF was temporary, and long range relationships weren't his cup of jo. As far as how temporary this would all be, that largely depended on two things, how long it would take to defeat Apotheosis ... and how much patience Firmia had. More so the former than the latter. For now they weren't going anywhere. Trying to sum up his thoughts, Sasha decided that worry in the back of his mind was tied to all his previous relationships. None had been thrilling one night stands, though that would have been easier to get over. It was probably best to just ride the ether stream for now and see where it took him. He could adjust his heading to avoid any hard knocks.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not always available, though. I may not be piloting the Mantle right now, but that's just because the new boss has half a dozen other jobs all nice and lined up for me." Sasha shrugged after considering the whole Hannah replacing him thing. Sure it'd be nice to be acknowledged as a pilot and 'sought after' for it, but honestly, if he had to choose between being out there destroying things, and in here doing anything else ...

"I'm a lover not a fighter, but I can do either as needed~"

"New boss? Ah, the Alkaev girl, I'll bet. She's already running you ragged? Doesn't sound like a great boss... I'm sure there's something keeping you involved, or the work isn't actually that bad. Maybe you like complaining, just a little? Heh..." Not that Cheryl minded, if someone never complained, that meant they were hiding things. As long as it wasn't too much, some complaining could be pretty refreshing. Of course, Sasha's work could be actually worth complaining about. She didn't get much of a read on that Firmia girl... Maybe talking to her would be worth it, if only once. Get a good read on one of their new tag alongs.

"A lover, not a fighter, is it...? And I thought I wasn't being subtle. Should we go back to my room already? Cheryl, by the way. Ship's updated registry said you were Sasha? I suppose it doesn't get more Russian than that." She hadn't noticed her hand reaching into her pocket until she'd already pulled out her lighter, quietly sighing. "Old habits die hard, I suppose... Guess we both get to suffer. I was trying to quit, anyway... Bad for the kids around here." She gave Sasha a once over when she finished talking, and smiled a bit wider.

"So, tell me. What's your charge got you running around doing right now?"

Well she wasn't running him ragged just yet, but Sasha knew the sleepless nights were coming. At this point he was this new company's PR man, lead engineer, mechanic, programmer, head researcher, backup pilot, all around middleman, and even Firmia's teacher, thanks to the deal he'd made with her. "Better than her grandfather, and I'll be making six figures if we can stay afloat, so I'll take it~"

"So it's Cheryl? Nice. I love names I won't screw up while drunk," Sasha teased, "No one's showed me any rooms but mine, so if you want to show me yours, I'd love to stop by sometime." There was that little part of him that felt like such a man whore, but who cared? Flirting alone was a good stress reliever for him when it didn't end poorly or get short stopped. Besides, adjustments as needed, etc. "Just pick a time when I'm not working on one of her anti-Apotheosis projects."

Speaking of which ... "Well now that the promotion video's done and waiting for trademarks, I'm helping with program changes and add-ons. As soon as I can get a few mechanics to help us with the legwork, we're going to get the Reign's armor and thruster upgrades dealt with." Not that the Reign needed the latter upgrades. The only reason it couldn't fly in MS mode was because its incredible thrust output burned through its propellant too quickly in MS mode. Sasha figured if they tested something like that under favorable conditions, the Reign would be in the air for about two minutes, and waste well over two hundred fifty thousand credits worth of fuel within that time. It'd make for a good MS compilations clip, but that was all. The real reason for the thruster upgrades was to account for the additional armor. If anyone was complaining around here, it was Tonya. She liked the Reign the way it handled now, so preserving its unprecedented maneuverability was the goal of the upgrade.

"Six? Wow. Maybe I should sign on. They only pay me five... Then again, I get paid to sit around ninety percent of the time. Don't tell my boss that, though." She snickered a bit, but would never really complain about her job. She only had to do work when people wanted it. That was as good a job as any, as far as she was concerned. A bit of a problem now that they were stuck in world war, but, that was just a risk of the job. A rather unforeseen risk.

"A time when you're not working, is it? I suppose with how hard she has you running, I'll never be seeing you, then?" Another little chuckle followed that, his mentioning promotion videos and program changes really making it seem like he'd never have a moment to breathe. "I might not be an engineer, but I did major in mathematics while I was at university. If you ever need to run some formulas past me, maybe I can help you that way. And maybe you can teach me some more about these machines while we talk~ They're interesting, to put it mildly. Sure, the ANF machines are nice, but the mobility of a jet fighter combined with the versatility of an MS is nothing to scoff at."

She paused, taking in a rather confusing thought. "I have to say, though, none of them look like they'd survive up close. I'll have to hand the ANF that one. Between the Ceres and that ridiculous blade on Lieutenant Kim's gun, I'd say they can take a charge pretty easily... Does your boss have any plans to fix that?"

"You've definitely got the easier setup," Sasha chuckled. He had around seven jobs rolled into one, but at least he could enjoy a couple of them. Right now he was probably in his PR role.

She had a point about how busy he might be. Sasha was nearly over his jet lag, but he was still on stims half the time, and even now it was only a matter of minutes before Firmia needed him for something, once again. Still, Cheryl was seeing him right now, wasn't she? "Since you offered, you can definitely keep me company during these ever changing shifts. The boss never said anything about me having to work in solitude." On the contrary. Any serious work outside of the cockpits would require some ANF hands, as well. Firmia probably had more motives for implementing her drone program than she was letting on, come to think of it.

The talk of AMS vulnerability in close quarters brought Sasha's attention back to the Mantle, easily the most vulnerable of the three in that area. The Regalia had some nasty tricks hidden up its sleeve, and the Reign was the fastest mobile suit achievable barring another Apotheosis surprise. The Mantle was a dedicated ranged unit, and the beam sabers it did have hadn't been loaded prior to their evacuation from Siberia. Firmia was bound to try and address that now that the Mantle was slated for combat along with the Regalia.

"Yeah, they had to make some sacrifices to get a platform like this working as intended. The Alkaev company is trying to make most planes obsolete. I know there was a Throne variant that was meant for close combat, but they hadn't finished building it, yet. I only saw the CADs, myself." Sasha actually had a good memory of the design and considered reconstructing it for Firmia. Some of the equipment could be slapped onto the Mantle if needed.

"As for defense ..." Sasha shrugged, slightly amused, "there's only so much armor you can put on these before they completely lose out to V-drive equipped mobile suits."

"Oh, can I? You sure the boss won't get upset if we... Take a break in one of the machines?" Wouldn't that be fun. Would there even be enough space? Well, they'd have to get pretty close... She was even making herself blush with these thoughts, shaking her head a bit. That could come later. Plenty of time. Plenty of interest.

"So there was one for close combat... I suppose you'll have to make due, then. Probably can ask for mechanics for a loaner if you need a base for anything. As long as it's official business, I don't think the ANF would mind a Velite disappearing. They're the lightest model the ANF has, or at least that we have here on the Riese. Sound like a worthwhile idea? Or is it too much work to take a machine and change it around?" She didn't know how these things worked, but it couldn't be more work than creating an entirely new machine from scratch. Probably.

"Yes, that's true. Weight's like an issue... I wonder what some of those Apotheosis machines are flying around with. The Cressidas don't seem to stand up any better than our own machines, but the larger ones, the white ones with the big guns? They're massive, flying, and don't seem to have too much trouble moving. I imagine in space, they'd be a whole other level of frustrating to deal with. Gravity, and all that... Then there's that Luna." She sighed. "It's a marvel, for all the wrong reasons. Scientifically, it shouldn't be able to move as fast as it does, so... Maybe it's made of something we don't know about."

"It depends on what the break entails," Sasha grinned. He doubted they could get five minutes into anything really stimulating before Firmia locked the thing down. He was positive all three of the AMS units were streaming data to each other, and to Firmia. She would only have to check in and she'd have them dead to rights. One lock down command and they would be trapped. There was no need to paint the situation that negatively, though. "Might be better to save the fun stuff for someplace more private." Hopefully the implication was enough.

Thinking about the melee variant of the Throne and how much of it could be reproduced with what they had on hand brought a brief grimace to Sasha's face. "A Velite would do, but we might have to get creative for any big upgrades. We can make any part of another mobile suit work other than its frame components. Those were put together by a group of super computers and not because they thought it would save time." An AMS unit's transformation sequence ran its course at blistering speed, and the whole thing depended on measurements too small for the human mind to perceive visually, much less comprehend. Damaged joints needed special attention during a repair job.

... and of course there was always a bigger fish when it came to developing technology, which meant whatever came after Apotheosis would be a terror beyond reckoning. "The Luna and those chubby chasers probably have a bunch of systems and parts all working together to get that effect," Sasha theorized, "you've got me as far as what they are, though. My area of expertise lies elsewhere."

"Chubby chasers, hahaha... You sure have a way to paint the image, don't you?" It made the terrorists seem almost ridiculous, for just a moment. Better short than never. Anything to help lower their impact when they start showing up. "I can only hope if we run into the purple people eater once more, that we manage to get something from it. Hopefully that something isn't a casualty... I'm sure you've noticed how tight knit the place is. As much as I can't say it's a good thing for a military vessel... It's working. It makes me scoff, but it's definitely a living example of the 'power of friendship'. All depends on how badly that friendship is tested when someone finally croaks."

She sighed, thinking about that. The Captain would be the first to break down, then whoever was closest to that person. Imagining them losing someone like Seung-Min or Brant was beyond the scope of something going wrong. It would cripple everyone, for weeks, and they didn't have weeks to rest. Still, it crept into her mind every once in a while. It was definitely a 'when', in her mind, not an if.

At least there was the thought of riding Sasha silly to keep her happy. "Somewhere more private would be my bedroom, then. And unless you're busy right now... Considering how comfortable we both seem with the idea, I'm going to give you an open invitation. Wouldn't keep you for longer than an hour... Unless you wanted me to."

Sasha figured the sense of camaraderie aboard the Riese had been developed over a long period, but this was a new ship, wasn't it? Whether the ship and crew went on active duty a week ago, two, or a whole month before this, he wasn't sure, but in any case, things certainly did move fast around here. He wasn't going to complain with Cheryl, though.

"Have to live while you can," Sasha grinned mischievously, and as if that wasn't indication enough of his intentions, he added "Especially with my schedule. Let's get out of here."

<"Hey, Sasha-"> "Godd-! ahem ... <Yes?"> Sasha winced at the communicator on his wrist when Firmia's voice came through.

<"I need you to talk to the mechanics for me--and don't tell me to do it, myself. I'm paying you obscene amounts of money to do whatever I need you to do, and I need you to do this.">

... and time was up. For now. Sasha would have been creeped out by being headed off like that, but Firmia was a TK ... and a good one. <"You did that on purpose, didn't you?">

<"Irrelevant. Find whoever the head mechanic is or the next best thing. I'll explain while you look.">

"Okay, then ..." Sasha was left just short of scratching his head when the communicator turned back off. He glanced inquisitively at Cheryl and sighed. "... open invitation you said ...?" He might be dead tired by the time he got around to it, and massively sore by the end of it, but that just meant he could end his night on a high note.

"I did say. Nice boss. You'll have to find me at me office, but my room's just next door... Have fun getting tugged around every which way. If you're too tired, I'll be gentle." That was far too well timed to be an accident... Was she a TK? Maybe. Cheryl would chalk it up to coincidence for the first time, and keep a note of any extra occurrences. She'd have to good dear Firmia a talk if she was going to do things like this, though. Adults need to adult, sometimes~

"I'll see you tonight then, Sasha. Feel free to bring a few stories with you. I'm a good listener." Hands sliding back into her coat pockets, Cheryl strutted off with a confident step. That was exactly the kind of booster she needed. Maybe this would be easier than she'd thought?

"Looking forward to it," Sasha waved as she left. That just left Firmia's request ... <"Alright,"> he turned the communicator back on and lowered his voice, <"What am I doing?">

<"I can go to the captain about every little thing, especially not this,"> Firmia began, <"There's got to be a head mechanic around here. I need you to find them and test the waters for me. I need to know what kind of person they are, and if they'll let us borrow some of their subordinates for anything we need done ... to within reason, of course. It's not just for repairs ...">

That sounded like the middleman role to Sasha. <"Fine. I'll see what I can do.">

<"Leave your communicator on. I want to record the conversation.">

Sasha shook his head in amusement. <"So cautious ... very well.">

Five Seconds Later ...

Spoiler

With that, Sasha started his hunt. It was anyone's guess who the head mechanic was, so he settled on the nearest one, figuring that even if it wasn't him, the guy could at least point Sasha in the right direction. A brief back and forth left the Alkaev middleman facing the hangar's holding area, where the head mechanic supposedly was right now. "Thanks," Sasha waved at the mechanic before making his way over.

Sasha couldn't help but grimace as he turned the volume all the way up on his communicator. She wanted the conversation recorded, either for easy quoting at a later date, or to try and figure out who she was dealing with in greater detail. Both, probably. It was up to Firmia to keep quiet or just plain muted on her end, though. Sasha couldn't care less if they got found out.

Once that was done, Sasha let his own natural aura wash back over him. The result was the more outgoing, cool, and collected Sasha that most people who knew him were used to. "Hello there. Avery, right? I hear you're the head mechanic for the Riese."

"Seems like enough space... Prolly should move th'rifles over just a bit. Make sure the Legionaries ain't gonna be squeezin' too tight... Huh?" Avery spun around, fixing her hat just a bit, eyeing Sasha over. "One o' th' Russians, right? Which one're you? An', yeah, I'm Avery. Head mechanic. What can I do ye for? Need somethin' looked at?" Avery paused while a sneaky smile slipped onto her face.

"Y'gonna let me take a look at one o' yer bots? Ain't gonna lie, what'chur flyin' with is real reminiscent o' V-Drive tech. Wanted t'get a close an' personal glance at it t'see how it works. Only V-Drive we got on board that ain't flyin' the boat's on the Artemis. I'd say somethin' 'bout how y'all Russians ain't s'posed t'be havin' that stuff, but pa prolly made some sorta deal again. Ain't nothin' fer me t'stick my nose in. Unlike yer bots. So!"

Hands on her hips, puffing up her chest a bit, she looked up at Sasha with a smile. "What can I do ye for?"

What an upfront mechanic this Avery was. Unfortunately, Sasha was almost certain the woman's gusto had put Firmia on edge. He supposed even a passing glance at the AMS units from someone other than one of the pilots could do that at this point.

As for which one of the Russians he was ... "You can call me Sasha. The Russian you want to talk to about the part-time planes is Firmia. She owns them, now. I'm just the hired help." One had to wonder what Dima was up to, letting his granddaughter get her way like that.

Since Firmia had asked Sasha to speak with Avery on her behalf, there was no point in trying to send the head mechanic over to her. He would have to find some way to handle this, himself. Not that Sasha didn't know more or less all the details about the AMS units' drive systems. He was certain that was information Firmia would rather he keep quiet about for the time being.

"She's still recovering from the last Apotheosis attack," Sasha warned ... and boy was that the truth, "so I'll answer any questions you have about them. Any I can get away with, at least," he smirked. "As for why I'm here, I just figured I'd introduce myself. We're probably going to be working together until Apotheosis is dealt with, and it's already been a day. Past time to break the ice, I think." ... he would figure out how to ask about sparing mechanics for non-repair work after he felt the situation out more.

"Sasha, huh..." And Firmia was the one in charge. Interesting. She'd seemed like a real pipsqueak at a glance! Maybe there was a pretty good business brain behind that exterior. So, what was the hired help doing here instead of the boss herself? Too scared t'talk t'me? Hmm, no. It appeared to be something about how she was feeling from their attack. Not that Avery could blame her, in any way.

"Probably? Hell, y'all'd be crazy t'leave the ship. This here's th'safest place fer fightin' terrorists... And that ain't blind faith. Best ship in th'ANF's library. Ain't no Kraken class or base that's stackin' up to it. As fer yer ice breaker, any handsome face sent t'talk t'me's worth my time. Wha'ch'all need?" If they were working together, it would be good to share, right?

"I think Firmia agrees," Sasha noted, glancing toward the Reign, "otherwise she'd be banking on Tonya's piloting skills. Instead, we'll be upgrading the Reign's armor ... or rather just giving it something resembling armor, once we get enough free mechanics to help out. That's partly why I'm here, at least," he admitted, figuring now was a good time to get to his 'mission' since Avery had asked, again.

The Reign didn't just need additional armor, though. Not if they wanted to avoid complaints from Tonya about the loss of mobility. Sasha doubted the average pilot would even notice the difference ... "Upgrading the Reign is going to take at least ten people, so rather than yanking aside anyone we can find to help out, we thought it'd better to check with you, first. See if you had a roster and a schedule on hand." Sasha wasn't sure if and when he should bring up the Reign's intended purpose just yet; they were never going to see it in battle with the rest of the Riese's machines in all likelihood, so how much time and effort the crew invested in it was especially important.

"I'm always up fer upgradin' armor! The Reign, right? The one that wasn't there last fight, when we picked y'all up? Oh, right th'one that was on fire. Yeah it looked real bare bones. Great fer speed, not great fer takin' any sorta hit. An' against these people, yer gonna need t'take any sorta hit at some point." Wasn't getting around that, even if they hadn't run into it now, there was always a better weapon waiting to be fired at you. That's what Avery was taking away from the increasingly difficult enemy forces and specialty weapons.

"Schedule? We're all technically on th'clock twenty four seven. But, that's just technically. Long's we're not fixin' one of our own, ye can take whoever ye want. Most all us here are pretty big robot nuts... Gettin' t'work on something special like those models, y'don't even gotta mention pay. I'd help y'all fer free, long as I got to poke m'head around... Somethin's tellin' me I ain't gonna get t'poke m'head around, though. Even iffin I can't, if I'm free, ask me, an' I'll grab somma th'boys. Was that all?"

"You never know," Sasha shrugged, not wanting to get Avery's hopes up, but figuring she would probably get her way in the end, if only because the 'pseudo V-drives' would have to be massively upgraded to keep up with Apotheosis at some point. They couldn't do that with just a few extra mechanics, and they couldn't hide anything about the drives while upgrading them ... not these delicate hybrids. "If we ever need to make a trade, you've got some good cards."

Sasha supposed that if they could grab whomever they needed for the most part, they should be good to go. "Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I basically live here though, so I might stop by to chat if I'm not too busy or there's some coordination that needs doing."

Eventually ...

The debriefing got off to as professional a start as it could have, but with how the captain usually handled the question portion, and how heated things often got by the end of those, Brant was admittedly a little worried. Fortunately there wasn't much to get upset over. Tarquin's deception and deployment aside, they were making some headway against Apotheosis. It was nice to have the enemy try and pull the rug out from under them and wind up pulling back a stump, instead. Of course, they did make off with yet another scientist. Brant wondered when they were going to run out of those ...

Then there was Firmia. She wasn't being as rude as her first debriefing; she wasn't even saying anything. The stressed out Alkaev was preoccupied with her tablet, which now had a bulky looking frame around it. The device wasn't much bigger than before, but looked like it could take a severe beating with the screen cover folded up. Brant had no idea what she was doing with it, since the screen shield she was using made everything unreadable from most angles. It would have left a really thick vignette which would have explained Firmia's occasional head tilts and adjustments, but Brant couldn't get close without her noticing. When it was finally time for questions, he quietly asked his fellow TK what for.

<"Hey,"> Brant whispered in his mother tongue, <"What have you been doing this whole time?">

<"Taking notes,"> Firmia replied, her voice not quite a whisper but still very soft. Her eyes didn't leave the tablet or so much as flicker. <"I want to talk to her somewhere other than a pool ... ... I'm glad that stutter's gone.">

Well, Firmia had her chance to talk to the captain right now, so Brant took it to mean she wanted to talk with Jessica after the debrief, but before the woman had a chance to do much else. Fair enough ... "Well," Brant spoke up this time, "it looks like we've got some new people with us. I was going to ask who's staying on and who's just along for the ride until HQ ... aaamong other things ..." Firmia's attention was coming fully back to the meeting--Brant could feel it--and that meant she thought there was something more important to deal with, first.

"I have a question: did you find out exactly why your pilot broke protocol?" Firmia's eyes were squarely on Jessica, despite the boy of the hour being in attendance, as well. "I'm sure you'll do whatever's necessary to improve internal security going forward--"--she wasn't even sure if what Tarquin had done was unusual, if she was being perfectly honest--"--but it would still be nice to know what happened and why."

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Patience

"I spoke to Corporal Silvavolke," she said, gesturing at Aliza, "and she's agreed to stay with us going forward. I don't know about her friend, or Miss Haley, over here... I'll let them speak for themselves. As for you, Firmia, I just said, I was going to discuss the battle first and then let Tarquin explain things. If you have any questions regarding the fight, feel free to ask. Otherwise, you can wait." Jess almost sighed. It was like the Russian hadn't even heard her. Was she even paying attention?

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"It is about the battle," Firmia noted, her tone still even, somewhat to Brant's surprise, "since it's the reason everyone deployed the way they did. I get it, though; it's his story to tell." That or the captain hadn't squeezed the details out of him yet, and couldn't answer the second part of her question regardless. Having a full debrief and then questions would have worked better in Firmia's view, but the ANF was going to ANF. Better put, Jessica was going to be Jessica.

Firmia noticed Sasha coming up behind her as she spoke, but didn't sense anything nefarious from him, so she'd ignored him. He was probably just going to ask a question of his own, so better to focus on one thing at a time. "My other questions about the battle don't belong here," she continued, eliciting a confused look from Brant, "So I'll-"

"Let me see what's on this," Sasha said, quickly plucking the tablet off of Firmia's lap.

<"Sasha, what-">

"I'll give it back, don't worry," he teased, walking well out of reach as he began to peruse the Alkaev's notes. He was making all sorts of surprised and mildly amused expressions before long, though his back was facing most of the meeting room.

Firmia slumped in her chair and let her head lean back a little. "... so I'll  ... save them ... for after the meeting ..."

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"Thank you captain, but I was just doing what I needed to do. Others risked just as much as I did, and took more than I did. I'm our only melee specialist, so I need to be able to handle those situations." They were having the same argument they'd had with Avery, but still. Just wrap it up. "I'm just glad that we all could do enough damage to scare them off. All I did was finish what everyone else had started."

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Elaine stood with Thorvald, this time, waiting for her superior officer to begin their report on their findings in the base. He never did. At least, he didn’t in time to stop her from getting impatient and doing the report herself.

”Regarding the facility,” she began, “There was one other survivor. Doctor Eugene Icks, one of the scientists that worked at the facility. Everyone else...dead. And none of them by bullets either. They were all cut open by large slash marks, some if them even sliced in two.” It was never pleasant to tell anyone how people died, but this wasn’t a detail that could simply be left out. “As for the database... wiped. No security footage, no records, nothing. There was one thing we found, though...a mech. And in working condition.”

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It seemed that she had passed out while waiting for Avery to return. Certainly not a difficult deduction to make considering that the Lieutenant had awoken in the infirmary, rather than sitting in the cockpit of the Artemis where she had been prior. A quick exchange with Doctor Megumi had provided a few details... she hadn't been out for very long, about an hour, her injuries weren't immensely severe... bruised ribs and second degree burns. Painful, but in no way life threatening. She'd need treatment to prevent scarring from the shock and burns, but that had already been brought up by the Doctor, and would be set up without much to worry about. That left pain meds for a while, a hair cut to remove the singed ends, and for as long as it was reasonable in their current state until further treatment, bed rest. Her own matters sorted, at least the ones that could be dealt with at the moment, that had left Christina. She was still unconscious, but according to the Doctor, she was alright and stable. They wanted to monitor her for a tad longer, which was fair.

All that left was waiting. The infirmary had been rather uneventful for a little bit, Megumi handing Kim a pair of headphones to listen in to the meeting across the hall. She couldn't interject, unless she managed to stealthily construct a paper airplane outside of the Doctor's notice and hurl it down the hall with immense precision to deliver a message written inside, but that seemed more effort than it was worth, really. She wouldn't even have thought of such a thing if it weren't for the pain medication, all things considered. As for the meeting, the Captain had given her initial address, and Firmia had quickly asked about Tarquin's insubordination... certainly the topic of the hour, After having that train of thought shut down for the moment, Elaine reported the unfortunate, if unsurprising fate of the facility. So they had already scouted it out, had they? At least it was done. Continuing to listen in through one ear, Kim looked over at Christina's gently breathing form on the next bed over... hopefully she would be okay, like the Doctor had said...

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Rude Awakening

"Mmmnn..." A small groan slipped out of Christina's mouth, as her arms slowly began to stretch. Then she yawned, as if everything was fine, took a few moments, and started to open her eyes. "Izzit.. Morning, already?" She wasn't in the mech anymore... The infirmary? That's what it seemed like. She must've passed out from the shock and the impact... Wait... Something felt weird? Off... Wrong... Kim? C-Concern?

"Kim...?" Christina took a moment to look around... Her head still hurt, as her cognition came to. Must've been from the cockpit... She groaned, blinking a few times, trying to get her bearings. That was until she was suddenly hit with a small wave of worry and stress, trying to tune it out, without any luck. "Wh-What's going on?" A sense of longing came next, then more worry, then back to the concern... Christina put her hands to her head and shut her eyes, trying to focus, nothing was working! "K-Kim! Wh... Why, am I still plugged in?" But that was impossible! She couldn't still be plugged into the T-Link all the way into the infirmary... And if she was, she'd be able to filter all of this. "What's... Ahhh...!"

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As she heard her name called, Kim looked at Christina more intently, trying to focus through the general fuzz left upon her by the medication. She was acting strange, her emotions were spiking, and she was saying strange things. Plugged in, why would she ask if she was still plugged in when she obviously wasn't? It took Kim a few moments longer than it normally would have to connect the dots of Christina's actions, there was only one reason she would be asking those specific questions, after all.

"Chrissy, calm... try calm. Can... feel, even not connect T-link?" Kim asked, the goings on of the meeting suddenly far less interesting as she looked over to her friend with concern.

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Christina was up? Good ... hopefully. Megumi came back over to the girl's bed, placing her headphones down around her neck. The doctor tuned out the sound for a moment while she looked over the TK's vital signs. Judging by what the Artemis girls had been half discussing, half panicking about, Christina was showing signs of telepathy. Megumi supposed her longing for this day to just end was bombarding both of them now, not just Lieutenant Kim. "Look this way for a moment," Megumi instructed, shining a small light into both of Christina's eyes one after another. "Okay good. Relax, and don't move around just yet."

"Now then," the doctor continued, taking her headphones and placing them aside, "How are you feeling? Aside from the whole ... TK thing ...?"

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"Ahm... am not sure Reo can do quite that much for headaches. He is just like small Earth cat, because no animals live on Colonies, but Juria wanted pet after seeing all of the cute videos of them. So, took favorite stuffed toy and made little robot so it like having real cat." Juria smiled at the memory. "Reo not really have any sort of help like that... but... maybe patting can make feel happier?"

-

Juria clapped her hands quietly as Astin was praised. Even though the Captain didn't mention her specifically, pride swelled up in her chest to think that she'd helped with something so important- even if Astin was dismissive about it. "You did good, Astin friend! Is really not so bad to have praise, is it? Was glad to be more useful in this battle than other ones and helping with difficult thing."

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Feeling Unfine

Christina tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but it wasn't working very well. She couldn't stop everyone's feelings from coming in and out of her head. It wasn't as if they were especially intense, but the feeling of having four people float in through there all at once was... It was difficult. Especially with the concussion, this wasn't helping matters in the slightest. "P-Please, make... Make it stop... Huh?" The doctor... She looked up, letting her eyes get looked at, the light not helping her new headache, but it was likely necessary.

With a hefty effort, she tried to focus solely on Kim's concern and worry, slowly letting her hands down as the other ones began to fade into the background, still there but unimposing. "I... My head hurts. Tired... and the T, TK thing..." She gently touched at the back of her head just to make sure, and of course, there was no harness surrounding her brain. This was... "I guess so, Kim..." Either the shock or the blunt trauma had caused this... Or maybe it was the feedback from the system trying to project its field when the Luna was attacking the Artemis. Or... Or something... Either way, she closed her eyes, trying to calm down, hands shaking slightly.

Olivia finally looked over at what was going on, taking a second to close the book she's pilfered this time. "Is there a problem, Doc? Do you need our help?"

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Well, that seemed to settle that. Despite not being connected to the T-Link, Christina was still acting as a TK, which meant that... some combination of what had happened against the Luna had unlocked her innate potential as a telekinetic. And now she was suffering the effects of a telekinetic with no idea how to filter feelings, those memories stung all too well.

"Okay, Chrissy listen." Kim noted, gently slipping her hand the short distance between their beds to gently squeeze Christina's, hopefully imparting some level of comfort.

"I know hurts, but want you focus hard on me, okay? Try stay calm, just focus on feeling from me. Should be able tweak, manipulate feeling in head. Try remember what feel like when connect T-Link, use that baseline."

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Once More, with...

As usual, Roxanna was present at the meeting, a few chairs over the captain, perhaps to most's chagrin. She didn't seem interested in speaking out loud, however, it even looked as if she was barely processing what Jessica was saying. It was slowly that her eyes turned to Tarquin, interested in what the boy had to say about his insubordination, no doubt. There was another elephant in the room that seemed to click with her quickly, at least from her eyes shifting to Talia right after. The likeness of the two seemed to confuse her a good deal. "If it's not too derailing to the topic... Miss Haley, are you related to Specialist Herrington?"

Allies Stick Together

Makoto really wasn't sure why he wasn't invited to the meeting, but with his impromptu fielding coming as a surprise, the captain probably didn't even think of it. We talked to her, though... Crestfallen, the boy made his way to the closest place to the meeting he could, and pretty much second home as of recently: The infirmary! Of course, the fact that they had just returned from a somewhat messy mission should have tipped the boy off that things wouldn't be as simple as he first thought. There were girls there! Hurt girls! And that could've been him in the medical gown instead on a misstep. He gulped from the thought. "Uhh... hi, doctor, everybody." Makoto greeted as he walked in, atmosphere awkward with a tension that was already there before.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe..." On her bed, isolated from the pilots, Mai mumbled a prayer as she placed a hand on her chest, able to rest at ease knowing her fears were unproven. Still, it had been scare enough for the mother to hear her son had sortied on a real battle so suddenly. She knew his integration wasn't supposed to be that immediate. "Please, ask the doctor if she needs help. We've got injured here."

"R-right! I-Is everything okay? Need help out here?" Makoto realized he hadn't really offered help despite how frequent his visits to the infirmary were. Did that reflect a bad light on him? He sure hoped not!

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The meeting wasn't something that Tarquin was looking forward to. He'd had only but a short time to prepare what he wanted to say, and even then it hadn't been along. He was only half paying attention during the technical briefing about Apotheosis' warping ships and advanced gear. Jess' words washed over his ears, every sentence led him closer to his inevitable spotlight. Firmia's interruptions were only trying to drag the topic towards his explanation. Most of the meeting had him trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, but his drifted towards Cheryl. He wasn't even sure why, perhaps it was a desperate attempt to get help from her. He was alone again, this was one situation where he couldn't rely on anyone else. The only other person who understood his situation was T-2.

Doctor Icks? He was still alive? Tarquin's heart sank, if he'd said anything to Elaine then it was all over. She hadn't mentioned anything directly, and she was the kind of person who would blurt it out if she did know. She had mentioned a mobile unit. If T-2 had launched in the Umbra, it only left one alternative.

"The unit in question may be the Aria." Tarquin interjected, he would need to provide at least some information to avoid the rest of the crew swarming him like an angry mob. "It is an experimental unit designed for long range combat, and was constructed for use alongside the Umbra. My training program was designed as such that I would be to operate it effectively."

He hadn't actually said anything, but string of explanations were simply delaying the inevitable reveal. There was no avoiding it. He gave Cheryl another nervous glance before gathering his bearings to make the point he needed to.

"I apologise for my actions, but I was instructed to return to Corona Ten by Professor Liebenwalde, the head scientist in the research division. Before my deployment, he had instructed me that his orders supersede that of anyone else." Tarquin admitted, pausing briefly as eyes would inevitable focus on him. "Both Miss Haley and I... we-..."

Talia had remained silent the entire time, the satisfaction of watching her dear younger brother squirm was almost enough to offset the crippling anxiety from being surrounded by so many people. His hesitation was the time for her to jump in. She needed to prove herself useful, and giving the explanation that T-4 couldn't would do it.

"We're not normal people... we weren't born." Talia butted in, stunning Tarquin into a horrified silence. Her own hands were shaking, this was the first time she'd told anyone. Usually it was a massive breach of protocol to reveal such classified information, but when the man who'd created her had abandoned her like that... she didn't care about it in the slightest. It was almost liberating, nearly two decades of a secret existence, but her chest grew tight as it all came flowing back into her mind. "There were four of us originally... children genetically engineered by Liebenwalde to be the next generation of ace pilots... we learn much faster than normal people. Instead of two parents, we have twelve genetic donors. It was meant to be a... secret, but secrets don't matter now. The Professor wasn't kidnapped by Apotheosis, he voluntarily left with them... and left me.. behind."

Talia buried her face in her hands, tears pouring from her eyes. Why did he leave her? She'd been so harshly rejected by the only person who had cared about her. She'd always tried her best, she didn't ask to be an attempt at perfection. Her existence was a wretched one, it wasn't fair at all. Was she ever going to find peace?

Edited by Shin
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Cat's Out

Firmia was going to be Firmia, it seemed... But Sasha had taken her attention, or the wind out of her sails, in some form. At least it had just been her quip, and not a lengthy addition or some other lecture from her way of doing things. Jess didn't want any of that right now, Tarquin needed the stage... And stage he got. It was a slow explanation, he seemed rather terrified by the prospect of letting whatever it was he had to say out. He didn't get the chance to, in the end.

"Weren't born?" Jess didn't understand right away, but further clarification from this Talia made things make sense. Mostly. "So... You and Tarquin were grown, then? And you had orders to return to the doctor, is it..." Jess didn't quite know what to make of that. Mostly, she was frustrated that she'd never been informed. The captain of the ship not knowing something this important about one of their most unique pilots? It made her feel ignored. What came next wasn't going to help that feeling.

"To simplify," Cheryl began, speaking up, watching Tarquin and hoping he'd be alright. "The both of them were grown in a lab. Doctor Amparo and I were tasked with this knowledge in case something were to go wrong with Tarquin, either mentally or physically. Sorry that it wasn't public for you, Captain..." Jess huffed, and folded her arms.

"Well that's just dandy... Was that all, then?" If that's all that it was, there wasn't much else for Tarquin to explain. "People above me in the chain of command gave you secret orders to follow. You followed them... And now, from what Talia is saying, your professor left for Apoth. So I guess you don't have any more silly orders to follow, huh?"

Hannah had been watching people rather than thinking about what to comment, and Tarquin looked incredibly frightened. Did the prospect of this secret coming out truly frighten him so? She slipped through the crowd gently, and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile.

"Tarquin, there is no need to be afraid. I was not born, either, and the crew seems ready to accept me. You are still you, at the end of things." She entirely understood him in this aspect, or, she understood as well as she could without reading his mind. Hopefully the logic behind her advice would sink in easily enough.

Focus Pocus

Christina nodded, trying to focus on Kim's concern. Remember how it felt in the T-Link... That was easier said than done, she'd been away from the contraption for years before these last few sorties. It was only a few hours ago, though. Surely there was some inkling there. It took more concentration than she wanted to admit, and it wasn't exactly helping the mild headache growing in her head, but she'd managed to get only one emotion flowing in there... The rest in the room quieting down considerably. It was a bit uncomfortable to have just the one in there, but it was better than... Well, six, now. Makoto came in, asking if he could help. What did Megumi want to do with all of this?

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Nikolai tilted his head to the side, this was entirely over his head. He didn't particularly care about the girl currently bawling into her hands like a child, but if he understood the situation correctly (and he rarely ever did anyway), she was his... well, his sister. But things that were grown did not really have things like siblings or families, did they?

Not that it mattered, it wasn't as though he'd had one either, unless he counted the selection of confused and violent children he'd scurried alongside at any point in his life. The secret almost felt a little pointless, perhaps if he had grown up differently, in a world that had included things like deep bonds that didn't end up severed by particularly cruel twists of fate, he might feel betrayed by the fact that he hadn't been privy to the information sooner, but since that was clearly not this timeline, he didn't feel too fussed by it. No, those were simply the boy's cards and he'd had them knocked out of his hands and scattered onto the table despite himself.

"Listen, crybaby," he said coolly, "I understand is suck to have daddy issues, but maybe not interrupt. Is not your secrets to reveal, da. I am play nice because you are Tarquin's... sibling, I guess, but maybe world not revolve around your problems with twelve dads. or moms. or plants. or laboratory mices. How about we talk about best way to proceed to kick asses of those who need kicking so we can go back to all being sad and having slumber parties or whatever the fuck it is we do when not shooting at people?"

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And there it was. The big secret that had caused all of this. Genetically engineered pilots and now Apotheosis had the man behind it all, seemingly willingly. The new girl seemed quite distressed, something that likely wasn't being helped by Nikolai's reaction to her, but Tarquin's reaction was more interesting. The girl was understandably distressed after having apparently been abandoned by her father figure after having been in a facility where everyone but her, and one random doctor, was slaughtered, but Tarquin... He seemed terrified. The secret he'd been carrying this whole time, out in the open. An understandable reaction to that? Perhaps. But still... A thought occurred.

"So if the doctor called you back early... Was he trying to get you killed or trying to bring you along with him? If we hadn't been notified that you'd left, we wouldn't have caught up with you before you'd reached the facility for a good bit. And while you're a good pilot, there's no way you could have stood against all of those enemies, especially with Vera. So was he trying to destroy all evidence of his creation--" which didn't make sense with the girl still alive, "--or was he trying to give you as a present to Apotheosis?" This next question was dangerous, but Astin had to ask it. "If he had ordered you to come with them. What would you have done?"

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"Fine for the moment, Bennet," Megumi called over, "though fetch some Advil, just in case." The doctor focused mainly on Christina, next, but looked to the lieutenant occasionally, as well. "If either of you know ..." Kim presumably being a lifelong TK and Troy being tied to a company that specialized in the T-Link itself, "is there anything about the emergence of latent TK abilities that I should know about? We don't have any information on it that I've seen, and I don't want to medicate you right after that without knowing about any potential risks." There wasn't anything unusual going on with the last scan, so either Megumi hadn't checked at the right time, or the process was invisible. Hopefully in either case, the sudden change wouldn't cause any problems when combined with drugs.

A third minion? That's what it both looked and sounded like, at least. There wasn't much left to do at this point, though. If the girls wanted the light scars removed, they could get that done whenever. They could also get their hair 'fixed' with similar devices that were in the infirmary. There was something Makoto could do for the doctor though, come to think of it. Megumi reached for the wireless headphones and offered them to Minion #3. "It's not much, but tell me about any important bits I'm missing while I look into this."


Firmia was glad to see that Tarquin got to his story more or less immediately after she said she'd wait. While doing so had made both her request for the details and Jessica's rebuttal utterly pointless, it bypassed the useless portion of the meeting. At least, it was useless for Firmia, since she had no intention of bringing up her questions or concerns with the other pilots present. Too many lips flapping at once would quickly bury any topic, no matter how it was brought up.

Tarquin's explanation left Firmia with a bitter taste in her mouth. Following orders was something she would have ordinarily praised someone in his position for, but this Professor took advantage of the situation, and effectively broke the team up just prior to the engagement. That had nearly gotten Seung-Min and Christina killed in the end. Firmia was left wondering how to judge the boy's actions. He really ought to only be answering to Jessica, as incredibly dangerous as that sounded in Firmia's head. On the other hand, the ANF had its own structure and rules. They weren't too dissimilar from Russia's, or even the Alkaev company's, but they were definitely getting in the way, here. Firmia decided that it was ... more or less an even split. Tarquin should have known better than to leave the ship without an explanation, and so close to their destination to boot... but on the other hand, he was just a pawn, doing what pawns do. He was a good one, at least.

This Talia girl, though. She was a tropical storm. One moment, she was as satisfied as a devil roasting nonbelievers over a geyser, the next, she was crying like an orphaned child. There was something else tugging at her attention, though. Something in Lieutenant Kim's direction. Firmia tried to ignore it, lest she miss something important. As Talia broke down, Hannah moved to comfort the two siblings. The Alkaev supposed Hannah was right; the crew did accept her. They also accepted Nikolai, the weird, crudely spoken capture from Colony One. They'd even accepted Firmia herself, if only out of sheer necessity. Tarquin would be just fine.

Nikolai also made his move, and gave both engineered super soldiers a piece of his mind. Tarquin got the sweet half. Talia was left with the bitter part. Firmia couldn't help but wince at the minor lashing. Nikolai was making sense, but his wording really could use work, and not just a little. Firmia wouldn't forgive herself for breaking down and crying when she could be spending her time working on a project, or anything to beat Apotheosis. Crying was for bedtime, or not at all. At least ... that was the lesson she'd learned while training to pilot mobile suits, fighter planes, skygraspers, etc. Being an Alkaev wasn't just about helping the family and company thrive; there was no vehicle produced or used by the company's security division that Firmia didn't know how to operate. That was the rule.

Thinking back on Doctor Hart's explanation, Firmia supposed it would be a little embarrassing to have to carry that kind of origin with you everywhere. She'd especially hate having her talents chalked up to superior genetics. Maybe that wasn't what was holding Tarquin hostage, but it made Firmia a little ill just thinking about it.

No, actually it was that strange feeling that was getting to her. Trying to ignore it was making her nervous, which usually got her stomach's attention. Frankly, there was no ignoring that feeling she was getting ... unless she were Brant. Firmia glanced at him, trying to see if he noticed the sensation in the lieutenant's direction. His eyes were on Hannah. Deciding to just check directly, she nudged her fellow TK with her elbow to get his attention, and then whispered into his ear. <"Don't you feel that?! It's like there's another one!">

Brant looked surprised, naturally. <"Another what?">

<"Another TK! How can you not feel that?! It's so close!"> Firmia had no idea how Brant could so easily tune things out like that. It sometimes made her worry that his abilities were getting weaker with time.

<"... oh!"> Finally, he seemed to notice ... <"That's Christina.">

<"It is?">

<"100% positive,"> Brant nodded, <"No mistaking her.">

So he could completely tune them out ... but also immediately identify them once he was paying attention, again? Maybe it was just a guess based on the likely culprits--the emotion coming from that direction did seem very Christina-like--and that did make the most sense. Still, Firmia wondered if that was all there was to it. Her abilities were far and away superior to Brant's, but he still occasionally overtook her in some minor areas, like precision control and the ability to simply tune out the noise around him. When portable T-Links eventually became a reality, Firmia saw herself controlling swarms of little drones, and she saw Brant telekinetically 'threading needles' in so ... so many ways ...

... this seemed to be the direction their abilities were blossoming in.

They could check on Christina after the debrief and post-debrief discussion with the Captain. For now, Astin seemed interested in the implications of the Professor's actions. It certainly seemed more likely than not that he was trying to draw Tarquin to the facility ahead of the Riese. It was a wonder he'd even managed that; the ship should have sped up and caught him almost immediately. Communication and organization, or rather a lack thereof, was rearing its disgusting, misshapen skull at every opportunity, and frankly Firmia was sick of it. Astin's question basically amounted to asking Tarquin just how good of a pawn he was, and judging by the battle itself, chances were he would have joined Apotheosis on the Professor's request, perhaps begrudgingly so, but Firmia didn't know enough about the boy to reach any other conclusion. Nothing but a contrary answer from Tarquin himself would change the Alkaev's previous assessment at this point.

Edited by Phoenix
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“...Well, that explains a lot of things, doesn’t it.” Elaine looked at Tarquin the entire time he spoke, waiting until he was entirely finished with his explanation. Even when Talia spoke up to finish the explanation, her eyes were on Tarquin. “The fact that you’re only 14 serving on a military vessel, your insane pilot scores at your age, even why you went launching without permission.” Not to mention how you act so superior to everybody. She thought. Judge me all you like for how I act, and then you pull this shit? Fuck you. 

Nikolais choice of words for Talia made her feel disgusted with him, even more than she had before. But, despite every urge to start yelling at him to back off, Elaine had to keep her cool around him. Even if he didn’t do the same, and got off relatively fine for it. Instead, she chose to focus on Astins words. 

“Astin’s right. What were you going to do if you were told to shoot us down?” He’d probably happily do it. It would probably be the easiest thing for him to do. Just pull the trigger on people inferior to you in every way, right? 

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There were a lot of responses to Talia's reveal, although Tarquin appeared to draw more fire from it than she did. His existence was out open for all the crew to see, and he hadn't even been the one that had said it. It was a numbing experience, it felt like it didn't matter any more and that it was more describing a distant character than himself. Nikolai, Hannah and Cheryl offered a comforting reassurance that he'd never had before. Was this why it didn't feel as bad as he'd worried? Maybe he had been expecting a worse response, what had he expected people to say?

Talia's emotional rollercoaster was sent spiralling down by Nikolai. Didn't he understand how she felt at all? Who was he, this little gremlin, to dismiss all her hardships? He hadn't been through any of them, how would he know? Of course, he was friends with T-4... no wonder he was backing him up. The little turd had everything, including friends, it just didn't seem fair. She smiled weakly, slipping back into the crowd of people, she didn't have the nerve to fight against this smelly little man.

Elaine and Astin were the kinds of responses that he'd been expecting - especially Elaine's. To her, his background must have justified her hatred of him. He'd had some time to think about the Professor's motivation, but it didn't quite fit. Why did he need the base destroyed, all his colleagues killed and his creations in harm's way? Was it really an attempt to ensure the ANF was left with none of his work? The more disturbing questions were what he'd do where he'd have to choose between the crew and the Professor, those were not pleasant to think about at all. Clearing his throat, he knew he needed to try and answer - this time he'd speak for himself.

"That would have been a difficult concept to consider." Tarquin replied, he knew that his loyalties had been conflicted during his departure. He'd thought he was taking control of his own destiny in choosing to leave, but he was just choosing to obey someone else. "I was conflicted when the Professor asked me to return to Corona Ten urgently. I don't know what the Professor's motivation was, but I would not want to join Apotheosis. It's clear that he was not calling me to a situation I would want to be in... this ship has been more a home to me than Corona Ten, and more familiar than any researchers that had watched over me."

He didn't have a biological family or a home to call his own, but he had found comfort on the Heion Riese. It wasn't quite the home one would expect, but one day he'd be able to have one for himself. This was the freedom that Cheryl and Thorvald had told him about, this was the first real decision he could make for himself.

"I am no longer a research subject, I am a member of the ANF aboard the Heion Riese." Tarquin affirmed. "I'm here because I want to be, my life is now my own."

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Something was going on in the meeting, but Kim mostly processed it passively for the time being, making sure Christina would be alright was more of a priority to her at the moment. It was going into the one ear she still had a headphone in, and sticking around to be looked at more thoroughly later on when she had time to wind down. More importantly, Christina's flaring emotions seemed to be calming down as she zoned in on Kim's own feelings, starting to filter out the mental bombardment that had been causing her headache. That was when Megumi asked for some medicine to be fetched, and asked for any advice on this turn of events... sadly Kim herself had none to give.

"Situation like this unheard of, Doctor. As far as know, zero document cases. Know when I first show symptom, regular Doctor refer to TK specialist for further examine, but not have that luxury here. But, Chrissy prior situation also unheard of, she have some experience that, at least."

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Get the Meds

"Roger," Olivia lazily nodded, yawning her way over to the medicine cabinet and fishing about it for some some Tylenol or Advil... Whichever they had on hand, readily. "Seems Advil wins this round."

"I, uhm... No. It's like Kim said. I... Th-This shouldn't be happening... I guess it's m-my fault, for using a T-Link like that, but... Ugh..." It was so difficult to talk and focus at the same time. There was this new feeling of surprise mixed in with worry and a bit of anger, slipping through the walls from the meeting room. "Just focus on Kim... Ghh..." She'd be needing that Advil, soon. "Uh... I'm sure you know the, p-process for regular telekinetics. Most of the time, this stuff happens really young. Ten, a-at the latest. And it's weak, and... Takes time to manifest, and grow. I'm... I'm getting assailed with an adult's level of waves, and I don't... Ahhhh..." She grabbed at her head again, taking some deep breaths. This was way too hard, how did Kim, Brant and Firmia do it? "I don't have a conduit to sort them... Maybe it'd be better t-to put me into a T-Link again? But... I'd never get better at this with that... Ugh, please don't be permanent..." Maybe something had just gone off with her head because of the shock and trauma. Maybe...

Verdict

"Nikolai," Jess nearly snapped, watching Talia retreat from everyone else. "Let Tarquin be upset for himself if that wasn't something she was supposed to say." She was glad that Nikolai helped them, but he was far too protective of the boy. Tarquin didn't seem upset by what Talia had told them, more shocked and worried, if she was reading his face right. That was no place to jump on her for... Maybe Tarquin growing would help him grow, too. He wouldn't listen to anyone else on the ship, as it stood.

"From the sounds of things, you were caught in the middle of this Liebenwalde's plans. And I doubt it was his intention to bring you along with him... The Apotheosis soldiers had no qualms firing at and around you. If they were trying to take you, it would've been a different story." How unfortunate... He seemed resolved, at least. Enough to not want to play along with someone so horrible sounding. How could a person create life and then throw it away like this? It was inhumane beyond reason. They're not things, they're people, even if they were grown. You can't just fake emotions like that...

"Still, Tarquin..." This was the part that Jess didn't like. "Orders or not, you still brought risk to the ship and crew through your actions. I'm afraid I'm going to have to restrict your access on the ship, for the time being. I believe you, but... With how things went, I want to be safe." She messed with her pad and manually removed Tarquin's permissions to launch, enter sensitive areas of the ship, or contact anyone outside of a secure line. "I trust you're alright with this. And if not... I'll hear any issues you might have after the meeting. Do your best to give us reason to trust you again. That's all." Jess sighed. That hadn't been pleasant, in the slightest. She hoped he wouldn't take it personally...

"That said, is there anything else anyone would like to ask? We're going to do what we can to refuel the ship and the machines from Corona Ten's facility, and then resume our route to Central... We should be there tomorrow evening, as long as all repairs and restocks go according to schedule." Refueling the ship was their biggest time sink. Without a direct electricity line, the ship needed to charge through solar energy. There was only so much Corona Ten would be able to give it, and not only did the ship had to restock its own stores, it had to power every machine on it afterwards. Repairs were fast. Refuels were not...

Cheryl stayed quiet through the captain's reprimand. People here did make stupid choices, it wasn't like Tarquin had been the first... She looked over at Elaine, wondering why she hadn't been disciplined beyond just words, but maybe it was a sort of lesson for the young boy. Even if he grew and learned faster, he still needed the stimulus exposure to grow. Getting punished for his actions would teach him they were wrong. Jess likely wasn't thinking that far, but it wasn't outlandish, so Cheryl looked to someone else.

The shy sister who had escaped through the thin crowd of soldiers, having been scared off by their loudest crew mate. Cheryl took a slow step over to her and offered her hand out to shake, bending over just a bit. "Hello, Talia. My name is Cheryl. Would you like me to take you out of the room?" She didn't look like the tense atmosphere was helping her, and with how sensitive she seemed, getting away from it all would likely be good. It'd give Cheryl a good moment to talk to her, as well.

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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Talia was somewhat pleased to see Jess scold Nikolai, she had the authority to keep the gremlin in check - or at least enough to make him stop. She gave Jess a nervous smile, content with remaining in the background for the rest of the meeting. At least T-4 was getting some sort of punishment for his actions, although only Elaine and the strange purple haired person really took issue with him. She'd have to take her minor victory, anything more would be too stressful.

"I understand, Captain. Those measures appear reasonable. I shall ensure that my adherence to protocol meets your standards." Tarquin replied, regaining his cool exterior. The concept of being punished for his actions stung, but it was a step forward towards proving he could be trusted. Both the Captain and Elaine had disregarded standard procedure, but he wasn't looking to try and take the moral high-ground. He didn't particularly care how the others would take such an act, it was something he'd need to accept. He could earn back his freedom, piece by piece. He looked around at the other members of the crew. He got on with most of them, sans Elaine, he wasn't going to be leaving any time soon.

Talia turned in horror to face Cheryl, learning that she was the psychologist in question... did she think she was crazy too? She didn't know what to say, the horror was very present on her face. It was either leave and be psychoanalysed like a guinea pig... or risk further abuse from the smelly gnome boy. She nodded her head timidly, deciding that a trained professional was the less hostile option.

-

Bill looked at his watch, wondering why he'd gravitated towards the medbay. It hadn't been on his cleaning rota for a good few hours yet he'd found himself oddly drawn to it. Was it because he didn't trust them to keep it clean? Of course not, the medical folk had their own hygiene protocols... they were kings and queens of cleanliness! He strolled into the reception, looking around for what had lured him there.

"I'm a little early, but my noggin had an odd hankering to come here." Bill called out, carefully inspecting the surfaces for signs of dust or dirt. Nothing, the place was as clean as a whistle. "Maybe it's that knock from earlier giving me a hassle, surprised that my noggin isn't hollow!"

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Well there was quite a bit to take in for Aliza. She quietly listened to the info about the Luna a fair ways to the back of the room. Taking notes in her personal note book as well as bites from the bag of chips she grabbed from the cockpit of her Legionary. She also had her music player on her side but it wasn't on at all, she didn't even have the ear buds in. She took a meek wave to the crowd when she was briefly introduced by the captain. Normally she'd introduce herself formally to follow up but right now taking in information seemed to be more important. So she continued to jot things down in her notebook.

Then the conversation got a little more serious, maybe somewhat personal she was getting? Something about being in the middle of plans and whatnot. She didn't jot those down of course, didn't want to clutter what was more important. Like preliminary scores for the adorable girls in the room. Yeah, totally. She kept the war room briefing on another page but she couldn't help but swap back to work on those scores. Just like the academy days.

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Elaine held back a smile, happy that she felt this...plant boy was finally being treated like a normal soldier, and getting punished for the endangerment of the entire crew. But, with that feeling of happiness, there was also a feeling of guilt. Despite her feelings before, it didn't make her feel good to, for lack of a better term, 'feel good' about Tarquin's punishment. She wasn't dumb, and knew that she had been just as guilty as Tarquin was of endangering everybody with her own actions, if her pot-shot at Colony 1 was any indication, and yet she hadn't received anything more than words. Not to mention, she had also punched a fellow pilot in the face, even if it was justified to her. It was conflicting to her, and not something she wanted to dwell on.

"Well, if what Talia said is true, and honestly, I don't have any reason to believe it's not, then the Professor is most likely the reason why all the data in the facility was wiped." Her attention and turned back to Jessica, trying to move away from the negative feelings in her stomach by looking away from Tarquin. "We have no idea what went through his head, but what matters now is that Apotheosis has even more resources to their name with the Professor now on their side, especially if he is cooperating with them, instead of resisting." Elaine took a small glance at Thorvald, who was...still silent. Almost frustratingly so. It had been a team effort to get inside the base, the least he could have done was say something.

"With that all said, what are we going to do with these new mechs?" Elaine asked the captain, referring to both the Aria, the mech they found in the facility, and the one that Talia brought with her, the Umbra. "It'd be a bad idea to leave them behind, so I say we take em with us, but...well, the decision is up to you, captain."

Edited by Dandragon
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