Dandragon Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 (edited) "Yeah...But this could also be something else entirely. Either way, it's a big roadblock that we can't get past without help from someone else." Elaine walked over to the elevator and sent it down to the middle deck. She sniffled, holding back her running nose, still recovering from her momentary lapse into a crying and screaming puddle. But as Brant said, crying wasn't going to help anything. If she had to cry, she was going to have to do it much later, when she had the time to just lay in her bed and let everything out, again. For now... "You had to go to the hangar, right? Do you want me to come with you, or should I just..." Her thought trailed off, the but implication should have been enough for Brant to pick up. While she felt like she had found someone to really trust after all this time, despite the interactions, however minimal, she might have had with others on the ship, Elaine didn't want to bring suspicion to Brant. If she hung around him for too long, would people start to pry? That was something she didn't want to happen. And yet, if she tried getting friendly with anyone else, wouldn't that also be suspicious of someone who, while loud, kept to herself most of the time? What should she do, from now on? Edited January 29, 2018 by Dandragon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Try to relax... was that an okay to go to sleep? It didn't really matter at this point, as Kim's eyes closed once again. This time, they wouldn't open until jostled by an outside source, or until she had properly rested, whichever came first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Well Jess' sneaky act wasn't noticed by Aliza. She was too busy laughing it up with her friend Abby here. "Hm, that's nice yeah. Grazie! I'll pick up any handmedowns you guys don't need, no worries!" As they entered the cafeteria and received their food of choice a question suddenly came up in Aliza's mind that she recalled from the battlefield. "...so Abby mind if I ask you something?" Whether she answered yes or no Aliza went forward with her question regardless. "I heard the name Kim over the open comms during the battle...is there a Kim onboard?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Well, the Doctor seemed to settle in with Lieutenant Kim, and started to work. She'd also indicated that Christina ought to stay as well, for a check-up once the more immediate cases were wrapped up, most likely. Guess that gave Thorvald a moment or two to bother her about a subject she'd repeatedly seemed all too eager to avoid, but one that might have taken on a strange new urgency, in light of recent revelations. "Have you gotten in touch with your family yet, let them know you're okay?" Thorvald asked after moving close beside her, somewhat resigned to the anticipated 'no'. "You really ought to get on that, especially now. Could be awkward if one of the others does so first." While Abigail had missed seeing Jess watch her and Aliza on the top floor, it was practically impossible to overlook her pressing forward past the two of them as they were about to turn into the cafeteria, down on the bottom floor here. The pace she was booking it with seemed to place her in rather a bit of a hurry, but... their elevators had to have arrived at nearly the same time, as there hadn't been another 'ding' since. So, that meant there was some awkward delay there somewhere, didn't there? Abby paused for a moment, trying to both wrap her head around the mystery, and wondering whether she could call out and invite her to dine with them, make it a big old thing. Oh, she could even cook something proper, three people was more than enough to feel like efforting, instead of just rolling with whatever slop was convenient. But by the time she came to that decision, the captain was long gone down the hallway to the private quarters, and the opportunity had passed. Turning to catch up with Aliza again, and the idea of even just cooking for two fizzled and went out, as the other girl had already grabbed some grub. Hustling in and picking something boring for herself as well, Abigail nodded along as the new girl wanted to pop her a question. Seemed she was curious about hearing the name 'Kim'. Fair enough, not a hard question at all. "Yeah, ain't that the lieutenant's name? The asian one I mean, stern sorta scowl to her face when she's serious, but she's pretty knock-out in a swimsuit, let me tell you what. Why do you ask?" Edited January 30, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Doctor's Orders Olivia glanced at the doc over the nod, looking over at Kim, then at Val. Can't be that hard. Leaving Tarquin to his musings over his future and his friend, she looked about their unfortunate Lieutenant, who had just passed out. "We never did get to hang out, miss Kim... But, I guess it doesn't matter now." That had been a silly game to play anyway, she was far too young... Val was better, anyway. "On it, doc," she sighed over at Megumi, getting the stand ready. Christina, meanwhile, sat down on the bed next to Kim's as she collapsed, a bit bothered about having to stay... She felt perfectly fine, and was getting kind of hungry. And... Well, she really wanted to get out of this dumb suit, with no way to get her coat back from Kim at this point. "Mmmmmm..." A tiny grumbled erupted as Thorvald started to talk to her, shaking her out of her bothers. Not that the new ones were any better. "Uhm... No. Sorry... We haven't been in range for proper calls, right? I didn't want to send anything out..." Hopefully that would be a good enough excuse... Really, she was afraid to talk to her mom. 'Hey I didn't die, I was just abducted by terrorists and they made a clone of me, hope you like having two daughters'? It was a mess, and thinking about it just made her want to call less. "Actually... Thorvald? I..." Would telling him hurt? "I don't, want to call home. With... With everything that happened, and now I have a clone, I... My mother would freak out. I don't know if I can handle that... I don't, know what's worse. Her thinking I'm dead, or finding out all of this..." Practice "Simulations? Of course." Hannah sat herself down in the front seat, getting the main systems on enough to perform some simulations. "I assume you will be removing most of the peculiar features I possess from your drones, and simply going for combat efficiency?" She didn't sound annoyed, if she didn't have her own issues and these 'emotions', she would be quite the effective, cold killing machine. Perhaps it was good and bad that she did, although, even Hannah couldn't deny that this was worse off for the crew. "Do you think I should perform these simulations alone, or would Galatea's help provide better data?" Nobody Home Thorvald wasn't answering his door... Which meant he was likely elsewhere on the ship. Jess sighed. Another futile knock, and she was headed back to the cafeteria. Maybe he was there eating? It was still pretty early in the day, so... "O-Oh." So that'd what they'd been down here to do. No Thorvald in sight... Just Aliza and Abby hanging out. Jess mentally sighed, why am I so bothered by this? Is this jealousy...? Am I jealous? Really!? Jess... No, she could handle this, such a foolish emotion wasn't going to win out. Abby had made it pretty damn clear to her that she wasn't a one night stand... Things were still fine. "Hey," she said, trying to be casual, offering the two women a wave. "Have either of you seen Thorvald? I wanted to speak with him, after checking on the hangar... And..." Jess looked at Abby, could she trust her with this question? Hmm... "I'm still going to ask him before I decide anything, but, Abby-- You too, I suppose, Aliza... If, I suggested using that Chris girl as a supplementary pilot because of Nikolai's injuries... What would you think?" No reaction could be worse than Avery's, right? Edited January 30, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Firmia grimaced at the question, Hannah's preferred appearance still fresh in her mind. "They're not ... bad features ... but yes, the drone system I'm trying to put together has to be efficient, because we can't bridge the technology gap between us and Apotheosis, yet. The drones have to be at least as competent as this ship's pilots in a fight, or they won't be effective at all in the long run." It was a ridiculously high bar to be setting for combat AIs. Until recently, the Alkaev company hadn't done much to advance AI applications. That seemed to be the domain of the Abrams brothers, specifically. The focus on the combat effectiveness of humans was what led to the Alkaev's harsh training regimen. That was why the company's combat personnel were nearly on par with Russian Special Forces, and often exceeded them in piloting. The Kremlin fully endorsed these shenanigans, both with the Alkaev company and other enormous Russian based companies, despite the danger such a heavily militarized entities posed. It looked like a potential danger to the government on the surface, but at least in the case of the Alkaev company, Firmia knew of her grandfather's close ties with those old suits. Her mother was acquainted with them as well, but hadn't cultivated half as many relationships as Dima had in his time as the Alkaev CEO. No wonder the Alkaev company had been nigh instantly absorbed into the Russian military when Apotheosis began its assault ... and no wonder the Kremlin wanted the remaining three of the four AMS prototypes ... they truly must have believed those suits belonged within their inner circle, not some well off minor. That did beg a question of Dima, though. Why was he letting the Kremlin push her around after he'd gone ahead and signed over the suits? Was this just a game he was playing? A test? It didn't make sense. Firmia couldn't shake off her disgust or her confusion at the whole situation, and she needed more information about what was going on over there before she could come to any reasonable conclusions about her grandfather's actions. She had to focus on the matter at hand for now, getting her system off of the drawing board and into its testing phase, as soon as possible. "As for how things will work going forward, you two will do the simulations together from now on. I'll be recording your data separately but combining it later on. For all intents and purposes, you're one unit." Galatea was too good on defense to leave out of the equation or try to append to the original concept as some afterthought. Better to further improve their routines--if at all possible--and combine their data into something like a left and right 'brain.' That wasn't her field of expertise, but Firmia could at least put together the program's architecture and let Brant pour over the combat data before filling in the rest. That was why they were doing the simulations right this minute. If Firmia had to go through with her bluff, and they would be reaching Central around midnight, then she had that long until her attention would be pulled irrevocably toward her broken alliance with the ANF. Brant needed a usable foundation and some complicated instructions by then ... Sasha had very pleasant dreams in the meantime. Brant did still want to go to the hangar, but not for the same reasons he had earlier. He didn't have much time left to try and convince Firmia to stay, and somehow he doubted Hannah could make much progress on that front. Given Firmia's intentions with Hannah, they might even get into a bitter argument, and he wanted to intercede before either girl said or did something they'd regret. That was just a fear lurking beneath the surface. They had more pressing concerns with Elaine's situation, and their next destination ought to be Chris' quarters. "Let's keep going down," he said, glancing back at Louise's barren profile, "I already sent Buck that request for replacement funnels like Firmia asked. Everything else over there can wait." That reminded him, though ... "I do need to find Tonya while we're on the lower deck so hopefully she's in the cafeteria or on that game." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Keep going down? Well, it was obvious that Brant meant the bottom deck, but was it really for her? It was flattering that someone she, in all honestly, barely knew was doing so much for her. Of course, Brant had said that the crew didn't want to lose too many pilots, so maybe it was simply to make sure they weren't a man down. But, still... "...Thank you, Brant." She said, quietly. "Thank you for helping me." Elaine was starting to smile again, though it was smaller compared to her usual smile, full of pride and cockiness. This was subdued, but still happy. "I didn't think anyone would believe me." Elaine pressed the button down to the bottom deck. She would have probably gone there on her own if Brant had opted to go alone to the hangar, but now, she at least still had a new buddy to tag alone with. "A-and...I never got to thank you and Firmia, earlier. About the robot from the colony? It's...It's important to me. I mean, you weren't the one that kept it in one piece. That was Kim. But, you wanted to make the effort to try and save it. So, yeah...thank you." Had she ever been so meek to someone before? Definitely not someone on the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) A slight grimace melted into a look of understanding, as Thorvald nodded in reply to Christina's comment about the phones having been down since... well pretty much since they picked her up. There had been just that small window before Apotheosis declared war on the world and everything had gone to hell. Oh. She wanted him to call for her? She was worried, apprehensive, concerned. Thorvald hadn't expected that question, and honestly, when he really got to thinking about it, how would her mother take things? He'd made his suggestion partly so Apotheosis didn't make the first move, but he'd have expected them just to supplant Christina, not be open about the whole clone wars business going on, so he hadn't fully processed just what coming to grips with something like that would feel like as a parent. Family is more than just blood and genes. That much was obvious. But, on the other hand, what if say one day, bam, knock on the door. Open it. It's a son you didn't know you had, from a fling you'd forgot about years ago. You'd still call that family, and try to get to know him, bond with him, make up for lost time. Why would he be family, and not a clone, unexpectedly showing up instead? E-Especially if the clones had some sort of, partial memory connection, like Chris had claimed. What a doozy, his head swirled a little just thinking about it, imagining what it would be to go through. Christina had legitimate worries about her mother freaking out. Still, one thing he could very much say for certain... "Anything would be better than letting her thing you were dead. If you really don't feel up to it, then..." Thorvald breathed deep and looked her in the eye. "Sure, I'll handle the first contact, when we're able to make it. But, you will need to gear up and talk to her eventually. I'm sure she misses you very much, and after we help work her through the initial shock, well, we'll see I guess." He nodded and squeezed her affectionately on the shoulder. Abigail's head snapped up at the call out. It was Jess, she'd swung back from whatever she'd been off to. Something about her demeanor was a little off, almost like she was putting a false foot forward, but she was still probably struggling hard with everything that had happened in the battle, and the meeting afterward. Abby raised a hand, waving back, and even motioned that she could take a seat if she wanted, but it sounded like Jess was still on a mission, so that probably wasn't in the cards. "Hmm, Thorvald? No, we haven't seen him, right, Aliza?" Abigail quick confirmed with the other girl. The captain's next question took a little more thought. Pursing her lips, and going over a few things in her mind, Abby responded after a bit of musing. "I'd have to have a one-on-one with her first, get a better feel for the girl, and her reasons. If everything checks out, though, no red flags... I don't see why not? I mean, no offense meant, but Christina wasn't exactly ace material, and the clone's probably more of the same, but this is kind of an all-hands-on-deck situation we're in, so... maybe she could help someone out, like the situation with the lieutenant?" Edited January 31, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) Features "Hmm? They are bad features for machines designed to fight, Firmia. Do not believe that I think my own set of uniqueness should be widespread... You are attempting to create something useful for your company and the war effort. I realize the shortcomings my own programming has for that purpose. Do not worry." Hannah smiled back, as Galatea smiled about helping, cracking her digital knuckles and then working at her neck. "Ahhh, good~ Time to stretch my muscles some..." She disappeared in an almost magical puff of pixelated smoke, before the screens became pink as they had during the battle, Hannah giggling a bit. "Pardon Galatea... She did some of her own remodeling." "And not only that, I am fully integrated now~ I'll make sure to cover for any of Hannah's reckless maneuvers, as much as the Mantle will let me." "I'm not entirely reckless..." "You can be. Now, Firmia, if you can stand this color, let's get on with the show, shall we~?" Get a Read "I see... That, makes sense." Abby had motioned for Jess to sit down, but... "No, I-I don't, uh... Want to get... O-Okay." Too little too late on catching herself for her stumbling, Jess sat down and looked over at Aliza for a moment, before back at Abby. "Uhm... Well, she kept mentioning that she was made for combat. I think that... We'd have to test her to see if she was truly capable and not just the same as Christina. We may have just gotten the jump on her with our longer range machines... That prototype she was didn't seem very powerful, either. These could all be excuses, but... She's a telekinetic, and could be willing to fight. At the least, she'd be helpful artillery." It felt a bit wrong to refer to her as artillery like she was a piece for the battlefield, not a person. Jess tried to shrug it off, it was likely just the excess Nikolai trauma eating at her. He wasn't going to be piloting again. That was for sure. "And, Aliza, I know you're new, but your opinion matters too. If you think it would hinder your combat abilities, or anyone else's, having someone like that fighting with them... Then you can say so." Take it For Me "Huh? No, uh, I... I didn't mean for you to do it for me. Heh... You really are a dad, aren't you?" Christina almost smiled at his gentle nature and comforting suggestion, but she had to do this by herself. "It's nice of you, but I can do it. Probably. I'll try to have Kim there if I can't manage it... Ugh, no, that'd just make things even worse, hahah... I'm alive, I have a clone, here's my girlfriend. I just made this worse for myself." Christina laughed quietly and emptily at herself, sighing and flopped back onto the bed. "I'll manage... Somehow. You're right, that she shouldn't keep thinking I'm dead. Once... Once we get to Central. I'll take care of it." She closed her eyes and tried to sigh her nerves away. Edited January 31, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) Firmia sighed. She agreed with Hannah, though still felt awkward about the situation. It'd be slightly less awkward if Galatea hadn't also picked such an obnoxious color. Firmia hadn't been fast enough restricting her access, again. "Just limit your redecorating to the cockpit." ... and just as well, since Galatea was going to be helping out during simulations, she supposed. "Okay," Firmia got to work as the keyboard came in front of her, "I haven't had time to program in the latest enemy models, so we'll be sticking with the usual ones ... significantly boosted, of course." It took her a few seconds to update the enemy roster she planned on using, and after that, she began setting some global parameters for the simulation itself. "This is a grinder session. When--not if--the Mantle is destroyed, the match will restart and the field will be cleared of debris. There won't be any break between fights unless I pause the simulation. Trying to make up for lost time ... so just focus on killing as many enemies as you can and ignore the resets. Try to improve your coordination as the wrecks pile up. I'll be working on some things in the background while you two are fighting." There was one more thing ... but Firmia was just going to let that be a surprise for when the simulation kicked off and the Mantle's new simulated parameters appeared. Data from startled AIs was also useful. The gratitude Brant sensed from Elaine was almost tangible. If not for Louise's threat, he would have wondered if he'd saved the woman's life, somehow. Right now, though ... it still felt like they were screwed. If Louise wasn't bluffing then it was only a matter of time until the truth came out. If everything was already in place, it might be hours or even minutes before Brant was pleading with Jessica over the matter. Alternatively, Louise could just sit back and do nothing and Brant could worry right alongside Elaine all the way to Central. That was just fantastic for their stress levels and battle readiness, wasn't it? Brant suppressed his growing frustration as best he could. The jokes hadn't helped much. "Don't worry about it. We're teammates, right? Besides, everyone else is picking up custom machines. No reason why you can't, too. Asset denial to Apotheosis and getting a suit one of our pilots is familiar with is a nice two for one. I'm just glad that worked out." Too bad not much else was, at this point. They had found a clone of Christina inside that suit, meaning there were probably dozens more mixed in the enemy ranks, Nikolai had been mortally wounded, the Umbra had nearly been reduced to a blazing hot memory, and Elaine was being manipulated by this Louise Park woman. It was a wonder Vera wasn't running through the halls right this instant, swinging her sword and laughing as the crew scattered in all directions. Edited January 31, 2018 by Phoenix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 “Right. Custom machines.” It was a small enough prod, but as the two pilots stood in silence, waiting for the elevator to hit the bottom floor, Elaine thought back to Abigail. Until now, Elaine had only thought about what Abby would do to redeem herself for all the innocent lives she had taken. But the events and revelations of today had shaken that view, and now, Elaine was questioning herself. She felt the desperation of trying to get back a robot that mattered to her on an emotional level. She felt the guilt of taking the lives of people who, for all intents, were likely innocent, as well. So now, what made Abby’s situation so different? The answer was, obviously, not much. Elaine never had to fight for Apotheosis, but Abigail did, and yet she, Christina, and Nikolai all were allowed to fight alongside the crew as if they were a part of it from day one. The door of the elevator opened up to the familiar sight of the halls of the bottom deck. Elaine stepped out, and waited for Brant. She had decided. Later that day, she was going to visit Abigail. To reconcile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) Well that seems to fit a bit of the description she had in mind. But angry? She didn't recall the person in mind being angry. Then again, public appearances and all. Pissed off looks don't sell albums after all. "Well I was just curious if she-" However before she was able to answer Abby's question up came captain Jess, a bit...wary? She wasn't sure if that was the word for it, but she went with it. Or rather she assumed she was, though it probably wasn't her concern why she is. She simply saluted the superior officer and simply nodded in agreement with Abby. No she hadn't seen him at all after the meeting. Then came the next question... "Christina?" She thought for a moment. Yeah if Abby didn't have much on her then the newbie didn't. Still... "Hm...I'm with Abby to be honest. We're short handed and we got trouble coming out the woodwork. So it wouldn't hurt as long as we know what's up with her...I think." She rubbed her head, slightly shaky on that last part. Edited January 31, 2018 by TheRoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 As soon as the elevator doors opened, Brant stepped out and tried to reorient himself. His room ought to be ... that way, though if they found Tonya in the cafeteria, that would save him a trip back there for the time being. "Let's stop by the cafeteria really quick. If Tonya's not in there then I need to make a quick stop back at my room, but after that, we can find Chris." He made a mental note to pick up the pace since they didn't have a lot of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Elaine nodded, and turned to the right, coincidentally both the way to the cafeteria and the private quarters. It was a very short walk to the cafeteria, and while food would probably be welcome, Elaine looked out for Brant’s friend, Tonya. Though...had she ever seen her before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 No sign of Tonya anywhere, though Jessica, Abigail, and Aliza looked like they were in the middle of something. Brant decided to keep walking rather than step into the cafeteria proper and pull any attention. "Yep, probably on that MMO. Let's keep going." Even if they weren't in something of a rush, the captain was the last person Elaine needed to be in close proximity to, right now. She was barely keeping it together inside the lift. That wouldn't have stopped Brant from giving the small gathering a passing wave if they noticed him, but he definitely wanted to keep moving. It wasn't long after that when they reached Brant's room, and sure enough, when he quietly opened the door, he saw Tonya fully engrossed in some kind of battle. What the hell she needed ALL the monitors for was beyond him, but Brant had business to take care of. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but Firmia needs you in the hangar." Tonya kept her eyes on the battle ... and fair enough, she was being shot at from eight different directions by Brant's count. "Almost time for that first mission? Great. Tell her I'll be up there as soon as these guys are dead. Also can you tell her to unlock the Reign? I don't think it's going anywhere while it's on emergency lock down." Brant winced. "Yeah, she locked Sasha and Doctor Hart in there ..." "Hah!" "... alright, see you later." ... and Brant quietly shut the door. "Don't suppose you know where Chris' room is, do you?" he asked Elaine. He didn't recall anything helpful from the meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Wait, Firmia did what? Elaine was a bit shocked to hear that two people were casually locked inside a robot for who knows how long, much less Cheryl, a person who could probably help with her emotional issues. But, there wasn't much she could do about that, so as Brant closed the door and turned to ask her about Chris's room, she slipped that thought into the back of her mind. Hopefully, they would be let out soon. "Uhhh...Well, no. Not really. But, maybe they've had enough time to put a nameplate on one of the empty rooms?" Elaine turned towards the end of the hallway. There were a few vacant rooms left on this set of rooms, and on the other side of wall were far more, though admittedly, last she checked, they were starting to run low. In fact, she was sure that in just this hallway alone, there were more being used than all of the vacant ones combined. The boat really was starting to become crowded. Elaine started checking rooms once she passed by Doctor Amparo's, and it didn't take long before they found a nameplate reading 'Chris'. So, Christina and Chris were going to come out into the same hallway when they woke up? That just sounded like a recipe for disaster. Even Talia had gotten a hallway different from Tarquin, and thankfully there hadn't been any incidents of a meltdown...At least, as far as she knew. She could just imagine both Christina and Chris waking up at the same time, stepping out, and looking at each other before someone, most likely Chris, would start instigating things. Oh boy... "Well...If she's not in here, I have no idea." Elaine took one last nervous look at Brant, before facing the door, and knocking on it twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 (edited) Curiosity Makoto emerged from his room, feeling much lighter after a good shower to clear his thoughts. It was still a bit surreal to be given a whole room, way bigger than the one at his home at that! Then again, mech pilots were probably the most esteemed career line in recent times, it was a single person able to do the job of a whole cavalry fleet and more... and much pricier, which is probably where all these commodities, individualism, and smaller numbers came from. At least the Riese crew was pretty amicable, in the Colony Makoto had heard more than a few stories about mech Lieutenants who were way over their head and treated infantrymen like garbage. All with due punishment, of course. And here he was, somewhat of a self-conscripted mech pilot, one that could only really handle the cockpit of the Phalanx line of guard troopers, but still. At least I'm helping... I think. The added firepower the Colonial police added to the custom frame was a great help in remaining relevant, but he'd faced ever-growing difficulties last mission, especially considering he would have been toast if that energy beam could punch through the bottom of the river. It was without doubt that for it to keep functioning, either the machine would need a tune-up... or he'd need to get way better, but how? While Makoto was ruminating the possibilities in his head, he'd come to notice he was not alone in the corridor, eyes blinking and perceiving his surroundings once more, to notice a girl staring at the psych's door intently. Wait, wasn't she in the infirmary before? Right, she kind of... squealed at Kim, wasn't it? So the hyperventilating girl had some business with the shrink... which was fair. Hope she can fight whatever is plaguing her. She was somehow related to Tarquin, somebody he had a high esteem of, so Makoto assumed she must be pretty capable and smart too. Admittedly, as much as Makoto considered trying to cheer her up, he knew mental struggles were no simple thing, and he wasn't qualified. Besides, the girl was already at the psych's door, so she was clearly putting up a fight already. Giving a hopeful thumbs up as he passed her by (hey, it was something), Makoto walked away to get himself some training, physical and then actual pilot tests in the gym... before he'd caught people at the corner of his eye as he was about to take a turn. Isn't that Chris' room? Elaine and Brant seemed to be wanting something with her, as they had stopped in front of the room. Hmm, wasn't that early to be calling her up for stuff, or maybe it was the captain's orders? Wasn't it a bit weird to be trying to contact the apotheosis captive almost immediately? Well, probably not, considering he did just have a chat with her as she was being brought down... maybe they were just trying to understand her as well. Maybe. Surely they wouldn't mind if he joined in. Bridge for Officers Not much progress had been made since Roxanna stepped in the bridge --in terms of her trying to communicate with HQ, of course! The bridge was running smoothly and the ship was headed for central just as well as before the distress signal. Only the fact they couldn't establish a safe connection still stopped them for organizing their arrival, how frustrating... Roxanna could try reaching her uncle again through less safe means, but it was sure to get backlash from her uncle and Jessica both. Sinking against her chair, Roxanna sighed, looking at the bridge's main screen in contemplation. Was there really nothing she could do until the Riese was close enough? How long would that be? "Ensign Calvin?" She spoke up, impatience getting a bit to her. "Is our estimated arrival time really midnight?" At this rate, it'd be about three hours until they established contact... if Apotheosis decided not to bother them again. "...you think we'll get another signal before we reach central? At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised. They really seem to be all over the mainland." A Few Concerns But for that to happen, you need to... It was somewhat grim to hear, that a boy so young had his life set in this predicament. Mai didn't quite understand his predicament, but for him to be here in the army at this age, and the talk he was having with doctor Amparo, there was more surrounding his circumstances than she could see. "I hope it goes well. I can't do much but follow the doctor's orders around, never treated anything worse than flesh wounds and colds, but I'll keep looking out for him. I'm sure the doctor wants him to recover well, too." She didn't seem the type to be too cold and calculating if she allowed Mai to help, after all. "But out there... can the others cover for you? You have a lot of life before you still, so I hope you're not risking yourself recklessly." She seemed to stop for a moment, sighing and lost in an inner thought. "I hope my son isn't, either." Edited February 1, 2018 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 (edited) Giving a final gentle pat to Christina's shoulder, Thorvald nodded and smiled. Maybe he'd railroaded her into it, but it was something that needed done, and if she was serious about this, and not just saying things to put him off her case, then this was the best possible solution. "Of course, what did you expect?" Thorvald replied with a wink, as she'd joked about how his dad nature was in fine form today. "Oh, and maybe you could lighten up the mood with a joke, if things get rough, or too heavy. You know, sort of, 'Well, I guess I've got mixed feelings about my time at the colony. Met some good people, but the atmosphere was a little lacking.' Haha. Don't worry, you can do this." A final look around the infirmary revealed his business pretty much wrapped up. Jess was doped up and knocked out, the Artemis pair in good hands, and he'd already hovered more than enough over Tarquin for one day. Time to head on out. There was a lot to swallow, with how things've gone down. Might not be a bad time for some trying a few more video journal entries. "Hmm, well, I could go fetch her and take her to the sims, see how she stacks up, or if that was all just talk, while you check in with squad leader, get his OK," Abigail considered, between mouthfuls of food. There were more than a few things she wouldn't mind asking the girl while she was at it, as well. Aliza seemed a little confused about the whole situation, to be honest. And it had really broke up her previous train of thought, a bit of a shame, Abby was kind of curious why the new girl was asking about if they had a 'Kim' or not, and it wouldn't be smooth to just, try to go back to previous. Maybe it'd come up again some time. The girl seemed to like her well enough, and didn't really have other friends yet. So being relied on a little, without real responsibility toward her, was rather refreshing. Swallowing another bit of meal, Abigail set her utensils down for the moment. Jess had sat down beside her, like she'd offered, but the captain was still kind of shaky, stuttering here and there and pausing like she was very insecure. Reaching down to give her thigh a small squeeze, Abby tried to reassure her some. "We'll get this figured out. I'll help however I can, okay?" Edited February 1, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Simulating "Affirmative, Firmia. You may start when you are ready." "Hey, the Mantle would look great in pink... But, fine." Hannah rolled her eyes before taking a breath and focusing her calculations. Whatever Firmia had in mind, it would likely not be easy. As for grinding, Hannah could simply treat it like a long series of calculations. There was one thing, though. "What about the Reign?" More specifically, the people locked in it. ETA "Hmm?" Tristan looked up from his console, over at the... Dejected? Looking XO? Something must've been eating at her. Maybe she'd be more up for that talk, now? Hmm. "Estimates put us as arriving at Central around 10 PM, actually... Accounting for timezones and how quickly this engagement went by. As long as we're not harassed further by any enemy forces, we should get there ahead of our earlier predicted schedule." Hopefully that would cheer her up. "We should be in range for proper contact around 5... For you or the Captain to attempt making contact." The Admiral would likely want to speak with them. Tristan was expecting accolades and praise, but considering the situation with Nikolai, it probably wouldn't feel appropriate to most of the crew. Chuckle Christina had to sit up, or her giggling at Thorvald's silly pun would've gotten stuck in her throat and made her cough. The doctor didn't need more to worry about. "Yeah, sure... I can open up with something like that... Thanks, Thorvald." He was pretty good at this help thing, wasn't he? Christina looked over at Kim, and, well she started wondering if she would even want to speak to her mom. Maybe... I wonder what Kim's parents are like? Hmm. Hasty Retreat "I see... Well, if you both think that would help, I'll see about talking to the rest of the crew aND!" Jess brought her free leg up and kneed the table, yelping, before collapsing back down into her chair with a hefty blush, eyes laser focused on the table. Oh gosh. Why did you, no why did she? I wasn't, that... Hahh... "R-Right, help, however you can, uhm... G-Gonna, go find Thorvald then. Have a nice talk! Uhm. Yeah... Sh-Should make it to Central tonight. And, stuff... Bye." Jess twirled herself out of that chair and walked as fast as she could out of the cafeteria, what an embarrassing reaction... I just wasn't expecting her to touch me, I... uuuuuuuuuuuugh. Mentally chiding herself, Jess decided to check the top floor, also sending off a 'Where are you?' to the man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Firmia had been about to initiate the simulated deathmatch when the topic of Sasha and the doctor came up. Frankly, they hadn't been in there nearly long enough by Firmia's own estimate. The situation had changed drastically though, and she very well may have to use one of her planned breaks to let them out. She needed Sasha in the loop as much as Tonya, after all. "Don't worry about that for now. I'll let them out around lunch time ... dinner at the latest." Not wanting to try and justify that, Firmia immediately fired up the simulation. The landscape was barren like usual, and they seemed to be near some kind of airbase, again. This one was a smoldering ruin, however, and enemy mobile suits dotted the landscape. The only possible escape route open to them was straight up ... ... and something was definitely off with the Mantle. It was as if all the cameras were zoomed, producing an unreasonably large impression of their surroundings. The suit's power output was normal; both its weapons and its thrusters ought to net similar damage and propulsive force, respectively. The cameras were also functioning just fine. The real problem with the Mantle was its current scale. This iteration of the AMS unit was one quarter its original size! Clearly, Firmia wasn't planning to construct combat drones any larger than this ... "Kill them all!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 "U.uuuh..." That was...sudden. Yeah Aliza didn't notice the squeeze on the captain, so to her it just seemed like a strange twitch. Like a bug came down her outfit or something along those lines. At least that's as far as she could guess. When the captain left the girl looked over at Abby with a confused look on her face. "Does the captain have a nervous twitch or...something?" She looked over to where Jess rushed off. "What was that about?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share Posted February 3, 2018 Estimated and Counting "10 PM, huh..." It was better than expected, then. At least that could cheer Roxanna up a little. "I see, then. Thank you, Ensign Calvin." She was subdued after, staring at her command desk in a vacant sort of way. "...Then let's keep going this route. Remind me to make contact at 5, please. " She looked up in fron of her again to heed the Ensign, lazily staring at the data concerning the Riese. "Do we know how long it will take for the structural damage during this battle to be repaired?" If they were attacked while repairs were still ongoing, then the ship would have to stay back for the whole thing. That would be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 (edited) "Hnnh," Abigail snorted in response to Aliza's question. "Naw, that was my fault. Captain's under a lot of stress, and I guess she wasn't expecting to be touched. Still..." She turned to look after the retreating figure. "Bit overblown, for all that. I wonder..." Jess had been acting rather odd for awhile now. She wasn't... having regrets, was she? Abby frowned, and pushed her plate away, standing up. "Guess I should go and do like I said I would, huh? But yeah, hit me up sometime when I'm free and drag me to the hangar, alright?" Taking care of her dirty dishes, she headed off down the hall, aiming to find Chris's room and give it a knock. It'll be interesting to see how she does in the sims. Thorvald hadn't even made it to the lifts when he got the buzz. The captain was looking for him? Curious, but not unheard of. Wondering what this was all about he shot back a brief Just finished helping out in the infirmary. Should I meet you somewhere? Edited February 4, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Perfect Timing "Oh, good..." 'The Meeting room, please. I'm asking everyone, have just started with Abigail and Aliza, but I'd like to hear opinions on using Chris as a pilot.' Jess turned herself to the lifts, hoping this was a good idea. Structurally Sound "The ship's repairs should only take a few hours. The nanomachines are working at full capacity, and we've moved as many mechanics as we can afford to move from the hangar to the bow. The damage to the main beam cannon is definitely what needs the most work..." That final shot from the apotheosis squad leader had done a hefty number to it, bending one of the barrels and melting the other closed. If the Riese was going to be facing more combat soon, that would need fixed, asap. "I'll make sure to remind you, XO." Killing Spree Hannah had to take a moment to analyze the scale of things in this simulation. This was a part of the challenge, was it? That just meant dodging would be easier. "Affirmative," she responded, firing off towards the first Cressida in view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 It would be a simpler existence if being a child could get away from all the fighting. Someone finding his presence strange was almost nostalgic, the rest of the crew had accepted him rather quickly - perhaps to an even greater degree after his origin was exposed by T-2. Her intentions were good, but there wasn't very much this woman could do to protect him from the threats the Riese faced. Almost ironically, despite all the danger that he was put through, it was likely the safest place he could be. Tarquin listened to her, at least having the courtesy to hear her concerns. He was ready just to dismiss them but it was then that he figured out who she was. "Son? Makoto?" he asked, piecing together the facts in his head. Makoto's mother was on the ship recovering in the medbay after the events on Colony One. Or at least she had been, her recovery appeared to have been swift. Alerting her of Makoto's own personal danger would probably distress her further, and it was his friend's own right to do if he so wished. "We all work together in battle, everyone helps each other. We all need to stay safe so we can do our best, but sometimes it's not easy." Nikolai had learned that the hard way, even one unlucky shot spelled the end at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.