Sandalphon Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Nikolai's eyes were glassy and heavy as he looked at the blurry figure of the doctor on the other side of the fishtank. Despite how clearly her voice cut through the mire, her actual body seemed to Nikolai as though it were miles away. For what seemed like the first time in his life, he was exhausted. Usually he would always be slightly alert, ready to serve his purpose as a weapon of war and dispenser of chaos, but as the doctor said... the future was complicated. It was clear that he had been rendered useless, unable to play the role given to him by the dramaturge of life. There were no scripts for this situation, only an endlessly long collection of blank pages. He was truely a blank slate now, and the thought terrified him. He was exhausted, and to simply sleep and float in his fishtank felt incredibly tempting. But impossible. Despite everything, despite how hopelessly lost he was, he had made a promise to live, albeit one made before he realised how utterly fucked up he was. "Do as you want doctor..." he said quietly, his head lolling back as the slits of his eye closed once more. "Am used to being... lab rat. Pulled apart. Put back together. If you want to pull fake organ out, pull out organ. pull out sadness. pull out anger. reach in my head and just pull out nikolai. build new legs. build new nikolai. does not matter. if you can make me useful once more, then do. if not, then make me useless instead. such it is, this life." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Megumi wound up scowling at Nikolai's remark. She was glad he wasn't going to object to any of the operations, but he could do with a bit more hope. Then again, it might actually be better for him to start out this way. Someone else in his position might be looking forward to cybernetic augmentation. Nicholas for one would rejoice at a free pair of metal legs if he'd already been injured. Nicholas wasn't the type to get injured, unfortunately. Even the man's pride was armor plated. "You're not a lab rat anymore, Nikolai. You're my patient." ... so long as the ANF saw fit to leave him on the ship. They had a good case for doing so, at least. Now ... how to word this? "... I'm going to make you 'useful,' again ... but I don't want you just going back out there and fighting. Neither does Tarquin. You've gone above and beyond what we asked of you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 The captain didn't have to tell Thorvald twice. Her announcement over the speakers that they were free to disembark was like music to his ears. He didn't even want to bother with a phone call first. While it would probably actually connect this time, at this point he'd prefer to surprise them with an in-person visit. Holly of course would probably be asleep by now, or certainly by the time he finished the drive over, but maybe he'd make a special exception and wake her. Given the state of the war, it might be foolhardy to assume it would be fine to put off the reunion till the morning. Thoughts such as those swirled about his head as he finished packing an overnight bag, and trying to make sure there was nothing else he was forgetting. Ah yes, the signed album, that was important. A minute here, a minute there, while by rights he should have been ready to leave the moment they touched down, they'd actually made much better time on the final leg than expected, so there was a little last minute scramble going on. Finally, bag slung over his shoulder, he made his way to the lift to the outside world. The captain herself was there, absent her customary hat, and somehow looking all the more drained and exhausted because of it. It's not that he'd never seen her without, but most of those occasions had been in casual wear, and now she was still in uniform. Perhaps that contributed? Though regardless, she'd been, they'd all been run ragged for the past week or so. Thorvald probably looked a little worse for wear himself... unless the sense of excitement of going to see his family again had overwritten the build up of fatigue. "Heading for a room on the base yourself?" Thorvald started up some small talk, while they waited for the platform to finish making its way back up to them. "You look like you could use the rest. Not that the accomodations on the Riese have been bad, by any means. Still... sometimes, you know? You need that little something, maybe it's the solid ground." It didn't much matter to Abigail that they'd arrived at the heart of the ANF. Or rather, it did somewhat, but for different reasons, and with different impact than it did for she assumed most of the rest of the crew. Abby fully planned on staying aboard. At least for the evenings, she wasn't gonna try to risk her luck with on overnight in the broader military base. Now, that didn't mean she planned on staying cooped up forever, a trip shopping, to actually get some real clothes of her own again, that was certainly in the cards at some point. Maybe some other excursions, if something caught her interest. But probably not tonight. No, there was still too much on her mind. The things she'd learned from Chris, the unexpected visit from Elaine, there were things there than needed dealing with. It was a bit hard to decide where to start, but given that Jess was probably gonna be tied up with official red tape for quite a while, she ultimately settled on hitting up the hangar first. Walking over and standing beneath her old Heracles, she looked up at it, and odd mix of feelings washing over her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) Didn't Mean it Oh contraire, Sasha, Cheryl mused to herself, not adding further fire to the flames. While she was mildly bothered that the Android literally offering robotic services was being upstaged by someone that needed real sleep, the android speaking up to help of her own accord was at least a good step. Leaving things there was probably for the best. "You're welcome, Firmia." Hannah was only hoping that she would be able to understand what tech Sasha was playing with enough to help and perhaps take over for him. If she could grasp the technicalities, she could likely process what he was trying to do much faster. Lookalike "Hmm..." Galatea froze a moment, before resuming motion, shaking her head. "Nothing that I can find. But..." She put up a picture of their captain's ANF database photo, placed it side by side the smaller girl, did a facial comparison and then shook her head again. "It's similar, but there are some things off, assuming they were the same person. The girl's cheek structure would be a bit different, and she has no freckles, which Jess appears to have plenty of. Unless Tabitha kept the girl out of any light for a long amount of time, it would be impossible for her to not have developed any. Just a close case, that's all. Interesting, at least." She left the images there for Brant's sake, maybe he wished to look some more. She removed her comparison lines as well, to make it easier. The technology for facial recognition between ages was good, but there could always be mistakes, and-- "Oh. Well, this is definitely impossible. The captain's nineteen, correct?" Galatea brought up another news article and placed it above the images. "She died five years ago, at the age of six. If we can trust the internet, but even if she'd lived, she'd only be eleven right now." It was definitely interesting, the coincidences, but they didn't add up to anything. "Unless Jessica is some incredibly advanced machine! Hmhmhm, but, she blushes, she breathes, she's as frail as they come... Quite impossible. Hannah's already pushing the boundaries." Galatea had worked herself up too far, though, looking into the captain's files... Ah, phew. X-Rays. Proper skeleton. Definitely human. That would've been terrifying. Getting a Room "Oh! Thorvald, I... No. I've got some things I need to get done before I can even start considering what else there is to do. I need to submit reports, speak to some people... And find Alphonse. I've... I've got some things I need answered. That's all." She hoped that wasn't too curious, but all the stammering likely made it so. Luckily, her time with Thorvald would be short, even taking the lift together-- which had just come back. She opened the hatch and gestured to it. "After you, Eriksson." It was nice to finally be away from the thick of it, at least... Hopefully Thorvald's family was happy to see him. Heion Riese, 11:15 PM, August 2nd Jess sighed, stepping back into the ship. Her talks had gone fine, for the most part, but really, now she was just tired... "Mmmm..." Everyone else is mostly gone, now. I guess... Hey, Abby, where are you? It wouldn't be a bad time to check on her... As long as she wasn't busy. Jess already felt weird for getting in the way of talks earlier, so she hoped this wouldn't be round two. Almost-Midnight Snack Christina stepped out of the shower with slightly wet hair and PJs, yawning and glancing at Kim. "So you wanted to get yourself something to eat, right?" After having called her mom with Kim's help, and having spent the last hour or so watching a movie, she was getting pretty tired... but, Kim had slept most of the day, so her cycle was a bit off. Christina wasn't passing out where she was standing, so she didn't mind staying up just a bit longer to keep Kim company on the ship. A lot of the crew had left to see family or sleep elsewhere, so... It was going to be relatively quiet. Edited February 8, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) Quote If you're sure... I'm in my room right now, so, stop by if you can. It might be, but I don't know if I can talk to her alone again without breaking into tears, so... I-I'd appreciate the support. Christina rolled onto her back and sighed. Was it right to drag Kim into this? Did she have the courage to tell mom 'this is my girlfriend, she's saved my life about three times now, also I guess I'm getting over all that bullying I went through in school', or did her mom even care about that right now? She mostly seemed to want to know what was going on with the Riese, why Christina was there at all, how... It was a bit of a mess. "Too late to take it back now." Well, that was that. As bad as Kim felt standing Avery up after waking the mechanic, it seemed she was needed. It wasn't that far of a walk, and there didn't seem to be an urgent need to change into her uniform, so Kim moved to Christina's room without sending a reply, knocking on her door after a few moments. "Chrissy? It's Kim." "Oh, geez, that was fast." Christina got up immediately, rushing over to the door and opening it up. She hadn't really taken care of the tear stains on her cheeks, she probably still looked like a bit of a mess. "Hey. Thanks, uh... You're sure I'm not, interrupting anything important?" Christina certainly looked the part of a distraught girl as she opened the door, tears still evident on her face and radiating concern... apparently she felt rather bad about the circumstances that lead up to all this. "It's... not a big deal. I was just... going to talk to Avery. She'll get to... go back to sleep, and I look like a bit of... an ass, but it's fine." Kim replied, stepping inside and, deciding to be a bit bold... how much it said about them that this was bold, really... giving Christina an affirmative kiss on the forehead, patting her hair. "O-Oh... You should've said so, I could put this off until later, I-- Ah..." She flinched slightly, not really expecting the action, not letting it bother her. She probably did look like a mess, wiping at her eyes for a moment to clear them up, letting herself sniffle just a small bit. "Sorry, I... I'm really bad at this. She seemed so happy that I was okay, but, also... Just, so worried about everything. Can I even tell her everything? Like, legally, am I allowed to? And even if I did, clones, getting captured, this... I..." Christina took some steps away and flopped onto her bed, burying her face against the sheets. Too much thinking. "It's okay, Chrissy. You seemed... still seem, pretty... distressed. Besides, Avery already... said she was going back to sleep." Kim replied, ruffling Christina's hair just a bit before pulling her hand off of the blonde. Her query was a bit of a headscratcher though... what could they really say? The Captain hadn't really given them a briefing on where this stuff was to stay, likely because it didn't seem like something that would have been passed around. Especially with this whole mole business going about, openly sharing any of the more sensitive information seemed unwise. "She thought you were... dead. It must have been hard on her too... as for that stuff... probably best to keep it under wraps, at least for now." Kim replied, following Christina to the bed as she flopped onto it and squeezing her shoulder. "I don't think... it'd be too crazy to say you were captured. I might... leave out that they forced you to fight, though. I think... before going any further, it'd be best to ask the Captain about things like... the clones or any of that. I can't say... I'm sure of the legal stuff myself." "Okay... If she's sleeping, that's fine, then." She sighed and slowly rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "That's fine too, I guess... Leave out the scary details. Then see if I can explain them later... Are you, okay?" Christina sat up, giving Kim a look over. "I kinda went to take a nap after you fell asleep... You're feeling alright, right? No more head pains, or, too much adrenaline, o-or anything..." Christina's tentatively worried hand placed itself on Kim's leg, looking away from her and trying not to recoil. She'd made some good steps, but they were still small ones. "Yeah, I'm fine. Whatever it was... I slept it off." Kim replied when Christina asked how she herself was feeling, placing her own hand over Christina's and squeezing it gently. It seemed she was on board with starting slow, insofar as what to tell her mother. "That's good... Are you ready? Am I ready? Ah, geez..." Christina got up and pulled a small table over, putting her communicator on it, punching the number in... And then flopped over again, groaning. "I don't know if I can do it twice. Good gosh I'm so scared." "I mean... there's not much for me... to be ready for. It's... up to you to decide, Chrissy." Kim replied, giving the distressed blonde's thigh an encouraging squeeze. The least she could do was try to be a pillar for her. "Hyah!" Christina shot up with a blush, not expecting these touches, though she really should've been. "S, Sorry, ahhh... Okay. Okay! I can, I can do this... Probably." She tapped call and recoiled her hand back... It was all in her mom's hands now. It didn't take more than two rings for Mom Troy to respond, smiling at Christina, breathing a sigh of relief, before looking over at Kim in confusion. "Oh... Hello. Who's, this?" "Kim. Seung-Min, Kim... Uhm... M... Mm-My... Girlfriend..." "... Really, now?" Her mother was quite obviously surprised, both to see her daughter with such a beautiful girl, and for that girl to be her apparent girlfriend, despite troubles she knew of from her growing up. "Well... A pleasure to meet you, Kim. I'm Meredith... Now, can one of you please tell me where she's been? I've been worried sick. Quite literally..." "A pleasure... to meet you as well. Excuse my... English." Kim replied, bowing forward slightly towards the screen before pulling back, glancing over at Christina to make sure she was alright. "Well, the long and short of what... happened to Christina is that... she wasn't actually killed, obviously. She was... shot down, and taken prisoner by Apotheosis. When this ship went to... liberate Colony 1, we recovered her. Communications... have been down ever since we launched into space, even after... we came back to the surface, so trying... to get in touch with anyone has been difficult." Kim explained, omitting certain details, but it was all true information despite that. Hopefully she could take some of the burden off of Christina by acting as mouthpiece for a bit. Meredith's eyes were rather telling of how she felt about this story, trying not to react poorly, shout, or anything in between. "Well... All that, matters is that she's safe. At... At least it makes sense why you couldn't call-- I'm, sorry this is just a lot." It's a lot, and there's a lot more, too... I'm so sorry, Mom... "And, she said you're on an ANF ship? The Riese? Where is it, right now?" "We're at ANF HQ. In Nevada... We're safe. I'm, safe. So you don't need to worry anymore, mom." "Thank, God... Alright, then. Talk to who you have to, and get yourself home. You've been away for too long, and with this war nonsense going on, I want to know you're safe." Wait... What? "...I am safe, mom. And... I'm staying here." "Excuse me? I've been going through hell worrying about you, you come home as soon as you can!" "I've been going through hell too! I've been helping Kim pilot, I'm... I'm her copilot for the machine she was given." "They put you on the frontlines!?" Calm was out of the picture at this point, as Meredith looked between both girls, hoping one of them had a good answer for this. And there is came. As was to be expected, Christina's mother wasn't thrilled with the idea that her daughter was fighting on the front lines. No parent should be, overzealous patriot types aside... "To clarify... Christina put herself... on the front lines. Originally, she was simply monitoring the usage... of an experimental T-Link. She volunteered... to monitor and make corrections... on the fly, so it could be deployed faster." Kim retorted, keeping her expression steady. A rebuttal meant nothing without confidence behind it, after all. "And I've told her... more than once before, that she doesn't... need to continue to deploy with me. And every time... she still has. With all due respect... as an adult, that's her... decision to make. Not yours, or mine. I understand your concern... but the Heion Riese is the most... advanced warship the ANF has. This crew has survived and... overcome forces that have run over established military bases. This is probably the safest place in... the ANF." Meredith, steamed as she was, sighed and put her hand over her face, trying not to lash out again. Christina was a bit scared, bit stared her mother down. She was certain now, that this was for the best. "Fine... Fine. It's... No, it's not fine. But I can't physically come and pull you off of that ship, so I'll have to put up with it." Christina sighed, but quickly tensed up as her mother addressed her again. "Please, hun, please call me more often. If I can't get you to call home, then at least let me know you're alright. You and your... She has told you about her past with school, right? You aren't forcing her into this little relationship?" That was a weird tangent to suddenly go off on, Christina flushing a bit red and waving her hands. "I did! I did... I told her all about it. She knows. She isn't pushing me to do anything, I promise... I'm trying to get over all of that, so... You don't have to worry over that. Come on, Mom..." "I'm just being a mother! We worry. It's part of the job description... But that's good. You... You certainly could've done worse." This Kim seemed almost familiar, was she someone famous or something? Meredith could almost place her, but it was on the tip of her tongue, stuck there and not coming out. "Alright. I know where you are, and... You say you're safe. If that's all, then... Then thank you, so much. For calling home." She finally smiled, properly. "I'll be able to sleep well tonight." "Me too... I'll call back in a few days, okay Mom? After I find out where the ship's going next... Talk to you later." "Bye." And, close... Christina took a deep breath and collapsed against the bed, hands on her face. "That was terrifying..." Well, it seemed that this Meredith acquiesced... mostly out of necessity, before firing off a few more volleys of standard parental fair. All's well that ends well, though Christina seemed to be a bit worse for wear. Patting her gently on the knee, Kim gave the frazzled blonde an encouraging smile. "Could have been worse." "Could have been better" Another frazzled sigh left her mouth before she curled up some and rolled over next to Kim. "It's not even ten and I'm already exhausted... And I already slept today. Guh... We're at Central, right? Is there anything to do around here?" "Not so much... at base itself. There is... a large complex, about two hours drive from the base. That's where everything is." Kim replied, chuckling at Christina's antics, before sneakily moving to tickle the blonde's lower back. "Everything... Do you know what they have there? I guess if they're housing a bunch of people, they've gotta have a lot of resources for all the solDIERS!" The squeak and squirm that followed were probably exactly what Kim wanted, Christina rolling onto her back again to cover her unfortunate back. "Y-You jerk!" She was trying not to smile, much as getting tickled was one of her weakest points. "They have a lot of things... a shopping mall, a movie theater, an artificial beach... those are the ones people talk about, mostly." Kim replied, sticking her tongue out at Christina's adorable response. Having covered her back, that left her unfortunately exposed in other areas, Kim seamlessly transitioning her tickles to Christina's stomach and sides. "Jerk, whatever... do you mean?" Kim taunted through a veil of giggles. "Y-You know what I meehehehehean! S-Stop~!" Awkward hands flailed to try and shove Kim away, as she squirmed and shifted under the evil assault. "Hahh, hahaha, s-stop, Kim~ Mmmmm!" Well, her protests didn't appear to be linked to traumatic reasons, so much as they seemed to be a natural result of being tickled. Still, it would be for the best to give her a moment to catch her voice, just in case. Pausing her hands, yet still keeping them firmly clasped on Christina's sides and poised to renew their assault, Kim gave Christina a mischievous grin. "That request... will cost one kiss~" "Hahh, mmmmm... Geez... You don't h-have to... Trick me into one. Y'know?" Master of mood reading, this one. "F-Fine... Just. Just one." "Who said anything... about a trick?" Kim replied with a snicker, puckering her lips in wait. "You're gonna make me do it? Ugh, come on, Kim..." It was already hard enough to get kisses, giving her one, was... She pushed herself up on her slightly shaking arms and gave Kim a kiss, for a quick moment, flopping back down and looking away as the red slipped onto her cheeks. "Th-There..." That was nice... short, but nice. Still, a little further teasing couldn't hurt, since she was so damn adorable. "That was a pretty... short kiss. You're not trying... to short change me, are you?" Kim purred, leaning in and resting her forehead against Christina's gently, looking into her eyes as she released her hold on the blonde's sides, instead reaching to both of her hands and entwining her fingers within Christina's, giving her a light squeeze. "N-No, I'm... I... C, Could, you get off of me, K-Kim...?" This was... This was pushing things a bit, as much as she was blushing, feeling this cornered was making a few bad memories pop back up. "I'm not... I, I promise." The shift in Christina's feelings was immediately obvious, Kim pulling up to give the girl some space. "Are you... okay?" Christina took a deep breath as Kim backed off, giving herself a moment to breathe properly. "I'm okay... Just, t-too far. For now. Sorry. I'm trying, but it's... It's still hard, for some of it." "That's alright, Chrissy. As long as... you're okay." Kim replied with another smile, still encouraging, but not quite as bright or vibrant as they had been prior. "Don't be disappointed, please. I'm... Hmm..." She couldn't push things like that, but maybe... Pushing Kim up some, she pulled her hands away, grabbed Kim by her back, and pulled her into a hug. Her body was pretty alarmed right away, but... She'd started this, it wasn't some forced action, things were okay. She was still shaking a bit, but... "I can do this much. I hope that's okay." "Chrissy..." Kim began, feeling the girl's emotions spike as she initiated the hug. She seemed stable, but she was pushing herself. "I'm not... disappointed, Not in you... anyway. I just... felt bad, for pushing too far." She continued, gently reciprocating Christina's embrace. "Don't feel bad. It's okay... I don't really know what my boundaries are, so, we just have to find them as we go. You can't know... And you listen. So don't feel bad, please." Christina lifted Kim up just a bit, smiling at her, before thinking back to the... Whatever was off base. "Do you wanna go see a late night movie? We can get popcorn and... C-Call it a date, an' stuff..." "Okay, I'm okay." Kim replied, before Christina made a suggestion. An absolutely wonderful suggestion that Kim was about to accept... when she recalled the message the Captain had sent her earlier, and let out a sigh. "I would love to... except Captain told me to be... on standby for a meeting with the Commander." Kim recounted, her expression and feelings immediately deflating as she did so, looking at her communicator. Quote Is there any way you could contact the Commander and see if this meeting can be held tomorrow morning, Captain? And off that went to the Captain... it was worth a try... The only response to come back was: Quote I don't want to interrupt him if he's busy with the goings on. I'm sorry Kim... I would expect it to be around midday, at the earliest. "Oh, a meeting? That's way more important, you should focus on that." It was disappointing, sure, but they were both technically soldiers. That definitely came first. As the reply came back, Kim let out another sigh, Christina's dejected response only adding on to the pile. "Captain is... not sure when the meeting is. Doesn't expect it to be until... tomorrow, but Commander didn't... give her a time." Kim replied, sitting there for a few moments before gently slapping her own cheeks with a determined expression. "But I... won't let that stop us. Maybe we can't... go to the theater, tonight... but!" Kim began, springing up from the bed with fervor. "Pull up cineweb... and pick any movie you want. I'll go make some kettle corn... in the cafeteria. We'll... make our own movie night." "That's okay, that's work, it's... Kim?" The slap had come out of nowhere, but it made sense in a few moments... Well, no, it didn't, but she let it slide, the girl was just trying to pump herself up. "You're really too nice, you know that? I'm pretty sure a lot of people would've gotten tired of me already... But, sure. I'll find something nice to watch. Thanks, Kim..." Christina got herself up and rolled that table back over, before plopping back onto the bed with the remote, and fishing through the TV's selection... How retro should she go? "Hmm..." "Silly Chrissy... I'm not going to get tired of you." Kim replied, flashing her a smile before stepping out the door, Christina already getting things set up as she made her way down the hall. "So you say..." Kim left, leaving her with movie searchings, settling on one heck of a classic, The Princess Bride. It was cheesy, funny, and had a decent romance to it. A nice movie to cuddle up to, and... "Cuddle up to, huh? Can I even do that? Or am I going to stumble there, too?" Christina sighed, but just like Kim had pumped herself up, Christina shook her head. "I can do this. I can totally do this." Stepping out of her washroom with a gentle sigh, Kim supposed Christina would be just about finished in the shower by this point, having stepped in to freshen up after their impromptu movie date. Looking herself over quickly in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, Seung-Min crossed back over the hallway to Christina's room, the end credits of The Princess Bride still paused on screen, about to sit down when, right on cue, Christina stepped out of the shower, still damp. "Yeah... something to eat seems like... a good idea. Get something aside from popcorn and... soda into our stomachs." Edited February 8, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) Traveling by car for two hours was not the most exciting thing to do out in Nevada, nor did it feel nice to be in a sitting position for so long. So, when Elaine and Aliza finally arrived at the off base area, the initial stretch of her limbs felt incredible. At least on a ship there was plenty to do and plenty to move if you felt stiff, but not in cars. “Oooh, that feels better.” She groaned. She knew full well that she would have to experience that two hour ride again if she decided to go back to the ship, but she didn’t pay that thought too much attention. Instead, she turned and opened the door to the back of the jeep, where she had placed her bags. “So, I’m heading off to the living quarters, first. Then, we can go see what kind of stores they got here. I think they should still be open? ...Eeeh, if not we can check the food court. Sound good to you, Aliza?” Apologies It was about 2 o' clock in the afternoon as Elaine stood alone in the hallways of the bottom deck. Was it a blessing or a curse that Abigail's room was right next to her own? Maybe it was just a coincidence. Regardless of what it was, Elaine felt it difficult to muster up the courage to do what was right, even though she knew she would have to, sooner or later, if she ever wanted to be someone other than the antagonist she had finally seen herself for. Why was it always so hard to just say that you were wrong and ask for forgiveness? With one last deep breath, Elaine raised her hand, and knocked on Abigail's door, twice. "Abigail? Are you in there? I'd um...I'd like to talk to you about something." She had offered herself up. Now it was time to see if she would even give her the time of day. It was possible Abigail wasn't even in her room at the moment, and that she would either have to go looking for her, or try again later. It was also possible that Abigail was so bitter towards her that she wouldn't even give her the time of day. Still, she had to try. "S-sorry if this is a bad time, but it's...not something that I think should wait." Abigail hadn't been in her room for all that long. She'd finished up her business with Chris, and then after had decided to have a few goes in the sims herself. Then the plan had been for a bit of R&R alone time in her room, but Abby was quickly souring on that idea fast, as her mind wandered to unbidden places. A distraction was just what the doctor ordered, and she'd indeed been starting to think about revisiting her earlier idea of an infirmary visit when a knock had come to her door. Good enough, if people are coming to her instead, that should still be... Oh, Elaine's voice. Well, if that wasn't the quickest way to pop an excitement bubble, Abigail was pretty strapped coming up with a less appealing one. Still, it was probably better than being alone with her thoughts, and no point pretending she wasn't in and hoping she'd go away. Opening the door a crack, Abby peered out at the red head a little distrustful, and it probably showed clearly on her face. "Could be worse," she admitted, "But I'm not sure it's the timing to blame." Giving the girl another, closer look, Elaine appeared... conflicted? Uncomfortable? Well, if she hadn't forced Doyle to wait out in the hall while they talked, Abby wasn't gonna stick that on this guest either. Heaving a bit of a sigh, Abigail swung the door the rest of the way open, muttered, "Whatever you want," then shrugged as she turned her back to the girl and headed back deeper into her room. If the other girl wanted to talk, she'd follow. And follow she did. Elaine walked deeper into the room and found herself a seat. Silence followed, as the words that she wished to say seemed to get caught in her throat. Elaine could sense the irritation from Abigail, despite not even being a telekinetic, herself. Oh to hell with it...Just say it! ”I wanted to say that...I’m sorry.” Elaine finally looked at Abigail after having turning her head away in shame. “I acted like a complete bitch to you and demanded you ‘redeem yourself’ without actually knowing how to do that, and I put off the competition we settled on for no reason other than...I don’t know. Laziness?” She paused, and took a breath. The lump in her chest was still present. “I was angry. And that doesn’t excuse how I acted, nor should it. So, I’m sorry.” ”And...” Elaine paused again, this time thinking on her words. Then, she sighed. “There’s no way to say this without looking like an asshole. As if I already don’t. ...I know we just got ourselves a new robot, courtesy of me screaming into the comm system,” She blushed in embarrassment. “But, that...Ooooooh!” Elaine began ruffling her hair and scratching her head in frustration with herself. “What I’m trying to say is ‘you can have it back.’ I took your Heracles, and I can’t apologize enough for that. So, won’t pilot it anymore. I don’t want any competition, any argument, I just...want to give back what I stole. And say I’m sorry for taking it in the first place, and for how I acted towards you.” There. It was out in the open, and now, whatever harsh words Abigail had for her, she was going to take it. Or at least try to. Abigail cocked her head and raised an eyebrow when Elaine finally choked out what she'd come to talk about. How was she supposed to feel about this? "Heh, yeah, you were a right proper cunt. Kudos for finally pulling your head out of your ass and realizing, I guess." That... was a little harsh, yes, but fuck if she didn't deserve it. Abby had to bite her lip hard and focus on the teachings from Megumi's book instead of letting her anger and her upset spill things further out of control. Like, bitch please. You're only giving it back now? After you've caught 'grass is greener' syndrome with the shiniest new model to come along? At least she was giving it back. "Well, fuck. I guess I should be grateful, but it's kinda hard," Abigail shifted her weight, putting a hand on her hip, looking down on the seated redhead. "Still, it takes helluva lotta guts to just bare it all like this to someone you clearly hate, to come and put everything the line, out in the open. Being serious here, I didn't think you had it in you." Shaking her head, she walked over to Elaine and held out her hand. "Just... Don't ever fuck me like that again. Okay?" Try though she might, it was impossible to keep the glare out of her eyes. "I don't hate you." She said, looking away, again. "I definitely don't want to hate you. And, I know that it looks...terrible of me to try and just give it back after what happened. But, until now, I didn't have a robot that I was...so desperate to get back. So emotionally invested in. So, when that happened, I had this realization. One that I honestly should of had the moment you asked me. I just-" No. No excuses. Elaine looked back to see a hand outstretched. She stood up and took it, shaking it to the best of her ability. "I promise. So...Whatever things, nasty or otherwise, you wanna say to me...Just say it. I'm a bitch. I'm a cunt. Whatever it is, I deserve it." Was that really how she was going to mend things. To let herself be the verbal punching bag in this situation? Hell, it would possibly make the situation worse. Elaine was silent in her thoughts, trying to come up with something else to say to Abigail. "...Listen, I know you probably hate me, right now. But-" This would not end well. At all. "I wanna try again. I wanna try and get off on the right foot this time. I mean, yeah, first impressions are important, and mine was...fucking awful." She was a schoolyard bully apologizing of her own accord, but no words could ever make it seem genuine enough to the person she wronged. She sighed. "Can we start over? I'd...I'd like to try and be friends, despite everything. If you don't want to, I understand, completely. I just-" I just don't wanna be alone, anymore. "Ahahaha, friends..." Abby chortled, and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. A good joke. But the look on the redhead's face... "Oh shit, you're serious? Damn, you need Megumi's book more than I do, if I'm your first choice for a friend." Wait... that's actually a brilliant idea. She fired off a quick text to the doctor, , then turned her attention back to Elaine. "Look, epiphany or not, your asshole behaviour went well beyond 'first impressions'. Maybe not quite to bullying or actual abuse, but it was pretty fucked," Abigail paused and scowled. "This apology gets you to the point where I'm not actively wishing you trip, mess up, fail, or whatever, and maybe some day things'll get to the point where we have a good-natured rivalry going--see who can down more bogeys, create the bigger enemy explosion, shit like that. But fuck?" She threw her hands up in the air. "I can't possibly see me coming to you for fashion advice, or to rant about relationship troubles. You need a friend? A bestie? It ain't gonna be me, unless we're like the two last people on earth." Abigail frowned and shook her head, "If finally feeling just a portion of what I've been dealt has turned you to this, then by god, I hope you never get the full dose. You'd never make it." Abby was starting to genuinely pity the woman, and she didn't like the way that sat with her. "Maybe there's some other sucker out there who needs you. Good luck with that." It hurt. It hurt far more than anything she could have prepared for in the moment. She had tried to make amends and start on a clean slate, but only her apology was accepted by Abigail, who now berated her for even daring to suggest that they could become friends. And the choice of words she gave to her proved that her slate could never be cleaned. It wasn't as if she was suggesting they would be best friends, though that seems to be the way Abigail had taken it. Regardless, her answer was clear, even if it stung. And sting, oh how it did. Even if Abigail wouldn't say it outright, Elaine still felt that the blonde hated her, and there was little she could ever do to change that. It felt hopeless to even try. What you've been dealt? ...What about what I've been dealt? Even if she, herself, had said that she would accept any harsh words, Elaine couldn't believe that she was deserving of it. And even if Abigail's life was so much harsher than her own, would that mean that all of her conflict and strife was meaningless to begin with? Did anything that happened to her, anything that she was going through, mean anything? ...Should she even tell her? It was likely that Abigail either wouldn't care, or just laugh. Elaine nearly mouthed the words 'You could never understand. You'd never care.' at Abigail, but stopped herself. After such a verbal beating, there was nothing she could say, except the same phrase that anyone said. "I'm sorry." Despite how genuine she was, despite how much she put into it, the words now meant nothing more than just the squeak of a girl who couldn't even muster up the anger to fight back. She couldn't even look her in the eye, anymore. When even standing in the same room as Abigail, Elaine just felt like nothing about her mattered. With her massive favor with the captain compared to her terrible standing, it was a miracle she hadn't even been replaced and sent away. She couldn't take much more, sitting here. The feeling in her chest, instead of shrinking, now enlarged, threatening to choke her if it grew any further. She stood, and walked out the door of the room, leaving Abigail alone. Edited February 8, 2018 by Dandragon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 "Give someone ... a book ..." Megumi tapped her finger against her desk repeatedly as she tried to decipher the text she'd gotten from Abigail. A lecture was playing on the screen and admittedly pulling a fair bit of her attention, despite how incredibly boring it was. Fortunately, Megumi believed it wasn't just some random old book. It must have been something relevant to Abigail. She had given her a particular book to help her in winning over the crew. Did she think someone else needed a copy? Amusing. Aside from the 'whom,' Megumi felt she had more or less decoded the message. That just left texting back her guess and seeing if she passed Abigail's impromptu text challenge. Elaine was still assigned to Abigail's Heracles for some reason, so there was probably something unpleasant going on there. There was also Chris, though Megumi didn't know how much the two had interacted yet, if at all. Nikolai was right out. No matter how foul mouthed and abrasive he could be sometimes, Abigail wasn't going to make that kind of suggestion while he was sitting in a SIEG tank, completely dead on the inside, and fairly close to dead on the outside. Erring on the side of probability, Megumi sent back 'Elaine?', and then returned to her lecture. She made a mental note to check in with Nikolai again, soon. Make sure he wasn't soaking in too much of that nihilism. That stuff would kill him, someday. Firmia was about ready to get back to work, so she made her intentions known. "Okay Tonya, go ahead and get things in the cockpit however you need them for the mission," she instructed, "Also sweep the Reign's cockpit for bugs. I'm going to be sending you out, first. It might be tonight or sometime in the morning, but that's the latest, I think." "Wait-wait-wait," Tonya interjected, "what about this whole 'null alliance,' thing? It's not the best time for me to be checking up on some investor when you're about to jump ship." "So we really might be leaving?" Sasha asked, looking just a little worried. He didn't like their chances. The transport they came to America on was fast, well armored, and well defended, and it still got blown out of the sky. "Hmm, why don't you and the captain sit down and have a heart to heart? I know her style is pretty hit or miss outside of fights, but it couldn't hurt to try and sort out your issues with her." "I alread-grgh ..." Firmia clinched her teeth. Thinking back to that meeting was still infuriating. She regretted ever speaking two words to that woman. "I already wasted too much time and energy on that. It all comes down to her superiors, now. I wouldn't get my hopes up, though." She figured whomever she wound up speaking to wouldn't think much of the conflict aboard the ship, not with the Riese's shining track record on full display. If the only suggestion they had to keep things going was to simply 'trust Jessica,' Firmia doubted she would be able to keep herself composed, and could even see herself immediately trying to walk out of the meeting right then and there. She hated going through with the ruse, but her trust was already broken. On that note, Firmia couldn't help but notice the newfound negativity in her forecast. It was too influenced by anger, right now. There was a chance she could at least get ahead financially with the ANF's help. It would be better to wait and see if things were really as useless as they seemed, or if there wasn't a way to turn things somewhat in her favor. There was plenty of time for fire and fury after negotiations fell through. Letting go of some of that fury in a long sigh, Firmia concluded, "If you have suggestions that don't involve her, I'm happy to hear them." Sasha already had a new suggestion in mind, but didn't want to get into it, just yet. Instead, he wanted to let it develop in the back of his mind for a while and bring it up once it once he had a clearer picture. "Need to think on it some. Later, maybe," he replied, looking briefly at Cheryl. ((11:15 PM Russians and Ukrainian later on.)) A machine? Despite Galatea's assessment, not much seemed truly impossible to Brant anymore. Hell, if Firmia had been in on this brief sleuthing of theirs, she might have concluded that Jessica really was the mole in the meeting room, an android placed in the ANF ahead of Apotheosis' invasion for yada yada .... It almost made sense, but there were a few too many holes they didn't have time to fully address. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised," Brant admitted, "even if that did turn out to be the case ... but the captain aside, this means Hannah's not modeled after Tabitha's daughter. The template might have been someone else then ... assuming there was a template." ... Brant eventually had to get to work on the project Firmia had given him. He was hoping he could have the basic skeleton in place by morning, and fill in the gaps with trial data, but that all seemed rather up in the air as midnight approached. The system wasn't a quarter finished, and it was already more complex than A1 or A2, and Brant hadn't even gotten around to outbound communications and the like. It was his most difficult project, to date. He almost chuckled a few times, thinking about how he was doing all of this gratis. Then again, that couldn't be true. Brant could feel his motivation growing as time went on. It was subtle, but more importantly, it wasn't simply the prospect of a new accomplishment driving him. It was the fact that Firmia needed him to do it. Brant wasn't going to ask for payment, but he did hope his work here would help ease tensions with her. Firmia had changed since joining the Riese. It was only natural, given she was in a war now, but it was more than that. She used to force him to stay close by, almost like a bodyguard. Brant really appreciated her stunt during the copiloting episode now that it was behind them. Embracing the arrangement had been so easy in the end, and now Brant understood why. Being his copilot, trying to keep him alive in the air, despite the danger, that was as close as Firmia would ever allow herself to get to him now. It was probably thanks to Rex's notes. It was also probably time for a break ... Brant leaned back into his chair, away from his work, and stretched, hoping to loosen up his arms. "I'm going to take ten, I think ... I've been at it too long and my head's starting to wander too much." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Fooooooooood Donning a blanket from the bed, wrapping it nice and tight around herself to stay cozy, Christina nodded. "Sure~ Whatever you'd like. Don't mind me, just a bit chilly after the shower, wanna stay nice and warm. Mmm, what's on your mind then, Kim?" It was pretty late now, probably something light, whatever that ended up being. "Maybe I could have some cereal... Maybe... But it is really late, and I'm already... Well, I'm, not exactly... Hmm." There was no easy to say she was trying to watch her weight just a bit, and after having this one night of shoveling popcorn, getting something else on top of that felt like a bad idea. I'll just let Kim eat something. Hopping over to her door, she nodded. "Let's go!" Visiter Galatea had gone pretty quiet after their small conversation on Hannah, templates, and Tabitha. She almost looked like she'd fallen asleep, her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving, having half laid down on her little cloud... But as soon as Brant spoke about taking ten, it was like she'd never stopped talking. "If you're going to take a break, I think you have someone here who wants to come and see you." As if on queue, Brant's communicator popped up with a message. 'I took a break from assisting Sasha, Brant, and was wondering if you wished to get something to eat. You have been hard at work! It would be good for you to take a break.' "Miss almost human, right on queue. Mmmm, one moment..." It actually was more like a second, before Galatea disappeared from Brant's screen, without a word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Chilly, huh? Well, Christina didn't seem to feel in the mood to eat, herself... which could end up being awkward. Being the only one eating was never fun... still, stepping over to the blonde, Kim wrapped her arm around her waist through the blanket, giving her a gentle squeeze and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Okay... let's go." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 It was decidedly nighttime, on almost any other day Tarquin would have been asleep. He wasn't entirely sure if it was his mind trying to process everything that had happened or the shift in timezones, but he was still very much awake. A week ago he would have been hard pressed to find himself driving two hours just to wander around a shopping centre, but again, that's where he'd ended up. Nikolai was still back at the ship and there was a sense of something lacking as he stepped into the main hall. Despite the state of the world and the attack by Apotheosis and their extraterrestial allies, the mall was reasonably busy. Almost all of them were likely military personnel or their relatives, but the scene gave him a sense of normality. In some parallel universe, he could picture himself wasting his evenings with the likes of Nikolai and Makoto. Looking at items they could probably never afford, causing mischief and recalling their adventures at school the next day. It wasn't an existence that was his own, but the fantasy was rather pleasant. To the crowd around him, he was just a normal boy, not a genetically engineered killing machine, his fantasy could almost be true. It would only be for one night, but he could be just like everyone else. He could escape being Pinocchio and have some time away from his strings. The signs and posters around him were still foreign, none of the names were familiar at all, unfortunately companies . Food wasn't on his agenda, his experience with space fried chicken had been enough for him. Young people seemed to be gravitating towards Cold Topic. As far as he could see, it dealt with clothing but beyond that it was anyone's guess. Even if he didn't make a purchase, it would give him some sort of insight into his age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Aliza stepped out of the car. To be honest the two hours just flew by with their chat. At least to her. She gets lost in conversation all the time, and to be honest Elaine wasn't half had to look at. The nice conversation and car ride actually worked to Elaine's favor, for she has received a score upgrade. Aliza jotted down her revised score from a 6.5 to a 7. Very nice! "Oh sure. I'm pretty starved actually." She agreed while she closed the book on that chapter. "I'm good with just about anything but I love burgers and fries. Kinda basic yeah but ya know. Can't beat what works." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) "If you're that hungry, maybe we should stop by the food court, first thing?" Elen said with a chuckle. She had seen Aliza pull out that notebook a few times, but has never actually seen what the brunette writes down in it. Not that it's her place to pry. If she was jotting things down on a little notebook, she would hope others would give the same courtesy. "Burgers and fries, huh? I've been eating a lot of those lately. Might get something a bit different, myself. ...Aaaaah, we'll see when we get there. Come on." Elaine turned and walked toward the food court, instead. The food court's own selection of food wasn't much different from the Riese's, but there were people stationed there to actively serving food, or at least preparing it. Elaine had decided to get herself another burger, in the end. Guess she wasn't starting a diet that soon. Oh well, exercise could burn off that fat. "So...I think I saw a movie theater back there. You know any good films that came out, recently? I haven't been keeping up." Edited February 10, 2018 by Dandragon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) Abigail had sent back another text, letting Megumi know her guess had been spot on, and then spent some time tinkering around. While she hadn't exactly been waiting up for Jess's message, it hadn't been entirely unexpected either. While the captain had been acting a little... oddly during the day, given the facets of their relationship, both spoken and unspoken, their next conversation was a sooner rather than later thing. But with how tied up in the arrival, and all the official business that surely entailed--even with the Chris revelations, Abigail had eventually settled on letting the other girl pick when the time was right for this one. Firing off a crystal clear explanation, , Abby began packing up the tools and putting them away, giving a friendly wave to the few mechanics still hard at work that she passed by on her way to the lifts. Maybe she could squeeze in a quick shower before Jess showed up? Edited February 10, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) Black Wind (August 2nd, 1245 PST, Northwestern Utah) Spoiler Completely exhausted, Carlos dropped down on a chair, relieved at being out of his mech's upper body. Dangling around in a cockpit while carried by another machine was a completely different feeling to regular piloting. Worse, he'd developed a sort of headache. Thankfully they were safe in these walls, another building taken by Apotheosis during the attack. This infantry base had been easy to secure: in general, they were the easiest. Unfortunately they didn't hold much space for the purpose of mobile suits, so their strategical uses were for temporary rests at best. Leaving the mobile suits out exposed was the last thing they needed. Carlos picked up his communicator, sighing profusely. That had been a terrible skirmish, losing too many clones, and the aliens did not even stick around to help. We had the power. They underestimated me and now we're all going to pay. The ANF isn't going to let that slide. His foot was tapping the ground anxiously as he worked out his frustration. Not only had he barely avoided death thanks to his acquaintance, he was also desperate to find out what they were going to do about the Riese now. It's all their fault. Those stupid high-and-mighty cats. Gritting his teeth, the Apotheosis Intermediate chose one of the group's secure lines to establish a call to one competent enough authority that would help him get things sorted out: Lieutenant Thomas Laine. "Dunch, please help Nivas ensure our perimeters." Carlos called out to the fellow Intermediate that helped him down the suit, still waiting on the call to be answered. "Grab some rations inside first, we're still a long ways from our destination. I'm going to take your co-pilot seat if you don't mind." He wasn't about to spend more hours dangling around inside half of the Rhea, that's for sure. A short moment of static tipped Carlos in that the call was received. "Who is this?" A voice came out from the other end, it was Laine alright, Carlos could tell, even if it was distorted, Laine always asked first, expecting a quick response in the freak chance that one of the communicators happened to reach the wrong hands. "It's me, Intermediate Santana, sir. Reporting from my rendezvous with the Sacarians. We made contact with them, but they left without us. In fact, the whole mission was a mess. We encountered the Heion Riese before the Sacarians, and the ensuing skirmish wiped out my troops. Only two intermediates and I survived: Nivas and Dunch are with me. Joker was killed in action." He took a breath, mostly because he'd already said a mouthful, but the fact a comrade in arms died still affected him some. "The Sacarians showed up and took some of the heat from us, specifically, they seemed interested in the Artemis. However they let the suit escape, and once it entered the Heion Riese, they left and told me to do the same." The fact they just dumped him to die still bit at his pride, Carlos still couldn't wrap his mind around that. "We should do something about the Heion Riese as soon as possible, Lieutenant. It's clear that the Sacarians underestimate the opposition. I was able to take one of their prototypes down and landed a missile volley on the Riese to great effect. If the Sacarians had remained, we'd have won the battle, and probably the war." He was especially forward on the last part, it was intolerable to him that the Sacarians allowed the Riese to overpower his group. "Ah... Hello, Carlos~." Thomas' tone was rather laid-back compared to the stress-filtered form that Carlos was holding himself to. It was almost as if the Lieutenant was distracted, even. "Hmm, hmm. So Joker died, huh? That's a shame. Never want to see an Intermediate go that soon." Laine had mellowed by now, but there was still something about his tone that bothered the Intermediate. "Now, I know you're not going to like it, but the aliens did fine. Your mission was not to defeat the Riese, but to keep track of them, the fact the Riese crew made contact with them is bothersome... you should have sacrificed some of your troops and made and escape. We give you so many clones in Cressidas and Hunters for a reason." Carlos tensed in his seat, gritting his teeth. "Lieutenant, this is not a joke. They flanked us and our Hyperions were the first to go, but still, we would match their firepower if the aliens were there. We should talk with the aliens--" "The point is not to break the Riese, man." Laine interjected, unexcited by his subordinate's complaints. "It's a state-of-the-art ship, we've already got so much info on it. It's just more profitable to take that thing for ourselves than to break it and make our own. Shit is hell of a bill to make, and we can't really custom-make the final key that gets the engine rolling, either." Carlos was confused by the statement, almost forcing a protest, but the Lieutenant kept going. "Well, I mean, maybe we can now, but that's gonna cost more than the ship itself, and that doctor is going to go nuts... anyways, you shouldn't worry about fighting the ship anymore, okay? You should be proud, you did better than the other people who fought it. Way better than that jock Schmidt. Hell, I bet even Vera would be jealous." The words felt almost outrageous to Carlos, now staring at the floor in an attempt to find this emotions. How were they so... confident, that the Riese was all but in their hands? "Three spies don't make a mutiny on their own, we're going to have to fight the Riese crew sooner or later. We can't take them lightly at all." Carlos insisted, putting his foot on the ground (metaphorically and not). In all the scenarios he ran in his head, the moles would be overpowered, unless they could bring in Apotheosis reinforcements into the ship. That was a bit ambitious. "If we get close to the Riese, they're going to notice abnormal behavior, and now that they're joining up with forces in the ANF's military HQ, it's going to be hard to snatch it from their fingers. The ANF covets that ship." "The spies are more relevant than you think. I know you have a history of losing subordinates to the Riese, but don't take it seriously, they were mostly clones. Avoid it, like I'm saying. They may have some good security, but we've got a Vera. It'll all go according to plan when the time is right." Laine seemed confident in his claims despite Carlos' begging to reconsider, it was starting to grind at the Intermediate's gears. Carlos really wanted to understand where the Lieutenant was coming from, but the Lieutenant was just giving him crumbs. "We really shouldn't send all our talents up the Riese's way until we've prepared to take it over, anyways. Just go meet Vera and wait until then, okay? I bet you're raring to sink that ship, but it's a bad idea on your own. Besides, you really shouldn't be afraid of the ANF at this point. We just need more help teaching the EU to stay in their square right now." Right, Laine'd been tasked with keeping southeast Asia and Australia under heavy fire. Were things heating up there? It was hard to think the EU would be the one giving them a rough time, Laine was a scary pilot to face, maybe scarier than Vera on that confounding machine of his. "...Lieutenant, can you at least contact the Commander for me? I want to discuss these matters with her. I think we should push the Riese takeover sooner than later. Even without you, I think it's possible. We overestimate that ship." If they weren't budging, maybe they still could be bargained to hurry with their plan. Carlos was more than able, and he bet if Fatima were there they'd have done a lot of irreparable damage to the prototypes. It just didn't make sense to lose so many resources to let that thing fly scot-free. He was able, Vera was able, they should just take it now. Carlos could hear the Lieutenant audibly sigh on the other end of the call, he was clearly tired and burdened with his own worries, but Carlos needed at least this much. "I guess... you also helped me when you shot down those Feds in the jets, since they were coming over, so I'll do that much for you. Just listen to Vera from now on, okay? She's the one you're gonna work with the most right now." A small victory, Carlos would have smiled in relief if the headache wasn't so bothersome. "I really need to go, so... anything else, please refer to her from now on." "Roger, I'll meet her soon. Until next time." Over. So that was it... Carlos sighed, wishing his chair was just a bit more comfortable so he could lean against it, alas. After a brief rest, they'd be off to meet Vera. Hopefully their fights with the Riese would ease up now. --- Golden Pit (1725 PST, Heion Riese on its way to Central) Spoiler Just in time. Roxanna had hurried to make contact with Central of her own as soon as Tristan gave her the heads up. Finally, after all these days of trouble... Come on, uncle, please answer. She sighed, wondering the many things her uncle could think of her. Would he still be pissed off about the previous call, not in a secure channel, or would he at least be happy that the Riese had survived and was closing in. "...Iese? Heion Riese, do you hear me?" The voice of her uncle finally was caught, full and true, in the secure channel. Roxanna breathed a sigh of relief, it was going through, finally. "This is Alphonse, I've received a call, are you on your way?" "Un-- Admiral Alphonse." Roxanna started, fighting away her hesitation with a sharp breath. "It's me, Executive Officer Martinson. We've been trying to contact HQ for a while now. We've come in contact with Apotheosis a few times, but the ship is safe." "...Ah, I see. That is good to know." Roxanna could tell the flatness of her uncle's tone at the first sound, her expression almost soured as she caught on. He was still pretty done with her, after all of that. It brought that sinking feeling of worthlessness and being a joke back, that Roxanna though was long gone after she took this job. "Is the Captain there, or did she entrust you to handle the status report?" Always with that stupid pipsqueak... Roxanna was biting down her lip, only not enough to draw blood out for the sake of avoiding pain. What a mess she'd become... it was hard to hold back and respond to her uncle with that continuous treatment... but she had nobody else that remotely cared for her, anymore. "I-- No, sorry. She left the bridge soon after our most recent skirmish... about 6 hours ago. One prototype mobile suit was shot down. The pilot was recovered but his condition is critical, which I'm sure affected her. She couldn't bear to pilot after the fact." It was a right mess, "That said, apart from a velite being destroyed but with its pilot surviving. We've suffered no casualties since reaching earth. We are on our way to Central." "She was shocked? I see." Roxanna couldn't help but notice the amount of attention her uncle gave to the Captain again. Bothersome. "That's good information. I'll keep it in my records for now. I will talk with Captain Gefalscht when the time is right. That said, I may have a job for you, Officer Martinson." That took Roxanna by surprise, something he actually wanted from her? He was not a man to jest, so what was it? "I heard you have... recruited some people since the colony attack. I want you to give me a summary of them, all you know. If I ask this of Jessica, almost certainly she will be hesitant to divulge." Roxanna couldn't help but ask the first thing that came to her mind. "What do you plan to do with this? We don't have full details on the voluntary rebels. It would be a brief description, name and summary at best. Is this enough?" She could imagine plenty of reasons to warrant keeping tabs on the rebels and former Apotheosis member, but right now the war demanded much more attention. It was hardly the time... unless one or more of them were the mole, but Roxanna was pretty sure the top brass wasn't privy to that yet... were they? "That should be enough. Thank you." That hadn't answered her questions, but before Roxanna could speak up and call that out, the Admiral had more to say. "The remains of the jets were confirmed this noon... you should think about your future soon. Your father's estate is worth a lot, you could probably quit and make a living just from its worth, if you wish." It was a weird thing for her uncle to suggest... no, more like it felt horrible, but it was congruent with his previous actions. Did he really think that little of her now...? "Uncle... I'm not doing that. I'm sticking here, unless you drag me out or she fires me." Roxanna bit her lip again, her eyes fighting back the tears. Humiliating, for sure, but she wasn't going to give up the last bit of pride she still had. It was worth more to be an Executive Officer than an inheritance leech. Roxanna had failed again and again, but she still wanted to cling for dear life. At least for this sense of worth. "I'm not... I'm not going anywhere. I can help. I'm proving it. So, please." It left an awful taste for sure, to beg like this, but Roxanna was finally realizing the few options she had left. "...That will be up to Jessica, then. I'll have you know: I put you there to help her learn the ropes. You were never intended to become the Captain of the Riese, so that was no misunderstanding." Alphonse put it very bluntly, in a way Roxanna couldn't help but flinch, feeling her remaining pride being struck harder than ever. "She is important, and it was my final decision that gave her the spot. If you try to boycott her, undermine her as a Captain, you will jeopardize everything we've been working towards. That's why I cannot accept your previous behavior. I'll keep mind of your current willingness, but as I said, it's up to Jessica. If it's too little too late, you only have yourself to blame. Over." And with a beep, the conversation she so longed for had ended. More pointless than she hoped for... --- Alphonse's Decisions (Moments after arrival, ANF HQ) Spoiler Jess walked through the halls of Central's main building, feeling rather comfortable to be back... But not wasn't the time for comfort. Now was the time to talk. She spoke to reception, and a few other soldiers on her way through the halls, before stumbling into Alphonse... On his way downstairs. "Admiral..." Now that she was faced with him once again, Jess was at a loss for words. The questions were floating about her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. Instead, what came out, was a salute, and a hurried, "how are you?" --- Alphonse hit the flight of stairs at a brisk pace, having just left his office in the second floor. For an athletic man like him, it was simply faster than taking the elevator, even in such a formal uniform. He'd caught himself a couple steps after hitting the ground floor, nearly crashing against the poor, minute captain at a turn of the hallways. "Captain Gefalscht! I was just going to greet your group." The timing was apt, indeed. It seemed that Jessica had something to tell him, but it got stuck in her throat. Wait... oh? The admiral couldn't help a smile as he contained his chuckle. "As good as I can be in the middle of a rough war, Captain. At least I am in perfect health. How about you? Has your crew been treating you nicely?" --- "S-Sorry, and... That's good. The crew? Er, they've, been treating me fine, I..." Jess took a deep breath. She didn't even have her stutters anymore, this should be easy. "I wanted to talk to you. In private. About a few things... Your, niece included." Jess hoped that wasn't too direct, but it was important to get this aired out. Roxanna was helpful when she wasn't being so self minded, maybe Alphonse had some clue to things. "That, and... Just, about the war. About where the ship is headed next. About... Me being captain. There's a lot I want to know. I'm sorry, if that's asking for too much... Sir." --- "Hmm, my niece? I see." It was hard to not take notice of that first, especially having had a harsh talk with Roxanna only hours later. "Of course, I should have time for that, right now." Still, it was impressive that the girl was handling herself much better today than the last time they met. Certainly a lot had happened, but it still had only been days. The memory of her nervous self back in Dry Lake had been corrected to an aspiring Captain, one who was learning to handle the authority. "I understand you must have some doubts in a high stress environment. Nobody expects war right as they finish their training, still, you and your crew did a good job so far." He extended his hand behind him, motioning to the stairs. "Should we go to my office, then? It's on the second floor, but I expect it to be more comfortable than standing around here." --- "Your office sounds fine, Admiral... I just... I suppose not. I still don't understand why I was picked, thought," she started, as they began going back up the stairs for Alphonse's office. "There were so many more qualified captains ready for fielding, a-and even if there wasn't suddenly a war, wouldn't it be better for me to learn from a Kraken class, or... I, I just can't understand what you were all thinking. Sure, we're succeeding, but... I feel like someone more suited to this could've done more." --- "Hmm..." That crippling self-doubt was still there after all. Understandable, it wouldn't be a sudden burst of confidence, as if everything in the girl's brain would click. No, he had to give her time... and reason. "The Riese is a very special ship. None of our captains would be readily familiar with the Riese at their first mission. You could certainly make a case that some of them would have more experience, but I think a younger pilot would be able to adapt to the ship's quirks faster, even if they aren't that experienced in commanding it. Surely you have noticed?" A glance past her, a reassuring smile. "How adaptive a Captain is is not a grade during captain school, but we can assert that from their history nonetheless. The Riese is a powerful ship which might enable tactics we never before thought of. And who better to master the ship than the 'two-shot wonder'?" A brief chuckle, they'd reached the second floor while Alphonse was explaining his motives. "Perhaps you think I have too much faith in you, but I reassure it is founded. We've not been blind to the rising tensions, despite the war, and throughout your first mission you have the space fleet surrounding the perimeter. If you were to pose a risk Captaining that ship, we'd have stopped the mission and held you up to a reassignment, but you haven't proven me wrong so far." And there they were, at the office's entrance. With a swipe of his ID, the Admiral opened the door, extending his arm in a friendly manner. "Ladies first." --- "I... I guess I haven't, but that doesn't mean I'm a good captain." Really, a lot of Jess' accomplishments could be chalked up to her crew and some good luck more than actual skill at captaining the ship. Whatever Alphonse was seeing in her was beyond her imagination. And two shot wonder... Surely there was a captain in the ANF that was a one shot wonder, no? Why would two shots be a good thing? That meant missing once, most times... Wasn't that a bad thing? She couldn't wrap her mind around it, but it didn't seem like Alphonse had more of an answer for her. Stepping in with a salute, Jess sat in what she assumed was a guest chair on the opposite side of his desk, trying to figure out how to word this without hurting the admiral. "I... We need to discuss Roxanna." That was the easiest way to put it, and to start things, but where to go from here...? "There really is no easy way for me to say this, but she's been trouble since day one. She just... Doesn't think I have what it takes to captain the Riese, and while I have my reservations, I can't see her as a better head, any day of the week. I just... I just want her to work with me, instead of against me. The few times she's swallowed her pride, she's been a great asset to the bridge and the crew, but she goes behind my back so often, doesn't tell me things, challenges my command, it's... I don't know what to do with her. She didn't even tell me she'd contacted you through an unsecured line until after an important meeting the next day! I..." Did Alphonse even have an answer for this? --- Alphonse's few reasons hadn't convinced Jessica, a loss he would have to take. She didn't truly understand the scope of her achievements, and certainly overestimated other fledgling ANF Captains. "I guarantee you, it will make sense as you grow accustomed to captaining." Not all could be said at once, after all... that was enough of that topic. As they entered the room, Jessica quickly shifted to a predictable subject, his niece. "Ah," That took a bit of joy away from the old man, a melancholic smile forced its way, nonetheless. Ever polite, still, Alphonse pulled over a chair for the aspiring captain. "Please, take a seat." Now, where to start... "I really expected more of my niece, but she was too blinded by pride to realize her predicament. She did contact me through an insecure line. I wasn't happy about that, and tried to be blunt. Has she remained rebellious this past day? Once she contacted me, I filled her in with... heavy news, personal ones." It wouldn't do if even news as bad as what she got hadn't stopped her from rebelling against Jessica. "I must apologize, I thought she was better than this, but I did give her a warning once she contacted me --securely this time--, as you reached our airspace. You get the final say on her career." He stressed the last point sternly, "She wasn't going to see another ship after her last was decommissioned, I don't know if you heard about that. I think she might be in shock over her personal news, but if she has become such a burden, it's your decision." The admiral certainly had a dreading feeling of disappointment as he talked of his niece. --- Bad news? What could possibly be ailing her? She was living in the lap of luxury, as far as Jess was concerned. Respectable name, prestigious rank despite failures, uncle to rely on as long as she didn't push the line... She just had to figure out how not to push that line, Jess supposed. "No, not the past few days... I suppose whatever news you told her calmed her down. It's just... Before all of that. She, we... We even had a fight. She slapped me, I hit her back, it... It wasn't pretty." Jess could still vividly remember the blood trickling out of Roxanna's mouth, though she had no idea how she'd hit the woman that hard. "I get the final say, do I..." Jess sighed, placing her face in her hands for a moment before sliding them onto her cheeks. "Then... I guess she can stay. She's helpful, and I don't expect many available XOs to respect my age out of the gate. She didn't, but... Maybe she'll turn around. I don't know. I just know that if this is her last chance, I want her to make the most of it, instead of making early mistakes. I'll... I'll see if I can talk to her." Was that the right choice? Maybe not. She sighed. "There's a few other things, but those are probably best discussed in the meeting with Commander Vance. Need to deal with the Russians, and a few other important details..." Like the moles. --- "I see... if that is your choice." To be honest, Alphonse was expecting the dismissal of his niece right then. Guess she hadn't messed it up as hard as the reports implied? Well, as long as Jessica was sure about it. "If she ever assaults you physically again, though, please tell me. I wasn't informed of that." That was alarming, the Admiral was holding back a frown as Jessica spoke of it, but it was still clear how much worse that made his niece seem. "Ah, the Russians... This is about the young Alkaev girl, right? From what we gathered, the Kremlin seems to be struggling plenty with Apotheosis, but I agree: This is a talk better left for Vance." Alphonse wasn't the one worrying about external relations, right now. He had a lot of work with keeping their last line of defense standing, already. "The Riese is in the center of our current plans, we'll be pouring more resources on your ship as soon as possible. I hope your mechanics won't mind some extra load." Not just mobile suits, this time, some extra human resources seemed warranted after the Riese's last casualty. Even with that said, Alphonse couldn't help an extra word of caution. "Be careful out there. Even if this is Central, you have a pretty big target on yourself for being the Riese's captain. Stay alert for any suspicious activities if you go outside." Even inside, things weren't that certain... but it wouldn't do to riddle Jessica with extra paranoia. --- "I will, don't worry... A-And, I see." Be careful? Wasn't this home base? What was there to worry about? Jess didn't really know, but there was one, final... Mildly embarrassing question. "Oh, u-uh... We recruited some enemy pilots, as I noted in my reports... There's, no... Protocol against relationships with that sort of recruit... R-Right?" --- Alphonse... had to take a moment. His instant reaction was a blink of the eye, and an awkward pause. "Actually, I was informed of your recruits as well. I asked Roxanna for a debrief of their circumstances and names. So far, from what I looked up, they are interesting cases. Two rebels, and the missing daughter of former TCI CEO. Am I missing someone?" It was a very complicated topic to touch. Honestly, making their relationship with the Riese public was sure to send top brass into a riot. "My advice is not to relay the cooperation of the two rebels to the rest of HQ --actually, just send your reports to me, I'll handle it myself." They could have revised sentences if they were to serve, but whether the top brass wanted them to serve, and on the Riese no less, was a whole different story. That wasn't all that Jessica had touched on, though... "Relationships, though? I'm assuming you mean... romantic. That, I, oh boy." The Admiral had to excuse himself, picking up a handkerchief from his desk to swipe the sweat on his forehead. "Naturally we would advise against it, but there isn't a law prohibiting love, you know. They've all worked with Apotheosis, but technically only Christina Troy has direct involvement with them, so... if you're not talking about her, that makes things easier. You're still taking a risk, though, so my best advice is to keep it personal. The less public their life is, the better." What a prospect to handle, "Naturally, if they ever have plans to turn on the ANF again... we can't say your love life will go well with you as a captain for the federation." But that was more love advice than... anything, really. --- "No, not her, it... Was the rebel leader..." If Roxanna had already informed the admiral of who they'd brought on board, she didn't have to mention a name... Keeping things private from HQ, huh... "I can do that." It would be worth it, most likely, to do so. Alphonse had her best interests in mind, it seemed, so she committed that course to memory. "I know, but... She doesn't have anywhere else to go back to. I don't think she'll ever join the ANF, but, I can argue her away from a sentence. She's been on the frontlines with the rest of the Riese pilots... That doesn't excuse what she's done, but it certainly means she's paid her dues. Risking her lives for the lives that were taken through her actions... That's the right course of action, isn't it?" Jess didn't really know. Abigail and her men hadn't actively shot at anyone on the colony, it had been the apotheosis soldiers they'd been working with, but aiding in the crime was still a terrible offense. Hopefully when it came down to it, HQ would see her side of things. "If things are fine, then, I suppose I'll take my leave. I have a few more things to submit and check on before I get a break... Military life. You know how it is." He certainly did, and was probably dealing with far more than she was. --- With the Captain taking her leave, there wasn't much else he could add, so Alphonse simply nodded, dismissing and watching Jessica in silence until the door had closed behind her. "The right course of action, huh...?" If only we could tell the future. It was so intriguing to see such idealistic goals coming from her of all people. "A prodigy that believes so much in people... how interesting that these are her choices." Indeed, it was going to be more work for the old man, but he accepted it. --- Contemplation Roxanna had half a mind to leave the ship and go to the mall --a decent escape from HQ and all the awkwardness it was sure to bring her--, but she knew she had to be around for the meeting with Commander Vance and others. Missing that would probably mean the end of her career for good. Resigning herself to waiting in the ship, Roxanna had ended up in the cafeteria, having taken the rest of the bottle of wine Thorvald had gifted her earlier to enjoy a drink with some crackers. Mild appetizers. If anything, the lack of people around was a boon, she could decide to feel miserable without other people catching her. Not that they had a good opinion of her to begin with, probably. Everybody loved pipsqueak. Except maybe richsqueak. "Ugh..." The wine wasn't kicking in nearly as quickly as she hoped, Roxanna dropped her head on the table, eyes lazily staring at her glass as she let that bit of despair wallow her through the night. What do I do, now? If I'm kicked from the army... who's gonna want me? Politics is already out of question. The bitter possibility of surviving through her father's estate was too real. No, she had to be worth something more. She was a Martinson, she had to matter, and not just because she had lots of capital through inheritance... Midnight Mall Madness Honestly, Makoto really wasn't a night person, but with how the rest of the day had set up to be, he wasn't complaining about leaving the ship and taking a breath of fresh air, even if it was at this foreign nighttime. It'd do good to get his mother out there too, and contact some of their family members here in Earth about their situation, but she probably wanted to stay on the safe side. Still... the mall wasn't a horrible idea, if only to get himself in touch with society again. The last time Makoto and Mai went to a mall, a war had started and the building descended into chaos... but there was no point in being so negative! It wouldn't be that way this time! And with his mother incapacitated, it was a good time to get his driving skills back to speed. It really wasn't that hard considering how complex piloting a Phalanx was in comparison. The mall had been surprisingly lively inside, even if the parking lot wasn't overcrowded with cars. Perhaps a lot of people found that place to be a respite during this war. It made sense, with the ANF HQ not so far away. The area was relatively safe, and had most needs an average person would want covered. They even had extended hours for the sake of their newfound traffic. "So here we are. Probably most lively place we'll ever see around... so, you had a place in mind?" He turned back to his tag-along, Tarquin's sort-of-sibling, Talia. Since she was his new neighbour in the ship, Makoto figured he could ask her if she wanted to come --she never seemed to leave her room, after all--. It was kind of a surprise that she agreed at all, he wasn't sure if she was just too scared to say no, but here they were. "I want to check out if they have a bookstore, honestly. I think they have a Birch & Royals here." Edited February 10, 2018 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Firmia learned a few interesting things the last couple of hours. She was still playing around with Sasha's personal take on 'the force.' His ideas were more contrarian than she expected. They were also refreshingly simple, having the numerous forces and other phenomenon hammered down into just two main types, with a spastic hybrid as an important outlier: electricity. Operating from the premise that everything in the universe was one form of pressure mediation or another, without any prior study, was like diving into the deep end of a pool wearing sixty pounds of useless gear. Firmia had a pair of floaties, courtesy of Sasha, to help her get a feel for this pressure mediation worldview. In one hand, she held a magnet, and in the other, an identical magnet. She'd been positioning them close together from various positions as she made her way toward the Reign. A1 was following close behind her, its footfalls making their own distinct sound that Firmia was already beginning to associate with the little AI. "Like poles repel each other," Firmia murmured to herself, facing the two magnets close to each other, north against north. "Magnetic fields oppose each other in either configuration. They repel centrifugally when north meets north." She flipped both magnets over and pushed them close together, again. They still weren't interested in coming together. "... and they repel centripetally when south meets south." The two magnets snapped together instantly as she pitted north against south. "..." Firmia stopped in her tracks, having become completely absorbed in the experiment. Magnets snapping together was so ordinary, it almost wasn't worth thinking about. Likewise, the repulsion, while slightly novel, was something everyone encountered at least once in their life. Sasha had said something important during the mock up of that prototype device though, and funnily enough, the mock up just so happened to look like a flying saucer. That crucial remark of his was the reason Firmia was so preoccupied with these magnets during their short break. As mundane as these things were, somewhere herein lay the key to her immediate goal. "Remember--and I cannot stress this enough ... the only difference between gravity and magnetic attraction is field coherency. Gravity is incoherent. Magnets are coherent; note the vectors. If you want a good comparison, think of the difference between a light bulb and a laser. Alter the cogravitational field between an object and the Earth just right, and you get levitation. Apply enough power and you might never see that object again." Since Firmia wanted to do her own research as much as possible, she made sure Sasha stuck to the basics. Even then, it was obvious that he had a bone to pick with Einstein's corpse with regard to gravitation. Not that Firmia really cared, but it was bound to come up at some point. What was important was the concept. Equating these two magnets coming together with objects being held down by gravity was indeed crucial, because the magnets didn't just come together. They could likewise avoid each other like the plague. If that repulsive force could somehow be harnessed, scaled up, and controlled, her drones could be extremely mobile in combat. Sasha had warned Firmia early on though: the amount of power required for something larger than a person was almost prohibitive using this method. Given the nature of the pseudo V-drives used by the AMS units, drives that incorporated certain aspects of Sasha's method, the power draw suddenly made a lot more sense. It would take an ingenious design to overcome the problem, but the team had enough brainpower between them to figure it out. Noticing the Reign's legs in front of her again, Firmia glanced up to the open cockpit, and then followed the black cord all the way back down to the Reign's feet. The lift had already come down for her. Tonya must have had the displays active and saw her coming. Firmia pocketed the two magnets, feeling them snap together again as she stepped onto the lift. A1 hopped onto Firmia's foot and grabbed onto her pant leg for support, effectively mirroring her pose. That was kind of cute. As the lift started up, Firmia sighed, wondering at Tonya's progress in preparing for her mission. The Alkaev's own progress was uncertain at the moment, but she wasn't about to let that get to her. It was at least worth mulling things over while Sasha and Hannah did ... whatever they were doing .... "Huh, good timing," Brant noted. He was feeling a bit peckish, but that only meant his stomach was being patient with him for the moment. He wasn't sure what to expect when Galatea disappeared. Maybe she'd gone back over to the Mantle? 'Sure. Sounds good.' Brant sent back. That was when he noticed a message from A2. Checking that, it looked like it was just a forwarded message from the alpha tool, one from the captain, no less. Apparently she wanted him to tag along to a meeting. No ETA on that, so Brant made a mental note to try and get one from her after his break. He considered making a couple of other inquiries as well, though he wasn't set on doing that just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) Snack Time Christina tensed up just a bit, but that was more expecting her body to react poorly than it actually doing so... Pleasantly surprised that it was getting used to these casual things, she smiled. "Yeah." She snuck her hand out of the blanket and took Kim's, leading her along through the pilots quarters. It really was surprisingly quiet, huh... She could feel the faint emotions of a few pilots that were likely sleeping floating out of their rooms, but it was nothing terrible, and Kim was a really good anchor. Nothing to worry about, right? ... Evidently wrong, as a rather worrying wave of anxiety washed over her as they got closer to the cafeteria. "Who's..." It was the XO. What was she so concerned over? Christina glanced at Kim, wondering if she was picking up that despair, before letting her hand go and stepping up behind Roxanna, nice and quiet like. "Boo!" Clear as Crystal "What the heck?" What was this text message? What? Just... Wha? Quote You're... fixing a barred off rocket, then, bed? Just use words. Also which bed, mine or yours? How confusing. Did Abby really think emojis could explain everything? Maybe Jess was just dense... In any case, she headed for the lifts, making her way down. She didn't want to wear this getup anymore if she could help it. Just felt stifling to have this break and still be formally dressed. And it... Wearing Abby's clothes had felt pretty nice. She was still mentally squirming over that grab in the cafeteria, what was that about? I'm probably just not used to the attention, that's all. The elevator stopped, Jess about to get off, but-- Wait, middle floor? Who was-- "O-Oh. Abby. Hey... Uh. Guess you were working on robots. Not rockets... Haha. Sorry for being so dense." That should've been her first guess, why did she take it so literally? It felt so silly now. Waiting For Orders Brant quickly received back, 'Okay! I am waiting outside the Regalia. Take your time as you need.' Wherever Galatea had wooshed off to was anyone's guess. And while Hannah waited for Brant, she took a glance back over at the Reign, as Firmia grabbed onto the lift for it. It was good that she was taking a break, but was Tonya going off somewhere? The lift had already been down for Firmia, so someone was in there... Oh, how cute A1 was, holding on like that. She smiled at the small machine, giving him and Firmia a bit of a wave. It was nice to see her getting along with the creation. Bugging With boss lady gone, this became just a little bit easier... Buck slowly made his way over to where Sasha was working, arms crossed behind his back, whistling innocently. "Heyyyyy. So. Wha'cha doin'?" Maybe now would be a good time to finally get some insight on these Alkaev machines. Edited February 11, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) When Abigail had gotten the familiar buzz of an incoming message, she pulled her communicator back out and gave it a look. Jess was... joking, right? The last question, at least, was worthy of consideration. Thinking over what answer to send, Abby thumbed the button for the lift, and leaned up against the wall. Abigail hadn't really been in the captain's room, and there was a certain mystique about the unknown, so she couldn't deny she was curious. And if Jess'd even floated the question, then that meant she was tacitly offering, right? A thoughtful grin was spreading across Abby's lips when the ding of the elevator arriving brought a pause to her introspection. Well, for at least long as it took to get inside and on the way down, anyways. Pushing off against the wall, Abigail spun about and nearly walked straight into Jess, not having expected the lift to be occupied at all, much less by the object of her attentions. Something about the captain's countenance looked... drained, distracted? Jess managed a stammered explanation/apology for being awkward with text speak, but still seemed somewhat, out of sorts. More than any fleeting concern over whether someone might be watching, that sense of discomfort she was picking up on was what stopped Abby from leaning in and giving Jess a quick peck. It also fully drove away the brief fancy of, so much for getting that shower first... and maybe having her walk into the room as I was walking out and towelling off, that had crossed her mind unbidden. "Oh..." small surprise still evident in her voice, Abigail came out with an apology of her own. "Guess this saves me from having to type up an explanation. Sorry it wasn't as clear to you as I thought'd be. No big deal in the end though," she shrugged, preparing to move on to the more important issues. "You alright? You kinda look like hell. Maybe we should stick with your place tonight then, more familiar for you, oughta do you some good." There was more she needed to talk about, but Abigail didn't want to overwhelm, better to let Jess have a chance to get her say, and maybe to find out what was eating at her. Edited February 11, 2018 by Balcerzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) Exhausted "Look like hell?" Jess was surprised by that, did she really look that bad? She tried to catch her reflection in the wall of the elevator, but despite the luster of the clean surface, it wasn't reflective enough to give a proper view. "I'll take your word for it... Talked with the admiral. Went over a bunch of things. You probably weren't worried about it, but just in case, you're all clear, Abby. The ANF isn't going to do anything to you, like I promised." Jess smiled some, hoping that was good news. "Oh, and you don't have to enlist either. no strings attached or anything... You've been putting your life on the line for all of us, so. Thank you." Perhaps a bit too professional, but it was an important matter. That out of the way, Abby was right about one thing. Some rest would do Jess good, slumping forwards into a weak hug and nestling herself up against Abby. "It's been a long, long week. Sorry for being so awkward earlier. Didn't wanna get in the way of your socializing... You kinda stink but I also really don't care. Warm, cozy, staying here." Which was foolish, really, they couldn't just stand in the elevator door and hog up the space. With a hefty sigh, already knowing this, Jess weakly dragged Abby into the elevator and pressed bottom floor. She kept the hug, though. Wasn't going to give that up until she had to. Deal With It - Apotheosis Headquarters, 7 PM, August 2nd Vera pushed past security, storming into Helena's office, and slammed her fists down on the table. She met the woman's eyes and tried to figure out what she was thinking, not coming to any sizeable conclusion. "Enough is enough," she began, standing up properly, and folding her mechanical arms. "We're losing tech to this team, and we have the manpower to overwhelm it without heavy losses. What are we waiting for? An invitation? Helena, we have to take the Riese down. I don't know what scheme or grand stage you've cooked up for it, but even my machine is being pushed past limits to deal with all the prototypes it's starting to collect. What are we doing?" Louise had crept up behind the door, deciding to listen in rather than join the conversation yet. She too wanted to know what Helena's plans were, but mostly, she wanted to know when she was going to be sent after Central. Alphonse still had to pay... It had been unusual to see Vera making such a scene. Helena stood up from her seat the moment she'd heard a commotion, throwing a stern stare at the entrance door with scrutiny. Only when Vera barged through and resounded the room with a metallic bang to the table did Helena's expression mellow down. "I can see you're restless, Vera." It was increasingly complicated to handle subordinates wondering about the Riese, there was just too big a hole when it came to letting that behemoth ship be, no matter how stressed the orders were. "We should not take resources from out western front to deal with the Riese yet. The plan is not to destroy it, after all, and we'll do that when it moves to us." The west coast wasn't completely secured, neither was the Asian coast. It was a particular struggle to conquer so much ground when it was divided in multiple bodies of water. Apotheosis couldn't just focus on America. Helena took slow steps around the table, her ebony boot tapping the dark steel of the warship's room with light noise. She had moved to Vera's side, eyes leveled, trying to reach understanding with her Lieutenant. "It still can't stand up to us. It won't. The moment it heads towards us, it'll be overwhelmed, and the pilots will lose, they're on limited numbers." It certainly wasn't in the cards that it'd amass so much tech, but so was Apotheosis. It just wasn't a favorite logistic plan to stop everything and treat that ship. It's not enough, he can't prove me wrong or right yet. Vera folded her arms and tried to listen, but her frustration was mounting. It was impossible to ignore the damage the Riese team had done to the Luna-- to the fucking Luna! It was made of space metals the likes of which Earth hadn't even seen, and somehow they'd torn into it with relative ease. "This ship needs to go down, now, and I'm not going to--" "She's right, you know," a voice interrupted, filling the room. Deep, authoritative, musing... And certainly not human. "I feel as though there's something you aren't telling us and your lieutenants, Helena, but enough is enough. Even my own warriors had issues with some of the Riese's crew... If we let it grow too powerful, we will lose this war. That isn't something any of us can afford." "Tch..." Of course, the aliens had to step in, Vera couldn't do any convincing of her own. A hologram began to form, a man's body with the face of a cat, or rather, a lion, hand curiously rapping fingers against its chin. "So, who shall it be, hmm? Who's going to be dealing with the ANF's last hope? I'm sure you have someone in mind already." Vera's insistence was a bit distressing, but the Lieutenant was always passionate in every sense of her being. Helena had become used to it, and as she observed the lieutenant, her stern expression remained. She'd open her mouth to contest the Lieutenant's pleas, but a deeper voice, distinct enough to disconcert her, resounded through the room. "Trel'Vaar." Helena recognized it in an instant, and sure enough, the lion bared its holographic fangs, complaining about the same thing as her Lieutenant to add to the conflict. Had she not the composure, Helena would have let a sigh escape. The aliens were certainly pushy and centered around their agenda, but she'd never thought of them as cautious enough to fear a single ANF ship. If races bore a cardinal sin, then the Sacarian's definitely was pride. That only made things more complicated, though, as she could no longer push forward plans as she had hoped. Helena blinked, a moment of silence as she let the Sacarian's words sink in. "We cannot afford to lose the war, that much is true. Our current plan was to take the ship for our own, and make use of its assets... but I see it's growing too fast, from these results." If even the aliens struggled against it... she had underestimated his peer. That madman... this was too fast. What kind of connections does he have? What can it prove if he also strikes a deal with the devil? "Then we cannot allow the Heion Riese to leave Central. They will invest more resources into it as soon as it arrives, seeing as it is their last hope. For that, we'll need to infiltrate it before it flies again." What Trel'Vaar said was true enough. At that point, Helena already had a team in mind to handle the mission. She needn't even stop to think after her last line, eyes immediately seizing the cyborg menace she had trained so well. "Vera, it's time for you to pay a visit to ANF's Headquarters. Take your most trusted intermediates with you, and Louise. Operate with the Chaldene you last used." These were the best options they could have to show the Riese their might. Two of their Lieutenants, a battleship, and their most competent non-clones. "If any of your subordinates have survived a fight with the Riese, consider them higher in priority." That was all, then. So they would try to capture the Riese this early... once more, a pause to close her eyes. "Remember to contact the spies of this change of plans." Now, it was up to her subordinates to prove themselves. "Are you sure sending Vera is a good idea, Helena~?" Louise slithered into the room at the mention of her name, garnering a flinch from Vera and a small glance from the lion man. "Her machine was so terribly damaged, I don't know if they've had time to replace its weaponry... Don't you think my Regina is enough to deal with Central and the ANF's last light? I could bring a few lieutenants with me, if you're worried..." Vera was surprised to see Louise talking like this, trying to take center stage, but even if the Luna was damaged, "we can't afford to have anyone sitting around while this ship gets stronger! I have to--" "Shhh, sh sh sh. No you don't, Vera. If we all charge the beast and one of us dies in the ensuing fight, the rest of the ANF can still win this war. The Riese isn't their only asset, and we can only cover so much ground... Sending more than one of us at it at once is, foolish, to say the least..." "You think I'm actually going to do that untrained pack of--" "Be silent, warrior," Trel'Vaar suddenly snapped, looking Louise over. "Your pack is thin as it is. While it would almost guarantee victory, the odds are already in your favor with such a powerful machine leading things. It would be more prudent to cover more ground. Now, suppose you both went, and still failed... What would this station have left? Mighty as we are, our resources are low. Providing you with more would be impossible... So think wisely on your decisions from here out. I hope they prove successful." The hologram smirked, and disappeared, leaving the lieutenants and their commander in silence. Louise broke it. "So? Myself, Carlos, Fatima, whoever else wishes to sign up for what will likely be out last battle against the ANF~?" "I still think this is foolish," Vera groaned. What a time for Louise to intrude. It seemed she was listening in for a while, and appeared fully confident that she could get the job done without Vera. Helena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in doubt. "Are you comfortable enough with the Regina already?" Last Helena knew, they were still working out the output kinks on that machine. Despite its monstrous firepower, it still had issues maneuvering against enemy attacks, despite the powerful barrier. "The Riese is not a normal Kraken-class, your shields might not withstand a beam volley so seamlessly." "Complete victory is never assured, this mission will take place in territory still under ANF control. We cannot guarantee that it won't extend into a larger battle if you take too long." Those were the main constraints, though perhaps that is why Louise wanted to spearhead the mission instead? Hmm... "...Very well, I cannot accept our western front to advance any slower, but you will take the best willing men with you, Louise. Understood?" If she were to fail... they still had Liebenwalde. Right. That was the one time Helena allowed her composure to break into a frown. "Do not fail me." That would leave Vera for support, their Eastern Coast front was now left without leader, but that side had all but won... How long was Laine going to take to submit Australia? "Vera, how have the experiments with the TK girl gone? Do you think she would be able to fight?" Indeed, the Lieutenant shared a strong bond to that one, but she was their best bet at one of the prototype machines. Perhaps it was time to give her a harder mission. "Of course! I'll take only the best... That was can spare. Have fun with whatever other mission you're assigned, Vera~ Oh, hmm... Actually, I need to speak with you once you're done with Helena, alright? It's a very important matter... I'm sure you'll be interested." Louise giggled to herself and slid out of the room, probably going to wait for the other lieutenant. "Yeah, important... Esther is a very strong pilot, as long as she's on her medication. I don't... I don't really like having her fight, but she offered herself to the experiment, so I guess we have no choice." It was incredibly obvious how much Vera treated Esther like a little sister, but they didn't have much of that luxury left. "And we're almost ready to extract our operatives from the Riese... As soon as it leaves Central." "...Good. Then I'll entrust that role to you." That was settled, and there was nothing else to be adjusted with Trel'Vaar there. At least Vera's last insights were positive. "In that case, I want to see her out there. We can't spare any men right now, Vera. Same for the operatives. That's all." After a brief nod, the Commander looked at where the Sacarian's holographic visage once was. "We really could use some more help from his people..." Finally, Helena broke her composure, falling back on her seat and letting out a sigh. Of course they wouldn't help. They saw themselves too highly for that, she knew how dangerous and cunning they were. I'll see what you can do, Heion Riese. "Roger, ma'am... Gonna go see what Louise wants. If you hear yelling, try to ignore it." Vera sighed and headed out, Louise right there, not having moved a foot away from the door. It made Vera flinch again, not expecting her to be around still. "Jesus, what do you want?" "I want you to come with me on a little trip... Do you want to meet the Riese crew?" Louise smiled wide, Vera raised an eyebrow. "If I could meet them, I'd like to kill them... What are you playing at?" "Well, there's a lovely little beach down at Central, and I can't imagine the casual and relaxed crew of the Riese would pass it up. What say we... Go and say hi~?" "You know they'll just try to shoot at us, right?" Louise chuckled. "They probably would, but with you there, and some lovely new tech designed by Doctor Watanabe... It would be a very bad idea." Louise cackled quietly, sliding back and pressing a button on a small device in her hand... A green orb encased her entire body, giving off the same shimmer that the Sacarian fields on their machines did. "He's made it personnel sized, has he?" "Exactly~! So, even if they were to shoot first, ask questions later, you'd get to go on a rampage and kill them all before you could get put down... So this is going to be all business. Besides, I'm sure you want to meet a few of them face to face~" They knew what the Riese crew looked like, but it was easier to get a feel for someone in person, after all. "...Fine. As long as I'm not late getting back for any engagements." It wasn't a horrible idea... Even if the two of them died for it, the Riese crew went down with them, meaning Apotheosis won in the end. Really, Vera was considering going on it thinking of it as a suicide mission, but... She couldn't bring herself to leave behind Esther and Andy, throwing herself away like that. She wanted to win this and survive. Blaze of glory was a last resort. "Wonderful! I'll begin making transport arrangement right away... Oh, I hope you don't mind pushing me around in a wheelchair. Giant tail like this, just a bit conspicuous~" "Of course..." Edited February 11, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) "Listen, I've ... got some bad news." Ellen sounded serious and hesitant. There was also some noise in the background Megumi couldn't quite make out over the phone. There were plenty of people running around. She could tell that much. Ellen wasn't making this call from the house. Too bad the news wasn't good, otherwise Megumi would have congratulated her older sister for finally going outside for something other than a 'critical purchase.' "What's wrong?" Megumi winced, "Where are you right now?" "The hospital ..." Megumi felt like she'd just stepped on a landmine. The possibilities were so numerous, but her mind wouldn't leave the few worst case scenarios be and wait for Ellen's response. She could see it so clearly in her mind's eye ... Michelle just dying in the middle of the war. Maybe it was Sarah, having a terrible reaction in the middle of her therapy. Or maybe something was wrong with Ellen? "D-don't freak out," Ellen headed Megumi off just in time, "No one's dead or anything. It's just ... crap. Let me find a quiet spot, first. I really can't get into this out in the open." Megumi nodded invisibly. "Fine." It was a fairly lengthy wait while Ellen found a spot she was comfortable with. "Okay ..." Ellen kept her voice as low as she could at first, "Michelle got hurt, earlier. She ... she and Sarah got into a big argument and Sarah wound up shooting her. I-it was just a grazing hit, though! Michelle's fine. A couple of inches to the right though ... and I guess she'd be dead. We got lucky big time; the shot didn't set off any of the house alarms, so they don't know what really happened. The police aren't involved, yet." "... dammit," Megumi shook her head, bewildered by the news. Sarah was emotionally unstable. It was partly due to the treatment she was undergoing to gradually bring her body into an adult state. It was also partly due to her bitterness at Michelle and most of the Hollywood elites she knew personally. Sarah getting violent with just a little prodding from Michelle was hardly surprising. It was the fact a firearm had been involved that had Megumi reevaluating the situation. She had come within a few inches of losing to that woman once and for all. "Try to make sure they don't get involved." "You don't have to tell me," Ellen sighed, "I hope I don't go as crazy as Sarah does when it's my turn for that growth program." "Me too. You definitely made the right call holding off until Sarah's is finished," Megumi sighed in turn. "I can't do anything from here, so it's in your hands for now. Keep me updated." "Wilco. I'll get back to you tomorrow." The call ended, Megumi collapsed into her chair .... As the lift carried them up to the Reign's cockpit, Firmia noticed Hannah waving from over by the Regalia. Firmia returned the gesture, albeit with the telltale reluctance of a hermit. Sure enough, when Firmia reached the cockpit, Tonya was inside. What the Alkaev hadn't been expecting was one part of Tonya's mission preparation. It was closer to frivolous add-on, really. The missing copilot chair and the enormous tool shed like box now attached to the cockpit's rigging was at least an addition Firmia both recognized and already planned on. The video game installing on the displays on the other hand ... "Didn't find anything out of place," Tonya reported, "so I got to work on those changes we talked about, plus a little something extra for me." "This isn't a gaming PC," Firmia scowled, reaching to manually close the cockpit's hatch. "I know," Tonya grinned, "it's way more powerful, so the emulation is glitch free and smooth as silk. Besides, I won't always be lying low with all the relays turned off. Sometimes I might just have to sit around and wait. At least let me have a decent distraction in the meantime." Firmia sighed, something troubling coming to mind. Rather, something troubling had just resurfaced and this was probably a good time to address it. Coming up on the pilot console from the other side, Firmia began navigating the system menus. It didn't seem to matter that they were upside down for her. "About that ... I hate doing things like this, but I need a contingency plan in place." "Uh oh ... please, no self destruct shenanigans," Tonya winced, "I have to deal with that enough on SSMO." Firmia kept on doing whatever she was doing. Tonya had a clear view of the monitor, but Firmia was moving too quickly, accessing unfamiliar menus and just as quickly moving on to other previously unseen areas within the system. When things finally slowed down, it was only because Firmia needed her input. "Scanning. Confirm this for me." It looked like the system was scanning Tonya for some reason. It wasn't clear why until she got a good look at what she was supposed to confirm on the monitor. "A 'contingency administrator'? Erm ... I ... confirm, I guess?" "There ... It's time locked," Firmia began with a heavy sigh, "If I don't reset the timer within the next two weeks, your access level will increase to administrator automatically. Ownership registration also transfers to you at the same time. Even as a pilot, there are still systems you can't access at all. If something happens to me then some of the system's functionality will be lost. At least this way, it will only be temporary." The only other fix would be to replace the cockpit's computer. Messing with the OS wouldn't cut it. "I get that I'm the one piloting the Reign right now," Tonya said, eyeing the screen warily as it seemed to make a blood pact with her, "but you're trusting me with this?" "Yes. Even if you were as irresponsible as Sasha, I wouldn't have much of a choice. I only ask that you not hand it over to anyone ... even if it means risking your life." "If it keeps you from using some crazy timed self destruct, then fine," Tonya chuckled at Firmia's request, "I'll protect the Reign with the same vicious CEO type fervor that you do. It's not like I want to see this lovely blue lightning bolt taken away, either." Sasha was busy wishing he hadn't needed to format his lessons so precisely in order to give Firmia the homework she wanted, but it was what it was. Having to multitask during explanations like that landed him back in Cravingville. Fortunately his mock up was looking decent, and they had enough supplies on hand to build one, or something like it. The real issue was whether they were actually going to use A1's Mini-Throne body for the prototype. That was a tall order. There was already very little space for equipment for the roughly sixteen inch tall robot. The new device would actually have to be smaller than before in order to fit into the chest, and even then, it would have to be modified to conform to the shape in both configurations, and still it would have to be coupled together with the little robot's main battery. Forget scaling things up for a combat drone. Scaling down for the Mini-Throne was proving to be a worthy enough challenge as it was, albeit for different reasons. Buck's arrival was Sasha's signal to stop worry about the details for a few minutes and try to be social ... if only to make up for the deficit left by Firmia's distrust of outsiders and Tonya's long solitude in Brant's quarters. The kid's timing certainly could have been better, what with Sasha's cigar cravings in full swing, again. Knowing he was out of options seemed to make it worse, somehow. "Dying a little inside," Sasha greeted with a pained smile, "Did you need something?" Brant opened up the Regalia's cockpit, but didn't step out, just yet. Unsure where Galatea was, he was hesitant to leave, just yet. He needed to shut down the data link between the mobile suits and tidy up before locking down the suit. He wouldn't be gone long, but it was Firmia's policy, and if he didn't stick to it, she would be on his case in a heartbeat ... and that was the last thing Brant wanted right now. He wanted to do what he could to heal the vague rift between them, not make it even bigger. "Hey, Galatea, are you still in here or did you hop back to the Mantle?" ... or did she copy herself in a secret plot to become an omnipresent quip master? Oh fool that he was, Brant joked to himself. "I need you to pick a suit so I can shut down the data link ... along with all this ... other stuff ..." Edited February 11, 2018 by Phoenix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) Dead Inside "Oh, I was just... Alright, Sasha." Buck adjusted his hat some and folded his arms, nodding firmly, like a sagely old man. "I'm really, really, really interested in all of your machines, and whatever it is you're working on here... And I know that Firmia girl's got them locked up tighter than fort Knox! So... I was thinking, maybe if I offered to help some with whatever you're doing, I could get an inside tour of at least one of them. The... Mantle maybe? Since Hannah's using that one, probably safer to let me inside. I won't touch anything! Promise. And, hey, I'm a lot smarter than I look. And you look... Well you look kinda dead. If you're having a hard time, maybe I can figure something out." His ego was rather apparent, talking to an adult like he knew better. Still, he was genuinely a savant when it came to machinery. It was certainly worth the shot... Copied "Brant, calm down and go meet your girlfriend already," Galatea's voice sighed out in annoyance-- but from where? His communicator, of course, a tiny, very pixelated Galatea head staring up at him. "I can't talk while Hannah's talking, so sitting in her brain while you two walk about sounds downright dreadful. I put a copy of myself in your communicator, there's one in the Regalia, and the Mantle still has my original. Feel free to shut things down." The face disappeared in a comical little blink of stray pixels, before Brant was returned to the silence. Edited February 11, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 Wine, Crackers, and Lilies "Gah!" Of course, of course somebody was there to see her, and Roxanna was too self-absorbed in her misery to see it coming. She jumped in her seat, knee hitting the table --oh God hold the bottle don't let it drop--. Inhale. "W-who --oh, C-Christina? And, Lieutenant Seung-Min..." Well, that was bound to be awkward, here was two young girls showing up at the cafeteria and Roxanna was drinking her sad ass off. And failing. "Uh, hello. W-what are you doing here so late?" She'd try to force a smile if she wasn't aware that it would look disconcerting as all get out coming from her. And now she had to hide her sheer embarrassment from these girls... Wait, weren't they TKs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Talia had spent the rest of the journey to Central hidden away in her room, the lack of Doctor Hart had halted her plans to redeem her wretched existence. How could she escape loneliness when she couldn't even approach another person? Nobody would want to go near someone like her, she bet they felt as sick looking at her as she did herself. She had been ready to codemn herself to a night alone, but Makoto's invitation had caught her by surprise. Someone was actively choosing to spend time with her nearby? Had everyone else died, or was he just as desperate and lonely as she was? She'd said yes, but survival was something she wasn't confident in. She'd remained silent for most of the journey, trying to plan ways to start conversations but scrapping any ideas she had before she could say them. Did the outing count as a date? She'd made some effort, she was wearing clean clothes - it was better than wearing pyjamas for days on end. A blouse, a cardigan... she was almost like a normal girl. She nearly jumped at Makato's suggestion, she'd been so caught up in her own little world that she hadn't noticed where they were. The number of people around her was something else she hadn't picked up on until now. Why were there so many people around at the dead of night. "Bookstore? Oh... yeah, I..." she began, trying to find the right words. The pressure was already building up, moving somewhere quiet with a bunch of bookworms would be far less stressful. "That sounds good, I like reading... I have a lot of free time... and staring at a screen too long makes my eyes hurt. I mean... it would if I did... books are good." Her eyes moved from Makoto the bookstore in question. If T-4 could make friends with someone like this, she could too... probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Taking Christina's hand as they made their way to the cafeteria, the relative calm of the ship was interrupted as they approached by an obvious wave of misery and despair... it was hard to miss really, and Christina seemed to have picked up on it as well, opting to... startle the XO? That didn't seem like a particularly prudent course of action, but it had caught Seung-Min far enough off guard that she had been unable to stop it. The XO certainly seemed to be out of sorts, sitting alone in the ship's cafeteria downing a bottle of wine. When she asked why they were here... likely more out of a sense of 'why are you interrupting me' than actual curiousity, but it was a valid enough question all things considered. "Well, after the... meeting earlier, I passed out from the... exertion. Only woke up a few... hours ago. Also, the Captain said to be on... standby for a meeting with the commander, so it felt prudent... not to stray too far from the ship. Christina is... keeping me company. We were going to get a bite to eat." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 When Firmia shut down all the Reign's relays, Tonya realized that she wouldn't have been able to. The function was tucked away behind a wall she couldn't get through at the moment. "So that's not something the pilot can do, either?" Tonya could have sworn that used to be something she could do. The two women locked eyes. "... really ...? Sheesh. Well can you at least authorize me going forward so-" "Don't worry," Firmia soothed, "Part of the reason I'm here is to make sure you have the autonomy you need for your missions from now on. Also, there's a little trick I have up my sleeve that should cover this gap in the Reign's armor." Tonya clearly didn't know what gap Firmia was referring to ... "I'm doing everything I can to get you back here alive, Tonya. If the relays couldn't be shut down automatically, then someone could take you out just by sending the emergency lockdown command over the radio." As Tonya paled, thoughts of crashing like a brick at mach two pervading, Firmia continued. "We're probably going to wind up fighting the Kremlin someday. It's not just Apotheosis we have to worry about, anymore. That's why you need a way to block a remote shutdown command from the company." "Wait, fighting them? Aren't you still planning to go back to Russia if you can't solve your ANF problem?" Firmia's fingers froze. She supposed it was time to fill in her ace pilot. "They're barely better than Apotheosis. They threatened me, all to drag us back to their unwinnable battlefront. Anyone who threatens me, my friends, or my livelihood, is my enemy. If they send someone after us, we'll take them down. And if they don't stop, then I'll go back to Russia and level the whole government. I'll never let people like them control me, again." The look in Firmia's eyes was dead serious. No one was going to sway her. Tonya wound up just stared blankly at Firmia for a moment. It was a long moment; she had Firmia wondering if she'd said something strange. "We didn't choose the terrorist life," Tonya muttered, "The terrorist life chose us." The tension in the cockpit now double tapped, Firmia returned her focus to the briefing. "Just keep quiet about this. Only Brant, Hannah, and Galatea know about it. Once I figure out what to do, we'll act. Until then, I've got to go over your briefing, too." "Joy," Tonya smiled warily, "I trust you've got someplace for me to meet up with you if you guys have to leave the ship, tomorrow?" "I'll have that worked out before you leave," Firmia assured her, "Anyway, listen. You're heading out to check in on our investor, but he's the least important one on the list. He's bait, if I'm being honest. I assumed Apotheosis was tapping our comms, so I wanted to take advantage of that, but with moles aboard, they would know about a lot more than just what we discuss over the radio. I'm running a test to see if you'll be able to operate away from the Heion Riese without being attacked. So basically what we do next depends on whether Apotheosis is too busy to try and shoot you down or not." "Right, so," Tonya put a hand on her chin, "if they come after me, I run like hell, and you revise how we conduct my sorties ... and if they don't come after me, we cautiously carry on like before." "Exactly. If they attack you at the meeting, try to save him, too ... he's bait but I'm not trying to get him killed. Besides, if we're lucky, it might leave a good impression on him." "If we're really lucky," Tonya smirked, "Apotheosis will take the day off, tomorrow. Just one problem. The Reign's a single seater, now. The most I could do is try to draw them away from his estate. Bringing him into the suit would slow me down a little. Even at normal speeds, he'd be bouncing around the cockpit like a pinball ..." "I said try to save him. Don't do anything you don't think you can get away with." "So ... worst case scenario, investor bouncing around the cockpit like a pinball. Understood." Firmia sighed and got her fingers moving again. Sure, why not? If she could manage a terrified middle aged man and plasma missiles at the same time, might as well let her. "Hmm." Well, a tour of the Reign was right out. Sasha was pretty sure Firmia would have locked him out of it temporarily if Tonya wasn't already about to head out in the morning. Buck's suggestion of the Mantle was a fair one, though Sasha doubted Firmia's reaction to it would be any different from her reaction to the Reign incident. In fact, wasn't there a chance the suit was rigged similarly? What if it entered emergency lockdown mode just like the Reign had? Cheryl hadn't touched anything either and they still wound up in a cozy time capsule. If Sasha and Buck got locked inside the Mantle, the circumstances would be wholly different, of course. They would also have Galatea to console or poke fun at them until Firmia got around to unlocking the suit. It almost felt like Firmia had already accounted for his lax management of the AMS units. No, that was definitely it ... "I just wrapped up the last tour for the day not too long ago, actually," Sasha smirked, a bit forcefully as he recalled just how pissed off Firmia had been, "If you really want a tour, I'd ask the boss lady, herself. I already spent around twelve hours locked in the Reign." Not that it was a bad twelve hours. Quite the opposite. "If you want info, I can tell you all about them, but beyond that ..." As for the current set of problems, Sasha could care less if Firmia was upset about ANF assistance on as yet unrealized projects. "We're working on a drive system for the company's mobile drones, but the small prototype needs some work to fit the test machine. The larger versions will be going in the MDs. Rough guess, they'll be a little smaller than the Phalanx. Their drives are going to need a lot of power to work properly, though. We can't fit a reactor with a high enough output in a frame that small, though. If you can help us solve that problem, I'm sure Ms. Alkaev would be grateful." Not the most subtle of hints, but Sasha was too irritable for subtlety, so ... "I guess while I'm on about our power problems, these MDs are also going to be using some pretty hefty beam weapons. We need to scale those down without sacrificing output. She'd be just as grateful for help there, I think." Brant's private joke about Galatea's intentions turned out to be more or less spot on. He was more sure than ever now that the little AI wouldn't become obsolete anytime soon, not while she could be so easily duplicated. Not that Brant particularly liked that aspect of it. Firmia wasn't going to like this suit hopping of hers one iota, either. "You're taking a big risk not asking her first," Brant warned, his hands moving for the console. "Don't be surprised if she restricts your access, again." Once he had the Regalia looking relatively dark and gloomy inside the cockpit, he made for the hatch and rode the lift down to meet Hannah. "Hey," Brant waved, letting the lift zip back up to the cockpit area. "A certain someone's really into this tag along thing," Brant said, jutting a finger at his communicator as the Regalia's cockpit closed above them. "We need to try and make her a body, soon." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandragon Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Car Rides and Conversations It didn't take long for the two girls to find a usable jeep. In fact, there were several that could be driven Off-Base for their purposes. Elaine had thought that they would have to flag down someone already driving a vehicle to get them a lift, but upon asking personnel around the outside of the main base, they found out that, fortunately, so long as they had a license the would be permitted to use them for their own purposes, aside from taking them on a joy ride or anything other reckless activity, obviously. So, with a jeep selected, Elaine walked around to the driver's side of the vehicle and flashed her ID, putting in her Serial Number, and it unlocked. She threw her bags in the back and, waiting for Aliza to get in the passengers seat, buckled up and drove on. The GPS system was enough to help them get to the Living Quarters, and all that surrounded it, though it was a two hour drive, away. "...So," Elaine said after a moment of silence. "What's your story? I mean, yeah, we got to you at Corona Ten and all, but, in the interest of making time go by, why don't you tell me how you got in the military? I'll tell you my story first, if you want." A story that would have to have bits cut out of it. As much as she wanted to be more open with people, she wasn't ready to talk about her year in prison. But, she would at least try not to lie about anything. Just...not tell every little detail. That was fine, right? The Italian pilot followed along quietly with a little hum under her breath. A very nice tune at that, probably from another anime? Well either way she continued until they got in the car and she took a seat. Letting the redhead take the wheel. She continued to be silent until the question came up. "Hm? My story...curious?" She teased again with a smile. "Nah I'm good. I'll go first...where to start though..." She thought on a starting point. "...welllll actually I had entered the academy not to be a soldier actually, at least not at first. I came in to fulfill my dream. I'm not sure if you noticed but I'm a bit of a day dreamer. I dream a lot about space." She looked out the window as they passed down the road. "I'm super curious about what's out there, beyond the stars. I used to stargaze all the time as a kid and that just grew as the years went by. So I entered the academy to get there. You could probably guess how that lead to being a soldier." "Yeah, I get you." Elaine nodded along as Aliza spoke of her dream. "It's a strange world out there. You never know what you might find. To be honest, I'm sort of the same way. Maybe not about space specifically but..." Now it was Elaine's turn to think, though she still kept her eyes on the road and the GPS. "I grew up around mechs, so I was always curious about them. I think my biggest dream was just flying. Getting inside a robot with a V-Drive and zipping through the air like it was nothing." Elaine then had to choose her next few words carefully, and thought in silence for another small moment. "The thing is, when I ended up joining the Academy...I didn't do so well the first time. They had to kick me out, and it...Well, it wasn't fun." She wasn't lying. While the reasoning was vague, they did kick her out after her little stunt, among having her get thrown in prison. "A few years later, I was living on Colony 2, just trying to make a living for myself, when I...tried again. And, surprisingly enough, they let me, and...Well, I became a pilot for the ANF. And ended up here, on the Riese." Again, not entirely a lie. But, deep down, Elaine felt terrible for having to keep hiding things about herself. "Heh... You can imagine how bummed I was when I learned the basic Velite and Legionary didn't even have a V-Drive to fly, but it helped me with expectations when I tried, again. Still, even now, I just...wanna pilot a robot that can fly. Not jump, not hover for a bit, but fly." Elaine looked over to Aliza for a second as they arrived at a crossing. "You got any preference for piloting robots?" Aliza quietly listened to the red's story. She slowly took out her notebook at Elaine spoke, and doodled a bit into it. She seemed to have a bit more of a grasp on what kind of person Elaine is. Headstrong, very impulsive, but she means well. At least she wants to mean well. Getting kicked out of the academy seemed to be a bit more funny than intended and she had to hold back a small giggle. Truth be told she may have expected that twist. "Hm, flying. Well everyone wants to fly at least once in their lives. I did. It's a lot of fun going on ships and things like that." Then came the next question, about piloting robots and... "Oh. Well I'm not sure. The only robot I've really piloted a lot was the Legionary. I mean I briefly piloted a few test bots back at the academy but to be honest they all didn't feel too different from each other. Slow, clunky. But at least it can take a beating..." She turned her head to the window as they continued on. "But man everyone's got fancy robots too. That Brant guy's got one that's super cool, I'm sorta jealous." She laughed a bit as thoughts of taking it out for a joy ride came through her mind. Of course that sounded like more trouble than it was worth. "Yeah. Everybody does have those really fancy robots. ...Okay, maybe not everyone. Heck, the grey one I've been piloting is just a Heracles that Buck did some tinkering with. Definitely not on the level of ones like Brants, or Kims, or Tarquins. But, yeah, we got some special robots in our hangar." And that reminded her. Even though Elaine knew the password for the Colony robot, that wasn't a guarantee that she would be assigned to it. Should would have to ask about it later. Maybe she could get A2 to she a reminder for her, if Brant allowed it to perform such small tasks. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put on a bit of music. Maybe this thing has a radio?" She had taken one hand off the wheel to feel around, blindly, but thankfully, there was another crossroad that they could stop at and get a better look. Sure enough, there was a radio, which she flipped on and start searching for different stations. "What kind of tunes do you like?" She asked Aliza, rather than simply turning to whatever station she would like to listen to. Broadening the music you listen to never hurt, did it? Ooooh baby. Music. The magic topic for Aliza. It made her grin wide. "Mhmhm...I'm glad you asked." She put her notebook away and pulled out her music player. Much like her notebook she started sifting through the contents like pages. "Well let's see....I love J-pop. Loads of it. I'm also a fan of jazz, classic blues...oh here's my favorite!" She brightened up some more. "It's a K-pop track from my favorite idol, Seung-Min Kim. I'll bet you heard of her the name is a little big." Seung-Min...Kim. Elaine's head looked up from the radio, and she blinked in silence for a few moments. Kim. Seung-Min Kim. ...It was staring her in the face the entire time, and she didn't even think on it. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if she and Aliza were the only ones who didn't know. That would be something to possibly bring up later. Maybe. Elaine turned off the radio and let Aliza turn up her music player. Elaine never considered herself a pop person, but she found herself unconsciously bobbing her head to the beat of the tune. "I like it. It's good. Real good." The driving continued, and without much delay in between stopping, either. Elaine hoped at some point she could share her own taste in music, though she was admittedly worried Aliza wouldn't like it. Now was the time for focusing on the road, however, as she thankfully didn't hit anything along the way, during the small few seconds she wasn't looking at the road. How irresponsible. "Hee hee, thanks." She grinned and kept the music playing for the ride along the way. "You're actually a pretty chill person, El. I like you." She leaned back in her seat and lowered the music a bit once it ended. "So what kind of tunes do you listen to? It'd be unfair if I hogged the music." She looked back toward Elaine with her grin still in place. Seems like she was having a good time alright. “Chill?” That wasn’t the first word that Elaine would use to describe herself. But, she took it for the compliment that it was. “Well, thanks. I like you, too, Aliza.” And that was certainly one way to say that they appreciate ld each other’s company. At least, that’s what Elaine thought Aliza was saying. “Huh? MY music? Uhhh, well...” Another embarrassed flushing of red. “This is probably gonna sound a bit...stereotypical? But, I’m more of a Rock girl, myself. Punk, Alternative, sometimes straight up Hard rock. But...I guess I’m into a little bit of Hip Hop, every now and again. And some Pop music. Maybe next time, I’ll turn up my music player?” She finished with a giggle. Hopefully it wasn’t too repulsive of musical taste, but if Kim’s music was anything to go by, it was definitely time she expanded her tastes. Maybe Aliza could introduce her to some other K-pop albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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