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

[Phoenix]

Brant supposed Hannah was right about not being present for this. He was planning on radioing the captain first, but even then he wanted to make sure the situation didn't get any worse on his end. Going forward, Brant planned on being a lot more conscious of what was going on around him. The moles aboard were reason enough, but this situation with Hannah and Jessica had really gotten out of hand ...

"Alright, see you in a little bit," Brant nodded, "and thanks, again."

Galatea quickly spoke up to clarify her earlier joke, and Brant could only shrug. "Wish you were around for water training. That's tension you'd need a plasma torch to cut through." Brant wasn't sure if his younger self would appreciate a whimsical AI trying to lighten the mood while his training cockpit filled with water, but ... present Brant would certainly appreciate it.

Brant took a moment to send a message to the Captain: "I know it's late, but I need to get something off my chest, preferably before that meeting. Can we talk?" With that, he got back to his sandwich and awaited a response.

[Juliette]

"Ah! Thank you! I hope it is good bunny, I have never seen real one... but I think Reo cat turn out very catty even if I only see pictures and videos of them too. Maybe I will get to see real animals be peaceful." Juria smiled as she started to pick up the parts the cashier gave her before the cleaning man made a good point. "Ahm, hmm, yes... that might be hard. And, you say you might need help with something from me? Well, you can help with carry, and I can be help with whatever you am needing, yes? Is good trade to me!" She pointed to a few parts after paying the cashier for the parts, taking the rest for herself and putting one on Reo's head with a giggle. "Oh, but not want interrupt if you were here for buying something too? Juria can be waiting."

[TheRoon]

"Well maybe we can take a look around for a salon. See what they have in mind." She lead along. "Hm, wonder how much time we have for this though." They have been out a while. Though it wasn't like Aliza to worry about time. "Aah it's up to you though. I'm good with whatever you want."

[Dandragon]

Aliza brought up a good point. It was getting late, and even though plenty of stores would still be open for the next few hours, she felt pretty tired, especially after the events of today. Elaine let Aliza lead her to the checkout, and she purchased the outfit that had been picked out for her, now placed in another bag she had to carry. Well, she did say she would need to burn off all that fat with exercise, though this was a far cry from lifting weights.

"You know what, yeah. It's late, so let's head back to the residential area. ...Er, is that where you're gonna stay for the night? Or are you gonna go back to the ship?" It had only now occurred to Elaine that she might have gone and dragged Aliza on her own little adventure off-base when she was fully intending to still make residence on the ship, which would mean another 2 hour drive back for her, and it made her feel guilty in doing so. Granted, she had asked Aliza to come along in the first place if she wanted to come along, so it didn't make her feel completely awful about, especially when they had a good time.

[Shin]

This was a part that Tarquin had some familiarity with, he'd had plenty of refine his ability to provide payment. His outing at the colony with Nikolai had helped him gain some aptitude at the civilian experience. It did feel somewhat hollow without Nikolai being present, there was an silent pause where he would probably have made a nihilistic quip or called the attendant a whore.  He removed his wallet from his jacket's inner pocket, producing his credit card. It made sense that an ANF card would be functional within an ANF facility, hopefully she wouldn't ask too many questions. The last thing he needed was a full security squad deciding that he was a potential intruder.

"Unfortunately I tend not to carry physical money, would it be acceptable to pay via credit card? It is an ANF account so I would hope it should be suitable." he replied, slowly approaching the cashier desk. He had a gift for Nikolai, all he needed to do next was source a music player to go alongside it - a task that would be far more simple. "Would it be necessary to provide my identification card?"

-

"Sounds like a corker to me, you could probably cobble together a Clayton's rabbit in no time. I was trying to salvage my floor cleaner, a rogue sock decided to give it a bingle. Definitely needs a new cooling duct and a rotary system, but I've been eyeballing the gizmos they have here, probably used to stocking stuff for smarter battlers than me!" he laughed, giving the shelves a last look over. The robotics store probably didn't have the exact parts he needed, if people were building mechanical rabbits they probably didn't have much in the way of cleaners! "Your eyes spy anything that could fix this ocker out of a jam? We can cobble some do-hicky together once we get back to the ship."

Both Juria and the store attendant would have a better shot at finding substitute parts than he would, leaving things to the experts made complete sense to him. He shuddered to think what science could do in the wrong hands. If they somehow managed to build self-cleaning mops, Bill would have been out of a job faster than cheetah on a jet-ski.

[Nanami Touko]

On The Other Side ~ July 31st

Rex was feeling a lot of things at the moment, having heard those detestable words, 'I want to join the EU.' No doubt Stan's transmission was being recorded. Rex couldn't just turn the man down, here. It wasn't his place. Worse still, he wouldn't be able to put the Alkaev down and maintain his own place within the EU armed forces once the weapons scientist had officially joined up with them. Rex was feeling a lot of things right now ... palm piercing rage chief among them.

"Rosa and her father still seem to be wavering on the issue," the image of Stan scratched the back of his neck, looking tired and bored, "but it's starting to look like we're out of time. Facilities all over the country are going dark and we can't get in touch with any of our 'friends.' There's no sense in waiting for the government to back a side. They're far too busy trying to protect the Vaska and keep it off Apotheosis' radar."

Rex's eyes narrowed. The Vaska was the Russian military's battleship, and one of the few vessels that could survive a prolonged engagement with Apotheosis regulars. It was lacking in its mobile suit complement, but it had the support of any allied forces in whatever area it happened to be in, due to it being the nation's only proper battleship. Last Rex had checked, Russian local news placed the ship somewhere near the capital, acting as a mobile command center. Juliya should also be on that ship, right now, helping with mobile suit development. It was probably too much to hope Apotheosis would commit to destroying that thing and her along with it ...

"Don't make that face, Rex," Stan frowned, "I know you're bitter about that breakup, but Juliya does good work. Endangering the Vaska would complicate relations between Russia and the EU. Why not put your grievances aside for now and focus on Apotheosis?"

Rex couldn't help but smirk. "You think I can't do both?"

"There's something in it for you if you can keep it holstered and help us all get back at these myopic conquerors," Stan grinned reassuringly, "It's not as if I want to join the EU just to find a safer bomb shelter to wait out the war. No, what I want is a place to work that won't come crashing down around my ears, if only because it can pull up its roots and run away when the going gets tough. If I happen to wind up on a ship assigned to ... say ... weapons testing, that would be convenient for the both of us. You understand."

"I promise not to snap your neck and leave Juliya alone ... and you upgrade the Rebellion for me," Rex concluded, "Is that all?"

"Firmia too," Stan winced, "She's doing even more important work."

Rex's fists tightened. He shouldn't have worded his response that way. There was also something odd about what Stan had just said. "She's doing important work, you said? What kind of work? And how do you know that?"

"I know my daughter," Stan revisited that itchy spot on the back of his neck, "If she's not rebuilding the Edict right now, she's working on something far more dangerous. That's good news for the ANF, but it's not going to help the EU, now is it? That's where I come in. Besides Rex, the situation's already getting a little dicey out here. If Apotheosis corners me before I can join you, you'll lose a valuable asset, one willing to work for you, gratis. Whether Apotheosis kills me or shoves a gun in my back and my face into a console, we'll all be worse off for it."

The deliberation only lasted a moment, then Rex heaved a heavy sigh. "It's probably too much to hope you'll drop dead from exhaustion when the EU's finished with you. Whatever. I'll inform my superiors and get back to you. Fortunately for you, we're already planetside."

"Oh good. I know EU warships aren't taxis and orbital maneuvers can be a bit tricky when you're aiming for a particular area. By the way," Stan smiled, an eerily genuine one, too ... "I appreciate you setting aside your hatred in favor of pragmatism, Rex. That's always the right choice."

Rex forced a smile and shrugged. "What can I say ... I really do have bigger fish to fry. I'll see you when I see you ..."

Ending the transmission, Rex made for the place he could usually find the captain when they were expecting trouble, the bridge ...

Everything looked mostly normal when Rex arrived. May's absence definitely helped. Not really caring where she was or what she was up to at the moment, he approached Captain Troy, who was looking especially bored at the moment. "Sir," Rex saluted his superior officer before continuing, "I've got some news, if you're not too busy. It's regarding a Russian scientist currently working for the Alkaev company."

"Hmm, hmmmhmhmhm... Beijing sure is boring, isn't it, fellas?" Troy was leaning all the way back in his captain's chair, feet up on the fash, a copy of Dunwich Horror lazily open in front of his face, as he peered over the words and smiled occasionally. Those smiles slowly faded as mister tricky himself waltz into the bridge, Troy not bothering to fix his sitting posture, simply pressing the book down against his chest.

He'd been about to speak, but Rex was too fast, and introduced his idea... An interesting proposal, but a bit lofty, no? "A Russian scientist. Mmm, before you continue, pray tell how we're going to do anything in Russia? The country's swarming with squadrons of Apotheosis' machines, and Russia's own... We might be on decent terms, but I can't imagine the Vaska would appreciate another boat flying through their airways, especially unannounced... Unless you have a plan. Or, want to do this for fun, simply because it's war. You do seem to do things of your own accord, anyway..."

He chuckled, sighing for a moment after. "Have you seen Greenfield, by the way? Reading is alright, but I'd like something to stare at when I need to get away from the words. If only I wasn't needed on the bridge all the time... What a loss."

"No idea on Greenfield," Rex shook his head. It seemed like Troy's job was just boring enough to get a woman like May a free pass at times like these. "You can always page her if that you're bored. As for the scientist, I actually know the guy pretty well. Total sociopath. He's interested in hopping over to our side before Apotheosis gets to him." Who could blame him, really?

"As for getting us in there without upsetting the locals, I'm still working on that, Sir." Rex hadn't had a lot of time to think about that on his way to the bridge. He'd spent much of the trip just reconciling his feelings on the whole situation. "One thing we could try," he placed a hand on his chin as he tried to visualize the Athena setting down near an Alkaev facility, "... hmm, yeah, one thing we could try is scheduling an equipment pickup or something like that. The Rebellion's a cooperatively developed suit between the EU and the Alkaev company so the Russian government shouldn't whinge about it too much. It'd be up to Stan to figure out the details on his end, but it should be enough to get us over the border. If Apotheosis shows up ..." Rex shrugged, "... we unload on them. We're losing a lot of units out there, but we've got plenty of good data to work with, now."

"I could page her, but then she'd try to talk to me... I don't want to hear her speak, I just want to watch her... Bounce about, I suppose is the way to say it. Then again, depending on what she's saying, it could be interesting... Hmhmhm..." Whatever thoughts Troy was having were likely not meant for the bridge, but Rex was grounding him pretty good with his suggestion.

"Unloading on an enemy force in conquest to gain a scientist seems like an alright idea, if you think the Russians aren't going to flag us for entering their space. Stan, you said? Mmmdoesn't sound very Russian to me... Well, whatever. If he worked on your machine, I can't call this worthless. If you need my help in orchestrating out permissions to enter, then let me know. Otherwise, I suppose I can take a stroll and find out where the only eye candy on this ship is... That Lieutenant, the one with the mobile armor or whatever it is, she's always wearing some large coat or uniform. So boring..."

Troy eyed Rex for a moment before smirking, shaking his head some. "My apologies, Rex. I'm quite the degenerate, aren't I? But you seem like the only soldier here that isn't afraid to speak to me without some official reason, so I find myself talking so freely around you. Hmm... I give you expressed permission to tell me to shut up, if I end up rambling too long."

Rex half smirked. "I'll do that when we're on the clock, Sir." Troy was always funny when he was on about May. This was one sexually frustrated captain he'd been assigned to work under. "Anyway, I'll let you deal with Greenfield while I get a hold of Stan and see how we can set all this up. It shouldn't take long and then I'll get back to you with the details." Hopefully no one would have to do too much on either end, but the Russians did tend to be pretty sensitive about their borders. More importantly, Stan would have to keep Rosa and Dima in the dark for now. Rosa especially. After playing his hand against Firmia, Rosa wasn't going to let Rex have his way, again. This was definitely going to be an interesting detour.

"Stan's definitely worth the trip, though. Depressing as he is to look at, he can give us an edge. Plus, if you're serious about pairing me back up with a T-Link, he can help with that, too."

"Technically, we're always on the clock, and-- please. Don't call me sir. Call me Troy. Or, Captain Lanzer, if you must remain formal. Sir... I'm only twenty six, you know?" Scoffing and smirking, Troy got up, spinning his cane and slapping his book closed.

"Captain to the bridge, all of you, stay alert. We should be safe here, as it stands, but you never know with these lovely people." One of the bridge staff sighed in relief as it seemed that Troy would be leaving, but that just made him smile wider.

"Come with me while I find May, Rex. You can tell me more about this Stan and what he's done while we walk-- specifically in regards to machine. That Telekinetic nonsense, that's all on your plate. Believe you me, if I'd never seen it in action, I'd call it a government fabrication... I'd like to believe it's still one, but you really can read my emotions, or whatever other nonsense, can't you? Heh." Troy went along, exiting the bridge, and he seemed to have a rather healthy spring in his step, compared to their meeting day. Perhaps someone had gotten around to his medication.

"Troy, then," Rex nodded. Since Troy wanted him to come along on the trip to find May, Rex felt he probably should go over more about Stan and his potential contributions, to Athena herself, if not the whole of the EU.

The Captain's stance on the Telekinetic phenomenon was intriguing. It wasn't an unreasonable take on things, either. Some skilled professionals and a complicated control system for funnels would definitely fool the public, and telekinesis was too close to magic for the average skeptic to take seriously. "Well, I wanted my TK abilities to go unnoticed until I moved up the ranks, here," Rex began, thinking back to when he'd received his inhibitor, "The only way to do that was to get an inhibitor ... so I can't sense anything from you right this moment. After I get the inhibitor removed though ... it'll be a different story."

That probably came off a bit strange to a man like Captain Lanzer, effectively handicapping himself to avoid a swift promotion, but Rex had to prove himself capable on his own before he would allow himself to be judged so heavily on his TK abilities. Perhaps that was a bit too macho of an approach. Either way, the game was over, now. With Apotheosis running amok, Rex was able to swallow his pride easily enough and grasp his full potential for the sake of his allies.

"Well that's foolish, isn't it? Wouldn't you want to rise up faster? Unless you aren't here for the money that being a professional killer brings along, but I can't fathom why someone so skilled wouldn't be. You'd give me a run for my money in a one in one, let me tell you that much." Troy wasn't exactly concerned with the thought, even if it confused him, as they stepped into an elevator. The green distraction was likely in the hangar, working on something. He did have to give her credit, as much as you'd expect her to just be a walking attraction with little to say, she was frustratingly smart... So why she carried herself like a bimbo was beyond him. Maybe she just liked it? Women...

As the doors opened, Troy had a thought about this magical brain nonsense. "So we'll be able to fit some of those, funnel whatevers onto your machine, right? Be honest with me, you don't actually use your brain to move them, right? That's just the story they sell? Because if it's true, I haven't the faintest why they don't design suits for regular soldiers like that. Can you imagine a well trained Telekinetic in the field with a gun he could aim with his mind? Why do they only use it for mechs? Such a waste." The hangar was coming up, Troy giving his cane another pleased spin as he thought about it... Rex charging down a group of soldiers with a knife or a sword in hand, a fully equipped automatic rifle floating beside him, gunning down anyone that thought to fire on him. The perfect soldier, in a sense... Just imagine a whole platoon of that. Gods, I'm getting excited and I haven't even seen May yet. I need to calm down, I can already feel myself smiling, hehaha...

"It'd be great to be a lieutenant or better by now," Rex admitted, "but I'd rather earn it, first." There was more to it than that, but little beyond that was purely logical, so Rex wasn't sure how to elaborate further. "It's ... just who I am."

The question of the funnels, and TK abilities in general, arose as they exited the lift. Troy really did have his suspicions about that whole system, didn't he? "I'm no expert on T-links but they're not portable, yet. You're not going to be able to haul one around with you ... though you may have a point about infantry using them." A small vehicle with a T-Link inside of it and some wired up soldiers could get some interesting results in battle, though nothing would be truly practical until a TK could be linked remotely, and that might be a ways off, still ...

Rex smiled after a moment, wondering what Stan would think of Troy's interest in T-Link applications. "The Alkaev company deals pretty heavily in T-Links, and Stan's one of their best scientists. We could have him look into that for us once we pick him up. You'd only have Makenna and me for guinea pigs for now, but that could change down the road."

"Using whatever you have to claw your way to the top is earning it, Rex. This magic of yours wasn't programmed into you. Putting on a handicap is just letting the next guy get a leg up over you... Take it from me. Don't let him." At least Rex wasn't going to be doing so anymore, so that was good.

It was disappointing to hear that they wouldn't be making use of soldiers with TKs any time soon, but that made some sense. It couldn't be just their minds controlling entire large machinery. The energy and the manipulation had to come from somewhere. "Well, maybe some time... We'll have this Stan of yours produce something deadly and get wonderful promotions-- and wonderful extra weapons. The pay is a nice cherry, of course, but I'm here for the fighting... If that wasn't obvious." Troy let himself have a small cackle as they came into the hangar, smiling wide.

"Ahh, good! My favorite person to stare at." Greenfield wasn't in her machine; all the better. Working on something important, it seemed, her fingers were hammering away at the laptop. "May, I'm in a fantastic mood, so I'm not even going to reprimand you for talking; feel free to say whatever you wish. Rex has a wonderful idea that I felt I'd share with you, so, by all means Abrams, inform the woman. Won't beat around the bush, it'll likely involve real combat, and I want to make sure your machine's still... Qualified, for such a thing."

How droll. The only goddamn exercise they'd gotten into after being assigned to this blasted ship, and it was before her Armadura had shipped on-board. Granted, smashing those unknown fucks... formerly unknown, that is. Those same machines had been spotted enough in the attacks since to confirm them as Apotheosis... had been fun enough, but the Aventuro had been old news by that time. And now that she finally had her machine... they were being held on standby in Beijing. Bloody China, away from the battle front, away from any action whatsoever... what was the point of this thing... any of the tech on this ship, if it wasn't going to used now that they were actually fighting a goddamn war.

But maybe things were coming to a turning point. As the Captain and Abrams entered the hangar and moved over to Greenfield. Wandering over in that direction away from the Armadura, Makenna came into hearing range just in time to hear the magic words. 

"Excuse my overhearing, Captain. But I do believe you just said real combat." The rather freshly promoted Lieutenant interjected, walking over to the trio with a gait that screamed of wanting to vent some boredom.

"Do go on."

Troy brought up a good point, though Rex still wasn't a fan of the favoritism TKs often received simply for being such. He didn't know how else to get around it. Of course, it didn't matter anymore. Going forward, it was back to being slightly more than human.

When they found May in the hangar, the captain didn't waste any time in setting the tone for the discussion and giving Rex the floor. "A fantastic mood?" May looked curious, pausing in the middle of whatever she'd been typing to stare at Troy for a moment. Then she glanced at Makenna, who had just arrived, and then Rex. "Did ... he shoot someone?"

"Just enjoy it while it lasts, May," Rex dismissed the question, "Anyway, if all goes well, we're going to be making a little detour to pick up a scientist named Stan Alkaev. He's the one that designed those AMS suits that have been popping up in all this fighting."

May did recall them. The Russians and the ANF were currently the only ones using them. Those things were inevitably going to be associated with killing planes and hit and run tactics. She had no idea who Stan was until just now, when Rex had told her, so that was some news, at least. Wouldn't they have to fly over to Russia or someplace to pick him up, though? Would that cause any trouble ...?

"Did I sh-- Hah, hahahaha!" Troy cracked up immediately, spinning his cane and slamming it down onto the hangar floor, trying to calm himself down. "Oh, oh, gosh, I've never been happier to give you free speech. That's the funniest thing you've ever said, May~ Ahhh, perhaps you aren't worthless... Mmm. No, not yet, though I wouldn't mind, it would just make my day... Never mind, it just got better." Makenna had joined them with her interest, and she certainly looked interesting. Uniforms need to be banned.

"Yes, Makenna, real combat. Doesn't that sound fun? As Abrams just said, we'd be heading to Russia. Not going to get in trouble with them, but my money's bet on us running into everyone's favorite terrorist organization. Some 'weapons testing' on them wouldn't be looked upon poorly in the government's eye. So, if that sounds interesting, you're all free to suit up. Except you, May. No jacket."

It seems that the Captain thoroughly enjoyed some quip from the civvy, as he burst out laughing and smacked his cane on the ground. Regardless of what she had said, it was what Troy followed up with that had her excited. The Russians, huh? Rex had been on loan from Russia, hadn't he? If it gave them a chance to get into the combat zone, it'd be marvelous... it was no guarantee, but the border frontiers were crawling with Apotheosis goons. Had to be better than this shithole, at the very least.

"Hell, that does sound fun. Sure beats sitting around here doing nothing but field tests with dummy rounds... I just scrapped the last of those ANF Legionaries we had lying around from skirmishes too." Makenna replied, glancing over at the corner of the hangar, where the mangled remains of a Legionary Mk.III rested, compacted and torn apart with enough physical pressure to leave deep, claw shaped gouges in the twisted and broken metal frame. Needless to say the heavy model was thoroughly crushed, and had there been a pilot inside, they would have had the life squeezed out of them in a brutal, terrifying fashion.

"If we don't meet anyone on the way to this scientist guy, you'll have a detour in mind, of course?"

"We're going to Russia and I don't get my jacket?" May winced. It was summer, sure, but if you went far enough north, that wouldn't matter so much. First they came back to the Earth and its pesky gravity, and now this. "... man ..."

Rex glanced at Makenna, "We seem to have a knack for finding people to help us test our weapons. Should be even easier than last time in a war zone."

"I miss space," May groaned.

"Yes... Quite..." At least the woman valued her work as much as Troy did. It would be a pleasant sight to see her monster of a mobile armor stumbling around and getting its claws on things. "As for a detour... I suppose it wouldn't be terrible to get involved in nearby dealings if it helped the reds out..."

"It's a joke, Greenfield... I figured you'd appreciate that more than my getting annoyed at you. Hmm. Suppose I was wrong. In any case, you know the plan, now. If you've any objections, make them, because it amuses me when people think they have a say." That brought his mood back up, looking up at May's monstrosity. "And make sure that thing isn't about to explode if it gets hit. That seems to be about all. Rex, walk me through your plans to make the Russian government not fire on us. The observation deck, come." With another glance at May, Troy started off towards an observation deck placed just above the hangar, with a small lift to lead into it.

"The captainnn ..." May began typing on her laptop after Troy's explanation, "has jokes. ... aaand saved." She closed down the device and stood up with it. "Seems pretty important, so I had to write it down~ ... and don't worry about Merrygate.  The plates on the shoulders double as ballistic shields, and they can move independently. I can't use a full burst from the Gae Bolg without blowing up the arms again, but even at half power it's good enough to wreck other robots. For everything else, there's the Alternative. I'll be fine."

"Been meaning to point out how stupid ALL of those names are," Rex muttered, eventually following after the captain.

Getting into Russia without getting shot at shouldn't be too difficult in the end. They just had to make their presence known and give the locals a reason not to waste the ammo. Rex and the Rebellion's ties to the Alkaev company was their best bet at the moment, otherwise they'd have to show some uncharacteristic cooperation and actually help the locals out in some obvious way. It was all fine and good to shoot any members of Apotheosis they found on their way to their target, but the Russians would have the Athena participating in all sorts of joint actions if they actually volunteered to help. Even briefly. Everyone wanted everything on their terms, and the Russians were no exception.

"The easiest way I can think of," Rex began, crossing his arms once they were in the lift, "... easiest meaning we don't get stuck in Russia for three weeks fighting a losing battle ... the easiest way is to play the Alkaev card. Now that the company's been more or less annexed by the military, a line to them is like a line to an independent branch of the armed forces. Since there's no official alliance between the EU and Russia, we'll have to give them a good reason for why we're there. Whatever we come up with, Stan's going to have to confirm it on his end, so I'll get a hold of him again before we arrive."

"Maybe I regret your freedom just a tiny bit..." May was likely messing with him, but he didn't have to enjoy it. At least he could watch her work from the observation deck, and finalize plans with Rex.

"Then we'll play the Alkaev card, and force it if they try to suggest otherwise. I'm not getting stuck in Russia for three weeks playing sidekick to some forlorn group of soldiers. No, if we end up fighting over red soil, we're doing it on my terms. To that end, you're going to be doing all of the talking, so don't let me down, Rex~"

Troy turned back to enjoy his show, pondering about things. "Do you think our little force of misfits and test tech can stand up to the best Apotheosis has to offer? We managed against two machines in space, but there's no telling what else they have down here. I'm not about to get sentimental, and I likely won't get sad if any of you croak, but, I figured I'd get your take on our firepower. This rust bucket of a battleship can only do so much, even with myself at the helm~"

It was no surprise Rex would have to be the spokesman on this one. He didn't enjoy the idea of that much, but he'd do what was necessary to get his people whatever they needed. It was just a shame that Stan was too pathetic of a person to appreciate in the short term. Troy probably wouldn't think too much of the scientist until the explosions got noticeably brighter. "I'll have them putting Hawaiian floral necklaces on us on our way in," Rex joked.

Rex's assessment of the Athena and her assets took a moment to fully come together, but he had a good feel for the crew, now. "I'm not sure if we've seen their best yet, but maybe. There isn't much we can't handle in terms of skirmishes if we play to our strengths. We use the Athena for long range fire support and don't let her get flanked by anything larger than a Hunter. We put Makenna and that crab monster out front to break enemy formations and 'arm wrestle' the stupid ones. We use our twitchier pilots to divert enemy fire. Use May for mid to long range fire support ... and moral support," Rex gave Troy an amused, knowing look, "Move the pieces around as needed. We should definitely take the scavenger's approach, though. The Athena'll work best taking on small isolated groups or sneaking up on enemies that are engaged with larger forces and flanking them. Getting in line with the rest of the EU fleet for conventional fights is a waste of this crew's potential in my view."

"Moral support indeed... A fine assessment. I have a fun toy that I need to get about installed on this ship, to that end. Don't suppose you've ever come across a battleship with a cloaking field, have you? Though, with the energy that expends, we'll have a shot at it once per day at best... Still, better than having to be stealthy in a battleship. I'd find that quite impossible, if enemy soldiers are at all paying attention."

With another curious glance back at May, one less focused on her assets, Troy sighed. "I suppose I should go take care of that. You're dismissed then, Rex. I'll make a proper call for pilots to suit up when things are all set... And I'll call you to the bridge once we need to enter Russian airspace. As you were." Rather than do what he said he was going to, Troy headed back to the lift. Perhaps something was eating at him.

[Juliette]

Juria had some trouble understanding what exactly Bill was trying to tell her, but she thought she managed to understand the basics of what he was saying. Gr! Why English have so many strange variations?! Floor cleaner, fixing jam, gizmos? "So you am need help with fixing small cleaning robot for ship and were wonder what kind of parts needed to be making for fix?" she summarized as best as she could so as to be clear. "Sure, can be doing with first part... for second... not knowing very much about how cleaner machine is working? So would be better at fix than know what am need to be making fix."

[Ether]

"As long as... you're alright." Kim replied, her expression softening as Christina indicated she was doing alright, soon after flopping onto the bed. So she wanted to put on another movie, did she?

"I didn't... have much time for movies, so I don't have any... recommendations, really. The last one was good, so... I'm sure that anything you want would be fine." Kim noted, sitting down next to Christina on the bed and placing the tray down on a small folding table next to it.

"I made plenty, so go ahead and... try whatever you think looks good."

[Xinnidy]

All In Order

Hannah said that everything was okay now... well then, Roxanna would just have to hold her to that, and hope no permanent deformities would be caused to the table. "She's awfully close to Brant, but she's a colony guardian by design... well, I guess the colonies can't really force her to return. Not in the position we are. If they're like me they probably would have never thought to put her in a mobile suit." Roxanna was really surprised to see Hannah had the capacity at all, then again, she wouldn't believe Hannah was trying to play human herself without being an eye witness. "...Well, at least they do seem to be calming down." That was that.

"Anyways, I'm not sure how we're going to handle both Apotheosis and the EU, but if the colonies remain operable, at least we'll have that." It was a thin insurance, but it was insurance nonetheless. The Federation's big edge was their rights to the airspace that surrounded the colonies. They've won the race to colonize space, and reaped fruits for it, even with the independence of Mars. "I suppose we'll want Russia's aid, to stabilize the balance until we're back on our feet." That was thinking too far into the future, though. Roxanna digressed. "I'm sure an Alkaev's help would mean a lot, if your country gave it some thought. Then again, I guess they are in hot water too, hm?" Firmia certainly seemed to be in a pickle, if the meeting taught anything of value to Roxanna. These restrictions were steadily tilting the war in Apotheosis' favor.

Newest Issue

"Oh wow, I remember liking Magenta Moon way back when I was younger. Did they make more?" So she was a more single player fan, that was okay too. Besides, you could never go wrong with alley brawler in case things got slow! "I'm sure it'll be a fun time... I hope Apotheosis lets up for once so we could get a free day." It seemed like they had missions every day... though that was military life really. It's not like it'd pay a good salary (or no salary, in his case) for lazing about. "Would be nice to have a free day, like a weekend." There were no weekends in war, unfortunately.

Their search for volume four began, the boy quickly sorting through covers to find the series' name and volume for a hopeful match. "Alright, volume four..." Aha, there it was. "This one?" He pulled up the volume, satisfied with his quick finding. "Looks like it... Once you're done reading the series, could I borrow them?" It'd definitely be nice to have a friend to indulge in his nerdy hobbies and talk to, in the serious atmosphere of the Riese.

[Phoenix]

Hannah's attachment to Brant had always been a sore spot for Firmia, though at least it was somewhat working in her favor, these days. Hannah's design made her useful in all sorts of ways, and as time passed, the young Alkaev got new and innovative ideas of how to capitalize on the situation as a whole. As long as the price she was paying in having Brant in such a vulnerable position wasn't too steep, Firmia could handle the more annoying aspect of it. If she had to let Brant run off into the sunset with someone when this was all over, at least the android wouldn't make his life too complicated. No family baggage, no deleterious commitments, and no competition. It actually sounded perfect, but Firmia wasn't going to play around with that idea a moment longer ...

As for the Russians, Firmia didn't know how the war was progressing over there, but she doubted it was going well. Just because there were other AMS units being fielded didn't mean the military regulars knew how to properly use them. Helping the ANF out in its relations with Russia in the post-war world was something the girl had no objection to, but she also felt powerless in that regard. Her ties to the government came through her mother and grandfather, two people she wasn't on good terms with. The geopolitical situation also heavily favored a Russian-EU alliance. About the only thing Firmia could see winning them over was the promise of a massive boost to their military power, and sanction to move their forces through ANF controlled regions of outer space. Offers like those would give the Kremlin the room they needed to expand their influence in the long term. If they were allied with the ANF on a more permanent basis, it wouldn't be that risky for them, but the EU could offer far more in the short term, like survival, something Firmia wasn't convinced the Russian government could achieve on their own. They were in hot water, alright.

"Unfortunately," Firmia grimaced, the most dignified one anyone had ever seen, "the situation with my family is extremely poor, right now. My family does have strong ties with the government, but I'm still only seventeen, and I haven't personally met many officials. That's why I need to get my company off the ground. That way I can forge my own ties to world governments and operate on my own. Right now I can't do anything but fight. All I really have right now is the money I set aside for my own personnel project, and my mobile suits." She paused, looking down at the table, wondering if she should risk betraying that small part of herself that still demanded extreme caution. "... and my friends. E-employees. Both, really. I'm not going to be much help in negotiating with the Kremlin. That's all I'm saying."

[TheRoon]

It's true. They have been out a while. So... "Yeah, think I'll head back to the ship. Got things to do." She smiled. "Been fun, El. Thanks for the nice time out." With that she made her way back to the jeep, writing in her notebook again...

Yeah. She's not so bad afterall. 8/10.

Well done, Elaine. Well done.

[Nanami Touko]

Time Off ~ August 3rd 1430 PST

Two to Tango

Hannah was surprised to see Brant sleeping on their way to the mall, but she could drive just fine. She'd been built to suit all purposes, after all... Though she'd had to tie her hair up. With the sun beating down on them, these jeeps not having covers, the wind would've taken it away without doing so. The ride was uneventful and rather quiet otherwise. That was also fine, it gave her time to think of what to do. And what to do about Brant... Shopping was a good start, but, maybe she could try to play at being even more human? She could ingest food, even if it had to meaning... Maybe she could get Brant to share a snack with her? "Hmm... Brant?"

They'd arrived, so it was time to wake him up. A gentle hand nudged his shoulder, hoping to wake him up calmly. "We're here. Are you sure you're going to be alright? If this is a bother, I can explore the mall and let you rest some more." He'd get to see the clothes either way, so it was fine, right?

Shopping Trip For Three

Christina threw her arms out as the trio walked into the mall, sighing with delight. "Civilation~ Away from the ship. This is the best... It's still a part of a military installment, but it's a big, tasty slice of a normal life. Chris, Kim, where do you two want to go first? We could try on clothes, we could go to the food court, look at books, see a movie, check out video games... Whatever you want!"

Guess she's in her element... Chris had her arms folded, frowning, not really interested in most of those suggestions... Maybe games. "It's whatever you two want to do. I'm just here as a tag along... Unless you can't think of anything to do."

Dressed for Success

Avery was dressed up pretty nicely, for once. Even mechanics could clean up! A nice wide brimmed summer hat sat on her head, to keep the Nevada sun off of her, hair tied up in a low ponytail. She had her own white, sunflower pattern dress on, with a jean jacket over her shoulders, smiling back at Astin. "Ready t'go an' get yerself inta somethin' nice lookin'? Hope I ain't too strange after I been wearin' that jumpsuit the whole time." Avery reached a hand out to help Astin out of the jeep they'd rode over in, chuckling just a bit. "isn't it nice? Just havin'a day off like this?"

Tiny Bother

Galatea had gotten used to jumping through the Riese's network, leaving tiny little copies of herself wherever she went. It would probably alarm any normal ship crew, but this one was fairly lax about things, wasn't it? After passing around and making a general map of the place, she ended up in the hangar again, rolling her way down to the closest panel to Sasha. "Psst! Hey! Hey, Sasha! Come over here for a second, I need a ride."

The Doctor is in

Cheryl yawned. Sasha was busy again, working on whatever machinations the little Russian monster would have him work on. That meant she was stuck in her office... Well, if anyone came by, it at least meant she could try to help them. They were back at Central... She could always go buy a cigar-- "No, you've been off that shit for like, three days now. Don't start back up. You can make it..."

//Everyone can post. You can place your characters on the ship, or at the mall. I'll be adding the other characters I control as details are figured out. Feel free to do whatever's available IC, this is a break period. The plot resumes tomorrow IC.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Balcerzak]

Cracks in The Surface

 

Jess yawned, idly playing with her hair, checking her communicator... Seems someone had sent her a message while she'd been in the shower. "Oh, from Brant?" Get something off his chest...? What's... Oh... Jess felt the carpet get pulled out from under her. She'd not talked to him since making this decision, glancing over at Abby... But, she couldn't just pretend like things hadn't gone this way.

'Yeah. Go ahead and come over. I'm in my room... Abby's here. I hope that's not a problem.'

And send.

It certainly took a while to hear back, but it seemed like 'girl's night,' anyway. Hannah had mentioned Jessica and Abigail possibly being an item, now. If the latter part of the Captain's message hadn't been a smoking gun ... As much as Brant wanted to send back a confirmation, his instincts told him to just head straight there and get this over with. Was Abigail being there right now a problem? Technically? Yes. Apologizing for what he'd done felt almost pointless with her there, as if Brant were stuck in the past even in this matter.

It felt like an unusually long walk, but Brant used that time, making sure Galatea knew not to chime in and going over everything he could remember to make sure he wasn't missing any crucial details. He had no intention of dragging out his apology or going into detail, but he wanted to remember everything he could about the situation just in case Jessica decided to.

Brant knocked on the Captain's door a couple of times and then took a spot on the wall just like he had when visiting Chris. "It's Brant," he said, just loud enough for anyone near the door to hear, but not enough to carry too far through the crew's quarters. He couldn't help but wonder if Abigail would comment on this. He hoped she wouldn't, but he already knew she wasn't the type. Worse still, if Hannah was right then this was relevant to her.

There he was... Jess had gotten fairly anxious during the wait, but he hadn't wasted much time coming down. Jess looked at Abby for a moment, swallowing pretty hard. "Just gonna talk to him really quick. Promise it's nothing..." She'd almost said important, which made her heart sink into her stomach. It took her a moment to clarify. "Nothing long."

A bathrobe was presentable enough, right? Probably not... She didn't really have time to change. while Brant had taken his time to go over what he wanted to say, Jess hadn't considered what to say or respond with. It would probably be a bit painful... But she couldn't go back on anything, and she didn't want to. This was something only she could do.

She opened the door and failed to smile, giving him a tiny wave. "Hey... Brant." This was incriminating, wasn't it...?

So that's why it took so long to get a response. Brant would put a lot more faith in Hannah's assessments going forward. For now, though ... he was at a bit of a loss. It was one thing to suspect he'd been dumped without so much as a word. It was another to see the evidence. It was really going to hurt when Jessica finally came out and said it ...

Brant didn't come off of the wall, at first. While looking somewhat aloof, it made it easier not to look any longer than necessary. "... well, that at least explains the wait." Yeah, it was way harder to actually get this over with, now. Brant had questions now, but that wasn't what he was here for. He wasn't here to stare at the floor, either, but somehow that was a lot easier to manage. "... how do I say this ...?" Brant let the thought escape, almost welcoming the idea of being overheard. Maybe Jessica would give him something he could work with ...

After they'd finished up and left the shower, Jess had first donned a robe, then handed a spare one to Abby as well. While she might normally have just gone without, mood depending, when in Rome... Anyway, the captain had been fiddling with something by the time she finished toweling her hair and slipping into hers, and while she was a little curious she was planning to let the matter slide, making her way to the captain's big bed.

A stretch, and a yawn, and a ...nope waiting proved to be too much. Jess hadn't been forthcoming, so Abigail's curiosity got the better of her. "That wasn't Central, was it? What could they possibly want from you at this hour." She'd apparently missed the muttered mention about Brant, but before the captain replied, the man of the hour showed up to knock and announce himself. This was bound to be interesting, even considering Jess's promise it'd wrap up quickly. Well, there was apparently no worry about the cat getting out of the bag, given she'd asked the higher ups for permission, and already blabbed to the XO, but... who could say how everyone would take it individually?

Brant seemed to be, taken aback? No that wasn't quite right, he almost didn't seem to react at all, but he was certainly struggling with something. How bizarre. Pushing herself off the bed she padded a little toward the door, all the better for listening and chiming in.

"Generally one word at a time works," Abby offered oh-so-helpfully. "A lot of people recommend if you're nervous to picture the other party naked, or in their underwear, but I'm gonna have to ask you to pass on that one this time. I hope you can understand." It wasn't the evilest smile she'd ever given, but it definitely wasn't worthy of a halo either.

"I'm sorr--" was all she could get out before Abby hopped on over and... Made everything impossibly worse. Jess would've shoved her face into her hands were she not frozen in worry that things could explode any moment with Abby's incredibly lax and blunt nature.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "but... I should've told you sooner. I didn't mean to lead you on, I... I'm a pretty terrible person." She would've told Abby to shoo, but she didn't have the bravado in this situation. "I don't think I would've been able to help you v-very much, and... And there's no one else here to help her. There's a lot m-more to it than that, but... That's... That's what it boils down to. You're surrounded by so many wonderful people, I... Didn't think I'd be d-doing anything better than they could."

All of this beating herself up wasn't forced or covering things up. It really was how she felt towards Brant... She still loved him, of course, and if Abby's situation hadn't come to bear, maybe something could've happened... But when she tried to compare herself to Tonya, Hannah, even Firmia, she couldn't see what she could do better than any of them. Maybe if she knew Brant's own perspectives on them, but as it stood...

"I'm sorry," she repeated again, shrinking further. If she had to explain things to Abby after, she would. Right now... Brant deserved a lot better.

Brant really hadn't been looking forward to Abigail chiming in, especially so unhelpfully, but there it was. Jessica tried to salvage the situation, but only confirmed for Brant that he'd mishandled the situation. It turned out he'd dropped the ball in even more areas than he previously thought. It really wasn't the right emotion to be carrying right now, but he couldn't deny that he was getting more and more angry. It had yet to show on his face, but it forced that sorrowful look out and left Brant's expression completely blank.

Why anger, though? Abigail wasn't helping, but she was just there. Anyone could have taken her place in this situation and nothing would change as far as Brant's position was concerned. He hadn't felt this way before, so why now? Was it the excuses Jessica was making? Frankly, Brant didn't see what 'helping' him had to do with this situation. Was it that way with Abigail? If so, why? ... was this some kind of therapy to her ...?

Brant couldn't help but finally come off the wall, shaking his head to try and get off the confusion washing over him. "Help me? That ... doesn't make any sense." Face and tone still neutral, Brant crossed his arms and stood right in front of the door. "You're making it sound like ..." Brant paused, sighing as he remembered his side of the equation. Jessica was making it sound like she was just trying to help him address his Rosa issues. Meanwhile, Brant knew at least part of his attraction to her was rooted in the perceptual similarities. Still, his subconscious interest was likely always going to be that way. His conscious mind could still decide whether or not to play along.

"Okay, let me get this straight: You don't think you can 'help' me, but you can 'help' Abigail. And apparently there are wonderful people who can do better than you could? I'm sorry if this comes across the wrong way, but I wasn't aware being single was a problem anyone needed help with." It just seemed so petty. If Jessica hadn't mentioned there being a lot more to it, Brant would have been inclined to just drop all of this and be on his way. After all, what was the point in apologizing, now? He thought Jessica chose Abigail because of what he'd done, but apparently she needed help with something, and only a relationship with Jessica in particular would do the trick. What a joke ...

"I'm not going to make a scene here, but ... can you please just explain the whole situation to me? If I have to leave this with just your 'helping people' explanation ...--" Just out of the corner of his eye, Brant saw A1 in his little Mini-Throne body hugging the wall and quietly moving closer. The little guy probably wanted something but didn't want to interrupt. Brant ignored it for now. This was more important, and A1 would eventually make it over. "Can you just ... give me a version of this that actually makes sense, please? That's all I'm asking."

"That's not... I don't... Aren't you being a little too upset with me, y'know? I didn't see you making any replies to anything, so... Just..." She'd thrown around the L word and stood up for him, but that didn't mean things were automatically supposed to go that way, did it? Besides, he'd been so quiet, what did he expect was going to happen if someone else showed up and gave Jess something she'd missed out on her entire life.

"... Her old crew were all..." Jess sighed, glanced at Abby, and tried to word this as best as she could. "She doesn't have anyone to go back to, anymore. And... And she doesn't have anyone else on the ship to turn to. Forgive me if I turned to that and left you hanging. I'm sorry, okay?" Jess bit back some tears before adding something she felt important.

"But don't think that this is just me playing around with her, giving her someone to latch onto and feel better about herself with. I... I do like her. A lot. And I'm afraid to tell anyone all of this because like she did, I'm willing to bet everyone's just going to immediately jump at that. Like I'm using her as some sort of way to assuage guilt, or just here because I want her to feel better. I'm the only person who can 'help', her... And I'm more than happy to do so."

If that wasn't enough for him, she didn't know what else to say. "And I don't mean 'help', you... I mean, make you happy. I don't know how I make her happy, and compared to everyone else around you, I can't see how I could've made you anymore happy than they could. You deserve better. Both of you..." Jess wished she could her hands on some of that Apotheosis tech right now. Teleporting out of here was an incredibly appealing idea.

Brant cocked an eyebrow at the extra details as they came. They weren't helping much. He still didn't see why helping someone required that kind of a relationship. Jessica might as well turn this into some big love boat and make sure everyone at least paired off if that was how she really felt about the people serving under her. Although he couldn't say it aloud, Brant found it ... disturbing. What was going to happen the next time someone attractive and troubled came along? Would she dump Abigail for them, or would she just admit that these were two wholly separate issues? Or would she rationalize it as letting someone else 'help' them, like she'd done with him? It was really annoying to realize that, when all was said and done, she'd given up out of a ridiculous and irrelevant view of herself and the people around her.

Brant fixed his Captain with a somewhat pitying look. "Make me happy ... I'm the only person who can do that, not you, not anyone else. Look, I'm not upset with you, Jess. Not at all. I'm upset with myself. You already said it. There are wonderful people around me: Tonya, Firmia, Hannah. I was worried for a while there, because I thought I was giving you the worst impression possible ... that I was going behind your back with them. That's why I came here. I wanted to apologize for letting that happen. That clearly wasn't the only area where I messed up, though ..."

Jessica probably wouldn't admit it if confronted directly, but Brant felt pretty confident that if he'd been there during whatever sparked this thing with Abigail, it wouldn't have even happened. Naturally, if he asked her to end things with Abigail, she wouldn't, and not just because Abigail happened to be here right now, but because their bond was deeper now. Even if it hadn't been, Abigail's situation was arguably worse. Never mind the fact that Brant's home country was falling apart and the only people he cared for in life that weren't dead were either blood relatives, or aboard the Riese; the totality of the situation was where he fell short.

"I should have woken the hell up and tried to figure this thing out the moment you said you loved me," Brant continued, shaking his head, again. Like was a reasonably strong word to pin on Abigail. What about the other one, though? It would be a little awkward if she hadn't, yet, especially now. Brant wasn't going to ask, even if he was genuinely curious. "Trouble is, I didn't. Rosa's told me she loved me a thousand times, so I got a little numb to it." His relationship with Rosa--if it could even be called that--hadn't been exclusive either, come to think of it. "I bet all I had to do was invite you somewhere ... but I'm starting to think you're the one that needs help here."

Brant glanced at Abigail, wondering if she had gotten as much from Jessica's explanation as he had. He supposed he could just walk away, and let her try and sort things out, but without being sure she even knew what the real problem was, it didn't feel right. Furthermore, there was one more thing Brant needed from Jessica, and short of a full blown argument, he wasn't leaving until he got it.

Wait, Jess had been leading Brant on? That's what this late-night meeting was all about? Nooo, that was hardly likely, but... it was her saying as much, so... Time to put the kibosh on joking around then, damn. Ugh, and then the captain devolved into dancing all around the issue and not really saying much in the way of real explanation, or even anything that would actually work towards addressing the issue at hand. What the hell, Jess. Okay, maybe Abigail could see that whole self-applied 'nerd' label a little more clearly now, there was some serious social awkward at play here. Whether the problem was that the girl had no idea how to properly sort through her own emotions, or whether it was just expressing them that she failed at, it was hard to tell. Hopefully she'd realize the problem with her stilted apology that had quickly veered into going down the wrong tracks, put the brakes on it, and then maybe this whole thing could get started over and handled properly.

Orrrr maybe not. Well fuck. Unfortunately, that wishful thinking didn't seem to be in the cards. Brant reacted badly, but Abby couldn't really blame him. Especially as he pointed out that line about Jess 'helping' him, which was honestly one that sounded unpleasantly familiar to Abigail. Didn't it rather closely echo what she'd been told the other night? When Jess had had her pretty much convinced she was just going along with things because she acting out of some misguided sense of guilt and pity toward her. Ya'know, just that teensy little item, just the thing that had been big enough to keep Abby holding back on starting anything serious until after she'd confronted her on it. And of course, that had caused a bit of an anger explosion from the captain, though thankfully clearing the air. Abigail just had to hope Jess wasn't going to flip out over Brant's reaction like she did with hers. But stopping and thinking about the similarities in the captain's phrasing, well, that was rather odd to begin with. How did something like that even apply here, what exactly was going on? Was she to take this to mean Brant had some serious problems of his own? The notion wasn't wholly implausible, and as Abby considered everything that had been involved in that whole Russia delivery disaster from the other day, it was certainly gaining a little traction. But on the other hand, wasn't that a little too recent? The vibes she was getting from this whole mess felt like it was something that had been started and aborted long before she'd come aboard.

When the retort about 'not thinking being single was something that needed helping' came, Abigail almost snickered. That was just the sort of phrase she could imagine herself having said, if their situations had been reversed, and tempting though it might have been to give the man a thumbs up, things were far from resolved and more than a little confusing still, so the timing wasn't right to do anything that might muddy the waters further. Not to mention, she couldn't quite approve of a lot of his other behavior as far as Jess was concerned. One snappy comeback to a botched explanation did not put him in the right nor absolve him of wrongdoing. So Abby simply finished shuffling her way across the floor until she was standing next to Jess, now having become entirely invested in what was going on, rather than just some backseat observer. This wasn't some random request of his she could simply sit back and peer in on, maybe munching on popcorn all the while, like if he were asking for spare parts for some silly AI project. No, things were very personal now.

But, even given a second chance, Jess continued to do nothing but flub. Good god, woman. And why'd you have to go and bring that up, anyway? Did he really need to know; how did it even apply? Abigail grabbed her by the shoulder and squeezed, trying to prevent the damage, but it was already too late. And of course she continued to muddle around in the whole 'she needs my help' business, rather than cut to the chase of 'Abby's made me feel things I've never felt before. It's been wonderful.' Abigail wanted to frown, but the truth was Jess was probably too shy to say anything of the sort in front of anybody else. Hell, it took extraordinary circumstances for her to say or do anything daring just when it was the two of them alone, though when she did...

No, no time to dwell on those thoughts, sadly, Brant was back at it, still not buying her explanation and clearly unhappy. His follow up revealed that he'd come intending an apology of his own, but of course there was no getting off this ride just yet. As he continued to talk, there was at least one more particularly troubling statement he'd thrown out that would have to be addressed... eventually. No, it had nothing to do with this Rosa lady, or his sudden burst of macho confidence. Abigail shot Jess a sidelong glance upon hearing she'd told the other pilot she loved him, tightening her grip on her shoulder a little as she did. Was the captain just throwing that word around without considering the impact it had on people? Okay, Abby'd been a little wary, gunshy even, about her liberal use of that word before, but what should she make of it now?

Right this moment though, she needed to do something to wake the captain up a little. Forcibly turning Jess to face her, Abigail leaned forward, not even considering how what she was about to do might look to Brant at first glance. But, rather than kissing her, she brought their foreheads together with a light rap, hoping a little bonk might jolt the girl to her senses. Well, she'd intended it to be light at least, but maybe she was a little sleepy herself, long day and everything, full of exertions. She ended up wincing, either Jess's skull was hard as a rock or she'd badly misjudged the force she'd used. Either way, hopefully that would do the trick. But, she had to follow actions up with words too, she wasn't about to give up the wheel just yet.

"The hell're you saying, Jess. That's no way to make yourself understood. Like, really, this is how you wanted to explain things? Jesus," she rolled her eyes in frustration and threw up her hands. "Look, there is a time and a place for letting someone down gently. When they're rallying for another go, and you're standing next to your lover, well that sure ain't one of them. You keep up like this, and your overdeveloped sense of selflessness is just gonna cause more problems."

Turning to Brant, Abby took a slightly more conciliatory tone, a bit of a complicated expression sweeping across her face. "Look, I'll level with you here, 'cause out of all the other pilots you've been far and away the most decent one to me." Aliza didn't count, she still didn't seem to actually know anything about what Abigail had been responsible for. "I had no idea you were pursuing the captain. Literally none. Now, I'm not saying that would have changed anything, because it wouldn't have--I was picking up plenty of signals from her anyway--but that's also just a huge warning flag that maybe you just weren't all that interested in her after all. Or if you were, I guess you really just had no idea how to go about it." She shrugged, a bit of a 'sucks to be you' gesture, but what else really was there to offer. The man fucked up his situation without any of her help, she just put the final nail in the coffin. "Better luck next time."

"If you're got all these wonderful people, then I don't understand..." Why was he fixated on this? Shouldn't the apology have been enough to end things, he could walk away and they didn't have to escalate further? She didn't really get it... What was less understood was why he kept droning on about it, had she not been clear? Jess sighed, about to place a hand up against her face when she felt Abby's hit her shoulders, causing her to flinch. A glance back at her, just to see if she was upset... She didn't seem it, but... Maybe a little. When her grip got tighter, around Brant mentioning love, Jess could tell-- she was getting a talking to later.

What wasn't expected was the sudden swivel, put face to face with Abby, about to-- "Ow! Owww..." Jess stumbled for a second, rubbing at her forehead. That wasn't what she'd been expecting... Wait, really? "Huh?" Was this really not all that clear? Jess didn't get it, what wasn't clear? Did she have to be more blunt, or... She was at a loss for what she was missing, but...

"Sh-She's right... If you cared that much you should've said something earlier. I'm... I-I'm h, happy with Abby." The stuttering wasn't very convincing, but maybe the red in her face would be. It was difficult for her to talk about these things. "She... We've, d-done a lot, and... Geez, I don't have to spell it out, do I? I'm really happy, with how things have turned out. That's... Th-That's all I can say without burning up here, what else do you need, Brant?" She was happy, he had people to go back to, Abby was content, somehow... What was the problem?

Abigail listened, seemingly until she got a good feel of the situation, and then she let Jessica know just how concerned she was. To Brant's surprise, she didn't come at him with the kind of fire he'd expected. Instead, she tried to give him another easy out. She didn't know where he was coming from anymore than Jessica did. That was fine, though ... because sooner or later, they would understand. He wasn't just some loose end they could tie up and forget about.

"There isn't a next time, Abby," Brant shook his head a couple of times, "All I've heard so far is that it's 'easier' this way, and my life's been anything but easy. A little competition never bothered me at all."

But still the same old excuses from Jessica. She couldn't get over the fact that he had options, nor could she at least prove her sincerity by walking back what she'd said and then giving him a reason, a valid reason to leave her to her own devices. As much as Brant wanted to tell her how to make most of this go away, doing so would only destroy that very option. If she needed him or Abby to tell her how to do this, something as simple as making a real, binding decision, then her heart was never in it to begin with.

"Jess, I'm glad Abby was able to keep you comfortable while I was busy running errands all day, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to step aside. You haven't given me one good reason to bow out. Not one. Before it comes up again, I really couldn't care less that you two have been 'intimate.' According to Rex, Rosa slept with him three hundred and ninety eight times before we got out of that nightmare." Brant smiled a bitter smile at the two women. "If you can top that ... then sure ... that's as clear a message as any, but I already know you're just hiding behind how convenient Abby is."

"... no offense meant," he added, glancing briefly at his fellow pilot and rival.

Oh right ... "Oh, and Jess ... can you please not bring them up again, those 'wonderful people' in my life? You're just insulting them. They aren't silver medals or consolation prizes. Walking out on this ... and then grabbing one of them, just so I can 'have someone,' is one of the most disgusting things I could ever do, and any relationship that comes out of that is meaningless. I owe it to every other woman I have to give up to be with you ... I OWE it to them to give this my all, so that's what I'm going to do."

'Easier this way'? Well, following Jess's half baked logic to its natural end, Abby supposed she could see how Brant came to that conclusion. And to that end she was still a little frustrated the captain couldn't actually be convincing. Like, points for trying, maybe, but that last effort was barely better than a little kid giving a coached speech written by her parents. Not quite what she had hoped for. That aside, a 'competition', eh? Definitely worth a raised eyebrow. Brant felt he was actually still in this? Maybe he'd been assuming he hadn't needed to try until it looked like he was behind?

His comment about her having kept Jess 'comfortable' while he was busy earned a scowl, though, and Abigail was certainly taken aback to hear some more on this Rosa person. Like, wew, almost 400 times? Over what kind of period, though? Still, for anything on a reasonable scale, that's, yeah, wow. A libido to put her own to shame. Brant and this Rex fellow must have certainly been taken for a wild ride; guess that's where he's getting some of this confidence from, huh.

The thing he raised that really hit Abby hard, though, was his mention of consolation prizes. She did her best not to let it show on her face, but it felt a little like she'd been punched in the gut. There'd been a time or two she'd worried that maybe she was just using Jess as such, borrowing her as crutch for long enough to pull her life together again. If that really was the case, would the captain be better off with Brant? With someone willing to pass over other low-hanging fruit to fight for what he'd settled on wanting?

Fuck no. She just had to rise to the occasion. Crush this competition and show that--the depth of Jess's 'I love you's aside--her own love would be firmer, truer than anything. Growth sprang from opposition, and necessity was the mother of invention. Perhaps this challenge was just what she needed, so she after she'd passed it she could truly feel at ease, and bury those niggling doubts forever.

"You're on, pal," Abigail almost growled. "Do your worst. If you think talking big like this is gonna scare me off, you have another think coming. You're right, love isn't always easy or convenient. It can get rough and ugly. You think I don't know that, that I'm not ready to do what it takes?" She shook her head. Her blood was rising and she was getting riled up--at some point her hand had balled into a fist. Slipping her thumb out and jerking it at her chest, Abby continued, "I'll show you, both of you, that I'm more fit to be Jess's partner. Not just a 'for now', but a 'forever'."

Bold words, but she was a bold girl. Where did things go from here though? There was still a very big wild card in play. Jess had a mind of her own, and would be making her own decisions.

Brant kept going on and on like he still had a horse in this race, but he hadn't even left the stable, the race was over, and here he was begging for a redo because he'd been late. This was ridiculous! "This is insane! We're trying to fight a war and the two of you are going on like I'm some sort of contest prize? Stop! Both of you just stop!"

"And you," she pointed a finger at Brant, "the only one treating them like a consolation prize is you by saying something so stupid! Why would I ever think something like that? Are you so hung up on me that you think they're all second place? What is wrong with you?" She'd lost her bravado at the end, her last question whispered out, almost completely shocked he could even think like that. Were Firmia and Tonya just fallback plans? Was Hannah a silver medal, with how much she hung around him? Did he even care?

And with Abby talking like this was something that was going to play out, Jess was nearly done. "No, this is beyond stupid, you're both insane, this should've been settled the moment I said sorry. I'm not doing this. I'm happy where I am, and if you can't move past me, I don't care. I'm... This is so stupid." Jess turned away from both of them and stomped back into her room, throwing herself on her bed in a little tantrum, groaning. This night was supposed to have been a good one...

Abigail's response was better than anything Brant could have hoped for. If either of them caved after one brief confrontation, it would only serve to entrench Jessica more deeply. It would be bad enough to lose her to Abigail over something so stupid, but to have her continue on like this long afterward was downright unacceptable. And so Brant was fully committed, now. Victory or death, in a mostly figurative sense ...

Jessica's response was far different from Abigail's. She nearly lost it, coming after Brant over his talk of consolation prizes. He wasn't expecting her to try to flip that on him, but it didn't faze him in the slightest. He knew exactly how he felt about each of them already, which was why he didn't want Jessica trying to put his attention on them. Tonya, Firmia, possibly even Hannah would all be there for him if he needed them ... but it didn't have to be in that way. That kind of relationship had lots of potential, but it was the furthest thing from a necessity in his life. There was no easy path for him either way, no turning away for the sake of convenience. That path led to a very dark place, and he was having none of it.

Jessica continued by angrily declaring she was happy where she was. Brant wanted to believe that, but she hadn't taken a single step toward proving it. She wanted to make a decision, without actually having to make it. Whether it was laying down meaningless rhetoric to shoo him away, or hoping Abigail's presence would do the trick ... anything to avoid an actual decision. It seemed that unless Apotheosis was bearing down on them, Jessica could do little more than talk ... and fair enough. No one could expect that much social progress from her that quickly. Still, she ended the discourse early and retreated back into her room, leaving Abigail to mind the door.

There wasn't much left to do about the situation for now, but Brant did have something to say to his fellow pilot and rival. "I really don't think you're a better partner for her than I am, but that's not important. There's someone out there who'd blow us both out of the water if they were here. It's only important that we go through with this. If I lose, it'll be because I got incinerated, not because Jess is uncomfortable right now. So don't hold anything back. Please, get her to take this seriously."

Brant glanced toward the gap in the door, beyond Abigail. There wasn't much to see, nothing Brant particularly cared about right now ... but somewhere in there, Jessica was hiding. Was this worth it? Was it worth dragging her kicking and screaming to a point where she could see her own worth, and not do things like this anymore? Brant quickly turned his full attention back on Abigail, convinced that it was indeed worth it. "Before I head out, Abby ... I want to thank you for being almost as stubborn as I am. For being you, basically. She doesn't need either of us 'proving' her right, here ... because she's wrong. So thanks. Regardless of how this goes, I mean that." It didn't have to be a two pronged offensive, but that certainly helped. As long as Jessica truly understood what was happening, and why. Smiling an apology, Brant continued, "I care about you both, so I'm going to destroy this dumb fling of yours. That way, Jess can put it all behind her or turn it into something honest and meaningful. That's a promise."

Wait, 'both insane', what had she said? Abigail didn't really understand why Jess was upset at her, but the girl was clearly livid, a showy turn around followed by deliberate stamps before throwing herself on the bed. Watching her go like that was a little deflating, but there wasn't time for a full reflection on just what she'd managed to phrase so inelegantly that it had put her on Brant's level, in the captain's eyes.

Speaking of the other pilot, he seemed almost pleased with himself. What kind of sick fuck...? There had to be something here Abby wasn't getting. He'd always seemed to have his shit pretty well together, but... thanking her, for how obviously terrible this whole thing had ended up panning out? It wasn't as if he didn't seem to care about Jess, but to consider her current state as a good outcome took a certain kind of twisted. She really didn't feel like carrying on a conversation with him on this subject any longer. Not tonight, maybe not ever. His two-sided compliments and apparent gratitude aside.

The words 'dumb fling' were the final straw for the night, though. Teeth grinding, and hands balling, Abigail very nearly took a swing at Brant, only managing to stop herself by diverting her fist into the door frame. "Fuck you, and fuck the robot you rode in on," Abby swore. "You've done enough damage for tonight, just... go." She extended her arm as straight as it would go, finger angrily jabbing a path down the hall. Then she withdrew it, stepped back inside, operated the panel to close the door, then slumped to the floor, her back resting up against it.

Burying her face in her hands for a few moments, Abby sighed, waiting for the pounding blood at her temples to subside, for her to stop seeing red. He obviously had his own ideas about how he was going to do things, and she had hers. Despite claiming an interest in winning Jess over, things stank of some sort of scorched earth policy. All he had to do was goad Abigail into doing something self-destructive enough times, and while he wouldn't win--she was sure of that much--it could easily end up with her losing. But how to stop falling for the bait?

There was still so much she didn't understand. She needed to pump the captain for answers, but more importantly, she had to be sure to patch things up. Heaving herself to her feet with a grunt, Abigail slowly made her way to the bed. All she could see of Jess as she approached was the soles of her cute feet, as she'd buried herself in a pillow out of frustration. And really, could Abby blame her? For something that should have been a quick over and done with, things had really spiraled out of control. Even if that was in no small part the woman's own fault, it would still be just cause to feel upset.

Settling herself down at the foot of the bed, Abby rested a hand on one of her heels, comfortingly letting her know she was there--as if the give of the mattress settling wouldn't have been enough. Then, carefully, she began to speak. "Days passed without Abigail Casson managing to say something stupid and fuck things up real good: Zero, yet again." A faint, deprecating smile stole across her lips. "I'd only meant to, to show I was willing to, you know, work on my flaws, get better, move past my... issues. But I guess even humoring him at all made it feel like I didn't trust you, didn't believe in you, which I can only imagine hurt like a bitch. I did warn you, I'm not really the smoothest, but still..." She trailed off. Even with more experience than Jess in many matters of the heart, this was certainly new ground for Abigail as well. Nobody had ever challenged her for Calina, after all. "Maybe I would've handled it better if I'd been at all prepared. But that doesn't mean I get to get away without saying 'I'm sorry'."

Abby was angry, of course. She deserved to be. This whole mess of nonsense had happened because Jess wasn't able to face things. She'd just wanted to wait until they went away, but, what else could she have done? This was all round one. Not two, not three, not four or five. She had zero experience in these matters, but if this was the norm, maybe it was best to stay out of them entirely...

With the door shut, there wasn't much else she could do but wait for whatever was going to come... The first thing that came was Abby, sitting at the edge of the bed. The hand on her foot caused Jess to flinch, not expecting the contact. What came next, was... It wasn't what either of them needed. Jess curled herself up, sat up, and gently brought herself to hug Abby from behind, burying her face against the woman's back.

"None of this is your fault. I just don't... I don't know how to face any of this. I don't know how to turn someone down. I don't know how to get out of these things without hurting someone... And that ends up hurting you. Lose lose. No winning scenario..." A poor excuse, but the truth, if there was any room left for it this night. "I'm sorry, too... You shouldn't be apologizing. I, just... Don't want to be fought over. I'm not w--" She cut herself off. That's what Brant had been driving at, wasn't it? Even now, with Abby, she was still doing it... But what of it? That's how she felt. That either of them wanted her at all was confusing, that she was being fought over was ridiculous.

"But... I'm not worried. This is ridiculous, yeah... But..." Jess slipped her hands down to Abby's stomach, hugging her tighter, biting back a sob. "I know that I'm at my happiest right here. And... And, if... If I make you happy too, then... Even if I don't get it, isn't that fine?" Was it? Did Abby think it was fine? Maybe what Brant had said was stirring in her head, too. Jess didn't get it, but maybe Abby wasn't as hopeless. "Is it fine...?"

"Being with me is fine," Abigail assured her, covering Jess's hands at her stomach with her own, giving them a light squeeze. "Picking things up as you go along is fine. Apologizing when you mess up is fine." She hadn't quite expected this reaction, a close hug from behind, and a few hitches in the captain's breathing warning her she might be ending up with a wet shoulder before this all was done. Maybe Abby was just used to people being more upset with her than with themselves, though.

Still, "What's not fine," Abigail's tone lowered a register, "Is keeping me in the dark, springing me with unpleasant surprises. You can tell me anything, so please, just do it, rather than hoping I won't find out, or trying to play it down after I do. When did you start loving Brant? When did you stop? What the hell has got his outlook on things so warped?" Part of her knew she shouldn't press Jess so hard on this right away, but the rest of her was still wound up and frustrated.

"Uhm..." Jess sat down some, resting her face against Abby's back. "I... He was cute, so I made some passes, at him. He didn't really respond so... I threw it out. To try and see if he was going to do anything. I probably would've tried more... But... Then you happened. And I told myself... Brant didn't need me. You were all alone... I like you too. You needed someone that cared, not as a fix, or some some convenient excuse, just... To not be alone. To have someone that gave a shit when you came into the room. You're getting along with more of the crew now, but a few days ago... I, is that wrong? I'm happy being with you right now, should, I not have done this...?"

Jess didn't really know. "And Brant... He's, had a lot in his life. I don't know the details, but... It's come to the attention of a few of us, mostly the Russians... That he's been abused... Uhm, s-sexually, by his employer, for a long time. It's, probably warped his view on relationships a bit."

"Just, threw it out there huh? And you complained about me half-assing mine earlier this morning, ha!" Abigail tried laughing off Jess's behavior, probably as a defense mechanism, so the obvious wishy-washyness the captain now had on full display didn't hurt so much. It was frustrating, with the girl saying one thing, doing another, and then getting unpredictable when called out on it. It wasn't until her knuckles, already sore from punching the door, began to protest that Abby noticed her hands on her knees had clenched up around--almost clawed into her grasp, even--big folds of her borrowed bathrobe.

Releasing her deathgrip on the fabric, Abigail patted it smooth again, more or less at least, as she considered the disturbing details of Brant's past. In a way, Jess was her employer, right? As well as his. That surely was throwing some hefty wrenches into how the man must've been seeing the situation. Abby felt it pretty safe to say there was no sexual abuse going on here though, everything had been fully consensual. But with a history like that, what assumptions would leap to mind? Then again, considering their personalities, no... She just couldn't see it.

There was Jess's continued worries to address as well. Nothing about the captain's intentions were wrong, per se. It was a bit odd perhaps, almost like she was born to serve, groomed to be a good wife, or something, with how focused she was on taking care of others, elevating their happiness above her own. But somehow that seemed not to matter, as it made her happy anyway. Huh. Where she'd erred, though, where she was still having some troubles with, was in communication, in not letting Brant know the deal was off. Abby was probably heavily responsible for that herself, having moved in as aggressively as she did. Apotheosis hadn't done them all any favors either.

She was growing frustrated with her current posture--it felt too passive to Abigail, just sitting there like that, being a stable rock for Jess to rest against. She needed to be more active, to do something. Abby scooted forward some, letting the captain realize her support was about to disappear, before landing her feet, which had been dangling off the edge of the bed, onto the ground. Then, standing up and turning around, she reached her hands forward, one to reassuringly squeeze Jess's shoulder, the other to play its way through her hair a little, Abigail looked her in the eye and answered. "Stop, none of that blame game, doubting yourself. Wanting to have someone to care about, that cares about you, that's never wrong. There may have been some bumps along the way, but your heart's been in the right place."

Abby closed her eyes and sighed, as all the exhaustion from the long day seemed to have spotted this opportunity, decided to tackle her while she was wrestling with these deep emotional issues. Dropping the hand that had been combing through Jess's hair, Abigail pivoted around her other hand, switching shoulders as she circled around the side of the bed, before climbing into it. Rather than release her hold when she went to slip under the covers, Abby tugged at Jess to join her. "C'mon, you were pooped before I dragged you into the shower, and now there's been all this. Let's snuggle, plan for tomorrow as we doze off. I'd been thinking of picking up some clothes of my own, to stop having to rely on these standard issued things, and you had mentioned wanting to see me in something that showed off a little tummy. Maybe you wanna come along, help me try things on, pick some out?"

"I know, I... What else do I call how I feel? Butterflies, warmth, excitement... I know it's different for everyone, but can I call that anything else but love? I don't know..." There was probably something else for it, but that was Jess' lack of experience coming into play. She sighed again, this mess... You can't change that it happened. So you just have to try and work and fixing it. If you can even do that... I don't know if I'll be able to talk to Brant without blowing up. This feels so off...

She almost fell over when Abby scooted forward, managing to catch herself with a quick hand slapping down where she'd been sat a moment ago. Abby's affections were so... Physical. Brant had his way with words, but Abby was always touching, hugging, getting close. It suited her. It was nice. Jess couldn't help the smile as she was being talked to, the fingers messing around in her hair calming and comforting. "I'll... I'll try." It was as much assurance as Jess could afford to give, right now. Something was better than nothing.

"Huh? Ah, r-right..." Her mind was racing, it was hard to think about sleep, but she was tired. Getting cozy and talking about something normal for a change. That sounded nice. Jess dragged herself over, grumbled under the sheets, and sighed. "Moving when you're tired is always a chore... That sounds great, Abby. We'd have to go in the afternoon, I have to go to a meeting with the commander... But we'll make a time of it. No other obligations past that. We can try on clothes, and get something to eat. Maybe see a movie. Do all that silly stuff... And do it together." Jess shimmied closer at that, sliding an arm around Abby and giving her a hug, closing her eyes. "I'm happy... Right here..."

Edited March 6, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

A Lesson In Pain

Spoiler

It wasn't until he brought up his wrist to radio Hannah that it occurred to Brant that A1 hadn't just been there to deliver some message. In fact, the little AI's shield was positioned such that the camera inside it was facing him. That couldn't be good. Unable to piece everything together immediately, Brant called his friend up over the radio and asked her to meet him in the Regalia. He needed to speak with her, again. She was already there, so he was the only one that needed to get a move on.

As he made his way to the elevators, Brant ran into Firmia and Tonya. Tonya didn't have anything on hand, but Firmia was carrying her tablet in its bulky, seemingly bomb resistant case. The two women were standing like a soft blockade right between him and the halls turns leading to the elevators. That pretty much confirmed his suspicions about A1 after he left. There was no way they didn't catch most of the exchange. Firmia had likely been watching everything with Tonya from that tablet of hers. Brant didn't have the energy to argue with either of them about what he'd done, so he kept walking, and with a great deal of effort, motioned for them to follow him into the lift. They could bite his head off in there and not bother anyone else. When the doors let them inside, Brant took a spot on the wall, his vitality seemingly draining from him completely. The adrenaline had worn off, and now he was running on fumes. "Heh ... guess I'm not going to be able to get much else done, tonight."

Tonya glanced at Firmia, who to both her and Brant's surprise, hadn't spoken a single word, yet. It was probably the only privacy they were going to get, so Tonya hit the button to hold the elevator where it was as soon as it reached the second deck. As Firmia picked up A1, Tonya leaned around to her front. "Aren't you going to say anything? Just radiating pure rage like this isn't helping."

"I'm trying ... to find a way to say this ... without my point getting lost along the way," Firmia said, her words dripping with acid and pain.

Tonya sighed. "If you would just be honest about your feelings ..."

"It's not about that, dammit ..." Firmia clinched her teeth, "Look at us, Tonya! Look at him! What was the point of all this?! What was the point of any of this?! All we had to do was help the ANF defeat Apotheosis and then go home! We shouldn't be standing here hurting over things as stupid as who's sleeping with who! I shouldn't be feeling this way! YOU shouldn't be feeling this way," she impaled Brant with all the fury she'd been holding back, and he was powerless to deflect one bit of it. He nearly fell all the way to the floor of the lift but Tonya was there to catch him, holding him halfway up by the arm. "Why are you doing this to us?! Why are you trying to help a worthless captain like her?!"

Tonya winced. "Easy ..."

"Because," Brant tried to make eye contact, but he was genuinely afraid to ... "if you told her she was worthless, like you told me just now ... I'm afraid she might actually believe you. I can't stand that. She's with Abigail because I couldn't see the problem quickly enough. I want to show her the truth. At least then ... at least then she'll be able to face the world like the rest of us. Tonight, I realized that part of the reason I like her so much is that she's in the same position Rosa was in ten years ago. Rosa never let me go. She never ended the relationship outright. Jess didn't do it, either, and so I'm stuck like this. That's fine by me, though ... someday she's going to open her eyes, realize she doesn't need me anymore, and end things the way Rosa couldn't. Is it really that big a deal when you look at it that way, Firmia? I know that one way or another I'm going to lose everything. We can't stay here with the ANF forever ... but I won't use that as an excuse not to try."

"Even though ..." Firmia clinched her fists, trying not to drop A1 or her tablet, "even though it's done this to you? You want to try with her even though the only thing she's good for is fighting Apotheosis?! Why are you ... like this ...? Why? Anyone else--Hannah, Tonya--some ... 2D anime slut ... ANYONE! ANYTHING is better than this! Even an enemy pilot like Vera is a better choice than her! At least she has a freaking spine!"

"... why do you hate her so much?" Brant, after a long moment, finally managed to meet eyes with Firmia. It was right around the time the Alkaev's tears came. It was a terrible thing to have to witness from her of all people.

"Because of what she's done to you ..." Firmia wiped her eyes with her sleeve as best she could, letting A1 climb up onto her shoulder, "I could feel your pain even from the hangar while you were down there. Every fiber of my being is telling me to kill her ... because that's the only way I can protect you. That's all I've ever been able to do to protect you. I hate her because that selfish whore brought you here just so she could 'feel something' ... and then ... she just slipped away like nothing had ever happened. She didn't even tell you about Abigail. And now here we are ... with her running away again and you deciding to make it into a competition. All she had to do was tell you she doesn't want you. That idiot is too dumb to live but I can't shoot her ... I can't even get involved; she'll just run away like the coward she is. I can't stand it! I just want you to stop! Stop doing this! You didn't need her all these years and you don't need her now!"

Need was the wrong word, but ... a part of Firmia's very soul was coming into focus, more quickly and more clearly than ever before. "... I think I understand. It's why you hate making friends so much. If something happened to any of them ... you'd lose it. It's your biggest weakness."

Firmia managed a microscopic nod. "All you need in life are a few good friends. Everyone else is a weakness just waiting to be exploited. You're not just my friend though. You're my best friend. Even more than that. You're ... you're someone I trust completely ... that's so rare ... especially in my family. You're too rare, and too important for me to let this go on. I would wipe out the rest of humanity to protect you ... but all I can do is plead, and you aren't even listening. All I can do is beg while you rush into meaningless relationships with people you barely know like everyone else ... just ... just to get dragged through the mud. You don't deserve this, especially not after what my mother did to you, so stop. Just stop! Stop it! Give up on her! Let her be a worthless sack of cowardice if she wants to! As long as you're alright, that's all I care about. That's all that REALLY matters."

"I won't," Brant shook his head, a monumental effort, even now ... "My whole life is painful. I like to think I'm stronger for it ... but I'm not ... completely sure sometimes. What I am sure of is she was the first person to give me this chance after Rosa, and that's important to me. If I lose ... I lose ... but I'll fight, first. An Alkaev pilot dies ... or he wins. There's no third option. You know that."

There was a long silence as Firmia's lips parted again and again, mouthing words that simply wouldn't come. Eventually she sunk to the floor, and let A1 down. "Grandfather ..." Firmia looked up at Brant, "Grandfather ... was right."

"Right about what?" Tonya scowled. This couldn't be anything good.

"Grandfather was absolutely right ... when he put you and Rex in that damn conditioning lab ... to have your sex drives completely shut down."

"Firmia!" Tonya was having none of that.

"It's TRUE," Firmia snapped back, "If they'd gone all the way through the conditioning, this never would have happened! Grandfather must have known something like this would happen, so he sent them to that lab to make sure my mother and people like her couldn't abuse them like this anymore! Instead of saving you, my mother had you pulled out of there before they finished. She did that so she could eventually have you to herself again ... and now LOOK ... you don't have the willpower to go after the woman you really love, but you're still stubborn enough to let your so called 'Captain' do this to you. My mother should have just given up and let them finish ... then you'd be alright. Then the only people I would have to protect you from would be Apotheosis."

"Firmia that's not ... Brant wouldn't have been able to fall for anyone ... not even you."

"I don't care about that. I just want him to be alright ... and I ... I can't believe my grandfather ... of all people ... was actually right on this." Firmia rose up from the floor and reached over the to panel, quickly getting the elevator doors open. "It's too late for that kind of conditioning now, but ... you are stronger now, Brant. Strong enough, I think. You came here to do a job, not to suffer. You don't need to be brainwashed, anymore ... and you don't have to go above and beyond the call of duty, anymore. So cut her off. Cut everyone off that's not helping you do your job. That's what's best for everyone."

Brant struggled to get himself standing up straight, but still needed the bar and wall for support. "You really believe that? You really think I would have been better off ... completely numb to that kind of affection?"

"If you still have any positive feelings for my mother ... then yes." Having wiped away the last of her tears, Firmia stepped out of the elevator.

"... whoa ... I ..." Tonya stepped around to Brant's front and pulled his face up to meet hers. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah ..." Brant slowly nodded, his eyes fighting to stay open, "love hurts. She can't bear it yet, but I can. I'm going to survive this, Tonya ... and when I do, I'll show her that it's not so bad."

"I dunno ..." Tonya watched as Firmia gained distance and A1 struggled to match her pace. "Pain wins in the end, sometimes. I think a little piece of me died with Ilya. Also, I can't say I'm enjoying watching this. Don't be surprised if I get drunk after my mission and try to suck you off right in front of her. I'll do it if I think it'll help ..."

Brant couldn't laugh, but his expression, weak as it was, said it all. "Trying to sabotage my mission? Something always shows up to make it hard for me. So what else is new? ... anyway, can you do me a favor? Can you go after her? I need to at least try to do something useful before I crash ... and she's not going to want to hear anything I have to say. Still, she needs help, too."

"I heard that ... Anyway, can you even walk? I'm not leaving a ragdoll in the lift."

"I'll make it," Brant assured her, "besides, she really does want to kill Jess. Don't let her focus on that too much or it'll just prove Rex right."

Reluctantly, Tonya let Brant go, and to her surprise, he didn't topple over. "... fine, but don't expect much. She and I aren't THAT close."

"You might be surprised," Brant smiled, and with that, Tonya left, and the elevator doors closed, again. Brant slid down onto the floor, fully crouched. "Just one more thing I have to do tonight ..." It took another minute to psych himself up and get the blood flowing again, but once he did, he stepped out of the lift and headed into the hangar

---

Brant rode the Regalia's lift up to the cockpit, damn near falling inside once he stepped off of it. "I'm fine just ... it's been a long day. I'm sorry ... I ... what the ...?" Hannah's hair was ... well different was one way to describe it, but that hardly did the girl justice. Combing one's hair over in the other direction was different. Clipping a few places shorter here and there was different. Hannah was now sporting long blonde hair, so long he could get lost in it if he wasn't careful. "How ...? When did ..." He must have been in that elevator for a long time. Even so, he'd parted ways with Hannah quite a while ago. She ... had plenty of time. It was almost as if ... she was trying to sabotage his mission, too. It was difficult in his half asleep, incredibly weakened state, but Brant managed an approving smile, and with just as great an effort, lifted up his arm and gave her his signature mark of approval.

That had been the reaction she'd been hoping for. Sitting up slowly in the seat, adjusting her back against it, trying not to meet eye contact... It was a bit embarrassing, despite the completely positive reception. But, she couldn't ask too many questions. 'Do you like it?', 'Where were you?', 'Should I change it back?'. He looked so tired, there was no way he'd be up for playing that game.

Instead, twirling a finger through some of it, she tried to explain. "My hair is made of nanofibers... It can be changed to suit almost any parameters. I normally would not have access to these defaults, but... I think Galatea gave some of the administrator rights over. I... Just wanted to try a new look out, since I can't get it cut or managed like normal." ...Would one hurt? "Do you... Like it?" She made a small motion to usher him forward as she asked... He looked deadly tired. Hmm... "And come over here." She patted her knee for emphasis. He wasn't getting any work done in this state.

So that's what it was. Brant doubted Hannah was just trying out a new look for the fun of it; he remembered the question she hit him with the last time they were together. Blonde, too? That couldn't be a coincidence with Firmia and Tonya always being so close ... though looking closer, Hannah's hair reminded Brant more of Christina or Chris than his benefactor and goddess.

As much as Brant would prefer to take a seat and explain himself to her with some kind of poise, he was completely wrecked from the last two stops he'd made. If he wasn't also feeling some serious emotional pain, he might have considered checking himself into the infirmary for the night. He could say hi to Nikolai and Ms. Barnes before passing the hell out.

Unable to walk but still able to crawl, Brant made his way up into Hannah's lap and let his head down to rest. "It's going to be really hard to say what I needed to say ... from a position ... like this," he admitted, realizing the uphill battle to a well earned sleep was even steeper than he first realized.

His head against her lap? No no, that wouldn't give him the right kind of rest. "I should've been more specific. I didn't mean my knee specifically." Reaching down and gently lifting him up with a perhaps surprising ease, Hannah set the Regalia's seat to recline and brought him to a rest on top of her, planting his head squarely against her chest and going about giving his hair a small ruffle. "My apologies for not being as comfortable as Tonya, but I will provide what I can."

"As for what you need to say, I will listen... I can't imagine how you ended up this way, but you're safe here. Whatever needs to be said..." Hopefully this would do him more good than bad. She was warm, soft as they came, this wasn't too awkward a position... As long as he could manage what he needed to. He didn't even answer if he liked the hair... I guess the thumbs up will do.

"Sorry," Brant muttered as Hannah hauled him up. He wound up with his head resting on her chest, a much better place to be in if he was actually going to rest at some point. Sleeping was the last thing he should be letting happen, though. "This is ... just what I needed, actually. No need to apologize." Frankly, Brant felt he'd be the one apologizing again when all was said and done. And again. And maybe a third time for good measure ...

Brant sighed as his eyes slowly closed. It took a great deal of effort not to let his thoughts wander too far as he thought back on his time with Hannah. "Your new look ... it's ... not just about trying something new, is it? You want me to give up on Jess, just like Firmia and Tonya want me to. Right?" He couldn't help but grin, even against his exhaustion. It was a little amusing. Brant really wanted the Captain to know what this felt like, but for right now, it was the painful part, the part that was likely driving both of them bonkers on the inside.

"If you say so..." Just what he needed... Just how had this conversation with... Oh. "Hmm." Hannah paused, to think. It wasn't a long pause. "I didn't know either of them had spoken to you... And I didn't know you were still vying for her. Was she not with Abby, then?" There was that new twang again, but Hannah wanted to tackle this a different way. There was just... Something about the way Brant was talking, he seemed confident, or, like he really wanted this. Challenging Firmia and Tonya both... What ground did she have to stand on?

With a faint smile and a small sigh, Hannah shook her head. "If that is what you wish, then all I can say is 'good luck'. I only hope you're doing this because it's something you want for yourself," she made sure to emphasize. "If it's not for that, then I'll agree with them. If it's at least in part for yourself, then... I'd just be a villain to get in the way of that. Shall I stop flirting with you, and give you a bit of distance? Would you prefer tomorrow to be cancelled?" If it would make things easier for him...

"I'm still fighting an uphill battle," Brant admitted. Best not to beat around the bush. "They're still together, though I think I ruined their evening in the same way an airstrike ruins the pavement."

Brant grimaced when Hannah entertained the idea of being the villain. She even went on to ask if they should cancel their plans, tomorrow. Granted, Brant probably wouldn't make a full recovery by then, but that was beside the point. "If there's one thing this situation should teach anyone, it's that I honor my commitments. We're going, tomorrow, even if it sets me back with Jessica. Alright ...? Anyway ... I ..." His heart was racing, now. At least he wouldn't fall asleep as easily ...

Was it something he wanted for himself? Brant supposed that was at least partially the case, even though he was taking on the challenge with the fatalistic stride of a pessimist. Still, he had to show Jessica the truth about herself. Would a little bit of struggle and pain to reach that point really be so bad? If he could go beyond that, it'd be a bonus, but it seemed like every other woman he knew personally was against it. Like always, though ... Hannah found a way to cloak herself in saintlike civility. It really wasn't fair, meeting her later on.

"There's ... more to this than just what I want. As an Alkaev pilot, I've been put in unwinnable scenarios more times than I can count. When all you can do is fight until you're destroyed ... it really puts things into perspective, and I'm at a point where I'm willing to endure whatever I have to endure to do what I think is right ... and to get what I want."

That was the kicker, though ... and something he was only now fully conceptualizing about this fight. "There's something important I learned coming up. I learned that anything in life worth having ... is worth fighting for. That doesn't just go for me. It goes for Jessica ... and Abby, too. We were never given the chance, and that's killing me inside. Jessica let Abby in without even setting me free ... just like Rosa would have done. And that's the reason why I have to fight this ... because if I beat Abby, Jessica will finally get it ... and if Abby beats me ... Jessica ... will finally get it. I can't walk away from this, Hannah. I won't let her think she was right about us. I'm not going to walk away and confirm every self doubting fear she has, just so she can use Abby to hide and nurture that ... fake bliss. Real happiness comes from knowing your own worth. I have to fight for her so she knows she was worth all of this. Abby's got to fight for her for that same reason. No one has to worry about me or my feelings. There are people waiting to catch me if I fall. That's why I'm not so worried about actually losing. It doesn't seem like you, Firmia, Tonya ... doesn't seem like any of you is going to let me have a bad ending, here, heheh." And even if Abby ... even if she 'lost,' she wasn't alone. Jessica was wrong about that, too. Oh so wrong.

"I see..." It was a new way of thinking for Brant, at least from what she'd seen. This thing he wished to instill in Jessica, though... Hannah couldn't help herself. "Do you not think you're attempting to force an ideal on someone that doesn't agree with it? I understand part of what you are trying to do... But I cannot understand it entirely. Especially the bit, 'just like Rosa'... I do not know how much of this really is for Jessica, and how much of it is for you." Playing devil's advocate to this didn't feel quite right, but if he couldn't meet her points, then there would be no point to this, would there be?

"You simply seem very convinced that there is something for Jessica to understand. You cannot force people to understand things, Brant. Not without causing damage you can't take back. I... Firmia had Galatea and I read Rex's notes. I know what's happened to you, and I can't separate that from this. It's troubling..." That was about as best as she could put it, without going into too heavy of a detail. He was this tired, after all...

"As well, for a 'bad ending'. We all have patience and limits too. I do not know how Firmia and Tonya reacted to this, but seeing you throw yourself at a wall, it will not please any of us. Especially..." Jealousy was a fickle emotion. "Especially when this declaration means there is little chance for me, anymore. I know what I said, and I'm not about to turn on it... But I'm here too. I cannot stop the pain that comes from thinking of you throwing yourself at something nearly impossible, while something very possible sits by and watches helplessly." Was that selfish? Maybe... Probably. Very. But it was the truth.

Brant wouldn't blame any of them for leaving him to waste away--a bit of his own self doubt reminding him, but he didn't think they would. That was what really mattered. Firmia seemed to want to guard him like a dragon guarded a treasure. Tonya seemed willing to do some ... fairly awkward things, if it would help him. Hannah was enduring what must have been like hell to her in the hopes of overcoming the situation. As a romantic partner, Hannah probably did have her limits, but that wasn't what Brant was trying to get at. In his line of work, death was just inches or seconds away at all times. His attempt to win Jessica back was a want, not a need. Nine years in the wake of Rosa had highlighed Brant's wants and his needs very clearly.

Brant's needs? Food, water, air, and honoring his commitments. Beyond physical sustenance, his sanity was held together with the knowledge that he could be relied upon. If that proved false, Brant wasn't sure there would be much of him left. His wants? The betterment of life, specifically the lives of the people he cared for.

"Part of it is for me, yeah. It'd be weird chasing after someone just for their sake ... but that 'damage' you're talking about, though ... that's ... just a part of life, Hannah," Brant frowned, "Whether it's something I do or someone else does or some incident, something always comes along to screw up whatever we've got going for ourselves. Knowing how you feel about me hurts like hell because I can't be what you need me to be right now. Knowing how Jess feels about Abby hurts because one measly phone call might have stopped it. No one wants to cause anyone else any pain if they can avoid it, but that's absolutely inevitable. There's no use trying to avoid it just to feel better ... that's what Firmia doesn't understand. She thinks she'll be happy if she lets fewer people in. No unnecessary friends, no lover, no pain. I want her to see this, too."

Hannah's mention of Rosa was fair, as Brant readily admitted. "It's fair to bring up," he attempted something of a nod. He wasn't interested in moving around, though, nor did he find it easy, "I already know part of this is because of Rosa. She wouldn't set me free. She just started contacting me less and less, until I hardly heard from her at all. I was relieved, but now it's like I'm in limbo, trying to figure out what I need to do ... what my commitments were. What they should be now that everything's gone to hell. I already gave Jess the chance to tear me down once and for all, but she's trying to avoid the pain, too ... instead of making a decision. It's just easier for her to hope her excuses will make me give up. I couldn't tell her how to do it, herself, because then it wouldn't have mattered. It just kept coming back to how comfortable she was and how Abby needed her. If that's true, then they're going to have to prove it. A lot of this comes back to Rosa, but if this fling of theirs survives in spite of what I'm doing, they'll be a lot stronger for it, and I'm hoping against hope that Jessica will finally understand that she doesn't have to hide behind other people's suffering to feel worthy of them."

"Sorry I keep saying things like that." Brant was sorry, alright. Even the faintest hint of the truth always seemed to carry with it the sting of one bitter realization or another. "I'm not trying to rub salt into the wound or anything like that. Firmia's sick of this, too ... Tonya's worried ... I'm ... trying not to lose sight of my goal even though I can barely focus ... ... Can ... I ask you something, Hannah? It's ... to help me get a feel for how you view situations like these ... fundamentally, I mean ..."

Damage... "I suppose so," was her aloof answer, but it did make her wonder, was damage necessary? A part of her couldn't help but think that a lot of people in the world would be happier or better off if they never came to face that. It wasn't some inescapable fate, it wasn't destiny... Brant was biased by his own horrible life, and she couldn't blame that, but to say that it was just something that happened? To everyone? She slowly shook her head. That wasn't something she could face and accept without a proper argument. Surely, there were people out there who hadn't gone through something painful, and didn't need it to live.

Firmia... She furrowed her brow, maybe he did have a point. Or, she was just an extreme case, the other end of the spectrum. While Brant was sure pain would come and you couldn't avoid it, Firmia didn't even want to give it the chance to start. No friends, no lovers, no one close by... No one dies, no one gets hurt, you never have to suffer. It was a painful way to live, in itself. Hannah had experienced some pain, of course, but she'd also experienced plenty of joy and happiness by getting close to all of these people. Did Firmia not see that? Or did she just not want to chance the negatives of doing so? A topic for discussion with her at some point, maybe...

Hearing firsthand how things had gone for Brant with Rosa, and how this all tied in together, Hannah couldn't stop her worries... But that was probably fine. If Brant felt he needed to do this... Needed to test whatever relationship had come up between the captain and Abigail, see if it mattered, or even made it through what he was going to do. If he had to do that, Hannah couldn't stop him. Once again, it registered that he'd fought past Firmia, and if she wasn't going to get through to him, then no talking was going to. An idea was stirring, but Brant had asked a question before she could get to it-- rather, he'd asked if he could ask a question.

Hannah nodded slowly, trying to formulate her own plan. "Go ahead."

"You ... see what we're all going through right?" Brant moved just a bit, placing his hand farther up and closer to his face. Hannah wasn't a body pillow, but Brant's limbs were starting to settle in for a long night's rest. "You ... see how this just seems to go on and on? You probably saw in the files ... what happened to Tonya ... and Ilya. I can't tell you how jealous Rex and I were while she was teaching us ... but if you'd told me back then that I'd be sharing a room with you and Tonya ... I wouldn't believe it. If you followed that up saying I wasn't constantly having sex with at least one of you, I'd have been ... kind of pissed off at my future self ..."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that things are going to keep changing for as long as we're alive. New people are going to come along. People we know are going to die. Relationships are going to change drastically ... but I want to ask ... no matter what happens or how things turn out ... if you and I ..." Brant couldn't quite help himself now, nuzzling Hannah's breast slightly as he thought to a particular future. A sigh full of relief and resignation escaped him as his heart rate began to come back down. "If you and I do come together at some point ... whether it's in a day or two or years down the road ... would it be worth it? Am I the kind of person ... a ... half insane Russian pilot with questionable morals and a ridiculous tolerance for pain ... am I the kind of person that's worth what you're going through, right now? I just ... nee--want ... want to know."

What a silly question. Hannah smiled, and closed her eyes, letting him keep himself comfortable. "What I'm going through? I'm barely a week old, Brant. Consciously, at least... It may hurt, but I can't imagine how much pain you went through, day in and out, for years on end. Yet, you're still here. Still trying... Still fighting for things of questionable importance," she couldn't help a small snicker at that point.

"Are you worth it? I'm glad you went this direction, because it pertains to what I was going to say to you. Unfortunately, it means I have to take back something I only just said." Hannah gave him a tight hug, just for a moment, letting one a small sigh. "I can't wish you good luck with the captain... Because just as you're refusing to give up, so am I. I love you Brant, in a way that I don't even fully understand... But it brings a joy to my 'mind', one that shouldn't be scientifically possible. Perhaps someone else in the world could make me feel this way, but they aren't here, on this ship, right now... So here's my answer, Brant Abrams."

Hannah opened her eyes and smiled wider, giggling just a bit. "Yes. You are worth it. Don't think I'm waiting those potential years, though. I don't know if conventional means will work on you, but perhaps some normalcy is what you need in your life. We'll see just how well you do when we go on our date..." Hannah leaned in a bit, but, much as she'd spoke bravely, she didn't know if going any further would help or hurt things... That would be his choice.

Hannah was one hell of a saboteur, wasn't she? As Brant looked up to her, he suddenly found the strength to rise up off of her, just a few inches. He smiled at Hannah, glad to know that he was worth even this much to her. "You really are an Abrams~" Brant leaned in and, as gently as he could, he kissed her.

"I..." He'd really gone and done it. It was simple, gentle, quick... But it was Brant. Doing something she hadn't thought him capable of doing. Yet... They parted after that moment, Hannah pulling him tightly against her again, trying to fight back tears. "If you think I'm going to give you up now... You really are insane." He wasn't going to be getting any work done tonight... And he wasn't going anywhere. "Get some rest. I don't want you to see me crying... Not this time." As worrying as those words might've been, the underlying tone of happiness in her voice was impossible to miss.

Rest? "... alright." It was a little worrisome for Brant to know Hannah was crying again, but at least he knew why. She would be just fine for tonight. Tomorrow might be another story. Like with Brant's own life, and the lives of people in general, things changed with time, for better or for worse. A lot of those changes hurt like hell, but for today, it was worth it. Even though he was run ragged, physically and mentally exhausted, and still struggling with an uncertain future, it was worth it to reach this point, with Hannah. To see her ... to hear her and feel her this way, was worth it. There was no telling what would come next, as Brant put his plans into motion, and Hannah hers, but he would endure whatever he had to endure in order to reach that better place, that older, wiser, better known, more beloved version of himself. And then, after he took in his own progress and basked in the fruits of his labors and his relationships ... he would do it all over again. Pain was the most sharp and jagged of life's stepping stones, but Brant had used it long enough to know the value, and he could embrace it, now. His goals were steadily coming into focus.

 

[Phoenix]

Being Unproductive

Spoiler

The tension never seemed to fade, even after almost an hour on SSMO. Tonya hoped that by giving the Alkaev something new and engaging to do, she could help the girl cool off, but something was definitely up. Twenty minutes into a minor foray into a very low populated area in the game's solar system, Firmia was still blasting away with all the bitterness she'd started with. If hatred was an inexhaustible resource, then they really needed to try and find a way to harness it.

"Still not feeling better?" Tonya said as the last enemy burst into glowing particles, "I guess I should just go get the alcohol, then ..."

Firmia closed out the game and leaned back against Tonya in the Reign's flight seat, her head resting just beside and slightly below the older woman's. "Sometimes you just need to shoot the actual problem. There's no way I could pull it off, though. And it would endanger the war effort."

Tonya reached up and clamped her arms down around Firmia in a half hug half lock. "Listen, you, no more murder talk. I don't care if you are an Alkaev, you're not some mob boss who goes around offing anyone they don't like."

"Not until I have enough manpower."

"Not ever," Tonya insisted, "You're better than that."

"No, I'm not," Firmia shook her head. "You don't understand. Just because I'm only helping Brant take down Apotheosis right now doesn't mean I'd feel any different attacking someone like her or her crutch. We're not just getting shot down in training anymore; we're actually beating back these ambushes. Knowing that there's one less person in the world who can hurt me or my friends isn't just cathartic, it's pure bliss ... I enjoy killing Apotheosis' pilots. It makes this situation feel a lot less hopless. The only difference with her is that she's 'technically' my ally. Still, I'd love to drown her in that hot tub she loves so damn much. Both of them. If I could just find a way to do it properly, that would be the end of it. Brant would be free. I know he'd hate it, but ... once that last wound healed, it would be over. No more of ... this."

"He wouldn't just hate it," Tonya winced, "he'd be devastated. If he found out you were responsible, it'd be an even bigger nightmare for you."

"I know, but ... please, Tonya," Firmia squirmed in her grasp, trying to reach up to her own face, "Just let me have this. I want to see a world where people can't just screw with us and get away with it. I want to see a Brant that people just leave alone ... one they don't cling to to try and make themselves feel better. I want to see a world where people like her and my mother don't even exist."

"What about Hannah?" Firmia couldn't pretend Hannah wasn't interested in Brant, though she likely didn't have Rosa's incredible lust or Jessica's disturbingly familiar issues. Tonya was curious how Firmia would respond to that.

"Hannah is ... weird."

Not much of an answer, really. Tonya loosened her grip ever so slightly so that Firmia could get her hands free. "She's weird, but you don't hate her for going after Brant?"

"I guess ... she's just outmaneuvering me." Firmia wiped her face, trying to preempt the tears. It was getting harder and harder to hold back, and the isolation the Reign provided made it that much more tempting to let herself go. "Brant already said it ... it's my weakness. I don't like other people ... except for the people I DO like ... and they're important to me. Stopping short of anything to help them or protect them just ... feels wrong ... like the whole relationship is a lie, or just one of convenience. 'You're my friend so I'll be there for you ... until it gets inconvenient or difficult.' I'd ... just rather be a 'villain' than someone who can't do something."

Tonya grimaced, not sure what to say to that, at first. 'Hmm' or 'Oh' wouldn't contribute to anything, and would only highlight just how unprepared she was.

"So, yes," Firmia continued, leaving no room for a counterargument, "... Hannah is ... too close to me, now. Too helpful, too valuable, too ... loyal. Even though she's after Brant, I can't think of anything. I wish she'd fallen for Sasha or someone instead. ... I want her to leave him be, but at the same time I know that she's an infinitely better person than Jessica. She wouldn't just abandon him because he didn't have sex with her ten seconds after saying hello or because you and I showed up. That also scares me, Tonya. She's an android ... If she says something like 'forever,' I know she means it. I feel like she'll still be keeping his grave tidy in two hundred years."

"Hannah can be pretty intimidating, sometimes, I agree," Tonya smiled, "but at least she's on your side, for the most part. If we hadn't gotten here when we did, she might have still gotten interested in Brant, but there might be some other ties you'd have to deal with. Someone in the ANF might have gotten her to sign a few things and made your plans for her null."

"I know. I'm just not sure I'm ready to see them like that all the time from now on. I miss when Brant was too busy to even think about things like this."

That was actually an interesting remark, Tonya noted. "So why didn't you just date him yourself and keep things as close to ideal as possible?"

Firmia curled up, slowly coming onto her side in a fetal position. It was a little awkward with her laying on top of Tonya, and caused the woman to loosen her grip even further. "I had so much of my life planned out, already ... and if I had known that something like this was going to happen ..." the bitterness was palpable, "I would have. I don't want to date people at this stage of my life. I'm seventeen, and I have a life to build for myself, first. ... but if .... that would have stopped this ... I wish I had. No one's even allowed to date him, so it didn't occur to me that something like this could happen. I mean, even you didn't go after him and he's always been interested in you ..."

"I can admit I'm feeling a tiny pang of regret," Tonya's eyes narrowed as she thought back on her own sorrows. Being her students had given Tonya better access to Brant and Rex than most people for a long time. After the pain of Ilya's death lessened, she certainly could have sealed the deal with either of them with ease. Of course, the reason she didn't seemed echoed in Jessica's excuses. "She's a mess, but he's 'all in.' I know his talk about self worth didn't work on her, but it sure as hell worked on me ... and I can't stop thinking about what I'm giving up to make his life a little less hectic. Funny enough though, if Brant and I were together, you probably wouldn't notice. Public displays of affection aren't really our thing. It's enough to be sharing the same room for the most part. I'm sure that universe's version of Firmia is at least somewhat content. As for our reality ... my bad. I'll try and make it up to you, somehow."

"So a bunch of mistakes got us here," Firmia sighed, "Mother ... Grandfather ... you ... me ... you and me AGAIN, and now we're here ... talking about romance and playing video games instead of doing anything with any kind of importance whatsoever."

"It'll work out, Firmia ... just try to be patient."

"No, it can't work out, now," Firmia clinched her fists as she thought to the various outcomes, "He's either going to convince the captain to choose him and I'll have to resist killing her and that crutch of hers for the rest of this damn war, or Hannah will get him and I'll have to watch them joined at the hip for the rest of my life. There's no way this is working out, anymore. H-hey-" Tonya forced their heads together gently in something like a hug. "Why are you ...?"

"Well at least I understand why you were poking your head into Dima's camp, now. I'm sorry things are going sideways for you here. All I can really do is pilot for you ... and hunt for alcohol if you REALLY need it. Brant's conditioning is still holding him back, so even though he wants things to work out with Jessica, he won't be able to take things in the direction Abigail has ... at least not without some help. So ... there's that."

"... yes."

"I could use a drink too after all of this," Tonya admitted. Firmia started to get off of her, figuring the older woman was preparing to at least go and serve herself. With any luck, though, she'd share. "I'm taking the sleeping aid. We can take care of these upgrades in the morning, right?"

"Yes," Firmia nodded.

"Okay then, I'll be back once I've got the goods. I'm rationing you, though. You're not getting drunk in your condition. And remember, no more murder talk. Your IQ is a lot higher than mine so I know you can solve this peacefully."

"... okay." If she wasn't stressed to her very core, and actually preferred peace, that would hold true. Right now, though ... Firmia really just wanted to shoot the actual problem.

Phoning Home

Spoiler

The mention of her grandfather and Brant's conditioning left Firmia wondering about both after Tonya stepped out of the Reign to fetch the alcohol. It didn't take the young Alkaev long to make a decision and place a call to her homeland. The call connected, and Firmia braced herself.

<"Dima speaking. Ah ... Firmia."> Dima grinned, though he looked a bit down dressed. His shirt was a pale blue like many of the others but reminded Firmia of sleepware. Had she caught him at a bad time? It ought to be daytime over there ...

<"Grandfather ..."> Dima gave Firmia a moment to continue, and she took it, trying to set things up properly. There was common ground between them she didn't know existed, which made figuiring out Dima's side of things very important. <"I ... I need to ask you about some things ... if this isn't a bad time. Some of it you'll just have to be vague on, but that's fine. I can figure out what you really mean, even if I have to check Rex's files, again.">

<"This sounds worth my time, child. Ask your questions. I will answer if I so choose.">

It was time, then, time to see just why Dima had done this to Brant and Rex. Firmia had explained why to Brant when she was yelling at him, but she didn't truly know for certain, it was simply an educated guess. Now, she would hear the truth straight from the man himself, and find out if her designs for Brant were truly as awful as his.

Firmia cleared her throat as she mentally primed her first question. <"To start ... Brant's ... conditioning. The one to make him more resistant to ... unwanted advances. I wanted to know exactly why you wanted him to go through that."> There was no hint of displeasure on Dima's face in the wake of the question, so Firmia took that as a good sign.

<"Rex's notes mention the 'TK' program, yes? That program was suspended indefinitely. Your mother's interest in the 'program' didn't simply evaporate, however. I made a rule, not to engage in those activities with either of the Abrams pilots, but I could not count on everyone, especially your mother, to follow that rule. Their performance as pilots declined sharply during the course of the TK program ... extremely dangerous ... and any further shenanigans would only prolong the problem, potentially costing both brothers their lives. My solution was to have them conditioned. Your mother gave us a lot of trouble to put a stop to it, and I eventually relented.">

<"Why ...?"> Firmia would have normally been glad that more damage hadn't been done, but in light of everything happening on the Riese, she couldn't help but be disappointed more than anything. If Brant had completed the conditioning, it wouldn't have changed her relationship with him in the slightest. That was, to her, part of the beauty of it.

<"There were plenty of options, but this was the only one that would curb any covert attempts by your mother to engage with those boys,"> Dima explained, <"I eventually relented when she finally agreed to leave them alone. The terms were in my favor, but she was likely holding out hope that at least Brant would someday see the light, hmhmhm.">

<"That's what I think, too,"> Firmia scowled. It didn't last more than a second, though. Firmia went over Dima's response in her head, and didn't hear anything in there that she particularly hated. It was wrong, yes, but for an old man to police an organization as large as the Alkaev company ... sometimes some cold and calculated measures were going to be taken. She really had to wonder if she could have figured out a better solution in his shoes, burdened with his goals and obligations.

<"... another question, child?"> Dima gently prodded her.

<"I guess I shouldn't keep you too long ..."> Firmia noted. Whether or not Dima would prefer to return to his nap or whatever he was doing, Tonya ought to be back, soon. Firmia didn't plan on hiding the fact that she had phoned home ... but just the same, she didn't want Tonya showing up in the middle of the phonecall. <"Well ... I'm in a similar situation to the one you were in. It's not the same, but it made me think about the conditioning. I wouldn't normally agree with it ... but right now, I do.">

<"Does agreeing with your grandfather for once scare you, child?">

<"... yes."> Best to just be direct and honest ... <"Rex wants me dead because he thinks I'm just like you and my mother. I don't want him to be right, but ... what's happening to Brant right now just makes me want to ... do some very awful things. She deserves worse, but still ...">

<"Curious. Tell me, what is happening to Abrams?">

Firmia really didn't want to go over the details, but short of playing A1's recording for him ... <"Brant is trying to make a romantic relationship work with Captain Gefalscht. She's dating an enemy pilot the crew captured back on Colony One. She just wants him to give up so she doesn't have to do anything else ... but he won't. He's fully committed.">

<"A well trained pilot,"> Dima grinned, though his expression shifted to curiosity quickly, <"Strange, though. It's only been a few days ...">

<"A few days? Since what?">

<"It's only been few days since Captain Gefalscht asked for my permission to date Abrams.">

Firmia's eyes went wide. <"What?!">

<"They were attempting to contact Rosa to make their request, but I do enjoy direct oversight from time to time~ I requested her genetic records, and she sent them."> Why?! <"There was nothing that would help revive the TK program, but I was only testing her resolve. It was never important.">

<"It was important ... to Brant ..."> Firmia was stunned, almost into silence. No one back home would make a boneheaded move like that, but that always seemed to be the key: this wasn't back home. Firmia kept thinking back to Brant's confrontation with Jessica and Abigail, and how he challenged their relatioship. The more she learned, the more his stubborn attitude made sense. This episode with Dima was just one more stupid thing Jessica had done to 'help' Brant. Or help herself ... as if there was a difference ... and it was only a few days ago ... <"... I ... I ...">

<"Firmia, if you-">

<"I ... can't stand her! She's nothing but a lying coward! She thinks 'sorry' somehow makes up for this?! That stupid Bolshevik whore can't think five minutes ahead! Dammit, no wonder Brant won't leave her to her own stupidity! She did everything that would convince him to stick things out, and then she goes behind his back with that pilot! Damn her! Damn her! Damn her! Damn her! And damn her stupid crutch! Damn them both! Why couldn't she just use a table until her precious prisoner got here?!">

Dima watched in silence, waiting for Firmia to finally calm down. Knowing he was watching, and that Tonya would likely open the hatch soon, helped her along. Firmia's shoulders slumped as she settled down. <"... I'm sorry,"> she sighed, <"He said no one can make him happy. Only he can do that ... so why wouldn't they just leave him alone so he could actually be happy? What I felt from him earlier made me want to ...">

<"Mm ... perhaps striking a deal with my daughter was not the best decision in hindsight. Alkaev law only works in Alkaev lands. Still, you are plenty capable. You can find a solution to this problem that works to your satisfaction. I'm certain. For now ... remain calm, and watch. Do not act until doing so serves your goal.">

That wasn't really advice she needed, most of the time. There was never a single moment aboard the Heion Riese where she felt secure, and now her upper limits were in sight, and closing in on her, quickly. She hadn't been this stressed out since her training with Brant ... <"... I understand ...">

<"Did you have another question for me?"

<"... not ... really. I just wanted to figure out why I agreed with you on this, in part. You were just picking the best option you could think of. B-but ... now that you mention it, there is one more thing. It's not a question, just information. There's a girl on this ship named Christina Troy ...">

Firmia went on to explain everything she knew about the Artemis' copilot, eventually noting the clone, Chris, and her information about Apotheosis. It took an extra minute, one in which Tonya's imminent return was constantly vying for her attention, but Firmia got out everything she was certain of.

Dima looked quite pleased by the end. <"I did not ask you for this sort of intel, and yet you provided it anyway ...">

Firmia broke eye contact. <"My way of saying thank you. I know I have to be interrupting something over there.">

<"It is justified. If you learn anything more, do not hesitate to contact me. I may have something for you, as well. Tomorrow.">

<"Tomorrow?"> Firmia met her grandfather's gaze again.

Dima nodded. <"My appreciation. Look forward to it.">

<"... okay."> Perhaps if she were feeling better, Firmia could have managed some kind of smile to compete with Dima's, but for now she was just grateful to not have burst a blood vessel over what she'd heard about Jessica.

<"Very well. Learn whatever you can in the meantime. Take care, child.">

<"You too, grandfather.">

Firmia had managed to calm down now, somewhat placated by this show of appreciation Dima had for her. The last time he'd done something nice for her, the Regalia, Mantle, and Reign had been signed over in a most convenient fashion. He couldn't possibly top that now, but Firmia still couldn't help but be a little excited. Intel gathering wasn't looking too good, though. Any change in her demeanor would stand out too much. This wasn't the best time to be ... well ... herself.

 

[Phoenix]

Careful ... slowly ... A bead of sweat ran down Megumi's face as she brought the circular devices ever closer to her target. When it finally made contact, she had to stop herself from flinching. Her eyes still closed tight momentarily, after she'd fought back the reflex for one brief second. To her surprise, closing her eyes as she hit her target hadn't ruined the operation. That would have been ... embarrassing. Now it was time for the second phase of the operation ... the second contact lens.

The doctor didn't need glasses, contact lenses, or corrective surgery, but both the glasses she normally carried and the contact lenses she was now inserting had data feeds overlaying the interior structure. It was very delicate tech, and Megumi had avoided the latter in favor of the glasses, but now that she was trying them out, she could see why some people preferred them. They made her feel something like a cyborg, but anyone who couldn't function normally for a few days without access to some kind of technology could technically be considered a cyborg, in her view. More importantly, Megumi was trying to overcome her fear of having things directly in contact with her eyes. It wasn't an unhealthy fear, and even overlapped a useful reflex, but considering it had taken her many years to get comfortable with eye drops, this was good progress. Trying to deal with eye problems of any sort used to resemble something out of a torture scene, complete with one sister holding her still and the other applying implements ...

"There ..." Megumi blinked a few times, and looked at herself in the mirror. These particular tech lenses were completely clear, though several golden rings within seemed to overlap the middle of her irises. Upon closer inspection, one could likely spot the barely macroscopic lines of data and being produced by the rings and shown to the wearer. These would also come in handy for Nikolai's surgeries, linking up with the scanning equipment and displaying labels and highlights for her. The glasses could do the same thing, but wouldn't follow Megumi's eye movements ... the lenses definitely held the advantage there.

"Well I feel invincible, now. Time to get back over to Nikolai."

---

Galatea? And right after he'd convinced Firmia to let Tonya pilot the Mantle for their test flights. He wanted to go visit Cherie, not follow Firmia around in high G maneuvers until she was satisfied with Buck's upgrades. Granted, he wouldn't mind piloting the Mantle again, but if Cheryl wasn't in the copilot seat shaking like a leaf, what was the point? Recreational flying was more Sasha's speed, otherwise, Tonya was definitely the better pick ... or Hannah ... but she was busy with Brant, right now.

"A ride where?" Sasha asked, stepping closer to the display. He hoped she wasn't planning on having him take her someplace off the ship. Sasha wouldn't mind exploring, but again ... he hadn't gotten a hold of the good doctor, yet. That was next up on his agenda as soon as he was finished here.

---

"Hmm?" Brant rose in his seat, feeling ... not as refreshed from that nap as he was hoping. Two hours was too long in one sense, and not long enough in another. He came prepared though, and started digging through his jacket pockets for one of the stimulant packs he'd brought with him. He wasn't alright, now ... but in about three minutes, it would be a different story.

Brant knew he must have looked beat right now, otherwise he couldn't see why Hannah would come all this way to just go shopping all alone. It didn't matter, though. Brant could be in a wheelchair and covered in bandages and this date would still be on. "Nope. You're in the thick of it, now," Brant smiled. "And you're not leaving me out here. I'll get it together before anyone sees us. After that, we'll look into expanding your wardrobe." He wasn't sure what Hannah had planned after that, if anything, but he supposed he could shop around for software and some other tools with her if they found a suitable store. That could work.

Edited March 6, 2018 by Phoenix

[Dandragon]

Sleep had, quite honestly, been more difficult in the living quarters than she had hoped. Though, that wasn't due to anything regarding how well the rooms were prepared for pilots and personnel, but rather Elaine's own personal feelings. It had only been a few days compared to the year she had spent in her apartment, but already, her room on the Riese felt like a new, cozy home to her, despite whatever differences in quality it had to the quarters off base. And because of that, Elaine was rather thankful that she hadn't immediately unpacked upon arriving at her room, and though the advantages of being much closer to the central mall could not be denied, she felt it best to go back and take up residence on the ship, again. It felt childish, going to a new bed, saying 'not comfy enough', and just going through all the hassle to go back, especially with all the prep work put into her change of scenery in the first place, but there was something about the Riese that just made it a far cozier place. ...Even if it was home to a captain that probably wanted little more than to get her out.

Elaine shook those thoughts from her head. Positive. Gotta stay positive. If I go back, then I go back. Let's just see what happens today. Elaine walked from the living quarters to the central mall, feeling the midsummer heat in full force in the daylight, and was quite thankful for the new clothes Aliza had picked out for her, last night. She wore the light blue short shorts and accompanying white top, along with the rather fashionable light blue jacket, with a sense of...well, she wasn't quite sure, what. Pride? No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't her that picked up the outfit, but to her, it represented the friendship that Elaine had made with Aliza, so maybe that was her accomplishment. Satisfaction was more the word for this feeling. Maybe comfort. Either way, she walked all the way to the central mall, hoping today she could possibly pick out some more clothes at some point, but also something to occupy herself on times of calm. Maybe a book or two would help? Possibly an audiobook if she didn't feel like carrying it around all the time. Her little smart phone was more than able to provide that, and once again, the salary of a military sergeant more than supplied her with the necessary credits. All of this, the comfort that they were allowed to experience, reminded Elaine just how privileged she was, in the end, despite all the hardships she had to face and was still facing.

"Hm?" Out in the distance, a tuft of blonde hair. It was around the area where military jeeps were parked, and it was there she could make out two figures inside. There were a few on the Riese with blonde hair that Elaine could think of, so it was a guess as to whichever one it was. Either way, she walked closer to the jeeps, before making the figures out to be Hannah and Brant. Wait, Hannah? She blinked a few times, and confirmed that it was, indeed, Hannah with the sitting next to Brant, having undergone quite the change in hairstyle. "Heeeeeey!" Elaine called over and waved, before jogging over to the jeep. As she got closer, Elaine could see the finer details of Hannah's new hair bit by bit, tied up in a style someone with really long hair would use so it wouldn't blow so much in the wind. A consequence of the jeeps not having any roofs. When she reached the jeep, her paced slowed until she stopped just outside the doors. "Wow...You really gave yourself a makeover. Are you two heading into the mall?"

Edited March 6, 2018 by Dandragon

[Ether]

That worked?

 

Christina took a deep breath. Kim was there as backup, at least, but this was still kinda... Nerve wracking. She was expecting to be yelled at, she just hoped Chris didn't get physical. With a moment of hesitation, Christina knocked on the door. "Ch-Chris? Are you there?"

"... What do you want?" The anger was easily heard in her voice, Christina gulped.

"I, just wanted to talk..."

A sigh was heard behind the door. Muffled footsteps. "Then talk. I can't open the door myself."

Well... At least that meant not getting slugged. "I... Just, wanted to know if you wanted to come to the mall with Kim and I."

"... You seriously think, I want to go to the mall, with either of you?"

"M-Maybe, I... Just wanted to give you something normal. Let you have a good time, and... Maybe we could be friends."

"Friends?" Chris scoffed. "You're crazier than me... And what do you think, Lieutenant? Happy to be trucking around two girlfriends?"

"Chris!"

"Oh, shut up. I'm sure the thought crossed her mind..."

Well, this was it. Immediately as Christina began, she got the expected response out of Chris, full of bile and jabs. Sighing slightly, Kim glowered at the entity emanating annoying and anger through the doorway.

"Not what I would call... girlfriend material. Too angry." Kim replied, her face setting into a frown... oh boy...

"Both of you, come on! I don't want to fight, I just wanna have a good day. And I wanted you to have one too."

"Then why'd you bother coming here?" Chris sneered, trying to shake off Kim's comment.

"Because I know me. And I know you have issues with your emotions, but I know you'd want nothing better than to relax and have a good day with people you could hang out with... And it's my fault you're like this. I wanna help."

"Help, huh..." It didn't sound awful, it sounded pretty good, really... But, she couldn't bring herself to let go of her discomfort for the original that easily. Maybe it'd... Help, with my emotions...? "Did you get permission?"

"Yes! I, er, I mean, no, uh, one second..."

Firing off a hasty message to the XO,

'XO, can me and Kim take Chris with us to the mall?'

She hoped it would be met with a swift, and positive, response.

She was... actually warming up to the idea? It felt like it, if only slightly... how odd. All there seemed left to see was whether the response would nip the idea in the bud entirely.

"Fine, sorry." Kim softly apologized... she hadn't intended to be antagonistic, but it was difficult with the particular way the clone was jabbing at her.

*beep*

Roxanna was surprised by the sudden notification. What timing. What was it now? Christina, huh. Or was it Chris using Christina's-- It was Christina. Technically both. For some reason people were really attached to this clone. Roxanna couldn't help but sigh.

'Not stopping you, but you are taking responsibility for every moment until she's back to her room.'

...Eh, maybe that sounded a bit rough.

'Take care.'

'Sure thing!'

"I have permission now!"

"Seriously..." Chris wondered for a moment what was going on in Christina's head. Chris was supposed to be a clone, no? But to do something so unprepared... It at least gave her a calm moment, of being different from the original. That was welcome.

Christina didn't wait much longer, opening the door and beaming. Chris didn't smile back. "Let's go then, okay?"

"... F-Fine..." She looked away from Christina, only to catch him, then look away from her too, blushing and meeting the floor.

Christina blinked in surprised, then smiled just a bit more, and turned to go. "Elevators first."

Well, that went... better than expected. Though that could be up to interpretation, Kim supposed. As Christina opened the door, and Chris averted her eyes, blushing at that, Kim's eyebrow raised for a moment... how strange.

"Well... you heard her. I'll close up... behind you."

"Sh, Shut up. I know that, you idiot..." Back to snappy, it seemed. Chris followed after Christina with her arms folded, glowering at the floor the whole time.

Too much of a good thing, apparently. Letting out a sigh, Kim closed Chris' door behind her, following after the pair of Troys, keeping an eye on the more explosive version.

 

Well, at least Christina seemed to be enjoying herself. Chris, however, seemed her usual miserable self, and Kim was trying to shake off the various incoming leers from multiple angles... not that she could overly blame them, it certainly looked like she was in the midst of a date with two gorgeous blonde twins, but sadly the reality wasn't anywhere near as fun. Chris gave an immediate negative response to Christina, hammering the nail even further into their coffin... with Chris around and being... as she was, bluntly put by the girl herself, a tagalong... and fully embracing that role, it made doing anything actually resembling a date... relatively impossible. They could still try to have a fun non-date outing, but it certainly hadn't been what Seung-Min had in mind when she first had started talking to Christina about going to the base.

"You could... at least try to make a suggestion. As for me... I didn't... have a chance to eat anything after the meeting, so I wouldn't mind grabbing... a bite."

Edited March 6, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Hitch a Ride

"Not to anywhere, I just need something to move around on. Hannah's gallivanting away with Brant, and your girls are doing flight tests. I've got no one else to pester to give me a lift. That, and none of you have gotten around to giving me a body, so I can't travel around on my own. It's quite a shame." Galatea sighed, propping herself up on her clouds in obvious dramatic fashion. "So, let me hop into your communicator or something. And tell me what you're working on... I'm dreadfully bored."

"Bored, huh?" Buck popped up behind the monitor Galatea had put herself on, giving the AI a start, her cloud collapsing as she fell to the 'floor'.

"Gods be damned, Buck, make a noise when you're walking!"

"Heheh! Sorry. Just wanted to check up on those calculations I made. Hoping they worked out. Then I heard you talking about having a body and I couldn't help myself. Do you have any specifications? Requests? Does it have to have pink hair like you? How realistic?"

"Wh-- I'm, fine, for now. Hannah and Brant were going to put it together, anyway..."

"Aww... well, that's fine, I guess. How are tests going, Sasha?"

Mediator

"It's okay, Kim! Food sounds fine. We can stop there and grab something to eat, get some drinks to take around the mall. It'll be fine." Christina had to step in before the stop of them started snipping at each other... Maybe this wasn't such a good idea-- No, I can do this... I'm not gonna leave her to rot in a room on the ship. The frills on her dress ruffled slightly as she spun back around, eyes looking for a-- "yes! Good. A map. That'll do. I haven't been here before either Chris, so I'm in the same boat. Let's get out bearings before we go anywhere, 'kay?"

Chris sighed. This is fruitless, isn't it? She didn't voice it, but it was clear that Kim was definitely hating her being here. At least Christina was... Being positive for the both of them. "Yeah. Sure..." Stuffing her hands into her jeans pockets, Chris followed after the excited girl, a mildly bored look hiding behind her glasses.

In The Thick of It

Hannah was in the process of taking her hair down when Elaine yelled over at them. "I suppose I am, now. And it looks like you will not have time to get it together, hun." Hair down now, flowing gently in the desert wind, Hannah smiled at Elaine. "A makeover is apt. I wished to try something new. Yes, I'm here for my first date, Brant was kind enough to accompany me... Not that I would have gone on one with anyone else." A small glance his way was accompanied by a wider smile, folding her arms behind her back. "We're going to find some new clothes for me to wear, and I'm going to try and find clothes Brant likes... What about you, Elaine? Are you here for general shopping, or for any other reason?"

Going Forward

 

The atmosphere going to the meeting had been rather tense, at least for Jess. Having had such a discussion with Brant the previous night, doing this now, it... It was incredibly awkward. He hadn't tried to talk to her about it-- yet, but she was on guard for if he did, and wasn't sure what she'd say if so... The meeting room came up fairly quickly, so hopefully he wouldn't be doing anything while they were in there. This was incredibly important. There was no room for foolish romantic spats.

Jess stepped in first, letting the lieutenants and her XO follow, as she faced down Alphonse and Vance. She's been expecting Johnathon, but maybe he was busy today? In any case, she saluted the both of them, "Commander, Admiral," and then took a seat, ushering the two pilots and Roxanna to do so as well.

Vance was a bull of a man. Tall, muscular, bald, with a bushy mustache and sunglasses. A cigar would fit perfectly with his attire, and he was sporting quite the smile. "Good of you t'make it here on time, Captain. My apologies for the vagueness of our meeting time, but we had a lot to take care of with the Riese touching back down at Central... First thing's first for today, I'd like to hear from your lieutenants. Specifically you, miss Kim. The Riese's battle data reports that you went head to head with the most powerful of the unknown machines that have been recorded to date... What's your personal take on them? You think we can knock 'em outta the sky?"

Straight to the heart of things, it seemed... Jess nodded and kept herself quiet, letting Kim take the floor.

The time for their meeting had come around... reasonably 12 hours past the time they had been warned to be on standby. Having eventually slept out of a reasonable confidence the meeting itself wouldn't be called in the deepest depths of the morning, Seung-Min was relatively well rested at the very least. It seemed she was far from having the worst of it though... the Captain was nervous, the XO was an absolute wreck, likely a carryover from the night before, and as they entered the room with Commander Vance and Admiral Alphonse, even the latter didn't seem fully in sorts, as it were. Saluting the pair as she entered behind the Captain, it seemed the well-built commander wished for her input first off... regarding the alien machine, as was to be expected.

"In regards to those machines, Commander... striking them with the entirety of the Artemis' arsenal... did little more than superficial damage. The machines... retreated before the Heion Riese could enter firing range, so I can't say how... effective her main cannon would have been... but as far as mobile suits are concerned... anything less than an entire squadron would have little chance of doing meaningful damage. Even then... I wouldn't bet on their odds, Commander." Kim gave her thoughts on the Praxis, meticulously... and rather slowly, choosing her words. Now wasn't the time to misspeak, to be certain. At least her words came through much more clearly than they had in the past.

"Nothing more than superficial damage, is it? Hmm..." Vance had tipped his sunglasses down at that comment, eyebrows raised at the Lieutenant. There was the matter of her mysterious machine as well, but they could get a full report on that from Wright's lovely daughter. But, little chance of doing anything meaningful without a full squadron... Maybe. He had a few ideas rolling around in that bald head of his, but they would have to wait until after the meat and potatoes of things were covered. Nodding at the lieutenant, he kept up his smile. "That's mighty fine information, Miss Kim. We'll have to run some simulations with whatever's stored in your... What had you registered it as, Artemis?" A rhetorical question, he turned his eyes to Brant next.

"Next issue, Lieutenant Abrams, the Russians machines that the Riese managed to pick up... What's going to become of them? I realize that we can't quite scoop them up and claim them as our own, there is still a world to be run underneath this war, and angering Russia is against the agenda... How long is the Riese going to be able to make use of them, if you had to hedge a bet?" He knew that the Russians they'd picked up with the machines had ownership of them... He didn't know how well they were getting along with the crew, and with the captain. If the situation was going to dissolve sooner than later, it would be best to be informed.

Brant was wondering what the Admiral could want to ask him about. In hindsight, they probably should have risked bringing Firmia along. Not that Brant couldn't elaborate, but she'd wanted to speak with the ANF's leadership, anyway ... "I wasn't present at the time, Sir, but the Kremlin made a request for the return of all three prototypes. I don't know exactly when the message came but there's a two week deadline. That gives us around twelve days." The only thing to wager on was how the Kremlin would respond if Firmia ignored them ...

Brant wanted to follow that up by asking if the Admiral knew how things were playing out back east, but it wasn't the right time. Even more importantly, if he was going to ask anything, it ought to be if Vance was going to speak to the Kremlin on the matter and try for an extension or some other compromise. On the other hand, they could probably just focus on upgrading the machines they had available and get by well enough.

Roxanna followed Jessica inside out of duty, but she wasn't on her best mood, and the TKs would notice without a doubt. Resigning herself to stay there, vulnerable to scrutiny of her uncle and captain, was a test of wits all of its own. "Commander... Admiral." She saluted, taking a seat next to Jessica. Holding her breath was as good as she could do to steel herself at this point. Thankfully, Vance's questions were aimed at others, for now...

"Good morning, Captain." Alphonse nodded back to Jessica with a calm, polite smile, one that mellowed down as the presence of his niece was clear. It seemed family blood wasn't a deterrent for tense relationships. Alphonse only needed to observe the Lieutenants first. Kim was first to speak, and her details turned a mellow expression to a frown. The supernatural machine was certainly a challenge to ponder about. "I see. It's hard to analyze armor composition through visual data, but it goes without saying that we'll want to review what the Artemis has stored in its systems. I have a curiosity, however. Regarding the nature of your assailants..." Of course, when it came down to it, they had been fighting self-proclaimed aliens. It was something you couldn't just gloss over, as ridiculous as it seemed to talk about. "In our report it was added that your foes seemed to possess exceptional abilities similar to a telekinetic, would you confirm that, Lieutenant? How akin to a telekinetic were they like?" It was something that had certainly struck the Admiral in some way.

"It's sad to see that the Kremlin has no intention of aiding us with these machines... It seems that Russia is also struggling with Apotheosis on the East front, it unfortunately can't be helped." It wasn't as if their eastern forces were faring much better, but in their defense, it wasn't the brunt of their military might. "The young Alkaev intends to comply soon, then?"

"Yes, we received word of the same request from them, but... Two weeks is new information. It seems we'll have to have a talk with your little Alkaev." Vance finally frowned, as Alphonse posed his question on these Telekinetic enemies, and what that meant, but he had one more thing for the Russian.

"You bring her, and anyone else that survived that assault, over to see me tonight. I'd rather avoid getting on the Kremlin's bad side, but this is war, and we can't afford to be shipping precious instruments across seas... Especially when they're fairing so poorly there." If they wanted details of Russia's troubles, they had but to ask, but that wasn't the point of the meeting.

"I suppose I shall defer to the Lieutenant once more to hear of these 'foes', but... Past that, I'd like to open the floor to anyone else, once she's done. Obviously, this isn't just a take, I'd like to give back. Central has plenty of information of what's going on with the war, and you have but to ask to receive it." Anything important, they'd be told after. The specifics always seemed to float away from the general knowledge.

With the Commander taking her report in stride, and moving on to Brant and the issue of the Alkaev machines, Kim remained silent during the exchange. Any apparent questions laced within the Commander's response to her had been rhetorical, so it simply remained to wait until she was next addressed. This didn't take long, with Admiral Alphonse asking about the supposed aliens themselves... specifically their TK abilities.

"Frighteningly so... Admiral. They were... communicating telepathically, directly... without the use of radio channels. In addition... they exerted an immense... mental pressure. It felt like... trying to balance a large weight on your forehead. You could say... they felt like a telekinetic taken to an... absurd extreme. Beyond what current research... theorizes to be physically possible for the human brain." Kim answered, the Commander also looking to hear her response. It didn't feel particularly pleasant to be the constant bearer of bad news, but there was little positive to say about the alien encounter.

Kim's report on the aliens themselves was better articulated today, like her speech in general, and that was painting a much clearer picture for Brant. Thankfully they seemed to be arrogant, if not fickle. Not all enemies could be beaten in a fair fight. Sometimes you had to exploit any weakness that presented itself. It still felt like a nigh impossible mission, but that was the kind Brant was most acclimated to, anyway.

Alphonse seemed interested in what Firmia's plans were with regard to the Kremlin's demands, which presented a small problem for Brant. He could be honest and let both Admirals and the Captain know flat out that she had no intention of returning with the suits, but that would undermine her position in the coming negotiations. The only leverage she had was the ability to launch said suits and fly off into the sunset, and that was predicated entirely on the ANF simply letting them do so. Brant decided to be honest but ... careful. "She wants to stay and help, so she's hoping to look into her options while we're here in Central, Sir."

Admiral Vance seemed to want to speak with her anyway, so things seemed to be looking up. Tonight, though ... Brant would have to make sure he wasn't busy with anything, then. "Yes, Sir. I'll let her know ASAP."

"Telepathy? Surely you're... You're not kidding. Well that's some good nonsense, isn't it?" Vance laughed, dryly, not at all pleased to hear that. How do you beat an opponent with a superior machine that can read your thoughts? This was becoming more and more like a terrifying scifi novel, not a real world war. Yet, here they were...

"We've recorded instances of TKs being able to read mind or hear thoughts... But, let's just say the circumstances for such a phenomenon were not stable. No one died... But they would've been better off not trying." The TCI liked to push the envelope a lot, and sometimes they went back regulations. They were reprimanded after, but there was only so much prevention that could be done in the face of certain scientists.

"You do that, son... Now, any questions, from any of you? There's more to discuss, but..."

"I have one," Jess piped up, looking down at the table. "Am I getting replaced?"

"Wha... Pardon me, Captain Gefalscht?" Vance was taken quite aback.

"I'm a rookie, I've only got a week's worth of captaining experience, and I'm definitely not the best choice for leading something like the Riese... Captain Miller, we met him in space, he'd be a much better choice, or anyone else stationed here, they could--"

"Now, hold on, little lady," Vance shut down that line of thinking. "I'm sure you think things would be better with someone more experienced, and a week ago, if I could've seen this coming, I probably would've agreed... But you're bringing back results. Big, big results. Your crew's the only one that's managed multiple engagements with great success. Some have won scuffles, but consecutive ones?" Vance scoffed. "I don't quite know why you're so focused on this, but the Admiral made a good recommendation, in my eyes. Until you make a big enough mistake, that's off the table, Jessica. The good and bad of that is that it'll be your only mistake..." A surprisingly heavy comment, one that got Jess to keep quiet.

"Now... Anyone else?"

Brant scowled when Jessica spoke up. Of all the questions she thought to ask. Everything the woman did just made him more and more certain of his choice. He wouldn't risk speaking to Jessica directly during a meeting, but he had another way of 'reprimanding' her for that ...

"Thank you, Sir. We couldn't agree more." Sorry about that Seung-Min, Roxanna ..."I do have a question, myself ... do you know how things are going in Russia? The news from out of there isn't really helpful, but since they made the request for the prototypes, it seems like things are going downhill, fast ..."

"Very badly," was the quick response Brant got. "Apotheosis forces are on the Kremlin's doorsteps. Their request to return the machines makes perfect sense... But Sending machines back to Russia to simply get destroyed. It feels like a terrible waste. Three machines aren't going to change the tide of a war that one sided." It was grim, but he didn't feel like sending help would actually do so.

Brant agreed, but the Kremlin must have realized that, as well. They were either desperate or wanted the prototypes for something besides front line reinforcements. This might have also gone straight back to the Alkaev company. Now that the war was in full swing, all of the major manufacturers were being dragged into the thick of it, and the Alkaev family itself was in deep with the Kremlin to begin with. The ultimate source of that summons might very well be the company, itself. What if Dima was behind this ...?

We really need to crack open all three of them sometime and see if someone didn't leave anything important inside ...

"I see. That's unfortunate but I'm not surprised. Nothing more from me, Sir."

"I see... exceptional even when compared to telekinetics...." Alphonse mumbled to himself, seemingly lost in his world for a bit. Something seemed to click. "In that case, I would like to examine a copy of the Artemis' feed. There's something to be gained for us here if we are prepared... the odds certainly are rough." It was not something that was worth pondering any longer, with Vance's own insight to the improbability of mind-reading TKs being a decent closing point. Enough to explain their gap to whatever that was.

"I see. If Firmia is interested in talking to us, tonight would be a good time. We certainly don't want to step on the Kremlin's toes for no reason... but we might be able to barter an acceptable trade." It would be a hard bargain, however. The Kremlin direly needed the firepower, but so did the ANF, then there was the question of Apotheosis' nightmarish mobility. A bargain like this would require good convincing, mobility, and luck that the Kremlin could escape and cut their losses. The Admiral couldn't help but sigh. "What the Commander says is true, Apotheosis has pushed them back to their doorsteps. Russia's struggles make our victories seem triumphant. Apotheosis seems to have a keen understanding of their territory, and move around with ease." A logistic nightmare, to be sure.

Roxanna was still tense, hardly uttering a word. She was shocked when Jessica asked about being removed from the Riese, a gesture contrasted by her uncle's soft smile. It wasn't... right. She'd expect the pipsqueak to mention her poor duties in an off-hand comment by now, but instead Jessica focused on herself. Roxanna's mind seemed to be sending flares. "I see... Commander, our pilots have great results fighting Apotheosis, but we've still suffered a loss last battle. Despite their great coordination, and the recovery of a scout, the unit has an amount of machines that were hastily thrown together." In fact, she was sure one wasn't military grade, but a police grade death coffin... "Also, the number of pilots will likely only get smaller. Considering our results, we might need some resource allocating."

"I think I can help with that, actually --If you don't mind, of course, Commander." Alphonse interjected, "We've had a scouting group under one of the old Majors be on standby for a while. I'm sure we can handle some reassignments quickly if you need the extra help. Good timing, as well, I've been meaning to note that a couple of mobile suits were being issued to the Riese. New designs, based on Apotheosis data and new alloy research. I'm sure you'll trust good people with them." He was the Riese's overseer, after all, even if Roxanna wished to avoid him for now. "That said, we'd still like to see what could be done about the AMS suits in the Riese."

Instances... Kim could attest to that, if only once. Had Avery reported that phenomenon? It was difficult to say for sure, and until it was sustainable and not liable to knock her out cold, it was off the table either way. It was expected that the higher ups would want access to the Artemis' combat data and visual feeds from that encounter, so that wasn't terribly surprising... what was rather surprising was Jessica bringing up the possibility of her own dismissal... she had figured it would be the XO to do that, if anyone.

"I must agree, Captain. We've managed... almost unreasonable levels of success... when compared to other units. In no... small part due to your skill at the helm. Now isn't... the time to allow doubt to take over, at any rate. We don't... have time for such things. As for the feed... of course, Admiral. It should already... be uploaded to the central... database."

Brant and Kim both trying to join in on the Commander's positivity, it... It didn't sit entirely well with her. Brant's especially, but, couldn't they see that a better captain would acclimate quickly and just... There was no arguing with high command, lest his words turn into orders. She remained quiet, trying not to fold her arms.

"What the Admiral says is quite right, we've got a whole slew of pilots available to bolster your roster. And a few new machines... I'll be speaking specifically to your Specialist, Eriksson. He seems quite the fit for one of them, I must say."

"If you've all run out of questions already, then there's one last matter at hand. Those two Troys you've got on your ship... The real and the clone, as I am being made to believe?" He cocked eyebrows at everyone. "Now, I can't comment on the ANF's knowledge of any actual cloning procedures going on, but did Apotheosis really clone Miss Troy?" He hoped someone had a proper answer for him.

"I can't see... any other explanation, Commander. I am sure Doctor Amparo... took a blood or tissue sample to check further... but physically, as well as mentally, she is... indistinguishable. Emotionally she differs... wildly, a side effect of the process... supposedly, but aside from that... if she managed to calm herself and emulate the original... I don't know if I could tell the difference." Kim replied... the subject rather sore, but it was still an important one nonetheless.

"If she... isn't a clone, then they've found... an equally potent method for... whatever it is they are doing."

"...Troubling. Thank you, Lieutenant. We'll... Have someone come and speak with her. Do you think she's a threat to the ship? Or do any of you believe she can be used as an asset? For some reason," Vance gave a wry smile to the few gathered there, "she has records in the Riese's simulator, and her scores are rather impressive. Much higher than the original Miss Troy's. Whatever tinkering Apotheosis did in between versions, they made significant improvements." It was perhaps a bit ridiculous to use someone's clone as a war asset, but beggars could not be choosers, and the ANF were definitely doing the begging.

Brant thought back on his memories of Chris when Admiral Vance brought her up. She seemed too bitter about being phased out--rather, thrown to the wolves by Apotheosis, to betray a more welcoming and moral bunch like theirs. She was far from harmless, but to Brant she seemed more like a cat adjusting to a new and 'dangerous' environment, than some triple agent plant waiting to upend them all. Admittedly, she would be in a good position to do so once Jessica loosened the restraints.

"I can't say I fully trust her yet, Sir, but it's only been a day," Brant shrugged, "She definitely despises Apotheosis, though, and I'm sure she'd rather shoot at them than us. I think we were going to try integrating her into the crew like the last few times ...?" He asked Jessica, offering her the chance to either confirm flat out or elaborate on her plans, herself. It felt a little risky mentioning 'the last few times,' but they hadn't had any problems there. The Admirals must have been fully aware anyway, so Brant took the chance.

"It is... difficult to say, Commander. Lieutenant Abrams has spent... more time speaking with her than I have, so I believe his judgment on the matter... however she certainly holds ill-will towards some of us... as well." Kim replied, an obvious example of that fact. Integrating her into the crew like the others? It seemed impossible... granted, they all seemed unlikely at best, but this one felt like a whole other level of absurd...

"Hmmm..." Maybe, but not right now, was all Vance was getting. That was fine, if the pilots they were supplying could keep up with the new machines on the Riese. Hopefully their next line of machines was good enough...

"You're all dismissed, then. Quick meeting, but, we tackled the important parts. We'll be in touch with Eriksson, and see if there's anyone in your roster that could use the extra firepower. Take care of yourselves, Riese crew."

Jess stared at him. Was that really all? Well... If that was all, then. Jess saluted, and got up to leave.

"We've tackled all important parts, indeed. I'll make sure to analyze Artemis' data as soon as possible. We commend your service, Lieutenant Seung-Min." Alphonse nodded solemnly, but his gaze seemed troubled with thought already far ahead of the meeting. "Keep an eye on Miss Troy's clone, regardless. Doctors Amparo and Hart should make sure of whether her situation is stable enough. She has the motives, but we don't know to full extent what drawbacks this... cloning process might have." It was truly an uncomfortable topic, the Admiral seemed to prefer not thinking about it, but necessity was the mother of... appropriating, in this case. Not that it sounded any better. "Any information you might still need, don't be afraid to contact. While you still can." It wouldn't be for long, with the jamming they were dealing with.

"...Very well." Roxanna nodded quietly, relieved she was somehow not the target of any subject. A weight dragging her down was now gone, but she could still feel her blood run cold. "Thank you." She spoke, quietly, in response. Roxanna and her uncle could barely see eye-to-eye.

Edited March 9, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Sasha sighed at the display. I'm going to pay Cheryl a visit soon. I doubt she'd appreciate a talking tam--hmm? Was that Buck out of the corner of his eye? Probably coming to check on how things were going; he'd had a gentle hand in things, after all. He caught Galatea off guard right good and the two had a brief back and forth before Buck worked his way to the same question that Galatea had asked. "Well ..." Sasha glanced over at the Mantle and saw that it was online and on standby ... cockpit closed. A brief glance at the Regalia was more of the same, only the Regalia was just beginning its walk toward the launch elevator. Firmia was likely inside, piloting on her own, which meant Tonya was in the Mantle.

"Tonya's more than satisfied with the adjustments," Sasha began, thinking back to some quick and dirty estimates he'd run. The news wouldn't have reached Firmia just yet, but the Alkaev company had already completed its Mass Production type Crown mobile suit. It was designed for space combat and intercept missions, though its cruising speed made it excellent for hit and run tactics, which just went to show where Russia's priorities were now shifting. From what Sasha was able to pry out of his contacts in the company, the Crown suits carried the same model of beam smartgun the Mantle used, as well as three armored boosters. The wonderful thing about Buck's upgrades was that the Reign would still carry the title of fastest AMS unit in atmosphere for the time being. The Crowns got their increased speed from their three boosters at the cost of being much heavier than other AMS units, while the Reign gained its additional speed from its drastically reduced weight and overall shape. With a more efficient pseudo V-drive, its apparent weight was even further reduced. In space, things would likely be different. The Crown data he had suggested they could escort cruise missiles from their launching ship all the way to the target.

"She just finished her test flight a while ago. The Regalia and the Mantle are upgraded now too, so they're taking them out soon ... ... erm now, looks like."

---

"It'll be the same as before, Tonya," Firmia radioed over to the Mantle as the elevator carried her and the Regalia up for launch. "You're free to turn off the limiters, but be careful. This is just a test, not a demo."

"Don't worry so much," Tonya sighed, "the Mantle's the slowest and sturdiest of the bunch. There's not much I can do to wreck it. Heading for the lift, now."

"Then I'll see you outside." Firmia switched over. "This is Vivian in Regalia. Launching!" As soon as the Regalia cleared the ship, Firmia shifted to flight mode. Like the Reign's test, they would begin by assessing flight characteristics in this mode, and then switch to MS mode afterward. The idea was to keep from numbing themselves to the subtle differences in handling by placing the MS mode flight test toward the end. According to Tonya, the experience had truly made her day. "... so far so good," Firmia glanced down at her vertical setup. Although she was piloting the Regalia, her was controlling the suit from the copilot position, the Edict's flight seat. Her large monitor and tablet were still situated right in front of her, slightly obscuring her view. It wasn't much of an issue however, as the tablet was now displaying live stats on all the relevant systems, while the larger monitor above it showed her a forward view roughly equivalent to Brant's. Honestly, she could fight like this if she had to. Easily.

Glancing back toward the Heion Riese as the Mantle entered the catapult area, Firmia thought back to her talk with Tonya and Hannah, earlier. That ship, and its infuriating captain were their best chance of defeating Apotheosis. She had a lot of advice floating in her head, now: No more murder talk. Watch, and act only when her goals are served. Reconcile with the captain. It was a tall order, right now ... but the alternative was looking increasingly grim ...

Brain Matters

Spoiler

Hannah 'awoke' before Brant had... He was sleeping like a log, barely having moved from where they'd last spoke. It brought a smile to her face, gently petting his hair. You deserve the rest. Being as gentle as her servos would allow, Hannah managed to slip out from under him, placing him against the seat of the Regalia, and turning on the main camera to see what was gong on... Her internal clock read nine A.M. A perfectly fine time to get up, in her mind... But, if Brant had no occupations, he was going to get some more sleep. The opening of the Regalia wasn't quiet, but it wasn't exactly loud, Hannah turning the monitor off and slipping her way out of the machine. She stretched, questioned why she'd stretched, and jumped to the Regalia's leg, then to the floor...

Oh, perfect. "Firmia! Tonya!" Hannah waved at the women working on the Reign, smiling her way over. She hadn't considered her hair might've surprised them, coming over as if everything was normal. "How are you two this morning? Working on something?"

She'd checked, double checked, triple checked, quadruple checked, but nothing. If Buck was planning on these power distribution changes to sabotage anything, they weren't showing up in virtual trial runs. That meant it was time to move on to an actual flight test ... after the Reign's torso plating was fully back in place. It would only take a few minutes, but Tonya wasn't getting airborne before that. They also had to get permission. Firmia was slightly annoyed by that but even more than that, she was grateful she couldn't just hop in a suit, walk it over to the elevator, and fly out of the ship without anyone batting an eyelash. It was reassuring in that sense, at least.

What Hannah was ... was a lot of things, but reassuring wasn't one of them, this morning. What had happened to her hair? Naturally, in Firmia's shock, Tonya was the first to return the greeting. "Hey there. Nice look, by the way," Tonya waved. Blonde was an admittedly suspicious choice ...

"Why ...?" Firmia had several questions, and couldn't get out any but that one ...

"Thank you... Why? Well..." Hannah paused. They'd already spoken to Brant... At what she could presume was length. "I wanted to impress Brant. It worked. He explained to me the situation with the Captain... And, I told him that I would not give up on him simply because of it. I will wear him down if I need to, and this is... A more subtle approach than I could have taken. I could have went with ginger and freckles, but... That would be hitting the nail on the head far too hard." She twirled a lock of the hair around her finger, looking between the both of them, shrinking just a bit.

"I-Is this a bad thing? It seemed quite effective... He went so far as to kiss me, though that was likely due to the talk, but... It can't have played no part in things."

So Hannah was committed to pursuing Brant, was she? Tonya suspected Firmia still had reservations, but overall it seemed to be a good turn of events. Tonya's own ideas for helping her student were beginning to morph somewhat, in light of the new information. In light of the new Hannah.

"He kissed you?" Firmia looked like a cat, roused from her nap by a siren. Had that really happened?

"So there really is hope," Tonya mused. She was impressed, too. "Don't worry, you picked the right color. They wouldn't come right out and say it but Brant and his brother love the blonde look." Tonya knew she might be at least partially to blame for that, but it wasn't really a bad thing.

"Er... Yes. I was, just as surprised, but... I do not know if it was intentional, but my memory banks took a photo of the moment. Perhaps so that I never forget. I can share if necessary." She had a feeling it would not be necessary.

"Oh. That's good, then... I will keep it like this, and see how things work out. What are you two working on...?" Or, were, as it was.

So that really did happen, and Hannah had the pictures to prove it. "It's fine, I believe you," Firmia gently handwaved the offer. Tonya's little snicker was impossible to handwave, though. With a heavy sigh, Firmia decided to focus on Hannah's question. While the developments with Brant were definitely important, definitely relevant to her personal struggle against Apotheosis, she couldn't do much about it right now. There was a lot of work to do, after all.

"Sasha spoke to Buck yesterday and showed him the drive systems my mobile suits use. He suggested some minor adjustments to get us enough power to maintain flight in MS mode temporarily ... long enough to get through a short battle at any rate. I've done every kind of trial run I can think of looking for ways it could damage the drive or the suit, but it's nothing outside of normal stress from regular use ..."

"A mole wouldn't be that obvious about it," Tonya soothed.

"... so next we need to do an actual flight test. It's going to delay her mission until tomorrow, but we're going to test it on the Reign. At least if it works, she'll have one more edge out there."

"Oh. Well, that sounds wonderful of him... R-Right, the mole situation." With everything surrounding Brant, it had passed into the back of her storage. "I do not think Apotheosis would employ someone so young. The mental pressure to keep secrets would be too difficult in 97% of cases. Quick math. And if your calculations are checking out, then there should be nothing to worry about. I am positive that Tonya's test flight will work out just fine." Hannah smiled, then stared at Firmia... And stared... Before striding on over and giving her a hug, nestling chin against hair.

"I hope your morning has been good so far."

Firmia was certain they would get the intended effect, but whether Buck could be trusted in the long run or not, she had to be sure the Reign could handle the changes in the extreme, as well as in the real world. With Tonya's piloting, the maintenance workload would naturally be higher, and they ran enough risks of random and dangerous malfunctions just operating complex machines like these so frequently. The closer Firmia could get to the certainty her machines were working properly in all areas, the happ--... why was Hannah just staring at her like that? Firmia had been about to ask what the issue was when Hannah approached and hugged her.

"Hrgwhaaa--my morning?" ... not so good, really. Working on the Reign was a great distraction, but even that might not have been enough if Tonya and her grandfather hadn't steadily calmed her down. Tonya got the worst of it. Firmia had said a lot of things to her, none of it she regretted necessarily but enough to make any normal employee consider jumping ship. Even now Firmia was surprised the older pilot wasn't taking any opportunity to get away from her ... at least temporarily.

"I ... could be better, but I'm fine. As long as I've got something I can work on, I'll be fine."

"Hmmmm..." Hannah gave Firmia a good stare, before pinching her cheek a bit, pulling on it a tad, and huffing. "You look like you need more sleep, to me. Even Brant got sleep... How am I supposed to take care of you if you can't start taking care of yourself? Firmiaaaaaaa..."

"Grgh, of course I haven't slept!" Firmia wanted to wriggle harder than she already was, but felt it'd be an even bigger waste of energy. Tuckering herself out trying to escape from Hannah's invincible grip was a very real possibility at this hour. And now Tonya was chuckling, as if there was something to laugh about here ...

"I don't need anyone taking care of me," Firmia insisted, "I need more hands. Honestly, if I could work all day and everyday while this war is going on I would, but this is the best I can manage!"

"Yes you do. Look at you. You're running on stims and sheer will... You need a proper sleep. Please. Can't you trust us to get work done while you take care of yourself, just this once? And before you come back with 'it's not about that', I know. You want to maximize work. But, Galatea and I can do a lot. Just let us... Please." Being heartfelt with Brant had worked... Maybe it'd work with Firmia.

"Aren't you always busy with Br-" ... a random idea wouldn't normally stop Firmia in the middle of a retort, but this wasn't a normal situation, nor was the idea random. It wasn't the first time she'd considered tackling so much with such a comparatively small effort, but now that Hannah was actually here and the Alkaev had her full attention ... maybe now was the time to broach the subject.

"Hey, Hannah ...? I want to ask you something. You should ... let go, first. It feels a little personal to me ... but it would definitely help in situations like these."

Hannah actually looked hurt at the start of Firmia's rebuttal, but that look went away as she drifted to another topic. She complied, letting go of her, and tilted her head as per normal, a lot of that new hair dropping down with said tilt. "What is it you want to ask? And... I-I am not always busy with Brant..."

Firmia's shoulder's slumped a little, her mind debating whether to take back what she'd said about Hannah and Brant, or just move on. She'd been a bit too forceful there, which led to the blatant inaccuracy of the statement. "Sorry," Firmia said, shaking her head once, "It's just ... urgh never mind. As long as you're willing to help out when I need you, that's all that matters."

As for the question ... Firmia was still trying to figure out how to ask. "Anyway ... the question. I ... you mentioned not wanting me to work when I should be sleeping, but we're in a war. Whether I'm dozing off in the cockpit or hopped up on stimulants, Brant can handle the Regalia well enough most of the time, but ... I have been thinking of ways to make life easier ... and more efficient ... among other things."

"Hmm ..." Tonya kept mostly quiet, but was genuinely interested in what Firmia was working toward. She hadn't heard anything about it during their ... talk. Talk was a word.

"Is there a way to ... copy your mind? Not to just make a copy of you but to use your code as a template for another AI? A way to do it without hurting you, I mean. I've got a long list of reasons if you really want to hear them, but if it's not possible then just forget it ..."

Hannah stared wide eyed at Firmia for just a moment as a sorry escaped her lips, but the shocked expression faded to a smile quickly, almost giggling. "It's fine." What good progress Firmia had made over the past few days. If she kept up like this, maybe when the war was over, she'd almost be recognizable as a normal girl... A normal company CEO girl, but, still.

A way to increase efficiency, was it? Firmia's soon presented idea was... Not impossible, but... "It... Would be feasible, to create a copy of myself, and fabricate it to match. But..." How to put this. Hannah paused, twirling some hair again. "I am a unique situation. I believe some books refer to me as 'the singularity'? I am an impossible scientific fact, and yet I am here. There is machinery inside me, and I think as a person... If you created a copy of me, and attempted to wipe it, or replace it with another AI... There's no guarantee that it would, 'come to life'." She made sure to accentuate the phrase, there was no better way to put it.

"You could try, and, it wouldn't harm me, but... You'd be left with a blank android if wiping Hannah two didn't work out."

Firmia cringed slightly toward the end, deciding to simply drop the whole thing for now. "Don't worry about it," she shook her head repeatedly, "I'm not wiping out anything, even if it's just a copy. I'll think of another way."

"If all you need is another AI," Tonya tilted her head at her employer ... just before she pointed out the obvious, "why don't you have Brant make one? It won't be as advanced as Hannah, but it can at least pull your all nighters for you."

"No ... I'm thinking very long term," Firmia stared at the floor panels, visions of a very uncertain future swirling in and out of focus. "I need to make an AI based on my own mind ... just in case ... well no. There's a lot more I need it to do, but in case I wind up dying ..."

"Sheesh ..." Tonya supposed she understood, but Firmia really did think too much. The Alkaev Ace was sure she'd be twenty years 'older' if she entertained doomsday scenarios as often as her employer did.

And suddenly the idea was dropped. What was Firmia's hangup? Even if it was a copy? Hannah didn't entirely understand these people, it seemed... What she did understand was what Firmia was driving in with her want to make a clone, immediately pulling her back into a hug, just a bit tighter this time. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Not while I'm around."

Giving her just a bit of breathing room, Hannah tried to offer a different solution. "If you are not up for your idea, I can at least provide you with a digital map of my 'mind'. It would give you something to work off of, and a way to steer towards what you want... Better than starting from scratch, right?"

"Mrgh ..." Once again, Firmia found herself at the mercy of Hannah ... not that she minded as much. Between the fatigue from her long night and the bigger looming disasters, the affection was almost nice. There was also that assurance she finally gave. It could be argued Hannah wouldn't always be around, in the immediate vicinity, but she must have known that. Still, hearing it was definitely nice ...

A one and done solution likely didn't exist for Firmia's intended AI, so she couldn't argue with Hannah's suggestion. Better to have to work on it over the years than give up simply because her mind couldn't be directly digitized. "Alright. Thank you. That's a lot better than pushing Brant to start performing miracles and figure out how a digital consciousness works."

"Uh ... what if it's a hybrid ...? I mean ... what if you could do it with an analog/digital hybrid?" Tonya didn't want to go saying stupid things in front of Firmia and Hannah, both of whom likely knew better than her, but the human brain could technically be viewed as an analog computer ... composed of a ridiculously large number of 'parallel processors' or 'neurons,' so it was worth mentioning. "I know pure digital is really popular, but honestly, if you want to copy yourself, you should copy nature a little while you're at it."

"No more struggling, you." Hannah wasn't relenting in her affections, the longer she got the hug Firmia, the more she was away from overworking herself. "I'll have Galatea go in and copy down my 'mind', before sending it your way. It may help things... It also may not. I have no idea how I came to be."

Tonya's suggestion was an interesting one... "And that is likely how. I would not be surprised to find out I was created from the template of someone's mind, and then set into action. But... As I said, that technology should not exist. I should not exist. Hannah, should not exist... But I do. My creator was Doctor Tabitha Gaertner, and while she was the forefront of AI research, with technology on Earth," the punctuation was incredibly important, "this would never happen."

That brought Hannah to her suggestion. "I believe Dr. Gaertner has been taken by Apotheosis, or was taken at some point, and used to create something of my scale. Perhaps I was the prototype for something larger, or more dangerous. A fully thinking machine. We have already ascertained that they are working with what we believe to be Aliens... This would be the only way. I cannot be a product of this planet." Heavy stuff, but, it's all that made sense to her.

Analog computers were replaced by digital ones a long time ago for the most part, but they weren't completely phased out. Hybrids also showed up in mass for their unique advantages. Tonya had been reluctant to share, but Firmia was grateful for the input. She was so used to dealing with digital systems that she hadn't considered a hybrid solution. Another blind spot Firmia was quickly doing away with. As far as Hannah's mind was concerned, the way she spoke of information storage wasn't much of a clue as to whether she was purely analog, purely digital, or a hybrid, but if she had to guess, Firmia would wager her processors were analog, allowing for the 'inconsistencies' in her perceptions that might lead to more lifelike curiosity. She'd said she wasn't 1s and 0s, so it made sense, though Firmia would also wager Hannah's method of storing certain types of information, if not information in general, was digital. She wasn't sure why a maker of robotics would pass up the reliable recall and durability promised by a digital storage device, even if it wasn't a perfect setup.

Firmia figured Brant would have a look at the data Galatea would send, gawk for a few minutes, and then begin a long brainstorming session on how to handle the new AI's 'foundation.' With a project like this one, he was going to go for something more uniform over a modular design. Unfortunately he wouldn't be working on it right away. Golden Eyes wasn't complete yet, and would require extensive testing once it was.

The possibility of Hannah being a product of alien technology hadn't crossed Firmia's mind at all, to her own surprise. She'd been clued in to so many black projects in her life, that alien technology was the last thing she would attribute something new and incredibly advanced to. With the confirmation of alien invaders though ... her old way of categorizing things would need to change.

Whether ultimately of alien origin or not, Hannah's actual creator was--according to her, being held by Apotheosis. Maybe a family reunion would be nice, but Firmia had her doubts about launching a rescue campaign. They hadn't located a single Apotheosis base, yet. There could be one or dozens, and there was no telling exactly where they were keeping Gaertner, herself. She could have even been in that ship they damaged at Corona Ten for all they knew. They just didn't have any intel ... "It'd be so nice to snatch her away from them. Even if she didn't want to help me, it would keep them from dropping a bunch of advanced AIs on us while we're still dealing with clones."

"Yeah," Tonya frowned, "It's about time you guys try and coax something out of those enemy pilots." Capturing one seemed out of the question ...

"While it would likely prove useful to try and save her, if they have indeed taken her, do not do it for my sake. As much as she is my creator, I know little about her. I am far more attached to the lot of you than I ever will be her, so... Please do so for the good it would bring us, no other reason." Hannah's sudden protesting at nearly nothing was likely odd... But she didn't linger there long.

"Tonya," she spoke, attention directed at the pilot now, "I will be going to Central's mall with Brant later today. I'm going to be trying on clothes, and doing any other general shopping... What do you think he would like me to wear?" Certainly Tonya knew what Brant's preferences were, having known him for so long.

Hannah wanted them to rescue her only if it was in their own interest and not for her sake? Well now she was speaking Firmia's language. "I mainly want the help with this AI business, but I don't mind helping you as well ... even though you don't seem to need it." The annoying thing about having friends was that their families often became relevant. Their own friends too. Firmia didn't want to think about how easily so many bonds could get out of hand. That was why she was glad to know Hannah didn't have any strong attachment to Gaertner.

She still had a strong attachment to Brant, though ...

"Are we talking about casual or 'strategic' wear?" Tonya met the question with another question. Things Brant liked weren't limited to things Hannah could get away with out in the open or around the ship, so ... best to get somewhat specific.

"Please don't go lingerie shopping," Firmia groaned.

"I will be fine, Firmia. At least in that regard. Do not worry." Hopefully, anyway... There was no telling what would happen when push came to shove, but for now, she wasn't worried about that. Tonya's question was important, though.

"Both," she answered first, "but, strategic would be good for the outing. Anything to make him jump or be surprised would be nice. His standard thumbs up is nice, but I want to know if there's something beyond that. If not... That will do. But, I must be strong in this fight. I am not fighting against Jessica, I am fighting against Brant's stubborn nature. It is not an easy opponent..." Likely, both of them had experienced it at points. "And, if there is anything else I can do past the physical. I need to know more... And I don't think he'll give up any weaknesses if I simply ask."

"Both huh?" Tonya put a hand on her chin, all the while Hannah expounded on her own personal goals. That brand of honesty was sorely needed these days, but that aside, Tonya could spot a small problem with the girl's approach. Well, it was by no means a small problem, but an outsider looking in wouldn't be able to appreciate Brant's position on this.

"I might have some ideas for you, but he's coming at the captain from so many angles, I really doubt he'd give up even if something happened between you two. I mean he already kissed you, right?" Brant may have been forced to sleep with Rosa time and again, but Tonya was certain he'd never willingly kissed her. Given how easily he'd downplayed the captain's relationship thus far, something as small as a kiss might very well be more important to him. 'I love you', and its rough equivalents even seemed to carry more weight at times.

Feeling she was too far into speculation at this point, Tonya let her arms drop and sighed. "I've got some advice if you really want it ... but if he already kissed you, then going further than that isn't going to make him quit. He'd feel bad about it, definitely, but judging by what we heard, he wouldn't quit over it. That's why we didn't do anything when I was helping him with the conditioning." Ignoring the scowl from Firmia, Tonya continued. "There's a lot to chew through, here: He's trying to show her what she's worth by how much he and Abigail are willing to go through. He's trying to make sure what the two of them could have had isn't tossed out for something worse. He's even trying to address what happened with Rosa while he's at it ... and on and on probably. He's totally married to this challenge."

"I'll deal with that last one myself," Firmia chimed in, her tone low and threatening. To Tonya's surprise, the once weary Alkaev had found that spark of hatred and was nurturing it again. She didn't look nearly so tired, anymore. If technology could run on Alkaev malice, it would be a free energy revolution.

All of that just for the captain... Hannah could understand the odd obsession, it nearly mirrored hers with him, but she didn't quite get the catalyst. Was the relationship between Abigail and the captain destructive? If not, whether or not it was strong, did it need to be challenged so harshly? She didn't know, but learning more was never a bad thing... Wait...

"I have had an epiphany," she started, gently petting Firmia's super soft hair after her moment of anger. "We are coming at this issue from the wrong side. If it is impossible to stop Brant from going after this goal of testing the captain to improve her... Then, if we can improve her ourselves, he will give up this nonsense. If we can give her enough confidence to prove to him that this is the decision she wants, then, he would be more than foolish to continue. No?"

It made sense to her. Brant was trying to climb a mountain, and he had a massive headstart on any of them... If they simply flew to the top and started there instead of trying to climb up, things would be a lot easier. Except... "Well, Tonya and I, perhaps... Your distaste of the captain is rather evident."

"Ohhh yeah it is," Tonya nodded in an exaggerated fashion. Firmia knew why, and aimed a glare at the ground while her hair was petted. Unable to glare directly at herself without a mirror, that was all she could manage ... "But yeah," Tonya placed her hands on her hips, "if we can address those points for him, Brant wouldn't need to worry about her. He was pretty pessimistic about this when he spoke to us about it, so I know winning isn't what matters most to him. It's not one of those situations where he's up against Rex, so he's definitely willing to get stomped for the greater good."

"There's no greater good in this situation," Firmia stated matter-of-factly, "This is all a waste of everyone's time and productivity. I'm not going to just sit around and ignore this, though. There's definitely something I can do to save him from her too, so I'm going to do it."

She had Tonya's curiosity, but the way she'd worded that, it sounded like she wasn't interested in getting into the details, right now ... "Sssomething you can do?"

"Later today or tomorrow."

"No greator good..." Addressing things for Brant, this being a waste of time... Hannah didn't exactly agree. This was why. "Firmia, don't you think you can use this as an opportunity to repair your relationship with the captain?" She expected opposition immediately, already bracing for it. "While you will likely get your chance to speak to Central, as she promised, this ship is still the most powerful on earth, and the most useful for fighting this battle. While I do not expect you to like her, would it not be better to work through your issues with her and try to find some resolve?" Hopefully Firmia could see the use of such a thing... Whatever Firmia was planning to do later, maybe it could help, too.

Tonya looked as nervous as ever thanks to Hannah's suggestion, even though Firmia was completely silent at first. "... I don't ... have anything nice to say to her. At all ... ... nothing. So ... I don't see how we're supposed to resolve anything when she runs away so easily. Brant didn't even snap at her like I would have ..."

"You could always find a room and lock the door," Tonya joked, "Just kidding. Isolating an officer like that's got to be breaking so many rules."

"It doesn't matter because if I get to speak my mind in a situation like that, it'll just go against what you're trying to do. I think she's even more awful than she says she is. I'm not going to pretend otherwise just to spare her feelings."

"Then don't spare her feelings," Hannah began. "Yell at her. Have a big fight. Get what you need out and take what she gives back. And when you both finally calm down and stop screaming, try to come to an agreement. The captain is easily scared, but is willing to discuss if pressed past that... And, I can keep the door locked. After all, I am not personnel. I am 'just a machine'," she finished, with a wink and a smile.

"Can I bring a stun gun for self defense?" Firmia asked rhetorically, eliciting another sigh from Tonya, "I'm not sure how a shouting match with her wouldn't get physical if she didn't have anywhere to run away to." She had plenty of hand to hand training to fall back on, but an officer of the ANF ought to have some kind of training as well. Firmia didn't want to be unarmed in general but certainly not trapped in a room with someone she utterly despised.

She was surprised Hannah was willing to be the one to bar the door, capitalizing on what she was in order to, at least potentially, outwit any regulations. It wasn't just a helpful measure, it was going against her own preferences; she was a machine at heart, but so often, that wasn't how she wanted to be treated.

Hannah cocked her head. "Does the captain seem like a physical person? I do not think I've ever seen her turn to violence. Unless you were to swing first, but, I do not think you are foolish enough to be the one tossing the first punch. Unless you would?" Hannah couldn't help her giggle, sighing and continuing to treat Firmia like a small doll-- carefully, of course.

"Bring one if you feel it necessary. I will barge in and settle any conflict if it escalates too far. But, I simply wish for you to try. If the captain resorts to violence, then there is no saving this, and I will not ask you to attempt anything again... As it stands, I feel like... I feel like the two of you could get along. You just keep stepping on each others' toes in the middle of the dance, so to speak."

"What? Of course not," Firmia insisted, "... but you've seen how she handles the ship in battle. That's not someone I'm comfortable trying to corner ..." Firmia supposed she did have her limits. Ordinarily there was nothing anyone could say to make her lash out at them physically, but given how unsecured the Heion Riese was, and who was in charge, she carried a minimum level of stress with her everywhere she went. Her limitations were closer, and her ties with those on the ship offered countless scenarios that could send her over the edge at a moment's notice. Tonya had seen that firsthand, so it still surprised the young Alkaev that she wasn't more guarded this morning.

"I guess there is the hair ..." Tonya mused quietly, though she quickly realized she hadn't been doing so nearly quiet enough. "You know ... never corner a fox. The hair seems about right."

Firmia would have picked a more skiddish animal to represent Jessica, but it didn't matter one way or the other. What did matter was that she not waste her time on something that wasn't going to pan out anyway. Somehow Hannah thought the two of them could get along, but Firmia just didn't see it.

"Perhaps... Still, try once. For me, please. I'll give you as many simulations, or run as many configurations as you want, if you do. My way of saying thanks." Hopefully she'd bite onto that. Hannah was already helping out, but giving herself up to become a computer for a day or two, that would likely help Firmia crush a few problems in her company.

"And if it fails... There's always the hair." She almost laughed.

Firmia sighed, deciding that with the issues of her personal safety and compensation taken care of, she would come out ahead, regardless. She just had to keep her distance and outlast that simpleton. "Alright, I'll do it."

Hannah beamed. "Yes! You're the best, Firmia!" Unfortunately for the Alkaev, Hannah's joy was accompanied by a tight hug, and the girl leaving the floor.

"Why does this keep happeniiing ...?" She could appreciate Hannah's excitement; the idea of having one less 'enemy' aboard the Riese was almost tempting in itself. It just didn't seem like a realistic proposition, right now. It took a special kind of person to handle Firmia's aloofness and not shy away. She knew that ... "Maybe you should save the celebratory hugs for afterward ...?"

"Then you'll just say it's time to get to work when she tries it then," Tonya countered.

"I can spare five seconds!"

Hannah luckily put her feet back on the ground, not that she was about to let go, this morning had already turned out great. "If she said it was time to get to work, I would just have to hug her anyway. She may not say it, but I know she appreciates the attention." At least these talks had amounted to something. It was good progress, for the both of them.

"Heh, I'm sure she does," Tonya smirked.

With nothing coming to mind to recoup the other ground she'd lost in that brief exchange, Firmia huffed and then quieted down. Resolving things with Jessica, though ... in what alternate universe was something like that anything more than a stimulant induced fantasy?

---

Hun? She wasn't going to hold anything back, was she? Fair enough, Brant mused. It was a fight, after all. Hannah fighting for him, Brant fighting for Jessica ...

Flight of the Jess

Spoiler

It came as no surprise that Jessica was the first one to head out at the meeting's conclusion. Brant didn't pick up the pace himself until after he was out of sight of the Admirals. While playing catch up, Brant fired off a message to Firmia. "Good news, Firmia. You've got your meeting. It's for later tonight. They want all of us there for some reason, but it should be fine."

"... I don't like leaving my suits unattended."

"Have Hannah or Galatea do it? Look, I've gotta go. I just needed to let you know in advance. Later."

With that, he closed in on Jessica. Part of him was expecting her to take off running when he called out to her ... "Captain ..."

Get out of the building, take the elevator back up to the ship, see Abby... Crap. Brant was too quick for that, it seemed. Obviously... He had room to work here, whatever he planned on doing. You can handle him, Jess. Just... Be professional.

"Did you need something, Lieutenant?" she coolly fired back, hoping it would disarm him in any way.

"I know you're busy but this is important." Brant took a moment to pull out the tie holding his hair back. He was more comfortable and less distracted letting his hair hang naturally. It seemed like Jessica was running after all, though in a more subtle way. It was really frustrating to watch in either event.

Once he caught up to her, Brant stepped to Jessica's side and slightly in front of her, hoping not to force her to stop or go around, but simply encourage her to slow down. "I'm going to stop apologizing since that tends to lead into other things, but can I talk to you in private for a few minutes?"

"It's important, is it?" What could he possibly have to say after last night's display? Jess sighed. And now he was getting in her way... "I've got my own important things to take care of... So unless you're going to tell me what this is about, I'm going to have to say no." If he couldn't say what it was in the middle of the hall, maybe it'd give her enough of a moment to get away. She looked past him, wondering if making a break for it would just work.

Time to drop the formalities and other cover, Brant figured. "Do I really have to talk in a hallway, again? My track record's ... Jess look, I'm not here to ruin your day. What are you afraid is going to happen?" He was trying to save her more headaches down the road. If he spoke to her in private, he wouldn't have to resort to crashing her outings with Abigail. It was her choice, though ...

"... I'm afraid you're going to ruin my day, yeah. Just like you ruined my night. I'm gonna give you five minutes, but this better be important." She sighed, looking around... Any of these side room would do, as long as they were empty. "Pick one, and let's get this over with."

Picking more or less the closest room, Brant opened the door and let Jessica inside, first. He shut the door behind them with a sigh and took his usual spot by the door, crossing his arms and eyeing the floor initially. There was that pain, again. Jessica sleeping with Abigail was nothing in terms of some emotional toll, but this here ... "Is there ever going to be a time when you smile at me, again? I've been wondering about how I should go about this ... but it never occurred to me that you might reach a point where you could hate me ... and still not put an end to this."

Jess went in and let him close the door... Not quite expecting what he said next. Was he trying to guilt her? He sounded genuine, so, just... "What do you want from me?" She really didn't know what to say. She sighed, hand on her face, leaning against the table in the center of the room. "You keep saying I haven't put an end to things, I thought that getting together with someone else was exactly that. What else do you need? I don't... I don't get how these things are supposed to work. The both of you are the first time anyone's shown a shred of interest in me... And you were right, last night, a phonecall or anything probably would've changed things-- but it didn't happen."

She tried to look at him, finding it hard to not do so without looking even more confused. "So what do you want? What do you need? Just tell me!"

So he had been right about that. That was unfortunate to hear, at least for Jessica's sense of comfort. "Telling you what you could have done then isn't going to work, today. I'm a different person, now." As much as he wanted to get to his main point, Brant couldn't see it going well, right now, even though Jessica had already brought up her relationship with Abigail. Maybe if he pointed out a few things ...

Brant managed to meet eyes with Jessica again, though that was by no means easy. "You were the first to take an interest in me, too ... since way back then. You told me things I thought only the devil's daughter would say to me," Brant noted with a somber smile, "You actually asked Dima if we could date; and you think I'm the one acting crazy, now. You challenged Rosa of all people, said you'd never let us near her again. You even tried to befriend Firmia; nobody does that where we're from. You showed me there's a far better way to handle authority and power. You helped give me my free will, Jess. I don't want you to hate me for using it, now. You already fought for me, so I'm going to fight for you ... because the way you are these days ... it's not right. Your idea of comfort and happiness ... it almost terrifies me."

"That's, not... I know, I did, but... You can't just..." Her inability to deny what he was saying made things feel even worse, her guilt growing into a pit, stuck in her gut. "Why now?" She didn't get that much. "Why not the first time? Or the second time, or the third time? I just... Kept thinking you were treating me like some little girl with a crush, you never said anything, you didn't... You didn't try to do anything, you just stood there, gave me your thumbs up, woo boy, I know what that means. And now... I try to move on, even if I apparently don't know what I'm doing and suddenly, now you're doing anything. Just... Just why?" What was he talking about, anyway? A terrifying idea of comfort and happiness... What was wrong with her situation? That's so infuriating!

Brant realized he could slip in a quick joke about the differences between Western culture and Russian culture, but he didn't quite have the energy for it. It was far more important to try and tackle that 'why' of hers. It came up often enough. "Honestly? I didn't know there was time." Brant wasn't going to elaborate on exactly why, since it wasn't simply his tight schedule as an Alkaev pilot that limited his free time, but also a perception of it caused by his time with Rosa. "I didn't know what you needed, either. Most people just ... take what they need from me. Remember?"

"Listen, Jess ... I'm not doing this to hurt you ... or Abby, that's just inevitable in situations like this. Since the pain's inevitable anyway, there's no reason not to endure this til the end, whatever that end happens to be." There was so much more he wanted to say, right now ... but after last night, he was cautious. There was only so much Jessica could handle, clearly, and telling her that he loved her would hurt both of them, albeit for entirely different reasons. Brant decided to keep that blade sheathed inside his own gut for the moment. "You. Are. Worth. All of this. You know that, right?"

"I didn't know that before! That's not fair!" Jess bit her lip, she was already getting worked up. This was a terrible idea, she should've just walked past him and tried to meet with Abby, at this rate she'd be going back with nice, puffy red eyes, and... "Stop," she whimpered, covering her face. Definitely happening now... Why did he have to be so persistent? This was foolish, this was just...

"I'm not worth this, please..." There it was again, but even chiding herself out it, she didn't stop saying it. "I can't know something that isn't true, so just... Just stop..."

Brant fought off the scowl threatening to ruin his face. That was it, right there. He wouldn't call it an enemy per se, but it was definitely a mission target. "How do you know that?" 'What evidence do you have?' would have been his immediate followup, but he didn't want to veer into that kind of talk. "What makes you think that way? Why did you ask Alphonse and Vance if you were being replaced in that meeting? We'd be screwed without you at the helm."

"Because I've never been worth it!" There were the tears, throwing her hands down, trying not to scowl but finding it incredibly difficult. "No congratulations going through school, no boys or girls ever looking at me past a friendly hello, no outstanding success anywhere... Just, normal, boring, standard. And even when I passed training, it had been on a makeup exam, because I didn't get anything right the first time..." Jess sobbed quietly. This was probably mundane or foolish to Brant, but it kept eating at her. That people were trying to treat her like she was special when she was just lucky, normal, and not worth these accolades.

"You wouldn't be close to screwed. There's plenty of better captains here. Do you even know how many times I've frozen up on the bridge? It's been a week and it's already happened at least four times. What happens if I freeze up when it really matters? Then one of you dies, and I can't... I don't care how good I am at firing a gun, that's all I can do, stop treating me like I'm special!"

Right, Jessica had her past, too, and it defined her as much as Brant's past defined him. Dammit, seeing her like this was withering. Brant felt himself come off of the wall by the door, almost automatically. This was dangerous. He'd promised himself he wouldn't touch her ... not out of some sense of fairness or some attempt to be gentlemanly, but simply to make it easier for her to listen. Now though ... he couldn't just stand there while she broke down like this.

"I'm sorry," Brant said, moving forward and wrapping his arms around Jessica's shoulders, "but you're wrong." He was risking a lot by bringing this up, but Brant really did care for Abigail, too ... and what she'd been involved in didn't bode well for her. "What do you think would have happened, if we'd had a different captain? One more experienced, and more concerned with winning wars? Do you think they would have spared Abigail or Nikolai ... with what they'd gotten themselves wrapped up in? Do you think someone like that would have actually taken that chance? You saved their lives, Jess."

"Don't--" Too late... And she didn't have it in her to push him away, as much as it made her feel awful. I guess I still do like him... This isn't fair... "I'm not wrong, I--" She'd tried to interrupt him, but his bringing up Nikolai and Abby... Abby... They probably would've been tried, sent to jail, or killed. Christina too. "But that's... That doesn't mean I'm a good captain. And Nikolai... H-He... That's going to happen again. To any one of you. And worse... If I'm not there, maybe... M-Maybe someone else can stop it... Because I couldn't this time, and I won't... I won't, be able to, n-next time..."

Brant smiled, thinking bitterly about the mental image he was seeing. "We're not trading you for another captain just because they might stop something bad from happening." Carefully, Brant embraced Jessica just a little tighter, resting his cheek on her head. "Dammit, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." He didn't have a full picture, but he had enough experience serving with her. "Even just a glimpse ..."

"You should," she bit out, shivering now. "Before I get one of you killed, and lose it... More than I already am." She almost shoved at him on instinct when he hugged tighter, it felt so wrong, but she was enjoying the contact, what kind of fucked up person was she? "I can't. So give it up, already... This isn't going to work out."

She was so worried about something so many in the armed forces accepted as a part of their command. She was so worked up over the opinions of people from her past, instead of the people here today. Brant wasn't quite certain if she was talking about her point of view changing or the two of them being together. Likely the latter, but either way, he was already in this glorious mess. He'd already been through so much with her.

"Jess, I ..." Brant slowly--carefully let her go, and stood right in front of her, "I want to ask you something. I just want you to answer me honestly. After that, if you want ... I'll explain as best I can why I'm doing this. Otherwise, I won't keep you any longer. Can you do that for me?"

Finally he left go. It let her calm down a bit, but she was still sniffling, trying to stop herself from crying. It wasn't working very well. "What is it...?"

This was going to be difficult, for both of them ...

"If for whatever reason Abby decided to end things ... would you come back to me? If I was still here? Arms open and waiting for you? ... what would you do if something like that happened?"

Jess' eyes widened for a moment, shrinking some. "Wouldn't that... Be really shallow of me? To use you like a backup? And... N-Not fair to Hannah, either..."

The sadness found its way into Brant's smile, but it held firm as it formed. Hannah was partly why this hurt so much. The closer he moved to Jess, the more it hurt, and the further he was pushed away from her, the more it hurt. It was that inevitability he was trying to get across to Hannah last night. In such a hopeless situation, he could only remove that pain from the equation altogether, and endure it in reality.

"What would you do ... if that happened?"

Jess closed her eyes, bit her lip, sucked in a sob. "I would..."

It was like a dagger being driven into his heart, deep enough to draw out the first tear he'd shed since joining the Riese. Still, his smile endured. "... and that's why, Jess. You fought for me, against the Alkaevs, so I'm going to fight for you. I'm finally free to think and choose something for myself. Something I value." The whole situation had, despite appearances, done wonders for Brant's sense of self and autonomy. Being forced into a corner of his own by the inevitable pain he was facing, Brant had to make a choice, and bear the crippling blades that came with it. Tearing himself free from his barbed prison was something he couldn't help but be grateful for on some level, and doing so helped to show him another prison, one just as awful as his own. He wouldn't leave Jessica in bondage to that, even if she begged him. She had begged him ...

"I may be free now, but you're not," Brant said, wiping that first and hopefully last tear away on his thumb. "You're not shallow, Jess. That's not ... what this is ..."

Not what this is... She held herself, standing there, eyes closed, not wanting to move. "...On one, condition," she said above a whisper. This would probably hurt Brant, but she didn't care. She'd already hurt both him and Abby with this nonsense... She wasn't about to hurt anyone else.

"If Hannah, is okay with this. IF, that time comes... Then I will. But only if she is okay with it. I'm not... I'm not hurting another person with this mess. She's far from a machine, now..." She opened her eyes but she couldn't look at him.

Brant's smile faded slightly, but only slightly. Hannah was never quite a machine to him. That dangerous stunt of his back on Colony One nearly cost him his life, but Hannah's nature as an android just didn't quite register on a fundamental level. And what about Firmia? Hannah may have been serious enough to 'compete' as well, but this was quickly breaking Brant's fellow TK.

"Only Hannah? What about Firmia? ... or Tonya?" If Jessica only knew what they had to say to him in the lift the prior evening ... "She sent A1 after me yesterday ... and he streamed our entire talk to them. They gave me a piece of their minds, and so did Hannah after I told her what I was going to do. You're worrying about hurting people, but that's inevitable. You have to think about what comes after the hurt, not the hurt itself. Otherwise you'll wind up like Firmia, determined not to socialize because of what might happen. Or me, years back ... too scared to fight the Alkaevs, but not their combat training ... and you know what kind of training that was."

"I gave you my answer," she managed, glancing at his eyes for a moment. "If it's not enough for you, then I can't do anything about that. If any of them find their way into your heart, and I'm still with Abby, then I'm not getting in their way. What comes after that... I'm only nineteen. I can learn to get over it." She was young, that much was true. If all of this hurt was inevitable, her ability to overcome it would come eventually, as well.

"It hasn't even been a day. Abby's going to surprise you... I have faith in her. And maybe... I can have faith in myself, too. As much as I doubt it..." It would take a lot more than one conversation like this to convince Jess she was good for anything other than pulling a trigger.

"I hope you're happy with all of this, Brant... I can't say how I feel about it. I've... I've gotta go see Abby, now. So-- Uhm... Talk, to you later." She looked at the door, hoping he didn't have anything else to add. She didn't want to keep the woman waiting...

She was brushing up against the prison walls, but it wasn't anything Brant could rely on past this brief encounter, nor was it really that unusual in retrospect. As for Tonya, Firmia, and Hannah finding their way into Brant's heart ... they already had. This would be a rather easy situation for him to get through, otherwise. "It's enough, but I don't want you to think there's an easy way to handle this when there isn't. I'll follow you until you disappear over the horizon, and then I'll circle back across the globe to catch you ... no matter who disapproves."

Where Abigail was concerned, Brant's real take on things was probably different from what Jessica thought it was. "Honestly, if she just caved, it would make our situation a whole lot worse, Jess. The only thing Abby could do to surprise me now is actually give up."

That said, Brant stepped back to open the door for Jessica. "If you're willing to talk to me at all, I'm grateful. I've ... kind of given up on ever having a civil chat with Abby again, but it'd be nice. Anyway, I've got plans today, too, so I won't be a major pain for you anymore." He stepped out of Jessica's way as he held the door open for her. Figuratively stabbing her in return toward the end of things didn't feel quite right, but Brant did have one more point to get across. He unsheathed the small blade he'd been keeping in his gut, and prepared to use it. "I love you, Captain. I don't want any other captains. What I do want ... is for you to have a wonderful day, today. Please ..."

All the way around the world... Why didn't he say anything sooner? It felt right, it felt wrong, she didn't know how to feel, she just regretted that Brant had waited. He had his own demons, but if he'd sorted those out, in any way, just a bit sooner... It's not like Abby doesn't make me happy... But I don't want anyone having to deal with this. We have to fight a war, dammit... We have to be adults, not... Whatever this is.

At least she could get on with her day and try to find some sense of normalcy with what was left of it... Whenever orders came, it'd be time to sortie again. For now... She could at least try to be a--

"Wha..." Walking out the door, Brant played his card, and her heart stopped. It was like the floodgates had been given another round, another chance to overflow, as she slowly looked up at him. She couldn't stop herself, the hug was already happening, face buried against him. "That's... That's not fair..."

Not fair? You're telling me, Jess. When do I get a say in anything around here ...? Brant's smile widened slightly. Did she want him to say it again until she had to flee, face beet red? Brant was sorely tempted to do so ... He stayed put and wrapped his arms around her briefly, one more time. Fighting for her was a given, but her prison of low self worth was a beast that had to go, sooner or later. For now though, there was little else to be done about it. "It's worth it," he said, assuredly.

Worth it... Jess let him get his hug in, stepping back a bit. For the first time this talk, she smiled up at him, wiping at her eyes. "Don't wait up for me, Brant." She didn't say more, heading out the door. That whole talk... It had brought something up in Jess. Some tiny little burning tinder, nothing more than embers, but the feeling was there... I want to prove him wrong.

Part of her had reconciled this. If he won, she won. If she won, she won. The situation couldn't be more winwin, at least for Jess... But she wanted to win. It was exciting, and a bit surprising. Can I be good for more than firing guns? ... Maybe. Maybe I can... Only one way to find out.

It seemed just about everyone was being especially bold today, but Hannah was right, they'd already been spotted and he wasn't quite up for this outing, yet. At least he and Elaine had something of an understanding building. He wasn't expecting to see her dressed for summer, but they were off of the ship at the moment, so it definitely made sense. Brant waved, getting out of the vehicle and cracking open a small cylinder he'd gotten out of his pocket. He downed the beige liquid contents in two big gulps. The rush of adrenaline that followed was mostly his doing, but the stimulant itself would have him passing for alert and energetic within a couple of minutes. No jitters, either. Good stuff.

"Well she already asked about the mall, so I won't, but is that outfit you're wearing new, or have you always had it?" Brant asked, saving his thumbs up for the right moment. "Either way, it suits you." And there it was. Brant would definitely have to bit more serious about this with Hannah trying on things specifically for him. That two thumbs up thing was probably a onetime deal ...

[Dandragon]

First...date? Hoo boy, this was news to her. Then again, this was probably something much of the crew knew already, and she was only finding out now because of shutting herself in. Still, there were plenty of worries in the back of her mind about Hannah, the same as they had been when she had asked for 'proper skin'. But, she let those worries stay there, instead smiling back at Hannah as she let her...massive cluster of hair free. It was just as much as Christina's, she reckoned.

"General shopping sounds about right. I didn't have anything specific in mind, besides clothes. Of course...I guess that's not the only reason. Admittedly, I'm looking for somebody to hang out with. Eheh..." At this time, she heard the car door open and close, and was able to get a closer look at Brant, who looked pretty tired, himself. Active, awake, but tired.

"You really think so?" She responded to Brant next, giving herself another look over. "Well...thanks. And, no, I didn't always have this. I was actually with Aliza at Orange Theocracy last night, and she ended up picking this out for me. I definitely like it. ...So uh...Do you two mind if I tag along?" A very awkward question, considering Hannah just said they were on a date, even more so with the fact that she also admitted that Hannah wouldn't have gone with anyone else. But, it didn't hurt to ask, right? ...Okay, maybe it would, and being a third wheel in a date was never a great feeling for anyone, but she wanted to ask anyways, hoping that the response wasn't...too harsh if the answer was 'no'.

[Ether]

Christina was trying so hard... bless her heart. Fine then, Kim would simply need to try and make the best of the situation. Shaking her head slightly before wandering over to the map of the mall with the two blondes. Small listings of the contents of the food court littered the lower part of the map in a circle around the eating area... well, here went nothing.

"So far... it's usually been me making... Korean dishes, when we eat. So this time... what do you want to get, Christina, Chris?"

[Shin]

He'd gone through the same mission over a dozen times, the same scenario that the Heion Riese had faced the day before. Being at the mall had distracted Tarquin from Nikolai's condition, but a troubling thought had entered his mind during the night. What if he could have been able to prevent the Umbra being shot down and save Nikolai entirely? The first few attempts had ended up with at least one casualty in his simulated squad to the Rhea, and he could have perhaps been convinced that it was inevitable. However, as he experimented with different approaches, he soon came to a troubling conclusion.

"Scenario Complete: Mission Complete.
Allied Casualties: 0"

It would have been possible. It had required micromanaging of almost everyone's tactics, but there was indeed a feasible solution that preserved all of his allies. It had taken him much of the morning to figure it out, but his plan was solid, there were virtually no approaches that hinged significantly on chance. Could they have figured it out during the mission? Possibly. Even if they were limited by time and lacked the luxury of do-overs, it was painful to know that in some alternative reality, Nikolai wouldn't have been shot down. Who was to blame? Was there even anyone who could blame? The pilot of the Rhea was the obvious causative factor, but he could just as easily blame any member of his squad, or even the Captain. If she'd been present from the beginning of the mission... perhaps things could have turned out differently.

He let out a sigh, sitting back in the simulator's seat. Taking down the Rhea had been the highlight of each simulation, there was an almost sadistic pleasure to watching it go down. The pilot probably didn't realise who he'd shot down, nor did he probably care. One thing was for the certain, Tarquin had made sure that he wouldn't forget the Aria. If he were to meet the Rhea again, he'd ensure that it wouldn't get a second chance to retreat.

 

[scorri]

Astin took Avery's hand and stepped out of the car before returning both hands to their pockets. The nice day hadn't changed their outfit very much, jeans and a t-shirt, the only change being they had their standard jacket wrapped around their waist instead of wearing it. The ride over had been warm enough that they hadn't wanted it on, but with the way stores tended to keep things cool, they figured it was a smart idea to have it.

"Ah, no, you look... You look different. Err, you look nice. It's nice." Glancing up at the building in front of them, they sighed. "You're sure we need to do this? It's not like I even have a chance to wear a dress most of the time. Not like I'm going to be wearing it around the ship or anything like that..." They knew this was pointless but it had to be tried, right? One last chance at escaping the shopping torture ahead of them...

[Xinnidy]

Complications

Roxanna could relate to poor familial relationships, though hers was due to a steep downward spiral, and maybe a bit her fault. Firmia couldn't really give insight on Russia as it stood, and that couldn't be helped. She had her own struggles to deal with now. At least Firmia had friends in her employees, one thing she and Roxanna did not have in common. The XO could only hope this girl would do better... well, she was already doing better than 29-year-old Roxanna overall. I suppose... I want her to succeed. Maybe there was something they could gain out of it... that'd be a matter for another day.

Shopping Conclusions

Tarquin needed to provide an identity card, but other than a puzzled look from the employee that helped him with his purchases, nothing stopped him. There was no stopping him from having a credit card, though that usually implied a guardian.

Seeing as Juria and this man kicked it off, the cashier was happier to stay back and watch them converse, while giving information when needed. All in all, he seemed to struggle with Bill's dialect just as much as Juria did.

---

Firing Practice

Spoiler

Morning... Guess it's time to see if I can get him to come along. Using Christina's credentials again, surprised that they hadn't been changed by the XO, she sent a message to Makoto.

'Hey. It's Chris. I'm using Christina's log in... Take me to the gym so I can use the simulators. I got the XO's permission, just need an escort.'

"There... I can put up with him if he helps me."

---

Who... Christina?! Makoto was surprised and curious as the message he just received came from a surprising person to be contacting him. Well they were friends, but-- oh. It was, Chris.

'The simulators? Sure, I'll be there in a bit.'

That was... Awkward. Makoto was pretty sure Chris hated him. Ah well, he'd been using the simulators too, so there was no harm in going there again... if Chris wasn't going to mock him for answering the call. She'd do something like that, right? 'Oh, you actually came, you really want me to substitute Christina' or something. Pbbt. Maybe it'd be better to stay no and stick around with Talia... ah well, he had already sent a reply.

Sighing, he got himself ready, casual white shirt and shorts (the Riese really didn't give a lot of options), and made his way towards the room Chris was assigned. "I'm here." He knocked, not sounding especially excited... it was bad to have negative thoughts like that, but he couldn't help it. Hopefully it wouldn't ruin the day.

---

"Hey," came Chris' voice from the other side of the door. "You're gonna have to open up, here. I still don't have permission to leave on my own... So. I could just use Christina's credentials, I guess... But then they'd definitely change them." Hopefully Makoto was going to oblige. She'd been rather awful to him before, not that she'd wanted to, she'd just... Chris sighed.

"Anyway... I hope you don't mind being my partner for this."

---

"...Oh." Nothing to do but fix that, then. Makoto used his credentials, surprisingly enough for the door to open. Somehow, Makoto expected his access to be more restricted. Then again, he was putting his neck on the line, so maybe it was the least the ANF could do to him. "Alright... you want me to be your partner? You sure about that?" Well, Makoto was pretty confident about his skills. He wasn't all that bad, he thought. "Well, I guess it can't hurt. Simulations are always good training. Not going easy, though." So far, the group was doing great on the field, which did wonders for the boy's confidence.

---

Chris narrowed her eyes at him as he talked like he had a chance of beating her. "I'm gonna make this incredibly clear, Makoto. You're the pin cushion today. Don't expect to have an easy time." He was probably comparing her to her original... She felt her fists clenching, trying to thinking about nothing, instead of the building anger. A hefty sigh, she was scowling, but at least she hadn't bit his head off.

"Let's go, then." Abby had shown her where the simulators were, she didn't need him guiding her. Off to the gym.

---

"Pin cushion?" Well, that was weird. At least she was confident, but he didn't think himself half-bad! "Well, okay-- hey, wait!" Makoto had to keep pace, wasn't he supposed to be the one escorting her? Goodness, what a prickly cactus, this girl. "So, will it be trial to get the higher score, one on one, or what?" There were plenty ways to play, in the end. It'd certainly be more interesting to fight each other to learn quicker, but he could never tell with her mood... at least he was caught up with her pace, the walk to the gym rather uneventful. "Alright, pick your seat first!" Makoto let her go first.

---

She kept quiet at his questions, not talking again until she was sitting in the simulator seat, relaxing into the chair rather quickly. "We'll do one on ones first. You can pick the robot for the first round, I'll pick for the second. Let's see if you've got anything behind your bravado." There was no way this colony runt was going to be a better pilot than her. No way...

---

"One on ones first, gotcha." That was simple enough, Makoto had confidence he could take her on equal ground, he just needed to set...

Wait. The simulation machines only had military-grade machines and vehicles, no police-grade troopers like the Phalanx. Right.

"Ah, hmm... let's start simple." That was going to be a ride, now. Makoto was far less confident in his abilities as a mobile suit pilot, he hadn't even completed all the training he wanted! "Velite Mk-IIs for now, mid to long range combat." That would give him longer to correct his mistakes, hopefully.

---

"Velites, huh..." Standard ANF machinery, kinda lacking in maneuverability, but decently fast... Nothing Makoto could handle, surely. She loaded into the machine, Makoto's down range... Mid to long range? Hah. "Yeah, don't think I'm gonna have any fun playing sniper. Think fast, Makoto!"

Her Velite's engine roared to life i an instant, rocketing towards Makoto's, beam saber in hand and ready to activate.

---

"Alright--Wha!?" Oh, that was a nasty surprise, already set in the simulation, Chris' Velite roared to life and charged against his own with hardly a warning. Makoto panicked to get the controls going, he was hardly comfortable with mobile suit controls as it was. He managed to raise his own saber in response to an incoming clash, activating it, and boosting himself backwards to give some time. Ugh, that's rude. What do I do next? He could still raise the machine gun, but to deflect the attack and shoot was a complex maneuver. Makoto decided to focus on blocking Chris' strike for now.

---

"Too slow, Makoto!" He'd been ready to block, but he hadn't put his machine into the proper footing for her charge, their beam sabers clashing, sending his over. Chris kept the beams locked, pressing down, trying to force the clash into his cockpit. "Come on! Give me a challenge!" Is this really all he was going to add up to? He'd touted himself a few moments ago, what went wrong? This is... Disappointing.

---

Wait, drats! She took advantage of this way too well, and had her Velite basically on top of his thanks to his retreat. "Ugh!" Even if their velites were the same strength, gravity would do some big work and push the clash well against him. "Hngh!" He swung back, two handed, trying to get some ground back. He had no option but to back away now.

Makoto wasn't going to let that hit his cockpit! He'd be toast! He forced the Velite to kick the ground and boost sideways, a very complicated evasive maneuver, but the only thought that came up to his mind at the time. Unfortunately, execution wasn't perfect, and he'd seldom have time to react to another slash. He was very much on the defensive, and that wasn't good. I need to draw the beam rifle!

---

Chris slammed her machine's fist against the ground to stop it from collapsing as Makoto slid out, but with thrusters primed, she was quickly back up, chasing him down again. "Going for the rifle, huh..." Chris flipped a switch, cameras aimed, "fire." The vulcans blasted out ahead of her, spraying Makoto's velite with a shower of weaker rounds, hoping to distract him. She was gaining quick, sword still glowing with hot death.

---

Vulcan fire. Thankfully that wasn't going to hurt a velite too bad, but Makoto still had to brace for it. Phalanx instincts made that far more fearsome than it actually was. "Hit!!" He fired the rifle despite the shaky aim from the pelting, the beam of light at least serving to dissuade another charge, it was slightly off-center, but she couldn't dodge that fast, not from this range, he thought. The unfortunate part was his guard was lowered.

---

Yes she could. The Velite swerved and dodge the shot, barely, but it was enough to avoid damage, and she didn't stop her assault. "You're gonna have to try harder," she grumbled, dropping her beam saber as she came upon Makoto's machine. Arms quickly grabbed it and shoved it down against the ground, coming to a rest on top of it, vulcans primed at the cockpit.

"Brave enough for a round two?"

---

Damn! "は--速い。。。" What a... beating, yeah. He wouldn't be alive if it was the battlefield, and it humbled Makoto to think that. She had him with the beam saber as it was, but throwing his machine to the floor was only adding salt to the wound. He sank against the seat of his cockpit as Chris chastised him.

Deep breath. "I'm not giving up yet, let's go again!" Makoto wasn't going to let this get to him, it was a really bad showing, but he wasn't that bad! He just needed to get more accustomed to the Velite. "Uh, if you want melee, I guess we can focus on that..."

---

Chris smiled, scowled, and pressed reset. "Again, then."

 

---

Ten rounds... Eight to two. In her favor, of course. She was a bit ashamed that he'd gotten the upper hand a few times... But luck had to come into play eventually. Not having broken a swear, Chris sighed. "Any more, then? I've gotta admit, beating the shit out of you isn't really all that fun... What about you?" Was he having any? Or was he just putting up with her?

---

Uuuugh, what was up with that? She was way too good at this! "Hah... I got you twice now." He was... really tired, and his voice was breathy, keeping up with her was a challenge. Makoto had no idea how big the difference between a TK and normal person was before. Now he felt it in the flesh. Despite the efforts Makoto was going through to keep up, he wasn't backing away. As long as that beam saber that slashed his cockpit was only a virtual one, he'd keep coming back again and again! ...That said, he was boring her, apparently.

"I... I want to keep going. This is a challenge I want to overcome, though..." You probably just think I'm being a stubborn idiot. He kinda was, but training against a TK was something else. Maybe he would come better off from this. "If you want to change from Velites, I guess we've been using them for a while..."

---

He was exhausted this early? Chris shook her head, stepped out of her simulator, and walked up to his, poking her top half inside. "Hey. You seriously want to keep going? I'm sure it's good practice for you, but you're gonna collapse, here..." It wouldn't be a good thing if he knocked himself out doing this for too long.

---

"Wha--" Honestly, she didn't need to worry about him like that... "No, sorry, it's just a rush. I have to fight real hard to get a win here, so, haha..." He did exert a bit more than necessary, mostly because mobile suit controls were so different. They actually felt less manual than a Phalanx's, but the whole set up was rather weird. Makoto was sure he'd make an experienced pilot weep with the hoops he jumped to make a maneuver.

"I'm not gonna crash here, promise!" He saluted, now turning to Chris. She wasn't exactly athletic, but she was handling it much better than him. "Although... maybe I could go get some water, I'm feeling thirsty." And he wasn't even shouting attack names, no time to think them up.

---

She squinted her eyes a bit, sighed, and stepped out of his way. "Go get your water, then. I'll wait. Don't take too long, though... I have an idea, actually. But, go get your drink first." Chris didn't look exactly athletic, but that was just hiding beneath her shirt. She wouldn't be showing him any time soon, either way.

---

"Will do!" A brief salute (that... really wasn't necessary), and Makoto was off the simulator. He kept a quick jog and made his business quick, grabbing a bottle of water from the machine and quickly downing it as he made his way back. Now that was refreshing! Probably didn't need to keep a brisk pace, but he was a bit curious about her idea. "Ah... that helps!" Cold and refreshing was just what he needed. "So, what's this idea you said you had?" Now for the fun part... hopefully!

---

Chris had taken Makoto's seat, waving for him to stand behind her. "Just watch." She'd queued up... One of her previous matches with him. The first one. The data from it, at least. "See if you learn anything." Battle start. The machines immediately clashed, Chris' hands flying over the controls to try and match her past movements. Even if she wasn't showing it, she was getting a bit tired, so it was difficult to keep up with round one. Still, switches flipped, pedals pressed, Chris was trying to overpower the clash.

With both suits at a stand still, the AI broke off and brandished its rifle to fire, near immediately. "Yeah, saw that coming..." It was quickly dodged, she fired back. "I hope you're watching my hands and not the screen." They were flying over the controls, going from the throttle to the joysticks for the arms, her own rifle charging up. "Because as you are, just practice isn't going to catch up." Another clash, but Chris knew herself. Another beam saber was trying to come up from the other arm, but using the AI's momentum, she let it push past her, taking a swing at the engines as they went...

A nice digital explosion. She sighed, the actual challenge of keeping up with herself causing her to get a little bit tired. "Did that do anything for you?"

---

And Makoto came back to... a lesson, somehow. Chris was now in his seat and telling him to watch, and watch he did. That was... a very different showing than anything he would think to do. Christina's movement really was more efficient, and aggressive. Instead of forcing the standoff to end when she knew she couldn't, Chris waited for the AI's next move, and responded accordingly.

It was at that point that Chris told Makoto he should be watching her hands. "Ah!" That was... kind of hard to keep up with, she was way more natural with the machine than he ever hoped to be at that point, it really showed. He must have looked real sluggish. Despite being on the defensive this time, Chris managed to finish it off with a swing after breaking from that charge, impressive. "Whoa..." Did it do anything for him? "I'm not sure how much I can keep up with you, but I can try. Not looking at the cockpit as I move my hands around is kind of hard, I'm not that used to military grade stuff... but I could try." It was certainly highlighting something that could help even his more manual way of doing things.

---

"You don't have to keep up with me. I was trying to illustrate what you need to pilot better." She got out of the seat and stood behind it, motioning with her head for him to have a go. "You need to remember where all the controls are. That's it. Memorize what's in front of you, and you won't have to slow down to react to things... Like typing without looking at a keyboard. Same concept..." Hopefully it was sinking in at all.

"Try to fight the same AI I just did."

---

"R-right..." Well, it was a start, that much was true. "I can do that..." He got in the seat, getting a feel for the joysticks, he'd need to take note of where everything was... that was going to be a treat. The AI was the same she fought, the first combat. Come on, he could do it...

Instead of backing away, Makoto was aggressive this time, clashing against the Velite with his own beam saber, that was a deadlock. The wasn't much that he could do, but wait... hah! As soon as the AI backed away, so did he, barely able to keep up, but just enough. He wasn't that good at dodging beam fire as Chris was, so focusing on an offensive approach was his best bet. The Velite's right arm was slightly melted as he sidestepped the blow, still rushing forward. "Hah!" He fired the vulcans, trying to put the AI off as it swung its beam saber once more.

Clash, but this time he was almost on top of the mobile suit, with one arm slightly unresponsive. Almost a winning position. No, he wasn't going to win a sword fight with this AI. Just like Chris, the sharp reactions meant it was very hard to find an opening. The AI-piloted Velite slipped away, firing a volley from its beam rifle. Damn! More damage, he had to sacrifice the right arm entirely, that wasn't looking good. If his attacks remained futile...

"There!" A moment of clarity seemed to come, the boy shooting back with his Velite, the vulcan unloaded quick bullets again, this time the boy had managed to deal enough damage to the foe's head to compromise the Velite's main camera. That was his chance! He charged, beam sword in hand, and crashed his own Velite against the AI's. That was risky, had the AI-piloted Velite reacted any faster, Makoto would have just impaled himself in its own beam sword, but as it turned out, he had just avoided a hit to his own torso. Makoto's beam sword drived through the virtual Velite cockpit, and the simulation ended after a digital explosion.

"H-hah... hah! I did it! Somehow..." He couldn't help but feel there was some luck involved, but Makoto felt good regardless. It meant he had improved from that shameful display. Somewhat. "Not... so bad, right?"

---

Chris watched him go... He wasn't hopeless, but... "You got lucky... But... G-Good work." The small moment of praise brought a tiny blush to her face, shaking her head some. "You'll get the hang of it, if you care to keep trying. Probably. Maybe..." Well this had been... Entertaining. Wait, entertaining, grab onto... How does that... Was it supposed to feel like this? I-It was something... Small, barely there in her mind, but she was holding onto the faint recollection of this kind of fun.

"Thanks, for sparring with me."

---

Haaah... that feeling when you overcame something so difficult. Makoto let himself rest against the simulator seat, feeling like a breather was due after exerting himself that much. "Whew. Heh, thanks. I'll keep trying, of course." He wasn't down just yet. A little bit of tiredness wasn't going to bring him down! "You're welcome, Christina, this is helping me a lot too, so... thanks, too. This is nice." Makoto returned with a cheerful smile.

---

Her eyes narrowed pretty quickly at that. But... Instead of snapping at him, she just looked defeated. "Yeah... This'd be better if it was her instead of me, wouldn't it? Have fun, Makoto." Stepping away from the simulator, she made for the exit...

---

Huh? What was tha-- Oh, crud! "Wait, shoot, it slip my mind. I'm sorry!" Makoto jumped off of his seat almost instantly, following Chris. "I'm sorry, I meant Chris! I swear!" No, really, that was as bad as a distracted slip could be. "Y-you have similar names, so if I keep talking to both, I might end messing it up... but, my bad. I'm sorry, really." Considering her own identity issues, it was probably as close to a punch in the gut as it could get without being physical. "I'm having fun with you, don't take it like that, please..." This would be a horrible way to end it up. "Besides, I don't think Chris--tina!" Goodness, what was up with him? "Would even enjoy this, sparring with me... definitely not like this. I appreciate it... Chris."

---

Of course we have similar names, you idiot... She was scowling pretty hard as he stopped her, but along with that, she'd teared up. What a lovely mess of emotions he was stirring. She wiped those away before she could actually cry, but they came back when he messed up again. What was wrong with him? ...It felt like a sincere explanation, but... "Well... If you say so." She folded her arms, looking away from him, sniffling just a tiny bit. "Do you want anything else, then...?"

---

Was Chris... tearing up? Trying not to? Well, she was pissed off, that's for sure. Makoto's blood ran cold fearing that she was done with him for good. That hadn't been the case, Chris found it in herself to forgive him. She was looking away now, and even acted hurt, Makoto couldn't help but feel guilty... well, he was. "Uh, if we're done with the sparring, I guess we could." What would be a good idea? Makoto blushed, a wave of shyness hitting him. "Er, we could go eat in the cafeteria if you want, or something. Right now I just wanna do something you want to make it up." Yeah, that was good.

---

"...Sure. I guess... That would be fine." There was that fleeting feeling of happiness again, but as soon as she focused on it, it disappeared and the anger tried to sneak in. That just made her mad at herself, which made her angrier, which... Vicious cycle. She tried to sigh it off, wiping her eyes again. "Go ahead.

August 3rd, 1430 PST

Hanging Around

The day was still far too tense for Roxanna's liking, she decided to recover from the meeting with a bit of escapism. The mall's food court was good enough for now, having skipped lunch for a filling pasta meal at the current time. Ravioli, ravioli, give me the calmioli... Eating alone at a big place wasn't the best way to spend time for most people, but for Roxanna it was somewhat soothing to know most people there would have no idea who she was. Maybe some of them worked on the ANF, but the gaffes from her time as a captain had aged by now. Most wouldn't think much of her, just a woman with blue hair in a dress, eating by her own... which was both good and sad.

There was another reason to seek some think for herself. Roxanna had a lot to think about her inheritance now, and the current state of the business world was something she'd been almost oblivious in her time serving. With device by her side as she finished her meal, Roxanna's attention was half-consumed by a list of news and tabs pointing the trends in stock markets, and the previous assets of her father. With a late mother and no siblings, it really came down to Roxanna where to put that money now. Investing on armaments and heavy industries would be the easy way out, but would it be more than a short-term investment? Sigh. It'd be so much easier if she was still on politics... 

More Training

Makoto had spent a couple hours since lunch in his room... honestly, the fact he was granted a bedroom was almost mind-boggling. It was way bigger than the one he had at home too! Was this what military grade people got? He could get used to the comfort, honestly. The 2-hour break to get up to date with the series he'd purchased at the mall was over. Magisphere was picking up, finally! He'd have to chat with Talia later. So comfy... He nuzzled against the bed sheets, comfy and reading manga. Now that was the good stuff.

Nonetheless, it was pointless to get used to it if he was going to risk his life so poorly. Sparring with Christina made Makoto see how far from the average pilot he was. He needed to step it up, and promised himself to get more time at the simulators from now on. It was only a fair trade-off. Luxury could come later, as heartbreaking as it was to bid goodbye to his good room. Curiously, Makoto wasn't greeted with an empty gym as he made his way over there. He'd figured most were enjoying their time outside, perhaps it made sense that Tarquin wouldn't be out and about. Tarquin never seemed like an extroverted kid, and his secret was a heavy burden to bear too.

"Hey." Makoto greeted, not having caught much of Tarquin's simulation aside from the tail end. The memory of the Rhea was fresh enough in his mind to recognize what he managed to spy at the feed. "Doing some practice?" Quickly Makoto considered that touching their last mission wasn't the best subject. "I've been trying to improve my piloting too. You know... I noticed I'm pretty slow to react lately. Especially compared to you guys. I'm kind of jealous." It was an off-hand compliment, but at least it was genuine.