Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

The last RPG was "Zeta Gundam: Tales from the Frontlines - The AEUG" which ran from 2006-14.
User avatar
Fritz Ashlyn
Posts: 1787
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:32 am
Location: Texas Gulf Coast
Contact:

Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

((All Titans players, continue posting here.))

~February 2, Universal Century 0088~
~06:44 Coordinated Universal Time~


- Near Gryps 2 -

- The Kirov -
- Bridge -

"Low levels of M-interference. Now cross*zzH* into boundary zone. Plea*kzzZ*tand by."

"Confirmed, One," Fyodor responded to the scratchy transmission. A trio of highly specialized mobile suits were operating far enough ahead of the ship so as to be invisible to the naked eye, but their voice traffic was strong enough to make it through. Taskforce Echo was all alone yet again, having been sent out on a limb away from the bulk of the Titans fleet on an errand at the request of the Jupitris. A team of Eye-Zacks, one of the last dedicated Titans surveillance units still operating, was dispatched to spy on one of the weaker defense fields at Gryps 2 and Echo was sent as an "escort". The halfhearted warnings being constantly broadcast from the Dogosse Gier to all the insubordinate ships had slowly trickled to a stop, and Echo was allowed to break away from the fleet without incident.

Andrewson Trent sat slumped in his command chair, eerily transfixed on the monitor above the bridge windows that showed an increasingly distorted magnification of the Eye-Zack team out ahead of the Kirov. Despite the greater distance between his ship and the Jupitris, the pressure still weighed on him - more heavily now than ever before. Dark circles under his eyes stood out against his skin which had taken on a sickly, clammy pallor. His tired shoulders were slumped against the supportive back of the chair giving him the appearance of being half asleep, or perhaps more half-awake and fighting a bad case of the flu. The crew had taken notice of his glassy eyes and dulled emotions, but he had retained command because his mind didn't seem to be slowed yet by whatever was ailing him. His decisions still came quickly and showed the insight of experience, but there was something subdued...

Part of his stress came from sources that were obvious to anyone aboard who was paying attention. Things like the suspicious death of Parks Applegate the day previous, made more problematic when they found the combat knife of his chief of security next to the body. Mannhart hadn't been punished and wasn't under suspicion - Trent couldn't think of a reason for him to kill Applegate and the sergeant claimed his knife had been missing for some time. Unless it was something else Friday was behind or he was losing control of his ship he was content to have the security team investigate it at their own pace. "Do I have control of my own ship any more?" he wondered with a quiet, sober snort of a laugh.

"Attention Kirov - beginning insertion *bz*w. Commen*kzh* radio silence."

The display showed only a distant blurred mess of pixels as the mobile suits were nearly out of visual range. Giving no reply to the Eye-Zack team leader as requested, the bridge was suddenly that much quieter as the connection went dormant. "We're supposed to wait for them here for the duration," Trent suddenly wheezed, drawing the attention of the helmsman, "They'll break silence only if they need assistance. Then we have to go in and drag them out...". "Yes, sir," Mortimer dutifully droned, "Maintaining position,". He had decided on his own to leave Trent be until it was clear he couldn't keep command effectively. Asking him over and over if he felt alright would probably do as much harm as anything. Trent pulled his overcoat's collar shut and crossed his arms to keep the bridge's chill out and feebly waved for the overhead display to be cleared.

The massive bulk of Gryps 2 loomed before them, taking up a significant portion of the space visible to them through the bridge windows even at their distance, and the moon hung in the inky blackness beyond it. A decision had been made by someone more important than him that this would not be the time for the Titans final stand. Echo's presence there as a sort of 'recon in force' unit was likely because they had been volunteered by Black Friday, but that hadn't been spelled out in their orders. Maybe it was just chance; they
were one of the units still in relatively good shape. The fleet as a whole was operating as if the AEUG's capture of the colony laser was a given, and he was past the point of questioning Paptimus Scirocco's logic.

- Hangar -

Stukov stood on the deck between his Griffin's feet quietly staring up at his mobile suit's deep set emerald eyes. He had been told this was not to be their final sortie (that blunt wording hadn't been used, but he knew his last flight was fast approaching) but he was calm and he was ready, whatever may come. The suit he had been given was a blessing - it was a magnificent machine, perfectly suited for him, and with it he would bring an end to many enemies before his time was up. Closing his eyes a small, confident smile grew on his lips, because he could feel the sheer force of will of generations of Russian soldiers welling up inside him. This hunt may not be his last, but it would be glorious.

Two racks over Lt. Dolk sat in his own suit's cockpit, holding an armful of minidiscs with several more floating freely around him. He changed the lineup of music he carried into battle every few days, even when not on duty. Having the wrong track cue up at the wrong time put him in a funk and effected his performance, so it was only natural to constantly review his collection. The player rigged up to his seat's arm controls was completely nonstandard, but no flight leader or captain had the guts to have it removed once they saw his performance. Unlike Stukov, he had no doubts about surviving whatever happened at Gryps. There was no man alive that could touch him in a mobile suit,
save the likes of Amuro Ray. And Amuro Ray wasn't in space.

- Beta Team Ready Room -

"I don't need to explain to you how urgent my - our - situation is," Wolf said, slowly scanning the faces of Sven and Daren. He floated at the front of the room next to the blank planning board, it's digital screen free of the dwindling list of names that had been discussed a few days before. "We have here another stroke of luck - the taskforce is off on its own so we have more breathing room," he explained, scowling slightly at the word 'luck', "And I intend to use it as best I can,". Daren and Sven were sitting in front of their lockers listening to Wolf's preparations, both of them staying quiet. Ritter tapped himself on the chest, "Friday is coming for me. Let him. Nick Te'Litha and whoever else he sends will fail the same way Applegate did,". Every time he spoke Nick's name it sounded forced, like he hated to even acknowledge him.

Pointing at his younger subordinate, he ordered, "Daren, I want you to find Ens. Elliott. Make her understand she's to do exactly as I say once we take off or I'll make sure she doesn't land,". Daren's only response was a short nod. Wolf had grown more agitated and violent leading up to the previous day's murder, and he didn't seem to be slowing down. "Sven, I suggest we stay here or make another check of our mobile suits. I don't trust the crew to maintain them any more," Ritter said to his right hand man. Daren rose from his seat and pushed off the floor towards the doorway. He grabbed his thin chain necklace that had floated free of his collar and stuffed the cross back into his jacket to keep it from wandering again as he entered the hallway. Maybe Wolf's own paranoia would kill him before anyone else got the chance. Whether Kate was in her quarters or not was anyone's guess, but it was the best place to start looking.

- Bridge -

Convinced things were running smoothly for the time being, Trent hauled himself down from his chair and smoothed down his coat. "Mr. Kellman, you have the bridge. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, seeming a bit healthier while upright and moving under his own power. "Aye, sir," Mortimer nodded, turning back to his duties. Making for the door, Trent removed his cap and ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back from his damp forehead. Because it looked like they might have to get involved in some fighting, he decided to deal with a particular situation among his pilots before they were launched. He was told by a certain pilot about the overt threats Nick and Wolf had traded the day before, but hadn't made up his mind what to do about it. Finding Te'Litha shouldn't prove too difficult; these days he was either in sick bay or prowling in a few other places.

- The Herakles -
- Bridge -

The fact that Echo had been sent away from the rest of the Scirocco followers wasn't enough to fully settle down Capt. Berg, who continued to act suspicious of everyone around him except for those few men he trusted the most. After the impromptu "meeting" in his quarters when his entire MS team had showed up he had taken to carrying his sidearm everywhere with him in his coat pocket. The copies of Tariq's files hadn't seen the light of day since then either, and were still locked up in his desk. He'd find a use for them when the time was right. Now that they were approaching Gryps 2 to observe the AEUG's attack on Axis, he found himself worried that the Dogosse Gier simply wouldn't be there when they rejoined the fleet. He couldn't decide if he preferred that to her capture or not.

- Gryps Space -

- The Jupitris -
- Black Friday's Quarters -

"...and I'm pleased with your project's progress. If more men were as thorough as you there would be nothing to stop humanity's true destiny."

"Thank you, sir," Black responded, bowing his head slightly. He smiled, an expression that looked smug and self-assured coming from him. It was a selfish grin, an out of place air from a man that normally knew only solemn cruelty. He dutifully stayed at attention until Scirocco ended the conversation and the monitor on his desk went dormant. He allowed himself to bask in the glow of Paptimus' praise for a moment, thinking about how close they were to neutering the threat of the AEUG and Haman Karn. Gryps 2 was only a tool, and they would wait and allow it to change hands until the time was right to take it back. In the meantime, volunteering his pet taskforce for the dangerous job of overseeing a recon flight during the battle had been an easy decision. He might be pleasantly surprised upon their return to find out the Wolf Ritter problem had been taken care of. Although he was admittedly enjoying himself taking it slowly, if Ritter was killed now it wouldn't cause him any extra problems. The surviving supporters or his family were all on Earth and wouldn't be notified of his death, keeping them easy targets.

Speaking of which... He rounded his desk and sat down, happy to get back to what he had been doing before Scirocco had contacted him. A new set of photos had finished processing and arrived, this time a lone group from Africa dated January 15th. He took out the file from his desk that contained the names of the men and women he was slowly eliminating and slid a pen from his coat pocket. The new pictures were done in a manner that was more sloppy. The composition, as it was, suggested the photographer was in a hurry and wasn't as thorough as usual. The method of assassination however was the same - one or two gunshots to the head. He crossed names off of the list as he verified the pictures.

MUHAMMED NWOSU (19)
ABEO NWOSU (44)
DAREN NWOSU (16)
SADE NWOSU (20)
AMADI ABDUL-AZIZ NWOSU (52)

The last one was the only important one in the bunch. Amadi Nwosu, the patriarch of the family and a very powerful businessman and politician with the Federation government in his native Nigeria, was among the last half dozen or so real supporters the Ritters had left. After crossing out Amadi's name he studied the picture again. The man lay on his back across a blood spattered prayer mat, the traditional native cap from his head laying nearby. Next to him crouched an uncomfortable looking dark skinned young man in a Federation Army uniform, his collar hanging open and his sleeves rolled up to combat the intense heat he was clearly not used to. A simple necklace hung from his neck, a small gold cross on a chain, and beads of sweat were clearly visible on his face and arms in addition to the damp rings on his clothes at his neck and armpits. "Only a few stragglers left," Friday mused aloud, sliding the pen back into his pocket and closing the file. The name Haksson was now foremost in his mind. Unfortunately he was occupied with his duties at Gryps and most of his operatives had left Earth. Their time would have to come later.
TftF Wiki
TftF One Shots
RPG Trinary: Ortega
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: Fritz Ashlyn

Hey! why don't you swing on down to the RPG section? Tales from the Frontlines: The AEUG running strong since 2006!
User avatar
Inferno
Posts: 387
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:05 pm

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- The Herakles -
- MS Deck -

Orsino looked up as he finished going over his MS for the third time. It had occurred to him that despite the Hizack not being the best weapon in the Titan's arsenal, his had begun to grow on him. He liked it. He thought the should make it his. Not even bothering look at who had walked by, he stated a simple command to the nearest of the tech crew. "You. Paint. Now."

"Y-y-yes sir." The tech crew had watched Orsino singlehandedly inspect his machine, and his facial expressions he had made had clearly unnerved them. Like almost everyone else on the ship, they became scared of Orsino Gerwulf. As he waited for the paint, Orsino decided how he would mark his machine. He wanted to communicate his mindset, his way of thinking with one small image. He wanted them to know who they were dealing with. What kind of monster they were letting lose...

(OOC: #$%@ing Wi-fi, how do they work?)

As the maintenance man brought back several gallons of paint, Orsino suddenly came upon the perfect symbol. taking the paint and a brush, he painted a snake on the Hizack's shoulder that was eating it's own tail. The Ouroboros. A symbol of eternity. Perfect for the man who craves endless war.
User avatar
mcred23
Posts: 4200
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Bridge-

Inspite of the tight and professional ship that Lieutenant Commander Marshall Nguyen strived to run, it was inevitable that some of the internal issues that were starting to plauge the Titans, and even other ships in Taskforce Echo, would find their way to the Kalinin. And Nguyen couldn't prevent the men from talking when he wasn't around.

"Do you really think it can end up that badly?" Alpha Bate asked dryly as he leaned on one of the consoles, his back to the bridge windows.

The man in the captain's chair shrugged. "Why not, Alph? We all know where the orders are coming from." Lieutenant Commander Parker pointed out. The communications techs usually ignored the messages for the Kirov, but after so long, all the messages, and orders, from the Jupitris had been noticed by the crew, and finally they had started talking to themselves whenever their strict captain wasn't present, such as now. "If everyone is running around doing things behind each others back, who knows just how bad this might end up," He noted quietly.

"But fighting each other?" Janice Runnels, who was standing against the back wall, asked skeptically. The two rookie pilots were on alert, and it was now becoming a regular occurance to find the older pilots, and even other crew, milling around the bridge when Nguyen wasn't on duty.

Parker shrugged again, prompting the leader of the Kalinins small security team, leaning against the wall a few feet from Runnels, to snort. "Greg may have a point. Who knows what Om or that Jovian or any of 'em are really thinkin' 'bout doin'."

"And if just one of those rumors from the Kirov are true..." Gregory Parker couldn't supress the shudder. Word had leaked that another crew member, a pilot, on the flagship had died, another apparent suicide. It wasn't the first, someone reminded them of a vaugely remembered incident from the previous summer of one of their pilots killing himself, but there had been a number of rumors flying around, quietly, of course. Some were as absurd as their being running firefights going on aboard the Kirov, typical of the over-the-top stories that soldiers would develop, which no one really believed, but everyone knew that somewhere, somehow, there was a grain of truth in these stories. Nevermind the ones coming from the Jupitris and Dogosse Gier.

But Bate noticed the look on the young XO's face as he was thinking about it. Bate's eyes narrowed. "Spill it, Greg." Bate's usual smug tone was absent, several of the bridge crew noted.

The XO sighed, with a sorrowful shake of his head. "I don't know... I really don't. This is getting out of hand, obviously, but I'm not sure what we could do. I'm not sure there is anything we can do," He admitted.

What followed was a moment of silence, broken only by the hum of the electronics and the ship itself, with the occasional chirp from consoles that the crew stared at but were not paying attention to. Everyone on the bridge considered for a moment the fact that things likely were out of their control. The silence was briefly interrupted as the comm tech informed them that the Eye-Zack team Echo was now supporting was beginning their operations.

As if to remind them of the biggest reason that was, the communications console beeped again. The tech there pressed a few buttons. "Captain's on his way up," the young man sighed, as did everyone else.

Bate popped off the console he was resting on and started floating toward the door, nodding his head for Runnels to follow. "We'll finish this later, Greg."

Lieutenant Commander Parker nodded as the two pilots floated off the bridge. The security chief gave a quick salute, which Parker returned, and followed them. Nguyen would have had a stroke seeing all of them apparently loafing on the bridge. The crew all made quick checks of uniforms and Parker slumped slightly in command chair.

A minute or so later, Marshall Nguyen floated on the bridge, cleaning his glasses with a small cloth. "Report, Mr. Parker."

Parker sat up in the seat as Nguyen put his glasses back on. "Situation normal. We are in formation, nothing unusual at the moment. Two Marasais are on Level 3 Alert. The Eye-Zack team began their insertion roughly two minutes ago. We are standing by for orders from the Kirov," Parker reported as he quickly kicked away from the seat.

Nguyen sat himself in his command chair, which was how he thought of it, and merely nodded to Parker. An aide arrived and handed Nguyen the first of his countless daily reports, ones from the ship or ones he had to file, which he promptly began scanning. "And the new pilot?" Nguyen asked flatly, looking down at the first of the papers.

"Uh, getting settled in, sir." Parker guessed. A new pilot, Ensign Sunoue, had arrived with another Marasai and a painfully thin file on who he was shortly before they'd been sent on this mission, much to the annoyance of Bate, who had to reshuffle a lot of papers and still had little idea on how good of a pilot the new man was. Nevermind the complaints from an already overworked mechanic and support crew about dealing with another Marasai...

Parker stood at attention for a moment, waiting for any other questions or comments or anything, but got none. He saluted, getting a quick one from the Captain, and then left the bridge without another word. On the way back to his quarters, where he hoped to catch a few hours sleep, he wondered if the Captain had any idea how things were really going.

Back on the bridge, the crew was back to their normal silent routine. Nguyen stopped reading a report on a minor software glitch from one of the Kalinins missile tubes that had been fixed to glance around the bridge. All he saw was the back of each mans head and upper back as they sat at the stations, each performing their assigned duty correctly, which was all he was concerned with, and went back to the ever important paperwork.



(OOC: Edited to account for the new pilot on the Kalinin)
I must betray Stalindog!!!

RPG TRINARY: Mash
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: mcred23 (Call me 'red', not 'mcred')
User avatar
PhantomBread
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:53 pm
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Herakles-
: MS Deck :

"Good way to get yourself killed, you know." Marco said, feet hooked into the cockpit of his own HiZack. The unit was basic, but that was to be expected; part of him missed his time as a test pilot, but at the same time, that was repetitive and rarely exciting past the first flight. A sortie here was something of a challenge, at least, and he was serving far more directly then he was before. He was more than used to the HiZack; after all, he'd test flown the earlier prototypes, before the Earth Federation had adopted it officially.

"Mark up your suit, makes you noticeable. Same reason officers don't wear brass when they're on the ground." he said, arms crossed across his chest, the novel he'd been reading tucked into his back pocket.
User avatar
Inferno
Posts: 387
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:05 pm

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Herakles-
: MS Deck :


Gerwulf resisted the urge to laugh out loud at Marco. Don't you get it? I want them to come at me. I want to fight every single one of those cowards who claim to want peace and prosperity. I want to crush them under my jackboot. Instead, he just shot back a joking reply. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll pay me some attention. Slippery little buggers keep running away from me." He had nothing to fear in his demented mind. Sure, they didn't give him some high-end Marasai or something, but he could still fight. Not even death itself scared him. Sure, this might be my last. The world might not even want any more Dorian Storms or Orsino Gerwulfs. But I'll be damned if I go quietly. He climbed into the cockpit and he waited. He waited for the signal, waited for the order, waited for the Hizack to shoot out into space and bring him to life.
User avatar
Fritz Ashlyn
Posts: 1787
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:32 am
Location: Texas Gulf Coast
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- Near Gryps 2 -

- The Kirov -
- Hallway, Near Sick Bay -

"--he looked like hell. Really. Like something evil's got ahold of him...". The security team corporal trailed off after a smack on the shoulder from GySgt Mannhart, and both marines clammed up and straightened their spines as Trent floated into view. "Sir," the corporal grunted, giving a salute. Both men attempted to mask their reaction to the captain but it was clear to Andrewson that they had been talking about something they didn't want him to hear, and he assumed it was him. The captain returned the salute and was on his way to the door of sick bay when Mannhart cleared his throat, calling for his attention. "Uh, captain... I wanted to thank you," the veteran said, hooking his thumbs on his belt. His tone suggested he was the kind of man that rarely thanked people or apologized, but when he did it was sincere. "I mean for taking care of the mess with Applegate and them finding my knife there," he explained with a small gesture towards the captain.

He grinned a little and chuckled, "Of course if it was left there deliberately by somebody they were wasting their time. You know I didn't do it,". Trent studied the sergeant for an instant, his mouth drawn into a line. "No I don't," the captain countered candidly, his dark-ringed eyes locked with Mannhart's. The marine seemed a bit staggered by a reply he wasn't expecting, and he clamped his mouth shut rather than stuttering a response. "I don't know anything," Trent thought, turning away from the two sergeants for the door. "And don't thank me for that," he added as he passed through into sick bay. Again he found himself wondering if he was really in control of Echo any more. There was a huge difference between executing orders and actual command. Steadying himself in the inner doorway, he scanned the large room for signs of the white-haired pilot.

- Outside Kate's Quarters -

Daren came to a stop near Ens. Elliott's door and loosened his collar. The chill of a warship in space could still get comparably stuffy, especially when so much pressure was building. The air circulated faster and was arguably cleaner than it was in Baldur Bay (but neither had compared to what it was like on Earth, stifling heat aside). Even so, he thought that compared to where he had been born and raised it was stale and almost suffocating in the confines of a ship even as large as the Kirov. He pressed the chime on her door and waited, folding his arms and anchoring himself nearby by catching a booted toe against an opening on the floor.

- Beta Team Ready Room -

Wolf was quiet until Daren was gone, impatiently drumming his fingers on his belt as he stared at the blank planning board. When the petty officer left, he slowly turned to Sven and asked, "Have you seen the one that replaced Applegate? He's called Aaron Faraday,". The tone of his voice and the scowl on his face made it clear how he felt about the new pilot. Ritter looked back to the vacant screen at the front of the room and clasped his hands behind his back. Staring at the board where he had watched his support dry up and disappear, he said, "I'll be busy for a while. If you don't see me at least an hour before we launch... I want you to tear this ship apart,". Reaching into his jacket to make sure his gun was still positioned in his pocket, he quickly turned and headed past Sven for the door. Daren had his own errand - Wolf would deal with a similar problem, by force if necessary.

- Gryps 2 Space, Ahead of the Kirov -

GUPO~N

The lead Eye-Zack's monoeye flashed and slowly tracked to the left and right, sweeping the area ahead of the team as they covertly moved into position. Spread out far enough that if one of them was spotted it would not immediately endanger the others, the trio of green MS inched their way into a field of construction debris to look for a spot perfect for surveillance. Gingerly turning his suit to best orient his observation equipment towards the remote Axis ships, the flight leader gave low-visibility signals to his wingmen and prepared to hold position. He secured his Eye-Zack to the back of a large, thick sheet of dented metal and made small movements with the suit's limbs to keep the debris from spinning. "All right... Let's see what you're up to," he muttered, his hands dancing over the controls. Power to some systems was lessened or diverted and the suit appeared to go dormant as it began to gather information.

The closest ship, which was nearly 22,000 meters distant, appeared on the pilot's display as an orange blur highlighted and magnified in a pop-in window. Information in the suit's computer compared the shape and readings the suit was taking to a database of known Axis designs.

...SEARCHING...SEARCHING...SEARCHING...

::IDENTIFIED::
/97% PROBABILITY/

::ENDRA-CLASS CRUISER::
::LENGTH...410M:: ::M.S. CAPACITY...6::
::WEAPONS...BEAM GUNx6//MEGA PARTICLE GUNx2::


The pilot read the rest of the information as it scrolled past the image; marking it's location, he switched to his communications monitoring equipment and focused on the orange ship. The Eye-Zack's radome monoeye clicked into a new position, scanning the area behind him to make sure they were still safe. As snippets of garbled voice traffic and electronically broadcast information began to flow in, he focused the long range sensors and visual equipment on another spot of space past the first ship. Silhouetted against Gryps 2 was another Endra-class, this one a dark purple. "Come on, tell me something..." the pilot said under his breath as he looked back at the data being collected from the orange ship's comm traffic. A chirp from the computer brought a small smirk to his lips, and he watched the data update.

::IDENTIFIED::

::ENDRA-CLASS CRUISER //BINDRA\\::
TftF Wiki
TftF One Shots
RPG Trinary: Ortega
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: Fritz Ashlyn

Hey! why don't you swing on down to the RPG section? Tales from the Frontlines: The AEUG running strong since 2006!
User avatar
The Loser Villain
Posts: 338
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:10 am
Location: The Exploding Radish

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- The Kirov -
- Hallway -

'This ship... it feels strange...' Aaron thought as he floated down the hallway with his duffel bag over his shoulder. He was hastily transfered to the Kirov in the middle of the night and had to quickly stuff what he needed into his bag. they said the rest of his stuff would be sent over later, but with operations hastening he doubted it was a top priority. It was a shame he didn't get to say anything to Elijah and Tim before he left, but they wanted him on the shuttle PDQ.

Looking around the hallway he couldn't find where Gamma team's ready room or quarters were. Alexandria class ships were completely new to him so he'd already gotten lost just trying to find his way to this level of the ship.

As Aaron came to a junction he spotted a pilot down floating in front of somebodies quarters.

"Excuse me," as he got closer to the man he could see his rank tabs, "MCPO, but would you know where I could find Lt. Te'litha or Gamma teams ready room?"

- The Buxoro -
- Ready Room -

"Damn it!" he yelled seeing the message left for the ships Mobile Suit team from the captain. "In the middle of the night no less!" Arron had been transfered to the Kirov without even saying goodbye during the night. With the war building closer to a massive battle Tim would have wanted to fight side by side with his friends from the Buxoro to the bitter end, but now his best friend on the team was on some other ship.
"Kamille, if it wasn't for you...." Jerid's last words

"You bastard... You don't get it! I'm... I'm special! I'm famous! I'm the king of mock battles!" Patrick
Wild Goose
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 2:42 am

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-Buxoro, MS Hangar-

Vlad floated in the hangar around his assigned Hizack, rubbing a gloved hand over the cockpit hatch, where MCPO V. MACMURTREE was stenciled, feeling a sense of vindication and satisfaction; he'd cleared off his paperwork for the day, and had decided to go over his Hizack with a fine toothcomb. So far everything checked out externally, and he decided to float into his cockpit to run through a systems check.

It would also give him some time to think.

As he settled into his cockpit and powered up the internal systems, locking the hatch and activating the panoramic monitors, Vlad reflexively buckled himself into his seat, before remembering that he wasn't actually just floating up in the air. It still felt a bit weird however.

"Damned paper pushing," he muttered angrily, attempting to hide his embarrasment - despite that there was no one around to see it. "Some vet ye are, Vlad, never seen a damn panoramic cockpit before aye!"

Which wasn't true - the simulators at Zedan did have panoramic cockpits, it's just that he was still a bit rusty.

Now what to use for my loadout, he mused. Machinegun would give better options and longer lasting time, but given that he used 10-round bursts and carried 2 spare drums that gave him a total of 30 bursts - and given modern armor those 30 bursts might not do enough damage. Beam rifles were good but they were single shots - the advantage of a 10-round burst was that it was enough rounds with enough spread to possibly hit a moving target while still conserving ammo...

"Decisions decisions," he murmured.
User avatar
Wedge14
Posts: 1946
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:23 pm

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-Pan Heyden-

The big earthnoid barged into the hangar smoking a cigar?? Looks like Pan had at some point stolen a few cigars off Hepburn. He sure as hell didn't talk to the ape and trade for them.

Pan took a spot beside Stukov. "Whats with this s*** Stu?" Heyden took a drag of the cigar and it was pretty obvious he didn't enjoy it that much. "I've some pretty hard ass commanders in my time. You got most these quee rs shaking in their boots. But you ain't done s*** about me and the kid up there. You stop giving a s*** or something?" Heyden put his cigar out on the foot of Stukovs griffin. "I gotta do some stuff out there. It ain't my business, and i really couldn't care. But someone made it my business. So i suggest you keep not giving a s***"

-Leandro Fulgencio Alvarez-

Gamma Team ready room

Leandro had gathered his whole team inside the ready room and had just finished going over their new formation.

"So to put it simple, me and Kyle are going to be our eyes. We'll try to engage the enemy from afar with the two Barzams while Grace and Allister keep them off our backs and we work to keep them off theirs. Simple really if we stick together and work to our strengths i'm confident that we'll be fine"
RPG Trinary:Creepy Zeon Magician

I'm cool, just ask anybody.

Oh and check out the RPG Section!
Rob DS Zeta
Posts: 314
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:55 pm
Location: over there

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Hallways-

Ens. Arc Sunoue moved through the hall, his large black duffel bag slung over his shoulder. In his hand was a hand-drawn map of the Salamis Kai-class that he had only just been assigned to. Not only that, but it had all been so sudden. He was not all that shocked, though. Scuttlebutt was that this taskforce had taken heavy losses recently.

With a frustrated sigh, Arc stopped himself against the door frame. He had spent the better half of this little escapade they were on simply trying to find his quarters. He turned the crude map around, but he simply could not figure out where his cabin really was. Next time he saw that certain engineer, he would have to give him a rude glare.

"Uuugh..." the pilot groaned, giving the back of his head a scratch. He traced the line he was supposed to have followed, recalling all of the turns he made from start to restart and from restart to where he was now. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, there were no real landmarks on this map, sans for walls and hallways. Even then, none of the halls were connected.

He traced the line and again and, after much mental deliberation, he ultimately decided that he had already found his cabin. He turned to the door whose frame he was stopped against.

"Tch... Just my luck." he mumbled to himself before opening the door and checking to make sure it was vacant. Sure enough, the room was empty.

"Well, home sweet home, I guess..."
*insert witty eyecatch here*
User avatar
wonton bob
Posts: 706
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 11:07 pm
Location: Von Braun

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- The Kirov -
- Hallway -


With a smile on his face Jason reached for a gripper on his way to the hanger to do a systems check on his Marasai. He had spent every possible minute in Grace's room until she was called for a meeting. The war seemed to be a million miles away and soon when the time was right he'll make sure it will be.
It's going to be difficult to track down a Federation fleet and surrendering to the AEUG terrified him but after this upcoming sortie he's hoping to get a better picture when his suit gets uploaded with information of the battle.


- Delta Team Ready Room -

Standing next to his C.O. Kyle watched and studied everyone's facial reaction as Leandro was going over the plan. If there was doubt he wanted to nip it in the bud right away before fear sets in. He had trouble reading Grant's stoic features. A rock showed more emotions than this man but he noticed or at least it appeared to him that Grace seemed to have other things on her mind.

Allister Grant stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. To him it was a simple enough plan but those are the type that could fall apart rather suddenly. He cleared his throat to throw in a question that concerned him the most about whether this plan would work or fail. "Excuse me Lt., but do we know the number of hostiles we'll be encountering?"
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
Xvlai
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:51 pm

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- Alexandria Class-Kirov
- Beta Team Ready Room –


Sven nodded in acknowledgement of Wolf’s cryptic order. As Wolf was leaving through the exit Daren had left moments ago he spoke mildly, “I will be waiting for you in the hangar, Sir.” Waiting for Wolf to close the door Sven quickly donned his flight suite and stashed away his uniform in his locker, tucking a snack into his uniform a now standard action given the chance of missing more meals, and sliding his fully loaded pistol into his holster. As quickly as he had changed Sven was out the door and making his way to the hanger. He hadn’t slept well again last night and the consecutive nights of restlessness were beginning to wear on him. If things continued this way he might even have to go to the medical bay and try and get some sleeping pills. Frowning at the thought of being caught unprepared though knocked out, Sven quickly banished that idea.

It only took him a few moments to reach the hanger. When he arrived he caught a hold of the catwalk to steady himself and get a good luck at the hanger. A number of the technicians were about, they generally were, a technicians work never seemed to be done. Floating over to Beta Team’s Suites Sven mulled over the overtly charged criticism Wolf had labeled at these very technicians, whose very lives rested on the ability for these suites to perform. Some of their number may be under the direct command of Captain Black, a command which certainly would involve tampering with Wolf’s suite. If Black could so easily snare Trent and what seemed to be the entire security team of the Kirov, there was little doubt he could have entrapped a measly engineer. Making his decision he landed at his Mobile Suit and quickly moved over to Wolf’s and began visually examining the suit before he would begin a an more in-depth examination.

Starting at the top of the Barzam Sven’s eyes flicked to his own suit, specifically the beam saber rack. Wolf was punctual, Sven didn’t even remember a time if he was late, if Wolf wasn’t here in an hour he was already dead or in trouble and Sven would take his order literally, he would tear the Kirov apart if necessary. Gazing back at the work at hand his eyes momentarily glimpsed across a Marasai. Sven’s permanent frown deepened, he had never noticed how much the Marasai’s stock armor color looked like that of blood in a low oxygen environment.
User avatar
Attomoku
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:07 pm
Location: Subsumed by the ELS

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

Kirov, Sickbay

Lt. Te'litha

Nick was getting a refill on his pills, and by that, it meant taking one of the extra large bottles directly from the pharmacy over the protests of the charge nurse. He was in the middle of explaining that he had a key for this very purpose, (though failing to mention that he had duplicated the nurse's key some time ago to do so,) when Trent entered. Nick stopped talking to stare a moment at the Captain's awful visage.
"Holy crap, Trent you look awful; And this is coming from a man who's lost most pigmentation."

Delta Team Ready Room

Ltjg. Kelborn

Grace wasn't really listening to the meeting, her mind was occupied by other things; Namely her and Jason's relationship, which had developed rather quickly; Well that, and their upcoming attempt at defection. It was second nature for her to second-guess herself, she thought that she had been getting better since she began her relationship with Jason, but she was back to doing so right now. Wondering (worrying) if perhaps she and Jason had moved too fast or if some of it was artificial, borne of human need for closeness and desire in life and death situations in an ever unstable conflict. Not to mention that she was contemplating about committing treason against an organization with a strict "Treason-is-a-Capital-Offense" policy.
But, she reminded herself that she was in a happy relationship and that she loved him deeply regardless of whether it may or may not have progressed a bit fast, and it didn't do to dwell on all the "what ifs". Besides there was no "what if" that the sex between her and Jason was great.
IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!
User avatar
Fritz Ashlyn
Posts: 1787
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:32 am
Location: Texas Gulf Coast
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- Near Gryps 2 -

- The Kirov -
- Sick Bay -

"Let him have them," the captain interjected, surprising the nurse that was feebly trying to keep Nick out of the pill cabinet. She reacted to his appearance the way Nick did, and simply nodded, wide-eyed, as she moved out of their way and went back to work elsewhere. "Holy crap, Trent you look awful; And this is coming from a man who's lost most pigmentation," Te'Litha quipped. Andrewson's mouth remained a thin line and he grunted flatly, "Tell me about it. Maybe they can give me something while I'm here,". He slid his hands into his coat pockets and got straight to business, continuing, "Nick, I want to talk to you about what is going to happen if we get dragged into combat here,". He glanced around to make sure nobody was too close and then explained, "If you're planning to kill Wolf like I hear... I want you to wait. Friday has nothing to do with this, I'm asking you personally,".

Anticipating a pointed objection, he raised a hand with his palm out and added, "I know how you feel, and I don't care what happens to Ritter. But if we get into trouble we might need that Barzam and it won't do us any good floating around Gryps 2 in pieces. You and I both know there's another fight coming. A bigger one. If 'something' happens then, I won't be there to stop you. But Black Friday isn't here now, and you'll have your time, ". He exhaled a deep breath and said, "Soon, unfortunately. And even if we do our job for the good captain I don't think there'll be any rewards to reap,".

- Outside Kate's Quarters -

Daren was about to move on from Kate's door when he heard someone call for him. "Excuse me... MCPO, but would you know where I could find Lt. Te'litha or Gamma teams ready room?" the new pilot asked. "Ltjg. Faraday," Daren said, recalling Aaron's face from the files he had studied. He checked the hallway quickly for anyone else and then gestured towards the t-juncture at the end, "Take a right there, sir,". Before Aaron passed him, he added sincerely, "If I were you, I'd be very careful. Don't let your guard down when we launch next, sir. For your own good,".

- Hangar -

The big Russian shut his eyes when he heard Heyden coming and smelled the smoke from his tobacco. "Whats with this s*** Stu?" Pan asked, puffing on the cigar he had taken from Hepburn, "I've some pretty hard ass commanders in my time. You got most these quee rs shaking in their boots. But you ain't done s*** about me and the kid up there,". He gestured up at Dolk and asked, "You stop giving a s*** or something?". He put out the cigar on the foot of Stukov's Griffin and continued without skipping a beat, "I gotta do some stuff out there. It ain't my business, and I really couldn't care. But someone made it my business. So i suggest you keep not giving a s***". Stukov opened his eyes slowly and took a breath. He exhaled through his nose and then said matter-of-factly, "You and Dolk will do as you please. There is nothing I can do short of breaking you down that will make you fully useful to me, and I no longer have the time for that luxury. So continue to do as you will, Heyden. You and Dolk will both run to your deaths here as servants. I will not,". He looked up at his Griffin's face again. "If I die here it will be a man's death."

- Hallway -

Jason still had the content smile on his face when he was blindsided and roughly shoved sideways into the bulkhead. Wolf laid his left forearm across Drossel's throat to hold him in place, and the cold barrel of his sidearm pressed under Jason's chin. "You keep your mouth shut and listen to me," Ritter hissed, keeping his voice down. Jason moved slightly off the wall because of the lack of gravity combined with the shoulder tackle, and Wolf responded by cocking the hammer on his pistol and leaning into him harder. "I said listen," he growled. Looking around, Wolf commanded, "I want you to stay OUT of the WAY, do you hear me? I don't care if you take your orders from Friday or Te'Litha or the devil himself - if you come close to me when we're out there I will kill you,". He slowly removed the gun from under Jason's chin and lowered the hammer, then slid it back into his jacket as he released his grip and floated back away from him. "Don't cross me," he added, pointing at Jason as he floated towards a lift that would get him to the hangar, "And don't think I don't know about your girlfriend,".

- Gryps 2 Space, Ahead of the Kirov -

"I see you..." the team leader said, his computer automatically switching to a view of the Trammel and zooming in on the thruster flares as the Gaza team launched. Each enemy mobile suit was highlighted with it's own set of brackets as the system gathered data. At his distance the MS were pinkish specks with trailing thruster flares, so he didn't immediately notice the different coloration of one of their number. The computer brought to his attention the slight difference in their visual profile, and he leaned forward and strained to see the difference. "Purple?" he muttered, logging data manually with the keyboard. It returned no results apart from a few pilots confirmed dead since 0079. Shrugging it off, he went back to keeping an eye on the other data flowing in.

The computer pinged again, having finished it's analysis of their estimated flight path. A line was traced on his monitor, showing that they would miss the area he was hiding in by a wide margin unless they changed course. He expected them to since it looked like a security flight, and made a mental note to keep checking up on them manually so nobody got the drop on him. He had been doing his job for too long to have someone get behind him in one of those trash machines Zeon was flying.
TftF Wiki
TftF One Shots
RPG Trinary: Ortega
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: Fritz Ashlyn

Hey! why don't you swing on down to the RPG section? Tales from the Frontlines: The AEUG running strong since 2006!
User avatar
The Loser Villain
Posts: 338
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:10 am
Location: The Exploding Radish

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

- The Kirov -
- Hallway -


"Take a right there, sir. If I were you, I'd be very careful. Don't let your guard down when we launch next, sir. For your own good."

For a brief moment Aaron was speechless, but as he looked into Daren's eyes and listened to the tone of his voice he knew he wasn't joking.

"Thanks... I'll take that into account," he said in an equally serious tone as he headed to the t-juncture Daren had pointed to. Aaron wanted to ask him why he had warned him, but as he began to go down the next hallway what he wanted to know was how the MCPO has known his name.

'There is something up on this ship,' he thought, 'The Buxoro always felt calm, even after Derossi died. But the Kirov, everything is on edge.'

Reaching the Gamma Team ready room he entered and looked around. Nobody was there, so he sat down for a moment. He'd already stowed his normal suit in the locker room near the hangar, so all that was left was to throw his bag into his room. Sitting there his eyelids slowly slide over his eyes, the effects of being woken up suddenly and shoved on a shuttle taking their effect. Aaron didn't bother to fight it and fell asleep.
"Kamille, if it wasn't for you...." Jerid's last words

"You bastard... You don't get it! I'm... I'm special! I'm famous! I'm the king of mock battles!" Patrick
Rob DS Zeta
Posts: 314
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:55 pm
Location: over there

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Hangar-

After settling into his room well enough, Arc Sunoue moved down to the Salamis Kai's hangar, which had been substantially easier than finding his cabin. He was staring at the Kalinin's supply of RMS-108 Marasai mobile suits. They were not what he preferred in a mobile suit in terms of looks, but he could not deny that, according to the specs, it was a very good machine.

Still, he could not shake the fact that the Marasai reminded him of the Zaku IIs that had invaded Earth during the One Year War. Same with the Hizacks that the Titans also used. He had personally been hoping to get a hold on one of the new Barzams, but, alas, he just wasn't that fortunate.

He remembered a rumor he had heard about the Marasai back when it was first launched. It was an Anaheim Machine that was originally based for the RX line. Something called the "Rosette".

"Hmmm..." Arc sounded, wondering about it in his mind.
Last edited by Rob DS Zeta on Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
*insert witty eyecatch here*
User avatar
mcred23
Posts: 4200
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Ready Room-

Bate and Runnels arrived in the cramped ready room to find it empty, which was both a good and bad sign. It was good in the sense that Hicks and Craig weren't dodging their duty in here, but it didn't guarentee they were where they should be either. There was also no sign of the new pilot, Arc Sun-something Bate didn't know, or care, how to pronounce. Some member of the Kalinin support staff had moved in an extra locker next to the others, but it was still open and empty, prompting a frown from Bate. The Kalinin was a little older than other Salamis Kai crusiers, which was why the ready room was smaller, but they all had the layout and the ready room was in the same spot.

Jesus, where did they drag this one from if he doesn't know his way around a Sally? Bate thought to himself with a shake of his head. It had only been a few days, or weeks, he didn't really remember or care, ago that Hicks had been the same way, getting lost between his cabin, the mess hall, ready room, and hangar, even though the latter two were seperated by one hatch.

"Crap." Bate muttered to himself, snagging a drink tube full of black coffee from a machine near the door.

"Sir?" Runnels asked from the table that dominated the room. She was using the nearby wall display to look over some latest intel on Axis suits, which was very thin.

"Nothing." He grumbled, frowning at the situation again. "Stay here for a bit. I'm running down to the hangar to check on the duo. If the third newbie shows up, keep him here until I get back. Same goes for one of the others." And God help them if they aren't in their suits... He thought.

"Sure thing, Commander." Janice nodded and went back to the screen as Bate left the room, still drinking the coffee. He was in the catwalk overlooking the hangar a few seconds later. The mechanics were busy checking over the new Marasai, which had been moved to the foward end of the hangar so the others, which were along the sides, could get out first.

Across the hangar were the Marasais belonging to Craig and Hicks, both had their hatches open as the pilots waited on Level 3 Alert. Alpha could see Hicks actually inside the cockpit, while Craig sat on the hatch, chatting it up with mechanics who were trying to do something and didn't really need to hear from the rookie pilot. Bate couldn't any of their conversations, but he quickly noticed Craig do a double take that had the nearby techs all grinning. Bate locked eyes with Craig for a moment, glaring in barely contained anger, as the rookie scambled into the cockpit and even closed the hatch, which caused a thin smile to form on the Kalinin mobile suit team leaders' face.

He glanced around and then noticed Arc from the picture in his file and comparatively smaller size. "Hey." He called, kicking off the deck and floating towards Arc, planting his feet back on the catwalk a few feet from Sunoue. "You the new pilot?" He grunted.
I must betray Stalindog!!!

RPG TRINARY: Mash
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: mcred23 (Call me 'red', not 'mcred')
Rob DS Zeta
Posts: 314
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:55 pm
Location: over there

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Hangar-

"You the new pilot?"

Arc looked over, seeing a ranking pilot floating up to him. He met the man with a salute.

"Sir. Ensign Arc Sunoue, sir." he reported. "I'm your latest addition, if that is what you were implying."

Arc did his best to hide his nervousness with the officer. He had actually been startled by the interruption of his thoughts. He clenched his teeth tighter in attempt to increase his focus. He had spaced out when he should be getting acquainted with his team.
Last edited by Rob DS Zeta on Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
*insert witty eyecatch here*
User avatar
mcred23
Posts: 4200
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Contact:

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

-The Kalinin-
-Hangar-

The smaller man saluted. "Sir. Ensign Arc Sunoue, sir. I'm your latest addition, if that is what you were implying." He reported, obviously trying to hide that he was nervous, but Alpha had been around too long for him to miss it, or the comment at the end.

"Don't concern yourself with what I'm implying." He growled, the younger man's response only adding to Bate's growing annoyance. He finally returned the salute and sighed. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Bate, the mobile suit team leader." He looked at his wristwatch. "It's about ten till oh-seven hundred. Go grab your gear and get it stored away in the ready room by then. We'll talk there, after which you go on alert." He informed the younger man tiredly, but didn't give the man a chance to respond. Bate kicked off his toes and floated back towards the hatch and left the hangar without so much as a glance back as he returned to the ready room.

Runnels was still in the same place. "None of them came by, sir." She reported.

"I accounted for all of them. Ensign Sunoue is coming by with his gear and a quick feeling out before I dump him out there with the idiots." Bate breathed, grabbing another coffee.

"Should I leave?" Janice asked.

"It doesn't matter." Bate snorted and sat down at the table, rubbing his hands over his face. Runnels moved to stand next to the wall display, freeing up the table for the team leader, who sat sipping on his coffee waiting for the young Ensign to arrive.
I must betray Stalindog!!!

RPG TRINARY: Mash
Die Anti-brutale Kraft: mcred23 (Call me 'red', not 'mcred')
Rob DS Zeta
Posts: 314
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:55 pm
Location: over there

Re: Episode 25 - Attention [TE]

"Go grab your gear and get it stored away in the ready room by then. We'll talk there, after which you go on alert."

"Sir." Arc acknowledged before heading off to do so. Bate seemed to be a harsh character, but Arc could not expect much more from anybody these days. He would probably come off like that himself, one day.

Anyway, he quickly followed a memorized path to his room and retrieved his gear before moving hastily towards the ready room, which he had been lucky to pass in the search for his cabin. He entered the room and, sure enough, saw Bate sitting at the table. There was also woman pilot as well, but she did not concern him majorly.

"Commander, sir." he said with a salute to Bate. "Reporting as ordered."
*insert witty eyecatch here*
Locked