Episode 16 - Repercussions [TE]

[wonton bob]

- Gryps 1 -
- Club Get-Right -

crazy? huh. it doesn't necessarily make him uncontrollable..unpredicatble maybe but...is that why they... Of course they won't tell everything

"I guess I'll have to see for myself...sir." Jason replies as he motions for another beer.

geez, the place is really starting to lose it's ambiance. I'd better talk to the Ltcmdr. before he becomes incoherent.

As a new beer slides toward Jason's grasp, he turns to Stukov. " Sir, there's been word that an AEUG top brass has been executed. Do you think it will shorten the war?

...Never lose, never choose to, bruise crews who
do something to us, talk go through us
Girls walk to us, wanna do us, screw us
Who us? Yeah, Poppa and Puff (ehehehe)
Close like Starsky and Hutch, stick the clutch
Dare I squeeze three at your cherry M-3...

[Cardi Doorl]

- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Mobile Suit Bay -

Sam balled her hands into fists as Gilliarme responded at length. By the time Gilliarme had come to his conclusion, Sam had her eyes shut and was shaking her head.

"Idiot," she murmured, far more softly than she'd thought she would, "You... you idiot, making it sound so easy. You and Mass both."

By that point, Sam had reached the very top of the mobile suit bay. She pushed off of it with her left hand toward a doorway to one of the exiting corridors. "I think we're done here," muttered Sam, "It's break time for me anyway. I'm heading for my quarters."

Without waiting for a response, Sam turned her back to her CO. It was perfect timing, too, for it kept the Lieutenant from seeing her jaw jump and her nose twitch involuntarily. Sam brought her right hand up to cover her eyes. Hopefully, anyone seeing her then would presume she was merely fatigued or frustrated. Hopefully.

-

Leandro had been watching the conversation between Gilliarme and Sam. His eyes remained cold, granite orbs as he impassively took in what he saw, even if he was too far away to hear what they were saying over the sound of maintenance. Nonetheless, even from afar, Leandro had lain down his judgment on Delta Team.

Delta Team was soft and weak. They would certainly be devoured by the enemy.

- Main Bridge -

Commodore Wolf Ritter remembered meeting the elder Haksson for the first time so many decades ago. Now the son was already reminding him of the father.

"I can tell you that the family destiny is drawing near. I can feel it. I know now it will happen in our lifetime. Certainly you know I wouldn't have called upon you unless I was sure the day of reckoning was imminent. I'm sure you've felt it yourself, knowing what Jamitov and Om have been up to in the past month. The ground upon which they stand is shakier than ever, and soon we will be ready."

-

Standing a short distance from his father and Sven, Wolf examined his new charge. He thought back to everything he knew about the family destiny, and especially how it applied to Mercedes, to Mstislav, to Alexi.

Now, with yet another trusted man present, Wolf could only wonder where Sven fell in all this. Would he be a stepping stone of fate, just as Mstislav and Mercedes and even Edward Rigney? Or would he be one of the few to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who would forge a new path for mankind?

No, there was no point in clouding his own thoughts. Whatever happened to Sven would be destiny. Wolf could only ensure Sven was not wasted frivolously.

- Corridor, Near Infirmary -

With the passing of each day, Trent grew increasingly unsure of what to think about the Commodore. He'd suspected, at first, that the old commander was perhaps a secret associate of Bask Om or, more likely, Admiral Jamitov himself. It had come to be revealed to Trent, however, that the Commodore shared a mutual antagonism with the men in charge of the Titans, and that the former was virtually maneuvering against them.

This confused Trent to some degree, for it seemed, as far as he could tell (though one could never be sure with the Ritters), that the Commodore's goals were in line with those of Jamitov. Plus, the Commodore never struck Trent as particularly power-hungry, or at least he wasn't the type to attempt a coup just for his own gain. Why, then, was he at odds with the Titans leadership? Whatever the case, and even though he, too, found he disapproved of how Bask Om ran things, Trent absolutely couldn't bring himself to trust the Ritters to any notable extent. They had some kind of agenda Trent wanted no part in.

But then there was this panting, limping, cringing, pill-dependent mess in front of Trent at that moment. There he was, saying that he would kill anyone Trent ordered him to kill, and implying that that "anyone" was indeed anyone, friend or foe alike.

"Nick, I've looked into what little information I can find on this Celeine Caro'd. She's a rabble-rouser, Nick. ManHunter recently put out a warrant for her. Apparently, she's been writing seditious journalism and associating with the Karaba terrorist organization on Earth, and she's even suspected of minor espionage. Now, you and I both know how MaHa tends to trump up charges these days, but if they're interested in her in that way, then maybe she's not as much a hostage as you think she is.

"Tell me, Nick, in all honesty, why would this Celeine be aboard an AEUG warship in the first place? Do you truly believe she's being held against her will? Who told you she was there in the first place? I need to know these things, Nick."

[Cardi Doorl]

- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Mobile Suit Bay -

Picard found himself amused at how the nervous little rookies squirmed in response to the question. Nevertheless, it appeared evident that Ens. DeRossi was about to accept the offer when he suddenly trailed off and then indicated something was behind Picard.

M-Hover was in the process of turning his head back when that oaf's voice boomed out, "Um...Sir...What happened to XO Drossel? I...I saw him not too longy agos."

The sudden unexpectedness of it almost made Picard jump out of his boots. Instead, he fumed and pounded Miller in the chest, which no doubt felt to the big moose like a fly landing there. "Miller, you idiot!" he roared, "You and Drossel were both moved to the Kirov! What the hell are you doing here bothering me!?"

* * *

- Gryps 1 -
- Club Get-Right -

"Shorten the war?" snarled Stukov, "I would hope it does not. We are hunters, JG. What... purpose do... do we have if there is nothing... nothing to hunt? If the war ends, we might as well... die..."

Stukov took a long pull at his vodka before continuing, "That is what is important. We are soldiers... hunters... We are not politicians. It is... not our business to think about matters... like if Blex Forer's death will... will shorten the war. Our only concern is to hunt and kill. If you worry about anything else... anything that is not hunting and killing... you become weak, and the weak become the hunted. If you are lucky, you will not survive to see the end of war. The end of war... of war is the end of purpose."

Stukov tilted his head back to take in some more vodka, but found the bottle empty. With a scowl, he tossed the empty glass aside.

[Gambit01]

"Nick, I've looked into what little information I can find on this Celeine Caro'd. She's a rabble-rouser, Nick. ManHunter recently put out a warrant for her. Apparently, she's been writing seditious journalism and associating with the Karaba terrorist organization on Earth, and she's even suspected of minor espionage. Now, you and I both know how MaHa tends to trump up charges these days, but if they're interested in her in that way, then maybe she's not as much a hostage as you think she is.

"Tell me, Nick, in all honesty, why would this Celeine be aboard an AEUG warship in the first place? Do you truly believe she's being held against her will? Who told you she was there in the first place? I need to know these things, Nick."

Nick blinked at the rather...unexpected question.

ManHunter? Why would they...

"I...I don't know what she's been doing for these past several years, Commander," Nick answered honestly.

"All I know is that...her family were mid-level politicians on Side Three. Anti-Zabi, Anti-Zeon politicians on Side 3."

Nick paused to allow the weight of that statement of that time to sink in.

"When I met them on Earth, Celeine was about as anti-Space as you could get; she claimed there was nothing for anyone out here except a lonely death. So yes, I could certainly see her talking bad about anyone who waged war up here, whether Titan or AEUG. As for how I know she's on the ship...the enemy."

Nick practically spat that last bit out.

"Yes, the enemy; the same enemy that abducted Edward. Practically rubbed it in my face. Does that make it true? No. But can I really take that chance, Commander?"

Now Nick gave Trent a pleading look, almost like he was begging the other man to answer for him.

[RGM-79 GM]

(I'm gonna have it so my character was sick to explain why he has been gone.)

After Shin recovers from some food poisoning he leaves the infarmary and goes to his quaters. Once he gets there he gets washed and changes his uniform. Then he leaves and walks around the ship for awhile and gets told that Delta team was given some new MS so he heads to the hanger. Once he gets there he sees some MS where Delta's Marasais were before and Samantha walking away from Gilliarme looking like she is frustrated or something so he doesn't try talking to her and goes over to Gilliarme. "Sir are these our new MS?"

[Kylern]

Kyle looked at the Ensign with a bit of disinterest. The fact he had tried to be nice and was getting blown off was starting to tick him off. A glint of distaste could be seen in his eyes as he waited for a response. He had asked the guy to be his XO and even asked him to help with training and squad tactics but the fact he got no response just increased his wariness towards the guy. It wasn't difficult to see that there was tension and the Ensign was angry with being overlooked for the leadership position. But it was childish to hold grudges and act like a little prick.

"You know what Ensign; I know your upset but whats done is done. Either you can work with me to create an affective fighting force on this ship. Or you can put in your transfer to another ship because I don't need this kind of attitude from those on my team. I didn't ask to be your commanding officer but since I'm in this position I plan to turn this into one of the best fighting teams in the Titans military. But I need you to work with me, because if you and the other ensign don't want to cooperate then we will all die. Sweet and simple, we will die and so will everyone on this ship. If you want to go on living knowing that your the cause of them dying then I hope you can live with yourself. I don't plan to let that happen as long as I'm in charge." Kyle said this very fiery statement in a very calm and collected voice. He had no intention of releasing emotion on this guy and instead choose to take the upper road and show that he was in control. And he meant it to... If this guy didn't cooperate Kyle would put in the paperwork to have him replaced. There was no need for this stupidity.

[Psyden]

Pendragon is snapped out of his thinking by LtJG Roberts’ reprimanding tone and responds, at first with a look of shock, but then his mask returns once more and he waits for the tirade to finish.

“Excuse me, sir, but I was trying to work with you. Before you interrupted my train of thought, I was strategizing, trying to make a tentative training schedule based around my duties and what I believe would be best for our new pilot. You did want me to supervise her training, didn’t you? And please don’t try and lecture me what happens when there is no unit cohesion. I witnessed the effects first hand during my first battle and the fact that you have been tapped is a result of such. So trust me, I know. Now, if you would excuse me, sir, if it is alright with you, some of us have better things to do than trying to instigate fights with other members of the crew.”

While his voice is empty of angry, Pendragon cannot hide it in his eyes. The audacity of his new CO is outrageous, trying to start a fight here on the hanger deck. But Constantine is the bigger name. With a parade ground salute and about-face, a subtle insult in its perfection, he strides off towards his quarters.

Yes, Mr. Roberts, I will train this new pilot, but not for you. No, I’ll train her for myself…

[Kylern]

"I don't remember trying to fight with you." Kyle said simply as the guy started his own little rant in response to his. The flare up between them was obvious but Kyle didn't let it get to him. He wasn't the sort of person to be influenced by negative energy.

"But I am glad that your aware of the situtation. I know your a good pilot and I applaud your efforts. Thanks to you and the other Ensign we survived the last battle. I'll make sure that things stay positive and we prove to the rest of the fleet that we are the best. And I hope to work with you to make that happen." He said this with an honest smile as the guys started to walk away. Kyle was left with a rather empty feeling inside him and his heart seemed to drop into the bowls of his stomach. Why was it all turning out this way? It was suppose to be great to finally do what he was trained too... He was now a pilot for the elite Titans and instead he was hated by not only his team mates but everyone. Maybe he should have denied the promotion to the Titans and stayed in the EFSF and his GMII. This wasn't worth it and he had no idea what to do next. So looking back at the Hizack behind him he gave a scowl.

"Hopefully you don't give me the kind of trouble that everyone else is. I'm already sick of this place and this position." He mumbled this as he gave a small kick to the Zaku wannabes foot before turning to find something else to do. He needed someone friendly to chat with because right now he felt ostristized from everyone else. Even the Captain that had been friendly to him seemed distant now due that sudden promotion. This sucked and he hated it.

[Cardi Doorl]

- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Mobile Suit Bay -

On the other side of the suit bay, the mechanics were finishing work on one of the Hizack's machine guns. The rifle in question had required some parts replacements after problems were found in the firing pin. Now, however, the machine gun was as good as new, and was being hoisted by cables back to its proper storage location.

What they didn't know, however, was that one of the cables they were using had received a slight fissure during the heavy damage at Hatte. It had gone completely undetected...

Ens. Varis Silverwind VII, one of the Buxoro Team pilots, floated through the work area while munching on a lukewarm hamburger from the break room vending machine. He didn't notice when a voice rang out, "Sh*t! Everyone, clear back! It's too late to secure it!"

The snap was deafening, filling the entire suit bay with its sickening crack. The cable securing the stock of the rifle whipped out violently as it gave in to the tension. All the mechanics had cleared the way, but Varis, who hadn't been paying attention...

-

Before Picard or Miller or the new pilots could say anything more, the maintenance mishap at the other end of the MS bay assailed their ears.

"What the hell was that!?" yelped a startled M-Hover. He stood up straight, the action causing him to float upwards slightly in the zero-G. Already, the mechanics were calling for medical crews.

"You three!" barked Picard, clearly indicating Patrick, Warren, and Aaron, "Go see what's going on!"

But by that point, the medical teams had already rushed in and had Varis strapped in to a gurney. Varis himself never made a sound more than a few weak whimpers.

-

Three hours later, it was declared that the broken cable had hit Varis in the knees. The force had shattered just about everything in Varis' legs. The medical team urged that he be transferred to a full hospital in Gryps, where he could receive more proper treatment for his injuries. They projected he could recover someday, though the extent of the injuries meant it would take months, and there was no promise he would ever again be in shape to fly a mobile suit in combat situations.

Ltcmdr. Edwin Winter, skipper of the Buxoro, immediately made arrangements to have Varis transferred to a hospital on the colony, and requested a suitable replacement pilot in light of what had happened.

[The Loser Villain]

- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Mobile Suit Bay -

"I don't have that much more combat experience than Ensign Faraday does, sir. Only about nine or ten minor land skirmishes in a GM II, and certainly no space combat or experience in battles with more than a couple of mobile suits on either side. I'd be honored if you decided I deserve the post, and work to the best of my ability, but I can't recommend..."

Aaron couldn't help but notice that Ensign DeRossi seemed a bit nervous while responding to his suggestion that he should be the XO. Then again, he had been just as nervous as well when he answered the Lieutenant.

However as he listed he saw a large figure looming behind Lieutenant Kamek and was about to stammer out a warning when DeRossi got the words out first.

Warren suddenly trailed off as he noticed that an extremely large man had come up behind Kamek. His first thought was to not warn him, seeing as Kamek had done the same to him earlier, but he was his CO, after all...

"Sir, behind you." He said, pointing his finger at the large man, but it was already too late, as the man tapped Kamek on the shoulder and said:

M-Hover was in the process of turning his head back when that oaf's voice boomed out, "Um...Sir...What happened to XO Drossel? I...I saw him not too longy agos."

The sudden unexpectedness of it almost made Picard jump out of his boots. Instead, he fumed and pounded Miller in the chest, which no doubt felt to the big moose like a fly landing there. "Miller, you idiot!" he roared, "You and Drossel were both moved to the Kirov! What the hell are you doing here bothering me!?"

Arron's lips noticeably pressed together as it took all of his will to keep from laughing at the Lieutenant's useless pounding on the chest of the man he called Miller. And as he looked on he couldn't help but notice something didn't right seem right about the man.

Suddenly a deafening snap filled the hangar, causing him to bring his hands to his ears out of instinct.

"What the hell was that!?" yelped a startled M-Hover. He stood up straight, the action causing him to float upwards slightly in the zero-G. Already, the mechanics were calling for medical crews.

"You three!" barked Picard, clearly indicating Patrick, Warren, and Aaron, "Go see what's going on!"

Without a second thought Aaron dropped his bags and pushed off the floor to launch himself towards where the commotion seemed to be coming from. When he got there a medical team was loading a man onto a gurney. He quickly noticed that the mans legs looked like they were bent in three different directions. The color quickly drained from his face as he looked on.

"On sh*t...," was all he could manage to well up.

------

Three Hours later

Aaron was now in his quarters and staring at his bag, hoping it would magically unpack itself since he couldn't muster up the will to do so himself.

Shortly after the incident, he had found out that the injured man had been the fourth pilot on the Buxoro team. He hadn't even gotten the chance to say hello. Now all he knew about Ensign Varis Silverwind VII was that the Lieutenant didn't think too highly of him, since he didn't think he could be an XO, and that he probably wouldn't be able to walk right for the rest of his life.

"Man, that sucks," he said out loud, "For all I know, it could have been me."

[Cybaster]

Kirov, Flight Deck

Gilliarme frowned wistfully as he pushed himself back down towards the 'floor', watching Samantha leave in a hurry. He wanted to pursue, but knew it was probably for the best for now; Samantha needed time to digest all that, and nobody, not even Gill himself, could force a purpose upon her. He prayed that Samantha would make the connection on her own.

But who was Mass?

Perhaps it's not that easy, Samantha, Gilliarme sighed to himself more than to anyone else, but it's still easier than you think. Half of it is just making that decision and stepping up, and the other half...well, maybe you just haven't found it yet.

Then Shin approached, and Gilliarme's wistful expression quickly wiped itself, returning to normal as he turned to his friend and wingman. At the same time, Gilliarme clipped his sword back onto his belt. "Ah, Shin, it's good to see you here. Are you feeling better?" He turned back towards the Barzam and gestured. "Yes, these are it. More advanced, but still aesthetically ugly, aren't they?"

[Montague]

- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Entering the Bridge -

A hastily addressed request for personnel resulted in the newly arrived Lieutenant be immediately transferred to the Buxoro. Tragically a pilot of theres was injured in an uncommon hangar incident, broken in one of the worst places for a pilot, their legs. Elijah knew full well the pain of a leg injury, though his wasn't quite so severe. Still he gazed downward at his leg where a slip along its length held the Lieutenant's short cane.

A grin spread across his face as he took his first weightless step, a pain free existence. He had entered through the hangar greeted by what can be only explained as the typical controlled chaos that was the inner workings of a refitted Salamis cruiser. Satchel slung over his shoulder he held his assignment in hand as he kicked off the floor with his left leg, gliding ever so gently passing towering suits of titanium, mechanics in a much greater pace moving about making repairs.

He took hold of a moving-handle at the far end of the hangar. The handle went into action as it pushed the uniformed soldier down the length of a hallway, passing such areas as the soldier quarters as well as the briefing room. Finally his journey had come to an end as he came upon the handle's final destination, the main bridge. A beautiful panoramic window showed little of space as they were docked, he would have to revisit when they have departed.

Remembering once more of his commission he looked about at the men in the bridge. Brown hues fell upon the most obvious highest ranking officer. He took a few steps toward the man, and his guess at the man's name was so positive that he took the liberty of speaking out, “Lieutenant Commander Winter,” He called out to the man just a few years older as he gave a relaxed salute. Waiting for the officer to turn he continued, “Lieutenant Elijah Robin, I'm here as Ensign Silverwind's replacement.” He wasn't too fond of being so formal but such was necessary he felt having been freshly placed into the Titans Echo Taskforce.

[RGM-79 GM]

"Yes I'm feeling better. Thank you for asking sir." Shin then looks at Delta's new MS after Gilliarme says they are theirs. "They are very ugly. I wonder if we pissed someone off or impressed them. Or do you know why we were given these instead of keeping the Marasais?"

[Cybaster]

Gilliarme frowned and glanced sideways at Shin.

"Shin, how many times do I have to remind you to just call me Gill? You really don't need to call me 'sir', especially when we're on leave. Really, it's fine." Then he shrugged at Shin's other question. "To be honest, Shin, I really have no idea. That would depend on whether or not we're actually one of the first to get these, but I don't have a good feeling about these Barzams, I'll tell you this much."

[EfreetCustom]

Although Alex was not right next to the other pilots he was on the lower catwalk and could hear the whole fight between Pendragon and the newly promoted Roberts. Alex stared at the floor the entire time then when it was finally over he looked up and stared at his Hizack, then he heard Pendragon storm off and Roberts than began to mumble something to himself.

Knowing that Pendragon can be alittle over the top when it comes to his nerves, Alex felt that he should talk to his new commanding officer. He knows that a good soldier can communicate with his commander so he called out to Roberts.

"Hey! Roberts, you up there!?" shouting to the upper catwalk.

[wonton bob]

- Gryps 1 -
- Club Get-Right -

With time and space passing by...

Jason emerges from deep thought which he quickly forgets about and wonders why the room is slightly spinning. To remedy the situation he throws more coin and orders another round.

"one mores for me and my friend here.."

Jason spins around leaning with his elbows on the bar, observing the entrance as younger patrons enter the establishment. They weren't that much younger than him considering he was only 20. Maybe it just feels that way because of what he's experienced so far.

"You think they know that we're fighting for them? Do they even care." Jason angrily picks up his drink.

"F**k 'em...I fights for myself ..*belch*...and to my own satisfaction" Jason leans over to Stukov as if revealing a secret.

"I haven't felt more alive before joining Echo..*burp* ..the rush is sooo *hic* as..I thinks it time for another mission." With a grin Jason chugs down the beer and salutes the Ltcmdr.

....One him come crawl through through my window
So they put me in the back the car at the station
From that point on I reach my destination
Well the destination reached in down-a East detention
Where they whip down me pants look up me bottom...

As Jason staggers toward the exit he notices a flyer tacked on a billboard which reveals that a certain D.J. Soul Bro Ryu will be appearing at the club next week.

"..damn..'prob ship out before then....*hic* I was a fan of his too..."

[Kylern]

Kyle was dragged from his semi rage induced mental ranting as someone called his name. Despite the fact he had been nice and half way friendly thought that conversation with Pendragon it didn't meant that he hadn't been two steps for beating the pompous face in. Kyle was younger then them all but that didn't mean he wasn't a soldier or even an officer. He had just as much experience as the rest of them in combat and he was going to prove to them all that he had what it took to lead this team. Turning around though he decided to address the other soldier with the same nice attitude he had on before.

"Yeah I'm up here. Just give me a sec and I'll come down there." He said this as he made his way down as quickly as possible. He stared a little at the ensign that was also on his team and gave a mental sigh before it was show time. "So how are you doing?" He asked to break the ice with a light opening conversation topic. It was more meant to informalize the conversation and ease whatever tension existed before.

[EfreetCustom]

"Hahaha, i'm cool sir, i just happened to walk in on the little, mess you could call it, that you and Pendragon were makin', seems like he wanted to be the CO in our little group eh?"

Alex paused with a relaxed look on his face and scratches his head waiting for a reply, he had some burning questions in his mind but only one came out.

"Heh heh so, do you feel like you could lead us to victory in our next battle?" Alex still had a smile on his face but had his eyes intently fixed on Roberts face.

[Kylern]

"I feel for Pendragon and I regret how things have gone down. But the decision wasn't mine or his. Obviously someone above us thought it would be funny to see how this would all turn out." He said this cooly with a hint of sarcasm at the end to be slightly funny. It wasn't really funny because the situtation was tense but he was trying and that was all that mattered. Then Alex seemed to roll over something in his mind that he wanted to ask and finally asked it rather bluntly.

"You know I think actions speak louder than words Alex. I will promise you one thing though, no matter what happens between this team on a personal level. It will not show itself on the battlefield. Out there we are more than a team but a single entity. We can not expect to work alone and survive, instead we will have to learn to work together so that we don't have to send anymore pilots home in body bags. If you'll trust my actions and orders I'll do everything in my power to make sure we all survive and go home after this war is over." He said this very matter of fact. It sounded like yet another cliche hogwash from a commanding officer but he meant it. He believed he was here because someone had faith in him and he was going to prove them right. Nobody would die under his watch unless it was him taking a bullet.

[Cardi Doorl]

- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Main Bridge -

Ltcmdr. Edwin Winter looked Elijah Robin up and down before replying thoughtfully, in his unusually soft voice, "Lt. Robin, welcome aboard the Buxoro. It's... unfortunate, the circumstances that brought you aboard, but surely such matters can't reflect upon you.

"Now, Ens. Silverwind's quarters have already been cleared of his personal belongings, so you're free to take up lodgings there immediately. I suggest you also find Lt. Kamek, who is Buxoro Team's commanding officer. He will need to take a look at your paperwork as well."

Winter paused, apparently wandering around in his own mind for a moment before continuing, "I think that should be all, Lieutenant. There isn't much pomp and circumstance surrounding these matters, now is there?"