Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

The last RPG was "Zeta Gundam: Tales from the Frontlines - The AEUG" which ran from 2006-14.
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Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

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~January 24, Universal Century 0088~
~22:15 Coordinated Universal Time~


- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Bridge -

Since leaving Amman (and even 24 hours before) the men and women of the 4th Advance Squadron had been spending their time in briefings, meetings and running maintenance and drills. The Dervish hung at the head of a staggered line formation, with the Salamis Kais following behind. Somewhere in the distance off their starboard, far enough away that it wasn't visible even with field glasses or basic magnification, was the Radish and a few other ships. And somewhere ahead of them all on it's own much closer to Gryps 2 was the Argama, still doing it's thing as an amazingly effective autonomous unit.

Abbey knew more AEUG vessels were to their port and somewhere trailing behind, too. Almost all of the available spaceworthy fleet had been mobilized and sent on this operation. As far as what 'this operation' entailed, he was still not entirely sure. There would be an attack on Gryps 2, that much was clear, and they had factored in Axis as an enemy. The problem was they essentially had several plans to juggle until the situation became a little more clear. Whoever had the laser when they got there was going to be forced to hand it over. And that meant more work.

"The Radish and Irish have sent confirmations of their positions and travel estimates. Responding with our own..." Jane announced with a yawn. The closest Irish-class ships were on a system where they were to report to each other down the 'chain' to make sure nothing was wrong. That meant Capt. Mandena was to their port. Once they got to a certain distance from Gryps 2, the fleet's maneuvers would change and they'd take up operational positions. But that counted on the Argama finishing whatever it was they were up to and sending accurate information.

"It's not that late, Jane. Do you need a rest?" the captain asked, looking in her direction. For most of that day he had mercifully been able to stay on the bridge instead of in meetings, but he knew how tiring the duties could be when things got monotonous. She shook her head no and he shrugged and turned back to the bridge windows. He counted on his operators to know their limits.

- Mess Hall -

At that particular hour the mess hall was typically not very busy, but with the strange schedules and work that dragged on there were more people eating and spending time there past 22:00 than usual. At one table was most of Team 1. Celeste, who had started to recover from her shock a little more was sitting next to Fritz and across from him was Michiko, who was also slowly becoming less shy again. While he poked at the packet of steamed vegetables they had been served, he thought about the question Celeste had asked. "Well," he said, deciding to move on to the mystery meat, "I talked to Capt. Guanche about it before we left, and the Argama is working on something out ahead of us,".

"That doesn't always work out..." Celeste said. She had a point. "This is another one of Char's efforts, though," Fritz clarified. He wasn't sure that meant it would surely succeed either, but it sounded good. He couldn't help but smile just a little bit at the idea that Char Aznable working for his side was fine and in fact gave him some confidence. The AEUG certainly continued to broaden his horizons. Fritz handed his cake over to Michiko as usual. "What are they trying different this time, though? We're already going over plans for whether Axis cooperates or not..." Michi said, digging into the second piece of cake, "Which they won't.".

Fritz shrugged, "Actually I have no idea. But if I had to guess I'd say he is probably trying to broker a last minute deal with the Zeon,". He decided he was done prodding his tray and excused himself from the table. "I'm going to hit the sack. We've got to be back in the damn briefing room in the morning and I don't want my eyes to glaze over until the second hour at least," he said, leaving the table to head for the exit.

- Hangar -

"Well, eh, ja," Dr. M nodded, reaching for a different tool. He and Sager were hanging half inside the workings of one of the Kanone Dias' cannon mounts checking the system and having an impromptu engineering lesson. The doctor loosened the case of an electronic component to expose it's wiring and began to point out vital parts. Sager shook his head with a grin and said, "You Anaheim guys are crazy. I never would have come up with that,". He reached out and began to trace wiring with his finger, thinking over the design in his head. "Once you are, ah, familiarized with the design change, you'll find it, eh, is qvite simple," Dr. M nodded.

"This is a pretty neat way of cramming the beam system into the backpack... But why didn't you--" Sager began to go into a very technical question about the beam mounting and the power system. Merkwürdigliebe listened intently, making mental notes along the way. "Wery interesting, Chief Polk... That's, eh, a solid idea you've got. I should write that down," he smiled, reaching into his shirt pocket for his notepad.

- The Hamburg -
- Bridge -

Loweno made himself as comfortable as zero gravity allowed in his command chair, and cracked open the large bundle of papers summarizing their attack plans that were still in flux. "Lotta firepower," he muttered aloud with a low whistle as he skimmed a list of the participating units. Multiple Irish-class ships and the Argama, and plenty of Salamis Kais to help. He certainly intended for the Hamburg to more than do her part at Gryps. "John," he piped up, calling for his XO's attention, "Have you looked at the 'hostile Axis' idea they've got cooked up now? This thing could get crazy...".
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

(OOC: assuming that team three already met)


- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


An exhausted Bernard Korbel enters the room and tosses a stack of papers on a table and collapses on a seat. It had been an intense round of meetings with mechanics and team three squad mates. So intense that no pleasantries had been made during the classroom style meetings, the only other pilot he knew was Trask who served with him on the Hamburg. The time to make friends would come at the end after all plans of attack had been memorized and test runs were completed.

Team three was a new squad just put together while in Amman so the group had to catch up on landing procedures on an Irish-class ship and learning to pilot new suits. From what he gathered the Rick Dias B-type was meant for a hit and run type attack. It didn't help that the techs restricted his use of the suit itself. So he would have to sneak in later for a closer look after a quick nap. If only he were allowed to take it out for a quick run to see what it can do. Bernard hated simulators as they're prone to false readings and you can't simulate gee-force. How can you test the limits of a machine without seeing the affects on your body.

Resting his head back and wondering about the casualty rate on a new squad, he drifts into la la land. In his dream he's looking up from a wrecked Dom Tropen staring at a HLV that has just taken off. The column of smoke trail appeared like an umbilical cord. His mission was a success in birthing new hope.

"...good luck, Commander Gato.."
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

Jacob had done everything he could to avoid anyone who had seen him during that night when he'd made a drunken fool out of himself. But he had to eat and that meant that he had to come to the mess hall.

He was in line getting his food when Fritz passed out of the room but that left both Celeste and Michiko when he turned around to find a seat. Perhaps they had not seen him, but he couldn't take the chance. He couldn't purposefully snub other members of his team. He was still too dedicated to his team, even if it was a new team, and he knew that they needed to be united to face the battle that was approaching.

He kept his head down as he sat across from Celeste and next to Michiko. He didn't speak at first, poking through his food and taking a bite before saying anything.

Even then, it was nothing more than a mumbled "Hello" as he blushed fiercely and avoided eye contact at all costs.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

The Dervish,Mess Hall

Terrace

Everything was new, and it was beginning to freak Terrace out. New ship, new team, new Mobile Suit. It seemed rather sudden to him when word came down that he was transfered to the Dervish back in Amman. On top of that, he had started to zone out from the information overload being given in the meetings.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he was famished. After grabbing his food he made a b-line for an open table, but stopped when saw Bernard siting by himself. Not wishing to seems antisocial he walked over to the table and put his tray down on it.

"Are you okay Korbel?" Terrace asked seeing his new squad mate with his head tipped back and muttering to himself.

Crew Quarters Hallway

Sophie

Returning to flight status was a blessing and a curse. It meant Sophie could fly again and contribute in the final push against the Titans. It also meant Sophie would be going into what would probably be the largest battle of the war with a lot of rust from her time on the inactive list. Now that she was on team two and in the support fire role she'd have to double her efforts to make the return to the cockpit smooth.

Following the days meetings she was exhausted and figured it would be better to hit the sack. She'd eat in the morning.

Walking down the hall she could help but think back to Amman. She felt bad for getting upset and disappearing into the restroom. It had ruined what could have been a great time with Rem.

With a sigh she leaned against the wall just outside the door to her quarters.

“What will life be like when the war ends?” Sophie asked aloud while staring at the wall in front of her.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

-The Dervish-
-Hangar-

Marvin yawned as he finally exited the cockpit of his Rick Dias. One of the handy features of the panoramic cockpits, and their nature of displaying images, was that it lent itself nicely to setting up simulators. The visual data was usually the only stuff that made it through combat without being ruined from hits, and Anaheim had computers, or programs, Marvin really didn't know how it all worked, that worked up everything into simulators. It took time for it to go from a mess of visual data to a working simulator, ten or twelve hours, but it was faster than it used to be. When Marvin joined the AEUG, back when he'd been flying GM II's and Nemo's, it would take nearly a day. Technology always made things faster, and Anaheim was always trying to improve it so they could sell the newer versions to the AEUG. What it all ment was that a pilot could go back and, with a few fairly simple adjustments by a mechanic, turn the cockpit into a simulator.

Marvin stood on the shoulder of his Rick Dias, stretching his arms and feeling slightly dizzy. The Rick Dias cockpit didn't have any motion devices or anything to fully simulate combat, AE made stand alone simulators that were more realistic, but they were mainly used for training new pilots, and the 4th had none of them. Still, hours of watching the virtual stars whip around left him feeling as if he were spinning, not to mention a major headache. He shook his head, trying to clear it after nearly four hours in the cockpit.

"Done, sir?" a voice called. Marvin looked up and saw Tony Jones, leader of the mechanic team that handled Team 2's MS, working on the phalanx guns of Eckardy's Rick Dias Custom.

Marvin nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Alright. I'll reset your Dias in a sec'." Jones said, getting another nod from Marvin, before turning back to finish his work. Marvin hopped over the railing to the catwalk on the edge of the hangar, and exited, heading down the hall toward Team 2's ready room.

Marvin opened the door and was blasted with a wall of sound. He winced and stepped in the room, letting the door close behind him so he didn't wake up the rest of the ship at the fairly late hour as he yelled. "Eddie!"

Eckardy's smiling head popped up from the couch. "Whoa! Who said that?!" He yelled back, more or less singing along with the song, before plopping back down as he grabbed the remote for the stereo and turned the volume down considerably, even though Marvin's ears were already ringing. How Eckardy wasn't deaf yet amazed him. "How the hell are ya, Cowboy?", Eckardy said, lowering his voice in a vain attempt to sound like the singer from the song.

"Tired." He replied with a sigh, heading to his locker and storing the helmet of his normal suit and grabbing a clean uniform he had left in there. "More briefings tomorrow?", Marvin asked with a yawn.

He glanced and saw Eckardy frown into the papers he was reading, which Marvin recognized as more of their briefing reports. They had been called back to the ship earlier than expected, and since then had spent the better part of the last 50 hours running drills, getting briefed on Axis, Gryps 2, and basically anything and everything they might need to know. Aside from the meetings that the whole Dervish unit had, the rest of it was left up to the team leaders. Eckardy had just dumped all the data on the table in the ready room, and let the rest of the team go over it as they wished, rather than holding formal meetings, which he hadn't been interested in leading.

Eddie mulled that over for a moment. "Well, Ricky hasn't informed me of any squadron meetings... yet," Eckardy grunted as he stretched his arms, while Marvin wondered how Eddie had gotten 'Ricky' from 'Fritz'. "I dunno. Anyway, we're on alert starting at eleven hundred, so be awake." Eckardy said, yawning himself. "S***, now you got me feelin' tired..." Eddie turned back to a report on Gryps 2.

Marvin smiled to himself as he closed his locker. No doubt Eddie was trying to stay awake to see Jane when her shift ended. "Alright, Ed. See ya." He said, heading to the door.

As he opened the door, the music volume went back up. "Thank you, Cowboy! Goodnigh-", he yelled, being cut off by Marvin leaving the ready room. The thin smile remained on his face, as things finally seemed almost routine again. Marvin didn't dwell on much as he walked to his quarters. He was so tired that he barely noticed the handful of other people in this part of the ship, but nobody said anything to him and nobody was near the door to his room. He went in, dropped his clean clothes, and fell on his bed. As dirty as he was, he could take a shower when he woke. He was asleep within a minute.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -

Celeste and Michiko were quietly discussing what they had done during their leave when Jacob shyly approached the table and sat down. Their conversation slowed for a moment when he finally said hello. Once they saw how embarrassed he was and that he intended to clam up, Michiko playfully bumped her shoulder against his and said, "Hi,". "I see you can walk on your own again, Jacob," Celeste added, smiling, "It took you long enough to sleep it off,". She seemed to have made an almost complete recovery of her own from her near-breakdown.

On his way out of the mess hall, Fritz noticed Terrace heading for the table Bernard was sitting alone at and changed his course to head over. "Sleep is overrated," he said to himself as he made his way to their spot. Beyond the parade of meetings and training, he hadn't really had a chance to talk to the new members of Team 3. He stopped at the end of the table next to where the two pilots were sitting and gestured at an empty spot, "Mind if I sit down, guys?".
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


"Are you okay Korbel?"

Bernard popped his head up when he heard the young man's voice. He instantly recognized the team 3 squad mate but knew nothing about him except the fact that he too was new aboard the Dervish.

"Ah, yeah well it's a lot of info to take in considering that we'll probably be using all of it in a few days. I just want to get through this last push then I'm done with all this running around and mobile suits..for once I just want to live a quiet life."

Resting his head back again, Bernard ignores the stone cold coffee fighting back a yawn. Memories and images of his youth clutter his mind as he addresses the youth once again. "So, young pilot what are your plans when the fighting stops. Rejoin your loved ones at home or staying on since there will still be an Axis threat?"

As soon as the question was asked there appeared a familiar voice that made Bernard look up with surprise. He never thought the officer would deal with grunts.

"Mind if I sit down, guys?".

"Not at all Lt. Commander, please have a seat. Maybe you can enlighten us as what the Aeug has in plan once we beat the Titans?" he asks with a smile.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

Jacob jumped when Michiko bumped him. He managed not to let out a yelp or flinch away from her. His blush increased afterward and he looked from one of them to the other nervously.

He clearly heard Celeste's question, but quickly popped a piece of broccoli in his mouth from his plate and started chewing. And chewing. And chewing. Everyone in the mess hall knew that there was not a single vegetable on the ship that required that much chewing, though many of the pieces of meat would have required much more.

"Yeah. I feel a lot better now," he replied when he'd finally swallowed and it would no longer be impolite to speak.

"Thanks for helping me out. I never drink that much. So, I really appreciate it. I owe you one," he said, his words coming in a rush before he snapped up another piece of mushy broccoli.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -

Having his put his things in order (finally), Adam walked into the mess hall and looked around. There were plenty of pilots he recognised from seeing them around the ship, mostly in the hanger. Seeing Bernard at a table with some other pilots, he walks up and with a simple "Bernard", sits down next to him. Looking at who he had joined made him wish he hadn't been so abrupt. "Commander?! I, uh-" his mouth worked silently for a moment before Adam just shut it and looked very guilty.

- The Hamburg -
- Crew Quarters -

"So Al. Are we feeling any better?" Randy asked his youngest team member. Al had only just been released from the infirmary and as team leader, and a friend, Rand was worried.

"I'm fine Lieutenant, thank you" the young man replied. Randy's brow furrowed in concern. There was something distant about the boy and it didn't sit well with him, but he didn't have a clue as to how to deal with it.

"Alright then, but if you ever need anything..." Al just nodded and saluted. Returning it, Randy left the room, his mind turning over what had happened to change the boy so.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -

Fritz smiled at Adam and Bernard's reaction. "Not at all Lt. Commander, please have a seat. Maybe you can enlighten us as what the AEUG has in plan once we beat the Titans?" Bernard answered. Taking the seat next to Terrace, he said with a chuckle, "Please, just 'Fritz'. They put Eddie and I in charge because we've gone the longest without dying,". He rubbed his eyes and answered, "Well, I'm not important enough to know those things,". With a shrug he leaned forward on the table a little and added, "But if I had to speculate... With Bright and Quattro in charge now, I assume we'll make some kind of deal with the Federation,". "It's what I'd do, anyway," he said, rubbing his eyes again. It was getting closer to 2300 hours.

At the new Team 1's unofficial table, Michiko giggled at Jacob's newest reaction. The youngest pilot began to eat his food, still clearly too embarrassed to speak. "Yeah. I feel a lot better now. Thanks for helping me out. I never drink that much. So, I really appreciate it. I owe you one," he finally managed before going back to his meal, wolfing it down like a career military man. The girls looked at each other and laughed again. "It's fine, Jacob. That's what we're here for," Celeste said.

- The Hamburg -
- Bridge -

Loweno nodded his thanks as Lt. Stalvern handed him his pouch of heated coffee they had sent for. The captain gingerly opened the hot packet and took a sip as he went back to studying the plans they were provided with. "You know, this isn't a bad idea. If the numbers we're running with are in the right ballpark we can pull this off," he said, looking to his XO who nodded in agreement. "I knew we'd eventually get to the point that stand-up fights with the Titans would start happening, but it still feels strange. Hell, now we have the upper hand in more than just popular support and tactics," he observed, closing the stack to take another drink.

"You know John, it's good to get back to commanding a ship the way we did things in the last war. Hit-and-run freedom fighting is all fine and good, but I like a good slugfest. And I'm damned good at it," he pronounced with a grin. "Yes, sir," Stalvern responded flatly.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


As soon as Fritz said that he had no clue what would happen after the war, Bernard peered over Fritz's shoulder over to the other crowded table where Michiko's giggle came from. At this late hour they were the only other people here.

there she is again he mused.

Revealing a genuine smile his attention was drawn to the female pilot and drown out everything Fritz said. It had been years since he felt that way. Last time it was a local girl during his stint in Africa but it never amounted to much. Not having any experience in these matters he wasn't sure what to do but Bernard knew that time was running out and he needed to do something even on the eve of battle. Since seeing her smile on the dock, she had invaded his mind but only the Lt. commander would know or put him out of his misery.

"Fritz?" Bernard asked quietly as he still looked over the commander's shoulder.

"What's her name? The pilot with the white hair...is she seeing anyone?" he asked timidly while pulling his collar. The embarrassment hit him since Adam and Terrace around listening but he had to know.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

It might not have seemed like Jacob was listening. He seemed almost obsessed with devouring the mushy vegetables and gray meat that was on his plate. In fact, though, he'd heard what they'd said all too well. He might have heard more than they intended.

~That's what we're here for.~ But not just to get him to his bed after a bender or to keep him from hurting himself along the way. To take care of him. To watch his back. To make sure he was safe. It was suddenly hard to eat around the lump that formed in his throat. He couldn't even imagine how embarrassing it would be to cry in front of the two women as his feelings of affection for his teammates threatened to overflow out of his eyes.

It was easy to know that he would die for Celeste. Though they hadn't been teammates for that long in the grand scheme of things a few weeks and months seemed like a lifetime in this war. It was strange to realize that he felt almost the same about Michiko, and Fritz for that matter. They were Team 1 now and that meant that they shared a life. He would risk his own to save any of theirs.

He managed to choke down a baby carrot and the lump before speaking again. He had to clear his throat a couple times to get rid of the hoarseness. "So...do you think we'll get another shot at that fleet we've been fighting?" he asked, a bit surprised at the intensity in his voice. Almost as strong as his feelings for his teammates was a burning hatred for the man in the blue mobile suit.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


"So, young pilot what are your plans when the fighting stops. Rejoin your loved ones at home or staying on since there will still be an Axis threat?"

Terrace was about to answer when Fritz had arrived at the table.

"Mind if I sit down, guys?"

All he could do was stammer a response. Everything was happening around him so fast since he was assigned to the Dervish. It seemed a lot more happened on the ship.

Adam arrived at the table next without having noticed that Fritz was at the table, "Commander?! I, uh-"

He couldn't help but chuckle at Adam as shame crossed his face.

"Please, just 'Fritz'. They put Eddie and I in charge because we've gone the longest without dying. Well, I'm not important enough to know those things. But if I had to speculate... With Bright and Quattro in charge now, I assume we'll make some kind of deal with the Federation. It's what I'd do, anyway."

"Wow, you think so?" it was a surprise to Terrace as the Federation had also engaged the AEUG over the course of the war. Granted those units were typically working in conjunction with the Titans. "Do you think the Federation will allow those that defected back, or will they throw us in jail?"

"Fritz? What's her name? The pilot with the white hair...is she seeing anyone?"

Eyes wide, he was a little shocked that Bernard would be so upfront and turned to look at the women he was talking about. He understood why Bernard would ask.
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

-Balrumpur-
-Kou Uraki's Quarters-

The new CO of the Balrumpur's Mobile Suit force was going over the personnel files for his team. Some of them had seen action, though this Ash Black was a bit of a mystery. He had met with him and the others briefly, but not enough to get a feel for them. The worst part was, they were now heading strait for the main combat group of the AEUG. There wouldn't be time to conduct proper drills outside of the ship; fuel, ammo and especially time, were all at a premium.

Kou had arranged for the Nemo's to be linked to a central simulation computer aboard the ship, and the mechanics were eager to see how things would play out. He'd even heard of a betting pool getting started. Kou's program was a bit rough, starting with combat with a few Zeon Suits and working through the combat data collected through out most of UC0087. He checked everything and then clicked on his comm.

"Attention all Mobile Suit Pilots. This is Lieutenant Uraki. There is a manditory simulation in the Hanger Bay in one hour. All pilots must attend in flight gear. Briefing will be held on the flight Deck. That is all."
*********************************************

-Balrumpur-
-Mess Hall-

Ash was mildly pushing the food he'd been given around his plate. It was too spicey, too solid, too many different flavours and colours. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it. He tried to choke down another piece of something called Salsbury Steak, when the comms shouted out Kou's message.

He looked around and smiled:

"Well, this should be fun!"
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -

"Wow, you think so?" Manosk reacted to Fritz' answer, "Do you think the Federation will allow those that defected back, or will they throw us in jail?". Fritz crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly as he thought about Terrace's question. "Maybe if they do manage to make a deal..." he started to answer quietly, but Bernard spoke up. "Fritz? What's her name? The pilot with the white hair... is she seeing anyone?" Korbel asked, looking past Fritz at the rest of Team 1.

Most of the tension in Fritz' shoulders went away when Bernard clarified "the pilot with the white hair", and he turned to look over his shoulder at Celeste. Not quite sure how to answer, he replied, "Well... You could say that,". He turned back to Bernard and continued less cryptically, "She was seeing Lt. Tideland, the last leader of Team 3 from what I understand. She doesn't like to talk about it,".

At the other table, Jacob choked down his food and the tears that almost welled up and asked, "So... do you think we'll get another shot at that fleet we've been fighting?". Celeste's smile faded at the mention of the Titans, but she kept herself composed. She had grown tired of staying shut away in her room feeling sorry for herself. "Taskforce Echo? I don't know... They may not have escaped from the Gate of Zedan," she answered in a subdued voice. Michiko reached across Jacob to point at his square of cake. "Do you want that?".
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blind_dead_mcjones
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

-Balrumur-
-Mess Hall-

Wales watched with detached interest as ash poked around with his meal, resisting the urge to make a joke about the food quality while at the same time finsihing off a small square shaped pie

"oi, oi spacy. whats wrong? your treating the meal like its some biohazard from a cloning experiment gone wrong."

while waiting for ash's reply an announcement boomed out of the PA system

"Attention all Mobile Suit Pilots. This is Lieutenant Uraki. There is a manditory simulation in the Hanger Bay in one hour. All pilots must attend in flight gear. Briefing will be held on the flight Deck. That is all."

"Well, this should be fun!" Ash replied, wales nodded in agreement as he stood up

"that it will be, lets say we add to the betting pool eh spacy? 20 bucks says i shoot down more mobile suits than you."
Flag Fighter for life!
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wonton bob
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- Open Space -

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


"She was seeing Lt. Tideland, the last leader of Team 3 from what I understand. She doesn't like to talk about it,"

"Oh. I see," Bernard softly replied as he looked over at Celeste once again. The light at the end of the tunnel has gone out.

I shoulda known better..pilots and pilots, not exactly a good match for that very reason. He thought to himself almost regretting asking in the first place but at least now he knows. Pushing off from the table he stands looking at his watch. "Well gentlemen, if you can pardon me, it's late and I got a busy day tomorrow."

After excusing himself, Bernard walks to the exit taking a final glance at Celeste imagining what could have been and the remote possibility of it ever happening after the war. No, The purpose of his existence is to be solitary in one way or another. It sickens him to accept that he's not entitled to a little happiness but some things are not meant to be.

His reasoning stops once entering the hallway and begins to whistle a sad tune on his way to his room.
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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King Monkey
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

-The Dervish-
-Mess Hall-

Jacob was already eating a piece of grayish meat when Celeste answered. He found an all knew reason to have trouble swallowing. The lump in his throat now was filled with rage rather than despair.

He'd never considered the possibility that the blue mobile suit had been destroyed somewhere in the Gate of Zedan slaughter. For that matter, he'd never considered the idea that the blue mobile suit would be destroyed by anyone other than himself.

He gripped his tray with both hands, his knuckles turning white as he stared down at his food, his mind racing but getting nowhere as he tried to figure out what he would do if he never got a chance to avenge Clute's death. His grip grew so tight that the tray actually rattled against the table slightly as his hands shook.

Michiko's words seeped into his consciousness and he stared at her for a moment his eyes glazed and lost before he blinked sharply.

"No. You can have it," he choked out, the food he'd just eaten suddenly tasting like ash. He pushed the tray across at her and looked away, staring at a distant wall thoughtfully.
Yep...That's Texas in a nutshell. Why just say "f**k you" when you can put it on a flag?

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The Loser Villain
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

- The Dervish -
- Mess Hall -


"Maybe if they do manage to make a deal..."

Terrace was listening intently as Fritz began to answer his question. Would they be aloud to rejoin, would they simply be discharged? But then Fritz was pulled away from his answer by Bernard's question.

“Well... You could say that, She was seeing Lt. Tideland, the last leader of Team 3 from what I understand. She doesn't like to talk about it."

After hearing what Fritz had said he understood why Bernard was quick to excuse himself from the table. "Well gentlemen, if you can pardon me, it's late and I got a busy day tomorrow."

As Bernard left Terrace turned back to Fritz to see what his answer would be to his previous question. "Well, you were saying about the Federation sir?"
"Kamille, if it wasn't for you...." Jerid's last words

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Ashoka
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Re: Episode 23 - A Grinding Current [4th]

-The Balrumpur-
-Mess Hall-

Ash cocked an eyebrow as he downed a glass of water to get the taste of the foul meat out of his mouth. He had been paid quite a bit since joining the AEUG, they even provided him with a place to sleep, food and clothing on top of the money they already gave him. Currently, he had saved 95% of his funds, the only thing he wanted when he was in port was the occasional candy.

"Do you want me to keep an eye shut through the fight, so you might actually have a chance as winning then Wales?" Ash said, with a strait face and serious tone. "Well, it would probably be easier for me to use an eye patch or similar........"
*********************************

-Pilots Locker Room-

Kou slowly eased into his normal suit, going through the motions of checking the seals where it connected together. He was taking his time, not because he was out of practice, but because he was hoping to run into the other pilots. Have a chance to talk with them before giving orders and fully becoming their CO on the hanger deck.
Something witty coming soon
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