Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 3: Crisis Point

[Nanami Touko]

Beat up

"I'm hoping for none, and expecting at least one... At least I'm ready to be disappointed in that regard." They hadn't managed to deal with this mole issue, though Jessica figured she'd been one of them. That left two, if Chris was to be believed, but there were no real leads on them. As long as people are okay...

And what came next was entirely unsurprising, and something Jess was fine with. "That means you'll be taking Hannah and Chris with you, right? I wish you all the best... I'm not long for the ANF when this war is done, anyway." Between Kim and everything sinister hiding behind Vance, Jess wasn't going to sit around once the war was over and let another corrupt head of state use her for anything vile.

And now that they'd gotten their intros out of the way, Jess gave Brant an inspection... Wow, he was beaten up. "Did you wrestle a tiger this morning, by the way? You look like hell..."

Edited December 30, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Brant nodded rather seriously at Jessica's question; Chris and Hannah were family, pure and simple, so they had to come with. Jessica leaving the ANF was a little surprising. Firmia would be happy to see the android massively depowered compared to how she was now, but in reality it wasn't even a good thing for her, considering her plans. She needed every ally inside the organization that she could get, and even if Jessica couldn't be her friend, this entire war proved that she could at least be an ally.

"It's kind of a shame you're leaving, to be honest. That's almost as bad as Vance or Alphonse retiring if you ask me, but ... I understand." Now probably wasn't the right time to bring up some of the other potential options they had.

To Brant's surprise, Jessica took note of the bandages he was wearing, and probably the cuts beneath some of them. It was just too bad the short version of what happened was too short and the long version was too long. Brant wound up laughing on the spot, reaching up to rub his forehead with his free, and thoroughly bandaged hand. "I honestly can't think of a way to keep this brief and still have it make sense so I'll just stick to the plot points ..."

Brant carefully crossed his arms, being careful not to squeeze his jacket too tightly, and stared down at Jessica's feet as the whole fiasco replayed itself at mach speed. "Alright," he sighed in bitter amusement as he made eye contact again, "so Tonya's been holding onto my engagement ring for safekeeping until I was ready to use it. She doesn't like the current situation, though ... So ... instead of just giving me the ring back now that I need it, she's wearing it ... and trying to take advantage of one of my depression offers. If I can't get it off of her by the end of the war she wants me to marry her instead of Chris. I'm not going to do that even if we miss our deadline ... but it's important for us to win the argument, so we're just jumping her every chance we get, now. And that's why it's been 0 days since my last visit to the infirmary."

Edited December 30, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Deadline Approaching

Well that was... A lot. "If I had Vance or Alphonse's position, maybe I'd stick around and try to change things for the better... But considering what I am, and where I stand, I'm sure I'd be met with several years of opposition before any gears began to turn. They don't deserve me for that long." And with that addressed, hopefully. "Aaaaand I had no idea you and Chris were even that close. That's kind of shocking... But nice to hear. Guess someone finally managed to worm their way into your cockpit, eh?" Jess leaned in to elbow him slightly, giggling to herself.

"Gotta take down Tonya, huh... I'm sure Hannah or I could, but that definitely defeats the purpose, if the android sisters do it for you. Well, if Chris and you really are that close, then I'm pretty sure you'll manage some hefty synergy sooner rather than later. She can't hold out against the both of you forever, right?" She smiled, processing Tonya a bit in the back of her mind. Considering her history with the Alkaevs, or at least what Jess knew, and her physique, if she was doing this to Brant, her instincts must have been on another level. She wasn't at all larger than him, and definitely, in terms of physicality, stronger. Either she was simply that good at fighting, or she had the years on him. It wasn't like Chris was a slouch, either, but she was definitely not the most suited for close combat... Way too short, it could hinder things. And her chest getting in the way...

"Whatever the case, I'm sure the two of you have things handled... And tell Firmia I said hi, even if she still hates my guts. I hope she's doing alright."

[Phoenix]

Jessica seemed to doubt she could get much done in terms of change from where she was, and Brant had a feeling she was right, but just the same, her leaving wouldn't stop the ANF from becoming the potential danger Firmia was trying to prepare for. It still probably wasn't the right time to discuss other options, though ...

Brant could only force a smile at Jessica's jab, and it looked forced. This sort of thing probably wasn't ever going to be a comfortable subject for him, and Brant couldn't think of any way to comment on it that wouldn't point back to Jessica and potentially drag the whole mood down. He supposed he could just be terrifically concise ... "An Alkaev pilot dies, or he wins."

The Tonya challenge was easier to deal with on the whole, both as a talking point, and in actual practice. Unfortunately that didn't last long, and then it was back into murky territory. Now Jessica wanted to pass along an innocent greeting to Firmia. Considering that Brant was planning on talking to her once he got back to the ship, and the reasons why, he could see that going over a bit poorly. She wouldn't make a scene out of it, but if her treatment of Rosa was any indication, Firmia was through trying to coexist with some people.

"Once I'm finished here I did need to have a talk with her. She'll be annoyed with you trying to be nice," Brant admitted with a nod, "but it'll definitely be a good segue into what I wanted to talk with her about, so there's that. I don't think there's much time left for me to fix this, so I'm dealing with it before the fighting starts up, again."

[Nanami Touko]

Fixing

"I'm glad you won," she gave as her last reply to that subject. Whatever hard feelings were left there, just talking to Brant like this was enough. It was comfortable enough for her, and hopefully for him. He'd gone as far as to come here on his own, after all... The rather forced smile didn't help her worries, but he'd moved on, so he was trying. I'm glad for you, Brant. I really am.

"About Firmia... It's fine if she hates me. I hurt people she cares about... And even if they can forgive enough to try and talk to me, if she can't, that's alright. It would probably be healthier for us all, but... I don't want to force anything on her when we're all dealing with different things this war. If you can relay anything to her, just, relay this: 'Whatever you feel about me, don't let the rest of this ship's crew suffer for it'. We're working together while we go about defeating Apotheosis... And I don't want anyone to die because of me and what I've done. That's... That's all. Sorry for getting heavy there, I... Worry about being enough to keep the Riese safe, sometimes. Having another battleship is comforting... As long as she's up to helping."

Jess sighed. What a lengthy mess... Firmia would probably get upset about something she'd said in there, maybe for good reason, but she hoped Brant would tell her anyway.

[Phoenix]

"No, it's not fine," Brant scowled briefly. Being referred to indirectly wasn't pleasant, nor did it fully encompass the Firmia issue, but only the latter was worth focusing on. "Firmia's struggling with being a captain, too. She even made the opposite choice you did, Jess. She's-- ... well ... we're all taking on a huge responsibility after the war ends. The problem is the stronger our group gets, the easier it is for Firmia to rely on things Dima taught her, and he's a murderer." Brant's concerns were too much to go over in their entirety, so he tried to limit himself to the foreseeable future as best he could. "Look ... I'll pass along that message for you this time, Jess, but ... don't just sit back and hope things magically work themselves out on our end. They won't. She needs to see the difference between the Jessica in her head and the real one she's working with. Not just one time, either. She needs to keep seeing it, again and again.

"I don't know if she can forgive you; I'm not sure if Alkaevs even come with that feature. But I do know that she can't do it from a distance. She hates the 'Captain Jessica Gefalscht' in her head, but that's the one she's always stuck dealing with. That's why I'm asking you to leave your comfort zone for now and help her. She wants to make a better world, but chances are the murderer that raised her wants the same thing. It is not okay for her to have unresolved issues influencing all of her decisions."

Eyeing Jessica somberly, Brant thought back to the very end of their relationship, that final moment when she conquered her stutter and shouted down Rosa. Brant glanced down the hall toward the meeting room doorway briefly as he replayed what he heard a few times. He wished it had been the old man on the screen instead of her, especially considering that her threat ended long ago. What had always struck him about the situation was Jessica's inclusion of Firmia in her outburst, which felt just as odd to him in hindsight as it had in the moment. At the time, and for some time afterward, it helped assure Brant that he and his friend were in good hands, that Jessica would watch over them like a hawk as they made new lives for themselves outside of Russia. To this day, nothing could have been further from the truth. Hannah wound up fulfilling the role Jessica established as she matured, while Jessica herself moved further and further away. The only things she seemed to know about them or their lives were the details tied to Brant's explanations. Some curiosity tempted him to not mention his daughters and nephew, just to see how long that kind of information would naturally elude her.

Come to think of it, Firmia remembered that day in the meeting room, too. It was never a minor event for her when she brought it up, either. That day had been the start of her brief stay aboard the Riese, where she'd picked up every grievance she had with Jessica and with the ANF. Brant made a mental note to ask her more about it when he went to see her. "I know you're busy, but please don't sit this one out, too."

[Nanami Touko]

Cross That Bridge

"Brant... There seems to be some sort of misconception sitting around here. I'm not asking you to deliver my message because I'm too busy. I just didn't want to visit Firmia, right now. I don't think my being there at this moment would really help things... Unless you think it would be better if I spoke to her in person, in which case, I can go right now." Did he think she was trying to avoid things? That wasn't the case, it was out of consideration for Firmia. If the bridge needed her for anything, she could double task, and address things via speaker while talking to the Avalon's captain, but she didn't want Brant to think this was some comfort zone issue.

"Shall we, then? If she needs to see more of who I am now, then I'm fine starting immediately. But if you think it would be better to give her space for the moment, I can do that as well. Please don't assume I'm the same as I was before... That won't help any of us. Not, that I can blame you, I suppose. I've only been like this for about a week, and you're on the Avalon. Distance, right?" She smiled, chuckled, and shook her head. "So?"

[Phoenix]

"No," Brant shook his head, "What I'm asking you to do wouldn't start right this minute, definitely not before I've had a chance to talk with her. I just know she's going to try to chase you off if the insults aren't enough, and if you give up then this could wind up being worse than pointless. Either way, in person is always better. Just ... let me lay some groundwork, first. You two may agree that it's okay for her to hate you, but I don't."

Had Jessica really changed that much? She was obviously a little braver and more focused, now. But compared to the first time? That change had nearly been the end of him, so perhaps there was a little bias there, a hope that she wouldn't change so quickly that it wound up biting him, somehow. It was admittedly useless to feel that way now, though. As far as Brant was concerned, his relationship with Jessica couldn't possibly get any better or any worse than this. They were either on speaking terms or they weren't, and total separation could only free them both up for the people closer to them. At least the distance wasn't inherently negative. Maybe.

"I actually preferred stuttering Jess if I'm being perfectly honest. She was on her way ... just needed a little more time. A little less crippling responsibility. No offense," Brant grinned an apology. "Speaking of her," Brant paused to venture into the jacket he'd been carrying with him, and managed to fish out a relatively flat, elongated box, "I actually need a favor from you, too."

[Nanami Touko]

Groundworked

Why had he bothered to say all of that if he didn't want her to start now. She ended up folding her arms and pouting a bit, but if he said so, she'd believe him. He knew Firmia a lot better than she did... Hopefully that could change, as long as Firmia was willing to talk, and not just bark at her. Maybe. "Oh, geez, don't remind me... It might've been cute, if it hadn't been caused by a virus, and that really takes away from it. Finding out you aren't programmed to stutter and its just your systems lagging is... Depressing." Just what else of that personality had been because of Apotheosis? How much of it was gone now that she'd turned off their programs and removed their bugs? Whoa, this is getting a bit existential... I guess this is just the real me, no longer hindered by baggage like that. We'll go with that.

For the sake of it... "Wh-What, do you, uhm... N, nneed me for then, Brant? Uh... With, the box, and a-all..." She laughed immediately after, it sounded so fake to speak like that now, but it was amusing, at least. "Ahh, seriously, what do you need? I'll do whatever I can within my power as Jessica."

[Phoenix]

A little less crippling responsibility and hindering from Apotheosis ... Yeah, Apotheosis' involvement really took a lot out of Jessica 1.0, but she was an angel compared to 2.0. Brant wouldn't complain about the latest iteration if things were going to remain manageable like this. 3.0 might actually be their best chance of helping Firmia through her emotional rut. At the very least she had a decent sense of humor. If she and Firmia could ever just get to talking that might help a great deal.

"Hahah. Anything in your power, huh? This should be a piece of cake, then." Brant offered her the box, "Just take this. It's yours." While the contents of the box may have been made with Jessica in mind, they had been completely altered with Chris in mind. After all, Brant wasn't giving out any other rings ... not engagement rings, anyway. Earrings were the best he could come up with for an alternative. Not ideal, but about the same amount of materials were involved. "Doesn't really matter what you do with them. Put them in a drawer somewhere, throw them away, give them to Abby and watch her throw them away, frame them. As long as you take them. Parting with those and everything wrapped up in them is just something I need to do, now."

[Nanami Touko]

Yours

"Mine, huh...?" Maybe it was something he'd planned on giving her before... Not wanting to hold onto it made sense, so she didn't hesitate to take what was offered. She did hesitate to open it right away, giving Brant a cursory glance, as she slipped the top off. Would he have a problem with that, right now...? "Oh... These are lovely. Are you sure...?" Wouldn't they be better off with Chris, considering things? She wasn't quite sure, but...

"How about wearing them, then. Is that fine?" Without waiting for a reply, she went about bringing the little diamond shaped studs to her ears. Just disable pain in the ears for a sec... I don't bleed, anyway. One poke, fasten, and the other... She couldn't see herself, but they'd looked great on their own, hopefully they looked great on her. "Thank you, Brant. I've never really thought about earrings... But I'm sure they suit me just fine."

Edited December 31, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Was wearing them fine? Brant didn't mind, but would Abigail be fine with her wearing those? Or did it not even matter if that's what she wanted to do? Probably better not to worry about it. "Thanks for accepting them," Brant said, offering a classic thumbs up.

[Shin]

Bill nodded, smiling as he started to push Nikolai's chair forwards. "I'm sure the good doctor won't mind me taking her patient out for a spin like an ambo." he laughed, taking Nikolai out of the medbay. He seemed to be stable enough and it was far safer than letting him drag himself across the floor. The duo left the medbay, the chair slowly cruising down the corridor. Nikolai was usually fairly filthy, but his pickling had at least masked his odour. 

"You're a grotty little bugger, Nikolai, but you're not a bad kid. I think the ankle biter needed someone like you, always by himself before you turned up." Bill commented, ensuring that he took the upcoming corner carefully. "Looks like he did you some good too. I remember seeing you when you came in, right little riot you were."

[Nanami Touko]

August 12th, 1700 PST, over the Pacific Ocean

Bang

 

Christina walked into Avery’s hangar, looking around, wondering where the mechanic had gone. She’d been radiod over, Avery wanted to do a few more tests with the Artemis’ T-Link before they got into any more trouble. And so, the machine had been moved into the extra space for it. She could hear some tinkering up in the cockpit, was Avery up there?

“Hey girl,” the pink mechanic’s voice rang out behind Christina, causing her to jump.

“Oh! Sorry. I thought you might be up in the--” A bang. Christina was cut off by the sudden loud noise… And the pain that followed. Eyes wide, Christina had managed to turn to see Avery… Holding a gun. At her. She’d just fired it, Christina was… “A… Av, ery?” The blonde collapsed, breathing heavy against the floor, as blood seeped out of her chest.

“And that’ll do… Time to cut the crap with this accent, you’re a loose end that needs cleaned up. Did you really think you could betray us and get away with it? I’d love to kill your shit clone, but I can’t exactly jump ships right now. Now, be a good girl, and bleed out for me, hmm?”

“You… N-No… Y, you ca, can’t, ahh…” Her vision was getting blurry, body wasn’t listening… So much blood, Christina tried her best to crawl onto her stomach, towards the machine. She had to contact someone, tell them what happened, save Kim. If Avery was one of the moles, she had to have done something to the Artemis, she couldn’t-- “AHHH!”

Another bang, a bullet in her leg this time, stopping her cold in her tracks. “I said, be a good girl, and bleed out for me. Geez… Really bad at listening to orders. You don’t have to worry about Kim, she won’t feel a thing. Bomb under the seat, melt her immediately, and take down one of the ANF’s best pilots and machine~ Beautiful.”

“W… Why, are… You d-doing this… Avery, p-please--”

The pink haired menace stared down at Christina, eyes empty for a moment, but finally smiled. “Because this wonderful, shitty government, took my brother from me. Took my leg. I watched him die because your soldiers thought collateral was fine… So I’m taking back. I’m going to do everything that I can to ruin you all. Now croak.” Avery stepped over Christina, pressing a heavy foot into her back as she walked, the already maimed blonde crying out in pain.

“N-No… Stop… Hhhgkk…” Christina coughed, a splat of blood spreading over onto the floor… Am I really going to die, here? Really? I… No, I don’t want to die! I don’t… I made friends, I met Kim! I can’t… Someone, please…

“Now where’s that kid… I told him to meet me here too. Maybe he’s up in the cockpit? Real quiet if he is, might as well check to--” Avery paused as her communicator went off, sighing. “Hello? … Yeah. Yeah, Troy’s taken care of. Engine room now? Like, right now? The cats are… Fine, fine, I’m going. Had one last loose end to tackle, but he probably isn’t here. Whatever, he can find blondie bleeding out, and cry her death to the rest of the crew.” Avery sighed, giving Christina another kick as she walked by, the blonde barely reacting.

“Was nice knowing you, Christina. You were an insufferable little shit, but at least you were hot. Bye bye.”

So… This was it. Christina could barely move, she’d already lost so much blood. No one knew she was here except for Avery. No one was coming to save her. She started to cry, why did things turn out this way? Why? Why… Wh…

…

…

…

“Oh my God…” A tiny voice croaked out of the cockpit of the Artemis. Buck had been in there. He’d been taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to poke around the cockpit Avery had kept him out of all this time. And when he heard the gunshot, he’d froze. Avery’s speech after, made his blood run cold. And now… Now that she was gone, and he was alone, what was he to do? His first instinct was to check for what she’d claimed to be a bomb, searching underneath the seat of the Artemis and…

“There’s r-really a bomb… Oh, my God, just… Why, wh-why is this… B-Buck, hold it togetherrrr… You have to, you, Christina’s gonna die! Get it together!” He was sobbing, hands shaky, but he’d messed with explosives before. Once, before… And this looked effective, but simple. Cut the red wire, cut the red, wire… One snip, no explosion, Buck breathed a deserved sigh of relief, through his tears.

He grabbed that bomb and scrambled out of the cockpit, cowering near Christina’s body. The girl… Sh-She was still breathing, but it was so faint, “wh-what do I do? Christina don’t, don’t, die, oh, fuck… Fuck!” He knew that it would hurt her… But he had to do something. Using what strength he had, he tried his best to hoist the girl onto his shoulder, hammering the medbay’s number into his wrist communicator. “Megumi! Megumi pick the fuck up!”

Situation Normal

Jess had been tracking their course over the Pacific, nothing had gone wrong yet. It was rather surprising to see nothing coming at them, but it did make her a bit nervous. Still, long range scanners weren't picking up anything, so for now, they were safe... And, of course, when you think things are fine, something goes wrong.

"Captain," Tristan spoke up, having noticed the same thing on their radars. "We're being approached by a single machine... It's too far out to tell what it is, but we should assume the worst, on open ocean."

"Yeah... Hoof, alright. All crew," Jess began, addressing everyone, "please ready yourselves for combat. We have an unknown approaching the ship, t-minus ten minutes to contact. We should have a better visual soon, we'll keep you updated. Also..." She closed her channel to the crew, hailing the Avalon.

"Captain Alkaev? Can you pick up?" It was an older model warship, it wouldn't have been equipped with scanners as potent as the Riese's. It would do to inform Firmia of whatever was coming.

Getting Things Moving

"Intermediate? Intermediate, pick up. You should already be on your way to the engine room, but give us a status report." Vera's voice sounded out into the chamber of her Luna, as it flew towards the Riese. Today was the day they were to retrieve their moles and, well... They were supposed to be fighting the ship, but the Sacarians had other plans. For now, Vera was here to pick up her allies.

Edited January 4, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Astin paused, just far enough away from the engine rooms that they could safely answer the call. "I'm here. Everything should be dealt with in time. No sign of anyone else yet. See you soon." A smile on their face, they moved forward again, but the smile quickly faded as the engine room entrance came into view. Of course she was here... Well. It was bound to happen at some point. Not having to do this all face to face would have been easier, but hopefully it wouldn't have to get worse than this.

Pulling their gun out, they crept down, before taking a breath and then placing the gun against Avery's back. "I'm real sorry about this, but... I'm going to need you to let me into that engine room and then not make too big of a fuss. I would hate to have to kill you." Realistically speaking, they weren't sure they would be able to kill her... Maybe they could just knock her out. But she didn't need to know that. This was the best way to handle what needed to be done.

[Nanami Touko]

Turncoats

"Wha..." Avery paused, glanced back... And let out a huge sigh, before laughing. "You're the other mole? Sweet christ, I thought it was gonna be someone else, and I'd have to break your heart. Well this works out just perfectly! Ahaha. Gonna have to calm down some before I get too excited and alert the crew, heehee~" Avery ignored the gun pressing into her back and went about opening the engine room doors, walking in herself. "Come on, Intermediate. We've got a ship to shut down. And my name's Marianne, by the way." Finally done with this silly disguise, Marianne tossed her hat to the side and let her hair down, yawning somewhat. "Do you know how exhausting that accent is to put on? Seriously? My mouth feels weird just talking normally again."

Edited January 4, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Astin blinked. Lowered the gun. Blinked again. "I..." New voice, new name, new... everything. Well not everything but... "S-so, you're the other one then. That... Well." Following her into the engine room, still somewhat stunned, they watched as the hat was tossed away, and then lightly smacked themselves on the cheek. "Right. Focus. Good to know you're with me then. Marianne. That'll take some getting used to. I'm still Astin. But uh... Yeah." They trailed off again, watching her. This was good. Weird, but good. "Oh, right. Vera checked in. Hang on." Back to the communicator. "Vera, I met up with the other mole. We're in the engine room now, will update you as progress is made."

[Ether]

Speaking with Thorvald had certainly helped clear Seung-Min's mind on a few things, but there was still more that she needed to know. How deep did this rabbit hole go? Who knew, and who didn't know? Was what had happened to her classified information, or open knowledge to anyone with any level of access higher than her own? It would have been... difficult to find out, normally, but luckily enough a certain Commanding Officer happened to have rather openly lost a good amount of faith in the ANF, for understandable reasons. Reaching the Captain's quarters, Seung-Min paused for a moment to compose herself, before rapping her knuckles against Jessica's door.

"Captain? May I speak with you, for a moment?"

"Kim?" The lieutenant, did she need something? Jess had been testing the Riese's systems from her own internal terminal, but she could probably talk and do that at the same time. Jess opened the door for Kim, still sitting on her bed, smiling over at the girl as she came into view. "What is it?"

As the door opened, Seung-Min was surprised to see Jessica still sitting on the bed, no terminal or screen in sight, but that surprise quickly dissipated, It made sense that she could do things like that, now that her nature had been revealed. Stowing that in the back of her mind, the Lieutenant stepped into Jessica's room, pausing for a moment.

"Well, I was wondering...mmm, if you could do me a favour, could you look into my file and see if there's anything... strange?" Kim asked after a few moments, biting her lip. Had Jessica known all along? It seemed unlikely based on her personality, but she had been perfectly loyal to the ANF until recently, so it wasn't impossible she had been in the know, Perhaps even had access to the information but hadn't thoroughly checked it.

"Huh? Uh... Sure, but its your own personal file, I wouldn't have access to anything you wouldn't." Jessica stared off at the wall for a second, going over Kim's things in her head... Strange, strange, strange... Nothing evident at the start... Oh... Confidential, huh? "One second." Let's see if I can tear this apart. Jess looked down at the floor instead, going ahead with dismantling the ANF's security. Yeah, yeah, send your antivirus, you put me in this position knowing full well what I am, you're not about to stop me now. A file removed here, a password there, a code cracked and--

"Oh... Well, that's... Not good." Just when the ANF couldn't get any worse, right? "I... I don't know if you want to really hear, about this. I know I'd rather not have, known..."

"Is it... about my recruitment?" Kim asked, looking down at the floor as Jessica appeared to find something. Her reaction, both outward and emotionally, implied this was the first time that she had read this. That was a good thing, in a sense. There was always the possibility that Jessica was displaying false emotions... she could turn them off at will, so it made sense she could alter them, but... it seemed unlikely enough not to dwell on. Jessica being unaware would help her in being able to fully trust the Captain, and it meant that the ANF was at least trying to keep things like this under tight wraps, if it wasn't even shared with her direct commanding officer.

"Yes... So... I'll ask you again, are you sure you want to hear this? We'll be going straight into enemy territory, and... I don't want you to be distracted, if possible." A selfish request, but Kim was definitely one of their best pilots.

"I... am aware of the basics, already. Honestly it's... a load off of my mind, that you didn't know until now. Anything you could tell me would be... appreciated." Kim replied, forcing a smile. Just knowing everything she had access to would do more to help than harm, no matter what the Captain was about to tell her.

"... Alright." Jessica did a quick scan of the entire plan that she'd read, and turned to face Kim. "The ANF has been going around allied nations for the past ten years, and taking promising children from their families by force. They feed some lies to the parents, and if that works, they take them back to be trained, like you were... While telling them that, their parents don't want to speak with them anymore." Jess sighed. First Tarquin, now this... "The plan has, been discontinued, apparently. You were one of the last. But... I'm, sorry."

So it hadn't been just her... she had feared that might be the case, wanted to stop it from happening to anyone else but... that it had been such a wide spread thing that there was a whole archived plan regarding it? Seung-Min felt a pit grow in her stomach... that it had been discontinued was a good thing at the very least, but how many of them were out there? Just like her...

"Thank you, Jessica. I suppose I was... an easy mark. Cultural expectations, and all that... they didn't even need to tell me that... I assumed a lack of interest all on my own." Kim replied, biting her lip. The Captain was clearly distraught, a common reaction from everyone she brought into this.

"I... I'm sorry you had to find out about this. It's been eating at me, ever since I spoke to my mother. I just... couldn't leave it alone any further."

So she'd spoken to her parents, then... And, she'd been looking into this. Jess wasted no time in getting off the bed, heading a hug Kim's way, and patting her on the back of the head. "I'm sorry you've had to go through this." What else was she to say? Letting the poor girl go, Jess tried to smile. "Will you be okay? I know that, we need all the strength we can get, but learning all of this, and with Vance's offer still on the table..."

Kim hadn't been expecting the sudden hug, but leaned into it either way, gently squeezing Jessica back in response for a moment until she pulled away, trying to show a smile... and not particularly succeeding at it.

"I... will manage. I don't have another option, after all. This has... it's become bigger than any of us. I could leave, spite the ANF for what they did... what good would it do? If we don't stop the Sacarians, then... we'll be enslaved like the other aliens they brought along. The remainder slaughtered." Kim replied solemnly, knuckles growing white as she balled her hands into frustrated fists.

"All leaving would do is let me die on my own terms a bit later than the rest of you, if this goes South. I'd rather live and... walk away a hero, given the option. At least that way I might make a difference."

"... That's really brave of you, Seung-Min. And I'm proud to hear it. ... I might not, be what the ANF wants out of me, and my thoughts on them have, almost all been ruined... But, on this ship, with this crew, I'm happy to fight for what I think is right. Thank you for all the help you've been." Jess saluted Kim, no faltering the smile this time.

"You're what... the world wants... needs, Jessica. If this ship was already giving them so many problems... I can't wait to see the havoc you'll wreak now. We can skip fighting for the sake of the ANF... at least for it's government. Fight for her people, instead." Seung-Min affirmed, returning the Captain's salute, holding it for a few moments before allowing her arm to drop.

"If I might... make a selfish request? I don't know how deeply you can access, but... if there are other kids... ones who were brought in like me. Well... I'd want them to know. I talked to my mother before... the attack on Central. One of the medical staff suggested I call them, I think she saw through what the ANF had done when we were speaking about how I came to leave my idol career. Despite how... world-bending it was, to know of how I came to be here... learning after so many years that it wasn't disappointment that kept them from calling. Well, it was enough to keep me fighting."

The people was all Jess was in this for, anymore. The government didn't deserve her... And when this war was over, it wouldn't get her. This was the last straw. One more corruption behind everything. If she couldn't take the ship, she'd just take Abigail, and they'd... They'd go do something. If they couldn't manage a regular life, then... Well, she was rich, by all accounts. A new ship wouldn't be difficult to find...

"I'll do what I can, Lieutenant. Thank you for bringing this to light... I appreciate it, really. You should go see Christina... I think you could use a bit longer of a hug, right now."

"Mmm... perhaps you're right. She's been rather busy with Nina though... I'd rather not interrupt her when she's found something to get her so... driven." Seung-Min replied, giving Jessica a warm smile. Even despite all of the mud and filth she had been thrust into and forced to wade through... there was definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. And she didn't need to make it there alone.

"Well... Whenever you can, then. At ease." Jess didn't really know what to say about that, they'd kept the third clone here on the Riese, and she hadn't caused any trouble... Was it going to stop with this Nina? Jess didn't know, turning back towards her bed and going over the Riese in her mind, once again. A tablet had been picked up this time, so she could multitask.

[Ether]

Having finally departed after about a week of downtime, the Avalon had been cruising alongside the Heion Riese fairly quietly, They were to be followed up by a rear guard, but these two ships would lead the attack on Apotheosis' main base... Marcia could feel herself getting pumped up already The first thing to interrupt their steady flying was an incoming message from the Riese itself. Had they spotted something, or gotten new orders?

"Incoming transmission from the Heion Riese, Captain."

___________________

Things had been fairly quiet so far on their voyage to the arctic circle. Apotheosis had yet to send out anything to meet them, but with the Captain's message coming over the speakers, it seemed that was likely to change. For once, they were on the offensive, forcing a response from the terrorist organization. And with any luck, they could deal a decisive blow... today would surely be a good day. 

Did you hear that, Chrissy? Do you want to meet me at the Artemis, or elsewhere?

And send. Christina's communicator would be pinging any moment.

Dadliest Catch

No matter how much she tried to get it off of her mind, Kim just couldn't shake the nagging feeling in her head. Everything... everything was different now, nothing felt quite the same, and all it took was a single revelation. It made so much sense in hindsight, but she had been completely blind to the truth this whole time, and it was taking it's toll. And it wasn't like there were particularly many sources of sagely advice around the ship... well, there was one that immediately came to mind. 

"Hey Thorvald... are you free? I... wanted to ask you some questions..." Came Seung-Min's voice, somewhat wavering and notably more... timid than usual, along with several raps against the door of their de facto squad leader's door. She could feel him inside the room, all that remained was whether he had the time, or patience, to hear her troubles. The friendly fatherly figure just felt... like the correct choice here. A warm family man seemed more in line with her woes than the more clinical approach of the psychiatrist or doctor.

The crew had some downtime before the next mission, but that didn't exactly clear Thorvald's plate of all the side projects and worries--some his own and some vicarious--that had built up since the Riese's launch. Still, he was taking a few minutes to relax between one item on his list and the next, listening to some classical music through headphones and flipping through the news on his tablet, when a knock came on his door, just loud enough to make itself heard between the cannons ringing out in the piece's grand finale.

Removing the headphones and setting them aside, along with the tablet, Thorvald hefted himself up and out of the chair he'd settled in to. Making his way over to the door and opening it revealed Lieutenant Kim, looking as she'd sounded, a bit wobbly and less self-sure than normal. "Of course, Minnie. I've got some time, wasn't doing much of anything really, when you came along. You wanna come in for a seat," he jerked a thumb behind him indicating the room in general, though by coincidence it pointed almost exactly toward one of the ballet posters on his wall, "Or should we head somewhere else?"

"Sure... here is fine." Seung-Min replied, stepping into the Specialist's room after a few moments. It was decorated fairly... classically seemed a good way to put it, somewhat artsy. It hadn't been what she might have first considered for Thorvald, but given what he had said about his wife, it wasn't all that surprising.

"I... have had a lot to think about recently, and well... you seemed like you'd have a helpful perspective, on things." Kim began, searching for her words a few moments longer. 

"If... the ANF approached you, and told you that Holly was required to serve in the military, that you had no choice or say in the matter... how... how would that make you feel?"

Oh man. The Riese's resident idol led off with one hell of a doozy. In some ways the hypothetical scenario was uncannily similar to real life, but in others the important details were all backwards and swapped around.

Buying himself a little time to work on the phrasing of the reply, Thorvald pulled out a pair of chairs from where they were usually tucked underneath the small table in the corner of the room and indicated she should make herself comfortable, then took a seat himself.

"I'd like to say..." he began, then slightly paused. "I'd like to say 'There's always a choice.' Always some other means, some way to refuse... But, supposing there really wasn't, supposing I couldn't take her place or otherwise dodge your question with some slick little loophole..." Thorvald frowned and closed his eyes, trying to really imagine it. To picture Commander Vance laying it all out on the line in that no-nonsense manner of his that--while charming when the news ended up charitable... would be utterly damning if it were the opposite.

When it finally hit, he felt sick to the stomach. "I'd feel like shit. Like I failed as a father. I'd be worried every day, feel empty, like a part of me was missing. And I'd probably make myself an absolute menace, calling her or the base or anyone I could to check up on her if I ever caught whiff she'd be doing anything more than training... Maybe even if it was just training." Thorvald laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. There was clearly more to Seung-Min's question than just what was said on the tin, so he held back from continuing too much further, trying to be both honest, yet sensitive to whatever had been left unsaid. "I'm not sure how helpful that was. Is there anything more?"

It was clear as he was deliberating that the idea was... less than pleasant, to Thorvald. The spike in his feelings was severe and obvious, and just feeling it made Seung-Min regret leading off in such a roundabout manner. As much as his response contextualized some things for her, it wasn't a blow that he deserved to take, just for her curiousity's sake. Taking the offered seat, Seung-Min let out a gentle sigh before continuing.

"I'm sorry to make you think of that, Thorvald... I just, wanted some context, I guess. Maybe some of that would help you here, as well..." Kim began, thinking out where to begin. 

"Until recently, it had been about... just under four years, since I've spoken with my mother. The way things were back home, I... always figured she never called, because I had never been properly successful... not enough for news to make it back home. That was just how things were... excellence was expected, after all." Kim paused, shaking her head a bit, fingers biting into the fabric of her skirt, knuckles turning white as she continued to squeeze.

"At the suggestion of one of the medical staff, I called them. The morning before the attack... it just... felt like the right time. I learned... a lot of things. Things I've not had time to properly think about yet... that's why I wanted to talk to you." 

Kim apologized, for what Thorvald wasn't quite sure, if anything he should be apologizing. Waving it away as the idol sat down and tried to collect the right words to begin, the state of the situation began to clear up immediately. The poor girl was struggling with her parents, and trying to figure out how to deal. While Seung-Min wasn't exactly explicit on just what had been said, or everything that she'd learned, the older pilot could infer more or less enough based on how she'd started things off, and where she'd led into.

"...I see," he added thoughtfully, and brought a hand to his chin, gently stroking his beard for a moment, trying to decide if he should just let the girl timidly continue, or to leap out in front of this.

"It's hard to compare things, sometimes, especially across cultures," Thorvald continued, having decided to get at least a few things upfront before giving her a bit more ground to herself. "So I'm not sure you should necessarily judge your parents based on how I might have handled things differently. Given how well you've turned out, I'm sure they loved you, and I'm sure that they continue to love you. Maybe they were too strict or too awkward at times, but I can't imagine they're not proud, not worried, not hopeful. If they didn't try fight the ANF when you were being recruited, well, I hope you don't hold it too much against them." He bit his lip and waited thoughtfully for the asian's reply.

"It's not that I doubt them, specifically. When I talked to my mother, she told me... well, the ANF didn't give her any way to contact me. She said she was told my... Agency would get that information, were things not to pan out." Seung-Min clarified, her face forming into a frown as she did so. Thorvald's misunderstanding was a simple enough one to make, but it still didn't stop the idea from stinging at her.

"She said that... they were... coerced into being outwardly supportive of my scouting by the military. That she wished, for once in my life, I would have failed... so they wouldn't have taken me." Kim continued, pausing for a moment. Perhaps Thorvald didn't know the culture, didn't know what sort of implication those words truly had. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, Seung-Min looked over at the older pilot, without any of her signature confidence, simply a confused teenager unsure what to think or do.

"I just... I don't know what to think... why am I here, on this ship? How deep, how far does this go... how much of my life is just... just a sham?"

Thorvald frowned as Kim began to describe how the ANF done her dirty. That wasn't a good look for them, but it certainly wasn't so outlandish as to be unbelievable. No, the pilot could definitely see it transpiring just as the lieutenant was describing. A few quiet threats, some lies and misdirection, and they end up with a pliable supersoldier to do what they will with.

But none of that really mattered to the question at the core of Kim's worries. "A sham? None of it is, Minnie. Your accomplishments are still your own, as are your setbacks, your places for improvement. Maybe you wouldn't have ended up at this destination had things gone differently, had the military not hornswoggled you and your family, but how you chose to travel the path to get here after having been set upon it. That, is not a sham. That's you."

Pressing his palms against the top of his thighs and leaning back in his chair, Thorvald closed his eyes a moment. The phrasing came to him, and he nodded, opening them again. "And, now that you know the truth, what you choose to do from hereon out is also you. Do you want to leave, go back to your parents, the Agency, to start over and try to live a life that could have been? Or do you think you want to stay, to try to turn all those mistakes surrounding your recruitment into a happy little accident instead. I have a hunch as to what you might lean toward, but then again, maybe I don't know you as well as I ought."

"I mean... it isn't really a choice. Not anymore... I thought about it... when the commander offered to let us leave, but..." Kim began, biting her lip and sighing, before clapping her hands against her cheeks a few times, settling them down  on her knees afterwards.

"We're too far into this for me to back out now. Too many people are depending on me... on us. Maybe if we were just some backwater ship posted in the middle of nowhere, but... we've become hope, for a lot of people. It's become so much... bigger than you or me." Seung-Min affirmed, leaning back in her chair.

"But it still feels... off, to simply let this sit, just like that."

Thorvald was at a bit of a loss on where to go from here. He'd tried, and thought he'd managed, a decent job at laying things on the level in such a way as to help cheer the idol up, but she was still a little off-balance. Her point about the window of grace having passed was certainly apt, to a degree--but she did reveal that even if it wasn't Vance holding the chains keeping her tied down, the millions of civilians would've been working just at hard at keeping her shackled. What could you really say to that?

"Well," bless language having an abundance of zero meaning words and phrases designed specifically to let someone buy a little time without letting awkward silence take the wheel. "You might have a bit of a leg up on me, as far as previous experiences with being the hope and joy of countless adoring fans. So at least there's that, though, admittedly, it really doesn't get to the root of things."

And that aside was about all the stalling Thorvald felt he could manage, before coming clean and fessing up. "I'm not entirely sure what the options are. I get feeling stuck, and can only imagine how uncomfortable this situation has made things for you. Maybe if we can't do anything to fix what's happened to you, maybe a good focus would be working towards making sure it stops happening to others? Though, managing to carry through on that is gonna be... Even as the current apple of the ANF's eye, that might be a little out of our reach. But maybe there is something, maybe you don't have to just 'sit' and deal with it. I'm not hitting on any great ideas immediately, as far as what a good course to plot might be, as I doubt airing out any dirty ANF laundry indiscriminately would help. But I guess, there's no reason to feel too pressured about it. Trying to rush things will just end up messy, so maybe a bit of time to weigh some ideas and hit upon a better answer is the best advice for now."

Thorvald shrugged, he didn't feel exactly like he'd accomplished a lot, and wished there was something more. But keeping up a positive face important too, and while bad things had happened, that didn't take away the good that resulted as well. Lieutenant Kim would be able to work her way to a strong conclusion. It might take all of her friends, and the renewed contact with her family, to do so, but that's why you have those bonds in the first place. "Always remember, you're not in this alone. I know I probably didn't help all that much, but I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to swing on by and use me as a sounding board."

He leaned forward a bit, and moved to correct any mistaken conclusions. "Sorry if that came off weird, I'm not kicking you out by any means. If you want, we can keep bouncing ideas around for the rest of the afternoon. Or if I wandered down the wrong path, and missed your point, by all means, let's back things up and take another go at it."

"Not at all, Thorvald. Speaking to you was very helpful... it's given me a greater perspective, on things." Seung-Min replied, shaking her head at Thorvald's assertion that he might not have been of help. His ideas were solid ones, and even if they didn't give immediate answers, it was likely no one could. Things just didn't come in simple, neatly wrapped packages like that.

"Everything just... it all came to a head, out of nowhere. I had never suspected anything. There is no... easy answer. But that doesn't mean there won't be an answer, that I can find. Thank you, Thorvald." Kim added, standing after a few moments. He might not have been kicking her out, but there was still more she could do, in order to try and get to the bottom of all of this... and there's no time like the present.

"I need to think some things over, and see if I can't... try and figure out more, without... stirring the pot too much to keep it steady. If you think of anything that might help, please let me know... but before we can change anything, we need to win this war."

Thorvald nodded as Kim made to leave. There definitely was a lot on her plate, and some of it was certainly things she'd need to tackle alone. "Right you are. If something comes to mind, I'll be sure to pull you aside. But, I'm glad you came, felt you could have this talk with me. My door will always be open if you need another." Then he smiled and added. "And absolutely. Let's win this, then clean up the rest of the messes."

Oh Captain My Captain

Edited January 4, 2019 by Ether

[Xinnidy]

Situation... Normal?

It was... still awkward to deal with Jessica after the reveal, honestly. There were still times when Roxanna was asked to take care of the bridge, but the XO couldn't help but wonder if she was needed at all now. The crew already had a lower opinion of Roxanna than Jessica before, and now she was confirmed more capable by virtue of... being who she was. It wasn't an exaggeration to feel like an ornament at that point, was it?

"A single machine on open ocean sounds like them, alright..." Memories of Apotheosis' first attack came back to Roxanna vividly, with the feed fleets of machines flying over the pacific ocean. "We should have our main cannons aimed at their route, at least." If it were one of those aliens, they really couldn't afford allowing them to get the jump.

And there went Jess again, establishing a connection to the Avalon without the use of a device. That would take a lot of getting used to. For now, the XO only stared in morbid curiosity.

Ice Cream Business

Over the short time she'd been with the Riese, Caroline had somewhat taken over the cafeteria as her personal cooking spot, she had so many tools to work with! It's not like she was on an ANF paycheck, so the usual means to gain a supplementary income were still needed. While others would have their work over once they returned from the battlefield... Caroline's work was never over, and today proved no different. At least the usual ground crew was becoming a fan of her brownies, but the ice cream she stocked before hopping on the Riese was selling at a worrisome rate, and that wasn't good. Caroline wasn't going to make a profit unless she sold over half her supplies!

This afternoon was no different, going around the many places on the bottom deck and offering some sweet treats for those on break --it worked especially well when people were at the gym or the pool--! Still, there were times when one would need to pack up. The slow spell had started, most hands on deck, and those who weren't were preparing their dinners, snacktime would come again later. Caroline made her way back, carrying a hefty box of sweets and ice cream on her arms.

What Caroline wasn't expecting was a very low, muffled noise as she took a turn at the end of the recreational room's hall, it had come from... the room at the corner, maybe? She wasn't aware what that place was meant for, but apparently it was one of the head mechanic's special room. Honestly, it wasn't weird for noise to come out of that corner the Riese, but it was weird to think the head mechanic was still working down there, when everybody else had mostly left the bottom deck, or were at the cafeteria... another muffled sound.

Caroline could head the door being opened, and, while curious as she was, a really strong chill came over her. Instinctively, Caroline stepped back into the hall, hugging the wall, and peeking her head through. A pink haired woman left the place... was she the head mechanic? Caroline retreated her head quickly, in any case --wouldn't do to be spotted peeking like that, would seem suspicious at best--. Honestly, Caroline wasn't that acquainted with the Riese crew to know what was the deal with that mechanic, but maybe it wasn't a good idea to hail her. She peeked again... yep, she already left, probably in a hurry.

Probably nothing, I shouldn't think too hard about it. Caroline reasoned with herself. She made her way across the corner like normal, but then another muffled noise stopped her in her tracks, a chill even stronger than before.

That was yelling, wasn't it?

Caroline's heart started beating faster, doing an 180 and staring at the entrance door reluctantly. That mechanic was nowhere to be found... and wasn't that an exclusive room for her? So why...

Caroline gulped, slowl step towards the door, imposing as it looked. She fought with herself whether it was a good decision at all, but slowly curiosity won out, as evident by her slowly extending arm. She rapped on the door. "H-hello?" No good, she was afraid of making too much noise, but would it reach whoever was out there... in there? Could she open the door? She had no idea how it worked. I don't think my ID card gives me the permit... She cursed her lack of knowledge of the Riese silently... but there wasn't much she could do, was there?

Caroline only hoped she wasn't setting herself up for a nasty surprise.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Xinnidy

[Phoenix]

The Kids Are Alright (Part 2/2 3)

Spoiler

Tonya waited with Vasiliy outside of the room the children would be using, amusing herself with the boy's questions while they waited for the others to catch up. "I wouldn't mind teaching you how to pilot it, but I'm giving you a fair warning, Vasiliy ... it's going to take a lot of practice ... and I mean a lot. The only reason Hannah managed on her first try is because she's got precise control of her movements. Humans just aren't built that way."

"You are," Vasiliy said, figuring she wouldn't be able to pilot it any other way.

Tonya smirked, "I let my body do what it wants. That's all. Sometimes the conscious mind just gets in the way."

Vasiliy didn't want to admit that what she'd just said was way over his head, but ... "I ... don't understand."

"If you're serious about learning how to pilot it, then I'll show you what I'm talking about."

"Vasiliy, she just means she doesn't think about what she's doing... Like, a wild animal, doing what comes naturally." A rude comparison, but accurate in her mind, Liliana had joined the conversation after running ahead of Brant.

---

"Uhm..." Akilina paused, before nodding. "It started when I was eight... I didn't tell anyone about it because I thought, maybe they'd take me away. Force me to pilot, or something. Not even, Lili and Vasy know... I'm just... I feel really safe, so it, slipped out... S-Sorry..."

"... oh man," Brant was dumbfounded. If Akilina had taken after more than just Brant's appearance ... "I think I get it now. I can actually tell now that I know what to look for," he nodded. "Don't worry, Aki. You're safe ... and piloting is my job. There are way less dangerous things you can do around here." Sasha had shown him that much.

What were the odds, though? It was a little weird to think Dima's experiment had actually produced a TK in the end, but in some ways, that was what Brant cared least about. This was a happy, healthy child that was as happy to meet him as he was to meet her. If she was developing into a TK like her father and uncle, just a bonus~

"I'm glad you're getting along with the kids, Brant," Tonya raised her voice to reach the incoming father-daughter pairing. They were so close already it was almost too cute to watch. To think Rosa had a hand in this ... "Sorry for keeping my lips sealed but ... you know."

"It's alright," Brant waved away the apology.

"Okay. That's nice to hear... Though I don't know what I can really do."

---

Vasiliy meanwhile sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "Even animals think, but ... it kind of ... makes sense." He was at least getting a mental image now, thanks to Liliana's instinct comparison. "How does her body know how to move when piloting a mobile suit, though ...?"

"Years of rigorous training?" Liliana offered, shrugging and stepping into the room... Hannah was already packing things, and that Chris was working on a bed. What a cozy little room, for a ship... She didn't hesitate to bounce in, throwing herself onto the bed. Made Chris jump a bit, but the blonde just smiled.

"Happy to get some rest, Lili?"

"Yeah... That was a long flight, really cramped. I don't mind sleeping with my siblings, but not in the back of a cockpit..."

Chris reached over and pet her hair some, the girl flinching at the touch only for a moment, before easing into it. "Feel free to rest all you want. We're just two rooms over, alright? If you get scared, or worried, there's a panel next to the door. I'll put a shortcut for Brant's number... One of us will come running. Or both."

Liliana sat up slowly, nodding. "You're... Really nice."

"I'm just really happy... I can be pretty mean, sometimes."

"Hannah said that. But... But if you're like this with us, I think things will be okay."

Chris shot the android a wry smile. Hannah smiled back and shrugged.

...

"Lili likes poking at AIs... Vasy wants to pilot. I'm... I dunno. Maybe I'll find something, but... I... Don't really know yet."

"Don't worry about it too much. There's no rush," Brant assured his younger daughter.

"Not until you hit thirty-five," Tonya chimed in with a smirk. Brant couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

Vasiliy took it seriously but didn't actually touch it. He knew Tonya was thirty-five herself, since he'd taken the gigantic risk of asking her age. She'd trained Brant, so it stood to reason she was significantly older than him ... but he had to be sure. All the blondes they had run into so far looked fairly young. "We'll all help you find something you like to do," he promised, volunteering everyone present in the process.

"As long as there's no pressure," Brant noted warily. It really wasn't that big a deal in the short term, not having a major hobby or job. Youth was as well spent finding as doing in his view. "Come on, let's catch up to Lily."

"Wh-What happens when you turn thirty five?" a suddenly nervous Akilina asked the three... Was that a joke?

Tonya followed them into the room, grinning mischievously at Akilina the whole way in. "Why that's obvious. You see adorable children and just want to run up and hug them~" Somehow she made the prospect of a hug sound dubious, prompting a protective scowl from Brant. "I've been sitting on this secret for twenty-four straight hours. I want hugs, too."

She glanced at Vasiliy, who didn't assume he might become Tonya's first victim. He didn't even see her eyes on him as he approached the bed and the center of the room.

"So," Brant raised his voice just enough to carry to his intended audience, "Will this room work for the three of you?"

"Ye-whagh!" Vasiliy was ensnared by Tonya before he could give his approval.

"Hahahahah, I got one!"

"Whhh... I don't get it." Akilina was confused, but Liliana was amused... And felt a little left out, again, seeing Aki in Brant's arms, and Tonya 'harassing' Vasiliy.

"Tonya, don't abuse the kid, come on-- whoa... Hey, Lili." Chris had been hugged when she wasn't paying attention, patting the girl gently. "I guess it's fine if you tease him a little." She sat down on the bed's edge to help Liliana hug her more easily, the girl scooting forward and leaning against her.

"This is going to be really nice... Mom."

That hit Chris pretty hard, staring at Liliana in shock for a bit, before bringing her sweater to her eyes again. "Y-Yeah. It's gonna work out great. We're all really nice here, so... S-So, thanks."

"I could almost take a picture," Hannah mused quietly... "In fact... And no one will ever know~"

Mom? Chris certainly had Liliana's vote of confidence, though the term immediately made Brant think of Rosa. How was he going to fill her in on all of this? Vasiliy couldn't have noticed it, flailing uselessly like he was, but Brant noticed Tonya glancing at him quite seriously. She wasn't a TK, not like Akilina here, but sometimes she just knew. For now, Brant was just going to enjoy the evening, and get to know his daughters and nephew ... his poor struggling nephew.

"Gah!"

"Okay, I've finally gotten my fix," Tonya's smile returned as she released the boy. "Hmm~"

Vasiliy couldn't believe the Reign's original test pilot had just gone from chatting with him to hugging the tar out of him, all in just a few moments. This ship had a much ... homier feeling to it than the mansion. Even when Karla was alive, things came down to discipline and etiquette. If they were doing well on those fronts, then they could expect some praise and attention, but otherwise ... well, they learned quickly. Here though ... everyone was happy to have them around, even if they weren't acting like the well educated son and daughters of the exceedingly wealthy ...

"Can you put me down, dad?" Aki wasn't going to make a fuss about it, but the bed was looking really inviting...

"Thank you all," Liliana suddenly said, letting go of Chris and standing up, before curtsying ever so slightly. "I don't know what the future is going to hold, but none of us have been this excited or happy for years. If... If ever. I don't know if I've ever been happier, so... So thank you. Hannah for coming to get us, Tonya, Chris... Dad. For all making this place feel like a home, and not a hold. It means the world. At least to me."

"M-Me too," Aki quickly joined in.

"You're all welcome..." Chris smiled over at Brant, standing herself up and sniffling the rest of those happy tears away. "What do you say we get these kids in bed, and then tackle anymore questions?"

Brant gently set Akilina down, his thoughts returning to the issue of her very likely being a TK, and how he might broach that topic with the others at some point. For now, he wanted to let his daughter keep her secret. She could bring it up when she was comfortable doing so or eventually be detected by Chris or Firmia. Brant would just be surprised all over again if Akilina would play along.

Liliana was quick to thank everyone, for both the rescue and the incredibly warm welcome. Akilina and Vasiliy followed suit. "Yes, thank you for everything you've done for us, and for letting us stay here."

Chris then suggested getting the kids ready for bed and then getting back to the questions, which seemed like the parental thing to do. Brant wondered whether he would outlast the kids, or if they would outlast him. It'd be a little embarrassing to wake up in the morning leaning up against the foot of the bed. "Good idea. Ready to change and get to bed?"

"I want to take a bath first," Vasiliy said, figuring changing into sleepwear also warranted a good wash.

"You've got your own bathroom, so sure." This ought to be interesting ...

"Oh, me too! ... Is there only one bathroom in this room?" Liliana sighed. "Guess we'll have to wait..." They were beyond the age for bathing with their brother. Liliana sat back on the bed, and Akilina headed over to sit next to her. 

"Tonya, do you wanna take them to your room to have a quick bath? Or ours, whichever. Just figure it would be best to get them all clean around the same time." And it would give Chris a minute to talk to Brant without them.

"I'm going to go see how Firmia's doing," Hannah mentioned, heading for the door. "Their clothes are set out for now. They can put them into their dresser however best they want. Have fun, you two." And that was the end of the android, heading out the room and down the hall, to Firmia's.

"I've got a better idea," Tonya grinned, that same mischievous grin as before, Brant noted.

Same target, too. "What is it ...?" Vasiliy asked as Tonya approached him.

"Let's let the girls have this one," Tonya said, just before picking Vasiliy up, "You can use one of the other ones. That's how big brothers handle things, right?"

"O-of course, but ..." Vasiliy wasn't sure why he was being carried. Perhaps Tonya hadn't gotten this 'fix' of hers after all. She at least grabbed a comfortable change of clothes for him before heading for the door.

"Snrk. Well that works. See you when you're done with your bath, Vasiliy," Brant waved.

"Oh, sweet! Have fun Vasy!" Liliana stuck her tongue out at him as he disappeared through the door, grabbing Akilina's hand and tugging her off the bed. "Lets go lets go~ I wanna see what the baths here are like!"

"A-Alright, alright... You don't have to pull." The girls headed into the washroom, lesving Chris and Brant with momentary silence... The blonde hit the bed hard, sighing.

"Am I dreaming, Brant? She called me mom... I have to be dreaming. This is crazy."

Again, Brant thought of Rosa, and again he wondered what he would tell her. It was a touchy issue, but it was one far enough ahead of them that Brant could easily put it out of mind. No need to rain on Chris' parade. This might be the happiest anyone aboard felt until the war with Apotheosis was over and behind them.

"You're not dreaming," Brant shook his head in amusement. The implications, or expectations?, they were definitely present, now. "No pressure or anything," Brant said, mostly to himself.

"Good. Because I don't want to wake up... I don't know how they managed to survive, but... They did. This is really big, Brant." Sitting up, Chris tried to piece together what to do now... "Now we... We really have to survive. There's no way we can die, now. Not to anyone. You hear me?" Of course he knew that, but the thought of getting shot down was more terrifying than ever. How'd she even get here? Shouting at Kim to kill her, in the cockpit of some tossed away prototype, and now, riding copilot for Brant and playing surrogate mom for three kids? Just made my head spin...

The thought of either of them being killed at this point sent chills down Brant's back. He knew exactly how Chris felt, now. "We'll be careful," Brant nodded, "and anyone who tries to take a swing at this ship is getting atomized." ... oh great, the paternal instincts were even more homicidal than he thought they were. Brant couldn't help but chuckle nervously at what he'd just said. "I hope they didn't hear that ..."

"Probably didn't hear it, but Aki might've felt it... Don't get too murderific around them. I agree, but, still... I'd rather none of them end up like us, if we can help it. But... Vasiliy already wants to pilot. Akilina's a TK... Can probably keep Liliana away from it... Though, it seems like she's got a little bit of a rivalry with Vasiliy." Siblings...

"What about you, Brant? I don't want to make all the decisions, here... They aren't technically even my kids."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Brant smiled pityingly for his daughter. It looked like Akilina's secret was going to become public knowledge sooner rather than later. It was still an amazing coincidence ... if it really was just a coincidence.

"Well, I'd definitely prefer it if they all just focus on being happy and leave the fighting to us. Even though Vasiliy wants to pilot, he doesn't have to be a combat pilot. He could just as easily put on airshows for Firmia's company." Despite his training, Brant was a test pilot on paper and would be expected to do that sort of thing on the side if he was good enough; maybe he could point Vasiliy in the right direction.

"Lily will probably join in if it's really a rivalry," Brant went on, "And as for Aki, maybe we should talk with Firmia about that. She might have some ideas. It seems simple enough though ... don't let people talk her into anything dangerous."

"Airshows sounds fun... That way he isn't putting his life on the line past being able to not crash. And if piloting is genetic, he'll do just fine." Noticed it? Had Brant not? "Yeah, I did... It's faint, but it's pretty obvious. She's probably not very strong, but she's really young, so... I don't really know expectancy on these things."

Chris sighed. "I hope she doesn't. And... Ahhh, geez... What do you think Rex is going to do with Vasiliy?" She didn't really know much about him. Brant did, probably had some idea... She couldn't be cruel enough as to keep a child away from their actual parent-- to people that weren't Rosa, she didn't deserve these kids. Still, it was a worry.

"Too many thoughts... I should start worrying about what I'm making for breakfast tomorrow. Christina's memories, don't fail me now."

There were definitely risks with flying in airshows, risks the Russians were sadly notorious for. Brant wasn't worried about Vasiliy, though. He seemed so far from reckless he might turn out to be a better pilot than his father or uncle.

As for Rex, Brant could see a few different outcomes, though none of them involved leaving Vasiliy on the Avalon. The fact they hadn't called him immediately and told him what was going on would likely be a sore spot for him. The crux of the matter eclipsed everything; Rex worked for the EU, and didn't have a safe place to keep Vasiliy, anyway. It might be impossible for him to take his son with him until he was off duty, again. "Not sure, but the EU probably doesn't want kids on their warships unless they're child soldiers ... so that's out," Brant scowled at the thought.

"Wait ..." Brant got caught on the last thing Chris had said, "You're handling breakfast in the morning?" He didn't know how good of a cook Christina was, or if Chris had really inherited enough to retain whatever skill might have been there.

"You don't want me to?" His thoughts on Rex were calming ones, at least. If Rex wanted to teach his son how to pilot, Chris didn't care, as long as it wasn't during a war. Simulators were simulators. As for breakfast... "That's what the mom does, right? Or is that too archaic... Christina's got a lot of cooking memories in here, figure if she's any good at cooking, I might also be. Besides, maybe I can get some of the kids to help me, little, bonding experience. Unless you want to cook." Did Brant have the faintest idea how?

"Heh." If she knew how, and was willing, Brant wanted to see it. He wanted to taste it. Chris did give him an idea, though. "Why don't we make it one big project, then? You, me, and the kids can make breakfast ... or try at any rate ..."

"You know we're gonna make a huge mess in the kitchen and piss off Firmia, right? Does the ship even have a janitor?"

Brant sighed, figuring Firmia would take care of the janitor problem in the most pragmatic way possible. "Yeah, US, if this gets too out of hand."

"Heh... Hahaha~ Alright, then yeah, let's do it. This sounds great... Ahh... I didn't think I'd be this happy. All I can think about is how much fun this is going to be. Yeah... It's not going to be anywhere near easy. But... I get to be a mom. And that... That's amazing. I'm gonna be the best mom ever. Just you watch."

The best? That level of motivation was going to be incredible to see in action, especially coming from Chris. It was just a shame she didn't seem to have any obvious competition in that area to measure against. The best Brant could do was wonder about Thorvald's wife and how she was with their child. Speaking of which ... this might come as quite the surprise to the people he knew aboard the Riese, Thorvald included. He might actually have a good laugh about this one if Brant steered clear of the details. Everything up to this point had been torturous, and so if this was going to amount to a happy ending, it would be a hard earned one.

"Same, though I'll try to be the best father I can be." With that, Brant sat down beside Chris and put his arm over her shoulder. "... among other things ..." It was still difficult to initiate on that front, but after what had just happened, he wanted to try.

"Considering how quickly you stepped into carrying Akilina, and how... I dunno, it just feels pretty natural, watching you with them. I guess that doesn't mean much for parenting, but, you're stubborn. And in some ways, that can be a good thing. You won't quit at this until you're doing well enough to settle." Among other things, huh? Chris smiled, leaned against him, but ended up laughing a bit. "I don't think you're going to have a lot of time for that, much as the thought is... Exciting." Having the kids knock in the middle of something like that...

"Besides... Isn't... Three enough?" A sheepish glance looked up at him. "Not that I'd mind, but... And I guess Rex is going to take Vasiliy when he can... And... I know, they're... Not, mine, really, but... Well..."

Brant felt nervous thinking of the kids showing up at the wrong time, but realistically, they were just one of many potential show stoppers he and Chris had to worry about. She seemed more concerned with numbers down the line, though. Brant was more inclined to roll the dice if it came to that.

"There's time for both," Brant said, looking like the 'schedule' was already coming together in his head. Really, he was just sure all these jobs could be managed with some consideration ... even the ship custodian portion, should Firmia kick that ball into their court, too. The real challenge was the same as it had always been, breaking free of the pain and the confusion surrounding everything. The children had offered a brief escape from all of that, but Brant knew it'd be back in force, sooner or later ... even if for right now all he felt was relief, gratitude, and some measure of happiness.

As for that number she quoted ... "Three's fine, but ... so is thirteen or twenty-three. If I had my way, all the children would have survived. That's ... just how I feel about it. If I manage to bring someone new into this world, it's a blessing for the most part."

"She put you through that many... Geez, what the fuck?" Chris shook her head, her shot of happiness muddied for a moment. "Alright, not worried... If it happens, it happens. But... Probably not more than once. I'm strong, but I'm still small. Can't imagine the havoc that'll do to my body..." Sort of, can't believe I'm even thinking about having his kids... But I guess it's not, exactly about having his. Just... About having one. Something, as concrete as it gets, to prove that my existence meant something. Though, meaning is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? I'm sure Brant would be happy even if I never did... Life is hard.

"I'll trust you on there being time for both, then. And... Don't push yourself to make that time soon. We've had a few moments, where the timing felt right... But it's only right if you're in the moment for it. Take your time. There's plenty else to do."

"Well ..." Brant had meant Rex's children, too. Really, he didn't know exactly how many times Rosa had been pregnant, or which children belonged to whom. Really, he was taking it on faith that Vasiliy was his nephew, and Liliana and Akilina were his daughters. It felt that way, but no one had handed him a DNA test, yet ...

"... not just my kids," Brant left it at that and moved on, "Anyway, that's more or less what I had in mind. Just ... seeing what happens. And don't worry, I'm not going to overdo things," he said, resting his head against hers, "It's too important, now."

"Still..." Didn't matter how many went through who, that many was beyond ridiculous. "Enough thinking about that woman! More thinking about now. More thinking about how adorable your daughters are, and how much we're going to have to answer in a few more minutes... Oh, no they're gonna bring up Rosa, aren't they..." Chris groaned, slipping under Brant's arm and onto the bed.

"No more~ I can't take it~ I'm so tired of hearing about her... Move on, sweet world." Chris played it up a bit, sighed, and grumbled. "I'll manage... If I can survive this, I can survive anything that comes with parenting."

Brant smiled bitterly at the mention of Rosa. If Chris wanted that problem to be over and done with, she wasn't going to be very happy with him whenever he decided to break the news to Rosa. This was a challenge that would be sticking around for a good while. Brant didn't want to stay on the topic though, so he simply rubbed her arm supportively. "Don't worry about it for now ..." he managed.

"I'm just playing it up... I already told you, whatever you decide it right for you is what I'll work with. Just don't know how to tell the kids why she isn't here. 'Mommy hurt daddy really badly', I don't know if it'll cover their curiosity... But maybe. Are we going to tell her? Can I be there, if so? I won't say anything... Just feel like sitting there with one of the girls on my lap and a smile on my face will do enough damage."

"Mrgh ..." The mental image Chris had painted for Brant wasn't what he had in mind. He wanted to speak with Rosa about this alone, but was willing to have Chris there if she wasn't going to try to antagonize her. Having the children present was all but out of the question. "It's ... fine if it's just you, but I can't spring this on her like that. She needs to know about them and have time to process it before she meets any of them."

"Mrrrrrrr... Fiiiiiiiine... Then I'll say things, but I'll try not to be... Overly, antagonistic." Chris grumbled and rolled on the bed a bit, as the water in the other room shut off.

"Don't you think these are too big, Lili?"

"They're the only bath robes in here... Just treat it like a big blanket. It's fine."

"Okay, okay... It's comfy, at least..."

"Guess those two are done," Chris remarked, picking herself off the bed and patting her sweater down a bit. "You don't think Tonya is scarring Vasiliy too badly, do you?"

"It'd be better if you weren't even slightly antagonistic," Brant winced, "She deserves to know what happened here, but otherwise I wouldn't tell her because ... it's ... going to hurt her ... badly." He couldn't find the right word for it, so he settled for 'badly' in frustration. Brant wanted to try and explain his fears without his mood slipping. Not possible, not with the memories flooding back. He had to leave it there though, since the girls would be back before he could manage anything else.

"I'm sure Vasiliy's fine," Brant nodded, managing only a somber smile this time.

Chris stared at Brant, trying to smile, but ultimately failing. "Alright. No antagonizing." She still deserves it. She doesn't deserve these children, this happiness, for what she did to you. I can't understand why you're doing this, Brant... I get that she's a victim of Dima, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore... Ugh, too difficult. Kids, think about the kids. Happy kids... Happy Brant. Simple.

"Good. She's just implanting the, 'attracted to hot blondes' seed early. Poor kid..."

... the seed that blossoms eternal ...

Bigger Better Bonds

Spoiler

"So you were over there, again ..." Firmia's patience was clearly waning, but just the same, she didn't have any 'solutions' on hand that she liked. "So," she said, plopping down on the edge of her bed while Brant stood near the entrance, "what did you want to talk about? And why in private?"

Brant crossed his arms and tried to get more comfortable. "I figured if it was just between us, you'd have an easier time saying exactly what you mean, exactly how you mean it. And, like you probably guessed ... it's about Jess."

"What about her?" Firmia's expression was neutral, but Brant felt that little bit of irritation emerge. She was trying, but it was what it was.

"... alright," Brant braced himself a little, "Do you still hate her? What I mean is ... are you as put off by her as you were last week?"

Firmia scowled, but didn't say anything at first. She slowly rose to her feet, crossed her arms, and drew just close enough that either of them could reach out and touch the other. "Only when I see you," she said, her eyes narrowing as she gauged his reaction.

"Even though I've changed?" Brant asked, letting a little too much hope slip into the question. Really, he wasn't expecting to help Firmia rationalize her way out of this, especially if she didn't want to, but he was here to try and get her onto a different line of thinking. If he couldn't pull it off then the next time Jessica tried to talk to her, she would just get the Rosa treatment.

"What do you want? For me to go talk things out with her and make up? That isn't going to work!"

Brant squinted. "Not going to 'work'? What do you mean?" There was just something in how she'd said it, almost like there were mechanics involved outside her influence. That didn't really make sense.

"It. Won't. Work." Firmia turned partway from Brant and sighed. "I'm not going to pretend to forgive her, and I'm not going to buy into whatever she says this time. Things are going to have to be fine just the way they are."

"Oh no they aren't," Brant let his arms fall, coming off the wall and stepping over to her, "You shouldn't be feeling this way about another person, especially one who isn't even trying to hurt you. If there's even a chance I can't help you past that ..."

"Alright, I'll try to explain this as clearly as I can," Firmia turned to face him, again, "Nothing Jessica ever said to me has had any meaning or substance to go with it. That chatbot will say whatever gets her through the conversation, and after that it's back to business as usual. That's what she does, and I'm not going through the motions with her again. Everything she says is meaningless."

Brant winced. He couldn't help but recall that casual show of affection, the last he'd received from her before everything fell apart. "Like when she was telling off Rosa?" This was one way to ask her about that day.

Firmia nodded reluctantly. "That was the first time. I was just worried about getting my mobile suits, but it was still surprising in hindsight. I figured she would try to look after her new boyfriend, but I was just your friend and a guest on the ship. Why would she get protective of me ...? It was probably because of my age ... and if that's all it was ..."

Brant smiled bitterly. So Firmia had indeed gotten a bad impression from that. "Bit off more than she could chew with Firmia Alkaev."

"No, she's just an idiot ... and I was an idiot for believing she would amount anything more than a negligent, dimwitted captain who can only 'oops, sorry' her way through life."

"Well," Brant shrugged, "she's getting there. Is there any chance you'll be able to forgive her if she keeps improving?"

"We're not test cases for her to get in all of her dumb mistakes. Besides, things really are fine this way. Just because I despise her doesn't mean I'm going to endanger the mission. I have an agreement with the ANF, mainly Commander Vance. Jessica is just one of his subordinates. If you're worried about me trying to sabotage the Riese just to get to her, don't."

"I'm not worried about anything like that, Firmia," Brant sighed, "it's just ... having that kind of intense anger inside of you is going to find ways to influence your actions, maybe not as far as sabotage, but ... it doesn't take much to rationalize some pretty cruel things. Jess knows that, too. That's why she wanted me to tell you something. 'Whatever you feel about me, don't let the rest of this ship's crew suffer for it.'"

"Anything that happens to the Riese is her fault and the blame lies entirely with her," Firmia shrugged, "I'm doing my job. I'm making the Avalon as strong as I can, sharing important information, and losing sleep trying to cover every angle I possibly can. She has more than enough power to run that ship and keep everyone on it in line. If not, then she should spend her free time learning how instead of constantly trying to have fun with her criminal crutch. Besides, maybe someone actually getting killed will finally get through to her."

Before Brant could fully react like she knew he would, Firmia quickly added, "I don't want anyone to get hurt ... aside from the spies, but that's probably the only thing that would have a lasting effect on her. If guilt is her biggest fear in this then she should get a face full of it and all of the blame."

"Yyyeah, people dying tends to have a lasting effect," Brant put in wryly, "Anyway it's way too late for that kind of thing to be worth the heartache. She's probably going to leave the ANF after the war's over. A big wakeup call isn't worth someone's life if we can win without that."

"Then it's a good thing she's probably leaving. Honestly, if the war is almost over, then there's no point in smoothing things over with her. No matter how much I don't like her, if she's not here, then I can't do anything to get back at her. So what's the point of this? No matter how much she apologizes, nothing she says means anything to me. She might as well be speaking gibberish for all the good it does."

"So ..." Brant crossed his arms again, trying to parse everything Firmia was saying, "Because she's fake to you, no amount of apologizing is going to help. Even if she means it and you know deep down she means it?"

Firmia's eyes darted to Brant, a desperate anger about them, "I don't know anything that's going on in that head of hers. Even the impressions I get from her are fake. All I can judge her by are her actions, and so far all she's done is validate my feelings. She's a coward, a liar, a whore, and a literal fake. There's nothing for me to forgive, and since we're almost through this damn war, no reason to stress myself out trying. Don't think for one second that this is somehow going to end with us all being good friends.

"I'd rather have been friends with Louise. Even that homicidal maniac had more integrity than Jessica. Some of the criminals we're taking down are more respectable she is, so forgive me for not even liking the idea of what you're suggesting."

"... whew, okay ..." There was a lot to unpack there, and Brant wasn't even sure where to start if Firmia was serious about befriending someone who'd threatened to do unpleasant things with her spine. "Firmia ... you don't have to be friends-"

"I wanted to," she murmured.

"What?"

"I was hoping she would ... finally see what she'd done. Really see it. Cry like we cried. That's why I wanted her to go and talk to you before the transfer. I figured some closure would help you, too ... but even though she said she would ..."

"... before the transfer ..."

"It was before we met Louise at the beach," Firmia explained, "I told Jessica to talk to you and settle things. End this before it gets any worse. Your well being wasn't worth risking her fun on the beach, so she passed, because of course."

Brant grimaced. Firmia probably knew better, but she just couldn't possibly interpret that any other way. Brant wouldn't be able to back then, either. There was the chance Jessica had simply put it off; who would want to have that kind of chat at the beach if they could be doing something else? Brant didn't speak to Jessica again until she was revealed to be an android, which was definitely a point for Firmia. If nothing else, Jessica had put off Firmia's advice in hopes of not having the beach outing become a complete downer, which didn't conflict with Alkaev's theory in any meaningful way. As far as she was concerned, Jessica was at the very least content to let Brant wallow in misery until she ran out of distractions. Brant was starting to see how the Alkeav's dislike had evolved into this monster. The incident she cited was effectively invisible, but it was twisting Firmia's mental image of Jessica, and each new grievance magnified of all the prior ones, creating a damning narrative that there was no way out of. Like she'd said, coward, liar, whore, and so on. These weren't just insults, Firmia tied each name to something.

"When did she finally talk to you ...?" Firmia's gaze fell, settling on Brant's legs, "Once she thought fun times with Abigail were over. That's the moment when she calls ... and not again since. Disgusting. I can't be her friend. And since I can't get even with her, either ... I guess I'll just have to use that."

Firmia took a moment to clear her throat. "Something like ... 'I wanted to be your friend, but your words were always empty ... and you ruined everything in my life you touched. You aren't worthy of me or my friends. I will not acknowledge you. I will not forgive you. I will not treat you as anyone of value in my life. And no, your punishment isn't all of this, ANF android. Your punishment is knowing that I wanted to forgive you. I wanted all of that.' ... her punishment, and my revenge, will be knowing that it's what I wanted, too."

"... and you can't still have that?" Brant asked, "What good is punishing yourself to try and punish Jessica?"

"I'm not punishing myself," Firmia shook her head. She turned and came back over to the edge of her bed. "We're opposites when it comes to people." She slowly took a seat at the edge of her bed. "You seem to want all the connections you can have. I want as few as possible. I already have too many. Every person close to me is precious, and I would blow up continents for their sake. Even planets. Really nothing's too big to destroy. I'd certainly fight wars for them. They're the people I'm living and fighting for. For me, a friend is something precious. Don't think I can be friends with someone like Jessica, someone who constantly disappoints and took- ... urgh."

Brant hung his head, silently dreading what Firmia was likely to come out with, next. He already knew a thing or two about Firmia's intentions. Hannah had caught onto them so early on that only Jessica ought to be surprised if Firmia was about to say what he thought she was.

"... took ... I just can't," Firmia snapped, "I hated the idea of you and her suddenly hooking up! I was the only one around for months and then Grandfather sent you to America for no damn reason! All I could do was see you off and hope nothing happened. Naturally, without my Grandfather threatening everyone, the first girl that sees you tries to start something ..."

Brant tried to smile, but it was admittedly difficult while they were treading old ground. Still, the way she explained it was a little amusing.

"I made my peace with it. At least Jessica was serious about you ..." Firmia paused, deliberately letting Brant recall the next part. It stopped being amusing fairly quick. "And then suddenly you and Hannah were and weren't something ... and then I got pulled into this ... and then Chris showed up. I had to watch all this while I worked to make sure we could fight this war and still have a home! I worked knowing the two of us wouldn't have had any of these problems if we were together!

"I could have gotten in on this love feud too, but it's too early, and since I'm the only one who thinks ahead and everyone else is just trying to pair off like rabbits, all I can do is go along for the ride! ... and all of it because of Jessica and her stupid programming ..."

"And mine," Brant noted as Firmia began to calm down somewhat.

"... you were just trying not to be shallow," Firmia looked away.

Brant sighed. She almost never passed up a chance to jab at the enemy she'd built up for herself. "So ... I shouldn't bother having Jess talk to you, then. It'd ... be a complete waste of both your time."

Firmia looked his way again, furious. "Why?! Why do you want us to get along?!" Although their eyes met, Brant's gaze was distant, not fully engaged in the matter at hand. "Just ... why?! At least explain that ..."

"I just ... don't want you to carry anything like what I'm carrying, Firmia. That's all."

"What you're carrying?"

Brant managed a small bitter grin. "I guess it's my turn to vent a little, huh? Listen, Firmia. Do you really think you're the one who's most upset with Jessica?"

"You're ... saying I'm not ...?" She seemed to understand his hint.

"It never had to be like that," Brant said as he began to pace, "Just talk to me. Give me a chance to see the other side of things. Show me that everything you said and did before was real, at least ... just give me something. Don't just avoid me and expect things to smooth over. ... so many thoughts like that," he shook away the mental musings, "To this day Jess has me questioning things I shouldn't be questioning, Firmia."

Firmia shrunk slightly.

"I felt worthless. I couldn't understand how Abigail showing up could just negate everything completely. I expected to be friendzoned or something, but I guess since Jess was the one in the wrong she just couldn't deal with things in a balanced way. Or at all, really. Problem was ... all I had were those weak apologies you hate so much ... and that sense that maybe I'm really not worth much, myself ... not when there's literally any other option to choose from. ... and that's the thing, really ..."

"What?"

"I missed Rosa. I missed her too much to stay away. For Jess to push me away so much that it broke the spell and the idea of being Rosa's victim lost all meaning ... that's incredible. There was always the chance that it wasn't real with Rosa, either ... that instead of a 'one woman's trash is another woman's treasure' scenario, I'm just trash all around. Remember, she went after Rex first and never stopped. I can't trust what I know anymore. The doubts are always there. I'm still not completely certain that Chris and I are ... well, that she loves me as much as she says she does. I'm not sure anyone ever could. All because a butterfly flapped its wings and destroyed everything I thought I knew. If he flaps again, what what good are a couple of rings going to do?"

Firmia winced, and tried to blink back some tears that were forming. Ordinarily she wouldn't feel so bad about this, but she felt the frustration and sadness Brant was no longer suppressing, and it hurt.

"And that's not all, Firmia." Brant came over to the bed and knelt down in front of her. "Can I ask you something? Do you think you could ever be ... happy for Chris and me? I know you're ... wary, and sick of this whole situation, but ... could you?"

Firmia nodded tearfully. "... I'm trying. As hard as I can."

Brant smiled. "You're stronger than I am in that area, then. As much as I want to 'be happy' for Jess and the fact that she found ... well, some kind of love ... I can't. It's not possible. I can't look past the fact that their relationship was built on my failures as a person, on my own pathetic existence. They may not see it that way, but if Jess had talked to me just a bit more, or if I'd had more time to chase her around ... Abby would be dating someone else right now, and Jess and I would be trying to figure out this two ship arrangement and how to deal with it.

"If I'm being honest, I just want their relationship to end. The sooner, the better ... but I was willing to straight up outlive Abigail if that's what it took, so I don't have any issue with whatever timing's involved. The fact that it'll end someday no matter what actually goes a long way. I don't even want to be with Jess, I just hate their relationship. I absolutely hate it. I'm trying to make sure none of my relationships look like what I saw, or what I felt, or the effects it had. I truly ... hate that relationship ... and if she'd just considered my feelings for all of five minutes, not just abandoned me, I could have gotten something different: joy, amusement, something. I could have had a funny story instead of a scar, but now I'm stuck with this. Forever."

"... you see why I hate her-"

"You see why I want you to find some peace here?!" Brant cut her off, eyes pleading, and just as tearful as hers, "I'm scarred, weighed down by doubts, and a seething hatred that I can't get rid of. You've got your scars, too. I don't want to add to that. You've got a whole world to fight after this, and you don't need anymore confusion about who your friends and foes are."

"But ... I ... can't forgive her," Firmia wimpered, "I don't even understand how you're doing this. How are you even talking to her?" To her surprise, Brant pointed his index finger at her. "Me?!" Next Brant put his hands on her shoulders. "W-what?"

"It may have been Hannah's suggestion, but you got the ball rolling. Meeting my daughters ... opened my eyes. Agape isn't just about outgoing care and concern, it's about wisdom." he forced a brief smile, "My daughters, my fiancee, my family and friends, they're the ones that deserve my best." Brant's grip on Firmia grew stronger as he continued. "I won't let anyone take away the positive effect you and the others have on me. Especially Jess. I won't let her or people in her position outweigh the people closest to me."

Brant briefly pictured Liliana asking him for help with an update she was trying to apply to Minerva, and couldn't help but feel a righteous fury well up inside of him when the caricature of himself declared with all the liveliness of a wrist cutter that he couldn't help her right now. He didn't tell her why, but the real Brant knew that the doppelganger was depressed over the Jessica situation. Brant slew him on the spot, erasing the false self image from existence. The process repeated itself, next with Akilina and an even less emotionally stable version of himself, and then a third time with Chris and a Brant whose only saving grace was his honesty about what was bothering him. Brant banished them from his mind, too.

"I went over to the Riese to give her what's left of the ring I made for her. It was hers, and I wanted her to accept it so it would be out of my life for good ... for the most part. I'm not going out of my way to see her without a reason, and I'm not asking you to do that either, Firmia. I've got too many responsibilities and people to love and look after to let that damnable relationship ruin everything. I'm just trying to address the things I can still address, and hopefully while we're not being shot at."

Firmia got it, so Brant let her shoulders go. She definitely understood, now. "You know ..." she smiled faintly as she wiped her eyes, "... negative emotions don't bother me nearly as much as they bother you. I need this one in particular." Understanding ... wasn't necessarily agreement. Exhausted mentally, Brant collapsed into the Alkaev's lap with a heavy sigh, and she patted his head a few times. "... I'm not strong enough to reject real kindness. I need them. If she wants to talk, I'll talk ... but a friend is ..." Firmia's tears came back, and immediately began to fall.

Brant rose up to face her. "Too much?"

The Alkaev wrapped her arms around Brant's head and rested her chin at the center. "... mph ..."

---

A call? From someone other than Cheryl? It was Buck from the look of things. Megumi's first and only guess was a medical emergency in the hangar area. There were a lot of ways someone's day could get ruined down there due to carelessness on someone's part. She hoped it was something else, but ... "Doctor Amparo here. Is someone hurt, Buck?"

---

Firmia normally wouldn't be wearing her SKIN suit on the bridge outside of a combat situation, but when the call from the Riese came, she was in the middle of some testing with the mechanics and some of the activated drones. She was essentially testing commands sent through the T-Link to the drones. Rather than controlling them directly like funnels, she would send orders of varying complexity and let the drones figure out the optimal way to handle any given task. Firmia tried not to laugh whenever one of the drones bumped into something or lost its balance. Rather than a complete program, Brant had opted for something similar to a learning program for these AIs. They would continue to make silly errors starting out, but something about it was endearing. More importantly, they had a shared database here on the ship. No two drones would make the same error, and no unique error would ever be made twice. There were six completed drones, and so there were six avenues of learning for the collective. Galatea was also able to upload anything specific they would need to avoid any 'fatal' errors in judgment. All in all, the program was coming along swiftly, and Firmia at least felt comfortable sending them out as a salvage team.

The young captain let her tablet lie face up in her lap as she activated the comm at her seat. "Thank you, Flores." She connected and hoped it was nothing serious, yet. Firmia rather enjoyed running these T-Link tests, and would like to get back to it as soon if she could. "Captain Alkaev here ..." Firmia mentally crossed her fingers, but she doubted the situation was still normal. It almost couldn't be if the bridge was being contacted directly ...

[Nanami Touko]

Switches Flipped

"You do that," Marianne commented, as she stepped into the engine room proper. "Iiiiiii'm gonna fuck this ship up." She then went about turning several valves, flipping switches, entering her password into the necessary command modules. She ignored the warnings that popped up with her admin privileges, humming quietly to herself as she very brazenly ruined the Riese's engine infrastructure. "Good luck fixing this, miss android." Jess may have had full control over the ship's systems, but a lot of these changes were physical and would require someone coming down to turn things back. "Sucks to suck..."

"Astin? You've met with Marianne, then." Vera replied, her voice steady over the comms. "Our apologies on not allowing you two to know each others identities. While working together might have produced more results, it could have produced more suspicions had the two of you gone after something at the same time."

"Yeah yeah, boss, I'm just happy its them. Now, Astin, hun, we've got about ten seconds before the captain notices I've ruined her vessel, and she sends the goons after us. I parked the Ceres right outside the engine room, I'm sure you noticed. So, we're gonna have to make a break for it..." and there was Jessica's address to the crew, "right now."

Incoming

"A good idea, XO. Bridge, main guns aim down sights towards the incoming unknown." Tristan took over that order while Jessica was calling the Avalon, making sure the main guns were pointed enough to fire a warning shot, if not a glancing blow, at whatever was approaching them.

"Oh, Firmia, good. Thanks for picking up. Straight to it, there's an unknown approaching; we've picked them up on our long range scanners, so please prepare your defenses and stay on alert for any further updates. It should only be a few more minutes before we can--" Jess was cut off as an alarm sounded in her head, glancing down at the controls for the Riese. "The engines are failing... Why are the engines failing? Uh, Firmia, please take care, and... I'll, put you on hold." Ending that transmission, Jess went about checking system accesses.

"Ensign, take over the main guns. XO, you're on piloting. I have to do some system searching." Her eyes focused on nothing, staring blankly ahead. The last access was Avery, but... Then Apotheosis was making their move. This wasn't good. Avery was one of their moles? Their head mechanic? "Shit." It was either her, or someone forcing her to help them, but with how fast systems were failing... "All hands," Jess addressed the entire ship again, "prepare for immediate combat, and if you see Avery Wright, immediately apprehend her and anyone with her!" There was no time to go into further detail, ugh, the ship was already starting to lose altitude. "Dammit... Firmia, are you still there!?" Jess had kept herself on hold just in case Firmia didn't hang up.

"The moles are making their moves, the Riese is going to crash into the ocean. I can maintain its V-Drives enough to allow it to float in the water, but whatever that unknown is approaching for, I highly expect multiple contacts to follow it within minutes! Get your pilots to their suits!" That went without saying, the Riese was going to be a sitting duck. I'm going to have to direct the E-Fields towards keeping the ship up, this is ludicrous, ugh!

"And, just... Please help keep us safe. I won't have shields. I... This is worse than anything I'd been expecting." If it had been anyone but Avery, someone who knew the ship inside and out... "Dammit!"

Doctor Doctor

"Megumi! Megumi, Christina's been shot! I'm trying to carry, her, but I'm just... I'm too small! We're on the bottom floor, she, she's still breathing but there's so much blood!" A curious hello hit Buck's ears, and then came the captain's announcement. Buck could feel a small shift in the ship's heading, that damn Avery was going to try and sink them all! "Help! Whoever's there help! I can't... I just, can't, help!" Whoever it was, hopefully, it wasn't Avery come back to finish the job, but... With one last heave, Buck managed to get himself and Christina to the door, opening it to see...

"Y-You're one of the new pilots! Help me, please!"

Edited January 4, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

So it was M Day. The M stood for Mole, obviously. No one else would be in a position to shoot Christina. Why was she always the one to wind up ...? Not important right this moment, Megumi decided, calling over to her minions as she checked over her pistol. "Christina is down; gunshot. Get everything here ready, including a SIEG tank, just in case. Buck, if you can't move her easily then stay put for now and put pressure on her wounds. I'll be there soon."

They really ought to use one of the androids for this, even though it'd be a bit of a rough ride. It'd be a fast ride and that was the whole idea. There was one other thing. If Buck and Christina stayed put then they were less likely to run into their attacker again. Megumi always carried a firearm, but since she was heading that way, she wanted to be prepared in case she ran into any hostiles. Hopefully she'd find the android Jessica had assigned to the area and be able to use her to haul Christina back to the infirmary.

---

Firmia appreciated being updated. She did not appreciate being put on hold. Not one to waste time, less occupied of the captains took a moment to set a few things in motion on her own vessel. "All MS teams prepare for immediate launch. I repeat, ALL MS teams prepare for immediate launch." She wished she was joking, but chances were that today, for the first time since Great Lake Base, the Regalia, Mantle, and Reign would all be fighting together. Without even checking her feed, Firmia also sent a mental command to the drones back in the hangar, and they began racing toward the launch lifts. All they had to do was standby in case Firmia needed them to race out into the field and retrieve something, but they had to get into position ahead of the mobile suits, otherwise they would muddy up the launches and slow everything down.

When Jessica came back on the line, she had some actual news ... most of it bad. They were out of time to identify and detain the other moles, and apparently one of them had the Riese coming down out here over the water? Definitely Avery, then. Firmia's other suspect was Thorvald, due to how vulnerable his family was, and how easily any potential Apotheosis operatives in the ANF command structure could reach them. If not him then probably one of the outcast types, but that intel was on the way, so Firmia didn't have to figure any of that out on her own, now.

What interested the Avalon's captain more was the Riese's lack of shielding. Had the ship been thoroughly sabotaged or was Jessica doing something complicated involving the shields? Firmia had the beginnings of an idea for helping the Riese expedite its repairs, but it was almost too much for her in the moment, hearing Jessica's sudden plea to protect the Riese. It was like something out of a dream, almost surreal, though not a situation the Alkaev really longed for. Yes, she did want Jessica's leniency to finally get her into trouble ... but this ... something about the real thing just felt off to Firmia. Just as well that all she could feel in herself right now was urgency and irritation. That meant she could do her part without any inner conflict.

"Alright, calm down and focus on the Riese. We'll keep the MS teams organized and protect the ship. I need all the information you can forward, though." If Jessica was putting her on hold, then she probably wasn't one with the Riese just yet and could probably only handle so much brain work. Having some other minds focused on this could only improve and increase their options in response to this sudden but inevitable betrayal.

[scorri]

Astin paused. Yes they had seen the Ceres. They hadn't really thought about that. I'm an idiot, huh? "Yeah, good point. Guess that should have tipped me off, huh? Well then..." They scooped up her discarded hat, tucking it into a pocket. A memory of the girl she had been pretending to be. They couldn't really put a finger on why that was important, but it was. "Shall we? I've no interest in remaining on a crashing ship."

[Ursali]

A Territorial Extraterrial's Third Impact

 

Another day of freedom another day of... nothing, really. It had been nearly a week since Alriana had started integrating into the strange crew of the Heion Riese and now, aside from eating and her English lessons with Cheryl, she no longer had much to do on the Riese. In one day she had gone from having nearly no free time to having so much she didn't know what to do with herself; no one had given her any sort of schedule to keep her occupied. Simply put, she was bored. It wasn't an unusual state for the alien, but she had already spent enough of her life doing that. Perhaps she could visit the gym? She could always use the exercise. It gave her a sense of normalcy. 

As she entered the gym she found it empty, save for a single human running on a treadmill. Normally she'd ignore any humans using the facilities, but this particular human was special, at least to her. She was suddenly unsure on how to proceed. She didn't fear this human, but Cheryl had given her some information she didn't know how to act on. She supposedly liked him, more so than the other humans she liked. It wasn't incorrect, amongst all the humans she had met, he was the only one who she saw as more than a weakling. He was strong, even. From a Stygusian, that was the highest form of praise. In the end, she just ended up just silently watching him from the entrance.

It was likely too boring for most of the crew, but Tristan always enjoyed the relaxation that came with some old music and a good run. And when he was the only person in the gym, he didn't even need to wear headphones. With Metallica playing and his feet hitting the tread, he'd almost missed the gentle clack of feet behind him... Until he realized feet weren't supposed to clack quite like that.

Taking a glance behind him... The alien again? "Er, hello, Alriana." Pause button pressed, he took a moment to let the tread slow down, before stepping off and giving her a proper wave. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She'd seemed rather fit... Perhaps she just wanted to get back into a proper routine now that she had the freedom to move about the ship as she wanted.

She hadn't expected to be noticed so soon; Tristan might be even more formidable than she had originally thought. "Ahf... Sorry, I mean... Hello, Tristan." She didn't want anything in particular from him, aside from answers he probably couldn't give her. Wait, he had been exercising. He could probably help her after all. "Give me orders."

"Er, hi." This was a bit awkward... Did she need something? She almost seemed like she wanted to say something... And then she did. He blinked a few times, staring at her, a small, "huh?" finally escaping him. "I-- what? Orders? Uh... I... Order you to do whatever you want...?" He ended up laughing a bit, rubbing at the back of his head. "I'm not quite sure what you mean... You're free to do whatever you want, Alriana. I'm just an ensign, I don't give the orders around here."

Had she misspoken? She thought she had been clear with what she wanted, but if Tristan had misunderstood her then she still had a long way to go. "No, I want you to order me. To run. To jump. Give me a thing to do, here." Would that be enough to convey what she wanted from him? What she wanted was crystal clear to her, but communicating it was harder than she thought it'd be.

She stepped closer to him until they were only inches apart and used her tail to elevate herself about a foot off the ground. She made a point of looking him in the eyes before speaking again. "No, I will... let you order me." 

"Oh, you just want advice, for the gym? Or... Uhm..." And now she was getting into his face and demanding to be ordered again... Was this a part of how the Sacarians had treated her? "Alriana I'm, not going to order you to do anything... You should make your own decisions now. You're... You're your own person, you know?" Maybe she just didn't get that.

"Is there any sort of activity you enjoy doing?" Maybe that would be a good point to start with instead... Wait, this wasn't about that 'strong' comment she'd made, was it? Am I supposed to be pack leader now? I don't know how to deal with an alien...

It felt... strange to have Tristan reject the permission she had given him. Could it be that she just hadn't explained herself well enough? He had understood that she was looking for his input after she had added to her explanation after all. "I know. No one orders me here. I do what I want, now. But I decided, you can... order me. Only you."

She dropped to the ground and stepped back, giving Tristan a little space. "I like to hunt and I like to fight. Do you want to fight? I will not bite."

"Wait... What?" Only him? This was definitely some pack leader nonsense going on right now, and it was... A bit weird, and incredibly embarrassing. "I... Ah, I don't, really want to order you around, Alriana... And, fight? I-I'm pretty sure you'd kick my ass... It took the whole bridge to hold you down. Just me?" He scoffed, shaking his head a bit.

"Look, would you like to just, run with me some? The gym has a small court... I doubt I can keep up with you, but... It's better than getting thrashed about."

She didn't understand Tristan's hesitancy. Was it just a human thing? Though humans gave orders to each other all the time, and he certainly hadn't had a problem doing it on the bridge. Was she missing something here? "But you can. Why do you not want to?"

It seemed that fighting was off the table, at least for now, but she wasn't willing to let it end without finalizing her offer. "I will make myself less strong. No tail, no bite, no jump." Her offer now out there she was willing to consider his counteroffer. "Run? Do you want to race?"

Why didn't he want to? It was a bit difficult to explain to her... Or at least, he figured it would be. And the offer to fight without all of her extremities... He paused and took a breath, trying to calm himself down. The orders thing first... Then maybe rethink the fight, and, race? It wasn't really to race, it was just for proper exercise... "Hmm..."

Well, one thing at a time. "Considering where you've come from, having been sent from the Sacarians, and nearly killing yourself to accomplish their orders... It feels very awkward for me to try and give you more. I know that's, probably how you've been raised, but, you're not a soldier anymore. You're free to help us if you want to, of course, but, only if you want to. I'd... I'd much rather you get used to making your own decisions before I make them for you. Is that alright?" Hopefully.

"And no, not to race. Running for me is just a way to stay in shape. That's why I spend so much time in the gym... It's pretty boring, yeah, but I stay fit... As for fighting... I, well, that certainly sounds a lot more feasible, but... Can I ask why you're so interested in something like that?" He knew CQC, everyone that enlisted did, even the captain... Not that she needed it now, but the point was, he could certainly fight. Against an alien? He was less confident.

So he didn't want to order her around out of concern for her autonomy? She didn't care if he was the one doing it, but it didn't seem like he was going to concede the point. "It is, but even if you will not order me, you still can." She wasn't letting him off the hook that easy. "You are strange, but I like that," she said with the faintest of smiles.

Just running? That didn't actually sound that bad. When was the last time she had just run, without anything to distract her? Long enough ago that she couldn't remember, at least. "Just running, sounds nice." ...Why did she want to fight Tristan? Fighting came naturally to her, sure, but what point would there be in fighting a human? She was even willing to restrict herself to give him a fighting chance... Why was that? "I... fight a lot, and I'm strong. I like to fight. But, I do not know why I want to fight you."

Strange... Was it strange? Well, she'd smiled, and that was the first smile she'd seen her do this week... A step in the right direction? He was still rather confused that she was being so strict on this ordering business... And only him... Wait a sec, hold on. He'd picked up something rather worrisome, from everything she was saying, and finishing things off with this want to fight him, just because? Liking to fight was one thing, but unless he'd missed something, she hadn't been going around challenging the rest of the crew. Is this, oh, no... Then her strong comment, and her tail, from before... A rather worried look slipped onto his face, but he shook it away. You're jumping to conclusions. She might just be opening up to the crew, and this is coincidence... But... It's a worrisome thought if it's true.

She'd seemed receptive to the idea of running, so he'd start with that. "Then, instead of throwing me onto the mat, just keep pace with me, and tell me what you think of the ship so far." He motioned to follow after him, heading towards the court in a light jog. The gym was fairly decently sized, the court large enough for a professional basketball team, and surrounding it, a track for running. A treadmill was nice, but some people preferred to run without a machine.

She watched his face change as he seemed to be working out something in his head. Humans were much more expressive than her fellow Stygusians; they were always so serious and deadpan. Though, that may have just been a byproduct of their treatment. She easily kept pace with Tristan's jog, but part of her just wanted to take off and run full speed for at least a little bit. Maybe when Tristan got tired he could watch her?

"This ship is... good. It has strange, humans that I like. Much better than the Sacarians ship. Nothing... bad happens here. It does not feel, real... almost." 

"Nothing bad happens here? Well, maybe not yet, but we get into a lot of fights... It's good that you're managing to enjoy yourself, at least... And I can promise, it's all real." That just made him worry further... What exactly was life like working for those other aliens that being treated with a regular amount of decency was shocking her?

"How bad was their ship, Alriana?" It was eating at him now that she was mentioning how good the Riese was. "If it's difficult to talk about, you don't have to, but... It's really shocking to me that this treatment we're giving you doesn't feel real." He did speed up a bit while talking, she looked like she could go... Probably a lot faster.

"Fights are fine. I can handle, fights." She was unsure how to take his reassurance that this was all real. It was things like this, this overwhelming support, that made her question her reality; it was like night and day. Ever since her first night on the Riese, part of her was deathly afraid that she'd wake up not in her new room, but back in her cell.

How bad was their ship? That was a question better left unexplored entirely. Just this brief acknowledgment that it had happened was bordering on too much, she wanted it buried as deep as possible. She held back a shudder as she matched her speed to Tristan's again. Even here, she would not show undue weakness. "I... will not, talk about it. Ever." As if to signify that the topic was over she accelerated ahead of him. It was his turn to play catchup.

Not going to talk about it ever finished painting the picture he was getting. He picked up his pace a bit, it was a mite difficult to run and chat at the same time, but he wasn't about to give up. "That's fine!" he started, catching up to her again. "That's fine. Even if you, never talk about it again, that's fine. What matters is that you're safe here. Okay?" He tried to smile, but the increase in speed, having been already treadmilling for a while, was knocking the wind out of him rather quickly.

"As long as you can smile like you just did, things will be okay."

Just what was with him? Why was he so concerned with her wellbeing? He made her feel strange and that frustrated her; she had never felt like this before. What was happening to her? She needed to do something, but the only thing she could do was...  "Rrrgh! B-Be quiet!" She shouted at Tristan, her voice a swirl of emotions, as she launched herself into his side and sent him to ground with her on top of him.

The way they landed resulted in her straddling her prey with her hands on his chest, both to try and pin him and to push herself up. "We-We will fight! Now!" If Tristan cared to notice, her skin lines had picked up speed and were now racing across her skin. Her face had gained a slight tint of blue as well.

"What-- Ow! Ah, what..." Wh-What just happened? Was, did he say something wrong? They were supposed to be enjoying the exercise, and now, he was on the court's floor, with an... Angry? Embarrassed? No, she was definitely embarrassed, she'd probably be flashing those teeth if she was mad... An embarrassed Alriana on top of him, demanding a fight. "What's, wrong? W, Was it something I said?" He was more worried than scared, when it came to these deadly sorts of creatures, if they truly wanted to hurt you, they'd have done it already.

It was then he noticed the faint blue on her face... Was that... Her skin lines going crazy as well, like neon LEDs lighting up her arms. "I... A-Are you, blushing...? Uhm..." He was pretty bad with physical contact... Even if the girl in question was an alien.

"You...!" Despite Tristan's lack of resistance, she wasn't calming down at all; if anything, she was getting more riled up, putting more strength into her arms. She didn't know how physically strong he was, but she didn't want him getting up. "You, you and, your w-words... Make me, feel, strange! I, do not know, why..." She had no reason to lie about what she was feeling; she wouldn't ever understand anything if she did.

Even though she had said she wouldn't use her tail, much like before in the infirmary, it wasn't content to sit still, coiling around Tristan's leg. Unlike her hands, her tail wasn't attempting to lock him in place and was actually rather gentle.

And there went her tail again... So he'd, been right... "Ahaha..." It was probably just a crush, because she was finally being treated properly by someone, but that was definitely what it was... Now, before he got pounded into the floor by her arms. "Just take a few deep breaths with me, okay? In..." deep breath... and... "Out. A few times. Okay?" He had to try and calm her down somehow... If this was how she got when she felt something she didn't understand, he didn't want her first resort to be tackle and hold down.

He wasn't resisting at all...? Even though she was trying to force him into submission? That realization was enough of a shock to calm her down to a point where she was willing to listen to him. "I-In... Out..." she repeated after him. She repeated the process a few more time, gradually calming down with each breath. She was still on top of Tristan and still unsure about why she was feeling the way she did, but at least she wasn't trying to beat the target of her unknown affections into the ground anymore. "...Why did you not, fight me?"

"Why? Well... It was a bit of a surprise, to start with, and... You kind of already won, I can't really do all that much here." It was unfortunate to admit, but Alriana was surprisingly strong, and not just in her legs. "And... This probably won't calm you down, but you're acting more cute than terrifying, right now..." Maybe it, wasn't the right thing to say, but between her blushing and not understanding how she was feeling, it was too much to not comment on.

She'd already won, had she? She wouldn't have believed him if he hadn't already seemed tired during their brief run. She had surprised him on top of it, too. She really hadn't given him a chance. "I'm... sorry. Next time, will be a fair fight. I promise." She still didn't move to get off of him and hadn't noticed her tail yet. 

Cute was a tough word for her, but she understood it enough for Tristan calling her cute to have an effect. It felt... nice, but it also made the strange feeling stronger, prompting her to narrow her eyes in a mix of annoyance and frustration, which probably didn't help her case much. "St-Stop it! Or... I'll fight you, again!"

"I think I know what's going on, Alriana... And it's definitely cute. If you can get off of me, we can go take a seat and I can try to explain things properly." Before anyone else decided to get some morning exercise in... That, and... "Your tail, too, it's uh... Well, it's not squeezing, but... I can't quite move myself."

Tristan was really testing his luck. If getting this strange feeling properly explained to her --thus removing a big source of frustration and confusion-- didn't sound so appealing, she would've gone back to pinning him to the ground. As she climbed off of him she finally, with his prompting, noticed what her tail had done. Again. She wouldn't know it, but her face got a little bluer as she freed his leg. "Let us... go."

"Sure." She really didn't get this... Maybe she was really young. Best to explain it and nip things before it got problematic. An underage alien was still underage, after all. Bringing Alriana over to one of the bench presses, sitting himself on it and letting out a bit of a sigh, he tried to decide on where to start. "You've... Probably got a crush, on me. And that means you find me attractive, in some way. Probably because you think I'm strong, if I had to imagine. And... Man, I went to school to learn how to fly ships, not how to explain attraction to extraterrestrials..." He lamented his situation for a moment, smiling through it.

"You're reacting this way because what I'm telling you is making you happy... And because you see me as attractive, it, makes you excited. But... I'm a bit too old for you, Alriana. So while I appreciate it, well..."

She followed him over to the bench press, supporting herself with her tail rather than take a seat when he had sat down... I like him... because he's strong. That means I feel happy... and excited? His explanation made sense, mostly, but still felt a bit lacking. She knew what excitement felt like, so that wasn't the strange feeling. Was that feeling happiness? Or was happiness that nice feeling? ...What was happiness? She refrained from asking, by now she could tell what questions couldn't be answered without experience. "A-Ah... Thank, you. For helping me, understand." She might not have had all the answers she wanted, but at least she wasn't as confused with her feelings. 

She looked at him quizzically as he finished speaking. It seemed that he had, for some reason, underestimated her age. There was no way that a human that looked like he did was older than her. Though she wondered why her apparent age was even important to him. "I'm not a... child. I have not been one, for a long time."

"No problem. This isn't really my area of expertise, so, uh... Doctor Hart can probably explain things better." Hopefully, at least. And... Wait, no, what? "Uh... You... Aren't?" But she was so short, so, tiny... How... "H-How old are you? In human years... If you know."

That wasn't a question she had expected to be asked. How old did the Sacarians say she was when they arrived on Earth again...? "Seven...ty?" She was sure that wasn't fully accurate, she'd been on Earth for a few years now, but she didn't know the exact number. Age was just another thing that wasn't that important to her.

"Seven... O-Oh. I..." That was... That was not young. That was not young at all... Then that meant... "Oh, I see..." This wasn't some, young girl's crush... Tristan was prime mate material number one. He ended up blushing himself, the severity of the situation hitting him pretty quickly. "Well, that's... Uh, good to know. Yeah..."

She could see him working something out again; though, he didn't seem to like the answer he'd reached this time. Or maybe he liked it even less than his other answer? Was her age something so concerning?  "Did I say a thing, wrong?" His face had turned a bit darker too... She brought her face next to his. "Are you, okay?"

"Ah! No, uh... Nothing wrong. Everything's fine. I, uh... Probably gonna go shower and get changed, thanks for coming to say hi." He smiled a moment, pulling himself away from the bench. It was a quick escape, but this wasn't something he thought he'd be dealing with on the ship. He had to take some time to think about things, and he'd already started, making for the exit.

That was, well, quite sudden to say the least. "You, are welcome?" Maybe he really wasn't feeling well and didn't want to involve her? She could catch him and make him explain if she wanted to, but she didn't have much of a reason to do that. Instead, she headed over to the track. She had cut her run short and still wanted to run undisturbed for a little bit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alriana had time on her hands and for once she was trying to make use of it. Rather than stare at the wall, fiddle with her communicator, or watch one of the shows she'd come to like, she was ruffling through her closet. There were plenty of clothes in there, and normally she wouldn't care too much about what she wore, but today she wanted something specific. After a bit more searching, at last, she found it. Her original outfit, a white tank top and black gym shorts. She had considered wearing the outfit Kim had recommended, but appearing strong wasn't at the top of her priorities today. Today she was much more concerned with finally having some burning questions answered, and there was only one person who could do that.

After donning her apparel the hunt for her answers was on. She didn't know where to find her target, she had no idea what his daily schedule was like, so she decided to scour the halls in the hopes that he was out and about. It took some time, but she did eventually find him walking down the hall alone, an ideal scenario. She quickly closed the distance between them, stopping abruptly in front of him. "Hello, Tristan. I have been, looking for you. I want to talk. And I want you to, answer things. For me." As she spoke her tail had a mission of its own, creeping up to and wrapping around Tristan's leg yet again. However, it was not an accident this time. She had let him retreat last time, but she wasn't going to let him do it again.

"AH! Ah, g-geez, Alriana... Hi..." He hadn't been expecting the alien to step out in front of him so suddenly, the surprise of a foreign element giving him a real start. "Sorry... Uh, looking for me?" Oh no. "Things to answer, uh... P-Probably best to ask Cheryl, so-- Uhm." He'd tried to leave, but his leg was... Well, it wasn't going anywhere. "Can you... Let go of my leg? Please?" This was definitely about their time spent at the gym... What a mess. I can only imagine what questions she has...

He was trying to avoid her questions! That riled her up a bit, but she managed to mostly keep herself in check; her tail had coiled a bit tighter around his leg, but that was all. She'd just have to make it so that he couldn't avoid her. "Cheryl won't tell me, and others do not, know the answer. Only you can answer, my questions." She was right to have cut off his escape, she'd be chasing him down if she hadn't. "No. I won't let you get away, like last time. We will talk, and then you will answer."

Ah, geez... How had this gone so quickly? Tristan sighed, there was no way out of this if she wasn't going to let him go. "... Alright, I'll... I'll do my best. Ask away."

That was less resistance than she had been expecting out of the ensign, but that was a good thing. Though, she had wanted him to fight back at least a little. "Why did you run away, when I told you my age? I know that humans worry, about the ages of others. But I am not a child. My age, should not be a concern." She had more questions for Tristan, but she knew better than to overwhelm him by asking too many at once.

Yeah, she was going there... "B-Because... Its clear that you like me, and... I..." He sighed, hiding his face behind a hand. "I don't know how to deal with that sort of affection."

"I... see. It is fine, if you do not know. I still do not know, a lot of things." She hadn't expected that sort of answer. In truth, she didn't know what sort of answer she'd been expecting, aside from a possible worst-case scenario. "So, it was not because you were..." She trailed off, hesitant to finish the question. Depending on his answer, it might be a question better left unasked. After a moment she was able to convince herself that, no matter the answer, she needed to know and started again. "It was not because you were... afraid? Of me?"

"Afraid of you? No! No... Maybe at first... When you attacked the bridge, but that... Those were different circumstances. Now that we've all gotten to talk to you, and learn your situation, really... You're a very kind person." He tried to calm himself down, Alriana was clearly worried about all this, beyond her curiosity. "I wouldn't be scared of you. Don't worry."

Hearing that Tristan wasn't afraid of her was a huge weight off her shoulders, for multiple reasons. If he had been afraid of her, she didn't know what she would have done, moving forward. "That is... good to hear. I did not want you to be, afraid of me." She was less worried about his escape now, so she decided released Tristan's leg... Only to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug. It felt good to just... hold him in her arms. That wasn't going to stop her questions, however. "You know that, I like you. But, do you like... me?'

Alright, a free leg. Time to make his escape-- "Oof... Ahh... A, Alriana, uhm..." She was going the whole way with this, just what had she been told? Ahh, what a mess, what a mess! Could he just, respond and lock this nonsense in? He was even afraid to hug her back. "Ahh... I... I... I, do... But I'm, worried, about a lot of, things. And I don't know if, its the same sort of like. Okay? This is, really fast..." Through much worry and consideration he finally hugged her back, but this was so... So odd and difficult to parse.

He... he liked her too? She hugged him harder, as if she didn't want to ever let him go. Was this what humans called happiness? "It makes me... happy, that you like me." And despite his worries, whatever they were, he had hugged her back. She couldn't stop herself from nestling into him. However, she also couldn't ignore what he'd said. "What do you mean, not the same kind of like? If you talk, I will answer."

And now she was hugging him harder... He couldn't deny that this felt nice, despite worries. "Ahh... Let me just..." Take a minute to collect myself, I would sincerely die if anyone walked by right now. "Alright... I'm worried about a few things. Like... If we're... Uh... No that can wait, uhm... Alright, wh-what happens if someone stronger than me comes along?" That was a good place to start.

That was certainly an important question, one she had put some time into herself. She couldn't deny that all of this had started because she had, mistakenly or not, thought that Tristan was strong. She could understand why he'd be worried about that. "It is true that I like, strong people. But, I would not... discard, you for someone stronger. I am the strongest. I can choose, who I like."

"... I see..." While this was still a lot to worry about, that was calming, in a sense. He didn't want to be Alriana's first experience with this emotion, simply to be tossed aside whenever someone above him in the chain of command came along to address a situation. That said... "This is still, uh... Very fast, Alriana. I don't know anything about your race, but... Humans typically don't... I'm not sure if you'll even understand the phrase, 'get together', but they don't get together this quickly."

Had she violated some human etiquette by seeking out him so soon? No, there shouldn't be any restrictions for talking to someone like Tristan... It had to be something else that she wasn't understanding. "...I did not know that. I was told I should confront you, and make you explain. I am sorry? If I should not, have done that."

Then there was this talk of getting together. It flew over her head completely. "You are right. I do not know what, 'get together' means. You make me feel... strange. I have been trying to, understand why. I have never, felt like this before."

"Ehh... I wonder who told you to do that." If not Cheryl, then who? Maybe the doctor had something against him... "You know, like dating... You don't know. Uh... When two people like each other like this... I assume, like this, they go out together. Go, do things they enjoy, together. See how compatible they are... Do you, think we could stop hugging, for now?"

She seemed pretty intent on treating him like a squeezing post... "And... This, can take weeks, if not months, before people decide they're, right for each other. But you're... You're already pretty set, on me, huh?" Talking about things like they were already decided helped him with the gravity of the situation. And while she was cute... Incredibly, she was still an alien, and... It had barely been a week.

"Christina." There wasn't a speck of hesitancy in her voice as she revealed Christina as the culprit behind the current situation. She hadn't been asked to keep it a secret so there was no reason to withhold the information. "Do you want to, do that then? To get together. I would not, be against it." She was reluctant to end the hug, but after a moment she complied; however, she was still closer than she needed to be to talk to Tristan.

"It is fine if, it takes time. I know that, feelings are not easy." Was she set on Tristan? If she was, why? He was strong, yes, but there was more to it than that. It had to do with the strange feeling and was why she was sticking so close to him. If she could just put that into words, somehow... "That is, because... When I'm, close to you, I feel... calm." She had struggled through her explanation but had somehow managed. Though, as she herself didn't know exactly what she was feeling, it wasn't entirely accurate.

Troy, huh... I don't think I've done anything to her or the lieutenant, maybe Alriana was just looking for advice, and got hit with more than she'd bargained for. With how straightforward she was about all this, it made sense that she'd just jump in and try whatever she was told. That said...

"Calm... Is it..." He wasn't feeling anything of the sort, but there was a sudden urge, there. Calm. Like it was something she wasn't used to feeling. She wanted to be near him because feeling calm was something foreign, something she wanted to feel more. "It's fine, Alriana," he started, letting himself fall into another hug, a hand on the back of her head, gently petting her hair as he held her.

"No one can hurt you here," he whispered, almost sighing. Feeling calm shouldn't be something someone as old as Alriana was desperate to feel more of. She's safe here. And if I'm that important to her... I'll make sure it stays that way.

She hadn't expected to be pulled into another hug immediately after he had asked for space. It felt... different than the previous hug, warmer and gentler. It made her feel like she belonged here, like this was real. "Does this mean that you, want to get together?" she asked as she settled into him and smiled up at him.

She wouldn't be hurt here? There would be no tests, no... experiments? While there hadn't been any yet --would that still be the case if she failed the humans?-- that was a big claim to make. However, while she was here, being held close to Tristan, she could believe it. "Okay, Tristan. I... trust you."

She was going to keep asking about that... Caution, meet wind, at least for now. "Sure, then. If you're so set, we... Can try." He slipped back and let her go, staring down at the alien he'd just agreed to try dating. She really is cute, isn't she? Hopefully I don't end up hurting her. He could handle being someone's first crush, if things didn't work out. He just didn't want to make this experience something she'd never look at again.

Once again she was reluctant to give up being so close to Tristan, but this time she let him to get some space if he wanted it. "What should we do now, then?" Wait. Had Kim and Christina been acting the way they were because they had gotten together? She might have some idea as to what they should do if that was the case; one particular piece of advice stood out to her. "Tristan, should we... kiss?"

"Should we ki-- Ahhhmmm..." What? Christina just what did you tell her!? "Th-That's... A bit early, isn't it?" And with how many teeth Alriana had... If this went, wrong, then... Tristan gulped, his poor tongue... "I... Do you, even know how...?"

Was it too soon to kiss? She didn't know, but she'd have dropped the topic if Tristan had left it at that. Did she know how to kiss? Well, Kim and Christina's kiss was still a vivid memory so she could mimic it and pretend she did.

"Yes," was all the warning Tristan got before she was in motion. In one swift maneuver she positioned herself so that Tristan was between her and the wall and pushed him up against it, locking him in place with an arm on each side of him. As she brought her face closer to Tristan's she raised herself off the ground until she was eye level with the ensign; in the end she was so close that their noses were nearly touching. "It, goes like this... right?" Despite her words, she made no move to finish what she had started, hesitating at the last step.

"Wait-- You do!?" And then he was up against the wall, Alriana was really doing this. A completely worried ensign pressed his hand against her mouth, trying to stop her. "I, I don't... I really don't know if I'm ready for that..." Just, what was this? He had walked into a prank, did someone have a camera around a corner, and had put Alriana up to this?

Tristan was putting up bit of resistance, more than she had witnessed Christina give Kim. Was this just a part of kissing? Either way it didn't dissuade her; if anything it gave her the last bit of encouragement she needed. She shook off his hand and then, to ensure it would stay out of her way, seized the obstacle with her tail. Finally, she moved in for the kill.

No sooner than she had pressed her lips against his she pulled away, a triumphant look on her face. The kiss had been no more than a peck on the lips; it was so brief it was almost hard to tell if it had actually happened. "There. I... kissed, you."

And no sooner than he'd protested had his hand been moved to the side, and Alriana had laid the lightest little kiss on him. "... Aly..." He really didn't know how to handle her. And it wasn't like he was against it, either... She just had the courage... Or the naivety? To push to what she was interested in, leaving him simply dumbfounded. "You sure did." He had no idea what else to say.

With her mission complete she pulled away from Tristan, still looking triumphant, and gave him a bit of space. She was no longer pressing him against the wall, but she remained eye level with him. She was a bit surprised that he wasn't a blushing mess like Christina had been, but maybe that was just a testament to his strength. "What, should we do now? Do you want to kiss, again? Or should we... do something else? I will do, what you want."

"You're... Really not, embarrassed at all, by any of this?" At least one of them was mostly coherent, not that it was because Alriana knew any better, but it was still nice. "Then..." He leaned in, running a hand through the back of her hair, and pressed his lips up against hers, holding her there for a moment. She was soft. Surprisingly. You'd never think she was a deadly creature, being cute, and romantic, like this... gently leaning away, just enough to smile, he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'm really embarrassed right now... But you're being completely honest, and genuine... Even if its because you don't understand why something like this is difficult. So... I'll try my best to help you understand everything going forward. I'll talk to you later, alright, Alriana?" Letting his hand linger on her head a moment, he gently pat her hair, before turning to walk off. Trying to play it cool like that is really hard... But she deserves it. Between not getting all she's feeling, and after everything's she's gone through, it's the least I can try to do.

Should I be embarrassed? The way Tristan, and Christina before him, had acted told her that yes, she should be. She couldn't understand why- Wait, why is he leaning in? No, he wouldn't... Would he? "A-Ah, wai-" She wasn't expecting...  Wasn't prepared for Tristan to suddenly lean in and kiss her! She did her best to kiss him back, to try and regain control, but it was a futile effort; in the end, he was more knowledgeable than she was and she was swept up into his pace. In one fell swoop, he had turned the tables on her.

When the kiss did end she was clearly flustered, sporting a fresh blue blush; her skin lines had picked up speed accordingly. Now she could, at least somewhat, understand why kissing could cause embarrassment. "I will... rely on you, then," she managed a reply to Tristan. She didn't think to stop him as he made to leave; she hadn't even realized that he'd made his escape until she had already returned to her room.

Alriana had been in her room when Jessica's first order came. She was included in that, wasn't she? She didn't like taking orders from the cheating android, but she had decided to stay on the ship and to accept the responsibilities that came with her decision. There were multiple reasons for that, some more... important than others. Conveniently, she had kept her armor in her room and had given it its own place in her closet. By the time Jessica's next order came, she had slipped it on with practiced ease. Something big must be happening if Jessica was calling for a crew member to be captured. She hadn't interacted with Avery, but she knew from her previous mission briefing that she had distinct pink hair. An easy target to find if spotted.

She exited her room, heading over to the elevators without delay and called an elevator. She hadn't checked back up on the Almydis since her visit earlier in the week. Hopefully, Buck had managed to finish its repairs in time. She'd be stuck without a robot to pilot if he hadn't.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Balcerzak