Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 1: The Culmination

[Phoenix]

I wonder if she'd be more annoyed if my thumb was aimed down, Brant mused as the captain started off. That was when he noticed the captain was feeling nervous again. It couldn't have been Kim since she'd already reacted to that. Brant had just about come to a conclusion when he remembered what he wanted to tell Captain Gelatscht earlier. She had already started off, though, and Kim was right behind her.

"... never mind," he muttered under his breath. It wasn't really that important, just some words of encouragement.

Brant climbed up to the cockpit to get a quick look inside. He didn't climb in just yet; he still had to change into his own flightsuit first. The monitors the captain had pointed out were there, and right where he expected them. She knew her stuff. "Good. Time to get changed." He didn't need to make any modifications, nor was that advisable on this type of aircraft, new and heavily optimized.

As Brant made his way back down, it finally hit him. "Flight ... suit ..." the words came out of him involuntarily as he recalled Kim's skin suit. "... oh," he said, realizing as soon as he needed a more optimal connection to the linking system, he'd probably be getting a skin suit or something like it, too. "I guess we'll be even, then," he shrugged and made for the changing room. Firmia was going to want pics once that skin suit thing came up ...

[Nanami Touko]

Toss that one out, seriously, it's definitely not worth holding onto you-- he's way older than you, AND he's one of your soldiers; you're the captain, even having thoughts like that is just-- "AH!" Jess was quickly disturbed from her thoughts by the hand on her shoulder. It was Kim! Wonderful. But she didn't mean any harm, more so she was apologizing? "Ah, no! I'm fine, don't worry about it! Just made an unfortunate connection that I definitely should not have made and will be trying not to make again."

Now that she was getting a chance to look at Kim up close, something was finally starting to click, that similar look glazing itself onto her face for a split second before she snapped her fingers. "I knew it! I thought I saw a poster for that in the Mess Hall. One of the duty soldiers hung it up-- you're a part of that Femme Formation group, aren't you? Or... If you're here now, I suppose that'd be were a part of it." Jess had been sure she'd at least seen something, not actually having listened to any K-pop. It just took a moment to search the ol' memory banks. Always did for things she'd only caught a glimpse of.

"So hey, that's pretty cool! I knew there had to be a reason we were getting cute girls signing up for the military; you don't get through basic looking like you do without some serious care about how you look... That was inappropriate, wasn't it? Sorry. Still getting used to being... A Captain. Can't exactly talk to you like we're two teenage girls, hah." Jess saluted weakly, but she still smiled. "Thanks for worrying. Not that I think you really have anything to worry about. I'll be fine once the test starts. Just wait; the battlefield is where I excel."

[Xinnidy]

Nevada Base, main building

"Hoo~" Roxanna stretched her arms and relaxed as she took in the conditioned air, that was so much better than outside! "Already, I miss my kraken-class..." She sighed, speaking to no one in particular. It wasn't the Heion Riese, but it had its comforts. Now, let's see... She took the elevator, destination: her office. Now let's see... I don't think I'll have access to the database, but maybe if I ask uncle... Wait, uncle was the one that put her there to begin with, would he actually be cool with that?

...Why did he reassign her here, for starters?

Pondering what to do, the elevator door opened. Oh. Having reached the third floor, Roxanna stepped out and looked around the hallway. The building almost felt abandoned --it was a recently built base and most of the crew, ground or otherwise was at the hangars, ready for the first field test this base ever did. Still, Roxanna couldn't help but wish somebody aside from the patrols and janitor on the ground floor were around.

A turn to the left, walk past the first three doors, and she'd already reached her office's entrance. At least she had that for her own. Unlocking the door, Roxanna hurried to the only item that mattered right now: The tablet she'd left behind in a hurry. That's where she keeps track of things! Alright, alright, enter the ANF's thing... here we go. Information: Roxanna N. Martinson... Honestly, the ANF's Ethernet was such a hassle to validate yourself after a post change. Not to mention you had to update it so damn much. Come on, just let me check out on a full dossier, uncle will be fine with it... First, Roxanna attempted that curious Tarquin kid, certainly the files would have something to tell her?

***NO FILES FOUND***

"...Crud." Not entirely unexpected, but it still sucked. Next: Brant Abrams...

***ACCESS DENIED***

...And same for Kim Seung-Min. "Damn it, all I get are the report cards from pipsqueak?" It seemed that Executive Officers didn't get their way as much, and she couldn't have her uncle confide things with her. "Paaaah, what's the point of this if the top brass just keeps the big details to themselves?" She reclined on a chair, unamused. She might actually need to look them up on the *internet*, for all it could get her.

[SB.]

"Oh, I thought you said you'd be assigned one because you were already used to it." It seemed that the teenager had no more experience than he did after all, which made sense, but then why would he have been told which model to take? A frown formed on the Brazilian's face as he scratched his head absentmindedly, trying to figure out a reason. Maybe it's just because he's super young? That would make sense, since most models weren't normally made for kids. Mateus was so smart.

Turning back to the Tarquin, he replied. "No, this'll be my first time out of the sim. It's pretty exciting, to be honest." He struggled to hide a grin. "It all looks like short range stuff, but that's fine with me. I was way better at close combat in all of the sims anyway." He shrugged. His loadout was a little inflexible, but they all wanted to impress on the first mission. It was better to stick with what they knew - and the fact that it was waaaaay more fun than long range weapons helped too.

[Shin]

Lemos was another rookie, much like himself. It appeared they had a mix of experience, some of the others looked like they had prior training and missions. Lemos, just... well, seemed kind of there. "I've got experience with all of the simulation models, including the airborne and heavily armoured variants. It's just that command felt it was best for me to select the closest approximation to my best score. I fully agree with them of course." he replied.

This man had no experience, and was probably just an ordinary trainee, why was he grouped with him again? At least the others were veterans, this one could have easily been one of his teenage peers. Maybe he was really good? A natural prodigy? It would be unfair to just dismiss him.

"What were your scores in the close combat scenarios? Some of them were fairly interesting." Tarquin asked, wondering the best way to decide Lemos' prowess. "I scored an average of 94.8% across the close combat ones, never actually failed any of them either."

Edited June 11, 2016 by Shin

[SB.]

"Oh, that's cool I guess." he replied after hearing about Tarquin's varied training. To tell the truth, Mateus hadn't paid a lot of attention to whatever he was piloting during the sims - he'd hadn't really taken a lot in and had just focused heavily on the situation at hand. "My scores were uh-Oh wow that's high." He tilted his head to the side slightly, examining Tarquin one more time for anything he missed. He just seemed like a pretty normal kid at a glance - he just supposed that he was super smart or something. Good for him!

"I got uh... I don't remember too well. Hm..." He looked away, fidgeting a little with his hands as he racked his brain for the number. "83%, I think. Something like that?" He frowned. It felt pretty lame to get outscored by a little kid, regardless of what kind of super brain he had.

[scorri]

Astin exited the changing room, having left their clothes piled neatly on the bench in there. Hmm, right then. Training time. Shouldn't be too hard. Figure it's probably just like year end exams... Wonder if they'll give us anything like that last one. Pretty sure it was built just to make me use the gun they supplied me. Hmmph, showed them. Not that it did good things for my score but oh well I passed... Lost in thought, Astin was heading over towards their robot when they spotted the captain. ... Maybe should tell her about my setup. Just so she has a warning? Eh, can't hurt. Oh and she's with... Kim? That's an interesting suit... Wandering over, Astin gave a quick salute. "Ah, captain, figured I should let you know. The uh... Right, the reason I asked about equipment is I tend to run what most people consider a strange set up. That is, err, I don't have any guns. Just melee weapons. Typically focused on swords. If you insist on me having a gun, I'll do what you order but I do have ranged options, just no guns. And, uh, Kim? Right? That's an... interesting suit you have. Not exactly standard issue?"

[Shin]

83%? Well, that was still a respectable score, well within passing parameters. It was better than some of his peers at least. "It's OK, I'm not really trained for intensive close quarters, I'm better at staying behind and picking off enemies from a distance." he reassured, hoping that knowing he wouldn't be upstaging Lemos would provide the man some comfort. It wasn't really much of a conversation, but it had been his longest since he spoke to Bruno... making it his second longest ever.

"I'm sure we'll do fine on the field, the simulations are meant to fully prepare people for the real thing." he added, even a score like 83% meant that Lemos was successful most of the time. "We'll find out anyway, it shouldn't be that different."

[Dandragon]

Seems like nobody else is getting inside... Elaine was still in the cockpit letting the cooler do its work. She felt relaxed. There were two places where Elaine felt right at home, and that was either inside the cockpit of a robot, or working on one in a workshop or facility. Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to tinker with any of the bots. Unlike her Marionne, these were owned by the government. She instinctively reached toward the area where her pockets were to bring out her music device, but remembered that she left that in her locker along with her clothes, and, also unlike her Marionne, this robot didn't have any music player of it's own. As nice as the cooling system was, Elaine was getting lonely and bored.

At last, she lost patience. She turned off everything and left the cockpit to find something to do to pass the time. It was there she noticed two pilots conversing with each other, although one of them was Tarquin, the boy that gave her that look earlier. It was now dawning on her that perhaps she didn't make the best of first impressions. But it wasn't her fault! This desert heat would make anyone just as moody and uncooperative! ...Okay, maybe it was my fault... Then she noticed the captain as well as two other pilots were talking to her. She decided it would be best to apologize and try to make up. She walked over to the captain, a slight blush of embarrassment on her face.

"Hey, uh...Sorry to be interrupting any important talk but...I, uh..." Elaine had a hard time getting out her words for some reason. "I wanted to apologize for my tone, earlier. Wasn't right to treat ya with disrespect like that, Captain."

[Balcerzak]

Thorvald was a little surprised the engineer didn't seem to know much about bunnies, he'd always figured they were kind of universally cute and bound to appeal to any little kid during their childhood. It didn't sound like this was a case of outgrowing it or anything either. Still, she didn't seem opposed to the idea, so maybe that would be something to actually pursue in the future...

He'd then headed in and gotten changed, making sure to transfer an impressive amount of small photos one of the pockets of the dress uniform he'd been wearing (as had been suitable for the initial presentation to a new commanding officer) to the mech suit he'd be using for active combat. Those and the small container of adhesive paste he'd brought along were the ingredients that would enable the single most important ritual required for getting his new mech into fighting condition.

It was with a smile and a whistle that he pulled up alongside the mechanic stationed near the Legionary he was going to be using. He quickly addressed the issue of the weapons loadout before moving on to the more important question at hand.

"Alright, this is a new mech for me, so it calls for a new set of pictures, I'm sure you understand how it is. Now, there are a couple I'm more fond of than the others, but I still haven't quite settled on which one I should have front and center, so I figured it couldn't hurt to ask for some comments from neutral observers," as Thorvald's eyes roved for other unsuspecting targets who might be potentially nearby, he noted the pair of kids, Tarquin and Mateus weren't they? "Hey, you two could maybe come and take a look too, if you're not busy with anything. The more the merrier."

He proceeded to lay out a spread of choices, all of which featured a cute little girl doing various cute things. There was a nice action photo of her sitting on a swing as she was being pushed by a gentle looking woman with a warm smile on her face. In a bit of contrast, the next was a rather adorable one of her standing in the shade, looking down with intense concentration as she was twisting the sides of a cube made up of smaller cubes of various colors, trying to puzzle out the solution. Then there was the almost comical one where she was holding up a bunny it seemed she had just finished dressing up in a bonnet and skirt, and many many others.

"All opinions are welcome, don't be shy!"

Edited June 11, 2016 by Balcerzak

[Shin]

Tarquin was rather surprised by Thorvald's request, was there something the matter? Was there a problem with his unit? It didn't make sense to call him over when there were so many mechanics available. When he approached, it turned out that it was another matter entirely - one that he was probably less familiar with than repair works.

He didn't quite know what to say, there were pictures of a girl and a woman in a variety of settings. They were technically good pictures, clear, colourful, well-angled. He couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about the pictures he didn't like. The way that Thorvald looked at them fondly, it just didn't make sense. They were probably the man's family, he could understand why the pictures were there, yet he didn't feel happy when he looked at them. It wasn't that they made him angry, it was more like he was looking at something unpleasant. Collecting himself for a moment, he looked up at the older man, not quite sure how to respond to him.

"Wouldn't you get distracted by the pictures?" Tarquin asked, doing his best to remain neutral in his tone. "The Legionary has limited space for decoration, is there not anything else that would be useful?"

[SB.]

Mateus nodded slowly at Tarquin, not really worried about the test. It wasn't even that dangerous probably, and he was more worried about putting on a good performence there than anything else. He found Thorvald's request kind of odd, but he supposed that he just wanted to make the mech feel more homely? Which was understandable he supposed, although Tarquin's response seemed to indicate he thought otherwise. "The one with the bunny is nice." he smiled. Maybe it wasn't super practical, but if it was what the man wanted to do then Mateus didn't see a big problem with it.

[Ether]

So the Captain had recognized her, it seemed. A part of her had hoped that, this deep into America, no one would, but it seemed that wasn't to be the case... there it was again, though...

"Yes, I know. Brant in suit, I could feel... excitement? Captain, are you... okay? You... pausing, a lot." Kim asked, deciding to breach the subject directly, and choosing not to longer too long on the prior issue, before responding to Jessica's other comment.

"I... do not mind talking like teen friend, outside of... battle. Did not think... Korean music, known in America." Seung-Min noted, giving a slight shrug as she spoke, though there seemed to be a sudden, influx of people, as two of the other pilots approached, the silent one and the loud one... how ironic. Of course, it was time for round two of answering questions about her gear... at least once the whole squad asked she should be clear of them for a good while.

"Is specialized suit... for T-Link. Not standard issue." Kim replied, shaking her head at this Astin fellow, before looking at the hot-head who had also come over... no questions directly lodged at her from this one, just an apology to the Captain, If she had cooled her head, that was a good sign for everyone.

[Nanami Touko]

It was a bit more than excitement, but she doesn't need to know that-- and I should stop thinking about-- "Oh, that?" So someone had noticed her tick. She didn't seem that upset about it, though, for someone so shy. "I get told that a lot. That I tend to lock up, or freeze when I think about stuff. I think it's just my brain's way of trying to get at something I haven't thought about for a while-- not that I know how it works; I'm a Captain, not a neurosurgeon. It hasn't hurt me yet, and no one's ever told me I've frozen for more than a second or so. If I do, though, please tell me! Haha, if it does become worse, then I'll worry about it~"

The casual talk was nice. She did shake her head a bit at the teenager comment. "Maybe, but... Roxanna will get on my case if I get too casual with any of you. This is a job, after all. I don't want anyone to think I'm using my position to force relations, or anything. That'd be bad form. And, I mean, Japanese music is always used in those animes they show on TV. It's not too shocking that people would listen to stuff like that, no?" Jess had thought to ask if she was going to fast for Kim, but the girl hadn't asked for a slow down, so it'd probably be insulting to ask.

"Oh, you're Astin, right?" What do they-- "No guns? No... Guns... No, guns? Huh. No guns. I, uh... Alright! I haven't--" she froze for a split second again, shaking her head, "no, that's not true, there have been plenty of pilots in the ANF in past records who focused on one type of weapon who have done splendidly. They just shy away from it for new pilots because it's better to have all your bases covered! But! You know how to pilot your mech more than I do! So you do what works for you, alright?"

Speaking of things that worked, maybe Elaine would work out just fine. Jess wasn't expecting such a rapid apology, she almost shrunk from that, as well! "It's fine!" she squeaked, blushing, and clearing her throat. "I-It's fine. I don't expect anyone to have a high opinion of me for a while. I haven't really proven myself! But I will. Just give it time. You seem antsy to get into a robot, so we can go ahead and get on that. Kim, Astin-- i-is it fine, to be on a first name-- whatever, uhm, i-is that everything?" Jess' mood seemed better, she was smiling, her head wasn't tilted down to hide under her hat. They were people before they were soldiers.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Melissa

[scorri]

Astin gave a slight shrug. "I am used to swords. I've fenced for years, it's sort of training for me I guess. It's slightly different in a robot but... Guns just don't make as much sense to me as swords do. Good to know that I'm not the first I guess." They then turned back to the pilot in the skin suit. "Ah, T-Link, ok. I guess that makes some sort of sense. But time for the test I guess. See you on the battlefield." Astin gave them both a small nod, as well as one to Elaine, and then headed back to the robot they had requested. It seemed like it had been pretty much fitted out at this point, so they climbed up into the robot, settling into the cockpit and checking out the controls. They seemed pretty basic and what they were used to. Astin could do this for sure.

Edited June 12, 2016 by scorri

[Ether]

Seung-Min almost felt bad bringing this up, but Jessica would only feel worse if she found out later down the line... right?

"Err, Captain. In Korea, family name... listed first. First name, as Americans say, is Seung-Min." The young pilot corrected, choosing not to comment on Jessica's own assessment of her... unique tick, nor her connection with Korean music to Japanese anime and all that came with that association.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ohhhh, ahh... Ahaha. Whoops. S-Seung-Min, then?" That blush wasn't leaving soon, but it wasn't all that bad. Jess waved Astin off as they went to their robot, leaving just Elaine and Seung-Min. "So, was that all, then? If not, I should get the battleship prepared for take off. It'll be joining you in the fight, but we won't be participating. Live firing those sorts of rounds over a test exercise would definitely not be a good idea."

[Dandragon]

Elaine was able to sincerely smile after that, giving a little salute by placing her forefinger and middle finger on her forehead, than waving them away from the head. "I just appreciate being able to speak freely, but I realize now I made a bit of an ass of myself." She nodded at the comment about getting into the robot. Getting out in the field was still something on her mind, but it was good to communicate.

However, she couldn't help but notice Kim mentioning Korea. "Oh...So you ARE from Korea. I wasn't sure before and, uh...*cough* Anyway," she said trying to do her best Korean, "<I hope we can be friends, as well, yes?>" It had been a while since she had to use the Korean language, but she did remember her fair share of it just from being around the scientists that her dad worked with as well as taking a class in it. Of course, this did have a hint of Elaine trying to show off her language skills to her peers, but she mostly wanted to try and mingle a little bit with Kim.

[Balcerzak]

The reaction he'd from Tarquin got only slightly surprised Thorvald. He'd known some super serious types in the past, but he had to admit, seeing it come from someone of such a young age was a first. With a bit of a patient smile on his face, he tried to explain it in a way that those types tended to respond best to.

"It's really not a distraction at all, almost entirely the opposite in fact, and I would be hard-pressed to name anything more useful. Taking a moment during a break in the action to glance up and be reminded of your reason to fight is an extremely centering experience. It helps to calm and focus you, to get you reoriented on your tasks, and to fill you with a determination to never let up the fight, and to never let them down. It can help calm your nerves when you're anxious and lost without direction, it can help to give you courage when you're scared to act. It buries the worst in you and brings out the best in you, well at least it does for me. Don't you have anything special that keeps you motivated? Wouldn't you feel more at ease if it were close by your side?"

He had to resist the urge to reach out and ruffle the kid's hair. Despite it all, this was a fellow soldier. As for Mateus's comment, he picked up the bunny picture and gave it a closer look. "Yeah, you're certainly right there. It really captures a wonderful sense of innocence, though if memory serves, Mr. Nibbles wasn't particularly thrilled with being on the receiving end of that treatment."

[Ether]

"Most Americans call me Kim anyway... is fine." The a forenamed replied, giving Jessica a dismissive shrug, Either was fine as far as she was concerned, really. What happened next came as a surprise though, the hot-headed Elaine character addressing her in Korean.

"<I didn't expect to meet anyone here who could speak it. That's pleasant to know, at the least.>" Kim replied, quite clearly far more confident speaking in her native tongue than in English.

"<But Captain Gefalscht is right, we should prepare for takeoff. It looks like my weapons are finally online, but I still need to have the machine calibrated properly...>" Seung-Min concluded, trailing off as she looked towards her Velite, and began to walk towards it, though moving slowly enough that Elaine could reply if she felt the need.

[Nanami Touko]

Take Flight

"Not to worry Elaine. And I'll keep it in mind, Seung-Min." She'd call her by her Korean first name anyway; it wasn't any hassle for her. What was hassle was them starting to speak in Korean. Eyes glazed for a second, but Jess didn't join in with them, standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. "Yes, what she said! Uh huh. I'm... Gonna go get the boat started. Take care, you two! I hope your calibration goes well, Lieutenant!"

There was one thing to do before she left the hangar. "Juria! I'm getting on the ship! Please make sure you're not late!" She still had a good twenty five minutes to get on board before they took off, and with it taking ten to get there, that gave her a good fifteen minutes. Plenty of time.

With all that said and done, Jess felt her pilot fraternization went fairly well! The rude one even said sorry! That was a victory in her book. She'd have to formally apologize to Brant at some point-- hopefully before he got stuck in his suit. S t o p, J e s s. With one final shake of her head, her worries were set back onto the ship. Already in the other hangar, she'd have to take the elevator up to the access port, and that'd take her a good ten minutes. It was huge, after all. Roxanna wasn't back, but the woman was strict on her timings, she was sure that she'd be back on time for the test... And if she wasn't... Well, Jess didn't want to put it off; it was just a test, after all.

Calibration

Another mechanic was hanging around Seung-Min's mech, one with a baseball cap, a rather worn pair of leather gloves, and bubblegum getting incessantly blown out of her mouth. She caught sight of the Lieutenant heading over and stored it. "'Ey, TK girl, hop in. Gotta make sure it's all set up and ready t'go fer ya. Should be find though, just shout out yer speakers iffin things ain't set up right, ya?" The girl's accent was definitely southern, but not unbearably so. Other than her gum blowing and her far more worn gloves, she didn't have anything outstanding about her aside from her hair coming out in a ponytail behind her hat. "Boooooys! Bring the elevator down!" On command, the small lift started to drop, another bubble popping.

"There ye go."

Start up

Jess had finally arrived on the bridge, the wait time for the elevator and lifts also a bit of a bother. But, now she was there, chair ready and waiting for her to sit in... Though it was a bit big for someone so young. Despite all that, she sat in it, none of the other crew giving her an odd look. They'd gotten all of that out of the way when she arrived, first day. Now it was more of a novelty than a problem. "Alright, then... Get the hangar open. Sound the take off siren. Let's take this slow. Hold the engine until the doors have parted all the way, and we'll get to hovering above the base. We're only on observation today, so all weapons are on lockdown. Helmsman, make sure the safety controls are set.

"Aye aye, ma'am."

"Good..." Things were going very, very smoothly. That was definitely a worthwhile change of pace.

//Dwight may now post

Edited June 12, 2016 by Melissa

[Ether]

"Got it... thank you." Seung-Min replied to the mechanic, as she took the elevator up into the cockpit of her Velite, getting herself settled in. It only took a few moments for her to look over the control panel, and start the machine, going through the boot processes. Well, the boot processes plus one extra, as she logged into the T-Link system, bringing it online. Just as the system came up on her panel, Seung-Min felt the familiar sting, like a needle jabbing into the base of her brain and spine, though it lasted only a second.

And with it came the sensory overload. Spatial awareness unlike anything one could feel outside of a T-Link system, a flood of emotions from myriad sources... apprehension, nervousness, excitement... a close-by and distinct feeling of familial love from nearby one of the Legionaries... perhaps she might ask of that, shouldn't be difficult to narrow down... only a few of them were gathered there, seemingly looking over photos, ah, and one was on the move. Anger, a lot of anger... resentment, disapointment... it was quite the bundle, and of all of the faces she had met so far at this base, none came to mind outside of their... 'lovely' XO, Roxanna. The others were harder to place... one particular spot of apprehension was unchanged since she had entered the base, and with it placed at the ship, it must have been Jessica.

Enough of that, though. Quickly feeling if she could sense her rippers, which seemed affirmative, and testing the movement of the limbs, also affirmative, Seung-Min switched on her comms.

"All clear. No issues."

Edited June 12, 2016 by Ether

[Nanami Touko]

All Clear

The pink, ponytail mechanic gave a thumbs up towards Kim's monitor and sucked up her gum, spinning a hand around for the other mechanics on had to get moving. She shoved her hands in her pockets and made her way, jogging lightly towards the other hanger. The siren had gone off, and that meant that the pilots that weren't inside should be getting ready to do so now, and it also meant she was needed back on the ship.

[Xinnidy]

Nevada Base, main building.

"Ugh... nothing here either." Opting for the internet was horrible. Rox was done with reading up gossip about Korean idols for years now. "Why did she had to go and be an idol before getting scouted, anyways? You'd think the military wouldn't recruit a big face..." Then again, she was Telekinetic, and that mattered more for the ANF than her background.

"Well, if I can't get anything on those three, at least I could try the small fries..." With a resigned sigh and another flick at the screen, Roxanna returned to dig the ANF's database --what she was allowed, anyways. "Let's see, there's the other recruits... that man, Thorvald, he's pretty old. It'd be nice to get a full story --wait, what about Jess?" Roxanna's eyes widened with the thought, of course! The prodigy ship captain had to have *something* that made the ANF choose them. "I wonder... Captain Gefalscht. Jessica Gefalscht... or, just Gefalscht. hmm hmm hmm~."

Nothing, as usual.

Roxanna sighed. "I'm really not going to get anything on the prodigy children here, huh?" Stupid ANF, update your things! "Well, let's see--" The system popped up a folder, just as Roxanna's finger hovered the cancel button. "Huh?" She read up the folder's name. "...What's that have to do with anything? Colony 5 projects?" In all her years as part of the space fleet, she was sure she never met some insufferable pipsqueak like Jess, she knew the military people there, that couldn't be it. "Her surname happens to be a codename for something, then? Oooh, what could it--" And as fate would have it, an unbearable siren rung through the building, one whose meaning Roxanna understood well. Oh. Oh shit. She shut her tablet down in a hurry, jumping off of the chair. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrap she didn't tell me about this!

The Heion Riese was lifting. This was supposed to just be a mech suit test, why was she spending resources and lifting that damn thing off of its hangar? Why, rookie, Why? Roxanna couldn't even get angry about this. She'd miss the drill, and that's one too many ammo given to that pipsqueak with the others!

"Ack!" She almost tripped on the way out of her office, if she had any chance to get to the hangar before lift off, those heels were killing it. Ok, you'll have to go. Taking off her heels (good riddance), Roxy cried for her legging's future state and ran as hard as she could to the elevator. Dammitdammitdammit pleasegofast. Time wasn't on her side.

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

"SHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!" Roxanna ran through the hangar, as fast as she could, she didn't even know she had that in her. "STANDBY! STANDBY! I'm still down here!!!" She was hurrying off to the elevator, her legs were dead, she was humiliated, maybe she should've just given up and stayed, but damn it. She was not letting pipsqueak ditch her on their first launch.

[scorri]

Astin finished their inspection of the cockpit and settled fully into the seat. It looked like other people were in fact starting to get into the robots, though some were still outside. Absentmindedly fiddling with a small maple leaf brooch they had pinned to their flight suit, Astin looked over the nearby robots before noticing one man sitting on top of his robot. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Astin considered for a second before peering a little closer to figure out exactly what robot it was and then fiddling with their intercom system. Speaking louder than normal so that the man could hopefully hear them, Astin called out, "It's usually considered better to fight from inside the robot, not outside."