>>2403548
>'Come on, I'll introduce you to her.'
>'Maybe if you didn't come off too strongly at times, girls would actually give you a chance.'
>'Mr Logistics? Seriously?'
>'I'm just showing her around, Ryosuke. It's nothing like that; she's from a Colony Fleet, too.'
>Write-In

>>2403552
>>'Maybe if you didn't come off too strongly at times, girls would actually give you a chance.'

>>2403552
>>'Mr Logistics? Seriously?'

>>2403552
>Maybe if you didn't come off too strongly at times, girls would actually give you a chance.'

>>2403552
>'Maybe if you didn't come off too strongly at times, girls would actually give you a chance.'

‘Maybe if you didn’t come off too strongly at times, girls would actually give you a chance.’

Ryosuke casts a half-lidded glare in your direction. For some reason, it makes you feel—just a little bit—accomplished. It was rare enough that you’d been able to get a step on Ryosuke—never mind Emilio—but to actually be able to turn a whole sentence on him in this manner at this stage, that bit of leakage to superiority felt downright satisfying. Not that you wished the worst on your friend, of course, but considering that you were actually in the position to give the lecture, passing up on the opportunity to assert yourself on the topic was not an option.

‘Yeah, yeah, whatever,’ he grunts, huffing as he moves to the side as Emilio returns with the chairs. A tight, forced-looking smile forms of his lips, a glint of something in his eye visible with the slight tilt of his head. ‘Besides, you probably picked up a thing or two watching me anyway.’

You let out a disgusted noise at the insinuation.

‘If anything, you gave me a pretty good picture on how not to conduct myself, thank you very much for that.’

‘You’re learning, see?’ Ryosuke steadies his point, shrugging as he throws his hands up. ‘It’s like in close quarters combat; regardless of whether it’s the instructor or the instructed, the thrown or the one doing the throwing, it’s about the passing of knowledge. You probably wouldn’t even be able to talk to girls without seeing me screw up so often.’

Emilio stares at him in disbelief.

Sanza looks like she’s about to burst holding her laughter in.

>‘Emilio?’ (Ask Emilio to back you up)
>‘Sanza?’ (Ask Sanza to back you up)
>‘You’re the one tossing my ass on the floor-mat a hundred-and-one times out of a hundred … knowledge is knowledge.’ (Take it in good humor)
>‘Sure it is.’ (Annoyed, Sarcastic)
>Write-In

>>2403626
>>‘You’re the one tossing my ass on the floor-mat a hundred-and-one times out of a hundred … knowledge is knowledge.’ (Take it in good humor)

>>2403626
>You’re the one tossing my ass on the floor-mat a hundred-and-one times out of a hundred … knowledge is knowledge.’ (Take it in good humor)

>>2403626
>'I'll have you know I spoke with my mother TWICE before I ever met you. How about that?'
Yeah, it's a joke.

‘You’re the one tossing my ass on the floot-mat a hundred-and-one times out of a hundred,’ you shrug; no point throwing out some banter without being prepared to roll with it yourself, ‘not that I’d prefer it to having a night out on a pretty woman, but I’d be lying if I didn’t actually pick a thing or two up from your rambunctious ass.’

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head, his forced grin giving way to a fond one. ‘Glad to know it, buddy.’

A cough from Emilio has the three of you turning your attention to him … his expression showing that he wasn’t amused by the fact that you had chosen to have a chat in the middle of the open floor of all places. It wasn’t as if you had made him get the chairs, though: there were enough booths to choose from that he didn’t have to go out of his way to go and drag three chairs for one small table—already occupied with a blissfully-content Kouhai who was halfway through her own meals, nonetheless!

The four of you make your way towards the island of a table, where your Junior instantly gets to her feet, noticing your return.

‘Rosaria, this is Emilio Reinweld and Ryosuke Kikitai,’ you announce, setting down your tray of meat, ‘they’re my friends and fellow graduates.’

‘P-Pleased to meet you!’ she greets, bowing in a manner that you’d found yourself all too familiar with. ‘And you too, Miss Sanza!’

Ryosuke eyes her up and down with scrutiny, causing her to stiffen slightly.

‘How old are you? Twenty-two standard? Twenty-three?’

He’s instantly met by a smack to the back of his head by Sanza, followed by a light shove from Emilio, who sets the chairs up behind his two friends in the same motion. Rosaria, however, doesn’t seem to mind at all.

‘Twenty-one, actually,’ she giggles. ‘I turned about five moons ago.’

‘Huh, so you’re our age,’ he points out, taking a seat. ‘Pleased to meet ya, too.’

‘Likewise,’ Emilio gruffly returns, pulling up a seat between you and Ryosuke … before promptly picking up one of your fillets and throwing it into his mouth. ‘Ah, they’ve downgraded a little on the sauce … must be the season for it, then.’

‘Hey, get your own—’

Before you can even finish your warning, you find two more hands picking up your food: Sanza’s, who had foregone her evening gloves in favor of a messy raid without so much as a plate for her own … and Rosaria, who had followed the lead of her Seniors and picked up one of the larger wings, munching and savoring the piece like no one ever did. Ryosuke places his elbows on the table, eyeing the young blonde woman with interest.

‘It’s a little bit old to start at The AEGIS, ain’t—ow!’

He rubs the back of his head, glaring at the perpetrator, who was sucking the fat off her fillet in a manner that didn’t march the elegance of her dress.

‘Sanza, if there’s sauce in my hair, I swear!’

>>2403701
>'Actually, I'm kind of curious myself. You're actually ... older than I am. Are Apprenticeships that different from being recruited normally?' (Curious)
>'So, Sanza, I take it everything went smoothly leading up to the party?' (Change topic)
>'Ryosuke, for someone in the top 2 percent, you can pass for a newbie on his first day.'
>'Being from a Trade House, I guess that you can afford to be that picky.'
>'You deserve it.' (Dismissive)
>Write-In

>>2403705
>'So, Sanza, I take it everything went smoothly leading up to the party?' (Change topic)

>>2403705
>>'So, Sanza, I take it everything went smoothly leading up to the party?' (Change topic)

>>2403705
>>'So, Sanza, I take it everything went smoothly leading up to the party?' (Change topic)

‘So, Sanza,’ you move to collect the vestments of calm into motion before Ryosuke caused a ruckus, ‘I take it everything went smoothly leading up to the party?’

Not seeing the point of leaving your own tray of barbecued meat unattended, you raid it before they could get to the nicer portions. Starting out with some fillets was good enough.

‘Not really,’ she replies thickly, the squirt of meat juice barely missing you as she bites down on a wing. ‘but I can’t complain; all the organizers and reps were swamped enough as it is, so even a little bit of a trickle is to be expected. The planet-wise news feed, though, I didn’t expect to be violated at all. I guess that they got desperate enough to leave their mark doing it like that.’

‘Nothing will ever top off Emperor Move-It Move-It,’ Ryosuke sighs wistfully. ‘Legends are there to remain legends, after all.’

Sanza glares at him (Although it looked rather comical with a piece of your ‘I swear, if you—’

‘Hey, I’ve been busy too, you know,’ Ryosuke interjects, huffing in annoyance. ‘You think I could’ve joined those guys on their runs with what I have to put up with?’

‘Considering your lackadaisical approach to your own prospective career, there isn’t really much you can do to counter that,’ Emilio answer, wearing a slight smirk. ‘Although, that is only for those that don’t know how much of an asset you really are …’

Ryosuke turns up his nose, crossing his arms. ‘You damn right, I am!’

‘Back on topic,’ Sanza grabs everyone’s attention, ‘there hasn’t really been much of an issue … but negotiating with the Precinct Officers for us to use a whole street took some persuading. It wasn’t until Instructor Wray convinced them that it was better to sacrifice half a block than let us run wild vandalizing a whole town.’

‘WRAY DID?’

The three men at the table—you, of course, included—get to your feet, eyes wide in shock at the reveal by your friend. Rosaria herself jumps in surprise, shocked at the sudden raise in volume from you, Ryosuke and—surprisingly—Emilio. Although, to be fair, you suppose that Wray doing anything to actually perpetuate the madness of your class was … worthy of such a reaction.

Sanza tilts her head, chewing noisily, nonplussed. ‘I was surprised at first … but he was surprisingly helpful negotiating that detail down. I mean, he didn’t take out pom-poms and—’

‘Sanza, no,’ Emilio cuts in warily, raising a hand in protest.

‘It wasn’t as if he was pushing the boulder uphill with us, but he did manage to persuade them that it’d be a more acceptable form of damage compared to the previous years.’

‘You didn’t ask Fisher for any advice?’

The atmosphere drops several degrees at Ryosuke’s inquiry. Sanza doesn’t answer.

Amid the smoke and huddled around the table, you continue your meal.

>>2403793
>'Actually, Sanza ... why don't you like Fisher?'
>'Emilio, you got any details on what you're going to be packing on your post?'
>'Rosaria, when Ryosuke asked about your Apprenticeship ... how does it actually differ?'
>'Been four years, huh?'
>Eat in silence and just enjoy the atmosphere
>Write-In

>>2403797
>>'Actually, Sanza ... why don't you like Fisher?'

File: Destroyer.gif (938 KB, 178x190)

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>>2403797
>'Actually, Sanza ... why don't you like Fisher?'
This is totally a bad idea but I want to do it anyway.

File: 1479965101340.gif (1.36 MB, 260x260)

1.36 MB GIF

>>2403797
>>'Actually, Sanza ... why don't you like Fisher?'

File: Instructor Fisher.jpg (41 KB, 480x679)

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At the fifth sandwich and third fillet, you finally work up enough courage, stupidity and curiosity to voice the one thing that had been plaguing you for the last few years.

‘Actually, Sanza … why don’t you like Instructor Fisher?’

Emilio chokes on a bun before promptly recovering himself, glaring right at you. You knew that it was a stupid question to even imply, never mind ask directly … but considering that there wasn’t a tomorrow for you that didn’t involve stacking boxes and long trips to worlds just to be off to another site in the galaxy, you decide that you might as well lay it out there. Maybe it was a little awkward to do it, judging by Emilio’s own reaction to your ask, but …

Well, no one was perfect.

When you wanted to know, you wanted to know.

‘I have nothing but respect for Instructor Fisher,’ she reinforces, not quite meeting your eyes. ‘I just didn’t see the need to ask her for help anymore than I don’t ask any of you boys because I feel that if I could still manage it on my own, I should stick to it instead of dragging people into my problems.’

‘That’s not what I asked, though,’ you round on her, licking the sauce off the tip of your finger. ‘It’s not about insinuating anything, but it feels like you don’t like her much at all.’

Ryosuke slashes his hand over his throat, shaking his head, glaring through the windows of his soul.

Emilio looks at you in desperation, fear creeping upon his ashen face.

Sanza sets her half-bitten patty down, her features neutral; cold.

>Write-In

>>2403830
>Maintain eye contact (motherly women can smell fear like sharks smell blood) and wait for her to answer.

>>2403833
Supporting

>>2403833
>stay cool
dont show fear
dont even move

You keep yourself steady. The last thing you wanted was for your last memory—your last living memory—was one of Sanza trying to force feed you the table you were eating at. She doesn’t respond, wiping the sauce from her pink lips away, roughly suckling its remnants off the print of her thumb. Her eyes are lidded, her brows creased … and she regards you not as a friend of years but like a Salamander spying a lone drum of Ether in an open meadow. There is a thickness in the air that you can’t quite pin-point, never mind exorcise … and all you can do is keep yourself steady. No sudden movements, no try to push up what ground you’d gained or what you’d lost. Sanza didn’t need people to push her over the edge … because she’d use your entrails as a rope to tow herself back up that muddy cliff before throwing the rest of your corpse down the pit.

She snorts, crossing her arms, pushing her chair back and crossing her legs in a show of defiance.

‘I already said I have nothing but respect for her,’ she counters, adopting a haughty tone that was wildly out of the norm. ‘Fisher’s an acceptable Counselor and someone that’s been on the field as much as you can ask anyone. She’s someone that made something of herself and lived to tell about it.’

The words come off as though she was reading off a script.

‘Why are you even asking me this?’

>Write-In

>>2403861
So someone Sanza knew/was related to died serving with/under Fisher. Probably when she lost her meat arm(s?) and leg(s?).

>'It's just kinda weird to me how you get all frosty when she's mentioned, since she doesn't seem to have any problem with you.'

>>2403861
Seconding this:>>2403861
Also:
>And because the way you're acting right now goes way beyond simple dislike.

>>2403864
WELL, NOT ANYMORE.

>>2403882
If you don't want us to know it's about someone being dead, don't point out Sanza sees Fisher as still being alive as important. There's really no other explanation I could think of, after she said "and lived to tell about it."

>>2403885
It's just a joke, man. I already had this planned out. It's nothing that deep or cliche.

>>2403897
Whatever you say~

I guess I'm too dumb to guess what it could be.

File: Agri-World.jpg (14 KB, 243x241)

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‘I guess it always felt weird that you seem to get rather cold whenever she’s brought up,’ you disclose calmly, leaning forwards and wiping your sauce-stained hands on the napkin before setting them down. ‘Thought you’d finally tell us why.’

Sanza licks the last of her sauce from her fingers, before returning to that predator-like flash of expression, staring right back at you. You don’t say a word further, allowing her to control the flow. It was hard, trying to actually convince her to divulge something so personal, but … after all this time, you believed that it was pointless to let such a lack of knowledge remain so. She throws her head back, stretching her arms over her head … before folding them on her lap, reluctant defeat etched across her face.

‘It’s not easy to say, but,’ Sanza looks away, her cheeks red, ‘I envy her.’

For a few moments, you stare at her, wondering whether or not you could cash that refund for all those years of guess work.

‘That’s it?’

‘She and I … politically, at least, we’re on the opposite ends of a spectrum,’ she begins, ‘as a Rim-Worlder, I wanted more autonomy for my world. Many of the settled cities do, but at the same time … we didn’t want to leave the cloak of the Empire. I’d just about finished school up at the time … and my world, Dallas, was under threat by a militia that turned into a sort of local terrorist movement. The Empire sent troops to quell the fighting … but rather than welcoming them, the local government—all eight of the cities that made up the settlement—rejected Imperial resolution. A lot of people saw The Emperor as self-important and didn’t care much for what he had to say; enough to split the planet into a sort of cold blood war. She … was part of a Lance Command that was sent in as a security force and to … well, in a word, spread propaganda. I was in that phase in my life; rebellion was my thing. It was a phase for a lot of us. She came to the local schools with her Lance Command, threw up a smile and tell us that everything was okay.’

Sanza wears a wry smile as she looks down to her hand.

‘I threw a rock at her, telling her to go back … didn’t get away with it, though.’

‘You threw a rock at Instructor Fisher?’

‘Morrigan.’

You stop in your tracks. You’d never heard Sanza say her first name.

‘I was called in for an investigation; a bunch of us had our faces all over the feed as malcontents,’ she snorts, closing her eyes. ‘I remember screaming into the camera “Independence! Independence!” when they dragged me away. Proud moment for my family, for sure. They just wanted something better for me that didn’t involve working on the land.’

She lets out a sigh.

‘It must have hit some buttons, because after that, all Hell broke loose.’

>Interrupt her
>Let her continue
>Write-In

>>2403918
>Let her continue
I gotta go to bed now, it's nearly 7am.

>>2403918
>>Let her continue

>>2403918
>>Let her continue

>>2403918
>Let her continue

‘It’d be arrogant to assume that there’d be one action that flipped the table, but on the media on Dallas were in a frenzy over that one thing I did; I wasn’t even in my holding cell yet when the feed started broadcasting riots all over the city,’ she snorts, smiling wryly once more. ‘That’s when Fisher—when Morrigan came in—and I kind of expected that she’d have a gun to my head and a note on the record, but … all she did was pull up a chair and talked. She told me about herself; her life back on home; her sisters, her mother … and how much Dallas bread sucked for the premium the rest of the universe paid for it. I felt that she didn’t get how we saw things; that the people on the settlements deserved to govern themselves and for themselves … that the Empire was archaic and crumbling. She laughed at that, by the way. Most annoying laugh I ever heard.’

There was a glint of something in Sanza’s gaze—no, it would be presumptuous to call it something instead of somethings. Regret; frustration; contemplation; you could see it, even from here … but paradoxically, you didn’t feel like this was a confession of any sort from your friend. Sanza was firm and meticulous in divulging the details; if there was something you could link her demeanor right back to, it would be some kind of bar hop-fueled talk that just happened to trudge onto more personal grounds.

Or rather, a hop-fueled talk that you segued into more personal grounds.

‘We talked politics for a while,’ she continues, nonchalantly picking up a glass of drink from a passing waiter, who didn’t even notice her pick it up in one impressive movement, ‘and I threw back everything and everything she threw back during her small talks back when she was doing her propaganda rounds … and she called me a child for it. I called her names, said she lived in a Mech and on a ship; that she didn’t know what people did in atmosphere … how we felt like nothing more than accessories; how we were unheard. She told me that she did … but that in the end it didn’t matter. She didn’t even care about the rock to the head, but she asked me something that I thought I could answer … which I did.’

You lean in, feeling curious. ‘What’d she ask?’

‘She asked me how far I’d go to stay true to my convictions, and I said,’ she smirks humorlessly, ‘that I’d take them with me to my grave. Typical Rim-World bravado, turning up my nose and trying to sound tough. Like I knew everything they could throw at me. I’m not sure if I was brave back then … or stupid.’

Emilio snorts, crossing his arms, but otherwise listens intently. Ryosuke, however, looks deep in thought.

‘I was allowed to go free … she said she’d write it off as a kid trying to act tough.’

Sanza mumbles under her breath.

‘Bitch.’

>>2411066
>'That's it? Doesn't sound political or ... personal. It just sounds like you're being petty.'
>'Sorry I asked.'
>'So you met her during her early career and ... just had a disagreement with her.'
>'That doesn't sound like the end of the story.'
>Write-In

>>2411066
>>'That doesn't sound like the end of the story.'

>>2411068
>'So you met her during her early career and ... just had a disagreement with her.'

>>2411066
>'That doesn't sound like the end of the story.'

‘That doesn’t sound like the end of the story,’ you state, frowning. Sanza never seemed like the type that’d let something that came out of a difference in belief define the rest of her relationship with someone.

Rather than answer your queries, Sanza’s explanation seemed to only raise more questions. You never knew that Sanza and Fisher were acquainted prior to touching down on Rhysode. Considering Sanza had said that it had happened during her late teens, you marked it down to an early point in Fisher’s career; a small assignment to give a talk on the position of The Emperor on a Rim World only reinforced the assumption. The math was easy enough for you to deduce that it was—at best—two years before you touched down on Rhysode … but that only made Sanza’s explanation contradictory to Fisher’s tenure. She must have been only twenty-three standard years at the most … and being part of the AEGIS, even in the capacity that [i[she[/i] was in, carried a lot of unsaid implications to her service.

Then there was the backdrop of civil unrest that had gone unexplored.

You had Sanza and Fisher sharing (sort of) a past; Fisher’s identity as a member of a Lance Command, which, considering her age, meant that it was more than likely one of the her first assignments; a planet that was in a cold war with itself on its standing as an Imperial Rim World and a time frame that seemed to be much too compact for it to be anything but volatile.

‘It’s not,’ she finally admits with a sigh, ‘but … I’m sorry, that’s as far as I’m willing to go with it.’

Sanza picks up a mini-fillet, tearing it off the bone and tossing it into her mouth.

Ryosuke’s mouth thins into a line, nodding but not saying anything; Emilio closes his eyes, letting out a grunt and raising a hand, gesturing for a waiter to tend to the table.

Rosaria stares at Sanza in wonder, but otherwise keeps her silence.

>Press her
>Allow her to keep her peace
>Write-In

>>2411107
>>Allow her to keep her peace

>>2411107
>Allow her to keep her peace

>>2411107
>Allow her to keep her peace

You decide not to pry any further. Considering that she’d confessed to throwing a rock at a member of Lance Command in her past, you supposed that this wasn’t the best place to spill. It wasn’t that you didn’t have a rough picture of it, anyway: Sanza and Fisher stood on opposing sides of beliefs and something had put Sanza on a more antagonistic stance. Sanza wasn’t prepared to give that much up … and you wouldn’t be the one to make her.

Ryosuke breaks the uneasy noise (It would be a stretch to call it silence, with so much going on) by opening chatter up with Rosaria, asking her about her experiences on-world. Rosaria is all too happy to return in kind, expressing her wonder, her hopes and her fears … and trying to talk Ryosuke through the more technical aspects of engineering. Ryosuke rarely had a head for that sort of thing; not that he wasn’t smart enough to operate in that capacity, but that he lacked the patience and passion for it. Rosaria’s simplification of the more elaborate cut-ups of engineering, however (Or the fact that it was a pretty girl doing the explanation) had Ryosuke listening intently—or at least, attempting and pretending to do so. For a while, their chatter and Sanza’s snappy comments to Ryosuke’s lack of knowledge are the only sound from the table, as you and Emilio dig into a tray brimming with content that was rightfully yours but had to end up sharing with the rest of them.

The word was willpower.

You had it.

You did.

‘That much works goes into putting a hydraulic cylinder to standard?’ Ryosuke lets out with disgust.

‘Of course,’ Rosaria chirps thickly, ‘or else anyone’d be able to just slap it together, no?’

>‘So, Emilio, what’s the story on your assignment?’
> While we’re on the topic, Rosaria, mind briefing us in on your apprenticeship?’
>‘So Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’
>‘Been four years, hasn’t it?’
>Just enjoy the atmosphere
>Temporarily leave the table
>Write-In

>>2411110
so close to quints

>>2411159
>>‘So Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’

>>2411159
>‘So Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’

>>2411160
Story of my life.

>>2411159
>>‘So Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’

>>2411159
>>‘So Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’

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‘So, Ryosuke, did they approve on your Murasame callsign?’

Ryosuke stares at you with a look of betrayal; one that you can’t help but bask in. It was no secret that both you and Ryosuke were fanboys of everything Mech-related; or at least, that’s how you started out before slanting towards more realistic goals. Ryosuke, however, was passion incarnate, and he’d be nothing without those eccentricities. He’d even planned out his own custom Mechs (without much care for structural blueprints) and an emblem to put for his Squad (although he hadn’t quite come up with a name beyond Ryosuke’s Renegades) … but none of that even held a candle to the title that he’d bestowed upon himself … or rather, his dream call-sign, which only Savik and Fisher had taken a known shine to; the latter for teasing purposes more than actual respect for it.

Some men outgrew these things.

If anyone had a right to hold on to the obsession, though … Ryosuke did. You didn’t out-wrestle and throw people onto mats with that disturbing amount of frequency without being a little unhinged …or without having earned it. Four years on and you can still remember walking into his dorm and seeing him play with those action figures.

You wonder if he still held on to them.

‘Don’t remind me,’ he grumbles, shrinking and covering his head in a fashion that you find almost comical, ‘although, it could be a little better if Emilio here had—’

‘I am not using my Trade House connections to get you a callsign,’ Emilio declares nonchalantly, ‘and it’s not as if you’re unaware of the weight that it comes with, either; you’ll get there.’

‘Easy for you to say; you’re probably going to get your orders by the time you touch down on assignment,’ Ryosuke counters, bringing a foot up onto the chair and leaning back. ‘Man, what I wouldn’t give for—’

‘Excuse me …’

The four of you turn to the latest addition to The AEGIS, who had timidly raised her hand. ‘I’m sorry, but … what’s the significance of a call-sign? Isn’t it just a nickname?’

Ryosuke stares at her, disbelief etched all over his face.

You decide to run interference.

‘It’s not just a nickname,’ you explain, sucking the remnants of juice off your tongue. ‘A call-sign in the context, is a sort of title in a sense. They’re given to the most accomplished Mech Pilots. We usually have nicknames to go around, but a call-sign in this sense usually echoes a great deed or service. Traditionally, it’s not something you put on yourself, although there have been a few exceptions. Still, there’s a difference in the attribution of properties for a call-sign over a nickname. It’s not like in the Alliance Military where you have a code-name like Jolly Roger or Jackrabbit. You’re given the honor of the name.’

‘Do you want one, Senpai?’

>>2411257
CORRECTION: 'Did you ever think of one up for yourself, Senpai?

>'No, never did. Wanted to be a Mech Pilot, though.'
>'No use lying about it ... yeah, I did. Once. Silly to think about now, though.'
>Write-In

>>2411257
>>'No use lying about it ... yeah, I did. Once. Silly to think about now, though.'

>>2411257
>[SHAMELESS LIE]'No, never did. Wanted to be a Mech Pilot, though.'

>>2411262
>'No use lying about it ... yeah, I did. Once. Silly to think about now, though.'

>>2411262
>'No use lying about it ... yeah, I did. Once. Silly to think about now, though.'

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The look that Ryosuke gives you tells you that you weren’t about to get away with it, either.

You decide to come clean.

‘Yeah, I did,’ you confess, wearing a wry smile. ‘Once upon a time, anyway … silly to think about it now, though.’

‘What was it?’

There it was. The inevitable follow up.

>‘GALAHAD. I always fancied being myself being a … Mech-Warrior of sorts.’
>‘HAWKEYE. Precise, deadly and the last thing the enemy’d ever see.’
>‘MAVERICK. Lone wolf on the field, playing by my own rules …’
>‘ODIN. If I ever made it, I saw myself as tactical front-line Commander that brought out the best in my team.’
>‘REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech.’
>[UNIQUE NAME: Please provide follow-up]

>>2411464
LOKI. A mech really isn't subtle at all, but the idea of a trickster, of stacking the deck with exotic and hidden gadgets and mining the playing field. It struck a chord in you.

>>2411464
>>‘GALAHAD. I always fancied being myself being a …Mech-Warrior of sorts.’

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40 KB PNG

>>2411464
>‘REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech.’
.........haha......hahahahaha....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YES

>>2411464
>‘GALAHAD. I always fancied being myself being a … Mech-Warrior of sorts.’

>>2411464
Well if my write in isn't grtting any traction.

>‘REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech.’

>>2411464
>‘REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech.’
Rip and tear is best type of bot

>>2411464
>>‘GALAHAD. I always fancied being myself being a … Mech-Warrior of sorts.’

>>2411464
>[UNIQUE NAME: Please provide follow-up]
>Muramasa. I had a weeb phase okay.

>>2411464
>REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech.’

Archive link?

>>2411599
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=ashes+of+rhysode

Here you go

>>2411604
Thanks!

>>2411464
>REAVER. Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you and cowering under the power of your Mech

File: REAVER.jpg (118 KB, 1920x1080)

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‘Reaver,’ you answer, throwing Ryosuke a dirty look. ‘Nothing like crushing your enemies, driving them before you … and cowering under the sheer power of your Mech. Long time ago, though …’

+1 EXP for TENDENCY: WARRIOR

‘Name suits your style,’ Emilio comments, nodding. ‘You always lean towards taking point. Though I do say that your luck dodging or tanking isn’t going to outlast out there on the field. Though, considering your profession and origin, imagining you as an axe-swinging monster in a Mech is hard for me to reconcile with what I know about you.

You snort, pressing a patty onto some bread and biting the half it off, before replying, ‘You’re implying that I’m going to actually see any action in a Mech; never mind a transfer into a proper Unit, Squadron or a Task Force … or part of a Battlegroup, for that matter. Promotion-wise, I think my career leans more towards being on a bridge if I ever get that far, but hey, we’re all given our destinies, right?’

‘Come on, man.’ Ryosuke rolls his eyes, before scooting closer and placing his elbows on the table, staring at you in amusement. ‘Falling out of love with being Mech Pilot’s one thing; giving up on the possibility that you can get up there at all’s talk of defeat. You’re acting like being assigned to Logistics is a death sentence. You do realize you’re still fully-certified to be a Mech Pilot in any situation, right?’

‘So’s about a third of the rest of The AEGIS,’ you counter, gesturing for a waiter to stop by the table and picking out a tall glass—mug, really—of cold juice. ‘You’re expecting me to actually believe the odds of me getting a proper transfer or getting into a Mech group at all are worth considering? I can be optimistic; I’d have a better chance of winning a regional lottery than getting into something like The Starjammers. Hell, I wouldn’t mind just being part of their Support Crew or Battlegroup, really.’

‘Talking like your whole career’s planned out for you,’ Emilio comments with a wry smile, ‘but there is some truth to that perspective.’

Sanza sighs, shaking her head. ‘Sometimes I wonder how I got saddled with you brainless idiots.’

‘You didn’t,’ Ryosuke says pointedly, smirking. ‘You could’ve left us at any time but you stayed lady. You stayed.’

He makes an attempt to poke Sanza’s cheek … only for his finger to be smacked away with a free hand and a roll of the eyes. You can’t help but let out a chuckle, pulling your chair in and sharing a look with Emilio.

Perhaps saddled was a word that was too close to comfort when it came to your … friendship.

>‘So, Emilio. What’s the story about your assignment?’
>‘Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?’
>‘Hard to believe it’s been four years …’
>Just enjoy the atmosphere
>Temporarily leave the table
>Write-In

>>2412389
>>‘So, Emilio. What’s the story about your assignment?’

>>2412389
>‘So, Emilio. What’s the story about your assignment?’

>>2412389
>So, Emilio. What’s the story about your assignment?’

>>2412389
>‘So, Emilio. What’s the story about your assignment?’

File: Emilio, Meet Your Hell.jpg (59 KB, 741x451)

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You decide to keep the momentum going. While you didn’t want to sound too nosy, the thought that this would more than likely be the last time that you’d see each other personally gave a sort of drive for you to keep it going, for as long as you want to keep it going. You fan the smoke out of your eyes, glancing to your latest target … who looked like he was done with your assemblage of meat and … meat.

‘So, Emilio, what’s the story about your assignment?’

‘No story about it,’ he answers quickly. ‘I’m being posted in the reserves in Max-Sigma a—’

Ryosuke raises his hand like a student would in a classroom.

‘That’s just an outpost world, right? Somewhere in the Voltaire Regions?’

‘Yeah, it is,’ Emilio replies with a nod. ‘Nothing special out there except a few scientific bases and outposts. I probably won’t be seeing anything big for the next ten years if the political climate winds down with the Jenner Limitations actually putting its money where its mouth is, but as far as I’m concerned, it suits me just fine. That means that I can probably punch in a vacation or two more than the average unit member.’

You’d passed the Voltaire Regions before. Although, you had to admit, passing by in Spacer sense meant anything from it being visible to the naked eye to actually and physically passing its galaxies. Space-time was weird as a Spacer, considering how powerful you’d tweak the warp engines in bending the very fabric of the universe to take a shortcut that didn’t have traffic. It was like overcharging a volatile engine just because you felt bored. Still, the point stood that you’d passed by the Voltaire Regions in that sense—or zoomed passed it, if the logs were anything to go by. As far as you knew, the place was quite uncharted … and a habitable planet was well out of range of current tech to modify to Imperial or Republic preference.

‘So you’re not attached to a Battlegroup or anything? That sucks.’

Ryosuke leans back, placing his hands behind his head … before instantly pulling them away, scowling at his stained hands.

‘Unlike you, some of us are actually content just getting somewhere,’ Emilio replies crisply, ‘and no one starts a career being the head of their own Squadron and attached to a Battlegroup. I don’t think that sort of thing’s happened for … what? 300 years?’

‘A fast track is an anomaly, Ryosuke,’ you reinforce Emilio’s point. ‘Besides, Emilio’s stretched himself far enough. You know how hard it is to get a slice of that action.’

Sanza nods in agreement, following up, ‘Emilio getting assigned to a Mech Unit at all is—wait, what is your unit?’

‘Patrol-3.’

None of you say a word.

Except for Rosaria, who asks, ‘Is that … bad?’

>>2412650
>‘Wow, that’s … my condolences, man.’ (Pity)
>‘Running a security detail on an uncharted world … isn’t that bad. You’re in a Mech.’ (Optimistic)
>‘Seriously? You’re one of the best pilots in our class.’ (Outrage)
>‘Couldn’t you … twist an arm through your family?’ (Suggest)
>‘It means he’s essentially a grunt, but … more than that, it’s a dead-end unless he’s picked out of the reserves.’ (Explain)
>Laugh at his misfortune (Hypocritically)
>Write-In

>>2412656
>‘Seriously? You’re one of the best pilots in our class.’ (Outrage)
and once we're calmer,
>‘It means he’s essentially a grunt, but … more than that, it’s a dead-end unless he’s picked out of the reserves.’ (Explain)

>>2412656
>‘Seriously? You’re one of the best pilots in our class.’ (Outrage)

>>2412656
>>‘It means he’s essentially a grunt, but … more than that, it’s a dead-end unless he’s picked out of the reserves.’ (Explain)

>>2412656
>‘It means he’s essentially a grunt, but … more than that, it’s a dead-end unless he’s picked out of the reserves.’ (Explain)

>>2412656
>>‘It means he’s essentially a grunt, but … more than that, it’s a dead-end unless he’s picked out of the reserves.’ (Explain)

‘It means he’s essentially a grunt,’ you start, before considering your next words, ‘but more than that, it essentially means that his opportunity for a fast track out there’s non-existent unless someone comes over and picks him up out of the reserves.’

‘Isn’t being part of a Mech Squadron—a unit—an honor in itself?’

The four of you shuffle uncomfortably in your seats. You had said that; Hell, everyone at the table had said that at one point in their lives. Sitting through the classes and actually going through the hierarchy, though, you knew how promotions—how hierarchy and the opportunity to dig up—worked. Not that you’d put Emilio on the frontlines of a warzone so he’d actually get some sort of field promotion by trial, but being assigned out there meant that the opportunities would only come by with a hand out rather than constant accumulation of merit and service.

‘It would be,’ Sanza answers, surprising you with her initiative. ‘However, that kind of honor is usually … reserved for named units, Task Forces, Battlegroups. Emilio’s assignment must be a loan-posting of sorts. It’s not uncommon for pilots fresh out of the Academy to be given menial tasks, but that Emilio is … actually that far off the grid means that his unit’s probably full to the brim or it’s trying to get rid of him before he even sets foot onto the Battlegroup or a Lance Command. His assignment to Patrol-3, taking into account his position …’

She wears a pitiful smirk, throwing it in Emilio’s direction.

‘It probably says more of the latter, doesn’t it? You're on loan as a show of disdain.'

He snorts, hanging an arm off the back of his chair. ‘I’d like to think that my family doesn’t have anything to do with it, thank you very much.’

>'That's pretty thin, Sanza. Could really be just so he gets some ... experience?' (Counter)
>‘If you’re being tossed that far off, they probably didn’t.’ (Rationalize)
>‘I’m sorry, Emilio.’ (Sympathize)
>‘No use crying about it. You could end up like me; stuck in Logistics.’ (Encourage)
>Change the topic
>Stay silent
>Write-In

>>2412832
>‘No use crying about it. You could end up like me; stuck in Logistics.’ (Encourage)

>>2412832
>>‘If you’re being tossed that far off, they probably didn’t.’ (Rationalize)

>>2412832
>That's pretty thin, Sanza. Could really be just so he gets some ... experience?' (Counter)

>>2412832
>>‘If you’re being tossed that far off, they probably didn’t.’ (Rationalize)

>>2412832
>‘If you’re being tossed that far off, they probably didn’t.’ (Rationalize)

File: Emilio Reinweld.jpg (38 KB, 640x480)

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You knew just how averse Emilio was in regards to his family. You don’t know much about the politics that laid behind what a Trade House had, but you doubt that it was anything on the scale you could think up. There wasn’t much to extrapolate; even most of the word out on Trade Houses were rumors, but if you had to key in on certain properties, specific attributes … you’d pin-point them to the term of a “kingdom within a kingdom”. Trade Houses were of significant—if not far-reaching—influence across the Empire. Their origins were shrouded in lies, legends and half-truths. Some say the Empire couldn’t bear the bane of its on existence without them … and many other say they’re opportunistic parasites that hold themselves to all the benefits and none of the accountability; a relic, a holdover from times past.

Even with the spare thought here and there, however, you could at least ascertain that Emilio and his House didn’t—or at least to you—have goals that were strictly aligned with one another. Emilio, for the most part, wanted to push on with his own strength if he could … and had given you enough information to argue that he didn’t have any desire to be a—for lack of better word—puppet on that particular string.

However, you don’t think a fast track would involve him being sent to a Region that far off opportunity, either.

‘If you’re tossed that far off, they probably didn’t,’ you rationalize, biting into a makeshift sandwich. ‘The rationale of a fast track is to put you on something that enables you maximum exposure, wouldn’t it? If you made the Reserves, what would be the point of them fast-tracking you to the middle of nowhere? It doesn’t make sense to stick you in the middle of nowhere if there’s any hand doing the movement behind the scenes.’

‘Might be a sign of the times,’ Ryosuke offers, right before gulping down half a mug of … something pink and purple. ‘if deescalation of threat is a thing, maybe your transfer’s just something to tell the whole military function that there’s going to be a bunch of changes. I mean, I know I’m not going to a Rim-World for security any time soon, either, but … maybe we’re just looking at it wrongly. I ain’t saying I’m right on the nose, but a lot of us … outside of a few merc groups, we’re probably not going to be encountering anything hot and heavy, right? I asked around, too … not one of us is going to be over-seeing or serving as part of any peacekeeping force or anything.’

You stare at Ryosuke, feeling a little … impressed.

‘You’re saying that this is a new militaristic direction in general?’

‘Just saying it might be. I mean, I know I’m good enough to get into a cockpit as—’

Emilio gives Ryosuke a friendly shove, toppling him off his chair.

‘Come on, man, I’m just trying to sound nice!’

The whole table erupts in laughter.

>Write-In

>>2413231
>Ryosuke if only you could keep your smart mode on all the time, then you might've beaten Emilio in grades
>maybe

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‘Ryosuke, if you applied yourself as often as you did just now, you’d be the top of the graduating class,’ you mention pointedly, before reconsidering yourself and adding, ‘or second to Maldante, anyway.’

‘I saw him with Fisher this morning,’ Sanza states, tapping the side of her fallen friend with her shoe until he pushed himself right back up, ‘in fact, outside of you and another idiot in my unit, I think that he’s been seeing her in her office the most. Wouldn’t have pegged Maldante for someone needing that kind of steering.’

‘He’s the top gun,’ Emilio offers neutrally. ‘Whatever it is, I’m sure that it’s important. That, of course … or the both of them are having an illicit affair under the notions of him requiring some counseling.’

Ryosuke and Sanza stare at him, stunned.

‘That’s a joke,’ he clarifies, clearing his throat, ‘but Lucion doesn’t seem like the type to go in and ask just anyone for help. More than I am, he’s a man of pragmatism and surgical precision. It’s why he’s top gun … so if he’s going in to see Fisher, it’s probably something important. Although … I doubt that he’s going in asking advice about career pathways.’

Knowing what you did, it probably was.

Maldante was a surprising case. All that talent, charisma and actually being able to plow through The AEGIS’s training programs and classes … and you, of all people, found out that his heart wasn’t even in it. It was a shock that someone of his pedigree, of his skill level, would not even have it in him to be part of a Task Force or a Squadron—until your own intervention—or a sense of duty or responsibility to the emblem. You wouldn’t ask for nothing less than blind patriotism, but for you … you would have done anything to have even two-thirds of what Maldante had in his arsenal. He’d even out-scored Emilio as a pilot (Although you did think in a one-on-one situation, Emilio could do the business on him). A man who was offered almost every discernible door by merit and … he didn’t even think of anything beyond proving a point.

You had those with everything that the others wanted and didn’t care for it.

Then you had those with nothing but coveted everything.

‘The universe has a sick sense of humor if it ever has one,’ you mutter to yourself, taking a sip from your glass.

‘Senpai?’

You turn to Rosaria, who was now throwing you a look of confusion, probably having caught that last part without any of the boiling context. Shaking your head, you set your glass back down, giving a quick shake of the head.

‘Sorry, just … thinking out loud.’

You wonder if your words to him made any difference.

Probably.

Perhaps not.

>>2413467
>‘So Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?’
>‘Hard to believe it’s been four years …’
>Just enjoy the atmosphere
>Temporarily leave the table
>Write-In

>>2413469
>>‘So Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?’

>>2413469
>‘So Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?’

>>2413469
>‘So Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?

File: Rosaria [BREED].jpg (63 KB, 364x368)

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‘So, Rosaria, about your apprenticeship … how does that work?’

She peers at you curiously. ‘Oh?’

‘You said that you were here on a recommendation from an Admiral,’ you continue, watching the rest of your friends catch on and listen on in interest, ‘so do you have any clue on what basis or specialization your training is going to be in or is this something that’s different to us or … similar to what Sanza does? Some kind of joint program between the Academy and the local hospice?’

She pauses, looking thoughtful, before tilting her head and wearing a nervous smile.

‘I’m … not sure myself,’ she replies tentatively, ‘but I am supposed to meet someone in the Office tomorrow so that I can actually get my schedule running. All I know so far is that there’s supposed to be a … stipend that I’m supposed to get and that it will take four years to complete. As far as the specifics of my program go, other than it being deeply involved in military engineering, there aren’t really any … focuses that have been brought to my attention, I suppose?’

The whole table gives her skeptical looks. Even Ryosuke stares at her with eyes that intermingle curiosity and confusion.

‘I’m … very aware that to be here is a privilege, however!’ Rosaria follows up quickly. ‘That I’m here at all is a chance that I’m not willing to waste!’

‘Wouldn’t Naval Engineering be a destination more suited for you if there’s a recommendation from an Admiral?’ Emilio questions, frowning. ‘Feels a little strange that an Admiral would recommend that The AEGIS open things up to that end. What was the name of the Admiral again?’

‘P-Purvis! Admiral Purvis!’

Ryosuke strokes his chin, looking thoughtful. ‘Purvis … rings a bell … Purvis …’

‘He could be the head of a Battlegroup that falls under both The Aegis and The Navy,’ Sanza rationalizes, giving a slight nod. ‘Considering the military structure of the Empire, there’s bound to be a little crisscross here and there, right?’

‘The head of a Battlegroup that falls under the Naval and Aegis would make sense, I guess,’ Emilio returns, nodding, ‘but Purvis … if he’s an Admiral at all, his name would be—’

‘Oh, I remember him!’ Ryosuke declares cheerfully, catching everyone’s attention. ‘He’s the Admiral that the Navy offered up to The AEGIS as part of their new joint-research group on Mech advancement. Something about space-faring and warp-capable Mechs in the next century or something! Clinton Purvis! He’s not conventional at all … guy rose up through the ranks as a supervisor for several science divisions. He’s only an Admiral in rank; he doesn’t have any actual—what?’

The whole table—including you—stare at Ryosuke, expressions between disbelief and awe between the four of you.

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

>>2413486
>'How the Hell do you know something about Mech tech that I don't?' (Disbelief)
>'That's a pipe dream if I ever heard one. Warp Mechs ... that's something if it is a thing at all.' (Dismissive)
>'Ryosuke, you amaze me sometimes. You really do.' (Reserved)
>'Well, uh, that ... answers our question.' (Finish)
>Write-In

>>2413490
>Ryosuke, you amaze me sometimes. You really do.' (Reserved)

>>2413490
>>'How the Hell do you know something about Mech tech that I don't?' (Disbelief)

>>2413490
>'Ryosuke, you amaze me sometimes. You really do.' (Reserved)

>>2413490
>>'Ryosuke, you amaze me sometimes. You really do.' (Reserved)

>>2413509
Got cut off?

There’s really only one thing for you to say … if no one else would say it.

‘Ryosuke, you amaze me sometimes. You really, really do.’

Your blue-haired friend merely shrugs in response. Outside, the party was now in full swing, the noise was blasting through the doors and windows. Drunk ex-cadets and now fully-fledged members of society were stumbling through aforementioned doors and windows, with varying degrees of success and the waiters who had volunteered to brave the night were trying (with a much higher rate of success) to get them on their feet or away from windows.

You don’t envy Sanza’s clean up efforts of the night.

Although, taking everything into account, she probably had an easier time going about it than the previous generations did.

Probably.

>'Been four years, huh?'
>Ask to leave now
>Eat in silence and just enjoy the atmosphere
>Write-In

>>2413518
>'Been four years, huh?'
This, and then we'll leave for thighs

>>2413518
>'Been four years, huh?'

File: One Truth.jpg (27 KB, 300x300)

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You look along the table.

Ryosuke; Sanza; Emilio.

You hadn’t actually thought about it until now, but … those three faces had been a part of your life the last four years. The day after tomorrow, you’d be waking up in a bunk going through some Region and suiting up to help out with deliveries and stock count. It hadn’t really occurred to you that those faces that you had been so used to seeing would be mere memories for the rest of your life. In all likelihood, you’d probably never see them again. Empire space was large, the galaxy even more so … and the chances of you getting posted to a place within a system’s throw were—in a word—astronomical.

It felt extremely poignant, how fleeting it all was.

‘It’s been four years, huh?’

The table shifts into an exchange of glances and smiles.

It seemed that it hadn’t really hit them until you’d brought it up, either.

Despite having brought it up … you really don’t know what to say. Chatter was the one thing that you’d say you had a pretty good tongue for, but right now, you felt as if anything you said would be the last thing that you’d impress on them.

You didn’t want to waste it.

‘You know,’ Emilio starts, surprising you, ‘when you fell on my face, I really wanted to kill you.’

Sanza giggles into her glass, wagging her eyebrows.

‘Never thought it’d be the best thing to ever happen to me.’

You find your jaw slacking, feeling genuinely touched.

Emilio raises his glass, smiling fondly, not just at you, but at the whole table. ‘To your baggy pants and your fat ass, my friend.’

‘Hey,’ Ryosuke cuts in, looking somewhere between anxious and melancholic, ‘I don’t know if you guys know this, but back in my hometown, we had a tradition. Don’t know if it’s for you guys, but … for goodbyes that we didn’t know when we’d meet again, there was something that we called one truth. It’s a little complicated, and I’m not sure if you guys know how to—’

Sanza throws a flat stare in his direction, looking slightly more impatient than usual. ‘Ryosuke …’

‘Okay, okay.’ He raises his hands, looking especially anxious; basically, it’s … each and every one of us, uh … say one thing about each other than we always wanted to say. It’s one full bout of honesty, no holds barred. Only rules are that it has to be one sentence and no take-backs. Love, hate, everything in between, you lay it out on there. Kinda hard to, uh, do around here, you know, with how guarded most of the guys around here are, but, uh …’

He shakes his head, raising a hand.

‘You know what, forget about it. It’s silly.’

>‘Actually … you know what, Ryosuke … you’re full of good ideas tonight. Why not?’ (Follow his suggestion)
>‘Yeah, that’s … no.’ (Decline)
>Write-In

>>2413541
>Actually … you know what, Ryosuke … you’re full of good ideas tonight. Why not?’ (Follow his suggestion)

>>2413541
>>‘Actually … you know what, Ryosuke … you’re full of good ideas tonight. Why not?’ (Follow his suggestion)

>>2413541
>‘Actually … you know what, Ryosuke … you’re full of good ideas tonight. Why not?’ (Follow his suggestion)

>>2413541
>‘Actually … you know what, Ryosuke … you’re full of good ideas tonight. Why not?’ (Follow his suggestion)

I'm just waiting for shit to hit the fan.

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‘Actually … you know what, Ryosuke,’ you pause mid-sentence, offering your friend an amused, heartfelt look. ‘You’re full of good ideas tonight, aren’t you?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Ryosuke shoots right back with a smirk, albeit one that doesn’t even touch his eyes, ‘I won’t let it get to my head.’

Emilios closes his eyes, shaking his head in amusement.

Sanza reaches over, placing a hand on Ryosuke’s shoulder.

‘I guess, uh, I should start first, huh?’ Ryosuke rubs the back his neck, looking around before letting out a breath. ‘This is, uh … a little harder than how it was when I did my leaving. Everyone kept saying the only way they’d ever shut me up is by sending me away, so uh, I …’

He shakes his head, gathering himself. It was the first time since … forever that you’d seen Ryosuke act like this. He’d rarely been anxious, even when taking those last trials. To you, Ryosuke had always been a … rock. An unsteady rock with jagged edges and without a comfortable flat surface, but a rock nonetheless. You could always expect him to be bombastic, obnoxious and coming up with some sort of wild theory to light things up when he wasn’t tossing the shoulders of men three times his size onto the mat.

Maybe there were some things he just didn’t joke around about.

‘Sanza, I think that you’re going to be a great mother; you had us for practice, after all.’

Sanza turns red, crossing her arms and huffing.

‘Emilio, you’re the toughest, most bull-headed piece of shit I ever met … and I doubt I’d ever meet someone in this universe that I’d call a brother as much as I do you.’

Emilio doesn’t say a word in return; in fact, he looks downright neutral.

‘And you, you tub of lard,’ Ryosuke grins, ‘you, I can’t figure out after all these years, but … if there’s one thing I know about you and what I believe about you is that I’d put my life in your hands, without a friggin’ doubt in my mind. ’

You blink, taken slightly aback by Ryosuke’s declaration of you. You’d … frankly expected him to put in a complaint about you being a bore or too stand-offish. Hell, you’d even braced yourself with the expectation that he had a bone to pick with you about your sudden lack of enthusiasm at the prospect of being a Mech Pilot. That Ryosuke said he would put his life under your whim … was something you didn’t expect. Ryosuke was never the type to be subservient (Ecept to Wray, Sanza and Fisher), so this admission was …

A little humbling, in a way.

‘Okay, uh … that’s me out of the way. Remember, uh … only truths. One thing that someone can take with ‘em; good, bad … it’s the last word on you.’

>Speak up
>Let someone else take it up first
>Write-In

>>2413723
>Speak up

>>2413723
>Let someone else take it up first
As the protagonist we ought to speak last.

>>2413723
>>Speak up

>>2413723
>Speak up

‘I’ll go next,’ you offer quietly, just loud enough for them to hear, ‘I guess, uh, Emilio …’

>Write-In

>>2413774
I have no idea what to say since I hardly know the character

>>2413779
You voted to speak up, anon.
This is the future you've chosen.

>>2413774
>You're always cool under pressure, we snark on each other from time to time but I can't help but respect how you can always stay focused and try to make something for yourself rather than just use family influence to get ahead. It shows a ton of resolve.

It was hard.

You could just lie through your teeth and say something simple and attempt to be inspiring, but hearing Ryosuke let it all out, you … you can’t help it. This was the last time you’d see your friends. Good or bad, it was as Ryosuke had said: this was the last word for you to part with.

The one he’d remember you by.

‘You’re always … so cool under pressure,’ you confess, ‘and I always wished that I could approach things the way you did without getting myself all up in there. We throw shade at each other more times than we take oxygen in a day, but … I always respected you for taking things on your own terms. I never really did, well, never thought that someone from a Trade House would actually go out and do things on their own terms, hard or easy, but that resolve … I guess I admire that about you. That you were willing to take that leap without so much as a look back.’

Emilio, stoic as ever, turns away.

There is a twitch of something, but …

No, however he felt, those were your words to him. You wouldn’t change them; you wouldn’t go back on them.

That was how you’d remember Emilio.

You hope that your words to him are how he’d think of you, if he ever did.

It was time to get a move on. Ryosuke; it was his turn.

>Write-In

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>>2413929
>On all levels except physical you are a goof.

>>2413929
You're a goof, but you're way smarter than people give you credit for. You're genuine and always passionate about what you care about. With your love for mechs, the skill you worked hard to build, and your determination, I know you'll be known as murasame some day....but you really need to work on how to flirt with girls, you're terrible at it.

>>2413980
>You really need to work on how to flirt with girls, you're terrible at it.

That ... That is brutal. That's like the most honest thing to say to a friend ever. You really sure about me typing this?

>>2413992
It was somewhat meant in good humor, I'm hoping you're not going to take it super swriously and get him all upset. If it comes off that harsh though then I'm fine just dropping it.

>>2413992
>>2414007
And it is getting to be a bit more than a sentence.

Ryosuke was easy.

‘You my friend, are a goof,’ you begin with a fond smirk, ‘but I’d be lying if I said that there’s all that I think there is to you. You’re genuine, you’re honest … and to tell the truth, you’re burning with so much passion that sometimes I wonder if I need some lotion to nurse my burns from you, and I … this the hardest part to admit, but with everything you are, I kind of believe that Murasame isn’t just going to be another fleeting fancy to you.’

You let out a breath, wondering if you—

Oh, you did.

‘And I really think that you should look into some charm lessons because frankly, you are horrible at picking up or flirting with women.’

All of them nod in agreement, letting out grunts in accordance with the motion.

Now … you’d arrived at the last of your quartet.

Sanza, who looked as though she was bracing herself for walloping.

She was expecting the worst already, even without a word on the wind.

You weren’t that bad, were you?

>Write-In

>>2414064
> Your the best mom I could have ever hoped for, Thank you.

Somebody else please save me, but I regret nothing

>>2414064
Sansa you are....probably the kindest person I've ever met. You're always willing to put in the effort to help others no matter how hard, whether it's helping me stick to a diet, helping patients get better, or taking on thr planning to the biggest mess of the year on Rhysode. I genuinely admire your passion and dedication you put into helping others. Even if you're always teasing along the way.

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‘Sanza, you are the kindest, most considerate and the most selfless person I have ever met during my time here,’ you let out, feeling something thick rolling up from your throat, ‘and this may be just me being high on high-end barbecue sauce, but you probably care about everyone at this table more than they do themselves. Me, Ryosuke, Emilio … Hell, I’d toss in Rosaria right in there if this wasn’t a confession of our respective retrospects, but it is. Whatever you think about us, I can honestly say that you are so dedicated to others that if you were a Saint in disguise, I’d consider it a downgrade. Thank you for giving me this rocking hot body’—Emilio makes a squeaking, grunting sound at that—‘and making sure that I stuck to it … under threat of strangulation, expulsion and extremely graphic details of illnesses induced by the composition of diet imbalance and changes in atmospheric exposure. I will remember your advice for all time … and I’m sure that after tonight, everyone that exits in the morning despising you will have their livers send spleen saying holy prayers to your guidance, as will your patients.’

Sanza chuckles, although she does give a visible nod, even behind the obscuring hand.

‘Nice speech,’ Emilio comments, crossing his arms. ‘You got Sanza spot on, so I—’

‘Oh, you are not skipping on this, Emilio,’ you say half-threateningly. ‘Tell us how you really feel.’

He narrows his eyes, throwing a reluctant look from you all the way to the grinning Ryosuke, before letting out a sigh.

‘You,’ he stares right at you, ‘taught me more than I ever cared to know: that I was arrogant, naive … and that even trying to strike it out on my own, I held on to the notions that I wished to depart from; you changed that … and you’ll probably keep changing that about me, even when I don’t see you anymore.’

Emilio wears a half-amused smile … before giving Ryosuke a friendly, if hardy, pat on the shoulder.

‘Ryosuke, you are an unpredictable bastard with no considerations to your surroundings, society or even a thought to what defines you but yourself … and to that, you will always be the first man who comes to mind whenever an outrageous rumor comes around my post. No matter how far-fetched or outlandish it can get.’

‘I love you too, Emilio.’

Emilio grunts, pinching the bridge of his nose … before turning his attentions to Sanza.

This would be good.

‘Sanza,’ he begins tentatively, ‘you’re a better mother to me than my own. I think that’s … sufficient.’

Sanza chortles, but doesn’t do or say anything else in response, her attentions fully on her drink.

The glass empty, she sets it down, now casting a gaze along the tiny table, looking more hesitant than she had any right to be.

‘Do I … have to?’

>Write-In

>>2414255
>Naah, it's fine. I know you enjoy being a stick in the mud.
Said in a joking way.

>>2414255
>Come onnn, We all manned up. You got this

>>2414278
supportin

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‘Come on,’ you say in a teasing manner, drawing the words out and throwing a toothy grin for effect, ‘we all manned up and put ourselves on the block … and you’re better at this emotional stuff than the rest of us, anyway.’

Sanza peers along the table, mumbling to herself … before letting out a sigh of defeat and bringing her knees to her chest, her bare feet teetering on the edge of the chair as her gaze turns downward, averting it from every one of you in the act. She lets out a few more grumbles, her shoulders drooping as they give way to a small whine … right as she looks up, wearing a nervous smile, looking as though she was facing a Battlegroup head on with neither Mech nor backup.

‘Emilio … I don’t think I have to tell you this, but,’ her breath hitches slightly, ‘you’re a great listener … even when I didn’t have anything to say. You can be a distant ass sometimes, but thank you for being my … my big brother. Quiet, annoying and you’re not as cool as you think you are.’

You and Ryosuke chuckle as Emilio turns slightly red, before Ryosuke stops.

‘Wait, isn’t Sanza the oldest out of the four of us?’

‘Not the point,’ she lets out with a roll of her eyes, before throwing a smirk his way, ‘but now that I’m getting to you … I’m loathe to admit it, but … thanks for looking out for me. I’m not sure if I have to be glad or insulted that I was never on your list of prospects, considering even Peggy Lagrange was an option for you, but … it worked out well for the both of us and … thank you for teaching me how to do a heel drop. It’s very useful.’

You find that you wouldn’t mind seeing Sanza drop a heel on some unknowing perv. Too bad it’d be a sight you’d probably never be able to even get a glimpse of after this.

‘And you.’

You look up to meet Sanza’s gaze.

‘You are simultaneously the biggest headache and the biggest … inspiration to me since I set foot in this Academy and,’ she pauses, ‘I’ll never forget what you mean to me. You are that idiot of a fatass that fell from the top of the course’—Emilio barely holds back a chuckle at that one, you notice—‘and that if I ever feel down … I know that wherever muck hole or command seat you’re in, you’ll keep trying to do better. For yourself … for everyone else.’

Sanza’s expression becomes warmer by the word, until what she wears is a genuine, encouraging smile.

‘I believe you will.’

‘You know …’

You glance at Emilio, who was wearing the most coy smirk he’d ever worn.

‘I believe the stalls would be empty right now if you’d like to make a few last minute memories with him.’

You can actually feel your pupils constricting at those words. Sanza's expression remains neutral, but Ryosuke ... he looks he's gagging on air.

>>2416364
>'Did ... Emilio just tell a raunchy joke? (Shock)
>'No thanks, man. Sanza'd tear my spleen out. I like my organs inside my body, thanks.' (Deny)
>'As much as I'd like to, uh, make some memories, a stall probably isn't ... the place for it.' (Serious)
>Actually consider it for a moment
>Let the joke die with silence (noise).
>Write-In

>>2416375
>'Did ... Emilio just tell a raunchy joke? (Shock)
Better get ready for the Ninja Assassins from Mars to bust in and try to murder everyone.

>>2416375

>Actually consider it for a moment
>'As much as I'd like to, uh, make some memories, a stall probably isn't ... the place for it.' (Serious)

>>2416375
>>'Did ... Emilio just tell a raunchy joke? (Shock)

>>2416375
>'Did ... Emilio just tell a raunchy joke? (Shock)

File: [WOULD YOU LIKE A PICTURE].jpg (176 KB, 1280x720)

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‘Did … did Emilio just tell a raunchy joke?’

Sanza nods, her disbelief equal to yours. ‘I believe … he did.’

‘Whoa, this is surreal,’ Ryosuke comments, as though the discussion had taken a serious turn—which, considering everything, it probably just did. ‘Here I thought that he—’

‘It’s not that big a deal,’ Ryosuke counters crisply, throwing half glares at everyone, save for Rosaria (Who had taken the opportunity for your interaction to wolf down the rest of her food).

That comment, however, only garners more disbelief from the table, you included.

‘Hey, folks!’

You turn around to see one of your fellow—no, not a graduate. He looks like he belongs in second year at best, with his uniform (The lack of a four-point star being a dead giveaway). The freckles and spots were still all over his face, with a perpetual grin and goofy demeanor that matched his enthusiasm. That smile was definitely ear-to-ear, if not entirely honest, with a shock of orange hair that was probably just growing back from its latest trip to the barber. Next to him, however—

‘Is that an Omni-Bot?’

Multi-purpose tools meant to assist the paying hobbyist, they were expensive—emphasis on expensive—cousins of scan drones that were suited to a multitude of surveying tasks. The design of it was purely aesthetic, and if you could afford it, you could customize the shell to look like anything from a beach ball … to a floating skull, which was how this Omni-Bot had been designed to look like.

As a Colony Fleet Inhabitant, Omni-Bots were … treated with a mix of wariness and usefulness.

Mostly because Omni-Bots were descendants of scan drones, which were geared to make sweeping generalizations of terrain and to provide visual feeds … or serve as mobile data entry modules. The coding for their structure rarely made them suited to finer tasks … not to mention the risk of the Ether that the Omni-Bots were powered by risking a short-out in highly charged (In the literal sense) situations. It wasn’t that there weren’t purposes that they could serve, really, but to you, it was like cutting a steak with a chainsaw. Not to mention that they were very fragile, what with all that circuitry practically pressed next to a repulsor module, the slightest bump could render the whole thing a hunk of junk.

By the looks of things, this was one of the high-end models … specially suited for—

‘Are you recording the whole party?’

‘Yes, sir!’ the underclassman replies. For a moment you receive a brief swell of pride from being called “sir”. ‘Just going around capturing the special moments with permission from The Academy! All yours for …’

He wags a finger every single person at the table.

‘200 crowns each!’

Emilio glances at you. ‘One for the road?’

>‘This is spaceway robbery.’ (Decline)
>‘One for the road.’ (Pay)
>Write-In

>>2416615
>>‘One for the road.’ (Pay)

>>2416615
>‘One for the road.’ (Pay)

>>2416615
>‘It’s not that big a deal,’ Ryosuke counters
Shit, he's already got space madness!

>‘One for the road.’ (Pay)

>>2416641
Yeah, mistype. My bad.

It's a remnant of Ryosuke trying to joke around that it's "not a big deal and that it only means the odds of us winning a Regional lottery are actually achievable within our lifetime". Realized it wouldn't add anything and forgot to fully backspace.

>>2416692
Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I just wanted to make the space madness joke.

>>2416615
>‘One for the road.’ (Pay)

‘One for the road, then.’

The young man’s grin only grows wider at your acceptance of the offer. The lot of you huddle closer to the table, Sanza leaning onto Ryosuke and placing her elbow on his shoulder as he placed his hand atop Emilio’s head, moving the strands of neat, arranged brown into a mess that made it look akin to a bird’s nest (and you see some sauce on those fingers, now that you had a closer look at it. You lean against the edge of the table, shoulder to shoulder with Emilio, whose own hands are interlocked between his knees, looking up and trying his damnedest to throw up a cheerful grin.

You absently wonder if the Omni-Bot had a filtration program for all the smoke, right as the underclassman presses a few key commands into the side of the unit. It must have cost a fortune by cadet standards to keep that thing running like it did. It beeps a few times, causing you to almost reflexively jump.

Whoever thought about putting a charged circuit and an Ether processor into tight quarters was a braver man than you’d ever be.

‘You too, Rosaria,’ Sanza says insistently, standing up and gesturing to your forgotten Junior … who had decided to sneak away out of the photo opportunity.

‘I … I couldn’t! It’s your night, after all!’

Ryosuke raises his hand off Emilio’s head, waving her over.

‘It’s a memory for you too, isn’t it?’

>Encourage her to take part in the photo
>Allow her to not take part
>Write-In

>>2416830
>>Encourage her to take part in the photo

>>2416830
>Encourage her to take part in the photo

>>2416830
>Encourage her to take part in the photo

>>2416830

>Encourage her to take part in the photo

You give her an encouraging nod, gesturing for her to join. She looks up to your group of four, hesitant … before hurriedly skipping over and taking her place beside you. A glance at her tells you that she was as stiff as a board, more than likely a little embarrassed at being in a spot where she … probably didn’t feel like she belonged at all.

She glances nervously at you, as if seeking further permission.

You throw her back a smirk, gesturing for her to come closer.

The grinning cadet taps the side of the floating skull again, raising his hands like the conductor of the orchestra.

‘FOR THE EMPEROR!’

‘FOR THE EMPEROR!’

The hum of processing hits your ears and you get to your feet to pay the—

‘I got this, man,’ Emilio insists.

>‘I’m not broke, Emilio. Don’t think I haven’t kept tabs of how much of your hot chocolate I’ve gulped down. It’s on me.’
>‘If you insist … and thanks.’
>Write-In

>>2417055
>>‘If you insist … and thanks.’

>>2417055
>‘If you insist … and thanks.’

We really need to visit that DI

>>2417055
>>‘If you insist … and thanks.’

>>2417055
>‘If you insist … and thanks.’

How much potential for WH40k jokes does the Emperor provide?

>>2417257
for this quest
hopefully many

>>2417312
So...
THE EMPEROR PROVIDES

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‘If you insist,’ you give a mock bow as he hands his credit tab over, ‘and thanks.’

‘For a thousand, it better be in high-resolution capture,’ he jokes, shaking his head.

‘Of course, sir!’ The cadet replies, apparently having caught the words. ‘Complete scan and capture of the whole moment. I only operate with the most up-to-date of equipment!’

‘Is that even yours?’ Emilio questions, gesturing to the unit in question … which was now making buzzing sounds as it floated towards the ceiling. ‘Looks a little out of … budget for the average cadet.’

‘But it’d be right in yours, wouldn’t it, Ensign Reinweld?’

Emilio stiffens slightly, but otherwise doesn’t show any discernible reaction as he takes the credit tab out of his fingers. The cadet then dives into what looks like a knapsack, pulling out a data tab—this one even more outdated than the one you’d used to browse the planetary feed in the hotel—and handing it to Emilio, who stoically keys it in. The cadet still wears that damnably wide grin; one that has your palms itch and your knees wiggle, barely restraining themselves from grabbing and caving his whole mouth in.

‘Your contact details, Ensign?’

Emilio didn’t need that.

He fills in the rest of the particulars, handing the tab back to the flame-haired boy, who gives him an affirmative nod as he scrolls through the details before turning his attention to the floating skull, which was slowly descending to a level in line with his shoulder.

‘Your patronage is much appreciated; you can expect it to be in your hands by’—he raises his wrist, taking a quick glance at his watch—‘around an hour after midnight, depending on volume.’

‘Of course.’

He drops into a salute, still holding up those two corners of his mouth, before marching away, finding more familiarity with a wind-up toy more than he did the rest of humankind. From the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of Emilio, who was wearing a cruel smirk as he watched the cadet and his Omni-Bot step out of the establishment and back into the festivities, probably to resumed his hunt for graduates eager to immortalize their memories of the night. Still, despite his services, you were quite eager to be rid of him. More than that smile, you didn’t think some random kid would go below the belt in their approach to Emilio; an echo of his last four years.

You wonder when he stopped even bothering to defend himself from those afflictions, subtle or crude.

‘I’ll send you a copy before you blast off,’ Emilio says, bringing you back from your thoughts. ‘You still have the same address, right?’

‘Haven’t changed it since I touched down,’ you return, turning around to re-approach the table.

You give him a friendly pat on the back as you take your seat.

>‘So, uh, Sanza, I told you I had to leave early …’ (Leave)
>‘Any of the Instructors here?’ (Small talk)
>Enjoy the atmosphere in silence
>Write-In

>>2417557
>‘So, uh, Sanza, I told you I had to leave early …’ (Leave)
Gotta take the junior home too

>>2417557
>‘So, uh, Sanza, I told you I had to leave early …’ (Leave)

>>2417557
>Enjoy the atmosphere in silence

>>2417557
>‘So, uh, Sanza, I told you I had to leave early …’ (Leave)

>>2417557
>>‘So, uh, Sanza, I told you I had to leave early …’ (Leave)

>>2417557
>Enjoy the atmosphere in silence

The chatter goes on for a few more minutes, maybe a couple, maybe several … but as soon as the topic shifts to Instructor Fisher and Commander Wray’s argument on cadet placement reallocation, you move to quickly check on the time.

It was still a little early.

A little early, however, was a lot better than a little late when Morrigan Fisher was involved.

You decide to call your departure to the organizer’s attention, getting to your feet and dusting the crumbs off your pants. ‘Sanza, I have to get going … I think I told you that this afternoon.’

‘You sure?’ she inquires, looking up with a half-smile upon her sauce-stained lips. ‘We’re not even at the good part yet.’

>‘Actually, yeah. Big day tomorrow and … you know me.’ (Insist)
>‘You know, I can afford to stay a little while longer, I guess.’ (Stay)
>Write-In

>>2419352
>>‘Actually, yeah. Big day tomorrow and … you know me.’ (Insist)
>take care of Rosaria for me will you?

>>2419352
>Actually, yeah. Big day tomorrow and … you know me.’ (Insist)

>>2419352

>‘Actually, yeah. Big day tomorrow and … you know me.’ (Insist)

>>2419352
>‘You know, I can afford to stay a little while longer, I guess.’ (Stay)

>>2419352
>Write-In
"I'm sure that when we DO get to the good part, I won't be able to catch a wink of sleep for all the noise. When that time comes, you might see me rejoining the festivities, but for now I'm going to get what rest I can. Big day tomorrow, after all." (Insist, with a caveat)

>>2419353
No anon, we promised to take her home

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‘Sorry, but … well, big day tomorrow,’ you reply with a slight shake of your head and an apologetic smile for effect. You felt bad keeping the finer details (Fisher being the very reason you were leaving early), but considering what you knew now about their history … you’d rather not have Sanza explode into a thousand pieces in frothing rage. ‘I launch from Kerensky at 0500 … and I’d rather not get left in the bay my first day on the job. You know how I’m like.’

You glance along the table, each and every one of your friends—save for Rosaria, who was wiping her hands off with a moist towelette—wearing a solemn, reserved … but accepting expression. It only makes you feel worse for having to tell a half-truth, especially one like that, but … what was done was done; it wasn’t as if the other part was entirely untrue, after all. You did have to get up extra early for your launch … and you didn’t trust yourself to keep to your schedule with how late and wild the party would, very likely, get.

Ryosuke’s the first to get to his feet, throwing his arms wide and hugging you tight. It was expected that he’d have the arms for it … you just didn’t have the time to brace yourself this time. He lifts you about an inch up with a grunt, before depositing you on your heel, to which you’re barely able to afford balance from the sheer force he manages to deposit you back on your two feet, staggering slightly.

You expect a cackle or a comment about your lack of recovery, but all you get is a fond smile thrown your way.

‘Don’t die, eh?’

Emilio is reserved, even getting up from his chair. He raises a fist, which you give a gentle tap with your own.

‘What he said,’ Emilio snorts, smirking. ‘And … if you’re ever passing by, feel free to make up an excuse to pick up supplies or something.’

You laugh, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

‘A science post in the middle of nowhere? How could I resist?’

‘Hey.’

You turn around to face Sanza.

Before you can react, you find yourself in a rib-cracking embrace and have your ears drowning in the sound of rushing blood and a grunting, groaning woman performing the aforementioned embrace. She lacks the strength to lift you up, but compensates for it but practically digging into your chest with her forehead.

‘Remember to eat your vitamin supplements and metabolic stabilizers all right?’

A ring of groans sounds.

‘Sanza …’

‘I know, I know!’ she hurriedly follows up, sniffling. ‘Take care of yourself, all right?’

She hugs you a second time, before releasing you in what was practically the same motion. Raising a hand for one last goodbye, you head back outside, Rosaria beside you … and before long find yourself away from the festivities, now merely noise from half a road down.

‘They’re good people.'

You turn to Rosaria, who was wearing a warm smile.

>Write-In

>>2419631
>yeah, they're the best friends a guy could ask for. Would it be alright if you watched over Sanza when I'm gone? She'll probably be a bit lonely after we're gone, and she'd be a great friend to have.

>>2419631
>>2419675
This

>>2419675
supportin

You can’t help but smile at that.

When she was right, she was right.

‘Yeah,’ you concede, all too willingly, turning your gaze down to your swinging feet, hands in your pockets and the cold of the Rhysode air hitting you with a bout of realization: that you would be the first to leave … and she would be the last. ‘Do you mind if I ask you to, uh, watch over Sanza while I’m gone? I mean, I’m not asking you to, uh, stay here unless you really need to, but … well, she’ll probably be a bit lonely without us. She’s a bit too proud to admit that she’s practically our mom, but, she is. She’ll watch over you, too, so it’s a sort of … exchange, I guess. Friends! That’s what friends do, they watch over each—’

You stop yourself at the coy smile that your junior throws up at you, raising your hands and steadying yourself. That was just plain you; turning a simple statement, a quick request into a jumble of words that barely stood together on their own.

‘I understand,’ Rosaria acknowledges, putting her hands behind her back, ‘you care about her a great deal, don’t you?’

That was a no-brainer.

‘Of course I do,’ you declare, flexing for effect. ‘You wouldn’t be seeing a shadow of these biceps if you—oh, that’s cold yup.’

Rosaria giggles, taking long, stiff strides to keep up with your own unnatural pace.

It was definitely cold.

‘Do you mind if I ask a personal question?’

‘Huh?’

‘If she had offered it to you, would you have bred her?’

You almost trip into a nearby trash unit.

>‘No. No; absolutely not. It’d be like … it’d be awkward.’ (Deny)
>‘A lot of paperwork involved … especially since she’d be in training carrying the child to term.’ (Technical)
>‘Yeah, too personal.’ (Warn her off)
>‘If she asked? I guess … yeah, yeah I would.’ (Confirm)
>‘That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ (Tease)
>Write-In

>>2419844
>>‘That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ (Tease)

>>2419844
>>‘That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ (Tease)

>>2419844
>That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ (Tease)

>>2419844
>That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ (Tease)

Luckily for you, you manage to recover quickly.

‘That’s for me to carry to my grave, my cute little Kouhai.’ You smirk as you give your reply, winking right back. She giggles in good nature, however, hiding behind her hand.

‘Come on, Senpai!’ She calls out, looping her arms around yours and almost sending you tumbling with the action once more. ‘You like her, don’t you? I think she’d be a great mother!’

You agree with the last part.

She’d done everything short of putting diapers on your bare bottom.

However …

‘Like I said, girly,’ you tease, smirking and winking again, managing to place your hands into your pockets as you continued your march back to the main road, ‘that’s for me to know and you to never find out.’

Rosaria giggles again, detaching herself from your arm and placing her hands on her clothed belly. She wasn’t quite what you’d call bloated, but it was more than apparent that she’d indulged herself just as much as you had with the barbecue spread and everything else she’d managed to procure prior to that. You want to point out that she’d probably eaten more than you … but you decide not to point it out.

At least, not with words.

‘S-Senpai!’

Rosaria scuttles away at your poke to the side, her features growing red with the action.

‘Enjoy the food?’

She lets out a small squeak, looking downwards in embarrassment.

‘Yes …’

>‘Ah, right … do you want to stay over at the hotel with me? I can give you the card key; I need to go meet someone.’ (Offer her a night at the hotel)
>‘So, we’ll take the transport back and … wait, you have access to your dorm, right?’ (Beeline to the Academy)
>Write-In

>>2419926
>>‘Ah, right … do you want to stay over at the hotel with me? I can give you the card key; I need to go meet someone.’ (Offer her a night at the hotel)

>>2419926
>>‘Ah, right … do you want to stay over at the hotel with me? I can give you the card key; I need to go meet someone.’ (Offer her a night at the hotel)

Maybe it was just the more courteous part in you that wanted to make a more lasting impression.

‘Ah, right,’ you start, ‘would you like to stay over at the hotel with me? I can give you the card key and you can go up and enjoy yourself. I need to go and meet someone, anyway.’

‘Meet with someone? Here?’

‘No,’ you reply, giving a slight nod in the general direction of the Academy. ‘I’ll be visiting the Staff Housing Units at the Academy. I have some last minute things to sort out before I turn in and lift off. You can abuse the amenities until I get back; what do you say that?’

She brings a finger to her chin, humming in thought.

‘It’s an offer that I appreciate, but I have to decline,’ she answers, giving an apologetic smile. ‘It’s not that it’s an offer that I … would be disinclined to, otherwise, but I believe that I have taken more than enough of your time and your kindness. Besides, I believe that I still have quite a few things to sort out myself before I begin my classes … and it would be irresponsible of me and an insult to your generosity—as well as your friends’—to not at least take my own course into account.’

Rosaria drops into a courteous bow, not one that you’d peg as apologetic … but more of a formal, a professional, rejection of your offer.

>‘It’d be no trouble; I’ll even give you the credit tab so you can take the transport tomorrow morning.’ (Insist)
>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)
>‘All right, then, transport back it is.’ (Back to the Academy)
>Write-In

>>2419980
>>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)

>>2419980
>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)

>>2419980
>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)

>>2419980
>>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)

>>2419980
>>‘Wow, it only took six hours for you to get rebellious.’ (Tease)

You make a mock-glance to your watch, chortling.

The rumble down the street tells you that a transport was fast approaching. Everything was practically on a loop here (As you weren’t in the inner ring of the city just yet), so it wouldn’t take more than a few extra stops until you were back on Academy premises.

‘Senpai?’

>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)
>‘You sure you don’t want to stay a night?’ (Question her again)
>Write-In

>>2420046
>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)

>>2420046
>>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)
>inb4 its not a transport

Guys, I have a massive headache coming on. I'm going to take some pills have have a nap to see if I get better. Sorry for this one being so brief.

>>2420046
>>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)

>>2420046
>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)
>>2420055
Rest well.

>>2420046
>‘Come on, let’s get going.’ (Hail the transport)

I'll be running a session in approximately an hour. Really sorry about the sparse sessions the last few days. I'll try to make up for it.

Also, either tomorrow or the day after will be a Shipgirl Commander session again.

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There it was.

‘Come on,’ you gesture with your head, ‘let’s get going.’

Blue and silver with the city flag on the side, the transport turns the corner, doing its rounds as usual. You raise your hand, running to the other side of the road as it makes its stop. You and Rosaria make a moderate dash towards the transport, feeling blow of warm air with the opening hiss of the door, flashing your tab and going up the steps with your companion following right behind. While not quite full, the coach was more occupied than the bare state of the one you’d taken on your way to the city. A freckled youth with a cap sitting with a portly middle-aged woman who appeared to be his mother; a mustached man in a formal suit looking slightly disheveled going through his datapad; a trio of men about your age muttering and giggling as they huddled together, probably watching a feed of their own; a grown woman with curls that had an arrogant air about her, staring out the window at the barely-lit streets; these were your companions for the return journey to the Academy, it would seem.

Rosaria is quiet for the most part, imitating the woman’s action and looking outside at the streets. Since the route was practically on a loop, you couldn’t blame her; this was probably the most that she’d take in of the city until she’d be out on her own. It was an opportunity for her to have a good look before she popped in as a student—no, as an apprentice.

‘For a large city, it’s really quite … quiet, isn’t it?’

‘Oh,’ you clear your throat, ‘that’s just because the graduates are having their, uh … leaving traditions. The place is usually a lot more bustling otherwise. You’ll probably end up seeing a lot more of—’

Lucky Mart: A Sigma-Nine Subsidiary

‘Oh, that’s a place you have to remember,’ you point out the lit sign of the tacky-looking marketplace, a lone man smoking a cigarette puffing by the automated doors, ‘if you need anything that’s last minute and you’re low on cash, Lucky Mart’s the place to go. Sanza’ll tell you that it’s a dodgy place because the prices are never stable, but you’re not going to get a better deal on contraband or utensils anywhere else in the city … well, you could, but you’d have to go to one of the outpost towns, but that’s a little out of the way.’

‘There are other places?’

‘Yup,’ you nod, pointing down a wide, curved road that led to the outskirts, away from the Academy and city, ‘Not many, but since this is a paradise world … well, low-level, but still … uh … agriculture’s still a thing, even if it’s not so widespread in these parts. Rhysode’s not far from the usual spaceways, but it’s not smack dab in the middle either, so the planet needs to be self-sustaining in case of, uh, anything.’

‘Are all Imperial worlds like this? Rim-Worlds? Pleasure Worlds?’

>>2421923
>'World variation depends on how well the Converters work. You won't get the same result every time, even among pleasure worlds.' (Rationalize)
>'No. Certain Worlds have certain designations. A Paradise World, at any level, is a rarity in itself. Then you have sub-categories like Pleasure Worlds, Primal Worlds. It's a big, big galaxy' (NAVIGATION NUT)
>'I guess so. Never really thought about it.' (Uncaring)
>'Aren't you being a little too chatty?' (Annoyed)
>Write-In

>>2421936
>>'No. Certain Worlds have certain designations. A Paradise World, at any level, is a rarity in itself. Then you have sub-categories like Pleasure Worlds, Primal Worlds. It's a big, big galaxy' (NAVIGATION NUT)

>>2421936
>'No. Certain Worlds have certain designations. A Paradise World, at any level, is a rarity in itself. Then you have sub-categories like Pleasure Worlds, Primal Worlds. It's a big, big galaxy' (NAVIGATION NUT)

>>2421936
>NAVIGATION NUT

>>2421936
>>'No. Certain Worlds have certain designations. A Paradise World, at any level, is a rarity in itself. Then you have sub-categories like Pleasure Worlds, Primal Worlds. It's a big, big galaxy' (NAVIGATION NUT)
nerd out- the character

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You could recite it from the textbook, even now.

Hell, you could probably recite it from all the textbooks. Considering Rosaria was from a Colony Fleet, you thought that she’d have a better grasp of the designation of worlds, but … knowing just how it was on her Colony Fleet, you really couldn’t hold it against her too much. You’d be a poor sport for not following through with your duties as a senior, especially after Sanza and the rest of them made you feel like you actually belonged for the last for years.

Besides, she’d proven to be good company. There’d be no harm explaining to her just how things worked in Imperial space.

‘No,’ you answer thoughtfully, for some reason making a sphere with your palms and fingers. ‘Certain worlds have certain designations. Paradise Worlds are a rarity themselves. Basically, they’re Imperial Worlds with a successfully-engineered habitat suitable for human life, but able to be purposed for a variation of purposes: commerce, a military outpost, an engineering stop. Paradise Worlds are a bit of a misnomer; it actually only means that the Atmospheric Birth Units—’

‘Huh?’

‘Sorry, the Converters; those big mountain-like machines you saw on the feed? It’s a bit of a roll of the dice to see what you get out of them, and even certain planets only really have one proper biome. Paradise World just means that it’s as close as they can get to a successful multi-biome planet. Then you have planets who are put up to a certain output like Agri-Worlds, Forge Systems, House Worlds … the last one might be any of the former two. Trade Houses are insane rich. A little bit more out there, you have worlds under Imperial claim but don’t actually serve any current purpose outside of the odd outpost or scientist campsite; they don’t have a formal name. Which is weird, considering the bulk of Imperial Worlds are made up of them … but the Instructors just called them Claimed Worlds, just to put the Imperial stamp there.’

You turn to Rosaria, expecting her to be bored with your lecture … only to find her staring at you in wide-eyed fascination, hanging onto every word you’d uttered.

‘Then, of course, you have Primal Worlds and X-Worlds—’

‘X-Worlds are a conspiracy!’

It was probably one of the young men at the back of the bus. You pay him no heed, but instead move to lower your voice.

‘Primal Worlds are planets that already support an ecosystem—or a multitude of them—by themselves,’ you continue your explanation, not missing a beat from the interruption. ‘They have their own animals, plant life … and more often than not, they’re not friendly to humans. So far, all known Primal Worlds are off-limits to the general public. Emperor’s big on conservation and all that, but …’

You sigh.

‘But?’

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'Well,' you clear your throat, beginning tentatively, 'if you have enough money, nothing's off-limits. Some Trade Houses procure exotic pets from these worlds. One of the most popular shows of wealth’—your imitation of Emilio’s voice gets you an extra giggle—‘is a creature known as the, uh …’

You pause, trying to remember the name.

'The dragon-thing from Garland-II. Fifty-foot long, winged lizard that breaks atmosphere as part of a spawning cycle. Sadly, that’s, uh, how poachers and the like catch ‘em … and they can’t exactly push the doors down on a Trade House and tell ‘em to send it back … not that it’s frequent enough that the poachers get away with it, anyway. Garland II’s atmosphere is practically lethal to humans on exposure. I heard stories of some poachers and Colony Fleets trying to make a quick cash-in only to get their lungs collapsing from the sheer toxicity of the air.’

You snort, smirking in morbid amusement.

‘You’d think that they’d listen to the people who actually went down there and said that the forecast was a ninety-percent chance of death wouldn’t you?’

Rosaria wears a wry smile.

‘Some people only see money in their eyes where others see their mortality.’

You can’t help but laugh at that, if only a little. ‘True, true.’

‘X-Worlds … what about th—’

‘They’re a conspiracy, lady!’

‘Shut up, Todd!’

You roll your eyes, turning your attentions back to Rosaria.

What were X-Worlds anyway?

>‘They’re … off-limits, but that’s all there’s to be known about them. Other than that, no one even knows if one exists at all. There was a world designated an X-World, but it got crossed off … forty standard years ago?’ (Rational)
>‘Actually, yeah, he might be right. They could be a conspiracy.’ (Conspiracy!)
>‘My head hurts, let’s stop here.’
>‘If you ask me … probably a world where some sort of Imperial hush-hush went on. Wouldn’t be out of order for the Empire.’ (Theorize)
>Write-In

>>2422146
>>‘If you ask me … probably a world where some sort of Imperial hush-hush went on. Wouldn’t be out of order for the Empire.’ (Theorize)

>>2422146
>‘If you ask me … probably a world where some sort of Imperial hush-hush went on. Wouldn’t be out of order for the Empire.’ (Theorize)
WMDs, bioweapons, complex projects that try to keep the Empire's citizens complacent but kill most and turn the ones that don't into madmen that ravage the galaxy and do unspeakable things to turn normal people into more of them.
Y'know, normal government stuff.

>>2422146
>>‘If you ask me … probably a world where some sort of Imperial hush-hush went on. Wouldn’t be out of order for the Empire.’ (Theorize)
sounds like what i do in Stellaris

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‘Well, it stands for experimental,’ you stress the word, ‘so if there’s a designation like that, we can only theorize that it’s a world where there’s a lot of Imperial hush-hush going on, if anything at all. No one I know has actually seen pr heard from one, but with everything that adds up it just … it wouldn’t be far-fetched at all, would it?’

‘Experimental could mean a lot of things,’ Rosaria follows up with a nod. ‘Maybe it’s a world to test certain new pieces of technology for world settlement that would be dangerous otherwise?’

‘That’s one, I g—’

‘I told you, man! They’re growing shit out there that—’

‘All right, Todd! We’re getting off!’

You lurch slightly as the transport comes to a halt. You look up to see the trio of young men shuffling down the aisle, pug-faced friend—who you assumed to be Todd—stumbling behind them, his heels practically skidding as they brought him to the front, tapping their credit tab before falling out, but not before Todd yells out something indistinguishable (“Monsters and mothers!” was all you caught, but you missed about two or three more statements) as he was propped up by his friends, making their way to a nearby mart—probably to sober him up.

The coach must have made a few stops as you chatted with Rosaria, because you two were the only ones left now.

It’s not long before you’re on the wide open road on the plain, rolling towards your final destination, sitting right on the horizon … and two pairs of red lights that seemed to be descending upon it. You shift slightly, trying to get a better look—no, they weren’t descending … but ascending, appearing to lift what appeared to be a—

It was a Hellion.

Now that the moons gave some better light, you’re able to actually make out just what it was.

It appeared that the Rosaria’s batch would finally be getting some upgrades to the equipment. You manage to get a quick look of the new Hellion-Class sub-type. Not many changes, from what you can tell. More green than brown, but the armor points of the upper torso having a sleeker, off-the-line feel to them is what caught your attention. Rather than the cruel, clumsy bulk of the models you’d commandeered, this one was built for a little more agility, but something about it felt odd.

The Hellion was built for rough and varied environments.

This one felt like it was too pretty to even drop into the sand.

Well, at least the Academy finally answered some calls on the out-dated equipment. You could be happy enough with that … using an operating system that was the standard for 80-odd years.

The bus comes to a halt, prompting you to tap your tab and step out.

You absently lean towards the road to get a better look at the new unit, it—’

‘SENPAI!’

Maybe you were leaning a little too much.

Rosaria stares at you in worry.

>>2422261
>'Sorry, just a little curious about the new model. Didn't think we'd actually be getting one.' (Apologetic)
>'When I supported an upgrade, I didn't know they thought paper would be a substitute for alloy.' (TECHNICAL HABITS)
>'Sorry, let's get going.' (Escort her to the dorm)
>'Did you see that?' (Awe)
>Write-In

>>2422265
>>'When I supported an upgrade, I didn't know they thought paper would be a substitute for alloy.' (TECHNICAL HABITS)

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>>2422265
>'When I supported an upgrade, I didn't know they thought paper would be a substitute for alloy.' (TECHNICAL HABITS)
RIP Geara Doga-chan. Your ugly cousin took your rightful place.

>>2422265
>>'When I supported an upgrade, I didn't know they thought paper would be a substitute for alloy.' (TECHNICAL HABITS)

You begin leaning again—consciously this time—and making your way down the pavement, seeing the VTOL craft moving up and down, more than likely in an attempt to get the thing steady. Even from here, with barely a head and a shoulder—and less light than a dorm with a couple trying to get their freak on—to see, you find yourself … disgusted. When you’d supported an upgrade to the systems, this was the last thing that you expected to show up and answer your prayers.

You make a disgusted scowl at the new Hellion unit, the shift of the head telling you it was about to be rolled back towards the hangar. The VTOL crafts were taking off, the only thing visible from their structure those blinking lights that you’d made out back on the coach.

‘When I supported an upgrade,’ you begin grimly, ‘I didn’t know they had paper in mind as a substitute for alloy.’

‘Excuse me?’

You shake your head, managing an apologetic glance as you let out a weary sigh and raise a finger towards the finned head of the Hellion.

‘Nothing, just … you see that Mech there? That thing looks like it can be bent in half by a Desert Unit. I wonder how they managed to get themselves gypped like that? You know what? Scratch a Desert Unit. The wind could probably topp—’

The Mech wobbles slightly.

Diagonally.

You can’t even hide your disbelief this time.

‘Do you want to … take a closer look?’

>‘No, no, I’d probably pop a vein or something. Let’s get you back to your dorm.’ (Decline)
>‘You know what? Let’s go. They must be insane thinking that that’s … urgh!’ (Go and take a closer look)
>Write-In

>>2422318
>‘You know what? Let’s go. They must be insane thinking that that’s … urgh!’ (Go and take a closer look)

>>2422318
>>‘You know what? Let’s go. They must be insane thinking that that’s … urgh!’ (Go and take a closer look)

>>2422318
>‘No, no, I’d probably pop a vein or something. Let’s get you back to your dorm.’ (Decline)

>>2422318
>>‘You know what? Let’s go. They must be insane thinking that that’s … urgh!’ (Go and take a closer look)

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The call of curiosity is really that too much to bear for you. You only hope that Fisher wouldn’t hold it against you running a little late; besides, considering that you were going off-world in less than half a day’s worth of time, this would probably be the only chance that you’d get at seeing the … sham of a replacement to the old Hellion unit.

You run a hand through your hair.

Maybe you were getting a little too worked up over—

‘Let’s go,’ you declare, rolling your shoulder, having already taken a few unconscious steps forward. ‘I need a closer look at that insanity.’

You break into a light jog, sprinting through the entrance and past the open plaza. The Academy was enormous, but you knew your way enough to make a beeline to the hangar. Past the offices, the secondary offices, the tertiary communications unit and a few lax watch officers that gave you a friendly wave as you made your way past the small rec field. You slow down a little as you make your way around here, a wave of memories coming over you, remembering the drills that Instructor Memphis had—for lack of better word—drilled into your head in the nearby practical workshops. You wonder if Instructor Fisk was up, working up his usual mischief.

‘W-Wait up, Senpai!’

You turn around to see Rosaria wheezing as she dragged her feet past a nearby tree, her snorts sounding more like mechanical whines than anything else. A part of you wants to shake your head in disapproval …

Then you remember that you’d looped around about half-a-mile of the campus perimeter before cutting into the practical side of the facilities. You’d made a whole roundabout just to get to the front entrance of the practice hangar … and the only reason that you didn’t even feel it was …

Right.

You forgot just how many junctures you had to go through to get up to the standard.

She had touched down less than two days ago.

Considering Rosaria was from the same background, more or less, perhaps you’d been a little … too enthusiastic for her to keep pace with. You raise an apologetic hand, to which she returns, her knees quaking as she shuffles into a spot right next to you. Yo have to give her credit, though: she didn’t complain.

It’s not long before you’re in front of the practice hangar entrance … where you spy another of the Hellion replacements laid on a trailer unit, being wheeled around into the practice hangar itself, several crew members barking and yelling for caution and precision. The gate being shut tells you that entry isn’t allowed.

The two vermilion-clad crew members leaning against pill box and enjoying a thermos of hot drink apiece, however, tell you that conversation probably wouldn’t be—

‘Okay, you know the drill. Restricted area, yadda-yadda, turn the other way.’

You frown. How … unprofessional.

>>2422371
>'You know, considering you're both commissioned engineers, you should be a little more ... distinguished in your approach.' (Confrontational)
>'Just here to check out the new Hellion. Looks ... thin.' (Comment on the new unit)
>'No chance at letting us in, huh?' (Bargain)
>'That's a waste ... let's get you back to your dorm, then.' (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2422372
>'Just here to check out the new Hellion. Looks ... thin.' (Comment on the new unit)

>>2422372
>>'Just here to check out the new Hellion. Looks ... thin.' (Comment on the new unit)

>>2422372
>>'Just here to check out the new Hellion. Looks ... thin.' (Comment on the new unit)

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‘Caught a glimpse of you guys setting the new Hellions up,’ you declare, nodding towards the unit that appeared to be in the middle of being stowed away. ‘Thought we’d get a closer look.’

The engineers turn to each other, before shaking their heads.

‘Well, you got one,’ the one still holding the thermos declares, ‘and they’re not Hellions; they’re the new Piranha units.’

You blink, surprised.

You’d never heard of those before.

‘Piranha?’

‘The AEGIS is hoping to make them the standard across Empire space in the next thirty years,’ the other engineer declares, putting on a pair of green-tinted sunglasses. ‘They haven’t seen any action yet, but according to The Grand Hall, they’re viable enough to phase right through … or at least enough to put through a trial phase. Trade House Acura just bought up a bunch of ship tech and are going to try about sticking it on a Mech. They’re into overdrive with their production on these units. The Empire’s on track to make this their first ever mass production run on two-phase combat Mechs. The Piranha’s meant to helm that first wave.’

Your eyes widen.

‘Two phase? You mean that this is meant to fight on both terra firma and in space?’

‘You got it,’ the man with the thermos in his hand declares. ‘First standard for the Empire for both gravity-bound combat and zero-gravity. The future of Mech warfare and you kids are going to be the first to sample it. Man … wish I could re-do my AEGIS all over again. Would love to fight in these bad boys.’

‘You make a healthy salary, you bum.’

The man stares at his friend in annoyance. ‘Erik, you were born without a sense of wonder.’

‘Go and join the private sector, you wad.’

>‘Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)
>‘So those wing-like things … they’re actually thrusters to adjust vector, velocity … Trade House Acura? Wait …’
>‘What’s the standard loadout for the Piranha?’
>‘So what’s going to happen to the Hellions?’
>‘Heard enough. Let’s go, Rosaria.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2422527
>>‘Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)

>>2422527
>Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)
>>2422527
>Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)

>>2422527
>‘So those wing-like things … they’re actually thrusters to adjust vector, velocity … Trade House Acura? Wait …’

>>2422527
>>‘Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)

>>2422527
>>‘Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity.’ (SPACIOUS)

>>2422527
>SPACIOUS

>>2424596
>>‘Of course. I’m sure the handling of Compressed Ether and Two-Stage Process Ether is the same to you.’ (Retort, TECHNICAL HABITS) LEVEL 2: PASS

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You and Rosaria both share a look.

On paper, it made sense.

However, having lived in space for a good chunk of your life ...

‘Space warfare’s a whole different beast to fighting in an environment with terrain and gravity,’ you state, furrowing your brows. ‘It’s why The AEGIS exists and so does the Navy. Same objective, different specializations. You can’t over-stretch an arm of dedication because then you’re going to require not just the re-allocation of asset attributes, but splitting the attentions of the bodies involved. Why would the AEGIS see fit to stand beside the Navy in combat outside of atmosphere?’

Both men turn to stare at each other, before squeaking out the remnants of suppressed laughter.

You can’t help but feel a little bit insulted at that.

‘Because the Grand Hall and The Admiral decreed it, that’s why!’ The man known as Erik reveals, smirking so wide you swear it was going to shatter his cheek muscles. ‘Kid, I worked in Logistics and carried out posting duties. Integration of the two arms of the military wing of the Empire is the only logical way to cut out the fat that makes up the bureaucracy and the crisscross of jurisdiction. I mean, come on, you need two different ships for practically the same shipment to the same damn place when you only really need one? Where’s the efficiency in that? Two birds with one stone … and it’s not like either of ‘em are lacking in space, yeah?’

>‘Of course. I’m sure the handling of Compressed Ether and Two-Stage Process Ether is the same to you.’ (Retort, TECHNICAL HABITS) LEVEL 2: PASS
>‘If you say so.’ (Agree)
>‘There’s more to it than just space. You still need specialists in each position!’ (Argue)
>‘Can we talk about something else?’
>‘Let’s go, Rosaria.’
>Write-In

>>2424605
>>‘Of course. I’m sure the handling of Compressed Ether and Two-Stage Process Ether is the same to you.’ (Retort, TECHNICAL HABITS) LEVEL 2: PASS

>>2424605
What does level 2 pass mean?

>>2424605
>‘Of course. I’m sure the handling of Compressed Ether and Two-Stage Process Ether is the same to you.’ (Retort, TECHNICAL HABITS) LEVEL 2: PASS

>>2424608
Guessing it means that the option comes from our Level 2 Technical Habits.

>>2424608
It means you have a skill AND that it's of the required level to argue the point. It also means instead of the usual "1" point of experience you get arguing your point, you get 2.