Gimp'd
Silver eyes cracked open against the harsh florescence of the infirmary, and closed again almost immediately, not having expected the lights to be quite that bright.
One hand came up to feel his head - no bandage, and it wasn't tender to the touch. He sat up. No pain.
Again, Dani let his eyes open, this time anticipating the luminosity of the room, and he blinked a few times until his silvery orbs focused properly.
The room he was in was mostly white and sliver - of course the infirmary was always very clean and spartan looking. There was a sting in his left hand, and he turned to regard it's cause. OF course, it was the IV drip with it's needle stabbed into his hand.
That had been one of his few demands upon re-boarding. Morphine. He was almost beginning to miss those headaches. Almost. But it seemed to have cleared up alright, though it helped that the background noises - both auditory and mental, were fairly quiet.
Dani lay back down, pulling the thin sheets up over one shoulder. As the haze of his hours-long sleep cleared, he began to think back to that battle. That machine. It disgusted him, frankly. Not the machine itself - sparing the loss of human life was a boon in his books, but rather the feelings he felt from the Antioch - the sheer glee when it looked like he would fall, and the rage when the opposite had happened.
Jamitov really did want him dead. His eyes snaked down, again fixing themselves on his IV drip.
His other had came up quickly, yanking the needle out of his skin and he frowned, suddenly twice as glad he'd boarded the Slepnir instead.
~
It was a happy yet panicked rush of emotions that overcame Candice upon boarding the Sleipner oncemore. She'd seen the GM Juggler return, abeit in very bad shape, but it had been confirmed that the pilot was alive. Candice had sat in her cockpit for several minutes after docking, a smile on her face as she leaned back in her seat. She snapped the locks on her helmet and took it off, following her bandanna, which didn't have an inch on it that was free of sweat. She was glad Dani had come out alright, for there had been worry - much worry - amongst herself and David over their friend's safety, considering Green Oasis wasn't exactly the most inconspicuous place in the Federation. To this, her mood dampened slightly. She'd have to ask him what happened when he was in better shape.
Candice exited her cockpit, and was greeted with a rough chuckle below her. Candice waved lightly to Francisca, who patted her on the back and told her the rough run-down of her suit's damage. Nothing huge, just a touch up here and there, and Candice almost persisted in wanting to help the crew with fixing it. Francisca held up a gloved hand in front of her friend's face and waggled a finger, "Go check up on the Gimp first, got it? Y'can help me with the tech specs later, girl."
Candice flashed her friend a quick smile before kicking off for the catwalk. "Thanks, Fran!" The bleach blond mechanic waved her off as if tutting a child, and yelled to her crew to get back to work after hearing mutterings of, you're going to be jealous later, you know.
Upon reaching the infirmary, she was told by the doctor that Dani was currently asleep, and to come back later when he awoke. Candice persisted, saying she wanted a beep when the wounded man even so much as cracked an eye open, and the doctor laughed lightheartedly at this and nodded.
"If you want to get a look at him real quick you can. Just don't expect a stellar conversation."
Candice nodded, and entered the infirmary with the doctor close behind. She had been here several days before, and was reminded of her quick chats with David in between the man's check ups of his GM E. To this, she looked to her left, the bed she'd been in neat and clean as if she'd never been there. The next one over was where Dani was situated, for a curtain had been pulled up around part of his bed for privacy.
His face was clean, asides from what looked like a nasty cut on his head that had been tended to immediately. The rest of him was as equally undamaged, but she knew that most of the damage had occurred within him, something that bothered Candice greatly. There were no treatments for the soul, as far as she was concerned. She frowned at her own thoughts and approached the head of the bed. Instantly she noticed how fussed his hair was from lying down on the pillow, and her motherly instincts kicked in, her hands tending to his hair and brushing it out of his eyes. His hair was much nicer than her own, and such an odd shade of grey to boot. Compared to her own unruly shock of blond, she looked like a lion next to a mouse, and she couldn't help but smile at the mental image she gave herself.
With looking down at his face for so long, she was unaware of the doctor's smile behind her as he watched Candice cradle Dani's head within her grasp.
Idle thoughts drifted in and out of her mind, fleeting but suggesting her to do something she might regret if he woke up. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her chocolate eyes became hard as she thought over her options. He's asleep, so it won't matter, she told herself. Slowly, she bent over and lowered her lips to his forehead and pressed a chaste kiss against his brow. Sweat tinged her lips as she left, and observed his face as she brought air in between her and Dani again. His face was still a mask of serene sleep, and she smiled at her handiwork. He looked much more decent now than before.
Upon turning around to leave, she was met with the grinning doctor, and Candice's face flushed a deep crimson in realization. Her hand gripped the sheets for a release of her embarrassment, and she began stuttering out nonsense, "It was chaste and between friends!" She explained, but he held up a hand to silence her.
"Whatever you choose to do on this ship is not my responsibility," he said, scratching his scruff, "An' besides, you said it was chaste, remember?" To this, he grinned and made Candice's blush come back full force. She nodded silently, making a hasty grab with her right hand for a note pad that lay attached to the wall, and began scribbling something down on it with a nearby pen.
It was silent for several seconds before Candice finished, ripped the paper at the top, and gave it to the doctor.
"Give this to him when he wakes up." She said, and walked past him. She didn't bother to say thank you, but the look on her face was enough to show her gratitude.
'When you wake up, beep me and David and we'll come straight over. We need to talk. - Candice
"Now, time for a nap."
~
Jester. That's what they gave him.
Fits a guy who literally juggles in combat. I had to laugh when I saw the updated roster aboard the Sleipnir. There was a certain air of... joy surrounding the place. The mission had been a success, another kill scored by Candice and I, and now, we had our third back.
It was like being whole again. Just having the team complete again.
Nightmare. Jester.
We still need a name for Candice. Something that would suit her. And then we'd need a squadron name, other than Sleipnir MS Team.
I looked up at my GM E from the floor of the hangar, smiling at it. She hadn't let me down.
And I knew my team wouldn't.
~
He still wasn't up to walking - he probably wouldn't be for another day or two, but the last hazy remnants of the drugs had cleared his system by now which meant the newtype was bored.
Of course, the lack of drugs meant his mind was fully functional, which meant the background noise of thoughts and pressures had picked up to their normal thrums, and somehow Dani didn't feel quite so empty. It was easy to sense the joy on board - unsurprising considering the last week's endeavours. More importantly, he could feel the soft 'push' of the Juggler in the back of his mind. It was comforting.
Even in the room there was a quiet sort of joy - one that came more from the heart, and the lingering sense that Candice had been around at some point in the recent past. This made him look around, and only then did he notice the small scrap of paper she'd left on his bedside. It made him smile a bit, even as he reached for the wall-mounted comm unit.
~
Candice had tried to sleep upon arriving back at her quarters - she really did - but the persistent nagging thoughts of the battle and other ideas had kept her awake and staring at the ceiling. It was only when her intercom went off that she realized she had awoken from a doze that had lasted for an amazing fifteen minutes, and grumbled under her breath that it couldn't have been longer. Another second passed, and she realized who could be on the other end of the intercom. She brought herself quickly to the intercom and opened the channel between her room and the infirmary, trying not to sound too excited.
"You feelin' any better?"
~
It was good to hear her voice. Until now, Dani hadn't realized how much he'd missed being home. Had it really only been a week? God, it felt like forever.
"I'm alright. I got your note. How did the last mission go? You didn't miss me too badly, I hope?"
~
"Not too badly. We all came out alright." She grinned, and she let her pride swell through her voice.
As an afterthought, she added. "And yeah, I missed you. Coming down right now to check on you." And closed off the com before he had a chance to reply. She stood staring at the keypad at her door for several seconds, her throat and arms numb. After the daze passed her, she wearily put on her uniform coat, ran a comb through her hair and left her room with little thoughts floating through her head.
She reached the infirmary in little time, and was waved at by the doctor in a lazy fashion, who then thumbed over to where Dani sat up in bed, looking tired from sleep but not sour.
~
Dani had spent the meantime flagging down David as well - no doubt the other man would want to see him too, but he ceased his attempts as he felt Candice's presence behind him. He turned, smiled and afforded her a small wave, before his face knit into more of a frown and he beckoned her closer.
"You haven't been sleeping, have you?"
~
Candice approached Dani with an easygoing smile, which quickly turned into confusion, then pensiveness as he questioned her. Chocolate eyes fell to the sheets that were crumpled around his knees, but raised them as she spoke.
"Not for the past week, no. There was a lot of anxiety about the ship," she explained, meeting his eyes finally, "I'll get back to my usual pattern though. It won't be a problem." If only she believed her own words. She cursed her fickle emotions.
~
"Hey! I want the acceleration on Jenny moved up twenty percent! Even with the extra plating, she's gotta move faster than a those fucking skirts!" I yelled down at the technical team working on my GM-E.
I had started calling her Jenny, a bastardization of GM-E, shortly before the operation, since she did need a name.
In between training spots, and the numerous operations, I had barely had time to check my own pager, until the flashing light blinked as I moved back into the cockpit.
Medical Bay?
Danyan was up!
Sure, I might have been a little too excited, but then again, our teammate was awake, alive, and in one piece. And now we were a complete team again. I smiled as I hopped out of the cockpit.
"Just make her faster! I'll be back to check on you guys later." I waved at them as I floated over towards the railing, giving a quick salute to the tech team. I almost sprinted down the halls, heading towards med bay.
OK, so I did run, but that's quite alright. I finally made it to the door, and opened it up. Candice was already at his side. I smiled as I walked over to the side of the bed.
"Well, about time you woke up, Jester."
~
Dani was about to reprimand Candice for not looking after herself, but his smile reappeared and his mouth closed as he heard his new name roll off David's tongue. "Sorry if I gave you any trouble, Nightmare." He replied in kind. Still...Nightmare didn't sit right with him. David would forever be Princess, but that was a shouting match for another time.
It was hard to mistake David's excitement for anything else, and if Dani weren't so sure his stomach and head would lurch with Vertigo should he try and rise, he would have gone to greet the other man properly.
So now with an undefeatably happy mood, Dani was only so happy to exclaim his next announcement. "They bumped me up to Petty Officer 3rd class!" he said, completely unaware that the other two in the room had been promoted themselves in his absence.
~
Candice silently sighed in relief as David practically bounced towards Dani, clearly excited at their teammate returning, but more importantly diverting their conversation to a better place. There would be a private conversation afterwards, she was sure; or questioning in some form at a later date, but for now she was safe. She listened to Dani's exclamation and couldn't hold back her grin fast enough.
"David and I got promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class, too." She replied, a smile on her lips. It seemed wherever David went, so did a good mood.
~
"The promotions were all well-deserved. You should have seen them out there Jhouty."
I know my ship very well. If I had to I could find my way around blindfolded, it's home for me. So sneaking around my own ship has just become a silly hobby of mine. Anything to keep busy I suppose.
"It's good to see you awake Dani. "
I'm happy to see the team together once again. Dani's presence makes everyone a little more at ease. Sadly, I'm here on official business.
"It's good you are all here though, we need to go over some things."
~
Dani was about to respond at news of their promotion (something about his inability to win,) but the voice of his captain silenced him. It put HIM at ease. But at his announcement, the newtype sat up a tiny bit straighter, folding his legs to sit indian style and make room for anyone who wanted to sit.
"What's up, Skipper? I'm not going to be much good for a few days..." he gestured to his head, "Feedback and all that."
~
Candice took the silent offer to lean her hips against the edge of Dani's bed, facing her superior with a pensive stare. She knew it would deal with the upcoming battle with one of the Zeon fleets, and she'd heard whispers of "battleship eater" being muttered about, no less. She hoped it was just a rumour; her hands tightened at the thought of doing battle with him.
"With Dani out of commission, who'll be the third unit?" She asked.
~
"For the time being Petty Officer Harkin will take point in the upcoming sortie Candice."
I move toward the edge of the bed.
"There's some reports of a sizable Zeek fleet heading in our direction. Considering the importance of Chan's mining operation, I decided it would be wise for us to stick around and provide support."
I hate doing this to them. I look at Dani think of how Jamitov Heiman uses pilots as if they are expendable. I don't want to be anything like that creep but war forces you to do things like this.
"We're expecting combat very soon. Jhouty, when you can walk again I want you to spend some time in the GM Sniper. You'll be providing support fire if the Juggler is still damaged. I wouldn't want you out there in a suit with a half-assed patch job."
I'll save the news of LUCY for another time. I'm not sure how comfortable Dani will be seeing the suit that tried to kill him out there on our side.
"Guys, we all burnt out I know. I wish I could rest too but this is the state of things. So rest up as much as possible because we will be very busy."
I'm lying about the rest. I welcome all this commotion, all the panic. It keeps my mind off things, off Rachel. I hate spoiling the fun but try to bring the mood to where it was before I leave.
"And Dani, it's good to have you back and not in the hands of some psychopath. And you two, excellent job out there as it turns out those Zeeks we fought while Dani was playing that toy soldier were SS. Not pushovers, you should be proud. I'll leave you guys for now. You got some catching up to do."
Captain Von Drugden, one of Kycilia's top men, Now we're catching the attention of the SS. This fleet is very good at making enemies.
Least I'm good at something.
~
The idea of sleep to Candice brought about several unnerving feelings to her stomach, all which were reminiscent of being sick. She knew she should go and get some rest, but with Dani back and forming the third spot of the Sleipner MS team oncemore, she felt as if resting would dull the excitement she felt. And risk yourself on the battlefield? Get to bed, girl.
However, she listened intently when the Schuzstaffel were brought up, and was slightly surprised she had been fighting someone of that caliber, despite having the idea dance in the back of her mind on occasion. It was a welcoming thought, but only momentarily.
Once Arcaile left, Candice let go a breathy sigh, "Wow, we have our work cut out for us, don't we? Didn't think I'd even make it this far." She arched her neck back with her eyes closed as she spoke, a hand coming up to ruffle her hair playfully.
~
"Captain" I had saluted him when he entered, and then when he had left.
I smiled a the thought of Kycillia Zabi sending the best the Zeeks had to offer to deal with us. Means we were making an impact. And I'm sure they were noticing the number of cyclops' painted on our units.
Nightmare, Jester and...
"Candice, we need to get you a callsign. Dani's got one, I've got one, and you're still Candice. The Zeeks are starting to fear the name Nightmare, and I'm sure once it's spread, Jester'll be another one of their warnings. I mean, they've got the Red Comet, we've got the White Devil. You're just as much of an ace pilot as the rest of us, so we still need to work on that."
I laughed, and then sighed slightly. They were sending the best after us. That also meant our missions were going to get more dangerous. Each one could be our very last.
"Besides, if they send the SS after us, then we'll just have to keep knockin' 'em down. Show them the reasons we're the best fleet and best MS Team in this war."
~
"Well, I decided on the name Maverick." Candice replied, opening her eyes and craning her neck back to look at David properly, "Gotta keep with the theme we have going." To this, she grinned, and brought herself up onto Dani's bed with a heave.
"And that's rather cocky of you," but she couldn't help but let her eager nature show through,"But I couldn't agree more."
One hand came up to feel his head - no bandage, and it wasn't tender to the touch. He sat up. No pain.
Again, Dani let his eyes open, this time anticipating the luminosity of the room, and he blinked a few times until his silvery orbs focused properly.
The room he was in was mostly white and sliver - of course the infirmary was always very clean and spartan looking. There was a sting in his left hand, and he turned to regard it's cause. OF course, it was the IV drip with it's needle stabbed into his hand.
That had been one of his few demands upon re-boarding. Morphine. He was almost beginning to miss those headaches. Almost. But it seemed to have cleared up alright, though it helped that the background noises - both auditory and mental, were fairly quiet.
Dani lay back down, pulling the thin sheets up over one shoulder. As the haze of his hours-long sleep cleared, he began to think back to that battle. That machine. It disgusted him, frankly. Not the machine itself - sparing the loss of human life was a boon in his books, but rather the feelings he felt from the Antioch - the sheer glee when it looked like he would fall, and the rage when the opposite had happened.
Jamitov really did want him dead. His eyes snaked down, again fixing themselves on his IV drip.
His other had came up quickly, yanking the needle out of his skin and he frowned, suddenly twice as glad he'd boarded the Slepnir instead.
~
It was a happy yet panicked rush of emotions that overcame Candice upon boarding the Sleipner oncemore. She'd seen the GM Juggler return, abeit in very bad shape, but it had been confirmed that the pilot was alive. Candice had sat in her cockpit for several minutes after docking, a smile on her face as she leaned back in her seat. She snapped the locks on her helmet and took it off, following her bandanna, which didn't have an inch on it that was free of sweat. She was glad Dani had come out alright, for there had been worry - much worry - amongst herself and David over their friend's safety, considering Green Oasis wasn't exactly the most inconspicuous place in the Federation. To this, her mood dampened slightly. She'd have to ask him what happened when he was in better shape.
Candice exited her cockpit, and was greeted with a rough chuckle below her. Candice waved lightly to Francisca, who patted her on the back and told her the rough run-down of her suit's damage. Nothing huge, just a touch up here and there, and Candice almost persisted in wanting to help the crew with fixing it. Francisca held up a gloved hand in front of her friend's face and waggled a finger, "Go check up on the Gimp first, got it? Y'can help me with the tech specs later, girl."
Candice flashed her friend a quick smile before kicking off for the catwalk. "Thanks, Fran!" The bleach blond mechanic waved her off as if tutting a child, and yelled to her crew to get back to work after hearing mutterings of, you're going to be jealous later, you know.
Upon reaching the infirmary, she was told by the doctor that Dani was currently asleep, and to come back later when he awoke. Candice persisted, saying she wanted a beep when the wounded man even so much as cracked an eye open, and the doctor laughed lightheartedly at this and nodded.
"If you want to get a look at him real quick you can. Just don't expect a stellar conversation."
Candice nodded, and entered the infirmary with the doctor close behind. She had been here several days before, and was reminded of her quick chats with David in between the man's check ups of his GM E. To this, she looked to her left, the bed she'd been in neat and clean as if she'd never been there. The next one over was where Dani was situated, for a curtain had been pulled up around part of his bed for privacy.
His face was clean, asides from what looked like a nasty cut on his head that had been tended to immediately. The rest of him was as equally undamaged, but she knew that most of the damage had occurred within him, something that bothered Candice greatly. There were no treatments for the soul, as far as she was concerned. She frowned at her own thoughts and approached the head of the bed. Instantly she noticed how fussed his hair was from lying down on the pillow, and her motherly instincts kicked in, her hands tending to his hair and brushing it out of his eyes. His hair was much nicer than her own, and such an odd shade of grey to boot. Compared to her own unruly shock of blond, she looked like a lion next to a mouse, and she couldn't help but smile at the mental image she gave herself.
With looking down at his face for so long, she was unaware of the doctor's smile behind her as he watched Candice cradle Dani's head within her grasp.
Idle thoughts drifted in and out of her mind, fleeting but suggesting her to do something she might regret if he woke up. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her chocolate eyes became hard as she thought over her options. He's asleep, so it won't matter, she told herself. Slowly, she bent over and lowered her lips to his forehead and pressed a chaste kiss against his brow. Sweat tinged her lips as she left, and observed his face as she brought air in between her and Dani again. His face was still a mask of serene sleep, and she smiled at her handiwork. He looked much more decent now than before.
Upon turning around to leave, she was met with the grinning doctor, and Candice's face flushed a deep crimson in realization. Her hand gripped the sheets for a release of her embarrassment, and she began stuttering out nonsense, "It was chaste and between friends!" She explained, but he held up a hand to silence her.
"Whatever you choose to do on this ship is not my responsibility," he said, scratching his scruff, "An' besides, you said it was chaste, remember?" To this, he grinned and made Candice's blush come back full force. She nodded silently, making a hasty grab with her right hand for a note pad that lay attached to the wall, and began scribbling something down on it with a nearby pen.
It was silent for several seconds before Candice finished, ripped the paper at the top, and gave it to the doctor.
"Give this to him when he wakes up." She said, and walked past him. She didn't bother to say thank you, but the look on her face was enough to show her gratitude.
'When you wake up, beep me and David and we'll come straight over. We need to talk. - Candice
"Now, time for a nap."
~
Jester. That's what they gave him.
Fits a guy who literally juggles in combat. I had to laugh when I saw the updated roster aboard the Sleipnir. There was a certain air of... joy surrounding the place. The mission had been a success, another kill scored by Candice and I, and now, we had our third back.
It was like being whole again. Just having the team complete again.
Nightmare. Jester.
We still need a name for Candice. Something that would suit her. And then we'd need a squadron name, other than Sleipnir MS Team.
I looked up at my GM E from the floor of the hangar, smiling at it. She hadn't let me down.
And I knew my team wouldn't.
~
He still wasn't up to walking - he probably wouldn't be for another day or two, but the last hazy remnants of the drugs had cleared his system by now which meant the newtype was bored.
Of course, the lack of drugs meant his mind was fully functional, which meant the background noise of thoughts and pressures had picked up to their normal thrums, and somehow Dani didn't feel quite so empty. It was easy to sense the joy on board - unsurprising considering the last week's endeavours. More importantly, he could feel the soft 'push' of the Juggler in the back of his mind. It was comforting.
Even in the room there was a quiet sort of joy - one that came more from the heart, and the lingering sense that Candice had been around at some point in the recent past. This made him look around, and only then did he notice the small scrap of paper she'd left on his bedside. It made him smile a bit, even as he reached for the wall-mounted comm unit.
~
Candice had tried to sleep upon arriving back at her quarters - she really did - but the persistent nagging thoughts of the battle and other ideas had kept her awake and staring at the ceiling. It was only when her intercom went off that she realized she had awoken from a doze that had lasted for an amazing fifteen minutes, and grumbled under her breath that it couldn't have been longer. Another second passed, and she realized who could be on the other end of the intercom. She brought herself quickly to the intercom and opened the channel between her room and the infirmary, trying not to sound too excited.
"You feelin' any better?"
~
It was good to hear her voice. Until now, Dani hadn't realized how much he'd missed being home. Had it really only been a week? God, it felt like forever.
"I'm alright. I got your note. How did the last mission go? You didn't miss me too badly, I hope?"
~
"Not too badly. We all came out alright." She grinned, and she let her pride swell through her voice.
As an afterthought, she added. "And yeah, I missed you. Coming down right now to check on you." And closed off the com before he had a chance to reply. She stood staring at the keypad at her door for several seconds, her throat and arms numb. After the daze passed her, she wearily put on her uniform coat, ran a comb through her hair and left her room with little thoughts floating through her head.
She reached the infirmary in little time, and was waved at by the doctor in a lazy fashion, who then thumbed over to where Dani sat up in bed, looking tired from sleep but not sour.
~
Dani had spent the meantime flagging down David as well - no doubt the other man would want to see him too, but he ceased his attempts as he felt Candice's presence behind him. He turned, smiled and afforded her a small wave, before his face knit into more of a frown and he beckoned her closer.
"You haven't been sleeping, have you?"
~
Candice approached Dani with an easygoing smile, which quickly turned into confusion, then pensiveness as he questioned her. Chocolate eyes fell to the sheets that were crumpled around his knees, but raised them as she spoke.
"Not for the past week, no. There was a lot of anxiety about the ship," she explained, meeting his eyes finally, "I'll get back to my usual pattern though. It won't be a problem." If only she believed her own words. She cursed her fickle emotions.
~
"Hey! I want the acceleration on Jenny moved up twenty percent! Even with the extra plating, she's gotta move faster than a those fucking skirts!" I yelled down at the technical team working on my GM-E.
I had started calling her Jenny, a bastardization of GM-E, shortly before the operation, since she did need a name.
In between training spots, and the numerous operations, I had barely had time to check my own pager, until the flashing light blinked as I moved back into the cockpit.
Medical Bay?
Danyan was up!
Sure, I might have been a little too excited, but then again, our teammate was awake, alive, and in one piece. And now we were a complete team again. I smiled as I hopped out of the cockpit.
"Just make her faster! I'll be back to check on you guys later." I waved at them as I floated over towards the railing, giving a quick salute to the tech team. I almost sprinted down the halls, heading towards med bay.
OK, so I did run, but that's quite alright. I finally made it to the door, and opened it up. Candice was already at his side. I smiled as I walked over to the side of the bed.
"Well, about time you woke up, Jester."
~
Dani was about to reprimand Candice for not looking after herself, but his smile reappeared and his mouth closed as he heard his new name roll off David's tongue. "Sorry if I gave you any trouble, Nightmare." He replied in kind. Still...Nightmare didn't sit right with him. David would forever be Princess, but that was a shouting match for another time.
It was hard to mistake David's excitement for anything else, and if Dani weren't so sure his stomach and head would lurch with Vertigo should he try and rise, he would have gone to greet the other man properly.
So now with an undefeatably happy mood, Dani was only so happy to exclaim his next announcement. "They bumped me up to Petty Officer 3rd class!" he said, completely unaware that the other two in the room had been promoted themselves in his absence.
~
Candice silently sighed in relief as David practically bounced towards Dani, clearly excited at their teammate returning, but more importantly diverting their conversation to a better place. There would be a private conversation afterwards, she was sure; or questioning in some form at a later date, but for now she was safe. She listened to Dani's exclamation and couldn't hold back her grin fast enough.
"David and I got promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class, too." She replied, a smile on her lips. It seemed wherever David went, so did a good mood.
~
"The promotions were all well-deserved. You should have seen them out there Jhouty."
I know my ship very well. If I had to I could find my way around blindfolded, it's home for me. So sneaking around my own ship has just become a silly hobby of mine. Anything to keep busy I suppose.
"It's good to see you awake Dani. "
I'm happy to see the team together once again. Dani's presence makes everyone a little more at ease. Sadly, I'm here on official business.
"It's good you are all here though, we need to go over some things."
~
Dani was about to respond at news of their promotion (something about his inability to win,) but the voice of his captain silenced him. It put HIM at ease. But at his announcement, the newtype sat up a tiny bit straighter, folding his legs to sit indian style and make room for anyone who wanted to sit.
"What's up, Skipper? I'm not going to be much good for a few days..." he gestured to his head, "Feedback and all that."
~
Candice took the silent offer to lean her hips against the edge of Dani's bed, facing her superior with a pensive stare. She knew it would deal with the upcoming battle with one of the Zeon fleets, and she'd heard whispers of "battleship eater" being muttered about, no less. She hoped it was just a rumour; her hands tightened at the thought of doing battle with him.
"With Dani out of commission, who'll be the third unit?" She asked.
~
"For the time being Petty Officer Harkin will take point in the upcoming sortie Candice."
I move toward the edge of the bed.
"There's some reports of a sizable Zeek fleet heading in our direction. Considering the importance of Chan's mining operation, I decided it would be wise for us to stick around and provide support."
I hate doing this to them. I look at Dani think of how Jamitov Heiman uses pilots as if they are expendable. I don't want to be anything like that creep but war forces you to do things like this.
"We're expecting combat very soon. Jhouty, when you can walk again I want you to spend some time in the GM Sniper. You'll be providing support fire if the Juggler is still damaged. I wouldn't want you out there in a suit with a half-assed patch job."
I'll save the news of LUCY for another time. I'm not sure how comfortable Dani will be seeing the suit that tried to kill him out there on our side.
"Guys, we all burnt out I know. I wish I could rest too but this is the state of things. So rest up as much as possible because we will be very busy."
I'm lying about the rest. I welcome all this commotion, all the panic. It keeps my mind off things, off Rachel. I hate spoiling the fun but try to bring the mood to where it was before I leave.
"And Dani, it's good to have you back and not in the hands of some psychopath. And you two, excellent job out there as it turns out those Zeeks we fought while Dani was playing that toy soldier were SS. Not pushovers, you should be proud. I'll leave you guys for now. You got some catching up to do."
Captain Von Drugden, one of Kycilia's top men, Now we're catching the attention of the SS. This fleet is very good at making enemies.
Least I'm good at something.
~
The idea of sleep to Candice brought about several unnerving feelings to her stomach, all which were reminiscent of being sick. She knew she should go and get some rest, but with Dani back and forming the third spot of the Sleipner MS team oncemore, she felt as if resting would dull the excitement she felt. And risk yourself on the battlefield? Get to bed, girl.
However, she listened intently when the Schuzstaffel were brought up, and was slightly surprised she had been fighting someone of that caliber, despite having the idea dance in the back of her mind on occasion. It was a welcoming thought, but only momentarily.
Once Arcaile left, Candice let go a breathy sigh, "Wow, we have our work cut out for us, don't we? Didn't think I'd even make it this far." She arched her neck back with her eyes closed as she spoke, a hand coming up to ruffle her hair playfully.
~
"Captain" I had saluted him when he entered, and then when he had left.
I smiled a the thought of Kycillia Zabi sending the best the Zeeks had to offer to deal with us. Means we were making an impact. And I'm sure they were noticing the number of cyclops' painted on our units.
Nightmare, Jester and...
"Candice, we need to get you a callsign. Dani's got one, I've got one, and you're still Candice. The Zeeks are starting to fear the name Nightmare, and I'm sure once it's spread, Jester'll be another one of their warnings. I mean, they've got the Red Comet, we've got the White Devil. You're just as much of an ace pilot as the rest of us, so we still need to work on that."
I laughed, and then sighed slightly. They were sending the best after us. That also meant our missions were going to get more dangerous. Each one could be our very last.
"Besides, if they send the SS after us, then we'll just have to keep knockin' 'em down. Show them the reasons we're the best fleet and best MS Team in this war."
~
"Well, I decided on the name Maverick." Candice replied, opening her eyes and craning her neck back to look at David properly, "Gotta keep with the theme we have going." To this, she grinned, and brought herself up onto Dani's bed with a heave.
"And that's rather cocky of you," but she couldn't help but let her eager nature show through,"But I couldn't agree more."