[ooc] application
✶ application
[character history / background]:
Here and here for some nice wiki articles.
Note: Graham's history is spotty/contradictory and only covered in detail with a drama cd that hasn't been translated. I've tried my best to get the jist of the Japanese material as well as iron out plotholes, but I'm sure it's got inaccuracies. I'll retcon it when more info is available.
UPDATED 06/01/09: Fixed with release of drama cd translation!
While Graham's direct origins and childhood details have yet to be revealed, he’s known to be an orphan who grew up in the Union. Specifically, the United States. His one ultimate desire was to fly, but with his lack of funds for training in the civilian piloting field, he took the only route available to him: the military.
Graham would first meet Billy Katagiri (who would go on to be one of his better friends) and Professor Leif Eifman when he was 24 (note: the novels state he was 20). By then a Second Lieutenant, he was chosen to test-fly the Union's newest mobile suit, even with Billy’s doubts due to his age. Adding further to Billy’s chagrin, Graham declined reading the instruction manual for the machine/listening to any lectures and was ready to take to the skies minutes after introducing himself.
However, he proves his caliber as a pilot and the capabilities of the Flag to a degree no-one had predicted. For instance, he manages to transform the Flag in mid-air, which wasn't even considered plausible during its development, during his first run and doesn’t consider what he does anything out of the ordinary. Billy coins the name "Graham Special" for the move, and even years later very few pilots can actually pull it off.
He's called off by a message from a good friend and who would later be one of his closest wingmen: Howard Mason. Howard informs him of a man named Sleg Slatcher, a Major and a "top gun" pilot at the time who also volunteered as a test pilot for a different model. Graham has no hesitations in predicting his victory, but quietly admits to himself that this could be a problem.
In reality, the two had already met two years prior. Graham, fresh out of military training and the top of his class, was put in Slatcher's unit. Slatcher found Graham to be "interesting" enough as the young pilot was willing to ignore convention-- with this, Slatcher would go on to hone his abilities, and in return Graham looked up to the man with utmost respect. Their history included 46 mock battles: all of which Slatcher came out the victor. Despite this and their difference in rank, the two were close until Statcher retired due to illness.
...Which leaves Graham puzzled as to why Slatcher would return to piloting, and Billy jokes that it must be to fight with him-- the up-and-coming ace pilot. Just as Graham says the older man is far too cool for something so childish, he gets a surprise phone call from the Major himself, inviting him to drinks.
And so the two have a standard military-buddy conversation over alcohol. Nothing unusual, if not a little tense on Graham's side and maybe a little tipsy on Slatcher's-- the two talk about matters of the sky and "matters greater than that." It’s when Graham asks about Slatcher's daughter (expecting a child, he says; Graham congratulates him) that the talk goes sour. Our favorite mobile-suit-obsessed ace apparently rejected an offer to marry her on the grounds that he had to focus on his piloting. Graham explains that above all else, he wanted to reach the sky. In return, Slatcher calls him out on his childish dreams and how he dislikes the brat Graham is, and he makes it clear that he hates him and holds a "father's grudge." Howard would go on to tell Graham later that Slatcher is also piloting to help support his family (violating conduct, which Graham ignores).
Months afterward, the two meet again in a mock battle to judge the strength of the two different prototype suits. While Graham does best his superior (they're considered equal pilots, but Graham utilizes the Flag to all its capabilities), and prove the Flag's mettle, the battle ends in flames. Slatcher, instead of ejecting, launches a kamikaze attack against Graham when his suit can no longer fly and is killed in the resulting damage. No one else understands what happened, but Graham painfully notes that it was a matter of the skies.
He can't bring himself to go to the funeral. Billy approaches Graham, informing him that the Union is looking to make the Flag their next focal unit, but the latter responds with little emotion. It's clear that he's still dispirited and at a loss. He confides with some bitterness that Slatcher died without allowing Graham a fair victory, tricking him into a fight, and essentially just winning in every way. No chance for revenge. There's a silence at this, and Billy simply replies that at Slatcher's funeral, he spoke to his daughter. Her father would always and only spread good will about Graham. "After me, there’s only that greenhorn. Only Graham Aker."
Graham chokes up, briefly, and is almost indignant when he says there’s no way he can hold a grudge to that.
Fast-forward to 2307 AD. Another power bloc, the AEU, is having a demonstration of their newest, solar-powered mobile suit: the Enact. And there they stand witness to Celestial Being’s first armed intervention and all the glory of the AEU ace losing (miserably) to Gundam Exia. Graham is amazed by the Gundam's performance and capabilities, and finds himself endlessly curious about this new machine amongst the Celestial Being-inspired chaos (though he does take the time to mock how contradictory CB is).
At his first chance, he flies out in his Flag and demands a duel with Exia with lines like "I'm the man who's heart you’ve captured!" and "I can't help but feel this is sentimental destiny!" Despite his enthusiasm, a Gundam still has roughly six times the output than a Flag, and he's forced to retreat. But if anything, he's even more infatuated with these mysterious new suits because of it. When he finally returns to base, he's transferred to investigate the Gundams and asks that his Flag be tuned to better combat them, and to disregard pilot safety over offensive upgrades. The end result is the predecessor to the Overflag: a Custom Flag that's twice as fast, but with fewer defenses and up to 12Gs for the pilot to deal with. It's around this time that he's promoted to Captain and given a squadron of aces, including his right-hand men Howard Mason and Daryl Dodge.
But his promotion brings back rumors of Slatcher and Graham’s supposed backstabbing of a superior. He ignores the naysayers and strives to clear his name on the battlefield instead. Graham goes on to individually fight with Exia and Dynames on two separate occasions, matching them in battle even with an inferior machine. However, the former retreats underwater, and the latter is abandoned for the sake of duty. He comes close to capturing Dynames in the Taklamakan Desert, but the Thrones intervene while simultaneously killing three members of Graham unit as well. He’s notably affected by the loss and begins to show some malcontent towards the Gundams, as well as some doubt in his leadership abilities.
By the time the Overflag squadron returns home, their base is in ruins; Celestial Being arrived first. Graham is stunned by a transmission from Billy informing him that the professor was killed in the attack before he engages Zwei, surprise turned to rage. But even with a synchronized squadron, the Overflags hardly phase the superior Throne models. Howard Mason finally breaks formation to engage Zwei directly, intent on proving the strength of the Flag, but is killed in the resulting combat before the Thrones retreat once more. The death toll, especially with Howard, finally takes its reign on Graham and marks the signs of a turning point in his feelings. From his expression, it’s clear that "love" isn't quite the right word anymore; as much as he cares about battle, there was far more at stake. At his friend's grave, Graham puts aside his sadness and doubts for Howard's sake, swearing that he would defeat the Gundams with the Flag Howard had so devoted himself to.
[character abilities]: Nothing superhuman. In a universe similar to ours, he'd have unusually good senses and instincts, as well as the physical capabilities of any pilot of his caliber. A stand-out individual. There's also his military training-- he's very good with weapons, and naturally quick at responding to new situations/mechanics. And while it's a more limited field, he's one of the most talented pilots within his world as a grunt mecha pilot on level ground with vastly superior Gundam units.
[character personality]: Last edited on November 15th, 2009.
Most of the time, Graham is actually more level-headed and calm than his reputation allows. Little phases him, and insults or rumors are negligible at worst. He's confident, certainly, but not cocky as he purposely pretends to be sometimes-- other people's opinions matter, but don't get under his skin (or too embedded into his thoughts) easily. This is most clear in his personal code of honor, which he refuses to relent on. He insists on fairness and prefers one-on-one battles above all else.
As such, the Union Ace is a fairly disconnected man. While being intelligent enough to understand the clockwork of politics and whatnot, he's generally focused to a fault on other, more personally interesting ventures which at first glance leads to somewhat self-absorbed lifestyle. It's uncommon that he needs to seek out other people. Arbitrary rules are easily discarded. Climbing the military ranks with tooth and nail isn't worth his time. Petty business is ignored; he knows what's important in the long run. The sky is simple, the diplomacy back on the ground is needless.
It's when he finds something that does spark his interest that he warps, and it's usually very obvious. His more professional, adult side gives some leeway to the dramatic, demanding, passionate, single-minded, brash ace pilot of the Union (not that these traits are completely absent when he's quieter). With challenges and competition, he's remarkably determined and unrestrained, tossing common sense and reason away for whatever the hell goes on in his head right that moment. If something gets his adrenaline going, then he'll work and work until he breaks his own limits. He's a man driven almost entirely by his emotions, with duty being his only limiting factor. The type that would die for his cause without hesitation rather than live with regrets later. More often than not he'll do something without hesitation and accept the consequences graciously.
As graceful as this sounds, it basically comes down to one fact: Graham can be a child sometimes. And stubborn as hell all the time; it takes a lot to change his mind or get him to give up on what he wants.
But responsibility isn't something Graham takes lightly, even if he generally doesn't want it. In fact, he hates obligation or anything that ties him down, hence why he's more than a little hesitant to bond with people-- yet he definitely treats his friends and his military position seriously now that he's stuck with them, and will put them before his personal desires. A soldier in a leadership position. But this because he feels responsible over people as opposed to the rank, file, or rules, which he breaks on a semi-frequent basis. For instance, once he's a 'one-man army' in season two, he holds absolutely no obligation to orders, and even before then he's not where he's supposed to be or doing what he's supposed to be doing all that often.
The few he's close (it's a notably low number-- he puts his job above just about everything, including being social) to are the ones that see his moments of weakness, even if he is usually quick to recover: sadness, doubt, grief. They're the ones that see his more casual antics and quirks. It's for them that his battles have a deal of controlled recklessness and order.
So he's a man of contradictions. He inadvertently seeks spotlight, but doesn't really care about it. He follows his inner beliefs religiously, but stabilizes himself with other people. He's thoughtful and tactical, but spontaneous and reckless. And all of this is fine and dandy unless the balance is distorted. Canonically, as the people he's close to begin to die off, he becomes more and more fixated with whatever he has left. Eventually he has nothing to restrain him at all, and we see the worst of Graham: distant, completely self-destructive and obsessive, crazy, and ready to completely leave the rest of the world to the dogs. The source of this distortion is one clear desire: revenge. He takes the death of the other men in his unit on a very personal level, and the same sense of duty towards them in life carries through to vengeance with their deaths. It's a lesson he hasn't learned quite yet that maybe it's better to live for the ones you care about, instead of dying in their memory.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: During the time period of episode 18.
[journal post]:
;voice
[there's a small snap and static buzz as the recording device is flicked]
--inconvenient time to be dreaming. Oh, there it goes.
This is Graham Aker reporting; base, Katagiri, do you copy? If you can track me, coordinates or assistance would be appreciated. Whatever's going on, I'm sure this isn't Illinois anymore.
[a significant pause before a rather irritated voice continues]
This is an exercise in futility, isn't it?
[third person / log sample]: On days with a quick enough breeze and a cloudless sky, Graham wasted as little time indoors as possible. After all, good weather and coffee breaks were rare commodities, and he had long since learned not to be wasteful. The weekend after Howard's funeral was a slight exception.
The base had reached a state of relative calm, though that wasn't saying much when the alternative was everything up in flames, a mobile suit carcass in pieces. As such, Graham couldn't quite bring himself to regret skipping out on the meeting with some other "higher-ups" where they would inevitably gloss over what really mattered for some secretive military procedure that would fill up an entire folder of orders later; he recalled a fellow pilot saying the cockpit aged a man forty years, but he was still too young to care about this sort of thing as much as he should've. Oh, but he was a Captain now, as Edwards liked to remind him, lip motioned into a sneer. Graham would fulfill his part in their ritual by shooting off a noncommittal smile and not letting it cause so much as a tic in his step. I'll clear my name on the battlefield, was said that once.
But then again, he didn't really have to worry about it. Joshua was dead too. He narrowly avoided stubbing his toe on the step as he continued on towards his destination.
Security had been kicked up, which wasn't really a worthwhile issue to complain about, but it did mean hanging around the roofs or other equally sketchy areas warranted unwanted company. And as far he knew, the hangar was empty besides the suits; no one had been allowed near them since they lost the Professor, lest they be ruined by some inexperienced engineer's enthusiasm. Next best place, without a doubt. And a much-desired interlude.
He breathed deep-- it may have been a ridiculous notion to the ground-locked, but Graham felt more at ease here with machines of war than any bar or study. It was a peculiar sensation to be at peace and still have that constant adrenaline under his skin, pulsing to be off and be in battle again. To fear, but be fearless. It wasn't some lust for destruction that kept him a soldier, after all. There was no beauty in the notion of violence itself, but the fight and heated blood behind it all could be breathtaking.
But there were still the times when it didn't pay off. There were few places less comfortable than the grass before a tombstone, or the porch of their family (still, this was one responsibility he refused to yield), and it wasn't like ye olden days of yore where diplomacy was second to the dramatics of knights from the west or samurai from the east. It was far less romantic than that, much to his disappointment; sometimes he had to wonder if he had been born one or two or five centuries too late.
He stood across from Daryl's Flag, the soles of his uniform shoes clicking to a halt. Their technology, still decades away from what Celestial Being had, was pressed forward at a ridiculous pace with this most recent 'war.' Their mobile suits could fly twice as fast and put twelve times the pressure on someone's lungs as they used to in times of peace-- Graham could feel the increasing stress on his heart when he flied promising G-LOC after the blackouts. All the 20/10 vision in the world couldn't save him, and the exhilaration of it all was peerless. It was times like those when his smiles would twist into grins, barriers dissipating into flowery words and the romantic in him (so infatuated with the sky and all its matters) would force his machine faster and to whatever lengths he wanted. It was then that when the enemy flew at him from the sun, he'd just know what direction to roll, how to adjust his shield to take the sniper shots. And as much as the 'stay cool, be calm' mantra had been drilled into him since he was a rookie, there was no meaning to the title of 'pilot' if he didn't define it himself (plus, panic wasn't in his repertoire). He seemed tamer out of the air, and for good reason; nothing else was nearly as exciting. A soft smile settled on his face as he reminded himself never to second-guess. The samurai had their time-- he had his.
So later that day when he received the message that the Iris corporation was being attacked by one of the new Gundam models, he was off and away without waiting for so much as clearance or wingmen. Adjusting his helmet while Katagiri tried to talk him out of it, all Graham could think about was that Howard had loved to a magnitude even he wasn't sure he could match, and that the world had now been deprived of a great man's company. That people were being killed against some pointless, stupid excuse like armed intervention for eternal peace, just like the man who had borderlined brotherhood with him died. Graham had no plans on joining Howard or Joshua or the professor any time soon (he didn't break his promises), but hell if he didn't fight back; there was a mantle on his back now that he couldn't, and wouldn't, abandon.
And if that meant going down in the same white blaze of glory, well. So be it.
[character history / background]:
Here and here for some nice wiki articles.
Note: Graham's history is spotty/contradictory and only covered in detail with a drama cd that hasn't been translated. I've tried my best to get the jist of the Japanese material as well as iron out plotholes, but I'm sure it's got inaccuracies. I'll retcon it when more info is available.
UPDATED 06/01/09: Fixed with release of drama cd translation!
While Graham's direct origins and childhood details have yet to be revealed, he’s known to be an orphan who grew up in the Union. Specifically, the United States. His one ultimate desire was to fly, but with his lack of funds for training in the civilian piloting field, he took the only route available to him: the military.
Graham would first meet Billy Katagiri (who would go on to be one of his better friends) and Professor Leif Eifman when he was 24 (note: the novels state he was 20). By then a Second Lieutenant, he was chosen to test-fly the Union's newest mobile suit, even with Billy’s doubts due to his age. Adding further to Billy’s chagrin, Graham declined reading the instruction manual for the machine/listening to any lectures and was ready to take to the skies minutes after introducing himself.
However, he proves his caliber as a pilot and the capabilities of the Flag to a degree no-one had predicted. For instance, he manages to transform the Flag in mid-air, which wasn't even considered plausible during its development, during his first run and doesn’t consider what he does anything out of the ordinary. Billy coins the name "Graham Special" for the move, and even years later very few pilots can actually pull it off.
He's called off by a message from a good friend and who would later be one of his closest wingmen: Howard Mason. Howard informs him of a man named Sleg Slatcher, a Major and a "top gun" pilot at the time who also volunteered as a test pilot for a different model. Graham has no hesitations in predicting his victory, but quietly admits to himself that this could be a problem.
In reality, the two had already met two years prior. Graham, fresh out of military training and the top of his class, was put in Slatcher's unit. Slatcher found Graham to be "interesting" enough as the young pilot was willing to ignore convention-- with this, Slatcher would go on to hone his abilities, and in return Graham looked up to the man with utmost respect. Their history included 46 mock battles: all of which Slatcher came out the victor. Despite this and their difference in rank, the two were close until Statcher retired due to illness.
...Which leaves Graham puzzled as to why Slatcher would return to piloting, and Billy jokes that it must be to fight with him-- the up-and-coming ace pilot. Just as Graham says the older man is far too cool for something so childish, he gets a surprise phone call from the Major himself, inviting him to drinks.
And so the two have a standard military-buddy conversation over alcohol. Nothing unusual, if not a little tense on Graham's side and maybe a little tipsy on Slatcher's-- the two talk about matters of the sky and "matters greater than that." It’s when Graham asks about Slatcher's daughter (expecting a child, he says; Graham congratulates him) that the talk goes sour. Our favorite mobile-suit-obsessed ace apparently rejected an offer to marry her on the grounds that he had to focus on his piloting. Graham explains that above all else, he wanted to reach the sky. In return, Slatcher calls him out on his childish dreams and how he dislikes the brat Graham is, and he makes it clear that he hates him and holds a "father's grudge." Howard would go on to tell Graham later that Slatcher is also piloting to help support his family (violating conduct, which Graham ignores).
Months afterward, the two meet again in a mock battle to judge the strength of the two different prototype suits. While Graham does best his superior (they're considered equal pilots, but Graham utilizes the Flag to all its capabilities), and prove the Flag's mettle, the battle ends in flames. Slatcher, instead of ejecting, launches a kamikaze attack against Graham when his suit can no longer fly and is killed in the resulting damage. No one else understands what happened, but Graham painfully notes that it was a matter of the skies.
He can't bring himself to go to the funeral. Billy approaches Graham, informing him that the Union is looking to make the Flag their next focal unit, but the latter responds with little emotion. It's clear that he's still dispirited and at a loss. He confides with some bitterness that Slatcher died without allowing Graham a fair victory, tricking him into a fight, and essentially just winning in every way. No chance for revenge. There's a silence at this, and Billy simply replies that at Slatcher's funeral, he spoke to his daughter. Her father would always and only spread good will about Graham. "After me, there’s only that greenhorn. Only Graham Aker."
Graham chokes up, briefly, and is almost indignant when he says there’s no way he can hold a grudge to that.
Fast-forward to 2307 AD. Another power bloc, the AEU, is having a demonstration of their newest, solar-powered mobile suit: the Enact. And there they stand witness to Celestial Being’s first armed intervention and all the glory of the AEU ace losing (miserably) to Gundam Exia. Graham is amazed by the Gundam's performance and capabilities, and finds himself endlessly curious about this new machine amongst the Celestial Being-inspired chaos (though he does take the time to mock how contradictory CB is).
At his first chance, he flies out in his Flag and demands a duel with Exia with lines like "I'm the man who's heart you’ve captured!" and "I can't help but feel this is sentimental destiny!" Despite his enthusiasm, a Gundam still has roughly six times the output than a Flag, and he's forced to retreat. But if anything, he's even more infatuated with these mysterious new suits because of it. When he finally returns to base, he's transferred to investigate the Gundams and asks that his Flag be tuned to better combat them, and to disregard pilot safety over offensive upgrades. The end result is the predecessor to the Overflag: a Custom Flag that's twice as fast, but with fewer defenses and up to 12Gs for the pilot to deal with. It's around this time that he's promoted to Captain and given a squadron of aces, including his right-hand men Howard Mason and Daryl Dodge.
But his promotion brings back rumors of Slatcher and Graham’s supposed backstabbing of a superior. He ignores the naysayers and strives to clear his name on the battlefield instead. Graham goes on to individually fight with Exia and Dynames on two separate occasions, matching them in battle even with an inferior machine. However, the former retreats underwater, and the latter is abandoned for the sake of duty. He comes close to capturing Dynames in the Taklamakan Desert, but the Thrones intervene while simultaneously killing three members of Graham unit as well. He’s notably affected by the loss and begins to show some malcontent towards the Gundams, as well as some doubt in his leadership abilities.
By the time the Overflag squadron returns home, their base is in ruins; Celestial Being arrived first. Graham is stunned by a transmission from Billy informing him that the professor was killed in the attack before he engages Zwei, surprise turned to rage. But even with a synchronized squadron, the Overflags hardly phase the superior Throne models. Howard Mason finally breaks formation to engage Zwei directly, intent on proving the strength of the Flag, but is killed in the resulting combat before the Thrones retreat once more. The death toll, especially with Howard, finally takes its reign on Graham and marks the signs of a turning point in his feelings. From his expression, it’s clear that "love" isn't quite the right word anymore; as much as he cares about battle, there was far more at stake. At his friend's grave, Graham puts aside his sadness and doubts for Howard's sake, swearing that he would defeat the Gundams with the Flag Howard had so devoted himself to.
[character abilities]: Nothing superhuman. In a universe similar to ours, he'd have unusually good senses and instincts, as well as the physical capabilities of any pilot of his caliber. A stand-out individual. There's also his military training-- he's very good with weapons, and naturally quick at responding to new situations/mechanics. And while it's a more limited field, he's one of the most talented pilots within his world as a grunt mecha pilot on level ground with vastly superior Gundam units.
[character personality]: Last edited on November 15th, 2009.
Most of the time, Graham is actually more level-headed and calm than his reputation allows. Little phases him, and insults or rumors are negligible at worst. He's confident, certainly, but not cocky as he purposely pretends to be sometimes-- other people's opinions matter, but don't get under his skin (or too embedded into his thoughts) easily. This is most clear in his personal code of honor, which he refuses to relent on. He insists on fairness and prefers one-on-one battles above all else.
As such, the Union Ace is a fairly disconnected man. While being intelligent enough to understand the clockwork of politics and whatnot, he's generally focused to a fault on other, more personally interesting ventures which at first glance leads to somewhat self-absorbed lifestyle. It's uncommon that he needs to seek out other people. Arbitrary rules are easily discarded. Climbing the military ranks with tooth and nail isn't worth his time. Petty business is ignored; he knows what's important in the long run. The sky is simple, the diplomacy back on the ground is needless.
It's when he finds something that does spark his interest that he warps, and it's usually very obvious. His more professional, adult side gives some leeway to the dramatic, demanding, passionate, single-minded, brash ace pilot of the Union (not that these traits are completely absent when he's quieter). With challenges and competition, he's remarkably determined and unrestrained, tossing common sense and reason away for whatever the hell goes on in his head right that moment. If something gets his adrenaline going, then he'll work and work until he breaks his own limits. He's a man driven almost entirely by his emotions, with duty being his only limiting factor. The type that would die for his cause without hesitation rather than live with regrets later. More often than not he'll do something without hesitation and accept the consequences graciously.
As graceful as this sounds, it basically comes down to one fact: Graham can be a child sometimes. And stubborn as hell all the time; it takes a lot to change his mind or get him to give up on what he wants.
But responsibility isn't something Graham takes lightly, even if he generally doesn't want it. In fact, he hates obligation or anything that ties him down, hence why he's more than a little hesitant to bond with people-- yet he definitely treats his friends and his military position seriously now that he's stuck with them, and will put them before his personal desires. A soldier in a leadership position. But this because he feels responsible over people as opposed to the rank, file, or rules, which he breaks on a semi-frequent basis. For instance, once he's a 'one-man army' in season two, he holds absolutely no obligation to orders, and even before then he's not where he's supposed to be or doing what he's supposed to be doing all that often.
The few he's close (it's a notably low number-- he puts his job above just about everything, including being social) to are the ones that see his moments of weakness, even if he is usually quick to recover: sadness, doubt, grief. They're the ones that see his more casual antics and quirks. It's for them that his battles have a deal of controlled recklessness and order.
So he's a man of contradictions. He inadvertently seeks spotlight, but doesn't really care about it. He follows his inner beliefs religiously, but stabilizes himself with other people. He's thoughtful and tactical, but spontaneous and reckless. And all of this is fine and dandy unless the balance is distorted. Canonically, as the people he's close to begin to die off, he becomes more and more fixated with whatever he has left. Eventually he has nothing to restrain him at all, and we see the worst of Graham: distant, completely self-destructive and obsessive, crazy, and ready to completely leave the rest of the world to the dogs. The source of this distortion is one clear desire: revenge. He takes the death of the other men in his unit on a very personal level, and the same sense of duty towards them in life carries through to vengeance with their deaths. It's a lesson he hasn't learned quite yet that maybe it's better to live for the ones you care about, instead of dying in their memory.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: During the time period of episode 18.
[journal post]:
;voice
[there's a small snap and static buzz as the recording device is flicked]
--inconvenient time to be dreaming. Oh, there it goes.
This is Graham Aker reporting; base, Katagiri, do you copy? If you can track me, coordinates or assistance would be appreciated. Whatever's going on, I'm sure this isn't Illinois anymore.
[a significant pause before a rather irritated voice continues]
This is an exercise in futility, isn't it?
[third person / log sample]: On days with a quick enough breeze and a cloudless sky, Graham wasted as little time indoors as possible. After all, good weather and coffee breaks were rare commodities, and he had long since learned not to be wasteful. The weekend after Howard's funeral was a slight exception.
The base had reached a state of relative calm, though that wasn't saying much when the alternative was everything up in flames, a mobile suit carcass in pieces. As such, Graham couldn't quite bring himself to regret skipping out on the meeting with some other "higher-ups" where they would inevitably gloss over what really mattered for some secretive military procedure that would fill up an entire folder of orders later; he recalled a fellow pilot saying the cockpit aged a man forty years, but he was still too young to care about this sort of thing as much as he should've. Oh, but he was a Captain now, as Edwards liked to remind him, lip motioned into a sneer. Graham would fulfill his part in their ritual by shooting off a noncommittal smile and not letting it cause so much as a tic in his step. I'll clear my name on the battlefield, was said that once.
But then again, he didn't really have to worry about it. Joshua was dead too. He narrowly avoided stubbing his toe on the step as he continued on towards his destination.
Security had been kicked up, which wasn't really a worthwhile issue to complain about, but it did mean hanging around the roofs or other equally sketchy areas warranted unwanted company. And as far he knew, the hangar was empty besides the suits; no one had been allowed near them since they lost the Professor, lest they be ruined by some inexperienced engineer's enthusiasm. Next best place, without a doubt. And a much-desired interlude.
He breathed deep-- it may have been a ridiculous notion to the ground-locked, but Graham felt more at ease here with machines of war than any bar or study. It was a peculiar sensation to be at peace and still have that constant adrenaline under his skin, pulsing to be off and be in battle again. To fear, but be fearless. It wasn't some lust for destruction that kept him a soldier, after all. There was no beauty in the notion of violence itself, but the fight and heated blood behind it all could be breathtaking.
But there were still the times when it didn't pay off. There were few places less comfortable than the grass before a tombstone, or the porch of their family (still, this was one responsibility he refused to yield), and it wasn't like ye olden days of yore where diplomacy was second to the dramatics of knights from the west or samurai from the east. It was far less romantic than that, much to his disappointment; sometimes he had to wonder if he had been born one or two or five centuries too late.
He stood across from Daryl's Flag, the soles of his uniform shoes clicking to a halt. Their technology, still decades away from what Celestial Being had, was pressed forward at a ridiculous pace with this most recent 'war.' Their mobile suits could fly twice as fast and put twelve times the pressure on someone's lungs as they used to in times of peace-- Graham could feel the increasing stress on his heart when he flied promising G-LOC after the blackouts. All the 20/10 vision in the world couldn't save him, and the exhilaration of it all was peerless. It was times like those when his smiles would twist into grins, barriers dissipating into flowery words and the romantic in him (so infatuated with the sky and all its matters) would force his machine faster and to whatever lengths he wanted. It was then that when the enemy flew at him from the sun, he'd just know what direction to roll, how to adjust his shield to take the sniper shots. And as much as the 'stay cool, be calm' mantra had been drilled into him since he was a rookie, there was no meaning to the title of 'pilot' if he didn't define it himself (plus, panic wasn't in his repertoire). He seemed tamer out of the air, and for good reason; nothing else was nearly as exciting. A soft smile settled on his face as he reminded himself never to second-guess. The samurai had their time-- he had his.
So later that day when he received the message that the Iris corporation was being attacked by one of the new Gundam models, he was off and away without waiting for so much as clearance or wingmen. Adjusting his helmet while Katagiri tried to talk him out of it, all Graham could think about was that Howard had loved to a magnitude even he wasn't sure he could match, and that the world had now been deprived of a great man's company. That people were being killed against some pointless, stupid excuse like armed intervention for eternal peace, just like the man who had borderlined brotherhood with him died. Graham had no plans on joining Howard or Joshua or the professor any time soon (he didn't break his promises), but hell if he didn't fight back; there was a mantle on his back now that he couldn't, and wouldn't, abandon.
And if that meant going down in the same white blaze of glory, well. So be it.