"Duke Goldschmidt, sir", Reid said, finally standing from the table after spending some time sitting idly, thinking about his lot in life (hint: he's not happy with it). "I'd like to hear your opinion on something if that's alright."
"How responsible should I really be feeling for what happened? From your perspective, could I have done all that much more — were I 'on top of my game', would there be fewer dead?"
Valentine startled slightly as a voice broke into his 'stirring' musical rendition. It was Reid. I wish you'd ask Riley instead of me. Isn't the company leader supposed to be in charge of answering these sorts of questions? Sighing in resignation, he turned toward the other man.
"That's a hell of a thing to ask, Haddad," he began, steepling his fingers, "Whether you could have changed anything..." His eyes were distant as he trailed off, staring at some far-off point in time. "To answer requires knowing not only your own mind and capability, but also those of every one of your allies, and every one of your enemies. Only the Almighty Himself could know that much, given the circumstances, so if you want a real answer, you ought to ask Him for His guidance on the matter. I cannot provide a true resolution to your questions."
"However," he continued, locking his gaze on Reid, "I do know this much: There is no way you could have known we would be ambushed by what we saw out there. The only possibility I see for you to have changed things is if you had died, and if that had happened, not only would Blackfield and Mackenzie have died, but Gundersen would be dead instead of in the medbay, and Lady Lee or I would probably have died as well."
"Of course," he sighed again, "the distance between how one 'should' feel and how one does feel after such things isn't a gap that can be crossed with mere words. You'll have to make peace with it yourself. If you still think that your 'not being on top of your game' was a failing, then maybe preparing as best you can to make sure you are on top during the next mission will abate that somewhat." The duke settled back in his chair, and glanced briefly at the three ladies at the table, hoping to a certain degree that his small speech had gone unnoticed.
GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.Victoria did her best to ignore the duke's accompanying background music when addressing Elaine's apology of sorts. "Your emotions and opinions are your own. You've the right to your point of view, both in and out of a frame. My concerns regarding you were out of a fear you might disobey orders and put yourself in danger for your, admittedly unachievable, ideals. You put that fear to rest when you obeyed the command to retreat, I have every confidence in you as a frame pilot and a Knight of Centauri."
As Mira entered, her hands behind her back, she grimaced. It wasn't as bad as she'd feared, but she expected more than a few scars.
They'd better have gotten it all, she growled to herself.
"Still in bed, I see," she chided in irritation, stomping a foot. "The rest of the knights are in mourning for our fallen brethren, and here you are, like it's the night after shore-leave." She shook her head, and her expression softened. "I'm too hard on you, as always. You had a lot of shrapnel in you. I'm just glad you're alive." She pulled her hands from behind her back, revealing a small rectangular box. "I brought a present." She set it on the table next to the bed. "Chocolates. They should ease the burden of hospital meals. For all our advancements in medicine, the food still tastes like cardboard. Warm, wet cardboard, in some cases."
Mira smiled. It was fond, though small and melancholic.
"It isn't immediately apparent, necessarily, but I enjoy your company. I get so irritated around you, but I love that Rick." Gingerly, she placed her hand on his. "I love gritting my teeth and wanting to slap you upside the head. It's a warm feeling." She allowed herself a girlish giggle, and for a moment, she was just a twenty-two year old Italian girl talking to her crush. "You're rather cute when I'm angry," she admitted, flushing. Somehow, the silence seemed pointed. "I'm Italian!" she snapped defensively. "Yelling at people we cherish is a prerequisite- don't tell Mama I said that; I'd get an earful." Her smile faded, and she became serious once again.
"Do you hear me, Rick? I'm risking my Mama's wrath right now, and it is entirely for you, Gun Show." She squeezed his hand. "So don't you dare suffer an unforseen complication. Because if you die and I have to throw this chocolate away after the trouble I've taken to get it here, I'm going to kill you. And God have mercy on the hospital staff if I find them eating it."
She turned to leave, but whirled at the last moment. "And so help me, Rick, if you get out of here and tell me you don't like white chocolate-!" Her voice trailed off, unable to think of any suitable threat. "I'll... fall silent and feel like an idiot, I suppose."
Reconsidering her options, she sat down in one of the chairs. She wasn't needed elsewhere, at the moment.
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.Rozaliya walked around a bit after the meeting, trying to sort out her thoughts. She'd been checked for physical and psychological injuries shortly after the battle, and found to be fine, but the feeling of loss was still strong. She had been the medic...and while she had been able to save her superior officer, it was what she had been unable to save that occupied her mind. Her allies...so many dead or wounded. She also grieved the loss of her Frame, but...in her current state, she did not really want to go out on the frontlines again. Never before had she been witness to such a loss, and she was not ready to see it happen again.
She sat down in the cafeteria, in the hopes that some caffeine would revitalize her before she went to see the commander. Caffeine and lots of sweetener.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!Elaine's chest swelled with pride slightly, as she took Victoria's response completely positively. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "Although nothing would please me more than to give my life for the Commonwealth, I realize that to do so would be to grant the Federation a victory, however slight. As a Knight of the Emperor, I would hope to prevent that from happening at all costs." She paused, doing her best to contain a smile, "I appreciate your confidence in me, and I wish you and Dame Lee luck."
I am become Death, Destroyer of Miniputts.Hospital
Rick gently stirred in his hospital bed, though he still lay on his back and didn't seem to get up. "I'm so glad you're here" he said. His eyes, though, were still shut. He still appeared to be mostly asleep at the moment, but no longer comatose.
"Princess Celeria, I would eat the whole cake if I could, but I already had my Muscle Max Dragonmilk shake today, so I can't just eat a piece of - no, don't cry, it's just, oh, well okay, I mean, I guess... if you insist. I've been wanting to do some gains anyway...."
He brought his left hand up to his mouth and started gnawing on it unconsciously, his right hand made the motions for bicep curls, and he kept mumbling something about reps in his sleep.
As he began to stir, she looked over in surprise. "Rick?" she asked.
I'm so glad you're here,
For just a moment, Mira's heart soared. She could feel her eyes shining. Had anyone looked at her, they would have sworn the air around her was pink, with bubbles and sparkles. "Rick..." she murmured.
Princess Celeria, I'd...
And just as suddenly, she slowly deflated, and the med-bay echoed with the sound of her palm as it met her forehead. "Rick," she sighed.
If he wasn't asleep... I would hit him.
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.Victoria nodded to Elaine, a little surprised that the recent disaster of a mission hadn't seemed to dim her enthusiasm at all. Patriotism was not only a desirable trait, but a useful one as well. She turned to the knight that Duke Valentine had been distracted by, which had thankfully cut the humming short.
"Are you the pilot of the Rose's Dyrnwyn? With our groups merged into a single company, I doubt we'll need two knights dedicated to its specialization. My own experience with the frame is limited, so I'll trust you to that role."
Hospital
"Urgh...." Rick muttered as he slowly woke up. He looked at his left hand, then wiped it on his sheets, at which point he noticed he wasn't in his own bunk. "Hospital?" he said to no one in particular, not having noticed Mira. "Damn it, Raul swore to me that that protein mix was legit. Musta been what put me in the hospital...." He sighed and frowned. "I bet I missed arm day too."
He looked around the room, finally noticing Coltello there. "Oh, hey there, uh.... You," he said, shooting a finger gun her way. "What are you doing here? I wouldn't think Fergie would let any of his Hounds have time off during the day just to see someone with food poisoning."
As soon as he said that, he froze in place as the thought of Riley learning he was awake entered his brain. He could almost feel his face starting to bruise in the pattern of her hand in preparation. Last he remembered, they had some big mission they were going to go on, he must have gotten sick before they deployed. He hoped they were all okay.
"Food poisoning? Rick, stop being-" she cut herself off. Shrapnel, sedatives, trauma... a bit of confusion was more than understandable for him. "What's the last thing you can remember?" she asked, trying to be patient. "Do you remember the mission?"
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve."Of course I do," Rick said. "There was the beach, the beach ball, the captain... and a potato?"
He looked at her with pleading eyes. "But it's not too late, right? I can still go? This-" he glanced at the IV in his arm and the machines around him. "This is nothing. I ride a motorcycle, I've been through meatgrinders of wrecks before, I'm good for duty. See?"
To prove his point, he reached over to the IV needles bandaged to his arm and yanked them out in one motion, letting them drop to the side of the bed.
"Oh...." Rick said with a frown. Then he smiled. "Hey, that means my protein stash is good!" He returned to frowning. "But if we were on the mission...."
He threw off his bed sheets and looked down, seeing the few wrappings and gauze pads still in place on his torso and legs for his remaining wounds. "Shit. Definitely missed arm day."
He looked back at Mira. "What happened? We... we didn't lose anyone, did we?"
"I'm sorry, Rick..." she placed a hand on his upper arm consolingly. "Our intel was faulty. We walked into a trap. We were out-manned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered... your flight took the worst of it. Blackfield, Mackenzie, and you were all downed, and you were the only one recovered. The Hounds didn't get off easily, either. We lost Carlisle, and MacMorna is confined to a wheelchair for the time being. Reid seems to be taking it all particularly hard."
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.Fergus noticed Rozaliya as she was coming to the Dining Hall,
"Ah, Dame Mikhailova, I... didn't expect to see you here, but it's as well as can be, I suppose," Fergus said as he signaled her over.
He turned to a server, "Neither of us are flying; A whiskey, and quickly, Más é do ṫoil."
With that he finished what was left of his tea.
Rozaliya took her seat and moment's later, a more reasonably priced Whiskey came to them.
"Mikhailova," Fergus nods, pouring her a glass, "I have something I'd like to propose to you."
He poured into each glass conciously. There was some effort and measuring of each word, marked further by his affected Edenic Accent, leaving aside his Dowan Brogue.
"Yes, sir," Rozaliya taking the glass as she is offered and nipping at the whiskey
"Well, it is clear that I won't be piloting for some time and so, I don't have much motivation to keep this to my chest any more; Some legal action has freed up a couple Baronies in my County. Small towns but a title all the same.
Fergus took a sip of his whiskey as he finished, after a pause, he continued;
"I'd intented to save them for some later time when I was retiring but it seems that time has come early."
"Congratulations, sir."
"Typically, it's to our advantage to promote promising Knights, since that has a chance of winning us further titles to distribute. However, it seems your frame is out of commission for the foreseeable future," Fergus here had another pause punctuated by a long draught, "It's a small miracle that you're still in commission yourself."
Rozaliya could just nod and ask herself Was this really happening?
"You already have my gratitude, but I am going to need an Aide; it would give you something to do while your frame is repaired. And it wouldn't be a small duty for prestige either, considering my position. I am petitioning Gemma to name me her Second in Command, this would effectively put you in line to inheret Third in command of the Vessel."
"If you are willing to accept, it would seal my decision to offer you a title. Though there are some duties and obligations on your own side there; learning the language would be a must, for example. If you were willing interested however, I would be proud to name you Baroness Baile Carraige Glas"
Fergus drained his glass. He knew this was a rather bold offer but it was one he hoped Rozaliya would understand.
Rozaliya took a deep breath to calm her nerve.
While she had dreamed of this day, it was hard for her to realize just what was going on in this instant.
Her whole body was screaming at her to accept, but the rational and responsible part of her mind that the military had worked hard to grow in her reminded her of the great responsibility she would be taking on; This would not be like back home, where she had been a rich heiress without a care in the world. She would have to work her fingers to the bone, and not just become a representative of Centauri nobility, but of the Trio Knight she would be working under ...still, she would be a grand fool not to accept
"I am deeply grateful for and honored by your kind words and generous offer, sir. I will do my utmost to deliver on the trust you put in me. I accept."
Fergus poured another drink with visible relief on his face, "A toast then."
"Go maire siḃ ḃur saol nua," He said raising his glass, "to a new life of prosperity."
"Novaya zhizn' v dostatke," Rozaliya replied, an earnest smile on her face. "A new life."
edited 24th Nov '14 10:50:46 PM by Fauxlosophe
Hospital
"That's almost half of us, damn it!" Rick said, punching his mattress once. "Yeah, I can imagine he is. I'll have to go beat some sense into Malware, he's probably off blaming himself and doing that computery stuff he does. With his computers."
He glanced around the room. "How long's it been, anyway? Why's no one else here? Must have been a long time, huh? It must have taken months to convince Riley to stop sleeping in that chair 24/7, and I bet it took the nurses half a year to get Val to stop throwing all his money away on sending me a bouquet of flowers every day. Shit, I can't believe I've been out for a year, coma atrophy is going to be hell on my reps."
He flexed his biceps and looked at them intently, as if he were examining them. "Hmm... seems normal...."
"Your muscles are still fine," she assured him. "It has only been two days. Just a little while ago, we had a meeting, to mourn and learn the new command structure. Our flights are being folded together under the leadership of Dame Lee, with Dame Cascade acting as a representative for MacMorna, and the interests of the former members of the Hounds."
"We're called the Scrap Roses, now, by the way," she added. "Here," she took the box she'd brought in off of the table and gave it a small shake, making the contents rattle slightly. "I brought you a little something."
edited 26th Nov '14 1:10:50 AM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve."Two days." Rick said, blinking once, then blinking twice. "Two days? Two days and they already leave me alone in the medbay and took my name out of the name."
He grumbled incomprehensibly about his name as he opened the box and took out a piece of chocolate. "Oh hey, good, thanks. It feels like I haven't eaten in a month," he said as he put three pieces in his mouth. "Good thing I woke up when I did. I bet the nurse would have stolen these first chance they got."
"Anything not nailed down," he said as he chewed some more.
"A good thing indeed, then. I already have a crusade of vengeance against the Federation to worry about. A war on thieving hospital staff on top of that might push me beyond my limits."
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.Reid was visibly relieved to hear all this from Valentine, but at the same time it wasn't as comforting as he'd hoped.
He stiffened up and saluted. He was going to have to live with what happened on that day, and knew he had to start soon.
"I appreciate your candor, sir, or at least what I hope was candor. I will admit that I'm not feeling all that much better, but thank you anyway."
A slight flush came to her cheeks. "As a Knight of the Centauri, and scion of a family with not inconsiderable resources, it is hypothetically possible that upon learning of my assignments I could arrange ahead of time for a respectable supply of such items to find its way onto the ship on the same shuttle that brought me... such methods would undoubtedly be looked on by some as underhanded, of course, and I would never dream of abusing my station in such a manner, but the hypothetical possibility exists..." She looked away innocently.
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve."It was candor, and you're welcome." Valentine nodded with a wry smile, then pivoted his full attention to Victoria.
"I'm surprised to hear that, given that you kept your existing frame as is even without its head. It has some sentimental value, yes? What do you plan on piloting instead?" he prodded, leaning forward in interest. I hope it's not another assault unit, or at least not another long-range attacker. Lord knows we have enough of those already.
edited 26th Nov '14 9:10:00 PM by darksidevoid
GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.

That was why she hadn't been able to place his name. It was his given name, as opposed to the surname. Her home being on New Jerusalem, only a short distance away from Eden in galactic terms, she of course knew of the family. Learning he was a duke, however, set her teeth on edge, both because she'd addressed him by his given name, and also because his reception had seemed dismissive.
Though feeling somewhat snubbed. However, she pushed it aside. Goldschmidt had good enough reason to prioritize a conversation with her below something to do with the command structure. "My apologies, Duke Goldschmidt," she corrected herself with a curtsey before excusing herself.
Med-bay. That's where she was headed, to check in on the wounded... One wounded pilot in particular.
edited 23rd Nov '14 3:30:47 PM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.