SRW RP S1 Final Battle Pre-Map Phee Post

The Look

26
Spoiler
The future was looking more uncertain than ever. There was a decisive battle ahead of them, and a post-war era completely obscured by said battle. Right now though, Brant was focused on issues much closer to home, specifically his daughters and nephew. Like usual, Vasiliy was in the simulator in the evening. He still spent a good deal of time making sure his sisters were alright, as well as helping out in the cafeteria, but Brant couldn't help but worry his nephew was becoming too interested in piloting. He knew Firmia wouldn't let him do something like that no matter what his scores rose to, but the boy's father might ... and that was just terrible, particularly since they would be rendezvousing with the Athena before the final battle. Rex would be meeting his son sooner rather than later ... and nothing was resolved between him and Firmia.

One thing they could try in order to keep Rex from being too reckless with Vasiliy was getting on good terms, somehow. Between his own rivalry with his brother and Firmia's hatred for him, Brant didn't like their chances. Tonya would probably jump him if given an opening, and Sasha was a bit too far removed from the situation. If he tried to get friendly with Rex, the elder Abrams would be rightly suspicious. The only other idea Brant could come up with was taking advantage of a situation that had been developing quietly in the background ever since the attack on Colony One. Hannah Abrams. Maybe she could help them mend old wounds. She'd need a lot of patience to endure someone as confrontational as Rex. Taking the family name was enough reason to make him wary of her, but taking on some of that Abrams look as well could make it even more of an uphill battle.

"Maybe ..." Brant mused aloud, almost unaware of the present company, or even what time it was. "Kind of weird she's going for that look in the first place, but I guess ... it makes sense in some ways ..."

"Maybe what, Brant?" Chris looked up at Brant, tilting her head and herself, as she leaned against him. "She? That look... Hannah?" Chris was comfy, so she leaned in for a hug instead of just flopping against him, closing her eyes and givin' him one heck of a snuggle. "Maybe she's finally just taking that Abrams name seriously? Or trying to get Firmia to take her appearance more seriously... Proooobably both."

"Dad pile!" Liliana jumped onto the bed and hugging Brant and Chris, causing the blonde to let out an oof, before letting the girl into the hug.

"Hey there, sport... Real excited today, huh?" Chris patted the girl's hair, getting her to squeak just a bit.

"Yeah! This ship's been a tonne of fun. Been working on my AI, running around with Aki, and I even met a really weird but nice lady today."

Akilina had stepped over to the bed, sitting next to the cuddle pile instead of jumping on like Lily had. "Yeah... She was, pretty weird... But, also seemed really nice... I couldn't read her feelings, though."

"... Louise?"

"Yeah! That was her name! She messed with our hair a bit, said we were super cute... Well, she's right! I'm adorable."

Chris bit back a sigh. That was the last thing she wanted... But it probably hadn't been that bad, then. "That's great, girls. Tell us about the people you meet more, okay?"

"Sure thing mom~" Lily smiled and squeezed the two of them.

"Okay." Aki was still a bit nervous about joining the pile, glancing over at them.

Chris was probably right, Hannah was probably taking out two birds with one stone. Before Brant could comment on it, Liliana playfully ambushed them both. From the sound of things, she and her little sister had one interesting evening ... with one concerning little caveat. Louise ...

"Heh, yeah Louise is hard to read," Brant said wryly, thinking that whether human or android, the woman could be very difficult to predict. He wondered how Firmia and Hannah reacted. If there was one thing bugging the tar out of Brant lately, though, it was the idea of bad influences on his daughters. Rosa--pre-meltdown, Jessica in the romance department, Abigail in general, sadly Elaine in general, but not the least of whom, Louise.

Chris had taken a moment to request future updates on new acquaintances ... or at least that was one way of putting it, and Brant was glad for it. It wouldn't do much, but at least they would be informed. ... now what was he mulling over before? Ah. "Erm, yeah I was wondering about Hannah's new look. I don't know whether to feel guilty or not ... hard to tell if this was always coming or if it's because of Firmia and me."

"I don't think you need to worry about that too much, Brant," Chris shrugged, yawning. "Hannah's just doing what she feels is best for her... Probably. Maybe also what she feels is best for you and Firmia, but she's learning. I say let her learn. As long as she ends up happy, in a... Fulfilling way, it's fine, isn't it?" As long as no one ended up irreparably hurt by things, they could keep moving through their problems. Firmia was... Likely the cause for most of this, though. Hannah probably wants to be what Firmia needs outside of work... But I don't know if... Hahhh... I can't get a full read on that girl.

"Is something wrong with Hannah?" Lily asked, sliding back a bit and sitting up. "She seemed a bit on edge earlier... But, other than that, I don't think I've seen her upset. Dad?"

Brant smiled in mild embarrassment, having seen Hannah upset on multiple occasions. That was part of the reason he couldn't help but worry a little. A square peg would never fit in a round hole, and it seemed like Hannah was trying to round out her edges just enough to get through. ... now if only Firmia wasn't so deeply anti-social, to begin with ...

From the sound of things, Louise wasn't doing much to ease Hannah's nerves. Brant didn't expect she would, so that was no surprise. As for the gradual makeover ... "She'll be fine ... I'm just ... curious, I guess."

"If you're curious, you should talk to her!" Lily was the first to respond to that, arms folded and nodding like some wise sage. "Isn't that the best way to get worries across? Troubles dealt with? Besides, isn't she your sister? Adoptive, or something...?" Lily understood an android couldn't biologically be his sister, but if she had the Abrams name...

"... Heh. You know what? She's right, Brant. You should go talk to sis... And while you do, I can get these little gremlins all cleaned up and ready for bed!" Despite being tired, Chris pushed herself up and grabbed both the girls, Lily laughing, Aki squeaking. "How does a nice bath sound, girls?"

"Sounds great!"

"S-Sure..." Aki was a bit meek, but she was still smiling at the sudden attention.

"Good... I could go for some relaxing waters too. There you have it, dad!" Chris chuckled out, sticking her tongue out at Brant. "You go ahead~"

"I guess if it's bathtime I'd better find something to do," Brant laughed, "Alright, I'll go check up on her." With that, he eased up off of the bed and headed for the door. "I'll try to be back in time to help tuck you two in."

Once he was out in the hall, Brant brought up Hannah's personal frequency as he made his way to the cafeteria. It was getting late, so the place would likely be empty, or at the very least nice and quiet. "Hey, Hannah, are you busy, right now?"

"Brant? One sec, Firmia." Hannah had been resting with the Alkaev while she read things over, taking a moment to help herself off the bed. "Technically I'm not. What can I do for you?"

No surprise she was with Firmia right now. Brant supposed that wasn't going to change any time soon. The new voice stood out even more now that there weren't any distractions. "Just wanted to chat for a bit. Chris is cleaning up the girls so I'm free, at least."

"Sure... Alone, or do you mind Firmia being there? Either is fine by me." Not like Hannah had any problem talking to Brant. It was a bit of an odd request, so out of nowhere, but maybe something had just popped into his mind, or something had happened today that he wanted to discuss.

"Erm, is Firmia in bed?" Brant squinted in the direction of the captain's quarters as he stepped into the cafeteria. He nearly flinched when he saw Tonya over in the kitchen. She was in the middle of a night raid, apparently, only sparing him a glance and a wave before getting back to pouring herself a drink.

"If she's lying down, maybe let her rest. She's not going to make up the lost time if she stays up, so ..."

"She's reading right now... Might fall asleep if I leave, so, sure. Let her rest. I'll meet you in the cafeteria, then?" Hannah let him go, and it took her less than a minute to show up, also a bit surprised by Tonya being there.

"Tonya? Hungry this late?" Well, it was a pretty normal thing to do... Sometimes... "Alright, Brant. What's up?"

"Can't calm my nerves," Tonya explained, "Hoping the Firmia remedy helps."

Brant stole a glance at Tonya, wondering what was wrong. Sure, he and Chris had a fairly underhanded strategy mostly worked out now, but Tonya's instincts wouldn't have picked up on something like that, would they? Maybe it had nothing to do with them ... they were in the middle of a war, and the Riese had been ambushed nearly everywhere it went. It probably wouldn't hurt to be on guard until they were up and moving again.

"Right," Brant's attention snapped back to Hannah. Taking in her new look with all the other distractions addressed nearly made him tilt his head at her. "Well, I was curious about ... this," he gestured at Hannah in her entirety, not sure what to say. Maybe a joke? ... maybe not.

"You? Nervous? Did a bomb go off in your room, or something? I didn't think anything would make you nervous..." Hannah was pretty surprised by that, even with the constant attacks on the Riese, Tonya seemed to be made of steel at all times. Was she finally cracking...? That was worrisome...

"This? ... Oh. Just, uh... Trying to go as far as I'm comfortable going, to fit what Firmia's interested in. Hard to get perfect results, though... She's not very... Reactive. I suppose. I think it's working a bit better? I just don't know if I should take extra steps yet, or not."

And then it clicked, Hannah snapping her fingers. "Tonya, are you nervous because Rex is going to be here soon?"

Rex? Hannah may have a point there. That whole situation with him using Apotheosis to attack Firmia hadn't been settled yet, and then there was the matter of Vasiliy. All in all, she had good reason to be anxious.

Tonya shrugged, though. "Don't know. Wasn't thinking about it much ... I just feel ... like something's off."

Hopefully not Louise or that whole situation. Not sure what else to add on that front, Brant hopped back over to Hannah and her explanation. "Well, I'm honestly not sure if it was the look by itself. She and I were pretty much stuck training together for months. I could have had dreadlocks and aside from some helmet issues, the results would have been the same. I wish I had advice, but Firmia's spent years trying to keep people at a comfortable distance. She's doing way better at this than I'd expect."

If Tonya didn't know, she didn't... "We're here for you if you need anything, Tonya." Hopefully her social distance wasn't as great as Firmia's. Brant not having any advice wasn't that reassuring, either. "Guess it's back to hammering myself at the wall into I get over it. We've had... Moments. Where she'd opened up, discussed her life, future, what she wants, but... That constant standard of hers hasn't changed. I don't think I want her to change, I just want to know that I'm going the right way..." Hannah sighed, a sheepish smile on her face as she messed with her hair some.

"Do you think I should go further? There are a few physical changes I can make... I'd have to take a trip over to the Riese, but, I can..."

Tonya took a shot of the vodka she'd poured for herself. "Let's give this a chance, first ... should help me relax ..."

Brant couldn't help but notice that Tonya was 'softening' herself up here. It may be time to act, soon ... and goodness, was that going to be a strange maneuver once it was finally time. Brant did have a slight change in mind, though, something Chris would prefer. Rather than straight seduction, perhaps the sort of challenge he had in mind could throw her off her game even more.

For now, there was Hannah's question, which left Brant floundering. How was he supposed to even approach a question like this? All he could start with was, "Well, definitely don't go farther than you're comfortable with ..." ... this situation really was like watching a square peg work itself into shape, and Brant could see why Firmia had been against the idea at the beginning. He didn't know how she was handling it now, but if she were still outspoken against it, Hannah probably would have stopped. She was at least going along with it, so maybe Brant should, too. He just wished things were more natural than this.

"I think..." Hannah started, pausing to think, giving Tonya a curious eye. "I think as long as I don't... Become a 'man', then I'm comfortable enough. I don't mind riding the fence, so to speak... It's just knowing whether or not it's worth going over to the Riese and saying 'hey, Ignatius, remove my tits, yeah?' Like, is that worth it, hahah." It was a funny sentence, saying it out loud, which did help her worries smooth out a bit. "If it makes Firmia more comfortable with... All of this, I think that's as far as I'm willing to go."

Thinking about things with more time and perspective behind him, Brant felt worse about this situation now than he had back then. When Firmia and Hannah decided to try a more intimate relationship, Brant felt he'd inadvertently caused it. He could only hope for the best for them. But now the square peg in a round hole analogy seemed like an even more painful fit. If Firmia was merely anti-social and mildly desensitized, that would have been one thing, but she was also straight. After all of his talk about agape, Brant didn't have any advice left that he could give Hannah in good conscience, and the advice he felt he ought to give wouldn't fly with Firmia anyway ...

"... man, and Chris thinks Jessica's situation is unique ..."

"Yeah... I guess, so." Brant seemed like he was stuck on where to go next. I have to decide this all for myself, huh? Probably. That would probably be for the best, too... "Well... I'll go see them, and take this as far as I'm willing. And if it doesn't work out, I can always go back. Perks of being mechanical... You gonna be okay? You looks like you're kinda struggling over this."

"Me? Erm ..." Brant was definitely having a hard time helping Hannah out with something like this. It was sort of the opposite of the kinds of problems he was used to dealing with ... "It's fine, I just don't want either of you to get hurt ... and you know who Firmia's going to blame if this doesn't work out," Brant noted with a melancholic grin.

Speaking of people getting hurt, Brant wondered if he should mention Rex while he had Hannah right here ...

"I know... She'll blame herself. We had a good talk about this... And I'm ready to not be the right person for her if her, that's fine. I still want to try to be. So... Yeah. I think I will. I'm gonna pay the Riese a visit tomorrow... Just don't be too surprised, okay?" She smiled, hoping Brant would be fine with everything too.

"Hmm," Brant supposed that was two people she'd blame since he'd been thinking of Jessica. Just about anything could loop back in her direction in the Alkaev's mind, but Hannah was right, Firmia would definitely blame herself, especially after this much time and distance. Brant supposed if Hannah was already preparing for both outcomes, he probably didn't need to worry about either of them too much. The situation just felt ... delicate.

"So you're getting more work done tomorrow? ... as long as you're okay with it. By the way, I'm not sure what you could do or if it's even a good idea to get you involved, but once Rex shows up, he's probably going to just grab Vasiliy and fly off after the battle. I'm really hoping we can smooth things over by then."

"Handing over Vasiliy is going to backfire," Tonya warned, "Call me bias, but you know how opportunistic he is."

Brant grit his teeth. "I just want to keep him and Firmia from getting into a shooting war later ..."

"It might backfire, but we can't just deny the man his child. We're no better than the Alkaevs if we do that." Hannah frowned at the thought, she didn't want Firmia doing anything outside of what she should. It might hurt Vasiliy, but if Rex was anything like Brant, he'd at least raise Vasiliy right.

"Yeah, I'll get that figured out tomorrow. I don't mind talking with Rex either, though I don't know how well he'll take having a sibling all of a sudden..." Hopefully not catastrophically.

"He'll hate it," Brant said, not a hint of speculation in his tone, "But if I start acting friendly, he'll know something's up, and Firmia's only going to be as cordial as she needs to be ... that just leaves you and Tonya and ..." he paused, glancing at her as she poured herself another glass, "... I'm not sure she's going to be helpful, either."

"The only reason I'm not going to break his arms and legs is because of Vasiliy," Tonya admitted, prompting a sigh from Brant.

"So basically... It's up to me to play nice. With the guy who tried to have Firmia killed..." She didn't mind talking to him, but being super nice... Maybe. "He's going to try and poke holes in me? Verbally." Hopefully Rex wasn't going to be... Too confrontational.

Brant nodded his apology. "He doesn't mind hurting people to make a point, sometimes ... but I'm still worried about Vasiliy."

"Alright... So I'll just... Have to put on my best face and try not to snap. Sure. I can manage that. As long as I've gotten a good forward notice... So thanks." That was going to be a mess. "I'm not too worried about him. Rex is your brother, right? Hopefully some of what makes you a father managed to hit him too."

Brant couldn't help but wince at that. "Honestly, I think that's part of the problem ... we thought all Rosa's pregnancies were ... well ... terminated. That's when he really changed ..."

[hr]

Brant was uncomfortable enough waiting around in Rosa's office but having Rex there with him made things incredibly tense. This was probably what a TK would feel right before a mad gunman went on a rampage, killing everything in sight. All he could for the moment was watch as his older brother argued with Dima on the large monitor on the wall ...

"Just because he's not a TK?! Are you for real?! Why don't I get a say in this?! I'm old enough to raise him, dammit!"

Dima was as composed as ever. "When the possibility of you two learning details about the pregnancy came up, sex, parentage, and the like, I was against the idea. Karla changed my mind. This is a courtesy, both of you."

Rex turned to Brant and cracked a bitter grin at him before facing Dima again. "Is that why you set us up, you old bastard? Don't wanna be the only one completely whipped around here?"

Brant grimaced. Taunting Dima wasn't going to change his mind ... not now or the next time Rosa was ...

"Karla was considering putting this project on hold and letting Rosa give birth. She always loved working with children ... but perhaps you are right, Rex. I may be giving her too much say here. Putting the project on hold for nine months for one child, one that has no telekinetic potential, would not be worth much. Not right now."

The Abrams brothers both cringed at that.

Dima's smirk was a tired one, something quiet and knowing, like what you'd see after a four and a half hour long poker game's final call was made. They were helpless here. "We'll do things my way, and I'll make it up to Karla some other way. Any children that do not show the same signs of the TK mutation in their genetic code as the two of you during testing will be terminated, starting with your son, Rex."

"You son of a bitch!" Rex swung for the screen on the far wall, wishing he could knock Dima's head off, but his own momentum sent him off to his left and shoulder first into an old metal filing cabinet. Somehow he'd spent the last of his energy on that outburst, and slid painfully down the cabinet onto the office floor.

"Dima, please ..." Brant pleaded, the impending disaster starting to weigh on him more and more, "He's our family ... one of us ... ... Please ..."

"... it's probably too late, Brant. The doctors were ordered to terminate under these conditions while Rosa is still anesthetized. I could make the call ..."

The silence that followed was deafening, the swirling mess of desperate hope and bitter resentment wafting from Rex slowly broke down Brant down. As Brant looked Dima in the eyes, he thought he saw the faintest hint of remorse in the man's eyes. He couldn't tell if his own eyes were playing tricks on him, and the image faded quickly, first, as tears came and obscured his vision, and then ...

"... no, we'll do this another way. Accept your situation and endure until the end." With that, Dima ended the call.

Rex glanced over at the empty screen, and as soon as he did, that desperate hope faded away. He let his head rest against the cold cabinet, and then his own tears fell. "... I'm sorry ... you're innocent, but there's ... nothing I can do, now."

"That's ..." Brant wanted to argue, but he couldn't. There was really nothing they could do ...

"You were the one good thing that could come out of this nightmare, and now that bastard is gonna to take you, too. I can't save you ... but ... but I'll be with you again in hell ... ... bye ... bye for now, kid ...."

[hr]

Rex's tears were always hard to look back on. That was why Brant hardly ever did. At least Hannah had a better idea of where he was coming from. "So, yeah ... no idea how this is going to go, but there's no way he cares about his son any less than I care about my daughters."

"Then... I'm not worried about Vasiliy. If Rex is anything like you, he's going to get more care than he's ever dreamed of. It'll probably be sad to see his sisters go, yeah... I don't know if Rex can make up for that. In fact, I highly doubt he can," she paused, arms folded, thinking. "But... I think there's some to be said about having a parent. Even if it's just one. Tonya... She wants a student, not a son. I don't think it'll be the same." Hannah glanced over at her, wondering how she'd take that. It wouldn't change her opinion, though. Tonya definitely cared about Vasiliy, but it was... Different.

"I can have both," Tonya pouted.

"I don't want to see you and Rex raising a child together," Brant looked away, "Sorry for being selfish."

"I don't think Rex would want to stay here, and Firmia letting you go? She'd die before she let you run off with Rex."

"Well then the plan's simple," Tonya put her arms on her hips, "We put'em in the brig with Carlos. Win win."

She was tipsy, Brant realized ... it was too bad she would probably sober up before he and Chris could get ready. As for jailing Rex ... "That's not ..." It wasn't like he didn't deserve it, but that incident had still happened weeks ago. It didn't feel right to try and lock him up for it, now ... plus it wouldn't do a thing to change his mind about Firmia. It could only get worse from there. Moral issues aside, it was just a downright counterproductive measure.

"... that's not gonna work," Brant sighed.

"He's going to like you even less if you toss him into a cell. There's no way to resolve this with force. You just... Have to use words, and try to ride it out." Hannah sighed. At least she could stop Tonya if something intense happened.

"Urgh ..." Tonya slowly slumped down on the counter, "... need to figure out a way ..."

"I know how you feel," Brant sighed, "Anyway, thanks for agreeing to help, Hannah. Sorry in advance. It might not be all that bad, but other than him being a dedicated father, I can't be sure of anything."

"I don't think there's a way to get him to stay, Tonya... I think you'd have an easier time getting Firmia to let go. I think that says enough..." Hopefully she wouldn't actually go and do that.

"I got a warning in advance, so I should be fine... I hope you and Firmia are fine when I look different tomorrow. Don't be too shocked." Hannah winked and turned towards the door, pausing one moment. "Anything else, before I go?"

Anything else? Brant wondered if there was a way he could get a message to Chris without Tonya knowing. Well ... worst case scenario, Tonya went into this thing a little bit suspicious ... "Mm, no, I think that's all. I'm gonna see if I can't get Tonya sober before she hurts herself." Making sure Tonya couldn't see his face clearly, Brant made one of those urgent 'look at me faces,' even as he casually said his goodbyes.

Carefully, Brant tried to make it look like he was crossing his arms, but his real aim was to make his left ring finger plainly visible for Hannah, wagging the finger beneath his arm to try and remind her of Tonya's ring challenge. The last piece he needed to put in place was the most important one. He silently mouthed the message, 'Tell Chris it's time,' and hoped Hannah was as good at reading lips as she was at other things.

"Mrgh, please don't do this right now," Tonya groaned, almost causing Brant to flinch, "I actually feel good, so I don't want to go back to being sober and worried. It's no wonder Firmia banks on this stuff."

Brant couldn't let his relief show, but oh the relief she hadn't caught his secret messaging ...

"Yeah, good luck. Apply a lot of water." And... Then he got, very serious? What does he...? His ring finger? Tonya... 'Tell Chris it's time?' Oh. Ohhhh... Now? How nasty... But this was a serious advantage. Tonya almost seemed like she'd picked up on it, but, seemingly still oblivious, Hannah simply smiled and turned to leave. "Good luck with your sobriety, Tonya!"

As soon as she was around the corner, she sent Chris a message: 'Brant says it's time. They're in the Cafeteria.'

Chris was about to hop out of the room, but paused in front of the door. If they were in the Cafeteria, Tonya would see her coming out, and then likely be on guard... Damn. "What to do..." She could try to send Brant something, but he was a terrible liar. If she asked him... She replied back to Hannah, instead: 'Let him know I know.' At least if it was Hannah, he could say it was her, and not have to lie around things.

Hannah smiled. It was amusing to see this sort of planning. 'I will.' Her next message went straight to Brant's comm, hopefully telling him enough: 'Chris knows, dunno how you're gonna alert her, but she's ready.'

By the time Hannah's message reached Brant, he was by the kitchen counter with Tonya, moving to put away the alcohol ... had to at least look the part, even if more alcohol might have actually made things easier. Using a refrigerator door for cover, Brant checked his comm. The news was good. Now he just had to give Chris an opening to sneak in here ... this would be downright impossible if Tonya was a TK ... or actually sober ...

Alright ... time for a completely new strategy.


"We're ready, Vivian," Brant's voice came over the comms, "Regalia's heading up to Catapult A, now. How are we going to play this one?"

More or less the same question as the one she'd asked Jessica, Firmia noted. "Focus on their mobile suits. Don't worry about saving ammunition, but remember we're only a few hours away from the base. Keep the damage manageable in that timeframe so we don't have to ground anyone."

"A few more hours ... got it." Brant sighed as he realized getting that stimulant in now was probably a good idea. A shot in the neck before launch was never fun, but he couldn't be fumbling around with the cylinder after takeoff. "Alright, we already got the big challenge out of the way," Brant said to his fiancee and copilot, "This is just one more for us to knock down. Let's get this pricks out of our way so we can end this war."

A Woman's Intuition

7
Spoiler
"Tonya ..." Brant winced, only now realizing that she'd poured herself a third glass as he put the bottle away. She downed the glass before he could stop her, so all he could do was take it from her, empty, and wash it out. "Tonya, you're not a drinker. Cut it out."

Smirking, Tonya said, "You're not my hubby ... yet. You can't tell me what to do~"

"Doubt that would change even if I was," Brant rolled his eyes. Not a bad segue into that very issue, though. "Besides, Tonya. There's no way I can do that. I get that you want to make sure things work out this time, but this is actually wrong ..."

"You were okay with it before ..." she winced, "What changed? Realized you can't win?"

Brant stared at the glass as he dried it with a cloth, wondering what it would be like to throw down with an intoxicated Tonya. She would be disadvantaged on coordination but advantaged in sheer endurance, so it was an interesting question. As for what changed ... "Less than I'd like ... more than you'd think." Brant searched for the clean glass' home while Tonya wandered around the kitchen. "I don't have any doubts about Chris left. I don't think anyone does ... not even you ... so why keep doing this?"

"... does it matter? If you two stop sucking and finally manage to beat me, then everything's fine."

"When you want two people to stay together, you support them, you don't try to break them up," Brant said pointedly, "At least before, you were giving us a reason to work together, something to fight together for ... but things are different, now." Brant's expression became pained as he imagined a scenario where Tonya actually won, somehow. That poor child ... "Tonya ... Chris ... she's pregnant, now. There's no going back from that, and I would never want to."

"Oh ... right ... I guess other girls can get pregnant," Tonya said, half joking, though with a hint of bitterness in her tone. "Well played. I definitely can't match that, not after what Rosa did to me. It honestly ... feels like I'm caught in the middle."

"Caught in the middle?" Brant managed to find another group of glasses and put Tonya's with them before coming closer, "What do you mean?"

"You know ..." Tonya shrugged, "I'm like a hybrid of a human and a machine. I've got the weaknesses of both, and the strengths of neither." One bitter chuckle later, and she added, "I've been trying to decide which way I should go ... whether I should let Monty and Megumi clone me a new uterus I'll probably never get to use ... or just let it all go and focus on fighting. Just ... replace everything inside me that starts to break down until even my skull is just tech. I don't want to be stuck in the middle anymore, either way ..."

As much as it felt like they were getting off topic, Brant didn't want to shift gears, again. This was ... important, incredibly so. He even suspected Tonya's stubbornness with the ring was coming at least partly from this. "You're wrong, Tonya. You're not caught in the middle of anything, you're just comparing yourself to Chris and Hannah too much ..." The pregnancy news definitely wasn't helping Tonya out of this rut.

"Please, just listen," Brant came right up to Tonya, putting his hands on both of her shoulders. He kept her focused directly on him, "You don't have to measure up to either of them or anyone else. You're good enough the way you are, and what's important first and foremost is that you're happy."

"Happy? That's a little ... vague ... and generic."

"Doesn't mean it's a bad thing," Brant countered, "Or that you shouldn't want that."

"I'm ..." Tonya seemed to miserable now for even the alcohol to help ... "I'm pretty sure my happiness was over once Ilya ..."

Brant couldn't blame her for not wanting to finish that sentence ... "That's not true ... and regardless, why keep at this if even I can't help you to be happy? Why take that chance away from Chris?"

Tonya barely managed to smile at him. "Soul crushing guilt, I guess? I couldn't save you from Rosa, and if there was any time to pull something like this, it was with Jessica. I'm sorry ... I just feel so ... helpless, these days."

"That's-"

"And besides," Tonya cut Brant off with a serious look, "I'm not trying to steal you from her. I'm perfectly willing to be an annoying third wheel. I already told you that."

"There was a time when I could have lived with something stupid like that," Brant admitted, "but not anymore. People with low self-esteem shouldn't let others come along and change their relationships, and they sure as hell shouldn't try to latch onto other couples and do the same damn thing to them. Now that I know how it works and why people would do that, I can't stand it. I don't want it in my life or anywhere around my family. I don't want any part of it. It's disgusting, it's cowardly, it's the definition of impatience, and it's wrong ... and you're better than that, anyway."

"Maybe back when Ilya was around," Tonya sighed.

Brant studied Tonya carefully as she avoided eye contact. "... you really can't get over him, can you?"

"... I ... guess not, huh? The harder I try, the worse I feel. Honestly, the worst part in all of this was the thought, 'what if I actually win?' ... every fiber of my being is fighting me on this ... and no, it's not just you. Spend too much time with Sasha or Monty and that same feeling creeps in ... I'm even too scared to ask Firmia to let Carlos out so we can settle things in the simulators ... too scared ... heh."

Brant wasn't sure what to say to that. Tonya's loyalty to Ilya was both admirable ... and extremely unhealthy. This was well beyond anything he could help her with on his own, and on top of that, he was technically in the middle of another 'ring raid,' so his hands were even more tied up than they looked. Though, maybe ... "Tonya, look at your hand."

Assuming Brant meant the hand she kept the ring on, Tonya held her left hand up to about waist height. Her thumb, middle and index fingers were free, but the other two fingers were covered up by the glove.

Brant wasn't sure how things would turn out, but he took a chance and grabbed her wrist, pulling it up to show it to her more closely. Tonya didn't put him on the ground or anything like that ... so far, so good ... "Look at what you're wearing," Brant continued, going after the glove's strap with reckless abandon and peeling it back. Tonya didn't fight back. Then Brant pulled the glove off by the tip of the ring finger, revealing the engagement ring Tonya was wearing. "Just ... look at it. You're too scared to get close to them, but you're forcing Chris and me to fight you for this? You're willing to be a third wheel if she doesn't give up? What do you really want? Ilya? A way to get over him? What is it, Tonya? Help me understand, please!"

"I don't know ..." Tonya began to choke up, "I don't know why my body keeps doing this to me ... n-no ..." Tonya started wiping her eyes, "I know why. I've always known why ..."

"... why?"

"I don't want to say it. I already feel like I'm going crazy."

"Please just tell me. Of all people, you can at least tell me."

Unwilling to keep fighting back her tears, Tonya gave up and finally looked Brant in the eyes, again. "No matter what I try, that feeling never goes away. Dima tricked us, Brant. Ilya's ... he's not dead. He's alive."

Brant didn't know what to say to that, either. Tonya's intuition helped make her a good fighter, and an even better pilot, but this? That seemed ... not impossible, but ... "What makes you think he's alive?"

Tonya put her hands on Brant's shoulders this time and weighed him down, her eyes pleading. "I don't think he's alive, Brant. I know he is. I don't know how I know, but I know. What am I supposed to do? Tell Firmia? Go on some crazy Ilya rescue mission? Where do we even look? ... and what if Dima's using him for something? What if I act on this and he winds up actually dying this time? I can't ..."

Brant was finally starting to understand. Ilya being alive didn't make sense unless someone was hiding him. That meant he had some value to that person or group, be it Dima or someone else. If they found out what was really going on and tried to get Ilya back ... well, there were all sorts of ways that could go wrong. Tonya was rightly worried about it, assuming her intuition was on point ... and it pretty much always was. Brant didn't think Ilya was alive, and yet, he had to believe Tonya. "I don't know what to say," he admitted.

Suddenly, Tonya wrapped her arms around Brant ... she was crying. "I know he's alive ... just like Vasiliy, and Lily, and Aki were alive this whole time ... he's alive, too ... he's out there, somewhere. Just ... just give him back ..."

"Err- ..." Brant could feel himself getting pulled down as Tonya's legs gave out. Slowly but surely, he wound up kneeling, with her sobbing into his chest. "Tonya, we'll figure this out ..." Brant could only wince as Tonya's grip on him grew tighter and more desperate. Her nails dug in hard. He could tell Tonya's mind and body were finally working in concert again. They had the same purpose now. Brant only wished that purpose wasn't so far out there. None of this was going quite the way he'd hoped.

"Give him back, already ... give him back to me ..."

Chris had ended up peeking her head out of the room, to try and see what was going on, maybe get some signal... But... "Uh..." She kept her voice quiet, sliding the door open just enough to slip through and sneak over to the edge of the cafeteria, peeking her face out and giving Brant a very confused look. What exactly was going on with Tonya? This hug seemed... Weird, and she felt like a huge mess. She tried her best to mouth 'now?' at Brant, wondering if this was the time, but...

Brant didn't know if Tonya heard Chris coming, but he sensed her well in advance. He thought long and hard about what to do next as she quietly snuck closer to them. Once she asked for a signal, reluctantly, and with a Ilya in mind, Brant nodded at her. At this point, he had doubts about Tonya fighting back, but even if she did, Chris could still get the ring if she could sneak in and slide it off in one swift motion. Brant started hugging Tonya back, ready to comfort her or take a brief trouncing, depending on how this went.

Alright... Here goes. Luckily wearing socks, Chris tried her best to sneak up on the two... Quiet your breathing, careful motions... Almost upon them, she stopped, gulping, looking down... How to go about this? Grab her? Jump on and hope? Chris nodded her head towards Tonya's arm, the one with the ring slipped onto her hand. Could Brant get it out of the hug? She seemed to be latched on pretty tight...

"Hey ..." Brant tried to get Tonya's attention and keep it. He couldn't reach her arms to loosen her grip, but he could try to calm her down ... "I don't know what Firmia's going to think of this, but ... when the war's over, I promise we'll help you find Ilya."

"... do you really think he's alive?"

Brant smiled helplessly down at Tonya. "Just going to have to trust your intuition on this one. If he's alive, we'll find him." Even before he finished speaking, he could feel the relief coursing through his teacher, and little by little, her grip softened, her nails no longer digging into him, but instead, gently clinging to him.

"... thank you ..."

No time like the present. Tonya's grip let up a bit, Chris swooping in to get her arms up and around the woman's head, full nelson. With her already on the floor, it would be a test of strength to see how long she could hold her before something gave. "Dunno who you're talking about, but I sure hope he's alive after all this too! Brant, you've got like, maybe a minute at best!"

Brant expected Chris to simply grab Tonya's arm and take the ring, but she went for a full nelson instead, leaving the ring lifting duty to him. He definitely hadn't seen that coming. Tonya might have, but even now, she wasn't even struggling much beyond keeping her fists closed.

"... you promise ... right?"

Brant immediately nodded. "I promise." With that, he reached for her left hand. Once he had a hold of it, he tried to pry her fingers open. At first, they wouldn't budge. He was expecting to have to force them open, but it seemed like Tonya's body wasn't far behind her in consent, and her fingers loosened up on their own. Brant was able to take the ring off with a kind of ease, after that. It wasn't entirely easy, seeing her so miserable, but the task itself was almost effortless.

"... mission accomplished," Brant smiled, "New mission ... figure out where the hell Ilya is ..."

"... Well that was... Anti climactic. Glad for my face, at least." Chris cautiously let Tonya go and tried to make some distance, fists up in case she tried something again. She'd gotten used to getting her teeth almost knocked in, so even if that was somehow super easy, that didn't mean she was gonna get lax. "Seriously... What's goin' on? Who's Ilya? And why was this suddenly really easy? I'd say I was disappointed, but I'm really not... Just... Kinda mad you made us go through hell if you were just gonna give it up to words." Chris sighed.

"Heh ..." Tonya wiped her eyes and sat up on the kitchen floor, "If I keep beating the stuffing out of a pregnant girl, I'll really be the bad guy ..."

"No kidding," Brant frowned, "Anyway, Ilya's ... Tonya's fiance. Her last name isn't actually Polzin. That's his. She just took the name, just like Hannah. Well, after this, I guess she really is a Polzin. Anyway, before Rosa came after Rex and me, she was interested in Ilya. Once Rosa sabotaged Tonya during a training exercise, Dima had him killed to put a stop to the feud ... well ... sort of. Tonya's sure he's still alive, so I think we should look for him once the war's over."

"Dima didn't just decide to kill him because of what happened to me," Tonya said gravely, "Ilya found out what Rosa did to me and wanted her prosecuted for it. Dima and Karla weren't having any of it, though. From what I found out, they couldn't convince Ilya to keep quiet about it, so they took care of it the Alkaev way ..."

"... damn," Brant winced.

"Yeah ... you'd be surprised what kind of stuff's in Firmia's archives," Tonya smiled bitterly as she thought back to that awful bit of research.

"I guess... Geez, what a mess." Chris sighed again, Tonya was always so... Feral. No other way to put it in her mind. Of course, there was more to it... Tonya's fiancé, was it? Dealt with in a very, old Alkaev way. Now she was just mad, without anyone to direct it at. "Well ain't that just great. Good something to do after the war's over, at least. Ugh... Are there any lengths Dima won't go to? What a goddamn mess..." There was one way to cheer herself up, at least.

Walking past Tonya, she held her left hand up to Brant, flushing a bit red. "At least this headache is over... Till death do us part, right?"

Brant couldn't help but smile. They only had one witness for this ... and one hell of a witness, but now was as good a time as any, he thought, especially if it would help cheer her up. "Yeah," he said, gently sliding the ring onto her finger, "Til death do us part."

"You know a priest or a captain's supposed to do the ... oh never mind," Tonya sighed.

"W-We're not getting married yet, Tonya. We'll get... I dunno... I guess, Firmia to watch over this later. Right now it's just..." Chris managed a smile, staring down at the little metal on her hand, gently running a finger over it. "It's something to make me happy whenever I need it... I love you, Brant."

"I love you too, Chris," Brant said, pulling her in and embracing her fully.

"... ugh ... I want that ..." Tonya curled up for a moment, "That's it, I'm getting another drink. You can't stop me."

As nice as Brant's hug was, Tonya's drinking wasn't something she could ignore. "Oh no no no! Look, I get it, you're upset, but Firmia needs you to drive this thing! It's super late, I'm not gonna let you drink yourself under the table." Chris threw herself between Tonya and the fridge, hoping the woman would make the smarter choice. "Look, I get it... I do. Trust me, just... We really need you at one hundred percent ass kicking mode."

"Mrgh ..."

"She's right, Tonya," Brant added, "Remember, we can get attacked at any time. I know it's been a while since that was a daily thing, but remember, they could hit us in the middle of the night if they wanted. The Riese is still a sitting duck, so now's probably the worst time to be drinking. I would have stopped you earlier if I wasn't so distracted ..."

"Fine, then I'm going to bed ... sad and kind of sober ..."

"You could go see Vasiliy or the girls before you crash... I hadn't finished putting them to bed completely, so they should still be awake. Might help cheer you up some...?" It was worth a shot. Seeing Tonya to dejected was... Very odd.

"I can't have my student seeing me like this," Tonya whined, "... I guess I could pester the girls and then nod off ... do they know Chris is pregnant?"

Brant could only shrug. Maybe Chris told them, and maybe she didn't yet ...

"Er... Not yet. They've been dealing with a lot, I didn't want the burden of a future sibling on their minds. I'll wait until we're done with the war to let them know. Let it be something to look forward to, instead of something to worry about." She couldn't have them worried sick about mom and their new sibling going off into potentially deadly fights, now.

"Okay, I'll avoid bringing that up, then ..." Tonya started for the cafeteria's entrance, "Happy honeymoon, you two."

"First thing's first," Brant sighed, "Win the war."

"Yeah, yeah... Ah, geez, I'm coming with you. You look like you'll fall over if the wind blows the wrong way." Chris sighed and made pace to reach Tonya, heading out with her. "Come to bed when you're tired, Brant."

"Alright," Brant smiled. Though ... with the ring challenge conquered, Brant didn't know that there was anything else to deal with, tonight. Well ... there was one thing. "I guess I could have a look at the Golden Eyes code again before bed. I might be able to touch it up some."


[hr]

"Carlos, how's the Eidolon? Will you be able to cover the Avalon?" It still felt a little weird having Carlos pilot for her, but with Louise out there, having barely changed from how she used to be, she knew it shouldn't ... at least by comparison. Perhaps it was because she was used to him being locked up and the actual recruitment process hadn't lasted more than a few minutes and only started earlier that very morning ...

CARLOS SANTANA

27
Spoiler
Today was the day they would reach Apotheosis' main base, but Firmia still had one loose end to work out, Carlos. She'd spoken with him before, even showed him the Avalon's memorial wall. It was only right to her since he'd put the majority of the names there, with just a couple of squeezes of an electronic trigger, no less. With recent developments, however, the idea of keeping Carlos locked up when he could be doing more useful things, just didn't sit well with her. In some ways, she even felt sorry for him ... so now it was time to put her new philosophy to the test. She was going to need a drink after this one way or the other.

Firmia didn't know how Louise had found out about Carlos, or why she was interested in tagging along, but the android caught the fledgling captain on her way to the brig. It was too early in the morning for her to struggle, so she decided to focus on the matter at hand, provided Louise didn't complicate things with her teasing. Arriving in front of Carlos' cell, Firmia stiffened up, straightened her posture, and cleared her throat. "This is it, Carlos. We're closing in on Apotheosis' base ... and we're going to win. I'm going to make sure of that. What I need to know is what to do with you, now. As you can see ..." Firmia gestured over at Louise, "Even Apotheosis' strongest fighters are on our side now. I ... think you should be, too, but it's your choice ..."

The Alkaev didn't know if Louise had anything to add, but seeing she was obviously in a mechanical body now, that was likely to come up sooner rather than later, and whether it would help convince Carlos or make him even more reluctant wasn't clear, yet.

So there he was... Carlos Santana, their best sniper, their best spy, all caught up behind bars. Louise couldn't help her chuckling as her hands pressed up against the glass, turning into full blown laughter, finally throwing her head back in a sigh. "Ahhh, Carlos~ I never thought I'd see you so sad... Poor, poor Fatima, hmmm? Getting all caught up in your business..." Hopefully her knowledge of what had transpired would sell him on it actually being her. She didn't want to bother with another round of being called a copy.

"They even managed to defeat Vera, you know? I've got my hands on her lovely purple toy. Your machine didn't quite make it, but what was left of it did~ I'm sure you could pilot it."

Well, it had been a good while since his cell was visited. Any break of the usual pace was welcome at that point... there was only so much that Carlos could do to keep himself busy while locked, and the meals weren't exactly something to look forward to.

"It's been a while..." Carlos stood up from the wall-mounted seat he laid down on, his sense of time was a bit compromised, so sticking with a short greeting felt more comfortable than thinking how mucb of the day had been waster. "I could tell the resemblance to Louise from here, but didn't expect you to have all her memories." Carlos' pokerface was on point, but his attention had remained on the android, it had caught his interest. "Well, I'd say it's good to see you again, but last time you charged ahead and got yourself killed... kind of left us there to die." Carlos forced a smirk. Resentment was clear in his tone, but he did a good job of not making it overt --it had simmered too long to turn explosive at that point--. "If you've taken Vera down, I imagine things are as good as can be for your side... except you'd rather have me out there." A few steps closer, Carlos returned his attention to Firmia. "Am I right in guessing Helena's 'supporters' made a move?" Carlos felt more important to get updated at that point, with no reservations --he'd been isolated for too long.

"If you lot couldn't handle the ANF's best without me, you weren't up for the job in the first place~" Louise smirked and rested a shoulder against the glsss between them and Carlos, shaking her head. "I have her memories because I am Louise. If I need you give you a tutorial on how they got me back once we're done with this war, by all means. Already have to deal with the twerp thinking I'm a copy." Louise leaned a finger over and flicked Firmia's shoulder in mild annoyance, crossing her arms after.

"Yes, the Sacarians have done just that. They fought them off before I flew in, and we're expecting a climactic showdown soon."

"A climatic showdown, huh?" Well, since we are nearing the Chelone..." Carlos turned to Louise and nodded, a quick mental note not to prod the 'copy' tangent again. "I'd actually like to know how you're back. I realize this isn't the usual cloning process... are you a special case, or should I expect others to come back in the same way?" Carlos was holding a good deal of concern inwardly. He did favor letting sleeping dogs lie.

Louise sighed. "I'm Watanabe's pet project. A mix of Earth science and a machine the Sacarian's picked up. I don't have the full details on how it functions, only that the person being toyed with must be dead, and their memories in tact. This robotic shell was likely used because it was the best he had available at the time. I was... A bit of a liar, when it came to properly giving Helena my genetic sample~"

"Hmm? You must be dead, but have your memories intact? I don't quite copy that." He glanced towards Firmia again. While this ultinately was meant to be about a proposal to get out there and fight, Louise's presence brought in some new concerns, ones that Carlos wanted to clear as soon as possible. "I'm surprised Helena didn't chastize you for providing false information... well, maybe not. She always let you get away with quite a bit." Well... thinking about it, it was a bit humorous. "But now you're that scientist's pet project thanks to that."

This was a strange combination of interesting and annoying. After brushing at the spot Louise had finger flicked her, Firmia decided to chime in again. "If you want more details, you can ask Watanabe in person once we grab him. What matters right now is whether you're willing to help us or not. This brig is for those labcoat traitors, not you, it's time to decide whether you want to be a pilot, or a custodian. Gun or mop." Firmia's actual philosophy for enemy personnel was 'join or die,' but Carlos had already outlived the latter option, so Firmia couldn't threaten him in good conscience, and she sure as hell wasn't sending him over to the Riese ... he would survive this war, but ... the details needed sorting, now.

Louise sighed, so to the point... "What she said, I suppose. You can ask Watanabe. I'm no longer his project, anymore... Just here messing with what I find fun and amusing~ So, are you helping, or not?" Back to business, she supposed.

Well, in the end, this was really just a recruitment attempt. Carlos had decided to go off the rails, but Firmia preferred to get on with it. "I suppose I can learn more later..." It wasn't of any particular interest anymore, as it seemed the doctors only planned for Louise to get the treatment. Less to worry about was a good thing, at this point.

"Quite frankly, I think my skills would be wasted on janitor duty." With a suave smile, Carlos toyed with the notion. Knowing Firmia's intent veered on using his services assuaded the prisoner dynamic. "I won't say I'm excited to betray my old folks, but I'll need a new life at this rate... I could do far worse than go Russian."

Interesting ... and kind of odd how 'normal' this suddenly felt. Firmia felt Louise had been a bit too eager to join her team and Vera too stuck on atoning for her crimes, but Carlos seemed to be in an unassuming middle ground. Firmia wouldn't call it refreshing, but it was definitely interesting. "I wouldn't call it a betrayal with the Sacarians involved, but that's fine. Apotheosis is a lost cause. At least with Artorias, you'll be able to do some actual good in the world, not just murdering people."

"But also murdering people," Louise corrected, giggling. "Just the right people. That way we dont have to feel guilty about taking lives~"

Louise's wording was always a pain, but she was at least technically correct. Firmia liked to distinguish between murder and 'killing' in self-defense, but honestly, where the Luna was concerned, the idea of self-defense was just laughable. Same with a sniper like Carlos. Firmia sighed. "Basically ..." She then stepped over and unlocked Carlos' cell.

That's Louise alright. "Well, I knew we had outsider influence, not that I could do much about it, so I'll try to look at putting down the Sacarians as a last favor instead of a betrayal." Freedom, that was a nice feeling. Carlos couldn't hide some relief as he walked through the door, casting a glance at Louise again, then back at Firmia. It was a passing thought, that perhaps this was a play, and he'd be jumped on and executed as he walked out. Not the most logical suspicion, but as someone stuck in a brig for a long while, at the mercy of someone whose allies he unceremoniously shot down, Carlos found himself thinking of Firmia's as too hopeful.

"Hmm." It was tiresome to switch gears after this long... Carlos gently pressed a finger against his temple as light distraction from the discomforting thought at the back of his mind. "Should I suppose you've got something ready for me to pilot?"

Louise grew a devilish grin and threw herself onto Carlos' back, giving him a hug and cackling somewhat. "Of course we have something for you to pilot~ Sasha's been working on an impressive machine with what was left of yours. I'm sure you'll love it~"

"Right ..." Firmia added, "The Eidolon was built from your Rhea. I can't say it's stronger in every category, but Sasha designed it to be customizable. We can have it outfitted with all of your old weapons, and it also has an integrated beam cannon below the cockpit to help at close range. You should be fine, though I'd run some tests with it ..." There wouldn't be any time to get comfortable with it against the Sacarians ...


At least that recruitment had gone smoothly, and could actually be called a recruitment. If Firmia could deal with every problem individual that way, her life would be much easier. After this war, though, the only people she'd have left to deal with were enemy stragglers, Rex, her mother, grandfather, and alien colluding cousin and sister. She didn't even want to 'recruit' any of these people per se, but they weren't actors she could just ignore, either, especially not the latter two. Whatever was happening in Russia was going to affect her and her people sooner or later ...

LOYALTY (CHAPTER I)

26
Spoiler
"I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon, Gabriel." Dima eyed his grandson curiously from behind his desk. He was completely unaware of the two Sacarians listening in from offscreen. "Did you need something?"

Gabriel nodded at Dima, his poise noticeably more diplomatic than usual ... or perhaps more regal. Without his flight suit or helmet on, the man they now called king was much better known to Haal'Sen and Raay'Xel. Tall, fit, fair skinned, with dark hair much like his second in command, Gabriel could at least fill the role of a prince, if not a king. There was some contrast between him and the room. Since it was just another room on the transport plane, it wasn't all that big. Only two people could share it comfortably, and only about six people could occupy the space at one time without it getting stuffy, but with just a couch, desk, bed, mini fridge, restroom, closet, short table, and a large monitor on the wall across from the couch ... it was serviceable.

"For the next ... seven days, give or take, I need your trust, Grandfather." Even though Dima's visible curiosity was a fresh sight for him, Gabriel continued. "I'm going to be working on an important project and I'd like to use one of the company's facilities. Information leaks are not acceptable. I require complete and total control of the facility for the duration of our stay. All systems, all communications, all staff members."

"You won't share the details with me, even ... interesting."

"I ..." Gabriel paused, and smiled teasingly, "... could be persuaded to pass the information along to you over a secure network sometime after my work is finished. I absolutely cannot risk a leak before then, however. You understand."

"Tell me one thing, Gabriel," Dima clasped his hands and leaned toward the monitor, "Is this a personal project ... or does this involve Firmia?"

"Both, naturally."

"Mm ... very well. I'll make the arrangements."

Excellent, Gabriel thought. If Dima was willing to play along, then he and his team wouldn't have to take over the facility by force. That was the last thing he wanted to do, but that most heavyhanded of options was still on the table.

"Contact me again once you're in the area, Gabriel--oh ... and ... one more thing."

"Hmm?"

Dima's eyes narrowed gravely, almost as if he was considering something important. "There may be another opportunity for you to gather strength, soon."

"Another generous handout, Grandfather?" Gabriel joked. Given the old man's tone, he suspected something Dima hadn't actually planned on for a change.

"It's Rosa. The situation here at our secondary facility is becoming unstable. Now that everyone knows the fate of the company, many of them are looking for a way out of serving the new regime."

"So let them go," Gabriel scowled at the implication. Dima clearly wasn't going to let his people run off and do whatever they wanted, not when a third of them could band together and drag the Alkaev name through the muck. These weren't even people anymore. They were slaves. And that meant ...

"Rosa ... actually confessed, Gabriel ... to everyone at the base who would listen."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. That made very little sense to him. What he'd learned of his aunt from Dima was quite sickening, and the idea of her suddenly confessing to all of that without a reason was ... not quite believable. Was she convinced to do it, somehow? Coerced, maybe?

"Remember what I told you, Gabriel. Everything I told you, she told them."

'Everything'? Gabriel's eyes widened with understanding. Rosa wasn't just incriminating herself, but Dima and Karla, as well. She was essentially sinking the entire ship, or at least drilling some fairly big holes in it. Still odd, but if it was a passionate grasp at absolution, then Gabriel could understand. "I could guess what this has to do with me, but I'd rather you just come out and tell me what you expect, Grandfather."

"Many of the staff are flocking to her ... much to my surprise. I can say with absolute certainty that she has the loyalty of at least two dozen pilots and three times as many workers. I don't know how long they will wait until they make their move, but they will sabotage Kalten and make off with everything they can carry. If you want to catch up to Firmia ... you may want to consider taking them under your wing. Otherwise, they may just find their way to her, instead."

That was ... close enough to what Gabriel had suspected, though the potential pitfalls warranted a closer look. Gabriel had been given some psyche profiles to study, so he was familiar with Rosa, Stan, Juliya, and Firmia, at least as far as their natural tendencies were concerned. Based on what he knew about Rosa, she wouldn't put in this kind of effort to escape Dima, only to have to submit to her own nephew. Her pride was too great to ever submit to a young and whimsical man like him. Even if she was in the sort of mental turmoil that could draw a full confession out of her, she would fight, and the pilots with her, if he confronted her in person.

The diplomatic route was an option. He could speak to her the way he was speaking to Dima now, via network, though there were problems with this approach as well. Contacting Rosa while she was still under constant surveillance by Dima would convince her that she was being led into a trap of Dima's design ... and hats off to Rosa, that would be exactly what this was. Dima's gambit would be a success so long as Rosa wound up as a pawn of either Gabriel or Firmia.

It was all Gabriel could do not to show any emotion at the thought of his aunt being used like this. "I'll think about it. Please contact me the moment the situation changes. I'm sure I'll have reached a decision by then."

"Very well. Goodbye for now, Gabriel."

Gabriel sighed as the large monitor on the wall turned off. He wasn't in such a good mood anymore, even with the intriguing company. "My apologies. Dima can be difficult to deal with at times. It's like staring into an abyss where a man ought to be ..."

What a... Charming, little room. Haal'Sen was finally able to see her new King's face, an almost unassuming man. Still not awful to look at, she had begun to grow used to seeing these humans and their oddly naked skin. Having to remain silent, though... While Gabriel grew ever more upset, talking to this, Dima... It was hard to do. Still, he had ordered them silent, something about, keeping secrets to not bring about trouble until he was prepared. She could understand it to a point, but still, it was hard. Was Raay'Xel feeling the same way? She'd always been a bit difficult to read, and prodding into her mind right now wouldn't make things better.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Haal'Sen began, moving forward to gently hug Gabriel, and pat the back of his head. "There there. You have us to help with all of your difficulties." Letting him go to stand back at attention with Raay'Xel, she did tilt her head just a bit. "Are you sure it was not best to have us speak with Dima? I do not quite understand the issues going on with your life, currently, and it would not do to invade your mind without permission... But, if reassurance that you are accomplishing things would make life easier... Surely defeating two of the invaders destroying this half of the world would show this Dima you mean what you say."

"I do not like that human... he seemed closer to a snake than a monkey." Raay'Xel muttered under her breath once the call with this Dima person had ended. Gabriel had ordered them to observe silently, which had been annoying, but not overtly unmanageable. Speaking wouldn't have accomplished much anyway... that sort was best left alone until their throats came into grasping distance. Either way, there was no compatibility between such a man and an honourable warrior.

"To seek to so brazenly use our Liege for his own ends... It pains me to play into his game at all, but if this is the course of action you believe best, Sire. I only hope you will allow me the honour of removing such a foul presence from your sight, when his use is at an end."

It was hard for Gabriel to stay down about his grandfather with Haal'Sen patting the back of his head. He felt like a young prince now rather than a king. That wasn't exactly a bad thing. It was certainly amusing. "Thank you both. Really."

Gabriel waited until Haal'Sen released him and chuckled lightly before he continued. "I'm not fond of Dima or his misguided goals, however, for the time being, I plan on cooperating with him. It will be limited ... but eventually, we'll become enemies. A man like him won't leave well enough alone, and that will be his downfall. So ... by all means, Raay'Xel, when we find ourselves faced with his minions, remove the serpent's head." Gabriel clearly wasn't 100% onboard with the idea of killing one of his own kin, but as a former soldier, he had the stomach and the discipline for it.

"Right ... the facility I asked him about. That's where we're heading after we gather the rest of our people. My prototype mobile suit was built there, and it's where we'll be repairing your mobile suits, as well. I need complete control of the facility to prevent any information leaks ... and after that, things are going to get interesting for all of us."

Haal'Sen smiled again, feeling a lot more calm with simply him and Raay'Xel around. "You are welcome, my Liege. We shall do our best to remove this man, once he has run out of use." He seemed quite despicable, it would do to remove such a creature from Gabriel's path. Arms folded, Haal'Sen listened intently to their future plans past that.

"If you're certain that this facility will contain the means to repair our Praxis models, then we should make haste. You seem to only have three suits and a group of planes to assist you currently. Changing that number to five, and whatever else you can produce for yourself, will surely make you a force worth taking seriously." A plan of action was good, Haal'Sen didn't like remaining idle for long. "Do you have simulation machines on board this transport? I would like to engage myself in, at the least, digital combat, whilst we are traveling."

"Good. It would be best to allow such a man as few avenues of contact as possible. Keeping our cooperation as limited as possible is for the best. When the time comes, we will rid you of him." Raay'Xel affirmed, nodding along as Haal'sen continued. Gabriel speaking about the facility they had procured access to gave Raay'Xel an idea, however...

"My Liege... if this facility is where your suit was originally manufactured, then it stands to reason that it would have the means to produce additional machines of that type, would it not?"

They were both ready and willing to put Dima Alkaev in the ground when the time came, and so that just left their individual questions. Oddly enough, Gabriel found Haal'Sen's question about simulation training, and Raay'Xel's question about producing additional machines, very closely related.

"I'm afraid the Archangel is the only machine with us right now that can support simulations, though you're free to use it ... that said," Gabriel crossed his arms in thought, "We should make the most of our time until we reach Siberia, and I do have something in mind for you both. After we reach our destination and lock down the area, we'll start production on more AMS units using the data we've gathered," he nodded at Raay'Xel. "After the debriefing is finished ..." Gabriel smiled widely at the two Sacarians, "I'd like either or both of you to share whatever you can about Sacarian martial arts and combat training."

"If you would permit me to use it... And, martial training?" Haal'Sen glanced at her ally, nodding. "You would ask Raay'Xel for that information, then. She is both stronger and more adept than I in terms of combat and piloting. I am more in tune with the ESP side of our prowess, so if you have any questions regarding that, please inquire with me." If there was nothing for her to do, then, she would accompany Gabriel and find out what she could about the crew.

"The function of your Archangel is interesting, My Liege. If you could create one of these... AMS units, using the Praxis Gamma as a core, I believe that we could greatly improve our combat capability. In particular, a reliance on beam weaponry makes Gamma units particularly ineffective against other Sacarian machines, as all are equipped with potent I-fields." Raay'Xel noted, voicing her thoughts on the matter of repairing and manufacturing new suits at this facility. As Gabriel continued on to martial arts and training, her face twisted into a smile.

"Haha! I would be more than happy to demonstrate, My Liege. Although Haal'Sen, I will require your assistance in that regard... I cannot say I trust what I have seen so far of this crew to withstand a demonstration."

"I wouldn't mind, of course... But..." a smirk crept onto her lips at the thought, chuckling quietly. "That could be quite the test, no? As long as we promise not to use our ESP, seeing how adept Gabriel's men are could be a good test of the crew, and a strong showcasing of our abilities. What do you say?"

"I am not against the idea, of course, so long as our Liege is in agreement. If he is confident in the perseverance of his men, I admit I am curious as to the martial abilities of humans." Raay'Xel nodded affirmingly, looking towards Gabriel for confirmation for or against.

Gabriel made a mental note of the two Sacarians' specialties while they discussed some of the details. From the sound of things, Raay'Xel's demonstration required someone who wouldn't break easily. They wanted to see what the crew was made of, and Gabriel saw that going just ... swell. Some would undoubtedly love the chance to fight, even if the chances of defeat were exceedingly high. Others, chief among them being Ziva, would see it as a pointless exercise and a safety risk.

The issue of improving their combat capabilities by combining the Praxes and the AMS units sounded promising, especially after today's skirmish. It was also important to incorporate a greater variety of weapons going forward. The Sacarians were too adept at countering beam weaponry for it to be a viable option much of the time. If Dima's people working together with Gabriel's could get the technology working in tandem, then it should be possible.

"There would be technical details for the engineers and mechanics to work through, but I don't see why using a Praxis' as the core of an AMS unit would be impossible. As for demonstrations ... I take it demonstrating on me is out of the question?" Gabriel smiled apologetically. Ziva would just 'love' that one ...

"Against... You?" Haal'Sen suddenly felt torn, how to approach this. "Uh." Could they do such a thing? She really didn't know. "I... I suppose, if you were to order us to, we would listen, but..." An awkward hand met her chin, so very puzzled by this. "Gabriel, we recognize your strength in live combat, as a pilot, and there is no question that you did defeat us, but in hand to hand, I worry you may become seriously injured. Even if we do not use our ESP to our advantage in subduing you, we are simply unable to turn it off, and any moves would be foretold. Combine that with our superior physical forms, and defeating our King like that, would... It would at least, put a bad taste in my mouth. What do you think, Raay'Xel?"

"If you believe it feasible, then I see no issue. The combination of the Gamma's advanced ESP framework and the AMS unit's versatility should prove a formidable match." Raay'Xel began, though Gabriel's continuation was rather... peculiar. Haal'Sen was visibly conflicted by his request to be a part of the demonstration, though Raay'Xel less so.

"If that is your wish, my Liege. But be warned, if you wish for me to showcase my abilities, my pride as a warrior will not allow me to hold anything back, even against you. I would not make an attempt on your life, but I admit I am not overly familiar with how durable the human body is. Thus I cannot recommend using yourself for such a role... however, I also cannot help but respect your initiative." The Sacarian replied, crossing her arms and looking Gabriel over.

Haal'Sen was dubious about the prospect, but Raay'Xel was all for it. That seemed only natural since the latter was the more martially inclined of the two, even going so far as to warn Gabriel that she wouldn't be holding anything back against him. That was fair, and not terribly concerning at the moment. Gabriel couldn't even recall how many times he'd been carried or dragged into a medical tent or the like at the tail end of a training session. More importantly ...

"Well, I have my reasons," Gabriel noted, thinking of his prior training, "and it's something to do while we make our way to Siberia."

"If... If that is what you wish, then I shall observe, while you spar with Raay'Xel. Please take care to not get yourself too injured. If you have other crew that with to participate with me, then by all means, as I doubt you would appreciate me inside your machine alone. Trust seems to not come easily to your race."

"Then I shall oblige you, My Liege. I can only hope you are as adept on foot as you are in a mobile suit... I would love to be further proven wrong about humans." Raay'Xel replied with a nod. What an interesting human... if she had to be defeated, Raay'Xel could not think of a better candidate.

Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle at Haal'Sen's suggestion of having someone accompany her into the Archangel for security purposes. The thought was appreciated, but unless it was Ziva--and not for security purposes--Gabriel didn't see much point in having the Sacarians supervised by anyone other than himself. "Perhaps I'm simply gullible, but I'm going to choose to believe you wholeheartedly when you call me your liege. Your king. You don't need any escorts once the debriefing is finished. I'm only trying to keep the 'culture clash' to a minimum."

"And yes, we'll begin shortly after the debriefing. First I'd like to see about finding you two some spare clothes for when you need them." Given their heights, the search could prove interesting.

Haal'Sen lit up with a smile, were the room not so small, she would have taken a knee. "You honor me with your words. Truly I am not deserving of such praise... Thank you, Gabriel." If this human was to trust them, Haal'Sen would do everything to prove her words.

"Clothes? We are fully clothed beneath our pilot suits. Not that I know what Raay'Xel is wearing, but I have my uniform in underneath this. Would you like to inspect? I have nothinf to hide."

"Our Liege did say spares, Haal'Sen. Something to wear while our uniforms are being cleaned. As for the issue of trust, I am glad that you are not so distrustful as the other humans. We shall prove in time that such things are worries you need not have when dealing with Sacarians." Raay'Xel noted, a confident smile on her face. There was no doubt in her mind, why would there be?

"Excellent," Gabriel smiled at them both, "They should be finished bringing in all the machines by now. Let's get those introductions started."