Fragged Jason

Fragged Jason

	“Take off my rig? Hah, no. The thought never even crossed my mind. Sure I helped Seydlitz and Dorsie with there’s but that’s because it’s my job. That and I’d never let my friends go under without me there.”

	“Why not? Do you know how old I am? No? I’ll clue you in, counting years in this form I’m almost seventy. Fifty one years in active service with the good old USN, twelve in mothballs and eh… however many years its been since we arrived. I always forget that one. Anyway, point is I’m old. Don’t look at me like that, yeah I know I look like I stepped out of a teenager’s imagination but I’ve lived longer than many humans ever get the chance to, not even counting this second life bullshit.”

	“Change of pace? Fuck that, I like my job. I’m literally made to fix things and help other people out. Sure it comes with the occasional bit of terror, having to murder beasts out for my blood and you do lose some people but goddamn is it rewarding to save the ones you can.”

	“Anyway where were we? Right, where were we. I was… fuck I think I’d moved on to Europe by then, mainland US was doing alright and they didn’t have enough things for me to keep busy. What? Sure there was plenty of rebuilding to do but it’s not the kind I’m suited for. I’m full of machine shops, refurbishing houses is small time. I prefer to deal with the actually fucked up shit. Destroyed infrastructure, harbors that need cleared out again and mass rubble clearing.”

	“So there I was, working on a desalination plant in… Spain? I think it was Spain. I was flying all over the world for a couple months there. Anyway, working on getting this desal plant running again and I hear explosions coming from the nearby town. I don’t have any clue why they didn’t come after the plant at the same time, probably thought they could deal with it at their leisure. Boy were they wrong.”

	“I was already rigged up so it didn’t take but a second for me to holler at everyone to take cover and then hop in the water for a quick speed to the docks. They hadn’t made it there yet but I could hear them coming. Lots of screaming, not as much as there would have been if we hadn’t had the abyssals for years. First one came around a corner I was walking towards and my first thought was “Damn not again.” What? Yeah I know they’re different but they look similar enough I thought the Abyssals had gone bad again.”

	“Anyway, that one just ran at me like I was a human, it wasn’t too bright. I clubbed it with my wrench, it went squish. Not nearly as tough as a battleship. The next few went the same way, I only pulled out my guns when they started to appear in numbers. It got hairy there for a while, seeing as how I was the only one their who could do much but I managed to pull it out. Let me tell you, shooting naval cannons at close range on the ground for the first time is dangerous for everyone involved.”

	“Eventually the ones that were left ran away, I found a bed to crash in and fix myself up. Nice thing about full up machine shops is they can fix themselves and then everything else even if you’ve got holes in you. After that, I went back and finished with the desalination plant. Hmm? Of course I helped finish it, that’s what I was there to do. Fighting is a side job for me.”

	“That’s what I do now? Ha, let me set you straight there. Sure I fight and I’m pretty damn good at it. That’s not what I’m here for. Seydlitz… well lets just say Seydlitz and I have an arrangement. There’s something going on in the darkness again, something aimed at the shipgirls and most of our allies. I go around, do my thing and Seydlitz feeds me info and requests. I do what I can, we both get paid one way or the other.”

	“Screw me over? No, HK tried to screw me over, that didn’t work out so hot for them. Seydlitz both knows better than to try and wouldn’t in the first place. How am I sure? We’re fucking war buddies moron, don’t listen to all the propaganda they spew about her companies. She’ll play you straight as long as you play straight with her and we’ve never done anything but. Play both sides? Haha, no. I still do contractor work for HK because they pay me lots of money. How much? Look I can’t name specifics but it’s a lot, trust me. I charge them double just as a general fuck you. How do I get away with it? There’s all of… like six repair girls in the world I think. Including Sukhi and some old Russian biddy who nobody can nail down for long periods of time. I’m the best at what I do and even if I dislike some people in HK there’s plenty in there who know I’m well worth the price. Seydlitz understands why I do it and isn’t bothered by it, the world we’re playing in is too grey for black and white one side only.”

	“Force me? No, not with what we do. Bleeding edge research is best done by the willing and there’s still so much we don’t know about shipgirls, magic, abyssals and all that bullshit. I could think of a dozen ways to fuck something up innocently and never get caught off the top of my head for most of the things I do.”

	“Retire? Yeah, maybe someday. I want to settle down eventually, there’s still too much shit to do. What’s my type? Are you asking for yourself or a friend? Hahaha, calm down hon, just teasing. I don’t really have a type. At least if I do it’s so utterly specific I haven’t found it yet. I’ll keep looking.”

	“Finally done? Thank god. Hmm? Do I want to go get a drink? Sure, why not, you’re cute. Just keep your hands in approved places unless I say otherswise~”