Marlene took a break from testing APERS on some trees as they buzzed-by... leaving it looking as though she just swiped a gigantic magic-eraser across the edge of the treeline; a smile swept across her face as she thought about how to mount such a devastating close-in weapon-system, even though it wasn't much good against armor, it could undoubtedly trigger every ERA-plate on a mech in the blink of an eye...

While changing ammunition-drums, she noticed something new... It was Sarah, moping in a corner. It was then the harsh reality of her earlier reply, and the fact that she was insisting on communicating over a PADD rather than sending pulses like she used to... something was [i]very[/i] wrong.

Setting everything down and wiping the grease from her hands as best she could as she picked-up a waiting beer and sat-down beside Sarah; being quiet and just letting her know she was there at first.

[color=ed145b]"You said it's my fault you're sad, but you never really told me [i]why[/i]. Did something happen back at the briefing?"[/color] She asked, placing a hand on her knee and offering her a swig of beer from her bottle.