Marlene was relieved to know that Sarah was only joking about being sad, but something was still a little... [i]off[/i].

"They've got the stronger stuff reserved for clearing the oxides off of electrical components." Marlene retorted with a laugh and a smile at Sarah's disappointment in her taste in beer, even though in truth the Kamdeshi-mercenary was still working on the ability to properly handle more than the tiniest amounts of alcohol.

She was just about to offer to let her blow something up when Sarah explained that not everything about being the team-mascot was all sunshine and rainbows, that she'd been re-living [i]every injury[/i] she's ever had in her life [i]every night[/i]...

As Sarah curled-up into the fetal-position, Marlene just hugged her. [color=ed145b]"Yes, I think I do know what you mean. [sub]But that doesn't make you a freak.[/sub]"[/color] She whispered, before letting-go and giving back her personal-space. It was difficult to read Sarah's expression when she was like this, but she figured an explanation on how she could even possibly understand what Sarah was thinking right now was in order.

[color=ed145b]"The Kamdeshi region used to be a part of the Perizian Union, a [i]very strong ally[/i] of the Osbanians. [i]Remember[/i]?"[/color] She started her story with a question, hoping that some of that propaganda floating in her head would shift focus to allies of the union and stop brow-beating her to self-terminate.

[color=ed145b]"It wasn't my choice for the region to declare itself in need of self-sovereignty, that was from before my time. Nevertheless, the choice was made, and the [i]newly elected[/i] Perizian government officials in the Kamdeshi-region saw the need to rightfully protect their hard-earned autonomy."[/color] Marlene had to work hard to remember not to think of her first leaders as a ragtag bunch of inexperienced rebels, but such as they were.

[color=ed145b]"Our volunteer military was pretty thinly equipped back then, sort of like how the Panthers have been this past year. We maybe had one or two working FRAMES per platoon, even in our best equipped units; others had none at all. But we were all highly motivated. We knew it was just a test, a test to prove that this new system of Perizian government was better than the older, more obsolescent one; despite its shortcomings."[/color]

She sighed and took a long drink from her bottle, remembering all the hard-fought battles; the costs of battle made every victory bittersweet.

[color=ed145b]"When the war ended in a truce, the leaders decided to consolidate their assets, to simplify training and make room for units equipped with more modern replacements. Our unit was re-slated to become an infantry-unit of FRAME-hunters... more cost-effective, they said... Problem is I'm a FRAME-pilot; neither a gun-jockey nor a desk-runner, so I was dismissed. [i]Out of a job.[/i]"[/color]

She set down the empty bottle, not quite sure where it all went, but not really too concerned about it as leaned forwards and her arms hugged her knees.

[color=ed145b]"So I bought a FRAME slated for decommissioning, [i]old "Lt. D. YASSIR"[/i], and went on the market to become a mercenary at a little bar in Sardonia, in a city called Hamarr. Where I met [i]you[/i]."[/color]

[color=ed145b]"I seem to remember seeing some video footage of [i]old "B."[/i] ripping an arm off an enemy frame and beating its pilot to death with it before taking a shot straight into its radio. From there, despite being [i]functionally-deaf[/i],"[/color] She paused for emphasis, [color=ed145b]"continued to assist in the operation [i]even after[/i] getting a leg blown-off by getting out and assisting on-foot."[/color]

[i][color=ed145b]"I joined the Panthers, because units are judged by how well each member trusts their team-mates. And I trust [u]you[/u] not to give-up on your friends."[/color][/i]

At the end of her story, Marlene looked down, then back up, seeing the crate of ammunition and the gun mount...

[color=ed145b]"[i]Sooooo[/i], wanna blow stuff up? Got this one gun rigged to shoot twelve-hundred projectiles [i]per second[/i], [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zx_9_RgMPCE#t=76]totally shreds the soft parts of the landscape[/url]."[/color]