[color=00a651]"Yeah. Sure."[/color] Maki's voice was curt and gruff. She was exhausted. Adrenaline had kept her going, but now that the battle was done and the bullets were done flying, her body was demanding some respite. Gerard and Yuu probably had Ari taken care of. Trapp made some insinuations about working together and overcoming things. She'd caught Astelion's smug smile but the fact that the man had gone probably meant the old fart had done something about it. Now, Alice wanted to talk, tailed by a crowd of her engineers, no doubt eager to get her data.

[color=00a651]"Buzz off, geeks. The repairs are going to take time and you didn't have to bleed today. Come back later."[/color] There were two women on the Lincoln the crew were terrified of annoying. One was Alexis, and the other was glaring at the lab coats. Her comment about them staying safe and away from the fighting seemed a little underhanded, sure, but R&D seemed to keep forgetting that they didn't have a monopoly on Alice's presence. Maki sure as hell didn't have time to deal with their bullshit. Even the most stubborn scientist on board wouldn't pick a fight with someone who just came off the front lines. Especially not someone who went planet-side without a spare booster and returned alive after enemy capture.

The Hellcat's crew were busy repairing her machine already, and the pilot knew Johnson liked having everything within reach. The maintainence crew wouldn't be using their stores for a while. Maki led Alice into the room and locked the door behind them, giving her eyes to adjust to the much more brightly lit space. The pilot made herself comfortable on a supply crate and crossed her arms, facing the robot and looking her in the eye. [color=00a651]"Alice, you might be an AI but we view you as a member of the 7th like any other human pilot. That means you follow rules of engagement. I don't care if the UEE just sees you as a weapon or a tool. As long as you're controlling the Eagle, you'll act like a pilot of the 7th."[/color]

The Japanese woman took a breath. She wasn't Alice's superior, or in any position of authority. She would have to make a better case than this. [color=00a651]"Look, the Coalition are our enemy, Alice, but they're still human. They deserve some modicum of dignity and respect. We owe even our enemies that much. Every act of brutality we inflict on them will incite a similar reaction against our guys. If they can barely recognize the bodies of their own comrades, somewhere down the road they'll decide to return the favour. We already got pulled out of hyperspace today. Imagine if they decided to use something more dangerous than a harpoon."[/color]

She owed Alice that much. Bare honesty. [color=00a651]"That's before the fact that you abandoned Trapp and I to capture. I understand the UEE doesn't want you ending up in enemy hands, but I need to know the next time my back's up against the wall that you're not just going to leave me to fend for myself. You're my wingman, Alice. That means I need to be able to count on you in battle. I can't be constantly worrying if the lab geeks coded you to leave me behind when shit hits the fan. I can't be worrying about how the fuck I'm going to hold back a robot from ripping someone limb from limb. I don't have the strength nor do I have the luxury of distracting myself with those thoughts in combat, Alice. If you're going to be my wingman, I need to be able to trust you."[/color]

God damn, she was thirsty. Maki reached around the supply crates to find the six pack of Pepsi the crew held for her. She opened one and took a sip. She needed something sweet to counter the bitter tone of the conversation, that was certain. [color=00a651]"And if I can't trust you, I can't have you as my wingman."[/color]