[center][h1][color=teal]A G A T H A[/color][/h1][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/51fc61ac770a524e9468f174afa94d7f/tumblr_inline_n1xc79Kcic1rb3m8r.png[/img][/center]

[b][center]NC Pilot Barracks, New Anchorage CC

[color=gray][[ Around 0200 Hours ]][/color] [/center][/b]


The drastic shift from exhaustive slumber to sudden awareness brought a groan of irritation out of the eldest pilot in the barracks. They were all very much aware that her endurance was lacking when compared to the other pilots, a condition reflected in her NC’s preference for Hit-and-Run tactics as well, so Agatha was understandably irked to be awoken with half the recommended amount of sleep she enjoyed. It was only when her mind registered the noises that clawed at her nostalgic memories of combat did her eyes snap open and the adrenal glands got to work. There was a muffled thud beside her, and upon a slow turning of the head the aged pilot found it wasn’t the result of an executioner but Stein descending to the floor with her usual efficiency of movement. If they didn’t share bunks then she’d likely not heard a thing from New Anchorage's ace pilot.


[color=teal]”I’m up. You got an assessment of what’s going on? Cause I don’t think Graham’s the type for this kind of drill.”[/color] Agatha said, rolling off her bunk to come to a crouch on the opposite side of Stein. A rueful smile crossed her face as another pilot asked the same question with far less eloquence and a dangerously high volume for their current situation. There wasn’t anything wrong with a fight outside of their NCs, that was something that the commander had trained them for fairly well in preparation for that Ultimatum of his, but they were all at a horrendous disadvantage if the attackers were inside the base and not a single alarm was blaring in response. 


[color=teal]”Never mind then. I’m sure everyone else will ask that. Better question is, where the hell is the nearest armory?”[/color]

Stein looked over to her as the “Little Dragon” checked the integrity of her power cells in her laser pistol. [color=0076a3]“There is an emergency armory down the corridor, one hundred feet northward down the corridor.”[/color]


Taking some care not to be too noisy, for all the good that would do once people started waking up, the elder pilot crept to her own strongbox and rummaged inside. Past the spare clothes, basic hygiene products, and a crude doll made of pitted scrap metal, there was her trusted sidearm. A scaled down variant of the Tenormin she had inside the Charon’s right arm made by a Denver-Vegas engineer who was likely enthralled with the old Wild West that the company occupied, it was a sturdy laser revolver that sacrificed firing capacity and recharge time for stopping power and reliability. Agatha favored this not just for its accuracy but for how effective she found it to be in repelling the occasional raider that thought to try and board the Charon without an invitation.


Now though, Agatha wouldn’t mind something with a bit more oomph for the occasion, and getting the other pilots armed and armored would go a long way towards improving their survivability. She crept along till she beside Stein, noting her choice of firearms, grateful that she at least had something beyond her own athleticism to contribute in terms of armament. The skills of pilots like Eli or Stein were considerably, a level of quality that would give them significant advantage in an even engagement on foot or in an NC, but within the tight confines of the corridors, the quantity offered by assault weaponry along with the other disadvantages placed on them makes skill rather moot in comparison. 


At the moment there wasn’t much of anything for them to work with beyond two guns and four groggy  but awake pilots. The bunks themselves made for poor cover if they were breached then and there, and having been bolted to the floor they couldn’t be repositioned into a more defensible formation even if they wanted to. However, she knew that such an idea would only get them killed all the quicker, as would most direct confrontations or attempts to hide. Here and now, they had a no actual intelligence on who was attacking them. Numbers were unknown, and the static in Agatha’s ear told her that they were cut off from everyone else, so they couldn’t rely upon anyone else in New Anchorage to aid them.


[color=teal]”Well, it looks like our only choice is get some gear and hunt these bastards down before they corner us. Can’t say whether or not they know this base better than us, but if they are clearing room to room then we can certain they are slower than us for now. If they’ve knocked out the lights, then they are probably using it to their advantage, meaning they got lights of their own or some extra hardware.”[/color] Agatha assessed as best she could given only the sounds and lack of sight around her. 


[color=75906C]“If we don’t move we’re dead, and if we move we’re [i]probably[/i] dead. Those are great odds, Agatha. Haven’t you ever heard of optimism?”[/color]


Joshua Ray might’ve had a point, but at least Agatha was trying to contribute something to the group. The ace wasn’t likely to give a grand rallying speech, Ryn either for that matter, so she thought it prudent  to offer her opinion. She couldn’t expect the man who just awoke seconds ago to have any more of an intelligible analysis, even if his own succinct words were rather poignant in how accurate they were. 


[color=teal]”Hey, I can be plenty optimistic when the situation suits me, Ray. Besides, I never said we were dead if we move, just that we can’t go about this guns blazing till we got more than these sidearms.”[/color]


It wasn’t much to work with, but any understanding they could glean from this chaotic situation would do wonders combating the fear that would otherwise paralyze them.


[color=teal][i]Fear...oh shit.[/i][/color] Agatha’s head snapped away from the doors towards the directions of the private quarters, concern etching into her sharp features.  [color=teal][i]Damn it Percy. You just had to get your own room, didn’t you? I swear if he can’t keep that darling alive I’ll skin him myself.[/i][/color]


But there was nothing that Agatha could do for Ana and her father, only able to hope that they get away from their attackers before being discovered. Her thumb  caught the safety of the laser revolver, silently activating the power cells within the chamber. They were slow to recharge, and a single shot wouldn’t punch clean through the more advanced body armor available on the market, but she had a two spare loaders if she didn’t feel like waiting around and was  determined not to let her new home go up in flames so soon. 

Agatha was old, but she wasn’t about to die just yet.