[IC] Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

[AvaP]

"All set, looks like everything is in order. Best of luck out there, Miss Reagan."

Ayvee nodded to the nurse and left the hospital with a bit of a spring in her step. Just her luck that she'd crash on takeoff first thing on the job. But then, how was she supposed to see the unfortunate vulture that struck her intake? Regardless, the landing had been a bit harder than she'd like, Malta not exactly known for having much room for an easy emergency landing. A couple of bone fractures, a concussion, and her aircraft suffered serious landing gear and body damage. All in all, she was fortunate to have suffered only that much.

That said, Ayvee did not want more of that kind of "luck" and hopped on a bus heading to the base. She hadn't even had a chance to get settled, but had plenty of time browsing for hotels and rooms for rent. She found a place not too far from the base. A little pricey, but nothing she couldn't afford. She had booked it at the hospital and called the base to transfer her belongings to it. A list of things to do had been slowly growing, ranging from inspecting the aircraft to trying out all the restaurants she could only browse while waiting for an all clear from the doctor.

Above all, however, she needed to report in to her commander and at least let him know she was mission-ready again. Getting off the bus, she stopped at her new place, unpacked the gear that had survived the crash, changed into her usual kit, and then made her way to the base.

Immediately, she noticed something was off. Security was heightened, nervous even. She had to show her discharge papers along with her ID and a few other documents before finally being allowed the pass the security checkpoint.

"The hell happened? What's got everyone so jumpy?" she asked as she put away her folder into her backpack. The security guard shook his head and gestured towards a maintenance hangar on the airfield.

"Some sort of firefight. Some people infiltrated the site and fired shots. I've been told it's been handled, but everyone's on edge Miss Reagan," the guard said. Ayvee raised an eyebrow at this. So that's what she heard? She thought she had heard muffled gunshots in the distance while at the hospital yesterday, but wasn't sure until now. The guard continued, "Crazy thing is you're squadron where the ones that dealt with them. Hell of a thing, I swear some of you pilots are armed heavier than we are half the time," he finished with a chuckle. At this, Ayvee merely shrugged.

"If you're getting shot at, then you gotta shoot back. Either way, thanks for the heads up. Where's Cobalt's squad lead located?" Ayvee asked.

The guard gestured to a nearby map of the airport. "Just make your way to the FOB over here. Should be in admin."

Ayvee made her way towards the building, unsure of what to expect as her hand unconsciously drifted to her holster.

This deployment was already off to a great start...

[Rhona W]

Katherine Kane

She fell in alongside the eyepatched giant, grabbing a tray and beginning to fill it without much regard for the menu.

"Nice to see you walking so soon. Couldn't miss the action, huh?"

@Smike

Kat was absorbed in her own thoughts, and it jolted her out of the moment as Ximena spoke up, and she glanced around before looking down at her, giving an apologetic smile and immediately feeling sheepish.
"O-oh, um; sorry. I was away in my own thoughts. I didn't mean to ignore you-" She glanced quickly at Ximena's uniform and saw her nametag and her rank insignia, before continuing "-Lieutenant Huang. You must be one of the new pilots that arrived while I was down".
Having taken her selections of food and drink, she gestured for Ximena to sit with her, if she wished, keeping the conversation going as she walked to the nearest table and sat down. A wry smile crossed her lips as she continued, after opening her can of drink.
"Mm, from what I've managed to scrape up, I missed some of the 'action' already. You had quite the first night here, right? Getting a lot more close to the action than most pilots do". She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich waving it in one hand as she smirked, continuing after she swallowed.
"Can't say I'm disappointed to have missed that particular part of the action. But glad I'll be here for whatever's coming next. Well... maybe glad; I suppose we'll see how that goes".

@Smike

Scott Valentine

Scott was pleasantly surprised to see Calico as she came in, and took a seat. A slight amused smile crept onto his face at the half-eaten burrito and empty cup she was still carrying around, but he didn't comment on it as his mis-matched eyes shifted from the foil-wrapped comestible to her face, and he listened as she spoke. She had quite a charming, pleasant voice; her accent adding a flow and musicality to her words. Of course, what she said was something of a surprise - though, in no bad way.

"Hey, Heartbreak. I know you're the CO and supposed to be extra professional and all that, but somebody's gotta check on you and see how you're holding up once in a while. Especially after last night, and...whatever that was a few minutes ago." Yuna chuckled, before continuing. "Can't imagine us assholes make your job easy."

@Finetales

Scott gave a short laugh of his own back, one that was of surprise and some awkwardness. He leaned his elbows on the desk, one hand brushing through his sandy-blonde hair, with the salt-and-pepper around the temples, before he replied.
"I mean... thank you for asking, Calico; I appreciate that, if nothing else. Honestly..." His mouth screwed up as he tried to pull the threads of his thoughts together and weighed up how and what to say, and how to balance his responsibilities and the regulations; how to remain at least somewhat professional, while also not being completely isolated or aloof, especially given the attempt to actually reach out.
"I don't know if you've heard or read anything about me or my background - and I'm not saying that to brag, or to imply I'm like, some famous bigshot or anything. Because holy shit, I would hate to be that guy, or that well-known", he said with a knowing grin across the 'desk' at her. "But, well; while this is my first official command, it's not the first time I've been in command. During the Heavenfall, or I suppose; just after it, I ended up in a shitty position. The ship I served on got sunk. Long and short of it; a bunch of squids and Devil Dogs like me made it off, some of us with our jets and other stuff... but we were thousands and thousands of miles from home, with only what we could carry on the few vehicles we had while the world was eating itself around us". His eyes took on a far away look, and she might have noticed a slight twitch of his right hand, and the scars by his forefinger and on the back of his hand, before he swivelled around in the chair and rummaged in a box behind him, before coming out with two bottles of beer, opening them both on the corner of the desk and putting one down in front of her.
"It's light beer. Basically piss and seawater, but we're flying in less than twelve hours, so I'm already pushing it... but it seems the right moment. Anyway; the highest ranking officer above me turned out to be, well. A backstabbing, treacherous, pig-headed shit, and all-but sold the rest of us out" He paused and took a long swig of the beer as he leant back in the seat.
"Ended up that I had to take command, being the last highest rank left. I managed to pull everyone else out of there. Lost a good few on the way, ended up giving orders I didn't like, and having more than a few disagreements. But on the whole, those people respected me, probably because I was giving them some sorta direction and looking out for 'em".
He sighed as he turned the bottle around in his hands, and thumbed a bead of condensation back up the bottle to the rim, eyes focused on it before his mouth screwed up again and he took another sip, shaking his head as he swallowed.
"I dunno; I guess I wasn't expecting quite as much... pushback, and I definitely wasn't expecting a minor insurgency on my first op in command either. But I mean, who would be, I suppose?" he snorted at that and gave a side eye, gesturing with the bottle in hand.
"I guess I'm just impatient for things to settle down enough that we can actually get to knowing how each other work, and things to start being smooth - because we've had a hell of a rough and bumpy start. And I'm anxious that's gonna cause problems further down the line, especially with some of the... eccentric personalities we have on board. Oh, and for the record? So far, you don't seem particularly like an asshole. Also, you did a hell of a good job with the CQB last night; I was very impressed". He smirked at her and winked, his rugged features fitting the expression well. "And not just because you covered my ass from getting shot to pieces...!"

@Finetales

[Smike]

Ximena Huang

"Please, Ximena or Jefe. Lieutenant makes it sound like I just got out of the academy. But yes, you got it one."

She took the offered seat alongside Kitten, sipping at her coffee as she analyzed the big cat. She was-meek wasn't the right word, but soft-spoken, more than Ximena had expected. She had gone into the discussion assuming she would be talking with someone eager to throw her weight around, literally and figuratively, but the Brit moved through the conversation like she was a house cat as opposed to a lion.

"Indeed you did. My last outfit never threw pilots into a ground battle, but honestly I see the benefits. Saves on personnel costs if you can get us to do double duty."

She grinned toothily, her smile fox-sly and more crooked than any lawyer.

"I wouldn't mind getting to do it again, but I don't think I'll get a chance anytime soon. We're here to stop the landing craft from reaching Matla's sunny shores, after all."

Combat pilots came in two types, in Ximena's experience: the blood and guts, give me a target so I can send it Hell sort, and the 'I'm here for the pension' play it safe sort. Jefe herself was very much the former but there was no shame in the latter. What did surprise her was Kat riding the line between the two. Maybe the crash had rattled her, or maybe she really was just more demure than her appearance suggested.

What fun it would be to find out!

"I'm sure we've got nothing to fear with you around. Any bandits get too close, you could reach an arm out and swat them from the sky."

@Rhona W

[Finetales]

Yuna Xu

Scott's "Office"

-lots of text I will spare you all from quoting 2 posts down-

@Rhona W

Yuna sat and listened as Scott spoke. She could see the line he was walking play across his face as he figured out just what he could - and should - say, and that alone was enough to tell Yuna a great deal. She nodded as he summarized his first time in command, even if not "official". When Yuna was assigned to Cobalt Haze, she had read Scott's file over and over, just as she had for every other name on the roster. She wanted to have as much of a leg up on a sea of new faces as she could. But she had read Scott's a couple more times than most, on account of it being one of the most interesting files of the lot. Heroism and a bit too much about the A-6 Intruder, some of which she was still eager to see if they were tall tales or not.

She lifted her eyebrows in surprise and even a bit of admiration as Scott had placed a beer in front of her. Of all the ways to make a good first impression on Yuna as a CO...well, Yuna figured that was just about at the top. Light beer or not, it looked to drink (not necessarily "good to drink", just..."to drink", which was enough for Yuna), and she began taking some swigs as Scott continued, finishing his story and moving on to the events of last night and this morning.

Oh, and for the record? So far, you don't seem particularly like an asshole. Also, you did a hell of a good job with the CQB last night; I was very impressed". He smirked at her and winked, his rugged features fitting the expression well. "And not just because you covered my ass from getting shot to pieces...!"

@Rhona W

Yuna laughed at Scott's last comment. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but not seeming particularly like an asshole is kind of my thing," she said with a lighthearted tone and a smile. "Unless everyone else in the squadron is all spick and span and sucking up...then it's my job to be the resident asshole. You should have seen some of the shit I pulled in Kazakhstan." She looked off to the distance, an almost wistful look in her eyes. "But here, the position of "squadron asshole" seems to be one that a lot of people are fighting for, so I'm happy to stay far away from that." She chuckled to herself and took another sip of her beer, before continuing on a more serious note.

"And thanks. CQB obviously isn't what I hired on for, but if you ask me it's one of the most fun things you can do wheels down. And it was nice to clear some rooms knowing that you had my back on the other side. I'd push a building with you any day." She gestured with her bottle before taking another swig. "I'm sure some of the others would hate me if I told them this, but I wouldn't mind doing a little more of that. In between dogfights, of course."

@Rhona W

[ChronicleMan]

Bell walks into the office, sunglasses equipped, and smirks to himself "did you miss me?"
He turns around and finger guns point at the team. "I have been in prison for vehicular manslaughter"

[Letter Bee]

Mykhailo Martinez

It was only a graze. It hurt a lot, and bled a lot, but at the end of the day, it was just a graze.

Mykhailo frowned; this was a big disappointment, but at least he got snapped out of that mood where he wanted to kill saboteurs beyond all reason and sanity.

He was still ashamed of that, so ashamed that after being discharged from the hospital room, the young man wandered absent-mindedly, his thoughts in a stream of consciousness. He needed to let go of his hate, his obsessions; Artemio would not want to see him like this.

Artemio... I will always miss you, were his thoughts.

The young pilot was in a white T-shirt and camouflage jeans, along with sandals as a concession to the heat of Malta. Considering how the majority of the crew did not like how he came on too strong or too... eager, the young man decided not to risk the consequences of wearing even less.

In fact, he wondered if he should risk talking with any crewmember after this, even having two kills shy of being an Ace, isn't anything to talk about, not when the others were all already Aces.

It was dumb luck that he barely avoided bumping into Ayvee as he walked around, but upon sighting her, Mykhailo waved a hand and said, "Hey, Ayvee, right? I got grazed yesterday night and now there's supposed to be a new mission? Other than that, I do not know what to talk about."

@Damo021@Kensai@Smike@Rhona W@Finetales@AvaP

[Damo021]

Amelia Schön

Amelia couldn’t help but blush a little at being caught staring, she was a short ass after all, but Fuka’s response caught her off guard for sure, especially the dissecting part but she managed a little snicker herself, it seemed like harmless fun.

Maybe she over reacted on the prosthetic arm though, of course it did make her co-pilot look badass, but again her mind went into the story behind it, surely something horrific had to have happened to get that, maybe for a conversation another time. ‘I guess it is, would they even let her fly with one hand? nothing worse than clipping one’s wings’ she thought to herself.

Feeling and hand on her shoulder brought Amelia out of her train of thoughts, a change of subject welcoming for the young pilot. Being in a PMC really had put her out of her comfort zone, it felt like she had a lot more to learn from what she already knew.

“Thank you, yeah I suppose it’s my eccentric personality and coffee, or last night still have me on edge. Officially, about six years, flown the typhoon my whole career so far, I signed up a year after heavenfall at seventeen, as you can imagine, the training was certainly delayed because of the aftermath of that, I think it was about forty months before I got to fly.” Pausing for a moment. “Most of it was patrolling or interceptions, it wasn’t until quite a lot of PMC’s started showing up that I started getting combat experience. However, in recent years, several of those PMC’s fell to the Scandinavian Alliance.”

“So how about yourself? I’m guessing you got way more flight time than little old’ me.

@Smike

* - * - *

Freyja Svensdotter

Freyja had not long finished up her breakfast, she was enjoying the little pick me up the coffee was bringing. She was thinking of heading out and checking up on things around the base, maybe catch up with a few other and see how they were holding up from the previous night’s events. The café was becoming a bit livelier, that’s when she noticed a couple of face she recognised and a new face, she smiled a little seeing some of her squad mates were interacting and of course Kat was back.

Getting out of her seat and taking the plate and co away, she went for a refill of coffee, it couldn’t hurt to have another strong cuppa. Making sure not to spill any on her uniform, she made her way over to the trio. “Good to see that our resident Amazonian is back” She smiled briefly placing her hand on Kat shoulder. “How you holding up?”

Afterwards, Freyja moved to a free seat, taking a look at the trio. “May I?”

@Smike@Rhona W@Hyperion338

[Rhona W]

Katherine Kane

<snipped>

@Smike

Kat smiled and nodded. "Well then; Jefe it is. And nice to meet you, too. Forgive me while I stuff my face, hospital food isn't exactly great stuff, and I can see we've got a mission coming up. Want to get myself fed while there's time".
She listened attentively and politely as Ximena spoke, nodding along to show she was listening and keeping up with what was being said, before she replied.
"Mm, maybe you have a point about the double duty - although, if that's the case, maybe we ought to see if we can negotiate for twice as much pay, for doing twice as much work? Somehow, I think that won't go down so well though," she said with a wry smile of amusement. "Still, I might have missed that but I'll be there for what's shaping up to be a big swing back against the Libyans - or whoever's put them up to this, anyway. I'm looking forward to getting back into the air in an A-10 and flying for myself, too. I didn't mind being Heartbreak's back-seater, but I definitely prefer being in control for myself when I'm in the thick of things". Her hushed, raspy, and rough tones robbed much of the volume from her words, but forced attention on them for her to be heard, certainly in a one-on-one conversation like this. She grinned and laughed softly as Ximena made a playful tease about her height, and swiped at the air, her laugh raspy and somewhat croaky, but her smile as genuine as anything. "Rarr, Kat smash!" she said playfully with a grin and a twinkle in her one remaining eye.
She would have continued, before Freyja joined them, and she looked up in surprise, that turned to a smile as the Swede gently squeezed her shoulder. She patted the other woman's hand as it rested on her shoulder and nodded in reply to her questions.
"I'd be happy for you to join us, as long as you don't mind, Ximena? And I'm doing well enough, thank you. A little sore still, but the doctors said that'll persist for a while. Gave me some anti-inflammatories and some pain medication." A little impish smile curved her lips as she sipped her own cup of tea. "Nothing strong enough for me to be flying without my plane, sadly"

----------------------------------------------------

Scott Valentine

<Snip>

@Finetales

"Well, I'm glad you and I are on the same page about that, at least. I'm sure it'll settle down eventually. People are probably just testing the limits, seeing how much they can get away with, or finding out what kind of ship I run. And I mean; everyone's followed orders when we're in the thick of it. That's the main thing at least. If that didn't happen, well; I'd be a lot less understanding." He listened with interest and a nod as she mentioned Kazhakstan and laughed softly, sipping his own beer. as he did. "I think it's part of the way of being a fighter pilot - hell, a combat pilot at all - to have some wild moments under your belt. I'm sure we'll get plenty of chances to swap stories too. Lord knows I'm looking to being able to hit a bar and decompress for a bit once we get a breather - and it's only been a couple of days...!"
As Yuna mentioned being comfortable with engaging in more close-up-and-personal action, he gave an amicable shrug, leaning forward with his elbows on the 'desk' as he answered.
"Ahh, well; I'll keep it in mind. You obviously know your stuff, and it seems a few others do as well. Peacenik sure knows what she's doing. And Jefe... well, I'm not sure if she knows how to fight on the ground, or is just compensating for that by using the biggest gun she can carry. Either way, as long as it's pointed at the hostiles". He grinned and took another swig from his bottle, leaning back into a more comfortable position once more and fiddling with the label on the brown glass bottle.
"Heh, maybe next place we find ourselves, if we've got the space and the time we can set up a little training area and get some paintball or airsoft guns so we can all indulge in improving our ground tactics without getting seriously hurt. And set up a range as well, so we can practice with our actual guns. Maybe it'd be more popular than you think. And yeah - while I'm... well, not 'comfortable', but I'd say 'competent' with fighting on the ground, there's definitely a reason I chose to be a fighter pilot...!"

@smike, @Damo021, @Finetales

[AvaP]

As she approached the building, Ayvee nearly ran over the young man coming around the corner. It took a lot of willpower not to go for her gun, as on edge as she was. Thankfully, she quickly registered that the guy was at least familiar. He gave an odd wave and a smile.

"Hey, Ayvee, right? I got grazed yesterday night and now there's supposed to be a new mission? Other than that, I do not know what to talk about." he said as Ayvee wracked her brain to remember his name. There was a bit of an awkward pause before she put on a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I just got here myself. That bird strike on takeoff was a run of some bad luck, but hey, it means I got it out of the way, right? But yeah, I only just arrived, so I don't know anything about a new mission. More importantly, what the hell happened while I was getting checked out by the doctors? Tell me about what the hell happened with that, cause I signed up to fly planes, drop bombs, and shoot missiles, not pound the ground and catch bullets. Typically in our line of work, that means shits hit the fan." Ayvee said.

There was a friendly, somewhat joking tone to her voice, but there was an undertone of nervous laughter. She was no doorkicking, rifle-shooting grunt and she intended to keep it that way if she could help it.

@Letter Bee

[Smike]

Fuka Nakano

Eccentric personality, eh? At least she owned it. Certain characters in the team struck Fuka as being 'eccentric' (read: weird, potentially obnoxious) without the wherewithal to acknowledge it. Take the Ximena example, the intelligence analyst-turned-fighter jock who defected from the Chinese and took with her a pair of artificial eyes, a top-of-the-line American air superiority jet, and a machine gun she was strangely competent with. She floated in on a cloud of casual flippantness and likely earned ego, tell-tale signs of a story hidden behind all those redacted portions of her file.

Whatever it was, Fuka didn't want to find out about it. Ximena was like a teenager's idea of a fighter pilot: cocky attitude and aviator sunglasses, standing out from the crowd like there was a camera filming closeups. It was unprofessional, and Fuka hated nothing more than being unprofessional.

So Amelia was at least ahead of her.

"Sounds like you did a lot of hurry up and wait." she shrugged. "I was in the Navy for eight years, so only a couple more than you but they had me shooting from the get-go. First Latin America, then Japan and the South China Sea."

Serious business for a serious pilot.

"This is my first time in a merc outfit. Speaking of, how'd you end up playing gun for hire?"

Ximena Huang

Ximena laughed easily at Kat's joke. Pretty women were funnier; it was a scientific fact.

"Flying through enemy airspace in a Hog must be nerve-wracking. You have that titanium tub for a cockpit, sure, but still, it's not like the friendly folks on the ground are going to have trouble spotting you. But I guess getting to shoot the big gun makes up for the risk, eh?"

Jefe had to lean in to hear the much larger woman's much quieter voice, the size difference between them made more obvious at that angle. She couldn't even see Kat's swiping hand on the other side of her body! No doubt flying was a leg-numbing affair for her, a problem Ximena would be more than happy to help with after their next flight.

Her idle daydreaming of one-eyed warrior women and tender messages was quickly and cruelly shattered by the experience of Valkyrie, Ximena managing to keep her expression polite even as she silently cursed the Swede.

"Doesn't bother me." she lied, eyes flitting over the hand on Kat's shoulder before flicking away. "It's not like I own the table!"

Perhaps if she concentrated hard enough, she could give Freyja a migraine.

"The trick is to find either a very new doctor or a very experienced one and slip them a few bucks. The young ones need to pay for college and the old ones need to pay for retirement. Either way, they'll trade pills for profit!"

She was joking, of course-mostly. She had used that very strategy back in Mexico to secure a favor, but that was ancient history.

[Finetales]

Yuna Xu

Scott's "Office"

"Well, I'm glad you and I are on the same page about that, at least. I'm sure it'll settle down eventually. People are probably just testing the limits, seeing how much they can get away with, or finding out what kind of ship I run. And I mean; everyone's followed orders when we're in the thick of it. That's the main thing at least. If that didn't happen, well; I'd be a lot less understanding."

@Rhona W

Yuna noddeed her head in understanding. "Well, I suppose I'll find out for myself soon. Playing an impromptu level of Call of Duty on the ground here is one thing...doing what we actually do is another."

"I think it's part of the way of being a fighter pilot - hell, a combat pilot at all - to have some wild moments under your belt. I'm sure we'll get plenty of chances to swap stories too. Lord knows I'm looking to being able to hit a bar and decompress for a bit once we get a breather - and it's only been a couple of days...!"

Yuna leaned forward a bit when Scott mentioned hitting a bar. "Speaking of bars...are they still allowing us off base after the firefight last night? Jefe and I would hate to lose our bar privileges in Malta...we've only been to one bar in town so far! I got a list going of others I want to hit and everything."

"Ahh, well; I'll keep it in mind. You obviously know your stuff, and it seems a few others do as well. Peacenik sure knows what she's doing. And Jefe... well, I'm not sure if she knows how to fight on the ground, or is just compensating for that by using the biggest gun she can carry. Either way, as long as it's pointed at the hostiles".

"A little of column A, a little of column B, I suspect," Yuna answered, responding to Scott's swig with one of her own. Her bottle was near empty at this point.

"Heh, maybe next place we find ourselves, if we've got the space and the time we can set up a little training area and get some paintball or airsoft guns so we can all indulge in improving our ground tactics without getting seriously hurt. And set up a range as well, so we can practice with our actual guns. Maybe it'd be more popular than you think."

Yuna sighed and briefly closed her eyes, thinking about how much she'd enjoy some range time. She took another sip as Scott spoke and quickly replied. "You give me a proper range or an airsoft arena and you can bet I'll be spending any time I'm not working or drinking in there. Which, granted, is not too often," she said with a grin and a shrug.

"And yeah - while I'm... well, not 'comfortable', but I'd say 'competent' with fighting on the ground, there's definitely a reason I chose to be a fighter pilot...!"

Yuna nodded and raised her bottle in agreement. "Tell you what Heartbreak, I can't wait to see what you do in that ancient Intruder." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm still not convinced all those stories are true, but I'd sure as hell like to find out."

@Rhona W

[Letter Bee]

Mykhailo Martinez

Mykhailo decided that trying to be 'charming' was inappropriate this time around, and so he decided to be blunt and honest in his exposition, "We got sabotaged; there was a cell of saboteurs in the repair team who sabotaged Captain Scott's plane and maybe yours' and got one of our members, Sokolov, killed in action. So we went in because there was no one else, and we lit up the saboteurs - I will admit to being a bit bloodthirsty to the point where Fuka, of all people, had to save me from myself by threatening to shoot me if I tried a summary execution, not that I'll ever tell her I'm grateful for that."

He paused for breath, then continued, "And now we're mustering for a pre-emptive strike because a Libyan force has been mustering to try and take Malta by surprise; I can speculate about who's supporting them, but I shouldn't as it annoys Fuka and other people and I don't want my barely-legal... rear to be burnt by setting my connections on fire. You get what I mean, right? Oh, and I got grazed during the skirmish; there was a lot of blood, and it was mistaken for a worse injury."

All masks have dropped, revealing a mass of social awkwardness, even ineptitude, and no ounce of repentance for how those were expressed; no pretense of this being somehow adorable or endearing was given either. Instead, there was the raw, wounded, vulnerable Mykhailo who hated himself for his lack of social skills and his inability to let go of the anger and resentment he felt for the consequences of his own actions, plus the harm others had dealt him.

He sighed and said, "I'm just glad you're alive, that if it had been bad luck and not sabotage that kept your plane on the runaway... It means you're still talking to me right now. And after that, we can avenge those we've lost."

Mykhailo let her absorb the information. Then he added, "So, two things; one, I assume you want to see Captain Scott? Two... I am two kills shy of being an Ace, and I need to be better if I am to get them. So let's have a spar in the simulation room once we're able."

@Damo021@Kensai@Smike@Rhona W@Finetales@AvaP

[Damo021]

Freyja Svensdotter

Freyja smiled to Kat’s response, gently removing her hand when Kat had finished patting it, she moved out a seat ready when she listened to Ximena’s response, probably not as welcoming, she was one of the new pilots that came before the storm, from what she was managed to, she seemed like one to she probably would have to keep an eye on, as most of her files, especially when the interesting bits were ‘redacted’.

Still Freyja went about taking a seat. “Thank you, I am sure you will recover in no time, I will say though, you call that a plane? It’s more like a flying tank, I feel for the poor bastards on the receiving end of it. Especially with an over six and a half foot tall glamazon operating it”

Taking sip of her coffee, Freyja, listened on with what she assumed was the conversation the woman was having before she came and joined them. It seemed an interesting point she had joined them on. “Although true, pills for profit is still illegal in some places, not that it seems to be an issue with much more immediate problems around, I guess the trick is knowing where to look."a slight smile appearing on her features.

* - * - *

Amelia Schön

Amelia listened to what Fuka had to say, it appears the time in her air was not much more than herself, two years more experience, and what experience it was by the sound of it, so many places the pilot had been compared to herself, probably doing stupid amounts more sorties than even she would even dare to guess to. What caught her eye though, like herself this was her first time joining a merc outfit.

Then there was the question, how did she end up here? A pilot for hire and honestly, she was not frilled about it either. “Believe me, it was not by choice.” She paused for a moment. “Our leadership back home, wanted to increase our efforts with the N/UN in several areas, one of which was putting a pilot into shattered steel…. There were several candidates, I was one of them, frankly when they put the idea to me I told to park it up their ass. My loyalties are to the Luftwaffe, I spent my career fighting PMC’s, pilots fuelled by greed or some other personal gain.” She sighed.

“However my superiors disagreed with my reasoning. They ordered me out here, So here I am.” She shrugged. “I am not here for the money, or to be some god damned hero, I'm just some crazy chick that loves flying and serving my country…. I suspect there may be another reason I got sent out here, but I need to speak to someone first to clarify that.” She paused once more, realizing she was rambling on. “I’m sorry, I am rambling on, If I am honest I am on the fence, maybe this place may be different but from my experiences I just don’t trust PMC’s… No offense.”

“Actually you said it was your first time right? Guessing from the theatre’s you have operated in, your former US air force or JSDF? What brought you to a merc outfit?”

@Smike@Rhona W

[AvaP]

It was so much worse than Ayvee had first thought. Saboteurs, of all things, had nearly gotten her by messing with her plane? She felt a shiver go up her spine despite the Mediterranean heat. This was already way more than she'd had to deal with before. Merc pilots were still pilots after all. Getting shot at by small arms was never a strong suit, and it terrified her. Her eyes widened further as the young pilot continued to recount the firefight. The loss of a fellow flightmate and the decision to go in were almost baffling. She was no stranger to lost comrades; nobody was in this line of work, but she always took solace that, generally, it was quick, it was over with. Getting cut down on the ground almost felt wrong to her.

"But damn, we only just got here and we're getting picked off by fucking terrorists?? Gonna need to talk to Scott about my contract, I did not sign up to kick doors god dammit." she thought with rising frustration. Though it quickly cooled when the pilot mentioned his own bloodlust. She felt bad for the guy; it seemed like it was really getting to him.

He paused for breath, then continued, "And now we're mustering for a pre-emptive strike because a Libyan force has been mustering to try and take Malta by surprise; I can speculate about who's supporting them, but I shouldn't as it annoys Fuka and other people and I don't want my barely-legal... rear to be burnt by setting my connections on fire. You get what I mean, right? Oh, and I got grazed during the skirmish; there was a lot of blood, and it was mistaken for a worse injury."

Ayvee nodded to this. Well, at least they weren't sitting idle. She'd have to triple-check her plane from now on, though. It was assumed a bird strike had caused her emergency landing, but now she wasn't sure at all. She couldn't trust any of the base personnel now, that was certain. Hell, she'd probably have to cancel her little tour of the town, lest she gets picked off in some back alley.

The more she thought about it, the more this contract got worse and worse.

Fianlly, the young pilot finished by asking her intentions and inviting her to a sim flight. She gave a smile and shrugged. "Right on the first one and sure, why not? Gotta say though, glad y'all got away with as little harm as you did. Anyway, glad your safe too buddy. Let's go check in with Scott and see if we got time for a little sim combat. Though who knows what kind of sim we'll be working with. Wouldn't be surprised if they plop us in front of some desktop computers and some crappy store brand stick. Lead the way, I still don't know where anything is on this base." she finished with a laugh.

With that, she gestured for Mykhailo to take lead, and as they walked, her hand stayed close to her sidearm.

@Letter Bee@Rhona W

[Smike]

Fuka Nakano

"Germany must be pretty draconian if it can force you to be a mercenary." Fuka noted. "How does that work, you 'resign' from the Luftwaffe and then Shattered takes you in? Or are you still a part of the military, just...also involved in foreign conflict?"

The military had made her do a lot of things, but forcing a contract on her with some separate entity? That was a new one. It blurred the line between PMC and N/UN more than Shattered (and groups like it) already did, and someone more educated on geopolitics and military ethics could probably argue that it was immoral, but it wasn't like Fuka particularly cared. Things got fast and loose when you poached pilots from the military with the promise of higher pay.

She grinned at the apology, shrugging.

"None taken. I don't usually trust crazy chicks...no offense."

She rolled her shoulders, as if sitting still made her sore.

"Like I said, I was a naval aviator. It's why I'm in a Hornet; they needed people who could fly something carrier-capable. As for why I'm here-"

She raised her prosthetic arm, rubbing her thumb across the tips of her index and middle fingers.

"Same as most people, I'd imagine: The pay's better. Plus, I get to feel like I chose to join instead of just marching in lockstep with the family."

[Rhona W]

Katherine Kane

Ximena Huang

Ximena laughed easily at Kat's joke. Pretty women were funnier; it was a scientific fact.

"Flying through enemy airspace in a Hog must be nerve-wracking. You have that titanium tub for a cockpit, sure, but still, it's not like the friendly folks on the ground are going to have trouble spotting you. But I guess getting to shoot the big gun makes up for the risk, eh?"

@Smike

"It definitely has it's squeaky bum moments when you're low enough to count the leaves on the trees or look the guy shooting at you in the eye, while at the same time looking over your shoulder for anyone waiting to swoop down on you from above from five miles away and just... delete you out of the sky; you're not wrong. But at the same time; when you can reach down and give the friendlies on the ground the direct help they need, right in the moment, right on time, and right up close, it does have a sense of... mm... accomplishment, I suppose, knowing you can help people depending on you. Especially yes, when you can reach out and swat someone down with the big gun. All that titanium armour and the redundancies built in definitely do give you a sense of safety too though, yes"

Freyja Svensdotter

“Thank you, I am sure you will recover in no time, I will say though, you call that a plane? It’s more like a flying tank, I feel for the poor bastards on the receiving end of it. Especially with an over six and a half foot tall glamazon operating it”

@Damo021

Kat's lips screwed up in something between an amused smile and confusion as Freyja described her as a 'glamazon', and a delayed, awkward laugh followed, unsure how to react to the comment.
"Compared to most planes, it's definitely more a tank, you're right; though luckily it doesn't handle like one... and yes; I can't help but feel sorry for whoever's on the other end of all the stuff I can sling at them while I'm flying it".

Kat listened to the back and forth about pills between the pair and smiled in amusement as she finished her meal, and sat back to sipping her tea, shrugging.
"Well, seems like you two know more about it than me. If I ever do decide to explore that side of things, I know who to come to. But I'm not currently in the business of looking for highs, getting back into the air will be good enough for me".
As she said as such, her tablet pinged with a notification and she gave the device a look, quickly scanning over it.
"And speaking of which; looks like we're scheduled for a briefing this evening and a mission directly after, so we're all on crew rest!"

Scott Valentine

Yuna leaned forward a bit when Scott mentioned hitting a bar. "Speaking of bars...are they still allowing us off base after the firefight last night? Jefe and I would hate to lose our bar privileges in Malta...we've only been to one bar in town so far! I got a list going of others I want to hit and everything."

@Finetales

"Once we've got the next mission flown, as long as we've got time I'm sure there'll be a chance - hopefully for everyone - to have a chance to kick back and let off some steam again. The saboteurs seemed to be entirely limited to those people we already dealt with internally. No signs of anything from outside so far, and the Maltese Police and Defence Force people are doing everything they can already. Probably best to have some sensible limitations for our own safety, but right now, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be going off-base for R&R when it's appropriate, at least".

"You give me a proper range or an airsoft arena and you can bet I'll be spending any time I'm not working or drinking in there. Which, granted, is not too often," she said with a grin and a shrug.

Scott grinned back and chuckled, nodding as she spoke.
"Well, I'll keep it in mind. See what we can get set up for wherever we end up next, so we can all get some more training and practice in - although, as always; hopefully we won't need it..."

"Tell you what Heartbreak, I can't wait to see what you do in that ancient Intruder." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm still not convinced all those stories are true, but I'd sure as hell like to find out."

He took a last sip of his beer and set the empty bottle on the table, smiling across at her with another of those wolfish, eager grins that suited his rugged features so well, and complimented his mis-matched eyes. "Tell the truth; I can't wait to get up there myself. I always feels like I'm in control of a lot more when I'm at the controls of a jet on a mission, hitting objectives and targets. That clarity always helps with getting through things. And I think having a chance to hit back will clear the air for everyone a bit, too. And getting back up in a Harrier, well; that's something I'm even more eager to do. It might be a tempermental bird, but I love it like nothing else I've flown," he said with a warm smile.
"Anyhow, speaking of missions and flying; it's about time I took some rest myself to get ready for the one coming up. Anything else you needed, Calico, or can I politely show you out?"

[Finetales]

Yuna Xu

Scott's "Office"

"Anyhow, speaking of missions and flying; it's about time I took some rest myself to get ready for the one coming up. Anything else you needed, Calico, or can I politely show you out?"

@Rhona W

Yuna downed the last drops remaining in her bottle, added it to her little pile of consumed sustenance, and stood up. "That's all, boss," she said brightly. "I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for the beer!" she gave a casual salute, which was clearly focused on the beer part of her sentence, and then turned and opened the door behind her. "Catch ya later, boss!" she sang as she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

After depositing her trash in a nearby bin in the hallway, she pondered for a moment what to do. She still had a decent amount of time to fill before the briefing. She had lost count of how many cups of coffee she had had, but it was enough. Unfortunately, that also meant she wouldn't be able to nap. She decided that eating, her 4th or 5th favorite activity, was as good of a way as any, and so she headed back towards the mess hall.

When she arrived she saw more new faces that she recognized from the files as some of the other pilots. It would be good to meet some more of them, and also report her success in confirming town bar access to Ximena. Everyone seemed engrossed in conversation though, and Yuna herself was engrossed in the idea of lunch anyway, so she headed straight for the food line.

@Rhona W

[Damo021]

Freyja Svensdotter

Freyja chuckled a bit once Kat did, she sensed the delayed reaction which gave the Swede the thought that maybe her fellow pilot didn’t quite get what she meant, either that or Freyja got a saying wrong. Which would be awkward.

She took a couple more Sips from her coffee. “Ah, I haven’t done it myself, but; over the years I have seen my fair share of pilots that have.”

What felt like seconds later her tablet went of much like Kats, so it seems it would not be long before they would be taking to the skies once more. “Apparently so, well it seems duty calls, I have a few things left to do before the briefing, I’m glad to see you back on your feet.” Then looking over at Xinema. “Nice meeting you, without the gun fire this time.” She then nodded to both. “If you will excuse me ladies.” With that she finished of the little remains of her coffee, before heading of out of the mess hall.

* - * - *

Amelia Schön

“Oh no Germany is definitely not draconian…” She paused a moment in thought. “Actually you make a good point, it didn’t even cross my mind at first, but now… You have definitely given me something to think about and look into, discreetly of course.”

Amelia chuckled. “Also, none taken, I think I am definitely going to like you”

Maybe liking took a slight dip, of course money was a factor, but could she really saying anything about that? After all she is now a pilot for hire, a mercenary, because of something terribly wrong at home. Although she did smile at the later reason. “Ah, family rebel, I like it, wanting for forge your own path instead of the one they set out for you, I bet that really cheesed them off.”

@Smike@Rhona W

[Smike]

Fuka Nakano

Fuka arched an eyebrow at Amelia's apparent realization, all sorts of thoughts running through the older woman's head. Most of them were amused; a young recruit trapped in a contract she didn't like was a tale as old as armies themselves. But Sparrow seemed farther up shit creek than she would have gotten had she just not read her papers well enough. What exactly was going on with the Luftwaffe that they would transfer an active pilot into a PMC, and why didn't the pilot know anything about it?

"Well, good luck to you I suppose. Hopefully you get that hashed out soon."

Fuka smirked dryly at the mention of her family, making a noncommittal noise as she shifted in her seat.

"I wouldn't say that. No, they're more disappointed than anything. I'm by far the lowest achiever among my siblings, so it's no surprise that my parents would be a bit put out by my career choice. Can you imagine them trying to talk about me at dinner parties?"

Her voice changed, getting higher in pitch as if to emulate an embarrassed mother.

"Oh yes, Fuka used to be an Army Ranger before she was wounded in service of her country, and then she became an officer in the Navy! We're very proud...what does she do now? Oh, ahem, well, she's a 'contractor' I think they call themselves? You know, guns for hire."

The Astor-Nakano boys were career officers; a major and a lieutenant-colonel. Three of the girls were politicians, and good ones too, well-versed in economics and diplomacy and a million other subjects that impacted their constituents. Yōko, the family darling, was staring down the barrel of a term as Prime Minister.

Fuka flew surplus aircraft and dropped bombs on people who didn't see it coming.

"Every family has to have a black sheep."

Ximena Huang

Kat seemed to buy into the whole brotherhood of soldiers deal, with her talk of providing fire support for those who needed it most. She was nobler than Ximena was by a damn sight...as if that weren't obvious. Kat had ideals and stood by them, Ximena fled her country to avoid being punished for her failure.

And yet there they were, sitting and soon fighting side by side. War was funny like that.

"Well I suppose any friends we have on the ground will be grateful to see you sliding through the sky above them."

Jefe sipped from her cup as Freyja (damn that bitch to Hell) riffed on her pills comment and Kat responded, looking over her sunglasses in amusement.

"I'll keep an eye out for the good stuff, just for you. I've never been on a base totally devoid of contraband; if you think everyone here is doing their jobs sober you're sorely mistaken."

Case in point: Ximena herself. God, she needed a drink.

Tablets pinged in unison and Freyja finally took the hint, Ximena giving her a friendly wave goodbye.

"Au revoir." she purred, before turning to face the Battle Kitten.

"So, what's there to do around here until it's time for the briefing?

[Rhona W]

Scott Valentine

"Catch ya later, boss!" she sang as she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

@Finetales

"See you later, Calico!" He called back, sketching a casual salute in return. He found he was smiling after she closed the door, and the conversation had set his mind much more at ease, as well as relieved some of the tension and... anxiety he'd been carrying after the exposing of the snakes within their midst, and how they'd tried to hurt his people - hell, had hurt his people. It wasn't quite closure, but it felt a lot closer to it, and reassurance came with it, at least; a measure of it.
He shut down the ruggedised laptop and folded it closed, tucking it under his arm as he left the room, locking the door to his 'office' as he headed out of the operations building and toward the barracks. It might be the early afternoon, but he was damned if he wasn't going to at least try and get some rest before the briefing, and the mission that was to follow. He walked across the tarmac, heading for the low-roofed building that marked the barracks, yawning as the idea of rest and sleep started to catch up with his mind.

Katherine Kane

Kat waved to Freyja with a smile as she left, setting down he empty cup as the Swede left the mess hall. She looked back to Ximena as the exotically-featured pilot carried on their conversation.

"So, what's there to do around here until it's time for the briefing?

@Smike

Kat gave another short, husky, rough laugh, an amused smirk on her lips as she shrugged.
"Unfortunately, you're asking the wrong girl, Jefe - I didn't have time to look around much. When we first arrived, it was at night after a twelve hour flight, so I staked out a bed as Fort Kitten and engaged in some intense sleep. After that, well; was pretty much the mission, and then I got to see the inside of Malta's best hospital. I haven't had time to look around or enjoy the scenery yet, unfortunately. And with a mission coming up, well; no time for drinking either. Although, I hope after the mission there'll be a chance!"
She eased her chair back and stood, stretching with a pop and crack of various joints, and a wincing grumble as her lower back twinged, leaning on the table a moment and grimacing.
"...Actually, I should probably go and lie down a bit longer, and take some more painkillers. Good to meet you, and I enjoyed getting to know you. Thanks for the talk; I haven't really got a chance to speak to anyone outside of the cockpit yet. It's nice to actually, you know... talk. See you at the briefing, Jefe"
She smiled at the shorter woman as she left the room, waving, and made her way to the women's barracks, eager for a rest to - hopefully - let her back recover some more, and catch up on some more rest.

@smike