Ari walked along with Maki and Alice towards the bunks, a smile on her face as she witnessed them interact. To see them talk, you'd never suspect Alice was anything but human unless you were paying attention. This resonated with Ari on a level she didn't quite anticipate, however. The almost girlish excitement Alice showed over learning about civilian life was in no way unlike Ari's own excitement to learn about an MAS. In so many ways, the AI was a parallel to the new pilot. Both were learning about new worlds, with very little insight onto what actually lay on the other side. The difference was that Ari would learn more about flying and combat and grow accustomed, but would Alice ever get to truly experience a civilian life? That was an interesting question, and one whose most likely answer was, very sadly, no. So, Ari resolved, Alice would get to experience a civilian life by proxy, though hearing about it through Ari's stories and maybe, just maybe, the AI could feel better about what lay on the other side of the line they held.
"Let's see....where to begin...how about high school? Here's an interesting story, I think. When I was a senior, I was the captain of the girls cross country team, so we ran a bunch of mileage for fun. Crazy right? Anyway, my team mates and I were getting ready for our last meet of the year, a meet is where we'd go race other teams. I'd been crushing on the team captain of the boys team since we were both freshmen, but I'd never got the courage to tell him. Well, all the other girls on my team knew, and since I was the only girls senior they decided to set me up with him now. So, after both our races, I was exhausted from the running. He comes and sits next to me, and puts his hand on my leg. I freak out, because I like him and he's got his hand on my leg really close to my...well"
At this point in the story, Ari blushed and rubbed her hands together, one of her nervous habits. Come to think of it, since Alice is an AI in an android body, how much did she understand about sexuality? Not a great deal, Ari would bet, so how would she explain this story to the AI? That big gave her pause as they kept walking, and she tapped her chin in thought. What was the closest parallel she could draw with Alice? What would an AI have that could possibly compare to having someone so close to your...delicates? After a moment of continued thought, it occurred to her that maybe she could compare it to someone using the computer Alice inhabited.
"Well, imagine if someone like Maki, someone you've been with awhile and really like, is on the keyboard of a computer you are hooked in to, with access to your code. Like, complete access, and all she'd have to do is put in a little effort and she could touch the very core of you. It was sorta like that, except instead of having his hands on a keyboard, it was on my inner thigh..." At this point, they got to the room where they were to sleep, and Ari stopped her story for the moment. As she listened to Maki's story, she smiled a little bigger as the continued exposure to Japanese continually helped her recall it even faster. When her explanation finished, Ari nodded and replied in Japanese, after a bit of thought
"Thank you very much...Maki-san. I appreciate the tips and you showing me to my bed. You've helped me feel very welcome, and I appreciate it. I'm sure such incredibly pilots like you and Alice and Yuuyami aren't eager to work with a rookie. So, I greatly appreciate you treating me well."
With that, Ari set her duffel down next to her bed, resolving to hang up her uniforms and the like soon. It would take a lot of work to get all the way set up here, though thankfully none of her possessions could get her into any trouble with the ship authorities. That was one of the good parts about being fresh from training, she supposed, all her knowledge of the proper protocols was fresh in her mind. Though, in her Advanced Survival courses, protocol had been of little importance. It'd all been about surviving alone in any environment, from deserts to mountain sides, and had been the hardest training for Ari. She shuddered slightly at the memory of having to hunt and kill an animal with a knife and a makeshift bow. It'd been rough training, but she'd come out on top for it. Though, for now, she returned to her story to Alice
"Anyway, Alice, so I was really really nervous about this. I mean, the boy who I was pretty sure I was in love with was so close to me, and we were both sweaty, and I looked really bad. What girl wouldn't be nervous, right? Anyway, I gulped really hard and I gathered all my courage. I decided that, you know, if you only live once, you may as well be brave right? So, I cleared my throat and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. When he looked me in the eye, I thought I was going to feint, it was so magical! But I didn't, I kept my cool, and I asked him out, and he sa-."
Suddenly, Alice had her body rather close to Ari's own, and the ship shook for some reason. Thankfully, Alice was able to keep her steady, so Ari didn't go toppling to the ground. Then, when Alice spoke...she said they were under attack. "Wait what?!?! So soon?! Oh gosh, oh gosh, I'm not even used to the squad yet! I've not even flow the Astelion! I can't fight, I can't!"
Regardless of this, however, her body didn't wait, and was sprinting alone with Alice. Why, well, sadly that was part of basic training, the body being brave even when the mind didn't feel it. Thankfully for Ari, it didn't take long for her confidence to catch up with her either. After all, she had aced all her courses in training, she was a fantastic pilot. She'd never doubted herself before, not when she fought instructors in the sims, not when she entered into her first survival training, and not when she'd suddenly gone from piloting medium MAS suits to a heavy one for her heavy weapons training. So, if she'd never doubted herself through all of that, why should she doubt herself now?
When they arrived at the hangar, Ari sprinted to the Astelion, waiting where she'd left it. Standing next to it was Schwiss, already forcing the Astelion into a start-up through the diagnostic station. Ari threw over a hasty thumbs up, returned by a sloppy salute, as Ari hopped into the cockpit. The system was already powering up, so all Ari had to do was initiate the OS. As she did so, she heard Trapp's message coming over the COM line. She grinned slightly and sounded off "Lieutenant Williams, ready for combat duty."
As she listened to the briefing that followed, she nodded along. Herself and the Astelion would be part of the covering team it seemed, which made sense. With all the speed its specs indicated it was capable of, she could easily range ahead of the formation. With that speed, she could set up covering positions long before the squad got up. With the added firepower of the cannons, she could serve as a reliable fast attack unit. With a deep calming breath to reassure her residual nervousness, she wrapped her hands about the sticks, and got ready for the first, and no doubt far from the last, combat engagement in her career as an MAS pilot.
