On some level, nothing could dampen enthusiasm for Colony Day.

For children, of course, it was just a day off. The political implications of the holiday meant nothing to them, nor could they truly grasp the technological marvels that it was meant to celebrate. They had lived with it their whole lives. The existence of settlements beyond Earth was just a fact of life, as certain as sunrise. Even most adults hadn’t lived through the thrill of the very first settlement on the Moon, but they had surely lived to see humanity expand from there. And some had been young when Armstrong earned its city status. For all that the world had complicated since then, the achievement was still remarkable. Remarkable enough to be worth celebrating.

And nowhere was it celebrated better than Horizon.

The seven cities that boasted Mass Drivers took special pride in Colony Day, but Horizon went above and beyond. Locals and tourists alike flocked to the beaches, the commercial districts, the restaurants; the day had begun at dawn, and would not end until last call at the bars. The parade would draw immense crowds to its route, and even bigger swells for the businesses lucky to be along it. Even though towards its periphery would benefit from the crowds. The mayor was slated to give a speech, before the parade began, and while that held little attraction the parade itself most certainly did. Horizon’s military would be on hand, with events of their own, and anyone with an imagination would flock to see the Walkers on display. The air show wouldn’t be until later in the day, but it was sure to draw as much attention as the parade itself.

The atmosphere was electric, and for once without the looming anxiety the Ark Union caused. Colony Day was as sacred, if not more, for the colonists as it was on Earth. Footage of the festivities, planet- and colonyside alike, would be streaming on every major network all day. The occasional war hawk would find their soap box; some network would be willing to give them some air time, if only to try and differentiate themselves from the other networks. But few would be inside to watch, anyway. Even if they were smaller than the celebrations around the spaceports, every small town in the Federation would have their activities planned.

The civilians weren’t the only eager participants, either; Colony Day was a holiday for all non-essential military personnel. Enlisted men, women, and officers alike would flock to the streets to enjoy their day of freedom. The favorite local bars would have specials going on all day, even on top of the Colony Day specials. Horizon had a lot to offer, as its military personnel knew very well, and held something for everyone’s downtime preferences.

The day was just beginning, and it promised to be a good one.

---

“What’re you doing here, sir? Wouldn’t let you out of the home for the day?”

“Watch it, LT. I sign your leave slips.” Major Patrick McKinley half-growled, blinking his eyes open to glance at the speaker. Ops was quieter than usual, seeing as everybody who could vacated when they got half a chance. He knew the Colonel was in her office, even if he hadn’t seen her yet. The boss was as essential as essential personnel got, so the day wasn’t a walk in the park for her. Wasn’t for him, either, but he didn’t have a whole lot to see to. “What’re you doing here? I wasn’t aware I’d need phone calls answered today.”

“Ha ha.” The Lieutenant picked her way through the room to her station, ignoring the fact that McKinley had his feet kicked up on his console. Again. No one was exactly sure how the commander of the Walker garrison beat everyone to work every day, but the running theory was just that he never left. He wasn’t ever volunteering any answers, other than “the ex can’t get on base”. But Noah would have thought, at least, that he might have been less eager on a holiday. “Someone has to remind you how your email works. Sir.”

“True.”

The silence went on for a bit, after that. McKinley resumed reading the reports on his tablet, Noah ran through any memos for the day, and the handful of other officers in Ops continued their business. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few requisitions from the crew chief down in the hangar to sign off on, notices of delivery for a few units, summaries of the R&D department’s progress for the week. Not that they technically answered to him, directly, but they used his division’s resources and pilots so there were certain niceties. He’d worked for them, way back when, so there was respect, too. But still, nothing especially worth giving too much thought.

“Lieutenant, run me through the docket. What’ve we got today?”

“Usual reps are setting up for the PR stuff in town. The flyboys are getting their last prep in for the airshow this afternoon. Local PD has already called to make sure we’ve told the kiddos to behave themselves on leave.” Noah went through the list easily, rolling her shoulders to stretch the last sleep out of her back. “Nothing unusual, other than the usual reminders to keep vigilant. Customs flagged a big shipment coming from the Union, later, but the credentials all seem to be in order. If there’s anything to worry about, we should hear it from Luna long before it gets to us.”

“So, nothing.”

“Pretty much, sir, yes.”

McKinley sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well, shit. I’m gonna need more coffee, or I might just take a nap.”

“Don’t worry, sir, I’m sure the Colonel will have you home for bed by five.”

"If I have to sit here staring at the wall for one more hour, I may just go insane." Muttered a nearly upside down Japanese woman. Leaned back in a chair most precariously, Yuna Matsuo blew out one of many sighs for the afternoon. the Rec room was usually bustling with all sorts of enlisted personnel when not on duty, but today, everyone was out celebrating. Everyone except 'essential personnel', which apparently included Yuna.

She'd already done everything she could to stave off boredom, including taking as many silly pictures of everyone and thing in the parts of the base she had access to, cleaning her sidearm no less than four separate times, and trying to play foosball against herself. Unsuccessfully.

Truth told, she wasn't all that annoyed at having to stay on base today; she could always go celebrate another time. However, the lack of anything to do in the meantime was incredibly vexing.

She almost wished that something would happen, just to give her something to do.



Today was a great day. Not only because it was a celebration of how far humanity had come in establishing colonies, but in particular, because one Ruby Cloutier had zero responsibilities for the day. No tedious paperwork, no repetitive drills, no bunk to keep tidy for some surprise inspection, no anything.

Indeed, for Ruby, today may just be the best day of the year. Colony Day.

So it was, on her one day of glorious freedom from military duties, that Ruby found herself wandering the pedestrian-filled streets, happily chewing away at a hot dog she'd bought from a street vendor.

Alex was concentrating on controlling his breathing, letting the music in his ears carry him across the concrete. The intensity of the sunlight here in Panama was brutal compared to back home, and even now he could feel his sweat soaking into his clothes in a futile attempt to bleed off the oppressive heat of the day. He turned a corner and into a short breeze, a moment of respite before the burn returned to his face as his attention was drawn to his heart trying to hammer it's way out of his chest.

The music ended and his feet felt like lead, landing more heavily than a Gunner plodding it's way back to base. He hadn't been here long and already he had formed a routine in his morning run. Gulping air for a moment, he keyed his uplink to silent before he walked into the same convenience store he'd stopped at for the past two weeks. Same drink, same cashier, same chime as the door opened.

Alex relaxed in the serene monotony of his morning as his tired legs carried him through the city's crowds as he went over his plans for Colony Day. He keyed his uplink again, switching it to broadcast news as he wove through the crowd back towards his home. He'd be back in time for the Parade, as even he found himself drawn to the spectacle.

"You sure you don't wanna come? You've been cramped in this place for at least a week now," Liam shook his head and continued to clean his sidearm with care. He glanced towards his fellow pilots who were dressed in their civilian cloth's and preparing to head out to the nearest bar.

"Maybe next time, I'm just going to do a double check on my equipment and get some extra work done," he said before a click filled the air and he raised his empty sidearm to look down the sights. "Besides, some extra target practice will help me from getting rusty," he stated before looking to the group of pilots with a small smile. They were a bit hesitant seeing as how they didn't want to just leave their comrade, but knowing him they knew there was no talking him into it and accepted it before heading out.

"Alright then, but if you change your mind you know where to find us," a pilot said before leaving the locker rooms with the rest of the group. Liam nodded and offered a grateful smile as they left. A small part of him questioned if he should really stay back, but he had already made up his mind and shrugged it off. With one final run down on his sidearm he rose to his feet, holstered his weapon to his side and left the locker rooms. The base was quite today, which was no surprise to anyone seeing as today was a day of celebration. Liam walked through the base, silent and expressionless as he made his way towards the shooting range, but paused as he passed the Rec room.

Liam thought for a moment before tuning towards the door. "Wonder if anyone made coffee," he thought to himself before entering the room. Honestly quick kick of caffeine sounded nice. It was no surprise to see the Rec room empty due to the occasion. Well, it was almost empty as he noticed a familiar face. "Morning Sergeant Matsuo," Liam greeted with a nod before glancing over to the counter to see that half a thing of coffee was just waiting for him. With a satisfied sigh he walked over to the counter and began to pour himself a cup before turning around and leaning against the counter. "I take it you are not taking part in todays celebrations?" he questioned as he took a sip of his drink. It wasn't the greatest cup of joe, but it still did the trick.

@UltimoScorp

While the rest of the base was out in the city enjoying their holiday, a lone pilot entered the hangar. Hassan strolled through the hangar, empty and quiet safe for the Raptors' section, where a skeleton crew of mechanics were prepping them for the flight display in the afternoon.

Why people would want to be out in the open in the Panamanian afternoon?! It's so humid! It's worse than Cairo. At least you don't end up sticky over there.

Hassan stopped just short of the Raptors, as he reached his Walker, a bronze and russet Warrior. The Jinn. In the absence of flood lights, it looked imposing.

Hassan ran his hands along the Walker's side.

"How are you doing Genie?"

The Walker didn't respond.

Hassan looked around and found the diagnostics panel, hooked up to the Jinn's docking bay. He moved over and booted it up, checking for any issues. The rookie mechanic they'd assigned for routine maintenance after training manoeuvres had screwed up, and with the help of an overly energetic ~~manic pixie dream girl~~ expert mechanic he'd fixed the Jinn up properly. He'd picked up practical knowledge on how to maintain Walkers, one of which was running passive diagnostics.

He waited as it booted up. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He'd promised the on-site crew he'd whip up some of his signature kebabs.



Among the crowded, happy streets of Horizon, Lieutenant Natalie Adelaide Martell strolled along the streets on this a warm day.

Natalie didn't particularly enjoy such weather. It reminded her too much of her last posting, actively suppressing and combating a bellicose rogue state on another continent. It also brought back memories of why she transferred there...

No. None of that. This is a holiday. I need to... Need to let go.

Absentmindedly, she decided to buy a corndog. It tasted quite good. She began to relax and take in the sights.

I guess this place isn't so bad. I could enjoy this place... Someday.

OOC: both open for interaction.

"Hey watch it!"

"Woah! Look out!"

There were more general cries of outrage and indignance as an open topped light-tactical-vehicle weaved in and out of traffic through the crowded streets of Horizon. Its cargo, a half dozen uniformed officers- dressed down and sleeves up- sporting sunglasses, bottles, and a lack of regulated headgear. Two sat with their legs sticking off the back of the vehicle, hands clasped tightly around 'oh shit' handles to keep them from falling out, while another stood on his seat, body sticking out the top of the vehicle and waving at passers by. On the sidewalks, children ran alongside the vehicle for as long as they could, waving excitedly at the soldiers sporting the Walker Coprs insignias on their uniforms and women rolled their eyes in exasperation as they ignored the whistles and catcalls coming from the vehicle. Patriots cheered as the vehicle cruised by and other drivers honked their horns in frustration as the military vehicle cut in and out from in front of them.

Ingram Shaw sat shotgun, arm out the window and casually patting at the outside of the door, aviators on his face, and feet kicked up on the console. He lifted a half empty bottle of cheap beer up and took a sip- tasted like shit, but hey it was free so what were you going to do about it? Technically they weren't supposed to be drinking, especially with the Raptor-Demo coming up soon, but a single beer was hardly intoxicating, especially when the beer was as light and cheap as this. Shitty beer or not, the Dingo Squadron was in high spirits, most people were- it was Colony Day, and the past two years in Horizon taught Ingram a thing or two about how to spend Colony Day.

There was a whoop, and the sound of breaking glass as the truck jumped a curb and headed off the main road, almost knocking one of the soldiers sitting in the back out of the vehicle, as he dropped his bottle to grab onto the back of the vehicle. The truck vibrated and rocked as the pavement gave way to dirt and gravel, the vehicle gaining speed considerably as they left the traffic contested Horizon roads for the clear and empty pathways of the Horizon military base.

Considerably quieter than Horizon itself- what with most of its staff and personnel on leave to celebrate the holiday, the men and women of Dingo Squadron- or those selected for the demonstration were left to themselves, hooting and hollering as their vehicle careened down the road at speeds that were decidedly unsafe. Cruising onto and across the empty airstrip, the truck made its last hurrah before it headed into the massive Walker Hangar that held the base's Arsenal Walker complement.

Safe from the heat of the outdoors, the massive shaded hangars were cool and relaxing as the truck skidded to a halt in front of the parked Raptors, a few of the pilots jumping out of the truck before it had even come to a full stop. A few of the engineers and techs on the skeleton crew stopped what they were doing and approached the dismounting pilots.

Finishing his beer, Ingram left the bottle on top of the console as he stepped out of the vehicle, trading the bottle of a six pack of canned beers held together by plastic pack rings. He pulled a beer off and tossed it to one of the approaching techs before handing the rest of the pack off to another pilot. The tech in question caught it as he approached, opening it with a single hand as he gave a haphazard, lazy salute to the officer.

"Hey El-Tee," the chief tech grunted as a way of greeting, the name plate on his breast reading 'Stevens', "You gentlemen look like you were having a good time."

"Just getting some sights in," Ingram replied with a shrug, "Its Colony Day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, we even got you lot party favors," called out Kensington, another pilot, as he tossed beers to a few of the other engineers on the skeleton crew.

"Ah yes, because shitty Natural Century is an excellent and quality drink for refined tastebuds." Replied Chief Stevens with a look of distaste, as he took a swig from the blue and silver can that was widely regarded as one of the cheapest, if shittiest beers on Horizon. "You know, for men on officer's salaries, you sure don't know how to use them."

Ingram waved a dismissive hand, "Oh I know how to spend money, I just like to spend it on myself is all. Anyway, how're the Raptor's looking?"

Chief Stevens rolled his eyes. "Well, the Demo Raptors are just about ready to go, I know you spent money on the paint for your Sparrowhawk so I pulled it off the 'demo' list for another one you'll be flying instead. The Demo-Raptors are freshly painted and loaded for bear."

"Loaded? With what?" questioned Ingram curiously, his eyes drifting towards the painted Python Rocket Pods attached to each of the Raptor's wing hardpoints.

"Pyrotechnics," Replied Stevens, with a smirk, "Gotta give the folks a show after all."

"Well, I'll be," chuckled Kensington, with a smug shit eating grin on his face.

"Alright, bring it in boys and girls." Ingram said with a laugh as a dozen or so cans and bottles of beer were lifted into the center of their little gathering. "Here's to showing off like a bunch of peacock assholes."

"Hooah!"

Yuna swiveled her head around at the greeting, and a grin slid easily onto her face.

"Hey there, Liam! Nah, I'm apparently important enough to keep around today, so I'm stuck on standby. Don't know why, it's not like anything is gonna happen today, it's freakin' Colony Day! People are too busy having a good time to worry about all of..... this," She gestured wildly around the room, which caused her chair to tip off balance and land her unceremoniously on the floor.

After picking herself up a bit sheepishly, she brushed the dust off and sighed.

"So how come you're still here, huh?"

@Raider Dog

Liam stifled a small chuckle as Yuna fell to the ground and shrugged as she asked her question once she rose to her feet. "I just felt I needed to get some work done and polish up on my skills," he said and gestured down towards his newly cleaned sidearm. "I was actually heading down to the shooting range to make sure I don't get rusty with my shooting. It's been awhile since I've had a chance to fire it," he said before taking another sip of his drink. "Plus big celebrations like these aren't really my thing. I rather focus on my duties before anything else," he stated and glanced back to Yuna. "Also, to take a step back a bit, just because it's Colony Day doesn't mean shit can't hit the fan. It's good to always be prepared, even if it is a pain," he said before he finished his drink and pushed off from the counter.

"Anyways Sergeant, while you look absolutely busy with all of, well, this," he gestured around the room before he gently rested his hand on his holstered weapon and jabbed a thumb towards the door. "How about you come with me to the range. It'll keep you on your toes and give you something to do," he offered. He let a small smirk come to his face as he held one single finger. "We can even make a bet out of it if you want," he suggested with a small spark of competitive nature in his eyes. Normally he wouldn't make a bet out of anything, but he was technically off duty so he made an exception. Besides, it would be nice to have a partner at the range. Plus he hated to see someone wasting their time doing nothing.

@UltimoScorp

Alex flowed with the crowd across the sidewalk, newly burdened with a pack of supplies for his day off. He mentally went over his checklist as the sun once more beat down on him and and the newly sprung-up stands and carts tempted him to into an unscheduled snack. Halfway through his mental checklist his thoughts were interrupted by an irritated buzzing from his uplink. He lifted the device from his pocket and turned the screen upwards. "HBMT-Dave" One of the mechanics for the I08. He removed the earpiece and slipped it on before pressing his thumb fully against the answer button. the screen flashed green, confirming his identity. He kept walking, passing people and stands as he split his focus.

"Hello? Alex?" came Dave's stressed voice. "I hear you. How's the NightOwl?" An unscheduled call meant an unexpected issue with the new equipment. "The I08 is fine, but I need you to authorize a remote unlock. Diagnostic missed some faulty plugs because we couldn't fully energized the array with the test bench." Alex already had his thumb hovering over the screen, but paused. "Have you secured everything? I don't need to remind you of the trouble we'll be in if someone walks in because you forgot to check a door.". Dave sighed. Protocol was nothing to ignore, and that went double for secretive government contracts for military tech. "I made sure. I'm in the far hangar, every bay but this one is empty, and the doors are locked." Alex nodded to no one in particular as he pressed his thumb against the screen. "You have roughly an hour before that hangar is full of military personnel again. Do what you can." He could already hear the hydraulics of the maintenance hatch lifting the plate behind the I08's head. "It'll take thirty minutes tops." With that, the call disconnected.

Alex returned his attention to the streets around him, the volume having increased as more people filled the crowds in anticipation of the parade. He checked his watch. five minutes. He quickened his pace as he headed for the park. Smart path choice for the parade, and lots of shade and seating for the onlookers.

@Norik@Caasicam

Horizon Parade Route-Beryl Harken

"Marcus, Martell! Up here!"

The cry came from above and slightly behind the pair. Any glances for the source of the noise would quickly locate one Test Pilot Beryl Harken leaning over the railing of a second story balcony overlooking the street. The double doors into the room beyond was open and the sounds of a party could be faintly heard over the sound of the crowd. Beryl herself was out of uniform, one might say extremely so. Clad in bikini top and shorts with a triangle of some sort of light floral cloth tied around her waist in a manner that was obviously more decorative than functional. All in all she looked more like one of the civilian tourists than a skilled Walker pilot.

"You two looking for a place to watch the parade?"