Hidden 9 yrs ago 9 yrs ago Post by vancexentan
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Earth - Monday - 3:00 - London, England - Londo Bell Military Base - Prologue: Bright's New Stars

=====

It was a bright day today in London with many people going back and forth doing their jobs and living their lives day to day. The year is 0095 UC two years after the attack by Char's Neo Zeon. For years now Earth had been subject to war and atrocities committed by the forces of Zeon and more recently it's own members the Titans in attempts to quell growing descent within the Earth Sphere and space. The Second Zeon War, Gryps Conflict, The One Year War, and even the attempt to drop Axis onto the planet had caused all sorts of hell. But today no one was worrying about that they were too busy with their own lives. The military forces around the base in the outskirts of the city were busy with practicing drills and or controlling the air traffic around the city. It was a hard job but the garrison kept at it in order to make sure London didn't fall to a terrorist force. There were many similar bases around the world but this one was a central hub to the space fairing people who wished to visit and leave Earth through official means.

This particular base stationed many of Londo Bell's finest pilots now including a pilot by the name of Ken McCarthy whom had served with Londo Bell, and Amuro Ray during his final hours in the war and a veteran from the AEUG. Along side him were other noted soldiers. The base was spacious and held many barracks, cafeterias, hangers, as places to sit down and relax, or train depending what you wished to do. The base had a typical layout for a base of it's size including many floors below and above the ground floor and a airfield for docking and launching ships into space.

The man known as 'The Grey Ghost' by his fellow Londo Bell soldiers or more privately as Quentin Richards sat down in a chair looking out the window sipping on some water and eating a snack. He had been practicing through a good portion of the day and while he was somewhat tired he had grown use to it. Over twenty years of military practice would drill into your the discipline to keep going even when you were worn out. He had been told a new Jegan unit had been made for him in replacement for his older machine which had been damaged too heavily too be repaired fully. He mourned for his machine like he would a member of his team that died. It had been with him for years now. Normally he would be in America, or in space but today Bright Noa had called him in for a new duty. He was too be placed in a squad of a commando unit and be charged with leading it. He hated leading. It never ended well for Quentin so many of his men had died under his command for all of his successes he had never been good at leading. It was because he was such a solid pilot with a lot of experience that he was even chosen to lead this group as stood. He didn't know his fellow pilots but he was given a large dossier on all of them and their non-classified histories.

He skimmed through it and considered how this would all work out. In truth he really wasn't paying too much attention to the dossier. Men and women were different when you met them in public or for the first time. It was a mask everyone wore no one showed their true faces. He could only hope his new friends wouldn't leave him longing for a new team. Quentin himself knew he was a boring person but he liked to think that made him more malleable too different situations. He was a career soldier first and foremost that was the one truth about him. He had tried to get away from it before but it never happened. He took one more sip of his water and chewed down on a hamburger bought from a nearby fast food restaurant that was a short trip away from the base. He was wearing his federation attire with the coat unbuttoned for the moment revealing a white shirt underneath it. He didn't mind if it wasn't protocol he was on his off time after all. Soon enough he'd clean himself off and go and do his thing.

He himself was located near the training room and had chosen his place because it was a simple area with a good view in the middle of the hallway. A cafeteria was nearby, one of two, and just down the hallway up the stairs was where the briefing room usually took place at. Down the steps on the ground floor were the entry area with the main doors leading in and out of the place, a security office, and a few other doors that led to various places mostly control rooms. He sat there silently hoping that today would be a good day.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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"This is fascinating."

Three little words, but they served to sum up the complicated mix of feelings swelling within the nineteen year old pilot's chest. Londo Bell's London base, all things considered, wasn't too far out of the ordinary for a military establishment of similar size. Housing and recreational facilities, dining facilities, training facilities, all were held under a single roof. Rather spaciously, at that. All of these things were familiar, very similar in many ways to the Newtype labs she was accustomed to. Some differences, obviously, as the two didn't actually share construction schematics. But the similarities were there. The real difference was in the atmosphere. People were everywhere. Not scientists, not overseers, not handlers, just people. Normal people. Pilots, officers, support staff. People.

Akemi Tschida couldn't really help but try and keep as many of them as possible in her line of sight, watching their doings with great interest. The dining hall (she thought that was the term, she'd never been in one before) was a hub of social activity, and she was eager to observe as much of it as possible. Not, however, to the exclusion of the plate of 'fish and chips' in front of her; an attribute also under the heading of 'fascinating'. Small, curious bites got gradually bigger as the female half of the twins concluded that she did like the food on her plate. "This is good, Akimi. Try yours."

Blue eyes panned across the area.

"Do you think they get to come here every day?"
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"If they did," noted the male half of the Tschida twins clinically, his icy blue eyes gazing analytically at the greasy chunk of cod pinched between the index finger and thumb of his right hand, "we would have been alerted to an increased rate of heart disease amongst base personnel."

The fat content present within his sister's meal of choice (and given her enthusiasm, now also his) was far in excess of any of the highly-regulated dishes the researchers had provided them back at the Augusta Newtype Research Institute. Regular consumption of the "fish and chips" (approximate caloric content: 1434kJ) would no doubt lead to cardiovascular illnesses, not to mention the impact it would possess in regards to developing obesity.

If the "fish and chips" were representative of the regular fare that the base's dining facilities provided to personnel, then it was likely that no, they did not visit every day, but it was a flawed hypothesis borne from a sample size of one in the end, as he had not taken into account other possible meal types. Such as fruit and vegetables.

Akimi frowned, feminine face creasing in thought as he stared at the piece of fish for another second. It was something he had never eaten before.

He dropped it into his mouth.

Chew.

Chew.

Chew.

The texture of the fish, of its batter and muscle fibres, danced across his tongue. It was a new, yet not entirely unwelcome, feeling.

"It's salty," he said finally, swallowing down the chunk of fish.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by vancexentan
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A man with shining blonde hair and blue eyes walked up to the Tschida twins. He had a smile on his face as he walked up to them and was generally beaming. "Hey there you two you don't look like the kind of personnel that's usually seen around here. At the least I don't recognize you. How's everything going? Mind if I sit down?" the man asked with relaxed tone as he took a bite of his sandwich. He was a rather handsome man all things considered and it was clear he was a pilot by the patches on his suit. Apparently he was a member of the 75th Mobile Infantry Unit as due to the symbol on his left shoulder. He wore a basic uniform on otherwise with a white shirt underneath it visible due to the fact his front two buttons were undone. He spoke with an unfamiliar accent as well showing off he wasn't American, or English. But that being said the accent wasn't too strong but it was audible underneath his soft voice.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by swifttalon
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Ayano's GM slid back in the dirt, the newly attached Jegan shield being sliced into by the Geara Doga's beam axe. The pilot was panting, this being the final mobile suit for her to defeat in the immediate area. Presumably, the hardest as well, considering the other three were not very difficult. She slung her shield out, staggering the Zeon suit, and thrusted backwards, the dust flying in the air. Ayano flicked a couple switches, and the tube launchers on the inside of the shield activated, smoke billowing behind the projectiles. The enemy suit bolted to the side, and charged her again. "Tch, not the best idea, schmuck," she muttered, activating a beam saber. Moving slightly to the side, the GM III boosted at the Geara, slicing the beam of energy across its abdomen, nearly severing the two parts. Sliding to a halt, Ayano looked back as the Zeon suit exploded into a pink cloud.

The cockpit screens closed, blinking to black as a message appeared, reading "Simulation Over." Another couple of flicks, and the hatch into the cockpit opened up, an older man standing outside, hands crossed over his chest. "Well. How'd the new shield fare?" he questioned. Ayano pulled herself out of the GM, loosening her uniform collar. "It worked, definitely better than the old GM one. Those missiles are damn useful, too. Good for getting off a quick shot the jackass might not expect."

"Good, I'm glad that worked. Any other ideas you have for her?" the man asked, moving his gaze up to the older suit. "She's an old one, y'know? I'm surprised you haven't moved up to a Jegan, especially since I know how you are about suit specifications." Ayano sighed, shaking her head. "I have plenty of ideas, for sure. But, nothing that we can do now. Besides, she's a good suit- been with me since I started piloting these things. It's not like they can't go toe-to-toe with a Jegan or anything," she said, walking past the mechanic. "I'm sure one day she'll go down, but right now, she's gonna be kicking ass, Alecks. And right now, I'm going to grab some grub. I haven't eaten since yesterday. Later ya gearhead." The pilot waved at her old friend before walking out of the hanger.

Half an hour later with a plastic bag by her side, Ayano walked into the main building of the base, squeezing through the doorway as a larger man was walking through. Making a salute gesture with her fingers at the security guys, she looked up at the stairs. She should probably go to the mess hall to actually eat, even if she just grab some soup from a local hole-in-the-wall place. Begrudgingly walking up the stairs, the pilot noticed a graying man with a thousand yard stare looking out of the window. Had something happened? As she walked past, Ayano glanced at him, with a somewhat quiet, "Sir, are you alright?" If didn't hear her, whatever. If he did, he did.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by Krayzikk
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Akemi's head was cocked ever so slightly to the right while she looked at the man that had approached the table, requesting permission to sit. Not that he technically needed it; the seat was open, unclaimed, and nothing she was doing (nor anything her brother was doing) was actively barring him from making use of it. Perhaps this was an example of social dynamics? Unwritten rules demanding a certain explicit permission due to proximity? These were the difficult questions. Still, after a slight pause, she gestured permissively at the chair in question with one hand while taking a bite of her food with the other.

"It's open." She said simply, casting a sidelong look to her brother as if inquiring as to his opinion. "We arrived recently. Unfamiliarity is not surprising."
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"Glad to hear I hope I'm not intruding newbies." commented the man as he sat down next in the chair and raised an eyebrow at them. "Must be getting old you two look a lot alike. Or are you two related?" the man asked as he leaned back in his chair casually. The man didn't seem to mind not bringing up proper protocol in the lunch room. He just seemed to want to talk to them. "I'm just here as a guard more or less. Boring duty but they need a big guy here just in case. My team is off preparing for a practice match with another infantry unit. That's what we usually do here...simulating matches and see who gets the higher score. I hpe you guys won't be here for too long. Hate for you too fall into the circle of monotony." the man said with a sip of some sort of drink from a bottle with a label ripped off of it.

===

"Hm oh hello there. I'm just thinking about life and a lot of stuff friend don't worry about it. I've been at this job for a lot longer than I'd like seen a lot of bad things. Sometimes a man just needs some time to think about things. I'm Quentin Richards...and if I'm not mistaken you're Ayano aren't you? I've been reading up on you a little. You're going to be assigned to me squad soon if I'm correct. It's nice to meet you I look forward to serving with you." Quentin said reaching out his hand towards the young woman hoping she'd shake his hand. He hand't read up too much on her but she had apparently come from somewhere in space and had joined the infantry corps on merit of her skills with the wrench. He hoped she was friendly he had gotten unfriendly soldiers before or ones too married to the job to break bread with a lieutenant. He hated taking that rank but he had to there were simply too many pilots lacking his experience.
Hidden 9 yrs ago Post by swifttalon
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"Ah, so that explains why I'm on Earth. I had gotten the message, but I didn't really see anything about what the request was actually for," she replied, taking the lieutenant's hand. "It just told me to report to the London base with my suit, no more. Ever since I was transferred to Londo Bell, I've been kept in the dark about, well, pretty much everything." Ayano held up her bag of food. "I'm heading down the hall to eat now, if you want to join and talk over lunch. Unless, you have some leader-ly business to take care of, sir. Don't let me take you out of your job." She said, continuing her walk down to the mess hall, soup probably lukewarm at this point.
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"Don't worry I'm not too bad a guy. Just really grizzled and getting on in years. I wasn't too much younger than you were when I first started out in the service." Quentin chuckled as he shook his head. He was hoping the girl would be at least a little formal. After all they were in Londo Bell's western Europe HQ. "I'd be happy to join you but I'm going to go check in with the techs near the hangers. I'm getting a new unit specifically for being put in charge of this unit. Nothing fancy probably but my old suit went up in a heap of trash awhile back. It was an old GM type suit from back when the Titans were still kicking. Served me well through the past years just couldn't keep up with the newer suits though. Still I hope you enjoy your lunch Ayano. And for reference my name is Lieutenant Quentin Richards. If you need me you'll know where I am. I'm sure they'll be shouting at us to meet someone big up the chain soon so we can get our first assignment." Quentin continued on as he took another big bite out of his food and chewed on it slowly. He was hoping that the others in his group would be a bit older but only time would tell who would and wouldn't be joining the crew.
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"We are fraternal twins," stated the male of the pair, his icy blue gaze still trained upon the battered cod sitting in his plate. He had barely acknowledged the newcomer's presence, leaving the greetings to his sister. There was essentially no need for him to engage in conversation with the other figure.

Their assignment did not coincide with that of the 75th Infantry Squadron either, hence their current situation would be an example of what was called "small talk". It was not something the Tschida twins were particularly familiar with, given the lack of other humans to socialise with to the extent where such could occur. The Augusta Newtype Research Institute cared little for it. He cared little for it as well. The newcomer was merely but another human. What data he could obtain from them was likely minimal, especially in regards to their current assignment.

Akimi picked up a chip (23% of the daily fat intake for an adult male, 314 mg of sodium, also known as 'French fries' in some cultures) and took a single bite out of it. His teeth ground against the soft, potato texture. It was oily.
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"What he said." Akemi seconded, pointing to her brother with what was in her hand; a chip, naturally. The chip made its trip to her mouth very quickly afterwards, while the other half of the Newtype pair mulled over what the newcomer had said quietly. Akimi was busy thinking. He usually was. Might have been about the person, might have been about the food, but her wager would have been on the latter if she was a betting woman. Or if she had much in the way of money to bet. People didn't fascinate Akimi. Still, what this guard had said was something approaching useful vis a vis its factual content, so perhaps it was a conversation worth perpetuating for at least a little longer.

"We will not be here long." The female twin elaborated, making another chip disappear rather quickly. Such consumption of food seemed to punctuate her sentences as much as any mark. "We are present for our assignment to a new team. The lab shipped us here ahead of time in the event that situations moved the date of assignment up, but not so early that anything might go wrong."

"Their caution might be my fault. We disagree on that."
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"Twins and newbies? No offense guys but that's actually pretty funny." the man chuckled as he laid back into his chair. He finished off the rest of his food before wrapping his arms around his head. "And you seem eerily calm about all of this new squad changing and shit. You wouldn't have happened to be casted in any horror movies would you? It would seem like it would be right up your alley." the man said as cracked his neck before shaking his head. "I'm just messing with you guys in case you weren't aware. But yeah don't worry if you are heading out too space or going towards some base nearby you'll be spared the monotony of this place." the man said with difference as he spit into a nearby trash can. "Any idea on who your new boss is? If he's around here I'll probably know him everyone around here knows me at the least. Shouldn't be too hard to get too the bottom of it. If you don't whatever you'll find him or her eventually this place has a lot of good people in it. They'll show you around if you need the help. That being said I don't mind helping you out either at least until my job comes up later." The man continued as he scratched behind his right ear idly.
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"Acknowledged."

Akimi bit into another chip, tongue savouring the texture of the fried potato substance and taking in the starchy flavours. He chewed, shining white teeth mechanically grinding against the soft, vegetable flesh behind a closed mouth. Upon completing consumption of that piece of food, he reached out to delicately tear off more from the baked cod. The new sensations offered by the consumption of this "fish and chips" meal were quite interesting, providing a considerable amount of new data for study.

Let his sister be the one engaging with the human that had approached them. He held no interest in them.
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Akemi cocked her head slightly, regarding the man with what resembled faint curiosity. She took a bite of her food without looking, instead briefly swapping the focus of her gaze for her brother as if to determine whether or not he had picked up on the same points of interest she had. If Akimi gave any indication of his opinion, it wasn't one anyone else picked up on. His twin nevertheless looked back to the guard and permitted her head to return to its usual orientation while she took a bite of food.

"I did not say we were new." The female Schida said simply, taking a bite of her food before continuing to elaborate. "We have not previously been enlisted in a recognized Earth Federation Forces unit. We have seen combat in the First Neo Zeon War. By the standard of old Earth branches of aerial services, we would be considered aces by virtue of having a kill count in excess of five enemy units each. These actions were not sanctioned by the Augusta Newtype Lab, however."

"We were not permitted to take part in the Second Neo Zeon War. I was quite disappointed."
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"I'll be frank you shouldn't be worried about not having been involved with the Second Zeon War." the man said with a suddenly grimace at the mentioning of the war. "I served during it. I lost a lot of good people and killed just as much. Taking a life shouldn't be an easy thing for anyone too do. Now I'd like it if you two could bare with me for a second. I'm going to get a bit facetious. It's a person's self control that separates us from trash like the Zabi clan and fanatical Titans. Lose that and you're no better than a rabid dog looking for more prey. Trust me on that one I've seen good men turn bad once they get blood on their hands and like the feel of it." The man said as he pushed himself off the chair and cracked his neck. "Alright I think that got unnecessarily heavy. But I'm going to go back to my squad now unless you two want some help finding someone or something."
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"I see."

Fish and chips, he noted, dispassionately glancing down at his meal once again with his cool, analytical blue gaze, had arisen as a stock meal amongst the working classes of the Kingdom of Great Britain during the later half of the 19th century as a consequence of developments in trawl fishing in the North Sea, providing the people of the Isles with greater access to fresh fish, and the establishment of a railway network between the major industrial hubs and sea ports served to expose more of the population to the meal. The presence of a Spanish Jewish diaspora, having fled persecution in their homelands, brought the technique of frying fish, hence inventing the model for the modern-day dish. It was interesting, seeing how the economic and social realities of the day could influence cuisine in such a manner; how recipes developed seem to be something that many humans took for granted, ignorant of the situation that could allowed them to emerge and become popular amongst a sizeable group.

He plucked another one of the chips from the paper, depositing it upon his tongue once more to savour the flavour.

Fried chips, chunks of potato, had also been popularised during the same period, and likely had been in the same form as the modern-day incarnation. They were basic foodstuff, after all, unlikely to have undergone any dramatic evolution. It was why the working class would have flocked towards it; simple, cheap and quick were a blessing to any labourer returning from any occupational struggles.

It was also ... tasteful.
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