LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
There was still a light drizzle in the air from last night's storm, pelting the hull of the motionless Triumph-Class DropShip resting on the moist tarmac, and the variety of buildings and ruins which surrounded it. The military base had been built centuries ago to safeguard the frontier world from Kurita raids, only to be nominally abandoned a mere decade later when the last industrial site of note upon Svarstaad closed its doors for the final time. Two years ago it had been reactivated to serve as the planetary base of the Silver Wyverns mercenary company, and despite the best efforts of the company's technicians and the House Stroiden engineers much of it still lay destitute and abandoned. Commander Nariyoshi had a knack for motivating his employees to look on the brighter side of things, but now...
Now Commander Nariyoshi was dead, with his remains interred to the earth on a small hill overlooking the base. The funeral was a month ago and yet it still felt as though it was yesterday. The planet itself seemed to think so, for a mix of sleet, rain and snow had fallen from the heavens nigh-on since that fateful day.
The revelation within the Old Man's will, regarding this secret daughter of his, had prevented the company from splintering at the seams, yet still an overhang of muted nervousness could not help but develop across the base as week after week ticked on by without word from Nariyoshi's Galatean contacts, until...
At last, the day was here where they would wait no longer, as base sentries alerted it's occupants of an approaching groundcar.
@Fullyautomagic
The rain tapped again and again against the windshield of the vehicle as it bumped along unused asphalt roads, despite the best effort of the driver to make the ride over from Svarsby Spaceport as comfortable as was possible. Stealing a glance at the other occupants of the car, Natsuki could not help but for a moment to reminisce about how the elderly man sat opposite of her had found her, worn out, sleep deprived and ready to call it quits on Skye after a mere season hiding away from the baleful gaze of the Dragon.
It must have been quite the shock to any onlookers, to hear their unassuming but insulated apartment neighbor was in fact the sole inheritor of a mercenary company. Hell, for a moment she could not believe it either! Father never spoke of Uncle Nariyoshi when she was young, not after...whatever he did to get his name torn off the family tree, and here he'd been all along, galivanting across the Sphere like some Tri-Vid superhero.
And now he was dead, long before she could have even known he was still alive. The thought stung her deep, though thankfully Sir Alistair was there to break her out of her spiralling thoughts. "Miss Hatake, we've arrived." He plainly informed her, as indeed her eyes observed the passing barbed-wire fencing and the imposingly approaching silhouette of the DropShip parked ahead of them...
@Archivist Grim
As the most experienced member of the command staff left-over following Nariyoshi's death, Warrin had attained the dubiously important position of "Interim-Commander" until the arrival of his friend's replacement. Who would have thought that Nariyoshi kept up with the affairs of the Hatake family after all these years? Despite the best efforts of the company rumor mill, the heir-apparent to the "Old Man" moniker knew better, for after all these years he had many friends across the Sphere, and all told the same story, despite the best efforts of the Hatake patriarch to squash any hint of the truth. To think the man would stoop so low for a mere teenage dalliance? It boggles the mind.
At his side, Karl was as-always hiding his anxiousness by diving into the details of paperwork and statistics, not that Warrin couldn't blame him for it this once. All in all, with losses both material and financial tallied, the Wyverns had been savaged in the last engagement, and the month they spent twiddling their thumbs and burning C-Bills did not help matters at all. It would be good to get on the road again, once the kid had been settled into her new role...
Behind the pair, one of Dryden's grunts adjusted the umbrella held to shield the two officers from the weather ever-so-slight, as the car slid to a halt in front of them, and the old bastard Alistair stepped out to greet the pair. Behind the tinted glass, Warrin's old eyes could make out the small shape of their new commander, but little else.
@Walker Of Chaos
Administration was not Karl's forte, but with Warrin swamped by all his other sudden responsibilities the task of calculating the Wyvern's financials had fallen to him in the month of inactivity they'd been forced to undergo. The situation was not at all looking good, and they would require more work soon if they were to ever have a hope of remaining solvent. He'd kept everyone as abreast of these problems as best he could, but they all knew there was but one answer. "Hurry up and wait till the replacement gets here."
Now here he stood, out in the cold, getting increasingly less dry, and fighting to ensure his financial dataslate did not get taken by the howling winds overhead, because Warrin specifically wished to have him act the role of adjutant despite the fact the former intelligence officer already had someone to be his secretary! At times, Karl wondered if Warrin was being truthful when he said he had nothing against Lyrans...
At last the car crossed the final checkpoint and swung up by the 'Mech Hangar, the aging face of Sir Alistair Coburg emerging from the rightmost backseat to greet the trio awaiting them.
@Duzzit
The 'Mech Hangar was rather chilly despite the best attempts of the temperature regulators to fight against the cold outside, and the masses of technicians, soldiers and workers are crowded within it's spacious interiors, all gathered to greet the new arrival. A sigh at this side drew his attention away from the great mass of Humanity ahead of him, to the leather-clad form of his wingman.
"It's fucking depressing is what it is." Calliope grunts out, before placing the half-smoked cigarette back between her luscious lips. "They're bringing in the Old Man's kid to take his job, though for all we know we're about to throw some teenager off the deep-end, just because he asked us so damn politely in the will." A sigh escaped her, accompanied by an obvious cloud of smoke. It was clear that despite the hostile tone, his wingman wasn't quite ready to accept the fact Commander Nariyoshi was gone, and honestly he could not blame her. The Old Man was about as close to a father-figure for the girl when she first came onboard, and it's a tough thing, burying parents...
He elected not to respond right away, his eyes turning to his watch, as it clicked steadily towards 2'o'clock. Their guest should be arriving any minute now.
@Nikolaj1998
She knew she should pay attention to the greater gathering around her. She knew she should run a quick maintenance check on her Mongoose before Bella came round to her part of the hangar, she knew, and yet she could not tear her eyes away from the small metallic locket clutched in her hands. The one thing that the recovery team had managed to gather from the destroyed wreck of her cousin's 'mech. The oath she gave to Commander Nariyoshi, that valiant example of Blackwood honor, now stung even further with the death of Nariyoshi himself in the Wyverns' last battle.
The company yet lived, and her oath alongside it, due to the secrets the Old Man had kept from even his closest followers. A secret daughter, right out of the dynastic dramas of old books or holovid entertainment. Were she the Anastasia of yesteryear she might have even gushed at the tale, but the Anastasia of today knew better. She dearly hoped that whatever awaited her in the future, an inexperienced child as her commanding officer was not to be...
@Jack Hansan
To be cooped up for so long in one place, simply waiting and waiting, did not sit well with Ryan at all. Over the last month he'd moved when he could. He accepted patrol duties, did extra shifts, even helped the mechtechs whenever they'd let him, just so there was something for him to do at all times. It helped him forget, to not think about the asskicking they were on the receiving end of a mere month ago. He himself made it out from that disaster in just about one piece by luck alone, and if he had not, Bella would make sure his body was never found.
Speaking of the Chief Technician of the Wyverns, again she was in front of him, a scowl marring her otherwise fine features, as she looked his Swordsman up and down. "You're pushing your museum piece hard as usual I see." She grunted, and why would he not? It was his ancestral 'mech, damn it!
"In case you forgot, if anything breaks down we'll have to machine the parts ourselves, and that ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. How many times do I have to tell ya to cool your damn jets before your 'mech gives up the ghost? I might just not repair it next time you bring it in to make the fucking lesson stick." The lady meant well, but after all these years of Ryan bringing the Swordsman into her care in less-than-pristine conditions, the mechtech was quickly losing what wits she had left.
The replacement commander could not get here fast enough.
@Taricus
Sevastian enjoyed thinking and pondering. It was a valuable trait which ensured his survival even after all these years, despite the best efforts of Cassnew to to see him killed in the line of duty. It's what allowed him to bullshit his way into the good graces of Nariyoshi, while keeping his own handlers satisfied, and now hopefully it would ensure his continued 'employment' even in the face of the Wyverns fraying at the edges. A particular worry he could not shake however was the silence of Nicholas or his toadies. If they had their way he'd be off on the next shuttle from this backwater, and yet he remained...
At best, he could guess that there was some politicking and intrigue that was way above his paygrade happening in the halls of power, but such unstable equilibriums by their very nature are temporary solutions.
"Boss?" At his side, Elise "Ellie" Laidlaw, the ever-dependable scoundrel second-in-command to his persona of Iona, spoke, while lightly tapping him at his side. The goons that had come with him from the Bloody Fists were in a strange way loyal to him after all these years, for he continued to steer them towards lucrative opportunities and paychecks, and if the worst came to worst... Well, they'd be useful regardless.
"You holdin' out on us again, boss?" Ellie prodded good-naturedly, not expecting anything was amiss, as usual. "You thinkin' bout the Old Man's kid?"
@Simpli
Alex was at her side once again, half-pestering in a way that only a younger sibling could channel, while at the same time remaining endearing. Of course, were Kayla to voice those opinions the younger Dryden sister would puff up into a ball of pouts and teenage indignation. Despite this, the sight was a tempting one, and she might have gone for that particular jab regardless, if they all hadn't been crammed into the base's 'Mech Hangar for the upcoming meeting. The Archers were used to the displays, but no need to embarrass Alexis in front of the rest of the Wyverns.
Despite a month passing by since her return, it was hard to get used to the fact that her parents were not around gracing the grunts with their presence, nor Commander Nariyoshi and his grandfatherly aura that had led the Wyverns through the toughest of times. Now, times were harder-still, and this particular dragon had just had it's head chopped off...
"-And I hear that the Old Man had to hide her because her mom got offed by her parents. Crazy fuckin' noble politics and intrigue, didn't think Nari was good enough for their girl. Bet our first contract after she takes over is going after her grandparents, get some sweet revenge!" It appeared Alexis had been lurking about the base again, taking bits from every rumor that was floating about, and making a grand story which only made sense in the head of a teen.
Though that swearing slip-up certainly meant she'd been hanging around a certain someone again. Maybe she should have a talk with the aerospace pilots, and 'politely' ask they temper their language around her little sister.
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