[X] Get big sis her favorite food!
Big Sis is always talking about MacDaniels this, MacDaniels that, and she has that big corkboard thing of ads and string.
Honestly, you kind of tune her out once she starts talking about it, but clearly this means her favorite food in the whole world is MacDaniels!
You are so smart! Smartest of your sisters.
After extracting solemn vows from your sisters to not touch your precious parfait while you're gone, you hop off the chair and run towards the counter, where the chef has just finished serving a tired-looking Zeon pilot.
"One Mac of Appreciable Size, please." You request of the man, who pauses as he looks down at you.
"You mean… a Big Mick?" He asks hesitantly. You nod.
"The kitchen is open, you know." He says, "You don't need to have the instant stuff. I can whip up a fresh burger for you."
You shake your head, "Big Mick."
The chef mutters something about kids as he opens a sealed package and pops the desiccated foodstuffs into a machine that begins to hum. You rock back and forth on your heels impatiently as the burger slowly returns to an edible state.
The machine makes a dinging noise, and the chef pulls out the steaming rehydrated burger, putting it into a branded box before handing it to you.
"You want a toy with that, kid?"
You indignantly point at the rank insignia on your flight suit. He sighs.
"Do you want a toy with that, Ensign?"
After you nod, he hands you a little toy Haro wrapped in opaque plastic. You don't know what kind it is, but finding out is half the fun!
"Honestly, the things Londo Bell does for a sponsor…" he grumbles to himself as you skip away, happy as can be. Toy! Toy and burger for big sis!
Rejoining your sisters, you take a moment to stare at that Artesia lady as she practically inhales her food. She must have been hungry!
You set the burger aside from Big Sis and finally dig into your parfait!
So sweet!
So delicious!
You let out a happy sigh as the frozen yogurt melts in your mouth, a mixture of strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry. Practically a dessert medley before you even start on the fruit and granola!
The obliteration of your dessert is paused as you notice most of your sisters look up and wave, shouting various greetings at someone. You look to see who it is.
Huh. Isn't that the Judy guy?
"Is that Juaggu Amygdala?" You ask your sisters. They all give you blank stares.
As you ride the lift-rail down the corridor, you mull over the recent battle.
A lot of pilots didn't make it. Way too many of them were allies. Plus, the state of the Ra Cailum… they must have been hammered. It's a miracle there are still any pressurized compartments.
Speaking of which…
You come to a halt in front of a sealed bulkhead. The area ahead is breached, so you'll need to go around.
As you take your detour, you notice someone else coming from the other direction.
"Theo!" You wave at your friend as get closer, halting using the handle's brakes, "I haven't seen you since we landed! I heard your suit is pretty banged up."
"Huh? Oh." He starts, almost like he didn't notice you until you spoke, "Yeah… it is kind of wrecked."
"How bad?" You ask, but you can already tell from his expression that the prognosis isn't good.
"It's a write-off." He stops himself from banging the wall with his fist, instead gritting his teeth and pushing his closed hand against the bulkhead, "My first Mobile Suit, a high performance one for Newtypes at that, and I wreck it… I guess that's just par for the course though, huh?"
"What do you mean by that?" You ask, a little worried by how he's talking, "You did pretty well. Not your fault that stupid Fed Newtype team targeted us."
"It's not that. It's just…" he trails off, shaking his head, "Nevermind. It's nothing."
As he moves to leave, you grab his arm.
"It's not nothing, Theo. What's bothering you, man? You know you can talk to me about it."
Theo stares at you wearily for a silent few seconds, before answering.
"I'm a burden, aren't I?"
Huh?
"Where is this coming from?" You ask, "You're not a burden, what makes you think that?"
"I know I'm not the best pilot," he continues, looking away, "You and Eris are better than I am, but at least I rounded us out into a team. I was fine in a supporting role, but then… then we got bigger. Sicilia, Mort, and Lorelei, all of them are better pilots than I am."
"Is there even a place for me in Cascadia Team anymore?"
…
You kind of want to slap him.
"Theo…"
"Does this boy think you a fool?" Haman sounds almost indignant in your head, "If he were a burden to your team, he would not be on your team!"
Your thoughts exactly, but that might be a bit too blunt.
"Do you think I just keep you around for support in combat?" You ask in confusion.
"It's because I'm your friend, isn't it?" He sighs, "But Cybele, that's hardly a reason to keep me on the team. I should go."
Okay, he's being dumb.
"Theo, you're my friend, yeah, but you're not a pity hire or some shit like that." You groan, steepling your fingers in front of you, "You're a good pilot. Stop comparing yourself to the others, everyone on the Cascadia Team deserves to be there."
"I'm just average, Cybele. Half of my contribution was my Mobile Suit. Now that it's wrecked, what use do you have for a grunt?"
You lean a little closer, "Theo, you're not a grunt, and I'll be glad to have you fighting alongside me, even if you have to do it in a Jegan. Is that clear?"
He doesn't meet your gaze and just looks down.
"Understood, Cybele…"
Looks like you aren't getting through to him, but you guess you should expect him to work through his issues in a day.
"Come on, I'm heading to the Mess Hall. We should grab a bite before Bright hauls us in for a debrief or something like that."
He follows with a half-hearted nod. You're going to have to find a way to lift his spirits…
"Am I… interrupting anything?"
You stare in complete bewilderment at the scene before you. Sicilia's older sisters, all four of them, are in the middle of separate speeches while gesturing wildly at an uncomfortable-looking Judau Ashta.
"Ensign, help." Judau gives you a tired look.
"Let him suffer." Haman says, "I enjoy seeing that look on his face. His handsome, charming face…"
If Haman had a physical presence you could look at, you'd be blankly staring at her.
"Lady," you think at her, "You got problems."
"Yeah!" Sicilia pipes up, looking at you but not at you, "Judicial Amperage isn't that good looking!"
Was… was she speaking to Haman? Can Sicilia hear Haman?!
Before you can address that, Sicilia's absolute butchery of Judau's name spurs her sisters to immediately start talking, and from what you hear it's a mixture of insisting that Judau is definitely handsome, and chastisement for getting his name wrong for what is certainly not the first time.
Thankfully, Lady Artesia beckons you and Theo to join her off to the side, away from that mayhem.
"I see you and your friend made it, Cybele." She greets you as you sit opposite of her, "I'm glad. Children shouldn't have to pay the price for the mistakes of adults."
While she says this and looks at you, you can tell, she's not seeing you in this moment.
"Thinking of something?" You ask.
"Yes." She nods, refocusing on the here and now, "Just the past. Anyways, both the Scarecrow and Blue Hound have been shot down, with at least one confirmed dead. You're racking up the accolades, aren't you, Miss Black Death?"
You blush a little at that. A distinguished war hero, Sayla Mass, complimenting you? It's very flattering.
"Thanks, but I barely did anything to Luke this time around. He was already basically crippled when I shot him down." You sheepishly admit, "Plus, I only destroyed Jona's machine. Technically, he died to friendly fire."
"Achievements nonetheless." Sayla reaffirms, "You should be proud. Taking down an Ace is no small feat."
Sicilia taps you on the shoulder, having briefly escaped the collective lecture from her sisters.
"For you." She pushes a Big Mick your way, before getting pulled back into a rant by Adrastea about the wonders of Big Brother Extraordinaire, Judau Ashta.
…
MacDaniels, it's inescapable.
You sigh and tuck in. This isn't poisoned. Probably.
The nearby lecture attracts your attention as you take another bite. It's easy to see how these women are, in a sense, Sicilia's sisters, or rather her twins.
They've all got that animated energy, to varying degrees. The most subdued member of their group would have to be that Camilla woman. She doesn't raise her voice and acts much more mature than most of her sisters.
It is kinda funny how uncomfortable Judau is, being the center of attention. Ha. He can suffer. That interrogation was very stressful.
You're about through with the burger when Theo gets back from the counter with a simple ham sandwich and potato soup.
"Hey, Cybele, sorry about your loss."
… Huh?
"My what now?" You ask, "Who died?"
"Not someone, something." He continues, "Your Mobile Armor. It exploded, right?"
"Ah. Yes. That." You shrug, "It sucks, but it's fine. Rhea can fix-"
Your burger falls from your limp fingers.
Rhea.
Oh no.
You fucked up.
"I have to hide." You start to stand up, only to feel a hand clamp down on your shoulders.
"Cybeeeeeele~" the sickly-sweet voice of your Anaheim mechanic whispers into your ear, "What did you do to the Fiveeeeeer II~?"
Ah. This is how you die.
"Sicilia! Help!"
Did you hear something? Must be the wind. You wanna see what you got! The wrapping crinkles in your hands.
"Rhea! Put down the chair! Rhea!"
The plastic packaging pops open and you hurriedly pull out your prize. What could it be?
"Theo, protect me!"
Ooh! It's a little golden Haro with sunglasses! A rare Quattro Bajeena/Hyaku Shiki Haro toy!
THWACK
"Oh shit, Theo!"
You hold the toy up to the light. Ah, that's genuine MacDaniels plastic! You scored!
"Stay back, she-devil! Back!"
You hold the toy up to your sister Adrastea and bob it up and down, "I came here to laugh at you."
She looks at you, then your toy, and pulls out her own red Sazabi Haro, saying in a forced baritone, "Lalah could have been like a mother to me!"
"In the name of the White Meteor I command you to-!"
THWACK
You two smile at each other. Perfect.
One session of desperate groveling later, you secure an ice pack from the kitchen and go to greet Eris as the SAR teams bring her back.
She looks like shit as the hatch pops open on her escape pod. Has she been crying?
The two of you stare at each other until she says, "What happened to you?"
"Rhea hit me in the face with a chair. You?"
"My one-of-a-kind, unique, historical artifact Mobile Suit was just completely destroyed. So, yeah, day isn't going well."
She glances at your shared friend, "What happened to Theo?"
"I got between Rhea and Cybele." He offers as he holds an ice pack to his upper left arm, "My Mobile Suit is also a write-off, so yeah, welcome to the club."
"What about Sicilia?" She asks, looking at the short Cyber Newtype.
"Spotless. Not a scratch." You inform her as Sicilia lifts up that little golden Haro toy she got.
"I've never betrayed anyone in my entire life!" She says in a gruff voice. Is she trying to quote Char? When did he say that?
"Quattro Bajeena. Nice." Eris nods in appreciation. Of course she knows that quote…
Bright was kind enough to let the entire team have a good night's rest before gathering you up. You thought that Alex Team would be here too, but only Christina is.
"Heya," you wave to her as you all file in to sit, "Where's the rest of your guys?"
She glances at you, replying tersely, "Infirmary."
Oh.
"Is it bad?" You ask, and she just sighs.
"They'll make it, but it'll be a bit before they get cleared for flight status again." Christina gives you a sympathetic look, "I heard about Lorelei. She's a good kid. It's awful that happened to her…"
You can only nod at that. Out of everyone on the team, you didn't expect that Lorelei would be the one to get shot down and injured so previously.
"Alright, you're all here." Bright addresses the group, with Rhea standing off to the side and Captain Nouri on a video call behind him, "Now, before we begin-"
The door slides open, and he pauses. Michele Luio wheels Rita into the room in a wheelchair, much to everyone's surprise, except for you.
"Michele Luio… Rita Bernal." Bright regained his composure quickly, "What can I do for you two?"
Rita looks at him, "You called a meeting of Cascadia Team, right? So, I'm here."
At his puzzled look, Michele dryly said, "Didn't you hear, Commander? Cybele Naese extended a gracious invitation to my friend to join her team, and she accepted."
Bright gives you a critical look, and you just return a hardened stare.
"I'm in charge of my team's roster," You point out, "and Rita Bernal is a free woman. Are you going to say that she can't join?"
Captain Nouri groans onscreen, rubbing her forehead, "Ensign, that would involve bringing Rita into Londo Bell. You don't have the authority to make that decision."
"So, you don't want me in your organization?" Rita asks, to which Captain Nouri starts to reply before Bright cuts her off.
"No, you're welcome with Londo Bell, Rita Bernal. Your rank can even carry over. It's just… nevermind. Welcome."
Bright shoots you another critical look before taking a moment to calm himself.
"Anyways, before we begin, I'd like to commend Cascadia Team on their performance this last battle. Despite the casualties you sustained, you soundly defeated the enemy and completed the objective." He looks towards Rita, "We lost the Phenex, but at least nobody gets it. Rita Bernal was also rescued."
"For which you have my gratitude, Commander Bright." Michele does a little bow, "Luio and Co. will properly compensate you for your efforts, and you can expect our support in the future."
"It was our pleasure." Bright nods, "Now, Christina Mackenzie, your team conducted themselves well out in the field, but… frankly, you've suffered severe casualties. Most of your team is grounded due to injury, and every one of your machines is a loss."
She sighs tiredly, "Yes, sir. It'll be a while before we're back up to strength."
"Which is why I'm reassigning you." He says, much to her shock.
"What do you mean, Commander? We're only injured, once we're recovered, we can-!"
"Just to another ship, Lieutenant. We've got another refit Pegasus coming off the yards and I need a good team for it once it's ready to go. Besides, Cascadia Team seems to be growing. I think they'll need the whole Bellerophon before long."
Christina relaxed once it was clear that Bright wasn't benching her, but still…
"Now, this next matter is important and involves Cascadia Team." He said gravely, "Simply put, more than half of you lost your Mobile Suits, and you don't have replacements."
Oh.
Theo and Eris pale at that.
"High-Performance Mobile Suits, especially for Newtype-use, don't grow on trees." He continued, "Eris's machine was lost entirely, and Theo's has no parts commonality with any of our other MS. As of now, the only pilots on this team who can sortie are Cybele Naese and Mort Mallory. One Gundam and a Methuss."
He shook his head, "To be fair, I've commanded teams with less, but I won't leave half your team benched. I don't have spare Newtype-use units for you, but I do have some in mind."
"Ensign Kallis, Ensign Gataki, both of you will be assigned Jegan High-Mobility types. I know they aren't at the level you're used to, but it's all we can spare."
Looking at Rita, he added, "We also have a Stark Jegan I can allocate to you. I'm sorry, but it doesn't have Psycommu or a Biosensor."
She nods, "I'll make it work."
Just as he's about to move on, Rhea raises her hand and walks in front of the screen.
"Just one second, Commander!"
Bright looks like he's about to shut her down, but a stern look from her and he backs down. That's the power of Anaheim, you guess.
"Now, Cybele, I know what you're thinking. 'Jegans? Oh no, my friends are going to die!' Am I right? Well, don't worry!" She smiles, "Anaheim can set you up with a set of brand-new ReZELs! We'll even custom-fit them with Biosensors so you can use your fancy Newtype powers with them!"
"That's… generous." You reply with suspicion, "Too generous. What do you want, Rhea?"
"Oh, just a little thing." She smirks, "See, you've been super reckless with all the equipment I've given you for the TR-6, and I can see that I need to reverse-engineer it ASAP. So, I've come up with a solution that we can all benefit from."
Rhea points at you, "Give me your Woundwort for two months. At the end of those two months, I'll have all the data I need to reproduce the whole machine! I'll even see about making replacement machines for your friends, if they still want them! You'll just have to live with that ReZEL for two months."
You see. So, you'd get a temporary downgrade for two months and an overall upgrade for your whole team, with the promise of more equipment at the end of it.
"I'd be getting a Commander-type though, right?" You ask.
"Obviously." She nods, "Standard ReZEL units for the rest of you, but we'll give you the parts to outfit them to Defenser units if you need to. Nothing will change for Ensign Mort, of course, his Methuss is still repairable."
It is a good offer… It's a bit more risky on your part, but…
"Got any equivalent MS sporting Funnels?"
"No… but we do have a modified Jegan with Fin Funnels. I suppose you could have that instead of all those ReZELs, but then only one person on your team gets an upgrade."
True, but… Funnels…
[] Accept Rhea's original deal. It's ReZEL time.
[] You want Funnels. Get a Jegan with Funnels.
[] You aren't giving up the Woundwort. Your friends will have to deal with Jegans for now.
