Episode 15 - Pyrrhic Victory [TE]

The last RPG was "Zeta Gundam: Tales from the Frontlines - The AEUG" which ran from 2006-14.
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Episode 15 - Pyrrhic Victory [TE]

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With another sharp punch to his console, the radio finally comes back online.

“This is Ens. Constantine Pendragon, reporting as ordered to Hades Team.”

It seems he was too quick to praise the mechanics of the Herakles… He’ll definitely need to have a word with them when he gets back.



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Skimming along in space, Alex was flying right behind Pendragon as he was reporting to Hades

"This is Ens. Alex Lepak, reporting to the Hades from the Herakles"

Alex waited for the ship to respond.
"This is no Zaku boy! No Zaku!!!"
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Wringing his hands together in a rapid motion, Nick sat on his bed, practically hyperventilating. The pills scattered about on the floor and in the 'air' left no doubt how he tried to seek solice.

"Nick, you know as well as I do that the Ritters are up to something. I can see that they have something grander, more sinister, than mere family prestige on their minds. You see it too, don't you? I don't know what they're planning, Nick, but they have their own agenda, they have a lot of pull, and I can't stand having to constantly look behind my back. I need someone on this ship who sees that they're playing their own side, separate from the rest of us. I can't sit idly by while one of the few officers I can trust rushes off on a wild goose chase."

"But...but Celeine....Edward...."

"You can't help Ed nor this Celeine by running off and pretending to defect. The AEUG may be a ragtag unit, but they're not stupid. If, by some lucky chance, they don't see through you and opt to have you executed, they'll..."

"That's true enough, I guess....Celeste...you bitch!"

The next time we meet....will be on my terms!!!

Nick, obviously worse for wear, got up and stumbled out of his quarters. That's right, he was supposed to be in the ready room....

....so how did he find himself stumbling out towards the hangar?
I mean when you spend precious seconds to give an "All Your Nukes Are Belong To Us" speech before you even start the Gundam up, you know you're too overzealous for your own good.~wza
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Combat Bridge -


Although the fighting had stopped a while ago, the Kirov was still on full combat alert. Commander Andrewson Trent had just returned from whatever he'd been doing with Lt. Nick Te'litha. Commodore Ritter gave him a fishy stare, but otherwise said nothing.

The Commodore bore, on paper, greater rank than Trent, but in practice the rank was really just an honorary title, with the Commodore acting as an observer to Taskforce Echo. He deferred decisions to Trent, completely without rancor.

"What now, Andrewson?" he said simply as Trent took the command seat.

"We can't pursue them," murmured Trent, not without obvious displeasure, "Our mobile suit teams took too much of a beating, and even our warships are barely in any shape to fight. Our only choice, I hate to say, is to resume course to Gryps. We'll transfer command to the main bridge in twenty minutes if it's still quiet."

While the bridge crew got to work relaying orders and turning the ship around, the bridge doors opened. In stormed Ltcmdr. Wolf Ritter XXV, son of the Commodore. With him was his fiancée and subordinate, Ens. Alexandra Engel, adrift halfway between the islands of Catatonia and Hysteria.

"What's the meaning of this, Commander?" queried Trent evenly.

"Sir," replied Wolf, impatiently snapping a salute, "Permission to speak with Commodore Ritter."

An odd request, but Trent granted it. Probably some kind of family matter - or something the Ritters though amounted to a family matter. Wolf turned to his father, whose face was in Poker Mode.

"Commodore, sir," on the job, the Ritters maintained professionalism when addressing one another... most of the time. Sticking to such professional formality served to make the next line sound odd: "I need to inform you that Ens. Mercedes Ritter was killed in that sortie."

The Commodore knew how to hide his emotions well. One does not last as long as he had in the military without this skill. Nonetheless, Mercedes Ritter was his youngest daughter. Surely only a sociopath could hide his reaction to the knowledge that his little girl had been killed. Trent saw - or thought he saw, at least - the slightest, briefest glimmer that the Commodore had betrayed his stoic mask.

Nonetheless, the Commodore's voice remained even when he replied, "Why are you reporting this to me? Ens. Ritter was in Alpha Team, under Commander Stukov's command, not yours. Go back to your own team and take care of them. Ens. Engel here appears to need it. I presume Lt. Naka is still alive."

Wolf's expression was such that he had probably expected his father to react that way and had fully accepted it. Trent realized later, in hindsight, that Wolf had done this most likely because he felt it more fitting that he personally inform his father as to his sister's death, rather than letting Aleksandr Stukov do it.

"Understood, sir," replied Wolf. He snapped a salute once again, while Alexandra barely managed to find the physical coordination to complete the same action. The two were dismissed and left.

Both father and son seemed appeared to take the death , though Trent supposed they were well-versed in keeping up a powerful appearance. The Ritters, for all their machinations - and, Trent was still convinced, hidden agendas - appeared to be close to one another, with genuine affection. No doubt they were both secretly devastated by the loss.

Alexandra, however... from what Trent had heard, and what little he'd seen, Alexandra, although not a member of the Ritters by blood, had been raised almost alongside the Commodore's offspring as a sister in her own right. Trent wasn't sure what the circumstances around that were, since apparently both of Alexandra's parents were still alive, but that was none of his business. Alexandra had been particularly close to Mercedes, though, and was apparently less adept at keeping her poise when faced with the knowledge that her sister had been slain. Had she seen the death with her own eyes? Trent had sometimes wondered whether or not Alexandra was truly fit for being involved in a real war, but still the Ritters were convinced she was pilot material.

Bridge crew started switching out in order to transfer to the main bridge. Trent didn't exactly look forward to the inevitable debriefing, but he didn't see what choice he had. The Commodore, now floating slightly next to the command seat as he held a roof grip, mused, "In strictest technicality, the desk jockeys would classify our most recent battle as a victory." The older man, to Trent's mild surprise, didn't both to conceal the bitterness in his voice.

"Regardless of what they say, sir," sighed Trent, "That didn't feel like a victory."

A pause as CPO Mortimer Kellman vacated the combat bridge, leaving just Trent and the Commodore.

"Not at all," breathed the Commodore, "Not even slightly.
Last edited by Cardi Doorl on Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Alexandra-class Kirov, Infirmary

Although on vastly different terms, that certain subject that Nick Te'litha was preoccupied with at that moment in time also happened to be what one Gilliarme Lasalle was mulling over as he rested in the infirmary.

Ever since that day, some years ago, Gilliarme had resolved never to wear that stereotypical, plain hospital garment be it visitor or patient, in private or in plain sight, and today was no exception. Even in bed, Gilliarme was instead wearing a loose blue t-shirt --- what he wore below that was obscured by the blankets --- and the bandages that had kept his wound in check was neatly obscured underneath. Other than that detail, however, everything else was standard infirmary fare; Beds, IVs, bedside lamplight, and a retractable computer terminal and small printer for paperwork after a nice, long battle. It suited him fine. Not that Gilliarme was in any position to complain or wanted to, for that matter, just as long as he didn't have to be in that 'gown'...

He was lucky. The shrapnel --- which after some examination was determined to come from a piece of his Marasai's outer hull --- was lodged in his left shoulder and had, very nearly, punctured his left lung in the process. It had been a tedious process getting it out; the medics dug forward, and had found it only inches from pushing out the back of his torso --- Had it gone through his back, Gilliarme would most likely have had perished from either the blood loss or the decompression by the time he got back to the Kirov. Celeste Angelina hadn't killed him yet.

And that was the subject of Gilliarme's mullings as, at the same time lying on the bed, he was leafing through a small stack of paper scattered around his waist, examining their contents intently. After all, the quote "to be completely victorious is to know the enemy as well as yourself" made Sun Tzu famous in ancient times. That fact will not change, be it AEUG or Titans, and honor and dishonor had nothing to do with it.

It wasn't that Celeste Angelina was a particularly difficult person to find, either. Thinking on the encounters, Celeste had told Gilliarme enough about herself for him to have something to search on, and he was lucky that he had decided to start with the Federal Forces files, and that the Titans had priority clearance on the EFSF Dossiers during and after the One Year War. Gilliarme mirthlessly couldn't fault them; The Titans would mostly want to keep an eye on the likes of Bright Noah and Amuro Ray after Stardust. There may have had been hundreds of thousands of people named Celeste throughout the entire Earth Sphere during that time and around her age, but there were no more than a hundred women with that name in the Federal Forces at that time...And there was only one Celeste who was discharged for notable medical reasons in the ranks --- Lieutenant Commander Celeste Angelina, the White Angel, Pearl of the Shoal. Now, another rebel seeking vengeance against the Earth Federation and Titans for something which Gilliarme couldn't exactly fault the AEUG for, either.

Of course, Gilliarme was never absolutely sure that the Celeste he fought was the Celeste Angelina from the Federal Forces; She could always have had gone by another name, an alias for any amount of reason. Gilliarme was confident, but never absolutely certain; Being 'absolutely sure' was probably how the Titans got into 30 Bunch in the first place. This also meant, however, that there was pretty much only one way for Gilliarme Lasalle to be sure, one person that could confirm it for him.

Nick Te'litha would know.

But for now, Gilliarme wouldn't press the matter, especially when Nick was probably as unstable as ever --- right now, the outdated dossier of the woman in front of him was going to be the guess he's betting on and besides, the Ritters couldn't know, either --- and they would certainly be keeping an eye on Nick, meaning that when Gilliarme *did* ask him he would have to be subtle. Only trouble for Celeste's family will result if the Ritters, and Bask Om, had a name to pin their animosity against Nick Te'litha with, and that would prove Gilliarme to be exactly what Celeste accused him of. As yet, knowing that Sam and Shin are capable of handling themselves and will do perfectly fine without him, Gilliarme continued to take in the words and descriptions that was the woman who nearly killed him, and why she and Nick would have any connection at all. At least Sam and Shin were unharmed and alive, and that meant he didn't need to worry about them. Yet.

And on that matter, aside from the injured Dante Diotrephes lying a ways to his left on another hospital bed, he was generally left alone in silence.
Last edited by Cybaster on Sat Jan 19, 2008 2:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Hanger Bay -


With orders to report to the Buxoro in hand, Jason waits for a launch to be fully prepped and loaded with supplies for the Buxoro, he observes the Kirov's hanger.

Looking at the battle scared Marasais, he wonders if the Earth has the ability to repel the rebels. In most of the engagements, even with an upper hand in numbers there hasn't been a decisive victory. Are the Titans alone in this fight? Where is the Federation?

Our forces will be totally depleted by the time we win this war. Will we be able to protect the Earth when this is all over?
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Mobile Suit Bay -


Ltjg. Leandro Alvarez ran a hand through his hair as he emerged from his Hizack Custom. The Kirov suit bay doors had shut after Aleksandr Stukov, Alpha Team's leader, had reluctantly come in. He was the last pilot in the door.

When Stukov pushed out from his Marasai, it was apparent even through the man's helmet visor that he was not content. He floated into Leandro's vicinity and grunted, "Where is Ens. Ritter?"

Alpha Team had lost track of Mercedes Ritter sometime during the battle when she had run off on her own. Leandro knew no more of her fate than Stukov did. "I can't say, sir," he responded, "From what I hear, you're the last one in."

-

Stukov snorted. It was probably Stukov, more than anyone else - perhaps even more than Trent - who seethed over Taskforce Echo's failure to finish the job right when the enemy was cornered and outnumbered. He was no doubt convinced that Echo had had the wherewithal to finish the job, no matter what his superiors might have thought at the time.

"Has command been transferred to the main bridge yet?" rumbled Stukov. By then, he and Leandro were already changing into their normal uniforms in the ready room.

"I believe so, sir," came Leandro's prompt reply. Stukov could still remember the time they'd served on the Kalinin. Leandro had changed so much since then. In those days, he was an idiot who never thought seriously about the future. He was a mere kid who had been clearly intimidated by Stukov's presence. Now, Stukov realized for the first time, Leandro was a comrade-in-arms - an equal. When had that happened?

As Stukov took a gripper out of the ready room and straight down the same corridor Nick Te'litha was traveling. As Leandro emerged from the ready room, Stukov called back to him, "Return to the suit bay, Leandro. Help the wounded from the Hades until I return. If you find Ens. Ritter, tell her to do the same."

Leandro snapped a salute and headed back to the suit bay. Oh no, he wasn't that naïve idiot from the Kalinin days anymore. Too bad Stukov was the only one left who could see it, after Erebus Jones was splattered by an angry kid and Massilion Carde ate his own sidearm.

Stukov shook his head as he continued along. He was one of the youngest pilots aboard the Kirov, but, due to his appearance and demeanor (not to mention rank), most around him mistakenly presumed him to be far older than he really was. For far longer than he cared to remember, Stukov felt the same.

-

Ens. Samantha Fulton untied her hair as she descended from her Marasai. Apparently, Delta Team's leader, Lt. Gilliarme Lasalle, was out with an injury of some kind. Sam didn't remember him being in particularly bad shape last she saw him, but no matter. With Lt. Lasalle out, that left Shin Yamamoto to do the bossing around. Since Sam didn't expect the guy to exercise anything approaching authority, she went off to her own quarters. She needed some sleep and intended to get some until the team was inevitably called for a debriefing.

* * *
- Salamis-Kai Herakles -
- Combat Bridge -


Lieutenant Commander Isaac Berg, jr., wiped sweat from his brow as the Herakles' withdrawal flares shot out into space, signaling the ship's half-strength mobile suit team to return. He still cursed the deaths of Jonas Brown and Ian McMillan, but the task with which he was burdened would have to be fulfilled without these cogs. Berg was certain he was up to it. He had little other choice.

Speaking of which, Ens. Kyle Roberts had been quiet for some time. Berg turned to the young officer and murmured, "Perhaps you should meet the returning pilots in the mobile suit bay. You'll be flying with them someday, so it's important you know who they are." He almost added, but don't let them know too much about who you are, but he stopped. It was crucial that Roberts learned these things on his own.
Last edited by Cardi Doorl on Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
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BRING BRING

A bleep went off on Alex's system to signal retreat.
"A retreat signal?, this can't be good.......Pendragon did you see the retreat flare?"

Alex turned his suit around and started to jet back towards the Herakles.
"This is no Zaku boy! No Zaku!!!"
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OOC: Brief one for the Kirov folks. Better stuff on its way.

IC:
- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Main Bridge -


Trent thumbed through the latest information on Taskforce Echo's situation. The Hades was sunk, taking its skipper with it. That was a shame; Jacob Sender had been a stalwart commander, a man who took his own fearlessness as nothing more than a quality expected of him. It was a waste, especially after the Buxoro and Ipswich had bugged out at a critical time, when it had been crucial for them to hold their ground. Their timidity no doubt was responsible for the complete destruction of the Republic of Zeon 9th Expedition Squadron, not to mention the AEUG fleet's ability to escape.

The Hades's mobile suit team, however, had survived. Odd how matters worked out.

The Herakles unit, despite its poor showing during Operation Apollo, had performed admirably, though. Despite their depleted numbers and inexperienced pilots, they'd managed to hold off a determined attack by a team of the formidable Rick Doms. They definitely deserved some recognition for that.

Trent had some words for the other pilots, though. Especially the Kirov teams.

"They've had enough chance to rest," he intoned, "Call all pilots to the general briefing room."

- Mobile Suit Bay -

Lt. Tariq Sayed floated into the suit bay, his entire person exuding a distinct aura of purpose. Taskforce Echo's intelligence officer had good reason to be exuding purpose, too. He was, not to mention, in a hurry.

Since he was a child growing up in Egypt, Tariq had been described as having an entirely unreadable face, a fact only compounded in adulthood by the fact that he always had his eyes hidden behind circular sunglasses. Intelligence work had only been a natural fit for him, especially since meeting a benefactor to give him a greater destiny in life.

For now, though, he had a smaller task to handle.

Tariq approached the pilot from the lost Hades and gripped the man's shoulder. "Ens. Drossel," he murmured, "I need to have a word with you before you depart for the Buxoro. Come with me." Even with the sunglasses, it would have been clear to anyone that Tariq was not making a mere request.
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- Salamis Kai-class Buxoro -
- Mobile Suit Bay -


Lt. Picard "M-Hover" Kamek pried off his helmet as he kicked off the open hatched of his headless Hizack. This was a foreign mobile suit bay, though it was mostly identical to the one he knew on the Hades.

There were also four Hizacks present, but he knew one didn't belong to one of his subordinates. Lt. Harrington of Buxoro Team had just staggered out of his own mobile suit when Picard accosted him.

"Hey buddy," was M-Hover's conspiratorial whisper, "Where's your commander?"

Harrington immediately scowled at Picard and replied, tersely, "Commander Kou's status is unconfirmed, Lt. Kamek."

Buxoro Team's leader, Lieutenant Commander Lon Kou, had had his Hizack Custom destroyed in the previous battle and was subsequently captured. For all Taskforce Echo knew, the top-ten OYW ace had been killed.

"Too bad," shrugged M-Hover casually, "I presume you won't be needing your briefing room, so my team'll be using it for a debriefing. You're welcome to watch if you want."

Harrington's glare was entirely unveiled, and his reply just barely hid his anger. "Be my guest, Lieutenant."

Picard either ignored or didn't notice Harrington's spite and turned to shout at his subordinates, "Silverwind! Brickhead! Get over here!" Hades Team's leader then shoved off Harrington to get to the door.
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Mobile Suit Bay -


Jason had stood with fists on his hips watching his ride being prepped. Imagining the verbal abuse Picard would unleash about losing another suit more than being late reporting in. Jason was just about to enter the shuttle when he felt a cold chill grasp him by the shoulder.

"Ens. Drossel," Lt. Tariq murmured, "I need to have a word with you before you depart for the Buxoro. Come with me."

Jason turned at attention but before he could salute, Lt. Tariq was already leading the way. Quickly following the officer, Jason wondered what kind of verbal abuse this guy would unleash.

"Yes sir."
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With a sigh, Pendragon maneuvers his Hizack back towards the Herakles.

“Yes, Lepak. I saw them. Ensign Pendragon returning to ship.”

Constantine follows close behind his temporary subordinate as they both return to ship for the second time today.

I wonder how long the lull will last this time…



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While Shin is on his way to visit Gilliarme when he hears a announcment for all the pilots to go to the general breifing room so he turns around and goes to the breifing room. When he gets there he salutes to any superior officers(if any) and moves away from the doorway but doesn't sit down.
US Army Infantryman's creed wrote:In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous; Armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country's trust. Always I fight on: through the foe, to the objective, to triumph over all. If necessary, I fight to my death
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-The Herakles-
-Combat Bridge-

He was alive after his first battle... And despite everything that had happened he was actually pretty happy. Problems beat dying any day after all, only a crazy person would think otherwise. The Captain had made a comment to him about joining the mobile suit team on the ship... Kyle had no idea how to respond to that except with sheer astonishment. He had proved almost ineffective during the battle and was now being thrown into a mobile suit team. Either he was incredibly lucky or the Captain was trying to get rid of him. Maybe he thought that a fresh face might help the team which seemed to be suffering from horrible luck.

"Yes Sir... I'm honored and I'll head to meet them now." With that he stood up and gave a salute. Then quickly he walked off the combat bridge and into the hallways of the ship. The hangar was small and somewhere on the deck below them he thought... He couldn't be sure since he hadn't seen it yet himself. He also wondered what kind of mobile suit they were going to give him... Probably a Hizack like all other newbies which was better than what he had to train on before. The ole Jimmy was the closest thing to a mobile suit he had ever piloted. How much different could the Zeon inspired units be? Though he had to admit he liked the Jimmies much more than the mono eyed machines. They reminded him of goblins and orcs from fantasy while the EFF MS were more human.

With his hands in his pockets Kyle wandered through the hallways until finally he found what he was looking for. And that was the the hangar which was pretty bare of units at this point... They were lacking in firepower and maybe that was the reason he was being sent here. Once they were resupplied they would need pilots after all. And once in the hangar he started to look for the pilots that had gotten under the Captains skin so much...
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-Shuttle-
-En route to Buxoro-


Jason sat hunched over biting his thumb. The conversation with Lt. Tariq had left him anxious, as if he was about to walk off a cliff. Jason wondered if he was headed in the right direction in life. He's a soldier so he'll follow orders but he also has ambitions. After a brief pause Jason finally determines.

Doesn't matter..game's all the same. I'll go with the flow no matter where it takes me.

Sitting back in a relaxed posture Jason smiles. More confident about his decision.
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Sick Bay -


Having spoken with Drossel, Tariq floated into the Kirov's infirmary. He made his way down a few beds until he'd reached the one occupied by one Ltjg. Dante Diotrephes. With a surreptitious glance at Gilliarme Lasalle, the intelligence officer pulled the curtain around the bed.

-

Immediately outside the sick bay, Sam glanced into the doorway. She'd had to stop suddenly and come to attention when the higher-ranked Tariq had reached the doorway at roughly the same time. The implacable Egyptian gave no regard to the ensign.

After Tariq entered, Sam glanced in to see Gilliarme, apparently doing paperwork from his hospital bed. Served him right for being too forgiving on the battlefield, she supposed.

Twenty seconds later, Sam sighed and took the gripper to the briefing room.

- Corridor -

Just outside the door to the briefing room, Wolf embraced Alexandra. He could feel her trembling in his arms.

"Alexi," he murmured, but before he could add anything a figure blocked out the light. Wolf looked up from his fiancée to see the Cossack who led Alpha Team, along with his sharpshooter subordinate.

While Wolf and Alexandra disengaged, Stukov rumbled coldly, "Then Mercedes fell?"

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "You were her commanding officer, Stukov. You should know this."

"That I was her commanding officer is exactly why I find it odd that she disobeyed me, and also that I was not informed of her death. In the end, however, the problem is that she ran off to help you, specifically, leaving my team down by one mobile suit while engaging an enemy team. You Ritters think you are invincible, but perhaps Mercedes will teach you that we all will die."

The silence hung in the air between the two men, until Wolf said, "I won't bother with you, Commander. People like you, with no future and no will to live, can never understand family."

The usually immovable Stukov grew darkly silent at those words. Wolf and Alexandra made their way into the briefing room. So far, only Delta Team's Shin Yamamoto was present. Wolf nodded to him while Alexi gingerly took a seat. Wolf stood beside the seated ensign and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was still trembling.

Stukov was wrong. The Ritters didn't believe themselves invincible at all. Mercedes was perhaps an exception, but she had a tendency all her life to being misguided and coming to incorrect conclusions. Wolf clenched his jaw at the renewed thought; his little sister was gone forever, just as Mstislav before her.

No, the Ritters knew about mortality. Nobody could be so intimately involved with warfare and think themselves immortal. Mortality was an essential thread in the fabric of the Ritter mindset. Wolf had carried Mstislav for years, and now he had Mercedes. Worse yet is that, unlike with Mstislav, Wolf had witnessed Mercedes' death firsthand.

Now Alexandra was shaken. Wolf knew it was harder on her, being that she hadn't experience nearly as much war as Wolf had. Even still, she was rather sensitive; Wolf occasionally had doubts about supporting her choice to go to war, but it was far too late to dwell on such regrets. Wolf was also still uneasy about being Alexi's commanding officer, being that he couldn't be quite impartial with his fiancée as a subordinate, but all he could do now was make the best of the position. Alexi was still weak, but Wolf would make her strong. Mercedes and Mstislav were gone, but Wolf would be damned if his Alexandra went, too. He would sooner be the next to die.

-

Sam entered the briefing room to find Shin already present, along with the surviving members of Alpha Team and the members of Beta Team, sans Ryo Naka. She leans on the wall near the standing Shin.

"Have you seen the Lieutenant?" she whispered to Shin.
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When Te'litha strolled/stumbled in the briefing room, it took every bit of self-control he had in him not to launch himself at Ritter; the bastard had arranged for his own assassination at the hands of his own subordinates, and almost got away with it, too. In fact, the only thing that stopped him dead out was that he...looked...Te'litha didn't know if sad was the word he was looking for, but...

Alexandria, though, made no attempt to hide it; she was a woman who was quite obviously heartbroken, holding back her remorse not to make it hidden but because this wasn't the proper place for making a scene.

"Hey Stukov," Nick said under his breathe at the other wing commander, "What's wrong with No Dick?" he asked with a gesture of his head towards Ritter.
I mean when you spend precious seconds to give an "All Your Nukes Are Belong To Us" speech before you even start the Gundam up, you know you're too overzealous for your own good.~wza
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RGM-79 GM
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"No I haven't. I was on my way when I heard the announcment to report to the breifing room. So I decided to wait until after we are done here." Shin sees some other pilots arriving then he asks Samantha about Gilliarme. "Have you seen him yet?"
US Army Infantryman's creed wrote:In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous; Armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country's trust. Always I fight on: through the foe, to the objective, to triumph over all. If necessary, I fight to my death
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Cardi Doorl
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- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Briefing Room -


"No," lied Sam, "I figure if he's such a big boy he can take care of himself." She ran a hand through her blue hair and looked out across the briefing room.

-

Stukov, seated in the second row from the front, looked up at Nick Te'litha as Gamma Team's leader inquired about Wolf. The Mad Russian glanced back at Wolf, then returned his gaze to Nick to murmur, matter-of-factly, "Ensign Ritter was killed in action during the last sortie."

Leandro, sitting in the seat forward and to the right of Stukov, but in a relaxed pose, with his legs propped up across the seat to his left, piped up. "You say that like it didn't even matter, Commandante. She was part of our team, even if she was one of those Ritters."

Stukov glared at Leandro, which quieted the junior-grade lieutenant. Otherwise, Stukov said nothing.

- Corridor -

Trent's gripper came to a stop just outside the briefing room. A junior technician none of the pilots were likely to have noticed floated out from the room and snapped a salute to Echo's commander. "Audio and video equipment's ready to go, sir," reported the younger man.

"Good," nodded Trent without looking at the technician. The recently-concluded battle made Trent want to address all the pilots of Echo at once about a pressing problem, but the situation made it impractical to actually bring them all to one place physically. Thus, he'd make do with an audio and video feed.

Without another thought, Trent pulled himself into the briefing room.
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