Episode 49 - Where The Honor Lies. Excerpt to give the Terranists some attention:
and then a compulsory "funny" one:Doctor: Here they are. They pretty much sit moping in the infirmary all day long. The other listens to that music like a piece of furniture and the other draws endless amounts of doodles. If I didn’t supply him with paper, he’d draw on the walls. Or the sheets.
Locke: What about their physical condition?
Doctor: I did a casual check-up, as much as one dares with volatile EXTENDEDs, and there is nothing wrong with them. [with added emphasis] Physically.
[The doctor fixes his glasses and looks at Locke more closely. There is an angry red mark on his left cheek. Locke clears his throat to hint that the scrutiny is not appreciated. Vries, on the other hand, has remained surprisingly passive and quiet during the exchange, looking at the two youngsters from the corner of his eye. Viktor catches his eye, and turns his head to the side like a confused puppy.]
Locke: So you would say they are fit to pilot mobile suits?
Doctor: [shrugs] It was what they were designed to do.
Locke: And you have no qualms about sticking both of them into the cockpit of an instrument of war?
[The doctor actually does a short double-take here, the voice of his oath as a doctor making itself heard, but only for a moment.]
Doctor: [repeats with less conviction] It was what they were designed to do.
Locke: [face darkens] Good. Vries! Take this one and put it into the cockpit. Make sure it understands what it needs to do. And also make sure it understands failure to learn quickly what is expected of it is not an option on this ship.
[With this, Locke storms away. The doctor sidles next to Vries.]
Doctor: [whispers] What has crawled up his ass?
[Flashback, sepia, for Vries only. After being freed, Vries had walked the ship, and by accident ended up next to Locke’s quarters. The quarrelling had been loud. Chiiro could put considerable volume into her voice when she chose to. Vries, being the bastard he is, had casually eavesdropped.]
Locke: What has gone into you, Chiiro? We’re at war and sacrifices have to be made! You know this better than anyone!
Chiiro: [shrill, yet teary] Some sacrifices should be avoided at all costs. We’ve paid all too much already.
Locke: And we have to keep on paying until we are free! Children cannot be exempted for the responsibility of their future!
[The slap is heard even to the other side of the door.]
Chiiro: [seething] No, you told me when we first met, that it is our job to ensure the future of our children. If we make our children fight in our wars, then they won’t have a future!
Locke: [shocked, stricken] You slapped me.
[There is a moment of silence, then Chiiro’s broken voice continues.]
Chiiro: I am sorry. I beg you, don’t use that boy. He doesn’t understand anything of all this.
Locke: [coldly] He is an EXTENDED. They are only a step away from being the same as the Abominations themselves. But he is also a pilot. [pause] You seem to think I am heartless. Do you know how much that hurts me, Chiiro? The only way I can think in this situation is to set everything on the same line, and expect them to fill their role. After I allowed even you to join that line without a protest, what makes you think I’d start to make exceptions now?
[Vries understands that this is his cue to exit and quickly, before Locke predictably walks out of that door, feeling murderous and frustrated at the same time. For Vries, who had just escaped a potential death sentence, making himself scarce seems the best course of action. End flashback. The scene returns to the doctor and Vries.]
Vries: [shrugs, as if disinterest] Who knows? Constipation, stress, or maybe both.
[The doctor scoffs, irritated by Vries’s indifference. Vries glances at the two youths again and this time fixates on Mahadi and frowns. The young man’s skin has taken a grey pall, and he seems ill.]
Vries: What is his problem, then?
Doctor: [to himself] Stress, constipation, or maybe both, you smartass. [to Vries] Apparently mister Quell here is not best suited for zero-g. He has been sick a few times, but he doesn’t complain.
[Vries frowns at Mahadi, who calmly looks past Vries, as if not seeing him there at all.]
Vries: Wouldn’t you say that throwing up is a problem in his medical state?
Doctor: [shrugs] Not if he doesn’t vomit inside his helmet. We can feed him intravenously before the next sortie to fix that.
[Vries isn’t exactly satisfied with the answer, but it will have to do. The more he thinks, the more it starts to hurt his head. Action is for the better. He moves to grab Viktor, but quickly reconsiders, remembering how the boy went mad in the Sanctuary. Instead he points to the ECLIPSE with his thumb over his shoulder.]
Vries: You. Into the cockpit. Now. I’ll show you how it works.
[Viktor hesitates for a second, glances at Mahadi, and then does as he is told. Mahadi looks at Vries with a blank expression that still manages to radiate disapproval.]
Vries: You get into your unit too. You need to calibrate it for space combat.
[Mahadi merely nods and heads for his GUNDAM. He almost manages to hide a small stumble from Vries, but only almost.]
Vries: [disappointedly, dryly] Fantastic.
Very little in the way of Q&A because I couldn't think of any. Feel free to ask, as always.Daelon: That ship is a strategic asset for us. For the PRISM. You do realize this?
Camembert: [stammers] Of course. [pulls himself up] I did design it, after all!
Gouda: [frowns] No you didn’t.
Camembert: [flustered] Well, I did design some of it!
Gouda: [insisting] No, you didn’t!
Camembert: [stammers defiantly] I-I’ve seen parts of it on paper.
[Apparently Gouda is willing to accept this as a hypothetical possibility. Daelon groans inwardly. If the two weren’t outstanding in their specialized field, he would’ve considered spacing them long ago. But right now he needs his resources, all of them, ready and correctly positioned.]
Daelon: I have made the BARRETT’s captain understand where the wind in PLANT is blowing…
Gouda: [interrupts helpfully] There is no wind in space, sir.
Daelon: [mutters to himself] God, give me strength. [out loud] Figure of speech. The captain understands my vision for the future. You will have accommodations on the ship. The GEMINI will be assigned to protect the BARRETT, if necessary. [to himself] If Voltaire gets greedy and tries to doublecross me…
Camembert: We will keep the specimen and the ship safe, depend on it.
Daelon: [slowly, deliberately] Listen, and I think I can’t stress this enough, under no circumstances are you to make any changes into the BARRETTs energy dishes. And, under no circumstances, are you to perform any solo tests on these two. [motions at Hel and Janus]
[Both Camembert and Gouda deflate visibly, their hopes blown.]
Daelon: [softens his tone a bit] I need your insight and analysis, and I want you to make sure the BARRETT and the twins operate at full capacity.
[Throughout this discussion, the twins have been completely motionless, expressionless. Only when Daelon pointed at them, did Janus’s eyes briefly flick over to him. There is a flicker of animosity detectable in the look. That could be sign enough that while they are referred to as tools and things, Hel and Janus are not deaf nor slow-witted enough to think they are being disparaged. As Daelon and his scientists exchange words, the camera goes behind the twins. Hel moves her hand a bit, her fingers catching Janus’s, and their hands lock silently. Daelon and his cohorts miss this, but the guards minding the twins don’t.]
Guard#1: Why are they holding hands? That’s creepy.
Guard#2: [takes a fatherly tone] Well, son, sometimes when people like each other they can hold hands. It’s completely natural and a-okay.
[Guard#1 looks at his comrade with murder in his eyes, which is deflected though by his crazily glazed eyes.]
Guard#2: [shrugs] Hey, if you can’t laugh about being gutted and quartered in the near future, what can you laugh about?