The day after the announcement, Sakihama Base

[no99]

[1]

Amidst all of the people bringing their mechs to base, here's someone who isn't! An enormous woman approaches on foot, by way of the seedy cover hotel on top of the base proper. Slung over one shoulder is a backpack containing most of her worldly possessions, and on the other shoulder is what appears to be an authentic medieval claymore.

Once she's on the campus, Suma gives the scenery a critical look. "Not exactly what you'd expect a haven for heroes of battle to look like, is it?"


[2]


Later the same day, her things now stashed in her spartan bedroom, Suma has found the real point of interest of Sakihama Base: The hangar. Let's have a look at what we have to look forward to, yes?

Not having even it up the mess hall yet, Suma goes from mech to mech at a leisurely stroll spending a couple minutes taking each one in. Without any engineering knowhow, she doesn't have much to go on besides intuition to get an idea for how each one fights, but even so, she can't help but imagine each one in action, as an ally or an enemy. For the first time in years, she's feeling the thrill of diving into a new kind of battle, surrounded by cutting-edge weapons the likes of which the world has scarcely seen.

Between mechs, she scans the hangar for people, but the engineers and technicians going to and fro don't hold any interest for her - the pilots of these mechs, however, may prove a different story.

[[After she finishes with Sakihama Base, she'll be checking out the hangars at Alhambra and Star Rose, just in case anyone wants a thread but isn't stationed at this base!]]

Comments

[no99]

[Suma stops at the Scaraber. Boy, this brings back memories.]

Now this is a design I can get behind.

[abugslife]

[The sentry notices her, but she doesn't seem to want to do anything with the mecha, so back to TV. It's some kind of cooking program.]

Appreciating the Scaraber, are we? I would lie if I said I am not even a bit proud of it.

[A voice from behind! It's a smaller version of the mech.]

[no99]

Indeed I am! It reminds me of home."

[abugslife]

Home. Since I doubt you're a Gebian, that means you're from Egypt, or a nearby country. Am I right? Though I suspect it looks very different now than it did back in the day.

[no99]

It's true - the Egypt of the modern world has very little in common with the old country of Gods and Pharaohs.

[abugslife]

I suspect stone buildings have lost their appeal over the years, for example.

[no99]

Not all change is for the worse.

[abugslife]

Of course not. Without change, without progress, we would still be stuck with the barbaric ways of our ancestors, hiding in crevices and rolling rocks down on unsuspecting settlements!

Besides, it is good to have air-conditioned rooms.

[no99]

With modern technology, the settlement at the bottom of the hill can get a shot at the cave as well.

[abugslife]

And equal opportunities for destruction allow the inhabitants of both groups to live in relative peace, not wanting to attract retribution from the other side... If they are smart.

I don't think we have met before.

[no99]

I've only scarcely arrived. My name is Suma.

[abugslife]

A new member, hmm? Then I presume you do not know about me yet.

For someone who has never seen Gebians before, you react remarkably calm when meeting alien life forms.

[no99]

There are many strange things in the world. Few of them can still surprise me.

[abugslife]

That sounds like you are one of the few people at Unity Group who have a lot of experience, instead of being green like fresh grass.

[no99]

I have my share of battles in my past. Many of the people here are still young, but they shall become strong in time.

[abugslife]

Assuming they survive long enough.

I want to give them that opportunity.