You gotta step up to the plate at least once...

[actuallyselfish]

[1]

So many people have died recently. So many people have gotten horribly hurt. And they've all left behind the wreckage of their mechs like grave markers. Fort Alhambra is swarming with technicians and engineers of every stripe and color, some working overtime, others hastily summoned back from vacation or from other UG branches.

Dido's in the thick of things, a welding rig slung over her back as she orders tech about.

"I need ScarleTiger's arm hoisted on the gantry and ready to be reattached, stat! You, you, and you: start putting Pale Rider back together. Yeah, I know you've done it before, that's why I'm trusting you with it! The rest of you, put Virgola Unit 3 and Gipsy Danger into storage–we'll deal with them after crunch-time's over!"

She turns to face you, and her bossy expression fades to fatigue. "Hey. Did you need anything?"

[2]

[Locked to Mizuki, as well as Ken potentially]

After a long day's work, Dido's kicking back with you, holding a cool bottle of beer to her over-heated head. The refurbished Sol Machines loom overheard in their gantries. DuskBird, ScarleTiger, ShelLancer. She stares up at them for a time, then turns to you and asks.

"Could you tell me about SolBalmung?"

[3]

A comn transmission is posted on the Network, addressed to every Unity Group Pilot who's built a reputation as a stone-cold badass.

"Hi." Dido says simply, scratching her head. "I need to become a better mecha pilot. Could you train me?"

Comments

2

[tiger_ken]

Balmung? Uh...

[Ken's a bit surprised, and for obvious reasons its not his area of expertise, but...]

That was the team that got stranded in the void. And when they got back, they then struggled to keep up with all the enemies they had, before finally...

They had to find replacements.

[Ken doesn't quite seem willing to say it, considering all that's gone on this month.]

Re: 2

[actuallyselfish]

"Don't coddle me; I've read the debriefs for that mission." Dido said quietly. "From what I remember, the original Balmung Team died of Void poisoning just before the final battle. There wasn't anyone else to pilot SolBalmung, so a bunch of Technicians climbed into it's cockpits and finished the job."

She sips at her beer. "Do you think I should do the same thing?" She asks.

Re: 2

[tiger_ken]

Technically, you already have.

[Ken realises that wasn't quite the answer sought though, so...]

I can't necessarily say you ahould. Because that would mean saying you should put yourself at great risk, beyond what you ever signed on for, against forces we can't even fully comprehend.

The question is whether or not you'd want to, and would feel that'd make a difference.

Re: 2

[actuallyselfish]

"Well..." Dido says. "We haven't exactly found a replacement pilot for ShelLancer, have we? And the thing's an armored beast, so I should be able to take a few hits while I figure out the ropes and..."

Her voice trails off. "...and did you hear about what happened to Leos?"

Re: 2

[tiger_ken]

I did.

[His gaze narrows.]

I almost gave his 'handler', or whatever her job title is, a piece of my mind. Lucky for her, Commander Antov got there first.

Though some rumours about what exactly happened leave me... concerned.

1

[dolorous_sensei]

Uh... I just want to report that my genoace's balancer is a bit too right-heavy, but I guess you're busy now...

Re: 1

[actuallyselfish]

"Nah." Dido says with a wave of her hand. "Balancers are easy, and I could use a break–"

She glances over her shoulder at the wreckage.

"–from all this. Lead the way!"

[Scene Change!]

"So..." Dido says, as she plugs her tablet into the Genoace's cockpit. "You're a veteran, right? Does that make you an ace pilot or something?"

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

Good enough to stay alive this far, not good enough to get assigned to some super secret prototype.

Re: 1

[actuallyselfish]

"Eh." Dido says with a wave of her hand. "You don't need a one-of-a-kind prototype to an awesome ace! The Genoace might be a simple, tiny mech, but it's got heart, you know?"

She makes some calibrations.

"Say, could you lean against the Genoace's leg? I need to check something."

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

Like this?

*Walt does as requested*

I guess a genoace do count as a rest for you, after dealing with all kind of alien mechs and jaegers and such.

3

[abugslife]

I am sure you are aware that Gebian mecha control in a very different way from most Earth ones. I cannot help you with the technical aspects of piloting.

I do, however, have a lot of experience with teaching everything else. You have come to the right person.

Re: 3

[actuallyselfish]

"Cool!" Dido says, pumping her fist. "So when do we start? What do we start? I mean, when should we meet up, and are you going to be teaching me some kind of ancient Egyptian mecha piloting technique...or stuff?"

[abugslife]

Do not be ridiculous. Such techniques do not exist. Ancient Egyptians did not have any mecha.

It is going to be modern Gebian piloting technique, the training doctrine of general Hetepheres for green pilots. Priority: keeping yourself and your comrades alive. We start in 10 minutes.

[actuallyselfish]

"Keep everyone alive. I like the sound of that!" Dido says.

[Beat.]

[actuallyselfish]

"10 minutes? Crapcrapcrap...!"

Dido hot-foots if from her room to the Hanger Bay, arms pumping up and down, huffing and puffing.

She makes it there with not a second to spare and touches the foot of ShelLancer with her hand.

"Ah...Uff...just let me catch my breath, Heph. Please?"

[keep_your_dignity]

[Well, if you want stone-cold badass, you can't go wrong with the eight foot tall killbot that solos mecha-Cthulhu's twenty times her size]

YOU WANT ME TO TRAIN YOU?

[actuallyselfish]

Dido goes carefully still, like a deer in the headlights.

"...will it keep me alive?" She asks slowly.

[keep_your_dignity]

I'M NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF KILLING THE PEOPLE I TRAIN, SYBIL.

[One of the Executor's in Kagura's squad, passing nearby, lowers her voice and whispers to Dido sotto voce]

"You might wish she was by the time it's over, though. The Major's the best at what she does, but she's a real ballcrusher"
"Yeah, she's super scary! Brrrr!" [The tiny fairy floating around the Executor adds in her squeaky, nodding energetically]

I HEARD THAT, EXECUTOR KATO.

"Ulp"

[actuallyselfish]

"...ohgodohgodohgod..."

Dido's eyes are currently glazed over in terror and starring into space. Perhaps someone should reboot her?

[keep_your_dignity]

SNAP OUT OF IT, SYBIL. I SEE YOU NEED A LOT OF TOUGHENING UP.

HOW EXACTLY DO YOU EXPECT TO GO UP AGAINST THE KIND OF SHIT UNITY GROUP DOES IF THE MENTION OF TRAINING MAKES YOUR BRAIN LOCK UP, TECHNICIAN? LASHING OUT IN DESPERATION AND HOPING FOR THE BEST? THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET YOUR WINGMATES KILLED.

[Kagura does have something of a point. Could definitely be expressed in a gentler way, though]

WE'LL START WITH THE BASICS. OUTER FIELD IN TWENTY MINUTES. BRING TRAINING CLOTHING, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING A LOT OF RUNNING. KATO, GET THE REST OF THE SQUAD, WE'LL START YOUR DAILY SESSION AT THAT TIME AS WELL

"Yes'm" [Executor Kato, wisely, decides to not argue the whole starting half an hour early thing]

3

[no99]

"Perhaps. It is good that you have asked. So, I'll ask my own question in return: Why do you need to become a better mecha pilot?"

Re: 3

[actuallyselfish]

"...so I won't die?" Dido answers hesitantly. "And so I can help the people I know not die?"

[no99]

"If survival is your goal, then I would recommend that you stop being a pilot. The path of a soldier is the path of death. The second is a bit better, but such a half-hearted reason will make fighting difficult. If you wish to become strong, you will need a real goal."

Suma's advice may or may not actually be good advice. She's very old-fashioned.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido narrows her eyes a little. "So...you're saying that keeping sadist maniacs from killing my friends is a half-hearted goal?"

[no99]

Aha. "So it's a specific someone you're protecting them from? This is more useful."