Not Normal at All

[not_a_prize]

1) [Right after 'The Runaway']
[Well a new machine is now sitting in the Hangars of Star Rose. Though a familiar face was soon leaving it. A very angry face at that. Peola was stomping down the gantry, tearing her helmet off and hurling it into a wall with brutal force. She was ranting and screaming angrily in a mixture of english and a language known to no human being on Earth at her current situation. Why? Well her secret was out. She was a Runaway Alien Princess with a horde of potential suitors. And now all of them were coming to Earth for her. What's more her sister somehow managed to sneak into Star Rose and was probably responsible for her Gespenst's breakdown - which was the whole reason she had to switch Regalis Filia back on in the first place.]

-Untranslatable enraged screaming- SWEAR TO GOD I'LL TEAR OFF HER ARMS AND -more untranslatable enraged screams- SMASH THEIR STUPID FACES IN -Do you actually want to know what she's saying? Its not pretty- HATE THEIR STUPID IDEAS AND HIS STUPID PLANS AND HIS STUPID NEED FOR ME TO GET MARRIED -Yeaaah best we don't know- RAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!

[Aaaand Wallpunch. Do you risk turning the wrath of a furious princess at you?]

2)
[Peola has.... relatively calmed down and is sitting in a lounge, curled up on a chair with a look that is mixed between annoyance, bitterness and resignation. She barely pays attention to the sight of a trio of people on TV trying to beat the everloving crap out of each other in front of a cheering audience.]

I know you're there...

[She sighs grumpily, she already had a long and uncomfortable talk with the commanders about a lot of things... what was one more person asking her MORE questions.]

What do you want?

Comments

[broken_puppet]

[Lamia seems oddly passive in the wake of the hostility being radiated.]

I wanted to evaluate if the suitors you seem to be so upset about would be better allies than you would. They will bring their own forces which could compromise our operations and by agreeing to turn you over we can potentially draw those forces to our side or remove them as a threat.

Of course there is the potential that those forces will be easily countered and we gain more advantage from having you with us, thus the need to evaluate the situation.

[not_a_prize]

The only reason they'd be coming here is for their own damn selfish reasons! They don't care about what's happening here at all!

You-

[Peola's gripping at the side of her head.]

You better pick what you're going to say next really carefully... because I might just dent your damn skull!

[broken_puppet]

That would be an unlikely consequence to my actions and a considerable argument against the validity of your stay. I did not say that we were going to side with them only that the situation needed proper evaluation for the potential despite how unlikely the scenario would be.

I trust that given your apparent position in your home world that this would not catch you as a surprise. We are in a struggle for our race's survival and principals matter little if we are no longer here to uphold them. The values of the losers have been overwritten or lost for as long as civilization has existed.

[not_a_prize]

Its your stay here is invalid! You're the one who's weighing everyone like we're tools instead of people! Its not even your damn decision to make!

Who the hell are you to say all of this?! Because last I checked you were the one who just joined!

[broken_puppet]

You are correct that I will likely not have a say in this but is it not a soldier's duty to show initiative in regards to their situation to predict new orders and fulfill their duty?

As for my stay I will remain here as long as I am ordered to and will complete missions as I am ordered to. If you choose to place personal safety or desires over the mission then you not only risk your own life but impair the units' mission and the lives of your comrades. Orders are absolute and soldiers are a means to an end. To think anything else is foolish.

[not_a_prize]

Well if orders were absolute then a whole lot of people would be dead right now because of the actions of a bunch of incompetents.

[Like Ex-Admiral Komine for example.]

And you've got a lot of damn nerve saying that I'd put myself over everyone else because I'd willingly fight and bleed for people here.

[Peola got right up at Lamia's grill, looking at her right in the eyes.]

And there's a difference between showing initiative and selling out comrades for an advantage that probably won't even happen. The moment you start considering selling people out you're nothing more than a damned traitor. That's what I was taught.

[broken_puppet]

The orders of incompetent commanders are a symptom of politics and the favoritism that they espouse. Those who were unable to handle the duties of leadership should have been weeded out early and not raised to positions of power on empty charisma.

Did you not place your own desires over what duties were demanded of you and thus create this situation? Your loyalty to your comrades is entirely separate from that distinction.

As for this concept of "selling out" comrades, shouldn't the leadership always choose the fastest most efficient means to resolve a situation? Send in ten soldiers to kill an enemy commander and send his troops into disarray instead of sacrificing potentially hundreds in open battle with his forces. Those ten would just as assuredly die to achieve their mission but in doing so would save ten or twenty times more. Isn't that the very core of your ideas in taking to the battlefield?

[not_a_prize]

Except that doesn't happen that much does it?! We've still got to deal with idiots like them so that just means orders can be complete trash if the person giving them is undependable!

[Peola's fists tighten... yeah... getting really hard to control herself here.]

And don't you dare talk to me about my goddamn duty! You don't even know a damn thing about my situation and-

[And that does it. Peola just grabs Lamia by the collar with an enraged yell.]

SHUT THE HELL UP!

You keep belting out that logic like you're some kind of machine! Going on about efficiency and how everyone's expendable and you can just trade lives for others like some kind of armchair strategist!!

[Peola just sends a left hook at Lamia's face as she yells out the next bit.]

If all leaders fought battles like you think they should we may as well all be dead!!

[broken_puppet]

[Lamia puts an arm up to block and manages to halt the advance of the blow before it can land. She appears concerned as she pushes away from the hold with surprising strength.]

If the leadership is poor then do something about it, orders are absolute but what is important is who you choose to follow.

Any valid leader will understand that sacrifices must be made and will make those hard decisions in the interest of the mission. If you lack the determination to sacrifice your life for you mission then why would you fight?

[Lamia waits to see what Peola's response is going to be before reacting again.]

She's stronger than I thought. I should leave before she figures out what's different in this fight but something about what she says seems close to the colonel's view so why won't she understand?

[not_a_prize]

A leader that cares only about their mission and nothing else may as well just be another soldier, and one that may as well die soon.

[Admittedly, Peola just glares her down - attempting to force Lamia's hand away so she can headbutt her!]

A real leader would do everything they can to make sure that all their troops are alive and well because they care for them!! A real leader would defy the odds and succeed regardless because there's always more than one way to win a battle rather than just throwing the lives of their men away!

[broken_puppet]

[Lamia pushes Peola back towards the seat she was in before the altercation started.]

I was curious what your view would be but now I can clearly see it is driven by simple sentiment and nothing more concrete. Soldiers will die to achieve the mission as is demanded of them. You've seen it happen before with the Becketts, Kanadae, and Chief Hammer did you not?

A leader should not waste their men but they also need to be able to make the hard decisions to win the war. What would have happened if those previous soldiers hadn't died for their duty? How many more would have taken their place or gone with them?

[not_a_prize]

How about you try saying all of this to someone else and see how they react. Go ahead. I dare you.

[Peola just curses softly, turning aside.]

And for some of them... I don't think they even had a choice or orders to do what they did. And nobody knew what was coming after.

... I'm done with this. The last thing I need is another headache after the one I had to deal with already.

[With this she storms off, leaving Lamia to her thoughts.]