french fries.
we know waffle cut are the best.
CHASING VALOR ──────── french fries. & .quietus
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Futuristic CHASING VALOR
- Thread starter french fries.
- Start date
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- Tags
- f/f
ep. 1
french fries.
we know waffle cut are the best.
LIEUTENANT BURTON ──
“Lieutenant Burton.”
A hand rose to a soldier’s forehead on instinct, recognizing the sound of her superior officer’s voice, though not the title she had recently been given. Tess was exactly what the Terran Authority Group would consider to be an exemplary soldier. Although, as a woman thrown into the academy before adulthood and forced to learn the ideals of her home world’s military force, it wasn’t as if there were any other way her life would have gone.
Tess’s promotion from Officer to Lieutenant hadn’t been sudden, nor unexpected, yet Tess still couldn’t wrap her head around her own newfound authority. Though she lacked any soldiers that directly reported to her, she knew that her own command of a troupe was imminent. And, though she had told herself that was what she had always wanted, she still found that lingering fear of not being good enough to lead anyone else.
As if sensing her growing fears, her direct commander, Captain Vesco, looked like a man with a newfound task for his understudy.
“Sir.” Tess did not make direct eye contact with the Captain, at least not until she was told to be at ease. With hands now at her sides, the Lieutenant lifted her chin to meet the dark eyes of her superior. He was older than her by at least two decades and had lines around his eyes and mouth, though his lips appeared to be in a permanent frown, Tess had come to learn that the expression didn’t necessarily mean the man was unhappy. It was that same expression that greeted her when the good news came of her promotion, Captain Vesco was just not a man of many details.
He was her mentor, yes, but that didn’t mean they had an interpersonal relationship of any kind.
“I have an assignment for you, Burton.” His voice, much like his facial features, also came out rugged, commanding. There were several females in Tess’s previous troupe that fancied the man. Tess had no idea how.
The thought of an assignment was good, great even. Tess had spent the better part of her morning training her mind in flight simulators. There were duties she attended to, yes, but they were mundane enough that Tess could see to them in a short amount of time. In many ways she felt that her abilities were wasted without a mission at hand. So, with the thought of finally being able to perhaps head off the main galactic cruiser and actually do some good in the galaxy, she found her heart pick up in pace at the thought of her potential finally being used.
She was Lieutenant now, which meant that new responsibilities would exceed the walls of her long-term home.
“A new private is in need of direct supervision and advising. She is a transfer, an uncommon occurrence on the Leto. When word arose of the need I volunteered your name forthright, as I know you won’t disappoint.” Captain Vesco sounded confident in Tess, and the rarity of emotion from her superior should have made her excited and honored.
And yet… the mission chosen for her was nothing more than a babysitting gig. Anyone with average intelligence could look over a private, so why her?
Though her confidence dimmed and her heart sank, Tess gave a resolute nod. “It would be my honor to assist the recruit. What would you ask of me?”
A twenty minute explanation and a short descent into the lower levels of the Leto later, Tess found herself in approach to her newly assigned understudy. She briefly wondered what the transfer's first impression of her new commanding officer would be. From her slick-backed and braided hair to her inquisitive stare that she had been told was “creepy as fuck, man”, Tess knew she wasn’t an approachable person. She had never wanted that for herself. The military life was hard and, above all, was cruel, it would only make sense that Tess had been fitted into that role.
“Private.” The word came quickly from Tess’s lips. Blue eyes quickly darted across the face of the recruit and Tess was only left with a curiosity about the woman. She didn’t look like the usual soldier who joined up ranks with the TAG, but then again there weren’t many soldiers who transferred onto the Leto. Such a thing was uncommon due to the comradery the soldiers had with one another, most of whom shared the same home world.
“Come with me, I’ve been informed you need mentoring.” Tess didn’t wait for the woman to acknowledge her, not did she turn her head to see if the private was even following her. Though Tess’s annoyance lay in the underwhelming nature of her new mission, she found herself lashing out at the party irresponsible. A mistake, surely, but one that Tess did not feel like stopping.
“If I am to be responsible for a new Private, I at least want to ensure that they are competent.” With that, the officer stopped in front of a large set of double doors, metallic scraping and blaster noises sounding from the other side. Above the door read a large sign 'MECH TRAINING'. Most recruits needed a year of experience before even trying on a mech suit, let alone training in one. But Tess had been able to do so in her first year aboard the Leto, so it would only suffice her supposed lineage if the new recruit could, too.
“Let’s see if you’re worthy enough to wear that logo.” Tess turned her head to the right and eyed the TAG patch on the woman’s left shoulder, behaving as if any of those who led the Terran Authority Group even knew of Tess’s existence.
“Lieutenant Burton.”
A hand rose to a soldier’s forehead on instinct, recognizing the sound of her superior officer’s voice, though not the title she had recently been given. Tess was exactly what the Terran Authority Group would consider to be an exemplary soldier. Although, as a woman thrown into the academy before adulthood and forced to learn the ideals of her home world’s military force, it wasn’t as if there were any other way her life would have gone.
Tess’s promotion from Officer to Lieutenant hadn’t been sudden, nor unexpected, yet Tess still couldn’t wrap her head around her own newfound authority. Though she lacked any soldiers that directly reported to her, she knew that her own command of a troupe was imminent. And, though she had told herself that was what she had always wanted, she still found that lingering fear of not being good enough to lead anyone else.
As if sensing her growing fears, her direct commander, Captain Vesco, looked like a man with a newfound task for his understudy.
“Sir.” Tess did not make direct eye contact with the Captain, at least not until she was told to be at ease. With hands now at her sides, the Lieutenant lifted her chin to meet the dark eyes of her superior. He was older than her by at least two decades and had lines around his eyes and mouth, though his lips appeared to be in a permanent frown, Tess had come to learn that the expression didn’t necessarily mean the man was unhappy. It was that same expression that greeted her when the good news came of her promotion, Captain Vesco was just not a man of many details.
He was her mentor, yes, but that didn’t mean they had an interpersonal relationship of any kind.
“I have an assignment for you, Burton.” His voice, much like his facial features, also came out rugged, commanding. There were several females in Tess’s previous troupe that fancied the man. Tess had no idea how.
The thought of an assignment was good, great even. Tess had spent the better part of her morning training her mind in flight simulators. There were duties she attended to, yes, but they were mundane enough that Tess could see to them in a short amount of time. In many ways she felt that her abilities were wasted without a mission at hand. So, with the thought of finally being able to perhaps head off the main galactic cruiser and actually do some good in the galaxy, she found her heart pick up in pace at the thought of her potential finally being used.
She was Lieutenant now, which meant that new responsibilities would exceed the walls of her long-term home.
“A new private is in need of direct supervision and advising. She is a transfer, an uncommon occurrence on the Leto. When word arose of the need I volunteered your name forthright, as I know you won’t disappoint.” Captain Vesco sounded confident in Tess, and the rarity of emotion from her superior should have made her excited and honored.
And yet… the mission chosen for her was nothing more than a babysitting gig. Anyone with average intelligence could look over a private, so why her?
Though her confidence dimmed and her heart sank, Tess gave a resolute nod. “It would be my honor to assist the recruit. What would you ask of me?”
A twenty minute explanation and a short descent into the lower levels of the Leto later, Tess found herself in approach to her newly assigned understudy. She briefly wondered what the transfer's first impression of her new commanding officer would be. From her slick-backed and braided hair to her inquisitive stare that she had been told was “creepy as fuck, man”, Tess knew she wasn’t an approachable person. She had never wanted that for herself. The military life was hard and, above all, was cruel, it would only make sense that Tess had been fitted into that role.
“Private.” The word came quickly from Tess’s lips. Blue eyes quickly darted across the face of the recruit and Tess was only left with a curiosity about the woman. She didn’t look like the usual soldier who joined up ranks with the TAG, but then again there weren’t many soldiers who transferred onto the Leto. Such a thing was uncommon due to the comradery the soldiers had with one another, most of whom shared the same home world.
“Come with me, I’ve been informed you need mentoring.” Tess didn’t wait for the woman to acknowledge her, not did she turn her head to see if the private was even following her. Though Tess’s annoyance lay in the underwhelming nature of her new mission, she found herself lashing out at the party irresponsible. A mistake, surely, but one that Tess did not feel like stopping.
“If I am to be responsible for a new Private, I at least want to ensure that they are competent.” With that, the officer stopped in front of a large set of double doors, metallic scraping and blaster noises sounding from the other side. Above the door read a large sign 'MECH TRAINING'. Most recruits needed a year of experience before even trying on a mech suit, let alone training in one. But Tess had been able to do so in her first year aboard the Leto, so it would only suffice her supposed lineage if the new recruit could, too.
“Let’s see if you’re worthy enough to wear that logo.” Tess turned her head to the right and eyed the TAG patch on the woman’s left shoulder, behaving as if any of those who led the Terran Authority Group even knew of Tess’s existence.
.quietus
ragequit, but ~poetic~
It had started as an idea.
Like with most of those, Cassandra Orologa had first grasped it in her mind; then turned around, to look at it from all the angles; and, finally, spun a plan out of it, in the same way someone else might spin a thread out of yarn.
The plan was also batshit crazy. All of her plans were, but given that they usually worked, Cassandra had come to see it as a feature, rather than a bug.
Of course, not everyone agreed with the conclusion. It would, in fact, be fair to say that most would disagree -- which was all but expected, given that few had a shred of her genius. Cassandra had mostly gotten used to that sad state of affairs, though it would also be a lie to say that the way Alexander side-eyed her didn't sting.
"Let me just ask you one thing, Artemis," he looked at her from behind his glasses, before tapping his fingers on the table, "Have you finally fucking lost it?"
"Nice of you to worry about my mental health, but nope," she offered a charming smile, "Still perfectly fine!" The 'still' part was likely debatable in most people's eyes, as a lot of them would doubt she ever had been that in the first place, but Cassandra hadn't gotten to where she was thanks to hippie shit like respecting different opinions. That was for suckers. "I've never actually felt more clear-eyed."
Cass walked closer to him, to this man she still dared to call her friend, and sat on the edge of the table, instead of the chair that was very obviously waiting for her. Alex did roll his eyes at that, but he also knew better than to say anything, especially as she continued: "I mean, can't you at least see my point?"
"What point?" he barked. "That we would be better off having one of those things," those things, of course, translated to 'mechs', "instead of just being slaughtered by them? Yeah, can't argue with that. But we would also be in a better position with like..." he waved his hand, searching for the right words, "...insta-death lasers. Or if the entire goddamn empire toppled over on its own. None of that is happening, though! And you fucking know it."
"Ooo, insta-death lasers!" there was a spark in Cassandra's eyes, "Man, why didn't I think of that? It would solve literally all of our--"
"Artemis."
"Right, right," she returned back to reality, "Maybe it's only not happening because you're being a bitch about it, though. If you're not even going to try, then how do you know it's impossible?"
Ever the question. The universe was full of possibilities; endless rolls of the dice, one after another, all branching out to more outcomes and better futures. You only had to be brave enough to watch the dice fall -- but many, apparently, couldn't even do as much. How pathetic was that?
Alexander sighed. "No, I get it. You've made up your mind already, haven't you?"
"Well, yes." That much, Cassandra wasn't going to deny. They both knew, and they knew that the other knew, and dancing this pointless dance wasn't at all why she'd come here. "Will you help or not? I'm gonna do it with or without your assistance, but I'd appreciate the help."
"...Fine," Alex gave up, "This probably makes me an even bigger idiot than you, but okay. Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when you fucking die, though."
"Isn't that sort of thing illegal for dead people?"
"Artemis." The word was both a reprimand and this... strange, resigned sigh. They both saw it for what it was; something of a substitute 'I care, but you're not exactly making it easy for me.' "Why are you always like this?"
"Because, dear Alex..." she let the words hang in the air for a bit, because dramatic pauses were everything, "...Eagles know not how to walk. So, they must fly."
***
True to his word, Alex had helped. Cassandra likely would have managed on her own, given that fresh recruits weren't the most dangerous people in the galaxy by definition, but not having to bother with all the groundwork was just nice. Gathering intel, also, wasn't all that exciting.
Poor little bottom feeder, she thought, before lifting the corpse's head to take a better look. Why did you want to enlist? For the credits, or out of boredom? Once, the girl had been pretty; a cute, young thing, sun-kissed and covered in freckles, with copper hair reaching down her shoulders. Cassandra wouldn't mind wearing her face, just as she wouldn't have minded buying her a drink.
Except, well, she would have. She didn't date corpses, for one -- but even that would have been less of an obstacle than the chick being imperial fucking scum.
To someone like you, death was more of a gift. At least you got to stay innocent. That was a privilege Cassandra was not, and would not, be allowed, and she may have thought of that as she let the magical energies surge through her body, before directing them to the girl's corpse. Much like clay, magic remembered. It let you give it a shape, and the shape Cassie chose now was the dead woman's likeness. Her features, to the last laugh line; her height; her everything.
From now on, until the mission was complete, she would be Arilyn McSaforth. And wasn't that amazing?
Probably not if you were the fuckers she was about to rob, but Cassie didn't give much of a damn about those.
***
If there was a part of this that Cassandra was not looking forward to, it was the whole yes-woman shtick. Yes, sir; yes, ma'am; yes, yes, yes, until her mouth hurt. It was apparently great honor to be stationed on the Leto, so not licking the boots of her supervisors hard enough would have been... well, suspicious. Possibly mission-ending. Keeping that in mind, Cassie did adapt, even if a little bit of her soul died inside with every undeserved bow.
Just be Arilyn, she thought, Play the role and everything will be fine.
And it mostly was. Sure, it may have been killing her brain cells, but since those were somewhat overrated in this era of idiocracy anyway, you could even say that it was... free therapy? Yeah, let's not overdo it with the silver linings.
The frank, 100% honest answer was that everything about the base she had been assigned to sucked. The food sucked; the orders sucked; her roommates especially sucked, with their stupid talks of 'heroism' and 'saving the galaxy.' By the gods, do you really believe all that shit?
The saddest thing was that Cassandra did think that. They probably really had enlisted expecting that they would be some kinda cheesy superheroes, hunting villains and giving bread to the poor, oppressed folks on the outskirts of the galaxy. How cute!
But only if your definition of 'cute' was 'hopelessly naive.'
When they told her that she would be given a personal mentor, Cassandra wasn't in the best mood; and she also wasn't in the best mood when she actually met the woman, all bark and bite. Is the stick up her ass permanent, or...? Cassie supposed that that was something of a requirement to make it big in the army in the first place, but the extent this Tess Burton was willing to go to still amazed her. Being this unpleasant, for no reason?
That shit took dedication.
On the spot, Cassandra decided to be as annoying as humanly possible, solely to fuck with the other woman. She still had to play the part of a bootlicker, of course, but that didn't mean she couldn't be a pest about it. What, you think she wasn't creative enough for that? Because she fucking was.
"Why hello there, ma'am," Cass gave her a sunshine smile, ignoring Tess's own non-introduction, "An honor to meet ya. Name's Ari! Well, Arilyn, but friends call me Ari, so please, don't hold back." Unnecessary intimacy? Check. Cheer that wasn't at all appropriate? Check. A little, cheeky wink at the end of her speech? Yep, fucking check. Some might even guess that she was flirting with her mentor, even if that, of course, wasn't the intention. It looked like it, though! And that was the entire point.
Cassandra followed Tess, her smile only widening, "Well, I'm competent at a lot of things, ma'am." You have no idea how many, too. "Maybe I'll show you one day." The innuendo was barely an innuendo at all, and briefly, Cassie wondered whether she was overdoing it or not. The thought came and went, however; pesky little things such as self-preservation never stayed on her radar for too long. "Mechs, though! Super exciting. I have always wanted a mech of my own," which was probably the first truthful thing she had said since being assigned to the base. It would be the last one, too. "Already breaking the regulations for me, though?" she turned to Tess, the teasing tone back. "I thought I wasn't supposed to try my hand at this yet, ma'am. How did I earn the privilege?"
Like with most of those, Cassandra Orologa had first grasped it in her mind; then turned around, to look at it from all the angles; and, finally, spun a plan out of it, in the same way someone else might spin a thread out of yarn.
The plan was also batshit crazy. All of her plans were, but given that they usually worked, Cassandra had come to see it as a feature, rather than a bug.
Of course, not everyone agreed with the conclusion. It would, in fact, be fair to say that most would disagree -- which was all but expected, given that few had a shred of her genius. Cassandra had mostly gotten used to that sad state of affairs, though it would also be a lie to say that the way Alexander side-eyed her didn't sting.
"Let me just ask you one thing, Artemis," he looked at her from behind his glasses, before tapping his fingers on the table, "Have you finally fucking lost it?"
"Nice of you to worry about my mental health, but nope," she offered a charming smile, "Still perfectly fine!" The 'still' part was likely debatable in most people's eyes, as a lot of them would doubt she ever had been that in the first place, but Cassandra hadn't gotten to where she was thanks to hippie shit like respecting different opinions. That was for suckers. "I've never actually felt more clear-eyed."
Cass walked closer to him, to this man she still dared to call her friend, and sat on the edge of the table, instead of the chair that was very obviously waiting for her. Alex did roll his eyes at that, but he also knew better than to say anything, especially as she continued: "I mean, can't you at least see my point?"
"What point?" he barked. "That we would be better off having one of those things," those things, of course, translated to 'mechs', "instead of just being slaughtered by them? Yeah, can't argue with that. But we would also be in a better position with like..." he waved his hand, searching for the right words, "...insta-death lasers. Or if the entire goddamn empire toppled over on its own. None of that is happening, though! And you fucking know it."
"Ooo, insta-death lasers!" there was a spark in Cassandra's eyes, "Man, why didn't I think of that? It would solve literally all of our--"
"Artemis."
"Right, right," she returned back to reality, "Maybe it's only not happening because you're being a bitch about it, though. If you're not even going to try, then how do you know it's impossible?"
Ever the question. The universe was full of possibilities; endless rolls of the dice, one after another, all branching out to more outcomes and better futures. You only had to be brave enough to watch the dice fall -- but many, apparently, couldn't even do as much. How pathetic was that?
Alexander sighed. "No, I get it. You've made up your mind already, haven't you?"
"Well, yes." That much, Cassandra wasn't going to deny. They both knew, and they knew that the other knew, and dancing this pointless dance wasn't at all why she'd come here. "Will you help or not? I'm gonna do it with or without your assistance, but I'd appreciate the help."
"...Fine," Alex gave up, "This probably makes me an even bigger idiot than you, but okay. Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when you fucking die, though."
"Isn't that sort of thing illegal for dead people?"
"Artemis." The word was both a reprimand and this... strange, resigned sigh. They both saw it for what it was; something of a substitute 'I care, but you're not exactly making it easy for me.' "Why are you always like this?"
"Because, dear Alex..." she let the words hang in the air for a bit, because dramatic pauses were everything, "...Eagles know not how to walk. So, they must fly."
***
True to his word, Alex had helped. Cassandra likely would have managed on her own, given that fresh recruits weren't the most dangerous people in the galaxy by definition, but not having to bother with all the groundwork was just nice. Gathering intel, also, wasn't all that exciting.
Poor little bottom feeder, she thought, before lifting the corpse's head to take a better look. Why did you want to enlist? For the credits, or out of boredom? Once, the girl had been pretty; a cute, young thing, sun-kissed and covered in freckles, with copper hair reaching down her shoulders. Cassandra wouldn't mind wearing her face, just as she wouldn't have minded buying her a drink.
Except, well, she would have. She didn't date corpses, for one -- but even that would have been less of an obstacle than the chick being imperial fucking scum.
To someone like you, death was more of a gift. At least you got to stay innocent. That was a privilege Cassandra was not, and would not, be allowed, and she may have thought of that as she let the magical energies surge through her body, before directing them to the girl's corpse. Much like clay, magic remembered. It let you give it a shape, and the shape Cassie chose now was the dead woman's likeness. Her features, to the last laugh line; her height; her everything.
From now on, until the mission was complete, she would be Arilyn McSaforth. And wasn't that amazing?
Probably not if you were the fuckers she was about to rob, but Cassie didn't give much of a damn about those.
***
If there was a part of this that Cassandra was not looking forward to, it was the whole yes-woman shtick. Yes, sir; yes, ma'am; yes, yes, yes, until her mouth hurt. It was apparently great honor to be stationed on the Leto, so not licking the boots of her supervisors hard enough would have been... well, suspicious. Possibly mission-ending. Keeping that in mind, Cassie did adapt, even if a little bit of her soul died inside with every undeserved bow.
Just be Arilyn, she thought, Play the role and everything will be fine.
And it mostly was. Sure, it may have been killing her brain cells, but since those were somewhat overrated in this era of idiocracy anyway, you could even say that it was... free therapy? Yeah, let's not overdo it with the silver linings.
The frank, 100% honest answer was that everything about the base she had been assigned to sucked. The food sucked; the orders sucked; her roommates especially sucked, with their stupid talks of 'heroism' and 'saving the galaxy.' By the gods, do you really believe all that shit?
The saddest thing was that Cassandra did think that. They probably really had enlisted expecting that they would be some kinda cheesy superheroes, hunting villains and giving bread to the poor, oppressed folks on the outskirts of the galaxy. How cute!
But only if your definition of 'cute' was 'hopelessly naive.'
When they told her that she would be given a personal mentor, Cassandra wasn't in the best mood; and she also wasn't in the best mood when she actually met the woman, all bark and bite. Is the stick up her ass permanent, or...? Cassie supposed that that was something of a requirement to make it big in the army in the first place, but the extent this Tess Burton was willing to go to still amazed her. Being this unpleasant, for no reason?
That shit took dedication.
On the spot, Cassandra decided to be as annoying as humanly possible, solely to fuck with the other woman. She still had to play the part of a bootlicker, of course, but that didn't mean she couldn't be a pest about it. What, you think she wasn't creative enough for that? Because she fucking was.
"Why hello there, ma'am," Cass gave her a sunshine smile, ignoring Tess's own non-introduction, "An honor to meet ya. Name's Ari! Well, Arilyn, but friends call me Ari, so please, don't hold back." Unnecessary intimacy? Check. Cheer that wasn't at all appropriate? Check. A little, cheeky wink at the end of her speech? Yep, fucking check. Some might even guess that she was flirting with her mentor, even if that, of course, wasn't the intention. It looked like it, though! And that was the entire point.
Cassandra followed Tess, her smile only widening, "Well, I'm competent at a lot of things, ma'am." You have no idea how many, too. "Maybe I'll show you one day." The innuendo was barely an innuendo at all, and briefly, Cassie wondered whether she was overdoing it or not. The thought came and went, however; pesky little things such as self-preservation never stayed on her radar for too long. "Mechs, though! Super exciting. I have always wanted a mech of my own," which was probably the first truthful thing she had said since being assigned to the base. It would be the last one, too. "Already breaking the regulations for me, though?" she turned to Tess, the teasing tone back. "I thought I wasn't supposed to try my hand at this yet, ma'am. How did I earn the privilege?"
Last edited:
french fries.
we know waffle cut are the best.
LIEUTENANT BURTON ──
Though many years had passed since Tess went through the grueling process that was bootcamp and initial intake into the TAG, she still remembered a few details sharply. Many cold and rainy days spent running through mud in an attempt to triumph over the obstacle course. Feeling like she could never wash away all of the grime and dirt from her skin and hair during her allotted five minutes showers – which were also ice cold. Sleepless nights spent on a cot that may as well have been the concrete floor. It was all an exhausting process, but it was something every single soldier in the Terran Authority Group had to go through in order to be considered for any rank. Knowing that Tess’s superior offices went through the same humbling beginnings as herself had always been a motivator. Seeing that same pain reflected in the eyes of a fresh recruit was, too.
Except, Tess couldn’t find that similarity all soldiers had in the eyes of her new recruit. She was too fresh faced and bright eyed, there was a light there that hadn’t been extinguished. There was a possibility that this Private’s resolve was too strong to be broken by something as draining as basic training, but Tess didn’t want to consider that possibility. Because that meant that she herself lacked that trait.
Ignoring the woman’s initial attempt at conversation was easy, as the words were just like the ones Tess’s previous troupe would also throw at her. Questionable greetings, a needless use of nicknames, and overall closeness. None of Tess felt she needed let alone wanted. The walk to the training hall felt longer with words being sprayed at her back, and she felt a certain vein on her left temple tense as her jaw tightened.
The dentist aboard Leto forced Tess to wear a mouthguard even in her sleep from the way the woman grinded her teeth.
The Private finally did get a reaction out of Tess though, upon her final curious question.
“Did you just question your superior officer?” Tess lifted the front of her foot to turn on her heel. There were a few inches between Tess and the transfer, the former having the height advantage. “I believe, as does my superior officer and his, that the operation of a mech is very telling.”
After swiping a hand in front of the sensor to the right of the door, Tess’s implanted security clearance registered and the doors slid open. The sight in the large room was one Tess would always revere. Even as a freshly graduated Private, she remembered her own slack jawed stare into this very training room. The mechs were an example of the many scientific advantages the TAG offered. They were a mechanical extension of the human body with additional advantages. Most could sustain the lack of atmosphere in space, some could fly and others were equipped with heavy weaponry that made it impossible for them to do so.
Tess, as part of her promotion to Lieutenant, had a mechanical suit that she shared with only one other crew member. Most of the mechs were property of the TAG and the TAG alone, so Tess didn’t take her high honor for granted.
“The mech suit looks like it’s all fun.” Tess walked the edge of the large room, along a brightly painted thick yellow line that told occupants where it would be safe to be outside of the large robotic suit. In the center of the room there were mechs flying through holographic rings, some aiming at force field surrounded targets, and others sparring with melee attachments equipped to their suits. “But the mechanics of the suit are very demanding. If you can run a mile in five minutes you can do the same in a mech, it’s the same experience except the mech makes you feel like you have a hundred pounds sitting on your back.”
The memory of Tess’s own initial experiences in a mech suit made sweat bead on her forehead. It wasn’t easy to operate a mech well, but it was worth the pain of training to do so.
“You would have no chance against me in a normal sparring ring.” The corner of Tess’s mouth twitched upward of its own volition, the Lieutenant as cocky as she was hardened. “But we can see how well you do in a mech. I can disable a few abilities on my own so it’s close to a fair fight.”
Was this the correct course of action to take with a fresh transfer? Tess had no fucking idea, but what she did know was that Leto only deserved the best soldiers aboard, and if this Private was one of the best, she would be able to hold her own.
Though many years had passed since Tess went through the grueling process that was bootcamp and initial intake into the TAG, she still remembered a few details sharply. Many cold and rainy days spent running through mud in an attempt to triumph over the obstacle course. Feeling like she could never wash away all of the grime and dirt from her skin and hair during her allotted five minutes showers – which were also ice cold. Sleepless nights spent on a cot that may as well have been the concrete floor. It was all an exhausting process, but it was something every single soldier in the Terran Authority Group had to go through in order to be considered for any rank. Knowing that Tess’s superior offices went through the same humbling beginnings as herself had always been a motivator. Seeing that same pain reflected in the eyes of a fresh recruit was, too.
Except, Tess couldn’t find that similarity all soldiers had in the eyes of her new recruit. She was too fresh faced and bright eyed, there was a light there that hadn’t been extinguished. There was a possibility that this Private’s resolve was too strong to be broken by something as draining as basic training, but Tess didn’t want to consider that possibility. Because that meant that she herself lacked that trait.
Ignoring the woman’s initial attempt at conversation was easy, as the words were just like the ones Tess’s previous troupe would also throw at her. Questionable greetings, a needless use of nicknames, and overall closeness. None of Tess felt she needed let alone wanted. The walk to the training hall felt longer with words being sprayed at her back, and she felt a certain vein on her left temple tense as her jaw tightened.
The dentist aboard Leto forced Tess to wear a mouthguard even in her sleep from the way the woman grinded her teeth.
The Private finally did get a reaction out of Tess though, upon her final curious question.
“Did you just question your superior officer?” Tess lifted the front of her foot to turn on her heel. There were a few inches between Tess and the transfer, the former having the height advantage. “I believe, as does my superior officer and his, that the operation of a mech is very telling.”
After swiping a hand in front of the sensor to the right of the door, Tess’s implanted security clearance registered and the doors slid open. The sight in the large room was one Tess would always revere. Even as a freshly graduated Private, she remembered her own slack jawed stare into this very training room. The mechs were an example of the many scientific advantages the TAG offered. They were a mechanical extension of the human body with additional advantages. Most could sustain the lack of atmosphere in space, some could fly and others were equipped with heavy weaponry that made it impossible for them to do so.
Tess, as part of her promotion to Lieutenant, had a mechanical suit that she shared with only one other crew member. Most of the mechs were property of the TAG and the TAG alone, so Tess didn’t take her high honor for granted.
“The mech suit looks like it’s all fun.” Tess walked the edge of the large room, along a brightly painted thick yellow line that told occupants where it would be safe to be outside of the large robotic suit. In the center of the room there were mechs flying through holographic rings, some aiming at force field surrounded targets, and others sparring with melee attachments equipped to their suits. “But the mechanics of the suit are very demanding. If you can run a mile in five minutes you can do the same in a mech, it’s the same experience except the mech makes you feel like you have a hundred pounds sitting on your back.”
The memory of Tess’s own initial experiences in a mech suit made sweat bead on her forehead. It wasn’t easy to operate a mech well, but it was worth the pain of training to do so.
“You would have no chance against me in a normal sparring ring.” The corner of Tess’s mouth twitched upward of its own volition, the Lieutenant as cocky as she was hardened. “But we can see how well you do in a mech. I can disable a few abilities on my own so it’s close to a fair fight.”
Was this the correct course of action to take with a fresh transfer? Tess had no fucking idea, but what she did know was that Leto only deserved the best soldiers aboard, and if this Private was one of the best, she would be able to hold her own.
.quietus
ragequit, but ~poetic~
"Did you just question your superior officer?" Tess's voice cracked like a whip, in that signature, very recognizable 'you just fucked up' kinda way. Cassandra could feel the threat on the tip of her counterpart's tongue, just like she could hear the words behind the words, and, for a terrible, terrible second, she was tempted to actually spill the truth.
'Yes, and what about it?'
'Do you need your ears checked, Tessie?'
'Man, you really do take this shit way too seriously for your own good.'
Of course, she said nothing of the sort in the end. Despite what Alex often claimed, Cassie wasn't nearly suicidal enough to pull such nonsense during a mission, and she knew full well that antagonizing Burton too much would get her exactly nowhere. Playing stupid games only ever resulted in stupid prizes. Privately, however? She had to admit, as she stared in Tess's blue eyes, that it was way more interesting to actually see something in there, as opposed to that cold void from before. A hint of fire? A spark?
Even if it was definitely the kind of spark that could burn her entire fucking house down.
No, wait -- that was what made it so alluring in the first place.
That may or may not have been why she actually had no house, and why every relationship of hers had ended in those very same flames.
"Nooo, of course not," Cass raised her hands in a defensive gesture, deciding not to think too hard about why her brain defaulted to bringing up relationships, of all things,"I was just flattered, ma'am. To think you trust me so much already!" Too bad she wasn't a good enough actress to shed a tear on purpose, because she totally would have gone for it. Oh well. You couldn't have everything, Cassandra supposed. "This really is a grand moment in my life. A pivotal one, if you will."
It was, although for reasons much different than what Tess likely thought. Do they all share a single communal brain cell or what? Is this their idea of security? Not that Cassandra wanted to complain, but she had also expected a challenge. Something more involved. In her mind, having to earn their trust had played a major role in the process, so to learn that it was apparently enough to waltz in there and look confident to get a participation trophy mech was something of a whiplash.
Military, ladies and gentlemen!
Cassandra had long since suspected that they were a bunch of suckers, and was glad to have that theory of hers confirmed.
Following was what was expected of her, so she did just that, playing the role of a good little soldier. Some part of her that she didn't wish to admit existed was a little impressed, too; the training room just looked... well, impressive, with all the surgical steel, sleek elegance of the equipment, and precious machines lining the wall. You could basically hear the cash that had gone into this going 'ka-ching' in the distance, and boy, was the sound deafening. Of course it is, she reminded herself, Why would it not be? Blood money is cheap.
Right! This wasn't the time to get all misty-eyed over the use of resources that they'd fucking stolen. "So, if I'm getting this right," Cassie canted her head, focusing fully on what Tess said for now, "The thing still draws upon your own power. What happens when you run out of if? And are there any techniques to... better conserve your energy?" There had to be, because she wasn't buying that 'hard work brings sweet fruit' bullshit. In Cass's experience, hard work only ever brought callouses, and fuckers that wanted to steal it.
Walking over to the mech Tess had designated as hers, Cassandra took a deep breath and touched the cold steel on one of the plated arms. The air around her shimmered with... what, electricity? Anticipation? Maybe, because this, this was it; the very thing she'd come here for. The sword that would strike the empire down, like in her favorite legends!
Fine, fine, probably not, but armed like that, she could, at least, be a much bigger thorn in their side. More than just a nuisance. She could--
Wait, the chick wants me to fight? Just like that? Cassandra did like her ass-kicking sessions, except there was one tiny problem with this set-up. Well, several of them. "Oh? I get how seeing me beneath you might be appealing, ma'am," again, the flirting, and the infuriating smile, "but I don't see much of a point in a sparring match if I don't even know how to control a mech. It's my first time even seeing one. Can you show me how things are done first? Then I will give it my best!" At which point Cass gave her a thumbs up, because of fucking course she did.
What? Annoying your enemy into them losing their cool was a strategy that often worked. Sun Tzu would totally have approved!
'Yes, and what about it?'
'Do you need your ears checked, Tessie?'
'Man, you really do take this shit way too seriously for your own good.'
Of course, she said nothing of the sort in the end. Despite what Alex often claimed, Cassie wasn't nearly suicidal enough to pull such nonsense during a mission, and she knew full well that antagonizing Burton too much would get her exactly nowhere. Playing stupid games only ever resulted in stupid prizes. Privately, however? She had to admit, as she stared in Tess's blue eyes, that it was way more interesting to actually see something in there, as opposed to that cold void from before. A hint of fire? A spark?
Even if it was definitely the kind of spark that could burn her entire fucking house down.
No, wait -- that was what made it so alluring in the first place.
That may or may not have been why she actually had no house, and why every relationship of hers had ended in those very same flames.
"Nooo, of course not," Cass raised her hands in a defensive gesture, deciding not to think too hard about why her brain defaulted to bringing up relationships, of all things,"I was just flattered, ma'am. To think you trust me so much already!" Too bad she wasn't a good enough actress to shed a tear on purpose, because she totally would have gone for it. Oh well. You couldn't have everything, Cassandra supposed. "This really is a grand moment in my life. A pivotal one, if you will."
It was, although for reasons much different than what Tess likely thought. Do they all share a single communal brain cell or what? Is this their idea of security? Not that Cassandra wanted to complain, but she had also expected a challenge. Something more involved. In her mind, having to earn their trust had played a major role in the process, so to learn that it was apparently enough to waltz in there and look confident to get a participation trophy mech was something of a whiplash.
Military, ladies and gentlemen!
Cassandra had long since suspected that they were a bunch of suckers, and was glad to have that theory of hers confirmed.
Following was what was expected of her, so she did just that, playing the role of a good little soldier. Some part of her that she didn't wish to admit existed was a little impressed, too; the training room just looked... well, impressive, with all the surgical steel, sleek elegance of the equipment, and precious machines lining the wall. You could basically hear the cash that had gone into this going 'ka-ching' in the distance, and boy, was the sound deafening. Of course it is, she reminded herself, Why would it not be? Blood money is cheap.
Right! This wasn't the time to get all misty-eyed over the use of resources that they'd fucking stolen. "So, if I'm getting this right," Cassie canted her head, focusing fully on what Tess said for now, "The thing still draws upon your own power. What happens when you run out of if? And are there any techniques to... better conserve your energy?" There had to be, because she wasn't buying that 'hard work brings sweet fruit' bullshit. In Cass's experience, hard work only ever brought callouses, and fuckers that wanted to steal it.
Walking over to the mech Tess had designated as hers, Cassandra took a deep breath and touched the cold steel on one of the plated arms. The air around her shimmered with... what, electricity? Anticipation? Maybe, because this, this was it; the very thing she'd come here for. The sword that would strike the empire down, like in her favorite legends!
Fine, fine, probably not, but armed like that, she could, at least, be a much bigger thorn in their side. More than just a nuisance. She could--
Wait, the chick wants me to fight? Just like that? Cassandra did like her ass-kicking sessions, except there was one tiny problem with this set-up. Well, several of them. "Oh? I get how seeing me beneath you might be appealing, ma'am," again, the flirting, and the infuriating smile, "but I don't see much of a point in a sparring match if I don't even know how to control a mech. It's my first time even seeing one. Can you show me how things are done first? Then I will give it my best!" At which point Cass gave her a thumbs up, because of fucking course she did.
What? Annoying your enemy into them losing their cool was a strategy that often worked. Sun Tzu would totally have approved!
french fries.
we know waffle cut are the best.
LIEUTENANT BURTON ──
There were a dozen ways Tess could have felt about both her recruit and her assignment to take care of her, but the Lieutenant wouldn’t let any of them show. The hardened woman kept her emotions bottled up, buried so deep within herself that at times she wondered if she could feel anything at all. Loneliness could never feel exhausting when it wasn’t felt at all. The same could be said with her anger or frustrations, both of which were channeled into training or efforts to improve herself.
And, as evident by the hardened muscle that cased her arms and legs, she had learned to channel it well.
Despite her frustrations and growing impatience with her assigned recruit, Tess only let out a soft sigh before gathering her resolve and acting like the emotions weren’t present at all. “You learn to lead the machine with your mind, rather than your limbs. You don’t necessarily tell your arm to grab something, it just does. The mech works in a similar way, but getting to that level of connection isn’t easy for most.”
As if on cue, a pair of sparring mechanical suits behind them thudded to the ground, an eruption of metallic scraping to be heard after their impact to the ground.
Private McSaforth’s next words were frustrating to Tess, who hated that this new recruit had so little faith in her mentor that she assumed she would just be thrust into a mech suit with little guidance to follow.
“Of course I’m going to show you how to use it.” Tess’s words came with more bite than usual, and she quickly turned her head away in an attempt to hide her scowl. Ignoring the questionable use of a thumbs up in her direction, Tess led the way to a set of chambers embedded into the wall. Each contained an empty mech suit behind some glass-like material. Again, Tess waved her security clearance in front of a sensor to unlock the case, and the glass slid up slowly in response. Next to each suit was a rollout set of metal stairs to make entering the suits easier, Tess gripped the railing of one and slid it over to the front of the suit.
With only a brief glance backward at her bright-eyed recruit, Tess climbed the narrow steps to the top. She waited for her assignment to follow, and had to give a sharp turn backward when the Private merely stood at the bottom. Whatever expression that had been on Tess’s face seemed to do the trick and the woman quickly climbed the steps.
“This is the latch that opens to the pilot seat.” ‘Seat’ being a glorified use of the word, considering the chair was only a back not meant for the pilot to sit at all. Tess reached forward and yanked on a black handle, the small door opened revealing the small space in which soldiers stood to control their mechs. The Lieutenant climbed inside – not realizing what a show she was putting on by climbing forward on her hands and knees. Once in the confined space she gestured forward so the recruit would follow instead of standing there gawking as she had before.
“Stand here.” Tess pressed her back to the cool metal that surrounded her, trying to maintain a sense of distance even within such a tight space. Once the Private was in place Tess squatted down to the ground. “The mech connects in five places.” She pulled flexible bracelets connected to wiring from the places on the floor, and she got busy gently wrapping them around the woman’s ankles. “In order for it to react properly to your movement, it uses physical sensors, as opposed to wireless ones.”
Once both of Private McSaforth’s legs were connected, Tess stood at her full height to grab the ones for her wrists. Only, once she stood and felt the soft breath of the woman dance across her neck, she found herself pausing momentarily. If Tess were to only tilt her head down an inch, she was sure that their noses would touch. Tess physically recoiled from the thought alone and quickly attached the woman’s wrists to the mech in the same way she had her ankles.
“Try moving your arms and legs,” Tess was again standing with as much distance between them as possible, her back against the cool metal. “The wires shouldn’t constrict you in any way, they just track your movements.”
Once Tess was satisfied with her recruit’s handle on being connected to the mech, she moved to place the last bit of machinery in place. A lightweight helmet with a built in communication device was slowly placed over Private McSaforth’s head because Tess, despite all of her glares and less than welcoming words, didn’t want to accidentally hurt the woman. She stepped back again once the helmet was in place, not wanting any ill thoughts to once again arise due to close proximity.
“Does it feel okay? Can you see through the mech’s eyes now?” The helmet on the Private’s head also had a visor that allowed the mech’s pilot to fully immerse into the suit. Tess knew that the first time she had fully calibrated with a mech suit she had a wave of vertigo, and she was curious to see if the same would happen to the woman in front of her.
There were a dozen ways Tess could have felt about both her recruit and her assignment to take care of her, but the Lieutenant wouldn’t let any of them show. The hardened woman kept her emotions bottled up, buried so deep within herself that at times she wondered if she could feel anything at all. Loneliness could never feel exhausting when it wasn’t felt at all. The same could be said with her anger or frustrations, both of which were channeled into training or efforts to improve herself.
And, as evident by the hardened muscle that cased her arms and legs, she had learned to channel it well.
Despite her frustrations and growing impatience with her assigned recruit, Tess only let out a soft sigh before gathering her resolve and acting like the emotions weren’t present at all. “You learn to lead the machine with your mind, rather than your limbs. You don’t necessarily tell your arm to grab something, it just does. The mech works in a similar way, but getting to that level of connection isn’t easy for most.”
As if on cue, a pair of sparring mechanical suits behind them thudded to the ground, an eruption of metallic scraping to be heard after their impact to the ground.
Private McSaforth’s next words were frustrating to Tess, who hated that this new recruit had so little faith in her mentor that she assumed she would just be thrust into a mech suit with little guidance to follow.
“Of course I’m going to show you how to use it.” Tess’s words came with more bite than usual, and she quickly turned her head away in an attempt to hide her scowl. Ignoring the questionable use of a thumbs up in her direction, Tess led the way to a set of chambers embedded into the wall. Each contained an empty mech suit behind some glass-like material. Again, Tess waved her security clearance in front of a sensor to unlock the case, and the glass slid up slowly in response. Next to each suit was a rollout set of metal stairs to make entering the suits easier, Tess gripped the railing of one and slid it over to the front of the suit.
With only a brief glance backward at her bright-eyed recruit, Tess climbed the narrow steps to the top. She waited for her assignment to follow, and had to give a sharp turn backward when the Private merely stood at the bottom. Whatever expression that had been on Tess’s face seemed to do the trick and the woman quickly climbed the steps.
“This is the latch that opens to the pilot seat.” ‘Seat’ being a glorified use of the word, considering the chair was only a back not meant for the pilot to sit at all. Tess reached forward and yanked on a black handle, the small door opened revealing the small space in which soldiers stood to control their mechs. The Lieutenant climbed inside – not realizing what a show she was putting on by climbing forward on her hands and knees. Once in the confined space she gestured forward so the recruit would follow instead of standing there gawking as she had before.
“Stand here.” Tess pressed her back to the cool metal that surrounded her, trying to maintain a sense of distance even within such a tight space. Once the Private was in place Tess squatted down to the ground. “The mech connects in five places.” She pulled flexible bracelets connected to wiring from the places on the floor, and she got busy gently wrapping them around the woman’s ankles. “In order for it to react properly to your movement, it uses physical sensors, as opposed to wireless ones.”
Once both of Private McSaforth’s legs were connected, Tess stood at her full height to grab the ones for her wrists. Only, once she stood and felt the soft breath of the woman dance across her neck, she found herself pausing momentarily. If Tess were to only tilt her head down an inch, she was sure that their noses would touch. Tess physically recoiled from the thought alone and quickly attached the woman’s wrists to the mech in the same way she had her ankles.
“Try moving your arms and legs,” Tess was again standing with as much distance between them as possible, her back against the cool metal. “The wires shouldn’t constrict you in any way, they just track your movements.”
Once Tess was satisfied with her recruit’s handle on being connected to the mech, she moved to place the last bit of machinery in place. A lightweight helmet with a built in communication device was slowly placed over Private McSaforth’s head because Tess, despite all of her glares and less than welcoming words, didn’t want to accidentally hurt the woman. She stepped back again once the helmet was in place, not wanting any ill thoughts to once again arise due to close proximity.
“Does it feel okay? Can you see through the mech’s eyes now?” The helmet on the Private’s head also had a visor that allowed the mech’s pilot to fully immerse into the suit. Tess knew that the first time she had fully calibrated with a mech suit she had a wave of vertigo, and she was curious to see if the same would happen to the woman in front of her.
.quietus
ragequit, but ~poetic~
Not limbs, but mind. No telling, but doing. That made about as much sense as it didn't, which, strangely enough, made it all the more credible in Cassie's mind. The more bullshit something was, the greater the awesomeness potential! Such was the truth of this universe. "So," she tilted her head aside, "The system connects itself to your neural pathways? Because yeah, you don't use words to tell your hand to move, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's no communication going on." According to pretty much all the metrics in existence, it was actually more complicated than your everyday conversation -- although she also supposed it happened on a subconscious enough level that the average user wouldn't really notice.
The military were still a bunch of dumbfucks. Half of them wouldn't even handle looking at a mech if operating it required more than two brain cells, let alone actually piloting it. Their silly little heads would just explode!
Speaking of silly little heads, though...
Taking this a bit too personally, aren't you? Cassie couldn't not notice how annoyed Tess seemed about the whole ordeal, even if she also couldn't pinpoint just what it was that irked her so. She... hadn't even crossed any lines yet? Most of it had been kindergarten-tier bullying, if you could even call it bullying at all! Maybe she's just one of those chicks who have a stroke whenever someone so much as looks at them the wrong way.
Entirely plausible, given the martial penchant for bootlicking.
Most normal, well-adjusted people would have considered the risks associated with antagonizing the scary military lady, weighed the pros against the cons, and, more than likely, decided to tread carefully. Meanwhile, Cassandra's first thought was: How fun. And her second, shortly afterwards: I wonder how far I can push her?
Then again, most well-adjusted people wouldn't have volunteered to steal from an army anyway, so this totally tracked.
"Awesome!" Cassie beamed, "Thank you, ma'am. I just knew we would get along," as if her superior officer teaching her properly was 'getting along,' and not simply what she was supposed to do. Her duty. Still, it would probably push Tess a few steps closer to the inevitable breakdown, and once that happened... well, all Cassandra would really need was some popcorn to munch on.
That's not why you're here, she reminded herself. The mech, remember? Thankfully, Tess wouldn't let her forget, even if, looking at her from this angle, she admittedly did give her more interesting things to think ab-- wait, what? Where had that come from? Eh, no matter! If she pretended hard enough that the impulse had never manifested, then it just hadn't. Thoughts weren't paint; they couldn't spill into reality accidentally. So, everything was fine. Satisfied with herability to deny the obvious self-control of steel, Cassandra followed the other woman.
"Mm," she nodded, "Makes sense." The space was cramped enough that even calling it 'space' seemed like the worst euphemism in the known galaxy, but Cassie hadn't expected to be comfortable here. That was par for the course. She also... hadn't expected Tess to do that, though?
Stand so close.
Touch her.
To do it gently, too.
For a few breathless moments, Cassandra actually thought their lips were going to touch. She had no idea how to feel about the prospect except for, perhaps, 'well, shit,' but that still didn't tell her much. 'Well, shit' could mean a whole lot. Her heart was beating somewhere in her throat, stuck between horror and something else she couldn't quite describe, but-- nothing happened.
Of course. Why the fuck would it?
The taste of disappointment on her tongue was also somewhat alarming.
"Do you enjoy tying people up, ma'am?" Cassie couldn't resist asking, in part because it felt like the only way to sort of... reclaim what had just happened in her mind. If she made fun of it, then it didn't bother her. Mental reversal 101! One of the little tricks that made life livable. "Ya should be honored. I don't usually let anyone do that before the third date."
Never before had she been so grateful for a good distraction, though, and the helmet Tess put on her head proved to be just that. At first, there was nothing -- but then that nothing very rapidly turned into something, and, all of a sudden, Cassandra was fighting the urge to vomit. Where was even the fucking floor? It still had to be somewhere beneath her feet, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it!
Maybe not really knowing where her feet were anymore was the real problem here. Or her arms, or her... anything. She could still vaguely feel them, but, in the sensory overload of feeling so much more than usual, that didn't fucking help. Where did she end, and where did the mech begin?
"Yeah, I'm... fine," Cassandra lied through her teeth, "Never felt better in my entire life, ma'am. I can totally... move around and stuff." Yeah, and stuff. Sounded believable. "Okay," she capitulated, figuring there was no point in hanging onto her pride, "How do you deal with... all that? I thought it wasn't supposed to fuck you over?"
The military were still a bunch of dumbfucks. Half of them wouldn't even handle looking at a mech if operating it required more than two brain cells, let alone actually piloting it. Their silly little heads would just explode!
Speaking of silly little heads, though...
Taking this a bit too personally, aren't you? Cassie couldn't not notice how annoyed Tess seemed about the whole ordeal, even if she also couldn't pinpoint just what it was that irked her so. She... hadn't even crossed any lines yet? Most of it had been kindergarten-tier bullying, if you could even call it bullying at all! Maybe she's just one of those chicks who have a stroke whenever someone so much as looks at them the wrong way.
Entirely plausible, given the martial penchant for bootlicking.
Most normal, well-adjusted people would have considered the risks associated with antagonizing the scary military lady, weighed the pros against the cons, and, more than likely, decided to tread carefully. Meanwhile, Cassandra's first thought was: How fun. And her second, shortly afterwards: I wonder how far I can push her?
Then again, most well-adjusted people wouldn't have volunteered to steal from an army anyway, so this totally tracked.
"Awesome!" Cassie beamed, "Thank you, ma'am. I just knew we would get along," as if her superior officer teaching her properly was 'getting along,' and not simply what she was supposed to do. Her duty. Still, it would probably push Tess a few steps closer to the inevitable breakdown, and once that happened... well, all Cassandra would really need was some popcorn to munch on.
That's not why you're here, she reminded herself. The mech, remember? Thankfully, Tess wouldn't let her forget, even if, looking at her from this angle, she admittedly did give her more interesting things to think ab-- wait, what? Where had that come from? Eh, no matter! If she pretended hard enough that the impulse had never manifested, then it just hadn't. Thoughts weren't paint; they couldn't spill into reality accidentally. So, everything was fine. Satisfied with her
"Mm," she nodded, "Makes sense." The space was cramped enough that even calling it 'space' seemed like the worst euphemism in the known galaxy, but Cassie hadn't expected to be comfortable here. That was par for the course. She also... hadn't expected Tess to do that, though?
Stand so close.
Touch her.
To do it gently, too.
For a few breathless moments, Cassandra actually thought their lips were going to touch. She had no idea how to feel about the prospect except for, perhaps, 'well, shit,' but that still didn't tell her much. 'Well, shit' could mean a whole lot. Her heart was beating somewhere in her throat, stuck between horror and something else she couldn't quite describe, but-- nothing happened.
Of course. Why the fuck would it?
The taste of disappointment on her tongue was also somewhat alarming.
"Do you enjoy tying people up, ma'am?" Cassie couldn't resist asking, in part because it felt like the only way to sort of... reclaim what had just happened in her mind. If she made fun of it, then it didn't bother her. Mental reversal 101! One of the little tricks that made life livable. "Ya should be honored. I don't usually let anyone do that before the third date."
Never before had she been so grateful for a good distraction, though, and the helmet Tess put on her head proved to be just that. At first, there was nothing -- but then that nothing very rapidly turned into something, and, all of a sudden, Cassandra was fighting the urge to vomit. Where was even the fucking floor? It still had to be somewhere beneath her feet, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it!
Maybe not really knowing where her feet were anymore was the real problem here. Or her arms, or her... anything. She could still vaguely feel them, but, in the sensory overload of feeling so much more than usual, that didn't fucking help. Where did she end, and where did the mech begin?
"Yeah, I'm... fine," Cassandra lied through her teeth, "Never felt better in my entire life, ma'am. I can totally... move around and stuff." Yeah, and stuff. Sounded believable. "Okay," she capitulated, figuring there was no point in hanging onto her pride, "How do you deal with... all that? I thought it wasn't supposed to fuck you over?"
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french fries.
we know waffle cut are the best.
LIEUTENANT BURTON ──
While gratitude was an engrained teaching of the TAG core values, Tess had never felt it more than when her recruit was temporarily blinded by the newly placed helmet on her head. Tess’s usually strong resolve and lack of expression was replaced by a blush that starkly contrasted her olive skin and a set of widened blue eyes. It wasn’t as if Tess wasn’t used to the bedroom talk soldiers around her would fit into their usual conversations, but Tess wasn’t used to having a reaction from such words.
The Lieutenant roughly cleared her throat, and she was able to snap out of her brief whatever the hell that was when the Private faced a bout of nausea at the helm of the mech.
“Just breathe,” Tess’s voice didn’t show any of her lingering reaction from McSaforth’s flirtation, she was back in her commanding officer mode. “Let yourself connect to the suit.”
Tess realized she was only repeating the words spoken to her when she had initially been attached to a mech suit. It was that realization that spurred her to go further than her own lacking instructor had, not that Tess was poorly trained in any capacity, but she knew that things could have been easier for her.
“It’s as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one. Feel your feet on the floor, your back against the seat, if you ground yourself, it will be easier to see through the eyes of the mech.” Tess then watched the rapid motion of the Private’s breathing slowly decline to a more normal pace. Only when she was satisfied that no throw up would splash her too clean TAG issued boots, Tess moved toward the entrance to the small pilot area.
“I’m going to exit so I can release the restraints on your mech suit, while you get used to moving around I’ll enter my own.” The order seemed simple enough, but Tess was unsure if it would be followed how she imagined given the… spunk present in the young woman.
Still, the Private piloting the mech suit was as good a test as ever, and Tess would be able to note any possible areas of necessary improvement as well as any evident strengths. If there was to be a recruit placed directly under her care, she would do her best to make sure the soldier was as much of an asset as they could be for the Terran Authority Group, just as Tess had done herself.
Tess exited through the hole she had entered, and she made sure to close the entryway after she was left standing on the stairs. Operating a mech suit had always been a two person job, but only in the way that one person was needed to operate the suit itself and another to release it from its station. This was primarily a safety precaution, as there could be misplaced machinery or even people in front of the mech that the pilot may not be aware of.
There was no one in front of the Private now, so Tess descended the metal stairs and moved to the control panel beside the suit. She pressed the intercom button that connected the mech suit technician to the pilot, allowing her voice to be heard by the pilot through her helmet. “Releasing you now, try not to fall.”
It was rare for Tess to be anything other than her hard stare and commanding self, but there was something about the fresh-faced recruit that had Tess wanting to match her energy. Well… match it in a very Tess way, at least. No one would be surprised to learn that Tess wasn’t the most social of people, and sticking solely to herself increased the inevitable loneliness that lingered within her. Perhaps Captain Vesco had seen this, and had given her this assignment very purposefully.
She would have to try and remember to subtly ask about the reasoning for her assignment later. Until then, she had a recruit to break in.
Tess quickly moved away from the mech station and went to her own. Entering and hooking herself up to her own mech was a practiced movement completed quickly. Once Tess was strapped in she pinged a nearby technician to release her mech from its restraints. Once the large metal hooks retracted from holding the arms and legs of the mech against the wall, Tess stepped forward. The sensation of being within the large body of metal was not only familiar, but an odd comfort. Tess never felt more in control than when she also felt unstoppable. And what better way to feel invincible than within a giant metal body that could lift tons and shoot lasers?
A ping sounded in Tess’s helmet as she connected to the Private’s comms channel. “Adjusting alright, Private?”
Tess moved forward, the sound of metal on metal echoing as she walked. And she turned to face McSaforth’s mech, pleasantly surprised to not see the machine laying face down on the training room floor.
While gratitude was an engrained teaching of the TAG core values, Tess had never felt it more than when her recruit was temporarily blinded by the newly placed helmet on her head. Tess’s usually strong resolve and lack of expression was replaced by a blush that starkly contrasted her olive skin and a set of widened blue eyes. It wasn’t as if Tess wasn’t used to the bedroom talk soldiers around her would fit into their usual conversations, but Tess wasn’t used to having a reaction from such words.
The Lieutenant roughly cleared her throat, and she was able to snap out of her brief whatever the hell that was when the Private faced a bout of nausea at the helm of the mech.
“Just breathe,” Tess’s voice didn’t show any of her lingering reaction from McSaforth’s flirtation, she was back in her commanding officer mode. “Let yourself connect to the suit.”
Tess realized she was only repeating the words spoken to her when she had initially been attached to a mech suit. It was that realization that spurred her to go further than her own lacking instructor had, not that Tess was poorly trained in any capacity, but she knew that things could have been easier for her.
“It’s as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one. Feel your feet on the floor, your back against the seat, if you ground yourself, it will be easier to see through the eyes of the mech.” Tess then watched the rapid motion of the Private’s breathing slowly decline to a more normal pace. Only when she was satisfied that no throw up would splash her too clean TAG issued boots, Tess moved toward the entrance to the small pilot area.
“I’m going to exit so I can release the restraints on your mech suit, while you get used to moving around I’ll enter my own.” The order seemed simple enough, but Tess was unsure if it would be followed how she imagined given the… spunk present in the young woman.
Still, the Private piloting the mech suit was as good a test as ever, and Tess would be able to note any possible areas of necessary improvement as well as any evident strengths. If there was to be a recruit placed directly under her care, she would do her best to make sure the soldier was as much of an asset as they could be for the Terran Authority Group, just as Tess had done herself.
Tess exited through the hole she had entered, and she made sure to close the entryway after she was left standing on the stairs. Operating a mech suit had always been a two person job, but only in the way that one person was needed to operate the suit itself and another to release it from its station. This was primarily a safety precaution, as there could be misplaced machinery or even people in front of the mech that the pilot may not be aware of.
There was no one in front of the Private now, so Tess descended the metal stairs and moved to the control panel beside the suit. She pressed the intercom button that connected the mech suit technician to the pilot, allowing her voice to be heard by the pilot through her helmet. “Releasing you now, try not to fall.”
It was rare for Tess to be anything other than her hard stare and commanding self, but there was something about the fresh-faced recruit that had Tess wanting to match her energy. Well… match it in a very Tess way, at least. No one would be surprised to learn that Tess wasn’t the most social of people, and sticking solely to herself increased the inevitable loneliness that lingered within her. Perhaps Captain Vesco had seen this, and had given her this assignment very purposefully.
She would have to try and remember to subtly ask about the reasoning for her assignment later. Until then, she had a recruit to break in.
Tess quickly moved away from the mech station and went to her own. Entering and hooking herself up to her own mech was a practiced movement completed quickly. Once Tess was strapped in she pinged a nearby technician to release her mech from its restraints. Once the large metal hooks retracted from holding the arms and legs of the mech against the wall, Tess stepped forward. The sensation of being within the large body of metal was not only familiar, but an odd comfort. Tess never felt more in control than when she also felt unstoppable. And what better way to feel invincible than within a giant metal body that could lift tons and shoot lasers?
A ping sounded in Tess’s helmet as she connected to the Private’s comms channel. “Adjusting alright, Private?”
Tess moved forward, the sound of metal on metal echoing as she walked. And she turned to face McSaforth’s mech, pleasantly surprised to not see the machine laying face down on the training room floor.
