The Adventures of Rhett Paruta 2

Prior to "Courageous Zaku Fighta Sho: Episode 6. Blue Devil Amidst The Storm"

"Feeling any better, Sergeant Paruta?" Vina asked with a grin.

"After we left half of my guts back on Earth?" Rhett replied. "Fine."

"Good. I'll let you hold my hands next time in case you get scared," Vina offered.

"Awfully kind of you, ma'am," Rhett said. "Now what can I do for the mistress of the Shooting Star?"

"Ooh, I like the way you say that," Vina cooed. "I just wanted to get to meet my mobile suit team leader before we went into battle."

"I'd tell you my sign, but the last woman I tried an astrology line on turned out to be a man," Rhett said.

"Mmhmm," Vina nodded. "Sucks to be you, right?"

"Nah. She let me know before I got any further," Rhett smiled.

The two chatted idly until the sensor officer interrupted.

"Ma'am, we've picked up an incoming ship," the officer stated. "It's the Falmel, on orbit patrol."

"Comm, transmit our identification and orders," Vina answered. "Then add 'Smooth sailing' to the message."

"Roger that." The communications officer transmitted the message and, a few moments later, spoke again. "Reply from the Falmel. 'And good hunting to you.'"

"Such a nice man they've got captaining her," Rhett noted.

"Men who have served with Char Aznable tend to act like they're a cut above the rest of us," Vina stated. "Captain Boone isn't much different."

Rhett turned to look out the bridge window. In the distance, the Falmel was preparing to pass by. Though it was unlikely that the crew of the Musai would be able to see him, he saluted anyway as the two ships passed.

"Ma'am, we've reached the drop zone," an officer reported. "We've picked up the mobile armor too."

"Very well," Vina replied. "Sergeant, you should get your team assembled for a combat drop. It'll be hot when we get down there."

Rhett nodded and cleared the bridge as Vina began giving out orders. Crewmen and officers went back and forth, heading to their duty stations. Within minutes, he arrived at the mobile suit hangar to brief his team for the upcoming drop. Dino looked like he was writing something down, Genevieve was laughing at some joke a technician had just told her, and Cora was briefing the team's Dodai pilots. Within the hour, they would be thrown back down to Earth and into another battle against the Federation.

"Thank God for modern medicine," Rhett thought to himself as he took something for motion sickness. "Sometimes it's like the seventh member of this team."

Shortly after "PLINK"

"So where'd the captain go?"

"She's in her quarters looking over the intel reports we just received."

"They must have been pretty bad. She usually takes her tea."

Vina listened to the gossip of the bridge crew through the door of her cabin as she poured over the intelligence reports that had been forwarded to her. She'd ended the pursuit of the Mississippi early when reports of a ground-based unit hitting her ship's side came in, fearing a trap from enemy sniper suits. The intel report she held in her hand told her that her assumption had been wrong, all wrong. The only snipers in the area were in the fleet that had appeared to defend New Amsterdam; the Shooting Star had been attacked by a single GM with a railgun.

"And now I look like a panickly little girl," Vina thought bitterly. "What a drag."

A slight tapping on her door almost drew her attention from reading over the reports again, wondering if her critics back in Side 3 would use this as an excuse to have her recalled to Papua duty. The tapping continued as Vina considered looking at the other report, the one detailing the large dents in the side of the ship.

"Should've used the rockets," she mumbled to herself, scribbling a note to herself. "Or made Paruta launch his team."

When the tapping turned into an insistent banging, Vina turned and snapped.

"I'm busy," she warned. "If you don't want to be written up for insubordination, read the damn sign and quit disturbing me!"

The door opened and Rhett Paruta casually wandered into the room with a bottle of whiskey.

"Is that all?" Rhett teased. "I'd better get on this so you can charge me with something better."

Vina sighed and cursed to herself. Why did the one person who wanted to see her right now have to be the one person on board who probably had a legitimate reason to talk to her?

"What do you need, Sergeant?" Vina asked, hoping her formal tone would convince him to leave. "I am busy, regardless of what your illiteracy tells you."

"I figured you could use a friend," Rhett said, pouring himself some whiskey. "Or, barring that, someone who isn't directly in your chain of command."

Vina grunted as she took the drink Rhett had poured from yourself. "You aren't some SS goon in disguise, come to shoot me for cowardice, are you?"

"No," Rhett chuckled. "The only sidearm I brought with me here is going down your throat."

Vina hummed as her throat burned. "Not bad, but let's not play any games: why are you really here?"

Rhett answered as he poured himself a drink. "Because I had a feeling you'd be feeling pretty lousy right about now. I've had a few times like that, seeing those fat, cowardly planes run from a fight, making rash decisions that turned out badly, things like that."

He powered down a shot. "Command doesn't HAVE to be lonely, I've realized. You just have to know when to let the pressure go."

Vina laughed. "You sound pretty smart for a younger man."

"Probably something I read in a fortune cookie," Rhett replied. "You're doing a better job of commanding this ship that you think."

"It's nice to have someone show some faith in me," Vina said. "It'll make these last days of command a little more bearable."

Rhett snorted in disbelief at the comment as he refilled their drinks. "One little slip-up, one meant to protect all the men and women serving aboard this ship? They don't mint new Zanzibars like coins; you won't get the boot for doing things to keep a few billion credits of valuable hardware flying."

"If you say so," Vina said, humming. "So about what you said earlier..."

"Hmm?"

"If we're going to be court-martialed," Vina cooed. "We should make it worthwhile, remember?"

Rhett's eyes grew and his pupils shrank as he understood what she was implying. She glanced at him attractively as he looked deep into her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Rhett said. "It just wouldn't be proper for an officer and an enlisted man to fraternize like that."

Vina stood up and leaned in close to Rhett. He felt goosebumps on his skin as her breath washed over his skin.

"Then maybe," she said lustily. "You should let me get back to my work."

Rhett choked as her deceptive actions and words got through the haze of lust she had raised. She began to laugh as he grappled with the conflicting feelings of lingering lust, sudden surprise, and abundant confusion.

"I...uh...I guess I'll be going now," Rhett stammered, rising to his feet.

"Thanks for the drink, Sergeant," Vina said, turning back to her work. "And say hi to your girlfriend for me when you go see her."