Chris
ZMF Officer 
Obersturmbannfuhrer
Ubersuperduperbannfuhrer!
Posts: 849
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Post by Chris on Feb 16, 2010 21:05:26 GMT -5
"But Ma'am... I-"
*SLAP*
The Lorelay's intelligence officer cowered in fear as he rubbed his face; a red hand print began to appear across his pale white skin. He shook unsteadily as he knelt before his captain, praying and hoping she wouldn't reprimand him with anything worse than a slap to the face for their recent misfortunes.
"How does that happen?! HOW?!" Marina yelled, her body beginning to tremble as she stood as tall as she could, staring down at the crewman in front of her. Her blonde hair fell from underneath her slightly off kilter captain's hat, cascading across the shoulders of her black uniform.
"I don't kn-"
"Shut up!" She lowered her hand and tried to keep the tears back. The stress of being constantly under attack and being away from her Officer had started to get to the young Captain; why was he gone?
"What are you looking at?!" She scolded the rest of the bridge crew as they stared at Marina as her emotional state slowly began to deteriorate. They all quickly averted their eyes and returned to their prior task in hopes as to not suffer same embarrassment as their companion.
She bit her lip as she tried to think of what to do, her face was red with anger and embarrassment and tears welled up in her eyes, but nothing was coming; her training had not prepared her for all of this.
'Xavier...'
Almost at the same moment the thought crossed her mind, the whole bridge snapped to attention and saluted their Obersturmfuhrer; He had finally returned from South East Asia.
Marina's heart stopped, her body still shaking with a mixture of anger and shock as she stared at the logistics officer she had been scolding; she couldn't move, was he really behind her? or was she finally losing it?
"Good to see you Captain..." He spoke after motioning for the deck to stand down. Xavier let out a soft smile as he walked towards the young girl, her back still turned to him.
Her blue eyes began to shimmer like the ocean's surface she loved so much as the tears finally began to fall. She let out a cry and turned around abruptly, landing a punch on Xavier's chest, followed by another strike as she began to fruitlessly wail on the Obersturmfuhrer. Marina was now crying uncontrollably as she flailed.
The Schutzstaffel officer was taken by surprise as the young girl threw herself against him, trying to beat him back. At first Xavier couldn't find the words to say as he stared in shock as her captain's hat fell to the ground.
"Get out... " He glared around the room motioning for the entire crew to leave the bridge. In the corner of the room a man in a tuxedo, who seemed slightly out of place, nodded.
"Very well Mein Fuhrer..." Shaking his head, Hans Bond was the last one to make his exit; this was a family affair, one he rather not get in the middle of. Besides, he thought he had seen a new female pilot that looked like she was dying to meet him.
"Why did you leave?!" She had finally stopped slamming her fist against his chest and almost collapsed to the ground as she began shaking uncontrollably; everything seemed to be OK when he was around, and every time he took leave, the attacks never stopped...
Noticing Marina begin to sway as if she was going to collapse, he grasped the exhausted girl by her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She cried into his chest as she no longer had the will to say anything else.
"Shhh, its ok..." He tucked her long golden hair over her ear as he had so many times with his daughter; oh how she reminded him of Ariel...
"I'm here now. Everything is going to be OK..." He held her tight and wished he had something better to say, but it had honestly seemed like it had been a whole lifetime since he played the father; But she needed him.
"Don't leave me alone like that again..." She spoke softly in between sniffles. Marina wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her face on his officers coat trying to dry the tears as the two sat quietly in the empty bridge of the Lorelay. She had enough excitement for the day and the young girl passed out from exhaustion.
"Guess we should be getting you to bed lil' girl." Xavier scooped her up and cradled her in his arms as he made his way to her quarters to tuck her in; she had been through enough lately.
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Post by aleksei on Feb 16, 2010 21:16:39 GMT -5
On route to Indian Ocean. With the Southeast Asia battle over, the 87th Integrated Fleet moved quickly to secure the area from possible reprisals. The Lleu Llaw Gyffes, while significantly removed from the land battle, committed its mechanical personnel to repairing the beaten Federal mobile suits, particularly the Waterproof Gundam. The test unit endured its toughest battle yet against the Grabro, which nearly dissected the mobile suit to pieces. While many lauded the Waterproof's overall victory, Hirsch beat himself up.
"I can't believe I let this happen," Hirsch said as he jumped out the cockpit, "Look at this, I've completely wrecked it."
"Calm down, Master Munchek, it can be fixed," suggested Gajendra.
"No, it's all fucked up now - everything is fucked up." Hirsch stormed down the haul of the Himalaya.
---
There was no use sleeping since Hirsch never could get use to sleeping in ship cabins. Instead he grabbed a deck of cards and went up deck to play several games of solitaire. But after many unsuccessful attempts uniting the hearts, he gave up and tossed the cards overboard in a fit of rage.
"Is everything okay, Sergeant?" asked Phuong who snuck up from behind.
"Sergeant? I'm afraid you flatter me, Phuong," replied Hirsch.
She smiled, then said, "Actually, it's the officers on board this aircraft carrier that flatter you. They were impressed by your performance and decided you needed a rank that befit your leadership capacity. Congratulations."
"Thanks..." his voice quivered.
"Well, you can thank them tonight. We will hosting a dinner party tonight in honor of the Lleu Llaw Gyffes with you as our guest of honor. You should get to your cabin soon, there's a tux waiting for you," urged Phuong looking at her watch.
"I would much rather spend my time talking to you, seems like reunion has been a bit rushed," he said awkwardly brushing his hair.
"Yes, you are right. I must admit everything's been a bit rushed lately. The truth is my head is all over the place with traveling half across the Earth each day, the stress of dealing with commanders and trying to convince them that these test units will win us the war - not conventional tanks and aircraft," a nerve suddenly erupted on her forehead.
"They could be right, you know? Look at me, I've accomplished almost nothing in the Gundam since it was given to me. It's all a bunch of hype to boost morale and scare the enemy, but nothing more," Hirsch asserted.
The sun started to set on the horizon, a golden light reflecting on the water's surface caught Hirsch's attention.
Before she could disagree, he said, "You hurt me, Phuong. You made me believe I was worth, that I represented, something more when really Jaburo could give a damn about me..."
"Stop it, Hirsch, you're just giving yourself a hard time."
"Do you know what the other mechanics and pilots say about me every time I return with the Gundam wrecked and accomplish nothing? I can't even look at them in the eye." He bowed his head, "I'd rather die down there than come back up and have to explain myself each time."
"Hirsch," Phuong embraced Hirsch whose head lay right under her breast and kissed his curls, "I am sorry, I am sorry for all of this not."
He smirked just as she stroked his earlobe, "No, I know you are not - this is your job. Not only must you track the Gundam, you have to make sure I am happy so that, at the end of the day, I get inside the cockpit and kill Zeeks. You Federal bureaucrats are all the same, doing just about anything to convince us your war is worth fighting. Maybe you will throw money at me, a rank here and there, or, perhaps, yourself. No, Ms. Vet Kha, I don't want anything you have to offer..." Phuong stepped back, stunned, but Hirsch continued his relentless attack, "Maybe you should start listening to the grunts below deck. They'll all tell you I'm nothing but a cock-starved faggot. Now get out of my face, I have nothing else to say to you."
Phuong grit her teeth, "Sergeant Munchek, I order you to retract your statement and apologize or I will send you to a week in solitary. You do not want to go down this road."
Aircraft transports landed on the deck and unloaded the eminent guests of the evening.
Hirsch turned back to Phuong, "Unfortunately, you have no other choice: the party is about to start and I have yet to clean up."
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Chris
ZMF Officer
Obersturmbannfuhrer
Ubersuperduperbannfuhrer!
Posts: 849
|
Post by Chris on Feb 19, 2010 22:45:02 GMT -5
"Hirsch Muncheck." Hans Bond sat opposite of Xavier Brennan, the well dressed operative sipped on a martini as he slid a dossier across the desk to his commander. He had collected all the information that was available to him on the Federation's aquatic Gundam pilot; they had been attacked twice in his absence and was becoming a nuisance. "Looks to be a new test unit from the Federation's brain trust, Herr Brennan; An aquatic Gundam unit." A charismatic, yet cocky smile spread across the spy's face as he awaited a response from Brennan. The Obersturmfuhrer furrowed his brow as he read over the extensive collection of data that his operative was able to get him; so this was the bastard that had been plaguing him? Rubbing the side of his temple pensively he stared at the picture that had been paper clipped to the file. "You're telling me THIS is the guy that has been a thorn in my side?" Xavier had expected a much more grizzled pilot, not some goofy kid; what a disappointment. The officer placed the folder on his desk, and reached for the glass of whiskey. He slowly swirled the ice cubes around in the amber hued liquid as he sat in silence, digesting the new information. 'A Gundam...'The severity of the situation was beginning to set in on the man as he realized how lucky he had been to not lose Marina; it really was a tribute to her skills, but he should have been there. Xavier cursed his carelessness as he took a sip of his drink. "I had trouble against this Federation prick when he was in their GM aquatic test type... How am I suppose to have success against their fucking Gundam?" He grumbled as he looked at Hans as if expecting an answer. "I don't know what to tell you my friend, but that little lady of yours sure seems to have had her fill of that pest." He smiled as he recalled her valiant commanding of the Lorelay; any lesser captain would have perished to such a suit. "You should be proud of her Brennan, she did well in your absence." Bond took a sip of his martini. All Xavier could do was stare at the photo as thoughts of all the losses this bastard had caused him and the defeats he had suffered raced through his mind; not to mention the ordeal he had put Marina through; he needed to be stopped... "Wha- yes... Yes she did." He snapped out of his trance and nodded to Bond in agreement. "Thank you for the report Bond. You're dismissed." "Oh, before I make my leave, something else I thought might be of some interest to you." With a smug grin, he slowly reached into his tuxedo pocket and produced a muddied envelope addressed to Gihren Zabi. "To lord Gihren, with love, from that dog of Kycilia's, Aldo Armistad." Bond tossed the already opened envelope on top of the folder on Xavier's desk, several Polaroids spilling out in front of him. The Schuzstaffel officer's eyes narrowed as he saw the photos of the now deceased 08th Mobile Suit team scattered on his desk; written in blood on each photo was 'Xavier let us do it - 433rd'.  Xavier's blood began to boil; even in his death Lieutenant Armistad was proving a pain in his side. He picked the pictures up and shuffled through them, not caring too much for the Lieutenant's artistic ability, he quickly placed them back in the envelope; at least he was now rid of two headaches; the 08th and the 433rd... "Has anyone else seen these?" "Just you, myself, and the unfortunate Mobile Assault fellow I lifted these off of." Hans grinned slightly as he adjusted his tux jacket. "Good, make sure you dispose of these. No one else is to see these. You are dismissed Bond." "As always a pleasure Herr Brennan." He bowed, placing the empty martini glass on his officer's desk and gathering up the envelope before making his leave; was time to go find that foxy little communications officer he had spied earlier. Xavier sat in silence for a while longer after being left alone; One potential crises averted. That just left that headache of his, the Federation Water Gundam pilot; he was more than tired of Hirsch terrorizing Marina, and ruining his plans; it was time to do something about him, but what? "Hirsch Muncheck..." He took one last glance at the photo of his enemy... |
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Post by aleksei on Feb 20, 2010 13:07:29 GMT -5
Indian Ocean. Sunset signaled the Lleu Llaw Gyffes' transformation from a military aircraft carrier to the hallmark of Federation extravagance. In a matter of minutes, sailors and security personnel exchanged their grease ridden uniforms for dashing waiter uniforms and aprons in order to cater the host of renowned guests attending the evening's special event. It was dubbed the "Pre-Odessa Dinner" in which commanders and officers from all over Earth Sphere converged to discuss strategy and disbursement of resources. Hosted by the chief overseer of the Federation's navy, Jaburo intended to showcase the might of the Himalaya and superiority of naval operations in order to spur their construction for VDay. "Garçon. Garçon! Yes, you, more bubbly please," requested a mid-aged woman dressed in her designer couture dress. It moved nicely, accentuated by her natural curves and the elegant train that dragged behind her. Nothing less could be expected from these women: they were the last heiresses of Earth's cultural elite. The waiter picked a tall glass of champagne, careful to only touch with his gloved thumb and index finger, and handed it to the sophisticated French woman. "Je vous en prie," her thanks sounded like a hiss. "De rien, Madame Henri" said the waiter adding stress to the last syllable as he waited for her to make her way across the carrier's deck to greet the other guests arriving by private jet. Officers adorned their military attire, but commanders stressed their importance by wearing an Isabelline white tuxedos, sporting rolls of medals won for valiant service and loyalty to the Federation. They flocked on one end of the deck drinking, and exchanging business cards with old friends and new associates. The wives of the commanders were the most outlandish with their poofy head-pieces, feathered gowns and lace corsets, some even brought their poodles and cockers along. One wife turned to the other, "Oh, look, that must be Corporal Munchek." As the guest of honor, Hirsch stepped onto the deck, captivating everyone with his air of confidence and sway as he marched toward the guests with a glass of champagne in hand. There was nothing particularly special about his tuxedo, but his handsome face added much needed youthful energy in a party full of old folk. Hirsch caught the eye of Madame Henri as she approached and introduced herself as Revil's mistress, at least until he divorced his wench back in Jaburo. "Good evening, Corporal Munchek. It is a pleasure to finally meet the man behind the Gundam. I am Margarite Henri." "Enchanté," he held her hand and kissed it, just like his mother taught him long ago. "Would you be so kind as to walk with me, Corporal?" she asked. "It would be my pleasure." She wrapped her arm around Hirsch's and strolled as she spoke, "Unfortunately the general could not make it this evening, but he sent me in his place to let you know that your contributions to the Federation are not going unnoticed. In fact, our faith in the Gundam's potential has grown and we are intent on using it to the best of your abilities." He swallowed his resentment toward the Gundam and thanked her, then said, "What does Jaburo have in mind?" Madame dug into her pocket purse and pulled a set of photos, "Revenge." Hirsch paused in horror, trying to make sense of the images before him, "Who are they?" "The 08th MS Team stationed in Southeast Asia HQ before Zeon overran it. They captured, tortured and, eventually, executed them all. These photos were purposely left at the base for us to find. Intelligence suggests it was the doing of your man, Corporal." "My man?" he asked. She grinned, "Xavier Brennan, Schutzstaffel officer of the Jukon fleet you destroyed. He is very much aware of you now and I can guarantee he will be waiting for the Gundam at Odessa." "What are my orders, Madame Henri?" he questioned with a sense of urgency. Finally Hirsch was able to put a name to the officer that bore the Schutzstaffel's initials on his Z'Gok and submarines. It was because of Xavier that Hirsch had to continue fighting against his will. It was because of Xavier that more soldiers were dying for such a pointless war. It was because of Xavier that the cycle of evil continued to repeat itself. "Isn't it obvious, my dear? Kill the son-of-a-bitch."
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Chris
ZMF Officer
Obersturmbannfuhrer
Ubersuperduperbannfuhrer!
Posts: 849
|
Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2010 18:21:26 GMT -5
The constant ticking of his watch woke her from her sleep; her eyes fluttered open as she shielded them from the light. How long had she been asleep?
"Xavier?" Her room came into focus slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light. Marina sat up in her bed, turning to see Xavier half nodding off in the chair at her desk; how long had he been there? Her sudden movement was enough to make him sit up straight and wake up as well.
"G'morning Marina." Xavier nodded with a slight smile, even though it was much later in the day. The officer grasped a mug of water off her desk and extended it to the young girl.
"Thank you." She bowed politely as she took the water, holding the cup to her lips as she sipped it slowly.
"I'm sorry Xavier..." Marina spoke softly as she hung her head in shame; she was more than embarrassed at the scene she had caused earlier on the bridge. The young captain squeezed the mug tightly in between her hands as she prayed to not be reprimanded.
"It's OK, no need to apologize. You've endured a lot lately." Brennan relaxed in his seat, rubbing his chin as he continued to mull over recent developments.
"Besides. you did great in my absence, Gihren would be proud of you; I'm proud of you." He let a genuine smile slip as he played with the locket in his hands. Xavier opened the pendant and looked at the picture inside; the two were so alike. He liked to think that Ariel would have grown to be as impressive a young woman as his Captain was proving to be.
Marina blushed as she stared into the water in her cup; it meant a lot to hear those words from him, especially after everything that had happened. She fought for the words to say as she looked at him.
"I-"
Before she could say anything Xavier tossed the locket to the young girl; it was time she knew. Thrown off guard, she barely was able to catch the necklace; she looked it over and opened it. Her eyes began to shake as she stared at the girl in the photo; it was her...
"Is this?"
"Yes, that was my daughter, Ariel." The Schutzstaffel officer hung his head.
"Heh, She died almost seven years ago; she was my everything, my angel. I would be lying if I said you didn't remind me in every way of my baby girl..." He sat forward on the edge of his seat as the officer rubbed his hands together anxiously.
The two sat in silence for a few moments, the constant ticking of the officer's watch the only thing breaking the tension; had he crossed a line?
"I- I never had a father..." Marina did her best to hold back the tears she had already let the waterworks run once today.
"Everything seems OK when you're around, like I know I'm going to be alright..." She twirled the chain of the necklace nervously in her fingers as the young girl moved her gaze to her officer.
"And you're the only reason I still have the will to fight..." He sighed; she didn't need to worry about the dark path he had been on before she had come into his life; no need to worry her.
"Xavier..." Marina jumped out of the bed and wrapped her arms around him firmly as a few tears managed to escape her eyes. Xavier paused for a second, before returning the embrace.
"Its OK baby girl..."
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Post by aleksei on Apr 4, 2010 15:09:33 GMT -5
Somewhere over Central Asia. This land looked even more foreign than the last. Sailing through the cloudless skies, the 42nd's Medea fleet traveled at fuel speed in order to reinforce the front lines at Odessa. The pilots on board let their imaginations run wild, visualizing a clusterfuck of a war zone with monstrous mobile armors and wondered how they could possibly tun the tide of the battle in the Federation's favor. Surely the Zeeks would throw everything they have in the name of victory. Hirsch, however, prevented his nerves from getting the best of him for his mission was clear - kill Xavier Brennan.
He picked up the photos of the executed 08th MS Team and hissed the following words to himself, "This shall not go unpunished."
Rage had Hirsch's blood boiling as he thought about the 08th MS Team's tragedy and the others he witness throughout this conflict. Suddenly, the faint smell of perfume on a letter calmed him by triggering memories of happier times.
"Madame Henri," he remembered. Her letter arrived just minutes before the 42nd departed from New York Harbor, apparently Revil's mistress took some interest in the star pilot after their fated encounter on board the LLG weeks ago.
Mon cher Hirsch,
Word has reached me of your victory at New York, bravo! I am sure the Federation could not have done this without your brave efforts.
I'm sure you must have your work cut out for you at Odessa. In the name of the 08th MS Team, avenge the Federation. I wish you luck.
Bijoux,
MH
Her letter was short, but succinct...and special. In a matter of minutes, the Medeas would be flying over Odessa and he would crashing into sea full of piranhas, but Hirsch was unable to wrap his mind on nothing but Madame Henri's spell. Although he abstained from ever touching a woman, the fantasy temporarily transported him to another world free of war, sadness and death.
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