Post by Threid on Mar 4, 2010 21:28:26 GMT -5
He and Madelaine had made it through another battle. Constantinople was in ruins. Kyle didn't mind much; he'd heard it was a beautiful city before, and important to religious-types, but most of it hadn't been that impressive, as far as he could tell. He regretted only that so many innocents had died with their beloved city. Collateral was one of those unacceptable things in war that you just had to come to terms with.
He sat at his desk and sighed deeply; he'd promised Nora he'd write to her, but he was no good at letters. They just weren't convenient, and he'd never written one before - at least not a personal letter. In any case, he had taken pains to prepare himself by reading several old articles about proper letter writing. He put his pencil to paper, nose to the grindstone, and mind to the matter at hand, and began to type.
Dear Nora,
It's only been a couple weeks since I entered active duty, but already, so much has changed. It's a lot different here, and I miss certain things about the academy. How are things back there? Have you been assigned a permanent position, yet? Have you been keeping up on your Minovsky lab research reading? I haven't found anyone here who enjoys talking M particle physics as much as you.
Yesterday, I took a date to a bar; don't worry - he (yes, he) is a fellow pilot, and neither of us swing that way. He was just wearing a skirt, for reasons unknown. But nothing surprises me here; the others I've met have been just as strange. There's some chatty girl dating a quiet enigma of a GM Sniper pilot, and a gruff, buff mechanic-turned-pilot, assigned to my GM team. At the academy there were plenty of boring people who were easy to relate to; here, everyone is strange - almost like they're trying to stand out. And it isn't as easy to guess their motivations; they all have diverse histories that are hidden like pearls under oyster shells clapped tightly-shut. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, but no one is interested in telling it.
But if life in the EF ground forces hasn't been predictable, the battles sure have. Dopps and Magellas are no match for my mobile suit, and I haven't had the chance to go head-to-head with any of the Zeeks. By the way, I look good in a suit; I wish I could send you pictures. My mobile suit, the Mini Nova Sky (Minovsky), or Mini for short, is like a dream come true. The controls respond much more quickly, and it moves much more fluidly than the academy simulations would have you believe. Every time it is damaged, my heart is pierced - though I've never come to any personal harm, thanks to the Luna Titanium armor.
The beam weapons and the "beam" saber are also so much better than the simulations and sparring weapons. I feel a buzz every time I pull the trigger; I can't tell whether it's the particles or the excitement. The saber is nice too; I've been working on a few theoretical equations to modulate the apparent color of the M-particle plasma shining through the I-field. It's not like I could implement something like that in the field, but perhaps after the war is over, I can pursue research. M-particle physics are too big to be confined to just military applications. Think of what we could accomplish after the war, with the tech we're developing now, and with the tech we have yet to develop!
The tech, the mobile suit, and the strange new people are interesting, and I wouldn't trade them for anything, but that doesn't mean I don't miss you, and everyone back at the academy. Again, hope you're staying sharp on your particle physics, hope things are interesting over there, and hope you guys stay safe. And me? Don't worry; I've got science on my side. Science, a bunch of crazy crack pilots and a helluva lot of mobile suits. We'll be on the move soon, but I'll do my best to keep in touch. Send a letter soon.
Sincerely,
Kyle Slater
P.S. If you could send a copy of the latest issue of Science magazine with your letter, I would be most grateful. It's hard to get good science news out here. You're the best, Nora!
He read it over and decided he hated it, and ought to redo it. But, eying the typewriter warily, he wearily folded it neatly and placed it in an envelope he'd addressed earlier. He'd had enough of the tap-tapping monstrosity. I can't believe we still use these old paperweights. It's the future! But the articles had said typewritten letters held a certain charm, and he sure as hell wasn't going to pencil out an entire letter by hand: Pencils were for notes and equations, not letters.
He jumped abruptly from his seat, and began walking briskly to the hangar, grabbing the envelope on his way out . If there was one thing that could get his mind off old technology, letter-writing and Nora, it was Gundam.
He sat at his desk and sighed deeply; he'd promised Nora he'd write to her, but he was no good at letters. They just weren't convenient, and he'd never written one before - at least not a personal letter. In any case, he had taken pains to prepare himself by reading several old articles about proper letter writing. He put his pencil to paper, nose to the grindstone, and mind to the matter at hand, and began to type.
Dear Nora,
It's only been a couple weeks since I entered active duty, but already, so much has changed. It's a lot different here, and I miss certain things about the academy. How are things back there? Have you been assigned a permanent position, yet? Have you been keeping up on your Minovsky lab research reading? I haven't found anyone here who enjoys talking M particle physics as much as you.
Yesterday, I took a date to a bar; don't worry - he (yes, he) is a fellow pilot, and neither of us swing that way. He was just wearing a skirt, for reasons unknown. But nothing surprises me here; the others I've met have been just as strange. There's some chatty girl dating a quiet enigma of a GM Sniper pilot, and a gruff, buff mechanic-turned-pilot, assigned to my GM team. At the academy there were plenty of boring people who were easy to relate to; here, everyone is strange - almost like they're trying to stand out. And it isn't as easy to guess their motivations; they all have diverse histories that are hidden like pearls under oyster shells clapped tightly-shut. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, but no one is interested in telling it.
But if life in the EF ground forces hasn't been predictable, the battles sure have. Dopps and Magellas are no match for my mobile suit, and I haven't had the chance to go head-to-head with any of the Zeeks. By the way, I look good in a suit; I wish I could send you pictures. My mobile suit, the Mini Nova Sky (Minovsky), or Mini for short, is like a dream come true. The controls respond much more quickly, and it moves much more fluidly than the academy simulations would have you believe. Every time it is damaged, my heart is pierced - though I've never come to any personal harm, thanks to the Luna Titanium armor.
The beam weapons and the "beam" saber are also so much better than the simulations and sparring weapons. I feel a buzz every time I pull the trigger; I can't tell whether it's the particles or the excitement. The saber is nice too; I've been working on a few theoretical equations to modulate the apparent color of the M-particle plasma shining through the I-field. It's not like I could implement something like that in the field, but perhaps after the war is over, I can pursue research. M-particle physics are too big to be confined to just military applications. Think of what we could accomplish after the war, with the tech we're developing now, and with the tech we have yet to develop!
The tech, the mobile suit, and the strange new people are interesting, and I wouldn't trade them for anything, but that doesn't mean I don't miss you, and everyone back at the academy. Again, hope you're staying sharp on your particle physics, hope things are interesting over there, and hope you guys stay safe. And me? Don't worry; I've got science on my side. Science, a bunch of crazy crack pilots and a helluva lot of mobile suits. We'll be on the move soon, but I'll do my best to keep in touch. Send a letter soon.
Sincerely,
Kyle Slater
P.S. If you could send a copy of the latest issue of Science magazine with your letter, I would be most grateful. It's hard to get good science news out here. You're the best, Nora!
He read it over and decided he hated it, and ought to redo it. But, eying the typewriter warily, he wearily folded it neatly and placed it in an envelope he'd addressed earlier. He'd had enough of the tap-tapping monstrosity. I can't believe we still use these old paperweights. It's the future! But the articles had said typewritten letters held a certain charm, and he sure as hell wasn't going to pencil out an entire letter by hand: Pencils were for notes and equations, not letters.
He jumped abruptly from his seat, and began walking briskly to the hangar, grabbing the envelope on his way out . If there was one thing that could get his mind off old technology, letter-writing and Nora, it was Gundam.