Longshot

[Lars Langstrom]

”That must've been it. The Special Ordinance Act of 0083 equipped mother ships with warheads so they could be prepared in event of a colony drop. Our intelligence indicates that the Titans began commissioning ships ahead of schedule after our raid on Side 7. Those warheads were probably en-route to the new Alexandria-class. You're right, the Earth Federation Assembly's reaction is poorly timed. I'm going to check my sources and see what the council wants to do. For the time being, nobody can know about those nukes. Understood?”

"I got it. Thanks for looking into this for me, Blex."

The older man smiled familiarly. ”Not a problem." Communications cut shortly after. Lars finished off his first cup of tea. Things were quiet on the Polaris for the last day. A gag order was in place. Nobody could get answers about fate of the warheads after one of the cargo holds was struck. To summarize, AEUG high command wasn't sure what statement to issue even after the Titans already accused them of possession. Blex wanted to wade through the response before initiating any kind of negotiations or revealing their hand. Politics.

They evaded reinforcements and continued their way towards open space between Lagrange 1 and Earth. The skipper awaited the arrival of Eddy LeNoire and Hilda Steiner- both of whom were invited to his quarters in order to discuss a new operation. The new recruits onboard the Polaris were told to take the initiative and introduce themselves to the pilots who escorted the Geronimo. They would be joining them soon.  Everyone else was ordered to rest and recover until they were summoned to the next briefing. 

[Hilda Steiner]

Hilda slammed her helmet into the wall locker as she finished changing out of her normal suit.  Two warships dead, one of LeNoire's kid's gone, and the Geronimo is half-dead too... well, at least we're on the Polaris now instead of that antiquated deathtrap she figured.  The Sixth had had a brief chance to grab personal items off the carrier before they'd sent the thing back to Granada for repairs, and there had been a disturbing lack of information about if they'd managed to save the right parts of the Geronimo  or not.  I get security, but you'd think they'd let us know if we lost two ships for nothing or not... she again fumed.  She'd just come back from a quick recce patrol, and was due to talk to Lars about a few things soon.  Mostly concerning what to do with LeNoire's team, I think.  Oh, and it would be goddamn nice if he could let us know about the cargo she fumed, buttoning her collar as she thought over a few things.  That rook Finley had a much better nose for the flow of a fight than Eddy ever even hinted at.  He stays, regardless.  That whole team, actually, meshed pretty good.  I suppose we should keep'em she figured.

With that, she headed up towards the Captain's cabin, hoping that Lars would have some answers for her.  Knocking before she entered, she didn't bother with familiarity over her longtime comrade.  "Skipper, what's the good word?" she asked.

[Jim Anderson]

Chuck took a deep breath in the private stateroom - evidently the ship was big enough that all her pilots and most of her officers got their own rooms.  He stared at the reflection in the mirror, and spent considerable effort to not punch it in the face.  Fucking dumbass.  Even if he was a sanctimonious asshole, Emir deserved better than that.  Maybe if we'd had an actual battleplan.... but no, that would be too much for Lieutenant SuperLeNoire he thought, angrily taking a pull off his flask.  He paused for a minute to look at the thing as the whiskey burned his throat.  If that fuckstick had bothered with a plan instead of just doing his own thing... he thought, hating just about everything.  And now that Zeke bitch Steiner is gonna talk to his Lordship, this 'Captain' Langstrom, about which of us get to stay...he fumed.  

He thought longingly of what he'd managed to pull off the Geronimo when they'd grabbed their personal gear, but thought better.  If not me, then who? he figured.  Instead, he rambled off to the mess deck, figuring that he could get a meal and fume.  Chuck grabbed a burger off the speed line and sat down, glaring at anyone who approached.

==Tag interested parties - who wants to poke the bear?==

[Benjamin Regard]

Now that things had calmed down somewhat and he had a chance to think on what had happened, Ben had to admit he was surprised things had gotten chaotic so quickly after he joined up. Shuffled onto a new battleship that he was still learning his way around, jet off to rescue a super-Columbus and its team that stole some warheads, chase off Titans who wanted said warhead back, and then get hit with a gag order about the status of said warheads. It was quite different from when he served in the OYW. At least back then it was pretty straightforward, just fight back against the Zekes who killed half of humanity and call it a day. None of this subterfuge business.

The afro haired pilot shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind. No sense in over thinking it when these things tended to be resolved in short order, hopefully with positive results. Instead, he had to focus on other things like getting some food into his stomach. His folks always said to not skip meals but you couldn’t tell him that.

Rounding into the mess hall, he grinned at the sight. Not a line in sight, just the way he liked it. Snagging himself a sandwich and drink in short order, all he had to do was find a spot to chow down. Easy enough given how sparse the place was but eating alone wasn’t all that great. Better to eat in company, especially if it was good. And he had found just the lucky soul to share his meal with, albeit he looked ready to melt someone with his hate stare. Not that such a thing would deter Ben, the pilot already making to join the unhappy man.

“So, who rained on your parade?”

ooc: Alrighty, I'll bite :v

[Edward LeNoire]

There was a noticeable crack in the forward monitor of Eddy’s cockpit, made when the man had removed his flight helmet and gave into the irresistible urge to slam it into something very, very hard. They may have driven off the enemy, guarded the nukes and rendezvoused with the battle group, but it had come at a cost. Too high as far as I’m concerned...

Aside from the two cruisers that had been sunk, Emir had gotten shot down too. That was what hurt Eddy the most. He’d re-trained him, brought his skills back up to snuff. But that wasn’t all. He’d reached out to the man, gotten to know him, promised him the chance to avenge his family. But none of that will happen now. All that’s left is for him to reunite with his family in the beyond... For a brief moment, Eddy mused on what came after death. He wasn’t an overly religious person, but he had enough faith to believe that some other form of existence came after dying.

As the cockpit hatch opened, he decided it was time to meet the captain of the Polaris. It’s time to get these pilots squared away and me back to where I belong. Floating out, still dressed in his pilot suit, Eddy pulled out his sunglasses and flipped them over his eyes, hiding the sorrow plainly evident in them. Wasting little time, he made his way to the Captain’s cabin and knocked on the door, waiting for a reply.

[Fred Castle]

Like the rest of his group, Fred had no idea if they'd protected the nukes successfully, but he was willing to call the entire thing a disaster, if not an outright failure. They lost two ships, almost lost a third, and they'd lost one of their pilots. Sure Fred wasn't too upset about Emir's death, he hadn't really known the guy, plus he was a former Zeek, but he'd been an ally, and they were obviously in a worse position by being down a pilot. It didn't help that their leadership was too busy doing their own shit to actually do any leading, as far as he was concerned the dumb fuckers were in it for their own glory. When the enemy closed in on the ships, they didn't even seem to notice and made no effort to intercept them, he hadn't heard a word from Sonnenberg the whole battle, but the man had apparently brought Emir with him.

Their formation had been so fucked that he had been with Chuck and Steiner the whole time, after the initial stages he hadn't seen anyone from his own team. Part of that was his fault, but besides those two, no one else had moved in to defend their ships so he'd had to do it. The only good thing after that battle had been being able to grab their things from the Geronimo, his pictures from the OYW were still aboard her after all, and he didn't want to lose them, though he hadn't cared much about the rest of it, most of it was his issue gear after all. The only other thing he wouldn't have gotten back would be his old uniform, a lot guys kept their Federation uniform sure, but the A.E.U.G. didn't supply Federation uniforms.

This new ship was nicer at least, more of a proper vessel after all. But he still didn't like the thought that their ship was simply too damaged to support them after the battle, it had been their home and they let her get fucked up. But even with all that, not everything had been terrible in the battle, even if it hadn't been particularly great. He wished that they'd managed to shoot down a few of the Titan pilots at least.

Plus, during the battle, he had been impressed with his GM as the machine was a much better performer than his old unit, and he'd managed to avoid anything more serious than losing his shield, it didn't end up like Steiner's model at least, he doubted that he'd try to fight in her condition, but then his unit didn't have beam pistols that could be fired from the back either. He was less impressed with the thing's beam weapons though, sure they were effective but he was still used to the GM rifle, and felt that weapon had a much better balance of range, accuracy, power, and capacity, but these things were still fine weapons, had better per shot destruction, and were much better against a ship. He just needed to get used to them in combat, he'd been using the GM rifle for years after all and this wss his second time using a beam weapon in real combat.

It was about time to eat so he made his way to the mess and had gotten himself a sandwich, before spotting Chuck. One of the pilots that they'd met up with was with him, and Chuck looked pissed, like he had since they'd landed, Fred just wondered when the other man would explode in rage, and who his target would be. Fred walked over and sat down as the other guy asked Chuck what was bugging him, and Fred was sure it was that disaster of a battle, which this guy wouldn't get since he really wasn't there for it. "You look like you could stand a few more drinks Chuck." he said to the other man, while nodding to Regard, who he had seen before but didn't know.

[Lars Langstrom]

Sept 20, 2014 3:38:43 GMT Hilda Steiner said:

"Skipper, what's the good word?"

"The AEUG isn't sure how to handle it yet. We've been ordered not to talk about the nukes until the dust has settled. Can you both keep it under wraps until then?"

There were probably a few reasons for this. Admitting to having the nukes meant opening negotiations with the Earth Federation immediately. There was no guarantee that the nukes wouldn't end up back in the Titans if they turned them over. Furthermore, there was no need in distracting the Earth Federation political firing squad from their most immediate enemy: Jamitov Hymem. It's a win/win situation as long as we keep our mouths shut about it.

After offering both some tea, Lars pulled out a clipboard, briefly reviewing it before handing it over to Eddy.

"Look this over, Lieutenant. Kowen wants to form a new mobile suit team for our next operation: The Zodiac Squadron. I'll leave rest of the details up to you."[/font]

With his finger steepled under his chin, the skipper asked both of them the million dollar question.

"Do you they're ready? The recruits, that is. I'd like to meet them."

[Edward LeNoire]

Granted permission to enter, Eddy stepped into the Captain’s suite to find Langstrom and Steiner already in conference. But he caught the last few lines of their conversation and nodded his head in agreement, hoping that they wouldn’t catch notice of just how sullen he looked. I can only hope that I’ll get what I want for once...

Politely accepting Langstrom’s offer of tea, he figured it was better than downing a glass or two of absinthe as he took the cup. He caught the scent of flavor from the tea almost immediately and, for a brief moment there was a look of serenity on Eddy’s face. “Green tea with a hint of sweet raspberry...delicious” he quietly remarked before drinking from the cup. However, once he’d been handed the clipboard he rapidly passed it off to Hilda. Just as Lars asked for their opinion on the recruits, Eddy took the moment to speak up.

“I’d hoped for a more formal evaluation than our ad hoc combat engagements, but I can say these recruits are ready to go full active. However, if I may, Captain...I’m actually here to find out when Mr. Sonnenberg and I will be transferred back to our training duties. If these engagements proved anything, it’s that command is not our strong suit.”

[Lars Langstrom]

Sept 22, 2014 3:10:09 GMT Edward LeNoire said:

“I’d hoped for a more formal evaluation than our ad hoc combat engagements, but I can say these recruits are ready to go full active. However, if I may, Captain...I’m actually here to find out when Mr. Sonnenberg and I will be transferred back to our training duties. If these engagements proved anything, it’s that command is not our strong suit.”

"Let me ask you this: Which among your cadets are capable of running a fire team?"

This would shorten his list of problems quickly, and leave them in a good position to determine who was worth their rank. The operation on Jaburo, in particular, was going to be a trial by fire.

"For the time being, I'd like to suggest shifting Sechs back into the training corps and replacing him with a solid candidate. "

Sorry Eddy, but I can't spare you. He awaited his friend's protest. There was simply no way he was pulling him out in the middle of a major engagement. 

[Edward LeNoire]

The feeling of sullenness quickly left Eddy’s face, replaced by an equally obvious look of frustration and irritation. The guilt over Emir’s death was still very fresh in his mind and as much as he denied it, it was influencing his judgment. “Captain Langstrom, I believe you’re making a grave error in judgment by keeping me in the CAG position! A good man died under my command and we lost two ships because I lacked the skills necessary to command others properly! I refuse to let the same mistake happen twice!”

Eddy realized what he was doing and took a moment to calm down before continuing in a calmer, though still shaky tone of voice. “I apologize for that outburst, Captain. I’m aware we’re short of personnel and not in the most ideal of situations. But my point stands. I can’t in good conscience stay in my current position and I must request a transfer back to the training corps.” Letting out a deep sigh of regret, he paused for a moment before answering Lars’ original question. “However, if I must offer an opinion, I’d say that Mr. Castle and Mr. Finley display enough command potential to run a fire team. But Mr. Finley’s poor attitude and alcoholism might interfere with that potential."

[Lars Langstrom]

Sept 22, 2014 19:41:19 GMT Edward LeNoire said:

“Captain Langstrom, I believe you’re making a grave error in judgment by keeping me in the CAG position! A good man died under my command and we lost two ships because I lacked the skills necessary to command others properly! I refuse to let the same mistake happen twice!”

"I'm not saying that we're keeping you in your CAG position. I'm saying we're keeping you until we find a suitable replacement. We're short enough on manpower as is, Eddy. "

Why does the Argama get all the talent? The AEUG should've been swimming in veterans. They were just now understanding that few were qualified officers. It was either that or Kowen having problems filling all the empty positions in a short period of time. This is the kind of problem that can only get bigger as the Titans expand their operations. Langstrom sighed, indicating that he had little power over this arrangement. He empathized with the Lieutenant, but he couldn't do anything until high command did what he asked: send more men.

"Don't take the last operation too personally. It was something beyond your control. You didn't know that transport had nukes. You didn't know that the Titans would send a battle group after you. You didn't know that I would be arriving to the party a little late. These factors contributed to Emir's death- none of which you could be held accountable for. Just know that."

Sept 22, 2014 19:41:19 GMT Edward LeNoire said:

“However, if I must offer an opinion, I’d say that Mr. Castle and Mr. Finley display enough command potential to run a fire team. But Mr. Finley’s poor attitude and alcoholism might interfere with that potential."

"Don't worry about it. In the meantime, put one of them in a flight leader position and see what they're made of."

The skipper finished off his tea and set it on the coffee table. Onto more important business. He pressed a button on the remote sitting on the end table- lighting up an adjacent screen to his right, respectively. The map showed a list of all Earth outposts the AEUG currently had in their control.

"Up until now, the AEUG's operations on Earth have been fairly limited. There has been a debate, in a general sense, on how to conduct the war. When the original AEUG war staff got together: Two plans were hatched. The first plan, called the Fabian Plan, involved systemically targeted Titan fleets until their presence in outer space was eliminated. The second plan, known as the Scipian Plan, involved expanding Earth based operations through direct assaults and orbital drops- targeting major military bases until the Titans were forced onto the defensive. Both plans were mutually exclusive, both plans could not be executed simultaneously."

"There were problems with the first scenario. The Titans shared docks with the Earth Federation Space Forces at Luna II and Solomon. Any engagement would risk deteriorating our relations with the Earth Federation Assembly. We couldn't risk that. Consequently, the AEUG has decided to pursue our second policy. After some careful deliberation, high command has finally decided on our first target."

One queue, he pressed the button, centering the cursor over South America. That only meant one thing.

"Jaburo. The Titans have been using it as their acting headquarters for the past two years. Attacking and eliminating their presence there could force the Earth Federation to the negotiating table. Admiral Kowen has sent us our marching orders. I'd like to debrief your men."

[Jim Anderson]

Chuck dug into the burger half-dead, not entirely sure what their next move would be.  We still managed to divert heavy forces away from that op the Argama team evidently pulled.  Wonder where the AEUG scraped up the scratch for a full-scale heavy like that... he mused, one hand reaching for the flask on his ankle.  It was then that some chump he'd never seen sat down, immediately asking questions.  Chuck was wearing his trainee uniform still, and just looked up.  "Did you see the clusterfuck out there, ace?  My team lost a pilot, and much more important - we lost two tin cans.  Oh, and our carrier was beat to shit.  You think that might do a number on morale?  If it wasn't for you boys" he said, pointing towards Ben's wings - "Saving our assess, we'd have had an entire strike group blown out of space.   Its enough to drive a man to drink" he said, coincidentally as Fred sat down and echoed that exact sentiment.  "You have no idea, Castle.  Here, join me" he said, pulling the flask off his ankle and extending it to Ben and Fred.

[Hilda Steiner]

Hilda nodded as Lars made it clear they needed to keep the nukes quiet.  No shit boss.  Last thing we need is for some damned fool to decide the best way to stop the Titans is to emulate Gato.  Fastest way I can think to get the Feddie politicians to give Bask a blank check would be to use the damned things she thought, mentally sighing.  And we don't need another Stardust on our hands... who knows what the self-serving bastards will do after that... she figured, keeping quiet as Eddy and Lars talked.  

"They're ready, skipper.  The ones who're left, anyways" she said simply, just stating a fact - no emotion, derision, or accusations in her tone or manner at that.  Emir had potential, but you do not try to solo a battle group anymore.  Those days died with the Nightmare of Solomon she thought quietly.

Instead, she listened to Eddy's explanation on the recruits.  "There aren't enough combat-ready pilots to go around, Eddy" she said, plainly stating a fact again.  "We need you to stay for this one, plain and simple"  And you need to get over yourself and get back in the damned saddle she wanted to scream, but held her tongue.  

Instead, Lars brought up the ugly problem that they lacked a squadron commander.  Regard might be ready to run a team, but he hasn't done it before.  Castle likewise.  And Finley... she thought, biting her tongue and not liking what she was about to say.  "Finley - even though his attitude needs a good ass-kicking and his off-duty habits make me question how in the nine hells he sobers up to fly - has a strange nose for where to be out there.  Of the pilots we brought, he was the only one who recognized the two leakers as fast as they developed, and broke through our own defensive fire to stay with the fuckers and keep them off the Geronimo.  Food for thought, Cap" she said quietly.  And they'd better not dump this damned squadron on me.

[Edward LeNoire]

Although Eddy heard Langstrom’s words of comfort and assurance and nodded, he couldn’t bring himself to take them to heart, at least not yet. But for now, he could concentrate on the rest of the conversation between them, noting Hilda’s recommendation of Finley for the position of flight leader. I haven’t even had a chance to bring up that can of worms in detail... He’d have to share the recording he’d brought with him once the briefing was over. Best to keep my suspicions on a need-to-know basis for now...

As the good captain gave a brief history lesson on how the AEUG initially considered how to fight the Titans on Earth and in space, Eddy admitted to a certain amount of interest but didn’t vocally display it. It was when Langstrom got around to the subject of what their first major operation would be that caused him to emit a whistle from his lips before smiling. “Hello, old friend.” His voice displayed a degree of familiarity and warmth. So, we’re going to where it all started...Jaburo.

This had been the place where Eddy, Ennis and the rest of the Sweeper Corps were brought together and spent most of their wartime service...too long, he believed. They’d spent their time at Jaburo training in skills beyond the realm of regular military and bonding together as a unit. He’d spent many a day and night becoming familiarized with the layout of the base, the tunnel networks and sections of the facility most would write off as unimportant. And of course, this had been where the Sweepers had their first taste of combat. “I’ll say this for Kowen, he definitely believes in the philosophy of ‘go big or go home’.”

It’s now or never. “Captain Langstrom, before we begin debriefing, could I have a word with you in private, please?"

[Lars Langstrom]

Sept 23, 2014 22:15:12 GMT Hilda Steiner said:

"Finley - even though his attitude needs a good ass-kicking and his off-duty habits make me question how in the nine hells he sobers up to fly - has a strange nose for where to be out there.  Of the pilots we brought, he was the only one who recognized the two leakers as fast as they developed, and broke through our own defensive fire to stay with the fuckers and keep them off the Geronimo.  Food for thought, Cap"

This was the part where Langstrom reigned them in. He could see the writing on the wall. Eddy wasn't going to be in a position of command much longer, but he'd prefer he leave it on his own terms.

"Eddy, I'll give you permission to hand over your command when you think he's ready."

Sept 23, 2014 23:19:25 GMT Edward LeNoire said:

“Captain Langstrom, before we begin debriefing, could I have a word with you in private, please?"

"Very well. Hilda, assemble the team in the hangar. I'll be there shortly."