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1.7 - Fire, Ice and Rock? Part 2
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Quickly Una followed after the man, making sure to relock the cabinet and turn off all the instruments and lights - Leaving the small key in the now locked box as instructed. Once out, she agilely glided down to the hanger floor, glancing back round to stare up at her machine.
Standing at nearly 20 metres, it was still hard to actually see it as her mech, gleaming in fresh paint, straight off the assembly line. A perfectly new 'Third Gen', Neo-Type-Vijaik Mark C - And all of it hers.
She found Sabban a few paces ahead, standing at the foot of his own machine while staring vacantly forward. The room they found themselves in was the secondary or 'underhanger' of the ship.
A box shaped room below the main hanger, with tall ceilings but just enough floor space for its inhabitants and mech storage facilities. The layout was functional at best and cramped at worst, with the idea of maximising storage in mind:
Three holding cages a piece, (which prevented Vijaik's from floating away) stood corresponding each other on two of the walls. A large industrial elevator took up a third and finally on the fourth was space for two more machines.
As it stood her machine was in 'the cell' nearest the elevator, Sabban's next to that and the lieutenant's at the opposite corner.
On the far wall with only two cages, were the red and cyan machines, standing next to one another. A shiver ran down her spine just looking at them, of course now they stood silently, solemn even. The red eye of Miss.Scarlet's machine replaced by the hollow dimness of the powered down, angular head's visor - And as for Miss.Hoki's terrifyingly powerful long-range rifle, it wasn't in reality even present, instead being upstairs in the workshop of the main hanger.
'Just a simulation.'
She made her way hesitantly to Sabban's side. Her mind did feel a little calmer now but a number of new thoughts took the place of the discarded tribulations of earlier:
There was Sabban's comments about the gun, and, well hygiene. Then there was the question of whether they were happy with how she had preformed during the pretend battle - For all she knew they'd think her a complete failure, maybe they would even send her back to the base if she couldn't keep up with them?
There was also the question of what exactly the protocol was now, should she be standing to attention?
A final question which she really felt rather annoyed at the importance of, was how exactly to address the man standing next to her.
'I mean we were classmates right and we just practised together? So I should be friendly, chummy ya? He can't really of forgotten me...'
As if to answer her unspoken questions Sabban suddenly started in his usual low rumbling tone, not bothering to make eye contact; "Here we go again."
Una shot him a puzzled look before turning to try and get a view of whatever it was he had commented on.
What she saw was the same as before, the two Vijaiks that had been on the opposite team of the simulation, however there was a minor change in each. Miss.Hoki's cyan machine now had its hatch open, although there was no sign of the woman herself. Conversely Scarlet's machine, which uniquely instead of an outcropped hatch to match the other four mechs, instead pertained a flush circular doorway - Had also now opened.
Then there was nothing for a few moments, to the point that Una was almost about to ask the obvious question when finally she saw someone step out onto the lip of that circular entrance.
Stolen story; please report.
Thee Ace Pilot - known simply by her somewhat flamboyant nickname 'Scarlet Scourge' - Stood glaring absolute daggers across at the cockpit of her Cyan neighbour.
Una found herself begrudgingly admiring the very way the woman held herself, poised as though ready to fight at any moment, yet far from overly tensed. Aided by her long abundance of deep crimson hued hair and her singular eye-patched eye - It all made her stand out like a character from some sort of adventure story, truly befitting of a former 'space pirate'.
'If only she had a nicer personality.'
At-least that's what Una believed might of gone through her head a few hours ago, as it was however, looking at the woman inspired a different emotion; Fear. The way she had brutally swung around those large weapons. The precision, skill and most of all, ease with which she'd matched both herself and Sabban with.
That single glowing red eye seemed to ominously flash in her mind when she looked at Scarlets face. Of course from Una's distance she couldn't see the details but she distinctly remembered seeing Scarlet's eye the day prior - Thinking how strange it was to see someone with an almost blood-red tint encircling their brown iris.
The word 'pirate' suddenly seemed far less romantic and far more sinister, far more real - Una could feel herself tensing just looking at that callous glare on the woman's face.
"You alright?" Sabban said abruptly, breaking her thoughts for not the first time that day;
"First time on that simulator can be... vigorous." He mused aloud.
Una nodded as best she could, glad for the surprisingly kind words even if the man's tone had remained droll.
Her focus back on the end of the room she watched silently for a few more moments as much like her, Scarlet simply stood glaring across at Hoki's machine, until finally the illustrious woman appeared.
She floated up through the opening of her mech's cabin, swiping her long auburn hair behind her, before gracefully swinging herself round over the side of the machine and beginning a slow descent down to the ground.
Una noticed a couple things immediately:
For one Hoki, like Sabban wore the proper piloting equipment. The specialised gloves, thin but sturdy boots and so on - All designed with the aim of keeping the pilot as comfortable and refreshed as possible, but equally allowing them to feel in tune with the controls of their complicated mechanisms. In contrast Scarlet wore no such gear, instead sporting a worn pair of ankle length trousers and a half buttoned jacket with puffed shoulders, over a nondescript black T-shirt - Finished by a pair of tall, worn rigger boots and fingerless gloves.
Further where Hoki's hair was long but neatly kept and well combed, Scarlet's crimson branding was a-flutter - Wisps and split ends haphazardly strewn around, something more akin to a 'mane' than a haircut.
Before Hoki had even reached the ground Scarlet finally broke the silence;
"The Hell was that, you trying to act the fool girl?" - She barked downwards before grabbing a thin rope that had ejected from the roof of her mech's doorway and using it to start her own trip back landward.
Not bothering to turn around, Hoki daintily landed, arms folded as she replied calmly;
"That's rich coming from the roving façade, whom gave the enemy all the cover they could ever ask for."
Scarlet's face scrunched in retort as she hopped off the rope before landing on the metal floor with a oddly loud 'clunk' - "Come again princess?".
And so began yet another long argument between the two.
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