2024-10-10: Some Stories That Sound Like Yours
- Log: 2024-10-10: Some Stories That Sound Like Yours
- Cast: Sayla Mass, Shinn Asuka
- Where: ZAFT Military Base, PLANTs, Side 2
- OOC - IC Date: 10 October 0099
- Summary: In the wake of Break the World and the Gaia Saber's attempted Genocide of the PLANTs, Sayla decides to check on one of the Minerva's pilots and get a feel for him. While Shinn starts out defensive (with some good reason), the conversation turns towards an opportunity for Shinn- one that he leaps at a little readily for Sayla's taste. Still, maybe even a school like Asticassia could provide some opportunities for Shinn to find out what else he might be good at.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
To say it's been a difficult time for the people of the PLANTS would be a laughable understatement.
A site of an atrocity turned into one of the worst colony drops of all time, resulting in an attempted genocide by NUNE that was ultimately only resolved by a duel rather than... any real responsible way of approaching things. It was, in a word, fucked.
This meant Sayla had been intensely busy, as had almost every member of the SAL government. It had meant other concerns she'd had were sitting by the wayside, and quite sensibly.
Right now, though, she had a break in her schedule. She'd taking a few hours to rest and clean up, then decided to follow up on something she'd wanted to ever since her brief stint on the Minerva-
Finding and talking to the young pilots that made up Durandal's most trusted strike force.
It had taken her a little time to get directions to who she was looking for on base, and time was a premium right now, as it ever was. But Sayla can't help but meddle in times like this- it's what she does to keep her head on straight.
Or maybe just a maladaptive coping method, who can say.
She stopped in the entrance to the Mess Hall, looking around for a pilot in a red coat. She thinks, perhaps, she's found him.
"Excuse me, you're pilot Shinn Asuka, correct?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
It was particularly difficult for Shinn Asuka. The battle that almost ended PLANT was traumatic for the black haired boy. Still, he was doing his best to remain jovial amongst the crew.
While the voices of the Gaia Sabers he killed echoed in his mind, Shinn still wore a smile on his face to avoid worrying anyone. He just did his job and believed in the mission...even if the mission was a little hard to figure out these days.
A CEO had stopped the missiles to PLANT? ZAFT was now under strict restrictions? It was all a little over his head but he knew he didn't love these developments.
Still, Sayla finds Shinn laughing with several people, making a goofy face at some female member of the crew and laughing.
Hearing his name, Shinn turns his head and blinks, unsure of who Sayla was. He wasn't sure if he had to show any sort of salute or anything. He just looks the woman over and nods his head. "That's me. And you are?"
Shinn wasn't really a scholar of the One Year War so the woman's appearance didn't really ring any bells or make him realize the situation he was in.
The other people decide to give Shinn and Sayla a moment, moving to another table.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
In a crowd like this, it's harder to pick out specific people's emotions, especially with so few newtypes in the room. But Sayla's honed her abilities to read emotions without it, and for a second, it looks as if she is scrutinizing Shinn. This is because she is, but it passes in a moment. She extends a hand to Shinn before sitting down. "Dr Sayla Mass," she says, opting not to drop excessive titles on him- though whether he recognizes the League's- and Durandal's- appointed Secretary of Colonial Development and Refugee Affairs depends on how much he follows politics and the controversy surrounded the Natural's appointment, amidst the many controversies that follow the woman. She has plenty of those.
"I'm a civilian," she clarifies, to handle Shinn's unasked question about rank. "I was also on board the Minerva when Junius Seven was weaponized." She's keeping her tone even, her voice quiet to avoid catching too many people unprepared with it. But that might explain why she's interested in him.
"I apologize if I'm meddling but... I was hoping to check in on the MS team who deployed then- and given recent events it seemed doubly worth doing, if you're willing. Are you comfortable talking here?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
Shinn blinks as Sayla seems to be looking him over. What would a civilian doctor want with him? He nods at her, shaking her hand gently before she sits down.
Shinn studies the woman, beginning to have some memory of the TV talking about her once or twice. While he didn't study politics, he does keep up with Durandal's actions and speeches, soaking in the man's words.
"I see...I guess I might've seen you around now that I think about it." Shinn recalls the Junius Seven incident for a moment, frowning at the thought of it. It was the start of everything, wasn't it? Now it was a distant memory after the battle that happened almost a week ago. The boy keeps himself guarded, still trying to get a read on this woman.
"I--I mean it's fine. I'm still sort of confused on what you would want with me?" Shinn catches some of the words. 'Meddling', 'Check in', and she was a doctor. Shinn flinches, almost falls out of his chair.
"Wait! I mean I'm fine! I realize I have my issues but I don't think I need a medical eval or anything." Shinn is now holding up his hands, wondering if mentioning his family and the times he snapped are being seen as him losing it. He is wondering which one of these jerks is siccing a shrink on him. This was a little more than a prank, guys!
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
She can catch the guardedness- she's very familiar with it, honestly. Maybe he has, and that's fine. Honestly, the lack of preconceptions is maybe a plus here.
And then she realizes that she has stepped off on the wrong foot, and Sayla shakes her head. "I apologize, Mr Asuka, I've given you the wrong impression. This isn't an eval or an assessment, and I don't serve in any capacity as ZAFT medical." Maybe he needs one, frankly, based on that reaction, but that's a little more meddling than Sayla's prepared to do.
"I'm sorry for startling you, let me explain myself." She takes a breath, trying to word herself not to put Shinn off further. "At that battle, I deployed in a prototype that was originally meant for your unit, after quantum brainwave activity testing." Maybe that will put him at ease. "I like to know the pilots I may be working with, should I end up in that position again. It was an extreme situation but..." She frowns. "...extreme situations where such things are necessary seem to be happening more." It's a euphemistic way of putting it. "I may be a new addition to the PLANTs, but I am not someone who intends to stand by when I can do something about it."
That might put Shinn at ease for a second, she's hoping so.
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
Shinn eases up a little when she reveals she isn't here for an evaluation. He looks around again, trying to see if someone was giggling at this display. He sighs, realizes he's being a tad paranoid, and eases into his seat again.
"It's alright." Shinn nods, watching the woman explain herself. "I see." He wonders why they hadn't let him just use the system. Maybe there was a good reason but he really didn't want to miss out on anything that could give him an edge in battle. "So you're trying to get to know me or something? I guess that's fine..." Shinn tilts his head, looking over Sayla again. What an old fashioned concept. These things usually happened naturally during training or meeting in the mess hall. Not business like introductions. "But you're right. The world is getting more unpredictable and we need to be ready to give it all we got." Shinn smiles, clenching his fist to look more confident despite some slight misgivings in his mind. "I'm new to the PLANT as well but I intend to defend my new home with everything I have!" Shinn was being a little corny...probably like a lot of green cadets Sayla had dealt with.
In the back of Shinn's mind, he still heard some of those voices. Memories of the carnage of the other day. The horror and the aftermath of Junius 7.
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla could explain why, but... well. That's maybe a discussion for later, honestly. "Something like that," Sayla says, finally sitting down across from Shinn. It's a bit of an odd look, her designer outfit in a military base, but the way she sits, she's fully used to mess halls and military environments. Sayla gives him an easy- if practiced- smile back.
And it is a little corny, but frankly... Sayla has started to miss the corny idiots who used to make her life hell and rubbed off on her a little too much. "That makes sense to me." She says, with a nod. She pauses briefly, wondering how best to continue the conversation. "Wanting to protect somewhere that's accepted you is a motivation I understand all too well." She's drawing some inferences about Shinn already there- and potentially some pain similar to her own.
"Sorry, I've probably made this a little too formal. Dealing with politicians all the time tends to do that, I'm afraid." She takes a second, musing. "So, would you prefer I continue to call you Mr Asuka, Shinn or something else? I'm fine with just Sayla, on your end."
That little introduction done, she decides to press on. "If you'll excuse an old lady her questions," Sayla Mass, you are thirty seven. "How have you settled into the PLANTs? It's been an adjustment for me, myself."
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
Shinn smiles awkwardly back, nodding. "Yeah. After I lost my family due to Orb's...incompetence, I didn't have any where to go. The guy who watched out for me suggested that I go where all Coordinators watch out for each other. So that's how I ended up here." He is being rather open despite not knowing this person but this wasn't exactly secret information either. He reaches over and takes a sip of his drink.
"Shinn is fine. What do I call you? Dr. Mass?" He would feel weird being called Mr. anything. It seemed to be something people who were trying to boss him around did. Mr. Asuka don't do this. Don't do that.
"But I've settled in pretty well. I didn't have anything when I got here but joining ZAFT got me access to a lot of facilities. I studied at the military academy so I could be a Mobile Suit Pilot so that gets me a decent paycheck I can invest in a decent living situation should I ever leave service...Not that I plan to."
Shinn considers himself before PLANT. He didn't have any real career aspirations before the Orb invasion changed him and gave him a purpose. It was real sad actually. He wonders if he ever could've been a doctor or something. Or was piloting always his Destiny?
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Orb's incompetence, hm? Sayla's face turns empathetic. "...My condolences," Sayla says, after a moment. "It's difficult to keep going after a loss like that." She doesn't push further but... she rather hates that she was right. It's something she's been through herself, more than once, but making it about herself if not really her goal. It's not like her own history isn't a matter of public record.
"Sayla, if you're comfortable with it." It's a gentle repetition, making sure not to dig at him. "Having to be Dr Mass to almost everyone is somewhat tiring, if I'm honest."
Sayla nods, after a moment as Shinn explains things- but there's a definite moment of concern on her face as Shinn mentions going straight to the academy and his lack of intention to leave. "...I see." Sayla takes a few moments to digest that. "So, career military then?"
A little like a boy she hasn't seen in a long time.
Sayla nods to herself. "...so, there's nothing else you'd want to do, then? Your current role as a soldier is fulfilling for you?" These are heavy questions, asked casually, but Sayla knows them. "If it's what you want to do and gives you meaning, it's certainly a viable option for you."
Still, there's a but there. It's definitely in Sayla's eyes. "However, it's also a line of work where the risk of injury is significant, and the psychological toll is a lot, especially at your age. There are going to be times when you can't deploy due to such things. And ideally, there'll be a day where the PLANTs won't be under threat." Sayla pauses. "...admittedly, it's a far off ideal right now, but I'd like to hope one day the people here won't be dragged into such things."
She realizes, again, that this could be pushy. "...I was a little older than you during the One Year War." Sayla says, after moment. "And I was... essentially conscripted by the Federation against Zeon, and ended up piloting through the end of the war. I was one of the ones who could adjust to civilian life a little easier, but not all of us could. A close friend of mine stayed career military, but the higher up the ranks you get, the less likely you are going to remain a pilot, or to be close to the action. And... those sorts of promotions can come surprisingly fast, sometimes." She pauses, for a moment. "...So, do you see yourself trying to remain a pilot, or would you see yourself moving towards an officer role?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
"Sayla then" Shinn nods, sipping his drink again. "I can understand that."
"That's right. It's what makes me feel like I have the power to do something...Part of the reason I joined up was because I felt powerless to prevent what happened to my family...Admittedly I haven't really thought of anything else."
"-Regardless- of the risks, this is what I need to do to protect what is important to me. I'd like to think of a day PLANT didn't need me but...I think it would take the whole world listening to Chairman Durandal and based on what I saw recently, that's a long way off." Shinn makes eye contact with her, showing his resolve. He was a true believer in Durandal's message and respected that man greatly. Still, he knew the ideal world was...almost impossible at the moment. Still, he got through to Flay right? That was a start. "So yeah I'd like to remain a pilot."
Then Shinn is hit by some reality. He listens to her story of the One Year War, blinking. Life after the military? Not be a pilot? Promotions coming in fast. He stares at her like a deer in headlights. Suddenly realizing he could be in charge of someone like him. He doesn't like that thought.
"I..would still like to pilot. It's what I'm good at."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Well. That's an attitude Sayla's familiar with. The power to do something- and not having thought of anything else. That's... a very rough position to be in. "...I understand." She says, after a moment, resting her hands on the table. "It's always a question of how we can do to prevent such things most efficiently. You need people on the ground to protect things. You need people trying to change things at the higher levels to minimize anyone else getting hurt like that." She's considered it a lot herself.
Sayla nods sadly at Shinn saying they'd need everyone to listen to Durandal. "...Very true. The world as it is not one that will see peace soon. We've had plenty of people hope for better, but it hasn't happened yet. It's slow work that requires people pushing."
But piloting is very much what Shinn wants to do, and she can see that fear. He really is the way Sousuke was. "...I see. Then I hope you are able to remain where you like for as long as you can." Sayla says, for a moment her look lingering on him. "It's... difficult but possible to stay on that level. But the longer you last, the more you do, the more likely people want to see you as something else." Casval and Amuro both had that... For a brief moment, Sayla seems a mile away.
"...what if you could do something else as well as pilot, though?" Sayla says, after a moment. "Has anything ever occurred to you that you wanted, like that? It's... not too unusual if you haven't, these days. Life has changed since I was growing up." She looks down at her hands. Maybe she should stop beating around the bush. He's already a little on edge.
"...Amuro was a bit like you, if I'm honest." Sayla says, after a moment. "He didn't really put much thought into his life before he was a soldier, from what he told me. And then Zeon attacked Side 7, and he found himself piloting the Gundam. He was good at it. It gave him purpose, and made him feel needed- to his own detriment. He could swing between overworking himself to exhaustion because he was needed, to having an ego so big that he felt he could ignore orders." She pauses. "...He wasn't the only one, admittedly."
She keeps moving, though. "The war left him with scars, and the Federation grounding him, reducing him to a pilot instructor crushed him. Apparently, when he joined Karaba and turned against the Federation, it was like he was alive again. Ultimately, despite how it came out... being a pilot was what he wanted to be. He found peace with it, apparently." There's a sting there, as Sayla says it. "He was... fifteen when he first piloted the Gundam."
There's a pause in the story. "...On the other hand, a few years ago I met a boy about your age who had been piloting since he was a child- and he was incredible at it. An ARM Slave specialist. He wasn't just good at it- honestly, he was one of the best I've ever seen. He'd never given thought to what else he wanted to do, just serve in a PMC until the day he died on the battlefield." She pauses. "Then he got given an assignment totally out of his skillset. And that assignment exposed him to a life he'd never lived. He didn't fit in at all well- but ultimately, he found it was where he wanted to be. And... he still made a lot of mistakes, and still screwed up- but it was where he felt he belonged, where he needed to be."
Sayla pauses to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Maybe being a pilot is where you want to be, where you need to be. But if it's all you've tried so far, all you've found that fits for you, maybe you should try some more. Maybe you find something you're better at. Maybe you find something that fulfills you more. Maybe you find out that a pilot is exactly where you fit and where you want to be, and that's a decision only you can make- but it's one you need to make knowing what your options and opportunity are, if you can."
Sayla pauses, realizing the long walk down memory lane she's taken. "...This kind of... takes me to something I was hoping to talk to you about. It came up in conversation with Councilor Durandal and it's part of why I wanted to get a feel for you as a person. Rest assured, it's not about stopping you piloting. Quite the opposite actually, it's an opportunity only possible because of your piloting skill. But I wanted to know if it felt like something you would take to, and would want." She pauses for a bit.
"I am sure that Gilbert- that Durandal would back your appointment. But if I'm to fulfill what he wants me to do, sometimes I check these things out myself. My apologies for the long way about it, Shinn."
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
Shinn listens to the story of Amuro and Sousuke, nodding along. It was interesting how much of Amuro's story fit him. That couldn't be a coincidence. But the way these stories went was sad. Incredibly sad. It was either fight to stay a pilot under a system that wanted to phase him out or covet a life outside. Shinn sighs wondering if that was his fate too.
No he would fight to stay in the pilots chair for as long as possible.
Still it wasn't a bad idea to check other things out. He did like certain things like games and the outdoors also. He recalls the times he went camping with his family. Beach trips.
A frown crosses his face as those memories of them dead on the beach come to mind briefly. Then they fade away like a tide rolling back to sea.
It is the mention of the Chairman that perks him back up. "The chairman knows about me?! I mean I just assumed I was like every other pilot. Of course I'll want it, Sayla. If the Chairman thinks I'm good for it, I'm all in!" Shinn is again pretty gungho upon hearing Durandal knew of him specifically. I mean he made an effort to know several members of ZAFT but Shinn didn't think he would know him by name.
She even call him by his first name. That is so cool. So Sayla was a friend to the Chairman and checking up on him for something. Suddenly he's beaming, feeling like he's getting everything he could possibly want.
"So what is it you and the Chairman need me to do? First, it's an honor to be considered for whatever this is!"
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
...This might have been a mistake, seeing how quickly Shinn reacts to Durandal's name. How the whole tenor of the conversation changes. Had she really misjudged this relationship or... Never mind. This Pandora's box is now open, for better or worse. "I think it might be good to wait until I finish speaking before you volunteer, Shinn. I appreciate your enthusiasm, certainly, but let's see how it lasts."
She sighs, after a long moment. "...Are you familiar with the CANON laws pushed through by NUNE a year or so ago?" It's perhaps an odd direction for Sayla to go, but she has to anyway. "...Fundamentally, it's the Gundam Fight made miniature. An ability to settle NUNE's laws over trial by combat. It was most recently used by Dyma Goldwin to authorise the intervention by Cathedra that stopped the Gaia Saber's attempted genocide." She doesn't sugar coat the situation this time. "...It's frankly a mess of a situation, but it's become clear that we cannot rely on someone else to intercede in such a way the next time someone decides colonists are a [problem. That means the League will want people who are able to act in these duels- and so will ZAFT."
She suspects Shinn will jump at the opportunity of course. "...However, the typical location these duels are settled is at the Asticassia School of Technology. It's part High School, part University, and primarily an incubator for the next generation of Benerit executives." Sayla frowns as she brings up the school. "It's curriculum is... mostly business, politics and piloting focused. The easiest way to make sure the League's representatives can be there to duel is to..." Sayla sighs. She hates this bit. "Enroll them as students as Asticassia."
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
He really should've curbed that enthusiasm. It was clear he came on a little strong. Shinn takes a breath and nods. "You're right. I should hear what this entails...I'm just happy to be considered by the Chairman. It's an honor." He speaks evenly, putting his hands on his knees to make himself ridged. It is still clear he's excited but he is trying to be levelheaded.
Wait until Lunamaria and Rey heard this. Hehehe.
"Canon Laws?" Shinn blinks, immediately lost as she goes into it. "Wait...That's what happened?" Shinn is suddenly kinda in awe that a CEO used what was essentially a Gundam Fight to intervene. He wanted to know why because he didn't strike Shinn altruistic. He listens to the rest and Shinn begins to slowly kind of understand what she's getting at.
Shinn Asuka's face lights up despite him trying to push that down. He can't help but beam at the idea of being a quasi-Gundam Fighter for ZAFT.
Wait...Shinn stops as he realizes something. "You mean that people's lives are on the line because of a duel? That is---I don't like that but if anyone is going to do this, it's gotta be me. I mean I won't let what happened happen again, Sayla. It can't." Shinn seems like he grasps Sayla's point about the system but rather than challenge it, Shinn wants to use it.
"If I have to go to school, then I guess that's ok. I mean I went to the academy so I guess I'll have a leg up." Shinn looks Sayla in the eye. "If this can give me the power to make change then I accept."
<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.
Sayla is definitely caught off guard by how much Shinn wants to do this- how much he wants to live up to whatever it is Chairman Durandal wants. It's... a little concerning, frankly. But... He has every reason to want to take this on. To defend his home.
"...If you're sure. If you find it doesn't suit you, or it's stopping you doing what you need to do, we can work out another representative. But it might also be an opportunity for you, that's true as well." She's a little worried he's committing for the wrong reasons, to be fair.
Regardless. She's seen that look in some people's eyes- and she sighs. "...The Shuffles would've liked you or punched you or both." She says, perhaps not realizing she's saying it out loud instead of just to herself. How many people DOES Sayla know?
"Okay. I'll discuss it with the Chairman, but at this point... I'm prepared to give you a shot at being one of the League's representative- but remember you represent the entire Space Assembly League, not just ZAFT. Coordinators look out for each other, but colonists and spacenoids need to have each other's backs too, where we can." It's a gentle reminder that the League is more than the PLANTs- but a Natural being here on a ZAFT base is a good sign of that.
"...I don't know how much use the piloting course will be for you, admittedly. You've already got battlefield experience and Academy training, and they're primarily training duelists and test pilots over combatants. It's a similar skillset, but not the same. And you will have to take it seriously in all respects- as a representative and as a student." Sayla is very firm on this right now. "And... you're likely to find a lot of prejudice towards being a coordinator, being a spacenoid, being a war orphan... The student body at Asticassia isn't... the greatest." Sayla frowns. "...not to mention to the parents of the student body."
She rubs her temples. "And there's a nightmare system about the duels and the daughter of a Benerit president. It's going to be a different social environment, but it will also let you pass the Cathedra security freely when travelling between here and the ring." It's a small advantage, amidst a den of bad things.
"...My daughter attends the university component, too." Sayla doesn't sound the happiest there. "She's a good kid, it's not a good environment, but she can help you get settled, I think. I'll try and introduce you, if we can make the opportunity." She fidgets with her hand a bit. It's been way too long since she's seen Leina. "It will take a little while to get everything settled, but take some time to work out what you want to do there, if you can. I think there's a school festival coming up, too. I'll find the details, it may be a good opportunity for you to experience things."
...this definitely sounds like things Sayla's sorted out more than once.
"I just hope this ends up being a good chance for you, Shinn." It's no Jindai, or Montserrat, but... Maybe there's an opportunity here for the boy to find out what he wants, too.
<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.
"I understand." Shinn nods, trying his best not to freak out or call Ray to brag about this opportunity.
"The Shuffle Alliance?" Shinn by contrast is kinda limited in who he knows. He knew of the Shuffle Alliance but you'd be disappointed if you introduced him to Chibodee or Sai.
He nods slowly. "Right so..best behavior." If Sayla could see the bear in the wedding dress mech or that time he almost caused an incident with Cagalli....Actually to be fair, the Princess wasn't a student so nothing could go wrong.
Hehe. Perfect.
But the hurdles gives Shinn pause. It sounds like he needs to avoid fights and keep his head down. Maybe leave some of his past a deep dark secret. A bunch of rich assholes to push his buttons and get him in trouble. "Right...So keep my head down and do the job."
His glory would be with ZAFT. The rich assholes would just be hazards of the job. I mean who the hell hates War Orphans, the jerks.
"Right. I'd love to meet her if its a good idea." Shinn considers for a moment that having at least one friend would be good. He wouldn't have Rey or Luna to watch his back. Still he has to do this right?
Shinn clenches his fist, nodding once to himself.
"I hope so too." Shinn says thinking about the speech he's gonna give his friends when he announces he is SAL's Gundam Fighter for political law disputes. He can hardly wait to let them know the good news.
Also he was excited that maybe he could find another thing to get good at.
Plus he could serve the Chairman directly.
Additionally, he was gonna do his best to put his best foot forward.