2025-06-17: A Pleasant Day for Maintenance
- Log: 2025-06-17
- Cast: Joanna Strauss, Lunamaria Hawke, Rose Tritten
- Where: Maius Nine, PLANT, Side 2, Lagrange Point Four
- OOC - IC Date: June Seventeenth, Universal Century 0100 (2025)
- Summary: A pair of Red Uniforms meet once again, and also encounter a woman from a weird branch of the Space Assembly League military where they have such strange things as 'ranks'.
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
It'd be a fairly busy maintenance round at the SAL's hangars after a recent round of recruits, lots of new machines to fit in and even more people to get in line and accounted for; Not particularly a remarkable occurrence, nor that uncommon either. A simple routine hustle and bustle, enough footsteps and machinery going around to drive fresh recruits up the walls, and among those that slightly pushed the envelope on normalcy was a new bird - bounced in from the Spacy's own recruitment drives - a Variable Fighter being checked out and situated as a somewhat confused woman seemed to observe the whole process, luggage still in hand, either unaware of where to go from here, or simply unwilling to leave the fighter on its own; the suspiciously guitar shaped case over her shoulder, certainly not helping in making passing through the space convenient - let alone easy, calling a little bit of unwanted attention to herself.
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
Also in port on Maius Nine today--the Minerva!
Its distinctive silhouette has been seen in the colony's docks for quite some time now... and as a result of some minor refit work, most of its Mobile Weapon contingent (the Impulse excepted, of course) has been shuffled into the communal hangars (much to the chagrin of the pilots and maintenance crew). Which is how an unassuming coordinator girl, red of both hair and uniform, finds herself wandering the various maintenance catwalks. Shinn is working on the impulse, Meyrin is out with her friends, and Rey is... doing whatever it is Rey does with his free time. He hasn't told her. That leaves Luna on her own, at least for the moment.
Her meandering trail eventually leads her to that Variable Fighter. It's been a while since she's seen one this close... the last time was in the Junius Seven Aerospace museum, back... before.
She bends over slightly, hands on her knees as she stares at the contraption. "Ehhhhh... how'd this get here..?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
A few weeks had passed since the end of the Vajra war, and what was rapidly becoming known as the Fightingest Ship in the ZAFT Fleet, the One Fine Day sat amongst the other Nazca-Class ships, presently in a refit from the extensive battles over the Vajra homeworld, now gifted as Earth's farthest colony.
In the primary mobile suit deck, Rose sat on the catwalk, watching the ground crews repaint the ZAKU Phantom that had just arrived in the Tritten Team colours of lilac purple and maroon, when the new VF landed in the hangar. Rose turned and watched it touchdown, and the pilot hop out. It was around then that her eye caught the other ZAFT Red standing on the catwalks...she was familiar...oh right! The girl from the Minerva who let Rose as Aspyn know Sushila had woken up!
Rose walked over to her fellow ZAFT Red.
"You're from the Minerva right...Lunamaria? I think we met after uh...the second Junius incident. I'm Rose Tritten, I'm not sure if you remember me."
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
"It's uh- This VF is mine, i-is there a problem? should I have taken it elsewhere?" The lass spoke in an ever so slightly hurried manner, noticeably a bit scared she'd done something wrong - despite only following the indications she'd been given - of course VFs weren't really that common in a hangar mostly dominated by mobile suits and their brethren, and there wasn't that much space elsewhere anyways. Regardless, the owner of the inspected bird would follow up shortly after, a bit less of a stutter as she got her bearings - can't hurt to rely a bit on fixation, right? "Uhm, It's a VF-19EF, limited run model uniquely manufactured at the Frontier Fleet, kinda hard to get one now that it left again, I got lucky with the timing."
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
It takes Luna a moment or so to notice Rose's presence, but when she does--
"Oh! I didn't see you there--I'm Luna, yes! We me briefly... then..."
Her gaze turns downwards for a moment, before her smile returns.
"So... uh... how's your.. friend..?"
She words this somewhat awkwardly--her unawareness of the Tritten Team's actual structure was something of a weak spot in this conversation.
She quickly glances to Joanna in turn, assessing her--non-ZAFT SAL forces, Earthian accent of some stripe...
"Oh! No, no, if you've been told to put this here that makes sense, this is the maintenance hangar... did you come from one of the affiliate colonies, then..?"
It was from the Frontier? That would explain it... "I guess it's hard to get properly new VFs, right..?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
"Oh, you must mean Sushila." Rose replied. "She was the pilot you told me and Aspyn had woken up. Yeah, she's okay, she got fixed up once we flew back into space after leaving the Minerva." Had Break the World really been that long ago? Things had just been so hectic fighting the Vajra that it had slipped Rose's mind.
"Frontier Fleet?" Rose asked upon learning of the VF's source. She didn't recognize the colours or configuration, but VF identification was never her strong suit."Interesting...I didn't see many of those flying around over the Vajra homeworld. Of course, it was pretty hectic over there. Were you with SMS, or the Frontier Fleet proper at the time?"
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
Joanna once more ended up ever so slightly startled, the light inquisition about the difficulty in acquiring new VFs was one that probably would've hit her instructors closer than it did her; the mention of SMS however easily managed to shake her out of that light stagger, words flowing out of her mouth as if she was just listing the very official description of her plane of choice
"It was made by request of someone at SMS, though I believe it got phased out for VF-25s before it left testing, so only 154 were made; I was finishing instruction down on earth still, during the events at the Vajra homeworld-"
the pilot once more staggered slightly, finding the fact she hadn't yet introduced herself mighty rude, her accent growing slightly more noticeable as she uttered a hushed "ah, scheisse-" before straightening herself up into a loose salute
"I forgot uh, I'm ensign Joanna Strauss, of the New United Nations' Spacy, got assigned here recently - made it topside a couple hours ago for that matter."
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
"Oh... I'm glad to her she's fine, then!" Luna responds, smiling and folding her hands behind her back to lean forwards slightly. It really had been so long ago now... and things didn't seem any closer to getting better... but they were on the right track! Right? "She got hurt real bad, after all... I don't think anyone expected people to try diving after it."
She tilts her head slightly to one side at Joanna's explanation, but nods her head and throws a vague salute of her own. "Lunamaria Hawke! I'm a Red Uniform with ZAFT's Gladys Team!" Her hand is lowered. "Sooo... you're NUNE, but assigned to colony SDF instead of the wider Gaia Sabers, then?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
"Heh...yeah, that's what the medal citations said." Rose said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not that I'm eager to do re-entry in a ZAKU again...we all watched the One Year War footage in training."
Rose also salutes Joanna. "Rose Tritten! I'm the leader of the...I guess Tritten Sub-team of the Astarte Team." She said, stumbling a bit at the vagueness of ZAFT's organization conventions. "You don't really have to salute us though, we're only ZAFT Reds."
Rose frowns a little at the mention of the Gaia Sabers...but does her best not to show it. "I didn't realize there were any non-SAL NUNE forces not assigned to the Gaia Sabers."
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
"I honestly prefer not being assigned to the sabers" Joanna added, the tone of her voice noticeably more loose as she lowered her arm - a light flush washing over her face as she realized after a moment, going through basic and pilot training right after kinda drilled her to salute when presenting herself - she'd probably have to be a bit more careful with that now that she was actually on the clock
Regardless, the VF pilot would make a mental note of the two ZAFT ladies alongside a slightly confused mental remark on the weirdness of ZAFT ranks compared to conventional structure; with that in mind, she slightly settled one of her bags on the ground, shaking her head for a moment
"I'm pretty sure there's none no, Gaia Sabers cover earthside, SAL topside - regardless, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance: and to uhm, well, work together in the future - hopefully."
Joanna's attention would get diverted for a moment as one of the maintenance staff approached from the side with an inquiry about the VF's weaponry, something about the Gunpod not matching other 19s that have passed through here at some point; nothing really that major, just a quick chuckle and a small scroll down the provided specs sheet clearing things up "The EF is a weird VF, because it's as capable as the Excalibur, but can be armed with VF-25 weapons - still beats a Sturmvogel or a Nightmare Plus in style points."
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
"I would too!" Luna nods, before adding, "I'm not exactly comfortable with their methods... or LOGOs..."
Chairman Durandal's transmission had certainly altered the equation in that respect, after all.
She turns back to Rose."Ugh, right? Meyrin had nightmares for weeks... I mean, I did too, I guess, but at least I could sleep with the lights off." She grins slightly. Somewhere on the other side of Maius Nine, a girl with lighter-red hair sneezes in the middle of a department store. She rubs her nose, pouting slightly.
Back in the hangar, Luna nods her head. "The Sabers cover... a lot of the Moon as well, and some of the Ring... and a few colonies who aren't SAL members..?" Her head tilts slightly to the side as she thinks. "I think that's abouuuut it, though..?"
She nods along to the Ensign (what was an Ensign again? Some kind of junior officer... and an Officer is of course a soldier who went to college... Earthnoid-derived ranking systems are so confusing...)'s explanation, folding her hands behind her back again. "Oooooh... like those GINNs that they're trying to modify to take Wizard Packs!"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
"And I don't think they would have let the likes of us into the Gaia Sabers even if we asked to." Rose lightens up a bit at Joanna's explanation. "But if you're not a Gaia Saber, you're more than welcome here."
"Not Maganellica, I think they have their own military." Rose added to Luna's recalling of the great military factional divide.
The Ensign's explanation of the VF intrigues Rose as well. But Luna's modification of the GINNs intrigues her more. "Are they going through with that? It would be interesting to be behind the controls of a GINN again."
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
"God, it's like I never left geography class..."
the slightly exasperated tone was loaded with equal amounts of fondness for the general vibe of the conversation, finding common ground was how you got the coolest stories from veterans - and know-how from mechanics; She'd never really been much of a mobile suit enjoyer, the earthnoid, but the talk of mechanics certainly caused the blondie to light up
"Kinda like that, yeah! Though the EF needs a bit of extra adjustments to use extra equipment packs, hopefully not as many as your mobile suits though - I hope so anyways-"
Joanna chuckled ever so slightly before adjusting the guitar case's strap on her shoulder, mulling her words over for a moment before following things up "Is it gonna be specific mods to specific units? Wouldn't it be easier to make some universal connector like with Valkyries? or is it a case of this specific thing being so off the specs sheet it has to be retrofitted in?"
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
"Right, right, that's not us..."
Luna nods her head, turning to stare up at a ZAKU standing over on the other side of the hangar. "...In theory, but last I heard? They're over budget and three months behind, and the project's probably going under soon. They managed to get a wizard connector into some purpose-built BuCUEs, though!" Military Procurement was complicated and difficult, and Lunamaria only understood as much of it as she did because she'd been taught it for Intelligence Gathering knowledge.
"The existing backpack on the GINN is, like, way too integral to how it functions, the ports to connect its weapons are from an older standard... there's a whole bunch of issues, supposedly. Meyrin would know more." She shakes her head to Joanna. "And--no, that already is a universal connector... well, more or less, Shinn's Impulse uses a proprietary standard for midair docking, but that's still standardised to itself.." A faint sigh. Somewhere in the background, a ZAKU Warrior painted in deep red's helmet is removed, exposing the type's famed 'Bio-Chemical Brain' system. "The problem is more that the units are too old."
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
Rose listened intently, Luna's explanation being very through. "Well maybe retrofitting the GINNs will be. But the Wizard pack system is way too successful to let it stay just with the ZAKU. I imagine whatever the design offices think up next will include all kinds of different Wizard packs." Rose added, watching as one of the techs painting her ZAKU accidentally sprayed the back of the uniform of another as she was distracted by a third, very attractive mechanic walking by.
Rose turned to Joanna. "So...is this your first time in space? Will this be a permanent posting or are you just passing through?"
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
the suffering of units being old to the point of technological detriment was something that was, very much more present for the VF pilot; the standard things being so behind the times that current stuff has to be painfully fitted back for them is... oddly omnipresent, considering the odd insistence on continuing to use 171s, even with newer models already in standard production. Regardless, talking the talk was quite entertaining, and the glint in Joanna's eye was certainly quite noticeable as well
"the maintenance of older standards is... understandable, it ain't broke so they don't fix it, but then this happens-"
Joanna was not as in-the-know about the absolute suffering of trying to procure new units and tech via official means, hell, she'd gotten her Caliburn by seeking it out herself and then getting in some good words from her instructors to get it checked and approved; though the follow up comments from Rose certainly got to end on a nice note - maybe not for GINNs, but maybe for something else, it's usually how things went afterall
The question right after was one that the ensign certainly expected earlier, she was lucky the maintenance hangar was one provided of gravity, else her floundering would've been a bit more obvious
"Well, yes actually- it's my first time out in orbit, and as far as I know, it's a permanent posting; hopefully, was told to report in by tomorrow-ish but to come up today. So we might be crossing paths every now and then!"
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
"Ehhhhh, probably? Either that or the Silhouette system sees wider adoption." The Earth-side forces were moving to standardize their Striker Pack system, after all, and there'd been sightings of a prototype VF with what looked like a similar hardpoint over Varja-the-planet. This was the future, as far as anyone working on it was concerned.
Luna turns to stare out of the hangar, over the PLANT's fields, the Minerva's drydock, the gigantic windows enclosing the colony and the spinning stars beyond.
She ponders the view for a moment, before turning back to Joanna. "Oh, permanent? So you're moving to the colonies, then?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
Rose puts a friendly arm around Joanna's shoulder."Oh you'll love flying with the SAL!" she said, with only a hint of irony, slowly waving a hand across the same mirrored windows Lunamaria was gazing out of. "We don't have to fight gigantic bug aliens anymore, so we're mostly fighting pirates and other ne'er-do-wells hiding in the asteroids. Sleeves remnants, rogue giant monsters that appear from time to time, sometimes you even get an old timer in a Titans uniform with a barely functioning GM Quel and a dream!" Rose placed her hands on her hips. "Plus you'll get to enjoy ZAFT's extensive line of ration packs! My theory is they're designed by people born without functioning taste buds, which is more common up here than you may think!"
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
Joanna couldn't help but chuckle slightly as Rose's ever slightly irony-colored enthusiasm passed right onto her, dropping the nerves and already starting to feel a bit more like home than she expected "Can't be worse than the second hand stuff they had in basic - those tasted like ash"
the earthnoid then looked out the window at the stars, it was almost mesmerizing how they twinkled slightly in the distance, even as the formations ever so gradually spun around alongside the colony's motions - in some ways, it was better than the stories she'd heard, or the books she'd read, or the movies she'd watched; the whole of space at the reach of her wings, even when marred with occasional conflicts and constant spirit of exploration, in ways Joanna was like a bird about to be let out of its cage
"I am moving to the colonies tho, yeah - hence the luggage; I do wonder, just how operational can an old GM truly be when left alone to work on scraps? Also it is common knowledge that rations are 100% tested on pidgeons, the only animals that won't spit out uncooked floor rice, otherwise they would taste like something"
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
Lunamaria puts her arm around Joanna from the other side, a wide grin coming onto her face. "Yeah, nobody's seen Bogey One in months, the Crossbone Vanguard ran back off, and the Gaia Sabers haven't made any moves either. It's a good time to be in space!" She removes her arm from Joanna's shoulder, leaning over forwards with one hand on her hip and pointing to both her and Rose with her free hand instead. "I heard that we actually use old Zentradi ration packs divided down to Miclone proportions. Shelf lives measured in millenia, y'know?" Her grin is somehow even wider--she's probably joking. Probably.
Lunamaria's gaze is significantly less transfixed by what, as far as she's concerned, the sky has always looked like, and instead turns back down to earth. "A Quel? Better than you'd think--a lot of parts scattered around the Earth Sphere that're compatible with 80s Mobile Weapons." She sighs, crossing her arms and giving a slight pout... before tilting her head slightly to the side. "...Hold on, what's a pidgeon again?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
"I think the Zendrati would have a better palate than one which makes a drink mix of Tapioca-Grenadine-Rhubarb." Rose chuckled. Lunamaria's head tilt amuses Rose. "I think it's like a rodent, but it can fly?" She replied, rubbing her chin, before shrugging. "We don't really have too many of those in the PLANTs. They'd probably make a lot of mess."
She turned again to Joanna. "But don't worry, if you're looking for action, I'm sure you'll have a chance to fly voidside soon enough."
<Pose Tracker> Joanna Strauss has posed.
"They're birds, they are everywhere on Earth's cities - shit on everything, not very cool birds"
Joanna found the lack of pidgeons in the PLANTs to be decently amusing, at least for her - a light snort being noticeably driven out of her by the odd mixture that Rose used as an example of Zentradi tastes, the giants certainly still foreign, even with how well they integrated nowadays - that she knew anyways.
"Action's always gonna be there, one way or another, just gotta make sure to get a place to lay down after it; how good's the coffee tho?"
the earthnoid's tone rose ever so slightly, she was so used to coffee that tasted like dirty water that she almost craved a cup that made water seem sweet by comparison; and if there's anything she's learned from the few off days where she wasn't having to cram for exams, is that anywhere with an office is gonna have coffee. "There's that much 80s scrap still out there? thought it would've either drifted off or fallen through the athmosphere by now--"
the talk of scrap and food would certainly get the pilot to look around a bit more for a moment, catching sight of a clock on the wall before staggering a half-step back for a moment and lifting her bags off the ground, clearing her voice for a moment before starting to walk as she turned around to continue looking at both of the ZAFT Reds - a chipper, if hurried, tone of voice taking the spot left open by the decidedly casual vibes of the conversation
"I'm afraid I gotta skeddaddle - gotta make sure I got a place to sleep tonight and whatnot; I'll uh, hopefully see you around, thanks for the conversation - it was a pleasure to meet you both!"
<Pose Tracker> Lunamaria Hawke has posed.
"Wait, they're feeding you what in the Spalding Team? Are you sure your White Uniform doesn't just have really weird taste..?" Luna turns to Rose. "On the Minerva our drinks tend to be, like, hippocow protein and Salted Bannana, that's more normal..." It isn't. What are they feeding people over here..?
"Oh, there's so much--and that's not even accounting for rebuilds of 20-year old designs..." Luna gestures vaguely towards the 19EF as she says this. The Super Nova Project was a long time ago, after all...
She nods to Joanna, waving. "Of course! Wouldn't want to have to sleep in your cockpit... it was nice to meet you too!"
She turns to Rose--"And it was great to see you again too, Rose!" Luna waves again, smiling, before walking off. In a minute she'll climb into a military car, and then she'll drive back to the Minerva with some of the ground crew. Maybe she'll even get to see what Rey gets up to...
<Pose Tracker> Rose Tritten has posed.
Rose waved goodbye as the two others ran off. With a sigh, she turned back to watch as her ZAKU Phantom began to slide along the suit transporter back towards the One Fine Day, and began to follow it. Nothing quite like catching up, and making a new friend along the way.
They'd all probably be fighting something horrible together, sooner or later.