2023-08-08: A Bunch of Dorks

• Cast: Alouette Pommier, Lina Lombardi
• Where: GGG Orbit Base
• Date: U.C. 0097 08 08
• Summary: Lina and Alouette get to know each other, discussing Lina's path to 3G, fashion choices, and girl problems.

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<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

For Operator Alouette Pommier, the last few days has been a non-stop deluge of fun. She got to see Ranka Lee's concert, she had a blast at Okinawa's Wateropolis - and she participated in the Millympics with her friends, too.

It's a batch of experiences she probably desperately needed, honestly speaking. But playtime doesn't last forever, and she's back for business as usual on GGG's lofty Orbit Base, feeling fully refreshed.

And there's quite a /lot/ to attend to as well: not only could Chief Taiga and the Ruin Apostles make their next move at any time, BioNet activity is ramping up an attempt on a fellow NERV member, the School is evading capture... not to mention an Angel capable of subjugating human minds is still looming out there.

This means Alouette doesn't quite immediately notice their recent new recruit, tapping away at her terminal with dizzying speeds, and a focused look on her face. It seems like she isn't /just/ doing the operator's job of monitoring threats, she's laying down the basic coding groundwork for... what exactly? It's hard to tell at such an early stage.

Her hands slow when she sees a flash of green hair... someone unfamiliar, and she takes a moment to process that. "...Ah, you're Lombardi, right? Recently signed on with 3G Green?" She attempts to put face to name.

"Alouette Pommier. One of your operators, and occasional Mechanoid pilot... I don't think we've been introduced." It's a brisk introduction, and she'll accompany it with a firm handshake. She's normally pretty friendly, but it can be more difficult when it's someone who she both doesn't know very well and is quite a few years older than her. So it might take some effort to break the ice.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Before joining 3G, Lina would have never imagined she'd be spending so much time in space, let alone basically having a second home in orbit. It almost felt like she had been spending more time on the Orbit Base than on the surface lately, and she might as well have with the onboarding she had gone through. Part of her supposed this was...where she belonged as a Newtype. It wasn't so bad, especially since she had mostly overcome her spacesickness. However, she couldn't look out the window for too long. Turns out going around the world in 90 minutes does a number on the equilibrium.

         She hadn't seen much action since the botched attack on Duma a few weeks earlier. She had refused to engage the Angel for the sake of Gridman and Takeshi, and it seemed the big man at the Geofront wasn't too happy about it.

         Luckily, it seemed that Gendo Ikari had delegated the task of admonishing Takeshi and Lina to Chief Akamatsu. And extra luckily, it seemed the two had been cut a little slack due to their acting within the GGG Charter, though Lina had gotten off easier since, according to Akamatsu, "Lombardi's still learning the ropes" and "You've been here long enough to know better, Takeshi!"

         Che importa? she thought to herself. I was doing the right thing, dammit! She was so lost in thought, she almost didn't notice Alouette introducing herself. "Ah! Y-Yeah! Lina Lombardi, fighter pilot! Pleasure!" She takes the hand offered to her in kind with a firm grip.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Being able to look out at the stars is one of Alouette's favourite aspects of Orbit Base, in fact: she has a big wide window to peer out into the deep in her room. It's probably lucky that they have working artificial gravity, though, or else navigating such a huge base would start to become a logistic nightmare.

She does indeed remember Lina's actions in the fight against Duma, but prying into the reprimands she got wasn't really her business.

Seems like she got off fine, though, because she hasn't in fact disappeared off the face of the Base. Chief Akamatsu really isn't as scary as he looks!

"Enchantee," she replies casually, in French. She assumes Lina is more likely to fluently speak another AEU romance language than Japanese, but she can adjust for her sake.

And then she skips the small talk straight into the question she had on her mind. "I wonder, Ms. Lombardi... what made you want to join 3G?" She asks, still a certain intensity in the way she speaks despite her youthful sounding voice. "It takes a lot of guts to waltz up to an Angel in an Ichinana as your first deployment... without even trying to shoot it, that's for sure." Maybe the unsaid word there is stupidity... but Lina already got chewed out by Akamatsu, and there's no need to lay it on any thicker.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Piacere di conoscerti." Lina takes Alouette's French and fires back with her own Italian. She probably didn't know as much French as she should, but she was happy to at least find another European in 3G's ranks.

         "Kind of a long and bumpy road, that. Was originally in training to join the AEU, but certain...circumstances pushed me into the world of merc work, then I got picked up by G-Hound. Of course, you probably know the kind of stuff G-Hound has been up to lately and...I just couldn't in good conscience stay there, you know?" She sighs and adjusts the scarf around her neck. "And while I was spending time as a civilian, Miss Sonia Sophia-Grace got a hold of me and suggested NERV. And I had a few run-ins with GGG before, hell, I fought against Amuro Ray twice while he was under T0's influence. So she put in a good word for me, and...here I am."

         "I guess I just got...tired of the political game on the surface. It's so hard to tell who's got your best interests in mind. Felt like fighting aliens and monsters would be a bit more cut and dry." And then Alouette mentions Duma. She sighs. "More a case of wrong place wrong time. Trust me, I probably wouldn't have picked that for my first sortie if it was up to me, heh. Takeshi made things pretty awkward there, too."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette can do Italian! Just don't blame her if she mixes up the vocabulary thanks to those fiendish false friends. Luckily for Lina, 3G is truly an international organization, even if it takes its roots in the heart of Nouvelle Tokyo. There might even be another Italian if she looks hard enough...

Listening to Lina's own story, Alouette nods. G-Hound... "So basically, you're a deserter?" She asks, putting it a little less delicately. "I don't particularly blame you." She adds, nonetheless. "Was it the war on ZAFT?" As a Coordinator herself, albeit one who didn't grow up in the PLANTs, you can imagine how mixed her own feelings were.

The mention of the political games on the surface, and how it must be easier to fight monsters and aliens does elicit a slight frown in her, though. "Yes... I can see how you might feel that way. But you fought Amuro Ray, so I don't think I need to tell you they're not all we're up against." For the majority of the current Gutsy Galaxy Guard and the new Gutsy Global Guard, the bulk of the Ruin Apostles are dear comrades, friends.. even family.

"Even BioNet's Pseudo-Zonders... powering each one is a unique, troubled heart. In many ways, our work involves people and emotions just as much as anyone else's." She can't help but smile - she was once a beneficiary of that herself. "So if you're tired of fighting with a conflicted conscience, this might just be the place for you, after all."

As for Duma, and Sigma... "I've known Sigma for a while now. He's usually kind of a dork like that." She laughs, slightly. "But I can see what he was trying to do, at least."

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "I mean, when you put it that way, it sounds a lot worse. I'm not the only one who left when what was happening on those PLANTs got out. And well...a friend I trust a lot said they probably wouldn't stop there." One of her fists clenches when she remembers Rita. She had also abandoned the Phenex Hunt when Michele's true colors had shown. The academy, G-Hound, Rita...she really was a deserter, wasn't she?

         Guess it runs in the family, a terrible voice in the back of her head says.

         "I mean, yeah, of course it's not always just killing a different monster every week. I was briefed on the Ruin Apostles. I couldn't imagine you all having to go through that. Having someone you love disappear and come back as...that." It was only a half truth. She had gone through the first part already, and had woken up in a cold sweat during the night on more than one occasion vividly imagining the second part.

         She casts those demons away and gives her own chuckle. "But...you wouldn't know the pain everyone's been through by looking at them. Takeshi nothing, you're all kinda dorks. But...you're dorks that have so far welcomed me with open arms. And I guess as long as I'm in this getup, I'm a dork too."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"...Mmm." She nods, about how she's not the only one who left in protest of the PLANT's treatment. "Not to mention the Vist Foundation pulling the strings for them." She adds. "Unfortunately, I've learned what they're capable of first hand." As their prisoner. But she knows 3G has made it their fight - and Martha won't have her way over the Federation forever.

Alouette nods at Lina's half-truth. "It's certainly not easy... especially when I can imagine how much it hurts them to carry out Cosmic Law." Lina should vividly remember the pain coursing through each Fin Funnel that spread from Amuro's Ruin Nu Gundam. "...But we're the only ones who can rescue them from their misery. It's a duty that I don't take lightly." She concludes, as her eyes track across her screen.

Eyes meeting Lina again... she can't counter that she isn't a dork too, because she knows she's definitely one. "People don't tend to find their way to 3G by pure coincidence. Even if your girlfriend or whoever recommended you... you were the one who took the plunge at the end of the day. As long as you swore that Oath... yep, you must be a dork too."

As for the outfit... "It's not a bad getup though, is it? It's quite customizable all things considered... I bet it's way better than whatever G-Hound offered!" She ruffles her own skirt and jacket. "The Dive Suit? Well, that's a whole different story. And Mode Warp's fault!" She's still not over Akane showing up to the Millympic Games in one...

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Well, if most of them are members of 3G...that makes them my comrades in arms! And I want to meet every one of them! So we're gonna get them back! A soldier never leaves their squad behind!" Lina grins and raises her fist!

         And then her cool moment is immediately disarmed by the g word.

         Girlfriend.

         "H-Hey, it's not like that! ...I think. W-We only went on one date! Is that enough to make it a thing...?" Gaah, she really had to call Sonia when she was back on surface.

         Shaking that off, she tosses her scarf over her shoulder. "I suppose it's not that bad. I feel like a real hero in this thing. But no Dive Suit. Ever."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"That's the spirit!" Alouette encourages Lina, who already sees the past members of 3G as her comrades despite never meeting them, except as enemies. "They're all incredible... the people, and the robot people too. They taught me so much, so I'm just as eager to pay them back." A quick sigh, and she adds, "Even if it means showing them what I've learned of combat first."

And then that little moment is interrupted with Lina stammering and flushing about a girlfriend. "So that's how it is? I just took a shot in the dark, but if that's how you're reacting... seems I was right." She smirks. "If you're so unsure, why don't you just... ask her?" And that at least, is genuine advice.

Eyeing Lina's scarf, Alouette nods, when Lina says she feels like a real hero in that. "I'm sure that's what Chief Taiga was going for. And that scarf is a unique touch... definitely makes you look like a classic pilot." She enthuses.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

        "Yeah, actually talking to the robots is pretty new for me. More used to...being in them." The Brave Robos were pretty easy to get along with though, all things considered.

         If there's one thing Alouette would learn about Lina, it would be that she was a pretty open book, despite her own best efforts. "I suppose. I haven't known Sonia for too long, but...God, she's a hell of a girl. Really knows how to get under my skin." Her olive cheeks flush slightly red. "...In the best way." Ugh, that was it. She at least had to try for a second date.

         She chuckles at the mention of her scarf. "Heh, well, a Lombardi's gotta look the part of an ace pilot."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Super AI is a pretty new domain of research, so I understand why." She nods, about Lina's unfamiliarity with speaking to robots. "Implanting and enriching a personality into a robot is truly a fascinating process... but most of all, I think they're great friends. Have you met Mic yet?" He's definitely the life of the party when it comes to the Strongest Brave Robo Corps.

"Yes, I've only known you for just this conversation... but you do seem the type whose skin is super easy to get under." She smiles, noting that slight blush. "I wish you and Captain Sophia-Grace the best of luck."

"Only look the part? I'd have thought you were aiming for the actual title. Although... between Guy and Renais, the 3G Green Mobile Corps is already some pretty steep competition." She grins. Lina might protest about being up against an Evoluder and a Cyborg... but at least those two are on her side in a real battle.

"Besides... my cravat is a bit of an inherited look, too. Mikoto, the original 3G Mobile Corps Operator used to wear one. And she's exactly the type of woman I wanted to become." She tugs at it with a subdued smile. It also reminds her of what she's fighting for.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Well, just you watch. Soon enough, people will be talking about Lina Lombardi, the Green Daredevil! The fight in Tsutsujidai was just the beginning!" Are you allowed to make up your own epithet? Maybe she belonged in 3G more than even she thought. "Anyway, I should probably get going. It was nice to get to know you, Alouette. I look forward to fighting alongside you."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"The Green Daredevil? Did you make that one up? ...Sounds like something out of a Zentie TV show." Alouette calls her out for full damage. "...But yes, it was nice meeting you. Welcome to 3G!" She does want to believe in the pilot that Lina hypes herself up as... As a Mobile Corps operator, Alouette thinks it's important to get to know the people whose lives will be in her hands on the battlefield. Especially as she can feel that they're about to get more dangerous than they ever have been, and it'll take all their collective courage to make it through.