2022-09-13: Fortitude

• Cast: Alouette Pommier, Guy Shishioh
• Where: Orbit Base
• Date: U.C. 0096 09 13
• Summary: Alouette visits Guy in his hospital make-shift office. Discussing the past, present, and future of 3G, they once again vow to save those they care about.

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<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Today was Alouette's first official day back to work, although the 3G work structure isn't exactly rigid enough to have specific schedules and workdays, with its members compensated just for being around. For the day, Alouette has been continuing her research into upgrading the components of GaoFighGar, hoping to reach a breakthrough soon. The GaoMachines are easy, with relatively current models still in use for GaoGaiGo, but without being lucky enough to have a PhantomGao prototype around this time, progress on that front has been slow.

In the evening, she decides to make an informal meeting with Guy himself, not only to talk shop regarding her ideas (After all, who is better to ask than the person who will ultimately use them eventually), but also to check on him. Since she got hospitalized herself not long after Guy was injured, she hasn't had too much of a chance to do so.

Alouette arrives, a bouquet of hand-picked flowers in her hands. Shes not sure if Guy is much of a flower person, but shes been taught that this is customary for people who were in the hospital. She had received some herself, when Hana visited. "Chief Guy.. I hope you're recovering well. These are for you!"

He is wheelchair-bound, but other than that, he doesn't appear to be in noticeably bad health, she thinks from a first glance. But still... "I want to properly apologize for bringing you to the fight in Tsutsujidai.. I completely underestimated the new kaiju and now you're hurt.."

She is instinctively holding her casted arm, hidden away by the thick sleeves of her uniform, but she doesn't make mention of her own injury.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

To a certain extent it's more like time on deployment - if you're on Orbit Base, you are, in theory, always on the job, even if you're at the day spa. ...Guy should hit the day spa...

For now, though, he's in his room at the infirmary. He's mostly transitioned it into a remote office, at this point, with his powered wheelchair set up at a portable desk, and dressed in his uniform again rather than a hospital gown. Even has the long black jacket of his office of (acting) Chief.

Still, when Alouette arrives, he turns and gives her a big smile, maneuvering the wheelchair back and turning it so he can face her. "Ah, thank you, Alouette!" he says. There's a few other bouquets around, set in vases and such. He accepts the bundle with care, settling it into his lap, for now. "Things are looking pretty good. Should be about out of this thing soon," he says. "I keep telling 'em I feel fine, but I guess I earned this after all the times I ran straight from the operating table to a fight back during the Primeval War." He chuckles.

Ah, but...his eyes find that arm - the Superhuman Evoluder's powers are strongest with machines, but he has keen eyes, as well. His smile softens, and he folds his hands on top of her bouquet. "Alouette, you didn't do anything wrong. If anything, I should apologize. I'm the one who lost my cool, and that mistake cost us GaoFighGar and nearly my life." He scratches his cheek, awkwardly. "I'm the career kaiju fighter. I was underestimating Shinjo and her attacks, both. It's my mistake."

Rather than turn it into a pure pep talk, though, his eyes do slide back to the way she's holding that arm. "I heard just about everyone got beat up out there pretty bad when it came back. How are you doing?"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"That's wonderful to hear. And it's true that you've earned yourself a rest, at least." Alouette smiles, as Guy tells her that he should be able to walk again soon. The King of Braves doesn't go down so easily, and neither does his spirit.

Guy apologizes back, but Alouette honestly can't blame him for what happened, either. "It's okay, Chief. What matters is that you are still here. You can't be replaced, and as for GaoFighGar... while it won't be an exact replacement, I have some ideas." Taking out one of the notebooks she carries with her, she places some design sketches of GaoMachines onto Guy's desk, with estimated specs listed next to them. "Not only would these be stronger and faster, they should also have a sturdier design. What do you think?" PhantomGao is noticeably missing from the sketches. "As for PhantomGao.. Chief Akamatsu and I will have to start from scratch this time. So it might not be ready for quite a while, unfortunately.." It's a blessing in disguise, though, as it gives Guy more time to recover. And even then, 3G aren't *out* of options.

Alouette realizes that she can't hide her injuries, so she is honest, which is also a bit relieving for her. "Yeah.. Akane's kaiju attacked the original Tokyo. The kaiju targeted me and I went down but I knew just when to eject, so I only spent a few days in the hospital. Mamoru and Ikumi are still in fighting shape.. I don't want to overwork them, but they're Kings of Braves in their own right. You can count on them just as much as we counted on you."

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Guy nods, soberly, to Alouette's injury report. "That's the price we pay, for going out to the front lines. I promised I'd protect you, as the Mobile Division Captain, but to a point we just have to understand that it's a real fight going on out there." He gives Alouette a serious, if kind, look. "We did alright. The most important thing is minimizing harm to innocents. Just don't take unnecessary risks, OK? This isn't the Primeval War anymore. We can afford downtime. Don't learn bad lessons from me." He chuckles at himself.

"The most important part is to keep believing. GGG Charter, article 5, section 125!" He thumps his chest. "A GGG Member must, under no circumstances, ever give up!"

He chuckles a bit at the overzealous display. "I'll be back out there soon enough. Been thinking I should go see if Boss will let me borrow the Borot again for a while. And in the meantime, I can trust that you and the others are working your hardest." Hm. "It's still so strange to think Mamoru and Ikumi have as much or more experience as I do. They've really grown up into proper Braves."

He favors Alouette with a fond smile. "You, too. I still remember when you were marching me around Paris, looking for signs of BioNet and barely any higher than my knees, you know. There's not many people I'd want to have my back more, now, Alouette."

As for the specs, Guy turns to look over them. "Seems like mostly just spec updates, so far?" he muses. "Are we sticking with the Program Ring generator being in the main Mechanoid, then? I wish I could get you any data from the Genesic Machines, you could do some real miracles with that..."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette nods back. "Right.. it's not just fun and games. Our world can't regenerate itself, after all." She wants to say she wishes Akane could understand that too, but.. it seems she's fully aware. "I think I'm getting better at kaiju-fighting. I know what to expect now, so I'll be more careful. But same goes for you, of course, Chief!" she responds with a smile.

A Brave must under no circumstances, give up. Something that Alouette has been reminding herself, but hearing it with such conviction fires her up a little. "That's right! Everyone's counting on us."

"I could always try to fine-tune the Boss Borot, but you know how the old-fashioned design is a part of the charm," she giggles, although she seriously does consider how Boss Borot with her special touch would perform for a moment. "They really are proper Braves," she agrees. "I've only known them as they are now, but even I can tell they've grown a lot."

Guy tells her that she's grown into a proper Brave too, and she shies away for a moment as anyone would upon hearing a childhood story. "I was quite different back then, but in some ways, things haven't changed at all. I'm really glad to be back.. I feel like this is where I'm meant to be."

On the subject of Paris and BioNet, Alouette realizes Guy probably doesn't know about what happened with Akane yet, and it's a good opportunity to get him up to speed. "We're actually looking into BioNet Paris right now, even." She prepares to tell the somewhat outlandish story again. "Akane Shinjo... she visited my hospital room. Probably borrowing Alexis Kerib's powers." Another threat who can teleport directly to the Orbit Base - even if she can't physically do much by herself. "She told me that she was going to target somewhere with more BioNet activity next - Paris. Thankfully, Ikumi and Mamoru are looking into it right now. Whatever happens, we will be thoroughly prepared." Although it seems there's little they can do to prepare for the possibility of Akane herself being in danger."

As Guy comments on the GaoMachines, Alouette nods. "Mostly spec updates for now, but I'm hoping for a true breakthrough soon. I love GaoFighGar, and I am still very proud of it, but it's been years.. I'd like to test myself with something even better." She taps her pen on the sketchbook. "The Genesic Machines, hmm? Once we rescue the rest of the Braves, if we can get back Genesic too, I'd love to tinker with them."

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

"Of course. When you're out there, you're not just an Operator. Your part of the Mobile Unit." His face turns a bit serious. "We're the ones getting blasted by Zonders and Kikaiju and worse. The unexpected, the impossible, is one of the most normal sights there is, fighting aliens and kaiju. That's why trusting in your own courage and that of everyone around you is so important. Nobody can hold up forever against that kind of stress. We count on each other to get through."

His face lightens up, and he even busts out a proper belly laugh about tuning up the Borot. "Not sure that thing even has a computer for you to tune!" he jokes. "Well, I bet the gears need some grease by now, at least."

"I think one of the most important parts of growing up is realizing how little changes," he says, a bit thoughtful. "I swear, Mamoru mostly got taller..." He chuckles, fondly, thinking of the young boy who might as well be his brother - and at this point, not even that far removed. And then....speaking of Shinjo. His face darkens. "Ah. I'd heard Security caught a mass change event. So she's playing her new teleportation trick on us. I think the Three Doctors are working on countering that, but I wonder how much luck they'll have, with powers that strange." ... "Paris...I think she's underestimating BioNet, if all she's doing is kicking up a fuss in their yards. That's dangerous." He cup his chin, thumbing at his jaw line. "That girl...the closer we get to helping her, the more she dives into the deep end. This isn't going to go easy." His eyes slide up. "She didn't hurt you, did she?" he asks, with some concern. "It doesn't seem like her style, but...if she's getting desperate..."

Returning to the spec sheets, he nods. "PhantomGao was a remarkable machine. Even the Prototype was a marvel. Can't wait to see what you come up with next," he says, with a grin. "Oh, absolutely. I think you'll do flips when you see the data on Genesic. Its power was extraordinary, even as we found it. I'm sure it has many secrets waiting to be unlocked when you and Uncle Liger get into it." ...

...his eyes go slightly distant. "...once we get them back," he says, firmly. "Even Galeon."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Part of the Mobile Unit.. she hasn't thought of it that way, mostly thinking of herself as support or backup. It's a big responsibility to fill, though. "For me, fighting kaiju and saving people has been a lot easier. But in that program world.. when we had to fight the other Gridman, and he knew who I was, I don't think I could land a single hit." She pauses for a moment. "I can't even imagine how hard that is for you, Chief, but you're right. We need to trust each other."

"That's true. I know there is a reason you haven't changed physically, but even your attitude.. It's just as inspiring as I remembered it when I was little."

Alouette nods when she mentions the danger of what Akane is doing. "BioNet is cruel.. I know this first-hand. They'll even turn on their own allies if it benefits them enough. Even if she thinks she is untouchable, Alexis Kerib could always abandon her too.. we have no idea what his motivations and true relationship with BioNet are." She wants to help Akane before it's too late. "She didn't hurt me, no. I think she was mostly there to attempt to break my spirit. She kept getting closer and closer, but eventually, she just backed away and vanished. Some of the things she said hit close to home, but..."

Alouette is glad to hear the praise for her work. "I'm glad the 'little one' could serve you as well as it did, even if it's gone now. I'll try my very best on its successor!" The Genesic data also excites her, and she almost can't believe she would be trusted with such powerful tools.

Alouette gives a determined look when Guy mentions getting back the old Braves. "We will get them back. And as for Galeon.. I'm excited to meet the one who inspired my very first project."