2024-09-15: Hope And Home
- Log: Hope And Home
- Cast: Rena Lancaster, Eight Orlodhari
- Where: Tumu-nui Base, United Emirates of Orb
- OOC - IC Date: September 15, 0099
- Summary: Admiral Orlodhari comes to check out things at the MDF's primary base in Orb. She and Captain Lancaster have a lot to discuss.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Tumu-nui Base is the main base leased by the Magallanica Defense Force (and, previously, the Three Ships Alliance) in Orb. It is near the capital, connected by monorail to it and neighboring towns, and has a large seaport (that also services spaceships) and a sizeable airfield.
Tumu-nui leans into the tropical climate. The MDF soldiers here tend to be in khaki shorts; there are palm trees lining the roads and walklways; the on-base housing is one story and low-lying, with a view of the beach.
Rena Lancaster's duties as the commanding officer of the Mobile Forces also includes being the commanding officer of Tumu-nui.
So when Admiral Orlodhari is visiting, meetings are held in Rena's office. It's a large one, built on the corner of one of the base's buildings, with a view of the beach through one set of windows and a view of the airfields and Mobile Suit hangars on the other. She has a utilitarian desk, with her laptop and several pictures of Rena and Eight, Rena and Anita, and their friends from Winter Wonderland.
When Eight enters, with a guard escorting, Rena stands up and salutes -- though a smile tugs at her lips. She has the uniform with pants on, herself, today.
"Admiral," Rena says. "Welcome to Tumu-nui Base."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight Orlodhari doesn't get to this base often. After all, she has someone she trusts very much running it, and when she gets to Orb, she would rather visit Rena and Annie's home, or has to visit diplomats. ...A lot of diplomats. Fewer lately. It's not a great sign.
But she's here now, and she is arriving at Rena's office, accompanied by her guard. It's a lovely view out there, and a practical one on the other side. Eight knows the pictures well. She for her part is also in uniform--though she's wearing a skirt with hers, and boots. The Admiral does as she wishes.
She salutes back. "At ease, Captain." Then she smiles. "It's good to see you." A nod to the guard, whose presence will not be needed for this meeting, and Eight moves to go and take a seat.
"How are things here? I imagine there's some rumors going around."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Yes, ma'am," Rena says, crisply.
One might think that Rena would be more casual with Eight in formal settings. One would be wrong; it would undercut Eight's and Rena's authority alike to be familiar with her in a professional setting. So it isn't until the door closes that she full relaxes.
Though, she doesn't quite relax. Things have been tense.
"To say the least," Rena says. "The word around the base is that Orb is going to join NUNE. Which is also what Princess Cagalli told me. But..." She frowns. "There's a lot of questions about that."
She exhales. "That -- and everything else -- has people on edge."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight nods firmly. It's important, to maintain that discipline for everyone else--to ensure that it doesn't just feel like a bunch of friends at the head of warships. It's more than that, after all.
Eight takes her seat.
"That's what I hear as well--from her and from others. And officially, I can't intervene; Orb's political choices are Orb's, not mine. ...But I have questions, too. I'm dubious that the people really want it--it seems to me that it's primarily a grab on the part of the Seirans and their allies."
Everything else...
Eight grimaces. "And there's a lot else. Have you kept up on the reports out of NUNE territory? They're blaming SAL for the drop. Coordinators in general."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"That's the impression that I got," Rena says. She frowns, for a moment, as she considers it. "I know we can't intervene. I'm hoping we can hold onto Tumu-nui -- we paid good money for it, after all -- but I've had us make preparations to evacuate quickly."
She flinches, when she says that. She doesn't look sick, to her credit; she feels sick at the idea of fleeing Orb, though.
"I've heard about that, too, Octo," Rena admits. She hesitates. "If Orb joins NUNE, with how things are going..."
She exhales. "We may need to be ready for more refugees. If they put restrictions on the Coordinators here..."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"I want you to be able to keep your home," Eight says plainly. "...The base is useful, but less so in a NUNE environment where they'd be watching us like hawks. Your home... is your home."
Eight knows. She doesn't reach out; Rena can likely feel her sentiment anyway, though.
"Even more refugees... it's going to test the limits of our resources. But we can't not take them," she agrees. "Mineva and I are working on preparations for that much."
"But, first things first. We can try to stop the Seirans' power play. I'm going to ask Nergal to have the Nadesico sent as their representative to Cagalli's wedding."
She's still working with Nergal, despite... the news.
"Annie said she was up for being there, too."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"...yeah," Rena says, softly. There's a distant look in her eyes for a moment. She can feel that sentiment of Eight's. She appreciates it -- even if the thought of losing her home is overwhelming.
She pushes past it. For just a moment.
She looks up, then, and she nods. She knows they'll do what they can for the refugees; it's all she can ask there. "I'll be sure we're ready to get people out," she says. "And talk to Coordinator groups here."
Then, Rena hesitates. She looks down after a moment.
"I think... there's something Al's been working on," Rena says. "I can be there. I'll make sure it's not obviously me. Or Annie. But..."
She looks up at Eight. "It's my home. And they're forcing her into a marriage," Rena says. "I want to fight for it."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight wants to give Rena a hug, but even in closed doors, in the office it's... better to maintain a certain distance here. Openly, at least. Besides; they can't afford to get bogged down in their feelings.
"Good," Eight says. "Then that'll be better than a lot of people had, getting to us."
"...Al's someone I think we can rely on," she says. "Though you'd know better than me at this point," she points out. "I appreciate that. I want to avoid having to intervene directly, but..."
Eight nods firmly to Rena, meeting her eyes. "You have that right. I only wish I could be there myself."
"...Nergal's been quiet since... the incident. I don't think they're likely to push us for a while."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"That's what I thought," Rena says. "It would be best to make sure we can get them taken care of. Even if... I hope it doesn't come to that."
She looks up at Eight, then, and she nods. Her expression is concerned -- but she understands. Rena can use a different mecha, with a different IFF. Eight doesn't have that luxury.
"He is," she says. "Those ex-Mithril people have been a godsend. And... I know, Octo. You can't be there with us, like that."
She hesitates for a moment at the mention of Nergal. But, Rena nods. "They're thrown in with us," she says. "I think they know they need us. I don't like what they withheld..."
She sighs. "...But the Nadesico have been our allies. I don't plan to give up on them, just because of some suits' bad decisions."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"I hope not, too." Not least because Rena is a Coordinator too. But not just because of that. ..She knows her husband's feelings on Coordinators are compatible with her own, too.
"They really have," Eight agrees. "And..." She sighs. "Right." Eight doesn't, and mobile suits aren't her strength.
Nergal... "They have. And they do. I don't like it, either. I don't like it at all, and I don't like that they might've managed to keep covering it up."
"The Nadesico have. No matter what, we won't give up on them. ...But unfortunately, we need Nergal almost as much as they need us. Maintaining a colony, maintaining infrastructure... The ways in which we can help people have expanded a lot with them."
"It just feels like we're dealing with the devil to do it, sometimes."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena certainly doesn't plan to stay if there is legal discrimination -- but, of course, it's an option for her. She isn't a citizen and could easily relocate. Except for all of the ways it wouldn't be easy.
"Yeah," Rena admits. "We're not able to drop Nergal. Even if we wanted to..." And it would be abandoning the Nadeisco.
She sighs, once, and then she nods. "I know. I wish we didn't have to, but... we'll just have to be ready to hold Nergal's executives to account, when the time's right. And when it won't make things worse for a lot of people."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
It's not simple at all. Especially given the form NUNE discrimination would likely take...
"Right. I think you have it. ...It's just a reminder that we can't be complacent. Even our allies need watching. And we should be watching ourselves, too. I know it would be all too easy to get comfortable with 'the cost of doing business', in our position. ...And I don't want to become that prson."
"Guess we'll have to start working harder."
Eight shakes her head. "Well..."
"We're mostly ready, at least. If things go hot. We're not a target, but..."
"You should know that I'm not willing to stand by and do nothing, if the same war flares up again. Natural versus Coordinator. I don't expect you are, either."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"No... no, I don't either," Rena admits. "I don't want to become like the Federation did. The good people in it, who found themselves making excuses. It's a fine line to walk. But..."
She trails off, before she nods. "We will. I think we're in it, now -- we're going to have to be ready to take action against NUNE, sooner or later."
She falls quiet after a moment. "And the Jovians, and their allies, too. I didn't like what we learned, but... they still destroyed a lot of Mars, tried to kill everyone on Earth, and they're not going to stop."
She looks up at Eight, then she nods. "I'm not. If it goes hot... I'm ready. And so is the Gaia Gear." She exhales. "It's the best we've got, if we need Psychoframe, unless..."
Unless things progress to the point they need the Unicorn.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"We will," Eight agrees. "You help me remember that, too." She smiles, but only briefly. "We are," Eight agrees. "NUNE has shown that they can't be trusted. I want to avoid open war with them as long as possible, but sooner or later..."
"The Jovians." She sighs. "No, they won't stop. But with the technology they have, we're going to need some kind of edge. We don't have it yet. And Psychoframe..." She stops, and looks back to Rena. "I'm glad you're ready. I don't... want to invoke anything heavier than that if I can avoid it. Dealing with NUNE is one thing; making an enemy of Cathedra on top of that would be... a problem."
A Leina problem.
"Still. Is there anything I can do to support you on-base?"
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Yeah," Rena agrees. "It's... things are looking bad, there. They're using this. And they have good people, like that Flay Allster. But..."
But the leadership seems trounled, to say the least.
She looks back up at Eight, then she nods. "...Yeah," she agrees. "I don't want to make an enemy of Cathedra. For a lot of reasons. But... especially for the position it would put Leina in."
She hesitates, then she smiles at the question. "Mostly, just be ready, in case we have to pull out. And... see what we can do with the Seirans. I know it's tricky, though. To say the least."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Flay Allster. Eight is thoughtful. She mostly knows her by reputation, and through Rena. "There's a lot of good people there--people who believe that order is the best way to keep people safe. ...But for every good person they have, they have another Kathras Fari," she sighs.
In any case, "Right. Leina. Their ace in the hole. ...And frankly, they do good work. Keeping Cyber Newtype labs at bay--it's important."
But she smiles back. "All right," Eight says. "...I still have some strings to pull," she says. "I haven't given up on those yet."
"...So are you ready to go over some figures, in that case?" she pulls a datapad. "Maybe we can get in some personal time later, but for now..."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Yeah... it's disturbing to see how far he fell," Rena admits. "Or... I don't know. Maybe he was always like that."
She exhales -- but then she nods. Cathedra is important. They do something Terminal would have trouble doing, at scale, on their own. Her nose wrinkles for a moment.
"Thanks, Octo," Rena says. She smiles -- then she nods, as she looks at the datapad. "Let's do it. We'll have time later."