[FIC] And in This Corner (part 1) {Chapter 26}
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 7:14 am
Sousuke gazed out of the helicopter window, distracted, not noticing that they had begun their flight beyond the coastal waters of Japan.
He thought back to his departure from Kaname. She had made him a special lunch, made certain he packed the warmest of his new clothes, and spent hours getting her appearence just perfect to say three words...and to think three more. "Good bye Sousuke," she said, hugging him quickly and running away, afraid she would hang on him and cause a scene if she stayed even a moment longer. "I love you" were the words she thought, as her hand briefly carressed his cheek after the hug.
Sousuke had stared at her retreating form, as if memorizing it for the last time. Their questions spun like a moons arounds planets, faithfully orbiting about each one of them no matter where they wandered, no matter which way they turned.
Would Sousuke survive the upcoming mission, and if he did, would he return?
His growing and confused feelings for Kaname made this one of the most difficult good byes he had faced. It was made doubly difficult by his knowing that Kaname would not only be terribly concerned for him, but also would have to wrestle with her fears of abandonment. At least HE was going back to his professional family, and he would be so preoccupied by preparations and subsequent action, that he would have little time to dwell on questions of the future. Or so he thought.
Whatever mission was coming up, he didn't want to fail. He didn't want to die and leave Kaname alone again.
On the long flight, as the only passenger headed out, Sousuke had plenty of time to think. Too much time to think. Sousuke had spent a lot of time thinking about Kaname the night before, clearing that field of crops. His mind sought new meadows in which to graze. Its hunger was soon drawn to growing sprouts of concern for his missing companions: Sgt. Major Mao, Sgt. Weber, and Sgt. Conrad. Had they died and left him alone?
Sousuke wrestled with a small slippery feeling of guilt. His friends had been fighting, running, and quite possibly dieing, while he had been bringing Kaname food and flowers...taking her to carnivals...and going for walks at the lake. They maybe be captured, buried under tons of rubble, or serving as an exotic meal for rats in some foreign alleyway. The greatest dangers he had faced recently were a pediatrics ward and an adult video store.
His guilt grew larger as it pounced upon previous memories and devoured them. Sousuke thought back to critical moments with his companions, realizing what they had become to each other...realizing what they had done for each other. And perhaps, what he had NOT done.
* * * * *
Sousuke's thoughts traveled back to early days in Mithril, to a time when his partnership with Kurz and Melissa was still young. The three of them had left the Pacific Ocean late one night, and crept up upon black sand beaches of Gutemala like three frightful creatures in a B-movie. Skirting the once populous port city of Champerico, they gamely slogged their way through shrimp pools, estuaries, and mangrove forests, heading for deeper and thicker forests inward.
They had camped by ancient mesoamerican ruins, ironing out their plan of action. They had been directed to they strike hard and fast at a large concentration of PAC, militiamen who had set up their own law and own unofficial government. The blocking of highways and kidnapping of official government employees did not concern Mithril and its covert allies. The kidnap rings did.
For years, whispers had gone on to become quiet hints, which themselves had grown into shouts of growing awareness. Hundreds of children had been kidnapped in this nation, particularly from left wing areas and Mayan Indian populations. Just as many children had disappered from neighboring lands. Inside sources described brutal enslavement and work groups. That was bad enough. They also told the another terrible truth. Large numbers of children were being sold to sexual predators worldwide, or held for the carnal pleasures of the paramilitary group themselves. And, if the rumors were correct, for a large enough fee, twisted individuals could buy an opportunity to practice or perform any form of torture they desired.
No missing child had ever returned. No bodies had ever been discovered.
This was a particularly difficult mission for Sousuke. First, he was relatively new to the M9, and he was carrying some exotic weapons loads. Second, and most important, the background of the mission had re-opened old wounds.
Marching through the moonlit forest towards their objective, he thought of his shock at the earliest deaths of people close to him, and he saw images of his early days in streetside orphanges. Those sites should have served as places of hope and refuge for the homeless children housed within. Instead, they were a place of unspeakable entertainment for corrupt and amoral polticians and their cronies. Those unfortunate children who were not fast enough or strong enough to avoid the attentions of evil men suffered terrible abuse and anguish. Sousuke's stength and speed saved him from physical torment, but the things he saw during those days would shape his life from that time forward. He saw not only the pain and suffering of the living, but also the disrespect for and disregard of the dead. He found earlier playmates in the gutter, in refuge piles, and partially concealed in shallow graves.
The images and voices in those memories haunted him. Those voices called out, challenging him, asking why they suffered and he did not. They accused him of abandoning them, of leaving them to their fate, no matter how young he had been at the time. They cried out for vengeance, and placed their onus on him.
He snapped out of his trance when Melissa had him detail the mission. He decribed the compound and the central manner house, surrounded by a trio of large barracks buildings and a ring of moats and iron fences. He listed the military threats present, topped by a quartet of decrepid T-54s whose mechanical failures had led to their been buried up to their turrets in soil, leaving them as armored pillboxes guarding the access routes to the camp. Assorted lightly armored wheeled and tracked vehicles were present, as were some horse drawn ordinance carts. Their opponents were paramilitary and hired thugs, and their armament inclued small arms, World War II vintage heavy machine guns and rockets, and a small number of civilian helicopters jury-rigged with HOT missiles. There should not be more than three hundred men in camp at the approaching hour, and a majority of them should be asleep in the barracks or patroling the inner perimeter. The children, a small number of guards, and an assortment of officials and perverted individuals, should be within the manor house.
They had gone in fast, and they had gone in determined. The plan was brutal in the extreme, and that suited Sousuke perfectly. Sousuke and Kurz had thrown perforating napalm cannisters on the barracks houses, watching as the spinning dispensers threw out a blazing spiral of liquid fire, and seeing the flames engulf the doomed buildings. Rivers of fire ran in quick currents along the ground, and flame ran up trees to set the seasonal dry canopy ablaze. A preacher watching that conflagration would think he was seeing a scene from hell.
Melissa had bounded and leapt with great speed, pouncing upon the buried tanks, destroying them and their occupants with quick and effective thrusts from her anti-armor dagger. Kurz and Sousuke moved quickly to silence helicopters and combat vehicles respectively, sending parts of machinery and human bodies hurling skyward with well placed havoc and scything sprays of projectiles. The growing fire and the rain of destruction seemed unreal, like a film run at too slow a speed.
The speed and ferocity of the attack had prevented any chance of a counterattack. But, internal spies and sources have no shortage of loyalties, and political machinations would do what the poorly armed and unsusupecting militia forces could not. Negotiations secretly started two days earlier led to an unwelcome and frustrating result. A message came in to Melissa. The attack was to cease. The unit was to withdraw. The manor building was to be left untouched.
Sousuke sat in his M9, unbelieving. Hell on earth blazed outside him in a literal fashion....while figurative damnation lurked smiling within the safe and cozy confines of that large white plaster building.
Politicians. Sousuke had no love for them, and no use for them. They had reached a deal with the militia. The criminals would be allowed to leave the country, promising to release the children they had captive. The negotiating team---men in suits and ties, fancy watches and leather bags---no doubt they were happy, and thought they had performed some great feat. Sousuke knew better.
The voices of past children clawed at Sousuke. They bit at his heart. They kicked at his mind. They knew better too. The officials, along with their perverted associates, they would simply move elsewhere, taking the spoils of their terrible crimes with them. Before long, different children in a different different lands would fall victim to their renewed terror.
While Kurz and Melissa had headed out of the camp, angry but obedient, Sousuke kicked his M9 into its most rapid gate, and stormed the manor house alone. Nothing in his path was left intact, or was given opportunity for survival. Fences were vaulted or destroyed. The architecture of hedonism and excess was purified with clean steel. The door to the main building was torn asunder, and thrown far off into the firelit courtyard.
Sousuke pushed and pulled his Arm Slave as far as it would go into that well furnished structure. Popping the hatch, he advanced on foot, dispensing equal justice to all he came upon. Room after room. Chamber after chamber. No children. No surviving political prisoners. He kicked in the large double doors of a Grand Ballroom, sickened by the signs of wealth he saw there, and disappointed by the taunting emptiness of the room. He left no obvious room unchecked.
His thirst for vengeance only partially quenched, he had rejoined Melissa and Kurz. Kurz asked if he had gone back to get pretty girls for him, or whether he had been looking for an amorous burro for Melissa. Melissa dressed Sousuke down as far as man could go; but, Sousuke didn't care. The voices in his mind were quieter now, and he felt as if part of a terrible burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Later, If Melissa and Kurz had not lied while covering for Sousuke, he likely would have been cashiered from Mithril that very day. They had reported that his communications were down, after quick and directed mechanical surgery made that true after the fact. Their rescue of him only began there.
A few days later, MPs had surprised Sousuke by announcing themselves at his door. They escorted him quietly to Lt. Cmdr. Kalanin's office. The young sergeant appeared to be in a tremendous predicament. Foreign political attaches were present. Mithril Intel ops were there in large number, and lining the walls like chess pieces. The assembled evidence was convincing upon first glance. And the repercussions were staggering.
Mithril's covert funding was at grievous risk. Its reputation might be in even greater danger. Photographs on the table showed an image of Arm Slaves...an image of Sousuke outside two large doors, gun in hand...and a nauseating image of a large number of dead and bloodied children scattered across the Grand Ballroom floor. Witnesses--people of a status Sousuke knew should have kept them many miles away from the manor house---came forth to identify Sousuke's pictures, and to claim they saw him enter the ballroom. His entrance was said to foretell a long serious of gunshots and screams. They swore they spoke only the truth...
Sousuke--in his own defense---stated that he had indeed been in that ballroon, saying that it was completely empty of bodies at the time. Alas, he had no photographic evidence, and both Kurz and Melissa had avoided the bulding as directed.
Sousuke faced worse than courtmartial. He faced extradition and foreign imprisonment. He quite likely faced death. If it were not for Melissa and Kurz......he hated to think where he might have ended up. After speaking in detail with Sousuke, his two companions---at their own monetary cost and at their own personal and professional risk---had convinced their commanders to allow them a brief small covert mission.
Returning with absolute proof, his two partners had cleared his name. They had managed to smuggle some of the pictured bodies to unbiased forensics specialists. The children had been killed by gunshots, of a caliber not kept in Mithril armories, and not used by Sousuke in that encounter. The children had died at least three days before the assault on the Guatemalan compound. Subsequent far-reaching tentacles of worldwide public awareness surrounded the Guatemalan government, squeezing them unmercifully, resulting in a well-monitored crackdown on the remaining free-running paramilitaries.
When he needed them, his comrades had been there for him. His mind needed no further prompting to complete that thought.
* * * * *
Alone in that helicopter, making its way towards the TDD-1, Sousuke felt at times deserted, and at times deserter. He thought of Sgt. Conrad, and relived memories of his first assignment with the large but gentle man. He had been part of a large assault force in Libya, a discovery and strike mission dealing with underground chemical munitions plants. The mission census was large, as the location of the sites and the expected level of action were being used as a means to supply on-the-job training for Mithril recruits.
As one would expect, none of the recruits considered the deserts of El Aziza to be in any way similar to a pleasure resort. The hottest place on earth, that desolate stretch of land could lay claim to temperatures as high at 130 degrees. Worse yet, the recruits would run without internal cooling for long periods, simulating systems failure in a hot climate.
Great veils of heat heat shimmered in undulating fashion across that land, looking like a giant shining serpent. The ground was cracked and withered where not covered by shifting sands that were blown fiercely about, dancing and obscuring large areas from view. To Sousuke, the images conjured up thoughts of Purgatory.
For some reason he never understood, Sousuke was singled out by a large group of veterans. Mockery and physical challenges were the least of his worries. For long stretches of time he went without water, while his instructors would drink in front of him; drench their sweaty heads with water; or even pour liters of water upon the unforgiving ground. Finally, when they had told Sousuke that he had survived his rites of passage, they gave him a canteen. Greedy with thirst, he upended the flask without checking it first...he had almost choked to death on the sand he swallowed.
It was Conrad who had broken rank with the task-masters, giving Sousuke his own personal canteen. And it had been Conrad who placed a scorpion down Sousuke's shirt as he drank. That evening, opportunity for reprisal came to Sousuke. He came across and captured an irate sidewinder. After clipping off its fangs, Sousuke threw the snake into Sgt. Conrad's bed roll while the older man slept. Their relationship began shortly after that...Sousuke was now saddened, recalling that he had recognized it as friendship only recently.
He had promised Sgt. Conrad that he would visit him and his family in Florida at the soonest consensual opportunity. They shared a common interest in fishing, and had planned to angle for tarpon inland, and fish for dorado and tuna offshore.
They were to stand by one another's side during that time honored sport...but he had been unfit to stand by Sgt. Conrad's side in that desperate battle in Pakistan. Whatever it took...Sousuke had to make certain it didn't happen again.
* * * * *
The air-conditioning system in the helicopter was set too cold for Sousuke's liking. As he shivered slightly, his memories drifted back to a time he had shared a mission with his three missing friends. A small conventional Mithril submarine was trapped in the large area of ice floes making up the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The crew were at great risk of death or prolonged suffering. The submarine, and possibly Mithril itself, was at risk of discovery.
It was an important assignment in a difficult environment. Solutions called for great ingenuity and even greater speed. Huge pallets of equipment would be needed when the rescue team reached the stranded craft. Large lifting ballons---propeller-driven and dragged by means of lines attached to four Arm Slaves---suspended large cargo cannisters a safe distance above the ever changing arctic surface.
Advance was by means of walking, creeping, and jumping, depending on the size and location of the constantly moving platters and plateaus of ice. Ridges marked safe areas where two floes joined. Thin areas known as 'leads' ran treacherously between slightly distant ice floes. One step on one of those, and there would be a loud cracking noise and a frigid plunge into the briny depths.
This was a very treachorous mission, and danger took every opportunity available to raise its questing head. The environment looked beautiful and serene like the Christian vision of Heaven...but in reality it better fit the description of the Norse version of Hell.
Temperatures were capable of dropping to minus 128 degrees...co cold, that a dropped solid steel bar could shatter. The land seemed so desolate, sparcely populated by polar bears and seals. Ice and snow dotted intermittent gales of wind, obstructing view and tugging precariously at the rebellious ballons.
Melissa, taking point during one stretch of the mission, made a crucial miscalculation. At her direction, three of the M9s had wandered too close to one another, at an area of the ice in close proximity to an edge of a small floe. The floe tilted slightly, and a shelf of ice broke free. The lift provided by any one balloon could keep any one cannister afloat, but not a cannister in addition to an Arm Slave. The cables were rigged fror easy relase from the M9s, not from the cannisters. It looked as if all three threatened Arm Slaves...plus their desperately need cargo...would sink to their doom.
By stroke of good fortune, each of the pilots was was skilled enough, and quick enough, to grab hold of a sufficiently bouyant piece of ice. But they were cabable of doing nothing else. Their hatches were submerged, making escape difficuly, uncertain, and in high likliehood, deadly. There was no telling how much time would elapse before their grips would give way in that cold, or before the ice gave way to the frantic grasp of metal hands.
Sousuke had come into his own that day. He showed an agility of thought and a promptness of action that both gratified and saved his fellow soldiers. In the proper sequence, and in a forthwith manner, he had shifted cables and cargo, lines and balloons, until he was able to lift the stricken Arm Slaves from their chilly baths. No personel were lost .
No equipment was forfeit. The mission continued, perservering through difficulty, and ending in unqualified success.
Only Sousuke's presence had saved his comrades that day. Could he likewise have made a differnce in their lives again, had he been able to accompany them to Nowshera?
* * * * *
Eventually, Sousuke slept a while. He ate the food that Kaname fixed for him, smiling when he read the note she included. With a renewed freshness of mind, and a need for activity in the ongoing flight, Sousuke removed his assignment papers from his pocket. He considered each question thoroughly and honestly, from all possible angles. He gave direct and truthful answers, covering issues listed and implied. He scribbled his final word moments before his pilot informed him they were on final approach to the awaiting TDD-1.
*************************************************************
Sousuke luxuriated in the simple pleasure of walking, stretching out his complaining legs, and massaging his neck to help get rid of a cramp. After drinking a quick cup of coffee, he was summoned to an unscheduled meeting with Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin.
Walking into his commanding officer's office, his thoughts again drifted back to the days following the Guatemalan mission. His eyes went dead ever so briefly as he was harassed by drive-by thoughts and careening memories. Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin studied him for a few moments, before clearing his throat and welcoming Sousuke back aboard.
"Sgt. Sagara, it is good to see you back." Kalinin smiled briefly, and waved his arm towards a chair.
Sousuke sat. "Thank you, sir."
"Before we discuss issues of importance, I will inform you of recent good fortune. Sgt, Major Kurz has been retreived safely, having suffered little harm. He should be aboard later today. Sgt. Major Mao is expected to recover fully, but has taken serious injuries necessitating prolonged onshore medical care." His pause was of sufficient lenghth to tell Sousuke the fate of his third friend. "Sgt. Conrad is MIA and presumed dead. I am truly sorry Sousuke...he was a fine soldier and an even finer man."
"Thank you, sir. He will certainly be missed. I know I will miss him."
"Yes. Sergeant, if I may, I would like to ask you what thoughts you were thinking shortly after you entered my office. You are not compelled to answer if you do not wish to." Kalinin leaned back slightly in his chair, and palced both hands on the chair arms. "Does it regard Miss Chidori?"
"No Sir. I was thinking of the missing Arm Slave pilots. And I was thinking of Guatemala."
Kalinin showed no outward sign of disappointment or discomfiture. Sousuke had no idea what thoughts might be running through his superior's mind. "I see. And what exactly were you thinking?"
"Sir, during the flight in I was worried about the three of them, and I recalled how Sgt. Major Mao and Sgt. Weber had put themselves at risk to save me and my career here. I was mourning my inability to assist them in their time of trouble. Walking in here...I remembered how I felt in this office after Guatemala."
"I see. May I ask you a more in depth question?" Kalinin's gaze was calculating, but not accusatory.
"Certainly, sir."
"Sergeant, let me first say I will refrain from probing you further on your actions that distant day, as there are answers that are best left unspoken and wounds that are better left unopened. But, I will take this opportunity to ask you a direct and pointed question." Kalinin looked as if he were a hawk just barely resisting flight. "If you were faced with the exact same situation today, would you repeat your actions?"
"No sir, I would not!"
"I see. Would you repeat your actions if it were Miss Chidori who was held captive?" Kalinin was pulling no punches.
"Sir, I would. Only if I felt there was no alternative to rescue her from serious danger!" Sousuke did not hesitate even briefly.
"Ah." Kalinin showed no reaction to the answer.
Sousuke quickly added "And I would do the same for yourself, Captain Testarossa, Sgt. Major Mao, and Sgt. Weber. I would have done so for Sgt. Conrad." Sousuke paused a moment, a brief shock of pain passing through him as he mentioned the name of his fallen comrade. "But...to be honest, sir...I would risk much more personally and professionally for Kaname Chidori."
"That is as I would expect, sergeant. I thank you for including me in such august company" Kalinin nodded his head knowingly, taking a moment to pour himself a glass of water, and asking Sousuke if he would like one as well.
"No thank you, sir. I just finished a coffee."
"I find myself placing ever increasing value in your consistant level of honesty, sergeant." That statement sent a bolt of guilt through Sousuke as he remembered his previous dishonesty in Guatemala. "And I have a growing respect for your new levels of insight and self-examination." Kalinin rubbed his beard briefly, squinting ever so slightly at Sousuke. "Is there anything you wish to discuss with me while you are here now...something from our previous discussion, or something that has come to mind during your trip back to Japan?"
"Sir, if I may, there are a number of things."
"Proceed, sergeant."
Sousuke handed his assignment to Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, whose keen eye did not miss any initial obvious detail. "These appear to be copies, sergeant. Would you please tell me what has happened to the originals?"
"I will gladly tell you, sir. I would respectfully request that you read my replies there first, before I speak any further on the subject."
Kalinin raised an eyebrow slightly, and surpressed a grin. He could only imagine what trouble had followed Sousuke home THIS time. "That may not be neccessary. The question I have for you, Sousuke, is this: did you learn anything about yourself or Miss Chidori from doing this assignment?"
"Yes, sir. A great deal."
"Then, sergeant, you may keep the papers, burn them, or give them to me to read at your own choice and at your own convenience. My purpose was not so much to read what you might write, but to cause you to think." Kalinin looked earnest in his insistence.
"Thank you, sir. Earlier, that would have been a great relief. Now, I would be glad for you to review my responses, should you ever see the need."
"Thank you. I applaud your openess and your courage. It seems you have made tremedous steps towards becoming an adult. I will hold these papers in complete confidence."
"Sir...if I may speak further on the subject?"
"Proceed." Kalinin looked truly curious, put somehwat on guard by Sousuke's subtle change in tone and demeanor.
"This is extremely difficult, sir. If at any time you feel I am stepping outside of ethical or moral boundaries, please stop me. It almost feels like a betrayal, but I feel the matter has gotten to a point that it may need to be addressed in some fashion. I also seek your opinion on a plan of action I have considered, and seek your permission to go forward."
After getting Kalinin's reassurences, Sousuke described Tessa's actions regarding his 'homework.' He detailed Kaname's acquisition of said paper, and told Kalinin what little she had mentioned about her filling out such papers. He reported that she had sent them via courier to Captain Testarossa. He then went on to explain about the letter Kaname had gotten in return.
After stating the facts as he understood them, Sousuke expressed his concerns about the escalading feud, the direction it was taking, and the implications that it held.
After his subordinate finsished with his report and assessment, Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin looked pensive. He did not seem overly surprised, however. "You have given me a great deal to think on, sergeant. I commend you for your wisdom and your discretion. Your thoughts and actions show a growing maturity"
"Sir, I am pleased that you should think so."
"I would be interested now in hearing your thoughts regarding a potential solution to this problem." Kalinin was curious what course of action that resourceful young soldier had settled on.
After Sousuke detailed his intentions, Kalinin stated "It is a risky plan, sergeant. Both in its initial stages, and in the competition itself. When hearts and responsibilities mix and conflict with one another, no one can be entirely certain of the outcome."
"Sir?"
"Sergeant, it seems as good a plan as any I can think of offhand, and it has the benefit of being unofficial and therefore lacking a requirement for official review and acceptance. Barring unforseen escalation, it should also avoid the risk of mandated reprimand, or other severe punishments and reprisals. You have my full blessings to continue."
"Thank you, sir! I shall do my best!"
"By necessity, your solution will need to be implemented after the upcoming mission. However, I would strongly suggest that you state your intentions to Captain Testarossa and Miss Chidori at the earliest convenient moment. And, I should remark, that this conversation never took place. I expect you to report the results to me, however"
"I will, sir!"
"Before you leave, sergeant...there is an actual event that the Financial Department would like clarified. Will you be so kind as to inform me of the events that lead to the destruction of Miss Chidori's hospital room? It appears she has sent us a bill...." Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin's gaze was very intense, and Sousuke squirmed ever so slightly in his chair.
*************************************************************
Walking with a renewed vigor in his step, Sousuke headed first to the communications room, in order to place a secure call to Kaname at her apartment. When she answered, they shared brief pleasantries before he detailed he detailed his planned course of action. Sousuke gave potential dates and times for actions that required her presence and asked for her comittment to the plan. Kaname eventually and unhappily made a promise to do whatever Sousuke thought best. She did not have any liking for Sousuke's requirements of her, but she saw the wisdom and necessity of his intentions.
*************************************************************
Before trying to locate Tessa, Sousuke went to visit Kurz. He found his friend in the cosmetician's office, having the tint removed from his skin, and taking the opportunity to try on long blond wigs.
After Kurz had solved his apperence dilemmas, he and Sousuke went back to Kurz' cabin.
"Beer, Sousuke?"
"No, thank you."
"You don't mind if...." Sousuke had no doubt what Kurz was asking. And his friend had already opened three cans.
"Please, drink what you will. It sounds like you have earned it."
"You don't know the half of it, old pal. First I face death and dismemberment on the battlefield. Then I risk life and limb pulling Melissa out of her M9, after which I had to start the self-destruct sequence. Next I have to get our sorry asses out of there before a cruise missile would ruin our otherwise boring day." Kurz' expression saddened. "I couldn't find Conrad, Sousuke...I'm sorry"
"Yes." Sousuke commiserated. "And after that?"
"We were captured by technicians loyal to the cabal. They were sufficiently large in number, and Melissa was barely able to hold on, much less fight. I was exhausted."
Kurz' gaze looked distant as he retold the events. "They were afraid to run away, as they and their families had been threatened by the cabal. But they were also frightened of the likely change in power, not knowing just how accountable they might be held. They were shocked to hear that a cruise missile would soon complete the facelift to their facility.
They were not soldiers, Sousuke, and they were looking out for their own welfare. They made made an offer to tell us everything they knew about the operation and the people behind it." Kurz silently finished two beers before continuing. Sousuke waited quietly and patiently.
"It was difficult, Sousuke. Melissa recieved medical care, if you could call it that. We were held in a dark rooms with rude facilities, little food, and small affectionate and furry roomates. When we were moved---and we were moved often---we were carted off quickly, with little concern for our comfort or needs. I will spare you the details, but Melissa and I eventually made our way into the keeping of American special forces."
Kurz, finished another beer and said "Damn, but I miss Melissa!"
"I miss her too, my friend...just as I missed you."
"I appreciate that, Sousuke my boy." Kurz' speech was slightly slurred, but he seemed in control of his facilities.
"And was that the end of your troubles? Perhaps the people on board did not have the size wig you required?" Sousuke did not grin, but he might as well have.
"Sousuke! Is that the way you comfort your returning comrade at arms?! Your heroic and altogether wonderful team mate? But, you are right. There was something worse. There was TRUE danger after I arrived back aboard. For the first time during this mission I felt REAL fear!!" Kurz rubbed his nose slyly, as if to spill the secret of some hidden intrigue.
"Was there a traitor on board? Did they try to silence you...?"
"No. That would be no threat to The Kurz Weber. This will take a little while...sure you don't want a cold one or three?" Kurz happily opened the remaining cans of beer when Sousuke declined to accept his offer.
"No, thank you. Please continue."
"Well, if you recall during the briefing, I was assigned use of the Starburst. A mighty fine weapon, I might add. We got along famously, she and I. A relationship for the silver screen. I knicknamed her Cassie!" Kurz smiled fondly, moving his hand in a motion suggesting the caress of some arm or leg.
"Cassie?"
"Yes, in honor of the most delicious but utterly unresponsive Lt. Concepcion...." Kurz grinned widely, shaking his head.
"Did you tell her?"
"Sousuke, would I do something like THAT?! Of course I told her!" Kurz stood and posed heroically. "Back from my harrowing and heartwrenching plight, I made efforts to tell her of Cassie's and my triumpant accomplishments and undying affections for one another. She, of course, feigned disinterest...." Kurz did not seem apologetic in the least.
"Is that all?"
"Sousuke, you wound me...but, you know me oh so well!!! Of course, I could not pass up such a wonderfully gift-wrapped opportunity!"
Kurz picked up another beer, pausing only to wink at Sousuke before chugging it down. "I explained how the whole series of events practically made Casimira and I intimate by definition...and I simply asked if she wanted to consumate our actions before or after I showered!"
"I see, business as usual for you. I take it she was appropriately flattered?"
"Yes," Kurz answered, a wild and fearful look in his eye, "for a moment or two until she ran off. The sergeant at arms said she had grabbed a firearm and was headed back!!!"
"True love. Not a problem."
"Oh yeh!!! Can't wait for Round Two!!!!" Kurz' smile grew incredibly large before he continued.
"Speaking of looovvve, Sousuke, how have you and Kaname been? Give me all the hot and sweaty details!!! And any pictures or recordings you might have! 'Oh, Sousuke, you're so huge...'"
Somewhat embarrassed, Sousuke told of the adventures he had while Kurz had been in Pakistan. Kurz showed great amusement regarding Sousuke's hospital adventures and his moments of personal discovery within the special room at the video store. He showed professional interest and pride at Sousuke's success at the shooting range. And he showed great enthusiasm over his friend's discussion of events during and after the carnival.
"Damn, Sousuke, you are one amazing love ma-cheen, aren't you?. Do you give lessons?!!" Kurz could hardly contain himself. Sousuke did not look overly pleased.
"Certainly. When should I schedule you and Lt. Concepcion..."
Sousuke was content to see Kurz jump. "Souske, that's cold...very cold!"
"Undecided?" Sousuke tried hard not to grin. He went to Kurz' intercom and punched in the general number for the Intel Department. "Yes, thank you...is Lt. Concepcion there...."
Kurz knocked a near full can of beer to the floor, causing it to foam vigorously and spill its contents in an ever-spreading puddle. He quickly punched the 'off' button. "That was cruel! And could have been fatal! What have I ever done to deserve THAT?!" Sousuke wasn't certain if Kurz were joking.
"'...Sousuke, you are so huge...'" Sousuke said, mimicing Kurz.
"Alright, alright. YOU save me from that Paraguayan pirhanna, and I will lay off a little. A small bit. A smidgen. Deal?"
"Deal." Sousuke then went on to describe the more worrisome aspects of the escalading feud between Kaname and Tessa, and his plans to circumvent further such clashes, including dates and places.
Kurz just shook his head. Shook his head and smiled. "Sousuke, I have truly missed you...for your cheerful smiling face and your effervescent personality...but mostly for your unequalled talent to find trouble wherever you go!" He laughed. "And, I should add, for your absolute and complete cluelessnes regarding babes!"
"Pirhanna?" Sousuke asked, innocently.
"Ouch, Sousuke. Ouch!!! I was going to tell you the two big mistakes you are making, but...." Kurz was not about to be upstaged.
"Mistakes?"
"Yes...and seeing how this might be a good learning experience for my favorite taciturn terror, I will give you this one for free." And, he thought to himself, mentally rubbing his hands together vigorously 'this will be a a golden opportunity for the brilliant and most fortunate Kurz Weber!'
"First, it's stupid to put two women together in a locked room! They may rip out each others' throats, and you will be short one girlfriend and out one Captain...or, TWO girlfriends if you work it right some day, you lucky dog you!"
Kurz laughed at the look on Sousuke's face before continuing. "Second, it's just as ridiculous to try and stop this as it is to try and stop the tide! Women will form rivalries where men are concerned. You shouldn't fight it...you should exploit it. Just think what you might be able to accomplish with just a little French..."
"French?"
"Yes...menage a tois" Kurz whispered, enjoying Sousuke's blush when he explained further.
Kurz did not, however, explain the one mistake Sosuske actually HAD made. He had once again told too many details to his ebullient companion.
After a little more ribbing at Sousuke's expense, Kurz told Sousuke how to get in contact with Melissa.
*************************************************************
Sousuke was able to reach Melissa on his third try. He told her he was glad she was alive, but saddened by her absense. Melissa reassured him, and asked if he might consider sneeking a few cases of beer to her through security, using any method necessary short of an Arm Slave or a tactical nuclear advice. He said he would sleep on it. She said to get his rest now, because he would be pulling night duty for a long time if she didn't get her beer.
Melissa asked how things were going, and Sousuke filled her in on all of the pertinent details. "I'll save you the hospital bed next to mine, Sousuke. It sounds like you might need it," she laughed, pain coming into her voice when she laughed too loud and too long.
Melissa---something coming to mind---suddenly grew quieter and dead serious. "Sousuke, you didn't tell Kurz did you?"
"Yes, I did"
"Oh hell...at least be sure you bring the beer with you when they roll you in here...."
*************************************************************
Tessa was somewhat surprised by the knock on here door...she wasn't expecting anyone. When she opened the door to see who it was, she was happy to see Sousuke. Happy, but not just a little bit edgy.
"Sousuke, please come in. It's good to see you. Is it 'Captain' or 'Tessa' this time?" she asked, somewhat hopefully.
"We will see." Souske answered cryptically. "It will definitely depend on what I hear from you today." He finished on a more ominous note, his face very wooden and his posture stiff.
"Have I done something to disturb you, Sousuke?" she asked, uncomfortable in her suspicions.
Sousuke handed Tessa the homework papers she had given him.
"But...Sousuke...these are blank!" Tessa was confused, disappointed, and not a slight bit angry.
"Yes, Captain. I should first ask this. Did you give me the assignment intent on my filling in the sheet and handing it back...and were you personally or professionally interested in my responses?"
"Yes, Sousuke, I wanted you to fill it out. And admittedly, I had personal and professional interest, as I thought I made clear before." Tessa was concerned where Sousuke might be headed with the conversation...one she was painfully aware that HE held the reins to.
"I see. When I gave my completed papers to Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, he said I did not have to leave them with him, and that he would only read them if I wanted him to. He said in no uncertain terms that it was a learning experience for me, not an opportunity for him."
Tessa could easily tell that Sousuke was disappointed in her approach, but wondered if there was more on his mind. "And the reason you did not fill out my sheets?"
"I filled out the papers for Lt Cmdr. Kalinin on the helicopter flight out. I did that because they were my original assignment. A professional request."
"And..." Tessa waited tensely.
"I did not fill in your 'homework' assignment, as I had come to the conclusion that things between you and Kaname had gone too far already." The gaze that Sousuke leveled upon Tessa made her feel as if HE were the Captain and SHE were an ensign that was caught pulling pranks. "Kaname had seen my 'homework' papers and was not very pleased. When an accident left them in her possession, she took the course of action I assume you are well aware of. As you might guess, she was not pleased at your actions."
"SHE was not pleased at MY actions?!!," Tessa sounded as if she were brimming with righteous indignation. "Let me show you something, Sgt. Sagara." Tessa took Kaname's handiwork out of her desk, and handed it to Sousuke to read. She watched in wary anctipation as he read through Kaname's responses to the assignment questions.
"I can see why you are angry, Captain..."
"Thank you, Sousuke, I knew you'd understand. I...." Tessa felt a little better, but was unable to finish her statement.
"I can see why you are angry---both becaues of the embarrassing answers and because of the misuse of an official courier."
"Yes, indeed."
"But, what I can NOT understand, Captain--what I have great trouble accepting---is why YOU would then falsify a letter and send it to Kaname."
Tessa had the good grace to blush. She had figured that Kaname would show her forgery to Sousuke; but, she also had expected that Kaname would realize it was a joke, and would make light of it with Sousuke afterwards. After she cooled down. "It was a joke, Sousuke. I did not intend to cause Miss Chidori any real harm or trouble. I was angry at this ploy she pulled, and I responded emotionally. Can you honestly say that you can see her side in this matter and not mine?!"
"No captain. I can see both sides now, and I am happy with neither. You may both see these actions as jokes, but I see nothing funny at all. My charge and my commanding officer are acting like children, and I am taking heavy collateral damage. You asked me once what a trophy feels like, Captain. I can honestly say that I am greatly disillusioned, and remarkably unhappy."
"I'm sorry, Sousuke. Truly I am! I suppose hadn't thought about your feelings when I sent that letter......and I guess that is in part the point you are trying to make. But I will NOT be ashamed of my desires, and I will NOT be embarrassed by my feelings. I also will NOT stop from fighting for what I want. I have done that for TOO MANY things in the past, and I don't intend to do it again. What exactly do you want from me, Sousuke?"
"I would appreciate it if BOTH you and Kaname would stop behaving in this manner." He went on to further explain his feelings, and described his preferred solution to things. He wanted a thaw in the cold war he was caught in...he did not want the change in temperature to result from a much hotter conflict. He fully expected Kaname and Tessa to bury the hatchet---figuratively, not literally.
Listening to his plan, Tessa's response varied from disbelief to anger to denial to embarassment and back to disbelief. She then got a calculating look in her eye, one that was not missed by Sousuke. "And, if I do this for you...will you promise to call me Tessa, henceforth?" she asked with a smile.
Sousuke's look was stern, and his response quick. No smile there! "No, we have discussed that before. But I can promise you this...if you will not help me in this, I will likely never call you Tessa again."
It did not take much longer before Tessa agreed to Sousuke's requests.
*************************************************************
As he prepared the ARX-7 for the coming mission, Sousuke saw the chief mechanic making his way across the hangar floor. Sousuke temporarily stopped in his review of a systems checklist to have a quick word with Bobbo.
"Why, hey there Sonny. Ready to go out and sling some more lead?" Bobbo asked, pleased to chat with his young acquaintance.
"Lead?"
"Figure of speech, my boy. Death, destruction, justice, and a whole pile of hurt!" Bobbo belched, and scratched himself in happy fashion.
"'Damn straight,' is the correct answer, I believe." Sousuke's fondness for the interesting man continued.
"Good...damn good...I already finished my part with your big suit of armor over there. Are you looking for more advice, Sonny, or do you have some good tales to tell old Bobbo? Hearin' your success with the ladies would warm my heart, and bring back all those memories of my younger days! Heh heh heh!" Bobbo spat.
Sousuke described his dilemma in short, naming no names.
"Well...gotcha self in a fine pickle there, eh? If I got the facts straight about those two nameless ladies...and I won't be spookin' you by makin' some good guesses...I would say you got your two hands full of somethin' that needs a good eight hands!" Bobba coughed, and spat a number of times before settling into a new run of scratching.
"Sonny, one things for certain...someone has got to stop all that bangin' on the hornets' nest before it gets too damn late. It's too easy to get the things to come buzzin' around. Once they get out, there's a lot of pain comin' and too damn much time to wait before they fly back inside!"
Sousuke nodded his head attentively.
"But you gotta be VERY careful, boy. VERY careful. There are worse things than a bee sting or two. Sounds like you are thinkin' again...and I told you that no good would come of THAT!!!"
"Chief?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it looks like you are choosin' to step right into the middle of a cat-fight. That's a damn foolish thing to do when it's just cats. But people are the most dangerous animal walkin' this planet...and there's no people-fight more dangerous than a fight between two woman...especially if they are tusslin' over a man!"
"I see. Thank you, chief!"
"SONNY!!! What have I told you..."
"Uh...sorry chief."
"That's Ok...I was young once too, Sonny. Like I was sayin', if you step in the middle of some cat fights, both cats might see you as a mouse. They might take a moment to make short work of you before they get back down to business. BUT...and here's the part to think on...if you have somethin' they both want really bad...and you DON'T have to give it to either one...instead of clawlin' you into little strips, they might go lookin' for some scratchin' behind the ears. Hard to tell which way the thing will go until it's done. Have fun, today Sonny...the REAL fight'll start after you get back!!!"
"Yes."
"GIVE'M HELL TODAY, Sonny!!!" Bobbo wished Sousuke.
Souske did just that.
*************************************************************
He thought back to his departure from Kaname. She had made him a special lunch, made certain he packed the warmest of his new clothes, and spent hours getting her appearence just perfect to say three words...and to think three more. "Good bye Sousuke," she said, hugging him quickly and running away, afraid she would hang on him and cause a scene if she stayed even a moment longer. "I love you" were the words she thought, as her hand briefly carressed his cheek after the hug.
Sousuke had stared at her retreating form, as if memorizing it for the last time. Their questions spun like a moons arounds planets, faithfully orbiting about each one of them no matter where they wandered, no matter which way they turned.
Would Sousuke survive the upcoming mission, and if he did, would he return?
His growing and confused feelings for Kaname made this one of the most difficult good byes he had faced. It was made doubly difficult by his knowing that Kaname would not only be terribly concerned for him, but also would have to wrestle with her fears of abandonment. At least HE was going back to his professional family, and he would be so preoccupied by preparations and subsequent action, that he would have little time to dwell on questions of the future. Or so he thought.
Whatever mission was coming up, he didn't want to fail. He didn't want to die and leave Kaname alone again.
On the long flight, as the only passenger headed out, Sousuke had plenty of time to think. Too much time to think. Sousuke had spent a lot of time thinking about Kaname the night before, clearing that field of crops. His mind sought new meadows in which to graze. Its hunger was soon drawn to growing sprouts of concern for his missing companions: Sgt. Major Mao, Sgt. Weber, and Sgt. Conrad. Had they died and left him alone?
Sousuke wrestled with a small slippery feeling of guilt. His friends had been fighting, running, and quite possibly dieing, while he had been bringing Kaname food and flowers...taking her to carnivals...and going for walks at the lake. They maybe be captured, buried under tons of rubble, or serving as an exotic meal for rats in some foreign alleyway. The greatest dangers he had faced recently were a pediatrics ward and an adult video store.
His guilt grew larger as it pounced upon previous memories and devoured them. Sousuke thought back to critical moments with his companions, realizing what they had become to each other...realizing what they had done for each other. And perhaps, what he had NOT done.
* * * * *
Sousuke's thoughts traveled back to early days in Mithril, to a time when his partnership with Kurz and Melissa was still young. The three of them had left the Pacific Ocean late one night, and crept up upon black sand beaches of Gutemala like three frightful creatures in a B-movie. Skirting the once populous port city of Champerico, they gamely slogged their way through shrimp pools, estuaries, and mangrove forests, heading for deeper and thicker forests inward.
They had camped by ancient mesoamerican ruins, ironing out their plan of action. They had been directed to they strike hard and fast at a large concentration of PAC, militiamen who had set up their own law and own unofficial government. The blocking of highways and kidnapping of official government employees did not concern Mithril and its covert allies. The kidnap rings did.
For years, whispers had gone on to become quiet hints, which themselves had grown into shouts of growing awareness. Hundreds of children had been kidnapped in this nation, particularly from left wing areas and Mayan Indian populations. Just as many children had disappered from neighboring lands. Inside sources described brutal enslavement and work groups. That was bad enough. They also told the another terrible truth. Large numbers of children were being sold to sexual predators worldwide, or held for the carnal pleasures of the paramilitary group themselves. And, if the rumors were correct, for a large enough fee, twisted individuals could buy an opportunity to practice or perform any form of torture they desired.
No missing child had ever returned. No bodies had ever been discovered.
This was a particularly difficult mission for Sousuke. First, he was relatively new to the M9, and he was carrying some exotic weapons loads. Second, and most important, the background of the mission had re-opened old wounds.
Marching through the moonlit forest towards their objective, he thought of his shock at the earliest deaths of people close to him, and he saw images of his early days in streetside orphanges. Those sites should have served as places of hope and refuge for the homeless children housed within. Instead, they were a place of unspeakable entertainment for corrupt and amoral polticians and their cronies. Those unfortunate children who were not fast enough or strong enough to avoid the attentions of evil men suffered terrible abuse and anguish. Sousuke's stength and speed saved him from physical torment, but the things he saw during those days would shape his life from that time forward. He saw not only the pain and suffering of the living, but also the disrespect for and disregard of the dead. He found earlier playmates in the gutter, in refuge piles, and partially concealed in shallow graves.
The images and voices in those memories haunted him. Those voices called out, challenging him, asking why they suffered and he did not. They accused him of abandoning them, of leaving them to their fate, no matter how young he had been at the time. They cried out for vengeance, and placed their onus on him.
He snapped out of his trance when Melissa had him detail the mission. He decribed the compound and the central manner house, surrounded by a trio of large barracks buildings and a ring of moats and iron fences. He listed the military threats present, topped by a quartet of decrepid T-54s whose mechanical failures had led to their been buried up to their turrets in soil, leaving them as armored pillboxes guarding the access routes to the camp. Assorted lightly armored wheeled and tracked vehicles were present, as were some horse drawn ordinance carts. Their opponents were paramilitary and hired thugs, and their armament inclued small arms, World War II vintage heavy machine guns and rockets, and a small number of civilian helicopters jury-rigged with HOT missiles. There should not be more than three hundred men in camp at the approaching hour, and a majority of them should be asleep in the barracks or patroling the inner perimeter. The children, a small number of guards, and an assortment of officials and perverted individuals, should be within the manor house.
They had gone in fast, and they had gone in determined. The plan was brutal in the extreme, and that suited Sousuke perfectly. Sousuke and Kurz had thrown perforating napalm cannisters on the barracks houses, watching as the spinning dispensers threw out a blazing spiral of liquid fire, and seeing the flames engulf the doomed buildings. Rivers of fire ran in quick currents along the ground, and flame ran up trees to set the seasonal dry canopy ablaze. A preacher watching that conflagration would think he was seeing a scene from hell.
Melissa had bounded and leapt with great speed, pouncing upon the buried tanks, destroying them and their occupants with quick and effective thrusts from her anti-armor dagger. Kurz and Sousuke moved quickly to silence helicopters and combat vehicles respectively, sending parts of machinery and human bodies hurling skyward with well placed havoc and scything sprays of projectiles. The growing fire and the rain of destruction seemed unreal, like a film run at too slow a speed.
The speed and ferocity of the attack had prevented any chance of a counterattack. But, internal spies and sources have no shortage of loyalties, and political machinations would do what the poorly armed and unsusupecting militia forces could not. Negotiations secretly started two days earlier led to an unwelcome and frustrating result. A message came in to Melissa. The attack was to cease. The unit was to withdraw. The manor building was to be left untouched.
Sousuke sat in his M9, unbelieving. Hell on earth blazed outside him in a literal fashion....while figurative damnation lurked smiling within the safe and cozy confines of that large white plaster building.
Politicians. Sousuke had no love for them, and no use for them. They had reached a deal with the militia. The criminals would be allowed to leave the country, promising to release the children they had captive. The negotiating team---men in suits and ties, fancy watches and leather bags---no doubt they were happy, and thought they had performed some great feat. Sousuke knew better.
The voices of past children clawed at Sousuke. They bit at his heart. They kicked at his mind. They knew better too. The officials, along with their perverted associates, they would simply move elsewhere, taking the spoils of their terrible crimes with them. Before long, different children in a different different lands would fall victim to their renewed terror.
While Kurz and Melissa had headed out of the camp, angry but obedient, Sousuke kicked his M9 into its most rapid gate, and stormed the manor house alone. Nothing in his path was left intact, or was given opportunity for survival. Fences were vaulted or destroyed. The architecture of hedonism and excess was purified with clean steel. The door to the main building was torn asunder, and thrown far off into the firelit courtyard.
Sousuke pushed and pulled his Arm Slave as far as it would go into that well furnished structure. Popping the hatch, he advanced on foot, dispensing equal justice to all he came upon. Room after room. Chamber after chamber. No children. No surviving political prisoners. He kicked in the large double doors of a Grand Ballroom, sickened by the signs of wealth he saw there, and disappointed by the taunting emptiness of the room. He left no obvious room unchecked.
His thirst for vengeance only partially quenched, he had rejoined Melissa and Kurz. Kurz asked if he had gone back to get pretty girls for him, or whether he had been looking for an amorous burro for Melissa. Melissa dressed Sousuke down as far as man could go; but, Sousuke didn't care. The voices in his mind were quieter now, and he felt as if part of a terrible burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Later, If Melissa and Kurz had not lied while covering for Sousuke, he likely would have been cashiered from Mithril that very day. They had reported that his communications were down, after quick and directed mechanical surgery made that true after the fact. Their rescue of him only began there.
A few days later, MPs had surprised Sousuke by announcing themselves at his door. They escorted him quietly to Lt. Cmdr. Kalanin's office. The young sergeant appeared to be in a tremendous predicament. Foreign political attaches were present. Mithril Intel ops were there in large number, and lining the walls like chess pieces. The assembled evidence was convincing upon first glance. And the repercussions were staggering.
Mithril's covert funding was at grievous risk. Its reputation might be in even greater danger. Photographs on the table showed an image of Arm Slaves...an image of Sousuke outside two large doors, gun in hand...and a nauseating image of a large number of dead and bloodied children scattered across the Grand Ballroom floor. Witnesses--people of a status Sousuke knew should have kept them many miles away from the manor house---came forth to identify Sousuke's pictures, and to claim they saw him enter the ballroom. His entrance was said to foretell a long serious of gunshots and screams. They swore they spoke only the truth...
Sousuke--in his own defense---stated that he had indeed been in that ballroon, saying that it was completely empty of bodies at the time. Alas, he had no photographic evidence, and both Kurz and Melissa had avoided the bulding as directed.
Sousuke faced worse than courtmartial. He faced extradition and foreign imprisonment. He quite likely faced death. If it were not for Melissa and Kurz......he hated to think where he might have ended up. After speaking in detail with Sousuke, his two companions---at their own monetary cost and at their own personal and professional risk---had convinced their commanders to allow them a brief small covert mission.
Returning with absolute proof, his two partners had cleared his name. They had managed to smuggle some of the pictured bodies to unbiased forensics specialists. The children had been killed by gunshots, of a caliber not kept in Mithril armories, and not used by Sousuke in that encounter. The children had died at least three days before the assault on the Guatemalan compound. Subsequent far-reaching tentacles of worldwide public awareness surrounded the Guatemalan government, squeezing them unmercifully, resulting in a well-monitored crackdown on the remaining free-running paramilitaries.
When he needed them, his comrades had been there for him. His mind needed no further prompting to complete that thought.
* * * * *
Alone in that helicopter, making its way towards the TDD-1, Sousuke felt at times deserted, and at times deserter. He thought of Sgt. Conrad, and relived memories of his first assignment with the large but gentle man. He had been part of a large assault force in Libya, a discovery and strike mission dealing with underground chemical munitions plants. The mission census was large, as the location of the sites and the expected level of action were being used as a means to supply on-the-job training for Mithril recruits.
As one would expect, none of the recruits considered the deserts of El Aziza to be in any way similar to a pleasure resort. The hottest place on earth, that desolate stretch of land could lay claim to temperatures as high at 130 degrees. Worse yet, the recruits would run without internal cooling for long periods, simulating systems failure in a hot climate.
Great veils of heat heat shimmered in undulating fashion across that land, looking like a giant shining serpent. The ground was cracked and withered where not covered by shifting sands that were blown fiercely about, dancing and obscuring large areas from view. To Sousuke, the images conjured up thoughts of Purgatory.
For some reason he never understood, Sousuke was singled out by a large group of veterans. Mockery and physical challenges were the least of his worries. For long stretches of time he went without water, while his instructors would drink in front of him; drench their sweaty heads with water; or even pour liters of water upon the unforgiving ground. Finally, when they had told Sousuke that he had survived his rites of passage, they gave him a canteen. Greedy with thirst, he upended the flask without checking it first...he had almost choked to death on the sand he swallowed.
It was Conrad who had broken rank with the task-masters, giving Sousuke his own personal canteen. And it had been Conrad who placed a scorpion down Sousuke's shirt as he drank. That evening, opportunity for reprisal came to Sousuke. He came across and captured an irate sidewinder. After clipping off its fangs, Sousuke threw the snake into Sgt. Conrad's bed roll while the older man slept. Their relationship began shortly after that...Sousuke was now saddened, recalling that he had recognized it as friendship only recently.
He had promised Sgt. Conrad that he would visit him and his family in Florida at the soonest consensual opportunity. They shared a common interest in fishing, and had planned to angle for tarpon inland, and fish for dorado and tuna offshore.
They were to stand by one another's side during that time honored sport...but he had been unfit to stand by Sgt. Conrad's side in that desperate battle in Pakistan. Whatever it took...Sousuke had to make certain it didn't happen again.
* * * * *
The air-conditioning system in the helicopter was set too cold for Sousuke's liking. As he shivered slightly, his memories drifted back to a time he had shared a mission with his three missing friends. A small conventional Mithril submarine was trapped in the large area of ice floes making up the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The crew were at great risk of death or prolonged suffering. The submarine, and possibly Mithril itself, was at risk of discovery.
It was an important assignment in a difficult environment. Solutions called for great ingenuity and even greater speed. Huge pallets of equipment would be needed when the rescue team reached the stranded craft. Large lifting ballons---propeller-driven and dragged by means of lines attached to four Arm Slaves---suspended large cargo cannisters a safe distance above the ever changing arctic surface.
Advance was by means of walking, creeping, and jumping, depending on the size and location of the constantly moving platters and plateaus of ice. Ridges marked safe areas where two floes joined. Thin areas known as 'leads' ran treacherously between slightly distant ice floes. One step on one of those, and there would be a loud cracking noise and a frigid plunge into the briny depths.
This was a very treachorous mission, and danger took every opportunity available to raise its questing head. The environment looked beautiful and serene like the Christian vision of Heaven...but in reality it better fit the description of the Norse version of Hell.
Temperatures were capable of dropping to minus 128 degrees...co cold, that a dropped solid steel bar could shatter. The land seemed so desolate, sparcely populated by polar bears and seals. Ice and snow dotted intermittent gales of wind, obstructing view and tugging precariously at the rebellious ballons.
Melissa, taking point during one stretch of the mission, made a crucial miscalculation. At her direction, three of the M9s had wandered too close to one another, at an area of the ice in close proximity to an edge of a small floe. The floe tilted slightly, and a shelf of ice broke free. The lift provided by any one balloon could keep any one cannister afloat, but not a cannister in addition to an Arm Slave. The cables were rigged fror easy relase from the M9s, not from the cannisters. It looked as if all three threatened Arm Slaves...plus their desperately need cargo...would sink to their doom.
By stroke of good fortune, each of the pilots was was skilled enough, and quick enough, to grab hold of a sufficiently bouyant piece of ice. But they were cabable of doing nothing else. Their hatches were submerged, making escape difficuly, uncertain, and in high likliehood, deadly. There was no telling how much time would elapse before their grips would give way in that cold, or before the ice gave way to the frantic grasp of metal hands.
Sousuke had come into his own that day. He showed an agility of thought and a promptness of action that both gratified and saved his fellow soldiers. In the proper sequence, and in a forthwith manner, he had shifted cables and cargo, lines and balloons, until he was able to lift the stricken Arm Slaves from their chilly baths. No personel were lost .
No equipment was forfeit. The mission continued, perservering through difficulty, and ending in unqualified success.
Only Sousuke's presence had saved his comrades that day. Could he likewise have made a differnce in their lives again, had he been able to accompany them to Nowshera?
* * * * *
Eventually, Sousuke slept a while. He ate the food that Kaname fixed for him, smiling when he read the note she included. With a renewed freshness of mind, and a need for activity in the ongoing flight, Sousuke removed his assignment papers from his pocket. He considered each question thoroughly and honestly, from all possible angles. He gave direct and truthful answers, covering issues listed and implied. He scribbled his final word moments before his pilot informed him they were on final approach to the awaiting TDD-1.
*************************************************************
Sousuke luxuriated in the simple pleasure of walking, stretching out his complaining legs, and massaging his neck to help get rid of a cramp. After drinking a quick cup of coffee, he was summoned to an unscheduled meeting with Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin.
Walking into his commanding officer's office, his thoughts again drifted back to the days following the Guatemalan mission. His eyes went dead ever so briefly as he was harassed by drive-by thoughts and careening memories. Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin studied him for a few moments, before clearing his throat and welcoming Sousuke back aboard.
"Sgt. Sagara, it is good to see you back." Kalinin smiled briefly, and waved his arm towards a chair.
Sousuke sat. "Thank you, sir."
"Before we discuss issues of importance, I will inform you of recent good fortune. Sgt, Major Kurz has been retreived safely, having suffered little harm. He should be aboard later today. Sgt. Major Mao is expected to recover fully, but has taken serious injuries necessitating prolonged onshore medical care." His pause was of sufficient lenghth to tell Sousuke the fate of his third friend. "Sgt. Conrad is MIA and presumed dead. I am truly sorry Sousuke...he was a fine soldier and an even finer man."
"Thank you, sir. He will certainly be missed. I know I will miss him."
"Yes. Sergeant, if I may, I would like to ask you what thoughts you were thinking shortly after you entered my office. You are not compelled to answer if you do not wish to." Kalinin leaned back slightly in his chair, and palced both hands on the chair arms. "Does it regard Miss Chidori?"
"No Sir. I was thinking of the missing Arm Slave pilots. And I was thinking of Guatemala."
Kalinin showed no outward sign of disappointment or discomfiture. Sousuke had no idea what thoughts might be running through his superior's mind. "I see. And what exactly were you thinking?"
"Sir, during the flight in I was worried about the three of them, and I recalled how Sgt. Major Mao and Sgt. Weber had put themselves at risk to save me and my career here. I was mourning my inability to assist them in their time of trouble. Walking in here...I remembered how I felt in this office after Guatemala."
"I see. May I ask you a more in depth question?" Kalinin's gaze was calculating, but not accusatory.
"Certainly, sir."
"Sergeant, let me first say I will refrain from probing you further on your actions that distant day, as there are answers that are best left unspoken and wounds that are better left unopened. But, I will take this opportunity to ask you a direct and pointed question." Kalinin looked as if he were a hawk just barely resisting flight. "If you were faced with the exact same situation today, would you repeat your actions?"
"No sir, I would not!"
"I see. Would you repeat your actions if it were Miss Chidori who was held captive?" Kalinin was pulling no punches.
"Sir, I would. Only if I felt there was no alternative to rescue her from serious danger!" Sousuke did not hesitate even briefly.
"Ah." Kalinin showed no reaction to the answer.
Sousuke quickly added "And I would do the same for yourself, Captain Testarossa, Sgt. Major Mao, and Sgt. Weber. I would have done so for Sgt. Conrad." Sousuke paused a moment, a brief shock of pain passing through him as he mentioned the name of his fallen comrade. "But...to be honest, sir...I would risk much more personally and professionally for Kaname Chidori."
"That is as I would expect, sergeant. I thank you for including me in such august company" Kalinin nodded his head knowingly, taking a moment to pour himself a glass of water, and asking Sousuke if he would like one as well.
"No thank you, sir. I just finished a coffee."
"I find myself placing ever increasing value in your consistant level of honesty, sergeant." That statement sent a bolt of guilt through Sousuke as he remembered his previous dishonesty in Guatemala. "And I have a growing respect for your new levels of insight and self-examination." Kalinin rubbed his beard briefly, squinting ever so slightly at Sousuke. "Is there anything you wish to discuss with me while you are here now...something from our previous discussion, or something that has come to mind during your trip back to Japan?"
"Sir, if I may, there are a number of things."
"Proceed, sergeant."
Sousuke handed his assignment to Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, whose keen eye did not miss any initial obvious detail. "These appear to be copies, sergeant. Would you please tell me what has happened to the originals?"
"I will gladly tell you, sir. I would respectfully request that you read my replies there first, before I speak any further on the subject."
Kalinin raised an eyebrow slightly, and surpressed a grin. He could only imagine what trouble had followed Sousuke home THIS time. "That may not be neccessary. The question I have for you, Sousuke, is this: did you learn anything about yourself or Miss Chidori from doing this assignment?"
"Yes, sir. A great deal."
"Then, sergeant, you may keep the papers, burn them, or give them to me to read at your own choice and at your own convenience. My purpose was not so much to read what you might write, but to cause you to think." Kalinin looked earnest in his insistence.
"Thank you, sir. Earlier, that would have been a great relief. Now, I would be glad for you to review my responses, should you ever see the need."
"Thank you. I applaud your openess and your courage. It seems you have made tremedous steps towards becoming an adult. I will hold these papers in complete confidence."
"Sir...if I may speak further on the subject?"
"Proceed." Kalinin looked truly curious, put somehwat on guard by Sousuke's subtle change in tone and demeanor.
"This is extremely difficult, sir. If at any time you feel I am stepping outside of ethical or moral boundaries, please stop me. It almost feels like a betrayal, but I feel the matter has gotten to a point that it may need to be addressed in some fashion. I also seek your opinion on a plan of action I have considered, and seek your permission to go forward."
After getting Kalinin's reassurences, Sousuke described Tessa's actions regarding his 'homework.' He detailed Kaname's acquisition of said paper, and told Kalinin what little she had mentioned about her filling out such papers. He reported that she had sent them via courier to Captain Testarossa. He then went on to explain about the letter Kaname had gotten in return.
After stating the facts as he understood them, Sousuke expressed his concerns about the escalading feud, the direction it was taking, and the implications that it held.
After his subordinate finsished with his report and assessment, Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin looked pensive. He did not seem overly surprised, however. "You have given me a great deal to think on, sergeant. I commend you for your wisdom and your discretion. Your thoughts and actions show a growing maturity"
"Sir, I am pleased that you should think so."
"I would be interested now in hearing your thoughts regarding a potential solution to this problem." Kalinin was curious what course of action that resourceful young soldier had settled on.
After Sousuke detailed his intentions, Kalinin stated "It is a risky plan, sergeant. Both in its initial stages, and in the competition itself. When hearts and responsibilities mix and conflict with one another, no one can be entirely certain of the outcome."
"Sir?"
"Sergeant, it seems as good a plan as any I can think of offhand, and it has the benefit of being unofficial and therefore lacking a requirement for official review and acceptance. Barring unforseen escalation, it should also avoid the risk of mandated reprimand, or other severe punishments and reprisals. You have my full blessings to continue."
"Thank you, sir! I shall do my best!"
"By necessity, your solution will need to be implemented after the upcoming mission. However, I would strongly suggest that you state your intentions to Captain Testarossa and Miss Chidori at the earliest convenient moment. And, I should remark, that this conversation never took place. I expect you to report the results to me, however"
"I will, sir!"
"Before you leave, sergeant...there is an actual event that the Financial Department would like clarified. Will you be so kind as to inform me of the events that lead to the destruction of Miss Chidori's hospital room? It appears she has sent us a bill...." Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin's gaze was very intense, and Sousuke squirmed ever so slightly in his chair.
*************************************************************
Walking with a renewed vigor in his step, Sousuke headed first to the communications room, in order to place a secure call to Kaname at her apartment. When she answered, they shared brief pleasantries before he detailed he detailed his planned course of action. Sousuke gave potential dates and times for actions that required her presence and asked for her comittment to the plan. Kaname eventually and unhappily made a promise to do whatever Sousuke thought best. She did not have any liking for Sousuke's requirements of her, but she saw the wisdom and necessity of his intentions.
*************************************************************
Before trying to locate Tessa, Sousuke went to visit Kurz. He found his friend in the cosmetician's office, having the tint removed from his skin, and taking the opportunity to try on long blond wigs.
After Kurz had solved his apperence dilemmas, he and Sousuke went back to Kurz' cabin.
"Beer, Sousuke?"
"No, thank you."
"You don't mind if...." Sousuke had no doubt what Kurz was asking. And his friend had already opened three cans.
"Please, drink what you will. It sounds like you have earned it."
"You don't know the half of it, old pal. First I face death and dismemberment on the battlefield. Then I risk life and limb pulling Melissa out of her M9, after which I had to start the self-destruct sequence. Next I have to get our sorry asses out of there before a cruise missile would ruin our otherwise boring day." Kurz' expression saddened. "I couldn't find Conrad, Sousuke...I'm sorry"
"Yes." Sousuke commiserated. "And after that?"
"We were captured by technicians loyal to the cabal. They were sufficiently large in number, and Melissa was barely able to hold on, much less fight. I was exhausted."
Kurz' gaze looked distant as he retold the events. "They were afraid to run away, as they and their families had been threatened by the cabal. But they were also frightened of the likely change in power, not knowing just how accountable they might be held. They were shocked to hear that a cruise missile would soon complete the facelift to their facility.
They were not soldiers, Sousuke, and they were looking out for their own welfare. They made made an offer to tell us everything they knew about the operation and the people behind it." Kurz silently finished two beers before continuing. Sousuke waited quietly and patiently.
"It was difficult, Sousuke. Melissa recieved medical care, if you could call it that. We were held in a dark rooms with rude facilities, little food, and small affectionate and furry roomates. When we were moved---and we were moved often---we were carted off quickly, with little concern for our comfort or needs. I will spare you the details, but Melissa and I eventually made our way into the keeping of American special forces."
Kurz, finished another beer and said "Damn, but I miss Melissa!"
"I miss her too, my friend...just as I missed you."
"I appreciate that, Sousuke my boy." Kurz' speech was slightly slurred, but he seemed in control of his facilities.
"And was that the end of your troubles? Perhaps the people on board did not have the size wig you required?" Sousuke did not grin, but he might as well have.
"Sousuke! Is that the way you comfort your returning comrade at arms?! Your heroic and altogether wonderful team mate? But, you are right. There was something worse. There was TRUE danger after I arrived back aboard. For the first time during this mission I felt REAL fear!!" Kurz rubbed his nose slyly, as if to spill the secret of some hidden intrigue.
"Was there a traitor on board? Did they try to silence you...?"
"No. That would be no threat to The Kurz Weber. This will take a little while...sure you don't want a cold one or three?" Kurz happily opened the remaining cans of beer when Sousuke declined to accept his offer.
"No, thank you. Please continue."
"Well, if you recall during the briefing, I was assigned use of the Starburst. A mighty fine weapon, I might add. We got along famously, she and I. A relationship for the silver screen. I knicknamed her Cassie!" Kurz smiled fondly, moving his hand in a motion suggesting the caress of some arm or leg.
"Cassie?"
"Yes, in honor of the most delicious but utterly unresponsive Lt. Concepcion...." Kurz grinned widely, shaking his head.
"Did you tell her?"
"Sousuke, would I do something like THAT?! Of course I told her!" Kurz stood and posed heroically. "Back from my harrowing and heartwrenching plight, I made efforts to tell her of Cassie's and my triumpant accomplishments and undying affections for one another. She, of course, feigned disinterest...." Kurz did not seem apologetic in the least.
"Is that all?"
"Sousuke, you wound me...but, you know me oh so well!!! Of course, I could not pass up such a wonderfully gift-wrapped opportunity!"
Kurz picked up another beer, pausing only to wink at Sousuke before chugging it down. "I explained how the whole series of events practically made Casimira and I intimate by definition...and I simply asked if she wanted to consumate our actions before or after I showered!"
"I see, business as usual for you. I take it she was appropriately flattered?"
"Yes," Kurz answered, a wild and fearful look in his eye, "for a moment or two until she ran off. The sergeant at arms said she had grabbed a firearm and was headed back!!!"
"True love. Not a problem."
"Oh yeh!!! Can't wait for Round Two!!!!" Kurz' smile grew incredibly large before he continued.
"Speaking of looovvve, Sousuke, how have you and Kaname been? Give me all the hot and sweaty details!!! And any pictures or recordings you might have! 'Oh, Sousuke, you're so huge...'"
Somewhat embarrassed, Sousuke told of the adventures he had while Kurz had been in Pakistan. Kurz showed great amusement regarding Sousuke's hospital adventures and his moments of personal discovery within the special room at the video store. He showed professional interest and pride at Sousuke's success at the shooting range. And he showed great enthusiasm over his friend's discussion of events during and after the carnival.
"Damn, Sousuke, you are one amazing love ma-cheen, aren't you?. Do you give lessons?!!" Kurz could hardly contain himself. Sousuke did not look overly pleased.
"Certainly. When should I schedule you and Lt. Concepcion..."
Sousuke was content to see Kurz jump. "Souske, that's cold...very cold!"
"Undecided?" Sousuke tried hard not to grin. He went to Kurz' intercom and punched in the general number for the Intel Department. "Yes, thank you...is Lt. Concepcion there...."
Kurz knocked a near full can of beer to the floor, causing it to foam vigorously and spill its contents in an ever-spreading puddle. He quickly punched the 'off' button. "That was cruel! And could have been fatal! What have I ever done to deserve THAT?!" Sousuke wasn't certain if Kurz were joking.
"'...Sousuke, you are so huge...'" Sousuke said, mimicing Kurz.
"Alright, alright. YOU save me from that Paraguayan pirhanna, and I will lay off a little. A small bit. A smidgen. Deal?"
"Deal." Sousuke then went on to describe the more worrisome aspects of the escalading feud between Kaname and Tessa, and his plans to circumvent further such clashes, including dates and places.
Kurz just shook his head. Shook his head and smiled. "Sousuke, I have truly missed you...for your cheerful smiling face and your effervescent personality...but mostly for your unequalled talent to find trouble wherever you go!" He laughed. "And, I should add, for your absolute and complete cluelessnes regarding babes!"
"Pirhanna?" Sousuke asked, innocently.
"Ouch, Sousuke. Ouch!!! I was going to tell you the two big mistakes you are making, but...." Kurz was not about to be upstaged.
"Mistakes?"
"Yes...and seeing how this might be a good learning experience for my favorite taciturn terror, I will give you this one for free." And, he thought to himself, mentally rubbing his hands together vigorously 'this will be a a golden opportunity for the brilliant and most fortunate Kurz Weber!'
"First, it's stupid to put two women together in a locked room! They may rip out each others' throats, and you will be short one girlfriend and out one Captain...or, TWO girlfriends if you work it right some day, you lucky dog you!"
Kurz laughed at the look on Sousuke's face before continuing. "Second, it's just as ridiculous to try and stop this as it is to try and stop the tide! Women will form rivalries where men are concerned. You shouldn't fight it...you should exploit it. Just think what you might be able to accomplish with just a little French..."
"French?"
"Yes...menage a tois" Kurz whispered, enjoying Sousuke's blush when he explained further.
Kurz did not, however, explain the one mistake Sosuske actually HAD made. He had once again told too many details to his ebullient companion.
After a little more ribbing at Sousuke's expense, Kurz told Sousuke how to get in contact with Melissa.
*************************************************************
Sousuke was able to reach Melissa on his third try. He told her he was glad she was alive, but saddened by her absense. Melissa reassured him, and asked if he might consider sneeking a few cases of beer to her through security, using any method necessary short of an Arm Slave or a tactical nuclear advice. He said he would sleep on it. She said to get his rest now, because he would be pulling night duty for a long time if she didn't get her beer.
Melissa asked how things were going, and Sousuke filled her in on all of the pertinent details. "I'll save you the hospital bed next to mine, Sousuke. It sounds like you might need it," she laughed, pain coming into her voice when she laughed too loud and too long.
Melissa---something coming to mind---suddenly grew quieter and dead serious. "Sousuke, you didn't tell Kurz did you?"
"Yes, I did"
"Oh hell...at least be sure you bring the beer with you when they roll you in here...."
*************************************************************
Tessa was somewhat surprised by the knock on here door...she wasn't expecting anyone. When she opened the door to see who it was, she was happy to see Sousuke. Happy, but not just a little bit edgy.
"Sousuke, please come in. It's good to see you. Is it 'Captain' or 'Tessa' this time?" she asked, somewhat hopefully.
"We will see." Souske answered cryptically. "It will definitely depend on what I hear from you today." He finished on a more ominous note, his face very wooden and his posture stiff.
"Have I done something to disturb you, Sousuke?" she asked, uncomfortable in her suspicions.
Sousuke handed Tessa the homework papers she had given him.
"But...Sousuke...these are blank!" Tessa was confused, disappointed, and not a slight bit angry.
"Yes, Captain. I should first ask this. Did you give me the assignment intent on my filling in the sheet and handing it back...and were you personally or professionally interested in my responses?"
"Yes, Sousuke, I wanted you to fill it out. And admittedly, I had personal and professional interest, as I thought I made clear before." Tessa was concerned where Sousuke might be headed with the conversation...one she was painfully aware that HE held the reins to.
"I see. When I gave my completed papers to Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, he said I did not have to leave them with him, and that he would only read them if I wanted him to. He said in no uncertain terms that it was a learning experience for me, not an opportunity for him."
Tessa could easily tell that Sousuke was disappointed in her approach, but wondered if there was more on his mind. "And the reason you did not fill out my sheets?"
"I filled out the papers for Lt Cmdr. Kalinin on the helicopter flight out. I did that because they were my original assignment. A professional request."
"And..." Tessa waited tensely.
"I did not fill in your 'homework' assignment, as I had come to the conclusion that things between you and Kaname had gone too far already." The gaze that Sousuke leveled upon Tessa made her feel as if HE were the Captain and SHE were an ensign that was caught pulling pranks. "Kaname had seen my 'homework' papers and was not very pleased. When an accident left them in her possession, she took the course of action I assume you are well aware of. As you might guess, she was not pleased at your actions."
"SHE was not pleased at MY actions?!!," Tessa sounded as if she were brimming with righteous indignation. "Let me show you something, Sgt. Sagara." Tessa took Kaname's handiwork out of her desk, and handed it to Sousuke to read. She watched in wary anctipation as he read through Kaname's responses to the assignment questions.
"I can see why you are angry, Captain..."
"Thank you, Sousuke, I knew you'd understand. I...." Tessa felt a little better, but was unable to finish her statement.
"I can see why you are angry---both becaues of the embarrassing answers and because of the misuse of an official courier."
"Yes, indeed."
"But, what I can NOT understand, Captain--what I have great trouble accepting---is why YOU would then falsify a letter and send it to Kaname."
Tessa had the good grace to blush. She had figured that Kaname would show her forgery to Sousuke; but, she also had expected that Kaname would realize it was a joke, and would make light of it with Sousuke afterwards. After she cooled down. "It was a joke, Sousuke. I did not intend to cause Miss Chidori any real harm or trouble. I was angry at this ploy she pulled, and I responded emotionally. Can you honestly say that you can see her side in this matter and not mine?!"
"No captain. I can see both sides now, and I am happy with neither. You may both see these actions as jokes, but I see nothing funny at all. My charge and my commanding officer are acting like children, and I am taking heavy collateral damage. You asked me once what a trophy feels like, Captain. I can honestly say that I am greatly disillusioned, and remarkably unhappy."
"I'm sorry, Sousuke. Truly I am! I suppose hadn't thought about your feelings when I sent that letter......and I guess that is in part the point you are trying to make. But I will NOT be ashamed of my desires, and I will NOT be embarrassed by my feelings. I also will NOT stop from fighting for what I want. I have done that for TOO MANY things in the past, and I don't intend to do it again. What exactly do you want from me, Sousuke?"
"I would appreciate it if BOTH you and Kaname would stop behaving in this manner." He went on to further explain his feelings, and described his preferred solution to things. He wanted a thaw in the cold war he was caught in...he did not want the change in temperature to result from a much hotter conflict. He fully expected Kaname and Tessa to bury the hatchet---figuratively, not literally.
Listening to his plan, Tessa's response varied from disbelief to anger to denial to embarassment and back to disbelief. She then got a calculating look in her eye, one that was not missed by Sousuke. "And, if I do this for you...will you promise to call me Tessa, henceforth?" she asked with a smile.
Sousuke's look was stern, and his response quick. No smile there! "No, we have discussed that before. But I can promise you this...if you will not help me in this, I will likely never call you Tessa again."
It did not take much longer before Tessa agreed to Sousuke's requests.
*************************************************************
As he prepared the ARX-7 for the coming mission, Sousuke saw the chief mechanic making his way across the hangar floor. Sousuke temporarily stopped in his review of a systems checklist to have a quick word with Bobbo.
"Why, hey there Sonny. Ready to go out and sling some more lead?" Bobbo asked, pleased to chat with his young acquaintance.
"Lead?"
"Figure of speech, my boy. Death, destruction, justice, and a whole pile of hurt!" Bobbo belched, and scratched himself in happy fashion.
"'Damn straight,' is the correct answer, I believe." Sousuke's fondness for the interesting man continued.
"Good...damn good...I already finished my part with your big suit of armor over there. Are you looking for more advice, Sonny, or do you have some good tales to tell old Bobbo? Hearin' your success with the ladies would warm my heart, and bring back all those memories of my younger days! Heh heh heh!" Bobbo spat.
Sousuke described his dilemma in short, naming no names.
"Well...gotcha self in a fine pickle there, eh? If I got the facts straight about those two nameless ladies...and I won't be spookin' you by makin' some good guesses...I would say you got your two hands full of somethin' that needs a good eight hands!" Bobba coughed, and spat a number of times before settling into a new run of scratching.
"Sonny, one things for certain...someone has got to stop all that bangin' on the hornets' nest before it gets too damn late. It's too easy to get the things to come buzzin' around. Once they get out, there's a lot of pain comin' and too damn much time to wait before they fly back inside!"
Sousuke nodded his head attentively.
"But you gotta be VERY careful, boy. VERY careful. There are worse things than a bee sting or two. Sounds like you are thinkin' again...and I told you that no good would come of THAT!!!"
"Chief?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it looks like you are choosin' to step right into the middle of a cat-fight. That's a damn foolish thing to do when it's just cats. But people are the most dangerous animal walkin' this planet...and there's no people-fight more dangerous than a fight between two woman...especially if they are tusslin' over a man!"
"I see. Thank you, chief!"
"SONNY!!! What have I told you..."
"Uh...sorry chief."
"That's Ok...I was young once too, Sonny. Like I was sayin', if you step in the middle of some cat fights, both cats might see you as a mouse. They might take a moment to make short work of you before they get back down to business. BUT...and here's the part to think on...if you have somethin' they both want really bad...and you DON'T have to give it to either one...instead of clawlin' you into little strips, they might go lookin' for some scratchin' behind the ears. Hard to tell which way the thing will go until it's done. Have fun, today Sonny...the REAL fight'll start after you get back!!!"
"Yes."
"GIVE'M HELL TODAY, Sonny!!!" Bobbo wished Sousuke.
Souske did just that.
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