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Muck found himself blowing out a breath of relief as the simulator cockpit opened over him. He forced himself to wait until he could vault out to the deck and eye Gamlin. He was certain how he’d done, but he also knew that the final verdict was Gamlin’s.
“So, how did I do in your eyes, LT?”
Speaking of said third party, though, it looked like Muck had managed to *TOTALLY* break Lieutenant Gamlin Kizakai, his alleged impartial third party, based on Gamlin’s thoroughly ‘gob-smacked’ look at the moment. Gamlin looked at Muck, then back at the simulator control console, then back to Muck again.
Muck facepalmed for a moment, the tried again. “Muck to Gamlin… come in Gamlin!”
Gamlin finally showed some sign of recovery as he held up a palm to Muck. “D-1 copies your traffic. Wait one.” Gamlin otherwise ignored him and leaned forward conversing with the rating running the simulator; looking intently at the data thrown on the screen in response to his request. As much as Muck wanted Gamlin to confirm what he was sure of, Muck was also sure that rattling Gamlin’s chain at this point would work against Muck instead of in his favor; and so forced himself to wait patiently, even though all his time as what any comic title would call a ‘superhero’ had primed him for instant decisions and reactions. All of those reactions would be wrong at the moment, though. Gamlin had the final say, to disturb him at the moment just might cause him to rule against him out of pure spite.
Muck could have know just how long he’d waited, but decided against it when Gamlin finally straightened up and shook himself much like a dog would before looking over at Muck.
“When I was a flight cadet back on Mars, my initial instructor was Milia Jenius. She told me I needed to become one with my mecha, to know everything it was telling me. This data says you’ve surpassed me in the ship I have the most flight hours in, even though this should be the first time you’ve been in its cockpit?”
“Hell, LT. Haven’t you figured out I cheat yet?”
“So, your NOT qualified to pilot a VF-17?”
“Oh, I’d say I am. But the particulars here are not for enlisted ears, LT,” Muck pointed out with a nod at the rating staring at both of them. “Perhaps someplace where there aren’t little pitchers with big ears?”
Gamlin nodded, grabbing Muck by the arm and pointing the two of them to the hatch. “I know a place,” he assured, before looking behind the pair. “Dismissed, sergeant. I get word you said anything to anyone other than Cap’n Jenius…”
“Sir, understood sir!”
* * * * * * *
Muck sighed after finishing a long draft of the beer in his hand, setting it down on the table between he and Gamlin Kizakai, gazing out the armored glass into deep space.
“So. Your wondering how the heck I am so proficient as a pilot, Kizakai. Both of the mark 17 you tested me on as well as my own claim I am, or was, fully qualified in the VF-01, right?”
“Well, that and your claim you cheated, Thunders.”
“Well, Gamlin, that depends on how one defines cheating. How old do I look to you?”
Gamlin blew out a long breath and contemplated the level of beer in his mug; sadly there was too much left in it to try and use the excuse of ordering a new one as a delaying tactic.
“Somewhere in your late twenties, early thirties, like myself,” Gamlin admitted, to be rewarded by a fairly impressive snort of liquids out of Thunders nose, followed by Muck cursing about how having done so really HURT!
“Add a hundred years of living, and a dozen or more other fica to that estimate, Kizakai.”
“WHAT?”
“Patience, my Padawan. You are about to hear all about it as long as you keep seated and listen; well… assuming you can get that cute barmaid to bring us another round.”
* * * * * * *
“You realize if a pilot or enlisted told me a story like that I’d send him to the brig for over embellishing his sea story?” Gamlin sighed after hearing Muck’s tale. (1)
Muck nodded. “And yet, no shit, there I was;” he confirmed, hoisting his drink in the traditional gesture for a toast.
“How the expletives deleted are you still alive?”
“DamnifIknow, Kizakai.”
“But you LIVED it. How can you NOT know???”
“Kind of my point Kizakai. I LIVED it. Things happened way to fast to really get how it was I made it through at times. Sure, the little things I could probably remember, but breaking down just how I managed to dodge each and every attack during the crazy moments? I’d argue YOU were the crazy one, Mate. All I really remember is being expletives deleted glad I was still alive when the dust settled.”
“Hmm. Speaking of settling dust. I have a couple of notifications here; one from Cap’n Max saying he’s confirming my assessment that you are qualified to fly a vf-17; as well as the specific tail number[2] of your new Valk. This is followed by a reminder from him that the two of us are to report… um… like 5 minutes ago to Madam Mayor Milia for the briefing about what is next for the two of us.”
“Aww Bugger, Lt. Your saying we’re already late?” From Micheals inflection he was not happy with hearing that information. The fact that he was standing and draining the last of his drink confirmed that Muck was now aware that the two of them needed to get going; so Gamlin matched him in getting to his feet and finishing his own drink.
“Yes.”
“Then less talk, more walk, l t!”
“ERTS access is the other way, Muck.”
“Oh.”
* * * * * * * *
“There you two are.” Milia Fallyna Jenius observed when the pair finally were ushered into her office. “Where have you been?”
“Well, with all due respect, Ma’am,” Muck countered even as he nudged Gamlin with his elbow to keep his ersatz commanding officer quiet, “I do believe that while the L.T. and I work for you now, the assignment wasn’t official until Cap’n Max officially approved all of this. Which, in the L.T.’s defense, we just got the word about, and reported to you as quickly as we could.”
Oh (Bleep). That was a definite twitching eyebrow; Nothing good ever happened to Muck anytime he was on the receiving end of a look like that. Best he was going to be able to do was probably direct the about to be expressed displeasure onto himself and away from Gamlin Kizakai.
“I… see. And what else were you told?”
“Innermost line of defense for Island 7. Combat escort for Sound Force sorties. Additional duties to be assigned by you.”
Milia sat back in her chair and contemplated the pair. “Sound Force. My youngest daughter is a member of that unit.”
“Um, yes Ma’am, Madam mayor, Ma’am.” Gamlin looked ready to try and step in and catch the displeasure still lingering in Milia’s voice; Muck resorted to stepping on his (Kizakai’s) toes to keep his partner safe. “I think the Cap’n made the same point, with the same don’t we dare let anything happen to her glare you’re using right now.”
“I see. While the commodore and myself are often at odds due to our conflicting areas of interest, I think you would be safe to assume we are in accord on that topic, Lieutenant Thunders.”
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes, and Gamlin there is now officially promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Can’t have him relying on time in rank and service alone.[3] Right now, I need you two to go talk to Chiba about what Sound Force is and is not, and just how my daughter fits into it. Then report back here.”
“Ma’am, yes Ma’am!”
* * * * * * * *
Muck winced as he followed Gamlin into Chiba’s quarters. The walls were lined with, perhaps not life sized, but very large, very high-quality posters of Lynn Minmei. Even before he laid eyes on the good doctor himself, he knew this was the sign of a serious otaku. Perhaps even explained Chiba’s self-described foray into understanding ‘sound energy’.
“L T…”
“Shhh. I know.”
This screamed to Muck this was not the first time Gamlin had been here. Given the level of Otaku’ism’ Muck saw here, as well as Chiba’s professed prowess at ‘sound energy’… It was not pleasant, for Gamlin anyway. No way to tell without asking Gamlin about it directly, something Muck was unwilling to do in front of the ‘Good Doctor’.
“Ah, Thunders. Gamlin. Welcome to the center of my research into sound energy.”
OH man. That just dialed the creepy up to 11, in Muck’s opinion.
“Doc Chiba, SAR! Lt. Thunders, Lt Cmdr[4] Gamlin, reporting as directed by Madam Mayor Jenius, SAH!” Muck shouted in his best parade ground voice.
“At ease, you two,” Chiba sighed in exasperation. “So, according to the delivery I just got, Thunders here needs these?” Chiba spread his fingers and manifested several critical pieces of plastic one used to prove identity, military service status, and all other related benefits.
(1) Okay, this really should be two footnotes instead of just one. First, see the first three chapters of Tales of the Wanderer at
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5726/Star-Ranger) for the full details not included here; second… here is how to tell the difference between a fairy tale and a navy ‘sea story’. A Fairy tale starts “Once upon a time”; while a sea story starts “No Sh!t, there I was.” The implication here is that Muck is telling Gamlin everything he remembers, even if not spelled out here, from going to the USAF Academy right out of high school, to being an A-10 ‘Warthog’ pilot, to the incident that made him the Star Ranger; through the events of TotW 1 through 3;(see link above) with the tertiary implication that he and Gamlin have more than one beer given the length of this tale.
[2] Right. Tail numbers. Kind of what it says on the tin? Shortest form, for those who are not aware, is that when any aircraft (also known as an airframe inside the military) is manufactured for the military (using the USA military here, because that is what I am most familiar with) they paint a unique number on its vertical stabilizer (what us civilians call the tail!) that will identify it for the rest of its service life. In fact, if my memory is correct, even civilian airlines keep track of said production ‘tail number’ as the way to keep track of both what happened to a specific airframe as well as any and all repairs to it, because you keep track of things like that about any airplane regardless of for whom or where it flys. Helps figure out what might have happened even in cases where a HMMWV comes out of an interdimensional portal and crashes into an airframe. They’d still note it happened (even if they don’t understand WHAT happened) in case it becomes relevant as to why that specific airframe isn’t flying now.
[3] This is a real thing. In military it is important to settle who is in charge here. (this is known as seniority) This is determined by official rank, but between two officers of the same official rank it is settled by how long an officer has held that rank (IE: Time in Rank,) as well as how long he has served in general. (IE: Time in Service)
[4] this is military shorthand for Lieutenant Commander, aka O-4. It is, I suppose, a weird rank name, but one no less weird than Lieutenant Colonel, which is an O-5 in non-navy named ranks. In actual use they are addressed as simply Commander, (when rank titles are used at all) which is *also* an 0-5 rank. Oh, and for the record, the USN rank of Captain is 0-6, equivalent to the Army, Air Farce (because they split from the Army) and Marine rank of Colonel. In those branches a Captain is an 0-3 (same as the naval rank of [O-3]Lieutenant!) Which leads me to the next point of this End-Note. Commodore is a TITLE, not an official rank. Its given to a Captain (O-6) who is also in charge of more than one vessel or unit (who’s commanding officer may ALSO be an O-6) to delineate who is in charge here. Usually this is reserved for escort or squadron commanders. In Max’s case, it represents that as the commander of the escort fleet, as well as ‘Battle 7’ the man bloody well deserves a promotion for following in Hikaru Ichigo’s footsteps.
Muck found himself blowing out a breath of relief as the simulator cockpit opened over him. He forced himself to wait until he could vault out to the deck and eye Gamlin. He was certain how he’d done, but he also knew that the final verdict was Gamlin’s.
“So, how did I do in your eyes, LT?”
Speaking of said third party, though, it looked like Muck had managed to *TOTALLY* break Lieutenant Gamlin Kizakai, his alleged impartial third party, based on Gamlin’s thoroughly ‘gob-smacked’ look at the moment. Gamlin looked at Muck, then back at the simulator control console, then back to Muck again.
Muck facepalmed for a moment, the tried again. “Muck to Gamlin… come in Gamlin!”
Gamlin finally showed some sign of recovery as he held up a palm to Muck. “D-1 copies your traffic. Wait one.” Gamlin otherwise ignored him and leaned forward conversing with the rating running the simulator; looking intently at the data thrown on the screen in response to his request. As much as Muck wanted Gamlin to confirm what he was sure of, Muck was also sure that rattling Gamlin’s chain at this point would work against Muck instead of in his favor; and so forced himself to wait patiently, even though all his time as what any comic title would call a ‘superhero’ had primed him for instant decisions and reactions. All of those reactions would be wrong at the moment, though. Gamlin had the final say, to disturb him at the moment just might cause him to rule against him out of pure spite.
Muck could have know just how long he’d waited, but decided against it when Gamlin finally straightened up and shook himself much like a dog would before looking over at Muck.
“When I was a flight cadet back on Mars, my initial instructor was Milia Jenius. She told me I needed to become one with my mecha, to know everything it was telling me. This data says you’ve surpassed me in the ship I have the most flight hours in, even though this should be the first time you’ve been in its cockpit?”
“Hell, LT. Haven’t you figured out I cheat yet?”
“So, your NOT qualified to pilot a VF-17?”
“Oh, I’d say I am. But the particulars here are not for enlisted ears, LT,” Muck pointed out with a nod at the rating staring at both of them. “Perhaps someplace where there aren’t little pitchers with big ears?”
Gamlin nodded, grabbing Muck by the arm and pointing the two of them to the hatch. “I know a place,” he assured, before looking behind the pair. “Dismissed, sergeant. I get word you said anything to anyone other than Cap’n Jenius…”
“Sir, understood sir!”
* * * * * * *
Muck sighed after finishing a long draft of the beer in his hand, setting it down on the table between he and Gamlin Kizakai, gazing out the armored glass into deep space.
“So. Your wondering how the heck I am so proficient as a pilot, Kizakai. Both of the mark 17 you tested me on as well as my own claim I am, or was, fully qualified in the VF-01, right?”
“Well, that and your claim you cheated, Thunders.”
“Well, Gamlin, that depends on how one defines cheating. How old do I look to you?”
Gamlin blew out a long breath and contemplated the level of beer in his mug; sadly there was too much left in it to try and use the excuse of ordering a new one as a delaying tactic.
“Somewhere in your late twenties, early thirties, like myself,” Gamlin admitted, to be rewarded by a fairly impressive snort of liquids out of Thunders nose, followed by Muck cursing about how having done so really HURT!
“Add a hundred years of living, and a dozen or more other fica to that estimate, Kizakai.”
“WHAT?”
“Patience, my Padawan. You are about to hear all about it as long as you keep seated and listen; well… assuming you can get that cute barmaid to bring us another round.”
* * * * * * *
“You realize if a pilot or enlisted told me a story like that I’d send him to the brig for over embellishing his sea story?” Gamlin sighed after hearing Muck’s tale. (1)
Muck nodded. “And yet, no shit, there I was;” he confirmed, hoisting his drink in the traditional gesture for a toast.
“How the expletives deleted are you still alive?”
“DamnifIknow, Kizakai.”
“But you LIVED it. How can you NOT know???”
“Kind of my point Kizakai. I LIVED it. Things happened way to fast to really get how it was I made it through at times. Sure, the little things I could probably remember, but breaking down just how I managed to dodge each and every attack during the crazy moments? I’d argue YOU were the crazy one, Mate. All I really remember is being expletives deleted glad I was still alive when the dust settled.”
“Hmm. Speaking of settling dust. I have a couple of notifications here; one from Cap’n Max saying he’s confirming my assessment that you are qualified to fly a vf-17; as well as the specific tail number[2] of your new Valk. This is followed by a reminder from him that the two of us are to report… um… like 5 minutes ago to Madam Mayor Milia for the briefing about what is next for the two of us.”
“Aww Bugger, Lt. Your saying we’re already late?” From Micheals inflection he was not happy with hearing that information. The fact that he was standing and draining the last of his drink confirmed that Muck was now aware that the two of them needed to get going; so Gamlin matched him in getting to his feet and finishing his own drink.
“Yes.”
“Then less talk, more walk, l t!”
“ERTS access is the other way, Muck.”
“Oh.”
* * * * * * * *
“There you two are.” Milia Fallyna Jenius observed when the pair finally were ushered into her office. “Where have you been?”
“Well, with all due respect, Ma’am,” Muck countered even as he nudged Gamlin with his elbow to keep his ersatz commanding officer quiet, “I do believe that while the L.T. and I work for you now, the assignment wasn’t official until Cap’n Max officially approved all of this. Which, in the L.T.’s defense, we just got the word about, and reported to you as quickly as we could.”
Oh (Bleep). That was a definite twitching eyebrow; Nothing good ever happened to Muck anytime he was on the receiving end of a look like that. Best he was going to be able to do was probably direct the about to be expressed displeasure onto himself and away from Gamlin Kizakai.
“I… see. And what else were you told?”
“Innermost line of defense for Island 7. Combat escort for Sound Force sorties. Additional duties to be assigned by you.”
Milia sat back in her chair and contemplated the pair. “Sound Force. My youngest daughter is a member of that unit.”
“Um, yes Ma’am, Madam mayor, Ma’am.” Gamlin looked ready to try and step in and catch the displeasure still lingering in Milia’s voice; Muck resorted to stepping on his (Kizakai’s) toes to keep his partner safe. “I think the Cap’n made the same point, with the same don’t we dare let anything happen to her glare you’re using right now.”
“I see. While the commodore and myself are often at odds due to our conflicting areas of interest, I think you would be safe to assume we are in accord on that topic, Lieutenant Thunders.”
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes, and Gamlin there is now officially promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Can’t have him relying on time in rank and service alone.[3] Right now, I need you two to go talk to Chiba about what Sound Force is and is not, and just how my daughter fits into it. Then report back here.”
“Ma’am, yes Ma’am!”
* * * * * * * *
Muck winced as he followed Gamlin into Chiba’s quarters. The walls were lined with, perhaps not life sized, but very large, very high-quality posters of Lynn Minmei. Even before he laid eyes on the good doctor himself, he knew this was the sign of a serious otaku. Perhaps even explained Chiba’s self-described foray into understanding ‘sound energy’.
“L T…”
“Shhh. I know.”
This screamed to Muck this was not the first time Gamlin had been here. Given the level of Otaku’ism’ Muck saw here, as well as Chiba’s professed prowess at ‘sound energy’… It was not pleasant, for Gamlin anyway. No way to tell without asking Gamlin about it directly, something Muck was unwilling to do in front of the ‘Good Doctor’.
“Ah, Thunders. Gamlin. Welcome to the center of my research into sound energy.”
OH man. That just dialed the creepy up to 11, in Muck’s opinion.
“Doc Chiba, SAR! Lt. Thunders, Lt Cmdr[4] Gamlin, reporting as directed by Madam Mayor Jenius, SAH!” Muck shouted in his best parade ground voice.
“At ease, you two,” Chiba sighed in exasperation. “So, according to the delivery I just got, Thunders here needs these?” Chiba spread his fingers and manifested several critical pieces of plastic one used to prove identity, military service status, and all other related benefits.
(1) Okay, this really should be two footnotes instead of just one. First, see the first three chapters of Tales of the Wanderer at
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5726/Star-Ranger) for the full details not included here; second… here is how to tell the difference between a fairy tale and a navy ‘sea story’. A Fairy tale starts “Once upon a time”; while a sea story starts “No Sh!t, there I was.” The implication here is that Muck is telling Gamlin everything he remembers, even if not spelled out here, from going to the USAF Academy right out of high school, to being an A-10 ‘Warthog’ pilot, to the incident that made him the Star Ranger; through the events of TotW 1 through 3;(see link above) with the tertiary implication that he and Gamlin have more than one beer given the length of this tale.[2] Right. Tail numbers. Kind of what it says on the tin? Shortest form, for those who are not aware, is that when any aircraft (also known as an airframe inside the military) is manufactured for the military (using the USA military here, because that is what I am most familiar with) they paint a unique number on its vertical stabilizer (what us civilians call the tail!) that will identify it for the rest of its service life. In fact, if my memory is correct, even civilian airlines keep track of said production ‘tail number’ as the way to keep track of both what happened to a specific airframe as well as any and all repairs to it, because you keep track of things like that about any airplane regardless of for whom or where it flys. Helps figure out what might have happened even in cases where a HMMWV comes out of an interdimensional portal and crashes into an airframe. They’d still note it happened (even if they don’t understand WHAT happened) in case it becomes relevant as to why that specific airframe isn’t flying now.
[3] This is a real thing. In military it is important to settle who is in charge here. (this is known as seniority) This is determined by official rank, but between two officers of the same official rank it is settled by how long an officer has held that rank (IE: Time in Rank,) as well as how long he has served in general. (IE: Time in Service)
[4] this is military shorthand for Lieutenant Commander, aka O-4. It is, I suppose, a weird rank name, but one no less weird than Lieutenant Colonel, which is an O-5 in non-navy named ranks. In actual use they are addressed as simply Commander, (when rank titles are used at all) which is *also* an 0-5 rank. Oh, and for the record, the USN rank of Captain is 0-6, equivalent to the Army, Air Farce (because they split from the Army) and Marine rank of Colonel. In those branches a Captain is an 0-3 (same as the naval rank of [O-3]Lieutenant!) Which leads me to the next point of this End-Note. Commodore is a TITLE, not an official rank. Its given to a Captain (O-6) who is also in charge of more than one vessel or unit (who’s commanding officer may ALSO be an O-6) to delineate who is in charge here. Usually this is reserved for escort or squadron commanders. In Max’s case, it represents that as the commander of the escort fleet, as well as ‘Battle 7’ the man bloody well deserves a promotion for following in Hikaru Ichigo’s footsteps.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to rock the sky?
Thats' every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry!
NO QUARTER!
No Quarter by Echo's Children
Thats' every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry!
NO QUARTER!
No Quarter by Echo's Children