December 10th
Vermillion Airspace
12:00 PM
"So that's the Vermillion..." Mumbled a face, squished up against a viewport as the dazzling spires of the Earth Sphere's newest arrival twinkled in the distance.
The arrival of the New Macross Class vessel and its accompanying city had been greeted with the traditional mix of jubilation from the general populace, and apprehension from the League's understandably-paranoid ruling class. The money was too good to pass up, and both parties knew it full well - but that didn't detract from the hemming and hawwing and ritualistic griping that took place with these sort of things.
So it was that the Nadesico, busily en route to Mars, had paused to dock at the city's edge, perched like a reclining white tiger in mid stretch. In the hangar, Luceria Exedine clutched a stuffed animal closely, and looked away from the viewport up at the cockpit of the vessel's resident Orbital Frame.
"What do you think it's like? They must have seen all kinds of things..." She said, a little louder this time, trying to be heard over the sound of wrenching and hammering and occasional hissing or burning that was emitting from the opening. When no response was forthcoming, she reached out and jabbed the leg extending from its side with her finger, causing a yelp to go up from within. There was a crackling FWUSH noise, and a cloud of black smoke erupted as Isaac Gaius emerged from the cockpit, coughing and hacking, his features now colored soot black as she shot the ship's navigator a glare.
"...Hey Isaac, don't you care?" She said, innocently batting her eyes.
The young Coordinator wiped his face with a cloth, tossing it aside as he scratched his head, already back to surveying various mechanical components.
"Not really." He muttered.
"I need to bring Jehuty up to spec. That OF, Anubis..." - He shuddered, the thought of its canid features practically laser-burned into his brain,
"...It was something else."
"Oh." Said Luce, sounding disappointed.
"You don't want to see the city?"
"Nope."
"I do." Said Luce, head dipping behind the bear's in thought. Isaac tossed a blackened circuit board aside and sighed.
"Oh, right." He said, finally, "You were shut in for pretty much all your life, right?"
Luce nodded, slowly. In the background, she could see Ms. Blanchefleur already berating her associates as they disembarked into the port. Orders had already been given to the crew - they'd be leaving the next day, and no later. That was the longest they could possibly delay their trip. Isaac moved to return to the cockpit, but paused as Luce spoke once more, this time in a more... casual tone.
"Orbital Frames can equip Subweapons, right?"
Here, he paused and cocked an eyebrow in her direction. Her features were as impassive as ever, but there was a glint of intellect behind her gaze.
"From a Local Server, yeah." He said, a little hesitantly.
"...How do you know that?"
"I collect data. It's my job to know." She said, readily.
"By the way, there's also a Local Server aboard this vessel. But, you won't find it without my help."
Isaac bit his lower lip, two forces coming into conflict behind his furrowed brow: the desire to avoid contact with as many people as possible, and the burning curiosity to see if what she was saying was true. Eventually... the latter won out.
"...Fine." He mumbled, "Let me go get cleaned up."
Luce beamed at him in response before prancing away, saying as she did:
"Good boy. It's a date."
A new rag was tossed into his hands, and he was left holding it, staring after the navigator with a hollow look on his face.
"...date?"
Vermillion Airspace
12:00 PM
"So that's the Vermillion..." Mumbled a face, squished up against a viewport as the dazzling spires of the Earth Sphere's newest arrival twinkled in the distance.
The arrival of the New Macross Class vessel and its accompanying city had been greeted with the traditional mix of jubilation from the general populace, and apprehension from the League's understandably-paranoid ruling class. The money was too good to pass up, and both parties knew it full well - but that didn't detract from the hemming and hawwing and ritualistic griping that took place with these sort of things.
So it was that the Nadesico, busily en route to Mars, had paused to dock at the city's edge, perched like a reclining white tiger in mid stretch. In the hangar, Luceria Exedine clutched a stuffed animal closely, and looked away from the viewport up at the cockpit of the vessel's resident Orbital Frame.
"What do you think it's like? They must have seen all kinds of things..." She said, a little louder this time, trying to be heard over the sound of wrenching and hammering and occasional hissing or burning that was emitting from the opening. When no response was forthcoming, she reached out and jabbed the leg extending from its side with her finger, causing a yelp to go up from within. There was a crackling FWUSH noise, and a cloud of black smoke erupted as Isaac Gaius emerged from the cockpit, coughing and hacking, his features now colored soot black as she shot the ship's navigator a glare.
"...Hey Isaac, don't you care?" She said, innocently batting her eyes.
The young Coordinator wiped his face with a cloth, tossing it aside as he scratched his head, already back to surveying various mechanical components.
"Not really." He muttered.
"I need to bring Jehuty up to spec. That OF, Anubis..." - He shuddered, the thought of its canid features practically laser-burned into his brain,
"...It was something else."
"Oh." Said Luce, sounding disappointed.
"You don't want to see the city?"
"Nope."
"I do." Said Luce, head dipping behind the bear's in thought. Isaac tossed a blackened circuit board aside and sighed.
"Oh, right." He said, finally, "You were shut in for pretty much all your life, right?"
Luce nodded, slowly. In the background, she could see Ms. Blanchefleur already berating her associates as they disembarked into the port. Orders had already been given to the crew - they'd be leaving the next day, and no later. That was the longest they could possibly delay their trip. Isaac moved to return to the cockpit, but paused as Luce spoke once more, this time in a more... casual tone.
"Orbital Frames can equip Subweapons, right?"
Here, he paused and cocked an eyebrow in her direction. Her features were as impassive as ever, but there was a glint of intellect behind her gaze.
"From a Local Server, yeah." He said, a little hesitantly.
"...How do you know that?"
"I collect data. It's my job to know." She said, readily.
"By the way, there's also a Local Server aboard this vessel. But, you won't find it without my help."
Isaac bit his lower lip, two forces coming into conflict behind his furrowed brow: the desire to avoid contact with as many people as possible, and the burning curiosity to see if what she was saying was true. Eventually... the latter won out.
"...Fine." He mumbled, "Let me go get cleaned up."
Luce beamed at him in response before prancing away, saying as she did:
"Good boy. It's a date."
A new rag was tossed into his hands, and he was left holding it, staring after the navigator with a hollow look on his face.
"...date?"