"To be honest, I prefer the homefront. If I'm going to die then I want to be in Liberty and not in Rheinland."
She said with an unemotional tone, even though the topic might be sensible for some other people. Natalie nodded to Hartman once she had spotted her, she remembered her from some patrols and was one of the few reliable wingmen.
"And the waiting of course, even getting shot at is more entertaining than that."
"I don't think getting shot at will ever get entertaining for me..."
Lewis said that with a slight smile, but Cahoone looked phased out. He racked his head for a question to ask that would not be too prying or inappropriate. In the end he settled on a very basic question, to get the flow going. Perhaps these two would give him an opening to lengthen the conversation.
"So why'd you two sign up for primary? I've seen many people join secondary for a lot of reasons, but primary is a lot more selective, not to mention...taxing, at times. While Admiral Hale might be a tad slack with the secondaries, life here is definitely tougher. I like it though...what about you two?"
He directed that in Cahoone and Hartman's general direction, asking the both of them. He immediately wondered if he had said a little too much. Words are like Mini razors though, they don't go back into the barrel. He waited.
"As Mercenary you end up fighting alone against hordes of Rogues or Outcasts. In the Navy I have reliable wingmen, and better equipment of course. And I don't get stuff like 'Greedy Merc, here's your cash, now get lost' et cetera."
Natalie said, remembering her time as a Mercenary and the countless moments where she barely survived a pirate encounter. It was a life without rules, but it was way more dangerous than her current life, and sometimes she missed her old 'freedom'.
"And I once had a friend, who was in the Navy. He always told me how awesome it was and that I'd like that challenge."
"Similar stuff here. My folks were Marines, way back in 750. Spent most of the spare time down on Houston telling old war stories, mostly to remind each other. They were getting on, even back then. Nothing glorious, but it just seemed like the way to go after that. Even got me off-planet as a bonus. Can't say it hasn't been hell, but it's been the better kind of hell. At least we know the demon's we're flying with." She added with a flash of teeth. The former Marine lowered herself onto a convenient chair. Some dark grey plastic-metal hybrid that somehow managed the strength of both with the comfort of neither. "Ended up with you lot as a matter of course." To her eternal credit, Hartman skipped the obligatory inter-service ribbing.
With her headphones out, the hum of maintenance machinery hovered at the edge of hearing. Not enough to be a nuisance, but enough to make the station feel like a ship, feel a bit more like home. Back on station, with other members of the fleet, Hartman was more relaxed then she could remember being in a long time.
"Took a while to get used to how the Navy runs things. Don't think I'll ever get used to seeing an Admiral flying frontline."
Lewis had to chuckle at Cahoone's comment about mercenaries. He was sure she intended it in a matter-of-fact manner, but it was amusing.
"Seems like you have a fair idea of how mercenaries work. You knew someone in the field?"
He continued jogging. He had been going at it for a bit now, and he could feel his muscles starting to warm up. He started jogging a bit faster, talking whenever he had enough breath to.
"I see. Let's just say I'm glad your friend referred you here. Competent pilots are always a rare commodity."
He simply nodded at Hartman as she told her story.
"A full timer then? That's great. And I know how you feel. Daresay the Admiral does better from the frontlines than from the helm of the Anchorage, though. Right into the action. Really raises the morale of the troops to see the Admiral destroying things with the best of them. You need to have great skill though...as well as the full support of the team."
Hartman shrugged in her seat, shifting the chair so she had an unobstructed view of Cahoone and Lewis.
"Yeah. Good luck convincing one of the Generals to do it." Her lips twisted into a smile at the idea of Marine top brass behind a rifle. A Brigadier had turned up to her passing out parade, years ago. The man wouldn't have lasted more then a few, very entertaining, seconds.
"Well, we've given you the low-down."She cast a glance over to Cahoone, still staring out the window. She'd heard a lot about the Lieutenant Commander. Scuttlebutt had it that the Vice Admiral had had to open up on her once. Looking at her now, Hartman had to doubt the rumors. "What did you do Lewis? Before this damn war kicked off?"
"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that Nat. May he rest in peace."
Lewis sensed that Cahoone didn't particularly like to talk about her family issues, and respected it. Everyone had the right to keep a few things hidden. The dirty laundry, in a manner of speaking. He decided to steer the conversation on safer course by answering Hartman.
"I've been in the navy since 799 A.S. Seen the Nomad war."
Lewis stopped running and grabbed a towel. Rubbing the sweat off, he took a seat opposite the two ladies. He knew that this would grab their attention, but at the same time, admitting his seniority and advanced age was a slight discomfort. A lot of the primary fleet were shining stars who rose up the ranks really fast. Lewis had plodded the slow way through secondary, and every posting imaginable, through wartime and peace. While he'd loved it, and the experience showed, it was still discomforting at times.
"The nomad war was a lot harsher than this one. I was a fresher at the time, and very confused. We kept getting conflicting orders, and eventually I never saw action during the war. The news was...confusing, to say the least. We all thought that Liberty's time had come, that we would have to subjugate all the other houses, and propaganda indicated the same, then suddenly, Jacobi came back, and it all screeched to a halt. Compared to that mess, this war is a smooth operation. There is no chance of Liberty taking substantial losses, and if I'm correct, Admirality is just biding it's time and trying to minimize losses. Rhienlanders might be good pilots, but their naval strength is a lot inferior, and we've generated a few aces of our own. What I'm not so sure about, is Gallia. They might be an actual challenge, and probably a bit too much for our neighbour house."
Lewis realised he was drawling, and decided to stop here, seeing if he'd grabbed their interest.
"The Nomad war. Am actually happy that I wasn't involved in that one, well, I was three when it started, so I can't really remember a thing from that time...not that I actually want to."
Natalie said somewhat sounding impressed by Lewis' Navy career, it would be a miracle if she would manage to spend a similar ammount of time in the Navy.
"And the Rheinlanders are just brainwashed freaks, it's scary. But then again, if I think too much about my enemies, be it Rheinlanders or Gallics, I'll probably die. All I can do is ignore who's sitting in the fighter that's shooting at me, that's how I work, and it makes this job easier."
Hartman sat back, content to let the Lieutenant tell his story. As far as she was concerned, Lewis was a veteran soldier, and that was enough for her to respect the man. She'd encountered the Nomads on a handful of occasions, and the memories sent shivers down her spine. Soldiers, warships and guns were one thing. An enemy that tried to fight the battle in your own mind was something altogether more unnerving.
"Can't say I regret missing out on that one." That particular war had fizzled out long before the Ensign so much as left school. "Rheinland though... The whole thing's a boondoggle if you ask me. Force preservation's fine, and they're decent pilots, but two years? It's a lot of warships on the front for no real gain. I'll bet you that when this whole thing blows over, we'll be right back where we started, minus a few good people."No doubt some politician would issue a nice little victory speech and some medals. At least they'd have that much.