' Wrote:The girl's sharp hearing picks up the whole conversation from all the way across the room. She finishes the last bite of Liberty Sandwich, immediately orders another one with an extra large order of fries, sits next to the junker, and chows down. In between bites, she asks the junker: "Busy with *chomp* what?"
The Junker recoils a bit from the sight of the 'girl', no mean feat for a man of his hulking stature. His knowledge of what is good and right with society has clearly been knocked into orbit.
"...what've we got 'ere? You escape from the Moreau compound or what, dove?"
He cautiously takes another sip, eyes never leaving the strange sight.
"Well, young bluebird, ways I see it is this: That's a war waitin' 'ta happen. With wars comes a lot of scrap metals an' desperation. With desperation comes opportunities for the ones willin' ta seize it. Once they start hurtin' for metals an' materials, we'll establish our importance in the world an' get our due."
He takes another sip, shock wearing off somewhat. He pauses, thinking he might have talked a bit too much.
"...least that's the way I see it. But what do I know, I'm just a hatchet man."
Two women come into the bar joking and laughing about how clueless some pilots can be.
They both had the name Clarion's Call on the sleeves of their rather revealing tops.... They walked confidently towards the bar and ordered a Liberty Ale.
"This place hasnt changed much has it skipper?" Jaine who is the executive officer and most often at the helm, practically used to live here.
"Nah its still a dive from when I worked in the Navy" Julia said with a harsh tone.
"Lets grab a seat while we still can" Jaine responded rather insulted, as it was her favourite haunt.
The 2 ladies were exhausted from the long hauls to kusari and liberty.
The Clarion's Call had 2 more crew members. Two brothers, one was the weapons officer and the other was the engineer and a medic. Julia and Jaine often socialised with the guys but, tonight they wanted some fun.
Julia was looking around the bar to see if she recognised anyone, whilst Jaine was whittling on about pirates.
Isabelle looked around the bar, and recognizing no one - most of them were newcommers it seems, she took the datapad out of her pocket, and making sure she was seated at a place where none could read from behind her back, activated the little device.
She re read the declaration of war, her emotions mixed.
Rheinland always had been an old enemy... as a White Wolf Commando, she knew most of her operations were in that sector. In the last few decades, tension has always been on the rise, it seems, until a few days ago.
Major engagement have yet to be fought. For the moment, it was "guerre de tranche." Trench war. Everybody standing upon their own position.
Will they strike first?
Or them?
She read through the rest of the reports. Local commanders of the 22nd reporting their actions, as according to procedure. A procedure she wrote for an entire year, exactly in preparation to this eventuality. But like all plans, they were always perfect til the moment of execution. But so far, so good. She supervised personally the training of her men, and the regiment she held personally command of had one exceptional reputation. The fact they had one of the largest weapons of war in the army arsenal helped too.
Now, things were going to roll, and no one would be able to stop the inevitable escalade of violence.
Eddy Genezo entered the bar. He sat at the table on the corner and opened his portable communicator.
One unreaded message
The message was from Cameron Mitchell and it was made a few hours ago. Genezo opened it with hope that this was the 4 millions Mitchell promised to him.
Transmission from Freeport 11, Omicron Delta
Hi Eddy this is Mitchell. I just wanted to say I've finaly got some samples of the Nomads. Don't worry about me I'm alive and well. It's kinda hard to find people for the project "STARGATE" but I'm working on it... Anyway espect the money in the nearby week. I'll bring the Nomads to Ames and they promissed big pay - 19 000 per Nomad Fighter Brain. I know you're angry becouse I'm giving it to Ames and that you want to get your hands on them as soon as possible, but you'll have to wait a little more.
Mitchell out...
Eddy was realy disapointed that he just gave the Nomad Brains to Ames. He was shipless at Manhattan and there weren't any shuttles to Ames soon. So he just had to wait a few more days at the bar with his favourite drink.
Suzuki Akane enters the busy bar, looking quite lost. She was supposed to blend into the environment and gather intelligence. However, Manhatten is way different from New Tokyo. The only thing both places have in common is how busy it is, and there is way too much culture shock to focus on collecting intel.
Akane orders a bowl of spaghetti from the bar and sits down. Staring at first the food, then the fork, Akane wonders: How do you use this thing anyway? After staring at the fork for about a minute, Akane puts the fork down, pulls out a pair of chopsticks, and begins to eat the spaghetti with the chopsticks.
Things were already going smoothly in the bar when suddenly in stepped a guy in a seemingly "fashionable" uniform befitting an officer in a fine trading vessel. He walked and came to the crescent table with the grace of a half-drunken nitwit, and sat down with the agility of a stupor dog...
"HEY BARKEEP!!! A NEED UH DRINKsssss...." the man so arrogantly ordered.
The barkeep comes up on the man and asks in a stricken tone, "And what story have YOU to drown your sorrows in?"
The man seemingly looks at the owner's eyes, but is actually looking right at the back, and replies with a bit of slur, "The name'sss Markussssssss Tennnnisson... I'm the Ca'go managuuuur of the LNT-Vaaaagabund... Been in the survice for quite sume time, and I'm lookin forward to get wasssted..."
With a Liberty Ale on his hand, the barkeep pours a long glass on the man's hand. He then asks, "As I said... what's your story?"
Markus then turns his eyes from the view he maintained, and proceeds to drink his ale with slurping sounds that would rock the very fabric of humanity, all the while between them saying, " 'Ell I wus bein all burrrd in me job, ya seeeee? And I wus goin too ashks one of the twa ladies that were in me crew: that hottie Meeelaroosa, and that stoic ***** named Faye... I DECIDED TO GO FOR THE FIRST, OF COURSE! BUT!!!... I was so stricken down by her utter saying of NO!...
Normally it wouldn't discourage sumwun such as ma charm to continue, but I had the feelin she wus serious... SOOOOO I decided to go over to the ***** Faye.... Now don't GET ME wrong! She was still beautiful, I cud tell ya THAT!!! But she always had that .... coooold... frown on her fasssseeeee... SO I tried ma luck on the DEVIL HERSELF!!! *laughs with evil content*...
And... What a SURPRISE!!! The DEVIL HAD SAID NOOOOOOOOO!!! *sigh* Then I had noh uther choice but to continue bein burd and WOMANLESS!!! IMAGIN THAT MAN!!!"
The barkeep, listening to the story says, "Uh-huh..."
But the drunk's "concentration" was broken when he had just seen something he didn't think would happen: a gorgeous lady comes into the bar and sits on the bartable... He drools slightly at this sudden prospect and stands up to greet her...
That girl turned out to be Julia Wolfe herself, but his liquor content had been delaying his sensory abilities for that moment...
But Markus was unlike other boys who got drunk: he had the rare ability to lie about his drunkeness, or at least make it work to his advantage...
He sat down in a slow, but "seemingly" graceful fashion of an aficionado, and looked at his rested hands in a mysterious way, saying to the lady even with some hidden slur, "Hi... You may not know me, and I know ya may not care... but let me tell you that I only exist to serve angels straight from the heavens like you with the utmost respect. Think of me like a protector, a guardian, a savior of some sort... You can call me Mr. M, and..." He only batted an eye at the dumbstuck LSF officer, who's possibly thinking to herself, 'What in the name of all ethics is this drunkard doing?', "... the pleasure's mine..."
'Mr. M' then asked the barkeep, "Hey Ba'keep... Bring us sum Liberty Beer, if you may..."
"All right sir." The owner dashes over the drinks to him, who catches it with drunken-grace, then sips it in a smooth fasion...
Jack storms into the bar, seemingly talking to himself,
"Get back to me once you've found yourself a spine. Goddamn bureaucrats."
He paused, then proceeded to rip a small device out of his ear and yelled profanities into it, before smashing it onto the floor. He looked up, glanced at the few people in the bar who actually seemed shocked at what he did,
"Get back to your drinks."
As he approached the bar, the bartend lent back as Jack fumbled around for something in his pocket,
"Liberty Navy" said Jack as he waved his now worn ID in front of the bartend. Immediately, the bartender, Steve, felt reassured he was safe - Obviously he hadn't met Jack in a bad mood before.
As Jack slumped into the chair, he noticed the severely drunk man sloshing down the Ale's.
"Bartend, I'll have whatever he's having", the bartend nodded, "Oh, and triple it".
Cook wanders in and sits at the tightly packed bar and order a Liberty ale. This will be his last drink in New York for a while as he is traveling to Bretonia to seek his fortunes in his new Transport Vessel for Universal Shipping. He slowly drinks his beverage and pays the bartender slowly takeing in his surroundings knowing that he won't see these types of things for quite a few weeks to come. He leaves as silently as he comes and only the bartender know's he is gone.