first sortie.

[unbr8kable]

[Six hours previous, everything had been so much simpler. The Eta cohort had made it to live combat training, out in one of the few areas the Tenno had claimed back from the invaders. Xia had been vibrating the whole day, grinning wide as she suited up in the boring steel training mech (hers would be blue, she decided, or maybe black, with bold red stripes on the limbs) and deployed to the field, not even cracking on Wimperson, the Support (not his real name, but it may as well have been).

The Heralds didn't come up on radar until they were practically on top of the trainees. Maybe if there'd been more lead time, it would've been less of a shitshow, but who the hell knows.

The grimy details aren't important, but they aren't great. Damage to all suits, with two damaged beyond repair; the Leader froze under pressure, the Shadow couldn't keep up with the speedy Heralds. Wimperson actually came through. Johnson the Medic went down right there, in front of them.

Xia and Jacob have only just gotten out of their debriefing, another unexpected first for the day.

She and Jacob did good, Xia knows. They kept their heads, were barely hurt, they moved together well. "You'll make a good team," Corporal Kuwahara tells them before turning towards the medical ward to check on Johnson's surgery. "Go get some rest."

But no, rest is pretty much the opposite of what they need right now, Xia thinks. She turns to Jacob, giving her best attempt at a normal expression.]

Wanna get out of here?

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

Needle assembly line? Needle factory?

Press-gang aliens into needle manufacturing crews?

[unbr8kable]

They'd finally have some use! Plus, we could make them eat them instead.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Pokes at her.]

No fair trying to put the consequences off on aliens.

[unbr8kable]

[pokes back]

Like they don't deserve it! If they didn't want to deal with consequences, then maybe they shouldn't have come here.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Pretty convincing argument you got there.

I guess if it's gonna be aliens doing the swallowing, we better make giant needles, instead.

[unbr8kable]

Explosive ones, preferably.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Hey, we should be taking notes. This could be the next big suit design.

[unbr8kable]

...Good point. Like, a porcupine backpack or something, and you can shoot out the quills, and then they blow up or are missiles or something... I mean, wouldn't that be super sweet?

[crossmyheartandhope]

They'd be pretty run hard to aim, if they launched from the back. They'd probly have to have some kinda auto-targeting system.

[unbr8kable]

True. Or you could just use it when you're surrounded. If nothing else, it'd keep anyone from jumping on you, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

But what about friendly fire? Could get messy.

Oh! I got it. How bout it makes some kind of force field around you and the aliens surrounding you, then fires?

[unbr8kable]

If everything bounces off the forcefield, how do you keep from getting hit yourself with the ricochet?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Uh.

[He hadn't thought about that, give him a sec.]

The plating on the suit itself would be impenetrable?

[unbr8kable]

I guess... Then why do you need the forcefield? You could just run into bad guys, it's not like they could hit you! Roll into them like a bowling ball!

[which she thinks sounds pretty awesome]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[His eyes light up at that.]

You'd be like an unstoppable pin cushion! Only the pins would point outward.

[unbr8kable]

If you could bend inside out around something...! No, that'd be silly. But it's still badass, we need to bribe a mechanic.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah, seriously.

And what if you had some kinda throwing weapon that was like a mini version. Balls with needles.

[unbr8kable]

So sweet!

...How do you hold it?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...by the... longest needle?

[unbr8kable]

...

...Maybe the needles can pop out later, after you've thrown it?

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Laughs a little, and ducks his head.]

Yeah, that seems like it'd work better.

[unbr8kable]

[she grins, nudging at his side]

You should tell Yoshioka to get on that.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Grinning right back.]

You think he'd go for it?

[unbr8kable]

'Course. He loves you, he'd at least come up with a good reason not to.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Guess it wouldn't hurt to dangle the line and see if he bites.