Ace Combat Zero: The Aether Guard

[Steiner]

Vanya "Hydra" Kurtz

With his two team mates gone, Vanya decided to head for the messhall, following the crowd of chattering pilots made finding the place easy, at least.

Picking up one of the plastic trays, he joined the line for food. He could hear the pilots grumbling, but to him the chow seemed pretty reasonable - perhaps they should have tried Belkan military cuisine, he thought. The only bad part came when he enquired as to whether beer would be served with the meal, and was told that this mess was an alcohol free zone. Apparently it reduced training accidents by 5%, and so Ustiaan airforce policy was that the base be alcohol free.

That caused cursing, until Vanya realised that he was merely drawing attention to himself. Unwelcome attention at that.

Finally he took some milk and filed off to take a seat at a table that was still half-empty.

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

Luisa listened, unoffended by the man's comments about her plane, but tilted her head to one side in curiosity when the other pilot seemed taken aback by her appearance. I know I was up for a while, but do I look that bad?

"Oh, the rocket pods? Well, I was on patrol along the perimeter, ostensibly in support of the PBI," she said by way of reply, waving at the mostly empty pods dismissively.

"I guess I could've taken some AA, but I'm no dogfighter. Better to have a lighter payload for more speed. It's got an internal 30 mil if I'm desperate, though."

"Besides, while this bird is fast and maneuverable, it's getting too old for a stand-up fight with the newer planes being produced," she said, patting the main delta wing.

"Oh," she said, just realizing something. She extended her hand to him. "Here I am, jabbering along and I've not introduced myself yet. My name is Luisa Santa Vianna, callsign 'Snow Angel.' And you are?"

 

[RedMageNeko]

Looking at the offered hand, I reached out and grasped it in mine, a thin smile crossing my lips. "Uriem Ventril, callsign Shadow and formerly Staff Sergant of the Yuktobanian Air Force."

Looking over the craft again, I chuckle. "If your relying on a 30 mil for anti-air combat, you really ARE desperate. Not like I have much room to talk though."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"A pleasure, Sergeant Ventril," she replied.

A firm grip, but gentle, Luisa thought as he took her hand in his.

She smiled politely as he talked, then pointed out a couple of the parked aircraft in sheltered berms just off the runway, engines running, ready to scramble in case of attack.

"What do you mean? Even B-52s have guns on them, last time I checked," she laughed.

This guy's kind of nice, she thought to herself. Like an older brother or a really good friend.

 

[RedMageNeko]

"Ah, but I don't fly B-52's. Try F-117's. Stealth bombers. We slip in, slip out, and pray to GOD whatever is out there doesn't spot us."

Taking the thin glasses off the bridge of my nose, I took a cloth out of my pocket and cleaned the lenses. "I managed to slip a few XMAA's into the bay's, but that's about it. I get into a dogfight, all I got are my guts and luck to get me through."

Smiling lightly to myself, I slipped the glasses back on. "Good thing they haven't failed me yet."

 

[RedMageNeko]

"Ah, but I don't fly B-52's. Try F-117's. Stealth bombers. We slip in, slip out, and pray to GOD whatever is out there doesn't spot us."

Taking the thin glasses off the bridge of my nose, I took a cloth out of my pocket and cleaned the lenses. "I managed to slip a few XMAA's into the bay's, but that's about it. I get into a dogfight, all I got are my guts and luck to get me through."

Smiling lightly to myself, I slipped the glasses back on. "Good thing they haven't failed me yet."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

Luisa found Ventril's mannerisms quite charming and couldn't help but laugh again.

"Forgive me, Uriem," she apologized. "I don't mean to mock you or anything, far from it."

"So, are you out here to check on your own plane before a mission or just to appreciate the scenery?"

 

[RedMageNeko]

Looking over at the young woman next to me, I chuckled again. "Oh, I suppose its a bit of everything. I'm a recon pilot. Its my job to study every detail around me. And don't worry about it. Recon's never get as much glory as the fighters, but I enjoy my job."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"I can admire that, sergeant," she replied, her hair moving just slightly in the soft breeze sweeping across the airfield.

"Well," she sighed, "I'm hungry and a little tired, so I'm going to grab some chow and relax a bit."

"Care to join me or do you have a mission to prep for?" she asked.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Thinking it over for a moment, I came to what was pretty much the only conclusion I could. Smiling lightly, I turned and gestured back towards the base buildings. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the finest dining on base, guaranteed."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"That sounds great..." Luisa said, slipping her arms out of the sleeves of her flightsuit and wrapping them around her waist.

"...if you don't mind a dinner guest who smells like a horse that's run several kilometers non-stop," she finished her sentence, winking at him with one of her green eyes.

Maybe I shouldn't have done that, she thought, pulling at the t-shirt she customarily wore underneath, her cheeks reddening at how the cotton material stuck embarrassingly to her sweaty skin.

Well, with the way this war's going, maybe the guys on base deserve some eye-candy...

 

[RedMageNeko]

As Lusia pulled her flightsuit down and tied it around her waist, I found myself getting quite the view of her curvacious body. Of course, I didn't allow myself to stare TO openly. When one was a mercenary such as myself, one could ill afford to make waves with ones employers, lest I lose my job.

My smile didn't falter for a moment of course. "I hadn't even noticed. Personally, I think you smell like a rose in the middle of springtime."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

A rose? she thought, arching an eyebrow.

Luisa giggled, albeit nervously, caught off-guard by the surprise comment.

“That’s awfully kind of you to say, sergeant,” she said. If a little disconcerting.

However, she didn’t stop Ventris from leading her into the base.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Throwing my head back, I laughed mirthfully, grinning to myself. "Ah, I know. That was a horrible line. Forgive me. I figured I should prepare you before you went inside. While there are women here on base from what I've seen, there are never a shortage of testosterone driven men in places such as this."

Smiling lightly at her, I pushed my glasses a little higher up on my nose. "Course, I can tell from your fighter and the way you walk that your no stranger to military life. Tell me, where were you before you came to our little corner of the world?"

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

Luisa stuffed her hands in her pockets as they walked, shrugging her shoulders. Not like it matters if he knows or not.

"I was a student before I enlisted. I needed to sign up to pay for college, but I never thought there'd ever be a war while I was in uniform."

"I grew up in the suburbs of the capital," she replied, wistfully. "I used to love hearing the clock tower at noon."

She looked down a moment, lost in thought, then raised her head, turning to fix her green eyes, filled with curiosity, on Ventril's.

"And you? Where are you from?"

 

[Dynosius]

"I'm Kayla Martins, Mayana. The base's Doctor. It's a pleasure to meet the other half that keeps our pilots well and flying." Kayla said with a smile to the mechanic.

Kayla accepted the offered hand and gave Mayana a smile back.

"Looks like the briefings over. You better get to that dinner date of yours."

Mayana shook Kayla's hand. Ah yes... The doctor. Important to know and to befriend. Working with dangerous tools all day long and laying under plains as you work with highly flammable kerosene could cause injuries or accidents from time to time. Having the doctor as a friend meant (almost always) a bit better treatment. It was just the way things worked, at least in Mayana's experience they did.

"Yeah, dinner sounds awesome now. I've been working hard all day long, but it was worth it."

Mayana smiled and turned on her heels as she heard Miranda's voice. And with that came the smell of smoke. Mayana never had a thing with smoking, but she didn't want any of the pilots to become stressed, or whatnot, so she tried to get over it.

Taking a drag, Miranda left them with a neutral, bored look as she moved to where Mayana and Kayla seemed to be talking. That was good. Or bad. It depended on how she managed to conduct herself tonight.

"Hey, Mayana, I'm off to change. See you at the mess hall, Ok? And see you in the office, doc."

Mayana nodded eagerly. She was really looking forward to have dinner with Miranda. Given, they would share the mess hall with other pilots, but still...

 

[RedMageNeko]

Luisa stuffed her hands in her pockets as they walked, shrugging her shoulders. Not like it matters if he knows or not.

"I was a student before I enlisted. I needed to sign up to pay for college, but I never thought there'd ever be a war while I was in uniform."

"I grew up in the suburbs of the capital," she replied, wistfully. "I used to love hearing the clock tower at noon."

She looked down a moment, lost in thought, then raised her head, turning to fix her green eyes, filled with curiosity, on Ventril's.

"And you? Where are you from?"

"Me?" I chuckled lightly, running a hand through my dark hair as we walked. "I've been a pilot most of my life, though mostly small passenger stuff. Signed up into the Yuktopanian Air Force a few years back, found I had quite the knack for it."

Sighing, I shook my head, letting my hand fall back to my side. "But a lot of times, I'd get orders I didn't agree with. It stuck to me. So eventually, I left the Air Force, became a merc. Turns out I'm better at that then being a straight laced military man. Pays better and if I get an order I don't like, I can just quit."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"Yes, freedom is an underappreciated privilege, isn't it?"

"Of all the services, the air force appealed to me because I loved it when my father would take me up in his Piper Cub in the summer," Luisa said as the two pilots entered the mess hall.

"Directus is so beautiful from the air," she reminisced.

"Especially at night, with the buildings all aglow," she smiled. "The clocktower in particular is a sight to see."

She favored Ventril with another smile before taking a tray and joining the queue for chow.

 

[RedMageNeko]

I chuckled lightly, grabbing a tray. "Heh. I still say the countryside in Yukotobanian outshines everything. Its ...... peaceful. Probably where I'm gonna be once I get to old to fly."

Looking over the food, I made a face, chuckling. "Different countries, different bases, same food."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"At least it's better than nothing, right?"

"And healthier than any fast food joint," she added, picking out an eclectic mix of stuffed mushrooms, sliced cucumbers and fried rice.

To round out the meal, she grabbed a 12 oz. can of generic diet soda from the ice-filled bin at the end of the line and waited for Ventril.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Reaching out, he grabbed a bowl of rice as well, along with a bottle of soy sauce and some chicken, slipping them onto his tray as he followed her. "True, but just ONCE I'd like to see variety in a base. I can go to Osea, Yuktobania, Belka, and they'd ALL be eatting the same thing."

Grabbing a can himself, he walked to a table with her, sitting down and mixing the chicken, rice, and sauce together, pulling out a pair of metal chop sticks he carried in his pocket to stir the mixture together. "War really is good for business. Guns, planes, tanks, mercs like us, and of course the guys who sell the rations."

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda returned to her room within the barracks. The rooms were nothing fancy. A bed with a steel structure, a wardrobe that looked more like a couple lockers stuffed together in a corner, and a desk and a chair. There was even a tiny TV on a small table, but Miranda had found the mechanics trying to get rid of it and paid to get it fixed. It wasn't much of a luxury, but it still was good entertainment every now and then.

And besides, she had the luck of her room being in a corner of the building, so she got two windows for good illumination.

Miranda took the cigarettes out of her flight suit, and began changing for dinner. It was nothing too fancy. She just put some underwear (actual underwear, not just a sports bra, for example), jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. In civilian life, this was pretty normal, but here... it stood out. She pocketed the cigarettes, and walked back to the mess hall, checking her watch. 18:10. Just perfect...

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

Chopsticks? This guy is just full of surprises.

Surprised by eating utensils she considered anachronisms, Luisa couldn't help but laugh. The pilot of one of the most advanced warplanes of the day, using one of the oldest of eating implements to enjoy his food!

"You know," she said, leaning forward with her elbow resting on the table, fork hanging from her fingers. "I heard that besides improving manual dexterity, using chopsticks helps ward off Alzheimer's."

She placed another mushroom into her mouth and frowned. Mother made better, she thought. These guys didn't use the right blend of beef, cheese and onion.

"I guess I was wrong about the quality of the food," she remarked.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Gathering a bite of rice and chicken with the sticks, I slip them into my mouth and grin. "Maybe, but I'm just more comfortable with these then I am with anything else. Been using them since I was a kid."

Hearing her complain about the food, I grin lightly around the sticks, slowly pulling them from my mouth. "Well, maybe sometime you and me should just sneak out, grab our planes, and fly to the nearest city, get ourselves a REAL meal."

 

[Kaskasero_Kunai]

"And have the bad guys pounce on what they think is a lone plane?"

"Dinner and a show," she laughed, laying a hand on his. "How could I refuse!"