trans_9 | Surveying the Damage [OPEN]

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Surveying the Damage [OPEN]

Vega lost a fight. Now that he was back on his feet and more capable of thinking clearly than he was after the battle with the Ohm, the thought hit him like a punch in the face. He'd lost. He'd never lost anything. He was Vega Obscura, The King of Zoid Battles. He was the best pilot there was and ever would be, and the Berserk Fury was the best Zoid. Nothing could stop them.

...Or at least, that's what he thought. But he lost. It wasn't just some battle for a prize, or a tournament, or anything. That would've been okay. It might even have been fun, to be challenged like that for once. But this was... different. Horribly different. When it had really, really counted, he'd failed.

What did that make him now?

Vega was down in the hangar, brow furrowed as he went over the Fury's diagnostics and tried to put this minor identity crisis out of his thoughts. He already had enough work ahead of him, and the bio-plasma spattered left side of the Berserk Fury was a daunting task. He was going to need help with this, he knew that and he was dreading it. But for now, just looking over it and feeling the frustration and anger radiating off the Zoid was enough to clear his mind some and get him to focus on what was happening now.

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"I've been okay," he says. Well, not really, but this is Vega. "I hope our next shore leave isn't like that."

An understatement, of course.

"I'm seeing all we're gonna need to do to fix Fury since what the Ohm did to him. His armor's all messed up on this side and we lost function in one of his boosters. I'm glad it didn't fall off, otherwise we'd have to replace the whole thing."

The Fury growls. Vega looks back up at it. "Yeah, I know, Fury. You don't like that idea either."

He scratches the back of his neck as he returns his attention to Sherry.

"I don't really know what we're gonna do, but first I have to see all of what's wrong so I can find somebody who can help me figure it out."

Vega's no mechanic, but he can easily pick out any problems in his Zoid's performance. Even if they aren't as obvious as partially vaporized armor with deep bioplasma scoring.

"How're you?" he asks a little belatedly. He's been wondering that, too.

"Me? I've been... okay, I guess. Grounded." Which doesn't explain why she's down here, except for the Very Good Reason(tm) she thought up while leaving her classes for the day. "I dragged Vivio out while we were in the hotel. We were going to go see you and Fletcher, but they caught us, so I was grounded."

Sherry kept her distance from the Fury, and tilted her head to better see the damage on its side. "Is he going to be okay?" She hoped so. Sherry had an awfully sinking feeling that if something happened to Vega's giant robot, he'd be put out in a bad, bad way.

"It was pretty scary, wasn't it? That fight." Not that she got to fight, but after the initial shock had worn off, Sherry had watched the space battle commence from her spot on Leon's back before hiding in another part of the ship. "I didn't get to do anything. You know, because I can't."

"He should be. It takes a lot to really put a Zoid down. You can kill one but that takes like... destroying the core. They can even come back from having their heads severed if you get them fixed quick. Those are both illegal blows though." This seems to cheer Vega up a little. Armor damage is, compared to Zoid death, nothing. And it's fairly routine. He's just so used to being almost untouchable.

"Zoids are tough." Vega smiles. He loves these things. He wishes Sherry weren't so nervous about Fury and shared his enthusiasm, he doesn't really get how intimidating the thing is sometimes.

"It was scary," he admits. The fighting. "It was so fast. It was like I didn't even do anything." He sighs, shoulders slumping a little. "There are so many Ohm, Sherry."

He was beaten. Soundly. He shakes his head. "I know you don't know a whole lot about Zoids, but I'm a really good pilot. I'm not just saying that, I know I am. And Fury is a great Zoid. We can fight. Him and me, we could do just about anything. But we couldn't do that."

Sherry climbed up on a crate and dangled her legs off the edge, studying him. "There were a lot. I'm really glad you made it back, though, Vega." Really, she was happy no one had died. Well, no one from their ship, anyway. She was sure some of the people on Zokez II weren't so lucky.

"You'll do better next time," she assured him. "I know you will." It wasn't said sympathetically, Sherry wasn't good at that. No, no, the little girl said with all the certainty in the world. "We're adaptable people, after all."

"I'll have to," he agrees, also sure. "Stacy brought us here to fight those. So I have to get good at it." There is no alternative. So. He failed once. He'll get better. Telling himself this helps.

It's become really, really clear to Vega that he can't do this alone. Life on the ship already has him in among people far more than he ever was. He actually had friends his age, and one of them was down here checking in on him. That stuff down on Zokez II just extended that to fighting.

"I never had to do stuff with a team before. I don't think I'm real good at it. Sarah always said that was okay because I was good enough to fight several people by myself so it didn't matter."

Vega had taken on entire S-ranked teams on his own and done fine. But the Ohm made it pale in comparison, and highlighted just how much of a sport Zoid combat had been softened into.

"And anyway," he adds, shaking that thought off and brightening, "the Ohm cheat. I need people to watch my back if I gotta worry about dirty fighting too."

The corners of Sherry's lips turned upward, slightly. "That means more practice, doesn't it? I know you don't think it's important, but if I have to find you to make sure you don't fall behind in our classes, you'll be sorry."

She kicked her feet again, back and forth. A little bloom of relief filled in the worry spot in her chest. A brightening Vega meant that he'd be okay. It didn't have to be right away, and that was fine with her. People who bounced back immediately were probably crazy. "I'll be sure to let you know if they do anything really interesting, too." Since he would probably be down here every day until the Fury was totally fine.

Sherry sighed at Vega and went rummaging through her bag, "I have today's notes and this." She handed him the hand-written notes, and a star-shaped pastry sealed in plastic. "It's a snack, and it's not poison."

Really, Sherry? And for a minute there he thought he was gonna get off scott free when it came to lessons!

But there is a snack with those notes.

This is so unfair. But it means she knows him.

He opens it up and takes a huge bite, chews and swallows about half of it. "Thish ish jush so I don' [swallow] complain about school, isn't it?" he says. The suspicion is mostly joking. He knows, this is Sherry. Sherry worries about schooling.

"'S really good though," he admits.

She should've brought another. Ah well, now she knew for next time. "Mostly. Is it working? I tried to make the notes as easy-to-get as possible."

In fact, she'd re-written them twice before the end of classes, adjusting the language as best as she could. "I'll bring you another tomorrow." It was kind of like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for a the goose in Hansel and Gretel, but this time it was on purpose.

Vega sighs, defeated. "Yeah. Alright." He looks over the notes, nodding.

"Thanks," he says. He'd prefer no school at all, but somehow he doesn't think that'll work. So he'll settle for accepting help while he has a busted Zoid to tend.

Victory! Sorry, Vega, but as long as she exists, you are never forgetting about your classes ever.

"You're welcome." She smiled, feeling fairly confident she was doing something good by ~~ruthlessly forcing to study~~ helping Vega. "Should I go? It looks like you're going to be busy, and I don't want to distract you."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be down here working for a while," says Vega.

"I'll see you later?"

You win for now, Sherry, but this is just a battle! Not the war!

You really just had no idea, Vega. Welcome to the rest of your life.

Sherry hesitated for a second, then bounced off her crate and hugged him, "Of course. Work hard, okay?" Now, she had to hurry and get back to her room before one parent or another wondered why it was taking her so long to get back from classes. And since Leon was running the ship (boy, did she ever miss her father), it would probably be Claire she'd have to explain herself to.

Well, that was pretty easy, all things considered. "Bye!" And off she went.

Vega makes a little surprised noise, but before he can even ask what the heck that was for, Sherry's gone.

He stares after her for a moment, then shakes his head.

Girls are weird.

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Surveying the Damage [OPEN]

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