Congratulations? [OPEN]

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy slouched through the city with her hands in her pockets, kicking at the gravel. She'd have to see Reinforce and get a new uniform made. She'd have to schedule a meeting with the captain, and one with Kira and Michael to check in with them about their squadrons.

She was going to have to promote someone to Commander in Rogue Squadron, and quite frankly she didn't see any viable candidates in the bunch. Winchester had a slug in his head, and it was obvious to anyone who knew him that his first loyalty would always be to his family. Hemeros was a good kid, but kind of a wild pilot. Fenton was a good kid too, decent pilot, but he was a kid. Not someone she wanted as an officer. Janson might do, especially since he had so much more experience with the X-wings, but his absence at the training exercise had been kind of glaring - but then, maybe he'd been nabbed by GLaDOS to go run mazes.

The door to the Drunken Dragon was open as always, and Trudy felt some of the stress sliding off her shoulders as she walked in, flinging herself onto a bar stool. "Whatever new stuff you think I'll like that you've got back there, I need it," she said.

Comments

[a_mere_human]

Sitting not too far from her, towards the end of the bar, was someone who would probably end up being a huge headache to her. Setsuna was by himself, quietly drinking some water as he looked over something on a datapad. He had glanced up at her when she came in, but otherwise paid her no mind.

[fieldpromoted]

He may not have said anything to her, but she certainly noticed him. She remembered his face from the training exercise - and remembered his distinct lack of participation. Not that she could really lay into him, since he wasn't officially part of her military yet, but feeling out the kind of guy he was seemed like a good move.

Trudy moved down a couple of chairs until she was sitting near him. "I remember you from the sensoriums," she said. "Have any thoughts about what you watched?"

[a_mere_human]

He glanced up from his pad at Trudy, regarding her quietly for a moment. Whatever he decided, it was hard to tell, as he looked back down at his pad.

"None that matter."

[fieldpromoted]

So much for trying to be friendly.

Trudy gave a kind of mental shrug. If he didn't want to care, that wasn't her problem. "I don't think we actually met," she said, extending her hand. She hesitated only a brief second before she gave her new rank - she'd taken it, she had to stand by it. "General Trudy Chacon. You're a pilot, I take it."

[a_mere_human]

"Setsuna F. Seiei," he responded, looking up at her, but not shaking her hand. He actually wasn't trying to be disrespectful there, though he was aware it might come off that way. But he always avoided physical contact with people as much as he could.

"I'm a Gundam Meister," he clarified. Sort of.

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy'd met enough people on the ship that had apparently never been raised with manners that his lack of response to the offered handshake went almost unnoticed.

"A mobile suit pilot, then," Trudy said. "I fly with the Rogues, myself, but I'll admit that I've wondered what those machines could do."

[a_mere_human]

He was raised with good manners. All of which were beaten out of him after he joined a group of religious extremists.

"It's very different than piloting an X-wing," he informed her.

[fieldpromoted]

"Well I didn't start off flying those either," Trudy said. She took a small drink of her liquor, her eyes wandering around the bar as she reminisced. "They started me off flying transports, then I got switched to a chopper and stayed flying that for a couple years. Now I'm on Stacy, and atmosphere craft doesn't have much use, so I learned the X-wings."

She said it offhandedly, like everyone could pick up a new craft in the relatively short time she'd been here. Of course, if he was anything like the rest of the Gundam pilots, he had more talent in his little finger than in her whole body.

[a_mere_human]

He listened carefully, eying her expressions as she talked.

"You're a career soldier?"

[fieldpromoted]

"Oh, I joined the Marines when I was eighteen because I didn't have much else to do with my life. Served my contract out there and decided to ship out of system with a mercenary group."

He had a right to ask her about herself. She would be his commander, if he decided to join up. He should know as much about her as she was willing to give. "So I guess you could say that."

[a_mere_human]

"Hm." Exactly what that noise meant was anyone's guess.

"So what do you fight for now?"

[governorkang]

"Way ahead of you," Kang grinned, thumping a clay jug in front of her. "It's vodka."

[fieldpromoted]

"Hot damn, Kang, you just became my favorite person on the ship. Where the hell did you manage to get vodka? Don't tell me we've got a distillery and I didn't know about it."

Trudy uncorked the jug and sniffed. It smelled like paint thinner. She grinned. "Got a glass for me, Legartijo?"

[governorkang]

Kang laughed, setting a mug in front of Trudy as well, "Mei-Xing's helping out. She's got a spell that speeds up fermentation time."

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy poured herself a good couple of fingers - she'd nurse this for a little while. She didn't want to get herself plastered, not like she had when Kawalsky died, but she didn't really want to be sober right now either.

She took a sip and her eyebrows went up. It wasn't bad. Not fantastic, but not bad. "Well, cheers to the misanthropic elf chick," she said. "Who knew she'd be good for something besides pissing people off?"

[governorkang]

"I like her well enough, for an elf," Kang chuckled, his tone giving no indication of whether or not he was joking. "I can see why others wouldn't like her, though. She's a pretty damn powerful mage, actually."

[fieldpromoted]

"I don't give a shit about her magic twiddle or whatever," Trudy said. "She's got an attitude that I just can't stand. Makes me want to pop her in the mouth every time she opens it." She shrugged, dismissing the thought. "At least I don't have to deal with her. Nanoha is welcome to her."

She glared at nothing. Sorry Kang, she's in a really pissy mood today.

[governorkang]

Kang shrugged, "Can't deny she's got an attitude. It took me some getting used to. Enough about her, though. I would say congratulations on your promotion, but I'm pretty sure it was an unwanted promotion."

[fieldpromoted]

"Yeah you... could say that again." Trudy sighed, swirling her glass. "I liked Wedge, god dammit. He was a good guy and a good commander."

That was only the half of it, of course. She had been perfectly comfortable in command of Rogue Squadron, but now she'd be stuck on a bridge directing the battle from a ways off. No more dogfighting for her, not unless they really needed every single hand.

[governorkang]

"At least he isn't dead," Kang said, resting his elbows on the table so that he was more level with Trudy. "There's a chance he'll wake back up and you can go back to what you were doing before."

[fieldpromoted]

"Forgive me if I'm not going to hedge my bets on slim chances," she said heavily. The more she thought about it, the more the weight of her new office seemed to settle on her shoulders.

"Kang," she began, and her tone said that Kang had better get ready for one of those hard questions. "I trust your judgement, which is the only reason I'm going to ask you this. Do you think I should step down, promote someone else?"

[shootingblancs]

Wherever you are, Trudy, there's a blonde sniper sliding into a seat across from you.

"That doesn't look much like a celebration face."

[fieldpromoted]

"I don't really feel like celebrating," she said. "As far as commanders go, I liked Wedge. I didn't feel any kind of need to step into his shoes."

Only now here she was.

[shootingblancs]

"I liked Captain Ozma," Michael shrugged.

"Looks like what we feel or don't feel doesn't matter much here."

[fieldpromoted]

Trudy made a noise of agreement that was only slightly muffled by her mug. "I mean, I'd rather have him re-podded so his soul doesn't fall out - isn't that just a kick in the teeth - but the ship sure picks the damndest times to do it."

No time would have been better or worse, except that she'd already been assuming many of the duties Wedge would have done, and found herself running into the other commanders. Maybe this promotion was actually a good thing.

It'd be like pulling teeth to get her to admit it, though.