Nor the battle to the strong [Open]

[equivalent_trade]

Edward sat at an empty table in the mess hall, prodding with a fork at the glob of slop slowly congealing on his edible tray. He was a big eater, sure, and not too picky about most foods (save one), but this?

He let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, sprawling out across the bench. The red cloth of his coat fanned out on both sides of him, slithered down to touch the floor. He hadn't been able to find any of the others, which meant they were still in the pods. At the very least, he'd been assured that Alphonse's soul would be safe. As long as he was in stasis, anyway. That had to be the one bright spot in this nightmare.

Come to think of it, the whole last day had been like being a front-row spectator in an inevitable, slow-motion car crash. Sure, there was stuff here he couldn't explain. And everyone seemed to believe, to varying degrees, the whole Ohm story. But then there was the mention of mysterious meetings and shadowy enemies and the laughable (to him) reassurance that as long as they played by the rules, their universes could be 'restored'.

By who? And how?

He glanced back up at the slop and made a face. At least the water here was normal.

[Ed's open to conversation, but at this point will probably be hostile towards any mentions of previous Edwards on the ship. Fair warning!]

Comments

[noblefive]

Here's a familiar sight, though likely not at first. A 7'8" armoured so-and-so sits down nearby, reaching up to remove his helmet.

It's revealed to be the big, muscular dude from the podpop. His hardware is clearly military, and he's also wearing an unhappy scowl on his face as though he's been served something unpleasant.

...Which judging by the food, it isn't surprising.

[equivalent_trade]

Edward craned his head up to see who his company was, and... oh. It was Sir Stares-a-Lot from the pods. He laid back on the bench a few more moments before sitting up.

"What's the matter? Don't like your food?"

Edward? Immature? Nooo.

[noblefive]

Insulting the guy who looks like he can punch out a rhino? Good move, pipsqueak.

Jorge glances sidelong at the smaller alchemist and grunts.

"That's only part of the problem." He's lived on worse, but the ship's food made UNSC MREs look like gourmet cooking.

[equivalent_trade]

Ed had insulted bigger. Plus, he wasn't exactly good with the not-antagonizing-people-he-shouldn't-antagonize thing. He put his elbow on the table, rested his chin in his human hand.

"Oh, don't tell me. You're homesick already."

[noblefive]

Have a glare, Edward. Jorge isn't really in the mood to be insulted by someone he could stomp out of existance. Just because he's big, doesn't mean he's slow.

"I don't get homesick." He growls.

[equivalent_trade]

Take that, Mr. Needs-To-Shop-at-Big-and-Tall. Not that Edward even knew what a chain store was, of course.

"Okay. So if it's not the food and it's not home, what is it? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

[noblefive]

"Why should you care?" It's not said with any particular antagonistic tone, just the same growl as before. Because, in all honesty, why should a, in Jorge's mind, civvie be interested in the goings-on of a soldier? Especially when they're not from the same universes.

Besides, it should be pretty easy to guess what's wrong, if Ed was paying attention at that point. Jorge's little incident with the acting commander probably drew a lot of attention. They were both pretty big people, after all.

[equivalent_trade]

Edward shrugged. "Call me a good Samaritan. Besides, who are you going to talk to? The wall? Your food?"

He hadn't been around during the whole acting-commander incident -- he'd been too busy in a heated argument of his own, with a stranger who claimed to know near everything about him.

[noblefive]

A snort. Again, not particularily antagonistic. Jorge didn't really talk to anyone apart from the Psych Evaluators, but after about 30 years, you kinda learn what to say to keep them happy.

"The acting commander of this place is an alien from my universe. Part of some fanatical group that wanted to wipe all humans out of existance." Might as well, what's there to lose. The only reason 'Vadum isn't a nice stain on the Obs Deck wall is because of John.

[equivalent_trade]

Edward paused almost imperceptibly, expression suddenly more serious. "So... what? You think this guy is going to try to wipe out all the humans on the ship?"

No -- unlikely. If that were true, why would they make him the commander? After all, plenty of the crew was made up of humans. From what Ed could see, anyway.

[noblefive]

"Put it this way-" Jorge pauses to take a drink of water. "-I don't trust the split-lipped bastard. At all. They might be on our side now, but they've got a lot to answer for."

[equivalent_trade]

He crossed his arms. "Not that I can blame you for not trusting someone under those conditions, but... people do a lot of terrible things during war. Not just to other soldiers, but to children, the infirm, doctors who're only trying to help... Even if they think they're doing it for the right reasons."

"Maybe this guy did awful things back then, too -- things he can't even begin to pay for. But maybe he also regrets what he did."

[noblefive]

"Maybe." Jorge knows exactly what Ed's talking about. He's been a soldier for over 30 years, shunted from one campaign to the next. He's had to do some questionable things.

"He's got a good defence. If he hadn't, he would be dead right now." This is said matter-of-factly.

[equivalent_trade]

"You tried to kill him? I thought you were on the same side now."

Way to be an overachiever, giant guy.

[noblefive]

"I didn't find that out until after I had my hands around his throat. And when you see something you've been fighting against for years, something that's probably the cause of thousands of innocent deaths, standing around like he owns the damn place..."

Jorge trails off, his tone getting angry. The images of Reach burning from orbit still fresh in his mind. He takes a moment to calm down before continuing.

"Lets just say I had a good reason for wanting to paint the walls with his brains." Compared to that outburst, the cool, professional tone the SPARTAN now adopts may seem a bit disconcerting.

[sonofether]

"This seat taken?" The man standing before Ed's table was tall, dark of hair and skin, eyes obscured by a weird-looking pair of goggles. He too wore a coat of some sort over his plant suit, but his was white instead of red, and unaccented, save for a smudge of oil near one pocket. Interestingly enough, that substance seemed to be beading up on the cloth, instead of absorbing into it.

He didn't really wait for a response before depositing himself in the seat across from the shorter man, pulling a vial from his pocket and dumping it on the slop, then stirring it in, and digging it in. Mostly business.

"You new around here?"

[equivalent_trade]

Ed looked up at the man. Ishbalan?

Nahhhh. That'd be too much of a coincidence. He sat up a little reluctantly, slouching forward onto the tabletop instead. "No, go ahead and sit down. Sorry for taking up the whole seat."

Okay, the man had already taken a seat, but whatever. Details. "That's me. I woke up here yesterday." He extended a white-gloved hand to Stephen. "Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Pleased to meet you."

[equivalent_trade]

"Makes sense, I guess..." Revenge was a powerful motivator, after all. It could take over lives, change even the kindest of people. Unfortunately, Jorge's sentiments weren't particularly surprising to Ed -- just depressing. Another story about war tearing people's lives apart. He wondered what the fighting had been like from that alien commander's perspective. Had he justified himself, told himself that he was just fighting to defend his species? His beliefs? Was he just as bitter about the humans' role in the conflict?

"Hope you're not still planning to try and kill him, though. We've got bigger problems right now." Or so the story went.

[noblefive]

"Remember that defence I mentioned? It's the leader of my little group. What John says, goes. And I trust John with my life."

That isn't to say that Jorge won't be watching the two Sanghelli very closely. He might trust John, but he doesn't trust them.

[equivalent_trade]

"'Sat so?" Edward had figured that when Jorge had referred to a defense, he meant the commander's reflexes. Apparently not.

Well, with a crew as (apparently) diverse as this one, people were bound to have fights. This particular conflict, however, was probably none of his business. He should remember that. Concentrate on figuring out how to get out of here. On how to pry his friends out of those pods.

Edward sipped his water (the only part of his meal that was not completely unappetizing) in silence, staring off into space for a little while.

[sonofether]

Stephen accepted the hand and shook it, though his brows arched at the title.

"And here I thought alchemy had been subsumed into other sciences. Still..." He shook his head. "Forgetting my manners. I'm Stephen Valkonan. Doctor, but I don't really stand on that formality here. Pleased to meet you as well, though I'm sorry about the surrounding circumstances."

[equivalent_trade]

"Subsumed into other sciences?" What other sciences? Wait. Wait wait wait.

"You're a doctor? What's your specialty?" That whole 'concern about the circumstances' thing fell by the wayside as Edward caught at what might be an opportunity staring him in the face.

[noblefive]

The Commander hadn't done anything at all, which was another thing that made his story more believable. If the Elite had given him something to react to... Then maybe things would have been a bit different.

But, no. He had to be civil about it.

Silence suits Jorge just fine. He moves to eat whatever the hell he's been given for food, all without making too much of a fuss. Despite the thick armour plating of the suit, the SPARTAN moves as fluidly as if he was wearing nothing at all, and being able to manipulate the cutlery despite those thick gloves.

[sonofether]

"Physics. Chemistry. Robotics, though I was interested in all of them and decided not to just settle on one, so I did them all." It didn't really hurt that you were a genius either, Stephen. He didn't feel the need to brag about it, however.

"Though I admit I still have a fondness for chemistry." His brows arched again. "Why do you ask? I didn't mean to disparage alchemy." Though it might be best to stop there, Stephen figured. He lifted a hand and adjusted his goggles a bit.

[equivalent_trade]

"Oh." Edward seemed to deflate a little, setting his chin back down on the table. "So much for that, I guess. I'm looking for a doctor with experience in prosthetic limbs."

For a moment, he was still. Then he shook himself suddenly, as if trying to work kinks out of his arms and legs all at once. "Arrrgh, this is so frustrating. I guess I'll just have to settle for a non-automail mechanic."

It wasn't a prospect he was looking forward to. Grumbling aside, he'd had access to some excellent technicians back in Amestris -- technicians that hadn't minded (much) when he came in with his arm nearly destroyed. Or when he asked for expedited service without appointment.