5 Minutes: Reloaded

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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » June 27th, 2013, 5:42 am

Finally, I got a bit of writing time in. Another of the group from the 427th, Lieutenant Chad Ross. Things aren't going all that well for the Ghost. He's been out of circulation, hidden away in a top secret project. He's the key to Doctor Tod Moeller's new breakthrough in space battle technology, he just has no idea how to help them. Now, he's being shipped off and the project could be doomed. Who could pull him out of a top secret project, and why would they? Have we already had a clue? Well read on, I'll try to get more done soon.

Chapter 4

Chad took one last look around his barracks room. The room was small and Spartan, like all military barracks, but this one had much more comfortable furnishings than any other he had lived in. Once he was sure he hadn’t left any of his few possessions, he left the room and headed down the corridor toward “freedom”. Oh, he hadn’t been in prison, it just had seemed like it. After the battle at Mar Sara, Chad had been taken aboard a light cruiser and transported directly back to earth. He’d spent the first couple weeks in the hospital at the Victorville EDF base, and then was transferred to The Dragonfly research program under Dr. Tod Moeller. The program had been classified as top secret and was under the tightest of security. Chad was not allowed any outside contact. That, Chad had found unacceptable, there was someone he needed to talk to. It took him a lot of pleading, arguing and finally refusing to co-operate, but in the end, General Parker’s aide, Tom, had gotten permission for Chad to contact Arisa. The catch was, all the messages had to be censored by Tom. Chad had sent the messages, a lot of them over the past two months, but Arisa had never sent a reply. Chad had even asked Tom to use the General’s influence to find out if Arisa was receiving his messages. Tom was reluctant but did get the system information for Chad. Yes, the messages had been received.

Chad met Dr. Moeller and his assistant Janis in the corridor on the way out. Tod was still fuming about Chad’s departure. When the orders had come, that Chad was to report to base for a new assignment, Tod had almost exploded. He’d protested to General Parker, and to anyone else who would listen. The general had tried to get the orders rescinded, but had failed. He had finally explained to the scientist that someone with very high connections had pushed through Chad’s transfer, there was nothing he could do about it.

Tod was in a black mood. “They can’t do this,” he complained. “We still haven’t cracked the problem. There has to be something you haven’t told us. Some reason you can operate the Dragonfly without losing your mind. They have to let us continue testing you.”

Chad sighed, “I told you, there’s nothing special about me. I just got lucky.”

“No,” Tod almost shouted, “there has to be something. We recreated the parameters of your initial situation, even down to the pilot not knowing what will happen, and we lost the pilot. Having the pilots spend hours in the simulator hasn’t helped either. It has to be something in your psyche. There is something abnormal in your head!”

Chad stood still, frowning at the doctor. “There’s nothing wrong with my head. You just go at this all wrong. You can’t just dump people out into empty space, they have to get used to it first, and those simulators are useless. They look nice, but there’s something missing. They just feel flat or something, I can’t explain it, but you just know it isn’t real.”

“What can we do about it?” Tod fired back. “We can’t just keep scaring pilots crazy till we find one that can take it. How could we make the simulators any more real?”

“Well,” Chad mused, “You could try slaving a helmet to an unmanned Dragonfly out in space. That would be the real thing, but the pilot would be aboard ship with you.”

Tod looked surprised, “I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe that would work, if they knew they were actually in the ship.”

“ Hmmm, and why don’t you start them out at a less transparent setting, maybe like halfway? That way they could see the outline of the mech around them, kind of like sitting in a dirty glass mech or something. That wouldn’t be so frightening. Then they could make the thing as clear as they could stand as they got used to it.” Chad added.

“That’s not possible,” Tod informed him, “the system isn’t designed with that capability.”

“Huh?” Chad looked surprised this time. “It is too, Ghost did just that, when I had to see what I was doing with my mech’s hands, that time Captain McFarlaine’s mech had a runaway power unit. Ghost could change the transparency to anything I wanted.”

Tod looked down at his assistant, Janice, “is that possible? Could the system be modified to have adjustable transparency? How could Chad’s unit have done that if it isn’t in the system program?”

Chad looked at the young woman. You could almost see the wheels spinning in her mind as her brow wrinkled in concentration. She pushed her oversize glasses up on her small nose, a habit she had when she was thinking. Chad knew Janis would come up with an answer, the mousy girl knew more about the Dragonfly than even Dr. Moeller did.

“It might be possible,” She finally replied. “If we duty cycled the sensor view with the real view. I would have to rewrite the display driver code, and there would be complications with syncing the displays so system is smooth enough for……………”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Tod almost shouted as he turned and quickly headed back into the lab. “Come along! We have to rewrite the system! I knew Ross was holding out on us.”

Janice turned and started after Dr. Moeller then hesitated and turned back. She looked up at Chad. “Thank you, Chad,” she pushed her glasses up on her nose, “and goodbye.”

“JANICE!” Tod yelled from down the hall. “No time to waste, we have work to do.”

She quickly turned and almost ran down the hall, “I’m coming Doctor.”

Chad shook his head. That was just like the doctor, his research was everything, and Janice would do anything for him. Chad sighed and left the building, he got into the air car that was waiting for him.
As they drove off, the MP driving glanced over at Chad. “It must be real downer having to leave the easy life in a setup like this,” he said.

Chad almost laughed…… easy life? For two months he’d been subject to every question and every test Dr. Moeller, and every military psych specialist that the doctor could co-opt, could think up. He’d spent hour in the simulators. He’d spent hours wired up to…….. who knows what kind of machines, while they tried their best to scare him or drive him crazy. They’d wrung everything they could out of him. The military probably knew more about Lieutenant Chad Ross than they did about any other human. All that time, Chad just wanted to get away, to go back to the 427th, to the few people who had been his friends……… to Arisa. But now, he just didn’t care anymore. Arisa hadn’t answered any of his messages. John was right, as soon as Chad was gone, she’d forgotten him. She probably found some other guy, someone from her own social rank. “Not really,” he told the MP, “it wasn’t that great.”

“Do you know where they’re sending you?” The MP asked.

“No, I don’t really care. I’ll get my orders when I get to the EDF base on the moon.” Chad told the MP. He was a bit curious though, it must have been someone with pretty high connections if even General Parker couldn’t get the orders changed.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » August 6th, 2013, 6:55 pm

Finally back with a couple more of our friends from the 427th armored. Looks like Crichton and McFairlane haven't had things going too well lately. It seems heros just aren't appreciated in the empire. Seems the whole group is in for bad times, court-martial, hospital, deployment to the far end of nowhere. How are they ever going to clear their names. Maybe we'll find out as things go on. I wonder what happened to Colonel Hellwind?


Chapter 5
Layla leaned close and whispered to her friend, “He’s one of them, I know it.”

Dana shook her head, “no, I saw them when they came back to base, he wasn’t with them.”

“But, he is,” Layla assured her, “He was injured, that’s why he has that cane. He was in the hospital at that time. I saw his picture on the news.”

“I don’t know,” Dana hesitated. She looked the man over. His EDF uniform looked like he had slept in it, he hadn’t shaved in a few days and his hair was uncombed. “I don’t remember that.”

“I’ll just go and ask him,” Layla said as she got up and headed toward the bar.

“No, wait……….. Layla!” Dana called after her friend, as she got up quickly to try to stop her.

John Crichton sat at the bar, morosely nursing his second drink. It would be his last, till his next disability check came through. He sighed, there wasn’t much left for him, now that he was a cripple. Damn doctors, they didn’t know anything, they said everything had healed up just fine, but it hadn’t. They just couldn’t get it right. Now he was out of the EDF, medical discharge, and the space administration wouldn’t have him back. If only Chad hadn’t disappeared. If that stash of old movies he talked about was real, they could make a fortune………… If…… he sighed. If the little froggy had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass every time he jumped. John looked down at his almost empty glass as someone walked up next to him.

“Excuse me, sir, were you at the battle of Mar Sara?” Layla asked him.

John looked down at the girl. She was an EDF academy cadet. A medium height , mocha skinned girl. Her curly black hair was just past shoulder length, she had a cute round face with dark brown eyes. The girl tended to be a bit overweight, but in all the right places. John smiled, “why, yes I was, right in the middle of it.”

Dana came up behind Layla. “Oh, wow! You really were one of them? Could you tell us what happened? What was it like to be in the battle?” The girl excitedly asked. This was unexpected, to meet one of the pilots that she, and many other of the cadets considered heroes, no matter what the media tried to make of them. Dana looked into his light blue eyes. She could see there was a handsome and intelligent man under that scruffy exterior.

John looked the new girl over, a tall slender blond. She had very long silky hair, bright blue eyes a small nose and very red lips. She looked about as good as money could make a girl look now days. It had been a long time since any woman had shown interest in him, a long time since he’d been with a woman……….. a long time since he’d even tried. John turned on the charm, “I’d be glad to, it wasn’t at all like the media boys tell it, I know, we were set up, someone thought we were expendable, but we fooled them. “

“Ooooo! Dana squealed. “Please tell me all about it. I’ll buy you another drink.”

“Hey!” Layla interjected. “I saw him first. Don’t go hogging him all to yourself.”

John put his arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. “No need to be fighting now girls, there’s plenty of old Johnny-boy to go around.” He assured her. “Let’s find a nice booth and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Before John could make his way across to the booths, the door opened and three military police entered the bar. The lead MP took a quick look around the room then stepped up to John. “Big surprise, finding you in a bar hitting on the women, Crichton.” He sneered at John. “It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough, Korth” John told him. “So, they let you out of your cage. What’s the occasion, a social call, or are you here to harass someone?” John was confused, if they came for one of the cadets, why would they bring three MP’s? What could the girls have done?

“I’ve got orders to haul your ass into base, Crichton, and I’m not letting you get away this time.” Korth told him, with a vicious growl.

John laughed, “go crawl back under your rock, I’m retired, medical discharge. You don’t have jurisdiction anymore. Too bad, I’m sure you thought you could get revenge for last time we met.”

Korth shoved an envelope of papers at John. “The laugh’s on you, bastard, your discharge is rescinded, I’m taking you in, one way or the other. You can come in peacefully, like a whipped mutt, or we can drag what’s left of your carcass in when we get done with you. Take your pick.”

John stared at the envelope. Rescinded, could they even do that? Why would they? He would never be able to pilot a mech again. Unless…….. court-martial, that had to be it. The military needed to blame someone to get the media off their backs, and it looked like the 427th were the sacrificial goats. John leaned on his cane and sighed, a few months ago he would have………….. No, now he was useless, no sense in fighting it. “Alright, I’ll come along,” he answered in a weary voice.

Georgianna sat on the edge of her bunk, head in her hands. It was over, there was nothing she could do now. They must have found out about the black outs, her waking nightmares, battles, fire and destruction, innocent people dying and nothing she could do about it……….post-traumatic stress disorder. She’d tried not to let anyone know, but, how could they miss it. The blackouts had started shortly after they returned from Mar Sara. She had tried to get away, take some R&R time at one of the Mars colonies. She remembers leaving for the colony, but can’t remember anything till she found herself back at the moon base. She’d persuaded the EDF to let her function as a firearms instructor. She’d done alright, but there were times she was out of it, like she was in a trance. Someone must have reported it. Enough of them knew about it. After today’s incident, they all must know…….. The firing range had become a large room, the targets transformed to people, government leaders, military brass, leaders of the empire, and they were plotting to destroy another planet, to kill all the people. They were giving orders for the EDF to attack, to wipe out everyone. She couldn’t stand it, couldn’t obey their orders. They were murderers and they were laughing about it. She had to stop them. Georgianna had picked up the rifle and shot them, all of them. She’d emptied the rifle then pulled out her sidearm and emptied it at those laughing killers, but they didn’t fall. They became hideous figures, alien. Why weren’t the others firing at them? She pulled the gun from the holster of the man next to her and fired till it was empty…………. The room slowly dissolved into the firing range, the targets, all of them registering multiple hits. She stood staring blankly.

“Um, sir, could I…… um…… have my weapon back?” The frightened young MP standing next to her asked.

Georgianna looked down at the gun, then at the young man. Damn, she’d have to cover this somehow. “The trigger pull is too heavy and the sight is off to the left. Have it repaired,” she told him as she handed the gun back. But it was too late to cover up. They already knew. He was there with her orders to report to headquarters.
PTSD………they would send her to the hospital………… the “loony bin”. “Captain Georgianna McFairlane,” She whispered, it was who she was, it was all she had left, and now it would be taken away from her.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » August 18th, 2013, 4:43 am

Well, It's taken a while, but finally we come to the last of our group from the first book. There were a few others, but they are either gone, or don't play in this story. We have one more important character to hear about, Colonel Hellwind. He's been hiding out from the media pressure and hoping for a return of his command. Maybe things are going to turn around for him, he just got his orders, a transfer to a new command. I hope it's a good one. As for the others, they are all off to where ever their new orders are sending them.

Chapter 6
Colonel Daniel Hellwind took a sip of his brandy. It was a good brandy, smooth. “But Uncle George, the eleventh, why did they have to assign me to the eleventh? That’s worse than giving me command of an outpost in nowhere.” Dan complained to the General who was sitting across from him.

After the loss of Daniel’s father, General George Parker had raised Daniel as his own. He looked across at Daniel, he knew the young man was getting a bad deal, and yet……. “You should just feel lucky you got a command, Daniel,” the General told him. “It was all I could do to keep you out of a court-martial. Your father had enemy’s Dan, and you’ve made a few of your own. Someone higher up than me pulled the strings to get you a command.”

“But the eleventh?” Dan complained. “It’s just a taxi service. They never see any combat, any action. It’s the cadets that can’t pass combat training. They’ve never been in a fight, not even during the colony wars. All they do is look pretty for the diplomats they haul around the empire. I need more than that.”

“You’ll just have to hang in there till this mess blows over.” The General counseled. “In a few years you might put in for a transfer to a combat unit. Your first assignment is important enough, it’s one of the imperial family, Princess Melpomene. She’s on a diplomatic mission.”

Dan sipped his brandy, “I guess that’s better than babysitting some big wheel’s kids on vacation to an amusement dome.” Daniel sighed. “What kind of mission? I haven’t read the orders yet. Some kind of ladies dinner, or a pony show, or some other boring gathering?”

“A bit more important than that, Dan.” The General told him. “It’s a council of the leaders of the colony worlds. They are discussing breaking away from the empire. The outcome of this council could mean the difference between peace and another bloody war.”

Dan mulled this over as he took another sip of the brandy. “If it’s that important , why would they send Princess Melpomene? She’s the youngest of the emperor’s children, I wouldn’t think she would be their first choice. And, don’t they have diplomats specially trained for things like this?”

“Don’t underestimate the princess,” the General cautioned. “Mel is one of the most gifted people I know. She is one of the best educated psychologists in the empire and has a unique ability to understand people and societies. I’ve known Mel since she was a baby, that little girl could charm her way into the heart of a bronze statue.” General Parker looked out the window as he sipped his brandy. “Melpomene,” he breathed out the name, “Did you know that was the name of one of the muses in ancient Greek mythology? I just hope it isn’t a bad omen.”

“Oh?” Daniel replied, “I didn’t know that. Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? We have our own muse.”

The General continued to gaze out the window, “Melpomene was the muse of the tragedy.”

Daniel returned to his room, he had a lot to think about. Who had stuck him with the eleventh, and why? The military knew the truth about Mar Sara, he might have stretched his authority, but they still had prevented the situation from becoming a bloody mess. There was someone still out there who was behind the sabotage of his mission, and the massacre at Tarsonis. He just wished he had a chance to take on the real people behind the Red Faction.

Daniel sat as his desk, facing his computer screen. He sighed, he was putting off sliding the memory chip into the machine. He was afraid to see what he would have as personnel for his new command. He already knew his command would be short four mechs, and all the pilots were new transfers to the eleventh. He hadn’t been told why, perhaps he would find out when he checked the mission orders on the memory chip. It seemed strange that they would short his command, especially since they were transporting an imperial Princess………… Why the eleventh, why short four mechs, why the Princess? Too many questions. Someone had manipulated his first command, had planned sabotage, had set him up for failure. But he’d fooled them, with a bit of luck and the help of an amazing group of pilots. Was some attack planned against him this time? They had ruined the Red Factions plans at Mar Sara, that had to have made him a few more enemies. He not only had to make his new command into the best parade unit in the EDF, he was going to have to forge them into some kind of fighting unit, even if they were misfits and rich kids. Melpomene…….. Daniel wasn’t a superstitious person, but………. Daniel opened the folder containing the eleventh's personnel and scrolled to the first pilot, he scanned the page and frowned. Daniel scanned the next pilot’s page and the next……….. Finished checking the pilot’s bio’s, he leaned forward and put his head in his hands. They were definitely out to ruin him. How could he ever turn that mess into a polished parade unit?
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » August 24th, 2013, 6:30 am

I'm working hardly at the next chapter. Time to start finding out where everyone ends up. Coming soon, the next thrilling chapter of, 5 Minutes Reloaded.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » September 8th, 2013, 8:21 am

Ok, Time to get back to our Pilots, at least one of them. Chad has had a long few months since Mar Sara. He hasn't seen or heard from any of the other pilots. He hasn't gotten any replies to the messages he's sent to Arisa. He's sure the wealthy young woman has forgotten him. Now he's being sent to, who knows where. It took someone in high authority to get him transferred from the research project. But, where is he being sent? And, why? Read on.

Chapter 7
Chad was in a despondent mood as he exited the tram car. Not only had there been technical troubles at the orbital transfer station delaying the moon shuttle for hours, construction on the tram system had delayed his arrival at the EDF base. He was a couple hours late and missed the shuttle to his ship. He frowned, there was no way he was going to make any crazy effort to get to his ship like he had last time. He just didn’t care if they kicked him for it or not.

“Are you Captain Ross, sir?” Chad looked down at the Ensign that approached him, a girl of medium height and build, a softness to her figure, the boys at home would have called her “squeezable”. She had a round face with large, doe like, hazel eyes, and straight brown hair that fell half way down her back. She looked very young and eager.

Chad looked around the room then back at the girl. “I’m Ross, but I’m a Lieutenant,” he told her.

“Oh,” the girl looked down, “my Colonel sent me to pick up a Captain Chad Ross. He said transportation problems made him late for the shuttle. You fit the description he gave me.”

Chad laughed, “It figures, the EDF would screw that up too. I’m Chad Ross, but I’m just a lieutenant.”

The girl brightened, “Oh good, I got it right, the Colonel will be happy. Oh, my name is Tammy Wise.” She had a nice smile. “The Colonel’s shuttle is waiting. I’ll take you to the ship.”

As Tammy guided the shuttle through the waiting EDF ships she looked over at Chad. “Wait till Layla and Dana hear about this…….. they’re friends of mine. They were bragging that they met one of the pilots from the battle of Mar Sara, but now, I’ve actually met the Ghost.”

Chad looked at her, “you know about that?”

“Oh yes,” Tammy assured him, “everyone knows about the battle, that you shut down all the enemy mechs. That was amazing.”

Chad looked away, “it’s no big deal…………. Do you know who your friends met?” Chad tried to change the subject.

“It was John Crichton,” she told him. “They said he was going to tell them all about the battle, but some MP’s came and took him away.”

Chad chuckled, two girls, and dragged off by MP’s, he should have known it was John. “Where did they meet him.”

“It was here on the moon, at a bar in Tycho three dome,” Tammy told him.

“Oh,” Chad sighed, “It would have been nice to see him again.” Chad was a bit disappointed, he had a package to give to John. Well, at least he knew where to start looking for him, when he got the chance. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“I heard we’re going to a planet named Shakuras, somewhere out on the rim.” She answered. “Oh, there’s our ship,” Tammy beamed, “the newest of the White Magic class carriers. It has all the latest armament and sensor systems, a lot of it added after your battle at Mar Sara. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Chad looked the ship over. It did look good, clean and new. As they circled toward the hangar deck, Chad looked for the name, he blinked and looked again………. Krikav - b.

Chad admired how expertly Tammy guided the small craft into the hangar. She smiled when he complimented her ability. “I think I’ll check out my mech before I head to my cabin.” Chad told her.

“I’ll make sure your bag gets to your room, Captain……… err, Lieutenant.” She told him. “I haven’t met the other pilots yet, they probably are in the lounge right now.”

Chad looked over the room, the doors to the Mech bays were closed, that was something different. He wondered which door his mech was behind.

“Hey Chad, you finally made it, welcome aboard.”

Chad spun around then got a smile on his face. “Bob! What are you doing here?”

“I guess they couldn’t turn you loose with a new mech without sending me to make sure you take care of it, seeing how you wrecked the last couple you had.” Bob stepped up and shook Chad’s hand, “great to see you again.”

“A new mech? Chad laughed, “so they actually trust me with a new mech?” He looked around, “is Greg here?”

“Greg retired from active duty,” Bob informed him as they walked over to one of the hangar bays, “something about being too old to go crashing into planets. He’s teaching at the academy now. Ya, they sent you a new mech, fresh out of the factory. Seems they think you’re the only pilot that can handle it.” Bob activated the control to the blast door.

“Why are all the blast doors down?” Chad asked. “Is there some kind of trouble?”

“Na,” Bob assured him, “just the latest safety directive from the top brass. After our last mission, they’re seeing sabotage in their dreams. Well, I guess we didn’t get all those Red Faction guys, that Geraldine character did get away, so they may be plotting something else………….. There she is, the pre-production model Dragonfly. There won’t be any production units till they figure out why you can use it and nobody else can.”

Chad looked up at the new machine. The same dull dark grey, the familiar shape and size…….. but, it wasn’t the Ghost. He sighed. “Maybe the difference is that I didn’t have a choice, once I found it, I had to learn to use it.”

Bob laughed, “maybe you’re right. You were desperate enough to make the system work for you. Why don’t you climb aboard and check it out. This new one is a lot better than that old cobbled together mech you had. I think you’re going to like it. It’s got a better power unit, lots more output, so you have a standard Firefly weapon set. It’s got an even better computer and improvements to the control systems.”

“I suppose it will be better,” Chad admitted as he climbed the steps up to the cockpit platform. He checked over the clean lines, he’d never been assigned a new mech before, no dents or damage. Chad climbed into the cockpit and sat in the pilots chair. It was certainly nicer than the old Ghost had been. The seating was comfortable and the control consoles nicely finished. Not the cobbled together mess that he had become familiar with in the Ghost. He sighed, it just wasn’t going to be the same. He supposed the new unit would serve him well once it had been conditioned………. But it wouldn’t be the Ghost, that had almost felt alive to him. Chad booted up the controls, might as well start checking out the new systems.

“Hello Chad, it’s so good to see you again.”

Chad’s head snapped up, instinctively he looked around, “Ghost?”

“Yes Chad.”

“But……. How?” Chad asked, almost afraid he was dreaming. “I thought you were wrecked on Mar Sara.”

“The old mobile suit hardware was damaged beyond feasibility of repair, but my core memory was undamaged, Chad.” Ghost told him. “Since I was integrated to Pilot Chad Ross it was only logical that they would install my core memory in your new mobile suit. I have waited a long time for your return.”

Chad got a rueful smile, at least one female hadn’t deserted him, even if she wasn’t quite human.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » September 20th, 2013, 5:42 am

Well, Chad's back on the Krikav, and reunited with Ghost, but he's headed out to the far end of the colonies. Did Arisa's father influence the EDF brass to send Chad away from Arisa? Who else would pull Chad away from an important project just to send him to the outer edge of the empire? And, where is Arisa, and where is her new assignment? Did she get sent to one of the big ships and to an easy job, or will she end up on the far side of the empire from Chad? Where will the other pilots be sent. Someone is manipulating our group of pilots, but who........ and why?
Ok, on with the story, let's see where Arisa is, and where she is going.



Chapter 8

Arisa left the pilot’s lounge and turned down the corridor toward the hangar. She was in a bad mood and just couldn’t sit there with the other pilots. Maybe she’d just go sit in Keon and sulk. Arisa had hoped her new mission would give her a chance to search for Chad. So far, the few inquiries she’d made had gotten her exactly zero. Now, she was assigned to some useless unit and they were being sent to the far end of nowhere. She wouldn’t have any chance of digging up information on where her father had coerced the military to send Chad. Or perhaps her father had threatened Chad, or paid him off to stay away from her…….. or worse, had him eliminated. She had to find out, one way or another.

As Arisa walked across the hangar floor, she passed in front of one of her new unit’s Fireflys. She stopped and looked up at the big machine, then, she climbed the steps to the cockpit level platform. She turned and leaned on the railing, looking out over the hangar floor. It just wouldn’t seem right…….. not having Chad there. He should be the one piloting the recon mech. She didn’t understand why, but ever since she’d first run into the tall young pilot, she’d wanted to be around him. “It’s not fair,” Arisa complained to the empty room. “Just when I find a boy I really like, dad has him sent away.” Arisa was sure it had to have been her father’s doing. No one else she knew had the money and connections to make people disappear. “It’s just not fair……….. I don’t care where dad made them send you, I’m going to find you Chad Ross. I don’t care if he paid you to go, I won’t let you get away…………..” Arisa wiped at her eyes and sobbed. “If only you’d call me, or e-mail. Why don’t you send me a message, even if it’s just to tell me you don’t want me around……….”

Chad checked over the control systems of the new mech, There had been some upgrades to the standard Firefly and, of course, the command set for the stealth system. He booted up the main screens and was about to pick up the helmet to check out the full sensor systems when he froze. He watched her climb the steps to the platform, her lithe petite form, her bright blue eyes, deep red lips and her crown of golden curls. He reached for the canopy release, she was everything he wanted, he stopped and pulled his hand back, and everything he couldn’t have. She hadn’t answered his messages, it was obvious, she’d forgotten him. “I have to get out of here, transfer to another outfit……. Even if I have to go AWOL, I can’t stay here.” He mumbled.

“To go AWOL would be against EDF regulations, you should not do that, Chad.” Ghost told him. “Why would you need to leave?”

“She doesn’t want me anymore, Ghost. She’s forgotten all about me, probably found some other guy. John was right, I was just a toy to her. I can’t stay here if she’s here.”

Suddenly the outside microphone pickups turned on and Chad heard, “ I don’t care where dad made them send you, I’m going to find you Chad Ross. I don’t care if he paid you to go, I won’t let you get away…………. If only you’d call me, or e-mail. Why don’t you send me a message, even if it’s just to tell me you don’t want me around……….”

Over the noise of the hangar, Arisa didn’t hear the cockpit opening behind her. “I did send you e-mails, a bunch of them,” Chad said as he stood up in the cockpit. Arisa spun around, her eye wide with surprise. “but, you never answered them, not a single one.” Chad accused her.

“I………. I never got any.” Arisa quietly answered. Tears blurred her vision as she raced the few steps across the platform. “Chad!” Arisa screamed out as she dived straight over the main console and wrapped her arms around the boy, driving him back down into the pilot’s seat. As she scrambled across the console to slide down onto Chad’s lap, her foot, fortuitously, tapped the canopy control, shutting the two in. Three months earlier, when they first kissed, Arisa had decided she was going to teach Chad how to be a great lover………. She had three months of lost time to make up for, and she was trying her best to catch up.

It’s a good thing Chad wasn’t claustrophobic as the canopy closed over them. He found himself squeezed behind the main console, where there is hardly room for the pilot, with Arisa sitting on his lap. It’s a good thing he was slim and Arisa so petite, they barely fit, but, with the girl pressing against him and his arms around her, he didn’t mind at all.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » November 10th, 2013, 6:08 am

Well, I'll have to admit to a case of writer's block(head). I just can't seem to get things to come out the way they look in my imagination. I guess I just have to keep going even if it isn't coming out quite as brilliant as I want. (I'll never fool anyone into thinking I'm a good writer.)

Well, here we are, back on the Krikav, and for some reason Arisa and Chad have wound up assigned to the same unit........ What about the others? Could someone be trying to get rid of them all at once?


Chapter 9

Georgianna was in a black mood as she headed for the hangar. She had been elated to find that she wasn’t being called to a court martial but to be assigned to a new outfit. The elation hadn’t lasted long. She’d been assigned to a worthless unit and now they were being sent to the middle of nowhere. All she could imagine was, they were trying to get rid of her, of everyone connected with the Mar Sara operation. Now they’d been ordered to assemble on the hangar deck………. In dress uniform, what the hell was going on?

Bob chuckled as he stopped the video playback on his camera. He was really glad he thought to grab it when he saw Arisa climbing up to Chad’s mech. He figured things might get interesting, seeing how low a mood the girl had been in. He guessed there would be fireworks, one way or the other. It turned out to be the good kind………. Wait till he put this up on the screen in the lounge.

Bob looked up when Captain McFairlane came up to him. He started to smile but thought better of it. For a beautiful woman, the captain could be very scary. “Is there something I can do for you Captain?”

“Have you seen Arisa?” Georgianna snapped. “She disappeared just before we got orders to assemble here in dress uniform.”

“Oh, she showed up a few minutes ago……….. here.” Bob restarted the video on the camera and handed it to Georgianna. He thought a bit of humor would lighten up the Captain’s mood. He was wrong.

Georgianna scowled at the camera, “Ross,” she growled. Georgianna slammed the camera back into Bob’s hands and turned toward Chad’s mech. “I told her to stay away from him. She just doesn’t get it.”

Georgianna slapped her hand on the communicator next to Chad’s mech. “Arisa, Ross, get down here, NOW!” She ordered. Georgianna closed her eyes for a moment, wishing she could get rid of the headache that had been plaguing her.

Arisa sighed as Chad reached for the control to open the cockpit, they never had enough time. She gave Chad one last quick kiss before she turned and climbed out of the mech.

Chad started to stand up as Arisa climbed out, then sat back down. Maybe he should wait a bit………. If having the little beauty sitting on his lap, kissing him, wasn’t enough, seeing her climbing out over the main console was almost too much. Arisa was wearing the same skirt like shorts she had been on the Mar Sara mission when she had climbed into her mech in front of him. But this time, she was so close he could have……… She just didn’t know what she was doing to him.

Arisa glanced back before she climbed down from the service platform. She smiled when she saw the expression on Chad’s face. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, that’s why she’d climbed out over the console instead of off to the side like a pilot normally would. She knew the tricks to catching a boy’s eye, and she intended to use every one of them on Chad.

Georgianna frowned as Arisa came up to her. Arisa’s happy smile just made her mood worse, she didn’t know why. “What the hell were you doing in that mech? Couldn’t you even wait till you got to your room?”

Arisa’s smile never wavered, “why would we go to my room?” She asked in her most innocent voice. “Well, anyway…… I haven’t seen Chad in three months. We have some catching up to do.”

“I warned you to stay away from him, he’s going to get you into trouble,” Georgianna growled. “He’s not your kind.”

Arisa’s smile faded, her look became icy. “And just what “kind” is he, Captain?”

Georgianna closed her eyes for a moment, why was she getting so upset about this? Hadn’t she decided, long ago, that it wasn’t her business, but she just couldn’t let it go. She looked up, trying to think of an answer, something that would cool the situation, but just then Chad walked up. “What took you so long, Ross?” She barked. “I gave you an order, I expect you to move.”

Chad looked down at the Captain. “I, ah, had to shut down some things,” he told her, his face starting to redden a bit.

“When I give you an order,” Georgianna growled, “you will obey it immediately.”

“Not necessarily,” Colonel Hellwind’s voice came from behind her.

Georgianna spun around to look glare at the Colonel as he walked up to them. “What do you mean by that?” She demanded.

The Colonel didn’t answer her, he looked at Chad, “glad to see you made it, Captain Ross,” he said, making sure to emphasize the Captain. “I suppose you haven’t been to your room yet, your insignia and promotion orders are waiting there."

“Captain?!’ Georgianna raised the question in an indignant tone. How could he have been promoted? She was about to say more when she was cut off.

Whap!! Chad almost fell over from the slap to his back. “Hey, Chad! I wondered if you’d show up. Great to see you buddy.” Ben’s voice echoed through the room.

Chad spun around and scowled at the huge man, “I should have you arrested for assaulting an officer,” he threatened.

Ben blinked, “Huh? What do ya mean?”

“Oh, Chad was promoted to Captain, Ben,” Arisa giggled.

Ben took a step back, putting his hands in the air, “Oh man, sorry sir. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Chad laughed as he stepped forward and shook Ben’s hand, “I glad to see you too, Bullseye.”

John Crichton limped up to the group, leaning heavily on his cane, “this is interesting, most of our unit brought together again. But, what’s with the dress uniforms?”

“In a few minutes, Princess Melpomene will be coming aboard.” Colonel Hellwind informed them. “She is going to be traveling on board the Krikav.”

“What?” John said incredulously. “Why? Don’t the imperials travel on their own luxury transports? In fact, doesn’t the eleventh just escort the transport liners for the diplomats and imperials? None of them ever come aboard, it’s too much of a step down from their luxury ships. Why would she travel on the Krikav?”

“I don’t know,” the Colonel answered, “Who knows what those imperials are thinking. We are escorting a transport carrying her staff, but no imperial ship. Maybe they think someone will make an attack on the empire’s delegates and an imperial ship would be too good a target………. It’s never happened, the eleventh has never been in a battle, but………” A sudden thought occurred to the Colonel, what if this was a setup? Someone had tried to set his command up for destruction at Mar Sara. What if that someone was making another try?

“So that’s why we were assigned to replace the eleventh’s personnel,” Megumi added as she came up to stand next to Ben. “They wanted a combat team, without causing suspicion. Who better for the job than the people they appear to be trying to get rid of.” She saw that a few of the others were nodding in agreement.

An alarm sounded in the hangar and the inner lock doors opened to admit the shuttle. “We can think about that later,” The Colonel ordered, “she’s here, everyone line up for inspection.”

“Georgianna………… Captain, hey, Georgi, wake up,” John tried to get through to the Captain. He saw recognition slowly light her dull eyes. “Colonel ordered us to get in line for inspection. Are you alright?”

Georgianna blinked and looked around. Damn, she’d blanked out again, but this time it wasn’t like the illusions he’d had before, this time, it felt like someone else was inside her, watching her. “I’m fine,” she snapped at John, “it’s just this darn headache. Right, get in line.”

Chad had been watching Georgianna, he thought he noticed something wrong, she just wasn’t acting like she had last time he’d seen her. She’d been spaced out , like the druggies he’d known in the lower city. But, she’d snapped out of it in seconds when John called her name……. strange. Maybe she was just overtired.

The Colonel looked over their rather uneven line and almost groaned. He would never make a parade group from this bunch, everything from the oversize Ben to tiny Arisa, who was still wearing her casual uniform. And worst of all, Chad had been traveling two days, and he looked like it. He just hoped the princess wouldn’t bother with inspecting the troops. “Attention everyone,” he called out and turned toward the shuttle as the door opened.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by Hiki » November 13th, 2013, 9:29 am

It sucks that you have a writer's block =( But the story does look good!
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » November 14th, 2013, 5:17 am

Thanks Hiki, It's nice to have someone comment. I was wondering if anyone read this stuff. I'll try to get things moving again, I have a bunch of scene ideas, I just don't know how to fit them together. I don't have an outline like I had with the first story.
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Re: 5 Minutes: Reloaded

Post by oldwrench » November 14th, 2013, 5:32 am

Well, it looks like the whole group from the Mar Sara incident are back together...... well most of them. If you wonder what happened to Aiden Pride, he retired from active duty and is an instructor at the academy now. The colonel has eight of his pilots back, but they sure aren't going to make a very good looking line up. I wonder if they would even know how to stand for inspection. We're soon to find out, the Imperial Princess has arrived. What kind of person is she going to be? Are the spartan accommodations on a military ship going to be good enough for her? Will the pilots be up to her expectations? This could be a real clash of cultures.

Trumpets and drum roll............. enter her majesty, Melpomene.


Chapter 10

Colonel Hellwind wished he’d had time to straighten out the mess of a lineup that the pilots had made. They could at least have lined up by height or something. The shuttle door opened and a very officious looking older man exited, followed by a young woman who was apparently the princess’s aide. Dan held his breath as Princess Melpomene started down the ramp, it had been years since he had last seen her. They had been children when he had accompanied General Parker on visits to the imperial palace. He had played with the emperor’s two sons and their little sister was always hanging around. She’d changed………. Uh, well, of course she had……… Daniel thought she was stunning. Tall and slender, but blessed with abundant curves, her silk dress flowed like a watercolor in a rain shower. She had a beautifully regal face with bright hazel eyes and deep red lips, her dark auburn hair was wrapped in a long loose braid on top of her head held in place by her jeweled tiara.

Dan was so captured by her he almost forgot to welcome her aboard. “Welcome aboard the Krikav, Princess,” He told her as he bowed to her. “I trust you will find the eleventh ready to serve you.”

“We shall see,” she told him in a haughty voice and stepped forward toward the line of pilots, dashing the Colonel’s hope that she might not wish to review the troops. The princess wanted a firsthand look at the pilots. She had taken great pains to find out all she could about each of them. She knew more about them than even Colonel Hellwind.

Melpomene stepped up to the first pilot, she looked down on the smaller man. Kaze, she thought to herself, the pilot from one of the para-military communes, an excellent mixed martial arts fighter. What was he doing in the EDF? The communes wanted nothing to do with the empire, they feared the EDF, what was their purpose of sending him to join?

Arrogant imperial, Kaze thought to himself. They look down on us like we’re inferior scum.

She stepped to the next in line Rose Kerlav, a medium height woman, but she was the textbook definition of voluptuous. She was related to Colonel Kerlov who had been killed at the battle of Mar Sara, that might cause some revenge issues, plus, the captain, Torres, that had disappeared seemed to be someone of importance to her. This could cause problems.

Rose looked up at the taller woman, feeling a bit awed, she had never been in the presence of imperial royalty.

Next in line, John Crichton, he was a handsome man, slightly taller than she was. His story with the space agency was an enigma. His injury was another enigma, the doctors insist the nerve regeneration was complete and there is nothing that can be wrong with him, yet Lieutenant Crichton has been in pain and unable to walk without a cane. He’d been in deep depression and had been trying to drink himself into oblivion since he’d gotten out of the hospital. This was a fascinating case, she would have to look deeper into his mental state.

John stood as straight as he could, if only he didn’t need this cane. What would a woman like the princess think of a cripple like him? He felt useless.

Next was Captain Georgianna McFairlane, a woman as tall as the princess but much more athletic. Melpomene thought the fiery haired woman could easily be one of the warrior women in the ancient books her brother use to collect. It would be fitting because the Captain had a reputation as a ferocious fighter. There was a problem though, she had gotten reports of Georgianna’s blackouts, and worse, her hallucinations. These appeared to have started after she returned from leave she took on her return from Mar Sara. She would have to watch this one.

Georgianna could feel something trying to control her mind, trying to see out of her eyes. She felt hatred for the woman standing in front of her, but she couldn’t understand why.

The next pilot, Ben Wolfman, was the largest man she had ever seen, and she’d seen plenty, her father’s imperial guards were all selected from the largest of soldiers. It wasn’t just that he was so tall, he seemed as wide as he was tall. Good lord, his arms must be as big around as her waist. She wondered how he could fit in a mech, even one as big as a Lancer H. They must have to squeeze him into the cockpit. Melpomene had to fight to keep the smile from her face as an image of a tech jumping on Ben’s wide shoulders to force him down into the mech crossed her mind. What an intimidating personal guard a man like Ben would make.

Wow, Ben thought, she’s a pretty lady, doesn’t seem very friendly though.

Lieutenant Megumi Yamato was next in line, a smaller woman of oriental ancestry. Melpomene almost sighed seeing her beautiful long black hair, straight and shining. This was the girl that had been spending all her time with the giant Ben, definitely an odd couple. He had to be four times her mass. The princess wondered how that went over with her family, the Asian group was very proud of their heritage. They rarely married outside of their ethnic group.

Megumi almost sighed, why couldn’t she be tall and have beautiful wavy auburn hair?

The next pilot fascinated her, Captain Chad Ross. He was the pilot that had come up from the lower levels of Detroit, a boy from the poorest of classes, a gang member and felon. Tall and lean, he had boyish good looks, and that scar across his face gave him a roguish slant. The princess smiled for the first time, the pilot who conquered the mind killing Dragonfly. What was it that made him different? This pilot she was determined to get to know better.

Chad thought the princess looked too arrogant, and he’d faced arrogant people before, then she smiled, and Chad saw a completely different person behind the mask.

Last in line was Arisa. Ian Higgins little girl had grown up. Melpomene had to fight to keep from laughing. She strained to keep a straight face, Arisa may have gotten older, but she certainly hadn’t grown much. She hadn’t changed at all since the Princess had last seen her five years ago at Arisa’s highschool graduation. Arisa had always been the smallest in her class, and she still was. So, she was interested in Chad, Melpomene knew Arisa had been badgering the military for information on Chad’s whereabouts. She wondered what Ian Higgins thought about that. It wasn’t hard to notice the darkening of Arisa’s look when the Princess had smiled at Chad. So, Arisa had a jealous streak. Things might just get interesting. Melpomene just hoped they kept the girl away from the ammunition and warheads, she’d seen what Arisa could do with a few chemicals.

Arisa wasn’t happy to see the Princess again. Last time she’d seen Mel was at her graduation party, and all the boys had flocked around the older girl. She frowned when Mel smiled at Chad, she didn’t care if Mel was a Princess, she couldn’t have Chad. She was too old for him anyway, she was over thirty years old.

Melpomene looked around and saw a couple ship’s crew wheeling her belongings toward the corridor. “Ensign,” she called out to Tammy who was overseeing the move, “you will escort me to my room now.” She turned toward the older man who had accompanied her, “Walter, you will return to the Loire with the shuttle.”
“But Princess,” Walter protested, “I should…..”

“You will return to the Loire,” Melpomene ordered him, then turned away and left with Tammy.

Colonel Hellwind watched the Princess as she strode from the room. He felt disappointment set in. He’d hoped she would remember him, but that was only wishful thinking, Melpomene wasn’t the little girl he remembered. She was so cold. This could be a long assignment. He let the pilots go and headed for the bridge, it was time to start for Shakuras.
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