"Peace of the Mind"
Stepping off the dropship and onto the hangar floor of the Solaris, Alan ignored the crew that still rushed around to refuel other vessels and start work on repairing the damage inflicted upon them. Of course, Vanessa had waited for him like she always does but being filled with malice toward the terrorist organization they fought was as clear as day to the woman. It wasn't the first-time repressed memories of the past were dug up nor was it Vanessa's first encounter with Alan's more 'volatile' side. She had always been his anchor to reality, whether that was a weakness or strength was irrelevant to the Pilot as either way the woman would constantly sooth his mind from the stress it caused.
"Oi', Alan, did something-" Katherine started to ask with helmet in hand before her eyes met with Vanessa's. Alan paid no mind to either of them, instead he kept trying to put the memories back down but the screams of the dying defied his will, "-Happen..." Katherine finished, her voice wavering after seeing the two.
"It's nothing important Katherine," Vanessa lied, waving a hand to shoo her away, "I'm sure your squadmates are eager to catch up with you." She said with a calm and professional voice that was to be normally expected by officers of all kinds. She took hold of Alan's arm and guided him toward someplace else.
"Well, it looks important if he's in a trance like that." Katherine stated, irritated at being waved away by the black-haired woman. "You don't mind talking about it, right Alan?" She asked the man with both a curious and somewhat concerned expression. He said nothing. Alan could just barely hear the two over the sound of collapsing buildings, shattering glass, and deafening booms that left his ears ringing. His eyes should have fell upon the closest person he had come to know as family and the familiar, warm but dull metal interior of his home ship's corridors and halls, but in its place, he could see nothing but a cloud of dust that engulfed him, bodies of strangers missing pieces of themselves, and thick, crimson rivers that pooled into the burning craters that were once streets and buildings. Never would he have though that such a casual day in his life would end in a life changing crisis, not just for him, but for everyone unfortunate enough to live through the ordeal.
"Listen, now isn't the time to argue. Tell you what, as soon as things," Vanessa paused to look at the dazed Pilot, "'Get better' I'll let him loose. Until then, he'll need time." Katherine begrudgingly accepted her terms, clearly unhappy at Vanessa swooping in and taking control of the situation, but the concern with the friend she knew since training was greater.
Vanessa felt eyes fixed on her back but paid no mind. No matter what how long Katherine may have spent with Alan it could not compare to the two decade long familial bond she had, even if the two weren't related by blood. Walking the man to his quarters, the woman felt a little tremble from Alan's hand much the same as it had done all those years ago. Just like him, she too remembered such a bitter memory, the only difference being that she finally come to accept and live with the event's mark. She remembered the old times, the final years of the Titan Wars and how vicious the Militia was back then and even to this day. Vanessa hated them for sure, but instead of it being the seething hatred of revenge like Alan, the woman despised their selfish motives, underhanded tactics, and willingness to use literal criminals to bolster their ranks. When the terrorist organization had finally been pushed out of the core worlds by joint I.M.C. and Earth's military forces the citizens of the core let a breath of relief that the pillaging, bombings, and massacres came to an end. It was a shame the latter of the two allied forces weren't on the frontier helping secure peace, but Earth and her close colonies needed to be protected from pirates and other malicious forces so not much could be done.
She settled Alan down on his bed, its once neat covers now being disheveled from the owner's impact. The room was quiet, the only thing making noise being the rush of cool air from the vents. It was stale, it was old, but it was a place the man called home. It wasn't bright nor the cleanest, but Vanessa expected no less from Alan. She started with removing Alan's helmet, the man's eyes darting around wilding trying to make sense of things which was a start to snap him out of it but only time could truly tell. His breathing had become quickened while Vanessa set the helmet down on a nearby dresser, she couldn't imagine the haunting image of him finding his family still at his feet. Vanessa wasn't an expert on the mind, she never claimed to be, but after the first few times this happened she found it best to keep him away from others excluding herself and her own parents.
Out of the corner of her vision, Vanessa saw Alan sit up. Before being able to let out a word he immediately threw a fist at the steel wall remembering where he was with a light yell and grabbing his fingers. "F-" Vanessa too the chance to grab his mouth with one hand and pull his head back with the other. It was this short moment of reality she was waiting for, instead of actively doing something about his trip with his memories she opted to hook him out of it the moment she saw Alan's consciousness escape the confines of the past. His quick breathing began to steady and his once wide brown eyes relaxed when they fell upon Vanessa's face.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, letting her hand go and allowing him to speak.
"I-I-Where are we? Where's that terrorist-" Alan said heatedly and began to sit up.
"We're back home," She said loudly to cut off the Pilot and pulled his head back down to her lap this time, "And you aren't going anywhere. Did someone dig up old wounds?"
"No, I... Kind of. It was an enemy Pilot."
"How many times have I had to tell you to not dwell on the past?"
"Plenty of times. It just sort of... came up." Alan admitted, one of his hands reaching to scratch the side of his head. Vanessa noticed the cut across his right hand, grabbing his wrist and inspecting the light wound.
"Where'd you get this?" Vanessa asked, removing the glove and opening one of the drawers beside the bed. She had kept a roll of bandages there after she kept finding Alan being too reluctant to visit the infirmary. 'It's just a scratch' he would claim, 'It's not bad at all', but she wouldn't have it. Leaving a wound exposed to the air was never a good idea, he should have known that already.
"Knife fight I guess? Technically it was thrown at me..." Alan began to explain, holding up his hand so that the woman with him could wrap it up.
"Why do you always put yourself in these situations," She muttered, listing off the extensive mental list of weapons that he encountered, "Missiles, cannons, knives, what's next? A nuke?"
"It's just a part of the job description." Alan replied, now with a smile across his face, "Besides, I can't die without your permission, now can I?"
"You're damn right, now up, my breaks almost over and I've yet to have my drink." Vanessa ordered.
With that the two began their trip back toward the mess-hall where the numbers started to swell since the battle for the moon below had recently been retaken from the grips of the Militia. There were losses, many of them no doubt but with the never-ending series of victories arriving one after the other the people and crew of the fleet had not felt this bright since before the Militia started making a comeback. At their regular table was another lonesome Pilot, Katherine to be specific, who didn't look all too pleased.
"Looks like you should go take our seats before the rest of the crowd starts pouring in." Vanessa noted, wandering off to fetch a cup for herself. Alan wandered over to the angry-looking Pilot, ready for her to snap at him the moment he sat down across from her and as expected, she did.
"Ok, listen up Alan, I want to know what happened down on that moon. You've been silent since the ride back here and I've a feeling you're not telling me something." She demanded, standing over the table with a knee on it just to jam her finger to his chest.
"That's uh, a strong demand you have there."
"Don't try to talk your way out of this. We've known each other since the start of our Pilot certification training and yet there are still secrets I haven't found yet?"
"It's a pit personal Kath, anyways where's everyone else?" Alan asked in a vain attempt to deflect the question and change the subject to something else. It was starting to get a little hot, and not just because he was still in full armor and uniform, the interrogation didn't help and the woman across from him, inching closer, held an intense stare to get him to crack under the pressure.
"I thought we were-"
"Yeah, where is everyone else?" Vanessa interrupted, taking a seat next to Alan and setting her drink on the table. Katherine backed down from her questioning, sighing in defeat before responding to the new arrival's curiosity.
"They're mopping up whatever's left of the Militia, they should be here any minute now." After Katherine had said that, the first of her squad had arrived: Zohn. With a wave of his hand he took a seat next to Katherine whose eyes wandered away from the others with her.
"'Ey, Alan and his handler," Zohn chuckled, "How's the battle been treating the rest of you?" He asked, nudging Katherine from her wandering mind.
"Hey Z, oh just a few scratches here and there." Alan responded, showing his bandaged hand, "What about you and Sasha's deployment, or the others for that matter?"
"Sasha decided to head to her room first, I can only guess for a shower seeing the disgusted look she gave her own salt-water covered uniform. But get this: There was this one guy, not really a Pilot but a Militia Captain with his hands on a Titan went on an on over the radio about how the 'rest of the Frontier will be liberated from I.M.C. oppression'," Zohn mocked, "When I finally met the guy after gunning down plenty of Militia, he opened up his hatch for an introduction or something and then-" He snickered, holding his composure long enough to get the rest of his story out, "Sasha just aimed her rifle and shot 'em." He let out a short laugh, wiping a tear from his eye. "I mean, who does that? I'd understand if it was an honorable duel between two skilled Pilots like normal but this was something else!"
Vanessa had silently listened, taking the occasional drink whenever as to not let it go to waste. The next two were Isaac and the new girl, Eli. The former with a smug grin across his face and confidence with every step he took while the latter followed behind him a little less timid than the first time Alan had met her. "Why is everyone finding us here?" Katherine asked, looking at the growing numbers.
"Well you said you'd be here, so we decided to move for today." Zohn replied, "You're not escaping the rest of us that easily ha!"
"You said Z, not me." Isaac said with a rough voice, he still looked like a train had hit him with the red and baggy eyes- no thanks to the salty air on Dagon- and dark stubble but at least it wasn't as bad as back at the rec room where he could barely move.
"You getting through the day?" Alan asked as the two took their seats.
"I manage," Isaac said with open hands, "After that deployment I'm grabbing a bite and shower then I'm out for the next sixteen hours!"
"Sixteen?" Zohn questioned.
"Look you saw me awake for a week, we nearly took back the whole system in about a month's time, I deserve something today. But how's it going with your partner?" Isaac turned to Alan. Katherine made an irritated grunt across the table.
"We're not-" Alan started.
"We've been fine." Vanessa interrupted with a relaxed grin, taking a drink from her cup.
"As expected of the Cosmonaut and his watchful Angel!" Isaac boasted. Surrounded by familiar faces was a nice change of pace for Alan. While the other three carried on their conversation, Vanessa occasionally making small talk with him, or Katherine butting in whenever she felt like it. It almost reminded him of Vincent and his loud yet approachable personality, Roy and his snarky comments bringing a chuckle or two even if they were stupid, Rose's attempts to keep other's from trying to fight Roy for his remarks, Iori's humble chats with Chris on how the others were being a bit too loud and finally Alan being caught right in the middle. Almost like old times. Almost.
A.N.: Here's 11.
As always, enjoy!
~Firetoast312