Sainan no Kekka: Commander's Log 2
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SHIN KIDOU SENKI GUNDAM WING

SAINAN NO KEKKA

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
LAKE VICTORIA MILITARY ACADEMY
SUBJECT: Wing Commander Private Log, AC 188-189 Semester, Cadet Colonel Lucrezia Noin
PAGE 2

The muffled beeping of something brought her out of her semi-groggy sleep deprived state, and she forced tired eyelids open, blinking at the alarm before the numbers on the blue screen actually set in to her brain.

THURSDAY 0545

"Shit," she swore, jumping out of bed and almost falling onto the tiled floor. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Wash face. Brush teeth in hurried strokes. Run brush through tangled hair. Shrug into sports bra. Throw on PT uniform that hadn't been washed in three weeks. She had good intentions, she had just never carried them out. There was always something better to do, and the laundry room was just so far away.

Jamming her feet into worn tennis shoes, she grabbed her keys and identification card and sprinted out of the room, hearing the lock click shut behind her.

The hallway was eerily quiet, as always, but she knew the other cadets had already left. There was usually some inkling that there were people dressing in the rooms behind the closed and locked doors, but today there was nothing. She should have been out on the workout fields fifteen minutes ago.

Not a good start to an already bad day. Especially for the cadet wing commander.

It was drizzling, she noticed as she pushed open the dormitory back door and sprinted across the grass in the near dark which was lit only at odd intervals by spotlights set at the tops of nearby buildings. She took the shortcut across the grounds, almost running into the chain-link fence that separated the boys' dormitories from the girls'.

"Shit," she swore again, tripping over a tree root.

"You should watch your language," a voice chastised from behind her. "You could get demerits for that."

She spun, the color rising in her cheeks at the realization that someone else had spotted her late for morning workout, but the retort died on her lips when she spotted the figure that came trotting leisurely around the bend, dressed in the PT uniform of a senior cadet, long hair bound up to the nape of his neck. She could have sworn he was laughing at her under that silver mask, but his lips were not smiling.

"Shut up," she mumbled, picking herself up from the ground, and this time he did laugh.

"I see we're both late together, Noin. An interesting development; the cadet commander late to PT."

"Easy for you to say," she shot back, wondering if she should simply make a dash for the workout fields or actually keep pace with him. "I've never been late to PT before."

"Neither have I," he said. "And I'm physical training officer." His voice took on a sympathetic tone. "Studying?"

"Yeah. Physics."

"Ah," he said. "That test today, huh?"

She nodded, deciding to humor him and pace his footsteps as they rounded the corner of the walk next to the cafeteria. In the silence of the almost-dawn she could hear the voices from the workout fields as the cadets began warm-up exercises.

"I wonder who's leading workout today," she murmured. "Since the PT officer was late as well." Casting a glance at the topic of discussion, who smiled calmly.

"I was studying too," he returned, but he didn't sound defensive. Merely stating a fact. "I hope Karmer remembers those exercises I taught him. That boy means well, but he doesn't seem to be able to retain anything I tell him for more than five seconds."

"Merquise!"

"It's true," he said amiably. "Should we hurry up a bit?"

He speeded up his pace, and she followed, slightly annoyed that he would do so on his own. There was no reason for her to feel threatened; after all, he was free to do as he pleased, and this was not a drill. But still…

"What do you think of Cadet 1st Lieutenant Marks?"

"What about him?" Merquise said. "He's a good cadet. He's…what? Fourth year?"

"Third," she corrected him. "I've been thinking of switching him into personnel management. He's wasted in public affairs, I think."

"Speaking of public affairs, your Support Group Commander broke his leg yesterday playing racquetball."

She sighed. "Stupid."

"It was my fault," he said, sounding almost joyful. "I slammed him into the wall."

She didn't think it was worth her energy to respond. The idiot made it seem like it was a championship that he had won. "Thanks to you, my wing staff is going to be out of commission by the end of the semester."

"Then maybe I can make it in there, right?"

He sounded almost hopeful.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merquise."

"I'm stating a possibility," he said. "I'm wasted as PT officer. You and I both know that."

The wet grass squeaked beneath their shoes as they turned onto the winding walk towards the fields on the outskirts of the Academy. "That's a presumptuous statement to make. You're a perfectly good PT officer."

"Joyner would make an equally good one. He's more into physical activity than I am. Or Seis. Didn't she win the Ironman competition last year?"

"You didn't tell me you wanted to be in wing staff."

"You never asked. I've always wanted to be in wing staff. Any wing staff position would be nice. Director of Evaluations would be a good one. Your present one - forgive my language - sucks."

She felt her ire rising. "Merquise, I'd appreciate it if you didn't make derogatory comments about my wing staff officers. They're just as competent as you are, maybe more so."

"If you say so," he said.

Rolling her eyes, she glanced up at him. "Wing staff isn't a joke, Merquise. It's more paperwork than most of the other lower-level jobs combined, and I know you had a full schedule this semester."

"Vice commander isn't."

"Vice commander doesn't do anything. Everyone knows that."

"But you listen to Pellik. There's a reason he's your second in command." Blue eyes through the eyeholes of the helmet gazed at her. "Are you in love with him?"

"Merquise!" She stopped walking, hands on hips, glaring at him. "Just because I made a male cadet my vice commander does not mean I am having any kind of relationship with him outside a professional one!"

"I just-"

"Let's drop it," she hissed, starting to walk again. Faster. "Just drop it."

"Yes ma'am."

"I don't need anyone to do my job for me. I can manage perfectly well on my own. And you will remain PT officer until further notice. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," he said again, sounding subdued.

The drizzle had stopped and a fine mist had gathered, dampening her hair and uniform. Emerging onto the fields, she was surprised to find that the grass here was almost dry. She slowed her pace, not wanting it to appear that she had been rushing to workout, unconsciously drinking in the sight of the rows of cadets lined up neatly on the dark grounds.

Her cadet wing.

The voice of the assistant physical training officer echoed across the grass and she heard Merquise move almost soundlessly until he was even with her. Watching.

"The next exercise of the day will be the side-" The voice cut off and she felt three hundred pairs of eyes on her. For a moment she was glad that he was with her. Just for a moment.

"Continue with the exercises, Cadet Merquise," she said, hardly glancing at him as he took his place at the front of the wing and his second-in-command stepped back.

She could still see his eyes watching her, even through the mask, and she pretended not to notice. Merquise was an arrogant bastard, but the problem was that he was always right. And had proof to back up his arrogance. She wished he wasn't so accurate, because then that would mean he would make a better wing commander than she would. And she wouldn't have that.

You watch yourself, Merquise. Or you might have some less-than-pleasant assignments coming your way.

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