CHAPTER 17
Halstead City,
Halstead Station, Ashio Prefecture,
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine,
November 22, 3074
The journey back to Kuritan space was dreary, compared to the high-volume combats at Ashio. The first week barely saw action for most Ryuken-go personnel spent their time in their bunks to make up the lack of sleep during the Ashio campaign. After that, it was a matter of occupying one self using any available means.
Space travel was Noloty's least favorite time, and no matter how much better the officer's quarter was than the soldier's cot she used on her way to Ashio, it was just a dropship. She did, however, spend a quarter of her day reviewing the battleROM of her fight with Dultom Markham. She could say her gunnery and piloting skills improved since the first time they fought, but there were a lot of holes in her defense that Dultom exploited. She took notes of everything, and developed some fighting strategies to negate Dultom's razor-sharp marksmanship, in case they crossed path again in the future (which she strangely certain).
The excruciating flight mercifully ended, and Noloty couldn't wait to get out. As the bay door touched the ground, she jumped and jogged down the ramp, eager to put her feet on solid ground. And there at the end of the ramp stood a brawny man with faded military jacket, wearing his trademark red headband on his shoulder-length jet black hair.
Noloty wanted to throw herself at him and devour those ragged lips, but she restrained herself. She was a Tai-I now, the 2nd in command of the Ryuken-go. She couldn't let her subordinates think less of her than a commanding officer (which she was, second only to Scarlet). So she just stopped in front of him, reached out to his face and kissed him.
Noloty felt the ground beneath her disappeared. She held on to him to prevent from falling. The carnage of Ashio wiped out her memory of passion, turning her into an instrument of war without human heart. When it happened, it felt like the first time all over again, like the first time a boy kissed her. It overwhelmed her.
Sadly, it ended just as abruptly as it stated.
"Welcome back," Tsagoi flashed a small smile.
"Thank you, it's good to be back," Noloty replied with a warm smile. She twisted her shoulder, showing off the blue yon kanji on top of red rectangle. "I made command."
"So I heard," Tsagoi's smile became broader. "Scarlet couldn't make a wiser decision. With you and her at the helm, the Ryuken-go will go the distance."
Noloty's face turned red, and it was not the only one that felt burning. "Sho-sa Scarlet is still the CO of Ryuken-go. She is a great leader on and off the battlefield. I still have much to learn."
"Nobody can do everything. We learn from each other and depend on each other. That's how we survive on the battlefield." Tsagoi entwined his fingers with Noloty's and led her outside the tarmac. "But let's leave the burden of battlefields on the battlefields. There are things better than basking in the horrors of war."
"You know what I want," Noloty wrapped her arms on her bicep like vine tendrils. "Oh God, I miss you," she leaned her head on his concrete-pile-like arm. "I miss you so much!"
"I miss you too," Tsagoi caressed her hair. The big height difference between them allowed him to indulge in her dank, stuffy hair. "Four months feel like eternity. I couldn't wait to feel you in my arms again." He drew a key card from his pocket. "I booked a suite for us, courtesy of the 16th Legion of Vega. You can relax in the hot spring, get a massage, eat fine food, anything you want to wash away the grit of war." Tsagoi smiled and winked.
"Thank you. I'm lucky to be so pampered by my loving boyfriend," Noloty flashed a suggestive smile.
"Oh, those are not the pampering," Tsagoi's eyes sparkled with lechery. "I won't trust my most prized possession to other people. I do the pampering myself. And I think you'll like my pampering better than anybody else that had pampered you."
"Hmm…" Noloty sucked air through her teeth. The distant memory of his strong hands, his steel-hard abs, his resourceful mouth, and his generous pleasure pump came crashing down like a meteor, turning her body into a nuclear reactor that centered below her navel. Her hand trembled when she held Tsagoi's hands. "I'll have the pampering now, please."
"You sure? You've been out of it for four months. You might be a bit rusty…"
Noloty shot a nasty gaze, letting him know that if she was to be denied, she would kill him.
"Fine. Anything for you." Tsagoi squeezed her hand and led her toward the busy streets of Halstead City.
The dropship had landed for more than 15 minutes, but Scarlet hadn't left her quarter. She ran through her report for the millionth time, making sure she covered all the basics and didn't leave anything behind. She knew the top brass would be a tough audience and give her hell, no matter how brilliant Duke Nikolai Jansma's review would be. Some people just wouldn't change.
Her personal comset rang. Scarlet knew who it was. She didn't want to talk, but she needed some mental support. Scarlet was a proud, strong woman. Admitting she needed a strong arm to make her feel safe was showing weakness in her dictionary, but she could use some encouragement. She picked up the comset and huffed, "Scarlet."
"If I didn't know you better, I would think you start to enjoy the cramped inconvenience of adropship," Major Fernandes' voice rang with its usual don't-worry-be-happy tone.
"Not now," Scarlet growled. "Not today."
"When?"
"When I'm finished with Dieron High Command."
"What do you expect them to say about your stellar performance against two battalions of toaster worshippers?"
"You are not a Kuritan," Scarlet replied coldly. "Some top brass still can't see past 'victory or death'."
"What era do you think you live in? Fourth Succession War? Clan Invasion? Didn't Theodore Kurita issue a new doctrine of warfare to modernize the old, toxic Kuritan perception of war?"
"Some people just don't change. And FYI, the Markham's Marauders are not toaster worshippers. They are elite mercenaries under contract with the Word of Blake."
"Po-tay-to po-tah-to."
"Whatever you Davions say."
"Look, Scarlet, I'm no Kuritan, so I don't know how your people judge your performance. But I know this: Nobody has the right to take away what you did at Ashio from you. You were up against 2 high-performance battalion with heavy to assault war machines. You left one of them dead in the water, and ushered the other one off world even though they were in the brink of crushing your unit. That is one hell of a job. That is no joke. Not a lot of commanders can achieve that, not even your top brass. If they cannot see it, then maybe it's time to find a new master to serve. Someone like… you know, Davions."
"That's treason."
"That's living a life. You don't want to serve a master that treats you like a dog."
Scarlet smiled. "It'll be fine. They may chew me up and spit me out but they know everything I did in the field was for the sake of the Draconis Combine. They can't deny it."
"Then come out with me, and let the dead bury the dead."
"I'm still a Kuritan. I'll finish it the Kuritan way."
"You're a glutton for punishment, you know that?" Fernandes sighed. "Fine. I'll wait. But so you know, I don't want to wait forever."
"You just have to wait until I'm done." Scarlet said matter-of-factly. "But anyway, thank you."
"For?"
"Being here with me."
Scarlet caught Fernandes' chuckle before he cut off the comlink.
Already once being outdone by Vash, Keiichi didn't want to get blindsided again. As soon as the dropship touched the ground, Keiichi ran toward Risa's quarter, only to find it empty. The bed was neatly made, as if she was never there. He could smell her scent faintly, but there was no trace of her as far as his eyes could see. He noticed that, as a civilian, she was granted an officer's quarter. But he was beyond care at the moment.
Utterly baffled, Keiichi ran toward the main hangar bay, hoping to catch Risa if she had already left her quarter. But as he zoomed past the hangar, he caught Kayoko observing Scarlet's Marauder. Kayoko never showed interest in the blazing-hot mech before, so he just thought he could help her find whatever it was she wanted from that mech.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Wondering," Kayoko puffed halfheartedly, "what it's like to sit in its cockpit."
"Nothing different than any other mech," Keiichi muttered indifferently.
"I guess I'll find out soon enough."
"Soon enough?" Keiichi chuckled. "You have Scarlet's permission to do that?"
"As soon as Titania is back online, I'll get this one."
"Wait… by whose authority?"
"Noloty."
"I didn't get the order," Keiichi protested. "Why nobody told me this?"
"Maybe because I'm jumping the gun," Kayoko smiled from ear to ear. "You know, like kids who can't wait to open Christmas presents under the mistletoe."
"There's so many wrongs in that sentence, but whatever," Keiichi grumbled. "So… excited?"
"To be honest, I don't know," Kayoko sighed unexpectedly. "I don't feel the vibe. Yes, this thing is great. Yes, it has Gauss rifle in addition to 2 ERPPC. Yes, I can slug out with some assaults out there. But it's just not me. I'm a lousy shot. I need Targeting Computer, guided missiles, and enough freezers to fight effectively. This mech has none of those."
"Noloty respects you so much that she assigned this mech to you, Kayoko," Keiichi blurted. "This is a better mech than what you lost at Ashio. Perhaps you should show some gratitude."
"Hey, Noloty is my best friend!" Kayoko turned around with all guns blazing. "Don't you dare to accuse me of depreciating her intention, because nobody knows her better than me! We gave our lives for each other!"
"Alright, if you say so," Keiichi waved his arms in the air. "I can add TarComp to the mech, but something has to go. I would hate to make it lesser than what it is."
"Sure, whatever you need," Kayoko let out an exasperated sigh. "I miss Musashi."
"Sometimes some things just don't work out. Forget it, and start acclimating yourself to your new mech." Keiichi turned around to leave, but he turned back again. "Do you see Risa? I can't find her. It seems like she's already left, yet logic states she's still in this dropship."
"Pfft, civilians," Kayoko sniggered. "They don't have a concept of leaving no man behind. As soon as they get what they want, they'll leave."
"Don't talk about Risa that way!" Keiichi grumbled.
"Why are you still ogling for her? She obviously doesn't feel the same way as you do. Just like you said, sometimes some things just don't work out. Forget her, and find another girl to get obsessed with."
"I can't! She's the girl of my dream!" Keiichi lamented. "Have you seen a medic as pretty as her? Nothing! She is the prettiest! Why is it so hard to just… you know, talk to her?"
"Shouldn't be too hard, unless…" Kayoko cringed as the inevitable started to come to mind, "… she is with somebody else already."
Through the small window in the officer's quarter Vash observed the backdrop of Halstead City. The plexiglass was old and scratched up, blurring the scenery, but he could still see the outline of the skyscrapers in the distance. It was not a metropolitan in any sense, but big enough to host warriors of various corners of the Inner Sphere, as they trained and prepared for an invasion of Word of Blake Protectorate.
The heap of blanket and bedsheet moved behind him, and he let out a dry chuckle.
"Hi you," Risa's head perked up from the messy pile of fabric. "What are you doing there?"
"Looking at the city," Vash said. "Looks like we have touched down. I can see my men evacuating the dropship."
"Then I guess we have to leave too," Risa drunkenly swiped the blanket off her. She tried to get up, but immediately fell back to the bed. "Oh My God I'm so sore. I may need a moment."
"This is our dropship," Vash turned around, flaunting his lean and taut musculatures. "We can stay here as long as we want." He walked slowly toward the bed until she was up close and personal with his navel area. "But the city offers a lot more amusement than this metal cube, so I wonder if you want to check it out with me."
"What kind of amusement?" Risa was intrigued.
"Penthouse, spa, hot spring, massage parlor, bed and breakfast," Vash slowly climbed onto the bed, reaching for Risa's head to plant a deep, passionate kiss. His free hand sneaked under the bed sheet to find Risa's bare butt, then gently fondled it. "We can rent a love shack with mirrors as walls, so you can catch the live action while actually doing it."
"Oh you dirty scoundrel," Risa giggled. Her hands roamed Vash's back, tracing the hills and valleys of muscles. "When I first met you, I was actually scared of you. You were this cold-blooded, heartless, one-man army. I never would've thought that you had this… childish charm… in bed."
"Disappointed?" Vash kissed his way down her neck, pecking the side of her torso, down to her waist. He pulled her legs up and kissed her feet, from the instep down to her toes.
"No, I kinda like it," Risa squirmed in a mixed of pleasure and ticklishness. "You sure know your way around a girl's body. Must have done this many times before."
"Not many, maybe once or twice," Vash fibbed. He tried to take her mind away from the subject by running his fingers along the sole of her feet, from the heels to the point where her toes joined the balls.
"That's not what I heard," Risa bit her lips, but let him exploit her feet nonetheless. "How many lucky women and girls got this treatment of yours?"
"Alright, a few, but none of them are as hot as you," Vash nibbled on her toes. "You have the sexiest feet in the entire battalion. I love the toes. So hot and juicy." He pecked each toe with butterfly kisses, eliciting a jerk reaction from her. "Not that the rest of you is ugly, but these are the crown jewels of you."
"Aw, you're too nice," Risa's breathings started to deepen. All this foot play triggered another sensation surging through her veins. "You make me feel… special."
"You are," Vash sat straight up on the bed. "You're right… I bedded many women in my life, but that's because I didn't have somebody to cling to. I haven't met the right one yet. With you… the more nights we spent together, the more I am convinced that I have found what I have been searching for."
"What are you saying?" Risa propped her head on the pillow.
"I will change my lifestyle if I can pursue a commited relationship with you."
"Well…" Risa pulled herself up on the bed. "This is unexpected. I don't know what to say. I uh… I am not looking to get attached to anybody right now. Don't get me wrong, you're a great guy, and I love… love… love the way you treat me. It's just… I don't know."
"Then let me make up your mind," Vash lunged and kissed her. Her lips were soft and moist. "I'll show you how serious I am with my words." He pressed his body upon hers, and the feeling of her hardened nipples on his chest was evident enough. "One more here before we go out."
Risa answered by wrapping her arms around his neck.
