I probably should have mentioned this a few chapters back but any and all translations and foreign language usage is done with Google Translate. I don't really have any other options since I don't speak Japanese, Korean, Hindu, or any of the other languages coming into play soon. So I apologize for any mistakes and blame Google.
This chapter is a slower one with lots of OC development especially when compared to the last one. I did warn you all and it is necessary to the story. It also has a lot of necessary establishing elements for the next section of the story. The Jaeger Program is now back up and running, though not without a multitude of issues, and the next step is expansion.
Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! It needed a lot of editing and I kept fighting myself on several aspects, slowing the process down. I had to get something finalized or the story would stall.
Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, etc!
…...
Raleigh was glad for once to be stuck in the isolated Shatterdome. He knew without having to watch the news or from read the security reports that now that the world outside the Pacific had been attack, rioting had resumed. He had never been so glad not to be the Marshall; he knew Herc would be stuck in meetings for days at this point.
It was a little over a day after the attack when things got truly vicious. It was enough time for anyone regardless of time zone or remote location to have heard of the attack on Mumbai. Everyone near a coastline from the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean, to the Indian Ocean were panicking and demanding answers. Mass exoduses had begun from coastal cities around the world as the shock of the attack faded and turned to alarm.
The public believed there was a single functioning Jaeger and despite their support for the Corps, they knew no single Jaeger could protect everyone when rifts were opening around the world. They were unaware that Green Beast had been completely disabled. Raleigh wondered how much worse it could get if that detail slipped out of the Shatterdome.
Public anger was currently directed solely at the governments who disbanded the Jaeger Corps originally and as a result, left the world in such a precarious position. Government buildings had been attacked and looted in more than a dozen countries and two of the U.N officials who had initiated the Pacific Wall program were missing, their homes having been targeted by mobs.
The Shatterdome guards were on high alert, having already intercepted two separate incursions by civilians into the land around the dome. Neither had been antagonistic, one group wanted answers, the other wanted security, believing the Shatterdome to be the only safe place left in the world. The combination of high emotions and multiple sabotage attempts had everyone nervous and overly cautious.
Raleigh tried to put all that from his mind as he and Mako headed to their own meeting with Herc. The Ranger knew he was doing everything possible to help the world in the way he knew best. He was protecting civilians with every ounce of his ability and passing on his knowledge to a new class of Rangers.
Raleigh and Mako had already planned out the entire afternoon with the trainees, hoping to have them review the fight with Cākū with the team and get their thoughts as observers rather than combatants before moving on to more physical combat and eventually team building.
Tendo was already in the conference room and Nikki and Herc came in together a few minutes later, arguing. "It's a liability and extremely dangerous for the crews." The Marshall's body was filled with conflicting elements of frustration and exhaustion as he spoke while Nikki looked uncharacteristically grim as she argued the point that "There are no other options." The pair broke off upon seeing the others waiting and took their seats in silence.
"So what's the word on Beast?" Raleigh asked Tendo as an awkward silence fell. Almost twenty hours of sleep and an entire pot of coffee at breakfast ensured that he and Mako were both back to normal and possibly the most alert people in the conference room.
"She should be here in about four hours." The LOCCENT Officer told him as he pulled up a map display, a thin red line tracking the progression of Green Beast's transport from Mumbai back to Hong Kong before continuing. "We lost two portions of chest plating during the short lift from combat sight to the carrier and a set of electrical surges went through the conn-pod due to damaged wiring. Be glad we didn't try to bring you back in her."
"And Gipsy?" Mako asked, turning the group's attention to Nikki.
"We need another day or so. The reactor's fully installed and we're finishing up the cauterizing generator for the swords, which will in fact work after going through three different designs." Nikki broke off with a pointed look at Mako who nodded. "Arigatō"
Raleigh added his own nod of gratitude; he knew how much the swords meant to his co-pilot, being an element that combined her biological family with her Jaeger family. Knowing that Nikki and Tendo had perfected a design that worked despite their original doubts and Kaiju Blue fears, gave Raleigh a slight sense of hope. The Jaeger Corps wasn't stalled or stuck despite its setbacks. It was continuing to evolve to meet the needs of the war and the world.
Nikki continued, "Anyway, we have to finish the armor plating now that the reactor's in and test drop the conn-pod to double check the locking mechanisms once we finish water proofing it. Then the first Mark VI is officially combat ready."
"Good." Herc took control of the meeting once Nikki finished."We're still getting details in from Mumbai but despite the lack of bunkers and shelters, evacuation was incredibly successful. The majority of the casualties are those who stayed in the buildings in and close to the combat zone. The extra time created due to the breach opening farther away from the city saved a lot of lives. Reports of people sickening due to Kaiju blue are already coming in but the local government has tightened the lockdown on the zone and no one else can get in. The few who initially did were opportunistic looters who went straight in before we even airlifted you two out. All things considered, PPDC believes the death toll will be below two thousand."
Raleigh was shocked but in a relieved way. For a city with millions of people living in it, such a low death toll following a direct Kaiju attack was almost unheard of.
The Marshall focused his attention specifically on the Rangers. "Green Beast will go in for repairs as soon as Gipsy is done. Parts for 381 should start rolling in tomorrow. I want the twins in another Green Beast sim as soon as possible. They need to be completely combat ready in a few days so anything they need to change or perfect needs to be done now. If you need to back off the others to focus on them, do it. Whatever it takes. We need two Jaegers field ready." Mako nodded and made a note in her tablet. With these new orders, the two Rangers would have to change their original training plans for the next few days.
Raleigh hesitated then copied her, jotting down what the twins needed to focus on before he interrupted Herc. The curiosity and confusion that had been with him since the Mumbai attack needed to be voiced. "Quick question. What happened to my arm yesterday? I would prefer that never happen again. I've got a bad track record when it comes to my arms and I was hoping to break that streak."
"It isn't going to happen again. You had no responsibility for what happened." Nikki's voice was cold as she immediately answered.
"What…"
"I fucked up." She interrupted Raleigh's question then hesitated with a glance at Tendo before she leaned forward, focusing on the Rangers. Her good hand was tight around her dog tags and she seemed to purposely avoid looking at Herc of Tendo as she resumed speaking
"You remember when Tendo and I were arguing about the support struts in Beast's arm before the Jaeger was complete? We never did replace the weaker ones because it would have cost too much time. Almost three more days without a functioning Jaeger. Once Green Beast was combat ready, we couldn't go back in without taking apart the entire arm which would ground the Jaeger again. Not knowing when to ever expect the next attack, we just hoped the remote odds would be in our favor and the exact type of hit necessary to expose the flaw in the metal would never happen." Nikki let out a breath. "I've got crappy luck and when Cākū attacked yesterday and impacted the arm, it was at the perfect angle. The support snapped and slid into the gear system in the elbow shattering two of the articulation points. The odds were more than one in a thousand but it still happened."
Raleigh could tell from the look on the tech's face that she completely blamed herself and had expected the worst when the support snapped in the middle of the Kaiju assault. Before he could say anything though, Tendo spoke.
"I went with the odds too. I ran a dozen simulations to test every possibility before ever agreeing that construction could move on to finish Green Beast. I put having a functioning Jaeger above having a perfect Jaeger. We both fucked up and you two and the entire city almost paid the price for that."
Raleigh glanced at Mako, unsure of what to say. The two techs were both at fault but it was over and done with. The pilots were almost completely unscathed while the Kaiju was dead. If they had waited to fix the supports, Green Beast would not have been able to deploy for the attack on Seoul. They had been extremely lucky in every attack before now; Mumbai had been the most realistic, the most typical, in terms of damage to the Jaeger and combat zone regardless of the mistakes made.
Mako saw her partner's indecision and spoke for them both. "Is it possible for it to ever happen again?"
"No." Nikki was quick to answer. "It was only because we reused parts from former Jaegers and Oblivion Bay due to the time crunch. Beast's new arm has to be constructed from scratch and every part in every future Jaeger beginning with Gipsy Danger will be brand new."
"Then it is done. Every aspect of our lives as Rangers is part of a game of chance. You both went with slim odds because it was the better option to ensure the safety of civilians since it made Green Beast combat ready sooner. No one can blame you for making that choice. If we were in your place we would have done the same. As long as it can never happen again, we can move past it."
Tendo nodded and relaxed though Nikki remained grim and silent as Herc redirected the meeting once more. They were dismissed after the Marshall passed on further construction and repair orders to the two techs and training orders to the two Rangers. They had to start deciding which team would be placed in a Jaeger after the twins.
…...
"How much should we deviate from the today's original training plans considering Herc's orders?" Raleigh casually asked Mako as they walked through the halls. She went much more by the letter for orders while Raleigh went by the spirit of the orders rather than the technicalities.
Mako glanced sideways at her partner; her face told him that she knew exactly what he was trying to pull.
The original plan had been getting the team better oriented as a single unit which was less combat based and required a lot more talking. It definitely wasn't what Herc had in mind when he ordered the Rangers to polish the twins' abilities further but Raleigh still believed it was necessary and in the spirit of the orders. Putting the twins in a Jaeger without their teammates understanding why they had specifically been chosen could cause a huge amount of ill will and resentment down the line. Some would argue they were better prepared than the twins due to any number of factors; age, training, world knowledge. After the debacle with Chuck and Raleigh openly attacking each other in the halls, the Shatterdome couldn't afford anything less to have anything less than a cohesive unit from its Jaeger pilots. It would weaken the moral within the dome and outside its walls. No one would believe that the teams could work together in Jaegers in combat if they didn't at least tolerate each other now. Their hadn't been anything in particular to worry Raleigh, but now that he was responsible for their training and performance, he wanted as close to guarantees as possible.
"I believe we have a measure of leyway." Mako replied after considering the question. "It will be a few days before Green Beast is once again combat ready and the twins only need to strengthen their abilities. They already have the extensive combat training necessary. We should be fine following the original plans." Mako's lips twitched in amusement at Raleigh's smile.
He wasn't fooled though. He knew she was just as curious about their trainees as he was. They knew more than the others because of their security clearance and access to personnel files, but there was only so much you could learn from paper forms. They needed to know the fledgling Rangers behind that and what made them tick. You could learn a lot about a person based on what they would or would not say about their past in public. The knowledge would give Mako and Raleigh valuable insight into the trainees that couldn't be easily discovered any other way short of drifting with each one.
…...
Mako and Raleigh worked with the pairs for a little over an hour after reviewing the Mumbai attack. All four teams were currently sparring on separate mats simultaneously with the two senior Rangers roaming through it all, observing and modifying techniques. They paid added attention to the twins, trying to ascertain what specifically they needed to push for the next few days.
Raleigh called time and the teams broke apart, all four going from mid attack to relaxed in a heartbeat. It was rather surreal to see Finn freeze with his foot a few inches away from where it had been about to hit Ariel in the face or to see Arlington simply release Alice from an arm bar. Mako had just finished securing the gym, physically locking anyone else out to give them complete privacy. Herc and Tendo both knew where they were in case of a non-Kaiju related emergency.
"Good news." Raleigh told the teams as they converged on the main mat and settled into various positions on the floor and steps around him. "You are all getting good at attacking each other. Mako and I thought it would be good to spend some time as a group outside of our basic identity as Rangers. Only the ten of us in this room know or will know for the foreseeable future what it is like to be a Jaeger pilot and what that involves."
"Twelve." Mako interrupted. "Marshall Hansen and Officer Reese."
Raleigh tried not to roll his eyes at the technicality as the trainees laughed quietly. "Fine. Twelve total in the Shatterdome, we're the only ten who will see active combat in the future. And it's a different type of combat than before. Smarter Kaijus, different regions, different Jaegers." Raleigh reorganized his thoughts and returned to his original point. "When in combat we need to be able to recognize the voices coming from another Jaeger as our comrades, as individuals. It makes the fight harder because you know who you lose if something happens, but that is nothing compared to what you gain in the sense of trust and the ability to work as a unit. We're going to spend the next hour talking." There were noises of disbelief and annoyance as Raleigh finished. He knew it seemed cheesy and unnecessary, but having fought in the Corps when it was at its height, he knew the difference connections could make. When he and Yancy were stationed in Anchorage, the Icebox had a sense of cohesion the Hong Kong Shatterdome still lacked.
Mako held up a hand, silencing the group immediately. Raleigh was jealous of her ability to make every movement commanding. It was definitely a useful skill. "Alice, tell me something about Petro Belenko." Mako's demeanor was serene but she inflected the words, making it a weighted question.
Alice Flint froze like a deer trapped in headlights. "He's Russian?" Her tone told the room that it was an empty guess.
"Ukrainian." The large man corrected with a well meaning grin. He seemed to take everything in stride.
"You know your partner but you don't know anyone else in this room." Raleigh reminded them all. "Either make this easy and learn or suck it up and learn. Regardless, we're doing it." He got commanding at the end and after a few more seconds of annoyance, everyone gave up their arguments.
"Why don't you start." Mako told Raleigh after a minute of silence, her eyes laughing at him. Her co-pilot froze, he had meant for it to only include the trainees, but now that he was on the spot, it was impossible to say no.
Raleigh glared at her for a moment, silently promising revenge before turning back to the trainees. "I was born and raised in Anchorage with my brother. We enlisted in the Jaeger Corps instead of continuing school after we lost our mother to cancer. I left the Corps after the Knifehead attack and spent a few years in construction before coming back when Pentecost offered me the chance." Raleigh kept it simple, not wanting to go into the harder to talk about memories.
"I was born in Tanegashima and was an only child. My parents and I were in Tokyo when Onibaba attacked and I was orphaned. Marshall Pentecost took me in and raised me afterwards and I have been with the Corps in a variety of capacities ever since." Mako told the group without prompting. It was easier for her and Raleigh to talk about themselves in a broad sense. Almost everything was common knowledge due to their celebrity status after the original breach closure. They just got the idea going for everyone else.
Mako looked expectantly at the assembled group, almost daring one of them to prove themselves and speak first.
It was Luke Beryl who took the challenge. The blonde was open about his life. "I was raised on a family ranch in Knox City, Texas. Its a few hours outside of Fort Worth. Normal childhood, I spent most of it outdoors, refusing to come inside when I was told to. My parents had three kids several years after me, all girls. I joined the Corps because I want to do everything I can to protect my sisters and ensure that they have a safer world to grow up in." His southern accent deepened when he spoke of his family, his genuine connection to them despite the distance was obvious to everyone around him.
"That's a lot of sisters." Arlington said quietly, making a face. His partner elbowed him and he looked up guiltily. He shrugged when he noticed that all eyes in the room were watching him. 'I've just got one adoptive sister who's a lot younger than me and she's a handful."
"Adoptive?" Alice probed; apparently the pair hadn't shared everything yet.
Arlington nodded. The oldest of the trainees hesitated before continuing. "My biological parents were killed in a car wreck when I was only a year old. Paramedics have no clue how I survived other than sheer luck. I was adopted by a hardcore military family. Every member for the last three generations served in the U.S. military. The adoptive sis is currently in the Georgia National Guard and the adoptive parents in Germany. Dad's stationed there with the Army and Mom's retired Air Force. When I was old enough I joined the Marines then ended up here."
"So is Arlington your first name or last name? I'm a little confused on the matter." Kingsley asked. A few of the others nodded in agreement.
Arlington smiled slightly, scarring on his right cheek crinkled with the action. "First technically. There wasn't any record of my real name after the crash which was near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. Apparently the license my biological father was driving with was a fake and there was no other way to identify my parents. Arlington is what was put on the Child Services forms since it sounded better than Baby John Doe. It stuck ever since then especially with the military family." He glanced at his partner as he finished speaking and Alice took over with a shrug.
"My story is boring. Middle class family, regular life in the suburbs in Arizona. I wanted something different so I travelled for a few years as a photographer and eventually ended up in Hong Kong. I met a few bay crew members at a bar a few months ago and got a job on the administrative team in the dome. When they announced that they were testing anyone willing for drift ability, I just thought it would be something new. I didn't know I would end up here getting beaten up every day but it's not too bad."
"My story is similar." Petro added with a smile. His heavy accent made it harder to understand him but the patience with which he spoke made it easier. "I was born in Ukraine and got a job working in the Vladivostok Shatterdome when my family had too many children to feed. I came to Hong Kong with Cherno Alpha because it was all I know how to do." He shrugged and his smile widened. "Till now. I was dared to take the Drift testing and was told I was good so I thought why not?"
"How many siblings?" Alice asked curiously.
"Eight. I am the third oldest. My family has always been large." Petro's grin widened as he saw the various reactions throughout the room.
Raleigh found it curious how many of the new Rangers were at least partially motivated by siblings. It was an interesting coincidence but probably nothing more than just chance.
Ariel sighed loudly enough for eyes to turn towards her. She flipped her long pony tail over a shoulder and waved a hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I just don't have any of that. I was born in Mexico on the Baja peninsula and had a pretty awful childhood. I did some stupid stuff and ended up in China. I cleaned my act up and ended up here. Simple as that."
Everyone turned to look at Raleigh as if silently asking if she could get away with no details. Raleigh shrugged and let Mako answer for them. "It's your right not to share if you don't want to. We've all done stupid things, some of which we're ashamed of. I don't think anyone will think badly of you for your past as long as it stays there in the past. This is just meant for us to know each other better. It's not an interrogation."
Garza seemed to seriously consider the offer but shook her head after a moment. "I'd rather not. I'm a different person now. Maybe some other time."
Raleigh was glad to see that Ariel's partner was currently looking at her with worry rather than any kind of judgment in his eyes. It told him their connection might not be damaged or weakened due to whatever she wanted to keep private. "Just keep in mind that Finn at the very least will be in your head, seeing your actual memories soon. If you can't handle that, you're in the wrong line of work." He reminded her, she could have privacy from everyone but the person in her head.
Ariel nodded, looking at her hands. "I know. I really do. I just need a little time to think about it."
Raleigh held up his hands. "I get that. I needed five years worth of 'time'" Soft, half surprised laughter followed his statement, easing the tension that had been building for the last few minutes.
"I'm with Alice." Kingsley took over, taking attention away from her partner who visibly relaxed once all eyes were off her.
It was a different view of the energetic woman who had been in all training sessions before now. Raleigh knew everything she just said would have to be taken into consideration by him and Mako. It didn't mean she was a bad candidate now, just one that needed a little more work.
"I was born and raised in New Jersey." Kingsley continued, speaking with his hands and with his voice, he had too much energy for simple words. "I was the obnoxious athlete in high school, played football, basketball, and ran cross country. Everything I did was about the adrenaline rush from competition and winning. I was a member of the U.S Olympic team for track when that was still going and ended up in the Academy program right before it shut down after getting bored."
Everyone looked expectantly at the twins who had been leaning against a wall the entire time, listening. They glanced at each other and had a silent conversation of slight head motions and barely there expressions before Mia spoke. "We've kinda always been here. Not here in Hong Kong but in various Shatterdomes. Our mother died when we were young and our dad worked on various Jaegers in the repair crews so we've been around the Corps our entire lives. We lost him to radiation poisoning a few years ago and our older sister took over our guardianship after she was forced out of the Academy and into the bays. We pretty much have no memories from before the domes. It's kinda weird but works for us. Stick with what you know right?"
Raleigh thought it was amazing how Mia managed to tell almost strangers about dead parents and missing childhoods with a grin on her face though a little strange. It didn't help that Xander didn't look even a little fazed either. Raleigh did wonder about her wording though. He had thought Tendo said Nikki left the Academy and Mia described it differently. It was probably nothing; the teen was more than a little prone to exaggeration.
Raleigh stood now that every Ranger had had their turn. "Before you go, as homework, think about your similarities with your co-pilot. Almost every pair of Jaeger pilots has a tradition or habit before combat or in the Drift. Some create it consciously, for others it's just a tiny detail at the beginning of each Drift. Focus on what you are capable of together that you lack as an individual. It doesn't have to be something you can even easily describe but find that common ground; the habit will give you a stronger link as you begin sim training together and eventually in live combat. Head to dinner and keep getting to know one another better. We'll see you in training tomorrow. Twins stay behind." Raleigh watched the group leave, they were focused on each other. He didn't think any of them had really paid attention to what he just said. The Ranger mentally shrugged. They would either find the tangible element of their connection or they wouldn't. Some of the best pilots never did, it was just an idea he thought might help some.
As the others filtered out, the twins waited patiently. "Do you two have the time and energy for a full simulation tonight for Green Beast?" Raleigh asked once they were alone with Mako. The pair exchanged a glance then nodded. Raleigh returned the motion. "Good. Get food and be in mission control at eight."
The veteran Ranger dropped down next to his co-pilot on the stairs once they had complete privacy. "Your thoughts?"
"We need to watch Ariel Garza and Finn Kingsley carefully. It doesn't matter what she will tell us as long as the pairing is fine but we need a guarantee of that before they enter a full drift. I would put them last for a Jaeger at the moment unless something changes."
Raleigh made a face but agreed. They had great combat potential, but the new details told him that Garza would be prone to chasing the rabbit and Kingsley would follow her.
"There are a lot of similarities in the group." Mako added after several minutes of companionable silence.
"Definitely. Dead parents, multiple siblings, over protectiveness, boredom, curiosity" Raleigh listed off the ones he had noticed before truly considering them. "We're not exactly lacking in any of those areas either. I think there are a few classic personality traits among Jaeger pilots."
"No we're not. And there is no reason to judge. They are strong motivating factors for anyone." Mako agreed, sadness touching the corners of her eyes as she stared at the empty gym. The pair returned to their silence, thinking of their memories and each other's. No matter which head the memories had originated in, they pushed the pair to do better, be better every second of every day.
…...
REVIEW! Bolded text is too tired from dealing with this chapter to make a sufficiently threatening demand.
Authors Note:
I apparently have a few smartass readers (not saying that's a bad thing, I'm one myself.) When I said lasers wouldn't do any good against Kaiju, I didn't mean lasers from the Enterprise or the freaking Death Star! I'm pretty sure if it can blow up a planet it can blow up a giant monster ON a planet. I meant lasers along the lines of what is possible today and in the near future considering other advanced technology in the Pacific Rim world. Interplanetary vessels will not be showing up in this story.
I also apparently have some very intelligent readers who have some of the same ideas as me for killing Kaiju. Some of the recent suggestions/arguments I have gotten were already included in my plans and will come into play in the future with the Mark VI Jaegers and other defensive options. However, those ideas do not include lasers!
