Again , Shadow  laughed ,   as  Maddy   questioned him being awkward.

  There were two   tall females there   like ghosts..  Ta-Li and  Captain Si..

 He  went  to stand  ,  But Captain Si waved him off...what does Oliver   say?   At ease before  i lock you up for pretending to be an Officer?

 Shadow motioned to maddy,You Know   Ensign   Perry...Maddy?

 captain Si smiled.of course. she one of my pilots!...

 TA-LI said,The Ensign   held the  Light and  Shadow's  hand   while i cut out the   Patch work he  and  LT  Losky  put in...

  Did that have anything to do with the Captain that was transferred to the Ape Folks   AO?

 mostly, But  that Captain  was too busy  trying to mate with females, that we were not treating  People.. I am afraid we lost a few, how  could have been saved.if they had been doing their  jobs.

 contact Captain Muska. Tell him , it is on my orders, that  Captain is  to be on the  next   combat team  that  enters their  AO  city...

 begging your pardon , Captain Si...the  civi is not   trained to be in combat..

 The people he neglected that died?  they were not trained to die..

 Turning to Shadow,Your wound?

 good  as  new, considering it was fixed  twice...

 Captain Si  said..Kray...  the   bits left in you could have festered..

 or.. they would have been absorbed by the enzymes...

 You  are  Lucky , Nil.. none of   the other   Flag officers  are medical experts,  I am jealous..

 they both smiled  and   walked away.. Shadow left out a deep breath..
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:01, Mon 03 July 2023.

Passing the AI unit he stopped and waited for three minutes before heading to the buffeted for more to eat.

When Captain Si approached with Ta-Li, Madison about jumped to her feet, but then sat again when the Captain waved her and Shadow down. There was a brief discussion about Shadow's injury and then Si and Ta-Li left.

"Did they just come over to harass you about the injury?"

  Shadow  Nodded  as he watched them walk out of the tent.yeah?  prretty Much.. Captain Si  will step on me if i get too far out of hand... So will the Admiral.. I got rtrestricted to the  OB dec  for  14 hours  , because of  a dumbass  Mech rider , almost got a bunch of folks kiled..  The Adamial was on Stimgum.. he..um..didn't  like i  took the blame... Karma    hit the Mech rider  though, he died  on the Ned tech ship

 anyway..i think its  a pass time. 'jag the  LC"...

In reply to Tarja Vanska (msg # 343):

 Meari took the coffee then hung out and ate with AI group she saw Brian walk over she yelled out," Hey Brian come on over join us for breakfast." She had on her envirosuit but had their group coveralls on as well now. It did show in Meari's ample chest though.

 Meari then listened to the others and replied," Human alcohol seems to take a little longer to effect my Udenese body. It also may be my size as well. What do you mean by Real Russian Vodka isnt all Vodka the same?"

 NA-CE walked into the mess tent she went up to the LC," Sir how is your wound doing I saw the Major and Captain visit you so I figured I would add to the Angel list. You will tell me stories of what you do with that trench knife wont you LC, I would love that." There was a vindictive, evil Angel look for a second then she smiled at the LC and Madison.

Nikki moved down the line gathering her breakfast and a replacement water.  finally with a fairly full tray she made for a table.  she listened to the news services that were on monitor others also watched that had fleet news on the situation.  nothing like watching 'morning news'.  She ate her eggs and toast along with an orange and fresh brewed tea.  Then suddenly she was blinded from behind.  "Hello Sexy" came Mitches voice just as she grabbed his forearms.  Luckily she didn't flip him across the table. a few moments later she could see again.  Turning in her seat and up he was sitting down next to her.  Mitch looked disheveled as his tray hit the table.  "What's cookin' Good-lookin'?" she responded.  It was obvious Mitch had some minor injuries.  He was sporting a bead of duraplast that went into his hairline.

  The Admiral passed the   word  for   Piltos  and  troopers  to be  ready to leave when the word  was  given.

  Refugees  who wanted to leave Paradise   lined up to  enter BUs

  Entering the  Mess tent, The Admiral   grabbed  a cup of  coffee  and fixed it. Walking over  to Shadow and  Maddy, he motioned with an opned had , downward. for them to stay  Seated.

 LC?

 Admiral.. Yiou know   Ensign Perry?

 Aye, Good mornig  Ensign .... Kray? have you seen , Nil?

 aye Sir,  she went out that way. i guess to the Med tech  tent..she was  with Stefi Jr..

The Admiral  laughed...We  might be bringing TA-LI  aboard, since we  losy most of our  Staff to The Wax wing..

 Great.. I can't  wait until the next time   i'm wounded..

 These's a  way around that..yoiu know tht..right?

 Aye   Sir, don't get  wounded..

 Hack smiles...he looks at Maddy,see? isn';t in comforting  to know your LC is  a genius ?  heleft with a   Chuckle...

  Shadow signed..shoulda been a cook?   I bet loaves of  bread  do pick on you!
..........

 Na-Ce   arrived.. after she   spoke..This is  ensign Perry.. Maddy?...  and This is NA-CE. Combat Med tech from the Blue  Moon... I might have tails   sooner then you thing, NA-CE.. i'm sure there  are some  folks on the Blue moon that will need to  be  weeded  out.

...........

 Mitch was  tired..Me and  benny fired  arounf  89  tinfish... i think we took out one Cap ships... some  smaller  vessels  and    damaged a bunch.

In reply to Meari (msg # 362):

Giving a nod and thumbs up he continued to the buffet grabbed another plate of food and a mug of coffee. Strolling back to the team he joined them. That was exhilarating, are all your actions the same?

In reply to Kray Shadow (msg # 361):

Madison laughed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I got the sense that you kind of walked around like a god with more power than your rank. It's actually good to know that you're a mere mortal like the rest of us."

As if to prove her point Admiral Hack arrived at the table. Madison again felt the urge to snap to attention. She did. "Good morning, Admiral." She sat after Shadow didn't move and the Admiral went right into his business, also ribbing him about the injury.

"Yes, sir." She smirked at the Admiral's sarcasm. "I was just saying something to that effect."

A moment later, she was introduced to NA-CE. "Nice to meet you"

After she left, Madison looked to see who might be next. "You really are popular."

  yeah.seems that way.Its the hair,. I try to   brush it  every other  week... he watched the  Admniral go...

 Major is  Lights out.. so is Stefi.. must   be something  , if they are  going top heavy on  Lights out Med techs

 he winked a bit.. I do walkaround with more power then my rank.. Sorta.. That WC card i can play when i need it..and its  really  Fun to  step on a Captain  or Major, expects me   to grovel because the pained more  gold on their  shoulders.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:25, Mon 03 July 2023.

In reply to Justin Kase (msg # 353):

Zob returned the cheers but not to the same extent as to not spill his coffee, "So far still in one piece but you never know what tomorrow will bring" he then took a sip of the coffee before responding, "Considering we took the planet and the most 'high' is out of the way if we aren't mopping up any leftover resistance we may be moving on soon... but don't quote me on that i could be very wrong" he said with a shrug.

  Henly   sipped his  coffee...we're goin' home soon, the  th Fleet is  goin' to the Blue  Moon, which also mens..there gonna  be a fancy  Ball

  and ya   know what comes after the fancy ball.

In reply to mess tent (msg # 370):

Justin considered both Zob's and Hemsly's replies; he'd privatley assessed the Strategic Situation and a number of theorised outcomes however lacking specific details only top Brass have, hus thoughts are nothing more than speculative.
Giving both a nod in agreement
Most we can do, is to do our best when we can.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:42, Mon 03 July 2023.

In the time it took Brian to walk by and come back the rest of the team had emerged and helped themselves to coffee, with Tarja simply pointing to an empty spot by the fire in way of an invitation before asking the same one word question of Brian ”Coffee?” as Meari meanwhile spoke of how alcohol didn’t effect her in the same way before saying a phrase that caused both Tarja and Velta to look at her like she’d grown an extra head ”all…the…same!?”
”I know Velta I heard her too, the sergeant will be properly disciplined at a later date” Tarja joked as she gave Meari a look of mock disapproval.

With Brian joining them Tarja would consider his question before giving the hand gesture for a shrug ”So far yes…we have only seen limited action so far but we have always been in the thick of it, which is where we intend to stay” she replied to Brian, taking a sip of her coffee before adding ”…think that’s something you would be interested in?”

In reply to Kray Shadow (msg # 368):

Madison gave him an amused play-along smile when Kray attributed his popularity to his hair. "I can see why." She added a nod for good measure.

Whenever Shadow mentioned Lights Out, Madison looked around to see who was close. She was sure the boss knew what he was doing, and who was around when he said things, but she felt it was good to get in the habit of being aware.

"Are there other covers besides the ball for these kinds of ops? I would think that if stuff happens only when there is a ball, people would catch on."

 NA-CE smiled at the LC and Madison and said," Oh that would be wonderful I was appointed Med Tech for those special missions, I even got my card Sir." She smiled at Madison and added," Nice to meet you Ens., well I wont interrupt any further see you later LC, Madison we will see each other soon I have a feeling." NA-CE did have her cheerleader pin on and showing right next to the Blue Angel Special Forces patch. After any responses NA-CE moved to the line to get food and to settle down and eat her breakfast.

   Shadow smiles  as  NA-CE  showed her  Pin when she   left  he began..

      Shadow purses his Lips  , looking at His empty Cup, then waved to  the  Mess tech, who scurried over  with a pot, she looked at Maddy if she wanted   a fresh cup.

When the Mess tech left, his eyes  shifted a bit, they always seem to , when he was thinking  before he spoke.Our Biggest   enenmy has  always been the EDT  , The Evols  and  Slavers.,, He about Killed the EVOLS, we would have wioed them out on Zolth . but there was a  massive  fuck up and Lady V escaped..... now hse's in the middle of her asteroid  belt causing all kids of  Problems..one of the  reasons I killed her Niece in front of her, and Let  Larry finish off  the body... Evols  joined the EDT, She's a mover and a shaker, so we eliminated one branch and made one branch bigger

 adding a bit  more  milk he  sipped and nodded to himself.So?  Just like  in sailing  days  goign all the  way  back to rowboats, The Fleet comes in, the SEC  in that area gear up for bar  fights,  shooting and  100,000 or so drunks...  They know when the   Delta fleet  comes in, there wil be alot less turncoats  and traitors  in that  place when we leave.. some will leave as soon as the fleet is spotted, which is easy pickings  for  our  outriders   and scouts...no one hears about what happened to them...

 The  Ball helps  expose those  , who don't like us... The Admiral uses  me a  a detector.. those who  try ot   'show the LC' who is the Alpha, tend to get neutered pretty quick...but it sets the tone... however, we have to sort out bad guys ,f rom jealous guys.. we shouldn't have alot of bad guys at the Blue Moon ball..but here will be  some who want to
 set thier place on the shelf..right?..  he  chuckles,no one likes  end  up  , on a lower chelf. But its how you deal with it..  whether there will be a fight will depend on who or what decieds they have to  make a public  scene.

 somewhere  along the  Line, I have to leave.. 'after  a fight..maybe i get Embarrassed by the Hosts, whatever.. i leave.. a buch of  My friends leave with me, and we go to the Hotel..we  always have a  Hotel  with   the  rooftop Condos.. I have one, Admiral has one.. his  is mor e'refined' diner  , talking   maybe strings  for dancing... Mine has the Vid screen on a  Game  or Music..a V-jay Pumping out  tooks  and folks   party like crazy.. I have the master  beroom, which i use the inner  bedroom  to sleep , but the main room has what equipment we need, Volunteers    gather  round, Beth Lays out the marks, we pick are targets  and off  we go, out the express  elevator.. while everyone things  Kray Shadow is getting  drunk and  everyone in my place is getting laid...of courser, that last part happens after the ops, but they don't need to know that.... The roof top also has food  and a Band  for people to dance  and Mingle to keep up[ appearances... it works Most of the time.. sometimes, some one has to fall off the roof, but not often.

  Bad guys  are greedy.. they hate to leave thier   stuff.. , when we  kill them  we  rob them blind, all the creds go into the fleet's coffers... i might skim some   if i think there's alot to help pay for After parties.. i have   money comign  in? but
our people deserve some of the best..Admiral knows..he won;'t admit it..but he knows.

Whilst Lizzy went to ask something of the LC, Izzy would quietly sit and finish her breakfast before pulling out her vidboard and working on a few things whilst she waited for Lizzy to return.

Once she had finished, Izzy would look up from her work and smile as she asked "all sorted?" with her not really knowing what Lizzy had wanted to ask the LC or overly concerned about it either "I've just heard a rumour that we'll be shipping out soon and heading to the Blue Moon...I hear it's pretty there" she casually said as she worked at her vidboard, a small smile playing across her lips as she did so.

Madison listened intently to the detail of Shadow's answer. They had a well thought out system. It was a great machine with a lot of moving parts. She would just be cog in that machine, at least at first, but the idea that it could go so deep was so intriguing.

"That all sounds... just... wow. I'm excited. It sounds like there's a lot to learn, but before I get too zealous about a new adventure, there's still the current war to fight. Or clean up. What's the plan for us. The air war, I mean. Will we be covering the with drawl? Scouting the planet? What are my orders?"

  well,  fighters   will be in the air  to cover  the BUs  and drop ship troopers from the Fleet...meanwhile. Drop ship troopers from the APF  will be landing here.to be the Military Governors  and back the    new chairmen.

 Fighters always  land last... danaged  fighters  land very last... and I am the Last. with my  flight.

 Captain Morris  arrives..god day to you  Ensign  Perry, LC... By the By , LC?  it would  be wise to have yoiur  Afterpart  once we go home, and  then the send of tomorrow morning, I rather thing  it better  then  goign to the after Party, after the Send off..eh?

 Aye , Sir, if y9u say so..I guess  i'll have to  stop over to help with the confirmations.

 if yiu like.. i was keepign up with most, but these final disc  will be needed..rather large  number  of   kills. embarrissing, really...

 Not for us..My people  earned every  Kill they can get confirmation of..

 Indeed... I will see you at my shed  when you havetime.

 I'll announce the after party, once  I get Home.

Madison knew there were a lot of flag officers on the Hermes, but she really hadn't thought to hard about it until yet another came by to talk with the LC. Because she was looking around, she was already standing by the time Captain Morris arrived at the table. She gave her salute, only retaking her seat after he acknowledged her and started with his business with Shadow.

It was a grim conversation about the send offs, the number of people the fighters killed, then a bright spot with the after party. Madison had nothing to add and she wasn't included in the discussion. When Captain Morris left, Madison chimed in, but not about the party.

"Is there some protocol I can cite so I don't have to bang my knees on the table every time a flag officer wanders by?"

  Shadow  shrugged... I try to stand  ofr   EVERY  one of our officers  that outrank ,e, out of  respect... there are a few out there, i barely acknowledge  at Balls , because i don't. even if they have a decent track record... not all ways  work for everyone


 Rec dec  you can stand , they'll   wave you off... Hanger Dec..anywhere that is 'wrok'  stand... OB deck, clubs ect ect..no , yiou don't have to..when you guys  are wearing dresses, you can let it slide...Oh?..there is a protocol by  Captain Si..you ladies? if yiou have the Blue  Max,,, There is the  Big one you were for   Dress uniforms  and the  Small one... he taps his throat,for everyday... you are supposed to were the  small one, so Captain Si can show  egeryone, that her Pilot Ladies  are warriros  as well as hot.

She smiled "How did you get the crack in your head?" she delicately tossled his hair in the area that was medicated "Benny alright?" she genuinely was concerned for both, mostly Mitch. She took a piece of his bacon and placed it in her mouth halfway.  Then leaning towards him when no one was looking and kissed him, letting him bite the other end of the slice. she then sat back smiled the quirky smile the seemed to say 'I'm up to no good', and she winked at him.

In reply to Kray Shadow (msg # 380):

"I don't have one of those. Not yet. If I didn't get the numbers this time, maybe next time. It's kind of macabre, tracking bodies like that. But we're in the business of war. Performance is measured by the amount of blood spilled by the enemy. It's just... no child grows up thinking they want to be judged by the corpses they leave in their wake. Adulthood is so strange."

Madison laughed.

"Jeez, I haven't even been drinking and I'm waxing philosophical." She laughed again.

"I would have done it, you know. When we were walking up to watch the tribunal for the Most High, I thought about his execution. I imagined being asked to pull the trigger... to kill him. I would have done it. I know what he's done. What he's responsible for. I don't take it personally, but he's one of those monsters that has to be destroyed. And I imagined myself there, with a gun to the back of his head. A creature that has existed for thousands of years. Who might be responsible for me very existence. He's probably the being that some people on earth had considered God himself. And I would have pulled the trigger and ended him. And I don't think I would have felt badly about it one bit."