Genna Strawberry's Story

PROLOGUE: HAVEN

Year xx57, Aftermath Era.

The sun shined high above the vast, nigh endless stretch of the Gobi desert. The millennia-old, deep tan sand seemed fluid and soft, like an unmoving, all-encompassing ocean. Scraps of metal littered the dune surfaces, some small as a babe, others large as a battleship. But all were wrinkled, grey, and rusted.

Hundreds of baby blue tents stood in the middle of the desert, a temporary settlement, housing those who had come long and far to find a semblance of hope in a hopeless world. Men, women, and child alike waited anxiously under the scorching heat. Thousands formed lines, queuing in front of a red tent, where the Black Fang organization promised to provide food and supplies.

After hours of shuffling and feeling every corner of his body nearly combusting, a tall youth in a featureless black shirt and dusty tan pants stepped forward, his weary black eyes glancing to the large woman in front of him, clad in a pink apron and face mask and standing besides a large iron tin filled with gallons of pale yellow soup. To a normal man, the sight and scent would be nothing special. To the starving refugees, it was like a blessing from God.

The youth held up a small white bowl, which the woman quickly filled. He grimaced at the contents of the bowl for a few seconds. After so many dull hours, the soup felt like a pittance. Still, the young man nodded his thanks, then turned to leave.

"Nice hairdo," the woman remarked in a deadpan tone.

"Thanks," the youth replied just as flatly. He wondered if she was sincere. Probably not. The colossal mass of steel-grey spikes he called his hair could hardly be called 'fashionable'. But he liked it that way.

Out of the red tent, and back into the desert. The young man slowly looked up and squinted.

Before him, stood a gigantic landship. A mobile fortress of iron and steel, ten times the size of the temporary settlement, its rust red body shielding everyone from much of the unforgiving sun. Massive treads supported the vehicle, its rubbers new and almost free of dust and sand. Fifty cannons, each the size of five adult men, were mounted on both port and starboard sides of the mobile fortress.

Even after a week since he first arrived at this settlement, the spiky-haired youth could not stop marveling at the fortress.

An awe inspiring beacon of hope.

A refuge for the survivors of the unrelenting MASS onslaught.

"Haven".
===============================================================================




Hissing steam.

Rhythmic beating of metal.

All too familiar to those who took part in the construction of Mobile Fortress Haven. Nearly a year had passed since Black Fang's Arch Commander sent out his order. The workers, clad in their dirty blue overalls and oversized yellow helmets tolled through day and night to make sure the Mobile Fortress would be a stalwart place of refuge for the surviving humans of Eurasia.

"I need an english key, quick!"

"You got it!"

Orders shouted, tools exchanged. The workers moved swiftly as they delivered the finishing touches, sprinting upside down across the ceiling through magnetic boots, rolling through the interior with the aid of wheeled ladders...

Surveying the construction were two figures in Black Fang uniforms. The first, a tall, dark haired middle aged man with a gold-trimmed olive coat hanging loosely from his shoulder like a cloak. The second, a shorter young woman with bright orange hair and glassy green eyes, a neat and proper vermilion uniform on her person.

The two walked side by side, with the man, with one hand in his pocket, and another carrying a stainless steel flask, a casual smile gracing his face. The woman, in contrast, held a clipboard and pen in each hand, using the latter to tick away at several checkboxes.

"Commander Neuf, Section A and B are complete. The rooftops at Section C still need reinforcing, but it should be done by tonight," the young woman reported, maintaining a clear and formal tone.

The man, Base Commander Dix Neuf, gave a lax smile in response. "Good job, Tsubaki, send an alert to the Black Fang pilots. I want them to meet up with me at my office-"

"-Already done, sir," the young woman, Operator Tsubaki Horizon, quickly replied, the edge of her lips curving slightly into a proud smile.

Dix Neuf raised one brow in surprise, then smirked. "Working hard as always, eh, Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki raised a fist to her chin, and chuckled slightly. "Someone has to, Commander."

===============================================================================



Haven's hangar. A gunmetal grey chamber, accented by yellow lights to break up the monotony. The whirring and clicking of machinery echoed throughout this interior, located upon Haven's bow. The hangar was the third largest chamber in the mobile fortress, and the first to be completed.

Seven intricate catapult mechanisms were built on the hangar's ground, each connected to six giant clamps carved on the walls. Upon several of the clamps, surrounded by dozens of vertical, diagonal, and horizontal ladders alike, were five of Haven's Silhouettes. Or rather, four silhouettes, one hover tank, and one mundane fighter jet, the latter two of which were secured on the catapult deck itself, and not the clamp.

Haven's mechanics stood on the many ladders surrounding the Silhouettes, performing regular maintenances and check ups.

One of said mechanics was a short and petite girl, with large brown eyes and pink hair fashioned into two giant drill-like ringlets. The girl pouted, with furrowed brows, as she inspected each Silhouette one by one. Two humanoids, two walkers. She looked between the machines and a clipboard in her hand, matching each one with their model numbers.

"Huuuuuuuuu...," the girl's eyes narrowed as she whined to herself.

"Most of these models are downright ancient!," she mumbled, eyeing the fighter jet 'Corvidae', and the hover tank 'DK-13' in particular. "Are we a Silhouette defense force, or a walking war museum?"

Even their newest model, the absolutely gigantic 'Paladin', seemed rather simple and primitive. Though she had to admit, whoever had the bright idea to include a chainsaw sword among its armaments was an absolute genius.

"These babies better have top tier pilots," she thought aloud and nodded.

Once done with aiding Raiza, Tsubaki spun in her chair and rolled to yet another monitor. So much work, so little time. As her glass eyes scanned the screen ahead of her, her ears picked up the loud roar of a jet engine, which zoomed right past her.

"Ah...!"

The Operator yelped, then swiveled in her chair, turning her attention at another monitor, providing her the perspective of Haven's starboard camera, and the view of the Polaris zooming mere inches from the mobile fortress' observatory deck. So close. She could still feel her ears ringing. Had Raiza been even slightly less of a skilled pilot than she was...

One of the Polaris' screen beeped and brought forth a view of a very cross-looking Tsubaki, lips curled into a frown, brows tensed, left eye twitching.

"T-that was careless, Black Rose! You could have costed us over 5,000 Fang Dollars in damages! A-and not to mention the delays!"

Of course, the part Tsubaki won't admit, was just how cool she found those rolls were.

================================================================================

The mechanic team quickly gathered to check upon the Polaris as Raiza exited her cockpit, with the strawberry-haired Genna among them. Locks on the catapult deck's surface clasped around each of the variable jet's landing gear. Decontamination workers in bright, bulky yellow hazmat suits ran into the scene and sprayed the surface of the vehicle with anti-MASS residue vapors. Standard procedure, just in case.

Many of the mechanics and workers in the hangar side-eyed the carefree Raiza, whispering among themselves.

"Geeze. One of these days, that woman's stunts are going to get her killed..."

"Ssh! Don't say it so loud. She can hear you!"

Genna, meanwhile, walked besides Raiza with a bright smile of her own, an assortment of wrenches, pliers, and portable welders hanging from her belt. Her brown eyes seemed to grow three times as large when she was particularly happy or excited, which in turn made her seem younger than most everyone else.

The young mechanic giggled in response to the motherly pilot's warm compliment, with a closed-eyed grin and both fists pumped in excitement. "Teeheehee! That's right, praise me, praise me more~!"

Genna accompanied Raiza for a few seconds towards the elevator, taking the chance to ask her standard questions about the jet's performance. "All the levers, triggers, and switches still in good condition? Good, good!"

The young girl waved Raiza goodbye as the latter entered the elevator, and turned her attention back to the Polaris, admiring its sleek and streamlined form. The red skull paint right behind the cockpit, a personal touch of 'Black Rose', was a particularly striking element.

"Now, if only I could persuade Razey to include my prototype gunblade among its arsenal...," Genna mumbled to herself while skipping to join the rest of her team.

Minerva was surprised to hear that the commander had only called them here to see just how many wanted the position of leadership, before jokingly calling out the team's two male pilots on taking no action while the women did so. Yes, perhaps their capability for leadership would be best seen on the battlefield itself. It didn't sound like standard procedure to her, but then Dix Neuf was hardly one for convention. The bathtub still sitting in the office was proof enough of that.

The briefing proceeded to a formal introduction to their operator, Tsubaki Horizon, who gave them a quick refresher as to the nature and capabilities of the MASS. Having sat through so many similar briefings, Minerva practically knew it all by heart. Take down a MASS by destroying its core, but try to extract it if possible to help fuel Haven. It was all a matter of weighing the risks against the rewards.

When the meeting was adjourned, Minerva watched some of the pilots file out of the room before departing herself. So they would have a few hours of free time before they were needed. The veteran pilot decided to check up on how her Silhouette was doing in its hangar bay. During her years of service she was no stranger to being transferred to a new base, but those had all been stationary installations. She was quite curious as to what facilities a mobile base such as this had to offer.

Haven's hangar was already loaded with the team's Silhouettes and their support vehicles, with adequate staffing to repair and maintain them. Minerva briefly caught the sight of Raiza speaking with Genna, the latter's bright pink hair making her stand out like a beacon despite her lack of height. Deciding not to intrude upon their discussion, Minerva pressed on towards the familiar blue shape of her own Silhouette, the Sarissa...

...and right next to it happened to be the Diesever. With a sigh, she averted her gaze from the retooled and repainted machine in favour of taking a closer look at her own to see if the mechanics were giving it proper treatment.

Haven's hangar. The one area in this ship that never slept. The incessant banging of heavy machinery and hissing of steam would drive lesser men insane. But of course, Black Fang's engineers, like the Silhouettes they maintain, were made of sterner stuff. Genna sat upon a crate as she took a break, her bright pink hair bouncing as she observed a book in her hand.

As she heard Raiza's approaching steps, the pink haired engineer sprung up, then immediately hit the suspicious book behind her back. "A-AH!" She squeaked out, eyes large and round as a hamster's. "I-I wasn't looking at pictures of-"

She immediately stopped herself as the variable pilot made her request. Her quivering lips turned into a cheeky grin as her ears picked up on Raiza's technical terms.

"Heavy weapons module, phoenix missiles. Got it! No problem!" Genna stood on her heels to seem taller, then gave Raiza a salute."Consider it done~!"

The pink haired engineer, deciding that her break was over, walked over to the side to pick up her equipment. A set of wrenches, heavy duty pliers, keys for the hangar cranes... She relayed Raiza's request to her senior officer, and together, the mechanics worked together to fulfill it.

After half an hour of working, Genna shouted aloud to her mechanic team."Hold on! I need to go take a pee!", before jumping off the Polaris' right wing and bouncing away. The sweat and grease all over her clashed quite jarringly against Genna's saturated pink hair.

As she ran halfway through the hangar, Genna suddenly stopped at the sight of the DK-13. The machine's lack of treads had always caught her eyes.

"A hover tank, huh?"

Against her better judgement, the engineer hopped onto the tank's hull, observing its every detail. Simple. Light. Sleek, very much like most of the Silhouettes, and totally unlike the heavy, blocky, and clumsy support tanks. Her eyes then wandered to its pilot, dozing off with her earphones on. She couldn't help but grin.

"Ufufufu... she seem so peaceful. I guess I shouldn't bother her,"

And with that, Genna leapt off the tank, and continued on her merry way to the restroom.
============================================================================

Nearby, the mechanics conducted routine maintenance upon Minerva's Sarissa. Neither conversation nor eye contact were shared between them and the icy pilot, and the silence further emphasized the mechanical ambience in the background.

"All sensors in working condition," one mechanic said aloud.

"On-board ammunition at maximum stock," another reported.

Amidst the noise, Minerva's sharp ears could make out someone approaching. Straight at her. Slow, but deliberate.

It was him. Renzam Aubrey. The Diesever's new pilot, wearing a purple uniform which matched him as much as the lavender matched the Diesever. He stared at her from behind, one hand in his pocket.

"...."

A moment of silence passed.

"......."

A long moment of silence.

Renzam tilted his head slightly.

"You knew my brother," he suddenly blurted out.

Renzam turned slightly, and looked up to his Diesever. A fresh coat of lavender and dark purple paint over its chassis. A brand new pair of arms, with a humanoid Silhouette's trademark articulated five-fingered hands open and relaxed. Most of the Silhouette's upper body had been replaced after its previous pilot's grisly death, though aside from the paint and thigh-mounted giant sheathes made to house the Silhouette's knives, its lower body was mostly untouched.

"What was he like?"

Anna was awoken by someone climbing on her tank. She only got a moment to see it was Genna who left before she could even get a word in. I should do something Anna thought as she sat up. She gave herself a sniff and desided a shower would be nice...

Anna always had extra clothes and supplies stashed in her DK-13 which she took out. With all things ready she headed to the showers in the restroom.

The restroom was clear save for Genna and herself. And Genna was busy so she walked into the first shower closing the curtain behind her she stripped and turned on the water...

Avery wasn't sure if it was the lighting or something funky in the air, but she suddenly started to feel tired and sleepy as soon as she took her first step inside. The large indoor plaza felt even roomier than it already was, given that most of Haven's expected passengers haven't boarded yet. As such, it wasn't difficult to spot Rhys along the way. I wonder what he's going to get me? she wondered, finding herself smiling a little at the thought. I sure hope it's food, because I think I'm all out of luck in that department.

She propped one foot onto a circular stone bench, a thin oak tree rising from the well of dirt in its center. Giving her surroundings a cursory look, the status of the shops seemed to reconfirm her fears. Yep. Absolutely nothing's open. I don't know what I expected. Squinting, her focus began shifting away from the stores and instead to the background.

Gray wall, gray floor, gray ceiling, some brown, a little bit of red of there, gray, gray, even more gray. . .
Yeah, this wasn't acceptable. Granted, it would take a million years and a half to paint, but she'd be damned if she'd let a place she was going to be living in look like such a dreary, by-the-book husk of an interior designer's nightmare. On a whim, Avery flipped out her PDA and sent a text request to Tsubaki about this very pressing concern.

---

Avery Hall: somehody give me a paint roler so i can giv this dump a makover or so help me ggod

w/ uh permissuon of course

thnx

---

After hitting send maybe a little too soon, she scratched her head with the pad wondering if there was anything else she could've added to the message, but decided what's done is done. Ugh, I'll worry about food later, I don't even have an appetite right now. I've got to hit the showers or else this smell is going to haunt me forever. . . Or at least, that was the plan if she wasn't absolutely horrible with directions and hadn't missed the public directory a million times.

About three hundred years later, Avery managed to stumble into something that was probably a restroom; she was about to turn around and search elsewhere until she heard the telltale sound of pattering water. The sound of somebody using a shower. Oh, duh. The shower room's connected. Makes sense, last time I saw one of those was at the pool, I think. Or was it the beach?
There, she spotted someone with rather unusual hair - daresay, even more unusual than Renzam's silver spikeball. She stood there for a moment in silence, wondering if she'd seen her before as she studied the girl before her. She shook her head.

Nah, there's no way I'd forget meeting someone with such violently pink drill hair. She looked dressed for work, so she must be a crew member here. Well, she didn't like to assume, but it seemed likely at any rate.

"Hey, I love your hair!" she called with a cheery grin on her face, peeling her Black Fang jacket off and folding it up in her arms as she stepped inside the restroom. "How did you get your curls like that? Looks like hard work!" She set her jacket on the counter and removed the ribbons from her hair, letting it spill down well below her shoulders like a golden waterfall. She took a quick look at herself in the mirror, an expression that was a mixture of annoyance and disgust creeping up on her face. It didn't last, of course, but she wasn't any happier. Ugh, I look so gross right now. I hope she doesn't mind.

"Oh, and are you part of the Haven crew by any chance? If so, nice to meet you!" Avery suddenly realized that maybe that wasn't the greatest choice of words, so she quickly and awkwardly corrected herself by adding, "If not, uh, nice to meet you anyway! I'm Avery."

Much of the briefing with Tsubaki was an overview of how the MASS work--which was something Camille rather appreciated. Back then, all they were instructed to is to point their weapons at the enemy and pull the trigger. No core-extraction, no corrosion due to MASS fluids. Well, not that she'll have anything to worry about--as long as her bird stays in the air. But--

"Hmm...extracting a core could net us a huge bonus huh? Kind of difficult to pull off in a craft without arms..." Realizing this, Camille sighed. She'll just have to make up with her mechanic duty.

After a few more exchanges, they were dismissed and most of them went on to do their own business. Camille, as with most other pilots, headed back into the hangar in order to check up on her bird. She had done the tuning prior to their briefing lest they were attacked while on standby. "Perhaps now may be a good time to check up on our weapons?"

There were currently four AS-30s equipped on the wings; she had already launched two when she encountered an attack en route to the Gobi Desert. They were older generation missiles but were still in production so she hoped there would be enough to replenish her ammunition as they go on. She wasn't really familiar with the base and its people yet so she looked around for someone to ask.

"Ah!" Camille immediately walked up to a pink-haired girl whom Avery was talking with. "Hello! Can I check with you the inventory for weapons and ammunition? I'm kind of a new pilot and mechanic stationed here and I don't know left and right yet so--please?"

The boy's grin widened considerably as he saw the figurative glow on Rhys' face. Few things in life could bring that kind of simple, yet honest joy to people.

"Well, a bag of 12 should cost you ten Fang Dollars. Buuuuut, you're officially, totally my first customer, so...uhm..."

The boy paused, glancing to the faraway ceiling to quickly think up a justified price.

Once done, he turned his attention back to Rhys, and with a wide, toothy grin he replied, "How about... five dollars! AND an advertisement for Hibaki Horizon's bakery! Tell your friends about us! Heehee!"

A cursory glance around the area registered several small shops and stalls, each selling various handmade or imported trinkets, from dolls to jewelry. Yet none of them were open yet.

===================================================================================

"Fly me to the moon, let me sing among those staaaars~"

Genna's singing voice echoed throughout the bathroom as she washed her hands in the sink, her high pitched, squirrel-like voice accompanied by the clear sound of running water. Slowly, the pink haired engineer cupped a handful of cold water, and doused it over her face, washing away black, greasy oil and refreshing herself.

"Aahhhh....," she blissfully sighed. Her joy was cut short, however, when she saw her own reflection.

"Ugh...," Genna grunted, her eyes squinted and cheeks puffed. "Maaaaaan! I need to find a way to get rid of all this baby fat...," Genna moaned, her hands pinching and pulling at her round cheeks. She was suddenly reminded of Anna, the DK-13's pilot, and how peaceful she looked in her sleep. Her mature, narrow face. Her jet black hair. And how she managed to look so beautiful, even in her messy state.

"Some girls are just born so pretty... like that Hover Tank driver with the huge rack," she absentmindedly blurted out, totally unaware that the owner of said "huge rack" was taking a shower right behind her....

Suddenly, the restroom door was flung open, and in came a blonde girl with long pigtails which swished about like golden wheat. Genna turned to look at her as she approached, face frozen in a dumb stare. It took Genna a second to remember her face from one of the pilot dossiers. Unfortunately, she was always terrible with names...

Genna's face lightened up, and her already wide eyes expanded with glee when the blonde complimented her hair. "Heeheehee! That's right, praise the hair, praise the hair~!" she replied, her voice getting higher and squeakier the happier she became.

The engineer then stood straight, puffed out her mediocre chest, put on a calm, closed-eye smirk, and bounced one of her drills with her hand. Proudly, she answered Avery's question, "With persistence and for..for-uh fortui-tuitud...di...nous...!"

A pause.

"And an uncracked mirror. Also, lots and LOTS of industrial grade hair gel," she excitedly added. Genna then turned her attention to the mirror (which was, coincidentally, uncracked), and saw the blonde's cheery grin degrade into a sour grimace at the sight of her unkempt self.

"Hmmmm.....," Genna pondered, eyes squinted to seriously inspect her condition. It seemed like the blonde had a particularly unfortuitous morning. Perhaps the engineer could help cheer her up... She moved slighty closer behind her and grabbed two handfuls of her golden hair, lifting them up.

"Maybe you could try my curls! You've got the length and thickness for it~!" With a cheeky, teeth-fiashing grin, Genna added, "All the boys will take notice! Especially with blonde locks THESE radiant!... Are they natural, by the way?"

Avery! That was her name. It always seemed like a rather boyish name to Genna, but what would she know? Genna nodded, giggling a bit at the blonde's clumsy words. She seemed approachable, at least, unlike some of the other, older girls. "And I'm Genna! Genna Strawberry! And yes, that really is my last name."

Soon, yet another girl entered the restroom. Bright blue haired, with matching eyes which pierced straight into Genna's soul. She wished she had eyes that icy... Another vaguely familiar face, but one with a name that danced at the tip of Genna's tongue... until she mentioned her status as a new pilot and mechanic.

"OH! That's right! Camille, right?" Genna asked, smiling wide and feeling proud of herself. For once, her memory did not (completely) fail her! Huzzah! She observed Camille from head to toe. She said she was new, but... Genna wouldn't have been able to tell. She was so calm! And the absolutely adorable way she said please.... "Eeeheeheehee!" Genna giggled."So it's up to me to teach you the ropes, eh?"

Genna couldn't blame her. Most of the mechanics were either gruff and cranky, balding old men or foul-tempered, unfashionable women. Compared to them, her goofy pink hair would no doubt seem more friendly. "I let Head Engineer Careedas borrow my inventory log. We can go get it from him in a bit," Genna briefly explained as she waited for Avery to finish her business.With a determined smirk and both fists pumped, Genna promised Camille, "I'll be the best senior you've ever known!... But, uh..."

A pause. Genna looked between her and Avery. Camille was technically a silhouette pilot, so no doubt she did something right to achieve that position. Or she just got lucky, but Genna would rather be optimistic. I probably should read the dossiers more thoroughly next time, Genna thought.

With her cheeks puffed, Genna asked, "How much do you actually know about silhouette maintenance? You're a new transfer, but..uhh... are you, like, totally green with all the technical wizardry, or do you just need pointers on where things are?"

Anna smirked hearing Genna she was half tempted to come out with just a towel on just to see the look on the pink haired girl's face. But then she heard two others come in the bathroom had become quite popular it seems.
Anna finished up shutting the water off and drying. Sliping her clean clothes on while the others talked.

Anna then came out " Well hello ladies!" She said clearly in a better mood than at the meeting. She turned to Genna "So I heard you checking out my tank earlier she is quite lovely is she not.." she said with a sly grin.

"Curls?" Avery said with a few almost confused blinks. The thought of wearing such a hairstyle hadn't occurred to her before, but she decided that was for the better. With a warm smile, she responded, "Nah, they look way better on you. Besides, I don't have the willpower to shape my hair like that every day, let alone maintain it." That said, she was a bit startled to find the girl shifting behind her to hold up locks of her hair, offering her own compliments.

"The blonde yes, the radiance not so much," she admitted with a laugh. "I wish it was always this-"

Suddenly, one of the other pilots from the earlier meeting - Camille - appeared and raised some questions about the armaments on their Silhouettes. Is that what her job is? Avery wondered, looking back over to a delighted looking Genna. Letting them continue their conversation uninterrupted, she set the rest of her clothes on the counter and waved to them, heading toward the other room.

"Alright, you two have fun with that. I'm gonna go hop in the showe-" Before Avery could finish her sentence, Anna abruptly emerged right in front of her with an alarmingly loud greeting, which was nearly enough to send her stumbling backwards.
Sure, she expected someone to be coming out after the water turned off, but definitely not like that. In any case, it seemed like Genna was quite the popular gal around these parts so she left her to it, giving her and the older pilot a cursory nod before quietly slipping inside the shower stall that Anna had previously used. She didn't really want to wait for the water to warm up, after all.

Whew. . . it's harder than I thought just to get some chit-chat around here, Avery thought, turning the slippery faucet.
Anna and Camille are here, and I saw Rhys earlier in the Plaza looking for gifts. I wonder what the others are up to?
The hot water was more soothing that she expected, relieving some of the dryness in her skin. The desert was not a fun place to hang out for long periods of time.

As her thoughts began to drift, she moved on to thinking of what kind of things she'd bring to the table once they've gathered together again in less than five hours. Pep talk? Strategy? General questions?

Or I could just eavesdrop, hehehe.

Genna jumped up, hamster-like eyes wide, and shrieked as Anna emerged from the showers. She was in there the whole time?! With both hands held up, the pink haired engineer stammered, "I-I WASN'T CHECKING YOU OUT! I-it's not like I'm jealous or anyth-"

A pause.

A blink.

"Wait. Checking out your tank! Ooooohhhh....." Genna slowly realized. It was as if a switch was flicked in her mind, and the technically passionate side of her brain took over.

With her hands clasped together, the pink haired engineer babbled, "She is VERY lovely! Her construction seemed simple, yet I bet she hides a lot of interesting technology underneath that beautiful shell! I-I mean, I haven't seen her in action, so... does she really hover? And is she fast?? A-and do you think we could equip her with a gigantic railgun or two? Ooh! How about a rail machinegun?!"

Anna grinned "Well more firepower is never a bad thing... Perhaps you could join me next time I take her out? Theres plenty of room inside as these tanks were originally designed to hold a crew of three or four.."

Anna paused looking Genna over with a smile stepping closer she ran her hand though one of Genna's curls ( if she allowed) as she added "It would be a great way to get to know her and all she can do..."

"Hehe~ I've jsut been recently transferred to this base but I've been doing technical maintenance on vehicles and Silhouettes for as long as I can remember." Camille clarifies her prior work record. She may be a bit of a new face in fighting on th front lines but as a mechanic, Camille swears she could've tried for a supervisor's position.

"Just needed to know where all the things are." In the middle of their conversation, Anna emerges from the shower, catching Genna off-guard. Avery had already gone in so it was just her with the two ladies.

"Engineer Caridas right? Thanks for the help. I'll go look for him now!" Camille excused herself with a smile and promptly return to the hangar, leaving the other girls.

Hangar was mostly empty, save for Rhy whom she saw walking about, bags in hand. "Oh, right. Commander kid him about buying compulsory presents for the girls. Did he take it seriously?"

"Slow day?" Camille called out to him. "I heard winds are about to pick up soon so it's best to stay indoors. I might get called to fly out though."

As Rhys enetered the hanger, the first person to notice him and call out to him was Camille. He would have waved back but both his hands were occupied at the moment. "I though about passing the time in the hanger, we have five hours to chill and relax. Anyways I was planning to get some gift you all you ladies...but the shops were closed for the moment. So, I guess this will have to do. Sorry if Cinnamon Rolls are not your favourites. I would have got you a pendant to go with those lovely eyes of yours, but food is pretty good all the same." He smiled before continuing. "So winds are picking up huh? That means it's going to be a sandstorm out there...Low visibility and an irritating thing when it gets in your eyes. Stay safe out there then, if you are a fly girl then low visibility must be a pain huh? But anyways here, catch!" In the next moment, Rhys placed both the bags on the ground, took out a small bag of what appeared to be cinnamon rolls and tossed it at her.

Now that he looked around, the hanger seemed relatively empty...of people that is. There were the pilots Silhouettes standing at attention. He wondered where the others were though, if he met the others he could give them some Rolls as well. He had nine...Well eight now. But it was still quite enough to spare.

Genna took a step back and stared, a mildly startled look in her brown, round eyes. She did not audibly object when the older pilot felt up her pink curls, her mouth hanging open as she struggled to find the proper words.

In an attempt to shake off the awkwardness, the pink haired girl giggled. "Tee..heehee! Heehee!" Then, with a polite smile, she replied to her offer, "I'd have to take a rain check on that! I'm going to be really busy for a while. Heehe, these machines can't maintain themselves, you know!""

As if just suddenly remembering, Genna held one finger up and said, "Oh! That reminds me! I still have to help my team with Raiza's machine!" The girl turned around, kept an upbeat smile on her face, and sprinted out of the restroom while waving at Anna. "See you later, Anna! Excited to see your tank in action~"

================================================================================

"Officer Lane, this is Command. Thank you for the heads up, I'll alert Commander Neuf and all relevant personnel!"

With a sigh, Tsubaki leaned back in her chair, her eyes darting to the myriad screens around her. "Looks like we won't have five hours in the end...," Tsubaki thought aloud within Raiza's earshot. The operator glanced to the variable pilot and continued, a serious expression in her face. "It might be best if you and your fellow pilots get ready to sortie."

Without waiting for a response, Tsubaki spun in her chair and began typing away.

================================================================================

Tsubaki's commanding voice soon traveled throughout Haven and its surroundings, aided by the many speakers on board the mobile fortress.

"Attention to all Haven personnel! We have received word of heavy winds from the north. Mechanics and auxiliaries, please retreat behind the fortress' walls! Combatants, put on your pilot suits and prepare to sortie!"

In an instant, the previously, relatively calm hangar livened up with the rush of a thousand footsteps. Construction workers in yellow hardhats finished what they could, slid down their ladders, then headed deeper into the fortress, followed by engineers, custodians, and other non-combatants.

Renzam watched the scene unfold before him, catching sight of Camille's distinctive blue hair chatting with Rhys not too far away. The silver-haired pilot turned to Minerva. "So, our first combat operation together is going to take place in a sandstorm. Should be fun." His tone was deadpan, his expression unenthusiastic, or at least sedated.

Around the hangar, Renzam saw the pilots of more conventional fighter jets and crews of simple tanks strap into their skintight, yet padded pilot suits. Some could be seen complaining.

"Why do we have to wear this shit in the desert?!"

"Are you stupid? These suits shield us from the MASS' contamination! The black liquid they spew will rot your insides!"

"Isn't that why we're riding inside tanks and silhouettes in the first place?"

"Well, of course! But what if our fancy vehicles get busted? We can't survive out there without a suit for more than two hours, you know! The MASS really messed up our atmosphere...."

Renzam glanced to Minerva one more time, then nodded, encouraging her, "Good luck." before departing to change into his suit.

================================================================================

Lit by the blazing sun, the Eurasian refugees began their docking of Haven. Their final refuge, their last hope. Twenty thousand men, women, and children marched through eight entry points, two each on Haven's four sides, supervised by Black Fang soldiers both on foot and inside tanks.

With a megaphone in hand, a Black Fang soldier, clad in standard issue black pilot suits, barked through a loudspeaker, "Come on people! Let's march in an orderly fashion! There's room for everyone, no need to push!"

Amongst the crowd, a family of three huddled together. A middle-aged father with a toothbrush mustache, his pregnant wife, and their tiny daughter, clutching a teddy bear. The parents guided their daughter, holding her shoulders protectively with one arm each.

"Don't be scared, darling. Everything's going to be alright, now...," the mother encouraged her youngling with a smile.

"Black Fang will keep us safe," the father added, turning his attention to the organization's logo, painted proudly upon the mobile fortress' starboard. An ivory fang, upon a grey and blue shield, with pitch black blood dripping from its tip. The blood of humanity's sworn enemies, the MASS.

================================================================================

With a hiss and a click, Renzam sat himself upon the Diesever's cockpit. A narrow, boxy chamber, with large screens at his front and by his sides. The silver-haired pilot took a deep breath, sniffing the fresh coat of purple paint on the cold metal. his pilot suit, a magenta version of the standard Black Fang suits had been polished to match the clean colors of his cockpit.

In his hands was a magenta helmet to go with his suit. A headgear fashioned from the remains of Adzam Aubrey's own. The young man closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against said helmet. When the Diesever was pulverized, the salvage crew deemed its cockpit far beyond restoration. This helmet, somehow, miraculously survived, remaining perfectly still, albeit heavily damaged, on his brother's mangled and bloody corpse.

"Hoy. Brother."

A long sigh. Renzam wondered why he said that. Out loud, at that. He was never religious. He did not believe in ghosts, or the afterlife, or whatever.

"...Nevermind."

Renzam stood straight, slid the helmet into his head, and twisted the Diesever's ignition. A low hum accompanied various green lights flickering to life around the cockpit, displaying tons of technical information on the black screens around him. Renzam quickly glanced around to scan it all. Silhouette parts integrity, ammunition stock, fuel supplies. The works.

His black gloved hands wrapped around one of the machine's levers. With the press of a button, the spiky-haired pilot alerted command. [magenta]"This is Caestus, on the Diesever. All systems go. Launching![/magenta]

A jagged line formed upon his silhouette's black visor. The hum emanating from its engines intensified. The machine's servos whirred and clicked, as it raised a foot, then stepped forward. A 15-meter titan of purple and lavender steel, with a swiveling bazooka mounted on its back left shoulder. Every step it took sent vibrations across the hangar, its movements rigid, heavy, precise.

The hangar gate at the bow slowly opened, bringing the bright sun into the dark hangar. The Diesever's boxy feet departed the cold steel floors and arrived upon the hot, coarse sand, standing tall and proud as one of Haven's prime vanguards.

Anna was grinning after her talk with Genna but soon turned to a frown as she heard the announcement over the comm. She rushed to her DK-13 climbing in and starting her up.

The HUD came to life before her a full view of what was around her. Cameras on the outside of her DK-13 showed her a 360 view on screens just as clear as if looking though a window. Other screens flashed words in Russian telling Anna how much ammo, fuel, and such.

Anna grabbed the controls as DK-13's hover jets came online making the tank rise from the ground hovering several feet above the hanger floor as Anna checked in. " This is Blizzard, Death Knight tank DK-13 is online and ready."