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Post by Jaeger on Jan 21, 2019 17:39:49 GMT -6
Jaeger stood in front of the tempered glass of the observatory tower, overlooking past the howling winds of the blizzard outside with digital binoculars in gloved hands observing the post battle reconstruction of the damaged super weapon. Military issued trenchoat in faction color and medals pinned to his chest indicated him as a Lieutenant with Zeon. The occasional low ranking personnel would approach him with data slates for him to look over and confirm assignments relating to weapon and ammunitions of the storage facilities. The task was usually mundane and repetitive at times, or rather most times to be frank. It was only when new technologies were implemented and tested that things got interesting around the place. His duties were compulsively done within schedule, making sure to dot his i's and cross his T's in all tasks that were assigned to him by his superiors. Always at the ready for anything, he maintained a focus at all times, to the point of feeling exhausted at the end of his daily cycles when he finally has the opportunity to rest his body and mind. Doubly so ever since he was injured and knocked unconscious during the opening bombardments that occurred before the initial battle began.
A ding chimed on the mobile data slate he had tucked in his sleeve. It was a status update on the Zaku Recon mobile suit that was currently assigned to him. It too had been crippled and severely damaged during the bombardments. Tech mechanics reported positive progress on the repairs and reconstruction of the machine as well. With a sigh of relief he murmured "ah, great.." and began to read over the reports of damaged that had occurred and expenses required. "Skeletal frame fractured in left and right appendages of the upper torso.. bottom lef.." He trailed out into whisper as he read through parts of it. "Stabalizers collapse .." He realized that the machine had been utterly destroyed to the point of combat ineffectiveness. He felt a sense of guilt and dishonor having missed out the defense of the base, but fortunate enough to have survived the attack. Many did not. The tension was heavily dense in the air as the base remained on high alert in anticipation for the next raid. Jaeger did his part by staying focused and efficient on his given tasks.
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Post by Oberst on Jan 21, 2019 18:41:13 GMT -6
Chairwoman Isabel Brandt had arrived earlier at the Olympus installation to inspect the damage sustained. For the head of the state she was feeling comfortable to go around the massive underground and above ground facility entirely on her own. The chairwoman appreciated having time for her own thoughts since her schedule was usually crammed full. According to the numerous report she'd read on the way the base had been bombarded by at least a dozen long range missiles from the Ra Cailum prior to the arrival of their small mobile suit team.
Isabel was very upset with the results, keeping her rage contained underneath a resentful scowl. The Railgun was the main instrument of their foreign policy; a deterrent to be used only in simulations that had had ultimately failed in its intended role all by the order of that blood thirsty Earth Federation commander.
Based on what she'd seen so far, Isabel deduced their trump card would be out of commission for a whole decade even if she was able to secure the funding needed to get the repairs underway. This of course put Mars at an inherent disadvantage now. This storm of worse case scenarios playing in her head eventually lead Isabel to head to one of the observation outposts to take her wandering gaze away from the results of that disastrous battle. She would immediately stand out, being the only person going around dressed with civilian clothes, merely wearing a minimalistic pin of the Zeonic styled Martian forces insignia over her left breast.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 22, 2019 4:00:03 GMT -6
Appearing in his peripheral view on the reflection of the glass is the figure of a young woman. Turning his gaze upon her, he recognized her immediately and came to attention to greet and salute her in the most of formal Zeon traditions.
A fog of cold air escaped his lungs "Mad'am Chair" His voice dry and raspy.
One should also note that the observation deck was rather quite cold, much of the facilities energy grid had it's power sources diverted to the reconstruction and defense systems of Olympus, keeping room temperatures low from lack of heat due to power constraints. Most of the heat purged from the generators circulated through the ventilation shafts in barracks and officer quarters. Locations with low traffic or human activity had barely any attention given to the comfort of it's current occupants. This was also true with lighting. The deck was dimly lit with a few fluorescent light fixtures in some of the more important locations. They seemed to flicker lightly here and there whenever some energy hungry industrial machinery was activated or in use somewhere on the base.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, I was not aware of your arrival on Olympus, I would of arranged the needs to accommodate you more appropriately." Being quite sincere. He understood the unannounced arrival was mostly due to security reasons, which is why he didn't question it any further.
Taking a quick glace down the corridor she had came from, he seen a small retinue of her personnel assistants and bodyguards. They appeared to stay some distance, giving the appearance of allowing her space for thought and contemplation. He began to consider if he was also intruding in her personal space at the moment. "Oh, forgive my insolence, Mad'am." A noticeable limp to his movement as he moved back to his former location. The leg wound was struggling to heal properly, and there was possibility the limp would remain a permanent attribute.
On the work station next to him were a set of data slates containing his own personal blueprints and schematics that he personally formulated himself through knowledge and experience. It was something he had been working on for months, putting in hours of research theory speculating. They were to be presented as thesis to his current studies and certification pursuits in combat R&D departments.
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Post by Oberst on Jan 22, 2019 10:36:38 GMT -6
" It's a non issue, Uriah. Don't mind my presence. ." Isabel would kindly reassure him, having gotten a thick insulated coat on her way there. While she wouldn't publicly admit to it she knew the only people to blame for this were herself and those recklessly mad Federation officers, indeed she had underestimated their foolish gallantry.
Unlike other members of the administration Isabel still saw herself as a civil servant first. She ate and talked with the servicemen not caring about their ranks or tenure. From Cadets to Admirals she saw them as equals and would occasionally stop to chat about mundane matters or ask questions to clear any doubts. It was then her eyes wandered to the Lieutant limp leg.
" Please feel free to take some time off to let your wound heal. With this cold you might suffer a complication." From the look of it not even he had come out of that battle unscathed. While it had come to her attention the Lieutenant was very devoted to her work she saw it fit to allow him much needed down time. Isabel would go as far as offer to provide him medical treatment with an specialist.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 22, 2019 15:26:29 GMT -6
Jaeger responded with a nod of acknowledgement towards Isabel after she reassured him. The atmosphere was graceless and bleak. The moral of the base occupants was at best.. barely sustainable enough to prevent complete breakdown of organization and control. From reading the expression on Isable's face, Jaeger would tell she carried a weight of burden and guilt on her. He waved a hand to her concern over his leg. "There are more important matters to be considered, Ma'dam, my leg is the least of my worries at the moment." He appreciated her "Ma'dam Chair, we lost many good soldiers, officers and civilian assets during the bombings. Our numbers have dwindled significantly. I am confident you are aware of these statistics." His glossy eyes fixated on crew members outside still pulling out mutilated dead bodies from the rubble. Or what was left of them. This is the reality of the situation. At the moment, the majority of the base is running on automated systems and programmed machines. Jaeger saw the opportunity to present his conception. One of the data slates was inserted into a terminal and a number of various screens spontaneously illuminated before them. Each screen and hologram presented a different aspect of information all pertaining to the project. [Cue background tune during the moments he presents the project to Isabel.] ".. Project Backwater.." His tone was stern and his facial expression somber from the callous intention behind this project. On the screens were a number of different statistical graphs and humanoid biological diagrams he had constructed, backed up with research and theory hypothesis. On some of the other screens had technological data related to Mobile Suit constructs, manipulation of neuropsychological behaviors and control, and cybernetic analysis all interconnecting to achieve one purpose.. "..to artificially convert POW's into involuntary weapons for use and purpose to serve the glory of Zeon. I've read the reports, Mad'am Chair, we have a significant number of prisoners being held indefinitely, putting a strain on our resources." The darkness of the observation deck with relation to the low digital screens of the computers gave the his facial features grim and shadowy characteristics. He was showing her a glimpse into the madness of his mind. "Sometimes in time's of war.. unconventional means are required to achieve goals and victory, and some unsavory elements are to be considered." Uriah would take a step back with hands held behind his back, giving her the moment to read into the information that was on screen. It was only a small segment shown to the chairwoman, just enough to give her an idea of what he was proposing to her. Now he would wait for her to be intrigued or disinterested. If she showed interest, he would lay out more details accordingly. It was quite the bold move on his part to present these documents at a time like this, but he had to take initiative and begin building defenses of the base and it's depleted forces. He did not have time to brood over the mistakes of the past. In his mind, the Federation will return to finish the job and he refuses to be inadequate a second time.
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Post by Oberst on Jan 22, 2019 20:23:25 GMT -6
Isabel began studying the information displayed for her on this new project. Without a doubt an unsavory endeavor, however Uriah was absolutely right about being forced to take drastic courses of action to advert a larger catastrophe in the long run. The Chairwoman had her own doubts but at a time like this it could prove a worthy investment.
" Very well. I will see personally you receive the funding and permits needed to start experimenting." Providing Uriah with the "material" needed was the least of the concerns.
" We can't afford to take half measures anymore." Approving this would leave a bad taste in her mouth, however it was imperative to booster their capabilities to defend the vast Martian airspace.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 23, 2019 11:16:38 GMT -6
Uriah was quite confounded by Isabel's hasty approval of the Blackwater project. He truly believed she was going to take some time to question the morality and cruel nature of the idea, but it seems that given the desperate state of the situation at this time, it was a small price to pay to prevent complete annihilation of an idealistic truth they all stand for. And their own survival.
"Mad'am Chair." Giving a respectful half bow with a clenched fist to his chest in gratitude.
"I will soon forward you a list of specialists and qualified personnel for this endeavor. People I can trust and confident in their abilities." The list was mostly composed of medical, scientific and technological experts that were required. Isabel could decide who to employ to fill the remaining positions to her discretion. As long as they're qualified.
"Also requesting the the labs and testing facilities on subterranean levels D-5 and D-6, both levels requiring security clearances Delta." Shifting through some of the screens, he brought up a 3D representation of the underground levels and how he wanted them constructed, to house the prisoners, a handful of mobile suits and project staff.
Uriah is fully aware that it will take time and administrative processes to begin experimentation, but at least for now he got the funding approved by the chairwoman herself. The construction and build outs of the labs and facilities would be done by the machines and automatons round-the-clock, which will be completed within days.
He shut down the terminal and all screens would shut off simultaneously. "Would you be requiring copies of this Mad'am?" It was at that moment when a Ensign approached them hastily and gave the formal salute.
"Sir!" The young man's attention snapped to Uriah. "Command requests your attention!" A data slate then handed to Uriah promptly.
"Carry on." The Lt. gave the young fresh faced Ensign a dismissive gesture before taking in the tasks detailed on the slate:
"Reconnaissance / data collection. Deployment 0500 Hours"
That is all that was stated on the screen. That is all he needed to know. He confirmed acknowledgement on the screen and turned back to Isabel for any last questions or concerns she might have before he embarked on his mission.
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Post by Oberst on Jan 23, 2019 13:27:25 GMT -6
" I will personally see those facilities are put to your disposal. Give me at least two weeks to find the staff you need." Not surprisingly Uriah was going to require a larger work environment which she saw fit to provide.
" I'll talk to the Quarter master to give you a few Gaza once we move on to the mobile units test." For safety reasons members of the home guard would provide security during said tests. Outdated or not a Gaza was still capable of causing damage.
" And yes, please." Isabel would answer, wanting to give the information a much closer look in private.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 26, 2019 20:40:57 GMT -6
A copy of the data was downloaded to a portable USB device and furtively placed in her palm. It was still considered confidential information and he didn't want anyone else to know of this for now. The chairwomans retinue had kept their respectful distance down the corridor and remained oblivious to their conversation of what had been secretly discussed. He took a exhale of relief with a noticeable breath of cold air, feeling a sense of accomplishment, although felt the sorrowful turn of events that had to transpire in order for his project to be accepted under dire circumstances.
"And thus, the cycle of death and destruction will continue to persist. This is our truth, this is our reality." He quietly closed his eyes and thought to himself momentarily as he turned away from her. This was the necessary evil required in order to survive in these times of great struggle. The of irony enforcing suffering.. in order to end it.
"I have one more request to ask.." He fell silent for a stiff moment, critically thinking of his next phase of words carefully. "..to reinstate an exiled ex-soldier back to active duty. He's currently being held in military prison for..undisclosed reasons." The act of naming some of those crimes would leave a sour taste in his mouth, even for Uriah. But given the ramp up of military activity and increase of hostilities being demonstrated by enemy forces, they would need all the combat veterans they can get to push back on the front.
"I'll need his services in this upcoming mission, and time is of the essence, unfortunately."
He brought up a data slate containing multiple mug shots of a rugged battle-hardened soldier with a list of war crimes, along with deeds and exploits in battles past. "My step-brother.. Fox Jaeger.."
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Post by Oberst on Jan 26, 2019 22:13:00 GMT -6
For once, Isabel looked at Uriah with a degree of skepticism when he made his latest request known. "... Are you sure we need that man in particular?" While freeing Fox was not beyond her means, she wouldn't want any details leak.
" Fuh fuh fuh! If someone catches wind of this I might get some flak." She would playfully add. With their Ace in the hole now needing major repairs it was safe to assume her reputation had been muddied already.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 30, 2019 19:52:32 GMT -6
Uriah visualized the political turmoil that would ensue once certain individuals would gain knowledge of Fox's release from solitary confinement. There were personal reasons for some corrupt high ranking political members that wanted Fox to die in prison. If they had it done their way, he would of faced the firing squad during his court martial, all to keep him quiet about his involvement in their unofficial black ops. Due to regulations put in place to prevent unnecessary punishments, the most they were able to accomplish was a conviction of 3 consecutive life sentences, and a smear on his records. Unfortunately after some intensive bribing of filthy judges and bureaucratic individuals, a Death Sentence had recently overruled the prior sentencing, and now Fox awaiting execution. Uriah wouldn't get into the details into why he believed Fox was framed, not at this moment, but he did explain a way for this retrieval to be done without Isabel being 'officially' involved.
"He's awaiting execution as we speak, and is due to die by lethal injection. To clear you of any involvement, the "execution" will follow through just as planned. But I'll need you to appoint this doctor to be the executioner.." He showed her the doctors information on the data slate, an elderly man, and is by all means a legitimately certified medical doctor.
And that is all she needed to do.
"I will take care of the rest." He assured her with confidence.
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Post by Oberst on Jan 30, 2019 20:29:51 GMT -6
" Well, when you put it that way I guess there's no reason to refuse." The chairwoman would take the memory unit containing the sensitive information on the project. Carefully she would review the data he shared with her about this doctor, recognizing the man straight away. Uriah was not very convinced that his brother was guilty of the crimes he was being charged and Isabel didn't have an awful lot of information to even hazard a guess.
" I'll need to have someone we can trust keep an eye on Fox, for his own of benefit of course! And i think I know who might be the right person for that." There was one particular ship on their fleet that could come in handy and the crew wouldn't ask many question.
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Post by Jaeger on Jan 30, 2019 23:08:29 GMT -6
Inside Uriah was smiling broadly. This morning he was disheartened and full of grief knowing that Fox was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Now, like the divine interventions of old stories told, by some grand miraculous chance, here was the hope that he could save his brothers life. He couldn't help but bring himself to a respectful nod with fist clenched tightly to his chest, showing extreme gratitude to the chairwoman "You have my apprecation.." then bring himself to look at her directly in the eye.. "mad'am chair.."
2 days later.. Underground Military Prison Facility, 3 miles north of Olympus
Fox was being walked down the death row corridor, flanked on both sides by heavily armed guards. Shackled at the arms and legs, there was nothing he can do other than walk to his death that awaited him at the end of the hallway. Along the way he, his mind was clear and had already come to acceptance of his inevitable conclusion. Did he attempt to speak the truth and uncover the conspiracy behind his imprisonment? He could of, but it would of cost the disappearances of his foster parents and step brother promised to him by shadowy characters. Even then, the truth would of been suppressed and never made out of the confession room. The price to keep his adopted family safe from harm was his own life.
Entering the execution chamber with no hesitation, his cold brown eyes glanced at his executioner, an elderly doctor who was assigned to inject death into him. There's a medical bed in the center, and a viewing window for the observers to watch his execution from the other side. In the witness room were a number of various military, political and public officials. Then there was Uriah standing shrouded in the darkest corner of the room almost unnoticed. His arms and legs were restrained tightly to the bed, facing the ceiling with no resistance. He thought there was no need to make a scene, the end result will be the same. Might as well get on with it. His life had been a violent and brutal one, and this death was quite contrary to what he had expected of himself. There were many times when he thought his life was going to end at the hands of another soldier, or bomb, stray bullet, or something that was at least battle related. He didn't expect to be put down at the hands of a elderly man who probably never even held a weapon in his life. It was quite humiliating to say the least, this was not the death of a warrior. There was no honor in this.
There was barely any talk, the guards exchanged a few simple words with the doctor. Fox remained quiet the whole time, just waiting for it to be over with. A few minutes from now, it will all be over for him. There was a cocktail of mixed feelings going on in him, from rage, to frustration, sadness and dread. Even though he was a hardened soldier, he was still human. One thing that was absent from his mind was the fear. Fear of Death. He knew he would die one day, but he didn't expect it to be like this. "Fuck it.." is all he thought of that.
"Proclaim any final words..?" The elderly doctor asked Fox as he prepared the cocktail.
"You'll need more than that to put this ol' dog down for good, doc.." He jokingly said with a grin plastered on his face. The doctor on the other hand, had no sense of humor and simply walked over to inject him and begin the execution process. The fluids pumped through his veins and circulated his body with every heart beat. His conscience slowly slipped into nothingness until darkness and stillness overcame all his senses. The doctor did a check of his pulse and affirmed that Fox Jaeger can be officially pronounced dead. Some of the officials exchanged some suspicious looks and handshakes between each other. Their 'loose end' had been silenced forever.
"I will have my assistants remove the body and take it to be cremated." The doctor would gesture to his aides as they took Fox's lifeless body out of the chamber. It was quite convenient for the prison officials for the doctor to offer these services and rid themselves of the responsibility. For all intents and purposes, this execution never happened. The body was carried away in a body bag to the lower levels of the execution chambers where the cremation furnaces were housed.
"Walk faster, we only have 3 minutes before brain death occurs." The doctor urgently whispered to his assistants.
They picked up their pace, the doctor feverishly checking the time on his watch, counting down every second. Once they reached the lower level, they rushed the body to the cremation room and shut the doors locked behind them. Once they unzipped the body bag, the doctor quickly leaned in to administer a frightening hypodermic needle, long and strong enough to puncture his chest plates and ribs directly into his heart. Squeezing the adrenaline mix into the heart, the doctor checked the watch and seen that a good 2 minutes and 57 seconds had passed since his 'death'. The doctor had purposely given him a near-lethal complicated mixture of chemicals that had indeed induced synthetic death, but not strong enough to have permanently stopped his heart from ever reactivating again.
A few moments of anticipation and silence fell upon the doctor and his assistants, all panting from exhilaration and adrenaline themselves. They were committing crime by doing this, knowing they could be imprisoned themselves if they were to be caught. Their admiration of Fox was inspiring enough to oversee the cons and decided to risk themselves to save a hero of Zeon. Someone who had personally saved theirs and the doctors lives a few years ago during a battle in a research facility. They felt the obligation and honor to have saved his in return.
With a strong gasp for air, Fox opened his eyes and jerked himself to a sitting position almost immediately, the needle still sticking out of his shirtless chest. The doctor and assistants were startled taking some steps back away from him. "Wha--" He was at loss for words. He was confused and perplexed. He felt like he had just woken up from a deep slumber that had felt like years, yet it had only been minutes.
"Welcome back, Fox.." A voice spoke out from the darkest location of the cremation chamber, with a figure slowly emerging from the shadows. "Long time no see.. brother.."
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Post by Oberst on Feb 9, 2019 19:46:27 GMT -6
A few days later ...
Chairwoman Brandt had arranged for Fox to be shipped to the space fortress they'd built on Deimos, figuring the best place for him to be would be near the frontlines away from the top brass. The vast majority of the personnel working at Deimos were very young so it was highly unlikely anyone would recognize the disgraced hero, in a way allowing him to operate and move around freely. The Captains in charge weren't older than 35 and most lieutenants were still in their early to mid 20s, this next generation of Zeon soldiers was more liberal than their grandfathers and fathers and cared little about strict military etiquette or dogma.
The ship where he was being transferred was a Musaka class cruiser named the "Wertheim" which had been in service for almost two decades. The ship had been refurbished a couple of times during its career with newer armaments and a highly automated system that allowed it to operate while being manned by what amounted to an skeleton crew. The extra storage room allowed the ship to carry more supplies, fuel and ammunition though its mobile suit capacity remained on the low side with barely enough space for a couple of Geara Zulu's, a wine red MP Quebeley and a Rebawoo.
THe commanding officer in charge of the Wertheim was a young Lt. by the name of Hilda Ebert who after surviving her first encounter against the Federation was put in command of this cruiser and given responsibilities to match her new position of authority. The chairwoman figured Fox abilities would be well suited for this task, after all they were going to need all the help they could get.
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Post by Jaeger on Feb 10, 2019 3:25:43 GMT -6
*Sounds of battle. Ghastly screams of dying people. Buildings and homes in a raging blaze. The screams get louder. Thundering claps of firepower deafening to the senses with the splattering effects of blood and sinew. Charred mutilated bodies and limbs. Lifeless faces of the dead staring back at him, their facial features forever locked in the last dreadful moments of their life. Screams get even louder.*
Fox awakened from the nightmare by gasping deeply. There was struggle to open his eyes, still experiencing a heavy sensation of tiredness that had lingered ever since the prison doctor had resuscitated him shortly after his execution. The cracked concrete ceiling is the first thing he registers with blurred vision. There's barely any light except for a low voltage florescent glow coming from somewhere in the far corner of the room. It's a cold and dank atmosphere, a dissimilarity from the standard medical infirmary that he had previous been accustomed to. His body felt numb and cumbersome to move as he sat himself upright on the side of the hard medical bed. To the side were a pair of digital monitors that were inaudible as they continuously recorded his vitals. There were a set of stainless steel chairs against the left concrete wall, no windows, and a heavy steel door with no indication of a handle, except for an eye level slit for outside observers to look into. He was shirtless with only a pair of camo pattern cargo jeans and combat boot. The same attire he died in.
"Goddamn, am I in prison again..?" He murmured with a deep grunt, almost defeated and exhausted from uncertainty. Then he noticed it, a security camera perched on the top left corner. There were no words. Just a a deadly leer naturally coming from his suspicions.
His stomach growled from hunger. The IV's stuck into his veins had been providing him with the necessary nutrients to keep his body functioning while he rested, but his gut now required food substance. He ignored it for now. There was some attempts to get up off the bed, but failed. His legs felt like wet noodles. "Gaarghh, what the hell us wrong with me?!" He growled loudly with frustration, clenching the sheets tightly.
The steel door opened after unlocking it's mechanisms loudly.
"It will take a few days for the euthanasian solutions and it's counter agents to thoroughly flush out of your system. Until then, your body is technically .. to put it simply.. coming back to life. I wouldn't know how else to explain it to a jarhead like yourself."
Fox recognized the voice immediately. "I should of known it was you."
Uriah walked into the dim illumination of the light expressing a mischievous grin. He wore a military issued beret and long black trenchcoat bearing affiliations and rank. "You don't seem too pleased to see me."
Fox snarled "Does it look like I'm in the mood to be pleased? Where the hell am I? How am I not dead?" He vaguely remembers the execution and waking up on a table somewhere, and seeing Uriah. But it had all felt like a lucid nightmare.
Uriah turned serious and began to pace with a self assured composure "You were executed. Fox Jaeger was officially pronounced dead 6 days ago. You did die.. briefly. There was intervention during the procedure, now here you are, and with purpose again."
Fox took a moment to rationalize everything. "You.. it was you." His eyes shot a confounding look at Uriah. He was genuinely amazed how Uriah was able to pull it off. These were the kind of things he only saw in movies or read in science fiction literature. He was at a loss for words.
Uriah understood the disbelief Fox was preoccupied with and simply smiled. "As for where.. you're on Deimos. One of the martian sphere's heavily defended satellite fortresses. We're currently secured in an isolated sector that used to house POW's, but due to legalities involving inhumane treatment of the prisoners, this location has been temporary closed down. It's the perfect hiding place for you to recover while we develop your new identity.."
Fox narrowed his eyelids, steely eyes following his movements. "New identity.. I get it, Fox Jaeger is dead. You're telling me I must become someone else, everything I had fought for, bled for, would of died for.. has been in vain with the death of my identity. I am to be forgotten." Fox clenched his jaws in anger, rage flowing from his personality as he saw the faces of those who had betrayed him. Killed not only his body, but his identity as well.
Uriah stopped his steps, if Fox expected some kind of sympathy from Uriah, he did not get any. "As soldiers, we have no identity. We are mere instruments of a great ideological truth that is Zeon. That is our identity. It is our truth. It is why you still live. You are still valued as a great asset to our cause. You were never forgotten Fox, if you were, you'd be an incinerated corpse whose bones would of been thrown in with the rest of the discarded pile."
Harnessing some strength, Fox finally stood on his own legs slightly staggering, but was quick to straighten himself. Uriah made no attempt to help him, he preferred to watch Fox find his own strengths and will to endure. It's what he admired from his older step brother.
"So I assume you feel I'm in your debt, and now I have no choice but be your lap dog since you prevented my death." Fox gritted his teeth as he pulled the IV's from his forearms.
Uriah snapped with a response. "You're wrong Fox. I'm not here to extort you of your abilities. I saw opportunity to save you from execution and seized the moment. There was no malicious intention behind by reasoning. I am simply offering you a purpose. Or would you prefer to hide and wither away for the remainder of your days? By keeping you on the front lines under a forged identity, you'll remain anonymous. Front line operations are nothing but statistics to the military administrators."
Fox was beginning to warm to the genuineness Uriah was expressing. Fox knew Uriah to be a sincere, and honest individual when it came to his intentions, even if they were radically taboo and borderline maniac. It had always been one of his younger brothers characteristics. A rare trait Fox ever saw in his fellow man. "So you you're asking me to fight again. Is that you're only proposal? And here I thought you were going to have me fetch you your coffee."
Uriah wanted to chuckle from Fox's sudden utterance of humor, but in truth, he was offering more than just asking him to simply fight on the front lines.. "Yes, to fight.. but this time it will be different. I will need you for something I am developing. Something that might change the course of the war. Although for now, we have set the motion for your new adjustments. You will be designated to a warship and prompty start training. You might be a bit rusty in your cognitive abilities to pilot the machines, although I see prison has kept you in shape."
Fox felt like he really didn't even have any other option other than to accept this newly found "purpose". There really is no other choice for him. In this dreary of time's, he really needed his favorite...
Uriah noticed that habitual expression when Fox seemed flustered, and from his inner trench coat pocket a cigar was given to him. The cigar's tip was lit with flame, following some billowing puffs of smoke escaping from his lips with satisfying relief. Fox had instantaneously felt enthusiastic everything now. "Alright, I'm here now, and since you did one hell of a job finding a way to save me from execution in prison, a feat that I still don't understand how you even managed to pull off, I'll return the favor."
Uriah nodded with a curl of his lips indicating contentment. "There were others who also helped, but they preferred to remain anonymous for now, due to security concerns. Once you feel satisfactory to join the ranks of your assigned ship, meet with your commander to discuss whatever necessities may imply. You will go by the codename.. Fox"
He smiled at the small token of former identity he was able to still retain after having lost everything. Fox slowly walked towards Uriah and stopped in front of him. Cigar clenched between the side of his mouth with the smoke loosely rising towards the ceiling, reflective eyes staring at him. "Thanks, kiddo." Right arm was brought up in front of his chest with open palm, Uriah rose his arm in return and they clasped fists tightly as they always had ever since they were teenage kids. "You're welcome, bro."
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