Joining the fleet (Pregame 2 EE Cafeteria)

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Have to be more careful to avoid collateral, the terrain changes more frequently, usually one side has significant home advantage, and death is more frequent. Someone is almost always defending their home."

"I mean which do you find more enjoyable?"

[John Slaktare]

"I just like getting into it. Get a lot of downtime as a merc which isn't great, but when we get to battle, as quick as your unit is fixed up, that's how quick you are back out there. So more frantic on job which is more exciting to me."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I just like getting into it. Get a lot of downtime as a merc which isn't great, but when we get to battle, as quick as your unit is fixed up, that's how quick you are back out there. So more frantic on job which is more exciting to me."

"Do you think you will ever go back to the arena life? Doesn't have to be as a fighter maybe running your own stable or as a broadcaster?"

[John Slaktare]

"It's crossed my mind," he says, remembering earlier. But the context wasn't good for morale so he didn't go into detail.

"Why? You wanna come with if I do after a bit of experience?" he asks.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I could see myself under you, working under you. You have a lot of knowledge and experience, you know people and the industry and your not likely to screw me over or stab me in the back." She smiled and put on a sarcastic tone. "Plus I'm totally going to be an arena legend so you stand to make a lot of money off of me."

[John Slaktare]

"Well, I'm not so sure about being in charge of anything important. I'm more... partner level honestly. I'm gonna do what I can to keep my lance alive, but I don't got high hopes for being an effective leader. Just happened they needed someone and I did well enough in combat that it made some sense I guess."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Well, I'm not so sure about being in charge of anything important. I'm more... partner level honestly. I'm gonna do what I can to keep my lance alive, but I don't got high hopes for being an effective leader. Just happened they needed someone and I did well enough in combat that it made some sense I guess."

It's fine we'll bring Cat with us, she's brilliant. We were trying to work out how to make the Charger good earlier and we talked about your Hatchetman too."

[John Slaktare]

"Ah. The one that avoids me. Might not work out so well. Her dad and I didn't get along for the short period I knew him. Pretty sure he told her to stay away," he says with a shrug.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Ah. The one that avoids me. Might not work out so well. Her dad and I didn't get along for the short period I knew him. Pretty sure he told her to stay away," he says with a shrug.

"Oh? Well that's a shame, you should find a way to fix that."

[John Slaktare]

"I don't go out of my way to be around people that don't want to be around me. Fights happen that way," he says with a shrug.

"If she ever feels up for it, I'm not hard to find. She's got plenty of friends and she don't need me hanging around, reminding her of something that made her old man unhappy."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I don't go out of my way to be around people that don't want to be around me. Fights happen that way," he says with a shrug.

"If she ever feels up for it, I'm not hard to find. She's got plenty of friends and she don't need me hanging around, reminding her of something that made her old man unhappy."

"Well we're all in this together so as long as we can all work together..." She shrugged. " So what happened?"

[John Slaktare]

"I think he was just over protective and I, as I said, have a short temper and a penchant for violence. Basically like telling your kid to keep away from the neighbor's dog I'd guess. If you were raising a kid and there was someone breaking bones and noses and getting themselves in trouble half the time you'd probably want them to avoid the bad influence too.". He doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Snip

No not with you, I could guess what you did to upset a parent." She said with a smile. "I mean what happened with her parents? Something tragic pretty clearly happened and I feel terrible for her without even knowing the details. She...she's so young; mentally I mean. I have to keep reminding myself she's 18 and not 13. And before you balk I'm not looking for gossip, I'm looking for guidance."

[John Slaktare]

"Ah, figured you already knew if you got to be her friend," he says with a shrug. "Father was a combat casualty, taken out in a bomber crash or something. Before that she was all smiles. Now she's... more like me. But the command staff's looking after her. People lose people. Never easy, sometimes it screws em up. Folks are trying to stop that from happening with her I'd guess."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Wells she's trying really hard to climb out of it which shows a lot of strength I think. Crazy to have kids in this life, no disrespect to the Major but...man...i could never do that." She sipped her tea, suddenly remembering she had food. "You ever think of kids or settling down?"

[John Slaktare]

"I never think of kids. I suspect that settling would involve moving back to the old dairy farm, which might not be bad if I ever get so broken I can't move. But I fully expect to die in a cockpit or a brawl so I don't give those things too much thought honestly. Been a while since I milked a cow."

"Why? You trying to plan that far out in the future too? Few years as a mercenary, few years in the arena, cash out and spend the last few relaxing and watching arena fights?"

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Snip

"I have 8 more years of this per my arrangement with my folks which will make me 33-34 when I START my arena career. I would probably try and start a family around that time. That's probably late my most standards but that's my loose plan. That of course assumes I'm in a relationship and it's a guy and he wants kids and blah blah blah. I may say fuck it and adopt who knows. Not really PLANNING anything but having kids is defiantly a goal."

[John Slaktare]

He nods at that. But doesn't say anything immediately. The thought of wanting to have kids. Then the thought of leaving them without parents. Like his own, his grandma, Cat's parents... all the people like that who end up dysfunctional, unhappy mercs thanks to the apparent prevalence of loss.

A deep breath. "Well, if you think that'd make you happy then you should go for it. Life doesn't exist to avoid what you want. Gotta take it, whatever it is, that you want for yourself."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Yeah. At least two, one can get lonely and god forbid something happened to me in the arena they would at least have each other and presumably my spouse."

[John Slaktare]

"Yeah. Ones lonely. And it doesn't take an arena to leave them alone. Never knew my parents because of a vehicle accident. World is full of accidents waiting to happen," he says with a shrug.