How is my baby? (Pregame 2 LA Hangars)

[Lakshmi Kaala]

She looked at him sideways. Then she grinned. "Yabai. I would have laughed at you too. That sounds pretty sad. Neither side even looked for you for a day and a half?" She chuckled freely. "Maybe neither of them wanted to find you Richard. Did you annoy some spirits in a past life?"

[Richard Winter]

"Maybe they thought I was already dead, or maybe spirits are actually at work, that would explain a lot. Whereby I would then like to exchange words with my previous self, can't be that I have to suffer under his deeds" he grinned back, then his face became a bit more serious:

"Some locals found me and brought me down from the tree, were nice enough to take care of me. Took me about a week to get back to our unit, at least what was left of it.... Barely a few days later the Angels were there."

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"Ahhh, I see." She only knew things from the Angels' perspective. It sounded like it was much worse on the ground.

"We were told the Knights needed support, but your employer didn't stress how brutal the fighting had gotten or how aggressive the bandits were. Your unit crippled them by the time we did arrive, but they'd crippled your forces too. It was going to be mutual annihilation if we didn't arrive when we did. You got lucky being found."

[Richard Winter]

"No need to cry over spilled milk" he said, not really in the mood to think about the Knights' fate.

He looked up at the cockpit and called out, "All systems nominal sergeant?"

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

There is not really a response to Richard's question.

Cockpit closed and wearing her neurohelmet, Catherine is utterly engrossed in getting through this check-up with flying colours, so Laks can finally have her own turn. Following the mechtech's instructions closely, the small Mechwarrior seems to be going through the routine with thorough care. If her baby has a problem, she wants to find it now, not later.

Hmm~ ... The familiar hum of the running reactor is like background music and Hellcat knows the sound each actuator should make by heart.

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"If not, they'll fix it."

She turned her body to fully face Richard. "Okay then mister no cry over spilled milk, how did you get a callsign like Kid? I could see it for Cat, but..." She gestured at the lieutenant. "You're too big for that."

[Richard Winter]

"Do you know Old John, or also called Alpha? Tall, bearded, looks like he should be retired somewhere living on a ranch on an agricultural world?" he asked and chuckled a little.
"He was the one who brought me in to the Knights. When I arrived on Galatea, I was a little lost. Settled in the first hostel I could find and roamed the bars looking for a mercenary unit that would hire me."

He clicked his tongue once.
"Well. Got ripped off a couple of times pretty good. A few wanted to see C-Bills before entering, a few others wanted help with some 'transportation' jobs. In the end, I was either poorer than before or got pretty screwed. Then when I hit rock bottom I decided to drink up my last C-Bills, that's when I ran into the old man."

He laughed before continuing with his story. "He came up to me and asked if I was looking for a job, of course I was already very suspicious and just started to get angry at him. But he was pretty insistent and wouldn't stop calling me Kid which pissed me off even more. This went on until fists were flying and he beat my ass. The old man Knocked out my lights, and I thought that was it now.

I woke up in the Knights' infirmary and later became part of the Old Man's Lance. Much later I realized that he had gotten a lot of shit from his CO because of it. However, the old man took a shine to me and took me in, I'm not even sure why, I've asked him a few times but he just won't come out with the info." He shrugged, "Alpha never stopped calling me Kid, maybe to piss me off or maybe because he forgot my real name by now," Richard smirked.
"And since John called me that, the other Knights just took it over and adopted it, so I've been Kid ever since."

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Further ahead, two audible stomps, a few seconds apart, signal Catherine's testing of her Wolverine's leg actuators. There is very little excitement on the mechtech's part and the test is not repeated, so it looks like the big machine is functioning about as well as expected.

Just a few more tests to finish the familiar routine and she should be done.

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"Pilots the Fire Javelin in your lance? Hai." She knew all the mechwarriors' callsigns and at least a bit about each.

Laks listened to the story with interest, sometimes making the odd noise or murmur of understanding. She didn't interrupt. Richard was free to tell his story to the end.

When he was done she nods and smiled wryly. "So you're the Kid as your got your ass handed to you by an old man. That's kind of funny. How's Alpha feel about following a Kid's orders?"

The mechtechs were performing well. Weeks of downtime and knowing and expecting the busy day today meant they were operating at peak efficiency. It helped that her Wolverine was very familiar to many of them. The cramped cockpit was simply snug for Catherine as she worked to finish up the tests. Her mech was in excellent condition.

[Richard Winter]

"After Kelenfold, he didn't want to be responsible anymore. When we asked why he said, and I quote him, 'I don't want to be responsible for your mechs blowing up under your asses, I can think of better shit than almost having a heart attack every deployment because you're too stupid to know the gas from the brake'." He shrugged again. "Of course, that raised the question of who would run the Lance in the future, Jester.... well Jester didn't want to and that left me. So far he seems to obey my commands quite well, the simulations are going well, but simulation is just simulation."

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

The systems check of Catherine's Battlemech is about to finish. The small redhead has already taken off her helmet and scurried down the side of her machine. Her jumping down the last couple of metres is no surprise to anyone who knows her.

A short discussion with the lead mechtech later, the young Sergeant smiles widely, thanks the mechtechs and jogs back over to her fellow Mechwarriors.

"Woohoo!" She cheers, too excited to stop herself from interrupting their discussion. "Dúthracht got an 'excellent'!"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"I'm impressed he's stuck with it then. In my experience when someone gives up command they usually retire, or at least move to a non-frontline role... he does sound like quite the character." She beamed a big smile his way. "Let me if you want any feedback on any of your simulations or if you have any questions about the Angels. You can ask your big sis Captain Laks in other words, ok?"

Giving Richard a pat on the shoulder (and having to reach up to do so), she then hurried over to Cat. "Hey, that's great news!" She met the young woman halfway. "I hope they can check my baby next."

[Richard Winter]

...

"I guess the old man just can't let me go," he said with a grin.

Big Sis, huh? he thought.

...

"I'll get back to you on that," he promised, switching his focus to the young mechwarrior.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Brimming with excitement after having been in the cockpit of her beloved war machine, Catherine is smiling brightly.

"I asked the mechtechs if they can check Lucky Strike next, Laks. That's why my check was so quick. We hurried through it as a concession." The small Sergeant gives her captain a quick little hug. "Good Luck Laks!"

Looks like she has recovered from the emotional hit earlier, albeit not fully, as the still lingering hint of awkwardness in her smile towards Richard shows. "Sorry for my outburst earlier, Second Lieutenant Winter. Got me a nice Dúthracht therapy session just now, so I'm good again."

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"She better pass." Laks affirms, returning the hug. She was always worried about this sort of thing. "Thanks for that Cat. I'll head over then. Dust off any cobwebs."

The pretty young woman was quick to head over to her mech when the mechtechs began to head that way. She was glad there weren't any lingering problems between the new Lieutenant and Cat.

[Richard Winter]

...

"No need to apologize, actually I should apologize, but uh,... no hard feelings, okay?.... And please call me Richard, I feel old when someone your age addresses me with rank" he said a little embarrassed

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"I am sure she will, Laks." Catherine affirms her belief in her friend's beloved Battlemech. If her own did well, she is sure that the identical one assigned to her superior will do even better. The small Sergeant waves after her captain.

Turning back towards the Lieutenant towering over her, she gives him a weak smile. "It's okay. It just comes bubbling up sometimes. I can't help it." Taking a deep breath, the little redhead forces herself to remain calm. She does manage another smile at his offer to use his given name. "Richard." Catherine tests it out and returns the offer. "You can call me Catherine then, or by my callsign Hellcat. I earned that one and have had it for years now, most of my life even, so I am used to it."

[Richard Winter]

"Hellcat? I see" he said, nodding. "Most people in my Lance call me Kid, at least the Old Man does most of the time."

He looked over at the mechbay and thought.
"Soo, um,..." he began, not quite sure what he could talk about. He didn't want to play pot banging in the minefield.

"Are you looking forward to the mission?" was the best he could come up with

[Lakshmi Kaala]

Captain Kaala would be busy for a good few minutes with her mech...

She was in the cockpit and helping the techs run their tests in lightning speed.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Yeah. Hellcat." Catherine shoots him a grin, both proud and embarrassed of her callsign. She has heard his own callsign before, but was never sure what to make of it. In the end the young Sergeant decides to bit the shell and ask him up front. "Umm ... do you like your callsign, or would you prefer me to use Richard instead?"

She follows his gaze around the Hangars and answers with a small shrug. "I sorta do. I love Battlemechs. I love piloting them. I was near literally born into this. This is a big mission, so there is a lot of pressure, but it is also a big challenge. If that makes sense to you, Second L- ... Richard."