Time off part two
November 23, 3071
Outreach
Bravo Lance Barracks
With shopping bags in hand the waif-like, white haired woman tiredly entered the place she was beginning to consider home. It had been a long day starting with the ass kicking handed to Bravo Lance by the Dismal Disinherited and ending with a good meal seasoned with advice by a man Lonnie was beginning to consider an adopted grandfather. In between was the most interesting shopping trip she'd had since making the mistake of going shopping for mechanical bits with Alex.
Remembering that they had the next day off, she wasn't surprised the others were still out and about on their own amusements. It was a relief, it meant she could toss up the decorations, wrap gifts and write cards without being interrupted. Sighing happily, she kicked off her boots before putting them into place under her bunk after gently depositing her bags on the table. Silently padding into the kitchenette in her stocking feet, Lonnie was quite happy to see that she wasn't the only one keeping the fridge stocked with Timbiqui Dark. Grabbing a couple of cans, she went back into the main room.
Dropping one can on the table, she cracked open the second can, took a good gulp, pulled out her noteputer.
"New Journal Entry."
"Busy day, but somewhat productive I think. Got the gifts for Dad, Uncle Billy, Kasperov, the rest of the Lance, Dante and Mueller. Ordered the gift basket for the squad, when I know we're shipping out, I'll have it delivered a couple of days before deployment. Ordered Alex and Elise's gifts ages ago, so they're set. But I need to find something nice for Cabella and his partner after their charm, good company and advice. Not to mention lettting me use them as an emotional sounding board. "
Humming a bit to herself, she pulled out the silly christmas hat she couldn't resist getting, put it on and began to toss up the various non-religous winter holiday decorations she'd gotten.
"I have to say, that was probably one of the oddest shopping trips I've had since I made the mistake of going shopping with Alex to get the materials for one of his infamous experiments."
"Not that anyone was rude...they were all incredibly helpful. Probably the typical "pretty woman with money during christmas season" syndrome again. Well, not entirely in the case of a couple of them. Like the place I got Victor's music from. Those men were weird. How anyone can gush for a half hour about obscure trivia from ancient Terra is beyond me. I know to each their own, but to blather at a captive audience like that... Amazing they're still in business if they do that to every customer. Of course they probably realized they had someone too polite to tell them off when they started going on about it."
She paused as she surveyed her work, nodded her satisfaction to herself, picked up her opened beer and took another drink before sitting down to start wrapping. Regarding the three hardcover books thoughtfully, Lonnie made a note of the titles and author for possible future reading. Placing them in a neat stack, carefully folded, cut and taped the wrapping paper.
"I'm hoping that Captain Mueller doesn't figure out who gave him these books, or if he does, doesn't get too upset with me... The owner of the bookstore where I got these books was odd, very odd, but not in the manner of the men in the music store. He seemed to know what I was looking for even though I didn't. I don't know Captain Mueller very well, and I doubt if I ever will, but I do know he's in charge of covert ops for the Dawn and giving him books about a fictional spy seems appropriate. Hope he likes them."
Finishing Mueller's gift, she pulled out the card she gotten for him and with her neat, elegant hand, wrote a brief message wishing the very intimidating man happy holidays. That most people didn't write the way she did or in such a manner didn't occur to her. One of the few lessons she learned from her mother that she had retained was the personal touch. Even if she didn't sign her name to what could have been a fairly impersonal message, the personal touch could be seen. That's all that mattered.
For a time she paused the journal as she was content to wrap gifts and make careful notes for each of them, though in the case of her father and uncle, she didn't have to make carefully impersonal, personal notes. The love and respect she held for the two men could be seen, when she set aside their gifts she knew she'd give them by her hand to theirs for the first time in years. It wasn't the first time she had that thought, it still warmed her though. Lonnie hoped that they liked them, the boxes were identical in shape and size, but had different colors and designs that she thought each of them would like, inside matching accessories for the cigars, along with their favorite cigars.
Then she got to the last gift and looked down at it broodingly. A simple cigarette case with the Red Dawn insignia embossed upon it with the phrase Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the Red Dawn! engraved beneath it. Besides the requisite holder for cigarettes the interior also had small containers to hold tobacco and wrapping papers. Unopened packages of both sat next to the case and she brooded over the gift, and the blank card next to it. Lonnie had been fairly careful in making sure she knew what brands the commander preferred and this was going to be harder to give than what she was giving Mueller, and for entirely different reasons.
"Oh Marlana", she said quietly to herself, "you've got it bad. Admit it, you're falling for him hard, even if you're trying to be the cautious soul you always are. Just remember, he's both your superior officer and employer." Before she could work herself up any more than she already had, she swiftly wrapped up the gift in a neat little package and regarded the card for a long moment.
And threw caution to the wind as she began to write.
"To Commander Kasperov:
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and not only a Happy New Year, but a successful future as well."
She paused for a moment before signing it with a flourish.
"Yours always,
LS"
Refusing to acknowledge the lurch in her guts at seeing how she had signed the card, Lonnie waited for the ink to dry before stuffing the card into the envelope that was then attached to the gift. For a brief moment she had considered a stronger word than the phrase she ended her note with, but backed off at the last moment not having the courage to commit to paper what she wasn't ready to admit to herself. She knew how sharp Kasperov was, he would probably have figured out who it was from just based on the writing, but she felt compelled to be as honest as possible even if she had meant the gift to be one from a "Secret Santa". Whatever relationship that did develop with the man, it would be one based on honesty.
A thought that stopped her and made her really examine some of her twisted feelings.
Marlana Halas had not been able to trust those she encountered in the LAAF, especially many of her fellow nobles. She had chosen to start a new life as Lonnie Silvestri with the Red Dawn and she was reverting to her old habits as Marlana.
"This has to end, I can't live a lie anymore, not like I did the first twenty some odd years of my life. I need to be honest with my new Lance, even if there's a possibility they can't be trusted, but if we're to do battle together, they need to know who and what will be fighting at their side."
She just needed the right moment to speak with not just those in her Lance, but Captain's Dante and Mueller as well, it would be only fair since they were the ones who have to deal with the fallout of who she was besides the commander. But before they saw the true field of battle, she was determined for them to know the truth.
"And the truth will set you free", she whispered to herself.
She wondered if that homily would come true.
Outreach
Bravo Lance Barracks
With shopping bags in hand the waif-like, white haired woman tiredly entered the place she was beginning to consider home. It had been a long day starting with the ass kicking handed to Bravo Lance by the Dismal Disinherited and ending with a good meal seasoned with advice by a man Lonnie was beginning to consider an adopted grandfather. In between was the most interesting shopping trip she'd had since making the mistake of going shopping for mechanical bits with Alex.
Remembering that they had the next day off, she wasn't surprised the others were still out and about on their own amusements. It was a relief, it meant she could toss up the decorations, wrap gifts and write cards without being interrupted. Sighing happily, she kicked off her boots before putting them into place under her bunk after gently depositing her bags on the table. Silently padding into the kitchenette in her stocking feet, Lonnie was quite happy to see that she wasn't the only one keeping the fridge stocked with Timbiqui Dark. Grabbing a couple of cans, she went back into the main room.
Dropping one can on the table, she cracked open the second can, took a good gulp, pulled out her noteputer.
"New Journal Entry."
"Busy day, but somewhat productive I think. Got the gifts for Dad, Uncle Billy, Kasperov, the rest of the Lance, Dante and Mueller. Ordered the gift basket for the squad, when I know we're shipping out, I'll have it delivered a couple of days before deployment. Ordered Alex and Elise's gifts ages ago, so they're set. But I need to find something nice for Cabella and his partner after their charm, good company and advice. Not to mention lettting me use them as an emotional sounding board. "
Humming a bit to herself, she pulled out the silly christmas hat she couldn't resist getting, put it on and began to toss up the various non-religous winter holiday decorations she'd gotten.
"I have to say, that was probably one of the oddest shopping trips I've had since I made the mistake of going shopping with Alex to get the materials for one of his infamous experiments."
"Not that anyone was rude...they were all incredibly helpful. Probably the typical "pretty woman with money during christmas season" syndrome again. Well, not entirely in the case of a couple of them. Like the place I got Victor's music from. Those men were weird. How anyone can gush for a half hour about obscure trivia from ancient Terra is beyond me. I know to each their own, but to blather at a captive audience like that... Amazing they're still in business if they do that to every customer. Of course they probably realized they had someone too polite to tell them off when they started going on about it."
She paused as she surveyed her work, nodded her satisfaction to herself, picked up her opened beer and took another drink before sitting down to start wrapping. Regarding the three hardcover books thoughtfully, Lonnie made a note of the titles and author for possible future reading. Placing them in a neat stack, carefully folded, cut and taped the wrapping paper.
"I'm hoping that Captain Mueller doesn't figure out who gave him these books, or if he does, doesn't get too upset with me... The owner of the bookstore where I got these books was odd, very odd, but not in the manner of the men in the music store. He seemed to know what I was looking for even though I didn't. I don't know Captain Mueller very well, and I doubt if I ever will, but I do know he's in charge of covert ops for the Dawn and giving him books about a fictional spy seems appropriate. Hope he likes them."
Finishing Mueller's gift, she pulled out the card she gotten for him and with her neat, elegant hand, wrote a brief message wishing the very intimidating man happy holidays. That most people didn't write the way she did or in such a manner didn't occur to her. One of the few lessons she learned from her mother that she had retained was the personal touch. Even if she didn't sign her name to what could have been a fairly impersonal message, the personal touch could be seen. That's all that mattered.
For a time she paused the journal as she was content to wrap gifts and make careful notes for each of them, though in the case of her father and uncle, she didn't have to make carefully impersonal, personal notes. The love and respect she held for the two men could be seen, when she set aside their gifts she knew she'd give them by her hand to theirs for the first time in years. It wasn't the first time she had that thought, it still warmed her though. Lonnie hoped that they liked them, the boxes were identical in shape and size, but had different colors and designs that she thought each of them would like, inside matching accessories for the cigars, along with their favorite cigars.
Then she got to the last gift and looked down at it broodingly. A simple cigarette case with the Red Dawn insignia embossed upon it with the phrase Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the Red Dawn! engraved beneath it. Besides the requisite holder for cigarettes the interior also had small containers to hold tobacco and wrapping papers. Unopened packages of both sat next to the case and she brooded over the gift, and the blank card next to it. Lonnie had been fairly careful in making sure she knew what brands the commander preferred and this was going to be harder to give than what she was giving Mueller, and for entirely different reasons.
"Oh Marlana", she said quietly to herself, "you've got it bad. Admit it, you're falling for him hard, even if you're trying to be the cautious soul you always are. Just remember, he's both your superior officer and employer." Before she could work herself up any more than she already had, she swiftly wrapped up the gift in a neat little package and regarded the card for a long moment.
And threw caution to the wind as she began to write.
"To Commander Kasperov:
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and not only a Happy New Year, but a successful future as well."
She paused for a moment before signing it with a flourish.
"Yours always,
LS"
Refusing to acknowledge the lurch in her guts at seeing how she had signed the card, Lonnie waited for the ink to dry before stuffing the card into the envelope that was then attached to the gift. For a brief moment she had considered a stronger word than the phrase she ended her note with, but backed off at the last moment not having the courage to commit to paper what she wasn't ready to admit to herself. She knew how sharp Kasperov was, he would probably have figured out who it was from just based on the writing, but she felt compelled to be as honest as possible even if she had meant the gift to be one from a "Secret Santa". Whatever relationship that did develop with the man, it would be one based on honesty.
A thought that stopped her and made her really examine some of her twisted feelings.
Marlana Halas had not been able to trust those she encountered in the LAAF, especially many of her fellow nobles. She had chosen to start a new life as Lonnie Silvestri with the Red Dawn and she was reverting to her old habits as Marlana.
"This has to end, I can't live a lie anymore, not like I did the first twenty some odd years of my life. I need to be honest with my new Lance, even if there's a possibility they can't be trusted, but if we're to do battle together, they need to know who and what will be fighting at their side."
She just needed the right moment to speak with not just those in her Lance, but Captain's Dante and Mueller as well, it would be only fair since they were the ones who have to deal with the fallout of who she was besides the commander. But before they saw the true field of battle, she was determined for them to know the truth.
"And the truth will set you free", she whispered to herself.
She wondered if that homily would come true.
posted by Reika at 9:51 PM
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