On Station

[fireminerva 0]

As Ahrend von Wullf

 

Ahrend floated upside down as he watched Supreme Chairwoman Hitomi Matsuko deliver her first speech.  It wasn't overly impressive but then the Chairwoman had been selected for her diplomatic capabilities and a well proofed track record in the intelligence field, not for her charisma.  Ahrend rotated himself, careful to not spin quickly and induce sickness, so that he could properly leave the room.

 

Outside in the hallways of Armory One Ahrend took hold of one of the many moving handrails and began to make his way towards the bridge.  His red uniform did a good deal to set him apart from most of the other soldiers on the space station and so a good deal of time was spent exchanging salutes as lower ranked officers and soldiers passed by him.  Though such respect was something that would always come with responsibility Ahrend sometimes wished that the salutes could be forgone for practicality's sake.

 

Finally Ahrend made a right turn into the main hanger.  Docked here was the Nazca Class Vessel Karl Jung, the ship Ahrend was currently stationed on.  As he floated up the main ramp Ahrend presented his papers that identified him as a crew member of the Jung and after a moment's inspection he was allowed to proceed aboard and to navigate the Jung's hallways.

 

As he arrived on the bridge Ahrend saluted the captain of the Jung and drifted over to a planner's table.  With a three dimensional display that showed local asteroids, ships, and anything else a soldier could desire to see the table was a crucial system that enabled a smart captain to make split seconds decisions using the most recent data as his guide.  Patiently Ahrend leaned over the table and watched.

[t569ssgoku 0]

The shuttle door just opened. Janus looked up from his “Way of the Samurai” to gaze upon the empty shuttle. Are all ZAFT shuttles to Armory One like this, I figured at least a couple of people would be on the shuttle to be transferred. A lot of trouble just to transfer one soldier who has no past.

 

The flight had been boring enough. It would have been easier if Janus had received any orders on his assignment. He had only graduated as a green coat, so he expected to be assigned to any normal squad and go from there. It had nothing to do with skills or test scores, but so many reprimands apparently keep you from getting honors.

 

So many things were on Janus’s mind as he wandered through the lines of ships looking for the Karl Jung. Janus could see all the soldiers and engineers looking at him because he was a little different, not for the uniform he wore but for having a mask covering his eyes. Janus muttered under his breath as he stepped to check on board the Karl Jung … You should expect this… but there really is no choice in the matter. Father, Mother, understand why I have to do this.

 

Janus was still half daydreaming as he checked on board the ship. There was a slight delay as  his identity card picture had him in a mask and the soldier could not believe Janus was a ZAFT soldier. Janus was a little annoyed did not show it at all. Thankfully for Janus one of the officers had heard of the pilot coming straight out of training to the unit who wore a mask. One of the petty officers was kind enough to take his bags and point him in the direction of the bridge.

 

The elevator ride to the bridge left Janus a little nervous. What was this team? How many were there? Were they all rookies? Janus brushed his green uniform a little as the door finally opened. Janus took a few steps onto the bridge and struck a proper salute.

“Janus Trine reporting for duty sir.”

[fireminerva 0]

Ahrend looked up from the planner's table as the door slid open.  He was reasonably well aware that the young man who arrived was his new subordinate, after all he had been hand picked by Ahrend for several reasons, the least of these being the young man's past though Ahrend was well aware of it.

 

Returning the salute in a far more informal manner Ahrend addressed the young man.  "Please relax Pilot Trine, this isn't the AF; after all we coordinators are quite capable of interacting without reverting back to the primative ideas of superiority."  Though what he said was technically true, ZAFT was an organization that did not stress the formality of rank, Ahrend also knew that structure existed for a purpose and had one goal in mind but all that was far too complicated of a thing to review in his mind at the present moment.  "I sure that you had an uneventful flight here Janus; likewise I'm also equally sure that you must have a great deal of questions but for now I'll only answer the most pressing of those.  What you need to know is that I am Flight Lieutenant Ahrend von Wullf and that I am your new superior officer."

 

Pushing away from the table Ahrend floated over to where Janus stood and as he slowed himself by placing his hand against a nearby wall Ahrend sized up the boy; as he had thought when he first reviewed the former cadet's record Ahrend believed that the boy would make an excellent commando.

 

"If you don't mind I'll guide you to your quarters.  Though we are of different ranks our unit grouping has forced us to be roommates, but I will assure you that I'm a heavy sleeper who doesn't snore.  After you're settled I'll take some time to brief you on your new assignment."  Though it wasn't standard procedure Ahrend had decided to skip the initial, and typically immediate, briefing.  For now he wanted to see how the young pilot would react and adapt to the circumstances in front of him.  "Shall we?" Ahrend asked as he gestured to the elevator.  "We're on level seven."

[t569ssgoku 0]

Janus quickly gave a quick salute to the captain and the other bridge officers and walked onto the elevator. Janus went to the back of the lift and leaned against the wall with his arms folded. Normally he would of never even thought of doing something like this in front of a superior officer but something struck Janus that this man would not really care. It was something about his salute back to him.

This guy has been looking me up and down now for some time. I don't recognize him and he looks like a veteran so I doubt I met him at the academy. Maybe he is trying to figure out if he made a mistake bringing me here.

 

“So Lieutenant von Wullf, how many pilots on this team and what is our primary mission assignment? Excuse the simplest of all the questions I could ask you, but they handed me my assignment papers and threw me on the shuttle without an explanation.”

However, Janus already had a feeling that this was no normal team.  Furthermore, he got the feeling that this man knew more about Janus than he was comfortable letting someone he just met know about him. Guess only time would tell.

[fireminerva 0]

OOC - I know that you haven't started/finished a Coliseum battle but please try to do so ASAP.

 

IC - Getting off the elevator Ahrend quietly led Janus to their quarters, not wanting to talk about their missions anywhere the other members of the crew could hear.  After a few minutes the door slid open and Ahrend welcomed Janus in.  Sitting down in the chair at his desk Ahrend sat back and looked at his new comrade.

 

"At this point I believe that it would best to be frank with you.  Basically your test scores out of the academy are some of the best that I've seen in a few years but what's more is the fact that your a ghost.  I've been granted access to your complete records and quite frankly you're a young man who comes from a military family whose death would be rather unnoticed at least by the population as a whole."  Ahrend leaned back so that he was comfortable in his chair before continuing.

 

"As far as our actual missions are concerned: this squad, this room, and every mission we'll go on never happened and they don't exist.  From this moment onward you are a member of ZAFT special forces, which is what makes your particular family situation very practical for this unit.  As I said on the bridge I am a Flight Lieutenant and though I am outranked by a good deal of soldiers within ZAFT I am able to function independently from most of them.  My war record is highly classified and in most cases is a complete forgery as yours will be after about a year or two."  Opening a drawer on the right side of his desk Ahrend pulled out a small data disk which he slid across the desk where Janus could reach it.

 

"This disk contains a great deal of information regarding they types of missions that we will be carrying out.  You should do your best to familiarize yourself with a wide array of mobile suits, particularly those operated by countries and factions aside from ZAFT.  In addition you will begin advanced training in small arms, close quarter combat, demolitions, interrogation, espionage, and several other fields which will enable you to become a more efficient commando."  By now the young man had to be feeling some pressure, after all, these skills were ones that would take most men years to learn.  "Most importantly you're going to learn to work with me.  As a two man unit it will be a cold day in hell before we have backup and so we're both going to have to learn to depend on each other."

 

Ahrend felt the ship jar as it detached from the docking platform.  "Right now the Karl Jung is departing for Carpentaria where we'll be stationed for training.  Even though the base is planet side it's an ideal place to train at, Australia's central desert will give us the seclusion which we need... otherwise your training would probably involve the condition of not destroying the Carpentaria base which would be an unnecessary strain on the both of us."

 

Standing up once again Ahrend extended his hand to Janus.  "Rest assured Michael this position is a great honor, one in which you will make your mother proud.  I can also assure you that this is the last time I'll use your real name."

 

OOC - In my next post I'm going to assume that the Karl Jung has dropped us off planet side so please don't be surprised at the scene change.

[t569ssgoku 0]

Janus looked up with clear anger in his eyes. He didn’t want to admit his past to anyone, nor this man who he had just met. Clearly he had done a large amount of homework on him, but from his initial observations of this man Janus was not surprised.

 

“Understand this Lieutenant, I joined ZAFT to honor the memory of my mother, but I have no intention of becoming a butcher. If you have read my profile so thoroughly you are well aware that I prefer melee weapons in combat…” Janus reached down towards his bed and picked up a case. I can’t believe it actually made it. Janus pulled a Katana from its hilt and pointed it into the air between him and the Lieutenant. “I want to become a soldier, and to that end I will fight my enemies. But I stress the point “my enemies”. I will not become a mindless automaton and fight whom I am told for no reason. If that is what is expected of me then I better get off while I can still float back to Armory One. This weapon represents to me the only way a soldier should fight. In the face of your enemy showing no fear.”

[fireminerva 0]

Ahrend sighed when Janus picked up and drew out his katana, 'Was I this idealistic when I joined the SF.'  The question lingered in Ahrend mind for a few seconds before he dropped it.  "As far as fighting your enemies is concerned I'm afraid that in ZAFT you do not have the choice of picking your battles... if fact I cannot think of a single place that exists in this world where you can choose such a thing.  However, if you would like to protect your family as well as the memory of your mother then I suggest you put away that blade before I take it from you."

 

"Here in ZAFT and especially in ZAFT's Special Forces we do use firearms and it has nothing to do with cowardice.  I personally use firearms because sometimes the situation warrants their use and I can assure you that no one in recent history has broken through a blockade with only a sword."  Ahrend returned to his chair, giving Janus a short moment in which he could strike if he wanted to. 

 

"I'm going to teach you how to think boy, I'm going to make sure that you have a fully functional brain inside your head so that when you have to decide between getting sniped between the eyes or shooting the other man first you'll shoot him; and I can tell you right now there is nothing more personal than stalking your target for days, learning his habits and then shooting him and see the expression on his face when death arrives."  Resting both of his hands on his chair Ahrend held onto them for a moment as the memory of his hunt returned.

 

"Whatever your personal beliefs may be you weren't the only one who lost a loved one during the wars and one day you'll need to learn to stop crying about what you cannot change."

[t569ssgoku 0]

OOC: do we have a layout basically of a Nazca-Class, I have no clue if it even has facilities I am talking about.

 

 

Janus thrusted his sword into the ground, leaving it wedged, sticking out. Janus started to walk out of the cabin, snatching the disc up on his way. He turned just outside the door, “Fine, I will play this game. I’ll become ZAFT’s weapon. But I stand by what I said, because someone who just fights whom is he told with no reason is nothing. I will be a solider, and stay true to my own sense of justice. And that justice will be the divine thunder of the heavens.”

 

At least if nothing else I’ll gain first hand knowledge how to defeat any enemy by learning every mobile suit in existence.  Who cares if the Lieutenant is a jerk and an ass. Besides, he will most likely boot me out the door in a year anyways. Although, I am concerned he keeps analyzing me. This guy……

 

Janus had no desire to finish that thought. He quickly went to a common area on the ship and tried to access the Lieutenant’s records.  He realized they were “privileged” and started to begin hacking the database on the ship. After some time he finally got to read just his service record. Something struck him in an odd way…It’s the same wording used on my record, which must mean this guy is nothing like he seems…What is he…????

[fireminerva 0]

'Well, I do suppose that's one way to recruit into special operations, though I would've liked it much more if he hadn't stuck his sword into the floor.'  With a tired patience Ahrend got up and withdrew the sword from the floor.  Lifting it up he examined the edge of the blade and then sighed with relief when he saw that the blade hadn't been damaged.  'I'm sure that if it had been Janus would've taken his bag and left.'

 

Sheathing the sword Ahrend laid it down on top of Janus' bag.  Sitting back down at his desk Ahrend began typing up a summary report concerning a recent espionage mission he had participated in.  After several minutes a notification popped up on his desktop alerting him that someone was attempting to access his personal files.  Instead of blocking the hack Ahrend decided to let it slip through and instead ran a trace program on the source of the hack.  'I'm sure it's that boy but it's still best to be sure.'

 

No matter how hard he looked he'd never find any real information on Ahrend, after all that was a carefully guarded secret that was never written down even on paper.

 

Leaning back in his chair Ahrend took a long time to think about what to do next.  It would have to be something well calculated, but that was obvious.  At the same time he doubted that defeating Janus in combat would do nothing but earn the young man's contempt.  Still, battle was the best way to express one's feelings.  Turning the chair in a half circle Ahrend lifted his eyes up to the wall and stared at a hand and a half sword that hung on the wall located behind his desk.

 

Standing up again Ahrend lifted the finely crafted sword off of the wall and belted it onto his belt, then with a cold calculation he picked up Janus' sword and made his way to the common area.  As the door to the common area slid open Ahrend held out the sword and spoke with a voice of command.

 

"Pilot Janus, stand up and take your sword; show me just how strong your convictions are."

[t569ssgoku 0]

Janus quickly closed down the computer as Lieutenant von Wullf entered the room. Why am I not surprised, most likely should have been more careful with the data. Oh well, it didn’t tell me much anyways. Janus smirked just a little when von Wullf offered a duel. Janus stood up with a slight air of confidence around him. However, this man clearly is no ordinary opponent, if for nothing else the only people who bring swords onto combat ships are those who have faith in their skills to use them in battle if it was ever needed.

“Very well, I accept, however, since I doubt the captain or fleet command would like us injuring each other lets make this slightly more honorable.” Janus by this point was walking over to a table while removing his uniform. “No point in having to replace this since it is new.” He folded and laid it carefully on a table and picked up two orange roses. He threw one at von Wullf, fairly positive he would catch it.

 

“The rules are simple. The first person to remove the rose pinned to his opponent’s chest wins. A lot of the cadets played by these rules so that instructors wouldn’t be bothered by us injuring each other in a first blood from the torso match.” Janus was completely speaking the truth, but there was one thing. He had only lost this type of duel at the academy once, to a pink haired girl from the city who he hoped one day he would get a rematch from.

 

Janus walked straight toward von Wullf and grabbed the handle of his blade and removed it. Walking back he turned, both hands grasped on his blade.  Can’t take any chances with this one…

 

I am ready…

 

 

OOC: Sorry, may as well pay homage to Revolutionary Girl Utena…can I get some crazy background music?

[fireminerva 0]

Ahrend didn't bother to catch the rose that was thrown at him, instead it hit his chest and dropped to the floor.  As Janus went on about honor and how things were done at the academy Ahrend's stare remained cold and impassive.  After two wars he had learned better and that there was no honor in battle and that war was a bloody awful mess and that was something that a soldier either had to get used to or run from.

 

"Janus my enemies didn't start calling me the Black Dog for nothing.  I earned my rank and my reputation by being a killer, one who fought well and who showed no compassion to his enemies because they showed none to me.  The rules that existed at the academy are no longer important because you're no longer in the simulation room.  When you step up onto a battlefield you'll understand what I'm saying but until you do you're going to have to trust that what I say is the truth."  Ahrend drew out his sword and held it high over his head in a falcon position.

 

As the altercation had begun the nearly empty common room had cleared out and now it was just Ahrend and Janus.  "You're going to fight me, no rules aside from the ones that you choose to play by.  I will give you fair warning now that if you aren't careful you'll walk away missing an arm by the time this is over so if your honor calls for it then you'd better attack me with everything you've got because I won't hold anything back."

[t569ssgoku 0]

Janus smirked…

 

“Just trying to keep someone from having to clean blood from the floor.” Janus cut his rose off. “Fine then…” Janus returned to his defensive stance…If I am lucky he will come at me in a full attack and leave an opening…if not, then this actually might be fun.

 

“And drop the war is cruel routine, I understand that Lieutenant. If you are my enemy then so be it. And I won't be defeated by you!"

[fireminerva 0]

"You can't know something until you've lived it... I think that my friends who have died alongside me over the past few years would agree with me about that."

 

Ahrend shook his head and sheathed his sword once again.  "I don't think that you're even sure about who your enemies are, just because someone isn't heading in the same direction as you doesn't mean that they're your enemy."  Dropping his right hand down onto his waist where his pistol was holstered Ahrend let it lay there for a moment, resting over the deadly weapon.  Then he smiled and dropped his hand to his side.

 

"I think that there's been enough blood shed lately, wouldn't you agree.  Turning Ahrend went out the door and back to his room, calling back to Janus as he went.  Stay or go, it's up to you.  Just know that if you stay you will have to answer to me."

[t569ssgoku 0]

Janus raised his sword when von Wullf reached for his gun. Thoughts swirled through his head on how and what he should do. At this range I cant reach him…Janus took a mental sigh as von Wullf lowered his hand. Wullf’s words left Janus sitting at a table, his sword at his side.

 

Janus walked into his quarters, looking at von Wullf. He dropped his sword on the bed, picked up his bag. He walked out, stopping at the gateway. “Lieutenant, there is no doubting that you are stronger than me. And I know I would benefit from training under you. But, your eyes tell me something that I never want to see. You have eyes that are void, void of emotion, void of life. I admit they have no place on the battlefield, but they are necessities when we come back from it. I wear a mask to give that appearance and hide my identity, but you appear to be a weapon, with no past, and no present. That is why I cannot follow you sir; because I don’t want to lose what humanity I have left now. I only say good bye to those who I never plan to see again, so until we meet again.”

 

As he walked out the door Janus made one final comment, “Keep the sword, I will come back and challenge you for it when I gain the proper strength. Think of it as a sign of my conviction to ZAFT and to myself.” And to that Janus left for the first shuttle off this ship and back to the PLANTs