[DragonKnight]

Ryne frowned sadly as he watched Carter leave in a hurry. He couldn't help but think that he upset Carter. He got into bed and curled up, silently crying as he felt like Carter hated him for what he said. He just kept crying that night.

[stoichornet]

Han-jae had found his usual seat in the galley, but for once in his life, was doing a lot more listening than talking, paying attention to the reunions, the new gossip, and all the boasting going on around him. It seemed like tonight was a night to hear other people's stories.

The specialist nursed his drink, and kept an eye out for Carter, overhearing snippets of conversations.

"...So, this kid enters the squadron, and on his first day, he comes up to the XO and says 'Hi, I'm Hollywood'. XO says, 'Kid, you couldn't even make Burbank' and thus, a legend is born...."

"You ever get the feeling these new autocannons were made by the lowest bidder?"

"....Command might be working up a mission to try to blast some holes in the Beast that Ate New York. I'd love to see the payload on whatever gear they're bringing..."

The drinks, at least, tasted the same. Normally it felt great to hang out with everyone on the night when a mission got back in, but his experience in Medical with Piras had started to make him think- including worrying about the breeder, who he hoped hadn't picked up some kind of weird residual contamination, or something. He glanced over his shoulder as more people came in.

[DragonKnight]

As Han-Jae sat in the galley, listening to everyone who told their stories, one man whispered to his friend as they sat behind Han-Jae. "Did you hear? Prof. Raiden Fulgore was last heard somewhere in Neveda!" The man said to his pal. "Prof. Fulgore? The old man has to be over 100 years old. No way he could still be alive." The other man stated.

Professor Raiden Cornelius Fulgore was one of the head scientists in the military before The Arrival. He developed powerful weapons and tech to act as deterrents against any dangerous army. He developed the first and second iterations of the plasma cannons, powerful robotic soldiers, and even a orbital laser. Sadly, he disappeared a few months before The Arrival, showing no trace of his possible whereabouts and most of his knowledge dissapeared with him, along with the ability to use the Orbital Lasers.

[stoichornet]

Han-jae couldn't help glancing back at the men who were behind him, registering a bit of shock; the God of Thunder and near-patron saint of all who wanted to blow up large amounts of shit, somewhere in the middle of Nevada? As in the wasteland? He smiled. "Hey, you never know! It would be kinda nice if the old grandpa were working on more projects."

Why would the rumors put him in Nevada? Admittedly, he didn't know much about the geography or history of the United States, but from the very few movies he'd seen that were set there, it had....slot machines, women in bunny suits, and...um...cowboys? No, that wasn't right. Nevada had been where the first atomic bomb tests were set off. (Maybe. He was remembering this rather dimly.)

[DragonKnight]

"Probably would be nice, if it wasn't for the fact that he was over 80 years old when the Arrival happened." The man stated to Han-Jae. "Plus if he's all alone out there, who's going to help build these weapons? Old man would probably snap his back in half if he tried." The other man said as he took another swig of his beer.

[stoichornet]

"...Maybe he's not alone." Han-jae replied after a little consideration. "Didn't the first atomic bomb tests take place out there? There's probably still a lot of old bunkers and military development that might not take much development or building to keep a team safe from the Sovereign. And I hear the government out there has a history of conspiracies and building stuff in the desert- something about an alien crashing out there and the US Air Force telling people it was a weather balloon? ...If the whole idea isn't full of crap, that is." He shrugged.

[SimonBrownMpreg]

"You're thinking of Roswell in New Mexico, not Nevada," said Carter as he sat himself down heavily beside Han-jae. He had a pair of Forties with him, clearly in the mood to get drunk tonight. "Look, if these aliens could crawl up out of a godforsaken hole in the ground, then those aliens could have fallen out of the sky. I'd believe anything days. Including rumors about an ancient mad scientist who just might be the one person who can build weapons strong enough to make sure we win this war. ...some people here, apparently, don't think we're doing that good a job at it," he said bitterly and then took a long swig of his beer.

[DragonKnight]

"What bit you in the ass Carter? Wife at home giving you trouble?" The man teased, unaware he was technically right. "I still say that old man doesn't exist. I mean sure, he was alive at one point, but after the Sovereign arrived, no way in hell someone would go through Neveda. Probably some kids trying to get some attention."

[stoichornet]

Han-jae raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that always the case? ...Did someone chew you out for not doing your job, or something?" The Korean wondered briefly what could have affected Carter's mood in so short a time. "I mean, there are always going to be people who are incredibly pessimistic about how things are going....or people who are weirdly optimistic, I'm not sure what's more irritating." He hadn't been on the latest mission himself, but it seemed like whatever objective they'd had had been accomplished- at the cost of lives, including Piras' Milo- which seemed fairly standard. Nothing to cheer about, not a disaster.

[SimonBrownMpreg]

"I do my job just fine!" Carter snapped. "And it's those pessimists that are worst. Ryne, my own breeder, thinks we're letting the Sovereign get closer to the Towers. Like I'm not out there blasting them down one at a time. He could try showing a bit more gratitude, that's for sure, instead of doubting us." Clearly, the soldier's pride had been wounded by the breeder's statement. "I mean, I'm not gonna sit here and say it wasn't hard or anything. It was hella hard. Those fuckers are tough. I'm not gonna lie and say men didn't die, either, but that doesn't mean Sovereign are beating us back. Ryne doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. I get breeders are important, but they stay cooped up in these towers all day and all night, fat, happy and healthy."

[stoichornet]

Han-jae winced in sympathy- the little breeder had seemed to look up to Carter so much, so yeah, it had probably hurt a lot for Carter to hear a vote of no confidence from Ryne. "Hey, I didn't mean to imply you weren't- I know firsthand that you've been blasting away as much of the enemy as anyone else out there, I've seen your gear." He took a drink. "He'll probably realize what's going on better eventually and be back in domestic bliss mode, no problem."

[DragonKnight]

"I don't think you should've said that." The man said as Ryne stood behind the group. "C-Carter?" Ryne asked softly as he stood there with tears in his eyes, his voice cracked a little as he started to walk back, trying to hide his tears.

[stoichornet]

"...or not," Han-jae muttered to himself. He had actually had a request for Ryne- but it wasn't smart to get involved in another soldier's domestic business. Best to let Ryne and Carter work out what was going on between themselves, and then he could ask the petite blond to maybe do him a favor. He hoped that he was right and the miscommunication would boil over without any hard feelings.

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Carter flinched when he heard that small voice, but then he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and looked behind him. "Don't start with your puppy dog tears," he grunted. "You know damn well what you said wasn't fair to me, Ryne. Reading about Sovereign all day up here in the tower is fine, but you gotta admit you aren't down there on the battlefield facing them head on. I've seen them retreat. I've seen us win time and time again. I'd appreciate some more good faith from you."

[DragonKnight]

Ryne sniffles as he held his belly. "I never meant that. I said that because I was worried about you. I lost my home, my parents to the Sovereign. I don't want to lose you. But if your so adamant about it, then I'll just leave. You don't have to worry about me anymore." He said before he ran out, going back to the breeder's quarters and locking the door to his home.

[stoichornet]

Han-jae glanced after Ryne as the little breeder waddled out of the galley; he had a nasty thought for a moment, that possibly Ryne was trying to embarrass Carter in front of other people in order to win whatever argument they'd been having. On second thought, he shrugged it off and took another drink- the kid was probably just young and hormonal, but he found himself agreeing more with Carter's side of the discussion.

He didn't say anything- it was still a domestic problem and therefore Not His Business, but he did cringe inwardly, hoping that whoever had been reading his paperwork had put him with someone who didn't have a taste for drama.

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Carter groaned. Ryne always was one for putting on a show. "He can sulk all he wants. I'm not chasing after him. I just got back from fighting fucking aliens. I'm tired," he grunted, even though nobody said anything to prompt him. He would let the kid cool off overnight and approach him again sometime tomorrow.

"What's with you, Han?" the man said and elbowed the Specialist before taking a swig of his beer. "You got this look on your face like you just saw your dog die or something."

[stoichornet]

"Oh, uh, it's that noticeable, huh." Han-jae looked uncharacteristically sheepish. "Well, see, after you left....a breeder came down to see if his soldier was back yet, turns out his soldier was one of the ones that was KIA courtesy of something that rips through armor...It wasn't pretty." He decided to keep it short and omitted the details of his swift visit to Medical. "I'll be back to your regularly scheduled explosives with a smile after another one of these. Any good stories from the front? ...You beaten your record of 'most stuff incinerated at one time' yet?"

[SimonBrownMpreg]

"Damn, man, that's rough." Carter shook his head and knocked back another drink. A story like that made him reconsider being so close to Ryne, but he didn't feel like there was any turning back now. Despite their little spat just now, he still had a strong emotional investment in the boy.

Then Han-jae reminded him of his kill story. "Oh yeah!" he barked, all grins again. "I was gonna tell you about that. So we're out there in the heat of this battle that's been going on nonstop for eight days, right? I'm strapped into the canon on the back of a tank the size of an elephant and I'm gettin' shots off left and right. My aim's on fire. Those suckers never knew what hit 'em! Then, three of these ugly bastards come barreling down the side of this steep bank, yeah? Screechin' and hissin' and claws out ready to tear the tank to scrap shavings. You shoulda seen it. I fired right between the eyes of the first one, the blast goes clear through its skull and into the face of the one behind it, and when they fall, the third one takes the hit right in the chest! It was a thing of beauty!"

[stoichornet]

"Timing is everything," Han-jae nodded sagely. "That must have been something to watch- probably some spectacular fountain effects, like the movies. So, then what? You were on the big tank manning the main gun- good view from up there." He sipped his drink thoughtfully.