just tell me why baby they might call me crazy

[endgames]

Who: Masaomi (generalflirt) and Shikamaru (endgames)
What: A joint mission
When: Backdated to August 3-9
Where: Southern Farmlands - Fort Foster
Summary: Masaomi and Shikamaru finish up their third and final week of MSF Boot Camp together. While they're there they toast Specialist Davis' passing and try (and fail) to get in touch with a certain person.
Rating: One-star. I've seen better this summer. (but nah, probably PG-13)

The final week of MSF Training is far less forgiving than the first two. The drill sergeant and instructors expect nothing short of unquestioned compliance from any recruit that's made it this far. You jump when you're told; you drop and count off until the sergeant says you're done. A sassy remark isn't going to see you doing laps at this stage, but with a kick in the ass back to your enclosure.

The first few days are a warm-up in intense physical exercises, clocking their times and their limits. There's a brief reprieve when they're tested in hand-to-hand and self-defense, as well as the final qualifications to handle MSF weaponry. The last three days of training are spent in a dual teamwork and survival exam. They're flown out in helicopters, in eight teams of six, into a canyon somewhere along Tubutu River. Including the climb back out of the canyon, it's a 100 kilometer trek in the summer heat back to their destination at Fort Foster. They're given nothing but a map and the clothes on their back, and instructions to stay away from the main roads. No easy path here. Along the way supplies might be found, but they're mostly expected to fend and gather food and water for themselves, working together.

And it's a long way back. When they do make it, however, there's mercifully some downtime as final assessments are carried out. A night's rest too, before they're shipped back to their enclosures.

Comments

[generalflirt]

[ Huh? ]

"Bubblecon, huh? What's that then?"

[endgames]

[Shikamaru waves one hand, as if to cast the question away with a breeze.]

Just this thing I heard about once, for people with too much time on their hands. What're the chances of me getting any of that alcohol? I hope the other guys didn't already pick off the best of it.

[generalflirt]

[ Andi seems to consider that, and then shrugs a bit. Too much time on their hands? Make it's like Deese, and it's people who are living the high life as compared to people she met on missions. She can't fault them for being bored. Either way, three more pretzels are snacked before she twirls a bit to point at a ...

Dwarf?

It's some sort of three and a half foot tall stout woman ]

"Go ask her, she's the one who brought the only good stuff here"

[endgames]

[Another woman?

Shikamaru spots her though, and considers for a beat. Then he looks back at Andi and nods. Fair enough.]

Thanks. And for the work out there, too.

[generalflirt]

[ Andi winks at that, and makes to skip off herself. She's got other people to talk to and she knows she's totally legit. So whatever, later bro ]

[endgames]

[And thus Shikamaru is off to barter with the dwarf woman! Hopefully he manages to get something good. After that it's a debate of whether to join the party or sneak back to the barracks for some quiet. Eh. He should probably not be a recluse and track down Masaomi.]

[generalflirt]

[ and Masaomi is...

He's talking with Kelskat...? ]

So that's the true God's Honest of the time my partner and I took out that Elite with just the two of us!

"I confess, I have my doubts about that one. You're leaving out some details, aren't you?"

[endgames]

[Shikamaru takes a seat on the other side of Masaomi, glancing about. Damn. Should've thought to bring a cup...

Oh well. He tunes back into the conversation at hand.]

Which draft we talking about?

[Just trying to play along at first, having missed enough to not know if Masaomi's spinning a story or recounting an actual event; talking as if this kind of thing happens all the time.

Only for them it kinda does. So. A question like that isn't even derisive :T.]

[generalflirt]

TERRACE. That one time when we did the jailbreak.

[ ... Okay so that was not single handed. Like. At all. Masaomi's never taken an Elite solo ]

[endgames]

Right, right.

[He wouldn't know. But he can make a casual show of sounding like it, nodding along and unscrewing the cap on the alcohol.]

[generalflirt]

Okay, so basically, Linda and I arrived there and--

"Wait. You're his friend, aren't you - can you confirm this? "

[endgames]

I was jumping off sky ships at the time.

[A shrug. He'll just drink from the bottle.]

[generalflirt]

-Eesh. [ Well, Kelskat snorts at that, and munches down one more pretzel. Masaomi for his part adopts a confident looking smirk and goes on- ]

So this Elite was holding a bunch of people in a little cell, probably to sacrifice them or something. And we go down from above, zapping them as we go.

[endgames]

[Shikamaru listens, more attentive than he actually looks popping open that bag of chips, offering its contents to Kelskat before he picks any for himself.

He's trying to figure out just how accurate this story is as his friend tells it. Honestly, he remembers less of that draft than he should given it was the first thing he came back to. It sounds about right so far. They had to take certain sections back out from Cultist control...]

[generalflirt]

So we touch down, but this guy's right in the way, and we land right on his head, knocking the helmet off and shocking out his brain as we go! And ba-bing, you'd think he'd die, right?!

Not so.

[endgames]

Those guys really are too bulky for their own good.

[generalflirt]

That they are. Actually, he broke the ground open next with a stomp, so...

[endgames]

Faeren?

[generalflirt]

"Faeren?"

[ Masaomi arches a brow and then waves a hand dismissively ] Earth magic. You know how most Elites have the ability to shift some element or two? That sort of deal. So yeah, like that.

[endgames]

[Shikamaru though this story was happening indoors, but only hums agreeably in place of poking a hole in that. This should be fun, clocking how long it takes Kelskat to catch on.]

[generalflirt]

Okay, so the ground's split open, and we've got to get our footing again! I'm looking around for what I can use in the environment, and there's something over there on one of the walls.

[ . . . . ]

The ground split inside a TERRACE prison?"

[endgames]

[Hoooo. He's sharper than they gave him credit for. Good to know that corporal rank wasn't handed out like a merit badge.]

How'd he manage that?

[generalflirt]

I never said we were inside the prison. It was the outer door.

[ . . . ]

"It was still aboard a flying ship. No one would make a thick layer of artificial earth aboard an airship."

Okay so he was a metalbender!

[endgames]

They actually did have land up there. It was neat.

[But you already contradicted yourself so he's mostly commentating at this point than even trying to help, good job Masaomi.]

[generalflirt]

[ Wait, he-- ]

"Why? I can't imagine the purpose of having land built into a military fortress. Unless it were a retrofitted bio-platform, perhaps..." [ He sighed ] "But then, little makes sense on this planet."