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[A series of distress calls start coming in directly to the SDF. Official lines from a particular 'Homeworld', but no identity or rank attached. These calls always have specific details relating to pirate attacks in Homeworld space.]

-Binary Cluster colony 12, population 10,000-10,200 depending on commercial traffic, under attack by five ships. Vega Platoon recommended. Map of stable solar jetstreams for rail establishment forthcoming.

-Former pirate outpost abandoned. Reviewed by Homeworld officials already. Location information and investigation permissions unlocked for use by Spica train. Shared analysis delayed until full review is concluded.

-Asteroid 37 mining colony, population 200, Sirius Platoon recommended with additional evacuation cars. Stellar coordinates forthcoming.

[There are several of these over the span of a few months. What they don't know is that on Earth, it gives the general the opportunity to speak to leadership. To say that any Earth invasion has to be delayed indefinitely while the SDF is working to resolve the pirate problems. Because, while the General is strong, many Homeworlders are on par with humans. Just a few of them are exceptional; each outpost has some sizable representatives of the leadership, and there usually aren't enough of them to hold off entire pirate fleets.]

[It eventually even comes out that the death tolls that the SDF counts are incorrect. It's shared by some medical staff that the Homeworld has a program where willing participants will carry someone's consciousness into space, the two of them essentially doubling their experience while one body stays on the Homeworld. They share a body and exchange use of it, but if that shared body should die, the body on the Homeworld dies as well. The death tolls by the pirates are actually a quarter larger than what has been recorded by the SDF, and too many empty husks had to be removed from stasis because their owners would never be returning.]

[It's enough to drive the leadership to trust a military with more experience with a shared enemy.]

[Not all of the Homeworlders can be convinced to trust humans, though, and warned of an incoming pirate attack a security leader acts on too quickly. He sees humans coming, no matter their mode of transportation, and decides it's a cover for the pirates.]

[The moment the General hears about this absolute idiocy in the process of it happening, and realizes what platoon was supposed to be in charge of that mission, he's having a ship launched from Earth with some valuable staff on board. He knows if he doesn't hurry, those pirates will still be coming and that platoon will be doubly fucked.]

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...

[sometimes, the delivery of the General's words hits a nerve in a way Manabu doesn't expect until he braces for it, and when braced, it's a different nerve. there's a nostalgic kind of tinge to the matter-of-fact delivery being buffeted by Manabu's blustering confusion and impatience, and it just makes Manabu more confused. worried.

he squints, as if he could see some glimmer of pretense working under all that hair, but not only is Manabu not much of an empath, but...the hair. you know.

Manabu's grip twitches and releases the coat under the touch.]

You're...not making fun of me...?

I don't understand why you would think I was making fun of you about this. I bowed to you for a half-hour of your time. I've treasured every minute you've given me. [Even if he did tease him a little sometimes. Was it that heart early on that did it???]

[Two emotionally stunted military men talk at each other in a mostly empty hallway.]

I thought I'd shown you that. I was wrong. I was hoping you'd realize I was sincere without me having to say more.

[He steps back enough to give him a little bow.]

Sorry.

Edited (betrayed by typo) 2025-08-30 01:28 (UTC)

A...ah...

[guilt squeezes like a vice and makes it hard to breathe. the hand that let go draws to his own face, obscuring his nose and mouth as his jaw clenches and works without a word to eke out that feels right.

What do I do...how do I--what am I supposed to do?!

a feeble echo:] Sorry...

You have nothing to apologize for. It was me.

[He doesn't immediately leave, though. Before he does something stupid like leave and delete his number in a self-conscious fit of idiocy, he instead shifts his feet.]

I would still be disappointed to not have you around. So if I promise not to do that again to you, can we still spend time together?

[Like he said, he got his hug! And he knew going in there was a very real chance he was over-stepping.]

Edited 2025-08-30 01:45 (UTC)

[his eyes flick back up at the ask, brow knitting, like he's still trying to parse through a puzzle. really, all the puzzling bits are just gaps in his own experience, ignorance in play and left exposed like an open wound. stings like one, too.

there's really no salvaging a good result from a failed effort, much like failing a trial in Basic, but that doesn't mean a soldier just stops dead in the middle. half the point is still getting up and trying again and getting stronger because of it.

credit should go more to the General for not hitting him for his stupidity, like Manabu's had happen before. maybe that's why this is as unsteady as it is - the pain isn't external.

he nods, uttering a faint affirmative through his nose.]

[He sees that look, and he doesn't really want to leave it like that.]

[He opens his phone, finally, to a particular document. Then holds it out.] Here.

[It's the name of Manabu's preferred tea and every single ingredient listed on the can. Below it are lists of teas with similar ingredients and some quick notes on whether or not they tasted similar. One is highlighted as the best Earth-based alternative he could find.]

I'm wish so many people hadn't made fun of you that you can't believe I'd genuinely care without me having to explain. It really is my fault. Don't be so hard on yourself.

[wow the General really is just gonna kill a space cop right there in the hallway like that.

Manabu hesitates, then withdraws his hand to take and tilt the phone and stare at it, confused at first. grocery list? no, tea list. his is there, and...

Ah--

he blinks, looking back up in bewilderment as he tunes back into the words spoken, his reaction a bit delayed because of it. his mouth opens to protest, but he doesn't actually have a rebuttal right away. it takes a second.]

I-it's more the--that the, just-- [Why do I sound so small and stupid?!] I haven't thought anyone would. Like that. Before.

[because everyone who has is either dead or far too shy to spell it out. everyone except the General, clearly.]

I...I don't know how to respond. Properly, I mean.

[Awkward. Most of the times he's been with someone have been after he's been worked up after a fight.]

I didn't realize that. You're exceptional, so it seemed natural you'd have experience. 'No' is a fine response.

[But he'll throw out there one last line. Just so Manabu knows he doesn't care less. Not that he's expecing much difference.] The offer for you to take your shot'll stay open.

[Manabu gawks.] My... [My 'shot'...?]

...

[oh]

O-oh. Right. [he nods, looking away as his face gets hot again. he probably says some other simple, monosyllabic things in parting too, but by then Manabu's barely thinking in the present because he's getting his ass beat by his own hindsight and for once actually wants to lay down.

or get shot. with like a gun, not -- not up close and being able to smell Taro's--]

Guh... [cold shower. cold shower and face down time. that's what this needs! and then? after that?

uh...

research? Manabu hates the idea, but what else can one do when one knows virtually nothing but try to educate oneself? at least try...before getting too confused by all the various messaging outlets and give up and just go prone for a while. the stillness will inevitably bring hindsight back, but at least Manabu can try to meditate on it reasonably and try to parse through his feelings properly to a better degree than being in-the-moment.

he can agree with himself that the guilt was justified: past-Manabu was a clown and it really is pathetic that he couldn't read a signal properly without stammering to pivot it to a bad-faith assumption. it's just--

what value is there in Manabu that Taro sees that Manabu can't? even spelled out that bluntly, it seems...strange. unearned. Manabu should've been doing something properly to earn it, otherwise he was just stringing an alien along unwittingly, right?!

...that doesn't change facts, though.

other facts to consider: Manabu does enjoy Taro's company. he's oddly approachable, even with that alarming candor coming in to sweep him at the ankles. Manabu just needs...better footing. and maybe a foot more of height.

I owe him something, he realizes at some point in all this days-long anguish. The only things he's asked me for are the anecdotes from other planets, to lie down while recovering, and to...to kiss him. But do I...?

does he want that?

Manabu tries to imagine it, which involves re-remembering being up against a door with a body leaning over him. which reminds him of having his arms around the shoulders of that body, and other such things.

so it goes. crush-revelation-analysis is a process. it'd go easier with friends to bounce off of, but there's no way Manabu could muster the nerve to utter it to anyone in the Platoon (probably for the best: Louis would kill him in a torrent of passive-aggressive help while nursing her own wounded crush, David would...actually have good advice, but it'd be layered in innuendo and gambling, and the captain would...uh...probably be stilted and awkward and not-my-circus about it). any way you slice it, it'd be a disaster.

not that many days pass with this torment, but enough for Manabu to realize he's not been communicating to...anybody? woops. he'll check on a few things (mom, work, etc.) before lingering on Taro's number.

Don't be a coward, Yuuki.]

Are you still planetside ?

[He does worry in those few days that he botched things. He shouldn't have taken the initiative before he had a clear confirmation. He... He doesn't know. That's how things work with his people. You go for it, you go for it. You don't like it, you get hit. And sometimes you get hit and then they go for it. But poor Manabu looked like his soul broke, and that's the worst of the consequences of his behavior.]

[So him sulking about his own bad behavior ends up coming off as wildly endearing because everyone assumes he's being earnestly contemplative about work and not nursing what he's worried might become a broken heart. It doesn't help that he's a foot taller in his feelings. Manabu barely likes him. He just clearly remembers this furious little man ignoring his own wounds to help him get out of that ship and that was an absolutely glorious display of strength. How could he not see that? He just wishes he'd take better care of his body after.]

[~~He's repressed all desire to think about finding all his scars and kissing them.~~]

[He doesn't expect to see that particular name towards the end of the workday. In the middle of stacking his final pile of papers. Fully freezes as the name pops up on the phone. Worse with Rooney leaning over his shoulder asking, "Eh, General? Who is that?" ending in him getting shoved face-first away.]

I'm almost always planetside.

[Don't worry, he's not so embarrassed that he ran away from the entire Earth, tempting though the idea might be. He's already getting up to clock out.]

Do you need anything? Are you alright? [He didn't hurt himself worse somehow, did he?]

Edited 2025-08-30 03:12 (UTC)

Im OK

[honestly, the healing injury's been the last thing on his mind! between that good hi-tech medicine and the conundrum of his own feelings, that fading ache was easy to forget. and anyway, now he has to figure out what to follow up with.

should've tackled this with a plan beforehand.

luckily(???), some breaking news on the hotel TV gives him something to work with.]

...Robots and hostages? [what the--

well, what does he need?]

But i could use a ride

["General!" He's shouted at before he can read the message or fully clock out, one of the random workers running over with a tablet to show a livestream happening, a reporter talking about hostages being held inside of a building. He's not seen which yet, but the timing immediately seems to explain itself.]

[Ah.]

[Well, at least the General's proven reliable.]

I see.

[He types back. Then stands there, biting his lip, not in some fit of self-doubt but rather that he's contemplating using something that the SDF doesn't have access to.]

I suspect you're going to the hostage site. What will your captain say about that?

[Headquarters has a unique way to get around when they don't want to get 'caught' just leaving the building. It's called a warp gate. And it breaks... more often than he likes, because people like to play and be frivolous with the warp gate. But it's working right now.*]

I can get you very close if that's what you're wondering.

[He'll need to get intelligence anyway. So he guesses he'll not be clocking out- he'll probably actually be doing overtime.]

*OOC: The warp gate is indeed a canon thing but it's not been shown and I have no idea what it looks like. Just that the General likes to walk instead of using it. So I'ma hop aboard the make-shit-up until proven otherwise.

Edited 2025-08-30 06:20 (UTC)

[Manabu grins despite himself, briefly parting from the phone so he can grab his jacket and holster and start to feel like himself again.

once he's suited up:] Thatll help me out a ton Meet you on the street

[because he's assuming like. car. motorcycle. low-altitude cruiser. that sort of thing.]

I need you to do three things first.

1. Tell one of your commanding officers so I don't look like I'm kidnapping you or soliciting your aid under questionable terms.

2. I'm at work. Be respectful of the staff. I'll have someone bring you to me. Some of these people came directly from Homeworld and never leave Headquarters, so they have never seen a human in person before.

[Despite living on Earth, they never want to explore it. As if seeing your crush isn't nerve-racking enough, he immediately has to make a good impression in front of his biased family.]

3. I'm going to give you an address near you. [A sus back alley, sorry Manabu.] Text me when you get there. Once you get there, a bright circle will appear. Walk through that.

[He's texting all this while directing people to set up a table with a holographic map in a meeting room. People are scrambling to get stuff set up. He directs someone to go watch for a human at the warp gate and bring him here. No one try to kill it, it's supposed to be here. It's an SDF fighter. Yes, the one Ashe mentioned. Focus on the task at hand.]

[So whenever Manabu does make it in, he's met with a sterile-looking room, a little darker than human buildings light-wise but not overly so, and a person with white hair and a black-and-white jumpsuit waiting. Just a rando, one of the ones that's seen humans at least, so he doesn't balk too much. In fact, most people have some variety of light hair, or rarely a dark purple. Even black seems to be a unique hair color here. Manabu has the clear distinction of being the colorful exotic Earthen-colored alien space soldier today.]

[despite the landslide of words, Manabu's response is, perhaps, infuriatingly brief:] OK

[it's not out of ill will - Manabu's not a very verbose texter in general - but out of need for brevity: time is of the essence, after all. the slight twinge of guilt at seeing Taro's "at work" is easily pushed aside by the needs of the people in danger. he wouldn't have bothered responding at all if he couldn't, after all.

after giving the confirmation, he's only briefly surprised by the flickering appearance of the gate. Are these things...these aren't really sanctioned to be around, are they.

thoughts for later. for now, Manabu trots inside, shielding his eyes with a hand while he adjusts to the change of brightness and atmosphere.]

A-- [the stranger is a surprise. but he rolls with it.] I'm looking for the General.

["Right! I was told to bring you to him." And it's not far. He had people set up so he only had to take him a few doors down, not get a tour of headquarters. But the ceilings are very, very tall. And the middle of headquarters goes down many, many floors.]

[It's not just the general in the room now. There are people doing some minor duties, a few lightly surprised by Manabu but trying not to overreact in front of the general, and a hologram of the building fully set up, with Rooney explaining that if they put a sensor here- here- here- and there he can use heat readings to locate robot vs. human and where the largest gatherings of hostages are and if they take a certain blah blah they can set that up to block the upload of whatever data he suspects the robots must be after, since it makes no sense for them to just be after humans, unless there's a special one in there that hasn't been mentioned.]

[But he does glance up at Manabu. No glasses now, hair out of his face, and he gives him a 'haven't I seen you before' sort of headtilt, before being tapped on the shoulder by the General to keep at it.]

[And the General himself? Standing there with his arms crossed over his half-bare chest, managing to stand half in a shadow as is a skill of his. Next to him a guy in a long robe with way too many piercings, looking irritated. The General might have resting bitch face but this man has well-practiced busy bitch face. "So if they try to get out to send the information, they'll be marked so I can hunt them down?"]

["Mmhm. If the blocking device is in there long enough to differentiate signals." Rooney's got an energy drink, two hours of sleep, and very enthusiastic to do things about robots.]

[there's an echo of familiarity in the vastness of the space that reminds Manabu of Destiny's HQ central room, but instead of the galactic map tracing snaking lights of trains, it's the much more discernable schematic of the building. nice to see some outputs are similar to human ones.

Manabu scans the room, missing the curious look from Rooney while fixing his focus on Taro.]

Any chance you've intercepted attempts to communicate with authorities? Demands?

Only the ones publicly reported.

["We would be able to tell a lot more from what information they're gathering. They can already be preprogrammed with their goals and not need to communicate with them- though they might try when the blocker is in place. If they think they've lost contact with their deployed units." Rooney is excited by this prospect of tearing some data apart.]

Get back to work! [The General scolds. But not at Rooney. He's yelling at the door. Where about five different people who were poking their little heads in to watch the human jerk back like gophers into their holes. Though another head leans in. It's Ashe.]

["Hi again! I'm the reinforcements if you need to call any, so let me know if you guys are about to be murdered. I'll come help." And then he walks by carrying two cases, about the size of briefcases, with the equipment Rooney had been talking about.]

We can't use the warp gate to get in, just to get close. Using the rooftop is out of the question. He sustained injuries during the pirate attack and there are helicopters. [He's not making that jump with him until he's fully healed up or he can hold him against his front for stability, and things might be a little too strange for that.] If you could talk to someone you know and see if they can at least push the media back from an area, that would be ideal. [Manabu, Manabu please help stealth.]

[Trigger 'tcch's in annoyance, giving the General a shocking level of side-eye for being in a facility where everyone seems to act respectfully, if not reverently, to him. Obviously not at all impressed with him. Having to ask a human for help. How weak is that?]

[Manabu, all business, considers this, arms folded, staring at the output.

then, pointing to a back entryway at ground level:] There. I can call in to keep the connecting alleyway entrypoints clear.

Good. If the cameras even saw us around there, they'd be alerted. They're probably analyzing all the footage.

["Let me know when you've had the bots tracked." Trigger still sounds unimpressed, and might be trying to sneak a jagged, threatening smile at Manabu as he leaves. Though everyone else, for being scared of humans, seems to trust the General enough that if he's deemed a human safe to enter they're just going to be polite and civil (and curious).]

I'm going. If you need anything else. If it looks like stealth on our part won't be an option anymore, then you know what to do. [The General says to Rooney, before stepping into the light and nodding for Manabu to come with him. The cape's tail lightly flicks as he walks, excited for violent walkies.]

[Who knew being the 'good guy' wasn't all that different from being the 'bad guy'.] How fit are you? Should we grab you some armor like Ashe's before we go? [It's always form-fitting but honestly not bad, as far as armor goes. And they do make it for men (well, ones that don't have to worry about their boobs being in the way).] I'm not going to tell you not to get hurt. It comes with the territory. I just want to know you're taking care of your body after you take the risk.

Edited (editted for sensitivity as Ashe is definitely a man) 2025-08-30 18:35 (UTC)

[Manabu can feel Trigger's eyes on his back, but reminds himself not to let himself get baited out of focus, turning on his heel and hastening a couple paces to catch up and stay in step at the General's side.

he tilts his head slightly at the ask.]

I guess if it won't take too long. I don't have a read on how these machines work yet, and if it doesn't slow me down...

[see, he can be sensible sometimes.]

[The next person passing by, the General takes their arm to stop them. Rattles off a number and a 'hurry' before they run off to grab that.]

[As they get up to the warp gate, where Ashe is casually leaning against the wall in the 'waiting to be called' position, big ass scythe beside him, the General opens the cases he left there.]

We need to drop one of these on each floor and put this one in the middle. It doesn't have to be exact. Just where it probably won't get destroyed. [He gives one of the cases to Manabu, grateful they have something to make things less awkward. He doesn't even have to worry about accidental hand-touches right now, since he's still got his gloves on.]

[while taking it:] And these are-?

Something Rooney made to read the heat signatures. It'll show us the robots and humans. I have the tracker for the readings. [so they can find the people] I'll give it to you. The hostages will trust you.

[So that's what he does, and hands off the device to go with it. Destroying robots is easy. They can both do that. But the General is an intimidating man, and will help save them, but he's not really made for scared humans to follow, and he has no intention of taking any credit. The staff member comes back carrying a fit black vest that's made of some kind of really tough material with some studs along the shoulders. Maybe not Manabu's style but it will most definitely keep his guts safe.]

[He glances to Ashe and knows he has to mind the affection in his speech.] When you're ready, I'll have them put us in the alley.

[Manabu accepts the device and case, nodding. if he didn't already implicitly trust Taro, this'd be shady as hell, but as it stands, no energy is wasted in wondering or worrying.

he doesn't love holding up forward momentum, but he takes the minute needed to get the vest on. Just pretend it's SPG gear, he tells himself, clipping that on and then grabbing up the other gear he was given. tick, tock, time's wasting.]

Ready.

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