fighting_mad: (bald - lethargy)
Plourr Estillo ([personal profile] fighting_mad) wrote2006-06-11 10:41 pm
Entry tags:

[OOM] Simulator Room

Juke left, juke right, juke left, juke right; lure your opponent into a false sense of security, make him think he knows exactly what you're going to do.

Lasers flash by on the screen.

One last juke to the right, and there's the light-up of a targeting lock; she yanks the stick back and to the left, throwing the sim fighter into a tight roll that should press her back against the seat with its force. Of course, this machine isn't nearly complex enough for that.

She's got to find some way to throw the Priamsta off guard like that. To catch the rebels--the ones who say they're lead by Harran but they're not they can't be--off guard and--

The flash of an explosion and the screen goes dark.

"Sithspit!" Plourr slams an open palm against the overhead frame of the simulator, then lets her hand rest there, hooked on the frame.

She runs her other hand over her head in an unconscious motion; auburn stubble still foreign to the touch, too rough and scratchy. Hell, her whole body feels foreign; her tunic is smooth and skintight, eggshell-colored with deep purple, allowing every cord of muscle to show. She's not used to anything so fine, and she's definitely not used to the matching skirt, to seeing her legs bare in anything but athletic shorts. High heels. She'd drawn whistles from the Rogues that afternoon; joking whistles, yes, and ones that had earned several of them glares and thwappings, but she had caught admiring looks from not a few men at court, too. From the nobles at dinner.

Dinner.

"The tyranny of the nobles is at an end, Laabann. I will see to that. If you wish a place in the future of Eiattu, either stand with the throne-- or fall."

The crash of a breaking wineglass.

"The choice is yours."


Plourr hits the top of the simulator again.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
Dark eyes, (stormy grey, actually) made almost black by the shadow the door threw upon her, watched Plourr.

Then without announcement, accord, or anything at all really Aeryn walked in and took a seat at the other simulator. She hadn't expected Plourr to be here and after the conversation with Jaina it almost seemed like fate was tempting her.

Uncomfortable, when all Aeryn wanted to do was blast the dren out of some ships and insist she was handling everything perfectly.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Hey."

Aeryn lowered her head, tapping buttons haphazardly. Anything to look like she was doing something.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not 'freaking out'."

At least, not about Plourr. Her hands tightened on the console. That was the last thing she needed to be reminded of.

She had practically accused Plourr of being a tralk, called her a mistake.

"I just want some sims time. Didn't think anyone would be here so late."

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Ask no questions, no lies will be told.

Aeryn wasn't exactly broadcasting her reasons. She didn't say anything but the sound of very loud blasting was emanating from her sim.

Out there she can say she'll get closure, she can say the vision was good thing, she can even say Plourr is uncomplicated.

In here, she just wants to kill something.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Of course she realized it. She would be dead already if the difference wasn't obvious. Between her emotions and her damn anger, Aeryn could barely keep her head above water as it was; firing at everything in sight. She knew it was bad flight sense, ignoring all the training that had been drilled into her, but this was only the sims. These ones couldn't kill you.

But Plourr could. Plourr could beat her easily, she had the advantage, she was familiar with the machines much more than Aeryn was. That didn't mean she was going to make it easy.

She dodged a series of attacks, loosening her fingers, keeping sharp, pressing the annoyance down where it couldn't get to her.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
The worst thing was, when something entirely unexpected happened. Like almost flying straight into the enemy ship.

Frelling X-Wing sensors.

Aeryn scraped a turn just in time, clipping off the edge of Plourr's wing.

"If that's you, I'd advise you to stop. I didn't come here for a showdown with you."

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Firing everywhere. She didn't know X-wings well enough. She was going to die. She had failed and now she was going to die. Except Milliways wasn't the Peacekeepers. As her knuckles whitened, gripping onto the controls, Aeryn realised just how stupid this was.

"No. I refuse your challenge." She slipped out past the console and leaned against the wall of the machine.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"You ask that like it's so easy to answer. Is that a human thing?"

Aeryn folded her arms, staring the floor; speaking quietly. There was none of her usual bite in the sarcasm.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"I did a thing."

In the back of her mind, Jaina's words echoed. 'Just stay on your guard, Aeryn.'

"Some sort of Jedi mind thing, with Kira...the Exile."

She didn't volunteer anymore information, just picked at a small cut on her palm.

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
The soldier clenched her teeth together, muscles shaking quietly.

"Because I was tired of feeling this way."

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"It wasn't a quick-fix." She threw an angry glance at Plourr.

How could anybody be so arrogant?

"It was supposed to show me what I wanted. Which path to take."

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Aeryn turned away, the short exhalation betrayed her annoyance, her...everything.

"No. It did."

[identity profile] just-a-soldier.livejournal.com 2006-06-13 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"I found out something I didn't want to know. I know what I have to do, but I don't want to do it."

She wanted to pace, to run, to scratch an itch she couldn't reach. Her feet only took her a short distance, right to the wall. This place, Milliways, was a cage.