Day 12
New Bernese Slums
Roof of the Knucklewetter
Administrative bodies in the military were an odd entity. Most days, and on the best of them, Admin would give okay service, and make people wait for a month or so to get anything done. On worse days, the Central Corps officials would lose paperwork or give people the wrong advice. Sometimes they would take folders or DataJockeys, and they would be returned with some of the required paperwork or files missing from their containers. Most of these headaches were terribly prevalent throughout most militaries, and the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps was no different from the rest.
Except in the case of Autumn Wilde.
Second Lieutenant Chiaki was shocked to find her promotion letter coming across his desk a mere ten days after the paperwork was submitted. He was baffled they even got a response in the matter, but to see actual results was unheard of. Wilde needed little help in drafting her request, and in its submission, but Chiaki tried to help where he could in pushing it up as far as he could before it left his sphere of influence. He expected with the request off planet, they'd get an official update in a couple months, not days.
It was baffling, but he wasn't going to let that stop them from making everything official. Now that they had the power to do so, he intended to officiate the process and make sure his Marine wa to get paid for her service as well. As such, a ceremony was in order, perhaps an unorthodox one, but a ceremony none-the-less.
Most everyone was off on liberty, so Chiaki took to organizing the location on the roof of the Knucklewetter. His reasons were his own, but he would say it was the most private location in the slums, and within walking distance of a bar. A couple trips to a supply depot made sure that Sergeant bars were in stock, and finally, a NCO's cover. Chiaki had been a Sergeant for a great deal of his enlistment, and he wanted to make sure things were perfect for the newest addtion to the NCO Corps.
Which is why he was thirty minutes early to the rooftop location, with a fresh bottle of scotch, the rank bars, a cover, and several shot glasses. They were all arranged on a line of ducting, neatly arrayed. The well-dressed O-1 took to straightening everything up meticulously, and scrutinized the weather to make sure that the distant thunder didn't threaten any manner of inclement weather. METOC said it was supposed to be clear. Supposed to be.
Autumn was thrilled when the message had come down the line that her request for administrative review of her service record had been received and approved. Sergant. She was getting a two paygrade jump after 8 years of work as a Private. It took her most of the night to do it, but she got her new uniform squared away and inspection ready since her other uniforms showed the stress and wear of prolonged time in the field.
She was not a woman that wore make-up, so her grooming preparations were fairly simple and quick. She spent more time making sure her Styrling Silver Special .45 was properly cleaned before she made her way up to the roof about 15 minutes before the pinning was supposed to take place. Her old shoulder bars were held firmly in place by magnets on the leather of her blouse. It wouldn't take much to exchange them for the new ones.
The Geshrin demolitionist found her way to the roof of the Knucklewetter through the roof access ladderwell inside of the building. "With any luck, it won't rain," she commented as she opened the door and stepped onto the roof.
"Every time we do one of these, it always rains," grumbled Chiaki, not even turning around to address the new Sergeant. He seemed more preoccupied in the arrangement of shot glasses on the ducting. "I was told by the Lieutenant on the METOC watch today that there would definitely not be rain in this region today. What do I hear about an hour ago from one of my nurses?"
The tall officer turned, his eyes a violet color, "It's raining over Fort Puckett, right now."
"Well, a little water won't hurt anyone. I won't melt and you're waterproof as far as I can tell," Autumn offered with a smile.
A dark finger jutted at Autumn, as Chiaki chose to be sour, "It's supposed to be a ceremony, a happy occasion. Rain is for funerals. You're getting promoted!"
"Rain has always been a good thing, especially on a planet of mostly desert and.. mud," she replied cheerfully. "Perspective, sir."
"Back in my day, we didn't have perspective. We had guts."
A wizened voice cut through the rooftop air, the tap of a cane against the surface followed by a HEKKIN HEK from a critter atop the man's shoulder. The cobra's hood flared, the pet snake easily larger than a small child and resting atop the large frame of a figure most never met. Apollodorus Wiegand, the leader of the 309th, with his friendly cobra Whooper, was making his way across the rooftop with his bald head gleaming in what little light shone through the stormy clouds. The fur of his uniform, a mimicry of the Admiral jacket, was damp from likely riding his way to the group. He had been likely moving up to regroup with the others, having finally arrived to investigate the situation.
And Juno was behind him, of course, the man's hair exposed and his cap tucked under one arm as he moved up alongside the right side of the General to carefully take the man's cane so he could reach up and secure his reptile and lower it to the ground like he was too fragile to fight despite his ID-SOL genetics. He was likely a half ID-SOL, though, since he wasn't terribly wrinkled quite yet... and as the cobra hissed and slithered, the man spoke once more to the pair.
"I had heard there was a party," his grey brows furrowed wetly on his dark skin, cracks formed in the sea of nearly pitch black. "I also heard there was a Sergeant in need of a promotion ceremony among the rabble... but I did not expect it to be a soldier with such a documented past, Miss Wilde. And to believe Chiaki had arrived before me. That would explain Juno's reports being on time... for once."
The officer's eyes washed out of color as he stiffened, his metal hand throw up to the brim of his cap in a swift salute, "Sir, I didn't... There wasn't... I don't recall their being a memo sent for your arrival, sir."
Autumn came quickly to attention and saluted the general. "Sir!" She was clearly as surprised as Chiaki by his appearance. "We have plenty of guts as well, sir. A little rain beats artillery fire any day."
The cober hek'd and slithered, Whooper sizing Autumn up as she saluted. The snake was at least a meter long, dancing side-to-side with his hood flared momentarily before slithering over and around to analyze Chiaki as Apollodorus simply waved their hands down without a proper salute. Likely the one who taught Juno the bad habit.
"I don't let anyone know where I go, Second Chiaki. I learned that not all Nepleslians are trustworthy unless they were all Black a long time ago... the IPG don't squeal."
The man stood up straight, rising to his prominent height of seven feet tall as he took a moment to size them up more properly. The first specks of a sprinkling rain had started as Juno carefully hefted the man's cane and twisted the handle so that it expanded a field of physical light, the soft green glow forming an umbrella as he handed it back to the large man.
"These days I can't get too wet... age slows down even the strongest. I take it you have something strong to drink when we give the girl her stripes, right strange-eyes?"
"Of course, sir," grinned Chiaki, throwing a thumb over a shoulder at the bottle of scotch which stood next to six or so shot-glasses of varying origin and make. The fact it was beginning to rain didn't seem to phase him like it would have if the General hadn't been there, "Particularly good make, from Kennewes. I managed a bottle of it off the Quartermaster, among about everything else here."
The female marine appraised the cobra curiously, she hadn't seen one since Rok'Veru and especially one that wasn't roasted. She watched Whopper for a few moments before her attention returned to the officers in front of her again. Autumn was unbothered by the rain as it started to dampen her beret. "Does Whooper get one of those shots?"
A hiss from below was the answer, the more-than-friendly scale-worm slithering around through the light rain to practically stalk Chiaki as he indicated the booze. He even took off ahead of them, slithering at the table and trying multiple times to lift up and grab at the table's edge as Juno gave a sigh that sounded all too-used to this. "I'd pour one to be safe. Especially if it's from the stiff." Wiegand had already begun to move forward, his eyes setting in on Autumn briefly as he tried to walk past the pair.
"I take it you've not seen a cobra like Whooper? Not many have, since he's endangered..."
"No, sir. The last snakes I saw were on Rok'Veru and I was eating them to keep from starving," Autumn replied thoughtfully. "He's beautiful. It's a pity there aren't more of Whooper's species left. The scientists haven't been able to bring them back with cloning?"
"There were a variety of snake species on the Cirrus, in the Biology Division," Chiaki squatted down just enough to offer Whooper a bit of assistance with an extended hand. "I don't ever remember seeing one that looked like this."
The general moved alongside the table as Chiaki's hand and then arm were conquered by a slithering noodle. Whooper was heavy on his synthetic arms, the snake looking around as his green hood flared out almost as if detecting he was being spoken of. But he was silenced as the experienced leader slid one glass closer to the pair, the snake looking over and practically flapping himself to "jump" from Chiaki to the table top with a thump atop it.
"Cloning attempts are going well," he watched the snake dip its head into the scotch without any hesitation, little throat bulging as it sipped up gulps while watching the others, "But not as well as the efforts here, from how I heard it. Juno mentioned all of you had been successful in the first push... and that was before you all were brought back and I saw to pushing the arrival of more equipment like a Jackelope."
A tap against the glass didn't even stir Whooper from his beverage, Juno approaching wide to sit nearby with his arms crossing as he looked to Autumn. "The general has more work to do before he can properly reinforce and join us, but he wanted to see the new warbirds from the Navy in action... apparently he saw and asked for additional assets from the Navy to be sent our way. He's only here to negotiate it with the Captains and the local Rear Admirals to bring out a dependable group to cover us in the air."
"Most of the efforts so far have been Wilde and her fellow Marines under Lieutenant Rickett," answered Chiaki, a bit taken aback by the agility of the animal. He watched the small creature drink from the shot glass, and his arm extended just a bit to pet the snake, but he thought better of it. Instead, he backed up, taking a spot closer to the other, lower ranked soldiers present. "I came in on the Jackdaws, on the initial strike to reinforce this end of the region before our next push."
A bit reassured, he looked between Autumn and Juno, "A little reassuring to hear we're going to have a bit more help moving up the line."
"The view from the ground looking up as Naval gunfire rains down is fairly impressive," Autumn nodded, "I'm honored, sir, that you took the time to come for my ceremony. I was not expecting the General or our unit's mascot to make an appearance." She smiled brightly at the General, Whooper and then Juno before she looked to Chiaki. "Second Lieutenant Chiaki, perhaps we should begin?"
"Ah, right," Chiaki rubbed the length of his bearded jaw, "Who do you want to set your bars?"
"Could be anyone," Juno added, his eyes looking over at the old man as he took a sip of the scotch for himself before looking at the way Whooper. It had been a most wise choice to not doot the snoot of the no doubt buzzed cobra. "I'm sure the General could... or Whooper. That snake understands more than he lets on."
Autumn pursed her lips as she considered it. She was going to have her old friend pin her but the General had appeared. It would be a rare occurance. "If you gentlemen wouldn't mind, could the General and Second Lieutentant Chiaki both set my bars? I have two shoulders and I have known Second Lietentant Chiaki since Kennewes but I don't want to miss out on this chance with the General," she decided brightly.
"I've got no objection if the General doesn't," the lowest-ranked officer waves his DataJockey, "Just means that Lieutenant Rickett will have to read out the certificate while we pin you."
"You say that like I can't read." Juno reached out to grasp the tablet from Chiaki just as it winged the furthest back in his waving hand. Wiegand chuckled, seeming to find there to be reason for the joke to maybe even be true. Whooper stopped drinking to look at the DataJockey, of course, but not before hissing out a slurred slurp as it slithered around atop the table to flop down lazily and drunk alongside all the glasses.
"I have no issues with that, Miss Wilde." The general moved his free hand out to gently scratch the neck of the snake, running his finger along the folds of its hood gently before turning and finishing this glass in one powerful guzzle before plopping it down on the table hard enough to make the snake jump like it was a cat. No rest for the hekkin' wicked.
"Good enough!" Chiaki threw his arms into the air, before clapping them together with a loud, metallic Tack!, and then rubbed his palms together with a hissing chord. He pointed to a spot near the ducting and the bars.
"Wilde, stand here."
Then, he assigned a spot just to Autumn's right, "Sir, stand here, if you would."
In the last second preparations he circled around to arranged items, and scooped up the bars, the magnets attaching themselves to his fingers. With a graceful turn, he snatched up the cover as well, backpedaling towards the General. Before he handed the bar over, he wicked the water off of it, as the rain began to pick up.
A couple of sharp taps of the 2nd Lieutenant's heels indicated he was at his stop on the left of the soon-to-be-Sergeant. "On the Alliance, we would be doing this sort of thing in an Armor Bay, so we could project the stars in the background. These days, it has to be whatever has the best view."
Autumn moved to the indicated position, still smiling as she waited. The darkening sky, the gathering clouds, and the slow patter of the raindrops against the sturdy roof were reassuring to the marine. At least with the moisture in the air, it felt a little more like being home- it cut through the dust and made it seem less like a warzone. Her thoughts went back to the Alliance and the noises of the Armor Bay with marines rumbling, the constructors platforms humming as Chiaki mentioned it. As brutal as the engagements that followed were, it was still a pleasant memory for her.
The General hadn't been far behind, the elderly man firmly squeezing the bar between two fingers for a moment before he moved around opposite of Chiaki and came to a halt, extending a hand as Juno properly rose up and extended the cane to him. While Juno was brushing his coat off, the high-ranking commander simply raised the bar to analyze it with some token interest.
"Alright, Lieutenant Rickett, could you read..." started Chiaki, furrowing his brow, as he realized the certificate went to the wayside, "Could you say something official sounding to officiate the pinning?"
"Yeah, yeah... ceremony and all that." Juno's reply had come out rather non-enthused, not the type who enjoyed these types of shindigs very clearly. Or perhaps he hadn't rested much with the arrival of Apollodorus. Either way, he moved around to the front of Autumn even as the droplets began to sprinkle the top of Juno's now-returned cap. Both of his arms moved behind his back as he rose to his full height and to attention before Autumn, a single cough disturbing the light tranquil patter as he finally began to speak.
"Private First Class Wilde," his right hand slipped free from behind his back and rose in a far more serious salute than it likely needed to be for such a small gathering, "To attention."
The Geshrin marine's posture became rigid as she transitioned from a loose comfortable stance to the position of attention with an audible clack of her heels as her boots came together in the movement. Autumn drew up to her full height, dwarfed by the behemoths of the Nepleslian officers on either side and in front of her. Her smile was replaced with a more serious, professional expression as her deep green eyes focused on the air in front of her- somewhere in the middle of Juno's chest and she stood ready for the ceremony to begin.
No ceremony further, Juno lowered the salute and took all but a moment to gather some precious oxygen as the light drizzle splotted and blipped against the roof around them. "For your service and achievements, for your loyalty to and the efforts exerted to preserve the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, I am proud to carry down orders from the highest echelons of command with a strong first." They could practically feel the man's fingertips clack together as if the comment was almost personal.
"We will be overseeing your promotion from a Private First Class within the sector's finest, to a Sergeant within the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps. From this day forward, you will be expected to uphold the same values you've protected and fight lead and Durandium for every inch against our enemies through the stars abroad. As a symbol of your new position, these two fellow soldiers will affix your new bars."
At that, Chiaki's mechanical fingers rose with a calculated precision, carefully raising the rank marker to Autumn's shoulder level. Matching with the general, roughly, he ceremoniously plucked her prior rank from her shoulder. Then, with a similar, mechanical movement, he settled the fresh bar in exactly the same spot, down to the barest of millimeters.
Finished, he stood back to his original position, letting the rain catch unblemished bar. The second lieutenant was clearly resisting a smile, but it he kept it down.
Autumn kept her bearing and managed to refrain from cracking a smile as the bars went onto her shoulders. Her eyes were shining brightly as she remained still and waited for the officers to give her the order to relax. If she had been a less professional marine, she might have cried, she had waited 8 years to be promoted and not only had the Admiral replied to her Administrative review request but the General had appeared for her pinning. It was exciting and overwhelming all at once.
And then they heard the thunk of glass from the table, bringing the brief ceremony to an awkward moment as Juno looked back instead of simply dismissing her. Whooper had knocked over a glass, hood flaring out as he dooted his snoot against the bottle before turning to face the Nepleslians. "... Bad snake." Juno turned his gaze back as Apollodorus took the time to look over, his brows furrowing as the Lieutenant finally addressed Autumn.
"At ease, Sergeant Wilde."
The new Sergeant beamed as she relaxed her posture and expression. "Thank you," she replied brightly. Her gaze moved to the cobra for a moment, still smiling. "I guess it's true, even our pets like to drink. Can he hold a gun too or is that something still in development?" Her gaze returned to the officers once more to shake their hands as custom dictated after a promotion ceremony, her hand tiny within theirs.
"He can do a lot of things, if he has the time." Apollodorus reached out and intercepted a few moments before the metal-handed Juno could. His grip was firm, likely from wrangling the scale-worm that was making a mess of things. As he released her, his gaze fully turned to the snake so Juno could clasp her hand and give it a somewhat decent shake before releasing it and finally looking skyward with the brim of his hat catching more of the increasing drizzle.
"You really chose quite the place to arrange for this... not that it's much better than where I grew up in the Kuznyetski colonies, but they do have a decent breeze."
"Ah, well," Chiaki paused for a moment, seeming to reflect on something, before his eyes washed a white color. There was a passing few seconds where the green glow returned, and he straightened his spine with a mild look on his face. Smoothly, he looked off over at the slums and the satisfying vista it provided for such a bleak place. "It's right above the squad's billet, sir. I surveyed the location prior for defensible positions, and found the view to be one of the best in town. Truly, all credit should go to Lieutenant Rickett for picking out the billet."
The Second Lieutenant smiled at Autumn, "Isn't that right, Sergeant Wilde?"
Autumn returned the smile with a nod. "Of course, sir. It's a good vantage point. So drinks and then we head downstairs to the bar?" She asked still beaming, her mood not dampened by the rain. "Whooper is already ahead of us."
"It'll be a warm day on Abjection when a snake stays ahead of a group of Marines in the classic game of drink," said Chiaki, checking his bottle with a quick shake. The Yamataian-looking Nepleslian gave the General a cautious glance, before looking over at Juno. "Will the senior staff be joining us?"
Despite the grey-bristled man rolling his eyes, Juno moved over and around to one side of the table. His hands reached out, securing the danger noodle with his metal hand at its hooded head to keep it from snapping at him as he moved the large snake around and up to his shoulder. Apollodorus' cane could be heard tapping the ground, approaching the oddly calm snake before extending the cane so the creature could slither over and return to his place on his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, I have things I must do besides for upstaging younglings." A tap of his cane against the bottle and the man was turning and moving back to the door. "And you might be wise to not doubt the drinking skills of Whooper. He's easily older than most of you by now, I'd think."
The door opened, the General not hesitating to remove himself from the rain as Juno finally took the time to sigh and look over the two now that they were once more alone. "I could definitely use one... that's probably the first time Whooper hasn't bitten my hand." Raising the Nerimium tipped fingers, his fleshy ones moved to point at the scratched paint as if the age and markings were obvious. "I can't feel it, but it certainly didn't stop him from scaring the hell out of me with those fangs."
"Thank you for coming by, sir!" Autumn called after Apollodorus as he left before returning her focus back to Juno and Chiaki. "Sneaky snake. It doesn't surprise me that he's not defanged though. So the key to taming Whooper is booze?" She offered the tall Nepleslian a reassuring smile. "Or maybe the rain mellowed him out?"
"About that," the junior officer, tugged off his cap, and ran a hatted hand through his hair, whipping off the fresh rain that sprinkled his cover with the one that held the bottle. "We ought to get in before it..."
The sky ripped in a brilliant tear, as lightning cut across the sky, and let loose a thunderous roar. A small surge seemed to be moving in from the north, the clouds were darkening, and the rain would get heavier. Yet, it didn't seem to upset the man anymore, despite his barking earlier. That smile on his face showed he had quite the different perspective now.
"But first..." started Chiaki, snatching up Autumn's beret. He replaced it with her new NCO Cover, pulling the brim as low as it would go over her eyes. "We need to celebrate our new high-hat!"
A bottle of whiskey was waved in the air, spiting the rain.
"First drink's on me!"
New Bernese Slums
Roof of the Knucklewetter
Administrative bodies in the military were an odd entity. Most days, and on the best of them, Admin would give okay service, and make people wait for a month or so to get anything done. On worse days, the Central Corps officials would lose paperwork or give people the wrong advice. Sometimes they would take folders or DataJockeys, and they would be returned with some of the required paperwork or files missing from their containers. Most of these headaches were terribly prevalent throughout most militaries, and the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps was no different from the rest.
Except in the case of Autumn Wilde.
Second Lieutenant Chiaki was shocked to find her promotion letter coming across his desk a mere ten days after the paperwork was submitted. He was baffled they even got a response in the matter, but to see actual results was unheard of. Wilde needed little help in drafting her request, and in its submission, but Chiaki tried to help where he could in pushing it up as far as he could before it left his sphere of influence. He expected with the request off planet, they'd get an official update in a couple months, not days.
It was baffling, but he wasn't going to let that stop them from making everything official. Now that they had the power to do so, he intended to officiate the process and make sure his Marine wa to get paid for her service as well. As such, a ceremony was in order, perhaps an unorthodox one, but a ceremony none-the-less.
Most everyone was off on liberty, so Chiaki took to organizing the location on the roof of the Knucklewetter. His reasons were his own, but he would say it was the most private location in the slums, and within walking distance of a bar. A couple trips to a supply depot made sure that Sergeant bars were in stock, and finally, a NCO's cover. Chiaki had been a Sergeant for a great deal of his enlistment, and he wanted to make sure things were perfect for the newest addtion to the NCO Corps.
Which is why he was thirty minutes early to the rooftop location, with a fresh bottle of scotch, the rank bars, a cover, and several shot glasses. They were all arranged on a line of ducting, neatly arrayed. The well-dressed O-1 took to straightening everything up meticulously, and scrutinized the weather to make sure that the distant thunder didn't threaten any manner of inclement weather. METOC said it was supposed to be clear. Supposed to be.
Autumn was thrilled when the message had come down the line that her request for administrative review of her service record had been received and approved. Sergant. She was getting a two paygrade jump after 8 years of work as a Private. It took her most of the night to do it, but she got her new uniform squared away and inspection ready since her other uniforms showed the stress and wear of prolonged time in the field.
She was not a woman that wore make-up, so her grooming preparations were fairly simple and quick. She spent more time making sure her Styrling Silver Special .45 was properly cleaned before she made her way up to the roof about 15 minutes before the pinning was supposed to take place. Her old shoulder bars were held firmly in place by magnets on the leather of her blouse. It wouldn't take much to exchange them for the new ones.
The Geshrin demolitionist found her way to the roof of the Knucklewetter through the roof access ladderwell inside of the building. "With any luck, it won't rain," she commented as she opened the door and stepped onto the roof.
"Every time we do one of these, it always rains," grumbled Chiaki, not even turning around to address the new Sergeant. He seemed more preoccupied in the arrangement of shot glasses on the ducting. "I was told by the Lieutenant on the METOC watch today that there would definitely not be rain in this region today. What do I hear about an hour ago from one of my nurses?"
The tall officer turned, his eyes a violet color, "It's raining over Fort Puckett, right now."
"Well, a little water won't hurt anyone. I won't melt and you're waterproof as far as I can tell," Autumn offered with a smile.
A dark finger jutted at Autumn, as Chiaki chose to be sour, "It's supposed to be a ceremony, a happy occasion. Rain is for funerals. You're getting promoted!"
"Rain has always been a good thing, especially on a planet of mostly desert and.. mud," she replied cheerfully. "Perspective, sir."
"Back in my day, we didn't have perspective. We had guts."
A wizened voice cut through the rooftop air, the tap of a cane against the surface followed by a HEKKIN HEK from a critter atop the man's shoulder. The cobra's hood flared, the pet snake easily larger than a small child and resting atop the large frame of a figure most never met. Apollodorus Wiegand, the leader of the 309th, with his friendly cobra Whooper, was making his way across the rooftop with his bald head gleaming in what little light shone through the stormy clouds. The fur of his uniform, a mimicry of the Admiral jacket, was damp from likely riding his way to the group. He had been likely moving up to regroup with the others, having finally arrived to investigate the situation.
And Juno was behind him, of course, the man's hair exposed and his cap tucked under one arm as he moved up alongside the right side of the General to carefully take the man's cane so he could reach up and secure his reptile and lower it to the ground like he was too fragile to fight despite his ID-SOL genetics. He was likely a half ID-SOL, though, since he wasn't terribly wrinkled quite yet... and as the cobra hissed and slithered, the man spoke once more to the pair.
"I had heard there was a party," his grey brows furrowed wetly on his dark skin, cracks formed in the sea of nearly pitch black. "I also heard there was a Sergeant in need of a promotion ceremony among the rabble... but I did not expect it to be a soldier with such a documented past, Miss Wilde. And to believe Chiaki had arrived before me. That would explain Juno's reports being on time... for once."
The officer's eyes washed out of color as he stiffened, his metal hand throw up to the brim of his cap in a swift salute, "Sir, I didn't... There wasn't... I don't recall their being a memo sent for your arrival, sir."
Autumn came quickly to attention and saluted the general. "Sir!" She was clearly as surprised as Chiaki by his appearance. "We have plenty of guts as well, sir. A little rain beats artillery fire any day."
The cober hek'd and slithered, Whooper sizing Autumn up as she saluted. The snake was at least a meter long, dancing side-to-side with his hood flared momentarily before slithering over and around to analyze Chiaki as Apollodorus simply waved their hands down without a proper salute. Likely the one who taught Juno the bad habit.
"I don't let anyone know where I go, Second Chiaki. I learned that not all Nepleslians are trustworthy unless they were all Black a long time ago... the IPG don't squeal."
The man stood up straight, rising to his prominent height of seven feet tall as he took a moment to size them up more properly. The first specks of a sprinkling rain had started as Juno carefully hefted the man's cane and twisted the handle so that it expanded a field of physical light, the soft green glow forming an umbrella as he handed it back to the large man.
"These days I can't get too wet... age slows down even the strongest. I take it you have something strong to drink when we give the girl her stripes, right strange-eyes?"
"Of course, sir," grinned Chiaki, throwing a thumb over a shoulder at the bottle of scotch which stood next to six or so shot-glasses of varying origin and make. The fact it was beginning to rain didn't seem to phase him like it would have if the General hadn't been there, "Particularly good make, from Kennewes. I managed a bottle of it off the Quartermaster, among about everything else here."
The female marine appraised the cobra curiously, she hadn't seen one since Rok'Veru and especially one that wasn't roasted. She watched Whopper for a few moments before her attention returned to the officers in front of her again. Autumn was unbothered by the rain as it started to dampen her beret. "Does Whooper get one of those shots?"
A hiss from below was the answer, the more-than-friendly scale-worm slithering around through the light rain to practically stalk Chiaki as he indicated the booze. He even took off ahead of them, slithering at the table and trying multiple times to lift up and grab at the table's edge as Juno gave a sigh that sounded all too-used to this. "I'd pour one to be safe. Especially if it's from the stiff." Wiegand had already begun to move forward, his eyes setting in on Autumn briefly as he tried to walk past the pair.
"I take it you've not seen a cobra like Whooper? Not many have, since he's endangered..."
"No, sir. The last snakes I saw were on Rok'Veru and I was eating them to keep from starving," Autumn replied thoughtfully. "He's beautiful. It's a pity there aren't more of Whooper's species left. The scientists haven't been able to bring them back with cloning?"
"There were a variety of snake species on the Cirrus, in the Biology Division," Chiaki squatted down just enough to offer Whooper a bit of assistance with an extended hand. "I don't ever remember seeing one that looked like this."
The general moved alongside the table as Chiaki's hand and then arm were conquered by a slithering noodle. Whooper was heavy on his synthetic arms, the snake looking around as his green hood flared out almost as if detecting he was being spoken of. But he was silenced as the experienced leader slid one glass closer to the pair, the snake looking over and practically flapping himself to "jump" from Chiaki to the table top with a thump atop it.
"Cloning attempts are going well," he watched the snake dip its head into the scotch without any hesitation, little throat bulging as it sipped up gulps while watching the others, "But not as well as the efforts here, from how I heard it. Juno mentioned all of you had been successful in the first push... and that was before you all were brought back and I saw to pushing the arrival of more equipment like a Jackelope."
A tap against the glass didn't even stir Whooper from his beverage, Juno approaching wide to sit nearby with his arms crossing as he looked to Autumn. "The general has more work to do before he can properly reinforce and join us, but he wanted to see the new warbirds from the Navy in action... apparently he saw and asked for additional assets from the Navy to be sent our way. He's only here to negotiate it with the Captains and the local Rear Admirals to bring out a dependable group to cover us in the air."
"Most of the efforts so far have been Wilde and her fellow Marines under Lieutenant Rickett," answered Chiaki, a bit taken aback by the agility of the animal. He watched the small creature drink from the shot glass, and his arm extended just a bit to pet the snake, but he thought better of it. Instead, he backed up, taking a spot closer to the other, lower ranked soldiers present. "I came in on the Jackdaws, on the initial strike to reinforce this end of the region before our next push."
A bit reassured, he looked between Autumn and Juno, "A little reassuring to hear we're going to have a bit more help moving up the line."
"The view from the ground looking up as Naval gunfire rains down is fairly impressive," Autumn nodded, "I'm honored, sir, that you took the time to come for my ceremony. I was not expecting the General or our unit's mascot to make an appearance." She smiled brightly at the General, Whooper and then Juno before she looked to Chiaki. "Second Lieutenant Chiaki, perhaps we should begin?"
"Ah, right," Chiaki rubbed the length of his bearded jaw, "Who do you want to set your bars?"
"Could be anyone," Juno added, his eyes looking over at the old man as he took a sip of the scotch for himself before looking at the way Whooper. It had been a most wise choice to not doot the snoot of the no doubt buzzed cobra. "I'm sure the General could... or Whooper. That snake understands more than he lets on."
Autumn pursed her lips as she considered it. She was going to have her old friend pin her but the General had appeared. It would be a rare occurance. "If you gentlemen wouldn't mind, could the General and Second Lieutentant Chiaki both set my bars? I have two shoulders and I have known Second Lietentant Chiaki since Kennewes but I don't want to miss out on this chance with the General," she decided brightly.
"I've got no objection if the General doesn't," the lowest-ranked officer waves his DataJockey, "Just means that Lieutenant Rickett will have to read out the certificate while we pin you."
"You say that like I can't read." Juno reached out to grasp the tablet from Chiaki just as it winged the furthest back in his waving hand. Wiegand chuckled, seeming to find there to be reason for the joke to maybe even be true. Whooper stopped drinking to look at the DataJockey, of course, but not before hissing out a slurred slurp as it slithered around atop the table to flop down lazily and drunk alongside all the glasses.
"I have no issues with that, Miss Wilde." The general moved his free hand out to gently scratch the neck of the snake, running his finger along the folds of its hood gently before turning and finishing this glass in one powerful guzzle before plopping it down on the table hard enough to make the snake jump like it was a cat. No rest for the hekkin' wicked.
"Good enough!" Chiaki threw his arms into the air, before clapping them together with a loud, metallic Tack!, and then rubbed his palms together with a hissing chord. He pointed to a spot near the ducting and the bars.
"Wilde, stand here."
Then, he assigned a spot just to Autumn's right, "Sir, stand here, if you would."
In the last second preparations he circled around to arranged items, and scooped up the bars, the magnets attaching themselves to his fingers. With a graceful turn, he snatched up the cover as well, backpedaling towards the General. Before he handed the bar over, he wicked the water off of it, as the rain began to pick up.
A couple of sharp taps of the 2nd Lieutenant's heels indicated he was at his stop on the left of the soon-to-be-Sergeant. "On the Alliance, we would be doing this sort of thing in an Armor Bay, so we could project the stars in the background. These days, it has to be whatever has the best view."
Autumn moved to the indicated position, still smiling as she waited. The darkening sky, the gathering clouds, and the slow patter of the raindrops against the sturdy roof were reassuring to the marine. At least with the moisture in the air, it felt a little more like being home- it cut through the dust and made it seem less like a warzone. Her thoughts went back to the Alliance and the noises of the Armor Bay with marines rumbling, the constructors platforms humming as Chiaki mentioned it. As brutal as the engagements that followed were, it was still a pleasant memory for her.
The General hadn't been far behind, the elderly man firmly squeezing the bar between two fingers for a moment before he moved around opposite of Chiaki and came to a halt, extending a hand as Juno properly rose up and extended the cane to him. While Juno was brushing his coat off, the high-ranking commander simply raised the bar to analyze it with some token interest.
"Alright, Lieutenant Rickett, could you read..." started Chiaki, furrowing his brow, as he realized the certificate went to the wayside, "Could you say something official sounding to officiate the pinning?"
"Yeah, yeah... ceremony and all that." Juno's reply had come out rather non-enthused, not the type who enjoyed these types of shindigs very clearly. Or perhaps he hadn't rested much with the arrival of Apollodorus. Either way, he moved around to the front of Autumn even as the droplets began to sprinkle the top of Juno's now-returned cap. Both of his arms moved behind his back as he rose to his full height and to attention before Autumn, a single cough disturbing the light tranquil patter as he finally began to speak.
"Private First Class Wilde," his right hand slipped free from behind his back and rose in a far more serious salute than it likely needed to be for such a small gathering, "To attention."
The Geshrin marine's posture became rigid as she transitioned from a loose comfortable stance to the position of attention with an audible clack of her heels as her boots came together in the movement. Autumn drew up to her full height, dwarfed by the behemoths of the Nepleslian officers on either side and in front of her. Her smile was replaced with a more serious, professional expression as her deep green eyes focused on the air in front of her- somewhere in the middle of Juno's chest and she stood ready for the ceremony to begin.
No ceremony further, Juno lowered the salute and took all but a moment to gather some precious oxygen as the light drizzle splotted and blipped against the roof around them. "For your service and achievements, for your loyalty to and the efforts exerted to preserve the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, I am proud to carry down orders from the highest echelons of command with a strong first." They could practically feel the man's fingertips clack together as if the comment was almost personal.
"We will be overseeing your promotion from a Private First Class within the sector's finest, to a Sergeant within the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps. From this day forward, you will be expected to uphold the same values you've protected and fight lead and Durandium for every inch against our enemies through the stars abroad. As a symbol of your new position, these two fellow soldiers will affix your new bars."
At that, Chiaki's mechanical fingers rose with a calculated precision, carefully raising the rank marker to Autumn's shoulder level. Matching with the general, roughly, he ceremoniously plucked her prior rank from her shoulder. Then, with a similar, mechanical movement, he settled the fresh bar in exactly the same spot, down to the barest of millimeters.
Finished, he stood back to his original position, letting the rain catch unblemished bar. The second lieutenant was clearly resisting a smile, but it he kept it down.
Autumn kept her bearing and managed to refrain from cracking a smile as the bars went onto her shoulders. Her eyes were shining brightly as she remained still and waited for the officers to give her the order to relax. If she had been a less professional marine, she might have cried, she had waited 8 years to be promoted and not only had the Admiral replied to her Administrative review request but the General had appeared for her pinning. It was exciting and overwhelming all at once.
And then they heard the thunk of glass from the table, bringing the brief ceremony to an awkward moment as Juno looked back instead of simply dismissing her. Whooper had knocked over a glass, hood flaring out as he dooted his snoot against the bottle before turning to face the Nepleslians. "... Bad snake." Juno turned his gaze back as Apollodorus took the time to look over, his brows furrowing as the Lieutenant finally addressed Autumn.
"At ease, Sergeant Wilde."
The new Sergeant beamed as she relaxed her posture and expression. "Thank you," she replied brightly. Her gaze moved to the cobra for a moment, still smiling. "I guess it's true, even our pets like to drink. Can he hold a gun too or is that something still in development?" Her gaze returned to the officers once more to shake their hands as custom dictated after a promotion ceremony, her hand tiny within theirs.
"He can do a lot of things, if he has the time." Apollodorus reached out and intercepted a few moments before the metal-handed Juno could. His grip was firm, likely from wrangling the scale-worm that was making a mess of things. As he released her, his gaze fully turned to the snake so Juno could clasp her hand and give it a somewhat decent shake before releasing it and finally looking skyward with the brim of his hat catching more of the increasing drizzle.
"You really chose quite the place to arrange for this... not that it's much better than where I grew up in the Kuznyetski colonies, but they do have a decent breeze."
"Ah, well," Chiaki paused for a moment, seeming to reflect on something, before his eyes washed a white color. There was a passing few seconds where the green glow returned, and he straightened his spine with a mild look on his face. Smoothly, he looked off over at the slums and the satisfying vista it provided for such a bleak place. "It's right above the squad's billet, sir. I surveyed the location prior for defensible positions, and found the view to be one of the best in town. Truly, all credit should go to Lieutenant Rickett for picking out the billet."
The Second Lieutenant smiled at Autumn, "Isn't that right, Sergeant Wilde?"
Autumn returned the smile with a nod. "Of course, sir. It's a good vantage point. So drinks and then we head downstairs to the bar?" She asked still beaming, her mood not dampened by the rain. "Whooper is already ahead of us."
"It'll be a warm day on Abjection when a snake stays ahead of a group of Marines in the classic game of drink," said Chiaki, checking his bottle with a quick shake. The Yamataian-looking Nepleslian gave the General a cautious glance, before looking over at Juno. "Will the senior staff be joining us?"
Despite the grey-bristled man rolling his eyes, Juno moved over and around to one side of the table. His hands reached out, securing the danger noodle with his metal hand at its hooded head to keep it from snapping at him as he moved the large snake around and up to his shoulder. Apollodorus' cane could be heard tapping the ground, approaching the oddly calm snake before extending the cane so the creature could slither over and return to his place on his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, I have things I must do besides for upstaging younglings." A tap of his cane against the bottle and the man was turning and moving back to the door. "And you might be wise to not doubt the drinking skills of Whooper. He's easily older than most of you by now, I'd think."
The door opened, the General not hesitating to remove himself from the rain as Juno finally took the time to sigh and look over the two now that they were once more alone. "I could definitely use one... that's probably the first time Whooper hasn't bitten my hand." Raising the Nerimium tipped fingers, his fleshy ones moved to point at the scratched paint as if the age and markings were obvious. "I can't feel it, but it certainly didn't stop him from scaring the hell out of me with those fangs."
"Thank you for coming by, sir!" Autumn called after Apollodorus as he left before returning her focus back to Juno and Chiaki. "Sneaky snake. It doesn't surprise me that he's not defanged though. So the key to taming Whooper is booze?" She offered the tall Nepleslian a reassuring smile. "Or maybe the rain mellowed him out?"
"About that," the junior officer, tugged off his cap, and ran a hatted hand through his hair, whipping off the fresh rain that sprinkled his cover with the one that held the bottle. "We ought to get in before it..."
The sky ripped in a brilliant tear, as lightning cut across the sky, and let loose a thunderous roar. A small surge seemed to be moving in from the north, the clouds were darkening, and the rain would get heavier. Yet, it didn't seem to upset the man anymore, despite his barking earlier. That smile on his face showed he had quite the different perspective now.
"But first..." started Chiaki, snatching up Autumn's beret. He replaced it with her new NCO Cover, pulling the brim as low as it would go over her eyes. "We need to celebrate our new high-hat!"
A bottle of whiskey was waved in the air, spiting the rain.
"First drink's on me!"
