[video]

[attagirl]

[ the video starts abruptly on the exasperated face of a man in his mid-twenties. ]

Okay, so, look: I hate to make an introduction here by going "hey, I'm Axton, I need some help," but.

[ he pans the camera over to an enormous sabre turret that seems to be somehow droopy on one side. there's part of a panel missing, and a person with a keen eye might notice that some of the metal is actually slightly warped.

axton will sigh from behind his phone. ]

If anyone has some usable tools, or is just some kind of like - mechanical genius, I'm willing to work out some kinda deal. I just can't leave her looking like this, guys: it's breaking my heart.

Comments

[video]

[attagirl]

Uh, yeah, sorry.

[ axton reaches up, rubbing the back of his neck a little awkwardly. ]

Not really sure which Empire you're talking about, here.

[video]

[mismanagement]

Primary governing body of my home world. Most of the galaxy as well.

[She smiles a little, ruefully.]

I was rather high ranked, once.

[video]

[attagirl]

Huh.

[ axton had never really made it to "high ranked" at dahl, but he'd been okay with that. ]

Past tense 'cause you're here, or 'cause you got kicked out?

[video]

[mismanagement]

I imagine I would have been executed for treason by now.

[Not exactly the future she envisioned as a cadet. But it was her choice, in the end. Maketh shrugs.]

It's hard to understand people who don't think the way I do. But I think I need to, if I'm going to be useful.

[video]

[attagirl]

Hey, join the club. [ the sulk has slowly given way back to good humor, his grin crooked and genuinely curious. ] I was almost executed by my bosses, too. Military had a nice firing squad waitin' on me and everything.

Would've been flattering if it hadn't been 'cause they were trying to kill me.

[video]

[mismanagement]

[Maketh actually grins at that.] A prestigious honor, I'm sure. Though I believe I was blown up.

[She would have preferred a firing squad, actually. Much cleaner]

An attempt was made, at any rate.

And yet, here you are. Clearly you have some talent for survival.

[video]

[attagirl]

[ he doesn't really get it yet, hasn't fully grasped the strange concept of timelines here. of course she hasn't actually been blown up - he's talking to her right now, isn't he? ]

Yeah. And I was married to my CO, who, uh. I mean, we're not exactly married anymore, but she was nice enough to tip me off. So there's that.

[ it gave him enough time to go AWOL, at least. ]

[video]

[mismanagement]

You were allowed to marry your CO?

[She's vaguely offended by the impropriety. Remember that part where she's trying to expand her horizons? Yeah it's not working.]

[video]

[attagirl]

[ is that improper? huh. he guesses it probably is. then again, dahl had been an unusual organization from the get-go. ]

Well, yeah, I mean. It's not like she was my CO when we actually got married or anything. [ sarah had always been way more ambitious than axton. ] And besides, you sign up with Dahl, you sign up for life, you know? Not like we're gonna have a lot of chances to meet other people.

[video]

[mismanagement]

It's like that with the Empire as well. Though fraternization within your command is discouraged.

Dahl. Was that a private army?

[video]

[attagirl]

Yeah. Pretty huge, though. Dahl did a little bit of everything, uh - tons of weapons manufacturing, mining, stuff like that. Whatever seemed like it'd be most profitable at the time.

[video]

[mismanagement]

[Sounds like the Empire, if the Empire wasn't so formal. That's a terrifying thought.]

What was your position, if I may ask?

[video]

[attagirl]

[ dahl was also a little bit "totally insane," but anyone who did business on pandora had to be. ]

Sergeant. What about you?

[video]

[mismanagement]

[Shh, Maketh hasn't yet realized the full extent of that particular crazy.]

Minister. [a pause] The line between civilian and military was heavily blurred. You could think of me as a lieutenant-colonel. My duties were primarily civilian in nature, though I did command troops from time to time.

[video]

[attagirl]

Sounds like fun, I guess. If you're into that kind of thing.

[ and still pretty foreign compared to what he knows directly. ]

Wasn't exactly what I'd planned on doing with my life, but you gotta take what opportunities you get, right?

[video]

[mismanagement]

I suppose. You must have been recruited quite young.

[video]

[attagirl]

Just turned seventeen. Best shot I had of gettin' off Hieronymous, though.

[video]

[mismanagement]

I can imagine. I left for the academy when I was...thirteen, I think? But the officers training takes longer.

[video]

[attagirl]

Thirteen? Yikes. You're the one who started young. Some kinda family thing?

[video]

[mismanagement]

[Maketh blinks, looking surprised.] Oh, you misunderstand. I wasn't deployed until I was nineteen. It was the only way I'd get an education.

[video]

[attagirl]

Like - school?

[ did your military give you school!!!!

he'd be jealous if he ... enjoyed school at all. ]

[video]

[mismanagement]

[She smiles at that. Guess who was a huge nerd. Just guess.] Those in the officer tract are given a general education in addition to their military training. Hence the...early start.

[video]

[attagirl]

Oh, lame.

[ meanwhile axton just.

looks earnestly sympathetic. ]

[video]

[mismanagement]

What? It was not! [HUFF.]

[video]

[attagirl]

[ pointedly: ]

Did you have homework?