Recursive Objective

[Cream]

Cuba is a nice place was a recurring thought for Levi, a sentiment that excluded the region’s weather. It was an unusual exclusion given human preferences for sunlight and warmth; mostly what he liked was that it was so far removed from the outside world: an island at every level. UV rays were veritably murderous as far as the young man was concerned, so Levi stayed inside, usually. He was seated on the surface of a work desk, in the room that had been consigned to him by the El Muerte crew, which was a little better than the cramped quarters of the ship he was used to. It had been a bit of a challenge making inroads with the group, given that they all already knew each other, and he felt like little more than an imposed presence. Soon, the wall would break down and he would come into their fold, but not today.

The desk’s cool wood was a tactile luxury, a small pleasure that Levi was mostly oblivious to as he allowed his hands rest on the desk’s surface. It was easy to forget the reason for being there in the first place: the logic that had brought him here was perhaps a little rushed, and hard to focus on as a result. When things happen fast, he noted, there is a greater tendency to live in the moment. Part of him wished he was still in Africa, which had been a more measured decision with a lot less responsibility.

It was bordering on immoral to just keep sitting there, Levi concluded. He decided to go somewhere, to a place he knew he wanted to be.

The ship Levi and his father had stolen from the Commonwealth had been liquidated. They needed money, and with a new home in Cuba, the ship’s function as a residence was obsolete. The thing proved to be worth its weight in currency, for they had been afforded enough to make do for a while- further, it was one way to contribute to El Muerte’s operations. The downside, of course, was that traveling anywhere was no longer an option. The V2’s core fighter was fast, but not the kind of machine one would want for long distance travel. Levi would need to think of another way to get to Africa, so he postponed the issue for the time being.

Thinking back to the brief time he’d spent in Africa, he was reminded of the mission mandated by the institution he’d been staying at. Thought at the level of addition was a challenge for the ex-soldier, who was used to eliminating problems, rather than putting forward solutions. For a long time, and this was in part some of the logic that lead to Levi joining the military, he’d thought that it was permissible to use force for good- but it was equally clear now that it makes more sense to do good without force. Well, it almost makes more sense he reasoned: there was still the fact that it generally took force to get rid of evil.

Levi knew what he wanted to do now, at least for the time being- between himself, Verus and Victoria, they did not yet have much in the way of a plan, so there was enough free time to pursue other things. Seated at the edge of the bed now, Levi scribbled some notes and drew out a rough mind map of what he was planning. About halfway into the brainstorming session, it struck him that he had a possible way to get to Africa. It was a long shot, but everything seemed to be a long shot these days.

It didn’t take long to get to the nearest town with the core fighter. It was a small settlement, with only a few private businesses that might be able to get him what he needed. Naturally, he went off to the bar first. It was well occupied for the time of day- the scene justified the commonly expressed idea that a hot climate makes people idle- but he’d also have to be careful about who he spoke to. Levi ordered a beer and sipped on it slowly, making small talk with the bartender as he drank. Eventually, he came out with it bluntly, inquiring about whether the bartender knew of any transporting services that wouldn’t require identification. The bartender played coy at first since it was hard to trust anyone with a conversation like this. It took a drawn-out conversation to wear down the bartender: Levi then mentioned Alivius by name, since he knew she was reliable and there was a low chance of her selling him out to any Union officers. He was entirely undocumented, so he had to be careful about situations which could lead to a demand for identification.

The bartender went into the kitchen, and Levi could hear bits of the conversation. He finished his drink by the time the bartender had returned, informing Levi that he did in fact know of Alivius and would be able to contact her. A bargaining exchange followed although Levi was not that interested in saving money: he caved into the bartender’s demands quite fast. With the deal settled, Levi took another drink to celebrate. It would be a few days before Alivius would be contacted with the message, and a bit longer for her to get to Cuba. There was nothing to do in the meantime.

[Nihren]

youtu.be/0FlmSbne-_c

Alivius sat upright in her bed as explosions shook the Earth around her. As she looked around, her comrades were scrambling to put on what clothes they could before rushing out of the living quarters. She followed suit, slipping on a pair of blue jeans that she had lying at the foot of her bed and black combat boots. Aside from that, all she was wearing was an olive green tank top that didn't completely cover her stomach. As she moved for the door, she reached over to a nightstand and took a handgun and holster off of it, clipping it to her belt and rushing outside. She moved between the buildings, making her way towards the mobile suit hangars. She could see smoke rising from the base as explosions continued to carve chunks out of the concrete.

When she arrived at the hangar, her team was scrambling to get into their Jegans. "Captain!" She called out to Miller, the man in charge of their mercenary outfit. He turned to face her. "Nice of you to join us." She stopped in front of him, trying to catch her breath. "Who are they?" The Captain was silent for a moment. "They're mercenaries, hired by your stepfather or so they claim." Her heart stopped. It felt as though an icy hand was trying to grasp and squeeze it. Just thinking about that man made her feel a mixture of hatred, disgust, and fear. He was not a man to mess with, and nor was he anything close to human as far as she was concerned. Alivius looked at Miller. "I want to fight!" Miller shook his head side to side. "Not this time. We're getting you off the base and as far away from here as possible." One of her comrades, Frederick, chimed in from the cockpit of his Jegan. "We knew this might happen someday when we took you in. We'll keep our goddess of battle safe." She looked around and saw her other compatriots smiling at her. They were all like family to her, but she was painfully aware of what was likely going to happen.

Before she could protest, Miller scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to a running truck, placing her in the back which was covered by a cloth canopy. Behind them, three Jegans exited the hangar and flew off to fight at the outskirts of the base. As they did, Alivius felt something in her mind. It was faint, but growing. She felt a mixture of happiness and sadness flow into her mind. "What is this?" She thought to herself. Snapping out of it for a brief moment, she placed her arms on the back of the truck and went to move past the cloth flaps obscuring her view, when a hand came to rest on her head, and lips were pressed against her head. Suddenly she felt a new emotion rush into her mind. She didn't know how to describe this feeling, but she reciprocated it. Tears began to flow from her eyes as Millers face moved away from hers. She looked him in the eyes. "Artero..." His hand moved down the contours of her face, resting on her cheek. "Stay safe, Alivius." He pulled back and banged on the side of the truck. The two men accompanying her started the truck and drove off towards the far end of the base. Artero waited a few moments before heading back to the hangar to board his own Jegan and join the fight.

As the truck drove away, Alivius could see, and feel, everything. She watched as the Jegans engaged mobile suits of various types. One by one, the Jegans fell. As they did, Alivius felt her comrades pain flood her mind. She could hear and feel them. She clutched her head, not knowing how to process this new sensation. And then she felt Artero touch her mind. She looked out from the truck, and could just barely see his Jegan. He was giving them hell, impaling one enemy mobile suit and cutting another clean in half. Around him, more and more of her comrades perished, but he was still alive. It kept a faint trace of hope alive in her heart. And then... it was silenced forever. Alivius heard his voice somehow, and it was the last time she would ever hear it. "You won't lay a finger on her! I won't let you! Now go... to hell!" An explosion rocked the Earth as the Jegan exploded, taking two enemy mobile suits with it. The rush of emotion that struck Alivius was too much for her to bare. It felt like a freight train had hit her, and she collapsed unconscious in the back of the truck.

____________________________________________________________________

Alivius sat up in her bed, breathing heavily, sweat running down her entire body. Her left hand reached up to her face. As she pulled it away, she saw a tear run down her finger. She hadn't even realized that she was crying. Alivius got up and went into the bathroom. Her hand gripped the faucet handle and turned it on, causing cold water to come streaming out. She cupped the water in her hands and splashed it against her face. As she looked at herself in the mirror, the ships comms came on. "Were you having another nightmare again, captain?" Alivius clicked her tongue. "That's none of your business Mack." There was a moment of silence before his reply. "My apologies, captain. You have a new job request that just came in two hours ago. You are to transport a passenger from Cuba to Africa." She looked up. "Another passenger? Do we have a name?" Yet another moment of silence. "A Mr. Levi Frost." Alivius' stomach sank a little. She recalled their previous expedition and his constant poking and prodding about her prominent Newtype abilities. Something she wished she had never developed in the first place. But a job was a job, money was money. She couldn't refuse him. "Send a reply stating where to rendevous with us as well as our transportation fee as per usual." The comm clicked off and Alivius went back to her bed, flopping down on it. "... I need alcohol."

[Cream]

A stray cat, nervous in its approach, was coming closer and closer toward Levi, who was eating a chicken sandwich. As the cat made its way under the shade of the tree it stretched out and continued, stopping just short of Levi proper. The sandwich was dry enough that there was no real investment in it, so Levi tossed the top piece of bread away, for some birds to eat, and began the exhilarating process feeding bits of meat to a cat. It only took one taste of the meat for the cat to realize it had stumbled upon a delicacy: immediately the feline drew even closer, purring now, and pawing at the young man. Levi was feeding the cat with the intention of seeing at what point the cute animal would decide to turn down the food at offer. The cat, though, never stopped and continued to bite at the small bits of chicken. Levi figured that it would be a bad idea to feed the cat too much; he got up an went back inside to shower.

It had been about a week since the message to Alivius had been sent, and while Levi had no clue where she was, or how long it took the message to reach her, a week seemed like a reasonable amount of time to wait for a ride. After getting dressed, he decided to go back to the bar, having not been there since visiting last week. The walk was a chore, really, since he’d been outside for most of the day, and now the sun was more of an irritation than the temporary ally it had been earlier.

Levi was provided with a cold beer, which he bought more as a courtesy than anything else. The bartender was somebody else, who may or may not have the information necessary. Rather than press the issue Levi decided to just wait: when she showed up would be when she showed up, it was simple enough. Not quite, though. Impatience overwhelmed the young man, and after finishing his beer he inquired about the bartender from a week ago- not their shift, obvious and unhelpful. Waiting wouldn’t have been so bad were he able to make any inroads with his plans.

On the way back from the bar, Levi passed what he assumed to be the same cat from earlier, who seemed to have forgotten Levi entirely and was now weary of his presence. He decided to spend the rest of the day near the port, in hopes that Alivius would show up.

[Nihren]

The Levirius sat silently as the engines were shut off. Alivius rode the elevator down to the cargo bay, dressed in her usual black tank top, gray jacket, and blue jeans. As the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open, Alivius stepped out into the large bay. To her right were four Gun-EZ's, her Haro's tending to them to keep them in top shape. To her right was the main bay door, and in front of that was her jeep. She didn't use it particularly often, but she did enjoy it when she was able to drive it. This happened to be one of those rare moments. The Levirius wasn't docked at the port, so she'd have to drive into town in order to find her client.

Alivius climbed behind the wheel and started the vehicle. Placing two of her fingers on hear earpiece, she activated it and connected to Mack. "Open the bay door." Gears began to turn, the top half of the door going up, and the bottom half forming a ramp for her to drive down. She sped out of the ship and across the grassy landscape, driving a few miles before she reached a stretch of road. This would take her all the way to the nearby town where Levi was likely to be waiting for her. The wind rushed through her hair, causing it to flow all around her head. She ran her hand through it, smiling. "Ah, nothing like a good breeze. You don't get anything like this in space. Even the colonies don't have quite the same feeling." Alivius placed her hand back on the steering wheel and made it into town. As she was driving, a thought struck her. "Shit, a meeting place was never specified. How the hell am I gonna find him in this mess?" She pondered that question for a moment. It then occurred to her that he might be expecting her to come to the port.

She made a right at the next light and followed the signs to the local port. As she came upon the place, she pulled off to the side of the road and parked the jeep. Getting out she looked around to see if he was outside the place. She spotted his familiar face, walking towards the main building. She called out to him. "Hey!" Her right arm was waving to further get his attention.

[Cream]

Levi turned to meet a voice that had ostensibly been directed toward him- there was nobody else around, anyway. His eyes fell upon Alivius, who was making her way toward him; Levi tried to mimic the level of energy that had gone into her waving, though his attempt was half-hearted at best. The Sun had left its zenith, and now removed from the center of the sky, it was a lot less warm. Levi took in the shift in temperature as he made his way toward the woman. As he walked, his attention shifted toward the skyline: he wondered if her ship was visible from here, though was unable to find it.

“Hey you, it’s been a while, thanks for coming”

Levi put his hand out, offering a handshake for the sake of formality.

[Nihren]

Alivius reached out and shook Levi's hand. She couldn't recall if they did this the last time, but if he was going to be a recurring customer, then it was only natural that they keep up the formalities to some extent. She released his hand and motioned to the jeep. "Come on, I'm parked outside of town for the sake of privacy. Can't keep my other passengers waiting." She turned and started walking back to the jeep. It wasn't a far drive, just far enough that nobody would bother them. Alivius climbed into the driver seat and turned the key, the jeeps engine roaring to life. As soon as Levi was in, they'd head straight for the ship and get this trip underway.

[Cream]

“You want to go now? I still need to get my things, at least; It’s a lot of stuff, so I guess it’s good that you brought a jeep.”

It occurred to Levi that he should probably not take Alivius back to the El Muerte location, even if she was trustworthy- and she certainly was, to him, after what she had been willing to risk when they had been in Space. There were other passengers, too, apparently, and it dawned on Levi that they would likely be seedy people- he was a seedy person, by that logic, too- with more to hide than to share. His mind, to be clear, changed from pond to grand river rapid when he was within the extended range of communicability of other Newtypes. The pond, though, was not a milquetoast thing in itself: it was a taut stillness that repelled all misconceptions he could ever have about himself. With a sense for humility, perhaps it was only the appearance of misconception rendered anathema, anyway it didn’t really matter because there was always more truth to social events than isolated reflection.

"I just have to get my things, first, it's on the way, I'll point it out to you."

The compound was not conspicuous, and it was his better judgment that it would probably be okay- after all Alivius was as sketchy as he was, at least at the level of affiliations.

[Nihren]

Allivius smirked as Levi mentioned needing to get his luggage. "Yeah, I've got no problem stopping for that. It's important after all." Shortly after they left the airport Levi pointed to a building that would house his luggage. Allivius stopped momentarily to let him run in and retrieve his things. He brought out some suitcases and put them in the back of the jeep before climbing in. She then took off, making sure not to go too far over the speed limit in the area, and headed out of the city towards her ship. The wind flowing through her hair felt good, so good in fact that she wanted this car trip to last forever. Of course, that wasn't possible. She wasn't parked so far away from the city that it would take hours, and there was a need for expediency so she couldn't just slow down and take her time.

Within an hour, the Levirius came into view on the horizon. The jeep went off the road and barreled through the woods. As they exited the woods, the Levirius came into full view with its dark blue paint job. As they approached it, the hangar bay opened up and the ramp came down to greet them. The jeep sped up the ramp and stopped approximately halfway through the bay. As she turned the jeep off, Allivius stretched her arms out. "Home sweet home."

__________________________________________________________

The interior of the ship was quiet while Allivius was gone. No yelling, no hum of the engines, nothing. So the sound of shoes hitting the metal floors of the ship was easily heard by anyone within ear shot. A girl with light blue hair and silver eyes, wearing a dark blue jacket and black skirt, walked down the hall towards the hangar bay. The hangar was one of the more brightly lit areas of the ship, and as a result it was easy for her to see everything. From the blue Gun-EZ's to the silver walls and floors. A she leaned against a railing overlooking the bay, she heard gears begin to turn as the bay door opened and ramp extended out. Before long, Allivius' drove up into the hangar with her jeep. The girls silver eyes fixed themselves on the passenger. She stared him up and down for a moment before turning and heading back down the hall.

[Cream]

Upon arrival, Levi didn't tell anyone from El Muerte that he was leaving; passing through the compound to retrieve his belongings, he wondered about when they would even notice he was gone. Levi did, however, leave a letter addressed to Verus, which explained the situation: it was written quickly, and sparse enough on detils that the only thing communicated was the assurance that there was nothing to be worried about. The single suitcase, packed with mostly clothes and toiletries, served to remind its owner that maybe, maybe, he might actually need more possessions. Something valuable, something valuable that wasn't built to kill. Being reminded of the V2 was a moment of clarity that he was grateful for- he needed the core fighter more than anything. The rest could stay.

It took a while to get the core fighter attached to a trailer: Levi insisted that Alivius not help him, and the event devolved into a spectacle. Maybe she found it entertaining. He was about finished, and then it occurred he would have no way of returning it to the compound... But bringing it back to the compound was also a challenge. Levi expressed this dilemma to Alivius and the two concluded it might be best to have the fighter follow them on autopilot.

The ride to the ship was uneventful and predictable: Alivius was still not really opening up, and why would she? Every once in a while, Levi would look up into the sky and track the core fighter as it followed along. He pictured a world where everything was as functional and sophisticated as that machine. Truly a marvel. They reached the destination, and as the car ascended the ramp, Levi caught a glimpse of someone, virtually a silhouette in the brief time she was visible, turn away and head further into the ship. It was strange to think of Alivius consorting with other people in any capacity, so the person was a client, Levi reasoned. What was the job, he wondered.

[Nihren]

Allivius got out of the jeep and stretched some more. Once she was done she headed over to the intercom. "Hey Mack, how are our other guests doing?" It took a few moments before a reply came back. "The young man is passed out in his cabin, while the young lady is wandering the ship. And before you ask, I used the Haro's to prepare a room for our newest client." Allivius smirked. Mack was often one step ahead of her, though she didn't really condone the use of the Haro's for such menial tasks. "Thanks Mack." She looked over at Levi. "Find a good place for your Core Fighter, then grab your stuff and meet me by the crew quarters. You remember where they're at right?" She didn't even wait for a reply before opening the door and heading down the hall the elevator and riding it up one floor.

The crew quarters were in the center of the ship near the mess hall and the baths. They weren't so much crew quarters anymore since she crewed the ship all by herself, but they served as sleeping and living quarters for her clients during long trips. Currently she has two clients who boarded before Levi, though they don't share a room, and Levi's room won't be near theirs. It was a request by her other clients that should any other board, that they not be put near them. Considering some of her past clients line of work, she understood the need for privacy. Allivius stood next to a door and leaned against the wall, waiting for Levi.

[Cream]

The core fighter manoeuvred itself so deftly through the hangar that Levi was surprised the thing even required a pilot for anything whatsoever. The machine landed just behind the jeep, and instantly Levi unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed over to it. The canopy retracted and the man flung himself over the edge, veritably rolling into the cockpit. It took off again, and with some patience, Levi was able to get it near the back of the hangar, where it would be out of the way. He lingered in the hangar for a moment, there was no point in dawdling, but any chance to defer navigating the ship would be entertained.

Levi almost forgot the suitcase and trotted over back to the jeep to go get it: upon retrieving the thing, he opened it as a rejoinder- he would need to buy new clothes, probably- and was instantly reminded that he needed to foot the upfront cost. Eventually, Levi found a landmark that had stayed with him from the last time, navigating the ship became slightly easier; twenty minutes after their separation, Levi and Alivius were reunited once more. He extended a casual upward nod to her and threw his arms into the air for exaggeration.

"Sorry for making you wait, is this my room?"

He lowered his suitcase to the ground, and from his pocket withdrew a keycard which he handed to Alivius, "the money is on this card, it's just the upfront costs," he said, ultimately a little upset about having to pay the fee, which was certainly a premium one.

[Nihren]

Allivius took the card and smiled. "Thank you very much." She gestured to the door on her right with her right thumb. "Yeah, this one here is yours. Mack already got it prepared for ya, though the little shit used my Haro's to do it." She pocketed the card and turned to walk away. "Anyway, make yourself comfortable, we'll be taking off soon and I'll be making food." She waved as she headed down the hall towards the bridge. It wasn't a particularly long walk, but far enough down the hall that she likely couldn't be seen. As the door slid open, a familiar voice greeted her. "Welcome back captain." Allivius made a clicking sound as the door shut behind her. "Mack, you already knew I was here. You don't need to greet me like a husband welcoming his wife home." She took a seat in the captains chair and brought the arm around, turning on the screen. "We're setting course for Africa. Make sure the ship doesn't take any detours on the way there" Mack's voice came back over the bridge speakers. "Yes Allivius." Well at least he remembered not to call her captain a second time.

She got out of her chair and left the bridge, heading down the hall to the kitchen. Once she was there, she opened up the cabinets and refrigerator, trying to think of something to make. She stood there scratching her head, trying to think of something that wasn't fried rice. It wasn't like she didn't have enough ingredients for all sorts of things, she made more than enough money to keep her supplies stocked. Suddenly, an idea struck her and she snapped her fingers. "Got it!" She opened up the refrigerator and took out some ingredients which she promptly began to prepare.

[Cream]

"Ok," Levi said, and turned around as Alivius did, to face the door which opened for him at the right proximity. The room, pristine, no doubt, thanks to the Haros, was not not particularly inviting in its sterility. Nihilism washed over him, then the critique of nihilism, and then nihilism again, and... Other concepts, too, made their presence known- it meant that those ideas were out there, within reach of his sensibility. Whether or not he should seek them out was another matter entirely. Levi had no distractions available, leaving him alone with his dreams and goals until the food was ready anyway. He wasn't particularly hungry, caught up instead in the destination, to the neglect of mindfulness and worldly things.

There was nothing to do, no one to talk to. If things would ultimately be the same when pursuing his goals, just an utter neglect for surroundings in service of fidelity to a cause, Levi could not help but call his assumptions into question

[Nihren]

Time passed as Allivius toiled away over the oven. The aroma of fried rice and cooked beef drifted out of the kitchen and then down the hallway. She hummed to herself as she began to put the finishing touches on the rice and beef steaks. Her mouth was practically watering as she stared at the thoroughly cooked meat.

After making sure the oven was off, Allivius made her way to the intercom. Rather than a room to room page, it echoed throughout the whole ship. "The food is ready. Come and get it when you're ready." She walked back to the counter and began preparing plates.

_______________________

The voice over the intercom echoed throughout the ship. It did its job of getting people's attention. A girl left her room, moving quietly down the hall. As a Newtype, her mind was more open then some, touching as many minds as it could and reading people. Before she could only feel something very slight from Allivius' mind, but now there was another presence aboard the Levirius.

She eventually made it to the kitchen and set about finishing her plate which Allivius had started. The woman herself had already sat down to eat, practically wolfing it down.

[Cream]

Levi awoke to the sound of the intercom bellowing aloud, and the message was over before his senses had any chance to attune properly. Something about food, which Alivius had mentioned earlier; Levi wasn't hungry, and also did not have any expectation that she would be able to cook particularly well, but was in no position to turn down a prepared meal. While he had not actually thought about meal accommodation prior to it being brought up, it was a little bit of a shock that she decided to do all of the cooking. Was he supposed to do the dishes? Was this extra care work she seemed willing to provide built into the exorbitant transportation fee? The last time they had worked together he has a person supply of food, and the issue never came up.

The blue-haired girl was in the kitchen, preparing her plate; and Alivius, apparently, was eating faster than an industrialist eats natural resources, meaning she was hungry or it was delicious. Levi was vaguely aware of passengers in the plural, and wondered why it was only her dining. Levi took a second to observe, carefully examined his cognitive interest in her, but otherwise left the woman unbothered.

"Hey Alivius, thanks for preparing the food. I should also ask, do you have any kind of entertainment on the ship, or, like, a computer or something that can connect to a network? It's gonna be a challenge to just sleep through the whole trip."

He located the food and contemplated it, and then jumped in.

[Nihren]

Allivius was stuffing her face full of steak and rice when Levi and the girl walked in, got their plates, and also began eating. She could barely make out what Levi was saying over the sound of her own eating, but she got the gist of it. There was a momentary pause in her food consumption as she finished chewing and swallowing, thinking about Levi's question. "So what you're telling me is that you didn't bring any device capable of connecting to the web? I personally don't spend much time on it, preoccupying myself with work around the ship or drinking. The Gun-EZ's in my hangar are also equipped with simulations if you'd prefer to spend your time that way. Or, I could let you use of the tablets I have to browse the web. So long as you don't do anything to draw attention to us, it should be fine." She looked over at her other guest. "You've been fairly quiet. How do you pass the time?" The blue-haired girl looked up from her food, which she had been consuming at a much slower pace compared to Allivius, certainly more prim and proper. "I'm perfectly fine with being alone with my thoughts. Of course, I try to touch others minds from time to time and read the atmosphere, but reading is also another way I pass the time. Though admittedly a part of me wouldn't mind trying one of those simulations you mentioned." Allivius perked up a bit at the mention of the simulations. "I haven't used them myself in some time, but they should still be perfectly functional." After she said that, she stabbed a piece of steak with her fork and ate the whole thing in one bite.

[Cream]

"I tried to pack light," Levi said, as curt as possible to avoid a justificatory tone; he was enjoying the food, but the atmosphere was a certainly wanting. It made sense, though, he was not [supposed to be] on vacation. He would have to use one of her tablets, or maybe just find something more creative to do- the simulators were an option, too, but... He took a sip of water and realized he had gotten through most of his share of the food without a single sip prior, and as he drank he thought about boredom, that there was always supposed to be something to do. In an ideal world, maybe, he would actually just be able to sit and pass the time. Or go to a place where time is generally just other than what it is in the physical world. He only nodded in response to the offer to use the offered amenities.

When Alivius' attention shifted toward the other young woman, Levi switched his gaze to his plate of food and began sliding it in a vaguely circular motion. Her reply was a little bit curious, though Levi tried not to read too much into what she was saying. Both of them had decided that the simulators were the most exciting thing, for the moment, calling forward an ambivalence in Levi situated between desire and disgust. He watched Alivius devour her food, virtual whole, and finished his own in response.

"You two go on, I'm going to go back to my room. I just remembered something."

He got up and left.

[Nihren]

Allivius narrowed her eyes as Levi left the room. "One minute he asks for entertainment, the next he just goes back to him. Guy needs to make up his mind." As she got up, she took her plate and the girls, tossing them in the sink to do later. Turning around to head out to the hangar, Allivus looked at the girl. "Come on, I guess we'll just do it if he isn't sure." The girl nodded and the two of them left for the hangar. Inside, there were three blue Gun-EZ Late Type's, locked up nice and tight so they wouldn't move during flight. Allivius could see where Levi had parked his core fighter and secured it as well. "Okay, we'll use unit one for this." She guided the girl to the platform and lifted it up to the cockpit, which promptly opened. The two of them spent a good 10 minutes getting everything set up, though Allivius could not step inside the cockpit, her phobia making her sick just thinking about it. "I'll be monitoring your performance from the monitor out here. Good luck!" Allivius leaned against the railing as the cockpit hatch closed. Soon enough, the feed from the Gun-EZ's screen made its way to the outside monitor, allowing Allivius to see everything. She could think of worse ways to pass the time than shooting down virtual mobile suits. Too bad they couldn't make this a competition.

[Cream]

With the lights off and his eyes still unfocused, Levi was splayed across the compact bed, entirely comfortable in the temperature and humidity controlled room. He had it in his mind, specifically the part of his mind that had as its job the separation of his own identity from everything else, that it might be possible to escape the physical world temporarily, with the help of his Newtype abilities. It never occurred to him to try and reign in on his cognitive capabilities, perhaps with the exception of communicating his own emotions to others; there were the other dimensions of Newtype cognition, those more alien ones that were more attributive to the mystery behind the phenomenon than those elements that could be controlled and freely experienced.

The issue concerning greater control was a puzzlement involving his own paucity of understanding regarding the Newtype phenomenon- nobody could really, truly, explain it comprehensively. It was better that way, too: the growth of humanity's own self-understanding lent itself to disappointment more often than it led to achievement. Levi was aware, though, that the opacity of Newtype phenomenology was not merely resultant from lack of information. And there were, he felt, people (legends, myths, maybe) who had reached a level of experience where the full gamut of psychic life could truly be felt, though maybe it only ever reached the point of feeling. How, then, was it to be the case that one could come to feel such a thing at the level of immediacy?

Knowing, at the very least, that the primary components of the Newtype evolutionary path were primarily social, relational phenomena, was a vital first step. Levi had to account for those times when he had been pulled away from the natural world, dragged unwillingly into a domain that was conceptual- even those discursive monsters he was vaguely aware of had to take the form of conscious entities to be intelligible. This form of social intentionality, echt as it was inasmuch as it concerned the source, was characteristically absent from the one consistently available experiences, namely expanded spatial awareness, though that was only one example of heightened types of awareness. True enough, such awareness often manifested itself in situations where others were present, though attunement to the notion of space itself could not be explained (by Levi, anyway) at the level of forced psycho-social evolution exhaustively. It was enough, at least for Levi, to conclude that control over his own mental life was not merely dependent on mastering social relations. Some of it, basically, should be attainable entirely on one's own. The conclusion had brought him back to an epiphany he'd experienced upon visiting Earth on behalf of the Commonwealth.

It sufficed, though, to take on the idea that developing relationships was means enough to experience a greater control over most mental forms and contents that the expanded mental life of a Newtype afforded. The singular journey to cognitive mastery would be more difficult, so he would take the more intermediate line of flight, for the time being. Levi got up to go find Alivius and her client, who was certainly seductive in what appeared to be a self-imposed alienation. But she was not entirely asocial, as she had demonstrated at dinner. Maybe she was vaguely aware of these thoughts he'd been exploring, but maybe not, too. By the time he arrived at the hanagr it had been about an hour since they'd eaten. He peered in and scanned the room to see if they were still there.

[Nihren]

The inside of the Gun-EZ's cockpit was as dark as night as the hatch closed in front of the young woman. Surrounding her a full 360 degrees were monitors. On them, she'd be able to see everything around her. As the main panel in front of her came to life, the other monitors all began to glow, illuminating the cockpit. As the simulation began to boot up, it asked for her to input a name to display alongside her score at the end. Without hesitation she input her name: Rin. After hitting the "confirm" button, the simulation began in earnest. Rather than showing her the hangar that was outside of the Gun-EZ, the monitors displayed a virtual world that she now inhabited. The emptiness of space surrounded her. She sat in silence, eyes closed, letting the Gun-EZ drift through space. Like a sixth sense, she could "feel" the enemy units approaching before the Gun-EZ even registered them.

The thrusters of the Gun-EZ roared to life and sent the machine spinning through space. It was a brand new experience for her, and it took her a moment to adjust. Before she could finish getting the Gun-EZ's controls and capabilities down, the first enemy unit appeared. It fired, but she knew it was coming and evaded, returning fire with the Gun-EZ's beam rifle. The beam tore clean through the enemy unit, destroying it. The momentary pause in the battle allowed her to fully acclimate to the Gun-EZ. Sensing a second enemy approaching, she ducked behind an asteroid as a beam splashed over it. Moving to the top of the asteroid, she primed the two-tube multi-launcher on the left shoulder and fired two missiles at the enemy who had already closed most of the distance. The enemy unit managed to evade the first missile, but was strike in the torso by the second, destroying it. There was no reprieve, however, as a second enemy appeared on an asteroid above her. She quickly turned and fired her beam rifle, destroying its head section before it could fire. It was not the only enemy she had sensed, her left hand releasing its grip on the beam rifle and taking hold of a beam saber on Gun-EZ's left hip, igniting it. She turned around just in time to block the enemy unit that was trying to cut her clean in half with its own beam saber. Rin raised the left arm and pointed the Beam Rifle point blank at the cockpit and fired. She ignited the thrusters and backed off before it exploded.

"SIMULATION OVER"

The words were displayed on her screen, and the virtual space around her faded away. It wasn't intended to be a long simulation, just a short session for some practice. Still, four kills and no scratches was impressive... for anyone that wasn't a Newtype. AI enemies weren't much of a challenge. The cockpit hatch opened and Rin stepped out, looking over to Allivius who seemed a tad perplexed by the whole thing. Before she could comment on the performance however, she clearly noticed something out of the corner of her eye and looked down towards the hangar exit. Allivius waved and yelled out to him. "Hey! Over here!"