What passed for a bar aboard the Muscogee was lightly populated tonight, seven souls sat across three rather small tables, drinking away the day's events. Liquor was a rare commodity aboard the vessel, with Liberty Ale being the most common beverage under the counter. That said, stocks stayed relatively stable; No one liked the taste, and getting your ale from the clanker behind the counter interrupted the silence most came here for, a reprieve from the skirmishes and comm chatter from their 'fellow pilots'.
Throughout the room were items of considerable personal nature; banners depicting slogans of college sports teams, even some professional ones as well, many eagle motifs, emblematic of the Wings' rather sporadic history, among a plethora of others. In the middle of the bow-ward wall sat a small memorial, decorated with makeshift medals, pictures, some holo and some physical, and at least fifty names. A few small yellow lights lined the wall around it, flickering in a pattern not dissimilar from candles.
At a table near the starboard entrance of the room sat Kramer, a glass of harder liquor in hand. Opposite her sat her wingman of the day, Josiah, and his wingman from the day before, Radnik. The three had been conversing quietly off and on for the past half hour; An unwritten rule in the den, but each table had its 'privacy bubble'.
Josiah, a man easily in his late 30s, finally broke the wall Kramer had been trying to ignore since she sat down.
"So, riddle me this: Where'd you bugger off to after we got back?"
Kramer, somewhat buzzed from her drink, let out a sigh. In her state, she figured she'd been caught with the murder weapon, so no point in keeping her cards down.
"I went out to Lansdale, took a stare at Erie for a while. Wasn't long before some of those 'Legion' guys showed up." She took a sip of her liquor before continuing. "Got to talking, said they were heading out on a flight. Wanted a better idea of how they operated, so I flew with. Figured, 'what's the worst that could happen?'."
Radnik chuckled a little bit, spurring Josiah to throw him a bit of side-eye.
"'Worst that could happen' is us losing another pair of wings to an unknown, boss. How many have we lost since the damn year started?"
"Five," chirped Radnik, taking a sip of his own concoction.
"We don't need number six, boss, least of which you."
Kramer scoffed, which seemed to visibly annoy her second. In her inebriated state, though, guardrails were off.
Inside though, behind all the alcohol and spite she knew he had a point. Still, she came back, so clearly the fears were misplaced if not unfounded.
"Relax. I got what I needed, even made it back with a few new tallies."
Josiah wasn't convinced, but he knew more than anyone starting an argument with her was pointless. He merely grumbled, taking a swig of his drink.
"So you know they're Legion, 'least they claim to be-"
Kramer cut him off rather abruptly.
"They're Legion. Claims and all. I've seen the Incursus with my own eyes, twice now."
Radnik's eyes widened, noticeably so.
"Hard to fake that."
"Then what's stopping us?" he asked, curious.
Kramer took another swig of her liquor.
"Trust, on both sides."
Let Liberty bathe in the roaring fires of purity, and let not one debaser flee her righteous fury.
Sanat Dolor, Expiat Ignis
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