Brotherhood Bar-Talks

[Lucend]

A drunken Corsair walks into a bar...

with a crate he was saving for just this kind of let-downer. His Titan was being repaired in the dock and he had some time left before he could even leave Crete. Five shots of Brandy and two shots of Gin had given him an edge and decided that the Brotherhood needed a bit of a good surprise for once. Lucendez set the crate down and surveyed the selection...



He squinted his eye...



"Fruit-pickin ... Swill!" He said, and promptly chucked the Jieger out the window.

"Pick your poison lads! This stuff is hundreds of years old! I've been savin this for a *hic* horrible moment."

---

"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."

Osaika Moto, the Fall and Rise of a Kusari Farmer

Juan Lucendez, √ Corsair

[bluntpencil2001]

Ares sat, clutching his drink tightly, the contempt obviously radiating from the depths of his soul. A tear runs down his cheek as he speaks to Montoya.

"I told you. I told him. Yes, you agreed, but you two didn't have the resolve to put it into motion. In a war, you need discipline. I don't care how piracy works, I know war. The SCRA have crushed many a foe thanks to teamwork. The Brotherhood don't fight like brothers. That's why... that's why he's dead."

He shakes his head, unable to believe that the Brotherhood lost one of their best due to flying like a complete rabble.

He offers a sad smile, and finishes his glass after saying, "For Pedro...".

Ares then steels himself, "Well, whilst the Brotherhood licks their wounds, I'm sure the SCRA can take other avenues of attack in order to take vengeance on the Rheinland bastards. Elder Maniaco will be avenged."

---

[McNeo]

"However much we wanted to, we cannot force change. Corsair blood runs hot in all our veins, only very few have control. You're a perfect example of this Ares.

Indeed, can you not see that I am affected by his death too? He was one of my best friends since the resurrection of the Brotherhood, and it pains me to see him go. It pains me more, however, that you blame me for it. I did everything I could to save him. You make it seem like I killed him with my own hands..."

Juan slumped his head and his face darkened beneath his hair.

If one looked closely, a tear could be observed falling from his face, on to the table.

Not willing to show his bitter weakness in front of the sullen crowd in the bar, he lifted himself from the chair, and made his way to the exit. He needed time to think. What was the next move...?

[bluntpencil2001]

As Montoya gets up, Ares follows, whispering in his ear.

"Learn from the mistake, dammit, don't wave it off as something that can't be helped! You saw that idiot Santos, and you saw how the others flew. They need reminded that they are brothers!"

He puts his hand on Juan's shoulder,

"You have to fly like I'm saying as the Outcast vultures will be coming soon... but not for Maniaco's corpse. They come for those still living. Make sure they stay that way and don't end up like Pedro."

---

[Othman]

Julio drops in, despite passing by the 2 elders, he seems to be completely unaware of the conversation going on between them. He is unaware of anything that moment in fact, since he still can not believe what has happened recently.

It is also obvious from his eyes that he has not slept the night of Pedro's loss and still not recovered from the recent shock they had in the destruction of Altaneria.

After taking some steps he suddenly kneels down in a dark corner to make sure not to be heard by the others, tears heavily dropping from his eyes and holding his grasp tightly. Yet, a bartender hears Julio repeatedly whispering to himself as ''He was our father.''

---

On the uncharted lagoons of anguish, I sail with a canoe made of my sins.

[Skyelius]

"Indeed he was, brother", someone said.

A familiar voice closed in on Julio's ear. Ibanez detected a hint of sobbing from the low tone of Skyelius' words. He had just entered the bar. Troubled with insomnia for the destruction of the Altaneria, he sits down, and watches as Ares and Montoya walk down the hallway. He notes that Montoya keeps his head down, while Ares has his hands around his shoulder. Soon both them walk out of view.

Then, Skyelius looks at Julio, carefully blinking to conceal his feelings.

"I haven't spoken to Juan yet. He is too distressed from the loss of Pedro. He went down in glory, as many of us should have. It was the Altaneria's destruction that allowed our pods to be retrieved. The huge amount of debris covered our signatures from the Rheinland ships. If it weren't for him I don't know where I would be right now, facing torture, or muerto."

Suddenly, Sky felt a shock of emotion in his chest. He faced down, and closed his fists in anger. Not daring to look back at his brother, he turned back and ran to the exit. Soon afterwards the launch alarm of Landing Bay 12 was heard by the other Brotherhood members in the bar.

---

"It is a cold universe until you know God as your Father, and then it becomes a home. Even the next life simply becomes the Father's house, home."
—David Pawson

[I_m_rdy]

Raul, ignoring everything around him, including the alarm, went slowly into the bar. As the entered, all he felt was sadness and despair, spiced with slight anger. Even the Boozer's Lounge was too calm for these hours. He felt that way, too, only that he was rather angry than sad. Raul was angry at himself that he couldn't do anything to hinder Pedro's death. He sat down at a table, alone, without ordering anything. All he did is wrapping his arms around his head, sunken on the table.

Raul was not crying, though. He was thinking, calmly. "How could this be? How did Pedro die? It's like a bad nightmare... Only if I could have done something, he could maybe sit here and have a beer with us." Raul sat there at the table, thinking about the same over and over for a long time. Every once in a while a tear broke from his face. Raul never felt so alone like that moment.

---

[Othman]

Julio tried to conceal his miserable state, sweeping his damp face while Skyelius was whispering some words. He sounded as if he was a great friend who minded to care about Julio. Maybe he really did or maybe not but the thing was obvious that he sounded friendly and frankly. They both seemed to be exhausted of the sadness though and were barely able to speak.

Julios hands strangely began trembling while Skyelius was talking about the Altaneria, probably because that made him recall the explosion instance. He felt a great pain in his already injured right arm, tried to stand up but staggered after a few steps and heavily kneeled down again.

Julio decided to do the last thing he would do while his left hand was reaching the small rum bottle nearby. He would drink till forgetting anyting he had in his mind. He felt that it was the best way to avoid not only the physical pain he was being tested with but the disasterous mental anguish which was clearly worrying himself to death.

---

On the uncharted lagoons of anguish, I sail with a canoe made of my sins.

[Lucend]

There is a common misconception around Crete that the Elders of the Corsair civilization are immortal. That they somehow found a way to cheat death and that is why they keep coming back for more. The scene at the bar on Crete was a powerful reminder to Lucendez that they are no more immortal than he was.

Lucendez sipped his ale.

He didn't drink much really, Lucendez was one of those people that are afraid of mind-altering drugs. Hell, he didn't even smoke. But when times were really bad, when the world felt like it was caving in and all would be destroyed, ale was his best friend. Back and forth he traced the events in his mind. He could have checked the bridge of the Altaneria after he scooped up Magia and launched his battered Titan, but it didn't cross his mind. It didn't cross his mind!


"Hola, Hermano." Lucendez walked to the bar and sat next to Julio. Julio was clearly in a state and looked like he needed someone to talk to.

"So, I didn't know Pedro quite as well as some of you. I was sort of wondering if you wanted to talk about him. Or we can talk about something else. Either way, Bartender! More ale..."

---

"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."

Osaika Moto, the Fall and Rise of a Kusari Farmer

Juan Lucendez, √ Corsair

[Othman]

Julio was hardly gulping the drink down and he barely realized the figure approaching him upon hearing some footsteps. This was Lucendez, and he seemed inclined to talk. Julio tried to sit up a bit, upon a brothers arrival because he was teached to always respect a brother and it was not for him to lay down on the ground as a helpless man. Yet, he still could not keep from judging himself whether giving himself to drink was right or not.

In the first attempt he failed to straighten up, he failed again in the second to do so and in the third he succeeded with the help of his brother nearby. They took chairs and sat down.

Julio began to talk, thanks to the slight relaxation rum had provided him with.

''Pedro was like a father to me, he really was. I lost my parents when I was 6 years old. I lost them againt the Hessian scum. We were listening to the tales of the Elders in that age, and it is not easy to recover from such an incident and grow up without parents. The only thing that was left behind them was my little sister Luciana and I had to earn a life to look after both myself and her. Thus, I began to work amongst the repair crew in Cadiz and served for 7 years there. My childhood passed with experiencing the harsh conditions our people faced in the remote systems. There were times that it was nearly impossible to talk to the centurion pilots more than once those who I repaired ships for just because they were either missing or dead. One can not know how bitter this feels.

My first encounter with Pedro was in Gamma, I was on the tail of an Outcast bastard. Yet, it had made me a bit worried of having inferior firepower when compared to the other vessel. After a while some brotherhood and coalition vessels showed up on my scanners, and Pedro was leading them. We destroyed the vessel together and I was congratulated by Pedro with the willingness I showed that day. He was such a polite and frank man. I did not hesitate for a second when he offered me to join the brotherhood.''

For a moment, words sticked to his throat. He went on though,

''Pedro was like my second father since I put him in my mind as he was so. He was so caring about me in my young age maybe because he knew I was grown up without parents. Every new day meant more wisdom for me to learn and experience. I just cant forget the days training against Pedro. I had a lot to learn from him, and now.. I still cant believe.. We lost him too early..''

Julio could not neither further talk nor drink, he had already passed the barrier of intense intoxication..

---

On the uncharted lagoons of anguish, I sail with a canoe made of my sins.