Brotherhood Bar-Talks

[bluntpencil2001]

"Hey, we don't want to kill anyone here. That's why my pilots are headed home to Omega-52. Out of respect for the Brotherhood.

However, the Corsairs do need discipline, in my opinion. This lack of control lost the war in Rheinland and is now causing tension between friends."

Ares scowls before continuing...

"Their ignorance is not my fault. Their ignorance is why my comrades are getting shot down. I'd rather that they be punished for such ignorance than ourselves, don't you agree? We don't put up with insults and we certainly don't stand for attacks upon us..."

---

[McNeo]

"Wise words, friend, and I agree. You aren't the people who should be punished. I don't want to say it, but I feel that its getting closer and closer to me asking the other Elders if we should allow without restraint for the Coalition to shoot down our brothers."

Juan sighs at this prospect, but continues.

"Obviously, your pilots would have to rescue them and land their escape pod on Crete, but that would be the limit of your duty. I just fear a constant flow of young Corsair pilots in the landing complex telling the same story. false, and detrimental information can spread, and be twisted as it does so. That would create a lot of bad feeling towards the Coalition, which is what I fear the most."

Montoya then looks up into Ares' eyes and speaks.

"I have asked you this before, brother. What can I do to solve this?"

[bluntpencil2001]

Ares laughs,

"If I knew, it would be solved already! Haha!"

He leans back on his seat and speaks to the barmaid rushing around for Alonso...

"Hey there, chica, do you ever actually seen any of these Corsair-wannabes in here? Or are they not old enough for a beer yet, senorita?"

"No, senor, they never really speak to anyone. Very antisocial, not like you lovely Coalition sorts or the Brotherhood... When they do come in, they sit in the corner and never ever leave a tip! I don't care if folk are noisy and boisterous, so long as they aren't tight, greedy..."

Ares laughs and winks as she goes off muttering profanities about these 'independent' pilots.

---

[McNeo]

"You certainly have a way with women, Ares." Montoya exclaimed as he smiled.

"I wish I could let go so easily and socialise more, but I feel too respected sometimes. All work and no play makes Juan a dull boy..."

Montoya sighed again at the tail of the sentance, and carried on.

"I wish some of the other Elders would comment on this disturbing news at any rate. I don't want to be the one making all the decisions, as it would seem quite unfair. But that Barmaid over there, who I know you'd like to 'get to know' some time in the future, makes some good points. They don't really respect the Brotherhood, our rulings on certain matters or the fact that we try to protect them. Its seems that more and more they need to be taught a lesson, unfortunately with the loss of plasma and their ships.

Its all too much when Brothers turn on Brothers, but it seems that this course of action is the only one left. All other avenues of action seem to be exhausted. I just wish there was another way, but it appears that there isn't..."

What would the other Elders, in fact, the rest of the Corsairs think about this? Two Elders almost agreeing to shoot Corsairs that rebel? It was a fact of life that everyone went through this phase, but they had to be put in line, or the whole of the Corsair Empire was at risk. It almost seemed like cannibalism, one life to save another. As much as this reminded Juan of the Ventru family, he perished the thought from his head as Ares gestures indicating a response.

[bluntpencil2001]

"Si, hermano, it's a damn shame. These fools never listen when I tell them to quit trying to take cheap grabs at glory...

They think they can fly solo and earn the praise of everyone around by doing as they please. Nada, that isn't how it works. You don't gain medals and girls by trying to outshine everyone else... you help everyone else do well.

Hell, I've shot down a lot of people, but I certainly don't have the number one spot on the Coalition Killboard anymore... it isn't my job to deal the killing blow, it's protecting my wingmen, flying as a team.

These amateurs flying around Crete are too busy trying to get their names in lights for shooting at respected pilots instead of working together as a well-oiled machine, they're just not realising how things work around here..."

Ares is calm as he says all this. It appears that this has been on his mind an awful lot.

---

[Lucend]

Juan looked like he was going to fall face first onto his work. He was tired and interruptions by friends and brothers in the bar had been a welcomed diversion, but he really needed to get his calibration work done. Lucendez moved to a corner and ordered a pitcher of water and a glass. His eyes were gaunt and ready to fall asleep as he shuffled through his papers, finding the one he wrote up on the Farmer's Alliance "Vulture 4."

"Crap." He wrote in big red letters with his pen.
"More Crap." He wrote again on the Hogosha's Drake D.
"Even More Crap." Again on the third, this time the Gaia's Angel.

"Ugh", he thought. "I just confirmed what I already knew, Corsair weapons are superior to their allies." Lucendez tried to look on be bright side, that as the inventor Edison once said, now he knew a hundred ways how not to build the light bulb. He now had this information and that in itself was a plus, but the risk of going back into Kusari space was not worth it. Although he would gladly risk his life for any Corsair and The Brotherhood, he had a suspicion that needlessly throwing away one's life would not benefit anything.

Lucendez gathered up his pages and threw them in the nearest trash can, pulled out his pad and did what he should have done in the beginning, ordered two more Salamanca Mk II's mounted on his Titan. Stowing away his pad, he glanced up at the bar and noticed two Elders having a heated discussion. One of the benefits to having a bar as an office is the fact that everyone knows your business, or at least there is a rumor. Even with semi-secret organizations like the Brotherhood, rumor spreads, especially about the armed exchange over Crete and the Coalition troops leaving. But, he didn't want to talk about that, he had bigger fish to fry, especially in Delta. Even though he didn't move there to combat Nomads, he certainly was now.

Lucendez straightened up and walked as proudly as he could, as he passed Montoya he gave a nod of respect and received one, once passed he slumped again and rubbed his eyes. He was sleeping in the Titan again on his way back to Delta.

---

"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

[onca]

"Make that 3 Elders." ~Farquar emerges from the dark corner where he was listening in to Ares and Juan Montoya~

"These bandidos, these lone Corsairs who would fire on our beloved allies, they are obviously young and hotheaded. They are out to prove themselves, to show the world their machismo. But they need to learn honour and respect. And there is no greater teacher then experience....

All I ask is of brother Ares is this: Try not to end their lives prematurely. each one may yet prove a brave and powerful ally, in time. A man who is bitten on the leg, and lives to wear the bite marks, will never again tempt the snake. I would rather replace a ship than a good pilot."

[chavez]

Teresa walked in the bar silently. As soon as the bartender spotted her, he turned to the coffee machine and started to prepare her espresso. She looked over the place, searching for a lonely figure of Juan Lucendez. It has been rumoured among brothers, that he's an expert on guns. And not only corsair guns, but also those of their allies. She asked the bartender while he was giving her the coffee, but she heard that Juan already left and he was saying something about returning to the Yaren Base. Ah, too bad, Teresa thought, maybe next time. She really wanted to try something different then Salamancas. She knew they were almost the best ones, speaking of damage/energy efficiency ratio, but they were just too slow. She would sacrifice some damage for the speed improvement on her Centurion's loadout.

Teresa heard a familiar voice from the next table and she recognized Ares. She already met him in Gamma before, but she didn't know his two companions. There was something lofty in their behaviour, so maybe she could finally meet the rest of the Elders in person. She took her coffee and came to them.

They were speaking about some rogues, who again fired at Coalition pilots. Ares saw her coming and he stood up and said: "Ah, Teresa, how are you? Meet Elders Montoya and Farquar. Brothers, this is Teresa, Maniaco's daughter."

She shook hands with both of them an sat down to their table. "So, my friends, what's bothering you? Your faces look puzzled."

---

If I die, I forgive you, father. If I live we shall see.....Teresa Chavez

[McNeo]

"A pleasure to meet you, first of all sister Teresa. However, I must depart. I have made my decision on the topic at hand, and you will see through your fathers identification codes what it is for..."

Juan raised himself from his chair, and walked towards the door. On the way past, he whispered in Teresa's ear.

"Forgive me, for what I am about to do."

And with that Juan walked out of the bar. As he was walking on the path towards the Elders council chambers, he composed a message in his mind, what he felt honestly. He then thought of who to send it too. Not the brothers he knew so well, they weren't to blame. They didn't need to hear his words.

It was the independent Corsairs who needed to listen, and listen they would. His course was set, his direction true. Nothing would stop him.

[Skyelius]

After a skirmish with Bretonian forces, Skyelius was tired, he needed to rest. He had been trying hard to understand the untimely conflicts that seemed to bombard the Corsairs lately. The pilot made his way to the bar, and sit in front of the bartender, keeping his head down. Alonso already knew what his meant. He already knew what calmed him down. A nice cup of coffee, at just the right warmth. Pedro knew he was right when he saw his brother leave a tip at the table. It was almost strange to see this calmness in Sky's eyes, after such hard moments in his life lately. Skyelius looked over at the table on his right, and saw several Elders and the newly recruited Teresa, sitting at the table with them, all speaking in a jumpy yet low voice, almost as if they wanted to hide an obvious situation. But he did not look much at the table, instead remembering he needed to continue his work on the Black Emerald before his shore leave in a few days. He thought about his brothers, how they would need all the help they could get, and that it was a perfect, if random time to give any advice, help or just accompany one of his hermanos now that he had practically nothing to do.

---

"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