And Tea for Two

Admiral Duck Sauce 2005-12-15 23:05:55
Dutch is the first of the Vandals to walk into 303A13. The remnants of 12th are there, with a few of 8th thrown in the mix. Lucky's comforting Mixon as the Tatooinian downs another shot. In contrast to Four-Star's Corellian wake, the mood is somber. Dak holds his mug high as Dutch enters the scene.

"You boys saved our ass!" he shouts.

"Not all of 'em," grumbles Mixon. "Damned top shoulda known that place was crawling... shoulda never sent us in there..." he punctuates his rambling by hurtling a shotglass into the wall. Boonie Buinui, Dak's Sullustan pilot, flinches as the glass sprays a little closer than Mixon perhaps meant.

"Ree ghe nu nui mou cheewna?!" (What the hell, asshole?!)
Admiral Duck Sauce 2005-12-16 15:13:00
"Ahhh, go blow a Hutt, Boonie," Mixon retorts, laughing evilly.

"Hwui bunubnub?" (What did you say?) The Sullustan, short even by his species' standards, stands up. He wobbles a little, but he stands up.

"You heard me. Go. Blow. A. Hutt. Boonie. Ah haha hah ha! Hey, izzat you standing up or didya just hit pubert-guhk!" Boonie launches himself into Mixon, spilling the big farmboy onto the floor and toppling the table over. Lucky tumbles into the wall, grimacing from a banged head. The commotion, and affront to an 8th Winger's honor, bristles Glorsh, who pulls Boonie off of Mixon with one scaly hand. The Trandoshan's intervention is ill-timed, however, as Glorsh's jaw takes the punch that was meant for Boonie. Everyone goes over in a heap.
Dieter 2005-12-16 16:50:43
Dutch watches the ruckus, making sure nothing more than fists are used in the melee. The entire ship needs to blow off steam and the fight is better than the crew falling apart while on a mission.

(pulls out his commlink)

"Security detail to 303A13. Stay outside the doors until otherwise advised."
fanchergw 2005-12-16 17:07:13
The sound of the freeforall rouses Calsera from her most recent nap. She wanders over to 303A13 to find the boys rolling about on the floor.

Cat slips over to Dutch. "Looks like it's been to long since they've been with any women, huh?"
Dieter 2005-12-16 17:12:07
Quote:

Quote: from fanchergw on 11:07 am on Dec. 16, 2005

Cat slips over to Dutch. "Looks like it's been to long since they've been with any women, huh?"

"Yeah. Talk about a desperate need for shore eave."
Admiral Duck Sauce 2005-12-16 17:48:17
The brawl is mean-spirited, as all drunken brawls are, but it's a normal fight. Nothing is going to get broken that bacta can't fix... until Glorsh tosses Boonie over the bar and through Aurelia's still. Boonie gets up, looking in amazement at a piece of steel pipe running lengthwise through his forearm, then he pulls it out, spraying Sullustan blood on the floor. Glorsh just stops where he stands, realizing his mistake, when Boonie whips the jagged pipe across Glorsh's face. Mixon, suddenly joining in the abrupt "12th Wing vs. 8th Wing" fight this brawl has become, takes Glorsh over the wrecked table. Rachackaka sees his wingman go down and picks up his chair in one wooly hand. Even Dak snaps, screaming "You dumb son of a Sith! You broke the moonshine!!" The 12th Winger leaps onto Glorsh's back, trying to twist the Trandoshan's thick head off. Lucky slams herself into Mixon, getting in a good groin hit.

Dutch and Cat just stare, Calsera slightly moving to the left to dodge a poorly-aimed barstool.

Mandall walks through the doorframe, ready to party, and freezes at the sight. He turns to leave, catching a thrown mug of ale as he heads out, past the squad of white-helmeted Naval troops coming to break up the fight should Dutch give the signal.

Calsera and Dutch see it, but it's hard to parry a man. Rachackaka grabs Mixon out of the chaos and throws him through the air - right into Cat and Dutch! Another table upturns, glass breaking and playing cards fluttering everywhere. Mixon, shouting drunken gibberish rolls around, trying to get his bearings. His head cranes around and the big man from Tatooine looks right at Calsera. Mixon shouts "FUCK YEAH!" and headbutts her. Staggering, Mixon manages to get to a knee as Cat hits the ground, stunned for a moment.
Dieter 2005-12-16 17:56:33
Yeeargh...oof

Good thing Dutch had ship security on standby. Dutch does a low crawl to the bay door, getting up and opening it.

"Alright. Break it up." grumbles Dutch to the waiting troops.
fanchergw 2005-12-16 19:03:00
The fight quickly turns ugly as the still is broken. Blood begins to flow in the room, and Cat starts to feel skittish in all this chaos.

Though she manages to duck the barstool, Calsera isn't quick enough to avoid the flying pilot. Before she can regain her bearings and rise, the human mashes her in the face with his head! Little birds flit through her vision; instinctively, Cat tries to snatch and eat one, but they exist only in her mind's eye.
Admiral Duck Sauce 2005-12-16 19:44:18
"Aye, sir," barks the sergeant, leading the MPs' rush into 303A13... where they promptly freeze upon witnessing the raw reality of the brawl. Rachackaka looses a roar and sucks down two stun bolts from the naval troops.

The Wookiee only staggers back a step.

Faced with a common foe, every single bloody, bruised, battered ACAG in the room turns their brutal intentions towards the poor MPs. Mixon sparks the powderkeg with a "GET 'EM!!!", throwing himself into the group of Alliance peacekeepers.

Some time later

Several pilots steal sidelong glances at each other as the 8th, 11th, and 12th Wings, deck crew, and several other off-duty personnel stand at attention in their dress uniforms. Boonie's arm is in a sling. Rachackaka bears some scorched-off patches of hair. Glorsh's right eye is swollen and green. Mixon's and Lucky's faces are badly bruised, their knuckles red and scabbed. Calsera's bandage across her nose itches something fierce.

There are no bodies at the memorial service for the fallen pilots of 8th and 12th Wings. A few mementos and personal items are laid into a capsule, then Captain Kolit steps forward to speak.

"At any time we may be called to give our lives in battle. It is a shadow we all must live with, but it is a price our comrades paid gladly to bring freedom to the galaxy. We will never give up; even now, their sacrifices have liberated another planet. We will fight, and we will win - for the Empire fights against our Alliance, our New Republic, but we fight for it. We fight, and we die, so that our children, our families, and our species will know what it is to be free."

Kolit moves to the capsule's release panel, repeating the names of the dead pilots.

"Bo Orlans. Rhom. Trinna Barboy. Lea Garoon. Xamie Kodd. Zsu. Sal Orion. Tarken Annix. May the Force be with you."

With a whump and a whoosh, the capsule ejects into the black.

"May the force be with you." The chorus of voices echoes through the flight deck.
fanchergw 2005-12-16 19:55:21
Calsera does her best to slip out of the fight, though she does kick Mixon in the back on her way.

Hours later, nose bandaged and itching, she appears for the funeral service. Dressed in their best gear, everyone is more subdued, having had time to settle their spirits after the brawl.

Kolit gives a fine eulogy, and Calsera finds herself nodding in agreement with his words. It is a sad day, and no doubt there will be many more like it before this war is done. Cat can only wonder how many of them, if any, will see that day.
Gatac 2005-12-18 11:25:52
Even Mandall yields to the somber mood at the funeral. He'd always seen piloting as fun, a game he was too good at to lose. Now some of the people he laughed along with a few days ago are dead, and the nearly fatal hit he took in that TIE hasn't done wonders for his mood, either.

After the eulogy, he gets up and heads for the flight simulator. There's a war outside, and he needs to be at the top of his game again.