You can't forget (Day 6, LN)

[Yuri Creed]

"Basically, yes."

He scratched the side of his neck. "Honestly picked that one up from fighting Rasalhague independence fighters - leaving a weak point always brought them in to hammer it - had to cover my bases."

[Felicity]

"Sounds like you had a senior position. Mind if I ask what made you start up a mercenary command instead?" It seemed a good time to ask.

[Yuri Creed]

"Lots of things."

He hesitated. "Politics, partially. When they let Rasalhague go, people from the region were considered less trustworthy, even if they stayed in the combine."

Glancing at the holotank, as if looking for a distraction, he then added, "And I found religion - not something the Order of Five Pillars would allow in one of the Kanrei's staff, so we agreed I should depart on... not unpleasant terms."

A faint smile. "For all his father's protestations, the Kanrei isn't a bad man."

[Felicity]

This was all news to her. It was interesting news. She hadn't realised what a big shot Yuri had been.

"That's impressive. You don't blow your own trumpet much Major. Some humility is good, but you ought to tell a few war stories and share more of your experience. Eehm, or that's what I think Sir. We probably all are rookies compared to you... You went easy on us in the sims, didn't you?"

She gives him a hard look before smiling slightly herself.

"I want a rematch when things are quieter."

[Yuri Creed]

A faint smirk. "Perhaps I'll oblige - but yes, I wanted to see what you all could do, more than show off my own prowess, especially given the superior machine I was piloting."

Glancing at the battle records, he added, "Your marksmanship has shown dramatic improvement, however, so I'm glad something good came from that initial simulation, at least - the whole company was a little rusty - and everyone has improved, though you've led the pack in that regard."

Tapping the screen he noted a few PPC shots after leaps, and added, "You probably could outshoot me now, in some situations. I was never as good in the air - I always needed a moment to get my bearings when I landed."

[Felicity]

It was four versus one near enough. Felicity didn't really count the simulated opponent.

When Yuri switched focus to the battle records, specifically her performance, Fee was caught off guard. She fidgeted at first as he said she'd improved along with everyone else. However, it was his continued praise that led to her cheeks starting to burn.

"EEHM. Yeaa. I'm getting b-better with those snap shots."

She laughed stiffly, unused to such direct praise. Especially from a superior.

"T-thanks Yur-Sir. Eehm. I mean, I'm glad I've improved. Yea. Good for the Company, si?" She was waffling. Catching herself before she came across any less cool and moronic, Felicity rubbed her throat as she made a noise. She looked away too. "Anything else I should note...?"

[Yuri Creed]

A faint chuckle, and he added, "Only that I appreciate your thoughts and your performance - just don't be afraid to see the good in your fellow pilots - it doesn't do anything to decrease your own achievements, and despite how it may seem, I have seen them, and I do appreciate your efforts."

Flicking through the screens he pulled up the repair order he'd been working on for the Grand Dragon. "With that in mind, however, I do think our company would benefit from well armored mechs able to take point - that's why I asked the techs to reconfigure Yama... the Grand Dragon. Exchange ten LRM tubes for twin SRM 4 feed systems - update the cooling system with those double heatsinks we found - swap some of the left side lasers with the pulse models - that should free up weight for a little bit of extra armor to cover the increased bulk of the new cooing system. I'm not an engineer but I've been around a lot of them - I think they'll be able to work out the details, but the end result should allow me to take a point position even more safely - and that should give you all room to work."

Rubbing at his shoulder, he added, "I've noticed a trend in my pilots toward long-ranged engagements - a fondness for flanking and distance fighting - which means if I can help anchor the enemy position while you all do that - our efficiency should increase even more." There was a wicked glint in his eyes as he added, "I may be a pretty good marksman on stable ground, but I think you saw that I'm a pretty damn good mech pugilist - I was the best in my unit in the Genyosha when it came to melee range fighting - took a Davion Victor alone in city fighting - poor bastard tried jetting out, got caught on power lines and rooftops, came down... I had both legs off his mech before he could stand back up."

[Felicity]

Felicity was filled with vindication and pride. It felt good. She naturally puffed out her chest a bit and sat up straighter, her tail doing likewise. It seemed to give away her thoughts when she wasn't paying attention to it. "Thank you Sir. I will do." She made a mental note to herself to look for more positives in the performance of her fellow mechwarriors.

When Yuri brings up details of the planned Grand Dragon overhaul Felicity becomes very, very curious. This sort of thing was quite rare and expensive, at least in terms of the staff time involved, but it was always fascinating. She dreamed of having her own customised unit one day.

All the improvements appeared well thought out and effective. She was truthfully a little envious. "Yea, your Grand Dragon will be even more of a beast. This is great."

Then came the talk of mech pugilism. Felicity flinched a little as she remembered the battle that evening. "I've never seen heavier mechs lose their legs that fast before Sir." Felicity admits. "That fight today was an eye opener. I feel bad for the Victor pilot getting cornered by you. I think only the heaviest assaults could withstand repeated attacks like that. Even then, not for long." Something occurred to her then. "Sir, if we do end up against something else with an AC-20, don't hesitate to call on us to hit it from a safe range. Your Grand Dragon looks really amazing, but even it won't take repeated hits from one of those, si?" No doubt he knew this, but she wanted to be sure he wouldn't be too reckless even in a forward anchor role. "Don't hesitate to ask us to share our armour either."

[Yuri Creed]

Yuri snorted. "Don't worry sergeant. I've lived through enough battles to know how to avoid dying like a hero."

Waving one hand idly, he added, "I'm not interested in dying before this company even gets started."

[Felicity]

"Good, because I'm starting to like it here." Felicity admits. She studied the details on the upgraded Dragon a bit more. "It'll be good to see your Dragon with arms again. What will you pilot in the interim? The pirates are still a threat, si?"