AWF Chpt 5

=Chapter 5=
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==A Warrior's Family==
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===Remembering Tuna===
Klathandu System
Federated Suns
August 3029
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The mechwarriors returned to the berthing area. The berths were simple rectangular sleeping cells built into the ship. They were about two meters long and a meter wide and a meter deep. They had a roll up door that could be locked from the inside or outside. There was also floor to ceiling wall lockers built into the bulwark. There were four berths in the section with two on one wall and two on the other.
Joker picked the bed above Anastasia and Hap chose the bed across from her. Hap set his bag down on his bed, but before he could open it Joker nudged him. "Hey I grabbed Tuna's bag before I got back in my 'Mech, you want to go through it?" Joker showed Hap a long black bag. It had blood stains and was ripped and had a few jagged pieces of metal and broken glass embedded in it.
Hap nodded, and suggested they go to the lounge attached to the berth area. The lounge was designed to be part ready room and part lounge, so it could be used mission briefs, debriefings, or just relaxing. It had a table and a few chairs, a large semi-circular couch in front of a viewing screen and a bar. In front of the couch was a circular coffee table. There was also a door that led to a shared head and showers.
Anastasia followed Hap and Joker into the lounge. Joker started emptying the contents on the bag onto the coffee table. In the sides of bag there was a war club and an axe. Joker pulled both of them out then opened the bag. There was dozens of food pouches marked with "Tuna", "Protein Paste, Tuna" and "Fish flavored protein." There was a wood box that had stylized fish engraved into it, a pouch marked, "Environment Suit, 24hour, X-Small" a water bottle with a water purification system, a paper wrapped parcel that had a wad of bills rubber-banded to it, a flare gun, a shot gun and an extra-large pistol belt fully extending. The pistol belt had pouches all over it including a large rear pouch. Joker opened the large pouch and pulled out three Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS) rations all marked, "Menu 13, Steak, Tuna, Teriyaki flavored – Melcher Food Corps".
Anastasia sat down on the couch, "Is this how he got the call sign 'Tuna'?"
Joker handed the paper parcel to Hap, "Sorta, but this isn't the half of it. If we asked Tuna where we wanted to go it was either a Sushi place, or a fish restaurant, and he'd order Tuna rolls or a Tuna steak."
Hap pulled off the rubber band and looked at the wad of Davion bills, "He had pretty good taste, but there was this one on Sushi restaurant where at least one of us seemed to get sick when we ate there."
"That was the one Nanni worked at." Joker said as he opened the wood box and revealed a fishing pole. "You want his fishing pole or his war club?"
"I'll take the pole, it reminds me how he always told us, 'if you can find water, you'll live.'" Hap said, "The parcel is addressed to his mom and sister. Is there a letter for Nanni?"
Joker searched the bag and pulled out a few more pieces of broken glass and metal. "No."
"What are you doing?" Anastasia asked, "This feels macabre."
"Cadets are worse than boots." Joker said to Hap.
Hap ignored Joker looked at Anastasia, "We made an agreement a while back, if any of us died, the survivor would send this" Hap held up the parcel, "back to whoever it was addressed to. If there was any money left over it was to buy drinks and celebrate the man, then we all take one thing to remember him, and then the rest goes back to family."
Hap looked over at Joker, "We're Mercenaries now. She's not a cadet, and she doesn't want to be called 'Princess'."
"Whatever you and Princess say, boss." Joker replied.
Hap sighed and held up the paper wrapped parcel. "I'll make sure this is sent back to his Mom and sister. It has a few personal things for them and a message Sammy wrote. Knowing Sammy it probably thanks his mom and sister for everything, has instructions on how to get his life insurance, and it probably forbids his sister from dating Joker in the unlikely event they ever meet."
"From the grave, man that's cold." Joker said with a head shake.
"Clearly he was a good brother." Anastasia quipped
Hap nodded, as he set the parcel down. Things got quiet as Hap and Joker sorted through the contents of bag. Hap picked up the axe. "Do you have one of these?" He asked as he handed it to Anastasia. "We got these about a week before we shipped out to Klathandu IV. It was a new issue item."
Anastasia shook her head as she took the axe. It was lighter than it looked, and the handle ended in a pry bar tip. In the axe head were two cut outs for hex bolts. The axe head itself had a large broad head on one side, and the other was a sharp spike. Anastasia tried to return the axe, "I can't keep this".
"Why?" Hap asked, "It's a good tool, made of titanium alloy. The hex bolts were supposed to be the two most common found on a mech's emergency access port, and the spike can puncture armor or safety glass. Most of us were skeptical enough to complain about it, but none of us turned them down."
"Worked good for me." Joker added as he continued to sort items.
"It's not that. I hardly knew 'Tuna' and this is this is all an agreement your lance made before I came around. There is nothing in my E3 bag you would want."
"E3 bag?" Joker asked
"Escape, Evade or Egress bag. What do you call them?" Anastasia asked.
"Go-bags, Princess. Man you really are a boot. What did you have in your little 'E3 bag'." Joker sneered
"Water, a few rations, a toiletry kit, underwear-" Anastasia replied
"Oh! I'd take your underwear." Joker interrupted.
"To wear or are you a pervert?" Anastasia asked, and gave Joker a look that made Hap wonder if she wasn't about to hit him. Hap was suddenly concerned about giving her the axe.
"You don't want to know. " Hap replied as he shot Joker a warning look. Hap sat down next to her "You're part of this lance now. You have to join in our traditions. Keep the axe, and take anything else you want. We're probably going to have to get rid of all this one way or another."
Anastasia nodded, "Okay. I'm fine with all this, except if something happens to me, I don't want Joker to get my underwear."
"You'll be dead, you don't-" Joker started to protest.
Hap held up his hand, "I'll make sure your underwear is properly destroyed and Joker won't get it."
Anastasia smiled at Hap, "Thank you, Harold."
Hap didn't like his first name, but when Anastasia said it, and smiled, he didn't care. He forgot what he was about to say and then Joker mockingly said "Thank you Harold" in a falsetto.
Hap and Anastasia both looked at Joker as he held up pistol belt, "Hey Princess, need a new pistol belt."
"Are you calling me fat?" Anastasia gave Joker another withering stare.
Hap threw a tuna package at Joker, "Damn it Joker stop making her angry. I'm worried her face is going to freeze in one of those looks."
Joker laughed as the packet bounced off his shoulder and he started to strip the pouches off the belt.
Anastasia tried to make her expression more neutral as she picked up the extra small environment suit. "I never met Tuna, but with all the food and that equipment belt it seems unlikely he would fit into this."
Joker looked at the silver envelope she was holding, then laughed. "Oh yeah, we were doing some lunar training and we were all told to draw an environmental suit, but by the time Tuna got there x-small was all they had left. Sergeant Fritz told them they were all baggy fit, but made to stretch, so he'd be fine."
"Baggy, but stretch? That makes no sense" Anastasia said.
"That's Sergeant Fritz" Hap remarked dryly as opened the wooden box and examined the fishing pole.
"So Tuna and Fritz got into an argument and when Sergeant Major McWilliams came he sided with Sergeant Fritz."
"Of course he did" Hap interjected. "Hey I'm taking the butt pack, unless you want it." Hap said as he closed the wooden box, and pulled the large pouch to him.
Joker nodded as he continued, "So Sergeant Major told Tuna if he didn't eject it wouldn't be a problem, and he didn't want problems, so Tuna shouldn't make problems."
Hap looked confused, "Is that how Sergeant Fritz got the black eye?"
"No that was Reynolds. The exact same thing happened with Reynolds except Reynolds told him to just keep the suit, but Fritz told him turn-ins were only on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that's when Reynolds grabbed him and slammed him into the supply room bars."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Tuna was a gentle giant, and I never heard why Reynolds got busted down to private. When I went to the XO and tried to get Tuna a new suit, he told me flat-out, everyone got what they were issued, and the topic wasn't up discussion. Then he kicked me out of his office."
They talked for another hour. Hap and Joker had dozens of stories about the big man and soon Anastasia felt she almost knew Sergeant Sammy "Tuna" Kam'achi. They also told her about Lucky and some of their general misadventures. When they had started to go through the bag Anastasia thought it was selfish and macabre, but she saw this was as close to a funeral as they could give their friend and brother-in-arms. She didn't know it, but she was also starting to feel like part of the family.
Hap carefully took a small finger size of shard of 'Mech armor. He pulled a blue cloth out of his pocket and opened it up to reveal another armor shard. He added the new piece and then wrapped them both up and put them back into his pocket. Anastasia noticed, but didn't say anything. They all chose to keep one of the rations, not to eat, because menu 13 was a notoriously terrible ration, but just to remember "Tuna". As they started to clean up Roweyna found them.
"Oh, Aye, that's a lot of Tuna packages."Roweyna said.
"We were going through our friends gear." Hap started to explain.
"Very good. I noticed that that Anastasia had marked on her contract that she could cook. I was getting ready to prepare our evening meal and wanted to see if she would help."
Anastasia nodded, and said, "I'd love too." As she smiled and started to collect her things.
Roweyna and Anastasia started to leave and then Roweyna stopped, "If you all aren't going to eat that fish, may I add them to the ship's larder?"
"Yes. Certainly." Hap replied
As Roweyna and Anastasia started to collect the tuna Joker whined, "Why'd you do that, now we're having tuna for dinner."
"Not tonight, Father already told me he wanted he wanted beef stew. And honestly I have no idea what to do with all this tuna, although there is enough to feed everyone."
"How many is 'everyone'?" Anastasia asked.
"Oh about twenty-five." Roweyna replied, "Have ye ever cooked for that many?"
Anastasia seemed to think, "yes, and I know what to do with the tuna. So I'll make dinner tomorrow."
"Oh. Wonderful." Roweyna replied, "I have to do all my reports with the Mercenary Review Board so I probably won't be able to help."
"Don't be surprised when I don't eat whatever you make." Joker told Anastasia.
"Knowing that I'm not cooking for you actually gives me greater joy in my work." Anastasia replied
"What?" Joker asked as Roweyna stifled a laugh.
"She's telling you she's happy not to cook for you." Hap replied as the woman left the room.
There was a pause before Joker asked "What do you think my chances are of with Princess?"
"Remember that one time you and Lucky took all your money and told Private Godfrey to buy you guys as many lottery tickets as he could get, and instead he somehow managed to lose that money betting on his team in the post-wide basketball tournament?"
"Yeah?" Joker answered.
"Your chances with Anastasia are much worse." Hap told him.
"You think yours are any better?" Joker asked.
"If I do it's because I listen to her, and try not to provoke her every chance I get." Hap replied
"Yeah but you treat everyone that way. What's to make her feel special? Now treat her like shit-"
"Has that ever actually gotten you anywhere with any woman, ever?" Hap asked
"Well no, but I think you gotta wear a woman down for awhile and then-" Joker started to say
"Good lord. Part of the reason I signed up was to protect the universe from you. You really need to tone down a little with Anastasia. I was worried she was about to go at you with that axe." Hap said.
"Yeah she's given me a lot of cold stares, but that one was evil. I may have gone too far." Joker admitted
"You think? You were talking about taking her underwear after she died and doing terrible things with it. I think you need to lay off calling her Princess for a while." Hap told him.
"I'll try to give her less crap, but that's her call sign, and the fact she hates it makes me love it."
"You know call signs can come and go when you get to a new organization, and I know she looks like a spoiled little rich girl, but she's a good 'Mech warrior. I'm going to talk to her about how she presents herself, but if you could help by not calling her Princess. I'd appreciate it." Hap said.
"I don't know, boss, maybe if she talked to me. I think her and I can work something out." Joker said.
Hap's eyes narrowed "I'm probably going to have to kick your ass before this is all said and down."
Joker laughed, "I knew you liked her, and not just like how you like me, but you really like her."
Hap blushed, "I just met her, and by all appearances she is way out of my league. All I really know is she's in our lance, and I have to keep her from killing you. Just help me keep the peace."
"I'll do what I can, boss."
"Besides there is reason why fraternization is forbidden in military law. It's just bad business to date people in your lance. Just too much of a risk." Hap added.
"Whatever you say, boss." Joker added as he laughed. "Of course, for a Princess, it's worth the risk."
Hap didn't say anything, but he did consider that, Princess or not, she was probably worth whatever he thought he might be risking.
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