Operation: Home Front - "About Those Drinks You Ordered, Ma'am" Author: Centurion A. P. Selene / Zaphyre [Time: Z minus 2 days, Evening] Centurion Selene strode confidently into the DE tent trying to rub the cramps out of her right arm. *See Charc anywhere, Zaph?* *Nope. He'll be late. As always.* *Let's hope not. I don't want to wait...* Outwardly she smiled, greeting people as she forced her way to the front of the noisy crowd. After what seemed like ages, she broke through the front ranks and was pleasantly surprised to find Trooper Charcharadon standing nearby. *See, Selene?* the dragon chortled. *I /told/ you he'd be on time tonight.* *What?* the human was flabbergasted. *I don't think so! Not two minutes ago you were telling me how late he'd be!* Taking the last few steps to the front of the room, she deliberately ignored Zaphyre who was hotly denying any comments regarding the Trooper's promptness - or lack thereof. *Put a sock in it, Zaph. I want to get this little party underway. I do have other things that I want to do tonight...* *Like visit a certain TRES officer?* the dragon teased. Instead of answering, Selene rapped sharply on a nearby table. *Selene?* When that failed to get people's attention, she jumped up on it, letting out an ear-piercing whistle. The tent quieted immediately. Meanwhile, frustrated by her silence, Zaph decided to snoop and peeked into the human's subconscious. *What the...* she muttered, taken aback by the turbulent mass that seemed to be centered around the woman's emotional state. "Glad to see I have your attention, " Selene commented wryly causing a few scattered chuckles. "I assume you can all hear me?" As she paused for a response, a slight frown crossed her face; she had sensed the dragon's intrusion. Momentarily turning her attention inward, she mentally smacked her Companion[tm] snapping, *Get outta there, Zaph!* The dragon complied meekly settling down to listen... and to think about what she had found. Having taken care of that small problem, the Centurion continued. "I'm sure you'll all wondering exactly why I called this meeting tonight. First though, I think I'd better introduce myself for those of you who don't know me." "The name's Centurion Aphrodite Persephone Selene. Quite a mouthful to say, especially when fighting the Purple Slime[tm] and company. So just call me Selene. And yes, for those rumor-mongers out there, I do carry a dragon around in my head. She's on our side; treat her that way and we'll have no problems." "I, along with Commander William Keith of the TRES Corps, will be running this little shindig - got any questions, come to either one of us. Or, if it's something pertaining to the Empire specifically, see Charc. He probably knows as much as I do right now, if not more. Which brings me to the first item of business on tonight's agenda. This upcoming battle will not be like anything you've ever experienced." "Now, I know you've all heard that line a million times before if you've heard it once - but let me explain before you go rolling your eyes and tuning me out." One of the older veterans in the front quirked an eyebrow as if saying, "Go ahead. Try and surprise me." "As far as we can tell, we will not be going up against any of the usual treats that await us in the Beast[tm]'s strongholds. That means no strange magical beings, no wild, mutated creatures, and no murderous aliens or creatures from other planes. This time, we'll be fighting humans... humans and their technology. You see, the Nagenta Thug[tm] is still dead." A murmur sprang up throughout the crowd causing Selene to raise her voice to be heard. "From our most recent information, the man responsible for the engineering and operation of this scheme is one of the HellWyrm's Liaisons - a character named Rhyn. We don't have much in the way of hard facts on the guy unfortunately. What I can tell you is that he's a techno-genius and he's ruthless. Keep that in mind over the next few days, during the training exercises as well as when we finally go into battle." She glanced at her notes. "Next item: From what I've been told, many of you have been recognized for excellent work done within the squads themselves recently. I would like to take this opportunity to officially recognize and congratulate all the squads, especially those of you that recently were promoted within ranks. I'd also like to congratulate the 'rookies' out there. You've done good work in taking out the Elements[tm]. Keep it up." Glancing down again, Selene hid the grin that had tried to form and barked in her sternest voice, "Trooper Charcharadon, front and center!" She waited patiently as he approached, looking a bit puzzled. When he stood before her, she spoke only a single word. "Kneel." Hesitantly, he obeyed and lowered himself to his knees. "Trooper Charcharadon, over the past few years, you have served the Doberman Empire diligently and true. You were one of the Empire's first true research scientists and as such, have provided many of us with the armor, weaponry, and... toys that we use daily." "You have also honored and served the mighty Grimace[tm] through all of your thoughts and deeds, never bringing disgrace to Him or to his Followers. Finally, you have willingly volunteered in several hazardous missions without complaint, risking life and limb in your own quest to eradicate the Evil One[tm] from this world." "As your Commanding Officer and as a duly appointed representative of the Doberman High Council, it is my duty, honor and privilege to present you with this small token of their appreciation." Selene awkwardly unsheathed her sword. *I really hate these things, Zaph... Let's hope I don't do something stupid with it.* It wobbled unsteadily in the air as she struggled to hold it still, praying under her breath that she wouldn't slip. *Just go slowly, Selene. You'll be OK.... * Selene gently touched the still-quivering blade first to his left shoulder, then to his right. Not trusting herself with the open blade, she quickly resheathed it before continuing. *Whew, glad that's over with...* "In the name of Grimace[tm] and the Cause[tm], I raise you to the rank of Warrior. Arise and henceforth be known as the Warrior, Charcharadon Jambavan." Impulsively she added, "Late as it may be, Samhain thought it somewhat... appropriate." The crowd chuckled as Warrior Jambavan rose to his feet. Selene grinned, hugging him exuberantly. "Congratulations, Jambavan. You deserve it." Releasing him, she turned to face the rest of the tent. "That's it folks. There's Jolt[tm] and other Good Snacks[tm] available in the mess hall." Everyone cheered. "Meeting dismissed!" The crowd surged forward, as a greatly amused Selene watched, scooped up the new Warrior, and carried him bodily from the tent. * Sure glad that rowdy bunch wasn't around when we were promoted.* *Oh, I don't know,* the dragon replied, *it's not like they would've gotten away with doing that to me/us.* *Come on, Zaph. They're just having fun.* *I think not.* *Hrmph. Well, I suppose we should follow them... make sure they don't cause too much trouble.* *Trouble is right.* *Zaph!* Selene exclaimed, exasperated with her attitude. *You are such a drag sometimes!* Refusing to let the dragon's mood wreck her fun, the Centurion jumped down off the table and dashed out the door. A short time later, she cautiously entered the mess hall and immediately doubled over laughing. In the center of the tent, a very drenched Jambavan was being congratulated by several of the other R&D specialists from the nearby Dobe base. She leaned back against a nearby post for support trying to catch her breath. * Zaph it looks like they got him with a JoltDrop[tm]. I had forgotten about that tradition...* *JoltDrop[tm]?* *Yeah, I think Brackard was the one who told me about it... A couple of years ago some squad leader came up with the idea of throwing gallons of Jolt[tm] on newly-promoted Dobermensch. It was all the rage for awhile.* Her giggles finally subsided. *You humans have very odd rituals. First the rituals of mating...* *What?!* The dragon continued as if she hadn't heard, *and now this JoltDrop[tm] thing. Some days I'm surprised you managed to make it out of the trees...* To Zaphyre's surprise, her Companion[tm] started laughing again. *Some day, Zaph, I'll show you /really/ weird. Now, let's go talk with Jambavan.* She started to make her way to the center of the room. When she reached close to the halfway point, Jambavan glanced up and waved. Selene grinned and waved back, feeling slightly odd. She paused as an appalling thought crossed her mind. *Nah... he wouldn't.* Seconds later, a sticky-sweet wave struck her from behind shoving her forward with the force of the blow. Tossing her hair back, she whirled to find a pair of grinning Dobermensch. "Congratulations on your promotion, Centurion Selene!" They spoke in unison, saluting sharply. Before she could reply, both had disappeared into the crowd. She laughed to herself and sloshed her way towards a now- smiling Jambavan. Just as she reached him, some enterprising person cranked up the stereo and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" filled the air. Both Dobermensch started laughing. Raising her voice to be heard above the music, she commented, "I 'spose I can thank you for this mess?" He shrugged, still grinning. "I couldn't let you feel left out, now, could I?" She stuck out her tongue. "I think you just wanted someone to slosh around with." Glancing around the room, she continued. "You know, I don't think I've seen a group of Dobermensch before quite like this one. They're rowdy and can be a major pain in the arse, but from everything I've seen, also happen to be some of the best damned soldiers we have." "Yeah. I guess it's true what they say about those who play hard, fight hard. Have you seen them in the training fields, yet? They're amazing to watch..." She nodded in agreement, watching another group as they each downed one... two... three shots of 100-proof Smirnoff within about a minute and a half. She shuddered inside, knowing how it must burn, and thought fondly of a friend who used to do the same thing fairly frequently... *Hey, Selene. Will wants to see us. Now.* *Now?* she griped. *Find out if it's business... or pleasure.* Will replied himself. *What, it can't be both? Unfortunately, it's business. We didn't get much of a chance to discuss our plans earlier.* *How... are you talking to me?* *Kit's such a smooth connection that it's practically the same thing. This is really him doing a mental impersonation of me.* *All right... meet you in about 20 minutes?* *Why so long?* *I need to get cleaned up first. * She sent him an image of her current physical state, thinking it was easier than explaining. *Is that Coke on you?* he asked incredulously. *Yeah. Jolt[tm] actually. Both Charc/Jambavan and I were lucky enough to be showered with the stuff tonight.* *Really. You'll have to tell me more about it later. 20 minutes it is then. I'll be waiting in the C&C.* "Earth to Selene? Hello... anybody there?" Jambavan was slowly waving his hand in front of her eyes. "Eh?... Sorry about that. Looks like this Dobe has to get back to work." Seeing his confusion, she continued, "I just got a message from Will. He wants to see me ASAP." She shook her arms through the air, sending drops flying. "I think ASAP is going to have to wait until after I get cleaned up." "So what's going on between the two of you, anyway?" "Wish I knew." She sighed. "Enjoy the party for me, will ya?" He nodded. "Of course. See you tomorrow, Selene." The Centurion turned and slowly sloshed her way toward the door, wincing with every squishy step. TBC in "Out With a Bang"