<strong>Union-Class Dropship, <em>Bastion</em><br/>June 2nd, In-system Burn to Outreach<br/>Officer's 'lounge'</strong><br/><em>Erich, Walt, and Perkins</em><br/><br/>How they had managed to cram a table and four chairs into what was basically a closet Walter had no idea. But now that they were sitting here is actually was kind of comfortable, with his own and Erich's large bodies opposite each other with the rather thin Perkins in between. Had they been three big guys it would have been a logistical nightmare. Now it was just a minor nightmare. He had his own cup of tea clasped in his hands, while Perkins' was already emptied. He had been drinking the scolding liquid since Erich started talking. His nerves were wired in a very strange way, always had been since his little brake-less drop from orbit. Now as he put his empty cup down and looked at Erich an amused smile spread on his face.<br/><br/>"Well, I have seen that repair bill, Erich. Our finances are already in the bin as is, with us hiring on two new MechWarriors, three more ASF-Pilots. Not to mention a new Raven, another light, three more ASF's, general restocks and all that. I think we might have to cut it short for the moment, perhaps put Graff in the deserted Shadow Hawk for the moment?"<br/><br/>Walter scoffed and shook his head at this, taking a sip of the tea before speaking up.<br/><br/>"That would be like putting a Stuka-pilot in a Sabre, Perkins. He's going to ram that ShadowHawk into buildings even though there are none around." He brought out his pipe and stuffed it. "I'd rather have him in the Marauder. Say what you want about him, but he's pretty slick in it. How about we pawn MacLeod at GM and buy it back once we are done with the next mission?"<br/><br/>Perkins looked hesitant for a moment, but ultimately gave a curt nod. Walter's stomach was tying knots around itself right now. He had just pawned his beloved Highlander for the sake of a young MechWarrior who had bought a rat-infested Marauder. If something went wrong, it would take him a whole lot of time to get it back. To get his thought off the subject he quickly lit the pipe and grabbed onto the next subject.<br/><br/>"As for the Techs, I've talked to Greg about it. I heard Janos just about slapped the poor bastard when he noticed the shoddy patchwork. He did when the techie called him a dirty gutter-rat. Apparently he's a pretty good hand-to-hand fighter. We'll drop the bastard as soon as we reach Outreach, let some other poor company pick him up..."<br/><br/>Perkins gave a nod once more and Walter sat still for a while, smoking his pipe slowly as thoughts about MacLeod  crept back.<br/><br/>"As for the Raven-jock, I had a feeling she would be leaving. She probably needs a unit that appreciates her expertise more." He scoffed and rolled his eyes a little. He hadn't liked her one bit. She was a bit too arrogant even for a Capellan. "And if you ever see me in one of those hovercrafts, you have the permission to train your PPC's on me. I must say though, I rather enjoyed the Rommel. It's Gauss was very accurate. Me and Perkins are actually discussing buying some more tanks after the next mission, put together a little support company for your 'Mechs."