The Story!

I really do not want to spin the wheel for the weapon, personally. One more vote would be lovely.

Episode 12: Re-Districting

Newark, New Jersey (Two days following the shock trooper battle)



Newark may not exactly be Paris or Dubai or New York or Hong Kong or for that matter any of the big and well known cities of the world, but it has a charm all its own. Yes, in the days since arriving, Logan had come to appreciate the attitude of the locals - stalwart, keeping a stiff upper lip even in the face of aliens, a reckless car-mecha full of bozos, or even the eruptions, of which knowledge had become ubiquitous. It was the kind of city that a guy could easily hide in as he thought about the fact that he had killed six sentient aliens. While it was undeniable that he had killed or contributed to the deaths of others before, this was to date the biggest 'spree' he had gone on in his career as a diplomat. No big responsibilities or expectations like there would be when he headed to Washington D.C., only brisk, temperate climate and pork roll for breakfast among the average Joes. He couldn't ask for more at the moment, except to be alone. He wasn't, though - next to him, walking largely in step with him was Kiva Andru, the human-looking girl attached to that voice on the radio. However, contrary to all expectations, Kiva had turned out to be a tall, traditionally fetching redheaded soldier of sorts.

"...I've been trying to look for them recently, but to no avail." She concluded a branch of conversation that Logan had missed by not paying attention.

"I'm sorry, who?" The Ambassador asked, sincerely feeling bad about not giving Kiva the attention he had intended do.

“The Space Coalition,” she answered with her brow noticeably furrowed. “You have been listening, right?”

“Totally.” Logan lied like a rug. “That's your peeps out in space that are fighting against the Glorft. Real heroes fighting the good fight, composed of a variety of alien species.”

“Right. It's strange, though. Even when I was trapped on Earth initially, I could kind of send messages to the Coalition. Ever since we 'Erupted' onto this world, though... It's like they're gone.” Kiva stared off at the sky momentarily as she spoke.

Logan bit his lip. “Yeah, we don't know exactly how they affect space. The only clues we have come from the presence of enemies on the moon and the time a Red Eye was sent to BC.”

“That's not exactly comforting, Ambassador. In lighter news, I did something that probably wasn't the smartest move. On a whim, last night I tried contacting the a nearby Glorft world.”

“And?” Logan wasn't sure why she'd do that if they were her enemies.

“Not sure. I don't even know if it got there yet. But somehow I get the feeling they're not going to be getting any more reinforcements than I am.” She seemed to perk up at this modicum of fairness that the Eruption had treated them with.

“Sadly, I think there are enough foes on this world to spread us pretty thin regardless. So, you said you have two mecha here? I already saw Megas in action, what else is there?” If there was another robot involved, it had to be accounted for.

“My mecha, Unit Number 456. She's not as hefty or as advanced as Megas, but I've modified her to be a lot faster than her base design allowed. Actually, that girl's probably closer to your robot than she is to XLR.” She shrugged, obviously having mixed feelings about that fact.

“I can't wait to see her! Did I mention I've always wanted to see a girl giant robot?” Logan was practically beaming, his eyebrows shooting up repeatedly.

“Trust me, she's even better than you could imagine.” Kiva winked as Logan's phone went off.

It was an unfamiliar number calling. “Can I take this?” he asked.

“Go ahead.”

After he tapped the screen to answer, Logan spoke. “Ambassador Logan, United Arms!”

“Hello Ambassador, I'm calling on behalf of the White House, specifically President Perez. Are you available to schedule a visit anytime in the next week?”

Logan stared at his phone blankly, entirely stopped in his tracks. “Really? No offense, but this sounds somewhat fake.”

“I can certainly provide credentials if you need them.”

“I need them.”

Minutes Later, entering the Newark Museum

“What do you think he even wants to talk about?” asked Logan nervously as he and Kiva arrived at their destination. It wasn't a date, nor did it have the chemistry inherent – they'd just decided it would be less awkward to be going somewhere than just to talk out on the street indefinitely.

“My guess would be relations between the United Arms and the USA. Anything more specific is out of the question – I know next to nothing about either of them or their policies.” The tall and excellent woman handed over cash just as Logan also did the same.

Logan's mouth turned down at the corners. “I mean, I don't think they should be so incompatible that we can't be allies long-term. Officially, I'm the Ambassador to this country, so it was inevitable that I would end up traveling to the District of Columbia. There's one big reason for concern, though.”

“Oh?” asked Kiva, stepping towards some fine art.

“My boy's hurt. I can't bring him with the expectation that I'd be able to fight. And the woman I've been traveling with will more than likely have to stay here to keep working on him. This one will have to be all me.” Logan really disliked the sound of that, having become mostly used to having robot access and having Sonya around.

“Sounds like you're out of luck.”

“Shit out of it.”

Choice Time!


>Logan planned a brief visit to Washington, D.C.  Aside from his meeting, there was little he wanted to do there, and if anything happened he wanted to be near his robot, damaged as it was.

>Logan planned a slightly longer visit to Washington.  Why the hell not?  Enjoy the wonders of the United States.

>Logan made his best effort to weasel out of visiting Washington D.C.  There were other things on his mind and he didn't want to be concerned with meeting a politician, even if it was an important one.

Inside a cab, Washington D.C., evening (4 days post-battle)

Logan was buckled in and splayed out. The trip, brief as it was, had whipped the poor guy. Even though he would usually be staring out the window, sucking in atmosphere, he was on his phone, as he had been for much of the day. Thanks to the delicate issue he was having to handle, he wasn't able to be excited to reach his destination – the Lincoln Memorial. The emotional overload was pissing him off, so he closed his eyes. Explosions. They'd blown up when he'd killed them. Better to stick with the phone. Opening up his SMS app and typing out a simple message to Sonya, he texted her the first thing that came to mind.

“I miss you.” She'd help him out from under the pileup he was stuck under.

“Dork.” she responded, almost instantly.

The Newark Museum (2 days post-battle)

“Actually, he completely sucks and doesn't specialize in brain or brawn.” Kiva had been asked whether Coop was a beefy or a brainy type, and the answer somehow didn't surprise the Ambassador. “He's just this fat idiot who spends his entire life playing video games and working on vehicles. For comparison, I could never come to a place like this with him,” she said, motioning all around her to the fairly classy environment they were in.

“I'm sure he has his good points! He was friendly enough to me and did help protect the civilians from those ugly killer robots.” Logan lifted his index finger in the air and smiled, trying to look on the bright side of Megas XLR's pilot.

“Good points? Yeah, he's got plenty of them. Enough points to hold the high score on each and every 'Nebulon' arcade cabinet in the state of New Jersey, except the ones in Monmouth County.”

“Why doesn't he have the record on those?”

“It's so stupid you wouldn't believe me.” Kiva was scowling.

“Well, maybe he's just got a different type of intelligence. I saw him using some very innovative mecha offense during the battle. Fighting smarts are a thing, I think!” Logan stared at a piece that was giving him warm nostalgic feelings – a brightly colored decorative chair, specifically. At the time he couldn't be too harsh on the guy, especially after he'd been such a big help.

Going blank momentarily, Kiva nodded and admitted, “That's probably true. I speak pretty poorly of the guy, but to date he hasn't gotten us killed. I suppose if he was a complete moron that wouldn't be true.”

“Plus, he keeps Jersey safe!”

Kiva busted a gut. “You have a pretty funny definition of safe, Ambassador.”

“There are pretty interesting times, Commander.” He called her by her Space Coalition rank despite the fact that she was essentially cut off from them. Why not, right?

The Evening of the Battle (at the Hotel)

“If she hates me for not siding with a mirror over Garnet, I don't know what to say.” Logan spoke into his phone, the call having taken a decidedly negative turn.

“Me neither! I feel so bad for her, trapped for so many years inside the mirror. How she must have felt, and how she feels now...” Steven trailed off, presumably thinking about what it would mean to be trapped. “I think I know how it is because I feel that way now! Logan, promise you won't tell the gems what I'm about to say?”

“I do.” Logan wasn't sure what to expect.

“This scares me. Badly. I never had a clue that they would use a person to power a magic thing! I just kinda thought that blue thing on the back was to make it look pretty!” It sounded like he was trying really hard to absolve himself from culpability, and his voice's cracking confirmed that.

“What kind of power does Lapis Lazuli's gem have? Do you think she's a threat?” Logan hated to fish for info from a kid whose guilty conscience deserved to be absolved.

“She's what you'd call a water witch. That's what Dad said, anyway. She controlled the ocean well enough to give Garnet a knuckle sandwich, so yeah. Threat. But about the 'not Steven's fault' problem?”

White House hallway, afternoon (4 days post-battle)

Sucking up the anxiety of meeting with someone so important, Logan failed to consider that he met important individuals on a regular basis. With cuff links, hair gel, and dressier slacks snazzing up his usual uniform, he felt he at least looked slick enough to present a good front. That said, the extreme security measures attached as a condition of his visit had taken the wind out of his sails. He had only his own moxie and the confidence that he could handle a conversation about anything to assure him that everything would work out. Even at that late moment, though, in which he could literally see the door he was about to enter, the Ambassador to the United States wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to handle it.

Choice Time!

>Logan played hardball with President Perez.

>Logan went in without treating it as a possible conflict.

I'm sure there's no reason to be worried whatsoever. I can only think of about a dozen reasons for him to be mad.

Let's be friendly until he gives us a reason to not.

Hangin' out with the Prez (4 days post battle)

Adjusting himself in the seat he'd just accepted, Logan smiled at the leader of the country to which he was currently Ambassador to. “The security was even more impressive than I'd imagined. Your staff was really... thorough!” He made light of the fact, but the truth was that he'd been expecting it. Even as Ambassador, he was representing a somewhat gung-ho faction. Some gunger-hoer security checks were only natural.

Laughing silently, the middle-aged Latino gentleman across the desk from Logan admitted, “It must have been extensive. There are those among my own staff that thought our meeting was a bad idea. I think they must be mistaking the two of us for enemies, or something primitive like that.” Damn, this guy had a really badass voice. Deep and smooth, but also just a little bit slowly delivered, as if he were universally cool as a cucumber.

“Can't imagine where they got that idea. Maybe the war from two thousand.” Logan winked and smiled as he addressed the elephant in the room.

“Could easily be that, my friend. Maybe they're behind. Maybe they weren't told that was three Presidents ago. The US government has undergone some huge changes since then.” The older man tapped his desk.

“New desk for the new man behind the desk?” asked Logan as pleasantly as he could.

“And so much more!” Meeting Logan's smile with one of his own, the President continued the mostly good vibes going on. “Ambassador, I'm confident this country elected me because they understand our need to go in a different direction. Officially, the United States and the United Arms are allies, but in practice that hasn't been applied enough. I am legitimately uncomfortable with what I've inherited – a population twenty-five percent of which believes that our economic uptick and the Eruptions are an excuse to stoke the flames of war for the first time since we made our treaty.”

“Is that number accurate? Can't be.” Logan was taken aback.

“Twenty-four something the other day. But something like two percent of people here believe the world is flat, so you have to look at more than just minority statistics. Like the fact that there's a bona fide action hero from the UA traveling around, helping keep Americans safe. Can you imagine the impact that would have on public opinion?” President Perez tilted his head forward just so, giving Logan credit for his good works.

“Hopefully the impact we both want! If I can help save people's lives, as well as bring the amount of Americans out for our blood down, and the percentage that think favorably of the Arms up? That sounds like an ideal outcome for everyone involved.”

“Ambassador, we're on the same wavelength.” As President P said this, Logan stopped feeling nervous and started feeling great about the visit.

Talking to Steven (the night of the battle)

“Of course not. You took her side after all, so if anyone's 'responsible' for whatever she does, it's not you. Well, actually since you pulled her off the mirror it kind of is, but she probably shouldn't have been on there to begin with and Pearl should have told you what it was when she gave it to you.” Logan had some real talk for the kid

“Mmm. Yes, she should have, but I think we're past that now.”

“You're right, of course. I guess all we can plan to do is take care of any aftermath if she shows up again. Steven, I don't know terribly much about Gems that aren't part of your team, the Crystal Gems, but maybe she might just stay in the ocean and live peacefully? Is that a thing gems do?”

“Yeah, we're peaceful. Some of the time. Most of the time!” The little one paused, before saying, “Actually, every Gem I know fights. Even me.”

“But we don't know Lapis Lazuli. Not yet anyway. Steven, if she comes back to Beach City, you should probably put her into contact with me. Diplomacy's my specialty.” Logan gave a thumbs up to the girl he was with, who shook her head in disapproval.

“I thought it was supposed to be mine, too. But once people are yelling and fighting, I never seem to pull them back.”

“That's the hard part. I think we both need to find better ways to do that. Think of it as your homework.” Hell of an assignment.

“I'll do my best! Connie does homework all the time, maybe she can help. Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. A lot.”

In front of the Lincoln Memorial (4 days post-battle)

Thankfully, “Dork” wasn't the only thing Sonya had to say to him. Almost immediately afterwards, a second message was sent. “I miss you too❤️ Havin a good time in DC?”

“Less than I'd hoped. Your fun sense of life would make it a lot less frustrating.” Logan typed this out as he stared straight at the awe-inspiring statue of the long-dead statesman. This, Logan knew, was a major cultural hero to Americans, and had gone down in their history as the man who freed a substantial population of slaves. He had to admit, it seemed like someone worth commemorating.

“You know what would make life a lot less frustrating for me?” she asked, to which Logan responded, “More hanky panky?”

It wasn't like he had anything against the country he was Ambassador to. True, he'd mostly made the transfer as a matter of convenience since he'd wanted to help Shinji out, but he'd already made some cherished memories in the USA. When he threw in the kinds of people he'd met there, like the Power Rangers, the Crystal Gems, Kiva and Coop, and even Sonya, it definitely occurred to him that he had built up some fine alliances in the country that had asked quite a bit of him. Even as he stared up at the huge facsimile, he had to admit that sorting out his feelings on the subject wasn't as easy as he wanted it to be.

“If you didn't get this boy whipped as badly as you did against the Glorft. Hard fucking work” shot Sonya.

Logan wasn't sure what to say about that, but he was at least grateful that she was doing it.

After Logan's Meeting with President Perez

As he walked out the same hall he'd entered, Logan was confident that things had gone quite well. Thanks to how things were going in terms of national defense, Congress was willing to portion out some budget for an Eruption Defense and Recovery Fund, which would make it easier in general if additional worlds worth of dangers presented themselves within their borders. Between discussing the finer points of that (of which there weren't that many), they'd also ended up concluding that the current policy of Action Frames being allowed to launch when necessary was probably fine as it was, taking some photographs together for media purposes and agreeing that it was important to keep all parties involved in the loop if necessary, the appointment hadn't lasted too overly long.

“Ambassador, a moment of your time!” A sharply dressed lady with her hair in a bun invited him into a side room, which he accepted. “Thanks, this won't be long.”

“I mean, it's fine if it is. What can I help you with?” Logan was genuinely curious.

“Well, since that conversation you had with the President went so well, I'll come right out and ask you. We'd like you to provide some intelligence that the UA to date has yet to provide.” She stared at him from behind thick glasses.

Logan was somewhat disarmed by the question. “Intelligence meaning?”

“Any of the things your brass hasn't shared with us. Unit movement strategies. Any obfuscated goals. Blueprints. Whatever you'd be willing to share with the USA, since you've been such a good ally to us so far.”

Uh...

Choice Time!

>I don't think so, Tim!  That's out of the question entirely!

>Logan was really not sure about it, but he would be willing to at least think about it.  And ask the UA what they think, though he wouldn't tell that part to this woman.

>Things had worked out really well in this country so far.  Even if it got him into some trouble, fostering further alliance with Perez and Americans in general would be worth it.

On the way out of the White House

After very little deliberation, Logan answered so as to not come across as weird. “You know, that sounds very interesting. I would have to really think about it. Give the matter some thought, regarding what kind of information I would feel comfortable sharing.” Logan had mentally decided not to, basically.

“That's understandable. We understand that it's a big ask. Just be sure to stay in contact and let us know.” Without looking at it, she jotted down a phone number and offered it to Logan. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

“Have a good one...?”

“Ms. Jones.” That sounded pretty fake.

“Take care, Ms. Jones.”

Drinking Corporate Coffee Shop Cups o Joe with Kiva (2 days after the Shock Trooper combat)

“I like it. Enough, anyway, since I don't feel like trying to look up a local coffee shop known for their classic brews and scintillating conversation.” Logan took a nice big sip of the refreshing bean juice, which he'd taken with naught in it but a hit of milk.

“If I'm gonna be totally honest, I may not have the palette to even tell what's good. I've been a soldier... Well, I've been a soldier my whole life. It's what I trained for ever since childhood, and war against the Glorft basically sums up my life experiences as an adult.” This wasn't exactly a shock to anyone, since even on a casual day out,she was wearing a white and blue uniform.

“No cool outer space activities out in the Coalition?” Logan was a little surprised.

“Civilian life is a little different from how I knew it. Everything was more or less spartan, with all of my personal resources focused on survival. Ever since my life on Earth began, I've been exposed to all these things that remind me of how crucial the fight back home is.” Kiva looked to the sky, waxing nostalgic about a home she had no way to return to.

“I can identify. More than you'd think, anyway.” Logan patted her on the back lightly before saying more. “There's hella out there to offer in this world. I hope you get to see more of it instead of just being tied down to New Jersey, playing video games with Coop.” He actually smirked, which was kind of rare for him but which he kind of enjoyed doing.

Smirking back, Kiva shrugged. “Eh, I suppose Fatso's not that bad. Sometimes I look at him and I think, 'wow, he's a hard working, admirable guy'. Then other times...” She trailed off and her face fell. “Well, I don't want to say that I think he's a brutal savage like I initially did. It's more like he doesn't even begin to take into account whether his actions are safe or sound. Instead, it's whatever fits his fickle idea of cool that informs his decisions.”

“Not ideal,” said Logan, taking into account this information for the future. “I mean, I understand. Sometimes I've been known to do things just to be awesome, but I'm usually pro-safety.”

“To safety!” Kiva said before sipping her coffee.

In front of the giant Abraham Lincoln statue (4 days after fighting along with Megas)

Staring at the card in his hand, Logan sighed hard. What the hell were they even thinking? Logan presumed that Ms. Jones had been working for the President, but what she was asking fell squarely outside of anything that the two of them had spoken of. Trying to construct a narrative in which what had been asked of him didn't come out looking one hundred and one hundred and one hundred (300) percent inappropriate wasn't working. The young man knew that she'd asked him to go around the UA to get them info, but there was no way he was going to fail to report it in detail. But would that jeopardize his ability to continue fostering relations with this country, or was he going to sour that relationship? Putting the process off, Logan texted his friend.

“I'm coming back tomorrow btw. Will my friend be ready?”

“No.” came the response instantly.

“HB the armor pads”

“No.”

“Will you be ready?”

“Yes.”

That would be enough. Sooner or later, Logan would get some good news instead of mixed. And if not? Then he was determined to make some of his own, one way or the other. No more ties or draws – only solid wins for his columns. Putting his feelings of anxiety aside, the foreign ambassador smiled up at former President Lincoln's visage. Despite what had happened, he remained fairly confident in their leadership to avoid conflict.

Back in Logan's hotel room

Putting his key card back into the simple wallet he carried, Logan entered the clean, attractive room. Sonya had kept it well since he'd left, but at the moment there was no sign of life inside. Presuming she was out working on the W-E, Ambassador L made a beeline for the bathroom and started preparing for a shower and then a bath. In his opinion, he needed to do some serious relaxation, and since the hotel's bathroom was plenty accommodating, he could do just that. Before undressing, he pulled out his phone to put on some chilled out music, but instead it began to ring by coincidence.

Logan answered the somewhat familiar number the same way he usually did. “Ambassador Logan, UA.”

“Yes, uh, hello. This is Dewey. Mayor Dewey from Beach City.” The local politician sounded more nervous than he had since the very first night he made it there.

“Mayor! How corking to hear from you! Is everything alright over there?” Logan so hoped the answer was yes.

“Oh, no! No no no! I regret to inform you that things in Beach City are the opposite of alright! Our fair ocean is- is...” Mayor D was sputtering into his phone.

“Is what, Mayor?” Logan didn't like the sound of it. Boiling? Frozen? Teeming with sharks? Polluted?!

“It's missing!”

Episode 12: Re-Districting - Complete!