Chapter Text
Chapter One
2025, T-minus-7 days to Operation Pitfall...
The Jaegers are alive. Anyone who has really worked with them knows it. It’s not exactly a secret, but outsiders tend to assume it’s just urban legend, part of the growing mythos that surrounds them. Journalists call it Jaeger lore and treat it like a well-known inside joke.
To the Rangers, it’s no joke.
There has never been an incident of a Jaeger attacking a person… but most of the J-Techs and support crews agree that there’s no point taking chances.
"Be nice to Jaeger pilots or the Jaeger will kick your ass, man."
Raleigh and Mako have both spent long enough around Jaegers to remember that, and they remember again after the brawl with Chuck Hansen.
You can’t hear what a Jaeger is thinking if you haven’t drifted in its conn-pod, but sometimes the outsiders still know. The Jaegers are a lot less restrained towards each other.
Even before being assigned permanently to Hong Kong, Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha tend to throw elbows whenever they’re out on Scramble Alley together - before the neural handshakes are even initiated.
Jaeger lore says that Romeo Blue and Eden Assassin hated each other, and Eden had tripped Romeo up during test maneuvers once. The pilots claimed it was just a misstep. The engineers and pons tests insisted the pilots had not moved their own legs. Good thing Eden and Romeo only crossed paths a few times.
As for Raleigh, the next time he’s in the main launch bay… Striker Eureka creaks at him.
He looks up, and the conn-pod is definitely tilted lower than a Jaeger’s usual “at-rest” position - his gaze directly on Raleigh.
Raleigh raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, sorry about that,” he tells the Mark-5. “Just a disagreement between guys. I’ll clear the air with him.”
Some people yell if the Jaeger reacts to them, hoping the Jaeger will hear and understand. Raleigh isn’t sure what any Jaeger other than Gipsy senses or hears from human voices, but his theory is that volume doesn’t matter. Striker will get the message.
The low rumble from the Mark-5’s giant frame could just be vibrations from the ever-continuing maintenance… or maybe not. When Raleigh looks over his shoulder… Yep. There’s no doubt about it. Striker’s looking at him.
This is the cornerstone of it all. Every Ranger, J-Tech, and strike trooper agrees. When a Jaeger is looking at you, on his own, through his own eyes and not his pilots, you know.
Raleigh gives Herc a sheepish smile when he sees him next. “Your mech’s mad at me.”
Herc chuckles. "Don’t worry, mate, Striker’s used to Chuck getting into it with people. He hasn’t stepped on anyone yet, just rumbles to let you know that that’s his leftie you’re mucking around with.”
Raleigh has to grin. So no hard feelings from the right hemisphere human either. For their own sakes, he wants to keep Herc and Striker’s good opinions.
Herc dishes himself a truckload of potatoes and asks, "How’s Gipsy taking all this?"
To be continued...