"Okay team," he called out on the squadron-wide channel. "Y'all heard th' man. Safe weapons and stand down - the exercise is over. Form up on me, and let's head to the field HQ for debrief. Well done, everyone."

Mike sighed in relief as he took Prowler out of training mode, instantaneously the mech seemed to echo mike. muscle bundles relaxed, armor read 100% and the batteries read their real charge of 85%. for some reason mike would never understand, the training mode always read 10% lower then real level. the hitches on prowler's left side dissipated and fluidity returned to the GEAR. holstering and sheathing his weapons, prowler stood, and strode from the forest, hands empty.

"Aye sir, Prowler moving to your position" he said, voice clear, but obviously disappointed at his performance. in all mike was surprised they did as well as they did, their gears, while better quality then most of the opposition in the training, had no heavy, or foot mobile support, and as such were at a disadvantage despite their power. sure their gears could do monsterous damage to the enemy, but a few RPG's would destroy them, say nothing about a modern tank. they did good, but mike still felt like he didn't quite do his best.

As Silverwind reached the command trailer, in formation with the others, he listened in as they spoke on the squad network. As expected, everyone had picked up on the unusual and abrupt end to the exercise. It would've been hard not to, of course, considering how soon and sudden it had stopped, after all.
"Yer not wrong, team," he replied. "Ah reckon there's prolly somethin' more'n we're seein' here, an' hopefully we'll get some insight in this debrief. An' if not, I'll do some snoopin' an' see what I can find out. Ken, land with th' rest of us here, th' debrief applies to y'all as much as any of us. An' I dunno, man - mebbe we coulda, but I reckon it woulda cost us our GEARs or a few of us woulda got zeroed tryin'. Either way, it'll be different when we're in the field an' that's fer sure".
Shutting down the Harlock after putting the GEAR into a crouch, he opened the hatch. Unstrapping himself and removing his helmet, the vulpine climbed out and perched on the shoulder, patting the machines' head affectionately before fishing a cigar out of his load-bearing vest. Tapping it out of the metal tube, he re-lit the stubby cigar and took a pull, sighing as the rich taste filled his muzzle. He glanced over to the others as they arrived, waving to them as they came to a stop around him.

As Oliver moved his Saxknot away from the battlefield he watched how the OPFOR packed up and returned. What was moments ago a battlefield would return to a desolate farm within hours. The tiger always found the end of an exercise the most surreal part of his solder life. For hours they would try to kill each other in mock combat and afterwards they would all go back to base for diner and hangout and laugh like they were mates since high school. The comradeship of the army sure was a pleasant surprise for the young tiger when he joined the LDF. Just as Oliver over thought such concepts he got awakened by the pleasant voice of the mostly serious Raisa.

The tiger had to blink a few times because he could hardly believe what his foxy companion just said. Oliver thought he kind of had shunned her away with his attempt to flirt with his female comrade in arms prior to the mission briefing. Now judging from her giggle and the fact that Raisa kept calling him Private Tom mend that the serious and reversed girl had relaxed herself a bit. None the less her invitation to have a drink with him came as a surprise. Oliver quickly recovered and spoke joyously in the radio "That's an offer I can't refuse. I'll see you after the debrieffing"

It wasn't for long until the tiger reached the debrief trailer. Just as Oliver was about to power down his GEAR he heard colonel blade speak over the radio. Also the boss seemed to have his own questions about the exercise. Oliver guessed that the answers would come in the debriefing or at least some of them. Also the tiger hoped that his hacking into the surveillance satellite would not get him into trouble. For once he felt that he was making something decent out of his life.

Oliver pulled the lever and the Saxknot cockpit hatch opened up smoothly. As he put down his helmet on the pilot seat the tiger could feel the cold wind blowing. Even though he enjoyed piloting GEARs the tiger was happy to leave the cramped space after a couple of intense hours. For a moment he looked over his shoulders and noticed how his CO was smoking a sigar. "You do know that those things could get you killed, sir" joked Oliver towards his commander as the tiger was well aware that soldiers have far worse health issues such as lead poisoning to be concerned about.

Venessa arrived at the command trailer, without saying a word, a typical thing for her to do. Once she put her GEAR in a kneeling position and got out, she walked over to Silver's GEAR, looked up at him, and nodded at him "I hope we find out what happened here. 'Cause something doesn't feel right about all of this" She then looked at her own GEAR, the sound of metal settling, hiss of fluids and steam, and the slight heat distortion coming from the joints "Although I'm glad I didn't have to make her run for her full time, don't if she'd be able to move after the exercise." She said as she looked rather relieved that there wouldn't be any serious joint damage to repair, only slight distortion of the metals and a few other things checked before she'd be cleared for duty again.

She shifted her attention back to Silver, not paying much mind to the others coming in. "Bet you're like everyone else Silver, probably wanting a nice drink after all this. Would be a way to compliment that cigar you got there." She said as she pulled out a flask and took a swig of the alcohol inside. After she put it away, she winked and did a shushing gesture before walking back towards her GEAR to analyze it.

Amelia would be the last of the OPFOR to arrive as she made sure the entire of her task force was away and seen too. She might not be a leader or a designated command unit, but she knew what duty was and right now she had a duty of care for those who had just fought beside her, training exercise or not. Eventually she would move over towards where her way point was indicating, the six legs powering her GEAR over to where the others stood before stopping. The central chassis sank as the four monstrous Gatling guns pointed neatly forwards to avoid being damaged as the GEAR powered down. Amelia keyed some final commands as she settled the power core and locked the systems down before glancing at her monitors, seeing the group of Roughriders bellow which now conversed among themselves. She felt a little nervous, having dealt some heavy hits which they might hold some negative feelings for. Not to mention first impressions and all that. She took a deep breath before she reached up and opened the hatch, climbing up and out before climbing down the side of Sovereign, using one of it's legs to slide down for a quicker dismount. She then took off her helmet, the soft breeze washing through her sunset orange hair which flickered gently against the airs gentle current. It felt nice and her expression expressed as much. Amelia then took off her pilot jacket, folding it over the arm which held her helmet as she walked towards the group. She gave Vanessa a respectful nod before sighting Colonel Blade, who she could tell from his rank insignia. "Nice to finally meet you sir" she said, hiding her nerves from the situation.

Blade waved casually to Oliver as the tiger called over to him, giving a small smile at his comment. "I'll take my chances, man," he called back. "They ain't managed it yet, among all the other damn things that've tried".
Venessa and Winter rolled up next, not too far after one another, and the fox stood up as the buxom snow leopard addressed him from ground level. "We'll get ta th' bottom of it one way or another. An' the engineerin' crew on the Claw is top notch. I'm sure they'll have yer pal there runnin' like a dream in no time flat. An' y'all are right too - a nice cold drink does sound pretty good ta unwind about now too" he tilted his head with a grin and a knowing smile as she took a sip from her hip flask. "Ah reckon there might be somethin' tucked away in mah personal supplies I can share around".
Winter turned up a few moments later and introduced herself, and the fox scrambled down the back of his GEAR, using the built-in handholds to reach ground level, before nodding and throwing a casual salute to the vixen.
"And nice ta meet you too. I was very impressed with yer performance on th' field. I'd heard about y'all before, and I'm glad ya decided to take up the offer to join. Hopefully though, when we get out in th' field, things oughta be a lot less, uh... 'restricted'".

((had him approaching someone but that post died in the abyss of crap cellphone service))

Kensington adjusted his bandanna as he listened to the word of his colonel and nodded in agreement to what he said, even though he was alone and nobody was watching. When he finally came to realization that he was ordered to land the airman immediately turned and circled around the group before coming in for the landing. "Alright boss landin' now."

It looked like the helicopter was simply flying overhead as it slowly lowered altitude. It was just then the helicopter did a pitch upward and came to a halt over an opening, dropping soo quickly the back landing gears touched the ground before the helicopter pitched forward a bit to complete the landing. The landing wasn't smooth and it definitely wasn't typical for a non-combative situation, but it sure was quick and effective.

With the landing somewhat smooth and problem free the pilot smiled as he flicked a few switches on the dashboard and took off his helmet. The engine hums slowly diminished and with that the rotor blade movements, the helicopter shutting down so to not cause a nuisance to the others. Kensington immediately freed himself of the straps that kept him in his seat after a few checkups then proceeded out into the passenger cabin of the helicopter where he left his headgear and rifle on a bench and went out to find his commanding officer.

After a quick scan of his surroundings his eyes came across the fox calling out another squad member, the airman himself stepping out and standing by the helicopter as he watched the others mingle among each other.

Adrian sighed as the indicators in his cockpit switched over. “Guess that’s one way you end a fight,” he mumbled as he sank back into his seat. The soreness from holding his body against the L-68’s heavy restraints became apparent as the tension of battle faded away. “Not like I really wanted to face off with you or anything like that.” He watched the six-legged GEAR still under his scope retreat for a moment, before he broke away himself. He spaced out, the entire way to the field headquarters.

As the squad formed up, Adrian was still in his own world. He opened the hatch to his cockpit and undid the restraints that held him in his seat, content to not feel as though he were nailed to his GEAR as he thought to himself. They’re definitely no Long Patrol…but they’re close enough, I suppose.

Amelia smiled, "Thank you sir" she replied, returning the casual salute before she adjusted her stance, feeling a little more at ease. "And I agree. I hadn't been informed that you and your team had restricted access to certain battlefield resources" she said before turning to regard the other pilots which stood with them, taking a pause before continuing "Although I have to say, given the circumstances your team held together exceptionally well. The strategy I employed today would have overcome lesser pilots, but you guys put me on my back foot" she smiled, "It seems I have some more to learn" she finished before giving a light shrug, "Besides, she needs to stretch her legs every once in a while" she said, glancing back at Sovereign for a moment. She reached a hand and pulled her hair over her right shoulder, letting it hang down beside her chest to prevent the breeze from carrying it.

Shona's GEAR had shut down in formation with the others, the cockpit hinging open to reveal its diminutive occupant. Shona slapped her harness release, pulled off her helmet and stretched, looking around. The mood in the unit was... weird. No-one was sure if they'd won or lost the exercise, and there was a lingering feeling of... indignation, she guessed, at the OPFOR's stunt with the satellite and missile support. Not the way she had envisioned the ride home from her first fight with the new unit.

Initially, the bat didn't climb down, frowning as she leaned forward and rubbed absently at her sweat-soaked hair. She was already playing the engagement back over in her head, trying to figure out what could have been done better - by her, specifically. She remembered missing more shots than she would have liked. With a sigh, she shook her head and . There wasn't much point in stressing over it while she was tired, dehydrated and still strung out on adrenaline. The colonel would want a debriefing, and she could hammer out a tactical breakdown from her machine's files.

Pulling a water bottle from a recess of her cockpit, she took a long draw before tucking it away and making her way down the side of her machine. There was a small group of pilots gathering around the commander's GEAR, and Shona headed that way too, stopping slightly off to one side so as not to interrupt. With a start, she realised that the fox woman was the OPFORs commander, her initial indignation turning to pleasant surprise as she praised the team's skills.

"She's a real beauty." She chimed in, smiling and nodding her chin towards the big six-legged machine. "I think I can count the number of ATAMs I've seen on one hand."

Silver was about to reply further, but held his tongue as General Houseman emerged from the command vehicle. Turning back to the unit, Silver called them to attention, and then snapped into a salute himself.
"Sir! Roughriders reporting as ordered!"
"At ease, Colonel, and the rest of you too. After that mess, I think you can use a bit of relaxation." The lion looked over the gaggle of GEAR pilots and their machines, before assuming an easy posture himself.
"I'm sorry for the abrupt end to the exercise, but it was a necessity - it seems that there had been some level of interference in the parameters of the exercise. I think people are looking for you all to fail, rather than succeed, as the deployment of a mixed unit like this would challenge their own particular areas of responsibility and security in the command structure, despite whatever good you might do on the field. And from what I saw, you all acted admirably under the circumstances and did extremely well. Well enough that I got you something of a reprieve and an extended deployment" The lion frowned briefly, his tail lashing and ears flattening as he looked away. "Admittedly, it cost me some of my own favours, but I believe in this concept that Colonel Blade, Captain Garrett and myself have worked on. You worked together well in the field, against overwhelming odds, and used your mix of capabilities within the same unit to their utmost. You showed initiative, yet still followed orders to the letter of your plan - despite the interference from outside, on both sides.
"So, that in mind - your orders for full deployment have come in. The [u]Parvan's Claw[/i] has picked up the last members of your unit, and is ready and waiting for you. Colonel Blade, the rest of your orders have been handed to Captain Garrett. I have relayed the same message to her as well."
He nodded to all of them, straightening his back as he spoke a little louder. "I know you'll do well out in the field. I can just tell. Hell, I wish I was out there with you, fighting hard. It's been a long time since I was in a GEAR myself, and I miss it like nothing else. And I know how tough it can be as well, out there under the guns. So, I'll be back in Ourvan, fighting your corner and getting you the support you need, when you need it. Good luck, all of you, and I look forward to meeting your all again".
He dismissed them all, and returned to the command trailer, before Blade turned around to face the group.
"A'right, folks. Y'all heard the big boss: We did good, even tho' there were odds against us, an' like I said fore we launched, there's people aimin' fer us ta fail. But we stuck a big 'ol middle finger up at 'em an' told em we ain't gonna lie down so easy. An' that's got us our job. Alls we gotta do now is live up to our boasts - an' from what I seen today, that ain't gonna be a problem." He gave a confiding nod and smile to the group, tail wagging a little. "Y'all did well, an' I'm proud of what ya did in th' field today-" he glanced at Venessa and Winter "-all of ya, too, even if y'all weren't with us, y'all showed yer chops in a fight, an' that's what counts. Anyhow - I reckon we got some more recruits waitin' on the land-boat, like the big boss said. Let's go meet 'em, an' then I reckon the unofficial bar in the Common Room might well be open fer a celebration or two. Last one back has ta carry th' keg round the ship twice. Move out!"

*****

Blade run the Harlock hard back to the ship. As he approached the low-slung and sleek shape of the 'pocket lancruiser', the light had begun to wane for the day, Arvara's sun dipping in the skies. Captain Garrett had welcomed their triumphant return with a double blast on the ships' air-horns, as the rear ramp to the GEAR bay had lowered, lights blinking to guide them in.
As he mounted the ramp and was waved into his GEARs' stall, he noted a new GEAR had arrived, and that the required maintenance to Asher's GEAR that had kept it off the field had been completed.
Maneuvering the machine into its' stall, he shut it down and then climbed out of his cockpit. The others had their orders, so he headed away from the busy hangar floor. Crewman were securing a pair of Fast Attack Vehicles with tie downs, as well as a handful of other ground vehicles that had come aboard.
Before he'd got halfway to the hatchway that lead to the stairs, Irry had caught up to him, PADD in hand.
"Good job with the exercise, sir. Got some news for you now you're back - We have new recruits. The combat medic you'd requested, and an infantry unit to work together with you as well. They're all waiting in the common room - along with the beer. And Captain Garrett has authorised a small party as well. The mess will stay open a little later and put on a special menu and movies for all personnel.
Following that, you've got briefing notes to review; but we won't need to sortie until we're well underway tomorrow. Enough time for the GEARs to receive their regular maintenance"
Rolling his single eye, he drew his PADD as they mounted the stairs and corridors, heading for the common area for the squad.
"Geez, what would I do without you, Irry? Have you done my laundry an' made my bed too?"
"Not yet," she replied with an impish smile and a wink. "It's next on my agenda"
"Har har. Anyway, make sure everyone knows about th' off-time. They oughta attend the party, but make sure they all get some private time an' all. Good chance fer everyone ta meet th' new blood an' all".
Irry nodded, and headed back to the hangar, while Blade continued onward. Entering the Common Room, he tucked his helmet under one arm as he looked over the newcomers to the group, casting an appraising glance at them all.
"Welcome to the 101st, and to the Parvan's Claw. I'm Colonel Blade, an' I'll be yer commandin' officer. We'll all be workin' together in the field pretty closely from now on, so I look forward ta seein' what all of y'all can do. It's a shame ya missed out on the exercise, though it was a bit of a rough deal fer reasons beyond our control. We came through it though, and yer as welcome ta join us fer a wind-down shortly as those who were there. It'll give y'all a chance ta meet the others too, though they oughta not be far behind me." He gave a slight smile and cocked his head to one side. "'Course, I reckon by now y'all mighta realized I don't stand so much on formality offa th' field unless we're doin' our little showground routine fer the up-highs. Just so long as y'all do what I ask of ya, then I don't mind a l'il banter here an' there, an' I wanna hear what ideas an' opinions ya got... just so long as y'all don't push yer luck. Do yer job, do it well, and y'all will go far. That's all I need from ya folks. Glad ta have ya with us".

Oliver hardly listened to the debriefing at all. Just the usual crap was thrown around with exeption that they did well for once and nobody was scolding him for his shenanigans and stuff. The tigers ears only twitched a bit when the general spoke of people wanting to see them fail. For a moment Oliver taught that his father might be involved but that man preferred to see the young tiger dead. Or at least that is how Oliver thinks about his father. His thoughts quickly drifted away as the tiger laid his eyes on his two new teammates. For the moment he wondered where the colonel had found such beauty. The old man sure had a good taste for women even though he probably did not select them for their looks.

As the order was given to ride back Oliver kicked his GEAR into full speed. He only had the chance to play around with the GEAR during the past training exercise and was dying to find out how far he could push his Saxknot. Oliver pushed the throttle forward and the GEAR speed up. The wheels on the Saxknot's legs kicked up dust as the machine speed away. The tiger could feel his machine vibrate heavily as it approached its top speed. Oliver was pretty pleased with what he saw on the meters. Not bad for a piece of metal. As the Claw came into sight Oliver approached the ramp at full speed. Only pulling the breaks hard at the last moment, making his machine spin 90 degrees, pushing up another cloud of dust as the Saxknot came to a grinding halt only a couple of meters from the ramp.

Oliver smiled as the anger looks and raised fist of the ramp crew showed up on his monitors. Especially the one who duck away looked really pissed as the tiger walked his GEAR up the ramp and onto the docking spot. Oliver quickly climbed down from the GEAR in order to avoid the very pissed ramp crew commander and snuck out of the GEAR deck, rushing his way off to the showers making sure he was one of the first to be there so that he did not have to wait in line. After a quick refreshing shower the tiger switched into a fresh set of cloths and made his way to the common area.

As Oliver walked through the doors he noticed he was one of the first Rough Riders to enter. Might be a bit boring but with beer on the line you could never be too early. Oliver just figured that the rest was still busy with stuffing their GEARs away. He made his way to the bar and ordered some beer. As the tiger poured down some of the yellow gold liquid down his throat he noticed the colonel addressing some people. These must be the new recruits Blade was talking about earlier. With these and the two GEAR pilots that joined up after the exercise Oliver has a busy schedule of socializing to do. Not to mention his promise to Raisa to have a drink with her too.
With a beer in his hand he approached the group of people gathered around the colonel. Oliver raised his beer as a sign of greeting and spoke. "Yo, you guys and gals must be the new recruits? I'm Oliver Stone. Nice to meet you all. You can continue to listen to the boring speech of the colonel or come with me to drink beer, have a good time and meet the rest of the crew. The choice is yours"

(( Quicklink to CS ))

Esailia adjusted her dress uniform for the umpteenth time since stepping into the common room. After months of training, drilling, and yelling, her squad had gotten their first assignment. Captain Sprinsteam, sergeant Nathaniel White, and corporals Edward and Naida Wynn. The special infantry unit assigned to the 101st. The feline captain glanced at her second, who was already at the keg. It was that wily tiger that had given Esailia the inspiration to push the boundaries of infantry use. It was rare to see non GEAR personnel engage in combat with GEARs, but Esailia hadn't followed the book for her squad's tactics. Smash-grab and dash. Not the usual seek and destroy rocket teams were sent on.

As Sprinsteam worried over her collar, and White downed the first of many mugs of beer, the brother and sister pair loitered near the back of the room. "Bro, loosen up. It's not like were at the parade grounds!" Naida tugged at her twin's tie in an attempt to get it undone, against Edward's vain struggle to push her away "I don't care, I want to look good for the Captain's superior. A commander is only as good as the soldier they command." Naida rolled her eyes, giving up and taking a swig of beer.

At the stand, Nathanial 'smooth purr' White had made a new friend with the keg, refilling his mug. The sergeant had fallen into this position by pure chance, as he always does with everything in life. One minute he was comfy being a drill sergeant, the next he was training in a special infantry unit. It was one thing to yell at others, but to have some small housecat of a feline yelling at him? Than again, it was amusing to see Esa-kitten get so worked up when he goofed off...Wandering back to his CO, White waved a hand beside his head "Kitten, tighten that uniform any more, and you might as well of worn a corset. Not saying that you don't look good in your embroidered get-up." He joked. He knew how far he could take it without getting a clawed slap to the cheek.

"Thank you for your input, Sergeant. You're not the one that leads this squad. Now shut it, the colonel just walked in." stepping up, she called to all three of her squad "Fall in!" before standing at attention for Colonel Blade. All listened to his little speech, but the moment White noted this wasn't formal, he slouched and headed back to the keg. Esa-kitten could fill him in on anything important later. The twins had stayed for the whole thing, however, both more curious at seeing a fellow fox than caring about the speech. Captain Sprinsteam, however, kept her still-as-a-statue posture throughout the Colonel's introduction, nodding at the end "Thank you, Sir. I assure you we will not fail you. My squad may not have GEARs, but you won't find a harder trained infantry unit."

"Kissing up to the bigger C. Now that's predictable." White muttered under his breath before gulping down the last of his ale. He went for another refill, only to clank cups with another tiger "'Ey! Good to see that this place isn't all housecats and flufftails." He stated, before answering Oliver for the other three "Yeah, the ground pounders for the RoughRiders. We'll make sure no pesky enemy foot fodder blast a hole in your expensive GEARs."

Kensington for one caught himself off guard and quickly went to attention upon seeing a man of rank approaching the group. It was when he gave the at ease command again when the wolf's shoulders slumped and his perked up ears shifted into a more relaxed state. Immediately as the two highest ranked individuals spoke, the airman approached them and listened him, a frown shooting across his face upon hearing the bad news.

"To think this would be the time not to have politics right now.." The pilot thought aloud, waiting for the order to return to base. By the time the order was said the young wolf was already heading towards the helicopter, his tail almost drifting in the air behind him. He grabbed his things, then brought them to the front of the helicopter where he wasted no time in starting up and getting into the air.

Back at the Claw the airman started up his last minute inspection, his eyes finding no issues with his vehicle. A run that didn't have any damages done, a rare occurrence the pilot was glad to take. With everything in check he joined the small numbers, his ears twitching as he listened to one of his comrades offering a drinking session with one of the other squad members. He took a moment before he approached the tiger, adjusting the bandanna around his neck

"Well, if the boss get mad at ya for bailin' I dunno what to say.. You kinda on a think plank of wood after trying to hunt for some booty with your drone." The wolf added to Oliver's comment, chuckling quietly as he crossed his arms and listened to the new ones and their words. So this is a fireteam.. Guess I'll be their chauffeur. Maan I hate 'em transport runs.

CLASSIFICATION: Regular

SUBJECT: Evaluation for transfer to 101st Tactical GEAR Unit "Roughriders" on Parvan's Claw Landcruiser

PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Name: Aidan Sykes
Ranks: First Lieutenant (0-2) (Achieved in 137th Ourvan Medical Corps)
Warrant Officer (W-1) (Achieved after GEAR Infantry Unit Training accomplishment)
Serial #: 45502917
Current Duty Post: 137th Ourvan Medical Corps
Status: 62A9B - Emergency Physician, Certified by OBMS (Ourvan Board of Medical Specialities)

SERVICE HISTORY - Excerpted; see details in Annex 1&2
1. Finished Military Academy of Ourvan
2. Finished superior studies: Officer training program - Military Medicine
3. Applied for 62A (Emergency Physician) sub-branch - Admitted
4. Finished superior studies: GEAR unit piloting program

EVALUATING OFFICER'S COMMENTS - See full log in Annex 3
Per Colonel Silverwind Blade's request, 137th OMC offers one of it's most talented officers: Lt. Aidan Sykes, a resounding success of the Medical Gear Unit Project. Highly-dedicated and exceptionally skilled in combat medicine, a medical emergency specialist and a talented GEAR pilot, Lt. Aidan Sykes would be ideally suited for medical support, as well as GEAR piloting duties.

"So, what do you think, Lieutenant?" asked a voice, piercing the silence.

"Flashy." Blurted the badlands shepherd as he skimmed through the pages of his transfer papers, his eyes darting between paragraphs. He tried his best not to show his revulsion towards the exceedingly pompous praises, at least, not in front of the major general leading the 137th. He wasn't necessarily against a transfer, so long he gets to more action, but it bothered him that he was treat like he was some kind of child prodigy of sorts. He's just one guy who read a lot and slept very little through the last eight years of his life; but if this ridiculous portfolio would get him closer to the badlands, he could only embrace it.

"That's bureaucracy at its finest, Aidan. Colonel Blade wouldn't have refused to get a snotty corpsman in his squad of misfits, but I wanted to give him the real stuff: a lieutenant capable to pilot one of those walking coffins... GEARs, or what have you, and also a true emergency physician with a fresh certification from OBMS. Now, listen, kid-" the bear outfitted in a pristine uniform bearing many medical-related insignia extended his right arm and flexed his palm twice, urging Aidan to give the dossier back. The shepherd could only comply, handling transfer papers after he neatly closed the transparent protective cover back to his superior. "I want you to be an example to look up to. You'll end up in a smelly landcruiser, enclosed with a knuckle-dragging bunch of people; you will be that one person in the whole crawling box of metal that will show proper education, that will keep his cool when everything crumbles down around you. They may start to hate you for it, they'll push you away and try to shake you off the vehicle, but that's the proof that you are doing a good job; yes, believe me, if everybody loves you, it means you're doing something wrong. I don't want to hear that one of the only fifty certified GEAR pilot-doctor becomes an uncouth, mouth-breathing commoner. You may be a very detached person, Aidan, but once you face the constant fear of death, you WILL change.Towards better, hopefully."

I was raised in death thought Aidan, but he wouldn't dare saying that out loud, not after such a sour speech that left the air in the general's office tense and thick. Clearly, the man was talking from experience - his own experience; of course, that wouldn't mean Aidan would have to go through the same ordeals, the same changes as this bear did. Aidan decided not to give it too much thought and let things occur naturally, he'll deal with such events when the time will arrive. For now, Aidan saluted the general and offered his thanks before he left to continue with his duties: yet another wounded infantryman that mistook his leg for a pistol training target. Lucky enough, the 137th was placed close enough to see some real combat wounds; sure, the locals took advantage of their presence and free consultations, minor surgeries and vaccines, but there was enough work for Aidan to keep him busy, if not thoroughly happy. Among gunshot wounds, broken limbs, suicidal attempts and dehydration, he'd also face civilians with the same problems, though most of them would show up with common flu, cardiac arrest, children with inhaled/swallowed objects and a plethora of old people accusing back pains and poor eyesight. A fresh start would put him a better mood, surely.

He did have to wait for two weeks, though, thanks to his complicated situation. Being part of an experimental program, anything that included handling paperwork would be a proper mess, hence his GEAR arrived to the landcruiser before him; but, finally, the time of his departure arrived, so he packed up his personal stuff, double checked the DATMK for any missing instrument and set off for his transport, a cargo plane. He would be dropped off at an airbase near Parvan's Claw position along with some cargo containing medical supplies, mainly. None of his colleagues knew of the transfer, no one showed up to give him a proper good-bye; Aidan didn't attach himself to those people and, in a way, he's glad he didn't. He would miss them during his time with the 101st and he certainly couldn't impair his own judgment with such strong emotions; on top of that, he knew that he had eyes on him, his every mistake would be counted as major failures. On his relatively long travel, Aidan started to read the medical histories of each and every 101st member and associate names with profile pictures and any interesting details mentioned in those files; on the side, he made a quick list of the entire squad on his PADD with everything he thought to be noteworthy.

Fifteen people:

Silverwind - Red fox - Bears a prosthetic arm, check for ghost limb pains

Irry - Red Panda - Watch for any stress/work-induced cephalalgia

Raisa - Corsac Fox - Possible carrier of dysfunctional genes, has a crippled brother

Michael - Tiger (Black and Grey fur pattern) - Tanky build, might be difficult to identify some symptoms

Oliver - Tiger (Normal fur pattern) - Known for drug abuse and sexual harassment

Shona - Bat - Recommend regular ophthalmological exams, photophobic

Adrian - Hare - Watch for cardiac problems

Amelia - Red Fox - Susceptible to vibration sickness

Myrina - Goat - Nothing particular found, keep watching

Kesington - Wolf - Watch for any issue that conflicts with helicopter pilot medical sheets

Venessa - Snow Leopard - Watch for any chest trauma that may cause breast cancer

Esailia - Feline - Extreme risk of combat trauma, be on full alert on the field

There were three more people, Nathaniel, Edward and Naida, but Aidan couldn't find any medical records on them yet; upsetting, really, but maybe they were new recruits also. He will have to discuss this with the colonel. That aside, he found this bunch of people quite interesting and varied: 9 GEAR pilots, an ATAM pilot, a chopper pilot and a strike team. A lot of people to manage for one medic, but he couldn't complain all that much at this point. He re-read their histories over and over until he hard-wired the names and the profile pictures until he could easily recite them in his mind; after all, he will have to effectively differentiate one from another, along with their medical issues. On the final approach to Parvan's Claw, Aidan started to read the sipping manifest of all the medical supplies carried by the trucks, trying to remember what effects each and every substance had. At some point, the bored driver tried somehow to break the ice, his rather silent and overly studious trip companion might just have something interesting to say.

"Ya know, if you keep reading that shippin' manifest, those drugs won't change inta' beer."

Aidan thinned his lips and glanced at the driver over the upper rim of his sunglasses and gave him an "Are you shitting me?" look. He adjusted his glasses back up on his snout and continued reading. The driver, not satisfied with the response, pressed the conversation on.

"You must be that doctor pilot them 'Riders requisitioned. Shit, dude, these guys are reckless on the field, I heard, the colonel's got some crazy moves with 'dem GEARs. No wonder they needed someone to patch their shit up after every job on the field, the infirmary can't handle that much hurt. Reminds me of that one time when the landcruiser got inta-" And just as the driving skunk mentioned the landcruiser, Aidan peered over his PADD and into the near distance, where he could easily spot the massive carrier growing in size as they continued their approach; it wasn't the first time he peered at such a gargantuan hunk of metal, but he wasn't sure if it was the same landcruiser he saw several years ago. Pretty sure the other one wasn't as battered as this one. The ride finally came to an end, Aidan hopped out of the truck with two duffel bags strapped on his back and the PADD in his right hand. He was wearing a green, short sleeve linen shirt bearing the Star of Life on his right shoulder, a pair of cargo pants, a pair of desert combat boots, his sunglasses and a watch strapped tightly on his left wrist; one of the bags was green and slightly smaller in size, while the other one was quite encumbering and colored in bright red, "decorated" with powerful black straps and two caduceus symbols stenciled on the fabric. The driver shouted his final regards towards the medic, which in return turned around just enough to wave goodbye to the rather noisy skunk. After a quick security check, the shepherd was admitted on the landcruiser, and his first experience of walking inside such a piece of engineering was impressive: it was a hive, people running from one place to another, everybody was busy with just about anything, away from the scorching sun. He was glad the the cruiser had air conditioning, even though there may be an increased risk of forming an allergic rhinitis; nothing he couldn't quickly solve, of course. As he walked past the GEAR bay, he couldn't help but to notice that the bay was mostly empty, save for his own stumpy Dartwing, the ATAM and one Sul-type GEAR. Unfortunately, he couldn't loiter around for too long, he had to leave his bags in his new room and meet the colonel on the common room, where a party will be thrown. Or so he heard from the driver. The pilots would be returning from a drill of sorts, so it was a perfect occasion to observe his new colleagues and note down their behavior, maybe have them accustomed to their medic. After he followed a series of instructions on his PADD, he found his cramped room in no time and dropped his bags on the bed and immediately left for the common room.

Once there, he noticed that he arrived earlier than he should have; but it wasn't a problem, Aiden loved being punctual. He had noticed that, at some point, four people popped out of nowhere: a cat, a tiger and two foxes. The cat seemed to fret over something, the tiger was the precise opposite; as for the two foxes, Aidan could swear they were related in some way. That's when he realized it was that strike team, waiting for the colonel to pop out of nowhere. Instead of engaging in a conversation with the group, he chose to lay against a wall, bring up his PADD and start noting down some more info based on his observations, the first thing he wrote down was to requisition oral or intravenous fructose; at this rate, Nathaniel will replace the entirety of his blood plasma with ethanol. Noticing that couldn't see much in the room due to his sunglasses, Aidan took the off and inserted the pair in a front pocket of the shirt and not a moment too soon, he heard captain Esailia ordering her troops to fall in line. The shepherd pushed himself away from the wall and joined the newcomers, carefully placing himself behind them. Judging by the rather obvious augmentation, Aidan quickly recognized the older fox as the colonel, his new superior. He seemed to be slightly taller than in his profile picture. Aidan patiently listened to the colonel's little speech, with the added "interruption" of... Michael? No, Michael's fur pattern is whiter, this one must be Oliver he thought to himself. A first impression of the Roughriders? Informal. Verily so. One of the pilots just barges in the speech and calls the recruits for a beer and the colonel keeps talking. Or, maybe Aidan was too used with the choking strictness 137th practiced. Once the fox finished the speech, Aidan found himself a small window to approach the fox and salute the man properly.

"First Lieutenant Aidan Sykes, 62A9B and support-type GEAR pilot of 137th Ourvan Medical Corps, sir. I must thank you for the transfer offer, I was growing tired of pulling coins out of children's throat back at our base." Once he was given the "at ease", Aidan adopted a more relaxed pose, so to blend in with the general nonchalance of the unit. "I'll be acting as your squad's combat and non-combat physician, I will always be open for any kinds of consultations, examinations and medical procedures. Should we have to endure a longer skirmish, I am also capable of offering psychological advice and support, though I'd still recommend the local shrink if we're stuck on Parvan's Claw. I am also qualified to give sexual health advice and instruments, but I'll leave that matter aside until someone needs my help with that delicate issue. Aidan caught his breath, trying to think of anything else he had to add while listening to Blade's reply, nodding his head and smiling cordially. "And if at any moment you notice ghost pains in your artificial limb, please, report it urgently. Such matters are not to be ignored, but I am sure you would know better than to suffer, sir."

Once dismissed, the canine quickly found himself a place at the bar and, although he would love to enjoy a beer himself after being exposed to the heat outside, he felt he needed to remain focused and clear-headed. He wouldn't be too surprised to find himself giving fructose or sucrose injections to half of the crew on the landcruiser. Instead, he pulled out his PADD to recheck the status on the medical history of the three remaining members of the squad; maybe, just maybe the info will be updated today. Raising his head from time to time away from the screen, he would look around for any other members of the Roughriders, quickly spotting Kesington, the helicopter pilot. He still had to wait for the rest of the crew to pour in and maybe, just maybe, try to blend in with the crowd, try not to look too much like a new guy; not that he cared too much about how people perceived him, but he would hate to start answering more questions than he'd like to.

Amelia was about to respond to one of the squads pilots who complimented her ATAM when Captain Garret arrived. She listened to the full debrief, feeling slightly cheated when she received confirmation that she'd been given an advantage in the field. It was a little insulting, not because she felt she was better or good enough to beat the Roughriders without it. But because it hadn't been a fair scenario and for a strategist to be cheated from what could have been potential experience was just, frustrating. Despite this, she could at least go forth knowing she was joining a competent unit with decently skilled pilots. She'd been under the command of an officer who ignored her before and it was demotivating to say the least. But none of that mattered now, she had allot to look forward too.

When Captain Garret had finished and Colonel Blade had dismissed them she climbed back inside Sovereign, the central chassis raising before the insect like GEAR thudded towards the landcruiser. Some of the engineers stopped and watched as the ATAM moved into the hangar, the GEAR being some what of a rarity let alone it being the newest production model. A few engineers waved her into her specialized docking station before she powered down Sovereign again, clamps securing around each of her legs to lock her in safely. Amelia climbed out, dismounting from the GEAR before greeting the engineering team who were specialists in handling the GEAR type. They ran through a few things with her, asking her questions about it as well as specific details required for accessing the GEAR's secure systems. "Thank you ma'am, we'll take good care of her for ya" said the chief engineer with a reassuring nod. Amelia smiled softly, "I'm sure you will. With any updates please keep me posted, you can reach me anywhere on the Claw via my tablet" she said before sending her information from a touch screen tablet she carried with her specifically for her work. The chief engineer took out his own before confirming the information, saving it to his contacts. "I'll be sure too ma'am" he said before giving a brisk salute. Amelia returned it before she walked away, after all she could use some down time after all that.

As she moved down the hanger she took note of some of the other GEAR's, specifically the ones she'd seen in the training exercise. It was strange to see them so closely after having been firing at them from a distance a short wile ago. Pretty soon Amelia found her way to the party which had been arranged for them, thinking she may as well meet the people she'd soon be serving with. She dressed in the standard black t shirt and black combat trousers, her hair and tail brushed with her hair pulled over her left shoulder to hang beside her chest. When she entered she walked over to the bar, taking a seat on the stall before placing her tablet down next to her. She ordered two drinks, a glass of wine and a glass of water which stood next to it before she began reading something from the tablet, her dog tags rolling between her fingers as she fiddled with them absent mindedly.

“Were you even out there?” the crew chief asked as Adrian descended from the cockpit of his inactive GEAR. Adrian rolled his eyes and took a few steps away to observe the L-68. He frowned and wiggled his nose. The GEAR did look about the same as it was when he’d first set out for the exercise, save for a little dirt and mud stuck onto the lower legs.

“I’m a sniper,” he said as he pulled off his helmet, “If I’ve got any dings on the hull, I should consider a different career choice. And it makes your job easy.” He sighed and ran a hand up his ears, smoothing out the fur after his helmet set it standing on end. He looked down at his palm and sucked on his teeth. “Ah, great, I’m shedding,” he mumbled to himself, earning a glance from a few members of the tech crew looking over his GEAR. “Oh, sorry. Uh, just…grab some sand and rub it over the paintjob, that’ll make it look used.” Adrian started toward the common room. “Also, the tracks took a thrashing, you could check those, I guess.”

---

Cats and dogs and foxes…that’s, like, ninety percent of this country’s population, isn’t it? Adrian wasn’t terribly impressed by the newcomers to the squad, if only because they felt so…average. After his transfer from the Long Patrol, a squad composed entirely of a single species, the, “variety,” he experienced out in the real world was somewhat exciting. But, after a short period of time, the edge dulled and he began to take notice of patterns. He was beginning to clue in on just how strange his previous posting had been. His ears swiveled around, eavesdropping against their master’s will. I should go get changed.

Oliver smiled as his fellow tiger commented about that he was happy that not everyone was a housecat or flufftail. "There might be a lot of those but some of us are real predators. So those other three behind you are the other infantry, right? Then I better watch my step. Would be a shame to step on their tail and stroke their fur the wrong way if you catch my drift". Oliver was hardly done speaking as Kensington the chopper pilot approached him.

As the tiger listened to his comrade's little speech about bailing out and being watched by the boss because of his shenanigans he gave Ken a friendly slap on the shoulder. For a moment Oliver thought about his actions from earlier. Only to come to the conclusion that it where just minor incidents, at least according to his book. "Don't worry about it. I've lived my entire life on the edge and have no reason to change that yet. If the boss gets mad at me all you need to do is watch and laugh as he tries to discipline me." Spoke Oliver as the next new guy was about to introduce himself.

What came from the dogs mouth was kind of the most lengthy and business introduction anyone had ever given him. The dog introduced himself as the unit's combat medic and explained all the stuff he was able to do in what was the most boring introduction ever. The only thing he said that wasn't entirely business related was his name. Before anyone could even react or ask something the man retreated to the bar and started to play around on his PADD. Apparently, Aiden was not the most social doctor of Landren. "Well, it looks like our medic is the most fun loving type" Said Oliver as he turned back to Ken and Nathaniel. "I guess he's more interested in our medical history then getting to know his comrades" Spoke Oliver as he now spotted Amelia entering the room.

As his eyes followed the foxy lady as she walked over to the bar the tiger quickly excused himself. "I'll talk to ya all later again. I've someone I'd want to get to know a little bit better" Oliver casually walked up to the bar and set down on the seat next to the fox. As he turned over to the new unit member he spoke gently "Someone told me once that whine always taste better when you have company"

Amelia continued to read from her tablet, checking over the squads dossiers which she'd been given access too in light of her position as a strategist. Of course not all information was accessible. She wasn't able to review medical records or anything listed from the higher links on the command chain. But she had full access to GEAR information and skill sets and really that was all she needed. Her dog tags continued to roll between her fingers before she set the down beside her drinks, taking out a pen as she began to write down notes on how she could optimize the squads combat efficiency. As she wrote her notes she couldn't help but be concerned about the helicopter pilot. Although his skill sets were certainly credible and she'd even observed him in the field, his placements would be tricky. She wondered if he might speak with her about his load outs and field of expertise. It was all well and good reading it, but she found it was much better to speak with them face to face.

Before she could read further she sensed the presence of another taking up a seat next to her, her ear flicking as a deep male voice spoke to her. She placed her thumb on the back of the pen, clicking it before setting it down, turning her attention to the Tiger who she recognized from earlier. She watched him for a moment, her eyes seeming to curiously observe him before she gave a small smile, "That's quite the line" she replied with slight amusement as she raised the wine to her lips, taking a small sip before placing it back down with a small 'clink'. "I can't say I disagree though" she continued before offering her hand, "Lieutenant Winter, your new squad strategist. Pleasure to meet you" she said softly. If she remembered correctly, this was the owner of the Saxknot GEAR which had attempted to infiltrate her frequencies during the training scenario.

"...people are looking for you all to fail..." General Houseman's words lingered for a moment in Myrina's ears as she listened to his report. The Colonel had been right that there was some underhanded business involved, and Myrina's gut told her so too. It was a saving grace that the Roughriders had the support of the General - Myrina felt that his backing of the project was solid and any bumps in the road would find themselves subject to investigation. Just as well, she was glad that whoever else was in charge saw fit to pass the Roughriders this time around, regardless of the foul play involved. The General and Colonel Blade had admitted multiple times already that their performance was fit, so there wasn't any cause for worry, was there? But if there were people willing to bend the rules now, who's to say they wouldn't inconvenience the team later? Myrina shook the thought from her mind - better to relax and enjoy this small victory while they were ahead.

"I reckon we got some more recruits waitin' on the land-boat, like the big boss said. Let's go meet 'em, an' then I reckon the unofficial bar in the Common Room might well be open fer a celebration or two. Last one back has ta carry th' keg round the ship twice. Move out!"
With the Colonel's last words, Myrina smiled to herself and skirted off with the rest of the team. A drink or two sounded refreshing about now.

~~~

"Miss Michelete!" Myrina turned her head at her name as she slid down the ladder from her cockpit. Specialist Patterson was standing by with dataslate in hand, waving her down the hatch. "Congratulations on the exercise, Ma'am."
"Thanks, 'spec.' Whatcha got there?"
"This is a list of packages that command wants to fit your Warlock with. Coming from a paramilitary background, they want to bring it up to more of a standard fitting of the Roughriders' role. Have a look." Myrina took the dataslate from the technician and thumbed through the screen. A moderate list of replacements and refittings met her eyes; top-tier stuff that she'd only seen in military expos and magazines.
"How long will all this take?" she asked, looking both dumbfounded and ecstatic at the screen in her hand.
"With my crew on it, not long at all - say a couple of days to get everything installed and running."
"I'd better give this back to you before it gets me too excited. Let me know how it goes till then!"
SPC. Patterson took the dataslate back, throwing a salute to Myrina as she stepped from the hangar. "Will do, Ma'am!"

Myrina followed the trail of Roughriders into the common room, where folks were already loosening up. She surmised that the two unfamiliar pilots there were part of the OPFOR during the exercise, and wondered what kind of expertise they had. Slinking to the bar and grabbing herself a beer, Myrina let her ears wander through the conversations in the room.