Blade was impressed with the intros from both the new pilot, and from the Infantry fireteam. Sykes dour humour bought a twitch of a smile to his lips as he mentioned his previous posting, and his thanks at being plucked from obscurity. Blade answered that with a smile and a gracious nod, before his eyebrow twitched skyward with the same humour at the mentions of his medical situation. He returned the salute and shook the mans' hand.
"Pleased ta meetcha," he replied to the introduction. "I'm sure we'll get on well already, and while I can see yer certainly very skilled, I think you'll know what I mean when I say I hope we don't have ta draw on yer skills very often. Please, feel free ta help yerself ta drinks, an' I'll catch up with y'all later on".
He turned his attention to the fireteam, who also looked well-presented and eager, much as the GEAR pilot had done. Nodding to her, he gave a small smile.
"At ease, Captain. Thanks for meeting me, and I'm sorry you didn't get to join in on the exercise. Logistics is always a nightmare, as I'm sure y'all are aware. All th' same, glad ya could make it to us. I look forward ta workin' with you and yer unit. I'm sure there's a bunch we can learn from one another that'll help all of us out when th' fur really starts flyin'. In the meantime, please feel free ta relax a l'il wi' the rest of us an' get ta know everyone. We'll be workin' up the unit proper from tomorrow, an' fer now a spot of r&r is what's needed".

Blade made his own way to the bar, drawing himself a pint of amber beer a few shades lighter than his fur. Pressing one thumb against a drip of condensation after taking a sip, he seated himself at the end of the bar, and waved to Myrina as she entered, as well as offering a nod and wave to Winter, Ken and Oliver and a tip of his glass to them.
"Good stuff out there," he remarked to the goat. "I was impressed with how ya handled yerself. Should be good workin' together wi' ya".

(sorry, i had/have 2 consecutive finals weeks, one final left. it really vamps my energy, creativity, and ability to stay enthused, im sorry if iv'e caused any issues in my absence.)

Nawlin lined up with the others, opened the cockpit for a breeze, and drank down a canteen, waiting for everyone to show up. During thier arrival, he stayed quiet, letting the newcomers introduce themselves, and offered a professional, if not exactly warm, welcome. while he waited for debrief, he rested, near instantly entering a light sleep as only felines soldiers could. soon enough, it was time to head back into the claw.

The Gear techs immediately tore into Prowlers legs the second it was in its bay, composite ceramic armor carefully stacked between honeycomb cardboard.
"Do you have any clue, any at all, how much stress your legs can take?" the older raccoon snarled as he pulled a PDA from his thigh pocket. "this line is the maximum safe load your rig can take" he said jabbing at a orange dotted line. "while this." he growled. "is the asinine stunt you pulled, flying to the rescue!" he yelled, throwing his arms up. "our SENSORS don't even go that high!" he goaned in frustration.

"i didn't thi-" mike started, only for the raccoon to cut him off.

"yeah, i know, pilots usually don't, specially this outfit, that's why we get paid so well. to help us through the anguish and all that comes with working with you hamfisted ingrates" he smirked as the crew finished the armor and began to inspect the internals. "give us a few hours, it'll be right as rain." the tech said, diving into work himself, as mike sheepishly grabbed his gear and walked to the armory to drop off his weapons and munitions, then to the bar.

walking up to the bar, mike ordered a hard cider, and retired to a corner table, overlooking the entrances to the room. takeing a short pull from the bottle, he nodded those in the bar he knew, and enjoyed the A/C, cold drink, and relative calm.

The first fifteen-ish minutes of the party flew by with no interesting events, Aidan didn't notice how quickly time passed; at least, not until he lowered the PADD to rub his eyes and check his wristwatch. Given a chance to look around more, he spotted a new arrival settling down and ordering a glass of wine and another with water. Aidan tried his best not to stare at the poor thing and look like a complete stalker, but he concluded that she was Amelia, the ATAM pilot; he mentally congratulated the fox for ordering wine, at least she tried to keep her heart healthy. Just to get himself out of the rather awkward situation - him being part of the new recruits and yet, he retreats away, stays silent and carefully scans everyone in sight - Aidan thought to move out of his comfort zone try some conversation, get himself introduced to his co-workers; still, his better judgment advised him against it. He knew too well how annoying it is when someone comes right at you and starts babbling just about anything that does not interest you in the slightest when you seek solace and silence; instead, Oliver went ahead and did just that and what a way to start a conversation! Smooth appreciated the dog as he lowered his snout so he could hide an amused smirk creeping on his lips. I can see why he has police records, poor bloke's a gentleman he thought as he concluded his work on his PADD and finally stow it away; he had to do some mental struggles to keep himself away from the device for the rest of the party and try not to look bored. His yawning fit didn't help him much in that matter, though, sleep deprivation was finally showing up on him (save for the unhealthy eye bags hanging beneath his heavy eyelids); and it would get worse, he despised first days in an unfamiliar place, he could never get any sleep at all. Scanning the place once more, he spotted an arriving Myrina and a third tiger retreating to a corner of the room. And a hare? Maybe that one was Adrian.

Quite a solitary bunch thought Aidan either that or that drill of theirs didn't go all that great. If that's the case, well... at least I'll finally deserve my paycheck. With nothing better to do, he finally gave in to the temptation and decided to cool his throat with some bottled, golden poison. After all, one 4% by volume ethanol wouldn't ruin his discernment too bad, maybe they even watered their beers down so they wouldn't distribute too much unauthorized refreshments; then again, judging by how "strict" this place is, surely one can find a hefty supply of spirits somewhere on the cruiser. Should've requisitioned more fructose. Aidan turned towards the bar and as soon as he spotted the bartender facing away from him, he tapped on the bar to attract his attention and raised one finger; alas, it was in vain, as the bartender seemed to be rather oblivious towards the canine's request. Thinking that the bartender may be a bit too busy to hear something as soft as a tapping on a bar, Aidan placed his thumb and finger under his tongue and threw an ear-piercing whistle. Yet, no reaction. He cocked his head backwards in confusion and glanced at everyone else at the bar then back at him. His eyebrow shot upwards, he took off from his seat and approached the man.

"Hey, uh-" but his lame words were unheard. Being tired of this shit, Aidan patted the man's shoulder and tilted his head sideways, maybe he could catch a glance at what he was doing. Finally, he turned around at him, bearing an annoyed expression, yet, the canine did not give up on his intentions.

"Sun-uva-bish, whu?"

"Would you be a kind enough gentleman to interrupt your important activities and offer me a bottled beverage containing alcohol, from processed malted barley? It would alleviate my minor dehydration issue, verily so." He finished his eloquent request with an innocent grin, making fun of the man's obvious latency; sure, it wasn't nice, but he had nothing else to do but to bartend. And he wasn't doing an exceptional job. Unable to keep up with Aidan's apparent gibberish, the bartender shrugged and placed a bottle of beer on the table, muttering "Whatev', mang." Delighted with his reward, the dog nodded deeply, offering him his most sincere thanks, even though he didn't even open the damn bottle. Losing a bit of his patience, the dog sighed and shook his head and locked the bottle cap against the hard surface of the table, only to smash his fist against the bottle and effectively open it. Startled, the man behind the bar looked around only to see Aidan lifting the bottle and bearing a shit-eating grin before taking a swig.

Now he can hear me. Muttered the dog to no one in particular. He decided not to bother himself and go back to his old spot and, instead, stay there; and while he was at it, maybe talk to someone? After another scan, he thought better than to disturb Michael, Oliver with Amelia or colonel Blade with Myrina. Since Adrian also preferred solitude, the medic turned his head over to the wolf near him, who was abandoned by his friend. Maybe he could take Oliver's place?

"Kensington, pilot of the... ah, Sky Hawk, right?" of course, he was right, but he had to start a conversation somehow and offered his hand for a healthy shake. "Aidan Sykes, I'll be the combat and non-combat medic of the team. Hopefully you won't have to haul my ass too much, I'd hate to ruin the paint job of the chopper. Say, uh, if you'd rather be with your own thoughts, I'll bugger off and bother someone else; maybe my friend there behind the counter." he said, turning his head towards the bartender and giving him a thumbs up before returning his attention to the chopper pilot. "You guys must be the most well-mannered people I've meet since I've been in the military, no one's playing beer pong or trying to redecorate the place with puke. Well, not yet. I have a feeling I'll be working tonight."

Aidan did feel rather uncomfortable to be on the landruiser, and it has been, what, half an hour? He didn't quite get the chance to wind down, realize what the heck he was doing and reorganize his stuff. For now, though, all he could do was to blend in as much as he could and try to deal with his own problems, later.

((Eeeeeh I feel something is wrong with this post.. But I did not proof read.))

Kensington kept his arms crossed and kept his ears on Oliver as the tiger spoke and only smiled as the GEAR pilot instructed him not to worry about a thing. From that point on the airman kept quiet and listened to both Oliver and those around him, including the speech that came right after the airman gave Oliver his warning until Oliver was off to go speak to some fox.

"Well.. There he goes chasing tail.." The wolf muttered, his hands dropping at his side and his attention stepping back observe everyone instead of just the tiger and the squad.

The senior airman started processing some of the people's behaviors, how they spoke and who they spoke to. These people weren't like any of the squads he had worked with, then again he only saw the other squads when he was dispatched on a task. As a matter in-fact this was the first time we was casually conversing with other military personnel who were not airman. He didn't know what to say or do, but thankfully, an opportunity came his way, that opportunity being the canine who gave a rather interesting speech not to long ago.

"Kensington, pilot of the... ah, Sky Hawk, right?" The canine asked, his hand being extended towards the wolf as he spoke. Seeing the hand and listening to this 'Aidan Sykes' was all he needed to hear in order for him to grab the hand and give it a firm shake, his smile returning*

"Yes that be me boss! I guess ya can't have med evac without a doc' to count on. Good to see ya! Good to see ya!" The wolf replied, shaking the combat medic's hand for a rather long time before letting go. "Nope! Nope I can give ya a few words. Thought I was gon' be the one running the show on that angle.. Then again ya can't save a life with just first aid, eh?" He pointed out during the pause the doctor had to give the bar tender a gesture. It was rather nice to be submerged in a conversation, especially with someone who he would be working when it came to emergency calls.

"Well mannered? Heh. I guess they be better than a couple of guys. I tend to keep away from drinks and all... A drunk pilot ain't a safe pilot. Then again..." The pilot said, trailing off when he came across a thought; My orders changed.. That means I am not in a on call group? Will there be calls and stuff? He didn't bring those thoughts to voice. Instead, he started talking again about some other thing. "Hey. Doc. Just wait till the boys start trying to tuck their nose under some skirts. Then you'll be needing to use the bar counter as an operating table I bet'cha." With that he looked over at the squad that stood nearby and nodded towards the bar, a smile on his face. "If it ain't alcohol it's soft drinks. Anyone in for option Alcohol or option Pop?"

The party was still starting to spin up when Shona appeared in the common room. Like many of the others, she'd gotten somewhat bogged down with her GEAR;s post-mission workup. The secret downside to all those engineering classes she'd taken - she couldn't just shrug and leave it to her techs like some other pilots did. After her crew chief threatened to bodily throw her from the docking bay, though, she relented and headed for the common room, stopping only to promise to save some of the booze for her friend Eines.

A few minutes later the bat stepped into the makeshift bar, looking around and blinking in surprise at yet another batch of new faces. The unit seemed to keep getting bigger. There was still the slightly awkward air of a group in the process of breaking the ice, she thought as she took in the scene. A few people striking up conversations, a few more standing on the sidelines and surveying the room. Sharing a nod or two as she ventured further in, the bat grabbed a drink of her own and went to find a seat to flop down in. It was good to relax after the tension of the cockpit, especially after General Houseman's praise. She'd stop wallflowering in a few minutes, she told herself, but for now she she just sighed and leaned her head back, smiling softly.

Oliver smiled as lieutenant Winter introduced herself. Judging from the foxes reaction his opening line had hit the mark. It was actually one of the better lines the tiger had come up with. He quickly extended his hand and give Winter a firm handshake. "The pleasure is mine. I'm private Stone.. but just call me Oliver." Oliver paused for a bit as he observed the lady in front of him. He let his eyes scan her from top to toe. He could not help to notice that the lieutenant had a really nice smile. For a moment he thought about what would be his next step would be until he let his eyes fall on her PADD. It was only a glimpse but still Oliver could seen enough to know that she was going through work related files. Miss Winter must be real serious about her job if she reads through files on a party. Judging from the little knowledge Oliver got from reading Winters body language the tiger judged that she was serious about her job and it would be better to compliment her on her battlefield performance rather than her appearance. "I'm the squads SIGINT and electronic warfare specialist but you're probably already aware of that since I tried to infiltrate your GEAR during the exercise. You did really well on that part. Not many have noticed my attempts and even less have jeopardized it. You did really well on that part."

Oliver paused to speak as he noticed how the colonel gave him a quick wave. The tiger quickly give his CO a nod back before turning his attention back to the girl. At this moment his other co-workers are not important at all. He had to keep the conversation going and give room for miss Winter to Speak. Often the best conversationalist are good listeners. So it's often better to end your saying with an open question. "Maybe this question is a bit personal but I'm kind of a curious person so I'll take the liberty to ask it anyway. What made you join the LDF?"

Amelia smiled and gave a small wave of her own when she caught Oliver looking over at the Colonel, looking herself and catching his greeting. There seemed to be quite a few pilots around and all of whom would naturally be an owner of the GEAR's the passed in the hangar. As she looked around she kept a mental note of names and the GEAR's they piloted, wanting to keep a sharp memory for when it came to a real field scenario. She turned back to face Oliver, swiveling on her stool and crossing a leg over the other as she leaned onto the bar a little. He certainly was a confident one and seemed to pay no mind to the difference between their ranks. Not that she minded at all, it was actually refreshing to speak with a private who wasn't constantly tripping over their tongue calling you 'ma'am' or looking like a deer caught in headlights. She gave a warmer smile when he complimented her field work, "Thank you, but really I was more impressed you were able to tag on my frequency without me having realized sooner. Allot of pilots in your line of work are clumsy and leave easy to recognize signatures. I can tell you're very competent at what you do" she replied in kind before taking another small sip from her wine as he asked her a question. She placed the glass down gently before her eyes looked up to the ceiling as though she was thinking for a moment. "Well, originally I had planned on becoming a maths teacher. But the work just wasn't exciting enough and I wanted to travel. So I looked to the military and signed up for GEAR division" she replied. She cocked her head to the side, pulling her hair around her shoulder again before running her hands down it to straighten it a little. "What about you?" she asked curiously.

It was some time later when Adrian reentered the common room, free of his piloting jumpsuit and a shade browner than he was when he left. “Won’t do any good to be asocial,” he mumbled to himself as he fussed with his scarf. “After all, it’s only as bad as I make it.” After a quick scan of the room, Adrian’s eyes locked onto one of the few faces that stood out to him. Is that one Shona? Adrian was hardly the best at matching names and faces—it had taken him a week and a half to remember who his old squad lead was, outside of a GEAR. “I’ll start with her. If I’m wrong, they’ll correct me.”

He quietly slid into a nearby seat and a few seconds passed before he offered any sort of conversation. “You’re Shon—“ Adrian shot an angry glare at something just above his head, before he repeated himself in a voice louder than his habitual whisper, “You’re Shona, right? You did alright out there.” He wrapped a hand around the other’s fingers as he spoke. “Granted your perf—I’m glad I was able to count on somebody else for once…the sniper job has always been something I’ve done on my own, and it was nice, not having to do everything by myself for once.”

Oliver smiled as he listen to how the lieutenant complimented on his performance. He could not help it but he actually appreciated it that for once someone noticed him for something other than his shenanigans. But then again, the lady was not part of his unit during the little drone incident and was probably not aware of that the tiger had used military equipment to stalk a civilian girl for a bit. "Thanks, but I have to admit that I did do my homework for once. The LDF more or less use the same encryption algorithms and frequencies over and over again during their exercises. That way I already knew where to look" Oliver paused for a bit as he listened to Amelia talking about that she initially planned on becoming a math teacher prior to joining the LDF until she asked him the same question in return.

For a moment the tiger stared to his beer glass for a bit , it was almost empty but he hadn't taken a single sip since he started his conversation with the lieutenant. "That's a pretty big career chance, from teacher to soldier. For me, I didn't really have much options. My father kicked me out the last time I was released from prison. So I basically had the choice of living in a cardboard box under a bridge or join the LDF. Hobo's don't have GEARs so the choice was easy" Joked Oliver about why he ended up in the military. For a moment he paused and looked lieutenant Winter in the eyes with a curious smile, wondering how the girl would react to his story.

finishing his drink, mike rose and placed the bottle in one of the many 6-pack cases housing similarly empty bottles for recycling, before walking up to the bar again. waiting patiently, he looked among the shelves and finally, on the tap, located his next drink. with a semi-tactful cough mike made his presence known to the bartender, and requested his poison.
"hey, can I get a ginger ale?" mike said. "no ice please"
"ginger ale and what?" the bartender grunted back as he grabbed a glass.
"just the soda please" mike replied, waving off the wall of drinks as the slightly disappointed barkeep poured the soda and handed it to nawlin. taking a sip, he pulled some bills from his pocket, paid the man, and wandered off to the mini jukebox in the corner. the quarter-sized Wurlitzer was apparently a real deal, if budget model, and held a stack of fake CDs for nostalgia sake, the music coming from a hard drive. pressing a button, he spent a while browsing the selectons, muttering and grumbling at the varied selections.

"Good stuff out there. I was impressed with how ya handled yerself. Should be good workin' together wi' ya".
Myrina reflexively straightened her posture as the Colonel took a seat nearby. "I- Thank you, Sir. Guarding the borders all your life teaches you a thing or two. I'm glad I had the opportunity to command the recon element."
The goat took a swig of her bottle and brought it down with a quiet "Ahhh," enjoying the crispness on her tongue before speaking again.
"Sir, with the addition of the GEARs and infantry that were not present or were playing OPFOR during the exercise, what is the unit's organization going to look like?" she asked, curious to know how the Roughriders and their GEARs were to be distributed on a TO&E. Mainly, she was inquisitive of her own role, considering she had both leadership experience and a good deal of asymmetric specialization. Not that she was greedy, but a boost in rank certainly would be a welcome addition to her repertoire, if it found its way to her.

Amelia finished off her glass of wine as Oliver spoke, placing the glass behind her water before it was collected by the barkeep. She flashed the barkeep a soft smile of thanks before returning her attention to Oliver. So he'd joined after having served a prison sentence, not unheard of in the military but certainly something you didn't hear allot. She cocked her head to the side, some of her sunset colored hair sliding off her shoulder as she observed him again for a moment after he finished speaking, meeting his gaze as she processed his story. She guessed his finishing humor was more a cover to a more real reason behind his choice, but she decided not to call him on it. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that choice" she began, taking a moments pause before continuing, "It's the choices we make that define the people we become. You could have chosen many paths, paths that could have lead you down deeper and harsher roads. But instead you chose to be here, showing you have potential and sitting among gifted pilots" she said before smiling a little more, "We can't change our past, but we can make our futures" she finished.

She was about to ask him a question about what he planned to do when they were given some leave before her holo tablet chimed. Amelia looked to it before clicking out a small device from the side and attaching it to her ear. "Excuse me one moment" she said before looking to the floor as she appeared to be listening to something. She nodded, responding with what seemed to be a few specifications about Sovereign, followed by directions on where to find certain access points. "The auto loader needs to be well oiled and the bearings need checking every time it's serviced..." she said before nodding again. "Thank you" she finished before taking the device from her ear and replacing it into the tablet. "Sorry about that, the Engineers aren't used to this model of ATAM" she said before remembering something, "Oh, my name is Amelia by the way. I forget that I only gave you my last name" she said before adding, "Amy is also fine".

Shona had blinked and tilted her head back up as someone sat in the chair near hers, working to put a name to his face during the small silence that followed. When he spoke up, his voice jogged her memory - funny, how she'd interacted with some of the squad more via GEAR radio than face-to-face - and she smiled and nodded.

"Uh, that's me!" She said, leaning forward. "Adrian, yeah? Thanks. Marksman isn't technically my specialty, so I'm glad I didn't mess up too badly." She added, chuckling sheepishly. She paused for a second, taking a sip of her drink as she briefly studies the hare. He had a slightly awkward way of speaking, like he wasn't used to talking one-on-one. Everyone has their quirks, i guess. He was great out in the field today, though.

"Have you been doing that sort of thing for long?" She asked, genuinely curious. The squad had its fair share of veterans, it seemed. Maybe she could get some pointers.

The wolf was vibrating with positive energy, Aidan could tell, judging by the pilot's vigorous (if not exaggerated) handshake; not only that, but his entire attitude was infectious. Ken's optimistic demeanour spread rather easily, managing to light the medic's mood to the point he didn't feel all that uncomfortable anymore; he really liked people similar to Kensington, it was the sort of thing that could recharge his batteries after a long, strenuous day, or a very shitty shift: just sitting and having a chat with someone ever so happy to talk and interact with people. Aidan's whole body relaxed as a consequence and comfortably leaned against the bar counter, support half of his weight on one elbow as he listened to his new comrade speak; he silently chuckled as Ken expressed his relief that the medic will take his responsibility to aid the wounded, but he could only disagree about the great value of a good first aid.

"Believe me, first aid saves more lives than a good surgeon. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that..." he half-reconsidered his words in a typical display of his rather dark sense a humour, something he couldn't really contain. He shrugged nonchalantly and continued "That's what the statistics say, anyways. Really, any kind of medical help in the 'golden hour' is vital, it's much better than standing there and pretend the guy didn't get hit." Aidan said before he readopted his neutral smile and continued to listen to his new chatting partner. The wolf interrupted his conversation at some point, cutting himself off; maybe he almost slipped something of personal value that the doctor shouldn't be aware of?

"Then again... what?" But seeing that he immediately changed the subject, Aidan didn't insist on that and instead gave an amused snort at the wolf's comment about snouts and skirts, followed by a facepalm and a light chuckle. " Oi...'n' here I thought I wouldn't have to teach you kids Sex Ed; I swear, I memorized those fucking brochures inside and out after reading them so many times in front of classrooms." As his colleague turned his head to ask about "alcohol or pop", Aidan looked at his own half-empty bottle and considered he didn't need another round. This small window gave him an opportunity and register a new face, the very distinguishable, albeit small, bat pilot. Shona he recalled as his eyes quickly followed her movements; he had such a strong feeling of déjà vu he nearly dashed towards her to ask if they knew each other, but he was convinced it was the first time he saw her. Actually, the sentiment also applied to his new superior and one of the tigers, Michael Nawlin. Was his mind trying to cope with this new situation and attempt to drill these new faces in his subconscious so hard that they felt like distant, old friends; or maybe he was very tired. None the less, once Kensington turned around, Aidan thought to continue their dialogue, starting with an open question. Maybe I should stop taking histories from people and actually fucking talk to them, for once he scolded himself seconds after he blurted out three questions in a single salvo:

"How's work treating you? Anything interesting happened on the field with ya? Hey, how about that drill I heard you guys were doing, how'd that work out?" he took a very short break before mumbling "I really need to break the habit of bombarding people with questions like it's my business, huh?"

"Sir, with the addition of the GEARs and infantry that were not present or were playing OPFOR during the exercise, what is the unit's organization going to look like?"

Silverwind scratched his nose with one finger of his bionic hand, taking another sip of his pint before answering. The beer was a cool, light lager, rather than a dark ale, and it was a refreshing on the palate and to the body and mind after the exercise and its' hangups. Turning his attention back to the question, he answered while glancing around the room, checking to see if his people were having a good time, and relieved and pleased to see they all seemed to be.
"Well, it's still kind of a work in progress. After all, we're kinda writin' the book as we go here, like ya know. But I'm thinking we're gonna operate two, or maybe even three teams, matin' up our lighter, faster GEARs with th' more utilitarian and modular units. Th' Infantry and Ken over there-" he nodded and tipped his glass in the younger foxes' direction "-will form a composite unit wi' one of th' lighter GEARs. They'll move rapidly an' act as a special tactics group or unit as we need 'em. Like takin' objectives when we've suppressed the area, or goin' behind enemy lines to capture or observe key targets for us 'fore we make a move on 'em. Or clearin' buildings of anti-GEAR an' anti-armour teams an' weapons for us as we advance." He shrugged and raised a finger to the barman for another drink for them both. "Y'know, all the crap that infantry normally do that GEARs can't easily, an' that we ain't trained fer 'specially well. I reckon we oughta see a lotta impressive stuff comin' out of this idea... as long as we organize it well. An' that's what she's got a head on for," he gestured to where Amelia was sat with Oliver in polite conversation. "She's got a head fer numbers. I know her from an earlier assignment, an' I ain't met a better strategist. Not ta mention Irry either, she's good at that kinda thing an' all."
He pulled a cigar from his thigh pocket and put it in his muzzle, only to stop when the giraffe barmaid cleared her throat and tilted her head toward the prominent NO SMOKING sign on the wall of the officers' lounge. Grumbling the fox snapped his lighter shut definitively, and held the cigar in his mouth, at which she pursed her lips and continued to serve the others.
"Anyway," he said turning back to Myrina and pushing a full glass across to her, "Anyhow, all the workups will start fer that t'morra." He regarded her carefully, flicking his eye across her, before speaking in a hesitant voice. "2IC is yours if ya still want it. If not - well, I'm pretty sure Alicia might fit th' job, but I'd still like y'all t' have a say in organizin' things. Yer experience on th' border wi' the militias is what caught my eye. That an', well, I guess I like th' way ya handled yerself an' what I seen so far". He grinned after that. "Also, y'all look like ya know how t' have a good time in th' bar too, which is what we're here for, other than work!"

“Seven years,” Adrian said, almost gloating about how long he’d been on what amounted to routine bandit patrol. “More or less…doesn’t really count for much when most of the time’s just counting grains of sand, y’know?” He idly rubbed a thumb over his knuckles and sighed. It was no crime to admit that, once he had gathered enough experience, his duties had become stale, but to do so smacked of tempting fate. Fate never liked Adrian anyway. “Not that I should complain about money for nothing, it’s better than the alternative. Bah. You remind me of myself when I first started shooting.”

Past posts:
page 10, post 18

Milkman said
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".

page 11, post 1

Silverwind Blade said
He turned his attention to the fireteam, who also looked well-presented and eager, much as the GEAR pilot had done. Nodding to her, he gave a small smile.
"At ease, Captain. Thanks for meeting me, and I'm sorry you didn't get to join in on the exercise. Logistics is always a nightmare, as I'm sure y'all are aware. All th' same, glad ya could make it to us. I look forward ta workin' with you and yer unit. I'm sure there's a bunch we can learn from one another that'll help all of us out when th' fur really starts flyin'. In the meantime, please feel free ta relax a l'il wi' the rest of us an' get ta know everyone. We'll be workin' up the unit proper from tomorrow, an' fer now a spot of r&r is what's needed".

Esailia knit her fingers behind her back and assumed parade rest once she was given permission. "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I look forward to working with the GEARs as well. We only trained with simulations in the VR, and to be honest, those don't do the actual pilots justice. Until tomorrow, Sir." She saluted and started towards the bar, making a beeline for Aidan. "Doctor." She greeted the dog with a curt nod before continuing "I am aware I have not forwarded my squad's medical records. I was caught in red tape during my infantry requisitions. I did not have time before arriving here. Would you prefer I send the files via PADD or are you one to keep physical documents?"

Meanwhile, the two siblings had quietly followed after Blade, with Edward leadng the way for a change. His eyes were glued to the officer's arm, his hobby of cybernetic tinkering forcing him to try and figure out how the hardware and software interacted. Naida tagged along until they reached the bar, where she muttered "Gonna get a drink, bro. Don't do anything stupid." to which she received a huff from her younger sibling. To each their own. She wandered over to Nathaniel, waving a hand to the bartender "I'll have whatever this 'predator' is having!" She called, slapping White on the back "Makin' friends instead of wooing women for a change? I'm impressed at your self control."

Nathaniel had been ready to reply to Oliver, but was interrupted by the fox. "Yeah, yeah. Least I get some tail, unlike you. I swear, you could give some of these guys a run for their money in the muscle department." He quipped before looking at Oliver "See what I have to put up with? Don't worry about stepping on any tails. No kits or kittens in this squad."

Letting Oliver move on, Nathaniel turned on Naida "Thanks, could've made a first impression the right way for a change."The fox shrugged "You were drowning in ale and bragging as usual, what's wrong with that?" She gave a dismissive wave of her hand before going to pick up her drink, leaving Nathaniel alone on his stool. After grabbing the mug, she turned around and while taking a swig, she glanced around. Things were getting pretty lively...other than the people on the outskirts of the room. She spied another tiger sitting alone, and headed toward's Mike's table...

Kensington laughed but stopped half way, falling silent when questions came his way and he returned a shrug, turning back to the bar and asking for a carbonated drink before he mustered up a response. "Heya don't worry. It's better to know as much about your partners so you know more about who you're looking after." The wolf replied, glancing over at the doctor with a quiet chuckle. He paused for a moment, wondering how to answer his set of questions, then decided to just simply answer each question in chronological order, starting with the first question given to him.

"Well.. I've only had my wings for a year now, and I think I like this stuff I do. You know.. Being in the sky, getting from point A to point B faster than anyone else, seeing things nobody else can see... It's neat. I can't say my experiences are very note worthy too. I've been mostly a support airman my entire career, only did a couple of gun runs before I got transferred here. Your rank helps dictate your responsibilities, right? I guess the guy on the bottom got the more boring jobs." The question about the drill was one that was difficult for the airman to answer, and it could easily be seen in his eyes. He sure didn't understand what happened, the whole game changing up on them and then the mission ending, but he decided to say what he observed. "We held together as a team despite Oliver's booty hunt. The tiger over there talking to the lady," He gave a slight nod to Amelia and Oliver then continued. "But everything went all weird. We started loosing assets that were suppose to help us in the operation, then everything shut down, ending us up returning home and being here. I guess you'd have to talk to the colonel if you wanna know more." All of this talking and Kensington had never noticed that the bar tender had already placed a drink on the counter in front of him. When he noticed it his ears perked up and he almost flinched forgetting he ordered a drink, but he gladly took it and turned to the doctor after taking a sip.

"Ya know they always gave us these rules through our first aid training: 1. Good men die, 2. Not even the combat medic can stop rule 1, 3. Doc will go through hell to break rules 1 and 2.. I wonder, you follow them rules doc?" The wolf asked, looking over at Aidan while he waited for an answer.

Amelia's response to his confession about his prison sentence caught the tiger by surprise. For a moment he was confused what to say about it. Usually when Oliver talks about his past he either gets shunned away or girls would find it incredibly exciting to talk to an ex convict. But the fox was different. She seemed to approach the subject in a much deeper, almost philosophical way. "I never really thought that deeply about my choice to join the LDF. It was more of an idea I did in a sudden burst after seeing scale model of a GEAR in the window of an recruitment office. I might not have over thought it well but it was definitely one of my better idea's I had in my life." Oliver paused for a bit when he noticed that lieutenant Winter got a call on her PADD. For a moment Oliver was worried that she'd lose interest in hanging around with him now that the conversation had become more serious.

Luckily for the tiger it seemed to be a call from work. Apparently the techies needed some instruction about what to do with her GEAR. Oliver smiled as Amelia excused herself for the interruption. "I almost worried that I started to bore you but luckily that wasn't the issue. It would be a giant blow to my ego" Joked Oliver about himself. The tiger paused for a bit as he thought about what to do next. Oliver quickly turned his attention back to the fox and gave her a mysterious smile. "I was thinking of getting some fresh air. Wanna join me? One of the ships technicians told me about a maintenance shaft that leads to the ship's roof. I've heard the view from up there is stunning. However, the area is officially of limits for unauthorized personnel."

Finally finding a selection, mike fed some credits into the machine and returned to his table. the chrome machine slowly clanking and whirling as it set a black CD on a spindle. eventually tubthumping began to play. walking back to his table, he noticed a new unknown female approaching.
huh, haven't seen her around, must be recent addition. he raised his glass in welcome to Naida.
"welcome to the corner, don't believe we've met, names mike." he said, kicking the chair across from him out enough for her to sit.