Takeo's superiors departed, and he immediately dropped his salute and body together, falling back on a large dismantled pipe abandoned and forgotten at the back end of the maintenance bay they had assembled in. He wedged his elbow against his knee and propped his head on a gloved hand, smiling casually to the other cadets. He did not make any sound beyond the shifting of his bulky work coat - he simply watched, observing the interactions between his future teammates.

	It was quite a mixed bag, as he would have noticed if he had attempted to discern their psychology. The only conclusion he actually made, however, was that they looked like a fun bunch, and in the very least he would never be bored in their presence. [i]I wonder who I'll be calling[/i] Captain [i]by the end of the day,[/i] he thought.

	By this time, the chatter had mostly tapered off and several of the cadets looked at the silent boy sitting behind them.

	"Matsuda Takeo," he said, his cheerful smile never waning. He raised his free hand to wave. "You can call me Matsuda, or Takeo, whatever you feel like depending on which planet you come from."