With drooped ears and his head hanging low, Gurjan quietly listened to his commander's admonishment. She seemed to have some understanding as to his reasoning, but quite rigtfully took issue with him overstepping both his rank and his conduct. Still, the disciplinary action given to him could have been worse... Or at least that's what he thought when he reported to chief grayson.

Gurjan had learned two things today. Firstly, it was surprising how small an object could cause a catastrophic engine blowout, and secondly, there were a lot of nooks and crannies were such insignificant-seeming things could accidentally end up. His fur was now covered in grease stains from crawling around in said nooks and crannies, it was quite a horribly sticky feeling, and he longed for a thorough shower. Still, Commander Erien had told him to report to the mess hall first, and so that's where he was headed first.

He walked into the mess hall rather nonchalantly, he didn't expect news of the incident to have spread here already, true to his guess, most just continued going about their business, with a few stealing a sideways glance at what he assumed was his filth-covered fur. It didn't take him long to fill a plate for himself and find his way to the rest of the squad, or at least those who were still there eating. He took a seat somewhat awkwardly, if anyone in this room would give him shit about earlier, it would be one of them.

Nyx, focused on trying to get a loose part screwed in and fastened to the plane while trying to keep it from falling at the same time, but her hands were greasy and scraped up by now, so she had to lean into it. She'd tried to listen to what she had to say to the asshole, but the board wouldn't go where it needed and she needed to focus on it more. After a few minutes, she managed to fit it in, then closed the panel, checking to see if the AI circuit board was functioning correctly. Just before Nyx started the diagnostic program, Eiren walked up and Nyx pushed the button to let it automatically cycle through while Nyx listened to what Eiren had to say.

It started with food, which caught Nyx's attention immediately, and ended with Nyx having to go to to her office later. Nyx did not want to go, but she also figured that she didn't want to be hauled in by security, so she'd go after she was done eating. As ordered. Nyx nodded at Eiren to show that she understood and went back to the female head to wash off the grease and start on applying some bandages. As she uncovered scratches she realized she didn't need any bandages yet, but she should at least cover one on her right hand, since it was bleeding enough to cause concern if she was going to meet her commanding officer. Nyx forgot if that was what she should call Eiren.

As she walked to the mess hall, she tried to recall all the information she learned during bootcamp and then promptly forgot. Something about hats and that she thought the ranking system was stupid. She'd have to refresh her memory later. She noted Gurjan sitting down and looking forlorn. She should apologize, because it was her fault for getting him punished like that. Then again, he might not accept it, so she opted to either tell him later or simply forget and tell him she meant to later.

Her rations were the expected size and were enough for the average crewman, but she still took the storeable parts of the meal and placed it into her pockets and ate the rest quickly. When she finished, she walked back to the main hangar, mostly just for the sensation of walking, but also to see the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship. She'd eaten fast enough that the detour would give Eiren time to prepare. After about ten minutes there, she asked the AI for directions and managed to find her way back to the squad's area of the ship. It was easy to find the location of the office, but it wasn't like Nyx wanted to go and face it yet. Still, it was this then sleep until the mission started.

Nyx knocked on the door and entered, moving to the couch, as she could see the countdown and didn't want to be standing when it happened. Well, if I get demoted or fired, at least I'll have sat on this couch. It's comfortable.

"You told me to come, ma'am?" Nyx said, actually trying to be respectful. "I'm assuming its important because of your threat about the ship security." The waves of importance and the weight of the room made Nyx fidget and shift on the couch, and she had to supress the urge to continue to talk and thus end up digging herself into a hole. Again. For the third time today.

Elik dropped what he was working on when Erien called for them to head to the mess and eat. He left just after all the others and made his way up to where the Mess hall was but stopped in his tracks when he got through the door, there were a lot of crew on the ship and he barely knew any of them and he wasn't able to spot where his squad was sitting in the crowd of people eating, not the he looked that hard. When he saw everyone in the hall he just quickly went about getting himself some food and leaving, heading back down to the hanger to where his fighter was.

Once back at the hanger he found a table and set up a small workstation by his fighter, placing his food on it before being struck by a thought and running up to the squad's suite. He grabbed his bow and ran back to the hanger again, unfurling the bow setting it down on the table with his food. He ate as he tinkered with the bow, he wanted to rig this thing to use laser arrows, or more specifically to generate it's own laser bolts and then launch them like arrows, he messed with a few ideas on how to accomplish that while he was eating. As the jump was drawing closer however he had to secure his things as it started, he would do this by tossing his bow up into his fighter's cockpit and stowing the table he'd found before getting in the cockpit himself. Once they were able to move around again he would just go back to tinkering with the bow.

Erien looked up at the polite knock at the door and cut off her music with a tap at a control before calling out a clear 'come in'.
Nyx entered the room, and the Isorlai stood as she entered, waiting for her to take a seat before she did the same, moving to sit opposite her on the other sofa around the small coffee table.

"You told me to come, ma'am?" Nyx said, actually trying to be respectful. "I'm assuming its important because of your threat about the ship security."

"Actually," she replied with a slightly amused smile, "Given our last conversation, I wasn't entirely convinced you'd turn up if I didn't make it clear you had to," she said, the humour creeping into her voice as well. "Would you like some tea, lieutenant?" she asked, standing up to make a cup to herself, and talking as she prepared the drinks and placing one in front of the pilot-engineer as she returned to her seat. She held the mug in both hands as before, feeling the heat seep through to her palms, Her right felt it more as always. The prosthetic left hand was never quite as good, but she could still feel something. She considered her words before speaking, studying the human opposite. Graysons' words about her came back, and she also wound her mind back to what she'd read in Nyx's file before she continued.

"I think I might not have made the best first impression," she began, with a slight smile. "Boring lectures aren't especially my thing. And while I might be the C.O., I'm not exactly one for sticking to the minutiae of the rules either, believe it or not. I'm certainly no martinet, and from my experience in your position, I know that there's a lot of useless crap that goes out the window when you're in fighting conditions. Hell," she gave a dismissive wave and the Isorlai equivalent of a sneer, "most of the more fiddly crap in the book is there to keep us from going bored when there's nothing to do, and to practice muscle memory, to instill good discipline. Going along with all of it is much easier than making a fuss and getting in trouble," she said, taking a sip from her tea, before looking over at Nyx again and raising an eyebrow. "Although, walking away from me in the middle of a conversation was quite rude on a personal level, let alone a professional one, Lieutenant," she admonished with a slight chiding tone. The smile on her face remained, however.
She sat back and gave the pilot-engineer a critical glance as she did so, before speaking up once more.
"Let's get down to basics," she said after a moment. "I've dealt with Lieutenant Wallon. The way he blew up at you was unprofessional and discourteous. Not to mention dangerous in an environment like a fighter bay. And quite aside from that, if he had a problem he should've come to me first, rather than trying to take things into his own hands". She looked over the rim of her cup at the human, her eyes hardening a little. "Hangar bays really aren't a good place to sleep, Lieutenant Miles," she added with a more stern tone. "Admittedly, perhaps I should've given you a chance to rest before setting you to work, given the distance you had to travel. Nonetheless, if you feel you are unfit for duty for any reason related to health and fatigue, it's your responsibility to inform me of that; what if you'd made a mistake while working on someone's fighter that caused a much greater problem later on?" she shook her head. "Not that you need me to tell you that. Chief Grayson told me that your work was exemplary," she added. "Which brings me to another question for you, and what I want to say: You're quite clearly an excellent combat mechanic and engineer, and you could've graduated OCS in a fine position for maintenance. And had to deal with a lot less of the bullshit that pilots have to go through, if rules and regs are the thing that bothers you."
She tilted her head and gave a quizzical look to the female pilot. "I don't really care if you like me or not, Miles," she said evenly, and not unkindly. "I'm actually informed from reliable sources I'm not a complete bitch and that I can be a lot of fun, believe it or not," she added with an amused smile and a sidelong glance, before she continued. "I don't have a problem with you- No, wait, let me rephrase that. I don't want there to be a problem between us, and I'm pretty sure we'd all have a better time living in each others' pockets and working together if we got on with each other. So, how do I let that happen, while all of us remain within the regs and not have toolboxes kicked at you, or having to have meetings in my office with you. Or any more boring speeches", she added with a smirk.

***

Meanwhile, in the hangar bay, one of the engineering staff had approached Chief Grayson after seeing the odd sight of Elik setting up a picnic next to his fighter, and beginning to fiddle with bits of machinery alongside it. Perturbed, and clearly recalling the order from Erien for the squadron's pilots to go into crew rest following their mess hall vist, the Cetanui approached the fighter and stepped up alongside the cockpit, leaning on one side of the cockpit with his boots in the toeholds on the side of the fighters' nose.
"Lieutenant," he began, "The hangar bay is a no food area. Too much chance of FOD and too many hazardous chemicals in the area as well. Also, food stays in the mess hall, in quarters, or the bar. Not anywhere else. And seond... didn't Major Bellioch order you into crew rest? Or don't you wanna be flyin' when the order comes out". He looked at the bow and frowned. "An' also, personal weapons aren't permitted outta the armoury unless you're kittin' up for a mission. That's a pretty serious violation, Lieutenant... you better put that bow back, or at least take it up to the armoury if you're gonna mess around with it like that".

Well, this was starting out better than Nyx had hoped. She held the tea mostly for comfort, and she found that tea kept her up when she needed to sleep. So she could accept it properly, but she could at least look like she was accepting the warm cup. Nyx wondered what her Co would say next, because the scene in the hangar clearly hadn't gone unnoticed. Instead, Eiren put the blame on herself with her first impression and the lecture. Nyx didn't mind letting others take the blame for the stupid things she did if it meant she got off scot free, but this time it felt wrong.

Then Eiren mentioned that Nyx walked away in the middle of a conversation. When did she do that? Was it earlier when she was supposed to be admonished with Gurjen? Maybe she did need to sleep more after all, if her memory and manners were getting this bad. The worst part had to be that Eiren kept staring with that smile, and Nyx felt like she was in the crosshairs of something far worse.

"I-I know. It's not your fault, I got used to working while tired, and I figured it'd just be small jobs. But when you're laying down or just on autopilot you just... fall asleep. I try not to sleep in the hangar, but I was so excited that I just forgot to sleep before coming onboard." Nyx tried to explain, still feeling like a child who was being told off by their parent. "The regs don't bother me, I'm just not used to being so... regulated, if that makes any sense.

"Growing up, it was kind of easy to be ignored. I mean, there were just so many of us that every so often if one went missing, someone else would just replace them and life would move on. There was no investigation, or SOP, it just moved on and we were expected to find our way on our own. My whole existence boiled down to: find parts, fix parts, and not to get killed for good parts. So, now everyone has rules and tries to know where I am, and before it just wasn't like that, but I want to try and do it because I want to be a pilot. I've been an engineer my whole life, but I want to try being a pilot. But... if you want to reassign me, I understand."

You wouldn't be the first to tell me that I'm a poor fit for this line of work...

@Silverwind Blade

"All right, people!" she called out loud to the squadron. "You're done here; chief Grayson's team can handle the rest. We've given them the leg-up they needed. Fall out; head to the Mess Hall and grab yourselves some chow. Then you're all on crew rest until we come outta the jump. Get moving, folks".

"Yes Ma'am." Nick said, before thanking his tech crew for all their hard work. "I promise, ill do my best to keep her under 55, only use premium, and no showing off." Earning a few smirks and a groan from the lead tech, he turned and headed down the halls to the mess hall, glanced towards Gurjan as he left, frowning in contemplation.

following the crowd heading towards mess, he stood in line, as they filed in, and waited even more as fellow shipmates awkwardly flip-flopped over choices. "several Thousand years, and mess halls are the same as they were in the stone ages." Nick muttered, receiving a dark glance from the indecisive folk, and several chuckles behind him. Grabbing some dark oat bread, and some other essentials, he found a relatively empty table and assembled his master crafted sandwich.

molasses oat bread with black forest ham, cheddar cheese, pickles and mustard, a simple, but easy to ruin sandwich.

it was short lived.

having finished his meal, he managed to unpack, shower, and dress down into a more comfortable T-shirt, and cargos before returning to the mess to find a oil slicked and famished Gurjan. Grabbing two bottles of water, he wandered over to his area, and took a seat across from him, passing a bottle to Gurjan.

"well, I admire your dedication to orders, but I do believe the colonel would understand if you took a shower first." he said, drinking from his own, then diving headfirst into what was bothering him.

"so... what was all that about in the hanger?"

Kilian had followed the whole exchange that had happened in the hangar between the squad from his cockpit. He had not been able to hear what had been said but a few of them had seemed to be quite upset as a toolbox had been sent flying and then Eiren had stepped in chewing some people out. He had overheard a bit of that as they had finished up the calibrations on his fighter and he had climbed out of it. As he put his feet on the hangar floor they had been told to head to the mess for chow and rest. Kilian had waited a bit for everyone to leave and followed in silence behind the rest of the squad watching and assessing every member as best he could. Well he could say he did not dislike any of them and they all seemed to have their own quirks and habits. And that was how a squad should be but they needed to be able to work together if they where to survive in the battlefield.

In the mess hall he took his time and he still sat at the table when Gurjan took his place next to him and just a short while later they where joined by Nick. Kilian looked up from his plate as the newcomer asked the question that was on Kilians mind as well. Slowly he put down his fork and looked at them both with curiosity. He had not wanted to ask that question yet but now it was out and he really wanted to hear the answer to it. Not that he would hold it against Gurjan what ever had happened but it was good to talk about it so the squad could bond better and not get the wrong idea from rumors or gossip. "Yes what did happen there?" He added with a slight smile towards the oil covered Gurjan.

@HopelessIncubus @Natsucooldude

Elik nearly jumped when Grayson started talking, having been focused on what he was doing, and nearly scattered what he was working on. Flustered, he quickly murmured a "yes, chief Grayson" and hurriedly gathered up his things, collapsing the bow and slipping it on his back and collecting up the last bit of his food, and made his way out of the hanger bound for the squad's quarters. Once there he went over to the room he shared with Gurjan and tossed the bow on his bed before sitting down on it to finish eating his food there. He was about to get his bow again when he was done but thought some rest did sound like a good idea. So, laying the bow to the side to be dealt with later, he laid down on his bunk for just a bit of sleep, his tail hanging off the side and swaying back and forth.

Gurjan was chewing on a particularly durable strip of meat when Nick approached him. The isorlai seemed to be curious as to what had happened earlier. And it seemed another squadmate shared that sentiment. He took the offered bottle of water as he somewhat annoyedly tried to tear a piece off of the meat. It was a good excuse to think about what he was going to say.

When he finished with the tiresome exercise, he took a deep breath, he had formulated a reasonable-sounding argument. “I took exception to lieutenant Miles'… seeming contempt for regulations. I wanted to talk it out in a friendly manner, but I think I forced the Issue somewhat..." He sighed as he took a sip from the water bottle. "Miles snapped at me, and I snapped back... quite disproportionately" He looked at his conversation partners, trying to gauge their reactions as he talked."The reason I wanted to talk things out with miles is because I'd rather speak up if something bothers me rather than just ignoring it. I didn't want something I perceived as a threat to the squad's functioning as an unit to go unadressed." He picked up another piece of that tough meat of his plate. "Make of it what you will, but that's my side of the story."

@StoneWolf@HopelessIncubus

"I-I know. It's not your fault, I got used to working while tired, and I figured it'd just be small jobs. But when you're laying down or just on autopilot you just... fall asleep. I try not to sleep in the hangar, but I was so excited that I just forgot to sleep before coming onboard. The regs don't bother me, I'm just not used to being so... regulated, if that makes any sense.

"Growing up, it was kind of easy to be ignored. I mean, there were just so many of us that every so often if one went missing, someone else would just replace them and life would move on. There was no investigation, or SOP, it just moved on and we were expected to find our way on our own. My whole existence boiled down to: find parts, fix parts, and not to get killed for good parts. So, now everyone has rules and tries to know where I am, and before it just wasn't like that, but I want to try and do it because I want to be a pilot. I've been an engineer my whole life, but I want to try being a pilot. But... if you want to reassign me, I understand."

@Silverwind Blade

Erien listened patiently and with interest. Her pointed face was a cool, but interested expression as she sipped her tea in thought. She made to reply, but was cut short as the AI announced the jump was in ten seconds. Wincing, she set her tea down as she patted the pockets of her uniform.
"Anti nausea pills," she explained. "I get moderately bad jump disorientation. If I have to jump solo in a fighter with a booster attached, then it's worse - but I get a shot from the doc if that's coming up."
She swallowed a couple of the pills with a mouthful of tea, and then laid out on the couch, bracing for the jump as the rumbling hum of the hyperspace jump drive spooling up reached up even into this deck, from the engineering section below and aft.
The countdown reached zero, and the world shuddered and split sideways. There was a moment like breath being held constantly; colours danced and blurred together like a double-exposed negative. For Erien, it felt like her insides were attempting to exit wherever they could, and she was being rolled around in five directions at once.
Then, with no preamble or warning, everything settled back into relative normality. There was the slightest after-blur of movement, and a niggling sense of wrongness on the edge of perception, but otherwise it was business as normal. A further announcement marked that the ship was now switching over to 'destination time' to be in synch with the planets' day-night cycle on their arrival, and as such was assuming a night watch status.
The interruption aside, Erien sat up straight once more, and returned to her tea, and their conversation.
"As I was about to say, before we were so rudely interrupted," she deadpanned; "I can see how this is a huge adjustment for you. But you made it through academy". She tilted her head as she set her cup down. "One thing I learned when I made it to full-blown pilot, and when I was in my previous squadron: you never stop learning. There's always something new, some way to get better. There's always new systems, new weapons, new... something. And you can always get better at what you do, too". She looked over at the wall behind her desk. Most older squadron leaders or officers she knew had photos and other memorabilia on that wall; a shrine to themselves and their careers. Hers was, relatively speaking, only just beginning. There wasn't much of an 'I love me' wall to assemble yet. Plus, it felt kind of... Narcisscistic.
"I'm only just starting out as a commander," she said, turning back to Nyx. "I'm not used to having to look after other pilots, to order people around. It's not really in my nature to be aggressively harsh and stern; frankly, I don't much like it. But I don't want to fuck up, much like you don't either, I guess. I'm not going to reassign you," she said firmly, with a nod. "Because neither of us will learn anything out of that. You want to be a pilot? Fine, that's what we're here to do. I'll help you as much as I can, Lieutenant. That's what I'm here for too. But for your part, remember, this isn't your old life. You're away from there, don't let it hold you back, or drag you down."
She looked up at the clock over the door. "Now, I need to get my furry ass to bed, and so do you. Crew rest until we drop out of hyperspace. You don't have to sleep for 12 hours, but you do need to rest". She stood up and gestured to the door. "Speak to you soon. And remember, I'm always around to ask if you need anything, Lieutenant Miles".

***

As soon as Nyx had left, Erien returned to her desk, and began to finish up the last bits of admin she had. Like she'd just said to the human, they didn't have to sleep for twelve hours, but anything more than light admin work or recreation activities didn't count as 'rest'.
A formal message was waiting in her inbox; she felt a creeping sense of expectation and excitement as she tapped on the icon with one finger. It was from the ships' air boss.
The Wylde Fyre squadron were going to be in the initial deployment of fighters, screening the carrier as soon as it dropped out of hyperspace.
A thrill ran through her; they were going to be one of the first squadrons out. It was a chance to show they could do it, a chance for her to show her skill at command, and show she was capable of doing the job right - or so she hoped.
Squashing down her glee, she quickly forced it into shape with an iron rod of professionalism. She sent messages to Grayson, to confirm he'd received the info, to the flight ops shop to have their gear ready to go and confirm it's status, and then to the pilots of her squadron informing them they'd be the first group out. She set a countdown timer for the suite's lights in all rooms to come on in good time ahead of their launch time. It gave everyone time enough to rest well before rising in time to get a head-start on their pre-flight ops.
Replies came back almost immediately from Grayson and flight ops; they were ready and able. Giving a sigh of relief, she shut her toggle down, and headed into her bedroom. Her body and mind were tired. Even the excitement of the upcoming mission was doing little to abate the fatigue she felt. The pull of her bed was too strong to resist, and she gladly embraced it after she undressed and took a the briefest of showers. The built-in dryer left her fur feeling clean, smooth and soft as she rolled into the comfort of her matress, and drifted away.

***

Many hours later, she stood clad in her flight suit in the main lounge. The wall-screen had her toggle attached and she was waiting to begin the briefing. A count-down in the top corner showed the time remaining until the ship dropped out of jump. It showed less than two hours remaining.
On the counter of the suites' breakfast bar were pots of tea and coffee, along with plates of breakfast foods to go around the group. Everything was a prepared as she could make it, and so all that was left was the briefing, and then for them all to prepare for the flight itself. Their survival gear was waiting to be strapped on over the dull fabric of their suits, up in the flight ops section. Then it was to the hangar to mount up for launch.
So, full of nervous energy and excitement, the Isorlai paced in expectation and waiting. What would they find? What was waiting out there? She knew as much as they all did; colonies going quiet, freighters going missing, pirate and renegade activity, and handfuls of shell-shocked refugees arriving in trailing, drawn-out convoys back in the core systems. It was their job to find out more, and her squadron were on the front-line of that.

"Make of it what you will, but that's my side of the story."
"If that was any more vague it would be painful." Nick sighed as he mulled the response over in my head. Doubting the fact that the colonel would make the issue public, mike would have to check with miles later. "scaring the bejeezus out of her though, isn't likely gonna help." he frowned.

a little while later the ship A.I. perked up, announcing the approaching jump, nervous chat settled throughout the mess hall. Mike got up fro the table.

"no offence, but we ought to leave." Nick said, "Loose tableware isn't good for a jump... our commons furniture is rated for jump right?" he asked, while he headed for the door. Once in the one way hall, he jogged down to his squads commons, preferring to look frantic, then to be plastered onto a bulkhead.

flopping down into an empty chair, he shaked himself loose, and relaxed until the A.I. counted down. Closing his eyes, and gently exhaling, mike made the shift with minimal trouble, compared to his families shipping freighter, this was a breeze. watching as the shadow traces played with his vision, he pulled up his tablet, and checked for messages from his family before hitting his rack.

---------------

In the morning, the grumpy Isorlai rolled out of his bed. Grumbling to himself, he stretched and crawled into his pilot suit. Exiting his room, helmet halfheartedly on his head, he shuffled to the coffee, tracking it more by smell then sight.

"good morning colonel" he muttered with a salute on the way. "imma coffee, food...ready in five mam."

Gurjan wasn't intent on really continueing the conversation, so he silently continued eating after the Isorlai's remark. Thankfully, the annoncement of hyperspace interrupted them before things got awkward like this. Gurjan stood up while shoveling the last of his light meal inside, he deposited the platter back on the counter on the way out. He had tried not to eat too much in case his stomach decided not to agree with the coming warp jump again. Had he taken his pills against that earlier today? He could remember saying something about it to his roommate... Had he ever actually taken a dosage?... Too late for it now though, according to the label it took at least half an hour for them to have any real effect. He arrived in the commons room at about the same moment as nick and wisely took a seat closest to the bathrooms.

As he had feared, he had indeed forgotten his pills. He felt it behind his eyes the moment the jump started. The vivid nightmare that danced before his eyes, his sense of direction going all over the place in directions that shouldn't even exist. It was soon over luckily, and the Isorlai had just a moment to come to his senses. Just long enough to have the nausea set in. He held back long enough to stagger to a cubicle...

---

Gurjan awakened by a sharp tone the following morning. He quickly flipped ope his toggle and silenced the alarm. He took a brief glance at his roommate's bunk to see whether he had inadvertedly woken him up as well. Out of consideration for the aranok's own sleeping pattern, he had set his alarm to a tone that was audible only to isorlai ears.

He wormed his way out of bed and started fumbling around with clothes, his fur still had some stains left from yesterday that he hadn't managed to wash out in the short shower he allowed himself. Covering them up with darker colors of clothing would have to do for now.

He walked into the commons room. In a subdued fashion, as to not draw too much more attention to himself. He silently greeted the commander with a quick salute and poured out a cup of water. The jump exit was approaching, and he was not going to let himself be taken by surprise like that in the same jump.

Elik was still sleeping by the time the ship was jumping to FTL, and aside from lightly stirring on his bunk he continued to sleep straight through it, being used to FTL jumps. sometime after the jump was made he awoke, rising from his bunk with a yawn. Judging by the state of his roommate's bunk he wasn't to far behind the Isorlai.

Swinging his legs out and standing up he went for his clothes, He slipped on the pieces of his flight suit as well as the the forearm plate on his right arm before walking out to the common room with any other of his squadmates that have woken up. He walked toward the counter with coffee and tea on it, passing Erien along the way and smiling at her "Morning Fluffles", once at the counter he got himself a cup of tea, nearly scalding himself at his first attempt to take a sip. After muttering a curse under his breath about the design of the cups and snouts he carefully tried again, this time successfully getting some of the hot liquid down his throat.

Turning around with his cup he took a seat on one of the stools by the counter facing the direction Erien was in and waited for the rest of the squad to wake up and the briefing to begin. while he looked at her it occurred to him that she mentioned talking to him after that incident in the hanger earlier, though as he was barely involved he figured it wasn't that important so she either forgot or changed her mind. perhaps if she didn't say anything after the briefing he'd mention it, an excuse to talk to her couldn't hurt.

Nyx had been expecting... something. Pity, maybe? Instead it was the two of them sitting on a couch just before the jump started, and relaxing. Talking about jump disorientation and all that. It was relaxing somehow, to know that Eiren was also a person, just someone who was trying to get by as well, and while everything was different, at least it was comforting that now everything was out in the air and she just hoped that it made sense.

The jump was normal, all colors and distortion. Even if it felt like Nyx was being pulled in six different directions at once, it felt kind of like a normal part of life, and always brought fond memories. Plus, it always felt like her problems now laid about a million miles away from wherever they were now. It all became kind of new, with everything the same but slightly different somehow, probably because now it all felt wrong somehow from them traveling millions of miles in just a few seconds.

However, instead of starting afresh on the problems, Eiren spoke. The lecture wasn't the one she was expecting, and it mostly boiled down to 'this is different so learn it is' and that Eiren wasn't going to reassign her. Nyx had to take a moment to process it all. Then once she had, Nyx decided that she should probably say something in response.

"O... okay. I'll try. Uhm, see you in twelve hours, then." Nyx said as she stood to leave.

As she walked back to her quarters to sleep, she wondered if it was really that easy to forget her own life and just move on. She put her hand in her pockets and looked at the food she'd swiped earlier. She wondered if there was a saying on Borlix or by Borlix survivors, as she called them. If not, she had the perfect one she could make fit the bill.

You can leave Borlix, but Borlix never leaves you.

---

Nyx woke up on her own, startled by the darkness, but realizing that she'd shut the shutters -was that what they were called- on her bed and spread out. She wondered how long she'd slept for, and she bet it was long enough that she wouldn't be tired later. She dragged her still groggy carcass out of bed, quickly having a small feast on the food she'd hoarded, and dressing in her flight suit. She assumed that she'd have to change sooner than later.

She noted a few pilots that were up before her, but she plopped herself into a chair anyway, forgoing coffee -she couldn't stand the stuff without a lot of time and sugar- and waiting for the commander to begin her talk. She noted Asshole was up and about, but didn't do anything to provoke him this time. She could do something to him later.

Hydraulics churned as the door to the brig slid open. A man sat within one of the cells looked up from the floor, facing the direction of the sound. He smiled half sheepishly, half out of recognition at the white-furred Isorlai. The man stood up, dusted himself off and gave her a slow salute, "Ma'am. Adam Mallory. I assure you, I have a perfectly good explanation for this."

---

Adam's shuttle arrived earlier than planned. He frowned as the shuttle captain announced their early arrival, and scoffed when the captain called it fortuitous. An hour early meant Adam will need to find some way to pass the time. The shuttle's landing struts let out a reverberating thunk as its magnetic grip switched on, holding it fast to the landing pad. Passengers around Adam rose out of their seats in a staggered pattern. Adam simply sat and watched the others leave. The shuttle won't have any of that as it chimed its warning, rushing the stragglers off. He grabbed his bag from under his seat and marched off the shuttle.

At the early hours of the planet's day-cycle, the port was busier than Adam expected. He had to weave through crowds after crowds, stopping only to refer to his assignment. He placed his toggle onto a 'toggle column'—a glossy pillar scattered throughout the port for public use. He scanned his assignment for the Heart of Valor's dock number. With the number on hand, he switched over to port directory and requested directions. The system reported a 10 minute walk from where he was. Adam sucked on his teeth at the news. That left him with about half-hour to kill before he needs to report in. What could there be to do in that time?

A smile slowly dawned on Adam's face as an idea formed. He broke off into a run towards the Heart of Valor.

~~~~

Hardly one for doing things the easy way, Adam sneaked on-board the ship. Let's see how far I get before anyone notice. With his gear stowed away in one of the vents in the cargo bay, Adam began snooping and poking into service corridors and maintenance access-ways. There were a few close calls here and there with the various crew of the ship, but he managed to remain hidden. Every so often, he would stop and plant his toggle onto the most reflective surface he can find. He looked over the basic blueprints of the ship, intel he managed to gather by asking around after he got his new assignment.

Things were going well until Adam was two decks away from the bridge. There were more foot traffic nearby. Most of the crew passing by were carrying their sidearm out in the open. Shit. Adam stopped at one of the vent coverings and saw an Isorlai and a Ellori standing with their backs turned towards him. Both of them rested a hand on their sidearm. One of them—the Ellori—spoke, "Who exactly would be crazy enough to sneak onto a military starship?"

"Someone with a death wish, most likely," the Isorlai grumbled, "just keep quiet and stay alert. We were told the intruder's using service access and the vents to get around."

"Maybe he's lost in there. I don't envy the maintenance crew that needs to deal with that mess."

"I'm more worried about the smell," the Isorlai sniffed to make his point. His body stiffened and turned his head halfway towards the vent cover. Adam's' breath caught in his throat and his body stiffened. His Ellori partner looked over at the Isorlai, "What's wrong?"

"I smell something." The threatening growl in the Isorlai's voice got Adam moving. He slid back, trying to make as little noise as possible. A loud thump rang through the vent as his weight popped the panel under him. Cat's out of the bag now. Adam twisted around and crawled through the vents just like he crawled through the mud in boot camp. He slipped down into the service access connecting to the vent and came face to face with the barrel of a gun. Adam scoffed at his carelessness as he raised his hands. The Isorlai on the other side of the gun barked, "Get up."

Adam complied. His eyes scanned for escape routes, but thought better of it. He has to work with these guys for who knows how long. If he manages to show them up in his escape, he would've painted a target on his back that would take a lot of work and time to erase. Instead, he said, "Hey, would you believe me if I said I belong on this ship?"

"Turn around and march." The Isorlai ordered. Adam did as he was told, but he asked, "Where are we going?"

"The brig."

"Can you at least get Major Erien Bellioch for me? She can verify my identity." Adam asked, still smiling. The Isorlai growled, baring his teeth at Adam. The Ellori spoke up, "Wait a sec. What if he's telling the truth?"

"You're really going to believe this intruder? What if he's a spy?" The Isorlai growled at his partner.

"I rather make sure." The Ellori insisted. Adam let out a sigh of relief. The Isorlai jabbed him with his sidearm and said, "You're still going to the brig."

Adam groaned and followed the Ellori as she lead the way. This was turning out to be a shitty first impression.

---

@Silverwind Blade

A short while before the briefing:
Erien looked down at the human and gave a growling sigh. "Well, you're released from your temporary confinement," she said, folding both arms across her chest. "Ready to do something useful other sitting about and watching the ceiling rust? Come on; you've already missed out on your fighter calibrations, so you'll have to make do with a default human setting. At least you don't miss out completely on our first mission". She gave him a stern look. "You'd better not make that look bad at least, lieutenant Mallory".

--------------------------------------------------------------
At the present time:

Erien nodded or murmured 'good mornings' and 'hellos' to each of the pilots as they emerged and helped themselves to the coffee or food that had been laid out for them. Checking the time index on the screen, she began the briefing promptly... noting who was late or not for her own records with a brief, dark expression flashing across her face like a cloud over the sun.
"Thank you for being prompt, pilots. Now you're all fed and watered, I'll begin. And, by the way," she added, gesturing to where Adam had joined the group. "This is Lieutenant Mallory. He is also part of our squadron, however, he was... indisposed until now, due to some spectacular levels of bad decision making. Nonetheless, he's now with us, and ready to fly".
The screen behind her shifted to show a representation of the system they were heading into, and the predicted point for their jump arrival.
"Once we drop out of hyperspace, we'll be launched as part of the preliminary reconnaissance and interception force. Our role will be to close in and provide cover to the Claymores as they perform a full LIDAR and sensor scan of the surface and orbital space of the planet Alendri in the Telleri system.
"Alendri is supposed to be home to almost one thousand colonists in a number of small settlements spread across the northern-most continents' equatorial region. Approximately two weeks ago, all transmissions from Alendri ceased, and then three days after that, a freighter from Alendri arrived in the Holon system. Heavily damaged by what looked like weapons fire, most of the crew were injured. All of them were shell-shocked and exhausted from staying awake for more than three days straight after fleeing the system. They reported attacks by unknown hostile forces. That's what lead to the task force our ship and squadron are part of being assembled to find out what the hell is going on in that region of space, and put a stop to it".
The screen changed to show the planet with the populated areas highlighted. A box-in showed the celestial positions of the planets and other bodies in-system as well, with their arrival point, just beyond the primary satellite of Aleri.
The main image changed again, showing their course plotted from the ship towards the planet, weaving around the moon to check behind its' mass before heading into orbit.
"We'll be flying in split flights at set distances from the Claymore. Our secondary job will be to act as the first line of defence and deterrence for any unexpected hostiles we encounter once we get in-system. If anything heads for the ship, we take off on an intercept course to... dissuade them from attacking."
A tap on the toggles' holographic controls, and the screen resolved to a series of schematics and still images.
"All of our craft will be loaded with a standard aerospace superiority loadout; long-range missiles on the dorsal launchers, mid-range ones in the side launchers. We'll all be carrying an additional reaction mass tank on the centreline too, to extend our patrol range. Once we've established the area is secure, the ship will maove into a stable orbit and we'll be relieved on station by Juno Squadron. Then we can all head back home for a mutual back-patting session and crack open the beers... or whatever your drink of preference is. Unless," she said with a grimace, "things go all to hell out there, and we end up in a pitched battle. If that's the case, then fall back on your training and experience. Remember to stick in pairs and cover each other. No going off solo; that's how they pick you off. Watch each others' backs - the enemy will be doing the same thing, and looking for you to slip up or make mistakes.".
The female Isorlai tapped the screen with the back of one handpaw, her expression stern. "Their fighters are older models. Not as powerful in thrust and acceleration, pound for pound, as our Sabres, but they're well armoured, and have a modular load out. They might be packing powerful weapons, but you can out maneuver them. In close where it counts, our extra power and energy will help, and their heavier weight will let them down. Not to mention, we have the benefit of superior sensors, along with the Claymores working with us as well for battlespace control and management. We've got the advantage, and we train to use it well. I'll be out there too, right alongside all of you." She looked from face to face, and then nodded.
"That's all. We launch in a shade under ninety minutes. I'll meet you all in the hangar bay to mount up for pre-flight checks. Any questions, ask away or get me on my toggle. Dismissed".

Erien shut down the toggle-screen and clipped the device back to her belt. She had time enough to head for life-support and get her personal flight gear and survival equipment fitted and signed out, and still have enough room to fret, dither, and remember she hadn't filed various bits of necessary paperwork.
Just as normal then, she thought to herself with a wry smile and a shake of her head, before she downed the last of her now lukewarm tea with a grimace. Giving a quiet 'blech', she set the cup down on the kitchen counter and lowered herself to all fours, padding toward the door. No time like the present to get ready...

----------------------------------------------

The time passed much quicker than the white-furred Isorlai had imagined. She'd fitted and strapped on her additional survival gear; the vest, belts, equipment harnesses and bulky acceleration-cushioning and other gear leaving her with less mobility, but a great deal more suvivability in the cold of space, and in the cockpit of her fighter. From there, she had ponderously made her way down to the hangar bay. A walk-around of her ship with the repair crew, and she had signed off on the machine for the mission, accepting it as ready for flight. Helping hands were required to get her onboard and strapped into place with oxygen hoses and data cables attached. Electrical power came online and she ran through the pre-flight checklist, verifying everything was running smoothly.
As she reached the last items on the list, the alarms on the hangar deck blared - they were about due to drop out of hyperspace. A shudder ran through the ship once more, and this time the sensation was like the lurch of dropping suddenly; like turbulence in the air, or an elevator slipping on its' cable, the leap in the pit of your stomach. Vision returned to full normal, and the hangar became a mass of people moving urgently to clear space and ready ships for launch.
Her lists complete, the canopy cycled closed, and she gave a thumbs-up to her repar crew, her saluted her and returned the gesture. A thump, a rumble, and the overhead deployment arm attached to her fighter and lifted it off the deck. External hoses disconnected with a clunk, and she retracted the landing skids as the fighter was moved through the hangar, suspended above the deck. Turning, it was lined up with a launch tube, the armoured doors yawning open before the fighter slotted into place on the magnetic launch rail.
"Wylde Fyre Lead, this is control. You are loaded and in the breech. Stand by for launch, over"
"Roger control, this is lead. Reading you loud and clear. Standing by as ordered for launch, over".
She tensed her gloved paws on the throttle and stick, the hum of power from the ship still reverberating through the fighter and through the muffled barrier of her visor and its' glowing icons. Ahead, the darkened launch tube stretched to a door. When the order came, the lights would snap on, and the magnetic launcher would blast her, and the others in the squadron, like bullets from a railgun out into space, and they'd be in the thick of it.
"Wylde Fyre lead to all craft. Stand by for launch, we are on the mission timeline, over!"

Gurjan hadn't really noticed the new face until the commander had specifically pointed out his presence. He briefly wondered what sort of bad decisions had caused him to be 'indisposed' as Erien put it. He hoped this one wasn't another maverick, Nyx was more than enough already when it came to that. He intently listened to the briefing, it seemed the first mission would be a straightforward escort job. Of course, there was the possibility of undetected hostiles, but such were the risks of flying in hostile space. When the commander mentioned pairing up, he took a quick look at his fellow squad members. He already found himself with beef with one of them, and possibly a grudge from another one as well. Still, despite his earlier rant towards Nyx, he knew he would have to trust on her if shit ever hit the fan.

Gurjan was the first to stand up after the meeting was dismissed, he could think of a hundred things to do in the next ninety minutes. All sorts of small possible distractions to adress, like the small hunger he felt in the pit of his stomach right now. And so he swiped some leftover foodstuffs from the table to eat on his way to the hangar

---

As gurjan lowered himself into the cockpit of his craft, he still ran a mental checklist of everything he had done. He had checked the ship again with the crew, he had filled in all the paperwork, he had taken his pills against hyperspace nausea or whatever the proper term was, he had sat still for a few minutes to see if anything like a trip to the bathroom or a quick drink of water were needed. He had made himself as free of distractions both physical and mental as possible, just in time to report to the hangar. If anything went wrong today, he would not be to blame.

The pre-flight checklist was something he had recited so many times before, the only reason the repair crew was around at this point was to step in if one of the checks gave a bad result. Engines were still as efficient as he had calibrated them, turret-to-eye tracking was still spot-on. All systems, both primary and auxilliary were nominal. All equipment was secure and took up the absolute minimium amount of space.

And then came that sickening feeling of a ship dropping out of hyperspace. Gurjan fixated his eyes on the nose tip of his figther, he had heard staring at an unmoving point helped mitigate the feelings of disorientation and nausea. Whether such gave a real effect or a mere placebo, he still found himself quite alert and ready for action when the slip back into normal space was done.

The sabre shuddered ever so subtly as it was loaded onto the magnetic rail. And then came the brief moment of expectant silence just before a launch. He heard the voice of the commander through comms. “Wyld fire lead, this is Wyld Fyre five, I am reading you loud and clear, over!”

Nick nursed the caffeine laden nectar between bites of bacon and eggs. As the Coffee entered his system, he began to perk up, steadily fighting gravity and out of his slouch.

"This is Lieutenant Mallory" the colonel said pointing out a new addition to their force, Nick nodded to the pilot, resisting an AA style greeting.

Continuing the debriefing, their group would provide close support for the slower craft as they scanned the area. secondly, if enemies were present, they would break off in twos and defend the main ship. Simple mission parameters, beers buy sundown.
"Unless...things go all to hell out there, and we end up in a pitched battle."

Nick grinned sadly. "not much wood to knock on in this ship mam."

Thankfully the squad would have the lightweight, and tactical advantage with newer craft, knowing the enemy had not only heavier armor, but heavier guns made him wary. In space, mass wasn't as hard to maneuver then in air, so they would have to play their strengths all the more.

"That's all. We launch in a shade under ninety minutes. I'll meet you all in the hangar bay to mount up for pre-flight checks. Any questions, ask away or get me on my toggle. Dismissed".

"Aye Aye, Colonel" mike said, much livelier then a few minuets before. Setting off to get flight ready, amassing and storing his gear. strapping on his sidearm, close quarters weaponry, water bladder, and stuffing various survival items in their designated pockets. He already felt weighted, and bulky, but this was only the first stage. Compressing and fitting his suit closer to his body with belts, he got assistance applying further equipment. Spare personal O2 tank in case the hull breached, and padding to make a hockey goalie jealous.

resuming his usual self, Nick moon hopped into the flight deck. stopping in front of his fighter and sobering himself, he chatted with the lead tech, and began the final assembly. climbing up the short ladder was less then graceful as bulky as he was now. Nick felt a bit useless as the practiced techs strapped him in tight, a task that the bulky padding made rather difficult. A final fit and flight check showed all systems green. as alarms blared, the techs bailed off the fighter and staged for the drop, the after images in nicks vision slipping back together and smoothing everything back to normalcy.

returning to the fighter, they closed the canopy, and he checked the pressure in the cabin, exchanging a thumbs up, the crew motioned for the launch personnel to load the fighter. with a odd lurch and a swing he never could get used to, the fighter was placed onto the rail.

<Wylde Fyre 7, this is control. You are in launch position, stand by for launch order.">

"Control, this is Wylde Fyre 7, understood, holding for launch." mike replied.

<Wylde Fyre lead to all craft. Stand by for launch, we are on the mission timeline, over!>

"Wylde Fyre 7 to Lead, read you loud and clear, all systems green, just waiting for them to light the way for me, I got lost once." Nick replied, hoping to ease up the stress of their first launch.

Nyx watched Erien introduce the next pilot, Mallory, and then give them their assignment. It didn't sound too exciting, but then there was the mystery element to it. Also, there were the outdated planes. Nyx made a note to see if she could find a way to search for similar situations, because this was both too bizarre and starting to feel like those cheap novels she'd bought after she left Borlix to become more 'cultured'. She made double sure to keep the 'stay in pairs' tucked safely in the back of her mind.

Last time, she'd been a surprise, so it hadn't mattered that she wasn't in formation, but now it mattered a lot. If she wasn't where they needed her, the Claymores could get wiped out, and that would set the mission back considerably. So she switched on her toggle and searched for 'ghost town planets' and brushed up on her formations. When her search hadn't turned up much, Nyx put her Toggle away and headed down to get prepped to go.

Overall, the experience was just about as fun as it had been the first time. the belts were her least favorite part, but at least they ensured that she wasn't as bulky as before. It was just the price to pay for safety, even if she didn't get it half the time. Then again, it was encouraged to go climbing on the walls of wrecks to get good parts. Without climbing gear. It never really ended well for the overly ambitious ones.

Nyx figured she could deal with a bit of safety gear and protocols.

Nyx was a bit fussy with the walk around, but in the end she signed off on it and climbed inside with help. Just as she settled inside, the ship lurched and she felt her stomach go flying. It took a few moments, but she was able to combat off the nausea. She went through the checklist quickly, and was loaded onto the rail.

"Wylde Fyre four, this is control. You are in launch position, stand by for launch order."

"Wylde Fyre Four set to go, control."

"Wylde Fyre lead to all craft. Stand by for launch, we are on the mission timeline, over!"

"Wylde Fyre Four to Lead, I hear you. Is there a way that I don't have to say that alliteration every time? Oh, also all systems green."

A few last second adjustments and just looking around to get a feel for the fighter. She'd been adjusted to fit it, but she wasn't quite used to the idea that this was hers. She was going to fly this into a possibly dangerous situation with a mysterious enemy.

What was that saying about butterflies?

Elik stayed at the back of the gathered squad and listened to the briefing quietly, sipping from the tea he'd gotten and taking note of the new squadmember, or latecoming member whichever it was, until the briefing had finished. He may have thought to approach Erien before but a growing nervousness ate at his mind and he couldn't bring himself to. The nervous feeling was coming from his inexperience, sure he's flown before and was decent at it but due to the circumstances that led to his current position he'd had little-to-no military training. The feeling ticked at him and he wound up spending much of the time before the mission pacing in his bunkroom, worried and absolutely sure he'd be unable to live with the guilt of a squadmate dying because of him should something go wrong, not to mention the scorn he'd get from Erien and the rest of his squadmates.

Time seemed to get away from him and before he knew it the call to get to their fighters sounded. He stopped for a moment to push the worry from his mind and catch his breath before gearing up and heading down to the hanger. Clasping his helmet on and climbing into his fighter, he went over the pre-flight checklist and signaled that he was good before the canopy sealed and his fighter was loaded onto it's rail.

"Wyld Fire Two, ready and standing by"

He took another deep breath after saying that.