[IC] Shadows of Steel (Space Fighter Combat RP)

[Rhona W]

The blue-green world of Mirchusko rotated tirelessly, performing it's endless celestial dance; it's own little part in the intricate and expansive ballet around the brilliant yellow star at the core of the system. As its' rotations took it from day into night, the light of the far-off, distant orb caught the gleam of an artificial structure. A string of red beacons, hinting at hidden shapes in the darkness, were revealed to mark the course of a silvery-grey ribbon that threaded down to the surface of the world below, lost in clouds. The top of the heavenly pillar extended far, far out and above and at it's crown, a mass of metal, plastic and asteroid rock rotated with the same casual, steady pace as the world it was threaded to by the umbilical of artifical engineering that seemed so perilously thin.

Nestled in the protective embrace of the counterweight station, a sleek yet businesslike starship, coloured in muted tones of dark purple-black and military tan was making ready to leave the embrace of the friendly home port, deep within the territory of the Leage of Unified Races, and journey out to the frontiers of explored and colonized space. Strange things were afoot, and it had fallen to Defence Command, the Leagues' military arm, to investigate reports of hostile activities and missing people.
Aboard the sleek pocket battleship, the commanding officer of the Heart of Valour's newest fighter squadron, the 122nd Expedtionary Aerospace Squadron, aka 'Wylde Fyre', fretted and fussed.
The battle-carrier was due to leave within the hour. She had arrived four days ago and spent time attending situational and strategic briefings, going through procedure drills, training, and administration work, both aboard the ship and on the Counterweight Station in it's military district. The fighters themselves had arrive 72 hours ago aboard a chartered freighter, half-dissassembled for travel and were currently being reassembled, and full maintenance checked by the engineering teams. The squadron's quarters were all in order and all checked out too.
The only problem was she didn't have any pilots.
The white-furred female Isorlai paced back and forth on all fours in the soon-to-be lounge attached to the soon-to-be squadron's quarters.
Her claws clicked against the deck plating lightly and she rolled her shoulders as she paced nervously. Her white-furred, slender yet strong appearance was counter-pointed strikingly by her bright blue eyes, and by those with an eye for her species, she was considered quite attractive. Though, right now, anyone looking in on the squadron commander would have likely ducked right out again, given the evidently nervous energy she was displaying.
"Less than an hour?" She muttered to herself. Her voice was cultured, educated, but musical and firm. "Where could they be, what's taking so-"
The speakers discreetly built into the room chimed and her ears perked up as the voice of the ship's AI, Crystal, spoke up.
"Colonel Bellioch, the shuttle arriving at Bay 2 is carrying the rest of your squadron members... which I'm sure you'll be pleased about".
The Isorlai gave a whooshing sigh of relief, sagging on her front legs almost to the ground, before she picked herself up, She frowned briefly at the speakers. "Who programmed you with sarcasm?" she muttered, before shaking her head and her expression changing to one of excitment as she began trotting on the spot. "All right," she said, her excitement creeping into her voice. "Command face, on. Let's go and meet the squadron," she said to herself firmly, holding herself up straight, and more formally... before spinning on the spot and dashing out of the room at high speed.

***

Several floors above, the shuttle, one of several across from the small flotilla of chartered civilian ships that had ferried the remaining crew and supplies for the battle-carrier, approached the mouth of the carriers' bay. Lines of flashing holographic markings designated approach lanes to the currently open and depressurised bay. Blinking lights guided the Starhawk transport in, and under a smooth hand, it touched down.
Inside the sleek vessel, the various personnel chattered in enthusiastic excitement about making it to the ship. A voice from the cockpit cut through as it told them to stand by for disembarking, as the lights by the doors pulsed, indicating the outside environment of the bay was re-pressurizing. As soon as it blinked green, the doors swung open like a clamshell, the bottom half extending steps and a hand-rail to allow the passengers to climb down.

The bay itself was abuzz with activity. Personnel were stowing, loading, unloading and moving things all over. Exoskeletons moved around, utility and deck vehicles whined past, and raised voices competed with announcements from the overhead speakers by Crystal's warm, steady tones for any number of things - including regular time updates on the schedule for departure.

On the floor of the bay, and a little away from where the shuttle had landed, Erien skidded and dodged around a knot of engineering crew guiding a Mule exoskeleton in lowering a crate onto the back of a utility vehicle. They dodged aside, yelling after the bounding Isorlai and she threw a 'sorry!' back over one shoulder, before lowering her speed to a more acceptable trot, smoothing her fur and thick mane of hair with one paw-hand as she saw the shuttle and the personnel disembarking. She forced a tight lid onto her excitement and tried to get her flustered self back into some kind of presentable form as she came to the area at the base of the shuttles' ramp, leaning back up onto her hind legs to stand bipedally as she scanned for the faces she knew from the personnel files. They ought to be here somewhere, among the throng disembarking. She wondered how their trip would have been. Would they have talked? Had their been any delays? Had they been briefed? So much to ask, and so much to organise; a little sliver of nervousness wiggled its' way out of her composure and her tail twitched at the tip, ears drooped briefly, before she shook herself and looked up for some sign of her new squadron arriving, hoping her Isorlai-standard uniform and its' rank insignia would pick her out to them.

[StoneWolf]

As everyone hurried to get out of their seats and out of the shuttle Kilian just stood up and grabbed his sports bag that he had placed under his seat during the journey here. He did not fight the crowd moving but just get them push him forward, his sports bag in his hand and a sleepily expression on his face. As they pushed out into the hangar he stopped and stretching out while yawning his arms hit a couple of people hurrying by. Being transferred from his old squad had been at first a sad event, after all they had all been flying together for the last 4 years. As he thought about the going away party his squad and he had organized Kilians gaze took in the carrier bay and the people working there. So far it was not much different from any other ship he had been to.
Slowly he started making his way forward yawning as he had slept little after the party and during the journey. And the party itself was the reason he had been delayed a bit more then he should have. As he moved amidst the throng of people his long tattered sleeveless coat swayed around his legs and his purple t-shirt made him stand out against most other uniforms or darker colors. So what was his new commanding officer gonna be like? She where a Isorlai, white fur and a female. Nothing which he had a problem with but he did not recall much more right now as he still felt a bit hungover.

When he had climbed down the stairs from the shuttle he began scanning the area to see if she would be there berate him for being so late. Holding his arm up to his eyes he did check the time and yeah he should actually have been here more then an hour ago. Smiling sheepishly he shrugged and hoisted his trunk, containing his uniform up to his shoulder while being pushed along with the rest of the mass of personal and civilians moving. Twisting his head from side to side he did try his best to find Erien if she would be in the bay at this time and not have left to have him go find her in what would be the squads quarters.

After being pushed along another 30 feet he caught a glimpse of what looked to be white fur in a standard uniform, while muttering excuses he pushed his way through the crowd until he could get clear and then he could see that it was for sure an Isorlai in uniform he had seen. Unsure if it was his commander or not he kept walking towards Erien. Because if it was not his commander he probably could get help finding his way around this ship. Kilian stopped a few feet away from Erien and did a half hearted salute still carrying his his sports bag. Right after he had saluted he did yawn wide and put up his hand to cover his mouth. It was evident in his face and posture that he was kinda tired and had not had much sleep in a while. He never could sleep while on a shuttle or flying in anything smaller then a carrier. Kilian let his gaze do a scan of the Isorlai infront of him before he spoke.
"Kilian Erwan reporting in. Do I have the honor of adressing Colonel Erien Bellioch? If not, then it is still and honor to make your acquaintance. " He said smiling, winking and dropping his bag to the floor. Maybe this could be a nice transfer for him and a chance to see something new. It could probably be a very good opportunity for him to improve his skills and learn something new from what would be his new squad when he meet them.

[Natsucooldude]

Gurjan sighed, he had hoped on settling in on the Heart of Valour before the planned hyperspace jump. He still hadn't really gotten used to the feeling of... wrongness, that came with it. Still, it was one of the only things that he had trouble with, which was quite a good average.

He took a look around the passenger compartment .In all of the commotion that had caused their delay he hadn't had the opportunity to talk to any of his future squadmates. An now that he was standing around them, he couldn't really think of anything to say.

James had been asleep the entire trip and was now waking up to an entrire bay full of people and machinery. His vision was somewhat fuzzy, as he stood up rubbing his eyes. He looked around the passenger compartment, inspecting his soon to be squadmates. He walked towards his bags unknowingly stepping on the silent Isorlai's paw.

Gurjan was jolted by a sharp pain running through his right paw. With a growl, he jumped upright and towards the source of the pain, a rather careless terran, he loomed over the man, catching himself instinctively snarling. "Damnit man, watch where you stomp your feet around!"

James was shaken up by the angry Isorlai. He quickly noticed however that his angry reaction made sense as he noticed he had just stepped on his paw." Oops sorry man let me make it up to you." He walked towards one of his bags, opened it and started looking for something inside. After a few moments he produced two cigars and offered one to the Isorlai.

Gurjan made a gesture of polite refusal."Hey, I appreciate the offer but... I don't smoke." didn't htis guy know Isorlai had rather sensitive noses? Nevertheless, he seemed a decent enough sorts, if rather unfettere, after all, he seemed to be casually smuggling cigars in his luggage. "So, do you always have a case of cigars just packed along with your other things or is that just a gift from home?" He asked curiously as he walked out towards the hangar. Surely, the man would be smart enough to stow the things away before their CO catched on.

James shrugged and lit his cigar taking a deep breath of it.He put the other cigar back in his bag and walked into the sprawl of people. His cigar still in his mouth. Now as far as he rememberd he was to look for his CO named Erien.

Speaking of which, their CO was likely wondering what the holdup had been, He didn't really know the reason himself, he had just assume it had been some clerical error bogging everything down in red tape again.

Scanning through the hangar, he spotted one of the other pilots apparantly reporting to an Isorlai of high ranking. As he knew, his CO, named Erien, was also an Isorlai. So he simply followed his squadmate's example and fell in line besides him. He had heard the man formulate a formal greeting before him, so he himself jsut silently awaited a response.

James looked around seeing the Isorlai hehad just stept one walk in a direction. And since James did now know where to go he shrugged and simply followed him hoping he would get lucky. And lucky he was indeed as he also spotted Erien. Apparently already aproached by another pilot. So james simply shruged and fell in line with the other two pilots.

[RainDash]

Nyx loved hyperspace jumps. They felt tingly and different from regular traveling. A lot of people felt ill or nauseous after the jumps, but Nyx always felt invigorated by them. She was passing through space faster than the speed of light. Light! Light was the fastest thing that Nyx could think of and she was moving faster than it. It felt kinda special to do that, even if to everyone else it was pretty commonplace. Nyx smiled and adjusted her bag on her lap during the flight, even sneaking out a few granola bars to eat during the trip. She wasn't sure, but she thought someone was glaring at her while she ate the bar.

However, the trip was soon over and Nyx found herself grabbing her bag and meandering towards the front. She wasn't sure what to expect from being in a fighting squadron, but she'd seen how close those other people from the squadron whose ships she worked on were and hoped it wasn't going to be like she was trying to fit in with a group that had already formed and bonded. Which wasn't possible, but he brain liked to pick out the work possible scenario and run with it.

Well, if it didn't work out she still had a job back home -maybe.

Nyx walked out onto the platform, but she couldn't see her CO. So she instead opted to try and find the cafeteria, which to her was the next best thing. She could find food then she could figure out where the person in charge was. Besides, now was the perfect time as most people even think about eating right now when they could be unpacking.

Nyx could unpack right now, too. But instead she figured that a bag in the mess hall would be the least of anyone's worries. She began to walk towards the back of the hangar, where the doors were when she realized that she didn't know where the mess hall was. She was better off trying to find her CO and asking for directions.

She turned back to try and see where the commander was, because if this person had any logic, they'd be near where the pilots were supposed to get off. But then again she'd heard that the higher ranked you were the closer to politicians they were. From what she'd heard about these 'politicians' they have very little sense. However, there was no way they'd put a politician in charge of a fighter squadron.

Logic it is.

Besides, Nyx noticed a few pilots from the shuttle approach an Isorlai and seem to pay respect to the alien -person?- she'd seen all the League Space aliens before and worked with a few on her homeworld, but the idea of it was still a foreign thing, that everyone had different cultures and ideas. She thought that they all had the same ideas, like when groups formed back home. Nyx didn't understand space diplomacy.

She walked up to the group and attempted to mimic the other Terran's posture and gestures. She didn't understand military life fully, and truth be told she avoided high-ranking officials when she worked her last job, so she'd forgotten the procedure with them.

"Nyx Miles reporting in! Engineering Specialist and new pilot! I'm excited to be here!" Nyx all but yelled. "Where's the food court, ma'am?"

[Zetsuko]

During the shuttle ride one of the passengers kept hearing strange noises coming from the overhead storage compartment above him and glared up from time to time. The strange noises were in fact Elik, who was curled up in the overhead storage simply because it was cozy, turning over a bit in his sleep as the shuttle was coming in for a landing. Once they had landed, and the passengers had begun exiting the shuttle, the glaring passenger had gone and gotten a security guard, who came and woke Elik by opening the compartment and causing him to tumble out onto the floor. This started a starring match as the guard pulled out a stun baton with a 'seriously' look on his face. Elik, slightly wide-eyed, promptly bolted, dashing out of the shuttle past some of the passengers.

Once out the shuttle doors he took a moment while the guard was trying to shove through after him to look around for the exit. upon seeing it he started running toward it, passing Erien and the other pilot along the way with a "excuse me, gotta run" running past them a short distance before coming to a stop as he realized who he passed barly able to start "wait a-" before he was cut off by the guard plowing into him and knocking him down hitting him with the baton to keep him from getting up again.

Panting the guard stood up over him and put a hand up to the comm unit on his ear "caught a stowaway in the last shuttle, might be a spy he was hiding in the storage compartment" he bent down to search Elik for identification, which he found "He's got an ID, Elik Hel'kayik, can you run that real quick?" short pause "oh just be a dear" another pause "so he's a pilot? which squad?" pause "a transfer to Wyld Fyre? alright" he looked around and saw Erien and the others.

The guard pulled Elik up and hauling the dazed Aranok by the arm toward the group, coming up to the colonel and presenting Elik and giving a short salute "Colonel sir, is this your Aranok?" Elik blinked and shook his head, smiling as he recognized Erien, giving a small wave with his free hand "Hey fluffles" he brought his arm up into a weak salute "Elik Hel'kayik, reporting." the guard looked from Elik to Erien, awaiting a response.

[JDolan]

The shuttle had been late. Taking leave hadn't exactly been Fendric Masaryk's idea after he finished up his familiarization tour on several other ships in the region. It'd been foisted upon him by the full retrofitting of 122 EACS's whole flight line. And since they'd be down for at least several days, Fendric had no desire to sit around doing nothing at all. It baffled him, however, that they'd take an entire squadron to full stand-down, just to do a total refit of the whole unit. It just wasn't done. Every time ships had gone in for retrofit or refurbishment, they'd kept at least a few of the squadron's aerospace fighters ready for launch, at least until the first ships (or, in this case their replacements) returned from the machinist's shop. And while that was the colonel's prerogative, the pilot decided, it didn't mean that the man stepping out of the shuttle had to like it any.

The hanger was large enough, and would have felt spacious were it now crowded by the oppressive busywork of the mechanical crews trying to fix up the Sabres with such haste. The fighters, in Masaryk's opinion, should have been ferried over in the conventional way - flown in, jump-rings piggybacked around them. Especially if it left Heart of Valour unable to maintain its own picket.

It didn't take long however for Fendric to feel a little more at ease as he saw the throng congregating around a particularly tall, white, Isorlai. It didn't take much for him to realize what was going on. He approached the collection, looking to those on his left as he settled at the rightmost end of the line. Tucked under his arm, papers instructing him here, to 122 Expeditionary Aerospace Combat Squadron after a term of leave on the surface that had served as a fine capstone for a few weeks on another ship, running EW drills on some of the larger ships in the flotilla. Cross-training, mostly for familiarization more than actual expected usage of the systems, on warship detection and warning systems helped greatly in allowing Fendric to understand the strengths and weaknesses and capabilities of his own . Since it was generally acknowledged (though many of the contractors would balk at the notion, since they always proclaimed to make the best equipment in the universe) that most opposition ships had similar sensor capabilities, knowing the limits and capabilities of one's own ships ensured he'd be able to find the chinks in an opponent's sensor array.

"Ma'am, Colonel Bellioch, reporting as instructed."

[urukhai]

Asrial grumbled slightly as the shuttle touched down in the hanger, they were late and that was not the first impression that he wanted to make on his new squadron, whether it was within his power to solve or not. Still he kept his grumbling to a minimum, and instead decided to focus on the good things that were happening today, a new ship and a new squadron, both things that excited the Aranok, though like always his face remained grim even if his mind was doing cartwheels with possible scenarios. he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he almost missed the doors opening, and the crush that formed to get out and onto the deck of the carrier. With a slight grunt Asrial hauled himself to his feet and went over his mental checklist of items that he brought with him, touching each one for conformation as he went over it in his head. "Knife?" he brushed a couple of his talons over the leather bound milky white hilt that protruded from the scabbard attached to his leg, "Check. ID and any other personal effects?" He patted the pockets of his uniform, content with the outline of the items within "Check." With that he reached under his seat and pulled out the small worn, leather bag that contained everything else that he brought. Turning to the crowded exit he sighed, and lung the bag tightly under his arm "Alright, no sense in making them wait any longer. Onward we go."

With that he strode forward, his steps falling heavy on the shuttle's floor, and joined the movement to the exit. Though he probably had a better time than most when it came to the crowd, his sheer size making a couple of those of the smaller races move to the side, he still was making slow progress. But eventually he made it out and into the hanger of the Heart of Valour, his eyes welcoming the sight of the new ship's interior. It was a buzz of activity, as was to be expected on a ship about ready to have an inaugural flight, with crew members ducking here and there trying to get where they needed to go without getting crushed or diverted. Taking a deep breath Asrial was pleasantly surprised to find that the stale taste that the air got in some older class ships due to its recycled nature was not present, he wondered breifly if the designers had found a way to fix that problem. Shaking his head, he decided that probably wasn't the case and that it was just because the filters on the Heart were new and top of the line.

As he reached the end of the ramp the large Aranok extracted himself from the crowd and attempted to find where he supposed to check in. As luck would have it he spotted an Isorlai that matched the description he was given about his new commander, this plus the fact that she was surrounded by others that appeared to be pilots sealed the fact for him. In any case if he was wrong she could probably point him in the right direction. Tightening his grip on his bag he made his way over to the group, opting to weave through the crowd instead of battering ramming his way through. As he emerged in-front of the Isorlai, Asrial would wait for her attention as not to interrupt or startle her. When he was ready he spoke out, his rumbling voice rising to be heard in the cacophony that was the hanger "Colonel Bellioch? I apologize for any inconvenience or delay in my arrival. Still, I am Asrial Olarin one of you new pilots, I am reporting ready for duty ma'am."

[Rhona W]

Erien thankfully didn't have to wait long for her crew to arrive. The stream of people - of all races - coming off of the sleek Starhawk shuttle wore uniforms colour-coded to all the different professions present aboard the ship. Some were fighter squadron personnel, but didn't head her way, likely assigned to other squadrons. Engineering crew, marines, medical personnel; not them.
Her sapphire-blue eyes were tugged sideways as her predators instincts were lured to someone headed in her direction. A human, fair skinned and with light brown, shoulder-length hair. A male, carrying what was unmistakably personal kit-bags and equipment. Erwan, she thought as she mentally matched his features to the picture she'd seen on his profile. A moment later he introduced himself with a tired salute, which she returned as he spoke.

"Kilian Erwan reporting in. Do I have the honor of adressing Colonel Erien Bellioch? If not, then it is still and honor to make your acquaintance. "

@StoneWolf

She let her arm drop, and as he smiled, she returned the Isorlai equivalent, her ears perking up and her posture relaxing as she leaned a little closer. He smelled of travel and of the curious masculine, sharp scent human males carried. It was a reminder of the multi-cultural mixing pot of her homeworld. As he winked, her sharp muzzle split into an open-mounted Isorlai smile and she gave a soft chuckle.
"Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Erwan," she replied and bobbed her head in greeting. "And it's an honour to make your acquaintance as well."
She would've added more, but two more pilots were approaching, a fellow Isorlai - and a male one at that - and a second male human, this one with a more refined and mature aspect to his appearance. He had shorter hair, a beard and a more lined face that marked the passage of age for his species. The Isorlai was shorter than she was by a good foot or so, and he carried himself unusually. She could see scars and marks across him; and as she looked him over, she remembered his file. He had not had a... pleasant time over his life. Neither of them said a word, but were close enough to hear her reply to Erwan. She simply nodded to them both in greeting, ensuring they'd seen her acknowledgement of their presence, before it seemed like the rest of the group approached thick and fast. A female human, with elegant facial features and sandy-brown hair that framed a round face and a slender figure. Nyx, she remembered, but was jarred out of her memory as the woman announced herself with a bombastic delivery.
"Nyx Miles reporting in! Engineering Specialist and new pilot! I'm excited to be here!" Nyx all but yelled. "Where's the food court, ma'am?"
"At ease, Lieutenant," she replied with a half smile, and a casual return of her salute. "And I can tell you're excited. Good to have you here. I'll show all of you to the mess hall, once we're all set up in our quarters."
A guard hauled an Aranok toward the slowly growing group, and Erien looked confused, before the MP spoke up.
"Colonel sir, is this your Aranok?"
"I-" she began before the Aranok waved, in a quite familiar manner.
"Hey fluffles" he brought his arm up into a weak salute "Elik Hel'kayik, reporting."
Erien's expression turned to one of confusion, one ear drooping and one swivelling to straight-out to one side.
"Fluffles?" she repeated in confusion, looking between the Aranok - Elik - and the guard, before running one paw-hand down her face and then nodding to the MP. "Yes, yes. He's one of mine. I'll make sure he doesn't... do whatever it was he did".
She returned the salute with a slight tick of irritation before turning to the next new arrival.
"Ma'am, Colonel Bellioch, reporting as instructed."
"Welcome," she replied, returning the salute to the male Terran. He didn't introduce himself, but again, she recognized him from his profile, and with the other two humans she knew were assigned having already reported, it narrowed it down. His pale, almost albino complexion and appearance made him further memorable to boot. "Lieutenant Masaryk," she added. "Glad to have you here with us".
Another Aranok - and another male one, she realised as she took in his appearance - he was gruff, but made an effort to apologize for the late arrival, despite it not being his fault. She returned his greeting with a nod and a slight smile.
"Good to have you with us, Olarin. And it wasn't your fault, no need to apologize".
She looked over the assembled pilots and gave an affirmative nod. "All right," she said, raising her voice a little to be heard over the sounds of the bay at work. "Follow me. We're going to head down to our quarters, and I'll give you a brief introduction once we're there".
She turned and lead the way, padding along on all fours at considerably less of a breakneck pace than her earlier dash to the hangar bay before their arrival.

Several twists, turns and trips down ladders and stairwells lead to the suite of small double-rooms that made up the squadron's quarters, all of which attached onto the lounge and kitchenette area that formed 'their' space. A brass nameplate beside the entrance in the corridor called out in stern, upper case letters; '122ND EXPEDITIONARY AEROSPACE SQUADRON; WYLDE FYRE'.
"This is our area," Erien announced as she stepped into the modest, but well-appointed space. Doors lead off to the two-man cabins from the main space, others indicated the male and female washrooms and toilets, and an open-plan kitchenette stood at one end.
"The kitchen isn't stocked for full meals, but is good enough for snacks and beverages. Each room has two beds, so you'll have to double up between you. My cabin is at the end; privileges of rank means I get my own room, but I also share it with my office-space. Stow your bags, and we'll take the whirlwind tour."
She paused, looking from face to face and then continued as she looked across the arrayed faces. "We're really close to the ships' launch, so we're on a short timetable; there won't be much time for looking around. Thankfully, we don't have a huge amount to do to stand up the squadron, and we have twelve hours before we're on station for our mission, and that gives us time to get to work. Nyx," she said, directing her attention to the female human, "I understand from your profile that you have a lot of engineering experience. I want you to work with Masaryk and the engineering crews to get our fighters ready for arrival. They were delivered to use straight back from depot-level maintenance, and are still in the last stages of reassembly and calibration. I will be scheduling time for everyone to work on them with the crews as well to get them calibrated and fitted properly for all of us too. As well as that, there's plenty more on the slate too. Admin work, medical checks and more, and we've got somehow, fit all of it in. Sorry it's such a rush, but we'll find time. First off though, time for the grand tour... once you get your rooms sorted. I'll... stand back and let you argue that one amongst yourselves," she added with a slight smirk, her tail twitching in amusement.

[Natsucooldude]

Gurjan had silently followed his commander to the barracks after the greeting. He felt like the commander was just slightly disturbed by his demeanour, not unusual seeing as his fellow isorlai were the quickest to see his physical scars were not the ones that ran deepest. Still, she wasn't all that affected by it, which relieved him. It would have been rather problematic had his commander been repulsed by his presence.

When they came upon the bunk rooms, Gurjan was rather quick to make a decision on room arrangements. He simply picked a room at random, threw his bag inside and announced "I'm okay with just about any of you." He then walked inside and began unpacking his personal effects.

[RainDash]

Right. It was called a Mess Hall, Nyx realized when the Isorlai corrected her. And Nyx was a Lieutenant which was cool and better than 'Engineering Gremlin' as her old superiors called her. This was exciting and cool and... in all the excitement, Nyx missed that the group was moving out to take a tour of the ship. Nyx walked quickly to keep up with the rest of the group, which she was glad she caught up to, because otherwise she'd have gotten lost amongst all the twists and turns of the ship.

She knew she'd figure it out eventually, but for now she figured that she'd just get lost going anywhere. However, it would be easy to find their bunks, because of the giant plaque. Nyx smiled big, because that looked like the squad was a big deal. Which was extra cool, because now she was a part of the big, cool explorer team.

Nyx heard her name and turned to listen.

"I understand from your profile that you have a lot of engineering experience. I want you to work with Masaryk and the engineering crews to get our fighters ready for arrival. They were delivered to use straight back from depot-level maintenance, and are still in the last stages of reassembly and calibration. I will be scheduling time for everyone to work on them with the crews as well to get them calibrated and fitted properly for all of us too. As well as that, there's plenty more on the slate too. Admin work, medical checks and more, and we've got somehow, fit all of it in. Sorry it's such a rush, but we'll find time. First off though, time for the grand tour... once you get your rooms sorted. I'll... stand back and let you argue that one amongst yourselves."

"Got it. But first, we tour. Then we eat." Nyx said, smiling.

Then she went off to the kitchen to see what was there. A stove, and a refrigerator. She opened the fridge and started stuffing her pockets with various bits and pieces of food and one can of soda went into the bag. Once she was done she started to scout of rooms, and picked the one she liked the feel of most. She plopped her bag on the bed and then went out into the main area, picking a chair to sit on and wait out the arguments. She'd already claimed her room, so if they wanted to fight her for it, they'd have to kick her out first.

[StoneWolf]

As Erien had leant closer and then been smiling at his wink he felt that this would be a place he could feel at home in. Her chuckle made him feel even more at ease and he could see she had been about to add something when two other pilots came up beside them. Kilian silently looked them over and paid close attention to the Isorlai's scars and marks, either he had seen some very rough fighting with enemies or his life in general had been very hard. Kilian were no expert on Isorlai but the stance of the male seemed quiet unusual even for an Isorlai. Then a loud female voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he winced slightly as Nyx's loud voice made his already hurting head throb even more. Why so loud? They where close and it was not that much noise in the docking bay was it? Before he could say any more a guard brought an Aranok to them, then came a terran male quickly followed by another Aranok. So this was the squad then, a mixed bunch for sure but everyone seemed to have seen their fair bit of action before this assignment.

As Erien turned around and dropped to all four Kilian took another good look at her and smiled. Yepp he would most certainly like it here all though he would never get used to that Isorlai's walked around on all four from time to time. As they hurried along paths, down ladders and stairs he did his best to put as much of the way into his memory as his hungover head could handle. When they stopped at their quarters he was sure he could find his way back here, well almost certain at least. When Erien spoke about how much they had to do he let out a small whistle, they sure had a tight timetable so best not to delay that much then.

He quickly looked towards the kitchen and went in there right after Nyx, going into the refrigerator he grabbed a bottle of water and headed for the rooms. Seeing Nyx leaving one he shrugged and headed into that room tossing his back onto the other bed in there. Taking a quick look around he then nodded to himself and left the room closing the door behind him and looked at the other members of the squad. "This room is now full. Is that okay Colonel Erien?" He said with a light smile and headed for the main area grabbing a chair and placing it next to Nyx, the back of the chair facing her he sat down on it arms resting on the back of the chair, water bottle still in hand. Then he extended his hand towards her and smiled. "Hey there I am Lieutenant Kilian Erwan and your roomie. You can call me Lieutenant, Kilian or Lockon. I prefer Kilian or Lockon actually. And you are Nyx I understand it. Can I call you Nyx?" He said with a small laugh, he had not been called Lieutenant very often in his old squad, there he had been Lockon mostly because it had been easiest that way. He hoped it could be the same way in this squad to.

He still made sure to keep some attention to what the others in the squad did and how they decided to bunk. He would have to get to know them all a bit better before their first mission. There would be time for that soon enough. But now he would do with getting to know Nyx and then follow the list of things Erien had put up for them. It would be nice to have a chance to get his fighter set up for long range attacks with long distance missiles and calibrating weapons for extreme range. That was how he preferred it to be but still he was a good pilot and did do very well in close dogfights to if he had to. They might even have time to set up their personal weapons as they wanted while they where at it. I glanced at Erien and wondered what kind of strategies she liked to use in combat and how she would utilize his skills.

@RainDash

[Zetsuko]

With Erien's answer the guard nodded and let go of Elik's arm allowing him to follow the groups of pilots as the Colonel led them to their quarters. Elik had noticed the slight bit of irritation on Erien's face as she returned a salute and silently hoped he hadn't caused her to much trouble already and tried to stay quiet for the walk down to the suite they would be housed in, though along the way his eyes occasionally followed the tip of her tail almost hypnotically as it swayed.

Elik had been distracted by the Isorlai's tail and hadn't immediately realized they were at the suite until Erien turned around and told them. He set about peeking his head in each of the rooms, they were all the same really but he looked through them regardless, more to see what the other were choosing really. He briefly poked his head into the room Nyx and Kilian were in but seeing it full he quickly moved along, coming to a room holding a single Isorlai who's name either escapes him or he never got in the first place. "uh, Hello" he pointed inside the room and the other bunk "that taken?"

@Natsucooldude

[urukhai]

Asrial breathed a quiet thanks of relief that he wasn't the only one late, and the fact that the commander seemed to be welcoming. Falling in with the others he quietly followed the group that was his new squadron as they were led through the new ship by the commander. As the wound their way around Asrial made a mental note to memorize at least two hall ways in the ship in case he got lost, he didn't want a repeat of his first day in his old squadron, a memory that made him shudder slightly in embarrassment. Still he kept up, his grip on his bag only loosening slightly as they neared what would be their living quarters.

First impressions for the area seemed good, a sentiment that Asrial could echo. It was comfortable, it had a warm air about it, an almost home cozy feeling, however small the main living area was. But he didn't take long to look around, another mental note made for that, as the squadron broke to claim their bunks or claim food and then bunks. Still, being near the back of the group, and having no particular air of urgency in this matter, meant that the Aranok was one of the last to move towards the rooms. As he strode passed a couple of the rooms, Asrial couldn't help but cast a couple side glances at his squadron mates. They seemed a fine bunch and he added getting to know them to the mental check list that was seeming growing at an alarming rate, still he placed it near the top priority. Releasing a breath that was just about halfway between a sigh and a normal exhale, Asrial turned himself into what was probably an empty room. Placing his bag down on one of the bunks he undid the top and meticulously extracted its contents and placed them on the bed, a slight hum emanating from him as he filled the silence as he worked.

[Natsucooldude]

Gurjan had just gotten to unpacking a mass of clothes from his bag when someone presented himself in the room. "Nah, IT's all yours" he curtly retorte as he continued arranging the clothing in neat piles on the bed to be stored later. When he finished doing this, he turned around to the other bed to actually look at his roommate.

It seemed he was saddled up with an aranok... Well, he did suppose there were worse things out there. "Right... We're in the same room now... Didn't catch your name yet." He really had to learn reading up on people in advance, but then exchanging names was also a reliable conversation starter. "Name's Gurjan by the way... Need any help unpacking?" Yes, acting friendly would be good for now.

[JDolan]

Introductions made, Fendric gave a smart salute and dismissed himself along with the others once the tour of their quarters was made.

He listened to the rather mundane details. None of what was said really surprised him. What did surprise him, however also quite pleased the lieutenant as he got his first orders. A stiff, but polite, agreeable, nod to Lieutenant Miles. "Look forward to working with you," he said before watching the scramble begin. His words called out rather futilely it seemed as she dashed off to a room to claim a choice spot. A brief thought came to him, but he thought better of it, especially as he saw Lieutenant Erwan fill the spot. Slinging his bag of his shoulder, he chose then entered the fourth room from the left, as one looked in from the entryway, almost directly opposite the dining table and stools arranged around it.

At once, he began to unpack, picking the bed on the left as his own.

"We got a duty schedule up yet, or not yet?" he asked, calling into the common room, and all those dormitories still with their doors opened.

[RainDash]

Nyx had been very comfortable on the chair as the others moved about to look at the area. Nyx figured she knew all of it -there wasn't much- and had it committed to memory. Or she would as time passed. Either way, it wasn't a complicated layout and she liked how big the kitchen was. Plus, it was a kitchen. A real kitchen. Nyx was going to have to study cooking and recipes now.

Then some Terran named Killian sat down next to her and started to talk. She didn't mind that they were roommates, but she was suspicious of the way he talked and how easily he trusted her. She watched him for a moment, trying to decide how she felt about him.

"If you don't mind, I'll call you Killian. I learned to shake hands only after I learn if a new person has a knife in their belt. Also, please call me Miles. Nyx is for close friends, and we aren't yet." Nyx replied.

She hoped that he wasn't befriending her because she knew how to fix ships. A lot of pilots had tried to befriend her to try and get first priority on repairs, which meant she only accepted the gifts and didn't do much else. It was funny to tell the other pilots that she'd put them first but it was hard to decide which to fix first as she was constantly being bribed. The lie was almost guaranteed to gain more snacks and food, but one officer brought it to the attention of the captain.

But now that she was a pilot, she wasn't going to accept bribes for fixing planes. She'd just be an engineer again, which was not what she wanted. No, she was Lieutenant now.

"Also, I don't fix planes for bribes anymore. Or if I can help it."

@StoneWolf

[StoneWolf]

Kilian slowly pulled his hand back with a light smile and a nod, that was not a response he had expected. Still it was and interesting one and made him wonder what Miles had been through before coming here. He guessed that it would not have been anything like what he had been doing during his service or training. With out thinking his one hand went to his belt and he felt for a knife but he was sure he wouldn't have any there. No he was not carrying any weapon right now as he had not felt any need for it during transit or had not had time to change into uniform to which he might be carrying sidearm and knife.

"I don't mind at all Miles. I am looking forward to be working with you in this new squad. Well I did not think about bribing you to fix my fighter. Isn't that what this ship have it's engineers for? We should more or less just tell them what we want done and work with them right?" What had her last assignment been like if she had been fixing planes for bribes and now felt obligated to tell him about it? This would be a most interesting group to work with and to get to know them all. He leaned back a bit on the chair and took in the layout of their quarters.

It seemed to be like most standard quarters for a squad but still it was a step up from his last assignment and that felt good. Kilian hoped he could be friends with everyone in the squad and not step on anyones toes. What kind of missions would they be sent on and how soon would they been sent out? Thoughts where swirling in his head even though he felt a bit tired still. Then he smiled again as he looked at Nyx and tilted his head a bit.
"How long have you been a pilot?" He was just curious about how long she had been flying and meant nothing with the question more then wanting to know more about her and how her last assignment had been.

@RainDash

[RainDash]

"Yes, but they're not me. They're not as fast or good. Plus the engineers get busy, so being the next best thing does not mean I want to fix planes again." Nyx explained. "Also they're not touching my plane. They'll make the balance and stuff off. They don't know how a plane flies, just how it works. They're not touching my plane."

Nyx knew better than to trust people right off the bat. She'd had her stuff stolen enough to know that being friendly just made you an easy target. But he was willing to prove he wasn't a threat, which meant that Nyx had an advantage on him. Nyx didn't feel bad about manipulating people to get what she needed. It was how she got by on Borlix.

Then he asked how long she'd been a pilot. Nyx looked at him for a moment, then looked at her watch to check the time.

"Officially, about an hour. Or since we landed on the ship. I worked on ships my whole life. No wait. Not whole life. Most of it. I grew up on Borlix, if that makes my comments clearer." Nyx said, her thoughts a bit scattered but glad to talk about something other than becoming friends with Killian. She looked at the rest of the group, as if waiting to see if someone did something, but they were all juts milling around waiting or getting rooms.

"You're tired. We'll tour then eat then sleep if you want. I'm tired too, but also excited. I haven't slept since before the trip out. Which was... about 24 standard hours ago I think."
@StoneWolf

[Zetsuko]

"ah, grand" Elik said as he walked into the room and over to the bunk, tossing his folded bow onto the bed before sitting down on it and stretching his arms up, his back cracking as he did. He started to tip his head back when Gurjan started speaking at him, prompting him to look at the Isorlai "hmm? oh, I'm Elik" he cast a sideways glance at where his bow lay next to him "and i don't really have much to unpack, or anything really..." his eyes traveled back to Gurjan, "thanks anyway though" he turned his torso to the side, again causing his back to crack as he worked out some of the kinks and stiffness that comes with being cramped up in a storage compartment. As he turned back around he noticed the piles of clothes that Gurjan was unpacking "would you like any help with your things?" he tilted his head slightly as he asked.

@Natsucooldude

[Natsucooldude]

His name was Elrik? Well, one could suppose it was a common name... Not that Gurjan knew anything about aranok naming conventions. More worringly, he wanted to help him with his own baggage, did he want to... No he didn't need to think like that anymore. "Uh yes, there's a bottle of pills somewhere in my bag... Can you get it for me? I'm a bit busy with these clothes"

Yes, 'entrust people with important but simple tasks' He recalled the words of his shrink. He didn't need to be constantly wary of people anymore. He finished sorting his clothes and hung them in the closet, neatly in three sets. One outfit for every two days, take a shower or somesuch similiar in between. Laundry day every six days.

He turned around to face the aranok, who he assumed was going through his bag right at that moment. He was fumbling around with his hands. Something which he always did around others. It was a habit developed to stop himself from instinctually taking a pose as if he was ready to pounce on someone. Which itself was a holdover from his... less fortunate days.