Kronshi
Estylwen
OwO
Sky Blue
Remram
Half Pint
hanzo
Marik
Izurich
Re: Retra Onboarding
From: Retra Corp. Outreach <recruitment@retra.com>
Greetings Operator,
You have been selected to attend the finalization process in potentially employing yourself under the position of Entry Global Operator. We would like you to meet with us and your potential new teammates to undergo a final in-practice interview aboard the Vindsvalr. There we will assess your compatibility with all seven other candidates, to ensure that your skills are not only good enough to reach this far in the process, but good with those who will share your position. The examination will be quick, but deliberation may take some time, and so we welcome you to stay in our visitor suites onboard while you wait. All accommodations will be provided, regardless of your immediate results in the examination.
Please ensure your timely arrival at one of several aeroports, according to your location at the time of receiving this email. We unfortunately cannot provide for transportation to these points, but can reimburse you for any travel expenses. Attached is the departing schedules of our airliners at each location. Expediency and timeliness is key; transportation to and from the Vindsvalr is sparse and costly. Missing your flight will result in immediate dismissal from candidacy.
We look forward to seeing you aboard the Vindsvalr.
Regards,
Retra Outreach
The noise was incredible aboard the airliner. It was obvious what to expect once all of the operators boarding the airship were handed thick headphones and oxygen masks, but even then it was somewhat off-putting. The cargo jet was "built for toughness" rather than comfort, apparently owing to its need to dock mid-flight with a massive flying headquarters. The stressors involved in the maneuver necessitated a sturdy hull, to say nothing of its odd aerodynamic design. Approaching the Vindsvalr from behind its windbreak presented a unique problem that Retra engineers managed to solve, but at the cost of a fancy flight. But what did it matter? They were operators, after all, and comfort wasn't exactly part of that kind of life.
Those operators who had departed from the Eastern continent themselves were subjected to an earlier flight to bring them to Columbia first, albeit on a much more normal commercial jet. Still, they no doubt had the worst of it. Jet lag, boredom -but now they were at least in familiar company, sitting beside and opposite their potential new team.
Numerous seats lined both sides of the cargo bay, and in each one was strapped an operator clad in headphone and breathing mask. Microphones allowed them to communicate with a slight buzz to their words. They were open mics, and so all that was said was privy to the rest of the team. One would be cautious not to make enemies under their breath from the get go.
Further down the cargo bay, it appeared that their flight was clearly not wasting any resources on simply moving eight bodies. Massive boxes on pallets, strapped down to the anchors lining the metal floor, creaked and swayed slightly underneath tarps as the ship rose and bumped along turbulent winds. Small window ports sat at head-level between each seat, offering a slim view into the blue sky outside. Occasionally, one might have caught the blinding strike of a fighter jet past the cargo ship, followed by the distinct crack of its ludicrous speed.
They had all only just met on board there, and the silence of that unusual situation had yet to be broken until one of them spoke up. There were nine of them in all. Both bright and dour-faced potentials that were nameless to one another, but would soon have to make it work no matter what. The one who spoke up was one of the more vibrant faces of the group, a Kuranta woman who looked to be approaching her thirties in age, with a pleasant smile even more striking than her red hair.
"So, what's everyones' names?" she piped up with a friendly demeanor that carried through the microphone, "Might as well get a head start on getting our team to work well, right? I'll start!" she said, raising a hand that had been gripping one of her seat straps until then.
"Codename Chariot. I'm from Columbia, though my old pop came from Kazimierz. I'm good with, hmm..." she hummed, thinking, "Charging right into the enemy I suppose. I've got some medical experience too, but I'm sure some of you are way better at that than me. And... just so everything's out on the table, I'm also infected. I hope we can all get along swell!" she finished with another beaming smile.
The jet rumbled a bit. More turbulence.