Shortly after Boston and Jane entered the room, Lars, Lilah, Miles and Brigitte followed, taking seats for themselves around the room. Scott did a quick glance around the room to check on who was there, and frowning slightly. He nodded to Kat, who was about to close the door, just as Fuka entered. Kat shut the door as Fuka grabbed a donut. Scott drew himself up and took a breath, before plunging ahead.
"All right, everyone. Thank you all for making it. A few things first-"
He glared at Bell. "As far as I know, you don't outrank me, so you can't smoke in my fucking briefing room! Put out that cigar, or I'll feed it to you... rectally. Also, you ought to know better than to smoke in an indoor area on the base! You're lucky the damn smoke detectors didn't go off. Serves you right you threw up for being a greedy asshole, too." He nodded to Mykhailo and gave the young man a slight smile and a wink. "Thanks for bringing the donuts. I'll grab one when I'm done talking".
He cast his eyes across the assembled faces. A grin slid onto his lips as he regarded Circus, his entrance to the room being particularly memorable. He nodded respectfully at Boston and Jane, the pair seeming very together and professional. A slight raise of an eyebrow and a friendly smile at Ayvee, who was ready and waiting. He gave a similar smile and returned the salute from Aurelie, impressed by her turning up in an immaculately presented dress uniform - and one that the notably gorgeous redhead made look very good.
"Bonjour," he replied in barely passable French, and nodded to her as he dropped the salute. "Please, take a seat. And thank you".
Once everyone was seated and paying attention, Scott found - to his delight and relief - his nervousness had dried up, replaced with enthusiasm and eagerness, and the confidence in his experience and authority. He returned to his place alongside the wall screen, and cleared his throat as he spoke up.
"Welcome, everyone. As you'll already be aware from the information you'll have received; I'm Lieutenant Colonel Valentine, your CO for Cobalt Haze squadron. You can call me 'Heartbreak', 'Scott' and 'Sir' if you must"
"I won't bore you with details you already know about the squadron, our role, or the rest. You're all here, you're all pilots. You know what we do, and what the expectations are from the Company if you've got this far".
He paused, his expression turning more firm and stern before he continued.
"I've read all of your dossiers and your records, so I know you've got experience and skill. Some of you have already shown you're professionals, or can be. Others... well. We'll work on it. I'm not gonna ride you all; it's not my style to be the most exacting or strict commanding presence. As long as you do what I need you do, do it well, and do it properly, then I won't ride you about the small stuff. But if you goof off all the time, make me, the squadron, or the Company look bad, then I will shit on you from a great height, and with righteous fury. Your head will spin so fast, you'll be mounted on top of a helicopter. But I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt for now. My expectations are pretty simple: be responsible and professional when you need to be. And when I need you to be. Follow the rules and the regs, and make sure shit gets done how it should, then we won't have to sweat about the small stuff or get stuck on it."
He smiled again, nodding firmly, before he continued.
"Now, all that said; we don't have a lot of time to sit around. We may be a new squadron, but it seems like we ain't getting it easy because of that. We've already got a mission to fly".
He clicked the wireless remote in his hand, and the screen came to life, showing a map of the Mediterranean, specifically the mid-region, around the southern tip of Italy, and the northern regions of Tunisia and Libya, and the islands of Sicily and Malta, their coastlines altered as all were by the results of the Heavenfall.
"Here's the deal," he clicked again, and the screen was overlaid with various windows, showing N/UN personnel and other unloading aircraft and ships, people working busily on construction and clearing debris, and various arrows on the map showing the courses and flow of traffic in the air and sea alike.
"The Maltese government is trying to get back on its' feet, with help from the N/UN. Supplies for the population are being shipped in by air and sea; construction supplies, heavy equipment, medical supplies and aid, and all sorts of other... stuff. However,"
He clicked again, and short video clips played; ships under attack from the air and sea and smoke rising from them. Life rafts surrounding another as it sank. A cargo plane; heavily damaged and crashing on landing.
"Raiding forces - their particular origins unknown, but believed to be a hostile PMC or some kind of alliance of local powers - have been attacking these supply convoys. They appear to be staging out of various locations on the North African coast, primarily around Libya and Tunisia. There have been raiding parties coming ashore in previous years before the government got organised, but this seems like a concerted effort. Lives have been lost, and the convoys aren't equipped to repel military-scale firepower. Current satellite intel shows an increase of activity around various coastal ports and airfields in the area too, so it seems like something is definitely building - which is where we come in".
He clicked through various photos that showed evidence of what he'd spoken about, before the next showed Malta International Airport from overhead.
"We'll be deploying to Malta International Airport, and stationed there for the duration of the contract. Our job will be the following. One: act as a quick-response force to defend and escort the maritime and aerial supply flights.
Two: engage in reconnaissance of the suspected enemy positions
Three: Form and execute a strike against those positions to deter or destroy any further attempts to interfere with N/UN, Maltese, or other activities by these rogue elements".
He clicked and an overview of those goals came up on the screen. His face had lost the slight smile it carried, becoming more professional and firm as he spoke clearly and at a measured pace.
"We'll depart from the Forge at 13:00 local time, giving you time to get your shit in order. Flight plans have been sent to your personal tablets, along with a mission itinerary and checklist. We'll refuel over the Atlantic from an N/UN tanker, so prepare for a long flight over sea. Once we've reached the airport and are squared away, we'll have more specific local intel to go over about the kind of forces we're up against, and start building a plan of action".
He nodded to the rear of the room, where the transport and helo crew sat. "We'll be deploying with our supporting elements, and a heavy transport will also accompany us with the necessary logistics for our stay. We'll also have an AWACS in the region, flying out of Italy".
He eyed everyone as he clicked off the last slide, meeting eyes around the room.
"Any questions, comments, opinions, ideas...?"
And as he'd said, he picked a donut for himself and took a bite as he waited for any feedback.
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