What are we sending these kids into...Charles Seves wondered to himself as she sat in a chair at the front of Courier Field Air Base's briefing room. On both sides of him were two brawny, large men, agents from the Ministry of Defense who were there less to defend him and more to watch what he said and make sure he didn't try anything. He didn't really have any intention of doing anything that might anger them, hell, at this very moment, he was debating with himself if waking up a month later rather than being painlessly executed was such a great idea after all. Throughout the night and this day, he had been looking over "Plan 2016", the operation he had been specifically chosen to command Faceless Squadron Seven in. It was chilling to read, he had been a Faceless for six years and never had he ever read anything like it.
Ever since he got the full details of his part of the operation, he'd have moments of pure stress, anxiety and cold sweat as he tried to imagine it all. For him, the missions of the Faceless had always been the kind of thing that bordered on fun and games, simple skirmishes keeping the status quo from tipping in the favor of their enemy, to a point where they would be able to take over. At least, that's what he'd always been told and he never fought it until six months ago. He stroked his goatee, torn between impatience and a reluctance to send out these new comrades on a mission. He wondered how the other "handlers" for Plan 2016 felt, the others who had to send teenage soldiers out to fight battles the like of which hadn't been seen since the last century.
Seves let out a sigh. He was starting to hear the sounds of jet engines and the hum of flier cores, then the thud of mecha feet landing on the ground. Prior to the preparation for this operation, Courier Field Air Base had been, aptly enough, mostly used for cargo aircraft. The base had more than enough space to hold quite a few fighters and mecha, due to its former uses, but for the last ten years, most visits here had been for shipments and to pick up the occasional unit of paratrooper trainees. However, whether it had been a front or its honest usage, now, due to its proximity to the border, it was one of the staging points for the Plan.
The former pilot took a sip of coffee, still feeling groggy from being taken off the drugs that had kept him imprisoned in sleep for six months following his attempt at desertion. It wasn't especially good coffee, just powdered stuff that he had salvaged from the mess hall, nearly emptied by recent arrivals to the base, but it did the job of waking him up slightly.
Lost in thought, he hardly noticed a uniformed teen, a green haired, sharp but cold looking kid, entering the room and saluting him, introducing himself quickly, efficiently and very soldierly in the process.
"20002, huh. We have something in common, then. At ease, Gene, you don't need to salute me. I'm a Faceless just like you, after all, just with..."Charles trailed off for a moment as she glanced around at the two men at his sides.
"...extra protection and extra history." 20002 wasn't the only Faceless to come in through the door, he was quickly followed by another male, this one slightly older than him, with an interesting set of eyes. Both had the look of fighter jet pilots about them, being a Faceless for so long had given him the ability to tell between airborne mech pilots and fighter jet pilots. He always joked that airborne mech pilots walked around like they had a stick up their ass following a flight.
"You're early alright, or maybe the others just got lost on the way to this room. Got a name, 50120? I have your file, but I haven't looked over it much." The second arrival didn't salute him, which suited Seves just fine.
Two more came and saluted him after he spoke to 50120, getting a sigh out of Seves.
"At ease, the both of you. While the rank insignia on my uniform says otherwise, I'm just another rankless Faceless. The rank is just to get some respect from professionals around here. Good to have you. I'm still waiting for a few others, then I'll start the briefing and formally introduce myself." He stood for a moment, waved his cup at the MOD guards to indicate he was refilling it, before doing so and returning to his seat, sitting down casually and stretching himself out.
"You really don't know what you're all getting into... I can't tell anything about your mission, for reasons of national security, but if you have any questions while we wait, ask away."Meanwhile...
Maja hadn't felt so pure in a while, as her sweat was washed away by the lukewarm water of the showers. She tried to take showers as often as possible, mostly because her former role in the military attaché required her to look and smell at least somewhat presentable at all times and partially because her usual smell of smoke turned quite a few people off. The mech pilot felt considerably less worried about the second, it was mostly the scoldings by her temporary superiors in the Empire that drove her constant shower habit into her. However, today, it seemed she wasn't alone, as she washed herself off with some neutral smelling soap from the wall, which reminded her on a separate note to invest in some personal toiletries. Blonde, slightly smaller than her in height and smaller than herself in other sizes as well, it didn't take much imagination to conclude that she was another Faceless, even before she spoke.
The Katarina, huh. Haven't seen that one before., Maja pondered this minor detail for a moment before speaking up, taking the girl's hand and shaking it amicably, remarking how it was nice to find someone who wasn't saluting her, as she let go and brushed a long strand of wet hair out of her eye.
"I'm 60606, callsign Screwdriver, as in the cocktail, not the tool. You can call me Maja, though, in fact, I reeaaaaally prefer it while we're here on relatively solid ground. I mean, honestly speaking, we're constantly moving and all, but anyway, anyway, anyway, it's good to meet you!". Maja smiled and gave Itsuko a solid pat on her naked back, before stepping back under the nozzle of the shower to finish her washing up.
"I know exactly what you mean about melting. I just got here from Yuka and, well, it's winter there. Literally, southern hemisphere and all. Plus, airborne mecha cockpits aren't exactly comfortable for long-distance flights so I ended up smelling so bad I almost killed Corporal Terrence, who you might've seen when you got here." Little did Maja know, Corporal Terrence was actually Corporal Therrien, but it would probably mean little to her anyway.
"On that note, we should probably get to the briefing, mmm? We can chat on the way there."