RP: Setareh Wing [Debriefing] Metal on Metal

The Wardroom

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!? No fair! Why am I getting stuck with lackluster-butt!? I followed orders out there, even if I wanted to fly in and tear them to pieces right away!"

Irfan had made quite the little fit as best she could with her injury, mainly in the form of waving her arms over her head, but she ended up throwing her arms back over the sofa she was sitting on with a grumble. Even with her ponytail getting bunched up a bit, she wasn't minding the slight discomfort much with the sting of her slightly treated wound and having to be forced into the simulation bay.

"If anything, the Boss-Doc should be forced to be in there with us! All that part about not punishing those without helping them and junk... urgh. Forcing someone like me to stay back is already hard... and I did my stinkin' job without even getting to go fast... I helped keep Padme's butt safe from this stupid General guy. Got shot doing it, too! It should be butt-touch over there in the simulator... she just about got me killed when she made such a quick move to pull Padme away. Didn't even plan anything and got me shot just to force them off our tail... urgh."

Outburst complete, she grumbled and looked down to where the injury was concealed by her uniform with a sigh.

"Or a full day so I can touch her butt to make up for it. I mean really... I finally get a real assignment just to get shot and assigned to the stinking simulator without even messing up. I even took pretty minor damage to my Haidan despite being outnumbered two-to-one while charging in! Ugh... and I still need more work to heal this stupid wound..."

The Wardroom

Dr. Zoren grumbled, as Irfan complained about his assessment. As she continued to complain, he stood and looked to her, and roared with a voice that would put fear onto a drill sergeant. "And this is why I said it, you accepted orders, but not without bitching the whole time!" He roared back at her. "You don't have to like an order, but bitching about it over an open channel is a pet peeve. So you get to train with me..." He said with an evil smile.

"You wanna know why I don't need the sim time? Do you see my badge? I have served for more than 15 years, piloting that same VANDR, with more team than I can count, and that has landed me here, as your NonCom. So when I say jump, you had best be in the air before I give you an altitude restriction, cause I am saying for a reason! AM I CLEAR MARBALRI SONG?!?!" He roared again, before moving to stand before them.

"You're all skilled pilots, however your team maneuvers need work. And here this glorious military, we don't fight solo. We fight as a team, not as individuals. For the names called, training begins tomorrow at 0500 shipboard time sharp with some PT... Whoever else wishes to join in on my sim training, then you are welcome to come." He ended, sitting down, allowing others to say their piece.

The Wardroom

"When I asked for questions, you bring debate to this debriefing?" Naak began. "I did not bring anyone in here to question your orders, I brought you all in here to question how you can carry out orders to the best of your abilities. Vaytulri Zoren has made exemplary points and I expect you all," Naak eyed Padme conspicuously while she said that, then continued, "to be there. Now, Vaybalri Altair Khorvash and Vaybalri Karuah Dhawa, do either of you have anything to add?"

The Wardroom

Altair cocked his head and took a moment to reflect on the matter before speaking. "I really wish we could have completed the mission without any bloodshed. I know that it might not always be possible, but every person we kill has a family. I'd prefer to avoid ripping families apart if I can."

The Wardroom

"If you think you're good enough to just shoot them in the gun, go ahead and do that." Naak said, "But if you can't, you do the next best thing, which is what many of us did this mission." Turning to her noncommissioned officer, she said, "Vaytulri Zoren, do you care to elaborate on why you took down the commander of the station? Vaybalri Khorvash may need to do the same such thing on a mission and I'd like him to understand the nuances of the decision."

The Wardroom

Zoren stood up straight, when asked to elaborate by her CO. "Yes Ma'am."

He turned to Altair. "I shot the Commander because it was kill or be killed. She had no regard for my life, or any of ours. If I had chosen to solve things peacefully I would have been killed. If I have to kill someone to protect my family then I do it without question. In a high stakes combat situation, you leave your emotions on the ship. We don't get to let feelings get in the way, or else you get killed." He looked around the room, then back to Altair. "In short kid, it's war. You have to do what must be done, cause I guarantee that if you don't they sure as hell will..." He said crossing his arms

The Wardroom

While Dr. Zoren spoke out about the difficult decisions to be made on the battlefield and what they entailed, Naak took heavy pulls from the lhaurza-flavored barra leaf hookah, then rested her chin on her fist as she leaned against the table, blowing out, deep in thought. When he was done speaking, she put the hookah hose to rest and looked at everyone there for a moment each, save for Nanise.

"To take a life is to lose a chance. A chance to learn from them, a chance to share with them. A chance to save their family the grief of losing them. But to not take a life is to take a chance with your own. Killing is all about chances, those lost and those you take. Choosing to take a chance is not an option. Instead, we lose chances. But we do not take them."

She had nothing more to add and, instead, looked to Altair and said, "If that answers your question, Vaybalri, and none others have anything to contribute, then we'll turn it over to Nanise to ask her own questions." Turning to the journalist, she said, "Nanise, please, go ahead."

The Wardroom

Karuah didn't mind the pat on her rear given by Irfan , but afterwards she sat and listed to things as they developed. There was a lot to be said and even she had some things she wanted to say, but she was more interested in hearing everyone's issues first, and it was quite a lot when it was all said. Once it was all said and done the Eyr Ranr interjected. "I do have one concern, it's in relation to what Irfan said. We have a lot of focus on our piloting skills which is good, but maybe we should take some time to practice some situational resolutions when we're on foot. Irfan and I did not have any time to communicate a strategy to help Padme and it resulted in us taking different actions. Because of my differing choice she was injured. I'd like to avoid that in the future."

The Wardroom

"We have helmets with communication suites incoming, that should help a lot. Irfan, Altair, and Padme will be conducting extra team-centric training and I encourage you to join in the fun," Naak replied to Karuah. Her eyes closed as she rubbed her nose with her fingers and wondered why her team was so ill-equipped to handle themselves on foot whereas they were wholly capable of doing so in their frames, minus the hangups Irfan had and the damage Altair had taken. Some rounds in the simulation bay and some exercises with Zoren would do nothing but alleviate those problems, she finally determined.

"Nanise, if you're ready," Naak said after her musings.

The Wardroom

The embedded reporter had been minding her own business up until then, scribbling notes in barely intelligible shorthand all the while. Her stylus' ink glowed a faint teal on the surface of her notepad. She wrote down everything that had been said so far; her follow-up report for the late edition would be due soon, and she knew the AND editors back on Maekerdan liked things sooner than right at deadline. That probably wouldn't stop her from turning it in a few minutes late, though. They'd told her that the live shots had been a big hit, even though it'd been chopped down to a 45 second report that mostly showed destroyed Soono Frames by Vanguard Intelligence censors.

When Naak addressed her, Nanise's chair popped to the ground and she lowered the datapad she was using from her face. She'd been balancing on the stool's two back legs as she jotted down her work, trying her best to seem innocuous near the back of the room. This is how she generally had conducted herself since being assigned to the wing when they launched from port. The pretty Hlaraian wave rider was always present but kept her distance.

"Hmm?" Nanise hummed with a big smile that made her seem like she was just happy to be there. "Ready for what, L'ranr?"

The Wardroom

Naak replied amicably, though she was disconcerted at best, saying, "Ready to do video interviews of Setareh Wing. Are there any volunteers before she begins? I would love to see some enthusiasm from you to help Nanise as best we can!"

The Wardroom

"Ah!" Nanise said, surprised. "If that's how you wanna do it, I can set up my equipment in the hallway right away!"

She'd honestly expected to simply approach the Frame Runners as they retired from the debreifing. Still, quick face-to-face interviews were just as good. AND might blur out their faces and give the pilots aliases, but that didn't matter much. What mattered was how she could make their words into stories that would make everyone throughout the Astral Commonwealth feel good about slaying bodies.

"I'm sure everyone back home will wanna hear what Setareh has to say about trouncing the baddies," she offered to the wing members. "Maybe some juicy tidbits about what went down on the station. You guys wrecked 'em pretty fast in there!"

The Wardroom

"Just one more thing before you all leave, then," Naak said and grabbed the datarod in front of her and began typing on the display, then spoke again. "Our Quartermaster should be here any moment."

The Wardroom

Rozalija Simonis checked around the corner to see some of those inside the wardroom, briefly reviewed her datarod, beyond reason, to confirm she was in the right place, then swept inside and looked around with her biggest smile to count all those she hadn't already spotted.

"Everyone. By the order of our Sengraiv, and in commendation for your exemplary service, each of you, as members of Setarah Wing, have earned bonus to the count of 7,000 KD, effective immediately. If you do desire to spend it all in one place, look no further than our ship's store. I guarantee you will find good service."

Her smile faltered briefly as she thought what that might mean for the enlisted working there, but quickly recovered. They had to earn their stripes somehow, after all. "You may wish to try when Senshirin Noorani is on duty," she suggested to Irfan.

The Wardroom

Altair raised his hand shyly before speaking.
Normally he wouldn't have done something like this, but he knew that PR was important.
"I'd be fine with an interview."

The Wardroom

Naak looked to Nanise with a broad smile, "See, you have your first volunteer."

To the Quartermaster, she said, "Thank you, Senbalri Rozalij Simonis. I am sure the crew will enjoy this quite a lot."

Then, to the entire wing, she said, "You are all dismissed from the debriefing. Thank you for being a part of a successful mission and be prepared for the next at a moment's notice!"

Hallway

Nanise hadn't waited long before moving out to set up her video recording equipment. The bonus didn't apply to her, so she made better use of her time on her job. It was a simple task: all she'd had to do was open a small hard case, about two feet-by-two feet big, and activate the disc-shaped AV drone that waited within. It was the same gold/orange organic polymer that a lot of Iroma-tech was constructed with, and it glowed a dark purple where the seams on its casing met. The recording device hovered just above its box in the hall, waiting to capture its subject in full volumetric resolution.

When Altair emerged from the wardroom, Nani pointed to a spot for him to stand and quickly asked her question once he went to it.

"So, Vaybalri Khorvash," the reporter began from behind a cheery smile. "How's it feel to help clean up the Rim? Y'know, finish off those New Veyrin traitors. Just gimme a quick little bit on how you smashed them up on that station~"

Hallway

Altair looked at the camera drone. He was a little nervous about this. His opinions might not be popular, but that wasn't what mattered.

"I'm happy to be able to help protect the commonwealth, but I don't like having to kill the New Veyrin. There's a difference between acting to defend others and attacking."

Hallway

The reporter furrowed her brow and gave Altair a flat smirk. She'd expected some juicy stuff about how they ran in and arrested the evil Veyrin ringleader, slaying all of his guards before wiping the station's threat out once and for all. Or something. Is this guy really a Frame Runner? she wondered. They're supposed to be hardcore bad asses! Hmph!

"Well it's good to have you defending the Astral Commonwealth, then!" Nanise said encouragingly. "How was the fight? Were y'all outnumbered ten-to-one like Setareh Wing was during the space battle? Or was wiping 'em ou—I mean—or was reclaiming our rightful property an easy job?"

Hallway

"There were a pretty high amount of enemies, but they were disorganized. Our teamwork let us keep each other safe and get rid of the threat without too much killing."

Altair decided to take a moment to attempt to redeem himself a bit in the eyes of the public.

"You know, most people are surprised when they hear that I don't like killing. What they don't realise is that it's easy to kill someone, but a lot harder to end a fight without doing so. But we're the best of the best in Setareh wing, and if anyone can do it, it's us."