[Mission1.0 ] Preparing for First Blood

XO's Office

"I wanted to make sure that they could take care of themselves if I was incapacitated or worse." He said. "I believe that they can rely on a CO for orders but if the situation changes that they need to be able to adapt to the changing situation. While the situations in the volumetric room was the least surprising to them, I will scratch that up combat experience. I want them to be the sharpest blades that the empire has to offer and that goes for all of my subordinates besides the two I evaluated. I do not want anyone to die without a fighting chance."

He thought for a moment before he spoke again. "I intend that all will survive this war with the Kuvexians and I will be leading them from the front. I will not sit back and watch as I send soldiers to their deaths. I do not intend to be a rear echelon mother....I do not intend to be lazy in this war. I have my empire, Yamatai and my loved ones at stake and I will not sideline myself for anyone." Yoshiro said, realizing that he may have went off on a tangent and had not explained what he was doing and why.

"As for the evaluation, I intend to use it to train the recruits for combat when we are not fighting and sharpen the blade, as it were, so I had to test it first. I do not want my subordinates to die and not have had a fighting chance, as I mentioned before, sir. I would rather die than to let that happen." He said with determination "Though this is my first command of an infantry squad and I am a bit nervous about the whole thing."

XO's Office

"Well, you are making a good start. l am also glad to see that you have some soldiers that you can depend on. Having ones like that will make it easier for you. You will know that they will follow your orders. Which will leave you to be able to observe and watch for situations that could change. It also means that you depend on those two to follow your orders while you deal with a different problem." Auda Chiba offered.

"We are on route to a recent skirmish site. Our mission is to board a number of Kuvexian ships and search for critical technology. Examples would be working weapons, sensors, and of course communication and computer systems. Most likely they will have attempted to render such things unusable. But when a crew is abandoning ship, sometimes mistakes are made, or charges fail to work."

"Is there anything else that I should look for if it comes down to that?" Yoshiro asked "Do you want me to gather any intel that we can find about their intentions as well as looking for tech? I think that we should gather intelligence too."

Auda Chiba smiled, "Obviously any intel that you can find you should gather. Its just after the last major offensive, we found some of our most reliable technology was hacked into and rendered offline. Hence we lost millions of soldiers because their backups were lost. What I was giving you, was a priority level. I expect you to use your judgement on any intel you find, and the risk involved in getting it."

"Ah I see." Yoshiro said. "I will do what I can and weigh risk against reward when I gather intel. " He was nervous still but was getting a bit of self-confidence back now that he had talked to the XO. "I swear to the dead that the Kuvexians will pay for what they did. Those honorless curs shall pay with their very lives for what they have done." Tanaka said with a grim determination. "I should go and prepare for the search. If you'll excuse me." He stood up and bowed to the XO.

The XO returned Yoshiro's bow. "I am certain you will do well. Your training of the new recruits was creative and good. So I have confidence in you."

Mech bay

Yoshiro arrived at the mech bay to prepare his mech. "Eternity, could send a message to the infantry soldiers and have them report to the mech bay? We have an operation to gather tech and intel for our forces and I need to brief the troops." He said as he grabbed a aether submachine gun.

Across the ship's speakers Eternity's voice called out. "Attention, Attention, All Infantry members need to report to the mech bay ASAP. Jôtô Heisho Yoshiro Tanaka will be briefing the Infantry on their assignment."

"Bridge to Flight Deck. We have an inbound vessel bringing a crew member. Stand by to dock with the Tenba and unload supplies that have been carried by the same craft. Taii Auda out."

Tenba

"Looks like she kept the same color scheme." Trowa muttered approvingly. He was standing behind the pilot's station of the Tenba class transport that was delivering him to the Aeon II. He had swapped some flight stories with the pilot and had convinced her to let him watch the approach so he could get a good look at the ship. The original Aeon had been his first assignment when he first joined the Star Army. He loved that ship, even to the point of naming his daughter after her. He had been devastated when he had heard she had gone down. He felt like he had let her down. It was a feeling he did not relish.

Trowa reached down and adjusted a dial to zoom in on the Aeon II. "Beautiful lines." he said. He had been reviewing the changes to the Plumeria-class ships had been upgraded with but it was good to see it with his own eye. "You can't hardly tell they added a whole nother deck to her." The pilot nodded her agreement and said, "5 mins till we dock. You better get your gear together." Trowa smiled and nodded his thanks for the look then headed out.

He reached the airlock just as the pilot announced they were beginning docking sequence. He set his bags on the ground and straightened his number one uniform. Estrella had got it cleaned and pressed in record time. Even had the new Aeon II patch on the sleeve. As he smoothed out his jacket Trowa felt something in his pocket. Smiling, he pulled out a silver studded pocket watch on a silver chain. On the front was the silhouette of Plumeria class gunship. On the back were the words New Worlds -- New Wisdom -- Same Love and Love Estrella and Elanor Aeon. Trowa opened the watch and looked lovingly at the picture of his wife and daughter. He loved them dearly. It was a lot harder to leave them than he had thought it would be. They had become so much a part of his life. But his ship had been a part of his life too and he had let her down. He wouldn't let that happen again.

Giving the picture a quick kiss he closed the watch and put it back in his pocket. Then he ran a hand over his immaculate close trimmed beard and mustache before taking off his cap and adjusting his eye patch over his glowing left eye. Prefect Thought Trowa has put his cap back on and waited for the light to turn green, indicating the two ships had successfully docked.

Aeon

The Airlock opened on the Tenba side. A moment later the port side airlock on the Aeon opened. A purple haired Neko stood in the entrance. "I am Itto Juni Keiko Gi. I will escort you to the bridge. We will stop on deck 2 to allow you to put your bags in your cabin. We have some empty cabins on that deck. Or you could choose on with occupants.

It is nice to see a familiar face."

Aeon

"Thank you Keiko Itto Juni." Trowa said as he picked up his bags and entered the Aeon II. "An empty cabin would be nice. My wife says I'm quite the snorer. I've also got a Daisy power suit that needs to be transferred over. Your Mindy suits are just a bit too cramped for me." He looked closely at the purpled haired Neko and smiled as the name and face finally caught up to him. Keiko Gi was a starship pilot like him, and a bit of an artist if he remembered right. "Likewise Keiko-Juni. Lead the way."

Aeon

Keiko moved swiftly through the passageways. "You will want to familiarize yourself with the Aeon II specifications. It is very different from our first Aeon. We actually have a Hangar Deck on the Aeon II. Something that the Taisa decided to add to the ship. We have some specialists that monitor and maintain the aerospace vessels. They mostly stay in the Hangar, but some of the come out and socialize with the crew."

She stopped in front of a cabin door. "Cabin 9 is currently unoccupied. So feel free to stow your gear and I will take you to the XO."

Aeon

Trowa examined the ship around him as he followed Keiko to the cabins. "I've been reviewing the schematics of the new Plumeria class gunship, but it's definitely better to examine with your own eyes. You'll have to let me know when how she handles compared to the old Aeon." When they stopped at the cabin door the Nepleslian pilot went said, "Excuse me for just a moment."

Trowa closed the door behind him and looked around the room. So this was going to be home for the foreseeable future. Not that he'd probably be spending too much time in here besides to sleep. Quickly he unpacked one of his bags with spare uniforms and hung them up in one of the rooms lockers so they wouldn't wrinkle any more than they probably already were on his trip out here. Then he took out a few personal items and placed them on the desk, three pictures. One was a picture of his wife, Estrella. She was wearing a red dress that fitted her to perfection and complemented her dark hair and skin so well. She was dancing bachata, her favorite style of dance. Trowa could almost hear the güira playing its fast tempo beat along with the bongos and guitar. The next picture was of his little girl, Elanor Aeon, dressed in a yellow dress at a picnic they had gone on when she was three years old. The last picture was at the same picnic, with the three of them dancing merengue. Again Trowa felt a tear at heart. Serving on a space ship like the Aeon and hopefully one day commanding his own ship had been a dream of his since he was Elanor's age. But he loved his wife and daughter so much and he was missing them right now more than he thought possible.

With a heavy sigh, Trowa composed himself and stepped back out into the hall. "Ok." He said to Keiko, "I'm ready. Show me where the XO is."

Mecha Bay

Yoshiro watched as the infantry gathered around him, getting ready for the briefing. "Thank you all for coming. As you know, we have been attacked by a new enemy known as the Kuvexian military. We lost soldiers due to the hacking of the place where their back up were stored. Our mission is to our mission is to search for usable Kuvexian tech on board several abandoned ships. if we find any intel, gather it up but use your judgement on whether the risk is great or not to download any intel. Also be aware that it may be a trap, it may have a virus or it activate a self-destruct protocol. Just be aware of that when you gather intelligence. Our priority is to gather tech so unless you think it is absolutely important, do not bother with it."He said. "Now let us have moment of silence for the soldiers we have lost due to the hacking of their back ups before I continue the briefing."

Passageway

"Her performance is pretty amazing. The engine redesign gives us more options.", Keiko started. "The weapon systems upgrade allow the ship to fire more than the old girl. And well wait to you see the hangar deck. The Aeon II has a dedicated flight deck. We have a number of fighters. What is impressive is the launchers were based on the same one used by the ship's weapons. So a aerospace craft gets launch from the ship without opening doors and can be at .5c instantly."

She stepped into a zero g shaft transitioning to Deck 3.

"Once Taii Auda dismisses you. Find me on the Hanger Deck. You and I will be providing over-watch while the Infantry goes into the derelicts." She said with a smile. Keiko stepped onto Deck 3. "XO's office is on the starboard side."

Infantry Briefing

Jennifer Carlier waited for the minute of respect. "Sir, how are you wanting the Infantry deployed. We will be breaking up to explore more wreckage, or do you want to concentrate our force? What should our load out be, sir?"

Infantry Briefing

"We will split in to two teams to take on the derelicts. I want you to keep your eyes open as you never know if this may be a trap or an ambush. As far as loadouts go, I would reccommend cqb load outs but take what you think is necessary." He said "Always keep your eyes peeled, as you never know what may happen during this mission. Now as for the leaders, Jennifer You take Alpha squad. Garnet you will take Beta squad. I willl go with Alpha squad but barring any emergency you will be in command, Jennifer. Any other questions? if not suit up and get ready to move out"

Passageway

Trowa listened closely as Keiko described the ship. He whistled softly, "Wow, sounds like this new girl is quite the firecracker. It's going to be fun getting to know her." Indeed, that was the real issue with brand new ships. They hadn't had time to develop their little quirks and ways. Once a ship had been through an engagement or two they started showing their own personality. For example, the original Aeon required a very light touch on the stick when going in and out of docks. It was as if she so ready for combat that the idea of moving slowly below her. The Integrity, Aeon's consort, had to have her weapons fired once or twice to be "warmed up" before she became deadly accurate. This was definitely going to be fun.

"Will do," said Trowa as Keiko dropped him off at the XO's office. He stood outside the door for a moment, preparing his mind. He was secretly a little disappointed that he hadn't seen Ise Taisa yet. He had a lot of respect and admiration for his first CO and had really been looking forward to working with her again. But there would be plenty of time to see his old friend, for so he considered her to be. Besides Keiko said they were needed to provide over-watch to cover the away team. Catching up would have to wait. Trowa nocked on the XO's office door and stepped inside.

As he waited for questions he decided to recite a poem that he had read in a military magazine as a teen, "On and on shall old war go, Without respite my blood will flow
O’er your eyes ‘til they cannot see The impossibility of victory." He was still adjusting his weaponry and getting ammo for them. He grabbed a Aether beam saber rifle and installed a VAW on his other arm in case his saber rifle was rendered inoperative or destroyed. He repeated the poem one last time and he was prepared.

XO Office

Chiba had been notified by Eternity. She was about to open the door, when he heard a sound one rarely heard on a starship. She activated the door and watched it slide open. She was grateful that the issues with the cabin doors had been resolved.

"Enter." Chiba said in a clear commanding tone. She was curious about Trow, he had seen that the soldier had served about the original Aeon. She was however curious about what he had been doing after he left the service. Of course the other question she was curious about what brought him back to the service.

Power Armor Bay

Several of the Infantry members had gotten into their assigned units. Having completed their armor power up sequence. They were looking at the available options.

Jennifer had followed Yoshiro, while the system added her Aether beam saber rifle, she heard something unusual in the bay. It took her a moment to realize that it was Yoshiro reciting poetry.

"I did not know you were a Poet Warrior. Not familiar with it but it has a ring." She selected a Ke-M2-W3900 Shoulder fired 20mm Gauss Cannon, She included the backpack expansion to give her optimum fire power.

"I suppose, but it was just something I read when I was a teenager. " Yoshiro said with a smile. "I read that in a military magazine while I was working in my father's store. I was looking for another career path so I had decided on the military. I flipped to the section where the readers, veterans and serving soldiers, wrote letters to the editor and saw that poem there." He said as he mounted a 20mm gauss cannon as well on his armor. "Everyone ready to go?" Yoshiro said as he stepped into his power armor and booted up the systems. "Remember to keep your head on a swivel and be prepared for anything. When we get the order we move. Report anything suspicious to me or the your squad leader and they can decide what to do."