The commander made his entrance into the briefing room only a few minutes after the alotted meeting time, closely followed by Captain Jax.  Whilst the commander made his way to this lecturn, Zyra took a seat with the pilots.  There was hushed anticipation as everyone waited for the Commander to speak.



OOC:  The commander should be sending his little session shortly.  Once that is done, feel free to commence posting.

The commander looked around the room and frowned.  His gaze fell across every person before he began to speak.  His voice boomed out across the room and several people wondered if the techs had the volume set to high until they quickly realised he hadn't even turned the microphone on yet.

"Now I don't know what you're all used to but you are now serving on a military vessel and we will act as such.  The resistance may not have formerly declared war but I predict they will do so within the next year or less.  Therefore we will live and train as soldiers.  Soldiers stand up and salute a superior officer when he walks in the room and refers to his superiors as 'sir' or 'ma'am'.  Get in the habit people.  When you see a superior in full uniform and hat you salute him or her.  Just like you would expect a subordiante to salute you.  Discipline and professionalism people.  That's what wins wars."

"Now you may have noticed a slight change to the roster.  Flight Officers Kern and Simestra will not be joining this squadron as their skill were needed elsewhere.  Instead we are joined by Pilot Officers Allen and Koruusk.  As their rank suggest they are newly commissioned.  I leave it to you all to get them up to speed quickly."

"First and foremost I have completed the Squadron roster and designated flight groups and pairs as follows.  Flight 1 will be led by me with Allen on my wing as Talon two.  Hyquin and Nallis are Talons three and four.  Flight Officer Webb will be given command of two flight with Lars as his wing.  Grimm and Savin will be seven and eight.  My XO will lead three flight with Koruusk on her wing.  Kismet and Bedix will round out three flight as Talon eleven and twelve."

"Learn the signs of yourself and your team.  Comm discipline was sloppy in the sim and I wont have it when its real.  You refer to your team members by number when on a mission, be it in space or on land.  A slip of a name gets people killed people."

"In space, flight leaders will have command of their flights whilst I retain overall command.  On the ground, I will base groups on the skills needed."

"Any questions before I proceed to the briefing?"

"Wow, I get to fly with the Commander! Interesting. I wonder what criteria he used to create the flights," thought Cyril Hyquin, relishing his designation as Talon 3. "Three's the charm," he continued, smiling at the pleasant coincidence between his number and his fortune.

Cyril looked around and saw that, indeed, two of the three original female Greys were not present, and they were replaced with a Duros and a Trandoshan. As he had been accustomed to, he begins to wonder what the skills of the two were. If it held true for their entire race, the Duros would be a skilled pilot, and the Trandoshan, well, Cyril couldn't be sure - at headquarters, he hadn't spent as much time with Trandoshans as he did with Duros, and there certainly wasn't any time to socialize with those he sees imprisoned in the Imperial outposts and garrisons he infiltrated. Immediately, he starts memorizing everyone's designation.

Afterwards, he turns his attention to the Commander again, making a mental note to start wearing his uniform on board the ship. It would be fun walking around feeling all military-like without actually having a mission to achieve, as his time wearing uniforms had been all but restricted to time spent undercover.

Feeling a twinge of mixed glee and satisfaction at the 'pre-briefing briefing' of sorts, Cyril changes to a more officer-like tone, saying, "Talon 3 has no questions, Commander."

Zyra listens as the Commander gives his tough-as-nails speech and carefully surpresses her smile.  She knew the commander was just rubbing the newbies noses in the dirt.  Once they earned his respect he would relax the standards a little.

She turned in her seat to look at ther pilots.  "We have a tradition in my old squadron.  Poorest performing flight on a mission buys the lomin ales for the rest of the squadron.  Let me tell you right now three flight, I expect to get a lot of free drinks in the coming months and thats an order."

Christian looked at the group with a nod to himself.  This is more like it. he thought to himself.  more militarised..more ordered.  He looks at the commander.  and the commander is a born leader..to the point and says it how it is.

Christian wasn't surprised that some people had left the wing, and that some replacements were found.  In his short time as a soldier, he had seen people wash out, be promoted or transfered to another location.  This was the nature of the military..and the nature of war.

He looks at commander sheppard with a small shake of his head.  "No Sir" he says clamly as he looks at him, waiting for him to continiue.

Allen looks around the room at the other pilots.  "Quite a formal lot," he thinks to himself.

As the commander starts his speech, he makes a few mental notes on who's who as he listens to the rest of it.  "Other than remembering everyones designations and all this formal stuff, I think I'll do fine," he grins inwardly to himself.

"I-" he says, and then checks himself, remembering.  "Talon 2 has no questions, sir," he corrects.

Jamie held his mouth shut to prevent a whoop.  He wanted to jump, but held himself still while the commander spoke.
Talon 5...flight leader!  Whoa!  Dad would be proud...
He looked around at the pilots in his flight, memorizing their new designations.
Lars, Talon 6; Grimm, Talon 7; Savin, Talon 8...
He chuckled at Captain Jax's expectations.
Good thing I'm not in her flight!
He looked around at the other pilots, and remembered that he didn't know much about them.  He opened his mouth to ask a question, but closed it first.  He'd wait and figure it out later.

The commander seemed mildly amused at everyone's responses.  "You don't need to refer to yourselves by your designations here you know.  It only when we are on mission where our comms might be intercepted.  I'm trying to turn you into skilled soldiers, not droids."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Mon 20 Mar 2006.

Koruusk looked from pilot to pilot and then back to the commander as the man spoke. It was....... different compared to his previous experience in a structured group. The Trandoshan slavers he grew up with had a sort of a sliding scale. Things were a lot more loose with them but punishment was a lot more harsh and there was no reward system for those who did better as everyone was expected to do their best and no less. He was relieved by the differences even though he wasn't sure he would handle them perfectly well. He hated everything to do with those slavers now so anything different was a plus.

When the commander finished speaking he turned to the officer he had been assigned to. He didn't know for certain but he felt it was likely an honor to be assigned as 'wing' to your immediate commanding officer. His experience in fighters was limited but he was a quick study and he had spent nearly every moment training with them since he joined this resistance. He hoped it was enough to warrant such an honor.

"It is my honor to serve as your wing, Captain Jax," Koruusk nodded at his immediate superior as he spoke as politely as he could in shyriiwook.

He was in the habit of speaking in shyriiwook. It had become second nature to him. The thought never even occurred to him that some of the people here might not know it.

The Captain gave her new wingman a small smile as he spoke.  "The pleasure is mine Pilot Officer Koruusk as it will be that of our flight I'll wager.  However I would suggest you stick to Basic in the future.  There are few who understand the dialogue of the Wookies, there are fewer still who can speak it.  Whilst I count myself as one who understands Shyriwook, I've yet to met a human who can speak it."

Koruusk tilted his head a bit, half his face bit by an awkward smile and the other half a frown. He was fluent in basic but speaking it felt mildly unnatural to him. Afterall, up until a few months ago he had been living in a place where everyone around him could only speak shyriiwook so he had to make a conscious effort to speak in anything else. It was one of many things he would have to adapt to.

"I ..... will try to remember that. I am not yet accustomed again to being around people who could speak languages other than Shyriiwook" his basic was annunciated with a bit of a hiss. "Will there be time to fly a few training runs in our flight. It seems likely we will need to learn each others style of piloting as we will be flying very close to each other."

"Make sure you practice.  In the heat of combat, you might have a moment to warn us of something.  You better make sure when the time comes you know how to speak Basic."

"Oh and remember what the Commander said.  When talking to a superior you address them as sir or ma'am.  That includes all the Flight Officers, myself and the commander.  It doesn't apply when we are out of uniform or in the mess but get in the habit or you'll end up peeling a lot of tubers or some equally unpleasant duty."

Things were getting more and more interesting by the minute. Cyril had overheard the new squaddie's unintelligible 'growls-with-hisses', and considered himself fortunate that the Captain had identified the language as Shyriiwook. Though Cyril could not understand Shyriiwook, much less speak it, he found it amusing that a Trandoshan could actually speak the language of the Wookiees. As he was wont to do, he made a mental note to try and find out anything he could about the Trandoshan.

"At the very least, I could get to learn two new languages," he reasoned to himself. The more languages he could understand, he knew, the more information he could gather.

Ashlyn simply shook his head at the Commander's request for questions.  None of the minor questions that came to mind seemed relevant enough to voice and would most likely he would learn the answer simply by listening to the rest of the briefing.

At Jax's performance expectations, Bedix got a wry grin on his face.  "Yes Ma'am."  He commented softly not really intending for anyone to hear.  He looked over the third flight.  A transdoshan that prefered something other than basic.  That could be difficult to get along with.  A common crook and himself.  He wondered if they were expected to be the problem children, the chaotic bunch that didn't follow orders so needed the Captain's guidance.  They would just have to see.

Nirro was happy with the way things turned out. He didn't mind ending up as christians wing again as the last time they had worked well together. Now with a clear chain of command things could go better. He was happy for Jaime as well, the only pilot from the sim who was given a flight command. Now that was impressive! Well time to get all military like!

As the Commander started into his harangue, Devon straightened up from his boneless slouch into a position that military types such as Commander Sheppard and Captain Jax would hopefully find acceptable.  As Sheppards speech continued, a mixture of emotions crossed Devons face as he realized exactly how different this new life was going to be.

As the squadron assignments were called out, Devon glanced around; matching faces to names and callsigns.



Devon grinned at the captains comment and chuckled quietly, but otherwise remained silent, waiting for the commander to continue.

Xil sat in his chair with his usual 'thousand meter stare' as the Commander addressed the squadron.  He thought to himself, and when he found out that he was flying in first flight with the Commander, he looked over at his wingmate and quickly caught his eye.  He nodded his head slightly and turned back to Commander, regaining his same flat expression.

"I have no questions, sir."

"Don't worry, Ex," Cyril whispered, casually giving his new wingman a nickname. "I can call you Ex, right? Just watch my back like you did for your wingman in the sim, and I'll be sure to return the favor. Besides, I'd rather be a spotter for a sniper than have a sniper spotting me.

"Of course, we still gotta remember that what the Commander says, goes."

Seeing that nobody was voicing any questions the Commander pressed on.

"As you all know, we are now serving with the Perlemian-Hydian Alliance.  Despite what some of you may have heard, this Alliance whilst acting in defiance of the Galactic Empire's edict on restriction of military vessels, is NOT at war with the Empire.  Nor are the any immediate plan for such a war to be declared.  It would be a slaughter as the Alliance lacks the firepower to take on such a mighty fleet."

"Our primary task is to defend the trade lanes and to help quell pirate activities in the area.  There may be some action against the Empire but there will more likely be recon in nature or maybe some hit and run or resource raids."

"This brings us to our first mission.  As many of you know, Black Talon Squadron is a brand new squadron that I conceived to branch into a new area of warfare.  Whilst we have plenty of pilots and even some formidable commandos, I envision the need for a small force that can combine both roles.  We can go where others can't."

"What you may not know is that whilst the squadron was approved in theory, in practice, things are different.  You may have noticed that the Indefatigable has two full squadrons already.  So where are our ships you might ask?  The simple answer is we weren't supplied any!  All we have is two Z-95 Headhunters that are the captain's and my own.  We also have periodic use of one of this frigate's landing craft.  There just aren't enough resources for the Alliance to hand out a dozen fighters to an experimental squadron."

"Whilst our starfighter situation is grim, our equipment supplies are better.  We have access to the ground supplies on this vessel which means we have the use of the mechanical facilities, explosives and weapons.  This will be enough to get us started."

"As such are first mission is going to be threefold.  We will be taking the landing craft to a nearby system which will remain unnamed until we arrive for security purposes.  A local pirate group is operating out of the area.  Our mission is to learn what we can, disrupt their activity and as best we can acquire what resources we can be it weapons, credits or even ships.  This group will need to be quite self-sufficient if we hope to get off the ground."

"For the intelligence briefing I will be handing over to my Intelligence Officer.  He looks to Zyra.  "Captain, continue the brief."

Zyra stood and took her place at the display as shots of a city began appearing.  "This is Serakot, a small city of approximately two thousand.  It is a society based largely upon piracy and entertainment for the same.  They do have some agricultural produce and textile production as well, but primarily it is a small, largely lawless town whose income comes from piracy and entertainment."

"Our entry will be via shuttle.  Our cover is that we are a small band of freelance smugglers and mercanaries looking for work.  Once there we need to learn what we can about the pirates who work out of here and what threat they pose to the Alliance.  Many shipping lanes can be threatened from this world."

"The pirates numbers are estimated in the hundreds.  We are unsure of their armament but we suspect they have a mixed collection of fighters and bombers, likely older models like Z-95's and the like.  They have transports and rumours persist of some gunships, maybe even a small cruiser though this hasn't been substantiated."

"We need to gain what information we can through diplomacy or force.  We must disrupt any threats to the Alliance and we must gather resources to keep our squadron running."

"Now you all bring unique skills to this squadron so you are all expected to contribute to the planning phase.  Lets hear ideas and questions.  The more ideas we get the less suprises we should face when we get there."

Xil raised his hand and stood when called on.  "Ma'am, what are the urban areas like.  Does it have long straight streets or is it chaotic sprawl?  Will I have a hard or easy time lining up shots?"  He will continue to remain standing until his question is addressed.

Cyril Hyquin grinned. He was right - the squadron had no ships of it's own - and even such a disappointing revelation did not stop his face from gleefully expressing itself.

"Um, Captain? What if, and this is a very big if, what if in the course of posing as mercs, someone actually hires us? What do we do then? Do we fulfill whatever contract we get? That gives us the opportunity to gain some reputation in that area, but we run the risk of having to go against our side."

"Well we will have a better idea when we get there.  However I trust you're not planning to stand in the middle of a street with your sniper rifle!  We're not after that kind of attention.  In fact weapons should be limited to sidearms only.  They will not attract attention.  Most importantly we do not start firefights without the commanders authorisation unless you are fired at."




"Thats always a risk of undercover work.  I imagine we will play along as best we can for as long as we can.  Earning favour with these pirates might help our cause but not at the expense of innocent lives."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:29, Tue 21 Mar 2006.

Jamie stood to ask a few questions.
"My dad read me a story like this once when I was about this high..."  Jamie placed his hand by his waist.
"Ma'am, I imagine a small band of mercenaries wouldn't call each other by their "Talon" designations.  We also shouldn't use our real names, if I'm not mistaken.  We'll need nicknames or something to go by while we're there, no?
Second, what will the likely repercussions be of a small explosion now and then?
Third, how long will we be there?  Do we have a time limit?
Last, but not least, we probably don't want to go in there dressed all pretty-like.  Neat hair, clean faces, pressed clothes and cultured conduct won't do a band of mercenaries any good in getting a job.  A good layer of dirt on the faces and tangled hair should help, and heavily wrinkled civilian clothes.  Some practice makin' your speech all tough-like and uncultured is prob'ly a good idea.  The guys in the storybook chewed toothpicks and wrapped bandanas around their arms to look tough.  What do you think, Captain?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Tue 21 Mar 2006.

Ashlyn remained seated, but raised his hand to indicate a couple of questions.  "How much ley way will we be alloted for independent decisions?  If we see the opportunity to make off with one of those fighters, do we go for it?"  He assumed a motly group of mercenaries would wander and pair off, not keeping to one big click the entire time.

Mark stood up and waved the captain back to her seats.  "All of you will be provided with identification and cover identities before we get there.  Captain Jax has a team working on such things already.  We will be taking advice from her on how we should all act.  I myself am not good at such things so I'm sure we will be taking a minimalist approach at such things.  A team of military drop-outs or such will not be far from the truth."

"As for your questions about explosions are you referring to the repercussions from the locals or from me.  The former I can't accurately answer.  It is a largely lawless society so we shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves.  If you are referring to repurcussions from me it will depend on your intent.  If you are talking about the strategic destruction of priority targets of opportunity then there will be no problem.  But these will likely have been pre-determined by myself and others in planning phases.  If you're planning cheap pyrotechnics for your own amusement I will be quickly reviewing my choice of flight leader."

"Our length of stay will be as long as in deemed necessary by me.  If we are producing valuable information then we will stay.  If nothing is to be gained we leave.  We have new fixed objectives from command.  In a way we are making it up as we go."





The commander smiled at this one.  "You are all officers in a special force environment and I trust you to make decisions in the field when your commanding officers are not near by.  However make sure they are intelligent decisions.  What effect would jumping in a fighter and flying off going to have?  If they know its you, you compromise our cover.  How will you beat their defences?  Where will you rearm and refuel the fighter you have captured?  A single decision can have lasting repurcussions."

"I'm sure Flight Officer Kismet can enlighten us all on the intracacies and planning in the acquisition of ships.  He is our resident expert in such fields.  I am quite sure that stealing fighters is going to require planning and timing."

"So in short remember I am in command and Jax is my second.  When you're alone, play smart and I will support the decisions you make.  I can't expect you to call me everytime you want to hit the head."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Tue 21 Mar 2006.

At the mention of the last question, Allen raises his hand.  "If we do manage to snatch some fighters, where would they go?  Would the Alliance take them?  Would we they be reassigned in this squadron?  Or would we get to keep what we take?  Sir?"  Allen looks slightly hopeful, but tries not to show it.

"While I enjoy my job, I am responsible with dangerous materials.  I will be prepared to blow anything necessary to complete the mission.  If you have any intended targets already, I'd like to study them as soon as possible, Sir."

"I would like to assist the Captain's team in making the cover identities, Commander. If I am here as this squadron's Communications Officer, I believe I must be intimately familiar with the covers and codenames of the rest of the squadron. Am I right to assume that I will be the one passing all critical information across the squad on the ground?"

Cyril made his statement with calculated precision. He had intended not only to impress upon the others his own cover story, but also to insinuate to the Commander that he was, in fact, already undercover, but still wanted to contribute his talents to the pre-mission effort.

Christian puts his hand up.  "Sir, Ma'am.  If I may?  The plan here is calling for us as a team to gain information and resources.  Gaining intel on the pirates will prove interesing in itself, as pirates tend not to trust easily."

"What I am conserned about is getting supplies, or more to the point, ships off.  With each of us, taking a ship, there will be a lot of targets to shoot down, and by the time the first is gone, another may be cauught."

Christian looks at the group.  "With my limited tactics training, it would seem prudent to tell the commander the obvious, but maybe splitting us up into smaller groups, and simutaniously hitting multiple compounds.  More confusion, which means greater forces will be split up.  Three or four groups of ships being taken at once would prove to do this.  This, unfortunatly, also means that the groups would have to appear as strangers."

Zyra frowns.  "Whilst we are acting the part of mercenaries does not make us so.  Every credit and piece of hardware we capture will be turned over the the Alliance to fund the war effort.  The commander and I hope to keep the starfighters to use for the squadron but that is up to our superiors."

"Anyone caught witholding plundered items will face courtmartial on our return.  We are military officers."





"As has been suggested, our intelligence is very poor, hence the reason we are going in.  Targets will be identified and targetted in the field."




"You and I will be working on many such issues together.  You will be my wingman for much of the intelligence work."





"The problem of course Mister Grimm is that we don't even know if there is one fighter suitable for us to capture, let alone four or more.  This will be determined on our arrival.  Once again, like some of your wingmates are planning strikes before we even know what is there.  For all we know there will be nothing of value on this planet and the whole mission will be a wasted trip."

"One point you make that needs to be considered is wether we pose as a group of mercenaries or break into groups.  With more time and resources I would have proposed the latter.  However due to our logistical situation we only have one shuttle at our disposal.  Having several small groups of mercenaries all arriving on the shuttle will fool nobody.  I feel posing as one larger group is our best option.  I am thinking that myself and perhaps Mister Hyquin will pose as private citizens to 'distance us' from the group.  But I am open to suggestions."



OOC:  I know some of these messages are aimed at the Commander but since I am on and he hasn't posted yet I thought I'd answer in his stead.  He'll likely do the same if he gets on when I'm not here!

A lot of people seem to think there is more intel than I have said.  All we really know is that this city is a likely pirate staging base.  We can't determine strikes, etc until we get some intel (which is our first priority on planet) to be followed by raids (stealing stuff) and strikes (blowing stuff up!)

Hope this helps.

Nirro listened to the others' remarks with interest. He wondered however what was the true purpose of the mission? Stealing fighters obviously wasn't the main purpose of the mission. So why is everyone paying so much attention to this one thing? He figured he would just go with the flow on this one. A pirate's encryption protocol more than likely was not as advanced as imperials so more than likely his job wouldn't be too tough.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Wed 22 Mar 2006.

"Okay, I understand, but I hope you don't expect free drinks for our performance on ground-based missions too, Captain, considering the others will probably get to do most of the really neat stuff," Hyquin replies.



Cyril had been thinking the same thing since Christian suggested it.

"I second your recommendation, ma'am. I think it would be more believable that a mercenary group has it's own starship and sometimes uses it to ferry certain 'clients' to the place, rather than make it seem like a private corporation has shuttles that regularly makes trips there. That way, we might be able to go in as citizens without raising suspicion, and that might allow us to move around much more freely than the others. In the very least, no one will question why there are non-combatants hitching a ride on a mercenary shuttle."

Ashlyn chimed in, "Or they will see a pair of rich non-combatants ripe for the picking once you separate.  It sounds to dangerous to risk the Captain that way.  I would think let everyone know we are affilitated, it would discourage trouble.  Pick on one of us, pick on all of us."

Hyquin states, "You make a very good point, but your suggestion would prevent us from being able to gather any substantial intel at all. Think about it: what group of pirates or mercs would want to talk with anyone associated with a rival group? I fear that the potential for better intel far outweighs the risk to the Captain and I."

Cyril supresses the urge to tease Ashylyn for the 'too dangerous to risk the Captain' bit. "In any case, if you really want to insist on our safety, you could always volunteer to shadow us and keep us in your rifle sights, Ashlyn. That way, you can pick off anyone who tries to pick on us."

Christian smiles slightly at Cyril's comments, knowing full well it wasn't practical.  "Yeah, but how you going to explain the body count in your wake?"

He looks at the commander and Zyra.  "If splitting up..may I suggest that you take someone else, as a 'personal bodyguard'.  That sort of thing isn't unheard of, and in a pirate town, a civilian on his own might raise suspicion."

He looks around.  "Any weapon stores found could be used at our advantage..taking what we need and 'disposing' of the rest.." looking at jamie with a slight smile.  Chrsitian then looks at Cyril.

"..as could any other newcommers.  Cyril, could any others that arive draw attention away from us and onto them..a group that is an unintentional and unknown decoy?"

Devon - who had been sat quietly up till now - perked up at this comment.

'I like that one - we're probably going to have to procure some supplies of some sort sooner or later - if that is going to get discovered, we could make it look like it was some other group of merc scum did it...' he said, grinning to show that he didnt really think his squad mates were mercenary scum.

'Call it an extra layer of security - on top of our cover identities.  Evidence that makes it look like one bunch of mercs were trying to frame another?' he looked round hopefully at the squads covert-ops types; this was more their field, after all.

Cyril ponders both Christian's and Devon's suggestions for a moment, with his brain running several possibilities. "It's definitely doable, but it hinges on the fact that another group has to have the same objectives as we have."

Cyril's face lights up once his internal simulator finishes running one of it's numerous scenarios. "But that could be arranged!" he says enthusiastically. "Once we've determined targets for acquisition and/or demolition, the Captain and I could either hire a group for roughly the same mission, or spread some enticing bits of information that would be too good for any pirate or merc group to pass up. In the ensuing confusion, the rest of the squad could achieve the actual mission objectives, and all the blame would fall on the group or groups that got duped into being our decoys."

Mark waved everyone tot heir seats.  "Gentlemen and ladies, lets not get focused on one minor aspect of the mission.  The Captain and Mister Hyquin are our experts in that area, they will decide how our infiltration will proceed.  You are all experts in a field so that is where I really need your opinions."

"To which I need a list of items you will need from the quartermaster for this mission.  Message my datapad by the end of this briefing with equipment you need.  Keep it sensible.  We will be trying to pose as mercenaries, not over-equipped special forces commandos.  We have limited equipment on board, not all we have access to."

"You will each be supplied with a Merr-Sonn Model 44 blaster pistol, an encrypted commlink, vibroblade and a padded flight suit.  If you wish to take your own gear, keep it reasonable and inconspicuous.  Even a lawless society will notice you walking down the street with a repeating blaster slung over your shouder.  List all personal gear in your message to me for approval also."

"So lets focus on the mission.  Trusting the good captain and her team get us through security we then need to start working on our objectives; locating valuable intelligence, like attack routes, chain of command, morale as well as suppliers and buyers of their goods.   We need to pinpoint supply dumps for capture or destruction.  We will also need to infiltrate their starbase also for destruction or capture."

"Any ideas on how we should proceed here?  You will all be needed to perform jobs so now is the time to help us assign you where you are best suited.  If your idea of helping the squadron is shooting bad guys I will arrange your transfer to the Alliance Infantry tonight."


OOC:  Make sure you PM me and the GM your equipment list for the mission as well as your requisition requests (ie. Your wish lists).  Remember this reflects on your command ability.  Submitting stupid requests (ie. asking for some exotic weapon or 2 tonnes of explosives, etc) will not earn you my favour!

"Then our mission sounds more like a campaign: gather intel, select priority targets, create sub-missions accordingly, repeat.

"In this manner, I think two teams would be appropriate. The first team would, at the bare minimum, consist of me, the Captain, and, as Christian suggested, one other person that could fill the role of our bodyguard. We'll handle intelligence-gathering, and selecting primary targets, then pass on what we piece together to the other squad, which will consist of the rest of the squad. That team will create and execute sub-missions according to the targets we select.

However, since we're going in almost blind, I think the best course of action at the start is to integrate ourselves into the place... probably hire the second team out for one or two straightforward missions that don't involve getting off-planet, or off-system - we can't always be stealing resources. In the meantime, the first team will continually try to gather information, then every so often send the second team to go after our actual objectives. Of course, if the second team ever gleans any valuable intel, they should immediately contact the first team.

We'll keep on repeating this process until we accurately pinpoint the location of the pirate group that's primarily responsible for harassing Alliance assets. When that happens, we drop everything and regroup to plan our final mission."

Zyra smiles.  "For a comm officer you have a flair for deception Cyril.  I'd best watch you!  However there are one or two factors that have not been considered.  Firstly if your deception skills lend themselves to the art of disguise as well than we should have no problem creating as many alternate identities as we need."

She gestures towards the commander.  "He's our second problem.  He has no flair  for deception.  A rather endearing trait at the best of times but we need someone to be the 'face' of this mercenary group and that will likely be you or I.  Unless one of the others here is a born liar or a childhood actor we will be needed to preserve the integrity of our group's cover."

Xil stands again at this time.  "I think at this point, I would make a good candidate for bodyguard on the Captain's team, as per Mister Hyquin's suggestion.  As he has been assigned as my wingman, I believe it would be a good way to solidify our professional relationship.  I am also skilled in survival skills and tactics."  After he is acknowleged, he sits back down.

Koruusk listened patiently as everyone else spoke. Everyone else except the Duros had had some time to get to know each other and feel each other out. This was his opportunity. Mostly he felt relieved by everyone. Cyril, however, seemed perhaps a bit overconfident or maybe just a bit too eager to blend with the group. Something about the way the man spoke put Koruusk a little on guard.

"I think we need two face men," he spoke at last in his hissed basic. "One slippery and authoritative, and one to present strength. These types respect strength and no amount of smooth talking is going to sway them if they do not see a means we can back it up. We need a face leader and a show of muscle next to them."

His speech was somewhat broken and he occasionally had to fish for a word but his message, he thought, came across. It was somewhat frustrating having to listen to everyone speaking basic but he was able to keep up.

"I think our weapons and armor should be....... different also," he couldn't remember the word unique in basic. "I've never seen a 'lawless' group wearing the same outfits and all using the same weapons. I think everything should look worn out and well used too. Lastly, I would like to volunteer to serve as your bodyguard Captain. I may or may not be tougher than anyone else but people usually give a second thought before attacking a wookie or a trandoshan. And I am really good in close quarters."

Devon nods agreement with Koruusk.  'He's right: anyone sees us all with identical equipment and they're instantly going to be suspicious.  Battered but well looked after individual equipment is a better idea:  people see a supposed merc carrying a blaster that looks like its been round the galaxy twice, it fits in.  They see him and his buddies carrying shiney new identical pistols, they wonder where they got them.  We don't want people wondering that sort of thing.  Customized gear - different grips, different casings, you name it.'
Out of his pocket, Devon produces a battered and scuffed comlink and holds it up for everyone to see.  Then he points to the significantly cleaner and newer commlink on the captains desk.  'Spot the difference'  He tucks his commlink away again.


'As Koruusk being a bodyguard? In the sort of circle we're going to be trying to infiltrate, its pretty much a mark of prestige to have a different species guard.'  One of the fences he'd worked with from time to time sprang to mind, or rather his guard did:  the biggest gammorean you ever did see.
'A good rule of thumb is generally the bigger, surlier and more obviously armed the guard is, the better.  Actual ability seems to comes a distant second.  If we dress Koruusk in some beat up armour, give him some nasty looking spikey bladed thing to hold and he follows the captain round and growls at people who get too close... chances are no one will give him a second glance.'

The Commander sighef.  "The Captain  never even decided that we should have two teams.  You guys need to listen more.  If I heard her correctly she was just telling Mister Huquin some of the resons a second group was inadvisable until we arrive on planter."

"Mister Koruusk, I only partially agree with you.  Whilst mercenaries may not look after their uniforms I have never met a professional mercanry who didn't keep his weapons in pristine condition.  A mercenary knows his guns and his blades are his life.  He constantly cleans, upgrades and replaces his weapon."

He waves his datapad at the group.  "I have already received requisitions from some of you.  I will point out that the gear you have been issued you will take.  I don't care if you don't know one end of a vibroblade from the other and never worn armour.  You will take the gear because their are times we will need you to look the part.  Besides a vibroblade can save your life.  No skill involved, just switch on and thrust."

"The blasters you are being issued are the most common in the galaxy after the BlasTech-17.  They are often bough surplus by outlaw groups.  Besides, a soldier is often recalled by his weapon.  You walk around with some elaborate blaster on your hip then people will know who you are.  The basters provided will help maintain anonymity."

"Now Mister Kismet, whilst your commlink is 'colourful' can it send tight-band, level 4 military-level encrypted transmissions?  If it can then perhaps you and Mister Hyquin should swap jobs.  I'm sure he can impart on you the need for secure communications.  Military commlinks are not unusual amongst merc groups for secure transmissions.  You may 'dirty up' your comm any way you please, but remember the quartermaster will want it back at some point."

"You may bring your own weapons and gear but you will being the issued gear as well.  Understood?"

He stops to read an icoming message to his pad and smiles.  "Flight Officers Nallis and Bedix I have good and bad news for you.  The bad news is I have only been able to secure a single sniper rifle for this mission.  Hopefully you will be cheered though by the knowledge that the rifle in question is a SoroSuub X-45, these weapons are so new, they're not even in full production yet.  Don't ask me how our quartermaster got it, but I think you two owe him a drink."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Fri 24 Mar 2006.

Cyril Hyquin smiles back at the Captain and shrugs politely. "One of the, shall we say, perks of being a comm officer at HQ, is that you get to hang around officers with vastly different tactics. I've picked up a thing or two just from talking to them, and up until now I have suspicions that one of them was actually an agent posing as an officer. Even then, I'd be honored to become your apprentice in such matters, Captain."

"Anyway," he says. "First thing we do is secure a base of operations in Seratok. A small residence, or maybe even just an unused backroom of a cantina, should suffice. Nothing fancy for a merc group, right?"

"We then spread the rumor that no one, and we mean no one ever sees 'The Commander' unless 'The Commander' wants to see them," Cyril states, gesturing quotation marks with his hands to emphasize the title, "then Commander Sheppard need not even talk to or see anyone else, and simply lead the missions, while the Captain and I handle all transactions. After all, a shadowy, commanding figure as the leader of an organized merc group sounds about right, don't you think? And using the identity of 'The Commander' means that Commander Sheppard doesn't need to exert as much effort to hide his charming personality."

He finishes, "Of course, this means that the Captain and I will always be associated with the group, and will increase our difficulty in gathering intel. However, I'm sure the Captain can be very persuasive when she needs to be."

Turning to Devon, Cyril tells him half-jokingly, "I'd be glad to swap jobs with you, Dev, but I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea on how to steal a speeder. I'll leave that to your expertise."

"Perhaps we should have two bodyguards then: both Ex and Koruusk. A steely-eyed blaster-jock and a Trandoshan meleeist ought to be a good pair of effective, as well as intimidating, guards."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:03, Sat 25 Mar 2006.

Christian listens to the conversation.  "The commander is right..even though a mercenaries weapon may look old to others, his weapon is in pristine condition.  His weapon is his life, and if it fails, so will he.  Just some alterations to clothes can change a person's apearance, so simular weapons like the blaster will be common, as will a vibroblade.  Being a weapon specialist, I can vouch that a unique weapon can give a person away as fast as clothes."

He listens to the conversation on the sniper rifle, and his eyes open wide.  "A SoroSuub X-45?  Remind me to talk to the quartermaster."  He looks at the snipers.  "The X-45 is a lethal weapon, and one of thgem in the right hands could be lethal.  it could help turn the tide"

Xil stands again, this is the most he has said in one day, then in the last month.  "Thank you sir, I am sure myself and Mr. Bedix will talk to the Quartermaster when the mission brief is over.  I just hope one of us gets to use it."

Nirro stands up. Commander, we have all been talking about different aspects of this mission but one that I haven't heard is electronic intel. I have made something of a hobby out of the art of... lets call it "peeking", at things on computer systems that I am not supposed to. So if the Intel Team needs someone to slice into the pirates computer systems I am your man.. He sits and awaits a response.

Allen pulls himself out of daydreams about the X-45.  "And even though I haven't been here long, you'll find I have a special talent at being able to hit what I aim at, though if you need me for something else, I am good at a lot of other things."

"Personally Mister Nallis I hope none of you need to use it outside a range.  For if you do it means we have likely failed to acheive things quietly or we have been forced to resort to assassination.  Both prospects, whilst sometimes necessary, leave a nasty taste in my mouth.





The Commander turns his gaze to Nirro.  "Well since you are my squadron slicer I am expecting you to handle this area.  I don't need you telling me you are capable of slicing, its why I recruited you to this team.  I need you to tell me what you need to best obtain us what we need.  Of course I'll need you to slice into pirate systems.  You will be one of our primary intelligence gatherers.  I imagine you will also work closely with Mister Kismet whenever he applies his 'craft'."





Mark's face seems to harden a little.  "Pilot Officer, I don't need a vagu accounts of your abilities, nor do I need a sniper.  I have two of those as well as a specialist in blaster weaponry.  I brought you into this squadron in the hopes you would find a niche, a useful purpose only you can serve.  The others have theirs, you need to find yours.  You're an officer so learn to make decisions.  You want others to make all the decisions for you?  Renounce your commission and go be a grunt.  They follow orders, officers give them."

Jamie finished sending the commander a request for supplies, and looks at Nirro.  "A slicer could come in handy in my line of work as well.  Blueprints can make demolishing a building much easier.  I hope that's not necessary, as explosives are very expensive."

Koruusk continued to listen to everyone. He was a bit displeased with his own basic. Apparently his intention had not been communicated properly. He had meant that their weapons and armor look like they had been around the block a few times, not that they look out of repair or unmaintained. He thought about bringing up the point again to try and communicate the sentiment properly but decided better of it. He might mention it when they were closer to the field. Which led him to the thought, when would they be getting to the field.

"When will we be deployed? And is our shuttle marked? If it is I think we should paint over all of the markings on it. Maybe even paint a logo to identify the merc group we will be posing as?" Koruusk's hissed basic came out evenly.

They obviously didn't want to wait too long before getting into the field. However, Koruusk hoped he'd have a chance to maybe take a short simulator run with his squadmates so he could familiarize himself with how they flew. The more he could anticipate his squadmates the more effective he could be flying with them. Not to mention he'd like the chance to get to know some of them before he had to rely on them to watch his back. He was sure everyone would watch out for each other when the pudu hit the fan but it was still nice to know who was covering you.

"Thats when will be deployed sir, Pilot Officer Koruusk.  I am aware your former assignments 'distanced' you somewhat from the chain of command.  Time to re-familiarise yourself with it"

Cyril nonchalantly walked over to the terminal in the briefing room. With only a momentary "If I may, Commander," Flight Officer Cyril Hyquin fell completely into the role of a communications officer, showing precision and diligence in the simple matter of tapping away at the keyboard. This was one of easiest roles for him to portray, as half of his actual line of work consisted of roughly the same thing - typing up post-mission reports and conveying intelligence over secure lines of communications.

In a few short moments, 'Comm Officer' Hyquin had appropriated a portion of the screen for a list of assignments, with a format not unlike a lot of forms thrown around the Alliance. The list read:

Intel Team:
Captain Jax (Lead)
FO Hyquin
FO Nallis
PO Koruusk

Ops Team:
Commander Sheppard (Lead)
PO Flash
FO Webb
FO Lars
FO Grimm
FO Savin
FO Kismet
FO Bedix

As he finished typing, Cyril stated, "If Flight Officer Nallis will indeed be posing as a bodyguard for the Intel Team, I believe the sniper rifle in question should be assigned to Officer Bedix instead, since it will be quite difficult to explain why a bodyguard is equipped with a sniper rifle, instead of a standard blaster rifle or pistol."

"Aslo, inasmuch as Officer Savin's computer skills would be invaluable to the Intel Team, I think there will be a lot more information to be obtained in the actual sites that will be selected as priority targets. As such, his slicing skills would be best utilized in the Ops Team."

The captain watches Cyril's actions with amusement.

"Very interesting Cyril but you seem to have overlooked what I said before.  The Commander, whilst a fine leader is not skilled at deception and we need someone to pose as the 'head' of this orginisation.  I fear the Commander lacks the subtlelty for the job.  That combined with our travelling on one shuttle together makes me believe we should travel as one mercenary team."

"There will be time to split up once we are planetside.  Unless people have holographic memories or take extraordinary lengths to observe us our faces will be quickly forgotten.  I have no doubt hundreds of mercs, pirates and hopefuls travel through this place."

Cyril turns to the Captain just in time to see the amusement in her face.

"Then, my dear Captain," he says playfully. "It should be you."

"Perhaps, but perhaps not.  Whilst not exactly rare, a female Zabrak is more likely to be remembered than a human male.  If I was to pose as this groups leader then I will be limited in what other intelligence gathering I can perform.  My cover will be blown as they say in the holovids.  Still I suppose I can impart my intelligence-gathering objectives to our new communications officer."

Seeing the group had the mission plan, or what there was of it to be shared, the Commander stood.

"Atten. . .shun."

Once everyone came to order he looked around the room, making sure his troops were ramrod straight and not fidgeting.

"We depart at 2100 hours.  Make sure you are packed and have your extra gear from the quartermaster.  Make sure you get some chow before we go as there's no in-flight meal.  Carry on with the briefing captain and Mister Webb, my office as soon as the briefing is finished."

Receiving a salute from his XO and reciprocating, he walked out of the room.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:25, Mon 27 Mar 2006.

Cyril feigned pleasant surprise when the Captain practically gave him the assignment. He waited until the Commander had left the room before resuming conversation with the Captain.

"As you wish, Captain. I am eager to learn what you have to teach," he said, smiling. "What else must we discuss so the briefing can adjourn?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:38, Mon 27 Mar 2006.

Zyra relaxes as the commander leaves.  Seeing the others at attention she waves them back down.

"Don't get too worried about the Commander's hardline military approach.  He'll lighten up over time.  Its his way of making sure you stay disciplined.  Too many special forces get lax and think they deserve special treatment."

"But anyway, lets get back to the mission.  In preparing your identity cards, you will all be given the same first name but a false surname.  So the Commander will be Mark somebody, I will be Zyra someone, etc.  Since we are going in so quickly there isn't time to learn to react to falsified names.  A single slip could cost us our lives so we're keeping it simple."

"Now when you arrive at the shuttle tonight I don't want anyone to be yourself.  Think of a character from a holofilm you like and make yourself over in their image.  Talk like them, act like them.  Customise your gear as necessary.  Dye your flight suit black, shave your head, get fake tattoos applied.  We're going to be mercanaries so make yourselves out to be them.  Most creative concept gets a two-leave pass to the sunny beaches of Argon V on our return."

"Are there any further questions?  If not you are all dismissed until tonight.  Lets wrap this up so young Jamie can find out why he's in trouble!  This mission is strictly confidential so do not speak of it even to each other.  If anyone asks you anything, direct them to the Commander or myself.  I don't care if its Captain Tylon himself.  He may command the Indifatigable but he isn't privvy to our mission."

OOC: I am going to leave this thread open for another day or so to give people time to submit.  When you are ready Jamie you should report to the Commander's office (in PM to him)

Jamie scratched his head after the commander left the room, wondering why he was in trouble.  The last time he got sent to a commander's office it was for making jokes in class...which he hadn't been doing this time...
He tore himself away from his mental wandering to listen to the rest of the briefing.  Same first names was good...who would he become for the mission?
No, not him...ha!  Perfect!  That'll be a good one.  Need to get a good supply of toothpicks from the mess hall...

Nirro came to attention when the commander so ordered. Once he left the room Nirro listened to the captain's final instructions and headed to the mess. He got some chow. After mess he headed to the QM to get the supplies he requested, after which with nothing left to do he returned to his room packed and then took a nap until it was time to leave.

Ashlyn came to attention with the others.  He certainly wasn't thrilled with how the briefing went, but it was a mission.  It would get them out and away from sims.

Once free from the briefing, he followed Nirro to check on requested gear.  Ate his fill and then went to customize his personal identity for the drop.

Allen relaxes as the commander leaves, then decides that he had better report to the quartermaster.  As he leaves the room, he tries to think of anyone he might want to act like from the few holovids he's seen.  "Him?  No way.  What about him?  Naaa...  I guess I'll just have to be creative..."

After hanging around and watching a few holovids with the others, Allen walks off to the wardrobe, pulls out some old, worn coveralls(if there aren't any, he makes some), and then heads off to get a few more things.  After finally convincing one of the mechanics that he needs grease, he heads back to his quarters, practicing his speech and smearing some grease on his face, hands, and outfit as he goes.

'Flash' looks up from his work for a moment to stretch his neck and glances at the time.  After a second look and a few blinks to remove all doubt, he suddenly starts swearing under his breath in about three different languages at the disassembled blaster before him before starting to put it back together.  "Well at least I had enough time to fix the problem."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Tue 28 Mar 2006.

Cyril walked out of the briefing room grinning ear to ear. To everyone else, he would be considered the most eager of eager cadets, but inside, he was troubled.

He began to doubt if the Captain did, to some degree, know about his true profession. Yet, from the way she talked and acted, Cyril would be hard-pressed to believe she knew. "Nevermind," he convinced himself. "What happens, happens."

With that, Cyril went straight to the mess hall first, carefully avoiding conversation with anyone else. Afterwards, he was off to the quartermaster, where he properly signed out the few pieces of equipment he had requested, along with the items they had been assigned. Hoping to avoid notice, he crept to the holovid room and screened a couple of action movies from which to mimic his new role's movements and demeanor on. He then proceeded to the wardrobe, to pick out extra pieces for the disguise he intended to use. He wore the padded flight suit, then searched for a matching leather utility jacket in the dresser - something that he thought a tough but successful hooligan might wear, and just the right clothing for the role of a mercenary leader. To complete the disguise, he dyed his hair brown and wore green lenses for his eyes. The last piece he wore was the blaster holster with his pistol, and the sheath with his vibroblade. He figured that they were better off seen as part of the act; the rest of his equipment he would keep inside his utility jacket.

From then until 2100, Cyril practiced the attitude and speech he had seen on the movies, as well as mixing them with what street-talk he already knew. He was painfully aware that, as the 'face' of the merc group they were posing as, he needed to be as convincing as possible. Hopefully, the others would attribute his talent as just that, rather than make guesses as to his true nature.

Christian snapped to attention, and saluted the commander as he left.  He looked at the team, wondering if they could pull it off.

Christian walked to the mess hall, thinking to himself, and of his training his had.  His extensive weapons training helped him a bit here, giving him a useful skill.

Christian enters the mess hall, grabs something to eat and sits.

To his dismay, everyone seemed to scatter once the briefing was dismissed before Koruusk had a chance to talk to anyone. He only knew of the others what he had so far observed and what was printed on the roster that had been issued. Needless to say it wasn't very much.

Without the opportunity to get to know his comrades, Koruusk decided he'd best just focus on what needed to be done before 2100. He swung by his quarters to check on his personal equipment. It was well in order and already packed as he hadn't even had time to unpack it yet. From there he made his way to the quartermaster. He didn't hold high hopes that his request form would be filled but he was happy to work with whatever they issued the team for the mission.

Once he had signed out his new equipment from the quartermaster he promptly returned to his quarters to efficiently stow everything for the mission. That taken care of he had to take care of the matter of his cover identity. He had two strikes going against him there. First, Trandoshans only had one name so keeping his name but adding a surname seemed confusing to him. Second, he never watched holovids so he had only his own experience to draw upon for creating this alternate image he was to portray. Fortunately he had an idea about that. A way for him to continue using his wookie weapons while still coming off as a completely different person than he was.

Koruusk had only seen a wookie use their claws once but the image was burned into his mind. He remembered exactly how they had scarred the face of one of his superiors from when he was on the slave ship. In order to portray an alternate image for the mission he would become that which he hated most. Koruusk took a moment to brace himself then raked his own claws across his face while watching in the mirror. He had to do it very slowly so he could try to match the image in his mind. When he was satisfied he had recreated the scars he had seen in his youth, albeit at a different angle than his former Captain's scars, he applied a towel to stop the bleeding. It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked and he knew the scars could be removed but it still made him sick to think of what he was making himself look like. Almost as sick as the next part of the transformation made him.

Once the small trickle from the wound stopped he proceeded to the wardrobe they were offered access to to craft their disguises. He only needed one thing from it to complete his and it made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it. After some searching through the assortment of furs the wardrobe offered he decided on the item he needed. It was a fairly large poncho made with a thick gray and brown splotched fur that looked identical to wookie fur. So close was the resemblance to wookie fur that even he couldn't truly tell if it were real or not. As he slipped it on over the flight suit he'd been issued he prayed that it was taken from some animal.

He returned to his quarters, taking as much care as he could to not be seen. Once safely inside he drew out his bowcaster and took a long look in the mirror. He had quite convincingly took on the image of a truly grizzled and experienced Trandoshan slaver. One so entrenched in the craft that he had taken to using wookies own weapons against them and provoking them to such an extent that they lose their sanity enough to actually use their claws, which is a sin of the highest order among wookies. He felt completely sick looking at himself, appearing to represent everything he hated most. He forced himself to look for a long time, though. He would get used to the image now so it would not bother him once they were planetside and on mission.

Once he felt sure that he would show no signs of revulsion towards himself he checked that all of his gear was properly stowed again. He sat down and helped himself to an MRE. Then he laid down to take a brief nap until he had to leave to report to the hangar for the mission. He would have to try to get to know his comrades enroute.

After the briefing, Devon wandered back towards his quarters in a puzzled frame of mind.  Compared to some of the others, his experience in matters military was somewhat lacking - quite frankly, he'd been somewhat suprised when the commander had offered him a shot at a place on the squadron... so perhaps he shouldnt worry too much that he hadnt been able to really contribute anything useful to the briefing, he'd learn.

Given that the Captain had told them not to talk to anyone about the mission, Devon figured he'd best get some food before assembling his disguise, and accordingly headed for the galley.  As he ate, he tapped at his datapad, putting together his equipment request.


Later on, belly full, Devon lay on his bunk, stared at the ceiling and frowned.
A disguise of some sort.  He racked his brains for some idea, wondering what to do.  After a while, he stood up and regarded himself in the mirror over the sink, frowning intensly.  Finally he had an idea and hurried down to the wardrobe to get what he needed..

Twenty minutes or so later, a tech on duty in the hanger was startled to see Devon driving one of the small cargo-lifters repeatedly over what appeared to be a standard civilian flight suit.  In response to the Technicians demands to know what was happening, Devon meerly replied airily 'Commanders orders' and reversed the cargo-lifter over the flight suit again.

Some time later, Devon was back in his cabin; examining the now somewhat battered flight suit with the ground in dirt carefully.  Gripping at the edge of a pocket, Devon yanked until it tore; then stitched it back together with different colour thread; not too neatly, he hoped.  It was meant to look like repairs done by a man who was more concerned with the repair working than it being neat and tidy.  One knee and an elbow of the flightsuit received similar treatment before he was satisfied.

Crossing to the sink, Devon once again examined himself carefully himself in the mirror.  Taking up the basic cosmetics he'd scrounged, he dyed his sandy-blonde hair and eyebrows a deep brown, almost black.  Once the dye had done its job, Devon regarded himself in the mirror for a moment, sighed, and used a set of clippers to shave his head, leaving a quarter inch of black stubble where he used to have significantly longer, spikey blonde hair.

Devon dressed slowly, glancing at his now unfamiliar face in the mirror frequently as he did so.  Battered combat boots and an old and oft repaired flight suit tied off round the waist, a stained sleeveless top, tough leather gloves with no fingers - the sort a pilot or merc might wear to protect their hands, and finally a plain black woolen hat pulled down almost to his eyebrows.

Devon regarded himself critcally in the mirror and his normal easy grin showed, he was pleased with the overall image.  Then he remembered himself and scowled at the mirror instead.

Xil stood and saluted the Commander when he left.  Following him out, Xil made a bee line for the Quarter Master to check out the new rifle.  Afterwards, he goes to the dining facility and grabs some chow.  He takes his new gear and heads over to his cabin and does some pre combat checks and services on his weapons and new gear.

Jamie stood as the briefing finished, and promptly left the room to report to the commander in his office.

After reporting to the commander, he was seen at the quartermaster's office collecting explosives with an ear-to-ear grin.  He then ate a good meal at the mess hall and collected a large quantity of toothpicks from the staff.
Later, looking himself in a mirror, he examines the new temporary dragon-tattoo on his forehead and his violently purple hair while chewing a toothpick.
He shoots himself a cocky smile and tries a few corny pickup-lines.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:12, Fri 31 Mar 2006.

This thread is now closed.  Those who posted descriptions thank you for the entertainment (you have been rewarded with roleplaying XP).

Those who neglected to submit requiisitions have only what you were allocated and your own gear.  Don't ask and you don't get.