Roy got a comm message from Henry.

Don't think any of the Bio-Techs are combat-ready, sorry. Shall I bring the largs up so you can assign ground pounders to them? Then I'll take them down to the farm or tunnels to get accustomed. Larry may join us if he likes.

--------------->>>>>>>>>>> From Non Com Quarters.

 Meari walked onto the Hanger Dec, she knew she was early but she was so use to being in combat gear that it was natural for her. She was fully ready and geared for combat. She would go through a few loosening and what looked like combat meditation exercises and then walked over towards Roy and Doctor Christie.

 Meari nodded to Roy and Said," I know I am early but I am ready SM, is there anything you need done before jump off that I may assist in? Also do you know what my task will be for the jump off Sm?" Meari lived for combat, she had not seen as much as she wanted but she would gain a lot more being on the Hermes that would be for sure. Today she would get to kill Verians that just made it a much better day.

Kira was all business this morning as she made sure everything was ready to go, "Alright listen up I'm gonna have Andre on the Club, you Morgan on the spade, and I'll ride in on the diamond" She said assigning the team to there respective shuttles.

She then grabbed a cup of coffee and took a sip, "You ready for this Andre?" She asked him this was not her first rodeo and wouldent be the last.

  Andre   smiled,can't be too much different  then Bura, right?.. 'cept the targets  are bigger.

 ...Just keep in  mind... if any race is gonna have  Mech its  people who  are Bio-machines..

.............................

   The Largs   came In Looking eagerly   around   they  saw Roy and LArry  and   moved  with a purpose ( that is to say 'get out of the way" ) towards him..  Gregor  thumped his tail m wildly   and Roll let him go to Join the others  and  Followed  after him,  trying not  to get  stepped on my  people in heavy boarding armor.

 Sneak  walked  with a 'box like' tray with    cold  drinks  and   sandwiches  in..she followed Roll under this pretext..  if any on asked she pointed to the table, where they could get the  hot  drinks..  People   started to notice Roy was around, and began to  stand or get a nudge if they were 'relaxed'..waiting to see what  Shuttle they were going to be assigned.

 Shadow was now with   The Admiral, Captain Si , Admiral Henning, General  bale, Captain Rivets , and   CAptain Morris, as they  went over  some  of the latest  vids on Vera.

 Pilots who had  triple checked thier machines  gathered  around with a sandwich and a drink... the  Black Dots  looked   frightened...  , No-Ca, Toger  and Lake  were Giggling and talking , like they were   waiting fro a ride to  the next ball.

<<<<<<<<From the Med Tech

Billie exited the lift and headed over to her bird, placing her things into the compartment and securing everything into place. Looking out, she sighed. Admittedly, she was nervous, this being her first run, but with that trust in her instinct, she knew she could pull through it. Leaning against the fighter, Billie took out an ear bud and popped one into her ear, turning on some electro swing music while she waited, a way to occupy her mind.

In reply to hanger Dec (msg # 36):

Kira didin't seem to concerned she trusted a lot in the teams superior weapons and training to pull them through, "No doubt will encounter Mechs but they havent come up against a force as deadly as our squad... will make sure none live to tell of the horrors"

  Beth  Hit the COMs . enisgn  Sakura.. you are to meet with   the Admiral   and Wendy Maxie  as  soon as you hit the Hanger Dec... That is all...

 Orria    was   setting the Y  connectors like a pro. it might  not be the hardest job , but smaller   fingers  made faster  work, and with out those connections, some people would be out of the Loop.

..........

 Shade  walked  about   with His   SMG on his  shoulder   and Hemlet in   the arm  that held on to the   sling.

-----> From Multiple Places picking up stuff

In the distance the familiar heavy footsteps of Zob could be heard he was clad in his traditional black ESN heavy armor and a ammo canister on his back and in his hands was the new ESN minigun which despite being a rather big weapon he was able to handle fairly easily due to immense strength, he made his way over to where the troops were gathering he set the gun up on a crate and grabbed himself a cup of coffee by Hoke, "Hoke stick close to me down there and will come back in time for the victory party"

  Hoke  Nodded  , looking like a nervous woodpecker..Look at that Tucker  Guy?..  he  isn't  bigger then I am, and he's  hauling to ammo canisters  in each  hand... I tried     Bundgy  cord  thing..it was too heavy?... Maybe  they Juiced him?

  there  were Guardians     walking  down with Med techs.. a case   each went into the shuttles ..one case of 12  Derma  Foam, One Case  12  Derma plast.

  The QM  had  one  extra  crate   of  50MM  rounds   sent to  each shuttle  ( along with the case each gunner had).. and a  crate  of 24  frag grenades.

Roy raised an eyebrow when Meari approached.  "You'll get your assignment when everyone else does...I don't do private mission briefs unless it's a private mission.  Take your time, Sergeant, we'll be boarding soon."

-------------------
When he got Henry's message, he nodded, mostly to himself.  The kind of combat experience he would have found relevant wasn't likely to be found in a lab tech...unless it was an older tech.  Angel food was improving the human lifespan...but it was still a cultural norm that people didn't train in disparate skillsets.  For millenia, it had been because people rarely lived long enough to learn it all, now it was just habitual, for most.  Some, like Henry, branched out...but this was not an operation to let someone new get their feet wet and try it out.  Too much was on the line.  "Bring them to the Hangar Deck, they need to get used to the noise and action and I'd rather it ramps up around them than take them out of a nice, peaceful setting and throw them into it at full volume."  As the action started to pick up, he went and got his gear and armor on, then returned to wait for the assault teams and largs to show up.
--------------------
As Zob walked up, Roy gave the rig he was hauling a critical look.  "Might not be the optimal choice for this one, Zob.  It'll be useful for our first objective...but a lot of what we're doing is clearing tunnels, and that's not minigun terrain..."  He wasn't directing a change in weapons, from his tone...just advising that it could turn into a largely useless encumbrance.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Sun 29 Mar 2020.

 Meari nodded and said," Yes I understand thank SM I will be ready." Meari would watch as things got busier on the Hanger Dec pilots checking their rides, troopers coming down getting ready she will keep an eye out for Supe, Holden, Tucker and Minnet. They got along great at the Ball and was excited to work with them in the field. Then she saw the Demon show up with a minigun that would chew through Verian armor. Meari looked for Dana as she handed out water and sandwiches, she would say," Good day Dana thank you for your help here for us troopers, do you do this at all jump offs?" Meari liked Dana yes she was a waitress but she had spunk and she was very nice.

Zob chuckled, "Well that's why I have the rifle SM sir besides I won't have much ammo left if any for the minigun by the time we reach these tunnels so it will of served it's purpose up to that point" he stated his outlook on the situation.

  Will , Shoey and  Lyri  were Looking at the  Rosters being  posted on the sides of the Shuttles

 Lyri and Shoey   looked at each other....we both get to go!!!

 Will wasn't surprised his name wasn't there , he  went  to try to find the SM  to show he was   ready for  duty.

  Abby  stopped him a  Moment,..Look..Will... i'm sorry..I was..just  bummed  at getting bounced to  ground support, more or less..  I didn't mean to  to call you a Dumb ground Pounder...

 Will looked at her    , trying to  figure, what the  9 hells  that she was  saying.

Zob then went back to adress Hoke, "No Tucker is just that strong they had plenty of time to get used to doing there job and in time so will you by the way, what's your load out look like?" He asked him.

  Hoke looked at  Zob,..In have  a Carbine. and a Bandoleer  of  12   Mags..10 rounds  each.. and a  ESN service  Pulse  sidearm.. i have    two frags, and  my K-bar.. and   the  small Med Kit?..I also got  that little tool thing belt   incase we get a belt Jam..Tucker  told me about that?


........................

    Wendy and  Hack stood near Shadow's  fighter  as they waited  for Izzy.

In reply to Roy Spencer (msg # 32):

Melia entered the hanger through the medlab, having stopped to top off her kit and refresh her consumables. She'd opted for her medium armor for this mission sacrificing a little maneuverability for survive-ability, the added weight wasn't going to bother her too much the bonus weight tunnel runs, had honed her muscles and while her gear didn't feel as light as usual with the slight extra weight it was still a little less than her usual punishing running set up. She grabbed a coffee and a sandwich as they passed by, thanking the waitress. She pressed her hand to her chest feeling the added mass that was the engagement ring. She'd opted to wear it on her tags for the mission rather than her hand as she didn't want it snagging or getting in the way of anything.

She drifted towards the rest of the ground troopers and Zob, waiting for further orders.

--------------->>>>>>>>>> From Officers Quarters

 Lizzy walked onto the Hanger Dec and headed straight for her fighter, she would check, double and triple check everything she could and once she was satisfied she would head over to the the other pilots get some coffee and a sandwich. She saw the Command Center and she was worried about Izzy she went down to Bura and was okay but these where Verians close up fighting with them was deadly for humans, that is why she hopes she stays with some big hitters she doesn't know what she would do if something happened to Izzy.

  When Izzy gets  to the Admiral.. he pulls them both , pretty close to the static  field, that they can see  and hear the tiny pits of  space  dust   sizzling against it.

 His eyes   are stern..his voice is  cold....look out there.... you can see..maybe..maybe  1/10 of the fleet, and  that's not counting the  Hyrian  and Burians...and   its not counting the  Millions of  drop ship troopers.... below is  is Calimate...a  world  that was a battle ground   for verians  and  Udenese.. the poor  bastards  don't have a gods be damned, ship to thier name... and they kept  fighting the Verians, with the Udense  help...

 ..now both of  you..in one way or another, tried to Undermine the ESN  and the APF... how?.. but  tweaking a slant. ignoring people who have been out  hear longer then you have
 been in the service... and all to try to get a Juciy By line...  SuKura?..you broke even last time.....what you do from here on out   will tip the scales  one way or the other for yourself..... Maxie?... You are going into  a gods be damned  fight ..you won't be  standing in a shuffle, or  doing play by play from a Vid... you'll be in the  Jump seat of the  1 fighter plane , everyone in  the Empire  wants to turn into space dust...

  he turned away from them   to look out  at the ships..Calimate was   retreating behind them...I will make this  damnably  clear... if....in anyway..either of you gets people killed because  of  some dumbassed attempt  to  be the face of your media ship... I  will personally tie  you the   thrusters of a  Mantis   and have the  Pilot take off...

 turning back,..I want the  public   to  see and hear the raw , cold  war... I want them to see  our  successes  and our failures.. because  either one, can get more people pumped into the Fleet... but if you try to spin  it.. in anyway, that show  my people...my fleet as anything  but  warriors.. you're  done... I don't give one damn about your careers... I have to send  millions  into the  jaws  of battle.... don't think  2 reporters   will give me pause.....and if you don't  take the long walk.. I'll send you to Aqra.. or the  Black moon in Nivar space..were you  can give  daily reports  on how good the fishing is on aqra..or  how the  rock beetles  mate..

 ..now? Sukura?..  don't get killed..... Maxie... if something happens  to Shadow  because you are in that Jumpseat.. you better  blow your brains out , because  the long walk will be waiting for you... now..go...

Roy saw Will coming, and turned, a set expression on his face.  Before Will could even begin his protest, Roy held up a hand.  "Call, I don't care what condition you think you are in.  We have more than enough people to fill the gap for a mission or two, and I would rather give you extra downtime here than risk screwing up your recovery down there and losing you for weeks or months...or completely.  Work with Nagy on keeping the Hangar secure, don't bitch about it, and finish healing up properly.  That's an order..."  The way he emphasized the last statement underscored the fact that he rarely gave orders by explicitly stating they were orders.

His expression softened slightly, and he added, "I get it.  You want to be out there.  So does every other mud monkey with a weapon rating on this boat.  Give someone else a turn.  We'll all be better off for it."

     He turned  from Abby, to  the SM.  His  little bit of a smile' , vanished. he  was about  to show him the paper. but  didn't  hold it out.

   Nagy, was moving though the Dec, and approached  them. He  gave  an understanding  half smile,..Comon, Will..me  you and Maria  will set up our teams, so we  can  chop  down  any of those  Verian redwoods  that come on dec..

   Will nodded,  and stuffed the paper in his  pocket,  The two Head to  SEC   where Maria had  the rest of the  troopers lined up outside the door.

Abby  gave  a  self satisfied  snort, and  went  towards her 'new  flight'

..................

  Shade   sat  down on a crate, eating   one of three sandwiches  on a paper  plate and drinking a  soda.. he  loked like he might  be getting ready   for shore elave

Henry acknowledged Roy's message, and shortly afterwards turned up on the Hanger Dec with Mila, Freddie, and Tess in tow. He stayed with the largs, making sure that they settled and coped with the busy atmosphere of the bustling dec, giving them plenty of fuss and reassurance.

Mila had never liked the Hanger Dec. Far too noisy, too much hustle and bustle. She stayed close to Her Human, but left him to cope with the largs who were new to all this. She was wise enough not to let on that she wasn't comfortable there herself. The poor largs didn't need that!

  On The  Hanger Dec...  Bosk  and Garrat came over to the LArgs , followed  by 'Larg Master'
 Roll, who     stood  with  Gregor  as the  smaller  beast thumped his  tail around the other LArgs

 Mila Was more greeted  by Tess then Freddie. Freddie  seemed a bit   more  aware of the people then Tess. The Female  seemed  more  resigned to the activity.

  Roll asked  Doc Henry and the others,..You think   Tess and Freddie   did this   on the Yellow  guy's  ships?

 Bosk  smiled, they are Nivairans.... would you  call me a  'green guy'?

 Roll looked up   as him, his  little hands wringing a bit.

 There was a  Sigh,..I am a Burian...

 Rolls  smiled  and nodded to this.
......................

  Once  Jax  found his  name, her   went over to 'get a sandwich'  from  Sneak and stick close to her  and chat a bit.

 Dana  brought    her box-like tray over  near Roy to see  if he or the others  wanted anything

 Shadow made his  way through the  crowd.. the Vets  were sensing it now.. and began to  gather in 'clumps'... shuttle folks   migrating towards thier  shuttles, Pilots   in between  the flight lines of thier  aircraft.

 Kneeling by Shade, ..you listen to the SM..right?... no stupid  stuff... these guys  are bigger then you...Make sure you're here for the   after party Dance.., right?

 Shade   gave Shadow   a   Hug , that he returned. Then Gave him a Thumbs up.

 Roles approached them, he  was  use  a crutch  that  wrapped  around one  arm, he looked like he was struggling, but, he  wasn't going to 'hide on the bridge'..So?..Shade's goign  down to take care of Business...you'd think Adem would surrender   just for that.

  The Other two chuckled... do good, stay  safe, Shade.... Kray?... Sorry you got hooked up with that reporter..its  part my fault...

 Shadow's  smile   faded a bit as he said,..i won't lie... if i had  an ejection seat, i'd pop her into the black as  soon as we cleared the static  field...

 they laughed.,  The  board was gathering at the moblie stairway...,..lets go  Hot Shot... we have our  Pregame ...

  Roll waved  at Shadow... Shadow   smiled  and  Took a knee again,ok, Larg Master.. now?  you and Gregor help here..right?... remember, Only you and Sneak know how folks in the stem and  stay alive  and  fight  back...right?..So you  take casre of Haley  and  have Gregor  here  in case any  of the Bad guys  Come close.... don't think they will this  time..but you never know  what they have up thier  sleeves.

  Roll gave  two firm nods  and Saluted.....already done.... Jax taught me that...

 Shadow Grinned, ,  Roles   turned to  start  heading  across the Dec to the HAnger Bay doors... they both stopped  at  Roy,..Good Hunting out there.... don't  be surprised  if a reporter  comes  falling out of the sky... that wouldn't be fair though,. since you have your  own to worry about!

.............

 beth  put her head set on and handed  another one  to Orria,ok, Orria...  trun on feeds   12 and 13,,,

  Admiral...  over head  screens  are  coming on... both linked to the Fleet...13 also has  linked in  Vera...

 Meari checked the Shuttle lists, she sees she is on the Spade with mostly Humans. This was going to be a learning experience and a chance to show the ESN how Udenese fight. She was nervous but that would fade once they got ready. She would head over towards the people heading to the Spade, Meari saw Dana and smiled at her. " Good day Dana thank you for service it is very appreciated." She took a sandwich and smiled at Dana.

Henry smiled at Roll.

"I don't think much consideration was paid to the largs at all. They were regarded as tools to be used. This way, they get used to the environment, and to us. They will know who is on their side, hopefull feel part of our team."