In the drill beam control cart, Nadia and Dante enter to see a five-person team all huddled around a circular computer console in the centre of the room- two of them with their seats reclined all the way down and taking a nap.
“Welcome to the abyss, Heir” The captain of the drill team stands up from his seat to shake Cassie’s hand.
“Always a pleasure, Hammond,” Cassie returns the handshake.
On the left and right sides of the cart are three extra computers on each side, presumably for the new arrivals. There is a small corner with a kettle and mini stove, as well as two doors- one of which Dante presumes is a bathroom. And the other would be used for extra equipment and repair gear for the drill.
A few storage units higher up on the walls and that's it. No windows, and they entered via a hatch on the top- the armour on the drill beam train is almost as effective as the main shields.
These are designed to be the last vehicle to fall in battle.
It's like being underground, and the ride itself is surprisingly smooth due to the stabilization the beam needs- they can fire while in motion, but take five to ten minutes to charge up between blasts depending on how much power you put into it.
“The team and I are ready to execute on your command,” Captain Hammond says, “Any additional notes for us?”
“For now I'm going to want bursts every five minutes, so limit the charge to sixty percent and stay around forty,”
“Copy that,” He says before returning to his console and ordering his team, “Rebecca, I want a forty-C with Cannons on ten,”
“Copy that,” Rebecca, with strawberry hair nods.
“Are you sure about a ten, Sir?” A bald, dark-skinned man sitting next to Rebecca queries with a concerned look on his face.
“Just set it, Siv. We’re working from near max range,” Rebecca responds.
“So when it gets targeted and wrecked we have to go up there among gunfire? Yeah, I'm with Siv on this one,” Another member adds as he puffs on a cigarette.
“I ain't going up there because we set it to ten, are you joking? That's literally sticking our neck out,” The girl with dreadlocks beside the smoker says.
“You're seriously going to choke out these recruits, Clint?” The Captain grunts in annoyance, “Put it out,”
“Yeah yeah, I’ll put it out but Kabela and I still ain't going up there if it’s set to ten,” Clint scoffs as he puts his cigarette out against the joystick at his console.
“So what do our gunners want it at, huh?” Rebecca sighs.
“Oh, so you refer to us as gunners 'cause our asses ain't on top of this bitch repairing your goddamn weapon?” Kabela grits her teeth.
“Bitch move, Rebecca,” Clint chuckles.
Rebecca just rolls her eyes, turning back to her computer without looking at either of them, “You two are such babies,”
“You want to swap jobs?” Clint asks.
“I wouldn't mind being posted up behind all this armor while two of yall go up there,” Kabela responds.
“You two are the ones that always say you gotta go up there together,” Siviwe comments.
“Oh, you wanna try going up there alone big boy?” Kabela smirks.
“He wouldn't even get past peaking,” Clint comments, prompting both of them to laugh.
“You're right!” Kabela bellows in laughter.
“Alright, then. What would the runner-gunner duo prefer the height to be set to?” The Captain asks with a humoured grin on his face.
“No more than seven,” Clint says.
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“Six is ideal,” Kabela says.
“Set it to eight, Siv,” The Captain orders, “Squad two-one-nine isn't collapsing because of these idiots and their laziness,”
“Ugh,” They both grunt before chanting, “Thank you, Sir,”
“This year's recruits as childish as this lot?” The Captain asks Cassie, whilst scanning Nadia and Dante like MRE’s.
“Eh, more useless than usual,” Cassie shrugs.
“Why bring them along, then?” The Captain chuckles.
“They make for good bait,” She says, passing an objective grin at them.
Uh, Dante’s mind stammers, feeling like a fish in shark-infested waters. “It’s nice to meet you all,” He says in response.
Cassie and the Captain's humoured expressions briefly turn mildly impressed before he notices Nadia’s angered side-eye.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Nadia says, gritting her teeth before looking at the rest of the team and smiling.
I guess Nadia isn't so good at taking trash talk, Dante chuckles to himself.
“They don't seem so bad,” The Captain giggles, “They do look dumb, though,”
“Nadia Mehdi?” Siv asks with wide eyes amongst Cassie and Hammond's laughter.
“Uh, yeah?”
“I knew your cousin, Rashid,”
“Well… I didn't,” She grunts.
“Oh…” Siv looks at his keyboard, awkwardly plucking at the base of his hairline.
“Oof,” Kabela inserts, “You two know the rules?”
They both shake their heads.
“Only Rebecca speaks during countdowns, communication during that time is regarded as an emergency. Clear?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” they both confirm.
“The second rule is that you make us coffee whenever we tell you to,” Clint adds, waving his coffee mug at Nadia.
She grits her teeth again, before quickly concealing it with neutrality and walking over to take the mug from him. “Yes, Sir,” She responds.
“See,” Clint grins at Cassie, “Useful,”
“You’ll have to excuse these two,” Rebecca tells them whilst Nadia ungraciously fixes Clint a coffee, “They breathe in a lot of fumes when they repair the drill,”
“Excuse me?” Kabela raised an eyebrow, restraining a grin.
“Three coffees, three sugars,” Clint calls out, “No milk,”
“Understood,” Nadia mumbles.
“So, do you know the Krix setup?” The captain asks Cassie.
“That's why we’re here. Those bastards took out our eyes so I’ll have to improvise,”
“As usual,” He smiles, “I was a little worried when I saw we were getting orders from the young man over here,”
“It was his first time, too,” She adds.
“Not bad, kid. It was an easy job but you kept us updated. When Cassie was a recruit, she would always give out orders when it was too late. Her nickname for a while was ‘NDE’ so all the squads knew who getting orders from,”
“NDE?” Dante asks.
“Near-death experience!” He belts in laughter, “Ain't no one gotten a name like that in two-one-nine history,”
“No way,” Dante blurts out in laughter.
“You swept that one under that rug, Heir,” Nadia chuckles as she finishes up the cup of coffee.
“Hey, any self-respecting strategist knows it’s high-risk playmaking,” Cassie defends.
“You sure about that?” The Captain asks.
“You dead?” Cassie Jests.
Nadia crosses the room to Clint’s console and gently places his coffee beside him.
“Thanks, dear,” He grins, taking a sip.
“A pleasure, Sir,” She says, clenching her fist before turning to stand beside Dante- but, she is interrupted when Kabela coughs.
“Ahem,” She utters, waving her mug in the air, “Same as him,”
“Why did you ask me earlier?!” Nadia yells, finally releasing her boiling pride.
“I didn't feel like coffee back then,” She sighs.
“Are you fucking joking?” She plants her forehead into her palm. “Fine!”
Sulking with dragged footsteps, Nadia hobbles over to Kabela and grabs her mug out of her hand before making her way back to the kettle.
“Be nice you two,” The Captain smiles.
“Yes, Sir,” Both Clint and Kabela chant before adding, “Thank you, Nadia,”
“Pff,” She scoffs, mumbling complaints to herself whilst the kettle boils.
“Understood,” Cassie says, responding to her comms before looking at the rest of the crew, “You all ready?”
“Yes, Heir,” Everybody chants.
“Alright, let’s do this,”
_OVERWATCH: ORDER FROM COMMANDER PRESTON
_DETAILS: Krix sighted to the North. Prepare for battle.
_NOTE: 58 hours to relocation site