Arc 2 Chapter Header [https://i.imgur.com/ro1JiZG.jpg]
Front 5 - The Beginning
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5.1 - Operation Deadlight
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Once Nate and Kolme finally finished their thinly veiled gossiping, Hoki found herself following the two into the briefing room at last. A few things immediately caught her attention, the officers from the Rinie that she had seen entering the room foremost of all.
They sat in the front row, consisting of ten uncomfortable-looking, retractable chairs, matching the metallic floor and walls drearily in colour. Of the seats, two to the leftmost side of the room were left empty, obviously there for Kolme and Hoki.
A tall, well-built, impressive-looking man was in the third seat from the left. Next to him was a younger woman who stood out for her unusually bright white hair and facial features. Following the line of chairs was Batty's first mate (in more meanings of the word than one) - First Lieutenant Wally. Unlike his captain, Wally was a small man in both posture and stature. He had what you might call a 'rat-faced complexation' but not in that he was a weaselly looking individual but simply that he seemed meek, ready to run for cover at any given moment.
Probably at Batty's insistence, he too was overdressed for the occasion, flourishing gold over-trims, medals and all - Although somehow they looked less impressive on the small man than on his superior.
As Hoki took her chair, she redirected her attention back to the other two members of the warship Rinie present in the row. As Kolme sat in the chair nearest the wall to the leftmost side of the room, that left Hoki next to the well-built man. She recognised him as someone she had interviewed not so long ago, as a potential candidate for the Fluchtig's pilot team; he had politely turned her down at the time. First Lieutenant Tomo Chujits, a veteran of the Remembrance Incident a few years back and commander of the Rinie's own Vijaik team. Their equivalent of Kolme Nilas in a manner of speaking. He was the essential image of a mech pilot - Tall and stocky but in a manner of pure muscle, yet not in any needless excess - His face a relatively gaunt picture that suggested approachability and consideration for every situation. Known as something of a model pilot who always played by the book. Hoki had found her previous conversations with him pleasant enough.
Next to him was the younger-looking woman with the startling white hair. Matching that hair were even more alarming features: Long pointed ears, alabaster skin and discoloured pupils: A pure-blooded elf. Second Lieutenant Erfu Shiri was her name, and again, Hoki knew her from the interview process. Less experienced than her team leader, Erfu had joined up a few years back and had stood out ever since. Pure-blooded elves were rare even back home on Bhaile. Sure some, like Hoki herself, could trace back ancestry of that nature - But only by delving deep into her family tree. You might have one of the elven features, the snow-white hair, albino skin or the pointed ears - But to have all the hallmarks meant you were from a line with no none-eleven blood, and those sorts seldom found cause to go into space.
The four from the Rinie certainly made for an eclectic bunch, but the other four in the front of the room were a little less conspicuous, although not by much. The Valliere's captain was possibly the youngest person in attendance; Lt.Commander 'Louise' was a woman of average height and lean build. Unlike Batty, Louise let her fair hair grow out past her shoulders, and rather than her best dress uniform, she seemed to be suited almost casually, with a red bandana around her neck in place of a collar or tie.
Hoki had only interacted with Louise at a few functions back in her instructor days and could describe the young woman with just one word - Smug. The daughter of IAFS's highest ranking officer, Vice Admiral Louise, it was the opinion of many that the young twenty-something had been given her captain's posting almost solely based on her family ties rather than her merit. In some ways, Hoki could emphasise, she and Lousie were both daughters of IAFS founders; however, Louise's coy aloofness tended to rub the more prim and proper Hoki that wrong way…
Compounding this view many had of the up-and-coming woman was her immediate second in command - First Lieutenant Tabitha. Tabitha was a person of similar height to Commander Louise and yet seemed more petite in the way she seemed to sink into her chair, not so much out of shyness but rather like it was her natural posture.
'Miss.Tabitha' as most referred to her, kept long chestnut-brown hair that swept over her face in places, topped with a quant pair of glasses. It was a poorly kept secret that she did most of the day-to-day work that kept the good ship Valliere 'afloat' - The power behind Louise's smug front as it were.
Rounding out the row were two people Hoki had no recollection of whatsoever: A pair of muscle-bound, square-headed men. One about a foot shorter than the other, they had a quintessential bodybuilding look to them, and Hoki could only presume them to be the senior officers of the Valliere's Vijaik team.
image [https://i.imgur.com/igr1nlx.jpg]
Similarly, Hoki failed to recognise many of the people who sat a few rows back from the front. A collection of engineering and mechanical staff by their overalls - That she could only presume were there to offer their respective expertise when or if necessary, rather than actually partake in the mission briefing. Of them, she could only really put a name to the Fluchtig's chief mechanic, who nodded respectfully in Hoki's direction when they briefly locked eyes.
All told it was quite the gathering of colourful people strewn about the chairs of the drab room. Hoki found herself already growing exhausted just from putting the names to faces and trying to recall relevant details of each person attending - A part of her wondered what it must be like not to have a reason to remember such details - Someone like Una only needed to be familiar with her squadmates - For Hoki details of everyone present were tantamount.
After a few more minutes of waiting (something Hoki was growing used to at this point), Commander Nate Novel finally took his place standing at the top of the room in front of everyone else bar two. These two sat by a small table in front of all the rows, attending to terminals that would presumably control the visual elements of the day's proceedings.
The two Hoki remembered as bridge officers, in particular, the man who ever wore sunglasses even in the brightest of situations - First Lieutenant Aurin Kolasit (or in her mind simply 'Sunglasses') - Kolme's equal in rank and Nate's second in command, in matters concerning the admin of the ship. All told that made for four of the senior-most officers from each of the three ships that had rendezvoused together that morning. Kolme and herself as Vijaik pilots, representative of the Fluchtig, along with Nate and Aurin (plus the nameless aide sitting next to him at the terminal) as management.
Tomo and the elf woman Erfu, along with their leader's Commander Batty and Lt.Wally of the cruiser class ship Rinie.
And finally, the two blocky men accompanying Lt.Commander Louise and First Lt.Tabitha of the cruiser class ship Vallière.
A meeting of primarily twelve individuals that would go on to decide the course of a great many details in the upcoming days. While unnamed, a briefing which would surely be of the utmost importance. A meeting which, if truth be told, Hoki would really have rather not attended...
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The meeting had kicked off in earnest, starting with Commander Nate giving some fairly rudimentary housekeeping notes. As he talked, a screen of easily three metres long by two wide emitted onto the wall behind him. What showed upon it was a series of pretty disorganised slides, the sort Hoki had seen a dozen times before, and that failed to grab much attention. This continued for a short while with little fanfare until a particular slide appeared - A faint stirring at it bringing some life back to the room; on it was a diagram of three warships - The Rinie, Vallière and, of course, the Am-Fluchtig itself.
Looking at the 2D image of her home filled Hoki with a somewhat odd feeling. It isn't uncommon for a soldier to spend months at a time in space aboard a vessel, and even when one does disembark, you seldom get an opportunity to see your 'home away from home' in any great detail from the outside. Were Hoki to describe the feeling, she mused it would be somewhat similar to living in an apartment block that, for some improbable reason, you couldn't leave for a long period of time. Sure, you wouldn't precisely forget what the exterior of the building looked like, but the nuance of it - The small alleyways or places where disrepair was present, the corners of faded paint peeling off the walls - Those places might start to fade from memory, just a little.
Of course, you would still remember your room, the place you spent those hyperbolic months locked inside, and maybe even know what your neighbour's apartment pertained, but would you ever know what the room of someone a few floors below you looked like? Moreover, would you notice if a series of vehicles parked in your car park and then filed into your neighbour's apartment?
That last point was the one that caught her as the most surreal. That very morning, three spaceships had come together, and yet she struggled to visualise the reality of that. Even though she now sat in a room with people who hadn't been on the ship the day prior, there had been no sounds or vibrations to disturb her sleep when the other two vessels had arrived. In fact, it wasn't like you could feel the Fluchtig moving through deep space. For all purposes it seemed nothing had changed despite the presence of new people.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
In a way that surprised her, Hoki felt oddly dis-associated as she looked at the images of the three space-fairing warships. She did her best to refocus on the waffle of the presentation while trying not to get any more philosophical. The Fluchtig itself could be described as iris-shaped, with the ends of said eye stretched out to the East and West.
A Large Oval section at the centre that to either side narrowed into a long shaft, along which were lined the vessel's massive main-cannon emplacements and arrays of lesser anti-aircraft guns. These long outcroppings were also filled with storage, power generation facilities and thrusters to either end that propelled the ship on its long journeys. Atop the centre oval lay a large Hexagonal dome - Inside this dome was where the majority of the ship functioned.
Fluchtig Concept Sketch [https://i.imgur.com/RfJjdx1.jpg]
The other two ships differed significantly from the Fluchtig. The Rinie was a decade-old cruiser class vessel from The First War, and although it had seen extensive retrofitting, its aged design philosophies certainly showed - It essentially looked triangular in shape, at about a sixty-degree angle, that levelled into straight flats near each corner.
This triangular shape was dotted with double barrel cannons, pinpoint AA guns and a series of small windows looking in on various parts of the ship. On its 'back' slope were simply two massive thrusters controlling all movement. In this was what showed the vessel's true age, effectively being a ship designed to fight in one direction despite the lack of 'up' or 'down' when in space.
A small tinge of guilt ran through Hoki as she considered the image. After all, this type of ship was the same as the one Scarlet had been aboard before the Skirmish of the 4th. The very category of vessel Hoki had so heartlessly mocked Scarlet over a couple of weeks ago.
'...I'm glad she's not here...'
Oddly enough, the Vallière, while being five years younger than the Rinie, had a fairly similar design. There were some changes, with the angle of the triangle now being more around forty-five degrees, in turn making the length of the ship longer - Further, the mecha hangar, while still single file, was much more deliberate on the updated model - But all told, the two ships were clearly made by the same shipyard, as it were.
Considering her degree in Vijaik history, it was perhaps no surprise that while Hoki puzzled over the individual differences between the three ships, everyone else around her reacted to a different matter: On the screen were more than just pictures of the three vessels but additionally their new 'designations'. The Fluchtig was placed centre-top, with the word ['Flagship'] beneath it - While below to either side of it were the other two vessels labelled ['Escort'].
Finally, the words acting as a heading at the very top of the diagram;
[Autonomous Flotilla Battle-group 'Tristain' (Tristain Group)]
Flotilla Commander; Nate Novel. Command Vessel; Battleship 'Am-Fluchtig' (Celtic Class)
To Hoki, these words seemed utterly natural - The Fluchtig was the largest ship and Nate the highest ranking officer, yet those around her seemed to disagree…
"And who gave you such arrogance as to appoint yourself leader, Mr Novel!" Bellowed the voice of the Rinie's captain, Commander Batty. 'Bellowed' aptly described her tone; it had poise and indignation laced throughout.
"Indeed, where exactly did you get such an idea?" Chimed in Valliere captain, Lt.Commander.Louise. She contrasted Batty greatly - Speaking while barely moving a muscle and in a lackadaisical tone of disinterested mischief.
For his part, Nate reeled in on himself, trying to speak in between a continued line of insults and questions from the two other captains. His short, moppy hair swayed from side to side as he attempted to follow the complaints of those before him.
Hoki sighed internally, 'What sort of officers are this childish? I knew it would be a long day... I wonder what the others are up to?'
Of course, she and most people in the room knew what was occurring, without even having seen them, Hoki had no doubt the official orders from the board above would list Nate as fleet leader. No, this was little more than Batty and Louise trying to push Nate off balance.
For what purpose, Hoki could only imagine, but it seemed to be working.
Soon, the room was filled with the bickering of the trio; "Well, I have to be in charge, don't I? I have rank!" Nate proclaimed as if staggering upon a revelation.
Batty visibly sneered at this comment, "Rank? You ignorant fool, we rank the same."
Nate winced again, realising the school boy error in his choice of come-back. To further compound his loss of control over the meeting, Louise piped up once more, "If you think about it, Ms Batty and you could actually swap ships if that's all it's a question of."
Hoki could have sworn she saw Batty bristle at the incorrect labelling, but deciding to keep on with this temporary alliance, she redoubled her efforts against Nate.
"Well then, One feels it's settled. My staff and I shall transfer to the Fluchtig and take over command of this new-fangled Tristan Flotilla. After all, under your command, this battlegroup already lost its frigate escort and three mecha, with all crew, I might add. I shant have a repeat of that!"
Hoki's jaw fell agape. She had seen meetings like this before, but this really was quite the bold assault, even referencing the loss of the ship Hikair and the rest of cadet Unit B had been on.
Similarly, poor Nate’s mouth seemed to flap like a fish as he strove to understand what had become of his simple briefing session; "I-i wha-ha-,...... Eh??!"
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A sudden but deliberately drawn-out cough from the left-most side of the room broke everyone present's attention. Hoki turned, her face a picture of embarrassment at what she feared was Kolme having drifted off to sleep before awakening with a coughing fit, but instead she was greeted by something else entirely.
Sitting almost slouched into his chair, as though he had no interest in what ships were present, what orders were given or which officers were which, arms folded and eyes half shut - Kolme began to lecture the rest of the room without ever turning to make eye contact with those he addressed. His voice was sterner than Hoki had ever heard it in her short time with him;
"If the warm-up act wouldn't mind exiting the stage about now that'd be just 'splendid. Some of us have actual work to get to before the day's end. We all know the rules, don't we?
Art'cle D42 of the IAFS charter, crap that it is, states ship classification dictates seniority. Ergo the commander here outranks everyone by a minimum of one. We ain't a bloody democracy, so if you don't mind getting on with it, Sirs?
Or should I call the day'care and tell 'em they've lost some kids? Oh, and one more thing, let’s stay civil enough not to bring the recently deceased into this, shall we?"
Hoki couldn't tell anymore what she was more shocked by, the senior officer's petty squabbling or her team leader suddenly talking about being time conscientious (among other things). Lt.Commander Louise sighed but then followed it with a slight grin, clearly betraying her intentions to simply cause a ruckus in aid of livening up the meeting all along.
Batty, however glowed bright red. 'Well' - Hoki mused - 'She's always sort of red, just more so now.'
"I'd advise vice-squad commander- oh, what was it? Nils? Nile? Nelly? That you watch your manners, lest you wish to find yourself down for insubordination. And for that matter, where is Lt.Commander Emilia out of interest?"
Batty finished, bitterness dripping from every word, yet her answer had been more composed than Hoki had expected.
Again, Kolme didn't even bother to sit up straight or face his superior officers as he spoke, "I'm sure the presentation will address all yere' questions. That is if we ever get that far."
With that said he nodded respectfully (as one can while slouched) at Nate, who in turn almost seemed to glance around as if looking to see if Kolme was addressing some other lecture giver. Upon failing to find this phantom speaker, Nate's shoulders slumped before finally taking a deep breath and attempting to get the meeting back on track.
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