Guardian Generation Valkyrie

[Amaril]

Guardian Generation Valkyrie
Episode 1: Arrival

463 Interstellar Age
USCS “Arcturus” – Errant-Class Cruiser
En Route to Asgard V Lunar Base

“Attention all personnel, landing approach to Asgard V lunar base is now commencing, ETA is approximately fifteen minutes. All hands, please report to assigned landing stations—and for anyone who doesn’t have something to do, you might want to get to a window, we’re gonna be getting a pretty nice view of that famous Asgard V sunrise in a couple minutes and if I were you I wouldn’t miss this opportunity to make sure this trip was at least somehow worth it. That’s all.”
The voice of Hikaru Suzuki, pilot of the Arcturus, rings out through the ship over the intercom from the pilot’s station on the bridge. At his announcement, those members of the ship’s crew who have some role to play in the landing process move quickly to where they need to be. Most of the others follow the pilot’s advice and start heading for the nearest external viewscreen or window—his sentiment about wanting to take something good away from the mission is far from unique to him.
Among all the people aboard the Arcturus, only four are passengers rather than crew. As the announcement begins, the members of mech corps trainee fireteam Valkyrie are just stepping out of the ship’s training sims. The Arcturus didn’t always have a SHIV simulator, but the brass back at the academy had made sure to have a four-slot one hastily installed when the cruiser was tapped for this mission—presumably to keep the members of such a promising team from falling out of practice during the trip. As you step down from the open entrances of the simulator’s imitated cockpits, you are greeted by Petty Officer Charlie Eddings, your mission coordinator since the promotion to said position he was surprised to receive at the beginning of the mission six months ago. So far, his new assignment has mostly consisted of overseeing your virtual training and running the simulator equipment.
Seeing you climbing out of the simulator, he stands up from his station on the other side of the converted hangar bay where the equipment is located.
“You guys hear that? We should really go take in that view, everyone I’ve talked to says it’s spectacular. Forward observation deck would probably be the best place to watch, you guys want to join me?”

[Kaynebot]

Leon climbs out of the simulator swearing up a storm, mad at himself, that he didn't do well enough in the simulator. When he notices Petty Officer Charlie Eddings, "Yes sir, although I would rather train more but I suppose a small break is in order" Leon waits for the others to take the lead preferring to stick to the back of the group

[Steel Mirror]

Ryuu Shrugs on a loose-fitting set of gym clothing, which serves to conceal the lightweight flight suit that he wears at all times. Call him paranoid, but having only a few metal bulkheads between him and hard vacuum makes him a bit leery, and he'd rather be slightly uncomfortable all the time than pop like an overfilled waterballoon if he ever turns out to need his isolation suit but doesn't have it on. And after months on end of almost solid simulator training honing his skills with the unbelievable powerful SHIV units, he knows just how fragile those seemingly solid bulkheads can really be.

He perks up at the suggestion of catching a scenic view. Looking at the interior decorating on a transport-come-warship lost its appeal many, many weeks ago.

"I'd love to get a view. Lead on, Eddings. Might grab a few pictures for the family back home."

[Fearan]

After yet another sesson of exausting himself at the simulator, Martin have climbed out of the capsule and wiped the sweat from his head - from all the extra works, he gave himself in the free time his results have improved, but with the cost of chronic fatigue and sleep deprivation. Still, if the view was as fabulous, as promised, it would be reasonable to get the best place to enjoy it instead of finding a seat near whatever illuminator nearby.
- Right. Lead on, sir

[Cyborg Mage]

A yawn and the quiet creak of joints accompanied Yuzuki's exit from the simulator, the young woman engaged in a frankly unladylike stretch-though this was a rare case where she hardly cared. Was she really going to have to lie like that in her own SHIV? Even two years into her training, she still loathed the feeling of hard metal on almost every inch of skin, the claustrophobia, the stuffiness of a cockpit designed for precisely one man and nothing else... she was going to have to have a word with the engineers about this, so help her.

At the very least, the offer of a little stargazing brightened up the Princess' demeanour, pun almost certainly intended. Spectacular, you say? Well, I get the feeling we'll soon be up to our necks in spectacle anyway... but I'm not one to believe in there being too much of a good thing, so count me in!

[Amaril]

"Alright, c'mon, we should hurry or the whole deck will be packed before we get there" Eddings grins, beckoning the four of you and heading towards the door. Following him through, you make your way down the slightly claustrophobic corridors that connect the hangar-turned-simulator housing to the many other rooms on this deck. Back in the days of the Jovium War, the Errant-class was among the most advanced types of cruiser in known space. That was over sixty years ago, though, and the hallways of the Arcturus, along with the crew bunks and systems rooms you glimpse through open doors along the way, have an atmosphere that could be described as well-used at best and junky at worst. These days, easy missions like delivering you are all the space corps commanders considers ships like the Arcturus good for.
As you head towards the forward observation deck, Eddings slows his pace a bit and falls in beside Leon. "Hey, Leon, listen" he says in a low voice, obviously concerned. "Don't beat yourself up, ok? You're not the only one who's made a mistake like that this trip alone, and the mission went fine anyway. Don't worry so much about always doing perfect, it's not good for you or anyone else."

[Steel Mirror]

Ryuu follows along with the group, making sure to stay out of the way of any crew members who look like they have actual work to do. Some of them, no doubt, resent the pilots a bit. They have essentially been passengers on a ship for 6 months, while everyone else aboard has had work to do.

Well, pretty soon they'll be earning their paychecks. Probably. Otherwise it's been a whole lot of effort to send them and their simulators to the far end of nowhere.

He moves up next to Yuzuki. "Hey, Princess. What do you think our mission is all about? Six months in the dark and we're finally about to find out what we came here for. My bet is separatist sympathizers. We're here to put on a show and put the fear of the proper authorities back in these backwater hicks."

[Kaynebot]

Leon takes a few seconds to reply, choosing his words carefully. "While I appreciate your kind words, the enemy, whoever that may be, will not be so forgiving of my short comings." Leon replies in the same hushed voice. Thinking about his mistakes just makes him more annoyed, then replying without as much civility or quietness as before "Not to mention that was just a simulation! Who knows what the real enemy will do, but I do know one thing for sure, I will not die at the hands of a lesser warrior." Leon sighs and suddenly punching the wall. He focused on the pain in his hand from punching the metal letting his mind rest from the constant stress of thinking.

[Cyborg Mage]

Tagging along with just the slightest spring in her step, Yuzuki begins humming to herself quietly, although still loud enough to indicate that she doesn't care who hears her. The song is unimportant-the sort of simple, slightly off-key melody that usually gets identified as "that one nursery rhyme" or "the one that goes 'hmm hmm hm hm hmm hmm hm'", the kind that only children and mothers can put names to-and yet the Princess carries the tune better than either of those groups could...

Or at least until she breaks into childish sniggering. Evidently something Ryuu said amused her. Way to go, Casanova.

"Put on a show?" Try "occupation", this far out of Zion you're practically already in rebel territory. And loyal or not, can you really afford to have even a single gap in one's defensive line this close to Coalition territory? I'd say basic strategy explains the whole thing better than investigation.

But it's going to be impressive, whatever it is. No sane commander would some of Asgard's most valuable recruits on a six month long milk run. Or it had better be some of the best milk ever pasteurised if they did.

Again, the eccentric young girl starts giggling to herself. No wonder her instructors have called her "quite the card" in official reports.

[Steel Mirror]

Ryuu shrugs. "If the separatists have gone this far out of their way for some backwater lunar colony, I'd almost be inclined to let them have it. Six months out, that means six months back-couldn't they attack somewhere a little more convenient? It's a lot of trouble to go to for a few isotons of dead rock."

"Though now that we've come all this way, I'd almost like to see some real rebel troops down there to point some guns at. We'd get more fight out of them than we will from some rowdy colonists in mining SHIVs retrofitted with cutting torches and tunneling explosives."

Ryuu nods back at the rest of their group as they emerge into the viewing area, and pauses to take in the sight.

[Amaril]

The forward observation deck is already somewhat crowded--almost all of the seats arranged with a comfortable view out the panoramic reinforced window are occupied, and a few more crew members are standing or leaning against the walls. The star Asgard itself has yet to make its appearance, though its light can be seen making its way slowly across the ice-covered surface of the moon close below, pushing back the shadow of the massive blue-and-purple gas giant. In the shadow cast by the planet, you can make out the cluster of lights that is the Union testing lab for which you are bound, a small and ill-maintained facility that sees little traffic from elsewhere in the system.
The intercom system cuts in again, interrupting the low hum of chatter from the assembled audience. "Sunrise should be coming up in about eighty-seven seconds, everybody" Suzuki chimes in again from the bridge. "Should be landing in about ten minutes now."
Among the crew present on the deck, you recognize Dr. Marie Laforet, the Acturus' chief medical officer. Most of the senior officers are at their stations doing their jobs--the few who aren't immediately needed are likely taking in the view from other parts of the ship.

[Kaynebot]

Leon just stands near the back of his group. 'Sites' like this really don't affect Leon anymore, he remembers a time when it did but he's grown up now. He is now just effectively standing waiting on everyone to stop gawking over the view. As he waits he keeps running scenarios over and over and over in his head of different fights analyzing his every move from past victories and far and few between losses. Especially the losses.

[Amaril]

On the frozen ground below, the planet’s shadow continues to recede as the seconds tick by. In less than a minute, the light of day reaches the base, which immediately becomes much harder to spot without its lights amidst the grey terrain of the moon. Finally, after another thirty seconds or so, the lunar sunrise begins in earnest. Asgard, a blue supergiant of truly impressive size and radiance, slowly rises over the bleak horizon, its light reflecting off the ice crystals mixed in with the moon’s rocks and dust and making them glimmer briefly like gemstones. Ordinarily, Asgard would be bright enough to blind a human if they looked at it without the protection of an atmosphere, but the observation deck window provides enough shielding that you can look at it directly without any problems. At this great a distance, the star’s spherical shape is difficult to make out, but the blue color of its light remains just as striking as it is from the core planets. Most of the assembled crew remain quiet as they enjoy the spectacle, though you catch a few of them muttering approvingly to their nearby friends. As the shimmering of the ice becomes gradually less pronounced with the changing angle, it’s easy to see why this event has become such a local point of pride.
“Not bad” Eddings comments. “My mom keeps telling me how cool this is, I can definitely see why now.”
“Right,” Dr. Laforet replies, “I forgot you said your mom worked at this place. What is she, an engineer?”
“Yeah, she’s a big name in SHIV engineering—you’d like her, Leon,” he says to you with a chuckle, “she’s more interested in mechs than people.”
“You going to pay her a visit while we’re here?” asks the doctor.
“Hopefully. She’s been bugging me about going to see her, but I guess it’ll depend on whether whatever we end up doing keeps me too busy.”
The conversation is interrupted by the intercom again. This time, the voice is that of Captain Miller—easy to identify with his Moraine drawl. “Fireteam Valkyrie, report to the main airlock.”
“You get that, guys?” Eddings asks, turning back to the four of you.

[Fearan]

Engennering, huh? - Martin commented, not adressing anyone directly, while staring at the beautyful sunrise. - And we're spent six monthes wwithout having even a glimpse on an actual SHIV - the parts finally became the one piece - We're not doing any show here, guys. Were doing test runs - then expressed his thoughts enthusiacticaly, with a bit of relief in his voice. When the voice from communicator requested their presense in the airlock, he saluted to their curator and made quite a run towards the destination. That was the first time for a three or four monthes, Martin showed such energy and optimism.

[Steel Mirror]

"Aye aye." Ryuu gives a little half-hearted salute and begins moving toward the airlock. At Martin's words, he shrugs. "Anything that gets me off this bucket of bolts is fine with me, but if the really dragged us on a year-long trip for glorified simulator runs on some kind of brand new toys, I'll be . . ." He wants to say he'll be upset, but then this is the military life. He knew it going in, and he resigned himself to it a long time ago. In theory at least.

He sighs. "I'll be disappointed. After six months of combat training, I can't think of anything I'd rather do less than start up another round of simulations."

[Kaynebot]

Leon was about to comment in the conversation when the announcement comes. Leon smirks and jogs off towards the main airlock. "Real SHIVs! Ha, that's where the real fun comes in. Now he can show off his martial prowess in the real thing is his first thought, assuming there will be SHIVs in the very near future.