Chapter 2: Phoenix Flight! A Phoenix Rises!
The newly minted Lieutenant Commander Gousuke Sato, sighed as he stood behind his new commander, and her aide as they she addressed the first batch of recruits for the Phoenix Force or as he liked to call it the Phoenix Squadron. Luckily the Commander hearing him say that decided that the Squadron itself will be called that while the entire unit itself would be called Phoenix Force. Once again for the like the tenth time this day he looked down at himself wearing his new uniform and not mention the pair of silver stars resting on his collar. However before he could start fiddling with them again the aide Lieutenant Zach Walters elbowed him, which brought him back to reality to see that the Commander was looking at him with hidden laughter display in her eyes, along with the rest of the room. Gou silently cursed to himself as when he figured out that the commander had called on him. Cursing himself again he took the commander's place and found himself dropping into what he liked to call his 'other self', as he stepped forward his back became ram-rod straight his eyes sharpened, and finally once he came to rest in front of the other two officers his eyes started to roam over the five recruits in the room taking every thing in about them. He also noticed the men and women where sitting separate from each other, his eyes hardened even more when he saw it. Granted these men and women tolerated each other, which was the reason they where chosen in the first place. He heard a few silent gulps from the recruits as he his steel glare swept over them.
"Alright as the Commander already stated this is a combined men and women unit so you five of you should be sitting together, not apart like that," he said with a very good growl in his words that made all five recruits including the women to scramble to follow his orders. Within a minute the whole group where sitting together in front of the room.
"Good now that's taken care of, I also need to mention that the women in our unit are not going to be as experienced pilots as the rest of us for they are coming from Mejale Security or the Army. While we do have a few Dread Pilots coming in, they are only a few, so we would appreciate it if you men help your women comrades out during our training," he ordered looking over at the men who nodded in understanding as he gaze swept by them.
"Also one last thing, while we have rules here with the Squadron, I however have only one personnel rule you Tarak need to fellow or you find yourself on the other end of my fist and then thrown in the brig. This rule is that you should respect the women in the unit, and if I find anyone, I repeat anyone roughing up a women or trying to do things to them I will carry out my threat on you. However you follow this one rule I am sure we will get along great. That is all," he said with a iron smile before taking his place beside the commander who was left shocked at his speech. The male recruits where now white with fear for they heard of Gou's strength for he may not look it, but he was actually pretty strong. The women recruits where now looking smug at the Second Officer's speech but they were in turn where kept silent by a glare from the now recovered Commander, who repeated much the same threat to the women from her. Hopefully the men and women could actually work together in the same unit, granted it had been done on the Nirvana, but they had gotten off on a rocky start before the men and women became a well oiled machine. Gou going back to his normal self sighed as the recruits filed out of the room and hoped that their system of pairing up women and men in groups of two will help them get along better. This arrangement had them sharing quarters but with two different rooms, eating together, training together, and all that. Gou hoped it really worked or this experiment would be a failure, before it even could start.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Riku Nagata sighed as he leaned back in his chair in the quarters he presently had solo, however he was soon going to have a women roommate with him. Which was the reason he was so depressed, granted he had long ago let go of his hatred for women when he had witnessed the Harvest Battle Live on a screen in his small town's courtyard, where he was on leave having just graduated from the academy. He had seen what men and women could do working together, so he promised he would do the same. Now currently his depressed state was due to the last briefing and how much training they where going to do. Sighing yet again, he slowly got up from his seat and stretched his back slightly. Mumbling about stupid training plans, and such as he ruffled his black spiked hair. His green eyes slowly closed as he sighed for the third time, as his back popped. Smiling slightly he decided to see what was keeping his roommate/partner for one thing he liked about this was that he couldn't wait to get started with her. So he started to rush out of the room...and slammed into someone coming through it the same time he was trying to go out of it.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Kiara Valarie sighed as she stepped outside her new commander's office, knowing that only minutes ago she was stepping off a shuttle confused as why she was ordered here, while at the same time she was excited that she could see Central. Now however she learned what her true purpose on the station was. She was going to be part of the very first men and women Vanguard unit. Not that she hated the assignment or anything but it just came at a surpise to her. Also she was always shy around people, it only got worse when she started to work with men. It had also came as a surprise since she was only a lowly Work Pod Pilot and was not expect for major assignments like this. However the commander explained that since the Work Pods she piloted where someway similar to the Vanguards it was decided that she would be able to pilot them. She wondered if she would make it through training since the commander also said that there would only be ten positions with a four extra openings, and she had arrived with another group of recruits. Finally she managed to arrive at her desired destination her new quarters and she hoped that her roommate was in or she would be in big trouble for she was never give the key code, however she found it unlock so she decided to let herself in...and was flung towards the opposite wall as someone knocked into her throwing the two of them in a mess of arms and legs. Kiara moaned in pain as her head continued to spin around her.
Riku's world finally started to stop spinning, and his aching head started to feel better. Moaning a bit he tried to move but found his head placed between two mounds of something. Frowning he touched one of the black mounds and found that they where nice and round not mention firm.
`So soft and squishy I wonder what they are...wait a minute, soft, squishy, ROUND!! OH SHIT!!' Riku mentally thought as his face suddenly went beet red and tried to get up from the sprawled figure bellow him but found that his legs where caught in the other's, so he found himself now staring at an angelic face of a Mejale women, which her cut short silver hair covered about half of the mentioned face. Giving the girl a sort of mystery feeling to her person; however he knew that some woman from Mejale used the style of hair where they are either shy, or non-conversationalists. Riku finally noticed that the girl was coming around, as she shook her head slightly to clear her head. Riku froze in place as her single visible eye opened to show a shocking color of light red. Something that you don't see very often, however most likely brought on by years of Genetic Engineering. Riku noticed he was staring, so once again tried to get up as the eye widened in surprise.
"I do apologize, I guess it was my fault this all happened," he apologized as he finally managed to disengaged his legs from hers and slowly got up from the sprawled position the two of them found themselves in.
"Here allow me to help you," he offered as he held his hand to help her up, which after a few seconds she took and let him pull her up to a standing position.
"Thanks..." she meekly replied to him as she blushed dark pink, which was very near to her eye color. Riku chuckled slightly at her shyness towards him.
"I guess your Lieutenant Valarie, since you where standing outside our quarters," he cheerfully said with a smile pleased that he had not needed to go far to find her. The girl just nodded and blushed once more which made her very cute.
"Hmmm... aren't you going to introduce yourself Valarie," he helpfully inquired as he waved her inside the large quarters they where provided. Riku smiled as she stepped inside to see the small condo that is their quarters. All of the quarters assigned to the Phoenix Force where for temporary quarters for refugee families. However there where too many refugees to be placed in individual quarters like this, so they where used for visiting VIPs from other Anti-Earth Forces. That was int'l the dedicated VIP quarters where build on the other side of the station, near to the Capital. Now they where given to the Phoenix Force to stay in. The quarters had two bedrooms, a small kitchenette, main living area complete with a Holo-Viewer and couches, and finally a small open room in the back of the living area where a table sat, which either could be used as a desk or a dining table. At first Riku being the poor Tarak he was he had no idea what the kitchenette was. However thanks to an helpful Mejale tech who showed him the room showed what it was.
Shaking his head Riku took a seat on one of the couches as his partner explored the quarters. When she was finally finished she started sat down in a seat as well, and just stared at him for a moment before she spoke.
"I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Kiara Valarie," she said quietly as she blushed once more as she looked over at him. Riku chuckled remembering that he was the same way when he first met a woman. So he wasn't surprised at all by her reaction.
"Riku is it, why don't you explain everything since the Commander only gave me a small briefing?" she asked with a shy smile. Riku nodded and started to explain the training schedules and everything to her as they sat in their quarters.
Ami Jordan walked into the darkened hanger on the heels of her aide wondering why he led her down here along with Gou who happened to be behind her. Ami blinked as she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the hanger. However she was blinded as lights came on and she cried out in shock. As her eyes cleared she found that her mouth was now opened in shock for once her eyes cleared she was treated to an image of about a dozen Vanguards lined up in the hanger. Every single one of them where painted in the colors of Phoenix Force, also not to mention they where of the new Doragon Type Vanguards, which just enlarged her shock. Gou beside her closed his mouth before she managed to and caste his experienced eyes over the units to see that they where still in their stock arrangements. Ami tore her eyes away from the shiny new Vanguards to see her grinning aide, standing at the foot of one of the nearest units.
"I take it you like them then ma'am," he said with a grin as he looked up at the unit behind him. Ami managed only a nod as let her feet take her to the side of her aide as she craned her neck up to look at the giant mecha before her.
"I think it is time to release the Phoenix from its perch," Gou said with a grin from behind them. Ami smiled as she nodded as well knowing what he said was true, it was time.
TO BE CONTINUED
Alright folks a apologize for the delay it was just that I have been a little bit busy for a last few months like trying to get myself settled in here in my new home. Not mention the stress of trying to find a job. Anyways I hope you like this latest chapter...
Oh one more thing my RPG Phoenix Force on RPOL is picking up some speed so be prepared for a name change in the near future. So thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this.... PEACE OUT!!