Final Assessment (Day 1, EE)

[Felicity]

Felicity had saluted after shuffling to attention, but once again Yuri had been inconsistent as he hadn't saluted himself. He'd just told everyone to be at ease. This is confusing. She wondered if armed forces outside the Free Worlds League were either really relaxed or if they simply didn't care about such things. She had listened quietly yet attentively when he'd spoken, as she had during his evaluation. One that she didn't think entirely fair, although she had conceded was mostly on point based on at least the first half of the combat. Her feelings of dissatisfaction were more deeply seated than the evaluation however; she felt off about the whole simulation and how the unit had performed. Her own performance hadn't been great, true, but she partly blamed it on the simulator being unable to properly replicate the specifics of her mech. It had been programmed in manually. That wasn't exactly normal. In my Phoenix for real I'd have done better... and my team would have been less suicidal if it was real.

Her mood had soured during the address upon finding out she was not only assigned to a lance with Maja, but that she would be under her command. This day just keeps getting worse and worse. It was hardly the first time she'd been overlooked, that she'd have to prove herself later while waiting for the likely few opportunities. She could have coped with that. No, it was being placed under someone that clearly thought she was a joke. A hallucination to make fun of. Had Yuri done this on purpose? Estúpido! Like so many others had done before he must have judged her already on her looks. What had the Wyvern really even achieved in that second combat? The advantaged one?

Yes, Felicity was a sourpuss in that moment.

She was therefore one of the last to collect her pins and she did so with an absolute poker face. It would have been perfect if not for the fact her face was usually expressive or out of sight.

[Yuri Creed]

Yuri examined her face, and then said, softly, "There are only two lances, Sergeant - and the less experienced lance leader needs a steady lance anchor. If you have concerns, you may come speak with me later."

Then handed her the pin.

"Congratulations, all the same - what we are now is only a step on the road to what we can be."

[Dorgan Bruun]

Andrea shrugged, "I would have just assumed he thought you were some sort of cool head to reign in the hot blooded rookie."

"Still perhaps you did, you are in charge of the lance that is most likely to be in the thickest part of the fight."

Bruun looks thoughtful, some of the initial shock subsiding. He scratches at his beard, stops, then snorts.

"We got more hot blood than cool heads to go around. And cool in battle ain't the same thing as cool the rest of the time," he looks at Andrea without thinking, "so I reckon I better watch it. Guess it is my job now to keep y'all alive." Bruun huffs.

"What'd I get myself into," he says, half joking.

[Gillian Chow]

"Hey Chow. Great work yesterday," he says with an approving nod, hands in vest pockets.

After claiming her rank pips, Gillian pinned them onto a strap of her cooling vest and moved back to where Bruun was standing. "Thanks, First Sergeant," she said with a small smile. "And good job, yourself. Looking forward to working in your lance."

[Felicity]

Yuri examined her face, and then said, softly, "There are only two lances, Sergeant - and the less experienced lance leader needs a steady lance anchor. If you have concerns, you may come speak with me later."

Then handed her the pin.

"Congratulations, all the same - what we are now is only a step on the road to what we can be."

She hates my guts. Is that a valid concern?

Felicity stiffened as she accepted the pin. She would remain cordial. She appreciated he at least tried to put a positive spin on things, but she had become quite jaded over the course of the day.

"Thank you. I hope you can set out if and when you're expecting a salute, because I for one have lost the plot, Sir." She left it implied that she would ordinarily have given one there, but she honestly was just confused by this point.

[Dorgan Bruun]

(OOC: Reconciling time slightly, since Bruun's comment to Gillian was meant to be pre-formation. But this works fine, just treat as continuation from previous Bruun post.)

The timing was perfect. As Bruun said to Andrea, still slightly confused, "What'd I get myself into," there is Gillian to put him on the spot, now as First Sergeant Bruun.

"Er, thanks, Sergeant Chow. Glad to have you. I liked what you were doing yesterday. Just be a little more like me and a little less like Snorri, ok?" He half-joked, remembering how both the lighter mechs had taken similar critical damage in the simulation.

"And we're happy to have Sergeant DeTroyes now too," he adds, indicating the woman beside him. "Half Team Alpha, half Team Beta," he observes, though he's not sure it matters.

[Gillian Chow]

"I liked what you were doing yesterday. Just be a little more like me and a little less like Snorri, ok?" He half-joked.

"I'll try my best," she promised, seemingly to take his joke seriously. "Do you think we're likely to see much action out here? I know this isn't... exactly where we meant to set down."

"And we're happy to have Sergeant DeTroyes now too," he adds, indicating the woman beside him.

"Nice to meet you, Sergeant," she said, nodding to DeTroyes. "I'm Gillian Chow."

[Yuri Creed]

Felicity stiffened as she accepted the pin. She would remain cordial. She appreciated he at least tried to put a positive spin on things, but she had become quite jaded over the course of the day.

"Thank you. I hope you can set out if and when you're expecting a salute, because I for one have lost the plot, Sir." She left it implied that she would ordinarily have given one there, but she honestly was just confused by this point.

That actually made him laugh. "Well, we have a man who bows his head to the floor, some who have never saluted in their lives... I didn't realize I'd need to set a standard until we were already in the midst of things."

Offering her a crisp salute, he waited for her to return it, and then added, "This wasn't how I planned to be going over all this - I'd planned tactical briefings, but events have rather taken over things. Try and give them a chance - that's all I ask, Sergeant."

[Thomas Moreno]

This didn't have much to do with him. It did pay to see the faces of those who were in charge though. As well as how the others acted around each other.

They were the big guns as it were after all.

[Snorri Tycho]

Snorri is a bit surprised when Fee blows him off, looking like she had been personally insulted.

Wow, I really must have gotten under her skin earlier.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and collected his insignia

"Never thought I would wear something like this again." On one hand, it was familiar, but on the other, that familiarity had come with some bad memories.