"Interesting choice..." Evangeline's tone was a guarded neutral, but she did offer an approving nod. "Versatility is useful in our line of work, and the logistics of ammunition can make things...complicated."
Again Rebecca found herself being guided through the facility, though the walk was a quick one. Positioned close enough to the mech hanger was the TSIS's starport, allowing them to equip their strike forces with maximum efficiency. Her first instinct may have been to raise a brow at the ship Jack and Evangeline lead her to. It was significantly larger than her civilian cruiser to be sure, but at first glance that was all the strike force carrier had going for it. The paint looked as though it had been left to erode for years without reapplication and the gunmetal grey hull beneath looked dull overall and outright rusted in a few non-critical areas. If Hauser's Geist-class carrier spent a few years wasting away in some junkyard, it would still probably several notches above what the TSIS seemed about to ship her off in.
And then they stepped inside.
The first chamber was more of the same. Technology that looked a generation behind the Terran Alliance's best maintained only just enough to maintain function with little form. The hallway beyond that was as white and pristine as any vessel or station Rebecca had been assigned to during her first enlistment. Men and women traveled through the hallway barely pausing to register the trio and clad in predominantly plain black uniforms broken up by a single colored stripe on the chest and insignias on their chests that ranged from simple to mildly elaborate. Some sort of semi-cover ranking system, perhaps?
"It's nothing personal if you were expecting more of a welcome wagon," Jack spoke up with a glance back at Rebecca. "Camaraderie is generally a good thing and encouraged, but for these kinds of assignments...well, the less you know about people outside your team, the less you can get interrogated out of you."
"You're going to be introduced to the captain of this vessel, though. Perhaps you've heard of him. Captain Hawthorne?"
That would depended on how closely Rebecca followed the careers of others during the last war with the Krayari. He wouldn't have been a hard man for her to look up with her new clearance either, if the interest was there.
The strike force carrier's bridge was busy but not crowded. The exterior of the ship had been carefully cultivated to give off the air of a second-rate pirate vessel, but so far Rebecca could see nothing but the highest quality of terminals and machinery being manned within it. Aside from the usual advantages superior technology offered, it occurred to the engineer that it allowed this vessel to be effectively crewed by significantly less individuals than the mass-produced models of its class.
The man standing next to the captain's chair looked to be in his late forties or very early fifties. His hair was predominately a light brown, though patches of white creeping through where not uncommon. He turned about as Rebecca and her companions approached, his features angular and his hazel eyes lightly inquisitive.
"Our newest arrival then? Good." His eyes lingered on Rebecca just long enough to register her presence before turning back to the starmap generated by the terminal before him.
"A full briefing will be given once we arrive, but our sources have not only pinpointed a nexus of Merry Reaper activity, but we believe its where the bulk of the colonists from Kinireth's Stand were taken as well. If you have any special insights or concerns given your history, I'd love to hear them."
Jack and Evangeline both stepped out from behind Rebecca and back into the hallway. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to track them down if she wished to learn a bit more about her teammates. Otherwise, it was just a matter of passing the time until the vessel arrived at its destination.
Again Rebecca found herself being guided through the facility, though the walk was a quick one. Positioned close enough to the mech hanger was the TSIS's starport, allowing them to equip their strike forces with maximum efficiency. Her first instinct may have been to raise a brow at the ship Jack and Evangeline lead her to. It was significantly larger than her civilian cruiser to be sure, but at first glance that was all the strike force carrier had going for it. The paint looked as though it had been left to erode for years without reapplication and the gunmetal grey hull beneath looked dull overall and outright rusted in a few non-critical areas. If Hauser's Geist-class carrier spent a few years wasting away in some junkyard, it would still probably several notches above what the TSIS seemed about to ship her off in.
And then they stepped inside.
The first chamber was more of the same. Technology that looked a generation behind the Terran Alliance's best maintained only just enough to maintain function with little form. The hallway beyond that was as white and pristine as any vessel or station Rebecca had been assigned to during her first enlistment. Men and women traveled through the hallway barely pausing to register the trio and clad in predominantly plain black uniforms broken up by a single colored stripe on the chest and insignias on their chests that ranged from simple to mildly elaborate. Some sort of semi-cover ranking system, perhaps?
"It's nothing personal if you were expecting more of a welcome wagon," Jack spoke up with a glance back at Rebecca. "Camaraderie is generally a good thing and encouraged, but for these kinds of assignments...well, the less you know about people outside your team, the less you can get interrogated out of you."
"You're going to be introduced to the captain of this vessel, though. Perhaps you've heard of him. Captain Hawthorne?"
That would depended on how closely Rebecca followed the careers of others during the last war with the Krayari. He wouldn't have been a hard man for her to look up with her new clearance either, if the interest was there.
The strike force carrier's bridge was busy but not crowded. The exterior of the ship had been carefully cultivated to give off the air of a second-rate pirate vessel, but so far Rebecca could see nothing but the highest quality of terminals and machinery being manned within it. Aside from the usual advantages superior technology offered, it occurred to the engineer that it allowed this vessel to be effectively crewed by significantly less individuals than the mass-produced models of its class.
The man standing next to the captain's chair looked to be in his late forties or very early fifties. His hair was predominately a light brown, though patches of white creeping through where not uncommon. He turned about as Rebecca and her companions approached, his features angular and his hazel eyes lightly inquisitive.
"Our newest arrival then? Good." His eyes lingered on Rebecca just long enough to register her presence before turning back to the starmap generated by the terminal before him.
"A full briefing will be given once we arrive, but our sources have not only pinpointed a nexus of Merry Reaper activity, but we believe its where the bulk of the colonists from Kinireth's Stand were taken as well. If you have any special insights or concerns given your history, I'd love to hear them."
Jack and Evangeline both stepped out from behind Rebecca and back into the hallway. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to track them down if she wished to learn a bit more about her teammates. Otherwise, it was just a matter of passing the time until the vessel arrived at its destination.