Van Braun Task Force Base, The Moon. 113 A.T.<br/>--<br/><br/>Paperwork.<br/><br/>If there was one thing that Captain Marline Rawlins hated, it was paperwork. Being part of Task Force Chimera was supposed to do away with paperwork, but no. It just meant that she needed more paperwork to start, she had been here for four days to assemble a crew, commission her Pegasus Class Ship into active duty and assemble mobile suit pilots.<br/><br/>Ridiculous, they make a force for mobile deployment and suddenly it's the same old crap again. Taking off her captains hat with a soft sigh, she closed her dark brown eyes to focus, rubbing her temples. It was just a little speed bump, she thought. Nothing serious, it was just how procedure went.<br/><br/>She almost didn't hear the door snap open to her XO, who always presented her with a crisp salute. Under his arms were manila folders, which usually meant more work for her to do. Brian always cut an imposing figure in his dark green and red fatigues.<br/><br/>"Let me guess," She replied dryly as he settled the folders down. "More authorization?" Brian merely nodded, flipping the files open for her to browse over.<br/><br/>"Ensigns Eliza and Millard have been assigned to the White Stallion." He murmured, "The skirmishes in the atmosphere are making it hard to get our manpower up here, ma'am. They're at registration as we speak."<br/><br/>"Well they should get people who are already up here to work with us, dammit." She grunted. "This is taking too much time, and we're already on the ropes as it is..those damned Zeon bastards are everywhere, like cockroaches."<br/><br/>"Ma'am," Brian Benz said, "Permission to speak freely?"<br/><br/>"No," She muttered, slumping back in her chair. "I don't want to hear why and how this a complex situation, I already know all the reasons, Benz."<br/><br/>"...As you wish, Ma'am." He said. "My apologies."<br/><br/>"Yeah, well.." She said with a passive wave. "Forget it, let's just prep the ship and get the crew on board." She murmured, scanning the files of the two pilots.<br/><br/>"Already in the progress of doing so, Ma'am." Benz said. "Weapons are being loaded, as well. We should be combat operational in an hour." He said.<br/><br/>"Great-" She mumbled, her angry tirade broken by the rumble of soundless explosions. Her face darkened, and she rose up from her leather chair as she fitted on her captains hat yet again.<br/><br/>"You have five minutes."<br/>--<br/><br/>"Hey, Red Typhoon."<br/><br/>A sarcastic voice broke through the silence of their flight, Constantine's icy blue eyes flicked over to the connected commlines,<i>shockingly</i>..it came from Waber.  Something about radio silence always bugged Waber, he was as veteran as any other man on his ship..and yet he talked like a child knowing he was breaking a rule when radio silence was ordered.<br/><br/>"Yes?" He replied dryly. "What is it now, Waber?"  Like a damned child..<br/><br/>"This is a little crazy, innit?" He asked. "I mean, attacking all the way here? Isn't the Spacy supposed to be all over Van Braun?"<br/><br/>"..Yes," He replied, fingers tight against the controls of his Gelgoog Jager in minor annoyance as they skimmed across the cratered surface of the moon.  "That is why you're supposed to maintain RADIO SILENCE!"<br/><br/>There was an actual silence at that, followed by a string of snickers from Aden and Gregor. Waber cracked a small amused smile, letting a chuckle escape.<br/><br/>"Little tense, boss?" Aden replied. "What's up?"<br/><br/>"Nothing," Constantine replied. "Just be on your guard, a Task Force ship is supposedly docked in Von Braun."<br/><br/>"Fun," Gregor murmured. "We should make that a priority target, then." They had been causing nothing but trouble for them as of late, cutting deep into Zeonic Space and sabotaging supply lines and other valuable resources.<br/><br/>"So much for Radio silence," Waber smirked, hefting the 360mm Bazooka properly on his Gelgoog Marine's shoulder, increasing their thrust into the city.<br/><br/>"Begin operation," Constantine said, finger light on the trigger as his beam machine gun raked across a line of military vehicles. "Keep the collateral to a minimum, Waber!"<br/><br/>"Yeah, yeah!" Waber said, his Gelgoog jerking at the waist as a 360mm shell spiraled toward a warehouse, sending up a blast of flames and leaving only plumes of smoke.<br/><br/>"Security forces inbound!"  Aden said, turning to fire a stream of 90mm rounds down the streets as GM Kai moved in, returning fire.  Aden slid his suit behind a building, dropping the empty magazine to slam a fresh one in.<br/><br/>"On it," Constantine murmured, turning with a flurry of vernier thrust to boost towards Aden's suppressed position. "Aden, go with Waber. Gregor, on me."<br/><br/>"Roger that," Gregor said, turning to join their leader.<br/><br/>"Try not to make us look bad, boss." Aden smirked in passing as Constantine shot down the right road, beams puncturing through buildings.<br/><br/>"Gregor, do you have a lock?" He asked, slamming his suit against a building as a beam round sizzled past his shoulder,thrusting to the next building with a spray of rounds that caught one in the chest, the reactor letting out a vibrant explosion that shattered the glass of nearby buildings.<br/><br/>"Roger that," He replied, mowing down the last one in a stream of 90mm. "We got more incoming,"<br/><br/>"Let them come, Waber and Adel can handle the hanger bay." He replied. "Spread out, wait for our reinforcements."<br/>--<br/><br/>Not exactly how she wanted to start her first day, an attack? So close to Earth no less!  She was supposed to report in, but Eliza didn't exactly have that luxury when bullets and bazooka shells were going off everywhere.<br/><br/>"Is my GM ready yet!?" Eliza growled, zipping up her flight suit to float towards the cockpit. The mechanics were scared, and working under the pressure of a woman who was probably more frightening than the Zeonic out there.<br/><br/>"Y-Yes ma'am! The head mechanic said quickly. "All systems are green, suspension has been properly calibrated for space. We already loaded your weapon up!"<br/><br/>"Good," She said, tapping open the cockpit hatch to slip inside, sliding down the visor on her helmet. Her fingers nimbly flicking on the auxiliary and main systems.<br/><br/>"Hey, mechanic! Patch me through to the security lines! Let them know I'm coming!" She said, gripping her joysticks as pistons hissed, her suit's visor flashing to life.<br/><br/>"Powered GM, taking off!" She hissed, slamming the pedals down as her thrusters roared in reply, launching her out of the hanger bay. Only a 90 mil and a beam saber..every little bit helped.<br/><br/>"This is Ensign Eliza Walker of the Task Force Chimera! What's going on out there!?" She said, coming across the explosion strewn battlefield as her Friend or Foe systems came online, green diamonds appeared in numbers...only two red. Database confirmed to be a Gelgoog Jager and a Gelgoog Marine.<br/><br/>Shit..she knew those red colors, too.  The Red Corsairs, the elite of the elite.<br/><br/>"We're getting pummeled!" A panicked voice said. "We got two confirmed in the mobile suit hangers! We can't break off!"<br/><br/>Dammit, dammit, dammit!<br/><br/>"Get to the hangers!" She said, launching her suit forward with a spray of 90mm; sending the Jager suit back in a flurry of bright thrust. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"<br/><br/>First day on her job, last day of living..