<strong>Union-Class Dropship, <em>Bastion</em><br/>June 2nd, In-system Burn to Outreach<br/>Officer's 'lounge'</strong><br/><em>Erich, Walt, and Perkins</em><br/><br/>Erich looked at Perkins for a long moment. "So, two mechwarriors to bring us up to company strength. Three more aerospace pilots will bring us up to five, not six in the ASF wing. From what I've heard, Shadowborn wants to trade in her 'Hawk for a Raven, which means we come out on top even with the usual depreciation for 'used' machinery. Unless you're drawing exclusively from the ranks of the Disposessed, just about anyone worth their salt will have their own 'mech or aerofighter with them, so we won't ~need~ to buy their machines for them, so your claim of buying three more ASFs and two more 'mechs doesn't fly, even if you could find room to cram them. Hell, if you look at the company as-is, the only 'mech the Company actually owns is the Highlander; all the other machines are owned by their respective pilots."<br/><br/>He looked at both men in turn, his thick neck allowing his gaze to swivel like the turret on a Demolisher tank; slowly, deliberately, and accurately. "So, your only actual expenses, until we get to Outreach, are the resupply, and refueling. Between selling the Shadow Hawk, and the company's 'expense pool', we don't have to pawn in the Highlander, especially for a refit that'll cost less than the Awesome's repair bill."<br/><br/>He paused, taking a sip of the tea again. "Now, if we're going to be expanding the company to a combined-arms battalion as you two seem to be making noises about, the first thing that'll need doing is getting a bigger dropship. Like it or no, but the Bastion can barely fit a company, plus two Aerofighters. If you want to upgrade to a Company of Tanks as well, you'll be looking at either a Fortress or Overlord Two variant, unless you want more than one Dropper on the payroll."<br/><br/>He shrugged slightly, scratching idly at the rough stubble that had, once again taken up position on his chin. "About the only thing that needs to be considered next is that, if we're going to negotiate with the 'big boys' in regards to our advanced salvage, we're going to, at the least, have to present ourselves as mostly respectable. This includes De-facto Promotions for Walt and Myself to Major, to signify that we're in joint command of a Battalion-sized force, which is what we're aiming to have. Of course, this means mucking around with payroll a bit, too. As for the mech jocks, just getting them onto solid ground and, possibly, into a combat excercise or two while on-planet would be nice; they need the time to work out the kinks and begin to work together as a team; especially with the two new guys on the roster."