<div class="floatright">(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/wulfjaeger/___protector_of_time____by_vincentxyooj-d5lw1gq_zps59496fa9.png)</div><br/>Allia groaned as she turned in bed, dropping her feet to the floor.  This had been one of the reasons she'd always hated being at Nagelring, the daily meetings and drills and classes and sims.  The past two weeks hadn't been much better.  She and Emily had beaten the bushes pretty hard when they first made landfall, scrounging up anyone that might have made a decent mechwarrior or combat pilot.  The initial cut had brought them twenty names, five of whom were so lost or dispossesed they hardly made it through the front door.  Allia had been very thankful for Emily's presence and her demeanor, it provided a powerful balance with Allia's quiet attentive personality.<br/><br/>Initial interviews and reviews of financials had cut another few as most of them were so in debt they'd be more of a drain on the unit than was helpful.  A few had still held considerable debts, but their skills or what they brought to the table were enough to make a cut.  Emily still voiced her concerns over the plan and wished for the day when her obligation to Kari was finally up and she could return home.  She'd kept those concerns between herself and Allia, always the professional soldier.<br/><br/>A handful of painful simulations and battle drills with what was left had cut the last few they needed to make the cut of ten that Damian and Kari had set.  The abject inability of some pilots to hit complex targets let alone work in a team had cleared the last few out.  While Allia was sad to see some of the mech capability go, she knew there was a fine line between someone who was trainable and someone who was too set in their ways to change.  Another painful lesson from Nagelring.<br/><br/>As she finished showering and getting dressed, her mind wandered over the report she'd have to give.  She wasn't excited about it, but it was better than where they could be.  Pulling on a pair of baggy cargo pants and a fairly well fitted tank top, Allia slipped out of her room and down the corridor.  She stopped by the mess and picked up a plate of food and a coffee before continuing towards the lounge.  As expected Damian was already in place, a veritable city of papers and digital pads situated before him.  It'd been more than a few weeks since they had met in the dropships weight room and changed their relationship forever.  They'd been going so hard and fast since they made landfall that Allia hadn't had time for carnal maneuvers, neither did Damian.  She hoped they'd have a chance soon to try again, the smile on her face when she caught Damian's eyes said as much.<br/><br/><em>“So, How are we going? I’d like to start with the hires if possible, just get an idea of where our final ten are going and how they look”</em><br/><br/>Kari stepped into the lounge, pulling Allia's attention from Damian and back to the work at hand.  She hoped Kari hadn't noticed the desire in her look to Damian, but in the end it didn't matter.  As long as they kept the work and sex separate, no one was going to care.  Allia sat across from Damian and off to Kari's left, placing her food and coffee on the table.  "Ten possibles.  Seven Mechwarriors and three vehicle pilots.  Two of the vehicle pilots are rated in both vehicles and aerofighters, so I think they will be a good investment since we have the fighters already and we already budgeted for some vehicles."  Allia pulled her data pad from her cargo pant pocket and started sorting through notes.  "Three of the<em>'best'</em>pilots we have are well suited for the Strike Lance.  They are showing some signs of being able to mesh as a team now that the initial recruiting competition is over."<br/><br/>Looking up to check for questions or comments Allia continued.  "The other four mechwarriors are another question or story depending on how you rate them."  Allia said with a sigh.  "One is up there with the three for Strike so that's good.  The other three are your over confident, egotistical glory hound pit fighters.  They have no concept of weapon or power conservation, they only fight as a team because they realize it's better to gang up on a target than it is to go one on one, and the only reason they are applying with us is because they have such mediocre records in the pit they need to money to keep their mechs."