Jal chuckled, helping Shi pull off the damaged plating as the smaller woman talked, then waved a hand as she climbed onto the back of her 'mech, using the cutting torch to open a seam between the damaged plates on the mech's torso at the front as she thought of how to respond. "I requested a transfer to any unit that was not under the command of a REMF, after my last commander decided that sending a bunch of unarmed mechanics into a combat zone where incendiary weapons were being used was a good idea."<br/><br/>She frowned, concentrating on the cut she made in the extremely thick skin of her 'mech, each plate that came off weighing hundreds of pounds. Thankfully, only three plates actually had enough damage to warrant replacement, as the other impact points hadn't even penetrated past the second layer of the composite. "As for where I come from, well, I spent most of my time in Inverness city, so... I guess you could call it home?"<br/><br/>Climbing back down, she shut off the torch, examining the cuts she had made and the open holes that exposed the internal structure of her 'mech for a long moment, then stretched, both hands pressing against her lower back as she arched herself backwards for a moment, her skin glowing from a faint sheen of sweat caused by the heat of the welding torch and the large floodlights in the hangar. "And, for this thing.... would you believe that less than a year ago it would have looked at home in a construction yard, with a crane mounted on its back?"<br/><br/>She chuckled, then, with Shi's help as well as the use of the magnetic harness from the gantry crane, she eased the first replacement plate into place, the shiny grey looking out of place on the matte-black of the Mech's body. Before she turned on the welding torch, however, she unzipped her jumpsuit part-way, exposing more of her skin as well as hints of soft roundness before she once again bent to the task of repairing her machine.