Tetsuo smiled, inclining his head in a slow nod at her recognition of his former unit. "Hai, it is. The Second Sword." He looked at Armina for a moment, recalling what he could of the First Guards unit. "A fine force. Did you serve with the heavy or medium component?"<br/><br/><br/>"I served with the medium unit. It was tough, but definately worth it. I piloted a Shadow Hawk when I was with the Guards."<br/><br/><br/>He took a moment to look around and orientate himself before gesturing to their left. "I believe it is through that way." He began to walk through the still crowded hall, with the smooth flowing movements of a martial artist. "If I may be so bold as to enquire, what brings you here? I would imagine the First Guards a position of honour."<br/><br/><br/>She nodded at his indication as to where the cafeteria might be, and followed along just behind and to the side of him, letting him lead the way. "It was an honor, believe me, I never thought I'd make it into that unit. It's supposed to be th ebest in the entire League, at least that's its rep."<br/><br/>She paused and licked her lips to moisten them. "There was some politics involved in why I left. I had a disagreement with another officer and got brought up on charges. I was acquitted, but it soured me on all the damn infighting. From the stories I hear, its better than it used to be thanks to the Captain-General, but it still goes on."<br/><br/>"I ended up joining the Novas, they were founded by a friend of my father. The unit got hammered on a snatch and grab raid against the Capellans, I can't prove it for sure but those damn Liao knew we were coming and were waiting for us."<br/><br/>She took a deep breath and shrugged a little, "That's the op where I got my mech, the Hawk got wrecked and I managed to capture the Griffin in the warehouse we hit. Still, once we got pulled out, I was the second highest ranking officer left, and I was only a lieutenant, so the unit disbanded." She motioned to the patch she wore on her jacket, "I still wear the unit logo, guess it's just my way to honor those who died."<br/><br/>She looked over at the Kuritan to gauge his reaction to her story, then asked, "What about you? I thought the Combine disapproves of mercenaries. Why are you here?"<br/>