Koehler teased Elora more about Alexei, and she meekly responded: [color=8dc73f]"Why w-would I l-like him? I barely even know him. He could be a mean jerk for all I...know..."[/color] her speech trailed off as she listened to what Alexei said about a team of four including her. She realized that Koehler invited him to join their team, and she blushed, entranced by her own thoughts. [color=8dc73f]"Oh, so you...then...he and...I..."[/color] She quickly snapped out of it when Koehler mentioned Miles, though. [color=8dc73f]Uh, I don't know if that's a good idea...[/color] Elora honestly didn't want to team up with someone like Miles, at least not immediately. She liked the current number of people their group had, and adding anymore to it would be too much for the mission in her opinion. After all, she wasn't even sure if forming teams was acceptable for the mock battle, since it is a free-for-all. Of course, it would be different when they all would have a common enemy and everyone would have to stick together, but for now she was happy about the people she could support.

Then it happened: a loudspeaker in the briefing hall was turned on, and Lieutenant Ritsu's voice came out of it, loud and clear.
[color=0054a6]"All personnel, prepare for the start of Operation: Mock Battle. Cadets, your plugsuits are in the changing rooms next to the Framewerk hangars. Suit up, prepare for deployment, and wait for further instructions. System checkups and communications are permitted."[/color]

Lorenzo's voice then came out. [color=f26522]"If I see anyone deploy their Framewerks prematurely, I will disqualify them!"[/color]

[color=8dc73f]"Looks like it's going to start now. I'll see you later, Koehler,"[/color] she said to Koehler, and headed out of the briefing hall. She went to the women's changing room, and found her piloting suit there. She hated putting it on: it was tight, and emphasized her chest and crotch areas in embarrassing ways. She hoped that she wouldn't draw too much attention when she was seen wearing it.[color=8dc73f] [i]At least I don't have a figure like the Lieutenant does.[/i]
[/color]
However, the suits are advanced pieces of clothing: They are a one-size fits all, but are skin-tight due to the fact that they protect your body from trauma. They absorb shock damage depending on the amount of force applied if you get punched, or hit with a pipe, or get thrown around in your cockpit, so you'll be fine and won't feel much of anything. They are also fireproof and meant to be a portable life-support system on the field. Once put on, they act as a second layer of skin and can be quite comfortable once you get used to wearing one.

Once she put it on, she then headed to the hangars, specifically the one where her Framewerk, Diver, was located. Engineers were still putting finishing touches on its preparation when Elora stepped into the incredibly vast area, and they greeted the young pilot and gave her a rundown of repairs or changes they made to the Frame. Elora nodded to their words; she didn't understand everything they said, but she fully appreciated the work they put into Diver's maintenance, and engaged in a bit of small talk about the Combat Analyzer when it was mentioned.

Elora then opened up the front of Diver's round exterior, and hopped inside. She checked her systems, and they were all green. She then opened up the Combat Analyzer, and set it to limit its unit data processing to only Framewerks. She added Diver's data to it for cross-referencing, accelerating data collecting speed by 65%. It was easy enough to do, the Combat Analyzer being a state-of-the art supercomputer that could be customized up to the finest details, though Elora didn't touch on anything more than was necessary. She leaned back on her seat once she was done setting up a voice channel for her, Koehler, Alexei and Ryan, and contacted them once they were in their Framewerks: [color=8dc73f]"Testing, testing, do you read me? It seems we were given a rough file of the arena the mock battle will take place in, but I'll set us up with a better map once we get out there. Umm, good luck, everyone."[/color]

She felt relaxed and at ease while she was sitting in front of a computer; she was truly in her element now. Elora was quite adept with computers for her young age, and was thus chosen to pilot a Framewerk reliant on expert technical skills like Diver was. Unlike the outside world which was full of hate and malice, inside Diver she felt like she was safe from all that. It was comforting, almost as if she was held in her own mother's arms.

[color=8dc73f][i]I miss her. But she would be proud of me, I just know it.[/i][/color]