[quote]"Colonel Blade Sir." mike said as Blade turned. "Any officer that says they place their subordinates safety above their own, and then proves it, is an officer worth following." mike ditched the helmet, and stood a little straighter. "The south needs a good ass kicking, I'd like to volunteer my boot, and I wouldn't follow anyone else to do it" he said folding his arms.  [/quote]

The fox's muzzle lifted into a slight smirk at the ferocity and sincerity in Mikes' words. He gave a respectful nod to the tiger as he replied. "Looks like we both agree on that, an' that means I picked well gettin' y'all in the unit. As you were, Nawlin. We'll catch up later."
He looked to Ken as he followed the fox, bidding him to enter the office and say whatever was quite obviously on his mind, as he sat behind the desk.


****

The following morning, the landcruiser was well underway. Martenstown had slipped out of sight during the night and the land-ship was surrounded by the near-featureless terrain of the Badlands on all sides. The rolling expanse of dusty ground was broken only by occasional outcrops of rock, wandering dry river and streambeds and patches of scrubby, hardy vegetation. A distant range of mountains rose to the far west, and at their heart, the tallest peak was capped by smoky blackness and a red, volcanic glow, marking the beginnings of the tectonically active and brokenly treacherous 'heart' of the true badlands. 
Aboard the ship, the night had passed in a almost conspiratorially quiet manner. Duty watches had gone on quietly, and the ships' normal activities had been somewhat muted. The losses of personnel and equipment had cast a sullen air among the crew complement. And the rumours and scuttlebutt had already began to circulate about the open-secret of their carrying the Imperial Princess, and the mysterious civilian picked up in Martenstown. Combined with the open knowledge of their destination, speculation was already growing and the tall-tales reaching ever-more ludicrous proportions. 

None of this was of particular importance to Silverwind and Captain Garrett as they entered the room that had been assigned to the Princess. Both held their own PADDS and kept their expression neutral as they entered the room. The black-furred vulpine was delicately finishing off a breakfast provided from the mess, and stood up as they both stepped into the room.
"Captain, Colonel," she greeted them in her exotically accented tone. "Good morning. Thank you for treating me so well. Although, I must confess, I am getting somewhat tired of looking at these walls. I do understand your need for security, of course."
"I'm pleased the accomodation is to your liking, Princess," the captain replied, taking a seat at the small, functional table, as Silverwind did the same. The princess returned to her seat as well, recognizing that they'd come to ask her questions as she knitted her fingers together in front of her on the tabletop. 
"If you know why we had to keep you secure, then you know why we're here this morning," Blade continued, his eye searching her face and finding only quiet intelligence and the expect mix of enforced calm and concern. "I think it's time we had a talk about what you're doing in Landren".
She hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Quite right," she said slowly. "And I believe you are the people to tell. Your... unconventional unit, and this landcruiser, seem something of an anomaly. An experiment of some kind, I'm guessing? And you don't appear to be operating with a normal land-fleet group or detachment; you must have a lot of operational authority and independence. I think this information will be best handed to you, so you can do with it as you must. And besides; I'm in no position to choose who I pass it to. And with the South at large, it's vital it gets passed on as quickly as possible".
Blade and the captain exchange glances, before making notes on their PADDs and looking back. Captain Garrett bid her to continue, and for the princess took a breath, meeting their eyes before she continued.
"What I'm going to tell you will seem unbelievable. Crazy, even... but there is proof, and you've seen a lot of it. And I know where there's more. But please, allow me to explain, and then I'll answer your questions..."

Several hours later, the pair stood in Captain Garrett's ready room and reviewed what they'd learned. Both of their heads were spinning, minds reeling and still trying to justify what the Princess had told them. However, it fit with the actions of the South so far, and a few checks with other sources had fit neatly with what she had told them. 
All of which made it absolutely mind-bending.
"Well?" asked Silverwind after a moment, sipping a mug of green tea. "What now?"
"We... well, we follow our orders. We pass the information up the chain to command, and see what they do next. If anything, that ought to [i]help[/i] with verifying what she's said is, well. Real. And if it isn't, then we still have the issue that there are Northern military units in our territory. And that there's a factional split in the Empire" The deer groaned and pressed her fingers to her face, rubbing her eyes gently. "And we still have to interview the civilian too..."

***

Kellia had been secured in quarters a short distance removed from the Princess. As she had helped in the operation, she had been allowed more freedom to wander the ship, albeit with an escort. However, her PADD had been removed for safe-keeping for the meantime. She had been allowed limited access to the ships 'net interface however, to keep herself entertained. As the pair entered the room she'd been staying in, she shut down the interface built into the tables' top and looked up. She recognized them both, having met the captain after coming aboard, and gave a nervous smile.
"It's okay," Silverwind said with a smile. "You're not really in trouble, we just want to ask you some questions about how you knew so much about what was happening, and your motivations behind everything that happened".
"All right," the mink replied hesitantly. "But, I think I might not be able to answer all of them. You might need to talk to my friend..."
"Which friend is this?" The captain asked, taking a seat alongside Silverwind. "The one who'd been guiding you through your PADD during the operation?"
Before Kellia could say anything else, the table-top display lit up, and a neutral-sounding, almost genderless voice answered from the built-in speakers around the room.
"Captain Garrett, that would be me. I believe it's time I shared my existence and nature with you properly".
Things continued to get complicated and strange from there.

***

Over the next few days, the pair were released more openly onto the ship. The princess was allowed more free reign, though under the escort of a guard at all times, and likewise with Kellia. The pair were sworn not to reveal their information just yet; a formal debriefing of the Roughriders would occur when they reached their destination, and had the full extent of their new orders revealed. Not to mention, there was the business of Aidan's funeral to attend to.

The ceremony was again held in the hangar bay. The GEARs had Landren flags and standards draped over them once more, and a simple dark-wood casket with a flag laid atop it was the centre of the affair, a smiling, handsome picture of the medic on an easel alongside it, surrounded by flowers. 
Blade and the captain read and spoke words of rememberance and encouragement, and spoke fondly of their departed comrade. Esailia contributed too, and their departed friend and comrade-in-arms was honoured to the highest, before his casket was loaded aboard a tilt-rotor to the accompaniement of music, held aloft by his squadmates and Blade leading a salute as the aircraft was elevated to the flight deck, the mortal remains of their brother-in-arms spirited back to his family for their proper internment. 

Following that, their arrival at the base was only hours away, after the [i]Claw[/i] made a course-correction to the South, turning back towards the more firmly-held areas of Landren territory, and away from the Badlands. Greenery made sporadic appearances as they grew closer, and the silver shimmer of a distant lake could be seen as the Landcruiser began to weave a path down wide downs toward a spread-out dry lakebed. On one edge of the hardpan, a large base complex squatted, with a settlement abutting it; their destination. The LDF's primary research and development center, and also the home of it's Special Forces detachments. 

***

Silverwind returned to the Roughriders' barracks, after having been up on the bridge at the Captains' invitation. More information had been received from command, and from the base, and he'd been included in the messages. Wanting to pass the information on before their imminent arrival and docking at the base, and to make his people ready to offload, he'd headed directly to their quarters, sending a message on for them to expect him and be waiting. 
As he stepped into the room, he called out.
"Front and center, people! I've got news to tell, and not much time to shout it."
He waited for them all to assemble, before he spoke up. 
"All right, here's what's goin' down. I know y'all have been waitin', and there's a lot you wanna know about. I can't tell all of it now, but I can tell you this: You'll get the whole deal soon, once it's all been worked out an' processed. But in the meantime, here's what's happenin' to us." He paused, weighing up his words before continuing.
"Good news first: We [i]aren't[/i] being disbanded. In light of th' info from Kellia an' Princess Velostroya, we have a lot more work ahead of us, an' we're gonna be busy. That's why we're also gettin' six new squad members, all of 'em are GEAR pilots too. That oughta bring our firepower back up to regular levels. Irry an' I will also be gettin' brand new GEARs, an' everyone elses' will be getting overhauled while we're there too; full-level maintenance, which means replacin' all the worn-out or field-expedient repairs.
"There's more an' all - the [i]Claw[/i] is gettin' the same treatment, which means we're gonna be shippin' out aboard a new 'cruiser after our maint is done. We got six days of trainin' an' familiarisation with th' new troops an' GEARs an' then we're shippin' out to the Southern Border... can't tell y'all more'n that so far. In the meantime: Get yerselves' ready to disembark, and look forward to havin' more space fer a while, and not bein' onboard a ship! Stand to ready to pilot yer GEARs off the ship, an assist with unloadin' the landcruiser. Y'all got ten minutes!"
He dismissed the group and headed into his own room, preparing to pick up his bags. Like the others, he'd been warned to vacate all personal items from his room in the light of the ships imminent refit and overhaul, as there was no telling how deep the work may be. As such, he had more than he'd normally be carrying with him to shift - and no GEAR to stow it in this time, he thought with a twinge of sadness.
Sadness that was only multiplied when he saw Aidan's bag by the door.
Hefting it onto one shoulder alongside his own, he met with Irry as she stepped out of her room, and headed for the GEAR bay as the ships' sirens sounded over the intercom - they were about to dock at the landcruisers' quay in the base.
Blade and Irry stepped into the hangar just as the Captains' voice announced over the intercom that the [i]Parvan's Claw[/i] was secure in its' anchorage, and that the external hatches were opening now. Flashing lights came to life in the hangar bay, as the main ramp began to cycle down. Simultaneously, side hatches opened with a hiss, extending their own gangplanks and rampways to the cement quayside and letting the bright natural light of afternoon flood the interior space, playing across the machinery of the landcruisers interior. 
Blade felt his fur ruffled by the breeze blowing off of the lakebed, and headed for the ramp, lowering the bags to the ground at the head of the ramp, and looking out expectantly, searching for the new members of his squad, and whatever else the base held for the Roughriders.