Blade had no sooner lowered the PADD to check the time, when the majority of the squadron arrived in a short stream, one after another. Rather than return the flurry of individual salutes and greetings, he threw one out to the assembled group, as casual as he normally did; a touch of fingers briefly to his brow, and then dropped it with a slight smile and a nod. 
"Well, now. Y'all are impressin' me rightly by turnin' up so punctual, an' bein' all polite-like. I'm mighty impressed, and flattered fer yer kind manners." He nodded at Ashers - and did something of a double-take at the curvaceous arctic fox - before returning to cast an appraising look over the group. They were a motley, assorted bunch of folks, but that was no bad thing; none of them were out of what passed for uniform among the LDF's somewhat loose regulations - one of them was even dressed smartly in his Class-A uniform, which he acknowledged with a positive sound and a pat on the shoulder as he walked around the small group - and all of them were more-or-less attentive.
"Okay, boys an' girls. There's still a coupla folks we're waitin' on, so I gotta hang around. I'll give y'all the full welcome and th' official speech once we're all assembled and the land-boat's underway. Fer th' meantime-" he whistled into the hold, and a female Red Panda wearing standard BDU's and GEAR pilots' insignia stepped over to the group. 
"Sir," she said in a warm, melodious voice. "Glad to report, but please don't whistle for me like a pet again."
The Red Panda stood half a head taller than the fox, and was sleek and athletic. Keen intelligence was in her eyes, and her voluminous hair was pulled and tucked neatly into a no-nonsense style to keep it off of her neck and out of her eyes.
"This is Iriana Jacquo. Or Irry, as she ends up bein' called. She's my go-to person, and knows the nuts an' bolts that keep things runnin' around here. She's also GEAR-qualified, so she's been on th' field more'n once too. If y'all can't find me, and ya need to know where somethin' is, ta request anythin' like paperwork, pay, or administrative stuff, or stuff like supplies and whatnot, then this is yer lady. She'll show y'all to yer rooms an' all".
She flashed them all a winning smile, and then nodded to Blade, who dismissed them all with a light wave. 

Irry lead them through the noisy chaos of the main hangar, where unloading and parking was still underway. Trucks off-loaded munitions for the Landcruisers' batteries of missiles and cannon, and for the GEARs that stood in their stalls, hooked up to umbilicals and with techs swarming over them. Other vehicles were winched up into the rafters and secured with chains, or tied-down with chains onto floor points for transit. The view was lost a moment later as she lead them through a thick bulkhead hatch and into a corridor, before taking them up a steep stairwell.
"As you all probably know," she called back to them loudly, "If the alert sirens sound for battle-stations, the ship goes into 'traffic' mode; that means the port staircases and ladders become up, and the starboard ones become down. Your assigned station - unless we're called into action - will be to stick tight in your quarters, to keep outta the way of the crew getting into place for their duties. Sucks, but if we screw something up, anything could happen. Anyway, the rest of the info about the ship, you'll find in your PADDs as part of the assignment data dump the 'net will have sent down".
Another few sets of stairs, and then a narrow corridor - though, on a Landcruiser, they all were - toward the stern, and Irry lead them through another bulkhead door and into a slightly larger room, with small doors splitting off. Round tables and easy chairs were dotted about the main room, and a large screen took up one wall. A few potted plants dotted the area, and an arched doorway lead through to a small kitchenette area.
"All right. This is what we call home. Through the doors on the far wall are your personal quarters. Each has a personal bunks with closing partition curtains, a separate bathroom area, and a personal work and relaxation space, as well as ample storage for your clothing and personal effects. Choose a room yourselves, mine's already done. Blade's room is at the end - he's higher rank than us, so he gets a personal room. I'll be right here if you need anything. 
A double whistle on the intercom sounded, and a clear male voice came over the system.
"All hands, all hands. Be advised that the ship will be getting underway in approximately thirty minutes. Stand by to secure from dockside stations. Make ready to cast off all external lines and switch to internal power. All crew at ready positions"
A low throb came through the decking as the ships' engines came to life, and the overhead lighting flickered briefing as the power revved up. Booted feet moved past at a rapid pace in the corridors outside, and voices shouted back and forth as the ship got underway.