Elise noticed how Zim raised his hand first, but first addressed the late arrival to the briefing.
[quote=@Evil Snowman]
[color=Fuchsia]"Sorry, I'm late ma'am. I was in the infirmary."[/color] Katya quickly spoke giving her a salute. 
[/quote]

"Apology accepted, Corporal, just make sure to not dawdle from this point on. That was a good move you did, reminds of Kohanim XII when our officer bit the dust and our corporal had to take the reins, followed by me when he also fell. It was a bad day, but we got through." Elise smiled, and moved on to Zim, though Katya did notice the slight change in her eyes just before she turned; there was something fierce and primeval burning in them, as if she enjoyed remembering it.
[quote=@Mr Rage]
"Thank you, Ma'am. I am cadet Zim Hero, you mentioned that you were sent as backup, I assume that to mean that you are all pilots, correct? Might I ask what kind of armaments your werks use, or any specialization that you each have? Or to be more specific about the question, 
beyond your command and training in what ways are you three supplementing and augmenting our team?"
[/quote]

The short Sergeant reached up on her tiptoes to look at the short man at equal height. "You got that right for the most part, Cadet, though you can drop the snooty attitude right now. Devors and I were assigned here cause we'll be going on field duty soon, while Dari was assigned as Lorenzo's personal assistant," ain't that right, Dari?" She turned towards the taller woman and gave her a little smile, before continuing. "It's going to be an important mission too, from what I hear; even the Colonel's involved. All you need to know about the model of Framewerk I'm piloting is that it's a close-range model with energy-based utility, something I heard you guys were missing out on back in Leviticus but I'll be providing in bulk." 

Devors then interrupted her, and Elise puffed her cheeks. "Hey, I was about to tell themmm! I didn't give you permission! Give me twenty!" She angrily pointed her finger at him while stomping her tiny foot in a comical sight. She wasn't angry for long though, and quickly moved on.
[quote=@Apollosarcher]
"I would like to know if you apprised of pilot Ariin's... Situation." 

He stood a moment then spoke again, he knew it might not have been his place. "I unsure if I will able to fight to Ariin's standard. I have proven to be a far weaker pilot than my partner." He stopped, knowing his next request could border on treason as he had been told no to it before. "I'd like to request a chance to link with Paladin through hard line once more and return Ariin to full functionality."
[/quote]
Elise simply stared at what used to be Ariin Sorus, simply blinking, before she stopped. "The report did say that..." She listened with an expression of confusion and annoyance at Paladin's request. "Uhh, sure, request granted. Just...don't make a scene." 

Still scratching her head, Elise quickly granted the last pilot's permission to speak.
[quote=@AtomicNut]
"With all due respect, sarge... How old are you?" She said, still not fully aware of the situation.
[/quote]
Elise smirked; she obviously expected that question to pop up. "That's a secret, teehee!" Then her eyes turned sharp. "But I'll let you know before we get any misunderstandings; I may be young, but I've fought on the front-lines for four years, and have earned these badges fair and square. So I won't be hearing anyone call me disrespectful stuff like child or brat!" She crossed her arms and pouted, trying to make herself look more important, but was left in Dari's twin-shaped shadow as the beautiful woman stepped forward.

"Hey, what're you-" Elise spat out. "This is no time for playing around! Get back here! Hey, what-" Elise's cheeks blushed red when witnessed Dari touching Zim. "EEEHHH, stop that!" She screamed while tugging her jacket as she went to look at Ariin. "This is not proper behavior, Dari! You're not even needed here, so go harass the old man or something!"

"Sheesh," she finally sighed while wiping her forehead in relief once Dari left and she was once again in control of the briefing. "Anyone I catch giggling or even smirking will get twenty!" She put her hands to her hips once again. "Anyway, looks like nobody else has questions, so you're dismissed...except for Cadets Twilight, Armstrong, Reynolds and Sorus-no, 'Paladin'. You will stay."

Once the others left, Elise gave the remaining pilots a harsh scolding. "When a superior greets you with a salute, you show respect by saluting back! And since you jokers didn't, it means you don't care if I'm your commanding officer. So as punishment, give me forty!"
[hr]
Four days passed by as Elise kept to her promise of being in charge of the pilots' training. But unlike Ritsu, who for the most part kept an outsider's role in the training, Elise had a more hands-down approach, and actively joined in the simulations, either playing against or with the pilots, placing them in random mini-squads. It became clear she wasn't the most experienced officer, sometimes hesitating on an order, or charging in to a heavily defended location when there was an opportunity for a more tactical approach. Still, she kept her heart on her sleeve and gave 100%, fully expecting everyone else to do the same.

Then came the day for the much-rumored mission, and the briefing was held by Captain Ritsu. Despite her promotion and the responsibility it holds, she was still her usual self, strict but reasonable. She yawned, and then slapped herself awake; she seemed to be sleeping less due to the increased amount of work. "Squad Sigma, you're the very best we got against the Cruxi, and we have brought you together for a mission personally ordered by the Colonel himself." She brought out a small object, and revealed it to be a tightly secured holotape. She unlocked the encryption on the holotape, and inserted it into the reading device, which resulted in his figure coming into display on the holo-projector.

The Colonel gave a salute. "Greetings, Squad Sigma. Some of you may not be aware, but Cadet Elora Liu'un, former intelligence specialist of your squad, went MIA during the defense of Leviticus IX. However, her Framewerk was installed with a tracking device, and the signal was confirmed to have originated from a Cruxi base in the Yammu system. We believe that the unit that was capable of teleportation, and the pilot by association, were last located there before the signal was cut off. Your mission is to assault the base, rescue human POWs if any are found, and capture the teleporting Cruxi. The details will be handed out to you by your commanding officers. Good luck out there, pilots, and may your hearts be as mighty as the strongest metal." The Colonel saluted once more, and the transmission shut down.

Ritsu saluted back, and then turned towards the pilot. She put a display of the base into the projector next. "We don't know much about the exact number of Cruxi troops in the base, but our scouting reports indicate that we can expect a fully manned space station. However, while they have plenty of automated defenses around the perimeter, they actually have a small amount of CWM's, estimates say less than sixty. There's been sizable transfers, so expect more experimental units like MIST. You'll be vastly more outnumbered than before, but there's less risk for collateral damage, so you're granted permission to use lethal force while outside the base. It seems the Cruxi didn't expect us to find their hideout, so this is our best chance for a counter-attack, before they smarten up and reinforce their defenses. Now then, questions?"