A young cadet stood nervously before an office desk as an older, cranberry-haired woman in a violet and black EF Lieutenant's uniform. She furrowed her brows as she skimmed over a few pages on clipboard, reclining in her chair. The cadet was doing his best to maintain his composure and proper military posture as the Lieutenant looked over the report he had handed her just moments ago. The woman gave an exasperated sigh, flipping back and forth between two pages with one eyebrow raised. Finally she just tossed the clipboard back on her desk and rubbed her temples.

"You know, this is what I hate about those assholes running the show here." She said, "They give me this report which is basically a glorified receipt and expect me to give a damn. I am an instructor. I am not here to give a shit about damage costs and I know they probably don't give a shit either seeing as their boys do far worse with those fancier suits."

The cadet gulped and stared straight ahead. He was expecting to be reamed judging by her reaction to the damage report. He'd lost control of his GM during an exercise and had taken out a corner of a nearby suit hangar. The Lieutenant before him was his instructor.

The woman let out another sigh before leaning forward in her chair, resting her elbows on the desk and peering over her folded hands. There was no fooling her. She could see he was a nervous wreck about the ordeal.

"Well, Louis. What are we gonna do with you?" She said.

"I was told I was to be suspended as punishment, Lieutenant Karako."

"And who told you that?"

"Bask Om, ma'am."

Karako let out a long sigh.

"That son of a bitch...Tell him that if I was a Mathematician I'd give a shit about pages of numbers. As an instructor, that crap is not my area. I am here to make sure the suits are operated correctly and the people I put in them are safe. You're still here so I did my job."

"You really want me to tell him that?" Louis asked.

"No. Tell him I said to not bother with reports unless they are actual reports."

"What about the suspension? How long will I be out?"

"Well, do you still want to pilot or did the little crash scare you out of it?"

"No, ma'am. I still want to pilot."

"And are you alright to pilot next exercise?"

"I'm still a little shaken up but I could still pilot, no problem."

"Then you're not suspended. Shit happens. The GM you were piloting had a short in the systems responsible for the thrusters. I'd be an asshole if I suspended you for something the mechanics should have checked out beforehand."

"But Bask said.."

"Tell him if he has a problem with that, we can have another loooong, pointless talk that goes absolutely nowhere."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

Karako went back to reclining in her chair, still annoyed with the Titans trying to tell her how to do her job. She'd been instructing for a few years. She knew what she was doing. Cadet Louis took the clipboard and turned to leave. 

"Oh and stop being so damn scared of me. I'm here to make sure you kids don't kill yourselves in those machines. The worst I could do is tell you you're doing something wrong. And cuss a lot. I don't believe in that slapping "correction" bullshit they're trying to enforce."

She could see the relief wash over the cadet's face as he nodded. However, the light-hearted moment was inturrupted by the ground shaking from the force of an explosion. Louis shielded himself with the clipboard out of reflex. Karako jumped out of her chair.

"What the hell?!" She yelled.

"An explosion?!"

"No shit. You go and catch up with your classmates. I'll be there to help with evac shortly."

Louis nodded and ran while Karako peered between the blinds of her office window. She scanned the horizon from her vantage point and found nothing. She cursed under her breath and then ran out of the building along with other personnel. Outside she scanned for signs of the explosion, spotting a stream of smoke off a little ways in the distance.

"You've gotta be shitting me." she groaned.

"Lieutenant!"

"Oh what now..."

"Lieutenant Karako!" 

Karako's supervisor, Ron, ran to her, panic-stricken. Ron was a bit of a chronic worrier and had a tendency to over-think things and freak out.

"What do you want, Ron?"

"Karako, we're under attack."

"Gee, I couldn't tell by the explosion and that giant-ass cloud of smoke over there."

"This is serious."

"Well I'm being serious about the fact that I already knew. Now calm down and let's get you and my students to safety."

Ron nodded and ran alongside Karako. 

"So what do you think is going on?" Ron asked.

"Hell if I know."

There was a burst of gunfire ahead followed by a masked student, armed with a rifle running out from around the corner. Karako sprinted up behind them and downed the armed student with an elbow strike to the back of the neck. Ron caught up with her as she knelt down and inspected the unconscious perp.

"Tut, tut. Looks like terrorists..." Karako muttered, taking the gun.

"If that's the case then everyone except mobile suit pilots are to evacuate the training ground."

"Yep, that sounds about right."

"C'mon then."

"HA! You forget. I'm a lieutenant. I've fought a loooot of battles and shit."

"But you're an instructor and I'm your supervisor."

"As an instructor, I am to make sure my students are safe. I do believe that keeping terrorist assholes away from my students qualifies as keeping them safe."

"Karako..."

"Find Louis and make sure the rest evacuate. Get a move on!" Karako yelled as she ran off toward the hangars.

Ron muttered something about not approving before running off to find the Lieutenant's students.