"Verification ID, ma'am?"

"Lieutenant Krystina Markov. Wolf Zero. ID SFWZ-4408."

No response.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, ma'am. Just taking a moment to process. Durendal's just through the airlock behind me. I'll open the airlock for you."

Krystina sighed loudly. 

"Did you say something?"

"No. Now let me through. I have to report in ten minutes."

"Of course, Lieutenant, don't let me get in your way."

"Please."

The airlock door hissed open, and Krystina quickly brushed past the guard at the door. She gave a cold glare to the other three guards standing around, who had all been chuckling and whispering about the encounter. Krystina pressed into the ship, and made her way to the conference room.

Immediately, she began sizing up the rest of the crew. The aliens, naturally, stood out from the human crew, but there was nothing particularly eye-catching about anyone. Krystina didn’t recognize any faces, but she was sure there were a couple names she’d know of.

Then three faces walked in that Krystina knew she could put names to: Wolf Squad. Krystina smiled. These were the toughest pilots in the galaxy she could find, and she’d worked with all of them at different points in her career.

Wolf One, Brandon Warren. An excellent dogfighter with an eye for openings in the enemy’s defense. He almost had as many kills as Krystina did, but he was also two years older than her. He was cute, brown hair, full beard, standing at just under six feet. Krystina and Brandon had had a fling once, but that fell apart quickly in the interest of professionalism. And because Brandon said Krystina was a stuck up jerk. In her defense, Brandon wasn’t the best in social situations and she didn’t want to put up with him.

Wolf Two, Jason De Guzman. Krystina had picked Jason to be Brandon’s wingman. Where Brandon had an eye for the enemy’s weaknesses, Jason had an eye for his allies’. He covered up all the holes in your defenses and played a good game of bait and switch. Jason’s talent for aerial maneuvers helped to wear down his pursuers, then someone else would come and clean up the mess behind him. Krystina didn’t know Jason on a personal level like she did with Brandon, but she knew enough about his skill in the cockpit to want him on the team. He was taller than Brandon, but had a lot more meat to his bones.

And finally, Wolf Three. Marina Poudret. The petite French brunette was Krystina’s wingwoman and best friend. Marina was almost the aerial ace that Krystina was, and the two knew each others’ flying styles like the back of their hands. Krystina worked with Marina regularly. Krystina grinned at Marina’s arrival. With Krystina and Marina flying around for the Durendal, along with Brandon and Jason, Krystina felt that the starfighter squad was bulletproof.

The squad gathered around her. They exchanged greetings, then the captain arrived to deliver his briefing. When he finished, Krystina moved towards the captain. After everyone else had asked their questions, she threw out hers: “What kind of fighters are we flying, here? Standard equipment or is there something special Wolf Squad should know about?” Krystina motioned to the three pilots behind her.