The first day of class was largely uneventful- As with most classes and schools, it was more of an administrative day, see who had kept or dropped the class, discuss syllabi and grading policies, and generally introduce and gradually ease students into the semester. Already, much of the Academy's pilots were moving around, getting their gear in place, and preparing for the competitive season. Sara and her brother Sam, were some of those students. Sara's brother Sam, was a freshman, and had somehow convinced her to enter the competitive scene, and they had just finished clearing Sara's GEAR and weapons through customs. Sat sat on the shoulder of her GEAR as her brother piloted it into its slot in the hangar by the pilot's lounge, Sara held up a poster in front of her face.

It was a recruitment drive for Celestial Star, a team that had up until recently been of some major rapport- now sitting in a realm of relative obscurity if rumors were to be believed. Most of the former members had splintered off and formed their own groups- Throne Trinity and the High Blades being of some of the more notable ones. With her decision to jump into the competitive scene so late, it was surprisingly difficult for Sara to find a team- especially since most teams had already finished their recruitment- and many had already began training- over the summer. Most of the teams she had talked to had rejected her or offered her a position as a backup- few teams were willing to replace a team member they had been training with for a few weeks for a newcomer a day into the semester, no matter how good her rap sheet looked. 

"Hoi, sis, I'll take care of wrapping up the Valkyrie, you go on ahead to the lounge." she heard her brother call, as he stepped out of the GEAR's cockpit. With a nod, Sara slid off of her GEAR, and dusted herself off before throwing on an oversized Sponsor-branded hoodie and making her way to the pilot's lounge. 

The lounge was crowded, but Sara could already see pilots segregating into their little cliques- either groups of friends, classmates, or teams. Still, it was relatively easy enough for Sara to put a face to a name, and found the resident captain of Celestial Star- Bill Atlas, one of the most American looking pilots in the entire lounge. He had a few others with him, one playing a videogame, and another two that appeared to be approaching him for membership. 

[color=0076a3]"So, Atlas, you said Yasumi was just a backup pilot, right? So we're still missing one?"[/color] Sara heard as she stepped up to the growing gathering. 

[color=lightcoral]"Did you say one more?[/color] Sara interjected, with a small smile and an equally small voice. [color=lightcoral]Rapid-Response Skirmisher, and GEAR encyclopedia.[/color]