A new start, Max thought to himself as he yawned loudly, further down the quay from the cargo vessel he'd been commanded to be near and walking towards the rest of the team. While Max was a disciplined and stoic individual, a lion's yawn was not something you got rid of easily, given how much he absolutely loved sleep. No matter how many years he'd served and how disciplined he was, a good bed and just doing nothing was time to enjoy, savor and take in before the world came back and threw its intensity right back. It was time to think, recuperate, rest; before being ready for it all again. 

Well, today was time to get back to something and not be sleepy. While a new start was always a lie, he thought to himself, the easygoing Warrant Officer Maxwell Fitzroy Bastion was at least aware that something kept as quiet as this was always going to be interesting. And well, it beat hanging around his old CO.

He was wearing the full fatigues of a reconnaissance specialist in the RSDF, from a pair of sturdy boots to a long-sleeve shirt and trouser combo camoflaged in a light grey-brown, his golden fur short and well kept as the lion headed over towards the rest, a black duffel bag over his shoulder filled with his personal possessions and equipment. He looked smart, the mark of a special forces soldier no less, Max looking like he was a grunt like any other...if you didn't look at his face. His mane was left just the way he liked it, brushing in the wind and almost blowing into his eyes, a surfer's choice almost. While his whiskers were short, he did have the look of someone who was definitely experiencing the morning. 

Even the other lion he had known about in this whole organisation, General Versco no less, was much more professional, more honorable and smart. Lions were the height of sophistication some would say, loyal and neat guards that were neither brutes nor timid when in their service. The cynical truth was, Max thought to himself, was that it didn't really exist when you had your back up against the wall. And not when you didn't really fit in like everyone else. When you're a recon operative, rules go out the window.

Coming into line, he looked at the others, taking in the Captain, and the other three that had assembled here so far. All were shorter than him, bar the brown bear, who towered over the others in a way that wasn't very hard to explain. The Captain, Silverwind Blade was a figure even Max had heard stories about, the one-armed cyclops a formidable GEARS pilot and veteran of conflicts come by. Worn and weathered, but older and capable of commanding a unit like this. Accented too, from what he could overhear when he spoke with the smaller ensign, it just wasn't easily placed. And well, happy to crack a joke at least. This was already better than his last CO. If Silverwind looked after him, Max would return the favor. He owed that much at least. 

The Bear, the Ibex and the Otter, on the other hand, he couldn't entirely tell. The former seemed quiet, almost shy, Max thought to himself. But probably not a great idea to piss him off if he did have an opinion. The reason Max had his scar was because he'd gotten into a fight with a Polar Bear, no less. No matter what training you have, or how ballsy you were, he now knew you just picked your fights a little better. So it made sense that he'd be the one carrying heavier weaponry- a team like this needed someone who was happy to bring ordinance to the party, even if he seemed very young compared to the others.

While the Ibex seemed....familiar to war, albeit in a different way.  She was older, but weathered from war- a medic of some kind, it would appear. Neat and clean, yet like any Ibex that Max had already met, stubborn and straight to the point. Efficiency above all, but something said internally to him that she wasn't like Max in that way- someone in favor of order rather than the flow of chaos. A scout, someone used to the wilds, but something different. The otter, Max just couldn't get any bead on. Apart from being tiny, he could only guess she was here as the tech specialist, if her equipment seemed to suggest that- and getting back to her feet after that little trip to the floor.  

And Max? Well, to the others no doubt, he was as proud as any lion could be, standing with his back straight and ready to attention, looking to the others with a gentle glance. Rough around the edges, but ready to do his work as the eyes of this team as he listened to Silverwind's brief. 

"Understood, Captain." Max replied to Silverwind, giving a gentle nod as he looked to the other three, following behind the squirrel and the fox onto the vessel being loaded with transportation crates. Looking over his shoulder to the others, he guessed he had to try and break through somewhat, at least make some impression.

"I'm just hoping for some coffee on board. I'm feeling it this morning." Max added to the others. His accent could be more distinguished now, an undertone that was harsh albeit inviting, like he wasn't trying to scare the others but for someone smaller, easily could have come out like that. 

He really couldn't do smalltalk, but hey, at least he was trying to compensate for his faults this morning. 

Where they were going, he didn't know. What they were doing, he didn't know. But somehow, Max felt oddly optimistic for even his pragmatic self.