[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/thAnd8t.png[/img][hr][hider=Armored Core: Verdict Day - Dirty Worker][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p0G0twmo78[/youtube][/hider][hr][hr][/center][table][row][/row][row][cell][indent]Under the mercenary powerhouse known as WOLFHOUND LLC, you can choose to run solo and take missions independently - or you can join a team. The corporation is the umbrella to several teams, but only a few stand out: The Vanguard, The Nine, The Wandering Fist, The Death God Unit... and the [b]Vulture Squad[/b]. The Vulture Squad was initially formed by a man named [b]Joseph Eldridge[/b], a talented mech pilot who had a knack for birds. 

His original Vulture Squad was a team of Shell pilots who were his closest friends, but over time they either died, moved on to different teams, or simply retired from WOLFHOUND. In a few years, the Vulture Squad was unrecognizable from the original that Joseph had assembled. However, the seeds and traditions that Joseph had implanted were here to stay and even the latest iteration of the Vultures still follow Joseph's model - possibly out of memorial. 

The primary tradition was the most important to Joseph: [b]the bird thematic[/b]. You see, when Joseph created the Vulture Squad, he mandated that each and every Shell was named after a bird, referenced a bird, or brought a bird to. That was strictly mandatory and the Squad [i]has[/i] turned away prominent pilots because they refused to change their Shell's name. 

The second tradition revolves around the mission control known as a [b]Birdwatcher/Falconer[/b] - you see it's less of a name and more of a title. The Squad will not address a mission control either until they prove themselves. A Birdwatcher/Falconer is responsible for getting the squad missions, making sure the squad is in good shape (mentally, physically, and equipment-wise), and managing the team while on missions. The Falconer/Birdwatcher is considered to be a leader and not a boss - which was why several Birdwatchers/Falconers in the past were ejected from the position. 

The Vulture Squad recruits new members for its team by carefully scanning for solo Shell pilots under WOLFHOUND (and sometimes completely independent mercenaries) and [i]plucking[/i] them out. This is a duty resigned to the Birdwatcher/Falconer, and it is an important task to ensure that the pilot isn't just skilled but gels with the current Squad.[/indent][/cell][cell][center][b][i]"Wings of fortune! And let that bird fly high!"[/i]
[sup][u]The Vulture Squad's Creed[/u][/sup][/b][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/hL7lSBC.jpg[/img][hr][sub][b]Embelm of the Vulture Squad.[/b][/sub]
[color=2e2c2c]......................................................................[/color][/center][/cell][/row][/table][indent]The Vulture Squad is more about cohesion than pure skill (which was still important) because Joseph's belief was that a well-rounded, moral, squad that all liked each other was more important than just selecting the best of the best. The Vulture Squad is still considered an elite team that the corporations would love to employ but the Falconer doesn't just take missions [i]anyone[/i]. Only missions that are worth the dough, or perhaps worth the cause (if any exist in this cold, desolate, world), are taken by the Vulture Squad. The two missions that the Vulture Squad were famous for were [b]Operation Ascent,[/b] in which the Vulture Squad took down the Bastion of a terrorist organization in the Sahara Desert, and [b]Operation Phoenix,[/b] in which they infiltrated a major Murakumo Robotics factory and destroyed it from within.

The Vulture Squad's base of operations is a flying fortress known as [b][url=https://i.imgur.com/yxgoMLI.jpg]The Nest[/url][/b]. The Nest acts as a mobile hangar where the Vultures can store, upgrade, and repair their Shells, and act as their barracks. The Nest is equipped with advanced stealth technology that makes it very difficult to detect on radar (but can be visually seen), so The Nest drops the Shells off outside of the range of enemy weapons and has them enter the operating area manually. The Nest was never designed to be a part of operations, but it is equipped with pulse shields and cannons in the event that the Nest is attacked.

The previous Birdwatcher was Birdwatcher Eric, who was put On Vacation (slang for assassinated by the corporation) for unknown reasons. He was replaced by a mysterious woman named [b]Ava[/b], who had assigned the Vulture Squad the New Zealand mission.[/indent]