AN- hello everyone! Nasomta here! I know my updates are sporadic at best with Birdsongs, but I just really wanted to get this fic rolling as well. Those of you who followed me from my old account knew I loved Raven and Shadow and the Imperial crew, but not many knew I have a huge soft spot for O'Connell, the sassy Republican pilot, and the Republican Trio. He's actually really high on my favorite character list, and I wrote him briefly in my most popular fic on the old account but never wrote a strict story about him. This fic is going to be a lot like Birdsongs, in that its a collection of short headcanon drabbles. I figured I should write here that my headcanon first name for O'Connell is Brandon, and the first name of Major Ford, Tobias, was borrowed from a dear friend. There's going to be a lot more in the way of military terms and aspects in this one, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it! That being said, to those unfamiliar- call signs are nicknames of sorts given to many pilots. Setter is O'Connell's and Herman's is Sunspot. As with my other fics, I'm blending in manga elements, such as Rob having his Storm Sworder, S4, and Zoids being more sentient. This first four part arc will play out more like a regular fic, so I hope everyone enjoys it! As in the other one, the Zoids have nicknames; O'Connell's Pteras being named Cirrus and his Command Wolf Riley. The layout is going to be a bit different; the chapters are labeled in the beginning like military records to give a bit more insight into different events. Different, yes, but hopefully not bothersome. If people dislike it I will gladly remove in favor of the cleaner style of the other fic. I hope you all enjoy the new fic!

Operation Desert Shadow- Age 21
[two years before the start of Chaotic Century]

❖Status- Declassified
❖Operation Result- Failure
❖Deployment Base- Red River Base
❖Start Date- July 23rd, ZAC 2122
❖End Date- July 28th, ZAC 2122
❖Conflict Location- Boarder at Red River; unidentified Imperial instillation
❖Unit Deployed- RZ-010 Pteras, "Cirrus" unit
❖Operation Objective- Gather intelligence about Imperial movements at the boarder. Determine the number/type of units being deployed to the area before combat results so appropriate counter units can be deployed. Surveillance mission.

"Hey, Setter! Ya bein' deployed already?" the teal-haired soldier looked up from where he was working on his Zoid at Rob's familiar voice, spotting his friend a few feet away. He let out a sigh and grabbed a cloth from his toolbox, wiping the oil off of his hands. Although it was a simple survey mission, he wasn't at all pleased about it. The timing was a bit cumbersome, and the mission itself sounded like it would be about as exciting as one of Krueger's strategy lectures. Just a fly over of some Imperial units that were holed up on the other side of the river; simple enough. Too simple. It'd be horribly boring for a lover of combat such as himself.

"Unfortunately, Sunspot." Brandon exhaled, "Bunch of Imperials are up to something a few clicks east, and command wants to figure out what it is. The earlier the better, as they said." as he talked, he went back to work prepping his Pteras, checking the circuits and adjusting the couplings. Rob's shoulders slumped a bit, the taller soldier leaning against the aerial Zoid's leg as he watched Brandon work. He was dressed in his uniform, although it looked rather disheveled and he didn't have on his armor. It was a bit unusual, but Brandon chalked it up to it being five thirty in the morning and Rob having just gotten out of bed to see him before he left. Hopefully Krueger didn't catch him like that, as in his own words, all soldiers had to look their best no matter the circumstances. And Rob looked more like he was about ready to go to sleep than to go fight the Imperials.

"Sounds like a pretty quiet mission, Setter." came the taller man's reply, "Nice break from all those combat runs you've been doing. Safer too." he added, before offering Brandon one of the two cups of coffee he had brought from the mess hall. Brandon nodded in silent thanks as he took a mug, sipping the black brew quietly. It was something he had needed desperately, since he wasn't a morning person by a long shot. In fact, it was short of a miracle that he had gotten himself out of bed this early on his own; usually Rob was dragging him out of bed to get ready for drills, quite literally. Kicking a wrench over near the toolbox to put away later, he leaned back against his Zoid beside Rob, content to just stand there in silence with him while they drank their coffee.

Now that they were on active duty, they didn't have as much free time as they had had in the academy, so moments like this were a rare commodity. Toby had been sent off with another squad, leaving the two without their third 'partner in crime'. It was difficult adjusting to being separated for long periods of time, since they had been together in their little group all through their academy days. To be suddenly forced apart on missions, sent to different bases, going weeks without any contact, it was tough for the trio. At least Brandon and Robert were lucky enough to be stationed at the same base for a few weeks.

"Think it'll be a long one?" Rob questioned suddenly, before finishing off his coffee. At first Brandon didn't get what he was hinting at, and was a bit confused by the out of place question. It took a moment, but once he realized he chuckled a bit before swallowed the last of his coffee. He placed the empty mug down on the tool cart he was using, wiping his mouth off on the back of his glove before responding.

"Nah, its just a three day deployment. I'll be back in time for the party, don't worry." the Pteras pilot replied with a smirk, closing the circuit panel he had been tinkering with prior to Rob's arrival and putting his tools away. Rob's twenty-first birthday was in four days, and he didn't intend to miss it for anything. Toby was coming in from off-base for the celebration; it would be the first time the three of them had been together in months, and he was looking forward to it. It'd be just like old times. With the Imperial army breathing down their necks and victory an uncertain goal, a celebration would be a welcome break from the constant tenseness and worry that had slowly been growing more and more prominent in Brandon's mind.

"That's good to hear, Setter. I was worried there for a bit that we'd have to have the party without you." Rob chuckled a bit, "It'd hardly be a party without you there anyway." Brandon laughed at those words, replying with a 'damn straight, Sunspot' before he gave his Pteras a last once over. His Zoid didn't look any different from a normal Pteras, but this unit was his pride and joy. Although it went against everything his superiors had said, he'd named the Zoid Cirrus; supposedly naming caused dangerous attachment and lead to more distress when units were lost in combat. Brandon didn't care about that, and went a step further besides just naming the unit; he'd begun talking to him. It was a dangerous thing, as it was greatly frowned upon by the higher-ups. Becoming emotionally attached to a Zoid was a sure way to break a soldier's moral when units were lost to combat. Rob knew all about Brandon's attachment to the Pteras but he didn't breathe a word of it; he was the same way with his prototype Storm Sworder, S4, and his old Gordos, Titan.

Satisfied that his Zoid was in perfect working order, the young pilot started to put his tools away. If he left a mess behind he'd be written up for sure, and since he'd already been written up that month for arriving to a drill hungover he needed to be on his best behavior. Rob was usually his voice of reason, but sometimes he just got a little carried away with his partying. The last time he'd gotten Rob in trouble as well as himself, however, which was a rather sobering wake-up call. With Rob being the president's son and all he knew that his bad behavior could have extremely detrimental consequences on him. That was something he wanted to avoid. A few seconds after he placed the last tool back into the box the hangar intercom crackled, and a message was relayed.

"Deployment order for the Cirrus unit, for operation Desert Shadow, is now in effect. Please proceed to launch area within the next hour."

"That's my cue, Sunspot. I'll see you in a few days." With everything in order, did the lieutenant brush off his uniform and give Rob a farewell nod. It would be a simple enough flight and a straightforward mission, and the sooner he set out the sooner he would be done. And that meant more time to spend with Rob and Toby. The cockpit canopy opened as he approached the Pteras's head, his Zoid giving an excited chirp, eager to get out and stretch his wings.

"— Brandon." Rob's voice was suddenly quiet and serious, Brandon freezing in his tracks and turning his head to look back at the other soldier. His friend rarely took that tone unless something was weighing heavily on his mind, so it caught him off-guard. He just stood there, half inside the cockpit, looking down at Rob in confusion. "Be careful." grey eyes blinked, confused further. Normally whenever one of them was deployed, friendly jokes of 'don't die or I'll kill you' or 'make sure you at least take the other guy down too' were exchanged. Not something this serious.

"… I will, Rob. Don't worry. See you in three days." Brandon called back, tone sincere this time, climbing fully into the cockpit. As the canopy closed, he looked over again to where Rob was standing and gave him a brief parting salute. Rob returned the gesture and backed away, giving Cirrus room to move. The Pteras stretched out his Magnesser wings and twittered happily, walking forward and out towards the open hangar doors. Brandon put on his safety harness before gripping the controls, opening one of the camera channels to see Rob still standing at the maintenance stall. A bad feeling settled into the pit of his stomach, but he quickly pushed it away. He needed to focus. He couldn't get distracted by unwarranted feelings. That was the sort of thing that got one killed.

Brandon closed the channel as Cirrus emerged from the hangar, wings spreading and glowing as they became active. The pair hadn't been deployed for a little over three days now, and the Pteras was more than a little antsy and eager to get into the skies. With a joyed chirp, the pterosaurian Zoid lifted gracefully into the air, enveloped in a softly glowing aura from the Magnessors. Save for Cirrus's excited chittering, they were almost silent, the magnetic systems in the wings giving off little more than a quiet hum. They hovered there for a moment as Brandon entered the mission coordinates and checked the vital systems, before with a single, silent stroke of those golden wings, the two were off soaring into the skies.