"Harlock. Heard that name before. Mostly when the rumors struck again that the PPDC was readying a secret strike weapon. Crazy son of a bitch and experimental tech." Raleigh frowned down at the file.

Herc chuckled. "No crazier than any of us, I think."

Chuck plucked the file out of his co-pilot's hands and read over the scarce information. His brow furrowed.

"Did you test-ride one of those Deathshadows?" he asked, looking at his father.

Hansen snorted. "Didn't even know they existed, kid. It was hush-hush and almost like a Black Ops operation. No one knew more than they needed to, maybe even less. Those files contain more blacked out paragraphs than information. Now that we won, the PPDC keeps digging up everything they hid in dark corners. And I get to deal with it."

"Like Harlock."

"He piloted into the Breach, came back without his co-pilot, lost an eye and had disappeared until now," Herc said, nodding. "Arcadia Zero was decommissioned. Officially at least. I know I'm missing a lot of stuff in these files and the PPDC is not very forthcoming, but I think he and his crew were sent into the fray a few times. Black Ops."

Raleigh expelled a breath. "And now he's gonna be stationed here? Why?"

"We only have two Jaegers at the moment. Epic North, Skyfall Prime. Hong Kong is also the only fully operational Shatterdome. It'll take years to get them all back to what the PPDC is planning. Arcadia Zero is ready for combat and more than capable of handling the science missions we're currently running. All the other Jaegers from Oblivion Bay are months away from having anyone pilot them."

"PPDC is really reactivating just about everyone. Even worse relics than Raleigh."

Becket elbowed him with a mock scowl.

Chuck smirked. "Just saying. And he can't be worse than your retired ass was back then."

"My retired ass saved yours, Hansen, so watch it."

"Luck."

"Has nothing to do with it," Raleigh shot back.

"Boys," Herc sighed, shaking his head in fond exasperation.

Chuck gave him the evil eye, then his face shifted from playful outrage to a more serious expression.

"I'm actually looking forward to seeing that mythical Jaeger with my own eyes. She must be something."

Raleigh nodded. "She most likely is. The only one of her kind."

"And the pilots."

Herc huffed a little laugh. "Harlock can't be worse than you, kid."

Chuck shot him a mock offended look. Raleigh just smirked with amusement.

"He's a myth," Becket finally said. "A living legend that no one has seen, really. Larger than life."

"Don't put him on a pedestal just yet. He's human like all of us." Herc took the file and nodded at his two pilot. "See you later."

Raleigh waved and Chuck flipped him a lazy salute.

YHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYH

The Hong Kong Shatterdome had grown from a slightly desperate last stand into a busy front line research station within just a year after the Breach had been closed. Herc watched the proceedings with a slightly nostalgic smile, filled with pride and achievement, but also with all kinds of memories. As Marshall this was his to command. He had taken over from Stacker Pentecost and he had tried to honor his old friend in the way he was running things. Hong Kong had grown and was by now the nexus point of all Shatterdomes. Not all had been reactivated, but the ones running by now were important bases nonetheless.

Watching the proceedings as a new-arrival stepped off the helicopter, the seasonal rain drenching not only the landing platform but everything, Herc pushed away from the guard rail and walked down the last few steps to welcome his guest.

A silent shadow followed him, tall, blond, dressed in a Jaeger pilot's uniform. James Bond had taken on the role of his second in command without much fuss and while he was still an active pilot and frequently made Drops with his co-pilot, he was also the man to go to in case Herc wasn't around. Bond had slid into this slot like he belonged there.

Now he took in the new addition to their Shatterdome, cool eyes sizing up the figure and forming a first opinion not based on the bare facts on paper.

Captain Harlock, one half of the pilot team of the only still functional Deathshadow Jaeger, was a sight to behold. Tall and lithe, brown haired, brown eyed, and no bad on the eyes. His hair was longish, falling into his eyes and hiding the damage done to his right one. It was in disarray, but not unkempt or unwashed.

Herc almost laughed at the open stares the man was getting and he couldn't fault anyone for watching the tall, slender figure walk into the Shatterdome. The helicopter that had dropped him and three others off was already taking off again. In a few hours Arcadia Zero was expected to arrive.

"Looks like a bloody pirate," Bond murmured under his breath, more like a softly voiced thought than a real comment.

Yes, he did. Harlock was wearing a black leather uniform, consisting of a skin tight jacket and pants. Around his upper arms, dull golden metal gleamed, just like at his neck, where usually the helmet and the armor would attach. It looked almost like someone had taken a steampunk painting and made it into a real PPDC uniform. On his chest, center-piece, was a skull and crossed bones, stark white spray-painted against the black. Arcadia Zero's sigil. It was mirrored on the belt buckle clasp.

Harlock wore an ankle-length coat over his uniform. It was black on the outside, red on the inside, with a high neck. His damaged right eye was hidden underneath his long, non-regulation bangs, but even they couldn't cover the eyepatch completely. The most distinctive feature was a large scar running from his left cheek over his nose and disappearing under the eyepatch.

"Captain Harlock," Herc greeted him when the man stopped in front of him.

"Marshall Hansen." He inclined his head in acknowledgment.

There was hardly an inflection to Harlock's voice and he didn't appear to be overjoyed to be here. Herc met the hard eye, saw a lot he recognized reflected in there.

Harlock was damaged goods, like all pilots. None of them had come out of the decades of war intact. It showed in their behavior, in the way they clung to familiar people, how they pushed off potentially dangerous new acquaintances. Herc understood.

All of them understood.

There were a lot of remarks in his file about his self-destructive behavior after the loss of his co-pilot, the way he distanced himself from everyone. Psychologists had tried to get him to open up, but he hadn't let anyone closer than a loose friendship.

Harlock was a loner, only bound to his team through his co-pilot. He was a driven man, a man who did his job perfectly well, who strove to be the best, to protect what he loved, but at the end of the day he was alone.

Just another one of them, Herc mused. Raleigh and Chuck all over again. And Bond. He seemed to collect the broken ones.

"Welcome to Hong Kong." he glanced at the three additional newcomers behind Harlock. "All of you."

A young man, no older than his own son, shook Herc's hand, giving him a smile. He wore an almost similar outfit as Harlock, though the color scheme was less black than dark brown and golden, and the skull and crossbones were on the left side of his chest.

"Yama Logan," he introduced himself with a firm handshake.

"Ranger Logan. Good to have you here."

Herc looked at the other two.

A young woman, blonde, wearing a similar crossbones insignia on her black and red jacket. Kei Yuki, he recalled from the files. Main J-Tech Engineer for Arcadia Zero. The tall, massive guy on her left was Julian Yattaran, chief mechanic and aside from Kei one of the few people who probably understood at least a little of what Arcadia was made of.

Mako joined them, inclining her head politely. "Captain Harlock, Ranger Logan."

"Mako Mori," Herc introduced her. "Head of J-Tech and responsible for all Jaegers of the Shatterdome. She'll assign you your quarters and handle the arrival of Arcadia Zero."

"I appreciate it," Harlock answered evenly.

Bond remained silent, but he knew exactly who they were dealing with. The man always did. It was a knack he had. The briefing had been short, to the point, and there was little on file for the Arcadia's crew, but those past few minutes had given them a much better impression.

Kei was looking around as they walked deeper into the Shatterdome, her eyes coming to rest on Epic North. She looked impressed and slightly itchy to take a closer look.

"I wasn't aware of any new Jaegers getting commissioned."

"We got lucky."

"Hong Kong is important," Harlock said, his eye on the Jaeger, nodding. "It's the most important Shatterdome of all the reactivated ones. You have the best people here, Marshall Hansen, the latest Jaegers; you run operations concerning the further investigation of the Breach. Your K-scientists are unrivaled."

Herc twitched an eyebrow. Yes, he all that. He had worked to make his Shatterdome the best, to have the brightest minds and most talented pilots here. He glanced at Bond. The man simply raised an eyebrow, the glacially blue eyes neutral.

"It's why the PPDC found it important to reassign the last of Project Nibelung's creations to Hong Kong."

"After the war," Bond commented.

Harlock's smile was thin, almost cruel. "She wouldn't have been the asset you think she is."

Bond's expression was just as cold and calculating. "You had a co-pilot, Captain. Arcadia was active. It was all we needed."

Herc shot his second a sharp look, but Bond wasn't deterred.

"We would have fought," Harlock replied, voice under tight control, his tension bleeding through in every word. "The PPDC had sidelined us for too many years, was too careful, and they didn't even consider bringing Arcadia in as a last resort. It wasn't up to us. It never was at any given time."

Herc studied the younger man, saw a pain he had only ever seen in Raleigh when the American pilot talked about Yancy. The few times he actually had.

Harlock was no different from every other pilot he had ever seen in this war. Heck, he wasn't so different from Herc himself. Loss was part of this war. Personal loss weighed even more on one's soul. Seeing your co-pilot die, be it through radiation poisoning or a Kaiju attack, it stuck with the survivor. The teams were tight-knit, trusted each other implicitly, had shared more than any close friends would ever be able to do, and losing that left a gaping hole behind, no matter who tried to replace that person.

Bond didn't reply, but there was a fine smile on his lips that showed that he was satisfied with that answer, had actually wanted something like that.

Finally Hansen nodded his understanding. "Get settled," he ordered. "Get to know the others. We'll check your Jaeger when she gets here and you'll be scheduled for test runs accordingly."

"Yes, sir," Yama replied, who had been quietly watching the exchange with sharp eyes and a tense set of his shoulders. "Can't wait to get into the Conn-Pod."

Yep, typical pilot.

Herc watched them go, led by Mako who would give them the brief tour.

Bond fell in step beside the Marshall as Hansen headed toward his office.

YHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYH

"What do you think?"

Bond leaned back against the window, all lean lines and contained strength, his lips pursed thoughtfully. "You'll have your hands full."

"Yeah, figured that. He's quite something."

"And still valuable enough for the PPDC to think you might need him and his Jaeger."

"If it doesn't blow us all sky high the moment they fire her up."

Bond shrugged one shoulder. "Possible but doubtful. It's been ten years since they first activated that engine and while Arcadia has been mothballed for a while, she is operational. Q would be all over that Drive if he was here."

"Speaking of which… you and him: vacation. Now. Understood?"

"Yessir."

"Good. I don't want to see either of you here unless there is a Kaiju crawling out of the ocean. A Dark Matter Drive is no excuse for your co-pilot to show his face."

Bond chuckled.

"Go and enjoy yourselves. One month. No less."

"I heard you the first twenty times, Herc."

Hansen grimaced. "Because I know you, Bond. I expect you to also understand me, not just hear me."

Bond gave him a lazy salute. "I always understand, Marshall. Have fun breaking in the new team, unless they break the Shatterdome first."

"Out," Herc just snarled.

YHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHYHHYHYHYHYH

"Holy crap!"

Yama walked into the quarters assigned to them and turned a full 360 degrees. His eyes were wide and he looked like a little kid.

"These are our quarters?" he asked, looking at Mako like she had made a mistake.

She inclined her head, a fine smile on her lips. "They are."

"You could fit three whole Jaeger teams in here and still have room!"

"These are the quarters that were assigned to families before the Shatterdomes started to close down and personnel had been reduced. All pilot teams have been placed on this floor, as well as Doctors Gottlieb and Geiszler."

"This is so cool," Yama whispered.

Harlock was his silent, looming self. His eye roamed over the neutrally painted and furnished quarters. It consisted of a bedroom that was separate from a living room. Yama prowled into the bedroom, delighted, then back out again to check the bathroom.

"These are your log-ins for the Shatterdome's network," Mako said and handed a slim folder to Harlock.

He opened it and found their official ID cards, the layout of the Shatterdome printed out and the required paperwork to get them settled with tablets and network access.

"I will take care of Arcadia Zero's arrival. The Bay is ready and your crew will receive whatever they need. Quarters have been commissioned to them as well."

"Thank you."

She bowed her head. "You are very welcome, Captain. Should you require any assistance, let me know."

"You are the Chief J-Tech Engineer," he remarked, raising his eyebrow.

Mako's smile remained polite and amusement was in her eyes. "Commander Bond, Marshall Hansen's second in command, is about to go on leave. I fill in when that happens. Please don't hesitate to contact me."

Harlock returned the gesture, bowing his head as a thank you. "Miss Mori."

"Captain Harlock, Ranger Logan." She turned and left the quarters.

"Wow!" Yama breathed again. "This is really something!"

Harlock lifted a corner of his mouth in amusement, getting a blindingly happy smile from his partner in return.

"Let's unpack and then I want a shower," Yama proclaimed. "And I heard they have a pool, too. How about we take a tour of the place?"

"Did you bring your camera?" Harlock teased.

Yama chuckled. "C'mon, tall, dark and handsome. This is our new base now. We should know where we are. The team's coming in soon and so is Arcadia. And I'm hungry."

"You always are." Harlock took his bag. "Now take your shower."

"Yes, Captain."

Yama gave a sloppy salute and disappeared in the bathroom. Harlock shook his head and tossed the bag onto the bed. While his co-pilot showered, he would take a look around the network.

Kei and Yattaran would take care of arranging the Jaeger Bay for Arcadia and look into the crew quarters. He had faith in them, as he always had.

tbc...