Naomi grasped for the right word. Her destination wasn't exactly what she had expected. The spacious grounds were fenced off from everything in either direction. Not that there was much to visually to separate the area within from what lay outside. The road that led up from the coast that had certainly seen better days. Scrappy shrubbery and tall eucalyptus surrounded the facility. A tall mesh fence riddled with creepers. A steel gate so rusted it looked ready to fall off at any moment.
The facilities within were little better. Several concrete outbuildings in desperate need of a fresh lick of paint. A large steel hanger with what could only be hungry vines slowly claiming it as their own. An airstrip somehow free of flora but still in need of a repaint and maintenance. The noon heat rippled in waves off the concrete, blurring everything behind.
'Dilapidated'
Naomi settled on that word. Squaring her shoulders, she marched forward and raised a hand to bang on the gate. As the teenager approached, the gate mechanism groaned before sputtering into life. Ever so slowly the mesh steel barrier was drawn to one side. Not one to waste time Naomi squeezed through the gap once it was wide enough and strode confidently toward what she assumed was the main building. If nothing else it had the most aerials poking out the top. And Naomi wanted to get out of the humidity and heat. Halfway between the gate and her destination Naomi though she heard noise coming from the hanger. Her pace slowed as she peered toward the possible source. Unable to spy the origin Naomi continued on her way. As she neared her destination Naomi decided that the place may not have been as run-down as she initially thought. Though the outside was ramshackle, the glass windows of the double-doors were clean of dust and grime.
A quick scan of the outer walls indicated that the surveillance cameras had not been neglected either.
Pulling the door outward, Naomi entered the building and was nearly bowled over by the aircon. The interior was in a better state. Pale off-white walls, lino floors and UV strip lightning evenly placed. She stood inside what may have been a reception area in the past, though now stripped of its desk and chairs for visitors. Instead a doorless hallway permitted entry to whatever lay within. Eyes adjusting to the ambient light, Naomi could see steel doors irregularly placed down the hallway, intersections branching the thoroughfare further. Taking a moment, Naomi set down her shoulder bag and fished out a water bottle. She tipped a mouthful down her throat and savoured the refreshing pulse that followed it.
'When it's hot enough the taste of water is divine.'
Lifting the bottle for another swig Naomi froze as a cacophony rumbled down the hallway. Appearing from the gloom were two figures. Upon close inspection is was better to describe it as one person being hotly pursued by another. The figure jogging in the lead was a short woman with a tablet tucked under one arm. Despite the weather she still wore jeans, a zipped-up hoodie and sneakers. Perched on her head were a pair of headphones that looked fancy enough to have cost more than Naomi's monthly allowance several times over. Behind the girl and keeping up with his own flustered run was a man somewhere in his twenties. Tall and solidly built he would have blended in with the people surfing on the beach that lay only a few kilometres away. Though his high-vis gear and steel cap boots wouldn't have made a fashion statement.
"Damnit, Maryanne, what did you do this time!" the man shouted.
The girl didn't respond. Instead her pace picked up. Naomi swore she could see a smile tickling the corners of the girl's face.
"You've gone and done something to the Drake-2 again. The blade-pitch is so skewed I can't get off the tarmac."
"Anti-gravity doesn't have rotor blades," Maryanne teased back.
"It's the same damned principle!"
The girl twirled around. Naomi was surprised at how agile Maryanne was. In one fluid movement she was jogging backwards, hand flashing over her tablet, gaze never leaving the agitated man. Moments later the air just in front of the man shimmered a shade of neon blue. Square fractals swarmed in the air before forging a solid and very well-maintained steel double-door into existence. The thump of the collision had Naomi wincing.
"This door won't stop me!" a voice cried dimly from the other side.
Pirouetting mid stride, Maryanne continued her merry way. She gave Naomi a quick side-on glance, long blue-black hair streaking behind her, before pushing through the doors and out into the hazy heat. Naomi lowered her drink bottle and wondered if she'd been given the right address. The banging on the steel door ceased. Packing away her bottle Naomi cautiously entered the hallway. A thump on the conjured door made the teenager jump. Two more thumps followed before the one of the doors flew off its hinges and bounced down the corridor. Naomi's reaction came from months of drills and training. Eyeballing the angle of the door and how it deflected off the floor and walls, she dropped to one knee and leant to the left. A second later the bent steel projectile soared overhead before clattering to a halt in the waiting area.
The angry man streaked by with nary a glance.
'Well as far as first days go this is certainly unique.'
Naomi got back up and checked she hadn't crushed anything in her bag. Only when she looked up did the girl realise that someone else had come through the door besides the angry man. Standing in the doorframe was a tall woman in a pale white sundress and sandals. She had the lithe physique of someone who spent a great deal of time outdoors, with the bronze skin to compliment it.
"Kirei-da," Naomi whispered without realising.
"Your accent is pretty good," the woman said as she stepped through the frame.
"I… uhm… ahh…"
"Gomen nasai?" the woman offered.
Face flushed red, Naomi gave a small bow.
"Gomen nasai," Naomi repeated.
The woman smiled and shook her head.
"I am just teasing. Though I was genuinely complementing your accent."
"So, you're Japanese?" Naomi blurted.
"Mmm. Did you spend some time there?"
"My family travels a lot."
The woman's long black hair was in done up in a neat braid that hung over one shoulder. She stroked on it absently and glared in the direction of the front gate.
"That woman will be the death of me."
"You're a Valkyrja, aren't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"That man didn't have the strength to kick down the door,"
"Travis is capable of many things when he is wound up. And Maryanne is talented at annoyance."
The woman gave Naomi her full attention.
"You must be our newest recruit."
Naomi held out a hand.
"Naomi Maxwell, pleased to me… uhhh…"
The woman shook her head before grasping Naomi's hand.
"We are not in Japan. No need for hajime mashite and the like. I am Etsuko Saito. Major of the Seraph Bay Valkyrja detachment of Shicksal."
Naomi knew there was nothing untoward in the handshake. But still she could feel the strength of the grip.
"Shall we go meet your fellow Valkyrja's?" Etsuko offered.
Naomi bobbed her head. Picking up her bag she followed attentively behind her superior. The interior was far better than the outside façade. Clean floor, walls recently repainted. Electrical services and cabling in brackets across the ceiling, fluorescent lighting keeping any shadows at bay. Etsuko led the pair along several corridors, seemingly turning random at a junction before arriving at a door. She knocked once before entering. Naomi followed close behind. Several women lounged around a spacious room that seemed equal part gym and sparring area. Weights, exercise machines and a mirrored wall gave it a somewhat homey and lived-in feel.
Naomi's attention switched over to the women waiting patiently. Maryanne was present, lying on a beanbag and taping away at her tablet. Two other women ended their conversation and turned to the pair waiting at the door.
"So, which way is the entrance?" one asked immediately.
"Uhhhhhhhhhh"
Naomi's head whipped back and forth. The other women offered no sympathy. The recruit nervously licked her lips and thought about the question. With modest confidence she lifted her hand and pointed directly behind her.
"It's that way. But if you're asking about exiting this building as quickly as possible, I'd followed the emergency signage in the corridor behind us and take two right turns."
"Newbie got you there," the other unknown women noted to her friend.
The one that had asked the question sniffed. Naomi couldn't help but stare at the woman a little. She was taller than everyone present, solidly built with wild red hair in a ponytail and auburn eyes. Those eyes watched Naomi like a cat. The redhead wore casual clothes: a short-sleeved red top, boy shorts and boots. It was the steel prosthetic left arm that Naomi had difficulty taking her eyes off.
"Something got your eye?" the red head asked
Naomi obliviously ignored the venom in the voice and replied earnestly
"That's the Mikoyan Design Bureau CAS-II Lugaid! It's a variation on the CAS-II Namiko design but incorporates several micro-servos into the full-limb architecture as well a Micro-Honkai reactor to power the prosthesis. Is the interface Myoelectrical or neural bridge?"
The woman standing next to redhead snorted with laughter.
"Newbie's got you again, Thea."
Thea sniffed again. The chuckling woman turned to Naomi. She looked closer to Naomi's age, similar in height but with a very tan complexion and jade green eyes. The way she shifted her feet to look Naomi dead on was graceful and composed. It matched her lithe, gymnasts' like build. Her clothes were as casual as the rest: shorts, singlet, a loose t-shirt, and sneakers.
"Perhaps introductions would be appropriate. I am Faranaq. The one pouting next to me is Thea. Maryanne is lounging in the beanbag and I assume that Etsuko has introduced herself already."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Naomi offered back, giving everyone a small bow in turn.
"Is she any good?" Thea asked.
"I will let you be the judge of that," Etsuko replied.
The attention of the other three was drawn to the Major. It wasn't lost on Naomi. Three respected the Major immensely.
"With everyone here I would like to now formally welcome you to Seraph Bay Valkyrja detachment, Naomi. We are part of the Oceania Branch of Shicksal, one of several based in eastern Australia. Those present before you are your fellow Valkyrja. As you have only just graduated, I would ask that you defer to your seniors and take very seriously what advice and guidance they give you. Shicksal training can only get you so far. On field experience is what makes a difference between a recruit and a B-rank Valkyrja. I have lost soldiers in the past and am in no hurry to do so any time soon. Take heed to what we say, train hard and you will become a promising Valkyrja."
"Enough with the fluff," Thea jumped in. "You said I could be the judge of the newbie."
Thea gestured toward Maryanne. With fingers dashing across her tablet, the woman dimmed the lights in the room before activating the holographic projectors. A complex array of graphs, notes and combat data spread out behind Naomi. Turning around Naomi gazed upon a blazingly honest litany of her training. The Western European branch of Shicksal had kept complete notes and data upon the Valkyrja's progress.
None of it was complimentary.
"You have to be fucking joking," Thea cursed. "This is Yvette's replacement? What the hell is Oceania thinking?"
Faranaq leant forward and scanned through a section of the notes that was slowly scrolling down.
"The Western European branch overrode them. It looks like London was done with her after she just scraped through training. Barely graduated as B-rank. But graduate she did."
"So we get lumped with this one because they can't find anything better to do with her?"
"She's originally from Seraph Bay so it does make logical sense."
"Logic be damned. We're understaffed as it is. I can smell Clara in all of this. That damned bit—"
"Enough, Thea," Etsuko warned.
The room stewed in the sudden silence. Naomi hadn't anticipated this reception.
'About as far from my first day as I'd possibly imagined'
"We don't have enough people," Thea growled. "A recruit this talentless should never have been allowed to graduate. Someone is going to die because of her."
With a curse Thea stormed out the room. Maryanne tapped a few commands on her laptop. The hologram disappeared as the lighting returned to normal. Etsuko shook her head slowly. Faranaq gave Naomi a commiserating look. Eventually Etsuko broke the silence.
"I apologise for Thea. That was uncalled for."
"That was surprising," Naomi replied in a soft voice.
"She can get quite—"
"I didn't think you could be that unprofessional. Especially for a Valkyrja."
The pressure in the room shifted. And not in a way the three resident Valkyrja had expected. Naomi continued apace.
"I came here to kill Honkai. Not to engage in school-girl politics."
Naomi drew her phone from her bag and activated the encrypted wireless. She pointed it toward Maryanne.
"Please pass over the site maps and basic security clearances I'll need for moving throughout the base."
The technical soldier glanced at her superior. Seeing the nod, she did as requested. With the download complete Naomi quickly scanned through the map before locating her assigned room. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and gave the people in the room with an amused grin.
"What? Were you expecting some cliché where I look embarrassed and ask you all for help and understanding? You all offer some trite platitudes. We have some cosy bonding moment. Think of it from my perspective. I've been on site for barely 30 minutes and already I'm left wondering just what I did to deserve being posted to Seraph Bay. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to unpack and unwind. My phone says dinner is at 18:30 so I'll see you all there."
With the map now memorised Naomi headed for the correct exit.
"Shitsurei shimasu," Naomi said pointedly as she closed the door behind her.