"Pass." Axl threw down his cards in disgust. Jennie sighed, and they all tossed theirs in as well.

"What garbage." Dagger said after she examined the cards. "I've never seen that bad a split before. Oh well… my deal." And she swept up the Euchre deck, quickly shuffling and dealing.

All of them but Axl were trying not to think about tomorrow. It had been almost three months, and their basic training was done. Tomorrow was graduation. They would be getting their unit assignments, and this year that was significant like no other.

The new HQ in Calgary had just been finished. They were still putting final touches on it, but it was only a matter of time before the move started. It had already been decided that the 5'th and the 13'th would be going. The 17'th and the 0'th worked too well together to justify splitting them up, even if their commanders hadn't been totally opposed to the idea.

With them, they would be taking a good half of the 16'th and the 14'th. They would be forming new units, tentatively named the 19'th and the 20'th. The 18'th would be staying, but they would eventually be going to the new facility in Albuquerque. That construction had just started, though, and could take as long as two years.

It reminded Jennie of a beehive that had gotten too big and needed to swarm. She was glad they would be having more space. She had been wondering where on earth they would put the next class of rookies, but now enough rooms would be free. Beginners like themselves would still be four to a room, but at least there would be more space in the recreational facilities.

It was sad, though. Friends were going. They would still be fighting together, but not sharing each others lives on a regular basis. Hunters were already saying goodbye to friends and colleagues. Even within the units staying, some were going to help give the new units the command experience they would need. Dagger had already cried on Jennie's shoulder about losing contact with Subaru when he left.

Only Axl wasn't worried. He was with the 17'th, staying right where he was, and almost all his friends were staying. They were probably staying too, but there was always a nagging uncertainty…

"Pick it up." Jennie said decisively when the bidding reached her. Grumbling, Dagger picked up the ten of clubs and put it in her hand, discarding a card. That made clubs trump, and Axl led a spade.

In the end, she and Axl lost by 3 points. Axl shrugged with a grin, and then stood up.

"I think that's enough for me. I have a long patrol tomorrow."

"Me too." Dagger stood up with a yawn. "Oh, Jennie, here's your necklace." She passed over the necklace she had taken to borrowing most of the time… A white gold chain with pink sapphires and tiny emeralds dangling from it. Jennie took it with a smile. She had a few plans for it.

"Fine by me." She took the cards, putting them away in the box. It was getting quite late. "Good night." Sebastian watched them get into their rechargers, and then turned out the light before getting into his own.

Tomorrow would be a long day.

The next day…

"Front and centre, recruits!" The soft, wave-like sounds of whispering quickly halted as the rookies found their places. Parade ground marches were not something the Maverick Hunters excelled at… a more useless skill could hardly be imagined in a fight with Mavericks… but they did practice it. There were sometimes awards and presentations that required it. Right now, the rookies were arrayed neatly in rows and had been drilled on how to leave them and how to receive their insignia. The room had been decorated for the ceremony, and great banners with the insignia of each unit were draped on the walls.

All the unit commanders were on the stage, waiting. Jennie blushed lightly as she examined them. She knew X and Zero on sight, of course. The commander of the 18'th was a golden hawk Reploid that reminded her of pictures she had seen of Horus. The commander of the 16'th was a grizzled human with a thick beard and burning eyes. Rumor had it that he had never seen a gun he couldn't handle and inspired an almost fanatical loyalty in the heavy weapons unit. The commander of the 5'th was a tall, female Reploid in black armor. Her armor was speckled with red crystals, and Jennie had heard nothing about her, good or bad. The unit commander of the 13'th was a young male human in dark blue who radiated almost as much serenity as Sebastian. Signas, in overall command of all the units, stepped forward to begin.

"This is the end of your training, and the beginning of the next stage of your life at Maverick Hunter HQ. You've all done well, or you wouldn't be here." He looked them over, and Jennie felt for a moment that he was looking directly at her. "In one way or another, you have all excelled and been proven worthy. Now, you will be taking up your insignia and joining your permanent units." He stepped away from the microphone, and Zero stepped forward to begin calling up the rookies for his unit.

There were a few cheers when popular rookies were named, and Jennie joined in when Rimshot was called for Zero's unit. He was a good one, always willing to help someone with their aim.

Once Zero was finished, the commander of the 18'th went, and Jennie clenched her hands nervously as she realized they were going by number, counting down, although not to zero. That meant X's unit would be next and the moment of truth would be at hand.

X stepped up to the mike and gave them all a warm smile. Then he began reading his own list. After a few names, she heard…

"Jennie Velazquez!" Feeling almost as if she was floating, she stepped out of her row and marched around, onto the stage. X smiled at her, pressing her insignia into one hand as he shook her other. "Good work. Welcome to the 17'th."

"Th-thank you, sir." Blushing a fiery red at her stammer, Jennie stepped back to leave the stage, heading to her place in her unit. She held the insignia tightly in her palm, feeling the ridges of it. She had made it into the 17'th!

"Dagger!" Dagger's squeal of delight made a soft laugh pass through the rookies. Then… "Sebastian!" Now, Jennie felt positively euphoric.

We're going together. Together…!

Later…

Jennie lay in her recharger, too keyed up to shut down. Then she remembered what she had planned to do…

"Dagger?" She spoke softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yes?" The equally soft voice came out of the darkness. "What is it?"

"I have something for you." She passed over a tiny box. She could almost feel Dagger's puzzlement as she held it, then interest as she opened it.

"What…a chain?" She said, puzzled as she touched the contents.

"Guess which one." Jennie grinned as Dagger puzzled that out, then melted into an emotional puddle.

"Oh Jennie… thank you so much! It's so expensive… oh, thank you!" Dagger sniffed softly, touched by the gift of the necklace she had admired so much and borrowed every chance she could. She reached out to touch Jennie's hand. "Thank you."

"That's so sweet." Axl's voice came from Jennie's other side, and she blushed. "I'm curious, though… is Sebastian the only one recharging, or are we all just lying here in the dark?"

"We're all lying here in the dark." Came a familiar tenor voice, and Dagger giggled.

"Does anyone want to play Euchre?"