The Wolf Pack

Chapter One: First Impressions

Sarah Briggs sat at her computer looking at the info displayed on the screen. She was hunched over, hands clasped in front of her face in thought. What she was reading was worrying at the least. Ever since the events of Typhon 2, the Militia has never been more sought after. Recruits coming in left and right. Their ranks were surging since people had seen what the IMC was willing to do to a planet. It was like the victory at Demeter all over again. But they were coming up short in important areas. The Commanding hierarchy in the Militia was lacking. So several high ranking pilots had been promoted last second to fill in the big spots so that way they had at least a semi-solid network of capable officers. But promoting those men and women meant missing spots in the pilot ranks. She waved a hand and the holoscreen interacted appropriately, pulling up a list of dossiers. She had more than enough qualified rookies biting at the bit to get out and run missions. But unfortunately the issue with that was the allocation of Titan resources.

Titans were costly to make. They took time and a dedicated facility to produce them. Problem was getting their own Titan manufacturing. Hammond Robotics had done much to distance themselves from IMC since the events of Demeter, but they were still too synonymous with the Corporation to be comfortable. Wonyeon Defense was a tried and true arms dealer. They produced most of the guns used by IMC and Militia forces. They also produced Titans, but only the Ogre class. Kodai Industries might be their best choice. They invented the Atlas type Titan chassis, and produced the Ion class of Titan. But now the IMC was closing their fist on most of the Titan manufacturing these days. IMC had felt the sting of lost resources from Hammond and would make it right however they felt they needed to. IMC forces had descended on various corporations factories and enacted an enforced embargo. Diverting shipments to themselves under threat of violence. Someone should be doing something about it. And she had been ordered to. She swiped the list of dossiers so the files transmitted to her handheld tablet and rose from the table, turning the light in the office off and stepped out of the room.

As she walked down the hall she flicked through the pages of info. She had poured over these specific files for days for the purposes of selecting the next batch of recruits. A few names popped out at her as she walked.

Jonathon Weird. Codename: Regent. Weird was from an old money family that had fallen on tough times since taking a stance against the corporations early on years ago. They had owned a number of manufacturing plants and had resisted corporatization over the years, but were effectively run off planet by IMC forces a few years ago. Weird had popped up in basic rifleman training and had, in a word, excelled. Top marks on the field and in the classroom. He had been earmarked for Pilot training since his second week in recruit school. Codename arose due to his love of chess and impeccable battlefield strategy. 50 Sim drops, 50 sim kills.

Owen Clark. Codename: Ferret. Owen was a consummate thrill seeker. Being born on a quiet farming planet didn't suit him. He had a childhood of hover racing and homemade jumpkits for urban shenanigans. IMC came to his colony and mandated corporate rules and regulations, bleeding most of the farmers dry of monetary gains. Faced with being a cog in a machine or doing something about it, he decided to do something about it. Traveled to the nearest Militia controlled world and joined up as soon as he landed. Highly rated for CQB and demolitions. They called him Ferret due to the band of scarring around his eyes and upper cheeks, like a ferret fur marking. 50 Sim drops, 48 sim kills.

Next was Diana 'Hellcat" Guojing. Narrowly escaped a city bombing with her mother and younger brother when she was a teenager. Had gotten in trouble with militia Police a few times and was given the choice of either joining the Armed forces or going to jail. She chose the service. While she wasn't the strongest or the fastest, Diana didn't know how to quit. Her do or die attitude was all that got her through Pilot training by the skin of her teeth. Apparently one of the instructors had tried to disqualify her, only for several of the other Trainees threatening to walk if she had to. Pilots Weird and Clark were among them. 54 Sim drops, 49 sim kills.

And then there was Cooper. The man was instrumental in the success of Militia's work on Titan. Working with his Titan, BT, he had almost single handedly thwarted the IMC's goal of detonating the planet. Well. The planet had been destroyed, but with none of the Militias forces still on it. But the man was quite simply in limbo rank wise. Officially he was still a third class Rifleman. But also officially he was a veteran Pilot with five confirmed kills against high ranking mercenaries from the Apex Predators. Then there was the matter of BT 7274. The Titan and Pilot were still neural linked when they were separated. Cooper has checked out fine physically, but during his psychological stress testing had admitted to hearing a dull echo sound, as if someone was talking to him. This wasn't enough to ground him as it was common for side effects to happen in cases like this. Hallucinations both auditory and visual were common.

But the real question was whether he'd be able to pair up with another Titan. Piloting wasn't just about hopping into a cockpit with some training. The amount of computing power that went into Titans and the AI that piloted them resulted in distinct personalities forming after a period of time. Titans were a result of their surroundings. Cooper might not be able to form a bind with another Titan with the ghost of his previous one still in his head.

As she neared the end of the hallway, Briggs looked up for her holo pad and pressed the button calling the elevator. As the elevator floor number slowly climbed up to hers she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had a shuttle full of wet behind the ears Pilots coming to be stationed on her cruiser, a man with a robot ghost in his head already in quarters, and not enough giant fighting robots for all of them. She needed a pay raise.

The elevator dinged open and a pair of brown eyes blinked at her in surprise. Speak of the Devil…

"Cooper." She greeted and stepped in the elevator, the man shuffling over a step or two to allow her some space on the elevator.

"Commander" He said back to her. They had undergone a full debriefing after the events on Typhon but hadn't gotten the chance to speak casually since before they launched their assault on the ship dockyard. The two of them stood not uncomfortably in silence as the elevator climbed down the many floors of the ship to the Hanger Bay. Briggs looked over at the man who stared straight ahead.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Cooper blinked slowly in thought before answering.

"Still a little fuzzy sometimes. But they're getting more and more infrequent as time goes on. Having BT ripped out of my head sucked. Especially cuz of all we went through in such a short time." He stared out almost as if looking past the steel panels of the elevator doors.

Sarah was never good at being soft and emotional, not to mention that she was a commanding officer. So she simply nodded in silence. Cooper deserved a few medals after what he had been through. As the elevator dinged for her stop she stepped out, but paused and turned to face Cooper who was still on the lift. She jerked her head towards the hangar bay and asked: "Wanna see the new bunch of Pilots? They're coming in via shuttle within the next hour.

Cooper smiled a little and said, "Yeah Commander, I'll come and see the fresh meat." As they moved out to the waiting area, the mechanics and other soldiers saluted Briggs as per usual, but they almost all acknowledged Cooper on some way. Some nodded, a few waved. The ones who were more familiar with the man came up and exchanged greetings with him. Briggs took all this in. The man was a born leader. The men naturally responded to him after the victory on Typhon. The communicator in her ear crackled to life as she watched this.

"Commander Briggs, this is Traffic Control." She raised a hand to lay a finger on the ear piece and answer back."

"Go ahead, Traffic."

"Ma'am, the Pilot transport is ten minutes out and requesting permission to dock."

"Yes that's fine. Give them the all clear."

She lowered her hand ending the call and cleared her throat before using shouting.

"Alright ladies! Transports inbound in ten! I need spaces cleared and a welcome party ready!" The bay workers sprang into action. Supply crates were moved, forklifts zoomed around as the men and women worked with an impressive speed. This is what they did and they did it well. A foreman with a large clipboard in a jumpsuit with a safety helmet yelled out orders and pointed fingers at appropriate places.

"Johnson move those O2 scrubbers! They should've been out of here an hour ago. Briggs, quit staring at Ensign Ramirez and get that ammo stowed. There's a chemical spill and it hasn't been cleaned up yet, why?!"

Cooper knew well enough to hustle out of the way of the action and stand beside Briggs. He spoke lowly so only she could hear.

"Hey Briggs. Uh, I was wondering." He pursed his lips nervously. "With this group, I know everything has been busy since Typhon but I was wondering, uh…"

Sarah quirked an eyebrow, eyes still looking over the events happening in the bay. She hated the lack of confidence. "Spit it out, Rifleman."

"I want to be a Pilot." She turned back to Cooper and looked at him fully. The man stared back at her, eyes set. "I know I'm still officially a Third Class Rifleman. But I have the training. I have what it takes. You know it, I know it. BT knew it." His mouth set a hard line and his eyes lowered to the floor. "Captain Lastimosa knew it too. I can't go back to being a regular Rifleman. I've seen too much, DONE too much." His fists clenched at his sides. Sarah took this all in. She looked at him for a minute. Weighing her options.

"These new Pilots coming in are hungry." She jerked her head towards the bay doors. Through the glass, in the distance, a shape was forming. A transport shuttle, it's lights blinking faintly in the dark of space. "They're fresh out of Pilot school. Each one of them has that shiny, new Combat certification and they are ITCHING to use it. Especially after what happened on Typhon 2. They all know who you are. And they all want to be better than you." Cooper looked back up to her at this. She couldn't tell what the look in his eyes was. Was it confusion? Or excitement? "You were the underdog on that planet. You managed to come out on top. But now? This is a pack of wolves coming here. Can you run with them?"

Cooper nodded, smiling. "Thank you ma'am. I won't let you down."

"That's what i like to hear. Now go get your kit ready. Once they get here and stowed away, we'll be busy."

Cooper saluted and quickly walked down the hall towards the elevator. Sarah turned her attention to the shuttle that was moments away from docking

Transport Shuttle MAF 20673

Owen Clark couldn't help but pace. His hands slapped his thighs to a beat in his head as he walked back and forth. He drummed his fingers when he got bored of slapping his thighs. His movements weren't as nervous so much as they were restless. "Come on," he stretched the second word out. "Either we're docked or we aren't. Open the damn doors." He rubbed his fingers over the stubble on his jaw and then ran a quick hand through his hair cut, a freshly trimmed high fade but with length left on top. He jumped up and down once and interlaced his fingers behind his head twisting his body to turn and walk away from the doors that had yet to open.

"Easy Ferret, you'll pop a blood vessel." Diana said. She set with her head bowed. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail usually but was pulled up into her hat on this particular day. Her tone was calm but even she couldn't hide her knee steadily bouncing in anticipation. The third member of their trio had yet to say a word in the last few hours of their transport. He laid with his back across three seats with his legs propped up on the wall, staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded across his chest. The three of them were in a corner of the transport, with the other Pilots sitting randomly across the rest of the shuttle. They had been pulled from different training facilities from all over Militia controlled space.

"Oh, sorry, Your Grace." Owen bowed mockingly. "Didn't mean to disturb your presence. Should I be quieter next time?" He finished with his middle finger raised in front of her. His laughter at her expense was soon cut off as Diana's hand snapped out and grabbed the offending digit before he could move it away. She twisted the finger and his hand was forced behind his back.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. Please, please, I'll be good."

She let him go with a smirk and he stumbled away shaking his injured hand. She sat back down and turned to Jonathon. Jon would have these quiet spells from time to time so it was nothing new to her.

"Jon." She said softly. The man blinked and turned his head to her silently, scratching the long stubble on his cheeks. "What are you thinking about?" She asked.

He grinned and lifted his legs as he sat up, righting himself with one motion. He groaned as he stretched for the first time in a few hours. After a moment he relaxed with a long exhale and said, "I hear that Jack Cooper is on this ship somewhere. I wanna meet him."

Owen leaned against the wall of the shuttle, arms folded over his chest. "You and half the Militia there, boss man. You want his signature? You'll DEFINITELY have to get in line for that." Jonathon gave the man a deadpan look and Owen just grinned cheekily.

"I want to see if he matches up to the stories. I've heard he was just a rifleman with some training."

Diana spoke now. "These stories have to be exaggerated. They're saying he took down FIVE of the Apex group? Absolutely not. I've seen battlefield clips from that freak Kane alone. He was a monster. Coked out of his mind the whole time I'm sure." She shook her head. "Each one of those mercenaries was at the top of their game. And he took them all out. Except for Blisk. I don't know how he got away from that man."

"If he's here, we can ask him ourselves." Jonathon said, standing up and slinging his rucksack over his shoulder. "See how much was skill and how much was dumb luck." The shuttle bay ramp began to slowly lower, the shuttle warning lights flashing the room in red intermittently. The ramp descended, the light from the hanger bay they were parked in slowly washed over all of them. Jonathon in front, Owen and Diana flanking him behind. They stepped out onto the hanger floor. Jonathon breathed in deeply, as if testing the air. He exhaled and smiled. "Smell that?" He said to no one in particular. "Smells like the next leg of our journey." He began walking to where their new Commander Sarah Briggs was standing with a holopad waiting for the new Pilots to gather round. She tapped her foot impatiently. Luckily, the Pilots were in high gear and they all assembled in basic rows before her within a minute standing at attention.

She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Relax, Pilots." The gathered men and women sighed and stood naturally. "I have a deal with all my crew." She said, projecting her voice to be heard by anyone nearby. "I don't bust your balls while we're underway if you don't give me a reason to bust your balls. You will call me Commander Briggs, or Ma'am. None of that Sir shit with me. Understood?" She cast an eye over the group.

"Yes ma'am." The Pilots echoed immediately.

"Good. Now I'm to understand that you all are the latest group to pass the Combat Certs, correct?" Again she received a chorus of Yes Ma'am. Ah, she loved the rapt attention. "Now as you ALL know, I'm sure." she started to pace back and forth. "This is the SRS Division. That stands for Special Recon Squadron. We are the best, plain and simple. Who can tell me our motto? Anyone?" she paused and pointed at one of the assembled. "You, what's your name?"

Jonathan gazed back at her with steady eyes. "Jonathon Weird, ma'am."

She knew damn well who he was. But this wasn't about a lack of knowledge on her part. "Well, Jonathan." She said as if testing the name. "Can you tell me the motto?"

Without missing a beat the man replied, "United We Stand, Divided We Ambush." He jerked his thumb to point behind him without. "I might've actually been worried if it wasn't hanging from the banner behind us." Several of the Pilots, including Owen, whipped their heads around to see the large banner of the SRS, complete with the blue Prowler emblazoned on it. Sarah allowed herself half a smile before continuing.

"That's right. We at the SRS are trusted with a plethora of vital missions. You name it, we've done it: Sabotage, data retrieval, covert infiltration." she leveled a hard gaze at the assembled crew. "Even targeted eliminations." Most assembled were steady in her stare, but all of them felt a shiver run down their spine. This was the big leagues. "You have all been selected because you were standouts from whatever training facility you came from. Every single one of you has letters of recommendation and written praise from numerous Pilot officers." She leaned forward from the railing she stood behind as she cast another glare across those assembled. Her hands gripped the iron bar as she said, "And i dont give a fuck about any of it." The group had a murmur of not understanding. This is the SRS, Pilots. Wake. Up. You think you've earned that shiny combat badge? Big whoop. All that means is that you can interface with a Titan. You want to run with the wolves? Prove it." She snarled at them. More than a few of them were taken back by the sudden change in attitude. Not to say that they had been privileged, but most of them had reached a certain level of comfort and security in their Pilot certification. To have that suddenly called into question was a shock. She grinned maliciously. If you underperform on a mission or can't hack it to MY standards, you're done here. You get shipped out to the regular infantry and can live out your days fighting second rate pilots on some backwater dust bowl. "Speaking of missions," she scanned her holopad at the data coming through. "Your first one is coming up in 8 hours. Here's your chance to prove yourself. You fail, you're out of here. No one volunteers, I'll pick someone." Sarah looked over at the assembled crew. Some of them were reeling at the thought, while a few had an intense look in their eyes. One of them in particular. Jonathan Weird stepped forward with his hand raised.

"I'll volunteer." he said. He had an easy smile, almost cocky. It irked Sarah. But she wasn't one to look a sacrificial lamb in the mouth.

"Alright, Weird. You and three other Pilots are heading to a IMC controlled Titan production facility. Your orders are to seize the blueprints of their next line of Titans. Consider this to be shopping for your own Titan. Any of your fellow Pilots die or don't come back? You fail. Come back without the blueprints? You fail. Got it?"

Jonathan smiled again. "Me and three others?" He asked. Sarah nodded. "They have to be from this group or anyone on the ship?" Sarah shrugged.

"It's your Op, Pilot. You can pool from any of the resources on this ship. Hell, you could even ask nicely and I might come along." This got a slight chuckle from the group.

"I wouldn't want to waste your time." Jonathan said. "I've got my team picked already. Pilots Clark and Guojing are ready to roll." The other two stepped up, and nodded.

"We won't let you down, Commander." Diana said. Owen nodded nervously, but a shaky smile came across his face. He was pure adrenaline at this point.

"And your fourth?" Sarah said, and in that moment, Jonathan looked more smug than a cat with a mouse under its paw.

"My fourth is Jack Cooper." The mention of the name drew attention from everyone present in the Hanger. The cargo loaders all looked over for a second, and the foreman nervously placed his hat on his head. A nearby group of guards checking off equipment who had been talking quietly while watching the show all trailed off. Jonathan didn't take his eyes off the Commander.

Sarah wasn't one to back down. "Alright, Weird. Cooper will ride out with you. Report to the briefing room in 8 hours ready to drop. Dismissed, everyone." She began to turn away from the now disassembling group, but turned to look back over her shoulder at Jonathon. "Pilot. I suggest you bring your A-game. Cuz Cooper might show you up if you're not careful." And with that she turned again and walked away towards the elevator. Jonathan nodded, still looking extremely smug, but not challenging. He turned to the two other Pilots.

"Well." He said holding up two fingers. "Two birds, one stone. We want to see Cooper in action, and we get a chance to kick off our Pilot careers with an Op like this." Diana was scowling, and Owen was tapping his foot like an energizer bunny. Diana spoke first.

"That was ballsy."

"I know." Owen replied.

"You've painted a target on our backs now."

"I know."

"You looked like an asshole just then."

"I know."

"Just so you can get a look at this Cooper kid?" Owen interjected. "No bueno, dude. Look I get you wanna meet the guy and impress the brass but you're coming off half cocked. This isn't Pilot school. You can go out with these 'balls to the walls' plans of yours."

"No. You guys heard her. Our placement isn't guaranteed here. "Jonathon fired back. "I got this far by being ballsy. We're here because we're good at what we do. And I intend to prove that. Cooper basically saved the Militia by himself. Him and the Titan that was with him. He took out five Apex Predators. Five." He held up that many fingers in front of Diana and Owen. "Right now, everyone is looking at Jack Cooper. Everyone wants to see what he's doing next. Having him with us lets us do our thing. If he's as good as they say, it's not like he'll hold us back. And having him in our little squad just makes us look better." He tapped the side of his forehead. "It's a no brainer. Now, are there any serious concerns?"

Diana scowled a little but said nothing. Owen put his hands behind his head and sighed, before walking to his pack and picking it up. "Well, let's get our shit sorted." Diana walked away without saying anything and followed Owen. Jonathan was left by himself.

"Why am i always the bad guy?" he asked himself before shouldering his back and walking after the other two.

I'm capping it here for the first chapter

I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for the longest time and finally sat down to finish out the opening scene.

This will mainly be about Cooper, but the other Pilots I've introduced are still main characters themselves, so they need their own time to shine.

Let me know how y'all like it!