Chapter Seven

When he arrived at the general's office, Seto was taken aback to discover Joey Wheeler there before him. Wheeler was slouched against one corner of the secretary's desk, attempting without much success to flirt with the perky redhead who served as the general's adjutant. Joey straightened as Seto approached, a frown settling over his features.

"What're you doin' here?" Joey demanded, folding his arms over his chest and looking Seto up and down as if he were something nasty he had just discovered on the bottom of his shoe.

Seto returned the favor. "I have an appointment with the general. And you?"

"Same here."

"Wonderful."

"Now that you're both here," the adjutant said, "you can go in. The general is expecting you both."

She pushed a control on her desk that no doubt alerted the general to their arrival, and the door behind her desk slid silently open. Without acknowledging Joey's presence beside him, Seto strode into the lion's den.

Anderson was waiting for them. He fixed the two of them with the patented Anderson Glower and got straight to business. "Gentlemen. No doubt you're wondering why I've called you here."

"Yes, sir." Joey and Seto answered in unison. Joey bit back a grin; they couldn't have done better if they had practiced it.

Anderson went on as if neither had spoken. "Captain Kaiba. I've seen your latest integration values." He scowled. "Forty percent? What the hell is that?"

Seto gritted his teeth. "A temporary situation, sir."

"Really? And how do you intend to remedy this ' temporary situation,' Captain, when I'm told you refused to use the remote interface device?"

The muscles in Seto's jaw jumped as his teeth ground together. If he keeps that up, Joey thought, he's gonna need new teeth by the time he hits thirty.

"I don't need a fancy lapel pin to integrate with my Dragon!" Seto snapped. "Sir."

"Forty percent, Captain," Anderson reminded him, eyebrows raised. "Sounds to me as if you can use all the help you can get. I don't know about you, Captain, but I don't have a lot of confidence in forty percent. Hell, I've got wet behind the ears recruits who can achieve a forty percent gestalt value! I expect better of a pilot with your experience."

Anderson's stern gaze shifted to Joey, who unconsciously came back to attention. "Lieutenant Wheeler… I see you have no problem with utilizing the RID."

Joey lifted a hand to the small Red-Eyes Black Dragon pinned to his uniform blouse. "No, sir. It's… kinda nice, actually. Kinda like havin' a part of my Red-Eyes with me all the time."

The general smiled. It was almost as frightening as his glower. "Excellent." The smile hardened as Anderson's gray eyes focused back on Seto. "You would do well to follow Lieutenant Wheeler's example, Captain Kaiba."

There was a loaded silence. Joey wondered if it were possible for Kaiba's head to actually explode. He was pretty sure he could see steam leaking out of Seto's big ears.

It was a moment before Seto regained control of his voice and ground out, "Yes. Sir."

"In the meantime," Anderson continued, "I'm sure you will be happy to hone your skills as member of our illustrious Valkyrie squadron."

"What?" Seto's eyes widened and his jaw, which he had been clenching so hard it was beginning to make Joey's teeth ache, fell open. "The Valkyries? Those aren't even enhanced mecha!"

"Good to see you haven't forgotten everything you learned in basic training, Captain." Anderson's eyes narrowed. "I suggest you see if you can also remember the proper way to address a superior officer."

"You can't take my Dragon away from me!" Seto was a tower of icy fury, but underneath it all, Joey thought he could sense a whiff of fear.

"It's a temporary reassignment," Anderson said, his voice softening just a touch. Perhaps he, too, had sensed Seto's fear. "Just until your I-values return to acceptable levels. In the downtime, I can't afford to have my top pilot flying a desk. I'm reassigning you to Captain von Schroeder's unit."

Siegfried? Joey nearly choked as he bit down hard on his tongue to keep from blurting the name out loud. Siegfried von Schroeder was well-known on Mars Station -- one might even say 'notorious' -- and not just for his flamboyant style. Siegfried also possessed the only ego Joey had ever met that rivaled Seto's for sheer size and arrogance. Watching the play of emotions on Seto's face, Joey had to work hard not to laugh aloud.

Finally, Seto ground out, "You have got to be kidding. Sir."

"Does this look like a smile to you, Captain?" The infamous Anderson Glower was back in place. Joey gulped, only too glad the Glower wasn't aimed at him. If only to himself, Joey had to admit that Seto must have nerves of steel not to flinch beneath that fierce regard. Or maybe he was too pissed about losing his Blue-Eyes to even notice it.

"General Anderson," Seto said in a voice fairly vibrating with the strain of maintaining a respectful tone, "with all due respect, sir, I fail to see the logic of removing your best pilot from --"

"Seto…" Despite the stern gaze, Anderson's tone was kind. "Of course I would rather have you where you belong, as the Blue-Eyes' pilot. But we're already one mech down and the aliens are growing more and more aggressive. I simply can't afford to leave you on the sidelines, right now, no matter how temporarily. I need you in a mech, and if that mech has to be Valkyrie, then so be it."

Absently, he reshuffled some papers on the desk in front of him. "We've even had to accelerate our pilot training program. Starting tomorrow, we'll have a pair of new additions to the Duel Mecha unit."

Anderson looked back at Joey. "That's where you come in, Lieutenant Wheeler. I expect you to take these greenhorns under your wing while they're getting the hang of things around here. Since both of our new pilots are barely out of basic, they'll need the help."

"Yes, sir." Joey sneaked a glance at Kaiba. Yep, still fuming. "I'll teach 'em everything I know about bein' a good pilot, sir."

"That shouldn't take long," Seto mumbled. Joey shot him a glare.

"In addition," Anderson continued, ignoring their byplay, "it is my pleasure to inform you, Wheeler, that you are being promoted to flight leader, with a commensurate elevation to the rank of captain." He stood and offered Joey his hand. "Congratulations, Captain Wheeler."

For once in his life, Joey was speechless. After a few seconds of staring and gaping at the general, he shook himself and grasped Anderson's proffered hand. "Thank you, sir!"

"You've earned it, Captain," Anderson said, with a faint smile.

Joey beamed proudly. Captain Wheeler! Who'd've thunk it? He couldn't wait to tell his sister the good news. Maybe they'd even round up the gang and hit the O Club to celebrate. He glanced over, half-thinking to invite Seto to tag along, only to find Seto giving him Seto's own version of the Glower. Joey's smile died and the words withered on his tongue. In his delight, Joey had briefly forgotten what an asshole Seto really was.

"One last thing, gentlemen," Anderson said. "There are credible reasons to believe there is a spy on the station. Classified information has been leaking out for months, and there have been other… irregularities. I expect you both to maintain full vigilance and report any and all suspicious behavior to me at once."

"Sir…" Joey hesitated, swallowed hard, then forged onward. "Does this have anything to do with… what happened to Yami, uh, Major Kaiba?"

"Mr. Kaiba's situation is none of your concern, Captain," Anderson said firmly. His tone clearly indicated that the line of conversation was at an end. "I suggest you tend to your own."

Chastened, Joey lowered his gaze to stare at his boots. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Anderson looked Seto. "As for you, Captain Kaiba… Upon leaving this office, you will march directly down to the chief technician's office on E-ring, acquire the RID prepared for you, and then you will utilize it to the fullest extent of your abilities. Have I made myself clear?"

Muscles bunched along Seto's stubborn jaw. But he nodded. "…Yes, sir."

"Glad to hear it." Anderson relaxed back into his leather chair. "Captain Wheeler, I believe you have a couple of new pilots waiting for you in the mech bay. Good luck to you."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Joey saluted smartly.

"And you, Captain Kaiba, after acquiring your new remote, will report to Captain von Schroeder and familiarize yourself with your new Valkyrie."

"Yes. Sir." Clearly unhappy, but resigned to his fate, Seto saluted stiffly.

"Excellent." He returned their salutes. "Dismissed!"

-----------------------

Out in the corridor, Joey turned to Seto, intending to offer the other pilot a bit of commiseration. If looks could kill, Joey would've dropped dead on the spot. Satisfied he had gotten his point across, Seto jabbed a finger onto the lift button and growled, "Not. One. Word, Wheeler. Not one word or I swear I'll --"

"Did I say anything?" Joey's face crumpled into a blatantly false wounded look. "I didn't say anything! Jeez, you act like you expect me to rub it in or somethin'."

Seto eyed him suspiciously. "Rub what in, exactly?"

"Nothing! Exactly nothin'," Joey said, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from snickering. "I'm sure you're gonna fit right in with good ol' Siggy and his Rose Valkyries." The smirk broke free of his control. "You'll look great in one of those pink flightsuits!"

Howling with laughter, Joey turned and ran for his life. Seto's outraged growl chased him down the corridor.

---------------------

Joey made it to the mech bay without further incident. He glanced around, noting the more than usual number of technicians swarming the bay. They seemed to be congregating in the area around the huge elevators that were used to return the mecha to the hangar from the recovery platforms. He craned his neck, hoping for a glimpse of the new Duel Mecha, but -- from this angle -- the mass of humanity prevented him from seeing anything beyond the glimmer of light shining off dark armor. With a huff of irritation, he gave up and swept his gaze around the hangar, looking for the new recruits. When he spotted a pair of young men standing near the personnel lifts and looking rather lost, he figured he had found them.

Joey wandered over to where the two newcomers were standing. "Yo!" he called, with a friendly wave. "You guys the new pilots?"

The taller of the two, a slender young man with a mane of white-blond hair, returned a more-subdued greeting. "Hello. Yes, we are." He smiled politely. "I'm Lt. Ryou Bakura and this is Lt. Leon von Schroeder."

"Von Schroeder?" Joey gave the shorter pilot a second look. "You're not related to Siggy, uh, Siegfried, are ya?"

"He's my older brother," Leon said. There was no mistaking the note of pride in his voice. It was a lot like the one Joey sometimes heard in Serenity's voice when she spoke about him. "You know my brother?"

"Oh, yeah." Joey grinned. "Everybody knows Siegfried."

"He is an excellent pilot," Leon said, smiling. Joey decided not to argue. He turned his attention back to the other newcomer.

"So, Bakura, was it?" At the other's nod, Joey continued, "I'm Captain Joey Wheeler, pilot of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon." It gave him a little thrill to state his new rank, and he unconsciously straightened his shoulders and stood a bit taller.

"I pilot the Jackal Knight," Bakura responded. He gestured toward the distant elevators just as the crowd parted enough to let Joey get a look at the towering mech on the gantry rising up out of the floor. True to its name, the mech resembled nothing so much as a huge, bipedal jackal in golden, faintly Egyptian-esque armor.

"Pretty impressive," Joey said, and meant it. Not as impressive as his own Red-Eyes Black Dragon, of course, but not bad.

They watched the mech as it was maneuvered smoothly from the elevator platform onto the hangar floor. The technicians surrounding the huge gantry called out cryptic commands to one another as they guided the mech toward its new resting place against the far wall of the echoing, torus-shaped bay. Joey knew that the cargo containers filled with spare parts that usually occupied the space had been shunted to another part of the station to make room for the new additions to the Duel Mecha unit.

"My mech is Gearfried the Iron Knight," Leon said. The note of pride was back in his voice, this time directed at his machine. "I flew it up from Mars Base. It was my first time in space without a proctor as co-pilot!"

Joey gaped at him. Anderson had said they were cutting training short, but he didn't think it was this bad. "You've never flown in space without an instructor as your co-pilot until today?" Leon shook his head, seemingly confused by the horror stamped clearly on Joey's expressive features. Joey turned to Bakura. "What about you? Ever flown solo in space before?"

"Once or twice," Bakura said calmly. "Not in a Duel Mecha, of course. Our instructors were fairly adamant about not letting us out of their sight." He gave a soft, self-deprecating little laugh. "I'm certain we'll be getting more than our fair share of opportunities soon enough, now that we're on Mars Station. Isn't that right, Captain Wheeler?"

"Yeah, but you'll be gettin' 'em while some alien bastard is trying to blow you into eensy little pieces," Joey said. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Take it from me, that ain't the best time to be tryin' to remember your basic flight training."

"Only one thing for it." He shook his head. "We're gonna have to get you two out on the practice run, pronto." He cast another thoughtful look around. "Eh, you got any idea where your Anchors have gotten off to?"

Bakura smiled. "I believe they may be touring the station. Lt. Kaiba said --"

"Lt. Kai-- ? Oh. You mean Mokuba?"

"I believe he said that was his given name, yes."

"Okay," Joey said. "We'll find your Anchors, then head out to the practice run and see how you two handle the obstacle course."

"Whatever you say, Captain," Bakura said easily. Beside him, Leon grinned widely, obviously excited about the prospect of taking his mech out again.

Watching them, Joey suppressed a groan. What the hell was Command thinking, sending these two into battle with their training only partially complete? Looking at Leon, so young and so eager to prove himself as a pilot, Joey felt his resolve harden. They weren't ready for battle, but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they got there. Whatever happened, he didn't want their blood on his hands…

-------------------

In the cramped office on E-ring, Duke set a plastic carry-all onto the cluttered desk and grinned at his fellow technician. "Who's your favorite person in the whole wide world?"

Gears, bent over her datalink, spared him an unfocused glance. "Uh… Dark Magician?"

Duke groaned. "I said person, not mech!"

She blinked at him, obviously not getting his point. Duke clapped a hand dramatically to his forehead, temporarily mussing his carefully coiffed hair, then slumped onto the only other chair in the office. "I come bearing steamed pork buns and garlic chicken, and this is the thanks I get? Sheesh. No appreciation! None whatsoever."

He was combing his artfully disarranged bangs back into place when she finally finished whatever she had been working on and looked up at him, again. "Oh! When did you get back? Hey, what smells so good?" She popped up from her chair and, leaning over the desk, began digging through the carry-all. "Ooh! Buns! Yum."

Duke rolled his eyes. "So… What's got you so fascinated over there?"

"Hmm?" She paused, bun halfway to her lips. "Oh. Specifications for the new Duel Mecha."

"I should've known." He helped himself to a container of hot and sour soup. "So, how do they look?"

She sighed, nibbling on the fluffy steamed bread. "Rushed. I'm not too sure how they'll stand up to heavy use, much less battle."

Well, that wasn't good… Duke reached over and turned one of the two work station screens around to face him, then called up the specs for a quick look-see of his own. After a few minutes, he was forced to agree. "Jeez. Look at the I-values on these two… Jackal Knight is pretty impressive, nearly as high as Dark Magician, but Gearfried--"

"Yeah. I know."

"And his pilot is, what? Sixteen?" Duke shook his head. "What the hell are they thinking, sending us a kid that young?"

She blinked at him again. "He's really that young?"

Of course she hadn't paid any attention to the pilot stats. Not when there were mecha to fuss over. He rolled his eyes again. "Well, his picture sure looks young." He shrugged. "He's probably eighteen, though. I think you have to be at least that age to enlist."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, and neither took another bite of their food, despite the tantalizing aromas wafting around them. Finally, Duke shook off the melancholy mood and reached for the screen again. "Why don't we see what our new pilots are up to?"

A few deft touches on the control pad brought up the duty roster. He was a bit surprised to see that the rookies were active; they and their mecha were off-station. He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, looks like the new guys are out on the practice run. Want to take a look?"

"Sure, why not?" She picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a bite of chicken while he messed with the controls a bit more. When he had the feed adjusted to his satisfaction, he sent the signal to her work station so they could both watch the live video from the control center.

Chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of steamed rice, Duke watched the new Duel Mecha as they maneuvered through the practice run. At first they were doing pretty good for newbies, and he divided his attention almost equally between the vidscreen and his food. On the other side of the partnership desk, Gears did much the same, though she continued working on her datalink, as well.

"Whoops!" Duke yelped, glancing up from his mu shu pork just in time to watch Gearfried bobble a bit as Jackal Knight blasted past him in a sudden burst of acceleration. For a moment, the first mech tipped on its axis and almost flipped onto its head. While it was true there was no real "up" or "down" in space, on the practice run pilots were expected to maintain a certain orientation, and Gearfried's pilot had almost lost it completely.

Gears looked up. "Huh?"

"Gearfried almost did a headstand out there," Duke said. Absently, he twirled a strand of his black hair around his index finger, his gaze locked on the competition unfolding on the screen. "Looks like Jackal's going to beat him on the speed course."

She glanced at the screen. "Looks like he did," she said, as Jackal Knight sailed past the finish line well ahead of the other mech. A moment later, their Guardian Mech soared into camera range as Red-Eyes directed them toward the next part of the practice run. "Betcha he comes out the winner on the obstacles, too."

"That's a sucker's bet, Gears."

"So …you're taking it, then?"

He flicked her a dangerous look. "I have dice, and I'm not afraid to use them."

"Ooh!" She mock-shivered, then grinned. "Okay, okay. I take it back."

"Suuuure you do." Duke would've continued the friendly banter, but the mecha were heading into the obstacles and he found himself holding his breath as he watched them maneuver through what was a difficult course even for more experienced pilots. He wasn't sure these rookies could handle it.

Less than a minute later, he was proved right as the novice pilots nearly collided as they attempted to round a tricky turn. Jackal Knight slewed around drunkenly, attitude thrusters firing as the pilot sought desperately to avoid a collision with the other mech, then attempted to straighten out his course. Gearfried rammed into the buoy marking the turn. He ended up clinging upside down to the buoy as both it and its impromptu passenger drifted off the 'track.' Red-Eyes quickly went to retrieve the wayward mech.

"I haven't even finished calibrating my datalink to receive their telemetry and those idiot pilots are already breaking my mecha!" Gears was on her feet, shouting at the vidscreen.

Duke shook with laughter. "That didn't take long."

She glared at him. "What?"

"Time to arrival on-station and you claiming them as 'your' mecha." He grinned and pretended to check his watch. "I think you just set a new record."

"Oh, shut up. Or I'll make you help me recalibrate them when they're safely back in the hangar bay."

"AI is your specialty, not mine." He snorted. "Besides, after the last time, you said you had to redo all my calibrations yourself. Remember?"

"If you want something done right…"

"At least they can handle themselves well enough to evac, should it become necessary." He stretched out a long arm and snagged another pork bun. "Thank goodness. I'd hate to be the Guardian on duty when Gearfried has to recertify…" He trailed off as he noticed her suddenly frozen expression.

"Uh-oh," Duke said, staring at Gears' sudden grimace. She looked as if she had bitten into a sour thought. His own expression shifted to mirror hers. "Oh, don't tell me--"

"Did you have to mention recertification?"

"Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does."

Gears scrunched her eyes closed and ducked a bit as if anticipating a blow. "You know I can pilot a mech literally only to save my life, right?"

Duke briefly considered pounding his head on the desk. If there had been any uncluttered space on the desktop, he might have tried it. It was a requirement that every person assigned to Mars Station be able to pilot a force-suit, the basic mecha which formed the bulk of the manned forces stationed there. The reason was a simple one. Instead of vulnerable escape pods -- pods that would be at the mercy of an invading force, a painful lesson learned in the aftermath of Jupiter Station -- the escape vehicles of choice were the mecha. So all station personnel had to be able to pilot at least a force-suit, and had to be recertified routinely.

"Yeah, I know." For all her skill and knowledge with the inner workings of mecha, Gears was a dreadful pilot. "As a pilot, you're a great technician."

"Oh, thanks a lot."

He scowled at her. "You've scheduled a recert, right?"

"Uh..."

"Gears."

She looked sheepish. "Okay! So, I'm past due for recertification..."

It was official. The universe hated him. Feeling the vein in his left temple starting to throb, he pressed the heels of both hands over his eyes for a minute and thought of his 'happy place.' There were lots of dice there. For some reason, that always made him feel better.

When he felt he could cope again, Duke lowered his hands and pinned her with a Look. The Devlin Look was nowhere near as legendary as the Anderson Glower, but he was young yet. He was working on it.

"I could take you out on the course and let you brush up your skills," Duke offered finally, trying not to sound as if he were offering himself up for a sacrificial barbeque.

Internally, he cringed. To a skilled mech jockey such as himself, Gears' fumbling attempts at piloting were nearly enough to cause physical pain. In fact, the last time he had tried to help her, he had lost his lunch when her rough handling overloaded the training mech's inertial dampeners. He had taken the controls just in time to avoid a collision with the station. The station. Duke sighed. She was never going to win any awards for finesse, but maybe, with a great deal of practice, she could at least learn to aim for the planet.

"No, that's okay." She met his lopsided grin with one of her own. "I remember the last time, too. I'll be fine. I'll just schedule a time on the graveyard shift when most of the station is asleep. Okay?"

"Mm. Maybe you can get Captain Barstow as your Guardian Mech. You had her the last time you certified, right?"

"Yeah. I like her. She doesn't yell at me when I go off-course and she has to retrieve me. Much, anyway." Gears looked a bit disgruntled -- and sheepish. She obviously had no illusions about her piloting skills, or lack of them, either. "Right now, I have to go see how badly my new mecha have been traumatized by those… those…"

"Idiot pilots?" he offered, suppressing another chuckle.

"You said it!" She gathered up her datalink and dashed out of the office. "Thanks for lunch!"

He knew she would bypass the lift for the emergency ladder just down the corridor from their doorway. She rarely had the patience to wait for the lift, even in non-critical situations. Then again, when did Gears ever consider anything to do with "her mecha" non-critical?

When the door slid open again less than five minutes later, Duke was bent over his work station, scheduling Gears' recertification test, himself. He knew that, when he next asked her about it, she would have some perfectly logical excuse for "forgetting" it. Besides, 'if you want something done right…' "Back so soon--?" he began, only to break off in surprise when he realized it wasn't his office mate returning sooner than expected. "Oh. Captain Kaiba. How can I help you?"

Seto thrust out his hand and snapped, "My remote."

Duke stared at him a second, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't hear the magic word."

Blue eyes with the intensity of laser beams threatened to bore twin holes right through him, but Duke held Seto's angry gaze without flinching. Seto's extended hand clenched into a fist, then flexed, as if the pilot had forced himself to relax it. His lips barely parted so that he could force out a strained, "…Please."

"No problem." Duke rose from his chair and took his time wandering over to the shelf where the RID rested in its protective case. "It'll just take a minute for me to activate, then it's all yours, Captain."

"I'll try to contain my excitement," Seto responded, his voice a low growl.

Duke figured he had pushed the temperamental captain as far he safely could, so he worked quickly and handed over the remote interface device only a few seconds later. Seto took it without comment, turned smartly on his heel, and stalked out the door.

"Wear it in good health," he called after the departing captain's stiff back. Unsurprisingly, Captain Kaiba didn't bother to reply.