Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.
SSV Kilimanjaro Conference Room 53~
Jackson Willis watches as the N7s file out of the room, all save for one. Vespasia Giorlando, the Adept Fury, sits quietly in her seat. Her eyes stay focused downward, and aside from the rise and fall of her chest and shoulders, her body remains still. The Slayer had an idea of what was going to happen next. He moves from the table and heads over to the door. He activates the locks for the doors before turning around and making a mental list of everything inside of the room. His thoughts are disturbed by a particularly heavy breath coming from the stationary female. The noise draws his azure eyes to her. Her body was tense. Each hand was clenched in a tight fist. She was holding back. Putting up a front as she confronted whatever emotions and demons were bubbling up inside of her. Jax shakes his head slightly. As per usual.
"Ciao mio vespa," he says softly, removing his hands from his pockets as he does. At the sound of his voice, she spreads her feet apart slightly. She places one hand on the table next to her as the blue light of biotics begin to glow around her. "That voice…that name …It is you…you are actually alive," she whispers, keeping her eyes on the ground. "Yes, I am alive and well," Jackson replies as he stands there, not moving from the spot he had chosen. With a frustrated roar, Vespasia launches herself at him, biotic energy crackling around her fist. The Slayer watches the swing. It was sloppy, but there was power behind it. He exhales slightly as he steps to the outside of the punch, bringing his hands up slightly. The Adept growls and turns her body, bringing her other hand up towards him. The Vanguard crosses his arms just as the Throw biotic catches him.
His body is sent across the room and lands on the other end of the table, causing the piece of furniture to tip up. Jackson rolls backwards off of it as Vespasia comes charging through, a biotic charged fist splintering the expensive looking table. He is up on his feet as she closes the distance again, swinging wildly at him. He stays out of contact range, redirecting any blow that came too close that he couldn't dodge out of the way of. There was a lot of rage in that single exposed green eye. He could almost swear that both of her eyes were glowing with the emotion. She lets out another battle cry as she sends one of the chairs flying towards him with a well angled Throw. The Slayer brings up his gloved right hand and directs it at the chair. Light shines through the back of the glow an instant before a Phase Disruptor beam blows the chair into nothingness.
As he lowers his hand, he sees another chair tearing through the air at his head. He drops to the deck and it soars over him, slamming into the massive monitor on the wall behind him. Jackson growls as he pushes off of the floor and moves towards her. Vespasia launches another Throw at him, but this time, the Slayer phases through the attack and keeps moving towards her. There is the briefest look of surprise on her face before she moves to meet him. Biotic light flares up around his body briefly as he Pulls on her. The Fury grunts as she is jerked off of her feet towards him. The Vanguard merely moves out of the way of her path of travel, letting her fly past him and recover. He moves back and gives her space, still not intent on hurting her. The Adept reorients herself a few feet away and spins back around, sending Shockwave at the retreating male.
Jackson's eyes widen slightly before he retaliates with one of his own. The two powers meet in the middle and explode, sending chairs and table bits flying in various directions. He throws up his hands to protect his face, feeling projectiles bounce off of his barrier and coat. If they kept going like this, they were going to tear this whole floor apart. He had to stop her. She shouts another battlecry and rushes towards him. The Slayer lets his body relax and he prepares himself. Her form was sloppy, the raging emotions telegraphed her every swing and movement. As a Vanguard, he was trained extensively in hand to hand combat. She may have had power, but in such close quarters, he would have the advantage. He slides into a defensive stance and raises his arms. He would stop her this time.
She comes at him with her hands and feet this time, the pale blue glow of her biotics sharply contrasting the brilliant crimson of the biotic reactive wires in her coat. He weaves his way through the onslaught for several seconds before he catches her wrists. His own biotics flare up as he holds her in place. With a frustrated growl, she struggles against his hold. His eyes lock onto hers and she freezes. There was the telltale glitter of unshed tears there. Her rage filled gaze softens as she stares into his eyes. "Jax…mio volpe…I…I thought…the reports said…" As she tries to gather the words, the Slayer feels the tension leave her arms, the glow fading from her body. The Major relaxes his grip upon her wrists and pulls her against him. "I know," he whispers softly to her, "I know."
She presses her face into his shoulder and her body shakes as she cries silently. It wasn't something she would ever admit to, and he knew better than to ever bring it up. So he lets out a slow breath and holds her to his body. He could feel his own emotions welling up within him. He couldn't cry, it was something he would never allow himself to do. He had to be stoic and strong. But he felt a sensation of serenity. Something just clicked into place and these dark times seemed a bit brighter. He could feel her relax and pull back from him. She moves the hair from her face so she could properly study him. He brings his hand up and wipes the last remnants of the tears from her face with a small smile. "I thought I had lost you," she whispers softly, turning her head to lightly kiss his palm. "I know…and if I could have told you that I was alive, then I would have. Even so, I did what I could to watch over you," he replies just as softly.
He feels the air stir as her anger begins to rise once more. "Alliance brass thought it was best to make some of us 'disappear' to start up the specialty programs. I was one of their choices and the failed mission with a near 100% casualty rate was the best time for them to do it. Trust me…I was pissed off as hell when I found out about it, but I had my orders and I knew it would be better for the Alliance for me to become a ghost," Jackson explains, anger building on his words. He had woken up in a military hospital with most of his torso bandaged and everything hurting. An admiral had been waiting in his room to debrief him. Had he not been so injured, he would have been more vehement in his argument. But a cocktail of drugs and constant pain dulled his tongue. That and the promise of near unlimited access to the Alliance networks.
"Fuckin' Alliance dickheads! Always bending us over and giving us the shaft! Ugh! Just give me a few minutes alone with them and I'll straighten out those assholes! They have sticks further up their asses than most Turians," Vespasia says darkly, pressing herself into his chest again. "Oh I am quite sure you would. Though, I very much doubt they would be able to eat solid food after you gave them a straightening out," Jackson says as he rubs her back lightly. She shrugs and makes an unintelligible noise. He lets everything fall into silence for a few moments, listening to her breathe. But there were other issues that they needed to speak about. He then moves back slightly, tilting her head up so he could stare into her eyes.
"I heard about Shiala and what Cerberus did to her. I also heard about your three months of down time," Jackson says, his tone serious. He watches her gaze harden as she looks away, but she doesn't turn from the hand tilting her chin up. "You don't know the half of it…" Vespasia replies coldly. "As a matter of fact, I do. An Asari commando who served under Matriarch Benezia during the Saren incident. After she was spared by Commander Shepard, she lived with the people of the Feros colony to make up for what she had done while serving the Matriarch. Her skin was a very interesting shade of green, probably due to the after effects of being a subject of the Thorian. You two met when you were sent to supplement her own, then haywire, biotics. During that time, a relationship blossomed between the two of you," he replies simply. The Adept's eyes widen slightly in disbelief. The Slayer's knowledge was shocking and a bit disturbing.
"How do you know all of that, Jackson?" she asks softly. "As I told you before, I did what I could to watch over you. I will admit, it sounds a bit creepy when you vocalize it, but I saw you, but you didn't necessarily see me," the Vanguard replies with a slight nod. Vespasia frowns softly at this, her brow furrowing in thought. He smiles as he watches her try to recall instances where she may have seen him, but not recognized him. He then brushes his lips lightly against her forehead as something sparks off to the side. He turns to look at a few of the ruined monitors still letting out their dying gasps. He was sure that an alarm had been tripped from all of the damage that the room had sustained during their brief encounter.
"Who were you?" she asks, bringing him out of the damage assessment. Jackson smirks as he looks down at her. "Captain George Haderlin, at your service," he replies, changing his voice to become deeper and more gravelly. Her eyes widen and she punches him in the arm, anger and sadness flashing within her gaze. "You had your missions to take care of and I wasn't technically alive. Secrecy had to be maintained. The consequences for breaking such secrecy would have been dire," he says as he meets her gaze. She sighs and looks away, grumbling softly. The Slayer chuckles and nudges her lightly, but before he could say anything, the sound of pounding fists upon the door interrupts him. Jackson sighs softly and lets a mask of calm authority slip onto his face. He moves to the door and opens it calmly.
"Is everything alright?" the lead security officer asks as the door slides open. "Everything is alright here Chief. You may return to your post," Jackson replies smoothly. "But sir, reports indica-" the chief begins to explain. "I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter. I told you that everything was alright and you are to return to your post, Service Chief. Do not make me repeat myself a third time," the Slayer says, his tone suddenly mirroring the cold razor sharp edge of a master crafted sword. He unconsciously activates his biotics, causing that pale blue glow to appear as an aura around his body. The lower ranking man and his subordinates all flinch as if they were about to be struck. They quickly salute and depart from the area double time. Behind him, Jax hears a soft giggle from Vespasia. "I see you haven't lost your touch," she says with a grin. The Vanguard chuckles as he relaxes, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I guess you could say that. Sometimes, you don't want questions, you just want action," he replies with a grin of his own.
Vespasia chuckles and shakes her head. She moves the hair from in front of her other eye and looks directly at him, a small smile on her face. Jackson returns the smile and wraps his arms around her in a quick hug. "For now we must part ways, but fret not, I shan't disappear into the void this time," he whispers softly to her. She merely nods as she wraps her arms around his abdomen, giving him a brief squeeze. They then disentangle from one another so he can head to the elevator. He had a few things to take care of before the SSV Midway arrived from the space docks. He had to ensure that everything was ready to be moved when it came.
He mentally goes over the list of things he would have to get brought onboard as the doors open. A sound from behind him draws his attention and he whirls around as the Fury pounces upon him with a growl. The Slayer grunts as he is knocked back into the elevator and the doors close. He looks up at her as the elevator begins to move towards the next floor. After a few seconds, Vespasia reaches up and hits the emergency stop button. Her eyes then look back down into his as she sits upon him, grinning as they lock eyes. It doesn't take long for him to connect the dots and a grin of his own appears upon his face. "Mio vespa impertinente," he says to her as he sits up, his hand sliding against her cheek…
~A couple of hours later~
Jackson yawns softly as he steps into the elevator. He had a tough time getting the motivation to rise up and inspect the ship he was going to be in charge of. It was good to see that some things did not change, no matter how much time had passed between the last occurrence. He scratches the back of his head as the door slides to a close, humming as it zips along the center of the ship. Had it not been for the continued pestering of the current person in charge of the Midway, a Lieutenant Commander Darryl Halloway, Jax would have continued to nap away the day, night, or whatever it was. He adjusts the coat he wore once more before the doors opened to the massive flight deck of the Dreadnought. He walks across the busy area towards one of the parked A-model Kodiaks. A group of pilots was gathered around it, making small talk. When one of the group sees him, he nudges his companions and they all snap to attention.
The Vanguard frowns at the near instant recognition and looks down, noticing he had forgotten to take his rank off. The Slayer chuckles and salutes them before putting them at ease. "What can we do for you, Major?" one of the pilots asks. "Well, normally, I'd be asking for one of your number to come with me on a dangerous mission. I would need a pilot with excellent reflexes, nerves of steel, and the heart of a lion. But, unfortunately, all I really need is a taxi driver as it were. I need to get over to the Midway. And since they won't let me try and jump from ship to ship under my own power, and I can't 'commandeer' a vessel, I need a lift," Jackson explains with a slight nod. The pilots have a quiet laugh about the major's request before one of them steps forward. "I'll do it, sir. We should be ready to leave in about, twenty mikes," the pilot says, crossing his arms over his chest. "That will take too long. Make ready to depart immediately, you have five minutes. I will take care of Hangar Control," the N7 says as he begins walking away.
Five minutes later, the Vanguard walks back, his stride holding the same quiet confidence it did when he left. The pilots were still gathered around the parked Kodiak, all minus the pilot who had volunteered to fly him over to his ship. The group pops to attention again once they see him, and he quickly puts them at ease. "Is my Kodiak ready to fly?" Jackson asks as he comes to a stop. "Yessir. The pilot is in and all preflight checks are done. Now all we need it flight clearance," one of the pilots replies. "Good good. We have clearance so I shall leave immediately. Thanks for helping out," the Slayer says as he moves past them to board the shuttle. "Wait…it usually takes at least fifteen minutes to get clearance. How did you do it so fast?" another of the pilots asks. Jax merely smiles. "Rank has its privileges. That, and you really don't want an angry Vanguard with you when you are trapped in a small room," he replies with a broad tooth filled smirk. The pilots stare incredulously at him for a few moments before breaking down into laughter. Satisfied with their reaction, Jax slips into the shuttle and seals the hatch behind him.
The shuttle ride is quick. The pilot took the time to circle the frigate as it floats in the shadow of the Dreadnought. Its color scheme was quite different from the SSV Normandy's. A majority of the vessel was a matte black. The primary lines, highlights, and the letters for the ship had been painted Alliance Blue. Whatever was left, including the Alliance symbol and the numbers, were painted white. The SSV Midway SR-5. Jackson smirks as they circle around and prepare for landing. He had seen vids of what the SR-2 had been capable of, and he was eager to try it out on a ship of his own. Hopefully, there was a pilot that could match the agility and reflexes that Flight Lieutenant Moreau displayed with the SSV Normandy. Either way, his pilot would have to be pretty hot on the sticks to impress him. The shuttle comes about and carefully slips into the massive open landing bay that had opened for them.
The hatch opens up once the bay is sealed and the major waits at the edge of the small transport, looking out into the bay . There were at least thirty men and women standing there at attention. They wore their dress uniforms and, from the few faces he could properly see, looked uncomfortable. Standing out in front of them all, in a uniform so crisp it could probably cut someone, was Lieutenant Commander Darryl Halloway. "Permission to come aboard?" Jackson asks, leveling his gaze upon the man. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard the SSV Midway SR-5," Commander Halloway answers as he moves out of the way. The major steps down onto the deck and grins. "Effective immediately, you are now the commanding officer of this Alliance Frigate, Major Willis. The Midway is now yours," Darryl adds as he salutes the Vanguard. Jackson turns and returns the salute.
"Alright then, I want everyone to get changed and get back to their stations. I will be coming around to inspect things in a half an hour. You are dismissed!" Jackson shouts. The crew quickly begins dispersing from the area, leaving Halloway and Willis standing in the bay. "Darryl Halloway. Lieutenant Commander. Fast riser through the ranks. A decent tactician when it comes to starship battles," Jackson says, breaking the silence that had befallen them. The Commander smiles and seems to stand a bit taller at the mention of his accolades. "Never seen ground combat. Son of a diplomat. Some attribute your rise in rank to your mother's influence. But others know that you are quite good at working the system as it were," the Vanguard continues as he begins walking to the now empty elevator. The former commanding officer of the SSV Midway follows behind him, frowning at his words.
"What are you trying to imply, sir?" Halloway asks as the door slides shut behind them. "I'm not trying to imply anything. I am merely informing you of what I had heard. That is all. Nothing more nothing less," Jackson answers before looking at the other officer, "Seeing as how you are in your dress uniform, I take it that you have removed all of your personal effects from my cabin?" Darryl nods lightly. "Yes Major, all of my things have been moved to the executive officer cabin," he reports. The Vanguard merely nods as the elevator comes to a stop at the third deck. "Good. Have the Yeoman send for my things from the Kilimanjaro. I'll be in my cabin, I need to figure out how I'm going to set up everything," Jackson says as he gestures towards the open door. The commander nods before quietly walking out onto the Crew Deck. The Vanguard shakes his head as the door slowly closes and takes him higher.
At the appointed time, Jackson descends from his cabin to the CIC. As the door slides open, Jackson sweeps his azure gaze across the area. The crews were at their stations, trying to look as busy as they could while the ship merely kept pace with the rest of the orbiting fleet. Standing in front of the galaxy map was Lieutenant Commander Halloway. The Slayer steps out of the elevator and clasps his hands behind his back. "Officer on deck!" shouts one of the security officers. Jackson chuckles and lets his gaze sweep across the rapidly moving crew members. "At ease at ease," the major says as he walks in far enough for the elevator doors to close. The crew returns to their work as he begins to inspect the area. Commander Halloway falls in behind the major, quietly observing. Jackson is quiet for the most part, content currently with just observing the crew members. He would occasionally ask questions with acceptable responses. It would seem he had quite the competent crew. Halloway had been assigned a fine group of marines. Jackson keys the door to the cockpit and is greeted by the sounds of someone singing rock in Japanese.
The vanguard chuckles softly and continues into the cockpit, vaguely aware of the disdain that was on the face of the commander behind him. The person who was sitting in the pilot's chair seemed to be unaware of his presence as he continues closer. Her dark brown hair was tied back in ponytail that was currently draped over her left shoulder. She seemed full of energy as she sang along with the artist blaring through the speakers. Jax's azure eyes briefly move over the glowing control panel before he finds the mute button. He reaches out and presses it, earning the pilot's hand wrapping around his forearm a split second later. "Who the fu-" is all she gets out before she looks up into his face. Her olive colored eyes widen slightly before she pulls back her hand and springs to her feet. Jax could see Commander Halloway preparing to shout, but he holds up his gloved left hand to stop him. "I'm sorry sir! I didn't hear you come in. Usually COs don't want to meet the pilots. Usually they are stuck up and so full of themselves they don't think of those who have to swing these girls through space and between anything that might want to do them harm. And I've overstepped myself haven't I?" she asks, ending her ramble.
Jackson turns around to gauge Halloway's reaction. As the major figured, the lieutenant commander was livid. His eyes burned with anger and the muscles in his jaw were tense enough to stand out against his skin. The N7, however, smiles. "What is your name Flight Lieutenant?" the Slayer asks after a moment passes. "Lieutenant Mizu Carthage, sir," she replies quickly. "Well, Lieutenant Carthage, I must say that you have shown you have decent reflexes. That is good, but reflexes of the body are one thing. I need to see how you handle this craft," Jax says as he gestures to the pilot's chair. A mischievous smirk appears upon Mizu's face as she sits back down. Before she touches the flight systems, she turns and looks back at him. "I can put her through her paces, but if you want me to show you all she has to offer, I need to know that I won't get my flying status revoked for what I am about to do," the pilot says, her voice dead serious. The N7 responds with a smirk before going over to the communications panel.
He taps in a quick code and after a few moments, Admiral Hackett's voice comes through the bridge speakers. "This is Admiral Hackett. Willis, I take it you have gotten settled on your new ship?" the elder officer's disembodied voice asks. "Just about, sir. I am just going to need a bit of amnesty for what the Midway is about to do. I have to put my ship through her paces and there isn't much in the way of an obstacle course nearby. Besides the obvious," Jax responds. There are a few moments of silence before the reply comes. "Do you trust this pilot of yours?" the admiral inquires. "Why yes I do. If I didn't I wouldn't be making such a request," the major answers simply. "Alright then. I will make sure that the rest of the Alliance Brass overlooks this. Hackett out." With that done, the Slayer stands back and holds his hands up. "Alright boys and girls, strap yourselves in. The new CO wants to see what this ship can do, and I aim to show him," Mizu announces over the ship wide intercom. He catches that smirk once more upon her face before her fingers fly across the control board.
Jackson steps back slightly, to brace himself, as the ship leaps forward. It was angled towards the tail end of a carrier floating out in front of them. He crosses his arms over his chest as he watches out of the front viewport, a small grin appearing on his lips. The Midway spins to starboard at the last instant, narrowly missing trading paint with the other ship. Jax nods as the ship pulls up and rolls again as it shoots across the top of the carrier. The pilot angles the frigate out to the rest of the fleet and guns the engines. The major continues to stand there as the agile vessel dips and weaves between vessels, evading the other ships by narrow margins. Once she had gone past all the other ships of the fleet, Mizu brings the Midway to fly alongside the Kilimanjaro. Sometime during the exercise, Lieutenant Commander Halloway had made his way over to one of the copilot chairs and was now slowly releasing his grip on the seat.
"And that is how she operates in combat operations. I can make this girl do things that would make the fighter pilots a little nervous," Mizu announces proudly as she leans back into her seat. "Flight Lieutenant Carthage! That was the most foolish and dangerous misuse of military equipment I have ever seen! Your blatant disregard for the rules and regulations set forth is-" the commander starts in on the pilot. "Exactly what I am looking for," Jax cuts in with a laugh. Halloway turns on him and stares, mouth agape. "But sir-!" he tries to get out. "My ship, my rules. We are about to venture after an unknown enemy into who knows what kind of territory. We could be ambushed at any moment, and I need a pilot who has the ba-guts to do what is necessary to keep the ship in one piece," the Slayer snarls back at him. Halloway jerks back as if physically stricken and turns his eyes away, avoiding the seething gaze of his superior officer.
Jax then turns to Mizu, whose eyes were wide after watching the verbal bitchslap, and smiles. "Thank you for following orders Lieutenant and showing me what my ship is capable of. You handle her well and I am glad to have you as a part of my crew," he says. Lieutenant Carthage nods slowly, still processing the major change the major had gone through. "Aye aye sir," she says softly. With that being said, the Slayer turns and heads out of the cockpit, followed closely by Lieutenant Commander Halloway. The Vanguard makes his way to the back of the CIC and keys up his personal computer. He sends a message out to his team, telling them to be prepared to disembark from the Kilimanjaro in an hour and a half. With the message sent, he closes the terminal down and turns around to lock eyes with Halloway. The commander meets his gaze evenly, curiosity playing across his features. "Follow me to the conference room," the Slayer says simply before exiting the CIC .
Jackson enters the room and goes to stand at the far side of it, looking at the blackened monitor that took up a good portion of the wall. He hears the whisper of the doors open and he clasps his hands behind his lower back before turning around to look at Halloway. "What seems to be th-" the lieutenant commander begins to ask. "You are Halloway, you are. You are far too uptight for this outfit and you are bringing down the morale of my crew. That just will not do. On this mission, I am going to need every man and woman at my command working in sync to the best of their abilities. I need a binding force that will make them want to give their lives for one another. I don't see that. What I see is a rigid structure that will break under the slightest stress. A dry twig that will snap when bent.
"I have searched for the underlying cause of this problem, and the answer is you. You are used to running things by the numbers, following rules and regulations to the tee. That is all fine and dandy on a normal Alliance starship, but this is an N7 frigate. I am not going to have things rigid here and with your viewpoint being the total opposite of my own, I cannot have you as my Executive Officer. As of right now, you are relieved of your post as Executive Officer of the SSV Midway SR-5. You have an hour to pack your things and move over to the Kilimanjaro. If you do not vacate the room you have taken within the allotted time, then you will have to butt heads with the XO that will be replacing you. And I can promise you that he will not be so friendly about moving you from his space as I am," Jackson says as he stares the man down . The commander slowly opens and closes his mouth, trying to find the words to offer in rebuttal, but none come.
Jackson watches as rage begins to fill the other officer's features. It started in his eyes and slowly spread out across his body. The N7 grins and shakes his head. "Look at you, freezing under pressure. All revved up, but nowhere to go. How disgusting," the Vanguard adds with a sneer. Halloway lets out an unintelligible noise and charges at him. How very silly of him. Jax brings his hands out of his pockets and takes a slight step back. The commander lowers his upper body to tackle the major, but his shoulder never connects. Jackson's left hand pushes up on Halloway's right arm, while his left hand pushes down on the back of Halloway's neck. The man's body begins to spin as the forward momentum is shifted in a direction he was not expecting. He turns one full revolution before his face is hit by a quick knee, resulting in a loud crunch. Halloway falls to the ground, grasping his nose and arching his back in pain. Red blood flows freely through his fingers.
"A real smart move charging a marine whose job it is to be an expert at close combat. Go and see the doctor and then clear out the XO room. Try not to spill too much blood on the deck as you go, because you will be the one cleaning it up," Major Willis says as he places his hands back in his pockets. The N7 then heads out of the conference room, leaving the man to bleed on the ground and think about the choices in his life that had led to this incident.
~One and half hours later~
Jackson smiles as he stands in front of the interior airlock door. The portal beeps and slides away with a hiss. His eyes move over the four women and two men standing in the airlock. At their front, his brother, Staff Commander Trenton Willis comes to a stop and salutes. "Permission to come aboard, sir?" the amber eyed male requests, a grin on his face. The Slayer returns the salute with a smile before nodding. "Permission granted, welcome aboard, our new home, the SSV Midway," the major says as he turns and begins walking deeper into the ship, the rest of the team following him. "She looks to be a thing of beauty. I saw some of the maneuvers she was pulling yesterday and I was quite impressed by the skill with which the pilot handled her. Can I meet him?" Fae asks.
"Her actually and maybe later Lieutenant Fae. Right now, you all need to get settled in. We will be departing from the fleet soon," the Vanguard announces. There were noises of agreement as they all head to the elevator. Before they reach it, the door slides open to reveal Lieutenant Commander Halloway, broken nose bandaged and in a clean uniform. His eyes widen slightly as they move across the wall of living intimidation before him. "Who's this wimp?" Vespasia inquires, a slight sneer appearing on her face. "Him? Oh, he's just the former XO of this vessel. One Lieutenant Commander Halloway," Jax explains in an offhanded manner. "What happened to his face?" Reden asks, keeping his gaze fixated on the man. "Oh that? He had a nasty run in with the 'barrier'. He was fortunate that all he broke was his nose," the major answers, finally letting his azure gaze move to the now shaking lieutenant commander.
"A 'barrier' you say? Well then, it is a good thing he is vacating my spot. Anyone who has a run in with said barrier must have been asking for it," Trenton says as he takes a step forward. Commander Halloway visibly shrinks back from him. "Pathetic," Rin comments. "Yeah! You call yourself a man? Pfft I've seen colonists on Feros with more backbone than you," Vespa adds on. "Alright marines, save it for a real enemy. Unfortunately, he is one of our own and we don't do blue on blue. Sights, take Lieutenant Commander Halloway here and escort him off of the ship. 808, I know she doesn't need it with him, but you will assist her. We are a team now, so we watch over our own, no matter how little of a threat something may pose. Everyone else, your equipment is in the hangar along with your room assignment. Grab your gear and take it to your bunk. After we leave the fleet, I will give a briefing on our first mission. That is all, you are dismissed," Jax commands.
The N7s resound with an "Aye, sir." and go about the tasks assigned to them. Jackson watches them quietly and smiles. He had a good team and a good crew. Even though this mission gave him an uneasy feeling deep within his stomach, he felt confident about their ability to survive and complete the task given to them to the utmost of their abilities.