One year...its been one year since then. One year since our second commandant was enlisted into our squad. One year since that very commandant had also broken our trust just like the first one and as the same as this year one year since we have been called by Hassen to come meet our new commandant. Sometimes I can't help but wonder does humanity really deserve to have the earth back? I know these kinds of thoughts are liable to have me labeled as corrupted but after witnessing and almost experiencing the kinds of evil that a human can cause whose to say this isn't some kind of punishment that humanity has to experience a punishment that they truly deserve.* Lucia could only give a frustrated sigh as this question crossed her mind. Of course she didn't whole heartily believe this nor did she believe that necessarily all of humanity deserved to be essentially trapped in the space station know as Babylonia the only place that a human and even construct can live without the threat of being ruthlessly torn apart by the corrupted of the punishing virus but after never really having truly experienced the kind of kindness that humanity has been described as having the potential of it has become harder to not lump all of humanity into one basket. Even now as she and the two other members of her squad Lee and Liv walked to the command center to meet with their new commandant an entire plethora of negative thoughts had crossed her mind many of which came to the same conclusion that this commandant was going to be the same just as the others.
"I'm guessing your thinking about our new commandant right?" Lee then asked noticing Lucia's sigh. "I am" Lucia answered as another sigh seemed to escape her lips "I know Celica took the extra time to encourage us to have an open mind with this one but it's hard not to think the worst". "I don't blame you after what Liv has gone through twice and what you almost have been through I wouldn't be surprised if your thoughts with in regards to the new commandant would be mostly negative".
"Speaking of which how is she?" Lee then asked in a feint whisper "Its still hard for her talk clearly unless someone she trusts is around even then she still has a habit of stuttering when speaking" Lucia then answered also in a whisper. This time it was Lee's turn to give a sigh both out of relief but still with an element concern "At least she can talk, for awhile there I figured she'd might've considered staying silent altogether". "I still don't think its a good idea to try and interact with her physically though unless it is made entirely obvious what your intention is" Lucia then added which Lee then seemed to close his eyes in response "right".
As the three continued to walk in silence they soon found themselves approaching the main doors to the command center. As the three approached closer they immediately began to conclude in their minds that once they left those doors they would again be walking out with another commandant in their squad along with another possibility of being taken advantage of for possibly a third time. However the members of Gray Raven weren't the only ones busy coming to terms with their inevitable fates because at the exact same time on the other side of the doors inside the command center was their new commandant who was currently having his attention split from listening to Celica's brief on his enlistment and psyching himself up in order to conquer the bundle of nerves that seemed to have picked the worst time to show themselves. *Alright commandant Yamada you can do this just remember their people as well so they should be treated as such. Just be nice maybe give a friendly wave. Man I wish that special training in addition to the commandant training that they put me through also taught me how to not feel like a kid at the first day of school*
"Commandant Yamada you are listening right?" Celica immediately asked snapping the new commandant out of his thoughts "uh...yes you were just telling me that I would be having three constructs in the squad two attack one support right? "Well your half right I also asked if you read their dossiers yet; the ones you were given yesterday". "Well I did read most of them mostly their skill sets but I sort of Ignored the rest of it mainly the more inter-personal profiles" Yamada answered which seemed to catch the attention of the entire command center including Hassen a little.
"Why is that exactly?" Celica immediately asked admittedly curious as this was the first time a commandant had chosen to ignore that part of the dossier. "Oh don't get me wrong its not that I don't want to get know them or anything its just that I think it would be nice if i got to know from personal experience rather than a most likely heavily edited profile that overly elevates them to seem pleasing to the eye" Yamada then answered in which in response a period of silence seemed to echo across the command center only to be completely overshadowed by a sharp and abrupt laugh from Hassen "well well I guess they weren't kidding when they said you had a rare personality".
"Did I say something weird?" Yamada then asked looking towards Celica "not exactly its just that no commandant has ever ignored that part of the dossiers before especially for the express reason of wanting to know from a personal perspective". "In any case I think your squad will be more than happy to have a commandant like you" Hassen then said "I hope so it would be nice to know that all my training didn't go to waste". "speaking of which it seems like they're here now" Hassen then says as the main doors to the command center then began to open.
As Lucia, Lee, and Liv walked into the all to recognizable command center their eyes immediately laid on the three at the center of the room the first two being Hassen and Celica who were merely looking towards them waiting for them expectantly however it was the third person that seemed to immediately catch their full attention as they began to take in his full appearance. Firstly he seemed to be roughly about Lee's height with a somewhat similar build to his as well, as per the norm he was wearing the standard issue commandant uniform except unlike most who had buttoned the coat his was left open showing the inner shirt of the uniform, his hair was a darkish brown color that seemed a bit messy, and finally his eyes which seemed to be a light blue color that for some reason gave a feeling that was oddly hard to describe as he looked at them.
"Ah Gray Raven its good to see you here" Hassen then greeted as the three immediately stopped about a couple feet from them in which they only seemed to nod in response. "I'm sure you've noticed him already but i believe an introduction is in order" Hassen then continues as he extends a hand towards Yamada "This is commandant Yamada a recent graduate from the academy and your new commandant". As if rehearsed the moment after Hassen had said this Yamada immediately took a step forward " its great to be working with you Gray Raven and while I know it is preferred that I'm called commandant it most situations when not in the field feel free to call me Wren" he then greeted in which he then preceded to give a friendly smile in response.
Although Yamada had intended to give a friendly introduction to his future team he couldn't help but notice that it seemed to have the complete opposite of an effect on them seeing as the moment he took a step forward the first two seemed to tense up as if to fight him and the third seemed to take a step back a bit as if in fear of him. Noticing that their new commandant had finished his introduction the three then tried their best to re-center themselves and give their introductions. "Lucia, attack type construct" the first said. "Lee, also an attack type construct" the second then said.
While Lucia and Lee seemed to able to introduce themselves perfectly when it came to Liv's turn however she seemed to be having trouble speaking to the point where she couldn't even make noise even if she opened her mouth. This seemed to continue for awhile to the point where Lee and Lucia began to assume that their new commandant would begin to get impatient with Liv. However to their surprise as they kept looking at Yamada his face didn't show a hint of impatience nor did he seem to give any negative look towards her at all instead after a bit of waiting for her to take another attempt to speak he then seemed to bend down on one knee making himself completely level with her. Once he did this Liv seemed to jump a bit completely closing her mouth and stopping herself from trying to talk entirely as she seem to stare directly towards him. Taking a minute to look at her Yamada could immediately tell that her body seem to be trembling a bit and her eyes seemed to have a look of a hidden terror as if the moment that he took step closer she'd either attack him in defense or run. So instead he opted to give her a more gentle smile as opposed to the friendly one from before.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who feels like a bundle nerves huh?" Yamada then asks in which Liv doesn't give a response to "you know what helps me when I'm nervous taking a good deep breath and letting it out slowly why don't you try that and then try introducing yourself again". Liv still looking towards Yamada seemed to take his advice and slowly began to take a few deep breaths. After taking a few deep breaths Liv then seemed to calm down a bit still afraid but not as much as before. "L-Liv, s-support type" she then managed to say before seemingly taking a step back from Yamada. "Its nice to meet you Liv, you two as well Lucia, Lee" Yamada then said in which he then seemed to stand up and look towards Hassen "so what's next is their a mission for us sir?".
"I believe it would be safe to save your first mission for later for now I'd suggest you head to the Gray Raven's headquarters and take some time to get to know each other and the place where you'll be staying at, tomorrow we will see about getting you a set up for a mission". "Alright then well Lucia, Lee, Liv I'll follow your lead" Yamada as the four the then proceeded to leave the command the center. Once the doors to the command center had closed Celica seemed to let out a sigh of relief before looking towards Hassen "well, I must say I didn't expect him to react that way especially considering the type of training commandants usually go through". "Indeed for someone titled as the "Top Gun" of the recent graduates he doesn't he seem to act like one I must say I'm interested to see where this commandant manages to take the Gray Ravens".
As the now four member Gray Raven squad walked through the hallways of the main headquarters Lucia, Lee, and Liv couldn't help but take a few glances towards commandant Yamada as he walked behind them seemingly comfortable enough to be following them. It hadn't even been an hour since they had him on the team and already he had left an impression on them. Never in the years that they had been active have they seen a commandant interact with a construct in that way not even the two commandants that they had prior interacted with them this way and even though their was an ulterior motive behind their actions they were at least somewhat friendly. But for some strange reason Yamada seemed genuine in his initial action. The first bit of evidence that alone seemed to prove this was by the fact that a commandant would consider a construct to be able to be nervous instead of glitching out or some other preconceived assumption along with admitting in Infront of not just the entire command center but a member of the Babylonia council that they were also nervous was un-heard of let alone the fact that the same commandant even took the time give advice to help calm the construct's nerves down. Though the constructs of Gray Ravens didn't necessarily trust Yamada they could definitely say for certain that Wren Yamada was not your everyday commandant. However just as before the constructs of Gray Raven weren't the only ones that were curious about the other as Commandant Yamada was seemingly lost in thought about their recent introductions.
*Well that was...something first squad of constructs that you've ever been introduced to and next thing you know your preventing one from running out the door in fear. Well your here now best to make the most of it. Though I have to wonder what could cause a construct to be so scared of their own commandant that they couldn't even speak properly let own begin to visibly tremble like that. I mean I know constructs can't exactly say no to a commandant when being ordered to do something so is it possible that...looks like I might have to do some digging in to this squads prior commandants. For now though the best thing I can do let them know that I mean them no harm.* It was at this moment that Yamada's eyes seem to catch something as an idea crossed his mind.
After a bit of walking the three constructs immediately began to wonder if it would be a good time to talk to their new commandant since it seemed anything would be better then just walking in silence. A silent debate began to occur between the three as their eyes seemed to drift to each other prodding one of them to open their mouth first. After a bit it seemed Lee would be the one to ask the first question as if with a bit of sigh after seemingly losing the debate as he began to look behind them.
"So commandant we were wondering..." however before Lee could even give his question he immediately noticed that their new commandant had seemingly vanished into thin air "where did he go?" Lee then immediately asked altering the other two turn around as well. "d-did he just leave us?" Liv then seemed to asked
It was then as if to answer their questions that the distance sounds of a vending machine dispensing its items could be heard in an intersecting hallway. Immediately looking to each other the three quickly hurried towards the direction of the sound to find their new commandant taking out three items from a hallway vending machine at the distance from where they were looking it seemed like he was holding two bars and a canned beverage. Initially the three thought the their commandant must have been hungry but their minds soon changed as the commandant seem to take notice of them.
"Ah there you three are I was beginning to wonder where you went off to" Yamada then says while walking toward them items in hand. "We were wondering the same about you we were about to ask something but you just walked off without telling us" Lucia then said as the commandant stopped Infront of them.
A small yet friendly chuckle seem to escape from the commandant "sorry about that I saw the vending machine and was wondering if you guys wanted anything so I sort of went to get you guys something". This seemed to catch three off guard did their commandant just say that he wanted to give them something like a gift of sorts? The three seemed to stare at the commandant seemingly trying to process this. since when does a commandant give their constructs gifts? "U-um did you j-just say those are f-for us?" Liv nervously asked. "Yep, I didn't know what you wanted though so I got you and Lucia these chocolate flavored bars and Lee seemed like a coffee guy so I got him some canned coffee" Yamada then answered a beaming smile on his face.
Yamada then proceeded to one by one hand off the items to their respective recipients the first two he seemed to toss to both Lucia and Lee who both effortlessly caught them and the last one he seemed to bend down on one knee just like before and handed the bar to Liv who after a bit of hesitancy did accept the gift. The commandant then went the back to the vending machine most likely to get his own item. While he did this Lucia, Lee, and Liv's minds were seemingly buzzing. Who is this guy?! He clearly wasn't just being friendly no commandant if any were ever this friendly and it certainly didn't seem like he was trying to appear different seeing as they were the only ones there but it just didn't make sense. It hadn't even been one day yet and already this commandant had shown a side that many constructs didn't even know was possible for a commandant. As commandant Yamada made his way back to them he immediately seemed to begin to casually unwrap his bar and begin eating it noticing as the other three seemed be lost in thought while staring at the items in their hands.
"You know I know they look pretty to look at but their kind of met more for intaking to" he then says in-between bites. Immediately the three seemed to snap back to reality as they began to awkwardly and somewhat hesitantly eat and drink what was given to them. While seeing this happen Yamada couldn't help but whole heartily laugh at the three. It wasn't a cruel laugh more like the kind of laugh you'd receive from someone you were close to; a tender laugh. "Oh come on its not a bomb just eat it normally" he then says in-between laughs.
After finishing their treats except Lee who seemed to have savored his for a bit longer and squashing the feeling of embarrassment after being laughed at by their commandant for about a minute the three soon made it to the Gray Raven head quarters. Once there the three constructs then began to give him a brief tour of the place including its facilities such as the kitchen, bathroom, and construct repair room, dorm rooms, and lastly Yamada's very own office along with his own bedroom. Though Yamada seemed content with its facilities and his office his living space however in comparison to his team's seemed to irk him a bit. Although Yamada knew that commandants were naturally treated more accommodatingly as they were very detrimental to a teams success while in the field he felt his living space was putting him much higher than he deserved especially within comparison to his teams more bare bones and even some what cramp dorm rooms. Immediately Yamada began to make a few mental notes on what renovations could be possible within the headquarters to make things feel at least a little bit more cozy more for his team. Once the tour had been completed Yamada seemed to believe that it be best to allow Lucia, Lee, and Liv to have sometime alone seeing as despite his initial acts of kindness their still seemed to be a bit of distance between them and him. So not wanting to sound like he didn't want to them around Yamada simply told them that he was going to relax his living space for a while and that if they ever wanted to talk or needed him for anything that his door was always open.
With their new commandant now leaving them to their own devices Lucia, Lee, and Liv were seemingly left to fully digest their first few experiences with the new commandant. Though Yamada didn't seem to behave in any similar way to their prior commandants their was still an air of distrust that seemed to prevent them from fully trusting him a feeling that most likely wouldn't leave for a while. However one thing that they certainly could say is that despite this feeling it certainly wasn't at all unpleasant to be around him. His naturally friendly demeanor and surprisingly yet consistent gentle approach with Liv certainly was appreciated especially for Liv who despite her initials fears of Commandant Yamada seemed curious to want to get know him better something that seemed to be agreed by both Lee and Lucia as well.
"So that's commandant Yamada?" Lee rhetorically asks looking towards the door to the commandants living space "he's certainly a character that's for sure". "Indeed, although I do find it surprising that he seems so trusting of us, he hasn't order us to do anything once" Lucia comments. "I-I like him h-he's nice" Liv then says " he was patient with me despite the fact that I was afraid and he even got us gifts even if they were from a vending machine". "While I will say he initially seems to have a kind disposition to him don't forget Liv the other two were kind starting off as well too" Lee then warns. "I-I know that its j-just that h-he seems d-different". "Being different on base doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the same while on a mission" Lucia then comments "though I won't deny he doesn't really come off the same as other commandants". "All we can do is wait and see our first mission with him might very well be the test to see how he truly is" Lee then says which seemed to have ended the conversation there.
As the three seemingly began to go their separate ways around the base commandant Yamada while relaxing on the couch within his living seemed to be pondering as well. Well Yamada first day on the team and I guess you can say you were able to give a good impression. Though its still a shame that they don't seem to trust me still. I guess its true when they say you can't rush a friendship. I'll just have to take things one step at a time and they'll come around at their own pace. Although after the mission that we have tomorrow I should really do some research on those other commandants maybe finding out what they did could shed some light how to gain their trust.*