Soldier of Orb
Chapter II
“Well, here we are,” Kallen declared as she and Miyuki unloaded their luggage from the trunk of her mother’s car.
“Yeah,” Miyuki sighed, setting down her luggage and pulling on her backpack.
The last month had been rather hectic for them. After Miyuki had given her answer and Kallen had informed her of her own decision, which not surprisingly was a definite yes, her father promptly sent hers and Kallen’s answers straight to Cagalli, and had the applications to them within two days. They filled out the applications and had them mailed in where the process took only a couple weeks. During that waiting period, the two of them went about obtaining their transcripts and any other additional paperwork that would be required for when they transferred to Onogoro Military College where they would complete education. The time had also been spent letting their teachers and friends know of the transfer, and to say goodbye and the like.
It had been a stressful two weeks. It was also during that time that she also had to pack in preparation for the move to the base. Saying goodbye to her friends hadn’t been as bad as she had thought, but she would miss them nonetheless. She just hoped that she would be given time off to relax and be able to actually leave the base and spend time with her friends and family. Eventually, she had received her authorization to enter the base, and also a set of paperwork that her father told her was her ‘movement orders,’ a military term to describe the paperwork that outlined what would occur from the time she left home to the point that she arrived onto the base. She had read it through from end to end, and eventually had an idea of what was to occur.
The first thing that was mentioned on the order was that two weeks after she received it, she was to head to the base and headed to one of the hangers where she would do registration and other such preliminaries and would be given a chance to settle down before finally beginning class.
Prior to arriving, everyone had met at Miyuki’s house to say goodbye and wish her the best of luck. Lucky for her, her sister Emi had arrived the night prior and was also there to see her off, albeit begrudgingly claiming that Miyuki had planned this all nicely just so that she left when Emi arrived, in good nature of course. Overall, it had been a simple affair for the family. They had simply wished her luck, gave her a few hugs of support, settled down Shirou who had been sad and confused believe that she was leaving for ever when she was simply moving across town, and then carpooled with Kallen to the base. Now they stood at the gates of Onogoro Military College where their fate, and their future, awaited them.
“Well then, let’s get settled shall we?” said Kallen.
“Yeah…”
“Good luck girls,” Kallen’s mother called out from the car.
“Thanks okaa-san,” Kallen called back giving her a wave. “I’ll write you.” After a final bid of farewell, her mother drove off leaving them to their own devices. Grapping their bags, they set off to the main gate where a pair of armed guards stood ready with their weapons.
“Do you have authorization?” one of the guards asked when they approached the gate. Given their papers, he quickly examined them ensuring everything was in order, and then handed them a set of directions to the building they were required to wait in, and a pass to allow them access onto the base.
“So what do you think the process is going to be like?” Kallen asked, following the route that was written on the map.
“Probably a lot of logistical paperwork,” Miyuki answered, starting to list off various things that came off to mind. “They’ll take in our paperwork, search our belongings for anything possibly illegal, have us do some registration, probably get our measurements for uniforms, tell us what class or group we’re in, maybe a speech or two in between, and then sent to our rooms to settle down. We’ll probably have lunch in between all of that.”
“Anything beyond that?” she asked. “Because it sounds like it’ll only last until about late afternoon.”
“Probably a bit longer than that, considering there are 49 women taking this course,” Miyuki pointed out.
“Oh yeah…I forgot about that,” Kallen muttered. Glancing at the map, she took a turn at the appropriate intersection and carried on. “I wonder what kind of food they have here…”
“Probably something that can at least be called food,” Miyuki answered casually. “It’s military food, not some sort of special dinner or something.”
“And do you HAVE to rationalize everything?” Kallen deadpanned.
“What is there not to rationalize?” Miyuki countered, smiling in amusement at Kallen’s apparent discomfort. “This is the military after all.” Kallen’s response was a sullen look of defeat at the irrefutable logic she was bringing forth to the table. Despite the fact Miyuki was simply pointing out the obvious, it was still a cold hard slap of reality that she just didn’t want to deal with.
“You and your logic,” Kallen muttered and walked through a door with indications for the new recruits to enter. A low whistle quickly passed through her lips as they walked in. “Now THIS is what I call a hangar!” she immediately declared to Miyuki. Lining the side walls of the hangar, held in a perfect, neat, and orderly formation, were Orb’s Astray units. Painted primarily in white with red accents, and a black chest plate, they gleamed pristinely in the low light, each one of them bearing Orb’s flag on their right shoulder. To be in their presence was a pleasant surprise for Kallen. They were the embodiment of Orb’s hope of never having to ever use them. They were also the epitome of Orb’s technological advancement in both computers and weapons technology. Armed with advanced computer systems and hardware, and the best weapons the military had to offer, they were a weapon of extreme precision, if it were in the right hands.
“Never had a chance to see a completed one up close before,” Kallen commented, eying the machines.
Paying little heed, Miyuki looked around the hangar and noticed three girls off to the side talking to one another, with luggage of their own nearby. Pointing them out to Kallen, they made their way down at a leisurely pace. Walking in relative silence, they watched crews and technicians perform their duties and tasks with precision and efficiency, covering everything that was required of them and more. On one unit, technicians had dismantled the armour plating of the unit’s head and were performing maintenance as well as loading up ammunition for the twin-linked CWIS Igellstellungs mounted on their heads. On another unit, an arm had been completely detached from the main body along with its chest plate, exposing the delicate intricacies of its internal workings where crews worked performing whatever was required of them for the moment.
“Quite the crew,” Kallen commented again.
“Yeah…”
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” one of the three girls stated. The girl who had spoken to them stood before them with her weight shifted on one leg with a hand resting on her raised hip. Golden blond hair that flared out the back of her head, sapphire blue eyes that gleamed as brightly as the sun, and a steeled face of leadership, the girl presented herself as someone who wasn’t to be taken lightly, a leader of sorts, one who was still unrefined and unpolished.
“These Astray’s are going to be Orb’s ticket to victory,” she confidently stated.
“And who might you be?” Kallen asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Asagi Caldwell,” she asserted before turning to introduce her friends, “Juli Wu Nien and Mayura Labbatt.” Both girls nodded in greetings.
“Kouzuki Kallen,” she introduced herself and then thumbed towards Miyuki. “And of course, daughter of Chief Engineer Sashimaru, Sashimaru Miyuki.”
“No need to be so dramatic about it,” Miyuki sighed, already noticed the surprised expression on the three girl’s faces.
“You’re his daughter?” Asagi asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Miyuki sighed, preparing for what would most likely turn into an explosion of typical fan girls.
“Well then, looking forward to seeing what you’ve got,” Asagi grinned, extending her hand out. “I hope you don’t mind a little competition.”
“Excuse me?”
“My mum is also part of the engineering team that built the Astray,” she explained. “So I suppose you and I are kind of like rivals.”
“If you say so,” Miyuki chuckled, accepting the proffered hand. “Although I don’t know what we would exactly compete for…”
“Top cadet, top drill, top bunk, top marks, that sort of thing,” Asagi stated, earning sighs of indignation from her two friends.
“Is she like this?” Kallen asked Juli and Mayura, raising an eyebrow and pointing towards the blonde.
“Yeah she is,” Mayura answered, shaking her head in disappointment. Running her hands through her short hazel hair, her cobalt eyes stared at Asagi in both amusement and embarrassment. “Sometimes I have to ask myself why am I friends with someone like her.”
“Hey, I resent that,” Asagi called out, reached over and whacked Mayura across the head.
“Oi,” Mayura screamed, rubbing the spot where she was hit. “That was unnecessary.”
“Well I could say the same thing about you questioning our friendship,” she countered scathingly, albeit lacking the venom or malice to back her words.
“Guys, guys,” Juli pleaded, panic spreading across her face. “Can we not argue?” Between the three, Kallen and Miyuki noted almost immediately that she seemed to be the reserved and demure member of their group. Azure hair that reached down to her shoulders, amber orbs framed by a pair of pink glasses, she looked like she was more of a straggler of the group, someone they had picked up and had taken into the fold.
“Aw c’mon Juli, you know it’s in good fun,” Asagi assured, rubbing the top of her head. Juli simply sighed and resigned herself to be belittled in such a childish manner, while Mayura giggled at her predicament. Unfortunately, her height also served as a source of entertainment since she only reached the shoulders of the other two, and apparently, also Miyuki. To Kallen, however, she was slightly put off that she barely reached her chest height.
“Being 5’5” sucks at times,” Juli sighed.
“It is an unfortunate thing indeed,” Asagi solemnly stated, while Mayura nodded in agreement.
“Then why are you still rubbing my head?” Juli asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh,” was all Asagi had to say to her embarrassment, afterwards sheepishly removing her hand from the top of Juli’s scalp. “Sorry.”
“Quite the interesting relation you guys have,” Kallen commented in amusement.
“It happens when we’ve known each other since we were five,” Juli sighed in annoyance instead of nostalgia. “They seem to like making fun of me a lot.”
“Well you are the cute one between us two hotties,” Asagi gleefully commented, wrapping an arm around Juli’s shoulder.
“Asagi…”
“Oh c’mon, you know you love us,” Asagi continued on while wearing a wide grin across her face. “We’ve been together for so long this shouldn’t be any bother to you.”
“But…but…”
“That’s a good Juli,” Mayura sighed, cuddling the girl, much to her chagrin.
The morning continued on like this for some time with the five of them interacting with one another, and getting to know each other as additional girls began to trickle in. Most came by themselves or in small groups, save for the last 30 or so who came in larger groups as they had arrived from the other islands that composed Orb. Eventually, the mass of 49 candidates were gathered and present, quietly waiting for what was to happen next. Very quickly though, groups were being formed between the girls, which worried some of the mechanics and technicians that believed that it might be the beginnings of cliques that would last throughout the four years. The last thing that they needed was the camaraderie to degrade into in-fighting because of the varying cliques. Whoever their CO was, they hoped that he or she would be able to nip the issue at the bud and end it very quick.
“Quite a few cliquish girls we’ve got here,” Kallen noted as her eyes darted back and forth in between all the various girls and groups that they had formed as they all got to know one another. Unfortunately, it looked like it was turning into the making of what looked like a standard high school type of cliques where it would eventually create the line of the “have” and “have not,” which she swore that if it happened then heads were going to be bashed; court martial or expulsion be damned. Among the things that she wouldn’t stand for, girls who were stuck-up and snobbish because they believed that they were truly better than everyone was on the list.
Soon enough, a troop of officers marched into the hangar, approached the girls and quickly whipped them into a neat orderly fashion. Not wasting time, the officers immediately started with a thorough baggage check along with the approval of their paperwork. As each girl had her paperwork checked and baggage approved, she was issued a new pass that contained various information, and were sent to the next station which involved having their pictures taken for their ID, and their measurements taken for their uniform. Following that, they spoke with an officer handing who gave them papers that listed off their barrack house, room, and the squad they were assigned to. In between all of this, at some point they had been taken to the nearby mess hall where they were fed lunch, and then herded back to the hangar where they completed the rest of the registration.
Throughout all of this, Miyuki had watched as everything worked like clockwork. Each station, each transition, it had occurred in a smooth, concise, organized manner. Everything that the officers had to do, they performed their duties with extreme efficiency, akin to a well oiled machine. Their statements and remarks were clipped, clear, and concise, leaving no room for possible errors or misinterpretations. When a question was asked, it was a direct question, lacking the vagueness of bureaucracy. She also noted that for everything they did, there was a specific methodology that they followed that allowed everything to run so smoothly between the officers. And on top that, the fact that they were able to maintain a steady calm and discipline, and also be able to control all 49 of the newcomers showed the sort of discipline training they’ve had. Even as they had light conversations with each other discussing about whatever came to mind, they never lost the track or the speed they had maintained. It was quite surprising to Miyuki.
Finally everything was completed leaving everyone continue sitting in a corner of the hangar by their luggage and waited. Left alone to their devices, they were told that they were to meet their commanding officer prior to being dispersed to their barracks, where they would spend the next four years living in. And as they waited, mechanics and technicians around them started to clean up for the day. Tools were being put away, spare parts stored and then secured, and any components that were removed from the suits were either put back into place or were stored where further work would be conducted the following morning.
“Wonder what this CO of ours is like,” Kallen wondered aloud.
“Maybe some hard ass drill sergeant who’ll set ridiculously high standards for us,” Asagi sighed.
“Or maybe, she’s someone who knows what to do?” a new voice declared, drawing everyone’s attention towards a brand new officer. Marching proudly in her uniform, the new officer approached the group with an air of confidence and command around her. Flanked by other officers, it created the air of a reviewing party who was prepared to inspect her troops prior to combat. And in a sense, it was true considering that they were about to meet those who would be under their charge for the next four years.
Crimson hair held back in a tight ponytail, slate-grey eyes that commanded respect, a steeled face of beauty hiding a powerful inner strength within, she was a walking embodiment of what a soldier, and an officer of Orb was: respectable, confident, someone who commanded respect, and a leader. Her status was only further accented with the various medals and ribbons that adorned above her right breast pocket.
Halting before the congregation, she took a moment to survey the group before drawing up on her full height. Despite the fact she looked no bigger than 5’8”, her presence felt more like a person of 6’. “I’m army Major Colwell Asagi. I will be your CO from now, until the day you decide to transfer out of the Astray program. Not only am I your course CO, I am also the Commanding Officer of the 101st Mobile Unit, Tsukiyoumi. You will undergo my training program, which will include whatever schooling that you are to complete prior to your transfer, your basic training, your familiarization training, or fam-flights, aboard Astrays, and your weapons training, among other things.
“Here are a few simple rules I will lay out for you ladies:
One: Don’t screw around. This is the military. We aren’t here to be all cuddly or lovey-dovey. We are here to prepare you for the possibility of war.
Two: Follow all of my instructions, as well as those of your flight staff, and your officers. This leads back to rule one of not screwing around. Listen to our commands, and everything will be fine. Disobey, and you may find yourself being sent to your superiors, or straight home.
Three: Observe all the rules and regulations laid out by our standards. There are ways you handle and carry yourselves, be it here on base, or out there in the real world. Whether you’re in uniform or not, there should be ways you conduct yourselves accordingly. You ladies are all officers to be. Everyone will know that, especially since you will all be bearing the squadron banner on your uniforms very soon. You are the role models. This base is also home to all the new recruits who are joining our armed forces as enlisted men. They will see you as officers, and if you screw up or carry yourself in appropriately, not only you make yourself look bad, but you make the officer corps as a whole look bad.”
Asagi took a moment to examine the cadets in front of her. She smirked in amusement, glad that she had captured their attention. Hardly a breath was made, and neither did a twitch ripple in the ocean of new recruits. She had most definitely captured their attention. Eventually she would have these people whipped into shape and have them giving her the proper respect. Her second goal was to hopefully whip the unit into shape once it integrated everything and became an active unit.
“Now before I let you go, I will explain how the groupings work out. All of you have been broken down into four flights: Red, Blue, Gold, and Green flight. Three of you are a unit of 12, one of you a unit of 13. When you graduate, you will be integrated with the active flights with the same names. You will get chances to meet members of your flights from the active roster in due time. When you complete your training through this program, you will be integrated into your flights, and become part of the 101st Mobile Unit, Tsukiyoumi. More details will be explained at another time, but suffice it to say that you will be eventually teamed up with your male counterparts. I trust that you will conduct yourselves accordingly, and in addition, show our male counterparts that we are just as effective as they can be.
“Each of the four flights will be given a flight commander, a flight sergeant, and two sergeants who will be your flight staff. You will train as flights, compete as flights, eat as flights, and sleep together as flights. Each flight is assigned a specific section of the two barrack blocks assigned to you, where you will spend your nights, evenings, and personal time, although you will not be restricted to your barracks unless deemed so.
“That is all for now. Dismiss.” Clicking their heels in quick and precise motions, the officers who had stood on either side of her came to life and quickly gathered the girls into their four groups and took them out of the hangers and out in different directions.
“Good luck ladies,” Asagi stated. “This is the start of your career. Don’t screw up.” Satisfied that her point was made, she turned and left the hangar leaving her officers to deal with them.
“Well then, this is where we go our separate ways,” Kallen sighed, patting her friend on the back. “You’d better not screw up because I’m not there.”
“I could say the same thing,” Miyuki answered back, pulling her friend into a hug. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kallen muttered before running off to join the rest of Blue flight, who were waiting for Green flight to join them.
Grabbing her bags, Miyuki turned and followed Asagi, Juli, and Mayura with the rest of Gold and Red flights. The walk towards their barracks was relatively short, and soon she found herself standing in front of the barrack building they were to be living in. The building stood three stories high, its matt green paintjob seemingly sneered at them. Its walls seemed to laugh at the idea that they were to live within its walls for the next four years, possibly even insulting them. Unfortunately, it also seemed to radiate an aura of un-cleanliness. This was accentuated with stains that ran down the walls, patches of mould, peeling paint, and even rust, among other things that sullied the building. It bothered the girls greatly. None of them were looking forward to spending the next four years in what looked like to be a pigsty.
Entering, despite the dirty, dilapidated appearance from outside, the walls gleamed pristinely. Whitewashed walls, polished linoleum, glowing fluorescent lighting, it was the epitome of cleanliness and efficiency. Not a single smear or smudge marred the walls. State of the art equipment filled the various offices they passed on the main floor before being led up a flight of stairs. There they saw more of the white. It both unnerved them and also relived them at the sight of how clean everything was. Nothing was out of place. Order ruled everywhere they walked as they gathered around the officer who led them in.
“Look around ladies, these will be your rooms for the duration of your stay,” the officer indicated. “This entire floor is dedicated to you ladies. There are facilities to meet your hygienic needs, as well as for your laundry. Each door will have your name plates already attached to them. You are sleeping in pairs. For now, until you are familiarized with the layout of the base, you are asked to remain within the confines of this barracks. There are rules and regulations for how your rooms, and barracks are to be maintained, as well as the dos and don’ts when you’re in the barracks. They are posted in your barracks. For now, get yourselves settled in and get to know your roommates. At 1800 hours, report outside for dinner. You will be escorted down.” Offering a bright smile, she wished them luck in their training for the next four years, and left leaving them to their devises. Dispersing, the girls travelled the length of the hallway and looked around. Finding their rooms, they pulled their personal belongings in and set about making themselves at home.
Walking down the hallway, she looked left and right for her name. As the numbers flashed by, 209, 210, 211, she read the names of those who would be her flight-mates, along with squadron-mates. Although knowing that there was no way she would be able to memorize them right away, she figured that it was best to at least have an idea of what were the names of those whom she would be spending the next four years with. She eventually found her room, 218, with her name plate written in Japanese text with her Romanized name just below it in English text. Below that was the name plate of her roommate: Mackenzie Christina, written in both katakana and English. Opening the door, she found herself in a relatively small room.
It was a two-person suite, but even then it was small, and quite simple. Tucked into one corner was a bunk bed, while in another was a couple of desks for the two of them. Lastly, the last wall was a massive closet for the two of them to store their clothes, what most likely would be their uniforms as well. Taking a look at the bunk bed in relation to the seat height, she sighed that it was tall enough that if she or her roommate wanted, they could sit comfortably on it without fear of hitting their head. The same could be said about the bottom bunk, at the very least. Whoever slept below would be able to get up and not have to worry about hitting their head.
Seeing that Christina wasn’t in yet, she pulled her belongings in and began to unpack everything that she would most likely need for the first night: a change of underwear, soap, shampoo, possibly some sleeping clothes, and other few random things she felt like storing inside her closet or on her bed.
A knocking drew her attention towards the door. Standing in the doorway was who she hoped to be Christina. “Are you Sashimaru-san?” she asked, somewhat struggling with her Japanese
“Yeah, that’s me,” Miyuki answered turning to face the newcomer. “I’m guessing your Mackenzie-san?”
“Yes, I am,” she answered back, somewhat clumsily.
“Come in, come in,” Miyuki beckoned. Miyuki watched as Christina pulled in her bag and set it down at the foot of their bunk bed. “What language do you speak more comfortably?” she asked immediately, recognising Christina’s difficulty in the language.
“English,” she answered. Miyuki grimaced at the mention of the language. She unfortunately knew nothing of the language. “I guess we’ll have to stick to Japanese. If you could slow down a bit, I’ll understand most of it.”
“I guess we’ll have to work with that,” Miyuki sighed, and regarded the new girl for a moment. Rouge hair that reached down to about the middle of her back, emerald eyes that gazed back at her, she had a rather odd air around her. It felt vaguely familiar to her, but she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She decided to put it at the back of her mind for now and get to know her roommate.
“So…what brings you here?” she asked casually.
“Pardon me?” Christina asked, blinking somewhat in surprise.
“Uh…I meant why you joined the program,” Miyuki clarified, smiling a bit sheepishly forgetting that there was a difference in language proficiency between them.
“Oh,” Christina stated, putting the phrase into the back of her mind for future reference. “It was a job offer I was given when I graduated from high school.”
“Job offer?!” Miyuki exclaimed, feeling her eyebrows disappear behind her bangs. “They OFFERED you a position?!”
“Yeah,” Christina answered back. “Apparently graduating from the top of my class helped a bit. So I suppose you could say that this is a career choice.”
“I…I see,” Miyuki muttered, a bit taken aback especially since now she realized that her roommate was actually two or three years her senior. “You were a prodigy I guess?” Miyuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Christina nodded. “Not exactly my first choice, but the scholarship they offered would cover the four years. It’s sort of hard to turn down such an offer, especially with my financial situation.”
“Financial situation?” Miyuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s for me to know, and you to find out,” Christina answerer, winking at the girl. “While I’m not exactly big on the killing aspect of this job, at least I can get some additional schooling done while I’m here, and use it after my contract is up. I figure that I’m probably going to be at this for about 8 years in total, so I need something under my belt.”
“I…I see,” said Miyuki, noting how Christina seemed quite calm about her situation. “I guess this helps you in many ways.”
“Quite,” Christina agreed. Pushing herself off the bed, she glanced at the closet and asked, “So which side is mine, and which bed is mine?”
After figuring out and agreeing which belonged to whom, they both unpacked their things and made themselves at home as best they could.
“You know, Mackenzie-san, your Japanese isn’t that bad,” Miyuki commented.
“Thanks, but I’m still learning,” Christina sighed, putting the last of her clothes away. “I only came to Orb when I started high school. My Japanese still needs a lot of work.”
“Yes, but it’s enough to at least have a light conversation,” Miyuki noted, sitting down on one of the chairs in the room.
“I suppose,” Christina agreed, sitting down on the bed. “Sashimaru-san, if I may ask why are you here?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked why you are here,” Christina repeated.
“Quite simple actually,” Miyuki answered. “I just want to protect the smiles of my family.”
“Protect their smiles?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Well you see, I grew up in a happy family,” Miyuki continued, explaining her reasoning. “Sure we had our ups and downs, but we were always a happy family, aside from the usual sibling spats and arguments with our folks of course. I suppose that I’ve grown to treasure that happiness, those smiles they wear so much, that I don’t want it to disappear. I want them to keep smiling, even if I die protecting that. But I’d at least die knowing that I had done my part to protect what was precious to me.”
“That’s…quite insightful,” Christina commented. “I’m not sure if I could find something like that…”
“Then I guess don’t?” Miyuki offered. “Because the way I see it, you can do what most people do: stick it out until it’s finished and leave it at that. Do your best so that you can at least use it as a means to get you where you want. You don’t have to have a reason to be here. I could have turned this offer down, but if I have a chance to even help prevent the loss of my family’s smiles, I’ll take it. So…I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to fight or be here for something. Just do this for yourselves, you know?”
“I guess,” Christina sighed. “But I hope that it never comes down to us having to fight.”
“Yeah,” Miyuki sighed. “I hope so too.”