Chapter 40 Cleanup

According to the data that was provided for the cleanup efforts, the Scavengers breached an airlock on the port side, towards the front of the ship. That area should belong to the Second Field Army assigned to the ship, but currently the Abraham Kepler is very short staffed.

That meant that there were no immediate casualties from the loss of pressure in the area, but it also meant that the infestation had time to spread before the teams could respond. Sensors say there are no remaining threats, but every square inch of the ship is to be visually scanned to ensure nothing survived.

The Cadets aren't cleared to access most areas of the ship, so they have been excluded from the cleanup efforts, much to their dismay. They did help kill the Scavenger infestation, but military regulations say they're not allowed to help out with the aftermath.

The group of Special Forces Cadets other than Ibanez and Russo are the most depressed about it. They were sealed inside their training area the entire time and didn't get a chance to do anything at all. Now, normally safer is better, but they've never seen combat, and they have to endure Ibanez and his inflated version of his own heroics at every single mealtime.

That man was never meant to be a soldier, Max decides, he's much better as a story teller, and would make an amazing teacher. But unless he gets crippled in a way that not only an Alpha Rank System and the very best of Kepler's treatments can't fix, that's not going to be an option for at least thirty years.

He's on his way to becoming a Special Forces Mecha operator, and retirement doesn't come easy for them.

One area that didn't get breached was the Mecha training area, so the four most advanced Cadets are back to their usual training schedule the next morning, minus one of their usual instructors. General Tennant, as well as the Shining Darkness are needed to help blast apart the remains of the Scavenger ship, while the Line Mecha remove it from the hull so the Abraham Kepler can be checked for damages.

Not that Colonel Marino will allow that to be used as an excuse to slack. He's been given specific instructions on what level of performance he is expected to hold the Cadets to while the General is away.

If anything, Tennant has set even higher expectations for the Cadets than he did the day before the attack. Colonel Marino writes that off to having seen most of them in unarmed combat against the real soldiers, but Nico and Max know that's simply how the General is. Every day the expectations increase and its up to you to keep up or get reprimanded for falling behind.

He does quietly adjust his expectations if you fail at a task he set, but he has perfected a guilt trip that would make any mother proud. The palpable sense of disappointment has been enough to drive dozens of Cadets to work hard enough to make the elite ranks of the Kepler Special Forces during the years General Tennant has been in the military.

"Cadets, today we will be Training for group patrols. Short straw leads the mission." The Colonel says holding up four sticks in his right hand.

Max draws first, pulling a half length stick with the number one and a line drawing of a battle Cannon on it. The others pull their sticks, looking intently at the sticks before Nico begins to smile like she won the lottery.

"Your number is your squad position, the drawing is the primary weapon of the Mecha you'll be piloting. You've been getting too comfortable with only one setup, and that's not going to always be viable in the future. It's my duty to see you have a well rounded education."

Colonel Marino points to the simulators and the Cadets all rush to get buckled in. Max boots up his simulated Mecha, finding that he's been assigned a battle Cannon and a fist hand with energy type anti aircraft carapace weapons on top of the Crusader's top shell.

Ibanez and Russo also share the Anti aircraft guns, making Max think watching the sky will be important. Ibanez got the same pattern of Mecha that Max did, while Russo got an Ion Destroyer and a demolition claw.

The oddball Mecha is Nico, with two demolition claws fitted with thermal lances and no top carapace weapon. Instead it has a large fuel tank for the thermal weapons. They're more often used as cutting torches, but in an emergency can be a flamethrower. That design is better suited to construction crews than Mecha combat.

But that's what they have got to work with, and Nico is happily snapping her claws and spinning up the internal teeth used to shred anything they grab. The outside of the claws are bladed, but Max isn't certain how she intends to fight using that unit.

"Nico and Russo, you've got the front rank. Russo, if you're not familiar with the claw, stand back of Nico until you've seen how she uses them. Ibanez you've got the rear. Everyone watch for incoming air assets."

Once they're in position the mission parameters come through.

[Compliance Mission: eliminate resistance by recently added system. Mecha presence light, conventional military assets unmanaged.]

That doesn't really narrow down what they'll be facing, but it does suggest that most of what they'll be facing won't be Mecha. That could mean tanks, Armored vehicles, fighter jets, any number of things, so Max will have to be ready for whatever the simulation might throw at him.

The scene around them changes as the scenario begins, and they find themselves inside a burned out lander in what sensors determine to be a ruined city, as far as Max can tell. For once the scenario isn't jamming the Mecha's radar, or the satellite feed from their presumed transport ship, so they've got a pretty good idea what the layout is, just not much about enemy strength or the actual condition of the city at this time.