They Don't Pay Enough

[Mystic Mina]

Endo jumps a bit when he feels the pat on the back, but he manages to regain his composure.

"It's not that far-fetched...." He mutters under his breath before heading off towards the briefing room. He leaves his gun lying on the wall. Who would try to steal a hulk like that, anyway?

[Shadell]

Sam sighs with relief, then quickly covers up his display of emotion. Best not to let the troops know he's going to make them undergo thorough psyche evaluations at this rate. Well, best not to let them know that such things aren't a newly instated standard procedure. Smiling ruefully at his mental joke, the marine leader prepares to leave.

"Marine. Don't leave a piece of heavy weaponry lying around. Pick it up and carry it if you're going to have it taken out of the armory. You have a responsibility to look after it. If you don't know where the briefing room is, then follow me."

That said, he advances out of the room, heading toward the briefing. It wouldn't do for the leader to be late.

[Just some lady]

At the sudden announcement, Jack feels a sudden jolt of icewater into his blood....This is somthing that he had rather ben hoping wouldn't happen during his stay here...
Standing, he quickly folding his laptop dopdown, holding it by his side as he accompanied the others.
Maybe it was just a drill. Or they were getting acquainted.
...
Not likely, but he could hope.

[Bladeron]

Navigating the ship wasn't that complicated, thankfully. Inside of the briefing room sat three persons: the ship's aging yet charismatic Captain Moore and a fair-looking, yet very mature Lieutenant Allen. The room was much like a small classroom with three tables set on a "slant" and facing a viewscreen with a podium off to the side. The Captain was sitting in the front corner closest to the podium, where the Lieutenant was standing.

"Gentlemen," she said, "You're going to have to pick up the pace next time." Lieutenant Allen was a dark-blonde woman with a fair body to look at, yet not the stuff of dreams. Her hair, though having length, was currently done up to avoid conflict. Her uniform was that of the ranking staff and appropriately ranked. "By the way, Sergeant Major O'Donnell, taking Earth Government property out of its designated space without authorization is prohibited. Your weapon is NOT your toy." She made a motion for all of them to be seated. The Captain says nothing.

[Mystic Mina]

Endo opens his mouth to defend himself, but he quickly clamps it shut after a moment of thought. Arguing against the captain would do nothing but get him in even hotter water....

"Yes, ma'am. I will return my weapon to the armory once your briefing is finished. Forgive me for my incompetence." He takes a seat and waits for the briefing to begin.

[muffinstud]

Sal takes his seat and enjoys his view of the Lieutenant. "We'll do better next time, ma'am. We'd hate to disappoint you."

[Shadell]

Sam sits down after snapping a quick salute. "Yes mam." He states simply.

"Now, if you don't mind my asking, you requested our presence?"

[Rodney]

Robert mumbles an apologize like the others marines and takes a seat.
Relaxed, yet a bit withdrawn, he crosses his arms, waiting for instructions.

[Just some lady]

Jack stays silent, letting Sam, for the most part, do the talking. His eyes fix on the captain and the lieutenant, though, his attention rapt.

[Bladeron]

The Lieutenant took a small breath before beginning her briefing.

"As you all should have been primed by Sector Command at Starbase Ajax, your primary purpose is to support your ship. This of course means that you are now under Earth Navy authority and will adhere to our chain of command. If you have any issues, relay it to your squad leader and have him approach the command crew. If you violate regulations you'll only be given one warning. A second offense will land you in the brig. Is that clear?"

She waits for the strings of "yes ma'ams" from the Marines before proceeding.

"Now that housekeeping is out of the way, gentlemen, here's your first assignment." The lights dim as a projection appears on the screen, showing the image of a gray-shaded planet, followed by light blue outlines and technical data. A specific segment of the planet is selected and zoomed up on as a picture within a picture, which reveals the schematic layout of a small building complex. "This is planet OR-24, named "Storm" for the constant inclement weather it undergoes. It was originally a lifeless rock until it was selected as the first trial site for the Earth Government's Terraforming Project. Over the last five years the planet has been undergoing development and was deemed suitable just three months ago for a science expedition. One month ago the expedition failed to report in, and Earth Government has dispatched us to find out what's going on."

The screen changes, showing topographical data with a title "Theater of Operations" and several marked locations, including the complex. "This is where all of you come in. You're mission is to make planetfall, establish contact with the expedition, and report their status the moment you do. The Cavalier will remain in orbit for support purposes." The screen fades and the lights resume. "We'll be clear of the nebula within two hours, at which point we'll initiate a Tachyon Jump to the planet. If you have any other questions, ask them now."

The Captain stands up from his chair and joins the Lieutenant next to the podium.

[muffinstud]

Sal raises a hand and then stands when noticed by the captain. "Sergeant Major Salazar, sir. Do we know how many people we'll be looking for? And if the weather turns more sour than normal, what options do we have regarding orbital support?"

[Bladeron]

The Lieutenant speaks after being given a gesture by the Captain. "The Cavalier won't be dropping bombs, if that's what you're hoping for Sergeant Major. As for the number of personnel, there's one hundred and sixteen according to the original charter. If necessary, we can lift them all out."

[muffinstud]

"Understood. Thank you." Sal sits down. 116...that's a lot of people to to keep track of, let alone search for. This mission just might get interesting. Sal holds back a smile as he thinks of just what he might get away with.

[Rodney]

" If we can't prepare the theater, did we at least send a drone there ? A hundred peoples are bound to be easily spotted, aren't they ? "

[Bladeron]

"As you should have been aware, drones are incapable of tachyon-jumping, making it unrealistic to send one. We're the closest ship to make contact, so we will."