Chapter 9.5 - Licking Their Wounds

Our team was coming back thrashed by that strange Gespenst, and the mystery unit that appeared from that base. We were lucky to be alive, but man, were the damages... substantial. However, we didn't go away completely empty-handed. We managed to get whatever information we could about this mystery base we were tipped off about, but that's as much as we can provide on top of damaged mechs, wounded bodies, ...and wounded pride.

And like clockwork, "Big Mama Medan" comes in all teary-eyed about how her boys got big boo-boos from a battle. It's rather... unusual seeing someone who has the fiercest title of "The Raptor" act this... weird.

Terra - My babies! Sentou, Eladore, Casval... Thank God you are alright!
Sentou - We're fine. But our Lions got quite the beating. It'll take time before-
T - That's not important right now. You are to head to the infirmary at once! That's an absolute order from me.
Eladore - Terra...
Casval - Terra, we're fi-

In a brief moment, that's when that Raptor title came into play. Her eyes gave off a razor sharp stare. An almost primal look that could tear anyone of us to pieces. We had no choice to comply to her "caring gesture". After all, she practically composed this boyband of a team to fulfill her own twisted fantasies.

Sentou - We will head to the infirmary post haste. We will provide our intel there.
Terra - Thank you, honey. Please rest well. (commanding) All of you.

*In the infirmary*

We were inside the somatic pods to recover our wounds and rest our heads a bit. Our pods were connected, so we could communicate through a networked intercom so we could talk to each other or anyone outside. It felt like the perfect time to at least get to know each other proper since we were put together about a year or two ago.

Eledore - Man, time really does fly by. Never thought it would get this way after the body modifications and all.
Casval - You sure they're still mods? I still feel a bit weird even to this day. Still don't like the fact that I lost the rugged look I had back in the days, but it's starting to grow on me a bit. Just a bit.
E - That's because you keep getting hotlines from a bunch of ladies now that you're a pretty boy.
C - Hah. Guilty. But we're all pretty boys here. Sentou is au naturel.
Sentou - I wouldn't say that. However, I do owe it to Terra to giving me a new identity on top of that. If anything, the power of medical science has far exceeded a point of playing God. Virtually indistinguishable, and to my liking... and hers.
E - Yeah... We're still pretty much under her control so long as we have that dark veil loomin' over this city. Anything to bring hope to this "Nation of Science and Advancement"
C - All of it and us... born from the ashes of Shadow Mirror. It's up to us boys to bring that hope to the people.
S - That's if the people themselves see it that way...

The intercom suddenly announced that someone opened the door. Madbull, Terra, and Camdus walked in. Was being held slightly back by Madbull while Camdus approached us.

Camdus (Sabine) - Hello, gentlemen. I am Palopanera's new Tactical Advisor, Camdus.
Sentou - I've heard of you. You made quite an upset during that training exercise. You practically turned three diamonds in the rough into able-bodied fighters against the strongest squadron.
Casval - Word that's also going around that there's a huge reevaluation process going on with the current military organization to see how things fell apart. Everybody dubbed those three misfits into the Misfits Squadron.
Camdus - That is my handiwork at play. And yes, those are my Misfits I have reshaped. I'm merely spearheading some new tactics and developments in the midst of the reevaluation process. Mainly to reorganize our efforts to amount to less casualties, resource waste, and more optimized missions to spread out to different locations. It hasn't been finalized yet due to a bit of... pushback. However, it should be in motion in a month or two.
Eladore - Seems like you got your ducks in a row. Doubt you wanna mention what that pushback is.
Sentou - Oh, I think I know exactly.

My gaze darted towards Camdus. Not once did he look away, as if he was expecting some sort of suspicion. In fact, he was welcoming my gaze, meeting it with a halfcocked smile.

Camdus - If you know that much, then explaining it would be pointless. Besides, it's old news anyways. The man went out in disgrace, and a traitor.
Sentou - I believe you. But don't think for a moment that I trust you.
Cam - You're free not to. Though, I do wish to have your potential available once operation are underway.

My reservations were there. But the pedigree he as is credible. Still, someone like him appearing out of nowhere and getting this much notoriety is still bothering me.

Cam - Well, it seems like my presence has soured the mood a bit. We'll have another chat once things are underway. Take care, gentlemen.

Seems like he read the room and took his leave like that. But before he walked through the door, he had one final thing to say.

Cam - Terra, brief them on the next mission that is coming up. It's imperative that they are up to speed while they are still awake.
Terra - Sir!

She saluted as he was walking through the door. Now we were left with MB and Terra. Though, it seems like Terra's not her cheery self. Feels odd since it's towards US, her golden boys.

Terra - You'll be doing a return operation to that desert base you once encountered. Since this is our final shot before the restructuring, you will be working with the Minuano Squadron.
Casval - The same squadron that uses the Amparos?
E - Those lanky things? If it weren't for their defensive capabilities, a small breeze would blow them over. *laughs*
Madbull - You may say that, but they're surprisingly stable in atmosphere. And since they're outfitted with Accel Drivers, They're able to move fast too. Don't let appearances fool you. I'm sure that's how you got thrashed by that Gespenst the other day.

All of us fell silent. He was right. All of us were trounced by that scarecrow...

Terra - That reminds me. Can you describe the armored opposition you encountered?
Sentou - First, we'll talk about Scarecrow. A white Gespenst Mk. I with most of it's armor at it's joints being stripped, leaving exposed inner frame except by the arms, chest, and legs. It was absurdly fast, and the inner frame freakishly durable.
Casval - I think it was using a Mk. II backpack.
Sentou - The backup unit was a Mass-Produced Huckebein Mk. II with a modified Boosted Rifle that functions like a DMR. Blue and White, and sported a special kind of visor for long-range recon. And the lead unit, seemingly so, was a Rapiecage variant. Had a large rifle on it's back, one arm with a stake launcher, and a gigantic plasma stake on the other. Purple-eyes, dark frame, all kinds of bad news. However, it didn't seem like it was fighting at full capacity. Next time'll be different.
Terra - I see. We'll have to plan accordingly when the three of them are a factor. For now, rest up. We'll organize our plan with Minuano Squadron in two days.
ALL - Aye, ma'am!