Snippet #1289114

Schaeffer went to the central area of the Manitoba. There were many others like him, soldiers carrying their equipment while waiting in line to receive the keycards for their new quarters. Most of them were 4th Auxiliary Legion soldiers, but some were from SRC Team Nine. Officially and according to SG hierarchy, SRC Team Nine was part of the 4th Auxiliary Legion's power structure and made up it's special operations capability.

However, in all but name, all SRC teams were independent entities and could operate outside the jurisdiction of their mother-unit. This was why many 4th Legionnaires looked sourly at any SRC operators that walked past them, though admittedly, there were few as it was on the Manitoba. The Gold Squadron itself was supposed to consist of up to twenty operators. However, due to financial constraints, battlefield casualties and failing replacements, an entire SRC squadron under Schaeffer was now made up of eight men. He wasn't certain how the other squadrons had fared, but it meant that SRC operators were hard to come by, and there were only few of them being seen on the Manitoba today.

The lines to the reception counters were long, but Schaeffer, as a captain, could bypass the lines and walk right up to one of the reception counters, where he showed his SG identity and identified himself: "SG Captain Jonathan Schaeffer, number 439479, SRC Team Nine." He said. The NCO by the computer typed in his name, and soon, the same computer spat out a key card which the man handed over to Schaeffer.

"Thumbprint here, please." The man said, shooting him a thumbprint scanner pad the size of Schaeffer's hand. The Captain placed his thumb there until the pad lit up green, and then shot it back to the NCO, having signed for the keycard. He picked it up, made a sloppy salute to the soldier, and left.

He wandered through the spacestation's long corridors. He was in no rush, and so he took his time, looking out the windows at the vast blackness of space separated from him by only a window. Other soldiers and officers who were more used to space commodations than him didn't even stop to look. But Schaeffer was a ground fighter, a soldier trained to fight planetside. He had never liked being stationed on spacestations. Fortunately, it wouldn't be for too long. He left the windows and proceeded to his quarters. Flashing the keycard in front of the scanner, he stepped inside and enjoyed the feeling of complete silence when the soundproof door was closed behind him again.

His quarters were, of course, small. Manitoba or no, it was still a spacestation, with limited space. Even officer quarters were only ten by ten meters in size, and contained a double-level bed, though the first level was occupied by a desk, chair and floor locker rather than a bed, and a machine to order processed food. A small bathroom with a combination of toilet and shower, and a sink, covered the most basic needs he had. Even so, there were some benefits compared to the eight-man barracks that regular soldiers slept in. For example, the speakers in the ceiling could connect not only to the ship's various intercom systems, but also to a music player placed on the wall.

For now, though, Schaeffer threw his duffel bag in the locker, lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and soon after fell asleep.

When he woke up several hours later, he took a quick shower and shaved. He then proceeded to dress in his uniform, and finally, grabbed his communicator. He contacted all seven soldiers within Gold Squadron.

"This is Captain Schaeffer speaking." He said. "I take it you are all settled in onboard the Manitoba now and have checked out your equipment. If not, do that now. Rendezvous at shooting range 3 in training block 42 of the Manitoba, where we will go through a quick repetition of basic combat training, as well as line up the sights of your personal weapons. There will also be physical training, so bring suitable clothes. And make sure to eat something beforehand. That is all. Over and out." He closed the communications channel without bothering to listen for their confirmations.

Then he stood up, and left to go check out his own equipment.