Post by Threid on May 11, 2010 2:00:39 GMT -5
The triangle had become a quadrilateral. The Beam Team were all looking across the table at their new team leader - Lieutenant Ptolemy Gerard. He was an oddly-proportioned fellow, with legs like oak trees and arms like willow branches. Rumors had reached Kyle's ears that their new leader was a crack Guncannon HDT pilot, and kind of a stickler for protocol; he wondered if he would gel well with Tybalt and Madelaine, and himself, for that matter. Kyle knew his protocol as well as the next star student fresh out of the academy, but he also understood that certain situations called for bending or breaking of protocol.
"First order of business: I've ordered us a rectangular table to serve for future crew meetings. Circular tables are fine for command meetings, but rectangular tables make the chain-of-command a lot clearer." Lt. Gerard opened the discussion a bit stiffly. Kyle noticed that he was sweating a bit.
"Also, I would appreciate it, corporal Karrister, if you would not slouch so in the presence of a commanding officer. And private Moreau! Stop smirking! And you - master sergeant Slater!" His voice trailed off, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was going to say. Or perhaps he didn't have anything to say to begin with. "You stop smirking too!"
Kyle was unaware that he'd been smirking, and tried to blank his face as quickly as possible, to comedic effect. Madelaine and Tybalt did their best to imitate his emotionally-flat-lined face, while simultaneously trying not to laugh at each other's or Kyle's attempt. Lt. Gerard, on the other hand, made no such attempt. His blank state morphed into a frown, and his dark eyes bulged.
"If we are to get anything done during our crew meeting today, we must maintain proper protocol. Protocol is, after all, the skeleton of the military; it's what supports the chain of command, what allows us to get things done, even when people in a unit are so vastly different! It is dignified, honorable, and efficient, when done correctly. I must insist that proper protocol is upheld while I am commander of MS Unit M303. Further breaches will be met with disciplinary action. Are there any questions?"
"Sir. We are known as The Beam Team." Madelaine spoke slowly, but strongly. Kyle was glad that she had summoned the courage to speak. He wasn't sure that he would have broken the silence. He was also glad that she'd spoken before Tybalt had thought of an inappropriately witty insertion.
Lt. Gerard snorted softly. "That is a silly name. Plus, I doubt a bunch of newbies like you deserve it. Later, we shall see about changing it, but for now, we will stick with a protocol-friendly name. Now, we shall begin our meeting with a short briefing regarding the role of MS Unit M303 in the 4nd Brigade."
He droned on for what seemed like hours, describing the chain of command in the 42nd, the current state of their mobile suit teams and aircraft, and their current and possible future objectives. He spoke clearly and rather slowly, with a persistent monotone. His talk was easy to follow, by virtue of its solid structure, but it was like walking through a mile-long corridor - easy, but uninteresting.
It was the longest crew meeting that Kyle had ever been in. He looked forward to The Beam Team's unofficial crew meeting at the ship's mess hall; they usually shared a few drinks before turning in for the night, listening to Madelaine's old battle stories, or Tybalt's funny stories about his past. It was fun. With effort, Kyle turned his attention back to Lt. Gerard's closing statements.
"One more thing: Part of a soldier's responsibility is taking care of his body. While you're under my command, you will be required to get enough sleep. Bedtime prior to important missions will be 1900 hours. I cannot enforce this, but if I find out that any of you have ignored my orders-" Here, he looked at each of them pointedly. "-you will be disciplined accordingly. That is all."
There was a training exercise tomorrow, Kyle realized grimly. There would be no after-meeting meeting for The Beam Team tonight. He shot Madelaine and Tybalt apologetic looks as he waited for Lt. Gerard to rise from his chair. When he did, the return salutes and exits were all done rather quickly. Working under Lt. Gerard was certainly going to be interesting.
"First order of business: I've ordered us a rectangular table to serve for future crew meetings. Circular tables are fine for command meetings, but rectangular tables make the chain-of-command a lot clearer." Lt. Gerard opened the discussion a bit stiffly. Kyle noticed that he was sweating a bit.
"Also, I would appreciate it, corporal Karrister, if you would not slouch so in the presence of a commanding officer. And private Moreau! Stop smirking! And you - master sergeant Slater!" His voice trailed off, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was going to say. Or perhaps he didn't have anything to say to begin with. "You stop smirking too!"
Kyle was unaware that he'd been smirking, and tried to blank his face as quickly as possible, to comedic effect. Madelaine and Tybalt did their best to imitate his emotionally-flat-lined face, while simultaneously trying not to laugh at each other's or Kyle's attempt. Lt. Gerard, on the other hand, made no such attempt. His blank state morphed into a frown, and his dark eyes bulged.
"If we are to get anything done during our crew meeting today, we must maintain proper protocol. Protocol is, after all, the skeleton of the military; it's what supports the chain of command, what allows us to get things done, even when people in a unit are so vastly different! It is dignified, honorable, and efficient, when done correctly. I must insist that proper protocol is upheld while I am commander of MS Unit M303. Further breaches will be met with disciplinary action. Are there any questions?"
"Sir. We are known as The Beam Team." Madelaine spoke slowly, but strongly. Kyle was glad that she had summoned the courage to speak. He wasn't sure that he would have broken the silence. He was also glad that she'd spoken before Tybalt had thought of an inappropriately witty insertion.
Lt. Gerard snorted softly. "That is a silly name. Plus, I doubt a bunch of newbies like you deserve it. Later, we shall see about changing it, but for now, we will stick with a protocol-friendly name. Now, we shall begin our meeting with a short briefing regarding the role of MS Unit M303 in the 4nd Brigade."
He droned on for what seemed like hours, describing the chain of command in the 42nd, the current state of their mobile suit teams and aircraft, and their current and possible future objectives. He spoke clearly and rather slowly, with a persistent monotone. His talk was easy to follow, by virtue of its solid structure, but it was like walking through a mile-long corridor - easy, but uninteresting.
It was the longest crew meeting that Kyle had ever been in. He looked forward to The Beam Team's unofficial crew meeting at the ship's mess hall; they usually shared a few drinks before turning in for the night, listening to Madelaine's old battle stories, or Tybalt's funny stories about his past. It was fun. With effort, Kyle turned his attention back to Lt. Gerard's closing statements.
"One more thing: Part of a soldier's responsibility is taking care of his body. While you're under my command, you will be required to get enough sleep. Bedtime prior to important missions will be 1900 hours. I cannot enforce this, but if I find out that any of you have ignored my orders-" Here, he looked at each of them pointedly. "-you will be disciplined accordingly. That is all."
There was a training exercise tomorrow, Kyle realized grimly. There would be no after-meeting meeting for The Beam Team tonight. He shot Madelaine and Tybalt apologetic looks as he waited for Lt. Gerard to rise from his chair. When he did, the return salutes and exits were all done rather quickly. Working under Lt. Gerard was certainly going to be interesting.
