Once all the units were cleared and double checked by the senior staff a path is made to walk the Crusaders to their berths in the maintenance bays for refurbishment.

Max knows he's got a lot of work ahead of him to get everthing perfect, but it's going to be worth it. By the time he's finished he will know every nut and bolt on his new mecha.

[Initialization Complete]

[Unit Optimized]

Before he starts to move, Max uses the sensors to inspect the other units, to see if there are any major differences between these units that were made centuries apart. Design evolution isn't covered in class or in the simulators.

They're very similar, right down to the structural alloy composition, except Nico's, which has a number of rare elements in the structural alloy that give it that bronze color. It's also slightly different in structure under the armor, an Ancient design that his System identified as being slower, but more durable than Stalwart's more modern design.

Having seen how aggressive Nico is when she gets the chance at close combat, that's probably a good thing, even if the speed difference hurts her potential.

The oil based coating on the armor is strange as well. According to his sensors, it's mixed with the blood of a species Max doesn't recognize. Even his Mecha's database only has their name and no details. For that reason he can't tell if it's a local manufacturing technique or some sort of battle ritual.

Max isn't a superstitious man, but polishing your Mecha with the blood of your enemies seems a bit extreme. He will have to ask Nico about it later and see what she has learned.

Soon after his startup checks, Stalwart received the clearance to move and a route appeared in his Heads Up Display, leading Max to his storage berth, not far from the receiving area.

The staff all cheer as he begins to move, showing their support for the new pilots and Max can see that in the crowd both Sergeant Fritz and the Local workers from the station have teared up a little from the sight. These heirloom mecha must have a special history, so Max requests all historical documents on Stalwart be sent to his cockpit.

He's reached his berth before Nico begins to move, giving a Salute to the station with her sword and stalking through the bay. Her Mecha looks more predatory than upright and proud the way most Mecha do, and Max notices that along the structural changes, it also has an extra leg joint, hinged the opposite direction as the normal knee.

It makes the gait more animalistic, with a larger range of motion for climbing obstacles. It looks like a very functional design and Max wonders why it didn't catch on. Could it be that the extra joint was discarded for ease of control?

He pulls up the records for Tarith's Wrath to check, but finds the only things recorded are that it was taken from stasis for the unification war, but no suitable pilot was found, so it was returned to stasis storage without ever leaving the Kepler 142 station.

Stalwart on the other hand has over a hundred years of battle records after the Kepler Empire was founded, mostly defending this system with the Planetary Guard. It has faced every sort of enemy Max could imagine and reigned victorious.

Max gets to work replacing aged parts once the spares begin to arrive, making solid headway before a notification comes through to his smart watch.

[All Cadets Report to Mess Hall 3A for briefing.]

Max climbs down from where he is working, descending the scaffolding to the ground. The other three Cadets are just as reluctant as he is to leave their mecha, but this should be the briefing to get their official commissions and their orders. It's not something they can afford to be late to.

As they enter the mess hall, they see a number of officers gathered into four groups, along with a few dozen Pilots of the 42nd Armored. Each Cadet is handed a uniform in a sealed storage bag and a data tablet as they enter, falling in to face General Tennant.

"You will all get a chance to return to your Mecha tonight, but first, orders and assignments must be made. Our destination this trip is KX117, a mining colony locally known as Belmont that is facing an attempt by insurgents to wrest control of the munitions supply mines from the Kepler Empire.

Your assignment leaders have been color coded, and your specific missions will be revealed by your group leaders.

Both wings of Special Forces Cadets in Line and Corvette Class Mecha get red screens on their tablets and join Colonel Romano, while Russo and Ibanez get green and blue, joining separate Crusader Class Pilots that Max doesn't know.

He gets a black screen as does Nico and Max notices the other Commanders making a little gesture that many soldiers believe wards off bad luck.

Colonel Cortez of the 111th infantry, as well as Sergeant Enns of Bravo Company and a Lieutenant named Becki from the 42nd Armored are waiting for them with a grim smile.

"We will get right to it. You have be been chosen to accompany Bravo Company for the landing on Belmont, in the Vanguard wave of landings. We are expecting heavy artillery bombardment, but light to no mecha presence.

Bravo Company is a hundred men strong, under the command of Captain Catan. I believe you already know Sergeant Enns, who is representing your infantry support today. Lieutenant Becki, will lead your light Mecha support.

As the senior Command units, you will be leading the mission, and Captain Max has been chosen as mission Commander, with Captain Nico as his second."

That's enough to nearly give Max a heart attack. His first mission is a Vanguard strike into occupied territory, leading a single wing of Line Mecha and an infantry Company?

From what he understands of Kepler Military strategy, mixed units are usually reserved for Special Forces missions, and being in the Vanguard means nobody is coming to assist you. They'll be so far beyond the front lines that their mission is what the Empire calls a Success Only deployment.

"Your maps and unit details are on the tablet. I'll leave you to it." Colonel Cortez declares, getting up from his chair and leaving the room.