FRS Chpt 5

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 5 -==
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===Reparation for a past error===
Date: 3049
Location: Jade Falcon Dropship, TheseusUnspecified Inner Sphere System
"Bondsman!" Marthe Pryde's voice rang out over the noise of the repair bay.
 
"One minute!" I yell out from my position elbow deep in myomer muscles. "I think I found the issue, test it now!" I called out to Jasper.
 
The Myomer muscles flexed as Jasper spiked a bit of juice from the reactor down to it, the muscle finally reacting as it was supposed to now that a piece of debris had been removed.
 
"Yes, ma'am," I turned to face the Star Colonel.
 
"I see that you are working on that antique that we pulled you out of," Marthe crossed her arms as she stared me down. "Given how well it was maintained beforehand, I assume that you are attempting to restore it to the condition it was in before our engagement?"
 
"That, and I-"
 
I grunted and cut him off.
 
"We," Jasper corrected. "Are utilizing the damaged Warhammer as a teaching device," Jasper dropped down from the 'mech's cockpit. "There are some techniques that he learned over his time that he was able to pass on while working on the repairs of the 'Mech."
 
"Continue working," Marthe said to Jasper after a moment. "Hull, come with me."
 
"I was confronted by a Star Commander Byle Folkner yesterday," She trailed off, pausing to meet my eyes. Searching for something that she did not find. "While he was impressed with a mere Freebirth Bondsman's drive to improve, he found it distasteful that the proper schedule was not followed. As such, I was required to pay penance in your place. Thankfully, it was minor, but you will see to it that you do not disgrace me again," She frowned. "Should you desire a time to be in the simulators, you merely have to ask and I will grant you a place among the schedule, Quiaff?" 
 
"Aff," I nodded. "I am at your service, Star Colonel."
 
"As you should be, Bondsman," she glared. "You will be trained in combat, I have requested that Star Captain Darya Pryde see to your education in this matter. You will follow her instructions as if they were my own, Quiaff?"
 
"Aff," I gave a small bow.
 
"Return to your work," Marthe scoffed. "We will make planetfall soon, and I will not have one of our 'Mechs fail in the middle of combat."
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===Physical Training===
Location: Mech Bay
"For one with your mass, you are unfamiliar with how to properly utilize it to your advantage," Star Captain Darya Pryde released me from yet another hold she had placed me in, my arm straining from the arm bar. " How are you unfamiliar with this? According to our records, all who were members of the SLDF were at least somewhat trained in hand-to-hand combat."
 
"Basic training only covers the most basic of self-defense," I rubbed at my left arm where it had been strained. "Even if I were SLDF, which I'm not, Basic would only have covered the most basic of grappling."
 
"You will need work," Darya stood up, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her hair swayed in her ponytail. "But I believe you can be taught, even if you are an old man." she taunted before darting in and hammering my side with a quick jab.
 
"I am not that old." I protested.
 
"Neg," she shook her head as I barely dodged a snap kick. "You are nearly three hundred years old. Regardless of what methods you have used to survive, your age does not change."
 
I lunged forward and attempted to grab onto the Star Captain's wrist, narrowly missing as she twisted away and drove her elbow into my solar plexus, driving the air out of my lungs and folding me over as she used my weight against me, throwing me over her head as she latched on and wrapped her legs around my neck while her arms locked my elbow into place.
 
"Aggressive," she commented as she breathed rapidly. "While you should be aggressive, your center of gravity was not low enough to prevent me from using it against you," She released her hold as I gasped for air, my hand tapping in the signal for surrender when on the mats.
 
"You have much to learn," Darya looked me up and down. "See to it that you stretch before you attempt to shower, I will not have you unable to perform at an acceptable level in your work, Quiaff?"
 
"Aff." I gasped out.
 
"Then we will continue in your instruction when there is time to spare," Darya grabbed a water bottle and began guzzling it down. "Stretch and return to your post," she turned and scratched Gray's chin before moving on. "You will find a schedule to follow for future bouts," she indicated the 'Noteputer that never left my side.
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===Repairs and Sleepless Nights===
Date:April 10, 3050Location:Bensinger, Federated Commonwealth
The dropship burned for the planet 'below' as all of the techs continued working hard to ensure that the 'mechs and elemental suits were ready for combat. Even the slightest mistake could spell disaster here; there was much to do.
 
"Go check on those connections," Jasper pointed at a nearby Adder. "We have been dealing with issues with the Omnipod in that one."
 
Using a nearby gantry, I climbed the stairs and settled into a position where I could take a look at the inner workings of the 'mech's pods.
 
"PPC link looks like it took damage!" I yelled over to the chief tech. " We must have missed it somehow in our last pass-through. Might be a simple swap or we might have to change the unit out entirely."
 
"Check the linkage first," Jasper instructed. "We'll work our way up from there."
 
Climbing down onto the Omnipod of the light 'Mech, I manually disconnected the power before moving off the gantry and signaling a nearby forklift operator.
 
"I need a PPC linkage!" I yelled out over the beeping of his machine.
 
The operator nodded before spinning around and heading over to where the racks of spare parts were. The operator then grabbed the pallet with his forks and brought it over, lowering it to the level that I needed.
 
Grabbing the hoist, I strapped the linkage to it and pulled it off of the pallet, using the gantry above, letting the forklift to the next person who waved him over.
 
And then, with the secondary hoist, I struggled against the hardened joint that was a part of the Omnipod's linkage, the damage had made it harder to remove and I had to work it out of place before allowing it to dangle from the first joist. Then, I lowered the replacement linkage into place, using my tools to seal it into place before setting the damaged one to the side for repairs. Nothing could be wasted this far into Operation REVIVAL.
 
After ensuring the linkage was solid and secured, I climbed into the 'Mech's cockpit and ran a diagnostic, spiking the reactor to simulate a PPC burst as I breathed a sigh of relief when nothing seemed to go wrong.
 
"Everything checks out," I ran the computer through a second simulated test firing, the readout telling me that everything went smoothly.
 
"Adder is fixed!" I reported to Jasper. "Where else do you need me?"
 
"Your rotation is up, go get some rack time. Star Colonel Pryde will need you on standby to repair her 'mech."
 
Giving a sharp nod, I cleaned the dirt and grime from my face and arms before moving through the cramped dropship to my shared bunk.
 
The other mechtech I shared the bunk with finished zipping up his uniform and gave me a brief look before walking out and down the corridor.
 
"I might hate hot bunking," I sighed. "But at least it's a bed." I stripped down to a pair of shorts and crawled into the still-warm bed, my eyes closing while I laid my head down on the pillow to try and get my brain to line up with the exhaustion in my body. Gray jumped into the bunk and cuddled up into my side, my furry companion brought a familiar comfort and peace after a long day of hard labor.
 
"You know...It's odd being around people again," I whispered to her. "But honestly, I think them being so different from the people back home makes it a bit easier than if they'd been just like they are back home."
 
Gray whined and licked my face before resting her head down, her eyes flicking over at me before closing as she began to gently snore.
 
"Lucky mutt," I groaned, closing my eyes. "At least one of us is going to get some sleep."
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