trans_channel | ATTN: ROGUE SQUADRON

Ladies and gentlemen,

Rogue Squadron will be taking on a second mission and operations role. That is to act as an organized commando and quick reaction force on board Stacy and elsewhere as needed when we are called upon to either react to attack or, if needed, project power beyond the ship. I wish to note that this duty is not a compulsory part of your training or your service in the squadron. Most of you signed up to be pilots, and anyone who wishes to be exempted from this duty will be allowed to.

However, there are several younger members in the squadron who I cannot allow to participate in this part of our mission in good conscience. It's one thing to allow you to pilot fighter craft, but I cannot, in good faith, allow fourteen, fifteen and sixteen year-olds to engage in dangerous commando operations. If you feel you have a compelling reason that will induce me to allow you to serve in this capacity, please feel free to present your reasons to me privately. Don't expect me to change my mind beyond extraordinary circumstances, however.

All those willing to serve in this capacity, please respond here and let me know what sort of skills you have that may be useful in this capacity. Specifically, such skills include small arms, demolitions, hand-to-hand combat, infiltration and communications.

--General Wedge Antilles, Rogue Squadron, Officer Commanding

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm a computer engineer and programmer, and I can work fast - I rewrote part of my Gundam's OS in the middle of combat, but it helped that I'd worked on part of it in the first place.

I have a little bit of training in hand-to-hand combat, but I'm hardly an expert. I'm a Coordinator, though, and we're supposed to learn things more easily. So I should be able to pick things up with enough time.

Thank you, Kira. I'm sure you'll be a great asset to our team.

If you need anything, I'll be happy to help.

General, can I ask you one thing?

Of course.

I'd like you to be honest with me, if you can. How often do you think we'll be expected to kill?

I know that sometimes it's inevitable - sometimes a soldier doesn't have any other choice, especially if we're fighting the Ohm directly. But... it's also something I try not to do if it's at all possible - to neutralize an enemy without killing them.

I don't like to do it, if we can help it.

I can appreciate your moral qualms, Mister Yamato. But I must be honest when I say I fully expect us to engage in lethal and deadly combat at some point in the future, whether in space, air or on the ground.

I understand... and thank you for being honest.

In my Gundam, I'm used to incapacitating foes without eliminating them - taking out their engines, or their weapon systems, just to name a few.

Would you discipline me if I tried to do the same here?

Only if it interfered with your ability to complete the mission or placed other members of the squadron in danger.

All right, I understand. ...I don't like to kill, but if it's unavoidable to protect another member of the squadron or to complete our mission, I will if necessary. You don't need to worry about that.

Thank you, sir.

Honestly, I don't think any of us like that part of what we do do, Kira. But it's part of our job, which is to protect the innocent from those that would do them harm.

I know it is. And a soldier has to be ready to face it.

...but if we can do what we do, and do the job in front of us without having to waste lives and make both sides hate each other all the more, why shouldn't we?

ATTN: ROGUE SQUADRON

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