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log“As you will see,” started Avdol as he guided Joseph and Jotaro down the hallway, “our squad currently has four active members. While our formation is balanced, the loss of a couple additional members caused us to have too many openings, and we have been on standby since. With you and Joestar, Jotaro, we will finally be a functional unit again.”
“What about that operator of yours? Is he still in duty?” asked Joseph.
Avdol nodded, then looked at Jotaro. “Iggy prefers to be by himself. Under normal circumstances, you won’t see him in person during meetings, but he'll always be connected through the intercom.
“Now, it is time for you to meet your squadmates,” he continued, the automatic door of their designated conference room sliding open with his approach. “You might have seen them around the base during your time as a cadet, Jotaro.”
Jotaro canted his head to glimpse at the men in pilot uniforms, one standing and the other sitting with folded hands on the desk. Their eyes met his. “I don’t recognize them.”
Joseph, however, strode in and waved his right hand in the air. “Yo, Polnareff! How’ve you been?”
The standing man met Joseph with a close-mouthed grin. A clap thundered in the room as their hands collided in a high five. “Sgt. Joestar! It’s been a while. Man, I can’t believe you’ll be joining us in our very own squad!”
“Neither can I. Who would’ve thought that I’d be serving again, and beside the pilots I instructed just a year ago? Looks like your ego has managed to survive a couple of tumbles with the ARCANA,” said Joseph. He turned to the other man in the room. “Kakyoin, why are you so quiet? Meet my newest graduate, Jotaro - he’s my grandson.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jotaro. I’m Kakyoin Noriaki.”
“Kakyoin here is one of our younger pilots. He’s around the same age as you, but he's a hell of a lot more disciplined than you could ever hope to be. He and Polnareff graduated from the same class under my tutelage,” said Joseph.
“It’s a miracle that they graduated if they learned under you,” replied Jotaro, to which Polnareff burst into laughter.
His indignant growl drowned out by Polnareff's howl, Joseph scowled. “And who was it that taught you and made sure you passed the pilot exam? Kids these days!”
“You’re an excellent teacher, Sgt. Joestar. Polnareff and I couldn’t have made it this far without your wisdom,” said Kakyoin.
“Sounds like somebody here appreciates the time I’ve put into them.”
“Good grief,” sighed Jotaro. “Are we going to have the meeting or what?”
Polnareff waved his hands in a gesture akin to surrender. “Hey, hey, we’re getting to it. No rush in getting to know each other, is there?”
The meeting went underway, starting with formal introductions that touched upon each member’s rank. The squad of now six was known as “Stand,” which Polnareff proudly proclaimed stood for, “Stand proud! Never back down from a challenge! Humanity is here!” Their call signs would be numbers based on a points system that included, among other things, seniority.
“What’s the point of call signs? The ARCANA don’t speak our language. Call signs will just delay the actual message,” said Jotaro.
“We have no real way of knowing that for sure. For all we know, the ARCANA could know exactly every word we’re saying,” said Polnareff.
“Even if they did, it’s a waste of precious time. Instincts exist to cut down on reaction time. In a small squad like ours, it should be easy to recognize each other’s voice. What the protocol demands is an outdated system that'll diminish our chances of survival.”
“Sgt. Joestar, did you really teach this guy?” asked Polnareff, pointing at Jotaro.
Shrugging, Joseph said, “I did. He’s an irrevocable punk; however, his piloting skills are top notch, even among certain veterans. And . . . ”
“And?”
Joseph shook his head. “It’s nothing. We’ll talk about it next time, as it concerns all of you. Right, Avdol?”
“Yes, Sgt. Joestar is right,” said Avdol. “Today is an informal meeting, after all, and this conference room will soon be in use by another squad. Because we will be deploying after a noticeable period of latency, focus this evening on ensuring that your armored units are prepared. Check with the mechanics in the event of any malfunction, as we'll soon be on the move. Our next meeting is tomorrow, same time. That will be all. ”
Signaled by his salute, the squad returned the motion as a whole and began to dismiss itself one by one. In the case of Iggy, that meant the intercom's one-way channel was closed.
“Kakyoin,” started Avdol, studying the young man’s weary eyes once Kakyoin stopped by the doorway, “you were quiet during the meeting. Is anything the matter? If it is about the previous operation, then . . . ”
Kakyoin’s head dipped in a small bow. “Thank you for your concern, Sergeant, but I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired.”
“All right. Get some rest while you can. After all these weeks, our next meeting will be the long-awaited briefing.”
With a brisk nod and practiced "understood," Kakyoin exited the meeting room and the door slid closed behind him.
Meanwhile, as he walked behind Joseph on their path to the hangar, Jotaro piped up, “Old man. You and the squad leader are both sergeants.”
Joseph hummed. “So we are. What of it?”
“Why are there two sergeants in the same squad? The military doesn’t have the resources to waste two veterans where there only needs to be one.”
Falling silent, Joseph scanned their immediate surroundings. Upon ensuring that no one was nearby, he replied, “You heard Avdol. Stand isn’t just an ordinary squad. It used to be, but there’s a reason you were commissioned and myself reinstated.”
“What reason is that?”
“You’ll find out in the next meeting. It should go without saying, but the special existence of Stand should be kept between its members only.” He scoffed, then grinned. “Though given Polnareff’s big mouth, we’ll have to see how long we manage to maintain our secrecy.”
Jotaro grunted. Another five meters down the hall, he said, “Old man.”
“What is it this time?”
“Stand used to be an active squad with more than four members. What happened to the rest?”
Joseph cupped his chin. “Even I don’t know all the details. The story behind it is considered to be on a need-to-know basis, so you’d have to ask Avdol. It’s likely, given Stand’s new purpose, that the old members who didn’t meet the requirements were transferred to another squad.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Why do you say that?”
For a brief moment, Jotaro was silent. “Each member’s attitude was too incongruent in that meeting. Avdol is merely fulfilling his role, but the other two - Polnareff and Kakyoin were like day and night. You noticed as well, old man. One of them was too chipper.”
“What, Polnareff is the one you're taking issue with? He's always been that way. On the other hand, Kakyoin is a rather sensitive young man; it took him a while to warm up to even me when he was assigned to my class.”
Jotaro snorted. “Only idiots would warm up to you so easily.”
Tilting his head in thought, Joseph started with a murmur, “It’s unusual for you to get this carried away with people you’ve just met. Stand might just be the squad you need to shape up.” He clapped his gloved hands together. “All right, Jotaro - I’m counting on you. Learn to be a little more exuberant and cultured like your teammates! Humanity's fate could be riding on this very moment.”
“No.”
“What about that operator of yours? Is he still in duty?” asked Joseph.
Avdol nodded, then looked at Jotaro. “Iggy prefers to be by himself. Under normal circumstances, you won’t see him in person during meetings, but he'll always be connected through the intercom.
“Now, it is time for you to meet your squadmates,” he continued, the automatic door of their designated conference room sliding open with his approach. “You might have seen them around the base during your time as a cadet, Jotaro.”
Jotaro canted his head to glimpse at the men in pilot uniforms, one standing and the other sitting with folded hands on the desk. Their eyes met his. “I don’t recognize them.”
Joseph, however, strode in and waved his right hand in the air. “Yo, Polnareff! How’ve you been?”
The standing man met Joseph with a close-mouthed grin. A clap thundered in the room as their hands collided in a high five. “Sgt. Joestar! It’s been a while. Man, I can’t believe you’ll be joining us in our very own squad!”
“Neither can I. Who would’ve thought that I’d be serving again, and beside the pilots I instructed just a year ago? Looks like your ego has managed to survive a couple of tumbles with the ARCANA,” said Joseph. He turned to the other man in the room. “Kakyoin, why are you so quiet? Meet my newest graduate, Jotaro - he’s my grandson.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jotaro. I’m Kakyoin Noriaki.”
“Kakyoin here is one of our younger pilots. He’s around the same age as you, but he's a hell of a lot more disciplined than you could ever hope to be. He and Polnareff graduated from the same class under my tutelage,” said Joseph.
“It’s a miracle that they graduated if they learned under you,” replied Jotaro, to which Polnareff burst into laughter.
His indignant growl drowned out by Polnareff's howl, Joseph scowled. “And who was it that taught you and made sure you passed the pilot exam? Kids these days!”
“You’re an excellent teacher, Sgt. Joestar. Polnareff and I couldn’t have made it this far without your wisdom,” said Kakyoin.
“Sounds like somebody here appreciates the time I’ve put into them.”
“Good grief,” sighed Jotaro. “Are we going to have the meeting or what?”
Polnareff waved his hands in a gesture akin to surrender. “Hey, hey, we’re getting to it. No rush in getting to know each other, is there?”
The meeting went underway, starting with formal introductions that touched upon each member’s rank. The squad of now six was known as “Stand,” which Polnareff proudly proclaimed stood for, “Stand proud! Never back down from a challenge! Humanity is here!” Their call signs would be numbers based on a points system that included, among other things, seniority.
“What’s the point of call signs? The ARCANA don’t speak our language. Call signs will just delay the actual message,” said Jotaro.
“We have no real way of knowing that for sure. For all we know, the ARCANA could know exactly every word we’re saying,” said Polnareff.
“Even if they did, it’s a waste of precious time. Instincts exist to cut down on reaction time. In a small squad like ours, it should be easy to recognize each other’s voice. What the protocol demands is an outdated system that'll diminish our chances of survival.”
“Sgt. Joestar, did you really teach this guy?” asked Polnareff, pointing at Jotaro.
Shrugging, Joseph said, “I did. He’s an irrevocable punk; however, his piloting skills are top notch, even among certain veterans. And . . . ”
“And?”
Joseph shook his head. “It’s nothing. We’ll talk about it next time, as it concerns all of you. Right, Avdol?”
“Yes, Sgt. Joestar is right,” said Avdol. “Today is an informal meeting, after all, and this conference room will soon be in use by another squad. Because we will be deploying after a noticeable period of latency, focus this evening on ensuring that your armored units are prepared. Check with the mechanics in the event of any malfunction, as we'll soon be on the move. Our next meeting is tomorrow, same time. That will be all. ”
Signaled by his salute, the squad returned the motion as a whole and began to dismiss itself one by one. In the case of Iggy, that meant the intercom's one-way channel was closed.
“Kakyoin,” started Avdol, studying the young man’s weary eyes once Kakyoin stopped by the doorway, “you were quiet during the meeting. Is anything the matter? If it is about the previous operation, then . . . ”
Kakyoin’s head dipped in a small bow. “Thank you for your concern, Sergeant, but I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired.”
“All right. Get some rest while you can. After all these weeks, our next meeting will be the long-awaited briefing.”
With a brisk nod and practiced "understood," Kakyoin exited the meeting room and the door slid closed behind him.
Meanwhile, as he walked behind Joseph on their path to the hangar, Jotaro piped up, “Old man. You and the squad leader are both sergeants.”
Joseph hummed. “So we are. What of it?”
“Why are there two sergeants in the same squad? The military doesn’t have the resources to waste two veterans where there only needs to be one.”
Falling silent, Joseph scanned their immediate surroundings. Upon ensuring that no one was nearby, he replied, “You heard Avdol. Stand isn’t just an ordinary squad. It used to be, but there’s a reason you were commissioned and myself reinstated.”
“What reason is that?”
“You’ll find out in the next meeting. It should go without saying, but the special existence of Stand should be kept between its members only.” He scoffed, then grinned. “Though given Polnareff’s big mouth, we’ll have to see how long we manage to maintain our secrecy.”
Jotaro grunted. Another five meters down the hall, he said, “Old man.”
“What is it this time?”
“Stand used to be an active squad with more than four members. What happened to the rest?”
Joseph cupped his chin. “Even I don’t know all the details. The story behind it is considered to be on a need-to-know basis, so you’d have to ask Avdol. It’s likely, given Stand’s new purpose, that the old members who didn’t meet the requirements were transferred to another squad.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Why do you say that?”
For a brief moment, Jotaro was silent. “Each member’s attitude was too incongruent in that meeting. Avdol is merely fulfilling his role, but the other two - Polnareff and Kakyoin were like day and night. You noticed as well, old man. One of them was too chipper.”
“What, Polnareff is the one you're taking issue with? He's always been that way. On the other hand, Kakyoin is a rather sensitive young man; it took him a while to warm up to even me when he was assigned to my class.”
Jotaro snorted. “Only idiots would warm up to you so easily.”
Tilting his head in thought, Joseph started with a murmur, “It’s unusual for you to get this carried away with people you’ve just met. Stand might just be the squad you need to shape up.” He clapped his gloved hands together. “All right, Jotaro - I’m counting on you. Learn to be a little more exuberant and cultured like your teammates! Humanity's fate could be riding on this very moment.”
“No.”