Okay, I suppose I should mention the men in charge of this zoo. The head zoo-keeper is Cmdr. Itsuki, he's no nonsense military type and he isn't impressed with our record. Yes, we did save the day yesterday in what will probably be called the battle of BlackPlaines. However, that just made our ability to totally demolish moral on this base even worse.

According to Itsuki, we have driven the tough as nails Lt. Asami into the Food Service Corps. We have been in some way responsible for fifteen MP call reports. Private Saturi is directly named in over ten sex related charges of "conduct unbecoming" and the two of us are mentioned as the cause of a further thirty charges of "striking a fellow soldier". The gender ratio for female violence is due to be permanently skewed after this one night. And that's not to mention the possible charges to which the already beleagured MP's chose to 'look the other way'. They include at the very least, the destruction by ramming with a jeep of our barrack's hygienic facilities by the female Captain in charge of the motorpool, One of the base physicians showing up er... unfit for duty. And having to delay her cases until a pair of high tensile bolt cutters could be brought to remove the handcuffs she was wearing. A young officer in the chaplain's corps was caught riding a stolen motorcycle and discharging a firearm at platoon 8's barracks while under the influence of a blood alcohol 3 times the legal limit. Oh and we didn't pick a liaison officer fast enough.

We have one now and he has his old rank back. LtCmdr. Kiro Matsushira probably had his reasons for provoking Lt. Asami into early retirement. He does not seem to suffer "military bulls..." er nonsense gladly, and damned man note my Colonial Constabulary rank too. I'd hoped just to quietly serve and get back to my real job but now I'm a militia sargeant in addition to my Constabulary duties. Oh well... there's a war on.

The most interesting thing about LtCmdr. Matsushira is his Mech. It's ... amazing it's... mystery... it's one of the last remaining Eon Eclipses, possibly THE last. These were the AVRO ARROW of the twenty second century. Radical, highly advanced prototypes that were completed to late for the Global Civil War. Instead they were converted to ˇ°agritural and terro-forming 'botsˇ± (or so the records say) and an entire dropship's worth just disappeared into a Martian sandstorm over thirty years ago... truly an utterly fascinating example of Japanese-Canadian history, the Eon Eeek!...er...

But I digress, the new Lightweight and the full Comdr. didn't get alone well at all but at least Matsushira TOOK Itsuki's orders. The Cmdr. says this is not a suicide mission. Sure.

It's called a 'reconnaissance in force'. This is army talk for "go looking for trouble and call us if you find anything you can't handle". It's a good way to get killed but there has been no sighting as we approach the Marinas Trench over the past three hours and... HOLY!

BlackPlaines this is Red Rider two zero two, CONTACT! CONTACT! CON...
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