/run program (alarm) if 0700hrs = True. If (alarm) = True then Display message: New Job

—

Joyce woke up with a headache. This was both surprising and unsurprising. Unsurprising in that she drank an entire bottle of liquor. Surprising that the manufacturer created a protocol for being hungover, along with being drunk. She opened her setting interface and disabled the alcohol toggle. Her head cleared immediately. 

She turned towards the program running on her computer. Last night she downloaded an AI chatbot and had it viewing her memories of Cassandra. It was able to view them much quicker than normal. Basically it was watching her memories at 100x speed. Still it would probably take the whole day to finish processing. 

With a sigh Joyce pulled herself off her charging pad. She needed to be presentable for her new job. Even if it was a forced reallocation instead of voluntary. She should try and Make the impression she wanted to be there. Anything else would be unprofessional. With that Joyce showered for the first time in a while. Cleaning off all the dirt and grim from her frame and depression hair. While drying herself she took the time to polish her chasie. Another maintenance item she had been putting off.

Her hands lingered on her scars. The largest being on her chest. She’d gotten that during the breach. Her left thigh, from a high caliber round that grazed her on the day they left Earth. Joyce's right foot had several small ones from the same wound; she discovered sometimes plants bite too.

The term scars isn't entirely accurate. Scars form from the natural healing process in organic creatures. In the case of drones, scars were weld marks on the areas their plating was punctured and repaired. Plating was only replaced if the damage was significant enough. Basically the part would be melted down and reforged. Or the new plate would be pulled from repair supplies while the old one was recycled. It varied depending on the damage to the internal components and their repair time. No point in having someone wait around the repair bay for a part to be reforged unless they were unconscious. 

Returning to a basic maintenance routine she could do herself helped some of the tension Joyce had been feeling dissipate. She was far more nervous about the new job than she realized. Having never performed a job outside of securing a compound Joyce didn't know what she was doing. Being a bodyguard would be completely different than guarding a security checkpoint. No built in defenses, no consistent environment, and non combatants who would do who knows what. It was dangerous outside the walls. She continued polishing, letting her worries fall away. 

They'll explain everything on orientation, Joyce thought. I won't be the only person there.

In total she spent most of the two hours she had before needing to report on making herself look presentable. She put on her nicest clothes, a green pencil skirt and black overcoat. They were still clean from the last time she'd worn them, mostly because she rarely wore them. Whenever she needed to wear something formal her security forces dress uniform was usually the most appropriate outfit. 

Perhaps this is a bit much, she thought while looking at herself in the mirror. Its orientation, professionalism is a must.

With that Joyce grabbed her things and made her way to the vehicle bay. 

—

Normally the vehicle bay was bustling with activity. Today however, a few mechanics were performing their routine maintenance on the electric vehicles, while the majority of the survey crew were gathered to greet the newcomers. Joyce meandered her way to the meeting point, being careful not to get in the way of those working. Eventually she found the location where they set out a bunch of folding chairs, screen and projector for the orientation. She greeted a familiar face upon arrival, who was directing people.

“Good morning, Annalynn,” Joyce greeted, trying to sound in a better mood than she really was.

“Good morning, Joyce,” Annalynn replied, sounding tired. “Please, call me Anna.”

Like her sisters Anna had alabaster skin and orange hair, styles in the same manner as Annabeth. She wore slacks, high heels, a fancy vest, and a fuzzy sleeveless jacket that looked more like a fancy blanket than a proper jacket. Annalynn held a tablet and seemed to be scribbling something down. Based on the bags under her eyes, she hadn't slept much. Basically normal Annalynn behavior. She was always busy with her work in administration. 

“Admin put you in charge of this event, Anna?” Joyce asked, gesturing to the venue behind her.

“Correct, at least after I finish this up I can return to my normal duties. Instead of a side project and my normal duties.” Anna said, in an even tone.

“Not thrilled with the assignment?”

“It needs doing. I just find it uninteresting.” 

“I imagine if Admin didn't lend a helping hand it would be a disaster.”

“I don't even want to imagine what mess we would have to clean up,” Anna groaned.

“I imagine it'd be about the same as cleaning up after toddlers,” Sebastian said, as he approached the group. “Morning Anna, Joyce.”

“Good morning” they both replied.

“Haven't seen you in a while Joyce. You look good! What brings you down here?” Sebastian asked.

“I'm here for orientation, you?” Joyce said.

“Same! I was surprised you volunteered to leave the wall!”

“I was reassigned.”

“I see,” he replied, noticing the tension In her voice. “I was just twiddling my thumbs in the repair and med bays. Figured my skills would be of better use out there during an emergency! So I volunteered!”

“Not trying to avoid the wife and kids?” Joyce asked teasingly, hoping to change the subject.

Sebastian laughed and Anna chuckled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Grace is the light of my life!”

“If you make a joke about being guided by grace…” Anna said

“Not sure what you mean by that.” Sebastian said.

“Have you never played Elden Ring?” Joyce asked.

“You play games?” Sebastian exclaimed! Sounding extremely surprised.

“Yes?”

“I figured you were the type to call games a waste of time.”

“I know I started the game train but, you two take a seat before getting into it.” Anna said while pointing behind them. “There is a group forming.”

Joyce and Sebastian found seats near the front. It was easier to see the projector. They spent the time waiting for the presentation to start talking about games.

“So grace basically tells you what direction you need to go in.” Joyce said.

“Ah, so just like my wife,” Sebastian joked.

Joyce gave him a flat look. “This is why Anna said not to make that joke.”

“I think it's funny.”

“I don't.”

The projector flickered on, displaying a ‘Welcome to the Survey Teams’ slide. Annalynn now with a mug of assumably coffee in her hand and tablet in the other made her way onto the makeshift stage and stood behind the podium. She took a long sip of her drink before speaking.

“Good morning everyone,” she started. “We have a lot of you here so the first half of today will be a little less personal than we'd prefer. Fortunately we'll have the second half of the day for that. Now I know you will primarily be security but it will be good to familiarize yourselves with the equipment we frequently use. As well as the objectives of the survey teams.”

She paused Taking a sip of coffee and progressing to the next slide. They were simple and to the point. Clearly thrown together quickly and without fanfare.

“We accomplish several jobs that help maintain the colony's survivability,” she continued. “Hunting and gathering are the most obviously beneficial. We also survey the minerals in the ground for rare materials that when the colony is ready, mines can be open. Studying the local plants and animals, discovering which plants are edible and poisonous, habits of predator and prey animals, making maps, and whatever else the colony may need.”

“Why do we need to know all this if we are just security,” a disgruntled voice said.

“You will be more heavily armed than the rest of your companions but you will still need to assist in the task your team is on.” She replied, “Your involvement will vary depending on the task and crew you're working with. For example, if you're sent with a hunting team, you will be expected to participate. That said, let's run through the standard equipment you will be working with.”

The slides continued as Anne gave the basic rundown on how each piece of equipment worked and how to operate it. Some slides were shorter, like the ones talking about the weapons and spore masks they would be issued and were already familiar with. Others were camping supplies because there was a high probability they would have missions that take several days. Most complicated were things like soil scanners, sensor beacons, and compound analyzers. 

“Lastly, we have our data tablets,” Anna said. “These contain files on every species we have discovered and the ability to identify plants and animals from photos. Using this will make sure you don't accidentally gather poisonous berries thinking they're edible. So keep it close by. It also contains a tracker and communication capabilities. If you get lost we can use this to find you. So keep it close by.”

Annalynn finished off her coffee.

“With that over with, I'll pass you off to our esteemed survey capitan, Capitan Mikasa,” Anna finished.

Mikasa had light brown skin and kept her black curly hair cropped short. She wore a custom environment suit with additional pouches and armor attached. A spore mask also hung around her neck. She walked onto the stage with absolute confidence. Joyce was distracted as Mikasa began to speak. Other members of the survey crews begin setting up an area with the basic equipment that all members were required to carry. Probably to be distributed to the newest members. Joyce tuned back into the speech.

“... be paired with a partner.” Mikasa said, “afterward they will take you out and give you hands-on experience with your new equipment. So without further adieu, let's get your equipment settled!”

“Out as in outside the walls?” Someone Asked.

“Yes! No time like the present!”

Hearing that news Joyce was concerned about her choice of outfit. A pencil skirt and was not the outfit to be trudging through the wilderness. It was too late to change now, so Joyce went through the process of getting her gear and checking out her laser rifle.

—

Joyce approached the individual who was identified as her new partner. She felt stupid, having her survival and combat gear overtop her formal clothes. 

So unprofessional, she thought.

Her partner was short for a drone. On account of her mark IV drone legs being replaced with the previous versions. Her arms were also in a similar state aside from her hands. It looks like they have been replaced with the superior mark IV hands. Mark IIIs were basically just clamps while the mark IVs mimicked a human, but with one less finger.  She had messy dark red hair cut to shoulder length and bright red eyes burning with irritation. The anger mark on her forehead and closed off posture supported the irritated theory. The red eyed drone wore an environment suit similar to Captain Mikasa but in darker colors and no armor plates. The sleeves were pushed up and so was one of her pant legs, exposing her mark III arms and leg. She herself had a bag like Joyce's as well as several pouches and a laser pistol.

“I wasn't expecting an out of place office worker,” the drone said. “Not sure if that's better or worse.”

An anger mark appeared on Joyce’s screen.

“I wasn't informed we would be doing field work!” Joyce spat back, “I thought it was just a presentation.”

“Great, an office worker with an attitude.” She said while rolling her eyes.

“Says you,” Joyce muttered back.

“Whatever,” she said before walking off. “You coming or not?”