.:: Jasmine Flower Conference Room, The Republican Hotel, Zhaoyang District, Republic City, Gyatso-kai ::.
1120 hours local time, 6 November 2020.2
1120 hours local time, 6 November 2020.2
The 260 square metre conference room on the second floor of the North Wing at the illustrious Republican Hotel was filled with tables and chairs and breakfast sets; soon, the Bisons would return from their practice and sit down for breakfast and debriefing. The men 30 men would filter in, grab their plates, fill them with food, and then sit down. Once everyone had gathered their food and returned to their seats, a brief moment of silence would be undertaken by the more-religious members of the team before everyone would begin eating. While they were eating, Head Coach Kad’e Tay’haai would go over details from practice, and he would begin going over the next opponent’s strategies and lines.
All the while… The security team would be watching.
”Time for the most exciting part of me day… Watching everyone else eat.” CT-2401 muttered as he looked around the hall.
”Oh yes… looks like Hisakawa is having his usual triple steak breakfast,” CT-2234 laughed over the secure comline as he looked around the room. Avatarian Guards, like most Grand Army of the Republic units, shared a direct comline between units through their helmets. Inaudible to those outside, the units would often use the line to convey movements and strategy. However, when deployed for security detail, it was often used for banter and speaking between actions.
”Gentlemen,” spoke RC-4321 – Countdown, the second-in-command – as he turned his head to scan the room. ”We will have breakfast soon enough.”
“Not soon enough,” laughed CT-2234. A sergeant, and the third-in-command, Teef as he was called, ”I am starving.”
“How can you be so hungry, Teef?” Countdown spoke. ”We ate last night.”
“You ate, I was on third watch and when I finished, the kitchen here was closed.” Teef laughed as he shifted his weight.
“Man, third shift,” mused CT-2401 – Teefone – as he looked towerds Teef. ”I don’t miss that role.”
“Oh don’t worry, Teefone,” chimed in Akaan – Designation RC-4868 – with a bit of a smile you could almost hear through the comline. ”I’ll be sure to put you on it next rotation.”
The rest of the men all laughed, as the players began to eat. Head Coach Tay’haai stood at the front of the room and began to speak. The security guards all nodded to each other, before turning back to their usual conversation topic of the morning briefing.
The game prior…
”I cannot believe we drew Qasden,” Teef was the first to speak. “I honestly thought we were going to lose.”
“Oh?” questioned RC-4555 – Tact, as he was known – as he adjusted his much heavier armor while standing at the door way. ”Why is that?”
“Well, last we saw them in Eh-Oh-Fifty-Nine, they quite literally crushed us.”, Teef sighed. ”6-2 in the third-to-last game.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that game,” Teefone grimaced. ”Basically sent us home with red cheeks.”
“And the rest of that tournament went so well. Silenced by Equestria with a pair, and then a 1-goal win over Sio-whatever.”
“Siovanija and Tuesland, Teef,” Akaan corrected his subordinate. ”That isn’t even a hard one to remember.”
“Remember in World Cup Eighty-Five? The Remnant one…”
“Squornshelan Remnant States,” Akaan smiled. ”Again, not that hard to remember.”
“And that is why you are the Captain,” Teefone laughed. ”Only you get paid enough to remember all those names.”
The other soldiers all laughed, and Akaan remained his usual stoic self. ”Back to yesterday,” Akaan chimed, wanting to return the conversation to the topic at hand. ”At least Skirata and Yu scored, and we had the lead for a bit.”
“Good to have the lead,” Teef muttered. ”Even better to hold it.”
“But Qasden is Top-25 in our region, you cannot expect them to lose easily.”
‘ “An opponent who loses without a fight, never had honor to begin with.’ “ CT-45-9934, the oldest member of the guard spoke. His name, Dabuir, was a Mandalorian word for “Never a Father”; a moniker that referenced how at nearly 48 years of chronological age, he was not married and swore back when he was still in training that he would never marry.
”Leave it to Dabuir to quote some Mando code.” Teefone laughed as he looked at Dabuir across the room. Dabuir looked over, and with a single hand motion, gave the polite military version of an Avatarian obscenity. Of course, that led to all of the men laughing and Dabuir just shaking his head.
This banter would go on while Tay’haai spoke, and was just the standard way the guards would pass the time. Surely, they were not lax on their job. Honestly, some within the Grand Army wondered why fully-trained soldiers were sent on security detail instead of allowing the teams to hire private contractors, and everytime he was asked, the Avatar never really held an answer. ‘It is an honor to travel with the team’ and ‘The men have earned an easy assignment’ were his usual retorts, and it never quite satisfied the media or the generals. However, being the Avatar, and they his Avatarian Guards, meant he could deploy them however he saw fit and all the generals could do was smile and agree.
The pros of being the anointed leader of the Republics… and the pros of being on the anointed’s personal guard…
, 
(Abanhfleft)
(Copper Cuprum)
(Pridnestrovia)
