Being in the air was a comfortable feeling for Jackie. Jackie was the type of person who enjoyed being in the air and always looked forward to missions that required air travel to reach a destination. This feeling of security was deeply felt after encountering the modified humans in their previous mission. Goosebumps on her arms made her feel like something was crawling on her skin.

"You okay?" Lacy asked as she sat next to Jackie.

Jackie fiddled with the clasp on the 5-point harness. "We've been on numerous scouting missions, but for some reason, those things really messed with me."

"Remember that one place? With the flood of enemies?" Lacy jokingly elbowed her.

"Yeah. Interacting with those kids was a fun time, though they were still a bit green. I wonder when's the next time we'll get assigned to work with them?" Jackie chuckled as she thought about that kid and her friends.

"You guys get spoiled with the types of missions you guys get to go on," Jake from the Lamia Division commented.

Across from Jackie's team in the cargo area was the team from the Lamia Division, who they had rendezvoused with after the completion of the mission. Several other teams were belonging to either the Lamia or Arachnia Division. The process of picking up all the groups was quick and painless, like most things related to Star and Moon.

Racing to an empty field, the team captain of the lead team in the two divisions activated a beacon and shortly several Jump Jets arrived above them. The vehicles were loaded on two of the Jump Jets, and the teams boarded the others. As soundless as the Jump Jets came, they shortly left the area with none the wiser.

Being extracted so quickly in a calm and orderly manner is what gave Jackie, and many others, a feeling of reassurance. Jackie knew that if something happened and things went south, then Star and Moon would have their back and work around the clock to figure out a solution, even if it meant blowing the operation.

"That's funny coming from the Lamia Division, who rarely go beyond the front lines. I doubt that you guys would be able to handle traveling through the brush where support isn't instantaneous." Jackie teased Jake.

"I would rather be doing the important work instead of goofing off away from everyone," Jake fired back.

"Naw, I wouldn't change this job for any other. I get to play with nicer toys and have more freedom, compared to when I was in First Recon. Not even Omega Force would let me play around as much as Star and Moon does." Lulu giggled, putting in her two cents.

Lacy grimaced at Lulu's words. "I could only imagine the type of trouble you caused."

"I've heard about you when I was in a mercenary team. They called you the Reaping Fairy, with how you played pranks and giggled before killing your targets." Gia said.

Lulu laughed at Gia's words. "But it's so fun playing with them and then watching their faces when I kill them." Lulu mimicked the facial expressions mockingly.

"You'll have to forgive her. She has a couple of screws loose." Jackie said. She also had heard about Lulu's exploits before she was hired and trained by Star and Moon. In the beginning, Jackie was hesitant about being around Lulu, but after going on over dozens of missions, Jackie understood that Lulu was loyal to her employer.

"Lulu's right. Compared to working for private security companies, I feel like Star and Moon treats us differently though only in a positive way. They not only provide us with top-notch training but also compensate us generously. I don't have to worry about internal politics like I do in the corporate or government world." Ace mentioned.

Jackie nodded her head in agreement. Working for Star and Moon was an opportunity that she didn't think she'd ever received.

Glancing over at the front of the cargo area, Jackie saw several monitors that provided real-time data useful for them. There was the map of the country and where they were in the air. Various dots littered the nation and showed the multiple facilities belonging to Star and Moon. A dotted line indicated their flight path, which was to the nearest facility where they would receive their next orders. An icon of the Jump Jet on top of their destination let her know they had arrived.

Feeling a drop in the speed of the aircraft, Jackie knew that it was going to be moments until they touched down. The funny thing was that she didn't think they had landed until the sign in the front changed from red to green.

"Thank you for flying with Star and Moon Airlines, we hope that our flight attendants made your experience a special one. Feel free to exit our the rear, and we hope you'll select Star and Moon Airlines again for all your traveling needs." A woman's voice was heard.

There were sounds of boos and demands for a refund, considering there were no flight attendants. Several of the guys joked that next time there should be some cute ladies to welcome them aboard. A couple of the women quipped that they should first check the mirrors before asking for unreasonable demands.

Hearing the banter made Jackie smile. It was only because things went reasonably smoothly that everyone felt comfortable saying such things.

Daylight flooded the interior, as the cargo door was lowered.

Thanks to the helmets they were wearing, none of them were blinded by the sudden change in light intensity. Jackie could see several people wearing Star and Moon uniforms while holding tablets. There was even a van waiting to take them to the base.

As Jackie unbuckled herself from her seat, she heard one of the people holding a tablet announce. "Welcome to Base 453. Congratulations on completing your mission. As a reminder, mission details are not to be shared with those, not in your same security clearance level. You'll be debriefed about your mission first in teams and then individually. After you're all finished, you'll either be assigned a mission immediately or be allowed to enjoy the rest of the week."

There were cheers after hearing about the mini-vacation they were going to receive, though there were also some groans mixed in after hearing having to debrief.

Hearing the groans made Jackie feel sympathetic, though compared to other places she had worked the process was a lot faster and efficient. Most of the work was already done with the camera's installed into the suits. All they did was download the data from the suit's black box and put through a dedicated program that would review the info. Support would look spend extra time on areas the program is unsure about or deviates from expected scenarios, and when Support deems they have as much info as they can get and they would call in the team so that the team can provide further details.

Jackie remembered numerous times where she and the team wouldn't need to talk with support and were told to have a beautiful day. Even missions that went belly up didn't necessarily require support to gather info from them since the existing data painted a clear enough picture of what had gone wrong.

Some of the groans were likely a reflex for many of them, though people like Lulu would probably spend more time due to their habit of doing their own thing. Support will have several words about how Lulu shouldn't have been on her own away from her team, and how she put herself unnecessarily in danger.

Looking at Lulu, Jackie could see that Lulu wasn't bothered by the debriefing. Lulu knew that she was too good at her job and Star and Moon wouldn't do anything drastic unless Lulu crossed some line. Jackie felt sorry for Support, who had to deal with Lulu.

Getting up out of her seat, Jackie made her way towards the ramp. She waited as other teams passed her by, some of them saying a quick word to her due to their team having worked with hers on a couple of missions.

"Let's go," Jackie said to Lacy and Lulu.

Walking down the ramp, she looked at the workers who gave her a smile. Each of the tablets being carried by the workers was scanning everyone coming out of the Jump Jet. Occasionally, one of the workers would deliver a message to one of the Lamia or Arachnia members, likely about a letter from a family member or something insignificant. Jackie appreciated how it felt like they were treated similar to high-level officials. The workers would act like temporary secretaries, providing scheduling or random information which made it easy for teams to adjust after landing on different bases throughout the year.

Just looking at Jackie's team, they would usually travel to eight different bases after completing a mission. The workers showing up upon landing would allow her to keep track of relevant information.

"Team captain, I have a message of some urgency. Instead of going through the debriefing with your team members, you'll be going straight to meeting with someone from Mission about your next assignment." The woman said in a relaxing voice. As if anticipating Jackie's follow up questions, she answered, "I'm sorry, but I do not have info on what Mission wants from you. And, yes, I recognize that this is unusual compared to normal protocol."

Jackie sighed.

"You have enough time to freshen up and wash away the grime from the previous mission. As usual, your suit will be checked for any maintenance issues and cleaned. Whether you're staying at Base 453 or sent to a different base, your suit will be ready for you." The woman said. "Due to the unusual nature of your situation, your team members will be assigned a different worker, and I'll be escorting you around. My name is Amanda, so if you have any questions or requests just let me know."

Amanda moved to open up a sedan off to the side with several others. The cars were likely for those who had special circumstances and needed

to quickly head to a different part of the base.

Seeing Lacy and Lulu being guided away by a different worker, Jackie waved at them to indicate she would meet up with them later. It was a tradition for them to have their first meal together, whenever they made it back to a base after a mission. Lacy gave a thumbs up to indicate that she understood, while Lulu was talking with the worker.

Amanda opened up the rear door on the passenger side, letting Jackie in.

"At least Star and Moon has the decency of letting me take a shower before they, likely, give me new orders. I'll give my thanks in advance, Amanda." Jackie said as she ducked her head and entered the vehicle.

Making sure that her legs were completely inside, so Amanda could close the door, she enjoyed the feel of the seats. The seat was specially designed to accommodate people who had combat suits and those who didn't. If it were a typical leather seat, the leather would have likely been cut up by some of the sharp edges of the pack on her back. Pressing several buttons, she enjoyed the feel of the chair reclining back to her preferred setting.

The door soon opened, and Amanda entered, soon followed by the sound of door closing. As the car accelerated, Jackie watched several more Jump Jets flying through the sky, carrying people to other missions or bases. Closing her eyes, she soon felt herself drifting off to sleep.