Hey all! This is my first attempt at something Siege related, and likely won't retain much of a serious atmosphere in some scenes. I'm going to try to use the operator's name more often than their callsign, although in proper missions they will address each other as callsigns. Please R&R and tell me what you think needs improving!

The crisp September air drifted through the many buildings of the Hereford Base, creating a swelling melody of wind rubbing against stone and wooden buildings. It was nice weather for the month, which was much to the dismay of the soldiers inhabiting the base, as it meant more jogs more often. Still, even with the shouts of Sergeants and boots making contact with the dirt, the base had a somewhat serene aura to it.

The feeling was interrupted by a service vehicle's engine pulling into the Base's lot a few meters from the main complex. Once the vehicle came to a halt, a pair of men wearing black clothes and carrying large bags stepped out, likely carrying their belongings. As they stepped up to the main entrance they were greeted by an older man in SAS fatigues, holding a clipboard. The expression on his face showed his no nonsense attitude, and while he may not have been the most physically intimidating of men, he was the most intimidating in presence.

"You must be the new recruits. Right this way gents." He turned without looking to see if they were following, knowing they would not dare leave his side. This had become a fairly regular routine for the old timer, having to guide the newbies around the facility. He had been meaning to get himself a replacement for this job, likely Trace or Cohen, but for now this was still his duty.

After guiding them through the facility, he stopped just in front of the dorms and handed both of them a map of the building and forms they would need to sign.

"Didn't introduce myself earlier, apologies. Mike Baker, your commanding officer for the time being. You report anything of note to me, not your squad leaders. You lads do what is asked of you, perform the best you can, and you'll be accepted as full members of Rainbow. Now rest up, you've had long flights, I can tell."

With that, the recruits found their ways to their respective rooms and retired for the day. How he envied them. Sighing to himself, Baker made his way over to the training facility, more specifically the high tech simulations section in which Rainbow conducted most of their training in. The current match consisted of Americans and French. Craig, Eliza, Jordan, Emma, and Gilles against Jack, Miles, Meghan, Julien and Gustave. It was interesting to watch, mostly due to the latter team complaining about Eliza's fast entries and Craig's incredibly irritating sightline denial. Baker never had to endure either, but from the sounds of it the defensive teams were not fond of it.

Still, the match was quite even, with Jack and Meghan making interesting use of their environments, particularly when Jack had managed to punch open a floorboard and drop an explosive onto Gilles' exposed back. When the simulation was finished, Gilles gave him payback in the way of a 'playful' punch to the gut. There were no hard feelings, but that cardiac sensor Jack owned proved to be a great irritation for Gilles.

"Alright you savages, listen up." The group of trainees and the operators spectating with Baker stood at attention and watched him.

"We've got new recruits, don't rough em' up too much, we don't want Six to be sending us any more Russians as punishment." Some chuckles were evoked from the crowd. "In other important news, we've been notified of some suspected White Mask involvement in Germany, and plan to deploy a squad within the week. I'll be putting together a list tonight, so don't get on my bad side until tomorrow."

Hushed murmurs and nods of assent were all he was given. It was the standard fare around Hereford, and Baker was fine with it. It was a nice change of pace to have silence after having to deal with the suits for a weekend.

With a nod, he turned and left for his office.

"Who do you think he'll pick?"

Jack's question echoed throughout the room, and immediately the small clusters of people converged into one large circle of chatter. Rainbow team, for the most part, enjoyed the banter between the CTU's regarding mission assignments.

"Bet Liz is getting picked. Probably Elias too."

"No way he doesn't let one of the Sisters in on it. Those mines are some nasty shits."

"Are ya really gonna forget about Tim? They always need support, and I doubt old man Mike wants Sebastien or Craig for sniper roles."

"Really Meg?"

The casual conversations eventually subsided as most of the combatants headed off to the showers, while the spectators went down to the mess hall. The hall was alive with the sound of chatter, as all of the operators present had assembled in two rows of tables so they could all speak to one another. The JTF, 707th, GSG9, GROM, SAS, and Spetsnaz operators were hollering and laughing as they watched the two members of GEO down the group's collective piles of mashed potatoes, Ryad failing miserably as his counterpart ate like an animal.

"I see the professionalism has left the building." Meghan said as she walked in with her fellow Americans.

"Yanks! This little Spanish machine has beaten three men now! We're runnin' outta food for' er!" was all that Seamus could spit out before he errupted in laughter again.

Elena slapped her hands down on the table and stood up, wiping her mouth with a napkin generously provided by Mark. "I just ate your asses out of house and home!"

Ryad smirked and stood up, then raised her arm up, declaring her the team Rainbow mess hall champion.

As the Americans sat down, the energy in the room slowed down until it returned to the usual light hearted banter. More gossip regarding the upcoming mission was discussed with the other aspects of the team, and some more personal matters were discussed. Maxim asked if anyone had seen Timur, Jordan claimed he had seen Tim with Emma before showering, and the table erupted in 'oohs' and kissing noises. Elias even wrapped his arms around himself and pretended he was Emma, earning him a kick in the shin from Gilles.

"You should really wear leg armor, mon amis."

"Ah! Oh... You would like zhat, wouldn't you? Can't accept zhat I'm faster, and better looking?"

"Non, I cannot accept those jeans. Are you trying to rival Monika in the mom look?"

A round of laughter, even from Elias, circulated the table before conversation died back down. The team seemed to be particularly rowdy today, likely due to the stress of a pending mission, but the crowd seemed to hide it pretty well. Other units, such as the SAT and BOPE chose to relieve their stress by sitting in their rooms, either meditating or sleeping.

Sleeping seemed to be the main focus now as the table became less and less populated as time went on. Eventually, the table consisted of Jordan, Eliza, James, Seamus, Marius, Zofia, and Sebastien. Discussion slowly shifted towards the operation.

"Bet we're going to be most of th' roster for the mission." James spoke aloud. The table nodded in agreement. They had spent some of the most time on missions out of all of the operators, mostly due to their equipment being instrumental in essential operations.

"Don't know about that one, Porter. Not exactly using Geneva certified weaponry."

"Ah, rubbish. You know that I'm just usin' a bit of what they cooked up themselves. Just returning their gas is all."

"I'd bring Mark in over you," Zofia stated. "He's nice and quiet, unlike you."

"Your sister ain't quiet." James grinned, earning him a slap which he brushed off. He then wiggled his eyebrows at the elder Bosak sister, prompting her to leave.

"Well, looks like the party's over. Think ol' man Baker would 'ave our heads if he caught us stayin' up late."

With that, the group disbanded, heading back to their individual rooms in the dorm section of the Hereford facility. Tomorrow would be a big day, regardless of who was picked.