Greeting his new commander

It was a fine day in the Realm of the Kokuryuteshi. Soldiers were bustling all about the military complex of the Kokuryuteshi. Throughout the main bases of the Kokuryuteshi soldiers were performing their tasks. They were practicing combat drills, maintaining equipment, maybe even interrogating an enemy or two. Anthony was happy for another reason however, today the Stone Cross was getting a commander for the first time in decades.

Now, don't get the wrong idea, Anthony was more than capable of handling the Stone Cross' affairs, that's why he was lieutenant-commander, that's why he'd been the liuetenant-commander for the past few decades. However, there was a reason he was a lieutenant-commander and not a commander, he wasn't ready for that prestigious role just yet. A commander had to have power to back up his leadership abilities, Anthony didn't quite have that much power just yet.

The area of the base Anthony was in belonged to the Stone Cross, and Anthony was resplendent in his normal outfit, black longcoat, white T-shirt, black pants, and black combat boots. Anthony wasn't one for uniforms, that much was obvious. The room was also lined with several members of the Stone Cross, who were in their uniforms, here as part of the meeting group to meet the new commander.

A soft sigh left Daigoro Ito's mouth as he flicked a single strand of hair behind his head with a quick and sharp breath. He hadn't wanted a grand ceremony, hell, he would've been happy enough with a Lieutenant-Commander position. But... as he was told... there was already another body in the Lt Commander position. And with the power level he had, they wanted him to become one of the Commanders, and take some position of responsibility. Ah, well. If you couldn't beat'em, join'em. So Dai did, and he became the Commander of the Stone Cross. Fun. Then again, it was where his abilities were most suited for...

He sighed once more, and stepped into the room. The black clothes that replaced his old Shinigami uniform draped his body nicely. Much better for him, he surmised. With a flick of his head, he cricked his neck a couple of times, and looked around at the people standing around. He laughed softly, and then spoke quickly and sharply.

"My name is Daigoro Ito. I am, as of now, your commander. We are the Stone Cross of the Kokuryuteshi. We are the wall. We are the defenders. We are here for one reason: to protect our soldiers. I'm here for my own reason, though. To protect everyone I can. To make sure that no casualties occur. That's my mission, you can just protect the Kokuryuteshi, if you want." A redheaded woman stepped out from behind him, and looked over the soldiers.

"This is Heza. Heza Nikko." The girl bowed slightly to the others.

"She is our pilot. You will find out more once I have made the purchase. Just understand that we will be moving out a lot faster than previously." The redhead nodded.

"That is all."

Anthony and the soldiers listened quietly and attentively as was proper. Admittedly the liuetenant did find the end of that little speech a bit odd he couldn't help but think that the new commander had a way with words. Daigoro finished his speech and that was Anthony's cue as Liuetenant-commander. "Company, salute!" He said, the Stone Cross members snapped up, saluting Daigoro, "Company, dismissed!" The soldiers neatly and orderly filed out, precision and order in their movements.

Admittedly Anthony's methods of ordering the troops were heavily based from his time as a World War 2 soldier, and he didn't mind that. After all any method of order was useful for keeping things ship-shape, as long as it worked it didn't matter what it was. The liuetenant alone remained behind, likely the Commander would require help in learning the layout of the bases, and information on recent activities and the status of the Cross. Anthony had all that information, should his new commander require it.

Daigoro smiled softly as the soldiers began to filter out, Heza leaving with them. He'd make proper talk with the separate squads as he went on later. He sighed, and then looked at the man who stood there, carefully. He was... strange. His military tactics, World War 2, were they? Fuck, that was a good while back. He laughed to himself, reminiscing about those days, when the man stayed stock still, after everyone had left. He peered at him carefully through red orbs, and wondered who this man was.

Wait... he wasn't? Ah, fuck. Dai walked over to him, and looked him over with a careful eye.

"So. I'll make an assumption. By the fact that you haven't left yet, I'd say that you're my Lt." He made sure to stress the LT, in case the man didn't hear him properly or something. He seemed quite... uptight. With a shake of his head, Dai walked closer to him, studying him properly. Defense. That's what this man looked like he suited. Certainly.

The liuetenant remained stock still during the...examination. It was fairly simple to resist the urge to straighten up a bit more under the new commander's scrutiny. Although, he couldn't help but notice that the man actually seemed a bit surprised about something, perhaps he'd been expecting something different in his liuetenant? Well, that didn't really matter, besides his commander had asked him a question, putting a strange emphasis on LT. "Yes, sir! Anthony Hernandez, liuetenant-commander of the Stone Cross, sir!" It was probably best to be as official and formal as possible until he knew the commander better.

As for his name, Dai might be in for a shock if he had some familiarity with the officers of the Gotei 13. Antonio Hernandez was the current 4th Seat of the Gotei's 5th Division. If Dai was privy to such information he might recognize Anthony's name, what he'd do with such a revelation, if indeed he had it, was anyone's guess.

"Yes, sir! Anthony Hernandez, liuetenant-commander of the Stone Cross, sir!" Dai blinked. And blinked again. Hm. He then tilted his head to the side, and spoke loudly and clearly, a line that he remembered only somewhat well.

"At ease, soldier. You don't need to be so formal around me. I may be your commander, but I consider myself your equal. You've done so much for the Stone Cross, it's all I can give you to make you my equal. Just... ease off, mate." He smiled brightly at the man, tilting his head back to it's old level.

"So, anything that I need to know? Any special cases, anything of the like?" He shrugged lightly, wondering if there was anything important he needed to know.

The transformation was astonishing, one moment there was a rigid, all-business soldier, and the next there was an actual person there, a friendly smile on his face. All Anthony had done was simply relax his muscles, he had stopped standing so rigidly. Putting his hands in his coat pocket Anthony shrugged, "Not that much to worry about. The Stone Cross is at full strength except for the few getting hurt during training and that's usually only for a few days before they're back in action."

"There is something though, the Stone Cross hasn't had a commnader in some time. There shouldn't be anything serious but it might take a little while for the boys to get used to having someone else in charge." Anthony was speaking from experience, during World War 2 he'd seen a new commander get appointed over a unit, and the soldiers might look to those of lower rank who they knew better and trusted rather than some stranger they'd never met before. "Still, shouldn't be that big of a problem, they just need to get used to having a commander again."

"Not that much to worry about. The Stone Cross is at full strength except for the few getting hurt during training and that's usually only for a few days before they're back in action."

"Ah, I see. Fair enough. Keep going."

"There is something though, the Stone Cross hasn't had a commnader in some time. There shouldn't be anything serious but it might take a little while for the boys to get used to having someone else in charge." Heh... 'the boys'. This guy was far too stiff in his ways. He tried to avoid laughing to himself, and then listened when Anthony spoke again.

Still, shouldn't be that big of a problem, they just need to get used to having a commander again." He shrugged, and then leaned against the wall.

"They'll get used to it, I s'pose. We just need to give'em time." He nodded at the man, and then took a seat nearby, thinking on what else he could work out for this. There had to be something he could do to make stuff better...

"Yep." Anthony said, leaning against the wall a few feet away from his commander. He wasn't sure, but it almost seemed as if his commander found something he'd done amusing, although for the life of him he couldn't figure out what. However, that wasn't what was important right now. What was important was a niggling little desire he wanted to make to his commander.

"Excuse me, sir?" Anthony said, where he would wait for an acknowledgement before continuing, "I was wondering if you might be interested in a little sparring match. Just for fun, I've always wanted to have a fight with someone of commander level." There, he'd said it, now the only thing to do was to see if Daigoro said yes. He really hoped his commander did say yes, he really wanted to see where he was in regards to a commander's skill.