mcd900

Alrenne's brow furrowed further. This was going rather distinctly differently than he'd hoped... the pilots of the Dawn were unlike any complement he'd worked alongside before. "Perhaps I was too... brusque. Put directly, I have confidence in all of your capabilities. You've all passed the physical and psychological piloting assessments. Nothing more. If anyone has any concerns they'd like to address individually, you know where my office is." He tapped the display on his personal comm, transitioning the display on the holoprojector. Sets of blueprints of a few different machines began to appear. "Moving on, a brief threat assessment. I'll keep this short and simple; again, we're not looking to start a fight." Mass-production Gen1 HEXes displayed in sequence first; a variety of manufacturers, none particularly out of the ordinary, a spacefighter here and there. Alrenne clicked through briskly. "These are the types we can expect to find in the Callisto security forces' possession. Nothing unusual, surplus from the wars." Then, a series of worker HEXes, all painted distinctly in red. "Avyndor Heavy Industries make laborers... You'll see these everywhere. Can't miss the company logo. Lastly..." A CEN-2 came up on screen, in standard colors; navy blue with pale white accents. "I don't need to tell you all what these are, half of you probably trained in one of these. Not many in number, and they're all performing security up on the Jupiter-orbit colonies, so we're not expecting any assistance." "Right, now that we're through that. Our plan upon arrival is to dock at the shipyard in the capital; it's the only one remotely capable of accommodating the Dawn. Then, the Captain, our diplomatic representatives from Earth, and a small number of pilots serving as local security will meet with the colony leader. The CEN ambassador to Callisto, Ambassador Virion, will also be present - we'll contact the embassy as we arrive, and meet him there." "Our diplomats are Diana Ryeilleur and Jin Huang. They've been quite busy preparing during our voyage, and given the size of the ship odds are you haven't met them. Either way, I believe we should be able to leave any official proceedings to them, if all goes well."

In truth, Laniva hadn't had much going through her mind a moment ago; her body had simply moved, found the door in her way, knocked it down. It came off the hinges rather unexpectedly... no, that wasn't quite right, that had been the goal - rather, the violence with which it tumbled into the room was more to her surprise, and as one of the men inside pointed and yelled, she grit her teeth. There had been a feeling of... frustration of late; at being caught unaware, unarmored, finding herself facing down mages and pure weapons... but in a single moment she sized up the room, finding it... appropriate. This was it, the kind of fight they - she - had lain in wait for this night, and she charged forth into the room. Laniva to 10, 28, Iron Greatsword Monk 1. There was a recollection; dimmed for a time, but now coming crashing back in waves - of a wellspring of words so boldly exchanged in now-distant days of squiredom, and she drew now freely upon them, paying not a single whit of attention to the monk's yelps, drawing back from her slash into a low guard. "Look at you all! Not a single pure weapon to your names, you must be a real brave lot. So who'll it be? Which one of you wants to test their mettle next?!"

Laniva to 27, 7, Iron Greatsword the door!

As the attack began, she drew her greatsword from its sheath on her back, beginning to charge forward into the fray, albeit cautiously; not even her armor could... She perked up slightly at Syta's call, moving ahead. "Right. Let's go." Their attack was sudden, and already her blade was hurtling towards one of the more heavily armored foes. Laniva to 5, 29, Iron Greatsword Sword Armor 1

Laniva stood quietly by, listening. It was clear enough what had driven the night ambush - threats - though they seemed little more than excuses. Still - she had faith that the Chief was handling things appropriately, even if it did mean letting him off with but a couple of smacks. She felt odd. Two of their own were now gone - not necessarily forever, mind - but the only image playing through her mind at present was her own perspective from the night; blade raised in the courtyard, facing a massive man; afraid. Fear that she was up against more than she could handle; paralyzing fear; fear of a kind that she hadn't felt for quite some time now, and that time she had been wearing as much armor as she now did every day. I hesitated... It all happened before I even awoke, but... if there was something - if there was anything... ugh. She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought; but it stuck to her like a burr. It's fine. We're going to go get them back, and then there'll be no need to think about this any more. That's all...

The conversation continued on before Alrenne found the right words to speak; he didn't see much issue in letting the speculation as to their mission continue anyways - he shared many of the same concerns himself, after all, and even the Captain was participating - but the turn the conversation was taking was one he didn't want to let spiral too deeply. "Settle down, all of you." He briefly turned his head towards Sia. "I believe as far as the facts of the matter are concerned, that is the full sum of them." He returned to the room, scanning faces; Louise and Scylla in particular. "The CEN would not send such a force merely as a test. Most of you are in one way or another the elite of the entire CEN's pilots, and no matter how green you may be, you are all expected to be capable of your duties." He grimaced slightly. "...If the CEN does not share my beliefs, allow me to be clear that I will be holding you to them regardless. This, of course, extends to rendering enemies incapable of combat. If any pilot is found incapable of performing in a real battle scenario, then the appropriate actions will be taken." Alrenne adopted a stern look... sterner than typical, more accurately. "Until then, I will not brook my pilots casting undue aspersions on one another." A bit abrupt of a time to remind them of discipline; but it was better for them to think of the Captain kindly and him poorly than the other way around. "Regarding operational details... There is a dock in the lunar capital, Remansburg, which should be capable of supporting the Dawn. The Dawn will enter the atmosphere some distance away, then progress at low altitude to the city. From there, we'll begin diplomatic talks."

As the pilots made their way into the room - some rather more obviously than others, though mostly on time - Alrenne observed quietly. To be honest, some of his fiddling with the holoprojector was mere idling; there was a little chitchat in the room about whether or not they'd gotten any more information. To tell the truth, he didn't know anything more than what had already been disclosed; but differently to the rest of the crew, it was his - well, the Captain had made it his - responsibility to tell them all that fact. It was a rather uncomfortable truth, though. He sighed, standing up straight after a short moment and facing the pilots. "A-hem. Unfortunately, the briefing we'll have today is going to be less... mission-oriented, and more of a general setting-the-context for Callisto. Now, I'll remind you all that the lack of information is something out of necessity. We set off not soon after we first heard word of potential unrest, and as you all are well aware - especially those of you from beyond the Earth Sphere - communication is not easy at these distances." He sighed, resisting the urge to shift uneasily. "That is to say - no." He dipped his head towards Sia. "...with that aside. Captain, if you would please inform us of what we do know about the operation."

After Sia's brief explanation of their objective - not for any lack of an attempt on her part to locate greater detail - the debriefing moved on to formalities, with Alrenne dryly providing assignments for scheduled simulation training and information on more mundane events for the next two weeks. A resupply on Mars; a brief meeting with maintenance here and there to familiarize each pilot with the small details of their individual HEX, and add their personal customizations; an organized morale meal together Saturday evening. All in all, it was shaping up to be a calm flight. There was, perhaps, a minor hiccup here and there aboard; but for the most part it was the pilots' time to train their skills and get to know one another. JULY 7TH, 2174 14:48 CEN BATTLESHIP IMMINENT DAWN Three days until their arrival at Callisto. Three days until the Imminent Dawn would finally begin to prosecute their mission at the gas giant's moon. A voice rang out across the ship over the loudspeakers; the comms officer was relaying a message, reading off from her RoundTable notification. "All pilots and other key personnel. Report to the ready room for the scheduled final pre-mission briefing. Your presence is required." Alrenne was already in the room, preparing the presentation for the Captain; the tactical terminal was now lazily projecting a rendering of Callisto, its undeveloped brown and yellow surface standing in sharp contrast to the silver and black of the dense urban terraformed zones. Let's see... well, the Captain has the operational details. There really is a dearth of information on... what it is we're doing. I don't doubt that we'll be capable of handling things, but...

Laniva fidgeted nervously as Syta worked on Nyx, kneeling next to the two; she was doing her best both to heal and comfort, but the injuries were... less than good, and Syta confirmed as much in saying that it might be too much for her alone. "N-Nobody's dead... they wouldn't take her if they meant to just kill her. We can do something..." With the adrenaline of combat still waning, her sense were still blunted around the edges, not enough to see Syta's concern, not consciously, at least; but nonetheless, she laid her hand on her shoulder; then, a shake of her head to Nyx. "I... didn't. It, it was a real mess... there must have been a light mage, though. Just the big one, then that flash... my ears are still ringing. Those two, and a lot of silhouettes... those ones are probably most on the ground now, though." She gave Syta a quick squeeze on the shoulder, then rising to her feet, making quickly for the door. "Okay. I'm going to get Tio. I'll be right back, so just... stay with her." She could see what seemed like some kind of frustrated conversation going on as she approached the Evoker and her present company; it grew quieter before she was close enough to hear - that infernal ringing was havoc on her ears - but she ran up quickly, intent on her purpose, panting from the short sprint. "T-Tio. Nyx is injured... wounded pretty badly, in her room. Syta's doing what she can, but I think she needs your help..."

"Hmm... Yes, I expected that your answers would along these lines." Alrenne pinched the bridge of his nose slightly; it would, naturally, be a concern to the other pilots should they feel someone wasn't quite in line. It would present a risk not only to the individual, but the group as a whole... He stood just a bit firmer, back nearing ramrod straight. "Ensign Fujimaru. I will not commend your performance in today's simulation... However. Nor will I admonish you for it. There is a month remaining on our journey to Callisto; I expect you to train your mind with the same aptitude with which you practice your martial arts." He turned. "As for the rest of you; I won't brook any questions on our assigned pilots. I do not know why, nor do I care to know why you've been selected by the Council for this mission; what's important is that you were." He let the words hang in the air briefly, allowing them weight; then the razor's edge dulled, and his expression softened. "Lt. Vhane, Lt. Silvavolke. As our resident... admirers of passion, I believe you two will be more than happy to offer your guidance; am I correct?" There was something approaching a smile for a moment. "I believe Lt. Dusan raises an excellent point. On another matter - this is the first time you've all properly assembled together, not counting our brief gathering before the simulation. Take a look around you. Remember these faces. These are your fellow pilots; they rely on you just as much as you do them. The bridge crew, of course, included." It was a rather... impromptu... motivational speech he was delivering, but after they had perhaps given the young Ensign a little too much attention, he felt it was perhaps appropriate to tactfully leave the matter of the perils the ship had faced for another time...

Nyx was mumbling some incoherent swearing as she entered the room - not unusual on its own, though the energy with which she spoke it was rather indicative of her condition. Laniva stepped into the room, hurrying over to check her injuries; she was faring a good deal worse than Syndra was, and there was probably little she could do on her own - she hardly had the equipment, much less the expertise for treatment. Fortunately, Syta burst into the room, staff in hand, and was already setting about healing Nyx without needing to be prompted. She nodded back at Syta's instructions. "Okay. Do what you can for her, then we can move her outside... she doesn't look good. Let me know when she's okay to carry." She watched anxiously as Syta did her work; after the battle was always a difficult time for her, unable to assist in any significant way as she was.

Laniva staggered slightly at the flash; it was particularly blinding given the gloom of night, not that she was aware of that herself; she fell into a bracing stance, low, waiting for the attack that never came, as the enemy retreated. There was almost a sense of relief at the missing figures of the enemy, at not having to fight armorless; but she bit it back, banishing the thought. When the spots of light finally faded from her eyes, Syndra was on the ground in front of her, Syta already moving... somewhere; she strained her ears, struggling to hear, something about her healing staff. She quickly sheathed her blade, running forwards to the prone form of Syndra, checking on the arrow in her. Blood, of course - but not too bad a wound; she had enough knowledge of wound treatment from squirehood that she'd be stable if the arrow was left in. Syndra was talking; her hearing was slowly fading back in, and it took her a moment for her words to register. "Nyx is badly injured...? A-Alright. You'll be fine. Just stay here for a healer...!" She stood up, already breaking into a run towards the direction the large man had been coming from, dashing towards the room with the open door...

As Alrenne and the captain entered the briefing room, he tapped his communicator, uploading some of the battle playback to the large screen mounted on the room's wall. Scenes from the sim battle played, jumping from cut to cut of HEXes and fighters maneuvering, working in tandem, and... working alone. There. That should be suitable for, ah... guiding our discussion. As the pilots filed in, some in groups, some individually, he observed their expressions calmly; excitement, disappointment, ambivalence... embarrassment? "A-hem. Alright. Settle down, settle down, find your seats. Now - Captain, if you'll excuse my initiative here, I'll start with saying that your individual battle skills were sufficient or better. Some of you saw more or less combat - that's not what I'm concerned with here, a single battle isn't enough to draw conclusions for that. You've all been through your pilot education in... one way or another, and have learned that already, I should hope." The Lt. Commander gestured towards the monitor, a tactical map glowing a dim blue overlaid on the footage. "You met your objectives efficiently. Now - I have some observations about the way you went about it, but in advance of that I'd like to hear any thoughts you all have now that you're no longer in the thick of it. He looked to the side. "Captain, if you have any remarks, I believe now would be a good time; else I think we should allow the pilots the floor for now." He fixed his gaze on the room, not singling anyone out in particular.

She drew her blade once more, the heft of the blade, once comforting, felt like surprisingly little in the face of the hulking man. At the flash of magic, she winced; once for the sheer volume of light in the dark, and once again at the power of the spell - it was no meager cast, and she was all too well aware of her own weaknesses as far as magic was concerned. Probably stand a better chance against the big one... 'better'... Laniva circled him slowly, trying to put him between herself and Üllr, for what little good it would do. She didn't dare look away now. "I don't think you will, but the offer's open... Syta, stay close to me."

Laniva shook her head. "No - I'm no use if I stay behind you... I'll go first. Get one of your tomes, and stay behind me." Gunshots; several. The Tigers were up and about, and things could only be breaking down into a melee about now. "We need to hurry...!" As Syta slowly opened the door, she waited for there to be just enough room to dash out, and stopped just outside it, blade drawn in a low guard. Nobody immediately next to them - that was good - but she squinted through the pitch of the night, a large figure crossing the courtyard in a hurry, followed by another, swift, pale. That was enough to go off of for now; she turned to Syta, beckoning her to follow. "I-I think that's Aly! Come on!" Deftly sheathing her blade to run with greater ease, she broke into a run in pursuit.

Laniva groaned in her sleep. Even in the night, it was hot, and Syta being there didn't help matters much. She grimaced. Coy, he was fighting far too coyly, far more than he ought; noble pretty boy though he was, there was no reason for him to be this lacking in confidence, even if he knew there was no hope of winning this match. She blinked... ...he was there, driving his shoulder into her torso, reckless, inside her reach; she staggered slightly, her breath hot inside the helm. Her crossguard came down onto his helm, rattling him, but he was grappling her now; too feebly to force her down, clinging to her. She grabbed him by the neck, where his armor narrowed; it was just a tournament, she wouldn't wound him too terribly... ...thrown to the ground, her blade to his throat, but he was smiling, smiling; and the air was cold against her face now, so much so that it almost stung, and she found herself utterly incapable of looking away... She coughed herself awake, teeth grit, rolling out and meeting the floor with her feet. Smoke-- Laniva crouched near the window, peering out; there were shadowed figures, moving hurriedly, the dark forms hard to see, but confident in their steps, the flashing glint of blades... she ducked back away, finding her blade under the bed, sheathed, swinging the strap along her back as she grabbed Syta's arm, rousing her, still asleep, whispering. "Syta. Syta, wake up. It's an attack." Armorless; exposed... it had been months since she'd fought a battle so thoroughly against her own terms, her worries from the morning becoming all too real, but there was no time now. To meet the enemy outside would be even more disadvantageous, but she smelled smoke already; would they have no qualms burning them out if they stood their ground...?

"Aye, Captain. I'll have the pilots assemble, then, and the data forwarded to the medical team." Alrenne gave an intent nod to the comms officer, tapping buttons on the tactical console to turn off the holoprojector, but not before glancing at the varying conditions of the machines. They'd defeated the enemy, certainly, but the damage some of them had suffered in the process was rather alarming... He shook off the thought. There was little point in mulling that over right now - the debriefing was barely minutes away, and it would no doubt be one of the more obvious topics. The Lt. Commander moved to accompany Sia to the ready room, scheduling a meeting with maintenance on his communicator as they went... The screens in the cockpits of each machine winked off one by one, leaving the pilots to ponder the battle. The view of the colony and space was replaced with the steel of the hangar walls, engineers bustling about and tugging away heavy cables. A voice crackled over the comm. "Hey, pilots. Cool sim, huh? I think I forgot to introduce myself earlier, we were rushing. I'm the maintenance chief, Cia." The voice was plainly familiar, being the one yelling earlier; there was a pause now, as if speaking to someone else. "...huh? Oh, damn, alright. Message from the bridge for all of you - get to the ready room, within ten minutes. Go ahead, we'll clean up here-- Hey, be careful with that datacable, that's worth more than we make in--" The transmission stopped, the bustle of the hangar seeming to intensify through the camera views.

Louise's rifle fires again, leaving a second streak through space! (76 to hit, 24 to crit), hit/no crit, 11 damage to Diverter, 11XP to Louise. Kazue makes a first swing with the Heavy Metal Sword! (71 to hit, 55 to crit), hit/no crit. Then swings again! (20 to hit, 10 to crit), hit/crit, Diver 2 goes down! 37XP to Kazue. Iskra focuses intensely, letting the Wire-Guided Cannons entrap the Diverter! (crit), destroying the Diverter, 77XP to Iskra! Iskra levels! +HP, +Melee, +Skill, +Luck. "< -- What?! H-How can this be--?! -- >" Bonner extends the Arrestor Cable! (12 to hit, 22 to crit), hit/crit, entangling Diver 1 and dealing 21 damage! 4XP to Bonner. Leon pumps his shotgun, taking aim at Diver 1. (87 to hit, 98 to crit), miss. 1XP to Leon. Diver 1 counters, (38 to hit, 92 to crit), dealing 11 damage back to Leon! Daeran sprays his Autorifle! (67 to hit, 91 to crit), hit/no crit, riddling Diver 1 with rounds, taking it down! 40XP to Daeran. Daeran levels! +HP, +Shoot. Map complete! Ensign Kiria, the radar operator, spoke up, her voice filling the bridge. "No remaining contacts on scope! The colony area is secured." Alrenne nodded. "Very good." He keyed the communicator on the tactical console. "Bridge to engineering - the simulation battle is complete. Shut down the equipment." He flipped through his notes, briefly pondering them before looking towards Sia. "Captain, the simulation is complete. Your orders, please. I believe a debriefing would be appropriate, if you'd like to have the pilots assemble in the ready room." There was... quite some variation in performance today. It wouldn't be appropriate to draw conclusions from a single instance such as this. It is, however, quite clear that there are already some natural inclinations towards cooperation between some of these pilots. And some... distinct interest in the Captain. Well, personnel issues are another matter...

It was starting to look like mopping up at this point; the last of the enemy looked like they'd be putting up staunch resistance, for what little it was worth. Alrenne nodded, starting to look over the battle's notes, summarizing the salient points, mind already on the debriefing... Kazue slices with her Plasma Saber! (78 roll to hit, 15 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 13 dmg! Lightning 2 returns fire with the 30mm Cannon, (44 roll to hit, 15 roll to crit), barely misses! 11XP, level up! +1 SPD. Leon fires again with his shotgun! (72 to hit, 69 to crit), miss, 1XP. Bonner pulls the trigger! (85 to hit, 46 to crit), hit/no crit, 14 dmg, 4XP. "< -- Gah, you bastards...! -- >" Daeran moves to finish off LIGHTNING-2 with his SMG... (guaranteed hit, 25 to crit), hit/no crit, 9 dmg, kill, 37XP! Enemy Phase 6 < -- Open fire. -- >" Diver 2 sends a beam through space...! (75 to hit, 71 to crit), miss, 1XP. It goes wide of Daeran! Diver 2 cannot counter next Player Phase! Player Phase 7 All shipboard units (Scylla) receive +30% HP regeneration and +1 ammo to all weapons!

"Mhm, I will... mrahh..." Under Syta's continued petting, she found herself not wanting to think too much harder, not that the heat wasn't doing that for her anyways. She closed her eyes, waiting until they'd eventually be called out of the wagons for some reason or another (hopefully to go indoors for some proper shade), ears flicking a bit now and then. She didn't even register they had a new onlooker for a moment; it wasn't till Syta sat up suddenly that she realized they were being addressed. "Mrahh...? O-Oh. Um..." She looked between Ren and Syta, briefly stunned. "Y-Yeah. I'll come along..."

"Mm... I know you dress a lot more lightly too, but that explains a lot. Mrahh..." Laniva's train of thought was cut off by that petting hand, relaxing a bit more against the cart wall. "I don't want to be stuck without my armor if something happens, though..." She fidgeted. More than an inconsequential part of it too was just her own personal attachment to the armor, but that part could remain unspoken... "I'll be okay... probably. If we're okay for a couple more hours, then I'll take some of it off." She stretched a bit, slightly tensed up from the cart ride; at least there was shade in here.

"Good work, gunnery officer-- gah...!" Alrenne staggered back against the console again as the captain bounced off of him, then to the ground; he righted himself, a furrow distinct on his brow. He made another note - silently this time, but the scratch of his pen against paper was audible, now. He diverted his gaze from Sia, as did the rest of the bridge crew who weren't already fully occupied with their consoles. ...full documentation of simulation parameters to be submitted to the Captain or XO prior to commencement... Leon rocks up with an AP slug through LIGHTNING-3, (29 roll to hit, 39 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 10 dmg, 11XP. Iskra fires her Autorifle at LIGHTNING-3, (guaranteed hit, 49 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 9 dmg, 11XP. Bonner cleans up with his own Autorifle against LIGHTNING-3, (guaranteed hit, 64 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 13 dmg, kill, 4XP! Daeran softens up LIGHTNING-1 with some long-range Autorifle fire, (guaranteed hit, 81 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 8 dmg, 11XP. Kazue slices through LIGHTNING-1 with her Plasma Sword, (guaranteed hit, 70 roll to crit), hit/no crit, 13 dmg, kill, 37XP! Enemy Phase 5 "< --Yaroslav? Damn, they got him...! Wait-- aargh?! -- >" "< --Lightning 1! Lightning 1, respond! Lightning 1! -- >" There was a burst of static across the comm, then a slam; a balled fist of anger, or perhaps a slumped helmet of despair. Then, after a long moment, a heavy sigh. "< -- Raven, it's no good! We didn't stand a damn chance against this many! You need to launch, now, or Strand II... the colony's lost! -- >" Lightning 2 maneuvers... "< -- Negative, Lightning 2. The colony itself is our best chance. Good luck. Out. -- >" The enemy HEX squadron gets into their best defensive posture... Player Phase 6 All shipboard units (Scylla, Markus) receive +30% HP regeneration and +1 ammo to all weapons! Alrenne paced as the ship 'recovered' the damaged units. Does someone down there have an English minor or something? Meanwhile, the engineer that had waved to the pilots as they filed into the hangar earlier roused the rest of the maintenance crew with a shout. "Alright, come on, you idiots! Just because it's sim damage doesn't mean you get to just watch! It's not just an exercise for them in those seats, get off your ass, repair and rearm under duress, that's the mission! Sixty seconds, I'm timing you!"

"Mrahhh... I just feel more comfortable in it. Even... if it makes me less comfortable." Laniva took the waterskin eagerly, though blushing at the little compliment, fidgeting in her seat as she drank from the waterskin. She really didn't hear this kind of thing very much, but it seemed to be becoming rather more frequent as of late... "Hahhh... I needed that. Thanks, Syta... ah...?" She glanced down from the waterskin to see Syta leaning against her, and she sat back again; undoubtedly there was something of a warm and fuzzy feeling from her doing it, but at a time and place like this she was distinctly feeling more of the warm than the fuzzy. "How are you... so unaffected by this temperature, jeez..."

Laniva had spent much of the journey to Sipa in as little of her armor as possible, due to the heat - not again, she'd thought as the temperatures rose - though admittedly on this leg of their journey, the feelings she had about their travel were somewhat different than the last time they'd weathered this kind of heat. Sure, there was Syta along for the trip - her and her insatiable desire for Laniva's ears - but the lack of things to do while avoiding the heat left her alone to ponder what had happened. She was the first to admit that she was poor with magic, but even with her lack of ability, it had been easy to tell how much power had lain within Mercuria - it had taken the efforts of so many of their own powerful mages, something like a veritable confluence of sheer magical talent and knowledge in order to stop her from worming her way into her and Alvira's minds... and the cost they'd paid in the blade going silent was one nobody could really say the full significance of yet. It... was a shame as well that they couldn't bring it along. The Escaflowne had been such a nice blade; really all she'd seen herself were plain, perhaps a finer silver sword here or there among senior knights... well, perhaps it was for the best. She had such a terrible habit of breaking them after all. Today in particular, though, she'd decided to fully don her armor - who knows what might happen once they'd arrived, after all - and she was paying the price in heat for it, slumping back against the side of the wagon from inside. "Mrahh... I know we have to ration the water, but really..."

Louise snipes Javelin 2 out of the stars. [82 - hit] [29 - no crit] 14 damage to Javelin 2, destroyed, 33XP to Louise. Iskra riddles Javelin 4 with holes. [Guaranteed hit] [22 - no crit] 9 damage to Javelin 4, shot down. 33XP to Iskra. Leon's machine lumbers into action, taking a big chunk out of Javelin 6! [15 - hit] [59 - no crit] 7 damage to Javelin 6, as it tries to slip behind an asteroid! 10XP to Leon. Esther rockets into action, slamming a stake into Javelin 6! [4 - hit] [97 - no crit] 7 damage to Javelin 6! Javelin 6 counters, letting cannon rounds fly! [44 - hit] [10 - no crit] 10 damage returned to Esther! 10XP to Esther. Enemy Phase 4 Javelin 6 makes a reckless attack on the Dawn! [58 - hit!] [64 - miss] The Dawn's guns roar in response! [Guaranteed hit] [49 - no crit] 8 damage to Javelin 6, destroying it! 33XP to Sia. Warnings were going off all across the bridge, sirens blaring and alarm lights flashing insistently that the ship had suffered major damage. Alrenne simply narrowed his eyes, tuning out the dim of sim warnings and maintaining his laser focus on the tactical map-- --he would have, if not for the sudden yank of the deck beneath him, sending him onto the side of the map, his pen slipping out of his hands, down into the recess of the table, projecting its shadow up onto the hologram in front of him. He grimaced. Item two on discussions with maintenance... Amidst the shifts of the ship, the synthesized voice crackled back to life on the bridge speakers. "< --is the old man doing? We're staring down barrels here, we're good but we're not that good-- >" "< He's still prepping to launch! They got through the patrols too quickly-- >" The enemy ace squadron <LIGHTNING> approaches alone! Player Phase 5