Jalag Holkim, outskirts of the capital district During the first days of the Civil War, the major cities of Jalag were hit hard. The entire city of Holkim had been without power for weeks, the Kumpt forces had the city under siege. Fighting was fierce, with battles raging for days until the Septonian forces pushed them out of the capital. The Kumpt forces in Holkim were now on their last legs with their back to the ocean. Sector 2 Hill-292 (Holkim, Hradnim district) The grass on the plain swayed back and forth in the gentle wind, it was a beautiful day. It was early fall and the temperature was perfect for being outside. On a normal day this area would be crowded with people, eating, cooking, whole neighborhoods outside at once. It was a perfect place to gather, a group of 40 buildings grouped around a small square semi isolated from the city on a small hill. The coast was within sight about 10 miles away with nothing but flat grassy plains in-between. Lieutenant Kol Kalai sat in a chair in the top floor of a building, observing the enemy through the window with a spotting scope. “ Lieutenant…..” a voice whispered from behind him “ more civilians showed up, about platoon strength” he said before chuckling slightly. Kol slowly turned his head to look at the man before cracking a smile “ more of them then there are us…” he said rather flatly. “ Kumpt is falling back with haste, sprinting towards the ocean like they have a place to go.” he said sounding disturbingly amused. “ Looks like we are going to go get them…” Kol said before standing and walking towards a small table closer to the staircase. On the table laid most of his gear, helmet, rifle, side arm, magazines and his plated vest. The Mk-1 was not powered armor in the traditional sense, The underlay of the vest has a layer of interwoven titanium threads that amplify the wearers movements. This layer adds only minor protection against small rounds and slashing strikes. The underlay is also sealed off from the environment, securing at the neck, shin and forearm plates to keep the wrist flexible. Closest to the body was a gel layer for cooling and heating, followed by the titanium weave and a thick leathery material that made up the exterior. The entire underlay was powered wirelessly though the back plate. Whenever the plated vest is put on the suit is powered by a small but powerful battery at the small of the back. The helmet is the most important part of the entire armor set. Offering noise canceling hearing protection, communications, weapon integrated HUD and an IR/NV visor. The helmet had ports for added functions like laser designation or increased communications range and had a rebreather with a two hour oxygen scrubber limit. Both shoulder plates were optional along with the elbow and neck plates. Kol slipped on the plated vest, testing the weight slightly before clipping in the side. He immediately felt the suit power, letting out a sigh as he felt the familiar sensation wash over his body. With the suits assistance Kol moved eerily fast, swiping magazines off the table and placing them in pouches with uncanny accuracy. Looking down towards his helmet, Kol chuckled and shook his head, opting to forgo the helmet for a headset with a boom microphone before grabbing the rifle and walking down the steps. Outside marines were laid out everywhere, talking against their weapons, smoking in the shade of buildings or sleeping wherever they can. “One One!…were up!” he yelled, as the marines began to quickly gather themselves, grabbing weapons and equipment. Unknown space “ Star charts….useless….Navigation, useless…we are lucky we didn’t jump into a star or something” said as he shrugged. How these ‘pirates’ acquired this ship was rather comical, they were not Septonian military or intelligence, nor were they Hygeia fighters or their allied forces. The ‘leader’ of the group Jai Lahai, was a diplomatic academy dropout, left two days after the civil war started to join the war effort. He was the son of an admiral and a loyal Septonian. The self proclaimed second in command was a woman, daughter of the founder of Jal’jak Magnetics, Gaia Hue. She was a scientific genius and probably knew more about the weapon they were carrying than anyone. The last two were artisans, an architect and his apprentice were at the helm, piloting the ship. Kassili Hessian and his Daughter Mlu just happened to be hangar bay that day, checking the work from the previous day. “What about those stars? Bearing 030..” Mlu said in a rather matter of fact voice. “ Bound to be something” she said with a grin before turning to look at the dark abyss in front of her. Jai reflexively chuckled under his breath before nodding with a slight grin, “ That idea sounds grand…” he said in a posh tone, trying to lighten the mood. The room was silent for a moment before Kassili let out a low growl, turning to look back towards Jai. “ Look……” he said sharply before being abruptly cut off by Jai. “ Not now, we have had this discussion. If we get to those stars and there is nothing there, you can lock me out of an airlock or something” Jai said raising his hands in surrender. “ Turning to bearing 030” Mlu said in a cheery tone, breaking the tension as she manipulated the joystick on the co-pilots side. “Engineering?” she said keying the intercom “ Are we able to jump?” A loud sigh could be heard over the bridge intercom, causing it to be louder then normal. “ Umm, I think so…” was the response from Gaia “ I mean….I really don’t know”. With a shrug, Mlu simply flipped up the plastic cover on the throttle and pressed the button under it before quickly shoving the throttle forward. The ships engines flared slightly before the ship appeared to jump forward, shooting off towards the cluster of stars.