As the pilots headed to the briefing hall, they heard Lieutenant Ritsu announce over the loudspeakers that Cadets were to report to the briefing hall. The moment Harold arrived in the hall he was followed by Ritsu, who responded to his salute with her own, following protocol. "In file," She commanded, and activated the central hologram when Lorenzo arrived. He took his own place at the speaking podium and looked intently at the hologram; it showed a planet with its outer edges surrounded by green blips and a lot more red blips.
"Lord Commander Cain has issued an order of deployment for Squad Sigma," Ritsu began talking in a strict tone. "Leviticus IX, a colony planet of about ten billion population in the Perekule system and an important source of industry, has issued a distress call due to reports of a Cruxi splinter fleet."
The hologram zoomed in on one of the colonies, Joppa.
"The Cruxi have a pattern to their invasion in that they always target the largest colonies first, regardless of the amount of resistance. This means their most likely targets will be these two colonies." The hologram zoomed in on the planet's surface, where an immense city was shown.
"Joppa, which has a population of 700 million, is located on the northern hemisphere of the planet, while Troas, with a population of one billion and two hundred million, is located on the southern hemisphere. Squad Sigma has been ordered to protect these two colonies and to
eliminate any Cruxi invaders on sight."
"To succeed in this mission, you must split into two units. Officer Harold, you have the responsibility of picking the correct pilots for the units together with junior officer Shinkai. Both units require specialists in long-range warfare and close-range specialists to support them, since our reports indicate that the Cruxi's newest war machine, code-named Mist, is confirmed to be in the splinter fleet's arsenal and possibly deployed to the colonies."
Ritsu changed the hologram what seemed to look like a gas giant.

"Mist is reported to be capable of attacking in a 360-degree radius in both vertical and horizontal axis, emitting some kind of radiation-based wave that bypasses Framewerk armor and liquefies the pilot inside when placed under any kind of threat or danger. However, thanks to Squad Beta's honorable sacrifice, we have found out two weaknesses to this weapon; it doesn't differentiate between ally and enemy, and that it's limited to a maximum of medium-range in Framewerk weapon ranges. In addition to Mist, there are also believed to be a large number of regular Cruxi war machines. Their numbers dwindled since their assault on Gomorrah VI, but they still hold an advantage in numbers, so extreme caution is mandatory. NOAH will arrive to pick you up in 20 hours, but it won't leave orbit, so you will have to fly your Framewerks beyond the planet's atmosphere and dock in. The operation will be handled exactly as in the simulation; dock in, wait for the signal, and then jump and perform an orbital landing. However," Ritsu suddenly turned even more tense.

"This mission won't be a simulation, but a real invasion of Cruxi, and there will be civilians present. Look alive, and stay frosty, soldiers, cause we're going to give those alien sons of bitches hell!
Ritsu changed the hologram back to Leviticus IX. "Any questions?"

"Sir," Harold stepped forward. "What kind of support will we have, and what other units will be present?"

Not long through their diverse training program, and Squad Sigma already was being deployed for a mission - one of utmost importance, it seemed. The Cruxi were attacking another planet, so soon after their assault on Gomorrah VI, with the concern being that there were one of two major colonies that the Cruxi could attack. Therefore, Sigma would have to split into two strategic groups to defend both areas simultaneously. Lora shared a glance with Harold, but she wisely cut it off a bit early, so as not to prolong the staring daggers.

Most alarmingly, however, was the matter of their new weapon, codename "Mist". A gigantic orb that emitted pilot-destroying radiation at medium range, flanked by a sizable patrol of otherwise regular Cruxi war-machines. This, presumably, was the reason for Sigma's early deployment - still, it put quite a lot on their plate. While notable that Mist could harm friend and foe alike, it was also a reasonable guess that it wouldn't fire if there was a majority of their units at risk for it. But then again, there was so much humanity's united forces yet knew about the Cruxi - who could say for such how much of their own they were willing to destroy for the sake of victory?

Lora's hand went up. Harold took the first question, in order to inquire the squad's potential support, while Lora allowed herself to follow up with a different topic. "Could you go into detail about Mist's firing systems - how frequently does it fire, and how can we watch for it's attack?" If the squad knew more about how Mist worked, they could find some way to work around or exploit the weapon's firing systems to avoid risk. "Moreover, how do we even damage it? It looks like a gas planet, so I assume it's not simple to attack."

Zim saluted when told to salute, released it when told to release it. He listened intently on the briefing and the new information given to him.

Split the team in two? Well that wouldn't be too bad, there were two of almost every type in the group already, except for Sigma on sniper, Elora on insight and scout, and Katya on repairs of course. If it were Zim's call, he would put Sigma and Elora on separate teams. Sigma's long range targeting could be used as a spotter early on, and Zim would probably be making use of his Stealth, which would make him being on Elora's team less useful as the stealth put him off the scanners, so he might as well be on the team that didn't have the scanner capability. Beyond that, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much," Zim thought.

The new unit type was going to be problematic to be sure. Again, if Zim had it his way, he would have Elora pin-point the mists and other specialty types, so that way someone with long range bombardment could deal with taking them out from a good safe distance. Sigma would do the same on her team, being both the spotter and the person to take them out could be more efficient, other then having to find each one individually.

But, Zim wasn't the one in charge. He would save his opinions unless asked of them.

When it was time to ask questions Zim raised his hand and waited for his opportunity to speak. "Sir, I know the primary objective is to repel the Cruxi invasion. However, if there is an opportunity are there secondary considerations, such as capture of specific unit types?" Blackstar's ability to use the Wave Surger to destroy just specific functions of a machine made him the person for the job if it arose. In an ideal situation he could stealth up to the target and destroy the targets power supply. The pilot might be able to manually eject and escape, but otherwise the unit could be captured for study. Of course ideals and reality were notoriously divergent.

Mai had gone through the motions as the "war council" of sorts began.

She listened and observed intently as she sat amonst the other pilots...and didn't miss a beat when she saw the "gas giant" Cruxi unit.

Based on what was told of the unit, it basically was a floating anti-personel unit. Specifically designed to neutalized living organisms while leaving everything else untouched...

...Mai then remembered something she had learned during her "first" division days.

Raising her hand, she droned, "I have some queries. First: Does this unit vaporizes everything within it's blast radius or does it ONLY target living organisms such as Cruxi and humans alone leaving everything else untouched? Second: How well does this new unit work with it's own forces? Has it simply attacked with complete disregard for "friend or foe" or does it show some form of unity within it's ranks?"

[please disregard]

---

Technique. Daniel’s philosophy for physical training revolved around it. His extracurricular physical exercise was focused on distance running and free-weight lifts, specifically cleans and presses. He was careful never to progress until his form was as close to perfect as he could manage. Power would grow on its own as he worked out, but the only way to maximize his personal potential would involve making sure that technique never was the reason for failure.

It seemed an odd training concept, when paired with the lightning speed of Star Fist, but he held to it- much to the exasperation of Sergeant Ken. Daniel could often be observed slowly, precisely practicing the movements, straining his muscles and feeling through the motion, repeating faster and faster, so long as he could keep the precision. In practice, he never reached the same speeds as the others, but the power behind his strikes was powerful, and their form unforgiving. Besides the odd philosophy, he didn’t mind accepting criticism or advice from the other cadets, and often watched those who performed better than himself for clues. This however, was only a means to an end. Piloting and classes were his true focus.

Daniel’s approach to piloting over the days they had was markedly different from that of martial arts. Though in planned simulations he focused and attempted to coordinate to the best of his ability, during free periods in simulation he was liable to be almost reckless, attempting maneuvers that would tear a real mecha apart. Here, he wasn’t afraid to experiment. In VR, the damage wasn’t permanent nor costly to repair- so he took full advantage in seeking the limitations of a mecha, looking for familiarity. The result was often finding himself in awkward positions and situations that any half-decent pilot would have avoided with ease, but he satisfied himself with checking those particular maneuvers off on the list of ‘do not attempt’. It was a joy to pilot, but the research and classes with Lorenzo were far better than the physical or pilot training, where he was concerned.

The lectures were better than mealtimes. Daniel had become notorious for asking strange and often seemingly unrelated questions on subjects. His desk had an organized clutter of manuals, notepads, and copies of lectures stacked neatly atop it, a white board covered in sketches of different bits of mecha machinery on the wall. Of course, his pursuits often cut time away from socializing with the other pilots though he didn’t notice it. It wasn’t a case of avoidance as much as absentmindedness; he would greet and chat with the others when crossing paths, he just didn’t seek out acquaintance.

It was a matter of irritation when the Klaxons began wailing and interrupted a lesson he had been waiting on for the last two days. As soon as Lorenzo dismissed them, Daniel stood and shoved his notebook into his back pocket and jogged down the hall towards the briefing room. He fell in as he entered, lining up to wait for Harold. The holo caught his interest the instant it flicked on, his eyes locked on the indicators while Lorenzo spoke.

Two colonies, one huge, one small. A knight’s fork in chess. The logical place for the Cruxi to deploy mist was the area of highest population, due to the damage its main armament could inflict… but they could very well predict that we would prioritize the larger colony to defend it against Mist, as a larger population and the most logical target. Therefore in their position, it would be wisest to first set deploy Mist on the smaller colony to wipe out the resistance there, while the larger grouping of defenders fights in Troas. After wiping out the unsuspecting force in Joppa Mist could rendezvous with the Cruxi forces in Troas to finish the siege. Assuming the Cruxi don’t counter predict that prediction and send Mist to Troas first anyway.

He slowly raised his hand after the others had a chance to have their questions answered already having scribbled out the answers to theirs on his ever present notepad. “Sir, did Squad Beta test Energy Barriers, Gravitational, or Electrical Fields against Mist? And is it confirmed that Mist is piloted by a living Cruxi?”

"Sir," Harold stepped forward. "What kind of support will we have, and what other units will be present?"

Lieutenant Ritsu began explaining. "The Planetary Defence Force will form defensive positions in the colonies, but they have been ordered to only target the enemy infantry and troop carriers. Assault vehicles and war machines are your squad's sole responsibility, Officer. Other Framewerks are also dispatched from auxiliary fleets, though their primary objectives are smaller colonies and orbital assault. Iota will stay behind in the Noah, and depending on which colony requires support, you will deploy immediately. Understood?" She asked the clone, and she nodded. It wasn't quite clear if she was shaking from fear, or the massive amounts of caffeine she has ingested.

"Could you go into detail about Mist's firing systems - how frequently does it fire, and how can we watch for it's attack?" If the squad knew more about how Mist worked, they could find some way to work around or exploit the weapon's firing systems to avoid risk. "Moreover, how do we even damage it? It looks like a gas planet, so I assume it's not simple to attack."

Ritsu changed the hologram back to Mist, and then turned towards Lora. "When Mist was targeted by squad Beta, it seemed to immediately respond with the weapon's activation, incurring three immediate Framewerk casualties from pilots who were caught in range. The wave is mostly invisible to the naked eye, so you must keep your distance to it at all costs."
It was at this moment that Elora seemed to slightly reduce her shaking, and made a weak attempt at raising her hand, which the Lieutenant didn't notice as she continued with her briefing. "Reports from Beta confirm that the unit is immune to kinetic ammunition. No machine is without a weakness, however, so I trust in your ability to take it down. That is what you have trained for, after all."
Ritsu then saw how Elora struggled to get a speaking turn permitted, and then gave a nod of confirmed it was granted. "Uhh, Lieutenant, permission to um, modify the HUD, and add in a notifier for weapon ranges? It wouldn't take long since the data is already in our Framewerks, it's just about adding a visual matrix to the-"
Ritsu raised her hand to silence Elora. "Permission granted. Prepare in any way you can." The young girl wasn't sure if she should be afraid or happy.

"Sir, I know the primary objective is to repel the Cruxi invasion. However, if there is an opportunity are there secondary considerations, such as capture of specific unit types?"

"Under no circumstances are you to undergo such a dangerous operation, and doing so is-" Ritsu was interrupted by Lorenzo, who coughed loudly enough to catch her attention. He then stepped forward. "Of course you are permitted for capture and detainment of high-priority targets. It is what you have trained for, after all," he said, mocking Ritsu's own words, and she bit her lip. "But make no mistake; elimination of the invaders is your priority. The Officers may authorize capture on the field as willed. If that results in casualties, then I'll know who to blame. That is all," Lorenzo said, and then sat back down.

Raising her hand, she droned, "I have some queries. First: Does this unit vaporizes everything within it's blast radius or does it ONLY target living organisms such as Cruxi and humans alone leaving everything else untouched? Second: How well does this new unit work with it's own forces? Has it simply attacked with complete disregard for "friend or foe" or does it show some form of unity within it's ranks?"

"There is some collateral damage, and Framewerks do incur damage when struck by the wave, but it does seem to affect living organisms the most. Mist has been confirmed to activate it while Cruxi units have been in range, and hasn't shown any hesitation doing so. The other Cruxi units on the other hand are aware of this, and have been reported to purposefully avoid the weapon and even corral Framewerks into it. Don't be caught unaware, or you might find yourselves trapped."

He slowly raised his hand after the others had a chance to have their questions answered already having scribbled out the answers to theirs on his ever present notepad. “Sir, did Squad Beta test Energy Barriers, Gravitational, or Electrical Fields against Mist? And is it confirmed that Mist is piloted by a living Cruxi?”

"An electrical weapon was used against it by squad Beta, and it seemed incur a positive result, so we can assume that it is susceptible to energy weapons. As for the pilot, we have no confirmations. There is a possibility that it is an UACV, but regardless of how it is operated the elimination of the weapon is a primary objective."
Once Ritsu confirmed that there were no more questions, Ritsu raised her hand to a salute. "Pilots, commence Operation Planet Buster!

It didn't take long for a massive space ship to arrive in orbit of Solaire, casting a dark shadow over the entire base, as far as the eye could see. It was NOAH, named after an ancient fable where a chosen savior built a ship, and used it to float across a storm conjured by God's wrath, and survive where nobody else did. And just like the fabled character himself, this ship was also destined to persevere through the most frightening storm the universe had ever seen. The Framewerks were in complete darkness, yet they shined as they ascended up to space using their thrusters, like brilliant angels returning to the heavens. They took their places in the crevices of the ship designed for a Framewerk to attach themselves to and lock in place, like massive statues lining a grand cathedral. Indeed, some backwater planets revered the Framewerks as gods, and the NOAH as their Mount Olympus, a divine home from where they fling thunder and death upon the sinners. Yet, despite all this power, even they found their match on the Cruxi, who would take down gods in their effort to conquer humanity.
And as the pilots witnessed NOAH enter hyperspace, they could only wait for what was to come.

With the questions answered, Zero returned the salute and was dismissed by Lieutenant Ritsu with the rest of the group. The obvious next step was to get into his plug suit before heading to the hanger to finalize preparations for the atmospheric escape and orbital dock with NOAH. Zim looked around at his comrades as they were getting their plug suits on. Zim was as somber and stoic as ever, he was rarely roused into strong emotions. However, his brow furrowed a little more then usual today. He was just as excited as he was nervous at the prospect of facing the Cruxi. This wasn't a training mission where there was someone waiting to press a button to prevent any fatalities. This was real live combat against real live enemies that wanted to eliminate any human life that was in its path. At this same time, this was also their first, for everybody except for Herald, chance at putting the hurt on the Cruxi and defend a human settlement against the enemy of humanity.

The first chance for Vengeance.

Once Zim had his plug suit on he closed his locker door, perhaps too hard, as the clang echoed a little in the room. He moved swiftly to the hanger and his team of engineers and began system checks and calibrations.

Once the time came for launch, Zim brought Blackstar out onto the launch deck and fired up the thrusters. Blackstar was smaller then everybody else's framework, and with the armor wings closed it made for a slightly more aerodynamic shape compared to most of the rest of the frameworks, so his ascent to NOAH went smoothly. It helped that when Zim lived on Fortress it was not uncommon to fly up to the asteroid barrier and weapons platforms to do maintenance, which required leaving atmosphere, and working as a Terraformer after that often required atmospheric entry and exits. As such, Zim was used to the hi-G impact on his body that exit launchers provided, could deal with drag and changing conditions. It did not take long to get docked on NOAH with everbody else. He looked forward to the transport time to discus with his combat group.

---

Katya listened to the briefing attentively taking in every drop of information Ritsu proved them, looking at the hologram on the Mist weapon with a mix of awe and fear. Such a like that was simply wrong, and anyone or anything the would even consider using it should be destroyed. What interested Katya most about the Mist weapon, was that it seemed only energy based weapon could damage it. Katya wondering if even thought her rifle was energy based would actually it do any damage to such a target. After all the hologram didn't show any solid mass, so was all gas how where they meant to destroy it. Katya next thought is that she'd love to get a look at the tech used to make it or inside it, if it had a solid core. Not to get distracted she quickly pushed the thought out her mind, although Katya did hope she get the change to get a hold of something Cruxi. Not that she had told anyone but she did have a keen interesting in Cruxi technology and was itching at a chance to pull something of theirs apart. Reading about it just wasn't enough, if she could get a hold of even a little tiny broken bit she be happy ... well for the moment.

Once the briefing was over Katya gave a salute to Ritsu and went of to get changed into her plug suit. The walk over to the changing room one Katya finding to be quite difficult. It only being as she left the briefing did it hit her this would be he first taste of battle against the Cruxi, which made her feeling quite anxious. Katya struggling to keep her hands steady as she did up her plug suit, the whole time she was getting changed and going to her werk. Katya kept telling herself she had fought real battle before so this one was no different. All she had to do was keep her wits about her and fulfill her role in the team she'd be in and not get killed.

Once at Caretaker Katya manned the mech and waited until it was time to board the NOAH, sitting in the darkness of her cockpit helped clam her anxiety. When it was time Katya brought the machine to life and started her boot up check list, making sure everything was working as it should. Paying extra attention to her hpyerwave array, watching the array coming to life and automatically connect to the rest Squad Sigma. The array following the program Katya had programed as it opened the squads secure private comm channel, even if it wasn't really necessary. Ever since the mock battle that hyperwave being installed she was paranoid about the comm's. Always worried someone was listening in, but at least with hpyerwave in Caretaker she had more control over the comm's which made her feel a little better. She was still paranoid though, not that she'd ever admit it. At least this way the Squad could work out it battle plan in private, well provided the old man hadn't planted a bug in the array.

Once Caretaker passed its system check she was given the green light to transfer to the NOAH, Katya gripping her controls tightly as she commander Caretaker to grab the laser rifle out of it alcove along with its power cell and marched outside. Outside Katya could help by stop and stare at the shadow the ship caste on the base. After a moment Katya brought Caretakers thrusters to life the machine slowly lifting off the ground. The flight to the NOAH nothing special, although Katya not help but gasp in awe at the Noah when she laid eyes on it, it think humans could build something so massive was simply amazing in so many ways to Katya. Once docked with the massive, Katya watched the ship enter hyperspace in silence. Looking her Mech readouts as she waited for Harold start a squad briefing or doll out orders. Needless to say Katya didn't envy Harold, it couldn't be easy trying to work out who'd go on each team.

People were asking questions left and right during the briefing, but as much as Serah wanted to join in on the info-gathering she couldn't come up with anything to ask about. She couldn't really ask about anything much at all that Lorenzo hadn't already addressed in classes. Zero asked about the capture of the Cruxi scum, which slightly irritated Serah. Why should they get to live when they've slaughtered so many? Then again, military knowledge was important too... Emotionally driven thoughts like those are probably why she doesn't even bother to try and lead. Someone else, one of the newer pilots, asked about energy weapons. Serah's ears perked up again whilst she listened to Lieutenant Ritsu explain that Kinetic weapons don't work, but energy-based things do. That means that Atty's blade could harm them, although she'd need to get in melee range to do so... Which means that it couldn't do much at all because that'd turn Serah into a small pile of goo.

The girl's frustration with it all grew over time when she started to realize that Atty was probably going to hold the rest back this mission. She's not nearly as skilled as Sigma nor as experienced as Zim or Harold... Serah bit her lip, answering the call to arms with a short "Roger." which had all the energy put into it that the girl could muster. Nimble as she is, the little rascal disappeared into the hallways long before anyone else could set even a single foot out the door. It bothered her more and more over time. Serah shook her head once she was in the changing rooms, banishing those thoughts to the back of her mind. "Save your self-loathing for after the mission Serah," she mused to herself. The comfort of her plugsuit cheered her up just a little, enough for her to put up a small genuine smile again. Serah hopped on over to Atty to climb in and take her seat. Once the girl was back in the cockpit it was as if that small little dip never happened. She was bright as ever to be with Atty again, having genuinely missed sitting in the real thing. Serah checked up on Atty quite a few times while they were being repaired. She was, after all, very attatched to this machine. So much so that losing them at this point would probably crush her.

It didn't take long for the girl to move Atty over to the launching pad and enter space. The few thrusters her small framewerk had were more than enough to rapidly shoot her towards NOAH, a giant spaceship built by man. It was an impressive sight, sure, but Serah's mind wasn't really all that focused on it. Instead, she was a little giddy. Before Serah had anxious feelings over the mission but now that she's inside Atty again, her heart couldn't stop pounding. She safely secured AA-XOTRY to the spaceship, staring out in front of her for a few seconds. Then, she entered the comm channel. "Hey, everyone?" she asked over it to grab the other pilot's attention, before anyone else had a chance to speak. "It's probably going to come out wrong, but is anyone else kind of pumped? I mean, it's our first real mission! I know it's terrible that we have to do this at all, but... We'll finally be able to prove ourselves, right? Not to the superiors, but to those in Leviticus. Y'know, like guardians," Serah rambled. The girl felt a little embarrassed about saying all that and it might have even been a little out of place. It still felt good to share regardless. "...Sorry, I rambled a bit. Let's go, everyone!" Serah cheerfully shouted, eagerly awaiting the moment NOAH enters hyperspace.

When the pilots were dismissed, Mai droned a "Roger" and immedately left to the changing area to put on her jet-black plug suit and helmit. During all this, she did have some things on her mind. One of which was the new enemy unit "Mist".

She didn't bring it up during the questioning but one of the other pilots had. In general, how "Mist" possibly operated? Due to how it "fires", it seemed unlikely that there was an actual Cruxi pilot somewhere in that mass of gas, moving it from location to location. Which possibly mean't remote control of some sorts.

But it was what she remember awhile ago...something ther her first superior had told her.

* * * * * * * * * *

"...Seven...as your aware, the Telekenetic System is a VERY unique but very dangerous system. As the name implies and to keep it "simple", it literally taps into the "energy" produced from the pilots sync rate to be weilded as a weapon so long as the pilot is able to keep mental control."

"...yes sir..."

"Good. Now here's an interesting discovery. It's a system that our very enemies themselves can't always use on us. Cruxi...well...let's just say that they're the "perfect soldiers". They don't question orders, they don't feel...basically, a perfect killing machine. But...loath I am to admit this, but they're lack of intelligence...no that's wrong. They're lack of "self awareness" or perhaps "individuality" prevents them from using such a system. After all, even if it's fiction, you can't use any TK powers if your brain dead or simply don't have a high enough I.Q."

"...I understand sir..."

"I'm glad to hear. But as I trained you, I'm sure your wondering how YOU, of all people, are able to do so despite your lack of "emotions" due to this divisions's training...and not only you...but your bloodline as well...there lies the reason. While I'm pleased of your progress in this division, you seem to have the mental capacity to handle such a system that SO-VERY-FEW can even use without suffering mental problems...your truly one of a kind Seven."

"..."

"Now then. Were going to go over some of the "possible" applications the T system can be used for. From offense to defense to perhaps even mental attacks or remote control...there are many possibilities though we can only try one at a time. Too much of different "types" puts too much stress for any pilot to handle...then, well see which one works best for you through experimentation."

"...yes sir..."

* * * * * * * * * *

...could the enemy have an "ace" amonst them...and is that "ace" using a T system to control "Mist"...

It was possible but there was no proof. Still, she should have spoken to Lorenzo about it in private but there was no time. A mission was issued.

Orders were orders.

As she approached the hangar, Mai walked towards her framework, Neo Angel. As she did, she was approached by the mechanic's and engineer's assigned to her framework's basic upkeep. As she had before, she still didn't fully trust anyone else but herself to maintain her own framework but one of the "private" talks she had with Lorenzo and Ritsu over the weeks had made her to do so otherwise.

As they explained the usual technical information on her framework, she was also notified that her "request" for a mass-produced assault rifle was denied by Lorenzo quote, "Even mass-produced weapons don't grow on trees!". Unquote.

But one thing that she noticed were the two Magnum pistols on the hips of the Neo Angel...the SAME pistols she used to weild when she piloted the Setsuka. Apparently, Lorenzo and even Ritsu DID put an order to salvage the weapons from the Setsuka. Now, if necessary, it was her secondary weapons. Eight bullets already in each gun and two more clips attached to the hips near the guns. She was even told that it was POSSIBLE for the Setsuka to be repaired but it'd take too much time and resources to do so.

So long story short as she thought before, Neo Angel was now her framework.

Orders were orders.

So with that business sorted out, she quietly boarded the Neo Angel and awaited her turn to access the launchpad.

When her turn came, she droned on the open comm link, "This is Seven. Neo Angel departing in...three...two...one..."

And it launched. It then spread out it's wings to control it's accent towards the NOAH where it docked without any problems.

Mai would simply keep to herself until they arrived at the combat zone.

For her though, actual combat was nothing new. She was now wondering if she can efficiently work with her new team. While she struggled with interaction over the weeks with others, her "teamwork" and communication during simulations was noted. None of the other pilots had complained about her during any "teamwork" related training as far as she knew. It was when they weren't fighting that Mai had some difficulty interacting with others. Most likely, it had something to do with her encounter in the women's shower area.

Putting that out of her mind, she then mentally started going over the mission. While it had been awhile since she last saw live combat, she knew that, mentally, she was more than ready...

"Yeah," Zero said in response to Serah's question, "Blackstar and I are rearing to go. This will be our first real fight. This will be our first chance to take revenge for our loved ones. Our first chance to change the course of the the war. But, despite that. We all need to be careful and not get to far ahead of ourselves out there!"

Roger sat in his cockpit silent, but shaking. How the hell were they supposed to destroy something that could liquefy organic matter in a second? What were they even doing going out into battle right now? They were still in the process of training, yet got launched out into a major battle to take down a superweapon. The last "mission" they were sent out on was "training" against an enemy that blew half themselves up, and almost everyone on the team had effectively died. This time they would be against the Cruxi themselves. This was a fucking suicide mission, but it didn't seem like half the people in the team even realized it, with some of them even being excited. They were a bunch of fools to even sign up for this shit, and there would be no way out either. No way out. No way out. No way out. No way out.

Sigma breathed deep, fidgetting with the controls. A lifetime of preparation, drills, and even facing her sometimes tormentor, sometimes mentor couldn't possibly prepare her for this. She breathed deep, feeling a spike of anxiety as the whole world seemed to press on her shoulders.

Questions had been made. Answers had been given. And none were too flattering. If they could choose, they would probably flee, rather than confront such an ommnidirectional weapon, which in top, was immune to bullets. And sigma's weapon was the kinetic sort. She guessed she would be on the support role this time, even though she was probably among the best pilots of the frames.

"This is going to suck" She muttered under her breath, talking to herself. This is the reason why I was created. So, I must do my best to perform this task. She said, trying to reign all her negative feelings. She wasn't mad about not being in the spotlight, but rather not being able to fully exert her combat abilities against such a cheap target.

There was some chatter in the intercom. Apparently, she wasn't the only one fidgetty. Serah expressed her emotions openly, which prompted the Black Star pilot to do the same. Sigma pondered, before smirking slightly, thinking how novice they must all be. She pressed the intercom.

"Eiswolf ready to go." She said, breathing a couple of times, and then adding her best but rather pathetical impression of a wolf's howl, weak and monotone. "Awooo."

It was then when her hand brushed past a foreign object in her cockpit. Her heart skipped a beat, before examining what it was. A small flask of alcohol, with the message Liquid Courage.

"Eiswolf to HQ. Apparently Pilot Iota has been smuggling alcohol inside everyone's frames." Sigma droned with a heavy sigh.

"WHAT?" Came a muffled yell from somewhere in the communications. "YOU TRAITOR! That's how you repair my moral support to you? Go die!"

The instant they were released, Daniel ran through the halls to his quarters, sweeping a half finished report off his desk and opening an electronic console. His hands shook a bit when he fumbled plugging a memory drive into the device to download the files he would need, one hand zipping back and forth across the keyboard whilst the other worked on stripping off his uniform, tossing articles of clothing haphazardly on the bunk. He made sure to copy over his analysis of Team Sigma’s Mechas, though it was incomplete in some frustrating areas. At this level, classified information made it hard to ascertain any data, down to the middle names of your squad mates. He also loaded the blueprints of his mecha, some bug fixes for the LEL targeting system, and his notes on the Cruxi from the lectures. As the files transferred, he quickly put on the plug suit and picked up the room- Lorenzo would have his ass if it was found to be a mess while they were gone. Downloading his music folder last thing he did before yanking the memory drive and jogging towards the hanger. He didn’t hesitate to climb up the side of his crouching Mecha and swung in, initiating the start-sequence. One of the swarming technicians slapped a button and a low alarm began to blare as the generators in his Mecha began winding up, a rising roar seeming to envelope the room, all the engineers backing away and engaging the unlocking mechanisms.

He heard the pneumatic hiss as the cockpit sealed out the noise of the whirring turbines, though distantly he heard the noise begin to quiet as it grew higher pitched before fading away. At one point, he had considered designing a way to limit the noise from starting up, but it was only temporary, and the familiar noise grown on him after a while. He waiting patiently for the super capacitors to charge up as he heard the boosters of the other Mecha’s come through the exterior audio feed. It was quite beautiful to watch the take offs though. Unreal.

”This is Magus hailing NOAH. Departing in five… four… three… two… one… Inbound.” Daniel closed his eyes and embraced the feeling of force as the thrusters pushed him into his harness, shaking. It wasn’t scary, but comforting. It felt like he was going home. He was almost disappointed as he approached his docking point on NOAH. A fleeting thought desired nothing more than to keep the thrusters at max, flying isolated, comfortably alone into the darkness of space. It was gone with the light jostling as he settled into the docking clamps, lightly adjusting his position with the thrusters. He switched on comm system with a bit of reluctance, listening the hails from the other pilots.

”Wilton reporting in.” He sighed at the broken silence before plugging the memory drive he had smuggled inside his plugsuit into the console, requesting a data-sharing link with Caretaker. @Evil Snowman He sent a quick message to her, requesting her to forward the files to the other pilots. Her Mecha was far better suited for such a broadcast than his own, which struggled slightly to send the files just to Katya, excepting some personal notes on the pilots themselves. ”I compiled some information on our team, and thought to share my report on MIST before our Squad Leader begins to divide us up.” At Sigmas comment, he flipped on the cabin light, finding the little flask hidden inside a file-storing compartment- originally used to house manuals, before they were deemed a fire-hazard. He smiled slightly at the label, before replacing it and turning back to the comms. ”Squad Beta is watching. Let’s show them justice.”

---

Katya sat in her cockpit quietly looking at her werks readouts. Listening in to the chatter from the rest of the sqaud, finding it helped keep her mind off the mission. Katya very aware, her and the rest of Sqaud Sigma was headed towards a battlezone where some or none of them may come back alive. The only topic the made her move was when she heard lota had smuggled some booze into the werks. Looking around Katya found it stashed the tool box she kept under her seat. Once found Katya went back to listening to the comms leaving the booze in her tool box.

It was only when her an alert for a data share popped up, Katya perked up a little. Looking at the alert she and a small message that was attached to it. FInding herself a little curious about what the data was found herself looking over it quickly. For the most part it seemed pretty dry data about the sqaud, data Harold would surely find useful when making the fire teams. It was only when she got to the line that contanted her werks data Katya had to double check, seeing it was wrong.
"How the hell did Daniel bugger that up?" she muttered to herself opening up a private channel to the Magus.
"Daniel! How the hell did you bugger up my werks data?" Katya yelled into the comm, feeling her pang of anger at the error. Normaly she'd of just fixed the error and fowarded the data but stress of this mission had Katya on edge.

Daniel flinched at the volume coming through, glancing through the data sheet. "What do you mean, Romanovna?" He highlighted the section on her werk and glanced through it. "The data isn't compiled directly from HQ reports- I pulled all of this from the audio and visual feed during your sparring match." He grimaced at that. There really hadn't been enough time to single out accuracy ratings or the like in the time frame. Daniel hadn't prioritized it; he had expected more time to train before active combat. "What's the issue here?"

Hearing Daniel ask what she meant, Katya frowned her bad mood growing worse.
"I mean you got my werks weapon range wrong not to mention the type! How is our sqaud commander meant to place me with wrong information." Katya stated looking over the data for a third time.
"Marker light is not an other it's a dam laser rifle! If your going to do stuff like this use the dam werks specs or don't bother." Katya stated close to exploding.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, a small grin starting to form on his face. "Werk specs? Since when were we allowed to know how these things work?" He shrugged, though she couldn't see him. "We work with what we have. Frankly, I didn't know that toy could even damage anything." His smile grew a bit more. "Maybe you will have to test it on some Cruxi and show me that it shoots more than paintballs." He reached out and tentatively turned down the volume on the receiving end, anticipating a possible explosion. "Though if you care to update the data ahead of time, that works too."

The moment Daniel called marker light a toy Katya's eye twitched.
"Did he just call my rifle a toy?" she thought, listening to the rest of what Daniel had to say. The moment he was done Katya let lose a string of swears in language that was unique to her world. Even if Daniel could understand what Katya was swearing they sounded pretty nasty.
"HOW ABOUT I SHOW YOU WHAT IT CAN DO! I'LL START BY MELTING THAT SMART MOUTH OF YOURS! BETTER YET I"LL USE IT SO YOU CAN HAVE MY DRONES HOME IN ON YOU AND RIP THAT TIN CAN APART AT THE SEEMS!" she shouted starting to feel a little better for yelling at Daniel even if he hadn't done anything wrong.

He nodded sagely with the assessment. "Ahh, those drones are some decent tech. What I would give to get my hands on one for a day." He had tried to sketch some from the still frames in the mock battle vids, but they all were from too far away to really examine their capabilities. "Though, you will have to get in line. Once the Cruxi figure out Magus' weapon configuration, I am probably toast." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Though if MIST gets me, I suppose Magus is fair game. Should only be roughed up a bit after a hit with that wave." The werk wouldn't be worth much without a pilot anyway- which gave him an idea. He would have to send to Lorenzo for confirmation though. "On the other hand, if we both get out of this alive, you are free to have a go at me in the VR rooms. Magus may be an electric fly swatter by nature, but I haven't tried it out on roaches yet."

Even if Daniel had done nothing wrong Katya was sure he trying to push her buttons, although being in a foul mood she wasn't able to reist.
"Well good! I will not save that hunk of scrap, not worth the energy or risk." Katya stated trying not to react to being called a roach she had never seen one before, but knew being called one was bad.
"Your on little boy, but trust me roaches are nothing. I've seen bugs that would make you wet yourself. That would eat that worthless hunk of metal like an entrée."

"You're talking about mosquitoes, right?" Daniel paused to open up the data file and edit Caretaker's entry. "What is your rifles regulation firing range?" He stretched, anticipating a long flight. "Don't worry too much, with any luck we will both end up as puddles-" He yawned audibly. "At least then I won't have to worry about cleaning the drones off of my foot." Daniel tapped at the display idly. "I am sure you will do fine though. Your sync and piloting ratings are far beyond mine. Do me a favor, and be sure that Magus won't be captured by the Cruxi bastards when I am gone?"

"Haha no, mosquitoes are nothing." Katya said feeling her anger start to slip away. Marking a little surprised sound when he asked Marker lights regulation firing range.
"What? I dunno the exact number ... hold on." Katya said tapping on one of her screens sending Daniel the weapons max range and max output.
"There that should answer your question. I don't plan on being a puddle, I plan on living thought this mission. So should you talking about dying is not good, chances are you'll make it happen and I don't feel like doing a salvage job on the field. Too much work. Still if the worst happens, I promise my little babies will give Magus a quick noble end." Katya stated thinking about how she just acted.

"Hey Daniel sorry for going off the handle ... stress got to me ... and its hard to vent with Elora hanging around me so much. I'd rather not show her that side of me. So you better keep this secret or I will dismantle Magus. Got it?" Katya said her last few words in a very sinister tone.

"I don't plan on dying." He grimaced, "But if thats what it takes... a billion people are out there..." Daniel sighed, finishing the edits and sending on the new file. "We weren't chosen for this because we're afraid of dying. We were chosen because we could live for something more than ourselves." He glanced over at a few pictures pinned up in the cockpit and set his jaw. "I'll keep your secret, if you keep your promise. A few rounds in VR when this is over. Then we will see who the real bug is." He laughed at the last. "Us big kids need to hide our disputes from the young'ins anyways. They might think they can gang up on us some day."

"Deal! It'll give me something to look forward to. Maybe I wont get my ass kicked this time." Katya stated with a small chuckle, looking at her comm screen as a new file come up.
"Oh your a good boy, fixing that little error. Thanks I'll forward it now." Katya stated tapping on her comm screen sending the file to the rest of the squad along with a short message saying what it is. Along with a note wishing everyone luck.

Mai quietly listened to the other pilots though considering the classified nature of her framework, she wondered HOW an alcoholic beverage was smuggled into her own cockpit.

"...next time someone sneaks into my framework, someone's head will roll as the saying goes", Mai droned on the open comm link.

She then droned, "In regard to that...Harold...Daniel...I request switching to a private line with you two in regards to my framework spec's."

Zim and Ariin

As more and more of Team Sigma boarded NOAH and became docked, Black Star found himself docked next to Paladin. Zim had little interaction with it's pilot outside of standard training and lecture processes. They had a little time to kill, might as well get to know your teammate. As the document beamed through from Katya and Daniel, Zim realized that he had a few questions come to mind. Opting to continue the conversation started by Serah previously, he prompted Ariin.

"So, how about you, Paladin?" Zim called over the open Commlink, "What do you fight for?"

Ariin had been calibrating his guns and targeting system, since the entire thing had been sliced up the new systems needed tuning. He'd missed the entire conversation up until he heard his callsign, snapping from his trance he spoke, fingers dancing along the keys as he continued final checks. "I fight to protect my family, I refuse to lose more worlds to alien bastards. I draw the line in the dirt and if they want to cross it then better bring the whole fleet." He said, telling the truth as he finished up the last of what he could do, he needed to more detailed tests and practice firing. They didn't have time for that, so he would just have to hope his math was perfect.

"I hear you, there," Zim said through the comms. In his cockpit he gave a thumbs up, obviously no one could see it except for perhaps Elora and the commanders back at base if they were watching the feeds, "If I remember correctly, you've got sisters right? My family is still back home on Fortress, but I'm an only child. I fight for Fleck, he was like a brother to me... Anyways, he was a really good guy. Wish I had the chance to tell him that."

"Yeah, three sisters and a little brother. There back on Mars, raised them mostly by myself, I'm the oldest by three years," He paused, turning his head bringing up a picture or them the five of them together on his last leave. "Your lucky, I watched my Mom and Dad burn on my homeworld. I was on the last shuttle out, only one that made it to a safe world." He laughed a little at that, Mars wasn't safe and he knew it, he just told himself that to try and forget he could lose them any day. "Piece of advice for the future, say it when you feel it. Last thing I told my Dad that he wasn't our father and I hated him."

"Yikes..." Zim said, "My own brush with Death has taught me my mistake in that regard." It was radio silent for a moment but Zim didn't want to leave it at that point. He searched for more that he could talk about, but he knew so little of Ariin. Finally he came up with another question. "Speaking of advice. I don't think it is any mystery that while I think I might have the most piloting experience in the group, except for maybe the commander, my syncronization rates with Black Star are greatly lacking. Got any pointers for me? Why do you sync so well with Paladin?"

"Well discounting my years of training, I was considered a bit of a Prodidgy on Mars. Hand picked by a Colonel from the program who removed two murder charges from my file and told me I was his." Ariin rattled off almost emotionlessly. "After that, they tested me apperently I was young enough for the program so they started me out. I learned fast and became good at handling the machine. It became quite easy, as the years went by, they groomed me for this job." He paused adding the last line. "Before I was pushed into service, I stole things. I protected my family, military police on Mars love to flaunt their power." He said in an angry tone.

Zim listened to what Ariin had to say in response to his question. It wasn't really and answer. Not really. He was a natural. Well, suppose it was true about everyone for at least one thing. Compared to his comrads, Zim was a natural at taking a beating, his hardest fought battle in their Star Fist training, while he nearly always lost, always resulted in him getting up and walking away as if nothing happened and only the slightest of bruises ever formed. It was life in high gravity. His deformed body was a blessing in this regard, but in very little else. But then Zim thought more about what he did know about Paladin and what Ariin had said before. There was an aspect about Paladin that was a continuation of Ariins self.

Despite the fact that he aparantly killed two people, presumably Mars MPs, he had done so to protect his family, his sisters and his brother. Paladin brandished the largest shield Zim had ever seen, and it was perhaps this aspect of Paladin that Ariin synced with, that he was deep down a protector, willing to cross any line to defend what was his. But if that was true, then what was it about Black Star that was a continuation of himself? Zim had to think about that one, but at the moment, he didn't really have an idea. He asked a different question, but he switched over to a private channel first, the HUD should notify Paladin as such. "Some people around here seem to treat thier Werk as a living sentient thing, a true partner perhaps. How do you percieve Paladin?"

"It's my partner... My weapon, but my weapon is and in turn I am part of my weapon. No other pilot could handle Paladin like I can, he's a beast that takes patience and a serene mind." He paused, running his hands along the sides of the controls. "He's not armor, a sword, or a machine. He's will of humans, made real. My Frame is move's like my body because I believe it is my body." He said, in a profound manner like an old wise man or something like. Hard to believe a nineteen year old could think like that.

That made more sense to Zim. In terms of a weapon, Zim was just as much a part of it as the Wave Surger or Active Cloak, and while Zim may pull the trigger, it was the commanders above him who told him when and where to pull that trigger. Perhaps it was time for Zim to change his way of thinking about Black Star. Perhaps these new thought processes could help expand his scynronization rates and help him become a more effect weapon for the human race. Zim found himself looking at the equipment around him a little differently now, and he gave the targeting equipment a light pat. "You know, I think maybe you are a prodogy," Zim finally said in response.

"Well perhaps I am. Now why don't you take some time to adjust your Frame, its best to give them a good tuning." He paused and then asked a question that had been on his mind. "Do you think I would have been a good officer? For the squad I mean, I was hoping to get to be a fire team leader at least. You would think with twelve of us it would be best to assign three, officers so we could have three units we would be able to split into." He pulled up past data on simulations he had run, sending it over. Showing off a unit of twelve breaking into groups of three. "Or maybe I'm just being up tight about this again."

"I got all of that done before I took off the ground," Zim said in response, "Like I said, I am one of the more experienced pilots. Sentient or not, any machine likes a good thurough calibration, I just perfer to do mine on the ground rather then waiting until after we have launched our verniers and broken through the atmosphere. I'll do a quick recalibrate before we hit planet side."

"You know, I honestly don't know. There was so much chaos going on in that first battle. We were all fighting against each other, even when we knew we werent supposed to be fighting each other anymore. I can't say off of that first battle alone. Besides, being an officer doesn't mean you are going to be a good leader, or vice versa. It makes sense to have one officer, a single point of contact for responsibility and relaying orders. It makes since to issue a second in command, just in case something goes wrong. If something unforseen happens and both the first and second in command are out of commission and no longer able to run the flow of combat? Well, that is when those of us without the extra stripes get to fill in the gaps."

"I have no stripes, I mean I doubt we will lose Harold and Lora. Plus who would listen to me, I mean in case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly popular with the squad." Ariin sighed pinching the bridge of his nose lightly. "I guess I just don't trust Harold, no offense meant but he got way to emotional." He paused scratching his chin. "I mean he flat out challenged that crazy bitch, yes I know I did something stupid to but at the time I thought she was killing our teammates."

Zim had to think for a moment. He still wasn't used to military uniforms. He didn't have stripes either now that he thought about it. Oh well, the moment had passed. "Has anyone done anything to earn your trust and respect? If you think about it this way, you did what you did because you were trying to protect your team mates, right? You exposed yourself to extreme danger because you were trying to protect someone else. Well in his own way, Harold did the same. By lashing out with his emotions at Skoll, he was also trying to draw the enemy fire from whom ever was being attacked. I also made the same mistake. I chose not to take a killing blow and finish off a downed oppenet in favor of attempting to protect Roger in Jaeger, while I was successful in protecting him, while I was distracted my original opponent came up and took me out. In real combat, I would have been dead. For the praise that I recieved, or more accurately, for the rage I did not recieve, I think I truly made the biggest tactical mistake. But think about it, did we really make that big of a mistake? Were we not doing what we are supposed to do? Protecting human life at the expense of our own? I wont hide the the truth of my opinion. I thought your response to Lorenzo's critisism was immature. He tore you down, but this is still the military, no matter how unorthodox a group we find ourselves in, you don't talk back to him. I agree, I'd make the same mistake again too, but you didn't hear me tell him that. Instead, I took the insults, rolled with them, and responded by trying to expand on my weaknesses and how I might improve them. Much to my surprise, he approved my requests!"

Zim had gone on a tanget, "I digress. What I was trying to get at previously, was who do you trust at this point? Who has earned your respect? Trust in them. Personally, I've had too many bosses in my life thus far to have not learned not to argue with the boss. Eventually, you wind up the boss if their bosses see you doing it all the right way. Wait for your chance, we may end up in a mission where we need three teams and your position of cover fire and line defense may put you in the position to lead a fire line, and it might lead from there. Give Harold a chance to prove to you that he can do the job. Just as you need to Sync with Paladin to make it all work as well as you do, you also need to sync with the rest of the team. We are all too new at this to make any judgements, trust those that have come before us to make those decisions."

Ariin listened and just sat quietly, Zim was right and Ariin knew it he was jealous or perhaps it was something else. However Ariin knew this, he refused to trust Lorenzo he knew first hand the man would discard them pawns the moment new toys arrived. He didn't plan on dying for someone else to learn a lesson. Still he needed to see how things went, maybe he could talk to Harold about choosing a third person so they had three people who could lead Fire teams and give them a stronger chain of command. He wished he could have learned more about the squad, they barely did anything as a unit it seemed. He had trained alone most of his life, now with a unit it seemed as if they wanted them to remain alone yet also be a unit. Whatever crap this was about, perhaps it was time Ariin did some snooping when they next had free time for now he needed to focus on the mission.

Zim took Ariin's silence as a signal to the end of the conversation. "Well, where ever we get stationed, same city or apart. Happy hunting out there. Keep everyone safe, and lets both try not to do anything stupid this time, yeah?"

Zim switch back to open comms as he looked over the data Ariin had sent over and re-touched his calibrations from anything that may have adjusted fighting for escape from gravity.

Harold smoked. Bent over in his chair within the Rostosov's dreary cockpit, he was staring intensely at a projected holographic map of Joppa, with the unmistakable roll of a cigarette jutting out of his thin lips. He didn't partake in the vice for pleasure or from addiction, but rather he smoked to calm down his nerves. This was going to be his first real operation as a Framewerk operator and his nerves were getting just a bit jittery, even after simulation after simulation of gunning down Cruxi in the Rostosov alongside his trusty platoon.

Urban combat. The false-color projection of buildings and spires stretched towards the artificial horizon, and set his mech's domed cockpit awash with a dull blue hue. Joppa was a collection of closely-linked cities with a combined population of over 700 million people, and in the organized chaos that was modern warfare, collateral damage was an inevitable fact. Harold clicked his tongue, rolled his cigar to the other corner of his mouth, and exhaled a smoky sigh. Troan was even worse, with over 1.2 billion inhabitants. Harold leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed again.

He already had a good idea of whom to assign to which team, but the message sent from the Caretaker certainly helped. It wasn't long before he was typing a message himself. He wondered who could have compiled such a report on such a short notice. Since it came from the Caretaker, perhaps it was Katya?

Perhaps, Harold thought, that he should reward the girl somehow, after all of this was finished.

"Platoon," he eventually said, over the comms. "This will be our deployment:"

TEAM ALPHA - TROAS:
1.) Rostosov - Sq. Off. Buell
2.) AA-XOTRY - Cdt. Gene
3.) Caretaker - Cdt. Romanovna
4.) Eiswolf - Cdt. Sigma
5.) Yeager - Cdt. Rooney
6.) Magus - Cdt. Wilton

TEAM BRAVO - JOPPA:
1.) Dynasty - Sq. Off. Shinkai
2.) Black Star - Cdt. Hero
3.) Paladin - Cdt. Sorus
4.) Logic Gate - Cdt. Liu'un
5.) Neo Angel - Cdt. Twilight

"I trust that you will do your duty," he said. "When we get there, let's kill them all."