The Incubator and three other ships set a course to the edge of Ascendancy territory, a journey that would take about a day in hyperspace.  The ships came together into formation and synchronized their Tachyon Harps.  In a flash, the ships were gone, now traveling through hyperspace in a bubble of 'real' space.  The bubble would exit hyperspace once they reached their destination.  If anyone looked outside a window, they would see the iridescent boundary that encapsulated the four ships.

At the end of their 12 hours of free time, the cog pilots were all ordered to report to the hangar.  Maya stood before the ensigns, with Sion at her side.  Israfil stood nervously at attention, while Solomon was also present, looking strangely smug despite having supposedly been reprimanded.  Tera continued to observe everyone around her.

"Alright team," Maya began, "our task force is currently headed to the border between The Ascendancy and the FAS.  As you probably know, the region is very unstable, with militant groups, pirates and rebels, and the FAS is suspected of trying to destabilize the region for political and military gains.  Our fleet will be patrolling the area.  Though our presence alone should be enough to deter some groups, armed military intervention will be required for others.  This will be a great chance to train your skills as pilots, and test the capabilities of your cogs.  But before we arrive, we should do some training before you see some real action.  At the very least, you all should be comfortable with piloting your cogs, and able to launch via catapult as well as returning to the carrier.  We might even do some mock combat training if you all are up for it.  Any questions?"