[color=#e2e2e2][b]DESTINY ASCENDANT
BRIDGE[/b]

“Shuttlecraft B-1 this is [i]Destiny[/i] flight control. Solid copy on your approach. Proceed to main hangar for landing; ground control will guide you in, over.”
Muriel had reached the hangar to help out SAG. The pilots were geared up for ship defense but the ancillary personnel were still there to run ground control on the flight deck. The [i]Destiny[/i]’s complement was stowed in their bays at the front and rear of the main flight deck to make space for the inbound arrivals. SICI distracted her with an urgent callout. “Contact close, proximity jump-in. GARDIAN coming online now!”
“Belay, belay, negative on GARDIAN! Flight control, mark all incoming shuttles with non-combat tags in IFF. No shooting at the envoy teams before they’ve even shown up please,” Muriel was quick on the break order.

“Sierra Mike one zero three this is [i]Destiny[/i] flight control. We copy you five by five. Approach off the port bow and come around starboard to main hangar. Ground control will guide you in for landing, over.”
That was the second inbound shuttle. The bridge crew double checked with the marine sergeant in the hangar that everything was prepared as requested. “Covenant escort this is [i]Destiny[/i] flight control. Proceed to your front for landing in main hangar. Ground control will guide final approach, over.”
Make that all three. The covenant transport landed first with the deck crew guiding it down back center. “Commander, be advised I’m tracking another Covenant deployment towards the ground. This is the second transport I’ve caught on sensors from them.” The [i]Destiny[/i]’s sensor operator was one of the best officers the CO had on the ship. Second lieutenant Natka Boulti had been with the ship almost as long as the commander had. She didn’t miss much.
“SICI set me up a neurolink into the channel as private comms and then translate everything I say word for word unless I indicate otherwise. Are the translation matrices serviceable?”
“They’ll have to be. I can improve them as we go but I’ve expended our existing data to its limits.”
“Keep me updated SICI ... it’s go time.”

The commander and SICI’s projection stood by the briefing room at the fore section of the hangar. It was one of two SAG used for preparing missions. The conference table conveniently provided a literal table for the parties to come to. She started to head towards the disembarking Covenant ... [i]creatures[/i]. “That is big and that is ugly but I’ve seen bigger and uglier before,” she muttered to SICI.
She turned and looked right, spotting motion in the corner of her eye, as the Cindorian shuttle made its way into the hangar bay. Ground team was hurrying towards the craft to guide a gentle landing on the flight deck. “Guest number two, now it’s a party ...”[/color]