[color=lime][sub]INS Artemis Hangar Bay[/sub][/color] "Any word on the progress of the peace talks? I'm used to staying in one place for long periods of time, but his is starting to get absurd." crackled the voice of Aryo over the comms. Ingram shrugged- not that anyone could see him shrugging. "Who knows, maybe they're settling it with a triathlon." Ingram chuckled to himself as the thought of a bunch of old men in suits doing rigorous athletic tests. The walls of Ingram's cockpit finally began to light up, his surroundings becoming a seamless view of the hangar as his MAS's camera unit activated. [color=cyan][sub]> Confirming Pilot Assignment: Ingram Shaw_ > ...Pilot Confirmed > Initializing systems... > Reactor Unit: Online_ > Shield Unit: Online_ > Targeting AI: Online_ > Weapon Systems: Online_ > All Calibrations Complete > All Systems Functional > Standing by...[/sub][/color] Stepping his MAS out of its spot in the hangar with a measured thump, walking slowly as engineers and technicians began clearing a path for the Sparrowhawk and the rest of the 12th Squadron MAS units. The massive machines slowly made their way from the Artemis' hangar to its launch bay- the area closest to space was sectioned off by a specialized shield, preventing oxygen and people from being vented out everytime a craft launched from the Artemis' catapults. Essentially a set of small scale electromagnetic rails, the Artemis' catapults were designed with a set of smaller platforms that the MAS were meant to step into, but was capable of launching Aerospace fighters and MAS alike. The hangar of the INS Artemis was smaller than the average carrier- meaning that the 12th had to launch in flights of two. Ingram and Aryo were the first two to step onto the catapult platforms, followed by Atalyah and Brit, then Delaney and Chloe. The ISS pilots would launch after the 12th. As the 12th Squadon stepped into the unpressurized and gravity-free area of the hangar, a small squad of technicians in ultra-light power armor suits flew over to them. In their arms they towed the massive MAS weapons and handed them off to their respective machines, and hooking up power cables to the mechs to top off power cells and capacitors. Taking the Sparrowhawk's XBR autocannon into his 'hands', Ingram watched as the extended rails began to glow with energy. A screen popped into the corner of his view- the ship's Aerospace Control Operator, a young woman in her early 20s, her face tinted blue by the glowing screens around her. "Commander Shaw, Lieutenant Jameson, you're clear to launch." As the operator spoke, a small screen to the top of the HUD began to display the relevant information. The platforms holding the MAS' feet angled forward, and the cables attached to the MAS popped off with a inaudible hiss. The plasma thrusters on the back of Ingram's sparrowhawk and Aryo's archer began to spool up, painting the hangar with the glow of blue plasma-afterburn. [color=cyan][sub]> Catapult: Clear! > Launch: OK! 3. 2. 1. Launch.[/sub][/color] In the moment the countdown ended, the clamps holding the MAS' feet in place released and its respective machines were rapidly propelled into the dark void of space in mere moments. Ingram's head was forced to the back of his headrest as he was launched from the ship, quickly activating his thrusters, as soon as he exited the hangars. The view of space was always incredible from the cockpit of a MAS, it felt so much more imposing and deserving of respect when all that protected you from the void was a quarter meter of electronics and alloy plating. In the distance, Attica Station stood as a silent obelisk orbiting a small planet. On their side, a fleet of Imperial warships stood behind them. On the far side, a fleet of Coalition ships mirrored them. "I hope you lot brought some snacks, its going to be a long shift." drawled Brit, as the 12th Squadron began the 20 km trip to the neutral station.[hr] "We'll take it from here Twitch, take your team back to the hangar and relax." Ingram called out over the comms as his half of the 12th Squadron arrived at Attica Station. Sara's hot pink Sparrow offered him a lazy salute as she began to fly off back towards the Artemis, the rest of the squadron following suit. "Good luck boss." Sara responded, her face appearing in the corner of his communication screen. "Its dreadfully boring out here. The Coalition boys are chatty though. I think they just liked my voice." she added with a wink. Glancing over towards the station, Ingram saw a flight of eight Coalition Fafnirs arriving to relieve the team of Coalition suits that were Sara's counterparts. Unlike the 12th, these MAS were kitted out for ceremony- their energy 'capes' trailing behind them as they flew. They assumed a formation opposite of the 12th Squadron, and stood there rigidly. Looking back at his squadron, Ingram suppressed a small chuckle. While it was well known that the Coalition consistently developed more numerous MAS than the UEE, there was something ironic about the fact that the Empire was the one standing here with a hodge-podge assortment of different specialty units while the 'seccesionists' sported a uniform group of identical machines. The only machine that stood out in the Coalition formation was their command unit- a bright red Commander Type Fafnir. Its red head unit featured a armor plate over it that had the appearance of a medieval knight, and its arms sported a pair of long shields, each with a bronze colored blade resting inside it like a sheath A Type-6 Autocannon was attached to the small of its back. Like the rest of the Fafnirs, this on sported an energy 'cape', but unlike the rest of them, this one seemed to be a dedicated combat unit rather than one for ceremony. Ingram recognized this machine, many in the UEE's 101st did. The Bloody Valkyrie they called it. A grim reaper in space, said to have taken on the 22nd Imperial Fleet by itself, and sink over a dozen warships and a full squadron of aerospace fighters and 101st MAS units before the Coalition's Odin Fleet came to mop up the remains. "Raul Tigres, the Bloody Valkyrie himself." Ingram called out over the unprotected short ranged comms. Coalition pilots as well as UEE pilots would pick up these transmissions. "I see my reputation proceeds me." came the reply, a smooth, silky tenor over the comms. The short ranged comms didn't display any faces, so the UEE pilots were left to their own imaginations. "Is it true you sank the the John F. Kennedy and its escort single-handedly?" chimed in Brit, his voice filled with morbid fascination. "Would you believe me anyway regardless if I said if I did or didn't?" Tigres replied, amused. "Did you?" "Yes." "Bullshit." "Pfft, get a load of this guy," chuckled another Coalition pilot over the short ranged comms, this one female. The chuckling of a couple other Coalition pilots could be heard in the background of his transmission. "Cool it Brit." Ingram chided his squad mate over the squad-comms. "Hey, whitey." called out a coalition pilot over the short ranged comms, one of the Fafnirs breaking formation to fly up close to Chloe's Shrike. His voice was garbled slightly over the short ranged communications, but his voice was clear and bright. He was probably no older then Chloe. "What's the maximum output on that thing? I've always wanted to fly one." [hr][color=lime][sub]CSS Perseus[/sub][/color] "How're we looking over there Sika?" Barret called out as he walked through the engine room. His sleeves were rolled up and his face and uniform were covered in grime. He wiped at some sweat on his forehead with a dirty arm and was rewarded for his efforts with a dark brown and red smudge of gunk over his face. He grimaced and wiped his hands with his uniform. It didn't do much. He grabbed a pair of nearby stools and set them down, popping a seat on one and pulling out a silver flask. "All done over here boss." Sika called out from behind some machinery. "We're all good to go." "Good, good. Right on schedule." Barret said with a light hearted chuckle as he took a swig from the flask. He took another as Sika appeared, also covered in grime and took a seat on the other stool. "Want some? Ilyan Whiskey." Barret asked, offering the younger officer the flask. Sika nodded and reached out and grabbed the flask, taking a long swig of the liquor before handing the flask back to Barret. Barret shook the flask and frowned, seemingly unhappy with how little remained of its original contents. Eventually he shrugged. "How about you buddy?" Barret asked turning over to an engineer, slumped against one of the Perseus' generators. The engineer's head rolled to the side, his eyes were glazed over, blood trailing from a small hole in his forehead between his brows and down his nose. With a nasty smirk, Barret upended the flask and poured the remaining contents on the body. He tossed the flask aside, seeing the name 'E. Bossk' engraved on its side one last time before it clattered against the floor and stopped at the boot of a second engineer, this one with a trio of holes in his chest. "Gloria ad Imperium." Murmured Sika quietly as he shut his eyes, dropping a silenced pistol on the floor and clasping his hands together, leaning back in his stool. Barret chuckled and nodded as he pulled out a detonator from inside his shirt. All around them, flashing red dots. "Gloria ad Imperium." [hr] Space was silent as an orange flower of fire erupted from the center of the Perseus. Attica Station and the MAS units surrounding it shuddered as gas, small bits of debris and concussive force rattled the local area. The explosion tore a great chunk out of the Perseus' superstructure, and a series of secondary explosions began to ripple across the ship as it slowly began to tear itself from the inside out. The Perseus turned into a bouquet of blue, white, and orange explosions, morbid flowers of death that lasted for mere moments before collapsing in on themselves and sending more debris and gas flying around them. "What the fuc-" cried out the female coalition pilot, her voice cutting off as she switched off the short ranged comms. The Coalition MASs instantly shot backwards and began spreading out. Likewise, ignoring his surprise and shock, Ingram instinctively triggered his thrusters and boosted backwards and away from the Coalition MAS. He stared at the remaining hulk that was the Coalition's Perseus, slightly slack jawed and utterly shocked. A beeping sound on his console forced him to tear his eyes away from the wreckage. His scanners read the power signs of multiple Coalition MAS weapon systems booting up.