[h3]Natalia Faust[/h3]

Static crackled over the comms as the telltale sound of the shuttle's engines began to whine to life. "To answer your earlier questions, Ms. Winters, we've been given full authority to destroy the mechs. Which also means we get all the salvage from this job, so try not to bust up our new toys too much down there."

There was a brief pause, during which time the whining became a dull roar, and each pilot's helmets would begin to cancel the sound out, protecting the hearing of each pilot.

"As for why [i]we're[/i] doing this, I very much suspect the government doesn't want to have their own mechs on the line for the first contact. Should we fail, they will, of course, be stepping in and mopping up." Natalia's tone made it clear she was none too pleased about that fact.

There was an immense clanking sound, and the shuttles seemed to drop slightly at the nose before an incredible acceleration kicked in. Each shuttle was launched out of the Argonaut by huge launching catapults, like those on aircraft carriers.