[b]Innocence Lost[/b]

Natasha Zhang slowly piloted the ship to just behind a set of hills; any reasonably-skilled soldier could see her ship through a scope, so that meant they had to move fast. As the [I]Xuanxang[/i] landed on a flat clearing, Natasha spoke to the others through the ship's speakers while pressing the buttons to open the ship doors and landing platforms, "All right, people; let's begin the operation. Two teams head towards the Ascendancy's wreck; one decoy and one infilitration. Kelan and I will reinforce the teams once the effort meets a certain point, while Legion maintains the ship. If there is a God, may they be with us. If there isn't, let us be with one another."

------

John Green was already moving to meet Rachel and Orky; the former had been selected for the decoy team by Kelan and Legion, while the latter fit the role of 'distraction' by default. Once he reached the decoys' appointed place close to the airlocks, he would nod at the two, before saying: "This ought to be a routine extraction mission; nothing we haven't done before. But just in case it isn't; we crossed a line when we chose to come back and fight against the Ascendancy." A sigh, "Some may call us traitors; we definitely are that. But one thing we are not are cowards. So if the unexpected happens, keep a clear head."

[i]Hypocrite,[/i] a voice sounded inside his thoughts. [i]You've half-assed this plan and led other kids to their deaths.[/i] Troubled now, the young man shook his head slightly, before saying, "Here's a reminder of my powers and Rachel's; I can see all magic, condense my own Mana into magical fluid set said putty on fire that inflicts damage that cannot be healed by magic on other Magi and magical creatures but burns like ordinary heat with ordinary targets, and transform myself into said fluid. Rachel meanwhile can extract information from minds and move things without touching them and also set things on fire. So, two damage-dealers." Looking at Orky, he then continued, "But the plan will be useless without you; I can't take much damage."

-------

Snow Cecil thought he knew everything. After all, he had invested in finding out as much about this situation as he can. What was this situation, exactly? Well, let's just say that a grand total of [i]three[/i] hostile parties were converging on the [i]Circle of Hell's[/i] wreckage; one an Ascendancy minion - an unfortunate [i]loyalist[/i] who seriously believed that President-for-Life Emmanuel was Humanity's chosen representative - while the others were the crew of the [i]Xuanxang[/i] - Lovable Knaves and Not-so-Lovable Fools with no vision for Humanity beyond revenge - and the last... The last were [i]trouble[/i]; a group of... Fighters that were among the best in the Sector.

And then there was himself; he needed to get to Realist and manipulate events in his favor before everything went to hell. Fortunately, behind the [i]Circle of Hell's[/i] wreck was a destroyed hill whose rubble he can be carried up to, allowing him a backdoor into the cavernous ruined vessel, a vessel four times the [i]Xunanxang's[/i] size. And so, the young boy, with a gesture, signalled his two escorts to carry him as they prepared to sneak in through the back of the ship. Said escorts, enclosed in metal shells that disguised them as AI/Robots, gently lifted him up as they made their way through a loosened section of metal plating, before setting down the boy and wrenching the metal plate apart.

Then, Snow and his two Tayanen escorts made their way in, the former using his network of enchanted items that had been traded inside by unknowing prison staff beforehand - mundane items like toothrbushes, fridges, and cuffs. These items had sensory spells woven into them, allowing him to know everything. [i]Everything[/i]. Or did it?

[@Gentlemanvaultboy][@Starlance][@Bartimaeus][@Stern Algorithm][@Crowvette][@KillamriX88][@The Jest][@CriticalHit]