[b][i]Haven Shield Airbase - Darwin[/i][/b]

General Commander Theodore Narra, the highest-ranking leader of the Havenite People's Protection Forces, had sent out a call through the permacrete corridors and tunnels of the military base, summoning the pilots of the 1st International Volunteer Battalion to the Operations Room. As he awaited their prompt arrival in the light of the holographic projectors on the walls and central table, the brown-skinned man of Filipino-Kurdish descent pondered the situation: He had been right in his belief that Red-Star would launch their strongest attack here.

Bringing up a holographic model of Red-Star's fleet, he counted them; 6 Floating Carriers, 6 Floating Dreadnoughts, and dozens of support ships and transports to deal a crushing blow to Haven's forces to the region.

As the pilots began to filter in, the General Commander got up in order to solemnly face the team; it would not do to be disrespectful to the men and women who depended on him. His first words were, "Volunteer Battalion, it is a great honor to finally meet you as one group."

A pause as he gestured to the holographic projection. "As of 08:00, military time, the Red-Star armada has reached the waters surrounding Darwin, just a short distance from the kinetic shields..." He swept his palm across the projector, causing it to change into an overview of the city that was surrounded by shimmering fields which overlapped with each other, and continued, "Their blockade is complete, and it is only the kinetic barriers projected by this base that stop all fast-moving objects from entering Darwin that prevent them from bombarding this place back to the stone age. That and their desire to take slaves for work and 'breeding'."

Theodore paused as he gestured once more, bringing up another hologram, that of a black NC entering in with a battalion of support vehicles and power-armored infantry. "Thankfully, I was able to slip a few reinforcements into Darwin; mostly members of the Havenite Women's Protection Forces. Haven Fleet Three is also moving in from the Outback," at the mention of Haven's Third Fleet, the hologram changed by itself to show a smaller armada of floating airships; Missile Cruisers, Destroyers, and Light NC Carriers. 

He continued, "The Fleet, despite being small in numbers and size, is more mobile than Red-Star's own fleet, and carries its own complement of flying NCs. They're a campaign-winning asset all on their own because of that; thank the Ancients for putting Haven Burrow near a large cache of NC Cores. Nevertheless, victory in this war relies on us being able to inflict enough casualties at Red-Star that the Third Fleet has a chance of dealing a viable deathblow. This will not be easy due to the enemy's numbers advantage." Theodore then revealed his trump card. "However, we do have good news - we've found out the enemy's chief asset."

Theodore brought up a hologram of a male redhead with purple eyes who looked to be no more than 18. "This is Osamu Akiyama, an artificial human built by Red-Star, much like our recent defector," he meant Terra. "Osamu's main shtick is that he can take control of NCs remotely using a 'biological computer' in his brain that can enter a Mech's 'Neural Net'. This ability means that anyone, [i]any one[/i] of our NCs can turn against us without warning. So be prepared to shoot each other down - non-fatally, of course." 

He turned silent, before bringing up holograms of two people marked 'Alexander Sky' and 'Mako Shintai' and their Mecha. "I presume you know these people already; Red-Star's 'Chainbringer Team', composed of the 'Bane of Denver-Vegas' and his apprentice. Treat them as the danger that they are, but if they and their NCs can be captured just like they've nabbed so many pilots, do so - that's an order."

Theodore breathed out. "Now, it is the usual protocol for Red-Star to bombard the city with cruise missiles and other forms of ordnance in order to test the kinetic shields. The Science Division has assured us that they will fail and the barriers will hold, giving your team a few hours to interact and build a proper team. As I am a sane, rational, and somewhat humane officer, I do not object to this, so I am offering you three choices of pre-battle team-building."

The holoprojector on the central table then showed the base's bar, the base's Kurdish-style coffeehouse, and a Kurdish-style bathhouse. "The three options are the Bar - Yes, we have a Bar; I'm not a Muslim and those of us that are believe that large portions of Islamic Law no longer apply - the Coffeehouse - we serve a lot of Ethiopian and Yemeni Coffee; supplies are courtesy of our allies - and of course, the Baths - fraternization laws are relaxed in the area as long as you don't make someone pregnant or pass STDs or otherwise violate Ethical Hedonism..."