[b][i]Darwin City[/i][/b]

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Havenite Medium Tanks rolled out, firing at the Red-Star forces to cover the International Volunteers (and defectors)' retreat. These models had a miniature ECM (electronic countermeasure) system that caused missiles coming their way to veer away from the second defensive line. These were followed up by Havenite Gunships, floating craft equipped with black-market armor and weapons; in this case, Denver-Vegas missile launchers and Paragon laser weapons (obsolete ones; again, black-market).

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These gunships would give Red-Star's own hovercraft an equal fight; they were outnumbered three-to-one by their counterparts, but had the advantage of being covered by Haven's own anti-air emplacements. Thus, the International Volunteers and Red-Star defectors had a clean path back to the Base.

[b][i]Haven Base[/i][/b]

Tabris would be taken to the hangar, where she would be fixed in place by scaffolding as part of an improvised 'interrogation and screening' program. Hisako's collar will be disabled, then sawn off by the Havenites, before the defector was whisked off into fairly comfortable custody for interrogation - her first one without torture. It was clear that Theodore had received news beforehand of the others' defections.

Sahaquiel and Kyexun will be in the repair bay and the hospital wing, respectively, and the latter will be allowed a camera and holoprojector in order to talk to Terra and receive messages from Theodore, who was now meeting the others in the Operations Room for a briefing.

In said operations room, the holograms were now of the situation in Darwin. Red-Star had begun entrenching itself in the outer portion of the city, but have made no move to drill down to the underground bunkers underneath the city - Not a True Burrow like Haven underneath Sydney, but still enough to shelter the civilian population; it was clear that Red-Star were going to attempt a full conquest before trying to re-enslave the civvies.

"I won't lie and say that we all performed perfectly," Theodore spoke, "We didn't. But let's focus on the bright side; we saved the Cores and Pilots of the two NCs we lost, and we gained two defectors at the same time with their accompanying NCs."

The holograms then changed to show a fleet of floating warships arriving southwest of Darwin City, streaming in from both the Outback and the Indian Ocean. These ships were painted white and brown, black and gold, and although their largest vessels were smaller than the Red-Star Supercarrier, the speed in which they arrived at was remarkable; they had moved into position faster than Red-Star's fleet.


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[i]Havenite Light NC Carrier Khalid-ibn-Walid, Pretend the red paint is in fact brown.[/i]
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"Another, unambigiously good thing is this: We bought enough time for the Haven Third Fleet to arrive, with word that they've destroyed a Red-Star force making for Perth; their wrecks now litter the Outback," Theodore then paused to allow the others to absorb the news. 

He then fixed his gaze on them and said, "This means that we now have a chance not just of survival, but [i]victory[/i]. Their morale is shaken by the failure of their vaunted brainwashing on two valuable pilots - and to them - even more valuable Mechs. And while we've lost one Field-Captain... We have a new one to introduce to you Volunteers."

Theodore pushed a button, and a side door opened, a signal for [i]Adam Philips[/i] to walk in and introduce himself. Once he had done so, the General Commander of Haven then said, "Now, you know the drill: Bar, Coffeehouse, or... Actually, no Bathhouse unless you really want to get clean; I am not [i]Osamu[/i]."

[@AzenExile][@FalloutJack][@Landaus Five-One][@Metatrooper][@Scribe of Thoth][@Sgt Vandingo][@Selvariabell][@Senhara][@Neozeon0083][@ArmorPlated]: