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[color=Gold]“Thanks, Nicole!”[/color] Dana called out with a cheerful wave as her redheaded teammate darted past her. The golden gunslinger barely had time to register Nicole and Cordelia’s flawless and elegant dispatching of the remaining missiles, when the sound of an almighty thunderclap announced that Team 3’s beloved, pint-sized powerhouse had just delivered the killing blow to their robotic adversary (with with some minor assistance from Cordelia and Blair). For a few seconds, all was silent, before Aiya’s voice crackled over their earpieces, informing them that all enemies in the vicinity had been neutralized.

[color=Gold]“All right!”[/color] Dana cheered, jumping up and punching the air, before holding out her hand in a victory sign. [color=Gold]“We did it! Nice work guys!”[/color] she added with a dazzling smile, as the various officers and Ars Magi gathered together. [color=Gold]“We made a great team!”[/color]

A short while later, the group rejoined Vanna, Aiya, and the rest of Team 3’s attached officers in a nearby structure, where the socializing began in earnest. However, while Dima’s praise of Penny and Blair’s subsequent razzing were entirely expected, Dana was more than a little surprised to hear the normally cold and judgmental Amanda commend not only Penny, but herself as well. 

[color=Gold]“Oh, uh, thanks a lot, Amanda!”[/color] the sunny sharpshooter replied after overcoming her initial shock. [color=Gold]“You were pretty awesome out there, too!”[/color]

Noah then added his own compliments, causing Dana’s cheeks to redden ever so slightly. [color=Gold]“Yeah!”[/color] she confirmed with a thumbs up of her own when the big cadet noted that despite being in different units, they’d still managed to fight side by side. [color=Gold]“And it was just as awesome as I hoped it’d be!”[/color]

The playful banter and friendly camaraderie continued for an hour more, before the radio crackled to life, signaling the end of the operation. From there, the weary officers and Ars Magi were airlifted back to their respective academies for a well-earned night’s sleep. For her part, Dana was out like a blown lightbulb as soon as her head hit the pillow, the exertion of the operation, and the boisterous socialization that had followed, obviously having taken quite the toll on the normally irrepressible girl. Still, there was little doubt that, when morning came, Dana Noel would be ready to face it with all her characteristic optimism and energy.