[center][h2]Elise Kim[/h2][h3][i]The Horizon[/i] — Dining Area[/h3][/center]

As the others spoke among themselves at her remark, Elise chose to simply remain quiet and continue eating her ramen. The young woman nodded her head at the larger man's mention of her name, though a response was a few seconds later than she'd have liked; speaking with a mouthful of noodles would end with incoherent half-words at best, after all.

"...Well, it [i]is[/i] a rather large area, after all," the Pilot finally responded, her hand quietly preparing another mouthful all the while. "It'd be stranger if we weren't on the ground for most of the day... Maybe more, depending on whatever the hell's waiting for us down there. But, well, we'll find out soon enough, I suppose."

With the actual mission briefing in less than an hour, though, Elise chose to finish the rest of her meal in lieu of continued small talk. There was time for that after the day's tasks were complete—assuming they were all well enough to speak afterwards.

[hr]
[center][h3][i]The Horizon[/i] — Command Room[/h3][/center]
Situated atop the bow of the ship, the command room had long since become a familiar sight to the Frame Pilots, Elise included. The place was abuzz with activity—no surprise, given the multi-day undertaking that awaited them. The various screens situated across the room showed a variety of things—views of the ground from remotely-manned drones, visuals showing the status of everyone's biometrics and the status of their equipment, and even communications with the JSDF teams on the ground to coordinate all of their efforts.

At the center of it all, watching as the organized chaos unfolded in front of her, was one [url=https://safebooru.org//images/3505/46360eaa052607e9fe5e0a2fcd33834c099ee33b.png]Sandra Morrison[/url], the owner of [i]The Horizon[/i] and their boss. There was the slightest hint of insomnia from the bags beneath her eyes, but if she was tired, her behavior did not betray as much. Once the rest of the Pilots arrived, though, Sandra glanced at her watch and, after clearing her throat, began to speak.

"I thank all of you for arriving on time. As you know, today's mission is rather important—not just for the nation of Japan, but also to gauge your capabilities on the field proper," she began, turning her body slightly as she gestured to a holographic screen that appeared behind her. "Our primary goal over the coming days is to aid local military forces in recapturing the Saitama prefecture. While complete extermination of the Warped present would be ideal, such an outcome is, as all involved have noted, rather unlikely. Even so, clearing out a majority of the established Warped will give those here in Tokyo a buffer zone to the north, as well as room to re-establish and redevelop the region, however slowly."

With that, the blonde woman waved her hand against the screen, causing it to switch to an overview of the map of the region. To the southeast, of course, was a pulsing blue dot atop Tokyo—their current location. A few smaller dots were overlaid on top—the Pilots themselves, or at the very least the Chi-Mechframes that they possessed.

"As this is a joint venture with the nation of Japan, you do not have to worry about handling the entire prefecture yourselves. Rather, a majority of our efforts will be focused towards clearing out the western section of the region, as shown here. A northern offensive will be mounted by local forces as we proceed from Tokyo, but both groups should be ready to support the other at a moment's notice."

All the while, the map behind Sandra continued to light up, highlighting certain sections and points of interest whenever she brought them up. After she had finished, though, the map seemed to zoom in towards the (now-former) suburbs bordering Tokyo, where JSDF soldiers were already preparing their first forward line.

"Kim, Berg: your goal will be to protect the Japanese forces as they push forward. Remove any Warped that threaten to break through their defenses, and keep casualties to a minimum if you can. While the JSDF can handle smaller Warped with conventional firearms, larger ones will require your assistance to dispatch. Remember, one second could be the difference between a life saved and a life lost. Do not hesitate. If you cannot eliminate a hostile, call for backup and hold the line until they arrive."

Then, a switch to another camera, showing a visual filled with Warped. The bodies of the creatures seemed vaguely humanoid, though the blue and red skin tones and horns upon their heads seemed to invoke a more traditional demon's figure.

"Fukada, Whittemore, and Tarasova: you three will function primarily as an advance team, though you may be called back from the front if the situation grows dire with the others. Your goal will be to remove any larger Warped before they can contact the other team wherever possible, and inform us when you cannot so that they can prepare for engagement. Do not—and I cannot stress this enough—do [i]not[/i] hesitate to retreat or call for backup when necessary. If you must engage an enemy you cannot handle alone, prioritize your own survival above all else. The life of one greater-class Warped is not worth your own."

After what felt like a rather extended silence and a glance over the Pilots present, though, Sandra nodded her head.

"With that said, be prepared to shift positions at a moment's notice. These are general guidelines for an ideal scenario," she continued, gesturing towards the screen at her side, "but nothing ever truly works out as planned—doubly so when our enemies are monsters, not men. If there are any further questions about the objectives for today's mission, speak up now. Otherwise, collect your Chi-Mechframes from the engineering bay and head to the hangar for deployment. You depart in thirty minutes; I wish you the best of luck in your efforts. Dismissed."

[@VitaVitaAR][@Raineh Daze][@SaltSight][@King Cosmos]