[center][h1]Lieutenant Aria Dvalin[/h1][/center]

"There's nothing we can do? You're sure?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Unless we scrounge up a Leonard-compatible engine somewhere in this sector, the Armatus can't be modified much further without losing critical combat capability in one area or another. As it is, we're treading water unless we can find one. And we both know how Rayleonard ACs are with proprietary tech. 

"...Damn it." Aria slammed a fist down on her mechanic's desk in frustration, who looked on placidly, long since used to these outbursts. 

"Ma'am, all due respect, scuttlebutt has it that you have connections with the Prince. He can't get us an engine or some such shipped out here?"

Aria fixed her tech with a withering glare at that, the latter wincing.

"I've used up enough quite a bit of capital with him as it is, even getting placed into this Lance. That, and I suspect he'd grow bored and tune out any explanation I give him. He hardly even listens to that aide of his, and unlike that harlot, I'm not sleeping with him." She wasn't [i]entirely[/i] sure of the veracity of that statement, but based on rumor and extrapolating what Cassian used to be like compared to the manchild he was now, this particular pet theory of Aria's had a better than average chance to be true.

[i]“All Lance elements: begin immediate preparations for armored core deployment. All pilots, be ready for departure within the hour. More information to follow.”[/i]

She'd already been in the hangar when the General Quarters alert came out, meaning that Aria was in the cockpit within moments of the klaxons sounding, going through preflight checks with her attached maintenance crew. 

"Reactor and engine status?"

[i]"Online, ma'am!"[/i] Came her team's head mechanic's reply over comlink, instantly harried into swiftness despite the fact that the two had just been discussing the AC's engine conundrum not half a minute ago.

"Armament?"

[i]"Standard package, El-Tee: Rifle, beam saber, shield. SPAMRAAMs fully loaded. Skyeye suite operational."[/i]

"Good. Main systems, online. Moving to deployment zone!"

[i]"Roger, ma'am. Kick some ass out there!"[/i]

With the Armatus fully booted up, Aria maneuvered the mech towards the ship's designated rally point, checking over the battlespace map Lucia had sent over in the meantime. With what little intel they had on this entire situation, she couldn't complain about the proposed plan by any means. Merely the lack of available information going into this battle. Aria despised playing escort, but it was a necessary part of the proposed tactical plan. She'd bite her lip and get the job done. 

"Lieutenant Aria Dvalin, AC Armatus. All systems green, prepped for launch. Onyx-9 Actual, reading you five by five. See you on the other side." 

Aria worked through the comms in order, monitoring who was gathering first. As expected, the Baron had beat her there. His request had her wincing, wondering how exactly best to word this. Ordinarily, Aria would have been far more aggressive in jockeying for the vanguard. But towards [i]Wilhelm von Zollern[/i]? No self-respecting member of any Imperial armed force would have dared show such temerity, even in the face of what was likely a poor tactical decision. Thus, it fell to old, barely-remembered noble mannerisms to carry the day.

"Baron Wilhelm, with all due respect, the Black Knight's command-and-control suite is too integral to our overall coordination to risk in the van. Please, allow me to take your place, should the Prince will it."

It wasn't as if Aria didn't understand. Of course she did. Any pilot with a working pair and the will to fight would have done the same. And she didn't doubt the canny old veteran's skills, either. But it was exactly as she said: much as the ship's head mechanic did, Aria looked over the available readouts of the entire Lance's ACs. The Black Knight had the only functioning C2 suite available to the field team. Even if it was an old, mass-produced piece of tech, that alone rendered it invaluable to the Lance's overall coordination. Hopefully, both the Baron and the Prince would see her request for the tactical consideration it was, and not her jockeying for glory and recognition, no matter how true the latter was as well.

...Oh, who was she kidding? She wouldn't be surprised if Cassian decided to deny the Baron on some whim.