---

The clone patiently waited for everyone to finally gather at the table, using the to create the frameworks of her plan. She needs to consider a lot of things; everyone's lack of familiarity with each other, the possibility of clashing egos and the lack of information regarding their terrain. Considering everything she came to a conclusion.

An effective plan needs to be simple, concise and open to flexibility while playing to their own strengths.

If that's the case then...

"Is there any problem, Cadet Gene? she asked with genuine concern as she looked at her. They might have the numbers advantage but she would like her team to be working at their best, especially her. If she cannot face her, then she will at least keep an eye to see what makes her special.

She let out a cough to get everyone's attention. She waited and pondered long enough.

"Alright here's the plan..." Minerva spoke as she made a summary of their situation. Suggesting the splitting of the entire team into two groups.

One would focus on holding the front line, taking advantage of their ability to survive and the enemy’s weaker direct firepower.

The other would be a form of mobile cavalry taking down high priority targets like the Sleeping Thunder through a combination of speed and stealth.

That is the plan, simple, concise and flexible. Of course such a plan is not without its flaws but she believes she made the best of her hand.

"You seemed to have something on your mind, your highness. Care to share your wisdom?" she spoke to Bug in an encouraging tone as if she was expecting something.

Aurora was well aware of the saying that no plan survives contact with the enemy, but she had to admit that this was a little ridiculous by anyone standard. She was thankful that the situation was handled easily and quickly. As she herself hadn’t been sure how to handle the situation.

‘Still strange they are…’

She shook her head and pulled her attention off the retreating Lilim. And refocused back onto Elora. “You are unharmed?” She would inquire softly. Upon confirmation she would once again address the rest of Team Apple.

“Let us move out.” She would reaffirm to her team. “That includes you. Welcome to the Project and the team.” She would direct towards to the newcomer as she led the assembled Team Apple off to a different room so they could talk tactics.

“For those not aware, I am Aurora Briars. I am the Pilot of Sleeping Thunder.” She would introduce herself. “Due to the goal of the Mission I feel we as if it would be best to treat this as a defensive mission. Team Mango has more overall mobility then we do, but less ranged fire power.”

“Shiva and Type R are best suited towards assault actions. Dragonfly and Logic are best kept to their support roles. While Horst I feel would work best as a mobile defender. And Sleepy will obviously be in a role of longe ranged fire support.” Aurora would summarize her thoughts. Before pulling up a sketch app on her pad and drawing out her next idea so she could show it. “There for I feel it best if we deployed in a loose diamond formation. Keeping Sleepy towards the back and our supports at the sides, Shiva and Type R towards the front, and Horst center.”

“I’ve no information how your Frame can be included into this as I’ve not had a chance to read over things.” She would add pointing at the newest member of Project XJ9. “So, information to that end is appreciated. Any other thoughts or ideas from anyone else?” She would ask glancing across the assembled members

@Digmata@Ammokkx

Bug clenched his fist once more, trying to exorcise the dark thoughts he was feeling at this moment. Things were looking bad for the time being, and extremely annoying. Not only the other side had gained a surprise pilot, it seemed that the Powerpuff Girl was having issues. And that damn Minerva still wished to be the star of the show...while neglecting how poorly she was treating everyone else.

"Please, that title means nothing to the Cruxi, senior. I'm a cadet as the rest of you." He quickly shot down Minerva's pathetical attempt at trying to rile him up. Or was her sheer blithe ignorance speaking for her? He would never know.

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. He thought as he tried to calm herself. "Dame Stella, would you kindly handle dame Gene's well being?"

"Input acknowledged." Stella said, as she began to try and keep Serah stabilized, bringing some cloth to wipe Serah's sweat, very carefully. "Are you hurt. Do you need medicine, Gene Serah, Cadet? Or...tummy rubs?" The gynoid replied.

He coughed and steadied himself, before shooting a last glare at Minerva. There was something unsettling in his stare, something that went beyond the dissociated stares of veterans. Something downright putrid in his stare, for the briefest moment. A small smile followed afterwards, his mask resuming stance.

"Three groups. Discount me on mobility. My Mech is not geared towards being fast and furious. I took the maxim of the White Death, one of Humanity's most successful snipers in making it. Running it alongside the rest of the team it'll be a waste of potential. So I will be solo, and I expect no backup on that regard. Area denial hidden sniper. I won't claim the glory of it either. You all can do all the rest of the strategies. Mine will be to be a complete pain in the ass, hiding, biding my time and then hammering them with my fully charged Particle Cannon."

He paused. "And since I'm going solo and giving myself the importance this way, I'll take on Sleeping Thunder. I believe I have a chance in doing so. And if I'm shot down it doesn't affect the strategy of the rest of the team." He paused. "You are going to say how? You're just a jerk with a vomit green mecha! Let's have a closer look, shall we?"

He produced a simulation of the Sleeping Thunder, a 3d external scan, as he spun it. "Behold, the White Whale." He then started to trace a finger through the cannons and weapons. "This thing is an entire platoon of fire. Which means it also carries the ammunition of an entire platoon in that spider legged frame of this."

"You don't place ammo depots in the middle of bases for a certain reason. Yes, I'm thinking what you are thinking. In the effort to go bigger and meaner, Sleeping Thunder has gained a weakness that no other Framewerk has but battleships do. Points where a good, high energy hit can set off a chain reaction and cook off it's ammo. And a gun without ammo is a piece of junk that wears down. If you can land a good hit on the feeders of the guns, chances are you will silence that weapon for the duration of the battle. Plus it will set Sleeping thunder on fire. Win win."

He then continued. "Moving on. We can't know what kind of danger is the new guy, so it's better to remove him fast. If you see the opportunity to take him out, do it so promptly before he can even think of coordinating with his own team." He paused.

"Alright, now for the duet of the jammer and the teacher's pet mech. I feel sorry for dame Elora, but she has showed me her framewerk. Kinda funny, egg shaped and packed with transmitters and detectors. The other is more of an unknown, is it one of those Tenebr-Tevranian folks? They have... a distinct doctrine from humans, who are persistence hunting. Now, hear me out. Each sentient being is its own world, but one cannot escape the species own...inclinations. Expect it to coming guns blazing whenever there's a hot scuffle somewhere else because they're pretty empathetic. But that's not the main...idea I have about it. You see, I know that there's only one thing that can jam permanently all frequencies, and that frame is not a star core so it is physically impossible to jam everything. It will not jam the visual spectrum, so you can do optical signals in short range to compensate the lack of coordination it will bring. It's not perfect and if the enemy team finds out it will be easy enough to intercept, but I'm tossing out the chance here. If Sir Quinn would indulge me, there's something he could try. A wide range spectrum analyzer will identify the jamming frequencies easily enough... as well as whatever dame Liu'un is using to push it through to coordinate her team. Hopefully."

"Regarding Elora, she'll be difficult to spot on the battle, as she won't be firing unless she has to. So we need a good...tag player. Wonder if Dame Gene will be up to the task? That'd draw cadet Liu'un out of the worst by playing a game of tag. I'll even fund whatever sweets need to drown the bad moment. Dame Gene likewise is our main scouting so she'll be buzzing around fro and forth, so hopefully it's not too much of a burden to her task."

"As for the brunt of the force, I concur mainly with Minerva because that's more sweat than technical work. Speed and Stealth will work in this case. We have a lot of frontliners. Mother Goose will just need to advance and tank hits. Be wary though Goose can be vulnerable to Hacking and jamming, so it'd be great to have a minder nearby to avoid the worst case scenario."

He chuckled ever so slightly.
"To be fair I feel tempted to cling to Dame Stella's skirt as Cockroach and use it as my sniping cover. It seems good and sturdy enough in that regard. That is only if I can't find suitable cover." He sighed. "Well, this is a good chance as any. We can be as stupid or as smart without other consequences, or as good or as vile we wish. Sky's the limit. Battlefield doesn't give second chances. This simulation does. Now, let us perfect our craft, hm?"

He then gave a last look at the room, and carefully went near cadet Gene, even if his hand ever twitched so slightly. The damn gynoid phobia was going to be an issue this battle, he could feel it. "Hey, feeling better, Dame Gene?" He said.

Zel-Ghin

Zel-Ghin gave a casual shrug as the rest of the team began to move, throwing one last glance over his shoulder over where his brother were, and then to Elora which he gave a soft audible scoff at. Noticing how a member of the team he had been assigned to were struggling with some sort of headache, the younger twin stopped momentarily to observe. He was no stranger to headaches or reoccuring dreams of a past he would rather forget, not peering too far into the future neither, but remaining grounded in the here and now. His older brother were the dreamer.

Zel-Ghin normally prefered to stand against a wall than sitting down, it was alot easier to defend yourself when not having to worry about someone sneaking up from behind. In this case he decided it was best to do as everyone else. After all he was of a different culture than the others for certain. But human non-theless. Or were he? His violet eyes peered out from under his hair as it hung momentarily over them. He chose to sit down next to Serah. He reached into his pocket, taking out a wrapped lollipop, sliding it over to Serah, then saying in a hushed manner to not draw attention away from Minerva or Bug as they were speaking.

"Strawberry~. Sweet things to keep the bad thoughts away." He said and pointed one of his own fingers at his own temple, then his eyes set on Stella. He didn't like what he saw. It reminded him of those robots at the facility which used to stick needles into his skin. But no more.

'Your eyes. I don't like them.' He thought as he looked at Stella. All he could see in them was a hollow and dead thing. Nothing that tickled his curiousity. The machine however had taken the liberty of embracing Elora earlier, which irked him.

'They must be really desperate if they decided to bring a machine. Let see if it's processor can keep up with the other team or if it will fry it's circuits.' He looked away from Stella and smirked, his attention moving to Sparks. That was the one his brother had more or less introduced to him. His opinion of that one was better than what he thought of the machine or Bug, who he had already made up to be a troublemaker by simply watching his initial interaction upon their arrival. A potential disturbance to his own freetime aswell. Still it was something he was prepared to deal with, if he had to deal with it. The girl next to him, who Stella and Bug together had already dropped the full name of. Serah Gene.

He smiled to himself the more he thought about the name. The Gene girl and someone whose genes had been tampered with. It made him snicker internally, it somehow did sound like the title for a videogame. One which he would no doubt play if given the opportunity.

Zel-Ghins' gaze continued on to Ava, while listening to Minerva talking in the background. The redhaired girl was eye-candy to him, but the personality from what he could see were lacking those particular things he were looking for. He decided regardless he would try to chat her up later. Perhaps the first impressions were wrong. But his instincts were yelling at him otherwise.

Minerva had been the first to have spoken up and been eager to get things underway, he didn't mind it at all. The sooner they would get underway, the sooner he could have some enjoyment. His mind momentarily wandered to Elora. If possible he would try to find her during the battle, to see if her videogaming had translated to her piloting skills. He wasn't as eager to fight his brother however. He already knew what the likely result of a battle between them, as he had been often pinned against Mema-Ka at the old facility. Much to the enjoyment of those labcoat clad people which had tried to play god.

He couldn't forgive them of course, but dwelling on them constantly would drive him insane. More insane. He was accutely aware of his own mind and how his instincts were encouraging him to fight and other things. They had truly treated him like a beast. In his own mind. He didn't fully know the answer. Were he truly human? Mema-Ka had often stated to him that indeed they were human. His older brother always seemed to know the answers, even before the questions came his way. Despite him being the expendable one to their creators, he had developed talent for things that Zel-Ghin did not possess. In a fight between the two, his brother were the more crafty. If he would be the one in command of the other squad in this mock battle. Then surely…

Zel-Ghin looked up to Minerva again. There was something about her. Her face. Seemed strangely familiar. As if he had seen it before. Somewhere. Someplace. But when and where? He was positive he had never spoken with her. Where did he know that face from? The thought stayed for awhile, annoying him as he couldn't find the answer he was looking for. And when such obstacles were coming his way, he knew that the best thing for the moment were to drop them for another time. Time would surely tell him all he needed to know. Nothing more. Nothing less.

He made sure to not interupt Minerva as she spoke about the plan on how to deal with the opposing team.

Zel-Ghin had to admit both approaches provided by them were viable options. Minerva basically suggested the old hammer and anvil tactic as far as he was concerned. But they were up against his brother. He wouldn't take the bait into going straight into the anvil unless it was in his favor. On a personal level, Zel-Ghin knew abit about formations from videogames, but he was not a strategic genius, he still could make up good tactical decisions. Problem was dealing with other people. He lacked his brother's natural charisma and softness. He was a blunt hammer and Mema-Ka was a feather. A very dangerous feather but the comparison were correct. Still he very much preferred the idea of following her lead before any of the others.

Minerva bringing up the seeming fact that Bug, or Astolfo Bugatti as the robotic woman had called him, were a royal caused Zel-Ghin to raise one of his hands to his mouth to hide the fact he was giggling at her poke at him. His plan did seem more detailed, were it not for the fact he seemingly had forgotten two machines. Then the last third machine which had just arrived. He had no information at all about that one. But this wasn't the first time he'd gone into a boss fight not knowing what to expect. 'Sounds like fun. Prince~ But it does seem you have forgotten the Shiva and the Horst. But even more so my brother's machine. Such a mistake. I will not stand for it in any world, even if your plan seems to be more effective in theory to Minerva's. Too bad I am all about the execution.' The teal-haired young man smirked more intensely, before standing up from his seat, his hands into his pockets.

"Zel-Ghin Mizqess Degantes, pilot of the 5Q-U1-Type D. Pleasure to meet you all~" He took out one of his hands from his pocket to make a lazy salute. "Minerva. Pilot of the Argo. Your approach is as clear as your determination.. and your pretty face. I'll second your choice of approach." He gave Minerva a slow wink and bit his lower lip, then his eye darted to Bug. "A direct approach may be the best one. No offense... your highness~. Wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself mentally before the battle comes." He said in a teasing tone then turned back to Minerva. "At your disposal, commander~." Zel-Ghin nodded to Minerva and then sat back down, his hands slipping into his pockets, tossing a glance over to Bug to guage his reaction to his poke at him.

---

Ava restrained herself from sighing upon seeing potential 'seeds of conflicts' already brewing among the group. Particularly between Bug and Minerva.

Her thoughts about the leadership position remained unchanged. Whoever would be picked had their work cut out for them. In any case, after hearing the proposed strategy thus far, Ava figured that, as one of the senior pilots, she should probably put her two cents in.

"I think the general strategy that has been proposed thus far is sound. The details are still debated, but essentially, we agree that Sleeping Thunder's artillery attacks are their 'win condition' so to speak. That is not to say the other framewerks are not a threat, but Sleeping Thunder heavy artillery aside, our team probably has the edge in pure combat ability. Most of the combat units are assigned to Mango team, after all. In exchange, Team Apple has a more troublesome rear, with their support framewerks. Thus, our 'win condition' is to disable their rear support and Sleeping Thunder. Once we accomplish those two objectives, the frontline battles should go smoothly in our favour. To that end, we are to form separate groups with their own objective. Here is my proposal on how to split our group."

Ava had only briefly looked at the framewerk specifications, but she had a firm grasp of their capability. She might not be an engineer, but her knowledge of the workings of Framewerks was at a sufficiently high level, enough to write papers on them. [Academic: Framewerk Technology].

"First, the Frontline. Mother Goose is obviously going to be on the Front Line. It's the most heavily armoured and also the deadliest in melee due to its sheer size. It is also there to provide cover against an artillery strike from Sleeping Thunder. Partnering with Mother Goose in the Frontline would be 5Q-U1 Type D. It is also heavily armoured, and the Secondary Systems installed would make Mother Goose even harder to take down. Next, the backline. That would be Guinevere. Guinevere is a support unit, so just like how Mother Goose is a natural fit for the frontlines, Guinevere is a natural fit for the backline that supports the frontlines. The rear would be Cockroach, which, as Astolfo had proposed, would be our 'sniper'. In addition, though not technically in the rear, I believe that partnering with AA-XOTRY would be a sound idea. Traditionally, a sniper works in pairs with a spotter, so in this case, a scout-type unit like AA-XOTRY should fit the role. But furthermore, AA-XOTRY can run guerilla tactics against the target of Cockroach, serving as a distraction that would make them vulnerable to a sniper shot. Finally, Argo and my unit, Argent Wing, will make up the cavalry, whose job is to take out their support backline and rear. Argo will launch a frontal attack, whereas Argent Wings will use stealth mode to take out targets distracted by the Argo. My proposed order of engagement is as follows. After our scout, AA-XOTRY, finds the enemy's locations, the frontline and backline will advance, engaging Team Apple's frontliners. Then, the cavalry will move to take out the support, while Cockroach focuses on Sleeping Thunder. After Team Apple's support is taken care of, the Cavalry will move to engage Sleeping Thunder if it's still operational. Finally, all units will concentrate on the frontlines, taking care of the remaining members of Team Apple.."

A lot more people had noticed Serah's headache than she thought. First Minerva asked if something was on her mind, and before she could even respond, Bug had already asked Stella to take care of her. The Lilim quickly patted her down with some cloth, and the girl protested with a sheepish "Thank you, but I'm fine, really!"

Then, the boy who's gaze she matched from earlier slid over a lollipop. "Strawberry~. Sweet things to keep the bad thoughts away" he'd tell her.

"Oh! Um... thanks?" she'd tell him, slightly confused, but accepting the gesture nonetheless. The team still had some time before the simulation, so she fumbled with the wrapper a bit and popped it into her mouth. No reason to refuse his kindness and she did like sweets.

From there, the discussion progressed. Minerva laid out her plan, then Bug built upon it. The sweets-loving boy didn't seem to like it, though, siding with Minerva instead. Then Ava inserted herself with a third plan, proposing to split the squad in several different tasks. With so many different voices throwing their thoughts into the mix, things were bound to get muddled... and its not like they had that much time to think.

"Timeout!" Serah suddenly spoke up, hand raised in the air. Without thinking about it, she jumped right on top of the table and addressed everyone like she was on a podium. "We're totally gonna lose if we all have different ideas. So... I think we should leave it at three plans for now. There's seven of us, so if we all vote on an idea, I think we'll find the strategy to go with! ...I think."

She realised what she'd done by jumping on the table, hand still in the air like a dork, and she gave an awkward little laugh as she scratched her cheek. "Uhm... so, Minerva wants to split into a frontline team and a mobile stealth team. Bug wants to start as two teams while he goes off alone, and have me break off to try and find Logic Driver when we've advanced enough. Ava wants to split us all into pairs; Stella and Zel-Ghin advancing on the front, Sparks supporting from behind, Minerva causing a distraction to let Ava herself sneak in, then me and Bug picking up any stray targets we find. That's everyone's ideas, right?"

Serah gave everyone a moment to get their thoughts, corrections and misgivings in so she could climb off the table and take a look around. She took the opportunity in order to find some conveniently left behind papers and a pen to scribble on them with. She wrote down the names of the three people who'd proposed something, then held up the paper for everyone to see. "So... mark your vote or forever hold your piece!"

---

Arrish quietly listened as Aurora went over the basic battle plan and positioning. For the most part it was a sound strategy that didn't take any unnecessary risks and played to the strengths of their frames. What would be best to include was known threats and weaknesses. "I'm sure the enemy is just as aware that Sleepy is going to be a key foundation to our success, and because of that they're going to either focus on taking it down quickly or diverting resources to focus on it. Placing me in the center will allow the horst to quickly assist Sleepy if you do come under fire. That being said, if the enemy does make a charge for sleepy they're going to underestimate our frontline."

"While I haven't seen Griff in combat, his Shiva is backing up some serious firepower. Supported I believe he could tear through their supports before we focus on their main combative force." he paused before continuing. "Other than our strengths, I would say my main concern is mother goose. Together we could take it down if it were alone, but I wouldn't want any of our framework's to go toe to toe with a machine that large and with a rocket hammer no less. Other than taking down key targets, or executing damaged frameworks, I think it would be best if Sleepy focused its fire on Stella."

He drummed his fingers on the table while in thought. There was also the matter of their supports. I haven't gotten a good look at most of their systems, but if any of their smaller frames has repair drones then we're going to be in trouble. We have the advantage of having heavier armor overall, but that advantage is going to be lost if they can keep up on the repairs. That's why I think we should take down their smaller frames first, knock out any supports to put us on even footing in combat and avoid a battle of attrition that we simply cannot win."

Arrish thought things were looking to be in their favor, which only meant that he wasn't considering hidden threats. What else was there?"I believe we have good chances if we can knock out their supports and destroy mother goose before she can get in melee range against sleepy. He frowned. He wished he had more time to talk to some of the others before this test. He only ever got a good read on Minerva, and other than some history with Bugatti, he didn't really know what to make of the other pilots. The only other thing I would worry about is some unknowables. We can always take a look at the frames but I've only had some experience with some of the pilots. I know Minerva will do anything to win the mission, even if it means throwing her life away, and on the opposite spectrum, Astolfo will do anything to keep himself from losing even if that means keeping his distance and taking shots at range. We shouldn't underestimate the resolve of those two."

It bothered him that he didn't know the other pilots personally. There was an old earth book that said if you knew yourself, and knew your enemy, you would win every battle. He barely knew most of the squad that was with him, and even less about his fellow pilots that he was going to face. He wondered if that meant they were fated to lose. Arrish didn't like that thought. "I would say Serah, Sparks, and Ava are a mystery to me. Stella seems straightforward but I'll admit that I don't know anything about her either." He motioned towards Mema-ka. "Otherwise, Mema-ka can tell us about his brother. If anyone else has anything to say about our fellow pilots and opponents then now would be a good time to share." Maybe someone else on his team would know something about their opponents. At the very least Mema-ka could warn the team about his brother, but then, that meant Zel-Ghin had that same advantage. He could only hope that they had the smarter of the pair. Arrish rubbed at his jaw from talking so much. Maybe the less said was the better, but then again, the could never know enough.

Mema-Ka

Mema-Ka remained quiet upon entering the room, seating himself at one of the corners of the table, he listened in silence to Aurora and Arrish's different takes on what would be the best approach on dealing with the other team. He crossed his legs by the knee and held one of his hands under his chin. He then opened his personal device and began looking through what he knew of the machines listed as he took in what was being said in the room.

"You are both bringing out fair points worthy of consideration in the upcoming task." Mema-Ka said softly, uncrossing his legs, getting up and walking over to one of the walls of the room which held a smartboard, a digital chalkboard in finer words, he took hold of a nearby plastic stick which was normally used to paint up things upon the boards.

"Aurora, you are correct that we should treat this as a defensive mission and that we may have the ranged advantage compared to the other team. You would be good as a battlefield commander as you will be located to our backline. I suggest for Logic Driver to be located in the pathway of those who would try to get to you. That framewerk can remain hidden and provide you with all the information of what is going on ahead, and aid in disabling an incoming opponent which doesn't know it's there. I suggest a unit such as the Horst to be located a medium distance from it and you to provide both of you with cover would the frontline be breached which I expect it will be. My unit. The raptor. May also swiftly return to the backline would such a thing be required and possibly aid in disabling or defeating those which slip past. The Shiva, Electric Dragonfly and the new frame which arrived moments ago would be a good wall for the opposing side to chew through. If they try ignore them, they leave their backs open.

If they fight them, then they are stopped in their tracks. I will of course add my machine to the frontline and only fall back would the Horst, Sleeping Thunder or the Logic Driver require assistance. This is my suggestion for engaging with the opposing force, I am however unfamiliar with most of the pilots, and thus I shall assume the position of secondary or tertiary commander as a precaution and... or if communication is hindered and will not reach far enough." Mema-Ka drew up the positions on the board which he suggested for the squad to assume, one arm on his back the other motioning and drawing lines across the board with the plastic stick. He took a few moments to remain silent as he drew it up, then drew up circles representing the opposing force. Then he turned facing Arrish.

"You are also correct in your assessment of the task ahead, a frontline is only as strong as the ones standing behind them. I believe an old warrior saying is that it's not about whom you fight against, but whom you fight for, the ones standing behind you. With that in mind... I believe our primary objective offensively is to incapacitate the one known as Goose Mother. I suggest relentless bombardment from Sleeping Thunder and possibly disabling of it's weaponry from a unit such as the Horst. It has thick armor. But it's weapons can be targetted. Take them out and it won't matter how strong it's armor is if it has nothing to fire upon us with. If it somehow still manages to push it's path through the ranged firepower and the frontline.

The Logic driver might be able to disable it long enough for the others to dismantle it or get in place, or the case of Sleeping Thunder. Fire upon it's new location. For secondary targets. I advice to leave all of the quick opponents be. Each moment spent chasing them is a moment the heavier types have to get into position. Some of the smaller ones do not have the firepower to quickly enough take down the heavier ones on our side. If you do manage to find the Guinivere in sight, don't hesitate. Take it down." Mema-Ka softly adjusted his stance, motioning towards an image displaying the Squid.

"This is my brother, Zel-Ghin's framewerk. The Squid. It possesses repair drones and an a stargazer system, propulsioning it forwards and may redirect ranged fire at whatever stands in it's path. Up close it is a relentless adversary which attacks in unconventional ways at both range and up close. Among it's weaponry are Marker Light rifle, Dual acid cannons and a particle cannon. It also has built in jet thrusters in it's legs that makes it able to spin it's four legs like a disc or press them together to form what I would say a cone. With it, propelling itself into whatever happens to stand in it's way. It also comes equipped with a kattai system. It is the sister unit of mine. While you are no doubt familiar with the remaining framewerk this is what I can tell you about that particular weapon. One thing to also keep in mind are the pilots we are facing. I have never faced or seen someone to go head-to-head with my brother and win. With that in mind. I suggest for the Electric Dragonfly to engage it in battle if possible, use it's superior speed and overall toughness to keep it preoccupied and if possible disable it. It needs not to be taken out, just kept busy long enough for our team to finish the others." Mema-Ka breathed out slightly, placing down the plastic stick by the smartboard, giving those gathered in the room a polite nod.

"One more thing. In every battle that has ever been, there has been unexpected occurances, I urge all of you to be prepared for such eventualities. We have been given this training session to show that we can, despite our differences work together as one unified force." He said in his soft voice then lowered it even further, leaning down a bit towards the table and said in a hushed manner.

"Don't you think it odd that despite it being a team building mission that half of them are on the other side? The superiors wouldn't put us up against each other, to form potential animosity or competition unless they had something else in mind... after a set period of time have passed in our test. Don't lose track of who ones true enemy is. Adapt when the moment arises. Victory lies with those whom can be versatile, regardless of how good a pilot or how good a frame you use." Mema-Ka said in a reassuring tone of voice, offering the rest of the team a polite bow and softly excused himself back to his seat, having taken up far too much time than he had first intended. But what was done was done. Perhaps he was too focused on the future to notice the here and now?

Seven @Shifter_Master
_______

After a bit, Jake was escorted by Ritsu to his "assigned VR team" for this supposed "test". Jake merely walked along and quietly listened as she went over the basics of this division from schedules and related data necessary for him to function within this unit.

All in all...there were similar and differences between this and The Numbers division he was once apart of...

Regardless, he followed along until he came into the room where most of the squad in general were still there. He also finally met the leader of this division Lorenzo.

Jake merely stood at attention, even after he poked him with his walking stick to his chest, as his new superior "evaluated" his worth. After his assessment, Jake merely replied with a salute and "Yes Sir".

Following his orders, he then moved to an opposite corner of the room and stood near a corner and watched Team Apple discuss strategies to an extent. After a bit, he took note that they were curious about him...the one he noted more than the other appeared be, based on his intelligence data he read, pilot Aurora Briars.

Deciding that they had, to an extent, engaged him in conversation, an introduction was in order...

"Jake Twilight. Callsign Seven. Framewerk Angel Zero reporting. If self intelligence data is required, I shall present it now."

Taking out a data pad, he then began calling up the spec's on Angel Zero...

Elora sighed in relief after she was released, a bit of a blush having remained on her cheeks from the embarrassing moment. She lightly shook her head as Aurora checked in, asking about her health. "I'm fine."
When Stella mentioned that she would bake her favorite food, her eyes sparkled, and her mouth was open in surprise. "Really? That would be like a dream come true, Stella!"
Her enthusiasm quickly faded as Jake then approached their group: she was wary of the masked man, unsure what to make of him yet. He seemed polite enough when addressing Lorenzo according to protocol, but that didn't tell her much about him as a person. Aurora quickly greeted him as she gave the order for them to relocate, and Elora followed her team as they shifted to another meeting room. She seated herself next to Aurora, and gave a polite nod to Mema-Ka as he took a seat at the corner. However, her smile failed to deliver on the same courtesy, marred as it was by a frown, as memories of the encounter with his twin brother still plagued her.

She passively listened as the group made plans, nodding along as Aurora, Arrish, and Mema-Ka engaged in a fruitful and constructive debate about their team composition, strengths and weaknesses, and tactics to handle units of team Mango. When Jake introduced himself, she nodded, and took out her personal device to read through the data he had uploaded to the team roster.

"Um, based on the data that mister Twilight's Framewerk Angel Zero has, he seems to fit a flanking position for this mission," Elora began explaining, finding some footing in her words despite the pressure of a listening crowd, relying on her experience at intelligence processing.
"Not only does he possess stealth capability akin to Logic Diver, the Rapid Execution Adaptation Processor allows him to quickly adapt to a changing battlefield and grab enemy weaponry to use as his own. Therefore, our attacks should prioritize disarming enemy units whenever Angel Zero is nearby if there is an opportunity to do so." A small hologram emitted from the top of the device, showing various models of Framewerks.
"As for Logic Diver itself, I believe it is also best situated in a flanking position. Placing it in the front lines would risk it being discovered prematurely, before I can form a sufficient database with the Combat Analyzer."

She showed Cockroach in the hologram. "Despite it's unassuming appearance, mister Bugatti's Cockroach possesses a Particle Cannon, which can cause serious damage if left to their own devices. I will try to locate them and pinpoint their location as soon as possible for Sleepy and the rest of the team to target."
Elora then paused, as if unsure about her next words. "However, my request..." She took in a deep breath, gathering her courage as she glanced over at Mema-Ka, and then, in an eerily cold tone, her eyes devoid of emotion, spoke:

"I want mister Zel-Ghin and his Squid eliminated...No matter what it takes."

Griff had been so wrapped up in his many thoughts. Thought. That he had almost entered the wrong room, having raised his head quickly enough to see Serah, Stella, Sparks and Minerva all in the same room. Would Rhylaen had been there aswell then that room might have been the most dangerous room for him to be in.

Sure he knew he could probably take each one of them down in a wrestling match, probably even Minerva. But the moment he had thought on issuing such a challenge he was once again remembering the great incident. He had to make sure to never let that happen again. Despite his loss to Minerva at his own hobby, and having been A BIT rash with dealing with Serah catching him after the lockerroom incident. His warrior pride had not been damaged. Perhaps the ancient martial arts masters were looking down at him from heaven.

Then it struck him. What is considered as heaven in space?

His pattern of thinking was interupted by his actual mock battle team. He had not much of an idea what Aurora, Arrish or Mema-Ka was suggesting, at specific moments he thought he could heard the sounds of water hitting a beach. His curiousity of ever visiting a sea had made him look up how it sounds like.

Mema-Ka. He thought that guy had a funny name, and whenever that young man spoke it made Griff feel like he wanted to go sleep.

They had besides the obvious clone been assigned what Griff considered to be a cool guy. Why else would someone wear such an outfit, then his approval rating dropped when he realized his machine was another stealth one.

The blond grabbed unto his head and hair distraught. Where were their warrior pride? Sure Elora had it on her machine too, but she was like his appeentice! Well at least he felt they had that relationship.

He definitely filled the senpai role!

Griff decided to stand up.

"After careful con- thought, I think good things have probably been said! I wish to welcome Mema-Ka and Jake to Team A! A stand for awesomer! Allright whose eager to kick some ass?!" Griff raised his hand and tightened it into a fist.

"Allright we all know the plan! The masterplan! Get out there and hit them fast and hard! They never see that coming! Get out there and kick their rears out of the stimulation machines! I am calling dibs on Minnie and Sparkles!

Don't you worry Elora, after I defeat them both I am gonna go after -his- evil twin clone. Gonna make sashimi out of that squid! Then we can go celebrate eating some squid and watch some bodybuilding videos! Oh and for you rookies! I am Griffith Burnhardt! But you guys can call me The Griff! Oh and before I forget! Can we see your face Jake?  The curiousity is killing me!"

Griff remained standing with his blue eyes watching and smiling to his team, up until he came up to Rhylaen, where he gave a frown. But he thought he could hear Minervas voice.

'Stop being a deadweight with your racism.'

He was a man of his word. Crap. This would sting.

" Ahem. Right and we also have a Turr.. Terrainian on our team, despite appearances this one is not a Cruxi spy, assassin or kidnapper. I know right? So uhh... no racism? I guess? Right so lets go out there and kick some ass and then prep to kick some alien ass! No offense." He threw a glance to Rhylaen last. With a pouting face. He felt a surge of worry, what if Rhylaen would take advantage of his promise to Minerva and make fun of him, or worse yet hit on him. He had seen enough movies to know they kidnapped humans then they come back pregnant.

Seven "Team Apple"
_______

After sending the data to those who wish to view it, it would be Elora Liu'un who would look and comment on it first. He had pinned her as the type to value "intelligence data" first and foremost similar to how he did as based on her observations, it seemed his observation was correct. Though even Seven knew that such data can be false or not reveal the "whole picture" at times.

So seeing it in person here and now was a necessity.

Then there was the..."loud" one Griffith "Griff" Burnhardt. When he spoke up, Seven expected him to say arrogant comments to put the attention on him but perhaps to his surprise...that wasn't the whole case. He even apologized at the end of his statement if he had offend anyone though mostly that apology went towards the "Tevranian" Rhylaen. He will give credit where it's due when it came to Griff. He seemed like an "uneducated idiot" but when it came to a fight, the data suggested he is no stranger to it even in real world and was good at it.

Which means that, like him, Griff had also taken lives on a battlefield...

After Griff's comment, Seven decided to speak again but with less military word and more...'normal' wordings due to the fact that he was still wearing his pilot uniform and helmet.

"...there is a problem..."terrain"...even when I requested data on this test while in route to this room, Lieutenant Ritsu Kaname claimed that she didn't know the battlefield data we will be engaging in...and observations I made on Professor Lorenzo suggested that even had I asked...he most likely wouldn't answer truthfully or not answer at all..."

Seven then crossed his arms then spoke again.

"...which means we need to be adaptable when we first deploy...the terrain in this case is also an "enemy" just as much as is our opponents."

---

Minerva silently listened to the prince's proposed alteration, staring at him with the eyes of an attentive judge, not noticing the bubbling hate Astolfo is accumulating on her. Perhaps she noticed but failed to comprehend how intense the hate he is feeling towards her.

"A sound proposal." she admitted to Bug as he recalled that snipers are usually given a high degree of freedom to maximise their safety and battlefield impact.

That's Apollo's Framewerk, why is that here? No, he is good at hiding, there is no way...

The blood leaking out says otherwise.

Minerva's thoughts would return to reality as one of the newcomers expressed approval of her plan. His name is Zel-Ghin, if she remembered correctly.

"Rejected." she coldly spoke as she stared at Bug with sharp eyes. "As you stated your firepower is one of few viable means to overcome Aurora and her Sleeping Thunder, leaving it exposed and unattended would be too risky. You should position yourself behind everyone and take potshots when you can." she added with an uncharacteristic mix of genuine concern she hides within risk assessment. She is not willing to back down on this decision no matter what the man says.

Fortunately for him, Ava spoke with a plan better playing with their strengths and a compromise that she could accept. It would split their forces a bit more but also improve the cohesion and leave the roles clear. "I support this plan." she spoke to Serah as stared at everyone. "It makes use of our strengths while leaving our roles open enough for adjustments." she added to the team as she marked her vote in favor of Ava’s plan.

Whether intentionally or not, the plan also placed Minerva in her comfort zone operating alone against overwhelming odds. A small smile formed on her face, it's been a while since she faced other human pilots. She is excited to see how she will stack up to them.

Sparks had to raise an eyebrow as Astolfo neatly proposed what he himself had been thinking. Analyzing the frequencies jammed to find a hole they could use to communicate was a priority. The man knew his stuff -- a surprise for one who was apparently also royalty. "Sure, we can try to bypass the Electric Dragonfly's jamming. Once that's done, I'll work on hacking Sleeping Thunder -- if Aurora is distracted by having to combat a takeover of her frame, she won't be focusing on taking out our frames, and hopefully that will provide an opening for the rest of you."

---

Once Elora was released from Stella's grip, and Team Apple gathered together in an adjacent room, Rhylaen listened to the others talk. She didn't have much to contribute -- tactics was not her strong suit. The new pilot -- Jake, he said his name was -- pulled up the data for his frame, and she gave it a look. Angel Zero was versatile, able to wield just about any weapon it could find, according to the files. But the pilot himself hadn't taken off his helmet. She wondered if he was shy.

Her free hand curled into a fist as Griff again mocked her, though at least this time he didn't call her a bug. His offhand apology almost made it worse. Rhylaen took a deep breath and let it go for the moment. Now wasn't the time to be fighting with her teammates.

Arrish found himself glaring at Griff after that proclamation and half-assed apology sent towards Rhylaen. The noble pushed back his seat and stood up from his seat.

"Griffith Burnhardt!" His voice took on a tone of authority and he found himself walking, almost stomping towards where the blonde had been standing."You are a full member of this squad and a peer of Team Apple. He wrenched a fist on Griff's collar."You were brought here because of your capability in combat and your potential as a soldier. Not because you can play around on your phone or be racist to equal members of our squad. You are required to focus on the mission parameters, and treat every member of our squad equal measures of respect.

He released Griff and straightened out his back "I need you to focus on our plans, Griffith, and not treat it as a video game. Some day soon people are going to be relying on you, and if you don't pay attention or miss an important detail those people may die. Furthermore, I'm sick of you mistreating Rhylaen. She is your peer and an equal member of this squad. She is deserving of your full respect and shouldn't be compared to a Cruxi in any order of magnitude. Do you understand me?

Arrish clenched and un-clenched his fists and could feel his teeth grinding together. He had given Griff the benefit of the doubt twice now, and wouldn't suffer a third.

Griff

Griff raised his head as if he was expecting a superior officer coming in on hearing the raised voice. That or his mother. "Huh?" He said in a low tone, blinking a few times as Arrish stood up and walked over to him. A lot of words followed, and if it were not due to the amount of words spoken he might have paid more attention to Arrish's hand by his collar.

'What? What the hell is he talking about? What did I do now?!' He mentally lashed out in search of answers before listening to the rest of Arrish's words. Something had clearly caught him in a foul mood.

"What the heck is your problem?! What did I do? Ehhh?! So I am the pear of the team apple huh?! Then you are some stupid hairy kiwi fruit! How you like that huh? Well I thought you were an allright guy who showed the new guy Buggyboy around, but looks like Minnie was right. Nobles like you are hiding behind tradition and have prejudice against those who ain't like you huh? Like a bully! And I just told the others that the little winged one isn't a bad bug! But you look down on her yourself, you don't think she can defend herself! You conde- descending bastard! You sit on your high horse like some fucking noble allright! I am not the one who has a family named after a folly for sucking too hard at things!" Griff barked out, he was angry and upset that someone like Arrish who he had moments earlier considered to be a friend had now verbally attacked him in front of the entire team. He felt betrayed, but he also felt regret of his own words the moment he finally finished his reply.

He could lose his temper and say things he didn't really mean. He knew that. Once again he had allowed his fierce temper to take over. He knew Arrish had a point, he should probably listen to the plans of the others. But it was giving him a headache and he was already heated up. He just wanted to get into the fight and defeat as many enemies in his path as possible and make sure the others didn't get downed. For a training mission it wouldn't be that bad, but he refused to allow another teammate to die. To catch up with his best friend and become the greatest pilot and soldier that ever were. Providing his friend was indeed still alive. He was listed as MIA.

But how would he solve this matter now? Griff felt as if the air in the room had suddenly changed. Maybe a punch to the face would solve things. People usually came to an understanding after beating each other up. But that would surely end up with time in the brig. He blew some hot air through his nose, like an angry bull, but he was just venting his anger.

"Whatever. This is just a mock battle anyways. No one is going to die in this one... My three friends died because of some fucking idiot who thought he could lead us with his stupid plan! Spent days with his stupid plan and it broke into pieces in the first fight and he just sat there and let them all die from his hiding place. And my best friend is still fucking missing from that battle! I will not allow that to happen again! So I only follow a leader I can trust will be able to fight! Right makes might... whatever. Watch me! I am going to take down the other team by myself! Duck Mother! Argo! Sparkles weird frame! That stupid squid! I give you my word Elora, I'll shoot it down!" He felt like spitting to his side but instead crossed his arms and gave a very sour glare at Arrish. He then picked up his device and looked for a way to unfriend Arrish from his device. His teeth visually gritted and his face all wrinkled up from his anger.

'Where the heck is that unfriend button?!'

There were a lot of words that Arrish wanted to shout down Griff's throat. He wanted to correct him on the word peer because it meant equal, not the damn fruit. He wanted to yell and scream that his defense of Rhylaen came from being quiet before, because he had given Griff the benefit of the doubt. He wanted to bite and scratch and hiss at Griff for bringing up Arrish's heritage as a noble, because that had nothing to do with why he was shouting at the blonde right now and everything to do with how Griff wasn't taking things seriously.

Arrish bit down his tongue and put his arms to his sides and just stared at Griff while trying to find the words while listening to Griff's story about his friends, and how a plan of theirs fell apart at the first sign of battle.

His features softened though his eyes remained hard. He got it. He really did, everyone here had stories of people they were missing and friends they couldn't see anymore. The war had taken its toll onto everyone. That didn't mean he was okay with watching Griff ignore half of everything that was being said and mistreating Rhylaen. He lowered his eyes and finally he spoke in a much quieter tone."Your friends, what were their names?"

Aurora held her Pad in front of her reviewing the information that Jake had supplied to them. It was a rather interesting Frame all in all. A universal generalist, that could readily and easily find and make use of anything acquired mid mission. It was a level of tactical flexibility that was a rarity to have.

‘But they seem so exhausted. Looking for an end, rather than the future.’

She kept an open ear to the rest of the team discussing what information they could about which frames they’d be up against in this training mission as she mulled over how to fit in Angel to their current plans. A few ideas had promise and she was just about to make a decision of which she liked more, when Shiva’s pilot spoke up.

And it took more than Aurora would like to admit to keep herself from rolling her eyes at Griff. She hadn’t had to deal with such hot-headed pilots in quite a while. Her and Sleepy were too often placed in squads and formations far away from them, purely due to operational differences. And her time away had not made the type any easier to deal with.

She left it to Horst’s pilot for a moment. As she considered this new variable. It wasn’t terribly difficult to come to a plan. After all Griff did have a point, this was only a mock mission. It wouldn’t be a bad time to try and impart a lesson onto Griff.

“Gentlemen!” Aurora would state with authority as she sent both of them a hard look. “While I agree that Cadet Burnhardt was out of line. Now is, unfortunately, not the time to hash out this problem.” She also had a feeling that this was part of Lorenzo’s plans, again. Internal strife and conflict. Why he wanted all of the pilots stressed she couldn’t say, but it was the start of a pattern if she was correct. “Five minutes for us to finish the briefing and then we can deal with attitudes. Understood?” She would give the two of them another look, before refocusing on the data before her.

“Of the other Frames we are to be facing that I know something about there is Argo, Guinevere and, AA-XOTRY also known as Atty.” She would begin afterwards. “Argo and Atty are both designed for high-speed melee combat. Argo is going to be the more vicious of the frames, they are going to want to brawl. Meanwhile Atty is lean more towards hit and run tactics, he has little to no armor so a single hit is devastating if we can land it. Guinevere on the other hand suited towards a support role with repair drones and an electronic warfare suite. In addition, Guinevere also has an Ai Co-pilot by the designation Dancer.”

She would give spread her hands wide at the information before all of them. “It’s clear that we have no end when it comes to priority targets. To this end I propose a slight revision to our plans.”

“Shiva” She would point at Griff. “You wish to dive in at start thrashing away. Feel free, but don’t expect much close-range support if you go too deep. Your targets are the Squid, Argo, and Argent. So long as you are focused on them you are free to adapt as you see fit.”

“Horst” She would point at the Noble born pilot. “Your roles haven’t changed. Mid-range and mobile support. You are sticking within our deployment to assist any of us that get caught out. Your targets are anyone who breaches into our line. You’re going to have second best idea of what’s going on. So, I want you to take command if I get incapacitated.”

“Logic Diver” She would point at Elora. “Support and harassment. I understand that your Analyzer is more effective at close range, but I would insist that you stick to medium range for this operation. Mango has several dedicated CQC frames. If you get caught out there is nothing we could do to assist before you went down. Targets are getting a lock on Cockroach and Guinevere. The sooner they are gone the better.”

“Raptor and Angel” She would point to Jake and Mema-Ka. “You two are our best skirmishers outside of Shiva. I want you two to help put the pressure on the front lines. Targets are any opportunity for dealing damage that crop up, otherwise Fire and Fade is what I want from you. If it comes to it Raptor is to fall back to assist in defense with Horst. While Angel if you can find a way to infiltrate feel free, but like with Shiva do not count on any support if you get too deep.”

“Dragonfly” She would point at Rhylaen. “Mid-range positioning, while you employ your own Electronic Warfare Suite. I expect you will be seen as a target of priority so keep on alert. Targets for you to prioritize are Atty, as if you can disrupt their system for a moment any of us should be able to take them down, and also being on the lookout for Cockroach.”

“Sleepy and myself will also be keeping our original role.” She gestured at herself. “Backline fire support. We are going to be a prime target, but if they tunnel on to us the rest of you can and should capitalize on it. Furthermore, any Marker Light targets are going to be followed up on with prejudice. Otherwise, I’ll keep hammering away at Goose and anyone else that steps out of position.”

“Lastly, as Cadet Twilight mentioned we have zero intel of what we are going to be dropped in on. So be prepared for anything from a dust bowl to an active combat zone with a third faction. And don’t expect the Professor to allow things to maintain as a simple combat exercise, as Cadet Mema-Ka pointed out. So be prepared to adapt. Our enemies might turn into our allies out there after all.”

She would give everyone a few moments to digest everything she had laid out. In truth it wasn’t terribly different from what she had originally proposed. Just with added detail, and a broader understanding of what they were up against. Too rigid of a plan and it would collapse, as Griff was clearly attesting too. But not enough of a plan was just as detrimental.

“If anyone has anything to add to the tactical discussion. Do so now. Otherwise, we should meet back up at T-Five at the VR stations. Until then, you are all dismissed.”

She took a moment to add a few notes, and set an alarm on her Pad. She had a few things she wanted to take care of before the Training Mission started, and at least one she didn’t want to forget about, but she had something else to handle before all that.

Standing up once she was done. She moved over towards Griff and the Noble. “Do you two want to handle this with me as a mediator or should I go find the Lieutenant?” She would ask, her tone professional but clear that she wasn’t going to accept a third option. “I understand there is friction between you two. And for a valid reason. But I want this settled enough to not hinder any of us for the mission.”

Griff

He had not expected Arrish to seemingly step down without fighting back verbally, to some strange degree he felt a sense of disappointment, lack the young man before him have had his fighting spirit sucked out of him. It made Griff's own fighting spirit falter aswell, there was no bigger turn off for him than a man who couldn't hold his own physically or verbally. Even if he had not wanted to have any fight with Arrish before, he felt compelled to engage in any fight that got into his orbit. Unless said fight would put him in the brig for a week or it involved losing his pride as a warrior, a man and as an enjoyer of bodybuilding.

He already did regret some of the things he had said to Arrish, it left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it was definitely not a bro-move to call out how much his family sucked at some… disaster? Griff couldn't even remember what his family did to get labeled the "Duvalian Folly", but he had been far too hotheaded to spring back into action, and much like using his framewerk, fire all his weapons simultaneously at whomever ended up against him. Arrish wasn't a bad guy, Griff knew the redhaired noble wasn't really a bad guy... like Sparks. He had been a bit rash with his words. But Arrish had challenged his warrior soul in front of the entire room which had thankfully not Minerva in it. He would have felt so annoyed seeing her stupid but pretty smile.

And now he wasn't even sure what game Arrish was playing. Arrish had seemingly decided to bring up his dead friends, of all things he could bring up he had chosen that subject.

'What the heck are you going for now? Do you want an early grave so badly?!' He mentally lashed out, then shook his head to himself. What if he was genuinely curious? Well there was surely no harm in telling him. If he would try make fun of his dead buddies then he would punch him.

"What's it to you, huh? Their names were Lohann Wayson, Aria Louss, Enlai Ryan and Charmine Le Greif. Three of them died in that stupid battle on that backwater planet and my best buddy is MIA. All because some smartypants guy couldn't be versatile and get out of formation to help his comerades." Griff said with gritted teeth his hands tightened into fists, shaking as they were. Then his attention moved to Aurora which he actually took the time to listen to, although with a scornful pout on his face and crossed arms.

His temper gradually began to cool down as he listened, her plan involved him being able to go freely after Minnie and that stupid squid. Oh and Ava. The girl who was surely hiding her abs under that suit of hers. Her being formerly higher rank than most of them. It was almost his full list of prefered opponents, save for Sparks. The one man he couldn't allow to under any circumstances to win a mock battle, no no. Even letting Minerva win would be less painful to face. That guy was his nemesis. Liking computers? Check. Stealthing cowardly framewerk? Check. Stupid 2d girlfriend without abs in his frame? Also check. He couldn't have that man win, his smugness would be too much to handle, and Griff knew his fist would slip and then that meant undetermined time in the brig.

"We go with your plan four- Aurora right?, I think it doesn't suck. My talk with ARRISH DUVAL who has a great resume is over. Let's go with your plan okay? I think it may work..." He gave off a softer scoff, his nose rising high almost to the ceiling as he looked away from the redhaired noble.

Zel-Ghin

While having gotten sold earlier at Minerva's plan, he had nontheless listened to Ava's plan, which seemed like a solid and good choice too. As far as he was concerned anyhow. He couldn't help but snicker when Ava stated that 'Team Apple has a more troublesome rear'. He held one hand before his mouth to try his best to conceal his amusement. His eyes momentarily taking in the sight of the three women in the room, first Minerva who carried herself in a manner which made her almost seem… divine. He was uncertain how to feel about that. She wasn't his usual type. But the way she carried herself made him willing to cast a few minor preferences aside. While he was looking forwards to have some fun in the upcoming mock battle, he was already thinking of hitting on each of the women. They all had their strong points.

Minerva held some regality, conviction and made him feel conflicted. A curious case. Then there were Ava who seemed like the type who probably needed a kiss more than anyone else on the ship, she also were a pretty one but with a more by the book way of speaking. 'Mmm… little thing could use a kiss or two to get away from the boring everyday military work no doubt.' He softly mused in his head as his eyes wandered over to Serah. That was the cute one. The little pretty on his current team. While his encounter with Elora had not gone exactly as he would have preferred, perhaps things would go alot smoother with that one? She had at least taken the lollipop offered unlike Elora who had forgotten it. That already showed more promise.

What would he do about Elora? She did seem like alot of work. She was pretty and her personality tickled his curiousity, however if she would prove to be too bothersome then no doubt his time would be better spent with others which would accept his gifts offered. His mind then momentarily landed on Stella. He had no interest in Stella however, as that one was a machine. He did enjoy videogames as much as the other guy, but that was not a game he was willing to play. Machines lacked the ability to show emotions in a way that appealed to him. His mind then fell on Aurora, the glasses wearing girl on the other team. She too were a pretty one. He was certainly in luck, but he wasn't certain what to make of that one yet, as he had not had the opportunity to listen or speak with her. Other than just hearing her call for her teammates. A project for later like everything else. He would find the best kisser amongst them. He wasn't interested in seemingly competing with his brother over the lieutenant's attention however and decided to leave that one be.

As Minerva had decided to get behind Ava's plan, Zel-Ghin decided to follow suit. "I also support this plan. Sounds like fun. My brother pilots the Raptor, a transforming framewerk which makes use of high speed, grappling hooks, drones and strong kicks. While he isn't on par with my skills, he's not to be taken lightly." The teal-haired young man smirked and stuck a lollipop into his mouth, putting the wrapper in his pocket, his eyes momentarily wandering to Serah, taking in her face from profile view. 'Such a cute girl. I hope I will be able to kiss her before my time runs out... we are all playing time trials.' He thought and closed his eyes momentarily. There was no use thinking too far ahead, the future could be wiped out in seconds after all, especially now when they were doing what they were made to do. His eyes also landed on Stella and Sparks momentarily before looking straight ahead at nothing.

'He's not human. He might appear to be. But under the skin, flesh and bone. He is a weapon which is meant to be used and then discarded. For the end result we are striving for gentlemen will justify whatever means necessary to bring it about. Crushing the Galactic Federation...' The words of one of those lab coat wearing men's voices echoed in his memory, in his dreams… always there reminding him of what he were. Even if he himself didn't even know all the details himself.