Psyker Landshark

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

"Urgh!" Reisa's voice came across, pained. It seemed at least one of Esben's shots had made contact and penetrated her armor. "Worthless wretch!" In an instant, the Ruby Weapon's left hand claw came up to seize Esben, clutching the SEED in its grip. It slammed Esben down into the platform hard, leaving him laid out flat. The talon rose, Reisa intent on finishing the job, only for a sonic boom to crash into the Ruby Weapon's chest. Twice.

Galahad's blows left it reeling, and Eliane's follow-up barrage left miniaturized explosions across the warmachina's shattered form, barely holding together at this point. Damage reports clogged Reisa's display within the Ruby Weapon's cockpit, the Valheimr captain clutching a gunshot wound in her side with one hand. Her remaining hand slammed down on her console in frustration before pressing a button on the side and reaching for a gunsaber. At this point, it was undeniable that the machine was done for. From here, it was a matter of seeing if the Ruby Weapon had weakened the Kirins enough for her to finish the job-

Movement in her peripheral vision as the cockpit opened. Reisa whirled around, her gunsaber coming up just in time to parry Chisato's blow, crimson aether welling around her. She snarled, forcing the shinobi back with a shove, and turned to face the others-

-Just in time for a magically-enhanced Izayoi to come surging in, screaming bloody murder in her berserk state as her blade planted itself into Reisa's stomach, her enhanced speed and strength giving her enough momentum to carve through Reisa's aether and armor. An object in motion didn't stop immediately, however, and Izayoi's charge took both of them off of the Ruby Weapon and the platform completely, the samurai furiously throttling Reisa with her bare hands in midair as they plummetted down to the unforgiving ground below...

"Izayoi!" Neve screamed, eyes wide as Eve cursed. "Damn it!"

Black and white mage looked to each other, and the platform's rate of acceleration increased, the Kirins' stomachs lurching as the mages attempted to descend as quickly as possible without completely unbalancing everyone. Meanwhile, bereft of propulsion and control, the wreckage of the Ruby Weapon went tumbling to the ground in the opposite direction.

"We can't speed up any more without getting everyone killed! You have to save her!" A expectant stare towards Galahad especially.

___

Down in Brightlam, Valon panted for breath with a devil's grin as he faced Zacharias down. The traitor dragoon looked worse for wear, to be certain, and the majority of his men were laid out across the bough, dead or dying. But Zacharias was barely standing, leaning on his staff as he bled from half a dozen wounds.

The Ruby Weapon crashing down from the sky drew both of their attention, however, and it was impossible for anyone in the battle to ignore when it detonated in midair, a shimmer of gold well away from its trajectory.

"One job, and she couldn't even get that right...!" Valon swore in frustration, taking a moment to survey the battlefield. No matter how much he had Zacharias dead to rights at the moment, most of the invasion was either stalled or routing, with Zacharias having diverted the majority of his personal guard to shore up the defenses. That alone had decided a few crucial chokepoints, and Valon hadn't been able to kill him quickly enough to mitigate the damage. As it stood, there was no point in killing the Grovemaster if it drove the defenders into a frenzy to slay him in response. Especially not with most of his men dead or fleeing.

"You win this round, old man. Tell you what: we both know I can still kill you out of spite, even if your boys will skewer me after. So let me and what's left of the assault force withdraw in good order, and I'll let you live another...oh, I'll give it three years. Decrepit bastard. Win-win, eh?"

Zacharias lifted his head weakly, a baleful glare fixed on Valon...and nodded.

Falling Skies

CMDR SAGAN "VULTURE" KODOS

Everyone seemed to be more or less falling in line. Good. He didn't mind dealing with bitching and moaning, but it was the principle of the matter. Regardless, Sagan clapped his hands together as things fell into place.

"Right, blackout plan it is. Ensign, keep trying to get other units on the horn for the other ops. Just because we're best suited for this one doesn't mean the Helldogs don't need support, or that I don't want to know what the Coalies're up to. If the Ghost that found the objective can't be assed, get the other one on the horn. Don't bother with the jarheads, they're not suited for this kind of op."

His gaze passed over each member of the unit, a scowl fixing itself onto his face.

"Move, people! He said you've got ten, which means we're oscar mike in exactly ten. Commie, we'll go over this once we're closer to being on-site."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar and Fleuri

Final adjustments. One last fitting, and the armor of the knight of the Midnight Hunt would be his to wear. It had taken days for Candaeln’s resident smith to go over the armor to his liking and determine that it wouldn’t have any ill effects should it be donned. Then came the reforging and refitting. And all that was left were a few loose straps.

Or at least, there would have been, if Renar didn’t enter the smithy and see someone ahead of him in line already. A frown came across his face as he beheld who it was. Of course. It seemed the esteemed Sir Fleuri just couldn’t help but keep getting in his way. How typical.

”Ought I return after midday meal, then?” Renar forced civility into his tone, leaning against the doorway. ”I was led to believe the queue was relatively free.”
“I thought so too, but it looks like he’s not ready for me either,” Fleuri replied as he turned to Renar. “You could probably come back later, but I can’t guarantee that some other knight won’t show up and take your spot in the queue.”
Fleuri typically sought to avoid Renar around Candaeln, as the other Iron Rose had made clear his dislike for Fleuri. They had to work together, so it was best to just not risk making things worse, he had reasoned.
”Blasted dwarf.” Renar grumbled, electing to stay where he was with a huff. ”He’d insisted on alterations to the armor once he’d gotten his hands upon it as well. I suspect he just wanted the chance to work with fey iron, for whatever value that has.”

His gaze shifted back towards Fleuri, questioning.

”And what brings you here, then? I’d not seen you take excessive injury during the fracas with the Midnight Hunt, so that rules out necessity. Vanity, then? As I am?” A humorless smile crossed the bastard’s face. ”And here I thought you’d ‘reformed’ to be a man of faith.” Renar goaded, suddenly discovering newfound entertainment value in this conversation.
“This matter of mine goes back further than our run-in with the Midnight Hunt,” Fleuri answered earnestly. “After the mission to Fort Daelantine, I had a feeling that we’d be facing increasingly higher stakes and deadlier foes in the coming days. So, some time before that unexpected business with Merilia, I spoke to Ardor about crafting me some new equipment, something that’d be a step up from the weaponry and armor that I scraped together with my tournament winnings. To my knowledge, he should be nearly finished with it.” He was unsure whether Renar’s aim was just to goad him or if he sought an honest answer.
”You speak as though the purse for winning a tourney isn’t substantial. Unless you frittered most of it away in your earlier years.” Renar needled, that old jealousy of his always managing to make it to the fore whenever he spoke to Fleuri. Not that he tried to suppress it much.

”Regardless, I was doing much the same. That knight of the Midnight Hunt I faced cost me my favorite trophy. It was only fair that I take everything he left behind in turn.” He shifted, still wearing the cloak he’d ripped from said trapper’s body. The flame effect had largely died down after a few days, though sparks and embers still rippled on occasion.

”Ardor hadn’t been pleased until he’d determined the armor was safe to don, though his tone shifted considerably once he did. About time, really. I tire of ill-fitting plate. An Iron Rose’s stipend still isn’t enough for a bespoke set of armor, though I find the spoils of war suit me better.”

“Claiming trophies from the Midnight Hunt. It seems wild that we have reached that point," Fleuri remarked, continuing to ignore Renar’s jabs. Just a few months ago he would never imagine that they’d be where they were today, honed with the aid of a Witch and victorious over the Midnight Hunt.

”Perhaps it does.” Renar allowed himself to agree with Fleuri for once with a shrug. ”I would have called such idle fantasies of the deluded not half a year ago.” He was strong before, to be certain. Everyone in the Iron Rose had to be, to even be recruited. But now? The captain’s personal retinue seemed on the path to becoming legend in their own right. A shame he had to share it with such personalities as Fleuri.

”You were a tourney champion before, o Flower.” Renar gave a mocking bow. ”Imagine how much less strenuous the task would be now, after all this training and experience we’ve been granted. Ah, but you’ve sworn off such things, I’d forgotten~” Of course he hadn’t forgotten.

"Not...entirely," Fleuri admitted. "Haizea, head of the Reonite Church, has a habit of jumping into tournaments when the opportunity presents itself, and I reckon she would have some stern words for me if I were to suggest that complete abstinence from tourneys is the Reonite way. Nothing wrong with an Iron Rose taking part in festivities as long as it doesn't interfere with their duties, but such an opportunity has not yet arisen since I joined."

In theory, Fleuri could probably request leave to travel to and from a tournament, but with how things were escalating with the thefts of the Shards of Angroron, it wouldn't feel right to potentially not be on call the next time the Roses were needed.

"What about you, Sir Renar?" he asked. "If we're in Candaeln the next time there's a tournament in Aimlenn, would you be participating, as unexciting as it might be compared to battling the Midnight Hunt?"
”You do recall my entire spiel I had regarding such privileges when last we spoke in any great detail?” Renar fixed Fleuri with the sort of incredulous look one gave to a particularly dimwitted child that had just asked the most obvious of questions.

”Of course I will be, so long as the tourney warrants the time. The only reason I’ve not done so thus far is thanks to how middling the opportunities have been when we’ve not been on deployment. What, were you intending on doing the same?”

Fleuri raised an eyebrow at Renar's frustrated response- he had wondered since their last conversation if Renar hated what tournaments represented- opportunities for prestige and upward mobility restricted to those already of high social class- enough to forgo taking part in them, or if he truly wished to compete.

"Certainly, it wouldn't be very Reonite of me to not follow in the example of her representative, would it?" he joked. "In all seriousness though, there are old associates and rivals I haven't seen in a while, and I'd like to face off against them again, find out just how far I've come since joining the Roses. I wonder how much stronger they've gotten since I last saw them. What about you, Sir Renar? Any rivals you're looking to face off against while all of Aimlenn is watching? With the way you pretended to play nice with me to goad Felix into a duel at the ball, I'm guessing you're not finished with your half-brothers."

There was no reason not to inform him.

”You.” Renar said simply, maintaining the exact same tone implying that Fleuri was an utter simpleton.

”My half-brothers would be a feather in my cap, to be certain. Though Felix is worthless, as you and half of Thaln’s collective aristocracy have seen now. But the Flower of the North?” Renar gave a crooked smirk.

”I daresay defeating you would be more than enough to catapult my name into the higher echelons of power. So do keep yourself in good condition, yes? I want nothing to mar our inevitable duel whenever we should have another tourney.”

Renar's answer made Fleuri realize just how differently they viewed the tournaments. With all the time he had spent near or at the top, his tournament aspirations fulfilled or cast aside, Fleuri had come to focus more on the personal side of rivalries. Sometimes even winning the tournament would sometimes be secondary to the goal of obtaining a rematch against a specific foe. For an up-and-comer like Renar, however, ambitions of championship yet unfulfilled, his eyes would be firmly on the prize- the prize in this case being the reputational boon of defeating a past tournament champion. Whether or not Renar’s dislike for Fleuri further fueled this aspiration, he couldn't say.

"I'll do my best, but when the day comes I hope they put us on the furthest brackets apart," Fleuri replied. "I've got a few rematches to fight, a tiebreaker or two to resolve, before I'll be ready to be eliminated."

”Tch.” Renar refrained from expressing any more disdain past that, his eyes narrowing. ”Do as you wish before that. Then face me with all you have, nothing held in reserve. I will match you, surpass you, and throw my victory into the face of all who ever denied me my due.”

A call from inside the forge. Renar raised an eyebrow.

”But enough of that. Seems it’s to be your turn with Ardor. Go, get on with it.”

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Suspended in midair against the ever-expanding dome of pure magic, Izayoi howled and raged as she struggled to hold the tide back, her muscles straining to press her sword down against Ultima for just one more moment. But even she had to acknowledge in the end that any further effort was futile and obliged Galahad’s request, grabbing onto his halberd before his materia pulled it back along with herself.

Izayoi returned to the group just in time for Miina, Rudolf, and Leviathan’s collective shields to wash over the party. And it wasn’t a moment too soon before Ultima, unrestrained by the sword clashing against it, washed over the Kirins.

The triple layer of shielding was the only reason they lived, with Chisato being ever so slightly better off thanks to the layer of aetheric shadow she’d surrounded herself with. Even with it, Ultima’s light left severe aether burns and gashes in its wake, utterly decimating the airship deck they were standing on. Even as the party began to fall into the hold, they could see Reisa’s flagship crashing into the Ruby Weapon, the resulting explosion taking out the remainder of the below airship, even as the flames washed across what remained of their shields.

Up above, while Ultima itself hadn’t reached Esben and Eliane’s failing aetherskimmer, the shockwave from the spell killed what life the engine had left, sending the vehicle down in a tailspin in the Kirins' direction.

They were all falling, even as the Ruby Weapon emerged from the explosion, the vast majority of its armor blown off and its thrusters barely clinging to life to maintain a hover downward. Even so, its elongated arms remained intact and it was approaching ever closer to the Kirins in freefall. At this point, it was a matter of whether the ground or Reisa would kill them first…

"Get in close!" A familiar voice to most of the group rang out. Eve, in full Trance, surged up in the air on Bahamut’s wings, leveling out just below the group and casting her hands wide, Neve hanging off her back.

Golden light gathered beneath her and around the Kirins, the former coalescing into a solid magical platform while the latter slowed their fall to a survivable level. The Kirins landed, and were afforded a few seconds to catch their breath as the platform began to drop at a manageable speed.

"Oh divine Mother," Neve leapt off of Eve, touching down on the platform in the Kirins' midst. "Grant succor to these weary wanderers! Healing Wind!" The limit break wafted over the Kirins, restoring a measure of their wounds and stamina. Not in full, but still enough to keep them in the fight.

With that, Neve planted her staff into the platform, joining Eve in channeling aether to sustain it.

"You have to finish it!" Eve yelled as Ruby Weapon came level with the descending platform, talons raised.
"We can't maintain this and cast at the same time!"

"Still you survive?!" Reisa seethed over her warmachina's speakers, the weapon raising a claw. "Even should it cost us the invasion and the entire force, you must be stopped! In Valheim's name, I will end you!"

"GRAAAAAAH!" Izayoi had no more use for words at this point, and simply surged at the Ruby Weapon in one more berserker charge, readying a battojutsu strike.

After Era Mythos

I've been around, I just thought you were starting from what you said.

Former Shikikan, Current Writer

Hello to the lovely people of the forum. My username is UMP45 Respecter, but feel free to call me whatever you like. I'm a 30 year old man from the US, and I've been writing since I was in elementary school; I picked up RP as a hobby in high school. My tastes lean towards science fiction (particularly military science fiction) and horror (especially if it involves monsters/creatures). If the two happen to intersect, I'm a very happy camper and odds are I will enjoy every second of the action. As one might guess from my username I'm a big fan of UMP45/Leva (still getting used to that name for her) from Girls' Frontline, and I hold her near and dear to my heart.

My hobbies include reading (though audiobooks are an absolute godsend at work), listening to music and podcasts, and playing video games (currently playing Helldivers II and Starship Troopers: Extermination), and thanks to my tastes in media, I'm something of an armchair gun guy, and odds are I can identify what weapons are used in movies.

I hope I can get along with everyone and find new friends. ☺️

@UMP45 Respecter

do your gunsmoke hits, SKK

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

The Ruby Weapon’s talons were evaded and counterattacked in turn, the machine left reeling from Rudolf and Chisato’s combined assault on the legs. Black flame ate away armor plating while Chisato’s entire arsenal of explosives outright blew away the remaining protection around the ankle. Then the momentary glimmer of Rudolf’s sword sliced clean through.

Bereft of most of its right leg, the warmachina collapsed to one knee as Galahad went for a shoulder and Izayoi sprinted up a retracting talon to resume attempting to carve her way to Reisa. The dragoon’s strike managed to wrench off a portion of the Ruby Weapon’s thruster armor before a claw reached up to attempt to backhand him off. It only managed one strike before Miina’s repeated Thunders began playing havoc with its exposed internals, causing the Weapon to lock up for a brief moment, Izayoi continuing to howl like a banshee as she slammed her katana into one of the giant mech’s eyes.

Reisa maneuvered her machine’s other arm to force Izayoi to retreat back down to the deck, and she engaged the speakers while queueing a command with furious taps within the cockpit.

”Enough! Engaging spell matrix! Incantation hypertune: Dying light, rend my sword and sing in shadow!”

Aether began to well up around the Ruby Weapon in absurd quantities, outright ripping it from the space around them. Those more magically attuned of the Kirins could literally feel life itself start to become unsustainable in the immediate space around the warmachina, the deck of the airship warping and rending in real time. All the while, the flagship came directly down on a collision course.

___

Esben’s hijacked aetherskimmer managed to croak its engine to life, and they were off. The flying machine was nowhere near the speed it had been previously, but it was enough to safely see the two Skaelers off the flagship as what Valheimr remained on it either rushed for their own aetherskimmers in a mad scramble for survival, or simply braced for their imminent demise.

Of course, once they were up in the air, they were witness victim to what came next:
___

”From the deepest pit of the seven hells to the very pinnacle of the heavens, the world shall tremble! ULTIMA!!” The spell completed as the flagship was about to make impact, and a wave of raw aether surged out from the Ruby Weapon, set to envelop the Kirins in its baleful light, even as the flagship made contact with the mech’s armor.

For her part, even as the surge of death came rushing towards, Izayoi did not waver. Another scream came from the top of her lungs as she sheathed her sword, crouching down.

”No magic, no gambit, will save you from mine blade, even if it would mean my death!” She dashed forward, unsheathing in the blink of an eye and breaking her limits in a single great whirling cleave.

”Shin-Zantetsuken!” Izayoi’s blade crashed against Ultima, and the samurai general roared in defiance as she struggled against the spell of legend, buying precious seconds for the remainder of the Kirins to brace themselves and respond.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Aboard the flagship...

The alarm sounded as Esben took the controls, plated footsteps already starting to grow ever closer to the doorway. Soon enough, the first group of Valheimr rushed for the door, swords and pistols drawn.

"They have the bridge! How in the hells did they seize it?!"
"Focus!"
"What the-CHAINGUN! TAKE COVER!"

Esben lurching the cruiser into motion unbalanced the rushing soldiers, who varyingly lost their balance. The ungainly ship of the line locked in on a heading aimed straight for the Ruby Weapon, though the question remained of whether or not it would stay locked into position, considering how quickly it had been moving earlier...

___

Ruby Weapon

A mocking laugh emanated from the warmachina's speakers as Izayoi's blade merely bounced off of its chest armor.

"Has vengeance dulled every last one of your wits, Emperor's Demon? Truly, domesticity has ruined you." Izayoi snarled, barely even registering the taunt as she caught herself with one hand against the Ruby Weapon's chestplate, using it as leverage to clamber up and leap towards the head. She landed atop, slamming the tip of her katana down into the machine's cranium...only for this strike to ping off uselessly as well. It seemed that even the head was well-protected. Undeterred, Izayoi started to attempt to carve her way through the armor plating, sinking her sword in as best as she was able.

Down below, Miina's Libra spell returned a surprising wealth of information. Firstly, Reisa was exactly where she'd suspected: in the Ruby Weapon's head, currently under a fruitless assault from her cousin. Secondly, the armor plating covering it didn't afford full coverage. Whether it was due to cost, haste, or simply accounting for range of movement, there were numerous areas around the joints that were less heavily-plated and therefore much more vulnerable to attack.

Rudolf would notice that his strike wasn't just enhanced with his passenger's blackflame. For the briefest of moments, whatever binding shackled his greatsword loosened just enough that he didn't only just strike true: he struck hard. The Shilage's swing tore through the plating on the Ruby Weapon's left ankle, unbalancing it such that Galahad easily redirected its swipe and Chisato's bombs did real structural damage.

"Ngh!" Reisa grunted in annoyance, tapping away at damage readouts within the Weapon's cockpit. "Enough of this, gnats!" A brief burst of magic originating from the Ruby Weapon's head knocked Izayoi off, sending her tumbling to the deck. Meanwhile, the warmachina extended its hands, the individual talons on its shooting out to target each of the other Kirins assailing it. They embedded themselves into the deck, retracted, and then shot out again and again, aiming to impale.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Reisa observed the fight from aboard the flagship, peering through a spyglass. A flaming cyclone engulfed the ship that the Kirins were facing Valon and company on, and she frowned beneath her helm.

"Abort all safety checks. I'm deploying the project." She turned to her aide-de-camp, who snapped up in a salute, stuttering.

"M-ma'am?"

"You heard me, soldier. Inform the engineers that I'll be making my way down to the hangar shortly."

___

Ranbu no Izayoi

"Cute," Valon grinned in response to Rudolf's taunt, cockily letting himself get swept up in the banter. "Otto never mentioned you managed to grow a working pair of balls-"

Rudolf stomped down, locking Valon's lance long enough to thrust with his rondel. Enhanced by black flame, the dagger pierced through Valon's gorget, though an instinctual jerk back saved the traitor's life. He snarled, a plated fist coming up to smash into Rudolf's jaw and floor him before he knelt, one hand raised to staunch the flow of blood the cut had made.

"Alright, I'll give you credit: got me good there. My fault for taking you lightly." Valon grinned ruefully, picking his lance back up. The other hand came down, and it seemed the flow of blood from Valon's punctured gorget had already been somehow staunched. He leapt back just in time to evade Galahad's kick, amusement returning to his expression.

"Well, Good Ser Caradoc, how's it feel that Istvan Shilage's worst runt has been contributing more than you in this battle so far? Care to change that anytime soon?" A glow of crimson aether seeped into his eyes as his knees bent, preparing to jump.

Meanwhile, Miina and Chisato's combined efforts lit no few Valheimr soldiers ablaze, embers spreading from the volcano and cooking them within their black armor. Soldiers screamed, rolled along the deck, and in the case of some too far gone, outright leapt over the railing. Izayoi surged through those least affected, her blade barely a glint of light as she took full advantage of their distraction to tear through their ranks. The faster she was done with this, the sooner they could focus on Valon...!

Up above, Esben's outmanuevering of one skimmer before Elly sent the other crashing eliminated both of their aerial pursuers, leaving the two free to start hunting down the remainder of the Valheimr air support unmolested...

...Or they would have, at least, had a thundering boom not erupted from the flagship, distracting everyone from the battle at hand.

A crimson glow dropped like a meteor from the flagship, gaining speed as it plunged to the surface below. Leviathan and Siren, both leaking aether like sieves from their battle wounds, coiled around each other in a grapple for supremacy, looked up from their struggle just in time for the red comet to hurtle through the both of them. A claw grappled each serpent, scaled and formless water alike, up by the neck before gaining height.

Finally, the streak began to slow as it ascended, revealing its true form as it leveled out above the airship the Kirins were fighting on. A titanic warmachina, sinewy flesh and bone plated in blood crimson and tall enough that the average man barely came up to its ankle, hovered over the deck. Its claws clenched, and both Eidolons of water, true and false alike, collapsed, dissipating into aether that was absorbed into the monstrous machine. If one looked closely enough, they could see the speck of blood in its left claw: all that remained of Siren.

"Lieutenant, take your forces and make for the surface. I will finish this here." Reisa's voice, distorted through machinery and sound amplification, boomed from the machina's head, to which Valon could only sigh.

"And here I was, just starting to have fun. Ah, well. Happy hunting then, Captain. Hussars, we're going headhunting! Double pay to anyone who guts the old man first!" Valon and his false dragoons quickly made for the surface, with the former simply leaning over the edge of the airship before letting himself fall backwards, a two-fingered salute shot out towards the Kirins before his form fell out of sight.

With that out of the way, the construct's head turned back to survey the Kirins, noting the decimation of the Valheimr ranks aboard. Izayoi's pupils dilated as she heard Reisa's voice, animalistic rage starting to enter her tone.

"REISA! You think to hide yourself from us within that shell?! I will tear you out, piece by piece, and carve bloody vengeance with mine own two hands!" She screamed, her sword glistening with blood.

"Be honored, barbarian scum. His Imperial Grace has deemed the threat you pose enough to unleash this Ruby Weapon upon you." The warmachina, touching down on the deck. "Your quest ends here and now, adventurers! Come! BEAR WITNESS TO THE GLORY OF VALHEIM!"

The Ruby Weapon spread its claws out wide, and Izayoi charged, leaping up to bring her sword down onto its chest with a bloodcurdling howl.

Falling Skies

CMDR SAGAN "VULTURE" KODOS

"Breathe, Ensign." Sagan sighed at Dole's jittery demeanor, far too used to dealing with fresh meat straight out of the academy at this point. "No one's gonna bite your head off for stuttering. Alright, people, let's hear it. Opinions?" He rubbed his chin, considering the options while listening to everyone else weigh in. No sense in speaking his mind as the CO before all the options were on the table.

Once Leah was done, Sagan nodded to himself, finally deigning to voice his thoughts.

"Right, that's everyone accounted for. At least one vote for each. Well, maybe a half for the blackout. Regardless, if this were a democracy, we'd be Coalies. Now, let's see here:" He brought up a tactical display of their current operational area of Gelcastre, starting to point each operation zone out as he spoke.

"I know we'd all like to back up the Helldogs, but it's both not our mission and a bad use of limited resources: those being SOF units. Reroute this to literally any other available ground force that can get it done."

His finger lingered over the outer districts next.

"Now, I hear you, Hex. I really do. You make good points, but the problem comes back to force allocation again. Are we damn sure there isn't a single infantry unit that can run this op? The way I see it, we're best suited as a unit to hit the industrial district, and it gets us at least somewhat closer to our actual mission objective. Now, Ensign," He turned back to the green boy, trying to be as disarming as he could manage.

"Who else've we got on call? At the very least, for knocking out the AA. I'm not holding my breath on being lucky enough to have infantry SOF assets in this AO already."