Cecilia pulled on her helmet and her harness, thoughtfully placed inside the cockpit by her crewmen. She was anxious, and one could tell from the crook in her brow. Most of these Panthers had only one op under their belts as a team, and they were already being thrust into the frying pan. Somehow, they'd have to overcome their lack of team cohesion in a matter of minutes, or get their asses handed to them by whatever was out there. Worse still, they had no idea what they were up against. Unlike a proper op, they were going in blind. Cecilia decided it'd be up to her to keep things organized. She sighed - she really ought to appoint herself a subordinate. 

The cockpit hatch closed overhead, and Cecilia strapped herself in. The glare of the monitors washed over her, informing her that her new Kirin was running up to par. She dipped the footpedals, sending the FRAME down the [i]Samigina's[/i] ramp and onto the streets of Hamarr. 

The moments prior to an engagement were critical. A team needed to position itself in the best avenue of attack, while minimizing risk. Obtaining fire superiority was the key to winning engagements, and in a dense urban jungle like Hamarr, that was no exception. The Panthers needed to get eyes on target and identify the threat, preferably before it could do the same. 

"Pair up," Cecilia voiced. "Watch each other's back. These streets are tight; it's easy to get caught with your pants down." She maneuvered behind a corner, peering with just the bare minimum of her FRAME's opticals exposed. The radar was dead so far, although her C3 suite marked the location of buildings and friendly FRAMEs. 

"Great, they're probably got jamming equipment active. If you've got ECM, do the same. Use your visuals." 

She ticked the thermal optic switch on the control panel and her main screen doused everything in a monochrome haze. The streetlights and windows, lit up in white, dotted her vision. More explosions could be heard a few streets away. Cecilia waved the Panthers forward, scooting around the corner of 31st and Highview. She scanned the adjacent streets and alleyways as they passed by, keeping up a vigilant guard. When she'd reached Bembroke Street, she peered around a commercial office, coming face to face with the barrel of an autocannon. 

[i]Fuck![/i] "Contact!!" Cecilia retreated back behind the building, raising her weapon and blind-firing around the corner to suppress the FRAMEs on the other side. Although he'd barely gotten a glimpse at them, she recognized the silhouette - [url=http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/be-j/cabinet/img58801185.jpg]XM5 Barghests[/url]. FRAME of choice for Perizian Union force recon units. These FRAMEs however, had no identifying markings on their chassis. Although there were only two down Highview, Cecilia had no doubt that there were plenty more, probably moving to take advantage of the confusion. 

"Spread out! Eyes on all sectors! We can't afford to get pinned down!"