The atmosphere was tense, but Robert felt as if a heavy load was removed from his shoulders. He wasn't going in combat. Considering his level of education, it was actually quite idiotic of him to think he would be engaged in combat with the best forces the Eu had to offer. Surely, Robert would be capable of simply lying his way into the base, and he was more than happy with the way things were developing. He would be an important member of the team, without having to risk as much. Perfect. Jack, or as the muscular man in the corner referred him, "Jake", seemed to be an excellent leader, but seemed a little... too willing to follow the general's orders. Then again, it was hypocritical of Robert to think like this. When he realized this, he stopped the line of thought quickly, and turned back to the task at hand.

"Thank you for clearing up that misunderstanding, General. I would be honored to be a part of this plan, and I agree with Miss Shiomi in that we should make preparations immediately."

Robert slowly closed his journal, which he had been doodling random numbers and symbols in an attempt to make those watching think he is smart. Robert began to speak once more, this time with a steadier and tired voice.

"If that is all... *Yawn* ...I believe we should begin to prepare. I will leave at your dismissal, General."

Robert smiled slightly, before closing his eyes. He was planning to immediately find his Knightmare and sneak a nap in the cockpit as soon as the meeting was adjourned.

While looking at the hologram of the Britannian base Fenrir thinks over the plan again and again in his mind. Silently he cracks his knuckles and looks at the General and Jack, "I agree with my betters General and master Jack and would like to ask that we be dismissed so we can prepare for combat." The corners of his lips turn up in a small smile as he thinks of the redemption he might be able to achieve and the privilege to work with the W-1 team.

Calmly he looks at Robert and in practiced French says, "J’ai hâte de travailler avec un scientifique de renom comme vous, Monsieur Robert. J’espère qu’un jour nous pourrons discuter un intérêt mutuel à un certain minéral spécial." He looks to the lovely Shiomi and smiles warmly.

"I hope our blades never cross on the field of battle Kage-hime and one day perhaps we can learn more of each-others' story." He says in nearly perfect Japanese and winks "We both serve the Six Houses of Kyōto in would seem and I hope your Lady is in good health."

The tallest man in the room turned to her, expressing interest in learning more about her and a little pleasant talk about her master, Lady Sumeragi. "My Lady is indeed safe and in fine health, thank you for your concern." Shimoi responded as she thought back to the last communication she had with her liege. There was not much she could do over in the Chinese Federation but she was being well taken care of and was safe from Britannia at the moment. The Chinese were not a power to be trifled with and Britannia was too busy fighting the European Union at the moment to try anything that could provoke war.

"For now, I only ask that you prove your worth on the battlefield. I can only pray that this will all lead to a time when my lady can return to Japan." Hopefully the Europeans would prove their worth to the Japanese cause.

"It is my duty to make sure you all are informed when you risk your lives on my orders. I would not send anyone out on a mission I myself would not undertake unless it is of vital importance. All of you are dismissed." Sho said simply as he take a drink from his tea. Jack himself was relieved that the whole thing was over as Garcia came over to Jack and grinned. "I'll make sure our people get out alive." Garcia said enthusiastically as he gave his commanding officer a thumbs up. "If anyone can make it out alive it is you my friend. Good luck and may Europa be ever victorious." Jack said as he grasped his partner's hand firmly and nodded at him. Garcia shook it firmly as he and the others left. Aoi was already on the phone with someone informing them to get the knightmare frames ready to send to the hidden docks. The information officers went up to all the respective members of the infiltration force and told them to meet them in the barracks when they were finished with any preparations they may need to make themselves. "If anyone needs me I'll be in the hanger bay!" Jack said to everyone still in the room before making his way out himself. He needed to make sure his Gloucester was ready for combat and that the other burai units were fitted with the most optimal gear so that they didn't lose any soldiers. Of course they'd know they were black knights but losing Intel to the enemy, and losing knightmares on top of that was an awful thought. Jack needed to make sure everyone was prepared.

As it seemed the meeting was over, Robert had risen to his feet, ready to dismiss himself, when a familiar sound reached his ears. It was said in a very unfamiliar accent, and the words ran together in some places, but it was clearly the same language he had grown up knowing. Turning slowly to it's point of origin revealed the man, Fenrir, uttering the language. Robert stood, a poker face etched across his features, before cracking a light smile. Robert had a feeling he knew what the man was talking about when he referred to a " special mineral". After all, Sakuradite was arguably the most valuable resource on earth, and the Britannian empire would not have it's glory had it not been for the miraculous material. In the earlier years of it's use, many were opposed to relying so heavily on such a rare mineral, but those were all but hushed in the face of the Knightmare Frames overwhelming superiority. Now, the empire and all major world powers were clambering to get their hands on the wonder material. Hell, the whole reason the second pacific war was even started was because of the damn rocks! Just goes to show you how far people were going to go in the name of science.

Robert had personally thought up several designs of "Solar-Powered Knightmares", but all designs were far too weak and unsuitable for military use, and as a result, were usually dropped halfway through development. Robert opened his mouth to speak.

"Merci pour le compliment, Muscles. Je suis impatient de travailler avec vous aussi. Rappelez-vous juste: Les informations classifiées sont un non-go. Je ne veux pas mourir. Si vous avez des questions, ou avez besoin de travail sur votre knightmare, juste dire le mot."

"Oh, and do work on your accent. It is rather lacking. Until then, goodbye everyone!"

Striding off rather comically down the corridor, lab coat tailing behind him, Robert began asking for directions to his room. Several long minutes passed, and Robert finally arrived in a rather plain bedroom, clearly built for practicality rather than comfort. Robert began to sort out his luggage, organize his room, and finally took a shower.

The meeting had been nerve-wracking, and a shower was definitely needed. Besides, Britannians were incredibly snobby when it cam to this sort of thing. It would simply be out of character if he showed up smelling like a "dirty eleven". After several minutes, and a set of new clothes, Robert through his journal onto his bed. There was no way in hell he was taking it somewhere so dangerous. Robert spent several seconds gazing at his bland pilot suit, questioning his actions in the future mission. He turned, leaving the suit behind, and donning a fresh lab coat.

It was time for business.

He gives Robert a polite little nod and chuckles to himself at the comment on his accent. Looking away as the scientist and his commander Jack leave the room he focuses on Shimoi. "Your lady will return to a better Japan miss Fuuka this I do swear." He gives her a small smile before standing and after addressing the general leaves.

The giant of a man makes his way through the throng of people and hops on the first elevator to the hangars and his sweet Fenris. He only stops to converse with an old Black Knight he had served with before making his way to his Sutherland.

Fenris, or the Great wolf as it's owner called it, was a specially modified Sutherland refitted for close combat with it's slash Harkens or its great jousting lance. Retrofitted with gloucester-like legs for faster mobility and he had taken to painting the machine's pauldrons a soft grey like that of a Britannian wolf's fur. Smiling he pats the machine's armoured leg "Best get you ready for either our best or most terrible mission to date bud."

After getting all the necessary arts and his lance together for transport and removing his signal beacon and replacing it with a Burai's Fenrir heads straight for his room. Small to some Fenrir's room offered him everything he needed for his books and a soft bed to a custom shower for him, strangely to him the Japanese didn't have tall shower heads, and he intended to take a quick shower to clen the grime for working and find his combat suit.

Due to the nature of the mission Shiomi would not be needing the services of her Glasgow, she would no doubt hitch a ride with someone to get close and then she would be left to her own devices as she assisted the infiltration, hijacked a knightmare for their forces, and of course, assassinated the Britannian pig. Shinomi stood up without a sound and listened intently to what the information offers had to say. The first matter of business, after the briefing, was to double-check all her equipment for the operation, weapons, poisons, hacking tools, and even a diving suit depending on where she would need to go.

The large European Union man gave courtesy to Lady Sumeragi with an oath and then he left to prepare. Perhaps these Europeans would be the people needed to make her wish a reality. She gave a small nod as he left and after the lecture proceeded to her own quarters.

Shiomi made her way toward her quarters to gather all the materials she needed. It was a very small room but it did have one little luxury to it, tatami mats, giving it a classic Japanese feeling. Because the room was so small she had to roll out a futon each time she wanted to sleep since a permanent bed would take up most of the room. None of this mattered of course as she was here only to gather her things. Taking a waterproof backpack she laid out each item on the floor and inspected it before either putting it on her person or in the bag for the mission. What ended up taking the most room was the wet suit, which would either be used on location or ditched to lighten the load.

Of course almost everything was black or dark in color to make it less noticeable. With everything in its proper place it was time to meet up with the squad before they headed off to battle.

Timeskip

====

Britannian Base Infiltration Team - Landing Area

The recon team had done an excellent job with all of their work and the team had managed to slip by Britannian patrols without much effort. They had arrived on a beach head and got into a Britannian Jeep with just enough room for all of their members including one extra member whom had been reassigned at the last moment in order to fulfill a possible need for hacking into any computers they may find in the base to find more manifestos about Britannian shipments. Inside of it was a create full of Britannian Military uniforms, and one lab coat uniform for Robert, complete with helmets and weapons. Two pistols, a sub machine gun, and a assault rifle. Garcia took care of handing out the weapons with the assault rifle going to himself as the role of Britannian Squad Captain as attached to his uniform, and gave the pistols out to Shiomi, and the Russian. The sub machine gun was given to Robert as a precautionary measure. The hacker had already gotten his weapon before leaving. After the group put on their uniforms Garcia took the driver's seat and had the hacker man the gun on the back of the jeep allowing the girls, and Robert to get in the passenger seats. "All hail the Emperor, and all that fine jazz right? Heh I feel like a regular career soldier. I could get use to being well fed, and well supplied." Garcia said oozing with sarcasm as he drove the jeep down a dirty road towards the nearby Britannian Base that was appearing in the distance. It looked like any standard base as expected and nothing out of the ordinary had shown up. "Remember no Japanese." Garcia quickly reminded everyone, but his comment with directed as Shiomi directly. "It won't be too much effort to get in. However as a suggestion to you Mister Robert. Keep your head down or put something on your head. We don't need people seeing our faces." the Hacker grumbled.

====

The Assault Team:

Jack sat in his Gloucester tapping his hands on the control stick all systems booted up and all scans had provided green lights for all systems. His only directive to his members had been to be patient and ready for whatever comes next. "We're sitting ducks out here in the ocean but remember people if everything goes right we'll be directly facing trained Britannian suits. Kill them and leave the pity for the bleeding hearts. They're murdering the Russians, and they're crushing the remaining Japanese under their heels. Oppressors like them will not give you any mercy so why show any in return." Jack flatly stated as he took a mental note of how it must suck to be in the Britannian Marine Corps. The vessels they were in were being directed, and driven by Aoi's team but were still tightly compact, and left little room for maneuverability. It was single file out of the craft, and onto the landing zone. The knightmare frames were lined up against the walls of the spacious carriers bought off the black market from the Chinese Federation's peninsula. It showed as the things creaked, and were not very well washed from the looks of the inside. Must've been old models sold off to make a profit from corrupt Britannian Military Officers who didn't care where their equipment went to. "Dead Britannians the only good Britannian boss. I ain't no murderer but I make exceptions for them." said one of Jack's old squad mates a german from the Russian Front. Good man and had a lot of experience. Prime soldier and he'd die before he surrendered.

The infiltration went almost too well. Of course, Robert did look exactly like a Britannian, so it was to be expected. Then again, it was truly remarkable how General Sho was able to obtain these uniforms. Robert smiled absentmindedly, lightly tracing his hand over the white cloth of his lab coat. Even in a foreign, hostile area, he still had a lab coat to keep him comfort. The uniforms authenticity, coupled with the average incompetence of a Britannian, resulted in the group easily passing by any patrols they encountered. The jeep they were inside bumped along the landing area, causing Robert to feel slightly nauseous. As he grumbled, a decently-sized weapon was placed into Robert's hands, and he looked longingly at the pistols being deposited next to the others. Robert leaned over to the Shiomi and the Russian, before quietly making a remark.

"I have no damn clue how this thing works. Anyone want to trade?"

If one of them did, then Robert would take the pistol, before sliding into an inner pocket of his lab coat. If not, he would whine a little, and sit with the sub machine gun in his lap. Either way, he would constantly look over his shoulder, expecting a Britannian to be feet away, weapons drawn. Garcia made a rather amusing comment, and Robert chuckled heartily.

"It's just like the EU military, except you have less of a chance to be shot on sight, and it smells nicer!"

Robert laughed heartily, before quickly stopping as the base came into view in the distance. Say what you want about Britannia, it sure as hell knows how to build a base... or they have much more funding than Robert had initially predicted. Garcia, or as Robert liked to refer to him, Joker, reminded the group to not speak Japanese. Robert smiled slightly. Of all the languages he knew, Japanese was his weakness, and his accent and poor pronunciation shined through as if uninhibited. Comparatively, however, his English was incredibly proficient, mainly due to the incredible concentration of Knightmare schematics being written in the language. Robert was confident he could fake his way in, and blame any mistakes he made as simply being stationed in area eleven for too damn long. Following the hackers advice, Robert grabbed one of the helmets, gently lowering it over his face. While his peripheral vision suffered slightly, and he looked just like these idiots running all over the base, he was much less recognizable. While Robert didn't know the extent of his reputation, the Britannians were not people someone could take risks with.

The jeep soon slowed to a stop, and Robert stepped out immediately, a little carsick. He had already decided to act like a perfectly loyal and subservient Britannian dog, following the orders of his "Commander", Garcia. All he had to do now was make his way into a heavily guarded Britannian military base, successfully hack into the enemy Knightmares, and escape without being pumped full of lead and murderlation. No pressure or anything.

Due to the method of entering the compound, Shiomi was able to leave behind a lot of the extra equipment she had brought, like the wet suit. She had some reservations on just entering though the front gate in disguise, not that she couldn't do it but the plain fact that after the Princess Massacre it was even less likely for Japanese to be part of the Britannian military. To make this successful she had to draw as little attention to herself as possible, so she made sure to hide her hair under the helmet and cover her face as much as possible while riding in the jeep.

The talkative Garcia told them not to speak Japanese, Shiomi did not have to be reminded. It was a bit rude of him but considering he was just trying to make sure the mission was successful it was easy to let it slide, not that it mattered anyway. As the only Japanese in the infiltration group she had already decided to let the others handle all the talking, she was only there to make sure they made it to their objectives alive and of course assassinate the enemy commander.

She glanced over at Robert when he offered to trade the sub machine gun and considered the trade for only the briefest of moments. "As speed is of the essence I cannot afford to carry such a cumbersome weapon. The pistol will suit my needs." As great as the extra firepower could be considering her role in the operation she needed to draw as little attention to herself as possible. She already had all the equipment she needed for the mission.

For now she would stay with the group and remain as silent as possible until she found an appropriate time to infiltrate the compound and complete her mission. Of course the primary objective came first.

Fenrir relaxed slightly in his Sutherland as he looks over technical reports from his knightmare's internal systems. He ha been posistioned near the back of the assault group and was rather calm about not being the the front where, if the infiltration failed, the knightmares would be sitting ducks. He maded sure his gun was locked and loaded then looked down at the silver colored jousting lance resting on the floor beside him and smiled. Flipping on his comms he signals to Jack, " If I might ask sir, how much longer till we begin the battle?"
The seasoned pilot was anxious for battle and the thrill of stopping a massacre before it began. He remembered the "Safe zone" Incident and sighed heavily. That battle had really opened his eyes to the way things happened in his old home and he was beginning to resent it. Yet here he was, a Britainnian going to murder other Britannians and help a rebel order who had a shaking past at points. " Such a strange world we live in." He thought to himself as he started to think of his childhood in the Homeland and of the great country once known as Japan.

The Russian girl quipped quickly that he needed to man up and take the weapon he was given. The job would be simple and he only needed it for self protection. However apparently she had thought it over more quickly afterward and traded Robert for their weapons. "Whatever just make sure you're good with that thing and girly I hope you don't fuck yourself with that gun. I know you're a war hero to some people in the E.U. but we only got so much time to do this and get out." grumbled Garcia as he pulled up to the gate and then quickly looked up at the guard who stood guard here. "Patrol delta here. Coming in from the suspected report of Black Knight activity. No signs. We're here to switch our shift over to the next crew." claimed Garcia as the guard upstairs quickly nodded. "Understood? Was the trip dandy?" asked the guard upstairs casually as the hacker quickly told him that it was indeed a dandy time. The guard nodded in affirmation as Garcia looked back at him confused. "Code word. Go." the hacker explained as the gate opened and the crew went in. Around the base there were two sutherlands patrolling, a few groups of soldiers walking to various places around the hangers, and some trucks piled up here and there with supplies. "COME ON MAGGOTS THE SHIPMENT WILL BE HERE IN TEN. GET A MOVE ON!" shouted the commanding officer as he ordered men to do what they needed to do complaining about raw recruits as he did so. The guard from the gate came down and quickly told them nothing had changed and they needed to move. And move quickly."Alright understood thanks for the info. Alright guys out you go me and Robert got a meeting planned. You know the orders." Garcia said as he pulled himself out of jeep and cracked his neck as he adjusted the assault rifle strapped to his shoulder. The Russian girl quickly nodded and jumped out of the jeep quickly making a quick dart to Shiomi, and her objective.

Shiba soon found his way up to the bridge after he had changed the notes on his Knightmare gear again. It was a decal so it was actually easy. Shiba joined up with the black knights not long ago and while he may still be considered new at least he has made contributions from the sidelines. Shiba wasn't a fighter and he would only get in everyone else's way if he fought alongside them so he decided to his intellect and try to make missions easier. He has been in logistics support for a while planning for the unforeseen but of course this mission wouldn't really be needing his expertise since the general had the plan set and he did his homework on their target. They would be striking a blow to the Britanian's supply line this time though Shiba felt that they should just carpet bomb the place but then again he was more aggressive then his kind façade would show.

Once their he got to work trying to get the communications working he heard Fenrir ask when the operation was set to start and Shiba answered "Shouldn't be much longer." he said deciding to be vague on purpose if only so it would annoy him a bit about not getting a straight answer. Shiba kept the communication line active in case the ones on the ground ran into an unforeseen problem though Shiba highly doubts that.