---

The Armada
Sector Date 5115.64
Time 1801

==

The hangar bay was a buzz of activity, as it always was, but perhaps a bit more frantic than usual. The signal had just gone throughout the Elysium- they had reached the point of no return. Across the Red Line. Shard territory. As it was, any Pilot worth a damn (read: every one currently stationed on the ship) was, somewhat frantically, checking up on their Dragons, making sure they were combat-ready in case of a sudden scramble order. In other parts of the enormous hangar, the Anima pilots were doing the same, but with much greater detachment- after all, their fighters only had the most basic of AIONs attached to them- they didn't need quite the same care as one of these...

Admiral Serrano started to shudder slightly, but suppressed it. He needed to portray a certain front to his crew. It wouldn't do to show fear at such a crucial junction. Besides, they were on the same side here- it's not like they would try to hurt him. The one time it even had happened, it wasn't even her fault...

Serrano frowned as he forced his train of thought back on track. He was being ridiculous. He felt at the tangle of emotions at the back of his head where Sakura resided. Their reunion had had... mixed results, but they were both intelligent enough, at least, to put their issues behind them. They were a team again- they needed to be a team. For the sake of the Operation. He looked over toward where he knew she would be waiting. Perhaps... perhaps he could take a detour...

An image flashed in his mind. Black blood. He grit his teeth. No. Not yet.

Suppressing a tired sigh, he continued his rounds of the Dragon pens, watching as Pilots and their teams of technicians (in some cases) clambered over the beasts, checking diagnostics on everything from combat readiness to their current mood. Commendable, but mostly unnecessary, for now. According to their projections, they were in a low-patrol area. The chances of being attacked here were slim, and they would know well-enough in advance if any tried.

He cleared his throat.

"Vi," he muttered, addressing the Elysium's own AION.

yes, admiral. how may i be of service?

"Projection. Hangar bay, Dragon pens." A short blare of an alarm sounded, drawing the attention of the Pilots and technicians. Serrano made sure everyone was listening before proceeding.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you." With that, he turned and began walking to the transport that would take him back to the Operations Deck, where the meeting would take place. He struggled to tamp down his nerves and... excitement, as made his way out of the Hangar Bay.

This is it. We're finally doing this. We finally have a chance to win...

---

@EnterTheHero

"Svicoalt. I require more time."

The careless Crevix was annoyed, for he was busy checking his Dragon's teeth for debris. It had bugged him about it consecutively, and he was almost done, just one tooth left. But he needed to be careful with him leaning into a Dragon's mouth like he was. Argolt or not, a bite from Langastor's metal serrated teeth was certain death. Langcastor half yawned, showing his tiring. "Almost Langcastor. Just one more...done." He quickly and efficiently got out of the Dragon's mouth, Langcastor moving his jaw from the strain as soon as his pilot was out. Crevix looked at the dragon and shook his head. "How you get stuff stuck in your teeth I'll never know. I'm going to the debriefing, and do not go back to sleep." Langcastor mocked him by making metallic noises while moving his left paw in a motion as if making a fake mouth. The Argolt just stared at him and then walked towards the door. Langcastor then scoffed and laid down.
Crevix passed by the other crew, who gave him odd looks. He never understood the other race's unnerved looks at him. He wasn't that odd. Rare, yes, but he couldn't be blamed for that. He walked past all of them, noting their expressions and height. He knew he was the tallest organism on the ship, and he was average for Argolt height, being a meager 7'2". It still amused him when finding a human who was only 5 feet, finding their height disadvantageous if they fought him. He was too skinny and too strong for them to use his weight against him. But they could hide somewhere he would have to bend down to go into. Then the situation would be to their advantage.
He arrived at Situation Room A early. He went to the back and stood, waiting for the brief to start. He didn't really have to worry about comfort, but he found being behind everybody was to his liking. He looked at the admiral and gave a nod in acknowledgement. "Hello Admiral Serrano."

---

---

A long silence had overtaken the room. His hand hovered over the rook, then moved to the queen. Back to the rook, then to the king. He tentatively moved it back one square, setting it down and ending his turn. King immediately moved her pawn forwards and reclaimed her queen, setting it down with a audible thud. "Check." The engineer studied the board closely for a minute, looking the pieces over before finally tipping the black king over.

"Mate." He grumbled, his friend patting him on the back as she looked around the room. Every time one of these games began it always drew a crowd, some poor new fool trying to challenge the King and dethrone her. The first few times involved betting on who would win, but by now everyone knew what the results would be. Nobody could dethrone the King. Now they simply betted on how long it would take for King to dismantle her opponent. Her record so far was 12 moves, this game had lasted a whole 20.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you." King began resetting the board upon hearing this announcement, the room slowly beginning to clear out as everyone got back to work. She set the white king back in place, locking eyes with her opponent as she pushed her seat back and stood up.

"Thank you for the game. Her words had no emotion behind them, she thanked her opponent as a matter of simple courtesy. She opened up her briefcase, setting each piece in it's slot quietly as the engineer stewed in self-pity and anger. His face curled up in such a raw expression, those annoyed eyes boring holes into her. If looks could kill King would have dropped dead. The board was packed last, briefcase closed with a soft click.

As she walked out of the room, she heard a fragment of a conversation from someone who had been watching, one of the more vocal crew members. "What a freak."

---

She entered her room to put away her chessboard, a rather barren place. Where most crew members managed to add some touch of personality to their quarters, a souvenir here or a poster there, King had decided on the spartan approach. She had a desk that she used to write her reports, she had a bed, a closet for the clothes that had been given to her by Argo, and that was it. The lights from the ceiling finally turned on, they had been malfunctioning for the past 72 hours. However King saw no reason to tell anyone, they did not affect her efficiency in anyway so there was no reason to waste resources on repairing them. She slid open the drawer of her desk to put away her briefcase, then closed it just as quietly. She then exited the room, the lights cool glow dimming immediately. They never failed to turn off exactly when she left.

---

King entered Situation Room A with little fanfare, simply standing at attention in front of the Admiral. 4 feet away, just close enough that any of his words could be easily heard, yet not so close that he would feel uncomfortable. The concept of personal space was still alien to her, an incredibly inefficient concept that most people held on to. However it was one she did her best to abide by, she needed to make sure nobody was uncomfortable around her to maintain unit cohesion. No words of acknowledgement were spoken to the Admiral, something he was surely used to by now. It was a waste of time and energy, something that was in limited supply out on the Red Line. She scanned the room quickly, noting that she was the second one here aside from the Argolt. Something to file away about the other pilots.

Carvis let out a soft hiss, dropping his head as if in submission. There was no way around it. In active territory, a full test was needed. Raising his gaze to the monitor, he clutched the controls.
"Alright Zi-Ro, hit it," he commanded with a pensive tone.
The fins on the great beast's tail unfurled, as a set of compressor like extensions enveloped themselves over Carvis's external prostheses. He clenches his fists as the pressure against ganglial nerve bundles rose. Reaching out with a left hand, he pressed in a round button, which raised the indicator for the local radar. The mixed interface for both visual and tactile information flooded his mind. He could feel the presence of every other Dragon and craft imaging system in the bay pressed on his mind. The phantom sights of the side facing eyes on Zi's head flickered in and out of his mind.
But this was only the beginning. He needed to run the full range, which meant amping up the radar integration to the proverbial eleventh degree. The radar of every unit in range was tapped, hijacked by the AION, and slid into passive activation. The sensory strain on the Uplift was nearing pain, crippling in its intensity. The world pulsed around him as he let out a scream. Only when it became excruciating did he deactivate the system. The connection disengaged, leaving the reptile panting. If he were a human, he'd be coated in sweat. As his senses reeled, Carvis felt the buzz of the AION in the back of his mind.
'Is the test adequate? Are you harmed Pilot?
Is the test adequate? Are you harmed Pilot?'
"Alright... I'm alright... disengage."
A moment later, and the Uplift emerged, tilting his head up as he heard the PA system blare to life.
"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you."
Carvis rolled his shoulders. He had about an hour to kill. After that much of an intensive test, he was headed to the mess hall, then his bunk to blow off steam. The sleek reptile sauntered off, but not before looking back to his Dragon.
"Standby, alright? We're out of the nest."

---

Maye was restless, perhaps that's why she found herself going over the dossiers of the people once more. She had read them already a dozen times, but she was always like this when she worked with a new squad. Sunni and Parasite. A positive little bundle of helpful, focused energy. Her positive attitude would serve her well on the battlefield, and Parasite was a force to be reckoned with if used correctly. Carvis Greenscale and Zi-Ro. A reliable reptilian Uplift. Meryl and Exarch. Crevix and Langcastor. All Maye was at least comfortable working with. All survived a few low risk skirmishes before.

All except one.

Her eyes silently scanned over the dossier and documents relating to the King and Queen unit, unburned hand being used as a rest for her head. A complete unknown, and if she were to be honest...King completely confused Maye. Utterly. She didn't understand. From her few interactions with King, Maye couldn't understand her at all. Emotionless, robotic...Maye would even go so far as to say she was less human and more Shard, but that was not an insult she would even give to someone she hated. The rumors from those of the rest of the crew didn't help either - treated her like some kind of weirdo. Pathetic, for people supposed to be their allies.

The veteran pilot leaned back in her chair, scarred hand tapping lightly on the papers, glancing up at the ticking analog clock hanging upon her wall. She could feel it. Didn't need to even hear the commotion.

They crossed the Redline.

She could always tell, without even seeing it. She would never forget the Line. It had been etched into her very body and psyche dozens of times. She doubted that even when they defeated the Shard she would ever truly be free of it. But such was the sacrifice she was willing to make.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you."

Well, that was something that could always bring a smile to her lips. Maye closed the folder, locking the confidential files in a desk drawer. Perhaps she'd get to kill some Shard today. waiting around like this was exceedingly boring, and she needed to shake off this restlessness.

---

Maye arrived in the briefing room shortly after, not having stopped for any idle chatter or small talk along the way. The veteran waltzed into the room, and without even trying somehow managed to draw the attention of all those in the room.

"Maye Bitar reporting for duty, Admiral Serrano." She took a quick look around the room, noticing only two of her squadron here first. King and Crevix. Her wide-eyed gaze lingered on King for just a moment, before focusing back on the Admiral. "I see the rest of those in the Squad are slacking off! I shall have to give them a lesson in punctuality later." She walked over to a better positioned that placed herself more center in the room so everyone could see her more easily.

"I trust you are calling us here because we shall be dispatched to take care of some Shard now that we have crossed the Red Line?"

---

Another day, another reality with the beast of a bear monster Copper was with. He didn't mind, though. Papa Bear was being very well behaved during the whole time that the duo was out of commission, and now that they were back in action, he was still being well behaved, or he was being as well behaved as he could be, considering some unknown technician was busy prodding at the beast's sides with their new tech, trying to get it's vitals or something like that. Copper was busy distracting the beast with it's favorite game. Peekaboo.

"Aaaaa... PEEKABOO!" Copper pulled his arms away from his face as he made a silly face, Papa Bear softly laughing to himself as Copper smiled. He wasn't sure why the beast liked playing that game, all he knew was that he did, and that's what mattered. If Papa wasn't happy, then Copper wasn't going to be happy either. After another round of Peekaboo, one of the engineers running all of Papa Bear's vitals spoke up. "Uh... Ironsides? Got a question for ya!"

Copper hopped down from his post, sitting on top of a bunch of junk so Papa wouldn't have to crane his neck downwards uncomfortably. "What's up... uh... Johnson?" He had to check the nametag, he forgot these guys' names so much.

"We were running vitals, and... is this Dragon supposed to have been asleep for 12 hours earlier? Someone timed the beast." Copper shrugged it off and placed a hand on the engineer's shoulder.

"Yeah, that's pretty normal for Pops over here. He might be a massive powerhouse on the battlefield, but back here he loves napping. Don't worry if there's a hasty situation, too. He'll be ready to go." Copper smiled as he looked at Papa Bear one more time, extending his hand out towards the Dragon with his palm open towards the sky. "Pats?"

The Dragon complied, placing a single claw into Copper's palm gently before returning to his laying position. "Good boy! That deserves a treat!" As Copper reached into a nearby bag to grab a 'treat', the voice of a certain admiral came over the loudspeaker.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you."

"Oh, guess that's my cue to get a move on. Still gotta go unpack some boxes to find my jacket." Copper grabbed a slab of steak from inside his bag, took it out of it's protective plastic, and he lobbed the meat at his Dragon. Papa Bear caught the meat in his mouth, smiling graciously as he chewed slowly, savoring the taste.

"There we go... now, if you all need anything, don't be afraid to call." Copper said as he walked off towards his room, going to unpack the box with his jacket in it. It was just kinda cold on this station, like they kept the AC all the way up for some reason.


Copper stepped into Situation Room A just after Maye with a mug of coffee in his hand that had a cute little bear on it, standing up against the wall and sipping his drink slowly and quietly. There were already a few people in here, but he didn't care much for conversation with them. It wasn't anything against them, though. The Argolt was really physically imposing over him, and after making an attempt at joking with him, Copper didn't seem like it'd be wise to continue. King was just really unreceptive to everything, and that didn't sit right with Copper. Hopefully the kid would open up to the rest of the crew eventually. Maye was really preppy, and a bit too energetic for Copper's laid back style. She played good video games, though, so there wasn't much to complain about.

Regardless of anything, Copper simply stood back and kept sipping his coffee, waiting for actual orders.

---

---

Time: 1800

"Everythin' looks optimal, Wednesday!" Sunni announced cheerfully, her Dragon responded in kind by closing its eyes and giving a slow nod of its head. The diagnostics pad she held between her paws showed a screen full of statistical jargon. "We'll be flyin' just like in the simulations real soon. We'll finally be doin' some good."

She placed the pad upon its dock with the computer and brushed at her leggings to dust off any imaginary particles. Parasite would shift and saunter closer to where she stood, causing the young Uplift to laugh. "Not yet, silly." A big smile as she reached out and stroked the side of his head. It was at this moment the Dragon would flinch, its ears reacting to some force or noise. Parasite wasn't in pain, but it did move with some confusion.

"Wednesday?" She started, quickly checking the diagnostics pad again. Everything seemed normal until she noticed a line where a third party had tapped into Parasite's detection system. Parasite's passive echolocation ability was being transmitted elsewhere, likely nearby on the ship, although it ended after a brief moment. It arose some concern, but all she gave was a sigh and another smile to Parasite.

"I'll log this and send in a ticket later. Doubt it was Shard, so I'ma give a lecture to someone for usin' your systems without permission!" A confident nod and a grin to cross her face before the announcement alarm sounded.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you."

"An hour, huh? Don't wanna be late. I'll see you later, okay?" With a wave, she turned on her heels and bounded off to the transport. During this walk, however, she decided she had plenty of time to grab some caffeine and instead made her way to the mess hall; a journey that took enough of her time that she had to speed walk to the briefing room.

---

Time: 1900

Sunni entered the room. Copper was there, drinking coffee from a cute mug ("I love it! Is that Papa Bear?" as she passed by). Maye stood out in the center of the room, ready to lead her and her comrades to victory, King standing at attention nearby. She was beginning to wonder if anyone else had yet shown up when she jumped upon seeing Crevix was hiding along the back of the room. With a quiet laugh, she waved to him and sought to join the others that are close to the Admiral.

"Honeycomb reporting in, Admiral, sir." She would give a quick salute, her free paw still holding a disposable cup.

Meryl

Meryl was on a lift in the hangar helping out with maintenance on her dragon. "Hey, Storm." she called out, riasing her hand. The gigantic dragon, shot its head downwards to look at its pilot. "Give me five!". Storm exarch responded by gently lifting its massive hand and pressing it against Meryl's. Meryl took an immense amount of pleasure from having trained her dragon to be so damn cute and obedient, by her own standards at least, but in truth it was all a ruse. Her smile faded as the pilot inspected the hand and more particularly the barrel of Storm Exarch's right cannon. It was a huge affair that you could easily work inside of provided you could convince the dragon to stay still for long enough to clean the whole thing. It was a long drop if ever storm decided he needed to put its arms at its sides. "Switch!" Meryl called out and Storm exarch obediently lowered its right hand and brought its left to meet Meryl's. He looked very pleased with himself.

"Attention: all Pilots, proceed to Situation Room A for briefing. Briefing will start at 1900 hours. Thank you."

Makes it sound so urgent when we have an hour to get there... Refocusing Meryl stared down the barrel of her little monster. This time however there was something out of place. Turning around she nudged a tech. The man was probably of average height and reasonably well built for a middle aged man, but Meryl was taller and broader. It was still weird to her that she was so different now. Once a small, frail and broken little girl and now a sort of monstrosity of human form. At least she wasn't broken.

"There's something down the barrel." She said pointing out a dark protrusion down at the bottom. "Unfortunately I've got a briefing to catch so you'll be on your own for it." The tech just nodded and got to work.

On the way to the briefing room Meryl caught the back of King leaving a room with a chess set in hand, quickly followed by a crowd of people. She looked for the man who had played King. Meryl had set the man up so she knew who to look for. That said it was only a coincidence that she was going to have this debriefing now instead of much later. "How'd it go?" the pilot asked cheerily. However, after hearing how the match went she was significantly more disappointed. "You let her get a pawn all the way to your side? It's like you let her win." It was another unsuccessful information op. Meryl was determined to beat King at chess, but she wasn't just going to go in unprepared. She wanted to know the enemy first. Unfortunately, most of the crew was of no help at all. Maybe she'd just need to pester Dion about it.

Sighing Meryl made her way to the briefing room with plenty of time to spare and sat there running through games of chess in her mind.

There were technicians swarming all of the Dragons as they crossed the Red Line. All of the beasts took the treatment differently, sentient as they were. Repairs and modifications hurt, always. It was almost akin to getting surgery as a living animal. Some snapped at the techs, and had to be soothed by their pilot, and some winced and twitched, but let it happen. Brave Hart, its antlers almost brushing the hanger's ceiling, stood almost perfectly and stoically still. Only its pilot knew the pain the tuning caused it.

Waiting nervously in the open mouth of his Dragon, Thomas was looking across the crowded hanger at Del Lago. That was Adrian's Dragon, he knew from dossiers. He hadn't seen his brother on the ship yet, or in years, but they were here. On the same vessel, and the same mission. He wasn't sure if Adrian knew he was here or not. He certainly hadn't made any attempt to contact him, and hadn't received any messages either.

A short alarm blared, followed by an announcement.

Reckoning time. How would Adrian take being followed out into the depths of space by his older brother? For that matter, how would his older brother take finally tracking him down after all this time? And not even to bring him home, like he originally intended. No, they were stuck in this war now, wherever that led them.

Thomas stayed where he was for a little longer. He was already in uniform, so there was no scrambling. By and by, he jumped down from Brave Hart's mouth onto a catwalk running along the hangar, and made his way there.

There were a lot of pilots already there. Mostly human, with some exceptions, but all uncanny looking. It was small things, glowing eyes, strange markings, or even more obvious modifications.

Thomas allowed himself, exactly-on-time as he was, to be crowded into the center of the congregation, and waited.

Striding into the mess hall, Carvis waved a hand at the attendant as he sidled up to the counter. Making it brief, the Reptile Uplift cashed in one of his daily water rations. The Pilot then barely turned away as he raised the bottle, removed the cap, and dumped it into his mouth. The sudden gout of cold water gushing down his throat was rather refreshing.
After dropping the bottle into the proper receptacle, Carvis left the room, heading back towards the Situation Rooms. However, he did make a detour, passing by a cluster of several of the ship's heat duct pipes. While most of the crew, and even the majority of the pilots, would have found it rather uncomfortable, this was just what Carvis needed to snap him into complete wakefulness.
With his makeshift sunning out of the way, the Pilot finally entered Situation Room A. He found the Admiral, as well as two other Pilots- the Squad Leader, and the rigid one, in his direct line of sight. Upon entering the room, his posture seemed to completely change. Arms folded behind his back, his paces were closer to a staccato march than his usual swagger, still with a slight reptilian swing to it.
"Pilot Griinschale, present as requested, sir," he uttered, falling in line with the others just as the clock in the room displayed 1856.

Okay. Okay.

Okay okay okay.

Okay.

Okay okay.

Adrian breathed deeply, struggling to keep himself calm as he started the test. It wasn't as though he hadn't done this before, but there were... complications. Not the least of which being the antlered Dragon right across from his berth, with a very particular, very familiar auburn-haired individual sitting in its mouth.

He'd know that shade anywhere. Being just a few shades lighter than his own.

His hands clenched on the controls in his cockpit as his teeth ground together. What the fuck is he doing here...? He'd worried about something like this happening at first; his brother emerging from out of nowhere to drag him back by the collar to his old, boring life. Back when he was happy to be out here. Before the operations. Before the fighting. Before anything else. After that, his fear was of someone he cared about being dragged into this awfulness alongside him, but he'd reassured himself that there was no way that could happen. Thomas had a life in Demeter- a good job, a girlfriend, a future. Not like him. He'd comforted himself that his brother would never be stupid enough to force himself out here, into the black.

He'd clearly overestimated how smart Thomas was.

"Uuuum... sir?"

Adrian jumped, distracted from his reverie by the sound of the technician chiming in over the comms. He'd been leaving them hanging while he glared at his brother and his brother's Dragon.

"Okay," he said out loud, a little sheepishly. "I'm strapped in. Start the test."

Not that this was a whole lot easier. Adrian could never get used to this part, like his comrades.

"Alright, sir. Activating integration, please standby."

Tendrils began to emerge from the walls of his cockpit, writhing like living snakes as the darted toward him, the ends neatly slotting into the ports up and down his arms and legs, a small jolt running up and down his nerves as they did so. Not every Dragon was like his, but the philosophy was the same- becoming part of the machine, part of the Dragon. He started to shake slightly as his vision started to blur... going double. This was the worst part...

"Physical uplink: complete. AION coming online. Neural uplink engaging in 3... 2... 1... engage."

A shockwave crossed across his brain, feeling like he was being knocked unconscious repeatedly, until... he could see again. Specifically, he could see through different eyes. Del Lago's eyes.

It was always easier after the uplink- like breaking the sound barrier. A lot of unpleasantness, then... this moment. Being... different. More. Complete. It almost made everything else worth it, connecting to his partner like this.

He looked down at his/Del Lago's limbs, giving them a tentative shake to make sure they were working properly. So far, so good. Next, to test weapons--

A splitting headache suddenly struck him as their sensor suite was appropriated for something, sending a burst of cacophonous sound and pain surging through their heads. The connection severed before Adrian's head exploded, leaving Del Lago shaking its head to shake off the lingering headache, he himself pressing a hand to his forehead to stave off his own suffering.

"Sir? Are you alright? We got some interference--"

"Yeah, no sh--" started Adrian, before cutting himself off. "...Sorry. Yeah, something just... pinged off of my sensors. Someone testing a sonic weapon or something. Check up on the other Dragons, make sure they're all alright." He sat back as the physical uplinks started to withdraw, an announcement coming in over the ship's communications. Briefing, huh? Alright. We must be close to the border, then. If not over it, by now. He sighed to himself. Once more into the breach, then. At least, if we win here... we might not have to fight for much longer. He waited for Del Lago to deactivate their connection completely, eager to get all of this ugliness behind him.

---

A little less than an hour later, Adrian found himself just outside the Situation Room where the meeting was taking place, just in time to hear the tail end of his new squadron leader's... enthusiasm.

"...Squad are slacking off! I shall have to give them a lesson in punctuality later."

Adrian blanched. Fuck. There goes my chance to make a good impression on the boss. Regardless, he squared his shoulders and walked in, moving into the corner to get a good feel on everyone here, as more started shuffling in. Including...

Sigh. That conversation could wait. They had a job to do.

The Armada
Sector Date 5115.64
Time 1900
Situation Room A

---

Admiral Serrano watched as the last of the Pilots entered the room, just in time for the briefing to begin. He inclined his head to the assembled group, then turned to Maye, to address her question.

"In time, Captain, in time. For now, we need to discuss more long-term goals- we're not out here just for a patrol, after all. We are here to turn the tide of the war, for good. So, without further ado, let us begin the briefing."

---

---

"Vi. Situation Room A. Projection, Operation Checkmate." In the middle of the room, a hologram popped up, a representation of the Red Sector, and more importantly, the territory just beyond the Red Line. A red triangle appeared just past the No Man's Land, their current location.

"To start off, I would like to thank you all for your service on this mission in advance. Whether veterans of the Pilot Program already, or merely recruits with incredible potential, you all have accepted a very essential, very dangerous mission to take back our homes from the Shard. It will not be easy, but your success here will mean securing the future of Origin-kind. Now, to business." He indicated the triangle on the map.

"This is our current position- just past the Red Line. In approximately one hour, Operation Checkmate will begin in earnest, and from there, there's no going back. Until we succeed, or until we are destroyed. Our first step in the Operation will be to reach this sector, here," he said, a large section of debris and asteroids highlighted in green on the map. "We call it the Graveyard- the remnants of one of the last battles of the Shard War before the Dragons. The wrecks and corpses of Shard and our own vessels alike will partially shield us from their sensors, and their Leviathans' relative lack of maneuverability means that they will be unable to field too much resistance against us should we be detected. From here, we can conduct scouting missions and raids with relative impunity. This leads us into Phase 2."

He highlighted the star system that the Graveyard hung just outside of. "This star is Delta Black. It's not much, but it will make for a good stepping stone. The second world of this system is our target- we'll call it Sundowner." He flinched almost imperceptibly at stating the name, but moved on before it could be noticed. "It's the capital of an old Jovian colony. Manufacturing and mining, mostly, which makes it ideal for our purposes. Most importantly, it's the nearest source of Phase-capable materials we can identify. Our mission will be to lay claim to Sundowner, destroy the Shard hive present on its surface, and drive out the enemy occupying it before proceeding to Phase 3."

The map disappeared, replaced by an image of something and spacefarer worth their salt would recognize: a Phase gate. The fastest and most reliable method of FTL travel in the Sector.

"Sundowner was host to one of the largest Phase gates in the entire Origin Sector before the Shard came in. And while it has been disabled and likely harvested for parts, sources say that the majority of the infrastructure is still there. This, is our ultimate objective: with the material and manufacturing capabilities of Sundowner at our disposal, our Engineering Corps will attempt to reconstruct a functional Phase Gate, deep in the heart of enemy territory. On the other side of the Red Line, another Gate is being constructed. And once we connect the two..."

The image changed to that of a fleet emerging from the Sundowner Gate, larger than any that had been fielded before in the war, armed with Dragons and the most advanced ships and weapons that could be mustered.

..."We will be able to launch a full-scale offensive on the Shard, right in their blind spot. Instant, easy ingress into their territory. From there, the Shard will be fighting a war on two fronts, and our victory becomes only a matter of time. Check, and mate."

The image disappeared, leaving the crew to mull over the information they'd been given in the silence that followed.

"Are there any questions?"

Crevix peeked his head out from the shadows. "I have a question admiral." He walked up to the area and saluted lazily. "Do you know the exact position of the Hive force on sundown, and an estimate of their numbers?" He looked at map, analyzing the plan with a seemably robotic focus. This was a great plan in his opinion, but one with many, very unfavorable risks.
He wasn't a gambler by any means, but if he was to put money on the two forces success, he would reluctantly put it on the Shard.

---

There it was again.

Langcastor was hearing something quite interesting that was occasionally touching the other Dragon's systems. First parasite was interfaced with, then another dragon shrugged it off. And at the same time, he heard a sound. It was curious, but not worth his attention yet.

Again, he heard it, and it was louder.

He got up and looked around, nothing the various technicians and other crew in the pens. He scanned them all with his sonar for a bit, waiting to hear the sound.

riik riik riik riik

He detected the person producing the sound, holding a data-pad. Langcastor produced a metallic growl that echoed through the pens while 'looking' directly at him. The man looked up, frightened. Langcastor growled more intensely. The tech doing diagnostics in Langcastor was very wary.
Jack O'Loocish knew Langcastor better than the other technicians, and was the only one that would work with it after an incident with a particular person who tried to make him wake up and stay awake. When Langcastor growls, he knew someone was doing something annoying and wrong. He saw what, or rather who, Langcastor was focused on. "He'! What are ya' doin'? Ya' pissin' off Langcastor, which isn't somethin' ya' wanna' do!" he yelled in his thick accent. Langcastor's target just ran towards the crew quarters.
Langcastor looked at Jack and gave a little grunt before laying down. Jack patted the dragon's metallic hide and went back to work.

---

Eventually, the other pilots slowly began to make their way to the briefing room. As each one entered, Maye silently observed them with a harsh, wide eyed stare. Copper. Sunni. Meryl. Carvis. Adrian. Thomas. Each and every one of them were going to get a stern talking too about promptness later...but later. Putting her allies in low spirits before an operation was doomed to fail, and she doubted it would be a problem for this mission, whatever it was. Turning the tide? Hah, had they finally pulled something together to beat back the Shard with?

Ha, she felt old.

A standard, rather bland greeting to start things off with. Ah, if it was her she'd have greeted them all by name and made them feel at least, somewhat worthy. A little flair and bombast never hurt anything, as long as it didn't go to their head. Confidence was everything, after all. Maye continued to listen intently to the plans of Operation Checkmate. How poetic.

There was no going back after this, hm? A suicide mission, was it then? Wonderful. The first step was to reach the graveyard. An excellent choice for remaining hidden and out of sight of most of the Shard...of course they'd need to be prepared for everything. Shard were beasts, but they were not mindless. Cruel, clever and vicious...which was why this plan was filling her with a mild sense of concern. Taking down a Shard Hive. No big deal. Easily done with the right tools and equipment. No, it was Phase three giving her pause.

A phase gate? inside of the Red Line to a place behind it? Reckless. Too Reckless. Amusingly and astonishingly reckless. Like a noob attempting to challenge the extra boss in a video game as a level one. It was a good idea, in theory. They would be able to get easy access to Shard Territory, and reclaim some of the lost territory. Simple and easy. Against something like a human foe this surprise attack would have been amusingly obvious.

But she didn't think the Shard were so simple. She had fought them. Likely had been one of the only humans to fight them for as long as she had, and still be mostly unscathed. But these were her orders, and she were not to question them, and she wouldn't let her own nervousness show. Not in front of the others.

"I see, I see." Maye said, unconcerned with Crevix's question at first. "Reckless. Foolish, even. Amusingly so. I approve! The higher ups finally can put my talents to use! Bennu and I are pleased!" She flashed a look towards everyone present, grinning brightly before turning her attention to Crevix. "Crevix! You've never seen a Shard Hive, so I'll tell you one thing - do not concern yourself with numbers, destroy the hive then the rest will follow. Without their queen they are nothing more than insects to be burned and crushed. Serrano!" She turned to face the Admiral. "Is there any notable threats to us between here and the Graveyard? Planets? Spots where the Shard could launch a sneak attack on us? You say the phase gate has most of its structure intact, but are we certain the Manufacturing equipment on Sundown is up to our purposes?"

Meryl continued to daydream her way through chess scenarios until the Admiral began presenting. It was hard to imagine that he was nearly seventy years old, especially as he was bigger and more intimidating than just about anyone you could hope to meet, but then again, becoming a pilot did weird things to you. She listened intently and analysed the plan for her own fun as it went along. Going into the graveyard made sense. It wasn't a perfect defense, but routing them from it would require an expenditure of resources completely disproportionate in size to their own forces to destroy the graveyard and open up the fight. Even then it would take time. Time for the Elysium to pack up and leave. Potentially at least. Using it as a staging ground for a planetary invasion, or perhaps more accurately a planetary cleansing, was a big ask, but possibly doable. Not the most worrying thing imaginable.

However, the last part. About opening a warp gate to let in an army to attack the heart of the Shard took all the fun out. It was shockingly daft. The plan might not appear that way on the surface. A quick and deadly strike against the capitol of a human nation could easily knock them out of a war in a quick and efficient manner, but the shards aren't human. They aren't like any other race in known space. Its hard to say that such a strike would bother them or where they would need to go from Sundowner to achieve that end if they could.

The admiral asked for questions and they started coming in, but Meryl held her tongue for now. Serrano had an infamous temper and suggesting that the plan was so sure to lose the war it may as well be treason seemed like a sure way to get a court martial. Then Maye, Meryl's direct superior, made some comments that really set Meryl off. "I see, I see. Reckless. Foolish, even. Amusingly so. I approve! The higher ups finally can put my talents to use! Bennu and I are pleased!" They had not been able to get along up to this point. Mostly because Meryl wanted contribute suggestions and be helpful and all it ever got her were orders to shut up and physical abuse. The rest of Maye's words passed Meryl by. She heard them, but they barely registered. her fingers dug into the desk as she stood up, resting so much of her weight on the desk in front of her.

"Reckless?" She spat at Maye. Her determination undercut by a trembling in her arms and legs. "This is beyond reckless. Destroying the hive will be difficult, but we've thrown away more troops for worse odds before. It is Absolutely insane that if we actually succeed, the plan is to throw away, not just ourselves, but the whole origin system for some insane gamble that we cannot know the odds of. We don't know enough about the shard economically, logistically or politically to be able to tell that they would even be bothered by this sort of move, let alone completely broken by it. And where exactly is the army coming from to fight this second front? From the first one? because if so then there won't be much stopping the Shard from making their own blitz to the heart of our civilization. I came here prepared to sacrifice myself, and for my own reasons, I'm okay with that, but" and now she turned to Admiral Serrano and paused for a moment thinking of the possible consequences before deciding that it was too late and pushed on anyway "The success of this mission could mean that we actually LOSE the war!"

---

Before all the debriefing, Copper nodded a simple nod towards Sunni with a simple smile on his face. Yeah, it wasn't the terrifying monster of a creation that Papa Bear truly was, but it was the closest thing he could find that could give him a good hot drink.

Damn, the crew was really past the Red Line, huh. Copper wasn't surprised by that, since he figured the group had to be somewhat past it by now since they wasted so much time checking up on their Dragons and such (honestly, he didn't know why. Most dragons should've been in tip top shape from the get go, since the crews knew about this mission for like a good month or so... at least he did). All the Uplift could do was sit back and listen to the debriefing.

He quietly sipped his coffee as he listened to each step, getting every detail in about it and memorizing it. From the Graveyard with vessel wreckage acting as cover, to hitting the Shard in their blind spot and setting up a Phase Gate in order to heavily contribute to a war effort, making the Shard split their offenses towards two sides and eventually choking out every little resource they had until they were gone. It was a pretty straightforward plan, verbally speaking. The matter of how much had to go right, though, was far more threatening.

Still, Copper didn't focus on what could go wrong. He knew things were able to go right, so long as everyone played their part. That, plus the idea of a suicide mission interested him. He'd certainly be remembered and honored if he died here, which would be nice.

As the briefing concluded, several people were already bugging the Admiral with questions. Hell, even Maye bluntly said that this was reckless and dumb, and he couldn't agree more. He also couldn't agree more with how she felt. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Of course, some others had their own say in the situation, with Meryl being downright appalled by the suggestion of the idea. She had her own ground to stand on, sure, but Copper wasn't super fond of what she had to say, specifically with what she said at the very end.

"With respect, Meryl, not doing this also could mean we actually lose the war." Copper put his mug down for a moment. "The chances are risky, and the payout isn't guaranteed, but this isn't the worst idea the higher-ups could've had. We've gotta take this chance, it's just way too beneficial for the war effort to pass up, not to mention we've been fighting for too long to let an opportunity like this just be thrown to the wayside."

Copper looked towards Maye and the Admiral. "You two have me and Papa Bear, for sure. We'll keep your asses safe until we can get that warp gate set up."

---

---

Everyone is speaking their piece. Unfortunately, it is coming as a form of debate. She listens intently to everyone's words, to each thought of confidence and fear. Their stress is valid, after all. A risk not simply of their lives as pilots, but to the possibility of backfire with horrendous potential. She nods, however, when Copper offers his more positive perspective.

"And you've got Wednesday and me, too." Sunni speaks up, her eyes having watched everyone as they spoke and allowed their passions to start getting the better of themselves. "I know the whole crew is in this operation one-hundred percent. Don't forget, y'all, we have been trainin' for missions like this. The Admiral wouldn't send us in to die. He believes we can do it, so I do too."

Sunni nervously takes a sip from her cup. Not one for doing speeches or trying to be in the spotlight, she slowly takes a seat. There were hopes her words could put the questions and worries at bay for a time. The mission would launch in hour, after all. As much as Sunni would love to ensure that everyone gets all the answers they want, they don't have the time for it. There's even a chance that their leader wouldn't give the right answers to their concerns. For now they should fight, then they could debrief as their possibilities lay before them in a more clear fashion.

"Just tell me what to do, Admiral, sir. Would you like me to be a part of Phase One with the scoutin' and raids, or hang back until Phase Two?"

Crevix looked at the youth who liked the reckless route. He looked at her with pass, thinking her comments foolish. "You do remember how old I am correct? I have more experience with the Hive than you, and have skills more challenging than playing a simulation for entertainment. If my concerns are not wanted, then I will give you my all my leave." He walked past all of them and waited by the door, listening to the situation to be convened.
He took a careful look at King. Synthetic? What plan does higher side have for that one? I'm sure they don't plan on her surviving, and if they do, then she would still have a very short existence. Curious. He listened further, hearing the arguments they have presented. Sunni seemed the least responsive to the obviously suicidal mission. Such innocence. I wonder how long it will take for her to eventually break? He immediately turned on a timer in his mind.
"This will be interesting."

"Holy sh*t," Carvis muttered to himself under his breath- once the Admiral was silent, of course.

His head was swimming a bit, so he only caught the other conversation in half-phrases and vague concepts. But this mission, holy sh*t. Posting up in a ship graveyard. Hijacking a whole planet. Ripping down a hive. And to top it all off, rebuilding a Phase gate- having the entire backed-up fleet come in?
How did he get mixed up in all of this. The technical details and long hours that must have gone into this plan made him feel like he was way over his head. Carvis was honored. He had joined the military- become a Pilot- to defend the Origin system, but to actually have a hand in such a maneuver- one that could turn the tide of the war? For once, Carvis was actually speechless.

The Armada
Sector Date 5115.64
Situation Room A

---

Serrano sighed as the situation in the briefing room began to disintegrate into... well, it could charitably be called a debate, but could also, more accurately, be referred to as "bickering." He understood why- the mission was a hard sell. It came across as impatient at best, and Meryl wasn't precisely wrong that it had risks involved. Still, there was a chain of command to consider, and Meryl was definitely overstepping said line.

"Enough," growled Serrano, cutting off any further "conversation" before it could get even more out of hand. He breathed deeply for a moment, in order to compose himself. He stared Meryl down as he continued.

"I understand your trepidation. That does not, however, permit you to speak so out of turn, Pilot. Any further outbursts will be grounds for discipline. Are we understood?" He turned back to the group at large. "Make no mistake- I know we're asking a lot of you. We have, since the very start. But we ask it because it needs to be done. Because this is our best hope of endin this constant grind, chewing up our best and brightest and spitting out its bones. We've been on the back foot for too long; this is our chance to finally step forward.

"To alleviate your concerns, the primary objective of the Operation is not just dependent on a single strike. Our greatest strength against the Shard has been maneuverability- for all of their advancement, they act slower, more methodical than we are capable of. Reestablishing the Phase Gate on Sundowner gives us the logistical advantage- with it, we could even more easily pull reinforcement, support, supplies, and anything else we might need from even the Origin itself. It's why you, our best and brightest, are being charged with its defense. And it's why we have our secret weapon along for the ride," he finished, inclining his head toward King.

Before he could elaborate, however...

ALERT

PROXIMITY WARNING

SHARD WAVEFORMS DETECTED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY

And then, as if to punctuate this statement, the ship suddenly began to shudder, as something began to batter their exterior.

SUSTAINED ATTACK IN PROGRESS

"Yes, thank you, Vi!" Serrano growled, then turned to the rest of the squadron. "The rest of this meeting will have to wait until later. For now, you heard the alarm: all hands to battle stations, NOW!!"