[b]March 12th, 2014
Malta Defence Forces HQ > Men's Barracks, Shattered Steel HQ
Luqa International Airport
Malta, The Mediterranean[/b]

The rest of the squadron were already bunked down for the night as their final member touched down on the tarmac and taxied to the area set aside for his aircraft. A somehow even more last-minute addition, Illya had been reassigned to Cobalt Haze as the second replacement for the two pilots that had to drop out of the operation before they'd even left The Forge. [i]Because[/i] it had been so last-minute though, There wasn't enough time for all the necessary preps and checks to be complete before the rest of the squadron went wheels-up, so he hadn't been able to leave with them...

The flight over was uneventful, but he didn't mind. It was peaceful, and quiet. Once he was back on terra-firma, he'd wasted no time before squaring things away with the ground crew and making for the Barracks to rest for the following day's operation. Seeking not to disturb the others in the room already asleep, he moved carefully and deliberately to the bunk in the quietest corner of the room and finally settled in for the night...

[b]March 13th, 2014
Malta Defence Forces HQ
Luqa International Airport
Malta, The Mediterranean[/b]

Illya was not happy. Perhaps it was his late addition to the team, but something had gone wrong or been forgotten and it had resulted in his wake-up call being neglected and he had very nearly missed the briefing. Hardly the best way to make a first impression, he'd gotten ready as quickly as he could and hauled ass to the briefing room, only to narrowly avoid having the door closed in his face; A quiet apology later, he slipped into the back of the room quietly to catch as much of the briefing as he could but he picked up on a glaring detail as the room lights flicked back on and, after taking a moment to swallow his nerves, spoke up as he offered a quick salute.

"Lt. Illya Sokolov, sir. I apologise for my late arrival, but I was under the impression you had already received my dossier and wished to ask about my role in the operation."