[Section 6] episode 1: Moving day.

Anvil

Izzy had somehow managed to miss seeing the two butterfly children as well and immediately rushed to scoop both children into a hug, "Oh I'm sorry Adria I completely missed seeing you! Are you two both ok? Where is your sister, Neera?" She asked quickly, leaning back from the embrace to look both of them in the eyes. "Do you two know what's happening outside? It sounds dangerous and I don't even know where to find your father." Isabelle said worridly.

SPACE

The modified Starbryte shuttle carrying the PP team, and their goal, had already broken orbit. The unseen craft soon jumping to FTL leaving behind the mess it's occupants had left in their wake.

S6S-ANVIL
corridors

Neera was just behind Adria and Adilis, but managed to stop herself in time. The wolf girl was relieved that they found their mother, her slightly frightful expression disappearing. "Thank the goddess we found you. I haven't heard any word on what happened, all I know is that they called for troops.", she said to answer her question, "Last I checked, dad was in the captain's quarters getting ready for an address. But he's probably on the bridge by now."


Bridge

Jack stepped onto the bridge, his dress uniform half done up, one side of the jacket hanging wide open.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

The sensors station bridge officer jumped at the clear anger in the commander's voice, "G-gone sir. They jumped to FTL before we could stop them."

The officer at tactical interjected, "Sirs, with preparation to leave, all our patrol craft and the Eye IIs were all docked in the hangars for travel. The enemy seems to somehow have ECS according to the brief scan we managed to get."

It was clear Jack was deeply angered by this by how his jaw ticked, and by how his normally professional posture was non-existent. After a moment, he composed himself, straightening his uniform(even if only faintly) as straightened his posture, and took a calmer expression.

"I want casualties and damages now. Jay, keep those patrols on overwatch, and send the Tenba shuttles to retrieve the rest of our personnel. I want those people aboard ASAP, we are not going to leave them hanging down there. I want us ready to depart immediately.", Jack ordered directing commands to each appropriate officer.

"And gather the bodies onto a separate shuttle and take them to the hangar."

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U7(flying)

Mark looked about for Koroleva as more news came in. "Where's Koroleva? Chlo, honey, where's your mum?"

Zeke only gave a shrug.

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TARMAC

The bodies of the dead were gathered, including those of the dead SABERs after news of the shuttle's departure had been passed along. A Tenba with a medical module set down and took in those wounded including Mark Tazar.


Tenba M2 - medical transport 2

As he lay on the assigned bed, and as the drugs kicked in, he watched as body after body was carried aboard in body bags. They were laid down at the back of the compartment across the floor in such a morbid procession. Mark felt the familiar pang of pain, and guilt, as he recognized the armored shapes of his fallen brothers in arms. Some of their bodies having abnormal qualities which told him they died horribly, if albeit, hopefully quickly.


Outside

The other Tenba shuttles began to land, their troop transport compartments rapidly filling as civilians, and personnel were quick to board. As one was filled, it would take off as another filled moments later. After they were up and away, and only the soldiers remained, they too boarded the last transport.

What was once a bustling large HQ structure with various branching facilities, and a residential district. Was now nothing more then a shell, as empty homes, labs, and offices only echoed the moan of sand filled winds blowing through opening left unshut. The walled in area nothing more then a ghost town, leaving only structures and those few small items accidentally dropped in haste scattered about.

As the last shuttle rose above and disappeared into the raging sands on the wind. As it left this planetary body of sand, dust, and past memories. The land below became dormant.

A forgotten doll rolled across the abandoned streets as sandstorm winds buffeted the child's toy. It's plastic now rough and almost removed of paint, the false hair now ragged, as abrasive sand leached it of color. The doll came to a rest on the door step of what was once a home, all but the storm seeming to stand still.

In some small way, waiting in vain for their previous owners to return. A hope that would forever go unanswered.

Anvil

"Alright kids stay with me now, I'm not about to let you run off now that I found you and if there is anyone who will know what's going on it's your dad so we need to go see him." Izzy said, having regained her level head now that all her children were accounted for, she headed straight for the bridge checking to make sure the kids were in tow. "I don't want any of you running off or trying to get outside ok? It sounds like it could be a fight from what you've told me Neera."

In a few minutes the small group had reached the bridge where a very serious Isabelle burst through the door, eyes scanning for her husband, seeing him half dressed. "Jack! What's going on out there? Why do you look like you had a fight with the wardrobe?" She asked while moving in to give him a quick hug.

Rose's car drifted quickly along its orbit, and before long, she watched the Anvil come abreast, then pass beneath her as the car initiated its final maneuvers. A quick flip pointed the thrusters back, and fired retrograde, her orbit dropping below the Anvil to catch up. A few moments later, the car flipped over again, climbing the path laid by the three laws of Newton into the hangar, where Rose took control, settling into the driver's seat. Gravity started to take hold in the hangar, and she quickly spotted her parking spot near the hydrogen generator for the Eye IIs.

Bringing the car in, the skids deployed and she turned to face out into the cavernous expanse, engines and power plant giving a shuddering whine as they shut down. Rose then popped off a quick message to Sarah to announce her arrival.

Jay quickly issued orders to the control officers.

"Get those shuttles loaded and expedite them onto the ships. No excuses, no one left behind. And keep those Eyes on overwatch. In fact, bring it up to two patrols."

He turned to Jack.

"You really need to detach yourself from individuals, Jack. You can't afford to be distracted by these little things any more."

With the combination of her motherly instincts being in overdrive as well as the adrenaline from the situation flooding her veins Isabelle had heard Jays comment and a scowl quickly filled her features, wings fluttering a little as her anger built. How dare he tell her husband to ignore them, she knew Jack loved her and their kids and would never stand for this kind of insult but she so desperately wanted to say her own piece to the man.

"Excuse me? I really hope you weren't referring to his family just then." She said simple, still waiting to see how Jack reacted before blowing her top over the comment.

As the fleet pulled away, Ven looked out of the windows of her temporary quarters. She sat in the chair with a heat lamp and sharpened one of her knives. It was relaxing. Ven didn't have any attachment to the planet that was falling into the distance. However, there was still a sense of something. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was disquieting. She was so used to being on her own. To not being trusted and not trusting in turn. It was comfortable. However, first on the Brimstone and now here, she felt trusted. Like she was more then just a hired hand. She didn't know if she would be missed, but that they would somehow be less if she betrayed them. She didn't want them to be less, they were good people. That was perhaps stretching the truth, but they were better people then she was. Not that being better then her was particularly hard.

It was a deeply uncomfortable feeling. Ven knew what she should do, she should leave. Perhaps plant some explosives as a departing gift, steal a shuttle, and fly somewhere, anywhere, else. However, she also knew that she wasn't going to do it. It wasn't that she wasn't capable of betraying their trust. She had killed people who were nicer and trusted her more then they did. It was that for the first time in a very long time that she suspected that they didn't really deserve it, that perhaps death wouldn't be the release for them that it would be for her. So she made a decision, if she left, she wasn't going to steal much and wouldn't give them something to remember her by.

Aras realized that she would be no help standing around and quickly sprinted off to find her daughter in the civilians. "This was a bad note to begin with," She would mutter before continuing off. Wherever Aras and Abigail would unite, they would quickly follow the other civilians, ushering themselves to the designated locations.

Koroleva glanced at the doors of the hangar finally, before glancing over to see a shuttle beginning it's depart. One of the last ones. With a soft, annoyed grunt, the Nekovalkyrja bolted over, grasping at the landing gear, before pulling herself up. The Nekovalkyrja crawled to the front, tapping the window briefly. The pilots of which in shock and with a light jolt, finally able to steady themselves and maintain their current altitude.

A soft hiss was audible to Koroleva as one of the airtight doors slowly unlocked. Thumping her masked face against the window briefly, she turned around and began crawling to the side, pulling herself in and shutting the doors again.

U7
Chlorate responded "I do not know what a mum is, but the most recent place I saw mother at was in the hangar entran-" Chlorate beeped and turned to the front window, noticing Koroleva on it. "Oh, she is on the front of the shuttle," Chlorate stated.

Anvil
Unfortunately, Adria and Adilis had walked in at the worst time, very soon hearing Jay's comment that their dad was too distracted by "these little things". But to make matters cat-astrophically worse, the part-feline siblings had no context on what Jay was talking about, and they were left to assume that he was talking about them, rather specifically too with his remark including the word "little" and their mother suspecting he was talking about their family. Well, they were often considered little, and they were his family, so when they put two and two together they got... Well they got five but for all they knew they obtained four. Adria, of course, was about to blow her top much faster than Isabelle and Jack.
"What was that about him being too distracted by THESE little things?!" Adria vehemently demanded, slapping her tail on the floor. "Are you trying to say we're not important to him?!" The volatile Hybrid looked especially ticked off, as her tail quite quickly floofed up and straightened out into a long puffy red line running across the floor.

Jack was certainly not standing for it, and he was already quite angered. A fact clearly shown as the emotion triggered the Geist in him, causing his irises to glow their crimson red as if in emphasis.

Jack tried to keep his tone measured, but found it difficult as he spoke, "Mr. Nagato, might I remind you that what you deem as "distractions", are the very reason we fight and do what we do. I would ask you, to not lose sight of that fact. These people are our people, and they are our charges to protect."

"A job quite frankly that we have failed in today.", he said his tone softening as the other emotions began to wear at his anger, "10 of our people now lie dead, and 8 of our brothers in arms. Not to mention my granddaughter and her infant child were just taken."

Jack let what was a scowl that had lessened to a stern stare as he spoke, linger a moment longer before breaking off. The man wrapped his arms around his wife and held her dearly.

The commander was visibly somewhat shaken by these comments.

"I was not speaking about that. What I mean is that you need to be sure to not let your handle on the larger issues take a back seat to personal matters. I know it's not the same, but I had a similar dilemma when Aster joined us here. You need to find a work-life balance and stick to it."

He then looked at Adria.

"And that doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing family time."