Leaning lazily against one of the bleachers in the back was an average-ish height man in a flight suit who clearly worked out. Okay, maybe he was on the shorter side, but anyone to point that out would rue the day. Five foot eight really isn't that short! he'd claim. Anyways, this average-ish man had his arms folded across his chest and eyes lazily glancing to those who spoke up through majority of the meeting. There was simply too much going on for him to really feel the need to engage others at the moment. So busy that he flet the need for a smoke.
8-Ball was just hit open his zippo lighter when he spied a tall woman who called herself Hazel. She claimed her squadron, the Hounds, was hired to provide additional craft in the fight ahead. He took a long drag on his freshly lit cigar. He had to admit, she piqued his interest and would have to look deeper into her squadron's flight records.
Then there was that other pilot who was supposed to be 8-Ball's partner who strictly refused to participate in the suicide mission. What was Errowyn's code name again? Hawk-Girl, Hawk-Eye...? He'd have to go through his notes and check once more. He had been through several scores of dossiers since he started this job and they were all blurring together.
The man was surprised to see the I'ee that he had saved from the palace was at the meeting. He shouldn't be really, but he never really was properly introduced. Would she even recognize him without his all-black suit? He couldn't help but wonder what kind of a personality lay behind that mask. A sentient bug was a rarity in his personal experience after all.
Then there was the fact that a half ID-SOL was among the many occupant here. That was quite a sight indeed. 8-Ball never expected to find one of those so far out. His shock as this was only matched at the massive, spacer-created automation that placed itself in the meeting. A massive automation that seemed to have a few quirks with its logic circuit.
That was when Ace began to be a little bit disruptive. 8-Ball encountered this man before and was unsure of what to make of him at this point in time. There clearly was some history between him and Uso, but what specifically remained to be seen.
"Ahem," Tiberius grunted aloud as he cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. His blue eyes looked up at Uso. "It seems like you've already taken to heart my original idea of launching unguided anti-capital ship weapons at the NMX. Do you still need someone to train the I'ee pilots? I will if you need me to, but if not, I'd rather pull reconnaissance duty to identify and destroy those NMX dogs." The last part of his statement was chilling compared to the rest. "My fighter is fast, has extended sensor range, and an excellent countermeasure suite. I just need someone who specializes in electronic warfare and has no fear of death." 8-Ball took a moment to take a drag from his cigar. "Oh, and since you are wanted to bulk up your fleet, I have a light freighter at my disposal. But access will cost you extra, up front."