[Einmánuður 24, 9092, 12:10PM (I.S.T.), Halls of War Auditorium, Icarian Armed Forces HQ, Icaria Prime]

The auditorium was flooded with the noises of the bickering of governors and military officials. Representatives from all the planets in the Kyklos United Worlds Alliance were gathered together in the auditorium, some present in person, others on holographic call. With their recent losses in the war, the Alliance was in dire need of a new approach to this conflict.

Up on the stage standing behind the lectern, a tall and muscular man with chestnut skin, dressed in a custom-made dark purple Icarian Admiral’s naval coat on top of a bulletproof vest, black combat pants, and black boots was attempting to defuse the growing tension in the room. Of course, despite his persistence, his attempt has so far been met with failure. The Vice Admiral of the Icarian Armed Forces, Vice Admiral Lamar Utajiri. But most people just call him Man Man.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please calm yourselves," said Man Man, hiding his own frustration beneath a calm and collected town. “If you would kindly quiet down and go back to your seats, we’ll continue this discussion in a more civilized fashi—”

“How in the Divine Realm do you expect us to calm down when we just lost one of our most vital battles yet, Vice Admiral Utajiri?!” exclaimed a Valorian military officer. “The NEP just took down our most vital planet along Alpha Sector’s outer rim, and one of Icaria’s top generals is KIA!”

“The League’s takeover of Terrax has granted them easy passage past the main blockade," informed a UNE officer.

“Icaria Prime is in a more vulnerable state than ever," continued an Icarian officer. “If we don’t do something about it now, the NEP will have the planet before we can even mount a proper defense!”

“Yes, I know that, commanders. Which is why I need you and the rest of the committee to calm down. As tense as this situation is, we won’t be able to think of a plan if we just stand around and bicker like a bunch of middle graders. So please, for our sake…” Vice Admiral Utajiri moved his aviator glasses down and looked the committee square in the eyes.

“Calm. The fuck. Down. Now.”

With Utajiri’s command, all the members of the committee shut their mouths and took their seats, be it out of intimidation or reluctant compliance. Utajiri sighed and continued speaking.

“Thank you," he started as he shifted his aviators back over his eyes. “Back to the topic at hand, we—” Just as he continued speaking, another person joined the call via hologram. “Oh, what now?” he grumbled.

The person was a woman with a chestnut skin tone, black hair reaching her shoulders, dressed in a white jacket with a light blue inner lining, light grey combat pants, and light grey stealth operator gloves. West Icarian Operator, Sabrina Utajiri. Also known as Z.

The Vice Admiral recognized her immediately and called to her.

“Yo, Z!” he called out to the woman. “It’s been three weeks since I last heard from you, sis! How’re you and the rest of the troops from… Ios…” He trailed off from his words when he noticed the soldiers in the back being patched up and tended to by medics. “…Oh shit. Z, please don’t tell us what I think you'll say.”

Z sighed in frustration and spoke.

“We… We lost, M. We lost Ios…” she said wistfully. The committee once more erupted in panic.

“Everyone, be quiet!” exclaimed the Vice Admiral, silencing everyone in the room once more. “Thank you.” He turned back to Z and let her speak. “Anyway, as you were, sis.”

“We… couldn’t stay. We were outnumbered and outgunned, dry on supplies, and our men were either dead, dying, or too demoralized to pick up their weapons…” continued Z. “We were hoping to get a resupply from CI-7, but they didn’t have any ships fast enough to make the trip. Even if they arrived, the League would’ve already overrun us by that point. I…” She sniffled as she held back her tears and looked down at the floor in shame. “...I’m sorry, bro. I wanted to keep fighting. I—”

“No. I understand.” The Vice Admiral reassured his sister. “You did what you could. What matters most is that you’re all safe. You and the others just get back to Outpost CI-7 so you can get patched up.”

Z looked up at her brother, confused by his collected demeanor in spite of the significance of their loss.

“B-But we just lost Ios! How the hell are supposed to—”

“Z, listen to me. What matters is that you and the rest of your battalion evacuated and are alive. We’ll find a way to retake Ios and the data vault soon. So for now, just listen to your bro and get back to Outpost CI-7 as soon as you can. You’ve done enough for now, sis.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

Z collected her thoughts and smiled back.

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll be there in a few days, M.” Before Z could leave the call, an Icarian major general stepped forward and spoke up.

“Now hold on just a moment there, Special Operator Utajiri!” cried out the major general, as the Utajiri siblings muttered, “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” simultaneously in the background.

“What is this time, General Forbus?” questioned the Vice Admiral begrudgingly.

“First of all, it’s Major General Forbus,” corrected Forbus. “Second, I demand that General Obii step forward this instant. He has some explaining to do.”

Z squinted her eyes at Forbus, irritated by the Major General’s demeanor.

“What do you mean ‘he has some explaining to do’? As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t need to say anythi—”

“I’ll take it from here, Operator Utajiri.” Z was stopped mid sentence when General Obii came up from behind her to take over the call.

“General, you don’t need to do this," she sighed. "I’ve got it under contro—”

“Please, Sabrina. It’s alright," interjected General Obii. "You don’t need to burden yourself with this. You’ve carried us long enough. Now go get some rest. You deserve it, soldier.”

“I—” Z tried to insist that she continue, but she eventually caved in to the general’s command. She sighed as she stood up and saluted the general. “Thank you, sir.” She walked away to go get some rest, with Obii taking over the call.

“So, as you were, Major General Forbus?” continued General Obii as he adjusted his posture.

“Right," started Forbus. “If I remember correctly, I made it quite clear to you and your troops that you were to hold your positions on Ios at all costs. I never gave the order to retreat nor the permission for you to hand out such an order, yet you went ahead and did it anyway. You do realize that your disobedience can have you and Operator Utajiri court martialed, right?” He crossed his arms and looked Obii straight in the eyes. “So, care to explain why you did what you did?”

“Well, I hate to break the news to you, but you’re wrong about that, "replied General Obii. “I did get an order from another superior.”

Forbus was taken aback. A He further questioned General Obii.

“What do you mean you got an order from another superior? You are supposed to answer to me alone! Who is this ‘other superior’ you speak of?!” he demanded.

“Well, you see, the thing about that is…” Obii straightened his cap and looked Forbus right in the eye.

“Crown Prince Verigan gave me the order.”

The auditorium fell silent, the only audible noise being the whispers and murmurs as the senate took in what they just heard. On one hand, many were elated to hear the Crown Prince taking an active role in the war, including the Vice Admiral himself. On the other hand, many people, mostly consisting of Icarian generals and senators, were much less enthusiastic about the news, concerned that the Crown Prince’s interference may cause political tension within their office.

Major General Forbus himself was not feeling so major after hearing what General Obii said. Not wanting to delve further into the topic, he straightened up his posture and replied.

“I… I see," said Forbus. “W-Well, in that case, I will question you no further and leave you to your busine—”

“Hold on just a second! You’re just going to let Prince Verigan get away with commanding the troops that you are in charge of?!” exclaimed one of the commanders.

“T-This is the royal family we’re talking about, for Odin’s sake! You expect me to try and defy the Crown Prince himself?!” replied Forbus.

“I expect you to keep your subordinates in line, Major General Forbus! But all you’ve done for the past few weeks is fail miserably at just that!” retorted the commander.

“Do not use that condescending tone against me, Commander Talias! You have no right to speak out against a superior officer!” Soon, the two found themselves in an argument, even dragging other officers into the mix.

Man Man just stood back and watched the military officers argue like a bunch of middle schoolers fighting over who is the king of the slides. He rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to ease the migraine.

“Oh, Maxston… I’m glad you’re not around to see this…” Man Man muttered to himself. General Obii turned to the Vice Admiral and conversed with him.

“So, this is what’s been going on back home with our oh-so-wise senators and commanding officers while I and the rest of my colleagues in the field are working our spines out of our backs, huh?” asked the general with clear disappointment in his voice.

“Only Icaria's finest," said Man Man sarcastically. "Would you believe me if I told you that arguments like this happened every Monday? Twice a day? For three damn hours?”

“I believe it. Still, I’m surprised you’ve survived dealing with them for this long. If I were in your shoes, I would’ve booted it out of here in a second.”

“Look, only one of us has the patience to watch incompetent officers call other incompetent officers incompetent officers all day, everyday, twelve months a year." Man Man lowered his glasses and looked Obii dead in the eyes. “Guess what month of my time with the senate I’m on?”

“Your fifteenth, if I remember corre—”

“Eighteenth. I’m on my eighteenth."

“...I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this for so long, sir.”

“Hm. Could be worse. At least it ain’t a KBA 9k lobby in a Maharlikan server.” He shrugged as he continued to wait out the argument.

“Well, I hope you’re still in the mood for a game, Man Man. Because the ball has just bounced into my court," a voice spoke from behind the pair. Vice Admiral Utajiri peeked over his shoulder, turning around with a smile on his face when he recognized that voice as none other than Verigan.

“‘Ey, I recognize that voice. What’s up, Dragoneye?” he greeted the prince with enthusiasm as he high-fived him. “You still going kamikaze on everyone getting in your way?”

“Yeah, although I keep forgetting to actually die.” The two chuckled at Verigan’s little joke. “By the way, how’s your time with the senate? I hope they haven’t caused you too much of a headache," he asked as he looked at the military officers who were still arguing.

“Well, I’ve definitely had better days, but I’m surviving," replied Man Man. He turned his attention to the people accompanying Verigan, starting with Ryan. “Hey, Ryan! Good to see you, man! Last I saw of you was during our academy days!”

“Aye. Sorry for not keeping in touch after graduation. I’ve been up to a lot in the outer reaches of the galaxy, you know?” responded Ryan.

“Yeah, I saw your handiwork in the holo-papers. Some really impressive stuff you’ve been doing in the Beta Sector.” Man Man then turned his attention to Demkov. “Ah, Commander Demkov. It’s an honor to work with you, sir.” He shook the UNE commander's hand.

“And it is my honor to work with you as well, Vice Admiral. Hopefully, our cooperation can turn the tide of war in our favor," replied Demkov.

“I sure hope it will.” Man Man then turned his attention to Geargrinder, his eyes widening slightly. “Well, I’ll be… Never thought I’d ever meet you in person," he muttered as he stared at the bounty hunter in awe.

“Hm? Uh, you mean me?” asked Gear. Man Man bowed his head in respect.

“Yes. Good afternoon, Mr. Vitruvius. I am Vice Admiral Utajiri, son of Kane Utajiri," he said in a respectful tone as he gave out his hand to shake. “I’m honored to meet you in person for the first time, sir. My old man used to tell me stories about you during his time in the UNE-NCP Civil War.”

“Well, I’m also honored to meet you, Vice Admiral.” Replied the bounty hunter as he shook Man Man’s hand. “It’s always good to meet an old friend’s descendant. Also, you can just call me Gear.”

“Understood, Gear.” Man Man nodded. “And you can just call me Man Ma—”

“Crown Prince Verigan!” Everyone turned their heads towards Commander Talias as she called out the prince. “It’s about time you arrived. I have some questions for you.”

“Oh Odin, please forgive her. She doesn't know what she's doing,” begged Forbus as he facepalmed and sat back in his seat. Commander Talias stepped forward and began probing the prince for answers regarding the news of Ios.

“A few minutes ago, we just received news that you gave General Obii and his battalion permission to retreat from their post in Ios, in spite of the fact that they were assigned under Major General Forbus. Can you confirm this for us? Did you General Obii the order to fall back?” interrogated Commander Talias with arrogance and hubris dripping from every word that came out of her mouth. Not tolerating her utter bullshit, Ryan took centerstage and retorted.

“Now hold on a second, lass," he started. "The way you’re asking that question implies that you’re looking to place the blame for your failures on my pal Verigan over here. I’ll have you know that when he gave the lads on Ios the order to fall back, he was simply taking into consideration their wellbeing. You know, something that you guys should’ve considered.”

The crowd in the auditorium gasped quietly as Ryan began talking down Commander Talias. She scoffed at his remarks.

“And who do you think you are, speaking to me in such a derogatory manner? Do you even know who you’re speaking to?” she asked.

“Hmm… No, can’t say I do, lass," replied Ryan.

“Well, if you must know, I am Talias Alfador, commander of the—”

“Lass, I only said that I didn’t know who you were. I never asked, and frankly, I don’t give two shits about it," quipped Ryan. Talias’ face turned bright red as some of the people in the auditorium, including Verigan and the rest of his posse, laughed at Ryan’s retort. The commander gritted her teeth in irritation as she tried to defend her pride.

“You dare insult me?! I’ll have you know that I am a commander of the Icarian Armed Forces, and I will not have some Sigma peasant talk me down! I’ve worked hard my whole life to attain this position, and as such, I demand that you show me the respect that I dese—”

“I’m sorry, you ‘worked hard’?” Ryan laughed at her statement. “Yeah, I don’t know about you, but having your folks bribe your way up the chain of command is not what I would call ‘hard work," lass. At that point, bad comedy is what it is."

Ryan’s quips got even more people laughing at Talias, who was now as red as a Valorian crimsonthorn. The commander made one last attempt to defend herself.

“Y-You watch your words, you b-brat!” Talias exclaimed, stuttering as she struggled to speak out of humiliation. “I’ll have you know that only the best of the best in the Icarian Armed Forces are capable of, uhm, o-of—”

“Of what, exactly?” Ryan said, now in a more serious tone. “Slandering the reputation of the Icarian Armed Forces even further?" He stood on the stage, overlooking Talias and everyone else in the auditorium.

"Listen here, all of you. You frat kids have done nothing for this planet’s military but give it a bad name. Hogging all the glory and fame for shite that you never did, ordering young men and women to die just to keep the big baddie off your front porch as you sip away at your martinis, and taking the spotlight away from officers who are actually doing their job in these trying times.

"I don’t know what dream world you're all living in, but I reckon that it be time for you and every other poor excuse of an officer living in this delusion of grandeur and respect to wake up and face reality.” He turned his attention to everyone in the auditorium, staring them all in the eyes with a stern look on his face.

“That reality being that a good bunch of you are here, not because of your work ethic, but because your family names have lots of credits to them.”

The auditorium fell silent. Some were insulted by the speech, others impressed, and everyone else left speechless by sheer shock. Ryan simply scoffed at Talias before walking back to his group.

Verigan and his posse grinned as Ryan returned to his group, with the prince giving him a pat on the back.

“You didn’t need to roast them that hard. But man, am I glad you did," said Verigan. “If your dad was around, he’d be crying tears of pride.”

Ryan grinned smugly as he looked at the petrified commander.

“What can I say? Roasted addle is my specialty," quipped the pirate, earning some more chuckles from the posse.

Commander Talias just stood there, more humiliated than ever. She turned her attention to Man Man on the stage.

“V-Vice Adm-miral U-Utajiri," stuttered Talias. “D-Don’t tell me that you’re just g-going to let him get away with saying that t-to an officer like that! S-Surely such disparaging is punishable by law!"

Man Man just stood there behind the lectern, shrugging his arms.

“Well, I’m not his commanding officer. Plus, I’ve always been an advocate of honesty," replied Man Man. “And love him or hate him, that man is the truth.” He leaned closer to Talias from the lectern. “So, you want to say anything else to my friend over here, or have you said all you needed to?"

Talias said nothing as she walked away from the stage, slumping in a char at the very back row of the auditorium to avoid prying eyes.

“Anybody else got something to say?” asked Man Man as he turned his attention to the auditorium. Once more, no one said anything. He cleared his throat and continued. “Well, in that case, let’s get back to our discussion.” He walked away from the lectern and turned his attention to the screen behind him. “Open the presentation.”

The lectern sunk into the floor to make way for the screen. Displayed on the screen were KUWA battle reports from all sectors of the galaxy.

“Over the course of these last nine months, we’ve been hit with some pretty heavy losses," started Man Man. “Ever since the Orion League have formed the New Era Powers alliance with the Neo-Communist Remnants, the Cahrystan Imperial Remnants, and the Externus Republic, their military power has tripled over the course of three months. And with the recent promotion of one of their top generals, Ferren Densworth,”—the screen displayed a photo Ferren—”to the rank of Grand Admiral, it’s only made things a hell of a lot harder for us.”

The presentation zooms in one two specific battle reports. Terrax and Ios.

“Our most recent and most prominent losses this month were on Terrax and Ios. These two planets in particular are a major issue. With Terrax now in NEP hands, our main blockade’s been left with an opening big enough for at least ten fleets. With that kind of manpower, Icaria and all other neighboring systems can more than easily be overrun. With Ios, they now have access to our data vault. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s bad.”

An officer in the crowd raised his hand.

“Officer Jones. You have a question?" Man Man pointed at Officer Jones, prompting him to stand up and speak

“Vice Admiral, if I remember correctly, we sent reinforcements to Terrax to safeguard the planet. Maxston’s division, to be precise. He was one of our best generals! H-How could we have possibly lost with such a man guiding the battle?!” questioned Officer Jones.

“I’ll tell you why," said Man Man. He looked Jones in the eye. “Because you sent Maxston’s division and no one else. Look, I appreciate all of the faith you put in Maxston, but what the hell were you expecting sending backup into a position that was already compromised? Oh, but apparently, none of you have heard of a little something called ‘unforeseen circumstances.' Just because Maxston was one of Icaria's best generals didn't mean that he wasn't going to have a hiccup. And with a man like Ferren Densworth as the Grand Admiral, you guys essentially sent Maxston marching to his grave.”

The room fell silent once more at the mention of Maxston’s demise. Though some tried to speak out, their mouths were shut once they realized that Man Man was right. General Maxston, one of Icaria’s best generals and tacticians, now dead. All because they put too much faith in his abilities and sent him into the fray with nothing else.

“And with him out of the picture and Terrax taken over, we are all now here, in this room, having this discussion. Way to go, guys. Top of the class for sure.” Vice Admiral Utajiri sarcastically slow clapped his hands. He sighed and went back to the presentation. “Anyway, back to business. With our resources depleted and spread thin, we’re in desperate need of a new approach.” He then turned to Verigan and his group. “Fortunately for us, the Crown Prince and I were discussing some plans before this meeting.” He gestures for Verigan to step onto the stage. “Will you do the honors and debrief us, Verigan?”

Verigan stepped onto the stage and spoke to the audience.

“Before this meeting, me and my crew on the Hyperion thought of a plan to help us with our current predicament," started Verigan. “With our forces spread thin across the galaxy, we decided that it was time we called in some backup from outside our ranks.”

The crowd whispered and murmured at the prince’s idea. Calling upon outsiders to bolster their forces? Granted it had been done before by his father, King Karpath, during the First Icarian-Orion War, but he had done so as an act of rebellion against his tyrannical uncle who was planning to subjugate the galaxy to his whims.

“If we wish to win this war, we need as much help as possible. Which is why these individuals”—he gestured to his new crew standing behind him—”are now standing before us. I’ve called upon their assistance to help us win this war.” He first gestured to Demkov. “I’m sure you’re all familiar with my uncle Demkov, commander for the UNE. A pretty damn good commander if I say so myself.” He said with a smug tone in the final sentence, subtly directing it at a certain other “commander”, who turned away as the crowd started laughing again.

“Verigan comrade, please. Have some decorum," said Demkov.

“Right, right.” He turned his attention back to the crowd. “And now, these two. They’re quite famous across Kyklos, but for the unacquainted, here’s a brief summary of who we’ll be working with.” He gestured to Geargrinder first.

“First on the list, Geargrinder the Bounty Reaper. A famous longtime bounty hunter from the Sigma Sector and UNE-NCP Civil War veteran. Capable of taking hits and delivering them with little effort. With his skillset in mind, I’ll be assigning him to the Hyperion’s frontline troops.” With Gear finished, he moved on to Ryan.

“And last but certainly not the least, my cousin, Ryan Thatch. Master thief, ace pilot, and overall badass. He's—” As Verigan introduced Ryan to the people in the auditorium, Gear conversed with Demkov, confused at what Verigan meant by cousin.

“I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Since when were Ryan and Verigan cousins?” Gear asked, whispering as to not disturb Verigan.

“Remember how Ryan’s praded, Haytham, was Kora’s old man, and Kora would go on to marry Alduin, who then had King Karpath with her?” Said Demkov.

“…How fucking big does the Aekarios family tree get?”

“Some specialists have speculated that there’s a potential Aekarios blood relative in one out of every one hundred thousand Icarians. In a population of at least ten billion. That’s at least one hundred thousand potential blood relatives. Many of them attribute it to the Aekarian-Era king, Gahmuret Aekarios,” Demkov informed the bounty hunter.

“…Well, at least the Aekarios family doesn’t have to worry about dying out any time soon," muttered Gear.

“Word."

“—and with his ace pilot and leadership skills, I’ll be assigning him to the position of the commander of the Hyperion’s starfighter division. So, any questions?” asked Verigan.

The moment he asked for any questions or opinions, the auditorium erupted with noise, to which Man Man and Verigan sighed.

“Why did I even bother asking?” grumbled Verigan as he facepalmed.

“It’s just common courtesy, bro. Don’t get so twisted up about it," replied Vice Admiral Utajiri. He turned the crowd and calmed them down. “Ladies, gentlemen, and all other genders, please! Let’s be civil and take this slowly! We’re on a tight schedule! Let the prince choose who he wants to answer!"

“Hmm…” Verigan rubbed his chin as he decided on who to answer first. He then pointed to a general in the mid-row. “You there! General Mackador, correct? Have any questions or opinions on the matter?”

“I do, as a matter of fact, have an opinion on this matter," said General Mackador as he stood up. “I do not mean to belittle you, Crown Prince Verigan, but do you not think that calling upon the aid of individuals from beyond our military ranks in order to bolster our forces would taint the ima—”

“Oh, for crying out loud! We get it, you’ve got an extensive vocabulary, mate! Now snap along with it, can you?!” exclaimed Ryan, getting tired of the general’s verbosity. The general flinched in irritation, but continued his statement, albeit with simpler words.

“As I was saying, don’t you think that enlisting the aid of people from outside the military makes us look… weaker, perhaps?” asked Mackador. “Just something to consider, Crown Prince. No offense.”

“None taken. Although, I don’t really get what you mean when you say that asking for help makes us look weak," replied Verigan.

“Uhm, if I may interrupt,” started a junior officer from Mackador’s crew, “what I think General Mackador is trying to say is that by relying upon the help of bounty hunters and all that jazz, it’s making our own military look inferior. But that's just my two cents."

An Icarian sergeant stood up from the crowd and voiced their opinion.

“As the intern said it!” exclaimed Sergeant Bell. “Look, I don’t know about you, but enlisting non-IAFs? One of which is a bounty hunter? Am I the only one that thinks this looks like a repeat of what King Karpath did long ago when he formed his rebellion against the former King Veritus?”

"Precisely what I mean," continued General Mackador. “By acting out on a plan that is eerily similar to Karpath’s tactics when he staged his rebellion against Veritus, won’t it make our own forces appear incompetent?”

The audience in the auditorium spoke softly as they debated Mackador's points about enlisting non-Icarians. Everyone was divided on their opinion of the matter.

After thinking about Mackador’s argument, Verigan gave his.

“I’m going to be blatantly honest with you, General Mackador. And I hope you don’t take offense to that," said Verigan.

“Of course, my liege. What is your answer?” The general awaited the prince’s response.

Verigan took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Making an issue over our reputation just because we’ve got a few guns-for-hire walking among us now is utterly pointless. I mean, seriously! We’re here, suffering loss after loss after loss, and our main concern is how the public perceives us just because we called for backup that isn’t IAF! Well, I’m glad that the ‘army’s finest officers know how to set their priorities straight!” He exclaimed, his last sentence dripping with sarcasm.

“I was expecting you to ask about the idea of a single crew being able to change the whole tide of a war. That would've been a more sensible question," said Gear in a soft yet stern voice. “But I guess your public image is a greater concern, I suppose.” He sighed and rubbed his temples. "We're fucked."

"Not to mention that, when you think about it, it was King Karpath's rebellion that won the first Icarian-Orion War," Ryan added to the conversation, shrugging his arms and nodding his head left and right. "Boy, that really says something about your so-called 'competence,' doesn't it?"

“Had you not been so caught up with public reception and busy taking advantages of the privileges that come with your ranks, perhaps we wouldn’t have lost Terrax and Ios, huh?” finished Man Man.

The auditorium fell silent once more as the audience contemplated on their words. However, another officer spoke from the crowd, trying to defend Mackador’s and the sergeant’s arguments.

“Hold on, let me add my two cents to this debate. If I may, of course," they asked.

“Speak your piece, Officer Buck.” Replied Man Man.

“Just as my own two cents, I think the sarge and Mackador have a valid point. Karpath made a similar move during the First Icarian-Orion War to aid him in a dire situation. Do you not think that by performing such a strategy again, it would give off the impression that we’re admitting that we are in a state of crisis to the point that we have to rely on rebel tactics from the war before?”

The room fell silent as Officer Buck stated his opinion. He looked around him confusedly.

“Uhm, w-what? What did I say?” asked Officer Buck.

Man Man took a deep breath before taking off his glasses and placing them in his coat pocket.

“… Buck," said the Vice Admiral.

“Uh, y-yes Vice Admiral?” Replied Officer Buck nervously.

“You claim that by calling upon non-Icarian warriors, Icaria admits to being in a crisis. That’s what you said, yes?”

“Uhm, y-yeah. Why, what else would I sa—”

Suddenly, Man Man rammed his fist into the stage floor, leaving a crack in the floor and creating a small shockwave that shook the entire auditorium. Everyone in the room was taken aback by his sudden outburst. He turned his attention back to Officer Buck and the rest of the senate with an uncharacteristic frustration and rage in his eyes.

“Yeah, well no fucking shit that we’re in a state of crisis, Shitlock Holmes! I don’t think we need to say it out loud!” yelled Man Man, having completely run out of patience at this point. “The Fall of the Doragon and Terrax! The Battle of Ios! The Siege on Valos III! the Battle of Nakto-V! The Wendis System Massacre! The Battle of Orion-V! And the Massacre of the Kravalga Fleet at the Battle of Dormaga! And these are only our most prominent losses during this war! I’m not even going to get started on the casualties we’ve lost in the Beta Sector! I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, Bucky, but we’re in as deep of a crisis as we can possibly be!”

Man Man coughed as his throat became strained by his outburst. Verigan came up to him and patted his back.

“Hey, man. Take it easy. That was awesome, don’t get me wrong, but take it easy," said the prince.

“Y-Yeah. I know. I just…” Man Man groaned as he turned back to the senate. “So… yeah. Apologies for the outburst, but… is our current state not so obvious to you? We are on the losing end of this war! We are in a crisis already! And if we don’t change our approach to this now, we’re as good as dead!"

“B-But surely we have other personnel we can call upon other than non-IFAs!” exclaimed Officer Buck.

“Other personnel? Buck, do you even pay attention to what is going on in the field?! Well, since you clearly don't, allow me to spin the story for you all!” He summoned the lectern from the floor and leaned on it as he listed down the current whereabouts of the other Icarian personnel.

“Our former Crown Prince Albus is currently comatose, Crown Princess Veridia is captured and is being held for ransom, Sovereign-General Adaephon is on the frontlines getting nothing done because of your plans, or rather lack thereof, Prince Aldric and Princess Katheryne are with their parent, the Sovereign-General, also getting nothing done because of your lack of plans, Prime Minister Rosario is busy dealing with you and your round-the-clock nonsense, King Karpath’s a pacifist, not to mention he’s also busy with your nonsense, is trying to ease the people's fears in these dire times, and is negotiating for Veridia’s release, Grand Admiral Nakamura’s also with Adaephon, and lastly, the Vice Admiral—AKA me—is in this very room, giving this very speech, to this very senate. And with all of that in mind, I must ask.” He gestured to Verigan and his crew.

“What other personnel aside from Verigan and his team?!”

The auditorium fell silent as no one could talk back. Though they tried to defend themselves, in the end, Man Man was right. There was no one else within their ranks to call upon, and every other KUWA-allied planet was busy fighting on their end. Their only hope now were these outsiders, whether they liked it or not.

General Mackador sighed and finally accepted reality.

“Well, if we truly have no other choice but to rely on the assistance of these non-Icarians… then so be it," started General Mackador. “I don’t like this plan as much as the next officer in this room, but if the Crown Prince places this much trust”—he points at Verigan’s crew—”in these individuals from outside of our ranks to aid the war effort, then I shall follow along.” He bowed his head as a sign of apology. “Forgive me for my prior protest against you, Vice Admiral Utajiri and Crown Prince Verigan.”

Vice Admiral Utajiri sighed and dismissed General Mackador.

“No need to apologize, Mackador. At least you get it.” He then turned to the rest of the senate. “So, anything else on the matter?” Asked the Vice Admiral. When he was met with silence, he decided to end the meeting. “Then in that case, the meeting has been adjourned. Verigan and his team will be discussing their battle plans at Outpost SO-3. The rest of you, back to your post. And actually do some work for once. Dismissed.”

The people in the auditorium left as the meeting was adjourned. Man Man leaned on the lectern as he rubbed his forehead to ease his migraine. Verigan approached him and conversed.

“Well, this senate meeting was… eventful, to say the least," said Verigan, to which Man Man chuckled.

“Heh. Yeah. Sorry about my anger fit there, by the way," apologized Man Man. "Temper's gotten worse ever since I got stuck with these old timers."

“Ah, don’t be sorry. If anything, this was probably the only time a senate meeting's been interesting," quipped Verigan, earning some laughs from his group.

“Well, I’m glad I was able to make it fun for once, Dragoneye.” He then turned to Verigan’s crew. “So, I presume that you’ll be on your way now?”

“Indeed, comrade," said Demkov. “The war’s not going to win itself, after all."

“Aye. Plus we still need to get settled into our quarters on Verigan’s vessel. I still need to drop off my luggage.” Said Ryan, showing his luggage being carried over his shoulder.

“Well, you best get to it.” Man Man turned to Verigan and Ryan. “I'll catch you guys later when this whole thing blows over.” He then turned to Demkov and Gear. “And it was a huge honor to meet you two. I wish you all the best of luck on your mission. May your beliefs guide your way.” He greeted them goodbye.

“Alright, guys. To the Hyperion!” Verigan walked with his crew to exit the room. “See you there, Man Man!"

“Tell your father I said hi when you see him again," requested Gear as he left with the group.

“I be expecting a victory feast from you once this whole thing blows over!” joked Ryan.

“Well, I was Kurger Captain back in our academy days! So you better look forward to it! I'll even get Uncle Vik to organize the party!” Said Man Man as he laughed and packed up his things before leaving the auditorium.

And so, our heroes have already survived their first trial that is the senate.

But this was just the beginning of their troubles…