As much as it was virtually silent inside the cockpit of Havok, even attempting to catch a few more hours of sleep had been impossible, his mind still ticking over the unusual mission request. Had he not been told by the provider to not speak to anyone regarding what he was doing, he would have talked over it with Sajjan. Typically between the two of them, they could work out the details in most problems but on his own he felt stumped. Elijah flicked open the direct channel to the transporter cockpit, "Can I get an ETA on drop? I'm going to be dead of boredom by the time we get there." Trying to sound less anxious than he actually was.

Whether it was the pilot or co-pilot, they didn't sound particularly pleased with him, "Raven, that's the fourth time you've asked, you've got fifteen minutes till we reach the drop point now please, sit tight and you'll know when we're ready." The line went dead with a click, Elijah slumped back into the seat. Aspina was the smallest fish in the corporate pond, they were effectively little more than a research colony that developed key parts for AC and MT components. Supporting less than 10,000 people in their single installation, they had respectable income, but almost never contracted Ravens aside for test purposes, diverting most of their resources back into their work. Carrying out a direct strike, against Rayleonard of all targets was more than just out of character, it was downright absurd.

But, at the end of the day Elijah knew that they could do whatever they wanted with their money, the Corporations were more than happy to spend billions on arming people to kill each other, it was literally his job description, fight for the highest bidder. It was exactly like he'd said to Tom on their last mission, 'Why is it now you're asking this question?'. Why am I questioning this now? Why not before? Just because it's not regular? Is killing people for money considered regular now? Before the Great Destruction, Elijah knew soldiers got paid for their work, but they signed up for reasons other than just the pay, to defend their country or to invade another. Those reasons didn't really exist anymore. Nobody he'd met in his whole life felt any genuine loyalty to the Corporations, they knew how the balance of power worked. The only reason they were provided with protection was so the other Corporations didn't take their work force.

Elijah's train of thought was derailed when the com' channel crackled to life, "Alright Raven, we are five minutes from the drop point, get your AC ready". Whoever was flying this thing, Elijah hoped they weren't this abrupt with all their clients. Turning to the side, he began the familiar process of switching the AC from a low power passive mode provided by the transport's internal gantry, to his own generator. The light levels inside the cockpit jumped in increments as various monitors and displays fired up, the humming behind him confirming that the generator was working as intended. Quickly running a system check, the onboard computer did split second stress tests on all sensors and software, ensuring that nothing would fail at an inopportune time.

The test came back green across the board and Elijah opened the channel to his mission operator, "Operator, drop is in two minutes, confirming mission objective disrupt Rayleonard Energy Cell Factory operations by any means necessary."

The operator's rather stiff and professional reply came back almost instantly, "Mission objective confirmed, report back on touchdown, Raven." As the channel closed, Elijah frowned slightly, was that it? He'd dealt with detached or indifferent operators before but it still bothered him, he'd come to the conclusion that it was either a coping mechanism to deal with the newer, less competent Ravens getting seriously injured or killed in their first missions. Or that they legitimately didn't care and treated this like any other job, neither option was really a positive. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he waited for the pilot to tell him when to go. It didn't take long.

"Raven, we are entering mission area, you are cleared to exit the transport. Good hunting." The second the channel closed, Elijah felt a slight shift which he recognised as the gantry holding Havok shifting forwards towards the now opening rear of the transport. Elijah was familiar with solo missions, they had their advantages over paired missions, but it was always nice to know there was someone else out their covering your back, it could sometimes be rather unnerving when you realise you're on your own. A dull clunk brought him back and the main monitor in front of him showed nothing but the sky. He pulled a small handle above his head and the clamps keeping him in the gantry came loose. Allowing Havok's weight to shift forwards slightly, the AC tipped slowly before falling out of the back.

The feeling of weightlessness, along with his spinning vision and rapidly dropping altimeter confirmed that he had cleared the transport and was on his way in. Using the artificial horizon provided on the HUD, he orientated Havok so it was falling feet first, the boosters flaring to life as Elijah pulsed them, gradually slowing the descent. Less than a minute later, with only three hundred meters to go, Havok's boosters roared louder, allowing for an almost graceful touchdown.

"Operator, confirm mission start, Havok switching to combat mode." Something Elijah liked about nearly every mission operator was their consistently rapid replies even if they sounded like you were the least interesting thing on their mind at the time.

"Mission start confirmed Havok, you are free to engage, good luck." At those words, Elijah pushed the boosters to 80%, shifting Havok's weight forwards, the AC began to slide over the baked ground. Elijah kept the angle of the boosters higher than normal due to the uneven terrain, keeping the actual weight on the ground low. This was something you learnt to do very quickly as high speed accident's in ACs weren't pretty. Watching a rookie stumble his AC at nearly 400km/h was never pleasant and recordings of these accidents when they did occur was often enough to convince new Ravens to pay attention in training. Even on relatively flat surfaces, unless it's a hardened metal surface, it's generally considered good practice to keep your applied weight down to prevent you suddenly cutting into whatever you're trying to boost over.

The altimeter had replaced itself with a distance to target, Elijah glancing at this saw he had just 6km left to cover and the facility was beginning to become clearer in the distance. Elijah switched from his machine guns to his AS launchers, deciding on a first strike with missiles then following up with machine gun fire when closer in. It made sense in his head, this facility wasn't exactly defended, it wasn't even really what he'd consider a legitimate target, it relied on its isolated location in the middle of nowhere to keep it safe. With a defensive force of a handful of MTs and infantry, the main worry of the mission would be doing enough damage and getting out before Rayleonard mounted a decent response. While Ravens had immunity to corporate counter-attack once they were homeward bound, they all knew that they were fair game on the battlefield.

Only 2km were left when Havok's FCS began recognising targets ahead of him. The missile launchers covers flipped open, exposing the warheads inside. He was seconds from squeezing the trigger when his com' channel came to life, "Havok, you have an inbound target closing on you from your 12 o'clock at high speed. I'm identif-" His voice suddenly changed dramatically and lost the professional tone, "Ahhhhh shit! Havok, disengage! Withdraw! You need to pull the fuck out!" Elijah had no idea what he was talking about but eased back on the throttle dropping his speed significantly.

"Wait what?" He questioned back, "What is it? What's happening?"

No answer came back except what sounded like a microphone being dropped and very distant shouting. "Someone get Fiona on the line and tell me what the hell he's doing out there?!" Elijah's confusion was not alleviated but panic began to set in, the operator had been nothing but cold and distant until now, what suddenly made him act like this? Havok's FCS lit up, designating a high priority target approaching over the facility ahead. The sound of a microphone rattling echoed over the still open channel, "Havok I said disengage! That's an inbound AC! It's Supplice!"

At that, his bones froze. Supplice. The Armored Core belonging to the Number One, the Ace, Berlioz. Elijah dropped Havok into reverse thrust, digging Havok's heels into the ground shifting his weight way back and firing the forward facing boosters. His speed dropped like a rock, the straps holding him into his seat, cutting deep into both shoulder and chest. Elijah paid no mind to it, his focus entirely on the AC slowly coming into view in front of him, the dust from his stop clearing at a snail's pace.

Only moments later, Supplice dropped down from its flight path, descending slowly, around two hundred meters ahead of him, placing himself very deliberately between Havok and the facility. Despite standing nearly a full meter shorter than Havok, the almost black AC was intimidating in its own right, the borderline lightweight 03-AALIYAH frame sported many sharp edges, curved surfaces and points giving it the impression of not being safe to stand next to. In each hand it carried an assault rifle, one from Rayleonard, the other from BFF, with an Arisawa Grenade Launcher on its right back mount. For its auxiliary shoulder weapons, a pair of BFF flare launchers were fitted, allowing Berlioz to divert enemy missiles away from his AC.

Elijah listened in on the still open channel but heard nothing but static, meaning he was on his own for now. He closed the channel from his end. Options were, retreat as advised by his operator, or to continue with the mission, engaging in what was 100% now a suicide mission. For now, he switched from his missiles to machine guns, raising both at Supplice, his FCS confirming a lock. Interestingly the usual warning that an enemy FCS was locking him wasn't displayed, meaning Supplice wasn't actually targeting him right now.

When his com channel opened, he expected the operator, but he didn't recognise the voice that came through, "Raven, I don't want to fight you, I'm asking that you make the right choice and turn around. This doesn't have to go any further than this. I was only told to defend this facility, I'm not obligated to engage you." The calm measured delivery of the request took Elijah off guard slightly. There was virtually no hostility in Berlioz's voice, he almost wanted to believe that he could leave without being attacked.

Something about that struck a nerve though, What? He thinks he can just turn me around? Give up without even trying? How can I possibly aim for his position if I'm not even willing to challenge him? Elijah's mind fought the two conflicting ideas, one begging him to take the offer, leave unharmed and be more prepared the next time. The other, screaming that this was his chance! The chance he'd wanted for so long, to prove he could be the best, to prove he was worth something! He grit his teeth, but replied, "You don't wanna fight? What could you possibly be afraid of Ninebreaker?" He put a harsh edge on the title that Berlioz held, his hands shaking on the controls, his eyes fixed on the overlapping gun sights blinking red, like they were pleading with him to pull the trigger. He could do it, at this range, there was no way Berlioz could avoid every round. Berlioz's reply came back, "You've got it wrong Raven, I'm not afraid, I'm just tired. Right now I can hear your operator begging mine to call me off, saying that you're not nearly ready to deal with me. They're right, you're not ready. I won't kill you, but you'll leave here knowing what death looks like."

The icy tone in Berlioz's voice tipped Elijah over the edge, he squeezed the triggers, both guns roared sending a hail of shells at Supplice. He was in the process of beginning to send Havok sliding to the right when he froze, his eyes locked on the main monitor in horror. Every on target round fired only got within a few meters of Supplice before suddenly impacting with what looked like a swirling sphere of yellow and green particles, electricity arcing off it. Not a single shell made it though, leaving completely unharmed. His pause left him open, a bright flash of light silhouetted Supplice and in what felt like the blink of an eye, the black AC was standing in front of him, side on with his left hand rifle pointed at him. Elijah then realised Berlioz wasn't aiming at his head for a reason, the pilot sat in the chest of an AC, which is exactly where Elijah was right now.

There was no mistaking the difference between not only their skill in piloting, but the performance of their ACs. Supplice was equipped with something that rendered it apparently invulnerable and Berlioz could handle the machine with millimeter precision, lining his rifle up with Havok's chest in a single maneuver. Berlioz's voice echoed through his head, the earlier words suddenly making an awful lot more sense, 'You'll leave here knowing what death looks like'. He certainly knew now, there would have been no fight, no struggle. Unprepared was an understatement, he never had a chance from the start. What had seemed to be such an achievable goal now appeared impossible. He felt stupid for thinking it would be so simple. Supplice's rifle lowered slowly, "I never liked fighting other Ravens, it always felt wrong. Something about taking up weapons against people that live with you, not exactly the nicest of things." Elijah's entire perspective of the man everyone revered for his combat ability and flawless mission record was being twisted with every word.

This wasn't the man that everyone talked about, it couldn't be. Never liked fighting other Ravens? Wasn't that the fastest way to climb the ranks? Even with the unspoken rule of using lethal force against each other, accidents happened. Ravens would occasionally go too far and one of them would end up either in critical condition or dead. It was always sad when it happened, the thrill of a fight could be too much for some, they'd get lost in it. It wasn't uncommon for those who killed other Ravens to leave simply because they can't stand the looks they got from everyone else on the Ark. You effectively became an outcast. But for Berlioz to say that, someone who clearly must have fought other Ravens dozens of times, maybe even into the triple digits, how had he come so far? While he scrambled to try and process what was happening, a request for a com channel blinked on a secondary monitor, from his operator. Leaving the request open, he spoke to Berlioz his voice still shaking somewhat, "S-so what now? You're j-just gonna let me go?" Supplice took a single step back.

"I'm a man of my word Raven, so long as you don't pull anything, you can leave here unharmed. Like I said, all I was told was to defend this facility, forcing the enemy to retreat falls under those conditions." After a sigh, "Please, just go." With that, Supplice raised both rifles, aimed square at his chest once again.

Flicking off Havok's FCS, Elijah closed the channel, allowing the operator's to open, "Havok? Are you there? Havok? Answer me!" He sounded genuinely panicked, which made Elijah feel somewhat guilty for keeping him waiting.

He wanted to keep his voice sounding untroubled, but it was virtually impossible while staring down the two barrels of Supplice's rifles. "Operator, this is Havok." The voice on the other end breathed what sounded like a monumental sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God, what are you doing?! Didn-" Elijah cut him off.

"I am d-declaring mission failure, I am falling back to pre-designated pick up point. Please have the transporter ready. Havok switching to normal mode." The operator replied immediately.

"Understood, mission failure confirmed, fall back Raven." On his screen a large 'Mission Failure' flashed in red before fading out. "I will inform Berlioz's operator." The channel closed, only moments later Supplice lowered his weapons, turning around and walking away.

Elijah had previously had many ideas about how his first confrontation with Berlioz would have gone. Hundreds of imagined battles and fantasies. Not a single one of them matched the reality before him. Leonhardt was right to question his perspective before, as it was clearly incorrect, if not flat out false. In his mind, Elijah had built up Berlioz to be something he clearly wasn't, there was no pride, there was no showy display of power, not a hint of arrogance. The skill and ability was clearly there, but he chose to let his target go instead of fighting.

There had to be a reason for this. There had to be a reason as to why he acted like this, he was told to remember that even the top Ravens were people at the end of the day, despite what others may say or believe, but this was so radically different that he couldn't help but wonder why? He turned Havok around, lighting its boosters and sliding away. It wouldn't take long for him to get to the pickup point, but the journey felt like hours, his thoughts running around his head. If he got the opportunity to, he would try to speak to Leonhardt again, maybe he could help make sense of what happened. If anyone knew Berlioz, he would likely be one of the few.