By the time Locksmith Squadron had arrived at Prospero, the sun began creeping behind the horizon, casting an orange hue over the city. A handful of other flights joined them along the way, so by the time they arrived, they had at just shy of two dozen fighters with them, and they weren't alone, by the look of things.

"This is Prospero AFB to approaching Federation aircraft, identify yourselves," came the order from ATC.

Grayson was first to speak. "This is Commander Grayson aboard the transport plane Sundial 3. Escorting us is Locksmith Squadron, Azure Squadron, Blue Squadron, and Surfside Squadron. We're looking to land."

"Affirmative- good to hear from you, Commander. Wait one." After a brief pause, the ATC controller spoke again. "Right, Sundial, you'll have to come in through Runway 2-8 to the north, but lucky for you, it's all clear at the moment, so you can land immediately," he explained, his voice keeping a single, thorough tone as he spoke. "As for the rest of you, wait one while we see what all we have for hangar space."

As the C/T-17 broke off from the formation, the remaining fighters began circling around the city. Avery looked down at the city as they flew and scowled. For a city that she's been hearing about all her life, it was a lot smaller than she thought it would look. Not to mention the fact that she could never imagine living so close to a volcano- regardless of whether or not it was active. Above everything else, though, there was one thing in particular that stood out to her.

"Uh… where are the runways? Or the base itself, for that matter?" she asked.

Azure 1 chuckled. "The whole base is underground," he replied. "The runways are in the port, so make sure you line yourself up right."

ATC spoke up again. "Alright. Azure, Surfside, and Blue, land on Runway 1-5 and finish filling up Hangar 6. Locksmith, land on Runway 1-2 and taxi to Hangar 7," he ordered effortlessly.

Avery followed her squadron as they finished circling the city and lined themselves up for a landing. Shepard and Cutter went down first, making a flawless landing before disappearing under the city. Padlock went down next, with ASH following close behind, leaving Avery to bring up the rear by herself. Maybe it was the exhaustion from being up in the air for several hours, maybe it was the stress from everything that had happened in a single day, or maybe it was just her experience, but as she came closer and closer to the runway, she felt her F/C-16 wobbling back and forth. For a brief moment, she debated pulling up and coming back around, but quickly decided that she was too close to abort now. Her front wheel hit the ground first, followed shortly afterward by the back left wheel, and after several moments spend with her heart in her mouth, fearing that the plane would roll over on the runway, the back right wheel made contact, allowing her to slow down enough to taxi into the hangar.

Considering how many planes were being corralled into one little space, it was almost weird seeing Hangar 7 so empty. Save for the four planes of her wingmen, the only other things Avery could see was the equipment used by the ground crew, which was scattered about all over the place. Although, it mostly kept to the edges of the hangar, leaving her enough space to park alongside her squadron. As her engine gradually quieted down until it was silent, Avery took a deep breath in through her nose as soon as she removed her oxygen mask. The air felt heavier than it dead before- thicker with the weight of either more people, or a heavier burden; she was having a hard time deciding which one. The heavy sigh that fell off her lips was accompanied by a hiss from the aircraft as the canopy opened, allowing her to finally get out after what surely had to have been an eternity.

As soon as Avery's feet touched the ground, though, she immediately felt Padlock's weight slam into her, pinning her against the plane as he grabbed the collar of her flight suit. "You've got some goddamn nerve, y'know that?!" he snarled.

"Pad… Padlock what are you talking about?" she barely managed to wheeze out as she tried to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her.

"Pad, what the hell are you doing? Get off her!" Cutter ordered, trying to pull him off with no success.

Padlock ignored them, keeping his narrowed eyes fixed on Avery. "It wasn't enough for all of you people to make things a living nightmare for us, but you had to start an insurrection, too? When's it gonna be enough for you Cascadians, huh?"

"Pad, take two goddamn seconds to think for once!" ASH snapped. "She's here with us because she chose to fight with us. She killed her own countrymen for shit's sake."

Pad finally whipped his head around to face ASH. "You don't know that! For all we know, she could just be a spy." He returned his steel gaze to Avery. "Gotta say, it's mighty convenient that all this went down less than a month after you joined us. And now Babble is DEAD because of YOU!"

Avery flinched at his words. Up until this point, she thought that the two of them had bonded enough that he might consider her a friend- apparently, she was wrong. It was then that she noticed the tears welling up in his eyes. For a moment, it felt like she was about to join him, but then Shepard's voice echoed throughout the hangar.

"That's enough!" the Major barked, pulling Padlock off her with ease. "I understand that you're angry- we all are. Everyone in this squadron is like family, and Babble was no exception. But there was nothing Glade could've done to save her- none of us could. It hurts like hell to say, and I'm sure it hurts just as much- if not more- to hear, but it's the truth. Glade is one of us. She proved that today tenfold, so turn your venom toward the enemy rather than your wingman."

Padlock's gaze shifted between Shepard and Avery, then it fell over Cutter and ASH. He looked almost like a frightened animal, backed into a corner by trappers. In the end, though, he said nothing- not out loud at least. He simply scowled and stormed off, not giving his squadron so much as a second glance as he disappeared into the bowels of the base.

Shepard watched him leave and let out a heavy sigh as he turned to the newest member of the squadron. "Don't worry, he'll come around. He just needs time," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder that was firm yet gentle at the same time. "You did good today. I can't imagine that it was easy for you, but you pulled through."

"It… wasn't easy, sir," Avery barely managed to squeak out. "In the moment, it felt like everything I knew just got shattered, and I don't think I'll ever be able to put the pieces back together."

"Once this is all over, you will. It may take you some time, but you will. And that's because you made the right decision today. I'm proud of you." He took a step back to look at the rest of the squadron. "Now, come on, let's go find Grayson and see just what the hell is going on."

Avery didn't think it was possible, but somehow, the layout of this base was even more confusing than Presidia's. She kept a slight scowl to herself, thinking about how it was just her luck that as soon as she was getting the hang of things at the old base, she had to get whisked away to a new one. Fortunately, Shepard and Cutter had been here before, and could lead the way effortlessly. Although, it wasn't very hard to guess where their destination was. All they had to do was follow the mob of people all heading in the same direction. Before long, Locksmith Squadron found themselves in a large open commons area- the only place on the base big enough to hold everyone that had gathered here in Prospero.

Commander Grayson stood in the center of the room on a small podium, allowing everyone to see him. For a moment, he stood murmuring with a handful of officers nearby about something Avery was too far away to hear, but eventually, he grabbed hold of a microphone and stood up tall. "Attention everyone," he began, his voice echoing throughout the whole base. After pausing briefly to adjust the microphone, he held it back up to his mouth. "Firstly, I'd just like to say that I'm glad that everyone here has made it to Prospero- especially those that came from Presidia." He let out a sigh and his head hung low before he looked back up at the crowd. "I know things are rough right now. We're still trying to piece together what exactly happened, but one thing is clear: we lost people today- good people- because of these rebels, but rest assured, I can speak confidently for the entire Federation when I say that they're deaths will not go unpunished."

Cheers erupted throughout the commons area, but Avery didn't join in. How could she? The longer this day dragged on, the more stuck she felt- stuck between Cascadia and the Federation. What in the name of the Dust Mother was she supposed to do? What was the right way forward?

"Crystal Kingdom has already issued the order for all active-duty Federation Military members in the core states to be mobilized. Within the next few weeks, they'll start arriving en masse," Grayson continued, pacing back and forth and rotating around to catch the gaze of everyone in the room. "Until then, though, it's up to us to keep the fight going- to honor the legacy of those that were killed by these rebels today. So all of you, rest up and prepare yourselves in any way you see fit for the fight to come. Starting tomorrow, we show these Cascadian rebels what the Federation stands for."

Once more, the room erupted into cheers, and gradually, people began to file out of the commons area, spreading out all over the base. For a brief moment, Avery could've sworn she recognized Padlock's face in the crowd, not far from her and the rest of the squadron, but he was gone as soon as she saw him. However, she didn't have long to dwell on it, as she quickly noticed that none other than Commander Grayson was approaching them.

"Locksmith Squadron," he greeted the pilots, dipping his head as they all instinctively saluted at him. "I wanted to thank you all again in your exemplary service today. Were it not for your flying and Garter Squadron's sacrifice, countless more lives would've been lost today."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "We were simply doing our jobs, sir," the flight lead replied, modest as ever.

"Indeed." The Commander's gaze shifted from Shepard to Avery, making her hear skip a beat. "Lieutenant Finch, I'd like to speak with you alone, please."

Avery swallowed hard. "Uh, of course, sir. Lead the way."

She followed close behind the highest-ranking Federation officer in Cascadia as he led her through the commons area and into a long hallway. Her heart raced as her mind went through a myriad of possibilities as to what he could want to talk to her specifically about, but the longer they walked, the less likely they all seemed. Finally, he stopped and opened up a door, leading into a room that was nearly empty- save for a table with a chair on either side. Avery's mind immediately made the connection to the kinds of interrogation rooms on cop shows, which didn't help to settle her nerves at all.

"Please, sit," Grayson said, gesturing to the chair opposite to the one he began sitting down at. "This shouldn't take long."

Avery nodded and sat face-to-face with Commander Grayson. The silence was unbearable. She had to say something. "So, er, what is about, sir?"

"I have some questions to ask you, in the interest of preserving our operational and internal security. I'm sure you understand."

That's what this was about? He was doubting her loyalty because she was born in Cascadia? After everything that she did for them, what right did they have to doubt she was anything but 100% loyal to the Federation? She could practically feel her blood boiling. It took all the willpower she could muster to simply say, "Of course, sir."

Grayson took out a small notepad and pencil from the inside of his uniform and set them down on the table. "Firstly, do you consider yourself to be a citizen of the Pacific Federation or Cascadia?"

"The Federation," she replied instantly. "Cascadia has been a member of the Federation since before I was born. It's a partnership that's benefited both parties for as long as I can remember. Calling myself a citizen solely of Cascadia would be the same as saying I'm a citizen solely of Presidia."

Grayson nodded, writing quickly as he spoke. "Why did you join the Federation Air Force over the Cascadian National Guard?" he asked, looking back up at her as he set his pencil back down.

"Because I felt that it would give me the opportunity to help more people around the world, rather than just the people of Cascadia- not to mention the higher quality training and equipment."

"Right, just one more question, then: Are you willing to fight your own countrymen for the Federation?"

"Absolutely," she answered, speaking in a more confident tone than she realized she was capable of speaking in. She would prove to him- to everyone- that she was loyal. She was going to make damn sure that nobody doubt would doubt her allegiances. "The only future I see for Cascadia is one with the Federation. That's how things have always been, and it's how things have to be, and if that means fighting against extremists to preserve my homeland's future, then that's a price I'm willing to pay.