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Morrigan      It's been a few weeks since the mission that took Laporte and the others through time and space in the hopes of finding Ken. It had been successful, although the degree of the success wasn't so sure. Laporte, for her part, is looking much better than she has in a while, as she sits in one of the corner booths of the Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse.

     The request to meet was a simple one. Laporte has a plan, she thinks, something that might swing the war in favor of the Federation. But, with the revelations of the Elders, the Vishan Preservers and their patsy, Samuel Bei, it appears that it will need to be something discussed in person.

     "Hey," Laporte says, "Long time no see."
Alexis Maaka     Alexis is here, her clothes a mix of UEF and XCOM clothing, a Sergeant's marks on her uniform sleeve as she removes her coat immediately. Not to mention the Type 40 pistol she carries, it's house rules after all.

    "Neomi." Maaka greets, before immediately going in for a hug. Yes, a hug. It's been a long few weeks for the cyborg, and probably not much better for Neomi either, so there she is, greeting a friend with hugs. Neomi will find out just how strong Maaka is too, given the cyborg's embrace is a bit tight at first. "...been a long few months, sorry." She comments sheepishly, before she grabs a seat. "So what's the word?"
Zephyr Windstar     Zephyr arrives not long after Maaka, and the Mage hangs back a few moments as the embrace happens. She's wearing her TSAB Ground Forces uniform, the 493rd patch emblazoned on the shoulder and left breast. It's a pretty standard affair, really.

    "Hey Neomi, Maaka." she offers up, pulling herself a seat up as well. <Greetings to you both> chimes Divine Wind from its nesting on Zephyr's right forearm.
Morrigan      Noemi's not very good at hugs, which probably isn't surprising. Still, she tries, and it is only somewhat awkward. "It's good to see you both," she says, "Really."

     She settles back into her seat and pushes away the remains of her burger. The food here beats anything on the Masyaf, it seems. "So," she says. "I've got a plan. But it's not much of one. After we spoke to Ken and dealt with all... that, he told me I needed a fleet, an armada."

     Noemi leans back. "Scuttlebutt is that Steele is bringing through at least four more destroyers. Maybe up to six. More than enough crush the Federation in one decisive battle. As best as we can tell, Steele has demanded complete authority to end the war. And he's been given it."

     "So, I had a thought. While I was with the Fedayeen, I was speaking to Admiral Calder - you might remember him, with the Texan accent - about our possible actions. If we can hit the jump node, and get enough ships through it, we can force Steele to chase /us/, where we can draw him into a battle that we want. And then I can reach Capella and find Ken in the flesh." Pause. "So to speak."
Zephyr Windstar     "That's just ballsey enough to work... but, won't the Federation fleet that does that be effectively stranded in enemy territory? You'd be asking thousands of people to risk their lives... so you can go have a pow-wow with Ken and the Shivans..." remarks Zephyr, sipping on a glass of water provided. "Don't get me wrong, I'm with you all the way to the hilt here, but I'm not sure the others will see things the same way."
Alexis Maaka     Neither is Maaka, to be honest. Affection is a thing she's only really gotten since she unified, which shows. Mercifully the hug doesn't outstay its welcome, and it's back to business. The cyborg orders a burger of her own, along with a shake and fries. The food's definitely much better quality than she's used to, and the lack of anything ADVENT would care push out is an improvement in of itself.

    "Sounds like our timeframe isn't too terribly big here. Typical." She remarks sourly, a frown creasing her lips.

    "We'd need bait, a lot of it too, and Steele's a man of focus. It won't be easy to get him to follow -us- instead of the main fleet."
Morrigan      "They will," Laporte tells Zephyr, "But Calder's nothing if not a pugilist. If they keep running, the Tevs will have to keep chasing. As for the rest of it... Yes, I can't tell them. But look here."

     Laporte slides over a small handheld tablet. On it, is a map of circles and lines - a map of the node network. "The GTVA capital is in Beta Aquilae. That's one jump once we get out of Sol and directly on the path to Capella. We could feint most of our ships there, let Calder have his big battle, and then-" Laporte nods to Maaka "-we let slip a little bit of bait, about how a small group was seen heading for Capella. Steele knows Nagari, he knows MORPHEUS. I think it's a safe bet that he'll follow us into hell."
Zephyr Windstar     "I'm guessing we're going to be that bait." remarks Zephyr, smirking a bit. "It's simple... but sometimes the simpler a plan, the more effective it is, and the less likely it is to be countered." she sips again. "Complex plans can have so many things go wrong it snafu's the whole shebang."
Alexis Maaka     "Would it help if we put up posters of Steele's ugly mug doing something embarrassing?" Maaka quips dryly, wolfing down her burger when it arrives. Man she is -starved-, by the looks of it.
Morrigan      "Absolutely," Laporte tells Zephyr with a rather Simms-like grin. "The more simple the plan is, the less Steele can meddle with it. As for the posters... Well, every little bit helps."

     Laporte continues, "I can get us Calder and what's left of Third Fleet - the Toutatis and the few frigates he hasn't already lost. If we can link up with Captain Sorensen, that'll get us the Indus. I don't have much pull with Second Fleet but we might be able to swing something. First Fleet is too close to the Elders. But, the more we can get from outside Sol..." She gives Maaka and Windstar a pointed look.
Zephyr Windstar     Zephyr holds up her hands. "I'm just a Private, not even a full one, just 3rd class. I've got about as much pull with the TSAB Higher ups as light attempting to escape a black hole." she replies. "You've got me and Divine Wind... that's about it."
Alexis Maaka     "I got a few ships, me, and a tech guy. XCOM's got enough to worry about on the ground, they can' spare much in space." Maaka shrugs a shoulder, before she points to Zephyr. "YOU on the other hand I've seen cut enemy vessels open like a can of sardines on your own, you can do a lot of damage as it is. That said, if you -do- have any friends in the Union that can help at this point, now might be a good time to call for them."
Morrigan      "Well," Laporte says, "There's no battle like an uphill battle. We might have to lean a bit harder on what we can get, then. But what about, oh, what was his name... Alphaman? He was with us at the Ranvir engagement. Had those weird portals."
Zephyr Windstar     "Fought him recently... Ixqor. Chaos forces are unpredictable and dangerous, especially to their 'allies'." says Zephyr. "Won't deny he's strong... but we'd probably have to make it worth his while to play nice."
Alexis Maaka     "Not to mention the corruption Chaos brings. It might be more than we're willing to put up with to let him fight with us." Maaka points out. "It's in the name, the followers of Chaos are an unpredictable element at best."
Morrigan      Laporte shrugs. "Well, I've already made a deal with one devil. What's one more? But we could use his abilities. Leave it to me to figure out what he'll want to play nice. And maybe we need as many unpredictable elements as possible."
Zephyr Windstar     "Well, I'll ask around, but I get the feeling that the Union is trying to stay well clear of this morally ambiguous little mire we've got ourselves caught in." says Zephyr, leaning back in her chair and looping her hands behind her head, heaving a sigh.
Alexis Maaka     "Not like I got a reason not to be involved, I'm not even part of the Union. Then again, Kotone doesn't want any part of this anymore, reason enough for me to be worried about our prospects of getting additional support." Maaka says, frowning.
Morrigan      "Wish I could leave," Laporte comments, "It'd be easy, wouldn't it? Just take one of those warpgates and never look back," Laporte says. "Like, there's got to be other Earths out there, right? Maybe even another Simms. But, like Ken said, I need to play my part to the bloody end."

     She sighs, shrugs. "We'll take what we can get and we'll have the weapons we have. There isn't much else we can do. We push out, take Steele off the board by whatever means, I'll complete Ken's 'communion'... and then that just leaves the Preservers and the Elders." Laporte forces a smile. "Not too hard, right?"
Alexis Maaka     "There's always after we win." Maaka says, hope in her words. "Hell, maybe we can go into the business on our own. I could use another crewman on board the Spectre." She suggests with a little grin.
Morrigan      "Always after we win. I can't remember what being at peace was like. It's crazy to think about it," Laporte replies. "Something like that could be interesting, to explore the whole Multiverse. I'll have to find Simms, before the Elders do. If they can't find me, they'll go for her to find me, you know?"
Zephyr Windstar     "We'll find her, and we'll get you both out of the Elder's reach. All we gotta do, is defeat the GTVA, the Preservers, make sure not to die in the process..." pipes in Zephyr. "Piece of cake!"
Alexis Maaka     "Not to mention the rest of us. Once this is done, I hope to god I can go without hearing from the Elders again, no offense." Maaka says, before she takes a hearty chunk of burger. "If you want, we can make it so nobody can find you. My guy's one of the best in the business when it comes to this sort of thing."
Morrigan      "Find Simms, try and gather the biggest fleet in the history of humanity, break the blockade, kill or nullify Steele, and then find Ken within what's either a black hole or a supernova, and do it without dying or going insane," Laporte replies, smiling. "Piece of cake, precisely."

     She leans forward on the table. "Still. I think I've got a bit of time for some more food before I need to get back to the Masyaf."

     And elsewhere, at Artemis Station, Steele stands on the bridge of the Atreus and puts his pieces in place. The end is coming, on the orders of Steele on one side and the Vishnans on the other, and the way out grows all the more narrow with every passing moment...