The captured cockpit module hangs under the Black Sheep's hull, still ticking with heat. Devin Halbolt braces his GM III against the deck and works the hatch free by hand, metal shrieking against scorched frame.
Silver Fox
Easy, Devin. Keep it steady. I want the pilot alive.
The seal gives. Cold smoke spills out, and a figure slumps forward inside the torn Neo-Zeon pod, helmet cracked, flight suit dark with soot.
It is a young woman, no older than Devin, with cropped dark hair and a Side 1 colony insignia stitched under her collar. Her wrist unit still blinks a civilian transit code, not military.
Silver Fox
...A civilian? No, wait. That's a ferry-route badge. She was ferry security.
Devin Halbolt
She was driving a Neo-Zeon unit on purpose? Why would she do that?
A folded paper slips from her suit and skitters across the deck. Devin catches a glimpse of handwritten names, ration counts, and a route map marked with evacuation corridors through Queens. The captured pilot was not hunting the harbor. She was trying to reach someone still trapped inland.
Silver Fox
Looks like we just pulled a rescuer out of enemy steel. Hold her there, Devin. We need answers before she wakes.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine the captured pilot's identity
“Devin gets out of his mobile suit and uses the winch to lower to the ground. He picks up the folded paper while holding the unknown pilot at gunpoint with his sidearm.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
Devin drops from the GM III on the winch line, boots hitting the deck beside the open pod. He comes down with his sidearm leveled, one hand snatching the folded paper from the plating before it can blow away.
The woman in the module stirs under the gun, soot still on her cheek, but she does not reach for anything. Her wrist unit flashes a cracked civilian code against the Neo-Zeon frame.
Devin Halbolt
Civilian gear, military cockpit... she was using the suit as cover.
Silver Fox
Devin, read the paper. I want every name and route on it.
The note unfolds in his glove, names, ration tallies, and evacuation corridors through Queens. A stamped crest catches the light, old Federation transport authority, crossed with a ferry security seal.
Mina Voss
If you are going to keep that on me, then aim steady. I am not the one burning those streets.
Her voice is flat, controlled. The cockpit’s silent signal still blinks behind her shoulder, and her fingers tap once against the cracked glass, a small, nervous rhythm.
Quest Complete
Determine the captured pilot's identity
+ New Item Acquired
Folded paper
“I relay the paper's contents to Silver Fox with confusion. Asking what he makes of it.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +0)
Devin Halbolt
These names, routes, and ration counts, they point to a rescue line into Queens. I do not know what to make of it yet.
Silver Fox
I make this, Devin, someone in a ferry security office was moving people under fire. That crest is old Federation transport authority, not Neo-Zeon.
Mina Voss
You read fast for someone pointing a gun at a civilian. If you want the rest of the story, stop staring at the uniform and look at the names.
The woman shifts her wrist once against the pod rim, calm despite the cramped frame. The blinking signal inside the cockpit keeps time with her tapping fingers.
Devin Halbolt
High-ranking... or important enough that someone planned around her.
Silver Fox
If she is tied to an evacuation chain, that paper is not just evidence. It is a map to whoever is still alive.
Mina Voss
Now you understand why I did not surrender. People were waiting on that route, and I was the only one who still had access.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the captured pilot's network
“I am the pilot her name and why she was in a neo-zeon machine if she works for the federation.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Devin Halbolt
What is your name, and why were you in a Neo-Zeon cockpit if you serve the Federation?
Mina Voss
Mina Voss. Federation ferry security, detailed to an evacuation line after the Queens fire broke loose. This suit was a disguise, and a key. I needed it to move without being shot down at the first checkpoint.
She glances at the folded paper in Devin's hand, then back to his face, as if weighing how much more he can bear to hear.
Mina Voss
We had names on that route, people with access badges, clinic codes, port clearances. I was carrying the network because someone had to keep the chain intact.
Silver Fox
Then you are not just a stray civilian. You are an organized courier, maybe the last one still breathing on that line.
The blinking signal inside the pod keeps ticking in the silence, and Mina's tapping fingers stop for a single beat before starting again.
Mina Voss
If you want the rest, ask fast. That paper was not meant to survive the suit, and neither was I.
Quest Complete
Identify the captured pilot's network
“Devin turns to Silver Fox, "sir, if she is telling the truth, are the civilians still exposed? Do we need to help them?"”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Devin Halbolt
Sir, if she is telling the truth, are the civilians still exposed? Do we need to help them?
Silver Fox
Yes. If Mina's route is real, then people are still on the hook in Queens, and maybe along the port line too.
Silver Fox straightens from the rail, eyes flicking from the paper to the open cockpit pod. Mina keeps her hand against the glass, that same steady tap, tap, tap.
Mina Voss
They're exposed if the checkpoints collapse. The badges, codes, and clinic tags only work while the chain holds.
Silver Fox
Then this is bigger than one evac list. It's a live civilian lane, and someone built it to survive the fighting.
Mina's expression tightens, not with fear now, but with the strain of finally being believed. The blinking signal inside the pod keeps ticking in the silence.
Mina Voss
I was never the only one moving people. I was the one who could keep the route from going blind.
Silver Fox looks to Devin, waiting on his next call, while Mina's tapping slows as if she is bracing for the question she expects next.
✓ Quest Accepted
Assess the exposed civilian evacuation route
“Devin tells Silver Fox he can secure the civilian escape line. But he is running low on ammo.”
SUCCESS (Fair Tactics, rolled +0)
Devin Halbolt
I can secure the civilian escape line. I am low on ammo, though.
Silver Fox
Good. Then we move fast and clean. If that route is real, I want it mapped before this harbor gets busy again.
Silver Fox folds the paper once and tucks it against the rail light, already turning the problem into a route. Mina watches the motion and keeps her palm on the glass.
Mina Voss
The route is real. Queens has three active handoff points, and one dead segment near the clinic block.
Her tapping resumes, quicker now, not panicked, just exact. The silent cockpit signal blinks beside her face like a patient warning.
Silver Fox
Then Devin, you have eyes on the line. Tell me where it breaks, and I will shift the carrier cover to match it.
The open pod, the paper, and the harbor beyond all feel suddenly linked, as if one bad checkpoint could drag the whole civilian chain down with it.
Quest Complete
Assess the exposed civilian evacuation route
“Devin asks Silver Fox if he is going to take Mina with him? She's dead in the water without a mobile suit.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Devin Halbolt
Will you take Mina with us? She is stranded without a mobile suit.
Silver Fox
Yes. If she is this connected to the evacuation line, she comes with us. I am not leaving a civilian asset in a hot harbor.
Mina Voss
Asset is a cold word, but fine. I prefer alive to heroic.
Silver Fox gives a quick nod and swings the comms handset up again, already sorting transport and timing. Mina eases back from the glass, the tapping slowing for the first time.
Mina Voss
If you bring me aboard, I can give you the handoff names. The route only works if someone keeps the middle pieces from folding.
The silent cockpit signal keeps blinking beside her cheek, but now it feels less like a warning and more like a patient witness.
✓ Quest Accepted
Take Mina aboard the Black Sheep
Devin Halbolt leaves Manhattan harbor behind and arrives at Black Sheep.
“Devin gets into his GM III and picks up Mina's cockpit module. He tells Silver Fox he will fly her to the Black Sheep so he can resupply. Then he will join Silver Fox at the evacuation line.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled -3)
Black Sheep’s hangar deck sways under the carrier’s steady thrum. Devin brings his GM III down into the bay with care, the recovered cockpit module hanging secure beneath the machine as deck lights wash across wet armor and fresh scorch marks.
Crewhands clear a lane while Silver Fox’s voice crackles over the deck speakers, already directing the recovery teams. The module is transferred to the ship’s handling gear, and Mina’s tapping finally stops as the canopy seal is cut free.
Mina Voss
So this is your carrier. Better than a prison cell, worse than a ferry seat.
Devin Halbolt
I can get you aboard properly, then I need to resupply before I head back out.
Silver Fox
Do that. I want you back on line with fuel, ammo, and a clear head. Mina stays under protection until the evacuation route is sorted.
Mina glances from Devin to the rigging around her module, the survival map tucked under one arm. Her expression loosens into something guarded but real.
Mina Voss
If you are coming back to the line, then come back with questions. I would rather brief one careful pilot than five impatient ones.
Quest Complete
Take Mina aboard the Black Sheep
“Devin directs the mechanics to resupply his missiles, vulcans, and fuel while he escorts Mina to the bridge.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Mechanics roll in a fuel cart and missile canisters while Devin escorts Mina toward the bridge access. The hangar noise softens, but the deck keeps its hard military rhythm.
Mina Voss
That uniform, those seals, you are not just a line pilot. You are Federation brass.
Devin Halbolt
I am the one taking you to the bridge. I need my ship ready, too.
One of the bridge technicians freezes at Mina’s half-turn, then checks the clearance slate again. Her ferry badge is still clipped under her collar, but the way she carries herself changes, sharper and colder.
Silver Fox
Mina Voss, identification confirmed. Courier grade does not usually come with this much command presence. Who exactly did we lift out of that cockpit?
Mina Voss
Someone you should keep alive. I am the officer who built the route, and I am the only one left who can name the dead air between Queens and the harbor.
The resupply clicks into place, fresh missiles locking under Devin’s GM III while the vulcan feed is topped off. Behind Mina, the silent cockpit signal on the deck monitor blinks once, then steadies.
Mina Voss
If you want the evacuation line to survive, you take me upstairs now. And you stop treating me like cargo.
✓ Quest Accepted
Brief Devin on the evacuation route
“Devin approaches the Black Sheep's captain to explain the situation and introduce Mina. Devin speaks fairly sheepishly as the captain always intimidates him.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
The corridor narrows into the bridge threshold, and Mina stops just long enough for Devin to make the introduction cleanly. The ship hums around them, all business, no panic.
Devin Halbolt
Captain, this is Mina Voss. She is the one who built the evacuation route, and the route matters more than the cockpit shell we pulled her from.
Silver Fox
Built it herself, then. That changes the board.
Mina Voss
It is not a rumor network. It is a live chain, handoff to handoff, and it is still running because people keep trusting the wrong checkpoints.
Silver Fox’s posture eases by a fraction, the suspicion giving way to quick appraisal. Mina lifts the route packet between two fingers like a credentials slate, not a plea.
Silver Fox
Then speak plainly, Officer Voss. If you are the only one who can name the dead air, tell me where we cover first.
Mina Voss
Queens first. The clinic block is the weak seam, and if the harbor lane stays open, the civilians keep moving.
Devin stands between captain and courier like a relay point that finally holds, while the silent cockpit signal on the deck monitor keeps blinking steady behind them.
Quest Complete
Brief Devin on the evacuation route
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who on the Black Sheep can be trusted by name
“Do I know the names of the Black Sheep's command officers and my squadmates?”
YES, BUT (VeryLikely, rolled 82)
Devin Halbolt
I know the names of the Black Sheep command and my squadmates, but I have never actually spoken to most of them outside of a combat channel.
Mina Voss
You look like you are cataloging a manifest, Lieutenant. Do you know the people you are fighting for, or just their callsigns?
“Devin admits he hasn't been assigned here long. He knows the captain best amongst the crew.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -2)
Devin Halbolt
I have not been here long. I know the captain best, among the crew.
The admission lands plain and steady, but it costs Devin a little air from his lungs. The bridge’s amber glow catches the edge of his glasses as he speaks, and the soft tap from the sealed cockpit module keeps time somewhere behind the bulkhead.
Mina Voss
That is honest enough. Better than a man who knows every name and trusts none of them.
Mina’s shoulders ease a fraction. She studies him like she is sorting him into a new file, not dismissing him, just revising the label.
Mina Voss
Then the captain has your confidence, and I have your candor. That tells me something useful about this ship.
The bridge monitor hums on in the background, steady and dim. Mina folds one hand over the papers at her side, the other still, as if she is deciding how much more of herself to hand over.
Mina Voss
If I give you names, Lieutenant, can you tell me who on this carrier will protect civilians without needing an order?
“Devin answes immediately, "All of us. That isn't in question, we know our duty."”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
Devin Halbolt
All of us. That is not in question, we know our duty.
The words settle cleanly between them. Mina’s eyes narrow with interest, then soften as if she has found the shape of the answer she wanted.
Mina Voss
Good. I can work with duty. Better than slogans, and better than fear.
She shifts the papers against her palm and turns her head a little, glancing past Devin toward the dim bridge as if measuring the whole ship by his answer.
Mina Voss
Then hear this, Lieutenant. The people who will protect civilians are usually the ones who remember their names after the briefing ends.
A brief pause follows. Somewhere beyond the bulkhead, the captured module keeps up its faint, rhythmic tapping, patient as a heartbeat in a sealed room.
Mina Voss
If you want, I will start with the names that matter on this carrier.
“I ask Mina to give me the names that matter”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Devin Halbolt
Tell me the names that matter.
Mina does not answer at once. She studies Devin for a beat, then nods once, as if accepting the weight of the question.
Mina Voss
Lieutenant Harada. He signs off on reroutes when others panic. Chief Petty Officer Ilyana Reese, she keeps the evac registry and never forgets a face.
Mina Voss
And Ensign Jae Mercer, he complains constantly, but he will hold a hatch for strangers before he holds one for himself.
She folds the papers against her chest, then lifts two fingers to tap the stack once, a small habit like counting off names in the dark. The tapping from the sealed module continues beyond the bulkhead.
Mina Voss
If you need more, I can give you the people who hesitate too long, too. Names are easier than instincts.
She exhales, then adds the last part with a dry, tired edge, almost a smile.
Mina Voss
And you can stop apologizing with your eyes, Devin Halbolt. It makes you look less confident than you are.
Quest Complete
Learn who on the Black Sheep can be trusted by name
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great
“I ask the captain if my other two squadmates will sortie with me on this mission.”
SUCCESS (Fair Command, rolled -1)
Devin Halbolt
Captain, are my other two squadmates sortieing with me on this mission?
Mina Voss
If you want the route held together, yes. You bring two more pilots, and the pressure spreads instead of snapping at one point.
Mina Voss
I would trust your squadmates before I trust most of the names on this ship. The ones who stay calm under fire matter more than the loud ones.
She shifts the papers from one hand to the other, then glances toward the bulkhead where the captured module keeps up its faint, steady tapping.
Mina Voss
Tell me who they are, Devin. Not their ranks, their names.
The bridge stays quiet around them, amber light on consoles and the soft hum of the carrier holding steady.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn the names of the other two squadmates
“Devin pulls out his notepad from his pocket sheepishly and reads the names of all 4 squad members, himself included.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Devin fumbles out a small notepad, then steadies it with both hands. The bridge light catches the page as he reads off the squad roster, careful and a little sheepish.
Devin Halbolt
Lieutenant Harada, Chief Petty Officer Ilyana Reese, Ensign Jae Mercer... and me, Devin Halbolt.
Mina’s shoulders loosen at the list. She studies him like she is weighing a relay signal, not a man, and the faint tapping from the module keeps time behind the bulkhead.
Mina Voss
Good. Those are names I can work with.
Mina Voss
Harada sounds like the one who anchors a room. Reese, Mercer, Devin, each of you is a point on the route now.
She reaches across the console and taps the edge of Devin’s notepad once, not unkindly. The deck monitor stays steady, washing their faces in amber.
Mina Voss
Write them where you can see them, Second Lieutenant. People hold better when they are named out loud.
Quest Complete
Learn the names of the other two squadmates