AN: So… Note to self, do not give guarantees for when stuff comes out, ever. Sorry for how late this is, but RL has gotten to a tipping point with me, and required me to take a break for my own sanity. So while I'm taking said break, here's a little more to keep you hungry! Next chapter will be the ACTUAL fight! Which I only recently realized I've been teasing at since 2017... Please forgive me!

If one were to describe the face of one Admiral Hitoshi Goto at this point in time, the words 'smacked in the face by a tuna fish tap-dancing over a field of landmines' might or might not cross one's mind, depending on what kind of imagination one had. However, it was still fitting for the man who had just been told that his overhead satellite network, the supposedly secure and untouchable means of communication, reconnaissance, and information gathering… had been compromised by the Abyssal currently sitting in his base without his knowledge for an unknown period of time.

"So, let me get this straight…" the man said as he held the phone to his ear. "You're telling me that our visitor, who so far we've been observing at every turn since she came into our custody, just so happens to have a connection to our overhead satellites, and just so happens to have seen what's going on to our convoy, and also just so happens to have the means to help us? Nagato, please tell me that you're not swallowing this whole, are you?"

"No sir, I am not, but at the same time, I also see no reason for her to just lie without a reason. Either way, she wishes to speak to you about it."

Goto turned over to where Settle had been watching the tactical map and was now looking at him askance, before pulling out his own phone and texting madly. The Japanese admiral could feel the vein in his forehead starting to pulse in time to his blood pressure rising but kept his tone even as he replied. "Very well, put her on then, if you'd please."

After a moment's fumbling on the other end, Leviathan's voice came over the line next. "Admiral Goto, I presume?"

"Speaking. So, Nagato tells me that you have something to add to our… predicament, as it were? Might I inquire first though as to the nature of your ability to speak with our satellites?" he said in as diplomatic a tone as he could.

"You may," the Abyssalized woman answered. "After leaving Manicani, I entered orbit in order to determine my location and as much about the situation of the planet as I could. Standard procedure in UNSC Navy doctrine is to use local sources when no official UNSC sources are available, although admittedly there are few cases where it has necessitated as… covert a method. However, with no infrastructure of UNSC origin anywhere in sight, and with no knowledge as to how I had arrived, I was leery of leaving one of my own satellites where it could be detected by hostile forces, or simply risking it smashing into another one due to not having the paths of all the satellites present in orbit already calculated. After some observation, I found one that looked to be promising and had my engineers put a tap on it after some time examining the code."

"And this satellite, it's the one you are currently watching the evolving situation through? Can I ask what prompted you to suddenly take note of it? Or were you watching through it all along?" Goto asked, scribbling down in a notepad what Leviathan had just stated.

"Nagato had told me about how Abyssals seem to try and use weather phenomena to camouflage their territories. I was just looking for visual confirmation of it when I noticed the increased traffic and the direction said satellite was being pointed in."

The Japanese admiral blinked. "So you're not controlling the satellite?" he asked, only to receive a chuckle.

"I think you and your staff would have noticed long before if I'd been doing that. No, I have not 'taken control' of it, if that's what you're fearing, nor did I put in any means to do so, before you or any politicians who will be screaming about this later ask," Leviathan said, and he could almost hear the slight smirk on her lips in the process.

"I see… Thank you for that then. Now, back to the main subject, how did you intend to lend your aid to this? The current area of operations is a bit far out…"

"That's true, too far for even me to get there within an appreciable amount of time, I'll admit. But not for my air wing."

"Your fighter craft? Can they reach that far and still make it back before refueling?"

"Longsword interceptors use twin fusion reactors for drives, admiral. Even in atmosphere, I could leave them up for a few days before they'd need to come back. And if I have them push it, they could easily get to the AO within time to help out. My own presence would just be to pick them up, if that were even necessary."

Goto sucked his teeth for a moment in thought, looking back at the displays, where Salt Lake City and the rest were engaging the Abyssals' destroyer screen. "So are you saying that you'd be fine with deploying them on their own then, in support of our forces?"

Levi seemed to give that one a bit more thought. "As much as I would prefer to go along with them, in case any issue arises, I can agree to have them fly on their own. As long as I can have your word that in the case of them having to make an emergency landing, that no one would try anything funny with them. The last thing either of us wants is to have some wet-behind-the-ears techie go poking around at a reactor well beyond their knowledge. To say nothing about security clearances for anyone involved."

Goto winced at that. He didn't really appreciate the idea that this woman was trying to list terms, but at the same time, at least they were reasonable ones. "And if they did have to land, I assume you'd want us to repair them for you?"

"I'd think that it'd be past your capabilities to do so, though I appreciate the sentiment," she replied. "They would likely be able to do any basic repairs on their own on site, at least until I could pick them up or another means of transporting them could be arranged. Any further repairs I'll have to do in my own hangars."

"Very well, then. I don't think I can turn away honest help, so if you're willing to put some birds on site, then I'd appreciate it," he said. Oh, he could already hear the alarmists in the Diet howling in terror at him just letting her launch her forces from their base, but if nothing else, it'd be another chance to test and see if Leviathan was being honest with them in such a way that they could keep an eye on. "With that said, how soon can you launch?"

"Give me 5 minutes to find a decent spot and prep my 'swords, and I'll be ready to launch."

"Alright then, I'll set up the arrangements here. I may need to hand you over to a comms specialist though to get you the right frequencies," he said waving at one of said techs in the room. "Also, I've got another one of my girls who's going to be helping with the medical team. Would it be alright if they observed your launch?"

Leviathan's tone was curious in return. "Another ship-girl you mean?"

"Yes. Is there any problem with that?"

"No, I'm alright with it. Just have them meet me…" There was a pause in the woman's speech, and Goto could almost see the woman looking around again. "On the third hill from the place with the rounded 'M' for a sign. McDonald's, apparently."

"Got it. I'll send Nagato the frequency information here soon. Thank you."

"No problem."

As Goto hung up, he looked over at the comms officer again who had already pulled up a notepad. "Get a set of frequencies tapped and secured, then have them patched into the network. Watch the traffic on it like hawks, okay?"