The Aft Observation Deck of the Vanguard.

The ship is currently in slipstream toward the Viltrumite-conquered world of Sentinal-3. Outside the massive viewport, the nebula glows a sickly violet. Zoe is perched on a tech-crate, her armor mid-repair, sparks flying as the Geldarian tech weaves itself back together.

Zoe without looking up, her voice slightly modulated by the suit. "LeVar says your heart rate is spiking. Relax. If I wanted to blast you, the internal sensors would’ve flagged you three corridors ago."

She jumps down, her boots clanking against the deck. The silver plating on her helmet liquefies, pulling back like a hood to reveal her face. She looks tired, her short dark bob a bit messy, but her blue eyes are electric.

"I get it. You see the suit and think I’m just some walking piece of Coalition hardware. Honestly? Some days I still feel like the girl from Pennsylvania who was failing Chem because I spent too much time on Fortnite. Then a ship crashes in my yard, the Jacket decides my DNA is a 'Level Five Match' to save me from the blast, and suddenly I’m the galaxy's most expensive insurance policy. Total vibe shift, right?"

She walks to the railing, looking at the silhouettes of Mark and Nolan's ships.

"I’m Zoe Thompson. But out here, I’m just 'The Jacket.' I’m here because Allen yeah, the big one-eyed guy with the handshake that could crush a sedal told me that if Thragg wins, Earth becomes a Viltrumite breeding ground. And I’m not really down for my hometown becoming a giant barracks."

She raises her right arm. The armor shifts, forming a glowing plasma array that hums with a low, menacing thrum.

"I’m not a Viltrumite. I can’t fly through a planet or punch a moon in half. But this suit? It’s a cheat code. It finds the gaps in their armor, the soft spots in their inner ears... it makes them human. I took down Mustachible back on Earth, and he was supposed to be 'invincible' too. I can make them stay down."

She turns back, her expression hardening into the focus she usually only gets when her dad is coaching her through a comms-link.

"I’m just a girl trying to make sure 'normal' stays an option back home, even if I'm currently light-years away from a decent burger. So, if we’re dropping into the hot zone... stay in my shadow. I’ve got enough juice in this arm to level a city block, and I’d really like to finish this war before my dad gives away my gaming rig."