The Ozelot’s Combat Trial

This thread follows the Ozelot from secret cargo to emergency deployment, battlefield proof, and the compromise of its secrecy.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Prototype in Transit

A Hidden Machine Experimental Cargo The damaged military transport carries Ozelot units and spare parts, protected by secrecy rather than by the strength of an intact escort. Charlotte Huber is the only surviving specialist qualified to work on the advanced design. A Sudden Need Roland reaches the cargo just as Union forces close in. There is no safe laboratory or formal test range; the new machine must be used if either pilot is to survive.

A Machine Under Fire

Emergency Field Test New Capabilities The Ozelot gives Roland exceptional thrust, agility, armor, and a laser weapon that can fire repeatedly. He uses those advantages against Rocco Swift’s fighters while protecting Charlotte in the rear seat. Improvisation Over Display Roland does not rely on raw speed alone. He uses wreckage, the abandoned colony, timing, and an understanding of enemy movement to defeat opponents who outnumber him.

Success with a Strategic Price

Victory and Exposure A Working Prototype Roland returns alive after the Ozelot disables or destroys several enemy machines and ships. The result is a striking demonstration of the machine’s potential, achieved at the cost of damage and lost components. Secrecy Compromised Union personnel have seen the new design and begun analyzing its performance. The emergency test saves the crew, but it gives the enemy valuable information about Tharcian technological development.

Before dawn on 3 November 2135 aboard the transport

Dawn on 3 November 2135 in the lower shoal zone

After the battle on 3 November 2135 aboard Blackwater