$b Medical $b deck $b 9D
$b GTI $b Midgard
$b Antares

$b VI $b SR-345-QLV: Warning. Unauthorized entry detected. Please note that patient visit hours are restricted to-- --unknown error-- --emergency shutdown commenced--

$b Captain $b McKinley: You talk too much, you artificial piece of junk. 

$b Miles: Captain! How did you get here? I thought SOC keeps me away from any visitors. 

$b McKinley: They do. But I have my ways. How do you feel? 

$b Miles: They slowly put me together, I guess. They give me jodium and all this stuff. I'm able to stand and walk. I think I could fly a fighter without crashing with the nearest corvette. 

$b McKinley: Good. You're soon gonna need it. Checked your messages? 

$b Miles: No. They took my comm and locked access to TerraNet from here. 

$b McKinley: Don't need to read them, I can tell you what you've got. I'm sure you've already figured it out. They made you a spacegoat. Admiral Sain, under whom you served aboard the Eris, has gone furious after he found out that an elite squadron, although consisting partially of recruits, sent to rescue his son and other VIPs fell into a trap and failed. Turmoil is spreading in the fleet. And by turmoil I mean political bullshit. The Admiral wants to dismiss SOC officers. SOC and GTVI are trying to hide their incompetence, so they need a scapegoat. Because you're the only survivor they are going to accuse you of serious mistakes during the operation. No, don't say anything. I've known you for years, we were flying together before I was promoted, and I'm sure you did everything right. But politics has its own rules. Now, when both Sain and SOC are prejudiced against you, your career opportunities here, in Antares, are substantially limited.

$b Miles: So it seems. But if you're here, I presume you've got an idea. 

$b McKinley: Indeed. You can join the recruits I found and accompany us to Delta Majoris. The Wolf's Fleet is an autonomous military force with its own command structure and its leaders responding only to the GTVA Security Council. We play a special part as guardians and defenders of the most precious sector in the entire GTVA space and that's why we seek the best ones. A new recruit in the Wolf's Fleet has in fact a blank slate. It's like a new chapter in your life. Tabula rasa. Most candidates to our fleet have to pass through standard recruitment procedures, but recruiting officers like me regularly visit various GTVA fleets in search of valuable soldiers. 

$b Miles: And you want me to join them? Without any... procedure or something? 

$b McKinley: It's not just a favour done by an old friend, Miles. You went through strict SOC selection with excellent results. You were in a post-nuclear hell with Cerberus raiders trying to kill you, and despite all the circumstances, you survived. I have no doubts about adding you to my recruits. That may be your only chance to avoid spending the following years as Sain's scapegoat.

$b Miles: Sounds like a plan. But there's a problem... I'm still trapped here. 

$b McKinley: Nothing I couldn't handle. Wolf's Fleet has several... privileges when dealing with GTVA officials. And I am an expert in exploiting them to the Fleet's advantage. Trust me. I'm leaving at 8:40 tomorrow. By this time you should be released. Don't be late. 