General Julius Antares

You can't have a second copy on board.

While this card is on board, every Mercenary you control has Plating 1, this card too, in your berth or dispatched, including Mercenaries that come on board later; it adds to any Plating they already have. Damage goes to the plating before the hull, and the plating comes back in full at the end of every turn. Plating isn't hull: the Ironclad unlock condition and Suppressing Fire look at hull only. When this card leaves the board, the plating goes; damage to the hull stays. Your opponent's Mercenaries don't get it (802.6).

Not when you deploy it: it happens once it has resolved and is on board, after your opponent's chance to react. Put on board without being deployed, as by Resurface, it happens too. In the sortie phase it goes into the crossfire (301.10). Put the top card of your hold into your hand, 2 times.