RP XSDF Roleplay Thread: Vanguard of Forseti

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “A Lion and Two Dragons walk into a bar… Part 1”

High Orbit over Forseti (April 13th, 2044)
The Einherjar (2:52 P.M., A.S.T.)
Floor 13: Soldier Bar

The sounds of the bar seemed to all congeal together into a low murmur of idle talk and darts slamming into a board as per usual for the place where a lot of people spent their time, the likes of Leo and Mikhail not being void of spending their free time in the popular meeting spot. Leo held a bottle of just some generic beer, looking off to the side as a group of guys stumbled out. “Alright… what is a good one? Oh, this one is good.”

The IT guy set down his bottle at the table they were sitting at, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together. “Alright, so it is the weekend before summer break, I was just a freshman and my brother was in his junior year. So me and him get invited to this small get together, you know, not really supposed to be all that crazy but I swear we pull up to this guys house and you would think it was the end of the world. People pouring out the house, music blaring, strobe lights going in the backyard, about as far away from a ‘small get together’ as you could get.”

Not resisting a chuckle, Leo continued with the story. “So we are walking through the house, trying to part a sea of people and somehow, we got out into the backyard. There were people in swimsuits, drinks pouring like a river, at one point a guy cannonballed from the room, some crazy stuff.”

“So before we realize anything, this fight breaks out and the chaos seems to get worse, people flying everywhere, drinks flying everywhere. I am pretty sure someone got so mad they threw a pizza on the roof. Anyways, long story short, me and Cayden end up in the E.R., I got a broken nose and he has a few cuts on him, so I look up from over in my bed and I remember the only thing going through my mind was our mother was going to kill us once she found out. Cayden looks over at me and said, ‘Next time we get into a fight, actually hit the guy you were aiming for instead of your own brother.’. He still has never let me live that down, even if he pretends he forgot.” Taking a sip of his drink he shook his head. “I swear, I don’t know how we lived through that night. You know for all the shit we got into those were the best days… you ever get into something like that?”

Mikhail shook his head in disbelief. "Nothing that insane. The drinking age in Russia is 16 so people learn to moderate themselves better." The Russian-American chuckled. "That isn't to say people don't get into bar fights, but they're more... contained, if that makes any sense." Scratching his chin in thought, Mikhail tried to recall a particular story.

"I do remember the one spat Nikolai and I got into." Remembering the commonality of the name that bordered on the absurd, Mikhail clarified, "Nikolai Fyodorov. We were having a drinking contest to see who could hold the most vodka." The heavy grinned, taking a swig of his beer. "Had a medic, Genya, ready to haul us down to the medical ward to assist our livers if we went too far. So the contest begins, and I'm winning by a landslide."

Mikhail raised a finger. "Now Nikolai, he's no lightweight, but his father was, so I had bet a hundred rubles and payment for the next month of drinks on my chances of winning. And I wasn't a fool for doing so." Mikhail's grin widened. "Nikolai looked like he was about to pass out after several rounds, but here's the catch: man's got a temper. He accusses me of being in cahoots with Genya, who supplied the alcohol, says I cheated somehow. So he jumps me, seeming to have a renewed vigor."

Mikhail shook his head again. "Big guy wrestled me to the ground. I managed to block a few hits. Even so, I wondered how long I could keep my defenses up." Mikhail laid his drink down. "And then his second wind vanished, and he falls asleep ontop of me. I had to buy Genya drinks for a week to help him off of me, but..." Mikhail shrugged. "Nikolai lost fofty rubles - I halfed the wager to placate him - and I got free drinks for a month from him."

Leo laughed, though he kept it contained so they didn't earn looks. "Maaaaan... People just love us, don't they? At least you got something out of your spat."

Mikhail nodded. "Though at least you received a good story from your experience, if nothing else."

"Yeah, and a broken nose, don't forget that part. You and this Genya person still in contact?"

Mikhail shook his head. "Not at the moment, no. Those two were friends, but with everything going on contacting them would be interfering with too many other things."

Leo merely shrugged his shoulders, finishing his first beer. "Well... Maybe if you get the chance, you should take it. I know you are no outcast, but maybe some old faces would be good."

Mikhail shrugged. "Like I said, if I get the time." Turning the query on its head, he asked, "What about you? Any old friends you're trying to keep in contact with?"

"Nah, a lot of my old friends I am already having the pleasure of being with." Leo did sit back a bit. "I am keeping in contact with my ex though. She said she still wanted us to be good friends, and I am not really a big grudge holder. She wasn't 'the one'..." The IT guy air quoted. "But she will appear soon." I hope she already has, but Mikhail would kill me if he knew.

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "I get the feeling you think there was something between that medic and I just because I mentioned her as being female. What do you take me for, Leo?"

"Big, burly Russo man!" He said in a mocking accent. "Besides, anything implicated comes from you alone." Leo countered.

"For the love of all that is holy, don't turn into Albert Foulke on me," Mikhail pleaded. "And for your information, I had no interest. I have my sights set on... someone else at the moment."

"Spill." Leo stated simply. "Spill, spill, spill, spill... Fo the live of god I will resort to torture."

Mikhail chuckled. "You wouldn't know her."

"Still, tell me about her." Leo persisted eagerly.

Mikhail sighed, adjusting his ushanka. "She's from that Greyhound Squadron. Zoya Lagunouv. She's quiet, but that just makes me want to learn more about her. Attractive, but not in the fashion that you'd consider ideal."

"I don't know my friend. I have a very broad view of things that are attractive. I'm happy for ya Mikky. Hope it works out eventually." Leo said charismatically, popping a second beer.

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Was that a pun there?"

Leo shrugged. "What fun would it be if I just told you outright?"

The heavy rolled his eyes. “You’re as bad as Korra.”

“Oh, come on… that’s mean.” The IT guy shook his head and took a big sip of his drink. “Besides, we’re best friends, I can mess with you all I want.”

Mikhail finished off his beer, and called out to the bartender for a shot of vodka. Lowering his voice again, he merely responded, “Keep thinking that,” he said darkly, though a smile betrayed the fact that he was enjoying himself.

“Ever thought of being an actor? You could do that whole evil Russian thing beautifully.” And since when did that little kid turn into this? Am I allowed to be proud? Ah, screw it, I am.

Mikhail gave Leo a disappointed expression. “And you are playing the “stereotypical American” role percently, my friend.”

“Good, I know I am doing something right then.” He countered unphased, putting his chin in his hand, looking away. “The day has finally come where the brother becomes so intimidating the sister is cuter in comparison.” Leo mumbled to himself.

Mikhail tilted his head. “What did you say?” he asked, honestly not having heard what his companion had uttered.

Leo finally realizing the extent of what he said, suddenly froze up in fear for his life. “You uh… don’t wanna know.” he said quickly.

Mikhail narrowed his eyes for a moment in disbelief, and then waved a hand dismissively, shaking his head. “If you say so.”

“I do say so.” He taunted, grabbing his drink and finishing it.

 

[MarineAvenger]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “A Lion and Two Dragons walk into a bar… Part 2”

April 17th, 2044
Outside Room-D006
1034 Hours

Leo leaned against the wall outside of his room, waiting for Sasha to finally come out so that they could get going. It wasn’t normal for the man to have such a lump in his throat, but then again this wasn’t just some normal girl. He let out a sigh, nervously tapping his foot against the floor. Can’t believe she agreed to a breakfast out.

The door to the girl’s portion of the room opened, and Sasha stepped out, dressed in casual clothing. She had a simple light grey shirt with dark green text in the center - likely from some obscure anime she and her mother liked - and long black pants. “Where did you want to go, again?” the Dragomirov asked.

“Just a normal breakfast out. I heard they are serving omelets today, and I like them with nearly everything being offered. Gotta love military life sometimes for the small things.” He explained, Leo looking down at his own attire of white cargo shorts and white button up.

“Alright then.” Sasha started walking towards the elevators that would lead up to the mess hall.

He quickly followed, having assumed his usual calm, smooth look he had, even with his crazy stirred up emotions underneath. “How you been feeling lately?”

“Okay… my talks with Camellia have helped quell the nightmares and tension I’ve been having a little, but she…” Sasha shook her head. “Some of it still lingers. I’ll be fine, though, I promise,” the support insisted. “I have everyone to back me up.”

Leo’s smile couldn’t have possibly gotten any bigger. “That’s great to hear, and I hope things only continue to improve.” The IT guy put his hands behind his head and let out a relieved sigh. “And remember, I am always a room away. Unless I’m not when I am working, but I am sure we could get some sort of bell, tinkle it every time you wanna bug me about your day.” He teased light heartedly.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Sasha replied neutrally.

“Wow… passing up the chance for your own manservant? I know some people who would be very cross with you.” He responded, his smile going down to a grin. “I’m serious though, anything.”

“I know, I just don’t plan to impose on you for trivial things. If I need to talk to you about anything important I will,” Sasha clarified, glancing to the side for a moment before turning her head briefly to regard Leo.

“You’re not imposing if the person is offering on a silver platter. Besides, talking to you is always great. Brightens my day up.” He spoke honestly.

Sasha smiled softly. “Thanks. That means a lot,” she said quietly as they came to the elevator.

He returned the gesture, waiting patiently as the two entered the elevator. “Anyways, I gotta stupid work story if you want to hear about it.”

Sasha shrugged. “Sure.”

“You know how you go about your day, and you do something rather stupid you feel silly for and wish people weren’t like that all the time? Well, you think you seen it all when you walk into the guy’s room, take one look at his laptop, slowly turn to him and say, ‘You must be the biggest idiot in the world.’ He called me in because the thing wouldn’t turn on, and it was his roommates that he had lent it to the guy for a while while training. I kid you not, he thought it was one of those touch screen ones that go around in a circle and become a tablet, but the guy was wrong and ended up snapping the screen off. That was the reason it wouldn’t turn on. Suffice to say, I hauled ass when the roommate came back.”

“Shouldn’t you be working on research or something more important than stuff like that?” Sasha asked incredulously. “Basic IT seems like a waste of your talents.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but I highly doubt my talents will help anyone develop a fission bomb or something like that. I find the home calls to be fun, gives me time to just have fun problem solving. Gotta love your job to do it the best, right?” He asked.

Sasha nodded. “I… suppose, though maybe Vindicta will ask you for help on something bigger. She was telling me about her hope to improve the shipboard A.I. when I visited her yesterday for psionic practice.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I suppose I could help with something like that, but honestly, I don’t really care what I do just as long as it is a positive environment for me, and the work keeps me entertained and happy. One of the many, many reasons I hate corporate. Why I actually love that I took this job, it gave me what I was looking for. Besides, I’m close to you…”

“I’m glad more of my friends could be around,” Sasha replied as they exited the elevator, “but still, it’s a bit surreal to have all of you here.”

“Can say that again… I don’t know how many more old faces we could stuff here before it begins to look like some sort of conspiracy.”

“You don’t… think that’s part of the pirate queen’s “great game”, do you?” Sasha wondered apprehensively.

“Nah… but if it is, that is one hell of a well hidden conspiracy. Not that I am really caring about having all those I care about close by. Makes me confident nothing this ‘Queen’ will send at us will phase us completely. Besides, we got something stronger than fusion weapons or a pirate army. I think you already know what it is.”

“If you say ‘friendship’ I’m going to be disappointed in you,” Sasha admonished, lightly punching Leo in the shoulder. “And I suppose that means that your mother and sister aren’t in the “all those you care about” category.” She smiled innocently. “I wonder how they’d react to me telling them that interesting factoid.”

“Probably very, very upset. I’ve survived worse though, and I will continue to for all time. Like a cockroach, can’t get me away. I do what I want and sometimes live between your couch cushions. I still vow never to sleep in that motel back home…” Leo shook his head as if remembering a bad memory.

Sasha shook her head. “You’re not a Bajir, you know. And I think Mikhail would die if you compared yourself to a roach.”

“He’s scared of roaches? Damn… maybe when we get back to Earth, I will go back to that motel with him in tow, I will just need to have a camera ready. Would you like to accompany?” He asked with that smug grin of his he got when he proposed a highly stupid plan.

“Only if you’re fine with finding grenades in your pockets the next morning,” Sasha deadpanned.

“Hey, spending a night in a motel with you… it would be worth it.” He said without thinking.

As they neared the door to the mess hall, Sasha jumped back a step. “W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

“U-Uh…” He scratched his head. “N-Nothing!” He quickly noted, trying to get to the door at a quickened pace.

“That didn’t sound like nothing!”

He stopped, his hand just barely within the range of the handle. Shit… Leo slowly swallowed and turned around. “O-Oh… you know me… always… always the joker.” The IT guy laughed nervously.

Sasha crossed her arms underneath her chest. “You’re also a terrible liar.”

Leo’s smile vanished. “Look Sash… it’s nothing important… you don’t want to hear it.” He looked up in the corner of the hallway.

Sasha regarded him for a moment, and then reddened slightly. “T-That’s fine. I think I understand what you meant now…”

“I highly doubt that…” He responded.

“If you’re trying to make me say it that won’t work,” Sasha insisted, more embarrassed than irritated.

“No… you don’t completely understand.” I wish you did. “I wasn’t thinking when I said it. Please don’t take it at face value.”

“Alright… let’s just… forget that happened.”

Leo felt the words want to jump out of his chest. “Yeah.” He affirmed in a low tone, not moving, as if that wasn’t the end of it. This could be your chance you idiot! “Hey… you promise… not to overreact if I tell you?”

 

[MarineAvenger]

“I promise…” Sasha carefully uttered, lowering her arms. “I’d appreciate if you were just honest instead of dodging my question. We are friends, in case you’ve forgotten in the past minute.”

“Well… just keep this away from Mikhail’s ears but… Sasha…” He hesitated for a long time. “Ever since we were little kids, I always looked up to you. You were this amazing person I had wished I could be with all the time. Later on… I finally realized that I had been in love with you… ever since we were little kids.”

Sasha resting a hand around the opposite arm, tapping a foot idly. “I did know that you had a childhood crush on me… I-I did as well… but I didn’t know you still felt that way. I always figured you had moved on.”

He shook his head. “I never moved on. You seemed to just stick with me… maybe there were times where you weren’t at the forefront of my mind all the time like when I was little, but you never completely left.”

Sasha shook her head. “You could certainly do better… I know we kept in contact, but I haven’t told you everything.”

“I don’t think I could do better.” Leo said honestly. “But… what have you… been keeping from me?”

Sasha looked away from him. “You know how I told you I wasn’t being treated well at school? It was…” Sasha inclined her head downwards. “...worse than I was willing to admit. I-I tried to kill myself in my sophomore year. W-without my medication, I’m a hopeless wreck,” she said quickly.

Leo’s eyes widened, and he took a step forward. “W… Why didn’t you tell me Sasha! I’d have...” What? Gone to live in Russia to be with her? Geez… yeah, that does sound really stupid. “I… Would have done something.” He strode up to her quickly. “And do you think admitting something like that would push me away?”

“I didn’t tell you because I… was worried it wouldn’t,” Sasha explained. “I didn’t want to burden you when you were clearly happier than I was… and I still don’t want to. Besides… I came here to try to take another step towards being stronger mentally, and I can’t do that if I’m just… leeching off my friends for help.”

“You’re not a burden you idiot.” Leo wrapped his arms around Sasha. “I get that you want to become stronger on your own, and you should keep trying to reach that, but you have to let everyone you can who wants to help, do so. Maybe eventually someone would see it as getting on their nerves but that is all the more reason for them to screw off and let us walk with our friend!” He felt almost like he was going to cry. “I care for you Sasha… and I want you to be as happy as possible, but if you ever think you are… leeching off of me or anyone else, just remember we don’t leave people we care for behind. I couldn’t imagine a life without you… I don’t want to. I don’t care what it takes… I will always be by your side… because of the love I feel for you.”

Sasha took in a shuddering breath, seeming on the verge of shedding tears as well. “O-Okay… I-I…” She fell silent for awhile, hugging him in order to try and stop her trembling and calm down. After about half a minute, that strategy seemed to work, and she drew back. “I will… but…” She eyed Leo for a moment. “W-What is it about me you like?” I hope it’s not just my body…

“Mostly your determination, and just the way you handle yourself. I remember being absolutely scared of saying the wrong thing around you, and sometimes I still do in fear of facing a fiery side.” He chuckled, “I love how you can bat aside or even go along with my jokes, makes it more rewarding to do stuff just out of the blue to try and entertain my people.” He looked up with a contemplative look. “Finally… you are just so energetic and caring… you are everything I could ever love in a woman, and the fact of who you are only amplifies those feelings.”

Sasha turned around to hide the color on her cheeks. “T-Thank you… I-I didn’t think of myself as all that…”

“You should… because you are all those things, and so much more I can’t explain.” He let out a long, drawn out breath. “I hope you are grateful, I feel like I should have rainbows flying out of my hands for how mushy you are making me.” He joked.

Sasha turned back to face him. “That just sounds stupid.”

“It’s how you make me, no one ever said love was smart.” Leo shifted on his feet. “Where does this leave us?”

Sasha shifted uncomfortably as well. “I… don’t know. I’d have to think about it… no one at school was really interested in me due to the… negative reputation my tormentors spread around. I… need time. We should still eat breakfast, though.”

“Most definitely. Don’t want to starve after all.” Leo smiled as he walked over and opened the door to the mess. “Let’s go.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“The Merits of Alliances I, Part 1” – Frederick Mason

High Orbit over Forseti (April 16th, 2044)
The Einherjar (2000 Hours, A.S.T.)
Floor 3: The Situation Room

Commander Frederick Mason sucked in a deep breath, standing alone in the executive communication room. The lights were dimmed, masking the corners of the ovular section of the floor from view. None of the benches or the faint blue-white lights under them were visible, the latter being off. Only the podium at which he now stood was lit by soft white lights. They made his face and shoulder visible like some realistic bust, and also lit up some of the notes he had written in advance, talking points for the leader he was about to contact. It’s now or never, Fred thought to himself, and placed a finger on the enter key at the base of the “clipboard” part of the stand he stood before.

The large, imposing screen before the English XSDF officer lit up with the neutral light of a liquid crystal display effect. There was but a simple symbol of an hourglass on the screen, an old design for a loading screen Fred had only found the XSDF to use. It likely had something to do with the high average age of most members belonging to the Council of Nations, but that was a gripe for another day. For now, Frederick had to focus on keeping his cool as he waited for the official on the other end to ‘pick up’. Finally, after a few minutes that felt like an eternity, the hourglass split apart and rushed off either side of the screen, bringing an actual image to life.

The figure on the screen was a little over seven feet tall. They wore an ornate, streamlined mask, one distinct enough that it was recognizable to any who had seen it before. Frederick hadn’t in person, but he still remembered the helmet from the video reels of the peace treaty aboard the Temple Ship. Curved triangles like sails arced backwards on either side of the top of the helm, coming together in a ridge with six ‘exhaust ports’ that glowed with an intense violet hue, likely part of a psionic conduit system channeling the Humiliata wearer’s psionic energies. Several diagonal ridges marked lowered areas on either side of the helmet below the stiff sails, the rectangular centerpiece being the focus. It carried on the Humiliata runic symbols present on the flat top of the mask all the way down to where the chin would be, ending with a metallic octagon with three more psionic ports.

Below the mask was a set of metallic hands with three fingers and a thumb each, crossed in a meditative fashion and holding up the long, violet-blue robes of the Humiliata Commander. After a few moments of silence that Fred used to take in the impressive being, that being spoke in an elegant, gentle voice that belied an age in which the Humiliata had grown accustomed to telepathy at the expense of vocal communication. “Commander Mason, to what do I owe the honor?” Carthigi’seris spoke smoothly, even if she had already been informed that some sort of deal was to take place.

Frederick bowed, returning her the same respect she was showing him. “Commander Carthigi’seris,” he intoned humbly. “To be completely honest, I could use your help.”

The Humiliata military leader folded her four hands together into one ball. “Be more specific.”

The XSDF Commander resisted the urge to tug at his uniform’s collar in nervousness. “As you know, the XSDF is at war with the faction known as Tandarin Forma Delimore, or the TFD. WE don’t know their specific capabilities yet, but we do know some powerful faction with technology more advanced than either of our people have conceived of is running the show. And they seem to have most, if not all, of the large space pirate factions under their thumb.” Frederick cleared his throat. “We’ve been able to win most of our battles, but we’ve suffered losses. Manpower isn’t what I want from you, though.”

A slight incline of Carthigi’s head indicated a slight tilt or the equivalent of an eyebrow being raised. “Oh? Then what do you need, Commander Mason?”

“Mechanical troops,” Frederick clarified, maintaining his serious expression as best as he could to hide his apprehension. Standing before the powerful, influential being gave him the chills, even if she was an ally. “We’ve lost most of our advanced SHIVs and some cyberdiscs. We were hoping you could help manufacture replacements.”

The Humiliata Commander unclasped her two lower hands, resting those arms at her sides, and placed the other pair on an ornate desk in front of her. “I could,” Carthigi’seris spoke cryptically. “However,” she said evenly, “we’d need recompense. I won’t ask for your Elerium stores, we have no need for those. Nor alloys. What I’d like from you is something simplier.”

“Go ahead.”

“There are at least two other species out there that my ministers and I would like to make contact with. Since you’re on the fringe of known space, you’re more likely to come across them.” Carthigi waved her secondary right hand, and a screen came up on that side of the military elder. It displayed a familiar sight: an Outsider. There was something different about this particular one, though. It seemed to have pointed crystals growing out of portions of its body, and its main crystalline body was a celestial blue. “You are familiar with the K’mitra, are you not?”

“I am. We use them for security, as you know,” Frederick responded, a genuine expression of curiosity on his features.

Carthigi seemed to notice this, and smiled slightly - though Fred couldn’t see it. “Well, when the previous government came into contact with them, they were not just automated shells. There were… how do I say this… psionic ‘specters’ bonded to the automatons.”

Frederick raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me the original makers of the K’mitra were… ghosts, Commander Carthigi’seris?” he queried in disbelief.

Carthigi chuckled, a noise that made the last of Frederick’s tension relax. “I’m not at all surprised that you’d have your doubts, Mason. But,” Carthigi insisted, “there is such a thing as psionic ghosts. If a psion’s presence is strong enough, and they cling to life… it is possible for them to endure. However, such a practice, or even its attempt, has been long taboo for our people - an old tradition against it stems from a time when some thought the true meaning of the Path and Ascendance was to die. Such a death cult was quickly outlawed.”

The Humiliata shook her head, her mask seeming tight enough to not rattle with the motion. “In any case, we could not do anything about the specters within the K’mitra. They departed not long after capture, and that was the only time we met these “Outsiders”. I’ve heard reports of craft similar to theirs spotted towards where you are now, though.” Carthigi sighed. “Granted, they are from unscrupulous types like mercenaries and businessmen from free ports and outposts, but… I can’t discount the rumors entirely. If you encounter such ships yourself, attempt to make peaceful contact with them so we might learn more about these strange spectral psions.”

Frederick nodded. “I will. I think my psionic division head would be quite interested in meeting them as well. We’ll share any data we receive with you.” He tilted his head ever so slightly to the right. “And the other species you wanted to learn about?”

Carthigi snapped her fingers on the second right hand, and the image of the Outsider began to dim. She replaced it with a wave of her second left hand - an image on the opposite side coming to life as the other faded out. This one had a hulking, pudgy, dark violet-tinted creature. “This is a Tabora… but they are barely sentient, and aren’t the species I’m interested in meeting. It’s their ‘symbiotic’ companions,” Carthigi specified, seeming to hold the term in some contempt. “They’re called the Yorin. They’re organic slugs - not silicon like the Silicids - that can take over a host brain. Most of those that you might have heard of are either mercenaries or worse… but I’ve been able to gather that their main population is not so objectionable. And interestingly, their control of a host brain seems to function off a principle of mind control, something unusual for a species so primitive in form.”

Frederick gulped a bit, sending a team to meet with the Yorin not on his top ten “things to do in my life”, but he did not object. “Understood. You… think they’d be out here too?”

“Most likely.” Carthigi affirmed.

“There is one other request I have that the XSDF would be willing to pay for GCC,” Frederick added. Not wanting to hear another ‘go on’, he continued, “We could use some replacement fighter craft. We’ve lost some of the Jupiter’s firestorms, and we’ve taken hits to our Stingrays as well. How is that… special project coming?”

“The Electric Rays? They’re ready for production,” Carthigi responded proudly. “I assume you’re ready to begin purchasing them, then?”

Frederick smiled. “I would be. How soon do you think you could have a wing of them made?”

“An entire wing… hrm…” Carthigi balked, but quickly composed herself. “I can get you a squadron every two weeks by your time. Is that acceptable?”

“It is.” Frederick shrugged. “I’d shake on it, but…”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” the image of Carthigi replied. “And the Galactic Common Currency that you’ll be sending us as compensation for the fighters. As for replacement mechanicals… we can get those to you in a week on a fast transport ship. Just remember to share any information you can regarding these two curious races.” With that, Carthigi vanished, leaving Frederick to call up his next ‘contestant.’

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“The Merits of Alliances I, Part 2” –Frederick Mason

High Orbit over Forseti (April 16th, 2044)
The Einherjar (2030 Hours, A.S.T.)
Floor 3: The Situation Room

Frederick was seated at a chair this time. Not only did he hope it was a little more formal, but even after the fifteen minute break he had taken he didn’t feel like standing up was going to help him at all. I just have to remember not to push back into my chair. That’s a sign of weakness. Fred sighed in a drawn-out fashion, before pressing the enter key to contact his next ally. This one, he knew, would be less about getting them to commit, and more about ensuring that they didn’t overcommit. The response was much quicker this time, the person on the other end having been awaiting the call.

The image onscreen was not in a dark, indoor room like the one Carthigi had been in. Rather, it was actually outside. In the background there was rows of mountain peaks capped with ice and painted with patches of snow, signaling the beginning of winter on Tal Shiar. A worked stone platform with a metal dome to protect the equipment from the elements was where the communications room of the Balmadaar was located, overlooking these mountains and a bit of the fortress which the Warlord called home.

In the center of the screen was the man himself: Ogedei. The Balmadaar was wearing traditional armor made of modern components, a duality signifying the changes his people had undergone over the past 25 years. The main portion of his armor was a dark green with symbols and lines etched in white. For the Balmadaar green was a symbol of the natural world, of life itself, and the potential to take it away if darkened – befitting a warlord such as Ogedei. The white was a symbol of justice and peace, not dissimilar from the human interpretation of the color, and could be found on the upper side of his gauntlets and greaves. However, the underside of his gloves and boots were black, as was the majority of the helmet at his side, which signified retribution and destruction, a warning to those that would bring harm upon the Balmadaar.

Frederick smiled, noting a few of these things due to his knowledge of the proud warrior race, and stood up to bow slightly. Ogedei returned the gesture. “Hello, Ogedei,” Frederick intoned, speaking of the warlord so casually due to the understanding that equals would refer to eachother as they should refer to friends and family in Balmadaar culture.

Ogedei smiled broadly. “Frederick. It is good to see you carrying yourself with such pride, even newly-commissioned and thrust into war. What can I do to assist you?” the leader of the largest Balmadaar state inquired, the speech impediment he had once been cursed with thanks to the old Ethereal Empire’s tampering long removed by the efforts of one Jessica Lockheart and other XCOM scientists.

Fred folded his hands together as he returned to his chair. “I’ve asked the Humiliata for assistance in the skies and with production of mechanical forces, but I have a more direct request for you, if you’re willing. We could use some of your forces on the ground, and we’d be willing to offer compensation.”

Ogedei seemed surprised. “You could just call upon us without the need for such material reasons. You have our gratitude for all the XSDF has done for Tal Shiar.”

Frederick shook his head. “Now isn’t the time to call upon the debt, and I’d prefer if we never had to. Naturally, it is appreciated, but I’d prefer to help you in exchange for helping me. I understand industry is still something of an issue.”

Ogedei nodded grimly, sobered by that reminder. “We lack some of the necessary manpower. As you must understand, while my people on the homeworld are mostly unified, many went out into the stars for more independent ventures. And technical expertise is always an issue, as we are still learning. IN particular, laser weapons, or pulse for that matter, are so damnably hard to understand. I prefer my plasma weaponry to that nonsense.”

“Then perhaps we can send some engineers from Megha and scientists from Luna to assist you in developing a stronger industrial base in return for the assistance of your troops,” Frederick proposed.

Ogedei made a quiet humming sound, seeming to think on it. “That would be fair… depending on how much you’re asking for. Ask for too little and I’m not sure I can accept that offer.”

Frederick shook his head, momentarily unable to hide his disbelief at the code of honor the Balmadaar abided by. “Well, we could use a large transport or two worth of troops to assist the local security forces on Forseti… perhaps a third one with an escort of a few destroyers to guard the peripherals. Without getting in over their head, of course.”

The Warlord tapped his large fingers against the console. “How many engineers and scientists did you want to send?”

“I’d say about a hundred each.”

“Well, I’d say my total of 150 warriors that would be serving on those ships isn’t quite comparable. Where can I send a small contingent of forces in addition?”

Frederick sighed, but wasn’t willing to pass up the offer. “How about… New Alcatraz. I worry the pirates might try to break out their allies there, so having some Balmadaar assisting in the orbit security detail would ease my mind.”

“Then consider it done, Frederick.” Ogedei bowed again. “I shall begin preparations immediately, as I’m sure you shall.”

“Until we meet again, Ogedei.” Frederick bowed back, and then the screen went blank again.

High Orbit over Forseti (April 16th, 2044)
The Einherjar (2100 Hours, A.S.T.)
Floor 3: The Situation Room

Frederick tapped a foot as he waited for the third contact to pick up. Although she was human, this was likely to be as difficult as the others. Despite their developed emotions, the Exalts were among the most ‘alien’ people to talk to in some respects. Nevertheless, they were a loyal backer of the XSDF, and hopefully would not prove to be too difficult.

On the screen appeared a woman with an pair of black sweat pants, a gray shirt with a symbol resembling a multi-layered cog ‘eye’, dark blond hair, and distinctive reptilian eyes. She smiled curtly. “Commander Mason. What can I do for you today?” The CEO of Exalt Enterprises asked, as collected as ever despite her varied duties. Her personal A.I. was likely one reason she could keep herself sane with such a large company.

“I have a request for some additional starships,” Frederick answered. “I’m working on getting another squadron of Seraphs from Tanaka and another squadron of Firestorms from Shen. However, finding capable pilots and waiting for those to be build is going to take time. Fortunately, I have some pilots in reserve at the moment that could use some fighter craft to pilot. That’s where you come in.” Frederick returned her smile. “I need eight Shifters.”

Elene raised an eyebrow. “A tall task… but I’ll do my best.” The CEO ran a hand through her hair. “We have an outpost in Progressus. Construction there will take about two weeks, and shipping a single week. Twice as fast as what the other two companies, I imagine.”

Frederick nodded. “I appreciate it.”

“However, Commander…”

Frederick gave her a ‘go on’ look.

“If I recall, the Einherjar only has the four main hangers. Where… do you plan on storing all these new fighter craft?”

Fred’s smile widened. “Well, my team will be working hard to. All that empty space of “floor twenty”,” he explained, using air quotes, “needs to be put to use. We’ll start by doubling up on our hangar size…”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

In Orbit around Forseti
The Einherjar
Holo-room 3

Brigid rushed through the halls, dodging, dipping, ducking, diving and dodging past people, even sliding under one man's legs, before she finally ran into the Holo-room. "Sorry, Alice! My therapy thing took... longer... then..."

Alice smiled. "No problem, Brigid." She followed Brigid's gaze, and smiled a bit wider. "You like?"

"I like!" Brigid dropped down next to the robotic canine Alice was working on. Slick, shiny new zero-alloy, colored black and grey. A sleek visor where its eye would be. A powerful looking tail, and an intimidating zero-alloy chainsaw on its back. Razor sharp claws. Powerful legs. "This... is what you've been working on? Robocop's pet dog?"

"Mhmm. Gotta test the big guy out. And I need you as a witness. Thanks for coming." Alice typed on her computer pad, clearly trying to hide her pride. "Your therapy go alright?"

"Yeah... go ahead..." Brigid continued to look the machine over, taking a minute to notice Alice staring at her. "Oh... sorry. What did you..."

"I was asking how the therapy went," Alice responded.

Brigid sighed, and fell into a sitting position. "Alright. Just... not what I expected..."

--------------------

Brigid sat in the middle of the floor mat, Volupta's legs wrapped around her. She was leaning against Volupta's chest like she was a chair, Volupta's lower hands on Brigid's shoulders, her upper fingers against Brigid's cheeks and temples.

"This all seems a bit... excessive," Brigid muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

"Not at all." Volupta kept her eyes close, slowly breathing in. Slowly breathing out.

"This... just wasn't what I expected," Brigid responded, fidgeting a bit.

"You expect some kind of surgery, yes? Nothing so physically invasive. With my biokinetic abilities, a careful regiment, and time, not a single incision will be made."

Brigid lightly nodded. "Well... that's good, I guess. But... what are we..."

"Sssssh." Volupta sent a wave of relaxing thoughts into Brigid. "Breath. Relax. We are attempting to form a bond. Only by creating a bond will we synchronize our psionic energies so I may delve deep within your inner you and heal that which causes you such pain."

Brigid giggled a bit. "Okay, I'll try. But you sounds like a space hippie."

"I do not know what that is, but I will ask Tee about it later." Volupta breathed in... and out. "Relax... calm... my mind to your mind... your thoughts... to my thoughts. As you humans say... calm your tits..."

--------------------

Alice placed her hands on her hips. "She did not say 'calm your tits', fibber."

Brigid grinned. "Maybe I added that part. Now come on! We doing this or what? I wanna see this thing in action!"

"Patience is a virtue," Alice mumbled, typing a little faster for Brigid's sake.

"And Wrath was an Overseer, what's you point?"

A few minutes later, Alice nodded to her companion, who stepped back. A few more keystrokes and the robotic wolf came to life, a red line on its visor representing its eyes lighting up. "SA-34, designation Fenrir prototype 001-1, online." It looked up at Alice, seeming to recognize her as its commander. "Please state my mission."

"Well, 1-1, we'll be running a start up simulation of your abilities using holograms," Alice explained, noting Brigid's excited look.

"Insufficient data. Please define 'hologram'."

"Hmm?" Alice typed on the keypad. "Guess I forgot to finish installing the last of those memory protocols. A hologram is a simulated object or being, given substance using light, physical form with force fields, and intelligence, when applicable, by the computer. We will be using them so there is no risk of damaging my prototype or hurting anyone."

"Understood." The Fenrir crouched down, its tail whipping up. "Ready to begin simulation."

"Straight to the point," Brigid commented. "I like him already."

The two women walked to the side. Several simulated trees, bushes, and rocks materialized. "Be sure to treat this like a real fight," Alice called out as a trio of Balmadaar formed, the simulation starting with them starring at the robotic wolf with confusion.

"Place your weapons on the ground and surrender!" 1-1 ordered. "This will be your only warning."

The Balmadaar exchanged a glance, shrugged, and opened fire, two with laser weapons, the third's a Gauss weapon. 1-1 jumped back, the shots barely missing. As it landed, its tail whipped down to its back thigh. It grabbed three HF knives and flung them forward, two slamming half way into the Gauss Balmadaar's chest armor, the third burying in its skull. Caught a bit off guard, the remaining two prepared to fire, but 1-1 had already dashed into a bush and disappeared.

Alice leaned close to Brigid and whispered, "While most missions will have it equipped with a back mounted cannon or rifle, I've decided to focus on its stealth capabilities here. I wish we had the resources to equip it with ghost platting, but it is swift and stealthy enough to take on these three."

The Balmadaar slowly scanned the environment, their programming giving them an iron will. Suddenly, a knife flung out of no where and slammed into a tree. The two enemies turned to where it seemed to come from, but that was what the Fenrir was hoping for. It emerged from the tree line on their sides, and leaped forward, driving its claws deep within one of their necks. The remaining enemy fired at it, but the metallic pooch had positioned itself so all the enemy hit was its latest victim. It rushed into the tree lines again, and the Balmadaar looked like he might actually be panicking. Several bushes rustled, one to the left. One to the right. Behind him. He fired at each in turn. He turned at the sound of running behind him, and fired at 1-1, only to find the Fenrir had been keeping better count of his rounds then he had. 1-1 grabbed the large HF chainsaw of its back, the weapon roaring to life as it lunged it forward, easily punching through the medium strength armor of the enemy. Whipping it tail up, the combat drone split the Balmadaar in twain, and the simulation ended.

"That was awesome!" Brigid rushed towards the Fenrir, crouching down and petting it on the head like it was a dog. "You did such a good job!"

"Your praise is appreciated..." Its eyes flashed as it seemed to study her face. "...Ms. O'Brien, Brigid M." It turned to Alice. "What is my next assignment?"

Alice looked over her computer pad, pleased. "Well, you did do well. But we will not always have room for such stealth tactics, and the enemy has much stronger weapons and armor, so it will not always be that easy to dispatch them." She smiled at her creation. "That being said, we hopefully have all we need to convince the Commander to test you out on the field. So, next stop, real combat!"

The Fenrir gave an unenthusiastic nod, shutting down its weapon systems and following the two women back to engineering.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

AlzDude28 and DarkGemini24601 : “Parallel Lines, Part 1”

High Orbit over Forseti (April 17th, 2044)
The Einherjar (1503 Hours, A.S.T.)
Floor 12: Room F-002

Irina sat on the edge of her bed, several recent events weighing heavily on her mind. There was the incident with the spy from the Yakuza; that was undeniably one of the things troubling the French doctor. But to pile up additional worries, it seemed that the number of soldiers losing their limbs in the line of duty was rising. Whether it was unavoidable or a sign of recklessness, even Irina wasn’t sure. There has to be something we can do, though… it can’t go on like this, or no soldier will be returning home intact. The thought of her best friend being wounded in such a way brought a shudder to her thin frame, so Irina did her best to try and put that out of her mind. Instead, she picked up a cup of green tea and drank slowly from it.

The door swung open briefly to admit Brienne to the room. She saw Irina and gave a slight wave calling out “Afternoon.” Then took her lab coat off and hung it on a hook by the door. There were wires poking out of the pockets, and as Brienne removed some papers a shotgun shell fell to the ground. She didn’t notice. She just dumped the papers on the table and sat down heavily on her own bed.

Irina glanced between Brienne and the shell for a moment, before calmly remarking, “If that has plasma in it I believe that violates some sort of safety conduct.”

Brienne looked at Irina briefly, a look of confusion on her face, then spotting the shell she quickly scooped it up and placed it carefully back in the coat. “Just conventional ballistic one… I had an idea I was working on…” She trailed off, frowning, and picked up one of the discarded papers, grabbed a pencil and made a quick note.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “I was unaware that we even had ballistic weaponry on the Einherjar aside from a few weapons in storage for the shooting range. Isn’t it… ineffective against most modern armor?”

“Yes, but it’s the same size and shape as more advanced alternative… also it’ll work just fine if there’s no armour…” She continued to write.

Irina left it at that, not really being an expert in such matters, and instead asked, “How have you been? I don’t think we’ve talked in awhile,” quietly.

“Can’t complain… they’ve been keeping me busy back in the labs.” She paused for a minute, and looked up. “You know, I think we must work opposite shifts. We never seem to be here at the same time… either that or you’re avoiding me.” She said, with a grin.

Irina shook her head. “Likely the former. Though I have been preoccupied with everything that is going on. It’s only now that most of the injured from the last mission are getting out of medical, or are receiving replacement limbs.”

“Were you one of the team that treated Al? You know, the Dreaconian. I helped him out with some improvements to his cybernetic arm a couple of weeks ago… That’s what gave me the idea for this, actually.” She tossed the paper towards Irina. On it, was a drawing of a cybernetic arm, clearly non-human, with various systems sketched around it. “I may have got a little carried away…” She smiled, sheepishly.

Irina shook her head. “I wasn’t, though I hope we can be better at treating Draeconian physiology in the future… the same goes for our Seikronyr passangers.” The Frenchwoman looked over the notes. “You ought to show this to the cybernetics team… they might be able to use some of this.”

“I doubt much of it would be that practical… The shotgun probably wouldn’t work… and the flamethrower definitely wouldn’t… I’ll send it over to Mark though.” Brienne put the papers back on the table. “Anyway, enough work for today. Is the kettle still hot?”

Irina nodded. “It is,” she clarified, taking another sip of her hot tea.

“Just what I need.” Brienne replied with a smile, grabbing a mug and a tea bag, before proceeding to make herself a drink. “Have you had any shore leave recently?”

Irina shook her head. “I do have some available, but I didn’t want to neglect my duties to go down to the surface.”

“I’m sure you won’t be missed for one day. It’s nice down there, I got to spend a day in Ailey last month. I was not disappointed.”

“Maybe… though I had been meaning to check on a friend of mine. It might be better to do that before I take any time off,” Irina insisted.

“That’s fair enough.” Brienne replied. “Mind if I ask who the friend is?”

“An engineer. Nicholas Cauthon. He has a bad habit of getting himself hurt,” Irina stated.

On hearing the name Brienne gave a slight start. “Nick? What’s he got himself into this time?”

Irina seemed slightly surprised. “You didn’t hear about the incident with the Yakuza spy that tried to abduct his partner?”

“I heard rumors about a Yakuza on board, but I didn’t know exactly what had happened, and I didn’t know Nick was involved.”

Irina placed down her cup, doing her best to briefly explain what had happened to Brienne. “I’m not one to listen to gossip, but I’m surprised I heard about this and not you.”

With a slight shrug Brienne carried on. “I heard that one of the engineers was abducted, but rescued before they could be taken off the ship.” She paused briefly. “Apparently it’s because they were an android. Is that true?”

Irina nodded. “Sort of… I don’t know the full story myself, honestly.”

“So what happened to Nick?” After thinking she continued: “There was something on the notice board about a lab being out of action due to an accident… something about an EMP I think… That must have happened about then…”

“That I do know… apparently he was hit with an EMP grenade that nearly fried his implants.”

“Shit… last time he had trouble with the implants…” she trailed off.

“I know. I’m hoping that this time it was a temporary effect and won’t lead to the same issues. But that’s why I need to go see him.”

“It’s good to know he’s in good hands. He’s got one hell of a brain, and I wouldn’t want to see it fried.”

“You’re welcome to come if you want… as long as you don’t mind me being… stern with him. Something else happened that I need to address…”

Brienne shrugged again, “He could probably do with it, maybe he’ll take the hint and keep himself out of danger.” Then she realised what Irina had said. “Hang on, something else?”

“I can’t be sure until I ask him, but I heard after he defended himself with a manufactured ballistic pistol… he tried to turn it on himself,” Irina said grimly.

Brienne just stood in shocked silence at this. “I think… maybe I should go too… I need to hear his reasoning…”

“Let’s go then.” Without a further word, Irina stood up and headed out the door, leaving her unfinished tea on the counter.

***
​

Nick sat crossed legged on his medical bed, a laptop nestled in between his legs as he rapidly typed into it. His new plans were almost done, and he was eager to try and get them submitted. He looked up at the IV attached to his arm, the medication he was given slowly taking effect. He still had some bad nights of nightmares, but since Volupta gave him the concoction she said she would, he had been getting a lot more rest.

Rolling his tongue in his cheek, he saved his draft and closed the top of the laptop, setting it aside as he looked at the door as it opened, not expecting visitors today at least.

Irina stepped into the room, followed by her roommate. “Hello Nick. How are you?” She asked calmly.

Despite seeing Irina, he didn’t get as excited as he usually did. “Hi Irina. I’ve been just going through the motions, trying to recover as best as I can. A lot to deal with though.”

“Is there any lasting damage to your implants, or are they functioning properly again?”

“They’re busted.” He stated, rubbing the spot behind his neck. “However, I got a solution close to being finished, and perhaps this one may be a bit more useful, not just to me but the XSDF as well.”

“Does it require you risking death again to install them?” Irina asked apprehensively.

Years have passed and the tone never changes… not to be unexpected though, my mother was the same with my first implants… “Not this time. Unlike my prototype, this one is based a lot more off established designs and ideas, making it safer. Once I get them installed… the threat of me falling over and dying, or anyone else, is pretty much nil.”

“Have you thought about changing the way they’re attached? It probably wouldn’t look great, but if you’re expecting to need access to them, what about adding some sort of access panel to your skull?” Brienne interjected.

“Well… the way they are sort of designed now allows for them to be more accessible. I still have some consulting to do before I try and get it approved, so I will add that to the list of things to keep in mind.” He stated business like. However, he turned his gaze back to Irina. “However… I’m guessing this is more than just you being curious about what work I am doing…”

“I haven’t heard a confident report so I had to ask you myself…” Irina rested her hands in the pockets of her gray coat. “Did you turn that improvised pistol on yourself?”

The teen’s jaw clenched tightly a few moments and he slowly nodded his head. It was going to get out eventually, I just wish she didn’t hear about it through word of mouth. He thought despairingly.

Irina sat down in a chair beside the bed. “Why?” she asked, seeming to only be able to mouth that at the moment.

Brienne stood behind Irina, resting her hands on the back of the chair. “I think… we’re both wondering just what you were thinking. What could possibly justify... that.” She said, her tone uncharacteristically serious.

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601 : “Parallel Lines, Part 2”

Nick took in a sharp breath and exhaled a bit shakily. “It… it was…” Shaking his head, he rubbed an eye with his hand. “Too many bad things happening too closely together on top of already bad stuff. It… It was the only avenue I thought I could take at the time.”

“There’s always a better option Nick.” Brienne replied quietly. “You just need to look for it.”

“You have much more to live for than you seem to realize,” Irina pressed. “So many friends, regardless of a conflict with one… and that was so recently after you had told me…” She trailed off.

“It is not something I can just explain away, I do understand that but it was during a moment where I was drained, I had shot a man, my sister missing, the thought of losing my place here on the ship, and to mention the fact…” Nick couldn’t stop a tear as it left his eye, lowering his head as well as his voice, “When you see your closest friend shot in front of you…”

Brienne opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a beep from her pager. “Damn it… talk about bad timing. I’ve got to run, there’s a problem with one of the launch tubes. I’ll be back Nick. Don’t you forget that.” And with this she started off towards the door.

Irina gave a slight nod, though was distracted by the realization that the familiar diamond-shaped A.I. was nowhere to be found in the room. “Glitch is…”

“...dead.” Nick confirmed sadly. “Diggle’s gun accidently went off… and he sacrificed himself for me…” The teen covered his face as he began to cry. It took a bit, but he took a couple deep breaths, rubbing his wet eyes. “I’m sorry… I just still have a hard time believing it…”

“As do I… though I still have to stress that there is no reason for you to end your own life,” Irina spoke quietly. “No matter what happens, there will always be someone to help you through your grief, and anyone you lose would not want you to die as well.”

“You’re right…” He admitted, leaning back down. “I know you’re right… but I still can’t shake the thoughts… it just feels like everything turned at once, and in that moment I just wasn’t seeing reason…” Nick put an arm over his eyes. “You probably hate me… right?”

“Why would I hate you for that?!” Irina exclaimed, before calming herself from the uncharacteristic outburst. “I-I just already have to worry about losing my friend that is both a soldier and is at risk of hurting herself… I-I don’t want to have to worry about you too.”

“I’m sorry for being such a burden…” He whispered. “I don’t want you to have to worry… I don’t want to make any of my friend’s lives more difficult…”

Irina got up from her chair, sitting directly next to his bed. “You’re not a burden… I’m just worried about you,” she whispered.

He looked both confused and stunned for a few moments. “You… you are?” He whispered back calmly.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t be,” Irina responded, looking him in the eye. “You’re my friend…” she muttered something indecipherable after that.

“What?” Nick sat up slowly. “Irina… I want to hear everything, please don’t be afraid to say something… I can handle it after all.”

Irina glanced away from him. “...perhaps something more.”

The engineer’s eyes slowly widened. “Are… are you serious?”

The Frenchwoman stood up, turning in the other direction, seeming to find some solace in not looking in his direction saying the following: “After I heard what happened… I-I realized I couldn’t… bear the thought of losing you,” she mumbled. “Even though I haven’t known you for nearly as long as my best friend… I felt like I considered you just as important.”

At first, Nick was absolutely speechless. He didn’t realize he had left that much of an impact. He slowly threw the bed covers off of him. “And… you mean that?”

“I do,” Irina muttered.

Nick nodded his head, despite the fact she couldn’t see it. He placed his feet on the floor and stood up, a little weak but nothing he couldn’t handle as he grabbed the pole that suspended his IV bag. He slowly walked over and put an arm around Irina, putting his head against her shoulder. “That makes me happy.”

Irina’s eyes widened a bit, and she turned around to support him. “You shouldn’t be standing up…”

“I know… but it was worth it…” He smiled. “So does this mean… you really do share my feelings? This isn’t just because… of what I did… right?”

“No, I do feel that way… I.. am still upset at you for considering that, but…” Irina tried to explain, seeming flustered to have to talk to him face-to-face right now.

“I understand.” He told her, slowly making his way back to his bed. “I know I’m not the best catch in the world, but the fact you feel that way… you don’t know how much it actually means.”

“I know,” Irina replied, seeming somewhat saddened by the fact.

“Is something the matter?” He asked, sitting back on the medical bed and pushing the IV stand back into place.

“I just wish it was easier for me to understand such things, but… I’ll make do.”

Nick thought for a moment, remembering back to something he had done before. “Would you… like to try something? See if you feel anything?”

“What would that be?” Irina asked.

“Would you… like to kiss me? See if that helps you understand?” He asked forwardly.

The doctor’s eyes widened. “I-I…. don’t...know…”

“You don’t have to, it is just a suggestion.” Nick reassured her, pulling his legs close to him and just merely observing her.

“That’s… not really want I meant…”

“What did you mean?”

“I just don’t understand certain emotions that require another person as well as most people do… I wasn’t the most social child,” Irina explained.

Nick chuckled. “People sometimes say love is blind, so I’m not too sure how to help you. All I can really do is show my feelings for you and hope they make you happy.”

Irina nodded quickly. “I understand. I’ll… come visit later.” With that, she walked out the door as abruptly as Brienne had.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Note: Takes place before Parallel Lines

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
“From Darkness, There Shall Be Light: Part One”

In Orbit Around Forseti (April 17th, 2044)
The Einherjar (1245 Hours)
Medical Room of Nicholas Cauthon

Nick sat forward with his back hunched over, typing into a laptop that had been provided to him to give him something of a distraction from everything that had been going on. A day hadn’t gone by in which someone hadn’t visited him, doctors and other engineers coming by, some wishing him luck in his recovery, some just coming to check up on him, but he barely ever acknowledged them. All empty smile and false wishes.

He knew what they were always really thinking, that he was the teen who had been hiding not just one android, but two. The guy who had shot a man, leaving him immobile as far as Nick had last heard. The little kid who had gone way overboard and they were wary of every move he made. He tried to push their secret thoughts from his head, knowing too many more negative thoughts was only going to push him more towards the edge.

Even though it was largely a heat of the moment thing, Nick still felt the doubt in the back of his mind, the doubt that laid there, taunting the teen constantly, often tormenting him in his dreams, if he could call them those anymore. Every night he closed his eyes, he would have these life-like nightmares, some more horrible with each night. It got to the point he was lucky to get three hours. Some of them left such horrid images in his head, it terrified him.

It wasn’t like the engineer wasn’t trying to feel positive, not like people didn’t push him to feel that way, but it wasn’t that easy. Once the seeds were planted, they never left, and his doctor knew that. He constantly had a guard outside of his room, even being placed in one which had a camera in the corner of the room, watching him at all hours.

The way his doctor had acted around him, he was surprised the African American man didn’t handcuff him to the side of his hospital bed. Wouldn’t do him much good though, wasn’t like he was allowed anything that could potentially harm him. No sharp objects, no loose cords or anything rope like. His doctor was one of the four people who knew. Alice, Hestia, Patrick, and him. Those were the four who truly knew the extent he had been, and admittedly still might, be pushed.

It was times like these Nick desperately wished his best friend was at his side. The mere thought of Glitch caused the teen to burst into tears. Sometimes he wondered why no one could understand just why he hurt so much.

Glitch was more than a machine. He was more than an assistant, or a friend. He was even more than a brother. He was apart of Nick himself, and that loss took a piece of him away.

Nick shook his head, rubbing his eyes hard to try and stop the tears that came non-stop. It wasn't until there was a knock on the door, the teen turning his head and looking at the door fearful, quickly searching for something so he may defend himself.

Of course, there was nothing. It wasn't just the night that tormented Nick, he was fearful during the day to, even if he would never show it and put on a mask of bravery. He never knew if it was Xanatos coming to see him again, or Yamaki to enact revenge, or some unknown person coming to try and get him out of the picture.

However, all fear was dashed and relief flooded him as it was a familiar face who stepped in, a face Nick couldn't help but feel protected around.

"I am starting to get annoyed with all these visits to the infirmary, kid." Malcom told the teen out front, grabbing a chair and taking a seat next to the bed. The older engineer had grown a mustache, one that seemed to compliment his longer hair.

"You don't have to come, old man." The engineer pointed out.

"You're right, but if I don't, I would start to look like the bad guy." Malcom rubbed his hairy lip in thought. "I want you to talk to me kid. I heard pieces, but I want the whole story and I want them now."

Nick crossed his arms, annoyance taking up his features. "I don't want to..."

The older engineer nodded. "Fine, how was your procedure?" He changed the subject so quickly, it caught Nick off guard.

He reached behind his neck and touched his implant, having the inner main components all but removed, the EMP he had taken completely burning it and ruining it. Now all he had was a hollow socket on the back of his neck. "I still have bad headaches..."

"Taking your medicine?" The look in Malcom's eye reminded Nick of a grandfather, the teen almost forgetting the older man was only 35.

"I don't really have a choice. If I refuse, they will just put it in my IV." He looked down at the bruised spot where the line was inserted into his vein.

The older man nodded. "So what happened?"

"Come full circle, huh?" Nick asked in anger.

"I am not leaving until you do." Malcom shot back defiantly. "So stop being a stubborn mule and talk to me."

Nick growled. He loved Malcom so much. "Fine..." Taking in a deep breath, Nick started to tell his story, as truthful as possible. Malcom became the fifth.

There was a long silence between the two, Malcom furiously rubbing the hair under his nose. Standing up, Malcom reached out and took a firm hold of Nick's collar and pulling the teen to his face. "Are you that stupid?" Malcom asked with barely contained fury. He shook Nick once. "Well?"

Nick's fear instantly returned, a mask not coming to him this time. He didn't say anything. "Come on! Speak to me you thick headed son of a bitch!" Even though he looked furious, his eyes were wet too.

"You... Please... Stop..." Nick pleaded in a low voice.

"Are you kidding me!? Do you have any idea how absolutely, thick headed, idiotic and selfish thing that is?" Malcom's grip tightened. "I've had friends who have done that, Cauthon... I even had an uncle who resorted to that, and it solves... Nothing!" He shook Nick at the last word. "All it does is cause more problems!"

Nick couldn't hold back his tears, covering his face. The older man didn't look much better. Despite all his joking around and wishing he had never gotten involved with the pest, he found him caring more than he ever would have thought before for the boy.

However, his head quickly turned as the door opened. The two people entering inside would be met with a scene of the emotional man having a death grip on the collar of the teen, Nick crying uncontrollably.

"What the hell are you doing!" Korra rushed forward, practically tackling Nick's 'aggressor' and pulling him off of Nick.

As the Tamearin raised her fist, Volupta held a hand out. "Please, no violence!"

Malcom looked in shock at seeing Korra again, having to rub his eyes to take away the moisture. "Please... You have to talk to him... I... I-I can't..." Malcom pulled away from Korra and quickly went to the door, walking outside and shutting the door lightly.

"He wasn't hurting me..." Nick informed Korra between his bout of sobbing, pulling his legs close to himself.

"Well, he sure looked like he was." Korra sat next to Nick, wrapping an arm around him. "What happened, Nick?"

"They were simply expressing some... unusual... human bonding, I am sure," Volupta offered. "Surely, Nick's mechanical little friend..." She slowly scanned the room in confusion. "Where..."

"Doctor!" Korra snapped. "Didn't they tell you?"

Nick's face contorted in pain and he pressed his face into Korra, his sadness only growing. "Glitch is gone..." He said, his voice being muffled because he was pressed against the alien woman.

Volupta's eyes sunk in a bit. "Oh dear. He was such a... but you... oh, dear..." She sat in her stool, wheeling over to the computer, seemingly needing something to distract herself, else she have a panic attack.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
“From Darkness, There Shall Be Light: Part Two”

Korra wrapped her arms around Nick. "It's gonna be okay. I know it hurts. But we're all here for you." She rocked him a bit, her usual demeanor melting into an unusually motherly persona. "Why that pig head would ever manhandle you when you're in such a state..."

"Malcom... He... He was upset... Please... He didn't hurt me... I was crying... I was... I felt guilty. I am so lost... I don't know what to do..." Nick begun to cry again. "Why did it have to ja-a-am!?" He exclaimed in absolute despair.

"Why did what jam?" Volupta cautiously asked, looking over.

"The gun?" Korra's eyes darted back and forth. "Alice... Alice said you only fired the gun once. Did you... try to kill that man that attacked you?"

Nick shook his head, too broken down to answer properly. He gripped his head hard and seemed to pull himself into a tight ball.

"Then why would the gun jam? Why would you care if that asshole's gun jammed." Korra shook Nick's shoulders a bit. "Please, talk to me!"

Volupta's eyes widened a bit. "The case report said the attacker was in no condition to fight after he was shot. So if Nick didn't try to... to shoot him..." She looked to the other doctor for confirmation.

"I... I made my own gun... I had picked up how to... From the manufacturing floor. I shot Patrick... I felt... I tried to..." His hands dropped from his head and he made a gun shape, pressing it against his own head.

Korra slapped his hand away, as if she was stopping the real thing. Her face twisted into a look of anger, but she only wrapped her arms around Nick again, squeezing him tightly. "No, no, no. Please, Nick. Don't do this to me. Don't do this to yourself. Why would you do that!"

"It's so hard!" He cried out. "It all happened so fast, and I couldn't deal with Glitch dying!" Her iron grip around him did hurt, but Nick didn't complain, more for both their sakes. "I am still so confused... I have nightmares every night, and I can't deal with the void anymore! People look at me weird, and I just feel so lost!"

"Then let me be here for you," Korra whispered to him. "You shouldn't go this alone. I... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you in the first place."

Volupta raised from her seat, walking over to the pair and kneeling down next to them. "Some people might look at you... um, weird. But some of us do understand what you're going through. We know what it is like to fall into such despair. We will be here for you, young man."

"Alice says I'm not alone... I know I'm not... But... But it just... It's hard to explain. I've felt down, but never like this." Nick covered his face. "Oh god... What will Irina think of me... She will never love me now..."

Korra rocked Nick lightly. "Irina's a doctor. I... I think you'll be surprised how understanding she will be." And after what happened to her best friend...

"What if you started an explanation with your dreams," Volupta offered. "My people believe dreams to be a gateway into your inner being. That they often tell us more than we might realize."

Nick paled an almost ghostly white. "I-I can't... It's... They are horrible... Too real..."

Korra ran her hand through his hair. "We're not going to force you, but it might make you feel better than locking them up in your head and suffering them alone."

Nick shook a fair bit, throwing his arms around Korra. "I... I have dreams where I see myself... And I'm bleeding... Everywhere... But the other me is still alive, and whatever he does, I feel... It is so real... There are others where I... I took a gun to Alice's head, and I shot her... But she wouldn't die... Another where Hestia tried to kill me, but I ended up destroying her... And the look on her face..." Nick visibly shuddered. "Others where I am chased by horrible monsters, or I am crushed under something... I want them to end damn it!"

"They will, Nick. With time." Volupta placed her hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you should speak with the ship's therapist. I am sure it'll help you. In the meantime, perhaps I could get you something to help you sleep at night."

"I am sure if that extra bit to my story gets out, it would be forced on me." He rubbed his eyes, seeming to have endless tears. "If you could help... it would be appreciated..."

"I will. I promise you." Volupta moved back to the computer to find a prescription.

Korra placed her hands on Nick's shoulders. "Listen to me, Nick. This is very important. You must promise me to never do that again. Please." He looked to the bed, not saying anything. "Please, Nick!" Korra lightly shook him. "It is very important. I... I can risk losing your cuim to this... I care too much about you to let that happen!"

"I promise..." He finally told her in a low voice. "I'm sorry... I am so stupid..."

"I don't think you're stupid." Korra placed her forehead against Nick's. "I know how you feel. When I lost my grandmother, I felt the same way. But you have friends, all of whom would be hurt if you left us."

"I'm just being selfish, huh?" He hid his face.

"Stop." Korra kissed Nick gently on the forehead. "Maybe if you tried it now, but you were in such a stressful situation. Everyone might not understand, but I do."

Nick closed his eyes. "I'm just so scared, Korra... there is so much I have to take care of... and I know I can't back down from it but... I don't know if I can... if I have the strength."

"You know you don't have to go it alone, right?" Volupta looked back from the computer. "I would never have made it this far if not for Tee. If you can not trust yourself to be able to do everything, than trust that your friends will be there to compensate for anything you lack."

"But I am sick of hearing I have to rely on other people!" The teen finally admitted. "I don't want to have to rely on other people, I don't want my burdens to be someone else's, I hate being so weak!" He yelled, his hands clenched tightly to the sheets of his bed.

The group sat in silence for several moments, no one sure what to say. After a minute, Korra asked, "Do you... think I'm weak?"

"O-Of course not... you're a soldier... and you defended me against my aggressors, and have always been there for me. You even jump-started my interest in relationships... how could I ever see you as weak?"

"I've relied on people since coming here," Korra explained. "I would have been kicked out so many times if not for the kindness of others. I've made more mistakes than I can count. Sometimes, it's overwhelming how much I need others, but I have learned that this is what friends do for each other."

"I don't want to have to rely on others... I don't want myself to become completely dependent on them." Nick explained back.

"I know. And you'll get there one day." Korra rubbed Nick's cheek. "And you know what?"

Nick kept his eyes to the bed. "If you say 'I am strong' I will kick you out myself..."

"What if I said I thought you were badass?" Korra gave him a wide grin. "Alice told me the whole story. How he offered to cut you in and you told him to kiss your ass. How you told him he didn't have the balls to shoot you. How you popped his knee off so you could find Hestia. I don't know about everyone else, but I thought you were pretty kick ass."

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
“From Darkness, There Shall Be Light: Part Three”

Nick's face darkened. "I heard Patrick may never walk properly again without a cybernetic..."

Korra shook her head. "Whether he does or not is none of your concern. You did what you had to. If you didn't, we might not have known who to look for on the ship, and we might not have got Hestia back."

Nick closed his eyes. "I wonder if she is ever scared of me... or if she ever questions me in her mind or not." Nick looked to the door. "She went to go get me lunch, so I don't know when she will be back."

"Are you kidding? That little one?" Korra ran her hand through Nick's hair. "Alice said she won't stop singing the praises of her knight in shining armor."

"Yeah, well, shining armor can be put on anyone to cover up who they are underneath." Nick shook his head. "I don't deserve her or her kindness... she is such a sweet kid. There are times I wish she was my biological sister... there were times I wished she wasn't and a bit older to be completely honest. She makes me happy at least..."

"Well... what would she think if she heard you speaking about yourself like this?" Volupta asked. "Android or not, she is a developing girl who looks up to you, and has confidence in you. Now... you can take that from her, or you can try and live up to it. And living up to it only means bettering yourself, right?"

Nick nodded slowly. "I... I do... I want to be better..." He put his head against Korra's chest. "It is just hard... where do I start?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing now." Korra rubbed Nick's back. "You're doing just fine. Don't you see? It isn't you fault that crap keeps happening to you. Those assholes that were messing with you, the increasing demands on engineering, and now this Diggle guy. And you've survived it all! Seriously, man, start blaming those assholes that keep knocking you down."

"And now I have to kill the Jabberwocky..." Nick mumbled.

"I'm... sorry?" Korra looked at Volupta in confusion, who only shrugged. "What's the Jabberwocky?"

"Don't worry about it." He told the women. "Anyways... I have been hard at work..."

"Big brother Nick is always hard at work!" Hestia walked in carrying a tray of food. "Tell them everything big brother has done! Hestia is always impressed."

He smiled upon seeing Hestia almost automatically. "You know you didn't have to get me my food."

"Big brother needs to eat to get better." Hestia placed the tray on Nick's lap. "Got this from the mess hall. No nasty hospital food for my big brother!"

"Hey, the vegetables here should at least be good," Volupta countered with a huff.

"Anyways... I am coming up with a new concept for my implant since my old one is fried... this one will be the standard... it could be given to troops in order to give them support drones of their own..." He said, looking at his laptop.

"Is it something you've been working on for a while?" Korra asked.

"A little, but now that mine is useless, I went into Sunny's notes and used them to improve my design. I want to talk to James to get his ideas into the design as well. Then, I will submit it."

"Now see?" Korra ruffled his hair a bit. "All you need is to get those creative juices flowing to stop doubting yourself."

Hestia looked at Nick in confusion. "What does she mean?"

"Just still having some doubt about you know what." He told her honestly. "I'm going to try and get better Hestia, I am just going through a really rough patch, I promised I wouldn't leave you after all, right?"

"That’s right. You promised." Hestia pointed a stern finger. "Who is going to be Hestia's big brother, and teach her, and show her England, and buy her candy, if you go away?" Nick gave a warm smile and tapped the spot next to him that Korra didn't occupy. Hestia climbed up and wrapped her arms around Nick. "Please don't try and leave me again. If Hestia lost you... Hestia does not know what she would do..."

"I will do my best..." Nick leaned down and gave Hestia a long kiss on her cheek.

Korra smiled at the two, and glanced up at the clock. "Listen, Nick, I still need to go visit James and Cassia. But I'll be back later to check up you. Is there anything you want me to get you?"

"No... I should be good. Just if you see Alice, tell her to come visit. There were some things I also wanted to discuss with her about these notes."

"I will."

Korra stood up, and Volupta stepped to her side. "And I will get that sleep medication for you ready. Rest up, Nick."

The two walked out, and Hestia looked towards the door. "Um... big brother? There was someone else here to see you."

Nick nodded, "Alright, just stay with me okay." He held the girl close, putting his head on her bright pink hair. "I love you Hestia."

"Love you too, big brother. Love you always."

Nick gave the girl a quick kiss on her head, and laid down as he look at the door. "Come in."

A familiar engineer with long silver hair stepped inside, giving a quick salute. "Dr. Randolf, at your service. Needed to stop in before I missed my chance,"

Nick's face brightened briefly but it soon went away. "Hey, Sunny."

"I'll be leaving the system to help with something important," Sunny explained. "I patched Alice up, but can you make sure she does the transfusion she's been neglecting? One of the conditions of being an android is her 'blood' loses potency, and has to be changed every three to five years, kinda like getting an oil change." She tapped her lip. "Do cars still need that? I admit, I haven't really paid attention over the years. Come to think of it, I'm a few years short of forty and I've never owned a car. Hmm..."

"You barely look like you're past 18." Nick commented. "And I will make sure she does." He added with a tone that said he wasn't really thinking about oil changes.

Sunny sighed, and sat on the chair next to the bed. She lightly patted Hestia on the head, and gave Nick a frank look. "Sucks being young around adults, huh? Everyone treats you like a kid. There are things others can do that they either won't let you do, or you can't do. You have to depend on others. Makes you feel... crappy."

"Very much so..."

Sunny placed her chin in her hands. "When I worked on Project XCOM, I couldn't go anywhere without an escort. People were constantly telling me to rest, asking if I felt okay when I was perfectly fine, and always checking in on me. I felt so dependant on others, I even had to have people point out to me how helpful I was to the project. It wasn't until years later that I saw I was helping others as much as they were helping me."

"Right now all it seems like I do is cause people problems, not help them."

"Yeah. I think I said that too. Really, it is like looking into another dimension at a younger, male version of me. All you need is to be evil and have a goatee, and you'd be perfect." Sunny sat up. "I'm not going to talk down to you or patronize you. Those feelings are gonna nag at you. But what you need to do is let them motivate you to do better. You're an amazing young man, and deep down, I'm sure you realize it."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
“From Darkness, There Shall Be Light: Part Four”

The teen nodded slowly, laying his head down. "I hope..." Nick slowing raked Hestia's hair as he thought. "I wonder how things would have been if we had met when we were the same age.'

"Well... we would have gotten along, that's for sure." Sunny smiled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I could see us being... very close."

"Care to elaborate?" He asked with a hollow smile.

"Oh, come on, Nick." Sunny leaned in close. "I can't be the first one to tell you you're cute. I know at least two ladies who would agree. Why, if I was twenty years younger..."

"...if you were twenty years younger...?" He said, knowing this routine usually annoyed the girls but he liked to do it. He found it very odd.

Sunny giggled. "Alice talked about this cute little confusion. I mean if we were the same age, I might have a little crush on you, Nick. Like I said, you're cute, and smart, and brave. But, alas, we are a generation apart."

"If you believe quantum physicists, time is merely relative." He brought his legs close to his body. "I would have liked that very, very much..."

"Guess I'll just have to settle for you as a son-in-law," Sunny mumbled, standing up

"S-S-Son in law?" Nick sputtered.

"Oh... um..." Sunny laughed nervously. "I-I... I mean... you... you, uh... y-you're like a brother to Hestia, right? And Hestia is like a daughter to me. So... so it is kinda like you're my... son-in-law... right?"

Nick -who was caught off guard originally- scratched the side of his head. "I'm young, not an idiot. I know the context you meant, and it wasn't because of Hestia."

Sunny looked at her wrist as if there was a watch on it. "W-Well look at the ! I... I left the o-oven... in the... door open." She rushed to the door, shouting back, "G-Get well soon!"

Nick sat there with a perplexed look on his face. "Hey Hestia... what were Sunny and Alice saying about me behind my back? And please don't spare any detail... I wanna hear everything, no matter what it is." He poked his sister in the ribs. "And don't tell me you don't eavesdrop, because I know you do you little snoop."

Hestia giggled. "Maybe a little. Alice said she likes you. She said it was really sweet that you defended you like that. Dr. Randolf asked her she she had kissed you yet, and laughed when Alice's cheeks for red. I think she was teasing Alice."

"And that's all? None of them said anything else about me?"

"Well..." Hestia looked down a bit, avoiding eye contact. "Alice said she really likes big brother... and she feels bad because she knows you like Irina, and wants you two to be happy. She... She also said you have... have a... cute... little butt.."

Nick's face turned a shade of red never before seen. "Alice... said that?" He covered his face. "Maybe I should have asked that before telling Korra for Alice to come here..." He patted Hestia's shoulder. "Good job, sis... I can always count on you. At... at least it wasn't anything bad..."

"Y-yeah! That's not so bad. Not like... she said she... that the doctor asked about Patrick, and... Alice said... that she... you..."

"Hestia... you know you can be... h-honest with me." He tried to mentally prepare himself for what she would say. "Tell me what she said... please?"

"W-well... Alice said she had to do... bad things with... with Mr. Diggle... but she didn't want to. She said she had to... m-make herself so she could fool him... so she... so she thought..." Hestia's cheeks reddened, and she turned away. "Hestia shouldn't listen to... dirty things. Hestia is still young..."

"Your body is young, Hestia. I am sure if you had a full grown body, you could pass as an adult. Sometimes you are the more mature one between the two of us, so you don't have to use that excuse." He touched her cheek. "You don't have to say it if you don't want."

Hestia bit her lip. Leaning a bit close, she half whispered, "Alice didn't want to do it with Mr. Diggle, so she thought about... about big brother when she did it..."

Nick rubbed his face, realizing just how hot he felt. "R-Really... well... I... don't... know how to respond to that... I didn't know her feelings were so strong for me..." Nick thought for a few moments. "So she... wants to... do that with me?" He whispered to himself.

Hestia quickly looked up. "She... she said she just needed someone to think about that she liked. Hestia doesn't know if she... actually..." Hestia grasped Nick's arm. "Please don't tell her I told you! If you do, she'll never trust Hestia again!"

He rubbed her head. "Secret is safe with me." Nick assured her with a smile.

"Good." Hestia nestled against Nick. "Big brother? Can I lie here for a little longer?"

"Of course you can. Stay as long as you want." Nick told the android as he rubbed her arm. "You can come sleep with me anytime."

"Thank you, big brother," Hestia whispered, her eyes fluttering shut. "Always happy... always safe... with... big..."

Nick brushed some hair out of Hestia's face, actually taking time to look her over. Despite the hair, everything was the exact same on Hestia as it was on Alice, but somehow, she looked different, as if there was something different about her features that made him look at her differently. After all of this... I should make her my sister legally... Become her guardian. After that, we could really be a family. "That would be nice... I wonder how Mom and Dad would react..." Nick had not thought about his parents in quite some time. He wondered how they were doing, how they would react to what had happened. So many people on the ship had taken the role of raising him like he was their own son, he never needed to talk to them. It was at that moment, a familiar thought creeped into his mind. I wonder what my real parents are doing... Nick turned his head to look at the door, wondering if he would get any more visitors so new bad thoughts wouldn't hold onto him.

An hour later, Hestia still curled at Nick's side, Alice walked in, giving a relieved look at her younger self. "Thanks goodness. I was worried."

He nodded, his hand holding her side. "I told her she could stay with me and she fell asleep." Nick kept his eyes on Alice, though they looked tired.

Alice sat next to him, smiling. "I'm glad to see you're doing better. From... from what Korra told me..." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"I know..." He looked up to the ceiling. "How did the Fenrir model work?"

"The test went well." Alice smiled. "Those notes you shared with me on your drones helped fix the kinks out of the servos. Commander Mason approved my prototype to get a field test in the next mission."

Nick nodded his head. "Least I could do... Not like I can use my drones now anyways." The younger engineer said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Once I talk to James, I will finalize my blueprints and send them in. I am already trying to finalize Clunker's model so I am hoping to get that done soon as well."

"Good. You'll be out of here in no time." Alice placed her hand on Nick's arm. "I've heard rumors that your actions were ruled as self defense. So don't let that worry you anymore."

"And about Patrick? What about the rumors with him?"

"He..." Alice hesitated. "Nick, it was self defense, and you were under duress. You're not responsible for what happened to him."

"I want to know..." Nick looked up at the camera and leaned close to Alice. "You... You and I both know I didn't have to shoot him..."

Alice closed her eyes. " The bullet severed the nerves in his knee. Without some minor cybernetic nerve conduits... he won't be able to walk."

Nick let out a long shuddering breath.

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
“From Darkness, There Shall Be Light: Part Five”

Alice ran her hand across Nick's cheek. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. Why don't you get some sleep, Nick? The doctor's said they'll bring you something to help."

"I know, Volupta said she would." He rubbed his eyes. "Just not right now..." He slowly turned his head upwards. "Is there anything you would like to say to me, Alice... Now that things are calmed down, that we are alone?"

Alice rubbed the back of her neck. "I... I've apologized for getting you involved... for getting you hurt. But... listen, I know I said this before, but after that night when we separated... there was nothing between Patrick and I, I swear. I know what I said about love and sex threw you off, but please believe me."

"I believe you." Nick said, his smooth and calm answer completely different than the other times she brought up the subject.

Alice watched him for a moment, as if studying his expression. "Um.. thank you, Nick. I appreciate that."

"Though you must have done something to get through it if it was that displeasing to you." Nick stated.

Alice, despite being an expert at deception, could not stop her cheeks from flushing a bit, and she let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I... I-I turned off my nerves, and I... I faked as much as I could, and I... I thought of... something else."

The other engineer proceeded without being phased. "Mind sharing? I thought there would be no more secrets between us after all."

"I'm not trying to keep secrets from you," Alice muttered. "But it's embarrassing to talk about. Humiliating. It's bad enough that the... crew sees me as some infiltrating automaton, and you see me as some betraying hussy that spat on your friendship and slept with the enemy." She stood up, and walked a few steps away. "Now you want me to talk about the dirty details, and give you more reasons to look down on me? Tell you things you'll regret me saying?"

Nick looked at Alice with a bit of a stunned look, but quickly regained his composure. Sometimes I think the constant worry of people in the shadows makes all of this feel silly. All the times I got super embarrassed over nothing... I really was acting like a kid. "Alice... Come back here." Nick told the android with a bit of authority.

Alice stood there, facing away from Nick, for half a minute. She finally wiped her eyes with her arm, and returned to the seat next to the bed, giving Nick a sad look. "I can't anymore, Nick. Even I get tired."

"Alice, allow me to explain something to you... You are probably one of the most if not the most influential person in my life right now. When I first arrived I would have probably never expressed my feelings as much, probably would have gone on as just another worker, and probably would be a lot worse off without your support."

Nick held out his hand towards the android. "You're close to me in a way I still have a hard time explaining, and value everything we have. I have no right to judge you for your... Actions with Patrick. You are not a hussy, and you are not an idiot. Despite all that happened, I still look up to you, and despite my strong feelings for you, your effect on my life is like that of a mother or an older sister. Do NOT ever claim or assume that I think of you any less, because I can assure you those feelings I have for you remain quite strong." The tone in his voice and the way the teen carried himself was different in that instance, all instance of being meek or weak willed vanishing during his current display. There was something more there... Confidence.

Alice smiled softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She suddenly stood up, grasped both sides of Nick's head, and planted her lips on his.

Nick's eyes widened, any sense of composure he had vanishing. His face flushed red, and he closed his eyes. This is more for her, not me... just go along with it. She is a good kisser though…

Pulling back a bit, Alice staring lovingly into his eyes for a few moments before her eyes widened and she practically jumped back. "Oh God, Nick, I... I-I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have... I..."

Nick shook his head. "It's okay Alice, Irina won't find out. It is not like we are dating, and..." He shook his head. "It is just fine. Do not concern yourself. I enjoyed it."

"No, no, it... i-it's not okay. You like Irina, and I'm betraying her trust. I shouldn't have..." Alice bumped into the chair as she walked back, nearly toppling over. "First time was one thing, but this is wrong. I can't believe I'd do that to Irina! Do that to you!"

"Alice!" Nick said in a loud voice, trying to get her to stop. "Thank you..." He said with punctuation. "It makes me happy to see you still care for me so much. To be honest... I was expecting that..."

Alice took a deep breath, something she found she needed to do more often lately, Sunny's insistence on that transfusion running through her mind. "Okay... sorry, I... My nerves have just been..." She slowly sank into her chair. "I think I need a tune-up," she said with a chuckle.

Nick nodded. "When I get out of here I promise I will handle your transfusion personally. Some of the notes Sunny left me were her notes on androids, the ones I couldn't see because they were classified."

"Yeah. Alright." Alice rubbed her temples. "Sorry... I'm a mess."

"It's alright... but there was something I wanted to confirm Alice, but you have to promise me two things. One that you will answer as truthfully as possible, and you won't run out of the room."

Alice had a sinking feeling in her stomach, another unusual thing for her, but she slowly nodded. "I... I'll try."

"When you were doing things in bed with Patrick, were you thinking about me?" He quickly asked.

Alice stared at Nick in shock for several moments. "Nick... why would you ask something like that?" Her eyes slowly shifted to her sleeping younger persona.

"I'm a curious young male, what can I say?" He stated, his ability for deception surprisingly well skilled.

Alice gave him a frank look. "That's an oddly specific question." Despite her promise, she looked like she wanted to bolt. "Nick, I... I needed something pleasant to focus on. Something to... occupy my mind. I... you popped in there, and... and after our fight, I didn't want to think of you. So I tried to think of someone else. But you... you kept popping up. So I... stopped trying to fight it." Alice looked like she wanted to throw up. "It... it didn't mean I... it was just... there..."

"Before you did that, did you ever have those thoughts about me?" He asked.

Alice closed her eyes. "I... I don't know, Nick. I looked on you as a close friend, and someone I could rely on. You're my partner, and I didn't want to think of you that why, because it would only complicate our relationship. I was surprised when it... ended up being you that I thought of. I thought there might be something wrong with my programming, but... but I couldn't find anything wrong."

Nick nodded his head, throwing his sheets to the side, and sitting up in his bed to look directly at Alice. "I'm not going to deny it Alice... I love you." He stated confidently. "And I love Irina as well. There is no use in just denying reality. Unfortunately... I realized my feelings for Irina before you." The teen rubbed his hands together. "And I am not going to hold back... I want you to hear what I have to say..."

Alice nodded. "Alright. No secrets, right?"

"When you first informed me of physical relationships, there was a period I was extremely attracted to you. It was stuff I wanted to try, and I only trusted you enough to have those feelings for. I... I didn't even think about Irina like that. Unfortunately, they just sort of... fizzled because I knew it wouldn't happen. That doesn't mean I am not attracted to you, it just means I have come to really respect you. And I'm not asking you to wait for me but... I can't help but feel extremely jealous thinking of you with someone else... and I really want to help Irina with expressing her feelings. So if it doesn't work out... and me and her just decide to stay friends... know you are the one I will be thinking about." When he was finally done, he looked down, equal parts ashamed, embarrassed, and relieved.

Alice took a minute to take everything in. She slowly reached out, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Thank you, Nick. That means a lot to me. And I'm happy with that, as long as it doesn't make you hold back with Irina. She's a good doctor, a kind heart, and Sasha speaks the world of her. She deserves nothing less then your 100%."

He shook his head. "I won't hold back with her. And even if the love she feels is only temporary and I help her fall in love with someone else, that is a victory in itself. Even if we are just friends in the end, I would be okay with that, and I extend the same to you." Nick stood up and he wrapped his arms around Alice in a tight embrace.

Alice hugged him back, and laughed. "You're a special young man, you know that?"

"I'm not special... I just refuse to be normal." He laughed back, enjoying their embrace.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Misery Loves Company

Battered Baʒir

"Tini, please!" Bɒkɒ closely followed his sister as she moved about their living space, gathering various trinkets and tools, including a rather intimidating hunting knife that Bɒkɒ had no idea where she got it. "You don't have to do this."

"This is how it is," Tini responded. "This is how it has always been. The Bobokin have insulted us. They have threatened us. They have pushed us. We must fight back. Do not worry, Bɒkɒ. I have a plan."

"But what if you fail!" Bɒkɒ grasped her two left arms. "You will die! And... and then..."

"And then you will be forced to take my place, is that what this is about!?" Bɒkɒ stared at his sister in disbelief, but did not respond. Tini yanked her arms away and continued her work. "You have made it clear that you do not want to be Anati. Then go. Abandon your family for the..."

"Never!" Bɒkɒ grabbed his sister, wrapping his antennae around hers. "I love the pact. And regardless of my... intentions or hopes... I fear for you safety above all else."

Tini sighed, and looked her brother in the eyes. "Then help me eliminate their Anati."

Bɒkɒ hung his head. "Please, Tini. I... I would do anything for the pact... give my life for you... but what happens when we succeed? The humans have rules, and it would be deemed murder."

Tini folded her arms. "And you would lose your position, right?"

"And we would be expelled from the Einherjar!" Bɒkɒ turned away. "We must find another way! These old ways do not work now. If we had changed earlier... mother might... still be with us..."

Tini stared at Bɒkɒ for a few silent moments. She slowly asked, "Then... what do you propose?"

Bɒkɒ quickly turned back. "A mediator. A human representative to speak on our behalf."

Tini considered it for a moment. "I suppose we... could try it. But I am sure the Commander and the head of Engineering..."

"I have another human in mind." Bɒkɒ stepped forward. "James, the man that came to our aid before. He might have an idea. You... you should meet with him. He has shown interest in meeting you."

Tini rubbed her head in thought. "Teefa and Nana did speak highly of him. Very well. I shall meet with him when he has recovered from his injuries." The Baʒir Anati placed her tools down, and walked past Bɒkɒ, saying, "I truly hope you are sure about this. My decision not to act now may very well cost me, or your siblings, their lives."

Tini went to lay down, the stress of the situation bad for her health. Bɒkɒ dropped to a sitting position and shook his head. "I wish James was here with me now..."

Annoyed Android

Alice took several deep breaths, unnecessary as usual, but they made her feel better. Before she could lose her nerve, she stepped into the medical room, tightly gripping Hestia's hand.

Patrick Diggle looked up from his bed, smiling brightly. "You came! I... I actually didn't expect..." He looked down at Hestia. "Hey there, little Hessy. Can uncle Pat get a hug?"

Hestia slowly let go of Alice's hand and slowly approached Diggle with a neutral stare. When she reached him, however, she gave him an angry glare, and punched him right in the bad knee. "Stupid butthead!" she yelled, running back to hide behind Alice.

Diggle cried out in pain, and needed a few minutes to compose himself. Panting lightly, he gave Alice a sad smile. "Guess that's the least I deserve, huh?"

Alice didn't bother answering the question, only folding her arms. "What do you want, Patrick?"

"Two things. The first was to see that you two were okay." Diggle's smile widened a bit. "That seems to be the case."

"I doubt you really care," Alice responded flatly.

"I... I do, actually." Diggle's smile faded, and he dropped his head. "I... I thought you were just mindless machines imitating life. Nick... Nick showed me I was wrong. And even... even if I didn't, I turned a weapon on a child. I... I almost shot him. I almost pushed him to shoot himself." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and took a deep breath. "How is he?"

"Recovering," Alice answered, some of the bite in her tone having faded. "It will take him a while. The loss of Glitch is a huge impact, and then there is the looming danger."

"That's the second thing I wanted to talk about." Diggle looked up again. "My knee is shot, I have no allies, and I might be off to New Alcatraz. I'm probably dead already. The Yakuza don't like loose tongues out where they can cause trouble." He reached into the desk next to him, and pulled out a sheet of paper, offering it to Alice.

Alice cautiously took it. "What's this?" She looked it over. "Is... is this a bank account?"

Diggle nodded. "One million. The first half of what I was to be paid. I want you to transfer it to either an account in your name or Nick's name. Do it quickly, before the Yakuza are able to take it back. Use it against them. Buy equipment for your Fenrir combat drones. Use it to improve Nick's drones. Donate it to the XSDF. Whatever Just don't let the Yakuza get it back."

Alice clenched her teeth. "Do you know what you're asking us to do? Do you really think this won't make things so much worse? For us? For you? Stealing from the Yakuza!?"

"Wake up, Alice!" Nick snapped. "Don't you know what kind of danger you're in? Until this thing is settled, it would be suicide to leave the XSDF for you and Nick. It might not feel like it, but this ship is the safest place you can be!" He laid back. "Those mobsters are going to make your life hell. Why not do the same to them? They probably have TFD backers, so why not use their own money against them?"

Alice sighed, and looked down at the account number. "It... it'll be Nick's choice."

Hestia reached up, holding Alice's hand and giving her a sad look. "I wish big brother was here with us now..."

Irritated Irishwoman

Brigid took several apprehensive breaths as the four holographic Replitans formed in front of her. She was warned to take it easy on her psionics, but she was never the patient sort. A dark violet aura formed around her, and a pair of dark feathered wings flourished out of her back. Brigid's reflection pulled away from her as if it was coming out of her back, and stepped to her side. As the holograms moved into cover, the already panting Irishwoman pointed ahead, and The Morrigan took flight.

As they were programmed to do, the Replitans focused on the Reflection as their main target, though they kept an eye on Brigid. The Morrigan dipped and dodged in mid air, avoiding the plasma shots in dance-like motions, almost like she was showing off. Brigid laughed, surprised by the increased degree of control, even if she was quickly starting to feel drained.

Putting her control to the test, Brigid mentally ordered The Morrigan to fire a large orb of telekinetic energy over the enemy's cover. The reflection obliged, and Brigid extended her hand. With a 'push', Brigid sent the orb of energy down as it reached the Replitans, striking one in the arm with a loud cracking sound.

Brigid... you are sending too much energy...

The giddy Irishwoman ignored the voice in the back of her mind, wanting to test mind control. The Morrigan sent four violet tendrils towards the Replitans, but the computer registered the energy as being too low to take them all at the same time. Not one to take defeat easily, Brigid opened her energy reserves and sent more to her reflection.

No! That's too much at once!

The Morrigan screamed in pain as her aura flared wildly, several feathers falling from her wings and bursting. Taking advantage of the situation, the Replitans fired, all but the injured one hitting home. While the holographic plasma was harmless to Brigid, the surge of power overloaded the defenseless being of pure energy. She exploded, and Brigid was hit with a backlash of energy that knocked her on her back.

Panting and wheezing, Brigid slowly opened her eyes, and found four plasma rifles pointing at you. "End program!" she yelled, and the Replitans disappeared. Feeling a trickle of blood from her nose, Brigid tried to wipe it away, only to find she was too drained to lift her arm. She laughed for a few seconds, and let out a long sigh. "Guess... I'm laying here... for a while. Sure could use... a big, strong man... to bring me to my room!" she cried out as if doing so would make it happen. When it didn't, she let out another long sigh. "I wish Cayden was here right now..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Humiliated Humiliata

After a long shift in the infirmary, Volupta was happy to return to the sanctuary that was Hydroponics. As she usually did, she started by closing her eye and breathing in the fragrant aroma of the room. When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to find a familiar being in an all too familiar looking mask standing in front of her.

"Oh, my!" she cried out in her usual eccentric manner. "I knew there were other Humiliata on board, but I hadn't the chance to meet you!" She extended her hand. "I am Volupta."

The other Humiliata stared down at her hand, but did not return the gesture. He simply looked back up at Volupta and said, I find it very hard to believe you could not meet us if you wanted to. After all, we are not exactly hard to find.

Well, obviously she was too busy hiding in here. Another Humiliata stepped forward from the back of the room, waving her hand about. It is a nice place to hide, should you care for these... plants.

"Well... what reason would I have to hide?" Volupta took a nervous step back. She looked to the side, and noticed her Sectoid companion hiding behind a counter. "Tee? What are you doing?"

"Leave, mistress!" He pointed at the two other beings. "Do not speak with them! Please, leave now!"

The male Humiliata quickly moved to block the door. Now, why would she not want to talk with us? We would like to get to know our dear Volupta'Aergianmacaria.

Volupta gasped, and looked between him and the female aggressor. "How... how did..."

Most people would just look past the markings on your helmet, but when I saw it on a trip to the infirmary...The female Humiliata hovered close to her. To think, the granddaughter of our former military leader, just... working on an XSDF ship. Wonder what the Commander thinks of that.

Volupta only looked away, and the male Humiliata hovered close behind her, placing his hands on Volupta's shoulders. Oh my. Does he not know? I... I wonder how he would react if he found out! I wonder how everybody would react...

Volupta let out a shuddering breath. "What... what do you want?"

"Mistress, no!" Tee cried out. "Please, you..."

"Quiet, Tee." Volupta closed her eyes. "Just tell me what you want from me."

What do we want? The male Humiliata floated towards the door.

His companion followed. She has control over the Hydroponics. Access in the infirmary. There are many possibilities.

I suppose we'll have to think on it.

Good idea. We will see you later, Volupta'Aergianmacaria.

Volupta watched them leave, lowering her head. Tee walked to her side, gasping her hand. "It will be okay, mistress. We will think of something.

Volupta slowly lowered herself to the floor, curling into a ball. "I hope so. I could use some of my own kind on my side for once, though. It... it is times like this... I wish my mother was here with me..."

Tormented Tamearin

Korra smiled in contentment as she sat at the bar, looking down at her black locks. Tomorrow, they would return to their natural golden color, and Brigid had already offered to help her re-dye her hair. And thanks to Kallpa, she didn't have to worry about her little 'itch' anymore.

"You look pleased, Korra." Korra's smile instantly faded as an unfortunately familiar redhead sat next to her. "You have either broken something, killed someone, or fornicated with someone recently. Knowing your reputation, it was likely the third option."

Korra vigorously rubbed her temples. What... do you want... Geshtal?"

Her brother waved for a drink. "Simply to strike up a conversation. I see you are experiencing your Sahc-diy-deuh. You... um..." The apathetic man seemed to struggle to find a simple compliment for his sister. "You... look good with black. Perhaps you should dye it that color instead of the color of our grandmother. Fool people into thinking you have Pmylg-freda syndrome. That is sure to catch them off guard. After all, if you were meant to have red hair, you would have been born that way."

Korra groaned, placing her head on the bar. "Even when you try to compliment me, it turns into an insult. Why are you even talking to me? We both know you'd disown me as a sister if you could."

Geshtal shrugged his shoulders. "Well... I am the ambassador of Tamear for the Einherjar. I represent all the Tamearins on board, including you. So... we might as well start talking to each other."

"I noticed you didn't deny the disowning thing," Korra muttered, still laying her head against the bar. After several minutes of extremely awkward silence, Korra noticed her brother slide a red bottle towards her. "Is... is that..."

"The supply of your extra strength dye isn't exactly very large on Forseti. I thought this would act as a peace offering."

"What's the catch?" Korra asked flatly, sitting up.

"No catch. Just..." Korra gave him a look of disbelief, and Geshtal sighed. "I would like to meet this cyborg you are dating."

"Over my dead body!" Korra picked up the dye and shoved it into her brother's arms, and started walking off.

"I only wish to know why you would chose some human who has augmented himself." Geshtal rushed over to her, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. In a low voice, he asked, "Why don't you let me find you a nice Tamearin? There is a nice man, a violet psion, in the labs. He thinks he's on the verge of a breakthrough with Pon-Taer syndrome. Now, wouldn't you like..."

"Too become your perfect little sister?!" Korra shoved him away. "This is all about you! It is always about you! You're a big shot ambassador, and you're so very, very displeased with having me as a sister. I embarrass you. Well, I'm not going to have someone change who I am and date someone I don't know to make you happy! Over... my... dead... body!"

Korra quickly walked out muttering quietly to herself. "Stupid, self-centered prick. Such an asshole! I... need to unwind... damn it. E fecr Kallpa fyc rana nekrd huf..."

Adrenalized Aviator

"Dysnomia to Excelsior. Doing a final sweep of the system, then I'm heading home."

<Excelsior to Falcon 2, negative. We'll need you to do a patrol of sector 1-21 through 1-45. Your relief is not in yet.>

"Dysnomia... Falcon 2 to Excelsior, I don't have time for this! I need to prepare for my transfer to the Einherjar soon! You need to find someone else."

A few moments later, the comms chirped to life again. <Excelsior to Falcon 2, you are clear to return.>

After a routine docking process, Dysnomia hopped out of her faithful fighter, wishing she could take it with. She patted the craft lightly. "Later, good friend. Wish me luck with whoever replaces you." She pulled off her helmet, her long, black hair curling up slightly. The flight leader approached her, and she smiled brightly. "Guess I'm out of here now. When is my..."

The flight leader grabbed her arm, pulling the mixed Asian women to the side. In a not so quiet whisper, she said, "You better cut the high and mighty crap out! Your COs on the Einherjar will not tolerate it. You're lucky I tolerated it!"

Dysnomia pulled her arm away, smiling widely. "Come on, now. You're kidding, right? I'm the best pilot in the galaxy right now! One of the youngest the XSDF has ever pulled straight out of the academy! They need me!"

The flight leader pointed her finger directly in Dysnomia's face. "I warned you. When your sorry ass is sent back here for insubordination, just let me know which of your mommies you want me to call for you to cry to."

She walked off, and Dysnomia flipped her off, making sure to hold her hand up so anyone watching could see. She cracked her knuckles, and walked off to pack up her things. "Ain't no one is sending me anywhere I don't want to go. They're just jealous because I was chosen and not them. And when I get to the Einherjar, I'll get my chance to show everyone my stuff!" She looked to the side, noting the curious looks of everyone as she talked to herself out loud. She simply shrugged, and walked on. "Movin' on up! I just wish Yakone was here right now... to see me in my shining moment!"

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

XSDF Planetside Mission
Power Plant Liberation Mission
Operation Finite Power

System: Dapsilis System
Planet: Forseti
Location: Jenova Fusion Power Plant
Date: April 20th, 2044
Time: 0930 Hours

Mission Briefing:
The Jenova Fusion Power Plant sits in the outskirts of the Jenova forest, primarily for safety reason. The plant generates and sends out power for half a dozen neighboring towns, the primary source of their power.

At 0900 hours, local time, workers heading in for a shift change were met with heavy fire. Barely able to escape on their transport vessel, and not before losing a few men, the workers reported the attack to XSDF officials. Included in the report was the sighting of an unknown ship at the rear of the power planet. Orbital imaging shows the markings of the Outcasts of Tamear on the spacecraft.

There is little doubt that the pirate group took over the plant to siphon the produced energy for their own use. We are used to the Outcast's silent, covert tactics by now, so this is a bold move by them, likely motivated by their now revealed backers. An orbital attack, or a local aerial assault, is out of the question. While the plant was purposely built in a remote location in case a meltdown occurred, not only do we not know if the night crew is still alive, the loss of such an important power plant should we hit the plant itself would be devastating to the power needs of the surrounding settlements.

Our assault team will be sent in to take the plant back. Eliminate, capture, or drive out any pirate aggressors, rescue any surviving workers, and remove any power stealing devices from the four main reactors.

Number of Soldier for this Mission: Eight (8) XSDF Troopers, plus Two (2) Combat Droids, One (1) Hover SHIV, & One SA-34 'Fenrir'

Soldier Names:
{China, F} **SPC Inverse, Luna [Heavy](Neural Feedback)
{Adamantem, M} *SPC Vizcarra, Kallpa [Gunner](T1 Prosthetic Left Arm)
{Tamear, F} SPC Devolina, Korra [Destroyer] ||Tamearin|| (Telekinetic Field, Electrokinesis)
{Merkizo, F} SPC Samora, Sorie [Scout]||Replitan|| (Nat. Muscle Fiber Density, Infrared Vision, Dexterous Muscle Fibers, Adaptive Bone Marrow T)
{Germany, M} SPC Vonnegut, Siegfried [Sniper]
[Japan, F} SPC Akizuki, Airina [Support](Imbuing)
{Japan, F} SPC Akizuki, Mari [Engineer](Telekinesis)
{Greece, M} PFC Papadopoulos, Nikedemos (Infrared Vision)

Battle Frame 1
Battle Frame 2
Hover SHIV 1
Fenrir-P 001-1

**Squad Leader
*Second in Command
Italics are player characters.

Gear: (link)

Terrain:
The power plant has a fairly simple, modern layout, a basic Tefla Sentary model structure. The main building is a square, and it has four main reactors at the southwest, southeast, northwest, and northeast corners. Each reactor is adjoined by their own small office, while the main office is above the main floor, in the center with four overhead cat walks leading to it.

It is unlikely there will be a need to search any work stations or locker rooms, as the pirates will be busy with their duties, any hostages would be safer staying there, and we have little time to investigate them.

We will be on a time crunch for this mission. The longer we take to remove those energy stealing devices, the more power the Forseti citizens lose. Your mission will be to enter through the south, retake the to southern reactors, move north, retake the two north reactors, and assault any remaining pirates at their ship, attempting to take said ship intact.

Expect resistance at each reactor. Additionally, the enemy will likely set up a defensive line between the north and south part of the plant by the time you take the first reactor. The fighting areas are rather large with plenty of equipment, storage containers, and machines to provide cover. The main concern will be the reactors. While they are not paper thin and likely to explode from simply being clipped, enough damage could set off a catastrophic chain reaction. Extreme caution is advised. Luckily, the enemy will likely attempt to be just as careful.

Upon completion of this part of the mission, it will be your task to assault the enemy dropship. While the energy is being converted into high intensity microwaves and being precisely beamed in a dozen directions, at least half of it is being sent to the ship. Stop that ship before it takes off so we might retake as much energy as possible.

Enemies:

• One (1) squad of two (2) Tamearins [Yellow Support(Phalanx Armor, Gauss Carbine) & Yellow Shadow Op (Phalanx Armor, Gauss Long Rifle)] & two (2) Balmadaar [Gunners with Adrenal Neurosympathy(Aegis Armor, Pulse Autoblaster)/Sturdy Bone Structure(Aegis Armor, Gatling Pulser)]
• One (1) squad of two (2) Tamearins [Blue Sniper(Phalanx Armor, Blaster Rifle) & Blue Scout(Phalanx Armor, Blaster Rifle)] & two (2) Balmadaar [Engineer(Aegis Armor, Gauss Heavy Rifle) w/ Aerobic Respiration Boost & Destroyer(Aegis Armor, Gauss Heavy Rifle) w/ Iron Skin]
• Two (2) squads of three (3) Balmadaar [One Engineer(Titan Armor, Gauss Heavy Rifle) w/ Depth Perception & Neural Feedback, One Heavy(Titan Armor, Gauss Autorifle) w/ HR pupils & Smart Macrophages, & One Assault(Titan Armor, Alloy Cannon) w/ Aerobic Respiration Boost & Adrenal Neurosympathy]
• Two (2) squads of three (3) Tamearins [Green Medic(Carapace Armor, Pulse rifle), Red Scout(Carapace Armor, Blaster Rifle), Blue Rocketeer(Carapace Armor, Heavy Pulse Rifle)]
• One (1) squad of three (3) Tamearins [Snipers(Phalanx Armor, Gauss Long Rifle), Two Blue, One Violet]
• One (1) squad of three (3) Balmadaar [Gunners(Titan Armor, Pulse Autoblaster) with Infrared vision & Iron Skin/Hyper-Reactive Pupils & Secondary Heart/Adrenal Neurosympathy)]
• One (1) squad of two (2) Tamearins [Pmylg-freda, One Sniper(Carapace Armor, Pulse Sniper Rifle), One Rocketeer(Carapace Armor, Pulse rifle)] & one (1) Balmadaar [Gunner(Aegis Armor, Gauss Machine Gun), Adaptive Bone Marrow (Tissue Repair)]
• One squad of one (1) Ardenian MEC (lower body completely mechanized)[Titan Armor for upper body, Plasma Stormgun], one (1) Chryssalid (Neural suppressor headband, Genetically implanted vocal cords)[Extra chitlin plating, One Plasma Mauler, One HSPC], & one (1) Cartus [Infrared Vision, Aerobic Respiration Boost, Durable Bone Structure, Secondary Heart][Vortex Armor, Plasma rifle]

Conditions for Completing the Mission:

Primary:
(1) Secure all four main reactors
(2) Rescue any Hostages you find

Secondary:
(1) Secure the enemy dropship
(2) Eliminate or capture all enemy combatants

Civilians:
A full staff of workers are unaccounted for. Keep an eye out for them, and send them back to the dropship if encountered.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

ZombieSplitter53 & DarkGemini24601:
Operation Finite Power: Part One

On approach to the Jenova Fusion Power Plant
April 20th, 0930 Hours
XSDF Dropship

“Let’s try and keep this as by the books as possible,” Luna called out to her crew. “These pirates are fighting on our turf, and we know the plant’s layout. No losses this mission. Priority one is securing those reactors. Then we worry about driving out those pirates. Any questions?”

“What about civilians?” Korra asked, looking over her shiny new-ish Plasma Novagun, the weight of the weapon feeling good.

“There is a crew of about fifteen to twenty unaccounted for,” Luna answered. “The pirates have been there for a while, though, so the civies have either fled, are dead, or have been gathered up. Keep an eye out for them as always, but don’t expect much.” She glanced at Kallpa. “Vizcarra, you’ll be my second in command. You have experience in a leadership position. If I go down, I’m counting on you to complete this mission. Got it?”

Kallpa nodded. “I’ll do my best to ensure I don’t have to take charge, though,” he spoke with a reassuring smile that belied some nervousness on the gunner’s part.

“Good to hear.” Luna stepped towards the front of the ship as the team made its final approach.

Korra placed her firearm to the side, and held up one of her swords, looking over the odd weapon like it was lost treasure. Mari laughed a bit at the sight of it. “You gonna fight with that or chop down trees?”

Korra grinned. “Oh, I’ll be chopping things, alright. Whatever is stupid enough to get within sword length.”

“Makes me want to learn proper flush techniques all the more to see those in action,” Kallpa pointed out, sitting up in his chair to prepare to exit the dropship.

“Personally, I just hope they never get that close,” Airina said, shuddering a bit.

Sorie gave a creepy smile. “I can help flush them out. My way.”

Korra’s grin only widened a bit. “Whatever works.”

“Well, with any luck for Airina, we’ll take care of this before they even consider melee combat.” Kallpa stood up as the craft came to a halt outside of the southern entrance of the fusion power plant, and lifted up his novagun, a muted whine emanating from his mechanical arm as it compensated to help him lift the machine gun.

The door quickly opened, Luna patting Kallpa on the shoulder as she stepped past with, the first off with the SHIV. A quick survey of the power plant’s entrance found no resistance, and she waved the rest of the crew off. Speaking into her comms so she could keep her voice down, she said, “Our low altitude approach hopefully kept them from seeing us coming, but look alive. Let’s get these pirates off our planet.” She waved for the others to follow, heading towards the entrance.

Kallpa kept an eye out, the sheriff being no stranger to investigating dark alleyways and thus not having too much apprehension about that aspect of the mission. It’s the civilians that worry me… if they’re still alive, how are we going to rescue them? The thought lingered in the Hispanic-Incan’s mind, but he didn’t have the time to think of a solution, knowing that combat would likely be upon the squad soon.

They reached the entrance, the main doors wide open, and took cover by the walls. “How are you for reconnaissance?” Luna asked the mechanical wolf next to her.

“It is part of my primary programing,” the Fenrir answered, and entered the building, keeping low.

Luna glanced at Kallpa. “So, sheriff, what do you think? Left or right first?”

Why is it up to me? “Um…” He glanced at Korra briefly. “Are most Tamearins right handed or left handed?” If she says they’re ambidextrous this plan is out the window…

“Um…” Korra thought for a moment, then lifted her left arm. “I think about 75%.”

“Let’s go left, then,” Kallpa decided. “I know I tend to walk in the direction of my dominant hand… so with any luck that bit of psuedo-psychology will apply to them too.”

Luna smiled. “Left it is.”

The Fenrir slipped back out of the building, and looked up at the others. “There are enemy combatants in both the southeast and southwest reactor rooms. Numbers are unknown, but I detected both Tamearin and Balmadaar life signs.”

“That’s the Outcasts alright.” Luna pointed towards the left, and the team moved out. Slowly and carefully approaching through the massive plant, and took there place outside of the southwest reactor. A quick look inside revealed two blond Tamearins and at least one Balmadaar. Again speaking in her comms, Luna whispered, “Let’s get the jump on them. One three. One… two… THREE!”

Kallpa turned the corner as fast as his Titan armor would allow, getting behind some low cover in the form of inactive machinery. Even though there was higher cover available, he left it for the others, wanting to be the primary target in his bulked-up superheavy armor. That didn’t mean he would be just a bullet-sponge, though, as he opened fire with his plasma novagun. The stream of superheated gases grazed the visible Balmadaar, though that was enough to melt off the back of his power armor plating as the large alien moved forward rather than away. Which, unfortunately, meant that it didn’t leave an easy follow-up shot at the moment, but it did make the enemy seek cover over returning fire.

Korra took some high cover near him and took aim at one of the Tamearins. A moment's hesitation with pulling the trigger allowed the enemy pirate to avoid the attack, and Korra scoffed as she ducked down. They look too much like mom! Damn it…

The very Tamearin that had slipped away from her took aim in her direction, only for one of the Fenrir’s HF knives to sink into his hand. “Pmuuto sylrehac!” he yelled out, nearly dropping his weapon as he ducked back into cover, just in time to avoid a blast the 1-1’s back mounted plasma rifle.

Sorie looked over the office that both combatant groups were not far from, and made a snap decision, the Replitan holding onto her plasma rifle tight as she dashed across the battlefield. The healthy Tamearin fired upon her, but with honed reflexes and dexterous muscle fibers under the scout’s belt, they didn’t have a chance of landing a shot home. Once at the base of the office, Samora leapt into the air, landing on the top of the indoor structure and taking cover on the edge of the roof, forcing the enemy to either move or risk being shot from a flanking position.

The enemy quickly moved to better cover, the injured Tamearin taking long as he had difficulty carrying his weapon. A stream of fire from the SHIV forced him to duck in an exposed position, and the moment her tried to get up again Mari shot him in the chest. She dropped down to reload, muttering, “Why am I even here? Stupid ass reactors mean I can’t even go all out with grenades.”

Airina hit one of the Balmadaar in the shoulder and ducked down next to her cousin. “Because you’re here to disable their machines, dummy.”

Mari scratched her head. “Oh, yeah.”

Kallpa set to suppressing the two remaining enemies. “Korra, Nike, see if you can flank them now that they can only take cover facing both our main group and Sorie,” he advised over the sound of plasma being poured downrange.

“On it,” the two said in turn, a bit of hesitation in the PFC’s voice. As the rest of the team covered them, they move to hit the enemies from both sides. The Tameain support raised her hand, crackles of electricity forming as she prepared to hit Nikedemos, but a glancing shot from a droid grazed her chest, throwing her off long enough for Nike to get the kill. He laughed in glee, his first kill, and nearly lost his head as the Balmadaar gunner sprayed fire around himself, clearly wanting to take someone down with him. The moment he was facing away, Korra rained plasma on him, leaving him bloody and broken on the floor.

“Pft. Too easy.” Korra stepped forward and glared at the fallen enemy. She gasped lightly at the sound of movement behind her, realizes she wouldn’t be able to turn fast enough to counter the second Balmadaar they had missed.

Fortunately for her, in the cessation of Kallpa’s suppressive fire on his now-deceased targets, he sighted the approaching fourth foe, and dispatched him with a blast that left his gun low enough to warrant reloading. “Don’t lose sight of your surroundings,” he cautioned the two over comms as he inserted a fresh plasma cartridge and pocketed the three-quarters empty one.

“Y-yeah. Thanks.” Korra swallowed hard, and thanked her lucky star. Someone just earned a little something when we get back.

“Good work, Vizcarra. And everyone else.” Luna smiled at her Replitan scout. “Fancy footwork there.”

“Would you expect anything less?” Sorie chided. “Speaking of which, however, let’s get a move-on. On a timetable, remember?”

“And we want to hit them before they have time to regroup,” Luna turned to Mari, who was already at the reactor. “How’s it coming?”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 & DarkGemini24601:
Operation Finite Power: Part Two

Within the Jenova Fusion Power Plant
April 20th, 0938 Hours
Southwest Generator

A few keystrokes later, and she nodded. “They weren’t really protected. Good thing too. This stuff looks advanced. I guess I should expect that by now.”

“Alright. Let’s move to the next reactor.” Luna led the group out, and moved on to the southeast reactor. Shuffling within said they knew they had company, but weren’t fully prepared. Luna held up her hand, using it to count down. Three… two… one… This time, she led the charge, not wanting Kallpa to get all the action. This room had a similar loadout of enemies, except both Balmadaar were visible and the Tamearins were rocking blue hair. Luna opened up with her Plasma Dragon, and hit one of the Tamearins in the side, the pirate screaming in pain as she dropped to the ground, the others diving into cover.

Not to be outdone, Sorie pulled out a flashbang and tossed it into the enemies’ midst, temporarily blinding them, and Siegfried used the time to line up a shot on the visible profile of a Balmadaar behind medium cover. A plasma round was loaded and - with a twang sounding akin to a futuristic bow - launched at the helmet of the hulking humanoid, punching cleanly through and ending the elite’s life painlessly.

“Two down…” Luna lined up a short. “Be ready, Airina.” She sprayed the area around the remaining Tamearin, flinching slightly as the targeted enemy hit her with a mind fray. It only worked to the CO’s advantage, as her neural feedback threw off the blue haired pirate, causing him to partially exposed himself, enough for Airina to take him down. Kallpa and Nikedemos fired upon the final Balmadaar, chipping away at his cover until their slots landed home and finished off the final present foe.

As Mari moved to the reactor, Luna stepped up to Korra and Kallpa. “Um… were those Balmadaar firing Gauss weapons?”

Korra shrugged. “Yeah. So?”

Luna shook her head. “The Outcasts of Tamear don’t have Gauss weapons. If they did, we would have planned more for it.”

“Well, the TFD have fusion. I don’t think getting their hands on coilguns would be that hard,” Kallpa offered. “Though it’s worrying that they’re starting to arm their underlings better. The conflict’s contained to the Dapsilis system right now, but...” he left the sentence unfinished, his meaning clear.

“Damn it.” Luna noted Mari finishing, and pointed for the door, giving Kallpa a grim look as a response as the headed out.

The team moved to the center of the plant, slowing to a crawl as they reached their destination, the quiet of the plant unnerving after the last two fights. The quiet was broken by the sound of three Gauss long rifles going off above, one shot taking out a droid’s arm, another sending the hover SHIV wobbling as it attempted to stay up. The team was already moving to cover when additional fire came from ahead, a trio of Balmadaar gunners forming a defensive line.

“Siegfried, get a line on those catwalks! Everyone, suppress the Balmadaar! We can’t let them advance on us while the snipers have us pinned down.” Luna reached to her side. “Now is a good time to use explosives!”

Kallpa, having direct training for suppression, set to doing the former, locking down the Balmadaar with a Gauss Autorifle; he appeared to be the biggest threat. Nikedemos and Sorie did their best to distract the engineer with a heavy rifle as Siegfried lined up his grappling hook and ascended to the catwalk, quickly ducking behind a crane control console. He grabbed a battlescanner and rolled it down the path towards the three mutons. The device essentially lit the three up for the XSDF team’s own engineer like an area-of-effect holo-targeter.

“Take them out, Mari,” the German sniper muttered.

“You got it!” Mari pulled out a pair of alloy grenades, activating them and tossing them up. With a red glow, she sent them straight towards the enemy Balmadaars’ positions. In a loud explosion that alerted any enemies in the building who were somehow unaware of the XSDF’s presence, along with anyone outside, one Balmadaar instantly fell, a second alive but critically injured. The third fired and the soldiers again, but looked ready to fall back.

High above, the three Tamearin snipers took aim at Seigfried. Having used his claws on a large support beam to scale the building, the Fenrir prototype leapt into their midst, killing one by slashing his throat open. The other two pulled their sidearms and shot the mechanized wolf point blank, the Fenrir letting out a loud, canine-like yelp as it jumped out one of the windows, falling to the ground below with a loud thud.

Siegfried turned at the noise. “Dammit,” he uttered, but didn’t waste time, lining up a shot on the enemies that had backed up from their cover. Wise to avoid the mecha-wolf in the past few seconds, not so wise to uncover themselves in relation to now. The human’s reflex rifle fired, and one fell, the other vanishing into the upper rungs of the catwalks after losing another comrade. Vonnegut wisely did the same, except in a downward direction, returning to the cover that was offered on the ground. Even if it meant a massive height advantage for the living sniper.

“We need a plan to deal with him!” Kallpa alerted the others with an urgent tone.

Luna bit her lip, trying to take a moment to think. She looked at her crew, and said, “Vonnegut, can you carry a second person up there with you?”

“I… doubt it. The grapple’s strong enough for one person, I doubt it could be two unless they managed to lighten the load somehow.” He glanced at Mari. “About how many kilos can you levitate reliably?”

“If I concentrate really hard, I’d say about fifty kilos,” Mari answered.

“I’ll go. I don’t weigh too much more than that.” Korra dropped her loadout and removed her armor, stripping down to a somewhat revealing tank top. She ducked over to Siegfried with only one of her swords. “Get me up there and I can take him out.”

“You’d better make sure you don’t give them a chance to target you,” Kallpa said apprehensively, while Siegfried nodded and launched his hook once, then twice, bringing them up to the second level in a matter of seconds, the telekinesis applied to Korra being enough to keep the cord from snapping.

As Korra moved carefully down the catwalk, Luna nodded her head towards the remaining Balmadaar. “Can you hit him with your Chem, Vizcarra?”

The gunner’s ammo had run dry, and he briefly nodded. “Cover me,” he prompted, pulling out the toxin-filled capsule and winding it up in his prosthetic hand before sending it flying towards the Balmadaar, popping into a cloud of dark green fumes laced with puffs of violet and white. Hacking and coughing violently, the Balmadaar attempted to move to better cover, only to be picked off by the intact droid.

High above, the Tamearin sniping lined up another shot, having a clear shot at the CO. The violet-haired enemy’s concentration was thrown off by Korra’s yell as she rushed the sniper. He maneuvered his weapon and fired, but the combination of Korra’s natural telekinetic shield and the artificial one from her psi screen protected her. The drain on her energy hurt, but she continued her charge. The enemy tried to to lift his arm for a mind control attempt, but Korra violently swung her sword, burying it in the pirates side. He glared at her, trying to use the last of his dwindling life to reach for his sidearm, but a surge of electricity from Korra through the sword prevented that. Korra tugged her arm, pulling her sword free and causing the pirate to fall over the railing.

The immediate threat dealt with, Korra returned to the XSDF sniper, and they made their way down again, Korra quickly grabbing her gear. She gave Kallpa a nervous smile. “Everything okay down here?”

“As long as we don’t have to pull any stunts like that again,” Kallpa responded, offering Korra her armor pieces to put back together.

Luna crouched in front of the badly damaged Fenrir. “You okay? she asked.

“I am… intact… but unable… to continue the fight… permission…”

Luna nodded her head towards the entrance. “Head back to the dropship.” She looked at Mari. “The others?”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

ZombieSplitter53 & DarkGemini24601:
Operation Finite Power: Part Three

Within the Jenova Fusion Power Plant
April 20th, 0951 Hours
Southeast Generator

Mari used her arc thrower on the SHIV. “This one is fine, but the droid only has one arm. It should head back too.”

“Agreed.” The team moved forward again, Luna walking next to Kallpa. “We’ve done well so far, but it’s probably going to get that much harder. You ready for this?”

Kallpa nodded. “I am. Two more to go. We just need to be quick and efficient.”

This time heading to the right first, the team reached the northeast reactor. Before they made it to the entrance, a team of three Balmadaar, an engineer, a heavy, and an assault were already waiting, a Tamearin medic, scout, and rocketeer backing them up from within the reactor room. Luna snapped into cover, shouting, “We need to take them out fast! They have too good of an advantage with the reactor behind them!”

Siegfried pulled out a flashbang of his own. “I’ll hit them with one. Counting on the rest of you to finish the job.” He tossed the visual disruptor, and with a bright flash the enemy fired either ceased or became sporadic, giving Strike One an opening. Kallpa targeted a Balmadaar assault, blasting him to the ground with his novagun, while Sorie and Nike’s combined firepower took down the Tamearin medic to prevent them from prolonging the firefight.

The Tamearin rocketeer let out a mind fray, disabling the XSDF PFC. She reached down and grabbed a rocket, getting ready to shoot as soon as her vision returned to normal. Watching where she was aiming, Airina, quickly rushed towards Nike, taking a round to the side for her trouble as she tackled Nike, an explosion ripping apart the cover he had just been in.

Kallpa’s eyes widened at the near catastrophe, and he set his weapon onto his cover, firing wildly with just one hand pulling the trigger while his other reached for an alloy grenade, and he tossed it at the group of Tamearins, puncturing the armor of the two living ones and injuring both badly to cease the danger from one side of the enemy group.

“Careful, Vizcarra. The reactor.” Luna sighed, realizing Kallpa probably didn’t have a choice, and he just had the nerve to do something she couldn’t. She ducked over her cover again, firing at the rocketeer and flooring her. The other snapped her fingers, sending a small pillar of flame up to cover her retreat back into the reactor room.

Kallpa put his novagun on his back, pulling out his pistol. “We’re going to have to follow her in there. Korra, come with me. Sorie, cover us in your way.”

The Replitan grinned, and darted out from cover like a mad dog, performing acrobatics beyond human ability to accurately dodge fire and land in a new piece of cover, distracting the two Balmadaar long enough to allow Kallpa and Korra to run into the reactor room.

Korra stopped next to the wall to the office, peeking in and almost getting a face full of fire for her trouble. “Just give up! You’re injured and surrounded!”

"Yna oui vilgehk gettehk sa?” the Tamearin yelled. “Tu oui ghuf fryd drao'mm tu du sa ev E zicd kyja ib?"

Korra raised an eyebrow and looked at Kallpa. “She’s scared of what ‘they’ll’ do if she gives up.”

“Tell her that the Einherjar is a lot more secure than here right now if we exchange fire,” Kallpa replied. “Better to have a chance at survival than none at all.”

"Oui'na kuehk du tea ev oui vekrd rana! Fa lyh gaab oui cyva uh dra Einherjar!" Korra yelled out.

There was a long moment of silence before what sounded like a sob came from the room. "E lyh'd! Ed femm syga dra Uidlycdc muug paddan... ev E teat eh pyddma!" She suddenly charged out of the room, a large knife in hand as she rushed Kallpa.

The Incan ducked down, turning his left side to the assailant to protect himself with his metal arm, and attempted to grab her wrist with an iron grip to force the Tamearin to drop the weapon.

The knife clattered to the ground, and she gave Kallpa a pleading look. With a heavy accent that sounded like the Tamearin equivalent to Russian, she cried out, “Bmayca! Please, we must win… or we must die! They will forgive the other Outcasts if we all fall!” She quickly reached to her side for her sidearm, and Korra reached for hers.

Kallpa didn’t give either a chance to shoot, delivering a swift uppercut to the pirate woman. She dropped to the ground, out cold. Korra bent over her and bound her hands with disposable cuffs, smiling at Kallpa sadly. “Is this TFD really that powerful that they’d sacrifice themselves like this to avoid their wrath?”

“It sounds like the Ethereal Empire all over again… just a different type of fanaticism,” Kallpa mumbled, putting away his sidearm for the moment.

“They’re terrible pirates,” Sorie noted. “Money isn’t worth a damn if you’re dead. First rule of being an ‘entrepreneur’, legitimate or not.”

One of the Balmadaar ran into view behind them, but quickly fell to a sniper shot. Several moments later, the rest of the team entered, Mari moving over to the reactor. Luna nodded to the three. “Good job. Maybe this one can tell us something when this is over.” She lifted her firearm. “Reload, everyone. One more reactor, and then all we have to do is clear ‘em out.”

After a couple minutes to shut down the Outcast’s device, reload, and catch their collective breaths, the tired but determined soldiers moved towards the last reactor, taking a somewhat long arc to avoid the back exit for the time. The quickly ducked behind cover at the sight of a similar group of six enemies, though this time the Tamearins fought in the front and the Balmadaar hung back.

Knowing they could waste anymore time, Korra pulled one of her swords and flung it at the Tamearins with expert precision, as though she had practiced it. Too tired to worry about her secret psionics right now, she held a hand out and sent a stream of electricity into the sword, shocking the three pirates around it. “Hit them!”

Kallpa was frozen in surprise for a moment. Shouldn’t she have red… Shaking his head, he opened fire, the other two shooters - Nike and the cousins - seeming less flustered than he was. The three dropped instantly to the powerful plasma fire, showing just how valuable the weapons were in the war effort. It also underscored the value of the Elerium Forseti provided to make them.

The Balmadaar seemed just as taken aback, but quickly recovered. The Heavy stayed back, showering the XSDF soldiers with fire as the other two fired and ran forward. A blast from the assault’s alloy cannon hit Luna in the side, and she dropped down. As she had to do for herself earlier, Airina ducked down by her CO and pulled out her medispray. Taking advantage of the Balmadaar’s mistake of leaving the vicinity of the reactor, Korra pulled out her plasma grenade and chucked it at the two approaching enemies. They were showed by the explosive, and fell. The remaining Balmadaar quickly pulled out two grenades, and turned towards the reactor.

“Get away from him!” Kallpa yelled.

Siegfried shifted his sights onto the Balmadaar in a swift motion, and reasoned that if he failed this shot, they would all die, thus settling his aim at one of the grenades himself. He didn’t even have time to doubt his shot, firing off a bolt of plasma. That missed.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 & DarkGemini24601:
Operation Finite Power: Part Four

Within the Jenova Fusion Power Plant
April 20th, 1002 Hours
Northwest Generator

Kallpa, with his pistol drawn and his weapon clattering to the floor, fired once. It was also a miss, and the grenades started to go in flight for a quarter of a second. His second shot connected with one of the grenades, and both detonated, the blast frighteningly close to the generator but ultimately only claiming one life: that of its thrower.

The healed Luna rushed over to Kallpa, wrapping her arms around him. “Great shot! I’d kiss you if Devolina wasn’t giving me the stink eye.”

Korra shook her head as she walked up to them, Mari making her way into the reactor room to finish off the primary mission. Hefting her retrieved sword onto her shoulder, she gave Kallpa a nervous smile. “I guess I have some explaining to do when we get back, huh?”

“Sort of… though I’m just curious,” he said, still catching his breath from the tension of the moment. His nerves felt like they were on fire from the tension in his body.

Korra reached up, lightly brushing Luna aside and kissing her boyfriend. Luna rolled her eyes. “Get a room, you two… after we’re done here.” Mari returned with a nod, and Luna turned towards the back entrance. “Unless they’re hiding somewhere for some reason, any remaining troops are at their ship. Let’s get them before they take off, and try and recover some of the power they stole.”

The team piled on the back exit, and Luna peeked out. She could see a trio of pirates at the front, nervous looking Tamearins, one with black hair, one with white, taking cover with a Balmadaar. Some distance behind them, standing next to the pirate dropship, was what looked like a bored Cartus, an Ardenian sporting a fully mechanized lower half, and what appeared to be…

“Is… is that a vilgehk chryssalid!” Korra exclaimed. “H… holding a gun? What in twenty Tamearin hells?!”

“Hell if I know,” Sorie mumbled. “But we can get the drop on them. Just give the word, boss.”

“They’re expecting us, but you’re right. Let’s play this cool, and take them quick. Try not to hit the ship. I’ll be counted on your speed, my reptilian friend.” Luna took a deep breath. “Go!”

Sorie darted forward, opening fire on the chryssalid with her rifle, while Kallpa fired upon the Balmadaar in cover to suppress and Siegfried took a shot at the Ardenian’s upper half. Nikedemos just fired at the two Tamearins closer and easier to potentially hit.

Mari and Airina join Nike, and managed to fell one of the Tamearins. His white haired companion looked in horror, and looked like she’d retreat. A glance back canceled that, and she raised rocket launcher, preparing a rocket.

The Ardenian gracefully danced to the side, his robotic legs giving him incredible speed. The chryssalid wasn't as quick on the draw, the plasma melting off several layers of chitin plating, and it snarled at the XSDF soldiers. “Dirty, arrogant humans!” it yelled out, to the shock his targets. Oddly, though, neither it nor the Ardenian made any move to get close, despite both being effective in close combat. They simply fired sporadically at the soldiers, despite the clear help the Balmadaar and the remaining Tamearin needed.

“What is with these guys?” Korra asked angrily. “Are they trying to mock us?” She extended her hand, and bolt of energy aimed at the Ardenian, seeming to shoot straight towards his metal body. Before it hit him, however, it suddenly dispersed, hitting some unknown resistance that dissipated it. The Cartus let out a long yawn, and fired at Korra, not seeming to care that it missed.

Kallpa turned his weapon on the chryssalid, singling it out as an ideal target to fire at while the others were busy with the remaining Tamearin and Balmadaar. “Luna, if we fire at the same time it won’t be able to dodge that much incoming fire.”

Luna nodded. “Yeah. They might be fast but we have numbers.” Luna led her shot towards the side, watching the crystallized bug until it turned its eyes away. “Now!” She yelled, firing a blast that stopped it in its tracks. Kallpa joined in, plasma shredding the chryssalid’s form.

“Oh, dear,” the Cartus muttered. “That’s unexpected.” He raised his hands. “Cease fire! Parley, please. I believe things have gotten a tad out of hand.” The enemy forces stopped firing, ducking behind cover in case the XSDF soldiers didn’t follow suit.

“If by parley you mean your surrender, then by all means,” Sorie snapped.

“Vizcarra, Devolina. Keep your weapons trained on the cat man. This smells like a trick.” Luna cautiously stepped out of cover. “You heard the lady. Put your weapons down, and you’ll all be treated fairly.”

The Cartus tapped his lips. “Is that… what parlay means. Huh…” He shrugged, and walked over to the fallen Chryssalid. He seemed to reach into the side of its head, and produced a small slug like creature, walking over to the Ardenian.

Sliding it up to the tall centenarian cyborg’s ear, his expression turned angry a few moments later. “You will all suffer and die for that loss. Do you have any idea…”

“You talk too much, Manipulator.” The Cartus banged on the side of the ship. The back opened, and another Tamearin stepped out, escorting the bound crew of the power plant, eighteen men and women that looked like they had taken a beating.

Kallpa’s eyes narrowed. “Trading them for your safety, huh?”

The Cartus grinned, his sharp incisors showing. “We have a smart one here. My master specifically instructed me to not interfere, but since you insist on making trouble…” With lightning fast reflexes, her pulled a plasma pistol and aimed it at one of the hostages heads. “Do we have a deal?”

Luna took a few steps back, and spoke into her comms. “Patch me through to the Commander.”

It was not long at all before he responded. “I doubt we have much choice… let them go, but if they betray us, don’t hesitate to open fire.”

“Understood.” Luna sighed. “If you let the hostages go, and leave the stolen energy…”

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” the Cartus said in a sing-song voice, suddenly pulling out a second pistol and aiming it at another hostage. “Just the hostages.”

Luna muttered a curse, and nodded. “Fine. Go. Take your flunkies.”

The Cartus frowned. “Damn. I was hoping for more of a struggle. Whatever…” He walked towards the back of the ship, the Ardenian following. The three pirates made their way to the ship too, but a plasma shot rang out, leaving a nice clean hole where the face of the Tamearin that was on the ship was.

As the ship roared to life, the remaining Tamearin cried out, “Please! Master Silencer! Don’t… you can’t just leave us like this!”

“I’m afraid I can,” Silencer said over the ship’s speaker. “You failed, simple as that. Consider it a mercy kill. If I brought you back, you’d wish you were dead.” The ship’s engines flared, and it took off into space. The two pirates hung their heads, turning to the XSDF soldiers and throwing their weapons down in surrender.