187 replies to this topic

[Faye]

| Terminus Beta Sector 2F, Nibel

| Bahamut's Hangar, 0530 Hours

 

After six hours of restlessly waiting for things to happen, Monty finally got what he wanted. Sophie, the Falling Sky, one of the most famous (and by that I mean REAL fame) Judeca around, had visited the wannabe hero. They took a few seconds to stare at each other, gauging each other's caliber as a human, and as a weapon. The atmosphere was not as heavy as one you could find in a real battlefield, but it was sufficient enough to make people uncomfortable should they get caught in it.

 

Watching them from the distance, was a pair of eyes, glowing in dull green. A small visage, the size of a preteen child, clad in white clothing and black hood, was silently watching the two Judeca. Its breath slow and stifled; its limbs completely still. Was it an enemy? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. After all, none of Terminus Beta's defensive system had been triggered yet.

 

 

 

 

 

| Terminus Beta Sector 3C, Nibel

| Tiamat's Hangar, 0630 Hours

 

People had started to gather around the mightly Lindwurm. Some of them gasped in awe as they take a good look on the gigantic machine, which size easily outmatch any Stahlcorps' machine ever produced, while some sighed and sunk their shoulders while seeing the same mechanical monstrosity. It was a matter of perspective, really. Some think of it as a symbol of hope, that it would be the key to end the war; while others think of it as a symbol of despair, that it is a sign that they are eternally bound to war and violence. Which of them were right? There was no telling.

 

As more and more soldiers and Anima gathered, more well-known figures were seen mingling with them. To name a few, were F-216, the Crimson Death, a Cetra well known for her high amount of kills; Canaan, the Titan, another Cetra well-known for his imposing presence both in battlefields and training camps despite being as silent as a rock; and Monkey, aka Sung Mai, whose pheromone was known to rouse the entire engineer of Terminus Beta's 8th Sector.

 

There are still time before their commanders would arrive at the hangar. It would not hurt to get to known each other better before the war. After all, this might very well be their last chance to do just so.

Edited by S.S. Fayrbrant, 13 May 2014 - 12:58 AM.

[Unbelievably Majestic]

Monty Bellevue
[03:30]

Monty was thinking about the name of the big machine he was stood near. Bahamut. It didn't scream sophistication to him. Partly because he doesn't understand most words as long as 'sophistication' but also partly because it just wasn't 'Monty' enough for him. It was too simple. He decided, ironically. And so he decided he might do something about it. And he might have found a pen in his pocket. And he may or may not have written 'Bellevues Badass Bahhumat!!!' somewhere on the outside of the metal giant in little letters. He hoped it didn't get found. But he decided it didn't actually matter if they found it. He'd just deny it. And they couldn't trace it back to him. He'd destroyed the pen and put it in the bin. Snapped it clean in two! Only took a couple of tries. He had a good chuckle at his genius as he stood there, with ink on his finger tips, waiting for some more people to arrive.

[5:30]

Monty was beginning to think maybe he'd gone to the wrong place. Again. It would be terrible for the 18-hour-incident to repeat itself. But how many massive metal machines could there be around here? This had to be the place, right? Right. Probably... Hopefully. He had been waiting hours for the mission to get started. Checking the time as often as he had been didn't help. He felt like he'd been there forever. And then WHAM! Someone turned up. Dropped right out of the sky! Monty was ecstatic. He was in the right place! He had someone to talk to! It was all coming up Monty!

After taking a look at the new arrival Monty was surprised again. It was Sophie! Sophie Marie! The Falling Sky! She was famous! Almost as famous as Monty wants to become. And now Monty was going to be on the battlefield with her! This mission was getting more and more exciting by the second. He decided to speak to her. But what would be say? "Hi! My name's Monty. Monty Bellevue. Graduated top of my class! And I'm the once and future king! Well, I mean... Not really. I wasn't ever a king. Not even once. Or future I guess, we don't really have kings down here. I just heard that somewhere. And I didn't really graduate like I said. I, uhh, I just wanted to impress you..." No... He couldn't say that. Should he try to be cool and sexy? "Hey babe. How you doin'?" No. Only guy's on tv shows could get away with that. He'd probably get his face punched. And Monty likes his face un-punched. He sighed. Talking to famous ladies you've never met before was hard. So he chose to employ the Monty technique. His standard way of handling a tough situation. He just stopped thinking about it. Thinking hurt his brain. "Hey, my name's Monty. Nice to meet you." He said with a friendly smile. "Someone told me this is a big day. It's gunna be fun. Are you excited for the mission?"

[El Phantom]

| Terminus Beta Sector 2F, Nibel

| Bahamut's Hangar, 0530 Hours

 

"Contain yourself kid. Get too wrapped up in your little idol here and you'll find pieces of yourself strewn across the battlefield", he cut in. He was only a few feet behind Monty, who seemed to have failed to notice him. The Hissatsu, the one-hit kill. Haseo Sakuretsu was one of the newest members of the Anima, and a Judeca at that, but he always composed himself with the experience and discipline comparable to even Savan, though it was less experience against Etrangers, and more his composure that was impressive. Suppose it would be expected, as both are veteran sword masters, even though Haseo hasn't lived for as long, his skill was still impressive. People liked to call him a rising star of sorts among Anima, with not as much history behind him other than his gutsy actions before becoming an Anima. His performance and efficiency on the battlefield has already granted him very quick fame. The story of a crazy swordsman who slew an Etranger with nothing but the katana in his hand didn't help either, it was something he was associated with all the time, and they were spot on. It was the same person. Haseo simply walked in through the hangar doors, and of course the idol 'Falling Sky' Sophie made the flashy entrance. For an Anima with an ability based on presence, he seriously failed to notice Haseo, who managed to walk right up behind him completely undetected.

 

"I suppose I'll be working with you two for this mission... Your name precedes you Sophie, as your little fan here has demonstrated", Monty didn't act the most excited, but as someone who has had years of experience in detecting how a person was feeling even in the heat of battle... He could feel it. He could've sworn there were more people posted this too, but worry later about that.

 

"Haseo Sakuretsu", he said, offering a handshake to Sophie, and then to Monty.

Edited by Captain L Katsura, 14 May 2014 - 07:06 AM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

[0500 Hrs.]

Her little walk had been uneventful in the Apha terminus as Two-one-six found herself sauntering back to her quarters. Once inside the dark room it slowly lit up in eerie orangish light that cheaply imitated sunlight. It flickered for a while as a barely furnished room came into view. It had nothing besides a metal bed and a cabinet. There was no flooring and the walls were bare too, nothing but brick and mortar. There were two bulbs in the opposite walls that simulated the so called endless sky currently of a morning scene. Barring a dehumidifier and temperature control there was nothing in the desolate place.Two-one-six lived a simple life, she was a weapon and this was her storage bay, nothing more nothing less.

As she dropped her robes walking into the bath, she switched on the foam shower. Tracing the scar that spawned a nest of veins over her left breast, running throughout the contour of her torso she could feel the throbbing, her blood carrying on the fight against Fei’s blood for over half a century. The war was in her control even if the daily battles ravaged and raged inside her bringing on the constant pain that she had mostly become numb to. Picking an injection from the cabinet in the wall she thrusted it into terminal that was embedded over her inner jugular vein, slowly pushing the neon green poison that calmed the throbbing, she could see her veins subsiding  and ever so slightly the pain slowly left her leaving nothing but a vacuumed husk devoid of the only emotion that kept her human. The trademark diabolical grin sprayed on her maw again as she walked out of the shower towards her dress cabinet.

She donned her armor as she rechecked the condition of Red Mist. She opened up another compartment to reveal the few staffs she had used earlier. There were about nine of them , she slowly dismantled them and took out their HGE capacitors keeping them in a pouch of her utility belt. Afterall, she was going to her death she wouldn’t leave behind her only belonging. She knew no one would miss her so why leave keepsakes. Once ready and decked up she took out a short EMI bomb from her pocket and set a minute timer on it before closing the door behind her. It would erase her entire existence, making the quarter easier to furnish for the next incumbent, she took one last glance at the building before moving out.

 

| Terminus Beta Sector 3c     
| Tiamat's Hangar 0600 Hrs.

 

A slow whistle escaped her as she reached the hangar. The so called Lindwurm was a humongous machine unlike any she had seen in the past, she took the whole view in with a big predatory smile on her face before walking towards it.

Another slower and lascivious whistle escaped her as she eyed the girl exiting the Skybridge near the massive machine. Clad in a mecha, she looked quite something. Two-one-six licked her lips before going making her way towards the gargantuan machine. Introductions may be made inside.  

Edited by Sepulchral Sonata, 15 May 2014 - 05:36 PM.

[Linx]

Terminus Alpha, Nibel

[0630]

 

Vikki was mildly surprised old Solveg held him back for a  chat, even more so by the topic. He'd always figured the commander to be more hard-edged about the sacrifices of war. But it was a good question, one that bothered him some nights. He let out a rumbling sigh, turning to face out the windows of the council room at the endless, artificial sky. It was so similar to the real thing, but even at his age he could remember the difference. 

 

"Truly it would devastate the children if they heard I died out there. Many of them have already lost one parent to this war, some both. And I'll admit it, I'm no Soldier. I likely won't return from Feldine, just like many before me. But I know that's where I'm needed the most. So no matter how much it may hurt them, I must go. They are stronger than we were at that age, they can stand to shed some spare tears over an old geezer like me.

 

"Sometimes it's hard to explain to people, but the power my Second Heart lends me taught me the power of the proper force in the proper place. Something insignificant can make all the difference if you time it just right. More than most, I have a chance to make that difference. And today, the fate of Feldine could hang in the balance. If anything goes wrong out there, many of those children's parents will never make it home from this.

 

"I love those children like my own, but that part of me passed away when I became an Anima. I have no children, I have no family. If I must pay the ultimate cost to make that difference, I made my peace with that almost 40 years ago. At least the children will have time yet with their family."

Edited by Linx, 15 May 2014 - 06:51 AM.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

"The Falling Sky"

An apathetic stare was all that met Monty as he searched about for words to say while his conscious self fumbled about. Not a word was uttered from the girl as careless eyes took grasp of what he was in precise measure. Not a single detail was left to let stray, as her constantly clairvoyant state observed his body language intently.

She only cared for one thing, and was certainly neither him nor what little remained of his humanity. The only thing that mattered was his efficiency as a killer, a machination of murder for the sake of survival.

From what she had observed so far, she wasn't impressed; though she would never convey such a thought. She had learned long ago not to judge a book by its cover.

Nonchalantly, with her spear on his shoulder, she quietly turned away from the boy to look up at the graffiti he had defaced the ship with while she was walking across its spine. Leaning forward and grasping a maintenance rag for cleaning the ship, the disconnected girl turned back to face the boy.

Beginning to open her mouth to speak, the Judeca found herself interrupted by the one who had been lingering nearby for some while. She remained perfectly hushed as he took the time to introduce himself, even stating to her that her name preceded her. She cared little for such fame and its effect, yet as he offered his hand to her, she tucked the rag between the fingertips holding her spear and then grasped his hand firmly with hers briefly.

She had never understood such formalities that those of formerly mortal coil had embraced and had strangely continued to do. Judeca, or Cetra, it mattered not. They were no longer human, they were simply just weapons for war. Staring at Haseo for a few seconds, she found that her measure of him was satisfactory. The swordsman was cool, calm, and controlled. Which left even more to be desired for the newer Judeca who was also in their company. Finally however, the Lancer would toss the rag towards Monty without another glance in his direction.

Pointing upward at the vandal's work, the Judeca uttered only a few words. "Clean up your mess before the head command arrives." Sweeping about, the tip of her lance missed Monty just barely by a few inches before she sauntered away towards the ship's interior.

Edited by Trouble, 15 May 2014 - 04:55 PM.

[Faye]

| Terminus Beta Sector 2F, Nibel

| Bahamut's Hangar, 0535 Hours

 

The shadow watched as the three Judeca greeted each other. It watched their body language, their lips, and the flow of their HGE. And right after the female warrior tossed a dirty rag onto the flustered kid-aged male, a smile formed on its lips, followed by a light chuckle. Certainly, it was amused by the sight it beheld. And thus, it continued watching the trio, curiosity on what will unfold next gently gnawing at its heart.

 

 

 

 

| Terminus Alpha, Nibel

 

| Sky Tower, 0635 Hours

 

"I love those children like my own, but that part of me passed away when I became an Anima. I have no children, I have no family. If I must pay the ultimate cost to make that difference, I made my peace with that almost 40 years ago. At least the children will have time yet with their family."

 

Vick's answer to Garven's question was exactly as he had predicted it to be: the man had refused to back down from the imminent war.

 

"I understand. I will not stop you then. Fight valiantly, and try to return in one piece. The children would not recover as fast as you think they would if they realized they won't be seeing you anymore," replied the Supreme Commander to his conversational partner.

 

His reason to stop him was that, more than anything else, because he was lonely. He was the only one left from his time. No one, not even the rest of the Original Seven, had lived long enough to see what he had seen, nor to feel what he had felt. He was left behind in time, and was forced to witness the society change in front of his eyes.

 

He missed the olden days, the time where humans were much more humane than they are now. And he saw himself in Vicks. They were both old men who had suffered many things in life. They were both forced to send their loved ones to the inevitable war. They had both lost their children, blood related or otherwise, to the maws of the despicable aliens. And they were both a part of a dying breed: people who still hold the old values of humanity fast in their hearts.

 

He had wanted to spare the man from further agony. He had wanted to allow him to live his remaining life as a normal old man looking after the new generations, teaching them on what makes a human, human.  But now, he had no reason to stop him anymore; not after he had heard Vick's resolve first hand.

 

"Just remember this," he added as he offered his hand to the resolute warrior in front of him. "You are a human before you are an Anima. Never forget that."

Edited by S.S. Fayrbrant, 15 May 2014 - 05:00 PM.

[Unbelievably Majestic]

Monty Bellevue
[05:30]

Monty found himself less and less excited by the second. Now he was just getting bored and annoyed.

Finally, people had turned up. Two of them! And for a start it was exciting. Really exciting. Both of them were in possession of second hearts. Just like Monty. Both of them were going to be on the Bahamut mission with him. They could have become great friends. Fought the aliens. Saved the planet! Gone down in history as heroes and legends! A super-group! It was full of promise. And then he introduced himself and it all went to crap. All because they were so... Boring. Silent, brooding, cocky, condescending and dull, dull, dull. Turning up and acting high and mighty for no damned reason. He wasn't sure whether it was the famous Sophie silently judging him, or the actual kid calling Monty a kid. But they were really killing his excitement. These young ones sure seemed to think highly of themselves. And both of them were definitely looking down on him. Why? Because he wasn't all super serious like them? But where's the fun in that? Wasn't anyone actually excited for this mission?! Was everyone else only fighting out of 'duty' or some other high-minded crap. Does nobody just want to fight some damned aliens these days?

"Well aren't these two a barrel of laughs." Monty said, his voice dripping with something he was pretty sure was called sarcasm. He didn't say it loud. It was more like he was thinking aloud. And if anyone did here it, apparently they didn't care because they carried on like he wasn't there. Well, whatever... It's not like he couldn't enjoy the mission without them joining in.

He let his head clear of these boring thoughts. He smiled. He shook Haseo's hand when he offered it and he introduced himself to him. Despite these fun-suckers that had appeared, today would still be an exciting mission. And so he started getting himself back in a good mood. It was a big day in the war. There would be plenty of opportunities to make a name for himself. And for a guy with his incredible talents he would certainly be able to take advantage of each and every chance he got! Today was going to be fantastic! Today was going to be the best day! The greatest day of all the days in all the worlds!

"Clean up your mess before the head command arrives."

Monty's face dropped.

Sophie spun around, almost catching Monty in the face with the sharp end of her lance, and strode off towards the Bahamut without looking at him. She tossed a rag at him without taking a look back. He didn't catch it. He just watched as it gently hit his chest and flopped onto the ground.

Monty hadn't made his mind up about Haseo yet. But he decided he was done with Sofie. He no longer had any interest in her. And he really hoped the Bahamut's doors were locked when she tried to enter. That'd be worth a chuckle.

[Crouching Bacon]

[6:43] | Vittoria Holzer

 

As Eights appeared on screen, Vittoria stifled a grin. The rumored genius was making a sandwich at such a tense time, as if today was a day like any other. Garven dismissed the scientist quickly enough; the commander did not seem as amused by her nonchalance towards the preparations for the war.

 

“At least she’s not a nervous wreck,” thought Vittoria.

 

Garven then rattled off a quick checklist of things to be done before letting them leave the Council room. A man Vittoria only knew by name stayed behind for a private chat with the commander himself. Never being one for conspiracies and eavesdropping, she quickly left the room, giving Lady Ran a polite nod as she passed her by.

 

“She’s walking a bit too leisurely, isn’t she? Ah well, there are more important matters at hand. Now… to Eights first, or to the machines?”

 

Vittoria decided to check the machines first, walking briskly towards the second floor of Terminus’ Beta Sector. Talking to Eights without full information on how things are would be a waste of time for the both of them and as far as Vittoria was concerned, she wanted to minimize frictions between the both of them as much as possible.

 

Upon reaching the hangar, she quickly summoned the core team of engineers and mechanics responsible for the Bahamut’s maintenance. They gave her a detailed report of the ship’s performance under recent tests; everything was good to go.

 

“Excellent job, everyone,” she said, clapping the senior engineer on the shoulder and smiling at the rest of the group. “On behalf of my men, I would like to thank you for all those sleepless nights you endured for the sake of building this deadly beauty.” One of the younger engineers seemed pale; Vittoria reached out to shake her hand. “At ease. You have done your part well. It will soon be time for me to do mine. I ask that you trust me as much as I trust you.

 

“We will begin the operation in forty-seven minutes. Give your families a call, all right? If I hear someone’s mother complain that her son or daughter was too selfish to say goodbye, I will ban them from liquor for the whole campaign. Understood?” The engineers saluted and left to contact their loved ones.

 

“I guess I should go find Eights now.”

 

Vittoria stretched and looked about the hangar; out of the corner of her eyes she spotted an odd green glow from a far corner. “Are those… eyes?” Her keen sight confirmed it. Vittoria addressed the person with a loud voice. “Soldier, state your name and division. Are you one of my men? You look too young to be here.” Something in her gut told her that this shadowy figure was suspicious, and she was not about to let anything jeopardize the ship.

[Whirlwind]

[0515 Hours]

 

Vrrr-Vrrr... Vrrr-Vrrr...

 

The muffled sound of an alarm beeps from under clothing that had tossed on the floor from last night. The alarm continued beeping in the small apartment, littered with empty food packets, magazines and empty bottles. In the middle of it all was a small child, who wore only a night gown, curled up and and was asleep like a kitten.

 

Vrrr-Vrrr... Vrrr-Vrrr...

 

The alarm continued. “Ugh...,” The girl groaned, “Olivia wants to sleep me...” The girl named Olivia slopply rolled over on her belly and began to arch her back to stretch. Bleary eyed and groggy, she reluctantly searched for the annoying device.

 

“ugh... stupid alarm... why did I even set you...,” she complained. As she searched, she began to wonder why did she set it. Olivia never sets alarms unless something important was happening. Still searching for the alarm, she remembered why she set the alarm. Eventually, she found that alarm and in that exact moment, she remembered that she had to be at Terminus Beta, Nibel at 5:50. “Fifteen five!!! AH!”

 

Olivia when into a frenzy, trying to collect everything she needed for today. “Clothes! Equipment! Foo- Ah!” BAM! Olivia tripped on an empty bottle of fizzy drink and fell face to the floor. Teary eye, She decided to slow down to get ready, then panic after.

 

Taking of her white night gown revealing her pale skin and the scar on her chest, she looked between her clock and shower. “No time!” She continued to get dressed. She thrown on her light armour, strapped in her backpack and grabbed a pack of chips, she was ready to leave.

 

Olivia waked, to her door and checked if it was lock, then she turned around and sprinted towards her open window, leaping out of her two story apartment.

 

[0530 Hours]

 

“Late, Late, Late!” Olivia screamed at herself, traversing the urban environment. Running, jumping and rolling from building to building, she made her way to her destination as fast as she could. Her apartment was nearby, but it was still I hike to get there.

 

[0545 hours]

 

After Olivia reached Terminus Beta she continued running through the building into the hanger. As she just entered the hanger, she near a strange noise, averting her attention away from what lied ahead.

 

BAM!

 

Once again, Olivia had an accident. At least she didn't land on her face this time, instead she landed on her back side. Rubbing her sore and standing up, Olivia looked at what she ran into. In turned out that ran into a person. “I'm sorry, I was running to fast” apologised with her child-like voice.

 

The person she ran into was a woman. The woman looked away at a certain spot of the hanger, as if she saw something. “Miss, Are you okay...?” Olivia asked.

Edited by Whirlwind, 18 May 2014 - 07:46 AM.

[Führer Itulhu]

| Terminus Alpha, Nibel

| Sky Tower  First Floor, 0630 Hours

 

"Now then.. Since there is no problem to report," he continued to the rest of the people gathered inside the council room; people who actually cared for the thing they are about to do. "You are free to go. Double check the preparation for the machines, and remind your men to gather at 0730 hours sharp. Make sure they had done the necessary preparations and proper farewell with their loved ones"

As soon as Savan received the rest of his orders he silently started walking out of the room, but as he heard the Commander Savan stopped in front of the exit for a few seconds as the doors closed,

"Are you sure you are to join this crusade?"

soft hearted fool, Savan thought as the conversation cut out and he could not hear anymore.

As he walked outside he was near his fellow commander for this mission, fresh blood, someone who grew up only knowing war and Savan thought it was what was needed. Out of the oldest left half of them are too soft hearted as they knew of the time before Anima…. which was unnecessary and also dangerous. Its probably the only thing they could learn from Ryse, the ability to detach one's heart from battle… though that was probably more of a natural defect.

As Savan almost lost himself in thought he was now next to Ran,

“ah young Ran, should we head off now and prepare for departure? Thy’s sword will only rust if thou listens to everything Garven has to say” Savan spoke in an accent that one would wonder the origin to, it seems it came from years of practice.

 

---

| Terminus Beta Sector 3C, Nibel

| Tiamat's Hangar, 0730 Hours

Savan now stood at the entrance to the Taimat above the many soldiers with all other commanding officers beside him.

“STAND AT ATTENTION ALL” as Savan spoke in a booming voice all soldiers that were lingering around suddenly Stood at attention in an perfect order. It was nearly time to depart and Savan could tell that many would not return, much like every other battle that took place in the past, and deep down inside he was sure every soldier knew that the person next to them or they themselves may not return from this alive. In order to start this mission all must be clear of doubt, so Savan spoke directly to all soldiers.

"Today Thy does not see cetra, judeca or normal humans in front of Thyself, What thy can see is soldiers, men and women who are all prepared to fight for humanity"

"Today we pave a new path in this long war, a path that has our brethrens bodies as the foundations, But no death that has accrued will be in vain, for thou all fought just like we will now, for freedom, SO LET AS ALL TAKE UP ARMS AND SHOW THESE MONSTERS WHAT HUMANITY CAN DO"

As the speech ended most the soldiers let out some form of cheer or hurrah which seemed as if it was more to pump themselves up and try to clear themselves of what doubt they had.

“Now all board the Taimat on its first departure, every person who enters this ship will be apart of the history that will follow”

With the final words and orders to board the ship all started boarding in orderly manner.

OOC:

Spoiler

ALL ABOARD THE DEATH TRAI- i mean TAIMAT!

there is an hour gap between the last update and now so people can still mingle a bit if they want as long as they timeskip to the update.

[Viscoun]

>>>06:31<<<

 

Ran soon found, to her surprise, that she had not been the only one to stay behind and hear the first snippets of the ongoing conversation back in the Council Room. As she made her way down the corridor she beheld, from the corner of her eye, the learn, sharp features of the red-headed Commander Evergreen, Savan the Seventh. Wily, old in natural age, but with all the wit and skill of a youth five times his junior, Savan was the very epitome of the quintessential fiery soul, flaming hair and stock jaw all serving to complement his unbridled personality. Which was why, of course, she could count on him to agree with her about the crusade's needs and wants.

 

"Ah, young Ran." Savan broke the silence with a lopsided half-smile. Ran looked away. The smile froze, and he continued.

 

"Should we head off now and prepare for departure? Thy sword will only rust if thou listens to everything Garven has to say." The archaic twist in Savan's accent only deepened the uneasiness Ran felt towards him, but Ran had never been very close to any of the other Councillors anyway. With a perfunctory nod of her head, she replied:

 

"I guess so. Though I suppose you could say swords rust faster with prolonged combat."

 

And with that last flourish, depart they did.

 

 

 

>>>07:32<<<

 

"Stand at attention, all!" Savan's voice boomed through the expansive hangar, and all heads turned in sharp attention to the commander, slackened limbs straightening as he gazed over the gathered troops, assembled under the shadow of the literal elephant in the room, the great mass that took up a good quarter of the already-massive station's space: the Lindwurm, Tiamat.

 

It was a feat of the crusade's already extensive military technology, years of effort poured into one last, final drive against the bulwark of the alien forces. The size of the thing alone was an awe-inspiring sight - Ran trusted that the appearance of the machine on the battlefield would lift any spirit. Of course, in the same way, the fall of such a behemoth would turn heads and bodies faster than any commander could order the charge to stand.

 

Savan now stood at the entrance to the Lindwurm, which had been endearingly dubbed "Timmy" by the engineers who kept it nice and crisp for the battle to come. In all honesty, Ran couldn't say she disliked the name. It brought a little humanity to the whole process of actually maintaining such a huge automaton. Not that she'd ever be caught saying something like that, of course.

 

Ran now stood with her DMSA and Stahlcorps subordinates, who were themselves gathered in front of the many battle robots, informally known as Runners, who had been called forward to the front lines, away from the safety of Terminus Beta. She knew many of them had never seen front line battle, but she had confidence in many of them nonetheless. The captain of the 1st Regiment, a gruff and kindly man whom she had met whilst she was still a trainee at the engineers' academy, stuck his little finger into his ear and made a popping noise, grinning at Ran as he did so. Ran allowed herself a small smile in reply, and turned back to Savan, who was still addressing the present soldiery.

 

"Today, ye do not see Cetra, Judeca, or "normal" humans in front of thyselves. What ye can see are soldiers, men and women who are all prepared to fight for humanity." He glanced around, and smiled triumphantly.

 

"Today we pave a new path in this long war, a path that has our brethren's bodies at the foundations. But no death accrued shall be in vain, for they all fought just like we will now, for freedom."

 

Ran saw some of her own Stahlcorps nodding in agreement. She let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding, and aside from the echoing silence that arose between Savan's every word, she could hear nothing else.

 

Interesting.

 

"SO!" Savan's smile had turned into an open-mouthed roar of conviction. "LET US ALL TAKE UP ARMS AND SHOW THESE MONSTERS WHAT. HUMANITY. CAN. DO!"

 

The hangar erupted in massive applause, ovation and catcalls ringing around the entire hall. Ran could not help but raise her hands and clap slowly, nodding as she did so.

 

"Now..." Savan held out a hand, and the hangar fell silent again, as if a massive veil had been dropped upon the cheering crowd. "All aboard the Tiamat on its first departure. Every person who enters on this ship... will be a part of the history that will follow."

 

And so the Tiamat segment of the crusade commenced, amongst laughing faces and clapped backs. Ran's was the only figure of silent indifference within the cheerful many.

 

Let us hope this joy will last until the end of the war.

Edited by Visceral, 19 May 2014 - 07:23 PM.

[Faye]

| 32 Kilometers North Northeast of Schala

| A Certain Abandoned Webway, 0620 Hours

 

Following John's command, the small team of seven men fell into formation and started their long walk towards the end of the webway: an open gate, possibly leading to a nest of Etrangers. Certainly, there were fear in their eyes, but it was easily outweighed by their determination. Dio, now the spearhead of the team, marched bravely into the darkness of the abandoned webway, followed by the two brave soldiers, and later by the commander and his entourage of fire support and rear guard.

 

Five minutes after they embarked, they finally met their first adversary: a group of Etrangers, a horde of fodders, fifty individuals strong. They appeared as overgrown mice, fully armored with hardened carapace, and fully armed with barbed limbs and sharp teeth. Like a wave of death that they are, the horde marched forward with terrifying speed.

 

Whatever the soldiers have learned in the Academy, this would be the best time to practice it. May Lady Fate protects.

 

OOC Directives:

Spoiler

So.. The first fight of the RP. Excited? The enemies are small and weak, but they are numerous. You are free to control the NPCs, but leave the kill count to GMs. Here are the rough estimates:

• Jase and Halem's flamer could kill 3-5 Etrangers per attack. They require reloading though, and they'll be vulnerable by then.
• Dio and Leon could probably kill the same amount per post with his attacks. Leon is on the back row though, so leaving his post might have consequences.
• Nathan's assault rifle could kill 2-4 Etrangers per attack.
• Eve's sniper rifle could only kill 1 Etranger per attack, and will have longer reload time. You may tell her to switch weapon to an assault rifle, but..
• Likewise, John could only snipe one Etranger per attack.

​Have fun!

 

 

 

| Terminus Beta Sector 2F, Nibel

| Bahamut's Hangar, 0535 Hours

 

It became increasingly hard for the shadow to hold its laughter. First was the incident with the rag, and then.. Then an even grander scene unfolded before its curious eyes. The Falling Sky, regarded as one of the best heroes of this time, after giving such a cool vibe with the aloof actions and speech, was met with a locked door on her way inside the mechanical giant. Still, it managed to hold its laughter, even if it made her double over in pain.

 

Unable to open the doors, Sophie finally decided that she would just jump back up to the service platform atop of the Bahamut, and enjoyed the silence of solitude while the remaining two soldiers mingle with each other. They were kinda awkward, to be honest. One seemed to be an unkempt puppy, itching for war, while the other seemed more like a trained blood hound, being indifferent to the war and all.

 

So this is what humanity had became over the 300 years of war. So different, yet so similar to their old selves.

 

_____________

 

| 0645 Hours

 

People had gathered around the hangar. Normal humans, Judeca, and even Cetra; they all gathered here for one purpose; to march into century-long crusade, and bring victory for mankind. The view of so many different people from different background was.. grand, for the lack of a better word. The awkward atmosphere was there no more. No, they then seemed to be a working unit, a singular life form, even. A solid team that could even make Legion, one who are many, cower in shame.

 

At the center of it all, was a woman. A female Judeca under the name of Vittoria. The newest addition to the council of war, and a warrior respected and loved by her comrades. She gave out orders not just as a superior, but also as a friend and equal. In return, her men and executed them beautifully with a light heart, free of burden. She was, to the shadow, a living representation of humanity's spirit.

 

Satisfied with what it had seen, the shadow rose to its feet, intending to leave the place before it was noticed. But as with all other plans, failure is an integral part of it. The woman it had observed from before, Vittoria, had caught it red-handed, and asked it to state her name and division. A demand it could not really fulfill for the time being.

 

And as such, there was only one thing it could do: to run away as fast as it could.

 

OOC Directives:

Spoiler

L, Missy, and Majestic are free to do anything during the time skip, as long as you do not interact with the shadow (as it will upset the continuity). Also, the shadow is fast, but not as fast as projectiles. Some speed-oriented players, such as Haseo, might be able to catch up to her, given enough pursuit time. Feel free to do whatever you want with it. It's not auto-hittable though~

Edited by S.S. Fayrbrant, 20 May 2014 - 03:51 PM.

[Midnightcat]

There are no more choice for retreat after being seen by these Ertrangers besides killing them all. That is a must know philosophy dealing with them.

 

“Here they come!”warned Dio in loud and clear voice despite the trampling sound of the charging Ertrangers horde.

 

Rushing forward away from Jase and Halem, he swing his scythe twice sending two projectiles of spinning blade cutting through both sides of the hordes. By doing so he narrowed the charging point of the horde toward him.

 

“Shoot anything that goes pass me!”he commanded both of his flank guard.

 

These fodders type Ertrangers look just like average mice but oversize and covered in hard carapace. They come in charging like a stampede ,trying to overwhelm everything with their numbers.

 

Closing in to Dio a fodder jump toward him with its mouth wide open trying to gnaw a flesh of meat from  it’s prey.

 Dio thrust his bladeless scythe in to the monster mice’s mouth and nullify it’s attack. By sending some HGE to the weapon a blade made of pure HGE appears and splits the attacker in half.  

 

The blade he generated is not exactly wide and huge, but it is compensated by it’s 1.4 meters length and density. It is a practical way to conserve HGE.

Finally, what he learned in the training camp can be use in real combat.

 

Before the dead Ertranger drops to the ground another one jumps in again. Out of pure reflex Dio grab the alien by the head and throws it away towards the incoming group of them and hence the collision between them stumbled a few of the alien attackers.

 

As fast as he can kill, some of the Ertrangers just slip pass him. In an attempt to stop them, Dio uses his crescent moon-shaped blade to trip their steps. Sounds of flamer gun and rifle shots can already be heard as he prepare his next attack.

 

 

With one 360 degrees full swing with his scythe he clears the path around him, cutting every alien in half or impaling them.

The alien keep charging to the group of soldiers lead by Dio, while many of them lay dead by his scythe. Some managed to go pass him attacks the men behind him. He can’t afford to shift his focus at the moment with the aliens attack that comes waves after waves.

 

 He can only hope for his teammate to do the a few clean up job especially the two other anima John and Leon with their “Second heart”. Although his second heart ability can easily kill the hordes in a whim, the aftermath of his skill will leave him too tired to do a lengthy battle ahead. Clearly it is not wise to use it in this situation.

 

The boiling blood filled with adrenalin overwhelm his tiredness and keep pushing him forward, trying to end this battle as soon as he can. The longer the fight, the higher the risk of attracting the other Ertrangers nearby. Surely, you don’t want to face a gigas or another horde after this.

Edited by Midnightcat, 21 May 2014 - 10:35 AM.

[Frozen Rozes]

The team continues walking through the web way. Eerie, dark and very quiet. From behind the group, Leon continued to be vigilant for anything coming the team's way. As the group shuffled forward, something clicked in Leon's mind. Flashes of grotesque creatures with large teeth and flesh that looked as if it had decayed. Another flash appears, this time showing the creatures screeching and charging forward. “Hey, are you okay?” Jase asked when he noticed Leon spacing out, snapping Leon back into the real world. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Leon said nothing to Jase and continued walking. “What's his deal?” Jase whispered to Halem, in a mocking tone. “No idea” Halem whispered back, “All I’ve heard about him is that he has a stick up his ass”

 

Still traversing the web way, Leon began to feel uneasy. Iiik! Iiik! An unfamilair sound was heard. The group raised their weapon and stopped to see what lies ahead. The sound of feet scampering slowly made itself audible. The more the group listened, the more feet was heard. “Shit, sounds like we estranges in the dozens!” Halem called. “Probability fodders, we got this” Jase smirked. “Don't get cocky!” Eve said, cocking her sniper and aiming. Leon crossed his arms and gazed into the darkness ahead of the group. The sound grew louder. The shrieks became more shrill. The ground even shook a little. Then, they appeared.

 

Rat like abominations, scampered out of the darkness with incredible speed. Dio kicked into combat mode and began the attack. With both Jase and Halem stopping any estrange that got too close to the main group, the battle at the front looked sound. However, on the back, Leon still had his arms folded and was looking about the area. Leon couldn't join in the “fun” Dio was having, so Leon decided to help out from behind the scenes. Closing his eyes, Leon gave his mind clarity, emptying out and voiding it of any thoughts. The sounds of the estranges' screeches was slowly drowned out by nothingness till no sound was heard. Leon then opened his eyes.

 

Leon's gazed fixed onto a small group of estrange that strayed and passed through Dio's attack. Jase and Halem were shooting down the small hoarde, but both needed to reload at the wrong time. “Dammit, Need to reload!” Halem grunted. “Argh! Me too!” Jase said, filling his gun with a new mag. Leon sent a mental pulse towards the small horde, causing them to flinch stopping them just long enough for Halem and Jase to reload and punish the horde.

 

Dio continued Hacking and slashing away at the estranges, not noticing that one may have found a blind spot. Before the vile creature could have a chance take advantage of it's opportunity. Its head was met with a sizeable floating boulder. The boulder flailed around for a bit, knocking the creatures back to buying time for the team.

 

Leon broke his Psychokinetic grasp on the boulder and looked behind the team in case something was coming. Leon hopped that these creatures were the only thing coming their way.

[XLegs]

Bahamut's Hanger | 0645 Hours

 

Connor Jones entered the hanger, and took in the impressive mechanical monster known as Bahamut. The floor surrounding the massive vehicle was a hive of activity. Soldiers worked busily, completing the final preparations necessary before Bahamut's launch.

 

He was a bit late to the party, but that was fine. He wasn't good at this preparation stuff. He'd likely just get in the way. Of course, if someone asked him to do something, he would comply. 

 

He looked around, to see if there were any faces he recognized. Almost instantly, he spotted Vittoria Holzer. 

 

Her head turned. She focused on something for a moment, her eyes gazing off to Connor's right. She spoke out, asking someone to identify themselves.

 

Connor looked over in time to see a suspicious figure begin to run away.

 

He acted immediately. He Suppressed the person to slow them down, though even with this they still moved quickly. He ran to give chase, but the figure was far enough that it was likely that they would lose Connor without much difficulty.

 

Realizing this, he slowed to a jog and focused on slowing the target as much as possible. He hoped there was someone closer to the person than he was who realized what was happening.

[The Illuminati]

| TERMINUS BETA: SECTOR 3C (NIBEL), 'The Launchpad' (Tiamat's Hangar)
| Third Entry, 06:00 HRS

As Monkey's transport finished pulling into one of the many loading docks of Tiamat's massive hangar, she let out a low whistle at the sight of the large body of people assembled there today. She knew the numbers, had a rough estimate at least, but to see them all gathered there was another thing entirely.
 
'So much for organizing a healthy game of 'Hide-and-Seek'. At least there are enough people to play cards with.' Monkey had developed a taste for some Shock Poker, and hoped that there were some people here that would like to play with her during the travel time later.

With a wicked smile on her lips and the thought of zapping someone else fresh on her mind, Monkey nonchalantly stripped down to her underwear and redressed in her black and orange exosuit with the helmet attached to her back for now.
 
From there it was a simple and easy task to grab her supplies and ammunition, which she attached to her personal mech. That done, she took a moment to admire the variety of other noteworthy people nearby but decided not to introduce herself -- at least not until she knew which of them were going to be on her team. Besides that, personal introductions were always best left for the card table.
 
So instead, she had her mech put onboard the Tiamat before she fell inline and began helping the other engineers and workers get Tiamat packed and ready for departure. From her understanding, they were going to leave at 07:00 HRS sharp, which didn't leave much time for them to get the behemoth loaded and battle-ready...

 
| 07:35 HRS

After ignoring most of her superior's speech (Monkey was prejudiced against people who spoke in languages over three-thousand years old), she hopped on to a crate and pulled out something to snack on. They were thirty minutes late, by her modest estimation, with no signs of getting underway anytime soon. It made her wonder if Tiamat was really supposed to be able to travel that fast, or if the distance they were meant to cover really wasn't that significant. Either way, she had wasted her beauty sleep and this seemed like an opportune time to catch up on it.

Spoiler

 

Monkey's Badass Helmet

Edited by Black Naifu, 23 May 2014 - 11:38 AM.

[Jod]

| Terminus Alpha, Nibel

| Sky Tower  First Floor, 0630 Hours

 

After being dismissed, Kas made his way down to lockup. On they way he was mulling over the schematics of the Tiamat.  Since it was to be a crucial part of the entire mission, he wanted to be as acclimatized to it as possible. He liked to be as prepared as he possibly could be, it was always the little things that help when things went to shit, and it always did go to shit.

 

He finally reached lockup, it was a warehouse like building with stacks upon stacks of 6 by 3 metal containers, each with a pressure lock, climate control and a lot of padding. THere were as many rows of these stacks as the eye could see. Without a pause he placed his hand on a small raised pedestal to his right.

 

Almost immediately It chimed

’ Identity verified, retrieving Items’

 

In a few minutes an automated trolley ambled its way towards him laying out one of the cases in front of him. The case also had a small screen glowing orange placed right in the center, He placed his hand on the screen, and with a woosh the case opened, showcasing his personal inventory of destruction.

 

Strapping his sword to his back, he slid his collapsed staff into a holster on his belt and then slung the shoulder harness for his gun over  his shoulder. Their added weight was inconsequential, to his boosted strength. in fact he could barely feel their weight.

 

Finally he made his way to the TIamat hanger, too take a look at the behemoth, the so called savior of humanity .

 

OOC:

Spoiler

Went to tiamat, nothing much else to add…

[Whirlwind]

Still Slightly dazed, Olivia Shook her head and allowed her eyes to focus on the woman in front of her. Two blurred images, slowly melded together, making the identity of the woman clear. “Ah!” Olivia exclaimed, “Vittoria!?” Olivia hasn't met Vittoria before, however, she has seen pictures and had heard many things about her; like that she was to be in charge of the Bahamut, the ship Olivia was stationed on. Olivia is often deployed during late hours as a special operative when she has no duties as a soldier. Espionage and sabotage were the main assignments she was given. Because of that, She hasn't met many of the crew, Human and anima alike.

 

“I've heard much about you!” Olivia exclaimed in fascination, “I hope I didn't hurt you.” From what she had heard, Vittoria was a Cetra and has seen much more battles than herself. This made her feel some what inferior standing in front of her.

 

Olivia took a moment to look at Vittoria. Feminine, beautiful and well developed. She continued to Ogle Vittoria, then she looked as her own body. Getting teary eyed, she pouted at Vittoria, especially her chest.

 

Suddenly, something moved in the corner of her eye. Whipping her head, she spotted something trying to flee, a figure. Moving on instinct she persuded the figure, leaving behind Vittoria.

 

“Hey! Stop right there!” Olivia shouted, chasing down the figure like a Doberman, but the figure was fast.

 

Shortly after, a man appeared out of the blue and unleashed some sort of “force”. “An anima?” Olivia thought to her self. The “force” seemed to have slowed down the figure slightly. Although it had slowed down, it was still incredibly fast; Olivia is just able to keep up.

 

Olivia was swift and agile, but compared to the figure she was completely out matched. “Hey stop!” she shouted, but it was a useless effort.

 

“He's fast” Olivia thought as she evade an obstacle, “I can't keep up with him for much longer!” Sharp turn, excellent stamina and amazing calculation of the surrounding around itself, this is one hard target to catch. “I'll have to use force” She murmured to herself. As she ran, She reached behind her back, under her bag, and grabbed a chain with a claw shaped grapple on the end.

 

“GET OVER HERE!!” Olivia yelled as she threw the grapple in the figures direction. The claws of the grapple almost reached the figure. However, with a single peer behind itself, the figure flawlessly dodged it. “What!?” Olivia exclaimed in confusion, reeling back the chain.

 

“Hihihi” The figure chuckled, provoking Olivia a bit.

 

“Shut up! What are you laughing about?!” She yelled, “Come here!!” She launched the grapple again, and like last time, it dodged it. “Dammit!”

 

It looked as if the anima's “force” from before was beginning to wear off cause the figure was getting faster and faster. Soon, Olivia wasn't able to keep up and had lost sight of the figure.

 

“Dammit!” Olivia grunted in frustration, hitting a wall with the bottom of her tiny fist. Pulled a sour face, she couldn't do much but return to the hanger and wait to be deployed.

 

“If only I had longer legs...”

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Locked

Sophie Marie

"The Falling Sky"

 

She had approached the door, and much to her dismay it was as she had suspected.

 

Why would anyone be meandering on the docks if the doors to the ship itself were unlocked? It honestly didn't make much sense really, but as she moved the turn the door handle; the Lancer quickly found it to be very much stuck. Rolling her eyes carelessly at the laughter that ensued, something caught her eye after she had returned to her perch atop the ship.

 

Something was fleeing away from the craft? Lofting a brow as she watched a few others make pursuit, the rapid rate at which it moved seemed to make such a chase to be in vain. It was far too quick for them, yet she was a different matter entirely. Through the winding hallway it ran, and she strode down to be on an angle from the ship. 

 

One veteran saw her move, and watched her crouch and silently stepped out of the way.

 

Muscles coiled in her legs, and the Hangar, and even Bahamut itself rocked and rumbled as she literally exploded forward in a remarkable show of strength. Tearing across the air with her spear still sheathed behind her back while she exploded into the winding Hallway. Kicking off the Walls then time and time again, the Dragoon literally bounced off the walls with blindingly inhuman speed. Blowing past even Olivia, she tore across the ground as at last they came to a lengthy straightaway.

 

She could see the thing Olivia had failed to grapple.

 

Crouching once again, she kicked off with such force that even the thickened concrete fractured and she tore across the ground. Even though she was a mere few inches off the floor, it was with such velocity that all that remained in her wake was a sharp wind. 

 

Whatever it was that had been spying on them, Sophie was closing rapidly on it, with a speed greater than most humans could perceive.

Edited by Trouble, 25 May 2014 - 02:27 AM.