Somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere

Oldin sat with her legs crossed, naked from the waist up as she washed her armor in a creek and smoked her last cigarette. This was day one hundred and thirty seven of her self imposed survival test in the *Interstate Wilderness. She had hunted for food for all but the first month, and had gone hungry for more than a few week long stretches. She felt she was in good shape on the whole right now; she was well fed and had clean water, and she had developed a sense for living things around her. Hunting was a breeze when not so much as a sparrow could fly overhead without you knowing. She was still working on differentiating animals, and tuning out the "static" that was insect and plant life.
Her only complaints were her dwindling-now-gone supply of coffin nails, and the Spire of Earth's two week long ongoing radio silence.

The Spire of Earth, Spire City
Auldus Vull, Lord of the Knights, Veleran Hodin, Master of the Ascendants, and a young man who sat in mediation were gathered in the rooftop courtyard of the Spire of Earth. Vull was looking out over the edge of the roof, across the cityscape over the Earth District. They had gathered together to discuss possible new additions to the Human Protectorate. So far every settlement and city-state on the list was requesting to join, on the condition that they did not have to give up their children in the "barbaric" practice of the Hero's Consortium. And so far every one had been sent a letter of refusal.
The last on the list was the city-State of South Haven, which was causing some amount of consternation between the three.
"They've refused the Choosing every time we've offered protection," Vull repeated his argument, as adamantly as ever. You don't become the Lord of Earth by giving in easily in any confrontation. "Why accept it now? I don't trust that they won't change their mind and refuse to surrender recruits come next Choosing. And they're so far below the **Last Line that we can't spare Heroes to go down there every time we need to remind them of their fealty."

Hoden finally spoke, slowly and apparently with great effort and thought, as if he were intoxicated and having difficulty focusing on the matter at hand. "Let me put this in a soldier's terms for you. If South Haven were to join us, we could leave an outpost there, and it would expand our influence, and present a further line of defense against the Orsim."

"Tempting," Vull brushed Hoden off roughly, "But I know you just want to get closer to those Void slinging barbarians. Want a little look-see. I'm not buying it."

"It is possible," the young man spoke, his voice echoing and distant, "That they have changed their mind out of fear. Perhaps the Orsim are closing in? It would not be right to leave them to their fate. And whether part of the Protectorate or not, we are sworn to preserve humanity."

Vull turned to face them again. "Ganging up on me? I can appreciate that tactic in a fight but I don't like it when you two agree on something. A compromise, then." He spoke the word like it tasted greasy and foul, "We'll send a group down to take a look. There's plenty of young Heroes who are eager for adventure. In fact," he pressed on a small screen on the wrist of his armor. A holographic display appeared, reading out esoteric information to him. "I have a Knight out pretty close to there. She wandered below the Last Line and out of communication range. When our fire team hits the Last Line they can put out a short wave comm to try to hail her. Give me a list of who you want to send, and give them orders to meet at the Sky Spire launching bay." He turned back to face his home district, annoyed at being made to do something he didn't want to.



*The Interstate Wilderness is the largely uninhabited space between the city states that make up the Human Protectorate. It is dotted with the occasional hermit, small settlement, or old ruin. But for the most part, it's wild.

**The Last Line is a line of latitude drawn on the globe that marks the furthest south from Spire City that the Consortium has any control. About twenty miles past the Last Line radio communication back to the City diminishes and eventually disappears.

He had always been considered one of the more rebellious of the monks and it was most evident by what he usually chose to spend his time doing. Most monks when not otherwise busy meditated to find peace and balance. Cade did not believe in or do this he spent every free moment he had honing his body and skills. As the punch hit the bag and he felt it give and dent a little under his hand he heard a ringing sound coming from his bag. walking over he opened it up and picked up the communicator. As he looked at the name he frowned Damn its the boss. Well guess that means my off time is over. he thought as he hit the accept call button. Holding the communicator to his ear he nodded and said "sky spire launching bay? yes sir ill be there shortly." throwing the phone down into his bag he walked briskly to his room and began to get ready. He tossed his training gear on his bed and then donned his armor which still left him shirtless. Cade walked over to the wall and picked up his two handed chainsword he called it the ripper. Slinging it over his back the started walking towards the sky spire and was apparently the first to arrive so he pulled out his sword and started sharpening each of the blades on it.

The city looked gorgeous in Kyrin's eyes. He saw past the distant, industrious smoke clouds, past the dull and drab streets, and even past the tall skyscrapers. He saw a movement in the making - every single dot that lined the streets below him was a person with his or her own story. They were as special to themselves as he was to himself; everyone was their own story's main character, after all.

*cough* Kyrin looked down as he coughed out a jet of smoke. He doused his joint and tossed it over the edge of the building he was sitting on. Right next to him was one of his only friends - Trellik. He was the same age as Kyrin, but seemed inferior in every way excluding the fact that he was one of the most intellectually gifted students at the Ascendant academy. Trellik ziplocked the back containing the herbs and handed it back to Kyrin, "We should leave, Ky." Ky nodded and got up slowly, stretching his arms and letting out a long yawn as he did so. "One sec, gotta take carah' something'," Ky said before heading over to open his bag and retrieve two cans of spray paint and a notebook. Trellik moaned, "Aw c'mon, are you serious, Ky? NOW?"

Kyrin simply held up a finger to shush Trellik before flipping a few pages on his notebook. He set the cans down and grabbed a pencil from his pocket, adding some finishing touches to his design. With a nod, he set the notebook down next to the edge of a wall on the roof of the skyscraper that they were on. With a quick shake of the cans, he immediately began spraying on his design. It wasn't long before the shouts of local law enforcement broke his concentration. Right as he finished spraying on his design, three officers and an ascendant instructor opened the door leading to the terrace.

At that point Trellik chose to bolt. He ran in the opposite direction and leaped onto a nearby rooftop terrace, choosing to escape via the rooftops. Ky gathered his materials and ran towards the opposite side of the wall from where the new party arrived. 'Just had to leave a message, he thought as he waited silently. When the footsteps neared, he closed his eyes and focused on his sense of touch, heightening his perception to every thing that brushed pass his body. The tattoos across his body began glowing purple, and before long, his eyes as well. Leaning on the wall, he took a step back - and went right through to the other side. The officers continued to search the rooftops, but by the time they returned to the door from whence they came, Kyrin had already reached the bottom floor, from where he departed to his home in the Spire.

---

"So when do I start?" Kyrin said mockingly. He was seated by a table in a briefing room, where he had just received instructions to join a squad in the Sky Spire. Across from him were two officers and Madame Vayne. She seemed much more patient than Ky expected her to be. "Listen, Ky. You have.... immense potential as an ascendant. You just need to understand and grasp that potential, instead of letting it rot away while you waste your time trying to be 'different'." Kyrin shrugged, "I'm sorry I don't like living a life forced upon me." Vayne rubbed her temples, "Seriously, Ky? Enough with that nonsense. You've been long enough to understand how things work, so stop trying to act so revolutionary. Things aren't going to change." Ky smirked and simply said, "Bet?"

At that moment, Vayne slammed her hand down and got up to scold him, but he raised his hands and ushered her down, "Ok! Ok! I'm sorry. I guess I should leave now?." In an instant, the instructor sat back down with a cheery smile, "Glad to hear it. You'll meet your squad on the Sky Spire launching bay. You're representing our district, so don't mess up, alright?"

---

Kyrin loved the Sky district. It was so full of life, that one would forget that it was ruled by the same government. He made his way to the launching bay, which was surprisingly empty; most likely the instructors had reserved it for their squad. He only saw one other individual and assumed him to be some sort of guard, as he was sharpening some bizarre-looking sword. "Great. I'm the first one to get here. Fucking lame," Kyrin said as he walked over to a nearby wall and leaned on it. He pulled out his pouch and rolled another joint. With a flick of his thumb, he ignited his lighter and lighted the end of the joint before stowing away his materials in his bag. Upon taking a hit, he let out the smoke slowly and looked around as he waited. 'Please don't stick me with the lame kids, I swear.'

The streets of the Sky District were crowded and noisy, just how Sybilla liked it. Nowhere better than a busy street to practice her concentration. She bit her lip, concentrating on the palm of her hand. Come on, she thought. A little flame winked into existence in her hand. Pleased with her achievement, she closed her hand to kill the tiny fire. There was a bakery nearby which she quickly headed towards to buy herself something sweet as a reward, though she probably would have bought herself something even if she had not succeeded. She was wandering through the District because she liked to look at the new gadgets, most of the technology still a wonder to her. In the city where she had grown up in technology, and everything really, had always been at least a few years behind the rest of the world. Being near the Last Line, it was as close to rural as the Consortium got.

Sybilla had just started eating the tart she had bought when her wrist communicator beeped twice. She jumped a little, still not used to it being on her wrist. Frowning, she clicked it to see what it was. The screen lit up with a single sentence: “Come to the Sky Spire launching bay ASAP.” She sadly stuffed the rest of the tart into her mouth and started heading back towards the Spire.

The Sky Spire loomed in front of her like some scary watch dog observing the lives of little ants. There was a steady intake and outtake of people at the Spire’s base, the monks being “helpful” and all, which made it more difficult than Sybilla liked to maneuver her way into the building. She made her way onto the elevator, quickly pressing the launching bay button as she squeezed into the back. She was one of the last people on, so her exit was much less of a hassle.

Entering the launch bay, she got an immediate downer at the site of Cade, another monk who she had the pleasure of calling her elder. She nodded respectfully towards him and looked around the rest of the room. The only other occupant in the room was a moody looking boy, probably slightly older than him, smoking what she suspected was a joint. Not wanting to stand by Cade and not knowing the other boy, she went to the left of the door a few steps and sat down, hoping to get a few minutes of meditation in before the higher ups entered.

'Wow, that's awkward,' Kyrin thought as he peripherally noticed the girl look at him and then choose to walk the other way. As the herb started to kick in, he pushed off the wall and walked over to her, noticing that she was focused on what appeared to be meditation. "I suppose you're here for the same assignment they got me on, huh?" he asked as he sat down next to her, leaning back on his arms with his legs extended down the stairs. "Y'know... I'm no monk, but I do meditate sometimes when I got nothing else to do. I got somethin' for yah that would help you focus, if yah want," he said with a smile. Usually, Trellik was the only company that Kyrin had at the ascendant academy, but out in the other districts, he would feel that the people gave off a much more human vibe. It was only in the few moments he had with the monks and knights that he felt less like an alien.

Walking up behind the other boy Cade replied "i don't think she needs any assistance of yours". holstering the chainsword on his back and making a flame dance on his fingertips. Frowning he held his hand out "sybilla" he said nodding. Helping her up he turned and staring out the hangar doors at the sky said "if they need both of us this is going to be an interesting assignment. Did they tell you anything about where we are going?" he said ignoring the other boy and unsheathing his chainsword taking a couple of practice swings but not revving it.

Sybilla felt as the boy approached her and attempted to ignore his presence, but when he started talking it became a little difficult. She slowly turned to look at him, her mouth slightly down-turned with annoyance. Before she could say anything, Cade appeared and interrupted, pulling her up and away from the strange boy. In a very rare occurrence, Sybilla felt genuinely grateful towards Cade. Following his gaze out of the hangar doors, she smiled, the openness of the sky pleasing to her. She looked back at Cade.

“Unfortunately, they told me nothing but to come here. I am assuming we’ll be informed at the same time as that one.” She motioned her head in the boy’s direction. “It cannot be anything extremely important if they’re sending…us.” Her tone implied displeasure with the other inhabitant of the room.

Jynmi's day could have been better, but he didn't plan on doing any complaining about it. Sure, he'd mumble to himself, but only when there was nobody else around to hear him. Not that it would matter, unless his luck continued to go down hill. He didn't want to say if it was going to, or not, because the world would flip on him once he made a projection. He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going to tempt the fates. Their not like the fishes in this little river. They'll bite and pull the rod, and myself down into the deep end." He shuddered and hated himself for not knowing how to swim.

The young monk wasn't very far from the city limits. In fact, he was just outside the gates, one could say,if one limited oneself to only literal descriptions. He called the stream little Lilith, and came whenever he found a break in his training. The fishing hadn't be very good that day. He blamed the bate, and his lack of any. He also felt that his inability to sit still and take in the world around him had something to do with it. He liked the idea of any empty hook being at fault more than the one were the issue was with him and only him. Better to share a burden than take it all on yourself, he always said; it was how Atlast broke his back.

The summon came to him like it always did, at the worst possible moment. A fish had decided that the taste of stainless steel was just as good as a worm and bit. It was a big one too, and he needed both of his hands to keep the rod from flying out of his fingers. He caught it before it disappeared into the word, but the mental message caught him off guard, and he responded, in the natural sense, which was panicking. It was only for a second, but that was more than enough time for the first to rush forward and leave him behind laughing as it took his pole with it. "Blast." He muttered to himself, but not the presence on the other line, which he greeted with the utmost respect. "Oh. Alright." He spoke like one who had a choice. "I'll be there shortly."

The time it took for him to get the the sky spire wasn't anything to write the home about, but it was good enough to keep him from getting a stern talking to. Getting up to where he needed to be, at the launch bay was more impressive, but only because he managed to luck out, a stroke of fortune which made him nervous over the days to come, and get a lift to himself; no detours. He strode into the Hangar by like a man without anywhere better to be walked into a laundry mat. Sure, he was there, and it was open to him, but he probably should've come better prepared and really wished he had a better idea of what he was doing there.

"Oh wow." He said, blinking from one face to another. "It's a little bit crowded here, isn't it?" He was talking to the whole of the group before him, or at least anyone there which would listen. "Oh." He frowned. "There's going to be shooting, isn't there? I'm sure there's going to be shooting." His faced turned red as he realized he had been interrupting. "Ah. My apologies. I'll just go over and sit by this guy here, with the dazed look on his face." He did too, and tried his best to shrink in on himself like a collapsing star.

Kyrin looked on, dumbfounded. He couldn't help but feel insulted, but at the same time, the realization of what he just offered hit him and he decided to douse the joint and pretend none of it ever happened. When the girl rose to speak to the other individual he had assumed to be a guard, he simply tilted his head and curled his mouth, "Nice to meet you, too," he mumbled. He sighed and shook his head, feeling more embarrassed than anything else. However, when a fourth individual entered the hangar, he felt a bit more at ease, especially at the realization that he was also unacquainted with the rest of the group. To further put Kyrin at ease, the boy chose to sit next to him. 'Finally, someone with a sense of humor,' he thought after smiling at the joke the boy had made. At least he thought it was a joke. After apologizing, the newcomer decided to isolate himself after experiencing what appeared to be embarrassment. Kyrin couldn't help but smile. "You afraid of a bit of gunfire, brothah'?" he asked as he looked over to the new arrival.

He smirked at her reply as he threw the sword over his back once more. "You trying to say that we aren't important syb?" he replied with a sardonic grin. He glanced over at the two sitting near them. He leaned towards sybilla and said in a hushed undertone " Be wary of them don't let your guard down". He then looked at her and holding his hand up made a flame appear in his palm and manipulated it into her shape "what do you think?" he said. As he did the figure swayed and moved as if dancing in his palm as he focused on channeling it.

"Hmm?" Jynmi's eyes didn't open all the way. Only tiny slits from which he could see the stranger talk to him through the corner of his eyes. He'd been so close to finding himself a nap, it was a exercise in reserve for him not to snap. "Well." He tapped his fingers on the cold floor beneath him like a piano player who lost all concern with creating music. "No, I guess not. Guns, aren't really scary. They hurt, a lot of someone takes one to the back of your skull, but for the most part their easy to deal with. It's the bullets spraying, flying through the air like daggers, that's what scares me. Oh!" He perked up a little as if the memory of why he was frightened excited him. "Arrows too, and grenades. Plus heavy artillery, but the ammunition, not the weapons themselves." He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin which was smooth despite not having had a chance to shave in a while. "Guns too, I guess, in a way. They can leave a pretty good smart if someone flings one hard enough and catches you on the temple. Yes. Yes. It looks funny when you see someone throw one on the vids, because its a last resort, but against a person, at least someone like me, it's pretty effective."

The young monk sat up a little straighter and turned more fully towards the young man next to him. "Its a bit of a phobia I have, but I'd like to think it's justifiable, don't you think? Aren't you afraid of getting ripped up so you look like swiss cheese with a bunch of ketchup all over you? "

Kyrin sat on the staircase continuing to look forward. He listened intently as the boy spoke, but he was lost in his own mind as he did so. When the boy mentioned guns being used as weapons, Kyrin couldn't help but smile. After he finished speaking, Kyrin realized he agreed with pretty much everything he had said. "I mean... you're right about the whole chaotic-crossfire deal. Being caught in one of those, where every single muscle movement could cost you your life? That would suck. But at the same time, the nature of my kind is to transcend our biological restraints. So pain, death, and all that? It's no big deal." Kyrin then looked to the boy, "I don't mean to say we're immortal, I'm sure everyone has different fears and all." Kyrin shrugged, "But as far as I can tell, this shouldn't be such a big deal. I mean, I'm no battle-hardened veteran, and with all due respect, you and the others don't look like any either, as intimidating as we look with our shirts off." He said the last bit with a more mocking tone.

"I'm Ky, by the way," Kyrin said with his hand held out towards the newcomer.

The cheap smoke, and shimmering soft glow of a city may be entrancing to others, but Achilles saw nothing in it. He stared higher up, at the endless void of space, ever beckoning him to fade away. Though monks were the ones who meditated most often, Achilles found that the practice helped him stay focused in his goals, and not be distracted by those lesser than him- the peasants who thought that true power was in their dirt and breeze. Achilles knew the only way to surpass the mortals bond to the world was through the void, no matter how difficult the path was. It was for this reason that Achilles held a deep respect for the Orsim. Though tales said they were of origin unnatural, he believed them to be mortals who followed the calling of the Void, only to be driven off the path by terrible luck, or a deck stacked against them.

This was why he never actively hunted the Orsim, or fought against them. In a fight, he would be glad to end the miserable life of one, but not without reason. They had done plenty to wrong his people, the Ascendants in particular, but still, Achilles could not bring himself to hate them any more than anyone else could bring themselves to hate an innocent rabbit. Any crimes they preform, surely it could not be their fault.

These thoughts rushed through his mind in moments, driving him to begin thinking of the 'war' on the Orsim, so to speak. Could it go further? Would he soon be faced with an all out slaughter of the 'Misguided', as he liked to call them. A stinging pain in the back of his head brought Achilles back to reality. He turned, his head lowered as he remembered what he had been doing. A man stood before him, a small rifle in his hands. He looked at Achilles for a moment, obviously disappointed, before he began to speak.

"Achilles, you cannot let yourself get distracted like this. What if this was a real gun?" The man asked, violently shaking the cheap plastic rifle. "You should've listened to us, woven more Sun into your raiments. The Void will consume you, if you don't focus." He said, his voice light, yet still maintaining that stern undertone, of a teacher scolding a disobedient student, a mother disciplining a child. Surely not the tone to use addressing a hero, one who protects the well being of those around. But Achilles silenced that voice quickly. 'No. I am still but a student. Nothing more.' He thought, hating himself for such a weak, childish thought.

"Yes, sir. The advice is much appreciated." He said, bowing slightly." Though the ranks of Ascendants were difficult to properly label, Achilles always paid utmost respect to his elders, especially those with combat experience and expertise. The man before him, by the name of Arius, certainly fit such a bill in Achilles' eyes.

Arius nodded, stepping closer to Achilles. Though Arius had about a dozen years on Achilles, their eyes were almost level. "Now, we will try again. I want you to master Fading by the time-" He spoke gently, before being interrupted by a private communication to him. He listened intently to the device in his ear, before giving a grunt of conformation, and clicking the earpiece off. "Change of plans. Sky Spire Launching Bay." Arius said strictly, folding his arms behind his back. When Achilles didn't immediately go, Arius shouted. "I meant now."

---

After quickly suiting up in his black metal armor, Achilles did not hesitate in his travel, going by the quickest route he knew. When not drifting off, Achilles always did his best to perform tasks with precision. No jokes, no hesitation. Get orders. Execute orders. Get more orders. He had been taught that way, and could think of nothing else but conforming to these rules.

Achilles took swift steps as he entered the area, pausing for a moment in the door. His head did not move, but his eyes shifted around, identifying those in the room. He couldn't say that he recognized any of these people. But then, he didn't get out much. Surveying the room quickly, now ignoring the others, he leaned against the wall, just next to the door. He pulled out his pistol, quickly surveying it, checking the functions, before quickly moving onto his SMG, his hands flying quickly over the machine, moving more by muscle memory than by eyesight.

Arkos was a bit annoyed, he was about to go on a patrol outside the city before he got a message from his superiors to head to the Sky Spire. He was suited up and everything. Giving a grunt of annoyance, Arkos took off his helmet and stepped onto the tram towards the Sky Spire. As the tram moved, Arkos began to do a gear check. He knew that it was all up to snuff but he was bored and literally had nothing better to do. After awhile his stop came and he walked out, nudging slower civilians out of the way as he did so.

As he entered they room, Arkos saw mostly ascendants. "Great, gonna be sent on a mission with a bunch of void brains." With a huff, he went to a secluded portion of the room while they bickered with each other.

“Of course we are not important. We are merely ants in the large scheme of things, replaceable cogs in the machine.” She stared outside at the sky, the light blue color seemingly stretching forever. Cade’s whisper drew her out of her reverie. “I really don’t think we have much to worry about from their direction, Cade. They look….harmless…. but that’s beside the point. We are here for a reason and that reason should be our only worry.” She watched as he held his hand up and smiled at the dancing fire within it. “Is that supposed to be me?” Her attention was turned towards the door when a newcomer entered the doorway, a knight. There was also another man leaning against the door, his dark armor nearly fading into the wall. He’s got to be an Ascendant, she thought. Looking around the room, she could not help but think of what a strange party they all made.

Exhaling Cade extinguished the flame as he stared at her. Smiling he said in a nonchalant tone "you know one day ill get you to dance like that". He looked around observing the others that were here it looked like many of the ascendant had been chosen to come. Contemplating this he said to sybilla In a hushed voice "looks like we have a lot of space heads here. What do you say we show them what real power looks like on this assignment?" he laughed as he said it. He thought it was funny how covering all their armor was I mean what's the fun in combat if your covered head to toe in stuff that keeps you alive? Surveying his own armor he smiled his tone chest was exposed as his gauntlets and greaves covered the rest of him. The only excess things on his armor were his sheath and his fauld which was a midnight black.

As the young Heroes gathered and milled about, they were suddenly cut off from whatever they were doing by a siren and a loud whirring as the great launching bay doors at the end of the room opened. A forceful wind swept through the bay, and as the double doors slide away to reveal an opening, dominated by what was unmistakably a Consortium ship. It hovered outside the door as it opened, nose facing outward, and when the warning sirens cut off it slowly taxied backwards into the bay, extended its landing gear, and lowered itself to the floor gently.

It was a very square, angular vehicle, and not much bigger than the average school bus. The flight wings were folded up to the side, and the lift jets were currently rotated downward to allow for vertical take off and landing. As the rotors whined to a stop, the back hatch opened up and out stepped Lord Vull in full armor. He surveyed the room, noted that the Monks had seen fit to send more Heroes than either of the other Realms. He quietly sought an excuse to remove one from the mission, and his eyes immediately locked on a Monk who apparently felt that being shirtless prepared him for battle.

"You," Vull barked across the bay at him, removing his helmet. "Just what kind of combat gear is that? Do you have no idea where you're going right now? Get out of my sight!" The young Monk opened his mouth to argue, but Vull shouted him down, "I don't want to hear it, if you're still in the Bay in five seconds I'll see you tried for treason!"

As the Monk fled the bay, Vull seemed to calm down instantly. "Alright kiddies, as you know, the heads of the Realms have been considering a fresh wave of requests from states who want Consortium protection. One state in particular, the city of South Haven, has had a sudden change of heart and is now ready to accept fealty to the Protectorate." He paced in front of the gathered Heroes as he talked, helmet under his arm, not looking at them. "There are concerns that their change of heart might be temporary, perhaps brought on by fear of some encroaching threat. We can't accept them into the Protectorate, only to have them refuse the Consortium's Choosing," he faced them, finally, looking between them, but lingering the longest on Arkos.

"This is primarily a recon mission. You are to observe the situation around South Haven. Identify and quantify possible threats to the city-state. And, quietly, to observe their apparent feelings toward your presence. We feel it is necessary to determine whether they are truly willing to accept fealty before we will extend the Protectorate's reach, especially for a state so far below the Last Line. South Haven is outside of our standard communication range. You will be on your own. I expect you to make good decisions and to properly represent the Consortium. Remember that reinforcements are at least three hours away, if things get hairy, you are to retreat back to the Last Line. You have no obligation toward these people. They are not under the Protectorate yet. Don't get sentimental. Any questions?"

After finishing work on his weapons, Achilles had stepped forward to address the group, go into a long speech on how petty they all were, only to be interrupted by the opening of the blast doors. The quick gust of wind almost knocked him off balance, but he hastily recovered, standing in a more attentive position. Adding to his embarrassment, the ship approached him rather quickly, forcing him to quickly reel back, or impede the path of the massive hunk of metal, which didn't seem to want to stop anytime soon.

Achilles was almost disappointed when it was Vull who stepped out, not Holdin. Though he still held respect for such a man, Achilles would still have a difficult time taking the mission seriously, fulfilling it to his best capability, not without it being assigned by his leader. Who did these dirt munchers think they were- But no, it would be all to easy to slip into a spiteful, angry state of mind. Leave that to the Knights. If anyone were to keep a level head, he would have to look past their statuses, and consider them as teammates.

Even as he felt this surge of comradeship, it was all he could do to not laugh out loud at the monk who had been sent away. Even with his concentration bundled up, Achilles let out a small snicker, audible only to those listening in hard. Surely Vull was being too hard on the monk, but still, it was ridiculous. He was almost sad that he wouldn't see the poor monk get shredded to bits by hostile fire. That is, assuming they would be under such enemy fire. Achilles could only hope that they would get some action, better hands on training.

After listening intently to Vull speaking, Achilles took off his faceplate, hanging it off of his chest. It was good for stopping bullets, and speaking over comms, but no link had yet been established, and it would've only muffled his voice. As he opened his mouth to speak, he quickly snapped it shut, rethinking the thought. It would be better to not risk the question being foolish, and him losing respect from the team. So, in a more rhetorical way, to simply show enthusiasm to get started, he spoke, not phrasing the words as a question as much as an exclamation of eagerness.

"When do we start?"

"When do we start?" One of the Ascendants chimed in.

"Right now, this here is your transport."

The other Ascendant raised his hand, "Are we to assume a masked presence? Any sort of stealth? I mean, if we're expected to have any interaction with the people of South Haven, wouldn't it be easier for them to tell the truth of we didn't sell our selves off as heroes from the Consortium, sir?"

"An Ascendant with a tactical mind? Why didn't I snatch you up? Your mission is to gather information, but also to repel a threat if you judge it to be within your squad's power. Your MO is your own choice, just don't cripple yourselves with your stealth. And I do expect a full report including methods and results."

The last question was from a Monk, who raised her hand and asked how long the mission would be.

"As long as it takes. Why, do you have a date coming up? Your transport is equipped with emergency survival gear and supplies for two months. At the end of that time, should you not have returned, we'll send a second party to investigate and lend assistance if need be."

"Now, you may notice you're one Knight short. We have a pair of boots on the ground in the area already. Aurelia Oldin, Arkos, you might remember her from training. She's fallen below comm range, but we're relatively certain she's still alive and in the area. When you come within twenty miles of South Haven, you are to start hailing for her, pick up on her position, and brief her on the mission. I do hope everyone is understood. Get aboard, and get to it."

Vull walked toward the elevator without another word, leaving the young Heroes alone with their transport.

Kyrin nodded and got up as Vull left the premises. He looked to the rest of the squad and sighed. They a obviously had different methods, and Kyrin had already proven himself to be the asshole of the group to the monk who had been meditating. He didn't let it get to him- he would have plenty of time to mesh with his squad mates and understand how they functioned. As his instructor said, he was representing the ascendants - him and the other ascendant, actually. Though the Lord's words did spark a long forgotten question that Kyrin always used to ask himself: "Why am I an ascendant?"

Realizing it wasn't exactly the best time to idle about and question his existence, Kyrin fastened the straps on his twin pistols, ensured his sword/sniper was sheathed properly, and headed towards the shuttle. He smiled; he didn't know how to pilot the thing, but man did he love flying in one. It almost made him jealous of the stories he heard of Monks soaring among the birds. As he entered the aircraft, he immediately found a space to sit and relax. He was still somewhat buzzed and the flight would be a perfect time to get lost in his mind with philosophical bullshit that he subconsciously knew was a bunch of bologne. Besides, he hadn't made the best of impressions, so socializing wasn't something he looked forward to. He just wanted to get the mission over with and get back.