The ride for Gregory was a boring and uneventful one, as far as he knew. Nothing had really happened since the bridge and there was little for him to comment on. He was still displeased about the apparent lack of air support for the mission, but he knew it was too late to complain about it now. Not that anything could have been quickly done in the first place, mind. The Fortress of Arrogance sat silently as Gregory met with Roland. Gregory was unshaken by the similarities between Roland's wrench and his arm. It wasn't uncommon to note such similarities between several dozen types of technology. All that really mattered with tech wasn't how it looked, merely that it preformed it's function well and didn't break at the slightest breeze. This was often a problem with the more fanciful designs of some weapons, since they included a lot of extra pomp and flair rather than keeping everything functional.

Gregory's mechanical arm was currently covered by his powered claw. His eye gleamed slightly in the sunlight provided by being outside and Gregory's coat lazily flapped in the slight breeze provided. Gregory's pistol, loaded and ready to fire with a light flick of the safety, rested gently against his left hip. It was large and bulky, which set it apart from most pistols that had their magazines within the grips and not beneath the barrel, but the extra weight was actually quite helpful due to the large caliber of the handgun. It dwarfed even the ancient Desert Eagle in caliber and needed the extra weight to be fired comfortably. Despite the extra weight, the gun was quite useful to have should someone need to put very large holes in a target, be they human or otherwise.

Upon his right hip, within a protective sheath, lay Gregory's sword. An ancient design of modern construction meant that it rarely saw use in the modern battlefield of firearm dominance. Especially now that mechs were entering the fray the space for having a sword seemed to be shrinking rapidly, even knives were a real rarity in usefulness. Though Gregory kept his sword as both a symbol of office and a last ditch measure. It would be shameful to surrender to the enemy when you still had options to fight, and thus Gregory intended fully to go down fighting rather than throw up his arms and surrender.

But that was merely Gregory's way of doing things, other people likely saw differently and, even though Gregory disagreed, Gregory respected it. It wasn't easy to commit oneself so completely to a fight that all other options other than victory seemed rather inexcusable. Gregory had simply been on the field for so long that surrendering while it was still logical to fight was rather annoying to him.

Nodding at the information that the VIP was packing his belongings, Gregory decided to make a quick introduction. "I am Captain Gregory Fietmaal, and I am currently the field commander of Alpha Team. I have been briefed completely about our mission, including payload. I don't personally like transporting something like this by land, but we didn't have an alternative option. If you have advanced sensors, bring them. My tank has a long range siege cannon-" Gregory stopped for a moment to indicate the hull mounted cannon upon the Fortress of Arrogance before continuing. "And it can engage from long distance, though it obviously needs to know where to aim."

Lowering his arm, Gregory waited to see what Roland would say. Ba'al gave Gregory a questioning ping as he recognized that he was being mentioned, and Gregory answered with an assurance ping that nothing was wrong. Thus, Ba'al didn't command the tank into action just yet. All Gregory could do now was wait for both Roland's response and his teammates to say anything that they would like. Hopefully they could get the mission underway soon, since the longer they were out in the open they more likely a spy or scout could feed information to the Ordo Sanctus.

With a mission like this, speed was key. Thus, the delay provided by the VIP packing his belongings wasn't much appreciated by Gregory, but Gregory knew to hold his tongue on the matter, since an annoyed VIP was a hassle to transport.

Kevin:
- UNF
- UNF Outpost

Kevin had enjoyed the car ride but at the same time was anxious. It was his first mission and felt that if anything, he was the least prepared. He had checked over his machine plenty of times, memorized the report thanks to its brevity, but felt unprepared. A few moments of agonizing over nothing passed and Kevin accepted the cause of his nervousness.

Inexperience.

With that in mind Kevin felt much better and got out when the cars stopped, noticing immediately Roland and was interested in who this man was. Upon approaching and hearing the statement that Roland was an intern, Kevin smiled. Another mind that could help him with the schematics and inventions for TT and possibly other mechs. After Gregory spoke, Kevin took a breath in to calm himself so he could ask his question properly.

"Hello, I am Kevin. I was wondering if after the mission, you, and possibly your professor, would be open to discussion and brainstorming on the topic of new means of energy storage and distribution for Valkanai and sub types of energy systems for similar high functioning machines?"

Kevin asked the question earnestly and without really thinking had a small notebook already in his hands to write down the response. Upon noticing it he turned a bit red from embarrassment, placing the notebook in his pocket.

"Oh, um. I-I guess it would be best to just get to the mission a-as soon as possible and deal with p-personal wants later. . ."

John tried to rest as much as he could on his way to the pick up point of the VIP. If the trip was going to be as dangerous as the commander made it sound, he wouldprobably not have the luxury to sleep later.

After arriving to the base, the young Evans felt slightly calmer. It looked like the people they were supposed to scort were, overal, normal. That's good. It meant they would probably stay under cover in case shit went down, which is always a plus. "Maybe the professor could use some help packing? I'm free to help him move his stuff if he needs to." He offered, seeing how disspleased with the current schedule Gregory was.

When Roland spoke in a hushed tone to Gregory, Gregory merely gave him a weary look and replied in an equally hushed tone. "Believe me when I say that I made the same complaints and recommendations. I have plans to potentially fix this later with some connections I have at home. That's all I'll say about that." The bag wasn't very interesting to Gregory. He knew that it was loaded with tech, but didn't pay it too much heed. It wasn't his charge to fuss over every little detail and thing that Roland decided to carry with him. When Roland decided to move on to speak with Kevin, Gregory merely stood and waited for the VIP to arrive. He seemed rather stoic, though anyone who knew Gregory also know that this was really just routine.

When Professor Valkinai Gregory felt a small sense of relief as the mission would probably be properly underway soon. Gregory quashed his pride at being recognized by Professor Valkinai and returned the handshake. It was nice to be appreciated, but accepting flattery wasn't the most useful thing when you needed to get a mission underway as soon as possible. With Professor Valkinai now present Gregory relayed the same information he told Roland before. "Yes. I am Captain Gregory Fietmaal, current field commander of Alpha Team. I've been briefed about the mission, including payload. I don't personally like land transport, but we don't have many other options." Pausing for a few moments to allow Professor Valkinai to make a statement, Gregory posed a rather important question to Professor Valkinai about the van he was going to use for transport. "Professor, what is the maximum efficient speed of your vehicle? Speed is critical on a mission like this and I don't want to be in any one place for any amount of time. Along with that, I'd like to request that you bring along any advanced sensors you may have, my tank has a long range siege cannon-" Gregory once again stopped to indicate the presence of the large cannon mounted upon the hull of the Fortress of Arrogance before continuing to speak once more. "And I can shell a target from long range with it. The problem lies in target identification and other things of that nature. That would be where having advanced sensors come into play. They will help with target acquisition and identification. As much as I enjoy having free fire orders, I don't really care to shell civilian, allied, or neutral targets."

Gregory once again received a questioning ping from Ba'al, which he once more answered with an assurance ping that Ba'al didn't need to do anything. It used to annoy him that Ba'al would respond to every small motion in it's general direction, but once Gregory had spent time with the AI and learned the reasons why it did the things it did Gregory actually grew to appreciate it. It was nice to have something that was constantly on point and aware of it's surroundings, even if it meant having to constantly reassure the tank that nothing was wrong.

With his questions posed, Gregory could do little but wait now. The armored cart was interesting, and likely either the package that they had to deliver or a part of it. Regardless, Gregory was relieved when Roland moved it into the van. It was going to be a long drive, and hopefully they could get underway soon. Gregory felt the longing for air support once again, but knew that there was no way to acquire it in a reasonable timeframe. All he could do now was wait on others to be ready, then they could begin the mission. Many of his team members likely hoped for action, but Gregory hoped for boredom. A boring mission was easy to complete. A mission full of action and combat encounters, while thrilling, was a logistical headache since one had to keep track of energy levels, ammunition reserves, vehicle or valkinai condition, and other nuances that could make or break a battle.

It was better to burn fuel and time than to burn through ammunition and energy and be left overall defenseless. Few of the younger pilots recognized this, which is why people like Gregory were usually assigned to guide them in the hopes that one day they would come to understand the full scale of combat and how it was much more than bringing a big gun to the front lines and hoping it worked. Regardless of his personal feelings, all Gregory could do now was wait. Thus, wait he did.

Aura quietly let the group ask their questions, after a moment she added "Fall out when you're done asking questions and come find me in the hangar for the tactical level briefing." At that, Aura gave a crisp salute to Commander Hale before falling out and walking over to the Longshot to begin planning. She already had an idea about how to play this, an infiltration team and an assault team, but the question became who to put where. Neil was a shoe-in for assault, and Aura would definitely go infiltration herself given her time on the ground, but Yaz and the newbie..they were more unknown. However, walking into the hangar, Aura laid eyes on her new blood and knew, beyond any doubt, where they were going. Cadet Jindaal was a name she'd heard a time or two, she'd known he would come at some point. One of the brightest cadets with one of the old, hardened veterans was basically a shoe in, and the hope had been Aura could make Jindaal into a soldier. She'd dreaded this duty since it came down from on high, however, as newbies were definitely a curse on the battlefield.

Seeing the cadet saluting with his machine behind him, Aura knew first impressions were key and endeavored to make one befitting an officer her status, which wasn't hard. Thoroughly unimpressed by his candor, and his machine, she barked "At ease cadet. So, you're the rookie I've been sent eh?" Looking him over, he had a bastardized ground-pounder's kit mixed with pilot's gear, and Aura couldn't help but curse supply. Give a pilot kit like that and he'll forget his role, think he's out there to slay bodies with a rifle and not a Valkinai. Halting right in front of him, she continued "Cadet Jindaal, I've been expecting you. Now, I'm told you're the top of your class, and I've no doubt you've heard a thing or two about me, so let me be blunt. I'm sure you're filled with pride, confidence, hungry to prove your competence. Let me tell you now that you need to swallow all of that, because academy doesn't tell shit about how you'll act in real battle. You will not engage unless I say so, you will not pursue the enemy unless I say so, and above all you WILL break contact the moment I give the word. This is because, Cadet, know that you may die from even the smallest error, and if I'm around to do it, I'll die so you don't have to. Now, since I'm in no hurry to die, that means you aren't to fuck up."

Her schpiel out of the way, Aura released a sigh and visibly relaxed, extending her hand to Jay, saying "Welcome to my squadron, Jin. If you've got as much potential as I'm assured you do, you'll pick this up before long. You'll be part of the emergency assault team for this coming op with Neil, you'll be his battle buddy and he'll be yours, so make sure to get to know each other." At that, Aura waited for the rest of the team to arrive before presenting her briefing

Jay let his hand fall and was introduced to the infamous Captain Aura. Her harsh words and matter of fact, brusque tone was nothing new to him. The drill instructors in training had a much louder voice and more colorful vocabulary. Jay noticed her almost disapproving glance at his attire and wondered if she though his gear unnecessary or possibly him trying to emulate an infantry soldier. He regretted accepting the extra protection but was pleasantly surprised when the captain offered her hand. He shook the captain's hand and gave a little smile, not saying anything. He looked to his appointed battle buddy, Neil. He was, average, to say in the least. He was fit and not unattractive, but he didn't exactly stand out. Jay gave his battle buddy a solemn but polite nod, the little smile he afforded Captain Aura not being directed at Neil.

Jay quickly scanned his eyes over the other pilot, Yaz. She was, at least in Jay's opinion, very attractive. But while Neil had the aura of social dominance and Jay himself had the aura of social etiquette, Yaz gave Jay a...confused, almost awkward vibe. For some reason, Jay had always been very skilled at reading people, just watching how they hold themselves and go about their lives. Realizing that he had been staring for a few moments, he turned slightly red and directed his attention towards the captain, hoping the woman hadn't notice his silent analyzing.

Jay listened to the officer's battle plan. It wasn't very complicated. Yaz and Aura would infiltrate the facility and on the signal or after 5 minutes of silence, Neil and himself tear shit up. It was a kind of plan he can get behind and he was eager to see what Fury could do against enemy fortifications and installments. He said in his deep but elegant voice in response to her question of clarity "Yes, Ma'am."

@Deadnaut@Kyrisse@POOHEAD189

Neil slipped away as silently as a mouse while Commander Hale did her duty. Despite his ability to make things go explode, and messing up plans, he can move fluidly and without sound when need be. It was the mark of a troublemaker for him to get into and out of places in order to actually cause trouble.

However, it seemed that his expertise would be used in other ways. Oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles. He would expect he'd have just as much fun gunning things down as he would slipping in unnoticed to mess up the UNF's day. He always felt like he was one-upping one of his old teachers in school when fighting the UNF, which was just a delicious feeling.

Speaking of delicious...

Neil popped in some teriyaki beef jerky into his mouth as he was further briefed by Aura, chewing greedily. His eyes caught the new soldier guy. Neil gave him a fierce grin when he was given a nod. "Seems if things go crazy, me and you are going in balls deep." Neil said, matter of fact through the food in his mouth. The turn of phrase might have been lost on others, but he mostly meant they'd go into assault fast and forceful. He held a finger up. "I have not gone balls deep in waaaay too long. Hopefully we uh, get a chance for that."

---

When it was time to assemble, Neil closed up 189's repaired spots and climbed up his Valk and hopped into the cockpit. It looked like an old car interior, to anyone who bothered to check. The seat was comfortable, and he popped open a cold soft drink beverage as he awaited instructions. If he had been wearing a uniform, now was the time for him to take it off and put on some real clothes, or go shirtless. Luckily, he'd already climbed in wearing a hardrock T-shirt.

"Alright boys and girls," he said over the comm. "Let's get ready to fumble."

When Yazmin got her answer from Commander Hale, she nodded and asked no more. Donovan Mars. Meeting this man will be inevitable and she'll know soon enough why his name sounds vaguely familiar. Given, of course, that I'm assigned to the infiltration team. If not, well then, I won't be able to find out... When she thought about it, it really didn't matter...or at least, she'd like to think that it didn't matter. The reason why this man's name was familiar to her was probably because she was from UNF before. That was it. Nothing else. All the important people in her artificially made life were no longer of this world anyway. Or was there some reason why his name sounded familiar? Is it plain curiosity?

Still mulling over the scientist's identity, she gave the Commander a salute and as soon as she acknowledged, she turned and headed towards the hangar.

She sought out Captain Aura and waited for her briefing, watching in silence as she welcomed the new addition to their team. It wasn't the friendliest or the warmest welcome but it made sense and was well placed. Hearing it made her think back to the time when she first arrived at the Ordo base. The welcoming committee was most definitely not welcoming. And most of the people were hostile towards her.

---

"Why would a UNF pilot defect? She's a spy, I tell you. I say we find out what she knows and then do away with her. If she's not executed, we'll have only a few days... hell, probably less than a day for this base to be ran over completely. I don't even know why they're letting her live. I mean, what? Is she gonna be fighting for us? That's bullshit. It's obvious that she's a spy. Girl was just stupid enough to walk in here in a UNF uniform."

"Reverse psychology, man. She probably thought that walking in here wearing that uniform would convince everyone that she really deserted UNF. And I agree. We need to get rid of her immediately. We should go to the Commander. Petition for her early execution. I hope it'll be me who get to pull the trigger. Pay back for the family I lost to the UNF scums."

Yazmin had looked over to the two men conversing loud enough for her to hear. Was she supposed to be scared that these people wanted her dead? Was that the right emotion for this situation? Should she resist if it came to it? Should she try to escape? Even though she was completely surrounded by Ordo people, she had no doubt that she can escape execution, she had her rigorous training in the UNF to thank for that.

Something to thank UNF for, at least.

She sighed inwardly. But it's also thanks to the UNF that I might actually end up dead where I stand here today. Or should she accept the fate she had walked into? She knew the repercussions of walking into an enemy base very well. On her way to this base, she had thought long and hard about it. Should she join in the opposing faction? Or should she just hide out somewhere nobody knew her and try to live out her life as normally as she could? But then, what was normal? Nothing about her was normal. Would she fit in? Would people accept her? Would the death of her family let her stay hidden and silent for long?

After a while, the need to exact revenge for the death of her family took precedence and she found herself heading towards the direction of the base even before she had made up her mind.

The people of Ordo would most probably have her head. It didn't really sound so bad. If she died, then she'd be reunited with her family.

The thought brought about a completely different string of confusing thoughts. Reuniting with her family of clones.

Did all of them even have souls?

The two men met her gaze, equally. Both men's gaze were filled with murderous hatred. If the Captain hadn't issued the order to leave her alone, one of them would have probably pulled the trigger the moment she stepped into the room.

The shorter of the two shivered unconsciously under Yazmin's dull stare.

"Ugh. She gives me the creeps. Looking into her eyes gives me the impression that there's nothing there. An empty shell. I can't wait to be relieved of this guard duty," The shorter man looked away and he lowered his voice but not enough for his words to escape Yazmin's hearing. He turned to the taller man beside him. "By the way, I know you could be relaxing by now, given that they run you ragged from doing all those maintenance work on the Valkinais but thanks for keeping me company, dude."

Empty shell...Am I an empty shell?

---

Yazmin's thoughts shifted back to the last time she was in the UNF laboratories. The day her father, brothers and sisters were killed.

---

"These things... these clones don't have souls. They're empty husks, built to blindly follow whatever commands we give them. They exist for that sole reason and nothing else. And when we decide that they die, then they die. They're not even permitted to flinch when we deliver that last blow." A harsh laughter came from Candice, the female UNF soldier Yazmin always thought had been nice to her. She stood in the spilled blood of her scientist father. "And this man had been playing god for too long it's getting scary," she pointed her gun at the still body of the scientist.

---

Yes, a very warm welcome for an empty husk indeed, Yazmin thought a little sarcastically. Sarcasm wasn't difficult to learn, especially in the situations she continuously found herself in. Fortunately, it took only a few weeks for the people to start warming up to her despite her lackluster social skills. Of course, there were still some who preferred to avoid her but most of them were comfortable enough to at least talk to her once in a while. A handful even took the effort to actually hold lengthy conversations with her. She never really expect to make friends in the base, but she most certainly appreciated the occasional hi, hello or good morning. It did her heart some good.

She turned her attention to the newest addition to their team, her thoughts earlier making her miss the way he had stared at her. She, however, noted how his face turned slightly reddish. But she immediately attributed it to perhaps excitement for the upcoming mission. He was, after all, fresh out of training. This time around, it was her turn to study him. He was easily the tallest and the most built in the team and the Valkinai behind him was huge and obviously designed for destruction. Having him around would definitely make their odds of succeeding in the mission higher.

She would have continued analyzing him and trying to deduce his personality from the way he looked (she found it entertaining to do so, especially in a place with such a diverse population) but the Captain's words made her set it aside for now.

Hearing that she was to be in the infiltration team, her thoughts shifted back to the scientist. Donovan Mars. I'll get to sate my curiosity, after all, she thought to herself and then brought up a mental image of the base. While the lay out they had been provided seemed to coincide with the image in her head, she hoped that it hadn't changed so much since the last time she was there. That'll definitely make it easier for them to finish the mission without the real need for any casualties. A flawless victory, as Neil had said.

Balls deep.

Did that mean the same thing as victory? Yazmin blinked, the phrase unfamiliar to her, turning her ever curious eyes towards Neil again. It was curious, the way he spoke. She made a mental note to familiarize herself with it later on when she gets the chance.

---

When the time came for the mission to start, Yazmin was ready. She made sure that her Glock 17 was loaded and her karambits sharpened, sheathed and strapped onto her legs. Ordine was ready too, well maintained by one of the men who had insisted she be executed just a few weeks ago.

"Take care out there and get back home safely." The man's name was Lance. He gestured towards Ordine. "Ordine's revved up and ready to go."

"Thank you, Lance. I'll do my best." Yaz responded in the most pleasant way she can. Lance did come a long way from hating her to wishing her safety on a mission. She appreciated it. Once in a while, she could still see the telltale sign of mistrust in his eyes but his words made her want to do her best.

Lance nodded and stepped aside.

Maybe having friends wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Yazmin smiled.

No matter how many times Aura did this, it never got easier. After dismissing her pilots, Aura retreated to her quarters for an hour, and spent much of that hour staring at the locker on her wall. Contained within was her gear, now on perpetual issue from supply, remaining from the days she spent entirely on the battlefield. Aura knew if she opened that locker, she'd have to confront all that the gear within entailed. Nobody had seen her strap this gear on for years, not since she last put foot to ground as a grunt, and that was really for a good reason. This uniform, that armor, symbolized a lot of dead men and women, but Aura had little choice but to suit up, after all she owed it to her pilots and herself to maximize her odds of survival. Opening the locker, Aura gingerly ran her fingers over the fabric of the uniform and the armor that formed part of her ensemble. Soft, well-maintained camouflaged fabric, as well as kevlar and ceramic trauma plates, all passed beneath her fingers as she inspected the gear. Tucked into a pocket of her uniform, Aura found an aging photograph of a much younger version of herself, taken by a frightened UNF correspondent as she and her men swept over a UNF compound. Running her fingers over it, Aura was reminded of her men again, the ones who had somehow acquired this photo and gifted it to her, and she couldn't help but think back on them. Doing so made her undeniably nostalgic, and in her minds eye she flashed back to a different place, a different time.





Aura shook her head, clearing it of the memories with a wistful smile. Matthias had been a good XO, and had been surprisingly accepting of being ordered about by a woman younger than him, though likely only because she had more combat experience than he had. She was pretty sure Matthias had become a Major by now, he always had a talent for tactics and strategy, and Matthews was now a grizzled Sergeant with his own squad. This line of thought inevitably soured her otherwise happy face, however, as she was forced to remember the ones from that very squad who were no longer living. Paladin 1-3, a young Cadet called Amanda Skarv, had died under Aura's own command a short four months after that operation, and Fredericks had died as a Sergeant defending a position per then-Lieuteant Aura's orders. That was the part of command Aura didn't much care for, the knowledge that her own men were dead, and that she'd sent them places knowing they could die.

At last clearing these memories from her mind. Aura pulled on her old gear, vest finding its place with her headset being carefully lowered into position. Following this, she went to supply and drew her ammo for this op, along with a suppressor for her rifle. The PHP was a personal sidearm, and so no suppressor was available for it from the quartermaster. With her gear ready, and Longshot still under the tender ministrations of the maintenance crew, Aura had little left but to hurry up and wait. Thankfully, the time passed in a hurry, and Aura found herself entering the hangar thirty minutes before launch time to prepare. Noticing Yaz over by Ordine, Aura ambled over and noted the tech she was talking to. The tech was semi-familiar to her, she was pretty sure he had a buddy who was a grunt and that was why she felt she oughta know him. After all, she and the grunt population of the base were well acquainted, and so she knew most of their friends. Again clearing these thoughts, she came to a halt a few paces behind Yazmin. Predictably, techs popped into salute, and Aura just as quickly ordered "At ease!"

Turning her attention to her battle buddy for this operation, Aura gave a relaxed grin and said "Alright Yaz, we'll be watching each others' asses in there, so we need to stay high speed. I don't doubt you'll be able to keep the pace an old-timer like me sets. On that note, we're weapons tight in the facility, no trigger pulling unless I give the word. If we get made, well...I'd rather not be trapped in the middle of a UNF outpost with low ammo. Any last minute questions, comments or concerns?"

@Kyrisse@Musaki Hajime@POOHEAD189@The Survivor

Jay barely slept, he tried to but all he got were short naps. He was too amped up, too excited. Aura's advice kept going over in his head, he wouldn't disappoint her. He was in the barracks, a combination of beds, sleeping bags, and hammocks. Jay was able to snag a hammock, which wasn't too bad. The barracks here was smaller than the ones in training, the whole facility was small, the hangar being the largest part of the base. It was obvious this place was only a temporary solution, all OS personnel ready to move at a moment's notice. He dug in his bag and took out a photo of his family, staring at it for a few moments. He hadn't spoken to them in nearly two years. He shook his head and put back in his duffel bag, turning over in his hammock. He couldn't afford to get distracted.



A few sleepless hours later, Jay suited up. He adorned the pauldron and knee pads assigned by supply, grateful now for the protection should his cockpit be breached. He slammed his 1911 into its thigh holster and made sure his knife was securely in place on the left breast. He considered covering the OS Valk symbol on his uniform but dismissed it with an arrogant little smile, he wanted the enemy to know exactly who he was if caught. Jay made his way into the hangar about an hour before anyone else and began to prep Fury. He nodded to the various soldiers and technicians making their way in and to his fellow teammates, catching sight of Neil he managed a smile at him and chuckled to himself as he passed, thinking of his balls deep statement. It was nice to have a joker on the team to lighten the grimness of the Captain and other pilot. Jay himself wasn't a grim person, despite his demeanor. He was just quiet, he appreciated a light tone. After making sure Fury was set and ready to go, he looked to Neil, who was climbing into his own Valk. He climbed into Fury and booted her up. Jay engaged communications stating "This is Cadet Jindaal, requesting the callsign of each pilot. Mine is Skull, as designated by Ordo Sanctus Battle Command." Knowing it would be quite a trip, he slid in a holo-disc into the player he secretly had installed. The system shut off when communications were engaged, but it was nice to listen to something other than the many noises of Fury.



@Deadnaut@Kyrisse@POOHEAD189

Kevin:
- UNF
- UNF Outpost

Kevin was delighted momentarily and then soon became ecstatic at the sight of their valuable personnel. Within a few moments Kevin had questions whirling around in his mind and approached. As he came closer, so did the gravity of the situation. They were in dangerous territory and all he could bring himself to thing about was what to do in order to make a better machine. It began to infuriate him and when he got to the professor he had to take a few deep breaths before speaking. A few moments passed with his mouth open until Kevin closed his eyes and gripped his hand.

"There are so many things I want to talk with you about and brainstorm with, but I will wait until after we have secured both you and the package. Afterwards I hope you will be alright with speaking on the terms of new and possibly unorthodox blueprints of valkanais."

That being done Kevin sped off, looking somewhat frustrated that the situation forced him to hold off his questions till later. It was probably for the best since it would focus Kevin more on the mission at hand. Kevin then went off to help with securing the package and then back to his Mech. Some gut feeling Kevin had told him that things would not go well.

The time given to them to prepare for the mission, Yazmin spent it alone with her thoughts. She had been trained to always be prepared for battle, always on call, ready to sacrifice if need be. That was standard programming for UNF pilots... Or was it standard programming for clones?

"These things... these clones don't have souls. They're empty husks, built to blindly follow whatever commands we give them. They exist for that sole reason and nothing else. And when we decide that they die, then they die. They're not even permitted to flinch when we deliver that last blow."

She stared out of the window and into the sky.

What does it mean to have a soul? What IS my reason for existing? Will I really not flinch in the face of death? There were so many questions in her head. Questions that won't be answered any time soon.

She removed her glasses and closed her good eye, leaving her left eye open and staring up at the sky. While she could still see the sky, her vision was blurred. It was a genetic defect she was born with. All clones had them except for Claire. She was the first and the best, with no flaws and no defects. But what good was it to be perfect when she ended up dead in the hands of people she served? She continued looking up at the blurred sky and wondered if it was better that way--not being able to fully understand her purpose but existing to do as she was told. She opened her good eye and everything became clearer, became more focused. Was it better to have a purpose? Yes, my purpose is to exact revenge for my family. And to find out why I was created in the first place.

With that thought, she got up and headed back to the hangar.

---

The smile Yazmin gave Lance was returned by a tentative smile. He had a nice smile and he seemed like a nice guy. A potential friend, maybe? She was still thinking about how it would be to have a friend when the tech stood at attention, his hand automatically saluting. Yazmin, herself, automatically stood at attention, turned and saluted Captain Aura as she walked towards them.

When the mission leader grinned at her, Yazmin dropped her hand, smiled back and nodded. "My UNF uniform..." she looked down at what she was wearing. "...would at least buy us time when we need it. It hasn't been long since I left UNF. I doubt they would have changed the uniforms by then," she paused thoughtfully. "A disadvantage would be that all personnel would have been informed of my defecting. So having me around would prove either beneficial or detrimental." She shook her head. "Be it as it may, I am seeing this mission through to its successful end."

With those words and with her captain's leave, Yazmin removed her glasses and tucked it into the hard case strapped on her left hip opposite the holster of her Glock 17. She wore her headgear, the prism lens automatically positioning itself over her defective eye, making her vision on said eye superior to her good one. Without a word, she climbed into her Valkinai, settling comfortably into the pilot seat. Her monitors immediately turned on, giving her a wide range of view of the hangar.

In the pilot seat, she was in full control. Ordine was her and she was Ordine.

"This is Cadet Jindaal, requesting the callsign of each pilot. Mine is Skull, as designated by Ordo Sanctus Battle Command."

At Cadet Jindaal's prompt, Yazmin spoke into Ordine's communicator which was redesigned for Ordo's frequency. "This is Yazmin Miraj in Ordine. Callsign: Four."

As the guards lead Aryo through the halls to where he would be meeting with both the Professor and the UNF personnel assigned to the convoy as escorts, the assassin considered what they could be like. He had, of course, met the Professor on several occasions, him being one of Aryo's main contacts within the UNF for various jobs, but the people he'd be working with were unproven. Well, so long as there's the usual military restraint that I'm familiar with when working with the UNF, I'm not too concerned about it. Besides, it's a convoy job. These things are never exciting.

The doorway to the garage where the convoy and it's official escorts were, the amount of red tape that Aryo had found waiting for him for this job surfaced in his memory again and not for the first time today he questioned what was so important that they'd require his silence and if the reward was even worth it. Ultimately, however, he decided that the pay was worth it since he would never see it. The guards lead the way into the garage and Aryo managed to just barely catch the end of what the Professor was saying before Roland spoke up.

"Yes, this is Aryo Jameson, the specialist we were expecting. Granted there was some red tape he needed to get through to be placed here, but better late than never, Eh Captain?" he chuckled. The guards gave a crisp salute, and then about face and march away, leaving the silver armor clad assassin to appraise the pilots in front of him. After a moment, Aryo broke the silence.

"Alright, so, as Roland said, my name is Aryo Jameson, something of a specialist in the mercenary field. Typically I provide long range over-watch or close-quarters mastery. I can sneak up on a man and have him dead before he realizes it. How? Well, now you see me," the mimetic paint on the armor kicks in and Aryo vanishes from the sight of the others, his voice managing to echo slightly in the garage, "and now you don't. Mimetic paint, usually used as a back up camouflage system or for longer sittings in the field." Reappearing next to the Professor, he listens to comments and other introductions before Roland speaks.

"I think it would be best if Aryo entered one of the Trucks, perhaps with the Professor?" Roland queried. He obviously wanted to give him the best protection there could be and to be honest, Aryo didn't mind.

"That sounds good to me. Shall we?"

Gregory gave a slight scowl as Aryo appeared. Having a freelance mercenary on an operation like this was a security risk since they could theoretically change sides at any given moment. When Aryo's mimetic paint kicked in, Gregory's scowl deepened. His eye gave a brief shimmer as it switched it's visible spectrum and Aryo lit up like a small sun as his thermal signature was picked up. Gregory shut the feature off as Aryo reappeared. It gave him a headache to use it for more than a few moments and it's short range didn't make it viable for long range threat targeting. Thus, it was rarely used except in certain cases. Like this one.

With everyone apparently about to be ready to go Gregory turned to his own team and said. "Alright. Suit up and get into standard convoy formation. I'll take point and lead." With that, Gregory gave an informal salute with his left hand. It was tradition to salute with your right, but since Gregory's right hand was currently covered by a powered claw, it was better to not look a fool trying to salute with it. Dropping the salute, Gregory moved to The Fortress of Arrogance and hopped aboard. With a command ping he told Ba'al to load weapons and marked the starting position of the convoy chain. With a compliance ping received several thunks and clicks were heard as weapons were loaded. They were rather muted by being outside but still audible if you were close enough.

The Fortress of Arrogance's engine roared to life and Gregory felt the tank move beneath him as it gently moved into position at the head of where the convoy was going to be formed. It was likely that the other trucks were already in position and had likely been parked there ahead of time. When Gregory reached his position, he had Ba'al shut off the engine to retain fuel. It could be started in a moment's notice, and thus shutting it off hurt nothing.

Gregory taking the point position wasn't him forcing his rank on everyone, but rather a case of him needing a position like that thanks to the siege cannon mounted on his tank. If he fired it from anywhere but the point position, the risk of damaging friendly units with the blast came into play. Thus, to minimize the risk of collateral damage, Gregory took point. It was also arguably safer since his tank was built with extreme durability in mind and could likely take more hits than some of the more fragile Valkinai present.

Regardless of that, Gregory was back to waiting once more. He never minded the waiting, since it was better to be a little tardy than to show up with half the guard dead due to a rushed plan. Caution was key, and avoiding having to deal with the paperwork and demotions that often followed a critical mission failure was always a nice feature. Either way, Gregory had nothing more to do now than wait once again. Gregory kept his eyes on the horizon, watching for anyone trying to sneak up on them.

John sighed with some degree of relief after seeing the Doctor himself. He felt more... relaxed than he imagined. Also glad to hear they were going to have slightly more backup than just themselves, even if not much any and all help would be great...

Then a new person arrived. A 'specialist' that could turn invisible. Great, that was going to make his instincts be all over the place. He only hoped it would remain an ally, fighting enemies you can't see is never a fun bet. "Captain, would you mind if I drive the vehicle the VIP is in? That way we can have direct contact at all times." he asked to Gregory.

Gregory was halfway to The Fortress of Arrogance when John asked his question. He stopped on a dime as he heard it, his momentum being dissipated by a brief balancing act upon his left foot. Turning to face John Gregory looked about the area briefly as he checked to see if John had brought a Valkinai with him, or any personal vehicle capable of combat. When Gregory found that answer to be a solid. "No." His anger bloomed. He didn't mention it, since chewing out team members was something he liked to avoid doing, but curtly spoke instead. "Yes. Ride with the VIP. Inform me if anything goes wrong."

If nothing else was spoken, Gregory would once more turn to The Fortress of Arrogance and resume his original plan to take the head of the convoy. Unless he was interrupted again, a few moments later he would be standing atop The Fortress of Arrogance and waiting at the head of the convoy for the mission to begin. Why someone was dispatched without a Valkinai or other vehicle to use Gregory didn't know, but it was quite aggravating. Thankfully, Gregory could just toss John with the VIP to add even more security there, which alleviated his anger a bit. Gregory would likely have a talk with the captain later about having John given a mech or other vehicle of some capacity.

Gregory needed everyone to be at their best combat capability. Allowing for gaps is what caused critical mission failures.

@POOHEAD189@Valor@Hell Coos@Zarkun

Kevin:
- UNF
- UNF Outpost

"Truly my boy? Certainly, I did not know any of your pilots were scientists yourselves! Hopefully when this is all through, we can discuss such things. It is something I tend to ramble on, I dare say."

Kevin internally freaked out and for a moment opened his mouth as if to scream before closing his jaws and taking a few deep breaths. With that Kevin smiled and walked to the professor happily.

"I am elated to hear so. I have a lot of ideas I would adore to brainstorm with you. Although firstly would have to be the energy containment and distribution systems of Valkanai. Namely in the idea of a system that could operate in multiple different Valkanai suits and would not be limited to make of suits. I bring this up first since the Valkanai I made has an energy system of my design, but since it is inside a creation from parts of multiple generations it is not able to stay at maximum output safely. Also it takes longer to charge. I just want to first bounce around ideas to make my creation more optimized while possibly making a new energy system. One that could be used with other power systems and reduce risk from one core's failure."

With that out of his system momentarily Kevin remembered the mission and waved to Aryo with a smile.

"Hello Aryo, pleasure to have you on our side. Maybe after the mission you could possibly help me develop a new stealth system based on the one you have."

Kevin seemed almost like a child and waited to hear the professors' response before going back to his Valkanai in order for the mission to continue forwards. No use making everyone wait too long on him, but still it would be amazing to have longer conversations with the professor, so much knowledge to gain, so little time.