[IC] Galaxy at War: Tales of the Crimson Legion

[Arthanus]

-[Legions End, Briefing room, Paylia IV Space port Docking bay 17:00 local time]-

With the entire crew gathered Jason stood at the head of the briefing table getting ready to start going over the mission. "Alright everyone, our mission today is simple, we have four targets to eliminate they are known as the "Four Horsemen" and lead a gang called "Rapture" apparently they are trying to play at some religious cult that originated on Earth. But anyway, this Rapture group is absorbing each and every gang on the planet and it is getting to much for the local government to handle. Seeing this Rapture group as a threat the SSA has hired us to move in and cut the heads off of this snake. We have four targets and will be payed for each confirmed kill." Jason explained. "Now out targets are the following, Death is the chemist of the Four Horsemen. Death is Rapture's dealer of dangerous narcotics and powerful steroids and is responsible for many deaths during his drug's refinement process. Famine is the head behind the extortion and government corruption that is done by Rapture. Famine's tight grip is bleeding the planet's civilians dry as well as pulling funding from the planetary security. War is the muscle behind Rapture. An ex-Black-ops operative who now trains and equips the ground soldiers of Rapture. They now easily overpower the local piece keepers and are on their way to controlling the planet. Conquest is the mastermind behind Rapture, aside from being the true leader of Rapture he is also leads not only the planet, but the entire sectors human trafficking ring. Above all else Conquest is our primary target because with his death the others will fall apart in a power struggle." He listed the targets, and as he did their pictures came up as a hologram on the table.

Once the targets were listed Jason stood there for a bit waiting for any comments from the team. "Alright so lets get down to business, Our sources say that the Four Horsemen are set to have a meeting here," He said as a skyscraper appeared on the holo table, "This is the Lucky Devil Casino. It is owned by Conquest and is used as their central base of power. The top 15 floors are bared off from guests and that is where most of their business is preformed. Our sources say that the Four Horsemen will be having a meeting somewhere in these 15 floors tonight. This is our best shot to get all four of these guys in one sweep so we are going to take our chances and hit them tonight." he explained before going into the details of the mission. "So in order to get rid of these bastards we will be splitting into two teams. The first team will be in charge of infiltration. The infiltration team's job will be to find the buildings Security room and plant Genesis' new toy that will allow Chimera to hack into almost every system in the Casino. From there Chimera will locate the Four Horsemen. From there the Infiltration team will retreat to the parking garage and wait for further orders. Once the Four Horsemen are located team two, the Assault team will launch their attack. The Assault team will be air dropped onto the roof of the Casino, from their they will clear off the roof and head down to the Horseman's position eliminating any enemy combatants in the way. If needed the Infiltration team will reenter the casino and assist the Assault team. Now I won't accept any civilian casualties in this mission so if the fight comes down to the public areas watch your shots." Jason said before making his way to an open chair, "Now with all that done, are there any questions before Chimera gives out your assignments?" He asked while sitting down.

[BingTheWing]

"Yeah, sir." A young man that looked like he was full of energy a few minutes earlier was now seated at the front, legs up on a hovering table and chewing god knew what. He had barely managed to keep awake during the commander's speech and had completely zoned out during the first part of the briefing. Blah blah blah Death blah blah. Mmkay. Air drop. Pfft. He could do much more than that. He'd piloted a X-185 with only 40% structural integrity into the heart of a Harovii Battle Starship's Hangar and blown the whole thing apart. And now he was reduced to an air drop. It was outrageous. Bloody ankle. He briefly glared at his right ankle, which he had never forgiven for getting himself permanently injured and unable to sprint. Yet maybe there was one thing he could do. "Am I allowed to sweep the windows?" Please, please yes. If no? What an exciting second mission.

[GingerBoi123]

Ogre sat at the far end of the table, towering everyone else by at least a head. Ogre was looking forward to this contract. Four kills that will be in one room? Walk in the park. A gang defending them? Even better for Ogre. However he had a few questions that the others may have. The new and fairly young pilot spoke first, asking about something like a strafe run or whatnot. After Ace answered the pilot, Ogre stood up. "Sir, I also have questions. Firstly, what are the entrance points for each team? If the pilot could get close enough, I suggest we go in from the sides. If Genesis and Chimera can infiltrate the specific floor where we get our data we woukd have a bigger time window." Ogre said while highlighting the top 15 floor's windows on the hologram. "Also, who are in the teams?" He finished and looked up to Ace after studying the hologram.

[ayzrules]

Vanessa, or Mare, listened attentively as Ace debriefed the group on the latest development. She sat towards the middle of the large table, fiddling with the ends of her hair-a nervous habit of hers that she was desperately trying to get rid of.
I should really stop doing that, she mused. I'll get it cut off later. She silently admonished herself for getting so distracted while Ace was talking. She looked back towards the front at the holograms that sprang to life, studying the Four Horsemen. As her other team members asked questions, she leaned back against her chair, her eyes flitting around the room, taking in the other people. Though she was a new member of the team, it hadn't taken her long to memorize their names and match it with faces. She'd always known that she had an uncanny knack for memorizing useless information.
When Ogre asked his last question, she spoke.
"Yes, I have that same question. Who are in the teams?"

[Konica]

Garbed in simple red robes and a hood-like headress, Acacia sat opposite Mare at the table. Her long red hair was neatly combed and maintained and she wore scarlet red lipstick, her appearance only reinforced the fact that she was basically a nun. Although nuns in her religion are radically different than in traditional old cultures. On the back of her robes and on her silver pendant the symbol of a rose was proudly displayed. If the people of her homeworld or anyone currently a follower of the Order of the Rose saw her dressed the way she is, they would probably kill her. Years ago she was branded a heretic and excommunicated. What they say is true, you either die pious or live long enough to see yourself become a heretic.

Acacia was not pleased with working for the SSA, but taking down the Rapture groups takes precedent over her grudge against the SSA. Other than that the mission was right up her ally: a group of heathens conveniently gathered in one building ready to be purged. Her first reaction was to destroy the entire building, place explosives throughout the structure and let gravity do the rest. Unfortunately Ace thought there would be civilians in the building, making the mission much more complicated and difficult.

[xxTripwire]

Genesis surveyed his crewmates as they arrived at the briefing table, dark eyes tracking each one as they took a seat. As per the usual, he had arrived before most of the others and sat silently, one knee drawn up to his chest, his hands clasped around it. He was clad in his charcoal-coloured armor, leaving only his hands and his head exposed. Isabella, his sniper rifle, leaned against his chair.

Giving a slight nod of acknowledgement to the others as they sat, Genesis nudged a device further onto the long metallic table. Jason had asked him to bring it, though he had not yet learned exactly why - but he could guess. It was a project he had been working on for some time now, using free moments here and there until he had developed an curious little gadget. He had never been a strong programmer, he was not overly adept when it came to hacking or manually overriding systems, and he couldn't hold a neodymium solar candle to the synergy Chimera possessed with machines. Genesis knew this, but he also knew that even Chimera, talented as he was, needed a leg up from time to time.

That's when Genesis had developed the idea. While he wasn't a powerhouse with computers - he did understand them. He understood how an override worked; it was just, left to him, slow work while he trial-and-error'ed his was through. Really, if one understood how something worked, there was always a way to manipulate it. Always. In this case, it was just a simple matter of deploying a device that would attach itself to system, bury through files into the registry, and send a signal back to Chimera, allowing him remote access to whatever he wanted from wherever he wanted. If he could create a device that could take temporary control and allow Chimera access -- well, there was great promise in it. He didn't recall having told anyone about it, but he was hardly surprised. Jason seemed to be omniscient when it came to the goings on of his crew.

Turning his attention to their commander as he spoke, Genesis felt a small flare of anger rise in his chest, though his expression did not belie his feelings. He had a sneaking suspicion that they would have to take another SSA mission soon. He knew it was for betterment, for progress - for a greater good...nevertheless, his heart sank each time he heard it announced in a debriefing. How he hated them. Corrupt, covetous, cowardly - useless bastards, the SSA. He would take this anger out on the marks. He grinned eerily at each hologram in turn.

Long ears flicked as Jason concluded and others voiced ideas and inquiries. Genesis, however, remained silent. He was excited to put his device to use. His eerie smile turned to Jason. Sure, other crew members had comments on the mission, what they thought would work or be of more use. Whatever the outcome, Genesis trusted whatever decision Jason made. It had taken some time for him to reach this point, but Genesis had learned that Jason was a skilled officer and finally placed his trust in the man.

Awaiting the team announcements, Genesis shifted in his seat, drawing up his other knee and crossing his ankles, his arms locked around his bent knees as he watched the others.

[ayzrules]

Vanessa examined the rest of the room, her eyes moving quickly from face to face-a sure sign of her flighty nature, though she could be very persistent at times. First, there was Ogre at the far end of the table, with his tall frame and bulky build; next, up at the front, was Ace and his brooding dark eyes. There was Chimera, who looked to be in his thirties, and an energetic Acrobat lounging casually in his chair. Aaron; a tall Hissho (granted, all Hissho were tall, but still), was who she saw after Acrobat. Heretic, dressed in full Sisterhood garb sat opposite of Vanessa, and a quirky, blue-skinned Genesis was last.

Ah, Genesis. A fellow scout with a knack for putting things together. Vanessa was rather fond of him, though he had strange habits. For one, he regularly conversed with his rifle which he'd christened 'Isabella', but to be perfectly honest with herself, Vanessa didn't view it as something negative. It was good that he could find companionship in inanimate objects.
If you think about it in a certain way, it's like having an infinite number of friends, she thought wryly.

Vanessa got along with the other team members fairly well, at least to her. She found Heretic mysterious, with her crimson robes and red lipstick. She felt a certain respect for Ace, and though she would never admit it, she was a bit intimidated by Ogre's size. Acrobat seemed alright, even if he was a little...hyperactive. Yes, that was the word. Vanessa quieted her mind and paid attention to what was going on around her. She needed to focus if she was to contribute to the Legion's efforts.

[Arthanus]

Jason listened to the questions of his crew. "First off Acrobat I will gladly allow you to do a sweeping run or two as long as we can confirm that our targets are near windows. a few passes with your mini-guns will make quick work of our targets." he started off before moving on. "Ogre, as for our entry into the building. The infiltration team will go in dressed as Casino patrons and will infiltrate the Security room located on the third floor. They will only be allowed to carry weapons that will be easily concealed and hidden from sight. The rest of their gear will be hidden in my car which will be parked in the Casino's Garage. Warning if you scratch it I will kill you... As for the Assault unit, they will be dropped onto the building's roof. When the enemy's location is found the assault team will repel down to the correct floor and then proceed with a breaching procedure and move to eliminate the targets." he continued with his answers before coming to the popular question. "As for the teams I left the delegation of those to Chimera, so that he could place us where we would best fit into his plans." He finished sitting down and letting Chimera take center stage.

[Kyelin]

While the briefing went on, Chimera had busied himself preparing the mission's team configuration, and organizing all the possible firewalls, electronic attack viruses and other necessary components required for the objectives of this operation to be achieved. It never understood why Jason insisted on attending these meetings personally, and gathering the crew into one place. It was very inefficient, compared to a simple file transfer to each operative's PDA. But alas, it had learned not to question Jason's judgement. As wildly chaotic and unpredictable his strategies were, the commander always got the job done, no matter the various dilemmas and confrontations were turned up.

After assessing every nook and cranny of the building, and running a final simulation in it's head, Chimera spoke up, systematically rattling off the battle plan it had composed.

"I have assessed every possible target maneuver and counter strategy, and have decided upon the following: Ogre, Aaron and Jason shall be on the assault team. Aaron and Ogre simply do not fit in with the usual patronage found in the Lucky Devil, and Jason is most likely on their watch list. He will be identified quickly. When air dropped, watch for security on the roof, and try not to alert the other staff in the building. Your team will be in most of the combat situations, so Aaron will have to monitor your vitals, and administer aid as he sees fit. Acrobat, I will give you the signal for your strafing run, when the Assault team is clear of the fire sectors"

"As for infiltration, Mare, Heretic and Genesis are assigned to allowing me access into their local intranet. Genesis may be able to bypass some of the entryways into the main maintenance and staff access tunnels, though some of the doors are hardened against tampering. To remedy this, I have sanctioned minute breach charges that Heretic should be familiar with, to destroy the locks and allow access. Once in the mainframe, connect me to the core systems, and I should be able to slow down the Horseman's retreat. I will remain on the ship for tactical support, so it falls to you to make sure the targets are eliminated."

"On a final note, the targets may attempt to access the garage, and escape via their personal vehicles. It may be prudent to leave the most combat able of the Infiltration team in that area, to sabotage said transport and ensure that escape can not be achieved. If there is nothing else you require of me, Commander, I suggest you get to ground quickly."

[GingerBoi123]

Ogre listened intently to Chimera and eagerly awaited his name. Him, Aaron and Jason, Ogre could never criticize Chimera's planning, and he wouldn't this time either and he was glad he would fight beside their leader again, like any Terronian would do. Ogre stood up and began walking out of the room. "We should move quickly and gear up before we miss our window of opportunity. And I want to check the teeth on my chainaxe" he said smiling like a crazed man, or a crazed demon perhaps. He walked out and went to the armoury to gather his gear and properly put on his armour.

[Arthanus]

With the teams set, Jason started to get out of his seat. "Alright team, we have 15 minutes until dust off. Everyone go get ready, and Infiltration team go change into something normal, see you in the hanger ready to move out." He said while leaving the briefing room and heading to the Armory to change into his gear and prepare for the mission. Changing into and checking his equipment didn't take much time at all and when he was ready he headed to the hanger ready to head out.

[Arthanus]

(double post. Stupid computer)

[Arthanus]

(Or even triple dumb computer is dumb)

[Hael]

Aaron had sat silently most the meeting, content to follow so long as he could get something done. He had moved his observant glare back and forth across the room, attempting, as usual, to imagine how he would work on any of them should they be hurt during the coarse of the mission. Aaron found his gaze lingering on two in particular: Genesis and Ogre. The former he examined closely out of worry for what would happen to him should he become truly injured, he knew Genesis possessed magica (which may help), but he still wasn't sure he could save the hybrid in a real life or death (smaller injuries notwithstanding) situation due to his strange anatomy. When Aaron had first joined the Mercenary group he scanned all of the members with a medical device intended to give a rough schematic of both the anatomy and genetic factors of the target, and the way Genesis was made was so strange and random that Aaron could swear it was intentionally designed to confuse him. So, needless to say, he was secretly very thankful Gen would be in the less-dangerous infiltration group.

Ogre, however, Aaron stared at with much less concern and much more contempt. Ogre, the "berserker", was too bold in the eyes of Aaron and would certainly be fatally wounded due to his rashness at some point. It hadn't happened yet, and by that Aaron was impressed, but he was still sure it was coming soon. He had learned, however, to trust the skills of both Jason and Ogre, and he knew he was probably just being paranoid, but he just had a feeling that someone was going to get hurt during this mission. Four enemies simply grouping up in the same room like they're getting in line for an executioner was just too easy. Something was going to stab them, or explode them, or eat them...

He was shook from his thoughts by the sound of both Ogre and Jason excusing themselves to prepare for the mission. "Ah," he said in his usual but unintentional growl, "I should probably be going as well." He stood to excuse himself and was waiting, fully armored, in his the hanger with his ray and supplies within ten minutes.

[ayzrules]

Vanessa stood up and brushed her thick hair back. Impulsively, she tied it back to keep herself from fidgeting with it during the mission. She had expected to be with Genesis, and it was convenient to have Heretic with them-she was skilled in combat and Vanessa liked to know there were two other people with her; and two able fighters at that. Vanessa walked briskly out the room, and headed towards her living quarters. She slipped on a long-sleeved jacket and slid her small laser dagger into a pocket on the inside of the jacket. She kept the jacket half-zipped so she could easily access it if needed.

Looking around, she spotted a pair of sturdy boots, which she put on. After a bit of a silent debate with herself, Vanessa concealed her slightly old-fashioned (but reliable nonetheless) revolver by sticking it into the boot on her right foot. She checked her hair in the mirror-just like old times-and laughed to herself.

After all, I am trying to appear normal, yeah? She briefly considered adding a touch of makeup for good measure, but quickly shot down that idea. Make up? With what they were about to do? No way in hell. She knew from a close friend that mascara tended to smear and get all sticky and disgusting if you were sweating, and Vanessa decided that she would like to avoid that, thank you very much. She snagged her lightweight carbon fiber armor and shield gauntlet, as they might need them later.

Vanessa sighed and exited, heading towards the hangar. Time to get this show on the road.

[BingTheWing]

Meanwhile, Jacob didn't really have anything else to arm himself with except a knife, a thin suit of carbon fiber, a submachine gun and a plasma pistol. His real strength was with the Crimson Fang. He stepped into the pilot's cabin, bypassed the DNA code to access the engine, and put on his helmet.

[Opening.....]
[Syncing Flight Helmet 2858256.....]
[Helmet Synced.]
[Welcome to the Crimson Fang's Holographic Interface, Acrobat.]
[Hull Integrity.........100%.]
[Inner Shield........100%.]
[Outer Shield.......96%.]
96%?
Oh. It must've been from the last time he used it.
[Gatling Gun..........2000000000/2000000000.]
[Left Missile Pod.....10/10.]
[Right Missile Pod.....10/10.]
"Computer, set a course for the Lucky Devil Casino."
[Finding destination.....]
[Destination set.]
"Alright, brethren. All aboard!"

[xxTripwire]

Taking in the orders, Genesis found himself in agreement. Well, except for one thing... He needed to infiltrate the building - that was no issue as he was adept with getting in to difficult places. No, the issue here was that he needed to appear like a regular, every-day patron of the casino. He turned to give a pleading look to Jason, but his back was turned as he was leaving to prepare for the mission. He glanced around at the others. Neither Vanessa nor Acacia appeared to be in any distress over this. They, undoubtedly, had clothing that was deemed "normal" by most.

Straightening his legs and rising from his chair, Genesis collected Isabella and his gadget and slinked away to his quarters. Acceptable appearance for a casino patron likely did not include a large sniper rifle. Genesis stifled a groan. He did not like being separated from Isabella - or his armor, for that matter. Clicking as Genesis typed in the code for his door, the small panel gave a soft 'beep' and the door slid open, revealing a dimly lit room. Closing the door behind him, Genesis glanced around. His eyes fell on the worn, dark jumpsuit he donned when not in his armor. He doubted that it would be appropriate. He also owned a pair of heavily-stained and torn cargo pants, a couple of T-shirts in similar condition, and a suit that Jason had forced him to buy for a conference with the UGC. Genesis had ended up being "deathly ill" when the meeting had taken place, and the suit had never been removed from its bag.

With another groan, Genesis fished the suit out of his gadget-strewn closet and stripped out of his armor, leaving only the thin vest of carbon fibre beneath his...shirt? Shirt. Right. T-shirts did not go with suit jackets. He didn't own any kind of button down or waistcoat.

But Jason did...

Pulling on the pants and jacket, Genesis packed the rest of his armor and his device into his gear back, along with various weapons. He would stow the weapons once he was fully dressed. Tucking Isabella under his free arm, he set off to the hangar -- making a quick stop along the way.

As he reached the hangar, he was attempting to stuff the ends of the too-long button down shirt into his pants. Luckily, the jacket concealed that the shirt was a bit large -- no one would notice. Hopefully, their commander would not notice the familiarity of the silver tie or black shoes.

Genesis made a mental note to go shopping for "normal attire" at the next available opportunity.

[ayzrules]

Vanessa cast Genesis a bemused look as he stepped into the hangar. She knew he must've had to do some digging to find some clothes, seeing as he adored his little gadgets and she was almost certain his room was a mess. She wondered what he was going to do with his sniper rifle-if he was taking it with him or not. Seeing Genesis with it confirmed that he was indeed going to bring it along.

Vanessa turned and watched the rest of the crew file in. She bit her lip to keep the words from sputtering forth, as she always babbled on and on when she was nervous. And Vanessa could already feel the pre-operation adrenaline starting to sprint through her veins...she bit her lip even harder to calm herself down. After Vanessa felt that she had sufficiently stopped herself from going into a full-out chattering session about every nonsensical topic in the galaxy, she took a breath and double checked that her weapons were where she left them-they were. Good.

She held her carbon fiber armor in one hand, the shield gauntlet in another. Hopefully they'd have time to retrieve them from Ace's car (which they absolutely could not scratch, she reminded herself. Vanessa almost laughed out loud. With the looming challenges, she was afraid of scratching a car? Well then.

[Konica]

The meeting concluded without a peep from Acacia. Everything had already been said, she had nothing to add. Gracefully she headed back to her quarters to prepare for the mission, her long robes touching the floor make it look as if she was gliding along the ground. Infiltration missions were not her forte, stealth and deception are valuable skills she was not blessed with. She will be depending on Mare and Genesis to lead the way. This was the problem with mercenaries: trust. Acacia has not known any of her team long, and yet she had no choice but to rely on them. For the next several hours, these people will be her sisters and brothers in battle.

Neat, tidy, and simple. Acacia's room lacked adornment. She left all her worldly possessions behind with her homeworld that she misses so dearly. For this mission, she requires something appropriate for a classy casino. A black suit, with pants of course, that gently hugged her curves. She kept the red lipstick and a bit of light make up that only emphasized the unfettered gaze of her green eyes. It was a look that the younger Sisterhood members in her chapter seemed to enjoy. Acacia was quite the popular dance partner at the yearly balls her colony used to hold. But that was a long time ago,

Unfortunately her suit didn't leave much room for weapons. Her normal tools of battle are much to large to carry along. Instead she brought a couple door charges with runes engraved in them, and a pair of electrified knuckle dusters. The 77lbs of her regular gear was left in Ace's car. She joined the others at the hangar after finishing her preparations. This would be the first time in a long time that she went into battle without enough explosives to take down a tank.

[Arthanus]

As the Fang prepared for take off Jason stood at the end of the loading ramp ushering the rest of the assault team onto the ship. He also looked over to see if the Infiltration team would fit in at the casino, Mare looked fine going for the jacket and tank-top look that would fit in perfectly fine on the casino floor. Then came out Genesis wearing the suit Jason had gotten him for a conference some time back. "So your taking my car and my clothes then?" he said almost laughing as he noticed the shoes, tie, and even his shirt almost instantly. And then there was Heretic who was also dressed to impress, it seemed that Genesis and Heretic were to fit into the high roller crowd and Mare with the regular players. Jason then reached into one of his pockets pulling out the keys to his car "Mare, the keys are yours, just don't drive to crazy. Remember no scratches or death shall find you." he reminded as he tossed the keys to her.