They were at war. It was obvious now. Unofficial military action had changed to official. Henri Janssens was no longer a peacekeeper, but a clear soldier.
However, he hadn't been called back to Europe to join the rest of Task Force Laelaps. No, his place was here, in the South-East Asia, with his comrades and the largest action.
The meeting was full of revelations and shock, including to Henri. A living Noble Arm? These weapons certainly could do all kinds of strange things, and people had done a lot of research on the matter, but that was new, even for Henri.
He considered his own Noble Arm. Leonidas, an anti-NA shield born from Henri's distrust of Arms Masters. Could it also gain sentience? And if it did, would it be a self-loathing being, conflicted by its contradictory existence?
Then again, Henri hadn't fed Leonidas other Noble Arms, nor had it gone for midnight snack, as far as Henri knew, so there probably wasn't a risk.
However, the other revelation was even more important. Another sentient Noble Arm, and Alan Turing's at that. Henri began to suspect that there was some sort of expansion going on. And this one planned to erase Noble Arms.
In a way, Henri could sympathize. Regular people lived in fear of Arms Masters, and even the benevolent ones possessed powers that could devastate armies or even cities. But he did wonder if False Turing's motives were altruistic.
He did wonder, what this One True Timeline was like? Had it no magic at all, or did it just manifest differently. Not that it really mattered. The Director Bathala was right. They had to prepare for the threats ahead, and so would Henri.
Muscular, yet lean, Henri is 187 tall and weights 85 kg. On his right shoulder there's a badge depicting Canis Major, symbol of the Laelaps-unit.
Name:Henri Janssens
Age:27
Nationality:Belgian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance:Leonidas
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: B Speed: B Range: D Persistence: C Precision: D Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Counter, Void, Melee/Short-Range
Noble Arm Abilities:
Leonidasis an Anti-NA weapon. It was born out of Henri's reserved nature and distrust of Arms Masters.
Phalanx Leonidas' passive default power. Any NA attack upon it is blocked. However, it only works on its own surface area. Anything else goes right through, so Henri will have to grouch, if he wants to spare his lower body from an attack larger than Leonidas' surface.
Fighting in Shade By placing Leonidas above his head, Henri forms a bubble of 20 meters in diameter around himself that nullifies NA attacks within. However, it offers no protection from mundane arsenal whatsoever. Indirect NA attack (such as telekinetically thrown rock) also passes through. The protective area of the bubble is also indiscriminate in its nullifying effect, suppressing enemy and ally NA powers alike(though it doesn't unsummon said noble arms, only allowing arms masters to theoretically use their NA as regular weapons, if said NA can be used as a regular weapon, or the Arms Master knows how to use their NA as a regular weapon). As such Henri needs to keep a distance from other Arms Masters, both for the efficiency of allies, and in a case of enemy Arms Master, Henri's own safety. The field activates immediately after Henri puts the shield up and says the Password "Fighting in Shade". The field shuts down when the shield is lowered or Henri no longer has the strength to do so. 30 seconds is the maximum, after which Henri needs a breather. Breathers increase in length the more times Henri uses the power. Henri can put Leonidas up without activating the effect. Misc Abilities: Henri is a trained soldier, skilled in firearms, engineering and survival tactics. These come useful if and when he needs to keep Leonidas dormant.
Personality: As a professional soldier, Henri attempts to not let emotions get in the way. He's not made of stone, however, and can connect with other people, though he's not sure if he should.
For Henri, powers should only be given to the responsible. As such he tends to be distrustful of Arms Masters, particularly the young ones, who for him are likely to misuse it. At the same time, he wishes that the young would be allowed to grow on their own and make their on decisions, something granted to him, but not many others.
Although highly trained and prepared, Henri still feels some nervousness. He is out here to prove the capabilities of the Laelaps-unit, so much is at stake.
Henri doesn't trust either Seven Virtues or Downward Descent, seeing the former as liars and the latter as nutcases.
Likes: Routine, good food
Dislikes: Deceivers, power-seekers
Fears: Loss of close people, Powerlessness
Bio: Henri grew up in the Flanders region of Belgium. Though his home country was relatively peaceful, the chaos of a world with Arms Masters reached there. At a young age, Henri decided to become a soldier, and excelled quite well in the Belgian Defence Force. Something unexpected happened after a year the Big Three appeared. Henri was summoned to Berlin along with other soldiers across the EU to form a special task force to deal with the increasing Arms Master threat: The Laelaps-unit.
Trained to fight Arms Masters and granted Noble Arms by the Paragons of Science (when the soldiers weren't Arms Masters already), the Laelaps-unit was designed to keep the Europe safe and stable. Henri himself received Leonidas, an anti-NA shield born from his distrust of Arms Masters.
The original first mission of the Laelaps-unit was to act covertly in studying the supposed Downward Descent infiltrators among the influential people of Europe, but the Chinese and Russian Crises forced the unit's reveal ahead of schedule. Henri was sent to the Philippines to assist ASEAN forces. This will be his baptism in fire.
Current Goal: Finish the mission in the Philippines
Phnom Penh International Airport, The City of Phnom Penh
The situation had changed, and Henri would follow Marta and Nil in dealing with the Prime Minister. He followed the example of others and grabbed the shield.
Cambodian National Assembly Grounds
When Henri had heard about Myron's ability to turn people into data, he had assumed the experience would involve seeing the cyberspace and traveling through it, with weird sounds and lights, with the possible inability to smell, taste and perhaps touch.
Nope, it was essentially being in a state of unconsciousness, with the mind seeing one location at one moment, and a second location in the next. Henri nearly flinched seeing the Airport suddenly change into the National Assembly, with the Prime Minister himself right in front of them.
The politician certainly didn't waste any time making a break for it, nor his guards in opening fire. Quickly Henri activated Leonidas.
"Down!" He yelled to his compatriots, taking a position between them and the gunners for maximum protection. "You go get the Prime Minister! I keep them busy!"
Phnom Penh International Airport, The City of Phnom Penh
Henri considered his options. He didn't have that much medical knowledge, something he had realized when his shield's limits got in the way of saving an important Arms Master from cancer.
However, the convention center had shown Leonidas's liability in tight spaces, while fighting regular troops along with Arms Master allies. They had managed to escape, and Henri had managed to improve the situation by scouting ahead of the team, but the reality of the situation remained.
"It might be for the best, if I help with the triage and safeguard Private Chang" He finally declared. It was unlikely that his and Lupe's powers would be needed to be active at the same time, and Leonidas worked better with regular troops, anyway. "However, I'm ready to move, if needed elsewhere."
Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center, The City of Phnom Penh - 11/11/2022
On one hand Henri was relieved in the arrival of additional forces, but that alone wouldn't ensure their survival, let alone triumph. There was a great risk of death, especially with Nil, who Henri had taken in his arms in shame of having frozen earlier.
"I can fight, yes" Henri confirmed to Myron, "My shield is as strong as ever, and I have plenty of stamina for my neutralization aura. However, I can't leave Nil exposed to harm. She needs medical attention, or stabilization, or anything that can ensure her survival."
He sighed, considering the situation.
"If the Chinese indeed believed the Cambodians can deal with us on our own, they either have something specifically prepared for us or..." The thought made Henri go silent. "They know I'm a liability..."
It actually made sense. Leonidas was an anti-magic Arm, and this building is highly enclosed. Henri would need to act as a front scout or limit Leonidas for melee. Otherwise the field would disarm the group as well as the enemy.
Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center, The City of Phnom Penh - 11/11/2022
"No, no, no" Henri hissed as he listened to the declaration.
Everything that could have gone wrong had. Not only was Cambodia now de facto enemy, but their unit was public enemy number 1.
"Y-yes sir!" Henri confirmed as Noel laid out their plans.
Not that escape would be any easier even when fighting. Henri didn't know how well the Cambodian army was trained in Anti-NA combat, but a well placed bullet could change a game. And they weren't exactly wearing armor. It was then that Superbia made its move.
Henri looked at the situation. On one, there were the troops. On the other, Superbia. The power would be easily dealth with by Leonidas, but that would leave him exposed to the guns of the soldiers. Worse, the office was tiny, 15 meters in diameter at most. If Henri activated the field now, it would affect everyone. He would need to get really close to Superbia and the soldiers.
Close? That was it! Superbia was standing on the ground, not floating. Leonidas could still neutralize things by touch in the passive state. It would be risky, to say the least, to charge into the crowd, but Leonidas would give actual cover and the rest of the team could still fight.
Henri put Leonidas in front of him and charged towards Superbia, hoping the rest of the team would be able to give him the promised cover.
The convention had barely started and already they're declaring war.
Noel gave another nod of acknowledgment, before saying to Henri, "Volunteer Janssens, keep close to us and ready your Noble Arm for use at any time. An Avatar of Superbia is pure energy so your Arm can probably instantly dispel it. Now, we will wait for the Cambodian security detail to meet to coordinate with them and prevent any more untoward incidents from happening."
"Yes, Sir! Henri confirmed, giving a short salute in confirmation. Kid or not, he was right. Henri needed to be, where he could maximise his shield's power.
People kept piling in, from military personnel to ambassadors and relevant assistance personnel. Henri, however, tried not to lose Noel in the crowds, while at the same time avoiding drawing attention. Henri wasn't exactly sure, how high profile he or his power was, but considering he had taken part in battles with his neutralization ability, he probably wasn't unknown by any means.
Most of the conversations and newsfeeds flew past Henri's thoughts, but he could feel his heart stop, after hearing of Angelito Jaime's death.
They had asked him for help. Henri knew that Leonidas wouldn't have been sufficient to be of use, but he couldn't help but feel he should have done something, anything. Now a legend and a living deterrent had passed away.
Thirty lousy seconds Henri cursed to himself the time limit of his shield. If only it would suffice at least against this Superbia
Not that it would be much help, now that so much mobility had been lost with Jaime.
But no point crying over spilt milk. The conference was ongoing and order to be kept. Henri continued to keep a close eye on the Lieutenant and the surroundings.
The day had started relatively lightly for Henri. Some breakfast and preparations for the briefing ahead. He listened carefully, as Alonso gave his speech. He wondered, if he'd ever get used to the idea of a junior having command over him.
This must be what the sailors felt seeing snotties Thought Henri to himself thinking back to the young midshipmen of the Maritime Era. Granted, Alonso was a man grown, not a 12 year old boy. Still, it really showed how times had changed more dire, that people as young as him gained officer positions.
And speaking of dire things, in the midst of Noel's rant the Zodiac appeared. Henri tried to stay put and unnoticed. He had, after all, played a critical role at the dam, even if it wasn't due to Leonidas. For an Arms-Master to be brought down by a regular gun was probably not something one or their comrades wanted to be remembered by.
Then there was this new face. Henri tried to remember the name Yulian Suburov, but couldn't recall anything. Either he hadn't been to the Ukraine, or had remained classified until now. Huo Ren's comments suggested either scenario. Still, with the name Chainbringer Henri could get a pretty good picture of what the Russian's Noble Arm looked like.
The Zodiac were certainly not wasting any time making threats. The convention had barely started and already they're declaring war. Henri stayed quiet, nonetheless, keeping an eye on the situation. While he had some chosen words in mind, they could wait for later, if there was a need to mention them at all.
Henri was packing, as he heard the news through the Radio. "So, the second coming of Roosevelt decided to try his hands at foreign affairs"
Not that Henri really cared for what the POTUS was planning. Someone else might have been hopeful that the rest of the world would receive a piece of American reforms, but Henri knew better. The USA simply wanted to secure again their position in world politics they had been losing as of late. And even if their thoughts were more altruistic, a politician rarely was skilled beyond their specialty, if they were skilled at all.
But enough about politics. Henri needed to consider all the equipment he'd need in Cambodia. Besides the regular military gear, Henri needed to iron his formal suit. It was likely he'd be guarding some VIPs in Phnom Penh, and that would mean black suits, ties and sunglasses.
The whole job was exhausting enough that once Henri was finished, he needed a shower. The refreshing water admittedly helped to strengthen his spirit again. After drying, grooming and dressing, Henri looked at himself in the mirror.
"How did that saying go again" He pondered. "Oh, right. He's tanned, rested and ready for action"
With that, Henri took his suitcases and prepared to join the others.
"None taken, Lieutenant" Henri replied, saluting. The fact that he couldn't be much help on the matter really frustrated him, but he did his best not to show it.
"If anyone needs me, I'll be at the gym" He notified everyone as he watched Nico leave. It was good to inform everyone, especially in a situation like this.
As Henri reached the gym, there were some looks at his direction, but for the most part the soldiers inside were focused on their own training. Henri himself noticed a vacant sandbag and claimed it. He allowed himself to release his frustrations, as he pounded the sack with punches and kicks.
"30 seconds" He growled as he continued pounding,"30 lousy seconds, and everything returns to normal. Who can perform a surgery in less than a minute. And you can't even use Arm assistance, because they'll be neutralized as well."
Henri had to stop to take a breath after the assault. Never would he had imagined to wish the Leonidas was smaller. Size of a pin or something. Something that could be fit into a wound.
No. Wallowing over limitations was of no help. Weapons existed for different purposes. Anti-air is anti-air, and anti-tank is anti-tank, and that's something that can't be changed. If they found a way to improve Henri's ability, he'd take the opportunity, but now all he could do was what he was good at.
"Though, there is one thing I could improve" Henri thought to himself, as he saw the weightlifting bench. A kilo or two for the personal best might improve his mood.
He would continue training maybe an hour, before resting again, or something came along.
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