FalloutJack

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

Terra Launching

Joey warned them maybe thirty seconds before the actual call came that a call was going to come. With a nod, Terra gave a nod to Kxeyun to indicate that now was the time, and then headed off towards the NC Hangar. She would have enough time to suit up at the locker room nearby. They really needed to make her a spare suit, in future... Anyway, the battle was upon them, and they had to get moving right away!

Soon, she was in her flight suit, stepping into the hangar where she left Id originally. Good, they had maintained it. She would've said that if it wasn't at full when she herself left it, then it hadn't been properly dealt with. Terra had made sure that Id was in good shape when she arrived here in Haven, and wouldn't hear a word against it. Proceeding directly to the red mecha, it opened itself up as it scanned her presence and she stepped inside. Her presence in the cockpit automatically started up the machine, even as she was connecting herself to the system. It was a simple program. You could do similar with your own car.

SYSTEM ID STARTUP

Pilot Interface - 90%
Cockpit Status - GREEN
Weapon Status - GREEN
Engine Status - GREEN
Sensory Input - GREEN
Gyro-Stabilizers - GREEN
Power Source - 100%
Energy Shield - 100%
Overclock Engine - GREEN

Check Status Complete.
Begin Combat Procedure.

She launched, not long after somebody else in the group did, and soon they were facing the Kinetic Shield, not exactly out of town... They watched as at least a couple waves of attackers never made it through without being pummeled by Darwin's perimeter defenses. Then, some of them made it through. It hadn't been easy for Red-Star, since they had to phase slow-moving targets through and such. To think, this was the sort of thing that they expected her to live with in attacking this place, just shoveling meat bodies through to waste their lives for the next group. Pointless, tactless, idiotic actions... This alone would've been enough to make her leave, but Red-Star was Red-Star, so they were a conglomerate of bad habits.

Non-NC weapons had come out to battle among the mecha. True, they could still do some harm, but not as much. Doubtless, they had even been given orders to locate Id among the enemy, but where WAS their wayward NC, just now? The answer was that Terra was stealthed, and by that we mean she had crouched. What? There were buildings enough to conceal one's presence. It allowed her to sight the enemy before she was sighted. Advantage, Haven people. Well, for a moment, anyway, because those gunships would most certainly have an aerial view and- Oh, she was shooting them down just as they found her. So much for the element of surprise. Now, the combatants would see her get up and start firing at the Red-Star support as the larger enemies were making their way onto the scene.

They were a problem, for sure. For instance, Terra was at least vaguely aware of some of them and their capabilities, while she actually knew the pilots of others. Defection has its advantages too. Some of the information might change on you because of it, but this wouldn't. This was NC piloting. You couldn't go on a random shuffle without things suffering, yes? Oh, definitely yes. And that was when she heard someone shouting at them from the other side, on an open channel, easily tracked AND well recognized by her. Terra got on Haven's closed channel first to talk to the team.

"I've identified Grand Sword Star and I know the pilot personally. I'm going to use some psychological warfare now. If anyone overhears this, DO NOT take it seriously."

So, the FIRST thing that Terra did was use her Overclock Engine with her thrusters while readying her plasma rifle. Then, as it went off, she flew - very fast - to basically strafe over Grand Sword Star with a barrage of plasma shots and a grenade launch. That was just to get her attention. Hisako loved GSS, maybe a little too much. She was a slave, and her mentality was to serve with fanaticism, so everything she had, she treasured deeply. Because Terra's own defection would have been a surprise to all - She let on NOTHING before her escape - she could imagine that it would be pretty galling if GSS was damaged by Id now. Even more so, was what Terra now did with a direct line of communication to Hisako's NC as she landed nearby. Her voice took on a sultry flavor and she sounded umm...horny. Terra could do this at will, and even slaves have imaginations. The only question was...did the other pilot ever fantasize about the white-suited ace?

"Hisako, I found you... I knew you would be here. I need you... I want you, in battle and in body. I remember that long flowing hair and that perfect shape... I've wanted that in my quarters for a long time. They just wouldn't allow it in Red-Star. But we could do it, now that we're here. We could fight and be free, and come together as one when we're done. I missed you so much..."

If anyone wants to know what this sounds like, just imagine Terra's steady voice suddenly going to Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist.

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Dread Arriving

So, at last, the day had arrived. They'd been trying to hype him for this, but it was just irritating. If you're going to deploy, then deploy already. There's no sense waiting, when you can taste the viceral carnage in the air. Just let open the gates, let chaos reign, and most importantly...get out of his way. Now, there had been some preliminary trash to be flung at the Havenites - Havenites? Who cares what they're called? They're nothing. - and then some of the other pilots went in. Some were sneaky about it, while others were loud and stupid. Dread merely waited a moment to allow them to be targeted like the meat they were...and then entered himself.

Into the battle walked a bear on two legs. More than a bear, Ursa Nova was a semi-humanoid murder machine. It was built like a bear, but highly functional on two or four limbs, and about to leap about quite easily, though it was heavy. The trick lay in an advanced thruster system and a pilot who doesn't care about the forces involved. For now, Ursa stepped into view and did a quick look around, trying to determine just who was it that needed to be assaulted. There was mention that the artificial human, Terra Laedo, was to be taken in...but Dread was going to ignore those orders, unless he found himself assaulting her...and by then he would kill her. No, he didn't care about their human-plus project. It was a foolish waste of time and resources, and she was garbage, anyway. You want something dead, you hire a killer. End of story.

Now...which one of you can be torn apart the easiest, which one of you is a challenge, and which one of you...is a vital backbone to be SNAPPED?

These thoughts had him quickly focusing his attention...on Hisn-ul-Ghayma. And he did so because, believe it or not, Neural Combatants showed up rather highly on infrared, as opposed to a currently-empty city. NCs were packing fusion generators. You don't conceal the heat from that so easily. Maybe with a factory or a nuclear powerplant nearby, but really what you needed was Nova's own dispersion vents on a subtler setting than 'purge'. As it stood, Hisn-ul-Ghayma was easy to find by heat-traces AND because Dread had seen the drones fly out. It was offering support fire, it did not seem like it was meant to take as many hits as some of the others, especially not his own machine. It was open and waiting for attack. Time to take a bite...

Ursa lowered onto all-fours, the rear thrusters activated, and it began rapid-leaping towards its prey! Though it was a big and heavy-looking target, it was made for stable leaps and outright slamming and wrestle attacks, so pounding through fire and pieces of city were nothing to it. Indeed, what was coming at Zahra was pretty damn dangerous! The fiery beast was going directly for the heavy slam with all of Newton's Laws and plasma flames behind it as the forward claws were coming in for a burning grip! It was gonna be the tackle from hell!

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Command was just hell on a guy, and Isaac had just taken the reins.

He didn't think he was gonna be really any better here. True, he knew something of getting a pack to move, so he could be direct and decisive and strong, but let's just face it: He was just the replacement widget for what was considered the better man. Jean-Robin Charpentier was both the hero of the hour and the hardest one among the living that was hit, with Franz as the runner-up on that account. It's not that the farmer and wolf-trainer felt he was being overshadowed. It was more like he saw that Jean had something in him that worked in a crisis, and that despite all things he had come out of it all whole. He deserved better. Perhaps, if he weren't so broken up, he even deserved proper command and respect, but Middleton wasn't going to give it to him. He doubted that the Lieutenant would treat him any better, and that's before he realizes that Isaac hated him.

And yes, of course he did. He was the same as that recruiter, blinding shoving people into the line of fire. Oh, he and Middleton were going to be the best of enemies, he was sure. Well, that particular event had yet to go forth, as he hadn't really talked to the man yet. Right now, though, the only other NCO had effectively taken command, lacking anybody else of a higher rank and Jean needing a break from the pressures of it. It did not feel heavy so much as...like he really was holding onto it for someone else, shielding them from further harm. Well...that's the life of a Gunner, after all. He was the support man, making sure people come back alive. Machine gun support kept him honest. Everyone else before him, getting out of a pinch, and everyone guarded by him as he drops the enemy ahead of them.

Now, largely unchanged, just because he was in charge, he was addressed by Diana.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired of the squelch beneath my feet, and I live on a farm."

There might've been boards in the trenches, but not enough and you still heard the sounds of the mud underneath those. Reyna and Diana were now trying to get Jean to respond, to go with them to the rear in order to get some rest. Again, it seemed like Diana was really attached to Jean. It wasn't that surprising. The machine gun fire and the charge was well-executed, he was a proper gentleman, and he cared a whole lot. Hopefully, there wasn't going to be alot of friction going on here. Just then, though, Jean seemed to pull out of his stupor long enough to address those in front of him. He wanted Isaac to make sure everyone got some sleep before they got pulled to A-

"Another battlefield. Right, I gotcha. Don't worry, I'll take care of things, I promise."

He assumed that Jean stopped because he didn't want to say something he most certainly dreaded, which was thinking of them being thrust into conflict once more. Couldn't blame him. Isaac hadn't realized what he HAD almost said, but it was of no consequence. He nodded as Diana wished him a good night's sleep just as Britta was coming back.

"I will, once I'm done here."

"Oh, aren't you going to take another nap?"

She was just teasing him, because he fell asleep beside Lucia. Issac first answered by taking out a folded sheet of paper and a pencil. The pencil had been snapped in half, but it was still useable.

"My Sergeant told me that the first day can make or break you. I hope Jean doesn't stay broken, but for me, I need to let the folks know I'm still alive."

"I see. Well, don't take too long. The Lieutenant's liable to be weighing down on you now, if Jeans's in a bad way. You'll need every ounce of strength."

"Don't I know it."

So, once she was heading off to get some rest herself, Isaac took a seat to compose a letter. It wasn't anything fancy, really. He just wrote down the address clearly on the back of the paper, then started composing on the front.

Mom, Dad, Alex, Emeri,

First of all, hello. I'm still alive. It was rough and alot's happened, but I made it, and I hope most - if not all - of us make it to the end of this war. I dunno how that'll work out, but I'll work AT it, so we'll see. I'm not going to bother you with the details, since it's mostly my still being around that matters.

One thing, though. Does the name 'Mila Wagner' sound familiar to any of you? I feel like I know that name and it's the name of one of the soldiers out here. Maybe their family is in town. Check on that, would you? I have my own work cut out for me.

yours,
Isaac

He folded that up and put it back in his pocket. He'd get someone to send it off home later on. For now, he was getting some rest, and he was doing so with the impression that he would be getting a rude awakening from Middleton anyway, so the Gunner positioned himself in a manner that would basically force the Lieutenant to address him first. That way, he could keep the pressure off of Jean.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

For someone of her age and experiences to so-badly need the help of another, for something solid to cling onto, was unthinkable to Terra. Everything about Kxeyun's emotional outbursts and situations told her that...as much as Red-Star wanted her own personality to develop quicker...someone had basically taken an axe to the other woman and sent her back hard. The lack of parenting and her rising up as a fighter in what was essentially a blood-sport had made terrible things - not just low standards of human lifestyle - the commonplace, and her mind suffered trauma after trauma, with no one to show her the way out, so she would willingly put herself out here for the acceptance of just about anyone sane and decent. It was a tragedy, and it showed in Kxeyun's face and words and actions.

For one, she got up and hugged an NC Pilot who was born to kill. This...was so surprising that Terra could not conceal the surprise on her face. It was too sudden to internalize, and the words that followed.... Terra was shocked to realize that this was what her relief sounded like. She was eager, maybe even desperate, to please anyone who would give her the time of day, so for someone who offered to help her deal with her problems...immediate affection. Kxeyun was right, though. They'd never be normal. Terra was forever altered to be ahead of the curve and Kxeyun needed to catch up to it. The defector pilot placed her arms around her to reassure her that things would be fine now.

I can't believe Narra's idea actually worked. Maybe he's good at his job, after all.

She was letting Kxeyun get things out of her system, not saying anything because it was a little hard to get a word in, anyway. Dealing with her problems was going to be like when Terra fellt overwhelmed by her hormones when she became a teenager. They didn't obey, or they were slow to obey because it was a new part of her biology opening up for the first time. They had to be managed by being let out and sorted through, from time to time, until she got a hold of herself. She still got urges, of course, but it wasn't as out of control. Kxeyun needed control, and the first step was probably letting the floodgates unload for a while. When the Denver-Vegasian - or whatever you call them - had finally run out of words, it was her turn. She pulled Kxeeyun back enough to talk to her, face to face.

"I'm sure we'll get through this, but don't worry for me. They may want us to capture pilots, but I will kill if my life is at risk. That is why I understand you, even though you're very different from me. The most important thing is not how we win, it's in frustrating them by refusing to die. These battles are going to test you, but it doesn't matter because you are going to be whole again."

She was doing it because she was certain that she could. But more importantly...it was because she couldn't stand NOT doing it.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

@Sgt Vandingo Okay, now I think I know why the secrecy in your profile. Is your duo pretty much Knight Rider with mechs now? Is Cassius basically David Hasselhoff?

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

To those who follow after, this is what war is. You come to this place to fight over a place that means something to somebody, but all it is is a hill of dirt or a line in the sand. Nothing irreplaceable is won or lost, except for those you throw at the line. In the end, Isaac wasn't sure if they'd really achieved anything today. Perhaps those being sent in their stead would keep the hill captured or maybe even capture the artillery that was involved in all this. But Hill 58 wasn't anywhere special. That's why it was given a number. The real places that mattered would be where people lived, worked, or had real history attached to. Everything else just seemed to be a waste of time. Certainly the lives were wasted. The Lance-Corporal kept looking over the battlefield on their return and shaking his head.

"If it's like this for us, I wonder what the Imperials are thinking, starting this war."

Britta simply countered this with "I think they think they'll win.", which...admittedly, put the finger on the hub of the matter. This was somebody's ambition. Isaac had never really met people with ambition beyond merchants and performers, but people of authority didn't come into his life until now, and Lieutenant Middleton figured prominently in that decided failing of life. Whatever it was he was after, he didn't need it this badly. Nor did the Imperials, come to think of it. At no point had he ever heard of them on the verge of mass starvation or over-population. Of course, a war might solve all that if enough people died, so it was hard to tell what their plans were. They were nearing the trench now when Isaac paused.

"Something wrong?"

"Maybe. You agree that this group needs to be looked after by people like us, right?"

"Right."

"I think that'd better count Lucia, no matter how much of a stranglehold he has on her."

"No argument here. Just don't get carried away. If Middleton has you shot, you can't help me keep everyone safe."

"I know, I know..."

That man was so hard to figure out...and right now, he was going to be a bit hard to find. Middleton hadn't followed them yet, and Jean was off to go looking for him. And in the wake of his departure, there had been some bad news: Casualties were in, among them Mila, of all people. She hadn't died in her crazy charge, shouting at the top of her lungs, just suddenly later on, presumably when the artillery struck not long ago. Franz looked like he was dead himself, reporting that fact. He had nothing for him. He didn't know either of them that well yet. All of them only met today, but then again...today was probably the very day they were as one, bound by the circumstances that brought them to this war and branded by the hell they just went through, with the promise of more to come.

Isaac asked Britta to help him keep an eye on people, and he thought...Mila actually seemed familiar to him. She was from Edinburgh too, wasn't she? They might've met sometime, maybe in town. He couldn't place the reason why. Just something about the demeanor she'd had seemed familiar. He was still trying to place the memory when Middleton, Jean, and Lucia returned. The girl was out-cold, and that frosted Isaac's own temper. His first inclination was to think 'What'd he do to her?!', but then the Gunner noticed that she was not actually harmed. However, he'd also had enough of this. Jean asked that they take care of her and then he retreated into himself. Michael elected to take her to the rear line to rest.

"Thank you, Michael. Let me know if there's anything she needs later on if you can't provide it on your rank."

He noticed Franz following after him. He wouldn't blame the guy if he got a rest, as well. Alot of them would need it. No sooner had he turned to go on his own 'journey', though, than another Private began talking to Jean. Jean was...probably hit the hardest by all this, and the words that followed - hollow-sounding things from a broken man - seemed to confirm this thought. Reyna was seeing him at his worst, from having to fight to having to lead from having to deal with Middleton from having to deal with loss. It was all weighing down upon him. Isaac felt some of that weight, but he knew that Middleton and everyone else who wasn't their immediate team was being hard on him for being a Darcsen. In short, it was too much pressure, and every attempt to build him up had failed. Isaac piped in to explain now.

"It's been especially hard on him, Reyna. Nothing but troubles piled upon troubles. He was the one who took charge immediately when the Sergeant died, and the artillery didn't help us much either, when it came."

He turned to Jean specifically now. The poor guy was feeling hopeless. They were the same rank. He had to do this for him.

"Jean, you've been doing nothing but taking it all on yourself since you got her. Leading the charge, taking the responsibility, hearing the abuse... You don't need to prove yourself anymore. Go get some rest. Let me deal with Middleton for a while. I want a word with him, anyway."

Jean wasn't in any state to command right now. He'd said as much, just now. He deserved a damn medal, but they weren't going to give it to him and any one of them would trade such a thing to never have to face this hell again or deal with the loss of comrades.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

Those who have been there before can guess at the signs. Things were pretty dark in Red-Star-controlled Japan, so naturally Terra's education on it went two-fold, the things they wanted to teach her and the things they didn't want her to know. The reason she defected was that Red-Star was made up of horrible short-sighted people who created more horrors up around them. And then, one day, they got exactly what they wanted...but in the wrong direction. It went to the other side. But now, Terra was confronted by the other side and what it had for her was completely unexpected. What she found was a young lady from a different place with a different background and a different life, maybe totally different from her...and yet there were certain similarities to their current situation, as well. For Terra, these things bothered her, but she had a hold of it. For Kxeyun, though...

She wasn't able to keep her cool, like Terra did, and it showed. What she displayed externally was the frustration of things having not gone well. It had to have been something like leaving people behind, because that is what Terra did, and it still gnawed at her in the deep recesses of her mind. It would probably do so for a while. The memory and the irritation and the feeling of less was there, but the impulse to express it wasn't allowed to form. Kxeyun described her escape from Denver-Vegas after her time in the Reality Games, an NC combat sport that Terra had read about at some point. She had left people she cared about, had to kill someone she cared about... Terra watched her as she seemed to be disintegrating before her very eyes.

No... Stop it. You can't let it control you like that. It never stops hurting, that way...

For the moment, Terra was silent because this was dredging up things in herself...

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When Terra was a child, she cried only once, and then never wanted to do it again because of how much it seemed to hurt. She didn't know why, at the time, but because of her accelerated learning, she understood the whole thing beyond emotional response and emotional pain. She didn't become some sort of lunatic who simply did not feel. She just didn't want to be hurt by the emotions, to be overwhelmed and lose herself in them. She once had an argument with her parents about it when she had fallen and scraped her knee hard enough to draw blood.

"Why don't you cry? Doesn't it hurt?"

"Yes, it hurts."

"Then, why don't you cry?"

"I don't want to cry because I don't want to hurt even more."

Imagine a ten-year-old talking down to you. That's what this was like for her folks.

"But it's a stress-reliever."

"I don't make stress. I can shut it down."

"How will we know what you're feeling, though? If you never show anything...who will ever know?"

And at that, their child scowled at them.

"I can show any emotion I want. I don't want THAT ONE. It only makes things harder for me."

Sadness and depression, fear and anxiety - these things kept her from reaching decisions she needed to make in the blink of an eye. Keeping them down to a dull roar allowed her to get on with things. Eventually, the reason for the pain fades away, and there's nothing left to keep down anymore...usually.

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Others in the room saw and heard her tearing herself apart and came over to try and calm her down. She had nothing. She might've had more than her at the start, but they both had nothing now. Whoever built Sahaquiel must've meant alot to her, and they were on another continent now, perhaps lost. Jack, whoever he was, must've been important to her, and she killed him and didn't know why. Terra had not cared who it was she had killed on the way out of her facility. She had, in fact, aimed to destroy the entire hangar she'd been in before leaving, and probably did quite alot of damage. She felt that was good.

What she did not like was that she had left behind what apparently Kxeyun never really had: Parents.

Red-Star had allowed her to remain with her parents, presumably as a means to keep her in check, but they didn't count on her abandoning them as she had. Them...and the several individuals she'd found likeable during her rise through puberty. That was an interesting time... The point of all this was that Terra was not uncaring or unable to feel emotions. She hated being put through the more harmful points of one, the very racking of the soul that Kxeyun was going through. Rather abruptly, Terra stood up to bring herself closer to the other pilot and place a hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Kxeyun, I can help you cope and understand, help you deal with this. For now, we don't have much time until we prepare for combat. Stay alive and find me afterwards."

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

She wasn't going to have a long conversation with Joey because, well, Joey was busy serving people. Still, this was like the equivalent of knowing your bartender at a particular establishment...and this tea WAS rather decent...so all in all, a good place to be. Now, Terra had managed to gain the attention of the helmeted man, and it seemed that she was at least partially right about how it was going to take any sustenance. He had a straw built into his helmet, and his food was going to be eaten privately. Now...of course, the REAL question was 'Why are you always wearing this helmet of yours?', but she couldn't just ask that. She didn't know these people. Her perception of normal was broken hours ago, just by how different this base was from any Red-Star facility.

Terra was then asked for her name - because, if anything, she was only known as 'The Red-Star Defector', so far - and she was about to answer when both she and the helmeted man were confronted with that woman from before, the one who seemed distraught, but trying very hard to keep it together. In fact, she looked to be really working at it, taking an interest in Terra specifically. Her name was Kxeyun, and she seemed very eager to get acquainted. Was she in a similar position as her? Denver-Vegas was a long way away, so she wouldn't know anyone else here. Unlike Terra's own control of herself, Kxeyun may've been putting herself out there as a pleasant sort of person in order to make her transition into the group move faster. It wasn't her own way of doing things, but...honestly, Terra found herself taking an interest, as the other pilot had in her. That clenching of the fists, though...

"Have a seat, if you like. Either of you."

She was gonna do a bit of explanation for the both of them.

"My name is Terra Laedo. I'm the pilot of Id, a Red-Star NC designed to rapidly strike opponents and tear through defenses. That's how I escaped. They designed a person who could coordinate every human ability we take for granted, flooded her brain with information while still a child, then trained her for years as a very dangerous, very intelligent combatant. It was only a matter of time before I discovered how self-destructive their methods were. I wasn't helping that, so I left with Id."

Then, she looked Kxeyun in the eyes and said...

"You had to leave people behind, as well, didn't you?"

That was what she deduced by her observations. Kxeyun's voice was light and sunny, but her more subtle reactions - like her breathing pattern - were darker, ranging from unhappy to very angry, and possibly with herself. Terra didn't want to feel that way herself, but she suspected that if she let the emotion rise, it might look something like that.

✧ Adventure Must Continue ✧

Morningstar's departure had been like watching the Enterprise go to warp speed. There was that weird stretch of physics, and then she was outta there and practically GONE. King Lucius hadn't actually made that cough and mention of bringing him to their superiors until after she had left. Star might've caught it, otherwise, given those pointy ears of hers. That said, Tatter would remember that before they had been interrupted, the gargoyle lass had made an affirmative to the contacting of Volaris. Anyway, in addition to the NPC who showed herself in the area, one of the Professor's large Chimeras - partiially-manticore/partially-draconic in nature - was walking on by, on patrol, a couple of Homunculi on its back. The creature thought it heard Star, who defaulted to their authority while the Lord of Knowledge was out. It looked around with a "REH!", and moved on.

Meanwhile, Star herself had been moving at a considerable speed towards the area in which Helena was in, expecting to go and surprise a mind-reader by coming in far too swiftly and unexpectedly to be anticipated. What she did not know was...the being in question had actually moved on. Fast though the Hellspawn was, she wasn't a teleporter, so arriving there instantly was not on the menu for her. However, it meant that she had time to stack on powers, arriving on the scene at full strength, in order to attack...nothing! Seriously, it was a bit of a surprise to find that while there were signs of there having been some Cathedral Guardian action, she was suddenly swooping down at incredible speed towards no battle. As a result, there was an onrush of wind force as Star ended her plummet early - kind of like how she landed with Lucius at the Cathedral itself - wielding mace and shield and...a little confused now. The gargoyle looked around now, then focused on Helena.

"Wasn't there suppose to be a mind-reading enemy here that I was coming to beat into the ground? She didn't see that coming, did she? I was trying not to be noticed..."

Judging by the speed and power involved, Morningstar would've made a significant crater on impact, reckless and dangerous...but it was well-meant. She seemed to actually care about the others in their group. Coupled with her outburst earlier, that much seemed certain...

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He was certain that nobody would hear and nobody would be able to sneak up on them while they spoke, having checked quite thoroughly with his greater senses, but...the thing in the room with him did not agree. Naturally, as a cat, Garlock was immediately irritated by this act. Even without being King, he expected others to defer to his way of doing things, because he decided that he knew best, under the circumstances. However, right now, this was not happening, and it tested the Bakeneko's patience. The Dremorians were none the wiser for him, or were simply allowing him to further his agenda if they were not fooled. Either way, Garlock was learning a great deal now, and this suspicious shade was interfering. Indeed, it got worse when the shadows decided to coax him out of the tent and away from the garrison and wall...when he figured out who he was dealing with. He knew all the Guardians. He knew what they were capable of, and the whole thing had a familiar feel. Garlock let out an exasperated sigh and said...

"Greater Teleportation."

The both of them were now transported in the direction that had been indicated by the shadows, only instantaneously and further out enough that no one should have line-of-sight on him for suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He checked to make certain that there was nothing around here, as well, because we can't have interlopers here, either. He would likely draw any such beings into his domain to prevent trouble, if need-be. Once done, the 'king' looked down at the shadow with familiar cat-like eyes instead of Lucius' own, fairly annoyed with it as he spoke in the voice of Garlock The Destroyer.

"For the love of your own creator, Samael... It. Is. Me. The story was made up. I have taken the king's place. He is our prisoner. If you care to join me upon a journey of discovery and devious fun, then you may do so. If not, then do not linger here for long, for I will be making moves to benefit us all in this world."

He wanted to get the most out of this as he could, so he didn't want to spend time talking for long with the Guardian. Best that the king does not have TWO mysterious occurrances in one day. Not unless that sort of thing was the norm around here.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

Terra listened to Joey as he explained his position within Red-Star. He was providing a service then, as he was now, but as he said...it was basically a hollow and depressing thing to be a part of. He was no different from a slave to them, probably, kept youthful for appearances sake only and not because they appreciated him. Though she kept herself from displaying any overt reaction, the look in her violet eyes said she was a bit down about things involving Red-Star. She was keeping herself in control, but something was biting at her.

"I understand how they can use and abuse you. Red-Star was having me raised to perfection in order to be aimed at all of you here. I felt that it was a fool's errand, even if they succeeded."

She sipped at her tea as Joey started serving other people. Terra did not know or, to be honest, really care about the political edge of things, so the conversation about it didn't really raise her interest. Instead, she attacked her pancakes until the masked pilot with the battle plans came by, which rather simplified things, at the moment. Once he was was done addressing Joey, Terra spoke up again.

"I want to ask you about the battle plans, but first...how are you planning to eat or drink anything with your helmet on?"

The only methods she could think of was either via a series of tubes or that he was actually a ninja and ate really fast.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

This was defintiely not right. They were a group of combatants fighting what she described as a desperate battle against greater numbers, and it wasn't like they were the 300 Spartans against the Persians at the Hot Gates. Haven was a bolthole in Darwin, not an inaccessable area of the world, isolated from potential harm. It was Australia, and the only thing keeping them from heavily-destructive bombardment was an energy barrier. That didn't help much if Red-Star decided to commit a large-scale attack force capable of just steamrolling the area, and they would. So, explain to the black-haired turncoat - who knows how Red-Star operates - just what she was doing, being told to go to a social at one of three locations, one of which was a bar...which was a terrible thing to go to prior to battle?

There was evan a man, Caz he was called, who was looking forward to it. Frankly, Terra was glad that some of them seemed about as confused by this as she was. Even better, there was some actual disapproval of the bar. Good, though it didn't help that she still wasn't comfortable with any of it, even though one of the other women DID mention that the coffee house would have tea. That was...at least somewhat acceptable, which Terra nodded to.

"I can accept that, I guess."

Something that stuck out in all this, thought...amidsts all of this...was something Terra found herself paying some attention to. There was a woman there who seemed, this whole time, to be somewhat distressed. She seemed to be talking herself down from something, and while Terra didn't hear the words, the sound was a melange of colors, very unsettling tones - sort of like the nervous girl - followed by vibrant ones of a somewhat-forced sunny disposition, as though trying to reassure everyone that she was alright. But she wasn't, was she? She was very unlike Terra, who kept herself in check, who could force these things down. Terra didn't have any experience in dealing with other people's problems, but her feelings on controlling a situation... She wouldn't let this rest until she knew that the other NC Pilot was in the clear.

So, the popular vote appeared to be for the coffeehouse, and one of the pilots next to her actually suggested bringing the battleplans with them. Now that...was a good idea. Perhaps if she hadn't been so blindsidered by Commander Narra's strange ideas, she might've suggested it herself, but as it stood...at least somebody else had. This would move them on...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

...to the coffeehouse! Here, in an atmosphere that was attempting to be relaxing during wartime - the effort helped at least a little, to those who needed it - they would pull into the lane of chat on Conversation Street. Err, sorry. That was from remarks about those shows that people had mentioned to her again. Really didn't know anything about it, herself. Terra, remarkable casual in attire while not casual in temperment, entered after others had done so before her...and found them all being greeted by [s]Shizuo[/i] Joey. The mention of Red-Star fixed a stare at him for a moment, while others began to talk and mingle. Perhaps there was someone here who could appreciate her position here, after all. He seemed friendly and inviting, though part of that must be in his profession. IfRed-Star did him any favors at all, he must've done a good job, himself. Terra waited for others to order before stepping up now.

"I would like some pancakes, as well, with syrup but no butter on it. I'll have some breakfast sausage, as well. Also, some hot tea."

The reason Terra didn't go for coffee was more than just a preferance, to her. It was also that...coffee was really a strong emergency drink, which you would label as 'When you absolutely need to wake yourself up immediately', rather than a regular drink. In her case, it would be more of a gentle tug of caffiene, not a battering ram, more relaxing to the body. She could probably metabolize the stuff easy, but why put herself through that if she didn't have to? Speaking of things she didn't have to, she decided to talk to Joey now.

"I'm guessing it wasn't easy for you to get out of Red-Star either, then. Which part were you in?"

May as well satisfy her curiosity if the Commander was forcing her into this position. She looked around, seeing the pilot with the plans seated with a datapad. Perhaps she would speak to him next. No sign of Sahaquiel's pilot, the one that...Terra felt might benefit from her abilities. Maybe later... Joey was giving out other people's food while managing the pancakes. He seemed to have a fluid grace to his work. Yeah, definitely too skilled for Red-Star to just drop. Terra waited for an answer while her food and drink were handedly prepared.