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LadyAmber female Member

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I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures.

Genres I am interested in:
Fantasy
Middle Ages
Science Fiction
Vampires
Shapeshifters
Crime Drama

Fandoms I am interested in:
Pokemon
Harry Potter
Anita Blake
Dragonriders of Pern
Star Wars

I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out.

I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.

Most Recent Posts

In DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Saturday March 4th, 2094
Auckland, New Zealand


Interview Wrap Up - Alexander Knight




Aurora: "Apologies, Alexander. Whilst you can't divulge changes, how would your approach impart on the team?"

Alexander had already turned his attention to finishing up any last minute details, having some dinner, and getting horizontal till morning. He was surprised when he heard Aurora asking him to stop behind him with one final question. He sighed as he tried very hard to not growl in response. His patience was almost at an end. He was out of practice dealing with the media. Maybe he could talk Leopold into understanding that he should provide the media LIMITED ACCESS to his grumpy crew chief. He wouldn’t hold his breath though. By her very questions he could tell Leopold and the marketing team were pumping the fact that he was a pilot from the beginning of antigravity racing to build the hype for the season. He dropped his head in resignation and turned back around.

He didn’t bother to hide the exhaustion on his face as he gave her a genuine wry smile before he replied.

“Well Aurora I hope my changes will impart a winning season but only time will tell. If you are wanting to know what changes I will be making for the team or what I plan to focus on, I honestly don’t know yet. We will all find out together how successful I am. Now if you don’t mind I have a few last minute things to see too.”

He gave her a quick nod of his head before he left with a determined stride. He was not stopping for anything else. Behind him Alexander heard her reply.

"We will be watching keenly, and I am sure we'll be excited to see an ex-driver in the paddock as a specialist at a big team. Thank you for your time. We will see you later!"

He snorted in amusement as he stepped through the door. He hoped he didn’t grow to despise her by the end of the season. Overly perky people annoyed him because they always seemed like they were hiding their true intentions. They just didn’t feel authentic. He knew he was biased due to previous experiences. Now on to his next challenge of the day.



Prior to the Pre-Race Party
Post Qualification




Alexander was in his hotel room eating some surprisingly good room service. He was reviewing important notifications sent over to him by the team. He was sorting it into categories of need to deal with immediately, tomorrow, next week, next month, or never. The number of requests for interviews were staggering. It was not even feasible for him to carve out enough time to do a quarter of them. He punted those to the marketing team and told them to set up a press conference at team headquarters for the week following the race. He would make it a team affair and share the spotlight. That should appease the sharks and chum the waters at the same time.

He closed the laptop and finished his dinner and was sipping on the last of his beer. He thought about the notification for the Pre-Race Party. He shook his head worried about that. He would try to get them to do the next one before qualifiers. He was not happy about his pilots being up late and partying the night before a big race. He wanted them well rested and focused. He also understood that this is how the game was played. The racing team had to have fans who brought in sponsors who paid for everything. To get the fans and sponsors they had to be in the media. He didn’t mind his drivers going to a party but the timing of this party almost felt like sabotage. Granted some of the pilots were so augmented they probably had blood filtering systems and could drink all the alcohol they wanted and not be impaired. He knew their drivers didn’t have those kinds of augmentations. He also put some thought into how this party could affect his rookie.

As a young man starting his pro-rookie season, Paul had to be excited to be in the big leagues and doing what he loves. Paul had to be nervous as well. He knew that Paul was feeling the pressure of the technical default that led to his failed qualifying round. His ship had a minor malfunction and failed to fire at the starting gate. Alexander had been furious and tore into the engineering and mechanical team. It had turned out to be a loose wire on the starting mechanism. Knight could see that it had rocked Paul’s confidence. It was not Paul’s fault but he understood that Paul felt that way because it was his butt in the seat. He didn’t want Paul to drive poorly tomorrow because he was hungover. Paul deserved his moment in the limelight and the perks that came with being a racer. He didn’t want to take this moment away from him. He knew Dorian would know his limits and had the experience to decide what was appropriate for himself. He wasn’t as concerned about the veteran racer.

Alexander was staying in the same hotel as the drivers. He asked them to come to his room for a meeting. He had a small suite with a separate bedroom and a small living room area with a desk and a small dining table. It was not overly pretentious and met his needs. He snorted as he knew some teams would pick a penthouse. He thought that was ridiculous unless he was sharing that space with other members of the team. He had no interest in knowing what his drivers were up to or what kind of company they might have. He preferred his own space.

Alexander heard a knock on the door and got up to let the two men in. He turned and indicated the couch.

“Have a seat gentlemen.”

He closed the door and followed them. He took the chair across from the couch where Dorian and Paul had settled. He smiled at them both before starting the conversation.

Alexander wasted no time as his arms settled on the arms of the plush chair he was sitting in.

“Thank you for coming. I wanted to check in and see how you were both doing. Dorian, let's start with you. How do you feel your qualifying round went?”

Dorian had settled onto the couch and had one leg propped up on the knee of the other. He relaxed back into the plush sofa. He can’t say he was surprised by Knight’s last minute request for a meeting. He had been getting ready for the Pre-Race Party and was already dressed in a custom tailored suit and tie with soft Italian leather shoes. His hair was styled and had enough product in it to keep it looking that way. He had on a nice cologne which was always a hit with the ladies. He looked like a million bucks and he knew it. Dorian exuded confidence as he regarded Knight. He had been shocked to hear about the crew chief change. He was not surprised that Valkyrie had decided to fire Dominic so much as the timing and who they had chosen to replace him. He respected Knight but he had no clue what he thought he could learn from someone who had been out of the game for so long.

“I did well in qualifying. I placed a respectable seventh place. The ship’s actuators for turns were a little sluggish which caused some shimmying and vibrations. I already let the engineering team know.”

Dorian shrugged like it was an expected result. He was satisfied with his performance.

Alexander nodded as he spoke.

“I agree with you Dorian. You did well. Thank you for letting me know about the issues you had. I will double check that the engineers have that problem fixed before tomorrow's race.”

Alexander turned his attention to Paul and smiled at the rookie driver.

“How about you Paul? How are you feeling after qualifiers?”

Paul had sat quietly after greeting each man with a flick of his head. He had been surprised to get a request from Knight to speak to them before they left for the Pre-Race Party. Paul was dressed in stylish but comfortable dark jeans, a nice blue button up shirt that was tucked in, a black leather belt, and butter soft dress black leather shoes. The blue shirt made his blue eyes stand out even more and look more vibrant. His blonde hair was styled in artful waves. He had a gold Rolex on his right wrist. It had been a gift from his mother. She had given it to him when he had left for New Zealand. He had been shocked that her attitude about him racing had changed. She was still afraid for him but she was supporting his dream. The watch she had given him belonged to his father. It had been a present from her for one of their anniversaries. He nodded as he listened to Dorian’s response. He agreed that his teammate had done very well in the qualifying round.

Paul couldn’t hide his nerves and discomfort about talking about what had happened during his qualifying round.

“I didn’t get the chance to run the qualifying round. The damn ship wouldn’t start.”

Paul's voice was full of all the frustration, anger, and resentment he was feeling about that.

Alexander met Paul’s eyes with a serious no nonsense look as he spoke.

“Paul, in case you didn’t hear from the team, it was not your fault. The engineering team reported back to me that they found a loose wire on the starter assembly. It had been jarred loose during shipping somehow. I have already promised them they could expect my size tens to meet their asses if your ship is not perfect by race time tomorrow. It will be dealt with.”

He watched to see how his words landed on the young man.

Paul met Alexander’s eyes unsure how to feel about this man. He could see from the dark circles under his eyes that the man was tired. He could almost sense the frustration on his behalf in his voice. He blinked a little as he was a little surprised at the crudeness of his remark. No one had yet thought to tell Paul what the issue had been with his ship. He couldn’t help the relief he felt that it was not his fault. It was nothing he did. He couldn’t think of how to respond and simply nodded.

Alexander was glad he had asked to speak with Paul. It was clear to him that no one had told him what had happened. He had seen the instant relief and tension leave his shoulders. He gave Paul a tired smile.

“I have faith you will redeem yourself tomorrow. You know something similar once happened to your father. He went on to take third in that race.”

He winked at Paul. It made him happy to share memories of the man who had once been his best friend. It also made him a little sad. He missed Audrick. When he died, there was a huge hole left in his life that no one else had ever filled. He turned his attention to the reason he had asked them to meet him.

“Gentlemen, I wanted to talk to you about the Pre-Race Party. When I was racing these things didn’t occur the night before a major race.”

He turned to Dorian and addressed him first.

“Dorian I know you have the experience to handle yourself and you know what to expect. Please keep an eye on Paul and answer his questions. Please remember you are racing tomorrow. I would like you to watch your alcohol intake and be back in time to get plenty of rest before the race.”

Dorian snorted with laughter at Knight’s admission. He smiled at him a respectful nod before giving him a resentful look.

“I know how to take care of my teammate Alexander. I already had his back in the interview room.”

Dorian rolled his eyes in annoyance at him for presuming to tell him what he needed to do.

Alexander had caught Dorian’s tone and raised an eyebrow wondering if he was going to have issues with the man. He let it go for now. As the crew chief he couldn’t presume that Dorian would do what was right. Competition between team driver’s happened all the time. It was his job as crew chief to make sure the whole team was looked after. If he needed Dorian to mentor the new pilot, then Dorian needed to step up and help mentor the rookie.

Alexander turned to Paul and met his eyes once more.

“Paul, I want you to enjoy this experience but be responsible. Don’t accept any recreational substances other than alcohol and try to watch how much you drink. Don’t forget to drink a glass of water before bed as well. There will be a mix of fans, other drivers, and media there.” He then flicked his eyes over both men. “Have fun but remember there are eyes everywhere. Watch out for each other.”

Alexander smiled at them both and flicked a hand towards the door.

“Get out of here and go have some fun.”

He watched them leave before retiring to his bed and was soon asleep.



Pre-Race Party




Paul had resented Alexander's words a little. He felt like he was a child being managed with kid gloves. He was not a child who needed to be coddled. He resented Dorian being tasked as his babysitter. Paul had no clue how Dorian was feeling about it. Dorian had been quiet and had a slightly annoyed air since they had left Alexander’s suite.

Dorian turned to Paul in the limo after putting up the privacy barrier between them and the driver. His accent had a hard edge to it as he spoke.

“Look Paul, I am not your father or your keeper. I am your teammate and I will help you out. Please just relax and enjoy yourself. Alexander means well and his advice is solid. I know you have been in the junior circuit and know how to handle yourself with the media. You wouldn’t be here if Valkyrie had any concerns, okay?”

Dorian waited for Paul’s nod, his face looking somewhat mutinous and angry. Dorian gave Paul a smile.

“This party will be… how do the American’s say… lit!”

Paul looked at Dorian and met his eyes. His resentment faded with Dorian’s words. He nodded and gave him a smile. It was funny to hear American slang from Dorian. It was clear from his delivery that it was not something he used often. Dorian could be very dry and formal when he spoke. He gave into it and just laughed. His good humor was restored. He chuckled before asking Dorian.

“Do you have any advice you want to share?”

Dorian patted Paul on the shoulder.

“No, I think you know what you need to do. Have fun. If you need me, have one of your security shadows fetch me or send a message to one of mine.”

Dorian winked at Paul as the limo slowed to a stop.

“It’s showtime.”

The limo door opened and they stepped out onto a red carpet to a sea of flashbulbs. There was the typical sea of media at the entrance to the track.

They made their way into the Valkyrie AGR fan zone that was part of their paddock at the track. There was a great DJ and music was being pumped throughout the track. Valkyrie’s marketing team had set up lighting to turn the fan zone into a dance club. Colorful lights cut through the space and lit up a packed dance floor. There was a bar area serving alcohol in collectible mugs and cups. There were servers walking around with trays of appetizers, and bottled waters. There were of course merchandise tables where pre-autographed merch was sold and along with merch for sale to get signed. Dorian and Paul each had their own signing station area where they could meet and talk to their fans. There was a step and repeat backdrop set up for pictures with the Valkyrie AGR logo and their sponsors logos. Some of their sponsors had their own booths catering to the fans. One of Valkyrie’s sponsors was a sports drink manufacturer that was giving out bottles to the crowd and branded merchandise. There was a food truck parked on the track side where a meat substitute sponsor was serving bratwurst sandwiches made from their product to the crowd.

Dorian smiled and waved to the crowd as he made his way to his station. He had learned long ago it was easier for him to be stationary. Others could come to him. It was easier for his security to manage the crowd that way. He easily chatted with fans and signed autographs while answering questions to the media.

Paul followed Dorian’s example and made his way to his signing station. He wanted to be sure he didn’t disappoint his fans. The Pre-Race Party was a fan exclusive event that they paid good money to attend. He wanted them to feel they he was an accessible driver and approachable. Paul quickly relaxed and was having a great time. Laughter flowed around him and there were smiles and laughter coming from those surrounding him.

So far the media had been respectful and had not asked too many prying questions. Many of them asked what had happened at the qualifiers and he joked about it.

“Well these things happen.”

He had winked at the press who were hanging on his every word hoping for a byline.

“I feel it gives me an advantage. My competition hasn’t seen my set up or my abilities for this race. I am the dark horse underdog for this race.”

Paul oozed charm and confidence as he said it. He brushed it off as just something that happened with the sport which was true. Mechanical issues happened. He would not let them see that he had been rattled earlier. The topics soon turned to other things and he chatted with his fans hoping to steal their hearts.
In DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Behind the Scenes at Valkyrie AGR Sport Complex - March 1st, 2094


Deep inside the office complex a team principals meeting was being held. The conference room was well appointed with a dark mahogany conference table and plush leather swivel chairs. A sideboard had assorted pastries, coffee, and tea. The people in the room represented the combined corporate owners and the current crew chief, Dominic Ricci. The president of the owner’s board was Leopold Koch. Leopold was the man who had called the meeting.

Leopold called the meeting to order. His cool steely eyes turned to regard the five men and three women in the room.

“I have called this meeting to implement a team change.”

He held up a hand as protests went up around the room. It was highly unusual to make a significant team change this close to the season starting. The pre-season was done at this point and bringing a new team member in a key position was practically unheard of. Leopold steepled his fingers to continue now that he had their attention.

“We have been given a golden opportunity to work with a legend. I honestly was a little shocked to get the opportunity. Let me lay out my reasoning before we vote on this. I am telling you now that this must happen or Valkyrie AGR Sport is in trouble.”

His cold eyes seemed to bore into each of their souls as he met their eyes to make his point.

“Point one, Dorian is getting older. Our team should be placing better and winning more often. Our equipment is state of the art and on par with Silver Apex. Pilots are where we are lacking performance. Last year’s rookie was a disaster. Dorian is a solid performer and provides some consistency but we are not staying competitive.”

He glanced around at them all and saw contemplative looks and agreement on many faces with a few angry and dismissive ones.

“Point two, the rules we have to race under are stricter about augmentations for pilots. We have to find a way to help our pilots be competitive without them. We know the rules for them are not going to change any time soon. We need to make a change here if we want to stay competitive.”

He looked around the table once more and saw more thoughtful looks from them this time. He noticed Dominic was shaking his head and his lips were pressed into a tight thin line. Dominic had been supporting the line for further augmentations for the pilots. He wanted to pay for research to take to the EU racing board to get the regulations changed. He had suggested they try to steal a racer from another team that already had the body augmentations to get around the regulations. That was a can of legal worms waiting to explode.

“Point three, we have a promising new rookie who is a natural talent. He has great potential. Paul Mulder has the potential to get us to the winner’s circle but he needs the right coaching and support. What we have been doing is not working. We have a new rookie this year because last year the rookie was unable to continue the season after injuries from the crash.”

He left the reason for the crash unspoken. The board knew and had approved Dominic’s trial use of drugs to try and up the rookie's response times. The result had been disastrous. He could see the unspoken knowledge on the faces around the table. Dominic’s expression was darker and more mutinous.

“I believe we can all agree that Dorian’s reign is coming into his twilight years. We need to start looking for our next primary pilot. I also believe that we can all agree that Paul has the most potential of any pilot we have looked at in the last 3 years.”

He looked around to see where the board sat with this statement. It was about as divided as he expected. Paul's performance could be stellar in one race and he would botch the next. Dominic was again in disagreement. Leopold was well aware that Dominic didn’t like Paul. He also felt it was personal jealousy. Paul was very easy to get along with and had a positive upbeat attitude. The media had loved Paul and seemed to dote on him and exclude others when he was around which included Dominic who was a diva in his own right.

Leopold nodded and took a deep breath before releasing the information they had been waiting for.

“I believe that part of Paul’s inconsistency comes from not having the full support of his mother. It would help our team if his mother was willing to do interviews to support Paul. I received a call from Alicia Mulder. She will put her full support behind Paul but only if Alexander Knight is the Team Principal and Crew Chief. And Knight will have full control of all team decisions.”

As Leopold expected the board room exploded into chaos. He knew that the board liked the illusion of control. He was old enough and experienced enough to know that the board was part of the problem. They needed one person with a vision making the calls. They had too many bosses and followers. Too many conflicting opinions and strategies. They needed a strong leader to take the team to the next level. Leopold agreed with Alicia that Knight could get them there. But he would only do it his way. Leopold knew Knight and had worked with him in the past. He knew the snow job that happened to Knight had been unfair to him. He never dreamed that he could be coaxed out of retirement in any form. Leopold had approached Knight a few times in the past and had basically been told to stuff his offer where the sun didn’t shine.

After an hour of heated arguments and debate, Leopold felt gratified when the board vote went his way. Dominic left in a rage after being fired. He did leave with a great severance package. Leopold felt no regrets as he left to make the arrangements needed. The hiring contracts would have to be sent right away. They would announce the changes just before qualifiers in Auckland. Leopold left with a smile. This would be a season to watch. He could feel it. Team Valkyrie would rise.



Friday March 3rd, 2094 6:00 AM somewhere over the Pacific


Alexander had taken a redeye flight from Los Angeles. His daughter had surgery on Monday. He stayed with her as long as he could before joining the team in Auckland. He wanted to be sure she was stable and on the mend before he left her. She was responding well to the new implants and her body was healing, no signs of infection or rejection. He was dog tired and only functioning on coffee. He had managed to sleep on the flight over. Exhaustion was stamped on his face as the events of the last week caught up with his overtaxed body and emotions. He had struggled to rest as worry, fear, and nightmare about what could have been kept him from sleep. He could have lost his little girl. She was one of the only points of sunshine in his life. It didn’t matter that she was an adult. She was still his princess.He would do anything for her.

He sighed as he looked out the window of the plane. He couldn’t believe that he was headed back into the belly of the beast. He had sworn when Audrick died that he would never get involved in racing again. If it had been anyone else that had called him, he wouldn’t have trusted the offer or the reason. Alicia had not spoken to him since Audrick’s funeral. He had tried reaching out to check on her and Paul. She had shut him out of their life. He understood why. He had told her what he suspected his former racing team had done that had taken Audrick’s life. He still felt lingering guilt and anguish over that. It was not his fault. He had not known. He still felt like there was something more he should have done. It was not his burden to bear but he felt it anyway. Alicia knew the lengths and depths that some teams would go to for a win. He knew for her it was about protecting her son. He also knew it had to be killing her a little to see him willingly putting his body in harm's way the way his father had. He rubbed his face in frustration. He had to admit to being humbled that she would trust him with her precious child. He wondered why after all this time.

Arianna, his daughter, would be okay once more thanks to Alicia’s help. She had delivered on her promises. Arianna had been given state of the art implants and a neural enhancement integration chip with synthetic nerve manipulation and stimulation to replace the damage to her spinal cord and nervous system. The implants would allow her to function normally. She would walk and dance again. He closed his eyes as memories of her bruised and tattered body flashed behind his eyelids. He would never forget seeing her like that. Would he ever get over the fear of losing her again? He wanted to wrap her in cotton and hide her behind walls for the rest of her life. Unfortunately she was too much like him to live that way. Now if he could only focus on helping Paul. He needed to protect him and teach him how to protect himself. He owed it to Audrick and Alicia. Maybe he could redeem some of his past mistakes by helping him.

DELTΔ HYPER
Episode One: Finding their Feet



Before Qualifying Rounds That Morning


Alexander had flown in the day before. He had introduced himself to the team. He told them to just do their jobs as they normally would. He would be observing to see what changes needed to happen. He called a team lead meeting so he could get a better understanding where they were. There was a pit crew, an engineering crew, a marketing team, and never forget the personal trainers and doctors to keep the pilot’s in top shape. Everyone had their part to play for success. He knew that him taking over the team would throw them all for a loop and shake them up.

He was still shocked that Alicia had managed to make it happen. He would never have agreed if they hadn’t given him full control of the team decisions in writing. It was spelled in his contract which had a lawyer review before he signed it. He felt as protected as possible going into this. He couldn’t deny to himself that he felt a thrill of challenge to be back in racing. He had missed it. It would be different this time though. He was not in the pilot seat. The ships now were faster than they were back in his day. The requirements needed to race them were different too.

Alexander remembered Dorian. Dorian had been a competitor but hadn’t been a bad guy. He had always had that aloof gentlemanly air. He was so prim and proper. Alexander had to chuckle at some of the memories of conversation with Audrick about the stuffy racer. They had not hated the guy. If anything his feelings about Dorian were neutral. He had never really viewed Dorian as one of his main competitors. Dorian was simply one of the members of the pack in the chase for the cup. Their meeting had gone about how he expected. Dorian was surprised and shocked to see him and then gave him the same laid back formal greeting he had in the past.

His meeting with Paul had been very different. Paul was shocked to see him. He greeted him warmly with some distance and caution. He wondered what Alicia had told Paul about him. He knew that Paul was aware of the past and his relationship with his dead father. He would wait to have that longer conversation with Paul when he was going to be on the racetrack. He wanted his head in the game. He told them all he was just observing today.

Saturday March 4th, 2094, After Qualifying Rounds


Alexander had tried to get out of the meet the press section of the day. He was exhausted and frustrated. Paul had botched his qualifying round. He couldn’t help but wonder if his presence was the cause for his nerves. If the boy apologized to him one more time for it, he was going to put his boot up his ass. Leopold had told him to suck it up and do his job. Knight growled a little as he saw the signal that he was next on the interview list.

Alexander had already seen the surprise press announcement that Leopold had taken great pleasure in that morning. Leopold had held the press conference as the media had noticed him in the Valkyrie paddock. The media frenzy his return had caused was still going. There was so much speculation about why now, especially with Paul Mulder as the rookie driver. The media had taken great pleasure in pulling out old footage and folding it into new montages about his history in racing. He couldn’t deny that Valkyrie was dominating the media with his return. Not all of it was good press though. He had put his headset on and only used comms to speak to the team the rest of the day. He had literally blocked the press from his attention.

Alexander had worn jeans, a black t-shirt, and work boots today. This had happened so fast they hadn’t had time to even get his uniform made yet. He was lounging on the couch and doing his best not to glower at the approaching reporter's hologram. He was sipping on his tenth cup of coffee for the day. He felt like he was only awake because there were metaphorical toothpicks keeping his eyes open. He didn’t bother to roll his eyes as he saw the light on the camera flash yellow letting him know he was next on her agenda.

Alexander tried to smile but it probably came out as a grimace of pain. He tried to settle his face into neutral. It was the best he could do for now. He nodded to her that he was ready as he saw the camera aim towards him and the green light blinked twice to indicate it was recording before staying solid green.

Aurora’s perky personable voice grated on his already exposed nerves. He almost bit his tongue not to growl as she called him Alex. The only people who got to call him Alex were his close friends and family and she wasn’t one of those people.

"Hello Alex, welcome to Delta Hyper! It's amazing to have a legend of the first season of Formula Anti-Gravity back, how does it feel to be in the paddock and working with Valkyrie AGR? I imagine you must have had some interesting conversations with your old grid-mate, Dorian, and with Paul?"

Alexander bit back with a growl as he replied. “My name is Alexander not Alex, Aurora.”

He gave her a very pointed look that she should remember that in the future. This interview was going so fantastically he thought. Maybe it would make Leopold rethink using him in the marketing and on the documentary. He could only hope.

He sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath and putting his game face on. He probably looked constipated but Leopold would just have to deal. He put a lopsided smile on his face before he responded to her first question.

“Thank you for the warm welcome Aurora. I never thought I would come back to racing. I was given an offer even I couldn’t refuse.”

He thought that statement was more truthful than she would ever know. That brought a playful smirk to his face.

“I don’t know that everyone would call me a legend. I think you flatter me Aurora.”

He gave her a playful look. Yeah he remembered how to deal nicely with the media. At least she had not lobbed him a hard ball question. This one was fairly lighthearted and expected.

“Well Aurora as you heard, my return to racing was sudden and unexpected. I haven’t had much time to talk much with Dorian and Paul yet. Matter of fact I didn’t even start until yesterday. I have had to hit the ground running. Dorian and I were always friendly competitors. I would say our meeting went about as I expected. Dorian has always been a gentleman. Paul and I don’t know each other yet but we will get there in time.”

He paused and took a breath before putting on a serious face.

“This weekend I am getting the feel for how the team is doing and seeing how everyone operates. You can tell all the racing fans and your viewers to be watching to see what changes are coming to Valkyrie AGR Sport.”

He stopped and gave her a wink and a confident look.

“I am sure this season is going to be exciting. I can’t divulge team strategy though. I am sure you understand.”

He gave her a big smile and a wave goodbye. “See you next time Aurora.”

He looked smug as he got up and began to walk off without waiting for her reply and headed back to his hotel room. He needed sleep. Jet lag on top of his already exhausted body was taking a toll. If anyone else disturbed him before 6 am someone was going to die.
In DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay


In DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay




In DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Fireteam Icarus


Samantha Dalton AKA Chaos


Samantha had ditched her wing pack and stored it behind some crates when the action kicked off.

Oliver had his gun up and was ready to take action as she heard him whisper over the comms. "So question, this pressurized environment, do we know what kind of mixture it has, and do different compartments have different mixtures, specially those around the servers and special storage units?" he said in a low whisper, "also, what are we doing about those in front of us?"

Samantha’s head whipped around to stare in shock at Oliver. That was the most she had ever heard Oliver talk while on a mission and it was a very good question. She raised an eyebrow in surprise as she considered the man. “The compartments are like those on a boat. The idea is that if one compartment is breached that the others will help prevent the blimp from crashing allowing it to land safely. Most blimps today use helium which is non-flammable while hydrogen has more lift and is flammable. After the Hindenburg most blimps don’t use hydrogen for that reason. However, for a blimp this size to maintain this altitude, there has to be hydrogen begging used for lift. Otherwise the blimp couldn’t support this altitude. I will have to get into their computers to find out if there is a mixture of just certain compartments with hydrogen or all hydrogen.”

Skye recommended the team keep their masks on in case of a breech. It was not long when the team made contact with guards. Skye and Athena quickly took down the first set of guards. Athena using one of the guards body as a weapon as she tossed him into his partner. Athena and Skye snarking at one another causing her to grin as Skye told Athena she had flair for the dramatic. Chaos just snickered as she couldn’t help but think had Skye met Athena? She was not but dramatic! She couldn’t help the snort of laughter that followed from her as Athana told Skye precision was her department.

They came to the end of that compartment and found the door into the main section of the blimp on this level. They could hear voices on the other side of the door. The enemy knew they were there just not exactly where. Time was ticking now as the team was being hunted.

Skye paused outside the door to share some further instructions.
"Schematics are relatively poor. But, from what we know, server's up on the next level. This might be our Sol Hestia store here." Skye and Athena stacked up on each other ready to go through the door. She nodded to Athena and told her, "All yours, Valkyrie."

With that Athena pushed into through the doorway her guns blasting. Skye rushed in behind her to help take down the men. Skye was tackled to the ground by one of the men to be pulled off and casually thrown into the wall by Athena with a crunch as his head hit the wall. Skye had thanked Athena who said something snarky about drama to Skye. She shook her head. So far she was way behind on this mission. She would need to up her game.

The team knew that the alarms had been triggered. They knew it was only a matter of time before they began to run into more and more of the enemy. They still needed to neutralize the toxin and take down Rose’s servers and destroy any remaining bodies she might have on board.

Samantha nodded as Skye told her. "This is it then. Chaos, all yours to deactivate. We'll secure up in front. Nord, Athena, you two take lead." Samantha nodded to Skye, her voice full of humor as she chuckled “Drama indeed. Aye Queen.” She turned to the large tank and began to carefully look it over. She didn’t want to trigger any kind of automatic ejection or activation sequence. She went to work as fast she could at the tank. She pulled a cord out of the toolkit and plugged Bob into the computer station next to the tank. She checked the tank for mechanical engineering components while Bob hacked into the computer station.

Samantha was frustrated as she discovered there were failsafe traps on the activation tank and valve. If she had just opened the valve, it would have triggered an automatic activation and release sequence. Some of the toxin would have made it out before the neutralization agent had time to neutralize it all. Sweat beaded up on her forehead as she worked as quickly as possible to find a solution. Her eyes lit up as she went old school and pulled out her tool kit. She sabotaged the valves on the tank to keep them from opening and dumping the toxin into the atmosphere using a small welding torch. She then dumped the neutralization agent into the activation duct which triggered the program to open the duct into the tank, dumping the agent into the tank. Alarms went off as the tank dump valves triggered error messages since they were welded shut and unable to open. Samantha grinned. “One problem down. Suck on that Rose!”

She put her tools away and unplugged Bob. The computer station was a bust. It was on a separate circuit to the rest of the base to make it harder to hack from a distance.She didn’t really get any usable information from it.

She let Skye know over comms “Toxin neutralized but I triggered alarms.”

Samantha could hear gunfire and knew which way her team had gone. She re-joined the team and slid into cover at the doorway. She peeked out to see what was going on. She saw the automated turrets that were attached to the ceiling. She also drones moving down the corridor firing like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It reminded her of original Star Trek episodes where droids look like fancy mobile trash cans with a turret on top. Samantha growled. She had not brought her precision long guns for this battle expecting it to be close quarter fighting in the hallways of the blimp. She asked Bob the distance to the drone; it was far enough away she didn’t think she could hit it with her pistol.

She pulled out her mini drone and tossed it into the air. The drone swept into the air. Samantha had it jerk from side to side as she tried to get it close to the drone. The automated turrets were trying to target it and bullets stitched along the corridor as the turrets tried to target all of them. At least the drone was pulling some of the fire aimed at the team. She groaned as one of the turrets clipped the small drone in a lucky shot. “Damn it!” The drone fell and slid under the wheeled drone. The wheeled turret got stuck on the mini-drone’s body. It was trying to free itself as it continued to target the team. It was moving back and forth and side to side. It might eventually get free but at least it was somewhat stationary at the moment. That was not what she was planning on but hey she would take it. Sometimes luck was better than planning.
In Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) → 5 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Chuck Simmons AKA Boomer


Fireteam Poseidon


In the plane…


Chuck knew he was playing with fire. Running into Freya was like finding a unicorn. Chuck knew that women who were not intimidated by his size were rare. Chuck had been treated by some women as a prize due to his size but they tended to be women of poor character. He also felt like if he hugged them too hard they would break in half. He had met other giant women but most of the ones he had met had been enemies trying to kill him. They had also been highly muscled and felt more like a guy to him. Chuck was older and had sowed his wild oats. He wanted a woman that sparked his passions and was someone he could hold a conversation with. He was looking for a partner and someone he wouldn't be ashamed to take home to introduce to his mother. Chuck had been trying to get to know Freya better since he met her. There was just something about her that told him she was worth getting to know better. Of course the whole world had to implode and they had basically been running from one crisis to another. Now if they failed the world might end. He didn’t want to die without taking a shot or making his intentions known. So he had asked for a kiss for luck and prayed she wouldn’t give him a concussion before their mission began. He watched her as his heart sped up as he leaned in closer and waited for her answer.

Chuck’s eyes never left Freya's as she came towards him with her hips swaying in that enticing way that women have. His eyes were drawn to the whole package she presented. His smile got larger as her helmet opened and he heard her voice using a fake southern accent dripping honey as she replied to him. "Well I do declare." His heart sped up even more as her grin got bigger. She leaned towards him her face just inches from his. He searched her eyes and thought he had never seen a more beautiful woman. She told him "What makes you think you've earned one?" Somewhere in his pheromone-fueled brain warning sirens were going off and “Danger and Run” were cutting through the attraction he was feeling. Confusion in his eyes as the mixed signals and his own desire left him somewhat confused. Then she smiled and told him "Oh who am I kidding?...Com'ere you!" Chuck felt her laughter vibrate against his lips as she pulled him down to kiss the ever loving hell out of him. The noise of the VTOL and the rest of the team faded into the background. His world and focus condensed down to the woman in his arms. He pulled her closer and took full advantage of that kiss. In that moment he was just a man letting a very beautiful woman know how much he appreciated and enjoyed her very presence.

The experience for Chuck was well worth the risk. He had a new goal in life. He was going to save the world so he could court this lovely woman. Other men can go for angels… He much preferred the fire and spunk of a battle goddess. He slowly broke away, ending the kiss. His hand caressed her check as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, “It was worth waiting for.”

Chuck found her slight blush charming. He laughed as she told him "We don't tell my brother...or my sister. My sister will get in on me over it..." She shivered as she told him, "Jamie will try and kill you."

He let her go and straightened back up. “We have work to do. I have to earn my next date after I ask your father permission. Don’t worry about Jamie. I will talk to him.” He winked at Freya as he put his helmet on and turned to help push the SDV out of the VTOL after Adam gave the orders. Chuck was smiling and eager for this mission to be wrapped up. He had stretch goals in life now. All he had to do was figure out how to tell Jamie and her father his intentions without being castrated, no pressure right!? He couldn’t help the thrill and shiver of challenge that thought brought. He managed to put that thought away and turn back to the business at hand which was fucking up Artemis and Rose’s plans to end the world.



Arrival at the platform


The team had arrived at one of the platforms supports columns underwater. The scene was dark and eerie. This was not Chuck’s first underwater insertion mission. He was at home in the water and felt a sense of peace before the storm in the silence below the waves. Chuck let determination and resolve fill him as he geared up to head topside as Adam gave them some last minute instructions.

"Alright. Everyone, disembark, we're headed back up. Boaro, put it into park, would you? …
Underside should have some patrols, but we should get lucky and avoid them. Let's quietly eliminate them."

Adam began to swim upwards. Chuck activated the extra floatation devices on his armor and began to scissor his legs to swim upwards. Chuck stayed close to the team as he maneuvered into a position to support Adam as he approached the leg pylon.

Adam paused in position to give last minute instructions. "Okay, schematics are limited, but we'll need to take on multiple targets. Frigga, your cloaking can help dispatch the first guards at the top of this leg. Boaro, Shimura, you two stick close and head for the algae lab once Frigga does that, Boomer can give you support. Should look like a giant vertical farm, and on the other side of that is the centre of the platform- and where based on Ferrovia One's design, where they can pump the aerial particles from. Frigga, once we're ready, me and you will take the command room and hopefully, be able to shut down any SAM missiles, and the pump system from there. We'll need to look, but I am sure we'll find it fast."

Chuck watched as Adam quickly climbed the leg and was on the platform holding the area for the next team member. He heard Adam tell the team over comms "Clear. Let's get to work."

Chuck knew he was not going to be able to be as quiet as other members of the team and tried to let the stealthy types go first. He kept his eyes open for roaming guards. The metal decking was see through to allow water to fall through. He followed Freya climbing up the pylon leg. He did his best to stay as quiet as he could. His armored boots had rubber soles to help cushion and silence his suit but his weight in the heavy suit would still make some noise. Chuck pulled himself up and over the ledge of the platform. He moved to a position that offered some shadows and cover. He would hold position here and use his close combat skills to take out roving guards as quietly as he could to help the others get into the platform. It would put him in a position to fight off additional support as well.

“Boomer in position.”
In Formula: Anti-Gravity (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP) → 6 mos ago Forum: General Interest Checks
Howdy Boss,

I am interested in this. Keep me in the loop on developments.

Character ideas so far:
Crew Chief
Team Owner
Pilot
In Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) → 6 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Part Six: The Planet Saver


10 Nautical Miles west of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain


Chuck Simmons AKA Boomer


Fireteam Poseidon


0700 Local Time


Chuck hated leaving Duke behind but this was one mission that he was not suited for. In a way it was a relief knowing that Duke was far away from today's mission. He wouldn’t want Duke to accidentally run into any of this damn toxin. It felt weird to be on a mission without his dog. He needed to get his head in the game. He listened to the conversations going on around him as he pondered what this mission meant to the world.

He thought about the weight of this mission and what they were trying to stop. He thought about his family back in the states who were clueless about the danger they were in just like most of the people in the world. Most people in the world had no idea about how often the world around them was put in danger and mortal peril for that danger to be stopped by cops, soldiers, mercenaries, first responders, and others who fought to protect those around them. Chuck was a fairly simple man. His father and grandfather had both served their country in the military. He had grown up with duty and protection as his creed and way of life. He did what he did so that the innocents in his life would never know the evils in the world that he fought to stop. He fought so that his nieces and nephews would have a better future. Chuck felt his resolve hardening. He would accomplish this mission. Raven Squad had no choice or the world was going to end taking everyone he cared about with it.

Chuck felt the VTOL slowing and descending. He glanced across the aircraft at his teammates. Chuck’s eyes landed on Freya. The Battle Goddess was smiling and in her element. Chuck had never seen a more beautiful woman. There was a possibility that one or both of them might not come back from this mission. That was true of any mission they were on but this was more important and more dangerous than most. That thought saddened Chuck because he still wanted that date.

His blue eyes lit with mischief as he stood and grabbed a hand strap as the VTOL began its descent. His helmet was under his arm as his eyes met Freya’s.

“Can this soldier get a kiss for luck from the Battle Goddess? I think it might help my chances to have the blessing of a goddess.” Chuck’s eyes danced with amusement and desire as he leaned towards Freya. Yeah he had it bad. But if this was his last chance to get that kiss, he was going to at least try. He paused there to see what her reaction was. He wouldn’t dare steal the kiss outright. He knew Freya could go toe to toe with him. He didn’t want her mad at him.



Just a few minutes later, Adam was giving the orders to begin the mission.
"Alright, rebreathers on everyone. The SDV sinks, we sink faster. Get after it, hold on, and then we power on to the platform."

Evidently Ebrima had been tapped to play driver for their SDV. Chuck put his helmet on and locked it into place. He hooked up the oxygen tanks as his HUD powered up. He had the onboard AI check the suits seals. Satisfied when he saw green lights across the board that his armor was ready and sealed for the underwater environment. Chuck’s last underwater insertion mission had been done in a wetsuit with a dive tank and fins. His team had jumped out of a helicopter and swam to shore. This will be different. He was bringing heavier firepower with him.

Chuck joined Freya as they pushed the SDV out of the aircraft’s ramp as it splashed into the turbulent cold dark waters of the ocean. The craft floated rocking as it hit the surface of the ocean. Chuck’s armor had a ring of flotation devices around the perimeter of the suit to help with buoyancy and weight dispersion so that it would be easier for the SDV to drag all his weight along. Chuck, his suit, and all his gear probably easily weighed at least 1,000 pounds. That was a lot of weight to ask a SDV to tug along and he was not the only heavy on this mission. Chuck jumped off the ramp and triggered the button that would inflate all the small inflation ballast bags on his suit. They puffed up in a few seconds. He reached out and grabbed the handles on the SDV.

“Boomer is onboard and ready to ride.”

Chuck laughed as Adam teased Ebrima that it worked just like a Volkswagen and to follow the user manual. Ebrima had settled into the cockpit of the SDV and it dove as he activated the craft's motors to help pull them below the waves and away from the turbulence at the sea’s surface. The world below the waves was calm and very dark. Chuck hesitated to turn the light on his helmet on but then Ebrima had turned on the headlights of the SDV to steer so he went ahead and turned on the small high powered lights on the ear sections of his helmet. The murky underwater world lit up for a short space around them revealing fish and the silt and other debris churned up by their passing.

Chuck held his position as the craft came to a stop. He waited for Adam’s orders to disembark and surface.
In Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) → 6 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay

Part Six: Skybound!


Somewhere 30,000 feet above Newfoundland, Canada


Fireteam Icarus: Samantha Dalton AKA Chaos

0630 Local Time


Samantha was unable to contain her excitement and fidgeted. She resisted the urge to ask the pilot “Are we there yet!” after the A400 had dropped off Tahlia’s team. She had wished the Viking team luck before they had left. She had chuckled at the byplay between Javi and Tahlia. She snickered and thought about how the two argued with one another. At times they had sibling energy and at other times they fought like an old married couple. She had seen signs that Javi was smitten but it was not reciprocated.

As the A400 climbed in elevation, she felt her suit compensating for the lower oxygen levels and temperature. Samantha’s armor was perfect for this mission. She was grateful to the techs who had managed to repair it for her. Her helmet was closed and the oxygen tubes connected to the intakes built into the collar of her suit. Her head cam up but she kept her visor clear at the moment so her team could see her face. She caught Sky’s thumb up and grinned as she returned it.

She turned her attention to last minute checks. She checked that everything was in its place and secured it so it wouldn’t fall off while they made the drop.

“Bob system check.” She instructed the AI to run its onboard system check. She was happy a few moments later when Bob replied, “Systems active and waiting for commands.”

She nodded as she began checking over Athena’s suit for her. She in turn felt Athena turning her and tugging on straps that held equipment before patting her on the head. Samantha growled softly as Athena grinned, unable to resist picking on Samantha’s height. Samantha was the shortest team member. She might be the second shortest now that Enri had joined the team. Samantha laughed at Athena’s antics and twisted from side to side to double check how the carbon wing felt. She jumped up and down a little and was satisfied that there was very little movement in the wing.

Samantha was about to ask Skye if it was time yet when she head some music being pumped through the background of the teams coms. Samantha just grinned and shook her head with laughter as Purna realized it was Skye playing the music.

Skye’s shit making grin as she began to give orders filled Samantha with glee. It was good to have her friend back.

"Thought I'd get you in the mood! Remember, pick up the HUD, follow markers, and we'll make our way onto target."

Samantha looked out a the amazing view of clouds below them trimmed in the rose gold of sunlight with some darker storm clouds that swirled with wind in the distance. Samantha knew their target lay below the clouds and landing on it was going to take some skill and luck. Their target landing zone could move on its own after all. Samantha took a deep breath and let the peace of this moment fill her. She knew they might not live to face another day. They were here to literally save the world. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

She looked around and smiled though. She was working with the best and they had become friends and people she trusted. This blimp didn’t know what was about to hit it. She grinned and nodded at Athena in acknowledgement. They were sure to pull some amazing shenanigans together. She traded a fist bump with the giantess as they seemed to come to an unspoken agreement to unleash hell.

Skye’s instructions continued. "Once we get there, find a latch point at the bottom of the blimp. We'll work bottom to top, floor by floor, clearing whoever we find. Best case, Athena steals the thing, worst case, we get out, same way we came in." Skye barked out through comms, over the soundtrack, before giving a wry chuckle, seeing green flicker on inside the plane.

"Alright then, on me!" Skye yelled with a triumphant roar as she dove out of the back of the plane.

Samantha laughed as she was quickly followed by Purna who just silently and efficiently leapt out as he does everything followed by Athena who yelled out "Fuck yeah!" that reverberated through the team comms.

Samantha ran and dove out of the back of the plane and added her own “Kowabunga!” to the mix as she grinned like an idiot. Adrenaline rushed through her as she felt the carbon wing catch the air currents and snap tight even as the jet thrusters kicked in and pushed her forward. “Woohoo!” Samantha yelled out as she did a barrel roll and moved into position with the team. “This never gets old!” Samantha showing off some skill in the air. She had done similar things and her experience showed even though this was the first time she had the opportunity to use this particular setup.

Athena wobbled a little as she got the hang of maneuvering the wingset.

She heard Skye’s voice over comms. "That got you awake!"
Athena’s childlike glee was contagious as she heard her response to Skye. "You're telling me!"

Samantha smiled to hear the joy in her teammates' voice. “I live for this kind of experience! Let’s go steal a blimp!” She giggled maniacally feeling invincible and like queen of the world as they soared through a beautiful morning sky. If only they were not here to stop the end of the world as they knew it.



Fireteam Icarus Collab: Queen, Athena, Viper, and Chaos


The dawn chorus was broken by the sight of the five of them roaring through the pinkish sunrise, Skye exhaling hard, taking it in, cloudbreak revealing a patchwork that couldn’t be more beautiful. There was a job to do, but for half a second, there was almost a reminder she’d not been able to see this. Nearly dying, a lot of late, made her take it in, appreciate it all. And all the friends by her side, even as a team of professionals, she had to admit, sometimes, it was them that helped her too. She appreciated that more than anything, Sam’s maniacal response eliciting a chuckle back from Skye.

“Aye, good call! Team, ten degrees left here, up and over!” Skye called, turning herself gently, rolling on angle as Athena and Purna followed suit, the Nepali in a similar sort of awe.

Purna thought Now how the hell hadn’t he got a hold of this toy earlier?

Athena thought much the same, perhaps less from an infiltrator’s point of view, the small Nepali someone she’d been surprised had stood up to her, but was no less keen to have on board.

Still, they sat there in appreciation, and with the timer ticking down, they were closing in on the target at rapid pace, like a set of hyperspeed geese in carbon.

Samantha did an easy tilt to bank in the direction she needed to go. The suit was a joy to fly. The tension and vibration of the wind and the jets rippled along her body. This was flying at its purest. You couldn’t feel sensations like these in the cockpit of a jet. Samantha was determined to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. She knew she couldn’t waste fuel though so she resisted the urge to show off acrobatically in the sky. The blimp was coming into sight now. Samantha put her game face on as she looked to see if the automated defenses had picked them up.

She grinned gleefully as she spoke to the team over comms. “It looks like the electronic camouflage worked and with the very little metal we have on our suits and carrying we are not pinging on their radar. It’s set to recognize larger things like incoming aircraft. I think we will be good till we land. Then internal defenses will pick us up until I can disable them.”

Samantha went to work to see if she could boost her rig's signal and began to hack as they approached their landing zone.

With a turn, they dived up and over a cloud, the team moving in sync, the light beginning to grow and grow, even in spite of the absolute haze and size of the cloud. It was hard to put into perspective anything at all, the massive banks of clouds like gigantic mountains and snow layered and intertwined. This wasn’t falling with style, this was flight. And with that blimp in sight, Skye chuckled, shaking her head, trying not to interfere with her flight.

“Well….that is a gigantic butt.” Skye candidly remarked, the sight of it sitting right between clouds having no other words. She’d seen this before, in pictures, in briefing, but nothing managed to put it truly into words.

The
Airlander Class 12 was something of a modification, based on a smaller variant that had been of course, upsized in every single way, making even Athena blush, because at the very least, she’d finally seen something that could actually rival a certain thing she had that she reminded Freya and the world of far, far too often on social media. Perhaps that’s why she wanted to steal it? The similarities were comedic, obvious, but well, not the worst of ideas, Purna, Skye and even Athena mused internally. With four propellers and a large cargo hold beneath, enhanced to take a significant load, it was a flying headquarters for any evil genius, or in this case, Skye’s alter ego. You had to almost be impressed with it, if it wasn’t for the fact that there was a weapons bay filled to the brim with air to air, a CIWM system, and even a small silo of air to ground missiles…..for the days where you wanted to bring an airship to an actual combined arms assault. Lunacy.

So was flying at it, and with the wingpacks, they were too small for radar, and too fast for visual call. Slowing down, Skye looked across at the team, picking them up in her flight helmet’s HUD.

“Right, slow yourselves down. We’ll latch underneath her, then pull in, penetrate the thing. Purna, Sam, take out the external weapons systems, just in case they decide to lase anything up around us. Athena, Oliver, open us a door.” Skye added, Athena chuckling, giggling.
“Athena….come on, we need to get serious.”

“Penetrating. You said PENETRATING, Skye! You gotta stop with this innuendo……or I am gonna fall out of the sky!” Athena giggled more, Skye sighing, as Purna chimed in.

“Someone’s envious.” Purna simply commented.

Skye chuckling to his simple remark, as with that, she gently pulled back on the throttle, and let the wingpack glide, the speed dropping away as she pulled the wingpack tight into her hands, the turbulent wind making it hard as hell, looking up and feeling the speed drop. The underside of the blimp was coming up, and they had to latch on using their grappling hooks on their wingpacks, then pull in. Get it wrong, and they would be paste, or falling out of the sky beneath it, with limited room to come back again.

Samantha gave an evil chuckle as she slid into Rose’s security easily. “Oh she left the front door open. She thought no one would find her mobile headquarters. The updates to Artemis’s systems to counter what I have tried before haven’t been updated here yet.”

Samantha hacked her way into the security system and sent all the outer defensive weapons into maintenance mode. The system didn’t register it as an attack or hacking because it was their own system. Samantha just pretended to be their lead engineer. Someone should give them a lesson in what the world’s most common passwords are. Really who uses “I am God!” for their password these days? Samantha couldn’t help giggling when the profile she was using showed an image for a short caucasian man with blonde hair who was only 5’6” tall and had a thin build with a bad complexion. He was obviously compensating for something. “Someone has little man syndrome.” She giggled again picturing Athena squashing him like a bug.

Samantha heard Athena’s laughter and her attention caught what she was laughing at Athena responded to Skye. She wanted to add something snarky to the conversation but was too busy laughing.

Samantha tilted her glider to turn towards the blimp. “Queen outer defenses are locked down in maintenance mode. Do you want to use the door or make one?”

Skye licked her lips, pulling her arms tight against the wingpack and swan-like, diverting up and seeing the weapons head into limp mode. Sam had a talent, that Skye had to say. Flying through the sky and hacking at the same time? Too easy. But then again, Skye had her reason to be here, a hack that transcended perhaps just the computational. With the wingpack slowing, and the underside appearing, the distance closed, and with it, Skye pulled her hand tight into a fist. With a fling, the cable-drawn grapple slammed into the underside of the blimp’s cargo compartment, finding a slot and with it, a position by one of the maintenance hatches underneath.

“We have a door. Fit us in, would you?” Skye asked, no hint on the pressure here at stake, considering how high they were, and quite literally, everything was hanging by threads.


Pulling tight, the motor did its job, as Athena joined alongside, the swinging two like mannequins for a moment in the golden-pink sky.

Purna moving further along and classily braking right next to one of the weapons systems. With it, he attached himself to the underside, and with it, switched to his specialised adhesion gloves, an infiltrator’s favourite. He hadn’t had the chance to use it much in Marrakesh, but with the fact this was all metal, it was perfect, gripping perfectly to the sleek surface easily, clambering onto the CIWM and cutting cables.

He looked across to Sam, nearby, and with it, nodded, swinging on his own grapple now, rather than the wingpack’s, finishing the job on the AA missiles, shorting the system and creating a permanent, rather than temporary override.

“All clean, Chaos. Get them in.” Purna called back, exhaling hard, aware he had the fun job today. Scale the thing and get on the flank.

Samantha paid attention to where Skye was landing. She slowed her position even more as she pulled the blimp’s schematics out of the engineering archive and flipped the floorplan to the team. Now they could see where to go in the blimp. She released the locks on the maintenance hatch that Skye had landed next to. “The hatch should respond to your commands.”

Samantha then followed the team in. She had slowed her rig and managed to stand it on its end as fired the grapple and was pulled towards the maintenance hatch ready to step through. She latched onto the blimp’s undercarriage next to Athena.

Skye looked across to Athena, the significantly taller figure reaching across and gently pulling the hatch open with a grunt, nodding back and looking over at Sam.

“Nicely done. We’re going backdoor.” Athena giggled.

Skye sighing audibly, groaning even louder over the comms, as she swung on the cable and pulled on the ledge, clambering up, releasing the cable and with it, reaching a hand to Sam.

“Right. Into the belly of the beast.” Skye commented, knowing Athena and Oliver would follow.

Samantha giggled at Athena’s remark that they were taking the backdoor. Which Skye added into the belly of the beast. “Well Athena, we will have to be sure to give the beast some indigestion while we are here. That is unless you plan to tame it. You know Skye…. Maybe Athena’s idea of stealing the blimp isn’t so bad. We could just toss all their crew overboard.”

She thought about it and wondered how many staff they really had on hand to deal with intruders. She had been surprised that so many of their defenses had been automated so far. The technology they were using to hide from radar would not have worked against the Mark 1 human eyeball. So far there had eerily been no alarms heard or noticed and they had yet to see any humans at all. Although the fact that she had found a maintenance personnel did suggest they had crew on board. Samantha took Skye’s hand and was pulled towards the maintenance hatch. Samantha noted that the hatch was about the size of a standard submarine door. Athena and Oliver would fit but it would be a tight squeeze. Samantha waited till they had all come into the blimp and the hatch closed before pulling off the wingsuit. It would be hard to maneuver with the rigid wingsuit on their back as they fought their way through the blimp. She tucked the wingsuit behind some crates where the team seemed to be storing their gear. They could use it to get off the blimp if they could make their way back later. Or they could find other ways off the blimp. Their team was very resourceful.

Athena chuckled as she followed, barely fitting in the tight thing, given the….dimensions she had. Skye chuckled, looking to Sam, the wingpack so bulky in here that it made no sense to keep, Skye gently unstrapping it from her chest, and clambering out of it from her leg straps, now bringing in her silenced pistol, and leaving her new toy of an electromagnetic rifle on her back. With a gentle crawl, Skye waited until Oliver shut the vent, and with it, the cold and the howling wind stopped, as if by instant. The pressure felt like it restored, the next vent left shut and sealed on cue. After all, this high up, everything was pressurized. It made sense to keep the oxygen on at least, for now.

Moving forwards, Skye kept her pistol raised as she pulled on the vent, the claustrophobia and darkness inside the bowels of this part of the blimp clear to see, and voices could be heard, muffled and in the distance. With a push, Skye emerged out, bringing the wingpack to brace, and hiding it by a set of crates, checking their six as Athena did the same, twin MAC-10s with silencers on them looking just outright ridiculous. Was she gonna have good aim if she shot them both at the same time? No. Was she going to mess up someone’s day if she pointed it vaguely at them? Yes.

And as the team moved out, voices began to be clear. Techs, wondering why a hatch had opened, and it looked like weapons had been put in maintenance mode. Of course, they weren't climbing out there, and among the crates, of the messy bit of the blimp, they were just looking for any signs of any maintenance needed. Armed, of course, just as paranoia always went, but when they were protecting an asset like this, they had to be. Skye kept a low profile, hiding down, hand to ear.

“Okay. Viper, we are in, we have hostiles aboard. You got any visuals on anything else?” Skye calmly whispered into the comms, looking back to Sam, Athena and Oliver.

“Negative. There’s a large window, I’m making my way up. Looks like a lot of servers, and a lot….woah. This is a lair. She’s got an entire penthouse up here.” Purna commented, Skye looking back, as bemused as Athena was.

“Right. Then it must be her little hideaway between operations. The server network must be deeper in. The one we want.” Skye replied, checking the FNX once more, ready to keep it quiet for a teeny bit longer.

“Okay. Looks like we may have to go hot. Once we start, priorities are to find the server, find the toxin, and most of all, clean house. They are going to put up a fight. That North Korean hacker is capable, so watch yourselves.”
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