RezonanceV

The Blackwood

@POOHEAD189 Are there currently any spots open for newcomers?

Shattered Stars - A Space Opera [Open for more players - Someone please join Karbana Kinnis... it's lonely there]

Operation: Master Key – Walk Light, Bite Hard.

“Helios 4 inbound for scheduled transfer…command how do you copy?” The short resolute man called over his radio piloting the stolen Dominion spacecraft, he had been in numerous covert operations requiring him to remain confident, and unyielding in his approach from transmitting his intentions to those he had to convince of his legitimacy.

“Helios 4, this is command, we do not have a scheduled transfer in our logs, what is your identification and mission over?” The space command from the high security prison responded with what sounded to be like more curiosity than suspicion. Although, even if there was a bit of suspicion, the OPAO intelligence had done its extensive deep dive into the fabric what information was needed to be communicated for passing the Dominion’s security check pitfalls.

“Command sending over our transfer code now, our mission is of the upmost confidentiality and has been delegated to us directly by Octo Smith and his higher command.” The transfer code was pulled off a Dominion vessel after the OPAO ambushed their ship, it was then hacked and restructured by the OPAO intelligence and technology communities within their government to reflect a high priority transfer of Strategic Officer Magnus Evander.

“Received and preparing gates for your arrival, Commanding Officer Jones will be greeting you at the front door, smooth sailing.” The transmission and feedback ended with a gate and arrival code sent to the OPAO covert team’s ship. The pilot clicked on his intercom, “Alright ladies and gents, we are inbound t-minus 59 seconds, updating gate coordinates into your HUDS, the CO is named Jones, he will be picking you up at the gate. We will sit tight unless Plan B is called, good luck, walk light bite hard. “ This was the Bloodhound tagline, “walk light, bite hard.” They were the OPAO’s most diligent, honest, and professional soldiers developed for these sorts of missions. Their reputation would need to be accurate, as the next several hours would determine the momentum of an inevitable war.

Major Baesili scanned her environment revealing professional men and women performing last weapons checks. She had 59 seconds to deliver her brief, more than enough, “Bloodhounds focus up!” Baesili snatched the atmosphere into her lungs demanding attention from her squad, “Donovan remember you take point playing as our CO.” Baesili paused as Donovan confirmed with a thumbs up, “Tyson, you are following Donovan as his second, Claire you are taking rear with me, with Miranda at middle formation as medic.” Baesili knew her team well, what she was designating in her brief was not information they needed to be reminded of, but to give them that moment to switch gears. It was more about the energy Baesili was creating in the space than the words she was delivering. Baesili finished, “we’ve played this out more than one thousand times in our simulations, we know what to do at every level of this operation, if we are who we saw we are, then there will be no need to fire a round.” The team uniformly without hesitation signaled their acknowledgement, “walk light bite hard.”

The pilot had docked smoothly and the cargo doors opened up displaying a long corridor. Donovan lifted himself up from the seat dressed in a Dominion uniform. His face was solid, strong chin, dark brown hair with deep blue eyes. His mind quiet as he stepped off the ship with the rest of his team following. Major Baesili took rear ensuring the security and safety of each team member, like a mother bird keeping count of her flock at each turn.

The team approached a uniform line of Dominion soldiers standing firmly in their position. The CO stepped forward, “Welcome, my name is Tobias Jones, I am the commanding officer of this facility, I have three men assigned to escort you to the Iso-Unit 227, are there any questions?” The CO scanned the Bloodhounds intensely, he wasn’t sure why he was not included on this high priority transfer, but the questioning came more from doubt in the Dominion’s internal strength. The Dominion had been suffering organizationally for quite sometime, most of those who were in leadership positions understood this which gave rise to paranoia, this paranoia did not escape their fearless leader Octo Smith either, which gave the CO an impression that Octo Smith may be transferring this specific prisoner because of the recent declaration of war between them and the Saxony. Yet where it made sense, it also did not make sense, maybe he’d act with trust and let this team fulfill their objective, or maybe he’d question his authorities and confirm if this team was in fact sanctioned to do this transfer.

Donovan split the inward introspection of the CO by reaching into his uniform and pulling out forged papers to reinforce the Bloodhounds legitimacy. The CO clutched the papers pulling back toward him and scanning quickly, “I see.” The CO waived his hand up as his Dominion comrades stepped aside to let the Bloodhounds stroll through with three Dominion soldiers taking lead.

Twenty some stories down and a labyrinth of halls and doors later, the team approached another strong security check-point. Baesili thought to herself, if this goes south, we have no choice but to blow the can, we are locked in here. It was clear to her that even in their simulations they did not have all the security check points fleshed out, not to mention there were some extra halls the intelligence team did not account for.

The young Dominion soldier turned to a one-way window, “Open Iso 227.” There was no response but the door engaged in a process of unlocking. The young soldier moved to pull the door open revealing a deep dark interior. With only light slicing in from the doorway, a thick bearded man knelt chained to the center of the room bound by his wrists. The slack in the chains afforded no movement with tension unless he was to prone out. The young soldier and Donovan stepped in, the soldier called out, “Bring in the Gauntlets!”

Two other soldiers came through the open door with large circular device. On the device were four thick wide cuffs that were pulled to expand titanium chained links, the cuffs were attached to the knelt man on his forearms after the removal of his current chains. The prisoner was then raised to his feet with the second pair of cuffs expanded to his ankles for snapping on ankle cuffs. Donovan witnessing the process saw a fatigued, yet surprisingly built man with a circular device in the center of chains, which formed the design of an “X”. The prisoner could only shuffle before tension stopped his advance. The soldiers were trained to pick up underneath the shoulders on both sides to support the prisoner’s weight for a quicker move.

The young soldier ordered the escorts, “Let’s move to the service elevator and get your team topside.”

Denizen: F***

Lilith opened the envelope after Gordon left her presence, she read it through and with her doubts to this offer she wanted to decline. However, she knew her reputation would be damaged if she did. Not to mention the target that’d be placed over her head by defying the motivations of Gordon and Dizzy. Instead she contemplated how she might turn this deal in her favor. Before finishing her thoughts as time seemingly passed swiftly into the day a call rang from the manager’s office of her club. Unusual, she picked up, “Boss, we got a problem.” Lilith annoyed at her incompetent employee who did not follow it up with any further details was interrupted before she could respond. The door to her office opened up with an officer and Neema Valshek.

Lilith put down the phone, “Fuck.”

Neema approached the officer, “We are clear, wait outside and let me know if we have any issues.” The officer stepped out, closed the door, and Neema walked over to the table of Lilith. Lilith locked eyes with Neema, “and what do I owe the pleasure for relegated appearance?” Neema smirked as Lilith had that similar bite of attitude as Neema did when approaching authority in her life.

Neema sat down pervading confidence and elegance in her poise, “You know sweetheart.” Lilith thought, did she just minimize me to a sweetheart? Before Lilith responded as this whole unfolding of events was quite surprising Neema continued, “I have been following Gordon for quite sometime, your connection to the espionage albeit was a process of bureaucratic confirmations, it was none the less confirmed. You will be afforded two options today, perform the heist and work with us in capturing Gordon and Dizzy…or…the officer outside along with the teams I have surrounding this place will bring you in, you will be charged as a terrorist, not a criminal under lord of garbage accounts on Dadaelous.” Neema slid one leg over the other and leaned back.

Lilith was being extorted, she really had no options only one, and if even the smell of Neema drifted into the noses of Gordon and Dizzy, Lilith would be silenced without the flash ever being seen. Although this was the fact of the situation, she had no choice, “Ok, what is your plan?” Neema did not disclose much, simply that Lilith would accept the opportunity provided by Gordon and Dizzy, the OPAO would implant her with a tracking device underneath the skin, and the OPAO would facilitate the heist’s success while also aiding in maneuvering Lilith to increase her chance of identifying Dizzy’s location.

In theory if it worked, Lilith and Neema would have crushed the head and arms of the Martinet, if they failed, the Martinet would live, use this, as propaganda for recruitment in their respective circles and Lilith would be dead.

Distress: Prep and Go

The sound of equipment being strapped into place aboard a recon vessel echoed in the bay of a large OPAO fleet carrier. A crewman tugged tightly to make sure the straps would hold, “I got one more piece to throw on, let the team know we will be ready to depart in 30 minutes.” Another crewman was prepping radios and communications on deck, she tapped one of the dials rolling it to their designated frequency, “This is Lighthouse to Wave team 1, do you copy?” Wave team one was a recon team equipped with some real bright minds. Not only were they capable in aviation exploration but also high-speed space combat scenarios. They were used for exactly what they were named for, to go out far into the deep black space ocean and wave back with insightful information.

The response returned to the crewman, “this is Brady, CO of Wave team 1, we are finishing last checks, heading to you shortly for brief and departure.” Their mission was delivered by Prime General Octavia herself, they were to fly out and observe an identified location where a cryptic message was transmitted from. Observe, that was their only instruction.

Shattered Stars - A Space Opera [Open for more players - Someone please join Karbana Kinnis... it's lonely there]

Operation: Master Key Pt 1.

Alarms abruptly rang in Major Baesili and her squad’s headsets. The lights had turned off while red track lighting dimly lit the corridor they were clearing. Moving with solid steps and direct focus down their sights they were approaching a three-way intersection with two steel corners obstructing their view on what may be walking down either hall. Sgt. Miranda was on point, and Donovan followed close behind him, instinctively they each pied opposite corners back to back without any resistance.
“Move North.” Baesili commanded as Tyson, Fiona, and Claire followed behind. Miranda collapsed back in on the squad after having swept his rifle South.

Tap tap tap

The OPAO marines dropped to the floor to present as a smaller target. Kinetic rounds ricocheted around their position from both sides, “Shit, they were waiting to neck us.”

“Drop shields marines!” Major Baesili ordered.

Each marine rolled to their side and popped their chest decks open which carried a few different specialized armaments. A small disc was pulled out of their decks and before they each deployed the shields, Major Baesili gave one more order, “one to the rear, two to the North staggered at 2 and 3 meters from our current position, one more tossed 3 meters from the second shield line, with the fourth one tossed at 2 meters, these assholes are clocked at 13 meters we will close it down to 5 if we don’t kill them all before we get there, call out!”

The squad rounded their calls starting with Miranda, “Rear covered,” Tyson following, “first-line West point,” Donovan, “first-line East point,” Tyson, “second line 2 meters,” Claire, “second line 3 meters,” and Claire, “last line on your order.” Major Baesili looked at her team as rounds continued down both ends with the rear moving in. Miranda fired to create a disturbance in their approach with Tyson following those shots to throw up a kinetic wall and buy time. Each punched through 10 rounds before Major Baesili gave the order, “Claire, when we meet them at 8 meters, there is 5 to clear, I take the point before we toss the shield.” Claire acknowledged the order and Baesili continued, “Alright, drop our guardian angels.”

Club Denizen: Den of Thieves, Murderers, and Terrorists

The cigarette smoothly rolled from one side of her mouth to the other, the soft white wrapping pursed between two red glossy lips while stirring a scotch on the rocks. The temperature of tonight nipped beneath the clothing of her velvet dress. Long blond hair curled in a specific order with dark eyeliner and lashes which presented a more mesmerizing look contrasted to her smooth white skin. She reached up to draw the cigarette from her mouth gently holding it between her index and middle finger, raising the scotch to drain down some of the heat and warm her body from the nipping night.

The back door flew open as a young man was tossed from inside, she looked over without falling into a reactive expression, it wasn’t her first time she’d seen someone hurled from this place, or even from the rafters of this place if she was being honest. She was enjoying that moment of silence, enjoying her vices, all things must end…she thought.

The lady walked around the young man who was holding his head as if it had been hit, which it probably did, no blood…good sign… she thought some more. The bouncer looked at her softly and with respect, “Ms. Lilith,” he nodded. Lilith acknowledged, “Teddy, I hope that the young man did not give you too much trouble.” Her left dimple cracked as a small side grin reached up from her RBF. Teddy smiled back, “no, all under control.” She continued down the corridor where she approached a staircase leading up just before the double doors opened into the night club’s main arena. When she reached the top, a lounge spread around the staircase with six doors leading into private rooms. The unlabeled door was hers. Her hand wrapped around the knob once hands distance from the door, twisting to the left and pushing her way in, revealing a lavish Victorian-era décor. Inside sat a well-dressed man in his 50’s with a silver fox appearance. He wielded a tough red cherry oak cane with a gold lion’s head at the top.

“Hello, Lily.” He said while still facing the door. Her gut sank a little, but not enough to scare her, she was surprised he’d come all this way to see her, yet, after what happened…I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, she thought. Lilith responded, “Hello Gordon, what brings you into my world?” She rounded the large table and sat down to meet his gaze.

Gordon spoke, “I see you are doing quite well for yourself, pleasing to see." He raised and leveled his cane on the table, “do you know why I am here?” Lilith had ideas but was not about to give him an answer before he did, because there were going to be a few, she remained silent. “I am here Lily, because in your club, under your watch, an OPAO operative guise themselves as one of your girls and shook down an important asset of ours, what do you have to say?” Lilith raised her scotch still held in the hand, unfortunately, the cigarette was tossed before she came back in because she could drag one right about now, “nothing, we are not in the business of ethics, nor is what we do assured tomorrow, your decision to act against the OPAO knowing there would be consequences and not ensuring the safety of one of your assets,” she emphasized assets as to tip the line of mocking Gordon whom she did not care for, “is not on me, but that isn’t why you are here.” Gordon slightly amused, slightly pissed at her response took a second, “I see, maybe you are right and if I only came here, for this reason, I might take this conversation further, but as you so intuitively pointed out, I am not here to deliver your bad news.” Gordon reached into his well-ironed dress pocket and pulled out an envelope, he placed it in front of his cane and leaned back, “I wanted to make sure you received this offer from me, we have a second request for your services.”

Is It A Beautiful Nightmare or Ugly Prince?

Prince Iman paced back and forth in his office, he had received his latest reports on Project Chimera and the DNA was once again spliced unsuccessfully. He continued racking his mind, shaking it up, letting it go, and bringing it back to understand why he could not integrate the human genome into his targeted subject. There is something missing, he thought, what could it be, what am I not seeing, what needs to happen here? The lab was a pristine space with tubes, tables, white coats, and the proper PPE for all activities nicely placed in a sterile container outside the door. There were several rooms throughout the whole lab, each with its own purpose and goal. The room he currently occupied was his think tank, a wall filled with whiteboards, drawings, and papers laid out according to the information he needed. His team was off for the day, but he never would be, his goal, his legacy, in his mind all rode on this project. There were others he oversaw, but this particular one would revolutionize the OPAO and how it secured its power in the galaxy.

Declarations and Warning Shots

Octavia, Mayven, Valiance, and Neema were all on secured channels, each in their respective locations fulfilling their duties and preparing for the blizzard of shit they were potentially about to stir up. This call, however, was a surprise to their already unfolding plan. Mayven spoke first, “As you are all aware, we received two very significant transmissions which appear close in timing, General Octavia has not yet determined if these are coordinated or two distinctly separate acts of communication, General, you reported that there are updates to these communications and a recommendation for action?”

General Octavia nodded, “Yes, after deciphering the second transmission, we believe it is separate from the declaration of war by Saxony against the Dominion. The location of this second cryptic message has been identified and I recommend we send a reconnaissance vessel for further investigation. If we do not, there may be other powers in the galaxy who do, and we will be out of the loop of what might be happening there. We do not possess enough useful intel on what is there currently which is why this is recommended as an intelligence mission and not a rescue mission, the message did ask for help, but I do not think we are in a strong position to be much of assistance.” Valiance raised his voice to respond, “I defer to your experience and knowledge General, if this is what you recommend, then my vote is on gathering intelligence and reporting back. I imagine this message was received by many others and I do not think the OPAO needs to be caught in a crossfire if this turns out to be something more hostile than friendly.”

Mayven followed Valiance’s lead, “I agree, we cannot shift resources to confront an emerging threat in the region its been identified. Best to understand what it is, keep tabs on its movement, and understand the scope of the situation before further action.” Neema was biting her lip as the two agreed, her mind preoccupied with the terrorist investigation, she had just received reports of the interrogation success after an OPAO agent secured the crook from Club Denizen, a known rat and cellar bar for degenerates and half-lives. Mayven interrupted Neema’s wandering thoughts, “Princess Neema?” Neema cut off from her wandering shook herself back into reality, “Sorry, I was thinking about the current investigation after Daedalus. If you two agree, I have nothing to add.” Mayven nodded, “I understand, give Valiance and I update after the General signs off,” Mayven paused for Neema’s agreement, “General Octavia, you have our full support, however, I’d like to also hear your plans around Saxony’s declaration.”

General Octavia responded mindful and considerate to her careful thoughts on the evolving situation, “It does not surprise me Saxony has eventually come to their final decision of war against the Dominion, their history with the Dominion as many of ours has been conflicted and will remain until the Imperium is non-existent or we are. We know this as a power moving toward a similar fate, however, I still believe it is not time to declare any sides unless we have to. We remain out of Saxony’s way and once we have secured the strategic officer and have identified key sites for destabilizing the Dominion, we then enter negotiations with Saxony for establishing a conditional alliance. We do not have a lot of history with Saxony and as a result, I am still hesitant to trust their intentions, however, I believe together we can swiftly meet our goals and revisit the relationship for a long-term partnership depending on how things shake out.” There was silence as all parties thought about the direction. Mayven as her position usually demanded of her when galactic affairs were being discussed, spoke first, “Information in exchange for resources, I would imagine Saxony would very much like to see a strong map of the Dominion’s internal logistics, let’s keep this in mind, first we need that officer.” Valiance and Neema nodded without adding any more, “General, thank you for your report and thoughts, you are dismissed, Valiance and Neema let’s move my secure channel and speak about your investigation Neema.”

Operation: Master Key Pt 2.

“Damn, that was close!” Tyson said as he removed the virtual reality headset from his cranium. The team had just completed over 1000 simulations while on course to a disclosed Dominion high maximum-security prison orbiting in space. The last simulation was an “early compromise” plummeting the success of the operation where nearly all members were injured, one severity, and no acquisition of the objective, a catastrophic result. Major Baesili pulled the headset off disappointed, but not discouraged. She knew virtual reality simulations, especially before missions, were there to test extreme situations. She hoped the last simulation was not how it was going to go down. The pilot’s announcement over comm’s chimed into the room they’d all been training in, “Warp arrival in 2 minutes.” The comms clicked off, “Alright, Bloodhounds gear up and final checks, remember our mission and how we are achieving it, each of you for today are a God forsaken Dominion asshole with orders to transfer a high-risk strategic officer by the name of Cadrius Michael, Dominion suits on!” The team moved to their station in the small bay of the Dominion ship that had been captured by the OPAO and refurbished for this mission. Each member ran personal checks, did their rituals, and waited calmly to hear the ok by the pilot. Once they arrived in the system there would be Dominion security reaching out to their ship for identification and security approval. This information had all been obtained by intelligence teams of the OPAO which would get them in nice and close to the objective without having to fire a shot. No casualties on both sides would be the key to knowing whether this operation was a success or failure.

Shattered Stars - A Space Opera [Open for more players - Someone please join Karbana Kinnis... it's lonely there]

The Orphans (15 years ago)

"Love...what is love?"

"Love is the feeling of embrace when looked upon by God with grace my dear child, have you felt this before?"

"I don't know..."

"Have you felt deeply connected with something greater than yourself?"

"I think so...but I can't quite remember."

"Have you ever thought of sacrificing yourself to something or someone?"

"Yes...I always said I'd give up everything just to see my parents someday, but...I know that can never happen."

"Why my child?"

"They died before I could remember their faces..."

"I see, well my child, although you may not remember your parents, you felt them, and that feeling you recognize
it is love, and by the grace of God, He will answer your prayer to see them someday."

"How will I see them?"

"When it is your time, He will call you, and if you answer, you will see them again."

"I don't know if I understand."

"You will...now go, the sanctuary is serving dinner."

The little boy picked himself up from his knees, a tear slipping down his cheek as he thought about the feeling of love
toward his parents. He raised his hands, clasped them, and bowed his head to respect his Elder's position.

"Amen."

His Elder responded with reverence pouring from his voice and eyes, raising his hands, clasping them together, and bowing
his head too, "Amen."

The little boy turned away sprinting toward the dining hall in the sanctuary on planet Rivo, a planet known for its more extreme climates, it was filled with desert dunes and high rocky snow-capped mountains. There were some regions of trees and forests, but it was not common, and most of the surface was covered inland with about 35-40% covered in water, 15% of that water is fresh.

The little boy's stomach growled as he approached the Hall Master with his bowl, "Hello Caelum, happy birthday! How are your studies?"

The little boy answered, "Thank you Luminary Daste! Some trouble, but Luminary Honas helped me find peace with it." The Hall Master smiled pouring a hot soupy pea-based meal
into his wooden bowl.

"I hear you have recently been invited to the Seventh Academy, how exciting!" Luminary Daste's grin gained more edge across his cheeks.

"Yes I did, I don't know if I have any other choice, I am too young to join as an initiate of the Church, and soon I will be too old to be a permanent resident of the sanctuary." Caelum's face showed uncertainty and stress as he received one more spoon full of
his dinner.

"Do not fret, go speak with Luminary Meela, she has given great guidance in my days of strife as she has done for many in this very place." Luminary Daste's smile never seemed to leave
his face.

"Thank you," Caelum responded and moved to the side to grab bread. He headed over to a community table where several other children were eating their meals.

"Welcome Caelum, we heard the good news! Evelyn received the same news yesterday, what are you going to do?" One of the boys asked eagerly.

"I don't know yet, did Evelyn decide?" Caelum replied curiously.

"Yes! She is leaving in two weeks, didn't hesitate, I don't know if I could go, I don't know if I am as brave." The younger boy's gaze slightly drifted to the side.

Caelum saw his spirit begin to drop slightly as the young boy tried identifying his courage within himself, "I think when you are my age, you will be confident in knowing what you want, unlike myself." Caelum smirked.

"Yeah, maybe! I hope you are right." The young boy sat a little taller in his seat.

"If you'd like to join me after dinner, I am going to speak with Luminary Meela for guidance, we could race from the Hall to her office?" The young boy looked over, always ready for a challenge, "Yeah! The first one to Meela makes the other's bed!" Caelum nodded, "Deal."

Master Lock & Key (Present)

"General Octavia, is Major Baesili ready?" Mayven asked, the room was filled with top tier officers awaiting their commanding orders as the strategic plan for operation Master Key was delivered.

"Yes," Octavia responded.

"Good, because we received a transmission of Saxony's, they have declared their opposition against the Dominion. While the Dominion receives, activates, and responds, I want us to take full advantage of this opportunity. They will be distracted and attentive toward their Saxony counterparts. Operation Master Key is now greenlit." Mayven declared ith confidence in her General.

"Great, Major Baesili will take point, she has the authentication code when entering the Dominion's restricted system. Protocols with procedures were extracted by our intelligence team, Major Baesili is currently being trained on them as we speak. She has ensured her team is ready and prepped with their last simulation resulting in 87% success rate, worst-case scenario was rated at a 61% success rate,
with medium casualties. The Dominion transport ship is 97% complete in repairs after our initial encounter and takeover. We will have a battle fleet ready in case Major Baesili and her team are compromised. Warp coordinates will be transmitted from the team's location as they move through the interior. These pings are encrypted and will provide us a strong area of emergence for reinforcing their position
if things move into our contingency phase." General Octavia turned her gaze away from Mayven after reporting, raised her hand to touch the screen in front of her initiating all screens to boot up with various information regarding Operation Master Key.

A 3-dimensional blueprint expanded on everyone's screen showing a large structure with several layers and corridors, "this is the Dominion's highly classified maximum security prison, our target is reported to be here," a red dot pinged on the
blueprint as it spun from a profile view to a birds view, "our team will enter here and predicted to move through these zones before arriving at our target." The blueprint compressed into the top left corner as a profile of the target expanded on the screen.
"Our target was a highly decorated, loyal, and right-hand strategic officer of ours truly, Octo Smith," the target's headshot moved to the right of the screen as information about the target expanded for everyone to follow Octavia's briefing.
"He was sent here after the Dominion made some fatal errors in command which the public demanded answers, instead of those answers, Octo Smith gave them a scapegoat, at least this is what I believe." Octavia swiped her hand from left to right which moved everything
off-screen and presented another slide, "these are the discoveries our intel team managed to find about those particular events leading up to our target's condemnation, if we can secure our target, I think he will be more than inclined to help us with our next phase and generate a substantial momentum in our efforts against the Dominion." Octavia lightly tapped the screen powering it down. She raised her eyes to meet everyone in the room once again.

"Your units are critical in this mission, make sure everyone is geared, prepared, and ready to move out in 72 hours, any questions?"

The room had none, "Thank you for your duty to our mission, you are dismissed."

The officers moved from their seats and out the door in a single file fashion, Mayven looked over to Octavia, "well done, I look forward to hearing about your success." Octavia nodded in respect, turned toward the door, exiting with an order to her demeanor displaying why she was the commanding General of the OPAO.

Club Denizen

The room smelt of sex, booze, and sweat. Half-naked bodies, dirty floors, and lights that flashed only to provide an over-stimulating environment to give those who entered a place to distract their
guilt, shame, or otherwise constant restlessness.

"Do you want a tall order of me, hot stuff?" A slender woman wearing a tight mini-skirt, high heels, and a thin top bent over revealing her cleavage and a beauty mark just above the left tip of her lip. Her brown curled hair dropped over her shoulders as the lights revealed gloss across her lips. She was leaned over at a table where a middle-aged man with slightly disheveled features had been sitting. You wouldn't notice his high-stress levels by looking at him under this light, but his eyes contained blackened bags beneath them, his facial hair slightly grown out, a tie which appeared to have been worn for days with a few visible stains in the right light. Nothing about his dress spoke, "maintained", two of the buttons were not locked, sleeves rolled up unevenly, and about four drinks deep in scotch.

"How much is that order?" He smiled feeling something in his gut about her, but he was too intoxicated to actually identify what it was. She leaned in close to his ears and whispered, he replied, "Yes." Her hand slipped down his waist in between his legs
and back up to his hand, gently she guided him to a private room where she placed him on a lounge couch.
"Mmm, let's start with the lights off shall we?" He had succumbed to her seductive personality, without even being aware of her claws in his head, he nodded and leaned back. She slid her hand back digging into his skull just enough to raise sensation in an otherwise
numbing body. She turned around showing off her long legs and back end strutting over to a light switch. Turning back toward him, her hand slipped over the switch pushing it down. A few seconds passed which for him felt like an eternity, the excitement built and he was beginning to become impatient, emotionally regulating while intoxicated was no man's game. Then he felt a hand cross his inner thigh, he perked, and then a strong sensation of pain cracked across his skull.

His eyes tried opening but his vision was hazy, the lids closed shut once again. Seconds later he tried them again, but they began to shut. Cold water blasted across his face firing his body to awaken without his control, "what the fuck?" he reacted as he coughed up water from his lungs. He began to feel his hands, but they were tied behind his back, his legs, but they were bound to the legs of what felt like a cold steel metal chair. Lights were directly in his view unable to see anything distinguishable past their position.

"Where the hell am I?"

A surge of electricity was felt as his body tensed up uncontrollably until it didn't. He looked down at his bare naked chest with electrodes pressed into recently shaved areas, a voice responded before he could think to ask another question, "You are here, and we are asking the questions, understood?"
The bounded clubber spit back, "fuck you!" A reply quickly regretted as more volts crashed into his nervous system initiating all sorts of bodily reactions.

"You are working with the Martinet, you were bought by them for security codes, security codes they used to infiltrate the Bastion Enterprise HQ in Daedalus, correct?" A voice, definitely feminine in nature and sharp in its structure.

"I don't know who the fuck you are or what you are talking about-" before he could continue more voltage raised hell in his neural network.

The voice repeated itself, "correct?"

The man tried moving his body but could not, he was in the place he was afraid of, and living the nightmare he was attempting to run from at that club, figures it brought him exactly to the same place.

"3...2...1..." The voice counted down with the man not responding. A dark silhouette revealed itself from behind the light with no recognizable features, it was large and tall, most likely an A.I. The machine
moved its way to the man's chair, tipping it back, "no! no! wait!" Without stopping the A.I. stretched a wet towel across his face and poured water over it. The experience of drowning was a terrifying one, especially in a situation
where flailing was not even an option, every part of the biological instinct was halted in its attempt to stop what was happening in reality.

The seat lifted back to a level position, the towel pulled across off his face, but the A.I. remained standing behind him. He coughed up water as his body kept moving through impulsive defenses.

The voice repeated itself again, "correct?"

"I don't know-" Without a passing moment, the A.I. swung a large metal rod across the shin bone-breaking it. Pain switches flipped on as a deformed leg remained after all of the agony released from the clubber's mouth.

"STOP! FUCKING STOP!" He screamed, his mind beginning to race, it was done. There was no way out of this, they knew and were going to keep him alive until they got what they wanted.

"Chief Information Officer of Bastion Enterprise, I.D. 07089528, born in the Swallows, class of no-one-will-remember, father of three kids and a wife who will be reminded of your treason and last moments at a gentleman's club, by the end of this you will be a Denizen to your own family and friends...are you certain you wish to continue telling me, you do not know?" The voice became more fierce, a sense of bubbling anger and determination began surfacing in tone.

The man started to cry, the pain, the situation, the decisions up to this point, and now the possible defamation of his name across media channels which would have a direct psychological impact on his family. He composed himself, raised his head slightly, "Yes, you are correct."

"Good, now may we have a civilized conversation, Mr. Williams?" The voice asked.

"Yes, what do you want?" Life seeped out of him with every memory of deceit passing through his skull.

"I want to know who contacted you and where I might find them." The voice claimed.

"Ok."

The Orphans Pt. 2 (Present)

A large power suit smashed down from above creating a shock wave sending machine dummy soldiers up into the air and on the ground. A tailored officer sat in the observation tower of a training hangar with an open skylight, "So that is a Demi?" The large power suit engaged an arm shield with a large beaming blade. Before the dummies could get up, the Demi jetted toward one impaling it quickly dividing the body in half. Swiftly pivoted to another just getting to its feet swiping at the head popping it off. The third raised his weapon but already the Demi found its blade placement in its forehead while pulling a sidearm out to hit the fourth
dummy in the right shoulder, this shot directly malfunctioned the dummy's ability to pull the trigger of its weapon, a second shot pierced the solar plexus exiting the sternum.

The Demi called over comms, "All units neutralized." The hangar shook slightly with a large horizontal platform at the far end released moving underground. Seconds later a tier 1 mechanoid unit climbed to the surface powered by a photon cannon and three mini-guns.

The tank fired its mini-guns forcing the Demi to dip, duck, and dodge while moving toward the target.



The officer looked over at the other, "no fear?" The other officer who had been head of the Demi training program smirked, "Yes, but their fear starts and ends with God."

The Demi closed in getting chipped in the shoulder forcing it to dodge and roll. All the guns were trained on the Demi's location and as it was about to fire, a second Demi dropped from above, two explosions occurred before the Demi hit the top of the tank, the Demi's blade cut directly through where the explosions happened, resulting in the Demi to cleanly pierce all the way until it was beneath the tank. Jetting out to the side, the tank with four legs supporting its heightened position collapsed to the floor with its main source of power eliminated.
A precise hit for the second Demi, a Demi which had a feminine build compared to the first one.

"Now, all units are neutralized." If you could see the second Demi's lips they'd have displayed a playful resolve connected to her comment.

The training officer pressed a button to blast their order from the intercom speakers located around the observation tower.

"Good work, Evelyn, Caelum, return to base for a debriefing." The officer clicked the intercom speaker off.

The two Demi's looked up and nodded, only to jet off back to HQ.

"Was this substantial enough for field approval?" The training officer said.

The other officer with wide eyes replied, "Yes, more than enough, great job, I can't believe the pace of this program and to think they started off as orphans."

"Don't underestimate our Order commander...they've been here longer than the principalities and the Dominion." The training officer turned away and exited.

The other officer a little perplexed by the comment followed behind.

Shattered Stars - A Space Opera [Open for more players - Someone please join Karbana Kinnis... it's lonely there]

OPAO

Orbital Principalities of the Adonai Order (O.P.A.O)

Basic draft -> Visual presentation available at request in the Discord Channel.

Overview

The Dominion’s decay intensified already shifting powers across the stars. Many deciding whether to make attempts at saving its grace or giving up on its promises. There is fear in those who are undecided, some believing the fall may be a good thing, others believing the further it falls - the tighter the Dominion grips onto everything it can pulling what it touches down with it. The instincts of mankind always kick in overdrive during numbered days. These instincts have led to the status quo buckling down on regulation and tradition for control. Lesser powers have begun engaging in covert alliances to mitigate the consequences of the predicted fall. Crime and anarchy out of desperation rise as more truth unfolds about the grim becoming of the empire’s instability. Amid these chaotic and terrorizing times, a strong spiritual presence has emerged into some of the more powerful courts across the Dominion. This spiritual presence calls itself the Adonai Order and the prophetic vision along with its strategic plan enticed some of these courts to bound their interests together for surviving the Dominion’s gnawing and gnashing of teeth in its ladder days. Those who allied themselves with Adonai Order signified their allegiance to one another as the Orbital Principalities. They covertly began restructuring, re-educating, and reorienting their view of their position in the cosmos. Opening communications, research, military, and policies, these powers united accelerated change in their regions of space. This is their song and echoes in the Shattering Galaxy.

Social Structure

The distress of the Dominion’s current state bound up five powerful leaders with the Adonai Order united under God. These leaders swore an oath to serve their Lord and King of Kings in the coming days. Their oath symbolized a spiritual treatise which was broadcasted through their mediums to give hope, solidarity, and inspiration to their people collectively. The Adonai Order then began establishing sanctuaries of Adonai. These sanctuaries are private places where men and women may seek refuge in these trying times, each sanctuary is designed to fulfill the community's needs while reporting to their preferred churches. The Churches of Adonai are not specific places, they are a group of five roles: a prophet, apostle, teacher, evangelist, and voice. A church may be held in any area of space so long as these five roles are congregated in a synchronous location. The prophet speaks of their vision, the apostle records the conversations, the teacher educates as the prophet shares his vision, the evangelist motivates and inspires the crowd, while the voice helps with answering any questions and guides the crowd. Typically, churches walk with each other, and letters are their preferred form of communicating across their order. Sanctuaries will have preferred churches when reporting their discoveries, these churches will then communicate these findings to other churches and the orbital principalities.

Social Breakdown

Sanctuaries: Provide clean water, shelter, and emergency food for community members. They protect and serve the vulnerable, their operations are maintained by luminaries and initiates.

Churches: Provide the Word and prophecy of Adonai. They may emerge anywhere at any time. For a church to be officially established in a moment in time, a recognized prophet, apostle, teacher, evangelist, and voice must be present.

Principalities: There are five princes, two males (Iman Jahandar & Valiance Spiros) and three females (Mayven Reigns, Nicole Amichu, and Neema Valshehk). Principalities maintain their symbol of integrity providing security against foreign powers and living honorably, upholding idealistic qualities for direction.

Orbital Defense Force (O.D.F.): The ODF is a centralized armed force for rapid deployment and military defense operations. There is a standing force and a substantial pool of reserves for orbital emergency. There are four divisions, each completed with total capabilities in defending all dimensions of warfare. These divisions are broken into north, south, west, and east based on the locality of the principalities. The communication hierarchy of the ODF begins at the Executive Strategic Office (ESO) who reports to Prime General Ocatvia Kilborne, followed by the Divisional Strategic Offices (DSO), trickling down into the division’s subsets corresponding with the particular need inquired by a principality at the ESO level.

Convictions

The beliefs of the OPAO are theological, phenomenological, teleological, soft-deterministic, holistic, and pragmatic. They value excellence, empathy, fiscal responsibility, reason, and democratic behavior. Their core virtues are faith, hope, charity, fidelity, and prudence. The OPAO although diverse in race and background, their culture and aesthetic have become united under the Order of Adonai and ancient teachings of the Word.

Technology

The OPAO invest in medicine, biogenetics, and cybernetics according to their long-term strategic plan. Both investments give rise to discoveries and inventions of tools where systems are optimized to effectively respond to the OPAO’s population needs and security. They allow for recovery and quick adaptation to the speed of evolving circumstances out of their control.

Examples in medicine:
 Nano-Injections for antibody and quick clot coagulation repair.
 Surgical proficiency and success due to advanced professional training and cybernetic capabilities.
 Accurate DNA to Medication pairing.

Examples in biogenetics:
 Cloning (Accessible only to ODF, regulated by OPID and Prime Courts).
 Biological enhancement capabilities (Regulated by OPDAB).
 Designer baby capabilities (Regulated by OPID).

Notes: OPID stands for Orbital Principality Identification Division, OPDAB stands for Orbital Principality Division for Advancing Biology, and the Prime Courts can be compared to Supreme Courts in the United States.

Examples in cybernetics:
 A.I. Citizens for reinforcing workforce, socialization, and defense needs. These citizens are connected to the Sera system. They are also capable of disconnecting to preserve autonomy.
 Sera Shells are designed for protecting against orbital strikes from space and atmospheric strikes on planet. Sera is a centralized A.I. system communicating city operations, resources, and emerging activities for strategic and tactical responses by citizen officials.
 SOAL Suits are designed for the sea, orbit, air, and land combat engagements. There are different SOAL models uniquely fitted for various situations.

Demographics
Human – 40%
Human/Anubi -20%
Human/Cyborg – 15%
A.I. – 10%
Kato – 15%
 Kato enjoys silence and solitude. They do not congregate in large groups unless it is necessary. Their natural acrobats with a tendency to compete and show-off when they “feel” like it. It is in their nature to demand instead of asking, but they balance this with appeasing the one they are demanding from. They hate being told what to do, but if the request is sensible and difficult to argue, their reason will always emerge over pride.
 Independent, hyper-intelligent, extremely sensitive, resourceful, and reasonable creatures with telekinetic capabilities.
 Kato psychology, Kato are born in large family groups with play as the core activity and practice of the family. They learn through play whether with parents or siblings. Their first initiation into society is usually through festivals. These festivals are designed to bring Kato’s together to promote a sense of solidarity and encourage respectful mating practices. The Kato may appear to some species as spiritual, however, Kato sees themselves as pragmatic who acknowledge the order of existence, their base nature, and their insignificance. It is why they train their young in respectful practices as to appreciate the order of existence instead of ignoring it. This appreciation delivers the psychology of honoring themselves, the world, and others around them as a priority which requires consistent attention. Kato’s view the world as a place to appreciate while also existing as their own personal playground. When the game is not challenging enough, they become bored and invent new games to play. Everything in the eyes of a Kato is a game of balancing between prudence and pleasure.

> Kato permissions, if a player does not appreciate the world in which they live, the Kato’s will not respect such a player. If the player is too serious, the Kato’s will laugh at such a player. If the player is too self-oriented, the Kato will believe the player is stupid and unreasonable. If the player relies too much on its own tools, the Kato will not trust their judgment. Kato’s only work well with those who too balance between self-discipline and a playful approach to life. They do not get along with A.I. but can appreciate the reasons as to why they are integrated into society by human beings. Kato also do not see all human societies as equals and tend to avoid most human civilizations that do not empathize with their psychology.

Shattered Stars - A Space Opera [Open for more players - Someone please join Karbana Kinnis... it's lonely there]

Cronus Meeting

The five princes convene in an unofficial location above one of the OPAO planets. They each sit absorbing the delusional galactic public announcement by Octo Smith. The talk of prosperous times, a galaxy free for human settlement, and galactic security while maintaining the idea he has a vision but yet unable to articulate it to those in governing positions, only kept the five princes from questioning their current direction. Each of their positions became more and more detached from the Dominion in every way, their strategic plan for establishing themselves separate was building and would be implemented soon after this meeting. Fools or not, the princes were no longer going to dismiss the Dominions lack of integrity and poor ability to generate meaningful action.

“How dare this old man-child declare foolishness with those who stand up for a higher order than this own authority,” harked Neema.
Mayven replied, “you expect too much from him, haha, he has always been the fool…blindly reigning his way toward the spectres of Hell. Come, take this drink and calm those nerves, no need to stand your hairs up for such political reality TV.” Mayven poured a smooth glass of red wine cradled between her index and middle finger. Neema sighed while making her approach from the large display that projected Octo Smith’s video. She gently took the glass from Mayven pursing her lips as the edge of her glass met slipping the red wine down her throat.

“Soon enough we will be ready for our official secession from the Dominion and no longer will need to play these games any longer, soon Neema, you may not feel as compelled to rage over the nonsensical chatter of this utterly benign old man.” Iman spoke with a deep voice, his attempt at reaffirming the upcoming sequences of events were his way of reassuring Neema that her anger will soon have an outlet and channel to flow through.

“When will the final movements be ready?” Valiance asked.
Mayven replied, “We have completed the 4th phase of supply and troop movements. We have one week before everything is ready for engagement.”

Valiance responded to Mayven with a look of satisfaction, “alright, let us review for the last time in-person what is about to unfold, and speak to our respective churches for final approval. Before we do, is there anything on the table that needs attention in their respective principality?”

The princes shook their heads from left to right in response to Valiance’s question. The principalities were all stable and calm. There were some reports of organized criminal activity but nothing had occurred yet that deserved great attention. Nicole had been quiet in much of the discussion as her colleagues deliberated on the strategy of seceding from the Dominion’s grips.

Terror in Daedolus



Above the streets of Daedalus there hover the soft white clouds holding steady in their slow migration from West to East. The towering glass buildings which allowed for so much of Daedalus’ people to receive any moonlight that may be showing this night. These towers standing strong decorating the skyline with sharp architecture showed a precision of Daedolus’s minds and technologies. The people walked and hover cars zoomed as business kept the likes of this place moving and developing. Around one of the corner’s in the busiest market on the planet sirens echoed.

Several officers were positioned outside of their vehicles with rifles trained on a concrete barricade in front of one of the towers.
“Put your weapon down!” One of the officers commanded.

Behind the barricade crouched an individual in a power suit. Their handgun was out and a timer ticking down on their forearm display. The unidentified individual was attempting to figure out how to get out of this situation as more police force closed in.
“We are asking one more time to please place your weapon the ground, slide it out, and come out with your hands in the air where we can see that you are no longer armed, if you comply, we will place you under arrest, if you do not, we will be forced to move and take necessary action!” The commanding officer charged out his commands once more.

The situation occurred after a suspicious individual was caught inside a government-affiliated building without proper credentials. There were five confirmed kills in the building and three were security. Before this individual could escape the building went into full lockdown after they tripped a sensor in their espionage campaign which set off an A.I. systems response. They were able to neutralize several security weapons before having been redirected to the streets where their location was confronted by a front of police authority.

“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this…” the individual said underneath his helmet. The timer still ticking, they clicked their HUD display to light up on their helmet, in the top right corner was an open-line video of a familiar face, “the mission has been compromised, code 6, field termination…I will hold out until the objective has been accomplished.” The person on the right top hand corner responded, “are you sure there is no other way?” The individual’s eyes were pulled down slightly, “no…there will be too many too soon, for the Dominion.”

The individual clicked their HUD off, charged an incendiary grenade tossing it overhead into the pockets of a grouped police front. The officers made attempts to escape, but one jumped on the grenade which completely thwarted much of the effects that the individual hoped to gain. The other officers immediately pulled the injured officer to a medevac as they opened fire on the barricade. One round clipped the power armor of the individual that had slightly been exposed at the side.

“Fuck!” The individual tucked themselves into a smaller size and when the rifles ended their barrage, the individual transitioned from a crouch into a kneeling position firing off 4 consecutive rounds before tucking back underneath. Their shots penetrated a window which hit an officer in the shoulder blade sending them to the ground, another had been struck in the neck with blood flowing from their carotid immediately. Again the officers unleashed their rounds on the barricade as they ripped it apart, one round actually penetrating the crippling concrete and lodging itself in the individual’s power suit. The break in the power suit caused the individual to slightly begin worrying. They knew holding this spot would not last another barrage. When the rifles ceased for reloading, the individual made a run for an alley directly in line with the barricade. The open space between the barricade and the alley was 40 yards. Their split from the position was quick, several officers yelling, but before the individual reached the alley, a loud sharp bang reverberated from the rooftops.

“What the hell was that?” The individual said to themselves as their body suddenly jolted and their vision fell forward seeing nothing but the street floor. They lost balance and feeling in their legs. “Come on get up, why can’t I get up!” An extreme pain began elevating in the lower part of their spine, their body turned over revealing a team of officers.
One of the officers identified the timer, “Who are you? What is this?” pointing to the timer which just hit zero.
The individual’s helmet was ripped off revealing their smirk, “It’s a good time to die.” An explosion at the top of the building they had just been in blew out the windows. Another blow, then another, and another, all the way down to the first floor sending the officers off their feet and back to their cars.



Princes of Order: Responding to Daedolus

Valiance Spiros stood at the edge of his quarters where a large window secured his life from being sucked out into space on a command ship setting course for his principality. His hands crossed gazing out across the nebula with a firm grip of what needed to happen upon his return. He had been building the narrative in his head about how to deliver his orders in sequence but as he was doing so an emergency broadcast chimed in his quarters.

An A.I. named Gladius appeared in a hologram imitating a human female, “emergency broadcast on Daedalus, incoming transmission…patching through-WE ARE LIVE AND ABOVE IN THE HUGE DAEDALUS MARKET WHERE THE FORMER BASTION ENTERPRISE BUILDING HAS BEEN DESTROYED-Prince Spiros we have a second incoming transmission identified as Princess Neema Valshehk.” Valiance nodded for his approval as he looked for a chair before Gladius opened the room’s projection monitor for Neema to connect. Her face appeared on screen as he sat down, she sat at a sleek desk with a planetary backdrop and stars behind a window running behind her.

“Valiance, have you heard about Daedalus?” The anger in her voice was detected but also being checked back by her as well, “yes, the transmission just reached me before you called.” Neema slammed her fist down on the other side of the screen. “Bastion Enterprise was manufacturing the last set of Vanguard…we lost over 15% of our progress! WHO THE HELL KNEW ABOUT THIS AND WHO ATTACKED US!” Neema yelled with fury. Valiance allowed for silence to seep into the space between him and Neema as she vented her frustration, “I am unsure, my bet, word has leaked of our intentions toward the Dominion, and this was a message…may be an act of declaring an unofficial war before we mount an official one?”

Gladius chimed in before Neema could respond, “Prince Spiros, a third transmission incoming identified as Princess Mayven Reigns.” Prince Spiros nodded for approval as he did with Neema and a second video appeared on display with Mayven Reigns. “Mayven, I am sure you have heard about Daedalus, any ideas on who it might be?” Valiance asked.

“Yes, that is why I am calling, Neema glad you are here as well. My sources were able to retrieve recorded data off the helmet of the individual who planted and detonated the explosives. The individual appears to have been affiliated with a group called the Martinet who is organized by another individual who calls himself the Chancellor. There is not much information I’ve gathered yet passed this and will be pulling in Nicole for scouring every bit of data we may be able to get on Chancellor or connected items.”

Neema immediately replied, “I want this Chancellor taken alive, so I may punish him as I see fit!” Valiance looked to Mayven, “thank you for your quick discovery Mayven.” He then shifted his attention to Neema, “would you like to take point on this then, it would free Mayven up so we may move forward on our plans.” Neema grinned, “it looks like you understood what I was saying, good man.” Valiance chuckled as did Mayven, and each said their respective goodbyes before signing off.

Themes:

(1) Princes convene on long-term preparations and planning around the upcoming campaign involving their official secession from the Dominion.
(2) The city of Daedalus is the target of a terrorist attack.
(3) The production of Vanguard is halted in Daedalus by an identified organized syndicate called Martinet led by an individual who is called, The Chancellor.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

Rex

Clear Meadow

There it was, the break in the silence, and we had not even reached the drop point.

Rex thought as one eye lid lifted to spot Zasada honing in on Rex for his attention. Her loud laughter and liquor inflated personality was a lot for Rex who valued his peace, but he also always had a small space in his heart for studying the most interesting of characters. "All we need now is to get shot down or something and it'll make for a greater story to tell." Rex's mind stopped listening after her foreshadowing, why would anyone wish that upon themselves? clearly her instability was not the most important asset for this mission and as she continued speaking, Rex began analyzing, she was not necessarily one he'd be willing to trust will follow orders, someone who may be great for unconventional ideas when in a pinch, and crazy enough to execute on it. Zasada seemed more like a wild mustang than a well-trained dog of war. Rex watched from his one eye as she scooted her way over to his side, he'd admit her grin was contagious but his lips did not give in.

"Say, you're from Blacksteel, right? You must be pretty good with that gun of yours. Hmhm, have we worked together before, I can't remember." Rex would clearly be able to smell a faint scent of alcohol, but it'd be odd for Zasada if she didn't faintly smell of it.

Rex figured it was time to give her the attention she had been aiming for, "I am from Blacksteel, I don't believe we have and I feel confident I'd remember a character like yours." Her breath was keeping him from turning his head all the way to meet her eyes. In the middle of proceeding the conversation forward, a snap jolted everyone into space and back down. Rex dropped his foot to the floor and tugged on his seat belt for a safety check, he looked over to Zasada, both eyes catching hers with a slight smirk, "congratulations Ms. Zasada, it looks like you are the oracle on this mission." His reference was to her comment of "crashing" earlier, he wasn't sure if it'd stick in her consciousness, but it didn't matter. The VTOL regained a short-lived balance as another crack of sound shattered the crews false sense of temporary reprieve. The VTOL suffered another down fall, Rex braced himself, checked Zasada for any possible safety misses to her own seat, and made sure his weapons were close. The last thing Rex wanted was to crash and survive without his weapons near by.

The sound of metal twisting at impact with a fist full of gravity haymaking Rex's body left his mind silent. Yet for whatever reason, it wasn't his time. The cognitive lights to his prefrontal cortex began charging on, he coughed up smoke from his body's reaction to purge any obstructions in the airway. Both of Rex's eyes opened to a concerned look, "Oh, thank God! You're awake! Wu, they're awake! Rex and Zasada." Ibon yelled over to Wu as Rex was slowly rearranging the rolling marbles in his head. His hands instinctively reached for his side arm and carbine to make sure they were still equipped, they were.

Rex slowly got to one knee before standing all the way up. His eyes shifting slowly from one field of view to the other attempting to sketch out the area they crashed in. Lots of trees in the distance while current standing in a clear green meadow. Wu gave a debrief of the situation and gave warning about the pilots. Rex would decide to check the pilot box those two fallen soldiers who commandeered them up until their last breath. Paying respects to the dead was necessary for Rex if possible, they wouldn't be able to take the pilots with them or call for an E-vac to pick the bodies up until they got a signal. The sight he walked in on however was both disturbing and confusing. Originium pierced through both pilots around the same spot. Rex's first inclination was not to conclude this was merely a storm accident, an originium storm is unpredictable, these strikes appeared precise. Rex walked over the bodies, he knelt down fiddling his hands through their pockets to check if there was anything useful for the remainder of the mission. A pack of smokes, two rescue knives, two standard issued glock-19 pistols, and two small flash lights. Rex clipped off one of the belts pulling it from the body's waist and wrapping it around his. He positioned the belt with the holster on the opposite side of his existing SIG side arm. Rex brought the items back to where the group was recovering and dropped them for anyone who may want to add to their equipment before moving out.

Rex looked over to Wu, "We move to Riventor and complete the mission, I can load up Blizzard." Rex's effectiveness was in his ability to fire a gun, albeit having Blizzard on his shoulder would effect his ability to use his primary weapon, he'd manage fine with his SIG pistol. Rex looked at Ibon and Zasada, then back to Wu, "It may be best Wu because of your physical capabilities if you take the Longgui, while Zasada scouts forward and Ibon manages vitals for our two unconscious friends here while we move to Riventor." Rex recollected Zasada's profile having been proficient in stealth which drew up his idea for her taking lead as a scout to make sure we didn't fall into an ambush. The fate of the pilots still kept Rex questioning the greater picture that may be playing out, his job in his mind was to mitigate risk of an already dangerous start. After suggesting his ideas he looked back at Zasada, "How do you feel about playing scout for us?"

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

Rex

The sound of gun shots echoed slowly as if stuck in time. The screams of bystanders and the explosions around the urban environment were identified by Rex's hazy vision as he wiped his face clean. He was without a weapon, without protection, a useless combatant in this moment. More shots seared through space ripping by his ear drums, sounds of led ricocheting off metals, to the average individual, all of these sensory details would have been overlooked. It was Rex's sense of calm that got him through these fire fights and a deep trust in his training which developed the instincts now relied upon for reacting. There was something peculiar about this scenario though, it was too slow. It could be compared to swimming in swamp or mud, thick and dead. His hand came up once more to reveal blood, was it his? It didn't feel real...before he could investigate...the kick happened.

Rex dropped out of his traumatic daydream immediately reacting by gripping his weapon. He did not know whether to be surprised about what he had dreamed or the fact he somehow dazed off in the middle of a VTOL ride. The turbulence had kicked him out of his head and into reality. Rex could feel it climbing higher into the clouds which was probably to avoid the continued turbulence. If he had been awake prior, he'd had likely heard the orders to climb by the flight crew.

Rex scanned the poorly lit cabin counting six operators, 'Zasada, Longgui, Wu, Ibon, and the fearless leader, Blizzard' and the Feline Defender, Wu, was having much more success at sleeping then Rex did. He knew the basic profile of his colleagues brought to him by Blacksteel Worldwide when offering him up for this mission to H.I. What he did not know, was their battle performance.

After his visual sweep, he collected his thoughts and began smoothly pressing down the frame of his custom X-95. A quick audit of weapon functioning gave him a nice warm feeling before sliding the carbine to his side on the sling strapped across his body. He moved down to his side arm disengaging the holster retention with ease. The SIG felt balanced in his hand, it was not his preferred tool for action, but it was always ready for emergencies. Holstering his SIG leaning back in his seat, he raised his gaze to the ceiling. Drawing his arms behind his head, he crossed one foot over his knee and shut his eyes once more as the cabin gently shook a few more times as the VTOL propellers cut into the air.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

@PaulHaynek Still around, updated dossier.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

@Asura

Copied? I just used the fandom website page for reference in setting up. Then I used the [pre] BBCode which delivers a border and turned the color into the teal. My apologies if you have felt "copied".

For example: mrfz.fandom.com/wiki/Bagpipe