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In Avalia → 1 yr ago Forum: Casual Roleplay


In Avalia → 1 yr ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In Avalia → 1 yr ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Hello! I've been keeping track of this RP for some time and I am interested in participating if at all possible. I am aware that the current roster is marked as full so I am simply curious if one more player can be squeezed in, or if it would be better to check back later. I will understand if there is certainly no more room for additional participants at this time.
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin



The way to the Adventurer's Quarter wasn't long, though the closer they got, the more evident it was that the people coming and going from the district were oddly 'varied'. Many individuals residing in the district dressed presumably to their profession. Garrett noted some of the more heavily armed individuals wore sets of unique sets of armor, be it light, heavier metal plating, or even a case or two of more exotic and flamboyant varieties. Others seem to either don robes or dress like pioneers of old Earth. If it weren't for the fact they were stranded in a foreign world, he could've mistaken the place for a genre-specific convention. Yet, he could clearly see they weren't participants in some parody event, they all bore the looks of individuals with unique jobs they took seriously, whatever those 'jobs' entailed, he could only guess.

"How much you want to bet the guy over there with the blue cloak and gold trim is a Warlock?" asked an opened-minded Tess.

"Nah," replied Shirly, "I think they're a Mage. I can't imagine a Warlock with bright colors."

"What's the difference?" Thorin asked in genuine honesty.

"Behave," growled Garrett, making the single word come off like a warning than an order.

Soon, they arrived at what appeared to be a tavern, filled, of course, with more adventurers. Srikandi led the group to a large table secluded away from the other occupied stands and had everyone take their seat so she could go over her plan.

Garrett raised a brow upon one of Srikandi's questions, "it isn't all that much different than what you described, ma'am. If there is any suspicious activity being reported, we ask anyone nearby in the vicinity of the disturbance for their input and develop the story from there."

For a moment, Garrett thought about the other half of their process, especially considering Srikandi wouldn't have any idea about how their surveillance technology or digital record-keeping worked. It nagged him how much he wanted to go over the procedure but reminded himself that it wouldn't best translate well for a Friestanian who was a light-year or two away from even understanding the inner working of such a security system.

"Granted, we have ways of conjuring visual evidence that can be used to further refine our investigations if the nature of the situation demands more specifics. However, that requires a large infrastructure of many things not available to us here, for obvious reasons. We can certainly split up, though I could have my team spread out, that way we can cover more ground that way. If I or any of them find something, we can communicate with each other over long distances."
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin



Eventually, the skirmish winded down until every single criminal either laid incapacitated on the cobblestone pavement or was restrained; notably, the only supposed conscious thug still squirming within Meisha's tyrant grasps. Garrett and his squad looked over the group that tried to jump them, checking if any one of them had any will of defiance to oppose them further. Though it was evidently clear they were out cold and practically rendered harmless.

"Secure the area!" Garrett ordered aloud to his squad and motioned Tess and Shirly forward deeper into the alleyway to scope the place out for any other lurking dangers. Both women acknowledged the request and brushed past him, their weapons still drawn.

After watching the two venture further for a few seconds, he turned around and set his sights on the criminal Meisha had captured and moved towards the man. Upon reaching him, Garrett lowered his machete towards the thug who had been forcefully restrained and put to his knees. Though before Garrett could even open his mouth, the man shot a painful and tearful look at him. Desperation and dismay were painted all over his face.

"P-please! I-I'll tell you anything! Anything I say! Just tell her to release me, I beg you!" the thug pleaded.

"And you won't give us any reason to see you as a threat?" Garrett asked coldly.

"No, no! I surrender! Honest! Please, I can't bare this no longer!"

Garrett pondered on this notion for a moment, though if anything, he was putting on a facade, just to illustrate the situation in a way that would not only intimidate the hooligan further but ensure his compliance with the rest of the group. In a suggestive nod to Meisha, who was still bearing her signature smile, she released the man and the thug collapsed into the pavement gripping his tortured wrist with his only working hand. Garrett leaned forward and looked over the man, now seemingly shriveled and adopting a fetal position. Admittedly, he did feel genuinely sorry for him to a degree but he wasn't about to show it.

"Now talk," Garrett demanded, "is there more of you? Were any of you following us prior to us getting here, or were you simply just lying in wait in this dumpster of a street?"

"N-no. We only mug any fool who-

The machete in Garrett's grip glowed and radiated an intense heat that the man would no doubt feel by being in such close proximity to its edge, "I'd change my vocabulary if I were you, bub. You want my colleague to give your other arm the same treatment as before?"

"Thousand apologies! Please, not that!" the thug profusely groveled before continuing with a changed tune, "w-we only ambush, anyone, who walks through here... there isn't anyone else, you had bested our entire gang. Please, don't subject me to any more punishment!"

For a moment, Garrett remained motionless and eyed the crumpled man as if regarding his words. A second later, Tess and Shirly came back from the corridors of the alleyway. They said something but Garrett's attention was drawn away by a duo of armored guards who arrived on the scene and didn't pay much attention to their words. He probably figured that what they reported was they found no one else and motioned them back into the group. While the policing knights assessed everything, he regarded the defeated bandit once more before walking away.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about now," growled Garrett, "you're no longer my problem anyway."

Garrett noted that additional members of the town's guard had arrived and began their arrest of the gang. Meisha followed alongside him for a few passing seconds before looking up to him, asking, "you weren't going to really have me hurt him, were you?"

Looking down at Meisha, his cold menacing expression quickly evaporating, "oh God, no. I wouldn't wish, that, upon anyone!"

Meisha puffed her cheeks, "what's, 'that', supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing at all."

After having his squad reassemble, Garrett overheard one of the knights speaking directly to Srikandi. Apparently, the mayor of the city of all people had requested their presence and another yet group of knights made themselves known as escorts to lead them to City Hall. With the added layer of protection surrounding them, Garrett didn't bother to order his squad into a formation which he nearly gave the order for, naturally out of a reflexive notion that they were fighting for their lives just minutes ago. Not that their lives were genuinely in any danger anyhow. As they bort closer to City Hall, Garrett noted how many of the houses and other facilities appeared to be more pristine, regal even, in comparison to the previous architecture that seemed to pale in comparison. It was pretty evident they were entering a neighborhood more fitting of a noble or any other individual of wealth or importance.

The City Hall finally was revealed after ascending a series of wide public steps. The structure itself was very much impressive and resembled much of the paintings depicting the great buildings and architecture of ancient Earth, incorporating carved columns and statues engraved into its walls, although displaying its own unique cultural flair to boot. Garrett could imagine everyone wanting to marvel at the alien-yet-familiar establishment but it seemed that the guards were rushing to get the group into the mayor's office denying them the external and internal eye candy that was the City Hall. Upon entering the office, Garrett observed the individual who seemed to be the mayor that had summoned them. The man didn't appear note-worthy to him, save for their uniquely groomed mustache and their colorful and decorative suit, very much resembling Southeast Asian aesthetics. Much of the talking was primarily between the unnamed mayor and Srikandi, and Garrett made sure to keep his mouth shut so they could speak about the present business. His squad got the obvious memo as well and stood motionless, relaxed yet at attention.

The conversation had then reached a new and unusual point when Srikandi was presented with a letter with a black seal pressed into the envelope. Though to much of the Thucydides crew, the letter didn't appear out of the ordinary and Garrett initially disregarded it until observing Srikandi snatching it out of the mayor's hands and carefully opened it up. Garrett watched her review its contents and her wary behavior was enough to warrant the attention of everyone else unfamiliar with the developing circumstances. The Captain noticed the dilemma and asked Srikandi about the situation. Apparently, an individual simply called the 'Dark Lord', a name that Garrett nearly snickered at, since it painfully played into all the fantastical fiction he had read as a kid of which humanity had dreamed and written up for the past couple of centuries. And here it was; an edgy and goofy title bestows upon an individual that had the Friestanians unquestionably spooked. Garrett kept his composure intact but he was now humoring the existential thought that asked if he was in a fictional story himself. That, and also questioning who in their right mind would refer to themselves as the 'Dark Lord'.

It was at that moment when Garrett heard his name called out by Srikandi, which certainly caught him off guard. As it turned it, she was requesting him, and by association, his team, to come along with her towards some place called the Adventurer's Qurters. Garrett simply blinked and awkwardly turned to Almira's direction like an unsure child seeking a parent's approval, though his concern was justified since their operational doctrine was clearly being stretched and twisted by Srikandi's request. So much so, that he could even sense the rest of his squad bearing the same natural response and looked to their Captain for the same guidance.

After Almira gave what seemed to be a shrug and a wave, indicating a seemingly reluctant agreement with Garrett's query, he looked to his still puzzled team and motioned them forward, "you 'heard' her."

As the group divided and separated, with Garrett and his squad, and Sumiye in tow, Garrett pushed forward just a bit till he was at Sumiye's side in stride, "I've got to ask, ma'am, this, 'Dark Lord' you and the mayor were on about. Are they really that big of a deal?"
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin



"What the hell is this?" Garrett growled while his vexed gaze became affixed to his datapad.

On the screen of his personal datapad were mission orders issued by the Captain herself, requesting he and his team to sortie as escort for her, the Friestanians, and several of the Thucydides's personnel. This he didn't have an issue with. Granted, his group was primarily trained for incursions into unexplored territory and handling the threats that may lie in wait - something he made damn sure his team prepared for - and perhaps a diplomatic security detail wasn't what he nor his teammates were well-versed in, aside from shutting up, not doing anything stupid, and let the officials do the talking. Then again, his team was the only group with first-hand experience with the Friestanians and had a rough personality profile of the natives to know how to interact or handle any of them if need be. It was likely this fact that his team was requested once more.

Again, he didn't have an issue with this.

What he did have a problem with were the underlining mission prerequisites. His team was allowed to retain their standard armament, however, their rifles and pistols were to be strictly stowed in provided leather soft cases and holsters and only brought out either per the Captain's orders or if circumstances became extraordinary to call for them. Garrett thought the requirement odd, unnecessary even, since it practically filed his team's fang down and dampened their efficiency in a combat situation, especially since their combat knives or whatever tools could be passed off as weapons were allowed if a conflict erupted. Not only that, their standard-issue all-environment armored suits, a staple in their establish field role, were now replaced by something called the...

...'mission designated uniform'...

Really?

Garrett looked up from this datapad and stared at his new 'mission designated uniform' that sat atop the Supply and Requisition office's outgoing desk. A large frown formed on his already unenthused face. What he and his team were handed were, as what was indicated by the equipment manifest underneath the mission orders, clothes that would allow them to blend in with the Friestanian populace; medieval clothing basically. Though he naturally wanted to hate the get-up he was given, he couldn't deny the sewing department's craftsmanship of each article of clothing that did look and feel like someone from the middle-ages would wear, just with a touch of practical and modern flair. As it became obvious through his inspection, his team's set of attire was specifically designed for protection, given the padded gambeson jacket that formed into a half-skirt around the waist and several strips of brigandine placed in some areas of the body, namely the shoulders and arms. It was eventually evident that one or two people from S&R had to confer with the Armory officers about the outfits. It quickly occurred to him then why their firearms were to be held in reserve, mainly to benefit the era-appropriate disguises they were handed.

As he continued to look over the uniforms and began begrudgingly liking them, he couldn't help but notice one of the S&R clerks looking over the team as they reviewed their equipment. Genevieve, going by the nameplate the clerk wore above her chest and pinned to her uniform, had her face painted with an anxious expression and a nervous smile. If he had to guess, she was looking to see if the outfits were to his team's liking. Of course, anyone not within the security division's ranks knew that their members favored anything practical and defensible, like a standard-issue all-environment armored suit for instance. So anything less than light or reconnaissance armor or a personnel shield was frowned upon; which meant pleasing them with something that couldn't tank an energy bolt was a difficult task to achieve, thus explaining the clerk's uneasiness.

Sighing, Garrett turned slightly to Meisha who marveled at her uniform and exemplified the word 'enthusiastic' to a tee with her eyes casting glittering stars of intrigue. Then again, she usually was like this with new stuff anyhow. He had no idea where she got her infinite reserves of positivity from.

"Meisha," he said under his breath but just enough for her to hear, "you have my permission to verbally express yourself without restraint."

The smallest and youngest of their number quickly turned her head to him and a big grin took shape upon her bright visage. And just like that, she went off like a firework, resounding the work put into the outfits and praising the fabricators for their excellent skills and craftsmanship. Such bellowing positivity was enough to even garner the attention of the other workers deep into the department space. If it wasn't evident enough, Meisha had a problem with being too loud and expressive - which even she recognized - and was disciplined into opening up only off-duty or at the behest of her superiors.

"Hey," Garret suddenly said to Thorin while kicking the taller man's leg, "you join in too."

"Oh, uh," Thorin, not known for his mental sharpness and more so for his bold and imposing stature, scrambled to come up with a compliment, especially having been put on the spot, "ah, these fit me just right. I really like these!"

At least he wasn't wrong; the bald Scandinavian man was nearly seven feet tall and requestioning and maintaining anything in Thorin's size and shape was a chore. Being able to easily dwarf the entire crew of the ship with seemingly no equal to measure up to him, it was honestly a fact he had every right to boast about but was simply too humble to make the claim. Actually, it was more apt to consider him innocently naive and thick-headed to the point where nothing phased him or anything else could fly over his head.

Looking over to Genevieve, who was now preoccupied with Meisha bombarding her with queries about their new clothing, Garrett could tell her tense expression from earlier had faded and a confident countenance and a natural smile, not an artificial one, had manifested.

"You did that on purpose," said Shirly through her wry grin.

"Yeah, I did," Garrett admitted unapologetically, "you want me to toss you and Tess in there too?"

"Don't you dare," hissed Tess, likely speaking for Shirly too in expressing their reluctance to animate themselves like Meisha or poor Thorin.

Returning to his mission attire, and trying to ignore the loud praising he had instigated, Garrett combed through the rest of the equipment and noticed a small communication badge was included with his gear. Though his team never needed them before, considering the kind of missions they were meant to take usually required them to wear sealed suits that had built-in comm systems within their helmets, the tiny badges were easy to hide, and to the uninformed mind, the devices seemed like nothing else but a simple pin. Additionally, the badge could produce such isolated and localized noise that only the wearer could hear it and no one else, not even anyone purposely getting physically close could hear a thing. On top of being able to amplify the whispering from the wearing into a normal tone, the comm badge was useful in establishing discreet communication between wearers without public eyes or ears noticing.

Upon taking the time to inspect the badge and looking it over, mainly to see how the thing worked, he set it aside and returned to reviewing his attire, noting the leather boots and gloves and the refined cotton trousers that seemed to vaguely resemble denim jeans if no other comparison could be made. Seeing the many clothes and seeing the material used to craft them, Garrett was becoming ever more curious about exactly what other kinds of fabrics or other material they had brought and how much exactly. He shoved the through away, realizing that he was better off not knowing; logistics was certainly a very mysterious and powerful force he'd rather not question.

Finally, after he was finished satisfying his curiosity with his outfit, he looked over to an adjacent table littered with handheld tools. That was initially what he thought they were. Upon walking up to the table, the 'tools' were in fact additional knives, several heat machetes, and expandable batons. The knives were self-explanatory through the machetes and batons were certainly unexpected. Ironically, Commonwealth combat doctrines, despite acknowledging the necessities of close-quarters engagements, never once considered any weapon bigger than a typical combat knife to be used - then again, said combat doctrines also acknowledged improvisation when needed. Garrett, seeing how much work was put into his get-up to be as genuinely authentic to the medieval period as possible, had almost expected authentic swords or axes as well. Unsurprisingly, fabricating such weapons was a much taller order than weaving fabrics so the set before him simply had to do.

Picking out what he thought he needed from the selection of 'weapons', he looked over his shoulder to see Meisha still going at it with her praises and Thorin barely able to keep up with her, while Tess and Shirly kept their focus on their newly acquired gear.

"Settle down you two," Garrett ordered, "I think Jenny over there got the message; A-plus. Now get over here and get dressed. Op starts in two hours; plenty of time get used to your new digs and to admire yourself in them."



The ride down from the Great Table would be uneventful aside from a few cases of small talk between the Thucydides crew and the Friestanians. However, things would pick up after dismounting the rover and watching as a strange vessel came into view, steadily approaching upstream. Looking over its design, it was very comparable to what a typically sailing ship, or perhaps a Junk, which most of the Thucydides crew would know about their historical text. Though its method of propulsion was certainly unusual and Garrett wasn't quite sure how it worked and was half-expecting Sumiye to mention something about it.

He and his team watched silently as Srikandi and the ship captain conversed with one another though Garrett couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when the knight fabricated a cover story that established the Thucydides crew as another group of adventures she and her party had found. Aside from the convincing getups they wore, with Almira's attire being very much the exception, he questioned how exactly legitimate they really appeared. Luckily, the ship captain, even after looking in their direction for a brief moment, didn't stop to question any of Srikandi's words and allowed everyone aboard. Like the ride within the Rover, the trip to Cendana was without any drama or existential hurdles. For most of the brief trip, Garrett stood by the ship's mast, arms folded, and quietly half-listened to the skipper's life tales while shifting his observations from some of the mariners going about their duties, to the watery environment surrounding the vessel.

It wasn't long until the city of Cendana came into perfect view and what a perfect view it was. While Cendana was certainly not as massive or towering as the sprawling cityscapes and ecumenopolis back within Commonwealth territory, Cendana certainly had a strange and notable majesty to it, like a preserved relic of time undeteriorated. This was perhaps helped by the fact of how bright it was without the bustling aero-car traffic or a multitude of skyscrapers - like Garrett and many amongst his group were used to seeing- to keep its brilliance enshadowed.

Eventually, as they docked and disembarked from the ship, Garrett quickly realized how many people that went about their business through the port took the time to stare in their direction. More specifically, as he would instantly confirm, their gaze was set solely on Almira herself, for obvious reasons regarding her outfit which Garrett tried and failed to hide the doubt in his expression which practically said, 'you're just now noticing?' : an expressive message that seemed to be silently shared and conveyed by the rest of the crew. Srikandi had then urged them forward into the city and everyone followed ignoring the stares and seemingly moving past them too. Garrett looked around, oddly admiring the 'primative' architecture and the lively socialness of the townsfolk moving about the streets. He had heard of fairs back on Earth that emulated and celebrated the medieval and renaissance periods of its history where everyone from onlookers to participants were immersed in the old cultural ways. In a sense, he felt like he was walking through one of those fairgrounds however Garrett indeed reminded himself that this was essentially the real deal.

After some time, it became quickly evident they had become lost. Spectacularly lost in fact, as they had somehow taken a wrong turn and wound up in a wide yet secluded alleyway, "how did we end up here?" asked a rightly confused Thorin.

"I'm..." began Garrett, stunned and just as confused as his underling, "I've no idea how we managed this."

Srikandi would soon apologize for her error in leading the group into a dead end though before Garrett could even consider or try to call her out on her incredible mistake, the sound of footsteps began to echo from the dark corners and crevices of the alley. Soon the footsteps became louder and louder until the group was surrounded by at least twenty men, all of whom appeared dirty and ragged, armed, and most certainly unfriendly. Even before one of the would-be bandits could start making a demand, Garrett was already issuing orders. Tapping the comm badge he inserted beneath the collar of his gambeson jacket, he spoke softly and quietly into the device.

//My gut is telling me we're not walking out here without a few scrapes. Shirly, move back and cover the rest of the crew behind us. Thorin, help her and take up the rear; I want an exit route. Meisha, you're in the center, intercept anyone trying to worm their way past us. Tess, the Captain's flank is all you. I'll cover Srikandi and the other Friestanians near me. All copy?//

His team acknowledged the command and he thought that would've been it until Tess unexpectedly chimed in.

//Uh, boss? Cathrine's right next to me. What about her?//

Garrett felt his eyebrow twitch, //What about her? You saw the security scans the moment she stepped onto our ship. She's loaded with several substances that the Commonwealth had outlawed and considered them materials for creating a variety of WMDs. She's fine. She-//

//Actually,// Shirly quickly cut in, //She's dropping her voodoo bag and looking like she wants to brawl.//

//Goddammit,// Garrett signed in annoyance, //fine, go cover her too, Tess.//

//Copy.//

//Also, try not to kill this lot if you can help it. Neutralize them if all possible.//

Releasing the comm badge, he shook his head and looked ahead at the thugs before him. He clearly wasn't over the fiasco Catherine inadvertently created and nearly drew about Galmira's wrath. Of course in a twist of irony, he was expecting the alchemist to deploy her potions and toxins, which would've kept a large part of their flank secured and likely discourage the bandits from approaching that direction. But that idea was tossed out the moment she opted for a fisticuff, thus prompting him to now task Tess with additional weight. Then again, Tess always liked the challenge and had a knack for taking her job as a security officer in a direction the role had neither intended nor encouraged. That was namely being able to beat the shit out of people if they got out of line and her notable background in martial arts easily enabled her to excel on that front. Garrett still couldn't believe that she and Meisha were sisters.

Not a moment later and two thugs were already barrelling down on him - and likewise he to them. The cybernetics that he, and his team, had received during his initial years of service training was now firing in response to the fight or flight scenario that developed before him. The small to microscopic-sized devices tapped into the neural pathways of his brain, triggering the many chemical signals throughout his body and promoting adrenaline to course through. The moment one of the thugs lifted their foot off the ground to enter a charge, that same moment Garrett was already perceiving the action and responded in kind and lunged forward. As he got in close, he unsheathed the heat machete he took along into his right hand and drew his combat knife with his left. The closest of the bandits swung their sword down on top of him, but Garrett saw this too and quickly side-stepped the attack and immediately struck back, catching the man's sword in-between the serrated teeth of his knife and pulling both the opposing blade and its wielder to him. In another quick move which at this point the bandit was unable to react fast enough, Garrett swung the machete down, hoping to force the sword out of his opponent's hand.

The heat machetes weren't intended for actual combat and instead designed for cutting through thick foliage or carving through narrow or thin hardened surfaces, such as metal pipes or steel beams. This was made possible by the blade's centerpiece substance in-fitted as the machete's edge was a recently discovered crystalline material which, due to its incredible exothermic oxidation properties, could generate insane levels of heat upon receiving an electrical current through the carbon-fiber and nano-steel frame. Basically, the material becomes superheated to the point where upon contact with most surfaces, the heated blade would either cut right through with little effort or slowly but surely carve through via melting the obstacle. However, Garrett kept that feature off, for now, seeing it as perhaps overkill in light of the circumstance of his fight, and focused on disarming the bandit...

...which he achieved though not in the way he had intended. As it turned out, the heat machete's vastly more durable construction and the incredible sharpness of its bladed edge was more than enough than what the bandit's sword could withstand as upon contact, Garrett's blade bit through, separating a majority portion of the sword away from the base of the hilt with a metallic pinging noise. The thug's face was drained of color upon seeing such an act set upon him and Garrett himself was almost as surprised but instead of dwelling on it, he pushed his momentum forward and brought his left hand around, now formed into a meaty fist while still possessing the knife within its grasps, and sent it smashing between the eyes of the unfortunate bandit.

The well-placed hit, resounding with a crack, toppled the man over his heels and collapsed into a limp and unconscious heap. Garrett then set his sights on the thug's partner, who by now saw the entire altercation last a measly three seconds and halted their charge, instinctively reacting to the realization that his foe was far more of a threat than he had anticipated. Seeing this hesitation, Garrett lunged toward the stunned bandit, both his blades pointed towards this quarry. The bandit himself took a step back and raised their sword defensively. Such a response however was anticipated by Garrett while he reached pivoted around the enemy, pulling the same trick before by using his knife to pry the opposing blade aside. At this point, he had the bandit dead to rights and could cleave apart his helpless opponent with his heat machete but instead opted into a different course of action. Pressing the trigger on the utility blade's handle, the heat machete's edge glowed a bright and searing hot orange, contrasting with the tool's black frame.

In a quick stroke, he swung the machete towards the bandit's leg however with the burning edge turned away. The machete's flat profile connected and the bandit yelped loudly, not so much in response to the hard impact, but feeling the searing heat that Garrett's blade shot through his weathered cloth and leather. As if he were momentarily lashed by fire, which wasn't far off in actuality, the bandit quickly recoiled and jumped into the air. Practically processing the man's reaction in near slow motion, Garrett quickly moved again, sliding his knife behind the bandit's raised boot, further unstabling his balance and bringing his foe falling backwards. Just before the bandit could connect with the ground, Garrett raised his left foot through the maneuver and slammed it down into the man's chest and crashing the stunned body into the pavement with a reverberating thud. Looking down at his fallen enemy, boot still in the bandit's torso, Garret could quickly determine this thug too was concussed and unmoving. That was two fewer fools to worry about.

As if looking for another target, he swung around and looked at the battle unfolding behind him. It seemed everyone was holding their own. Srikandi and Almira appeared to be doing well in fending off their attackers. Tess, who he ordered to cover their Captain, lunged at a startled and scuffed-up thug and brought down the dull backends of the machetes within both her hands onto the man's helm. The connections throttled him into the ground and Tess soon too was looking for more enemies. Garrett's eyes darted over to Thorin who he, for a split-second, witnessed him picking up a hapless victim and tossing them into another bandit who momentary had their staff raised with a strange green light emanating from it. Whatever they were doing was cut short as the two thugs collided with one another. Shirly on the other hand seemed to have things under control where she was as two thugs that faced off with her appeared frustrated and battered, nearly struggling to stand while she had an extended baton pointed in their direction, holding it like some kind of rapier. She even held the stance of a fencer too. Like Tess, Shirly was the only other member of his team that held any kind of training before enlisting though her's skills were clearly in the sport of fencing and she was damn good at keeping her opponents off-balance, with every strike and motion being textbook. Even the baton she held as it was extended even resembled a rapier, especially how elongated and narrow it became as it deployed. One of the thugs challenged her again, only to be smacked in the face repeatedly until they collapsed. The remaining foe seemed to shake in uncertainty, unsure how else they could proceed.

Garrett was just about to look for Meisha until he could hear a strangely familiar blood-curdling scream of a man whose wrist, and by association, their arm, was bending and straining on the precipice from being twisted, dislocated, and broken; somehow all at the same time. He winced, not so much from the screaming, but just imagining Meisha who likely was putting the poor man through one of her 'signature' wrist locks. Beyond all reasoning, she got the move down wrong but got it wrong in a way that made her unwilling captives undergo excruciating pain to the point that they shrivel up and immediately cease hostilities, sometimes even begging for their release.

Garrett didn't even want to look in her direction yet she was able to see him idling, "Boss! I caught a prisoner!" she exclaimed, sounding off as if she was proud of her contribution to the mass struggle.

Still not really wanting to look in her direction, or more specifically to the bandit in her clutches, he simply gave an awkward and unsteady thumbs up, before running off towards the next bandit he could get his hands on.
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 3 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin



Hearing the Captain's apologies quickly alleviated the tension that previously bore down on Garrett. With the miscommunication affair resolved between both his superiors, he quickly rejoined his team and climbed atop Galmira's back. Within no time and a powerful wingbeat, they were airborne. The sudden shift in orientation was very much unkind to anyone as it quickly became painfully obvious there was no real way to secure themselves as Galmira contained to gain altitude. Garrett naturally leaned over and assumed a posture that had his limbs wrapping around in desperation, trying hard not to get blown off while the dragon cut through the sky with surprising speed. Thankfully, his suit, specifically his gauntlets, featured an array of micro-suction incisions at the fingertips which ensured he and his squad were able to maintain some semblance of a secure grip.

Though even with the finest of Commonwealth technology at Garrett's disposal, the sensation of weightlessness as Galmira began diving into the clouds, leaving the mountain range behind them.

---

It didn't take long until the ground came into perfect view, where they could see specs resembling tiny bipedal beings, and another larger mass which was undeniably the dragon they were hearing about attacking a group of adventures.

Only the supposed dragon didn't seem so threatening with its entire form having collapsed into the snow-layered ground. it didn't appear to be very much alive either.

Garrett brought his head forward while his helmet's internal sensors tracked his facial gestures, prompting a smaller screen within his HUD to zoom in on the scene. While the quality of the feed wasn't that great, the pixelation of the image was still very much accurate enough for him to discern that the dragon they had come all this way out to stop, was indeed dead, having fallen to what he could make out was the burns of a large explosion, though he could also see evident scars caused by deep cuts and other wounds he couldn't properly identify. Bringing his focus to what he assumed were the adventures who certainly appeared to not be in any need of rescue, he noted how, 'primitive', their attire was in comparison to the common citizenry of the Commonwealth. Though it was very much undeniable that the folks down there loosely represented what the people of Earth in the fourteenth to the fifteenth century looked like, although the flair and styles they wore and adorned were unusual and out of place - as if they were straight out of a fantasy game or holo-novel he interacted with as a child.

Garrett would have shaken his head due to the ridiculousness of the situation if it weren't for the painful fact that he was riding a dragon.

//So much for the rescue op,// Tess chimed in over the comms, //the adventurers down there beat us to the punch.//

//But how'd they do it?// asked Shirley, //they don't appear to be very armed. It would take all of us with munition launchers to take down something like that.//

//They must have used magic!// Meisha claimed.

//Yup,// said Thorin.

//Really? We're really going with that?//

//We're riding a freaking dragon that can turn into a human form, Shirley,// Garret finally said, //as bullshit as it sounds, it's the best logic around here that explains how they messed up that thing down there.//

Though in truth, Garrett didn't want to admit 'magic' had a hand either with the results he could survey from the sky.

Soon enough, Galmira had landed with an almost abrupt halt as her claws and feet jabbed into the snow. Garret patiently watched as Galmitra lowed her head and watched as Captain Almira slid down the dragon's body.

//Dismount!// Garrett ordered his team, as he jumped off, followed by each member of the squad, //rifles out but keep 'em down until I or the Captain say otherwise. Clear?//

//Copy.// his squad said in unison.

As his team finally dismounted and started trudging through the snow, Garrett silently motioned the members of the squad to stay at the Captain's flanks, forming an arrowhead formation of sorts. Just as Amira stopped to face and speak to the adventurers before them, the team immediately stopped as well.

//Let the Captain do the talking,// Garrett ordered while he stood still as a statue.

//That girl over there...// Meisha began, while having a HUD marker highlight a brown-skinned woman ahead of the native party for the rest of her group to spot, //she looks so sad. Did something bad happen? One of those people over there lying in the snow; could they be...?//

//Dead?// Shirley responded, //no, check the scan readouts. That guy is out cold.//

//You think that's odd, take a look at the weirdo over there beside the dead dragon,// Tess states, also pinpointing her own HUD marker towards a woman whose arms were soaked in blood, //whaddya think she's doing?//

//...eating it?// Thorin innocently answered.

//Doubt it,// replied Garrett, noting the jars around the woman containing what appeared to be organs and reddish fluids, though his focus seemed to land on a curiously tiny figure with small wings fluttering about, //...is that a fairy?//

---

While the introductions seemed to be playing out fine, it wasn't until Garrett caught sight of Galmira who by now reverted to her human form, and wore the most vexing of sour expressions he'd ever observed while she stopped in a beeline towards the women Tess pointed out earlier. The rest of his team, including the Captain, took notice of the developing scene which reeked of a bad escalation brewing. Garrett felt his hands tighten their grip on his rifle as he helplessly watch as Galmira ignored the Captain's pleas. It was then that Captain Almira gave the unsettling order to prep the megafauna pacification devices.

//Shit,// growled Tess as she and her teammates frantically brought the large devices to bear.

Garrett trained his sights on Galmira and unknowingly held his breath. The situation certainly turned dire as Galmira questioned the fancy-dressed woman and carved into the dragon's corpse. That is, however, what he thought was going on since they spoke to one another in a language he and especially the Captain didn't understand. Though Q-T, after what seemed like a long and daunting minute of perpetual aiming and antsy trigger-tapping, essentially confirmed his suspicions upon translating the apparent one-sided debate. His heart sank even deeper when Q-T clarified that the woman on figuratively thin ice wasn't making too great of a case for herself.

//Double shit,// Thorin blurted out.

After another few agonizing minutes, Galmira seemingly withdrew her fury and walked away having declared the apparent issue resolved and allowing the woman access to the dragon corpse. Though the Captain hadn't given the order herself, Garrett motioned his team to lower the pacification devices. With sighs echoing through the comm, even he exhaled his own relief that the situation was taken care of and reassumed his attentive posture. The squad soon followed and continued to observe the now-resumed discussions. Of course, whatever the discussion was exactly about, neither Garret nor his team truly understood since they didn't speak Indonesian for much of it, they kept silent and simply observed, awaiting Captain Almira's orders. And those orders soon arrived though they weren't the orders they were quite expecting, or even prepared for.

//Wait, I didn't sign up to present to the class,// complained Tess.

//Yet you came here to fight a dragon, this is nothing in comparison,// Shirley countered.

//Think about it though, you're getting to know new people!// said Meisha.

//But I'm shy around new people without my helmet...// Thorin meekly admitted.

//For the love of...// Garrett openly groaned as he frankly heard enough of the reluctance of his team to follow through with the Captain's request, //just take your helmets off and stow it. I'll do the talking.//

His squad compiled and began unsealing the connection between their helmets and their armored suits. With a quick twist, Garrett's own helmet came off with a light crack and a brief hiss of the inner atmosphere quickly venting. After bringing the helm under his right arm and holding it to his side, he took a few seconds to scan the scene and the adventurers with his own naked eyes, only to however witness the same adventurers snap their attention towards his direction. Suddenly, the Captain's orders seemed strangely unreasonable.

"Hello," Garrett started, trying to make his introduction as simple as he can make it, "My name is Garrett."

He then slightly turned to his squad and pointed at each member, "This is my team; this is Shirley, Thorin, Tess, and Meisha..."

Meisha quickly smiled and gave a friendly wave to the adventures. Garrett then turned back and then pointed to Almira.

"We are her..." Garrett paused for a brief second to figure out which word may be the most accurate yet simple to use to convey his and his squad's association that will be easy to translate, "...escort."
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 3 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin


Mentions: @DracoLunaris and @Kumbaris

Garrett didn't need to defer to the HUD within his helmet to sense the many eyes of his squad leering toward him. He couldn't blame them as he himself felt the awkwardness churning his stomach by the Captain's remark. Had he been mistaken? He recalled the notification from the Head of Security herself explicitly requesting his team as the Captain's security detail for their operation. Bonnie's instructions were quite clear; perhaps there was a mistake in communication between her and the Captain? Garrett quickly shook off the thought and tried not to further think into it. Still, he and his squad, nervously, observed Galmira and Almira's interaction regarding their presence. Then, in an awesome display that even he couldn't fully comprehend, Garrett watched with wide eyes as Galmira, engulfed in a brief shimmer of light, morphed her entire human form into that of a large and genuine dragon. He himself was so marveled he nearly missed the gasps of his crew behind him, sharing the same amazement.

As soon as the transformation had finished, their eyes were set back to the Captain once more, who took her place upon the dragon's back and began giving orders. It was then that their attention was then focused on Q-T now, who the Captain had offered to ride along with her. It was also Q-T who would also determine if he and his team could go as well if Galmira couldn't handle her. Garrett couldn't hold back the gulp that when down his through as he watched their robotic crewmate assume their position. As luck would have it, Galmira didn't appear to show any sign of stress or discomfort with Q-T or the Captain sitting atop her. That said, Garrett did share a concern for Galmira as well and didn't want to become a further burden as his squad had unexpectedly become; something he would need to rectify in a moment.

"Suit up and make final checks!" he ordered his squad as he pulled his helmet over his head. After the mechanical 'click' between his suit and helmet resonated, indicating a secure connection, opened up a private channel to his team.

//Get your gravity harnesses booted up. Minimal setting; just to shed some weight off. Clear?//

//Copy.// his squad responded, notably faster and albeit tenser than he expected.

Technically, they had already checked their gear prior but Garrett wanted to briefly delay them from boarding for a quick minute as he made his way around Galmira's wing and towards the Captain's position.

"Ma'am, if I may," Garret began as he arrived, gesturing the need for a private conversation by leaning slightly forward, "I wish to clear up an apparent case of miscommunication. We were called in by Bonnie, at the request of Q-T, stating that you had requested an security detail. Were those not your instructions?"
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 3 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Garret Zarubin


Mentions: @DracoLunaris and @Kumbaris

"So thats her? The dragon?" Shirley nervously asked.

"Yup."

"The dragon we're going to be riding on?"

"Yup," Thorin said again.

"Wasn't her name Galmira?" queried Meisha.

"Yup"

"To save a bunch of people from another dragon. Great," Tess grumbled.

"Sounds like fun," commented a grinning Garret.

The moment fell to awkward silence, prompting Garret to turn toward his squad, just to find several concerned faces staring daggers at him, "What? It's a genuinely new experience and we'll be helping others in the process."

Tess narrowed her eyes toward her squad lead, showing no effort to hide the contempt painted on her face, "I don't recall signing up to fight dragons or saving any nobodies getting into trouble."

"But you did though," Shirly quickly spoke up, "saving people is kind of our job."

"Yeah, but-"

"Not fighting dragons," said Thorin.

"-thanks Thorin. What he said."

"Yup."

"But Tessie!" Meisha interjected, "Think of those innocent people down there, having to face such a dangerous fiend by themselves."

"Ugh, I know!" Tess groaned, evidently being unable to argue with her sister.

"We're saving them then. Now shake a leg, will ya?"

It would be obvious by now that Squad Five was on edge for sure. Having crashed landed after a dubious incident with the Thucydides' FTL drive, marooned in an unideal and dangerous environment, meeting up with sapient-minded dragons that could shapeshift into human forms straight out from a fairy tale, and now tasked with taking on an actual dragon. Garret himself, even with his optimistic attitude, found the entire situation surreal and practically unbelievable were the living facts not presented before him. And there were humans here too? The prospect of that fact continued to drive the ridiculousness of their circumstances even further. Still, he shared the sentiment of Captain Budiman in that they had to help those adventures in need, and having experience with escorting research teams through dangerous areas on other worlds and responding to distress calls in the worst of environments and conditions, it was unsurprising that he and his trained squad was brought in by Bonnie to tag along with the Captain in this undeniably stupid and crazy endeavor.

When they arrived along with Bonnie, the squad had been greeted by Q-T, who had been handing out grav-drop harnesses. At least preparing for the stupid thing they were about to commit to was certainly better than going in unprepared, such as riding a dragon of all things.

"Thanks, Q-T!" Meisha happily exclaimed as she accepted her harness. Just as she nearly managed the harness around her armored suit, her head quickly shot up, "Oh hey, guys! When need to call ourselves something!"

Shirly looked over with a raised eyebrow, "Squad Five...?"

"No!" cried Meisha, "I mean, maybe? B-but we're riding on Galmira's back while she's flying and we would be swooping down to save those adventures! We have to have a heroic-sounding name!"

With a groan, Shirly lowered her head into her palms in disbelief, "How did Bonnie ever let you into our department?"

"She has a mean wrist lock," advised Thorin

Garret, suddenly feeling the need to comfort his right hand after recalling a certain training incident, peered over with a tense glare, "Don't remind me."

"Oh, I got one! 'The Wyrmslayers'!" Tess suddenly and unexpectedly chimed in.

"Our orders aren't to kill any Dragons, Tess."

Encouraged by her older sister's participation, Meisha jumped in as well, "What about, 'The Gallant Valkyries'!"

"Aren't Valkyries all women though?" asked Shirly, "Thorin and Garret are men."

"W-well, what about..."

"'Dragon-Rider Squad'", came Thorin's typical booming voice.

Everyone then fell silent, as if contemplating Thorin's suggestion. Tess and Meisha nodded their heads side to side, their chins resting on the webspace of their supporting palms. Shirly innocently looked up as if staying neutral, yet she too pondered on the statement. Garret on the other hand blinked and then smiled, "I like it", he said.

"Yeah! It suits us!" replied a jovial Meisha, along with Tess who nodded in agreement.

"Yup," acknowledged Thorin.

"Then its settled."

After another minute, Garret and his team, having equipped their harnessed and checked their personal gear, formed up and stood at attention in the face of their Captain. Garret took a step forward, and with a salute, he exclaimed, "Ma'am Squa-" Garret quickly stopped himself and re-oriented his words, "Dragon-Rider Squad reporting and ready to fly!"
In The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP → 3 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
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