[Nexus] Altaran Irregulars HQ/IAV Sanctuary

[Lost_Deep]

Freakshow Meeting

Kilt nods, pleased enough. "Hey, that sounds good. Let me tell you what? I'll sweeten the deal. Suppose there is someone in inside, on the wrong side of the law, that's giving you all some trouble. A biker gang, maybe. Suppose I were to get on my phone and say to my boys, 'You know what I hate? Those bikers. Stupid bikers, riding around at three AM with their custom leathers and their sawed-off shotguns. Let's teach them a lesson.' You understand what I'm saying?"

[Arkhosia]

Entrance

A girl who appears to be 17, with short, dark red hair cut in a moptop, bright hazel irises, and Caucasian skin tanned slightly from her many years of rigorous training outside, a very muscular form as a result of this as well, approaches. Clad in the Recruit Uniform; a brown jacket reaching down to her waist with a shield symbol on the forearms and back, a white shirt and leggings with a complex arrangement of harnesses on the thighs and chest attached to a belt, and linked to long brown boots as well, and 3D Maneuver Gear; two rectangular boxes with spare kenn blades and a kenn handle, a grappling hook on each one, and has tanks, with propellant on a device on the back, which connects to the harness, this woman is rather odd looking. One may notice her left lower leg is prosthetic if they are very, very observant.

[Darkcomet]

((Okay, Ark? While I appreciate the enthusiasm, this one's prooobably going to get rejected on the grounds of age, unless lying is involved. And I'm a little bored of procedurey posts right now, so I don't really feel like playing out the rejection again. Sorry, though.))

[Freakshow Meeting]

"And of course, I wouldn't know anything about that," N'alae says, nodding. She's certainly no stranger to that kind of deniability, for whatever reason. "Not that we would particularly miss anyone who took advantage of this conflict to run rampant."

[Lost_Deep]

Freakshow Meeting

"Yeah. I like you, you speak my language. Okay, list the where and and the when and what I should expect and I think that's everything."

That is to say, unless there is something specific more to be said I feel that the time has come again for HANDWAVING DETAILS! Hooray!

[Darkcomet]

[Spire Briefing Room - Operation Check]

A team is being gathered in the briefing room. Those who wish to be part of it are free to declare their characters as having been there, though I should note that this one is incompatible with giant robots, that's what the next one is for.

As I don't feel like waiting for 'here' posts...

Present at this briefing are few notable personalities, namely Emissary N'alae and Major Noelle Xanatov. Officer Hill is there as well, but he's hardly an authority figure. The Major begins the briefing.

"As some of you might've noticed, ever since the Commander issued his declaration of war against the invading Chimera Syndicate, it's been quiet. There's a lot going around about why. Accusations of cowardice, that sort of thing. The truth is, while we've gotten the major powers out of the way, the Irregular command staff does not believe that we will be able to engage in a major war against the Syndicate without a more definitive, clear cause. The Commander's unpopular in a lot of circles, and if we act as the aggressor, no one will stand for what will be seen as the creation of a new Empire, with the Syndicate as scapegoats. We know it, they know it, so they've been quiet, holing themselves up in the city they took over.

What we've gotta do is fix that, by showing everyone what they're really up to. Em?" Xanatov nods to N'alae, who clears her throat and begins.

"Yes. We've identified a town the Syndicate has interest in, the former Imperial holding of Crownsfall-previously a hotbed of dissent. No doubt they're looking for support there, or at the very least, customers. Intelligence says the town's mayor and a Syndicate representative will be meeting in the town's administrative center very soon, guarded mainly by the town militia, with a few Syndicate troops escorting the representative. However, we cannot be certain about what the Syndicate security is capable of, given their use of brainwashed 'Anomalies.' Therefore, we'll be taking an...unorthodox approach."

Noelle pulls up a holographic map of the town. It's fairly standard, aside from the partially-constructed walls around it that seem to have been wrecked in places. "Crownsfall's aerial defenses are limited, mostly because they're largely Imperial-constructed and they never took kindly to anything the Empire tried to make. That said, Syndicate stealth shuttles are most likely present. We'll be bringing an aerial attack force with an 'exploration' vehicle as detection support so they won't escape...which is easier since we managed to get some of their stealth specs off an anonymous helper. The ground team will be inserted here," she says, indicating the roof of the town administration building. Notably, it has two helipads already-one of which is occupied.

"However, instead of attempting a direct abduction, you are to reach the basement and cut all power to the building's teleportation defense grid, after which the Syndicate representative will suffer a mysterious disappearance. Once he is in custody, we'll interrogate him and discover any plans he knows of for the war...or failing that, make him direct us to someone who has the information we seek. The means of getting to the generator are up to you. You may choose to move down the wall of the building to enter it at ground level, or you could advance from the top floor."

"I'll be with you on the ground for this one. If your ride gets taken out, you'll need someone who can figure out their shuttles to bail you out. I'll also be there to try to play 'spot the brainwashed supersoldier.'"

"No, we do not intend to elaborate about the intended means of the representative's abduction. If you end up with the opportunity to eliminate the Syndicate security, you may take it, but engaging them is not recommended, as we cannot ensure that they are not more powerful than they appear."

[Sanctuary Briefing Room]

Should the two giant robot pilots roughly affiliated with the Irregulars choose to answer the call, a briefing is available for an assignment here. Not skipping the waiting phase on this one though, mostly because I'd like to sleep tonight.

[Halae]

[Sanctuary Briefing Room]

Marley will arrive here, as bid, dressed in a long-sleeve shirt and jeans. She quietly takes a seat and waits for the briefing to start.

[Lost_Deep]

Spire Briefing Room - Operation Check

HK-51-585 is here. He's quiet, but playing close attention.

[Deathkeeper]

Spire Briefing Room

Nick Richards is here, prepared to execute his new mission to the letter despite how his superiors seem to be making a habit of sending him into places in which his key skill is least effective.

[Darkcomet]

((Missions canceled until further noticed on account of sheer lack of interest.))

[Darkcomet]

[Irregulars General]

A number of personnel are being transferred for extra security at the mountain base reclaimed in Operation Ascendant, now named Fortress Haven, for classified reasons. Recommended that anyone looking for something to do be part of the transfer.

Fortress Haven now added to the OP.

[Lost_Deep]

Fortress Haven

HK-51-585 is among the group transferred here. He seems ultimately apathetic about the situation, not caring one way or the other.

[Deathkeeper]

Fortress Haven

Nick will have gotten transferred to. He prefers to stay in the sections of the base with the least resemblance to what they were during the Operation, and especially avoids the core room, if that's even something he'd be anywhere near. Otherwise, duties are followed routinely.

[Halae]

[Fortress Haven]

Marley will move over here too, docking Greenstriker for ease of use.

[Darkcomet]

[Fortress Haven Conference Room (Cutscene Post)]

Commander (Prince) Vyrn Altaran was not a happy man, pacing back and forth in the mostly-unpopulated room. While the other members of the command staff were mostly elsewhere, Major Noelle Xanatov was also present, sitting at the conference table uncomfortably. The IAV Sanctuary was nearby, and the two were present overseeing some further repairs to the base in anticipation of its importance to the war effort with the Chimera Syndicate. Engineer Cross, naturally, was directing them, leaving Altaran and Xanatov to discuss military strategy.

"I don't understand. We've got their representative, and he's talking plenty, but he's claiming the Syndicate has no major offensive plans at all! Maybe they simply didn't tell him? Perhap we must simply find someone else, someone must know..." Vyrn was clearly frustrated with the lack of progress in the conflict, clutching his forehead.

"Maybe he's right, sir?" Noelle asked, sounding slightly hesitant to question the commander when he was clearly already frustrated.

Vyrn stopped in his tracks. "...What?" He stared at the Major as if she'd just said the most idiotic thing he'd ever heard, as if she had taken all the most idiotic comments ever to come off the Wall and condensed them into four words.

Okay, maybe not that idiotic, but close.

"Look, I don't like these guys either, not if half of what you and Psy-Cogs say about them is true, but we've got, what, a city? Less? Vasquez might not be very active lately, but let's be honest with ourselves, she hates you, just like everyone on that 'council' hates each other, there's no real unity there," she pointed out. "These guys, they've got more, they've got an empire, a planet, even if we win here it won't cost them much, and we can't actually destroy them, not really. I know you've got all this history, but..."

"But?" Altaran's stare quickly hardened into a deep scowl.

Xanatov sighed, shaking her head. "...they don't care about you, sir." She paused, waiting for the Commander to say something, but he remained silent, his expression eerily unchanging. Attempting to break the uncomfortable silence, she went on. "Now, I'm not a politician or something, but obviously if they just wanted to take over they'd have done it already, right? Don't think like a politician or a commander, think like a greedy corpie with a giant army and a fixation on the bizarre."

"...I'm stepping up the timetable on the Imperial Laboratories reclamation. Dismissed, Major."

The Prince decided he would need to make a few calls.

[Darkcomet]

[Commander's Office, Spire]

They don't care about you, sir.

The Major's words echoed in the Prince's mind, and he found himself unable to tear himself away from the thought. She was not wrong: the Altaran Irregulars and Remnant together could not hold a candle to the Chimera Syndicate, or even the Empire they fractured from. They were too local. Too easy to simply ignore unless they made themselves too irksome. And they could not truly be so irksome without risking far more than many were willing to.

Remnant itself had little power-projection ability aside from its imperfect teleportation system. The Irregulars had their air force, but it was a pitiful imitation of the glory there once was, with Sanctuary far below capacity. This was not war.

This was annoyance.

In that moment, Vyrn Altaran decided that it was enough. It was time to end this game of pretensions, of pretending that they were not ultimately a successor state of the Empire, of being too cautious for fear of backlash. The Empire was not built on fear of retribution, but of action, blood, and a very nice supply of tech and materiel, and the Syndicate was just the bogeyman to justify something new. Not the Empire, perhaps, but something new. Not a Remnant or a group of Irregulars, beholden to a bickering, disintegrating Council, but a true successor to its legacy. The Dominion's legacy. His legacy.

He remembered a quote, from a text owned by the Altaran royal family, penned by an ancestor of his.

"From a weak nation did the Ascendant arise, and free the world from the corruption of the old gods. It is this legacy that we inherit, an example that we must all follow. In weakness and in strength, in power and in chains, we shall know no limits, for if such a mortal can attain divinity, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

And it is this legacy that we shall burn into history."

[Darkcomet]

[???]

A message goes out to a particular 'ally' of the Irregulars'.

Have you ever heard the tale of New Inside, Ms. Kilt?

The town was originally terrorized by a mad sorcerer, before the Empire from which Remnant and the Irregulars spawned drove in and repelled him, bringing the town unheard of prosperity. Thus why it got the name, as they were quite grateful, and eager to honor the Empire's capital.

They even made the Commander a statue.

But then the Empire vanished, for reasons still unknown. The sorcerer returned, and Remnant did not come back. The Irregulars formed, and we did not come back. The people of the town grew bitter, and seeking justice for their abandonment, turned to the Syndicate instead, who came and removed the sorcerer permanently. Now they're solidly aligned against us in this conflict.

I don't care how you do it, but I am declaring the town open for targeting by the Freakshow. They have a stockpile of former Imperial tech, of both K-Corp and early Evolution Industries make, and a degree of Syndicate support. It even has an embassy of theirs, evidently. Consider demolishing it your primary objective. Should the Syndicate intervene in force, then so will we, but we feel you may operate best on your own until then.

[Darkcomet]

((This thread will retain its previous purpose, and should it ever reach 50, will be renamed and edited. Or perhaps before then, if I feel like it.))

Mission Available: 'Operation Mad Quack'
Location: Spire Briefing Room.
Briefing Officers: High Commander Vyrn Altaran and Vice Commander N'alae t'Lhoell.

Seeking: One or both giant robots, any others who may wish to be involved. Personal radiation resistance and/or use of power armor or EvA-4 stealth armor recommended.

Interested players may report to the briefing room at their discretion.

[Deathkeeper]

Briefing Room

Nick arrives in his uniform. Not his armored one, because who wears armor around regularly? He salutes and such to the officers but otherwise remains quiet. He wonders if they ever got his report about how he can fly now. Eh, it's still not tactically viable just yet. He hasn't really learned to shoot very well while shifted.

[Halae]

[Briefing Room]

Marley arrives here as well, dressed in a pair of cargo pants, a tee shirt, and combat boots. She doesn't generally wear a uniform unless ordered to, and since she's technically just a mercenary with ties to the base, they'd need to pay her for that.

She's here, though. Any work is good work, when it comes down to it; she's been stuck just sittin in the hangar and tuning all this time.

[At The Gates]

There's a young man here, his eyes covered with cataracts, despite him making motions that suggest he's still able to see. He's currently wearing a black hoody and jeans; very simple attire. A trained combatant will also know that he is simply not a trained combatant, from the way he moves.

he's going to approach the guards, "Hey, can I set up an appointment or something? I've got something important to tell somebody that's relatively important here on the base."

Dammit, Johnathan hates standing near these sorts of people. All armored up and ready to kill people at the first sign of aggression. He wouldn't even be here if his mom hadn't told him to come out.

[Darkcomet]

[Briefing Room]

Assembled in the briefing room are a few personalities of note, beyond the Union's two main leaders. Major Xanatov is present, along with a number of other pilots. Union Army infantry are also present, including the Hunter Project's Sergeant Doern Hill. Rounding off the list are some of the new tank drivers.

Vyrn activates the holoprojector in the center of the table, projecting a map of one of Inside's Red Zones, the Radiation Pit.

"Unfortunately for us, in the wake of the formation of the Union, we have some internal problems to sort out. Due to the...decidedly ridiculous nature of this particular conflict, we had hoped to settle the matter without further violence, but the enemy has refused, clinging to a refusal to cooperate with us out of some misguided sense of...what was it?"

"Deranged villainy in the form of embracing a form of heroics-themed anarchy and generally thinking you're an illegitimate thug, sir."

"Yeees...moving on. This operation will take place in the Radiation Pit, and everyone involved will be using vehicles or armor sufficiently resistant to radiation. For safety's sake, everyone will be given anti-radiation tablets prior to the mission. The mission is simple: Major Xanatov's 1st Fighter Squadron, Ms. Godlark, and a ground tank and anti-air unit will begin enforcing a no-fly zone. An infantry unit and a group of fighter-gunships from the 2nd Fighter Squadron will accompany the ground forces to protect them from any attempted interference. While we're aware of enemy stealth units in the area, we'll also be deploying a pair of craft with advanced sensor systems for stealth detection duty. Spotted stealthed targets will automatically be marked on the Union military battlenet."

" Additionally, due to the risk of dealing with the superpowered maniacs, we will be overseeing the operation ourselves. While our forces can likely defeat the Doctor's conventionally, we do not currently have a counterpart group to them, so we'll be improvising."

"One major resistance is eliminated, we can move on to dealing with the base itself. Assuming he doesn't try to self-destruct it, that seems in keeping with what someone acting like a cliche villain would do..."

Operation Mad Quack Objectives
Overall: Reestablish overall Union control over the Radiation Pit.
-Group 1: 1st Fighter Squadron (EvAV-3B Accuser Interceptors), Tank Unit (EvCV-2 Omni-Tanks), AC Greenstriker: Shoot down any Diabolical forces that attempt to fly over the area, and repel any attempts at breaking the effective siege. Includes Major Xanatov, Marley Godlark.
-Group 2: Oculus Team (EvEXV-1s): Detect any cloaked targets and mark them for other forces.
-Group 3: Ground Troops, Air Support (2nd Fighter Squadron, EvAV-3 Imperator Fighter-Gunships): Eliminate any Diabolical ground forces that attempt to target the other groups. Includes Sergeant Hill, Sergeant Richards. Imperator Gunship support will remain in reserve until airstrikes are called in, by either Group 1's tank unit or Group 3's ground troops.
-Group 4: Hunter Killer Team: Eliminate any superpowered henchmen that appear. Includes High Commander Vyrn Altaran and Vice Commander N'alae t'Lhoell. Due to the involvement of the Commanders, Ironwatch Unit deployment is highly likely should either call for assistance.

[At the Gates]

"It's possible to arrange a meeting. Possibly with the Vice Commander, even, but it depends on what it's about. I get that nobody wants to talk about these things in detail to some insignificant faceless door guard, but she's not going to start chatting about the weather unless it's about some invisible hurricane bearing down on us, if you get my meaning." The door guard here has a sense of humor, evidently.

[Deathkeeper]

Briefing Room

Nick nods. He's not happy about dealing with this sort of crap, but he is satisfied that he's doing what makes sense, and not dealing with supers. He doesn't consider himself one, because he hasn't the slightest clue on how to use his "power" as efficiently as a military force would require. Keep it for emergencies, then.
Hrm. He's working support.
"Do we know how well armed the enemy's forces are in general, sir?"
For times like this, N'alae's "gift" might be better; its extended capacity is well-suited to putting out sustained fire. On the other hand, if they pull out a tank, well, there's a gun for that, too. He probably can't carry both though, not without asking for his armor to be specially modified to hold two heavy rifles.
That would be so nice, though.

[Halae]

[Briefing Room]

Marley nods, studying the field of engagement for this operation. She prefers to tune Greenstriker for exactly the sort of terrain that she'll be going to; you have to fight on sand a lot differently from floating above water or standing on solid rock.

[At The Gate]

"You know, typical doom and gloom stuff. I get visions of the future, and I've been this one of Harnel actually; he apparently takes over the Nexus after one series of events, and it's pretty bloody. i was gonna share what I know about that with the top brass for preventative measure." John says, looking bored.

[Darkcomet]

[Briefing Room]

Briefing being done with no real questions raised, I'll post in Inside at...some point, once I drum up the will to put the effort in for a big war scene.

[At the Gate]

"Uh...right. I don't get why people don't just use the public contact addresses, but I guess not everyone can figure out computers. The door guard pulls up a blue holographic display, emitted from his armor's wrist. It appears to have some manner of detecting input, considering it's registering his other hand pushing 'buttons' on it. "Let's see. Name and preferred times? I'll slot you in under 'prophets of doom.'"

That they have a category for that says a lot.

[Darkcomet]

Operation Mad Quack canceled. Pretend that briefing never happened until I say otherwise.

[blackouttwo]

[At the Gate]

A battered old green sedan from the 90s rolled up to the HQ's front gate, a relatively young-looking man - mid-twenties, easy - in a white office dress shirt that was a size too big for him and a set of khakis one would expect to see on some high-school graduate office intern going in for their first day at the new job, in its drivers seat. The man was bespectacled. Everything about the guy screamed 'nerd with the emotional maturity of a twelve-year-old.'

His car's rear bumper had a spot of leftover glue from some bumper sticker or other that had been removed in ages past. Fast-food bags filled the back seat, and the car was cluttered with things that seemed like they'd been left in there for months at a time, long forgotten. A neck pillow sat behind the guy's neck as he eased off the gas pedal upon rolling up.

He rolled down the driver's seat window, and waved the nearest guard over.

[Darkcomet]

[Gate-2]

The door guard walked right over and leaned down.

"We're not looking for interns, and I don't know how you're getting around in that on the Skyway anyhow. You'd best move along," The be-helmeted power-armored guard coldly said, evidently not really taking this very seriously.

[blackouttwo]

[Gate-2]

The man simply reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a simple, black wallet (possibly leather?), and flipped it open, totally disregarding the guard's commentary on his outfit, or his car. Inside was a simple silver badge, with the symbol of the Union, in a shield shape with etching reminiscent of crossed swords across the 'shield.' Not a word was uttered.

The guy had the biggest ****-eating grin on his face as he flashed the badge.

[Darkcomet]

[Gate-2]

"...Right. Head on in, sir." The guard was clearly not amused as he tapped a wrist console, the gates opening for the vehicle.

[ThePhantom]

(revived with permission)

The Spire-Entrance

A small group of people, made of humans and kobolds, approaches the entrance to the Spire. One of them is holding a white flag with a blue boarder. In the center of the flag is a stylized stormcloud with a blue claw superposed on it. The group stops a short distance from the entrance.

[Darkcomet]

[Spire Entrance]

The guards narrow their eyes at this little entourage, not that this can be seen under the helmets. "State your business or move along, please."