Deeper Darkness: Space's Shadow

[Callos_DeTerran]

Fifty years from now, the Solar System is at War. Thriving colonies on Mars, the asteroid belt, and the moons of Jupiter have forcibly severed ties with an overcrowded, authoritarian Earth. Desperate for raw materials and concerned that political unrest will spread to the teeming masses at home, Earth's Government has vowed to bring the colonies back in line. But just as strident are the colonial leaders, who see their future among the stars.

War was declared months ago, but so far only a handful of skirmishes have been fought as both sides refit their factories to crank out weapons and armor. Neither side could have expected the harsh reprecussions of the desperate race to develop an acting armed force to combat each other with. Just as things were coming to a head and hostilities had begun to boil over a tragedy had rocked all humans when one of the moon's many colony domes was seized by bizarre creatures labeled the 'Others' and then de-pressurized, resulting in the deaths of over one million people in a single act of brutality. This was not the last time these beings struck either, hitting high population targets on the moons of Jupiter and Earth itself as humanity reeled from the blows and struggled to fight back.

Soon both the Colonial Militia and the UEDF came to the realization that to fight alone was to face extinction and the only slim hope of battling off their vicious attackers was as a whole, united, front. Both sides agreed to meet at a neutral place, the deserted mining asteroid of HB-O343, to broker a cease-fire and alliance of necessity but not long after negotiations began the Other's struck once more...Both diplomats and many of the people within the asteroid were slain, the units of mechanized armor outside heavily damaged as well though some were outright destroyed in the battle. Old hostilities flared up, UEDF blaming the Militia's lax security measures for guiding the Others there with the Militia openly saying that the Other's had been led there by none other the UEDF to destroy the Militia forces stationed there...

One year passed...in the year 2054 humanity has begun to stand on some of it's last legs under the relentless assaults from the other-worldy menace of the Others. With only scant bits of knowledge revealed, no truly effective counter-measures have yet been discovered to repel the invaders and still the upper reaches of the Militia and UEDF squabble over the clauses of a now, universally, called for treaty. In this day and age, to disappear is to be declared dead and to be in the same place as an Other attack means the lowering of chance of survival by close to ninety-five percent. Entire stations have gone off the grid, only to be picked clean, and even the Earth's iron grip has begun to slip on it's populace to the point that chaos has begun to run amok in formerly peaceful locations. Here and there people hear stories about resistance being effective, of attacks repelled, but the populace are loath to believe such things. The rumors of groups being founded by both sides and supplied experimental technology on search and destroy missions, a hope for some, have spread as well though both sides deny such an idea. Now the time has come...humanity has almost reached the breaking point and if the table is not turned soon then it never will.

The Lagrange Space Habitat, once an area of tense peace between two juggernauts of militaristic might, had given itself over to the spirit of war in the short time it had taken for the Other's to put humanity on the defensive. Some of the fantastically designed animal and plant habitats had been torn down in favor of warehouses and arms factories that stayed open all hours of the day. Civilians walked about as if on edge but, oddly enough, as if at peace themselves and all of this was nothing if not normal. But the focus is not on the Habitat itself but rather on the massive building for Third Holding, an up and coming shipping company that had been doing very well for itself. Each of the three had received an invitation to come to this place, and when asking the floor workers where they were supposed to go where directed up to the top floor to Val Seran's office.

There, just outside the door, is a wide desk with a comely blond woman sitting behind it and typing away at a keyboard, but no monitor or screen in sight. Behind her is an almost unnoticable door that presumably leads into the office but the secretary makes no move to welcome or invite in any of you before all three had arrived. Then she reaches up to press against her temple, giving those gathered a dazzling smile.

"Mr. Seran your special appointments have arrived. I'm buzzing them in." Was all she said before reaching underneath the counter of her desk. A moment later the doorway swings open and the desk, secretary with it, shifts out of the way of the door to allow you into the office within.

[Dark_Prophet]

The office beyond is a rather strange place. For being a successful shipping company, its plain, almost to the point of being spartan, with only the usual credentials and pictures of the various freighters owned by the company on the walls, along with names. A beautiful picture hangs on the far wall, seeming out of place in the clear office; the gas giant Jupiter along with one of its moons gleaming in the distant light from the sun.

A simple metal desk sits in the middle of the office, with a screen propped up from it. Behind it is a large, light skinned man with a prosthetic right arm, wearing a dark jacket, beneath which you can make out green lightweight combat armor, a matching visor covering the top of his head, which sports a thin layer of black hair. Even through the armor, you can see the sheen and glint of prosthetic all along his side right, and a bandoleer of assorted gadgets, most of which are unusual or paramilitary in nature, but not outright illegal. Several empty chairs are set out to face it, wguke

"Val Seran" stays at the desk, continuing to go through some papers. "So, you're the ones who came. Have a seat." He nods with a small twitch of his head to the array of chairs at the entrance, facing the desk. "I'm Val Seran, the founder of 3rd Hold. This is Brenda Wells." He nods to the woman in the chair beside him, then turns back to them. "I would like to formally invite you to join 3rd Bastion, the only real defense humanity has against the Others. How about it?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

The elevator opened and out stalked a woman wearing tight-fitting, black motorcycle leathers including a short-sleeved, leather jacket just long enough to hide the holster at the small of her back. She was athletic without being too thin with slim hips and a small bust. Her very straight and fine black hair was cut short above her ears, giving her a severe look. Her high-boned face would have been very pleasing had she not been ruining it with lips drawn in a tight line as if something was bothering her. She hid her intelligent brown eyes behind a pair of riding sunglasses. The only thing she carried visibly was a dark blue motorcycle helmet.

Eyes narrowing behind her sunglasses, the woman approached the desk and the vapid-looking secretary aimlessly typing away. "Tanaka Izumi to see Mr. Val Seran." she announced, her voice just as sharp as the rest of her, only to be instructed to wait for the other arrivals. Other arrivals? she pondered as she leaned against the wall, one arm resting behind her back, the other down the line of her body holding the helmet as she watched the elevator.

Lieutenant Commander Tanaka Izumi was part of the UEDF stationed at Lagrange, a mechanized unit commander known only for her tomboy demeanor and vicious attitude. She'd just recently been redeployed to space from Earth and her men were still getting a read on her, learning quickly that she preferred not to socialize or really take any off time at all. So it was surprising when she told them to take leave for the next few nights and disappeared on a bike from the base's motor pool. Even stranger, she had her mech quietly transferred to an outer block warehouse nearby Third Holding's massive headquarters building, where even now it reclined on a heavy-duty flatbed truck covered with a tarp.

Izumi thought about the invitation that she had received from the mysterious Val Seran, where he had called her by her given name and revealed knowledge of several...sensitive topics having to do with her personal life. She assumed that she wasn't the only one to receive such an invitation. She'd didn't know why she had accepted the invitation...maybe just to take the piss out of the arrogant prick who would butt into her life in such a way. Still, his proposal had aroused her curiosity. She had a personal interest at stake and would hear him out before breaking his jaw with her steel-toed boot.

When they were allowed into Seran's office, Izumi didn't elect to sit. Instead, she kept one arm behind her back and the other holding her helmet propped against her hip. Seran was a cyborg, but whether it had been the result of an accident or choice Izumi couldn't tell. He was surprisingly concise. Izumi met his offer with a cocked eyebrow that rose into view behind her sunglasses as she regarded the shipping exec. "Third Bastion? Just what the hell is that?" she said coldly. He wanted to recruit her out of the military? What could this private organization do for her that the UEDF couldn't? Seran was going to have to sell himself a little better than that.

[Dark_Prophet]

Val Seran gets up from the desk and walks in front of it, the relaxed expression still on his face, the visor turned squarely at Izumi's face. "Honestly, I thought you were a bit brighter from reading the reports, Lieutant Tanaka. Do I need to spell everything out for you?" He leans close, right next to her face. "Third Holding is just a front as a shipping company, and a damn good one at that. Third Bastion is whats behind it; a chance to actually strike out and fight against the Others, rather then just sitting around waiting for them to kill another million people, bickering with the colonies as part of UEDF. Has the UEDF managed to do ANYTHING? Have you managed to do anything? I don't think so, or else you wouldn't be here."

He turns away from her, the visor raking over the other two. "If you're not interested, then leave. It'd be a pity though. How about you two? Does that answer your questions, are you ready to see the inner bowels of this beast? Or are you going to run in fear, back to the empty positions you know will not protect you when the Others come?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

"That's Lieutenant Commander, actually. And likewise." Izumi retorted sharply. "You're going to have to do more than talk if you want to keep me here, Mr. Seran. I've yet to see anything that convinces me you're not just a lunatic with delusions of grandeur. You keep telling us that this thing is humanity's only hope, etc. etc. yet you've given us nothing to back up that claim. If you're wanting me to leave the UEDF, which makes me a deserter and is punishable by firing squad by the way, you'll be needing to impress me. Otherwise, I'm heading straight back to UEDF headquarters and reporting this illegal paramilitary operation to my superiors."

((OOC: Would Izumi know anything about Third Bastion?))

[Dark_Prophet]

"Illegal? You haven't even seen anything yet - just the humble, security thoughtful shipping company of Third Holding."

He smiles coldly, pacing back around the desk and spreading his arms as if to encompass the room. "You said it yourself - no evidence that I'm nothing but a madman, right? Now, be patient if you actually want to see anything worth reporting. I'd rather hear something other then just your chatter filling the room for a couple nanoseconds, energetic and refreshing as it is compared to most of the dry drivel the UEDF spouts out nowadays." Apparently more concerned with the papers on his desk then Lieutant Commander Izumi, Val Seran sits back down, going back to sifting through them, waiting for the responses of the others.

[Tyracus]

Jason Times

Jason walked through the shipping warehouse taking note of the crates around him and stopping by the crate he knew held his mech. The offer was interesting, and it gave him a chance to do what he really wanted to do. It had taken a lot of luck and several of the favors he'd earned to get here, he wouldn't have been able to make it if he'd been assigned to a unit. Figuring waiting wasn't going to do anything, patting the crate Jason heads to the office. He entered with the two and was taken aback by the rather aggressive start by the Lieutenant Commander. Quickly regaining his composure he waits for the exchange to end before cutting in.

"Well, seems we've got a firecracker here, more than just a pretty face." A slight quirk at the corner of his mouth accompanies the barb. "Anyways, our host has a very good point. The moon, Washington, Seattle, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, all of them gone, millions dead and there hasn't been a glimmer of hope come from the UEDF. We fight, but nothing happens. Most squads wind up annihilated." Jason pulls a chain out from under his flight suit, taking care to push a second below the collar. From the chain hang ten pieces of stamped metal. "I stayed in the UEDF to fight the others for many reasons, here's ten of them right here. Some of the best pilots in the UEDF ground defense forces, and they couldn't do much of anything. If our host says that he can do something I want to hear him out." Returning the chain under his flight suit Jason turns to his host.

"Well, you've heard my say and from your letter you know much more about us then we do you. I know you could destroy us if you wanted, but you seem to have a use for us. Give me your pitch, give it straight and I'm sure by that point we'll have all made a decision."

[Dark_Prophet]

"Destroy? Maybe - I think you'd be selling yourselves a little short. I'm just as human as you are, give or take a couple replacement parts." As he speaks, he scans over and stamps about a half dozen pieces of paper from the pile on his desk in rapid succession, placing them each in the holder on his desk.

"All right, you want the straight pitch - you got it. I want you to join me as a elite strike team against the Others, via your mecha. Third Bastion has all the facilities and resources we'll need and more - all I've been missing is a crack squad, which would you be guys. And I can tell from your files that you aren't the types to die easily - at least, I hope not." He gathers a second bunch, giving you a short glimpse of what appears to be business contract proposals.

[Tyracus]

Jason

"Not quite what I meant Val. I mean with the apparent knowledge you have of us that you could cause our lives to crash down around us. If you were foolish enough to attack us then I'm sure that we could defeat you. I could probably destroy most of your operation in a mech. Anyways, that's aside from the point. We're here to discuss your proposition, and as far as I'm concerned, you've got a pilot. I've been in R&D for so long and with such a good track record that they keep shifting me to secure labs and test sites. At this rate I'll never see combat if I don't take this offer."

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

The Lieutenant Commander frowned at the man who had called her a "firecracker". He was UEDF, too, by the looks of him...from the R&D division. That could only mean that he was a test pilot. He must have lost some pretty important people to the Others to want combat so badly that he'd risk the death penalty.

"Pilot, I'm within my rights as an officer to shoot you now." she said, swiftly drawing a laser pistol from the holster at the small of her back. For the observant, she never touched the safety, but the threat was there all the same. "Are you going to take responsibility for your actions? If they catch you this is what you can look forward to." she said calmly before putting the gun away. "Obviously I wouldn't have announced it if I had actually planned to shoot you, and for that I'm risking my career along with yours." she said, her lip curling slightly as she turned back to regard Val.

"Curiosity is the only thing that's taken me this far. It better be good, Mr. Seran." she said, lightly thumping her helmet against her thigh for emphasis. She was ready to get on with it. She assumed that everyone else in the room was as well, except for the last pilot in the room, who remained silent. Him she didn't have a read on yet. She hoped he wasn't nearly as sexist and annoying as these other two.

[WhiteKnight777]

Vincent


The tall, dark haired young man arrived fashionably late. Fashionable was a good word to describe him. He was tall, slim, and exceedingly well dressed in a tailored black suit that looked as though it cost the average yearly wages of most working men. Yet he wore it naturally, as if there were simply no other way to dress. He moved with a quiet, easy grace that was almost unnerving - every movement was calculated, controlled to a degree that seemed not quite human - the same could be said for his equally immaculate appearance. His voice was cool, modulated and reasoned as he spoke, taking in the others with quick glances, but obviously taking in everything about them with lightning precision.

My apologies for the delay - my travel arrangements take considerable arranging at times. Security Reasons - I'm sure you all understand. Vincent Vitamore is my name

A small smile touched his lips as he watched Tanaka draw her pistol. And suddenly there was one in his hand, too, though it was almost impossible to see him move - one would assume that that tailored suit concealed a rather exotic quick-draw holster. His weapons was far from standard issue - sleek and black, it thrummed with power - the technologically minded would note the miniaturized accelerators marking it as some sort of mass driver weapon, albeit obviously a heavily customized - and likely expensive one.

And miss... please put away the weapon. I hate to draw on a lady, but I'm afraid being a little jumpy is all that keeps me alive. Besides, I'd hate to have to replace this suit. Again.

[Tyracus]

Jason

Jason merely looked rather flatly at Tanaka before starting to speak. "I have three things to say about your little stunt. First, I'm tied to ground defense special R&D at the moment which is a different chain of command, you don't have any real authority over me. Second, summary execution isn't practiced anymore last I checked, unless they revoked the clause forbidding it in the past six months. And finally, it's gonna take more than a gun with the safety on to scare me. Now I'll apologize if I upset you but the facts in my statement remain. I do have to hand it to you though, you're no damsel in distress. A firm grip without a waver, if I had made an attempt against you I doubt that I'd get away from it unscathed, and that's saying something."

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

As she was already putting the gun up, Izumi just frowned at Vincent when he drew on her. This one was a high-born, classy kind of guy, or at least that's what he wanted everyone else to think. He looked immaculate, and the gun he was holding was obviously very hard to get one's hands on. Even the UEDF used standard issue laser rifles and pistols like the one she had just brandished. "I think your suit is safe. Nice gun, by the way. You'll have to let me know where you got it." she nodded in approval before turning back to Jason.

"The ban on summary execution is lifted during a time of war, which if you hadn't noticed we happen to be in. And I know my responsibilities as an officer. It's irrelevant anyway, since I don't plan on shooting you. I was just making a point. Now that we're clear on what could happen from here on out, I think it's time we moved on." she said, directing her shrewd glare back at Val.

"Well? It's your show."

[The_Snark]

Brenda Wells

The woman introduced is seated to one side of the desk, hands folded politely in her lap. In contrast to the cyborg exec's quasi-military appearance, she's wearing a rather plain white blouse and a long, earth-tone skirt, with no weapons visible. Her reddish-brown hair matches her skirt, and looks like it would be about shoulder-length if it weren't pinned up at the moment.

She shifts slightly upon being introduced; technically, it is Doctor Brenda Wells. But Val Seran did not care particularly for formalities and besides, she wasn't a practicing doctor at the moment. She refrains from correcting him, instead studying the newcomers over through her glasses as they speak. Aside from another slight uncomfortable shift when a weapon is drawn, she looks as if she plans to simply listen for now.

At the latest arrival, she shifts her gaze to examine him as well, but this time, she stiffens slightly, leaning forward. "What are you?" she asks harshly after a few seconds of staring, breaking into whatever Seran's response was going to be. Her posture is tense, one of her hands creeping down towards her side as if ready to go for a weapon.

[Dark_Prophet]

The cyborg, who had still been going through the last dozen forms during the ensuing standoff, mutters something under his breath as he finishes reviewing the last of forms, crumpling one of them up in a ball and throwing it into a old style garbage bin, gathering the rest into his stray hand. He gets up, muttering something under his breath. "Damn merchant thinks I'm desperate enough to ship something like that without compensation? Bunch of idiots. Anyways, anyone who's coming, follow me. And good eye, Brenda - according to the dossier, he's even less human then I am, and that's difficult for most to achieve. His efforts against the Others have been most appreciated, however, so I don't think there's reason to worry." He nods to her as he moves past with a slight lopsided smile. "We truly represent the bitter and shattered remnants of humanity right now rather well, don't we?"

Leaving his office, he passes out into the main lobby, dropping the forms onto the secretary's desk as he passes, giving her brief instructions as well, his previous sardonic tone dropping back to his standard matter of fact one. "Those are the shipping jobs we'll be taking. Don't let anyone else in, even if they're here to see me on appointment." Val Seran turns to the right from the secretary's desk, and heads out a insulated door into a massive indoor loading bay, the sounds of laborers, metal being moved and set down on metal, and cooling engines echoing around it.

It is apparent as such from a large industrial class freighter in the far right corner being unloaded by grey coated workers, 3rd Holding insignias on their shoulders. They move sealed metal crates and boxes to a ground level storage compartment, the 15 by 15 meter black steel hatch currently in a vertical position, revealing the many similar boxes and containers inside. Several other compartments dot all areas of the bay, suggesting a large amount of traffic. Moving over towards a inactive compartment in the near left corner, the cyborg stops in front of it, and taps a spot on his arm.

The hatch groans, and slowly swings up to a completely vertical position, revealing not a storage space, but a large, downward sloping reinforced steel corridor large enough for a Huge mecha to walk through, gleaming with lights. He waves to the workers, who wave back, then takes a step down into it, looking back up at those following, one hand open as if invitation. "As I said, are you ready to go into the bowels of the beast?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Vincent

The man - or rather, the thing, gave another tight-lipped little smile as he once more replaced his weapon where it had been. He'd been anticipating that questions - though his appearance fooled most, it wasn't fool-proof, and he'd suspected this group would be more observant than most. That he said in a soft voice Is a good question, and once I've been pondering for quite some time, as most people do, I suspect, at least in the deep watches of the night. But I suspect you were asking a more literal question, and to it the answer is this: I'm a synthetic life form. A replicant, to use the slang. Fairly appropriate, in this case, as I was made to replicate someone already died. Specifically, I, if the term is appropriate, am Vincent Vitamore, of the Vitamore syndicate.

He smiled again, his voice musing softly Or at least, that's the personality I was imprinted with upon creation. In truth, I am probably something - someone - quite different. But the name serves, as that is the identity I have assumed. Whether or not I am human - well - that is a rather lengthy debate, but one I would be pleased to engage in, if you wish.

With that he turned, following the cyborg out into the loading bay, looking in askance at the cyborg. I assume our mecha are already onboard, or will be shortly?

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

A replicant? I've never seen one of those up close before. If that wasn't enough he's from one of the major organized crime syndicates in the Earth sphere. We're certainly a rag-tag bunch, now aren't we? Izumi mused as they approached the "bowels of the beast". She should have left, but with all that was happening recently her curiosity was getting the better of her. Could they really have what it would take to be a significant opposing force to the Others? She narrowed her eyes at Val Seran, the businessman cyborg, and tried to get a measure of him. Was he, or all of this, really all he said it could be? Was she really desperate enough to be hoping it was? She thumped her motorcycle helmet against her thigh and followed Val.

[Tyracus]

Jason

Walking into the hallway Jason keeps an eye on his compatriots. As he walks down the corridor he wonders what precisely he's gotten into but figures in the worst case he can still get out alive, especially if the others are busy watching Tanaka.

"So, I hope we're not going down here for a cask of amontillado. That would be a rather poor omen."

[The_Snark]

Brenda Wells

Brenda nods at the explanation, slowly relaxing. "Later. Maybe," she replies to the synthetic's offer of discussion. Another time, she might have been interested in conversing with a nonhuman psychology. No matter how well a synthetic was designed to replicate human thought, it couldn't be entirely successful, because nobody knew everything about human psychology.

Right now, though, she just wishes whoever had built Vincent had built it (him?) with some sort of mechanism to make it look like he breathed. That, and the way he stood, not even so much as twitching except for deliberate motion. The overall effect creeped the hell out of her. There's nothing she can do about it right now, so she does her best to ignore the knot of tension as she falls in behind the others.

[Dark_Prophet]

Val Seran descends the sloping, lighted corridor as the others follow him. Once everyone is several steps in, he taps his arm again, causing the sounds of the freighter and the loading crew to fade away as the panel closes, ending with a thunderous "Wumph", leaving only the humming of electricity and energy as you continue onwards. A massive, retracted blast door is immediately visible on your left, while you notice a camera monitoring your progress in front of it. "What we have installed here

Beyond it is a long corridor, which takes you about four minutes of walking to reach the next junction - another blast door with another camera, a mounted laser gatling, and a light plasma cannon in front of it.

You pass another blast door, with another laser gatling and camera in front of it before the cyborg stops again, indicating a steel grey door to your side. "Thats the mess hall and recreational quarters - eat, relax, you know the drill."

He continues on, and stops past the next blast door, which has the previous door's setup, nodding to the next steel gray door. "Sleeping quarters are in there - individual rooms for each of you, but you can tour em on your own time."

The next blast door has a rocket launcher and a plasma cannon, as well as a camera. "This is the last real holdout - thats the communications room." He nods to the door on the left as he moves ahead to the gateway in corridor, opening a door, giving a theatrical flourish. "And this is the main attraction of Third Bastion - the mecha bay."

The mecha bay is a large, state of the art...well, mecha bay. It has all the materials and replacement parts for most mecha, along with repair and assembly equipment it has a weapon rack, which is empty. At the far end of the chamber is the final blast door. He stops in front of a red and black mecha made out of crystal carbon, the only one in the room, although there are spaces for several more. Looking up at it fondly, he grins, looking back around. "This is Hades XV. So, thats the quick tour of the place. Is this all my delusion, hm Tanaka? Because if so, its a pretty nice one."

[The_Snark]

Brenda Wells

Dr. Wells follows the group quietly, looking at each indicated chamber casually but not looking it over closely or showing much curiousity; there is a sense that she's seen it before. It's a good defensive setup, but if they ever needed it, she thinks, they had probably already lost.

"If I can make a recommendation, Mr. Seran?" she says quietly as the tour finishes. "I don't think your guests are asking what sort of hardware you can provide. The UEDF military has that much, and I don't think you can outproduce it. What they're looking for is how you will be different from the military, how you actually plan to go about repelling their attacks and striking back."

[Tyracus]

Jason

"Well Ms. Wells is quite right. I'll admit this is a very impressive facility but I've seen more secure and better equipped ones in the UEDF. I will admit there will be advantages to not being bound by military procedure but acting independently means no fire support from other units and limited options for mobilization. Now I'm sure you have good intelligence capabilities and movement can occur under the cover of shipments but there has to be something more to it than this and I would really like to know what it is."

[WhiteKnight777]

Vincent

Vincent nodded in agreement, otherwise remaining stock still. Where a human might have leaned up against something for comfort, he simple stood, his hands folded neatly in front of him as he examined his surroundings with quick, precise movements of his head. Indeed... I would assume that you have something... unique to offer us?

[Dark_Prophet]

The cyborg chuckles, and slowly turns back around to face them. "All right, all of you want the grit of it. The UEDF is still caught up in its old struggle against the colonies, while the colonies are still watching the UEDF carefully - neither one wants to risk losing troops and forces to the Others, because then the other might invade if it is actually a setup. I know its not, firsthand, but you know how bureaucrats are. So we're not tied down by a faction and its agenda, with the internal power struggles that causes - and we don't have to announce our presence or make it known."

He looks at the doctor intently, with a grim smile on his scarred and restructured face. "More importantly, we have a survivor who has knowledge of the Others - and its you, Brenda. Locked away in that head of yours. Nothing else is virtually known about them, not to the Colonies, not to the UEDF, not to anyone. Everyone else who knew anything is dead, vanished, insane, or can't remember. That gives us much more of a advantage then ten thousand top notch UEDF crack troops and pilots. And I say confidently that I've chosen all of you out of the best of the best - sifted through thousands of possible entries. Any group too large suffers from delays via command structure and regimented control, and against the Others, well, every nanosecond counts and not having to worry about disobeying orders really helps that."

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

Izumi had begun to trail behind, lost in her own thoughts. She looked pensive as she half-listened to Val giving them all the tour of the facilities. Her mind began to wander away from the present...

- Not long after the Moon Dome Incident. -

Izumi sat with her legs curled underneath her on a cushioned bench next to a large, bay window. Outside the cityscape stretched out beneath her, the ever-present smog breaking just enough for a ray of sunlight to strike her window. She turned her hand over to watch the sunlight move across her fingers before the smog swallowed it up once again, leaving her cold. Rather than motorcycle leathers, she was wearing simple jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that was noticeably too big for her. She let the sleeves roll down over her hands and swiped at her long mess of hair. As she did so she couldn't help but notice the scent on the t-shirt. Tears began to blur her vision again.

Suddenly the door swung open and a japanese man in his late fifties with salt and pepper hair wearing a UEDF admiral's uniform walked into the apartment. With an exasperated sigh he tossed his hat onto the coffee table and sat next to Izumi by the window. He could see that she had been crying again, but he knew better than to mention it. "How are you, Izzy?" he asked, laying a comforting hand on his daughter's knee.

"Fine, daddy. How was work?" she seemed to brighten, quickly wiping her eyes again, trying to get rid of the evidence. She always did that, changed the subject like that whenever he even brushed the corner of that forbidden topic.

The admiral shook his head, glancing out the window. "I tell you, Izzy, those pricks don't know their ass from their elbows. They keep insisting that this is all a Colonial setup and that we should keep our forces in reserve, 'let things play out'. If I even broach the topic of a peace treaty I get completely shut down." he squeezed her knee. "You know better than anyone what's at stake here, but the brass is only concerned about 'the Colonial threat'. I think they're only interested in letting the Colonies take a beating before they do something about those monsters. Goddamn politicians is what they are..." he shook his head, only to notice that Izumi had gone back to staring out the window. "I'm sorry, honey. Don't listen to me."

Izumi felt a hot tear run down the curve of her cheek and taste the saltiness of it on her lips. Somehow a piece of paper had found its way into her hands and she was nearly crumpling it as her hands clenched around it.

- Present -

Izumi ran a hand through her short hair, scowling for no reason in particular. She felt a pressure in the middle of her chest, like a weight sitting on it, as she tried to banish the thoughts of her past from her waking mind. Suddenly, she spoke up.

"Suppose I'm in. What's our first move?"

[Dark_Prophet]

Val Seran draws out a cigarette pack, and flicks one out, lighting it. "We're going back to the moon domes to see if we can find anything - they haven't been tampered with at all, since everyone's too scared to get near em. The Others are still supposedly active there, but if we go in fast and do a quick scan of what happened, we should only run across a handful, which we should be able to handle. Gonna need to be able to get out of there real quick though, so I'll have a pickup freighter waiting at the push of a button - with any luck, we might be able to get a sample or parts, which would at least tell us something as well as what happened there. Right now we're just about dealing with a faceless enemy, which is worse then even the most hideous of adversaries."

He puts it to his mouth, and inhales, then blows out a column of smoke up towards his mecha, temporarily coating some of its hellish appearance in black shadow. "From there, that should give us a better idea of our next move, rather then just, well, waiting for them to kill a bunch of people. Safer, too, if we're the ones making the first move out of nowhere - what do you say?"

[Tyracus]

Jason

"Sounds like a decent plan, of course there is the risk that they've been nesting there. Of course that could make it even more valuable. If we had any idea as to their gestation or living habits it could lead to some very useful advances. Even if it's not a nest then there should be some shelters in the deeper areas, if we can find one that is still pressurized then there may be valuable records inside, and even on the very long outside chance, survivors." Jason says in a quick pattern, mostly to himself before nodding.

"Alright, I'm a little familiar with the debris plots but I'm not sure how they've shifted due to micro meteors and gravity. I'd say if there are big enough sections of debris still floating then it'd be a good approach path, assuming of course you guys can keep up with the approach vectors. If not then I'd recommend a surface approach, the lip of the colony should provide good cover for you in that case. Val, Tanaka, you guys have anything to add in about ideas for entering? Val has the home turf advantage and if I'm not mistaken that's a wing commander badge on your collar isn't it? I've got plenty of ideas but you two have the experience, something that's gonna count for more until we get a few more missions under our belts."

[WhiteKnight777]

Vincent

Vincent smiled grimly, the first expression of real emotion he had shown. I know a few routes in and out of Luna that are less than common knowledge. Our organization was based there before the incident, and I've had occasion to slip in and out without notice, as I'm sure you can all imagine, and I have certain advantages when it comes to piloting.

He also noticed, in a quiet way, that Izumi seemed to be showing signs of stress. But unsure as to the cause of it, he kept quiet.

[ChronicLunacy]

Tanaka Izumi

"I've studied the moon dome and the aftermath thoroughly. I've noted the best places to look for pressurized sections and possible survivors. Most of it I have on hand, but that area is shifting all the time. It's possible that I could get the most updated debris drift charts that the UEDF database has on file using my clearance." Izumi said, shaking off whatever seemed to be bothering her as she set her mind to a task. "If we're all set on this, we'll need to pool our research and find the best entry paths. I also will need to know your capabilities and the capabilities of your machines so I can come up with a marching order and chain of command for this mission."

I suppose this means I'm making the leap from mildly eccentric bitch to full-on crazy. Oh well, I guess I never had much of a grip anyway. If it means finding...something, some kind of closure at least it would all be worth it.

[Tyracus]

Jason

"Alright Tanaka I'll leave you to try to pull that information from the UEDF mainframe, I'll see what I can pull from civilian databases, I know a few tricks that may get me past the protections against the nav-data in that region. As for entry, I say we send 2 of us in via the debris and then the others can slip in via Vincent's route. We can change that if we need to on the fly. We'll need some specialty supplies for this most likely. I have a small fusion torch and some flash seals but not much beyond that. We'll need supplies to work in vacuum and hopefully some medical supplies. Speaking of which does anyone have any training in medicine?"