Calonic Wars, Chapter 1-The First Steps (IC)

[Isle of Lithonia]

L'homme, l'homme, l'homme armé,
L'homme armé
L'homme armé doit douter, doit douter.
On a fait partout crier,
Que chacun se vienne armer
D'un haubregon de fer
-The Armed Man

She saw the bomb coming, heard the roar of the plane's engines as it shot away as fast as possible, felt the explosion rock the ground.

Her heart thudded, and intense pain racked her lungs. She needed to move. Leave. Run!!!!

She took off. Feet pounding, breath heavy. Several Daemons were ahead. She threw them aside. It was closer. It was after her. She would die.

A child screamed, but she couldn't help. Run, or it will get you!!!

The ground shook, screams ripped the air. She ran, and ran. She looked back, eyes wide. Tears rushed, mouth opened in a silent scream.

Dead.

---

Captain Kiersten,
Flonders Base, Bleeding Cross base of Advanced Technology
Jay's Islands, off the west coast of the continent of Northern Mann
07:30

It had been a long day already. Jessica woke at 0300, got dressed in her combat uniform, and went over the POD. Today, she would reunite with her old squad (Infantry Special Ops Unit 503, which had been disbanded three months ago for unknown reasons), and be suited up for their newest mission.

And "suited up" really was the best wording. According to her superiors, the scientists at Flonders had managed to create some extremely advanced form of nanosuit, and this type of suit might be what changes the course of the future.

Or something to that extent. Of course, Kiersten had no wish to doubt high command, but she was rather wary of any "tide-changer" that she was presented with. Like the EMP suits she was given last time. They lasted on the battlefield for all of five minutes, and then their internal hardware was screwed by their own EMP weaponry. Useless.

But her superiors seemed much more certain of themselves this time, so she decided to do as they asked of her. Besides, if this whole thing turned to shit, at least she could say she did as she was told.

The troop transport pulled up outside of her apartment complex, and with a final look at her apartment (Damn, and I was just getting used to my paid vacation...), she entered it.

And thank god, her old sergeant, Master Sergeant Duranden (she could never get his full name right, so she just used the last portion of it), and her Aide, First Lieutenant Heila Mon, were both in there already. She flashed them a smile. "Sergeant, Lieutenant. It's good to be back with you again."

The vehicle took off down the streets of the town, headed toward Flonders Base.



OOC Thread

[Nekronia]

Gilborbiklenitizpenitikai, AKA Tim
Tim scurried into the Callonaus' APC when it arrived for him at the hotel, and brought his sacred weapon of unknowable carnage with him: a stick that he was pointing at things and making "pchew" noises with. After running into the transport with his arms outstretched and making airplane noises as his cape flapped behind him, he climbed up onto a seat and shot imaginary badguys with his stick playfully. Yaaay sticks! The APC closed up, and vroom vroom'd away to pick up the next Calon friend.

---

Urist Kloxh
Now this is a story, all about how, my life got flip-... what? Bloody hell, wrong fuckin' book again. Sorry lads. Okay, our hero was found in a humble place when the mech-users' APC arrived for him. The transport opened up and waited for him, but didn't have to wait long because the bastard got thrown through the doors of the tavern quite forcefully, leading to him sliding a bit on his back, still clutching his bottle of booze. "OI! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST PICK A FIGHT WITH ME? I DON'T NEED MY FOCKIN' MECH TO WHOOP YOUR GIRLY ELF ASSES, YOU WATERBARRELS! GET THE FOCK OUT HERE AND- Ach, my damned ride's here. Go fuck yourselves then, ya pansies. I'm outta here." The burly dwarf dragged himself and his bottle of ale with him into the APC and plopped down in the seat, still reeking of alcohol. The APC closed up, and drove away to pick up the next sorry bastard.

[The Templar High Council]

Urist Kloxh
Now this is a story, all about how, my life got flip-... what? Bloody hell, wrong fuckin' book again. Sorry lads. Okay, our hero was found in a humble place when the mech-users' APC arrived for him. The transport opened up and waited for him, but didn't have to wait long because the bastard got thrown through the doors of the tavern quite forcefully, leading to him sliding a bit on his back, still clutching his bottle of booze. "OI! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST PICK A FIGHT WITH ME? I DON'T NEED MY FOCKIN' MECH TO WHOOP YOUR GIRLY ELF ASSES, YOU WATERBARRELS! GET THE FOCK OUT HERE AND- Ach, my damned ride's here. Go fuck yourselves then, ya pansies. I'm outta here." The burly dwarf dragged himself and his bottle of ale with him into the APC and plopped down in the seat, still reeking of alcohol. The APC closed up, and drove away to pick up the next sorry bastard.

Rezz waited for transport. Not that he needed it, but the fleshlings wouldn't tell him where the base was, so he had to wait. When the vehicle arrived at his location, it was obvious that he was in the middle of nowhere. He had decided to wait somewhere where he wouldn't interfere with any working Axon. The APC opened it's doors, and Rezz tested the suspension as he entered, sitting across from a small, dwarfish fleshling. Probably a dwarf.

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

Chris walked the city, he was part of the slowly disappearing non nano suit outfit. He liked being part if the older gen soliders, even though they weren't as advanced as the NanoSuit soldiers. He was walking peacefully when a group of Speical Forces cadets walked by. "Hey guys we got a ordinary here" one of them smirked
"Ha, he will never be as strong and amazing like us!"
"What's wrong, why don't you just retire" said one pushing Chris
Chris stubble back and looked at them "Look, I dot want to be mean but you just pushed a superior officer" he said adjusting his helmet
The groups faces darkened "Shit, let's get out of here" the leader said, the group followed him
Chris looked at the group as they walked away "Teenagers" he said entering the coffee shop for some biscuits and eggs

5mins later

Chris stepped out of the coffee shop and saw a APC outside, then he got a message form command and it said "Get inside the APC, you just been transferred" he looked at the message and walked over to the APC

[Imperial--japan]

"The last patient went into cardiac arrest almost instantaneously. These constant failures are setting 'Bleeding Cross' back monetarily in a significant way. I suppose I could execute one of the replaceable assistants. That ought to get the point across that time is of the essence," Heila Mon thought to herself. Currently she was glued to the research notes before her that she almost didn't notice her superior as she entered the vehicle.

"It's good to see you Captain. It's always refreshing the escape the research department once and a while, but the scientists always seem to need some kind of 'incentive' to continue their work," Heila commented with a hint of mischief on the 'incentive' part. It wasn't any secret what happened to scientists who failed to produce what they promised with the money given. Money that could of been put into supplies, and other necessities. When Heila 'visited' certain scientists, those men tended to be replaced the following day. Disposed of cleanly.

"Of course it's up to someone else to deal with those eggheads now," she finished. Heila crossed one leg over the other, and unlike her superior she wasn't dressed in any military uniform that identified her, but instead was merely donning her usual clothing.

[Charmera]

Urist Kloxh
Now this is a story, all about how, my life got flip-... what? Bloody hell, wrong fuckin' book again. Sorry lads. Okay, our hero was found in a humble place when the mech-users' APC arrived for him. The transport opened up and waited for him, but didn't have to wait long because the bastard got thrown through the doors of the tavern quite forcefully, leading to him sliding a bit on his back, still clutching his bottle of booze. "OI! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST PICK A FIGHT WITH ME? I DON'T NEED MY FOCKIN' MECH TO WHOOP YOUR GIRLY ELF ASSES, YOU WATERBARRELS! GET THE FOCK OUT HERE AND- Ach, my damned ride's here. Go fuck yourselves then, ya pansies. I'm outta here." The burly dwarf dragged himself and his bottle of ale with him into the APC and plopped down in the seat, still reeking of alcohol. The APC closed up, and drove away to pick up the next sorry bastard.

Rezz waited for transport. Not that he needed it, but the fleshlings wouldn't tell him where the base was, so he had to wait. When the vehicle arrived at his location, it was obvious that he was in the middle of nowhere. He had decided to wait somewhere where he wouldn't interfere with any working Axon. The APC opened it's doors, and Rezz tested the suspension as he entered, sitting across from a small, dwarfish fleshling. Probably a dwarf.

Kaneth was next to get on, having sat at a public park, taking in the scenery. He glanced over to the transport, getting up and walking around to the door. He didn't need to be told why he should get in or where he was going.He walked into the APC, noting the dwarf and the Axon. He sat next to the Axon and opposite the dwarf, looking across at the short humanoid. He didn't have any opinions on either of them so far, and kept quiet for now.

[Blackwing Coast]

Fire.
Blaze.
The death of millions.

Aetana woke with a scream.
The pain did not end.
There was a drawback to using calonic powers, especially necromancy. The dead talked to you. Ususally only close relatives or venerable elders,
but on days like these, on days of atrocities and catastrophes, the screams were enough to drive an untrained necromancer insane.
And for one as attuned as her people, both to the force of calon and to the afterlife, and the knowledge that both were the same, it was worse.
They felt the pain, the desperation and the deaths.
The pain was overwhelming, being burned time and again, vaporized with each heartbeat.
The desperation was heartwrenching, the work of generations destroyed, a city forever scoured to the ground.
The deaths drew her in.
She felt wetness running down her cheeks, and saw that it was blood. Her very powers turned against her, her body was preparing to die.

"No."

The blood erupted into flame, ignited by her fury. "I will not give in." The flame reached her eyes and burned within her soul. "I will avenge you all."

She rose from her crouch, filled with new determination. It took but a thought to activate the runes on her summoning circle.
As she stepped in, both the candles and her eyes started to shine in an unearthly glow.

"Ancestors, do you hear me?
Ingaris, Mother of Life, Goddess of Death, Keeper of Magic, do hear me?
I swear upon my Life, my Soul and my Death,
I will avenge those slain today.
Whoever did this, I will hunt them.
To the end of the world, to the end of the afterlife, if need be.
And I will bring them to Justice.
The grave shall not hold me,
The veil shall not keep me,
And no place in both worlds shall be safe from my wrath.
This, I swear, upon my Life, my Soul and my Death.
Ignaris, be my witness.
Ancestors, be my witness.
The Slain, be my witness."

The pain ended.
And Aetana collapsted. The candles were snuffed out, and the smoke became her shroud.

...

Hours later the telephone woke her. Why did she have to choose fanfares as the ringtone?
"Who commits this sacrilege?" she moaned into the reciever.
-
"Oh. You. Aetana Reporting for Duty!"

Ten minutes later she was waiting for the APC, dressed in her old fatigues and still chewing on a fresh piece of meat.

"Let's get going." she greeted the driver. Her face was still marked by scabs burned to ash, but she decided to keep the two grey streaks as a reminder of her oath.

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

Fire.
Blaze.
The death of millions.

Aetana woke with a scream.
The pain did not end.
There was a drawback to using calonic powers, especially necromancy. The dead talked to you. Ususally only close relatives or venerable elders,
but on days like these, on days of atrocities and catastrophes, the screams were enough to drive an untrained necromancer insane.
And for one as attuned as her people, both to the force of calon and to the afterlife, and the knowledge that both were the same, it was worse.
They felt the pain, the desperation and the deaths.
The pain was overwhelming, being burned time and again, vaporized with each heartbeat.
The desperation was heartwrenching, the work of generations destroyed, a city forever scoured to the ground.
The deaths drew her in.
She felt wetness running down her cheeks, and saw that it was blood. Her very powers turned against her, her body was preparing to die.

"No."

The blood erupted into flame, ignited by her fury. "I will not give in." The flame reached her eyes and burned within her soul. "I will avenge you all."

She rose from her crouch, filled with new determination. It took but a thought to activate the runes on her summoning circle.
As she stepped in, both the candles and her eyes started to shine in an unearthly glow.

"Ancestors, do you hear me?
Ingaris, Mother of Life, Goddess of Death, Keeper of Magic, do hear me?
I swear upon my Life, my Soul and my Death,
I will avenge those slain today.
Whoever did this, I will hunt them.
To the end of the world, to the end of the afterlife, if need be.
And I will bring them to Justice.
The grave shall not hold me,
The veil shall not keep me,
And no place in both worlds shall be safe from my wrath.
This, I swear, upon my Life, my Soul and my Death.
Ignaris, be my witness.
Ancestors, be my witness.
The Slain, be my witness."

The pain ended.
And Aetana collapsted. The candles were snuffed out, and the smoke became her shroud.

...

Hours later the telephone woke her. Why did she have to choose fanfares as the ringtone?
"Who commits this sacrilege?" she moaned into the reciever.
-
"Oh. You. Aetana Reporting for Duty!"

Ten minutes later she was waiting for the APC, dressed in her old fatigues and still chewing on a fresh piece of meat.

"Let's get going." she greeted the driver. Her face was still marked by scabs burned to ash, but she decided to keep the two grey streaks as a reminder of her oath.

Chris got in the APC, they drove around for an hour then they stopped and some one got on. It was a woman, she sat down about two seats on the other side. Chris started to mess around with his knife before talking.
"Hello there, I'm Chris what's your name and do you know whee there taking us?" He said sheathing the knife

[The Republic of Atria]

Kilian was waiting for the APC patiently. He was going to be a nanosuit pilot. Of one he aided in the design of to a degree. Typically he wasn't a nervous man. But this would be the first time he actually got to use it in a live mission and there were a few kinks in the design he hoped the engineers worked out before he used it. Last thing he wanted was to accidentally set himself on fire, set someone else on fire that he didn't intend, or explode and set everything around him on fire as well. But on the bright side, he would get to see his squadmates again. Most of them were friendly with the exception of maybe one or 2. But they were on all on the same team. At least he hoped a certain member of his squad remembered that when it came to mission time. The APC rolled up and he got inside to see the familiar faces. "What's going on my friends?"

[Nature-Spirits]

As the crimson sun had risen from the treetops, so had Brightly Lit Cloud. She had spent the night in a tall birch, her tentacles clinging to the branches in a tight, yet relaxed grip while she slept. As daylight lanced across the ground, she lanced across the sky, tentacles trailing behind her. A strong breeze whisked her up, and suddenly she found herself in the clouds. Her mottled dark blue and green skin paled to white with a tinge of blue, and it absorbed the moisture from the clouds hungrily. She needed to moisten her skin fairly frequently, or it became uncomfortable to move and she became dehydrated.

When she had taken her fill of the water droplets, she descended from the minimal cloud cover, her skin darkening to a shade of pale blue, until she found a swarm of insects nearer to the treetops and opened her beak wide, spreading her tentacles out in all directions. The breeze picked up, headed straight toward her beak in a whirlwind, and suddenly the majority of the swarm was funnelled straight into her gullet. She repeated that several times, each time finding a new swarm surprisingly quickly and each time the air funnelling the swarm into her beak. If it were any ordinary day, she would simply sail through the sky leisurely and catch what she could, but today she had to be somewhere: to eat more food in less time, she hunted actively, something that she and the rest of her kind only did when they were hungrier than usual.

Soon, however, she tired of insects. They were small, and only worth eating when they were in swarms so that she could eat large quantities of them; but even then, they weren't very filling, and she suspected that in the days ahead, life would consist of more than simply sailing through the skies catching whatever food came her way. She would have to adjust her lifestyle to resemble more what little she had observed among ground-dwellers: it seemed that they only ate a few times a day for some reason, often at preset times. If that was to be the case with her, she needed something substantial. She needed bird.

The Polpavolan moved slowly above the treetops, her skin shifting constantly to reflect the sky above. The sun, now a light orange, was still only just above the horizon, so the songbirds had only recently begun their morning chorus of chirping and twittering. She soon found a large bird sitting in the branches of an elm, and slowed even more, so that it would not notice her approach. It was a cardinal, she knew, recognising it immediately by its full body of glorious red feathers. It whistled twice in succession, then clicked a number of times before repeating the call again and again, its voice one of many that could be heard in the area. She was close now -- only a metre above it -- and she slowly extended her two long tentacles. They snaked through the branches and leaves, not daring to touch a single thing, until they hovered just above the bird's back. It still suspected nothing.

Then she struck. The creature began chirping loudly and rapidly, then switched to a high-pitched trill as her tentacles pulled it up between the branches. It tried to spread its wings, but they were pinned; it tried to peck her tentacles, but it couldn't reach that far. Then, as she brought it towards her widening beak, it fluttered in terror.

As she closed her beak around the cardinal and swallowed, it thrashed around for a few seconds before reducing its activity to a terrible shuddering that went on for a few seconds after it reached her stomach. Brightly Lit Cloud flew up from the tree, headed towards her perch of the night before, and almost halfway there the bird stopped its movement abruptly, dead. But that was the least of the Polpavolan's concerns: she had spied, at the edge of the park, a strange metal box that she surmised must be the vehicle sent to pick her up. It would undoubtedly expect her to be at the spot she had slept, which was not far from the road that wound through the park, so she alighted on a branch gently as it rolled up to the area. She then floated serenely over to the metal thing, and broadcast to its inhabitants, Hello. I am Brightly Lit Cloud, a Calonnau recently employed by the Bleeding Cross. Since your speech is slower than mine and you seem to prefer shorter names, I will allow you to call me Lit. I will fly alongside the vehicle. Lead the way.

[Aelarus]

MARKUS DALTON
VED HOTEL, JAY'S ISLANDS - 0730

The Ved hotel was a luxurious three floor construct in elegantly simple curved lines tracing their white edges around a large roundabout with a silver centerpiece with clear fountain spouts around the base. Markus Dalton sat idly picking at his fingernails on the leading edge of the centerpiece, watching his earpiece's projected HUD display disapprovingly. The morning was dreary and overcast, and the convoy was 49 seconds shy of their ETA and counting.

He had a large portion of the hotel's east side top floor to himself as a permanent residence, curtesy of Bleeding Cross, the paramilitary organization he worked for who also owned a large portion of the hotel. It had been given to him due to his participation in testing at Flonders, which was the location for the new team. His boss had put him on under the reasoning that a highly experienced soldier like him ought to do the squad some good, not that his boss knew all that much. He worked for the missions and the benefits, going where he was ordered, even if he didn't like it.

A blip on his HUD alerted him of the approach of the convoy, its IFF signals alerting him of their imminent approach. He stood, lowering the opacity of the HUD with a mental command and waited patiently. Ten seconds passed, in which time Markus made a comment on how he really ought to have set the alert to be triggered at a shorter distance.

Engine noises preceded the procession of four black wheeled transports as they pulled into the roundabout. He walked over, his HUD flashing briefly to point to the last transport as being the one he was meant to board. Very surprisingly, a large Polpavolan flew after the convoy, appearing on his sensors and rounding the building close behind the last LAC. He threw a passing glance at the flying invertebrate and began an inspection of the currently present members of the team. He peered into the tinted windows of all three LACs in front, examining each face, grinning to himself at some. Finally, he got inside the last car in the front passenger side. There was a stone faced driver beside him, obviously bored out of his mind to be driving the trailing vehicle in a simple pick up convoy. The only other passenger was a career mercenary in the backseat, still obviously in his early twenties, who was fiddling with a knife.

He turned to face back through the front windshield, speaking as he did so to himself, "Well, it seems like the brass as been straw picking", proceeding to laugh quietly.

[Ulvenes]

Ulrica started her day like any other day. She woke up, didn't bother to dress remaining in not but panties and bra then did stretches, dozens of sit ups, push ups, pull ups, and many other types of exercises before stripping and taking a nice hot shower. She walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and walked to her dresser. She dressed in a low cut and tight fitting black tank top with matching running shorts. She walked over to the window and opened the window to listen to the sounds of the city.

Something did sound different though.. The sound of an incredibly heavy duty diesel engine. "Is that..?" She thought to herself before quickly running to her closet and getting dressed in her Dress Uniform however decided against the cape that her old Valkyrie unit awarded her. She listened to the window, as it was still open, and heard the said heavy duty engine stop just outside. She walked over to the window and closed it then headed over to her door. She activated the alarm before leaving and walked down to the street. She noticed three different armored vehicles and without stopping headed over to the vehicle that contained the other nanosuit infantry, which she knew the vehicle cause of her sharp eyesight and opened the door before climbing in and silently taking a seat. She preferred keeping to herself but wouldn't be afraid to talk to any of her old squad mates.

[Auropa]

Alfonzo
A few kilometers off the outskirts of Jay's Islands

Ever since Alfonzo left his home he had been under scrutiny wherever he went. After all an Ogre leaving their empire is almost unheard of, and many people wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see one with their own eyes. However Alfonzo found that several had been surprised with his figure. Apparently the imagination of man was quite active, apparently several individuals were expecting some sort of green giant with tusks and dozens of crudely made blades instead of the gigantic knight that stood before them. It had taken time, but Alfonzo had eventually grown used to the attention; though it had taken even longer for him to be discovered by Bleeding Cross. After going around trying to solve the world’s problems singlehanded, he eventually earned a small reputation; however, that wasn’t what interested Bleeding Cross. What did, was his mission.

Bringing himself back to the present Alfonzo slowly raised his head at the sound of scuttling. From his crouched position he still towered over the bushes and even more so in his armour (as was Ogre tradition he would meet his new comrades ready for action should they wish him to prove himself) Roughly a dozen meters away stood a sole deer head raised and ears pricked after hearing the sound of Alfonzo’s movement.
For the past week or so he had camped just outside of the nearby settlement waiting for those he had spoken to ‘do the paperworking’ as he believed it was called. He was offered a room at one the local inns (or as they called it ‘hotels’) but had turned down the offer, he had always preferred the open air more than the cramped buildings of man. Finally standing up to full height, Alfonzo glanced around him, he had been somewhere between meditating and sleeping for a few hours now. Turning back to where the deer had been he chuckled a little as he saw the small creature darting off into the distance, even among his own Alfonzo had a considerably large frame, to a deer he might as well of looked like death itself.

Walking over to the road he continued to reflect on the past few weeks and when this part of his journey truly started. He had taken part in clearing out some sort of bandit camp along with a small group of warriors. It was the first time he had seen firsthand the deadly proficiency of laser weaponry. Even so, when his task had been completed he inquired about what he later discovered to be called the D-bomb. Whether they felt they owed it to him or simply desired to talk about it they outlined the whole crisis the world was in. What’s more they pointed out a group dedicated to saving the world: Bleeding Cross. It took a while to travel to the guild they spoke of but when he did his… build… created a bit of a fuss. Quickly, he was ushered into an interview so that they may discover what the armoured giant wanted. Soon enough they knew of his mission and understood why he came to them. For a few days he had to take part in several different tests, some mental others physical, so that they may decide whether they wanted him. In the end they told Alfonzo he had passed and that he would have to meet up with some others at some sort of military installation named ‘Flonder’s Base’ in a month. Since then he told the men where he would be and waited. That meeting was exactly a month ago to this day. A little less than an hour passed before the hum of a engines hit Alfonzo’s ears. Soon enough, four armoured transports pulled up beside him before one lowered the ramp. He decided he didn’t want to know why a large jelly fish was following alongside them.

As he walked around to the back of the vehicle Alfonzo let out a sigh. While he wasn’t particularly claustrophobic he was no fan of being stuck in a cramped vehicle, wearing his armour probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but tradition is tradition. Reaching the back of the vehicle he saw its inhabitants, his comrades, for the first time. Some sort of two-legged-pup and a large wolf wearing fatigues. Pausing for a moment he looked back to the jelly-fish. Looking closely it was more squid-like actually. Suddenly the idea that the floating squid was a fellow warrior made the Ogre a little uneasy. Deciding he couldn’t simply stand stoic in front of the vehicle and hold up the whole convoy, he climbed into the transport. Thankfully the transport was large though it still wasn't quite made for someone of his build but it was still far more spacious than some of the other vehicles he had used throughout his travels. Making his way to the very back of the vehicle Alfonzo sat himself down taking up more than a few seats with his large frame. Looking to the other passengers he noticed that the wolf-creature, an Ulz he recalled, remained plain faced while the other passenger who wielded a stick as though it were a mighty weapon held the face of curious child. “I do not wish to be rude,” he finally said. “My name his Alfonzo, I’m… not from around here, but I believe we are all going to be working together.” Settling himself in a little and already feeling a small cramp building, he settled himself into his seat(s) and placed his helmet on his lap as prepared for what would likely be a long, uncomfortable ride.

[Bentus]

The mage doll wandered aimlessly down the cold, dirty streets. He stumbled through the rain, the assault from the heavens soaking his skin through and leaving him feeling heavy and frozen. Where was he? What was he doing here? Questions that gnawed and ground at his mind, before a sudden flash of lightning or thunder sent him reeling in surprise. He was hungry, starving, famished even – the rumbling from his belly so bad that it hurt. Was it his stomach? He didn’t even know if he had one, they’d never told him. The mage doll was lost and alone, an insignificantly small figure left out to wither as everyone hid from the weather behind windows and doors. Desperate for food and an escape from the sky’s assault, he made his way over to a tavern – a warm glow beaming from its windows and inviting laughter emanating through its walls. With a heave the mage doll pushed open the door, his exhausted form appearing at the entrance. Immediately the bellowing laughter ceased, the cold eyes of the shadowy figures inside bearing down on the intruder. The mage doll felt like he had walked into the den of a predator, not a single blink of kindness or empathy in sight. The silence was oppressive. “Please, sir. I have nowhere to go.” No response was forthcoming from the room, the stares refusing to back down. The bartender moved slowly and purposefully towards the intruder, a hateful grimace now visible on his shadowed face.

“Get out of here, monster.”

---

Ribul awoke with a start, breathing heavily and rapidly. Two beady eyes greeted him, a beaked head twisting this way and that in curiosity. It took the mage doll a moment to realise where he was, and recognise the curious bird that had come to check on the small artificial body. Ribul glared back at the stupid animal, waving his arm. “Shoo.” The bird merely hopped up to the top of the park bench, avoiding the lazy swing – its eyes returning to consider the strange creature before it. With a groan, Ribul heaved himself upright. His back creaked after an uncomfortable night in the open. An empty glass bottle rolled off the public bench and clanged loudly on the ground. He stared at it absent-mindedly, he didn’t remember finishing the whole thing. He sighed as he swung himself around, dangling his legs over the edge of his makeshift bed for the night. A squawk once again drew his attention to his uninvited neighbour. The seagull had decided it would try its luck and was hoping back and forth, trying to poke its beak into his jacket pocket. “Bugger off.” Ribul brushed aside the creature, no way in the mood nor having the patience to deal with nature’s annoyances. The bird, impatient to get its reward for finding the sleeping mage doll, stood defiantly, squawking in challenge. It was almost half the size of the mage doll, and it could fly – by nature’s laws it had every right to take what it desired. Ribul had had enough, and pointed his finger and the creature. A dull thump and a surprised screech accompanied a plume of feathers as the bird disappeared into the distance, propelled by the small explosion.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the renewed quiet, Ribul stretched himself out. Almost immediately, the dull grumble of a convoy the human vehicles drew his attention. They quite clearly weren't designed for civilian use. Reluctantly, Ribul pushed himself from the bench and onto his feet, knowing full well why the transport was here of all places. As the self-propelling carriages slowed to a stop in front of him, Ribul slung the small bag with his belongings over his shoulder. “Well about damn time they chose to show up.” He mumbled to himself, making his way over as one of them opened a door to allow him to enter. He’d slept fully dressed, he had been outside after all, and had little preparations to make before boarding the vehicle. As he stepped inside to the passenger compartment, he was greeted by the sight of what he assumed to be his co-workers. There was an Anubite by the look of things and even an ogre – that was something new at least. Rubil didn’t address the others in the transport, not seeing a need; they weren’t being paid to be friends after all. He sat down on one of the remaining free seats, trying not to get too close to the Ogre and risk getting flattened at the next bump. However, he noticed a third person whom was hardly any taller than he was. Ribul looked unbelievably at the strange creature. “The hell are you supposed to be?”

[Charmera]

Ulrica started her day like any other day. She woke up, didn't bother to dress remaining in not but panties and bra then did stretches, dozens of sit ups, push ups, pull ups, and many other types of exercises before stripping and taking a nice hot shower. She walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and walked to her dresser. She dressed in a low cut and tight fitting black tank top with matching running shorts. She walked over to the window and opened the window to listen to the sounds of the city.

Something did sound different though.. The sound of an incredibly heavy duty diesel engine. "Is that..?" She thought to herself before quickly running to her closet and getting dressed in her Dress Uniform however decided against the cape that her old Valkyrie unit awarded her. She listened to the window, as it was still open, and heard the said heavy duty engine stop just outside. She walked over to the window and closed it then headed over to her door. She activated the alarm before leaving and walked down to the street. She noticed three different armored vehicles and without stopping headed over to the vehicle that contained the other nanosuit infantry, which she knew the vehicle cause of her sharp eyesight and opened the door before climbing in and silently taking a seat. She preferred keeping to herself but wouldn't be afraid to talk to any of her old squad mates.

Catherine awoke with a start, sweating, breathing in and out rapidly and in shallow breaths. She looked around, trying to find whatever might have awoken her and determine how to make it pay for doing so. Her eyes scanned the flat from her couch, finding nothing. Then the memories of her dream came flooding back. She dreamt vivid, violent dreams. Sometimes she dreamed about her missions with the Red Cross, sometimes about her previous military career... this time though, she dreamt the worst of the lot.

She dreamt about the Gharr and the hellish three years she spent with them... She always hated those dreams.

She sighed, getting dressed in her usual uniform and looking out the window, carton of milk in her hand. She noticed the transports, downed what was left of the milk and tossed the carton in the bin as she moved out. Thankfully she was on one of the lower floors, so a mere half a minute later and she was out of the building. She proceeded inside the correct APC, nodding to the others as she entered.

"Good to see you guys again." She said, moving in. "So, whats this Nanosuit thing? Another one of those "revolutionary" weapons the R&D boys keep talking about?"

[Mnar Secundus]

Louis "Levy" Sinclair was tinkering on his computer in his workshop when the APC came to pick him up. That was more or less his default state of being. He had been awake for three days straight, which was normal: Levy, being almost 85% cyborg, needed approximately three hours of sleep per week to keep functioning. Sleeping had become a hobby of his, and he had turned it into practically an art form, but developing Eddie's AI took precedence over leisure; one's bodily efficiency was more important than one's entertainment, after all.

When he heard the APC coming to a halt outside the hangar, Levy stepped out with a quick salute to inquire about the situation: apparently he had been summoned to Flonders for the constitution of a new unit, which was to be partly equipped with ... Nanosuits? Another great idea by the guys in R&D, I assume. Did the EMP suits teach them nothing? Levy hadn't been involved in that particular disaster, but he had heard of it, and been quite relieved that he never let anyone other than himself work on Eddie. Then again, judging by the research papers he had been reading recently, nanotech was on the more reliable side of complete innovations ... Well, as long as I can keep Eddie I'm game for anything. Orders were orders, and made to be obeyed.

So Levy stepped back inside, took a minute to get changed into his uniform and walked out again towards the APC. This explained at least why the higher-ups had wanted him to leave Eddie at Flonders two days ago: transporting the mech now would have been quite a bother. Obviously the mech's safety systems were fully operational: anyone who tried to pry Eddie open and take a look inside would experience the briefest and most painful surprise of their immediately shortened life. This did little to assuage Levy's foul mood at being forced out of his body his mech for so long.
As Levy stepped into the APC, his small frame requiring a jump to reach the vehicle's floor, he observed the people sharing the car with him: a drunk dwarf - well, a dwarf -, an Axon, which Levy studied with some interest, and a brooding black-haired man whom he had seen around Flonders a couple of times before. He had a weird name ... Aneth? Raneth? Well, whatever. Levy said "Good morning" to no-one in particular before sitting down next to the dwarf, in front of whatever-neth. He was looking forward to getting Edie back, if nothing else.

[Charmera]

As Levy stepped into the APC, his small frame requiring a jump to reach the vehicle's floor, he observed the people sharing the car with him: a drunk dwarf - well, a dwarf -, an Axon, which Levy studied with some interest, and a brooding black-haired man whom he had seen around Flonders a couple of times before. He had a weird name ... Aneth? Raneth? Well, whatever. Levy said "Good morning" to no-one in particular before sitting down next to the dwarf, in front of whatever-neth. He was looking forward to getting Edie back, if nothing else.

"Morning." Kaneth replied, as if not willing to admit it was a good morning. A quick thought to his Reaper "Maiden" and Eidolon flashed through his mind. He had been assured they were safe, but any mech pilot worth a damn had problems with being separated from their mech. Especially as he had heard some Calonnau were being recruited. Kaneth usually didn't mind them, but he knew the majority of them didn't even know what a computer was. One of them touching Maiden... or worse, using their powers on ei... the thought almost made the pilots fists tighten.

He looked to the newcomer, a cyborg. Another Mech pilot, as this was the APC for them after all. He had seen him a couple of times. Levy... thats his name. "So you must be our EW specialist?" Kaneth asked.

[Gjulich]

The Aekan who inhabited a small bed in the hotel just outside the city woke suddenly. What woke him? He was unsure. Perhaps it was the vehicles whizzing outside? Maybe the sound of blipping and beeping from all over the region?
Or perhaps it was the annoying room-service human outside.
An'ei, finally getting up, stretched out his four arms and nearly touched the roof with his head.
'Typical.' He thought to himself, pondering whether he should simply stun the human female outside into submission. He rejected the idea - coming from the Aekan Realm hardly made him popular with humans to begin with. He put on a full robe and walked yo the door.
As it opened, the puny lady-person stood, dwarfed, yet evidently jolly, under An'ei. Being tall had its advantages.
"Your bed, sir. Would you like me to change it?" She asked, meaning well.
An'ei stared at her. Unamused.
"Food? I'm sure it would do you good?"
He made a point of breathing heavily. For starters, this is how Aekans consume nutrients anyway, since they have no mouths or noses.
"Perhaps... Not," she backed away slowly. "Oh, and by the way, someone called for you. Told me to tell you that someone from the BH called." She handed him a letter written on a pink piece of paper.
An'ei looked down at it and took it with his left lower arm. He looked back at the woman.
"Thanks." He said, emotionless in its delivery. He slammed the door.
Inside his room, he began to change. His uniform, due to his large size and strange body-type, had to be custom made. And that meant that he could have it tailored to fit his needs. Lightly fitting, a holster for his weapon, a large pistol, and a button on the neck for assembling the helmet. He was ready. He picked up his kit bag with his right upper arm, swinging it over the shoulder.
He passed the woman outside again. He have her some credits for the night, silently passing. Their eyes followed him as he left.
While he ducked to get under the door, he looked back at the humans inside.
"Thanks." He said again. He went through the door.
Outside, he waited for the APCs to arrive. Hopefully soon. He was good at waiting, but didn't want to do it for too long. His helmet still not engaged, he waited for the inevitable sound of the APCs coming.
While he was appreciating the sound and sight of the world around, he heard them. His hearing was excellent - it came from not smelling or tasting.
As they came to a halt in front of him, he climbed onto one, ducking into the small space. He sat down, not making so much as a sound.

[Mnar Secundus]

"Morning." Kaneth replied, as if not willing to admit it was a good morning. A quick thought to his Reaper "Maiden" and Eidolon flashed through his mind. He had been assured they were safe, but any mech pilot worth a damn had problems with being separated from their mech. Especially as he had heard some Calonnau were being recruited. Kaneth usually didn't mind them, but he knew the majority of them didn't even know what a computer was. One of them touching Maiden... or worse, using their powers on ei... the thought almost made the pilots fists tighten.

He looked to the newcomer, a cyborg. Another Mech pilot, as this was the APC for them after all. He had seen him a couple of times. Levy... thats his name. "So you must be our EW specialist?" Kaneth asked.

Levy looked up at the man. "Apparently, yes. It is my specialty." He extended his hand towards x-neth. "I'm Louis Sinclair, but mostly everyone calls me Levy, for some reason." Actually, he knew why that was, but this post's author hasn't come up withthe backstory was somewhat embarrassing. "You might as well do the same, Mr. ... Karric, I think? I'm afraid I can't recall your first name."

He then looked around the APC a bit: he had seen such vehicles before, in fact he knew how to pilot them, but any mode of transportation that wasn't Eddie left him uncomfortable. He nodded to the Axon and the dwarf, noting that while the former was a fascinating piece of technology, the latter reeked of alcohol to high heavens. Levy didn't mind dwarfs drinking alcohol: they required the stuff. However, there was such a thing as hygiene. I'm going to have to put up with it for a while, though. No sense in getting hung up about this much. He spoke up to the general assembly: "I assume we're all mech pilots here, then? Or an equivalent." The Axon probably didn't need a mech.

[The Templar High Council]

"Morning." Kaneth replied, as if not willing to admit it was a good morning. A quick thought to his Reaper "Maiden" and Eidolon flashed through his mind. He had been assured they were safe, but any mech pilot worth a damn had problems with being separated from their mech. Especially as he had heard some Calonnau were being recruited. Kaneth usually didn't mind them, but he knew the majority of them didn't even know what a computer was. One of them touching Maiden... or worse, using their powers on ei... the thought almost made the pilots fists tighten.

He looked to the newcomer, a cyborg. Another Mech pilot, as this was the APC for them after all. He had seen him a couple of times. Levy... thats his name. "So you must be our EW specialist?" Kaneth asked.

Levy looked up at the man. "Apparently, yes. It is my specialty." He extended his hand towards x-neth. "I'm Louis Sinclair, but mostly everyone calls me Levy, for some reason." Actually, he knew why that was, but this post's author hasn't come up withthe backstory was somewhat embarrassing. "You might as well do the same, Mr. ... Karric, I think? I'm afraid I can't recall your first name."

He then looked around the APC a bit: he had seen such vehicles before, in fact he knew how to pilot them, but any mode of transportation that wasn't Eddie left him uncomfortable. He nodded to the Axon and the dwarf, noting that while the former was a fascinating piece of technology, the latter reeked of alcohol to high heavens. Levy didn't mind dwarfs drinking alcohol: they required the stuff. However, there was such a thing as hygiene. I'm going to have to put up with it for a while, though. No sense in getting hung up about this much. He spoke up to the general assembly: "I assume we're all mech pilots here, then? Or an equivalent." The Axon probably didn't need a mech.

"Affirmative." Rezz spouted from his nonexistent mouth. The dwarf had probably fallen asleep, the human sounded too emotionless (like himself), and the cyborg interested him. "Inquiry: what caused the cybernetic implants in your body?" He leaned forward, or further hunched over than he was, to listen to the response.

(NOTE: The robotic speech isn't required, but I like it.)

[Mnar Secundus]

"Affirmative." Rezz spouted from his nonexistent mouth. The dwarf had probably fallen asleep, the human sounded too emotionless (like himself), and the cyborg interested him. "Inquiry: what caused the cybernetic implants in your body?" He leaned forward, or further hunched over than he was, to listen to the response.

Levy leaned a few degrees backwards, feeling his compensators wire into position. "An accident in my childhood. Explains why I look like this at my age, too - by the way, I'm in my thirties. At this point it may be more accurate to say that I've got biological implants in my hardware," he added with a half-smile. "It does help with my work, though, so I don't mind."

[Ulvenes]

Catherine awoke with a start, sweating, breathing in and out rapidly and in shallow breaths. She looked around, trying to find whatever might have awoken her and determine how to make it pay for doing so. Her eyes scanned the flat from her couch, finding nothing. Then the memories of her dream came flooding back. She dreamt vivid, violent dreams. Sometimes she dreamed about her missions with the Red Cross, sometimes about her previous military career... this time though, she dreamt the worst of the lot.

She dreamt about the Gharr and the hellish three years she spent with them... She always hated those dreams.

She sighed, getting dressed in her usual uniform and looking out the window, carton of milk in her hand. She noticed the transports, downed what was left of the milk and tossed the carton in the bin as she moved out. Thankfully she was on one of the lower floors, so a mere half a minute later and she was out of the building. She proceeded inside the correct APC, nodding to the others as she entered.

"Good to see you guys again." She said, moving in. "So, whats this Nanosuit thing? Another one of those "revolutionary" weapons the R&D boys keep talking about?"

Ulrica looked over at Catherine, "Nanosuits are powerful and extremely versatile sets of tactical-combat armor. The muscle fibers can be programmed for a variety of purposes like hardening, muscle augmentation or even active camouflage." She explained, "This leads to drastically enhanced combat and physical performance, allowing the operator to execute superhuman feats. This is permitted through the suits' ability to adapt and absorb energy in a myriad of forms ranging from heat, solar, radiation, static, kinetic, and even carbon. These suits are the pinnacle, and most technologically advanced piece of hardware for an infantry unit." She continued, praising the nanosuit from her past combat experiences.

[Eaglleia]

Called back. From an active mission. For some scientists field testing. Well, perhaps a little more than that, but nevertheless, it wasn't exactly something that pleased. These great "innovations" that they'd been promised could turn out to be useless pieces of scrap for all he knew. Still, it was an order from the command, and not one he could turn down, however much he wished to stay on. 'Tch, they didn't even wait until I was finished.' Still, pulling him out in the middle of a mission, even if it wasn't a crucial game changer or anything, seemed to suggest a lot of importance being placed on this new nanosuit-centric squadron. 'Weren't the previous batch of 'combat suits' notoriously unreliable?' He'd pondered. Leaving something half way done didn't really sit well with him, so he could only hope that these new nanosuits lived up to the importance command was placing on them.

Irkahn nodded at Jessica as she entered, having already greeted Heila beforehand when he'd been picked up. "And the same to you, Captain." It had been quite a while, he noted. Or, well, something that seemed like a while compared to the years they had fought together. It was the truth when he said that, it was good to see Heila and Jessica again and it would be good to see the others again as well once they had all disembarked at their destination. He noted the rather...interesting...collection of people being gathered in the APC's with a glance out the windows. 'Is that a Polpavolan?' He wondered. Curious, that was. Battle-Calonnau were not, in his experience, commonly seen with the regular forces in the Bleeding Cross. Certainly, he doubted they were going to put him (or her, for that matter, he couldn't actually tell) in a nanosuit. Were they being put together for something? He was more than a little apprehensive about working with a high level calonic user like that, though if it was to be, then he'd have to get over it. His curiosity grew as the numbers increased and more and more people were gathered. "Quite a diverse group of people we have here." He noted. "I don't suppose command briefed either of you on anything other than the suits? I did get something vague about a squad too, but no real details beside."

[The Templar High Council]

"Affirmative." Rezz spouted from his nonexistent mouth. The dwarf had probably fallen asleep, the human sounded too emotionless (like himself), and the cyborg interested him. "Inquiry: what caused the cybernetic implants in your body?" He leaned forward, or further hunched over than he was, to listen to the response.

Levy leaned a few degrees backwards, feeling his compensators wire into position. "An accident in my childhood. Explains why I look like this at my age, too - by the way, I'm in my thirties. At this point it may be more accurate to say that I've got biological implants in my hardware," he added with a half-smile. "It does help with my work, though, so I don't mind."

"Affirmative." Rezz sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "How much longer is this trip? I would have arrived yesterday if they simply told me the location."

[Blackwing Coast]

Aetana smiled at the young mercenary. "Hi Chris. I would guess they are taking us to HQ, I have a feeling what this is about." she winced. In the harsh light of day her oath hang over her like an ill omen. "I am Aetana, one of the 'Old Guard'." Let's see how much longer...

Her sour mood evaporated when the first of her old comrades entered the vehicle.
"Hi Killy!" she greeted tailwagging. "Any chance we will get one of your projects to try out?"

Overhearing the conversation between Ulrica and Katherine, she grinned. "Looks like it."

It was fascinating what those her ancestors once called heretics had reached in their ways. They had abandoned Mother Ignaris and created a new type of magic.