Gama OOC [Open] Episode Two in progress

[Ulvenes]

When I went to NDK the Nekomimi ears were like $250. It wouldn't be hard to make Schrodinger's outfit. You could probably just buy a short sleeved Boyscout shirt and some short cargo shorts. You could just buy some normal calf-high socks and paint and color a white stripe around it, the shoes probably wouldn't have to be specific. Tie's and belts aren't exactly expensive either, the hardest part would probably be the emblems on his shoulders and the armband.

[The Grey Wolf]

I'm considering going as Herr Schrodinger for the convention I mentioned.

Pret dropping in to remind you that pictures must be taken, for mankind's sake.

How could I forget?

Although I think "mankind's sake" is just a cover for "your jollies."

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Pret dropping in to remind you that pictures must be taken, for mankind's sake.

How could I forget?

Although I think "mankind's sake" is just a cover for "your jollies."

Nonsense! Pictures of you in such an outfit could improve the world!

[The Grey Wolf]

How could I forget?

Although I think "mankind's sake" is just a cover for "your jollies."

Nonsense! Pictures of you in such an outfit could improve the world!

Nice try, Pret, but I'm not biting.

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Nonsense! Pictures of you in such an outfit could improve the world!

Nice try, Pret, but I'm not biting.

Fucken Nazis. So much for your ethos.

[Ulvenes]

Fucken Nazis. So much for your ethos.

Wolfy is closer to a Black Shirt than a Nazi.

[Occupied Deutschland]

When I went to NDK the Nekomimi ears were like $250. It wouldn't be hard to make Schrodinger's outfit. You could probably just buy a short sleeved Boyscout shirt and some short cargo shorts. You could just buy some normal calf-high socks and paint and color a white stripe around it, the shoes probably wouldn't have to be specific. Tie's and belts aren't exactly expensive either, the hardest part would probably be the emblems on his shoulders and the armband.

The swastika armband would probably be easy to find, plenty of folks wanting such things for costume/reenactment. The shoulder tabs would undoubtedly be hard to find, Wolf would probably have to make them himself.

[The Grey Wolf]

Fucken Nazis. So much for your ethos.

Wolfy is closer to a Black Shirt than a Nazi.

Wolfy is a majestic fucking eagle.

When I went to NDK the Nekomimi ears were like $250. It wouldn't be hard to make Schrodinger's outfit. You could probably just buy a short sleeved Boyscout shirt and some short cargo shorts. You could just buy some normal calf-high socks and paint and color a white stripe around it, the shoes probably wouldn't have to be specific. Tie's and belts aren't exactly expensive either, the hardest part would probably be the emblems on his shoulders and the armband.

The swastika armband would probably be easy to find, plenty of folks wanting such things for costume/reenactment. The shoulder tabs would undoubtedly be hard to find, Wolf would probably have to make them himself.

I think they'd probably come with the costume.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Wolfy is a majestic fucking eagle.

The swastika armband would probably be easy to find, plenty of folks wanting such things for costume/reenactment. The shoulder tabs would undoubtedly be hard to find, Wolf would probably have to make them himself.

I think they'd probably come with the costume.

Oh...Yeah, they probably would.
Damn kids these days with ready-made costumes. Back in MY day if we wanted SS rank insignia from Nazi catboys we had to take it off of them when they were captured.

[Ulvenes]

Wolfy claims to be a Germanophile yet most everything he does is Italian-based Such a silly Wolfy.

[The Grey Wolf]

Wolfy is a majestic fucking eagle.


I think they'd probably come with the costume.

Oh...Yeah, they probably would.
Damn kids these days with ready-made costumes. Back in MY day if we wanted SS rank insignia from Nazi catboys we had to take it off of them when they were captured.

Sod off, Patton, I have a Gothic Line to defend.

Wolfy claims to be a Germanophile yet most everything he does is Italian-based Such a silly Wolfy.

Nordicist would be a more accurate term.

[Ulvenes]

Ja, Nordic master race~

[The Grey Wolf]

Ja, Nordic master race~

Finest railroads in the world.

[Imperialisium]

Back...again. Now that I'm caught up with my ther role plays and the one in development is going full steam ahead. I can finally devote to this again.

[Firsthome]

First, it should be noted the GHOST operatives left the range after they each were knocked out, same as our people.

>.< I'm sorry. I'm rattled because of I'm behind in school with 1 day left to get 2 papers in

[Xing]

Nationstates Name: Camicon
Character Name: Maria 'Ava' Avari
Character Age: 19
Character Image
Character Nationality: Canadian

Character Skills: Ava greatest strength lies in her expertise with a wide variety of martial arts, including Western-style boxing, Muay Thai, Hapkido, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While Ava is more likely to block or absorb a blow than try to avoid it, due to here having a larger frame than most other women (and some men), she still possess great fluidity and grace in her movements. She is also proficient with a select number of firearms, specifically with battle rifles (fulfilling the role of designated marksman) and sub-machine guns (when taking point). Ava also has a limited amount of theoretical knowledge and technical expertise regarding the Directed Proton Cannons her VALK is equipped with.

Character VALK: PTS-43 'Catamount' - the PTS-43 'Catamount' was designed to be a front-line brawler that was effective in all environments. While not the largest VALK around, the 'Catamount' possesses considerable grappling ability, owing to it's reverse-joint legs which allow it to achieve a lower centre of gravity than it's overall size would suggest. It also sports three large claws which protrude from above it's hands, which are ideal for puncturing and tearing away armour. The two forearm-mounted 150mm cannons can be loaded with High-Explosive Armour-Piercing (HEAP) rounds, or Anti-Personnel (ANP) rounds (the latter essentially being VALK-sized shells filled with double-ought buckshot), allowing the Catamount to engage armoured and unarmoured targets with equal efficiency. The signature weapon of the Catamount are it's two shoulder-mounted Directed Proton Cannon's (DPC's), being exactly as the name implies: the DPC fires a compressed stream of protons, dealing both kinetic and thermal damage to it's target in equal measure. Though dealing damage over a smaller area than an autocannon of equal size, DPC's have the potential to cause uncontrolled feedback through a VALK's more delicate electrical systems, temporarily disrupting everything from damage sensors, to radar, to targeting programs. While it's limited compliment of weapons does provide the Catamount with a significant degree of mobility, and the twin DPC's alleviate the risk posed by ammunition shortages, the Catamount does risk becoming unbearably hot within the cockpit during extended bouts of combat. A trio of plasma vents in the front and back of the main torso can be used bleed some of that heat into the surrounding environment, though use it not recommended while the Catamount is in motion, or the torso armour risks severe damage.

Character Bio: Maria 'Ava' Avari is the daughter of Clarissa and Maxwell Avari, both ardent (and wealthy) supporters of Proteus. Having been genetically screen while in her mother's womb, Ava was selected before birth to become a Proteus VALK pilot, a reward to bestow honour upon her parents for their contributions to the organization. Her nanite augmentations began at age three, though it wasn't until the age of five that she was taken for formal training practices, along with roughly one hundred other children; some were like her, with parents in Proteus, and others were prospective GAMA recruits, the victims of opportunistic kidnapping.

Proteus training practices for their child soldiers include a strict regimen of diet, education, and physical activity. Ages five to ten are focused primarily on building a foundational knowledge of science and mathematics, and improving balance, agility, and other reflex-related abilities. Ages eleven to thirteen centre on further scientific and mathematical knowledge specific to VALK creation, operation, and maintenance, as well as endurance training. Age fourteen to eighteen is spent intensively training students in a variety of physical disciplines, generally with a secondary focus on muscle-bulking and intellectual pursuits being a tertiary concern. Students also enter active service, occasionally running on sorties with graduated VALK pilots; the frequency of these outings increase as students approach eighteen years of age, at which point they graduated from the Proteus training program. And, of course, throughout the whole process the children are indoctrinated into the cult-like belief system which Proteus operates by. Every day begins and ends with prayers to the Arch-Chaplain, and strict adherence to an orally recorded, notoriously amorphous Code of Life is expected in all aspects of their lives.

While each Proteus chapter is coordinated centrally by the Arch-Chaplain, the day-to-day functions of a chapter is left up to the discretion of it's Senior Chaplain, and are carried out by Junior Chaplains. While physical training tends to be uniform across all chapters, the education a child receives may vary greatly in their later years, depending on what sorts of VALK's the chapter utilizes, and what sorts of research and development projects it is currently undertaking. Interpretation of Proteus' Code of Life, and disciplinary consequences for breaking the code, are also highly specific to the Senior Chaplain of a chapter, and the frequency and severity with which disciplinary action is taken is individual to each Junior Chaplain. The chapter in which Ava was raised tended towards more archaic forms of punishment. The favourite method of one particular Junior Chaplain was crucifixion; once a form of execution, the nanite augmentations each child received made the experience less lethal and more torturous, though it still occasionally resulted in fatalities.

At the age of eighteen, after becoming a fully-fledged Falcon (the name given to Proteus pilots, taken from the Dutch meaning of "valk"), with Ava was assigned to lead low-risk sorties consisting of pilots-in-training, or Fledglings. On the second sortie she was given, Ava led her squad to desert Proteus; they were subsequently hunted down and eliminated, Ava being the only survivor. She spent the next year wandering through various Asian provinces, avoiding the occasional Proteus hunter, and launching attacks of opportunity where available. Her VALK was finally felled outside of Ho Chi Minh City, with residents of a small human enclave there contacting GAMA after recovering and stabilizing her. Ava was subsequently recruited into GAMA's Asian theatre of operations, quickly being transferred to Ramstein a month after recovering from her injuries, due to inter-personal conflicts with the pilots stationed there.

RP Sample: You know me Mon, but here you go anyways: something new.
Theme Song: Metric - Blindness (acoustic)

My only real question about this app is the DPCs. How exactly do they function? is it like single shot cannon round, rapid fire smaller damage, or like constant laser type weapon?

[Camicon]

*snip*

My only real question about this app is the DPCs. How exactly do they function? is it like single shot cannon round, rapid fire smaller damage, or like constant laser type weapon?

Single cannon shot. Think Battletech (Mechwarrior) PPC's. Basically that, except I didn't want to completely rip them off. They're comparable to a 200-ish caliber auto-cannon, with the potential (low if fully armoured, increasingly likely as the target becomes structurally compromised) to introduce interference into any electronic systems the target is loaded with. Rather than ammo being the limiting factor, it's heat build-up.

[Monfrox]

Nationstates Name: Camicon
Character Name: Maria 'Ava' Avari
Character Age: 19
Character Image
Character Nationality: Canadian

Character Skills: Ava greatest strength lies in her expertise with a wide variety of martial arts, including Western-style boxing, Muay Thai, Hapkido, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While Ava is more likely to block or absorb a blow than try to avoid it, due to here having a larger frame than most other women (and some men), she still possess great fluidity and grace in her movements. She is also proficient with a select number of firearms, specifically with battle rifles (fulfilling the role of designated marksman) and sub-machine guns (when taking point). Ava also has a limited amount of theoretical knowledge and technical expertise regarding the Directed Proton Cannons her VALK is equipped with.

Character VALK: PTS-43 'Catamount' - the PTS-43 'Catamount' was designed to be a front-line brawler that was effective in all environments. While not the largest VALK around, the 'Catamount' possesses considerable grappling ability, owing to it's reverse-joint legs which allow it to achieve a lower centre of gravity than it's overall size would suggest. It also sports three large claws which protrude from above it's hands, which are ideal for puncturing and tearing away armour. The two forearm-mounted 150mm cannons can be loaded with High-Explosive Armour-Piercing (HEAP) rounds, or Anti-Personnel (ANP) rounds (the latter essentially being VALK-sized shells filled with double-ought buckshot), allowing the Catamount to engage armoured and unarmoured targets with equal efficiency. The signature weapon of the Catamount are it's two shoulder-mounted Directed Proton Cannon's (DPC's), being exactly as the name implies: the DPC fires a compressed stream of protons, dealing both kinetic and thermal damage to it's target in equal measure. Though dealing damage over a smaller area than an autocannon of equal size, DPC's have the potential to cause uncontrolled feedback through a VALK's more delicate electrical systems, temporarily disrupting everything from damage sensors, to radar, to targeting programs. While it's limited compliment of weapons does provide the Catamount with a significant degree of mobility, and the twin DPC's alleviate the risk posed by ammunition shortages, the Catamount does risk becoming unbearably hot within the cockpit during extended bouts of combat. A trio of plasma vents in the front and back of the main torso can be used bleed some of that heat into the surrounding environment, though use it not recommended while the Catamount is in motion, or the torso armour risks severe damage.

Character Bio: Maria 'Ava' Avari is the daughter of Clarissa and Maxwell Avari, both ardent (and wealthy) supporters of Proteus. Having been genetically screen while in her mother's womb, Ava was selected before birth to become a Proteus VALK pilot, a reward to bestow honour upon her parents for their contributions to the organization. Her nanite augmentations began at age three, though it wasn't until the age of five that she was taken for formal training practices, along with roughly one hundred other children; some were like her, with parents in Proteus, and others were prospective GAMA recruits, the victims of opportunistic kidnapping.

Proteus training practices for their child soldiers include a strict regimen of diet, education, and physical activity. Ages five to ten are focused primarily on building a foundational knowledge of science and mathematics, and improving balance, agility, and other reflex-related abilities. Ages eleven to thirteen centre on further scientific and mathematical knowledge specific to VALK creation, operation, and maintenance, as well as endurance training. Age fourteen to eighteen is spent intensively training students in a variety of physical disciplines, generally with a secondary focus on muscle-bulking and intellectual pursuits being a tertiary concern. Students also enter active service, occasionally running on sorties with graduated VALK pilots; the frequency of these outings increase as students approach eighteen years of age, at which point they graduated from the Proteus training program. And, of course, throughout the whole process the children are indoctrinated into the cult-like belief system which Proteus operates by. Every day begins and ends with prayers to the Arch-Chaplain, and strict adherence to an orally recorded, notoriously amorphous Code of Life is expected in all aspects of their lives.

While each Proteus chapter is coordinated centrally by the Arch-Chaplain, the day-to-day functions of a chapter is left up to the discretion of it's Senior Chaplain, and are carried out by Junior Chaplains. While physical training tends to be uniform across all chapters, the education a child receives may vary greatly in their later years, depending on what sorts of VALK's the chapter utilizes, and what sorts of research and development projects it is currently undertaking. Interpretation of Proteus' Code of Life, and disciplinary consequences for breaking the code, are also highly specific to the Senior Chaplain of a chapter, and the frequency and severity with which disciplinary action is taken is individual to each Junior Chaplain. The chapter in which Ava was raised tended towards more archaic forms of punishment. The favourite method of one particular Junior Chaplain was crucifixion; once a form of execution, the nanite augmentations each child received made the experience less lethal and more torturous, though it still occasionally resulted in fatalities.

At the age of eighteen, after becoming a fully-fledged Falcon (the name given to Proteus pilots, taken from the Dutch meaning of "valk"), with Ava was assigned to lead low-risk sorties consisting of pilots-in-training, or Fledglings. On the second sortie she was given, Ava led her squad to desert Proteus; they were subsequently hunted down and eliminated, Ava being the only survivor. She spent the next year wandering through various Asian provinces, avoiding the occasional Proteus hunter, and launching attacks of opportunity where available. Her VALK was finally felled outside of Ho Chi Minh City, with residents of a small human enclave there contacting GAMA after recovering and stabilizing her. Ava was subsequently recruited into GAMA's Asian theatre of operations, quickly being transferred to Ramstein a month after recovering from her injuries, due to inter-personal conflicts with the pilots stationed there.

RP Sample: You know me Mon, but here you go anyways: something new.
Theme Song: Metric - Blindness (acoustic)

With our blessings, I deem this application to be accepted.

Transfer in via plane or truck or however you want. Please don't break anything on your way in, though.

[Xing]

My only real question about this app is the DPCs. How exactly do they function? is it like single shot cannon round, rapid fire smaller damage, or like constant laser type weapon?

Single cannon shot. Think Battletech (Mechwarrior) PPC's. Basically that, except I didn't want to completely rip them off. They're comparable to a 200-ish caliber auto-cannon, with the potential (low if fully armoured, increasingly likely as the target becomes structurally compromised) to introduce interference into any electronic systems the target is loaded with. Rather than ammo being the limiting factor, it's heat build-up.

I gotcha and that should be fine by me. So as far as I'm concerned everything looks ok on your app for me, and as far as I'm aware Mon didn't really have much of a problem either. So I'm giving the app my stamp of approval. I'll put it on the first page of the OOC.

[The Grey Wolf]

Nationstates Name: Camicon
Character Name: Maria 'Ava' Avari
Character Age: 19
Character Image
Character Nationality: Canadian

Character Skills: Ava greatest strength lies in her expertise with a wide variety of martial arts, including Western-style boxing, Muay Thai, Hapkido, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While Ava is more likely to block or absorb a blow than try to avoid it, due to here having a larger frame than most other women (and some men), she still possess great fluidity and grace in her movements. She is also proficient with a select number of firearms, specifically with battle rifles (fulfilling the role of designated marksman) and sub-machine guns (when taking point). Ava also has a limited amount of theoretical knowledge and technical expertise regarding the Directed Proton Cannons her VALK is equipped with.

Character VALK: PTS-43 'Catamount' - the PTS-43 'Catamount' was designed to be a front-line brawler that was effective in all environments. While not the largest VALK around, the 'Catamount' possesses considerable grappling ability, owing to it's reverse-joint legs which allow it to achieve a lower centre of gravity than it's overall size would suggest. It also sports three large claws which protrude from above it's hands, which are ideal for puncturing and tearing away armour. The two forearm-mounted 150mm cannons can be loaded with High-Explosive Armour-Piercing (HEAP) rounds, or Anti-Personnel (ANP) rounds (the latter essentially being VALK-sized shells filled with double-ought buckshot), allowing the Catamount to engage armoured and unarmoured targets with equal efficiency. The signature weapon of the Catamount are it's two shoulder-mounted Directed Proton Cannon's (DPC's), being exactly as the name implies: the DPC fires a compressed stream of protons, dealing both kinetic and thermal damage to it's target in equal measure. Though dealing damage over a smaller area than an autocannon of equal size, DPC's have the potential to cause uncontrolled feedback through a VALK's more delicate electrical systems, temporarily disrupting everything from damage sensors, to radar, to targeting programs. While it's limited compliment of weapons does provide the Catamount with a significant degree of mobility, and the twin DPC's alleviate the risk posed by ammunition shortages, the Catamount does risk becoming unbearably hot within the cockpit during extended bouts of combat. A trio of plasma vents in the front and back of the main torso can be used bleed some of that heat into the surrounding environment, though use it not recommended while the Catamount is in motion, or the torso armour risks severe damage.

Character Bio: Maria 'Ava' Avari is the daughter of Clarissa and Maxwell Avari, both ardent (and wealthy) supporters of Proteus. Having been genetically screen while in her mother's womb, Ava was selected before birth to become a Proteus VALK pilot, a reward to bestow honour upon her parents for their contributions to the organization. Her nanite augmentations began at age three, though it wasn't until the age of five that she was taken for formal training practices, along with roughly one hundred other children; some were like her, with parents in Proteus, and others were prospective GAMA recruits, the victims of opportunistic kidnapping.

Proteus training practices for their child soldiers include a strict regimen of diet, education, and physical activity. Ages five to ten are focused primarily on building a foundational knowledge of science and mathematics, and improving balance, agility, and other reflex-related abilities. Ages eleven to thirteen centre on further scientific and mathematical knowledge specific to VALK creation, operation, and maintenance, as well as endurance training. Age fourteen to eighteen is spent intensively training students in a variety of physical disciplines, generally with a secondary focus on muscle-bulking and intellectual pursuits being a tertiary concern. Students also enter active service, occasionally running on sorties with graduated VALK pilots; the frequency of these outings increase as students approach eighteen years of age, at which point they graduated from the Proteus training program. And, of course, throughout the whole process the children are indoctrinated into the cult-like belief system which Proteus operates by. Every day begins and ends with prayers to the Arch-Chaplain, and strict adherence to an orally recorded, notoriously amorphous Code of Life is expected in all aspects of their lives.

While each Proteus chapter is coordinated centrally by the Arch-Chaplain, the day-to-day functions of a chapter is left up to the discretion of it's Senior Chaplain, and are carried out by Junior Chaplains. While physical training tends to be uniform across all chapters, the education a child receives may vary greatly in their later years, depending on what sorts of VALK's the chapter utilizes, and what sorts of research and development projects it is currently undertaking. Interpretation of Proteus' Code of Life, and disciplinary consequences for breaking the code, are also highly specific to the Senior Chaplain of a chapter, and the frequency and severity with which disciplinary action is taken is individual to each Junior Chaplain. The chapter in which Ava was raised tended towards more archaic forms of punishment. The favourite method of one particular Junior Chaplain was crucifixion; once a form of execution, the nanite augmentations each child received made the experience less lethal and more torturous, though it still occasionally resulted in fatalities.

At the age of eighteen, after becoming a fully-fledged Falcon (the name given to Proteus pilots, taken from the Dutch meaning of "valk"), with Ava was assigned to lead low-risk sorties consisting of pilots-in-training, or Fledglings. On the second sortie she was given, Ava led her squad to desert Proteus; they were subsequently hunted down and eliminated, Ava being the only survivor. She spent the next year wandering through various Asian provinces, avoiding the occasional Proteus hunter, and launching attacks of opportunity where available. Her VALK was finally felled outside of Ho Chi Minh City, with residents of a small human enclave there contacting GAMA after recovering and stabilizing her. Ava was subsequently recruited into GAMA's Asian theatre of operations, quickly being transferred to Ramstein a month after recovering from her injuries, due to inter-personal conflicts with the pilots stationed there.

RP Sample: You know me Mon, but here you go anyways: something new.
Theme Song: Metric - Blindness (acoustic)

With our blessings, I deem this application to be accepted.

Transfer in via plane or truck or however you want. Please don't break anything on your way in, though.

ftfy.

You're welcome.

[Monfrox]

With our blessings, I deem this application to be accepted.

Transfer in via plane or truck or however you want. Please don't break anything on your way in, though.

ftfy.

You're welcome.

Shouldn't you be posting?

[The Grey Wolf]

ftfy.

You're welcome.

Shouldn't you be posting?

Believe it or not, I'm working on it.

[Camicon]

PART 1

“Sound the alarms! Get the civilians to the shelters! Move!”

The battered city of New Minh was in a state of pandemonium. Men and women in uniforms ran to man gun emplacements atop a small, twenty-foot concrete perimeter barrier while a handful of others burst onto the roof of a small apartment complex, beginning the long and arduous process of arming a pair of aging flak cannons. All the while, men, women and children ran in droves through the cracked streets, all trying to pile into the underground “bunkers”, really just old subway lines that had been cleared of infected and had thick steel doors installed over the entrances.

“How many are showing?” The voice was that of a grizzled, older gentleman, white hair cropped close to his skull, a series of thick knobbly scars running down across his face. The man leaned against a weathered cane, his gaze scanning the horizon for signs of movement.

“I can’t tell, General. Four, maybe five VALK’s. You thinking Proetus?” This from a fresh-faced youth, who’s jaw looked to have never even heard of a razor, let alone seen one. His eyes flicked about the various screens and monitors sprawled around him, in a panicked manner.

“Probably. We haven’t heard from GAMA in months. Keep calm Lieutenant, and stay alert. We’ve been through worse.”

New Minh had been established by the survivors of the Viet Massacre, and actually incorporated half of Ho Chi Minh City, or Old Minh as the residents called it. Old Minh had been lost to hordes of infected after a Proteus strike there some twenty years ago devastated the population. The residents of New Minh had spent the better part of the last two decades reclaiming the city, block by bloody block, though they had been unable to mount a successful operation in Old Minh’s downtown sector for the last several months. Thankfully, the population of New Minh was too small and too isolated to warrant more than the occasional patrol by Proteus, which could be easily handled by New Minh’s flak batteries. GAMA’s presence in the region also helped draw Proteus’ attention elsewhere, though it now seemed that the situation was changing.

“They should be coming into view soon,” the Lieutenant said shakily, as a drop of perspiration fell from his nose to join a growing puddle on the desk next to his keyboard.

True to the Lieutenant’s words, four Proteus VALK’s burst from the tree line some two-hundred feet away from New Minh’s outer wall: Merlin lance. A salvo of rockets burst from the shoulder pods of Merlin-1, a dark red command-and-control VALK, streaking towards New Minh’s flak batteries. The gunners tried to target the hostiles, but were too slow; fire engulfed the two guns in a series of explosions that reverberated through the ground, sending the burning bodies of those operating them hurtling to the ground below. Machine guns placed along the wall opened fire, but their effect was negligible. Merlin-2, a bright blue CQC VALK wielding an enormous axe, took it’s time eliminating them, throwing great chunks of wall into the city as it battered them with the butt end of its weapon. While Merlin-1 turned back around, no doubt scanning for any GAMA VALK’s that might be approaching, Merlin-3 and Merlin-4, a jack-of-all-trades and direct fire support respectively, went about assembling what looked to be some kind of thermo-nuclear bomb.

“Merlin-1, priming mechanism is syncing with your VALK. Two minutes and counting”

“Copy that Merlin-3. Merlin-2, keep the targets behind their walls. Scare them a little."

The General knew what Proteus was up to; what they were arming was indeed a bomb, but it wasn’t thermos-nuclear. It was actually meant to disperse literal tons of their zombie-creating infectious agent; a cloud of the stuff would hang about New Minh at the ground level for weeks, before dispersing enough that the air could safely be breathed. Even if New Minh possessed air-tight bunkers to protect its citizens, they would be forced to open themselves to the toxic air long before the infectious cloud had dispersed. A few soldiers along the wall, recognizing the Proteus device for what it was, attempted to rappel down New Minh’s walls and escape into the surrounding forest. They were cut down without mercy, as Merlin-2 went about crushing them underfoot, or using its axe to bat them into the sky with bone crushing force.

“Pull all personnel back to the shelters,” the General ordered. He knew it was a futile gesture, but at the very least they could lock themselves below ground, so that when they turned they would pose less of a threat to anyone who came to investigate.

As the General began limping away from the wall, while the Lieutenant scrambled to relay his orders, he saw a flash of green and brown fly through the air. His first thought was that a flock of birds had taken to wing to escape the destruction that would soon be wrought on New Minh, but he immediately dismissed it. The shape was too massive, no living thing could have matched its size. Whirling around so fast that his crisp, olive-drab hat flew off of his head, the General just barely managed to see this impossibly large thing slam into Merlin-2 with Earth shaking force. It was only then that he got his first good look at the thing: a VALK that looked, for everything in the world, like a six-storey tall, tail-less leopard. He could see the marks of battle etched across its metal skin, even as far away as he was. A thick layer of mud and crushed foliage seemed to cover every other inch of the thing, but it still seemed to move with a grace and flow that was so notably absent in the Proteus VALK’s.

“HOSTILE VALK!” A panicked burst of noise from Merlin-2, “GET IT OFF ME!”

The Cat VALK exploited its surprise attack, slamming one of its claw-tipped fists into the left shoulder joint of Merlin-2. The Cat tore the arm from its socket, throwing it off into the trees and then slamming its prey to the ground. The other three Proteus VALK’s, who were only just beginning to react, began moving to intercept their attacker, but not quickly enough; the Cat dashed forward, engaging in a grappling movement with Merlin-4 which had been trying to train its chaingun on the Cat, preventing its comrades from engaging with their own weapons in the process.

As the two VALK’s fought for superior footing, Merlin-1 and Merlin-4 began moving to flanking positions. With a sudden burst of speed, the Cat ducked an elbow strike thrown by Merlin-3, and landed a hit of its own to the left knee joint of the Proteus VALK, collapsing the skeletal structure and sending it crashing to the mud, quickly following up with a series of hammer blows on the shoulder joints of Merlin-3, rendering its arms near useless. Merlin-3 now had no way to prevent itself from being manhandled

“You’re too late you son-of-a-bitch! This bomb will go off!” Merlin-1 screamed over an open channel

Turning to Merlin-1, which appeared to be bracing itself to fire off a salvo of missiles, the Cat trained its two shoulder-mounted cannons at the rocket pods. Pale blue lightning seemed to erupt from the Cat’s cannons, dancing forward in a crackle of electricity, slamming into Merlin-1 with a thunderous crack. Merlin-1 staggered backward a step, seemed to regain its footing, and was then vaporized in a bright yellow flash as its stores of rockets cooked off while still inside their pods. Seeing their lance commander go down, Merlin-4 opened fire with its sniper rifle, sending a shot ricocheting off of the Cat’s shoulder armour. The Cat responded by spinning Merlin-3 around, stabbing it's claws into it's back and using the VALK as a body shield. Merlin-4 paused, trying to line up a shot on its enemy. Unfortunately for both Proteus VALK’s, Merlin-4 waited too long; the Cat threw Merlin-3 forward to the ground, immediately opening fire on Merlin-4 with a pair of massive arm-mounted cannons. The Cat stepped forward, crushing the cockpit of Merlin-3 underfoot as it pumped round after round into the rapidly failing torso of Merlin-4. With a final defiant sputter, Merlin-4 pitched forward into the mud, its cockpit an obliterated, smoking wreck.

The General found himself punching the air, beyond thankful for the intervention of New Minh’s mysterious savior, which made his inability to warn the Cat that Merlin-2 was sneaking up behind it all the more bitter.

“Take this you bastard!”

Merlin-2 slammed its axe squarely into the back of the Cat, which dropped to its knees from the force of the blow. Planting its feet squarely on the ground, Merlin-2 heaved the Cat around by the axe embedded in it, flinging it towards New Minh. The Cat slammed into New Minh’s outer wall, knocking down a large section, sending chunks tumbling through the streets of New Minh. It struggled to right itself and bring its weapons to bear on Merlin-2, but was too slow; striding purposefully forward, the Proteus VALK raised its axe high above its head, and slammed it into the chest of the Cat with blood-thirsty ferocity. At that moment, the Cat seemed to find itself, pulling itself up along the haft of the axe until it was face to face with Merlin-2. Grabbing on to the left-side and right-arm of the Proteus VALK, a great ball of fire burst out of the Cat's chest, as Merlin-2 struggled to escape. Finally it did, but only managed to take two steps before collapsing backwards, the whole front half of the VALK now a melted wreck. The pilot had been cooked alive inside their cockpit.

The Cat managed no better, pitching onto its side with constant streams of sparks flying out of the great gashes in its torso left by Merlin-2’s axe. Soldiers of New Minh ran towards the fallen VALK, each wanting to be the first to thank and congratulate the brave pilot who had saved their city. The cockpit of the Cat VALK split open, though nobody emerged from its depths for a long moment. Finally a figured appeared, staggering out into the sunlight before collapsing into a pile of rubble. Men and women rushed forward in worry, only to recoil in sudden horror at the sight of pilot, who seemed to have been very nearly cleaved in two from left hip to right shoulder. Frantic calls for a doctor began ringing out, as a few sturdy souls attempted to stem the flow of blood from the pilot’s grievous injury with their jackets. The pilot began convulsing, blood bubbling up through her mouth and sputtering down her chin as she tried to form words.

A doctor finally reached the pilot with a crash cart, quickly hoisting the young woman onto it and speeding away to New Minh’s medical barracks where his peers had a prepped OR on stand-by, to treat any injured soldiers. As they burst into the room, the pilot’s hand snatched up the sleeve of the doctor in a brief moment of lucidity. She struggled to find her words, spitting them out through gritted, bloody teeth.

“Not… only...” The doctor leaned down as he tried to break her grip, just close enough to hear her. “Not… the only… one…” The pilot’s head rolled back, unable to speak further. As her vitals began to flat-line, a team of waiting surgeons and nurses sprang into action.

PART 2

Hushed voices in a darkened room.

“I can’t believe she’s not in a coma.” High-pitched. A woman, or young man.

“I can’t believe she’s not dead.” A cynical quip, though sincerely meant.

A third voice, rough and gravelly. Tired. “Didn't you see how quickly her blood clotted? Who knows what kinds of augments Proteus gave her.”

“She really is then? Her uniform?” The first voice again.

“Without a doubt. I’ve already contacted GAMA, they’re on their way.”

“Will she live?”

“If they aren’t late.”

A sigh. Then the second voice spoke again. "About what she said..."

"Delirious rambling," the third voice growled. "There aren't any other VALK's in the area, friendly or otherwise."

A door opening… footsteps of someone leaving.

"We hope. Not like we're in a position to know."

"Shut up and go check on that pilot."

More footsteps. Silence.

PART 3

A small room, utilitarian. A table, hastily placed and with three fold-out chairs surrounding it, occupies the middle of the room. On one side, two men in black suits; on the other, a young woman in hospital scrubs. A video camera sits on the table, facing her.

One of the men begins speaking. "For the record, the date is March the sixteenth, twenty seventy-six. Agents Rath and Bonterra are interviewing Proteus VALK pilot Maria-"

"Don't call me that," the woman in scrubs snapped, sinking back into her chair.

"- Avari," Agent Rath continued without pause. "Don't call you a Proteus pilot or don't use your name?"

"Either," she responded sullenly.

Agent Bonterra sighed. "Do you have a nickname? How about Ava?" She nodded her approval. "Right then, Ava, reports from New Minh say that you attacked a Proteus lance that had targeted the city with a gas bomb. Is that true?" Ava nodded again. "But you're a Proteus pilot. Why attack your own men?"

"They aren't my men. I'm not Proteus."

"You were found wearing their uniform. Your VALK had Proteus markings." Rath objected.

"I stole them." She answered.

"Ms Avari, if you would elaborate then this would all go much more smoothly."

Ava flinched at her last name, but still nodded her assent."Proteus raised me from birth, as a pilot. Like GAMA does. I ran away a little under a year ago, they've been hunting me ever since."

Bonterra spread out his hands in a beckoning gesture, "Why did you run away?" His voice was quizzical.

"Because I saw what they were doing. What we were doing."

"You must be, what, sixteen? Seventeen? Why not run away sooner?"

"Nineteen. We weren't given a choice. We didn't know we could make a choice," She shrugged. "One day, I figured it out. That was my first choice."

Rath shuffled some papers, reviewing them. "The doctors from New Minh, the ones that saved you. They told us that you said 'not the only one' when they were wheeling you into the OR. What did you mean?"

Ava looked down towards the floor. "I wasn't the only one that left Proteus. There were others. They're dead. I wasn't thinking straight when I said that." From her body language, it was clear that she didn't want to talk about. The Agents didn't press the matter.

"When you left Proteus, why didn't you seek out GAMA?" Bonterra asked.

"I don't trust GAMA."

"Why not? You seem to be fighting against Proteus, you saved New Minh from them. GAMA is fighting Proteus too."

Ava glowered. "When your men took me away from New Minh, that was the first time I'd met anyone from GAMA without them trying to kill me. This is the first time I've ever talked to someone from GAMA that isn't a nurse, or doctor, and it's not like Proteus gives its pilots access to unbiased information about its enemies. I don't know you. I don't trust you."

Rath gave another sigh. "Thank you, Ava, that's all we need from you right now. The guards outside will take you back to the medical wing."

Without a word or sideways glance, Ava stood up from the table and left the interview room. Bonterra turned to his companion. After a long minute of thought, he spoke.

"I'm thinking that she's telling us the truth. Aside from the scars and wounds one would expect a pilot to accumulate, they found bed sores - chair sores - whatever. She's been living out of her VALK for a long time."

"Oh, really?" Rath asked with more than a little bit of sarcasm.

Bonterra nodded, seeming not to notice. "About the VALK; our engineers believe they have found signs that indicate combat engagement with no less than seven VALK's. VALK fluids on the claws, signature weapon marks on the armour, things like that. And those arm cannons are also extremely low on ammo. Internal storage space would indicate a full load of around two-hundred shells each. There were less than ten remaining, total. Our techs are estimating that, from the carbon scoring on those laser cannons, they've been fired about two-hundred times since they were serviced last."

"But how do we know she hasn't been fighting GAMA VALK's?"

"We've got no Proteus VALK's in our databases that match that things profile, which means we've never come across it. And the VALK itself hasn't seen maintenance in a long time. There are bullet holes that have rusted to twice their original size, moss growing on horizontal surfaces - hell, I wouldn't be surprised to find a bird nest in their somewhere. Proteus would never let their VALK's go so long without repair or refit."

"Alright, so she's telling the truth. What do we do with that? She was raised by Proteus, she's done only God knows what under their command."

"She also escaped them. Working for Proteus was something she was forced into it, and she chose to be free from them. From what we can tell, she's spent this last year striking back at whatever Proteus patrols she could find." Bonterra paused, then added, "And she didn't come to us, we came to her."

"That matters?"

"It suggests, strongly, that she isn't some kind of attempt at a Proteus mole. You heard her, if she had her way she'd climb back into her VALK and walk out of here without so much as a second look."

"And about what she said, 'not being the only one', that doesn't matter?"

"Our intelligence and patrols of the area have shown nothing to suggest any other Proteus VALK's in the area."

"Just like they didn't pick up her VALK, or that Proteus lance? "Rath snorted derisively. "You sound like you want to recruit her!"

Bonterra frowned at his friend's response. "That's what I'm going to recommend in my report."

"You're insane. There's not a single person in GAMA that would work alongside her."

Bonterra collected the papers from the table, gathering them up in his arms and leaving the room without saying anything further. Rath turned off the camera, and followed.

PART 4

Back in the interview room. Same table, same chairs, same people, same camera.

Agent Rath spoke first, again. "For the record, the date is March the seventeenth, twenty seventy-six. Agents Rath and Bonterra are interviewing Proteus VALK pilot Maria Avari." He cleared his throat. "Ms Avari, we've been authorized by GAMA Command transfer you into the VALKyrie program. We just need you to sign these papers to formalize it, and then we can introduce you to our Valkyries here on base." Rath slid a small stack of papers over the table, placing a pen atop.

Ava made no move to pick up the pen, or read the papers, preferring instead to fix Rath with the most furious look she could muster. The man met her gaze, his composure unyielding. Bonterra interjected himself into their staring contest.

"Ava, you want to fight Proteus. You've spent the last year doing that by yourself, and it nearly killed you. Your VALK was about ready to fall apart, even before it got chopped with an axe. We have facilities to repair your VALK, to rearm it. Places for you to rest and heal in safety. Other pilots to work alongside and hit bigger targets. You and GAMA have a common cause." Ava said nothing.

Losing his patience, Rath broke his silence. "It's really very simple, Ms Avari. You can sign those papers and join GAMA as a Valkyrie, or you can refuse to sign those papers and spend the rest of your life in a prison cell, never to see the light of day again."

Ava's hackles shot up. "I could kill you both, right now, if I wanted to. I could kill the guards outside this room, shoot my way into your hangar, steal a VALK, and leave. If I wanted to, there's nothing you or anyone else could do to stop me. I'm only here because you haven't tried to throw me in a prison yet. If you try, you won't live long enough to realize how truly foolish the attempt was."

A vein in Rath's forehead pulsed dangerously. Before he had a chance to blow his top, Bonterra cut across him. "Ava, we don't want to throw you in prison, but we can't let you go back out there to die. See it from our-"

"I'll do it," Ava interrupted. "I'll join your VALKyrie program." She reached out and began signing the papers that Rath had brought. Though it didn't seem possible, the vein in Agent Rath's forehead seemed to grow even larger. Ava finished signing the papers without further incident, and Bonterra collected them from her.

"Alright," Bonterra said, with a slight smile, "I'll run these over to Commander Ping, and then we'll see about introducing you to the team." Bonterra and Ava left the room, followed by Rath as soon as he had shut off the camera.

This is a one-shot I worked on over the last few days, feel free to read it. It's around 3500 words, the bulk of them coming in the first part. It's mostly dialogue after that.

I'll get an IC post up sometime soon-ish. Tomorrow at the latest.

[The Warriors of the Sun]

Ava seems like a very interesting character! Looking forward to reading your posts in the RP. Particularly her interactions with certain members of the team when they get back from training.

[Xing]

She's definitely going to be an interesting addition to say the least. I also love your writing style, someone with that kind of story telling might be just what gama needs to re-jumpstart the engines and get things thoroughly moving.