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Ellis Arjuna

"Mission...complete..."

0 · 807 views · located in Beyond the Transcendence Rift

a character in “Re-Union: The Expanding World”, as played by SkyCladSaya06

Description

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Name || Ellis Arjuna

Age || 26

Gender || Female

Race || Transcendent

Faction || World of the Sky - Inspection Unit

Role || Ace Pilot 2- 2nd Lieutenant (front)


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Ellis is a young, white haired woman with a pale complexion. She tends to keep her hair down though she does dress neatly despite not using the clothes issued to them, given the nature of their job.

She has a wide array of clothing articles in hand should she need to infiltrate a place. Her most commonly used attire is a white, sleeveless vest, red skirt and boots which allows her enough space to conceal tools and equipment. She sports a black, streamlined piloting suit topped with a gray vest with black accents and a black helmet. On the ground, she has a tendency to not wear her helmet when piloting.



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Ellis has a quiet and serious demeanor stemming from a sheltered, militaristic childhood in the Western Sector; the outer rim for Transcendents. Despite the distance, her mental link with the main headquarters remains strong; resulting in a very obedient soldier that completely follows all the protocols.

She does possess enough intelligence and will to formulate her own tactics on the battlefield but otherwise, she is completely reliant on her orders. She is noted to have a rather narrow vision of things, tending to focus more on the immediate task at hand rather than a long-term vision. Although not very often, people have mentioned that she tends to lose her temper from time to time, particularly when their initial strategy doesn't go as planned.

As Transcendents generally do not feel any emotional impulses, she doesn't feel too conscious about herself, even when blended in with human society where she stands out a bit because of her appearance though not enough for humans to notice she's a Transcendent.



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Machine Spec and Detail || The AXS 04 – Victoria is a high-performance, experimental prototype fielded by the Transcendent forces. Created as a direct competition to the NXZ – 174 Eisenritter that came out earlier, the Victoria boasts significantly improved performance over earlier, mass-produced models. As its cost of production is quite high, only a handful of these units are currently active, with the rest still subject to further research.

Its reaction speed is over two times higher than that of a regular mass-produced model. Sensitive reactors and mechanisms allows for quicker movement, as well as speed and agility. Aside from its regular sensors, additional enhanced detection systems are mounted on the shoulders, increasing both machine and pilot's aptitude for visual recognition. It also houses an integrated shielding system that protects the unit from electronic jamming capabilities.

As a prototype test-bed for future mass-production, the Victoria is equipped with an array of experimental equipment. For ground combat, the Victoria is capable of deploying wheels in order to improve its speed while maintaining good stability. For air and space combat, the Victoria can be equipped with a flight unit with additional thrusters and an independent battery pack.

The main drawback of the unit is its relatively weak weapons with the exception of its swords. Also, its armor, while still rather tough, pales in comparison to most other models. It is for this reason that the Victoria is reserved for specialized operations rather than standard-issue, front-line machines.

Weapons:

Thermal Vibration Swords x2 – A prototype melee weapon, this weapon works by using both heat and vibrating properties in order to pierce through enemy armor. It can be used in either sword or lance configurations depending on the situation.

Electric Strike Needle x2 – Stored on the elbows, the Needle delivers an electric shock at point blank range as soon as the weapon makes contact. While the shock isn't usually strong enough to completely destroy newer generation machines, the electricity is strong enough to kill the pilot inside.

Rocket Anchors x2 – Stored on the hips, the rocket anchors can either be used as weapons or as grappling hooks to aid in scaling high places in the event the flight system is unavailable.

Assault Rifle x1 – Standard, magazine-fed gun issued for most infantry forces, it is added to the Victoria's arsenal in order for it to have a weapon that doesn't draw too much energy from the unit's main reactor.



Abilities outside of the Machine:
Ellis was specially trained in a wide array of disciplines given the nature of the job assigned to her. She has decent marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat ability. Her infiltration abilities are regarded highly as well, having completed several assassination jobs with decent marks.

She tends to have an affinity for using explosives, and does have the knowledge on creating homemade bombs on her own. While proficient in hand-to-hand, she usually wields a knife to increase her efficiency. She also displays knowledge regarding data manipulation and possesses a good memory that helps her when infiltrating bases.



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Ellis was a Transcendent raised on the rougher sides of the Western Sector. Ever since she was young, she was already enrolled to train in a specialized environment in order to make them more adept at the job they are about to engage in. Being based on the outer rim, it was the perfect place to train her without being picked up by any human force.

Towards the end of the war, the Transcendent, which was on the losing side, needed another method to defeat the World Beneath. As the head-on attacks were proving to be inefficient in the face of the newly structured Earth fleet, the Transcendent opted for a more, low-profile approach by infiltrating human society and taking out their command from within. To that end, they decided to start on the Infiltrator program that trains assassins starting at a very young age. This was the program Ellis was raised in. Unfortunately, the program was shut down as the war ended even before the program could be fully implemented.

With nothing else to do, most of the children were sent back to the main homeland but a handful were kept by the authorities to use as scouts for competing with human colonizers. They are to infiltrate and possibly stay within a human outpost in order to collect data which they can use against their enemies. However, due to the elapsed time the missions took, the Infiltrators started developing their own free will, weakening the mental link to the home world with the exception of Ellis who managed to retain a strong link due to being sent on missions that involve destroying bases, thereby eliminating any other link or attachment she may have with the humans.

As these developments were disastrous for Transcendent society, Ellis was used to eliminate these rogues, even her fellow Infiltrators until she was the only one that remained. Her missions were originally restricted to the Northern sector only but, upon recognizing her efficiency, the top brass relocated her to the outer rim as well, eliminating any rogues that are reported to her.

When news got out that a rogue Transcendent managed to slip by and hide within a unit, the main headquarters began sending inspectors to every fleet in order to keep a close eye on any disastrous action. However, since it originated from the Western Sector, getting a hold or even monitoring the progress of the Inspection unit would prove to be difficult so it was decided that rather than a normal inspector, an Infiltrator would be more effective in the task as they are capable of deceiving Transcendents as well. And now, only one remains…





So begins...

Ellis Arjuna's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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"Again?"

From within the confines of her quarters, Ellis woke up after having another dream. A flashback regarding the last time she had to kill another one of her kind. It was the first time she had seen a Transcendent beg for their life. And she had a feeling that it won't be the last. Another mission was given to her. This time, she had to monitor the Inspection Unit under the command of a Graham Ashworth, who also serves as the fleet's inspector.

"Inspection unit?" Ellis asks as she communicates with central command through the communications module in their command center in the outer rim.

"That's right. We have suspicions that a rogue Transcendent has blended within one of our fleets."

"That's impossible, all the other Infiltrators are dead."

"Indeed. You're the last of that project. However, this one is rather...elusive. It is not an Infiltrator, I assure you. Just another one of our kind who had somehow managed to hold ideals which are disastrous to our society. We don't know which fleet he or she managed to sneak into so we've sent a number of Inspectors to monitor the actions of each fleet. The Inspection Unit already has Commander Graham Ashworth to monitor it but, we feel that we'll need someone else. We don't particularly trust this unit. Do you know why?"

Ellis took a deep breath before responding, having already read the details of her new assignment a few days prior. "It's from the outer rim, where the most cases of rogue Transcendents have been reported. I know. I've been stationed there for a while."

"And you've done a good job at keeping our society safe from these disastrous trains of thought. Ellis Arjuna, the last Infiltrator...we'll need you to serve as our eyes and ears on the Trials of Winter. Of course, we'll make the necessary arrangements so that you'll have your own independence, even from Commander Graham or Captain Setoen. You'll be entering as a special envoy that responds to us directly."

"Doesn't it seem ironic, giving me free reign if we're so against this train of thought?" Ellis asked curiously.

"You have the records and credentials for this kind of task. You are the only Infiltrator who didn't turn rogue despite spending a lot of time among the company of humans. I suppose it would be easier now as you'll be with Transcendents instead so if we look at it from this angle, it does make sense. We've sent you a tool to accomplish this mission better and to complete your cover. I hope you find it to your liking."



That exchange occurred over three weeks ago. Her transfer had been successful and she was allowed in the Trials of Winter with no problem. Her cover was a high-ranking officer who was sent by command in order to gather combat data for the development of next-generation machines. As she was a representative from central command, she was given a license allowing her to act independently from the other members of the unit. She's already expected that some of the people aren't too happy about it so she's restricted her movements only to general facilities, her quarters and her spot in the hangar and avoided conversing with others as much as possible as to not draw any attention to herself.

"A scheduled inspection? At this time?" Ellis wondered as she listened attentively to the mutterings of the people working around the clock. She was sitting in the cockpit of the Victoria, one of their latest models when an encrypted message from central command came.

"The fleet was spotted by a human colony called Proud. Infiltrate the colony and erase any evidence of the Inspection Unit's involvement in the station attack. Delete this message after memorizing the details and carry out this mission. Use whatever methods you deem necessary. From what was officially reported, it seems that this unit has plans in engaging the fleet stationed there. Use this as an opportunity to slip in through the chaos and back."

"Mission received." Ellis deleted the message as she was told. As if on cue, Commander Ashworth had just returned from their mission in time for the scheduled inspection.

"Three weeks and still no sign of our rogue. I've investigated most of the other members here except...the main crew under Captain Setoen and the squadron under Commander Ashworth. Is it possible that our rogue...is an officer aboard this ship?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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The cockpit of the Eisenritter was temporarily bathed in darkness before the door slid open, the sound of Transcendent mechanics hustling about and the scene of the two Gungnirs approaching their cages being all that he could see. Pulling the helmet off of his head of golden hair, he climbed out- the others could handle the data that their unit had retrieved. Besides, it had yet to be processed, and on the other hand, High Command would surely want them to handle one other pressing matter at hand- they had been spotted by the security systems of the colony they had visited to retrieve data from. One didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know exactly what they had to do.

"Commander Ashworth." He turned his head to the man that called his name. "Squadron Two is waiting in their barracks. The Captain will be waiting for you there." Giving a quiet nod, he moved away from his machine. "It won't be long," he murmured to himself, glancing back at the white form of the Eisenritter. After his briefing was done, he'd be back, operating the machine to draw out the Organum- the flagship of the humans' expeditionary force. Central Command had warned him of this particular ship- "It had been the very ship to drive us out of the Eastern Sector," they had told him. Graham had to be careful when facing it and its Harbingers.

Shifting his gaze away from the Eisenritter, he straightened himself and proceeded to the barracks.

The walk there wasn't too long. In just a few, he was already looking over the squadron, having looked over their profiles on the way there. So far, they had a newcomer on the ship, his bloodline boasting having raised commanders and generals, and the man himself having many ranks and merits to yap about. The Captain was also there in the barracks, always the stiff-necked man he was, his short temper making him come off as a brash man to Graham. Shifting his attention away, he noticed a special person that had been assigned to them- Ellis Arjuna, a special envoy from Central Command themselves. She was an independent unit in herself, neither in his or Setoen's command.

Graham wasn't very surprised with Central Command's decision to send an Infiltrator to their ranks. The Inspection Unit was born from the outer rim of the Transcendents' society, and it was already known to Central Command that many incidents of rogue Transcendents came from that part of the society. It was for that reason that Graham had been assigned not only main commander but chief inspector. He couldn't have the members of this unit going rogue- though, he had been doubting even himself all the same. After taking a quick look through the squadron again, he cleared his throat, cutting straight to the chase.

"Men, I'm sure you're all aware that, given the nature of our mission, it wouldn't be long until the Earth forces catch wind of our activities. Which brings us to this problem at hand:

The colony Proud managed to spot the Trials of Winter while we were en route to our last mission. If they are to report this to the ruling government, central command will be forced to take action in order to eliminate us and terminate any involvement regarding this matter. And so, we'll have to take the initiative and move quickly in order to prevent that from happening."


One of the newcomers spoke up, his voice almost skeptic. "Commander, how sure are we that the Earth forces will report this to the authorities?" Graham's piercing gaze fixated on him just for a short moment before he returned to staring everyone down.

"The presence of the Organum. I doubt they will mobilize something as powerful as that for minor security detail. Most likely, they're already anticipating an attack on their colony. So, what we're going to do is to distract their forces while a team infiltrates the colony and erases the data. We will center our forces on the Prejudice and the Aegis. Finding Fate and the Trials of Winter will stay behind and guard our escape route. We cannot risk having this flagship seen.

Remember; it is extremely important to make this battle appear as a "misencounter". To do that, you'll need to lure the enemy away from the colony and into the neutral border where it is safe to destroy them. That way, central command will be able to deny and participation in this battle."


He then turned to the strike team to be deployed. "Chances are, the enemy will be expecting us to move in. Arm yourselves accordingly and prepare to engage their forces within the colony. As much as possible, try not to draw too much attention to yourselves. That's all. Dismissed." While most of the pilots had started to leave, he glanced at Ellis again. He had heard of the Infiltrator program- "Could she be...?" It was strange enough that Ellis was neither in his nor Setoen's command. The program to raise assassins at a young age had never been fully implemented due to the ceasefire treaty being signed. Only a few Infiltrators were kept by Central Command to act as scouts. It was their job to infiltrate human outposts and gather or erase data that could be dangerous or beneficial to them. But he had heard that most of the Infiltrators were already dead...

"Arjuna," He called her over, meeting her apathetic blue gaze with his. "Will you be joining the forces who will be holding off the Organum?" Her answer would either cement the fact that she was an Infiltrator, or it would destroy the thought completely.





"Wonder if the newcomers are good pilots..."

Alexander looked up from where he was checking out the weapons he would be bringing into the confrontation. Having heard of the mission details beforehand, he had been thinking of which extra weapons he would be bringing into the battle. While the Forneus's rifles would be enough- with the beam bayonets to support it if it ever came into contact with any close-ranged machines-, he felt like he had to at least bring two more weapons with him. Beam sabers weren't an option due to the bayonets. A sniper rifle, maybe? But he had heard that Ophelia would have already assigned someone to take on a sniper role in the battle. The gatling gun, perhaps. It would be a bit heavy and he would be lugging it around in the weapon binders, but he figured since he would be fighting with spread-shot attacks, it would do more good.

Aside from the gatling gun, he packed a few grenades. Never knew when he would be chucking it at enemies that could latch onto the Forneus.

Once the weapon binders were attached on the white machine, he clambered into the cockpit, the door sliding shut. It only took a moment before the monitors came online, and he had started strapping himself in. He flexed his fingers a bit before grabbing onto the machine's controls. He'd talk to the pilots being deployed along with him later, when they were out of the ship. Now...

"And now, we wait."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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The whole ship was tense upon the arrival of the Commander. Judging from their reactions, Ellis concluded that he probably had a mixed reputation among the Transcendents there. Some think he may be too secretive at what he does. "None of them are probably aware on how much Central command delegates to the shadows..." Indeed, there are several missions, assassinations and plotting that the "Proud and Noble" Transcendents wouldn't ever want to come to light. As the ideal, utopian state, they do have their image to uphold after all.

The commander started to brief their forces, and about time too. Most seem to be getting a little restless. Still, although it didn't concern Ellis directly, she decided to listen in anyway. Who knows, maybe her prey might just slip up. As expected, thanks to their careless maneuvers, the colony managed to spot not only the machines but the main ship as well. To their credit, they really were going to send in their own team to erase the data. As what was written in her mission details.

"Arjuna--Will you be joining the forces who will be holding off the Organum?" That took Ellis aback. She wasn't expecting the inspector to talk to her. Was he suspecting something?

"No. I have my own mission to fulfill." Ellis replied as she walked away from the commotion to prepare for her mission. She wondered about bringing her machine along. Would she run into any battles? If she did, then she take note of it as grounds for accusing the unit for incompetency. They were supposed to act as decoys after all. After giving it some thought, Ellis decided to bring it and hide it somewhere along the colony's blind spot, near a waste disposal block. That way, she can wire it to come to her aid immediately if she needed it.

As the time drew near, Ellis launched in a transport shuttle, taking her machine, a small construction machine used for maintaining the ships and some of the ship's scrap parts. She positioned the shuttle and the machine in the field as planned while she used the construction unit to blend in with the scrap parts that she sent floating towards the direction of the colony. She set the shuttle and her machine to respond via remote commands as backup.

"According to my observations, colonies like these follow strict guidelines with regards to monitoring debris around the colony perimeter. Any cluster that weighs around the same weight as a Harbinger would immediately be taken to a loading bay and inspected to see if there are any salvageable parts. Afterwards, it is just expelled along with the rest. If it's the same weight as the other clusters scheduled to be thrown away, there won't be any more checks after that. Then all I've gotta do is slip out the same way. That leaves me almost an hour to get the job done."

As predicted, the debris cluster Ellis made was immediately brought in to see if there are any parts that can be salvaged. She immediately hid behind the seat compartment and waited for the checks to finish. "Normally, these humans do not know how to operate a Transcendent machine. Even if they are to spot this mobile unit and see that it's not damaged in any way, they won't bother trying to take it apart. They'll probably just do a visual search and move on. This peace has hampered everyone's alertness anyway."

Once the maintenance crew left, Ellis got out of the unit and took off her normal suit, revealing the civilian clothing she's prepared beforehand. Immediately, she took off running towards the worker's exit. "No problem. They'll just think I'm some lost tourist if I'm ever spotted. Now, I just need to get on to the human's network..."

In contrast to the approach their chief inspector decided to use, Ellis figured it would be much easier to try and bypass the human's network than send a full squad to destroy the surveillance units. It would be safer too as she can use the human's network against them from a distant location. She immediately broke in a boarding house of sorts and entered the first room with a computer. "Then again, I only know this due to having gone on several missions of the same nature in the past..." After only a few minutes, she was able to locate points where she could access the surveillance data over a remote connection. Quickly, she began her move.

45 minutes. She'll need to finish up fast.



"Captain...we've detected large heat signatures headed to this direction. The signature doesn't match any of our allied frequencies." The Organum's operator cried out.

"They're already here huh? All hands to your stations. The bridge will now be entering combat mode. Deploy the Harbinger unit. Unless instructed, stay on our side of the border at all times. Is Kotko in position yet?" As orders were relayed and crew started moving double time, the bridge of the Organum lowered to a safer position behind reinforced panels. From that point on, they would have to rely on their cameras and radar for navigation.

"A few minutes ma'am. The stationary high-output sniper is in position. T-100 following soon." The operator reported.

"All right. Have the main Harbinger unit position themselves at our flanks. Right flank is to assist with Proud's security forces. The left flank is to guard and defend this ship. Have the Forneus Mk-II lead the offensive on the left flank."

"Visual report in ten minutes. Two enemy vessels detected." Executive Officer Fang reported in.

"Do you think I'm lucky enough for one of those to be our shadow freighter?" Ophelia casually remarked although she wasn't holding her breath for it.

"I don't think so. These signatures are different from last time." Fang responded.

"Just humor me on this one would you? Anyway--" Ophelia contacts Ren on the allied channel. "Kotko, do not fire immediately lest you give away your position. But if you see any machine on their side cross the border then you may fire a warning shot. If they still refuse to cooperate, then you know what to do."

Having relayed enough instructions to prepare their forces, Ophelia contacts the approaching fleet just in case. The visuals revealed them to be of a different class than the one spotted in the surveillance report but, it is possible that this shadow freighter's hiding around somewhere.

"To the approaching Transcendent fleet: This is Captain Ophelia Rossweisse speaking. You are flying dangerously close to our territorial borders. Come any closer and we'll be forced to open fire under the guidelines outlined in the treaty." Ophelia glanced at the crew, making sure everyone's ready. Things could go south pretty fast.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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As soon as it was announced that Commander Ashworth was on deck, Petya shot up from his bed and stood up straight, dusting off his uniform and double checking his bed to smooth out any wrinkles his sitting might have produced before standing at attention facing the door to the barracks. He had heard stories of the commander, his exploits having made the rounds at the dinner table back home on occasion, and no no-name soldier of the rank and file was ever uttered by an elder Burundukov. Petya had been told that he would be serving that same honorable man, but the reality did not sink in until it was announced that the commander was now on-deck.

This was it, the start of what was sure to be another long and proud military career, and it would all begin with the first set of orders he was to be given by THE Commander Graham Ashworth. Petya could not wait, thinking even now of how his actions would benefit the great Transcendent Fleet and the people they were sworn to protect and serve.

As soon as the flash of those Commander stripes came through the barrack doors, Petya's arm swung up into a textbook salute, his posture impeccable, and his face a proper mix of eager yet restrained. He was every bit the perfect soldier he was raised to be. The Commander was also every bit as majestic as he'd been lead to believe, his golden hair resting dutifully on his uniform, accenting the red that lined his coat. His sharp blue eyes scanned his squad, and subsequently Petya, and his voice was like silk as he began to explain the situation and the mission at hand.

The Tides of Winter had been spotted on their last outing into human controlled space, a very clear violation of the ceasefire that the two warring worlds had signed. Evidence like that had to be erased, one way or the other, and it would be Petya's job, nay, privilege to lure the humans away from their stupid colony and allow the brave and heroic Transcendent soldiers to erase the footage proving their past activities. A simple enough mission to prove to the Commander that he truly had a Burundukov on his squad, and that together they would make a most glorious future for their people and crush the humans that threatened it.

As soon as Petya was dismissed, he immediately double timed it to the hangars to oversee personally that his war machine, a basic but efficient Model-8, was ready to deploy as soon as the word was given. The standard shield and machine gun should be sufficient for what was essentially a mock fire exercise, excessive firepower possibly leading to increased hostility and further endangerment of the mission and his fellow Transcendent. The beam rifle would be mounted to his machine's back, just in case, but things would have to get messy to warrant its use.

He now sat in his cockpit, dutifully awaiting the order to deploy and the chance to bring yet another victory to the inspection unit, Commander Ashworth, and the Transcendent people as a whole. As soon as the order is given, he would deploy and take his place in formation, shield raised and his machine ready to engage the enemy. He could already feel it deep down in his gut that today would be a proud day in the Burundukov line.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna
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It didn't take long for Ren to get into position, Her T-100 running on minimal power, watching the screen in front of her that served as her eyes as she waited for the enemy to make a mistake. She was hidden pretty carefully in the debris field, floating gently along other scrapped Harbinger parts and civilian trash that had been spaced. Her harbinger's arms were locked into position, holding the rifle with a finger on the trigger, the only thing left for Ren to do is line up a target when they got just over that border line and introduce a concentrated pulse of plasma to their precious hull integrity. To make things even easier, she even had a dotted line on her visuals that served as a marker for the border that updated in real time, an added measure to make sure she didn't fire to early she supposed. Probably a good call, given the tricky politics that would be involved in this little tea party they were about to have.

The Aegis was slowly creeping along her radar, and would hit her visuals within a few minutes. A familiar tension hit Ren's gut as she tightened her grip on the controls. It had been too long since the last time she'd been in a cockpit with a real gun in her hands, enemies approaching and the stakes being life or death. She'd forgotten the high of feeling that power in your hands. Knowing you were going to kill, to take, to destroy... It was a feeling known to kings and emperors and it was this feeling which caused so many to have sprang from the battlefield. This had to be how the first man to kill an animal for its meat had to feel. How chieftains had felt when they wiped out a neighboring tribe. How professional warriors raised with a sword in their grip felt when feeling the barbarians flail helplessly against their shields. Ren inhaled slowly and held her breath, savoring the feeling for just a moment before exhaling through her nose, probably making a soft burst of static across friendly channels. She hadn't felt powerful since she was locked up, and she would just be the expendable con again when she docked back onto the Organum so she had to enjoy it while she could.

"Kotko, do not fire immediately lest you give away your position. But if you see any machine on their side cross the border then you may fire a warning shot. If they still refuse to cooperate, then you know what to do," The captain spoke, a smile spreading on Ren's face.

"Roger Dodger, Cap. Scary then bury, weapons hot and ready. Trans ship is in visual and begging for it. Taking aim now," Ren called, obviously enjoying herself as her unit gently shifted to bring The Aegis into scope, but shifted again when enemy mechs appeared on her radar.

"Heads up, I've got visual on enemy units. Looks like cannon fodder, no command insignia or officer marks. Both making a run for the border. Preparing the scary..." Ren said, grinning as she brought one of the enemy units into her sights. Looked like a standard infantry unit, carrying a shield and a close range gun, probably automatic. Cockpit would be in the chest and popping the head would fry everything but radar.

"Captain Rossweisse, this is Lieutenant Commander Faust of the Aegis, and we are experiencing engine difficulties. Rest assured, we will have this under control before we cross your border."

The man sounded like an ass, but Ren kept her mouth shut and watched. The enemy units were quickly approaching the border, and she was ready to scare the shit out of the one with the shield as soon as it put a toe over the no-no line.

"Of course, we can't help but notice you've a small armada aimed at us, and under the guidelines of the same aforementioned treaty, any vessel under hostile fire within neutral or allied territory is permitted to defensively retaliate in kind."

"Now see, hearing shit like that makes me think they kind of want us to shoot them. Anyone else? Just me?" Ren said, just before opening a direct line to the captain.

"I've been on the giving end of enough ambushes to know one when I see one. Either they're really trying to jump start that whole war thing, or they really want us to look at their ship while they flank us or something, not that I'm calling that Faust asshole a liar or anything. This just feels... weird," Ren said, an alarm going off in her cockpit just as soon as one of the enemy mechs crossed the border. With barely a twitch of her finger, her rifle fired and a blast of concentrated pink energy went screaming through the void of space, getting close enough to the enemy unit to ruin its paint job but no actual structural damage. The unit froze in place, still on the wrong side of the line but Ren decided that immediately firing again might escalate things beyond what the captain wanted.

"Warning shot fired. Moving position now to keep enemy guessing. I know I'm not in any sort of leadership role out here or anything but, I say let's call their bluff and open fire on the fucking ship when it enters our space. Let Faust prove he isn't a filthy filthy... SHIT!" Ren shouted, a blast from a beam rifle hitting a clump of trash near where her Harbinger had been a moment ago when it had fired the warning shot.

"Tranny has returned fire, I repeat, Tranny has returned fire. Firing at last known position, still invisible. I'd like it noted that beam rifles are not standard engine field repair equipment, copy," Ren said, smirking as she lined up the idiot back into her sights. Didn't matter where this asshole was at now... it just fired at a human owned vessel while in human controlled space. His life was forfeit...

-=-

Words could not describe how elated Petya felt at finally being in the cockpit of one of the Transcendent's finest infantry units, officially deployed, and on a mission of utmost urgency. He was bestowed the prestige of being one of the units designated to baiting the enemy into attacking, under the guise that he was attempting to stop the mighty Aegis from crossing into Human controlled space. His Model-8 had it's shield ready but kept its weapon lowered, following instructions and simply stayed in formation with the ship until the Human Armada was in visual. As soon as it was, he would do as the captain instructed, and venture out into human controlled space in order to begin slowing down the ship to keep it from entering human space.

The humans, those filthy impulsive piles of nerves and impulses, would fire on him as soon as he was in range, and then the captain's brilliant plan would come to fruition. Such a brief cross of the border would be hard to prove, but damaged hardware would not be.

As soon as the captain gave the word, Petya surged forward in his mech, feeling a sense of exhilaration as he approached that forbidden human border, but the feeling was cut short when a round of sniper fire filled his visuals and nearly punched a hole through his mech's head. In panic, Petya came to a complete stop and began scanning the area for where the blast had come from. Seeing as this was space, there was only so much available cover in an endless void of nothingness, but the debris field that orbited the colony immediately caught his attention. It was the most logical choice for a sniper to hide. For the sake of his unit, he had to flush that enemy out or it would jeopardize the entire operation.

"Enemy in the debris! Enemy in the debris! Moving to intercept!" Petya declared, too caught up in the moment of battle to realize that the enemy unit was still in human owned space, and had every right to hide in there so long as it did no damage to the Transcendent fleet.

Petya switched out his sub-machine gun for the standard issue beam rifle his unit was renowned for, and began opening fire on where the blast had come from.

"I repeat, enemy in the debris!" Petya cried, his unit's fingers still pulling the trigger but only produced a silent clicking of an empty click, the iconic noise lost in the vacuum of space.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko
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The moment was tense. Within a few minutes upon contact, the approaching ships transmitted back, informing them of supposed engine problems. However--

"Of course, we can't help but notice you've a small armada aimed at us, and under the guidelines of the same aforementioned treaty, any vessel under hostile fire within neutral or allied territory is permitted to defensively retaliate in kind."

"Of course. However, at this point, you're not the ones who're at liberty to make such claims. A large portion of the surrounding area around Proud may be neutral however--as far as international jurisdictions are concerned, your nearest settlements are quite far from this point. Kind of weird what a fleet such as yours is doing far from home. Or your immediate outposts for that matter."

While she's already expecting a fight to break out, she had hoped that her knowledge of the laws would be tempting enough to make any hostile force think twice. Yet, she wasn't counting on it. Especially with the Transcendent. A few more moments pass and then--

BAAAAAMMMM!!!!

Ren fired her warning shot which obviously meant that one of the machines clearly crossed the line. The enemy wasn't taking it lying down and opened fire as well. Not too surprising anymore. Everyone's practically waiting for this at this point.

"As I expected. Kotko, continue engaging the enemy from long range but make sure you keep your battle records intact and ready for playback. We'll be able to present this as evidence at the tribunal. Organum will open fire as well. Anti-air, start your barrage!" Ophelia issued orders left and right, overseeing the field of battle while the gun ports of the ship started to blaze, lighting up the dark space.

"No need to hold back on ammo! If either this ship or the colony is sunk, it's all over! Continue to blanket the enemy with fire. Rear guard, cover us!"

"Enemy formation detected! They're headed towards our position, should we have the advance fleet pull back?"

"No, that's what the enemy's trying to do. Extend the right flank's battle line! Intercept the incoming machines." After giving that order, Ophelia immediately called in the left flank. "Alexander, take a squadron with you and try to break through the enemy's flank! Kotko, once you run out of long range capability, retreat and assist our extended battle line on our right. Make sure nothing hits the colony!"

The situation's been pretty typical for the most part. However, a shadow of doubt hangs over Ophelia's mind. If the battle were to turn into one of attrition, they would get the upper hand. Yet the Transcendent's still attempted an attack anyway. "Either they have a trick up their sleeve or whatever they did down at that station is too important for us to find out..."

"Fang!" Ophelia calls over her XO.

"Yes ma'am?"

"What is the status of our Charged Particle Cannon?"



"It's started..." Ellis took notice as she worked on hacking into the surveillance data on one of the security firms stationed on Proud. "The thing with these humans is their love for competition. Multiple security firms on one colony? They mask it under benefits like variety but, it is all just a mad race for profit on their part by using necessities. None of these firms care about each other that they'll be willing to dispatch a team to aid another that's been hacked." A few more minutes pass. Finally, the receiver on her device clicked, informing her that her mission's successful. Quickly, she unplugged the device and headed out her prepared escape route.

"Maybe I could have been more careful..." Ellis glanced at the trail of dead employees she left in the room before running out.

In accordance with her plan, Ellis returned to the waste collection and disposal area to sneak out through the worker pod she used to get in. Normally, humans don't bother with Transcendent machines as they find the technology difficult to comprehend but--

"It's not here?! Don't tell me--!" Ellis immediately ducked in the shadows as she heard some guards storm in. Her plans were compromised. She never considered the humans would actually salvage her worker pod. "Fine!" Ellis took out her remote to activate the Victoria and transmitted the coordinates where she would rendezvous with the machine. She would have to pilot her way out of this place.

"I guess I can never be too lax around these humans...Now, how do I slip past these people?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen Character Portrait: Emilie Renard
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"The left! They're - more Transcendent forces on the left side!"

"I know...Fang, could that be--?" Reinforcements in the form of two warship should damper spirits a little. Yet, it wasn't the scale or numbers that Ophelia caught notice of. What caught her eye was one of the ship that chose to reveal itself.

"Yes. The one from the initial image we received..." Fang answered back, keeping a close eye on the movement of the enemy fleet.

"So this is our shadow freighter...As much as I want to sink it down, this one ship against four of them aren't exactly favorable conditions to fight in..."

"But, we can't ignore the possibility these machines would attack Proud if we retreat. For a supposed misunderstanding, they seem awfully eager to destroy us in our own sector. Is this a possible declaration of war?"

"We won't know unless there's an official statement from the mainland. At any rate, I don't plan on retreating here... Have Alexander's group pull back! Intercept the enemy machines and destroy them before they get a shot at this ship! Organum will accelerate and pull back!" Ophelia issues new commands, though the nature of the commands made Fang feel a little uncomfortable.

"Ma'am, surely you don't intend to use the colony as a shield do you?" Fang protests.

"Oh, I'm going to use the colony. Just, not as a shield." Fang looked at Ophelia in surprise who, in turn, just gave her a small nod. "Set the Charged Particle Cannon's firing sequence! Target: The two advance ships!"

"We're not going to be able to turn in time! If we stop now, they're going to sink us!"

"No, we're not going to stop! Ready the port side Rocket Anchors! Increase our speed and charge! Fang, I need you to man the cannon's firing mechanism."

"Are you sure about this?" Fang asked, much more calmer now.

"Doing this, we take out at least half of their overall combat capability. Most likely, they were just sent in to buy time for them to hinder our own extraction team. In the first place, the two ships earlier are the main reason why this battle broke out. Take them out and the Transcendent will lose their reason for being here."

"Got it!"

The Organum moved on to the edge of the colony at speeds impressive enough for a ship its size. Concentrating their shields at the rear, the incoming enemies were intercepted by both the guard forces and the Organum's own anti-air fire. Inside, the crew were on the edge of their seats. Timing would be very critical at this point. No sooner than three minutes, they had reached their target destination.

"Anchors fire!" The ship launched its port side anchors, embedding themselves in the colony bedrock. Without reducing their speed, the Organum used the colony as a pivot in order to immediately do a quick turn, emerging from the back of the colony. The Organum ascended as it released its anchors and prepared to fire its guns.

"Captain, what if it doesn't work?" Their young operator implored, panic rising to her throat.

"Then we can all complain to Ren Huifang in heaven! Tell all allies to steer clear of the line of fire! Fang!"

"Sights set! Charged Particle Cannon--" The guns underneath the wings started to glow an eerie red, giving off intense amounts of energy and heat as it set its sights on the Prejudice and Aegis. As soon as their allies are out of the way, Ophelia quietly gives the order. "--Fire!!!" With that, Fang pulled the trigger and the Organum fired off two intense beams of a large diameter, headed straight for the two approaching Transcendent craft, vaporizing anything in the way.



"What?!" Ellis was shaken a little as she felt the shock of the high-caliber beams from within the colony interior. "The situation's looking bad... I'll need to get out..."

"Hey, hold it!" A roving guard managed to spot Ellis and she quickly ran while he called for the security personnel to arrive. They chased after her into the disposal area, armed with assault rifles. "It's okay." They thought. It's just one intruder.

However, upon arriving at the disposal block, what greeted them was not the white silhouette of the girl they were chasing after but rather, the brilliant sheen of a war machine clearly not from this world. The machine's blue eyes let out an eerie glow as it turned its back on the men to make its escape in the vast open space.

Along the way, Ellis passed by fresh debris from the ongoing battle. Most of the machines had been shredded, making it hard to tell which of them were once theirs. However, her visuals soon focused on two rather large objects on her radar.

"Aegis and Prejudice?! What happened--Is anyone there?!" Ellis tried making contact but the ships were unresponsive. Could it be that their forces were overrun? The mighty Inspection unit beaten by only one ship and a bunch of low-quality machines? Before she can wallow in this scenario, Ellis' radar revealed two large allied signatures that had entered enemy territory.

"Finding Fate and the Trials of Winter? Weren't they supposed to stay back? Besides--damn it!" Ellis immediately opened a direct channel to both Captain Setoen and the Inspector Ashworth. "Infiltration mission successful. This battle had already turned to one of attrition in which we clearly are at a disadvantage. I propose a retreat. As we are intruding upon their territory, they have a much better chance of acquiring reinforcements than we have. It is possible that more humans are en route here as we speak. This is an order. Know that to defy me means to defy central HQ."

After giving that general order, Ellis gave the two men a sharp glare. "Commander, I expected you to have a better grasp of the situation and full knowledge of the enemy's capabilities prior to the start of this operation." Ellis referred to the machines they lost. Turning to Captain Setoen, she continued. "As far as I was aware, the flagship was to stay behind lest the enemy recognizes the ship and use it as a case for the dissolution of this unit. I suppose simple orders to stay put were too much for your old mindset to follow." With that last remark, Ellis cut off communications. Still, she was able to confirm one thing:

"Failing to follow through a strategy...Apparent displays for disruptive behavior...Opinions differing from the cultural norm...Dominant qualities of rogues. I'll need more decisive evidence but for now, it seems Captain Setoen is the rogue we are looking for..."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko
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"Thank you, sir! Advancing on the enemy units to bring victory to the fleet!"

As of the moment, Graham couldn't focus on the pilot's words. The white machine was opening fire on him, and it had reared back only to take a squadron with it and try to break their formation. Graham gritted his teeth and stopped firing as the machines neared- the Eisenritter's hand shot up to its left pauldron and drew the Nexus Beam Saber from its shoulder, activating it as a human Harbinger was immolated by the whip-like slash of the blade. "Stand your ground! They're trying to break our formation!" He roared to the other machines in the Transcendent fleet. He backed away from the white machine as the Zweireiter advanced in front of him to intercept. Graham noticed the Model 8 also start to fire at the veteran machine, causing it to draw back.

However...he watched, dumbfounded as a volley of beams started firing.

"What the hell?! The Trials of Winter was supposed to be keeping itself hidden--!" Graham resisted the urge to punch his monitors and instead focused on trying to break the squadron that the white machine had brought with him. Speaking of which, he noticed that the machine was drawing back, and the Organum was moving. "What are they doing...? Could they be using the colony as a shield--?" He mused to himself, and realized that they were pushing the squadron to the defensive. At least, that's what Graham thought. "You're not getting away!" The Eisenritter lurched forward, the Nexus Beam Saber's blue glow shining in its hand as it pursued the white machine.

He was surprised as the white machine raised one of its rifles and emanated a pink beam saber to block his. The added voltage of the Nexus was stronger, but the Harbinger drew back before it could be destroyed, and the tip of the Nexus Beam Saber scratched the surface of its shoulders instead. Suddenly, one of the Gungnir pilots cried out into his comms. "Sir! The Organum-- i-it's--! AHHH!!!" The Harbinger escaped his grasp before Graham was shaken by the Zweireiter grabbing onto the Eisenritter and pushing it back- just in time for Graham to see humongous red beams tear through their defenses. The beams nearly seemed to swallow both the Aegis and the Prejudice, and when it cleared Graham could see that both warships were damaged heavily.

"Impossible...that weapon nearly vaporized both our ships...tch--!" "Sir, are you alright?" "I'm fine, Rivaile." Graham pushed away from the Zweireiter just as a familiar voice came onto his comms.
"Infiltration mission successful. This battle had already turned to one of attrition in which we clearly are at a disadvantage. I propose a retreat. As we are intruding upon their territory, they have a much better chance of acquiring reinforcements than we have. It is possible that more humans are en route here as we speak. This is an order. Know that to defy me means to defy central HQ."
It was Arjuna. Hearing her last words made Graham grip his controls, and before he could speak out, it seemed that the Infiltrator had other words for him as well. "Commander, I expected you to have a better grasp of the situation and full knowledge of the enemy's capabilities prior to the start of this operation." He could hear the disappointment and annoyance in her voice, but Graham swallowed his pride. It didn't mean he was any less annoyed than her though. She had other words for the Captain as well, but Graham wouldn't hear them- he turned to the remaining machines. "The infiltration mission was successful. Let's get out of here before we lose any more men." He ordered, voice grim. The Zweireiter's head turned to his for a moment but he wouldn't notice it- he had already started to withdraw. "Rivaile! Tell the other strike team to retreat!" "Got it. You heard him! Get out of there!" The Zweireiter lagged a bit to ensure that the machines were retreating before following suit.

They may have finished the mission but they had lost two great ships today.



""Alexander, take a squadron with you and try to break through the enemy's flank! Kotko, once you run out of long range capability, retreat and assist our extended battle line on our right. Make sure nothing hits the colony!" "On it, Captain!"

The Forneus drew back a bit to signal to the other Harbingers, and advanced again. Alexander met the commander machine again, firing at it before it drew out its beam saber and started advancing towards him after destroying one of his comrades. "Well, this one's feisty." He chuckled before the Forneus raised its rifle, firing at the mech. However, the commander stubbornly refused to break formation and instead drew back as a black and red machine zoomed towards the Forneus.

From his experiences on the battlefield, he had only seen this black machine a couple of times- it was the mass-production version of the commander machine they had with them now- but he remembered it having two beam sabers. He noticed the beam saber handles on its hips, but this one was carrying a massive beam axe. The beam axe swung down, and Alexander backed away so that the tip of the beam dug deep into his left arm. He gritted his teeth and pushed the rifle's tip against the other machine's shoulder before activating the beam, punching a hole through its shoulder.

""The left! They're - more Transcendent forces on the left side!" "Oh come on," He exaggerated his sigh. Still, he did notice the ships approaching and trying to hit the Organum in the side. "Would be great if that was the same ship Proud spotted. That just means the Transcendents are honestly trying to start a war with us or something." He remarked, more to himself than anything.

He could hear the other pilot in the sniper joking about the Transcendent ship names, and he had to hold back a chuckle at the ideas. Still, the infantry unit from earlier was firing at him, and the mass-produced model was pursuing him. "Alright boys, three rounds left... who needs long range back-up? Cute girl from the briefing? Whoever the hell Alexander is? Mom says I gotta go when I run outta batteries though." "Well excuse you," Alexander murmured, chuckling a bit. Still, he did need a bit of help with that infantry unit. He couldn't take his eyes off the commander nor its mass produced model.

Speaking of, as he and his squadron started to draw back, he noticed the white and gold machine racing towards him, its blue beam saber poised to strike. With no shield, the Forneus raised its other rifle and tried to block the beam saber with its own bayonet, although with the Transcendent machine's added voltage, that proved to be futile. Luckily, Alexander managed to get back before it could damage him heavily.

Just in time to see two red beams fire from the Organum. "Man, I haven't seen that in a long time!" He commented, watching as the black machine tackled the commander to keep it away from getting killed in the Charged Particle Cannon's beam. "And so, those two Transcendent ships are down. I'm willing to bet they've got real engine difficulties now, instead of their excuse." He laughed to himself. Surveying the area after the beam had died down, he noticed the Transcendent machines retreating.

"Well, that's that, I guess," he leaned back in his cockpit. "Now to wait for any more orders."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko
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"Good job everybody, especially you Alexander, whoever you are. Drinks are on me. There's booze on the ship, right? Captain?"

"I suppose we can relax a little..." Ophelia sighed, as the Transcendent fleet had started to retreat. Their soldiers were rather ecstatic. It has been a while since they beat their sky-faring opponents in their natural habitat. "Still, do not let down your guard. Continue monitoring the situation. All wounded craft are to report directly to this ship's or the colony's facilities. Maintain combat alert for the meantime."

"Think there's a chance they'll be coming back?" Officer Fang asked as she returns to her post by Ophelia's side.

"I wish my luck's good enough for the Transcendent to retreat this time. That last shot consumed a lot of power." Ophelia sighed as she relaxed, exhausted from overseeing the battle. "I also hope that will earn me a favorable evaluation--"

"You're still worrying about that?"

"I suppose..." As the damaged machines have started to be brought in one by one, Ophelia took note of the damage they have sustained. They've lost soldiers but, the important thing was that the colony was mostly unharmed. Mostly. Unfortunately, their dispatch team encountered the enemy infiltration team and was overrun. Someone managed to send the data but, only fragments of the original evidence made it through.

"Good thing you had the others record their battles..." Fang tried to reassure her Captain. "We also caught the shadow freighter on our cameras so it's not as if this was a fruitless battle."

"Good point. Still, unlike our sky-faring neighbors, we don't have the manpower to spare for these expeditions. If at all possible, I would like to prevent casualties this high in the future. Why don't you take a rest Fang? I'll handle everything else."

"Lot of good scrap out here, if you have the room for it, Captain. Can't beat free when it comes to spare parts and spare weapons. We got time to get a salvage crew together before we all get put in chains?"

"Can we even use Transcendent technology? Isn't it supposed to be too alien to use?"

Ophelia just chuckled over what she heard at their comms. Their conversations remind her of the time she was still strong enough to get into one of those cockpits and experience the war first-hand. Of course, to those peace-spoiled bystanders, war wasn't something to feel good about but admittedly, being a Harbinger gives one a sort of pride and strength one cannot acquire anywhere else. It was this feeling of pride which she missed in her younger days.

"Our engineers can technically reverse engineer this technology though our current technology is more than a match already. On the other hand, we can also trade this for scrap. Either way, we benefit." Ophelia replied and checked the status of her ship. They have their hands full apparently. Although she did recall that Kotko does have her connections in the manufacturing field. "Sure, you can bring them in but you'll have to stock those up within the colony first. The Organum's got its hands full right now. We've also sustained some damage so we'll be docking at Proud for the meantime for repairs and resupply. Ren Kotko, I'll leave an engineering team in your division. Help facilitate the retrieval."

"Once the ship has docked, you guys can take a look around the colony if you like. But be sure to be back at 1500 Hours." She turns to the people in the room with her as well. "That opportunity extends to you as well. Go on before I change my mind. However, medical and maintenance crew are to remain here."

"Yes ma'am though, there is one problem." One of the maintenance people reported to her. "That maneuver we took when we fired the particle cannon caused a minor damage in the blast panel. It is easy enough to replace but--"

"Replace it. Don't worry too much about the funding."

"Well, price is not the issue here. As our ship is an older model, none of our manufacturers makes these parts any more. It will be difficult to source them at this time. I've already spoken to the team stationed at Proud. They don't carry this model here."

"Isn't there another source we can find? I don't really want to charge in with this ship while lacking our "Big Stick"."

"Well--there is one colony we could try. It would be risky though and we'll need to ask HQ to mediate our docking there so--"

"I'll handle talks with HQ. What's the name of the place?"

"The outlaw colony of Albion. They deal with exotic trade there and an evaluation from last month has confirmed that they still carry parts for pre-expansion warships like the Organum."

"Al..bion..." As if she was suddenly splashed with cold water, Ophelia felt a small shiver up her spine. To her that place was very familiar. If possible, she wouldn't want to return there ever again. Given their circumstances now though, she' realizes that there's no other choice.

"Very well. After our resupply is complete, the Organum will head towards Albion in order to get the parts needed to get this ship back to perfect working condition. We'll be taking the direct route within our territory but don't let down your guard. That shadow freighter may still be stalking us."



The Victoria had safely landed inside the hangars of the Trials of Winter, after successfully completing her missions. The whole atmosphere within the ship is heavier than usual but, that is to be expected. Even among other Transcendent, Ellis Arjuna is quite detached, making it difficult for her to share with the others pain and suffering. Still, as long as they have a functioning unit, their mission will continue. She had just gotten new instructions from Central Command as well.

"Transfer the remainder of the Prejudice and Aegis to the Trials. Retrieve the stranded pilots, make priority on the ones closest to the border - they're at risk for snatch and grabs. I want this done within the hour. Dismissed."

"Although observing further, his emotions towards this defeat seem genuine enough. In that case, what could he be after as a rogue?" Ellis observes the mourning Transcendent captain. Her suspicions were still intact but without any decisive evidence, making a report right now would be too risky. Besides, they'll need to work together to get out of a new crisis they must face. She called over the ship's XO and asked for Commander Ashworth and Captain Setoen to meet her in the briefing room.

(Written at the assumption that the two answered the summons)

"Normally, I would have to issue a verbal reprimand over the casualties of this operation but, given that the mission was successful, albeit at a cost, I won't do so now. I've called both of you today to issue a new directive from Central Command--this time, involving all of us." Ellis started up the screen revealing the outlines of their new mission. "As the fleet we engaged managed to catch sight of this flagship, it is now safe to assume that even with the surveillance record deleted, our enemy could still have an image of us that they can use as evidence when we report to the Tribunal. As much as I want to remain optimistic about the whole thing being smoothed out by Central Command, it's more likely that this skirmish will be chalked off as "the actions of a few rogue Transcendents" and retire our unit. And no, I don't mean spending the rest of our days as non-combat personnel in some resort or villa somewhere in the mainland. I'm talking prison, or maybe execution. Or a firing squad. Either way, we're finished if we lose this case."

Ellis paused to catch her breath before carrying on, making sure that the two men in the room are still listening. "Fortunately, the Tribunal meeting will be held on an open channel so we don't have to disembark the ship and give it away. With that in mind, command has provided us with a plan: We take whatever parts usable from the destroyed ships and overhaul the Trials of Winter. It doesn't have to be radically different; just enough noticeable differences as to appear as if it is a different ship. In the meantime, we'll hide out along the shoal zone near the borders of Albion; an outlaw colony that doesn't answer to either side. That's where we'll do our overhaul. It will be difficult to move around but, I doubt that the humans will be able to track us there either. And on the plus side, the place has a lot of interference which will make it difficult for surveillance systems to track us."

The screen then changed to show the inner workings of Albion. "Captain Setoen, I will accompany you in the Tribunal meetings. I hope you're ready for this little game of politics. Commander Ashworth will be in charge of overseeing the overhaul as well as sourcing more parts from the colony if necessary. This is the new orders received from command. Well then--" Not one for formal talk with the older people, Ellis merely gave a small nod and headed out, leaving the directives on screen for the two to read. However, before she can fully exit the room, Ellis took a shot at one last question.

"Inspector Ashworth--How is the progress of the rogue hunt going?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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"Good job everybody, especially you Alexander, whoever you are. Drinks are on me. There's booze on the ship, right? Captain?"

"Hell yeah, I'll need to knock back a cold one after all this." Alexander grunted, angling the Forneus to start heading back to the Organum. "Lot of good scrap out here, if you have the room for it, Captain. Can't beat free when it comes to spare parts and spare weapons. We got time to get a salvage crew together before we all get put in chains?" "Maybe I could do more upgrades to this old thing." Alexander didn't have to be out of the cockpit to know the damage that his white machine had taken. Its left shoulder was smoking slightly. Damn. "Can we even use Transcendent technology? Isn't it supposed to be too alien to use?" One of the new pilots spoke up, being answered by the Captain of the Organum herself. The Forneus passed the remains of a bulky, green unit. Pausing slightly, he watched as the mechanical hand of the Forneus shot out and grabbed something. A beam rifle.

"Looks to me as if this unit didn't use this rifle at all." With a shrug he packed it away into one of his weapon binders. He rifled through the remains of the machine and managed to find a few remaining ammo packs, presumably for the rifle. He started to make his way back to the ship again, whistling to himself. Two frigates down- what a satisfying sight for the sore eyes.


"Burundukov reporting. Enemy successfully crippled two allied frigates, the bastards. Requesting assistance as my suit's thrusters are damaged and am currently on a trajectory towards the emptiness of space. Copy?"
While the newcomer's voice rung through his comms, the Eisenritter had been heading back to the ship at that point. Graham looked around, still grim after the loss of the Aegis and the Prejudice, and to his slight relief, he saw Rivaile's Zweireiter flying towards the newcomer's damaged M-8. The Zweireiter had taken quite the beating- it was missing a pauldron and a leg, but he noted that the black machine would be fine. Turning away, he didn't bother to stay to see Rivaile haul the M-8 back to the Trials of Winter.

The moment he had stepped out of the Eisenritter, he was informed that the Infiltrator had wanted to meet him and the Captatin in the briefing room. Begrudgingly, he got off of the white machine's chest- with their loss weighing heavy on his shoulders, he started to make his way to the briefing room to meet them.

"Normally, I would have to issue a verbal reprimand over the casualties of this operation but, given that the mission was successful, albeit at a cost, I won't do so now. I've called both of you today to issue a new directive from Central Command--this time, involving all of us."
Another order from Central Command. Graham thought the item retrieval was the last.

"As the fleet we engaged managed to catch sight of this flagship, it is now safe to assume that even with the surveillance record deleted, our enemy could still have an image of us that they can use as evidence when we report to the Tribunal. As much as I want to remain optimistic about the whole thing being smoothed out by Central Command, it's more likely that this skirmish will be chalked off as "the actions of a few rogue Transcendents" and retire our unit. And no, I don't mean spending the rest of our days as non-combat personnel in some resort or villa somewhere in the mainland. I'm talking prison, or maybe execution. Or a firing squad. Either way, we're finished if we lose this case."
Face set into a grim expression, he fought back a sigh. Execution wasn't an option. Not after all the fighting he's seen and the forbidden ideals he was starting to develop under Central Command's nose.

"Fortunately, the Tribunal meeting will be held on an open channel so we don't have to disembark the ship and give it away. With that in mind, command has provided us with a plan: We take whatever parts usable from the destroyed ships and overhaul the Trials of Winter. It doesn't have to be radically different; just enough noticeable differences as to appear as if it is a different ship. In the meantime, we'll hide out along the shoal zone near the borders of Albion; an outlaw colony that doesn't answer to either side. That's where we'll do our overhaul. It will be difficult to move around but, I doubt that the humans will be able to track us there either. And on the plus side, the place has a lot of interference which will make it difficult for surveillance systems to track us."
Albion, an outlaw colony. It was neutral ground, which meant that there were probably both humans and Transcendents. He'd have to lay low, try to blend in. He wasn't an Infiltrator to be able to blend in with humans very easily but he'd try.

"Captain Setoen, I will accompany you in the Tribunal meetings. I hope you're ready for this little game of politics. Commander Ashworth will be in charge of overseeing the overhaul as well as sourcing more parts from the colony if necessary. This is the new orders received from command. Well then--"
To his surprise, before the Infiltrator could fully leave, she turned and spoke to him.

"Inspector Ashworth--How is the progress of the rogue hunt going?" "Nothing has turned up yet." He grunted.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen Character Portrait: Amelia Renard
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"Negotiations have been made on your behalf and, things went smoothly enough. In fact, it already looks suspicious."

The Organum had now docked within the hangars of Proud, along with other aging vessels currently employed as a security force. While most of the crew had disembarked to make merry after finally visiting a proper center in order to unwind, Ophelia and a handful of people were still at the ship, supervising everything that falls under their jurisdiction.

"We're just looking to pick up a couple of parts. It's not as if we'll be launching any investigation nor will we be staying around for long." Ophelia piped in, the issue of their damaged cannons weighing on her mind.

After a few more minutes of back and forth exchanges, the meeting was finally over. What route they were to take, how long they'll stay, how much can they spend--everything's been sorted out. Ophelia let out a sigh as she left the negotiation. Dealing with commands from the higher-ups are too tiring. Too full of formalities that is to be observed. It basically hammers the point that they were all alone in their mission.

"You didn't tell me you came from Albion..." Turning around, Ophelia saw Fang walking towards her with a worried expression. "Will you be alright, going back there? I doubt you'd have volunteered for the army if not for an opportunity to escape."

"I think. Well, that place hadn't changed much in the last ten years or so. I can still remember some places like it was yesterday." She tries to alleviates Fang's doubts about the whole trip though it is still obvious that she was concerned as she followed Ophelia down to the hangars.

"You don't have to personally act as a navigator, you know?"

"Oh? Good luck finding one from the locals without getting ripped off then." Ophelia and Fang boards an elevator that will take them down to the lower areas of the ship. "People are very shrewd in that place, very dangerous. They do not take too kindly to outsiders. Gangs practically rule the place, making it hard even for military personnel to intervene. But worse of all is the inequality."

"We have too many women on this ship..." Ophelia looks on worriedly at the crew bustling below. "Four more hours...why don't you grab a drink with the others? We don't get a lot of chances like this everyday."

"You know what? Maybe I will. Need me to buy anything for you on the way back?"

"Just the usual."

"Alright." If anybody else back at home would've heard them, they might have found it what the two talk about, Ophelia realized. As she landed down on the platform, she could see that most of their machines are starting to look better than when they had been brought in. Ren was outside, coordinating with the salvaging so hands were rather limited. Besides, serious repairs are much better performed within the colony's machine shops and repair bays.

"Can I get a hangar crane real quick? This one's pinning me to the ground a bit!" Their new recruit. She did well for a first battle, Ophelia noted.

"Just slowly jump down, like you're wearing a parachute." Ophelia called out, having done similar maneuvers when she was still a pilot. Now at ground level with the crew, she started pondering on who to take along for the mission.



"Nothing has turned up yet."

"I see..." Ellis just sighed as she left the room. Whether the inspector was feigning ignorance as a willing collaborator or if he's legitimately not made any progress, she cannot be certain as of yet. All she knows was that she'll need to bring in her prime suspect under her eye at all times, hence why he'll be going to tribunal with her. As far as she's concerned, it is only through one's perspective and motives can one determine who's a rogue and who's not.

"But wait..." Ellis suddenly paused as she made her way back to her quarters. "If their captain's the rogue, then could it be possible that everyone on board had gone rogue as well? Maybe I'm just jumping to immediate conclusions..."

"In any case, I'll have to wait until we arrive at Albion in order to find out."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Amelia Renard
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As Ophelia surveyed the bustling repair bays, she could see that the pilots under her command have started making a rapport with each other. Seeing them reminded her of her front line days though of course, most of her old allies have been promoted or died already.

Though concerning the machines they took, it was kind of a miracle that they were able to remodel and reverse-engineer some of these at all. Although what surprises her more other than the quality of parts they were able to salvage was the quantity of it. This clearly showed them that their neighbors have this much capability to waste precious resources on intimidation tactics. In the meantime, Ren had inquired about using some of the things they were able to salvage.

"We'll take the functional weapons,see if we can get them to meet our machine's standards. Units still in good condition will be refurbished here at Proud where we can come back for them after they're done as we'll need to head out soon. For those that are badly damaged--" Ophelia paused for a moment to inspect some of the more damaged units being brought in. "Can we try to salvage their reactors and fuel systems? I reckon these will fetch a high price at the market we'll be going to. Maybe we can trade this in instead of blowing our allotted budget for the parts we need. That ought to keep those folks back home happy."



Confirming rogues on a ship is rather difficult as she would have to move undetected. So far, Ellis thinks she's played it low as to not give off the fact that she's been sent there as an assassin. If only there had been a simpler method that she can use to identify, things would've been easier. But, seeing that there is none, observing their actions and dialogues are all that she could do.

She was about to make her way to the surveillance systems which lay past the barracks when she espied a soldier, hanging his head so pensively as if struck with a deep trauma, walking towards his room. "Might be a rookie..." Ellis thought as she decided to pay him no further attention. However, a thought suddenly struck her as she was about to walk away. "If I talk to some of the soldiers here, I may be able to gain some insight as to who might be the target. Unless they be rogues themselves in which case, I'll have the license to rid this fleet of them."

Turning back, she walked over to the soldier's room and summoned him via the intercom. "Soldier, mind if I have a word? Nothing personal; just need to gloss over the details of that last mission and details regarding the next one."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Amelia Renard
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It was nice to talk to people without having to watch their hands again, Ren thought. The girl was coming off as a little bit antagonistic but Ren chalked it up to post battle jitters for the sake of getting along.

"What do you mean 'they get you'? It's not like they'll refuse to pay once I'm out."

"I mean you show me an honest recruiter and I'll lick the scum off of your boots. The Navy is filled with honest folks who see enlistment as an opportunity but only an idiot would think that's how top brass see us piss ants. They'll say anything to get you into a uniform, but after that it's a dice roll you live long enough to cash that promise in, isn't it? You should've seen the benefits packages they had before this fun little ceasefire," Ren said, still smiling. She turned to look back over at Alexander.

"Screw anyone who makes more than you, am I right?" Ren joked, but her good humor faded as her comm unit went off, the Captain responding to her haul.

"One sec, got an important business call," Ren said as she excused herself, and took a few steps away before picking up to respond.

"We'll take the functional weapons, see if we can get them to meet our machine's standards. Units still in good condition will be refurbished here at Proud where we can come back for them after they're done as we'll need to head out soon. For those that are badly damaged-- Can we try to salvage their reactors and fuel systems? I reckon these will fetch a high price at the market we'll be going to. Maybe we can trade this in instead of blowing our allotted budget for the parts we need. That ought to keep those folks back home happy."

Ren thought for a moment, enjoying being able to talk business again. Maybe she wouldn't hate the navy as much if she got to do what she'd done so far fairly often.

"Shouldn't be too hard to integrate the weapons. I didn't see anything too much more advanced than before I got locked up, but I didn't look at the software so maybe that's more sophisticated. Reactors should be easy to rip out but fuel systems might be a bit tricky. I'd feel better overseeing that myself because those things are hard as hell to fix if they get damaged during removal. One patch on a fuel line and you lose fifty grand on that system on the spot and I guarantee you the buyer will go over the rest of it with an electron microscope to knock more off," Ren said then pulled the comm close so she could whisper-

"I'd also think really long and hard about selling one of those intact suits too. Doesn't have to be the best one, or the best looking, but unless you're buying a new ship altogether that would put a major dent in, if not pay for, damn near any repair you needed to make. Then you sell the scrap and actually make a profit, to report as you see fit."

Ren smirked, "Unless you already reported it, in which case we'll be fine either way, Captain. So, we selling this at Proud, the dreaded Albion, or we going out of our way to Novac to rub elbows with with more rogue Transcendent?"

-=-

Just as fatigue began to catch up with Petya's body, he could hear a voice coming over his intercom. No one else had made it back to the barracks yet, it had seemed, too busy helping take in wounded or assisting in repairs for rest. Petya had thought about joining them on his way here, but he didn't feel it would be appropriate for himself to taint the work of proper soldiers.

"Soldier, mind if I have a word? Nothing personal; just need to gloss over the details of that last mission and details regarding the next one."

The voice was that of a woman, and one that wanted details pertaining that last mission.

She knew.

Petya rose, albeit slowly, and turned to face the woman who stood just outside of his room. He did not recognize her, but she looked pretty, so his getting escorted before a firing squad wouldn't be without one small comfort. He lazily crossed the room, the heaviness of his heart weighing him down, and upon not noticing any command insignia on her person he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Petya Burundukov reporting, Mam," He said, voice lacking it's original zealousness, "Though I am not sure the perspective I can offer. All I managed to do was cripple one of the Fleet's proud infantry units and watch as the enemy crushed our forces."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko
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"Shouldn't be too hard to integrate the weapons. I didn't see anything too much more advanced than before I got locked up, but I didn't look at the software so maybe that's more sophisticated. Reactors should be easy to rip out but fuel systems might be a bit tricky. I'd feel better overseeing that myself because those things are hard as hell to fix if they get damaged during removal. One patch on a fuel line and you lose fifty grand on that system on the spot and I guarantee you the buyer will go over the rest of it with an electron microscope to knock more off,"

Ophelia listened in attentively, taking note of Ren's engineering perspective into account. Somehow, she's already starting to feel at ease despite Ren's...well, history. The girl can be trusted. This battle at Proud had proven it for her. "Well, everyone need to start somewhere and I'm sure we all have our fair share of skeletons in the closet.

Before Ophelia could properly respond however, Ren's tone has changed into that of a whisper, possibly wanting some information to remain between the two of them only.

"I'd also think really long and hard about selling one of those intact suits too. Doesn't have to be the best one, or the best looking, but unless you're buying a new ship altogether that would put a major dent in, if not pay for, damn near any repair you needed to make. Then you sell the scrap and actually make a profit, to report as you see fit."

"Makes sense..." Ophelia answers in a low tone likewise. "We could take a couple of intact suits for ourselves, might come in handy later on. Alright."

After the hushed conversation, the two continued talking normally. "Unless you already reported it, in which case we'll be fine either way, Captain. So, we selling this at Proud, the dreaded Albion, or we going out of our way to Novac to rub elbows with with more rogue Transcendent?"

"We'll sell it off at Albion, see if we can cut a good deal. But I hope we won't get any more encounters along the way. Not when our Big Stick's compromised. As per your request, alright. I'll let you oversee the specifics. We'll have to work around the clock so...is it possible to finish everything within two hours? Our repairs are almost done and the crew's starting to head back as well."

Ophelia delegates her last commands before walking back to the bridge. Her communications officer was already there, calling all other crew members back home. Seeing that this part of the job is done, she sat back at her chair, wanting no more than to taste some of that cool liquor Fang was bringing back.



"Petya Burundukov reporting, Mam. Though I am not sure the perspective I can offer. All I managed to do was cripple one of the Fleet's proud infantry units and watch as the enemy crushed our forces."

"And indeed, that was a regrettable loss." Ellis responded as soon as he finished. She can tell that he seemed a little intimidated by her. On one hand, it is reassuring that even just a little, she does hold some sway over the other soldiers. But on the other hand, the uneasiness he's feeling could be an indicator that the true nature of her being on that ship was already found out. But going back, she could sense that this particular soldier was no rogue. He seemed to lack a certain something she can't quite describe though she has already grown accustomed to it after speaking to several of them during her assassination missions.

"But--consider this: Our main objective is to eliminate any trace of our involvement with the recent ambushes within the close proximity of the human area which we have done successfully. In that essence, the mission is a success, no matter the cost--unless the humans managed to remember one tiny detail during that fight. Care to take a guess?" Ellis continued on though without any underlying emotional tone to her voice.

"The image of this ship, the Trials of Winter. Which is why we now have to disguise it. Following me? Good. However, as I'm sure you feel along with all the others, we can't possibly go back to the main base in this sorry state. To repair this ship, we'll be slipping in Albion, a neutral colony. I'm sure you've heard of it. Some of our kind live there after all. Exiled. Exiled for harboring rebellious intent. Rogues lacking our loyalty to our cause." She leaned a little closer, while taking a closer look at his eyes.

"Have you ever interacted with a Rogue Mr. Burundukov? Their words will come out like sweet poison; a great temptation that is difficult to overcome. Before you may be aware of it, you will suddenly find your allegiance questioned, shrouded in doubt that you'll find difficult to explain. They can catch you and ensnare you without you even realizing it." With that, Ellis stepped back and leaned back on the opposing wall, still maintaining eye contact.

"If you had to choose who to follow to the end, who will you choose? The Captain or the Commander? I'm just curious. Nothing more, nothing less."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Amelia Renard
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"We'll sell it off at Albion, see if we can cut a good deal. But I hope we won't get any more encounters along the way. Not when our Big Stick's compromised. As per your request, alright. I'll let you oversee the specifics. We'll have to work around the clock so...is it possible to finish everything within two hours? Our repairs are almost done and the crew's starting to head back as well."

Ren practically giggled when the Captain mentioned Albion. Anything not worth scientific value she found had gone straight to Albion to sell. She'd bought her own private dock and was running a chop shop on the colony to streamline her efforts, and it was where most of her contacts resided. It would be the ultimate chance for her to prove her worth to these military groupies... or to make a run for it.

She ended the call, not responding to the question about the two hours to get things done that the Captain had asked. If the Captain called her on it she'd claim it as an equipment malfunction, but she wasn't going to commit to a time until she actually saw the units up close and out of a mech. She walked back up to the two pilots she'd been talking to, Alexander and the college kid whose name she couldn't remember, all smiles.

"No rest for the wicked it seems. Captain wants me down in the hangars to rip the meaty bits out of the broken enemy suits I dragged in. Guess we'll have to rain check for that tour, stud," She said, punching Alexander playfully in the arm before looking at Amelia, "Good talking to you guys though. Isn't it nice knowing that we're all in this giant bowl of shit together? See you guys when we dock at Albion. Shore leave is coming early, boys."

With that said, she gave a half-hearted wave as she headed for the stairwell leading down, able to see the units she'd dragged in from the catwalk they were on.

To really escape, what would I need? Harkin can erase me from damn near any system, except the personnel files on this ship's computers. Not that they have much information to track me with in the first place. I'd need a ship to get me to Novac so I can at least try to get some money together before they sic the dogs on me. Going to need a ship too, and not some shit freighter. Wonder where they impounded my old one? Ren thought, clenching her fists in frustration. A lot of what she needed was just out of her reach. A lot of it hinged on contacts she might not have access to anymore after being gone for so long. She also couldn't go back to her old life of freedom. Best case scenario would be joining a mercenary squad on the ass end of nowhere and hope they never caught wind of the bounty they'd put on her head.

"FUCK!" She screamed, slamming a hand down on the railing beside her. She really was trapped here, wasn't she? Her Dad would send people on top of the Human military, and the Transcendents would kill her on sight after all the raids she'd done. She couldn't run from all of that. Two of them, maybe, but not all three, but it wasn't like she'd get the chance to kill her old man all the way out here. No orders from him, no bounty, no leash to keep her in the military... and Albion was the land of opportunity if you lacked a moral compass and had a brain in your skull.

She'd play soldier for now, she decided, and smiled as she walked up to the broken enemy units the engineering teams were starting to examine.

"Drop the wrenches, boys, Cap'n said I'm to make sure we got the most bang for our buck out of these heaps of garbage so nobody scratches their ass till I've given them the all clear. Where's the guy in charge of this geek squad?" Ren barked, enjoying herself as she picked up a nearby wrench.

-=-

It seemed improbable, but this woman didn't seem ordered to reprimand him, and if anything this woman seemed only interested in briefing him of the next operation, which would involve dealing with the traitorous ailment that the humans had inflicted on the proud Transcendent race.

"Have you ever interacted with a Rogue Mr. Burundukov? Their words will come out like sweet poison; a great temptation that is difficult to overcome. Before you may be aware of it, you will suddenly find your allegiance questioned, shrouded in doubt that you'll find difficult to explain. They can catch you and ensnare you without you even realizing it."

Just the thought of speaking to a traitor made Petya's face contort in disgust, shaking his head in both response and to shake the idea from his head, but the next thing this woman said, who appeared to have some measure of authority given how much she knew of their mission, intrigued him the most.

"If you had to choose who to follow to the end, who will you choose? The Captain or the Commander? I'm just curious. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You say that as if one of them may be a traitor," Petya started, but paused before speaking further. It did make him think about the last mission and the objectives they'd had. If they were to destroy evidence of the Trials of Winter being present, why use it in that battle? Did the Commander know?

"...and now that I think on it you may be onto something, Infiltrator. I would trust the Commander more, given his orders to me personally never deviated from our objectives. My family also spoke highly of him, so I do not believe he has anything but our people in mind in his actions. The decision to involve this ship in that battle would only have been wise if conquering Proud were our goal, which is very much wasn't," He replied before saluting the woman, "I would be remiss in my duties as a Transcendent soldier and a Burundukov if I did not offer my help in your endeavors to maintain the purity and effectiveness of this fleet. Do you have orders for me, mam?"

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Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna
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"Everyone settled in? Good. We're now exiting leaving Proud's territories and heading straight towards Albion. We'll stick around our usual trade routes so there shouldn't be too much incident but, keep an eye out nevertheless." Ophelia informed the crew after everyone was accounted for. Thankfully, they were able to maintain their schedule while moving though they had to leave most of the salvaged equipment behind.

"Captain, there is a certain zone near the outlying premises of Albion that worries me." Fang asked, referring to an uncharted spot in their maps.

"That's the Shoal Zone. Several ships of ours in the past went missing as soon as they passed that spot. Local pilots had already developed a fitting name for it." Ophelia explains some information regarding the area fang pointed out. "Maze of the Devil, they call it. Even mercenary ships avoid that area. We'll be better off doing that as well."

"Sorry. I figured we could save some time by crossing through that path."

"Don't worry too much about it." Ophelia watches as the colony slowly shrunk from their view. They had to move, and they have to move fast if they plan on completing their repairs before the Tribunal meetings start.

"I expected them to give it quite a scary sounding name. But, why?"

"Why what?"

"The name. Devil's Maze?"

"Ah. It's nothing like what you think really. There's just a very dense concentration of Old Era debris littered there, some of them reaching the sizes of a battleship. It's rather difficult to navigate because of that and, you may encounter the risk of crashing if you're not too careful."

"I see." Fang sighed in relief. "I thought it's because there's an unknown enemy fleet stationed there."

"Who knows?" Ophelia got up and left all navigating duties to their helmsman as she turned to exit the bridge, Fang following closely behind. "I'm taking my break. You did get what I asked, didn't you?"



"You say that as if one of them may be a traitor...and now that I think on it you may be onto something, Infiltrator. I would trust the Commander more, given his orders to me personally never deviated from our objectives. My family also spoke highly of him, so I do not believe he has anything but our people in mind in his actions. The decision to involve this ship in that battle would only have been wise if conquering Proud were our goal, which is very much wasn't, I would be remiss in my duties as a Transcendent soldier and a Burundukov if I did not offer my help in your endeavors to maintain the purity and effectiveness of this fleet. Do you have orders for me, mam?"

The young man's words seemed sincere enough for Ellis. Though, lacking experience in interacting with the regular soldiers of the military, Ellis had already refined the art of luring Transcendents to "accidentally slip" about their intentions. Typical response for a soldier would be what the young man had given her as most soldiers are conditioned to think that way.

"I see. Well then--" Before she could leave though, she paused for a moment. "Perhaps I could use his loyalty?" Turning back to face the man, Ellis issues a new set of orders.

"Accompany the Commander with his remodeling efforts then. Tell the Commander that this is a direct order from command's representative: He is to keep a documentation of whatever activities he may engage in from here on out including any excursions to Albion and the parts he's to procure. Any questions?" Eliis asked, just in case her wording wasn't clear enough.

"Now, I have eyes on both of my suspects. Question is, which of you will be the first to slip up? Which one of you is true, and which one is false?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Graham Ashworth Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Klaus Cincaid
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Of the things Ren expected to find in the hangar bay, another pilot was not one of them. He slid down from the catwalks a moment or so after Ren called for the guy in charge of this hangar, but something about the way this guy moved put a knot in her stomach. He was wiry but athletic, Ren supposed, a messy head of hair but the thing that stood out to her most about this man was the way he moved. He wasn't a mercenary but she could see this guy trying out for a crew if the whole military thing went south, an almost arrogance in how he carried himself, as though he believed himself to be the baddest thing in the room. The thought made Ren roll her eyes, but resisted the urge to shoulder past him and figure out who was actually in charge. She had to place nice, after all.

That was her train of thought up until the guy eye fucked the weapon he'd hauled in, looked to be either a rail-gun or an advanced beam rifle, neither of which was particularly panty soaking. The only thing that struck Ren as odd about it was the casing, as Transcendents didn't usually care about flashiness when they designed their weapons, preferring efficiency and ease of production. Either a rogue had that special made, or someone on that fleet bought it from a third party. Either situation was interesting, and she'd most definitely look into that gun later, but she doubted those questions were why the Lieutenant brought it in.

Ren looked bemused as she regarded the man's hand, making no attempt to touch it. She had an idea of where it had been, and she wanted no part of it.

"It's Ren. Ms. Kotko is my father's name," Ren said, grinning at her own joke. She swore on the spot that if he called her M'lady even once it would be worth the time in the brig to shove that gun up his ass.

"So are you part of the engineering crew or are you wasting my time? Cap wants me to rip the meaty bits out of those busted suits and I've got two hours to do it, so either pick up a wrench or track down someone who does," Ren added, walking past the man now towards the crews beginning to swarm the busted infantry units she'd helped drag in.

-=-

The Infiltrator's words echoed in his head several times before they registered fully.

Accompany the commander? He thought, a certain giddiness rising in his chest at the thought of a second chance. Petya kept his cool, though, nodding before a final salute to signify his acceptance of these orders. He might be of use to the fleet yet.

"I won't let you down, mam! I will report at once!" He declared, trying to not let his excitement seep into his gait as he marched away towards the command deck. He he had seen several such decks before, having taken tours with his father and seen photos and video of the ships his grandfather had commanded. There was an air of duty here that the barracks lacked, and the sound of quiet dedication as dozens of hands went about their work filled Petya with both pride and nostalgia. He stopped for a moment to watch as three different people passed about a clipboard, each needing it for different reasons, and each seamlessly knowing who was next to need it when they finished.

That sight, Petya concluded, was what it meant to him to be Transcendent. No one thought their job so important that they needed that clipboard, it was simply there, and it's function maximized due to the unity of the people using it. Humans would squabble and argue over which task most needed materials, placing importance on everything but the common goals they all shared. It was disgraceful.

It took time, but Petya finally tracked down the Commander as he oversaw preparations for their next objective at Albion. He waited patiently until Commander Ashworth had a lull in his duties so as not to disrupt his concentration, before respectfully stepping forward and saluting.

"Sir! The Representative from Command has ordered me to accompany you and to assist in any way necessary with the remodeling efforts. She has also ordered that you keep a documentation of whatever activities you may engage in from here on out including any excursions to Albion and the parts you are to procure," Petya declared, keeping the salute stance until he was ordered otherwise.

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Character Portrait: Petya Burundukov Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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#, as written by Alligot
Lilas


The Trials of Winter was well on it's way towards Albion, for the tribunal that would ultimately decide it's fate, and the fates of all who served aboard. It was a fast ship, and was headed by skilled navigators and pilots - it wouldn't take too long to reach the rogue colony, even with the roundabout route they had to take in order to avoid human territory. With the fleet all but shut down after the skirmish, (and the colossal amount of trouble it gave him,) Lilas was not keen on following up one border incident with another.

He had spent his time either between conversation with angry superiors, and hesitantly studying human law - which, at it's heart, was not fundamentally different from Transcendent law, he noted - although more often than not, flared passions, tempers, and emotions visibly obstructed what he saw as rightful justice. He was still flabberghasted on how their culture could progress to such a level when one can merely cry in the court of law to soften their sentence.

Although, it might have given him ideas. He did not intend to weep in front the enemy tribunal - not even if his life depended on it - but if humanity responded strongly to emotion, perhaps there was a way he could influence it, like a shepherd manipulating a flock exactly where he needed them. Yet, his skills in manipulation didn't lend itself to those sort of nuances easily.

His finger lingered over the holographic button in front of him, an uncharacteristic feeling spreading through him. Doubt.

To hell with doubt. Everyone makes mistakes - from here, he will not falter. Nobody could judge him for that.

He pressed firmly down.

"Sir?" One of his subordinates answered through the speaker.

"Alton, notify Lieutenant Arjuna that I would like to see her in my office." Lilas ordered, before shutting off the line. He wasn't fond of this wording, but he couldn't go ordering about a high command inspector.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Klaus Cincaid Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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"Your presence seems to be required at the office." A subordinate informed Ellis just as they had reached the Shoals.

"About time." She passed the messenger without much word and headed off. They'll have to prepare for this treacherous political game. Entering the office, she found no need to salute as she's sure they're both as tense regarding the situation.

"I'll be blunt: The rash actions you had taken places us at a disadvantage. But, past is past so let's just focus on our approach shall we?" Ellis booted up the monitor, in order to show how the remodeling is progressing. "It's not an exaggeration to say that our case will rely on the illusion we'll have to play. With this, the best course of action is to deny our involvement in the attack. We start by erasing records of the ships that participated in the attack from the archives. That way, even if they ask to open up the information, they'll have nothing to match data with. Next, we all need to disappear." Ellis glanced at the Captain to make sure he was still following her before continuing.

"By disappear, I mean we have to inform the Tribunal that we were at a different place at a different time. That has already been taken care of. Command has prepared a mission history that places us at a distant system overseeing mining operations. So that's out of the way as well. Now comes the difficult part. I guess...you already know what that is." Ellis pointed at their ship as shown in the monitor.

"The physical evidence. This is the one decisive piece they can use against us. No point with the fabrications if we have nothing to counter this. Command will write us off as rogues and eliminate us. And to be completely honest, this is one piece of the puzzle that Command wants us to solve on our own." Again, Ellis paused for a moment, this time to catch her breath.

"Of course, I won't approach you without a solution in mind. With that, I have a proposal." Ellis shifted the monitor display from the Trials to Albion. "We use what Command is planning to use in order to get rid of us: The pretense of ridding the force from rogues that threaten stability. Albion is already a sanctuary for rogue Transcendents. All we have to do is plant the evidence there and pin the blame unto Albion. Then Command can use this pretense to eliminate the rogues at Albion which they cannot initially do because of the laws in place. Logically, it's a win-win situation for Command and this unit." Ellis stopped and stared at Lilas sternly in the eyes. "It would not be appropriate for me, a representative of Command to issue this order to this unit as Command needs to deny any accountability. Only you or the Commander can give this order. So...what is your decision Captain?"

The trap's been set. Now, all Ellis has to do is check to see who takes the bait and slips up.



"Again?" Ophelia woke up from a disturbed sleep. She couldn't recall whether she had been dreaming. Without her maintenance, things could get a little distorted. Immediately, she prepared herself to head back to the bridge to resume command. As she had just finished putting on uniform, she heard Fang over the intercom.

"We're approaching Albion soon. Wait, did you still dress up in uniform?" She asked.

"Ah, right. Sorry, my sense of time is a little distorted." Ophelia grunted, rubbing her temples. "That was strong liquor..."

"You just have weak alcohol tolerance. Want me to inform the crew?"

"No, I'll do it myself. I'll just need to get changed. Again." Taking off her uniform, Ophelia changed into a more, casual manner consisting of a black shirt and grey trousers. Checking herself, she recalled how the residents of Albion view women. With it in mind, it's best not to stick out. So she also wore a crimson jacket and a hat. Not much of a disguise but, it's much better than her uniform. She had just finished putting on her new outfit when Fang called again.

"By the way, who do you plan on taking to Albion with you?"

"I'll take Hunter--and maybe Cincaid. I'll need Kotko as well since she'll know how to strike a good deal. Renard could also use the experience. That's about it, I guess."

"Alright. So--?"

"Call them over to the briefing room. I'll orient them myself."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ophelia C. Rossweisse Character Portrait: Alexander Hunter Character Portrait: Ellis Arjuna Character Portrait: Ren Kotko Character Portrait: Klaus Cincaid Character Portrait: Lilas Setoen
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Ellis listened attentively to the Captain speak. Everything he did say made a lot of sense. Even though he disagreed with some parts of the plan, he didn't seem to be doing so out of concern for their opponents. Nor is it out of some misplaced "sense of honor". Then again, this captain was the one who charged in, eager to eliminate the humans on a whim. "I suppose he isn't the rogue I'm looking for..."

Before she could interject though, a warning has been issued. Apparently, the Organum had also arrived at Albion. Were they able to predict that the unit would go there? Probably not. Whatever the reason, it wouldn't be good if their forces were discovered.

"There's no such thing as a foolproof plan."

Ellis simply smiled when the captain mentioned it. "No there isn't. I'll consider your misgivings about this mission." Now that she's somehow come to the terms that the captain isn't their rogue, she thought it best to turn on her next suspect. "Perhaps we consult with the head inspector or the other soldiers then? Maybe they see something we don't. As their captain, you'll be able to approach them much better than I can. Of course--" Finished with her business for the day, Ellis turned to leave but not without providing an alternative.

"From the standpoint of a regular force, infiltrating a rogue haven like Albion may be too much work. If ever you change your mind and choose to go with my suggestion, I can provide you with the means of accomplishing this task. If you don't mind being more indebted to me, that is."



"Ren huh? Let's wait for the others to arrive. And yes, I did not get that much rest. Not on this ship anyway." Ophelia reminded herself to take note of Ren's punctuality. For an irregular, she's got a handful of other soldiers beat in that regard. The other people she's called over arrived shortly after.

"We'll be alighting and heading into the Albion after a short while. As you can tell from what I'm wearing, we'll need some sort of disguise if we are to enter without drawing too much attention. They don't take kindly to military people like us over there." Ophelia sighed and paused for a moment before carrying on. "Lt. Alexander and Kincaid will act as our escorts and mouthpieces. Women like us are--well, disliked in that place. Amelia, you are to stand guard nearby the colony maintenance passage in your Harbinger. I don't personally feel too good about this place. Albion is a haven for rogues and exiles and some of them within may feel threatened by our presence. You are to secure our escape route in the event things go south."

Having given the instructions, Ophelia felt the headache kick in a little more. So she decided to let them off early for now; they'll need time to prepare after all. "We meet in the landing vessel on hangar 3 in thirty minutes. Bring disguises and--firearms. We don't know what will happen. It's best to be prepared for anything. But--" She turned to face Ren. "I was instructed not to allow you to wield a gun."

She wasn't sure how she'll take to this news but she reassured her. "You did well back there. If we get through this mission successfully then you would've earned the respect of the top brass. So just be patient."

"Alright. You can all go now. And I expect to see you in half an hour."

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