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Saul Leo Metargo

"Though we have strength, I fear we may have bitten out more than we can chew. Regardless, we will press on."

0 · 417 views · located in Myrstrarkia

a character in “Mech Battles”, as played by ZacharyTC

Description

Name: Saul Leo Metargo
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Height: 6'1"
Appearance: His eyes are, oddly enough, purple from birth, a trait not often seen anywhere. That aside, his hair is completely dark blonde, falling downwards to cover half his neck. Saul usually keeps it maintained and neat, with few loose strands. Out in public, he can often be seen in his grey and gold uniform. In the premise of the palace, where he has privacy, he typically will wear more casual clothing, such as a regular button-up shirt, black pants, and a neck-tie. As far as his build goes, Saul is rather muscular, yet not menacingly so. His skin is pale in complexion, a result of a physical trait which keeps him from tanning.
Role: King od Metargo
Rank (currently): Commander in Chief

Fighting Style (applies to military personnel): Saul is a man who prefers to be out there fighting alongside his soldiers, swords out for melee when he wants to be up close and personal. Years of experience has left him with knowledge he can expertly use to his advantage. Strategic and calculating, he is one who will plan out certain aspects of each battle then execute the objectives to the best of his ability. That, added to his command of the majority of the military, makes him a deadly opponent. For ranged combat, Saul sports beam rifles that can be charged for a length of time for increased firepower.

Strengths: He is quite a calculated mind in regards to war, lending him a strategic edge over a large portion of his enemy's officers. In mech combat, this same strategic mind is what contributes significantly to his prowess in combat. Analytical and precise, he will not make it easy for anyone. Plus, he is an expert swordsman and a talented shooter in medium-ranged combat when equipped with rifles.

Weaknesses: Sometimes, he can get into his strategies to the point where he forgets to leave room for enough improvising, should the situation call for it. Another weakness he has is, in mech combat, his beam rifles take some time to charge for more powerful shots, leaving himself open for attack. Also, a long-ranged mech can bring him down if far enough for a long enough time.

Personality: Saul is one of those people who dislikes politics, yet is willing to fight for his country. Whenever a war begins, he is the person who willingly steps up as Commander in Chief of the Metargo Military. His resolve to see things through to the end drives him to continue on with the objectives he sets out, even if he has to improvise. Outside of the battlefield, people notice Saul is a gentle giant, opting not to use force or anything of the sort. Another personality trait he has is he makes an effort to remain calm under pressure, however difficult that may be.

History: As far as royalty goes, Saul grew up in a pleasant upbringing. (Well, if you count the intense military training his father gave him, then it would turn out kind of rough.) For much of his life, he has read books, studied history, learned tactics, even underwent tons of exercise to keep fit. Then, of course, there was diplomacy (something he is mediocre in), economics (not an expert on that, though), and politics to read about. All this prepared him for taking his place upon the throne. His father died early during a military campaign against Caninisia for control of the Brigiuog Islands (the territory between the Metargo mainland and Mysticaran mainland). This left Saul King of Metargo at age 21, as well as the responsibility of finishing the campaign his father left behind, completed within the four years after that. There were many times when Saul wished his father had lived a longer life, a sadness made obvious whenever he looks upon the golden sword set at a corner in his bedroom, where it stayed ever since the crowning ceremony.

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Now, with a war with Benjlakk he, as with all other wars he witnessed and experienced, never looked highly upon, Saul must yet again fight at Parliament's behest and conduct a campaign of conquest. This is the third war he has taken part in during the 21 years since he became king, which is a depressing thought for him. He hopes, more than anything, that he will be able to place his weapons up as souvenirs and not have to worry about war ever again.

Nationality (Benjlakki or Metargo): Metargo

So begins...

Saul Leo Metargo's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Captain Aegidius Aetius did the usual routines aboard the newly built Seraphim, checking to see if any damages needed repairing from the last battle the ship went through alongside the rest of the 101st Republic Fleet. It was strange: the months since the war's initiation were the first ones in a long time he had set foot on natural ground since voluntarily moving spaceward to Orbital Colony Shiona, the first operational space colony above Myrstrarkia to house an entire civilian community. He was there when the Seraphim first launched, with him as its first and current captain. Just to be chosen for the honor of commanding a magnificent vessel was a feat, but to survive quite a few battles against the battle-hardened Metargo Royal Navy with that same ship was another entirely. He and his crew would have to keep in top shape in order to make it through this war.

Speaking of the crew, Aegidius was expecting a new squadron of mech pilots called the Brown Wing Team to complete training and come aboard when they were ready. In the meantime, he had to make sure the units of the latest mech design, the A3B-7 Eagle, were in top shape for the new pilots who would be the first to operate them. Not all of them would make use of the new model, but one could never be sure which model a pilot would use.

Walking up to Sina before saluting, Captain Aetius asked his subordinate, "Are the Eagles ready for the Brown Wing Team? Admiral Holt is expecting they will arrive any day, now, considering their near-completion of training back at the Couratarn Training Camp."




"Big Brother, please don't overwork yourself. You always seem to be up to something and not telling anybody."

"I'll be fine, Antea. Don't worry."

"I hope so, Abercio, I truly do."


Abercio and Antea were always close, so close it always pained the former on the inside to lie to the latter. Whenever a war is not occurring, the two siblings were nearly inseparable. Now, with an invasion to help conduct, the Crown Prince had to divide his duties between his family and the military. This was what he and Belladonna had anticipated would happen, knowing Romano Lopez's nationalistic stupidity. (The Prime Minister may technically be family, yet Abercio considered him a stain on the family honor.) It was what the two "partners in crime" had been working together in preparation for the whole time. With spies and a personal army on their side, Abercio and Belladonna were capable of doing things without necessarily having the approval of the Crown Prince’s father.

Meeting back up with Belladonna, in their personal ship that stored the mech they co-piloted, he waved to her. "Phase 1 is complete, now for Phase 2: We will take our personal troops and set up a diversion of our own up in space as we keep the Benjlakki forces near Orbital Colony Shiona occupied enough to prevent any mech drops from there. That way, my father need only concern himself with what is happening within the Benjlakki Mainland. As for the islands Benjlakk controls, we will have to play it by ear with our spies."




Antea felt as if she was all alone every time it was just her in the family that was in the castle located in Metargo City, even though there were maids, butlers, and her own personal Royal Guard around to keep her company. Everyone around her treated her well, but never saw her as her, just as the younger princess. This left her with the thought of how life would be if it were this way forever, with no relatives or friends to see her in person. It would be a lonely existence, even among others. On the topic of relatives, she remembered her sister, Sorell, was travelling towards their father's location to talk about something. So, she dialed the number on her comm disk, waited for her to answer, and said, "Sorell, are you doing okay over there? I hope you have not run into trouble. It is pretty dangerous in Benjlakk, right now, with the war."




Onboard the Titan, Aaron and the rest of Lion Team were awaiting the pilot whom transferred to their prestigious mech squadron. Most pilots in the Metargo Royal Navy could only dream of such an honor. To Aaron's shock, however, it was someone whom he fell in love with at the academy, Cecilia Lumine. The sight of her caused him to lose his composure and blush a few shades of red, unable to complete his salute.

Right behind the Lion Team were Saul Leo Metargo and Chanah Metargo, the King and Queen respectively. Saul gave a silent sigh in disappointment. It was not that Cecilia was not a bad pick by his wife to be a part of the squadron, it was just that with her and Aaron having to spend time around each other, the romantic past between the sergeant and the transfer pilot could cause them to lose focus when on the battlefield, which could prove lethal. As a matter of fact, now that he thought about it, he whispered to Chanah, "I question your motive for transferring Specialist Lumine to Lion Team, knowing the past between her and Sergeant Lextu." He already figured he knew what was coming, thus he would not be surprised if his intuition was correct.




Intensity. Pure intensity. That is what described the Brown Wing Team’s training. The trainees whom did not pass the needed tests to be part of the squadron transferred elsewhere. Every part of the brain and body underwent stress so to forge the pilots into the troops they had to be in order to stand up to the battle-hardened foes they would inevitably fight. Oddly enough, the Shapiro twins endured all of it better than the others did, yet nobody could explain why. Dao Danmao has taken up to trying to woo Chemda in what little spare time there was outside of training. Humorously, it ended up with Chemda being oblivious due to having received gifts at seemingly random over the course of her high school gymnast days while Adira threatened to expose Dao's bribes and smuggling to that end if he continued going against military protocol.


And then, there were the Malachi brothers, Benjamin and Zechariah. They were two young men whom now had a family reputation to live up to. whereas Benjamin embraced it fully, Zechariah did not. Despite this, Zechariah was able to rank higher than Benjamin on the training ranks, which caused the older brother to become envious. Regardless, they were brothers, thus would not mean any harm on each other. The younger brother realized nothing would ever be the same. Once the actual combat began for Brown Wing Team, there was no going back.

During a break for water, Benjamin snuck a message to Oriana about what went on in training so far. He figured she was so busy with things, she could not see the messages, yet. He included some of the more comedic moments. Zechariah, on the other hand, simply drank his water and wondered what the future held for him. Would he make it through the war, or would it consume him?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Belladonna Grey -

Belladonna was reading, with the war becoming more intense with each passing day and the increase of planning and stress Abercio underwent it was hard for her to find time for such pleasantries. So it was nice to take a moment. Her eyes scanned over the words finding false fascination in the books explanation of war tactics, Abercio had lended it to her and she had not had the heart to tell him she'd read it before when he began to excitedly talk about chapter 17. Looking up from her book she noticed Abercio walk in although in her view it looked like he was on the ceiling. After all she was sitting upside down as she usually did with her head hanging slightly off the sofas edge and her legs hooked over the side of the couch one normally rested there back. Rolling around to sit normally Belladonna set the book down and looked up to Abercio blankly. "Understood."



Sorell Metargo -

Sorell was sitting quietly in her seat gazing out the window tiredly. She was on a ship heading toward her parents and so far it had been slow going. She felt on edge today but she was sure it was because the ship was so close to Benjlakk and even though she was promised safety anything could happen. Though if her personal maid Fion was here she was sure the sweet girl would quell her worries. The buzz of her comm disk drew her out of her thoughts and she picked up smiling when she heard Antea's comforting voice. "I'm fine Antea, we haven't run into any problems and were staying pretty close to the wild side of Benjlakk I don't think they have anything out here unless they have some well hidden military base." Smiling Sorell continued to talk to her asking her this and that about her day and trying to keep to light conversation. It was then that the ship gave an odd jerk. "Antea were running into a turbulence I think il loose your signal, I'll call back in a little while when it's clearer." And with that Sorell hung up and stood to go investigate the reason for the sudden jerk in the ship.



Chanah Metargo -

Chanah was thoroughly pleased with herself when Cecilia Lumine walked into her view. The black haired girl was quite amazing both in her fighting and her unique personality. Her perfect balance of fierce protectiveness and motherly care, gently hidden with a cold exterior made her a puzzle to most, and scary to others. But when Chanah had learned that the pilot nicknamed the Mad Raven had once shared a romantic relationship with Aaron Lextu she simply could not help but pry, and Cecilia /was/ perfectly qualified for the Lion Team so no one would think much of a queens meddling. Smiling innocently at her husband she blinked feigning ignorance. "Tsk Tsk, does my husband not trust his gorgeous wife... Come now it was an innocent pick and you know Cecilia has been slated for the Lion Team for a good long while. And besides what's the worse some harmless little romance could do my dear?" Smiling Chanah waved to Cecilia the stoic strong girl gave a perfectly executed salute in return. "And you know as well as I that Aaron and Cecilia are both strong and focused people on the battle field, the most they will do is protect each other fiercely which I expected them to do anyway romance or not." Finally Chanah broke her innocent composure and giggled. "Besides you have to admit that there just /TOO/ cute a couple! Don't you agree Fion? Speaking of which have you been eying up any military boys? I must say there amazing in-" Chanah cut herself off knowing that the shy red headed maid would probably run away if she continued.



Fion Silk -

Fion felt uncomfortable standing by the queen and king of Metargo. It's not that they were not amazing people, it's just that she always felt intimidated by the King and Queen even if at times they treated her along the lines to an extra daughter. Shifting Fion watched everyone go about there business while waiting for the new recruit. It was a tediously boring task standing by and waiting, and although Chanah continuously insisted Fion go flirt the Misticaran raised girl refused to budge from her post not unless she was ORDERED would she move! By the time the new recruit arrived Fion's feet had begun falling asleep so had her brain so it came as quite a shock when she suddenly found the Queen closer to her then before and asking her if she'd been scoping out boys. Blushing Fion shook her head wildly trying to block out any wild bluntness the queen might pull... Luckily Fion was sparred. "Your highness you know very well I'm not looking to find a suitor... Besides no one here would know proper Mysticaran courting protocol." Ignoring the queens pout Fion fixed her dress and returned to her spot standing by the king and queen with her head lowered respectfully.



Cecilia Lumine -

It had been quite the shock for Cecilia when she received her transfer letter. Although Cecilia was use to getting transferred due to her wild and interesting battle tactics it should have been a routine protocol. But what shocked Cecilia about this particular transfer was that it was signed by the Queen of Metargo and it was to transfer to the most prestigious of squadrons The Lion Team. Chanah, the queen was in many ways an idol to Cecilia her skills with a sword were truly admirable and she held herself with sheer grace so even if it was a shock Cecilia felt proud and promptly departed. Walking through the Titan Cecilia had to pass many security checks luckily when people saw the Queen's signature they did not dare to even search Cecilia so it was with relative speed that Cecilia made her way to where the Lion Team had gathered and pushing open the door Cecilia scanned over her new team. She would memorize each face and protect them, but while looking through her new team mates one in particular caught her eye... He had not changed much, he still sported wild eyes and white hair, and he still made her heart want to burst. Quickly looking at his badge she noted he was her sergeant.... Did he still hate her for leaving him? Did he still curse her for listening to her father? She would assume so... Walking over Cecilia commanded the room with deadly grace with a perfect salute she handed her transfer paper to Aaron. "It will be a pleasure working under you Sergeant, I vow to protect this team with my body and life." Stepping back Cecilia gave a quick quiet smile to her teammates, the friendly gesture set them at ease. Then she saluted the queen looking on proudly.



Dao Danmao -

Unlike most of his teammates Dao was not the most fit. Years of eating delicate foods, and studying with little exercise had left him worse for wear. But there was a certain bit of pride he had knowing that compared to his comrades his swordsman-ship was something most could not beat. Of course those with the higher ranks could knock him down but few even his higher ups boasted his diverse skill with so many different types of melee, it made him feel good to know his skill was something of his own and not something his parent's had bought for him. Walking over to where the water was being served he noticed Chemda had not yet gotten some, and using it as an opportunity Dao quickly got some water for Chemda... And Adira even if Adira wanted his head she was still important to sweet Chemda so he would... /try/ to befriend her. Walking over Dao handed the girls some water and smiled. "You two are really good at this huh? I must ask did you take lessons in endurance or is it natural?"



Oriana Aspiral -

Oriana was resting in her hospital bed when she heard the distinctive buzz that meant she had a message. Opening her eyes Oriana reached over to see what was being sent to her, and too be honest she felt a little relieved she was getting a message, after all she could check out from the hospital in 20 minutes and finally be around people instead of isolated in a room. She understood the presidents secrecy, if people new that the secretary that managed foreign affairs had been wounded by the Metargo before the war even really begun it might start panic. More so if they found out she seemed to not be waking up. But she had woken up yesterday, of course they refused to let her contact anyone until today and even then she'd had to twist arms. Looking at the messages she noticed the sender was Benjamin... Sending them in secret no doubt during training... He always was a trouble maker. Moving to answer Oriana let out a hiss of pain, she was not use to her new metal arm. And although it functioned decently it still felt sore moving it at times. Giggling at the more comedic side of Ben's message Oriana avoided telling him about her current situation and instead sent him a short encouraging message. It was too difficult to type in anything long.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Captain Aetius nodded to Sina's reply. "Good. The admiral is making this ship his flagship, and he places quite an emphasis on readiness. I did some personal inspecting on the Seraphim, and I've noticed the doors on the starboard hangar of this ship have been damaged from our last battle, plus we've lost a few unmanned guns on the outside. See if you can fix all that." He handed the necessary files on the damages and went back to the bridge.

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Soon enough, Admiral Holt arrived at one of the hangars. He could already see the fighters and mechs at the ready for when the new pilots arrived. The 101st fleet was among the best of the best the Benjlakki Republic Navy could provide, yet even they required new recruits to replenish from the previous battles that resulted in brutal losses on both sides. Hopefully, this Brown Wing Team would last longer than the previous bunch of mech pilots.




Abercio nodded, then walked on over to his and Bella's ship's hanger where their co-piloted mech, the 5T-1 Olympian, a mech which had the appearance of a feminine individual in ancient armor, with a round shield, a couple rifles, and a mech vibroblade capable of slicing beams in two. He put on his costume/disguise and climbed into he cockpit, waiting for Belladonna to do the same. Once both co-pilots were inside, Abercio contacted the personal troops with, "The time has come, comrades, to commence with our first battle! What we do in space will ultimately determine the outcome of the war with Benjlakk! Our destination is the military space station above Myrstrarkia! The objective: keep the Benjlakki troops from dropping their mechs! For this purpose, it will be a siege on the space station! Orbital Colony Shiona will no doubt send reinforcements, so stay on guard!"

Setting the coordinates, Abercio gave the orders for all mechs and ships to launch. Soon enough, They were in the atmosphere, then in the space above Myrstrarkia. As expected, the enemy space station had anticipated the arrival of Metargo troops, launching missiles in the direction of Abercio's troops. "Evasive action! Power to shields!" Most were able to prevent serious damage, aside from several ships and some mechs that were destroyed in the process. "Units up front, take out their missile launchers and other interception guns! The rest of you, prepare for mech-to-mech combat! Ships, stay at the ready!"

The missile launchers on the space station were destroyed in quick order, along with several interception guns. This forced the station to send out the mechs. Any Benjlakki mechs that attempted to destroy the ships would be forced back. This in turn caused said Benjlakki pilots to man their mechs against those of Abercio's troops, collectively called the Moon Force. The siege had begun, with mechs on both sides suffering heavy damage and/or being destroyed. Abercio gave orders as situations arised, the Moon Force not letting up in the face of danger from the Benjlakki mechs.




Aaron received the papers from Cecilia, still shell shocked by her coming onboard as part of Lion Team. If she thought he blamed her at all for the break up, it would not sit well with him. After all, he had nothing against her, but her father. The break up was forced upon them. Once the formalities were finished, Aaron regained his posture and told Lion Team, "All right, to your quarters until further notice! We won't see any action, for now! Cecilia, come with me to your room on the titan." He showed her where she would be staying, which was next to Aaron's room.




Adira and Chemda were a little surprised that Dao gave the two some water. Although, the question of how they came to be so fit was not anything new. Adira answered with a vague answer, "I would have to say it is a combination of lessons from gymnastics and having naturally developed the endurance. We... always have been odd among our peers in that we were always the stronger, faster, and tougher."

Chemda chimed in with, "But, we never let that bother us!" Sipping some water, Chemda continued with, "I've noticed you've become quite a swordsman! I've heard not many people can master a blade so quickly!"

Adira nodded calmly with a serious face. "It takes a great deal of determination and devotion to the mastery of the weapon in order to be skilled at it. I am impressed, myself."

Meanwhile, Zechariah and Benjamin were drinking up a lot of water due to exhaustion from putting in extra effort to improve their skills and athleticism. Benjamin received Ori's message and laughed a little, hiding the disk so nobody would notice. So much happened during the first four months, and with the training coming to a close, ben could not wait to be on the action. Zechariah, on the other hand, wished he was anywhere but a place involving the military. Looking up at the sky, he barely noticed a small dot in the sky, which fell from sight behind the trees. "I wonder what that could have been."

Benjamin finished chugging his water in time to pose the query, "What was that?"

Zechariah shook his head. "Nothing"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Belladonna Grey -

Taking a deep breath Belladonna prepared herself to handle whatever would happen. Silently she slipped into her disguise, she wasn't fond of it but for Abercio's sanity and her protection it paid to hide her identity behind theatrics, and luckily it was only for a short while. It took little time for Bella to slip into the mostly white outfit and put on her mask it was white and featureless except for the eyes which were two dark large almond shaped holes, it hid Belladonna's identity well and the white and silver contrasted perfectly to Abercio giving off a dramatic feel that Bella enjoyed using as a tool to tease Abercio... Not that he really understood that she was joking.

With her outfit complete she followed after Abercio and silently played her part, she was never one to speak during these vital moments not unless her skills in close combat were called upon and even then she remained quiet. And in there current situation Belladonna's skills were not called on much except to dodge a few shot in there direction. Every-once and awhile she took a second to glance over at Abercio and read his face so she could tell his next command she needed to be one step ahead of his words to keep them alive up here. After all Benjlakk was not one to easily be trifled with...



Cecilia Lumine -

Cecilia was quick to follow Aaron making sure to walk behind him out of respect but even still she could not deny she felt nervous around her former love... Though with the way she felt ready to run for it she was starting to wonder if her feelings were still former. Shaking off her thoughts Cecilia stopped to note they were in front of two doors with Aaron explaining which was hers. And that the other... Was his. Mentally slapping herself Cecilia only gave a silent formal nod and diverted her eyes down wishing she could change places with anyone... Even the queens jumpy little Mysticaran maid...



Dao Danmao -

Water had never felt so good running down Dao's through then the moment he took a drink, of course he kept one ear open to listen to Chemda and Adira but he could not say he was surprised by there answer he'd heard from the others about there athletic past so it made sense that they had an advantage. When the conversation took a turn to him however Dao felt a mixture of pride and spike of nerves. "Well I must admit I've never handled a sword before... My parents certainly expected me to become a business owner in there stead but... I must say I found the army an odd but adventuress new path in life... It also kept my mother off my back about business and marriage and such other serious things." Running his fingers through his black hair Dao smiled. "It's nice though... Feeling appreciated for a skill that is my own though I wish I was not getting quite as many cuts on my hands... I seem to have high class butter hands when handling anything sharp." Dao let out a sigh and took another drink.



Sorell Metargo -

Walking toward the cabin of the ship was difficult for Sorell as each step was met with another jolt. Although the rational side of her mind marked it off the sudden lack of stability as turbulence a part of her was worried. As she approached the cabin Sorell let go of the seats and walls to reach for the handle. But before she had the time to grab it the ship violently lurched and Sorell felt her body get pushed violently down the ship knocking her into wall on the other end and stealing her breath. Blacking out for a mere second was all it took for Sorell to wake to complete panic, the ships emergency siren was going off and the flashing red light filled the room. They were going down and fast with little time to think Sorell's mind raced before stopping on something her brother had once told her on surviving crashes. Pushing herself off the wall Sorell ignored the popping in her ears from the atmospheric pressure change quickly she headed to the supply lockers and shoved herself inside there wasn't enough time to get to an escape pod so for now she could only close her eyes and hope for a miracle.

Pain was the first thing Sorell felt when she regained consciousness. Her body was stiff and bruised but she seemed otherwise unharmed... Perhaps it really was a miracle... Either that or medical care and she would open her eyes to find herself in a hospital room with Antea fretting and Abercio angrily stomping about while trying to remain stoic and calm. No doubt her mother would be crying and her father worried silent... Opening her eyes Sorell let out a groan... No such luck she was instead met with the dark grey of the supply locker... And a moldy broom in her face. As her senses slowly clicked back in Sorell could only shift as her ears popped and even her smell slowly returned. She was in Benjlakk... The princess of Metargo was stuck in Benjlakk. Groaning in frustration she kicked out pushing open the locker door, she sat up and held her head ignoring the blood running from her nose and the burn of pain from every part of her body. The wreckage of the ship met Sorell`s eyes allong with the burnt bodies of the captain... She was in enemy territory completely alone.


~ Insert Time Skip ~

Sorell was not sure for how long she'd been walking but the sight of trees and boulders was beginning to anger her. Of course Sorell was smart enough to bandage her wounds and salvage what she could from the wreckage and she'd read up on survival skills not to mention heard them from her brother. But even listening to them she felt like she was going in circles. Grumbling Sorell seethed with annoyance feeling her frustration build but as she walked the sound of voices met Sorell's ear... Freezing Sorell listened, they were still difficult to make out but... They sounded close. Following the noise up a hill Sorell hid behind a tree picking out... It just had to be military camp... It could not be a camp ground, or a town no a military camp no doubt someone might know her face and no doubt they would keep her as hostage making her shame of her family and Metargo and... Did she see water. Sorell stopped her inner rant to eye the water bottles, she /was/ thirsty and no doubt they had food, but barging in was foolish she needed a plan... Grouching down Sorell continued to watch the camp go about there daily activities and luckily Sorell was quick enough to spot someone going into a tent with uniforms... Bingo.

Going back down the hill Sorell took the long way round to the back of the tent where the uniforms were stored, luckily the area was fairly wild so Sorell managed to climb up the fence and jump over all while remaining un-seen. Within minutes Sorell was inside the tent and changed. Shoving her dress behind a cabinet Sorell took one last look at herself in the mirror, she was dressed like a Benjlakk soldier and with the loose clothes and hat she looked like a male further hiding her identity. Now all she needed to do was act her way to some supplies and high tail it out of the camp before anyone should question her on her identity. Nodding to herself Sorell pushed down the brim of the hat to hide her face and stepped out. She only prayed this would work...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Abercio listened intently to what Belladonna had to say, nodding with her. She does have a point. We can still win this and seize the space station. It does not have to be a siege. Thinking over what he witnessed in battle, and knowing his fleet's current capabilities, he came up with a bold plan. "What if we were to use the Raven and Mighty Duck's hulls as bait? They are a bit damaged, but can still take some damage. Their durability will provide enough time for our bombers and mechs to launch from those two makeshift carriers while the other seven ships flank the enemy fleet. Of course, in order to fool them into thinking we are vulnerable, those ships will pull out as if bailing out on us. This will give us the element of surprise and enable us to outflank them on two sides, three on one, four on the other. If it works, we will be rid of the battleship and the remaining two gunner vessels. Orbital Colony Shiona will not be able to send anymore reinforcements due to needing them to defend the space colony, which means we will be safe once the space station is ours. How long that will last, I cannot say."

Thinking on it some more, he realized something. "Wait a minute! I know! I can contact the captain of a shuttle headed to the Titan to see if they spotted a training camp. He is one of our trusted men who know of what we are doing out here." There was no reply. "Captain Commodus! Come in! Do you read me!?" Still no reply. The worst part was, this captain was escorting one of his sisters! If he crashed, and she was dead...

The reality of the danger left him distraught. "No... she can't be dead... not sweet lil' Sorell..." Normally, he would let his parents command the Lion Team, but since his sister was involved, he could not think straight until he knew she was safe. In a rage, he punched in the numbers to call Aaron Lextu on his comm disk.

Soon enough, the two men were connected, Aaron bowing his head in respect to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, it is an honor receive a call from you! How may I serve?"

"My sister, Sorell! She's stranded in enemy territory! She could be dead, or worse! Take your squadron, and a transport shuttle with troops and the princess's maid, to the last known coordinates of the shuttle that crashed, the coordinates of which are being sent, now! If anyone jeopardizes her safety, kill them!"

"It will be done, your highness."


Abercio ended the call after the exchange of words. His mix of anger, fear, and sadness kept him from focusing on the task at hand. He knew somebody had to lead the fleet, so he put on his mask/helmet and told Belladonna, "Take over the fleet, for now, Bella! Somebody with a cool head needs to lead these men!"




Kyle shook his head. "N-no, I... I-I don't need anything... I-I just... uh..." He became flustered for a moment. "I-I just could not help but notice how attractive you are."He then attempted to try to catch himself. "B-But that doesn't mean I want to sleep with you, or anything!" Catching himself in a lie, he groaned. "Okay! Sometimes, I want to, but that would be breaking all the rules! Besides, I..." Kyle soon gave up on explaining himself and opened the door to his quarters. He added in frustration, "Oh, what's the use? A street guy like me doesn't stand a chance with a royal maid!" Once inside, he punched the "close and lock" button angrily while beating himself up mentally.

~About the time after Abercio made the call to Aaron, and while Sorell was discovered to be the Princess by Zechariah...~


Kyle spent the free time he had perfecting his illustration skills. Unlike the more destructive modes of distraction, like premarital sex and alcohol, sketching was a lot more soothing for him. He picked up on the skill from George Lucius, one of his fellow Lions. For some reason, however, Kyle felt the older young man looked like one of the pre-war Benjlakki aces he heard about from the Prime Minister's son. The particular illustration Kyle was creating was of Fion. As perverted as he was, you would think he would depict her in an erotic pose or something like that. Instead, he drew her in her maid outfit with the armor she wore when out into battle, holding a spear in one hand, and a handgun in another. It may have been a depiction of her ready for battle, yet he wanted to make her look gorgeous in the process (not that he needed to put in that much effort). Right when he gave the finishing touches, the emergency alarm sounded with Aaron Lextu - who had special permission to use the alarm due to the Lion Team's standing- stating on the intercom, All Lion Team pilots, to the hangar! Fion, you are requested to be part of the landing force boarding a shuttle! This is a rescue mission to retrieve Princess Sorell! All pilots and assigned troops, to your vehicles and mechs! This is not a drill! Prepare to rescue Princess Sorell!"

Immediately, as the alarm went off with Aaron's orders, Kyle sprung out of his bunk and sprinted to the Titan's hangar, where the maintenance crew was already hard at work preparing all the weapons, mechs, and the shuttle for take off. The soldiers assigned the rescue mission boarded the shuttle single file in two columns. The whole of Lion Team got into their mechs in quick order while waiting for Aaron's signal to go. "All Lions, report in!"

"Lion 14, standing by."
"Lion 13, standing by."
"Lion 12, standing by"

After Cecilia gave her designation number (which was eleven), the rest of the Lions reported in.
"Lion 10, standing by."
"Lion 9, standing by."

"Lion 8, standing by,"
stated Kyle as he focused on the rescue at hand with the controls in his mech's cockpit in his grip.
"Lion 7, standing by."
"Lion 6, standing by."

George checked his controls and systems while reporting in with, "Lion 5, standing by." Then, the rest of the Lions reported in, down to Lion 2.

With all Lions and troops -plus the maid- reported in, Aaron gave the signal for the hanger doors to open. With all systems go in the mechs, he knew the time has come to launch. "Lion Team, launching!" The whole squadron went out first, followed by the shuttle. The rescue, and the Lion Team's first encounter with the Brown Wing Team, was poised to commence.




Meanwhile, Saul stood next to Chanah in shock. He could not believe the shuttle Sorell was in crashed somewhere. He could only hope his daughter was safe somewhere. Normally, he kept his cool, but considering this involved one of his own offspring, his concern and disbelief leaked out clear as day. He could not even speak. All he could do was watch from his and Chanah's personal cabin as Lion Team and the rescue platoon launched.




Antea was surprised at Orland's sudden lifting her up bridal style. It made her blush, honestly. Once in her room and in bed, she felt for his hands and held one of them to be sure he was still there. "Thank you." looking in his direction -although, she could not truly see him in her current state- her smile faded as she decided to say what was on her mind. "Orland? Do you ever feel... alone?" She turned her head as she clarified why she posed such a query. "I'm sorry! It's just... Whenever the family's away, I feel like... I don't have much of anyone to talk to. True, I am surrounded by many folks, but all they see is a princess. They don't exactly see me as, well, me."

Turning her head back so she faced upwards, she added with tears threatening to come out, "What if my parents and siblings were to die in this war? I'd be practically all alone in this prison they call a palace! Nobody I can relate to... nobody to share the pressures with... I... I..." Opening her blind eyes, she turned towards the boy with tears coming out. "Orland... Please, help me up!" Once she was sitting up, Antea felt for Orland's shoulders and clung to him, sobbing.




Zechariah heard Sorell's voice cracking and knew she was crying. At the query of his actions being a trick, he turned around and said in a frantic protest, "No! Not at all!" Great, you're making it worse! Calm down! Tapping his forehead, he thought aloud, "Come on! Think! What would momma do?" He then pointed to himself in confusion and realization. "What would I do!?" He paced around for a brief instant until he had an idea. Pulling out a disk, he played a recording with a kitten playing with yarn. "Kitty cat?" After waiting, he raised an eyebrow and laughed awkwardly. "It's... not working, is it? Okay, um..." He played a different one, with two puppies rough-housing as only cute little puppies would. "Puppy?" Whatever the result was, he did not feel it was working. All he thought he was doing was confusing her.

If only I had teddy with me! He always makes people feel better! Groaning before shaking his head, he chose to hug her gently until she felt better. He was not sure if it would work, but it was all he could think of.

After a few moments like that, he let go after catching sight of the backpack that only Benjamin would leave behind in the shower cabin. And, that could mean only one thing. "Ben, did you sneak in some of the rations, again? Sheesh! When will you just follow the rules people give you!?" Zechariah pulled out the water and food Benjamin left in there while adding, "Seriously! I'm always bailing you out, big brother! Well, serves you right, 'cause a scared-to-death girl needs them more than you do, right now!" Placing the contraband in a different bag, he gave them to Sorell with a smile.

Suddenly, Benjamin came in after hearing he was caught by his own brother, again. "What do you mean, "scared-to-death girl"!? I could have sworn... Metargo!" He caught sight of the Princess and was about to point his new rifle angrily before Zechariah came between them.

"Don't you dare shoot!" The younger brother was determined to see to it that the girl was safe. It was shown clearly in his eyes and stern expression.

"Out of the way! Don't you know who that is!? It's Princess..."

"I know! I'm not stupid! But, I also know she's scared out of her mind!"

"You're so naïve! We can't let her tell some troops that there is a camp, here!"

"How would you like to give your alibi in a court marshal in front of President Anderson, for killing or otherwise harming a defenseless individual?"
Angrily, Zechariah added, "And, I'm the one who will press charges!"

"You wouldn't!"
Benjamin could not believe it: his own brother was defending a Metargo! And, not just any, but one of the Princesses! And now, he was threatened by him with a military lawsuit.

Emboldened by determination and courage, the younger brother stood there with a firm stare. "Try me."

Now, Benjamin was in for it! Once Zechariah makes such a demand, you know his mind is made up! In resignation, Benjamin lowered his rifle. "Fine! We'll do it your way! So, what's your master plan to get us out of this mess?"

"If Aaron Lextu's profile is any indication,"
replied Zechariah, "he will jump to conclusions and assume we captured her and tortured her. That would give me the opportunity to incite an honor duel under the condition that nobody gets hurt around here. Win or lose, Sorell goes with Lion Team back to her family."

"You would fight the Falcon of Fury!?"

"If I die, then I'm the only casualty."


Benjamin raised his rifle in anger at the thought of seeing Zechariah dead. "Other than him!"

Zechariah raised his voice in frustration. "Benjamin Jacob Malachi!"

Benjamin relented with a groan. "My full name..."

At that moment, Eitan Shapiro entered the room. "Ben, if you were to kill Aaron in retaliation for killing Zechariah, it would be a breach of the agreement your brother wants to make, which would leave nothing to stop Lion Team from blowing the whole training camp to dust and rubble. Unless you think we can beat that squadron with training mechs and machine guns, I believe Zechariah's route is our best bet."

Benjamin began to protest. "Yeah!? Well, there's no way the Captain in charge of the garrison will go for that!"

Suddenly, an elderly voice was heard. "Actually, he thinks it is an excellent idea!"

"Captain Richardson!?"
All three Brown Wings were bewildered to find out the Captain overheard the whole conversation. They knew he was a veteran of the Civil War and a tough man, but for him to agree to what Zechariah sought to do? That was news for them.

Richardson tipped his hat to the Princess in respect. "As much as I feel we must win this war, we must first break away from our old habits from our previous wars. Killing an unarmed individual, royalty or otherwise, would make them a martyr. Not to mention, it would not stand up to moral scrutiny. The Deity forbid we turn into such brutes as we were in the past who mindlessly go around on a killing spree out of some sense of vengeance. Proceed as planned, Brown Wing Team!"

All three men in the room saluted with, "Aye, Captain!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Sorell Metargo
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Abercio was not even paying attention to the battle, not with his mind still worrying about Sorell. It came as no surprise that he did not even notice the 5T-1 Olympian's arm was sliced off by one of the Sabre-Bleus. He only snapped back into reality when Aaron left a message (automatically redirected to the mask's private communications so nobody in the Moon force would know it was Abercio leading them), informing him that Sorell was safe and now being taken to her father and mother. Breathing a sigh of relief, he now refocused his attention to the space where the battle was. He heard the call on the victory in space just in time. Knowing Bella was awaiting instructions, he said to the whole fleet, "The job is not done, yet. Now, we need to board the station and take it over. Keep as many hostiles alive as possible. We need prisoners to give information on how to run the station. It will be our base away from the carnage below for the time being. Here, after the space station is ours, we shall coordinate our next move. Any mechs, fighters, and bombers that survived shall return to the Raven and Mighty Duck for repairs. Silver Moon and I shall be aboard the Mighty Duck shortly to repair the 5T-1 Olympian and observe the rest of this operation in our cabin, next to the cabin for the Mighty Duck's captain. You know how to contact us while we are there."

~After landing and getting in the cabin...~


In the cabin next to the ship's captain's, which provided privacy and a place to rest, Abercio lay on the couch (where he voluntarily slept while leaving Belladonna with the bedroom within the cabin) and thought about the rest of the war. What would it be like? Who would he face? While Bella did her thing, he thought on it while thinking up possible strategies to use.




Antea nodded upon hearing Orland's question. "Of, course! Don't worry!" As she let Orland push the wheelchair to the hangar, the off-duty palace guard were arriving at the palace Armory to suit up in their white-and-silver armor, complete with a red helmet with a white accent and plume. They were also being armed with rifles, handguns, and knives to prepare for whatever danger lay ahead. This gave Antea plenty of time to talk to Orland. "So, Orland, what do you like to do in your spare time?"




Zechariah watched as Sorell bowed with her arms straight and next to her sides while she bent forward a little, expressing gratitude. He was about to say, "you're welcome," when she suddenly stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. His immediate reaction was to stand there speechless while he blushed. He did manage a shy smile and a wave, however. Dao's teasing punch to his shoulder cause a bit of pain to surface due to the particular area punch being where a bruise from the duel being there. the rich man's words earned him a stern look. "Dao, this isn't exactly the time to be thinking of romance." Why am I still thinking of Sorell, then!?

His thoughts of Sorell were immediately brushed away when Oriana tackled him into a hug, causing more pain to surface, even though he did not show it around her. At first, she expressed concern, then began lecturing him on how he could have died. I knew what I was doing! I'm not stupid! He thought those words, and wanted so badly to say them. It would only start an argument, though.

Benjamin knew he was next as he tried to sneak away, only to be grabbed by the ear. "Ow!" He always was embarrassed when Oriana began lecturing him profusely.




Saul stood at the window overlooking the hangar from his and the Queen's cabin the whole time. Speechless, shocked, distraught, silent. His mood changed once he saw Lion Team and the shuttle land, Sorell coming out. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Our daughter is safe. She has arrived." He then raised an eyebrow. "It is strange there seems to be no casualties, however. Not even the slightest damage to the mechs and shuttle. It's almost as if there was no battle that took place. Aaron Lextu seems to be the only one with any sort of injury, aside from Sorell."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Sorell Metargo
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Belladonna Grey -

Belladonna was happy for the quick break and immediately took off her frivolous coat and let down her hair so she could brush it. Peeking out of the bathroom she decided to see what was going on in Abercio's head and she sat down across from him as she continued to comb through her long vibrant hair. "You may wish to apologize to your parents for suddenly ordering around The Lion Team. Although your reasons were good you know there's usually a protocol to these things." Her voice had a teasing undertone which was rare. Belladonna was considered rather devoid of feeling almost mistaken for a robot rather then a person at times but she was getting better, the more time she spent with the prince learning to trust him the more her guards dropped and she began to act in a fashion that people would deem 'normal' of course even the more expressive side of Bell was rather reserved unsure and tentative. "Abercio..." She looked away always afraid to speak out of turn. "They... Had a space battleship." She frowned a little and curled into herself. "They should not have had one so soon the technology all that... You don't think that there could possibly be..." Her gold eyes looked at him tentatively. "A traitor?"



Orland Bastion -

Orland smiled a little. "I usually spend time with my mother... Im the only one she has so I try to be there for her." He paused as he pushed her. "We bake together." Orland was about to say more when he felt someone grab the back of his coat. "No time for talking. We gotta get you outfitted with some weaponry kid." Orland was shocked and started squirming and trying to protest. He wasn't complete training, he was too young. But they all seemed as he was handed everything he needed the explanation was simple. "You'll be pushing the princess wheel chair no one will suspect your armed or deadly due to your age its perfect." Orland glanced at Antea as if she might know the reason for the sudden bout of trust being given to him by the other guards.



Oriana Aspiral -

Oriana sighed heavily and ran her fingers over the cold metal of her new arm trying to soothe her frayed nerves. It was then that Oriana heard one of Zechariah and Ben's teammates muttering not so subtly to another asking if it was wise to bring up the fact that Zech had yet to be looked over by the medical team. Looking over at Captain Richardson her bright blue eyes narrowed into a deadly glare, which the Captain seemed to pick up. "Well Zech why don't I escort you to the medical tent." Oriana figured it was smart of the Captain to leave her direct view for awhile as she was about ready to let loose another rant. But once she saw Zech off to get checked up she defused a little and let out a shaky worried sigh as she looked up at her long time friend Ben sadly. "You two are going to be the death of me if this war isn't... Must you always get into trouble?" She knew she really could not talk when there she was with one arm less from the last time Ben saw her. And now that she was forced to face him she wasn't sure how she was going to tell him. Ben might have been slow at times to notice things especially when she was scolding him but he /would/ notice and then she'd have to explain and hed surely get into a tizzy like she was in just a moment before. Really what a match they were... Not that they were a pair or anything. Just the idea made Oriana have to fight off a blooming blush.



Cecilia Lumine -

Cecilia was feeling very mixed emotions when they returned on one hand there were casualties so she was happy. On the other hand she'd had to grit her teeth in silence and watch Aaron get beat up. It's not that she doubted her ex was strong. No she knew full well he was skilled and could handle hits. But still it pained her and the repetitive blows to the head especially so close to the eye worried her. Hopping out of her R23-6 Sky Gate she brushed herself off and wondered if Aaron would be terribly bothered if she asked him if he was ok? Thinking on it she figured it might upset him or she might upset him and she was about to quietly leave when the horrified voice of the Princess's Maid carried to her ears.

"Goodness Aaron your eye!"

Glancing over Cecilia's own brown eyes widened in horror. One of Aaron's eyes looked almost swollen shut the pupil did not seem to be focusing right. How he managed to fly back was a complete mystery one that Cecilia would delve into later. But for now she felt the need to check on Aaron. She practically bolted to the man's side and immediately grabbed his chin shifting his head this way and that while her other hand carefully touched the skin. Her face was frozen in concentration eyes narrowed worriedly. "This isn't good." Grabbing Aaron's wrist she turned to Fion. "If the queen wishes to get a report from Aaron will you please tell her were in the medical bay?" Cecilia did not wait for a conformation to her request before she bolted off in a hurry dragging Aaron behind her. Luckily as one would imagine the medical bay was right next door to the hangar in the case of emergencies, so Cecilia had but a little ways to go before she was pushing Aaron in front of a doctor.



Chanah Metargo -

Unlike her husband who's reaction was to freeze and wait Chanah passed the time pacing. Back and forth over the cabin nervously rubbing her hands together until they felt raw nothing seeming to draw her from her hypnotized state, well nothing but her husbands relieved sigh. She froze and looked over at him before letting out her own sigh and rushing to the window. There indeed was her daughter and Fion both looked fine. Hugging Saul happily she gave him a quick kiss of joy. Of course she also though it was odd there was no damage or casualties but that was temporarily at the back of her mind.

Keeping hold of her husband she watched from the window as Cecilia bolted to Aaron then dragged him off. It brought a little smile to her face knowing she was as usual right about another pair. Both were good soldiers and listened to the rules so she had no worries, and even if they weren't Chanah knew that at times rules needed to be bent a little. As Sorell and Fion disappeared from view Chanah let her body relax before she sprung back into action. "Im going to go down and get a direct report from Officer Scipio on what transpired im sure Sorell will be up in a minute to talk to you." Giving her husband a peck on the cheek she smiled at him warmly before leaving the cabin and heading down. On the way as she predicted she came across Fion and Sorell and immediately embraced the two in a motherly hug. She told Sorell where her father was and figuring her husband would prefer to speak with Sorell alone she took Fion with her back to the hangar.

"Umm Officer Lumine wished me to inform you that Aaron is in the medical bay." Chanah smiled. "Im aware which is why il be asking Kyle about the event." Chanah did not expect the soldiers name to garner any reaction from Fion but oddly enough it did. The girls cheek's suddenly flamed red and she looked away. "Fion... Is there anything you wish to tell me?" Chanah practically purred the words as she grinned at the maid. "N-Nothing your highness." Arching an eyebrow in disbelief Chanah let it go while mulling it over. Fion rarely showed interest in people though she had once before commented on Kyle's looks saying that he seemed 'just right' however aside for physical appearance she could have cared less, but now she suddenly seemed to be blushing and showing intrigue which did worry the queen greatly as she knew of Scipio's reputation... But she would see for herself. When they arrived at the hanger Chanah faked just remembering something. "Oh Fion would you be a dear and go ask the head mechanic how the Mech's are all running? We don't want any problems after all." The maid seemed confused but nodded and headed off still within eye sight but far from hearing range. Perfect. Approaching Kyle Chanah put on her best sugar sweet smile. "Officer Scipio! I heard Aaron is in the medical bay so I was wondering if I could get a report on what happened from you?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Abercio heard Bella, yet did not listen until his name was mentioned for his attention. The query of whether there was a traitor was answered with a shrug. "Possibly. I'm not leaving anything I'm considering a possibility off the table. If so, we will need to send in a spy to Orbital Colony Shiona to find out more. I will handle that." Sending a coded message to one of his personal spies, he continued to talk. "It could also be that a Caninisian rebel was able to get a hold of some records detailing the technology. He or she would have to have been very clever to pull it off. If not that, then possibly a mercenary or other hired scoundrel was responsible." Abercio sat up. "Right now, until my spy I just informed gets to the bottom of it, we should focus on what we are doing right now. If there is indeed a traitor involved, we will know about it in due time."




Antea did hear that Africanus Bastion died on his way to work as part of the Royal Guard. To hear that Orland and his mother, Alivia Bastion, were the only ones left in the household, left her a bit sad. And yet, she found it heart-warming that Orland spends such quality time with her, baking together. She could not help but smile. The convseration was shotlived, as it was suggested that Orland be armed with a concealable weapon. "I have to agree with Argento. the rebels that are still out there won't expect you to be able to fight them off. a military-standard knife that can be concealed should come in handy, plus a concealable handgun. Argento, see to it he gets those two weapons."

"It will be done, milady."


Antea placed her right hand on Orland's to assure him it was okay. "Once I can see, I will teach you some basics on how to shoot. I may not be able to fight for prolonged periods of time, since I never exercised all that much, but I have learned how to use a handgun efficiently. Abercio was very adamant that I attain such a skill, in case I'm in trouble."




Saul hugged and kissed Chanah back in joy and watched as Cecilia brought Aaron to one of the medics for medical attention. Chancah's words left him chuckling softly. "Always the matchmaker you are, love!" After his wife had gone down to play cupid, Sorell was up in the cabin, welcomed by the King with a fatherly hug.

"It is quite the relief to see you alive, my daughter." Letting go, he posed the query in concern, "Tell me: What went on while you were out there?"




Aaron groaned at Fion's sudden horror. It was not as if she and the rest of the troops and Lion Team did not see him get kicked in the eye by Zechariah seconds after he was shot in the shoulder by a stun blast. They saw the blood that came out of his eye sockets, did they not? It should not have come as any surprise. His mood changed once Cecilia began examining him. Her worried expression left him both confused and awkward. He was about to say something when she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along to the medical bay.

He had to regain his balance once he was shoved in front of a medic, who began to examine him. "How did this happen, Sergeant Lextu?"

Aaron's tone became angry at the thought of his defeat. "That Benjlakki scum, Zechariah Malachi, kicked me there after he stunned me with a plasma handgun during our duel! He'll pay for..."

"Yes, we know. It is no secret you are slow to forgive, most of the time. Anyway, we'll have to examine it more close with an X-ray."
preparing the X-ray, he asked, "You had your RL-5 Falcon on autopilot when returning to the Titan, correct?"

"Yes, sir. If I were to have piloted it manually, I would not have kept the mech flying straight."

"Good, good."
After careful examination, the medic was ready to give his report. "Sergeant, I have some good news, and some bad news. The bad news is, the damage to the eye is permanent, leaving you without the 20-20 vision necessary to qualify for piloting anything in the military. The good news is, we can replace that eye with a cybernetic one. It won't be brown, like your right eye, it will be silver, but eyes are not for show, are they?"

"No, sir."

"I did not think so."
The medic began contacting the surgeons and the Head Mechanic on the Titan, Bibiana Durrans, to make the arrangements.

Meanwhile, Aaron had time to talk to Cecilia. "So, uh... How's your brother?"




Kyle was surprised to be standing face-to-face with the Queen. His right eyebrow rose a bit in curiosity. "Yes, your majesty?" Technically, he was a Private, but to be called an officer by Queen Chanah was kind of an honor for him, even though his mischievous behavior kept him from being promoted. Upon request, Scipio gave the report.

"Well, there were no casualties on either side, for one, which is a first. The reason for that is, Aaron Lextu was challenged by a Zechariah Malachi to an honor duel when the base we found the Princess at was accused of capturing and torturing her. Apparently, Zechariah found out about honor duels from the Prime Minister's son in high school. Details cut short, Zechariah managed to beat Aaron, and the condition for after the duel was, win or lose, Princess Sorell was to return safely home without further fighting. Your daughter thanked Zechariah Malachi for the safe passage to here without bloodshed the traditional way, bowing while reciting the Expression of Gratitude, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. It is rather odd, a Malachi, of all people, wanting an issue between himself and his enemies resolved without a fight to the death. Anyway, that is the sum of what happened. It seems he was expecting to be outmatched in a swordfight, and he made up for it by being a deadly shot. The plasma handgun he used was set to stun, since ranged weaponry was not allowed to be lethal for that duel. He did not solely fight with a ranged weapon, though he did use that to help him gain the upper hand. If there's one thing I can gather from seeing him fight, he will be Sergeant Lextu's greatest adversary."

Meanwhile, Bibiana Armine Durrans was already examining the mechs when Fion came up to her. She expected it was about the mechs. "Here about the mechs, Miss Silk?" She let Fion say what she had to say before telling her straight. "We are checking 'em, dang it! It's standard flipping procedure under my watch to do it when they arrive!" While scanning, she gave her report. "You know, this is the first time I am unable to find much of anything wrong with the mechs. No malfunction, no parts damaged, only signs of Sergeant Lextu's RL-5 Falcon's communications having been hacked. What went on back there, anyway!?"




Benjamin was feeling far too awkward to say anything, until he noticed Oriana had a robotic arm. He blatantly ignored her query of whether he and his brother wanted to be the death of her and rushed to her side. "Holy cow! What in Myrstarkia happened to your arm!?" He grabbed hold of it like the man in love with her many people knew he was. "When did this happen!? Who did it!? I swear, if it was those Metargo filth, I'll..."

"Seaman Benjamin Jacob Malachi!"
Captain Richardson had just returned from sending Zechariah to a corpsman who would take him to the infirmary for examination.

Benjamin relented and said, "Yes, sir."

Richardson began with the promotions, starting with Benjamin to Seaman Apprentice, the second lowest rank."In charge of Brown Wing Team from now on will be Petty Officer Zechariah Malachi, who clearly has the mind to think through a dire situation." As he listed other promotions, Brown Wing Team stood at attention. Eitan Shapiro and Sevrin Angelle were promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class, The Shapiro twins, Dao, and one other member of Brown Wing Team, were promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class. The others, like Benjamin, were promoted to Seaman Apprentice.

Once the promotions were over, the Captain calmly looked at Oriana. "To be fair, Secretary Aspiral, we simply were preoccupied. We were going to send Sergeant Malachi to the infirmary, either way."

Meanwhile, in the camp infirmary, Zechariah looked at the stripes given to him that indicated he was now a Petty Officer 1st Class (full title Mech Pilot Petty Officer First Class), the equivalent to a staff sergeant in the Army. While he appreciated the promotion, he was much more pleased that Sorell was safe and sound. "I'll be leading Brown Wing Team, won't I?"

"Yes, Petty Officer."


This meant the burden would be on him to lead Brown Wing Team to victory, especially against the Lion Team. That would not be easy, physically, mentally, or emotionally. The blood of many Metargo would be on his hands, a shame that he would possibly carry the rest of his life. His thoughts, however, returned periodically to Sorell. For some reason, he could not stop thinking of her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Zechariah Malachi Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Dao Danmao
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Belladonna Grey -

Bell nodded and trusting in her companion let her worries drop. Picking up the conversation of there current predicament Bell stated everything she knew about there newest conquest but there was thing in particular bugging her. "After we get the crew to teach us how everything operates might I suggest we free them?" It wasn't that Bell was particularly humanitarian but she supposed she did feel uncomfortable with wasting life however her motivation in this case was strategical. "We know well that the Benjlakki are a very fair people. I feel that if we keep prisoners for too long or kill them we will be under more intense fire then if we handed them over unharmed but with a word of warning... I suppose we could also use the prisoners as a bargaining chip to secure our space better but once again that could cause us to paint a target on our backs." Bell's golden eyes narrowed as she thought over the various situations and outcomes. "If we can keep fire off of ourselves then you and I might be able to start traveling back and forth from here to home... This should keep your family and the public at ease and perhaps allow us to gain more supporters to send up here... But once again to keep fire off of us all I see is the prisoners as a potential asset to our side... But its all just speculation what the Benjlakki might and might not do isnt something we can count on." Bell looked at Abercio seriously. "Any ideas Abercio?"



Orland Bastion -

Orland swallowed heavily feeling nervous. "Well I know the basics you know the point and fire. Just not the aiming part." Or the being good part Orland thought bitterly to himself. He was eager in some regards for being trusted and for being able to keep a close eye on Antea but nervous. "Ok so wait if I can ask where exactly are we going and why?" A few guards laughed making comments on how Orland really wasn't the scholar type which made Orland blush. "Hey I wanna know what were up against terrain and stuff." Huffing when a few guards messed up his hair he looked to Antea again for answers.



Sorell Metargo -

Hugging her father back Sorell would not lie she felt relief although her mind continued to wander back to Zechariah, she doubted she'd ever forget his name. "Its a relief to see you too father." Smiling she sat down and tried to compose her wandering thoughts. What HAD happened? It all seemed so strange. "I don't really know... One minute we were flying normal and I was talking to Antea when we hit turbulence. Unlike normal there was no message to reassure me that it was fine so I figured id go up to the cabin and see... Next thing I know im waking up in closet. I probably managed to scramble in there to keep safe. The pilots were dead so I bandaged up and headed to look for help or something." Sorell paused trying to think of what to say next. She didn't want to paint the Benjlakki soldiers in a negative light knowing they hadn't touched a hair on her head she wanted to make sure she could protect them if just a little. "I found a military base and figuring I could grab some supplies snuck inside and disguised myself as a soldier... It didn't work out well."

She blushed remembering the bathroom incident but decided it was best not to mention it. "I was discovered by a very nice young soldier named Zechariah Malachi he... He kept me safe and made sure no one harmed me. Really he was just more worried about the Lion Team showing up and killing everyone, so he decided to challenge Aaron to an honor duel with the conditions being non lethal and that I go home either way. Zech won Fion nearly tackled me and... Now im here." Sorell smiled at her father happy shed been able to recount the events while decidedly dodging any of her more... Intimate? Moments with Zech. Sorell had never really dated and she wasn't sure how her father would handle hearing she'd had her pants pulled down by the enemy then she'd given said enemy her information so they could talk again and on top of that thanked him said she was in his dept and kiss him... Albeit on the cheek but still. Now her mother she was sure her mother would absolutely LOVE hearing about all of that.



Cecilia Lumine -

Cecilia could not help but smile a little at Aaron's angry rantings of revenge to his enemy he'd always been a hot head and it always seemed to amuse her it was nice knowing he hadn't change too much from there training days. Although it also made her worry that he would never really forgive her for there breakup. Shaking off the thought she crossed her arms seriously and listened to the doctor. She frowned wordlessly at the news that Aaron's eye would have to be replaced. It wasn't that she minded she thought Aaron would surely be handsome either way. But what did bother her was the knowledge that she'd had to watch helplessly while the injury occurred.

Leaning against the wall while the doctor left to contact and speak to the appropriate people Cecilia wasn't expecting Aaron to speak with her let alone bring up the very reason for the termination of there previous relationship. Her whole face registered a second of shock then sadness. Just thinking of the deceit that her father had done filled her with rage and a feeling of sickness absentmindedly her hand went up to brush away her hair and gently run her thumb over the scar under her eye. "He... He died a month after I left for training." She looked away as her brown eyes filled with grief. She knew Aaron was smart and that he'd immediately notice the discrepancy in the timeline, that hed remember the reason for there breakup was so she could keep her brother safe yet she'd just informed him that by the time this occurred her brother had been buried for nearly 3 months. But in case it wasn't clear Cecilia filled in the blanks for him her tone venomous and full of cold hate for her father. "My father is a liar, and a horrible man. I haven't spoken to him in years."



Chanah Metargo -

Chanah laughed a little. "Quite the observant one Scipio well done on your report." She then winked with a playful grin. "But lets keep the kiss on the cheek to ourselves. Im not sure how my darling husband will take to hearing his little girl is growing up so fast giving away kisses and such." She was joking of course but thought the comment might set Kyle at ease. "But still we are rather protective of our children. Even Fion, she's like an adopted daughter to us you know." Chanah was pleased with how her acting skills were coming in handy as she did her detective work on her next potential match. "You know I do worry for Fion Kyle. Such a sweet girl yet so stubborn about love all because of a tiny little set back." She smirked playfully. "Though I should not be bothering you about such things. After all rumour on the ship is your quite the successful bachelor." She lowered her voice to a playful whisper. "But don't worry I won't tell my husband hes rather strict about these things you know." Now with her bait set she waited to see what answers Kyle would give. If she approved perhaps there was pair here she could help along... If not well she'd make sure Fion kept away from Scipio.



Fion Silk -

Bibiana was someone very unlike the royal family though Fion did not consider it a bad thing instead finding the down to earth mechanic very refreshing to the at times stuffy life of dealing with royalty and politicians. Fion apologized for rushing her and listened to her remark on the state of the mechs as for what happened. "Il be frank... I don't really know? I've barely had a moment to speak to the princess myself and find out. All I know for sure is Aaron was challenged to a peaceful honor duel for the safety of the princess. Got his eye kicked, and Sorell is here safe and sounds without any blood shed... Well except for the eye."



Oriana Aspiral -

When Benjamin grabbed her robotic arm in concern Oriana could not help but flush pink her heart skipping a quick little beat before she regained her composure. Luckily Ben was busy listening to the various promotions across the team, it made Oriana smile knowing they completed the training, though Benjamin really needed to get his temper under control so hed be trusted with higher ranks. Shyly pulling her robotic arm from him she tried to think of a way to explain. Normally as a politician Oriana was persuasive and subtle able to make things sound less grave then they were. However. She always seemed to loose that ability when Ben was around her feelings for him forcing her to be honest. So when Oriana opened her mouth to calmly explain and make it sound like less then it was, she pretty much just told him the whole story. "Listen Ben about the arm it wasn't anything big! I mean I was just checking out the construction of new mechs we HAPPENED to get attacked I lost my arm and I was in a coma for a few days no big deal." Stopping her train of words all she could think to herself was. 'real smooth Aspiral way to defuse the situation.'



Sevrin Angelle -

While Oriana was attempting to defuse Ben and failing by making it worse. The rest of The Brown Wing Team was congratulating each other on there promotions. Sevrin who acted much like a big sister to a large portion of the group was ruffling a few of the younger team members hair and telling them to be proud. She was rather pleased with her own promotion albeit she was also nervous about her. She and Eitan were the only two with that rank so far working right under Zech. It was a position that would earn Sevrin a lot of observation and she worried whenever she was in the spotlight so she only hoped Eitan and Zech would get more of it then herself. "Congratulations Chemda, Adira. Figures the twins would stay together on the same rank." Smiling playfully she noticed Dao looking nervous and pated him on the back. "Congrats to you to. Your worked hard enjoy it." The young man smiled apprehensively but nodded anyway.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Sorell Metargo Character Portrait: Chanah Metargo
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Abercio rolled his eyes at the "fair" adjective. Yeah, fair so long as you don't hurl your military might at them, or threaten them with it. Once given the opportunity to speak, and Bella gave her two cents, he stood up and went over to the map projector in the room. "Do you remember why we created the Moon Force?" He let her answer before he continued. "Prime Minister Lopez opened up a hornet's nest when he moved Parliament towards declaring war on Benjlakk. Their current President may be merciful and working towards enforcing a military policy that is less brutal towards defeated foes, but let's not kid ourselves: the Benjlakki Armed forces are not known for fairness, they are known for ruthlessness and vengefulness. If they win this war, President Anderson's administration would only be delaying the inevitable. Eventually, the Republic of Benjlakk will subjugate us and completely exterminate both our military and our leadership. In other words, much of our population will be fatherless, motherless, or otherwise without their loved ones. That also means the royal house would be made an example of. Mother, father, Sorell, Antea... they would all die. I am not about to let that happen."

Thinking on it some more, his strategic mind kicked in. "Although... Having witnesses tell of our achievements would lower Benjlakki morale and bring in recruits to fill a serious void in numbers we have, right now."




Antea waited for her chance to speak before answering. "The Brigiuog Islands. More specifically, the reservations set up by my father for the Caninisians in that territory to go to on a voluntary basis so to preserve their culture in some form. My father and late grandfather were instrumental in conquering the entire archipelago when fighting against the Caninisian Empire. The Caninisians themselves are canine humanoids that are grouped together in packs and behave like tribes, for the most part, apart from how they can create and grasp the concept of technology as we are familiar with it. They decide who the next Emperor of their civilization will be by having their Alpha Males spar with one another in a tournament. The winner of it gets to rule their nation. Each pack has an agreement with another when it comes to local territory. Neither tries to take land from the other. Policy for Caninisia as a whole is decided by the presiding Emperor. Because we conquered the Islands from them, the reservations are a way of keeping whatever parts of their culture alive as possible while still having the land under Metargo jurisdiction, including having the Islands we still control being governed locally by one of the Caninisians themselves, the Alpha Males in our half of those Islands competing in a tournament to decide who gets to govern them. The Alpha Male who wins the title of Governor then gets to appoint representatives who partake in the Kingdom's Parliament and represent the reservations as a whole."

Antea gripped her skirt when she thought of the negative impact. "Unfortunately, not every Caninisian on our half of those islands is happy with the compromise, wishing for a return to being under the rule of the Caninisian Empire. To that end, they fight to break off from the Kingdom, using surprise and the environment to catch troops off guard. They even fight their own fellow Caninisians, labeling them as traitors to the Empire. The particular island we are headed towards is called Narg Canarsit, which literally translates to "New Caninisia" in the Caninisian tongue. There, we shall meet up with the current Governor of the islands, Margru Rosayrt. He is a veteran of the Metargo-Caninisian War, and is a hero to both the Caninisian Empire and the reservations. The Empire for his bravery in battle, the reservations for working towards better relations between the Kingdom and the Empire. He has even helped ensure that some of the Caninisians from the reservations were able to join our military with the same privileges and responsibilities as most anyone else. One of them is even part of the Royal Guard."

Suddenly, a werewolf-like man in red-and-white armor, helmet and all customized to suit his figure, walked up and saluted. "Goddesses preserve the Princess!"

"Oh! Cardriig! Hello, there!"


Cardriig was a young adult member of the Rosayrt pack, always eager to serve however he could. As far as Caninisians go, he was fiercely loyal and obedient to his higher ups. Antea admired his enthusiasm, although she figured he could do with not taking being part of the Royal Guard so seriously. Bowing his head, he asked, "Shall I translate for you when we are there?"

Antea smiled warmly. "Of, course! Thank you!" Turning back to Orland, she told him, "The reason we are headed there is because we need to negotiate a sharing of resources. Since Caninisians are carnivores, agreeing to a trade in fruit and other foods in the form of plants to place in the food banks in exchange for something the reservations may want or need should not be a problem. If anything, it will buy time while we try to reason with the Prime Minister on an end to this war."




Listening to what his daughter had to say, he took in every detail, from her words to her expressions. Did something awkward happen? It is best not to pry, if it did. After she had finished, he nodded. "I see. To be brutally honest, I have heard of this Zechariah Malachi, before. Karl Lopez spoke highly of him, saying he is a genius at Solar Technology, among other things. If I recall correctly, Karl met him as an exchange student to a Benjlakki high school in Southeastern Fertaninn, where he also met Benjamin Malachi and Benjlakk's current Secretary of State, Oriana Aspiral." Placing both hands on Sorell's shoulders, he managed a smile, somewhat. It was a conflicted grin, but a smile, nonetheless. "I would advise talking to Karl about what this Zechariah is like."




Kyle raised his eyebrow a little at keeping parts of the report between him and the Queen. "Milady?" He did relax a little, but curiosity began to sink in. The moment Fion's name was mentioned, he began to panic a little. Great! She's onto me! What do I do!? What do I say!? "Sweetheart, huh? I kind of figured." nervous laughter sunk in until he totally lost it. "I-it's not like that! Well... maybe it is, but... Doh, I don't know!" Looking over in Fion's direction, he went neon while thinking out loud. "Sh-she is beautiful and sweet, but... should I?" He slapped himself. "Oh, come on! It'd never work! You with a royal maid!? Next thing you know, you'll do something to screw it all up, and then... and then..." Finally, his nervous breakdown caused him to faint.




Aaron blushed when he noticed the scar on Cecilia's eye, thinking it looked great on her. Once he heard her mention that her brother died a month after she left for training, it began to sink in that foul play was afoot, more so than he thought. It became clear once Cecilia verified that her father was a liar and she did not speak to him in years. This made him clench his fist and pound it on the medical counter next to him as he glanced sideways in frustration. "First chance I get, I'm challenging him to a duel!"

The patient next to him interjected. "Uh, not to discourage you, but what makes you think he has not been faced off with, already? Just saying. Things like that don't go unnoticed for too long."




Bibiana heard Fion's report and shrugged. "Well, at least nobody died." After examining everything and taking note of the lack of damage, she forwarded her own maintenance report before having a computer technician get to work on the RL-5 Falcon's communications to see if they can be further encrypted. Then, Bibiana went to her personal quarters nearby.

Her living quarters was a mix of rooms: one acting as a repairs/construction garage (for more lightweight parts), a personal bathroom, and a bedroom for two people. She personally requested two bunks in place due to her being engaged to Tadeas Moraitis, the only other person who had a keycard to the place. Knowing he'd be meeting up with her there, soon, she began to undress herself for a shower. He came in right when she was shirtless. "How'd the mission go, Tadeas?" She continued to take off her clothes in his presence, indifferent to whether he saw anything, since they were engaged. "I heard from Fion that Aaron Lextu was the only one who sustained any injuries on your side of it, with nobody on either dying."




Chemda and Adira thanked Sevrin after being congratulated, simultaneously adding, "Congratulations to you, too!" Chemda gave her a controlled hug while Adira shook Sevrin's hand. They both repected her for her ability to think through a situation and perform rather well physically. They were a bit relieved they weren't the only two people with uncanny abilities. Seeing Dao react to being congratulated, Chemda hugged him, too.

Hearing Oriana's explanation set him into a wave of anger. "No big deal!? You call that no big deal!?" He was fuming at the thought of the Metargo attack harming his childhood crush. "That's it! Those Metargo filth are going down! They'll regret this!"

"Does it really matter, now?"
Eitan raised an eyebrow while giving a stern look with his arms raised a little. "It's not like killing a whole bunch of Metargo troops will change what happened. You don't even know who among them did the deed."

"Yeah, but..." His train of thought was in disarray, causing him to fumble in words until he growled in frustration.

Suddenly, a sing-song remark came from Chemda in the form of, "Oh, Mister Grumpy Pants!"

Benjamin gave a frustrated shrug. "What!?"

"Hug time!"
The more cheerful twin brought him into a hug which nearly broke a bone. Once she let go, Benjamin remained silent while crossing his arms in a way that signified he was still a bit angry.

Adira rolled her eyes. "I'd worry more about how we complete our missions than getting revenge. The more cool heads, the more of us who make it out of this mess alive."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Benjamin Malachi Character Portrait: Kyle Scipio Character Portrait: Cecilia Lumine Character Portrait: Aaron Lextu Character Portrait: Sorell Metargo Character Portrait: Chanah Metargo
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Belladonna Grey -

Belladonna had always seen Abercio as a very intense individual. It at times caught her off guard how intense he could be especially about his family. Perhaps it was normal to be so protective over ones loved ones, but Bell wasn't really sure. Her own parents had never been there for her they had never even been home, each with there successful careers to follow she was more of an abandoned side project then there beloved progeny Bell barely remembered a time when they had hugged her, coddled her, read to her, worried for her, even speaking to her seemed like something of a rare occurrence. She supposed that Abercio's intensity came from love and devotion but she also supposed she'd never understand what those things felt like. She was alone in the world, her parents long since left behind and no friend to really speak of. In a way she dreaded how devoted she was to her work as it worried her shed go down the same path as her uncaring parents but she also knew her devotion might help out another family to have what Belladonna felt she never would. Focusing her golden eyes on her partner she tilted her head slightly and spoke calmly.

"You know as well as I that no matter the outcome of this war myself and many others would willingly give our lives to keep your family safe. You also know im not about to let our people loose there families and loved ones... But killing unnecessarily, robbing the Benjlakki people of there own mothers and fathers will give us no strategic advantage it will just make us into the monsters we fear." Standing she walked over to face Abercio her owns eyes flickering intensely. "But yes. The strategic advantage of having people speak of our conquest would boost moral and support. To the Metargo we must be a force of good and protection. To the Benjlakki we must be a group to fear and to respect." She smirked a little her eyes taking on a knowledgeable glint as she spoke word for word a paragraph from Abercio's favorite war strategy book. "You can earn respect in many ways, either by fear, but it is shaky and can turn back to bite you. By kindness though people will seek to take advantage of you. Or you earn it by showing others you are not afraid to respect them." She blinked her voice calculating and cold. "If we show the Benjlakki we don't fear there men if we show them respect. They will in turn respect us and fear us. They will not imagine us as a small rag tag group but as a well composed large force capable of taking them down. Meanwhile in Metargo we will be hailed not as fearful murderers but as a brave honorable soldiers." She turned her back on the prince and walked back toward the bathroom to return her hair-brush to its place. "Though I suppose that's just my opinion. And my dearest prince may take from it what he wishes." Belladonna often referred to Abercio as 'her prince' when she was joking or trying to lift the mood and often she punctuated it with a wink or smirk. In this particular rare display of humor Belladonna turned back only once to give him a playful smile and wink. Before entering the bathroom to fix her hair, though she did leave the door open so she could hear his rebuttal.



Orland Bastion -

Grabbing everything handed to him from the extra bullets to blade he put everything in its hidden place as he listened to Antea's explanation. Politics and world history were certainly not his strong suit though culture and geography were and as Antea explained it all seemed to rush back and make sense. He would occasionally make the occasional comment to ensure the princess he was listening attentively to her explanation and absorbing the information. When she was done explaining and Cardrigg offered his services as an interpreter Orland spoke. "So all in all this should be a peaceful mission though we should not let our guard drop for a moment just in case things go sour?" Nodding to himself determined Orland figured that yes, he could do this he could keep Antea safe no matter what.



Sorell Metargo -

Sorell wasn't sure why but she felt oddly annoyed when her father seemed at least to her like he might doubt her report on Zechariah during the events that transpired. Perhaps she just felt a little protective over him because hed saved her, or maybe she had a little puppy crush because of how sweet and handsome she found him. Not that shed ever say such a thing out loud, not only for fear her mother would hear but also for fear of the repercussions. After all the Metargo princess with a small little puppy crush on an enemy soldier... Not a good way to boost morale in these troubling times. So she kept it to herself. "Il be sure to pay Karl a visit soon. I would like to know more on the man that helped me." Besides it was just a dumb puppy crush, she didn't really know the guy she just thought he was very handsome and that he seemed friendly.



Chanah Metargo -

Chanah felt a ding of victory when Kyle reacted with blushing and nervousness. The poor guy was head over heels and Chanah thought it was positively adorable and despite the mans record he seemed apprehensive and caring all good signs for a potential match to the maid. But then Kyle's nervous energy turned into down right panic and suddenly it all seemed to crash and he fainted. Luckily Tadeas seemed to spot his fellow soldier going down and scooped in to support the man. Chanah laughed and thanked Tadeas though the quiet man just smiled and helped sit Kyle down so he could rest before going back to his own business.

Noting that Fion was done Chanah called the young maid over, of course the reaction was to be expected. "Your highness! What happened to Kyle is he alright h-hes pale as a ghost oh dear-" Chanah laughed cutting off the maids ramblings she quickly came up with an excuse. "Private Kyle simply fainted due to a lack of proper nourishment. Would you be a dear and escort him to cafeteria for lunch once he's composed himself?" The maid instantly went red and began trying to escape the task but Chanah was having none of it. "Thats an order my dear, after all I don't trust anyone else to make sure he gets there alright and eats. Once hes nourished and in his room you can return to the cabin." Leaving without giving time for the maid to protest Chanah grinned feeling on top of the world with her newest pair. She only hoped Aaron and Cecilia were having the same type of glorious chemistry.



Cecilia Lumine -

Cecilia giggled for the first time in a long time the sound being cheerful and short and all too rare for the usually emotionally scarred woman. But she could not help it, not with the strange mixture of amusements from the annoyed patient next to Aaron to Aaron's own flattering and all too familiar outburst of rage and protectiveness. Smiling softly at her ex partner she spoke calmly. "The patient is right..." She became serious once more. "Im the one that actually challenged my father to a duel... I know its very rare for honor duels to occur between family but it was justified and... He accepted. He only got me once through a foul play move of tripping me." She frowned and touched the scar under her eye again. "But that was the only time he got me. My training with you really paid off and I won... He tried to convince me to kill him." Pausing her brows furrowed. "I sometimes wonder why I didn't... I suppose because I knew and still to this day know that the shame of loosing to his own daughter and using such trickery was enough to ruin his life and earn back my own honor and that of my brothers." Looking at Aaron with a warm smile and soft brown eyes she spoke again. "But I appreciate you wishing to challenge him for my sake."



Tadeas Moraitis -

Tadeas was a quiet man. Reasonable and level headed but very shy and distant his social skills were near non-existent and few people spoke to him due to his usually curt and seemingly cold reply. Though occasionally his calm quiet nature proved a valuable asset to those who needed someone indifferent and level headed to speak with. However his nature at times turned against him as many woman aboard the Titan thought him 'mysterious' and quite a catch, apparently there had been a large amount of disappointed young ladies when news of his engagement got out. Though Tadeas he was rather pleased at no longer having to try and speak with flirtatious young woman as it often made him feel awkward and annoyed. The other benefit to being so quiet and antisocial was the benefit of being observant to detail. In this case that detail was Kyle seemingly dropping to the floor our of nowhere. Tadeas barely managed to catch the man. When he was thanked he simply nodded before returning to his previous task, that task being attempting to formulate a way to speak with Bibiana, the woman to whom he was engaged and the woman he found lovely in nearly every-way.

Perhaps he was a hopeless romantic who believed in foolish things like love at first site. Or perhaps it was the fact Bibiana was nothing like his parents previous attempted arrangements or the flirty annoying girls who tried speaking to him in the Titan's cafeteria but whatever the reason Tadeas found Bibiana to be a lucky catch and was surprisingly eager to marry her and win her affections. Realizing he was staring into space he glanced over to note that his fiancee was gone from her post probably in there private cabin and that he should go join her as they had arranged. Using his key-card he entered though he wasn't at all expecting the site that met his eyes looking away quickly and forcing his eyes to train away from her nude figure respectfully he answered her question as usual by going directly to the point. "It went well. As Fion informed you Aaron and the Princess were the only to with injuries." Clearing his throat nervously he dared not glance back her way. "May I ask why you are stripping?"



Oriana Aspiral -

Oriana sighed feeling there was no way she could escape Ben's over aggressive tendencies luckily though back up came to her rescue in the form of Ben's teammates. Sevrin who smiled calmly spoke after Adira her tone relaxing and reassuring. "I must agree with Eitan and Adira, Benjamin. Your anger won't get you anywhere positively and im sure you would not want to worry Miss, Oriana by going into the battlefield guns blazing to paint a target on your back." The blue haired politician blushed but nodded a little before speaking herself. "Its true, I know that my arm is missing but aside that im alive and ok and thats what matters. I don't need you doing something crazy for my sake." Smiling Oriana decided to employ an old tactic she'd used before on her friend. Making her bright blue eyes big and cute and tilting her head to the side she fluttered her eyes at Ben. "Please Ben don't do anything crazy and worry me. After all if I loose you who will be my hero." It was something she'd often said when they were little and Ben was jumping in to defend her from a person he deemed a threat and it always worked especially when she used the soft worried doe eyes. Sevrin seemed rather amused at the sight of the politician so shamefully using Ben's biggest weaknesses against him herself and cuteness though the female soldier would admit it seemed to be effective.