Project Freelancer: The Freelancer's Sins » Places

         Sierra grinned competitively as the Director concluded in just a few words, and the group was instructed to move into the armory adjoined to the hangar area to gather their equipment and prepare for training. The young Freelancer had to admit, this was one of the things she had looked forward to with the most eagerness. Their new equipment... in training, the suits and auxiliary gear they had used were all mostly leftover, outdated models from the UNSC, refurbished for use as training systems. The armor waiting for them now, however, was worlds apart from this shoddy beginner's kit. These were the advanced, prototype MJOLNIR suits used by Project Freelancer: the best of the best. And now, Sierra was about to get her own.

She wasted no time in quickly entering the armory, and, locating a large case labeled with her name and service number, quickly hastened over to it and, opening it, began to examine her new gear with an approving air.

Clearly modeled on the Scout series of MJOLNIR suits, the armor nevertheless had a clear amount of personalization that had been done to it. Alterations done to the armor plates, new systems affixed to improve performance, camoflage strips and ammunition slots, overhauled energy shielding systems, and what looked to be several pieces of built-in weaponry in its various joints all became visible upon a quick examination, and Sierra smiled, very pleased with the unit she was about to receive. Although its color, a bluish-green shade that seemed to shimmer and change slightly as unfamiliar light struck it - probably an adaptive paint coating meant to serve as passive camoflage in grassland, forested, and aquatic environments - wasn't exactly her usual - her training suit had been bright scarlet, earning her the nickname of "Scarlet Meteor" (totally not a Char reference...) - it would give her yet another tactical advantage, which made it superior to the original regardless of silly things such as personal preference.

Finishing her inspection of her new kit, she quickly set about donning it to give it a trial run, stepping into the container and preparing for automated assembly. The armor was, for the most part, far too heavy for a Human being to lift, requiring the assistance of machinery instead. But, as she was already clad in the undersuit meant for exactly this sort of gear, it was a simple matter to quickly slide into the complex mesh of interlocking plates, as though she had just stepped into a dragon's scales. Countless soft clicks rang through the air as, piece by piece, the greaves, leggings, chestplate, pauldrons, and bracers were all swiftly attached to their owner. And then, finally, brushing back her twin tails of orange hair, the young Freelancer took up her helmet, and slid it over her head, the seals making a satisfying hiss as they engaged around her neck, locking down the suit completely and finally.

For an instant, her world was engulfed in darkness, the powerless helmet allowing in no light from the outside world. But in the blink of an eye, countless lights flared to life across her view as the HUD powered up and engaged, an image of the view beyond her metallic shell projected by electronic eyes, with vital statistics, motion tracker data, communications and squad status, and countless other bits of miscellaneous, relevant data projected around its edges.

Raising her arm, Sierra grinned at the feeling of power that flowed through her as countless tiny motors acquiesced to her motion in an instant, raising even the incomprehensible weight that now encased her being with the ease of raising a single finger. Turning her head, she began to glance about, readjusting to the feel of the new interface as her view shifted about her. It might have been daunting to a novice, so many complex systems flashing and glowing before one's eyes, one's view showing only a steady, motionless field of vision that only shifted with the movements of one's head, no matter where one's eyes actually looked... But to her, an experienced veteran of similar, if less advanced systems, it was as natural as breathing to her, and in an instant, she had already gotten a fairly good feel for her new armor. Now there was just one more thing to do.

Searching about herself, Sierra's eyes swiftly fell upon the weapons palette beneath her, and, stooping down, she snatched up the familiar arsenal before her. Twin magnums were swiftly strapped to her sides, one to each leg, while the familiar shape of her customized Designated Marksman Rifle was slung over her back with a practiced, professional attitude. And then, with the force of a stampeding elephant, she took a step forward, her impossibly heavy, armored body dropping from the equipment case with an unnatural fluidity. A loud clang rang through the air as the extra-thick floor plating contacted her metal boot, a satisfying echo sounding out even after she had landed. Then, she slowly glanced about her at the others who, like herself had begun to don their gear. Once the others had finished getting into their suits, Sierra activated her suit's external speaker system as well as squad communications, and, after checking the status of each of the other Freelancers to ensure she was linked up, spoke out of habit, going through standard procedure for equipment checks and unit synchronization - or "synch" - before an op.

"Sierra Aryos, testing systems. I hope you all read me. Synch, confirm?"