ODF Propoganda because i haven't overused this enough.

Also- Welcome the new recruits ! They are the unlucky few to have made into the infamous Bravo Force !

Furthermore, from this point on.

All new recruits have a Combat Clone fighting in their place.
Should that clone fall in combat- their Original will be the next to step up in their place under the rovisions of the Warbucks Draft.

Welcome to Bravo, recruits!

"Pick a pamphlet and listen to the audio introduction in the service station"

To purchase an extra clone for your line-
>Command must spend 10 points to call in an extra.
>Achieve Specialist Class

"Well, hello to you to sir. Private Murray reporting, ready to not die."

rolled 5 = 5

*A woman with shaggy brown hair gives a salute*

"Pleasure to be here. I'm Iofiel, I was assigned the callsign 'Judanas' for the battle but I prefer my own name."

*She nods to Murray*

"Saw your shooting, not a bad shot with that gun of yours. Can't say the same for my blade*

"Ahh, you did good to. I wonder if will meet Axebeard again."

>>13820541

"Not so good as I see it but I was a bloody burke to head out there sans backup."

*She shrugs*

"Maybe, maybe not. Would be nice."

Alright rookies (and anyone else new) in order to save space in the thread, when doing a long RP Scene with other Bravos please take it to IRC and then post the compiled convo here. Of course there are exceptions (such as interacting with our resident RPgal Lost). Back stories and world building is also acceptable.

Seeking any other info or just want to chat, don't forget to drop in on us in IRC or using Mibbit.com. We're on the Rizon Server, channel #skirmishquest.

Welcome to Bravo rooks.

"Well Lofiel don't forget if you didn't hold the line as long as you did Axebeard to get to the Control room, without you we would all be cut to ribbons by roaches."

rolled 23 = 23

"I guess so. Would have liked to have killed a few more of the buggers but not to happen apparently. Oh well, won't be the last battle, that's certain."

>>13820790

Dammit.

I vote for
> Planetary Foothold on Titan

>>13821139

>I second this action

I'm going with Naval + Insertion

We have to get it right one of these days...right?

rolled 72 = 72

"I'm not exactly experianced enough to make a good decision but I'd personally prefer making a foothold to invading a hive."

*She grins*

"Still, reguardless of the choice we arn't going to run out of targets."

>My vote is for the Planet foothold mission.

->From the Soap Files
I am now starting to understand more of the inner workings of Bravo's dynamics. I have isolated the core members and will begin a more thorough investigation later. For now I must see how the additions of the new recruits affect the data I have.


Soap reviews the combat sims. The rookies had promise and as members of Bravo he would ensure their safety. That is after he ensured they weren't a threat.

>>13820298
I think planetary foothold on Titan sounds most promising. Should get us some good resources for the rest as well!

"Well sir, the foothold on Titian seems the most viable for the assault."

>>13821517
Dammit

" Well here it is, the care package you wanted to spirit away from your /real/ home" Finder 212 warbled during an ainsible cast. " Just so you know, what you are doing here is technically illegal- but combat clones snooping on their Original once or twice is very common for guys like you."

"I know" Ender quipped as he stole the black package from the transcription platform as soon as the scanners were done lasering it in. On the platform was an obsidian block no bigger than a datapad. It was embedded protomass that would then shape itself when heated in a solution, like a soup. The result:

" Homecooked meals- " Finder 212 mused, " I never get tired of making them." So many plastic jobs gets sent to the Iron line with only this singular request, because of their detachment from their money at this point- they split what sizable fraction of their combat to go towards this elusive operation. The problem is when the soldier comes back alive.

" So I just boil this with your soup mix, and then what ?"

" You ingest the broth, the spices help the flavor but it also acts as the catalyst to shape the primed protomass into pure phatoms of information. Helps with the memories. But for you, I'll be nice, the protomass at the center also turns to the datachip that contains all the data. If drinking people's lives ain't your thing you can just sob as you watch this on a monitor."

" Thanks, I won't forget this." Ender said bewitched.
" I'd rather you did. "

>>

"Hmm I need to see if the new recruits can be trusted" Soap mused as he walked through the halls. "I wouldn't put it past sigma to send sleeper agents posing as new recruits." A smile flashed across his face. "Nike let;s see if we can;t scare out an answer." His mind had already connected with Psicomm " Nike,initiate the Psychotropic holo-emiters we placed through out the base" If these were sigma agents Soap was about to show them their worst nightmare, if not well it can be fun to haze the new recruits."
>Think Scarecrow's fear gas meets startrek holodeck.

Ender broke open the chopsticks and started stirring the noodles into the black goop. The thing smelled of tar, vinyl records, garlic and lemon when he started to dig in.

It was the first bite and his senses started flooding through his nostrils.

He was eating over a wooden dinner table, much more spacious and clearer than his was. Outside was the orange rays of the twin suns that flanked his home - his real home. To his left was a boy that resembled his cousin only years younger, and wearing a uniform he can't put his finger on. Across from him was a woman, shadowed eyes , angular features to her face. It was Miranda she had on that sundress - the same one he'd been looking forward to see ever since he set foot in that Transcription port.

Ender's heart leapt, his breathing got quick as he swallowed small portions of the noodle at a time. But his memorized self thought and acted different.

She talked about payments and a random happenstance that his boy did at school. But most of all he winced when he kept hearing his name. Fenner.

Fenn we can't sign up for anymore loans.
Fenn you need to quit your job and find a new place
Fenn you dont pay attention to me anymore
Fenn what happened to you ?
Son dont ever go to the ODF, they'll just get you killed.

Ender rose from his seat and fell backwards into the steel tiled restroom. The memories still invading and - at time - overwriting his own.

>

It was the summer of that day, and Miranda was forcing her cervix against him. Her mouth finding his as her hands clawed on his back.

Breathe in.

It was the fall of that same year , Fenner had just seperated from the armed services and carried his newlywed onto their quadspeeder.

Breathe out.

He named his first son, Jonathan. He would then see him grow up to be 16 before he finally joins the ODF despite his wishes.

Ender's eyes roll back as he vomits onto the side of the toilet.

Miranda leaves a note on the empty bed. Fenner knew what it was going to say.

" I " Ender starts to form the words. The words he hadn't been able to say for 4 years.

Fenner sees a woman in a bar. He doesn't remember anything passed that. Just that her name is Finder.

" I FUCKING -" Ender was trying to grab hold of the sticky toilets base.
" I FUCKING HATE YOU !!! " And then proceeded to smash his head multiple times against it.
" MY NAME IS ENDER. MY NAME IS ENDER YOU FUCK UP ! " The toilet exploded in some incomprehensible manner and Ender went under.

It would be quite some time later before someone found him passed out in the restroom. Was it the water leak that spurned the search ? His lack of a presence in the mess hall the next day ? He didn't know. He wasn't sure.

Ender Spinelli was the name he had gotten from dead kid.
Fenner was the name of the bastard that stole his own life and messed it up.
He wasn't sure who he was, at this point.

>>13821808

*she initially starts with slight worry, her eyes flicking back and forth an unseen opponent and the door. Her lip quivers as she backs up a little*

"...what the...no way..."

*She raises her hands protectively in front of her, stumbling backward.*

"It can't...now way..."

*Her nerve breaks and she scrambles full speed back towards a wall, cowering before whatever she can see.*

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, please don't kill me."

*Her voice raises into a shriek*

"Please, for the love of god, go away, I don't know where your head is, I don't!"

She collapes into a heap, almost in tears.

"Please don't take my head, please don't..."

Murray begins to react to the hellish nightmare Soap unleashed apon him. He began screaming, "NO! NO! DAD I'M SORRY! NO! I NEVER WANTED TO BE BI, ITS JUST I LIKE GUYS AND GIRLS! NO DAD I'M SORRY I DISAPPOINTED YOU! PLEASE I'M SORRY! DAD DON'T SAY THAT! I'M YOUR SON PLEASE!"

>>13821901
Soap watched Murray's horror through Psicomm. So far his fear seemed real still Sigma was not to underestimated. "Nike let's see how far we delve into his psyche, if he is a sigma agent the two us should be able to find evidence with in his memories"
>Feel free to share Murray's backstory or craft nice vision while my Ai roots through your head.

"PLEASE I'M SORRY! you wouldn't, you can't, NO NO DAD DON'T! I'M SORRY! ALL TRY TO CHANGE! NO DAD DON'T PULL TH-" Murray sat there, helpless and silent.

>The memories are just a reguler Christian upbringing, then a hard never talking to his family after college.

"That's it for now."
"Yes, nurse. And-"
"And, no, I am not interested. Now, please leave."
"Aww-"
"Now."

The private leaves the sickbay, grumbling, as the nurse, Alexis sighs and returns the medkit back to its place. Alone, she touches the pendant, hanging on the chain around her neck, hidden under three layers of atmosphere-sealed fabric and regulation-armor.

That he actually died in that battle. How dare he? Right after giving her the pendant-

"Nurse."

Alexis jumps, startled. She dashes away the hint of tears, and turns around. That big lunk of a technician is standing at the door, twisting his cap in his big hands.

"Lexi." "What?" "The penda-" "I still have it! What else do you want from me!?" "Nuthin'! Nuthi- I mean, not nuthin'... It's jez a couple more months till his mournin' year pass. An-" "And what!? You know I don't love him! I love you!" "I-I know, I know dat, but still... He wuz mah best friend. An' he wuz a great man." "Oh. Micah..." "He din't tell me that his guy got kill'd back home. Or dat he wuz on his last clone... I jez want him to be remembered..." "Oh, Micah..."

The redheaded nurse gives the big man a tender hug, and after his surprise, he returns it, as softly as it is given...

Ceebee walks through the cloud of fear gas, cheerfully greeting his squadmates as they writhe in terror.

"'Sup, guys?"
"OH GOD NOT THE BEES"
"Jenkins! How's it hanging?"
"THEY"RE IN MY EYES! MY EEEEEYYYYES AARRG"
"Keep on keepin' on, man."

Apparently, a victim must be psychologically capable of fear before the gas can kick in.

Flanked by two droids, Ghost strode into the medbay up to the main desk. "Specialist Aberham, you'll need to come with me."

He looks up, a bit perturbed at the sudden intrusion, more often the not it was someone needing to get patched up rather then a need elsewhere, "Yeah, of course" he glances at the two droids "What's going on? Injury?"

"No, I'll explain when we get there." He motions for Aberham to follow, leading him out of the medbay. Down several levels and through what feels like a walk to the other side of the ship, they finally arrive at the tertiary medbay. It sees little use, primarily used only in the event that either of the other medbays are destroyed. Past another door, there is a small operating theater. Finally, Ghost turns to Aberham. "I need you to perform an operation. What you'll need to do is take this," he reaches into a pocket and brings out a chip, "and attach it to the mem-chip in my head. There'll be a small covering on the side of it that can be opened. All you need to do is press this small button in the recess here, and then remove it. Then you just patch me up. Sound simple enough?"

>>13822029
Messing with Mem-chips was not up Aberham's alley, and performing impromptu surgery that involved one under dubious circumstances which may or may not be illegal made his skin crawl. Insofar as anyone on the crew knew, Aberham had never so much as misfiled a report. The Medic could not help but steal a glance at the droids, he had a feeling they were not here to aid in the operation. -fuck- "Sir... yeah, it's sounds simple enough, but I don't think I'm qualified to preform an operation needing access to the chip" (He wasn't) "..but, if you need me to do this, you need to know you're taking a big risk."

"Is there anyone on the ship more qualified than you are? Hardly. Plus, you've always got that coffin if things go too wrong." Ghost hopped up on the operating table. "I've taken bigger risks."

Abe approaches the table, and starts to take a mental inventory of the medical equipment. Fabricating a procedure to follow, from anesthetic to recovery. He want's to ask more questions; maybe he is overeating . He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, remembering the glow around Domino, remembering the lines dance around Walker at the shipyards, -Knowing- what had happened to Found. His lids part and the room is washed in red light, fiery lines dance between the chip and Ghost's head, schemes not yet completed and the risk palpable too. Geist was all that was left in the room, Abe staggers backwards suddenly. "... No, it's ok" he raises a hand hoping to call off any unwarranted attention from the droids. "What are you trying to accomplish, I can't tell if they'll sync or not?"

>>13822039
As Abe recovers, Ghost raises an eyebrow. "You don't need to worry about that. I've already considered the risks, taken into account the differences between memes. Will you do the operation?" From the look of the droids, there is only one right answer here.

"I will do it... just, lay down, I'll get the head rest up so you can assess the chip from the back, let me get a handle on your numbers..." the medic brings his tablet up and starts the diagnostic program, gently moving behind the table as to block the display from Knight for a few seconds, he starts an audio recording and the psi-comm monitor to asses if Ghost has any device which disrupts the the uplink on his person.

"Fantastic!" Ghost goes over to lay on the table. Motioning to the droids, "My friends here will make sure no one gets through that door while I'm out. Oh yeah..." Ghost reaches into a pocket and pulls out a blocky looking device, which he sets nearby. The device has a red blinking light on it. "That takes care of that. I'm ready!"

"I don't think I will have to put you out, some local analgesic, plus a wetware cycle should force a boot..." he begins to prepare his interments, mostly consisting of an endo-scope, and med tool, and the display on his tablet, rhythmically fluctuating with Ghost's readouts. "You were my friend, or at least I though of you that way."

>>13822041
"Try not to take it too personal, it's something that I have to do. If it makes you feel better, the droids were mainly for if I had to get Warsaw to do this. It'll be better that no one knows about this anyway."
Abe continues to clean on organize, reading through another checklist. After a few more minutes of silence, he brings the tool to the gap in the head rest and actuates a small dose into the nape of Ghost's neck. Another minute, and he prods the area. "Feel anything?"

"Nope."

"Yeah...good." he begins, small incision, loading the chip provided and navigating it slowly into position. The fine manipulator arms on the scope complete the linkup, then just a matter of pressing the button.
*click*
With that he rotates is out of the way, as instructed. then walks to his bedside looking carefully at the display for any irregularities.
When the button is pressed, Ghost's eyes go still completely still and lose focus. At first, he can't tell if anything is different until he looks over at Abe. Suddenly, memories that aren't his rise to the surface of his mind. He is fighting alongside him him in battles he was never in. The memories continue to stream through his mind, each new one bringing others to the front. He lays there for what feels like hours, staring up at the ceiling while barely acknowledging Aberham's presence. Finally, he seems to come to and stands. "Thank you, Abe." He picks up the device and waves off the droids. "Sorry for making you do this. Don't mention it to me. Err.. Geist. Don't tell him." He walks out of the operating room in a daze.

>>13822046
Abe just sighed, breathing slowly, watching as Ghost wanders away apparently confused. His knuckles blazed white, his grip tearing into the armrest, teeth clenched. The man had just walked away... just walked away. He fell to one knee and fought back tears, and he remembered Geist coming to see him...'my enemies don't touch me, my friends give me this." Finally pushing it back he stands and collects all he can before Ghost thinks better of leaving him. The scope the chip and the tablet, copying the recording, and transmuting a copy to his terminal in medical. With that he runs, someone must know how to recover the droid logs besides Ghost....

>>13821938
Ghost stumbled into the restroom, still holding his head. The analgesics hadn't entirely worn off, and the room was spinning. Despite this, and the confusion of his new memories, there were still things he had to do as normal.

Stepping over the soldier on the floor, he unzips and begins peeing into the toilet. He didn't know who he was, but Geist had. He finishes and zips up. "PRIVATE," he shouts, regretting it immediately as it feels like his brain throbs with pain, "you been taking drinking lessons from Taggart?"

>>13822018
> Reinsertion complete...
> MEME established

The nurse lays upon the bed, a single tear slips down on her cheek. Beside her, the technician also is lying down, tears more freely flowing. The pair of privates repacks their tools, and silently left the medbay, their job done.

From the viewing deck, the physical monstrosity that is the node of Weirds' MEME on Bravo views the reintroduction of the pair off-handedly. Until a pair of droid lips open.

"-IS THIS WISE?"
"-YES. COMPASSIONATE, NO. BUT IT SUITED OUR PURPOSE."
"-FILED UNDER REGRETS"
"-BUT WE-"
"-!"
"-!"
"-ALERT! INTRUSION TO PSICOMM!"

The view from the video shifts then, to another view of the hallways, where a number of people were running around or curled in a fetal ball.

"-INTRUSION TO PSICOMM! ALERT!""
"-PSYCHOTROPIC HOLO-EMITTERS IN USE? TRACE-"
"-IN PROGRESS. QUICK AND CAREFUL WORK BY THE CULPRIT."
"-IS IT SIGMA? IS IT A SECOND ATTACK?"
"-UNCERTAIN, TRACE ORIGINATED FROM INSIDE-"
"-AGENTS?"
"-UNCERTAIN. BUT WE SHALL FIND OUT..."

>>13822193

" Sir !" Replies the slumped body on the ground and rolls around to meet the man obscured by the bright shine of ceiling lights. " Is it already morning ? The Xenoforms started attacking HAVENT THEY !?! " His eyes were half lidded. He swayed about on the floor as his bootscrapes squeaked on the smooth surface.

It was here that the lingering smell of tar could faintly be traced from his room.

>>13822017
>>13821960
>>13822020
The program had started going beyond its bounds. Friendly fire had already claimed Ceebee; it was time to shut it all down. First step was initiating the Baku contingency. The program would direct the lasting effects of the Fear effects to the subject’s short term memories. The experiences they had felt would be nothing more to a dream to them. Next was to ensure his holo-emitters would remain a secret. "Nike begin purging all connections, and set up the contingency trap on the self-destruct sequence.” He had installed the emitters through most of the lights with in the base so chance discovery was nil, and wired their power to go through the back up generator to avoid detection on the main grid. Still he had made sure that all in all these were just baubles by themselves; it required his implants to function. This was the riskiest part of the operation because it directly implicated him if the system was discovered.

>>13822409
Nike had actually been the one to devise the counter to this problem, sometimes the Ai's resourcefulness worried Soap. Nike's solution was to have Soap bounce the signal's origin through mundane equipment through out Bravo, it was simple procedure just tag an appliance and boom it became a router. This let Soap access his network from anywhere in Bravo and all he would have to do would be to replace the equipment he used to erase the physical link between his armor and the holo-emitters. Frankly Soap could not hope to properly justify this to command, but if they were attacked again then..., then he would be prepared. He would take the risks because it was for Bravo's sake, it matter little what happened to him. He was weak the attack from Sigma had shown him that, the holo-emitters where just a step to improving himself and his abilities. He was working on making his illusions more real and become a living hell for those caught with in it. Soap was experimenting testing seeing how he could make his illusions more real, more misleading and most of all instill an unholy terror with in his foes. He had failed them once and almost lost the comrades he cherished; he would not risk that again. He would be come better...no matter what the cost to himself.

Without any additional information, I say we go for the Planetary Foothold mission and finally advance our storyline. Or something.

And all of them sound good, anyway.

OC, we ever going to get that RoboComm upgrade thingamawhatsit?

>>13820458

Welcome to Bravo, soldier. Thought you were a man beneath that Riot Knight armor.

>Note to self: Judanas = Iofiel

>>13822373
Ghost reaches down and hauls Ender to his feet, "You've had enough soldier!" A his nose catches a peculiar odor. Following it it out of the restroom into the adjoining room, he sees the box of black sludge.
"What THE SHIT?!"
He pulls Ender into the room. "What is this, soldier?!"

>>13822436
[PS I totally forgot that I got ranked up to SPC. Though ender doesnt mind being called a private.]

" Huhahehhehaaha Varns , is- is that you ? I thought you got carted away to Titan during the assault- Ha - haha "
The specialist on the ground gave a whimsical look at the bowl and looked away almost as suddenly as he saw it.

" H -hey Varns, that's dangerous stuff. If you eat it, you'll start remembering things just like Francis did when he wanted to see up on that bloke that sent him through the tube... "

rolled 82 = 82

*She looks up from the corner she was cowering in*

"What...what happened? I remember...but...very confusing..."

*She stands up and looks around, more than a little puzzled.*

Murray stopped rocking back and forth, then he said,

"The.......Hell just happened, it.......its all huge blur. I, I don't know, god my head hurts."

he stands up and looks around the room he was just cowering in. He wondered what exactlly just happened.

>>13822714
"The name is GEIST!"

Wait... something that could help him remember? Two sets of memories floated in his mind, over a month of contradictory events bumping into each other. What would happen if he were to... no, probably nothing good. He stares at the black ooze a minute or two before curiosity overwhelms him. Grabbing a spoon, he scoops some of it into his mouth.

Information, memories, sensory overload. Ghost falls back onto the bunk behind him and while his eyes glaze over...

>WAS THIS A GOOD IDEA? PROBABLY NOT

This deteriorated to RP faster than ever before. Is that a record?

Flynn stared at the poster that had been plastered on the barracks wall. It showed a beautiful young woman holding a huge gun while wearing skimpy fake armor. Flynn pondered it, then said, to no one in particular,
"They should make this more accurate."
A small grin broke across Flys face.
"Instead of this pretty young thing, we should show someone like Lost, ducked behind cover and wearing something practical. Like armor. And have it read 'This job sucks, but the pay is good'. It'd be a better poster."
He thought for a moment.
"No, change that to just 'This job sucks.' MUCH better poster."

>>13821345

>Fixed.

>>13823364

>You know, I've been waiting for that to get fixed.

Although I'm surprised you don't hate Orbital Command.

Also, I really miss the days when it was all FLYAN THROUGH SPACE, KILLAN SHIT, and me not having to worry about all this political crap.

>That's right, kiddies, you guessed it; TEXT BLOCK INCOMING. AND NOT ONE OF YOU SHOULD KNOW IN GAME, OTHERWISE I'M BREAKING YOUR LEGS. THAT MEANS YOU, WEIRD.

Oh you guys.

Thinking we WOULDN'T do the foothold mission

you silly people you

>>13823394

>There wasn't a strong enough listing of hate on there for that.

As the holo-projector fizzed out, Walker stood, staring into empty space for a moment, before slamming his fists down onto the circular table in the private communications room.

“DAMN IT ALL! DAMN IT! AFTER EVERYTHING I’VE DONE, AFTER EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE, THEY’RE TRYING TO PULL THIS SHIT?!?”

Walker roared in frustration to the empty room. Completely secluded, the circular room was built primarily for high-priority communications between High Command or Inquisitorial authorities, well away from the eyes and ears of the grunts and lowly officers of the crew.

Leaning forward on the table, Walker sighed, deep in thought. To think it would come to this! After fighting and dying and risking it all in an attempt to put an end to the Xenoform menace as well as give humanity a new tool to fight against the Exalted, only to have High Galactic swoop in and ruin what they had built! He should have seen it coming. It was obvious – so why didn’t he see it? Of COURSE they would get suspicious of him, of course they would consider him a potential threat to their sovereignty. A man who held such power – an entire ODF unit with several powerful psionics as well as a Xenofrom hive – of course the higher ups would get nervous. And this didn’t even take into account the ever-growing fleet as well as the facilities on Blacksad and the plans to turn Azimuth into one giant space station. Of course they would get nervous; anyone with a healthy amount of skepticism and distrust would get nervous from all the power he had been amassing.

> > >

>>13823626

Walker sighed once more. That part was logical. That part he could understand. But that wasn’t the part that frustrated him – that High Galactic and all those pansy academic generals and glory chasers and power mongering politicians were going to use it as an excuse to tear apart Bravo Force. Just cut it up and hand out the power. Were they so blind as to see what he wanted? What he was aiming for? Were they all so caught up in their little power games that they were blind to the greater good that he was striving for?

He reached into his jacket and pulled a cigar out, but didn’t light it. Of course they couldn’t see it. Blind, the lot of them. This was exactly why he limited control of Domino and Abaddon to two people: himself, and Fierstrom. In anyone else’s hands, the boy would become a tool for some petty personal vendettas, and his powers wasted. He didn’t trust them; couldn’t, as this turn of events proved. What was the point of fighting in the name of humanity if humanity was so intent on crippling itself?

Wearily, Walker lit his cigar, and took a drag. Not like it helped calm his nerves, anyway. What could possibly calm one’s nerves after hearing that they were to go before a full-on inquisition? He laughed to himself, to the empty room. An Inquisitorial Tribunal – after all this, and this would probably be Bravo’s hardest fight yet. No guns or cannons or air strikes to save them – him – just logic and words.

“It sure is ironic, ain’t it?” Walker said to nobody.

With in the deepest confines of the ship a shadow played among the machinery. Darting through corners, over the massive mechanical wonders and even among the ceiling rafters. Here Soap could clear his mind. The rigors of Psicomm, the demands of his implants, and even his growing paranoia all dispaeared when he moved with in this hidden bastion. The regular training room was a bore to him, and no matter how realistic the Vr training was it could never capture the exasperating freedom of trailblazing through these shadows. The machinery here hummed and glowed darkness flowing around the ever-changing orchestra of lights. He had always felt comfortable hidden among the shades. Even as child he felt safe in the dark, confident that no matter what horrors a child may imagine in the dark that, atleast, he was safe in it's umbral embrace. Quickly he ran up the side of a shadow lit wall and jumped on top of derelict generator. Surveying the expanse he looked for a new path in this steel jungle to traverse. This may have been pure escapism for him but this is exactly what he needed. He was still coming to terms with his original being waken up, as well as his death at sigma hands. Both events had made Soap question his place with in the world.

" They're making their move. Domino is at stake, as well as the Custodian too. They're going to board the Judicator and will be up for grabs right then and there. Your meme signal also got scrambled- tell me is everything alright ? "
" . . . . . "
" Are you there ? Answer me ! Hey !"
" ...shit. "

>>13825672
There! He had found a tempting path to take with in the metallic jungle. Deftly he leaped from his perch to the rafters above. Snaking his was through the web of cables and steel constructs he made his way to the far end of the room. His target was a series of moving pistons that lay there. Soap exploded from the ceiling, narrowly landing on the place below the first piston, just as it was coming down. Immediately he rolled forward missing the descending pylon, just in time for the next one to try and claim his life. He back flipped using the fist piston as a jumping point to move through an opening at the top that the falling piston had provided. He continued this macabre walzt with the machine. The suicidal thrill this gave him pushed away all his worried all, his fears and all his burdens. Here with in the fading lights of this steel underbelly Soap finally felt free. He continued this near death dance until he felt satisfied then with a quick sprint made his way up a wall and back to the barracks. He felt relived for the first time in while. It was good feeling that made him ignore his fatigue, besides he still had much to do. For instance he had never properly introduced himself to the rookies.

>>13823008
He comes to not too much later, vomiting all over the bunk that belonged to whoever. The taste of oil stains the inside of his mouth.

Feeling foolish for not accomplishing much other than making a mess, Ghost stumbles away to get himself cleaned up.

>Shit's gonna go DAWUN, kiddies!

Walker entered the tactical command room, with his whole command crew present, and then some.

"All right people, listen up! I want everyone on this ship and our entire force at combat readiness. I want this ship secured and everyone and thing accounted for! Nobody is to leave or board this ship without either me, Admiral Weird, or Rear Admiral King knowing!"

"McMillan! Rouse the troops! I want everyone on high alert! If they ask, tell them this is a drill. Contact Weird and King and let them know what's going on. I expect naval patrols and the our immediate sector of space secured!"

"Hartford, Liam! I want this ship locked down, from the doors to PsiComm, I want everything secured! Gather all our TA elements and have our Forward Observers sweep the entire ship for any trackers, bugs, or anything else that can compromise our security!"

"MkLeod! Get the weapon systems warmed up! I want the O'Reilly ready to fight in case someone tries to pull something funny!"

"Do you understand me, people? Effective immediately, Bravo is to move to Alert Level Amber!"

Several simultaneous "sirs!" went out, and in an instant, the entire room became a hive of activity. Shit was going to go down while he was gone; the least he could do was make sure his men were ready.

>>13828108

As McMillan moved about the command room contacting the various squad leaders, he was pulled aside by Walker.

"McMillan, you and I both know I've been rather lenient with our men."

"Yes sir, and...?"

"And you and I both know that the various members of Bravo, many of which are psionic-capable, engage in secret little personal projects that I tend to turn my back on, right?"

"Yes sir, considering that I'm the one informing you half the time."

"Good. I want you to look into these. All of them. And I want you to put an end to all the ones that I or Fierstrom haven't signed off on. And you know which ones those are."

"Should I punish them, sir?"

"No; leave them to me unless I say so. I want these secret projects to end, McMillan. We have enough to worry about from the outside; we don't need our own people to go around creating more problems."

"I understand si-"

"And make sure Domino and Found are secure. Assign Dragon to guard them. Make sure he knows that I don't want anything happening to them. Understand?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good, now get a move on."

As McMillan walked off to attend to his given tasks, Walker wondered whether he should have told him that he was going to go before the Inquisition soon.

>>13826443
Flynn walked back to his bunk hours later, feeling exhausted. Standing by was hard work. He took off his shirt and started to settle into bed when he felt something. A puddle of...

Flynn shot straight up, vomit covering the seat if his pants.
"SON OF A BITCH" he screamed.
"WHO THE FUCK PUKED IN MY GODDAMN BUNK"

>>13828287
"....Who are you?"
"McMillan"
"Oh, I heard about you but I've never met ya...kinda weird eh? You got it Sir. Under my watch, nothing's going to happen to my little bro or Found."

>Hey everyone! It's been an interesting read. Aberham, you around? I was thinking about Found and Aberham having dinner together. Probably before the amber alert.

>>13830922

>Hello Found, I trust you are well.

>>13830922
I'm your guard


...thigs are going to be fun and interesting

>>13831037

>I'm doing well. I spent a long few days babysitting my cousins, but I got caught up on all the archives and I've been thinking it's about time for a little quality time for Found/Abe, they need to let some walls down between them. Are you up for some RPing?

>>13831131

>"Are you up for some RPing?"

>Sure thing.

>>13831158
>Okay!

It's been a couple weeks since you've seen Found. She's spent a lot of time working with Domino and has had numerous briefings with Evergrad. In the workplace she is polite, with a small smile on her lips, but she never seems to have time for idle chat. Unlike you, she didn't get to spend that month with free time, and between all the ALPs, sessions with Domino and Abaddon, and all the testing, she hasn't had a lot of free time or energy.

However as we reach the beginning of the offensive and the last few things are moved into place, you two worked out a night where you could spend some time together. The word date hangs unspoken in the air. You've managed to procure the main course and she a very nice bottle of wine. Dinner is at 19:00 shipboard time.

>First posts: getting ready.

>>13831369

FYI: Found is a Warrant Officer now, not a corporal.

And yes, the only reason why I didn't use Lieutenant is because we have enough of those and "Warrant Officer Found" has a nice ring to it.

>Plus, lame jokes!

>>13831369

Abe, walks to the table he had set in the viewing room, and odd choice, but it provided the only real private spot on the ship outside of quarters; which where none too comfortable.

He had prepared a Salmon dish with orzo, sourced from the pleasure planet and frozen for simple preparation. He normally not much for cooking, but following procedure was his forte and securing a good recipe was simple enough. The small taste he had had before packing it up was just about right.

The normal medical uniform had been discarded in place of something more comfortable, and recognizable as civilian garb. He still wore the Ex under-suit in case he was called to medical however, procedure.

Seeing everything was in order, he sat down and relaxed, looking at the stars out the bay window. An activity he rarely indulged in, for a number of reasons. And awaited her arrival.

Taggart stared at the puddle of puke on his bed sheets. Anger writhed through him.
He was fucking pissed.
In his rage, Taggart sprung an idea. An evil, awful idea. He bundled up his sheets and slung them under his arm. Flynn marched down the hallway and out the barracks. He saw where he was going.
The airlock. An evil, twitching smile spread across his face. He knew just what to do.
He slammed the big red button on the out side and the inner door slid open. He threw the bundle of sheets inside and slammed the button again, closing the door. He typed in "5" for the time till jettison and hit enter. A large spinning light lowered and a siren started whining. At 2 seconds, Taggart heard something. A clink. Like that of a glass. At 2 seconds, he peered in and saw it. A BOTTLE. Of...
Taggart gasped. HIS LAST BOTTLE OF MARTIAN ALE.
"NOOO" he screamed as he leaped for the cancel button, but he was to late. The airlock decompressed blowing the bottle straight out along with the ruined bedsheets. It shattered almost instantly, the liquid contents crystallizing.
"N-no.." Taggart whimpered.

"Its all gone..."

>Thanks for the promotion, Walker!

>>13831818

There was an old pre-war phrase used for when women would go apply their makeup: it was called “putting their face on”. Found of course used a little makeup, made sure her hair was neatly tied up in a bun, and made sure the dark blue jeans and bright red turtleneck sweater she had put out were in good order. But more importantly--far more importantly--she put on her mind.

She tried not to talk with Aberham when she was working for two very different reasons. Firstly, because in the workplace you needed to be professional, but secondary and perhaps more important at least to Found, she found it very hard to be normal when her mind was in its “full” state. To say that her mind--had ever been normal--wasn’t quite it. It was more that her thought process and speech ran along very different lines. Aberham, Found thought, had already suffered enough from her vague statements and obtuse lines of thought, so she reached into her own mind, and readjusted herself to set it back to something a little more… orthodox.

She reboxed her conscious and subconscious, reforming the boundary that she had taken down. She felt her ability to self analyze, to understand her emotions and reactions and hidden desires and fears, slip back under the black currents that now lapped at the base of her conscious mind. She slipped a shawl around her empathy, feeling the connection to those around her lessen. She had warned Domino that she would be doing this, and he deftly strengthened his hivemind connection with the Family as she released it. He was still there, in the background, and would always be--not even death would break that connection--but it was a little fuzzier then before, and Domino had promised that he would try his best to ignore the connection.

> >

Continued from >>13832292

The hivemind was a hard thing to let go of. The constant security of knowing that there were a thousand minds willing to listen to her, only asking for the touch of her mind-hand in return. The intimacy of being able to feel another one’s life, being assured that much like herself, Domino had daily routines and rituals, and being able to share these sensations made them into inside jokes. From the rasp of hastily gobbled krispy treats as they slid down his throat to the slight strain at temples as she tightened her bun, her and Domino cherished the connection between them. But right now she wanted to keep her relationship with Aberham private, if only for his sake.

However beyond the reinstatement of the consciousness boundary or the loss of the full hivemind connection, she would miss the thought teleportation the most. Slipping back to the sluggishly slow electrical impulses to send her thoughts throughout her brain felt much like going back to old car after driving a military-grade skimmer. It wasn’t without its perks, however. While empathically transferring thoughts throughout the brain had bypassed the slow biology of chemical reactions triggering electrical charges, the lack of tangential discharges meant that she had had a blazing quick but very linear mind. No triggering of memories as thought passed instantly and directly from point A to B, no sudden inspirations or ingenuities. Instead she had had to run thoughts in parallel to try and make up for the undeviating thought, thinking up variables that might trigger some connection she would not otherwise think of. At least back in the old slow mode her more “human” thoughts did it naturally in their bewildering way.

> >

>Continued from >>13832319

She looked down at her mind and smiled. Not boring by any means, but it should make it a little easier to communicate with the specialist. Found didn’t want to scare him off again. Slipping into the jeans, which were a little tighter then she had expected, she put on a light herbal fragrance before slipping on the thick red sweater. A pair of white pearl studs in her ears, and then, checking to make sure her hair was unruffled, she slipped on a pair of brown leather pumps and picked up the bottle of cabernet sauvignon that the vendor had highly recommended, before making her way to the viewing room to met Specialist Aberham.

Stopping a few steps outside her room, she turned back and picked up the bottle opener she and left out on the counter. The human mind was a fascinating thing…

“Hello, Dr. Aberham, I hope I’m not too late,” she said, a wry smile forming on her lips. It was certainly an interesting place to have a date, since the last one that they had had here had ended so poorly.

>>13832325

The medic could not help but smile, “Dr. Aberham”. He was not accustomed to being called such, especially by Found, though technically correct. He had always considered Dr. reserved for those ‘real’ scientists, published men and women.

He turned his eyes from the window, a welcome relief. Too much longer and he would have had to start contemplating the sheer size of the galaxy.

“Not at all” He rose, “Chief Found, congratulation on the promotion.” It was good to see her in normal dress as well, he had been concerned. The unspoken words wafted about but he chose to ignore them, instead making a conscious attempt to set aside any expectation.

“I’ve been looking forward to getting to talk with you. I understand the new vocation requires the lion’s share of your attention.”

He would have crossed the distance to her, but given it was only a few meters he instead motions to the chair opposite him. However brief the correspondences had been, she had shown legitimate concern about their past meetings. Had had made preparation with his own mind as well, though the counseling in P-sec was nothing to speak of, the library they offered had given the time and material he needed to reflect.

>>13832797

Found settled precisely into the proffered seat, crossing one long leg over the other, almost barking her shin against a chair leg. She wasn’t used to anything quite as formal as this--well not in her own body at least--and while the grey memories could have told her what fork to use had the table settings been more elaborate, she tended to ignore them. She picked up the bottle of wine and placed it on the table, slipping the bottle opener out of a pocket and placing it on the table. Smells wafted from a covered platter on the center of the table: fresh and well seasoned.

“Unless the mess’s food has improved dramatically, I do believe you are a cook in addition to your other numerous accomplishments,” Found said as she cut open the foil seal, exposing the cork stopper in the bottle. She had only recently taken up drinking wine, a marking of her raised status and rank as much as another mannerism break from Cpl. Lost, who rarely drank.

Pouring the dark red wine into two glasses, she spoke as she looked down on her work, “In the spirit of learning more about each other, and I mean beyond simple facts like being a good chef or becoming an amateur wine enthusiast, I propose a game. I’ve found an affinity for them ever since I started working with Domino, and I think such exercises can be quite therapeutic. The acceptance of rules solely based on forming the foundation for an activity can be… relaxing.”

> >

>Continued from >>13833239

Leaning over and handing a filled glass to Aberham, she set to precisely filling her own glass, “I propose a game where we ask three questions of the other person which they have to answer fully and exhaustively. The questions should be aimed at trying to understand the other person better, and we will take turns.”

Found smiled at him, “Of course we can make small talk, and share our thoughts on matters, but think of these questions as a deep sounding of the other person. Things you need to know if you can trust them.”

“To trust,” she said, holding her wine glass out towards him.

>>13833270

That needs to be modified for a squad insignia for DoW2. Now.

Maximum Fuck: Fucking up your shit to the max.

> hey guys what do you think?

>it's a proposed insignia for squad MF

>>13833296
>>13833289

That shouldn't be too hard. Just make the background transparent.

>>13823394
> Which part of it am I supposed not to know, Walker?

>>13833488

>Nothing that you wouldn't reasonably know WITHOUT the use of your magical clone-AI-head army thing.

Because I don't feel up to RP at the moment, you can operate under the assumption that the following has occurred:

Walker summoned Admiral Weird, Rear Admiral King, and Lieutenant McMillan and informed them that he will be leaving to stand before an Inquisitorial Tribunal which probably wants to dismantle Bravo from the inside out and ruin our shit. He has also informed them to "expect shit to go down," and that it's highly likely someone is going to make a power-play for Domino/Found/our X-Men, which would explain why he's ordered a lockdown.

He has also informed them that if things become FUBAR on his end, and their end, that they shouldn't wait for him and make a blind jump using the Makarian Warp drives past the Iron Line.

Also stall tactics, don't let anyone that they don't know on board, and defensive posturing. Anyone who displays "clear hostile intent" or are trying to "forcibly acquire Bravo personnel before Walker gets back" are probably not friendly, and should therefore get a face full of lasers.

You should also probably know that Walker wants all these weird-ass experiments and illicit activities that he, Fierstrom, and you haven't signed off on. Because SECURITY RISKS, MOTHERFUCKER.

>>13833246

‘Numerous accomplishments’ he let the feeling slide again, not sure where to put the praise or; maybe it was flattery. Either way he retired the self doubt, promising himself not to crawl back too it.

At the mention of the game he props both elbows on the table, and rest his chin against his thumbs, he had not been expecting this, unfortunate as she clearly wanted him to start. –It’s as much about the questions you ask as how you answer.-

He reached for his glass and brings in to hers still holding a smile, “To trust” …to trust.

A portion of the entree is distributed to the plates as he speaks.

“Yeah, Let me be honest, I have a weakness in introspection, I can see a person bluff but can’t really mask my own. So it may be hard for me to answer what you want to know, and by the same token, I may not be able to find what I –really- want to know about you.”

He paused, to him it sounded a little silly, but he pushed on anyways.

“If I can start, and leave the small talk for later: I guess… I guess I want to know why you place such a hig…no, that’s not right… why you concentrate on Trust. I mean trust is important for everyone, for any relationship, but did you feel it lacking somehow when you first came to Bravo, not knowing all these people like you felt you should? An echo…”

Aberham trails off trying to sort out if he communicated his point, then looks to Found while taking a sip of the wine.

He never much liked red wine, but he did not care to bring it up.

>Ah, a curious game, the only winning move is not to play.

>>13833726

Found takes a sip of the red wine, it really was quite good. "So your question is: why is trust important to me?"

>>13833764

He makes a motion, wanting to add too or alter what he had said, but before he finds words he relaxes. returning his hand to his fork. She had after all promised to expound on it, he likely did not need to clarify.

"..yes, I think I want to know that" his voice is uncharacteristically calm.

>>13833844

“Trust is important to me, ironically, because I’m a mind-reader. When I move through xenospace, when I touch the minds of the Family, there are no lies. It’s an alien concept to them. It was one of the reasons that the Kings were created in the first place, to misdirect, to feint and counter-feint. I know when I touch those xenos we have that what they tell me is what they mean, that there is no difference between what they think and what they say. It’s the gift of all psionically linked races. We lie all the time, us humans. It’s not just a case of saying one thing and thinking another. We lie to be kind, we lie to be accepted, we lie with the best intentions with no hope of personal gain. We lie to ourselves. It took stepping away from myself, to crack apart my subconscious and examine it to see the lies we tell to ourselves. As an empath, as the regent to a King, I see all this.”

Found paused to take a delicate bite of fish. “Within all structures, from military command to personal relationships, all of them are founded on the idea that people need to do that which they have promised to do: to follow rules, to follow orders, to die, if need be, depending on the structure’s rules. As an empath we see each lie. We watch it damage the structure. I cannot make a person trust me—well, at least in my role of a mind-reader—only see they are lying to me. But with my new Family I’ve seen that one does not equal the other. I can see the truth without getting the trust. I need for my human peers to know that they are safe with me and that they can trust me.”

> >

>Continued from >>13834157

“Not to say that I go around reading everyone’s mind,” she added with a wry smile, “And I certainly don’t read yours.”

“Since your question touched on my insecurities upon entering Bravo, I will answer that as well. If I had wanted you to ask simple question, I should have clarified that from the start, shouldn’t I? I guess in some ways you could see my acting out as a part of trust-issue. It was more grounded in self-image I believe, that I was afraid that I would be seen as exactly what I was, a clone of Lost. Somewhere, between the memories that felt so distant to the delve she shared with me of all of her memories past my own, I felt an urge to be my own woman. I guess you could see that as a lack of my trust that you would see me different.”

“Did that answer your question?” she said, taking a fork full of orzo.

>>13834165

Aberham finished a bite of his own, then responds

“To an extent, but maybe ‘trust’ is too broad a thing to pin down to one question, also a little meta for this exercise.” He grins, and lets a short chuckle escape his lips.

“Also answers some questions I had about xenospace, it sounds difficult at least at first… but safe, good.” He was reaching for words to describe something he would likely never experience; a bit of longing could be heard in his tone.

“… I’m glad Domino is with them now, it was wrong for him to be made with a human mind, then… subject him to thing human are not meant to understand.”

>>13834361

"You'd be surprised what the human mind is capable of," Found said, washing down more of the salmon with a sip of wine. "What is your greatest personal fear?"

Domino laid in the white fields of snow. His brothers and sisters building snow forts. It's been 3 months now, his hair grew a touch, it was as long as he remembered it when Checkers had tied it. His brothers and sisters looked the same as he remembered their ghostly apparitions becoming more and more blurry and fictitious. It had only been recently that big sister had chanced to dress them up in winter clothes, a small detail that gave them a semblance of personality in this foggy land. Looking up to the sky , he checked the squirming lights that swam across. Every dot was a speck of life that made up this part of the family.

With a blink , he finds himself on the deck of the lucky O'Reilly. The bottom parts of the hull converted to a "farm" half of the cells here belonged to Makarian prisoners. The xenoforms share this space seperated only by glass shields with slits just big enough for feeding trays - and an errant scythe. With The Farm acting as the buffer zone between the rest of the ship and their waste traps, Makarian activity to attempt escape has dwindled and the number of guards posted in the area have reached an all time minimum.

Domino chitted and quipped as he passed by sleeping hunks of carapaces as they rolled around in protopaste and hay. The surrounding area was already forming some semblance of topsoil, and to the many brave and daring guard that dared to patrol the place, it also smelled of a lifelike and fresh air that one would only get from a teraformed planet. Added that and the incidental fungal growths- the Farm almost looked like an alien forest.

>>

The boy walked the ship aimlessly, no longer was he flanked by the two maurauder droids but instead trailed by a single probe no larger than his head. The red eye in the center was the sterile gaze of Abaddon who watched over his every move when his xenoform agents weren't present.

His skips and way of walking was recognizable from a distance if not jarring. The boy scuttled and when he wanted to feel proper, stood up on both legs and made mock impressions of human bipedalism. It made staff officers giggle and communication crews blush and nervous at the same time when the liliputian boy carried himself like a king around them.

The boy played at the human words that he learned in during these months and gauged reactions with other big sisters using his awareness. Some doted on him like a brother or a lost relative, others like their child or the murderer of their child - others still delved deeper and saw him at the center of their fantastical perversions.

At times the spirit of Domino's siblings would play at his urges at times he'd slip in a well enunciated phrase that made them go mad with biological activity. It was a warm feeling. And the boy would scuttle out of the encounter like a gingerbread kid.

>Damn Rookies actually getting a squad symbol done, make the rest us look bad.
>Ugly Squad what do you think of this for a squad symbol?

>>13834398

Aberham goes tense; the fork halfway to his mouth, then practically drops it onto to his plate. He leans back pushing off the table with one arm, looking Found dead in the eye.

It harkened back to when they first met in medical, and if she had spent any time in the p-sec repositories there was no reason to suspect a delve. But still, the question cut to the core of the man, ruthlessly. Another hand in Abe’s mind reached for indignation, but he stilled it, and folded the impulse into his will.

Should I say ‘Spiders’? no, she is clearly...

“…Found, I don’t feel this fear, but I know it’s there, it’s always there in everything I do, and everything I say.” He clicks his teeth together, just hard enough to feel pain, like he’s trying to bite back the words as he says them. He starts to sound a little frantic.

“I’m always afraid of being alone. All the time, it’s maddening.”

“I look into myself and all I see is a dark spot, you can ask me ‘what are you Andrew?’ I could say a surgeon or I’m in the military, but I never believe it, it’s like nothing I do matters to me.”

“I’m… just so worthless, even though I –know- I’m not.”

“Then to deal with it I stick to people who I think like me, I take on what they are, that’s why I talk about Warsaw so much, I look to him on how to act because I don’t think I will get it right. I mean how could I?

“Then when they can’t take me anymore, can’t stand me, they leave, and I do stupid shit to make it happen sooner so at least I have some control…”

The medic takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, it’s, fuck it’s not even that simple… When I’m alone it feels like I fade, I get nervous, and a gust will take me away and no-one will know because I was never there to begin with.”

>>13834773
THAT IS EXACTLY THE FACE I WANTED TO SEE UGLY SQUAD WEARING ON THEIR FACIAL CARAPACES !

>tempted to do robot codex or visual sketches of bravo...

random bullshit.

>>13834878

Haha. In Soviet ZeroSpace Xeno eat you!

>>13834835

>Did you ever explain what disorder Abe has? Would Found know even if you didn't tell her?

Walker sat in the shuttle, flanked on both sides and sitting across from a pair of Inquisitorial troops - men in matte black robes and stoic, plumed full-faced helms. They had arrived an hour earlier in the sleek Inquisition shuttle to pick him up and bring him to the SS Judicator.

Like executioners escorting a man to his noose.

He hadn't bothered trying to strike up a conversation with the guards, or the only member of the team whose face was visible. Walker had the feeling that he wouldn't get a response anyway. With nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.

Was there anything else he could do? He could have told Domino to be careful, or something like that, when he bumped into him before the shuttle had arrived. Instead, he simply ruffled his hair, like a father would his son, and told him to stick with "big brother Dragon and big sister Found until I get back," with a smile on his face. And for a brief moment, Walker felt the hybrid through his empathic powers - not like he couldn't ascertain confusion from the boy's face. But in that brief moment, had he, intentionally, dropped his mental guard, revealing for an instant the worry and frustration that plagued him?

A snort from the Colonel, one of his "laughs." Domino was a child, and like any child, he could probably see that something was wrong.

As if the warning klaxons and the troops scurrying around the base wasn't a sign in of itself.

Right. Nothing left to do, but to face the upcoming battle with everything he had. And to hope to hell that Bravo could take care of itself while he was away.

Walker smiled, then muttered something that got the two soldiers seating next to him to turn their heads.

"When Heroes Die
May Valkryes Fly
And Cowards Fry
And their Memories return on High."

>>13834973

>She might, it's a type of borderline personality disorder, but they never got very close, so she might not know the name.

>>13835008

>"They never got very close" meaning they didn't diagnose it properly? What's the medication for?

>>13834975

With a nasal snort one of the guards cleared his throat as if uttered to life from a magic word.

" Is old saying- " The soldier with a Eurofringe accent started as he stared ahead endlessly ", new generation troop done recite it anymore " An errant emotion ran through his face before he twisted back to his stoic post.

The ride continued in perfect silence after.

>>13835034

>Found might not have been around Abe long enough to be certain of what he had, his doctors however have him diagnosed with BPD, and he take meds to help level his mood, he also undergone therapy to manage it.

>>13835049

Walker grinned, inwardly. He had thought so too - none of his men knew it, sadly, save for Hawkes or some of his older veteran troops.

He didn't understand what prompted him to mutter that little poem that he used to hear so often. He knew Orbital seemed "fond" of it... if an AI could be. But at least he got a reaction from the soldiers around them. Calmed him, just a little bit, to know they were people, not faceless automatons.

Riding the rest of the journey in complete silence, Walker wondered if he should teach Domino the poem?

The pack roars, it was the reason those that chose to use it were called dragons. Dragon thought aloud for a second "All that fire probably helps too"

Dragons, old myths from way back, something dragon "knew" about. That was the worst part for dragon, knowing things without ever knowing them. When Domino mentioned Batman he was extatic, but no one else knew what Batman was. It wouldn't be long for the reverse would be true, he would hear something common place that was never implanted.

"Man, Glass had messed up priorities"
He was looking for Domino with Ash there for support. Comet was searching on his own somewhere else. Dragon prefered it this way. He loved Comet as he loved countless others but the bot just seemed....cold. Ash was more his speed.

"There he is"
Dragon had never been this far in the ship, hell most of the time he was in medical for injuries.
"Hey bro" Dragon shut of his pack and landed next to the child "Got good news, seems i'm officaly your body guard, Founds too." That meeting was one dragon awaited. There was a bridge to mend there and, he hoped, he could defrost the ice queen juuuuuuust a bit more she'd be perfect.


Of couse you should Never think something like this next to an empath who was linked to the empath you're thinking about
if only dragon knew

>>13834835

Found sat still. Her fingers were steepled, resting against the edge of the table. Looking down she remember the manicure she had gotten for the dinner tonight. Funny thing, this human mind.

"Aberham... so you fear to be alone? Or do you really fear an end to your existence? Or is it that you may not be remembered?" Found's eyes help a patient sympathy. Her body language suggested someone waiting, but in no hurry.

> Lost, this is Weird
> We in IRC have been asking if your connection to the researchers have been severed or not
> If it hasn't, and your chips are still transmitting, we wish to cut it off
> Speak to us? Do you want to cut it off yourself, considering Lost and Found's personal powers at this point of time?
> If you are okay with us doing the job, though, we will be sending in Soap to cut it off, in secret, and then collaring those researchers and their higher-ups by the Inquisition

>>13835424
>Um, the researchers are kinda tied up in a plot that me and OC have been working on, so I'd rather if you didn't.
>If it helps, the "Agent" who's been setting all of this up is a Guardian, and those guys make the Inquisition look young. I'm sure their programs are very difficult to find.

>>13835212

He takes another breath, and move in on the table, again establishing eye contact.

“That’s just it, they are one in the same. If I’m alone I am no-one, was no-one to begin with. I can stand to see a world without me; that is inevitable.”

“But it’s not just that, my mind has constructed a whole architecture to try and ward off abandonment, which ironically just make things worse. I used to be so afraid people would uncover these fears and reject me that I would resent them for it, resent them finding out or getting close. Blame them if they failed to understand, if they acted ‘wrong’ even just a small change in their tone of voice of expression.”

“I was paranoid… it took me year to come to grips with it, even recognize I had a problem, despite what would seem obvious flaws in my thinking.”

Abe fiddles with his fork for a moment.

“You have to see how conflicting this is, I know it doesn’t make any sense logically, but it does not matter.” A hand covers his mouth, and he looks down in thought. Then slowly reaches out to her, placing his hand gently over her fingers, asking them to be lowered.

“Please don’t. You want to see me venerable? You have it. I’ve heard these question hundreds of times before, if you don’t know the answers I’ll tell you, but please don’t try to counsel me.

>>13835503

Found opened her hands, encompassing his. Her hands were warm, and while the grip wasn’t crushing, it was firm. “Aberham, you’re not a patient to me. You’re not a subject, you’re not an objective, you’re not a puzzle. You’re a friend.”

“I’m trying to understand you. I know that your… ‘problem’ as you put it, is a part of you. At one time I would be dead set on taking you apart and putting you back together again. But I understand that you are who you are. We are our flaws as much as we are our strengths.”

Found gestured to her eye. “I know I’m flawed. Beyond my cruel streak, beyond my constant need to try and separate myself from Cpl. Lost, my mind and my body are changed. My eye and my mind might seem normal, but they aren’t. They can become things that no human should be able to do. They mark me as an aberration.”

“Like you I don’t want pity. I don’t want someone to fix me. I want someone to accept who I am, work with me and not try to change me. We both have problems of the mind, and if there is one thing I’ve learned in my studies, another person can listen or ask, but if you want to change something about yourself, it’s you who has to do it, others can only support you.”

Her long forhead crinkles in apology. “I shouldn’t have asked something so close to a psychiatrist’s question. For that I apologize. I wanted… I needed to know. It’s your question, but if you want, we can stop at anytime. I won’t even gloat about winning,” she said, with a smile.

his other hand closes over hers.

"Ah sneaky," he comments, at her offer to not gloat, and returns her smile.

"...it funny, your the person I know the best, you're history is only that which is on this ship, the others, I don't even know their names, but you're Found..."

he get an uncertain look. She can feel him pull back slightly, but only in demeanor.

"There is something I have to ask, would be remiss in not asking. Because I know you were not joking: What was it you were planning...what was going to 'stain you flux black.' that which you needed a confidante in me." He looks remorseful, reluctant

"With all that's been happening to us, I think I can do that."

>>13833296

>updated the design original looked a little wimpy

>also .PNG

>>13835937

>looks good, says a lot about the squad,

>>13835937
SINCE WHEN DID THIS SQUAD HAVE TIME TO DOODLE A UNIT LOGO
GET YOUR SHIT SQUARED AWAY PRIVATE TWINKLETOES WE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT DRILLING HARD ENOUGH

>>13835866

“To first answer your question, I need to tell you something about me. It’s something you might not like.” She relaxed her grip, in case he wanted to pull away.

“I don’t have morals. Right and wrong are just words that people say to get their way and to rationalize their violence on others. This was something I believed before I joined with Domino, and now it’s only strengthened. In life there are the things you need to do, and the things you don’t need to do. We all do the things we need to do to survive. We eat, we sleep, and we procreate. We don’t kill mindlessly, we don’t kill children, and we don’t… well, you get the point. These the things we need to do, and the things we need to not do: without them we would cease to exist. We gussy them up in morality, and tact on things like the sanctity of life, but when it comes down to it, life is about fulfilling those needs. For those of use who look out after others, it’s about making sure their needs are met over the needs of others.”

“’The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one,’” she quoted. “It’s something I now especially believe, taking over the mantle of leadership from Domino. From this mindset I’ve made decisions that would be considered wrong. And even while I never strayed from that mindset, there were times in the past I thought about how that might reflect on other people’s view of morality. That I would make choices that would be for the greater need, ignoring the idea of right and wrong. That’s what I mean about staining my flux black.”

> >

>Continued from >>13836197

Found was silent for a time, her face growing solemn. “There is more. You’ve asked a very good question to cut to the bone of what might stand between us. Before this I had been delving myself to unlock my potential. But each time the risk to my own mind, my own body, had become greater. Physical symptoms: nosebleeds, seizures, minor strokes. I had been keeping the worse at bay, but even the medication I had been taking wasn’t enough anymore. I couldn’t stop, I knew there was more of me to be had, more I could pull from my mind, but I was doing it blind, trying to learn about a brain by dissecting my own while I studied it. So I did the only thing I could think of, I found someone else to experiment on.”

“I have promised never to delve unwillingly into a mind of Bravo’s. You are my many, so I balance the need of protecting you with the needs of one life. And I decided the help I could gain outweighed the one death.” Her voice was steady, but her eyes kept flicking down to the hands and back to Aberham’s face. “So on Christmas leave I went down the surface and purchased the attentions of a sex clone. I then trapped the mind of the operator and took him apart piece by piece. It was not fast, it was not painless, and he probably spent his last few rational moments of thought in complete terror as I tore his mind apart.”

Found had expected this to lift a great weight off her shoulders. It did nothing but tie her stomach in knots. She waiting for his response, her eyes settling on his dinner plate.

>>13836207

"You...,you did what?!"

>>13836277
>Good answer!

"I took the life of another person because I needed to progress my skills. I weight the mind-death of one civilian against force Bravo, and what my fully realized skills would do to safeguard them." She stopped herself from going on. Found wanted to make him see the logic in it, but she knew she couldn't jam justification down his throat.

>>13836323

Aberham moves back out of his chair, standing to look down over her, disbelieving.

A few seconds pasted, and the young medic’s mind ran over the speech she had given; still skeptical. But a hot anger was unfolding in him. He remembered the man he had killed in the line of duty, remembered the pain it drove into him, to say nothing of that man’s family or friends. Did she wipe it all away, or never feel it at all?

The anger moved with intensity he had not indulged in many years.

His eyes lit, like Domino would have perceived, and now Found could no doubt as well. But the dull sheen Domino had seen was replaced by hateful light, growing in brightness like a welding arch. And then greater still.

Aberham demanded the flux forward, demanded to witness all that she saw and did, from this moment back to her creation. The light was now strong enough to blind, had it been actual eyes perceiving it. And they bore into her.

Finding a line he rode it back to the room, saw what she had seen, what the operator had seen. The smell of strawberries washed over him, forcing him to gasp for air. He experienced the pain and the terror, just as promised, saw the blood, and hideous movements in the shadows. She just sat there, gloved hands ready to clean up the mess.

Feeling weak he rode forward again, passing through a thousand thoughts and images he had not the time or energy to dissect. But he could still feel her pain and her lust, until she took of Dominos cup, then relative quiet.

He pulled back to the present issuing a scream, and then falling to his knees, shivering.

>>13836007

but it's just. . . .

. . .

. . . okay

>>13836589

Found hadn’t know what to expect. His anger could come out of the blue as quickly as his melancholy. Now, as she crouched next to him she chivied herself for letting her guard down around the man. Her mind, back in what she thought as her “standard” state swept back and forth across a field of thoughts like a combine. None of them could tell her if she should hug the man shivering in front of her, or keep her distance, or leave the room entirely. She still refused to read him, after quickly making sure that he was stable.

When she had first felt the icy tingle of his intrusion into her mind, the defenses she had let down attempted to spring back up. She had to push them down, the mind-walls and hunter-thoughts. She didn’t know exactly how Aberham’s special form of empathy worked, but she didn’t want to risk injuring him. Her mind bloomed again into its previous state, and a moment of her normal empathic though speeds told her that it might be for the best to let him continue, unmolested. Perhaps this was the only way from the start. She could vaguely sense his power branch outward and beyond her, and she was tempted to reach out and analyze it, but she pulled her senses back in, blinding herself. He would explain it in his own time. If he ever talked to her again.

> >

>Continued from >>13836788

Again her arms swung as she began to reach out to him and then thinking better of it. After she was sure he was done with his empathy, she slipped her mind back into the “old” mode. She needed to speak to him, and she didn’t need him thinking her cryptic in addition to everything else.

“That’s… that’s a lot to take in Abe. It’ll take time to process it,” her voice was concern and acceptance. “I can stay if you want, but I understand that everyone needs solace at times. You have a lot to digest and I don’t want to pressure you.” She didn’t mention the game, he would probably consider it a deflection.

Found waiting, looking for any sign that Aberham wanted him to stay or go.

>Sorry, I'm fighting a losing battle with sleep. Can we finish this up in another post each, or should we pick it up again tomorrow?

>>13836794

>Same, we may just have to pick this up tomorrow, as in need to head to bed post haste, thank you for the RP.

>>13836812

>Anytime, Abe! See you tomorrow.

>>13836634

>got bored, did some draw-fagging

>>13835174

"Ruhealllyy ? " Domino's eye's widened and then promptly giggled like a rogue like youth. " Big Sister might get beamy eyed with you if you call her an Ice Queen even though she lives in a cold planet. But if you want to play the red knight, she's with Aberham having private time with him. " He drawled as he bicycle climbed up the walls while lying on his back.

Upside down, Domino's hair dangled menacingly before Dragon like they were a jellyfish's tentacles. "But if it's an emergency, then there isn't much we can do about it is there ? "

A twitch. He felt it. His hair wriggled as he looked towards the wall at no spot in particular.

>>13837692

goddamn grey that arm guard is sick. I might have to raise you an R concept sketch

>>13836007
>>13835937
>>13837692

Delicious.

Also, Unit Logo.

BEARS MOTHERFUCKERS, WHAT DO YOU THINK BRAVO STANDS FOR?

>>13836812

>Hope you slept well, Abe! It's game night tonight at the house, so I don't really know when I'll be on. Probably in patches. When I spot your response post, I'll try and write up one myself, but they might be spread out a little more then last night. Sorry to all the readers out there!

>>13839209
Damn, I'm going to need to watch my thoughts.

Red Knight? Dragon never thought of him as a Knight but that sounded rather cool. Wait this was a chess reference wasn't it?

"Red Rook maybe"

Dragon fucking hated keeping track of how to move a knight. Rooks were cool, like queens but more defensive.

Private time with Abe

Oh fuck. Domino's sudden twitch to the wall spoke volumes.
"Ash get domino and keep up."
Medical wasn't that way, Neither was Abe's room or Security. What was in that direction? Dragon boosted....the observation deck? How the hell is that private time?

Fucking stars being all romatic and shit.

Dragon will be heard long before he'll be seen

>>13837692
Grey you draw like a boss
just saying

>>13839209
>>13841529

>Hey OC and Dragon! This is taking place before the alert. Maybe the end of our post might join up with the beginning of the alert, but the current time for Found and Abe is your past time... if that makes any sense.

>>13842550
Touche, well i was sort of figuring it did start before the alert and then as you were hanging out the warning went off or something.

Geist marched through the barracks with full battlegear, using his staff to knock doors open, "EVERYONE UP AND GET YOUR GEAR, KEEP IT CLOSE! Until further notice, you are to remain armed!" When a private walked up to him and asked why everyone was getting combat-ready, Geist just swept his feet out from under him with the staff.

"YOU WANT TO GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS OFF WHEN THE EXALTED COME A'KNOCKIN? MOVE IT!"


>If anyone wants to rp with Geist, he's getting the troops in the barracks ready for the "drill"

>>13842550
Even as an add on Dragon is only on his way
I'm not going to lie, eager as hell for Dragon to RP with Found, and if Abe is there it can only lead to shenanigans. If either of you ever feel you and abe have done enough just say "you hear dragon's jetpack"

You guys can do two more posts, 200 more, all's good

>>13836794

I more self-assured individual would have walked out of the room,
But Abraham was not such a man.
~~~~

Gradually the shaking subsided, and composure returned to his form.

The mental effort he exerted in the prognosis had been extreme, especially for the first time using it to its full extent. He felt drained; the well of anger he had used to fuel it had dried up, now all he felt was a dull ache.

He played the scene over again, this time trying to see it objectively, just as Found’s voice urged him to do so, ‘digest’ it. On one side of a mental balance he placed the experience of the clone, and in the other power, power to mend minds and quell demons. Power built on an edifice of suffering. Had he not done worse? Had his friends? And had other not suffered longer to build less in the past?

Abe extended his hands to mirror the internal balance, shifting them back and forth idly.

Then he turned back to her reaching out and taking hold of her arm with a firm grip, like she had done when she held his hand.

“I think you are wrong… about me, you said at one point you would like to take me apart and put me back together. ‘fix’ the defect in my mind that make me feel the way I do. You say you’ve changed your mind however, but… I could still be Abraham without it, I don’t have to be defined by it. I would not shy away from a friend wanting to repair a limb, and my condition is as sure and injury as that.” He pulls himself closer, and his free hand moving to touch her cheek

“I don’t think I can understand why you did that, I think it hurt you too, making that exchange.”

He looked into her eyes, communicating a blur of emotion.

“You want to ask another question, I can feel it.”

>Ugly Squad Insignia now with 2/3 squad approval!
>Also Soap is just wandering the halls if any chars need to get a hold of him.

Dragon walks over, as usual he is clad in his armor and with his jetpack. "Well that makes things easy for me." Dragon smiles as he lightly punches Geist in the arm, "Didn't take you for the shouting type." His two bots shadow the trooper, Comet and Ash.

He looks over at Dragon, "has it really been that long since I've brought out my sergeant voice in Alpha? Well anyway we've got new orders, everyone should be ready to fight until the Colonel says otherwise. Supposed to be a drill." He looks at Dragon and the droids' flamethrowers. "You've already heard though, I assume?

"Not from Walker, no. It was McMillan." Dragon smiles, he seems proud of this next part. "Seem's me and my good friends here are going to be Domino and Founds guard whenever i'm not on the field." He kind of chuckles, "One day executed, another day trusted body guard. I really can't tell what walker thinks of me." Dragon takes a moment to tap Comet, "Hey brains, get started on the search. We'll find domino faster if we split up right?" the bot nods and takes off. It would have been in total silence if it wasn't for the loud jetpack. "I think he resents me for not taking the stealth wing."

Geist almost has to make an effort not to look at the bots with his mind, the process becoming more automatic as time progresses. "You might get under his skin, but you still follow orders well enough." He recalls the time Dragon told him about his origins, and reflects that despite his oddities, Dragon is a model soldier. More than willing to throw his life at whatever the CO pointed him to. He often considered that perhaps his makers were more successful then they had thought...
"It's good though, you and Domino get along well enough. This is supposed to be a drill though remember? I doubt you'll need to do more then stand around and follow them a bit."

>>13844405
"McMillan didn't say any of that" Dragon shrugs "Might be a real role then." There's a slight pause as he looks left to right, making sure no one's there to hear. Once he's sure the coast is clear he taps ash and the robot produces a bottle of white wine. "Uh this is for uh...." Dragon quickly checks again then steps in close "look uh, I was with Ghost and uh Shot mistook you for him....." Dragon hands him the bottle smiling "You're living the dream bro."
Taking the bottle, Geist just stares at it for a minute. "Err... who else knows this?"

"Blaze was there but I don't think he cares or got it....Can't speak for anyone else," Dragon backs up a bit, "Don't worry about it though, I REALLY doubt anyone would care. I've had my legs det'ed before...wasn't so bad."

Slipping the bottle into the shroud, he glances around. "Thanks, Dragon." As long as Walker didn't find out, he didn't really care who knew about them. While he wasn't looking forward to having his knees detonated, he was far more worried for Lost than himself. "All the same, I'd rather this not get around..." He turns to begin walking further along in the barracks, motioning for Dragon to follow. "So, how's Domino been?"

"I'll be honest, I haven't seen him much. Him and Found have been doing all that training *explative* or whatever. Not gonna lie, that girl worries me, and her being with Domino REALLY worries me. Thankfully now I'll have an eye on 'em." Dragon thinks back to his past meetings with Found, "...maybe it's just me, I do tend to not get along all to well with strict people. Speaking of I need to beat Admiral Weird to a pulp" Dragon calmly points out.

"What?!"

>>13844414
"*explative*er Blew my limbs up. Then started to talk about me like I wasn't there. I took it personaly."

"That was over a month ago! ...You know what? Just don't do anything that will get you executed AGAIN.Still, I've not really spoken with Found enough to know her. Just that she messed with your jetpack that one time, but there was no real harm done there."

Dragon rubs his chin, "There's a bit more too it then that. After that jetpack thing she spoke with Abe...next time I saw Abe he was drunk and angry." Dragon seemedto keep his hands bussy while he mumbled the next part, "I mighta, sorta, confronted her or something...in the gym...in front of people...it wasn't the greatest conversation i've ever had. Still I sorta came out of it respecting her more. Seems she has Lost's memories but doesn't think of them as her own...you know a bit about my past, I can relate. Hopefully this new gig will smooth things over."

Geist comes to a stop. He opens his mouth as if to say something, then closes it and looks ahead. After minute or so, he turns back to Dragon, "look, while I generally have to look out for my squad, I'm not going to step into your personal lives. This happened over a month ago right? That would have been the time to talk with him about it. I'll venture to say that you should have talked it over with Abe first even, instead of running straight to Found. I don't know the circumstances around it, for all I know the two were unrelated. Even if that doesn't sound like Abe much at all."

"Well I didn't want it to get that heated, trust me. She hit some of my buttons too. Couldn't talk to her before this because of that training stuff and I've been in the brig quite a while." Dragon pats Geist on the back "I appreciate the concern buddy, but trust me I'll be fine. What can I say? I like sleeping in the beds I make. Horrible, horrible beds." He taps his head "It's all part of my plan."

>>13844436
Blaze stepped through the door looking a bit exhausted. He wore a set of work out clothes; a skin tight, short sleeved shirt, drenched in sweat, and a pair of shorts. He didn't appear to be wearing any footwear. On his left arm was a small device, attached via cord to a pair of buds in his ears, and in his hand an empty bottle. He looked to be in a hurry.

"A plan? What possible plan could you advance by getting locked up all the time?" As Blaze stepped into the barracks, Geist's attention zeroed in on him. "YOU THERE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOT IN COMBAT GEAR? GEAR UP, BE READY TO FIGHT AT ANY SECOND!"

"It's more then a plan, it's my life goal. I'm going to be remembered, and I mean forever." Dragon smiles, "You won't forget me, won't you? See? it's already working." Dragon turns towards the knight "Yo Blaze."

Blaze quickly yanked the buds out of his ears as he turned to face Sgt Geist, spinning on one heel. He did it all in one deft movement, stopping at parade rest. "Sergeant! I was just, uh, keeping my muscles warmed up! In... case we needed to fight!" He looked over at Dragon briefly. "Hey, Dragon." The music coming from Blaze's ear buds was loud enough to hear from here. "Open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the xenoform~"

Geist isn't amused. "AND HOW WELL WILL THOSE MUSCLES DO YOU WITHOUT ARMOR?" Before Blaze can answer, Geist's staff connects with his side. Even without it being swung very hard, it's going to leave a sizable bruise. "IN YOUR GEAR NOW, PRIVATE!"

>>13844449
Blaze grunts slightly, bending over a bit. "Roger that, sergeant! Uh... don't suppose I could get a shower in first." Geist snatches a bottle with some unknown drink from a nearby soldier and splashes it on Blaze. "SHOWER IS OVER, DON'T MAKE ME TELL YOU AGAIN!"

"God damn Geist," Dragon states as he moves for the door. Geist waves at him as he leaves.

Blaze closes his eyes as the liquid connects with his face, being silent for a few seconds. He blinks, getting it out of his eyes, mixed with the sweat that'd been dripping from his brow the entire time. "Roger that, sergeant." He came to attention before turning away and marching off. "Fuck..."

>Also, SHIT'S GOING DOWN, KIDS.

When Colonel Walker stepped off the loading ramp of the shuttle onto the SS Judicator, he found that Inquisitor Fierstrom was there, waiting for him. Along with a full compliment of the black robed Inquisitorial troops. Without so much as a word between them, he was ushered, alongside the Inquisitor, down the dimly lit corridors and into several cargo lifts that he was sure was meant to confuse and disorient.

Walker eventually found himself sitting in a large, cavernous room, seated in a lone chair centered on an obsidian dais, with Fierstrom by his side. Before he could say anything to her, three lights turned on, revealing three large podiums standing before him, also of the glossy black material.

The inquisition had begun.

For over two hours, Walker sat there, while three voices boomed from above the podiums, asking him questions about his life, answering them themselves, extrapolating about him through their own answers. Surrounded by floating neon images that swirled around the room, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat naked as images of his life literally floated by.

And it didn’t help that Fierstrom was also present.

He knew that the voices were coming from speakers, understood that the whole setup was meant to wear him down. After all, they HAD told him they would be communicating via ainsible. However, a slightly higher level of gravity (not that he knew or could tell), the overwhelming darkness and the disorienting neon lights of the floating screens, and the booming voices were having the intended effect of tiring him out. Not to mention the seat was very uncomfortable.

"Finally, Colonel Walker of Bravo Force- Inquisitor Katarina Fierstrom who acts as legal defense we will now convene with the incriminating matter of your presence here. We are confident that this thorough examination of your character is sufficient in understanding your situation. "

> > >

>>13846558

"Stardate Janrus 22nd, your men have engaged in a pitched battle on a civilian planet on Prima Masquera. On a small vacationing resort with resident Originals the battle took the lives of over 80 percent of the island's populaiton. Not only that, worldwide attention and criticism are still conflagrating among the central planets and all media branches about our credibility as a federal institution. Before the Human Liberation Front can move forward from this- we must ensure that Humans are indeedthe things we are liberating.”

"Colonel Walker- can you answer us why hundreds died needlessly that day."

Walker sat there motionless. Funny, their "thorough examination" of his character and history seemed to gloss over a very vital two decades of his life. He had simply given up trying to answer the "questions" they had posed to him earlier. They were answering them as they wanted; why stop them? So when they finally directed a question at him, it took him a moment to realize that they were waiting for him to actually say something.

"You want to know why people died needlessly that day? It's simple, really. There are people out there who are blind to the greater implications of what I and Bravo have achieved."

"Why don’t you expound on your achievements?"

"We ask the questions, WALKER."

An inward smile. Of course. Funny that they didn't actually use his real name.

"Right, right. Well, as you all know, roughly one month ago, Bravo, after capturing a xeno-human hybrid from the Garukan government, holed up at the Tsiang Tibler Shipyards to fight off an approaching Xenoform fleet."

A gesture with his hand. Not like they cared, anyhow.

"And during that fight, I decided to make use of the hybrid child to fight on our side. Which, as you know, resulted in the capture of said Xenoform fleet."

> > >

>>13846597

He sighed. Did he really have to explain this to them? He was sure that they were all older and "probably" wiser than him. Hopefully, anyway.

"Capture? Walker?"

"Capture. What, you think I sent an ambassador out to go talk to them?"

"As it is - we are currently in a coalitionary relationship with this fleet- a sworn enemy of humanity."

"So capture neither promises anything that has transpired from that transaction."

He smiled, and had to stop himself from laughing. They really believed Evergrad's propaganda, didn't they?

" In any case Walker- why is it that you are recognized as the sole representative of humanity ? Why do you still work under the HLF? Why aren't you an IDEAL of all the infested territories of Tera? "

Fierstrom: “That is an exacerbation of the current diplomatic situation my Counsel!”

Walker's fingers dug into the "cushion" of his seat. He was ready to fall over laughing.

"Under Walker, our current representative of the XENO RACE is in his protection and care. We are BOUND by duty to see that this relationship doesnt end in the usual onesided exchange that Makarian slavers display over their conquered enemy."

"You have all reviewed the findings of xenoform networks- they maybe wild creatures but they are duty bound to the death to their promises."

"Would you care to disturb the structure of such an agreement at such a critical stage ?"

. . . .

The counsel fell into silence.

Fierstrom concealed a shaking fist. Sweat dropping violently to the arm of walker's chair.

" Fierstrom- "

" Yes. "

Walker noted the rage brewing in Fierstrom. As much as he wanted to reach out to her, it was rather apparent that doing so would be unnecessary.

"What is the approximate size of the xenoform fleet ? Yours- that is."

> > >

>>13846613

"Excuse me, gentlemen?"

"IT WAS NOT DIRECTED AT YOU. "

"Right. But am I to assume that we are now at the heart of this inquisition?" He smiled. "I mean, I don't think I quite answered your question from earlier."

"I mean, the fact that the topic has quickly moved to my... uhh... 'representation' of humanity in this 'coalition' indicates that the events at Prima Masquerade isn't the primary reason as to why you have summoned me to answer your questions. It would seem to me that you're more interested in this 'coalition,' and my role in it. Or rather, the implications of my role in it."

He smiled, moving his hands to gesture towards the podiums, brushing against Fierstrom's for a brief moment.

"With all due respect, of course. You are questioning me, after all. I just wanted some clarification as to whether you were actually interested in my answer or not."

"We are. This is a hearing. Your defense rest on you and your defender's word."

".Your lackadaisical response to an otherwise inhuman catastrophe is also noted. 100s of originals died. Originals that the ODF is sworn to protect."

".Now fully answer this next question. Your men display exceptional combat activity worthy of many accolades that our Federation Forces would otherwise be proud of. However- can you explain the presence of psionic- capable soldiers in your unit?”

On the screen before him, lost's hands could be seen cryokinetically flashfreezing a man.

Walker stared at the screen. Yup, that was Lost.

"I still didn't answer your original question."

"Then please- fully entertain such a possibility of you fully answering questions."

He smiled. Sure, he would. And hopefully, he'd make them sweat while he was at it.

>First big-ass chunk, DONE.

>NEXT CHUNK MOTHERFUCKERS, BRACE YOURSELF!

"You have 2 minutes."

"Right then. As I was saying, you're all aware of that little 'coalition' that we've made. However, like I said, there are people out there who are rather blind to the greater implications of what we've achieved."

"The very conditions of the treaty is being observed even now."

"Would you let me finish?"

"Now, many people do not like the Xenoforms. I barely tolerate them; most are afraid of them, and others would stomp them with a colossus unit if they had one at hand. As such, there are people out there who weren't so keen on us 'teaming up with them,' I suppose."

"Perhaps as a result of Overseer Evergrad's propaganda, many think we're in a coalition of sorts, like we've signed a treaty with a group of bugs. And they're so caught up with their anger over the bugs, their disgust over them, that they are blind to what this means."

"They don't see what we did as delivering a tool to humanity."

"They don't see it as an end to one of our greatest threats."

"And they don't see it as a way to shove it back to the fucking Exalted. Pardon my language."

He leaned forward, as if to close the distance between himself and his interrogators.

"You know what they see? A group of people who 'betrayed' humanity by making peace with the Xenoforms. 'Bug-lovers,' if you will."

He leaned back into his chair. "Like I said, blind."

"To which we ask- what is the current forces of this insectoid cadre, right now?"

Fierstrom: "Our forces include 20,000 to 32,000 tons of biomass that can traverse through space as naval assets."

He rubbed his hand against his forhead in frustration. Apparently, they were blind too.

> > >

>>13847312

"Why is this approximation broad?"

"The number of xenoforms within a eco system fluctuates rapidly as they recycle their biomass and adjust it according to the availability of nourishment."

".Yes we see the figures here, Over 5 trillion tons of protoculture is committed to their maintenenace- CommerciaComm is seeing spikes of recession in the near future for our home colonies. "

"Now- how many xenoforms are there in existence that are - without a doubt aligned against us?"

"That number is inestimable" Fierstrom sternly responds.

"So too expensive to maintain- too miniscule to overpower an opponnent that relies on pure numbers and wars of attrition."

"I think I forgot to mention something. Fierstrom, would you mind?"

"You have holdings on a monster that - in its very inception would be the biggest liability to humans. And sentient life."

"Go ahead" She hisses.

"Right. Yes, we have holdings on a monster. However, that 'monster' is capable of, well, swallowing up other xenoform fleets, consuming their biomass, and swelling it's own numbers. So unlike us humans, whose numbers dwindle with each consecutive fight, so long as our fleet wins, it can keep growing larger."

There are whispers.
This fact is too obvious.
It's power too great.

"Also, the same method that we used to capture the fleet in the first place would likely work again, with more success."

"And one more thing! The bugs aren't picky with their food. We could easily feed them the crap you feed ODF's."

Walker looked at his digital chronometer. Two minutes have definitely passed.

“WarComm has given it's rating, 8 out of 11, of its AIs agree to this capacity of their fighting. Of course this fact is too obvious to us by now. It is what forced us into the wall and made us resort to monster making ourselves a clone army. "

> > >

>>13847326

"I am sure you are aware of that dark fact as well."

"You don't need to tell me about the things we've done for survival. But didn't you say I had only two minutes? Anyway, you want me to answer your other question now, don't you?"

"Yes. Your psionics. Another mark on your force of monsters. The existence of which is forcing us to have this discussion "

"Right, my little group of mutants. Good soldiers, the lot of them. Excellent in a fight."

"Yes can escalate any place into a full blown warzone in a matter of minutes - "

Fierstrom: “They were fighting in self defense.”

She was ignored.

"You have what seems to be a handful of members with questionable pasts, upbringings and even unorthodox assembly methods."

" And to think some of them are even registered Originals- Such status can earn them a spot on your rank- perhaps lead in a more prestigous career "

"A different Executioner Unit "

"Well, that was something as a stop-gap measure. I think that's what you call it. Anyway, that particular soldier you displayed earlier," he motioned with his hand to a neon screen showing Lost freezing a man while wearing a bikini, "that would be unit AB45-893K, or 'Lost,' as we call her. One of the publicity clones for that Lady Diva Interesting from Prima Masquerade."

He shifted his weight in his seat. Nearly three hours sitting there, and he really needed to stand up.

"Anyway, she was assigned to my unit one day. Weird thing going on, couldn't find out who ordered it. Realized she was an empath after meeting her face-to-face. And the way I see it, since empath powers can be screened for rather easily, the fact that she was 'mysteriously transfered' means that someone intentionally put her there. And knowing how the shadier elements of the military operates, I figured someone stuck her in there as part of some top secret experiment or something."

> > >

>>13847335

He looked to Fierstrom.

"In all honesty, I thought it was Fierstrom's doing," he said with a chuckle.

Fierstrom: “She came in with top level clearance- since you mention her so, I can only surmise that someone higher than you has ordered it- otherwise the very nature of her being with us would be calculated in your arguments by now.”

"Moving on- the number of psionic activity within your psicomm channels have spiked very recently after an excursion on Hearth."

One of the balding figures gave an exaggerated sneer easily tracked due to their super imposed face.

"Yup, that is true. Seemed to be an after effect of the outcome of that mission. Since that time, we have been monitoring them and the growth of their powers."

"And we are reviewing your findings here- according to Fierstrom's data."

"P-Chips are quite the convenient method for collecting Data Fierstrom- how long have you had them under such jurisdiction?"

Fierstrom bites her lip.

"You knew of this from the start. Xenoform psi exposure along with violent rays of radiation has somehow created a mutation event that has artificially altered the very fabric of your men's existence."

"At first this happenstance event could be seen nothing more than a very endearing war wound- warranting stories of legend among soldiers- "

"But if one was to follow the logical conclusion to this- "

"Then wouldn’t the acquisition of Xenoform elements - combined with potent data of the event- ”

"allow one to replicate sucn an event perhaps even manufacture those touched with the Flow ? "

"Which would only make sense if I was throwing my men into nuclear reactors while having that Leviathan Queen hose them with psionic radiation. Which I clearly haven't."

>It never ends! Also word max is about 330 words.

> > >

>>13847361

"And the staffing of psionics to singlehandedly control the hordes of xenoforms? What's stopping one such as yourself- with control over psionics , xenoforms , and even the image of Lady Interest to wield this heavy hammer against the State of Man ?"

Walker smiled to himself. He knew the answer to this question.

"Let me answer your question with a question of my own. You've 'questioned' me of my life, gone through me like a book, and made an examination of my character. Knowing that, answer this question: Why would I fucking want to?"

"You claim you know my character, my history."

"Indeed ! Of course. It was wrong of us to question your sense of duty towards the 13 planets and all of humanity "

Walker stood up, a madness growing in his eyes.

"Why haven't we been so forward with this before-"

"Perhaps then, you would kindly submit to our humble request-"

"Of dismantling Bravo Force?"

"Of 'handing over' the reigns to the xenoform fleet?"

"Bravo Force in its current composition is too powerful- even for an execution force or as a division of the Counter invasion "

"Of giving up the men that have been nothing but loyal to me?"

"Their loyalty to you is their loyalty to the State of Man- a fraction of them serving in other divisions are better served for it."

"Perhaps may even create a name for themselves."

"Think of the benefits, we are even ready to give you a seat in WarComm for your brave services."

"Of course, their loyalty is to the State of Man."

"And of course, they may create a better name for themselves elsewhere."

"And hell, the benefits of your offers are pretty enticing."

"But."

"You should know that I would turn down such offers. And you should know why. But in case you don't, I suppose I'll spell it out for you."

> > >

>>13847374

"You should know that I would turn down such offers. And you should know why. But in case you don't, I suppose I'll spell it out for you."

"For nearly twenty years, I've worked in Black Ops. Twenty years which you seemed to have glossed over in my 'evaluation of character. For twenty years, I had to hurt my fellow man. For twenty years, I saw my friends die. For twenty years, me and my comrades did the dirty work for some politician. We did terrible things, as well as good things. But you know what it was for? It wasn't for the State of Man, or Justice, or anything like that."

"No, it was all for one man, for a corporation, for profits and power and votes and all that crap."

"That's why I'm going to turn down your offer and 'kindly reject' your request. Because if I accepted it, I'd be a fool. I'd be sending my men to their deaths, working for all the wrong reasons."

I s e e"

"I'd be empowering the same fucking politicians who had my brother and friends killed all in the name of their fucking little game."

"I can't trust them to fight in the name of the State of Man."

"Hell, I can't even trust them to utilize the tools I've gathered competently."

"The attack on my men at Prima Masquerade is proof of this."

"Very well, Walker. Can you name the perpetrator of that inhuman act ?"

A woman this time, grandmotherly was her voice.
As sweet and sour as cranberries.

>Almost at the end of this mass-assive chunk!

> > >

>>13847398

"Currently, the only lead I have is that it was carried out by Sigma Force. In all honesty, I - and my men - were hounding for their blood, to strike back. But I held myself back. Do you know why?"

"Yes, the genetic data on the flashfrozen corpse and a few fragments of dna samples on the murder weapons - and the sincere confession of two men on PsiComm proves that the operation was carried out as a splinter deployment."

"Yes, enough to indicate who carried out the attack but not who ordered it. It would have been rather simple, really. I mean, all we would have to do is listen to whoever bitched the most about our little 'coalition' and figure out which of them had reasonable ties to Sigma."

"But do- entertain us with your conjectures.”

"Right then. Well, there are two reasons. The first is entirely practical. Going off to kill another 'allied' human force would justify their attack on the people who 'allied with the xenos and betrayed humanity.' In fact, it would easily turn popular opinion against me and my men, convincing a lot of peope that we really are traitors with just the right amount of information manipulation."

"Assuming the best possible scenario, the situation could easily devolve into a civil war, or perhaps a situation where such a war would be iminent."

"And on the eve of our triumph, who would want that?"

"But there's a second reason, that I told Fierstrom before in different circumstances. Simply put, we don't have the right to appease our own egos as individuals. Our positions require us to do whatever we can to better the State of Man."

>CHUNK IS DONE, ENJOY YOU LITTLE TWITS.

>PART THREE, CHILDREN! YOU KNOW YOU LOVE THE CLIFFHANGERS, WOLF!

The procession broke into silence- quite possibly to talk amongst each other.

"Very well, Walker. You may step forward now."

Walker looked to Fierstrom, hoping for a hint. There were none to be found in her face or demeanor.

A panel on the floor was lit. As if indicating the judgement to be dispensed.

Uneasy, he stepped forward. He really hoped there wasn't some gun trained on that position.

"We of 3 seats of the High Council and 4 seats of the High Galactic Federation recognize you for your services and your selfless duties during your time in the ODF as well as your role now as Bravo Force's Leader. From this point forth, we see no reason to question your ability to honor the sensitive relations between another race. And we now entrust you as the sole protectorate and liaison to this Abaddon Entity. However, as it stands- outstanding evidence of questionable behavior towards Makarian inmates suggest unruly war-crimes that we as humans would not accept. For this reason and more we will attach an automatic task force to your unit as machines nowadays are far more reliable than the relativistic human. We will look into the matter involved with Sigma Squad's deployment as it has been made clear to us that they have recieved an A9-DoubleZero Protocol order. We are sure you are familiar with this code. "

"You may leave. Godspeed, Walker."

Walker blinked a few times in disbelief, then finally nodded when the weight of their words finally sank home.

"I understand. Thank you, sirs."

"Guards escort the Colonel out."

> > >

>>13848297

"Fierstrom. It is your turn."

Fierstrom: “Wait- what? I wasn't informed that this inquisition was for –”

Walker's head snapped to Fierstrom. As soon as he heard them say "the Colonel," he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"SILENCE. As the subject of this Inquisition you must only speak when spoken to in direct response to our questions."

His eyes darting between the three podiums, the guards entering the room, and Fierstrom, Walker's mind was working through his options furiously.

"The matter of the Colonel's character is as clear as day- he could never attempt the machination of creating psionic capabl- . . . "

"MOVE IT, CLONE"

Finally, a course of action revealed itself.

The guards seized him- urging him to movei n step.

"SIR! Permission to witness Inquisitor Fierstrom's hearing!"

Walker pulled back against the guard, muttering to him beneath his breath. "And I'm not a fucking clone, just so you know."

"Denied. The matters that will be discussed here are not for a soldier's ears."

He grit his teeth. Was there nothing he could do?

One of the podiums smiled.

It was a wide and sincere smile.

A maniacal one

He balled his fists, and stared regretfully towards Fierstrom. A heavy sigh, and a nod of resignation.

Fierstrom kept on a face. But he knew he just KNEW that she was already at the edge- and that all her attention and energy was already spent on him.

"I will be fine- " She said. "This is my battle now."

And the doors shut.

"You better come back, Fierstrom," he muttered. "I won't forgive you otherwise."

A liason debriefed him. This time a woman in white with a cheery tone unlike the dour guard that saw the life draining vacuum of war. From her came forth official orders that were now being briefed to walker at the event that his name was cleared.

> > >

>>13848314

>MINI ONE SO I DON'T HAVE WEIRD CUT-OFF SHIT.

Battle plans. Deployment orders, new staff, the 55th Automatic Commissioned Unit. Xenoform Logistics and staff
Scientists
Engineers
A cabinet of Xenolinguistic and xenorelationships all headed under a politician named Truman Hsu.
No mention of Fierstrom.

His day was detailed with deployments and confirmations of deployments and manifests and confirmations of names.
He nodded
again
and again
and again.
What was once a ride in complete silence was now a verbally abusive one requiring a lion's share of his attention.

Walker only listened with half of his attention. His mind was reeling at having to leave Fierstrom behind. Finally, when the woman seemed to pause, Walker spoke up for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity.

> > >

>>13848331

"You, what's your name? I don't believe you ever told me."

" . . . Warrant Officer Adoria."

" Sir."

"... Warrant Officer Adoria then. Am I to assume that, since you're riding this shuttle back to the Lucky O'Reilly, you have been posted to my unit?"

She blinks.
" That is correct. "

He sighs.

"My job will be in Invasion protocols as I and my sisters will act as your Liaison to the other divisions during the invasion. Correction, myself- along with my sisters- who are all being assigned to their respective divisions "

"And am I to assume that, since Inquisitor Fierstrom was not named to be assigned to Bravo, that you will be acting as High Galactic oversight in her place?"

"My duties are in communications and official protocol. Bookkeeping , resource management , and macro-policies are among other things I can parse.”

"I see..." He stared at the odd woman, dressed in white. Something seemed off about her.

"I can also play piano."

"You... you're not human, are you?"

“Negative. I am an android. Model designation A-023-89."

Walker flinched. Would it kill High Galactic to send him a living, breathing, person for a change that didn't display some gross deviation from what could be called "standard human physique"?

"Well then, what's done is done. I guess I'll make it official then." Walker held his hand out to the android. "Welcome to Bravo Force, Warrant Officer Adoria."

".It is an honor."

>AND DONE MOTHERFUCKERS.
>NO MORE FIERSTROM, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW NO MORE WALKER AND FIERSTROM PAIRING, YOU ASSHATS
>AND GHOST STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM THIS ONE.

>>13848342
>WalkerxFierstorm FOREVER~

>>13848342
>This new robot is going to seriously mess with the chart.
>I wonder if R00 will get jealous.
>Also Walker man up and break your woman out of Prison, or else domino will get angry!

>Latest version with lettering thanks to Krieg.
>We just need some squad colors, oh and most importantly some more squad members!

>>13839934

awesome

looks like I wasn't so far off

have an angry pilot

>>13850304
I'm actually amazed your styles are so close

>>13850304

I miss Jacklink.

>>13850872

I blame whoever introduced him to Just Cause 2.

>>13850872
>>13850932
Indeed. We need more badass Ls

As we all know dragon is the greatest detective known to man
Comet defiently helps
So he too has been keeping tabs on bravo

V1 of the DRAGON FILES

TeraZera sketches !

>>13843480

>Hey Abe! Sorry I didn't get on last night. Game night turned into movie night, and Dad wanted to watch the whole Indiana Jones Trilogy. How could I say no? I'll get right on writing up a response!

size comparison chart

>>13853344
>TZ chick 3x a bitank

>>13853646
4.0

>>13852906

>Sorry! I'm having trouble thinking about a second question! And lolcats are distracting me!

>>13855012

>Could ask about his eyes.

>>13855255

>EEK! Get out of my head!

According to protocol, during Level Amber Alert medics were either to be in medical to await injured or in the drop bay ready for rapid deployment. What that boiled down to was a lot of standing around and doing nothing. Warsaw hated standing around doing nothing. Fortunately for him he'd been down in the Xeno holding pens when the alert had been sounded. Even if he started running immediately it would take him a while to get back to medical. So it wasn't like anyone would notice if he stood around watching the Xenos for a few more minutes.

He'd started coming down to watch the Xenos shortly after they'd been brought on board. It was a good way to pass the time when he had nothing better to do, or a particularly bad case of insomnia. The guards, however, had been rather clear that no one was allowed to interact with the Xenos without Walker and Found's permission. Which was impossible to get since Found seemed to spend most of her time sequestered away with Domino, and Walker was busy dealing with politics. So he was restricted to an overhead catwalk.

The catwalk actually provided an excellent advantage point. From overhead he could watch everything the Xenos did. Such as the squabble near the feeding troughs. The pack of roaches that were hanging out near the opening in the glass wall, waiting for an unwary Makarian to wander to close. It was like looking down on a giant ant farm. Except these weren't unintelligent ants, despite what the general population might think of them. Even if his time fighting the creatures hadn't taught him otherwise, a few hours observing them was enough to convince Warsaw of the Xeno's intelligence.

With a sigh, Warsaw finally gave into the inevitable. As he made his way off the catwalk he began to wonder why the Alert had been called in the first place. They weren't in a combat zone after all. Maybe Abe would know...."Abe! Oh, man I hope this didn't ruin his date."

>>13855265

>But it's so cozy in here!

>>13855012
>is waiting with anticipation
>This has been entertaining to watch play out!
>Wasn't sure how either of you were going to get around the whole murder thing!

>>13843480

Found could feel her face start to flush. A blush crept out from her cheeks, scarlet suffusing her entire face, even her ears turning a bright red. Her mouth felt bone dry, and she couldn’t seem to break out of the dark pools of the specialist’s eyes, or pull away from his touch that seemed to be burning a hole in her cheek. She had to stop herself from unpacking her mind, letting her racing thoughts and emotions be stretched out an analyzed with lightning speed. Her mind raced and stood still. His words floated slowly in the back of her mind, her sensations in the front.

Found was used to being the predator, not the prey, and the warrant officer found it hard to deal with Aberham’s advances. Lost would know what to do, she was good with men. All those memories that were grey to her were alive to her sister. Between her studies on Prima and her time in boot camp Lost didn’t suffer from embarrassment or blushes. She didn’t reel when someone touched her cheek or looked at her with smoldering eyes. Hell, Lost could walk around naked on the ship and wouldn’t bat an eyelash over it. Instead here Found was, blushing like a schoolgirl, unable to speak or move.

The moment hung. Like a bird in flight, like a mortar shell mid-arc. Eventually she managed to part her lips and lick them. She opened her mouth and her lips worked wordlessly as she tried to think. A question. A question should be easy. A few sprang to mind that made her face get even redder. Emotions roiled within her, but she never thought to slip back into her new mind, or to box the emotions away. His eyes were deep pools… she could feel herself getting lost in them.

> >

>Continued from >>13855497

“Wha-what memories do you have? I mean about before the war. I mean…” Found took a deep breath, trying again in less breathless tones. “My memories before my awakening feel grey and hollow to me. I wonder what it is like to have an entire history that made you into what you are. Could you tell me about your past memories, how you think they made you the man you are today?”

Found broke eye contact and looked around. “We really should get off the floor… perhaps the couch?” She gave a weak smile.

>>13855435

>Well, I was going to bring it up at some time during the date. Found knows it's something that might ruin a friendship.

>>13855552
>It's more of how Aberham reacts to it, and what he does about it. He's up to this point been very squeamish about any sort of killing. Even the one time he killed someone, an enemy soldier at that, he felt incredibly guilty. And this was just an innocent civilian.
>Just seeing how it goes from here!

>>13855505

Abe offered no comment to her blushing or to the nervous pause; He simply held his eyes steady in hers.

When she began to speak again, he listened intently. Memories that defined me, he thought.

“Humm, let me think…” he said as they stood together and walked to the couch, he gradually outpacing her.

He sat down; casting an eye back to the officer “I think…I live in the past too much.” he said, with a blush of his own.

The medic’s hand came forward to meet hers, and with a subtle nudge used her momentum to guide her next to him. He leaned in finding the small of her back with the other hand, then guiding it up to cradle her. Brown eyes found once more, and his lips came forward to meet hers, gently falling into the moment.

>>13855980
Good answer

Tentative specsheet
Going over final review...

>>13855980

Light exploded in her vision and Found’s eyes rolled up behind her closed eyelids. Leather creaked as her toes stretched against her shoes. Her mind, normally a flurry of thoughts even in this rudimentary, was wiped away. There was only him, her, and them, the first two rapidly receding into the blissful white haste. Without know how they got there, she felt her hands on the back of his neck, one pressing her lips to his, the other running back and forth through his hair.

Hours seemed to stretch on, but all too soon she parted her lips with his, gasping for breath. Forehead to forehead she looked through her eyelashes at him, there lips so close he could feel her breath hot on his face. Her face was red and the first beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Her voice was low and husky.

“H-how did you know this was my third question?”

Before he could answer, she kissed him.

>I think this would be a GREAT time for Dragon to bust in, seeing as somehow Found and Aberham managed to miss the Amber Alert. They really need to install a PA system in here…

>>13855505

He pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together, kissing the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, then her ear.

He hovered there, for a few seconds, and then whispered to her, his mouth close enough that his lips brushed the fine hairs on her skin.

“There’s a problem Found:” compassion dropped from his voice.

“-I-“
“-Don’t”
“-Fuck-“
“-Monsters-“

Pushing away,

Standing, back to her, regret, shame, anger,

A woman thinking herself the messiah striding over the bodies of civilians,

~~
I more self-assured individual would not have indulged in petty revenge .
But Abraham was not such a man.

>>13856494
>>13856787
...I think i'll wait one more post

THE LONG AWAITED GHOST CLASS IS NEXT !

>>13856787

>Holy shit!

>>13856838

>Yay!

>>13856787

>Warsaw is going to have to talk with Found after he finds out about this.

>>13856787

>Sorry guys, just trying to figure out what horrible extreme I want to guide this too. I'll figure something out soon. OC is helping.

>>13857136

>Take you're time. This is like watching the Titanic sink, it's going to be great.

>>13857136

>...I got nothing.

>>13853682
>...he might be jesus
>need more data
Hilarious as ever.

>>13857136

>Sorry, getting a little writer's block. Also game tonight changes some of my ideas... though I guess this next battle is probably much later... unless I'm attack you with xenos for this battle. I don't think I am.

>>13858554
(dragon's about to do damage control, don't fret so much as this be THE END ALL POST)

>>13858554
>Can always have Found walk away in shock. Maybe she even needs some time to process just what happened? It's not an easy situation, I'll give you that.

>>13858554

>My apologies, I really should have given you a heads up through OC.

>>13858927
>haha

>>13858927

> That pic, hahahahaha. Warsaw is going to be so sad.

>>13856787

...

I have no words for this.

>>13857430

LOO-TEN-TANT, YOU MISSED ALL THE FUN!

>mfw I get back after a full day of classes and this thread is still here.

Two weeks after Walker returned from his interrogation...

"ALL RIGHT YOU MAGGOTS, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! WHO WANTS TO KICK THE FUCKING BALL OF DEATH INTO THE FACE OF THE EXALTED?"

>>13859223

>>13856787

The warmth that suffused her suddenly vanished, as if wave of frigid water had crashed over her head. Her mind didn’t even seem to process the words until he had turned his back to her. Aberham… he was going to be hers… and now he wasn’t. She was a monster to him. The man she had hoped could be her connection to humanity, the man whose kindness and compassion she had wanted to anchor her to this fragile world of psicomm and transcription and feeble mortal bodies floating though the endless space on their cold ships. He had been the one who was going to help fills those memories she had grayed out, balance her exploration of xenospace with Domino with human experiences of simple things, like plain old conversations and walks and holding hands…

Found stood up and felt the confines of her mind slip away, crumbling like rotted wood. Her mind sped up to what she thought as a normal speed, her mind moving thoughts throughout her brain with telepathy instead of waiting on the agonizingly slow electrical currents and chemical reactions. The jumble of thoughts and emotions in her mind spread out before her in elongated lines. She wasn’t cold, all the emotions where still there, strong in her mind. Hurt and sadness and anger that all seemed without end. But she could look beyond them, she what they would cause. In the moments it took for her to stand to her feet, albeit shakily, she had reached a conclusion:

> >

>Continued from >>13860840

Specialist Aberham had taught her a very important lesson today, a memory she would keep with her. She wasn’t human. Maybe she never had been. They didn’t want her, they just wanted her to be a xeno they could control. Aberham though she was a monster, and he was right. They didn’t need a soft commander, they needed someone who would be a monster, who would do anything. She didn’t need to balance her new memories of the xenos and Domino with human ones. She just needed to follow orders. Everything beyond Domino and her Family was just a waste of time.

Her voice tried to be stoic, but it came out as quite and cracked midway. “Aberham, I’m… I’m leaving now.”

And then she was gone.

> >

>>13860844

Found stumbled as she materialized in another part of the ship, far far away from the Viewing Room. She had jumped almost blindly and had misjudged the height of the floor, appearing out of thin air a couple of inches above the metal grating. She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She was not going to cry…

Suddenly she heard movement behind her and she whirled about, her mind sharpening to a point ready to…

“Oh,” she said, blinking. Her bun had come undone in Aberham’s groping, and Found tried to tuck the loose strands in. “I didn’t see you there.”

>Okay! Done! Sorry for the wait. A lot of writers block, then changing back and forth between game and story. This is at an end, and I’ll pick it up later, after I figure out who she’s gonna run into. You can make suggestions, but I might pick someone who hasn’t had a lot of RPing with me, just to mix it up.

>>13860857
I'd say dragon as i was sorta on my way anyway and i'm your guard

pluss she doesn't see herself as human! common ground!

>>13860894
also big suprise, i say me

>>13860857
I say put a number on everyone and roll for it :V
Let luck determine who!

>>13860857

>Well Warsaw is definitely going to go looking for Found after he finds out from Abe how the date went. He'd know better than anyone the kind of things Abe can pull and (most likely) not knowing everything that happened would want to try and soften the blow some.

>>13860857

>Thank you again for the RP Lost, Abe can be... difficult.

>>13860963

>Oh, I think Found is worse. At least you didn't murder anyone and then pass it off as no big.

I made a bet with Colton and lost.

As a result, he now has an extra meatsuit.

Which is fine by me, because I really want to see him get a spec class for ALL of the base classes.

HA! Didn't think of that, DID YOU, COLTON?!?

I SPOIL YOUR VICTORY!

Anyone know when the next game is supposed to be?

>>13865155
Probably next Thursday, unless OC decides something crazy. Which I wouldn't put it past him...

But yeah, Thursday is a safe assumption.