[Hider=Serene] [I]A month prior[/i] It had been a long time since Jack and Cass had been back in Serene, years in fact, not since they left the orphanage had they tread foot on its streets. The pair stepped out of their hotel and into a bustling market street, it was Harvest season in Thelème and farmers from all over the country had come to the capital for its yearly market festival to sell their goods, one of Cass's friends had told them that if the farmer was lucky they could make their entire yearly revenue off of just this one event. It had all been rather cryptic, the reason for the twins being recalled from their training exercise with a few neighbouring nations. A simple message from command that they were required to attend a meeting at the Grand Cathedral, urgently at that. The streets of Serene were busy, packed full of vendors and tourists alike and if the twins hadn't known their way around the city's back streets it could have taken almost two hours for the pair to reach their destination. The Cardinal guards at the main gate scanned the pair's ID and after a few checks they were let through and escorted up and up the building till they found themselves in front of the Arch-Bishops office. It had been an even longer time since the Twins had seen the man sitting inside. The guard opened the set of double doors and stepped into the room ahead of the twins. "Jackson and Cassandra Parker, as requested, your eminence." The man behind the desk looked up from the paperwork in front of him and looked towards his visitors, his expression changing immediately from a soured grimace to a gentle smile. "Cass, Jack, come in please." He glanced at the guard. "Thank you Arthur, you may leave us." The Guard nodded and closed the doors gently. The man looked at the pair and sighed contentedly. "My, my look at you two. By the Divine haven't you grown. It must be, what, ten years now since you've seen your old man?." Cass's face broke into a big grin and she almost skipped across the space between her and the man and hugged him. [Colour=green]"Hi dad."[/colour] she breathed, squeezing him tightly. The man glanced over Cass's shoulder at Jack and smiled. Jack simply nodded. [Colour=red]"Your Eminence?"[/colour] he said Inquisitively, raising an eyebrow as he did so. "Yes, yes. A lot has changed since we last spoke, my boy. Now come, both of you sit, there's someone I want you to meet." The man finally managed to break free of the vice grip Cass had him in and moved back around the desk. Jack moved next to Cass and the pair sat in the chairs on the other side of the desk. The man fell down in the large leather chair with an old man groan. "As you can tell I'm not quite the spring chicken I was when you two were kids." He said with a chuckle. "Anyway, sadly I didn't call you here to reminisce. The gentleman over by the window." The Bishop said, gesturing over to the man staring out of the large pane window on the far side of the room. "Is Commander Walter Kaas, of the Gyrland Royal Guard. As you two are no doubt aware, Gryland was invaded some time ago by those Heathens of Ruziyane and he has come looking for pilots to join the Phantom Brigade, a resistance group… I believe helping to fight back against Gyrlands occupiers. I may have got that last bit wrong but they're fighting Ruziyane, I know that much. He's been very impressed by the two of you and how well you've been putting the Cardinal through its paces. Commander please, they won't bite. I supported Jack and Cass throughout their childhood, they're my children in every way but legally." The Bishop gestures for the man to come across to introduce himself. "You two have shown remarkable skill. The Phantom Brigade is looking for folks with skills and dedication. Specifically for an operation to begin retaking my homeland." That was a bold claim it had been ten years since the invasion and the Homeguard hadn't exactly won many major battles. The fact they were still going was mostly thanks to foreign aid. "And I'd like you both to join." Jack's brow furrowed as his head turned back towards the Bishop. [Colour=red]"And [i]you[/i] want us to go as well, why? We don't exactly have any actual combat experience."[/colour] The Bishop nodded in agreement and shuffled a few papers on his desk. "That's very true my boy, you don't, what you do have, however, is experience in the Cardinal and it has yet to be combat tested, there are a number of buyers eyeing both it and the Paladin Missile. So as much as I am sanctioning this mission so you two can help the people of Gyrland, you are also going to gather much needed performance data on the Cardinal." Jack's eyes narrowed at the Bishop. [Colour=red]"Well at least you're being honest that we're gonna be guinea-pigs…"[/colour] He was cut off mid sentence as Cass's hand landed on his knee. [Colour=green]"Jack we have to go, forget the whole data thing, those people have been suffering, they need our help. Remember Sister Francine? She's originally from Gyrland and I've kept in contact with her. She was able to save her parents and bring them here but the rest of her family has just [i]disappeared[/i] after the invasion."[/colour] Bringing up Sister Francine was a low blow, even for Cass, she had been Jack's boyhood crush and Cass knew that. Even after ageing out of the system he had still checked in on her occasionally. He sighed in defeat, this wasn't a debate he was going to win. [Colour=red]"I go where you go Cass.[/colour] he said plainly. Cass's face lit up at his words and he turned to the Commander. [Colour=green]"We're in. Where do we need to go?"[/colour] "I'll send you the details. Welcome to the Phantom Brigade." He stood and gave a salute. "Enjoy the festival. Orders and logistics personnel will help you get everything ready for the crawler." [/hider] [centre][h1][colour=red]Jack[/colour][/h1][/centre] [Colour=red][I]"Breakfast doesn't taste so good a second time round."[/i][/colour] Jack thought to himself as he lifted his head out of the toilet bowl, never in his entire life had he experienced weather like this, Thelème was a landlocked country so he'd never even seen the sea before but it was fair to say he wasn't a fan. Cass was handling the situation a lot better than he was, or she was putting on a brave face to help him stop worrying, he couldn't tell which. After cleaning himself and the toilet up he headed back into his room and made note of his belongings and their placement. A person's belongings weren't sacred at the orphanage and this little routine had stuck with him throughout his life. Jack nodded to himself confidently as Captain Karstens orders came over the intercom, [colour=red][i]"The Divine protects."[/i][/colour] Jack thought to himself as he took one last look at himself in the mirror. Nodding at his reflection solemnly he picked up his helmet from the bed and exited the room. Stumbling out of the door and into the wall opposite as another wave hit the Crawler. It was much the same all the way from his quarters to the hangar; Wave hit the ship, Jack stumbled, banged his head off of something metal. Rinse repeat. He passed several crew members on the way, all rushing around with boxes of supplies, securing them in almost any free room they could find. By the time Jack reached the Hangar he was about ready to see more of his breakfast again but quickly pushed that feeling down when he saw the Commander standing on the gantry in front of him, Jack gave him a nod and followed him as he descended the stairs, turning away at the bottom to head towards his Mech. Cardinal One, he hadn't even had a chance to think of a callsign yet, sat in its bay next to both its and his sister. Cardinal Two and Cass. She had barely left her Mech since they boarded the Crawler, spending the last few days personalising her Mech to her liking. At present she stood atop a lifter helping a crane load the last Paladin into its Launcher. With the missile in its tube she lowered the lifter and hopped off, and finally noticed him standing beneath her Mech. [centre][h1][colour=Green]Cass[/colour][/h1][/centre] Cass had hardly been able to sleep the night before, the almost crippling realisation that this was no longer just a big adventure to meet and help new people had hit her like a backhand from Sister Bertha at the Orphanage. This was real, she would have to actually fight, most definitely kill and she could be killed, Jack could be killed. She had pushed his buttons to make him agree to come, she knew mentioning Sister Francine was a touchy subject for Jack but what she said back in Serene hadn't been a lie. Cass looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and splashed cold water onto her face and shook the thoughts away. It was late at night when she exited her quarters and made her way to the hangar; it was empty, dark and eerily quiet considering it was full of giant metal monsters. Making her way over to her Mech she flicked on some flood lights and began doing what she'd always wanted too, adding some personality to it. Behind her seat in the cockpit hung a Thelème flag but she wanted [i]more[/i]. By the time others began to enter the hangar hours had passed and a storm had hit. Like Jack she had never even seen the ocean before but luckily her stomach was empty apart from the water she'd been drinking through the night. She had been a busy Bee overnight, putting her artistic skills to use and had quite effectively tattooed each of her Mechs arms. [B][i]The Divine Protects.[/i][/b] was drawn eloquently down the right arm and she was putting the finishing touches to [b][i]My faith is my shield[/i][/b] on the left arm. By the time the Captain's orders came over the intercom she was already well underway on readying her Mech for its trial by fire, but when she looked over at Jack's Mech she saw he was still absent despite the ten minute call. [I]CLANG![/I] Her attention snapped to the missile pod above her and the missile which the crane operator had just wacked against the Mechs shoulder. Cass shot daggered eyes at the mechanic. [Colour=green]"By the Divine!, I thought I said be careful with these things. Do you know what happens when a Thermobaric goes off inside an airtight box? It'll be a lot worse than some paperwork and a headache. Let me guide it, just lower it into my hands."[/colour] With the last missile loaded she lowered herself back down to the floor and turned to see Jack had [i]finally[/i] arrived. She closed the distance quickly and wrapped her arms around her brother, who even under his helmet looked rough. [Colour=Green]"You OK Jack? Look like you've been gut punched. You haven't fought one of the Vinland boys already have you?"[/colour] she said, adding a slight tease to her tone at the second question. Jack rolled his eyes, sighed and returned the embrace. [Colour=Red]"No I haven't been punched and haven't had a fight. It's the damned storm, I swear Cass when we get home I'll take the Vows if it means I never have to see the Ocean again in my life. I've seen my breakfast twice and looked far less appetising the second time around if that's even possible."[/colour] Cass giggled and released her brother from the hug and glanced up at his Mech. [Colour=green]"You've got like… five ish minutes you know that rig…"[/colour] Jack cut her off with a finger pressed over her lips. [Colour=red]"What do you take me for Sister? I had that done before I went to bed last night. Just turn it on and it's good to go."[/colour] Cass nodded along, impressed at her brother's diligence. [Colour=red]"Are [i]you[/i] OK?[/colour] Jack asked, clearly it was visible she hadn't slept much. Cass nodded at his question and watched as he searched her eyes for any shred of doubt but he would find none. He nodded back once. [Colour=Red]"The Divine Protects, Cass. We're here for a reason. We've trained on these for months, we know them inside and out, we know each other inside and out. We'll be fine. Just remember your training and have faith."[/colour] Cass tilted her head to the side. [Colour=green]"Were you saying that to me or to yourself?"[/colour] Jack chuckled once. [Colour=Red]"Yes. Now mount up, systems check time."[/colour] he pulled Cass into a bear hug before departing for his own Mech. Parking herself into the rather comfy chair in the cockpit she flicked a switch and the hatch sealed behind her, ending with the hiss of the pressure seal. A few more switches, breakers and one button later and the Mech roared into life. Panels and screens lit up in front of her and the cockpit light came on, bathing her in a gentle yellow hue. Slipping her helmet on she checked over the HUD, her and her Mechs vitals were displayed so she knew she'd done the start up right. [Colour=Red]"You there Squirt?[/colour] Jack's voice was loud in her ear. Hastily turning down the volume of the Comms before she replied. [Colour=green]"Yes I'm here, damn near blew out my eardrum but I'm here. Also… you're not still calling me Squirt are you?"[/colour] Jack laughed deeply into his Mic. [Colour=Red]"Don't blame me, Brody gave you the callsign."[/colour] Cass's eyes almost rolled out of her head. [Colour=Green]"Yeah and Brody was almost 7ft tall. He called everyone Squirt."[/colour] That was a bare faced lie. Brody was Cass's boyfriend when she had transferred to Jack's unit, one of the few Jack had tolerated until he left anyway. Jack just laughed again. [Colour=red]"Whatever you say, Squirt. My systems are all green, you?"[/colour] [colour=green]"Mine too."[/colour] She changed from their private comm channel. [Colour=Green]"Cardinal's One and Two reporting all systems green Sir. Awaiting your orders."[/colour] she said looking over her monitor to where the Commander was by his Mech.