Bug stood still for a second, struggling to follow the fast talking like one struggles to comprehend someone using a microphone who's extremely loud and has badly compensated gain.Well this one's on me. I should have never trusted an idiot who plowed my crazy sister to even have a proper...common sense, if a decent preservation instinct. He decided to roll with the punches, as there was little choice otherwise. His had reached for the bridge of his nose, as pressure built up in his sinuses.
"Yes, Griff, thank you for your insightful observation." He could not resist dropping a sentence thick with dripping sarcasm, as if trying to exorcise the stupidity that was almost physically hurting his brain. He paused and sighed.
"What Arrish means is that we missed some boring shit for nerds, but since he's a total dude even if he's a Luvey Duvey, he'll give us the version for true men, unlike that graph ridden shit for noodle armed geeks. And if you wanna know, my frame is the vomit shitty one. They ran out of parts for the cool ones. What a bunch of assholes." He paused trying to decipher more and more...of this stranged low-intelligence bastardization of the language. It hurt his ears, but thanks to his devilish silver tongue, he was aping a fairly...adept simulacrum. The mentions of a machine girl worried him. Lilim were dangerous, specially combat ones. Lorenzo was not a man anyone should ever cross, so that checked out.
"Yes I have met the Minnie chick. She came to me why I blew up a planet of some shit. Not my type. So I can wingman you, dude. I mean, for real." Bug then switched code. Why not? Maybe they'll mutually destroy eachother in their bullheaded stupidity. A sloppy Husky and a braindead slobbery mastiff. Maybe he should sell tickets of the event.
Also why did this guy smell like girl's shampoo after coming out of a musky mancave? Was the stupid speech affecting his olfactory bulb already??
"So yeah, get on with it, Arrish." He added. And don't forget you're lucky I can't enact Lesse majesté right now.
@Dezuel@AtomicNut Arrish took a long deep sigh and looked up briefly towards the ceiling as they walked along and he listened to the two of them prattle between one another. If someone like Griff could annoy Bug that easily then there must have really been karmic justice in the world. "Mostly it was a lecture going over the different types of Cruxi we're going to have to face. I'm sure you won't mind a refresher, bug, and I need to make sure Griff here understands what we're going to be facing. I'm sure you've both heard of the Cruxi War Machines, the poster child of our enemy, but what you really should known is how dangerous the hunter-assassin's can be—"
Arrish would then go on to talk about each of the different types of Cruxi, everything he had known about them and what was explained during the lecture, up to and including the seduction tactics of the hunter-assassins. He made sure to ask questions, and make sure the two of them were also asking questions and paying attention. Any time Griff's mind started to wander Arrish would try and get him to refocuse, and to really think about the creatures they were going to have to fight. By the end of it, he hoped he got through to Griff and maybe Bug would have gotten something out of it too. Finally, as they were nearing the Green Room, he told them about the Video.
"Lorezno said it was was classified, and I've certainly never seen it before and I've been had the privilege of knowing things most people do not. It was a video from a citizen's phone, Cruxi roaming the streets and from the loudspeaker a human voice could be heard." Arrish mocked a shuddering motion to imply how horrifying the scene really was."It was something like '"Supplication immediate, configuration lifelessness.Supplication immediate, configuration lifelessness.' over and over again, in a dull and almost sleepy sort of voice. A human voice. Lorenzo thinks it could be mind control"
He looked between the two men that he was walking along with. He tried to get a grasp on their feelings on the matter. Griff was the type to show his feelings, and often his thoughts, on his sleeve. Astolfo was more like Arrish. He kept his true feelings hidden and tucked away for later. Maybe he could read between the lines between them both and get a real measure of how grim their situation really was.
He grinned and gave a thumbs up on hearing Bug seemingly thanking him for his insight. "Wait what? There's a vomit green framewerk? Hmm. Well if you need some help modifying it, I am sure everything can be fixed with a hammer if you just hit it hard enough. Or you could ask Sparkles, he even has a girlfriend in his, but he claims he's more interested in guys! Yeah right! Good cover! Just how dumb does he think I am? Maybe he could get some good tips on how to properly talk with girls if he has to talk to some stupid 2d girl. It's like one of those dating.. uh.. stimulators?" Griff walked with his arms crossed and nodding to Bug and Arrish as they walked, regardless of what might have latched into his already cramped thinking space.
"Wingman? So like fly beside me? Gonna sprout some wings?" He gave a wide grin and then looked towards Arrish.
"Oh so old geezer did talk about mostly useless shit. Well, I am not gonna make any exceptions to the enemy no matter what they look like! Shoot first and ask later if there's some alien left. But hey.. you know.." Griff said and scratched his cheek with his fingers.
"That supplies-cation and con-figure whatever stuff does sound like something a robot would say. Hey! What if those aliens are robots or controlled by some super computer or some bullshit? That's sneaky if that's the case. Imagine if old geezer's little helper is a spy or that weird one who picked up cute girl, uhhh… pilot of Atty. Heck what if Sparkles is in fact the bad guy all along? Well of course I could be overthinking and be wrong about this. But it's better to think abit extra sometimes." Griff nodded his head and stretched his arms. "Well thank you for telling me about the boring lesson anyhow, Duvey. Oh by the way! Do you like any of the girls? Maybe I can put in a good word for you." Griff gave a chuckle and grin, placing his both hands at his waist. "Sounds good, right, Buggyboy? Oi! Let's go check out that vomit frame."
Bug just casually nodded, typing notes and an email. It seemed like he wasn't paying much attention, but Arrish could probably know this was not the case. He just was not fazed at all of this level of grisly violence.
So an AI-coding pilot? I will keep an eye on him. His sexual preferences don't really matter. I also hate to admit it but even a broken clock is right twice a day. I had not considered Cruxi infiltrators but that certainly is an issue. And a large Lilim? I sure hope it's anything unlike that killing machine that follows my brother.
"Not at the moment, Griff. But thanks for considering it. Sure, let's check the frame..."
It's not like he could escape gracefully out of this.
Three people had gathered in the War room of Fortress Ship Solaire, the darkened chamber illuminated by the light from a hologram of the galaxy that was projected from the center of a round table. Various textboxes of starships, planets, and other cosmic entities flashed by as the hologram slowly rotated.
"Have the Cadets settled into their new squad yet?" An imposing man wearing a fleet commander's uniform asked, sitting across from Ritsu and Lorenzo.
"Yes. They have passed the initial requirements in terms of both physical and Framewerk handling skills. However, some of them are...problematic," she admitted.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo was typing away on a computer: instead of using a hologram interface, he resorted to manual clacking of a keyboard. He was responding to an email he had received the other day:
Subject: Cruxi Logistics.
Dear Professor,
I will be brief since even wasting a minute of your time could set back the Cruxi war. I have seen the video. Two things. Cruxi seem to understand the concept of terror and intimidation. Is there any way their troops can be inflicted with it? Two. It seems they are keen on harvesting resources. Is there any kind of resource chokepoint to delay their advance?.
The Cruxi rank-and-file have been identified as possessing an unnatural drive for combat, likely because of modifications to their cognitive perception, and as a result resist most normal attempts at intimidation. However, they are known to rout when faced with certain defeat. Overwhelming them with dread by slaughtering their kind has also been reported as possible. As for your second question, several Cruxi-manned orbital outposts have been spotted where the Cruxi fleets both prepare for invasion of star systems as well as bring in prisoners for what I can only assume to be processing and distribution. Intelligence on these outposts are limited, so do focus your efforts on capturing any Cruxi commanders you encounter for interrogation.
He pressed the enter key with a crooked finger, and shifted his single eye to glance at Admiral Cain, who was looking at him with a dour expression. "Professor Lorenzo, your selection of candidates for this project has been...eccentric," he spoke. "Some of them seem emotionally unstable if not outright hostile to each other, and I have received reports of several incidents that have caused unwanted attention from the rest of Solaire's staff. There is even a Tevranian, and an outdated Lilim. What possible reason could there be for bringing such an eclectic sampling of Framewerk pilots together?"
Lorenzo cackled in return. "You don't understand, Cain. If we are to unlock the mysteries of humanity, we need to give the necessary keys to our bright-eyed door-openers. And that requires a variable pool of potential candidates to stimulate their wills, and the collective unconsciousness by proxy."
The admiral Cain. "I'm afraid your explanation is lost on me. But in other words, you see that the project can proceed like this, despite the mounting tensions? How are they meant to fight as a single unit when they are already fighting among themselves?"
"Also, we need to discuss on the parameters of the training mission to evaluate the most fitting squad leader," Ritsu interjected. "For example, Cadet Lane, with the previous rank of Second Lieutenant I might add, has given the following proposal."
She swiped her hand on the holographic interface, and her message enlarged on the central screen:
Subject: DECISION - Proposal for battle simulation to choose Squad Leader
1st Lieutenant Ritsu Kaname,
I would like to submit a proposal for the battle simulation to choose the squad leader of Project XJ9.
I think that simple combat simulations against the Cruxi are inadequate to choose a squad leader. I have attached my proposal that I think would assess leadership quality better. Please review at your convenience. Thank you.
[Attached is a proposal of a simulated battle scenario based on real battles that the Federation had in its records, where a hard decision needed to be made. For example, Ava gave several examples of battles where the squad leader needed to pick how to deploy their squads between two vital objectives/targets. The proposals outlined that each pilot should take the role of the leader in the simulation, with AI simulating their squad members to be commanded by the leader. Everyone should be given the same scenarios so they can be judged objectively by Ritsu based on a given scenario.]
"I think this is an excellent idea," Admiral Cain spoke after skimming through the proposal. "Given the chance to perform their role separate from any possible bias from fellow pilots, we see their capability for the role."
"BAH!" Lorenzo slammed a fist on the table, causing Ritsu to adjust her glasses in mild surprise. "What a sterile, and more importantly, soulless way of evaluation! As advanced as AI has become, nothing can match the experience of real people as they rush headlong into plasma fire! I refuse!"
Ritsu sighed. "Very well then. What do you propose then, Executive Officer?"
Lorenzo smiled in a sinister fashion. "This." He clacked on his keyboard, and the two saw another proposal. Cain slowly nodded. "I understand now. Well then, I suppose that would be as proper test as any."
Ritsu was not as convinced, but she knew better than to protest. "Very well. We shall proceed then as suggested." She stood up from her seat, and saluted Cain, who saluted back. Lorenzo, however, was focused on something on his screen...
The week had passed, and so a message was sent to the pilots of Project XJ9 to report to the briefing room for their virtual training mission. Once there, Ritsu saluted the pilots, and began the debriefing, with Lorenzo standing on the sidelines alongside Liisa.
"The parameters for the training mission have been decided," she announced, and opened the projector. It showed an image that immediately conveyed the type of mission they would partake in:
"The mission is to eliminate all members of the opposing team."
The projector image showed two Framewerks, similar to sock-em rock-em robots, in a boxing match.
"You will be split into two teams, and given an hour to prepare for the mission before you enter the VR training room and enter the prepared virtual reality space. When your Framewerk takes enough damage, or you consciously forfeit, you will be automatically rejected from the VR session, as per usual VR training guidelines. The Framewerks and their systems will be connected to the VR mainframe, and will be perfectly replicated. There is no intelligence regarding the environment the mission is to take place in," she added, as if expecting questions.
She changed the projector image, and it listed the two teams: Team Apple, and Team Mango.
"I was hungry," Lorenzo added in with a grin. Ritsu continued with a roll of her eyes.
"Members of each team will be listed by their Framewerk callsigns. Note that in addition to the regular general and squad communication channels, a separate communication channel has been created for each team."
Members of Team Apple were listed as:
-Horst -Sleeping Thunder -Logic Diver -R4-PT0 Type R -Shiva -Electric Dragonfly
And members of Team Mango were listed as:
-Argent Wings -Cockroach -AA-XOTRY -Argo -Mother Goose -Guinevere -5Q-U1 Type D
Elora started visibly trembling as she realized the mission was going to pit half the squad against the other. It was a harrowing thought, and one she had not expected, nor was prepared for.
I'm going to fight...My squad-mates?
A part of her wanted to refuse, that she wanted to fight with them instead of against them. Yet, a certain part of her, deep inside, welcomed the opportunity, though she wasn't fully conscious of the reason. She glanced over at the others, wondering if they were as surprised about this as she was.
Ritsu spoke up before the various inevitable voices could reach an uproar. "Make any preparations you deem necessary. Dismissed," Ritsu concluded with a salute, while Lorenzo rubbed his hands together, looking pleased at the looks of confusion and eventual dismay with the pilots.
"Umm..." Elora approached the closest teammates of Apple team, which happened to be Aurora and Arrish. "We should discuss tactics somewhere private. Also, I...I have a request, if you don't mind."
In the period between Lorenzo's class and the present briefing, Serah had spent what little time remained hovering around Elora, Stella and especially Aurora. She hadn't gotten particularly close to anyone else yet, after all. After her encounter with Griff, she also very blatantly steered clear of all the guys, and wasn't caught on her own without one of the other girls around so she could hide behind them. It did mean that Serah wasn't too familiar with the trio of green-haired new arrivals, though given that they were all boys it didn't bother her too much.
The lieutenant went over the details of the VR mission they'd been assigned. The pilots would be split into two teams, pitted against each-other. It disappointed Serah just a little bit, as she didn't want to fight the people she'd be fighting together with. Especially when Elora and Aurora had both gotten assigned to the opposite teams... but then again, when she saw Shiva being listed among the other team, Serah felt something else too. A fiery, competitive and vindictive drive pushing her forward. She punched her fist into her other hand's open palm, thinking to herself: 'I'm going to be getting payback on you, jerk.'
Cooling herself off a little with a breath, she glanced around the room. Elora scooted closer to Arrish and Aurora, presumably to discuss strategy or something. Serah should do the same with her team, all things considered. And yet...
"Hey you three," she'd cheerily say, approaching and inserting herself into the conversation. "Looks like we didn't make it on the same team. I'm a little disappointed, but... well, let's all try our best alright? Me and Atty won't lose easily!"
She shot Aurora an apologetic glance in particular, even though she knew it wasn't up to her how the teams were divided. With a little wave and a wink, Serah ran off again and looked for members of her own team to mingle with. Of all the people in the team, she was only comfortable approaching Stella and Sparks... well, on her own anyway. She hoped to get some more courage to talk to the others by tagging along with one of them. Sparks was the closer of the two, so Serah scooted over next to him.
"Hi hi," she'd greet him all chipper. "Looks like we're team Mango! I hope you, Dancer and Guinevere can keep us safe out there, ehehe."
Aurora looked over the rather limited information that everyone had been gifted about the training mission with a slight frown. She wasn’t terribly excited to be facing her fellow squadmates. But VR at least meant that in the long run there would only be wounded pride rather than anything serious.
She was clearly examining the teams listed. Internally reviewing what she knew about the Frames, something that was sadly less then she wanted despite having read over all the public files on them in her free time. When Elora approached.
“Wise. And I’ve no issues with hearing out the request.” She would reply to the younger girl with a soft smile.
Before they could go anywhere another one of the younger pilots came up to them as well.
“I too find myself disappointed, but I assure you me and Sleepy will show all that we can out there. So, no hard feeling when you lose hm?” She would ask teasingly, and clearly in good fun. Before waving Atty’s pilot off.
Afterwards she would turn towards the room at large.
“Attention! Strike Force Apple.” She would call, projecting her voice through the room with surprising force and clarity. “From up! We have less than an hour before Mission start and I want to spend that time wisely.”
Aurora would stand with her posture straight and her gaze sharp. And with a casual ease that expected to be listened to. She would treat this like any other mission for the time being. After all there were plenty of similarities to fighting the Cruxi already. Her team was out numbered, and they had no useful information of where it was the fight was going to happen.
It was easy to draw upon her upbringing and her experience in the face of all of that. She had honed herself for this.
She would wait to see who all answered her call to arms. Matching Frames to pilots for those she hadn’t talked with, before addressing her team. “Let’s move out to another room. For a quick discussion of tactics, No longer than, say twenty minutes. Afterwards we can break to prepare in our own ways before meeting back at the VR room five minuets before go time. Understood?”
Bug sighed as he mentally made calculations of what to expect. Overall not a bad situation. Manageable. Although he had wished he would have gotten more teammates he had spent time with him. Senior Ava was however a reassurance. Heck, even the sloppy Husky could be useful if she deigned to teamplay. He wasn't sure about the odd twin. That guy could switch sides to throw the fight. Bug figured that the Powerpuff girl that was chatting Sparks up could have her uses, but would require her not getting shot.
"Well, seniors." Bug said before approaching Ava and Minerva."I will be in your care- What the hell is that old clanker doing!??" He let out, so surprised he could not even describe it politely, as he watched with mild horror how a dreaded Steel Raven chose to act up. Those Lilim models never failed to make Bug shiver, although he reined in his temper but for the slightlest tremble on his hand.
He would have commented how Aurora was showing some leadership despite being friends with machines more than people, but he was concerned about Stella.
Stella was torn, conflictive processes abound in her mind. Her initial program overrode her, and disregarding orders and everything, drew close to Elora and hugged her, refusing to let go.
"Orders inacceptable. Elora,pilot, classified as Cutie Patootie designation.This unit shall not move nor comply." Stella said, not bulging as she held Elora.
And our main heavy fighter is throwing a tantrum. Just great. We are losing time as is. Wonder if Sparks can reprogram that thing. Astolfo thought.
The team choices were interesting, certainly, Sparks thought. Splitting up the twins was certainly a choice, as was putting Griff with Rhylaen. He was rather glad he'd not have to deal with that particular problem on his team, for the moment. Sleeping Thunder and Aurora were going to be problems, as was the combination of Logic Diver under Elora and the Electric Dragonfly under Rhylaen. He was mentally running through what he knew of the various frames when Serah approached him with a greeting.
"We'll do our best," he replied with a smile. "We should probably move to another room for discussion...." Sparks trailed off as the Steel Raven, Stella, went to hug Elora and protest the team arrangements. That was going to be another problem. Clearly she still had some of her kindergarten programming in effect.
Well, there was more than one way to skin a cat. Sparks approached Stella, making sure to do so where she could see him. "Hey. Don't you think that this is a good learning opportunity for Elora?" he asked. "If she doesn't have practice fighting, she won't do well when we face the Cruxi for real. You can help teach her how to protect herself here and now, where she won't truly get hurt."
There had been dissolution in the room when the mission parameters were given out and already some of the familiar faces had disappointed looks. He wondered why? This was an opportunity for everyone to show what they could do and what better opponents than the rest of the squad? An AI 'might' be able to convey strengths and weaknesses, but an ally on the field could bolster you, enchance your strenghts and even fill in for your weaknesses. If they were fighting Cruxi, they wouldn't always have time to look at one another, but a human opponent got a very real and very good look at what you could and couldn't do.
His thoughts were shattered when a soft voice spoke up to him, and the woman that was standing beside him. Aurora answered before he had gotten a word out, and then stepped away to turn and announce sharply to the room.
Attention! Strike Force Apple! Form up!"
He found himself frowning as she continued to speak. That was it then? Play with the frames and forget all the names, but when its time to do business that's when you demand attention? He didn't know if she was a noble, and in fact, nothing he looked up suggested she was a noble, but Aurora certainly reminded him of some nobles. Alright, if she wanted to play ball then it was in her court. Let her lead for now, he thought to himself.
He turned to talk to Elora while the members of Team Apple gathered around and took her hands in his. "Of course, Elora. I'm willing to hear your request now if—
Arrish watched in horror as the young girl was stolen before him, lifted up into the metal arms of the lilim from Team Mango. His mouth was agape at first, unable to process what had happened for a few seconds, and then curled into a grin. Let's play ball indeed.
He turned to Aurora and spoke. "Well, boss, looks like you've got your first real challenge here. Since our time is limited, I'll gather up the rest of the squad and meet you in one of the nearby meeting rooms for a war council. I don't imagine it should take you long to handle this, since you're so personable and good with people" There was a teasing, albeit chiding, tone to his voice. He wondered if Aurora couldhandle something like this. It certainly would be a good example of her authority."Looks like you've got a little help too, from the other team."
It was a test, he figured, if Aurora could handle this before it became a problem than maybe she would be a good squad leader. All in all, he could see this as an advantage for Team Mango too. He wondered if someone had put Stella up to this or if this was one of those 'lucky opportunities'.
He paused before moving, waiting to see how Aurora would react. @Shifter_Master
Minerva stared silently as she gathered her thoughts about the mission, a simple, improvisational team deathmatch. In her opinion it is an excellent blend of showcasing the individual pilot's capabilities while providing an opportunity for a leader to seize the leave. It felt a little haphazard but she knew how pressure could push the coals into the diamonds.
She took a look at her allies which comprises of one of the newly arrived twins, the woman who carried the air of a veteran, a Lilim that she is pretty sure outdated and the guy who is self professed is an engineer and not a fighter. Not a terrible line-up although there are two members that garners her attention.
She is concerned about the prince, their last conversation has been weirdly hostile and there is a good chance that his attitude will ruin the team chemistry, Concerning but it is better than having Griff as a teammate, he could be the other team’s problem.
Her gaze briefly laid on Serah as something uncomfortable went inside her chest.
She is made to be excellent, every single part of her body represents what the best of humanity can offer. She trained participated in countless battles. And yet, someone who as far as she is concerned is an ordinary girl has better aptitude as a pilot than her.
If she is allowed to be honest she is hoping to face her and see that aptitude for herself
She tapped her communicator before speaking.
“Task Force Mango, meet me at the corner table. Let’s have a strategy meeting.” she monotonely spoke as she head to said table and patiently wait.
Griff ears perked up as if dragged our of a jaded haze of too long math sessions when he heard the magic words.
They would be having a team workout session with their framewerks and split up into two teams. It was like a massive tag team fighting game tournament...or like wrestling royal rumble match.
Griff's eyes sparkled, he couldn't contain his excitement.
"Aww yeah!" He exclaomed loudly and made a victory arm pumping motion before seeing what the teams were.
'Ahh hell no. Shiiiiiit.' He lamented in his head when he realized that Rhylaen were put on his team. Why did he have to put up with something lik- Suddenly a mental image of Minerva with her arms crossed and looking at him appeared in his mind.
'I mean... right.... fine... whatever... I guess..' He pretended to kick some imaginary pebble before his eyes wandered over who else he was teaming up with. Arrish?
'Luvey Duvey! Well could have been alot worse, hope the girls won't distract him.' Griff tapped his chin, momentarily considering blindfolding the man or showing him a magazine with old grandmothers in swimsuits to strengthen his fighting spirit.
Then he smiled on seeing Aurora had also ended up on his team. 'Allright! That huge monster machine is on our team, victory is assured!' He gave a broad smile.
He loved winning. Then he saw Elora was there to. His apprentice as he liked to view her.
"Woohoo! Same team Elora! All-right! Don't worry about the fight, stay behind me and I'll protect you from the enemy!" Griff smiled broadly and gave a thumbs up.
Then finally his eyes landed on Mema-Ka. His eyes blinked a few times. Another new pilot? Looking over the guy gave him the same impression he had gotten looking at Ava or the lieutenant. That guy was no doubt the type that would throw him in the brig or get some promotion while using sweet talk and brains. Griff then realized that he had to be the brawn on the team, the wall of impending victory against the evil forces of....
Minnie! She was on the other team. His prayers for justice had somehow been answered, his ridicule at the incident that came to be known at the weightlifting challenge was still fresh in his mind. A moment of shame and loss, but worst of all he couldn't hate Minnie. She was a fellow enjoyer of abs! And he did think her smile did make hrr look more cute, he of course wouldn't tell her that, she would become even more unbearable to him.
Griff then spotted Serah and Stella. 'Ah shit.. it's the cute girl who misunderstands everything! Crap! But... she didn't tell anyone of his shower room chaos mission or what followed.' He had to be thankful then. Griff raised his hand and gave an uncertain wave to Serah and smiled. Waving and smiling at her would surely fix things between them. If not then he could suggest for them to go look at bodybuilding videos.
Griffs hopes vanished as he noticed Stella. 'Ah the stupid robot mother of hers. Hey.. wait... if I defeat the mother in combat I can prove myself as a suitable martial arts master to her little kid!' Griff connected the dots.
It did seem like Arrish buddy buggyboy were also on the other team, he had to remember to keep his eyes out for a vomit green frame in the battle. Nothing like meeting new people and then beating them up!
Then he spotted sparks. Griff's eyebrows furrowed. 'That stupid nerd! Fricking coward! He must not be allowed to win or we'll never hear rhe end of it. I am shooting him down!'
Finally his eyes landed on Zel-Ghin. Griff blinked. Had he seen this guy before? He looked back to his team and concluded. The other team had cloned their teams pilot! It was probably that damn nerds idea.
But he had to give credit where it was due, thst teal haired guy had some fancy sleeveless jacket. It made Griff grin as he thought back to some ancient movies. He had seen movies about martial artist, but also where wrestlers and bodybuilders were involved.
He mentally said the line as best as he could recall it
'Your clothes. Give them to me.' He then decided to go with Aurora, she probably had some training montage in mind. He quickly moved up next to Aurora and said in a loud whisper
"Hey! Foureyes. I say you set sleepy on that other nerdy guy, he said something about your tech being worse than his tech. Just target that walking 2d dating machine of his and kaboom! Don't worry about anyone getting close to sleepy, they have to go through me and my metal baby first!" Griff gave a thimbs up and grinned broadly at Aurora. He wasn't sure what the plan would be, all he knew were that he would try bonk as many on the other team as possible.
The time for the virtual training mission had come, and with it lieutenant Ritsu Kaname. Mema-Ka saluted her and remained in a formal pose for the duration of the explanation of their task, the only thing moving were his mouth a little bit to form a smile to the lieutenant when he thought none would see, giving her a soft nod.
To be split from his brother in even a training mission brought back memories he would rather have wanted to keep buried. The cold sterile lab. The training rooms. The white lab coats. Their own bland attires. Then the experiments. To be compared to someone else physically for most of your earlier years had left a mark, he knew he could never compete with his younger twin at physical training , so he had to make do at the areas where he could.
His younger brother was instinctual... living in the present, neither dwelling in the past nor looking past the current day. He was different alltogether, he could never forget the past nor srop thinking of the future.
Most of what he knew of the project were that his brother were the precious one, while he was expendable up to a point. He was simply a basic version, incomplete and used as a way to compare just how stronger his brother were. To compete with his brother again. He didn't like the idea.
His younger brother, despite all his strengths had always relied on Mema-Ka's choices and followed his guidance. To put him with individuals that did not understand his brother, was not only unwise...it was dangerous. He was a young man carefully conditioned to be as docile as he possibly could, holding back much of his aggressive and instinctual feelings.
There was little that could be done about the matter now, Mema-Ka would see where the flow would take him for now. His eyes wandered over the team he had been assigned. He had only met one of them, the other two pilots he had met. Bug and Sparks were on the other team along with his brother.
Mema-Ka's lips formed a smile on hearing Aurora speak up, and so did an esger blond young man eho seemingly also knew Elora from before. How had Zel-Ghin's moments with the female pilot gone? Not even he knew, but regardless he stepped forwards giving Elora a salute.
"Hello again miss Elora, I hope your time with my brother was well spent? Afraid I couldn't join you for the videogaming at the time. I am looking forwards to teaming up with you for this assignment. Chin up and gaze ahead, young miss. My brother is a merciless combatant even in a mock battle such as this. Also I am more than willing to also hear your request." He explained, allowing his doubts about their chances of victory seep through before turning to the rest of the team
"Pleased to meet the rest of you, I am newly assigned to join you alongside my brother who is currently on the other team. I am Mema-Ka Ezqess Degadraz. I am the pilot of the raptor, the white, black and yellow framewerk. I would love to shake each of your hands and know more about you, but as we are hard pressed for time, to my outmost regret, that will have to be postponed. I second the suggestion proposed by the beautiful young lady here and the young gentleman." Mema-Ka said softly, holding one of his hands at his chest, then other motioning towards Aurora and Arrish.
"I didn't expect to see one of your kind here, Tevranian. I shall look forwards to learn more of your particular culture, if you have the time later down the road." He gave a soft smile as his eyes momentarily wandered over to Rhylaen. Walking up closer to her and trying to motion for her and the others to walk off to plan their next cause of action.
Zel-Ghin held his hands in his pockets, leaning against a nearby pillar. He had not expected to be split from his older twin, as certain as he were that he could defeat him in a straight up fight, he felt that his chances of coming out on top against the other team despite his confidence in his skills were... less because of the absence of his brother, who had always been a bastion or piece of ground for him to stand on.
Without his brothers suggestions and command in battle he would have to make up his own mind on the spot. To heed his own instinct and pursue them or to listen to the suggestions of people he didn't know.
He had momentarily seen Bug, the moment of their arrival and Sparks when his brother had approached the blue haired young man. Neither of them were of interest to Zel-Ghin however. He didn't have his older brother's curiousity for all humans nor the patience to deal with people who could prove to be trouble. Even if he could be prone to bring it out in others himself.
Zel-Ghin's observation of his own team was interupted by the raised voices on the other team which now housed his brother. Some glasses wearing but otherwise cute looking girl had tried to gather their team up, then there were some seemingly idiot looking blond who was far too eager, it had some small non-human female aswell, now that was someone he could teach some human vustoms to, and then his eyes landed on Elora.
She had forgotten her lollipop, he would return it to her, but first he threw a glance over his own team.
Bug and Sparks. Minerva. She was a pretty one but seemed like quite the challenge, then there were Ava. He couldn't help but feel that she could possibly be a waste of effort, his eyes continued and landed on Stella. He rolled his eyes, he had no patience dealing with something like that, it was definitely not a kissable option. His eyes then came upon Serah.
'Another cute kittycat. Meow...' He thought to himself, pushing himself off the pillar and shrugged.
'Amusing. This will be enjoyable. I will be looking for you, kittycat~ Let's play a game...' Zel-Ghin mused, sticking his hands into his jacket again as his eyes landed on Elora in the distance
He didn't care if his team had a plan or not, if he would follow it or not, what he did care about were having a good time. Wasn't thst what life truly were about? It had not always been such, and he'd rather not think about those times. Whomever wanted to be teamleader, he wasn't going to fight over it unless somehow they made the machine do it. He wouldn't take orders by something like that.
He had observed the machine that robot woman had been assigned however, alongside all the others, his brother having done the same. But that unit was impressive in it's sheer bulk and raw power, but like every boss in games, it could be dismantled with the right approach. He wasn't dumb when it came to tactics, but strategy and long term planning wasn't his field, that was his brothers hobby.
The Tevranian pilot was surprised that the assigned skirmish was to be between two teams of pilots, and not against a simulated Cruxi force. And she was stuck with Griff on her team? Wonderful. Still, at least she’d have Elora and Logic Diver on her side, which would make her far more effective. Aurora immediately took charge, which was unexpected given what Rhylaen had seen of her the day before. The redhead hadn’t seemed like the leading type, but then again, she’d not seen her in this sort of circumstance before....
Rhylaen eventually made her way from the rows of the hydroponics farm to a more traditionally arranged greenhouse area. There, instead of neatly cultivated rows, the plants were set up more like a garden to walk through. The smell of dirt and growing things was immensely reassuring. She’d calmed down most of the way since seeing the video of the Cruxi. The screams no longer echoed in her head, at least, and that was a major improvement.
Aurora was also roaming through the green house, clearly looking much better than she had when she left the lesson earlier. She didn’t really have a destination in mind, she was just walking around soaking up the imitation sunlight. There was soft music playing from her pad, a classical piano ballad of some sort.
Her uniform top was folded in her arms, leaving her pilot suit visible and she was humming along to the music as she walked along the pathways.
Rhylaen turned as the sound of soft music and humming reached her ears, to see the bespectacled pilot with the red hair...Aurora, she thought her name was. They’d talked a little in the showers the other day, but she still didn’t know the woman well. She approached with a wave. “Aurora. Music nice. You like?”
“Hello there.” She would greet back with a wave of her own. She recognized Rhylaen more readily than any of the other Pilots so far. But that was for the simple fact she hadn't met a Tervrain before.
“This symphony is one of my favorites. And the garden area is good too. Much better than my last deployment.” She would answer with a smile. “Did you come here for some relaxation as well?”
“Yes. Remind me of home,” Rhylaen responded. “Ships...most no have green like this.” She paused, gaze turning distant. “Tevran, lots of green. Even cities! Earth have less.”
“It's a shame they don't. Though I understand that space is usually very limited.” Aurora would commiserate. “And Tevran sounds beautiful.”
“Though, if I may ask. Why have you decided to forego using the Translators?” She would ask, giving the shorter woman an inquisitive look. It was no small feat in her estimation.
“I want my words be my real words,” Rhylaen replied. “And Tevranians...use more than words for talking.” She tapped her temple. “Humans no use. So I maybe forget, if speak Tevranian.” She frowned. “No worry -- for fight, I use translator.”
“A telepathic component?” Aurora would murmur for a moment as she pondered over that particular note. “Oh Galactic Standard must seem very dull in comparison.” She would say after a moment. Internally likening it to listening to a song with only half the accompanying instruments. Still artistic, but lacking when you are used to more.
“And I had no worries. You’ve learned a whole language that lacks what I can only imagine is a vital part of your culture. That shows a resilience and adaptability that is rare. In the field you’d have found some way to overcome the communications issues one way or the other I’m sure.” She would postulate with an easy smile.
“Was it difficult to adjust?” She would go on to ask. “And I apologize if I ask too many questions. I’ve never had a chance to speak to a Tevranian.”
Rhylaen blinked in surprise at the compliment, then smiled. “Maybe I try,” she mused. She greatly preferred not using a translator, but had always worried that field work would be too complicated for her limited grammar. “Adjust...yes, it hard. Humans say lies more. And directions! Tevranians just show. Humans say. Very different.” She shook her head at Aurora’s apology. “No worry. Questions good thing. I can answer.” A frown flickered across her face. “People who no have questions no want learn. Like Griff.”
“Oh my, I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I end up meeting them.” Aurora would say with a shake of her head. “I’m curious about a lot of things, though normally it’s Framewerks that have most of my attention.” She would explain as she adjusted her glasses.
“Like Electric Dragonfly, which I presume is yours. She is a lovely machine from what I’ve been able to glean.” Aurora would smile, her mind softly whirring with more ideas about the Tevranian inspired frame. But she didn’t get lost in those thoughts, as her curiosity was still focused on a different topic. “Would it be possible for a human to learn your native language? I imagine there would be something we wouldn’t be capable of communicating correctly, due to the lack of telepathy, but beyond that?”
Rhylaen nodded -- the Electric Dragonfly was indeed her frame. “We do jamming. Not fight so much,” she explained. Aurora’s next question made the Tevranian’s already wide eyes go even wider. “You want learn? Words no hard for learning. I think yes, you could.” She grinned. “I teach, maybe?”
“You’d be willing to teach me?” Aurora would ask back, clearly delighted at the prospect. “Yes. I’d love to learn if you’d be willing to-”
Rather abruptly the music coming from Aurora’s pad would cut off, and be swiftly replaced by a ringing alarm. She was quick to silence it. But that didn’t stop the crestfallen expression on Aurora’s face. “I’m sorry. But I have to get going. A prior engagement is due soon.” She would explain, clearly disappointed.
“Do you have any plans for after the exercise tomorrow? We could start then, assuming that it doesn't last too long.”
“No, no plans. See you then!”
Rhylaen was about to head towards Aurora, Arrish, and Elora when the newest of the pilots, the cyborg whose name she thought was Stella, grabbed Elora in a tight hug. As she did, another pilot -- Astolfo? -- called her an “old clanker”. Rhylaen wasn’t particularly familiar with the term, but it sounded rude. A closer look at the speaker, however, and she saw he was trembling, just a little. Nervous about the upcoming fight? Maybe he was just taking out his nerves on someone else. She’d let it go for the moment, she supposed.
The taller of the two brothers approached her. It seemed he, like Aurora, was interested in Tevranian culture. Rhylaen responded with a bright smile, but didn’t fall in beside him just yet. She wanted to make sure that the issue with Elora was settled before heading out -- after all, it would be rude to leave a member of the team behind.
Meanwhile, in the hangar bay of the Solaire, what looked like a private military shuttle landed. Both with a pilot and a framewerk it seemed. What was odd though was that the arrival appeared to be "secret" since neither Lorenzo or Ritsu are aware of it at this point of time since there were still in the middle of the meeting with the other pilots about the test to choose a squad leader.
Truth be told, this was an order from Admiral Cain himself as the unknown pilot recalled. The reason being "to even out team personality" supposedly. The pilot perhaps understood the reasoning as he was using a data pad to look at the list of the pilots that were in this division.
The pilot studied it throughout the trip till the arrival of the Solaire.
Even the engineers and other staff were caught off guard when the shuttle had requested docking on the Solaire by order of Admiral Cain. Though sooner or later, the pilots presence would be known.
Soon, the door in the back of the shuttle opened and a jet black framewerk with angel-like wings was rolled out. On foot, two normal soldiers were escorting the pilot also wearing jet black colors and was even wearing his pilot helmet. The only part that wasn't black was the red visor covering the front of the pilots face. The pilot even had what looked like a combat knife and a pistol of sorts on his suit as well.
To say that the staff was "intimidated" by the sight of this individual would be an understatement.
"...whoa...and I thought that Lilim's entrance before was weird", one engineer said.
"No no no. THAT was just plain "weird". THIS pilot?...it's just "creepy" as all get out", another said.
Ava looked at the team composition for the practice match. She wondered if there was a specific reason for the team distribution. At first glance, separating the new twin pilots seemed to be done on purpose. Ava had not talked to either of them, but from what she had gathered reading the available information on their framewerk, the two seemed to be equipped with a combination function. Separating them would mean that both framewerks full potential would not be realised in the match, as they were unable to combine. That seemed like something that had to be done intentionally.
It also seemed peculiar that the support and disruptors framewerk were primarily on Team Apple, with the exception of Guinevere. Leaving her team, Team Mango, mostly with combat units and a scout unit in AA-XOTRY.
Both teams have the heavy hitters of Mother Goose in Mango and Sleeping Thunder in Apple. Although compared to Sleeping Thunder, Mother Goose was a frontliner who could also act as cover for advancing framewerks.
In any case, it seemed that each team were geared for a certain 'win condition.'
A commotion broke Ava out of her reverie, as she saw one of the new pilots on Team Mango, a gynoid that had been reworked into a combat unit, hugging Elora, who was on Team Apple, seemingly not wanting to comply with the training mission due to the possibility of harming Elora.
Ava wondered if its logic unit had been compromised or perhaps, unlike her body, it had not been reprogrammed for combat. This was, after all, a training simulation, and as a gynoid that had been repurposed as a combat unit, training should be something acceptable to her logic unit.
Seeing some of the other pilots trying to coax her out of it, Ava sighed. She should probably try to put it in terms that would be more 'logical' to the gynoid logic system.
"Stella," Ava called her name, before continuing, "Allowing Elora to participate in this practice simulation is within the parameters of your 'cutie patootie' designation. The designated cutie patootie in question is also a designated combat pilot. If you do not allow her to participate in this training simulation, then she will not obtain the necessary 'data set' to refer to in actual combat. If she does not have the necessary frame of reference in actual combat, then she will perform suboptimally in combat. If she performed suboptimally in combat, then the risk of her death is higher."
Elora gave a little wave of her hand in greeting to Serah as she approached her, Aurora, and Arrish. Though she had warmed up to her since their initial talk and had spent time with her since, the shy girl had kept a bit of a distance from her due to her nightmare. Fortunately, it seemed the bubbly girl wasn’t upset, and instead encouraged her upcoming opponents. Elora gave a mildly friendly smile back. “I-I know I will, Serah. Good luck in the coming battle…” She added, and watched as the girl left to join her own team.
Serah…I wonder if we will cross paths during the battle…
The moment Arrish took her hand, it was wrenched away by an overly affectionate Stella, who proceeded to trap Elora in her loving embrace.
“Bwmhmmh?”
She struggled weakly in a vain attempt to escape, and then hung limply, her face pushed into the Lilim’s armored but curved chassis.
“Mphff!”
Her muffled voice tried to exclaim that she was suffocating, but her words were unintelligible. Just as she was about to pass out, however, Ritsu suddenly exclaimed: she received a message, and quickly showed it to Lorenzo, who nodded, stroking his beard in contemplation. This disruption gave enough pause for Stella that Elora wiggled her face to the side and drew in a breath of life.
“Well now…Cain, you sly fox…” Lorenzo muttered, and then pointed his finger at the door, looking at Ritsu.
“Lieutenant, it seems Team Apple has now received mystery reinforcements,” he spoke, his voice intentionally loud enough that the pilots heard. “Why don’t you bring him in here, so he gets to see the faces of those he will murder…virtually, of course, ha ha!”
Soon enough, Jake was brought in, the Lieutenant having given him a crash course on the project details and training schedule, before hurrying to add Angel Zero to the Team Apple participants on the projector presentation. Lorenzo walked up to the gloomy young man, and lightly poked him in the chest with his walking stick. “Hmm...seems Cain decided to pick one for me after all,” he spoke, and leaned his head, looking at him with his single eye. “...Not a completely awful choice. Rejoice, laddie, for you are taking your first steps to humanity’s future. Now, go have a chat with your fellow apples. I look forward to seeing how you will fare in the simulation.”
As Lorenzo spoke to Jake, Elora listened as Ava made a convincing argument for why the intelligence specialist should be allowed to fight. The trapped pilot found herself nodding along. “I don’t mind fighting you, Stella, but not because I dislike you. I…I want to prove myself capable of fighting, so that I can be there to fight Cruxi alongside you, and everyone. Please, Stella…” She pleaded, uncannily happening to resemble a lost puppy with her eyes.
Stella stood still, processes whirring in her brain as she looked impassively, still clinging to Elora. First Sparks. Then Ava. Then Elora herself. She realized she was squeezing too much, so she released Elora promptly. Her tension must have come from cadet Zel. There was a non negligible chance of friendly fire. Even if cadet Elora had advised against castration.
But when she made that facial expression, a lot of overrides jumped in her logic processes, as she looked at Elora in the yes. "...Override accepted: Elora, cadet. I am so proud of you. Standing up for yourself." She said, as she stood up, before taking a last look at her and brushed off her hair with the gentle touch of someone mounting a ship inside a bottle. "This unit will make your favorite food. Strawberry cake."
Stella stood up, as she bowed ever so slightly, and began to head off towards team Mango.
"-zzz-Go team Strawberry.-zzz--" A recording softly played.
Astolfo clenched his fist, trying to rein in the panic of seeing yet another Steel Raven incoming. "You done?" He said, in an uncharacteristical dry and blunt delivery.
"Command for information exchange accepted. Bugatti, Astolfo, Cadet. Affirmative." The piece of junk replied. "-zzz-Recognized additional information." Stella said, before stopping.
Oh, God. WHAT NOW!? Astolfo mildly freaked out, his surprise growing when Stella bent the knee and knelt before Astolf.
"...just treat me as a cadet." Astolfo's voice was downright icy. "Let us go." And whatever silicon entity you dolls worship better deliver us from giving more information to the rival team! He thought as he advanced. There was a lingering stare from the Lilim towards the figure of Zel, but nothing of notice happened as both followed Minerva's call.
Serah didn't entirely know how to stop Stella from bulldozing her way through the crowd and claim Elora for herself, but Sparks was quick on the uptake and intervened on her behalf. A relief to be sure. She took the opportunity to look around the room again to find where the rest of her team was. Ava went over to try and help Sparks pry Stella off of Elora while Minerva outright ignored the commotion and beckoned everyone over to a table in the corner of the room. The team still had some time before their strategy meeting though. After all, 'Strike Force Apple' hadn't yet moved to another location... on account of their poor, kidnapped intel officer.
Serah's eyes wandered off again, this time landing on Astolfo. Something about his behavior seemed just a little off, but Serah couldn't put her finger on it. Instead of worrying over it, she tried finding the last member of her team. It didn't take her too long, but it was also no surprise she spotted him last; the boy had separated himself from the crowd and stood at a distance. When Serah's eyes did shift over to him, though, his gaze met hers... and a shiver ran down her spine when she saw the look he gave her. It didn't last long luckily, his attention being drawn to Elora shortly after, but something about that guy told Serah he was bad news... well, more than his choice of clothes already had.
'Guess I shouldn't keep Minerva waiting...' Serah thought to herself, turning around once Elora had finally pried herself free from her Lilim assailant's tight grip.
Then, Serah heard the recording play out as Stella departed: "-zzz-Go team Strawberry.-zzz-"
"Team... strawberry?" she mused to herself, before a killer headache suddenly assaulted her. She clutched her head as the sharp pain shot through her skull, like something which was suppressed deep inside of her psyche was trying to resurface. Peering through her fingers, Serah looked ahead of her, straight at Minerva, and muttered: Sig...ma?" to herself, the image of a younger girl flashing before her eyes where Minerva sat.
The headache soon abated, with Serah blinking and seeing Minerva look the same as she'd always been. She stayed standing there for a few moments, bewildered, before realizing her team had already gone ahead. Serah jogged over to join them and took a seat at the table, shooting an uncomfortable glance Minerva's way before deciding to put her mind elsewhere.
"So... did you have a plan, Minerva? I can't come up with much, ehehe..." she'd break the ice on the conversation, acting her usual cheery self to mask the uncomfortable knot she felt in her stomach.
