Chiro

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mischief Reef/Đá Vành Khăn/Panganiban Reef

Henri was packing, as he heard the news through the Radio. "So, the second coming of Roosevelt decided to try his hands at foreign affairs"

Not that Henri really cared for what the POTUS was planning. Someone else might have been hopeful that the rest of the world would receive a piece of American reforms, but Henri knew better. The USA simply wanted to secure again their position in world politics they had been losing as of late. And even if their thoughts were more altruistic, a politician rarely was skilled beyond their specialty, if they were skilled at all.

But enough about politics. Henri needed to consider all the equipment he'd need in Cambodia. Besides the regular military gear, Henri needed to iron his formal suit. It was likely he'd be guarding some VIPs in Phnom Penh, and that would mean black suits, ties and sunglasses.

The whole job was exhausting enough that once Henri was finished, he needed a shower. The refreshing water admittedly helped to strengthen his spirit again. After drying, grooming and dressing, Henri looked at himself in the mirror.

"How did that saying go again" He pondered. "Oh, right. He's tanned, rested and ready for action"

With that, Henri took his suitcases and prepared to join the others.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mischief Reef/Đá Vành Khăn/Panganiban Reef (Facilities) - 11/01/2022 08:10 UTC+8

"None taken, Lieutenant" Henri replied, saluting. The fact that he couldn't be much help on the matter really frustrated him, but he did his best not to show it.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be at the gym" He notified everyone as he watched Nico leave. It was good to inform everyone, especially in a situation like this.

As Henri reached the gym, there were some looks at his direction, but for the most part the soldiers inside were focused on their own training. Henri himself noticed a vacant sandbag and claimed it. He allowed himself to release his frustrations, as he pounded the sack with punches and kicks.

"30 seconds" He growled as he continued pounding,"30 lousy seconds, and everything returns to normal. Who can perform a surgery in less than a minute. And you can't even use Arm assistance, because they'll be neutralized as well."

Henri had to stop to take a breath after the assault. Never would he had imagined to wish the Leonidas was smaller. Size of a pin or something. Something that could be fit into a wound.

No. Wallowing over limitations was of no help. Weapons existed for different purposes. Anti-air is anti-air, and anti-tank is anti-tank, and that's something that can't be changed. If they found a way to improve Henri's ability, he'd take the opportunity, but now all he could do was what he was good at.

"Though, there is one thing I could improve" Henri thought to himself, as he saw the weightlifting bench. A kilo or two for the personal best might improve his mood.

He would continue training maybe an hour, before resting again, or something came along.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mischief Reef/Đá Vành Khăn/Panganiban Reef

"It's still so frustrating. New Roosevelt, bah!" Henri exclaimed, referring to the nickname the POTUS received from his corporate busting, "Real Teddy would have worked both in and out of his country, not leaving one side rotting!"

Henri closed his hands into fists, but quickly released them with a sigh. "Who am I kidding. It's everyone's fault, really. US may be isolating itself, but it's not the first time it has done so. Meanwhile Europe pretty much allowed America to handle all the military matters, so they could focus on their economies. It is just like economic bubbles. They've happened in the past, but everyone's just as surprised, when they happen."

He was quiet for a while, listening to Alonso's and Makri's conversation. Henri wasn't sure, how much use he'd be in a surgery. There were so many things that went wrong, and Leonidas's field was indiscriminate. Then the realization kicked in.

"Oh, I see." He finally said. "Well, who am I to force therapy. I'm not even a trained medic, let alone a doctor. I mean, if it came to that, I'd probably volunteer for help, but I'm not sure how much use I'd be. My power only lasts about half a minute, anyway, while a surgery would take hours. Meaning that if the tumor bounced back to magical once the field is gone, it wouldn't be much of a help. I suppose I could go and touch the cancer, but it wouldn't be hygienic by any means."

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mischief Reef

"Damn it!" Henri exclaimed after reading the message, "Trouble, Trouble, Trouble... With a capital T"

But complaining wouldn't help. The fact was that US aid in the crises both in Europe and Asia were expected to run dry, and others would have to know about them as well.

To be honest, it didn't really matter, who Henri told about it first. Everyone would need to know sooner or later. It was best to just go an see, who he'd meet first.

Soon Henri stumbled upon Nico and Noel. The two seemed to be attempting to get closer to each other, so to speak, but nothing deeper than that had happened yet. Or at least not that Henri could see. Whatever the case, this seemed like a good spot to start.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two" he apologized, "But I think you should see this."

Henri presented the message to Nico. "As you can imagine, if America pulls itself out of the Ukrainian and ASEAN matters, we will be left all alone. Call it a hunch, but this might be their first targets, if it's not already. But, what do you think?"

@Creative Chaos

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mischief Reef

An adrupt stop, let alone adrupt vacation, was not something he had expected to happen, so he hadn't exactly packed spare clothes. Henri didn't usually care for the casual wear most arms-masters usually wore on missions, but at least they weren't as uncomfortable during a rest.

Luckily Henri managed to procure himself some casual clothing from the local supplies. He wasn't hungry at the moment, so he decided to take a little walk across the area. The sun on the clear sky certainly felt relaxing after the prompt tropical storm only a few moments ago. The area was certainly developed. Besides military presence, Henri could see some fishing at the area. Nothing was seemingly on edge, with most people just going on their lives. Although Henri had a feeling that sooner or later this reef too would become a scene of battle.

The steps had taken Henri to the beach. The sight of the sea was nothing new to him, but it was still a feeling of being small, not seeing anything on the other side but water. Over the last weeks, and when visiting the seaside, Henri was used to the sight of something appearing from the sea, from singular cruisers to entire navies.

"If only this serenity could stay" Henri sighed and left the beach. Might as well try some of the delicasies available in the reef.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mekong River

"Sergeant Janssens, reporting in" Henri replied to Qinshe's query, "I am fine and going to help with the evacuation. Over."

Henri moved out to the PoW camp, where the others were already helping with the evacuations. Henri himself took one of the injured to carry on his back. Travel through the storms was not easy, but everyone needed to hurry. The helicopters wouldn't be able to stay long in this extreme weather.

Henri put carefully his patient down and looked at the sky. The storm was certainly a powerful one, something not easy to tame, if it could be tamed. Still, Henri wondered if he could lessen its strength by removing ambient magic from it. He could reach very far out, but perhaps the bubble could provide a small, windless spot. "Fighting in Shade"

Nothing. The storm was pure nature. Huo Ren's sun had caused disruptions in the atmosphere, but didn't effect anymore. Leonidas would be of no further help, so Henri shut it down again, just in case the PLA made another attempt. They had seemingly left the area, but you can never know with Arms-Masters.

He was of no use as a fighter now. All he could do was to try and help as many people towards the ridge, where the helicopters hopefully still waited. It was a kilometer journey through harsh winds, but what could you do? Henri took the injured soldier back to carry and continued with the others.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Near Mekong River

Henri took deep breaths, as he tried to calm his heart. The heat from the false sun burning in mirage space was nearly the end of him. Not that the area here wasn't hot in its own right. Some water helped with the dehydration, but the burns had to be dealt with later.

Outside the boat the battle was still raging. Henri found himself a hiding spot by some trees and took out his binoculars. He could see at least three additional Arms-Masters, maybe more. It seemed like PLA was greatly devoted to this artificial drought project of theirs.

Fighting these Zodiacs wasn't easy. Henri could fly, and his neutralization field only had a reach of twenty meters across. He could lay a trap, but that would require co-ordinating with the others, and Nico was far too busy trying to fight two Arms-Masters simultaneously.

However, Henri still had his guns, and was in a hiding position. The spearman was too close to Nico, but the other, armed with gourds of some kind, possibly bombs, would make for a good target.

He took aim with his rifle at the man in white and red, and fired.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Mirage Space

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, much more literally than Henri would have preferred. Huo Ren had turned Christina's Mirage Space against them, rapidly turning the area into a giant pressure cooker.

They would need to get out of there. But simply deactivating Mirage Space might ruin whatever plans Christina and Ernesto might still have. Of course, leaving Mirage Space as it is was also dangerous.

Henri was already feeling dizzy from the heat, and the sweating was getting excessive. That meant heat cramps were advancing. And the other two were already in danger, being in close proximity to this solar spearman.

No, no more pondering. Henri needed to act before they all died there. Luckily Huo Ren seemed distracted by Ernesto and Christina. There was the opportunity. Henri took his rifle and moved as much behind Huo Ren as he could. Hopefully the Arms-Master was susceptible to bullets.

However, should plans fail further, or Henri feel like throwing up, he'd try to use Fighting in Shade. It might be for the best to shut down Mirage Space anyway at that point.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

This was not a good situation to be in by any means. This Huo Ren fella had the power to create artificial suns, after all. Or, well, technically they were only fireballs that resembled suns. A real sun much smaller than that, say, the size of a pea, would kill all life in a radius of thousands of miles or so. Henri couldn't remember exactly, what the description in that children's science book he read as a boy was, but the memory of that made him conclude Huo Ren didn't create real stars.

Not that it made the Arms-Master any less dangerous. Plasma is a deadly substance. Currently the greatest saving grace was that Huo Ren seemed to want to do things personally. The soldiers were kept back. For a moment Henri considered if killing Huo Ren was a good idea. After all, his death could mean that the PLA soldiers would swarm in. Then he remembered that Huo Ren was already blasting them with fire, and remembered they didn't exactly have a choice in the matter.

Besides, this is where Henri's strength lied. While Leonidas offered some protection from conventional arsenal, it was ultimately an Anti-NA weapon. It had helped with one Chinese elite Master, it would help again.

Henri released Leonidas, but didn't activate its power yet. For now, he simply observed the situation, and hoped the boat didn't stop flying before reaching ground. Foolishly, he hadn't considered the need for parachutes.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War, Second Thread

Henri

Henri took a final look at his camo face paint. The first part of the mission was more stealthy than average, and the gear worn matched accordingly. The other arms masters were still making their final preparations, so he had time to make sure the boat was ready to go.

The boat wasn't one Henri was used to, but he did have some rudimentary knowledge on how driving watercrafts, and the controls didn't seem that different from baseline. Also, for this group he was the one who could be trusted with a vehicle like this out of all the Arms Masters on board.

"Fuel tank" He said aloud as the checked the tanks. It was full. "Check"

"Motor" He tried the motor a couple of time, and it worked. Henri shut it down again. "Check"

Finally he went to the front of the boat and tested the radar. It showed the expected dots. "Radar...Check."

The boat was ready, now for the Arms Masters. "Okay, everybody! Roll call!"

Henri called the names of the group that would join him and he checked their names one by one.

"Okay, now for the equimpent." He told, going through them one by one.

"Weapons..." The group showed guns, knives, grenades, all the mundane weaponry "Check. "

"Support gear"Next came medipacks, extra ammo and assinged visors[color=00aeef]"Check.

"Noble Arms."Henri activated Leonidas, and the other Arms Masters did likewise with their own"Check. " With that check, the Arms disappeared again, until later use.

"Finally, let's see if we all have watches synchronized." Everybody presented their watches. They all showed 6:27, as was needed. "Check."

"Okay, everyone, on board!" He told as he took position at the front. With everyone in place and the motor running, the boat began its journey up the Mekong River.