FalloutJack

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

As soon as Jean said he didn't have to keep her in check, the farm boy gave off a look and a smile like 'You're sure?'. But if Jean didn't want him to and she was actually their senior, then there was really no problem. However, in no way was Isaac gonna believe that...ummm...what was her name again? Baines? He didn't think there was much in the way of strict about her. In fact, the young man was thinking 'I think the were you're looking for about her is 'loose', Jean'., though he wasn't about to say that one out-loud. He also didn't want to say that the crazyness was starting to remind him of the crazy candy girl, Mila. They didn't even get to know anything about her beyond that. Well, not him, anyway. Back on topic, though, Jean was talking about a particular spot on the southern front and...

"Jean, I don't pay attention to the news. My dad reads the paper, but the rest of us would have other things to worry about, work to be done. I wouldn't be able to tell a war hero from just another guy in uniform. I just got dragged into this mess is all."

These people were just people to him, not fancy titles or radio personalities. Chances are, Baines wasn't a hero, just a decent person, and that's all that mattered. Operation: Break-Whatever was just a title for a place where people were fighting again, as per usual. But anyway, Jean was all for getting some diversions - certainly literary ones and whatnot - so that part was going to work out in the end. And then...he told Isaac something that surprised him for a moment: Lucia was going through other people's mail. Jean himself had found out a few things, including that Britta was writing some sort of song. He didn't think that it was horribly wrong. Maybe just a bit wrong, when you consider what Baines did with Jean there with that poem. Oh, but Isaac got such a smirk on his face as he thought of something he could do. Jean must've noticed because before he left to go talk with the real recruits, he asked him not to mention anything about the poem to Kalisa whoever.

"I would never do that to someone who didn't deserve it, Jean. I was raised better than that. You go have fun now. I've got work to do."

He didn't. He really didn't. But it was going to seem like work, the way he played it off. First off, he needed a pad of paper and a pencil. No problem there. Because there wasn't much to do, a dozen of these had been circulated all over. And now, he just began to write, at length, with a serious look on his face. He looked like he was doing work, like writing an official report. This was a cunning lie. No, he was composing something altogether different, which would certainly perk things up a little, around here. Sometimes, you need to invent your own fun. And so, Isaac was idly moving along, making sure not to hit anyone. He was actually nearby Jean as he was addressing people, but his mind was largely on his own work, since Jean was handling things. However, that's when Luke walked up and, after talking with the new short guy, started asking things. He caught Isaac mid-thought, so he was paying attention now. Almost done, though... Jean was still talking to the others. Alright, let's field this one, then.

"I've never had to call anyone that before. Bit of a mouthful. How 'bout 'Luke'? Works for me, at least."

He decided to handle this in a friendly manner. God only knows they'll need all the friends they can get.

"I'm sorry to report, though, that you are exactly where you're suppose to be. The 15th is hunkered down here and I'm even an NCO, to boot."

He quickly finished up what he was writing, folded it up, shoved it in an envelope, and then offered his hand.

"Isaac Black. That's Jean, right there. I don't know where Daniel is. Anyway, we're the Corporals around here. Anyone above that iis presumably busy doing something or other. Any questions, though, no problem answering. Otherwise, find yourself somewhere to take a load off, get some food, and hope for the best when we get to Amone."

It was about then that he noticed that Britta was walking by and he called her over with the envelope held over his head.

"Swamped already, I see."

"Never enough time in a day. Could you take this over to where they're stashing all the other letters for me? I don't see any other Gunners, so no one to coordinate with yet."

He only saw rifles and such on people's backs as they had come in here, so they wouldn't have to determine new and more efficient ways of covering a group like he had with her. Britta nodded at his request and he handed the letter over to her.

"I'll guard it with my life."

"No need for that. It's just personal mail."

Sort of. So, while Isaac was busy talking with Luke and potentially others, the dark-haired Gunner lady headed towards the mail room and asked for whoever was really authorized to go in it at all times to just deposit this one with the rest. And what was that letter, you might ask? Oh, it was actually a cunning little prank Isaac had just thought up, one that he couldn't resist playing. What's that, you say? You wanna read it? By all means...

My Hider

Dear Mom, Dad, Alex, Emeri,

I won't say that there's much of anything positive to say about this war, but there IS something to say about the people you meet. We're all pretty much a load of raw recruits being flung at the wall, trying to survive intact, and that means we do what we can to stay human. Not just alive, but living, if you follow my meaning. We have to remain ourselves. The fact is that there's someone here in the 15th that I find myself thinking of alot. There's a bunch of nice girls in our group (provided Jean hasn't stolen them all), but this one is a real breath of fresh air. A raw recruit, doing what she can to deal with what she's got, brightening the room with her smile. Wonderful silver-haired girl with a lovely voice, Lucia Farris.

I was really worried about her when we were all meeting each other for the first time. Had a rough start. But she's all heart and soul, a real inner-strength in that girl. And funny, too. You'd like her, dad. She has real personality. I never thought I'd meet someone that I feel so strongly for out on a battlefield, but there it is. We all welcome her, of course, make her feel like she's one of us. I just feel that I want to get to know her better, help her when she's down, and whatever else. She is truly wonderful. The only thing is that she has developed a habit of going through people's personal mail, seeing their inner-most thoughts. Lucia, could you stop doing that, please? It isn't very nice.

Love,
Isaac

PS: You can keep this one if you want.

Metroid: Final Protocol

@UltimoScorp I've received no reply from SimpleWriter on PMs. I must assume they are busy or not RPing anymore.

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

It was Isaac's opinion, after enough of this, that trains were boring.

Let's break it down from his perspective, just for a moment. He was a farmer, an animal handler. He'd spent his life in wide-open spaces, free to roam anywhere he liked. He made and memorized trails, discovered secret places, got to find all kinds of things. Sometimes, he did this with towns, because they had all kinds of nooks and crannies. When he was taken for recruitment and shoved into a cell, he was miserable and had nothing to do. When he was on a boat to cross the channel, he had a bit more freedom to roam, but not that much. When he was in basic training, he made the MPs earn their keep by trying to duck out of sight for a while, all because he was bored.

So, here he was now. He was in a room, a series of rooms stretched along a moving corridor, and he had nothing to do. He didn't have a book, and he didn't have Jean's penchant for writing or Lucia's...let's assume she'd been sketching pictures, when he saw her with a pad. They hadn't accorded him the basic freedoms to entertain himself when he was recruited, because the word you're really looking for is conscripted, forced, drafted... That left him with few amenities because he hadn't really had many allowed. So, the point of it was that during this train ride, Isaac had spent his time eating, sleeping, talking and such with the others, and looking for different ways to amuse himself.

He had, in fact, gone a bit too far, a couple of times.

You see, he would train the wolves and play a game at the same time, back on the farm. He'd go off and find a place to hide, and he'd wait and see if any of them could find him. The truth is, they always won. Always. Wolf noses are undefeatable. However, it was fun to see how long it would take for them to notice him. This is one thing Isaac attempted to do on this train to keep amused, and those who found him were not very pleased with his presence. His only real excuse for it, when questioned by someone of authority was 'Training exercise'. Technically, it would help. He just wasn't really suppose to do it. And the second thing he wasn't suppose to do was try and get on the roof of the train. He hadn't done it yet, but every now and then, he'd given it some effort.

Right now, though, right this minute...he was at rest. Not necessarily sleepy. He was just at that stage of boredom where he'd decided to just let time go by. He figured it was probably for best before meeting the new additions to the team. When the train came to a halt at a station, he knew - even without opening his eyes - that now was the time of their arrival. Sitting where he was, he began to listen carefully. As the wolves had learned from him the ways of the human world, he had learned to trust his other senses, like they did. Not to say that his nose was any better now than it was in the beginning. He just paid it and his ears a bit more heed, trying to understand more of what they were telling him. Ears worked better, for sure.

Ears made him aware of something funny going on.

There was someone with an unusual accent - at least, it wasn't one that he was use to, not like anybody back in Edinburgh - talking with Jean now. It sounded like she'd swiped his notepad and was reading it. Isaac knew that Jean had been writing something because he thought Isaac had been asleep when he was doing it, yesterday. But he was aware, and this made what he was hearing all the more hilarious. What was it with the outlandish girls that seemed to put a smile on his face? Was it because they didn't act like normal girls? Maybe. Who knows? It was funny, though, especially when the girl started interrogating Jean and shouting out. Isaac continued to listen in. you'd think he wouldn't be able to hear through a closed cabin door, but the fact is...he'd asked Britta to leave it open a crack if she saw it open. She thought it'd be funny to listen in on others a little too, see what they thought about things and handle them appropriately. Nothing underhanded, mind you. Just to see what troubles people and hope to address it. You don't get to be the backbone of a group by osmosis. You have to listen... Right now, Isaac was hearing alot.

My god, she goes on like a mile a minute.

The girl that Jean was talking to seemed to be...well, she was one of the new shocktroopers, Oceanic, and...and...she wasn't to do what to Middleton?! Can anyone even be allowed to think that? Middleton wasn't a man. He was a slab of granite, hoping to become a very famous statue. You can't like that...can you? I mean, there are laws about that sort of thing. Any relationship that should be considered holy and decent must involve two human beings, not a walking pile of shit. And who the fuck was Marathon? Might've heard that name in town a few times, but you can understand why Isaac, of all people, didn't know anything about him. And with that, there was offically too much going on here. Time to get up. Isaac got to his feet and stretched with a minor grunt, because once again Middleton was putting everything on Jean, like he was trying to break him through sheer pressure.

He stepped out as Jean was still talking to...oh, a very cheerful-looking blonde who looked like she had maybe a couple years on both of 'em. Not exactly as working tough as Britta, per se. Maybe even a bit like Diana in the looks department. Somewhere in the middle, perhaps? Maybe. She seemed nice, but Isaac had been listening, and she was very very independent, like stepping-on-a-few-toes independent. Could be handy, later on, but for now it might be best to make sure she wasn't driving Jean over there crazy. She ran off before he got onto the scene in proper. Jean looked properly confused. Isaac didn't blame him.

"I'm not sure I understood half of what was coming out of her mouth, but I take it that's one of our recruits? Should I see about keeping her from messing with everybody's...what?"

He looked past Jean down the hall, spotting Michael there talking with...holy crap.

"Hey, we're getting another short sapper. If they're all like Michael, we could have no trouble with this war at all!"

After all, Michael was a decent guy, so if anyone of his stature in his line of work was any good, they would be having a better time dealing with these battles.

"Oh, and we should probably get someone - NOT Middleton - to see about getting people something to pass the time on these things. Trains are just no fun at all."

Not after all the thrill and majesty of it has worn off, and certainly not during wartime, where it has no glamour at all.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

And now, back by popular demand (Oh, who are we kidding, you know it was coming, anyway)...

A Tale of Two that Met in the Past

PART TWO

Things did not go according to plan. Clearly shaken by her actions, the young boy struggled free from her. The boy then said, " Are you telling me that I wasn't loved? My father doesn't love me?" The child is being brought to tears, as he trys to fight back the urge to ball his eyes out.

Terra was then accosted by horrid sound, a sliver of black emerges from the spectrum of yellow and green. " You're like the people Kuma tells me about, you say anything to make people think you are right! I don't know you, but all you have done is tell me I'm wrong!"

At this point, the boy had his hands curled up in small little balls, as streams if tears make their way down the boy's face.

She was only demonstrating what affection was like. It actually annoyed her that he was making that nasty color, like he'd deliberately made a bad sound to irritate her. Terra watched him for a moment, assessing the problem, and spoke thus:

"Then, I'll introduce myself. My name is Terra Laedo, and I was changed at birth to become better at fighting and killing things. I'm not telling you you're wrong simply out of hand. I'm saying it because I've hit others repeatedly until they beg me to stop. I didn't do it because I liked them. I did it because they were bullying. I don't like that."

The topic being somewhat changed, and the introduction lessens the tension. The sound became more subdued. The boy's smile slightly returned as he replies " your name is Terra? My name is Hibiki, Hibiki Laplace. You hit people as well?" the boy gives a wide innocent smile, as the black sliver forms a twisted face with a frightful smile. "I hit people too, when I play with Kuma. Do they explode into red mist for you? They do for me."

The boy intently waited for her response.

Terra blinked. This was a bit unexpected. If he was saying what she thought he was saying... She shook her head a little.

"I haven't tried hitting anyone hard enough for that. Someone said I broke someone's face, but that's not the same thing. How hard are you hitting when you do that? And who is Kuma?"

She was beginning to think that it wasn't just mad science experiment, switching out pieces of this boy for others. Was he being augmented stronger too?

" Oh ya, you wouldn't know. Kuma is my friend. He tells me things when I'm inside big brother. Kuma doesn't like it when people try to love big brother, and tells me to hit them. So, I do"

The boy responded like nothing was odd about the statement.

There was everything wrong with that statement, and Terra was taking a moment to piece it together. She was pretty sure she understood, though, since she understood what he meant be 'love'. If he was making red mist, then...

"Big brother is a big machine you get inside?"

His aura returned to what it was, and a little gold was tinting the outside of his sound.

" Ya! Big brother is so COOL. He has a big hammer, awesome claws and a tail!"

Hibiki said this with a level of excitement in his voice.

Yeah, she could see that excitement. Terra wasn't exactly as excited, but she knew an NC being used when she heard it. She never really thought of Id like a big toy, but if you were young enough, you might... Ah, they weren't telling him. This was obscene. If he was going to have any real chance of functioning normally at the slightest upset, he needed to be informed now, or the next time someone disturbs his reality in the future, he just won't be able to cope.

"I suppose if I were in my machine, I could turn people into a red mess too. It's what happens when you mash them with a giant fist. Has your father never explained killing people before?"

Hibiki's head turned to the side, "Killing?" he said.

"What do you think we're being made for, Hibiki? You're being put into a big robot and smashing people. I'm going through training to pilot one, myself. We're suppose to fight and kill people."

He perked up for a second, like he finally understood.

"Oh! Do you mean when they disappear and don't come back? But that's fine right? I don't know them, so why is it bad?"

"I'm not sure. It's what Red-Star wants because they have enemies, but I dunno much more than that. But...you have to understand that people you fight in your machine don't love you and you don't love them back. They hate you. They want you to die and it isn't pleasant when you get hurt. I haven't figured this all out yet. It's my mom and dad telling me the difference between things. They don't want me to be confused when I'm told to fight. If you confuse things, you'll get killed yourself, Hibiki."

Hibiki took a moment to digest what Terra has just said.

"Well, if that's true. It's fine. I was built for big brother, and if he goes away... I have no reason to be here. So dieing is not that bad. And and , if I go away, I'm sure big brother would be fine. He is just so cool. But, You know your mom? That's awesome! How is she? What does she like? Can she cook? I never knew my mom, dad said she had to go away after I was born."

"Yes, I know my mom. She's nice and she can cook. She said I should try to avoid dying... They're worried about me all the time. I try to tell them that I'm fine, but they say it's not fine. I have no intention of dying, and you shouldn't think it's fine if you do. That's the point. You can't DO anything if you die. You just waste your life away."

Hibiki, felt the passage of a good amount of time.

"Terra, I better go back before my dad lov...hurts me. I don't mind if I die, really, but you seem to want to not die. I hope you not die Terra."

Hibiki waddled up to Terra and gave her an awkward "hug". Then he scampered off back to the room.

It was only after he left that Terra muttered "I hope you don't either." and started to walk down the hall. She didn't want to be around for Bastion to show off with now. Things just didn't feel right, and she had no intention of letting Hibiki's father near her. If he ever tried, she would break his fingers. Terra continued down the hall, rounded the corner, and then...

"...he still has my baseball."

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

ISAAC BLACK

If there were people who'd be against helping out one of their own who clearly needs that support, then they were wrong. Isaac could understand why Michael said that, but he refused to be detered by it. There was no denying what they clearly had to do, and no placating those who did not want that to happen. It is...what it is.

"'The right thing to do is the right thing to do, no more, no less.' Words from my father. You can't let people stop you from what has to be done when you know it's right."

Michael was not confident, but it wasn't just a matter of that. You worked your hardest to produce results, and these steps would prove effective in easing the pace of the next steps, and those that follow said steps, and so on and so forth. You start small, if you have to, and then you push on outwards. Pretty soon, you have the respect of those who need to hear you and follow your lead. It didn't seem like all that hard a task. Michael was salt-of-the-earth honest, Isaac was respected and dependable, and Jean was... Well, he seemed to have the eyes of several others upon him, two cabins down or so. It was kind of funny. What was he up to now? Diana, Kalisa, Rayna, and Lucia? One could almost be jealous. I mean, was he here now in this men's club because he needed a break? Well, for now, Isaac was working meticulously with his own instrument. Machine guns were a bit more complex than ordinary rifles, after all. His attention perked up when he heard Jean musing about the state of the war and that poet.

"I have to admit, I'd been keeping a little ignorant of the war while I was on the farm. I didn't want to become focused on it, because it wasn't for me or any of my family. We were doing Edinburgh a much-needed service. That was our duty, and our livelyhood. You have to focus on what's important, and food on everybody's table is ours. That, and the wolves. Every generation of wolf-dog has to be nurtured to accept humans as their alpha, their leader. They have to understand that these weird hairless things are their friends, or they'll just be wilf animals to them. I imagine some of ours and any other breeders' went to the army to help out, not just guard property or herd livestock. Even still, I don't like what the war is doing to the land. It'll be a long time before any of these warzones are useable again. The bodies, the upheaval, the equipment lying around...mines..."

Especially, the mines. You think anybody really remembers where they put those things? Isaac was almost-certain he saw some blow up during the charge of Hill 58. That could've been any of them hit by one of those things, crippled for life or dead altogether. Not a pleasant thought. Another one was about what he'd said about the wolves. Knowing what he knew now, he wished he could guarantee that none of the ones he raised were put towards this. Rikes, Ellis, and the rest of the pack deserved better. He did like that Jean seemed to be rapidly improving. It was a good thing, since he was having a dark thought of his own. Jean headed off to go see Baker about...something. That left him, Michael, and Franz alone for an indeterminate while, when...they were pleasantly surprised!

"Lucia? Well, hey there! You're looking better."

Indeed, she was. She was all a'grins and clearly much more relaxed than she had been earlier. This was unexpected, since Isaac almost thought the Asseni girl was gonna be wound-up tighter than his own watch. Maybe she was going to pull through without Middleton turning her into an emotional wreck, after all. In fact, she was being quite friendly. I mean...'Mickey'? You don't get much more familiar than that. It actually made Isaac smirk and chuckle a bit, especially when as the silver-haired girl started climbing over to get an available comfee seat in the cabin.

"This is gonna turn out like one of those films they'd play in town. The funny ones where people trip up over each other."

Indeed, such comedy films by a particular actor/director had been in the biz for about half a year, so we know what we're talking about. It seemed that Lucia was acting in defiance of the higher-ups in reference to whether everyone else should be spoken to or not. Why would Middleton want something like that to occur? That seemed fishy. Or better yet, because Isaac was a farmer and not a fishmonger, that seemed like a load of bullshit. Captain Middleton was playing some sort of game between them and this girl, like she was some sort of uhh...what's the word? Experiment? Yeah, that was it. Even still, right now she was being really nice, even very affectionate. It brought a warmth to the heart and a genuine smile to Isaac's face when she hugged the three of them.

"Hey, we're just as glad that you're alright, Lucia. After all, we know our newly-christened Captain is working you hard, maybe more-so than us."

That said, there was...nah, it couldn't be. I mean, it was good to see the silver-haired girl in better spirits. It's just that... Alright, he didn't want to jinx it, but was this the way you'd normally expect a girl to be after yesterday? It made him wonder, just slightly. Just a little nagging doubt. What if both Lucia and Jean were sort of forcing it, for everyone's sake? He banished the thought, for now. Lucia seemed to be relax, and...possibly an artist. Maybe things would be alright, for now. Isaac hoped so, but he kinda' knew that combat was gonna take its toll on them all again, and silently renewed his pledge to look after them all, especially those that needed looking after the most.

And just when you think it's all over...Britta shows up!

Britta Hagen

It'd taken some doing, particularly alot of arguing with what basically boiled down to a quartermaster for the train's supplies. However, between dropping some logic about those that battle needing to be fed - with the 15th having been dumped onto the battleground without any rations apart from some candy from a Private who was now dead - and a bit of name-dropping about a potentially-angry Jean, Isaac, AND Middleton...she managed to not only managed to get proper ration supplies for the next mission in, but also to spare some food for everybody else. You have to keep the pressure on with some people, and that was how Britta came to be delivering some food to the car containing Diana, Kalisa, and others first...

"Here you are, everyone. Got a little something for everyone. Gotta spread it out a bit now, but I got our rations sorted out properly, at least."

And then, approaching the cabin, she heard the masterfully-transformed Lucia and entered that cabin next.

"Ah, I thought I heard someone else here. No Jean, though. Well, I'll get to him later, so he doesn't starve. Brought a few things for you all."

"Oh...shit, I forgot I was getting on that. Thank you, Britta."

"No problem, Isaac. I figured you'd be distracted."

She meant with gun maintenance, but the way she said it sounded like she was referring to Lucia's presence. Britta even turned to her now.

"Sorry we hadn't met properly before, Lucia. I'm Britta Hagen."

She reached over, past Michael, to offer Lucia her hand to shake after putting down the plate she'd been taking around. Isaac began to laugh again as everything was basically in Michael's face once more.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

This was not a battle you wanted to lose.

It was the ultimate hunt combined with the deadliest of weapons.

A redux of The Most Dangerous Game, the hunt for human lives.

Dread moved, Ursa Nova responded, and the enemy was already chunks in his mind.

Let us begin.

The bear-like NC had made the beeline for the multi-limbed mech, Hisn-ul-Ghayma, and naturally it had seen or detected his presence. He wasn't in it to be a sneaky bastard about things. He wanted you to know what horrors you would face, and despair in its presence. Sadly, you could not possibly hear whatever emotional reaction the other pilot could have unless you had communications open to them, but Dread could imagine, as things became worse for every victim, that all confidence would drain and the fear would be present instead. It was only a matter of how he handled things, once engaged.

For instance, when he launched himself at the drone-launching mech, it had thrust its heat axe out at Ursa's diving figure, opening to do grievous damage to it. But that would not happen so easily. No no no... The heated jaws of the beast, already open wide, came snapping down upon the heat axe, catching the business end of it in a clash of heat on heat action. In the long run, you would bet on Ursa's teeth winning out in a struggle between the two, as the axe was not as dedicated in the energy department as the bear's various heated implements. But...we're not going to have a mere struggle of axe-in-bear-mouth. Dread wasn't interested.

After the teeth of Ursa Nova grappled with Hisn-ul-Ghayma's axe, its forepaws - rather, its arms - palm-slapped the ground, since a tackle wasn't going to happen right now. The enemy NC was using the fullness of its strength to break his momentum. So be it. The hands struck the ground and high-pressure flames shot out to boost the beast back into an upright position and the legs came in to achieve two-legged balance. Dread had his NC pull on the axe, but only to test the strength of its wielder for a moment. He had a better move in mind. Ursa's chest-ports ignited and spewed plasma flames at the enemy NC while leaving his hands free to do whatever the hell he wanted, which was to wait and see how it would react to this sudden reversal of fortune.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ah, but we're not done yet. Because, you see, there's more of a tale to tell in the life of some of our pilots. For instance...

A Tale of Two that Met in the Past

Terra and Hibiki

In the rec room of the genetics facility, sounds of an object echoed through the halls. Within, a young girl could be seen tracking the object with her eyes and ears as it wildly careened around the room. Despite common sense, she was seen clasping the ball from its trajectory just to send it flying again. She did this without flinch or failure, her control seemingly flawless. She couldn't be more than 12 years of age, but this seemed more than one of her age should be capable of... The sound of footsteps did not alter her actions. She continued on as if nothing e happening, though it sounded as though her 'creator' was speaking to someone.

"...and it truly is a marvel that nobody even considered this process from the start. I mean, it's so obvious. Get them from the start, accelerate the learning capacity. It's perfect. Ah, here we are."

Dr. Bastion was a middle-aged man with glasses who was balding and as educated in medical science and genetics as he was arrogant...which is to say quite a bit. The slow process of raising an augmented human from birth to adulthood to allow all adaptations to set in and beat out all previous attempts was his idea. He...made Terra Laedo, shortly after she was born.

In a very crass tone, the man Dr. Bastion was leading commented, " Exactly what I thought! Although my options were more limited than yours at the time. Thankfully my late wife left me a child to...love as best I can. What modifications were used in her augmentation if I may ask, and how did you deal with immune response?"

The group entered the room, and Terra now saw a clearly over weight man with her creator. However, she also noticed a boy, no taller than the man's waist, hidden behind the white man. The boy's body clearly covered in bandaging. The young man coward at the attention Terra payed to him.

Indeed, she began to grow curious of the young boy ever since the large blustery man spoke with insincerity regarding 'love'. Oh dear. She was giving him an inquisitive look, one of definite scrutiny, and she was still tossing the ball around, somehow managing not to hit anyone as the two scientists talked on.

"Immune responses... The possibility of rejection was lowered dramatically by starting early in the first place, reduced to practically zero by way of controlled conditions in a fluid suspension tank, everything taken in by IV, oxygen fed, mind stimulated with imagery to accelerate reception, retention, and general curiosity, thus gaining a headstart both physically and mentally. The physical ones were actually quite subtle. You don't need to push a newborn's system hard, just get the ball rolling, so to speak. The mitochondria was strengthened and the calcium bonding in the..."

He went on, at length. The doctor was an egotist, hailing his achievements over others and taking pride in every juicy detail. He would likely occupy the other man for a while. Terra's violet eyes narrowed at the boy, and then they looked aside as her head inclined slightly. She was indicating 'Leave them alone for now', and then began to walk in that direction.

I contrast to Terra's eyes, the boy's subdued Hazel ones were filled with a fright. No one has exuded an aura like that to him, but his father. His eyes then started to dart between the careening ball and Terra. The boy, in an attempt to avoid conflict, tried to reduce the size of himself by slouching and contracting his muscles. His head started to dart about in looking at Terra, the ball, and for away of escape from the situation.

The ball stopped bouncing around, and then he would see it rolling gently towards his feet. By the time the boy would either think to pick it up or look for the owner, he would find that she was quietly exiting the room. Curious behavior or careless frivolity? You be the judge. It so happened, though, that she was giving him an out and a chance to be away.

The boy watched as the man and his father spoke, to him it was seemingly endless. So, he started for the open door, slowly peeked out, and eased himself out of the room I to the hall. The boy cautiously looked for the girl. At that time in full view, through parts of the light blue hospital gown, older scars can be seen.

She was actually not far away, but she was opposite the direction he thought she'd gone, having quickly slipped back to the other side of the door to {A} be in his blindspot and {B} observe closely for a few seconds. When he spotted her, he could see that she was surprisingly focused, and that her eyes were steady, unwavering, controlled. She spoke in even tones as soon as he saw her.

"Old scars, eyes full of fear, and a sickly yellow-green sound... What does he do to you, other than make it hurt?"

She'd seen more than his body language. She'd seen the sound of him...

The young boy is puzzled by the line of questions and attempted to answer, "He shows me his love. My farther loves me very much. Although I don't like the love, I don't feel good when he gives me love. Especially when changes my parts. The love is really strong when he does that. What is hurt?" The boy let a smile out at her.

Words were said, but they didn't make any sense, not at first. This was a new concept to her. The things the boy was telling her were in contradiction to the understanding she had built up of the world...and that was a problem. And it's not that she was obsessed with being right all the time, but there were fundamentals that you just don't question, such as the difference between love and pain. She shook her head at him.

"That isn't love. Love isn't painful- ...no, my father said it could be, but he meant emotionally. Not like cutting into your body. I almost swore it off, like sadness, but still... Love is not cutting pieces out of you and putting new ones in. Your father is performing surgery, not love."

There'd been a moment where she'd been a little confused there, but now she was insisting that the way he was had nothing to do with love, only pain.

Seeing the girl go off about something called pain, and sadness. The boy started to fidget, and rub the arm with the least bandaging. After he gained some courage to respond he replied, " Th...tha..that can't be right, my father told me so. And you say weird words. Maybe your dad is wrong." He had managed to challenge her.

Now, it was his turn for confusion, but as much as he wanted to prove she was wrong, there could be no mistake here. She began to scowl at him.

"I read alot of weird things. Many of them are true. I'm being trained to hurt people, to fight them. I have to know what pain means, or else I'm not going to do very well. Pain is when your body is begging for the feeling to stop, because it's being damaged and broken, like the things you cover with bandages. I know all about inflicting pain."

She suddenly approached him, raised her arms, and...held him gently, comfortingly. Terra spoke into his ear after a few seconds.

"My father isn't a doctor. He just tries to raise me with an understanding of things, and he is not wrong."

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Of course he was thinking of Lucia. Of all the things that could be going wrong in this war, they were the ones who believed that Middleton - not any action of the enemy - was the one ruining her, as a person. It was one of those things that came upon their thoughts unbidden, but couldn't help but be there because of certain truths. Truths like 'Middleton is an ass' were irrefutable, therefore anyone near him was at risk of getting some of that behavior mixed in with their own. He just didn't act like a human being, too cold and discomforting... You couldn't let people like that ruin someone, certainly not a member of your squad and someone you cared about. That was Michael's dilemma, and frankly that was just about Isaac's, as well. The only difference was that they handled it differently. Michael seemed depressed about it. Isaac's mind was working on it. He couldn't think in terms of defeat. That defeated the purpose of thinking about it, at all. he'd shared this line of reasoning with Britta, and now it was time to expand on that.

Upon being offered a seat, he sat across from Michael and began to work on maintaining his own machine gun. After a moment, he began talking.

"I don't think she should be put out of mind, but rather we should all give her a helping hand. Maybe you're thinking the now-Captain is causing some mischief we don't want. Well, nothing says we can't undo all that. I consider her part of the squad, so it's our duty to look after her, like we do everyone else. I figure if we all agree to quietly thwart whatever she's having to go through somehow, it'll all work out. Pretty sure the whole squad'll be with me on that. Isn't even a rule-breaker. In fact, it's orders. Middleton's orders."

It really was. Lucia was a Private. That meant that she was an enlisted person, which made her the responsibility of NCOs. He just didn't need to know all that, and Isaac would smirk as he made sure his stuff was in good working order. This was when Jean appeared at the doorway and spoke about Lucia and their various acts, yesterday. Funny coincidence, that. Isaac nodded his head at an empty seat.

"By all means, join the club for men inspecting their guns. I dunno where Britta is right now, but I'll let her know. Incidentally, I'm figuring we should get the squad to support and keep an eye on Lucia so that she can get through the harshness of it all and keep her humanity. I was just talking about that with Michael. Much-appreciated about the recommendation, though I dunno if it's necessary. This war is, to me, what I can do for others. You did great with that charge yesterday. You really did, Jean. My only regret is that if I'd known it'd all hit you so hard, I would've asked to switch places, because I'm vicious at close-quarters and I can still handle a rifle. Even so, if this is you recovering, I'm all the better for hearing it."

Oh, and if anyone IS wondering where Britta was, she had found food for rationing like Isaac intended to before he got side-tracked. Someone's gotta be the responsible one, right?

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

At no point did Isaac think of the war in terms of casualties. He found himself thinking in terms of those who survived.

It isn't that he did not feel bad for the ones who died, that he was cutting off his supply of sympathy. It was just that he had to focus on those who were alive for all their sakes. The dead were dead, and they'd done what they could in life to ensure more time for all those who lived. That was how things were, and that was how Isaac chose to see it. This was all in the light of how poor Jean was being so affected by war. He was all heart, really. All heart and not much anger. Because if he truly was angry, he wouldn't be in so much despair. It's not as though you could use that feeling ON someone. You could be pissed off at Middleton for...oh, I don't know, pick a subject...and he'd still be in charge. You could be irritated with the Federation military for dragging you into this, like Isaac. It didn't mean that you could, or that he did, plan to get back at them. Maybe that one recruiter... Most people would, naturally, blame the Imperials. They did start this war, and like Isaac, nobody really knew what it was all for.

Nobody really knew, and the war would grind human life to dust for it. What a waste.

What you REALLY had to wonder was whether Middleton knew any better, himself. The first time he woke him, Isaac was - thanks to his training - appropriately startled into nearly drawing his trench knife. When he noticed that it was the Lieutenant, he put it back, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed. Any looks from the man about that would just be met with the word 'Training' by way of explanation, which - given the fact that he almost expected to be attacked by an Imperial soldier - would satisfy him. On the flipside of that, however, what Middleton wanted the first time - yes, only the first time - was to make sure he was doing his job. In a way, it was actually understandable, since Middleton hadn't really seen him that much. However, that he kept coming back and waking him again for some reason was annoying.

Probably shouldn't have led with "I'm currently in charge to give Jean a break. I ordered him to bed.". Oh well...

It's not like Isaac had much interrupted sleep on his own, at that point. He'd managed to fall asleep while next to Lucia before, but that was fatigue. Let's be clear about something here. Those guns and bullets weighed, and Isaac had charged with the rest, at least as far as the church was concerned. He could keep up with others at the cost of his stamina or he could take longer to get around, and Isaac preferred to get around. The issue was that this was the first real combat test, so all of his training hadn't hit the trial run before then. He would be better at managing it now, having been in the heat of battle. It was still the first time someone had really tried to kill him, and he had been very close to getting shot. Only that slip in the mud had saved him, really.

These were the thoughts that bothered him in the night, whereas during the next day...

Well, the next day renewed Isaac's concerns about Jean, since he still looked like death. He might have to be his relief alot, since he might've looked worse now than he did before. Sergeant Baker called them to attension next and...let's be honest, Isaac wasn't sure he liked this man, either. Somehow, he didn't seem like 'one of them'. Middleton arrived next, looking very pleased with himself. If patterns followed, that meant that they would not enjoy this. And you know what? He was right. Middleton was a captain now, and he was empowered to promote others, which he did. Jean got a promotion, which he probably deserved, but...would he handle the pressure that came with moving on up? Isaac was starting to wonder if moving up in rank actually helped anything. A Sergeant died yesterday. It wasn't a special Sergeant bullet that killed him. Isaac had killed a number of people, already. He sincerely doubted that their ranks mattered.

The thing is, Isaac thought of alot of things in terms of what he was good at, which was raising and understanding animals, particularly wolves. Wolves have a heirarchy in which there is a definite leader and those below him. However, and this was important, it was all just social. It has nothing to do with who had who had the best skill in biting and clawing while killing another animal. It mmight determine who was on top if there was a fight over that, and it might determine how much of the kill you got, but in a fight, it's not like a bear is going to care who is Alpha or Omega, and it's not like being Omega means you're unable to fight. Pack Omegas have risen to the top before. His father had seen it. The point is that Isaac wasn't sure that all of this really mattered in war.

When Middleton decided to 'address' the elephant in the room, Isaac was thinking 'You ARE the elephant in the room.' with a small smile. Never lose your sense of humor. It will serve you well. However, it felt a bit sour as Middleton announced that they would be apparently assaulting Amone very soon and that he was not proud of their work yesterday, though others were. What an ass. Isaac was making it his special duty to be sure and make the new people understand that Middleton was nothing but a pain. That was the important lesson to take from him. He was a cold-hearted ass who- He was already pulling Lucia into some other task. Just what was his deal with her? Well, Isaac had no time to actually focus on that. As Middleton left and people started talking again, he heard Jean talking. Hearing him, his eyes widened. Good god, his family just... What was it that made people so against the Darcsens, huh? He didn't get it. He just didn't understand what all the fuss was about! It wasn't important, whatever it was! Everything on this guy, and now this... Isaac approached now.

"Jean, I'm sorry. I can't really imagine how you feel right now, though I guess I'd feel pretty broken inside if my family were gone, as well. I know it doesn't mean much, but you can rely on us. Use your newfound power to delegate some responsibility. We can take some of the pressure off, if you need it."

Then, Kalisa told them how her family had died and...god damn, but it was easy to forget that she was a Darcsen, as well. Maybe it was because of her appearance in contrast to Jean's. She didn't look like one, exactly. Kalisa apologized for sharing and Isaac shook his head.

"No no, it's completely alright, talking about it. Sometimes, you just have to get it out. I'll never understand why 'race' is an issue around here."

And they would only have so much time to do that on the train to Amone. They would all need their rest, and they had to get new people, and somehow psyche themselves into being able to step back into battle again. The battle would be in a city this time, and alot different from a hill-climb, that was for sure. The only real question now was...would they all come out of it alive? No, actually, there was something else: How was he gonna get this letter delivered? They weren't able to get any moved out at all. Maybe at one of the stops... Wait, what? He'd left the cabin and started walking back down the hall - informing the others before he went that he was gonna see about getting some food, maybe something to take with them in case nothing was waiting for them - when he stopped and he heard someone talking. It was Michael. He said 'I hope she can retain herself'. Isaac stepped into the doorway of the cabin.

"Lucia, I take it?"

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

Hisako L. Kobayashi

&

Terra Laedo

---

Hisako got a shock of her life, which was when ace pilot of Red-Star flew over her NC. She moved her NC in time before it got hit by Plasma Shots and Grenade. Her entire being is the GSS, which she wouldn’t be happy if her NC got damaged by anyone. In her mind, which was a bit happy to see Id and in question Terra that is its pilot. However, why was it on the enemy’s side none of her superiors told her of Terra’s defection. She was pretty much in the dark most of the time, which was a terrible thing in her mind. The conflicted nature of her mostly because of what Terra said confused her to no end, however, Red-Star was definitely strict on policies. She did imagine Terra and her doing things together.

”T-Terra.. I missed you. W-Why are you fighting for the Havenities? I couldn’t imagine being without you…”

She did have a pounding headache mostly because of the conflict in her to serve Red-Star Corporation to the best of her abilities or to make Terra happy. One of her hands got off of the controls and put it on her head because of the headache. However, the PSA system activated and recalculated her chances of survival, which was much higher than it was. Hisako was in utter shock, which what was the GSS showing her. She loved this machine and didn’t want it to get damaged at all and has a bit of a temperance issue with people messing with it.

This was working out rather well, maybe more-so than expected. Terra had correctly guessed at Hisako’s feelings, that she wanted to be with her This was fortunate, but she wasn’t going to get cocky. Her goal was to defeat Grand Sword Star by any means possible. And while Narra might’ve wanted the NC pilots alive, there was more advantage in eliminating a liability than there was in keeping one. However, it did seem like this one in particular might be swayed, if she got her to see things differently. Hisako was a slave, fanatical and supremely-attached to what little she had. She saw GSS as a gift from Red-Star, when it was just a tool, like she was. Perhaps if this was used to their advantage, she would become less of a tool, though. Terra pressed forwards in her endeavour.

"I had to… They never would have let us even try to be together. You know how it is. Red-Star tells you how to live and where to go and what to do. But what happens when you want something...or someone...and you can’t have it, no matter what you do to please them? They’ve treated me well at Haven… I know you don’t approve, but I also know that some part of you wants and begs for more than what you have."

She waited to see what Hisako would say, giving her an idea of how things were, but not pushing and prodding her too far. Terra knew better. If you made offers too quickly to someone so-pledged to Red-Star, they might balk at it without a second thought. That was why this was all in effort to try and make her think.

Hisako moved her hand back on the controls and moved the GSS in a different stance from a straight up hostile one. The only reason for this because she felt safe around Terra, even though she was on the opposite side. She had a massive headache from the confusion in her mind, however, she listened to Terra’s voice. The constant reinforcement of punishment in terms of the shock collar around her arm definitely didn’t help and she deeply sighed. She couldn’t help but feel the words coming out of Terra’s mouth was correct but something deep down inside of her was still highly loyal towards Red-Star Corporation.

”T-That’s true, Red-Star only want us to mate with males anyway. I-I get shocked constantly by a collar around my left arm. It hurts… The Havenities treat people good? W-What… I heard they horribly butcher their own civilians like cattle? I do not approve b-but w-what should I do Terra?”

The collar around her arm activates and shocks her at a bit higher voltage than normal, which makes cry out in pain by the collar in question. She cries in tears over the comms, because her entire body hates being shocked like this. Hisako couldn’t stop crying over what was happening to her, which was her mind slowly breaking at the pain of being punished and talking to Terra. It was like someone turned up the voltage on Hisako’s shock collar, just in case an event of her trying to turn on Red-Star happened.

She seemed confused, to Terra, which was both good and bad. It was good because she didn’t know what to think, but bad because confusion can lead to random and unhelpful reactions. The real issue, however, was that shock-collar. Or bracelet. Whatever you wanted to call it. The point is that that was a device they put on her to ensure compliance, even if she wanted to do otherwise. Terra wanted to clear up the confusion, but that very thing now decided to interfere. Someone was either monitoring them or was just suspicious by the lack of activity between them. How ironic that Red-Star was actually helping her with her case. At this rate, she would have Hisako as a member of the Red-Star Defector Club by sundown. So, Terra dropped the imploring voice and spoke clearly to the other pilot, getting her to pay attention.

”Listen carefully to me, Hisako. Set your radio transmitter to a heavy white noise feedback, all broadcasting channels. Then, open a direct communication line between us by wire. Then, they won’t be able to shock you and we can talk.”

Direct communication wires were a simple private communication wire to be used during radio silence to coordinate actions or if there was jamming. It was simple, effective, and came standard. Terra had thought about this one in case Red-Star tried any of that with her.

Hisako was crying in pain, which didn’t help her at all. The instructions, which Terra told her did get through even though she was teary eyed as she moved her hand and turned the radio transmitter to a heavy white noise feedback on all broadcast channels. When she did do that, the shock collar around her arm shut off and allowed her to concentrate a bit more easier. She opened a direct communication line between Terra and her via wire. The tears in her eyes couldn’t stop from the outright shock of not feeling the shock collar activate, it had always had before. She sighed in relief for finally being free of that tool of abject terror and obedience.

”T-Thank you Terra… This feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. The entirety of it always being afraid of being shocked into obedience and allowing all the things done to me terrifies me every single time. I have constant nightmares of what they’ve done to me.”

Hisako was speaking truthfully for the first time in ages, which is a shocker for her. She always lied but she could feel like she should be truthful towards Terra. The entire thing act, which she had to keep up so her masters wouldn’t shock her that would fry her brain or worse. In terms of when the other corporations tried to get her to join them, which ended up a disaster for the enemies of Red-Star. She captured at least about three NCs, which had female pilots in them, however she was forced on the battlefield to Haven afterwards. The only thing she could think, the Red-Star Corporation was great at one single thing the torture of their pilots. She cried at the fact she had to do awful things to those three pilots to show her undying loyalty to Red-Star. The Sadistic nature of hers is more of a mask, which is hiding a scared child who didn’t love her own parents.

Though it sounded hard-going, at first, Hisako managed to put up the white noise broadcast and connect via wire to communicate. She sounded greatly relieved, rather than on-edge from the forced compliance that they inflicted upon her. This was good, though...consequently Terra was unaware of Kxeyun’s situation in Sahaquiel during the two-on-one conflict. That would be for later, unfortunately. For now, she would be working on getting Hisako’s cooperation. She wasn’t sure how this would turn out, but this was the sort of thing Narra wanted of her. With the immediate threat handled, Terra began to speak frankly with her now.

”You won’t have to feel that pain anymore if you side with Haven. Do you want to know what my day has been, so far? Right after briefing, the commander wanted us to simply get to know each other. Breakfast, normal conversation, no threats or consequences… You get to be an equal among others, treated well. They’re not butchering people, Hisako. That might be happening at the Denver-Vegas Reality Games, but not here. I met someone from there and she’s relieved to know end to be accepted as a person, not just a pilot.”

Terra glanced at the time, noting that she’d been fairly inactive for a few minutes while events were going on. Had to get this finished quick, so she could make sure the others weren’t getting overwhelmed. There’d been something on fire that she’d noticed, coming out here.

”I don’t have much time, so listen… Is there any way short of breaking off that collar with force to get you out of that permanently? I’d like you to help me, though if it won’t come off, the transmission block has to stay up until it can, and that will make things difficult. Whatever the case, I need to know: Will you come with me?”

Hisako had a mental shock in her system, which was pretty much at the touching moments Terra had in Darwin. In terms of mixing up Denver-Vegas with Haven was bad idea. She sighed about that, which was mostly because she never really knew what was going on with the other corporations. Her mind was racked with guilt in trying to freak out the Havenite pilot, which she targeted in terms of the repair & salvage NC. These people are nice much nicer than her superiors, which is another thing.

”T-That sounds like a day, I would love to have… No threat of death, or breeding sounds like an insanely fun time. I have to say I am sorry for trying to freak out the pilot of the yellow NC. Denver-Vegas Reality Games are definitely dangerous… I watch them when I am allowed time off but I usually get shocked every now and then to not enjoy it. Because Red-Star is no fun allowed.”

Hisako looked directly at the shock collar on her arm and couldn’t help but cry a bit. They reinforced the Shock Collar to not be taken off by her at the very least. It has to be done by someone else. She cries dreadfully much at that.

”I-I can’t take off the collar, it’s designed in a way if I try I will be shocked and it’ll signal the people who put it on me. And they will order for the destruction of my NC and me inside of it by the Overlord Tank battalions or really anything really. Who’s primarily wholly for the Red-Star Corporation in terms of the Comrade grade citizens. B-But I will come with you and free myself from the horribleness that is Red-Star Corporation, I hope one of the Havenities can take this off of me before it reactivates. Red-Star Corporation killed my awful parents b-but I didn’t truly want that...”

Her voice was strained by the realization of the entire futility of trying to forcing it off. She couldn’t help but cry, the monitoring behavior of her superiors did drive her a bit nuts. No privacy, no safety, no nothing and she wanted something like that she believed in her heart she could atone but as long as she wore the collar she could never atone. She moved her GSS in a way to not show anything is wrong with the pilot for the Red-Star observers, if they were watching that is.

Yes, of course they put a security device on it. This blanket transmission-block was saving her from the shocks and saving her life, but without some experienced help on this matter - tantamount to defusing a bomb - they weren’t getting Hisako free, just yet. That fact really distressed her. You could hear it over comms. Terra didn’t want to hear this, but she had to. It meant that once the collar was off, Hisako would probably be grateful and willingly side with them of her own volition. That essentially meant a success. Now, they had to get through this battle.

”Everything is going to be alright. I’ll need to disconnect here for maneuvers and such because I need to get back to combat and check up a friend, the one forced into the bloodsport. Keep the jamming up and stick with me. We’ll be in an effective black-out, but they won’t attack you if you’re with me. Just watch my back and return with me to the base, and then we’ll get the collar off. It’ll be good to get to know you properly.”

This was slightly a test to make certain that Hisako wasn’t just really good at acting, but Terra felt that this was her being honest, with the way she was talking. She would disconnect the line soon after getting the other pilot’s confirmation and get moving to go find Sahaquiel. Terra didn't like the idea of having to do the rest of this fight without long-range communication, but needs must and all that. At least, now, they had another potential collaborator.

Metroid: Final Protocol

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