Mcmolly

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

Never too much angst, all the angst.

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

Barracks, New Anchorage Facility
--Eli and Vera--

---
When Vera returned to the room, she found the bed pushed flush against the wall, the desk likewise, and the drawer crammed into the corner, effectively turning it into a grand open space. The sight was enough of a surprise to halt her at the door, which was lucky, because had she stepped any further inside she might have taken an awful blow to the head by the wooden practice sword Eli was swinging around. Was in that, when she saw Vera –and moreover, the door open behind her-- she stopped altogether.

As if nothing was the matter, the snowy girl greeted her. “Hey, how was your walk?”

“What did you do to the room?” Vera asked, door shutting behind her. She made her way to the bed and climbed up.

“Needed room to practice.”

“Aren’t there like…practice…rooms?”

“Needed room to practice alone.”

Honestly Vera didn’t mind the changes much, she had a backrest to sit against now at the least. She took up Eli’s PDA but only absently toyed around on it as the older girl began moving again. It was nice to watch, Eli had been doing the same forms for years and years, and by now, even after a few weeks of neglect, it was second nature. Rather than a rigid set of moves, it appeared more like dancing, a fluid collection of steps, turns, leaps, swipes, stabs, all seamlessly woven together. Quick, then slow, wide-stanced and narrow, up on one leg, and low to the ground.

Vera wondered if she could dance in an NC, too.

“So new people showin’ up soon. Wanna go get somethin’ to eat, maybe meet'em?” she asked, and rolled her eyes at the flat look Eli offered in response. “How about just the eating then? I’m hungry, you’re hungry.”

Another flat look, shaken though into embarrassment by a subtle growling from her stomach.

“Hah, you’re hungry, checkmate let’s go," Vera chimed, hopping off the bed before Eli could begin to protest. “You’re gonna make friends~ You’re gonna make friends~”

“We’ll be working together, I don’t need to meet them.”

Vera whirled around on her heel and snatched Eli by the wrist, tossing the practice sword onto the bed. “Nuh, nope, not this time. Last time we got people you didn’t even talk to them. Jan seemed nice, and Stein was awesome and you never talked to her. Plus there’s Percy, and that guy with the fun name that looks like a zombie. You get to work with zombies and giant robots how are you not like exploding with happiness?”

For being no higher than Eli’s middle, Vera could pull weight when it mattered. Despite a faint resistance, she eventually succeeded in yanking Eli out of the room, at which point the girl straightened up and pulled her hand back to her side.

“Okay, okay, we’ll go eat,” Eli said, hushed. She snagged her coat from a hook near the door, wrapped her scarf about her face, and pulled the hood up over her head. “But then I’m coming right back, I have to practice.”

“Yeah yeah practice got it, les’go,” Vera said, and with Eli following behind at a brisk gait, started off for the cafeteria, eager to see the new people, whoever they were. Given all the others thus far had been awesome, she wasn’t worried too much.

Plague-Hunters 2

Willo was less than pleased with the results she got from Lazarus, but then again, it'd be a bold lie for her to say that she'd felt confident during the fight. Exhausted, without the energy to Flitter and her brittle bones sore, really she was just thankful to be alive, which she supposed she owed largely to Shiny--er...Jonathan. Still, sucked in the major that she was back under Laz's ire, and she was just getting used to being liked. Oh well, easy come easy go.

Besides, there were more people now, people that she assumed were with Laz's...acquaintance? And collectively they didn't look much better for wear. One didn't even seem to be able to walk on his own.

Willo swooped after them, collapsing Cinderwill back into its sheathe. "Yeah, looks like shit," she said, craning her head around to Lazarus, since surely he'd have the answers. "He gonna kick the bucket on us?"

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

@ADParis "Vera would keep Ana out of trouble"
oh...oh boy...

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

@Gowi I remember at some point in a chat it was mentioned that a plasma sword was essentially just a heavier variant, like metal with an effective edge rather than a wholly projected blade, I've just been operating under that assumption <D Not adverse to changing it tho', especially for simplicity's sake.

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

Pilot

Elizabeth Jackspar

Age
21

Role
Melee Skirmisher

Appearance
A life dedicated to training has left Eli with a lean, athletic form. An albino, her skin is chalk-white, her long hair a similar color, and her eyes holding a glassy-blue hue. She has a hard gaze and straight posture, like a soldier constantly at attention. Despite this, she’s prone to wearing civilian clothes when things are quiet. Scarves strike her fancy, and she’ll often wear them high on her neck over her mouth, but she’s also prone to gloves and arm warmers.

Personality
Cold and dismissive to anyone that isn’t her superior, compliant and dutiful to all others with an underlying layer of competitiveness beneath everything. A quick, calculating mind and fast reflexes make Eli a good soldier, but little else unfortunately.
In her early teenage years, Eli began suffering from severe and sudden panic attacks, often leaving her an unresponsive wreck. Not knowing how such incidents would affect her daughter's future, her mother went to great lengths to keep the affliction a secret from future potential employers. After a handful of years the attacks decreased in both frequency and intensity without professional assistance, which made concealing them much easier.

Tactical Preference/Skills
Eli excels in melee combat, preferring swords to firearms and speed to durability. While her specialty is quick execution, she can handle prolonged confrontations, especially against a single opponent.

Background
”Eli”

Eli was eight years old when she learned her name was short for “Elizabeth”. Her mother, the librarian recluse Celina Jackspar, had used it once, the first time she’d cried during her training.

”Get up, Elizabeth. Now. And never cry in front of me again.” And she never did.

The Jackspars might have been lepers for how little they interacted with the world. Confined to a modestly sized library nestled in the corner of what was then “Smith’s Rest”, few ever visited, and fewer were actually aware the spindly, aged woman had a child. With little to their name aside from cases and piles of books, it would not have been unreasonable to assume the family would contribute nothing great to the world.

Celina would not allow such an outcome.

The training began early, and never slackened. Eli learned from a young age what she was, and would be. She did not attend school, she did not socialize with peers, she rarely left the library at all. Her life was dedication, she had to let go of the urges to want, and focus entirely on the future.

”Up.” And she got up.

The Jackspars could afford no firearms, and so forewent practicing them. Instead it was decided that Eli would master the art of melee combat in their absence. Lyosha Voloshyna, a carpenter and one of the family’s only “friends”, happily supplied them with wooden models of various swords, ranging from the typical and familiar, to the foreign and unique.

Eli was made to train with them day in and day out. They would not be weapons held, they would be extensions of her own body, or she would fall short. Countless other prospective pilots had the advantage of proper training, they could afford to be merely “adequate” so long as they rounded out a checklist and passed the neural exam.

”I don’t want you on-par, I want you better. Keep going.” And she would.

Hour after hour Eli practiced, submitting herself to the forms and tests of balance. By the time she was in her middle teens, picking up a sword felt like raising her hand, swinging felt like punching. Her threshold for pain was pushed further each day, and every time she kept her mouth shut, kept her face calm, she would catch the ghost of a smirk flicker over her mother’s face. Moving had become a dance, and she was the prima.

When she was fifteen, a practice sword broke in her hand, splintering midway down the blade. It was old, nothing unexpected, and the shattering caused her no physical harm. All the same Eli froze, wide eyes fixated on the broken blade, and her arm, then the girl collapsed in a fit of agony.

Celina watched, shocked.

”Get up.” But she didn’t. ”Elizabeth, get. Up.” But she couldn’t. It took all of her strength not to cry.

It was her first major incident, and the only one Celina ever saw. It took a few years to realize they weren’t going to stop, and seeking professional psychiatric help would murder Eli’s chances at becoming a pilot, so Celina resolved to handle the situation in her own way.

Eli knew Eli. Celina knew Elizabeth.

”Stop shaking.” And she would.

The final years leading up to application were smooth by Celina’s standards. Her daughter was sharp, fast, resilient, and above all, obedient. She would protect Smith’s Rest, she would protect its people, and she would do so under the instruction of whosoever commanded the forces.

Second to her, of course.

”Don’t disappoint me.” And she wouldn’t.

Events in previous thread

-Helped defeat Knight and Rook alongside Percy Moore, Madison Cole, John Strange, and Joe Verona
-Took on her younger sister, Vera, as an “assistant”
-Bonded with the previous commander, Sophia
-Suffered a gruesome defeat at the first assault on Smith’s Rest
-Shaken by Sophia’s desertion

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NC

Blur

Appearance

:Body-Plan:
Blur is a humanoid, bipedal NC, designed to move and strike quickly. Its armor is lacking, but a myriad of thrusters allow not only for fast evasive maneuvers, but also for gap-closing on enemies.

:Type/Quality:
Blur is designed to be an up-close-and-personal NC, meant to close in on key targets before engaging in a melee assault. In this, Blur excels, and should the enemy be unequipped for close-range combat, they may have trouble. However range is her crux, and while Blur is good at evading enemy fire, should one corner her from far enough away, there is little she can do to get out of the situation.
Though Eli would never admit it, Blur works best with, and sometimes even requires a team.

:Equipment:
-Sets of thrusters allowing for enhanced mobility and sustained flight.
-Flare caches for more difficult evasive maneuvers.
-Targeting system designed to track a single enemy and suggest/allocate NC power to close the distance in the quickest/most effective manner. Suggestions are automatic, control/execution is manual.

:Armaments:
-Standard-Issue NC Beam Sword
-PPB-2.71 “Plasma Sword” (Purchased)
-Deployable “Finger-Claws” (New-Anchorage Custom)
-Set of demolition charges sized for NC's. The charges are kept as two separate components that are combined individually in their storage to become armed as needed, so as to avoid detonation from trauma to the housing NC.

---

Vera CS

Vera Voloshyna

(Left, Ana Moore. Right, Vera Voloshyna)

Age
13

Appearance
Vera’s short, her blonde hair equally so, and her eyes are vibrant, lively green. She’s taken to dressing like Eli in some cases, with scarves and hoodies and the like, and generally has smudges of dirt or oil on her face. One of her front teeth bears a chip to it.

Personality
Vera is both easily excitable and hard to bring down. The girl almost always has a smile on her face whether something fun is happening or not, and tends to be more on the gullible side.

Background
Vera’s parents were at Smith’s Rest long before she was born. Her mother was a doctor, and as Vera understands it she helped Ms. Jackspar deliver her daughter not long after their arrival, and it wasn’t until more than a decade later that she herself was born.
Their families grew close, and Ms. Jackspar took on a completely different, warmer persona around the Voloshynas. When Vera was two, she spent much of her time being babysat by them, when she was five, she had managed to befriend Ms. Jackspar’s daughter, Elizabeth. When she was six, her parents vanished.
The family had received threats multiple times over the course of their stay from residents none too fond of the Russian Volkov Security. The Voloshyna’s tried in vain to explain they held no part in the company’s actions, but when at last the threats turned to violence, they had no choice. The letters never addressed their daughter, perhaps because she spent so much time with the Jackspars it was assumed she was just another one of them. Regardless, when Vera’s parents fled they took the opportunity to leave her in the care of their friend, who agreed without complaint or protest.
The girl did the rest of her growing up around Elizabeth, and the two grew incredibly close. She did not receive the same harsh training as Elizabeth but Ms. Jackspar did teach her a few tricks to keeping well in the settlement.

Events in previous thread

-Due to an increasingly dangerous home environment, Celina sent her to "assist" Eli on-base.
-Survived the assault on Smith's Rest

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NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

Also, does this mean we can ditch the old thread?

NCQ — Season I: Favors for Favors

@GowiQuick note, you listed Jan's NC as "Blur" o/

NCQ — Mecha/Post-Apoc Calling All Players (New & Old!)

@LHG100 Who's that lurking in the bushes? :U

NCQ — Mecha/Post-Apoc Calling All Players (New & Old!)

Resubbed to fit the new format o/

Pilot

Elizabeth Jackspar

Age
21

Role
Melee Skirmisher

Appearance
A life dedicated to training has left Eli with a lean, athletic form. An albino, her skin is chalk-white, her long hair a similar color, and her eyes holding a glassy-blue hue. She has a hard gaze and straight posture, like a soldier constantly at attention. Despite this, she’s prone to wearing civilian clothes when things are quiet. Scarves strike her fancy, and she’ll often wear them high on her neck over her mouth, but she’s also prone to gloves and arm warmers.

Personality
Cold and dismissive to anyone that isn’t her superior, compliant and dutiful to all others with an underlying layer of competitiveness beneath everything. A quick, calculating mind and fast reflexes make Eli a good soldier and little else.
In her early teenage years, Eli began suffering from severe and sudden panic attacks, often leaving her an unresponsive wreck. Not knowing how such incidents would affect her daughter's future, her mother went to great lengths to keep the affliction a secret from future potential employers. After a handful of years the attacks decreased in both frequency and intensity without professional assistance, which made concealing them much easier.

Tactical Preference/Skills
Eli excels in melee combat, preferring swords to firearms and speed to durability. While her specialty is quick execution, she can handle prolonged confrontations, especially against a single opponent.

Background
There were a lot of people in Smith’s Rest when Eli was still but an idea in the minds of her parents. Her mother a hunter/gatherer, her father a simple key maker, the two of them got along well until their child was conceived. Three months into her pregnancy, Eli’s mother lost her husband in large fight, reportedly started over medicine.
Eli never directly felt the impact of her father’s death, but her mother suffered greatly. Not in the sense of sorrow –though she surely endured that as well– but rather she became incredibly strict. From Eli’s earliest memories her mother has been cold, but it could never have been said she didn’t care about her daughter. She taught Eli to survive in the harshness of Smith’s Rest, taught her to fight, taught her to know her environment and analyze a situation.
What Eli did not receive in compassion, she was given twice-over in discipline, and by the time she was in her early teens the girl had a mind and body like a soldier. What scraps she got into with other kids were quick and brutal, leading to a small string of incidents and an even smaller string of friends. Indeed, by the time she was a young woman, Eli had no peers to consider close, nor was she bothered by this fact. Fewer ties meant fewer distractions, something she still sees as important on the battlefield.

Text Color: color=6ecff6 Example.

NC

Blur

Appearance

(Hidden for size)

:Body-Plan:
Blur is a humanoid, bipedal NC, designed to move and strike quickly. Its armor is lacking, but a myriad of thrusters allow not only for fast evasive maneuvers, but also for gap-closing on enemies.

:Type/Quality:
Blur is designed to be an up-close-and-personal NC, meant to close in on key targets before engaging in a melee assault. In this, Blur excels, and should the enemy be unequipped for close-range combat, they may have trouble. However range is her crux, and while Blur is good at evading enemy fire, should one corner her from far enough away, there is little she can do to get out of the situation.
Though Eli would never admit it, Blur works best with, and sometimes even requires a team.

:Equipment:
-Sets of thrusters allowing for enhanced mobility and sustained flight.
-Flare caches for more difficult evasive maneuvers.
-Targeting system designed to track a single enemy and suggest/allocate NC power to close the distance in the quickest/most effective manner. Suggestions are automatic, control/execution is manual.

:Armaments:
-Standard-Issue NC Beam Sword
-PPB-2.71 “Plasma Sword” (Purchased)
-Deployable “Finger-Claws” (New-Anchorage Custom)
-Set of demolition charges sized for NC's. The charges are kept as two separate components that are combined individually in their storage to become armed as needed, so as to avoid detonation from trauma to the housing NC.

---

Vera CS

Vera Voloshyna

Appearance
Vera looks about as any ten-year-old ought to. She’s short, her blonde hair equally so, and her eyes are vibrant, lively green. She’s taken to dressing like Eli in some cases, with scarves and hoodies and the like, and generally has smudges of dirt or oil on her face. One of her front teeth bears a chip to it.

Personality
Vera is both easily excitable and hard to bring down. The girl almost always has a smile on her face whether something fun is happening or not, and tends to be more on the gullible side.

Background
Vera’s parents were at Smith’s Rest long before she was born, as refugees from the harsh cold of Russia. Her mother was a doctor, and as Vera understands it she helped Ms. Jackspar deliver her daughter not long after their arrival, and it wasn’t until more than a decade later that she herself was born.
Their families grew close, and Ms. Jackspar took on a completely different, warmer persona around the Voloshynas. When Vera was two, she spent much of her time being babysat by them, when she was five, she had managed to befriend Ms. Jackspar’s daughter, Elizabeth. When she was six, her parents vanished.
The family had received threats multiple times over the course of their stay from residents none too fond of the Russian Volkov Security. The Voloshyna’s tried in vain to explain they held no part in the company’s actions, but when at last the threats turned to violence, they had no choice. The letters never addressed their daughter, perhaps because she spent so much time with the Jackspars it was assumed she was just another daughter. Regardless, when Vera’s parents fled they took the opportunity to leave her in the care of their friend, who agreed without complaint nor protest.
The girl did the rest of her growing up around Elizabeth and her mother, and grew quite close to both. She did not receive the harsh training the other girl did, but Ms. Jackspar did teach her a few tricks to keeping well in the settlement.
Nowadays she tends to follow Eli around, though given the other girl’s busy schedule, she often meanders about the hangers and machine shops out of fascination.

Additional Notes
Though she learned English as a first language, she understands Russian from hearing and speaking it around her parents. As such, her spoken English does carry a faint accent, and at Eli and her mother’s behest, tries to avoid letting it slip in front of too many people.

Text Color: color=662d91 Example.