Shintaion: Resistance

P

Pirogeth

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Original poster
[align=center]Shintaion: Resistance[/align]

Abscus, a united country with the largest military left in the world. Everything from Airships to Armours are produced in the factories; lately now more than ever. Those deemed traitors, spies, and even convicts have been placed in these factories to earn their rights back. Meanwhile the citizens, or perhaps ex-citizens, have been fighting for their lives. Today is a very special day, the day when everyone is assigned their tasks for the coming month via international broadcast of their leader. “Ladies and Gentlemen, our Commander and Chief, Heather Halberd.”

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”Yes, I’ll talk later, I got to go.” The president of the people hung up the phone and approached the podium. “People of Abscus, we have done well to fight off our enemy in the past month but we must press onward.” The crowd gathered in a loud cheer. It was amazing that she could go from phone call to speech in two seconds. “This next month will be filled with hardships like never before. To aid in these troubled times I have one more unit to bring to our arsenal. They are the 91st brigade and will be directed by none other than myself. Everyone else will need to hold their positions until supplies can reach them.”

In one of the buildings behind the President were several criminals all watching the broadcast. “You think them dark beasts are watching?” One of the inmates questioned chuckling to himself.
“You crazy, they don’t even know how to operate a can opener let alone a television.”
“Just makes them that much more dangerous.” Another man’s voice said. The two at the bars, leaning and watching the sole television, had turned their attention back to the darker part of the cell. A black haired man was there fiddling with his thumbs and acting like it was some boring resort rather than a prison.
“How would you know? You have only been in here for a day or two you bastard.” The taller, bald one lashed back. He obviously had spent much more time in here than anyone else as they all backed away. “I have had it with your attitude and I think it is about time I enacted some justice on your ass.”
“Please keep quiet, I’m tying to listen to our Madame President.” He brushed his greasy hair away from his ear so he could hear a little better.
“You little shi-“ Before he finished his sentence a blow had landed on his stomach. He was just in range for the young man to kick. His figure hunched over gasping for air.
“How’d you know my name was Shi? You must be some kinda psychic.” Shi said in a condescending and sarcastic tone. Once he caught some air again he went in for a punch on him. Shi ducked down noticing his shoe was untied as the beefy fist went into the wall at about thirty five miles an hour. The brick did not treat it well and it did not help his attitude. He lifted his head and knocked the assailant in the chin causing him to fall to the floor. Everyone else seemed to back off after that. The sound of the warden’s door opened as the TV ended the President’s speech.
“We hope that the 91st brigade will do fine as they will ship out within an hour to Shrivisk.”
“Is there a man named Shi here?” The warden asked. As he approached the bars the younger buddy the bald guy had raced away to check on his boss.
“My name is Shi.”
“Come with me, the President would like to have a word with you.”
“Mind if I grab my stuff? It is harmless I assure you.”
“You can get it after you get showered. Someone on the administrative board must like you, they made your bail.”
“Then I’ll thank them kindly when I meet them.” The boy was let out of the cell as he left the other man knocked out.
“You’ll be heading to Warehouse 91. The President is a busy woman and she likes to keep meetings as short as possible.” The warden relocked the cell and helped Shi down the hall.
 
In a rather sub-par and small apartment bedroom, a beast was talking to someone. The room smelt of booze and seafood, a strange combination. The Wind beast was rather haggard and talking with his eyes closed.

"Ramia. You know it's meant to be, I fan the flames of love, baby! Fire and Wind get together!!! Who cares if your family is a bunch of rich human fatcats? It doesn't bug me! I'll get used to em eventually."

"And that money they have? Maybe we can borrow some of it and never have to work another day in our lives after this whole thing is over. Get a mansion for the Taonin family, I mean they raised me like I was their own after mother passed away. Gotta pay them back, they still don't have a house yet. Man I hope they're doing allright and getting the money I send em."

"We'll find those gates too and open em up, we'll find where you came from if that's something that'll make ya happy. Now let's get started here, I know you don't want an innocent friendship any longer, catch my drift?"

Monsoon was in his room talking in his sleep this whole time, speaking to Ramia when she wasn't even present. He soon however woke up after he heard a pounding on the door.

"MONSOON! Open up! It's urgent news! We've been requested to join the 91st brigade!" A woman's voice rang out.

Opening his eyes and yawning, Monsoon got up and opened the door. "Hey Ramia, what's that all noise about? 91st brigade?"

Ramia entered the room. She had apparently been up before Monsoon and was already in uniform and ready to go. She looked rather serious as she told him, "I know you just woke up but we have to get going. This is a job we can't refuse. They need all the people they can get to fight the dark beasts."

Monsoon looked a little unhappy, "Dark Beastssss? Dark Beasts???? Shit. Is the pay hefty if we get out of it alive, Ramia? Because I'm not risking my life for some meager sum or from the goodness of my heart. We're not a charity here! Don't get me wrong though, I hate those evil bastards they leveled my whole damn hometown, Taonin house included! How much though??"

Ramia let out a sigh as she explained to Monsoon earnestly, "The payment will be negotiated after the war. The down payment however is..." She leaned over to Monsoon and whispered it to him. A grin lit up on Monsoon's face.

"Let's do it! That's more than enough for me. If that's just the down payment then, once we're finished with those douchebag's war we'll be set for life!" Monsoon almost wanted to celebrate but he held back the urges as he knew the Dark Beast were not easy opponents. He and Ramia could easily die in battle if things went awry. He instead began to pack his things away.

Before she left, Ramia told Monsoon, "Meet me outside once you're done!" Monsoon nodded to her.

Hastily, Monsoon stuffed a bunch of clothes into a suitcase, not bothering to fold them up. He put a few bottles in his suitcase as well. He also put in an locket with a old and grainy family photo. The photo consisted of himself and his mother. There was a third figure but his face had been torn off the photo. He only glanced at it for a second so as not to get slowed down by his emotions.

Ten minutes later, Monsoon had finished the packing and headed outside the unpleasant apartment complex. He did not see Ramia there yet and thus began to get a little bored. It was rather quiet outside, no one else was up yet it seemed or they had already left for work.

He spoke to himself out loud, "I'll be dammed if I let this war ruin my chances with Ramia. I'll find a time and drop the question! Mmmm hmm! Man she's a nice lady beast, nicest one I've ever seen. Mom would have liked her too, err her personality that is. Heh, I hope me and her are gonna fly again. Seeing the world from up high like that. Only I can give her that type of fun!"

He remembered the last time, when he held onto Ramia while he flew overhead to search for a wanted criminal who assisted the Dark Beasts. He smilied remembering that fondly.

Ramia exited the complex with her suitcase as she commented to Monsoon, "Our ride will be here soon. We have to get going to Warehouse 91, it's quite a flight so I'm not expecting you to take us there. They'll pick us up."

Monsoon looked a little sad about it. He thought to himself, "Man! That would have helped me score!!!I don't wanna get murdered by the Dark Beasts without having been with a female!"

Quickly, an smaller helicopter like airship landed a good distance from the complex in an empty field. Ramia whistled, signaling Monsoon to follow her as she ran towards it. Monsoon flew towards it instead, as he could fly much faster than he could walk.

A figure opened the airship doors and asked, "Ramia Flint and Monsoon Griffith? Present your IDs and you may board." Monsoon and Ramia showed their identification and boarded the airship. The airship was only big enough for about twenty people, but it ran smoothly and moved swiftly and safely. After heating the engines back up and sealing the doors, the airship departed. With it's final destination being Warehouse 91, of course.
 
A young man sat at a table positioned nearly dead center of the room. The air was filled with excited, drunken chatter. Every sound reverberating against the walls, making the room louder than it needed to be. The young man wore dark sunglasses and had a lit cigar stuck to the corner of his mouth. The table itself was littered with playing cards and prize winnings, mostly cash, and was flanked by three other men, each much bigger than the young man, probably laborers. The room was filled with what was obviously a tough group of lower class citizens, mostly comprised of proletariat Labor workers and street scum.

One of the gentlemen across the table laid his cards down, crossed his arms in triumph and proclaimed, "TWELVE! BWAHAHAHA!" The other two gentlemen tossed their cards down with grunts and curses.

"Thirteen," the young man responded while delicately laying out his cards.

"BULLSHIT!" The man across the table shot to his feet and reached across the table. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you've managed to pull a perfect thirteen for the fourth time? You've won the last seven hands, there's something off about this guy."

The young man chuckled, "Perhaps I've just got the devil's luck?" The angry citizen was about to lunge across the table when a great shadow fell over him. "Galka! Hey buddy"
The man turned around, dwarfed by the behemoth.

Galka grunted and simply reported, "Lex, Lydia look for you."

"Oh really?" Lex's demeanor brightened, "Well, point me to her! Can't let our beautiful lady wait." Lex collected his winnings, the men were frozen in fear, "Thanks boys, better luck next time. Ohhh~ LYDIIIAAA!"

"Shut up you idiot." The voice was cold and sharp, and it belonged to a goddess. She had long curly locks and a perfect hourglass figure. "I have a note from Bustelo," she continued.

"What's the matter Lydia? Don't you love me any more?" Lex wore a huge grin as she continued to glare at him.

"Shut up," she said again, "He says it's important."

Lex Sighed as he took the letter and turned it over in his hands. He shot one last scandalous look to Lydia before unfolding it. He looked it over for a few moments and hummed in certain spots. "91st Brigade huh?" His smile returned as he shouted, "Galka! Come here you sexy beast, we've got work to do!"
Now, turning back to Lydia, "Thank the old man for me." With that he blew a kiss, winked, and turned towards the door. Galka was holding the door as Lex stepped out into the daylight. They disappeared around the corner moments later.
 
The mercenary group once a faction of the Shintaion government known as Black Crow wandered the streets of the capital of Abscus in look of work to do. There wasn't all that much fighting going on at the moment as the main forces were planning their next attack, or so they were lead to believe.

"Work, work, work we need to find work!" Cyrus sang as the group walked down the block, with his arms behind his head relaxing as they strode.
Almost a split second later Estelle made a move to hit him and Cyrus dodged "Hey! What was that for?" Cyrus asked defensively.
"Because" Estelle replied"You've been singing about work the last half an hour!"
Cyrus retorted saying "Well is isn't MY fault you're the one who botched the last job!" as he dodged another swipe at his head.
"Hey come back here!" Estelle shouted as she raised her fist and started chasing after Cyrus as they began to run in circles. "You better be glad my armour is in the storage unit otherwise you'd be a pancake!!"

Jericho only watched them and let out a hearty laugh. What it would be like to be in young love again he thought. Jericho himself wasn't very old but had seen his fair share of bloodshed and had lost his way, in the previous wars between the neighboring countries. His love as well as his closest comrades had died at the hands of war, in which afterwards he swore to protect with his own two hands, vowing to never pick up a gun again.

"Hahaha children calm down, calm down!" Jericho spoke half laughing half seriously. Estelle had finally captured Cyrus and was sitting on top of his back about ready to punch his head when Jericho said "Hmm? What is this?" and Cyrus and Estelle stopped fighting for the moment and follow Jericho's gaze to the television in the store front window.

“People of Abscus, we have done well to fight off our enemy in the past month but we must press onward. This next month will be filled with hardships like never before. To aid in these troubled times I have one more unit to bring to our arsenal. They are the 91st brigade and will be directed by none other than myself. Everyone else will need to hold their positions until supplies can reach them.”

"Heeeyyyy that's a job!" Cyrus exclaimed. As the address of where the 91st brigade would meet showed up on the screen. "Yes, yes it is!" Estelle said angrily and finally punched Cyrus in the head, with him responding in a verbal fashion. As Estelle watched the television Cyrus attempted to try and creep up behind her to get her back, but as the same time Jericho came up behind both and placed his massive hands on their heads. "Well shall we go then little ones?" Jericho smiled, and the two quit there quarrel temporarily and then the group known as Black Crow walked towards the location that was advertised on the television. Hoping to find a job that paid well.
 
Rae's eyes flickered open as a ray of sunlight hit her face, blinding her for a few moments in bright light. After rubbing her eyes and letting her eyes adjust, she rolled out of her twin-sized bed, her eyes looking all around her small room. Opposite her bed was the door, and to the right of her bed was a nightstand with a clock on it. Rae read the clock, her eyes widening. Rae ran out of the room, exiting it and then running into the bathroom nearby like a bolt of blond lightning. Rae threw off her clothes in haste and got in the shower, showering as fast as she possibly could.

After about five minutes, she turned off the shower and ran out, slinging a towel around herself as she rushed over to her bedroom once more. She approached the wall to the right of the bed and opened a wooden door to her small closet. She quickly put on a white tank-top and a pair of light jeans. She quickly slipped on a pair of white running shoes. Afterwards, she kneeled down and rummaged around until she found a bag with scrunchies and put her still wet hair up in a ponytail. Eventually, she walked out of the room when the doorbell rang, alerting her as she walked quickly through the small apartment to the door. Noticing the person had a letter, she opened the door.

The man holding the letter had seen better years in his life. He wore a fake smile that creeped Rae out. Rae gave back a nervous smile, keeping her thoughts to herself. Ugh, why does the mailman have to be a total creeper?

"I was guessing you'd be up by now," The mailman said to Rae as he handed her the letter. "This looks quite important, hey, maybe you could . . . " the mailman was interrupted by Rae.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, thanks. Have a good day," Rae responded as she looked at the letter and closed the door on the man.

Rae opened the letter and read it. After processing it for a bit, her eyes widened again. And this stuff has to happen when I just recovered from last night's booze binge, Rae grimaced as she walked back to her room, packing her clothes and her scrunchies in her bag. She then rummaged through the closet and found her throwing daggers and brass knuckles. She took out a holster and strapped it onto her waste and filled it with some throwing daggers. She put on her brass knuckles after putting on a dark blue wind-breaker before grabbing the key to her apartment on her nightstand and walking out her house.

Ugh, he's still here, Rae noticed as she peered through the door. I guess I'll just take some other way, Rae thought to herself as a smirk appeared across her face. She proceeded to lock the door, grab her bag, and then open the window in the small area that was her living room. She moved herself so that she was hanging from the bottom of window. She forced herself up and closed the window as she then descended down the apartment building. Her black claws grinded against the wall, slowing down her descent so that she would land softly. After lowering herself two stories she landed.

Walking off, she re-read the letter. 91st Brigade, snazzy, Rae thought sarcastically to herself as she walked through the streets, looking for the place where she was supposed to go. I better get this job done, seems like it'll pay big, Rae thought to herself as a smile appeared on her face at the thought of living in somewhere other than her crummy apartment. Rae, worried about being late for the job, rushed off, using her speed to dash through the streets as fast as she could.
 
Warehouse 91, a building that had been formerly used as a hangar for the great airship Leviathan, the pride and joy of Shintaion’s military air force. The ship itself was brought down above Colt during the sixth battle on Shintaion soil. Ever since then, the hangar remained just a ghost of its former self. Now it had another ship in it, the Abscus Victoria. It was a smaller military vessel, but one that could sure put up a fight. With eight double barrel .556mm plasma turrets mounted around it as well as a thin but sturdy titanium hull, it could compete with the medium sized ships. In front of the ship was gathered the force that was assembled, although it did look smaller than what a brigade should have been. Other than the President there were only nine others
”Welcome to the 91st brigade. You have all been asked to come here to serve what is left of our countries. Your first assignment is to go to the underground bunker Alameda in Shrivisk. There you can pick up the rest for your brigade. After that then we will plan accordingly using their tools to mount an effective defense against whatever these dark beasts are planning.” The Presdient was quick in her sentences, wrapping up the situation in a few short words. “Now let’s board.” She directed everyone to the Victoria. As they were getting on she stopped the young man who was in jail. “Please come to my quarters.”

-Victoria, Halberd’s Quarters

Shi stood there for a moment as Heather poured a glass of burbon with ice and chugged it down. She was looking out the window decorated in fine curtain and mahogany. “Please sit.” Her voice calmer than the meeting. Shi took her up on that offer and sat down in a fine leather chair. She swirled her drink around, the ice clinking against the glass. “Shintaion is gone, and so are my memories of that place.” The calm voice was replaced with a sadder tone. “It was just a horrid nightmare ever since that day at the tower, when we found that object. First it was mother, then Kinito, soon after the people we knew were either imprisoned or killed. Killard, was ruthless and almost as bad as these new foes.”
“Heather…” Shi said, almost as if he was going to apologize for it all. “It was never the past you were concerned with.”
“The past is still not what I am concerned with, but our future. We are facing complete extinction, Shi. And where were you when Shintaion needed your help!? We were lost; the cities destroyed one after the other. I just wanted things to be fine for a bit. Now I am the President, and not just that but one of the Counsel placed in the Abscus Board of Administration. I was directed military leader and during that time I got this far without you. Shi, your supposed to be dead, that’s how things were the past five years. Nobody thought otherwise but we continued on. Why are you haunting me?” Her delusional talk had caught Shi off guard. “You do not need to answer that. I’m sorry, I should not be acting like this. I should be happy that you are back.”
“Please, don’t be sorry, you are right. I have abandoned Shintaion and its people in their time of dire need. But let me make that up by destroying the foes ahead of me and letting me join this 91st brigade.” He said, a flare of enthusiasm sparking.
“Of course, you were always one to put the first foot forward. I just worry for your safety.”
“No need to worry Mistress. I have accompanied Shi the past month.” A mechanical voice resounded through the room. It had come from a device attached to Shi’s arm. A holographic image shot out from it displaying a very basic mouth with eyes.
“What is that?”
“This is X38, the computer from Killard’s mainframe. He has a motion sensor, data record function, and a lot more that I’ve not really found out about.”
“I am compatible with several different networks and am capable of performing 18,000 different tasks at various speeds.”
“With that kind of efficiency, I suppose I do not need to worry.” A smile appeared on her face affecting Shi as well. It was good to know that Heather still had that core essence of her left.


[SUMMARY: The first half of the 91st brigade boards the Abscus ship Victoria headed for underground base Alameda. After they take off Heather has a talk with Shi about the past. During which time the X38 reveals itself and the numerous capabilities it has.]
 
After hearing the orders, Ramia and Monsoon boarded the Victoria rather quickly.

Monsoon thought to himself as he had noticed most of the group was human, "Wow....Not many beasts aside from that thunder beast lady and us. Maybe some of em are late arrivals." He then saw Galka and looked rather intimidated. "Damn, that's not fair, wind beasts can't grow that big!"

Ramia and Monsoon both were rather impressed by the airship however as they looked around it. "As much as I'm not big on technology, this is quite a ship." Ramia said to Monsoon.

"Yeah.. Fancy and all that. As much as I like flying without a ship, this is safer. I bet this armor could at least a bunch of hits from some dark energy before going down." Monsoon replied. The two of them looked around the airship some more, Monsoon lugging his suitcase on the floor while Ramia carried her's effortlessly.

Ramia began to think to herself as she recalled the orders from Heather, "So the Dark Beasts intend to invade that area soon... I hope it'll be safe when we get there. Being thrust into combat immediately before preparations can be made would be disastrous.." Monsoon began tapping Ramia on the shoulder to get her attention.

He finally succeed, "Hey, I know this is a big deal and not a good situation but I think we should go socialize a bit, meet some of the people. We're going to be working with them for a long time hopefully, so we best get to know them. Let's make the best of things here and lighten things up, ya know." Monsoon began to open up his suitcase and checked to see if one of the bottles of booze was cold enough, he found one but Ramia glared at him as he tried to pull it out. He promptly put it back in.

"Monsoon. Now's not the time for fun and drinking games. We can save that for after all this is over. We're going to be involved in a war so please behave." Monsoon smilied, "Ok ok Ramia, I get what you're saying. No antics like that. I just figured they might be the last chance to really get a drink if those dark beasts are going to descend upon this land soon. That's why I was tempted to take a few sips but I won't. I'll just save it for later, it won't go bad for a while anyhow."

"Good. I'm glad you made the right choice Monsoon. We have a reputation to uphold as skilled mercenaries, we can't get drunk here in front of our comrades and superiors. I'm glad you understand that. You also had a good idea there about meeting our comrades." Ramia praised Monsoon. Although Monsoon didn't get a sip of his favorite booze, at least he scored points with Ramia, that mattered to him more.

"Let's go Monsoon! We'll do this together! We're partners after all." She grabbed Monsoon's hand and walked with him. Monsoon smilied as he thought, "Hehehe, I like the sound of THAT. Too bad it's just talking to people though. Ah well, once I drop the question, then I'll be out of the friend zone and into paradise!"
 
Black Crow arrived at Warehouse 91 in time to see half of the newest company to board the airship
"You idiot!" Estelle exclaimed as the team saw people boarding the Victoria. "We might not make the airship departure time!"
"Oh calm down Stelle!" Cyrus said trying to act all smooth "We have PLENTY of time before the airship leaves after all is it right there!"
"Yes but is my armour on it? NO IT ISN'T! Did you think about that?!?"
"Huh" Cyrus thought as he put his pointer finger to is chin "I guess I forgot, meh" then shrugged his shoulders.
"How could you forget!?!?" shouted Estelle getting ready to punch him again.

Throughout this entire conversation and a little time before, neither Cyrus or Estelle noticed Jericho had disappeared. At the exact moment Estelle was going to hit Cyrus, Jericho drove by them with armour Gomorrah in tow. He waved and smiled as Cyrus responded in kind and Estelle, still angry, punched his head with such force that she knocked him over onto the ground, storming off in the direction of the airship.
Cyrus got up rubbing the back of his head and said to himself grinning "Heh I really should start wearing my helmet all the time, especially when I'm around her."

Several minutes later the gang met up at the front of the ship, so they could explore the Victoria together, and get a better idea of their hopefully temporary home. Each member had their own quirks they were looking for. Estelle was trying to find the most accessible place to jack into so she could attempt to see what she could hack information wise from the ship. Cyrus finding the best vantage points in case of an emergency need of his skills. Jericho on the other hand always being alert but knew when to relax and just enjoyed their self guided tour of the ship, hoping to run into some others that they could converse with and hopefully become friends.
 
Ramia was the one who took control for the most part. She was able to talk sense into Monsoon as it was war they were in, it should not be treated as if it were a rowdy party. She decided who they'd talk to first as she glanced and looked around the airship. She was just more of a leader than Monsoon was. She handled most of the business dealings with Flint Griffith Hunters. She had made sure the Shrivisk HQ for the company had been closed before they left. As after all, they could accept no other jobs aside from this one, no criminals ranked above the Dark Beasts in terms of destructive power.

She walked with Monsoon and found a rather tough looking-older human. She thought to herself, "He's definitely a part of this our brigade. He looks like he's been through a lot. But he seems friendly. Well might as well talk to him first. I don't see too many others this close to us."

Ramia introduced herself to the man, "Hello I'm Ramia Flint, I've been assigned to the 91st brigade and this is my partner Monsoon Griffith. Err, mercenary partner that is. We are a small mercenary company called Flint Griffith Hunters. I figured since we're going to be working with each other like this, we best get to know our comrades."

Monsoon nodded and he added, "Yeaaaah. Ramia pretty much said it all for me. We're mercenaries and the dark beasts are our targets, we're gonna be in this until this war is over though. We've got a long term commitment. Yeah, we've talked enough. What's your name dud-err Sir?" He paused so as to give Jericho his chance to introduce himself.

Monsoon was not very formal. He called people nicknames, dude, or shortened their names at times. He was never well-versed in etiquette. The Taonin whom took over raising him were rather dysfunctional and low on the ladder of society, although they were loving and took care of Monsoon and their own children to the best of their abilities.
 
"I'm goin' back to Gator Country where the wine and the women are free..."

Cal sang along to Momma Rose's sound system as he rode her into the hanger that housed the 91st's ride. He winced slightly as a particularly jolting step jostled his brand-spanking-new tatto into the waldo frame. Getting wasted last night and getting a big ol' 91 over crossed hatchets on his bicep probably wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, but hey, it wasn't the worst either. He shrugged off the pain and stomped Momma Rose right on in and up the loading ramp, ignoring the dirty looks he got from the few dignitaries present.

Soon as he got Momma Rose stowed and strapped in for transport, he lit a new cigarette, pulled a six-pack of beer and a bottle of whiskey out of his little storage compartment, and slung Jemma 'cross his back, then headed on up to claim himself some quarters near the engine room. He managed to get himself turned around, though, not being familiar with the ship, and wound up on the bow instead. Seeing the Crow folks, he decided to be all friendly-like.

"Well, hey there, y'all. I 'sume y'all in the ninety-first, yeah? Nice t' meet yah, I'm Calvin. Friends call me Cal."

Belatedly realising that he had booze in both hands, he stuffed the whiskey bottle into a jacket pocket and offered his hand for a shake.
 
Jericho let out a hearty and friendly laugh at Monsoon's address at being professional yet casual at the same time. "It is a pleasure to meet the two of you, Ramia and Monsoon. My name is Jericho Emanon, but you may call me Jericho. I along with my comrades are a mercenary group, who were until the dark beasts broke out, apart of the Shintaion military. We were known as The Black Crows. My comrades are Cyrus behind me to my right checking his rifle, and Estelle behind and to my left looking for jack-in ports in the most quirkiest of places, she is an armour user. They can be childish at times, but it's what happens when you're young and in love." Jericho stated winking and taking an extended breath, after the quite lengthy monologue.

"As much as I disdain war I'm glad to see the friendly gesture even in these dire times! I must say we do travel often but we don't get to converse with Forbidden Beasts, your stance acknowledges you like to get up close and personal in battle, correct? Once we become better acquainted, if you are comfortable with it would you mind swapping battle techniques?"
Jericho asked smiling creating a warm atmosphere, as though he may have been slightly shorter then the Forbidden Beasts he was rather broad and his presence could sometimes be overbearing, which he tried to compensate for by being friendly.

Cyrus was checking his rifle when Cal approached him from the side and introduced himself extending his hand. Not wanting to be rude, as Cyrus can be polite when it isn't Estelle, set down his rifle and accepted the handshake offered to him. "Pleasure to meet you Cal! My name is Cyrus Anti, my comrades and I are a group called The Black Crows. We were until the dark beasts broke out, apart of the Shintaion military. Now we like you are here to try and give those dark beasts one last run.

"The rather big man to my left is Jericho he's an up close and personal sort of fella, and loves a good conversation. The girl behind me..." Cyrus paused and then cupped his hand over his mouth to quiet what he was about to say next "Is Estelle she a little crazy if you know what I mean" Cyrus said as made the crazy gesture with his hand near his head.

Estelle who had been minding her own business noticed Cyrus in conversation with a rather interesting fellow. Being the girl she was eavesdropped on the conversation while pretending to do something else. However when their conversation became quiet she looked over and saw the gesture Cyrus was making.
And assuming that any rude gesture Cyrus made was about her (which it almost always was) she immediately grabbed the hardest and closest thing she could find, which turned out to be Cyrus's helmet he had carelessly left laying around, and chucked it at his head. At that moment she also shouted "What was that Cyrus?!?!"

The helmet colliding with a loud thunk connected successfully with Cyrus's head. This being the third hit to the noggin today responded "OW!! See what I mean Cal? Gadzooks crazy! It's like she has ESP or something!!" Estelle having accomplished her goal went back to work fuming, as Cyrus asked Cal "So what brought you to the 91st Brigade?" What is your story?"
 
Lex and Galka entered the ship after the short briefing and cold welcome. They were two of the last to board as Lex observed the others, taking a head count and developing a feel for their group's character potential. He watched as the Black Crow threesome bickered and bumbled about, noting that the older gentleman was the only one who looked halfway competent. Lex also noted the other beasts in the group, apparently another mercenary cell. "THIS looks promising," he thought.

Lex busied himself with lighting up another cigar while Galka began making himself comfortable, which one would think difficult given his size. He set down his Plasma cannon with a grunt. It looked like something that should be mounted on the outside of the ship itself, the over all size dwarfing some of the military personnel around them. A group of women performing some diagnostics took a moment to gawk at him, He could only respond with a sheepish grin.

Lex was looking over the Black Crow's Armour unit and remarking over how he might have misjudged their young female companion when Cal's own abomination rolled by. "Oh yes, very promising," he Chuckled.
 
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☆.*´Lorietta Pearl`*.☆


Sapphire Blue. The color of her brother's technomancer water. Lorietta bent low, peering at the droplets of water as they formed a consistent stream, splashing onto her outstretched palms. "Wow~! So pretty !" She cooed happily, her eyes twinkling at the sight of such beauty. She was inspired by the water her brother could create from water in the area. It was magical; everytime she watched him, she felt breathless and in awe.

"It's amazing~! You're amazing!" She jumped up and hugged her brother tightly, sending both of them teetering backwards. He smiled. He wasn't much older than her, Lorietta considered three years a small gap, but he was a lot more mature when it came to the world. Unlike his sister, he did not see things as pretty and amazing, everything was dull and monotone, until his sister put life and color into things he would normally overlook.

Lorietta pulled away and looked up at him, "Are you sure you shouldn't go?" she asked curiously. Somehow, her brother had insisted that she should take this chance to help Abscus like she wanted and go on an adventure. He hadn't laughed about it, but he wanted her to go. But what bothered her was the fact that he wasn't going as well. He was giving up this job to her like it was nothing. She knew, better than anyone, how much Luke loved fighting for Abscus. Still, she bit back her curiosity and nodded, 'All right. I'll go. It seems like fun anyway," she smiled brightly.

Luke ruffled her hair affectionately, "That's the spirit, Lor. Be careful and be strong." He wasn't good with words or particularly emotional, but Lorietta knew how much he cared. Not just for her wellbeing, but for dad's and Matt, their older brother, who was seldom at home, often away, researching one thing or another for their father. Luke was the one who'd offered to become dad's nanites project guinea pig. Everytime something new came up in the discovery, it was Luke that went over to the lab without a second thought to test it out. Luke was everything Lorietta wanted to be.

Courageous, determined and steadfast to his ideals. She had never known anymore better. It was hard to think that her brother wasn't going to be coming with her on this adventure. She would've loved if he did, but it wouldn't have been an adventure with him along. And Luke knew that, she guessed. Maybe that's why he wasn't coming with her.

Shaking her head free of all these silly thoughts, Lorietta bid farewell to her brother and straightened her rocket-powered scooter. It was a sleek, metallic designed silver scooter that went at different speeds based on the dial. It was better than walking at least. She looked at the piece of paper her brother had given her, it was the location that the president had asked them to come to. Taking a deep breath, Lorietta pulled the engine lever and started up her scooter. Then, glancing back at Luke, she rushed away, wind scattering her brown hair behind her. Left here...And then...right there...Almost at the place... She was a good driver, for the most part, albeit a little reckless. She rushed into the area, jumping off her scooter and flipping it into the air. When you twist the handle bar, it automatically snaps into a small, carry-on format.

As she ran towards the entrance to Warehouse 91, Lorietta haphazardly stuffed the shrunken scooter into her knapsack and dashed towards the Victoria airship. At first, she stood still, her eyes wide as she looked at it in awe, trying memorize every bit of it. And then, she quickly dashed into the entrance, tripping over something and tumbling into the main room and somehow getting onto her feet with her arms up in the air.

"TADAA"

[align="right"]*♪ Lori ♪ *[/align]
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"Young and in love huh? Wish that was MY situation. I can't get Ramia to see I'm interested in her no matter how hard I try. And if I pop the question, it just might make things awkward as hell even if that'd possibly work. Man..What to do...It really would suck if I die before I even tell her I've got a thing for her." Monsoon thought to himself.

Monsoon was also glad Jericho didn't recognize Monsoon's last name. He'd hate to be compared to his father after all, Monsoon wanted to make a name for himself instead of being known as "The Sky Knight". The Sky Knight did not do him justice, Monsoon was not an elegant knightly-warrior like his father. Monsoon was far from anything like that! That was the only thing Monsoon really feared when talking with people, someone bringing up his father.

Ramia and Monsoon both felt some common ground with Jericho now, learning he was part of a trio of mercenaries. Speaking first Ramia responded to Jericho, "I see. It's interesting to meet them and you, Jericho. And yes your assumption is correct, forbidden beasts are generally better at fighting close up, although Monsoon's style does use quite a few long range techniques. Mine is a close up style though. We'll gladly swap some battle techniques with you at some point. It'll definitely benefit us all if we share knowledge like that."

With a grin on his face Monsoon added, "Yeah. She summed it up. But that's cool you guys were mercenaries too, it's nice to know there's people here with experience like that. We'll definitely work together and share some battle tricks, too bad this airship probably doesn't have any good spacious or safe places to do that as far as I know..Ah well, sometime later then-"

Monsoon noticed the other things going around in the airship, Armour units getting on board, other people talking and a rather energetic human girl making quite an entrance complete with a "TADAA". He could even a faint scent of whiskey coming from somewhere. It was distracting him. He then focused back onto the conversation with Jericho, as after all, it'd be rude not to. This chaos seemed to amuse Monsoon though, it wasn't exactly a party but it did not have the feeling of doom and gloom just yet. Monsoon liked it that way.

"Heh, sorry about that Jericho, the music from that Armour earlier and the all craziness kinda got my attention there. Yeah, it's been good talking to ya. I don't think we got too much more to say though, at least not now. I think we've reached a good understanding with each other though and I think we'll get along nicely." Before Monsoon could do anything, Ramia motioned to shake hands with Jericho. Monsoon had to wait his turn now to shake hands.

"Shaking hands. A human thing, eh but at least he'll understand the gesture. Not my kind of thing but it'd just weird to do forbidden beast greetings with em. This is for the best. Of course it comes naturally to Ramia, being raised by humans and all that. Man, maybe I have to act human to give Ramia the signal I like her? Hmm." Monsoon pondered.
 
The landscape faded away into a blur of streetlights and a palette of dull colors, with the occasional splash of brighter hues. Rae was rushing as fast as she could, because she knew she was late. She bounded through the streets as if she had been doing so for years. She was used to scaling urban settings as she whizzed over the buildings and approached the warehouse area. Eventually, she leaped down from a building and rolled to the ground quickly, recovering and then continuing at a breakneck pace towards Warehouse 91.

She passed by many warehouses which contained various armours and airships. She was used to the site of this, and wasn't really all too impressed. She remembered that Warehouse 91 was once used for the great airship Leviathan. I wonder if this one is just as impressive, Rae thought to herself as she continued along towards the warehouse which was now within her distorted view. As she neared it, her speed lowered as she slowed down. She panted for a bit as she walked the rest of the way to Warehouse 91.

Eventually, Rae entered Warehouse 91. She looked at the Abscus Victoria with a slight nod of approval. This'll work, it'll work just fine, Rae thought to herself as she continued her walk towards its entrance. Rae zipped in, noticing that there was also young child in the main room. Rae, slightly tired, decided to let down her bags and sit down. I guess I can just lay back awhile and let whoever come to me, Rae thought to herself as she slumped in a seat that she found. Or not: I should probably make an effort to meet who I'm gonna be working with, Rae thought as she reluctantly got up from her seat and walked through the main room, observing the room and the people in it.

She continued walking and noticed a group of people who were introducing themselves. She casually gave a wave of the hand as she placed herself in the conversation with the group.

"Hello! You all must be the people I'm working with," Rae said. "I'm Rae Farfor, but feel free to call me Rae or "Zippy"," Rae introduced herself to the group. "So, what are your names?" Rae asked, mostly for the sake of being able to put names to faces.
 
Over the next half hour people seemed to converse touching on smaller details. Shi had been released from Heather’s room but did not feel like talking with any of the troops just yet. He needed time to think for himself, so he adjourned to a private corner in what could be called the lobby of the Victoria. From his view he could see the coastal hills connecting the Helio Landbridge and Shrivisk as well as the large military base there. Although it did appear intimidating on the surface it had a greater threat lurking below.

-Alameda, Communications Bunker

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”This is Alameda Comm Center requesting clearance codes.” An old supervisor there said over his headset. Others were running around him passing on folders and files, others tapping away at their computers, while others monitored the radar and thermal imaging. “Clearance codes accepted, welcome back Victoria. You are cleared for hangar D1A12, the General has been waiting eagerly.” The man shut off his communications with the ship as he directed a unit to check on the landing.

It was a short walk over to the hangar and the troops lined up in standard greeting formation, equal soldiers on each side of a cleared central path. The first to set foot in the center was a gruff, muscular, and uniformed man highly decorated. His graying brown hair was neatly tucked under his dark green hat. His uniform was pristine and well kept and his posture one of respect for the approaching president. “Madame President, it is so good to have you here.”
“It is good to be here General Svosk. I have brought with me the special units of the 91st. Have the others arrived yet?”
“Only three so far ma’am. Two of them arrived just before you did and are waiting in primary command.” Svosk replied keeping his head forward and prideful.
“Very good, I’d like everyone to get together there as soon as possible.” Heather said starting to walk in past the General. He turned around and followed right behind her. As the rest got out of the Victoria, the troops there saluted for a welcome. Shi felt a little embarrassed to be greeted with such high honors. From what he could tell from his brief look around the lobby, they would be saluting several mercenaries, a child, and a red neck. As he stepped forward the General’s second in command stepped in.
“Hello, I’m Commander Marcus. I will show all of you to the meeting room.” The rest had no complaints, after all they were there to strategize, and the sooner they got it done the better.


-Alameda, Primary Command

The lights hummed as everyone entered a quiet room that overlooked the noisy chatter outside. They were up in a white room with one wall made of glass to overlook the large monitors displaying most the facts of the bunkers all around Shrivisk. This was the epitome of Shrivisk Central Command. General Svosk stood looming over everyone as he looked at each member from his end of the table. “Good, we can get this meeting underway. As you probably know, the dark beast forces have made several unsuccessful attempts to destroy Alameda and several other bases on the eastern coast of the Helio Landbridge. We defended well against their attempts but I believe our fears are being realized, those bastards are getting more intelligent every minute. We have established proof that they are intercepting messages, piloting vehicles, and even learning how to use the tools of war. It will not be long before they start redeveloping current weaponry for their own use and with the main research facility at Teros, there is no telling what potential they have. All we know is that very soon this will happen.” The General let Heather take over from there.
“That is where you come in. The 91st brigade is not only a new unit, we’ve hand picked you for strategic special operations. If we let them have that Research and Development facility we can just forget about having a tomorrow to look forward to.” The door creaked open as Heather finished.
“And what is the facility called?” A man stepped in, lean and very agile looking. He had a sword strapped to his back and his shirt was buffed out by body armor underneath. On his waste he wore two plasma pistols. Shi couldn’t believe the man was still alive.
“Sether?”
“Yeah kid, been awhile. Sorry about not being here at the start of the meeting, had a bit of natural business.”
“Everyone, meet Sether, he is our lead in enemy intelligence as well as head of previous infiltration operations.” Heather held her hand out as she introduced the man.
“Well thank ya Hea-er, it is President isn’t it? Just can’t get used to that now can I? Hopefully this batch is better than them wussy elves you keep sending me. Had to prop two of them on my back to get out in Bindarl.” Sether walked along the side of the room and leaned up against the wall. “Go on General, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” From Svosk’s reaction the two didn’t really have good relations. He scowled at the latest arrival as he made a mockery of his meeting.
“As we were saying, the research lab Exor needs to be destroyed to maintain balance. Destroy that and it will put a stop to their research.” Even Sether had to agree on that point. He nodded his head as the door creaked open again. This time a scrawny brown haired man with a headset on.
“Sir, I think we may have a situation.”
“What do you mean?” The General stormed out the door as everyone went over to listen. As they got to the door they seemed to have missed part of the conversation already.
“Well tell them to re-enter the codes.”
“We have sir, and they did, but the code was out of service this morning.”
“Then the request should be denied.”
“B-b-but, the hangar door sir, it is…opening.”
“What!? Shut it down, I don’t care if you have to use your god damn hands, no ship is allowed in without clearance!”
“We tried, every procedure is being overrun or overridden. They seem to be one step ahead.” As he explained a call came in over the headset the General now had taken from the man.
“Hangar door is now open but we can’t see the ship.”
“What, it can’t just vanish, track it. Track it!” Svosk barked orders left and right trying to get a fix on the unknown ship. The thing had vanished, off of radar, off of thermal, even off of sonar. “How do we lose a CLASS 7 CRUISER! The thing is as big as whale! Find it, and destroy it.” Before he could give another order the base began to shake, several monitors blinked on and off. “Situation, what’s your situation?” Svosk turned the communication over to speaker. There was static but eventually a voice came through.
“shhhh—Hang—shhhhh—run, get to cover. So—shhhh—Reinforcements, we need some reinforcements!”
“Ten, Hammer, get over there and get me a sitrep. Madame President I suggest you take your team and get to a safe-“
“The 91st brigade will not run from a fight General. We’ll keep this base, even if we are the last ones fighting for it. 91st MOVE OUT!”


[SUMMARY: The Victoria lands in Alameda and everyone heads to the Primary Command Center’s meeting room. Once there Shi is reunited again with a familiar face, Sether. General Svosk, the leader of Alameda as well as the rest of the Shrivisk bases, tells them about Exor, a research and development facility for military applications that the dark beasts might use. Before the meeting can be totally adjourned, there is an attack on one of the hangars by a Class 7 Cruiser. The state of the hangar as well as the other bunkers is yet a mystery to the 91st as they are directed to clean up.]
 
It was these kind of dire situations that reminded Black Crow od the days they worked for the Shintaion military, and they were not going to let what happened to Shintaion happen to Shrivisk. If not they would die trying.
Black crow jumped into action, "Cyrus, Estelle, suit up. Defense plan Zeta. Codenames: Cumulus, Gale, and Quake." Jericho barked his personality seeming to change completely. He was still the caring man everyone knew him to be, but when it comes down to lives he will do whatever it takes to preserve as many as possible.

"General" Estelle stated in a rushed voice May I have remote access to the ships computers via armour?" Before he could answer she dashed off to Gomorrah not wanting to waste anymore time, assuming that General Svosk would trust her even though they had just become acquainted. Knowing that if she was given access, her armour would let her know.

Cyrus and Jericho followed Estelle to Gomorrah to make sure everything went along smoothly in her transition to armour mode.
"C'mon guys you don't need to watch me, we have done this hundreds of times before."
"We understand Stelle but you know it's comrades first, and always."Cyrus said as she linked in with Gomorrah.
"I know I know" Estelle responded with a smile as the armour encompassed her entire body.
"Make it rain Cloud Boy" Estelle laughed as she walked off the platform and walked next to Cyrus and Jericho "Whatever you say Stelle, whatever you say." As Cyrus slung his sniper around. Black Crow then made their way towards the commotion.
 
It was so sudden, they hadn't much time to prepare. They hadn't even time to meet everyone in their brigade. The Dark Beasts weren't going to give them any idle time for such things. It was time to enter battle. While they had the advantage of not needing any equipment to battle, it meant they had to be some of the first to enter the fray.

"Dark Beasts. Can't say I've fought any before...I wish we could have gotten some training or more briefing on how to reliably kill the damn things. I'll just have to improvise and hope Wind Energy will be enough."Monsoon thought to himself.

"Monsoon! Cover me! I'll move in first!"Ramia spoke as swiftly as she moved. She faster than Monsoon on the ground and the area was more cramped being an in-door area as opposed to the outside, flying around wasn't ideal. Monsoon acknowledged Ramia with a nod as she moved forward. Listening for any sounds of movement or any voices of the Dark Beasts or even any survivors of the initial attack.

As they moved forward, they didn't hear too much, it was mostly silent. The Dark Beasts knew better than to make loud noises, they knew there were some others still in the base. They then saw Dark Beasts pour into the room. It appeared far too many of them had survived and managed to break through the defenses. Perhaps there were even more waiting outside the base....

One particular dark Beast looked to be the most menacing of them all. She wore a mask that resembled a wolf's head. It covered her face for the most part. All one could see through it was her right eye and an eyepatch covering what was her left eye or what remained of it.

She held a large rifle made of dark energy in her hands. She seemed slender like Ramia and just as tall. She also looked to be as old as Ramia. Her rank was unclear but she had an intimidating aura about her. An imposing one as if she did have great authority within the Dark Beast ranks.

All the Dark Beasts in the room did not notice Monsoon and Ramia quite yet as they hit behind some debris and occasionally peeked out to see her.Ramia also noticed the energy rifle had a knife attached to it, covered with fresh blood. This disturbed her.

The Dark Beasts seemed to have picked up on the scent of Ramia and Monsoon. They headed in that direction. Hearing them coming, Ramia decided to strike first. She charged up her energy and created a large fireball. She aimed it at the ceiling and caused some of it collapse and fall on the dark beasts heading towards her and Monsoon.

This did not phase the Dark Beasts, some simply used their own energy to break out from underneath it. But it had succeeded in delaying them. The female Dark Beast then glanced over at Ramia and Monsoon as the two pulled back. They knew they couldn't take on this many Dark Beasts in close range combat, they had to await the others and fight ranged for now. Monsoon started to charge his energy as he ran.

The one eyed dark beast saw Ramia and Monsoon.
"Signs of life. Beasts like us. I pity you two, you've only got seconds to live. That's all I can spare for you. You have decided to side with humanity and so you shall die along with humanity!" She fired off her own rifle, firing several dark beams out of it, they missed Monsoon and Ramia but damaged the room greatly and caused more of it fall apart. The other Dark Beasts continued to pursue Ramia and Monsoon. They roared loudly and tried to intimidate the duo. They opted not to use their energy, knowing they could easily kill their own fellow dark beasts in a closed environment like this if they used energy carelessly. They choose to go after Monsoon and Ramia with their immense physical strength instead. They swung at Monsoon and Ramia with their claws. Grazing them both a few times but not cutting deep into their flesh yet.

Monsoon's energy was charged enough. He created a javelin made of wind energy. He tossed it off straight at the horde of Dark Beasts and it created a wind that forced the Dark Beasts back with a strong gust. The javelin itself also impaled at least four of the dark beasts.

"You're interesting, winged boy. To think you could kill some of us. Those eyes... You look just like him, that Sky Knight. Perhaps, your father? I wonder.."She spoke eerily as if knowing her words would upset Monsoon and spoke with little concern to her own wounded allies, she walked past them casually. Instead of giving Monsoon a chance to speak however, she dissipated her rifle and instead created a smaller energy gun. From this gun, she unleashed several small energy bullets into the air, heading for Ramia and Monsoon. A few grazed Monsoon as he destroyed some with his claws, protecting Ramia from them.

"You damn cyclops bitch! Urghhhh! Ramia, get out of here, go back to where everyone else and set up some kind of defensive blockade, that'd probably be best! I'll stall them! I want to get that one eyed freak myself! She knows about my father!"Monsoon moved closer to the bloody-thirsty dark beasts but Ramia pulled him back forcefully. The one eyed beast laughed as Monsoon had wasted time talking to Ramia, the dark beasts had made up for lost ground and were closing in.

"NO! You're coming with me. They'll kill you, Monsoon! Let's get pull back now! There's no way she could know about your father, she's too young!" Ramia looked very intense and passionate, Monsoon couldn't argue aganist her or oppose her, she was right. She had been charging her energy for at least two minutes now as well.

She signaled for Monsoon to leave the room as she created a large fireball and aimed it at the incoming dark beasts. It missed them as they dodged it but it created an small explosion as it collided with the floor. The room became rather smoky afterward. Neither Ramia or Monsoon looked back.

They heard the one eyed beast's voice call out again, "You are quite something to behold as well. I think I know just who you are too, little girl of fire, blessed with fortune in your life. You do realize we are highly resistant to such attacks? That won't do at all, it won't bury us that easily!" The smoke cleared, revealing most of the dark beasts to be injured but still alive and creeping ever closer to Monsoon and Ramia. This horrified both Monsoon and Ramia, they couldn't handle so many of them on their own.

In one last ditch effort to hold them back, Monsoon used a large amount of energy and created a small vertical tornado, it used sharp wind that cut the dark beast's skin and hurled them all back. Only the one eyed beast was able to properly defend aganist it, creating a barrier around herself. The beasts began to quickly get up, injured once more but only four had died.

However, the dark beasts were fired upon by various weapons and attacks before all of them could get up and resume the hunt. Hearing something from behind him, Monsoon turned around to see other members of the 91st brigade arriving. "Heh. Well we're glad to see you guys got here! Ain't so hopeless now!" He had time to make such a bold statement as there now was a sizable distance between the dark beasts and Ramia and Monsoon.
 
Allister had been one of the last people to arrive at the 91st Brigade's mission briefing, his tardiness going largely unnoticed. He hung in the back, near the entrance to the PCC's conference room, and listened quietly to General Svosk's summary of the current military situation.

The general's voice muted somewhat as Allister's attention was brought to the others in the room. These must be the ones that came on the Victoria, he thought, crossing his arms as he began to make various appraisals. He noticed the various 'beasts, and an unsightly man with a mullet. He made various mental notes in his head, like cataloging three humans sticking particularly close to one another, and the surprisingly young-looking girl with a vibrant look in her eyes.

These are the people making up the new unit that the President is personally leading? Hmph. Well, maybe I shouldn't judge too harshly... I only need look in a mirror, eh?

Allister was young, but scruffy-looking; he hadn't shaved in a few days. He had black hair that hung to just below his ears, kept out of dark eyes by a cotton handkerchief of simple design; it was a memento of his mother's. He had one eye shut tightly, an odd quirk of his when becoming particularly focused. Yeah, I suppose I don't look like much of a hero or specialist either.

Shaken from his mental dialogue, Allister was suddenly caught up within the group as they chased after the general to listen in on the situation. One thing led to another, and suddenly, enemies! And on their doorstep, no less!

“The 91st brigade will not run from a fight General. We’ll keep this base, even if we are the last ones fighting for it. 91st MOVE OUT!”


>>>>>>>


Allister spun the cylinder block of his Matador R5 auto-revolver and swung it closed, locking one of the chambers to align with the firing mechanism. He raised the gun, pinching his right eye shut, focused, and fired.

A Dark Beast that had been toying with a wounded soldier unceremoniously flopped backwards, a chunk of its' head suddenly gone. Allister held down the trigger as the remaining five shots found center-mass. The Dark Beast, now half-dead, turned to respond to the new threat just as Allister slapped in another six-rounds with a speed loader.

It took another three shots in its upper-chest and one in its' neck before it fell forward, dead. Allister put one more in the back of its' head before he felt adequately satisfied at its' state-of-deadness before moving on to help the wounded soldier, only to find him dead.

Grim-faced, Allister raced forward, dodging past random laser bolts and debris. He was trying to get to his custom Armor, the Gilgamesh. He had chosen to dock it in an out-of-the-way spot on one of their lesser-occupied maintenance decks, an unfortunate choice given the current situation.

Taking a sharp turn, he suddenly found himself to the rear of a group largely made up of members of the 91st. "What's the situation?!" he called out, but before anyone could answer, they stumbled upon a squad of Dark Beasts occupied with engaging another group-- other members of the 91st. Surprised for only a fraction of a second, Allister took aim at the closest enemy, and held down the trigger of his Matador.


"Heh. Well we're glad to see you guys got here! Ain't so hopeless now!"

Huh, looks like we saved the day, Allister thought sarcastically.
 
With just a few dark beasts out of their way Shi managed to catch up with the rest. Seems they were not confronted with what was the leader of this hostile excursion. It was not long before back up had arrived for the beasts as well. They were now flanked on both sides, one had the leader and four dark beasts and behind them were five others. The only other choice was to scatter, there were still two hallways on either side of them. Shi took a chance to pop a shot off at one of the ones in the back. The shot grazed the shoulder, provoking him. Afterward Shi took off down the hall hoping to attract the big fellow. So far his plan worked and without fail the beast was chasing him. He took up sights down the hallway and took aim. He shot at his left shoulder, his ribs, and across his cheek. Nothing did lethal damage but sure as hell pissed the thing off. It was too late, he had taken his three shots and the beast slammed his fist straight into his face. Thankfully his head didn’t cave in and instead was tossed over along another hallway. The sleek metal floor slid underneath him as he skidded to a stop. ”What a bastard.” He said getting up and holding his cheek.
“Your out of options Shi, you’ve got to do something.” X38 chirped from his wrist.
“Yeah, yeah I know.” He responded and dug into his coat pocket. He pulled out the sapphire orb and held it in front of him. “If your going to work, now is a pretty good time.” The beast was already closing the gap between them with some intense speed. Shi squinted getting ready for another heavy blow. Instead he was blown back as the force of the orb activated. A shockwave of blue energy had also dented the walls in the area. The rest of it filtered into his body changing him. A set of vampiric wings and teeth and two new weapons on his sides, sapphire blue chakrams. He also looked slightly older and taller. “It has been so long since I’ve fought a dark beast.” A creepy smile fell over his face showing off his new fangs.
“Just a trick, you will die surface dweller!” The creature took a swing at the new Shi but the slow punch was dodged rather easily. “Low level grunt dark beasts. You may have power but you choose to use it poorly.” Shi punched the beast in the back of the head sending him to the ground. He got up again and made a quick turn on his knees to try and swipe his claw across his chest. This dodge was not as well timed as the other as the claw dug in enough to draw blood. Rather than be angry Shi was now amused.
“You have some skill to you after all.” He kneed him in the face nearly shattering the lower jaw. “Your skin’s nice, but your bone structure could use work.” The beast was still not downed as it got right back up and tried to tackle Shi. He charged at the beast in a classic samurai warrior face off. He pulled out his chakrams and whizzed by in a flash. “This isn’t a movie, so just fall to the ground.” Shi said to the now still beast. He did just as he said and hunched over, a large gash had been made where the beasts heart would be. After that the sapphire power dissipated and formed back into the orb.
“Is it getting worse?” X38 questioned.
“Yeah, this time I nearly lost all control.”


[SUMMARY: Shi provokes a beast to chase after him and uses up his three shots. He resorts to using the orb he has on him and becomes consumed in battle. Afterward a small chat between the X38 and him reveal a stunning truth behind the orb, Shi might be losing control.]