The A-Team (Taskforce Upsilon)

[GEAR]

OE 102
January 10th, 12:15 PM
Belfast, Ireland

Mere hours after the Directory's all-channels broadcast, the first communiques were issued. Individuals across the Directory would find themselves presented with sealed, top-secret instructions, carried by identical individuals none could recall having ever seen before: All of them women with long white hair and pale skin, their features obscured by dark masks. The packet, once unsealed would deposit into their hand a lapel pin of ornate design: A silver wolf, emblazoned upon the image of the Earth, its corners reading: Taskforce Upsilon.

Otherwise contained were instructions to meet within three days at Belfast, Ireland - long a Directory stronghold, and one of its premier shipyards. Rumor had long circulated that a true goliath of a vessel, a flagship of flagships - had been being assembled there, and if the letter was any indication… There was more truth to them than had previously been believed.

The soldiers of Earth had begun to assemble... and soon, would depart for the starry heavens.

***​

A gentle rain pattered down outside of the Belfast International airport, splattering the windows of the plane as it touched down. Grey clouds hung over Belfast, but even from the small viewports afforded to the passengers, it would be clear that the airport itself was a hub of activity. Stork Class gunships and numerous transport vessels jockeyed for position on runways, and searchlight equipped Huckebeine Mk-II Mass Production types occasionally passed overhead, seemingly trying their best to avoid the wrath of the churning thunderclouds above.

As the vessel came to a stop, a voice so sweet and cheerful that it raised one's blood sugar just to hear it crackled to life over the vessel's loudspeaker:

"Welcome to Belfast! The current time is 12:15PM, and it is now safe to remove your seatbelts. We hope that you enjoyed flying with Air Chulainn - please consider filling out a customer experience survey..."

...The rest of it was thankfully drowned out as the other passengers began to move, claiming their baggage from overhead storage bins, and walking bleary eyed to the front of the plane. There were surprisingly few passengers - perhaps the Directory had appropriated the flights purely for its own personnel?

Regardless, the first briefing would occur at 2 PM sharp at the shipyards... And it hardly made a good first impression to be late.

 

[Raider867]

Pierce Rayer, still surprised at the call, got his luggage out of the compartment. He reluctantly took the flight, but he also made sure his Grungust was close behind.

When he got off his flight, he got notification that his Grungust was ten minutes out. This was rather different than what he was used to. He didn't let that bother him much, though, as he was rather honored to be called for this "Taskforce Upsilon". He was also excited to be working alongside other pilots as he had assumed that there were more pilots other than him.

Regardless, though, he made his way to the shipyards. If he kept track of time correctly, today was the meeting day and he'd have to get there at or before 2PM as to give a good impression. As he walked, he called the transport. A technician was sent with the Grungust to make sure no technical glitches happened while on the trip.
"How's the Grungust holding up? All good?"
"Yes, Mister Rayer. All green. Once we land, we'll have to do a more in-depth analysis of the systems." The technician replied.
"Understood. Just make sure to get here safe." Pierce replied before closing the call, now focusing on making his way to the shipyards where the meeting will take place.

 

[VeraC]

It was a group of three that arrived to Belfast onboard a private cargo jet. It had been heavily modified to carry the Granzon in its cargo hold, however a spacious suite was implemented in the forward of the plane for important personnel. The personnel in mention were Tian Di, Lao, and Vayne, all who were participating in this Taskforce Upsilon. They weren’t officially directory personnel, though it was no problem for Lao to get cult members partaking in Directory movements. They did pay for the Granzon after all. Normally, it would’ve been just Lao and Tian Di, though Lao thought it would be wise to bring Vayne along to keep Tian Di in line. It was a long 17 hours from Shanghai to Ireland, though the ride was luxurious for the three cultists.

The Cargo jet had touched down at the airport after the commercial airliner, arriving at 1300. Tian Di got little sleep on the flight as she always found it hard to sleep on planes, and she hated long flights. She spent most of her time watching movies and browsing a Taiwanese Architecture board. Dark circles under her golden eyes contrasted her porcelain white skin as she groggily got off the plane. She wasn’t one for uniforms, and despite requests by the Directory brass to wear the Upsilon-assigned military garb, she wore her usual clothes: a Black tank top and matching shorts. Belfast had cold winters, so she was wearing a much thicker cloak than usual over her clothes. While many would think that what she was wearing was too minimal, she could manipulate her prana to keep her body warm even in the cold winter.

Vayne was in his usual wear as well, cloaked armor and his mask which covered his face. He was an intimidating fellow, his massive body shadowing over Tian Di’s. Most wouldn't think on first glance that he was in his 70s; Volkruss’ power helping him maintain his physical condition.

There was only an hour before the scheduled meet time, and a limousine had arrived at the steps of the cargo jet, awaiting for the three cultists to hop in. They drove off to the shipyard where they would rendezvous with the rest of the members.

“Remember child, we're not in Cult territory anymore. You can't be as carefree as you were in the Forbidden City.” Vayne was giving Tian Di advice.

“Right… got it Gramps.” Tian Di replied almost monotonously. She was fighting back the urge to fall asleep, her eyes struggling to stay open.

It was only a short 30 minute ride from the airport to the docks, the three arriving on time.

 

[MKR]

Johanna was tired of this intercontinental shuffle that had been her time in the military, first she was shipped to North America all he way from Belgium and now she was being directed back to Ireland. Well, at least this wasn't completely unwelcome seeing as she got to join Upsilon. It was nice being recognized even if it meant having to go all the way to space to shoot some monsters.

The Weissritter had been moved ahead of her and if she had to guess was probably being loaded into storage as she landed. Unless someone messed up it should be secured either in the base's hangar or in that new ship she heard rumors about existing. She wondered what kind of other mecha were going to be in Taskforce Upsilon, probably more mechs like hers: one of a kind machines and prototypes, definitely no land bound units that was for sure.

As she stopped theorizing internally to push out the airport's intercom the sharpshooter had to admit that there were some nerves on her part, she was going to be part of a squadron under the direct command of the John Rogers, the man who brought down Terra Sentinel for their crimes, sure it was a big confidence boost having him on the task but Johanna didn't want to look stupid in front of the greatest military mind of the era.

So as soon as possible she set out to her destination, she really didn't want to walk in on the first briefing in civilian clothes or let alone too late so she'd have to change at the base. Luckily the trip wasn't too long and getting past the base security was a matter of proving her identity and once she had changed into her new uniform she put the Upsilon pin on her collar. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she stood in front of the mirror, a mere four years ago she entered the special course for sharpshooters, and here she was in the most elite squadron on earth, hand picked to defeat an alien threat ten minutes away from her formal introduction into it.

 

[GEAR]

The first to arrive, naturally, was the limousine carrying Tian Di, Vayne, and of course - Director Lao himself. For his part, the Archbishop had kept to himself during the flight, sleeping through most of it under what had turned out (to his mild chagrin) to be a humorous novelty facemask. He was no stranger to travel, and seemed to be concentrating his energies inward, allowing Vayne to play the role of doting grandfather he so seemed to enjoy.

The old man, he thought, had grown quite attached to Tian Di... but, she would hardly have been the first to view him as such. The Archbishop's mind was akin to a fortress in and of itself, and not even Vayne would find its walls scaled with ease - as he kept the man where he could see him at all times, fully aware of his capabilities. Their relationship was a professional one, and one of respect - but under no circumstances were they equals, let alone friends.

He stepped out of the Limo, stretching as he did so. There was a soft fwump as a clear umbrella was extended by a waiting aide - no ordinary one, at that.

"..."

She was clad in a black raincoat - but what stood out most was the dark mask-like visor that obscured her features, and a pair of hairpins that kept a bundle of off-white locks held in place. The Mass-Produced C-Type gave him a slightly questioning look, searching for any sense of displeasure... But Lao merely raised an eyebrow, waving slightly to put some distance between himself and what amounted to, in his eyes, as a glorified automaton.



"So they finally completed it..." He mused aloud, raising a pair of binoculars. At length, he handed them to Tian Di and Vayne, allowing them to see for themselves:

A massive vessel was set in port. It was a gleaming crimson with white trim, as if the paint had just newly dried. Compared to the lumpen Space Noah, or the blocky, utilitarian Albatross, this was nothing less than a work of art, every inch of its surface polished to perfection... and armed to the teeth, bristling with anti-aircraft guns, cannons, and missile launchers. The influence of Lunarian designs was clear in its sweeping, blade-like design, the Directory evidently having realized its own forces were lacking a little something in the aesthetic department, at the very least. It was surrounded by cranes, and was the center of the activity pouring into the city.

"The Air Christmas Class... Your tax dollars at work."

***​

A short while later, after some diplomatic pleasantries with city officials eager for a handshake with one of the Directors, Lao, Vayne, and Tian Di made their way into the hangar of the Air Christmas class itself.

"Director Lao!"

A voice called out from the interior, and the man from the broadcast - none less than Rogers himself, walked forward, his cane clacking against the floor.

"Brigadier General Rogers."

"Glad to have you aboard. I hear this Granzon of yours is a real monster!"

He gestured to the squat, armored form of the machine in question as it was secured in its berth. Around it, technicians - to the man, members of the cult inserted by Lao's careful planning - worked to adjust the magic seals across its person, ensuring that Volkruss would not see fit to slake its thirst at an inopportune moment.

Lao gave a thin smile at the description of his masterpoiece... But, certainly not for the reasons that Rogers was thinking.

"Considering how much it cost... We can hardly disappoint, can we?"

"Right you are! God damn bean counters, eh?" - Rogers laughed raucously, and gave Lao a hearty slap on the shoulder, causing the Director's polite smile to falter for the briefest of moments, as if he had just been smacked across the face. There was nothing the Archbishop disliked more than being touched in such a fashion, and he reached up to rub the point of impact in silence, trying to work out the new creases caused by it in his suit, as Rogers pointed a finger in the direction of Vayne, clearly impressed by the man's stature.

"And I assume this fierce looking fellow must be the pilot? By God, I've never seen a man more threatening in my entire life!"

***​

Pierce's Grungust and Johanna's Weissritter were mounted on flatbeds and driven to the waiting hangar of the Air Christmas. Both were met by the same, peculiar individuals that had delivered their packets - the ebon masked, ivory haired women, who led them in lockstep up the extended ramp. The flatbeds trundled up through the rain, allowing the pilots to disembark - but providing little in the ways of direction. However, as they made their way in, they would be treated to a rather unusual scene...

"Excuse me... Um, excuse me..."

A young woman, with long lavender hair, pale features, and a pair of glasses - distinctly lacking the decorated articles of her peers - darting back and forth between the masked figures, causing them to halt as she waved her hands in front of their faces.

"You can't put that there!" She said insistently, her voice tinged with a French accent, and a red flush rising in her cheeks; "They go... um... Hold on..."

She fished about her uniform, all the while the C-Series simply waited. It was uncertain as to whether they could express exasperation or not, but who could say what registered behind those faceplates? At length, she turned forty-five degrees, and jabbed an index finger at a second set of berths located closer to the rear of the hangar. These appeared to have been constructed more with the specifications and size of the Grungust (and apparently other Special Mobile Weapons) in mind.

"Over there."

"Acknowledged, Advisor Carpentier."

The young woman gave a sigh of relief, her floor plan evidently preserved as the C-Series strode past. At length, she turned her attention to the newcomers, eyes brightening with excitement as she noticed them.

"Oh! Um, hello!" - She said, in what may have been the most unprofessional military greeting possible;

"Are these yours?"

 

[Raider867]

After disembarking, Pierce walked up the ramp, assuming that's where he was supposed to go. The ship was impressive. And he was even more impressed that the ship's hangar had enough space for the Grungust as well as the other Mobile Weapons currently already inside. Whatever they were planning on doing, they're sure gonna be packing some heat.
When he was greeted by the lavender-haired woman, he gave a friendly smile.
"Yeah, that Grungust is mine." Pierce says in a friendly voice. He was somewhat relieved that it wasn't all strict around here, but still played it by ear.
"Why do you ask, Miss..." Pierce asks, trailing off and searching for any name tag on her uniform before looking up at her again. He kept the same friendly smile on his face, intending to give off a good impression right off the bat.

 

[MKR]

The women working here were weird, not only did they have those visor looking things obscuring anything from being seen in regards to their face there was also the fact that they all looked exactly the same. They made her slightly uncomfortable and the directions given were far from helpful. Well, at least she managed to get to the hangar and the sight of people who looked different was a relief.

One a blond male who claimed ownership of the Grungust and the other a lavender haired female who the weird women called Advisor Carpentier.
"I pilot the Weissritter, yes." She chimed in after Pierce had spoken, keeping her tone somewhat neutral. It was clear that the advisor herself wasn't all that formal given that introduction but Johanna preferred to keep a professional image at least.

 

[VeraC]

Regardless of Lao’s image of him, Vayne had very little interest into peering into Lao’s mind. Despite his occupation, Vayne wasn’t a curious person, and did fine keeping to himself. While Lao may be older than Vayne by god-knows how much, Vayne’s mindset was much more that of a elder, and in a sense, and sometimes mistakenly took Lao to be someone younger than him. He saw Lao as someone, despite his age, still holding the mindset of some 30-40 year old man; he may be wiser than Vayne, but his maturity wasn’t quite at where Vayne’s was.

Did he not read the memo Lao sent? Vayne was sure that Lao added Tian Di as the pilot… though in a way, he couldn’t blame Rodgers for thinking it might be a joke that putting a 16 year old girl as pilot of the Directory’s most expensive mech… except it wasn’t. Vayne and Lao could both vouch for Tian Di’s skills… Hell she’d been trained for it her whole life.

Tian Di peered out to the ship, in a way amazed by the architecture of it. It was nothing like she’d seen before. They were going to space. Tian Di had never been to space; it was a big leap from being cooped up in the cult everyday.

***

Vayne looked down at Rodgers, giving nothing but a polite smile underneath his mask. The man’s energetic persona was hard to hate, though perhaps a bit overbearing. “That would be this one here.” His arm reached down and patted Tian Di on her shoulder. At the same time, the eye sockets of his mask gave off the faintest glow as Vayne looked directly into Rodger’s eyes. “Lao and I can vouch for her skills.”

It was a simple mind-trick from Vayne, using the slightest amount of prana to directly influence someone’s thinking. It was easier the more simple-minded a person was, but even stronger-minded people would have no clue that they were being ‘tapped’ into.

Tian Di remembered the briefing Lao had given her. She slid her feet together and saluted Rodgers. “2nd Lieutenant Tian Di of the Far-East bran-- ch, pilot of the Granzon.” She tried her best to act ‘military’ though she couldn’t help but yawn halfway through her introduction. The sleep deprivation was really beginning to hit her. She wanted to sleep bad.

 

[Tyran]

At the shipyards off to the side was a curious sight. A massive metal box roughly the size of a Mobile Weapon. The moans of a single Lamalice faintly emanate from within the box every so often. Two people were standing next to the metal box: The man who gave a speech after Rogers in the announcement three days back and next to him a brunette with twintails in a lab coat. Fabularis rested near them, motionless.

"Why do we have to do this? Why not just kill them all?" The woman complained, perpetually scowling at any who looked at them.

Johan - no, Slask - glanced at her. "We have gone over this Kvinna."

Kvinna turned her glare to Slask. "Huvud is making a mistake, trusting a failure and putting it in charge." Slask merely turned away coldly. His companion's opinion of him was irrelevant. It wouldn't bring their goal closer.


'Why stay with people that clearly hold you in contempt, even though they don't know what 'contempt' is?' Johan questioned in their mind.

'We are all after the same thing, to bring the Lord of Ruin to this world. It is only logical that I work with those who share that goal.'

'Whatever. Hey, go talk to those people over there in the distance.'

Slask frowned at the urging. 'Why? They already know who I am thanks to Huvud and we will meet during the scheduled meeting anyway.'

Johan's groan rang in his head. 'Because it doesn't hurt to introduce yourself again to your new squad members... And because when you go to sleep my only companions are three ice glaciers that for some reason spell out 'PUN' and I hope that something new pops up when you interact with actual humans!'

'Your reasoning is frigid. If they want to talk, they will come here. Stay frozen until I need advice.' Satisfied that the conversation was over and Johan would hopefully stay silent for at least a few seconds Slask turned to Fabularis.

'Those didn't even make any sense!'

 

[GEAR]

Lao suppressed an internal groan at Tian Di's monkey-grade acting, but managed to keep his tongue at bay, at the very least. His gratitude when Vayne stepped in at Rogers' inquiry was immense, and a reminder of why he kept the man around. With barely a touch of the mind, the Brigadier General blinked... and then scowled, as thought he had forgotten something important, shaking his head, as if to clear away a persistent fly.

"Vouch for...?" He mumbled slowly, stroking his beard as he spoke; "Oh... yes, of course. Right."

The older man looked at Tian Di once more. It was a strange look, one she was likely not used to... One of... Pity, almost, as if she reminded him of someone. Yet, Rogers regained his composure quickly, reaching up to remove his hat, revealing a head of slicked back greyish-white hair. He placed it to his chest as he spoke to Tian Di, saying:

"Thank you, young lady. I... No - the people of Earth - will be counting on you."

He grasped her hand, giving it a firm handshake... But she could see a quiet sadness in his eyes. No matter how potent Vayne's suggestions, they couldn't quite seem to wipe away the feelings of man who had probably fought - and killed - some as young as her in his younger years.

Meanwhile, the woman known as Carpentier listened to Pierce and Johanna... And the clasped her hands, giving a long, drawn out intake of breath as her eyes widened with nothing short of complete, childlike excitement. There were practically stars blossoming into being in her eyes as she clasped her hands before the two of them, looking back and forth as she talked at light speed.

"Oh yes, yes! I'm very familiar with those machines! The custom one-off Gespenst, Weisritter! A sublime example of the flexibility of the Gespenst frame, one of the first to ever be installed with an early-model Tesla Drive for flight functionality and, oh... A rare Type-3 Grungust! Because of the cost of the separation system, only a handful were ever made, and I always hoped I would have the chance to work on one of them! A true "Super Robot"! Oh I could go for hours and hours on their history, their specifications, their idiosyncrasies..."

...At length, she seemed to catch herself, giving a little yelp, placing a delicate hand over her mouth, pink rising in her cheeks as she extended a hand.

"...Ah! Je suis désolé... I tend to get a little... Carried away." She said, giving a gentle chuckle. "My name is Juliette Carpentier. I'm part of the Directory Engineering and Design Bureau, assigned to provide material assistance and advice to Taskforce Upsilon. Pleased to meet your acquaintance... And yourselves?"

 

[KiraHYamato]

At that moment another transport ship was moved into the hangar. From which 3 individuals exited. A man and woman both wearing lab coats and a young man wearing presumably a school uniform.

"Ah! I see that you have started without us!" the Man wearing the lab coat started."And I see that you're doing quite well for yourself Mr.Director" he said in a friendly yet sarcastic manner.

The man then quickly slapped his hands together and said "Oh! But where are my manners! Allow me to introduce myself, My name Dr. Ishimura...Dr. Kaizo Ishimura" he introduced himself with a bow, before he pointed to the woman and introduced her"And this here is my lovely wife and assistant Dr.Himari Ishimura" as the woman bowed gracefully after she was introduced.

Dr.Kaizo then pointed to the young man wearing the school uniform "And this here is my boos..." he stopped himself mid-sentence with a slight cough before continuing "..My son... Onryo Ishimura and he will be joining you on your little quest as requested".

"Go on say hi to the people, don't be shy" Dr. Kaizo said slapping Onryo's back.

Onryo stepped up "My name is Onryo Ishimura... And I'll be joining you on this mission.." he introduced himself in a very emotionless manner as the transport ship started to unloaded an unusual black mobile weapon behind him.

 

[Raider867]

"My name is Pierce Rayer. And please, don't stop yourself. I'd be interested to hear about them more. At least, whenever you have the time." Pierce says with a friendly smile. Already, Pierce felt he was going to like Juliette. He was wondering if they could geek out with each other about super robots sometime. A question for another time.
"On another note, Dyna Labs just finished fitting some new equipment onto the Type-3, so I would like to run some tests once we get settled in. I can do it myself, if you do not have the time." Pierce adds.

 

[MKR]

"Ensign Johanna van den Berg. Also pleased to make your acquaintance." the woman would shake the extended hand from Juliette, the Frenchwoman seemed to know a lot about both the units and while she wasn't as much of an enthusiast for these kind of things as the other woman was the Belgian at least had a good idea who to contact should she need some ideas for upgrades now.

"By the way, whats going on with all the twins?" Johanna asked after Pierce said his piece, she guessed they weren't actual twins or sisters, but if one of them overheard and she happened to be wrong in that guess she would rather not be in a bad light with them. The fact that one of them was there in North America to bring her her invitation didn't help with her suspicion.

 

[VeraC]

She lightly shook Rodger’s hand, but any strength that she could put into her hand was dwindling away as her body struggled to continue to function. She was on her final fumes, her mind ready to tap out and let the warm embrace of sleep wrap her until further notice. Though it seemed whatever adrenaline that was running through her as she shook Rodger’s hand quickly made its exit, as once Rodger let go of her hand, she slightly teetered on her feet before falling down.

Surprised, Vayne quickly grabbed her mid-descent, preventing her face for smacking against the floor. Upon further inspection, Vayne looking at her face, she wasn’t dead by any means, but just tired beyond belief. He picked her up in his arms and looked to Rodger.

“You’ll have to pardon her, she didn’t fly so well.”

Vayne gave a gesture of respect and excused himself from Lao and Rodgers, as the family trio appeared out a door to greet Lao.

 

[GEAR]

Rogers gave a start as Tian Di toppled over in front of him - but upon Vayne's explanation, he relented, allowing the older man to handle the situation with a nod Lao, for his part, observed Vayne man carry off the soon-to-be-sacrifice wordlessly. Given the circumstances, and the arrival of the Black Sun... He wasn't surprised that the girl was feeling more than a little fatigued. Volkruss's power was waxing... And even he could feel it coursing through his veins, crying out for bloodshed.

The Director placed a reassuring hand on Rogers shoulder as he made his way towards the Ishimuras, designer shoes clacking against the hangar floor, hands held behind his back. He scowled slightly at Kaizo's casual tone in the presence of his superior... But, it was quickly masked as he shifted further into his public persona.

"Doctor Ishimura…" He said, not even bothering to extend his hand in greeting, as he noted:

"You're late."

He stopped in front of Onryo. With surprising speed, his hand came up, closing about the boy's jaw with his thumb and forefinger, to hold it, vicelike. He turned his face back and forth... Inspecting him, as if he were mere livestock.

"...So this is the child in question." He said, flatly. Lao's touch was... Cold, unimaginably so, the power of Volkruss within his body anathema to all living things. It was like being held by an ice sculpture.

"Considering the not-inconsequential resources I've dedicated to your little sideshow... I hope that he is more impressive than he looks, Doctor." - At length, the Archbishop released Onryo's head at last, fixing his harrowing gaze on Kaizo's own eyes. He smiled... But only with his mouth.

"For your sake."

Meanwhile, Juliette's features brightened upon learning the names of her two new companions, her face splitting into a heart-melting smile.

"Ravi de faire votre connaissance, Monsieur Pierce, Madam Berg." She said, clasping their hands eagerly.

"Dyna Labs' latest release...? Oh, you absolutely must show me! We'll work on it together-" She seemed to catch herself, flushing a brilliant crimson once more, as her seeming fixation on weapons of war exposed itself once again.

"U... Um, that is... If that's acceptable, I mean..."

She seemed relieved at Johanna's question as an opportunity to escape her previous gushing... but a flicker of concern made its way across her face as well, her supple arms folded in thought as she continued.

"As for these... Well... I'm wondering that myself."

She glanced askance at one of the C-Types, currently standing guard near the entrance to the hangar. Occasional pinpricks of light made their way across its high tech visor, a constant feed of surveillance data ensuring nothing approached without their watch.

"...They're a new type of Bioroid... Or, so I hear. Supposedly, they were designed to work with this new mass production type machine..."

Juliette produced from the confines of her dress a small, purple, personal terminal. She thumbed its surface, and a peppy holographic display burst to life. A couple more flicks of her fingertips, and it presented an image - stocky, green and white machine with a golden visor. Were either of them more familiar with the Directory's more esoteric products, they would have immediately recognized it as a long running - and troubled - joint work between the military and the Dimensional Energy Institute.

"It's called the Riot C... Composite type, developed by DEI." Explained Juliette, blowing up the display, separating the machine into its various internals.

"Its specs are impressive but... This, here-" - She traced an index finger through the machine's chest, tapping the source of its power, labeled "PROTON REACTOR"

"These output values... They can't possibly be right." - She bit the edge of her thumb, anxiously as she studied the data once more, as if unsure in her judgment, for the moment completely absorbed in the issue.

Rogers, for his part, made his way past the assembled crowds, giving the occasional handshake or wave to his supporters... But in the confines of his mind, he was alarmed. He had been promised elites, the best of the best...

But they were all so young.

Initially, he had thought it to be some kind of mistake... But no, the Directory's best and brightest, it seemed, were also those at their most tender aged. Was this really, he thought, the best they could do? Or was there something else at work here? ...Anxiety curdled in his stomach, and his gut instincts were already starting to question his own involvement. Still, he thought...

Never let them see you sweat.

At length, he noticed the form of Johan making his way towards the ship, with the container in tow, and gave a hearty wave. He had met with the young man before, finding him an insightful and knowledgeable fellow - just the kind of man the Directory needed in its current state.

"It's the frozen egghead!" Laughed Rogers as he approached Johan, extending his hand for a hearty handshake as he did so; eyes twinkling like one's favorite grandparent as he did.

"I hear you've got quite the show ready for us!"

 

[Raider867]

"I'd love to work on them together with you. It's hard to work on the Grungust alone. At least, I assume so. Especially with the new parts. I barely had time to memorize the predicted specs for the new parts. And they were installed on the trip here, as well, so I wasn't able to see the parts first-hand." Pierce says with a beaming smile. He enjoyed talking about Super Robots.
"One thing I do remember, though, is that I should have more response with controlling the Drill Boost Knuckle now than when I first fought Dimensional Beasts in Japan." Pierce adds in thought.
Pierce watches the hologram, his expression growing concerned at the power reactor.
"Proton Reactor... How is it able to reach these levels? Could they have possibly used an energy from an alternate dimension to create it? Like from where the DAMONs come from? That would be the only explanation that would fit for how they put these together. Maybe the reactor tears into the dimensional space like DAMONs and pull energy from there through to the reactor and process it into energy for the Riot-C." Pierce suggested.
"But I'm just spitballing here. Who knows what's really under the hood of that reactor." He adds with a shrug and sheepish smile.

 

[KiraHYamato]

"It's good see you again too La..." Kaizo was quickly interrupted by his wife as she stepped on his foot stopping him from finishing his sentence with a slight yelp.

"I deeply apologize for my husband's behavior Director Lao" Himari quickly apologized with a graceful bow hoping that the situation doesn't get any worse and she made sure to shoot a threatening look towards her husband making sure he doesn't cause any more trouble than he already has. Kaizo Ishimura may be a brilliant scientist but he was never one for manners.

Meanwhile Onryo stood breathing heavily, trying desperately to catch his breath. The Director's presence was more than enough to intimidate him. Onryo felt a heavy burden in his chest the second Director Lao stood in front of him. And when The Director started to inspect Onryo, all he could do is stay still as the weight on his chest grew heavier and heavier until finally Director Lao released his cold grip.

Casting his eyes downward Onryo felt as if he had survived a surprise attack from a Max Level Dragon from one of his RPGs back home. Trying to find a way to calm himself. He imagined himself back home enjoying his video games while having a plate of pancakes in order to find himself some sort of comfort but that only made him realized that the peaceful life he had taken for granted was over. He could never go back to how things used to be.

"I hate this..." Onryo muttered as he clenched his fist while still shaking in fear.

At that moment Kaizo once again started to casually walk up to the Director but was instantly stopped by Himari. "Are you trying to make this worse?" she asked Kaizo.

"Don't worry about it...This time it's business" Kaizo reassured his wife as he walked up to Director Lao once again.

"By the way Director Lao. Once our soldier boys and girls take off on their little quest. I would like to have a word with you. In private."

 

[Tyran]

'Oh no.' Johan cried out in their mind as Slask turned towards the approaching Brigadier General. 'It's contagious! Anyway, remember that 'I hope you die' is not a valid way to greet someone, and people rather like seeing some emotion. And for the love of all that is human do not be disrespectful towards him.

'We have gone over this, you've said the same thing every time.' Slask replied while firmly grasping Rogers' hand. "Brigadier General."

'And I will keep doing that until you bash it to Kvinna's and the rest of your brethren's skulls as well!'

Nodding at the Brigadier General's words Slask smiled slightly. "It is as you say, the demonstration hopefully will alleviate any concerns our comrades have."

At that moment the Lamalice inside the container let out a moan. Kvinna, who was sitting on top of the container slammed her fist into it. "Shut up. damn it!"

Slask turned to look at her. "That's Kvinna. Lately she has been angry all the time." He deadpanned. "According to certain someone while she lacks in feminine charm her smile can thaw even the most frozen glacier."

"....Not that she has smiled much lately."

'Wait, you were listening during that conversation?' Johan asked.

'I always was.'

'Does that mean that you were awake that time I-'

'Yes.'

'....Is it too late to take the death bargain?'

'Yes.'

With the internal conversation over Slask turned his attention back to Rogers. "Forgive the question, but what would be the most effective - and least intrusive - way of informing everyone about the demonstration?"

 

[MKR]

More that a little bit outside of her element, Johanna simply watched the hologram for a moment, not really understanding what the issue was with these new units. Still, it was good to know what the deal was with the identical women and that they even got new mass production suits to boot. She nodded along with what Pierce said, sure that sounded believable. To her however, as long as these units worked she was fine, its not like she needed to pilot one she had her own tech to use. And higher input was better right?

After nodding along she too would look to the C type standing guard.
"They're not hooked up to anything weird right? Just designed to be like that?" the Ensign asked, guessing that unless there was a subject change from the riots Juliette would be stuck like that for a while. And she just wanted to be sure of some stuff.

Johanna's hand went to the bag she was carrying for a moment. Maybe she should've left it in the locker but curiosity took the better of her for that one.

 

[GEAR]

"You are afraid." Noted Lao, glancing back at Onryo's shuddering form. He seemed... Approving of the emotion radiating from the child. He appreciated its authenticity more than the bootlicking of his parents... No, perhaps it would be better said, his makers.

"Good." He said, folding his arms behind his back yet again as he walked past him, continuing:

"Take that fear, and use it as motivation for the trials ahead. You will find it... a sharper spur than you are perhaps used to."

He stopped briefly at Kaizo's mention of a private talk, barely seeming to register the man's plea... But at length, he relented, waving a hand in his direction airily as he seemed to consent.

"Very well, Kaizo…" He said - yet raised an index finger in warning - "

...But, ensure that it is not a waste of my time."

...And with that, he was gone, turning on his heel to follow Vayne and Tian Di into the interior of the ship, his own thoughts... A mystery, as usual. Had his intention been to intimidate the young man? Or merely pan for any shards of value in his soul? Only he and he alone would know for certain, leaving the Ishimuras to their own devices, for the time being.

Juliette mulled over the Riot C's specifications a little more, talking all the while to the two of them as she did:

"Non - That is to say... I doubt it." She said to Pierce, "The Mars Colonists have had Proton Reactors for a generation, but they were so difficile... Never made it to the mass production stage. But these, though... With their output values as they are... they must be highly unstable. The cooling and management systems just aren't made to handle that kind of output..."

She turned to look at the C-Type once more, which remained still at its post.

"Regarding them... I'm really not sure." She confessed, placing a hand against her chest as she spoke, lowering her voice as she leaned in towards the two, saying: "I think they use some kind of... Psychic neural network, like a gestalt program, but... whether there's some kind of hub or not, I couldn't say. Bioweapons aren't really my field of expertise... And that information is held on a need to know basis.

They are rather... Unsettling though, aren't they?"

A lavender painted fingernail circumnavigated her chin, tapping gently against glossy pink lips, before she seemed to accept defeat with a small shrug. She wouldn't know, after all, until she inspected the new machines firsthand.

"...I'm probably worrying too much... Je suis desole." She sighed, giving the two an apologetic smile.

Rogers, for his part, grit his teeth and placed his hands on his hips as he surveyed the busy interior of the Air Christmas.

"It's perfectly safe, yes? Your papers said as such, at least. Just... Get set up right over here, and we'll see how it goes."

With that, and hardly awaiting Johan's response, he reached out to the wall beside them, and pulled a small handset from its surface. Overhead speakers lurched to life for the first time in their existence, allowing the (now booming) voice of the Brigadier General to fill the room.

"Attention Taskforce Upsilon Staff! Please direct your attention to the hangar opening! Doctor Johan here will be demonstrating the Lamalice Capture Device shortly, so gather round, gather round!"

His announcement caused even Juliette's feverish contemplation to break, and she quickly closed the surface of her terminal, terminating the holographic images of the Riot C.

"Ah..." She said, giving a slight start - but then flashed a smile at her two companions, eagerly reaching out to grab both their hands with a smile. Perhaps the young woman had been sorely at a loss for friends in her life?

"It appears the show is about to begin. D'accord?"