Clouds of myst'ry pourin' Confusion on the ground

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

WHO: Aegis Force! And any allies or guests who might attend their meetings or missions
WHERE: Helix Station, Maurtia Falls, and in the city for the mission prompt
WHEN: Throughout November!
WHAT: Aegis Force meet and mingle log, featuring a strategy briefing, a holographic training simulation, a mediation mission, and more. PM me or hit me up on plurk if you have any questions!
WARNINGS: Simulated violence and talk of past disasters.

A - BRIEFING AND CASES

The meeting room at HQ looks like it cost a pretty penny to set up. A circular conference table is centered around a glowing blue holographic map of Maurtia Falls, which can be altered to display information on any other location as-needed. Red pinpricks dot the map, locations of violent incidents from last month's kidnapping conspiracy. Floating 'tabs' of information to the side provide brief summaries of the current cases Aegis Force is focusing on in its Sisyphean task of protecting the imPort community and the local citizens living alongside them.

Today's main topic hovers above the map in the form of a numbered list projected in green laser-light: NEXT STEPS AGAINST OTHERWORLD TECHNOLOGIES ORGANIZATION (OTO).' Below are some options:

1. Try to negotiate again? With whoever is willing to listen at least.
2. More information - what is OTO's structure? How many cells/companies do they have? Who are their leaders?
3. Lobby the government to actually treat them like criminals and help shut them down
4. Hunt down their next base or lab, focus on stopping them from making any more metahumans or killer robots
5. Focus on the home front - sweep the Porter cities for any spies or allies they might have close to home
6. Politics - investigate and counter possible OTO influence in Germany, England, Canada, Japan.
7. Atropos - do we have any plans or defenses against her?
8. Jeopardy- anyone willing to move there to keep an eye out long-term?
9. OR: Back off OTO for now, and focus on other priorities?

Off to the side are links to the files recovered from the OTO's space station in September, easily accessible by character communicators, and providing the latest known information on the enemy's activities. Standing up and wearing his armour, Commander Taylor folds his arms as he speaks in his most authoritative voice.

"This is a strategy session," he declares. "For figuring out where we go from here. The mission to Mars was a big win, and we can all feel proud for pulling that off. But this isn't over. OTO has been attacking us for years, and they're not going to stop."

Jacob lets that hang there for a second, then steps back and folds his arms. "All right. Let's hear some ideas, and talk to me about what you're working on right now. Depending on what we decide here, I might poll the Network and the Ambassadors for what they think as well. Maybe we can get some kind of united front together on how to handle things."

And with that, the floor is open for other agents to voice their thoughts.


B - TRAINING SIMULATION COBALT - NONAH PORTER DEFENSE

Helix's holographic Danger Room is a silvery hollow sphere plated with reinforced padding and lined with state-of-the-art virtual reality projectors. Your characters will only get a quick look at its true form before today's simulation activates, plunging you into an illusory depiction of the Nonah Porter Base.

You’ve probably been to this military location before while using the Porter for travel, but it's looking… different than usual. Rocks and drops of water are levitating in some places, strange rifts hover overhead surrounded by flying creatures (CW for bat-crab monster in link) circling through the air, and some titanic force has folded the world in bizarre angles, with Nonah's buildings and streets hanging overhead like a ceiling. Inside those buildings, it seems something strange has happened to some of their staircases. The briefing text for this scenario flashes into the air, seemingly in the corner of your eye:

SITUATION: Porter malfunction disrupting physical reality in Nonah. Fluctuations in gravity and geography underway. Dangerous creatures from dimensional rifts are attacking and abducting citizens.

OBJECTIVE 1 (TECH): Repair Porter and halt the Reality Warp.
OBJECTIVE 2 (RESCUE): Evacuate civilians from the affected area into the shelter of the Porter Base. Assist any injured.
OBJECTIVE 3 (COMBAT): Defend Porter Base and civilians from hostile creatures.

Your characters don't have much time to plan. The monsters are flying out of the rifts and either clawing their way into buildings in search of prey or diving on the base. This exercise will test your characters' ability to work as a team during a bizarre and dangerous situation, using their skills to achieve multiple tasks. A few added details:

-Since the Porter’s exact workings are unknown, the repair task involves relatively mundane deeds like rebooting crashed computers, mending wrecked conduits, or welding broken coolant pipes.
-The creatures are fast, strong, and numerous, but are vulnerable to most attacks. They’ll swoop down on anyone they see, seizing their prey and then flying back into the rifts. If your character gets dragged into a rift, their vision will fade as they are eliminated, and they will float as an invisible spectator above the action for the rest of the exercise. At least there’s no pain feedback in this simulation?
-The NPC civilians you're tasked with saving tend to freeze in place or run into danger in a panic. A pathfinding glitch sometimes makes them run themselves into walls. They’ll follow commands and can be healed of injuries, which are mainly concussions and broken bones. Many of them are trapped in the distorted buildings nearby.
-Some areas of will make your character ‘fall’ upwards in reverse gravity, while others may weigh them down with increased gravity until it's difficult to move. Watch your step!
-Your characters have all their usual powers and equipment. The exercise will fail if too many civilians or all Aegis characters are eliminated, and succeed once the Porter is repaired.

Give it your all, Aegis Force: even if this is just a simulation, it’s meant to prepare you for the real weirdness that gets thrown at imPorts, and your performance is being recorded for future evaluation.


C - OPERATION DOVE - METAHUMAN PEACEKEEPING IN MAURTIA FALLS

When regular people get in a bar fight, a window might get broken. When metahumans get in a bar fight, the bar catches fire. That's why Aegis has been called in, to establish peace between two feuding teams of amateur native ‘heroes’ whose grudges have endangered others.

The brawl on Halloween night was apparently started with a mean Bweet. The youthful vigilante group the 'Alley Cats'* called the corporate-sponsored ‘Triple-S’** team 'publicity-seeking sellouts' on Bwitter, and their rivals responded by describing the Cats as 'trashy punks' who were basically a gang themselves. The ensuing flamewar escalated quickly, sucking in fans of both teams.

That evening the Cats showed up at the Triple-S charitable Halloween bash at the Cosmo Canal bar to record what would have been a hilarious glitterbombing prank if they hadn’t been caught by drunken Triple-S members, who tried to ‘apprehend the criminals.’ This sparked a melee between the teams and their respective fan groups, with the bar set aflame by errant fire-breath. It’s a miracle no one was seriously hurt, and that no charges have been laid by the disinterested Maurtia Falls police.

Dumb as it is, it's also the kind of conflict Aegis is meant to mediate, so this is where your characters come in! The goal is for these native heroes clean up their acts (and their mess) instead of being thrown in prison, so it’s up to you to get them on a better path.

Aegis agents will head into the city to contact the two teams. They will work together to interview those involved and get their stories, make speeches exhorting the heroes to be better, referee tense discussions between the teams, coach them on apologizing to those affected in the chaos, then provide free training in using their powers for good and help them repair the damaged business. By the end of the month, if all goes as planned, Aegis members will help lead the two teams on a joint crime-fighting patrol in an area of downtown Maurtia Falls that has seen an increase in carjackings and stick-ups of late.

Put your diplomatic and mentoring hats on and do your best. With hard work and some luck, Maurtia Falls can gain more heroes to be proud of, instead of seeing yet another story of reckless people with powers.

*Slogan: ‘justice hisses in the night!’ Costume: street clothes with fur-fringed masks. Leader: Persian, female, age 18, with enhanced reflexes and home-made taser-claws. Famed for: a Bluetube video showing the Alley Cats vandalizing a loan shark's office, with attached links detailing his misdeeds, instead of relying on corrupt local police.
**The ShopCo™ Savings Saviors, all rights reserved. Costume: bright spandex jumpsuit festooned with sponsor logos. Leader: Soaring Cloud, male, age 30, able to fly slowly, with some martial arts skill. Famed for: rescuing civilians from a car accident, then handing out brochures for a sponsor's accident insurance program while awaiting an ambulance.


D - EVALUATION (OPTIONAL)
Want to play out a current or backdated evaluation of a character joining the team, either as an recruit or a mentor? Do it here! As a reminder, each Aegis recruit undergoes the following tests:

All applicants will have to pass a training exam for their chosen role, as well as an ethics test, a psychological evaluation, a background check, and the contacting of at least two character references (who can be imPort or native). They can also volunteer to undertake a lie detector test or psychic scan to verify their trustworthiness, but this is not mandatory.
ImPorts with criminal pasts can join the team, but only if their evaluators are satisfied they have fully mended their ways and don't pose a risk. Characters can volunteer to administer these evaluations and tests to new recruits. Evaluations and tests can be played out or handwaved according to player preference.

E - BASE MINGLING (HELIX STATION) (GOVERNMENT INSPECTION AND SURVEY)

In between briefing, training, and a routine mission, you may want to take some time to explore the team's fortified headquarters in Maurtia Falls, Helix Station. Grab something to eat in the kitchenette, get some target practice on the shooting range, check out what's available in the gear room, or just pop up on the walls to appreciate the view of the city. It's a big complex, and you'll be seeing a lot of it as you get to know your fellow teammates. Most importantly though, you should take a moment to say hi to Matches, Jacob's pet Dalmatian and Aegis Force mascot, who is always happy to sniff some new people.

Throughout the month of November, there is going to be an increased emphasis on making sure everything and everyone at the base is clean, presentable, and on top behaviour, because the government is coming. More specifically, teams of inspectors from the Department of Defence will be visiting Aegis Force to evaluate whether the government’s tax dollars are being well spent on this ambitious imPort pilot project. They’ll be poking all over the place, and noting down any signs of disrepair or dishevelment. They’ll also be circulating a survey that all Aegis agents are encouraged to take, consisting of the following questions:

1. Do you believe that Aegis Force is succeeding in its purpose? Why or why not?
2. If Commander Taylor was to be Ported out tomorrow, who would you want to see take over as team leader?
3. Which other team members do you trust the most? Are there any team members you do not trust?
4. Are there any circumstances where would you disobey an order from your superiors or the United States Government? If so, what are they?
5. In your opinion, what more does Aegis Force need in order to be successful? Is there anything it does not need or that seems unnecessary?

Feel free to discuss your answers with your fellow teammates... your government guests will be hovering nearby, listening for any further information they can overhear.


F - WILDCARD

For making your own prompts as you wish!

Comments

Commander Taylor | OTA

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

A

After some other people have had a chance to talk, Jacob speaks up again.

"I've got a couple things to add," he says, leaning forward over the table and resting his weight on his knuckles as he looks into the eyes of each of his people in turn. "I want us to think about what our goal is here. Are we trying to get rid of OTO and beat them for good? Are we just looking to contain them and hold back their attacks? Or do we have any options for ending this peacefully? I don't want this fight to go on forever. We've got to think about how we can help end it."

He lets that hang in the air for a moment, before sighing and moving on to a topic he is visibly not thrilled about. "There's something else. I consulted with Jonathan Crane on the kidnapping cases last month. He used to go by 'the Scarecrow,' and any bad things you've heard about him are probably true. But he helped. And he might help again. Consider him a resource we can use in our cases, but be careful if you're contacting him. He's not somebody we can trust, and he's good at getting in your head."

Crane can claim to have changed all he wants, but for Jacob he'll always be the person who attacked a Swear-In with fear gas. He recognizes he can't let that hold him back from doing something that could help Aegis save people, though.

B

Unlike the last big team exercise, Jacob is front and center in the Nonah Reality Warp simulation. However, he's not going to be taking charge of the defense- he wants to see how team members can organize themselves without his leadership. Acting as a simple foot soldier for the moment, he can be found firing his freeze ray at incoming monsters, dropping them out of the sky as blocks of ice, as well as carrying injured civilians back into the base over his shoulder and looking for someone who can help heal their simulated wounds.

It's not all smooth sailing though, since at one point he'll get stuck in a simulated high-gravity patch, forced to his knees in the middle of the street by the suddenly unbearable weight of his own body, calling out to anyone near him- "Stay back! You'll get trapped too!"


C

Jacob will always be a soldier before he's a diplomat, and this is a mission he's not sure how best to engage with. He wants to give both teams of metahumans a hefty piece of his mind about putting their personal grudges above public safety, but knows that's probably not going to help much. Instead, he'll lean on advice from the more mediation-inclined members of his team and stick to what he knows. Aegis members will be able to find him teaching first aid drills to members of both teams, having them build trust by practicing their new bandaging and splinting techniques on each other, and hanging back to observe the crime patrol at the end of the mission, watching from a rooftop with his arms folded as members of the Alley Cats and Triple-S chase off a trio of would-be burglars together.

b for being useful for once

[h2no]

You know, a couple months ago, Archie might be completely lost in a situation like this. He'd be trying to do literally everything at once in addition to trying to find any of his friends to reconvene with them. Now, though, he knows exactly what he has to do thanks to the direction he's taken from his position in Aegis. He sends out Crobat and Mightyena the moment the simulation starts-- Mightynea to help lead him to people that might need rescuing; the hyena Pokémon can sniff them out and get through smaller spaces. Support them until someone gets there or if worst comes to worst, drag them out himself. Crobat immediatley zips off to dogfight (batfight?) with the airborne monsters-- Crobat's intelligence and power proves to be a pretty good match for the simulated monsters, and it's not long before they start dropping out the sky in its wake.

This gives him a good head start, he thinks, and... does this thing have points? He probably shouldn't, but he hopes it means he's leading in points.

Archie himself stays back; despite the combat training he's been doing, he knows his best bet is to stay back and use his healing ability until he can build up the necessary experience to actually dive in in... a couple more months, most likely. Much of the time, he doesn't fully heal people-- he's learned the hard way several times that if he pushes himself too hard, he'll burn out inside ten minutes and be completely useless. The simulated paramedics are there for a reason! It's a clearly practiced co-operation between him and his team, something he'd been honing with them outside of these training sessions.

Eventually, following Mightyena leads him to the stuck Jacob.

"The gravity of this situation is ridiculous!" he calls out, without thinking. Looks around, because he's certainly not going to just run off and leave Jacob in his situation, Archie mentally bemoans Sabrina's exPortation; her psychic powers would certainly be helpful to give a huge middle finger to the laws of physics right now... ah! A displaced piece of rebar. Convenient! Maybe that'll work? Mightyena whines in concern for Jacob as Archie grabs the piece of metal and holds it out, cautiously poking it into the gravity well, likely not thinking that literally anything else would work better for a small area that's increasing the weight of those inside it.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob has seen Crobat zooming through the air and kicking ass during the exercise, and is proud of how well Archie is using his strengths to their maximum potential in both combat and healing. However, he is not so enthusiastic with what Archie is doing with that rebar, which is going to immediately become unbearably heavy in his hands as he sticks it into the well.

"If we had ranks, I'd demote you for that pun," he groans. He tries to lift his body up, get back to his feet, but the simulation reads the movement of his muscles and forces him back to his knees. "Don't use that bar... it's not going to work."

What he wishes right now is that he could use his biotics on himself. Lowering his own mass would be perfect for cancelling out the gravity effect.

D (let me know if this works)

[therewillbeorder]

This plan was a gamble, Hux was aware of that. But he needed to find out more information on what Aegis was focusing on, what information they had on any of his less than legal business dealings or Constellation activities. He believed that he could put on the facade of a self-righteous do-gooder for long enough to get in.

He had passed the psychological exam, smiling tightly as he lied easily in response to any of the questions. This wasn't the first psychological examination he had undergone here as he knew enough to know what they wanted to hear and see. The skills-based test was rather easy given he was applying to work in tech- he didn't use his abilities but his practical knowledge was enough to get him through.

Now he sat in the room, hands clasped before him as he waited. He wasn't that concerned about a simple ethics test since he knew that he certainly had better morals and ethics than most people. He had been willing to sacrifice and put in the hard work to do what was right instead of what was easy.

"Mr. Taylor, how generous of you to meet with me today," he said politely as Jacob entered. "You must be quite busy these days."

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

"It's no problem," Jacob says politely as he takes a seat, lowering Hux's file in front of him as he does. He is indeed very busy, but Hux's application had been... noticeable enough to warrant personal attention from the Commander. The team needed to make its decision clear and without leaving open any possibility of appeal to a higher power.

"Mister Hux, Aegis Force is thankful for your interest in joining us," he says in a firm, formal tone, face kept professional and neutral as he meets Hux's eyes. "But I'm sorry to say that we're going to have to decline your application. The results of one of your tests just didn't meet our standards."

D

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel's not entirely confident about this- she's never worked as part of an organized team before, but sitting around just waiting to return to her world doesn't sit well with her, so this seems like a way to help with less of a risk of blundering alone into something far over her head.

So she puts her utmost into the evaluations and sits, waiting for the results.]

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob doesn't halfass any Aegis Force evaluation, and he knows that there's a possibility that this version of Sabriel is an evil clone or from an alternate universe where she is incompetent or something, but really- this is a formality. He knows Sabriel, and knows she's the right fit for this team. She used to be his Commander, not the other way around.

So when he walks up to where Sabriel is sitting and offers her his hand, he doesn't beat around the bush.]

Welcome to Aegis Force, Sabriel. Looking forward to what you can bring to the team.

Alphonse Elric | OTA

[sonofgold]

B

Reading the description of the mission was one thing, but living it was another thing entirely. Al knows the training is important, as these scenarios have a high possibility of happening during his time here, but it's still brutal. He can't figure out what to do first- helping with the Porter is out, as computer repair is still a bit beyond him, but rescuing civilians is important, but stopping monster crabs is also important.

However, he doesn't get too far into the simulation before he realizes he's having trouble moving.

"Oh, come ON!" he cries out in frustration, before clapping his hands and leaning forward to raise a barrier with alchemy. ... he then finds he can't get back him.


C

Diplomacy is what Alphonse has signed on for, considering his own large amount of patience and experience keeping peace between his brother and others. However, he's not quite prepared to help handle conflict between gangs, especially not ones petty enough to start fights and vandalism over a mean Bweet. Often, other Aegis members will find him coming back to HQ at the end of the day frustrated, or else up to his ears in self-help and anger management books as research.

Finally, he manages to get a group of Alley Cats to agree to help repair some of the damaged buildings... only for a few more to show up to tag the businesses with spraypaint instead, as their leader shrugs it off as harmless mischief. This leads to him returning with neon streaks in his hair instead.

"... Kids these days," he grumbles.


E

Feeling like he hasn't made much progress at all this month, Al instead throws himself into cleaning the base for the coming inspection, which includes finally taking down and carefully packing up the Halloween decorations he'd put up, making sure hot tea and coffee are available for any visitors, and doing everything he can to keep presentable himself.

... neon hair streaks aside.

C

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob is there too when Al comes back, having just finished a long day of explaining to Triple-S members why the words 'emergency fire rescue' and 'advertising revenues' do not belong in the same discussion. He's leaning on the wall of the break room with a cup of coffee in hand when he sees Al's new hairdo, and stares for a moment.

"...Alley Cats, huh?" He guesses, sympathetically.

[sonofgold]

"Yeah," Al replies with a frustrated sigh, going to get his own cup of coffee. He maintains his composure for all of a few moments before bursting out, "Spraypainting buildings isn't harmless! I try not to use alchemy when helping them because I want to set a good example, but covering it up or cleaning it off the normal way takes forever and I can't make them care about doing it right! They're vandalizing property and they'd rather do that and risk getting arrested than behave themselves!"

Panting, he smiles sheepishly. "... sorry."

B

[topmeup]

"He doesn't skimp on the high-stakes realism, does he?" Max says, floating near him before he manages to magnetize his feet enough to draw himself back down to the ground. Thankfully Max has dealt with some zero-gravity training, but it's still hard to move when he's using his powers this way.

"If we work together we can get that group of civilians over there hiding out by the damages shelving."

B

[sonofgold]

Al grins when he hears Max's voice, glad when his colleague is able to anchor himself to the ground. He himself is nearly on hands and knees, struggling upright.

"No, he really doesn't. I guess it's better to be prepared."

Clapping his hands again, Al makes the ground beneath a crab soft; it's getting too close to the civilians, and it sinks, claws clacking in frustration as it does so.

"One step at a time," he says through gritted teeth... before he's suddenly upright, floating a few inches above the ground. "Oh, come ON! I don't want to fail!"

Kaneki | OTA

[ghoulking]

A

[ Kaneki is reading the points in silence. To this day, he still can't believe the government doesn't deem OTO as a threat, and in his eyes it comes to show how little they truly care about it. It also comes to show how little they should depend on the government when it comes to dealing with OTO or imPort enemies in general.

It's the 7th point that gets him stuck for a second, before he lowers his eyes. He does have a theory that could work, but bringing that up is not easy and in a way it almost sounds ridiculous. Clearly, Kaneki is no good at this whole "meetings" thing; back home he decided and acted on his own, and others moved after what kaneki did. It's a different way of doing things which he isn't used to.

He waits for silence to settle for a second, before his voice manages to escape, finally ]

... Clotho. I think we should try to think of her as an option against Atropos. [ Lachesis is weakened and she can't surface or she might destroy the world. Then why not bring in an equally strong force against Atropos? ] We don't know how to contact her. We don't even know if she is alive and free. But I don't think she is in good standing with her sister, who joined forces with the same people that made her a prisioner.


E (kind... of)

[ Kaneki will be seen briefly, but he will try to remain hidden and far away from government officials the best he can. In fact, he even attempted to pretend he didn't notice the survey, because he sure doesn't want to answer it. As someone who has lost much of his faith in the government (did he ever have it, to begin with? it's questionable), he sure doesn't want to entertain their attemtp of keeping things tidy when they can't even admit that there is a world-wide organization who tried to nuke imPorts and natives, and even attempted to make a fake-Porter to bring in a god-like being who would eat the world.

He manages to hide in some supposedly unnoticed area, staring at the survey, specially number 4. Now ain't that something. He sighs to himself, leaning back against the wall ] Aren't I doing that already...? [ he sure is kind of disobeying. Not that they know it, but still - ]

A

[fauxmarth]

[Lucina perks up at this notion.]

Do you remember when the seers spoke of them? The fates, I mean. They said they'd found Lachesis in a way -- through their divining. Maybe they can find this other as well?

[ghoulking]

What I'm worried is if we end up finding Atropos like last time and that will only cause her to get here sooner. [ kaneki sighs crossing his arms ] I just don't want to make things worse, either. [ like he did, back in december ]

E

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Sorry Kaneki, did you think your area was unnoticed? Nowhere on this base is safe from your Commander's snooping! Passing by, Jacob notices Kaneki leaning against the wall and sighing, and stops for a moment-]

Everything okay, Kaneki?

[He's beginning to realize that Kaneki is not anywhere near as okay as he acts like he is. The whole 'oozing black gunk and pretending it's fine' situation during the test flight had been a wake-up call on that.]

[ghoulking]

[ everything is always fine when you are kaneki.

he lowers the survey sheet down, looking back at Jacob, a bit startled he was found so easily ] Ah-

I just don't have a lot of patience with bureaucracy and politics.

OTA

[fauxmarth]

A.
[attacking for years... years. Lucina chews on the inside of her lip as she listens to Jacob speak, her hands curled into fists on her knees to keep them still. it's not that she's bored -- more impatient, uncomfortable with sitting idle in the face of looming threats. it'd be hard to blame her, considering her past. it's that exact past she doesn't want a repeat of here.

it's not simple enough to just brandish a weapon and chase down these enemies, either; somehow, the apocalypse was simpler in that way. no, this is...this has lots of layers, lots of knots and complications. that's why she's here, right? because she can't run at problems blindly.

still...]

Sir-- [she looks back up, glancing about the room to make sure she's not overstepping.] Regarding...contingencies for the Atropos threat. Can we conduct some level of census among our community to understand what magic we have on-hand? That would be at all willing or able to support in a crisis, that is.

It's not a conscription, per se, but...perhaps more a call to action in the event of disaster? Or a chance to better understand how prepared or unprepared we truly are...


B.
[monster smashing? no problem. gravity issues? easy -- she can fly! corralling panicked holo-citizens? kind of tough, but a welcome challenge with good intention boosting her morale.

the warping, though? this...it was fine, to start, because Lucina could focus on immediate threats and not the surroundings. but there's a point in this flux that grabs at her in a bad way -- some distorted reflection in a broken window, perhaps glitched with a clipping texture? or maybe nothing really strange at all. it's hard to say what can really push the wrong buttons and the wrong time.

either way, Lucina finds herself as stuck as some of the simulated citizens, her limbs frozen and her stomach a cold knot. Falchion falls out of her hands and clatters loudly at her feet, which is loud enough to startle her and have her clutching at her arms, her neck.]

Gods--no, please. Not again! [is it happening again? that disaster in De Chima. the way it changed her -- changed everything.

she doesn't even register the bat-creature swooping in for her head while she's clawing at her shoulder to make sure her skin is hers.]


E.
[Archie's really on to something: she goes a bit too hard when it comes to...everything. work, play, chores...she's been piling it up faster than she can see it all through, and it's why at some point in the midst of cleaning up the broken training dummies she'd slaughtered, she'd sat down against the wall and dozed off.

once the woosh of the door sounds, though, she gasps, startling quickly out of sleep and sits up, wide-eyed and disoriented.]

--Yes? What? Sorry, I was just--ah... Hello?

B

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Shit.

The simulation is supposed to be uncomfortable. It is supposed to be reminiscent of the Shimmer, of the way imPort life can become something horrific and unrecognizable with no warning, of the conditions Aegis has to work and fight under. It's supposed to test its participants physically and mentally, the better to let them work through their fears and weaknesses in a fantasy instead of freezing up in reality with lives at stake.

Still, seeing Lucina halt like that and claw at her skin, dropping her cherished sword... part of Jacob feels guilty just for putting her into this exercise, and wants to shut down the simulation right away.

He doesn't, though. Instead, there's a thrumming noise as a shrink ray zaps over Lucina's head and instantly reduces the bat-creature to the size of an actual bat. Instead of seizing her and flying away, it merely gets tangled in her hair- very gross, but not an elimination from the exercise!

Lowering his ray gun, Jacob runs to her and grips her shoulder with his free hand.]

Lucina? Lucina, look at me!

[fauxmarth]

[having her hair harassed in such a way really doesn't help her feel any safer or right in her own skin -- it does much the opposite, in fact, and has her desperately snatching at and yanking out the snared beast and flinging it as fast and as far away as she can. her revulsion with that is so engrossing that Jacob's contact catches her by surprise and causes her to yelp and recoil.]

No-!!

[any more protesting catches in her throat as she fixes her eyes on him.]

Oh--gods, it--no, we--we have to get out of here before you start changing, too!

A

[bindsthedead]

Not just what kinds of magic, but how much experience they have with cooperative spellcasting.

[This is similar to what Sabriel was facing at home, just even more terrifying.]

Even things that cannot die can be bound, and sealed away. I'm not saying that it's possible, but if enough of us have experience in the relevant spells and combine are efforts... perhaps we'll stand a chance. We can also try to convince the OTO that consorting with powerful, malevolent entities never ends well.

Darin Altway | OTA

[forgeabettertomorrow]

A

[Darin hangs in the back for the majority of this meeting, preferring to take everything in and listen to those that have been at this much longer than he has than speak up or out of turn. He is taking notes though. Copious amounts of notes. He's sure he'd be able to access the files with his communicator, but sometimes writing things out as he goes helps him think.]

[When Jacob opens it up to the floor, he waits for a chance, then raises his hand.]

...I'm new to all of this, and I might be speaking out of turn here, but...I think before we decide on how to deal with OTO, we need to figure out who they are. Like it was mentioned, we don't know anything about their structure. Do we know where they're getting their resources? Just being...reactive to their presence isn't getting us anywhere. It just makes us look like people are being attacked because of us. Because we exist.

Before we cut off the head of the snake, let's a least find out more about it.

D: Closed to Jacob

[Darin had boasted to Jacob that he could take anything the commander could throw at him when it came to testing his abilities to join Aegis. Jacob did not disappoint. Fortunately, though, neither did Darin. Physically, Darin is in tip-top shape, and he's able to control is tremendous strength and reflexes down to the minutiae. However, when prompted or called upon to actually show just what he can do, his strength, speed, reflexes, and durability are all well above what a human should be capable of. A fast thinker and even faster responder, Darin easily possesses all of the physical qualities to make him a match for Aegis.]

[However, emotionally he's still has some growing to do. He's a team player, but doesn't take command of a situation, preferring to let others direct him. The problem with that, however, is that only he knows the limits of his own capabilities. Regardless, it's time for his official evaluation.]

E

[Darin hasn't been part of Aegis for very long, but he's certainly taken to it quickly. When he heard that the base was due for inspection, he'd taken it upon himself to comb the base and start work on anything that seemed to be in the slightest bit of disrepair. He works quickly, efficiently, and with a surprising amount of gusto. After all, he loved working with his hands, taking things apart, learning about them, then putting them back together and fixing them.]

[The sun is setting on this particular day, and it catches Darin right in the eye as he's in the process of reassembling a console whose screen had been flickering annoyingly. He winces, as the light catches him, then makes his way up the closest set of stairs for a breath of fresh air. He leans on the edge of the wall and looks out over the city.]

...I wonder...if this is what it was like for you, dad...

D

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob has been rooting for Darin throughout the testing, but with an undercurrent of worry behind it all. He takes what Darin told him about his power level seriously, and knows that this earnest young man could do terrible damage if he loses control of his strength. It's a wonder he doesn't have more emotional weak points with the pressure he's under.

They'll work through it. Deep down, Jacob has confidence in Darin, and the Commander is smiling when Darin takes a seat across the table for his evaluation.]

All right. Looks like your guarantee is worth a lot, Darin. You kicked ass today - welcome to Aegis Force.

[And he reaches across the table to offer Darin his hand to shake.]

IN COMES AN ANTELOPER, ota

[glowsferatu]

[ In the room that looks most like a lobby to someone unfamiliar, where no one was, now the Psychopomp is. They look around in vain, but their attention is grabbed by he sudden sounding of a klaxon, some intruder alert from their sudden, unexpected appearance.

By reflex, they cross their arms, pouting under the mask, before deciding that's a poor way to meet anyone answering the to call to their bases's defense. Not in keeping with their (original) character (do not steal). Instead, they let their arms hang at their sides, hidden in the black robes.

They call out in a deep, booming voice: ] Have ye no reception for guests?

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Fun fact: Aegis HQ's alarm klaxon sounds a lot like the alert theme from Metal Gear Solid.

More fun facts: with just over a dozen members and a massive workload, only the Commander himself is currently available to answer the ruckus. Jacob comes running around the corner, flickering a faint purple from a precautionary biotic barrier, no weapon in his hand but one at his side if need be.]

Identify yourself!

[It'll be Kanaya's first time seeing him since she was Ported out last year, and she'll be able to see that he's- grown. Not physically, though he's still built as shit, but he's older, well into his thirties now, and there's more confidence and experience in his eyes behind the visor of his helmet. He carries authority with greater ease and comfort than he did in his awkward early days as leader of Archangel. The Protector armour she created for him three years ago has been massively overhauled and upgraded, building upon her original design, gleaming with a fresh laminate and showing hints of embedded circuitry in the helmet among other changes.

This is a Jacob who has leveled up. This is the Commander of Aegis Force, would-be Protector of the Porter Cities and even Earth itself.]