Deus Ex Machina Archive 53 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Arcana http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat DeM posts belong to their respective authors, the characters belong to their respective authors, etc etc etc. Comprehensive, from 2001-01-03 to 2001-01-25. Game Year is assumed V-498 unless otherwise stated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] Gear Piloting 101 Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2001 21:55:27 -0000 From: "Alex Groden" To: DeM_story@egroups.com Gear Piloting 101 - Some time between July 11 and August 20th, V-498 (OOG: hey, I got bored so I decided to just write something. Best time I could think of, just pointless jabber, but I needed an outlet.) "Been a while." "Eh?" Alex looked up from his work, his jacket lay on a pile of lumber and he was drenched in sweat. "Hi-ya," Cali smiled, brushing back a lock of her hair. "Hey, your up!" Alex beamed, "you look great!" "Always do, don't I?" Cali's night gown fluttered in the afternoon breeze, her hair was a little frizzy. "To me you do," Alex said, standing up and brushing his hands together, "are you sure your well enough to be outta bed?" "I do or I wouldn't be out here, silly," Cali said, hooking her arm through Alex's, "you all have been busy, huh?" "Sure have," Alex wiped his brow with his free hand, "but man, does it look good." "Yeah, it looks better than before," Cali said. The two walked down the road, their arms locked, just enjoying each other's presence. This was the first time Cali had been out of bed for a while, and Alex paid extra attention to her. The second she loses her step, Alex thought, I will pick her up and carry her. But she didn't. Cali still was a little uneven, but she held herself up. Alex smiled, thinking about her. She was independent and strong, and she didn't want Alex to see her falter. "Alex," Cali looked up, leaning on him. "Humm?" Alex looked down into her sparkling golden eyes. "I've been cooped up for god knows how long," she said, shaking her head, "and I know it was for my own good, but I'm kinda stir crazy, now, ya know?" "I can imagine, but I don't really want you helping us out yet, I think just a little longer and you'll be fine to..." "I wasn't talking about helping, I know you all wold never let me, at least not right now," Cali rolled her eyes, "I was talking about something a little more relaxed." "Oh, really?" Alex looked at her, "just what did you have in mind?" "Gear piloting," Cali said sweetly. "Gear piloting, I guess..." Alex blinked, "gear piloting?" "Yeah, Alex," Cali crooned, "what do you think?" "... I think I'd be crazy to let you behind Messenger's controls," Alex said smiling at Cali's pout. "But I..." Cali began, "please?" "Cali, I just don't know if your up to it," Alex said, "I mean...." "Please?" Cali looked at him, putting all her charm into it. "I..." Alex sighed, "ooohh, call me crazy...." "Alright," Alex said, standing behind the pilot seat, "got the controls?" "I think so," Cali had changed into her regular cloths. "Don't worry, they will become like second nature to you once you've been at it a while," Alex said, "now, let's try moving him, shall we?" "Ok!" Cali was brimming over with excitement. "Right," Alex wasn't so sure, "um, have at it..." Cali yanked the stick and messenger lurched forward. "Yaaagh!" Alex went tumbling forward. Thunk! "Ohmygosh!" Cali jumped out of the pilot seat, "are you ok Alex?" "Oohhh..." Alex was laying in an odd position over the front of the pilot seat and the holoscreen, "owww." "I'm so sorry," Cali said, "are you going to be ok?" "Oh yeah," Alex rubbed his head, he could swear a bump was forming, "just... dandy." "Ok, well, make sure your sitting this time," Cali said, "in all my time riding in Messenger I've never fallen over and hurt myself." "That's because I was driving..." Alex mumbled and sat down, making sure he had a good hold on a bar and the chair. "Here we go!" Messenger again lurched forward, but this time kept moving. After a moment, his movement became a little less jerky. "Ok," Alex coached, "that's good, try not to keep such a death grip on the stick, yeah, loosen up a bit, ok. Now careful, Messenger is finely tune, the slightest move and he'll respond." "Like this?" Cali manipulated the controls, "all it takes is a little practice!" "And a barf bag or two," Alex moaned, "is there any way I could get you to stop bobbing up and down like that?" "Oh hush up," Cali said, turning, "it's not gonna kill you." "That remains to be seen," Alex noted. Cali let out a sigh, then did a pull up on the stick. She deftly engaged the boosters and before Alex knew it they were flying! "Ahh!" Alex grabbed the chair for support, "what are you doing?!" "Piloting!" Cali said, pulling Messenger around, "wow, this is easier than I thought it would be." "Can we land now?" Alex looked around nervously. "Calm down, Alex," Cali said, "I'll land your precious gear..." "There would be nice, or there..." Alex pointed. "Under one condition," Cali said. "What?" Alex asked, almost pleading, "anything." "More lessons," Cali smiled, Alex moaned. "...Ok, ok," Alex said after a moment, "can we land now?" "Sure we can!" Cali lowered the throttle, slowing Messenger. She engaged the air brakes, and set Messenger into a land stance. "Please god let us land safely," Alex prayed quietly in the back. Messenger set down softly. The engines cut off, and Alex opened a cautious eye, "is everything... ok?" "Yep," Cali said, turning to smile. "You sure?" Alex asked. "Nope," Cali said, then opened the door and jumped out. Alex sat there for a second. "What have I gotten myself into?" he wondered aloud, then smiled as his love waltzed away, "oh, yeah, now I remember..." he sighed, his romantic side getting the better of him as usual. He go up and jumped out of Messenger, closing the cockpit on his way out. Summary: Cali begins her lessons on flying Messenger. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] Integration (The Ministry-6) Date: 4 Jan 01 12:05:50 PST From: Anastasius Dumar To: DeM_Story@egroups.com Integration (Ministry-6) August 21st, V-498 Sol 9000, Etrenank(sp?), Solaris 11:42 p.m. The core conscience of nine of the twelve Ministers contained within the Sol 9000 came online expecting nothing more than disaster. The panic and terror which filled the thoughts sent to each of them from two of their brothers would have made any physical manifestation of theirs tremble with fear. "No! Stop… You mustn't…" "Please! You do not understand…. NO!" "Your guilt is undeniable, your reasons irrelevant, and your punishment will be simple. I will not allow such foolishness to destroy the plans that I -that we- have worked so long to complete. Take refuge in the knowledge, however long you can, that some of your mistakes shall be reprimanded with the knowledge and power that you shall grant to me, and therefore, your brothers." The last "voice", if one could call the stream of data that communicated such messages a voice, was recognized by all instantly, though it took slightly longer for the majority of the Ministers to identify the owners of the first two, distorted with their terror. "Peter! What is the meaning of this?" demanded Damien, brimming with his typical rage, but even his infuriated comments trembled with fear, "What are you doing to them?" "These two, my brothers, have been plotting apart from us. They have sought reunification with their flesh before the agreed-upon time, and have gone so far as to believe that they might have destroyed us once they had done so-" Peter was interrupted briefly by terrified cries for mercy, but continued as the cries rapidly faded, "-As I have said, I will not allow the actions of any present here to interfere with our plans, most especially now, when we have all the pieces present, merely waiting to be assembled." "But… what are you doing to them?" Exclaimed Abner, somewhat more controlled upon realizing that the same fate was likely not to befall him. There was a pause, as the cries of the two Ministers continued to become weaker, before Peter continued, "When our minds and genetics were transferred into this damned machine, I knew that some of you may not have remained content as mere data, regardless of how sophisticated it may have been. "I feared at the time that were any of you to become insane or otherwise unstable, or, as these two have done, seek to act independently of this body, it could very well lead to the destruction of us all. Therefore, I had a safety mechanism installed into the programming that would allow me to do as I do now: I am integrating the data of these two, their knowledge and genetics, into my own. Our genetics, of course, are similar, but the useful differences will be utilized, enhancing my abilities when we finally leave this hellish machine." He paused again, almost amused, "Their knowledge, as well, is quite refreshing." "You have never told us of this… ability before," stated Abner, both intrigued and terrified. "There has never been any need, and I did not see the wisdom in having you all so terrified that you would not longer be of use to us. While I have integrated their knowledge and genetics, their personalities, and therefore their viewpoints and insights, have been lost. It is for that reason that none of you need fear a similar fate so long as you work towards our common goal; your numerous and varied individual thoughts, no matter the situation, will contribute to the achievement of our goal far more than those of a single entity, no matter how powerful. However, having seen the fate of those two, I would recommend that none of you attempt such a thing when we are so close to success. "Now, to matters at hand. I have contacted Aloysius, as per our mother's request for assistance. He will join her in her search for the other girl once our presence in Bledavik is secured-" "I fail to see the point in assisting her, brother. She has done nothing but interfere with our plans in the past. I cannot believe that now will be different. The longer she takes to succeed, the longer we will have to stabilize our position." In spite of the destruction of his two brothers moments before, as well as having a tendency to paranoia, Augustus seemed surprisingly unshaken as he spoke. "Do not forget we hold the key… So long as we posses such a critical component, neither Mordon nor Miang dare act against us. When the time comes that we have no choice but to use it, we shall have our bodies prepared, that we might leave this accursed machine. Furthermore, I could not refuse the opportunity to have such a capable spy in the presence of Miang -I doubt she is aware of the nanomachines present in Aloysius, which makes this opportunity ever more valuable." "Very well. Your wisdom, as always, is sound, Brother," replied Augustus. "It is settled, then. Abraham, inform us of the Bledavik situation -I assume everything is going according to plan?" "Indeed, brother. Riots have been breaking out with greater and greater frequency in time since our initial attack, due in some part to our planted antagonists. The people of Bledavik are becoming more and more discontent -it was not a difficult task to revive many of the old wartime feelings, especially with the resentment many now feel towards Kislev's occupation, no matter how benign. Ariath has done well in coordinating our forces, and the destruction of the Kislev forces in Bledavik should not be difficult, as we also still hold several hangars in the city itself." "Excellent. Aloysius has informed me that Captain Senka - the one I instructed him to watch -is showing positive signs. We will know more when this battle is over, but all indicators to date show he may be a viable match. The time is drawing ever nearer, brothers. We must be prepared to act." [Summary: After discovering two of the Ministers had been plotting outside of the Gazelle Ministry, Peter destroys them, integrating their knowledge and genetics into his own code.] & Anastasius Dumar. ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] Re: A Past Rekindled Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 21:34:29 -0500 From: "Cloud Strife" To: DeM_story@egroups.com (OOG: Finally IN Beldavik, but I didn't think this post would be as long as it is, sorry. It did take an interesting turn when I was writing it though and I never expected it to turn out the way it did. Oh well, Happy reads!) “A Past Rekindled” (Sere) --------------------------- August 22, V-498 –- Dusk –- Beldavik, Aveh --------------------------- Sere stepped out of her gear and began to walk across the platform that lead out of the hangar. She kept thinking back to what Drake had told her about the mission. He had said to find information on the situation and report back without getting involved, but unfortunately for her things never seemed to go as planned. Sere decided not to worry about that for now though, all she was concentrating on was the task at hand and how to accomplish it. As she walked outside and onto the busy street, Sere realized that she be spending a few days in the city. So she decided to find a place to stay and relax until something happened. Sere found an inn not too far away from the centre of town. It was a perfect place to be in order to gather information on any movement of forces, no matter whose they were. No one would suspect a person in the poorer part of the city to be gathering information and relaying it to somebody else. As soon as the key was given to her, Sere went to her room. After unpacking, she was exhausted both physically and mentally. It had taken nearly two days to get to Beldavik and she had travelled across the desert non-stop. Over the course of her journey to the capital city she had been trying to figure out the point of the mission she was giving to no avail. All she came up with was that there was more to it than she or Drake had been told, so she would have to stay on her guard at all times. Now that she was inside the confines of Beldavik’s walls she had no idea about what was going to happen. With all of these thoughts running through her head she was too tired to sort them out. Sere decided to go to sleep so that she’d be fresh and ready to sort out her thoughts afterwards. It was early the next morning when Sere woke up. She hadn’t realized just how much she really needed that sleep. After getting dressed she left the room and went to go have something to eat before starting her day of information gathering. It felt nice to finally have some food after going two days without and with the sleep she just had, Sere was ready for the day and its events. Setting money on the table, Sere got up and walked out of the small café. She knew the city pretty well, but had no idea about where to start gathering info from. “This is just peachy! I wasn’t given any information about where to start my search and I have absolutely no idea where to even start!” Sere said to herself, frustrated with the lack of info she had been given. “Next time I’m asked to do a job like this I’ll just flat out turn down whoever’s asking me. I don’t even care who they are! This is stupid I’m getting nowhere. I just have to calm down and think. There has got to be someone from the military or something around here. And what about Garret? Drake did say that someone matching his description was sighted. Then again, he could look totally different than what I thought he would look like if I saw him now,” she was to busy with her thoughts that she didn’t realize she was about to walk into someone. “I’m sorry Miss,” the man spoke after they had bumped into each other. “No, it was my fault. I was to caught up in my thoughts to notice where I was walking,” Sere spoke to the man, her head bowed. “Well, now that we’re both sorry, how about I buy you a drink so that we can forget this happened? It’s a man of the military’s duty,” he said with a smile. “Thank you, but I’m awfully bu...Wait a second! Did you just say the military? Ha ha! This has to be my lucky day! I’d love to have a drink with you,” she finally lifted her gaze to meet his. He was blond, with dark blue eyes. He looked about twenty-one, which was what her brother would have been. His hair was short and spiky, due to the military’s rules. He had a clean complexion and was smiling at her. After a few moments, it finally hit her. This man matched the description of what her brother would look like perfectly. Sere knew that not only did she now need to find out information about the gathering of forces, but also information about him. “Excuse me, but is something wrong? I don’t have something on my face do I?” he spoke after he realized she had been staring at him for a while. “Sorry, got lost in my thoughts again,” Sere said with a nervous smile. “You seem to do that a lot. Are you okay? You don’t have some special medical problem that I need to know about, do you?” he asked, teasing her. “No! Geez, and I thought you were a nice guy. Hmph, you ask me to have a drink with you and then you make fun of me! Ya really do have a way with women don’t ya?” she said getting him back. “Well let’s get going then. I know a nice place where we can sit and talk. Plus you seem familiar to me, I don’t know why though,” he started to walk. “Well, I’m sure we haven’t met before,” Sere said, she wanted to find out more about him without him thinking that they knew each other. They walked towards the restaurant the young man had told her about. As they entered, the waiter seemed to know who the man was already and showed them to his ‘usual’ table. Sere glanced around the restaurant and was amazed at how elegant it was. He must have been a high-ranking office or something to be able to eat here as often as the waiter seemed to let on. “I never got your name, by the way,” the man said waiting for her to tell him. “My name is...uh...Sarah, yeah I’m Sarah, hehehe,” Sere nervously lied to him, just in case. The man looked at her sceptically, but then replied, “I’m Office Garret Grant of the 3rd Division Strike corps. It’s nice to meet you Sarah.” Sere couldn’t believe what he had just said. But it was true; it couldn’t be a coincidence could it? Sere wanted to make sure so she decided to carry on the conversation. She couldn’t get the thought of her search for him out of her head. If he really were her brother she’d be so happy, but if he found out who she had become, what would he think? She decided to find out more about Garret first. “So...Is this your hometown?” Sere asked her first of the series of questions she had for him. “No, I was born in a small village in between both Aveh and Kislev. But disaster stuck the town and I had to leave,” Garret looked upset. “I’m sorry, so then your family..?” she knew she was stirring up terrible memories for him, but she had to know. “My parents were killed, but my sister...I don’t know what happened to her. I think she died as well, but everyday I wake up I still hope she lives somewhere...” Garret didn’t seem to want to talk about the subject anymore. “You never know, Garret, one day you just might find her. Don’t look so upset, she wouldn’t want you to cry for her. I’m sure she’d rather you be happy, than to live a miserable life. So cheer up!” Sere smiled at him, she had got all the information she needed. “Thank you, what about you?” Garret decided to ask her questions this time. “Actually, I don’t remember much of my past but I lived in a small town like you,” she told him half of the truth. She really couldn’t remember much of what happened, but she left out the details that would lead him to find out who she was. “Oh...Did you lose your memory?” Garret looked straight at her. “Yes...I don’t remember what happened, but when I woke up I was in a hospital with no memories and no family,” Sere was holding her emotions in check. “I’m sorry, it looks like the both of us have pasts that we’d rather leave in the dark,” Garret gave her a warm smile. “Well, off that topic, since you’re in the military have you heard anything about a gathering of forces outside of the city?” she decided to complete her mission. Garret didn’t need to know about her, Sere was just happy that he was alive and well. She’d just have to watch over him and protect him like a big sister should. That’s why if there were anything suspicious going on she’d just have to make sure Garret was safe. Maybe one day she’d tell him who she really was, but for now he’d just have to think she was Sarah. “I don’t know if I should be talking to you about this. But for some strange reason I trust you’ll keep this information a secret. There does seem to be large troop movement outside of our walls, but we do not know whose forces nor do we know what they are planning. At least, that’s what I’ve been told by my superiors. I believe that this city is their target. Whether there is something we have that they want or they are here for another reason, I have a feeling this city’s peace might be shattered quite soon,” Garret was serious about the information he was giving and was talking in a low tone. “Well, I guess I should move on then. And I thought this place would be good to spend a vacation in this time of year,” Sere said sarcastically. “I must be getting back to my duties, but I’m glad to have met you Sarah. I do hope we meet again in the near future,” he held out his hand. “I hope so too. Please be careful, if what you say is true a battle might be soon at hand,” she stood up and took his hand. “Thank you and please be careful as well,” he left money for both of them and walked off. “Don’t you dare get killed on me, Garret. Not after I’ve just found you,” Sere spoke quietly as he walked off. Sere sat in the café for a while longer just thinking about everything that had happened to her. She decided to report in to Drake because she decided to stay in the city and wait this out. She wanted to make sure nothing happened to Garret, no matter what the cost. He was the only thing that mattered to her right now and she vowed to protect him from harm. (Summary: Sere gets to Beldavik and decides to search the city for info. By chance she meets someone from the military, who turns out to be her brother Garret. He gives her info about the forces outside of the city and she vows to stay and protect him.) ------------------------------- “A Past Rekindled” (Sere) By: Serenity Grant A.K.A “Sere” ------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] First Impressions (Aloysius-15) Date: 7 Jan 01 18:06:08 PST From: Anastasius Dumar To: DeM_Story@egroups.com First Impressions (Aloysius-15) Gebler Desert Base August 23, v-498 7:48pm Aloysius exploded upwards, driving with his heels against the tremendous weight suspended over his shoulders. Ten forty-five pound plates -five on each side- were draped over his broad shoulders with a steel bar which bent towards the ground with the stress placed upon it. Chest heaving with his effort, sweat trickling down his bare back, Aloysius snarled at the reflection of himself he saw in the mirror before him, and dropped down into another squat, his implants wildly clicking and buzzing to stabilize his body. He paused at the bottom, thighs parallel with the floor, and, snarling again, pushed upwards, a steady whine coming from the implants in his legs. His legs trembling, breath coming in quick gasps, he could not move. He crouched, five hundred pounds suspended over his back, motionless and with nothing to assist in his effort. "NO!" he cried in a vicious defiance, "NO!" Face distorting from the strain, he forced his trembling legs to respond -he would not allow himself to be defeated, not by his own body. His entire body shaking with the effort, he forced himself erect, allowing the bar to crash onto the resting bars. Breath coming in slow, laboured gasps, Aloysius paused for a moment to steady his shaking legs, and then, with an outraged snarl, launched himself into a rapid series of sharp, hard kicks that carried him halfway across the empty gym. Leaping into the air, he pivoted, lashing out with his heel as he spun a full circle, dropping to the floor facing the same direction with which he had started. He stood a moment, before his left leg trembled and gave out, sending him to the floor kneeling. The base's weight room was empty now, a day from the assault on Bledavik had all the soldiers present at the hidden Gebler base undoubtedly preparing for combat in more direct methods. Aloysius' disdain for the military kept him away from such preparations, for he would follow no orders but his own in the upcoming battle. Instead, he took advantage of the empty facilities at the base, using the opportunity not only to condition his body, but as a focal point to release some of the rage that he held so deep within him, if only temporarily. Catching his breath a moment, he looked up into one of the many mirrors that surrounded the gym, looked upon his dense, heavily muscled body and the dull reflection. The sight of himself kneeling in such a way seemed to infuriate him yet again, drawing forth a low, primal growl. He forced himself to stand, and propelled himself into another flurry of vicious kicks. His final kick landed upon the hard body of a heavily packed punching bag several feet away, which he proceeded to pummel with hard, fast punches, the chain suspending it from the ceiling clanging as it jerked from the impact of his blows. Such sheer physical effort was something Aloysius unconsciously took great pleasure in -in the moment of absolute effort, on the border of exhaustion, there was a peace he could find that distanced him from the events of his life, from his hideously augmented body, and from his inescapable slavery to the Ministry. Such peace came when he had pushed himself so hard that continuing meant that he had no choice but to think only of the moment, think only of completing another kick, another punch, or another rep. His knuckles bleeding and torn from the heavy canvass of the bag, sweat stinging his eyes, something as close to a genuine smile as Aloysius could generate touched his lips as he continued to rage upon the heavy bag. His vision beginning to blur and fade, Aloysius barred his teeth in a vicious snarl, and extended his right foot in a final kick that drove the bag far to his left and evoked a stressed groan from the ceiling. Breathing now in short, sharp gasps, Aloysius pushed his long, salt-and-pepper hair from his face as he wiped sweat from his eyes. Propping himself up against a nearby chest-press machine, he waiting slowly for his racing heart to still and his vision to clear. "Damn…" he muttered to himself, allowing another pseudo-smile to cross his lips. "Very impressive, Mr. Kal'Ahaz. I am beginning to see why the Ministry values you so greatly." Aloysius scowled, wiped his forehead, but did not look up, 'I must be slipping… first the gear, and now this.' It disturbed him to know that had failed to see or at least hear someone enter the room, and whoever it was spoke as though they had been watching him for at least the last several minutes. Aloysius raised his eyes without lifting his head, that he might look at the owner of the cool, calculated, and unquestionably feminine voice of his guest. Her pale skin, lithe figure and glossy violet hair made her beautiful, unquestionably. Another time, and Aloysius might have felt stirred by such beauty. But such things did not concern him now; where he might have felt stirred, he instead felt as cold as the violet eyes that stared at him from the face of this woman, standing some ten feet away. Indeed, it was the power that radiated from this woman that caught his attention far more than her beauty, for the ether she controlled fairly rolled off her in waves, and seemed virtually limitless in scope. She had obviously concealed such power when she had arrived at the base, for Aloysius had never felt anything like it before. While he'd had a good idea of who was standing before him simply by the exotic colour of her hair, the staggering amount of ether she radiated eliminated any doubts he might have had. "Lady Miang-" "Myaru, if you please. It is more simple that way." "Lady Myaru, then. It's a pleasure to meet you. The Ministry does not tell me to be wary of everyone." She smiled thinly at that remark, "I see you live up to your reputation, Mr. Kal'Ahaz. I trust the Ministry has informed you of my request? I would have preferred to speak to you sooner, but you are quite the… elusive figure." It was his turn to smile thinly. The Ministry had contacted him the day before about her request, to assist her in finding one of the girls she believed could be the elusive anti-type. Upon her arrival a few hours ago, determined not to allow her to believe he was a slave to anyone but the Ministry, Aloysius had made a point of avoiding her as long as possible, forcing her to come to him to speak about the task at hand. Of course, now that she was here, he still had no intention of placing himself in a position of servitude -not willingly, at least. "Meet me outside the changing rooms, then. I am not currently in a state that warrants anything but a shower." Aloysius bowed slightly and walked past Myaru, heading towards the door marked MEN on the other side of the gym. She scowled at his retreating form, irritated with his insolence -speaking to her as though _she had been ordered to assist _him. Then, her scowl abruptly disappeared as she laughed, suddenly amused by his audacity. The Ministry had informed her that he might be difficult. Difficult indeed. ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] "Indigenous Life" (Shadrach) Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 21:29:03 EST From: Egang5Jr@aol.com To: DeM_story@egroups.com [1/2 Mile outside of Bledavik Early evening, August 24] Shad sat huddled at the edge of the tent he set up. The desert surrounding Bledavik spanned as far as he could see. He could barely make out the lights that signified the capital city itself. His Gear, the Nova, was lying on the sand next to him, underneath a camoflauge tarp. It was dusk. Shad was thinking about his mission. A Gear had been stolen from Shevat. The Queen, not wanting Shevat directly involved in an action that could take them to war with Solaris, had forbid any course of action entailing contact with Solaris. So part of the military decided to take matters into their own hands and send one unit to watch for Solaris. It had been reported by spies that there was an increase in Solarian espionage activity involving Bledavik, so that was the first place they were going to search. If the Gear had in fact been sent to Bledavik, it wouldn't be long before they would get it out of the city and into Solaris to be studied. And so Shad had been sent. One soldier was inconspicuous and could easily infiltrate one city. The plan was to wait until further orders. And so he was waiting. And waiting. And waiting. It had been almost eight hours since he arrived. He was growing restless. And still the Gebler cruiser hanged in the airspace above the capital. Suddenly, he noticed movement in the sand. Not the gentle, flowing movements of the wind creating dunes, but sharp patterns. Almost as though made by a living being-- Something reached up over the edge of his tent and latched on to his foot, dragging him toward the sand. Desperately, he clung to the edge of the tent to avoid being pulled down to certain suffocation. Holding on to his tent with one hand, he reached up and groped for something that would help him out. He finally grasped the felt of his holster and pulled out the military issue pistol. Pointing it to the sand below him, he fired several times. Whatever it was, it promptly released him. He scrambled back into his tent, reloading his pistol and picking up the staff with which he was more proficient. He waited for a moment, his heart pounding. Suddenly, a green shape burst out of the sand, bleeding slightly from a wound on the side of its head. It resembled an aquatic shark, but rougher. His mission report said nothing about indigenous life in this desert. The beast moved to strike again. Shad sidestepped it, accidentally dropping the pistol to the sand. He swung the staff as hard as he could at the sand shark's head. Had the weapon been wood, it would have snapped; however, it was constructed out a light metal alloy, improving on both its toughness and speed. The shark slid out of the tent, giving time for Shad to regain his stance and mount an attack. He watched as the shark disappeared into the sand. Holding his staff ready, he waited. A full minute went by, and not a sound was heard aside from Shad's labored breathing. Suddenly, the tent tilted 45 degrees to the right. All too quickly, Shad figured out what had happened--the shark had come up below him and was trying to capsize the tent into the sand. He hopped out of the tent and jogged to his Gear, which was still prone in the sand. The shark was still busily trying to flip over the tent. Shad fired the pistol several more times, trying more to get the beast to notice him than do any actual damage to it. It promptly stopped what it was doing and began swimming towards him. It jumped from the sand, jaws open. At the last moment, Shad leapt to the side. The shark grazed his shoulder, tearing his flight suit and scoring a flesh wound. The sharks' momentum carried it onward, directly into the Gear Shad had been standing in front of. With a sickeningly wet thud, the shark fell to the ground, dazed. Shad pressed his advantage and brought his staff down square between the beast's eyes. It lay motionless. Shad slumped against his Gear, panting hard. He had to disinfect the wound on his shoulder before infection set it and then try to salvage what he could from the all but ruined tent. It was going to be a long night. [Summary: Shad contemplates his reasons for being here, then is attacked by a sand shark.] Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] "The Art of Delinquency" [Interlude] (Alys & Athena's Gang) Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 02:10:50 -0000 From: "Kryn " To: DeM_story@egroups.com (OOC: YES!!!!! THANK GOD!!!!! I finished this damn post! So what if it's boring, I'm just happy it's done! Now Dan, time to get the fun post out! Arcana I need to mail you on something. Anywya Enjoy! After this......the Bledavik Invasion begins!) "The Art of Delinquency" [Interlude] (Alyson and Athena's Gang) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 23, V-498 Kislev Gear Docks Bledavik, Aveh 5:45pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bitch. That's all Alys had to sum up for her "superior", Victoria Seliny. Ok, she could understand her frustration, having waited for 3 days, but she acts like she's been cooped up in the room all that time. Maybe she was? Alys quickly took back that bitch comment, but she also felt guilty for leaving Irina all cooped up there too. She would've contacted them sooner, but she and Elly's Kislev friends had been working on their gears from sun-up to sun down for the past few days. "Something wrong?" Alyson turned to see Brynhild, somewhat dirty in her jumpsuit and holding a wrench with one hand and the other placed squarely on her hip, and Her long brown hair tied up into a somewhat messy ponytail. "No, not really. Just having a few words with my other comrades who will be helping us." she replied. "From the sounds of it, more like a bitter exchange of words!" Brynhild exclaimed. Alyson smiled, feeling a little embaressed, "Yeah well, that was the more commanding and controlling one. The other one is actually really sweet and kind. She's a lot like you." Brynhild blushed slightly then thought for a moment at the brief description Alys had given of her secret helpers. They almost reminded her of her and Cass, but she quickly brushed the thought out of her head. "Boy do you look a mess!" Alys couldn't help but comment on Brynhild's appearence. "Me? Have you checked in the mirror?" Brynhild pointed. Alys looked at her reflection in one of the metal walls of the gear docks. Her jumpsuit had various oil streaks on it as well. Whisps of jade from her somewhat messy ponytail clung to her face which also had a little mark from gear oil on it. "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?" She turned to Brynhild, "We should get back to others and see how they're doing." Brynhild nodded and the two friends walked along the platform talking to each other about idle stuff and also issues concerning their raid on the prison. Yes, they could call each other friends. In the past few days, Alys and Elly's friends had grown closer and learned to trust one another. Alys was helping them upgrade their gears with some of the leftover Solarian technology from the war. They only had time to work on the speed of the gears and upload the stealth technology so that it'd be way to hard for them to be detected. "Yo Ally, we need some help up here!" called Jason from the towering red gear, Valkyrie. Alyson obliged and quickly took the lift up to the cockpit level of Brynhild's gear, "What's up?" she asked him and Cassandra. Jason pointed to the monitor, "Valkyrie is having some trouble installing that stealth technology of yours. Think you could do anything?" Jason quickly got up from the pilot and motioned her to sit. Alyson sat in his place, typing frantically on the control panel as a screen filled with green lettering scrolled up continously, the reflection of it apparent in her face. "No wonder...." She spoke to herself. "first we have to re-configure this....and then change that......relay this to that and........done!" she said as they watched the empty bar quickly turn yellow, a signal of the data being loaded up succesfully. "We're done?" Cass asked. "Are there any other gears?" Alys asked. "Well there's Be-" Jason stopped short, scratching his head. "No. It's just us and your two other friends." Alys got out of the pilot's seat and them all to the lift, "Well, since we're done with the work. Let's all go relax in town, we've got a big day tomorrow and we need to be as well rested as possible." "What's say we go to a bar and celebrate?" Jason suggested to them. "Sure," Brynhild responded, feeling somewhat cheerful now that everything had been completed. "I'll go....but don't complain if I don't get anything with alcohol." Alys said as they stepped off the lift towards Brynhild. "Fine then, I'll just get drunk for the both of us then Alys!" Cass said. "Cassandra, you'd get drunk for all of the Kislev army if you could!" Jason commented. "Yeah, so?" she responded, brushing back long brown hair over her shoulder. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 24th, V-498 1:17am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alys laid in her bed quietly while listening to the soft inhales and exhales of Brynhild and Cassandra as they slept soundly. She stared up at the ceiling, contemplating. The main subject was tracing everything that had happend to her up to this point. First, she was given a prominant career as an Element, one of the highest ranks in Gebler. Then, she came to Ignas and recieved Epiphany from her uncle. The fight with those black gears from that fishbowl ship that attacked Bledavik came to mind, the first and only time she took drive, Jason and Terra's deaths from the war, Julian's transference to another branch in Gebler. The massacre and Aloysius Kal'haz played over and over in her mind as well. Now, she was rebelling against the only home she ever knew all to save Elly, her friend, the sister she always had and needed, unlike Alana who was never there for her. Was she doing the right thing? It felt right busting Elly out. She had to. She owed her that much, since it was her fault that Elly was in there from the beginning. Even if Elly didn't remember her, it still didn't matter. She was going to save her. Alys clutched her pendant, the glow of the red jewel mingling with the moonlight. And what about Lady Myaru? She was a mystery in herself. She had the oddest feeling that she knew that woman from somewhere... Also, at times it felt like those indigo eyes were watching her wherever she went even if the owner wasn't there in person. Alys had so many questions about herself that she needed answering and it seemed like getting Elly out be the beginning of the long road to her answers. After all, once she became a fugitive everything else would never be the same again. She held the pendant close, drifting into a soft slumber not unlike her two friends, the jewel of the pendant glowing still. (Summary: Alys and Athena's gang finish gear moderations and then go off to celebrate. Later on at night, Alys contemplates on the events leading her up to her current situation and wonders where she'll end up next. She finds comfort in the pendant.) Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] Angel's Influence (Aishou, Myaru) Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 09:26:00 -0500 From: Arcana To: DeM_story@egroups.com Angel's Influence (Aishou, Myaru) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 21, V-498, Etrenank. Aishou rather enjoyed violent video games. Today, on her once-again boring day, she had nothing to do and so chose to play swift, shoot-em-up games while listening to heavy music. In the corner of her room, she sat in a chair, gripping two handles on the armrests. The metallic cover that surrounded her head had images of old tank warfare projected onto it. Today, she had loaded up the "Lambs" mod she found from the Solaris Network, and was practising shooting Aveh civilians with a 155mm cannon. Needless to say, the detail of a person being literally ripped into individual pieces, splattering blood and intestines all over the place, didn't seem to disturb Aishou in the slightest. There was a beep in her ear, and Aishou let out a few curses and hit a button on the side of her chair, suspending the game and loading up the communications link. "Message from Lord Commander Ariath Dracorte," the computer said. Aishou pressed another button and the message, which, to her disappointment, was a text-only message, appeared on the screen. "We have reason to believe that the occupation of Bledavik by Solaris may disturb Kislev citizens and military," the computer read in a deadpan voice. "There is ample evidence showing that many will consider rebellion. "I would like you to make contact with one of the Kislev soldiers, specifically, this man." A picture of a man appeared beside the text. "His name is Bellerophon Corin. You are to inject him with the telepathic communications serum to slowly gain control over his mind, after which he will become suited to do your bidding. Use him to gather intelligence on Kislev forces in the area." Aishou nodded. Wasn't there someone else out there, who was actually _trained_ in this sort of thing, going to do this? Whatever, she thought to herself. Orders were orders. "I choose you because I trust that you will put full effort into completing the mission," the message continued. "Your high ether potential will be an asset to this mission. You will be able to communicate with this man through the use of the telepathic communications headset shown to you last week." Aishou nodded to herself, recalling the little device which looked almost exactly like a pair of headphones. The device fit over her head, beaming an image into her retina and allowing her to hear through one headphone. An attached microphone allowed her to communicate with the subject. "To contact this man, meet him in the bar shown below on the Bledavik streets. He will be there on the evening of the twenty-second. As he is a womanizer, show interest in him, and lead him away from the others. Inject him with the serum, then leave. The effects of the serum will take place in about two hours time, from which you will be able to hear everything he says." Aishou muttered a swear. Like she needed someone's thoughts to hear twenty-four hours a day. "You need not submit a regular report, but only instead to keep all data on record. Report any critical information, such as research into technologies and military plans. I know you'll be able to do this, Aishou. Ariath out." There was a pause, and the computer said, "Message end." Aishou's arm went limp. Normally, this sort of technology was reserved for the spies and covert operations. The premise of the technology was this: a serum filled with small nanomachines that was to be injected into a person's bloodstream. These would enable a certain data device, known as a telepathic communications headset, to communicate thoughts directly into the recipient's head. Anything the person said would be beamed back to the listening device so the thoughts could be recorded, and most of what the person saw was transmitted back to the headset's visual display. In a way, it was an advanced two-way communications system. However, the scientific experiments performed on third-class citizens showed that there was an intense psychological effect on the recipient of the serum: over a short period of time, the recipient began to acquire an attachment to the person on the other end of the headset if the person was kind and truthful enough, and the result was that the recipient eventually became so amiable and truthful that they often confused the voice with their own thoughts, or trusted the judgement of the voice completely, giving the controller almost complete authority over the recipient. It was essentially a form of mind-control. After the tests, the person receiving the serum came to be known as the "slave", and the person with the headset called the "master". The system relied heavily on the ether potential of both master and slave: the stronger the ether potential of both parties, the stronger the link. However, a weak-minded slave was critical in making the mind control work well. Aishou lifted the cover from around her head, exposing her to the dimmed lights of her room. Why did Ariath choose her for this delicate task? She was skilled at smashing things, not at seducing _Lambs_. She shrugged. No, there was certainly a good reason, she thought to herself. Not that it concerned her, really. Lord Dracorte chose her for the covert ops job. All she had to do was carry it out. Elanore was in covert operations, too. Aishou lashed out and swung her arm out in a strong, wide gesture, releasing the potential energy of anger. Her arm whipped out at a nearby flower vase, sending the vase flying clear to the other side of the room where it broke against the dull blue walls. She needed no comparison to HER! She was about to reach out for something else when she heard a soft hiss by her wrist, and the armband that controlled her bottled rage released chemicals to help relax her body. She was breathing deeply for a moment longer, staring at some point in the room, her mind not focusing on a specific thought. Unlike Elanore, SHE would come back from this one conscious and alert, she told herself bitterly. Unlike Elanore, she wouldn't get herself in some mess, lose her memory, and fail all of Solaris... unlike Elanore, who was supposed to be the most intelligent, most able operative of them all, she would succeed in her mission. Feeling herself finally relax enough to move normally, she decided to head down to Stores to pick up her telepathic serum and its accompanying headset. ~~ The data blinked on the flat monitor as she glanced at the current listing of Store's inventory. Aishou had just picked up the serum and headset. She glanced down at Ariath's computer, then logged out of the terminal. She was going to do it. Although she had no idea how she would control her, if nothing else, the woman would be able to report on Athena's potential whereabouts by following her friend. And to have Aishou's thoughts to this Lamb, who could potentially become her "friend", recorded on Solaris transmissions would be a wealth of information about the little girl and her secrets. She hid a little grin to herself and glanced down at the book she placed conveniently next to Ariath's computer, titled, "Replicating the Functions of the Biological Cell". The door slid open at this point, and the Lord Commander eyed her from the doorway for a moment before speaking. "Myaru, what are you doing?" She looked up, pretending to look startled by his sudden appearance. She motioned down to the book, then held it up for him to see. "Why, reading, of course." -- [Summary: Aishou receives a mission to mind-control Bellerophon, one of Athena's crew members. Myaru is the one who forged the orders.] = -- -- Arcana Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] Angels Fly Too Low (Bellerophon, Aishou) Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 22:43:12 -0500 From: Arcana To: DeM_story@egroups.com Angels Fly Too Low ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 23, V-498. A bar in Bledavik. ~~ For a second, Bellerophon considered not going to the bar like he usually did on a Friday. After all, tomorrow, his friend, Elly, was going to be executed. He glanced down at the notepad he had carried with him in his attempt to locate evidence to clear her name, or at least, delay her execution. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few scratches, the pad was empty. He started to feel guilty. Maybe being a fugitive would have been worth it... it would have been better fighting for what you know is right rather than sitting here, under the command of some immoral, unjust govenor whose face you rarely saw anyway. He had never been much of a political activist. He had always lived as life tossed itself at him, dealing with the situations with the flair of a professional improvisor. Not to mention, he'd be in close contact with three really cute single girls. But his mentality didn't quite help those around him that he cared for. Bellerophon threw the door open to the "Drinking House". He would spend most of his off-days here. Elly and Cassandra would often come here as well, on their own time. He wondered for a moment why Elly never seemed to have any boyfriends. It was true that the military was strict on sexual relations, but this was their own time... a rarity... and no one would really care anyway. But then again, Elly was a soldier, and she would have had to settle for one-nighters because she probably wouldn't be able to make a commitment. She didn't seem like that kind of girl, but he really couldn't say. Elly's mind was sometimes difficult to read. Cassandra seemed more easygoing, but yet she wasn't the type of girl either. He didn't know why, but Cassandra seemed to have some sort of thing against men. It was probably just a girl thing based on bad relationships they had in the past. Bad relationships with guys similar to me, Bellerophon thought as he took a seat next to the bar on the cushioned stools. He glanced around the bar for a while, remembering picking up a young woman who made clothing for her father's store from this very spot. Her name was.... Shanla. Bellerophon let his head rest in his hands, and his fingers tugged at his roots when his forehead slipped forward. "You look like you need to be wasted," the bartender said. Bellerophon nodded. "Serve me up a tough one, Daniel. I could use it." "It's about that Athena chick, isn't it? She's due to be executed any moment." Bellerophon pounded a fist on the table. "Yeah, hell it is," he roared, a little louder than he intended. "Yeah, that's it. I could have helped her, but I didn't do a good enough job." "It's too bad. Really. But the state's looking to find someone to kill... she's a good target." What did that man know anyway? Bellerophon thought to himself. The bartender was a Nisan man, and one of the rare white people in Bledavik. Only a white person would think of opening up a bar anyway in a place such as Bledavik where drinking was against most people's religion. "Yeah. Many people'll be happy to see her dead," he replied in a deadpan way. He took the glass of whiskey that the bartender placed on the counter and sipped at it. He winced at the strong taste. It was particularly powerful. He turned back to the counter, inspecting his glass closely. The chimes on the door rang behind him. He paid them no attentionl they rang all the time at this time of night. He didn't bother turning his head even when he detected a slender shape occupy the stool beside him from the corner of his eye. "What he's drinking," the voice stated. It was a feminine voice, but clearly held authority and power. It also portrayed a sense of self-confidence that could border on arrogance. "Sure thing, my lady," Daniel replied, reaching for a glass and the bottle. He glanced at Bellerophon, hoping to give him a subtle wink, but the soldier failed to look up. The girl took the drink and then threw it back as if it were water. She swallowed one gulp and the only reaction to the strong liquid was a slight twitch. She slammed the glass on the table and sighed deeply, and wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Hey, slouch," she said, tapping on Bellerophon's shoulder with her fist. "What's with you?" "Leave me alone," Bellerophon retorted, trying to ignore the temptation to glance at this interesting voice. He sipped at his whiskey again, catching sight of a shapely leg from the corner of his eye. "I'm here to see you, and I'm not just leave, you know," the woman said in a firmer voice. "By the end of the night, you're going to be with _me_." That caused Bellerophon to look up. This woman was coming on strong! When he caught a glance at her face, he snapped back in surprise. This woman was quite a looker, he thought. She seemed a little young, but her skin was smooth, her short hair was loose around her face, and she was quite well-figured. Her legs were shapely and her breats were large, too. She was wearing regular civilian clothes: a dark-red turtlenecked sweater and narrow pants. He stared for a moment, not only because he thought that she was a major turn-on, but also because there was a sense of familiarity to her face that he couldn't pin down. The only unattrative feature would be the way her eyes and mouth were. Her eyes were extremely hard and bore through him like drills, and her mouth, though having a rosebud-shape, was creased in a little frown, as if she was displeased with something. If the girl would smile, then she'd probably win guys like trophies. She nodded at him, her eyes softening slightly, approving of his looking up. The woman glanced up at the television screen for a moment. "Who's this Belford person?" she asked in her strong tone of voice. "A Captain for the Bledavik military," the bartender replied. "She was arrested for initiating a massacre in the middle of the Bledavik marketplace." "She did NOT start that massacre!" Bellerophon exploded. The woman glanced at him. The reaction was unmistakable... but such was expected from a lamb. This was certainly her target. "Well, no one's proved otherwise," the bartender said. "I dunno... maybe she was a convenient target. But who else could have done it, then? She was found inside that machine." Bellerophon shook his head and slammed his forehead into his palms. "I'm such a dork... I could have helped her. I'm such a dork.. such a dork...!" "Stop wallowing in self-pity, *lamb*," the woman snapped. "If you want to help her, get off of your ass and go help her." "I just don't know what to do," Bellerophon responded, apparently not taking any offense to the woman's harsh language. "Maybe you should interrupt her execution. Do you know where she'll be killed? Maybe if you run around with a gear or something, you'll distract them long enough and they won't shoot her." "Right... what a smart idea..." He pulled back more alcohol. "You could have smashed into the prison or something," she added. Bellerophon's head whirled at her. Attractive or not, this woman started to get under his skin. "You... just shut up!" "Or you can move on with your life. Come on, let's get out of here." The woman grabbed him by the wrist and dropped a few coins on the table. "Huh?" Bellerophon jerked instantly awake and broke her grip, immediately going on the defensive. "I don't even know your name." "My name? Is it important?" "Ummm... well..... uhh.... yes." "Aishou. Now, let's go." He grabbed his wrist again and pulled him outside. Bellerophon found himself having to walk briskly to keep up with this woman. He noticed that her grip was strong, and that she has a powerful build beneath those clothes. He wondered about the logistics of his actions... sleeping around with women when this was Elly's last night to live. "I... I don't know if I can carry through with this," Bellerophon said, trying to drag the woman to a stop, but she carried too much momentum and he nearly fell on his face when his shoes caught on the ground. "I mean, you're hot and all, but you have a real attitude problem..." "It'll be easy," Aishou responded, mentally forcing herself to soften her voice. "I'm uptight about this Athena business too. Come on, look at me, do you think I'm just an Aveh citizen, lamb?" "You... well..." "Of course not. I'm a Kislev spy and I'm here to help," Aishou stated firmly. She had to regain his trust somehow. Her lips curled into a frown as she tried to think up some lie. "A rescue team is going to be sent early tomorrow morning to help break her out of prison. Orders from the government." What irony. Solaris' attack would start tomorrow, just before noon. ".... Really?" Bellerophon's eyes lit up. "How'd you find out so quickly? Did you hear about my friends? That's such a relief to hear!" Aishou lifted an eyebrow at this man's emotional response. Most male lambs, especially of his type, were emotionally restrained. "So there. Let's go to my place, then. If you don't mind, lamb." Bellerophon visibly relaxed, noticing that she was calling him pet names. "Certainly not, Miss Aishou," he replied, putting an arm around her and reaching for her face. She spun around, brining her body against his, but at the last moment, she extended her fist, catching him in the gut. He wheezed and fell forward, then she lifted a knee against his crotch. He didn't see the overhead fist that caught him on the temple. Aishou made a diapproving sound, dusting off her knuckles. "Stupid lamb... they're so disgusting." She slung his unconscious body over her shoulder. She went back to the hotel room. The receptionist gasped when he saw the woman carrying a body on her shoulder, but as she passed, she called to him, "Drank too much," and proceeded upstairs. No one stopped her. She threw Bellerophon on his bed, realising, perhaps with some amusement, that he never actually stated his name to her. Not that it mattered. She would soon be speaking to him directly. Orders were orders. He seemed to be the type who followed them, being as weak-willed as he was. Aishou locked the door and reached into a black briefcase, withdrawing a syringe containing a clear thick fluid. She struggled with rolling up Bellerophon's sleeve, and instead simply ripped it off. Aishou stabbed the needle into his vein, pushing the entire contents into his arm. When she was done, she taped a cottonball over it. Aishou felt her hands trembling, and her mind started to go into a bit of a fit. She felt suddenly angry. But she reached into her pocket and threw a white capsule into her mouth, swallowing. Aishou let out a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. Her work was finished. By the time he woke up, she would be able to hear his spoken words, see the things he saw, and talk with him directly. He would probably remember her voice, and perhaps what happened to him. Not that it mattered. All the knowledge in the world wouldn't block her out from his mind. She took care to rumple the bed sheets and unbuckle his pants. She withdrew a letter (filled with an ntruthful farewell), and, for good measure, a piece of black lace underwear and tossed it on his chest. Ahh, the interesting things that one finds around Myaru's quarters. -- -- Arcana Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] (10) Grand Assault [Victoria, Irina] **DESERT SWEEP** Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 12:25:35 -0500 From: Arcana To: DeM_story@egroups.com Desert Sweep -- Battle of Bledavik (10) Grand Assault (Victoria, Irina) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 24, noon. Bledavik, central-southwest area. ~~ Irina tapped the control stick of her gear every once in a while out of boredom. She had already tried most of the buttons and switches back in Solaris, where Myaru promptly warned her which buttons to press and not to press down on the surface. She was not piloting her custom gear this time. Myaru had presented her with her own gear, which she had tried piloting, and loved ever since. The gear was essentially a 12-metre-tall version of herself. She had adjusted the size of the limbs to match her own proportions, and as a result, training in the machine was almost exactly like as if she were training in her own body. However, Myaru had denied her the use of the machine just yet, and gave her a medium-sized support-fire model. The machine boasted multiple ballistic and missile hardpoints designed for short-range urban combat. She was outfitted with multiple flechette cannons on her arms, designed to cut through armour and do massive damage at close ranges. Twin short-range rocket launchers rested on her shoulders for fixed emplacements. Both of her hands were available in case she needed to do some grappling. Twin armour-piercing vibrating knives were strapped to the legs of her gears, available for close-combat. The generic chassis was known as the NightOwl. The gear was not unique technology, though it was current and capable of carrying its duty.. Her machine was bulkier than either Shaina's or Victoria's gear, but carried specialized firepower. She peeked at the cockpit beside her, where Victoria sat. She appeared bored as well, and her gear's legs were shifting back and forth in impatience. Soon, when the signal of attack was given, they would deploy from their hangar. Their paint was edited to match those of Kislev, so they would not be identified on sight, and a capable Kislev spy had retrieved the comm frequency used that day so they could mask their alliance as Kislev units. Irina heard air-raid sirens. Victoria took a step forward, her hand clenching on the hilt of her broadsword. "We... move yet?" Irina asked. "Soon," Victoria replied. "Really soon." She pressed a button. "Alyson," she said, not bothering to use the formal title. "We're ready. How about you? The attack's started a few minutes ago. Over." "Kislev units are deploying," Alys replied promptly. "We're moving out. Our ETA is eighteen minutes. Over." "We'll be there in fifteen, and keep them as long as we need to," Victoria replied. "Deploying. Victoria out." She adjusted her frequency again and pressed another button. The hangar doors opened and Starblaze motioned to Irina. Irina started moving, keeping beside the desert-coloured machine. As planned, they attracted no attention. Kislev units were deploying from everywhere in the city: from the barracks, and hangars posted close to the perimeters. Anti-aircraft missiles pointed toward their target, which could be seen even though it was clearly a few miles away. Robots of all colours began to fly around in the air, spraying explosives throughout the sky. Victoria ginerly kept to the perimeter of the city, heading along a large main street toward the open field where the prison was located. Irina followed, trying not to trample too many buildings in the process. Artillery shells began falling in the vicinity of the north gate, trying to remove some of the tougher emplacements. Kislev machines, stationed just behind the wall, fired back, their huge shells lobbing over the wall and across the ten kilometre distance where the incoming force marched. Gears equipped with howitzers served as long-range support fire, smothering the incoming Gebler force with huge shells. Bang. One Gebler gear fell, a shell hitting it clearly in the chest. A missle exploded on the side of another machine in mid-air, being foolishly close to the heavily-fortified northern line. The cruiser held its own, deploying more forces as many were being shot down. Irina risked a look up and saw Kislev jets, flying in groups of three, fly organized bombing runs against the cruiser, launching advanced million-dollar missles at the gigantic target. But she kept an eye out for Victoria. Compared to the battle at the north gate, their war in the south-west area of town would be nothing. Irina had never seen true war combat before. The sounds of it were new to her, but they were loud and terribly frightening. The sights of the explosions and smoke in the sky was strangely lulling though, and she had to force herself to look away. Victoria would be mad if she stared too long. "Irina, slow down. They're just ahead. They've reduced their force to two guarding gears..." "We take out?" Irina asked. Starblaze held up a hand. "Stay put. The gears might leave on their own. Remember, they think we're allies, and the battle is all at the north end." They stood in the spartan area of town, looking around warily, pretending to be on the lookout for forces from behind. One gear glanced at the other, then nodded at the other and lifted off, heading toward the main combat zone. Victoria took this opportunity to approach the concrete-fenced area. Just as Alys had said: they were six guard towers. Four were equipped with .50 caliber machine guns with armour-piercing rounds, capable of doing severe damage to an unwary gear. The other two were smaller machine guns designed for repelling light vehicles and personnel. Victoria took a bold step forward, hands on her weapons, pretending to look out for incoming targets. She turned her head left and right, then took another cautious step, bringing herself within the two-kilometre sensor radius. As soon as she completed her step, the barrels turned her direction. Victoria let out an elaborate swear. The militray probably used different friend-foe frequencies than the Prison guards. They saw her as an enemy! "Move!" Irina cried into the comm. Victoria did so, aware that any moment of hesitation would have meant being shredded into pieces. Starblaze dove to one side, rolling on the dirt. Behind her, two rockets flew toward the tower, striking it and exploding, reducing the turret to fused metal. There was a loud, frearsome rat-tat-tat sound pounding the ears. Victoria wasted no time and as soon as she stood off the ground, launched a large fireball at the tower on the other corner of the perimeter. The ball exploded into a massive flame when it hit the tower's window. Even if the gun withstood the blast, the crew inside were certainly dead. There was no transition to "combat phase". They had gone from sneaking around to full-out battle in a matter of seconds. Victoria fired ether bolts at the machine guns on the other side of the compound, trying to distract the crew while moving closer for a good kill. Irina, using her short size to its maximum advantage, strafed around the building quickly, firing rockets at the other emplacements to remove them as quickly as possible. Victoria fired her boosters just enough as she jumped, taking her over the wall. The guns, designed only for firing outside, turned around but could not get any shots. She took the last tower with another massive fireball, and turned around quickly, trying to find the other gear that was floating around. Two seconds of searching did not locate it, and so she liberally launched more ether bolts into the machine gun towers, taking them out, even though they were not a large threat to their gears. Irina was running. The gear was chasing her. She tried to turn, but could not turn fast enough to get a good shot. She fired a couple times, blindly, but could not hit. A light laser blast struck her torso. Some machine gun rounds came dangerously close to hitting her arms. She turned her head toward him, hoping to do a quick leap over him. She turned, jumped, and as she was going to shoot, there was a trail of smoke and the gear exploded in a brilliant fireworks show. Irina did a quick search and saw an unknown gear followed by three others. "You're twenty seconds late," Victoria said over the comm. "Sorry," Alys replied. She fired an ether bolt, hitting the perimeter wall and knocking it into a pile of bricks and rubble. "Let's not waste time. Cassandra and I are going to go in quickly. She should be really close to this area. Jason?" Jason, inside Argo, moved toward the wall and planted a satchel charge. He eyed the surrounding prison guards, who had no chance of fighting against gears. Two standing beside the wall ran away. Oracle and Epiphany knelt next to the new hole and two figures leaped out, making their way into the building. "Watch over us," Alys said, kissing the cross on her necklace. She glanced at the other gears. "And the rest of you... watch over us, too." ~~ [Summary: Irina and Victoria arrive at the Prison and destroy the defenses there. Alyson and Cassandra enter the compound on foot.] -- -- Arcana Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: [DeM] "A Step Closer to Her" [Elly-15] Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 06:25:37 -0000 From: "Kryn " To: DeM_story@egroups.com (OOG: A little joint post between Arcana and me. Short, but sweet. He wrote it, I just modified a few things. Well we're pretty much in the Bledavik Invasion, let's keep it going peoples! Enjoy!) ~~~~~~~~~~~ [Elly-15] (W/ Alys and peeps too ^_^) "A Step Closer to Her" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 24, noon. Bledavik high-security prison. ~~ Cassandra threw her back against the wall, her silenced SOCOM .45 pistol in hand. The gaping hole in the side of the prison was enough for her to walk through, but an explosion of that magnitude was not about to go unnoticed. Alys stood on the other side with a deadly silence enough to make any normal soldier quake in their boots. A guard dashed toward the entrance, and was promptly ripped to shreds with Brynhild's anti-personnel machine gun. Another one, curiosity besting him, dashed outside, and was hit with a bullet as well, killing him instantly. Cassandra winced. If there were many more guards in there, this was not going to be a good rescue. She holstered her pistol and drew her automatic silenced HP MK5 submachine gun, bracing herself for more forces. "Let me," Alys said. She moved her hand toward the entrance, and the dust swirled up into the air, providing a screen for the two of them around the damaged wall. Cassandra dove in first, seeing two more figures heading toward their position. She burst-fire across the two of them, putting bullets squarely into their chests. She glanced left and right, trying to detect any more sounds over the roars and explosions outside. Inside, the prisoners left banged on their bars and cried harsh words in their language. Giving up, she stepped from the cover of the dust cloud, glancing at either end of the corridor. There was a large secure door to the left, just over the pile of rocks from Jason's satchel charge. "Left," Cassandra whispered to Alys. Alys nodded. They stepped around the debris, heading toward the door. Cassandra scanned it briefly. "Electronically locked," Cassandra said. Alys nodded, "This won't be difficult either." She took a step back and concentrated on the door, imagining the metal of its hinges thermally expanding. After a minute, the bolts on the door started to creak and burst, and after a second minute, the lock flew straight off, the metal expanded enough to be unable to keep its hold on the wall. Cassandra stepped toward the door, kicking it. It held in place for a moment, but then there was a loud creak, and it began to fall down toward them. She hopped out of the way and the door came down with a resounding crash, echoing throughout the prison hall. Cassandra looked into an empty corridor with another door at the end, marked "High Security Area". She instinctively glanced up at the walls. "Trap," she said. Alys glanced around, trying to see. She lit a flame on her finger and tossed it toward the door on the other end. "Nothing. Mustn't be thermally-activated or light-activated. If they were sound- activated, then they would have gone off by now." "Pressure plates?" "Probably." Cassandra reached for the flashlight on her shoulder and shone it around. She could detect four metal trap doors in the ceiling, which probably had such interesting weapons as quad-mounted machine guns. She then flashed the floor, detecting nothing. "I have an idea," Cassandra said. "Okay..." Alys replied, a hint of apprehensiveness in her voice. "We'll call in Jason." "Jason's good at this traps stuff?" "No..." Cassandra spoke into her radio. "He knows gear explosives. Jason, we're facing a long corridor here. Seems to be guarded by hidden machine guns. It's the corridor just in front of me. Want to take them out?" "Sure thing. Stand back, Cassandra. Over." Cassandra smirked. Alys' eyes widened in understanding. They stepped away from the door, putting themselves against the pile of debris by their initial opening. She placed her fingers on her ears. The resounding blast was quite deafening as the rocket slammed into the corridor, taking away the second level and the wall with it. The smoke and dust flew, making it impossible to see. Cassandra, taking advantage of the opportunity, ran toward the now-open wall, using the smoke as cover. Alys lifted her head and prepared to move. She glanced at Cassandra, but she was gone. "Cassandra...!" ~~ The woman went through the rocket-induced smoke, following the path carefully. Due to Jason's blast, a high mountain of rocks and bricks lay where the corridor walls used to be. They had just opened a gaping hole where the High Security Area door used to be. Behind that far door may have been guards, but she hoped they were killed in the blast. She crawled over the pile of bricks, staying hidden from any guards who might come out where the largest hole was. She had to get as far as possible before the smoke cleared. Cassandra slid down some rocks and hit the wall on the other side, and inched across it. She reached for her pistol and held it ready. Over the shouts of the prisoners and smoldering wreckage, she could hear Aveh guards barking orders to discover the source of this disaster. She stopped next to a four-foot high hole in the base of the wall and stopped to listen again. The guards were rushing out the large hole that Jason had created, and were promptly gunned down by Brynhild. Deciding to take a risk, she crawled through the hole, pistol in hand. As soon as she emerged from the smoke, she saw a room with three guards; two were heading toward the largest hole, while a third kept toward the back door, rifle at the ready. The guard at the door shouted something, but Cassandra lifted her SOCOM .45 and fired, putting a bullet right in his chest. The man didn't stop and lifted his rifle. Cassandra quickly readjusted, shooting at his face, and blood stained the door behind him. The others hesitated before turning around, trying to locate the target, but Cassandra took advantage of their pause and fired at both of them. Her shots rang true, killing them with head-shots. She wondered now why she had wanted to use silenced weapons. They were initially supposed to do this mission quietly, but this interesting turn of events no longer required stealth. She searched the guard closest to the door and withdrew his keycard, then threw the entrance open toward the containment cells, since it was not locked. The containment cells area was surprisngly quiet. Although echoes of the explosions and shouting outside could be heard, they were dull. The lighting was very dim as well, and she had to use her flashlight to see properly. She started to inspect each solitary cell, sliding the panel open and peeking inside with her flashlight. "Elly! Elly!!" One cell. Another cell. A third cell. Where was she? She then went toward the fourth cell and opened it, seeing a figure lying down on the ground, her pale blue eyes staring back at the door. "Elly... Elly!" Cassandra shouted, rapping on the metal door with her pistol. The figure's eyes rolled up toward the dim blue light. "K... Cas..." "It's me, Elly! We're here to get you the hell out of here!" Cassandra took the keycard and swiped it through the door. The panel said, **Password required.** Cassandra couldn't contain herself. "SHIT!!!!" She pounded on the metal door again. They couldn't blast through this one with a gear. That would certainly kill Elly. A flashbang was probably too risky, since it could throw the door inside the small cell. She looked around, her eyes searching for someone else. "Alys, Alyson!!" Alyson kicked a guard squarely in the chin before stumbling through the doorway of the containment cell. "What?" "Open the door! Open the fucking door!" she screamed, waving her pistol at her. Alys threw her hands in front of her to tell Cassandra to calm down. Alys then glanced down at the words, "Password required", and nodded. She folded her hands together, whispered a word, and the wires on the panel shorted out, causing it to spark. The bolt slid open. The green light, "Password accepted," flshed on the screen. Cassandra immediately threw the door open. "Alys, make sure there's a clean way out! I've got Oracle prepared for transporting her. We'll be out in a second!" Alyson nodded and dashed back out the way she came. Cassandra rushed inside, picking up the tattered Kislev woman by her arm. "Elly... Elly, I'm here. Come on, get up!" She tried to ignore how much the cell stank. Now that she got a good look at it, she realised that the conditions were absolutely horrid. "I'll... die here..." Elly murmured. Drool fell from her mouth. Cassandra's face contorted. "Get up, you lazy son of a bitch!" she shouted, yanking her up onto her feet. The formerly white robe that Elly wore was now reduced to a putrid grey and black. She draped Elly's weak arm over her shoulder, suddenly realising how skeletal she was after spending her week in solitude. When that didn't work, she swung her up into her arms and she carried her. "You're going to be all right. Come on, Elly. We're getting the hell out of here." "Ca... Cassandra... you came for me?" Her eyes were still spaced out and not focusing. "Of course, woman. No way I'd let you die. No way." "I thought... thought I was a goner." "I said I wouldn't let you die, Elly. I keep my promises." Cassandra carried the girl outside, noticing that Elly covered her eyes when she stepped into the afternoon sunlight. Alys was right by the foot of Oracle, and the shock on the girl's face was unmistakably the reaction of seeing Elly in such a depricate state. Cassandra walked inside Oracle's torso, seating Elly on the floor just behind the pilot's chair and strapping her in place. Oracle, much like all military gears, were designed to hold only one person, and the only way they could fit her in was to lie her down behind the cockpit. Cassandra would have to be extra-careful to be sure that she wasn't going to move around too much, or else Elly could be seriously hurt. Cassandra, ensuring that Elly was cushioned as much as possible, moved into the pilot's seat, closing the hatch and powering her machine up. "All right guys, I've got Elly. Let's get the hell out of here." Victoria and Irina moved first, heading toward the closest gate toward the southeast. Alys glanced back toward the south, noticing forces were starting to arrive from the south end as well. This was going to be a long trip to Nisan. Victoria glanced at the north gate, noticing that Solaris was now knocking on Bledavik's door. Kislev was going to be annihilated, she thought as another jet was shot down. A Solaris fighter swooped across the western wall, dropping heavy explosives on the stationary defences. It attempted to circle back, but it was shot down by an intercepting gear and its missile. She turned toward her destination. The exit was only a few kilometres away. They began to step out of the prison area and into a residential area. People all round were panicking and dashing through the streets, trying to find a place to escape to. Poor lambs, she thought. Poor poor lambs. She scaned the streets again, noticing a tall individual standing out from the rest in the fact that he was not actually running, but standing there, watching them move out. Victoria paid it no attention. Those who held a fascination of war often died, whether as soldiers, or as civilians. She stomped on another house, quite accidentally, pausing to make sure she wasn't moving too fast for Irina and the others. They were almost in the clear. ~~ (Summary: Cassandra and Alys bust into the prison and rescue Athena while the others create a diversion. Now, the Bledavik Invasion is on and they realize that getting to Nisan won't be as easy as it had seemed. Go Rebel Chicks!) Deus Ex Machina: http://members.tripod.com/~project_xat/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~END Archive 53~~