Acquisition Team Ganymede IC

[Professor Gnoll]

ACQUISITON TEAM GANYMEDE

Episode I: "Pilot"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOZhB_qC2W4

Beyond the sky
past the Sun
you are my hope
Acquisiton Team Ganymede!

The light of Jupiter disappears as the shuttle glides smoothly through the gleaming white archway, passing under the familiar eagle logo of the Aquilam Institute. The spiralling placements of Verinsky Station turn to tightly structured walls, distant icy vistas into gleaming white laboratory surfaces.

The large transparent windows of the shuttle offer an unobstructed view of the Aquilam labs, an impressive display of cutting-edge technological innovation. Scientists and researchers congregate around banks of computers and automated experimentation facilities, engaged in all manner of investigations from neuroscience to hard engineering.

The interior of the shuttle, headed towards the central offices, is pristine, the gently revolving hexagons of the transit tunnel swathing it in soft light. Soft music plays through unseen speakers, and a small fern sits in a pot in the corner. Tuffy, Aldon, Amar, Al and Alex are seated in the plain but comfortable seats. They were called up only today, separately summoned from their various facilities or homes, and still don't know why they've been assembled today. All they know is that the call has come from Meilin Zhaorus herself, the rarely-seen head of the Aquilam Institute. She's well-known to be reclusive, and an audience with her is a rare occasion.

They'll know the reason soon enough, as the shuttle glides inexorably towards the central offices, soon to arrive…

[JNAProductions]

Tuffy, a tall and slender woman with dark red hair, is currently floating slightly off her seat in excitement. Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh OH MY GOSH! she says. This is so exciting!

[cybric]

Aldon, a tall dark skinned handsome man, glared out of the window taking in the sight of the station. It truely was a site.

He smirks as he hears the girls squells of amazement and tried to remember the last time he had felt that way.

After musing for a few more moments he reaffirms his purpose and intent. He cant wait to get started

[Merilan]

Amar is a much more sedate woman who looks to be in her late twenties, though rather small of frame with a neck-length feathered bob and a bandage over one of her eyes -- there's a rather significant scar underneath the bandage as well. She's wearing an Aquilam Institute test pilot uniform, and is looking over a PDA for her day to day assignments.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Amar says softly to the excited girl opposite her. "It's quite the technological marvel..."

[DoctorFaust]

Al, so nicknamed to avoid confusion with Aldon and Alex, leans against the window at the back of the shuttle and rests his head against the transparent pane. The tall, tanned man shows remarkably little wear for how long he spent as a Gear pilot, and the flight jacket emblazoned with a flying eagle he's wearing shows even less. However, old habits have apparently died hard as despite his apparent disinterest, his eyes remain directly fixed on the growing spires of Aquilam labs.

[Space Lawyer]

Alex stirs himself, making a conscious effort to shift around in his seat as if uncomfortable. As a side-effect from having substantial parts of his nervous system replaced with superconducting materials, he tended not to have the involuntary twitches that served as subconscious signals of life. New people could sometimes find the effect unnerving. Given that the rest of the group was on this shuttle, heading towards a seldom visited figure, it stood to reason that they would be seeing each other more often in the coming days. It wouldn't do to make them uncomfortable on a first meeting.

"Yes, it is amazing." Alex says to the two women. The floating one had to be Iranatuf Johanson - there weren't many people who whimsically defied the laws of physics, even in the AF. He couldn't place the other one. "By all accounts, we stand at the pinnacle of humanity's technological achievements."

[JNAProductions]

Tuffy takes a deep breath, calming herself a little bit. It's really something. Do any of you know why we've been called there?

[Merilan]

Amar reclines and stares for a bit longer, before smiling to say, "I'm not certain myself, but I'll hold out hope it's for something positive." In truth, Amar had always been skeptical -- she's typically never called unless something bad's really hit the fan. The fact that Al was here just seemed to lend credence to that suspicion.

"What's your name?" she asks of Taffy, then glances to the rest of the cabin they were in. "Amar. I'm a test pilot and instructor at one of Aquilam Institute's skunkworks laboratories, Anaheim."

[JNAProductions]

Iranatuf Johanson. You might know my mom-Ihcce. You can just call me Tuffy, though-everyone does.

[DoctorFaust]

"I haven't heard anything either," Al says, breaking the silence he had kept since the beginning of the journey. "Which is strange, since the students I work with are incredibly quick at digging up gossip. Maybe it's some revolutionary new Gear design, or something."

[JNAProductions]

Maybe it's a cure... Tuffy whispers, mostly to herself. But yeah, a new gear would be really cool! Although I'm pretty happy with my Shilk.

[Space Lawyer]

Alex indicates himself. "Alex Chang, ummm, newly qualified pilot. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a new model. The flight simulators I]ve been on have been a lot different lately, and if you know where to look, you can see some parts being run through shakedown flights."

[Merilan]

Amar lets out a very faint chuckle and a nod, to both Alex and Tuffy. "Whatever they assign me to next, I hope it doesn't have mind-link systems. I could use a break from those." Oh, how little you know, Amar.

[JNAProductions]

Tuffy. Not Taffy. Tuffy won't say anything, since you haven't actually SAID Taffy, but still. :P

[cybric]

Aldon decides to introduce himself as well. His voice is a even baritone Aldon Trankfoot recently released from Academy along with Tuffy here. New gears hmm if we should be so lucky. Something with some stopping power yeah yeah that sounds fun. I'm not sure what the Institute wants with the rest of you however when I'm called up it usually doesn't mean a good thing in my experience.

Aldon places his arms above his head and stretches.

More often than not means something needs doing that's not so grand but I imagine we'll find out soon enough.

[Professor Gnoll]

As the group chats, the shuttle spirals through the facility, quickly arriving at the central offices. The passage of the transit tunnel curves upwards towards Meilin's private office, and the shuttle follows, interior automatically adjusting to the new angle. Accompanied by the soft beeping of greenlit authorisation protocols, the vector brakes flare, bringing it to a smooth stop at a sealed opening. With a hiss, the shuttle fuses to the entrance, and the apertures unfold, creating a doorway to enter the office.

Inside lies a pristine waiting room, decorated similarly to the shuttle's interior. The only occupants are a secretarial android and a nervous-looking man with long hair, drenched in sweat. The android turns to the group as they enter, long fingers gracefully tapping at a keyboard. "You're expected, darlings. Meilin will see you shortly," it chirps melodiously. "Please do take a seat."

The long-haired man glances up at the group as the aperture opens with bespectacled eyes, heavy with dark bags. It's clear he hasn't slept for some time.

[JNAProductions]

Are you okay, sir? Tuffy asks the haggard man.

[Merilan]

Amar bows gracefully at the android, and looks a bit curiously at the long-haired man near them. She takes a seat, but otherwise doesn't make small talk; she turns back to her pad and waits for their turn to be called.

[DoctorFaust]

Al raises a hand in greeting to the others.. "I'm Alexander Saunders, by the way. One of Amar's colleagues, and another ex-Military pilot."

He glances suspiciously at the new arrivals, but decides that anyone that's made it this far into Aquilam is probably reasonably trustworthy, and simply asks, "You want some stims, or something? I might still have some from the last few all-nighters I've had to do."

[JNAProductions]

Not a fan of stims, Tuffy says. They do something funky to my body. Plus they remind me of hospitals...

[Professor Gnoll]

The man's eyes narrow as Tuffy speaks. "Okay? I'm...I would be okay, if..." His voice is hoarse. He shakes his head slightly. "I've been waiting here for hours. That b- hnnrg. Meilin won't approve my plan. She's- I don't know, scared. Stupid. Been asking for months..." He stands slightly shakily. Though his face is clearly young, it's lined by stress, and his brown jacket hangs loosely off his frame. "Damnit!" He points an accusatory finger at the secretarial android. "Let me in!"

The android's face, shaped to resemble a calm smile, simply stares at him blankly. With a sigh, he slumps back in his chair, head hung low and wet hair clinging to his scalp.

At Al's offer, he sighs wearily. "No... no thanks. God knows I've had enough the past few months. Need to... need to get..." His voice trails off.

[JNAProductions]

The man's eyes narrow as Tuffy speaks. "Okay? I'm...I would be okay, if..." His voice is hoarse. He shakes his head slightly. "I've been waiting here for hours. That b- hnnrg. Meilin won't approve my plan. She's- I don't know, scared. Stupid. Been asking for months..." He stands slightly shakily. Though his face is clearly young, it's lined by stress, and his brown jacket hangs loosely off his frame. "Damnit!" He points an accusatory finger at the secretarial android. "Let me in!"

The android's face, shaped to resemble a calm smile, simply stares at him blankly. With a sigh, he slumps back in his chair, head hung low and wet hair clinging to his scalp.

At Al's offer, he sighs wearily. "No... no thanks. God knows I've had enough the past few months. Need to... need to get..." His voice trails off.

What plan? What are you talking about?

[Merilan]

Amar twigs something, perhaps from the outburst of emotion from the man kind of affecting her psychic senses, but then gestures gently and pats him on the back. "Shh, there, there. If she won't approve of your plan, I don't think it'll help for you to sit here until she somehow changes your mind. It's not worth stressing over, is it?"

Amar's going to try to calm the man down. Diplomacy and Empathy? [roll0] +7. (Take the better of the two, so 11).

[Professor Gnoll]

What plan? What are you talking about?
He runs his hands through his hair. "You won't care. Nobody does." He exhales a little. "There's... a rift. Xenotitan formed, and it's- unique. Temporal. I just need some..." He hesitates and shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. You won't care."

Amar twigs something, perhaps from the outburst of emotion from the man kind of affecting her psychic senses, but then gestures gently and pats him on the back. "Shh, there, there. If she won't approve of your plan, I don't think it'll help for you to sit here until she somehow changes your mind. It's not worth stressing over, is it?"

Amar's going to try to calm the man down. Diplomacy and Empathy? [roll0] +7. (Take the better of the two, so 11).
He visibly relaxes a little. "I... I guess you're right. There's no point talking to her." He sighs. "I should probably go."

[Merilan]

Amar blinked once, and then encouraged, "We do care. If nothing else, we'll listen to your concerns, okay?" She's not really up on the politics of the Institute, and truth be told, she didn't want to be involved. But anything involving a Xenotitan is bad business, and not knowing could be as bad as death.

[JNAProductions]

He runs his hands through his hair. "You won't care. Nobody does." He exhales a little. "There's... a rift. Xenotitan formed, and it's- unique. Temporal. I just need some..." He hesitates and shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. You won't care."

Wait, wait, wait-temporal rift? I care about that A LOT. That literally describes how I was born.

[Professor Gnoll]

He leans forward, suddenly energised. His eyes seem to take on a hungry glint, worries forgotten as his mouth splits into a grin. "R-really? You've survived contact with an anomaly?" He adjusts his glasses as he stares at Tuffy, seemingly re-evaluating her. "If that's the case...it could mean..." He stands back up, pacing the room. "Temporal rifts aren't static, linear placements. They're more like continuums. And if my theories are correct- which they- they are, they're manipulable too. H-highly so. With a sufficient force of ESP, linked through a hexagrammic neural multilink, we could- we could manipulate the chronal stream. I-I won't bore you with the details. But if you were born in- you could be a living source of energy, and proof that-that-" His voice, growing increasingly loud and erratic, suddenly drops. "But there's no point. Without Meilin's approval, I don't have the resources. Look, I won't- I won't bother you any m-more. Could you talk to her? If she's letting you in, she'll- she might listen to you. Tell her how much I need this. Please?"

[Merilan]

Amar looked just a bit incredulous at the both of them, though she's seen enough weird stuff out there that she's not ready to rule anything out. And there's a part of her that hates her for that. "W-whoa, step back," she pauses, trying to digest this. "Why do you need such a thing, exactly?"

[Space Lawyer]

Alex tilts his head, looking inquisitively at the man. He was clearly erratic and agitated, but obsession could do that to a person. Alex had seen the same kind of behavior in the cyberneticists and bioengineers who had reconstructed him, poring over the smallest details like the placement of a wire for days on end. It certainly couldn't hurt to ask, and it might set the man at ease. More information was needed though. Alex considers the given information while putting a question to the man.

"And what exactly would you need for your research, Dr. . .?"

[roll0] + 7 to see if this guy has something with his theories, or if he is just crazy.

[Professor Gnoll]

Amar looked just a bit incredulous at the both of them, though she's seen enough weird stuff out there that she's not ready to rule anything out. And there's a part of her that hates her for that. "W-whoa, step back," she pauses, trying to digest this. "Why do you need such a thing, exactly?"
The man fixes Amar with an incredulous gaze. "Do you have no imagination? We're talking about the- talking about the- the fundamental nature of reality, a core foundation. The p-possibilities are more than endless." The burning energy from before seems lost, but his voice is filled with quiet intensity.


Alex tilts his head, looking inquisitively at the man. He was clearly erratic and agitated, but obsession could do that to a person. Alex had seen the same kind of behavior in the cyberneticists and bioengineers who had reconstructed him, poring over the smallest details like the placement of a wire for days on end. It certainly couldn't hurt to ask, and it might set the man at ease. More information was needed though. Alex considers the given information while putting a question to the man.

"And what exactly would you need for your research, Dr. . .?"

[roll0] + 7 to see if this guy has something with his theories, or if he is just crazy.
Alex finds it difficult to gauge- it's clear the man has a genuine background in science and some knowledge of what he's talking about, but there's something off about the way he describes his theories.

"I'd need... I'd need... espers, for a start. Xenotitan influenced. People with p-power, old power." His eyes seem to glaze over slightly. "Old... like the... like the..." He shakes his head slightly, his thoughts seeming to drift. "...Old. They've been waiting, such a long..." His voice trails off.

A small metallic 'ding' sounds, and the secretarial android turns to you. "Meilin will see you now. Just head through the doorway there, darlings." Another aperture opens into a small corridor, leading to Meilin's office. The man shoots a glare through the passageway. "Tell her. Tell her she has to. She h-has to."

[JNAProductions]

Come on, buddy-in the middle of us. We'll take you in to see her. Right guys? Tuffy says, looking to her companions.

[Merilan]

Amar quietly, and perhaps tiredly, picks herself up. She's careful to keep her expression level as she walks into the office. Yeah... you need an Esper like everyone else does -- as a tool. Maybe I've seen just enough of that... maybe I've seen just enough of what curiosity brings you...

[DoctorFaust]

Al had looked interested as the man had been speaking, but when he mentions needing an esper, his face hardens. "No. We'll ask her, and we'll get answers about it, but right now we're here to do a job."

[Space Lawyer]

Alex nods in agreement with Al. "Yes. I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the first time I've met the director personally. I'd quite like to make a good impression, and trying to sneak someone in will not only work against that, but probably set her against this man's goals as well."

[Professor Gnoll]

Come on, buddy-in the middle of us. We'll take you in to see her. Right guys? Tuffy says, looking to her companions.

Amar quietly, and perhaps tiredly, picks herself up. She's careful to keep her expression level as she walks into the office. Yeah... you need an Esper like everyone else does -- as a tool. Maybe I've seen just enough of that... maybe I've seen just enough of what curiosity brings you...

Al had looked interested as the man had been speaking, but when he mentions needing an esper, his face hardens. "No. We'll ask her, and we'll get answers about it, but right now we're here to do a job."

Alex nods in agreement with Al. "Yes. I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the first time I've met the director personally. I'd quite like to make a good impression, and trying to sneak someone in will not only work against that, but probably set her against this man's goals as well."
The man's face briefly lights up with hope, then falls again. He shoots on last glare down the hallway into the office, then shuffles towards the aperture, muttering under his breath. "Old... you'll understand..."

As Amar steps into the office, she is confronted with a strange and impressive sight.

Meilin's office is a twisting mass of gleaming white surfaces and esoteric technology. A series of pristine benches are haphazardly scattered around the room, each loaded with increasingly complex and unidentifiable scientific equipment. A dark shape floats in a vat of thick translucent liquid. An unravelling liquid wave of strange, dark metal coils around an electrified bar. A bank of monitors display dozens of images, seemingly too fast for any information to be gleaned, emitting soft yet slightly grating tones at the edge of hearing. Soft elevator music filters through a hastily wired speaker- constructed out of radio that must be centuries old- that appears to have been rerouted through multiple vivisected androids and a small potted plant contained behind industrial-strength glass. Ancient Earth technology sits side by side with state-of-the-art Aquilam innovations and bizarre Xenotitan relics, scattered in a chaotic mess that nonetheless seems to contain an innate structure. A watercooler sits by the door.

Hanging above the room, like a spider from a web, is a huge white tube covered in complex mechanisms and long probing limbs, vaguely resembling an iron lung. Hundreds of wires and tubes support it, pistons furiously working to move it around the room, allowing the limbs to interact with the various tables and mechanisms of the room.

The moment Amar steps into the room, an arm drops down from the ceiling and sprays her with a disinfectant. The hanging tube does not turn to face her, its attentions still focused on the various mechanisms around it. Two of its probing arms, resembling human arms cast from pristine white plastic and tightly bound wire bundles, rapidly disassemble a monitor pad, while several others precisely adjust levers and dials. A final arm squeezes an orange stress ball. A voice plays through a slightly tinny speaker as Amar enters. "Oh. Hey. Uh, take a seat. Don't touch anything." There are no seats.

[DoctorFaust]

Al gives the man a sympathetic shrug, and then quickly follows Amar into the office.

[JNAProductions]

I'm sorry-but we'll try to help you, okay? Don't give up, Tuffy says, then enters the office. When the disinfectant spray comes down, she lets out a brief Ack!, followed by a sneeze as the disinfectant gets in her mouth and nose. Seeing no chairs, she sets herself in a sitting position on the air, asking Is this okay?

[Professor Gnoll]

"Don't sneeze." An automated scanner sitting on a desk scans the area in front of Tuffy's face, quickly flashing a diagnostic and deploying a biohazard countermeasure in the form of a microlaser array, that purges the small space where the sneeze landed in seconds. "That sitting's good though. Good someone knows how to not touch anything." Meilin's voice is casual, and sounds slightly bored. Her containment pod swivels to face the group, wires and cables twisting and writhing. Inside, she sits as if on a throne, visible through the sealed glass. Her arms and legs are fully encased in mechanical systems that shift and click as she manipulates the pod.

It is difficult to gauge her age- her skin is smooth, but her face seems to hold many decades. Her hair is long and dark, her fringe cut severely straight above her eyes, which are covered by a heavily wired visor linked to a pod-integrated helmet. "Let's make this quick. You're the new Acquisition Team."

[Space Lawyer]

Alex sets the biological functions that are within his control to their minimal safe settings. Meilin was clearly not fond of the messier aspects of life. He assumes a position as if he were sitting on an ordinary chair, sans chair. He locks his joints into place and shuts off the pain receptors in his legs; after all, this wasn't a very comfortable postion.

"The new Acquistion team? Without meaning to question the consideration that went into the decision . . . why us?"

[cybric]

As the disinfecting spray spreads over Aldon he starts sneezing several times and even manages to let a booger or two fly on to the ground of the office.

Once his sneezing fit is over Aldon continues to enter with the rest of the team and leans against one of the walls of the office while he listens to the director.

[Merilan]

Amar flinches just a little bit as the disinfectant sprays over her -- her instinct was to already cough, but she suppressed it, perhaps on hearing of certain rumors. She looks a bit unsettled as she glances over the different artifacts, the wide array of different mechanisms and equipment... but she pays it no mind, even if some of them feel like they might be probing the back of her mind, quietly.

"Acquisition... does this supercede our previous roles?" she asks, glancing to Al for a moment. "What are we acquiring, exactly?"

[DoctorFaust]

"Also, how are we going to be deployed?" Al asks. "I'm under the impression that the Acquisition teams were Gear pilots, but, well, most of us don't have our own."

[Professor Gnoll]

As the disinfecting spray spreads over Aldon he starts sneezing several times and even manages to let a booger or two fly on to the ground of the office.

Once his sneezing fit is over Aldon continues to enter with the rest of the team and leans against one of the walls of the office while he listens to the director.
Meilin visibly flinches inside the containment pod, the light of the microlaser array playing across the glass window. A twitch of a mechanism releases a small flurry of chittering, mouse-like droids that rapidly purge the floor of Aldon's biological matter.

"Acquisition... does this supercede our previous roles?" she asks, glancing to Al for a moment. "What are we acquiring, exactly?"
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it- which you will, I've already evaluated your psych profiles- will be vital to Aquilam. See all this junk?" A mechanised hand breezily gestures to the various Xenotitan relics around the room. "Doesn't get here by itself. You'll be up there in space, finding cool stuff and bringing it down. Bio-anomalies, xeno-artefacts. Plus, you know, other errands."

"Acquisition... does this supercede our previous roles?" she asks, glancing to Al for a moment.[/COLOR]"
"Mmmhmm. Sure does." Meilin's head tilts slightly as she considers Amar. "Looking at your profile... estimated 60% chance of acceptance. Lowest in the group. By far." The visor clicks and whirrs as it displays unseen data. "Let's not kid ourselves. You're wasted on tutoring. You need to be up there, where you can actually help people, instead of whatever braindead testing my scientists have you doing."

"The new Acquistion team? Without meaning to question the consideration that went into the decision . . . why us?"
Meilin's casual tone acquires a slightly sharper edge. "You should be questioning the consideration. I'm not interested in people that don't ask questions. If you want to blindly follow orders, go to Elridge. Xenotitans are dangerous, and I need people with initiative. Which is why I chose you all- you're the kind of people Aquilam needs. Smart. Resourceful. You're not brainless drones." Her visor slides back, revealing sunken, dark eyes. "And I chose you all because you're freaks, like me. Better learn to own that, by the way. It's not gonna go away." Her eyes dart back and forth between the members of the group. "You're psychic weirdos and cyborgs and whatever snotty over there's supposed to be. You're different, and I need different. Ganymede needs different."

"Also, how are we going to be deployed?" Al asks. "I'm under the impression that the Acquisition teams were Gear pilots, but, well, most of us don't have our own."
Meilin's mouth splits into a sly grin. "Good. The fun part. You've all been doing your "random surveys" right? The Gear ones? Yeah, we've been making you custom Gears." The mechanisms binding her arms and legs shift and clink as she pulls up a holoprojection that rapidly flicks through a series of technical readouts. "They're pretty much the best thing ever. Personalised to your individual needs. Years ahead of whatever crap you could get on the mass market, let me tell you." She licks her lips excitedly. "I should know. Most of the designs are mine, and I'm the smartest person on Ganymede. Marcus helped with the boring parts."

[Merilan]

Amar pinches the bridge of her nose, perhaps already extremely fatigued just talking to this woman. She'd perhaps heard of her eccentricities, but this was... something else. "This is a shift, isn't it? What brought this on? Xenotitan research isn't exactly new."

She gestures towards the relics on display already. "If you hand-picked us, looking into our psychological profiles and creating customised new Gears... there must have been a catalyst. Something the regular teams aren't capable of. That typically means danger or..." She flashes back to what the man was babbling about, about... temporal distortions? Crazy. "You need, so to speak, specialised hands for specialised ends."

[Professor Gnoll]

Amar pinches the bridge of her nose, perhaps already extremely fatigued just talking to this woman. She'd perhaps heard of her eccentricities, but this was... something else. "This is a shift, isn't it? What brought this on? Xenotitan research isn't exactly new."

She gestures towards the relics on display already. "If you hand-picked us, looking into our psychological profiles and creating customised new Gears... there must have been a catalyst. Something the regular teams aren't capable of. That typically means danger or..." She flashes back to what the man was babbling about, about... temporal distortions? Crazy. "You need, so to speak, specialised hands for specialised ends."
Meilin half-raises an eyebrow. "Someone's got the gears working. There's a lot of weird stuff going on in the Xenotitans right now. Fact is, we've been studying them for decades, and we still barely know what the hell's up with them when they're behaving normally. And now they're going crazy." The hand dedicated to squeezing the stress ball is compressing slightly faster. "You're not all just freaks. Specifically, you're Xenotitan freaks. Touched, influenced, whatever you want to call it. Point is, there's a bit of what's up there inside you. I'm up to my ears in eager candidates, but only a few have that kind of connection." The holographic readouts flicker, crammed with technical data. "Special ends, special needs."

[Merilan]

"'Going crazy'... do we have any details on what's happened?" Amar has to admit that she hadn't really caught wind of any news, but... well, life hasn't really been broad for her, outside of her little training courses in Anaheim. It almost seems... quaint, compared to what's to come. She glances towards the data screens, but isn't expecting to be able to make broad sense of them.

[Professor Gnoll]

"'Going crazy'... do we have any details on what's happened?" Amar has to admit that she hadn't really caught wind of any news, but... well, life hasn't really been broad for her, outside of her little training courses in Anaheim. It almost seems... quaint, compared to what's to come. She glances towards the data screens, but isn't expecting to be able to make broad sense of them.
Meilin attempts a shrug, constrained by the mechanisms of the pod. "If we had details, we wouldn't need you." The data screens are rapidly switching between images and readouts. Amar catches a glimpse of a Gear- tall, sleek, winged- and a single word.

REPHAIM.

[Merilan]

Amar pauses, and flinches as she holds onto her forehead for a moment. What was that... that sensation? She immediately knew that she wasn't getting out of this without being saddled with another doozy of a system. Never fails. She glances towards the others, though, to let them air their questions out as well.

[JNAProductions]

Madam Meilin, are we going to be choosing our own targets? Or will we be assigned to them, or a mixture of both?

[Space Lawyer]

Alex wanted to say no. Meilin was pushing far beyond the bounds of acceptable social behavior, as defined by numerous previous studies. Her position as the head of the AF and quite likely the smartest individual around, as she claimed, did not inherently excuse her from observance of societal niceties. She was demanding, self-assured to the point of arrogance, and simply grating.

But she was right.

There was nothing Alex wanted to do more than pilot a Gear in the service of the AF. That he could do so as part of an acquisition team was just a bonus.

So, Alex accepts the situation, and waits. The questions of others would be more relevant. Afterall, the answers Meilin ended up giving mattered little for Alex.

[Professor Gnoll]

Madam Meilin, are we going to be choosing our own targets? Or will we be assigned to them, or a mixture of both?
Meilin snorts slightly. "Madam. Nice. You're not a listener, are you, Madam Iranatuf? Again, didn't choose you people for your mindless order-following capacity. You're not my zombies, you're my Acquisition Team. We'll toss you tasks or whatever sometimes, but you'll be for most part an autonomous unit." She frowns slightly. "Do actually do things though. Don't just use your Gears to impress your date, or whatever it is under-thirties do."

[JNAProductions]

Meilin snorts slightly. "Madam. Nice. You're not a listener, are you, Madam Iranatuf? Again, didn't choose you people for your mindless order-following capacity. You're not my zombies, you're my Acquisition Team. We'll toss you tasks or whatever sometimes, but you'll be for most part an autonomous unit." She frowns slightly. "Do actually do things though. Don't just use your Gears to impress your date, or whatever it is under-thirties do."

Just making sure, ma'am, Tuffy says, a bit cowed. I do have a particular set of goals, and I wanted to know if I could be following them.

[Merilan]

Amar lets out a little sigh -- though it's one with a smile. "Tuffy, let us know what you want to do and we'll see if we can work it in with our missions." Already taking initiative. Old habits die really hard. Leaving someone who was greener to flail without guidance wasn't really something she liked doing.

[DoctorFaust]

Al steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "So, we're being sent into xenotitans. That's fine. I can accept that, even if I'm a bit disappointed you're putting me back on active duty. What I want to know is, does this have anything to do with the theories that man we met outside came up with?"

[Professor Gnoll]

Al steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "So, we're being sent into xenotitans. That's fine. I can accept that, even if I'm a bit disappointed you're putting me back on active duty. What I want to know is, does this have anything to do with the theories that man we met outside came up with?"
Meilin exhales sharply. "Wow. He's still out there? I only let him into the waiting room so he'd stop bugging everyone on-site. You have to give it to him, he's persistent." She sounds mildly amused. "Yeah, his little pet theory's born from the new activity." She shakes her head a little. "Eric's an idiot. Worse, he's an extremely smart idiot. He's smart enough to figure out how to brute-force a temporal rift, and too stupid to realise that's a terrible idea." She yawns, two of the chamber's arms now casually reassembling the monitor pad they just finished pulling to pieces. "He thinks his calculations are precise enough, he thinks his hexagrammic links are powerful enough, he thinks that his understanding of what he's dealing with is complete enough to manipulate chronal flux. Bzzt. Wrong on all counts."
Her tone grows more serious. "Temporal anomalies are some of the most dangerous phenomena we've ever encountered. Ihcce was as careful as anyone, and just look what happened to her." Meilin leans forward in the pod, eyes flaring. The hand squeezing the stress ball is straining the little orange sphere to breaking point. "I've had good pilots, good people die because they thought they thought they understood Xenotitans. No one understands them. No one. I'm not going to let Eric throw his life away on some ridiculous theory. Never again." She sits back, face relaxing, voice reverting back to its usual, bored tone. "Whatever. He'll get over it, anyway. He's just having his first-year student phase a little late."

[JNAProductions]

With the mention of her mother, Tuffy frowns. While she's glad to hear Icche praised, it's (as usual) a reminder of what her birth cost her family.

[Professor Gnoll]

"Alright, good talk. Back to work, kiddos." The cables groan as they pull the containment pod up, the holographic readout flickering and disappearing. "Bet you want to get your hands on your new toys. Go see Marcus, he'll set you up." Her visor slides back over her face and the containment pod rotates back around, arms already occupied in a dozen different tasks. "And remember, Ganymede's counting on you."


+++

Jupiter looms in the sky as the shuttle glides through the shimmering transit tunnel, high in the air between the high towers of the Institute's facilities. The group is minus a member- Aldon has excused himself and disappeared to another section of the facility.

The fast-approaching silhouette of the Aeacus test hangar is vast, testament to the size of the machines that lie in wait within. The white curves of its exterior bristle with scanners and receivers, constantly monitoring the performance of experimental flights. As the shuttle approaches, a sleek aircraft streaming green energy from its trailing wings flies overhead, performing a series of graceful loops in the air.

The shuttle lands, vector brakes flaring and bringing it to a smooth stop. Its aperture slides open, and waiting in front of the personnel entrance is none other than Ihcce Johanson, retired pilot, Aquilam Instructor and Tuffy's mother. There's a striking physical resemblance, the same dark red hair falling over her shoulders, and perhaps a touch of Tuffy's energy. But a certain frailty is betrayed in the way she stands, and the fire in her eyes is dim. As the aperture opens, she smiles. "Tuffy!" Without a pause, she steps forward and pulls Tuffy into a hug. "My little girl, in an Acquisition Team!" She releases the hug and steps back, looking around at the other members of the group. "So you're the new team, huh? I hope Meilin was alright to you. She can be a little… trying." She indicates the personnel door. "Come on, come in! You won't believe what they've got in store for you."

[JNAProductions]

Hi Mom! Tuffy says, bounding forward to give her a mother a hug. I'm glad you're walking again. Just... You know, take it easy. If you need to sit or anything, we won't mind.

And I know! It's an exciting day.

[Merilan]

Amar didn't really have anything to contradict that. She's right. No one understood the Xenotitans. To pretend otherwise was just folly, or worse, sheer arrogance. One had to realise that science and math are, in the end, imperfect tools made by a species that just wanted to understand the phenomena happening around them. The universe dictates science, not the other way around. It always had more curveballs to throw at people.

She was quietly pensive on the shuttle trip back, but the sight of the hangar always fills her with some awe. She let Tuffy have her moment with her mother, before giving Icche a tired little wave. "Long time no see, Icche. I'm also glad to see you up and about. I guess you've heard the news about us."

[Professor Gnoll]

Hi Mom! Tuffy says, bounding forward to give her a mother a hug. I'm glad you're walking again. Just... You know, take it easy. If you need to sit or anything, we won't mind.
Ihcce grimaces slightly. "Mostly walking. Getting a bit of help from this little thing." She indicates a softly clicking brace wrapped around her left leg, facilitating its movement. "Can't complain, though. I'm on my feet."

[Professor Gnoll]

She was quietly pensive on the shuttle trip back, but the sight of the hangar always fills her with some awe. She let Tuffy have her moment with her mother, before giving Icche a tired little wave. "Long time no see, Icche. I'm also glad to see you up and about. I guess you've heard the news about us."
Ihcce responds to the wave with a casual salute. "No secrets on this base I don't know about, Amar. So you're accepting the position? I wasn't sure you would, with the, you know."

[DoctorFaust]

"Both the war dogs did," Al says, stepping out of the shuttle and giving Ihcce a wave. "Were you working on the project as well?"

[Space Lawyer]

Alex's organic eye is wide, and his cybernetic one is constantly readjusting to take everything in. He was actually here in the Aeacus test hangar! This place was under more security than some of the laboratories. Every bit of advanced tech that the AF had (especially the sort that should be tested well-away from people) was in here. It was hard to keep his sense of rationality. Not only was he being given a spot on an Acquitistion team, the spot came with a Gear of his own, and that Gear was the sort that came out of the black box of the Aeacus hangar. If the AF didn't have his undying loyalty before, they certainly had it now.

Oh, and then there was the famous Icche just casually walking by and interacting with the team members. No big deal.

[Merilan]

"I'm..." Amar pauses, before placing her hand on her head for a moment. The twinge she felt when she saw that word -- REPHAIM -- was still echoing in her mind. "I can't say I'm entirely pleased about it, but..." she glances around, then smiles. "Heck, if nothing else, I owe you a favour, don't I, Icche? I'll try to look after your daughter out there."

She glances to Alex, then to Al when he speaks up. "How long has it been since we've been deployed together, Al? Years, at this point, I think..."

[DoctorFaust]

"I want to say only once since we came to Aquilam," Al replies, cracking a smile. "Any time before that, and we would've been trying to kill each other."

[Professor Gnoll]

"Both the war dogs did," Al says, stepping out of the shuttle and giving Ihcce a wave. "Were you working on the project as well?"
Ihcce grins slyly. "I may have had a hand in the selection process. I was Aquilam's star pilot once, after all." Ihcce leads you into the hangar, limping slightly on her braced leg. As you pass through the personnel entrance, buzzing scanners wash over you, measuring your specific biometrics in hundreds of ways per second, verifying your identity down to the cellular level. "Don't think any of you got an easy pass, though. You wouldn't have gotten in if Meilin wasn't completely confident in your skills." The corridor opens up, revealing the full scope of the Aeacus Test Hangar's interior.

The hangar is absolutely massive, filled with hundreds of platforms, scaffolds, engineering stations and massive banks of buzzing supercomputers. Dozens of miniaturised transit tunnels ferry engineers and scientists around on stable platforms, testing systems and implementing solutions. Dozens of strange devices dot the area- experimental planes, humming generators, powerful-looking weapons sealed in interior test ranges- but the dominant presence is undoubtedly the six massive Gears, standing like silent gods, watching over the activity below. Each one is sunk into a vast docking scaffold, and maintenance drones buzz about their forms, checking and re-checking systems.

Ihcce leads you to a monitoring station, filled with monitors displaying diagnostic data on the Gears. Standing at the station, glaring into the screens and occasionally shouting orders to scurrying engineers is an extremely tall man with massively broad shoulders, straining his labcoat obviously made for a man half his size. "Marcus!" calls Icche as you approach. "I've got your new pilots for you!" Marcus turns, brow furrowing as you approach. He adjusts his mirrored goggles with thick fingers, moustache bristling as he speaks. "Hrmm." His voice is boomingly deep. "I hope they're up to the challenge. These Gears are my finest work." He appraises the group with an engineer's eye, sizing them up. "Marcus Rolly, Aeacus's chief engineer, at your service."

[Merilan]

"Fair," Amar chuckles faintly as she shakes her head. "I hope we won't have to wind up swordfighting in zero gravity again anytime soon, though. I only have one eye left."

They pass through, and the scans cause her to flinch a little -- even if she'd been here years, there's always something about them that made her a little uneasy. But her attention is soon dominated by the sight of the Gears, each of them... impressive, like none other. Like how a proper skunkwork experiment should look like -- discreet, but with a flashy edge that brought them beyond the norm. But her gaze was already dominated to the one with the blue wings, near the back.

"...Rephaim..."

There was a faint buzz at the back of her head. A telltale bell-like noise that always echoed in her mind when her Esper senses were triggered.

"Ah--" she snapped out of it, before waving to the mechanic. "Hello, Marcus. Amar al-Rashid, member of the new Acquisition Team." A pause. "We should come up with a name, at some point."

[JNAProductions]

Nice to meet you, Mr. Rolly! Tuffy says, offering her hand for the mustachioed man to shake. After the greeting is done with, she heads a few steps closer to her new gear.

Wow... she says, floating a few feet off the ground towards it. Am I allowed to take a closer look? she asks, itching to go.

The gear itself is huge-easily over 100 meters long and over 40 tall. It's sleek, full of gentle curves designed to reflect incoming fire. Mounted near the upper rear is a massive missile launcher, while smaller point-defense lasers bristle in their mountings on the front. It's a silvery-white color, and features three massive doors (two on the sides and one on the front) with which to accept the smaller gears.

[Professor Gnoll]

Marcus nods as he accepts the handshake, his massive hand practically engulfing Tuffy's hand with crushing strength. "Go ahead, hop right in. The Shilk's a pretty thing, isn't it? 'Course, we've overhauled it top to bottom. New weapons systems, dynamic loading bays, and a shielding system so tough you'd swear it could fly through the Sun and come out mildly toasted, carrying four Gears with you to boot." He frowns. "Don't actually try that." Ihcce stares up wistfully at the massive Gear. "That old thing's taken me through a lot. Be careful with it, okay?" Marcus nods. "Ihcce oversaw the entire procedure. You'd swear the Shilk was her-" He pauses, turning to shout at a pair of engineers near the Gear. "GET THOSE ANTERIOR VECTOR BRAKES STABLE, YOU MOTHERLESS BASTARDS!" He turns back to Tuffy. "'Scuse me. You'd swear the Shilk was her second daughter." The Shilk's cockpit is open and ready to accept its pilot.

[JNAProductions]

Thank you, thank you both! she says, flying up to the cockpit. She pauses a moment, admiring the smooth lines and elegant design, before settling in. She doesn't activate the gear, though-probably not a good idea in the middle of a crowded hangar.

[DoctorFaust]

Al gives Marcus a silent nod, totally entranced by the sight of the Gears. Even back when he was with the Kaiser, he had dreamt of one day having his very own personal Gear, inspired by the true aces of the battle like Amar or Kaval, streaking around the battlefield like they were invincible and accomplishing feats he and the rest of his teams could only dream about.

And now, here it was. Not standing as tall, or as imposing, as the Shilk, but possessing an undeniable look of quickness that the larger Gear lacks which its humanoid shape only accentuates. For the moment, the Dantalian is bereft of any hand-held weapons, but he can still tell from a distance that the large, swept back wing mounted to the back contains something that he's going to enjoy trying out, even if the vents on them leave him wondering if they're meant to be drones or some kind of launcher battery. He lets his eye wander over the mostly bone-white Gear, the occasional black and gold highlights apparently designed after his old flight jacket, as well as the occasional stylised eagle, bringing a smile to his face, and slowly begins to pick out some of the finer details.

It doesn't seem to have quite the number of bells and whistles of some of the Gears parked beside it, but he can see from pure bulk that it's better armored than the other conventional Gears parked beside it, and from the sheer number of cables running to and from the chest, it apparently has a higher reactor output. He also notes that the visor of the helmet, dipping stylishly low, does seem to obscure the head sensors, but that's something he's willing to live with if it means they won't be destroyed during the first seconds of battle. And it also seems like there's some sort of...green skeleton showing through in places? He has no idea what it could be, since nothing like that was in the design surveys, but Al has enough trust in the Aquilam techs to not question something they think will be an improvement in a production design.

"Al, Al Saunders." Al eventually manages to push out. So...do they...do they have names?

[Professor Gnoll]

Marcus nods. "That there's the ASW G-13 if you want the technical name, but we've been calling it the Dantalian. Configured for your needs, based on data from the sims. Strength, speed and durability, all in one package. S'got a full set of repulsion fields built into those alloys, too. Proof against most anything, 'cept for beam weapons, so stay away from those. That wing's not for show, either. Dantalian's a real all-rounder, and I'm sure a soldier like you can make it do just about anything."

[Merilan]

Amar had to watch with awe, both at the Shilk's design and the sleek curves and what her mind was already crunching as its immense defensive features, and... at how effortlessly Tuffy could just fly into the air. She glanced at Icche, and then chuckled softly. "You outdid yourself."

She walks to where Al is inspecting his gear, tapping her chin for a moment. "A high-spec Gear, no doubt... those hydraulics are for high-stress output... and I feel like it's got surprises in it still. No mere pilot could take the strain from this. It really is something built for your style, isn't it, Al?"

[DoctorFaust]

"Huh. They really did base it off of those surveys, didn't they? Well, if she handles as good as she looks, you'll probably have made the best Gear I've ever piloted."

Al turns around as Amar walks up, still grinning. "From the look of it, yours is going to be even more high-stress and high manoeuvrability than mine. Not quite as armored, but they're probably using similar reactors, so I'd bet you could outrun me in any straight fight. That pack on the back a flight unit?"

[Space Lawyer]

Marcus Rolly? Wait, no . . . it is him!

Alex waves excitedly. "It is you! Marcus Rolly, I mean! Oh, I should probably. . ." With a whirring sound, Alex's left arm expands along previously near-invisible seams. A plate rotates upawards, revealing something decidedly out of place with the futuristic machined-precision of the rest of the arm. On the inside, in tiny letters that looked to have been scorched in with a soldering iron, were the initials MR. "You did the macro-scale architecture on my arm!"

Even with his attention divided, Alex could pick out the Gear that was most likely his. It stood a bit smaller than some of the others, not quite as massive, but it had a definite solidity to it. The technicians were swarmig over it, seeming to take a bit longer and constantly having to refer back to the plans. It was almost like they weren't used to the plans the gear was based on. The color scheme was simple, black, with red and and silver picking out the details. The oversized booster on the back said it was going to be fast, and the techs with the pads up top running over simulations said it was going to be smart. It was just the way Alex liked it; no fancy tricks, just pure competence in every area.

[Merilan]

Amar let out a soft little sigh as she glanced to the Rephaim, in the back.

It stood at about the same height as the Dantalion, having similar characteristics to it; as Al pointed out, it was slimmer and sleeker, possessing a primarily white and blue colour scheme with extended blue and black wings along its back. Throughout its body, hints of a golden frame were visible beneath the heat vents and parts where the matte-white armour doesn't quite cover. It had an impressive silhouette, of that there was no question.

"No, actually," Amar corrected, "The blue fins you see there are Aquilam's experimental assault drones -- the flight propulsion itself appears to be arranged through a network of sails on the black spokes you see, which are designed to catch solar wind energy and convert it into solar radiation pressure, and subsequently, thrust."

A pause, as she murmurs, "Or at least, that's what the machine's telling me. I knew they'd assign another black-box unit to me... do you feel it as well, Al?"

Come to think of it, ESPers in the hangar might be able to hear a little thrum emanating from the unit -- not significant enough to be bothersome, but there.

[Professor Gnoll]

"You did the macro-scale architecture on my arm!"
Marcus nods, adjusting his goggles. "I hope it's been treating you right. It's part of the key to your Gear, after all."

It was just the way Alex liked it; no fancy tricks, just pure competence in every area.
"This one's another all-rounder. It's been giving us a little trouble, actually, so it doesn't have a name yet- you might want to pick one out yourself. What's real special is the integrated learning computer, linked into the systems and fully compatible with your prosthetics. I doubt anyone but you'd stand a chance in hell of piloting the thing, but with you wired into the cockpit it'll be a real terror. You'll be receiving a constant stream of real-time data on your opponent's every moves. With a brain like yours, keeping up should be no problem at all, leaving you free to rain down a world of hurt."

"No, actually," Amar corrected, "The blue fins you see there are Aquilam's experimental assault drones -- the flight propulsion itself appears to be arranged through a network of sails on the black spokes you see, which are designed to catch solar wind energy and convert it into solar radiation pressure, and subsequently, thrust.
"Well, I can see you've already got the Rephaim well and truly figured out. Truth is, there's not a lot I can tell you 'bout it- this one was really a Meilin special. There's a lot of pieces in there a little beyond my purview, scientifically speaking. More than a few bits of Xenotech rattling around those systems. Something called the... Tetractys system. Now, what I can tell you is that the Rephaim is fast. Real fast. It'll outspeed just about anything short of a dedicated hypersonic fighter, which it's got well beat in the shooting department." Rolly shouts a few more orders as the engineering teams start to prepare the Gears for deployment. "Now, you've a fifth member, right? I'd hate to think we went ahead and made the Rhino for nothing."

[Merilan]

Amar cradles her head gently with one hand, nodding appreciatively at Marcus. "Tetractys... it is in many ways a formation and a symbol for this Gear..." she shakes her head for a moment, before gesturing pleasantly. "But, Xenotech or not, it still has a fundamental Aquilam chassis, and even glancing I can tell that this was done to the best of specs. You have my thanks, sir."

She glances to Alex for a moment and approached him. "Alex, right? I'm not familiar with your piloting style, but I look forward to learning, and working with you." She does wonder where their fifth has gone, though he wonders if he'll show upa gain...

[cybric]

Aldon comes striding into the hangar after arriving behind the group.

He has a look around and sees a few of them talking and all of them checking out the amazing gears lined up in front of them. Aldon decides to start moving towards the gears excited to get started and to see what they eggs heads had cooked up for him.

He looks down the line seeing a absolutely huge gear along with several streamlined and impressive looking mechs.

His eyes stop when he sees Rhino.

Where the other gears are streamlined and smooth Rhino was covered in dreadful spikes and horns. It's aesthetic was a clearly made to make a statement, Fear Me, it screamed. The paint scheme is a dark navy purple with crimson red trim. The head of the gear is decorated with fangs, horns, and flowing down was a main of crimson material

[Professor Gnoll]

Marcus nods as Aldon enters. "Right on cue. Marcus Rolly, Aeacus's chief engineer, at your service. And I can see you've already spotted the Rhino." He looks up at the fearful Gear for a moment, silent. "Intimidating, isn't it? Perfectly fit for a man of your... talents. But its bite is a whole lot worse than its bark. Depleted uranium armour breakers. Genius missiles. Got a tough frame under those spikes, too. S'been a long time since I've built something this ruthless. It'll tear through most anything without breaking a sweat, and look damned scary while doing it."

Icche steps forward, smiling. "Well, I don't see any reason to delay. Care for a test flight? I've gone ahead and set up a few training drones. Head into your cockpits, and we can launch right away. I'm sure you're all eager to see what these things can do." Engineers and drones swarm over the Gears, performing the final pre-flight checks and preparing the docking scaffolds for imminent release. Only the sixth Gear, standing silent at the end of the line of Gears, is unattended to. Its shape is strange, warped and curved around an oscillating core, vast, flexible tendrils stretching from its frame. It is made from a strange, dark metal that is difficult to identify, reflecting almost no light at all.

[Space Lawyer]

"Its name is Arete. I can't wait to show you what we can do." The purpose of some of his systems was finally clear. He had always has some bits that were simply more than necessary to interact with standard systems. He had thought it was just the engineers getting carried away with what was possible, but now it all made sense. Arete was built for him, and he for Arete.


She glances to Alex for a moment and approached him. "Alex, right? I'm not familiar with your piloting style, but I look forward to learning, and working with you."

"Thanks, you too! I, uh, don't know if I really have piloting style per se." Alex says a bit ruefully. "I just try to perform as well as I can any area. If I can figure out what the enemy is going to do, I just do my best to work against it."

[Merilan]

"No harm in being a jack of all trades. Your flexibility'll help us adapt to a lot of situations," Amar smiles in turn, nodding. She glances back to the Rhino and Aldon as he entered. Where'd he go? Did he have some other appointment he had to catch?

She couldn't help but glance at the pit-black Gear at the back, with the tendrils showing. "Marcus, what's that sixth Gear? I don't think we had another member of our crew...?"

[JNAProductions]

Test flight? YES! Tuffy shouts out, flying up immediately to her cockpit again, this time strapping herself securely in and initiating pre-flight checks.

[Professor Gnoll]

She couldn't help but glance at the pit-black Gear at the back, with the tendrils showing. "Marcus, what's that sixth Gear? I don't think we had another member of our crew...?"
Marcus glances at the Gear with a slight grimace. "One of Meilin's pet projects. Practically built the whole thing herself, with remote drones. I've no idea what it's for, to be perfectly honest with you, nor do I know what fits into that core there." The midsection of the Gear is almost empty, a ring of locking mechanisms clearly designed to hold some large, spherical object. "Can't say I like the look of the thing." He scratches his head a little nervously. "Well, that's Meilin for you. She's not so good with telling people what's actually goin' on." The cockpits of the other five Gears are open and ready to accept their pilots.

[Merilan]

How curious... Amar thought to herself, hoping that it will be a great asset and not something they would have to worry about in the future. But that's just paranoia talking.

She quietly goes up the steps and enters a little changing room for pilots, dressing herself in a rather familiar all-white pilot suit with a little stylised shooting star on the shoulder. "Heh... they even prepared the decal for me," she shakes her head. "Some people are just too sentimental about the past." But, perhaps she is too.

She carries her helmet and stares up towards the Rephaim, slipping into the cockpit with a nod of acknowledgement to the support staff. "Thank you. I'll conduct pre-flight checks and run through the sequence with you, since this will be our first time."

She sinks into her seat inside, and watches as the cockpit quietly closes. The 360-degree panoramic monitors quietly come to life, surrounding her with a view of the hangar rather than that of reflective metal surfaces. She glances around for a moment. Everything looks normal enough--


-= יהוה =-
Tetractys Link System
v0.1.3 build 68953
Activating start-up sequence...
Jupiter Matrix modulator ...... conditions [GREEN]
Error calibration functions, confirmed ...... conditions [GREEN]
DD-P coriolis effect adjustment, calculating ...... conditions [GREEN]
Rerouting CPG link to pilot nodules, rescinding ..... conditions [GREEN]
Interfacing.

--she blinks a few times, her vision suddenly swimming with what she could only parse as 'runes' for the most part. "Tetra..." A pause.

Good evening, Miss Amar al-Rashid, echoes a soft, female voice in her mind.

Amar claps her hand to her forehead. Then she starts fixing her flight helmet onto her head. "Great... you have a voice too."

I am the neural interface communications overlay for the Tetractys Link System, Tetra. In layman's terms, I shall be your co-pilot and assistant for the duration of your flight onboard the XG-00 Rephaim.

She stares, and then mumbles, "Not very original with the naming, are you...?"

Is there another name you prefer, Miss Amar al-Rashid?

"No, Tetra is fine..."

This will be... fascinating. She takes a breath.

"Amar al-Rashid, XG-00 Nephilim to base controls. Conducting pre-flight checks.
C.G. weight zone confirmed.
Navaid performance is confirmed, uplink stable.
Electrical switches are disabled following transfer of control.
Fuel manifold is primed.
All tests are returning Green. I'm ready."

I'm ready too, Miss Amar al-Rashid.

"Drop it with the 'Miss' already. Just call me Amar."

Yes, Miss Amar al-Rashid.

Amar could tell she's already got her hands full on this one...

[cybric]

Yeah lets let this thing cut loose a bit.

Aldon walks up the walkways to the cockpit and leaps in. He starts running through the usual start up procedures. As the power plant comes online Aldon could swear he hears the frame growl Rhino was ready to roll.

[DoctorFaust]

"Yeah, absolutely."

A short time and a trip to the changing room later, Al climbs into the cockpit of the Dantalian and begins to run through its start-up procedures. The layout of the controls is similar enough to other Aquilam Gears that he's easily able to bring the reactor thrumming to life, and data quickly begins to pour down his screen at an eye-watering rate.


Type-95 pla....
....exagon System output 100%
Calibration of...rol syst...omplete
...commu offline
Optical sca...bled
...500:1 movem...enabled

All critical systems operating within tolerances.
ASW-G-13 ready for launch

Blinking away the glare, Al looks up to the monitors in time to see what look like his primary weapons grind to a halt in front of him. A shield of some kind or a holster for a close combat weapon, he guesses, as well as an oversized rifle that a group of techs are carrying a power cord for are lifted up to the Dantalian's arms and attached after a few moments work. Once they've retreated to a safe distance, Al finally punches up the comms and broadcasts, "Ready to go at your call, Marcus"

[Space Lawyer]

Alex settles into Arete's comfortable chair, strapping himself in with the webbing harness. The manual controls were all within easy reach, requiring little more than finger twitiches, but it was obvious that Arete was not meant to be controlled with such primitive inputs. Instead, a port opened up for Alex's arm and head, allowing for a direct neural interface with the Gear. As soon as se was plugged in, Alex felt a rush of power, his conciousness expanding to encompass the entierty of the Gear and becoming one with it. Information floods in - the learning computer Marcus has mentioned. Energy outputs, movement vectors, more. The predictive systems told him what what was going to hapen. It was overwhelming. It was addictive.

It takes a few seconds for Alex to regain control of himself. "Arete, ready for launch."