VIgil: Return of the Geneva

[Shadowcaller]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

Cessie smiles at his joke.
He was certainly acting a bit odd, but that might as well be the key qualification to join VIGIL at this point so that wasn't a bad thing.
"Erm, go ahead." The sorceress replies asquickly moves things out of the way and then she scoots herself and her chair to the side to make room for the pile. Were all those really necessary?

But attention back to the doctor again. Now he was laughing and slapping his leg.
Thus she can't but help but to nod in agreement to his final notion. "That might make it easier to understand, yes. Perhaps with the help of these?" She gestures at the giant pile of binders laying besides her.

[Rebonack]

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Fully grown doesn't really describe Lapis at the moment. There's more of her, sure, but not that much more. She is, after all, unranked. Just a seraph. She's got quite a bit of Tower to climb before she would start looking 'adult'. Though at Asher's insistence she briefly drifts a few steps sideways in time for a better view. To any external observer it looks like she just sort of shrinks out of existence pretty quickly.

When she pops back in?

She looks like a half-drow girl, maybe five or six years old in human terms. Silvery white hair, dusky blue skin, and a smattering of little yellow freckles. She's wearing a child-sized version of the VIGIL uniform which most of the flying base's staff can be seen in. That's as opposed to the eclectic adventurer outfits most (but not all!) of the other members are often in.

"How come you look like a grownup that's weird," Lapis declares, wrinkling her little nose a bit.

Saying it like that is probably kind of rude but Lapis is a child geeze give her a break.

While contemplating these deep mysteries of existence some more she also pets Anika.

Anika seems like be liking it and petting a bear is fun!

"You're so fuzzy Anika, I love it!"

[Purple Eagle]

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Anika opens her mouth into a happy bear smile and makes more noises as her belly is being rubbed.
Asher won't understand any words exactly but he will still understand the meaning that being conveyed wherever they be by noises or just gestures however small. Which sometimes is more than you can get out of actual words. Language can cause so many misunderstandings.

That Anika is enjoying and want more is obvious and that she acknowledges what Asher is saying and understands it would probably not be impossible to guess. But the fact she's asking him "how come" is beyond any guesswork.

Fully grown doesn't really describe Lapis at the moment. There's more of her, sure, but not that much more. She is, after all, unranked. Just a seraph. She's got quite a bit of Tower to climb before she would start looking 'adult'. Though at Asher's insistence she briefly drifts a few steps sideways in time for a better view. To any external observer it looks like she just sort of shrinks out of existence pretty quickly.

When she pops back in?

She looks like a half-drow girl, maybe five or six years old in human terms. Silvery white hair, dusky blue skin, and a smattering of little yellow freckles. She's wearing a child-sized version of the VIGIL uniform which most of the flying base's staff can be seen in. That's as opposed to the eclectic adventurer outfits most (but not all!) of the other members are often in.

"How come you look like a grownup that's weird," Lapis declares, wrinkling her little nose a bit.

Saying it like that is probably kind of rude but Lapis is a child geeze give her a break.

While contemplating these deep mysteries of existence some more she also pets Anika.

Anika seems like be liking it and petting a bear is fun!

"You're so fuzzy Anika, I love it!"

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Asher realizes he doesn't understand any words, and considering he does on a normal basis, decides Anika's choosing to be vague. She's definitely enjoying the belly rubs, but he peers at her just to glean more information, be it via telepathy or looking outside three-space. Then he looks 'not quite up' like Ruth has been teaching him to, and suddenly looks more satisfied. "How come? I'm an angel, a cosmic being!" He responds, giggling. "And a good one, so I'm here to help, okayyy?"

To be fair, Asher's not only fully grown when she looks, but also transfigured to be glowy, with two pairs of wings and one ophanim wheel lined with eyes orbiting about his 15-foot form. His purple eyes sparkle and his hair shines like it's made of light. He wears a simple pure white robe that glows as well. He looks very terrific, but Lapis of course won't need to be told 'fear not' for she's an angel too, so to her he'd just look pretty.

Of course, back here he still looks like a cute little boy aged five or six, with silver skin that glows only a little, green hair and one pair of wings. As usual, he's barechested and wearing white trousers that never seem to get dirty.

When he sees Lapis' new form, however, he squeals for joy and hugs her. "You got a new physical manifestation, yay, and you're so pretty! Now we're both kids." Yep, he might be truly big, but much like Lapis, he still has the mind of a child. At her question, even though he doesn't mind much, he does pout a little bit. "You're one to talk, your true form is almost grown up too! I look like this..." that is, a child, "... because when veiled in the physical, we appear as the equivalent mortal age up to 35, where we look 25. I can't look older without unveiling, but I can look younger if I want." His skin flashes to olive, then back to silver.

Of course, talking about angelic mysteries doesn't stop him from petting fluffy Anika! He buries his face in the floof and moves around. "Okay Anika, if you don't want to talk clearly in bear form, then think it and I'll get it from there, okay?" He suggests.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Briefing VIGIL]

Electra nods, seeming unsurprised, and gives a half shrug. She wasn't sure whether to expect the command staff or not, and this way, maybe she'll get to know Wenomir a little better. Clearly, her few initial interactions with him have skewed her perception of him, if the other night was any indication.

"I've done some quick surveying via limited bursts of my...ability....trying to stay under their radar. And I've also brought data on most of the commonly used mechaniloid and baseline reploid soldier bodies from my home dimension. Additionally, I've got a training regimen that we used for organic Hunters back home. I've tried to adjust some of the tactics to allow for either magic or other supernatural abilities, but you might want to sit down with Ms. Mithar and take a look at them, to make sure they're viable with your forces."

She pauses for a moment, folding her arms over her chest and leans against the closest wall. She looks much more tired now, though her expression doesn't change much. Still professionally neutral, but there's something else behind her eyes, as though she's fighting with two different emotions at once and trying not to show either of them.

"If you'd like, I'm also willing to spar with you and your people to get them used to fighting Reploids. I know we're kind of rare here in the Nexus, so you probably don't run into too many of us here."

Another pause, then she closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath, as her professional mask drops. The fatigue is still there, but there's also a kind of resigned determination.

"I'm providing all of this free of charge, and I'm not here on behalf of MERC. You need an advantage; I'll do what I can to provide it. It's the least I can do," she says, opening her eyes to look at Wenomir with an...odd expression. It's hard to read, a jumble of different things.

"You and I maybe need to have a personal chat, too, but that can probably wait, for now. What do you want to start with?"

[Hattish Thing]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

"Perhaps so! That's why they're here, of course. I had the pages freshly laminated." Dr. Valiance squirms in his chair before nodding awkwardly and reaching for the binder at the very top of the pile. After clumsily setting it down, he opens it to the first page before turning it around for Cessie to peruse. This overstuffed binder is filled with dozens upon dozens of color-coded tabs, each featuring several pages related to individual projects. The projects detailed within its pages are all very practical, with most consisting of extraordinary militaristic innovations. There are stranger projects, however, placed sparsely within the binder. These projects appear to have centered around everything from experimental regenerative technology to research into alternative sources of energy.

As Cessie likely flips through the binder, Nicodemus takes a deep breath. Now for the part he'd been dreading. Was there a non-threatening way to explain that you used to be part of some kind of creepy deep state think tank? No, probably not. But he'd have to try. His side-projects weren't funding themselves, and this was the only interview he'd had lined up for months! "So, right after finishing college I started working with a special interest group." There, that's a good term. "Special interest group". Perfectly ambiguous. Fun and casual. "After eight years there, I'd advanced to the point where I had become the lead assistant to the head of Applied Sciences!"

He clasps his hands together before shrugging. "Basically, that special interest group I was talking about, they were really into covert ops stuff. Think, like. Spies? I'm pretty sure I can say that without violating anything." Perfect! Spies. An entirely believable story. Well, maybe not, but at least the spy thing was better than the creepy stuff. And it wasn't as if Conference-Z hadn't been into espionage, it was just never their primary focus. Unlike all the deeply unsettling crypto-science. "Uh, where was I? Right. Applied Sciences. I inherited the position after the last guy went missing or whatever. Basically, my job was to help equip all the... erm, field agents, as it were, with the equipment they needed."

Nicodemus licks his lips before continuing. "We built all kinds of stuff, super innovative. Everything from surveillance tech, to body armor, to bombs that could, like, turn you inside-out or whatever. Something like that."

"Pretty neat, I know."

[Shadowcaller]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

The sorceress glances over the binders, quietly still wondering why he had bothered bringing so much of it. Was he expecting her to go through it all? Only this binder itself seemed overstuffed with material that she would probably have to look at least twice to get a good impression of. Not that many of the terms used in here meant much to her. Eldritch likely even had a different meaning in the contexts it was being used in here.

"So this 'special interest group' you worked for let you keep all these binders? If they're as secretive as you describe them it seems odd that they'd let a ex-employee keep so much research material. Don't they still need this?" She holds up the binder. "But perhaps more importantly, how do you think this will be applied here in VIGIL? We're not a research organization after all." She holds up her hand as to pause him before he starts replying. "I might already know the answers to the questions I'm asking but I want to understand your own reasoning for these things."

[Morty]

[Briefing VIGIL]

Personal chat, hmm? Wenomir has a feeling as to what (or who, rather) it might concern. But that will happen later.

"Your assistance is appreciated," he simply says. "Having read the report we got earlier, this might be the greatest threat we've faced since the Cuthun demons appeared in force. We'll start by going over the information, then cataloguing it for our members' use. Then we'll see about sparring. With me or with others."

[Training Grounds - Arena]

Svetlana will see the end of the course... but getting there won't be as easy as all that. The obstacles are located on loose, wet sand. Not only does it lead to a risk of slipping, but the obstacles themselves might get knocked over. More than that, the four recruits out to stop her haven't given up. They take up positions on the sides of the course; the slim man raises his wand and sends a spray of dazzling lights and sounds at Svetlana.

[Zefir]

[Lending Awen a Handwave]

Seems like all Awen has to do is learn a spell that heals robotics.
...
It's unlikely she'll ever get one of those, though, given how antithetical robotics seems to be to the source of her power.

((The hand looks like her other hand, right? Not obviously metallic or whatever?))

She passes out.

Some time later, presumably after it's all gone, she wakes up a little disoriented.

[Lending Awen a Handwave]

The hands are robotic with something skin simular wraped over it. thought when she makes a fist it looks different due to the hand not be like the skull.

She will awake in the room she passed out, mainly for lowering confusion. Mia will stand there patiently waiting. She got informed that Awen is waking up by th machines attached to her. There will be bandages at her arm for now but nothing that stops her from grabbing things

Finding Mia

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Saramond replies. When they arrive at the workshop, he waits patiently. If someone's watching him, they might recognize that he's sizing Mia up, trying to determine what sort of person she is, and, even more importantly, what sort of employer she is.

[Mia's Workshop]

Dirvak clears his throat once they've entered the workshop.

"Mia? This is a prospective new member, Saramond Goshen. He professes to be an engineer, and as our engineer with the longest tenure, I thought you should be the one to evaluate him."

[Briefing VIGIL]

Wenomir is... inscrutable. When Electra saw him in the dream, he was surprised, confused and then concerned. Right now he's projecting an air of unflappable confidence. It's not entirely genuine, but he's pretty good at keeping it up. The Answer will appear to Electra as a perfectly normal steel longsword... and different than it was in the dream. The cross-guard is longer and thinner, while the hilt ends in a round pommel rather than a ball-shaped one. Is it a different weapon?

"Just me. Cessie Mithar won't be joining us today, but I'll relay everything to her and everyone else who needs it afterwards. I did also read the report we got from... an independent hero, let's say."

Finding Mia

Well Mia is quiet young for that matter she is only around 18 after all. She wears dungarees and a **** while her hair is bound together.

As she hears Dirvak she turns around and listens to him. She appears suprised.
"That's kinda new, but yes I can do that." Mia says and turns to the other person."Hello Mr. Goshen I am Mia Mechanicus as mentioned I am the engineer around here and also High Priestress of Deus Mechanicus. Excuse me for not offering a hand, but they are quiet dirty right now." Her hands are black obviously from ashe or oile.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Briefing VIGIL]

Electra reaches behind herself and pulls a small data card out of a hidden compartment in her backpack, and holds it up, so Wenomir can see it.

"Everything's on here. If you've got a way to display it, I can go over it with you now, then."

[Hattish Thing]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

Ah, now for the hard questions. Hopefully he wouldn't mess this up. "Still need these? Oh, probably not. It's not very likely, at least." Dr. Valiance chuckles before explaining further. "Whole place went under about a year ago! I'm not sure it exists at all, anymore." He felt a pang of guilt as he finished that sentence. Well, it's not as if he was lying about any of this, it's just that he could be a little more specific. Then again, it's not like he really knew what happened anyway. It all fell apart so fast. "Unfortunately, so did the banking accounts associated with it. Meaning, mine as well." He shrugs, rubbing his hands together. "Had a bit saved, but I'm afraid my projects have bled me dry!" There's a sigh.

"As for the, uh, second part of your question, well!" He licks his lips before clasping his hands together in excitement. Best to seem as enthusiastic as possible, right? Besides, this was exciting stuff! "Like I said, the research part is, you know, as important as it has to be, given my profession." Dr. Valiance nods knowingly before raising a finger up into the air. "However!" A smile. "I've always been far more interested in the application of said research." At that, he retrieves a key from his pocket before glancing towards his briefcase. Wait, should he say something first? Wouldn't want her to get spooked or anything like that. Hm, good idea. "Uhh, don't be... alarmed."

He unlocks the briefcase. "But there is a gun in here. Don't worry!" He shrugs before displaying it to Cessie. The firearm is sleek in design and only slightly larger than your average sidearm. Green LED screens display information towards the wielder. "Whatcha got there is something I made during my time at the - um, with the special interest group. It's super cool. Looks like a real gun, but it's completely silent! That's because it's more like a really sophisticated squirt gun!" He chuckles before scratching at his chin. "Filled with super acid. Melts a three inch hole through a cow like its nothing. And that's, uhh. Really more impressive than it sounds."

Dr. Valiance waggles his brow before gesturing with the briefcase. "You wanna touch it? It's really light." Maybe that wasn't the right way to go about this, hm. "Perfectly optional, you know. So. Don't feel pressured. Anywho." What was he saying? Oh, right. The VIGIL stuff. "You guys are all about protecting innocent people from serious stuff, yeah? We're talking world-ending threats, maybe. Lots of potentially scary stuff." Now he was getting somewhere! Probably! "So, you gotta be prepared. Well-equipped! And I believe I'm the man who can make that possible."

"With your funding, we're looking at VIGILs very own Applied Sciences division."

[Shadowcaller]

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Anika agrees, looking like an adult is weird!
Ignoring the fact that that despite very much being an adult, she could often act like a child. But as she often felt like she wasn't treated as an adult among her own people she might as well not act the part.
Though to be fair, the "adult" part was probably the least weird thing about Asher's full angel form.

She looks between the two with a puzzled bear-expression. Looked like she wasn't the only one that could shapeshift!
The bear lifts its hind legs into the air and reaches out with its paw to pet Lapis and then Asher's heads in turn as if to return the favor. Though it's a rather lazy effort as she really seem be enjoying herself laying there and be petted so it might just become a bear give-me-five instead.

I'm'a bear. Don' wanna think, Wanna get rubs. Even Anika's mental voice sounds distorted as if she don't even want to put in the effort to think out those words.

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

Cessie doesn't show any alarm as he at least had the foresight to warn her. She gives him a quizzical look, realizing that they really didn't have all the safety measures up properly if he could carry that inside with him.
But she doesn't comment just yet. Instead she leans closer as she inspects the displayed gun for a moment. She didn't know all that much about them expect that it was a weapon and she had never felt too comfortable touching those.
Nodding as to acknowledge that she did in fact look at it, she then motions for him to put it down it away again. "Very lethal. We should start better weapons checks from now on." She muses. "Not that I mind you showing me it. As you said, we defend the nexus and weapons are a important part of that mission. However, seeing that this special interest group was so influential, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned its name. Is that also information you can't divulge legally? Since that would make it hard to put what you have here-" She gestures at the binders. "-into a wider context. Surely there is some information you can share with me if the whole organization, including the people sending you the pay checks, is gone now? Otherwise you're going to be very difficult for me to evaluate."

[Hattish Thing]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

With a glimmer in his eye, Dr. Valiance chortles excitedly at Cessie's mention of weapons checks. "Oh no, please! It's not your people's fault. I'm sure they're great, and possess all sorts of... traits. That. Make them likable, as individuals. Which they are, and to be appreciated." He trails off a little, his crooked smile fading. "Briefcase is lined with something I call 'invisi-liner'! Not super creative, I know. Anyhow, it's a chemical spray! X-Rays don't work through it." He nods knowingly before continuing. "Great for sneaking stuff into places. Like bombs, maybe. At least, I think that's what they were planning on doing with it." Dr. Valiance blinks a few times before reaching into his coat and retrieving a small bottle of small white pills.

As he loosens the cap, he frowns. "Still, I guess. Not super helpful if someone just tries to open it with their meaty arms." Dr. Valiance raises a finger up into the air at that. "You know, I actually have some suggestions with regards to improving security. If you ever wanna hear 'em, free of charge." Nicodemus tosses a few pills into his hand before downing them. Cessie was getting into the really traumatic stuff now. Neither fun nor casual. Still, might as well be polite. And so, Dr. Valiance offers the bottle towards Cessie. "Want one? They're mints, they just look like pills. Great way to end an awkward conversation. Just whip this bad boy out and take a handful of 'em."

He chuckles as if he'd made a perfectly reasonable joke before sighing, visibly disheartened. "Now, I suppose I should come clean. When I started working with them, they made me sign something. A non-disclosure agreement, for life. They were scary people. I'm not entirely sure what would happen if I were to violate the agreement now, but I don't intend on waking up with my legs stitched to my chest or something equally terrible." Dr. Valiance scratches his nose. "Broad strokes are probably safe, though."

"What do you need to know? I don't think I can give the name out. Again, wanting to avoid legs-stitched-to-chest-itis."

[Shadowcaller]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

As her player isn't sure if they even have scanners in VIGIL considering how many people seem to walk around with weapons in there, I'm not sure Cessie can confirm or deny that.

What he was saying was worrying to say at least however. Hadn't they implemented better security since the facestealer invasion?
The sorceress raises her hand as he offers the pills. "No thank you. I'm fine." She nodded slowly, thinking things over.
"That does make things awkward however. A lot of our members have pasts and sometimes those pasts can come back to hunt them so I usually need to know if that could effect the whole organization in some way. I have heard that MERC, if you've heard of them, run background checks for all their members now and I've considered doing the same thing. However, it sounds like you can tell me a lot about what you did for them so why don't we continue down that line? Since I'm not sure what kind of facilities your 'group of special interests' used to produce all this or if we could provide them."

[Rebonack]

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Lapis thinks it is very kind of Anika to pet her back. So she decides to really put those fingers of hers to work and begins scratching the bear's belly through her bristly fur.

Her hands are probably going to smell like bear afterwards but that's fine she can just wash her hands.

You should always remember to wash your hands after petting someone!

"It isn't new I always looked like this," Lapis insists. "I'm still blue and I've got yellow freckles. Same thing."

Okay Lapis but you're leaving off a whole bunch of really important details.

What she's probably talking about is that she's made of all the same parts, just rearranged. She's learned that it's best to do the whole shifty thing out of view because it could be charitably compared to a Transformer made of meat with no grasp of conservation of volume. But apparently everyone here can shape shift. Only one person (presumably) went to bear school to learn how, though.

"That seems complicated," Lapis concludes after a few moments of contemplating. And scratching a bear. "Empyreans just get bigger as we climb the Tower."

[Deathkeeper]

[Shuttle Entrance]

Sam Bacon arrives, having gotten his taxi to the ground-flying-island shuttle.
Unfortunately, he has no idea what to do now that he's here, with his big box. So he just has to look around until he finds someone that looks like they know what's going on, he supposes.

[5a Violista]

[Lending Awen a Hand]

Awen, having woken up, has tried to sit up, but found it awkward thanks to the machines attached to her.

Thanks to her hair lengthening and holding everything out of the way, she eventually manages to sit up.

She looks at her new hand for a couple moments, flexing it and moving the fingers around and seeing how it feels. Once she feels satisfied enough - it feels a little weird, she thinks, but...it's not awful - she finally looks around and spots Mia. "Oh! Um...um...um...sorry," she says, "I-I didn't see you there."

She looks downwards to avoid eye contact.

Embarrassed, Awen's hair shrinks and falls flat against her, only swaying a little. The snakes in her hair start waking up as well, now that she's awake.

[Morty]

[Briefing VIGIL]

"Follow me, then. We'll also have to make a copy for others to see later."

Wenomir will turn to lead Electra into the Library, where they will quickly find a room with a computer and a projector, which suffice for presenting Electra's information.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Briefing VIGIL - Library]

Electra follows Wenomir to the library and takes a few minutes to get things situated with the computer and projector. She notes the library here, though. Maybe they might have something that could help Cass with her situation with that botched summoning? Something to ask about later, perhaps. She pushes that out of her mind as she sits down at the computer and puts in the datacard. It take a few minutes, but finally, she dims the lights as the projector comes up and begins displaying numbers and pictures. The first set of figures is labeled "Survey Numbers - Estimated".

"So, here are the numbers I was able to come up with, poking around but trying to stay under the radar. I'm pretty sure the entity that caught the contact earlier didn't notice this time." She gets up from behind the computer and moves up to the projection, pointing at the figures one by one.

"I believe the number of reploids, or reploid-class robots being employed by these newcomers is currently in the neighborhood of about a thousand. Less than my worst predictions, but still a significant force. Unfortunately, that's the good news. There's a lot of bad news here."

She gestures to two figures. One is labeled, "Manufacturing Systems", and the other is, "Bionic(?) and Other Systems". The former number is relatively small, a few hundred, while the other numbers several thousand, and is followed by another question mark.

"Firstly, I was able to separate out some control systems that correspond to ones used back home for manufacture of both reploids and mechaniloids. This number may not be accurate, but if it's close, they can probably turn out a hundred or so reploids a week, assuming they have the proper facilities and raw materials. If they're not making reploids, I'd say you could probably safely triple that throughput for most basic mechaniloid types, or halve it for larger things like vehicles and support craft. This all needs confirmation, though. Just because they have the capacity, doesn't mean they're using it."

She pauses for a moment, then goes on.

"The larger issue is that they seem to have a lot of bionic systems, or at least, systems that appear to me as being similar to people with cybernetics. About half of this number," she says, gesturing to it, "Appear that way to me. The other half is scattered among recognizable mechaniloid types, mostly construction and worker types, and a smattering of other system types that mostly correspond to what I'd expect from vehicles, security systems, and so forth. I'm not really comfortable separating these out, because the figure could be wildly off; it's something else that needs confirmation by putting actual eyes on the place."

She gives Wenomir a moment, hoping she's not moving too fast.

"Questions so far?"

[bc56]

Mia's workshop

"No trouble at all." Mia receives a bit of a raised eyebrow from Saramond. She's quite young. A prodigy, perhaps? He hasn't heard of any Deus Mechanicus, but the galaxy is a large place. "What does the evaluation entail?"

[Hattish Thing]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

Hrm, Cessie brought up some good points. There was no way to make certain that Conference Z was truly gone. They could still be out there, somehow. But why worry about something you've no control over? Still, it put him in a somewhat sour mood. Dr. Valiance shuffles in his seat before staring down at his now-closed briefcase. He taps nervously at the metal before nodding gravely. "It's true. I'll never know for sure. I'm not proud of what I did with them. Not exactly, at least. That's something I live with, and something I've tried to move past! I'm hoping that a new page here, with VIGIL, will be just what I need." He shrugs. "I'm as eager as can be to move on. I mean that."

Dr. Valiance continues to scrape at his briefcase as he speaks. His tone is dour. "Your concerns are valid, but I sincerely doubt VIGIL has anything to worry about! At least, judging by the fact that I'm sitting here rather than lying half-dissolved in a vat of space-acid. Back when they were still around, they would have 'disappeared' me long before I even thought of joining a place like this." There's a long exhalation there. "Hopefully we can move past that, for now. It's not something I enjoy talking about." Once Cessie mentions the work he did, however, Nicodemus cheers up slightly, a crooked smile forming once more upon his face.

With clasped hands, he goes into deeper detail. "I can! At least, I've not been killed in my sleep for it yet." He chuckles. "The facilities were, I'll be honest, extraordinary. State of the art. I've never seen anything else like it. Fortunately, I won't need anything like that!" With a smile, he leans forward. "I could accomplish just as much with VIGIL as I did with them at a fraction of the cost. We'll just have to cut some corners. Fortunately, I'm good at that!"

"Applied Sciences could be up and running in less than a week!"

[Purple Eagle]

[Training Grounds - Arena]

Svetlana tries to climb an obstacle and realizes how slippery it all is. Unprepared, she just barely manages to keep from getting knocked over along with the obstacle. Worse, she can pick up the scents of four people waiting to make her fail this course.

Keeping her guard up, she decides to climb on top of one chest-high obstacle and use it to jump from obstacle to obstacle, probably knocking over a few in her bid to keep her balance, until one of the blasted recruits blasts her with dazzling lights and sounds. The sudden distraction is sufficient enough to cause her to lose her balance, and she misses a step and tumbles to the floor, slamming onto an obstacle. Fortunately, she manages to position her body in such a way that she takes all the damage, sparing the mannequin.

She audibly growls, and there's a look on her face that suggests she's now more willing to hurt the recruits if necessary, rather than purely defensive manouvres. She has to remind herself that they're recruits, and thus don't require lethal force.

Of course, the recruits are likely advancing on her position, so she quickly recovers, climbing over the probably knocked-over obstacle to continue, running for all she's worth so that she won't be caught. This time, her free hand looks ready for anyone to try attacking her or yanking the mannequin from her. Since her body isn't just for show, she engages a boost in her legs to increase her height and speed, desperate to win.

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Asher enjoys the bear pats very much, grinning from ear to ear. At Anika's thought, he bobs his head. "Okay then, Anika, more play then!" He certainly won't argue with that! He does as Lapis does and rewards the bear pats with even more scritches and pats!

"I mean you changed your manifestation, you look the same but different, humanoid! I can do that too, but I can't make myself into non-human shapes yet, or I'd be a bear all the time like Anika!" Well, most of the time, and maybe with wings like Anika likes. "You're smaller and have no ear-wings, that's totally different." Though he peers at her to see if he can see her real form folded into herself.

Asher moves so his whole body is on Anika's belly, his wings twitching. "It's not complicated at all, Lapis! Celestials remain the same base size from creation to eternity, but our physical manifestations start small and get bigger as time passes. Same thing!" Not exactly the same thing, Asher.

"Do you have a sphere, yet? I don't have one, but momma's an angel of light. Our rank look after creation and the cosmos though." He says, nuzzling Anika's fur.

[Shadowcaller]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

The suggestion to 'cut corners' immediately seems to set Cessie at unease. "Perhaps we can work out something with HALO before you start lowering your standards, Dr. Valiance? While VIGIL don't have as much in the way of laboratories as I would like, HALO might be willing to lend theirs out and they are have some of the most advanced ones in the nexus." And she suspected that it was intentional they were located under the sea in case something went terribly wrong in one of them.

"VIGIL and HALO have close ties these days and I suspect some of their members might even be able to assist your work." More so than most VIGIL members at least. "There are even ways to minimize the transportation distance between their labs and our base so that wouldn't be a problem either."
But with a pause, Cessie folds her hands again.
"However, all of this is theoretical of course. While I see a lot of potential there, it would have to be worked out with HALO first. I just don't feel comfortable having someone cutting corners with something as dangerous as weapon research by working at our labs. I'm sure you understand."

[Hattish Thing]

VIGIL - Cessie's Office

Dr. Valiance scoffs before waving a hand dismissively, clearly not at all concerned. "Lower my standards, Ms. Mithar? Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that." He leans forward then, a haunted expression upon his face. "They can go so much lower. Anyhow, we're just talking, you know, little things to save the budget! Like, maybe we don't buy LEDs or something! Or perhaps we don't keep the humidifier plugged in twenty-four-seven. Nothing... catastrophic. Certainly!" This talk reminded him of that time he'd left that radioactive hand out and it grew little legs in the night. Good times. Hard to explain to his superior, but a good time nevertheless.

He shrugs before leaning back into his chair once again. "But, I say these things in jest. They're just jokes! Just a bit of humor to lighten the mood! This talk got all gloomy, didn't it?" It sure did, Nico. Best to try and provide some reassurance before this got worse. "I would never sacrifice the integrity of my work nor the safety of my workplace unless such a thing were entirely necessary. You have my word on that, I've standards to maintain, after all!" Not exactly a lie, after all. He'd never intentionally jeopardize his own work to an unnecessary degree, so Nicodemus felt good about that. "Which is why I insist that I be seen for what I am, Ms. Mithar; the opportunity of a lifetime! Not to sound self-absorbed." Yes, this was going somewhere!

Now to sell the idea. All those late night interview self-help audiobooks were paying off. "You should know something." He sets his briefcase down before rising up out of his chair, gesturing erratically with his hands. "Out there, Ms. Mithar, they're just getting smarter! Technology evolves rapidly around here, and the people I used to work for, they knew the value of remaining ahead of the curve. And so do I. If VIGIL expects to keep up with the threats of tomorrow, we have to prepare to face them today." He nods passionately before continuing.

"So you see, you're just right! Cutting corners won't work. And it shouldn't! VIGIL deserves better! So I propose that we do things the way they're meant to be. It won't be cheap, if you want it done right! But, I promise you, Ms. Mithar, I can be the one to bring VIGIL into the future!"

"I propose the construction of VIGIL's very own laboratory. Trust me. The place will play for itself!"

[Morty]

[Training Grounds - Arena]

The recruits hurry to follow Svetlana from their sides of the course, but they can't keep up with her. She will need to push herself to stay out of their reach and still avoid the obstacles, but in the end she can manage that. Once she reaches the end of the course, Wenomir is there, along with a small table laid out with towels and bottles of water. Wenomir claps slowly, with a slight smile, as the other recruits stagger out behind Svetlana.

[Briefing VIGIL - Library]

Wenomir... does not look confused by the information, but he certainly doesn't look happy about it.

"Everything's clear so far, even if it's not looking good," he says. "If we're going to stop them, those production facilities need to be our first target. Otherwise they'll just swarm us and wear us down."

[Purple Eagle]

[Training Grounds - Arena]

Svetlana does push herself, but eventually makes it to the finish line! She gently puts the mannequin down, for that's part of the test, and starts gulping in air, sighing in relief. "I... I hope my performance was satisfactory, sensei." She pulls off her goggles and smiles when she sees his slight smile, her heart leaping for joy. She grabs a bottle of water and starts gulping it down until it's all finished, then grips another as she turns to eye the recruits.

"Let me give my thoughts, sensei." Upon identifying the man with the wand, she speaks to him first. Now that it's all over, she's calmer. She rights herself, head held high, and begins to speak. "You with the wand! Good job, quick thinking trying to distract me the moment I was on unsteady ground. You might have had more success if you had someone ready to pounce. Might." She smirks at her last word, then turns to the orcish lady. "I admire a strong woman, but not one who lacks the skill to use it. I heard you before I sensed you. Strength without skill will not get you very far." Finally, the lizardman! "The same goes for you. You are likely strong and skilled, but I also heard you before I sensed you. Were I to score you all, Wand-kun would score the highest."

Then she turns to Wenomir to see if he agrees.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Briefing VIGIL - Library]

Electra nods.

"We're going to need proper scouting to confirm a lot of this, and to locate key targets first. But I agree. Crippling their capability to manufacture troops and equipment should be the highest priority once those targets are found," she says. Her eyes flash, and the slide changes to one with about a dozen different pictures on it. All are of different types of robots, some caricatured versions of animals, while others are marked as though they've some kind of purpose in construction projects. A few are just simple weapons platforms. Each one has a name underneath it.

"These are the mechaniloid types I've been able to identify. I've also included some basic guard types that I didn't detect, but that there's a good chance they'd probably want to employ. Most of them aren't particularly fast or agile, but they can take a bit of a beating from conventional arms, and are dangerous mostly due to the tools they're equipped with. The guard types tend to be equipped either with conventional explosive ordnance, or with relatively low-power energy weapons."

Her eyes flash again, and the first in the list seems to zoom in, to fill the screen, before moving aside and a list of specifications comes up. The thing looks like an army helmet with a pair of feet, a pair of eyes, a small speaker where a mouth might be, and a pick-axe fastened to what seems to be a hard-point mounted on the helmet. The notes on-screen mention that the pick-axe is actually on a multi-mount tool arm, and notes that this particular machine can be equipped with a number of tools, including fusion torches, several different kinds of welders, along with other kinds of heavy power or manual tools. The specifications also list a top speed (woefully slow, about the pace of a walking man), a fastest reaction time (relatively quick for certain actions, most notably a defensive duck under its helmet), and a base armor material (an alloy Wenomir's probably never heard of; there's a note in this field that while the thing's helmet is made out of an exceptionally tough and durable material, attachments and extremities not shielded by the helmet are surprisingly vulnerable). Electra gives Wenomir a chance to look at the data for a moment before speaking again.

"I wanted to show you the format for the data on the mechaniloid and reploid bodies that I included. If you want, we can go over all of the types now; but I was hoping this would be self-explanatory enough, at least for you and your command staff, that I could perhaps just answer questions on them as they come up." There's an uncomfortable pause for a moment, before she hesitantly adds, "Um....do keep in mind that these specs are all from types that were manufactured in my home dimension. If they've changed the designs significantly, or their materials are significantly better than what we had there, much of this data might be inaccurate. Think of it more as a baseline."

[Shadowcaller]

VIGIL - Cessie's Office

Cessie raises an eyebrow but listens. Though it's hard to tell just how inspired she is by his little speech by the end. "I'm going to admit that I've had the idea of expanding VIGIL's technological wing as it would be a bad look for us to rely on HALO for this in the future. We've had a recent biological attack aimed against us and we had to rely on HALO to ensure the safety of our members. However, if you would be the person to be given a budget to create this branch of our organization I'm going to need more transparency. For instance, do you have some kind of history with HALO? Since you brushed off that suggestion without even mentioning them. Furthermore, I think we're going to need someone to help peer review your work here. Since that is an essential part of the scientific method is it not? Can you perhaps even make a recommendation of a willing fellow scientist?"

[Two Little Angels and A Bear]

Indeed, Lapis! Anika is currently the only educated person here right now so they better, uh, keep petting her.
The two were discussing things she had no way of relating to anyway so she might as well not be talking.
But suddenly Asher can get a clear thought from her. Ride, let's ride! And so the large bear starts to carefully get up on her feet to make sure the kids had plenty of time to get out of the way. The time for cuddling was over, the time for action was here!

[Hattish Thing]

[VIGIL - Cessie's Office]

A raised eyebrow was better than nothing! Progress was being made. Possibly. Now was the time to really set things going. "An excellent idea, Ms. Mithar. One I wholeheartedly endorse!" Biological attack? Well, that sounds terrible. Hm, which just stresses the point! "I'm sorry to hear that. My thoughts go out to those affected by what I'm sure was a horrific thing to go through." He scratches at his nose before sitting back down. "Although, hm. Are you much of an optimist, Ms. Mithar? I'll tell you what, I sure am. Sometimes a good attitude and a cheery disposition is the only thing you've got. I learned that early on in my life." Dr. Valiance smiles warmly before continuing.

As he speaks, he taps one foot against the ground. Perhaps it was nerves. "I mean no disrespect, but. Assuming we're thinking as optimists, here. Why, perhaps there's a silver lining to this 'biological attack' of yours! Now, you've seen what can occur should one fall behind the curve, as it were." There's an exhalation there. "People die. And innocent lives go unsaved. Cities left undefended. That's not ideal! Obviously!" This ended up a little darker than intended. Hm, time to bring things back around. "You seem to be a good woman, Ms. Mithar. Good to your people. For their sake, I'd seriously consider this proposition of mine. I want to help." And, other things. Mostly help.

Once transparency is brought up, Nicodemus simply shrugs. "Oh, it's nothing so sinister. I just don't like other peoples grubby little fingers in all of my pies. I spent my whole life playing second fiddle to morons and maniacs. I just want the opportunity to do things the way I feel is best. Nay, the way I know is best!" Peer review? How unusually official. "Hm. All the researchers I was in good standing with went into hiding after Slumbersun went under. Or were arrested. Come to think of it, that's for the best actually." Nicodemus had barely scratched the surface of all the terrible things they were doing at Slumbersun, and it was still enough to give him nightmares.

"I could... go out and try to find? Someone? Or, if you know someone you trust?"

[UncleWolf]

[Ilphirmary]

Ilphy sits up straighter and furrows her brows at the thought of the proposals. "Yeah, I don't see what bringing my...our...her...Raril into things would do to help." She points out before turning thoughtful. "The Matron...that's interesting though. Would she give me a different face do you think?" She asks Ilpholin, genuinely curious and considering it. Eventually she closes her eyes and shrugs a bit. "As good looking as we..you are, now that attention has been called to it, it feels and looks...uncanny valley to me now. Wrong. At the very least, turning me over to the Matron would get me out of here and out of sight. And if I am just some sort of sleeper or double-agent, she'll just off me and you all would never hear another word. I'm game." That or the Matron would somehow recruit her as an agent, but Ilphy wasn't going to be dumb enough to say that out loud for everyone to hear.

[Morty]

[Training Grounds - Arena]

"Your assessment is broadly correct, but it's hard to account for senses like yours, Svetlana," Wenomir says, as the three recruits listen to her with a mixed reception. "I didn't tell them exactly what you can do. While the execution could have been better, their plan to stop a faster and more experienced opponent was good, if simple."

[Briefing VIGIL - Library]

Wenomir can't hide some surprise at the mechaniloid's appearance. A helmet with feet and eyes? Not that he's an expert on robot design, but this looks almost comical.

"Those do look self-explanatory enough," he says, trying to hide his impressions. "And aside from any discrepancies in these, Emily's report indicates they have other forces as well."

[Ilphirmary]

Wenomir is silent for a moment, turning it all over in his head. He doesn't like any of it much...

"I don't know if getting drow nobility involved in all this is a good idea, but we don't seem to have better ones. So if both of you agree..."