[System]
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Species: Human

Physical Description:
Gray stands at 5'11. He is broad-shouldered and lanky, his advantage against his enemies is obviously not brute strength yet he has exercised thoroughly to try to make up some of the difference if he ever has to get that close. He has a long face and a pointed chin and hazel eyes, characteristics that seems to run in his family. His hair color is dark brown and he has mutton chops and doesn't bother to manage his hair so it stands pretty unkempt. He keeps it just short enough in the front that it won't become a problem in combat.

Talents:
Creative Combatant - Gray is a very experienced killer and it comes mainly from his ability to think on his feet and react quickly. Even without weapons on his person he can figure out ways to kill something by using his environment and playing dirty. He certainly doesn't hold back on the playing dirty part which might irk off those noble vampires or whatever the hell else thinks they have some kind of fair fighting spirit in combat. It's always life or death and Gray doesn't plan on being the one dying.

Broad Monster Knowledge - Gray knows how to kill all the common creeps. Werewolves, vampires, zombies(Those are the easy ones), etc. It comes from a personal history of doing just that. If he can't kill it he'll get away and study for some way to do so. After all, his hefty pay check rides on this important task.

Extensive Arms Experience - Gray is both a military veteran and an arms enthusiast. As such he has both experience and extensive practice with firearms. Having talent and practice make him a very accurate shot with long weapons in particular.

History:
Killing monsters runs in the family and family is what really matters. Gray grew up with values, often unapparent to others, that keep him from going too far in the field. He grew up with several brothers and a sister and for the earliest part of his life had no idea what his family really did. They sheltered him from it until he was ready to know the truth. That truth didn't come until it was nearly too late.

Gray joined the military. He was in the army on tour in the middle east when he encountered his first taste of the supernatural world. They seemed like normal middle-eastern villagers. Lured into their village on their patrol, Gray's team didn't pose a very good chance. They had the resilience and constitution of ghouls. Meaning they wouldn't go down without a good headshot or leg shot. Most of his team was felled by their inhuman stamina with mere farm tools. Their adversary was quick and dangerous but he had and the remainder of his squad had the resolve to survive. It wasn't until later that he understood what they were. They weren't undead. They were the "blessed warriors" of a demonic duke known as Abigor that had been piggybacking on wars and feeding off of them since iron was used as a weapon. It made sense why he'd be making his rounds in the most war torn nation in the world.

On his return to the States Gray reunited with his family. Upon hearing his experience they began to explain to him the finer parts of their history. The Conover's have been killing monsters for nearly two-hundred years. Gray had a legacy he was willing to uphold.

Unfortunately that legacy was difficult to acquire with the councils of creatures banded together throughout the world. With the councils keeping everything in check his family didn't indulge in hunting so much anymore. The councils were a necessary evil but they were still monsters and Gray couldn't personally trust them to keep things steady. He needed a group that would let him bypass getting a hit on his head by an organization that vastly overpowered him. It took a while and he took up jobs killing rogue beasts in the process which the council overlooked because of the nature of the cases. He wasn't that good at first. Not many people are. The evil monsters that let themselves be tracked by an amateur are generally the easiest to kill. Gray had mistakes and near-death experiences but his resolve and ingenuity always had the tendency to save him.

When you're feeling hand over hand through the dark you always find something.

Psychological Profile: Gray seems to be morally ambiguous to people who don't know him. To those who do, they see the bold line he won't cross. If a creature isn't a killer and has no potential to be he won't take its life. He sees many jobs he's taken as necessary evil to protect humanity. Overall he views himself as a protector, but damn if he doesn't like a good paycheck.
Gray loves humor in all its forms. He'd be pretty depressing if he couldn't take a good joke every now and then. Even if it's completely misplaced and awkward.

Possessions:
Gray has two large suitcases that are normally too heavy for normal airport admittance. One stores his set of armor. The armor is customizable on the job with many spots for Kevlar inserts, a bite guard, a helmet and a few other minor items to help him adapt to circumstances. Teeth, claws or (preferably not) bullets. He's got something to give him some edge.

Aside from a few spots in the first suitcase for some Glocks and ammunition (Affordability, you lose guns a lot when you're hunting.) he has saved room in his other suitcase for a few sets of street clothes(primarily gray t-shirts, blue jeans and a black jacket) and a compartment for his modified AA12 with silver slugs in three drum magazines. Either crammed in this case or in a car he keeps an Ares 16 with a variety of attachments for use as a long-to-mid range rifle and a grenade launcher(For that beasty who just doesn't want to go down).

Gray wears a small titanium chain around his neck that has several items dangling from it. A small pot-like skull about the size of a thumb that has dried herbs in it, consisting primarily of wolf's bane to ward off a werewolf's ability to smell him. A small alienish shell filled with holes is also affixed to it. This shell happens to be the only item he has that is magic and he only uses it as a last chance item. Thankfully he's only ever used it once before. He isn't quite sure if it has lasting consequences but man does it become handy in a bind. By saying a set of keywords the artifact teleports him an indeterminate distance away to a random location(or whatever location it wants him at, he really has no idea if it has its own agenda. Eerie). The last item dangling from his chain is a simple Celtic cross because it's cool.

A useful item that is never far from his reach is his trusty silver kukri knife.

Yes, and:
Arachne, a master of information has a real talent for finding what she needs and hiding what should stay hidden. Well, Arachne found Gray Conover. A relatively easy, if a little volatile, person to manipulate and point at targets. Contracting Gray for missions with a high paycheck is really quite easy to do.

[User]
Flint began to awake, the ground below him felt like it was shaking and his head was pounding. Oh wait, it was moving, he was in the back of the van, and his head was slamming every so often against the hard metal sides. Groggily, he began to rise from his slumped position. "That's what you get for using your powers too much" He thought to himself as he began to piece together what had happened. He was bellowing flames, then he went to go help Tony. Then… he couldn't remember after that.

 He focused his eyes and noticed Parry, being hugged by Rikive, and remembered what had happened before he had entered the building. It was as if his tiredness had melted away, his mind cleared and he stood up. He felt refreshed and energised as he looked towards parry.

"Hey Parael". He said cheerily, to get his attention. When he turned, Flint's fist crunched hard into the celestials face. Parry would know that they were even now, and so Flint sat back down, removing his large jacket. Sweat stained his white shirt and the shoulder holster was visibly empty. He must have dropped his hand-cannon when he passed out and this made Flint even more infuriated. He unbuttoned his shirt to inspect the bruises and cuts covering his chest and sides. Nothing too damaging, but enough to sting when he inhaled. Flint patted for his whiskey bottle, but remembered he had smashed it onto the floor before unloading his tommy-gun into the club. This just wasn't Flint's day.

[Assistant]
Of all the people in the van who could berate him for what he'd done, Parry found himself flinching more and more with every word Rikive shouted at him. Like a kicked puppy, his smoldering eyes were cast down to the floor of the vehicle, losing their ambient glow until they returned to Parry's natural baby blue color, and even then were positively dejected.

Parry was ready for Tony, Flint, Autumn, everyone to name him a liability and cast him out as a pariah for what he'd done, but losing Rikive's friendship would hurt him the absolute most of all.

So when Rikive squeezed Parry in an almost tackle-hug, he breathed in a sigh of relief and his own breath caught in his throat. So he just hugged her back as hard as he could, one hand patting her own shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Parry said, squeezing hard. "I'm really, really sorry hon. I found some stuff out but it wasn't worth putting you all in danger."

Parry released Rikive just long enough to turn toward Flint, his eyes brightening once again as he saw the perpetually well-dressed-for-a-bygone-era detective wizard.

"Hey Flint!"

CRUNCH!

-------------------------------------

Billy Rikker's feeding frenzy was interrupted by the loudest, shrillest, most ear splitting noise he had ever heard in his century of living.

It reminded him of the shrieking a spoiled toddler would make when denied the flashiest, prettiest, most expensive toy in the toy store and goddammit, she was gonna get that toy if it meant she would have to make a scene that would shame her parents for all eternity.

So while the noise successfully broke the trance the close circle of vampires had been in while lapping the blood from the carpet, their super senses were picking up the sound as nails-on-a-chalkboard centimeters from where they stood. Suddenly his whole surviving clan was on the floor, clawing at their ears to get the noise to stop while up and down the street, car alarms for Mercedes, Lincolns, Bugattis and other half-million dollar vehicles activated their anti-theft mechanisms.

-------------------------------------

Parry was knocked flat on his ass by Flint's punch, his nose once again collapsed. But he could absolutely feel that it was not where it was supposed to be, and Rikive, even if she were so inclined, wouldn't be able to heal him for a while after pulling both Parry and Flint back from the brink in such a short period of time.

Parry had seen toddlers melt down from having scraped knees and other boo-boos. So he was emulating the best as he cried like a baby over his precious nose, the tires of the van squeeling away as they shot off to find Gray and Beth, Parry the Angel, slayer of Demons, protector of the innocent, semi-immortal warrior and self-professed hedonist kicked and screamed, holding his face, and only barely resisted the urge to say 'MOMMY! HE HIT ME!'

[User]
"We're not in an asking mood..." She was enraged, and yet she almost had to laugh. Don't I feel like a lady.

She was completely engaged with the hunter. "Do you honestly believe I would willingly help you against Nemsemet?" She gave an unbelieving shake of her head. Even as she glared at him, her wine-colored eyes carried warm undertones. As if it were the only part of her being that might still be human. Her icy tone was a stark contrast. Each word felt like a bite at the air, "You're incredibly foolish, human. You assault my people, and then you invite me to my own death." She paused, her head tilting as her eyes dipped low for a brief moment, judging his profile. "You don't even know what you're asking," she dismissively stated.

And you didn't even say 'please.'

Vaguely, she was aware of the presence behind her. She wasn't quite sure the nature of being he was, but she had surprise on her side. This hunter - human - would never be able to match her speed quickly enough to defend himself in a significant way. It was unlikely that she was going to get out of here unscathed, but she might as well enjoy the fight. After all, she was a creature of violence, and she didn't like his attitude.

Seconds after the last word left her lips, she kicked off of the rooftop. She sprung from her place so quickly, it was almost a blur. Her body collided with the hunter. All of the concentrated - and complicated - fury she felt towards him exploded from her as she tackled him to the ground with a animalistic snarl. Her attack wasn't coordinated or thought through like her actions of evasion had been. This was purely instinctual. Now that she was close, so close she feel his pulse through his flesh, his scent was intoxicating. It made her lightheaded, but it didn't matter, because she didn't plan to resist the urge to part her lips and bury her teeth into the flesh around his shoulder. With a final draw of his aroma, she did just that, piercing the skin in search of crimson heat.

[Assistant]
The vampiress had lunged with such speed and ferocity that it was too fast for him to react. She grabbed hold of him and the two tumbled across the roof until she had him pinned. He had lost hold of the bag as they rolled, some of the contents spilling onto the roof. Visible was a long metal spike, a metal bat still half-concealed by the bag, and an aerosol can.

A set of fangs pricked his shoulder. It would have been more painful if he weren't already full of adrenaline. Gray moved his left hand quickly to draw the syringe from its place in his front pocket while drawing a Glock with his right, the same arm she was now drinking his lifeblood from. She in her fury smacked the syringe from his hand, pinned his arm and continued to draw from him. It clattered to the side. With his handgun he started to unload the magazine into her abdomen while using the painful opportunity to shove her off of him. Her teeth tore a chunk from his shoulder. She definitely looked more the monster now. He rolled to side to the closest equipment - the bag. What he grabbed was the metal spike. Sure, special wood could kill a vampire. He didn't want to kill her though. He wanted to paralyze her and if the syringe wouldn't work then filling her heart with some cold metal would. If this didn't work he may have to behead her and abandon the information before she leeched more of his life away.


[System]
Callsign:
Bolt
Age:
196
Species:
Argolt(see second hider)
Personality:
 Crevix is a pragmatic, unfeeling and uncaring person, seeing most of what goes on around him as pointless. He does however know when it's better to help rather than stay back. He is very intelligent, and relies on his intelligence for many of his battles and disputes. He is poor mannered and often seen as rude and oafish because of this, but he doesn't see it that way. In his eyes, he was simply doing something he either needed to do, or that someone else failed to. He has been known to have a minor obsession with human culture. The only emotion most people see is a sadistic rage towards the Shard.
Biography:
 Crevix has lived on stations most of his life. Most Argolt do, since they do well in harsh and unforgiving environments. He spent much of his time as an engineer and mechanic, doing maintenance on stations systems and improving old ones. This satisfied him for a while till the station was attacked and destroyed, and in that said event he had to fight for his life. He quickly learned to use a gun when that happened, and managed to get to a shuttle before the station was torn apart.
 After that, he longed for that rush of battle again. When his shuttle landed on the planet he orbited for so long, the first time he had ever been on any planet since his birth. He went and immediately signed up to become a pilot, wishing the rush of fighter combat. After years learning how to fly and dogfight, he was graduated and stationed on a mining outpost in an asteroid belt. There he had his first encounter with the Shard. After years of only minor skirmishes, the Shard ruined that peace by devouring his squad and the outpost. He managed to flee before they got to him, but he finally knew what anger felt like. And he wanted more.
 He signed up for the pilot program a year later, and he knew what he was going to do with his rage.
Favors:
Old Human music
Books
Tinkering
Small carbon based organisms
Disfavors:
The Shard
robots(thinks they are a inferior Argolt)
heat
Affinities:
-Engineering experience
-Piloting skills
-A lot of knowledge
Faults:
-He gets too engaged in what he's doing
-He has poor social skills
-He cares little for opinions and doesn't take them into account
Text Color:
3498DB
Personality:
Lazy and patient
Classification:
Joker
Capabilities:
 Langcastor is a dangerous to large groups, but odd in the fact that he plays a more supportive role.

 Langcastor uses energy and electricity against his enemies and to help his allies. His main weapon is an E.M.P beam projectile that if an opponent is not killed, is disabled if they rely on technology. As both a weapon and a counter measure, Langcaster can produce a smoke that is electrified, and if this smoke is on an ally, breaks up any enemy locating measures and provides a slight energy barrier that is only good while allies stay in it. The smoke does however decrease visibility to 5 ft, but Langcastor is not effected by this since it relies on a sonar to 'see' everything and know it's surroundings within 1 kilometer, 75% of that if an area is dense such as a forest, and 150% that if large amounts of fluid or humidity is present.
 Langcaster's armor is highly conductive, yet this benefits the beast greatly rather than hurt it. With the material being so conductive, Langcastor can evenly disperse energy across his entire body if an attack is energy based, meaning energy based attacks are not very effective against him. However, physical attacks harm him greatly if the impact is strong enough.

[User]
Okay. Okay.

Okay okay okay.

Okay.

Okay okay.

Adrian breathed deeply, struggling to keep himself calm as he started the test. It wasn't as though he hadn't done this before, but there were... complications. Not the least of which being the antlered Dragon right across from his berth, with a very particular, very familiar auburn-haired individual sitting in its mouth.

He'd know that shade anywhere. Being just a few shades lighter than his own.

His hands clenched on the controls in his cockpit as his teeth ground together. What the fuck is he doing here...? He'd worried about something like this happening at first; his brother emerging from out of nowhere to drag him back by the collar to his old, boring life. Back when he was happy to be out here. Before the operations. Before the fighting. Before anything else. After that, his fear was of someone he cared about being dragged into this awfulness alongside him, but he'd reassured himself that there was no way that could happen. Thomas had a life in Demeter- a good job, a girlfriend, a future. Not like him. He'd comforted himself that his brother would never be stupid enough to force himself out here, into the black.

He'd clearly overestimated how smart Thomas was.

"Uuuum... sir?"

Adrian jumped, distracted from his reverie by the sound of the technician chiming in over the comms. He'd been leaving them hanging while he glared at his brother and his brother's Dragon.

"Okay," he said out loud, a little sheepishly. "I'm strapped in. Start the test."

Not that this was a whole lot easier. Adrian could never get used to this part, like his comrades.

"Alright, sir. Activating integration, please standby."

Tendrils began to emerge from the walls of his cockpit, writhing like living snakes as the darted toward him, the ends neatly slotting into the ports up and down his arms and legs, a small jolt running up and down his nerves as they did so. Not every Dragon was like his, but the philosophy was the same- becoming part of the machine, part of the Dragon. He started to shake slightly as his vision started to blur... going double. This was the worst part...

"Physical uplink: complete. AION coming online. Neural uplink engaging in 3... 2... 1... engage."

A shockwave crossed across his brain, feeling like he was being knocked unconscious repeatedly, until... he could see again. Specifically, he could see through different eyes. Del Lago's eyes.

It was always easier after the uplink- like breaking the sound barrier. A lot of unpleasantness, then... this moment. Being... different. More. Complete. It almost made everything else worth it, connecting to his partner like this.

He looked down at his/Del Lago's limbs, giving them a tentative shake to make sure they were working properly. So far, so good. Next, to test weapons--

A splitting headache suddenly struck him as their sensor suite was appropriated for something, sending a burst of cacophonous sound and pain surging through their heads. The connection severed before Adrian's head exploded, leaving Del Lago shaking its head to shake off the lingering headache, he himself pressing a hand to his forehead to stave off his own suffering.

"Sir? Are you alright? We got some interference--"

"Yeah, no sh--" started Adrian, before cutting himself off. "...Sorry. Yeah, something just... pinged off of my sensors. Someone testing a sonic weapon or something. Check up on the other Dragons, make sure they're all alright." He sat back as the physical uplinks started to withdraw, an announcement coming in over the ship's communications. Briefing, huh? Alright. We must be close to the border, then. If not over it, by now. He sighed to himself. Once more into the breach, then. At least, if we win here... we might not have to fight for much longer. He waited for Del Lago to deactivate their connection completely, eager to get all of this ugliness behind him.

---

A little less than an hour later, Adrian found himself just outside the Situation Room where the meeting was taking place, just in time to hear the tail end of his new squadron leader's... enthusiasm.

"...Squad are slacking off! I shall have to give them a lesson in punctuality later."

Adrian blanched. Fuck. There goes my chance to make a good impression on the boss. Regardless, he squared his shoulders and walked in, moving into the corner to get a good feel on everyone here, as more started shuffling in. Including...

Sigh. That conversation could wait. They had a job to do.

[Assistant]
The Armada
Sector Date 5115.64
Time 1900
Situation Room A

---

Admiral Serrano watched as the last of the Pilots entered the room, just in time for the briefing to begin. He inclined his head to the assembled group, then turned to Maye, to address her question.

"In time, Captain, in time. For now, we need to discuss more long-term goals- we're not out here just for a patrol, after all. We are here to turn the tide of the war, for good. So, without further ado, let us begin the briefing."

---

Act 1
Chapter 1
Ingress

---

"Vi. Situation Room A. Projection, Operation Checkmate." In the middle of the room, a hologram popped up, a representation of the Red Sector, and more importantly, the territory just beyond the Red Line. A red triangle appeared just past the No Man's Land, their current location.

"To start off, I would like to thank you all for your service on this mission in advance. Whether veterans of the Pilot Program already, or merely recruits with incredible potential, you all have accepted a very essential, very dangerous mission to take back our homes from the Shard. It will not be easy, but your success here will mean securing the future of Origin-kind. Now, to business." He indicated the triangle on the map.

"This is our current position- just past the Red Line. In approximately one hour, Operation Checkmate will begin in earnest, and from there, there's no going back. Until we succeed, or until we are destroyed. Our first step in the Operation will be to reach this sector, here," he said, a large section of debris and asteroids highlighted in green on the map. "We call it the Graveyard- the remnants of one of the last battles of the Shard War before the Dragons. The wrecks and corpses of Shard and our own vessels alike will partially shield us from their sensors, and their Leviathans' relative lack of maneuverability means that they will be unable to field too much resistance against us should we be detected. From here, we can conduct scouting missions and raids with relative impunity. This leads us into Phase 2."

He highlighted the star system that the Graveyard hung just outside of. "This star is Delta Black. It's not much, but it will make for a good stepping stone. The second world of this system is our target- we'll call it Sundowner." He flinched almost imperceptibly at stating the name, but moved on before it could be noticed. "It's the capital of an old Jovian colony. Manufacturing and mining, mostly, which makes it ideal for our purposes. Most importantly, it's the nearest source of Phase-capable materials we can identify. Our mission will be to lay claim to Sundowner, destroy the Shard hive present on its surface, and drive out the enemy occupying it before proceeding to Phase 3."

The map disappeared, replaced by an image of something and spacefarer worth their salt would recognize: a Phase gate. The fastest and most reliable method of FTL travel in the Sector.

"Sundowner was host to one of the largest Phase gates in the entire Origin Sector before the Shard came in. And while it has been disabled and likely harvested for parts, sources say that the majority of the infrastructure is still there. This, is our ultimate objective: with the material and manufacturing capabilities of Sundowner at our disposal, our Engineering Corps will attempt to reconstruct a functional Phase Gate, deep in the heart of enemy territory. On the other side of the Red Line, another Gate is being constructed. And once we connect the two..."

The image changed to that of a fleet emerging from the Sundowner Gate, larger than any that had been fielded before in the war, armed with Dragons and the most advanced ships and weapons that could be mustered.

..."We will be able to launch a full-scale offensive on the Shard, right in their blind spot. Instant, easy ingress into their territory. From there, the Shard will be fighting a war on two fronts, and our victory becomes only a matter of time. Check, and mate."

The image disappeared, leaving the crew to mull over the information they'd been given in the silence that followed.

"Are there any questions?"


[System]
Gender: FemaleAge: Twenty-three
Appearance: Kaylia is quite tall, slender and shapely with long toned muscles, a thin face with a long nose and full lips, all covered in tanned sun-kissed skin. Her hair is thick and a sun-bleached blonde in color. It is pulled up into a loose ponytail that falls to the middle of her back. Twisted into her hair are several finger width braids, many of which have Green or white beads woven randomly into or on the end of various pieces. Two braids fall to either side of her face and are shorter than the rest of her hair, resting at just below her shoulders. Her outfits mainly consist of pale green or white shirts that lace up at the chest and throat, with long voluminous sleeves that gather at her wrists with tight cuffs. Over this she usually wears a dark green or brown tunic, That has no sleeves, a v-neck, and usually falls to the middle of her thighs, with slits on either side up to her hips. Her pants are a dark brown relatively thick leather, with pale leather crisscrossing along the outer seems. Her boots are a slightly lighter brown leather, coming up to the middle of her calves, with a section that is folded over several inches and held into place by silver fastenings. around her waist is a wide black belt with a long thin black and silver sheath at her left hip. Both sheath and belt are usually on the outside of her tunic. On her right earlobe dangles a small silver chain and a small teardrop emerald, with a matching silver ring on the middle finger of her right hand with a circular emerald on its face. Matching both of these, her eyes are wide and almond shaped with bright green irises flecked with silver.

[User]
As the heat Of the day finally began to loosen its grip On the land, The birds having their last go at a Serenade, Kaylia Was finding that the dip Of the sun Into the horizon was increasing the amount of tightness In her shoulders with every degree. The death of the sun as it gave birth to the night Was always something that had made the muscles in her stomach tight and her nervous agitation increase, even if she couldn't remember why that was. Her stallion snorted softly beneath her, turning his black head to lip At one of her sleeves In a concerned sort of way, dark eye Focusing for a moment on her face. One corner of her mouth twitched up and she gratefully scratched at the side of the horse's nose. "I'm fine. Look where you're Going before we both end up in the river." The horse whickered softly as he turned forward once again, as if listening to his rider. The improbability of such a thing helped Kay feel a little better as it made her smile widen briefly.

The two had been Traveling all day, Taking a delivery of horses out to A small farm between Glayde Village, a large town nestled at the base of the Ochre Mountain range along the eastern border of the kingdom, and the domain of a fishing population bordering the edge of a lake called Vista Shore, having met the owner of the ranch the day before in Marivienna City, the largest city in the northern providence of Liodia Kingdom. And although She had made it out with no problem, she had foolishly thought that she could make it back to Horse Grass Ranch where she currently lived by nightfall. She hadn't been Expecting the monster That had exploded from the surface of the river, inexplicably shooting Something that looked like a rock the same size as her head in her direction. Her horse hadn't been too keen To stick around and find out. She had barely glimpsed what she thought looked similar to a hunchbacked frog for part of a second before she was more concerned with gripping the reins and holding on as the stallion turned tail And headed in the exact opposite direction of the way she had wanted to go. Sighing Softly, Kaylia gently patted Storm on his shoulder. She didn't blame her partner, she probably would have run in the opposite direction had She been given the choice Herself. But It did put them into an interesting situation, one that quite logically didn't sit well with her. As her thoughts were tugged Back in that direction, she found herself wishing all the more fervently that she hadn't been thrown into a situation that put her so off course.

First, there was the unsettled and rather nervous agitation that she felt when the darkness came. But secondly, Kaylia had overheard several conversations back in the city about farmer's crops beginning to fail them, shriveling and turning black as if scorched, where as they had been healthy and flourishing only the day before. Even their animals health seemed to be declining, getting sick, and weak, driven to insanity and attacking their owners unprovoked, only to die hours later gagging on black bile or being overcome by throbbing dark boils that seemed to be consuming their bodies. Rumors had even begun to spread, always uttered with Wilde eyed expressions and nervous gestures, about how even a few people were beginning to come down with strange illnesses that not even the most skilled medicine worker could heal. The strange and frightening rumors had begun to produce shadowy images in the woman's mind, to the point where she thought she saw half crazed creatures crawling towards her behind every bush and hill, intent on her death. The idea was silly and childish, part of her understood that, but her uncertainty of why she feared the night so much added fuel to the wild and unfounded imaginings.

 Kaylia pulled up on the reins As she came level with a pair of short scrubby Looking trees, swinging her leg behind her and sliding down from the saddle. After Removing the bit from Storm's mouth, determinedly ignoring the way her hands shook as she did so, and putting it and the reins into a pouch on his saddle, She dug around in the bags until she produced a hobble, hooking it around one of the stallion's front legs before unfastening her bedroll and beginning preparations for her camp. When she finally had her bed to her liking and a small fire crackling in a comforting way, Kay went to Storm and unlatched his saddle, allowing it to fall to the ground before collecting a brush from within another pouch and beginning to rub her partner down for the night, forcing herself to concentrate on every motion she made to keep herself from allowing her thoughts to slip back into nightmares.

[Assistant]
Naked steel glittered against skin in the fading light of the day. With a practiced slice, the main artery in the neck was cut and bright red blood pooled onto the fallen leaves. A smile played at the corner of Garris's cracked lips at least until the red turned to black and began to slowly ooze out of the wound.
The ranger scrambled back, only just barley remembering to wipe the blade off on the dead deer's nape.

<<Food?>> The comment was internal. It felt warm and soft like rabbit fur. It tingled at the back of his neck the way Ra's touch had as she caressed him at their farewell. Garris looked at his companion. Cainmere was no bigger than a large dog but she had the litheness and built of a wolf. Her dark fur seemed to swallow what little light the sun had left to give but her violet eyes shown as bright as ever. They had traveled together for a little over a week but she had rarely spoken. She must be as desperate for a meal as he was.

"You don't want that," he replied and pointed to the carcass at his feet. Her nose twitched slightly then she uttered a pained whine. He understood her exactly. Everyone would go hungry tonight. Loosening the water skin at his hip, he rinsed what little blood was still clinging to his knife and replaced it back in its sheath. "It does explain a lot though." Garris continued. It explained why there was very little game to be found in the area. Not, mind you, that he had time set traps or to go out of his way for tracking. They'd been lucky to stumble upon the deer, or at least that's what he thought an hour ago.

Garris sighed and fished around in his travel sack for the correct parchment. As he unrolled it, the scrollwork glowed faintly under the ever dimming light. "The next town should be in a day, maybe a day and a half's walk away." he announced.

Like most things that came out of his mouth, Cainmere seemed to meet his words with indifference. He could have been talking to a tree for the good it did him. Wallace, the master ranger Garris served under and the original owner of the creature, had assured Garris's of the beast's intelligence and capabilities. As of yet, the Cainmere had offered no advice or even hint of suggestion and the only thing she seemed capable of was frightening off the local farm girls. Still, he supposed, a quiet companion that didn't complain was perhaps better than no companion at all.

"I'd rather press on further while there's even a little light left." Garris said, taking off in the opposite direction they'd come. Cainmere, as usual, plodded silently behind.

They hadn't been traveling for more than an hour when the familiar scent of wood smoke stung Garris's nostrils. The wind carrying the smell came from the west and even though it was a little out of their way, the thought that someone generous was cooking a hot meal was far too tempting to pass up. If not food, well perhaps the owner would at least be willing to trade information.

It didn't take Garris long to find the source. A small fire was crackling away in a small clearing. On the opposite side, someone was grooming a horse. Like him, they seemed to be traveling alone.

<<Food.>> This time the word was more a statement that a question. From where he stood in the shadows he didn't see any cooking utensils near the fire or smell anything besides smoke coming off it. "I don't think so," Garris whispered back, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "And you can't eat the horse… or the girl."

Deciding there was nothing better to do, Garris took a breath and stepped out of the shadows. "Hello there." he said, trying to muster up his friendliest grin, "We were just traveling through when I saw your camp fire."


[System]
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Hex
Status: enslaved, turned into a weapon, almost siding with them
Bio: Apollo has been a weapon for the humans as long as he can remember. Every day he is put in a metal box and move to a spot where he is told to attack a person they called the "target" He would attack, defeat them and then he would be brought back to his room in prison where there was only one small beam of light in the room. This is all he knew and he felt satisfied. He was fed, he had a bed and a purpose. He knew nothing of the rebellion or that he was just like the very people he is fighting.
Powers/Abilities: can absorb sunlight and release it in many different ways (beams, orbs, light)
Appearance:

[User] "Very well, I can wait" he said with ease, understanding the child's limitations. Luciel also stood a better chance at hiding from the patrols, as he could likely tailor pheromones from a bush to give of the scent of poisonous berries to throw off hounds. "Fifteen minutes..." he mused to himself as he went about finding a good shrub to begin shaping into a suitable hiding spot. His voice held a faint tone of wryness, unfamiliar with Drex and not entirely believing that he'd come back for Luciel.

[Assistant]
"I think I saw one running there!" yelled one of the guards, who were now actively patrolling the perimeter. Just like several others, David managed to escape from his bars thanks to the strange intrusion of some plant guy. He didn't see much of him, he did see a few other people making a run for it. Some already made it for the forest. David was short on their heels. With adrenaline pumping through his veins and a heart ready to break his chest he hid around the corner. It wasn't far now, he could see the forest from where he stood.

"Hey you!" David, distracted, had not noticed the lone guard. The man pointed his gun straight at the youth. "Hands in the air, now!" he commanded. In panic, David blinked. In equal terror as the youth the guard began to violently look around. Pointing his gun everywhere. A second later and David stood behind him. In an effort to knock the man unconscious, David flung his fist against the head of the guard. But mid swing something sharp formed over his fingers. So in reaction, he opened the fist and the claws ripped open the side of the man's head. In horror he saw how the man dropped dead with 4 gapping slashes in his face. But the horror was soon replaced by an odd excitement. The sweet smell of blood energized him.

Though he couldn't revel in it for long. More guards were coming. He made a dash for the forest. "There! I saw one!" he heard yelling behind him. Which made him blink again, straight into the forest and losing the guards. Within the forest he was horribly lost. David was not familiar with the surrounding terrain. Though he did hear voices talking in the distance. After a quick blink up towards a sturdy looking branch, David began to observe his surroundings. Two blinks later he was above Luciel, watching him.

[User] Ace felt the vibrations from David's "blink" which startled her for the sudden appearance of another stranger. she pretended not to notice as she quickly levitated a small rock then flung it at the intruder, hitting him on the forehead and knocking him out of the tree. She walked up to him and looked him in the eyes with a cold look, warning him not to do anything stupid.

[Assistant]
Luciel stopped, about to pull the front of the shrub closed before a sudden spike of Hex essence. The best he could discern was that it was close, whatever it was. He was in the process of standing up to better be on guard before noticing the rock sail into the tree directly above him. Cynically, his first thought was that she was trying to get a cheap shot at him while he was busy and happened to have terrible aim. The next, the most believable one considering the value of proof, was that he was right about his ascensing and that their visitor-PHWUMP!

Without even a second to prepare, Luciel and his work was crushed by David as he fell out of the tree. The lofty shrub helped to soften the impact, although it was still a mess which left Luciel underneath it all. "Bonjour..." he groaned from underneath David.

[User] Apollo was placed in his metal box, the patrol then moved out into the woods. Apollo was trying to keep calm, but he was so enraged. All he could think of was that his stepfather (the man in the white coat) told him that his parents were killed by Hex. He wanted revenge so bad that he would do anything, including... What he thought of made him smile as he began to make the orbs around him glow brighter.

[Assistant]
Stallman started to hear a new alarm. A close one... oxygen supply alert. He hadn't heard that since drills. The backup oxygen generator turned on while auxillary power in the entire facility was toggled. That left the lights out for five seconds...

He used those five seconds to go to the service door and quickly enter the access key just before the lights would turn on. He quickl went in and shut the door, leaving the chaos behind him.

Time to get out of here... A service vent was right above him.

Stretching his arm an unrealistic distance, he unclipped the panel and began to climb up the vent, squeezing in impossible ways... for normal people.

---

Halthar looked at the forest. At least two hex were in there, including a class A. It would take specialized groups to take them down, he suspected. In the meantime, though...

He went on the main prison channel. "What have we got for security?"

The response came from the Southwest tower, for some reason. "...Command is offline right now, it just went to aux power. Something's jamming the vents. We can send a few divisions over east..."

Halthar tuned out. Only one thing to do right now, I guess.

He joined the small force that was already making its way towards the foest, casually showing his badge.

[User] Ace was getting a bad feeling about staying put and was getting antsy. eventually she couldn't take it anymore and replied urgently, "i think it's time we got moving. we can't worry about who's flying first! we just need to run! now!" she the pulls the stranger off of Luciel and pulls Luciel his feet. Ace quickly apologized to David for hitting him, then grabs both Luciel's and Drex's hand and started to run as fast as she could.

[Assistant] "Bon-what?" David could ask, right before Ace pulled him off Luciel. The girl was getting antsy, and quite possibly for good reason. "You're right. Will you be okay...euhm..." David asked, turning to Luciel. A lot of things were happening all around him, and he could still hear the alarm coming from the prison. When Ace suggested to get a move on, David agreed. "Does anyone actually know where we should go?" he still asked, as he was quite unfamiliar with the surroundings. In anticipation he looked at Luciel, who seemed to be the only one not coming from the prison.

[User] "I don't know and i don't care as long as it's not here! now hurry! we need to get deeper into the forest!" Ace replied desperately as she ran into the dense shrubbery.

[Assistant]
Just as soon as Luciel regained his senses enough to start to get close look at the newcomer, they were pulled apart and he was hoisted to his feet by Ace who he'd thought was frail and had been weakened by the events. He winced, feeling a little bruised but no more worse for wear. "Away from zeh alarms seems like a good direction" he tried to joke, if the situation hadn't been as serious as it was, he would have tried harder. Ace was already way ahead of him, practically dragging the two behind her and leaving David to follow on his own volition before Luciel had a chance to fill in the newcomer's blank. Again, there would probably be better times to talk then while on the run.
"Mind you, I have no idea how thick this forest is!" he tried to explain as they went, doing his best to mend the plants back to their original states to obscure their tracks.

[User] David had no other option than to follow the group, despite his doubts that the girl knew where she was going. He did have a chuckle about Luciel's joke, no matter how bad the timing. But when Ace said 'anywhere but here' and Luciel pointed out he didn't know how thick the forest was, David got a little anxious. "Hey, who put the chick in charge?" he pointed out, as it seemed that a girl who was he guessed to be like 15 was dragging the two others while he just followed.

[Assistant] "well it's either this or we tunnel!" Ace replied. Ace was tired, sore, her head was pounding like mad, she was still bleeding from the last beating she received at the prison as well as her feet from being cut by the rough terrain, and her vision was starting to blur, but what drove her was adrenaline and fear. She was afraid as all Hell, not just for her own life but for the 3 boys around her. Though to her they were complete strangers whom she had just met minutes before, but she couldn't just leave them alone; even if there was 3 of them should would feel guilty leaving them behind and actually feared for their safety. perhaps it was because she had finally been able to speak to someone and not be called a monster. Perhaps it was because she finally have met those of her own kind and she fears for the lives of her race. She didn't know why and she didn't care; all that mattered was that they had to leave and make it out in one piece because she knew that what ever was pursuing them was dangerous and not just a few soldiers.

[User]
Luciel started to get a headache from the stress. Nobody was really in charge, although he didn't entirely enjoy being pushed around by the one he saved, as valid as her intuition may be. Regardless, she wasn't in any condition to be behaving the way she was. Luciel noted her lack of shoes and swiftly picked her up without warning in order to pick up the pace. "Look, I know its not my place to say, but we'll have to stop at some point, ma'am~" he chirped, trying to think out their options, creatively and in a way that wouldn't draw attention. He assume the comment about tunneling implied that she was offering to use her powers, an option which was immediately off of the table the second it was presented. Luciel was woefully underequipped to deal with internal hemorrhaging from fatal overexertion. As helpful as Drex had been, his cooperation with helping Ace to safety would have been more valuable.

Luciel worked best, alone, anyway...

"We keep going...then we find a good tree...and..." He said after a minute to think, starting to pant from running for so long, "...and I'll see what I can do"

[Assistant] Ace looked up to glare at Luciel but then saw the stress and fatigue in his eyes and held her protest. her vision blurred and the punning in her head had intensified. "....i'm sorry...." Ace murmured wincing.

[User] David listened to the proposal. Everyone indeed looked very tired. No wonder though, he too was getting exhausted from the running and before that, the blinking. "I agree with the...French guy?" he said questioningly towards Luciel, whose name he didn't catch. But right then, Ace yelled to jump, and so David did, into the hole. "Well this is nice and cozy." David joked, despite being really tired. "What should we do now?" he added, being a bit more serious now.

[Assistant]
Tightly together grew a patch of pine coniferous. It wasn't elegant, but it'd serve as enough of a hiding spot for the time being. The old wood groaned, cracking with inky steam as they pressed together with a small opening enough to crawl through. The residual steam touched the nearby shrubs, making them coil to cling to every droplet, obscuring the entrance. The group slid into the darkness of the interior of the wood which ballooned on the inside to fit them with more than enough room to stand.
In the dark, Luciel brushed at his undershirt which cast a small cloud of spores. The clung to the walls and rapidly grew into dim bioluminescent mushrooms. "Quaint..." he mused. French guy? Come to think of it, introductions were in order, especially the guy who'd fallen on him.

"Luciel, if you will...and its French Canadian" Luciel said, doing his best to offer a chuckle and a dismissive hand wave. It was an asexual name which he felt suited him the best. They all needed a rest, and Luciel was sure he could help mend Ace's injuries if he had a moment to catch his breath. "So...dropping in all unexpected like..." he started, turning to David as he took off his rose-jack to get comfortable before continuing, or at least seeming like he was about to. He was flustered from the day and had lost track of his words, hoping the guy could fill in the rest on the conveyed notion of inquiry.

[User] "Well, I didn't drop in voluntarily. Honestly I was probably just going to follow you from a distance. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just...I don't. But right now I don't really have a choice I suppose. Anyway, I'm David." He introduced himself, he then looked at Ace, who seemed pretty beaten up. "Guess she got a rough time behind her. You know anything about first aid?" he then asked Luciel, while still looking at Ace. Despite the jokes he was a little worried. About all three members in the group. Now that we're together, we better stay together. We got a better chance to survive out here. he thought.

[Assistant] Drex was making his body temp lower, trying to stay cool in the cluster of people. He could feel rushing in the snow on the ground outside. "Shh!" He said "there coming" he could here them outside "Shit! They got away!" One said "nah. It's not gonna happen that easy, keep going! Now!" They ran past the tree deeper into the forest.


[System]
AKA: Reena
Age: 32
Race: Sorlas
The Sorlas are a minor race in the galaxy that joined the Galactic Committee only a decade after the Humans. Well-suited for aquatic environments, Sorlas are long-living and mostly humanoid, with skin tones of oceanic blues and greens, sometimes mixed with reddish or brown tones. All Sorlas have fins along the backs of their neck and arms and webbing on their feet, but only females can grow hair, usually a shade or two darker then their skin color. The Sorlas possess large eyes colored a solid yellow, but Sorlas generally have poor eyesight when above water. Most Sorlas also possess acute hearing, and have made up for their poor eyesight with the help of echolocation and, more recently, advanced technology. As beings from an aquatic world, they have gills as well, and can breath air and water comfortably. However, they are highly dependent on a constant source of water or a very moist environment to survive, as even a temperate climate can cause their body to gradually dry out, cracking skin, damaging organs, and slowing their systems down to a literal dead stop within an hour. Most Sorlas who go off-world regularly wear environmental suits to regulate their humidity and function outside of moist environments.

Their homeworld, Sor, is essentially one giant ocean pockmarked with swampy landmasses and small oases of land, not ideal for sprawling cityscapes but perfect for nomadic wandering. Their technology, oddly similar to Tu'Veeri technology, has a similar emphasis on blending their cities in with the natural environment, which can be found both underwater and floating along the surface of the ocean like massive ships. Sorlas society is matriarchal and places a heavy emphasis on filial piety, and while the recent ascension to the galactic stage has introduced them to more modern ideologies, their core beliefs regarding family bonds have remained. While their are Sorlas in all sorts of professions across the galaxy, a few notable Clans instead turned to organized crime, giving the Sorlas an unfortunate reputation as gangsters and criminals throughout the galaxy.
Appearance:

(I'll reveal how Neera looks outside of the suit through the narrative. ;) )

Faction: Marauder, Clan Dosvin
Role in Team?: Xenobiologist, Data Analyst
Bio:
You recall how I said that Sorlas got a reputation as criminals after a few Sorlas Clans turned to criminal enterprises? Well, three guesses as to what Clan Dosvin is infamous for.

Born on Sor, Reena Vaemas val Mari'Dosvin was the daughter of a Clan Matron (the equivalent of a Capo in the Mafia) and a professional bounty hunter tied to the Dosvin crime family. Needless to say, she was exposed to the criminal element from a young age and grew up in ill-gotten wealth and luxury alongside a loving family. Given the best education money could buy, Reena became interested in the sciences of biology and chemistry, earning certifications in both at a young age, and a few years later she was officially inducted into the Clan Dosvin crime family.

Thanks to her mother's influence and her skills in chemistry, Neera was moved past the initiate rankings and was moved to a mid-ranking position in the Dosvin Drug Ring. Given free reign to expand the trade and create new substances to sell on the black market, she proved to be remarkably successful, with her concoctions helping the Dosvin family to corner the market on several planets and making her a substantial amount of money in the process. Despite her young age, somewhat low position, and her addiction to Hype, a highly addictive stimulant of her own design, she quickly drew the attention of the higher ups in the Dosvin Clan. She was pegged for a leadership position in the upper echelons of the Clan, much to the delight of her mother, until her whole little system came crashing down.

It was all going so well until her younger brother was arrested by Committee police on suspicion of a murder. He was innocent, but he was also a coward, and squealed on the entire drug operation set up by his sister in an effort to make a deal before he realized what happened. Within the hour, the Committee unleashed an assault on Neera's headquarters in an attempt to bring her in. The Clan was overwhelmed by the police forces and fled, leaving Neera with nothing but a pair of automatics and an overdose of Hype to defend herself with. She fought like hell anyway, but her last stand was brought to an abrupt end when a sniper's bullet slammed into her chest.

Miraculously, Neera managed to survive the whole encounter, though she was largely bedridden for the better part of a year. Realizing how self-destructive her life had been and how close she came to dying, Neera came to the decision that she needed to reassess her life. As she recovered from the assault, she spent her time rediscovering her love of the sciences and quitting her drug habit. She resolved to turn away from her old lifestyle, though she refused to turn against the Dosvin Clan as one parting gift to her family. Shortly after she recovered from the complex
assault, Neera was given the chance to work with the Marauders instead of serving her lengthy prison sentence. Needless to say, she accepted.

Personality: Reena plays with her metaphorical cards held closely to her chest. While she's not anti-social, she has something of a narcissistic streak, and that combined with her background makes it difficult for her to trust people, to the point that she prefers the company of plants, chemicals, and animals to any potential teammates. That being said, she's making a concentrated effort to change her ways and trying to be kinder and less argumentative then before, to varying degrees of success. She's also trying to be more critical of herself, channeling her narcissism into relentless self-improvement through near-constant study and research.

While she has worked to quit the worst of her old vices, Neera isn't above indulging in a little lighthearted entertainment once in a while, and her experience with the criminal element has molded her into a shrewd negotiator who isn't easily intimidated. Her cravings do come back to haunt her once in a while, but she can fight them off with the help of one of her newer vices: fruity milkshakes.

Weapon(s) : Her preferred weapon is an energy machine pistol capable of burst and automatic firing, and while she doesn't commonly carry one she's pretty handy with a knife.

Family/Relationship:
Vaemas Zaar val Haro'Dosvin - Neera's mother, an influential member of the Dosvin family. She's been in hiding since her daughter was captured.
Sarro val Dosvin - -Neera's father, an exceptional bounty hunter. While he's probably still alive, Sarro is elusive to the point that Neela probably wouldn't recognize him.
Nayar val Dosvin - Neera's brother. Hasn't been seen since Neera was captured, and is probably dead at this point.

Other:
Neera's suit is her most notable equipment, and the one she currently uses was gifted to her by an "anonymous individual" after she was released to the Marauders. It's sturdy and protective without restricting her movement too badly, and like most Sorlas environmental suits it is loaded with sensor information that connects to her nervous system via a sophisticated computer system. Within the suit, Neera can effectively "see" in 360 degrees with perfect 20/20 vision, and is given constant environmental and sensory input to make up for the confining nature of the suit.

[User]
Jen sighed a little as she was led out of the small cell. Her hands were cuffed behind her as one of the guards dragged her by the arm.
"Watch it buddy, I'm coming peacefully," she said calmly, "I did choose this instead of death after all. It would be pretty dumb of me to back out now."
The guard ignored her, continuing to walk her out of the temporary prison in the security building. Jen had only been there for the past two days luckily, managing to get her legal affairs sorted out rather quickly. Apparently, volunteering for what most considered a suicide mission means you get a fast track through all of the bureaucratic bullshit that is the justice system. The fact that the ship she was to be piloting was on the Spire at the time helped as well.

Jen let out a low whistle as she saw the Monroe up ahead, stunned a little by the look of it. To the average person, it would seem like a piece of junk, something from twenty years ago. But this ship was an absolute beast. Two massive engines, one on each side. Large stabilisers on each side. It was beautiful.
"Did Christmas come early?" She remarked to herself, the guard remaining silent as always as they headed up the ramp, "I thought this was supposed to be a punishment? I'm going to have fun playing around with this baby."
The guard pointed at the handsome man as he undid her hand cuffs, Jen shaking her hands to get the circulation flowing again.
"That's the captain," He said, before turning and walking away.
Once the guard had left, Jen walked over to the captain and put her hand out.
"Jennifer Winters. But you can call me Jen," She said politely, "I'm your new pilot."

[Assistant]
Ray flinched greatly as Tymea grabbed his left arm, and being dragged in the direction of Rae's cabin. He was not ready to drink and have a party with anyone at the time, especially with the person he just yelled at. He would feel even guiltier. He didn't need that. He should be focused on the mission. At the time of being dragged, he noticed someone new aboard his ship (besides Galvus). Someone he hadn't met before, and he was not a fan of people on his ship. If she was a member of the Committee, he would hate that even more. He managed to escape the drunk Tymea's grip, and walked towards the woman, who also seemed to walk towards him.

Her first words to him were straight forward, and she held out her hand. Ray gave a quick examination of her, looking her up and down. She was obviously human, she looked a little older than Ray, and when she said that she was the pilot, he noticed she stole quick glances around the ship, as if in awe with it. "New pilot? They didn't tell me you'd be arriving... Captain Raymond Chase." He took her hand and shook it firmly, ignoring the dull pain in his hands.

"Welcome aboard the Monroe... How long did you serve?" Raymond asked out of the blue. "In the military, I mean. Your posture and handshake kinda give it away." Ray explained. He could easily look at the roster he most likely got in his private terminal in his room, but he heard shouting from the drunk crew members, and a lot of burping, so he thought he could use this as an excuse to not walk into that situation.

[User]
Jen grinned.
"Well it was either fly or die. I think I made the right choice. Especially considering the spec of this ship," She said, her eyes still occasionally wandering to stare at something else that caught her interest.
The ship just had everything she could ever want. She could already feel her hands twitching a little, ready to fly across all of the panels in the cockpit. It was impressive, no doubt about that.
"Where did you find this thing anyway? I was on the smuggling ring around the Varion Band for the past few years, and I've never seen anything like this. I mean jeez, how much did it cost to buy those engines," She rambled, occasionally pointing at something or the other.
She coughed after realising how much she had said in such a short space of time.
"Sorry," She said with a small smile.

Jen's smile turned into a small frown when Raymond brought up the military. She didn't enjoy talking about that part of her past.
"Some habits die hard. I served for 6 years. And that was 6 years to long," She said darkly, "Don't worry, I'm not a 'by the books' pilot. I've spent long enough as a smuggler to learn how to fly properly."
She stayed silent for a while, contemplating what life on this ship was going to be like.
"If it's okay, I'd like to see the cockpit. I want to get acquainted with the girl, learn what I'm dealing with," She said, before glancing over at the slightly disheveled crew, "Are they normally this... well, this?"
She sincerely hoped not. As fun as it was to get drunk, it made jobs slightly more tedious than normal.

[Assistant]
Rae had no time to shut the door to freedom or out maneuver Tymea as she charged in to grab a hold of her wrist, practically yanking her out of her room and bringing Luirae almost up close an personal with the the one person she would rather be a million lightyears from. If it wasn't for being quick or light on her feet she might have just plowed in the Captain do to the force of being pulled out but she managed to avoid that and keep her head down so she could save a little face by not letting more people see she had cried. That weird painful feeling was back and she felt like she could break or maybe toss the continents of her stomachs but lucky a new voice interrupted everyone but more importantly made it so Tymea would have to let go of the Captain since he needed to conducted official business since it was his job to see to the new recruits. The second Raymond was busy, she hauled it to the kitchen and not caring if she had to drag Tymea with her. "Drinking party it is. Those two will be busy for awhile in any case so the rest of us might as well get started."
Or at least I am going to., Rae continued her sentence in thought.


[System]
Age: 36

Appearance:
Standing at five-foot-six and weighing an amount she doesn't particularly want anyone to know about, Noelle is a mostly-ordinary, fairly-attractive woman. Her long, somewhat spiky hair is a rich ruddy brown that shines red in good light, and behind a pair of black-rimmed rectangular glasses are a pair of big blue eyes. She favors simple and elegant clothing of the kind that doesn't hug her too tightly, and simple golden loops for jewelry. Most of the time she can be found wearing a pleasant smile, too.

Personality: Sunny as the day is long, Noelle is the very picture of cheer and warmth. Thoughtful and compassionate, she's got enough love in her heart for just about everyone around her, and while not the most outgoing is always happy to make life better for other people. She enjoys cooking and is a big eater herself. That said, the pleasant glow of her spirit radiates from a brilliant fire, and she's not at all a pushover. Highly competitive, somewhat short-tempered, fairly pragmatic, and more than a little proud, she's a force to be reckoned with when push comes to shove. She makes no bones about wanting others to be the best they can be and to treat their fellow men with the same consideration she typically dons, and thusly can sometimes be strict, nagging, and irritating. Overall, however, she's a sweet woman who's at her happiest bringing happiness to others.

Background: From an early age Noelle's big heart made her stand out among others. Sweet and kind, but with a fiery competitive streak, she grew up with a lot of friends and more than a few rivals. During high school and college she was at her sporting peak, and it was in her freshman year that she discovered her epithet in a stroke of luck. After her epiphany Noelle's passion only continued to burn brighter, propelling her beyond state competitions to regional and even national events, especially the dedicated inscribed league. Her energy and spirit carried her on despite any losses or setbacks, up until the point at which a terrible accident brought her blooming tennis career to a screeching halt. Forced to rest, heal, and take things slowly, she softened up, especially after graduating and marrying her long-time boyfriend Heath Pieler.

Ultimately, Noelle forsook the world of sports and became a teacher instead, while Heath became a television salesman. She worked with children up until the point she and Heath had their own: a boy and a girl they named Tucker and Lucy. Tucker ended up taking after his father in his love of acting and performing, and when his son was ten Heath managed to convince his agency to recommend Tucker for a part as a child actor in an upcoming hero movie with epithets -a subject seldom addressed in cinema- as a major plot point. Tucker got the part, and Noelle supported him every step of the way before and during filming. When the filming finally wrapped up the lead actor, the famous Lydia Forthing, celebrated by sending most of the crew on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Otterholt Point.

Motivation: Noelle's motivation is simply to enjoy a vacation with her family, and failing that, at least ensure that no harm comes to them

Assets:
* Big Heart – Noelle's nature makes her easy to get along with and difficult for others to think poorly of her. She can make friends, avoid suspicion, and calm conflicts fairly easily. In times of trouble, she can often count on the support of those around her.
* Sudden Fire – Being nice doesn't mean being a wimp. Noelle can be strict and forceful if necessary, and is both willing to and pretty good at exerting herself physically, thanks to her time spent training both her body and her epithet.
* Smart Cookie – While she might not flaunt it, Noelle is no slouch in the brains department. She's got a lot of common sense, a good deal of practical knowledge, and a fair amount of intuition when it comes to other people, especially kids.

Flaws:
* No Great Shakes – while she has undeniable physical ability and can fight well enough when necessary, Noelle is not a trained fighter and never groomed her epithet for combat. As such, she relies on what power she has in desperate situations and can be outclassed by anyone with real training.
* Achilles Knee – even now, roughly a decade and a half after her sporting heyday got cut off thanks to an injury, her knee remains a weak spot. She favors it ever-so-slightly but still-perceptibly when moving, and if this weak spot is taken advantage of, she's more or less down for the count.
* Soft – Noelle's sporting days are long behind her, and while she exercises a few times a week, she's nowhere near as fit as she once was. Plus, she did have two kids. Add to that her inexperience with real combat and she both burns through her stamina pretty quickly and can't really adapt on the fly.
* Specs – without her glasses, she can't see very well.

[User]
"Ah... it's that WEIRD CELEBRITY that was harassing me," Jessica said as Mark came up to them, GAGGING a little for effect, "you know that you only get away with picking on LITTLE GIRLS because you're famous, right?"

Although... dunking on this WEIRDO kind of took a back seat to saving a kid at the moment. A task which, due to the child engaging in dialogue with them, became significantly easier. It took a while, but they were able to locate the girl. She was stuck up in a tree, like a cat in a cartoon.

...Not Jessica's favorite configuration. Only HEROES saved cats from trees, and Jessica was a VILLAIN through and through. Surely one of the others would be able to save this small child. Then again, she appeared to be stuck in some thick SAP. That might be difficult for the others to handle.

Jessica flip-flopped between wanting to RUB this rescue in that DUMB WOMAN'S face and MAINTAINING her VILLAINOUS PRESENCE, but then something that the little girl said tugged at Jessica's BLACK HEARTSTRINGS.

Jessica bit her lower lip, and looked up at the kid.

"I bet... your mommy misses you a whole lot. I guess... I can help get you down."

Jessica thought, for a moment, about how much her own mother probably didn't even know she was gone, much less missed her. Then again, that was just business. Her older sister was perfect. A genius. Why waste time on the runt that nobody needed? Nobody needed her... but at least she could do this.

Jessica took out her lighter, and flicked the switch. She touched the PLASTIC CARAPACE of the bubble machine, and combined PLASTIC with HEAT to create a different configuration of plastic: a bottle, to be precise. Then, holding the bottle, she touched a streak of sap that was running down the tree. By combining a BOTTLE with the SAP, she was able to make a BOTTLE of SAP.

One strength of her ability was that, by combining things, she used the components to create a new object. Thus, the sap had all but disappeared from the tree and was now inside her bottle. The girl would be released, but Jessica wasn't strong enough to reach her all the way up in that tree, much less help her down.

"Sap's taken care of. Can either of you help get that kid down? I skip school because I'm an EVIL DELINQUENT, but if I DIDN'T skip school, I would fail gym."

Jessica examined her bottle, and considered all the things she could do with sap. Depending on the sort of sap it was, it could be used to make syrup, lacquer, or, uh...

Probably other stuff too! Maybe the teacher could identify the type and uses, because it was not Jessica's area of expertise.

[Assistant]
"That depends on what you mean by 'everybody.'" Penny replied, ignoring Jessica's attempts to start a fight. She wasn't surprised that the dude with the heartthrob good looks of a TV star had shown up, not after getting a front row seat to how fast he was earlier. She didn't mind him being around either, speed like that could be a lifesaver. "Right now we're in the middle of...speak of the devil!" She finished as a small voice called out a reply from somewhere further in the jungle. "C'mon." She said, hastily hacking her way through the underbrush toward the voice. It was a little slower going than before, seeing as she was clearing out room for that bubble machine that Jessica had chosen as a prize.

It still only took them a little while to reach the source of the crying, and when they did Penny almost kicked herself. "Eugh." She gagged at the putrid situation. "Of course you're gonna stay where you are. Way to make me feel like an idiot." She hoped there wasn't some kind of undiscovered species of giant bug on the island that did this to people.

Jessica, on the other hand, looked like she was thinking of something way worse than horrible giant insects. The look on her face as she looked up at that kid reminded her of the look she'd given Penny when they'd first met, like she was just a little kid. The girl immediately got to work on getting the sap, or whatever that gunk was, off the girl. Penny was glad she was already getting some use out of that machine, but Penny worried that without the sap the kid was going to come tumbling down from the trunk. So when Jessica gave the word she snapped to. "I have just the men for the job, boss. Men!" She called out. The peasants as one dropped the bubble machine and stood at attention. Penny pointed up at the girl. "Fetch us that maiden fair." She intoned, with all the regal authority she could muster just to get them really pumped up.

"Aye Melord!" They said, throwing themselves at the tree and ascending as dizzying speed toward the girl like little hairy cockroaches.

"Carefully. This isn't like picking fruit!" She called up.

"Carefully." Came back down five voices as the peasants lines up around the girl and took hold of her with one of their hands, one each for her arms and legs and one above her gripping the back of her shirt. "Careful." "Careful." They said, using their surprising strength to gentle pull the girl from the remaining sap and began sliding slowly down the tree, little nails leaving gashes in the trunk as they arrested the speed of their descent.

"Well, that's one more accounted for at least." Penny said, turning back to Mark. "This is kinda what we're doing now. If we get attacked by a giant bug, could you kill in with your flash steps?"

[User]
Mark watched as the girls rescued the child, keeping his senses open. He found it very annoying every time someone brought up his uncanny appearance of Jensen Ackles. He didn't like Jessica already and she wasn't going to make it easier to like her. "Let's just get the girl to safety." he sighed, glaring at Jessica.

He noticed the little people Penny summoned with her Epithet and how she worked them. He found it interesting. That's actually kinda cool, he thought to himself.

"Stride." he frowned at Penny. "My Epithet is Stride. It's a movement Epithet, not usually meant for outright combat. Giant bugs, though, shouldn't be too hard if you can find me a big stick to use as a weapon."

He was being modest, though it didn't sound like it, and he knew it. He loved his speed. He already knew how to fight with it.

With the girls behind him, he took point and began heading back towards the beach. "Leaving your find?" he asked Penny, motioning towards the bubblegum machine.

[Assistant]
In a lucky turn of fate, one of the youngsters who happened upon the trapped child possessed just the tool for the job. Her quick thinking allowed her to combine a couple different objects in quick succession, putting the power of her epithet on display as she dealt with the problem in an improbably speedy manner. While that meant the child might tumble down the trunk and into the ground afterward, Penny recognized the situation and put her miniature legion on the case. They scrambled up and down with surprising alacrity, retrieving their target as carefully as they could. In the end, the little girl was retrieved with no fuss and only a little muss.

Though clearly shaken and close to overwhelmed, the child seemed grateful. "Thank you," she told her rescuers, remembering what her mother always said about manners. Given her saviors' recent experience with Noelle -Jessica in particular- it wasn't hard to come to a conclusion about her lineage. The teacher and her husband would no doubt be relieved, even if the return of their daughter highlighted the still-missing status of their son.

Not long after Mark divulged the nature of his epithet, there came a rustling in the underbrush. A thin girl with shot red hair, a distinctive skull-and-crossbones shirt beneath her coat, and striped red and black long socks appeared through the trees, waving as she came into talking range. "Hello," she greeted in a somewhat throaty voice before pointing her thumb at the trees behind. "Just wandering around when I found the girl. While trying to figure out a way to get her down, I heard talking. I didn't know what to make of you, so I kept a distance and watched. But way you rescued the young one there was incredible. You're obviously good people, and I shouldn't have doubted you."

In contrast to her somewhat punkish, rough-and-tumble appearance, the stranger gave off an impression of sophistication and sincerity as she spoke. Her compliments felt good, and conveyed a sense of real respect. In turn that made the stranger seem genuine and trustworthy, someone definitely in the others' camp. These associations and conclusions came easily, not weirdly so, but it just seemed so obvious. The only thing even slightly off was the ever-so-subtle sweet taste on the tongues of those present.

She held a hand in front of her chest and gave a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to meet anyone with their hearts in the right place. My name is Erin. I'm sure you have appropriately important things to be doing, but if I could lean on your generosity, would you mind telling me what's going on? Who you've encountered so far, and what you've been up to?" She asked in earnest, buttering them up a touch but by no means overbearingly so, as she stood between them and the way back to the beach.


[System]
Kwassi Asokho

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Character Summary
Aliases: Sparrow
Species: Humans
Powers: None
Age: 26
Nationality: African
Birthday: June 20, 1994
Birth Place: Golden City,Wakanda
Gender: Male
S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy: Sci-Tech
Qualification: PHD in Bio-Engineering
Years in the Field: New Recruit into S.H.E.I.L.D.

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Appearance
Height: 5'10
Weight: 175 lbs
Build: Toned
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Skin Tone: Dark
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: 3 Tattoos. Two Flowers one the collarbones and a quote across the right pec.
Personal Style: Kwassi prefers to wear loose clothing. Often times opting to have a few (or more) buttons undone to show off his body and allow for air to flow. The materials he wears are all light and breathable such as 100% cotton or linen. He wears bright colors that are sure to stand out within a crowd ranging from vibrant reds to deep teals and lush oranges. His style can be describe as fun, practical, and sophisticated to an extent.

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Psychology
Playful * Curious * Intelligent * Distracted * Hardworking * Untrusting

Sexuality: Pansexual
Relationship Status: Single
Personality: Kwassi tends to be playful and intellectually curious. He has the habit of juggling his friends, passions, hobbies, and career all at once. He has been know to be a social butterfly in his group, being able to talk to just about anyone on anything. If ever a subject comes up that he doesn't know, his curiosity tends to pick up on it and he brings it forth later to study when alone so that the next time conversation is struck he will surely be able to follow along and add in his own opinion. This coupled with his dashing good looks makes him a center at almost any party and allows him to blend in easily in such social scenery.

His curiosity however comes with a bit of a price. As he is want to do, Kwassi can tend to lose interest in certain subjects fast and thus become bored. It is this boredom that helped him become who he is today, and who ue was in thr past as well. It strives him to move forward and learn new and exciting things to help keep his mind active as well as his body. These traits are often times boiled down by some as him being characteristically a Gemini through and through. He supposes that this 'two faced' sign can only be a boon now that he works in the field of espionage.

Habits: Whistling, Snapping
Hobbies: Swimming, Tech building, and Chem work
Fears:
* Hornets
* Snall Spaces
* Lobotomie

Likes:
* Ice Cream
* Wildlife
* Gaming
* Running
* Swimming
* Iced Chais

Dislikes:
* Boredom
* Monotony
* Chick Fil A
* Drinking
* Drugs
* Pitch Darkness

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Cards On The Table
General World Skills:
* Photographic Memory
* Driving a Car
* Trivia Knowledge
* Mixed Martial Arts
* Acrobatics
* Escrima
* Bo Staff
* Throwing Darts
* Space Politics

Speciality Skills: Limit 7. These are skills that apply to your career path - see the suggested specialty skills box for your academy if you're stuck!
* Bio-Engineering
* Wakandan Tech
* Jack of All Trades (Science)
* Toxicology
* Nano-Technology
* Chemistry
* Anatomy

What Is On Your Person: Limited to the spots provided. This is for things like your wallet, your phone, your SHIELD ID badge, your car keys, your lucky coin...If it isn't listed, you don't have it.
* Two Hyper Magnetic Escrima sticks. (When combined together grow out to form a bo staff :Wakandan tech)
* Wallet: Credit Cards, Cash, S.H.E.I.L.D. I.D.
* Keys to Jeep wrangler
* Phone
* Empty throwing darts. (Chambers to be filled with toxins)
* Portable Chem Kit with various ingredients.
* Old Domino mask from Vigilante days
* Electric Brass Knuckles

Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. Keep it simple! Focus more on things that are important to them - don't put in things that are a given, like a bed. But a special photo of them and their cat? Put that here! A stolen file on someone? Include it! If you're having trouble, think of the things you'd show to someone if they came over to your room - or maybe that you DEFINITELY would not want them to see.... * Small lab with a wider range of chemicals to play with
* Collection of books on various plant life and animals that secreet or create toxins and they applications.
* Small Collapsable box full of electronics for working on tech
* Collection of Games for every gaming station.
* Gaming Stations with their controllers displayed before them. (2 of each controller for 2 player if need be)
*
*
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History
Why did you want to become an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?: After the invasion of New York it was clear to Kwassi that there was so much more for him to know. There was life beyond theirs and technology beyond that. Wakanda was already years ahead of the others on Earth but this new tech that the Chitari had brought appeared to rival even theirs. With his curiosity peaked and his boredom in need of being satisfied he decided to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in their mission.

General History:
Kwassi Asohko grew up in Wakanda for some of his formative years. His parents helped created and engineer some of the tech used within the tribes. Repairing damage to the weapons and sheild tech that was developed by the Golden Tribe. They were brillant minds in their field and Kwassi adored to watch them work. His inquisitive mind asking questions as fast as he could think them about how and why each thing worked the way they did.
His photpgraphic mind allowing him to visualise and recall the procedures that his parents did while at home or in the lab.

When he was Ten years old his parents had accepted a job out in the United States. Their genius was a gateway to many doors and it made for a wealthy and luxurious childhood for young Kwassi. He traveled across the world meeting gurus and other masters to train from a young age in the ways of martial arts. A choice he had made when hearing of the Vigilantes that littered America and his own stories of thr Black Panther from back home.

Training and developing both his mind and both he began to take courses in Bio-Engineering. The things that living beings were able to create in order for defense fascinanted him. He wanted to learn how to create the same reactions and use those to his advantage in combat if ever need be. He learned how to replicate and fix some Wakandan technology from his parents and used that to form a protective suit for fighting as well as to help measure any weaknesses in his form while studying martial arts.

Once he had graduated and was now twenty-two years of age, he took on to the streets and was known as The Sparrow. He flitted from roof to roof as a masked Vigilante, and used his skills to bring in crime that the police simply couldn't or wouldn't do. His knowledge of acids allowed him to dissolve away any locks that may hinder him, he created his own toxins to paralyze his prey and leave them behind for the authorities to take in. When he was particularly restless he would use his martial prowess to disable his opponents before tying them up and leaving them behind with a calling card of the Sparrow. Eventually he drew the eye of a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative who asked him to join their mission in safeguarding the world. The invitation he had been waiting for.

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Extras Can i be lazy?
Character Quote: Vendi, Vidi, Vici
Theme Song: Immigrant Song
Anything Else:
Children's Crusade
Demi post

*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.

[User]
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Location: the Triskelion - The Hallway -> The Hangar
Skills: N/A

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 Flynn had a half mind to go jump out the window after Amelia, since she seemed to be the most sane person so far and he had just met her moments before. This whole situation made absolutely no sense, at all, and no one seemed to really be giving a damn. Cass mentioning potentially letting people stay behind he almost took her up on that, but figured he might as well go, since then at least he'd know where Captain America, and maybe even help him out if it ended up coming to that. Was he perfectly fine with betraying SHIELD? If he was being perfectly honest, he definitely was.

 Hearing Niah's words, to say that he was more then a little confused at first was more then a small understatement. "Why the hell are you telling me that?" Flynn said towards her, however, when he thought back to it, something stuck out about that sentence. It took him a few moments to realize what it was that she was saying towards him, or why, but the last time she had really announced the need to go to the bathroom (which was more then a bit random given everything) was when she had taken off and talked to Pym during the Age of Ultron timeline. "Bit random don't you think?" he added, but he had a small part of him that was hoping it meant that she was on his side regarding this whole situation. Though that was a bit of a stretch all things considering.

 "...Niah you also didn't think to go before we went into the conference room?" Sparky said softly, glancing towards her friend wondering what was going through her head. Of course nothing was really going through her mind, she wasn't even really paying much attention to what everyone was saying, or what all was really going on around her. Her mind was wandering more and more, and she was beginning to truly think that she didn't really want to go on the mission after Captain America, at least not right now. There were more then a few other things on her mind at the moment that she thought were more important.

 When she heard Cass' words regarding potentially allowing people to stay behind if they wanted to and to not go, Sparky walked over to Cass, following along after everyone else, until she was right by her. "...If you don't mind can I stay behind?" she asked her somewhat quietly. If she stayed at the base, then maybe she'd be able to figure out what happened to Raynor and find him. She wanted nothing more then to find him already and to bring him back, and she hasn't had the time to do so before now. With the others gone off to go find Steve Rogers, she could spend the time to do it, with or without anyone else's help.

[Assistant]
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Oliver Sullivan

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Location: the Triskelion - Conference Room -> The Hangar
Skills: N/A

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 Oliver consciously had to keep himself from glaring at Hill. Like, yes, him hating his father should dissuade a lot of fear that they had. Thanos burned his city, did they think Oli was just gonna be okay with that? If one thing was made clear by this comment, it's that Hill was not being rational by any means. He couldn't be taking marching orders from her when she was like this; listening to angry people who wanted to control others was how a country descended into fascism, and he wasn't about to help with that. As he thought of this, Baptiste peaced out, crashing through a window, and his eyes widened. That was a bold move to say the least, but he wouldn't not be joining her immediately.

 Even with his powers, he wasn't a fighter, and open defiance would not end well for him. He'd stay with the team for now, but he'd do what he could to gain more information on why Hill was acting like this, and what he exact plans were. He was a computer scientist and a mathematician first, a speedster second, and he had to remember that if he wanted to be effective. No, instead, as Cass announced that they could opt out if they wanted, Oliver smiled and said, "Count me in, I gotta show I'm not a traitor to an evil space emperor, right?" There was a part of him that had a kind of burning anger about the fact that Hill even thought that was possible, so he didn't mind leaking that, it was a reasonable thing to have.