Roromi

Ensign Winter sat hunched on the railing outside of his Quel. Quietly he tapped away at a bulky laptop which was wired up to his mobile suit. He sifted through the lines of numbers and data, a resigned sigh escaping his lips. He had gotten scrutinized over his choice of mobile suit. Lately everyone else had been transitioning to the Hizak, a mobile suit which reminded Gabriel too much of a Zeek unit. Ensign Winter on the other hand opted to maintain his use of the Quel. His decision proved to be both a burden and a blessing; a burden because of his peers criticizing him, and a blessing because the influx of spare parts for his unit from the other Quels. Despite his abundant source of supplies he was faced with having to maintain his unit increasingly on his own. A small price to pay in his mind, he enjoyed solitude. While the world seemed to move on its own, Gabriel remained glued on the past, his mind flowing back to his home, and worse to that damn Zeek who humiliated him in this very unit. He didn’t care that his peers got new units and fancy promotions, he didn’t care that he was merely tolerated; he just wanted to fight, to get revenge. Sighing once more from the headache the screen was giving him he finally shut the laptop down, satisfied with his work. He tucked the chords away and cleaned up his station before floating along down the catwalk. His eyes wandered from suit to suit and before long he spotted the only other elephant in the room, the GM sniper tucked on the other end of the hangar. His eyes glider along the paneling of the older suit and his attention was stolen when he heard his name, “Gabe!” The Titan turned around to regard his colleague Ryder. Gabriel snapped into a salute before responding, “yessir?” Ryder was one of the blokes who received a promotion, for what Gabriel couldn’t quite wrap his head around but he wasn’t one for military politics. “You’re still not taking a Hizak Lieutenant?” Gabriel asked quizzically as he floated towards his comrade. “We’re going to make quite the odd couple out there mate…” Gabriel murmured half heartedly.

“Erland!” Edwin cried out as he saw the two mechs dump onto a building. The explosion of debris was actually quite impressive with the pressurization of the small building rupturing and gushing out air and dust in a brief but violent whirlwind. He reflexively winced at the sight and fought his instincts, scanning around. Sure enough another spinner Rodi busted out of shed and blind sided Edwin knocking the rifle from his Graze’s hand. No matter, Edwin brooded, I want these cowards to see their death coming. With the elegance of a veteran Edwin moved his Graze with the momentum of the Mobile worker and twirled his mobile suit around. As he completed his rotation he drew out his blade and fired his thrusters after the retreating Rodi. As he closed the gap the Rodi also twisted around. Dancing in their dangerous game it began firing rounds at Edwin’s Graze. Panic must have stricken the civilian pilot because their shots trailed lazily towards Edwin, and despite their closing proximity, the fool couldn’t land a hit in the Graze. Edwin thrust the tip of his blade directly into the belly of the mobile suit, a clean strike that instantly killed the pilot and made the mech go limp. He pulled the blade out and twirled his Graze around to look at his two comrades. Edwin noticed Yohan similarly dispatching another Spinner with his rifle. The problem seemed almost resolved when a glimmer of crimson stole his attention, and Edwin had to sort through his confusion at not seeing Erland’s Graze. The vision of a demon made the commander freeze in genuine fear, he could feel the stump on his arm ache at the presence of the machine. Marching solemnly towards the Gjallarhorn soldiers was a titan of equal if not greater measure. Walking down the makeshift road towards the trio was a red Gundam. Their radios crackled as a strange voice hailed the trio. “Surrender your weapons and your ship and no one will have to die.” Edwin bit his lip and switched his radio to Erland, “Erland are you alive?” At that moment Edwin didn’t want to take his eyes off the demon to check on his friend. “Erland if you’re there I need you back on your feet soldier! We got a demon to kill!” He switched his comm to include Yohan, “I’ll lure it close to me, Yohan you take shots with your rifle, aim for its joints but be careful to avoid friendly fire.” At that moment Edwin had a million questions he wanted answered, perhaps the most demanding being how these rebels found a Gundam on the moon. His concerns hardly mattered with the pressing business. He was mildly tempted to banter with the rebel to learn what he could but decided that silence would gain him more favors. He had fought with a demon once before and lost his forearm because of it. He may be the only one that truly appreciated the gravity of the moment they were in.

Way to go! Let’s keep it rolling!

The violent turbulence shook the mobile and pilot alike. Stone faced, Edwin maneuvered the colossus towards the lunar surface. The weak gravity felt annoying, not quite tugging him down and not quite releasing him from the gray horizon. They landed on a ridge east of the facility. It was eerily quiet with no movement beyond the three machines. Edwin sniffed, “feels like a trap. Don’t let these rebels get an edge on us. Stick together and we’ll be fine.” He hardly waited for a reply before gliding his suit to the edge of the ridge and look down. Still no movement. Grunting he hopped the ridge and slid down towards the facility. The buildings conveniently made mobile suit the sized passages where two suits could pass abreast. The maze of passages was impressive even by mobile suit size. His rifle led the way as he took the lead. Soon They found themselves at an intersection. Edwin scowled ar the screen as he scanned the buildings. “Yohan why don’t you-“ His transmission was interrupted by a mobile worker bursting out of a garage strafing and firing at them all. A few shells rattled on their armor and before anyone could return fire it disappeared behind a building. Edwin hissed, “they’re using the facility as cover.” Silent alarms in his head went off and he resisted following the obvious bait. Something was definitely not right. “Things are about to go kinetic my friends.” The grizzled veteran growled.

Jared kept his almost infectious grin painted on his face as the woman talked. He honestly listened to her banter and kept his silent analysis of her filter behind his eyes. “Where are we headed anyway? I don't go planet side so if its Earth I get the master bathroom and whatever is attached to it." He cleared his throat, “I can’t say that I have an interest in going to earth but your machine on the other hand, catches my eye…” he leaned in close, his expression growing slightly more serious. “You see I very much wish to obtain one of these demons for my startup organization. A mascot can be a powerful symbol in the mercenary business you know.” His eyes looked at her suggestively. “I reckon you know a thing or two about combat your majesty…” there was a glimmer in his eye at the suggestion of combat. As if the excitement of the word was enough for them to understand each other. “Tell me why is it you are running away? Why is the price so high for you?” He took a moment to check a small tablet he kept with him and nodded at a message sent to him. His eyes shifted back up to the girl with the dangerous glimmer burning in his eyes. By this point several crew came floating within a respectful distance.

Edwin nodded at Erland’s remark about deploying. “Soon enough. Go get some rest and in a few of hours we’ll deploy.” With that he saluted his friend before retreating to his own quarters, he was quite tired from all the traveling. A few hours later an alarm awoke him in his bed and he groggily got up to put in his space suit. The room was sparsely decorated due to the lack of gravity and he struggled to get in his suit. His fake arm floated around him as he put on the combat gear, waiting for the last minute to attach the abomination to the remains of his limb. At last he got the suit and arm on and zipped up the uniform before grabbing his helmet. It didn’t go unnoticed that his left hand shook visibly and he nervously squeezed the device to “loosen” it up before heading into the hallway. He wore a grim look on his face as he saluted the crew and soon found the entrance to his alabaster Graze. He paused as he perched on the lip of the cockpit to study the behemoth and the sword locked on its hip. Flashbacks of the fateful combat that stole his left arm flooded his vision and he could clearly recalled how crumpled up the left side of the machine had been when he was pried out. He equally recalled the eyes of the demon that maimed him, the elegant designs of the Gundam he fought. He shook the thought from his head before going into the cockpit determinedly. As he sat down he locked his helmet on and pulled the straps across his body. He began his religious system checks to awaken his own monster and prepare for combat. As he neared the end of the routine he did a radio check, “are you there Erland? Yohan?” To his delight his Adjutant responded eagerly, “Affirmative Captain! Ready to deploy when you are!” A grin did form on his face, “you ready Erland? Let’s head out.”

The young man seized up and gurgled out a cry for help that got drowned by the blood dribbling out from his nose. Jared frowned as he saw the response to the Alaya-Vijnana rejecting one of his comrades. “Dang!” Jared hissed as he turned to regard his tech, a girl by name of Betty. The blonde shrugged at her boss and tapped at her tablet vigorously. Shaking her head she finally announced, “sorry boss, there’s a lock on the operating system. We need a key of some sort to override it.” Jared punched the metal of the cockpit in frustration. The price to gut the cockpit and operating system would be substantial and he now seriously had to contemplate giving this machine in for the bounty. He looked around the hangar while burying his face in the palm of his hand. The momentum of his mock punch on the frame flung him out in a soft revolution into the middle of the hangar; if he was discomforted by the motion he didn’t show it. His thoughts equally whirled around him and he almost missed the presence of a silver haired lass as she burst into the hangar. “I made it! Thanks for waiting for me!” The words made Jared furrow his brow and as he bounced gently into the ceiling, he steadied himself to study the girl closely. A smile now formed on his face. “Your majesty!” He cried out before pushing himself towards the girl. As he sailed he caught himself on the rail side opposite of her. He continue to flash her a toothy grin, “at last we meet princess!” He studied the girl for her reaction, the second thing he noticed was the size of her pupils (the first being the hair). “I’m so glad you could join us on this voyage of the Loose End. I’m her captain, Jared Axle at your service!” He gave her a mock salute, his voice booming loudly to get the attention of everyone on the hangar.

As his beam missed Hunter hissed in frustration, “think you’re special ey?” The Gelgoog dodged away and turned to face him it pulled out its beam chain gun and sputtered a volley at him. At their current distance the exchange of fire was little more than friendly banter going back and forth. Hunter flared his legs to thrust his Quel out of danger. He curled his mobile suit into an arching charge now, evading the trail of chasing laser bullets. The Quel shuttered violently from the thrusters delivering him to striking distance. The Gelgoog flared its melee weapons to life in its hands. “Oy that’s the ticket!” Hunter growled as he shifted his Quel to grasp the beam saber with its free right hand. He pulled the shield and rifle in close to his cockpit. As the distance closed quickly he swung down hard with the beam saber, the fuchsia blade came down with ferocity. Hunter grinned with a violent glee and a wishful hatred that only his weapons could satisfy. ”why fight?” He quizzed over the radio. “Why protect yer mates?”

Edwin gave a discreet nod at Erland’s observation regarding the facility and a weak smile of acknowledgement. True he has more riding on the facility and he couldn’t stand the idea of dissidents controlling property that wasn’t rightfully theirs. Erland broke his train of thought, "If you don't mind, could you take me to the mobile suit hangar? I'd like to see what our firepower is." Edwin swept his hand behind them towards the exit of the bridge. “Of course right this way.” He calmly led the man through the bridge to the hangar. As they entered the bay Edwin gave a grin at his friend as they first saw their Grazes side by side. Red and white the two machines looked poised for action, Edwin knew it would only be too soon. “We have our machines of course. We also have four more Grazes at our disposal…” he swept his hand to hint at the other suits hiding in the hangar. “We don’t know the full strength of the enemy so it will be me you and my adjutant Yohan who deploy first. I want to keep the rest behind as a rear guard in case they decide to attack the Fortis.” He turned to look at this friend reassuringly, “Yohans a good pilot we can count on him.”

Edwin noticed the sidelong glances at his arm. Erland was of course one of the few people who knew about his injury, he felt surprisingly subconscious about his arm now, as if Erland was seeing through the long sleeve and glove he wore. Edwin shrugged the idea from his head and motioned to the window on the bridge as he moved to stand next to his friend. They both looked out at Space and he cleared his throat. “There’s an Elion Family Mining operation on the moon, which for years have been very lucrative.” Naturally both of their gazes shifted towards the natural satellite. “The entire operation went dark. At first we thought it was technical difficulties, but it’s becoming more and more obvious that it’s more than that. For years the workers have disgruntled by conditions… no small secret.” He flashed his friend a knowing glance. “In any case we have since intercepted transmission heading out towards the colonies suggesting that they found a relic from the calamity war…” he let the last phrase hang in the air as reference to the Great War was weight enough to drag Erland from Mars. “There are terrible weapons from the Calamity war… if dissidents have a weapon… well I don’t think I need to spell it out to you.” He paused as he glared at the moon. “We’re going to storm the facility… hard and fast. That’s why I need you here. I need people I can trust for this one.” In truth Edwin wasn’t entirely sure where Erland or the falk family fell in the recent discussions of worker rights. Gjallarhorn has become increasingly divided on how to treat their colonies and other assets. If this operation went down the way Edwin was imagining it then a lot of dissident workers would die.

Jared tapped his fingers impatiently on his arms. He glared out at the hangar as the metal colossus was hoisted into an open mobile suit bay. He glared dangerously at each crewman who touched the weapon and barked out ominously, “careful! Careful… we must take great care with this catch boys and girls!” His tone shifted towards an almost melodic grin as he regarded his crew. His visage was somewhat more dour than usual, the presence of a gundam was an omen of sorts. Good or bad, Jared couldn’t quite decide yet. The stories of demons shaping the world as it was today whirled in his head. Either way, right now he was in the presence of a demon and even the mercenary was feeling giddy at that prospect. As his crew finished their task Jared called out enthusiastically, “once the gundam is secure let’s leave port!” One of his crewman, nodded and floated off to let the bridge know. Normally he would have handled the order himself but this was a triumphant moment and he wanted to bask in the glory of this war machine in front of him. In many regards the presence of the demon was humbling. Maybe he wouldn’t sell it after all. Sure there was a substantial bounty on the machine but a few tweaks and they could make it indecipherable from the original form. A jerk of the ground told him that the Loose End had left port and the ever present grin on Jared’s face grew at the seamless escape thus far. “Shame we couldn’t find the girl too! She’s got quite the bounty on her as well…” Jared mused to no one in particular. His crew was used to his ramblings and could tell he was in a certain mood. “I wonder what will happen to you friend…” he offered to the Gundam as he floated in front of the machine, his posture stiff and arms crossed in serious contemplation

True! At this point the big two we’ll be starting out with is Gjallarhorn and pirates/mercenaries. We will be starting off both sides very soon 😉

The tremors slowly faded away, the entire cabin soon became serene as weightlessness permeated around. Edwin unconsciousness tensed his left hand, curling and uncurling the artificial fingers. It was strange how occasionally he genuinely felt as if the digits were his own. It was equally unnerving when he found himself scratching the skin of the prothstetic. They called it phantom pain and it was a sensation he doubted he would ever fully accept. Lifting his gaze from his lame hand he looked around the cabin to study how everyone else was reacting inside the shuttle. If one was studious, they could quickly determine who was new to space and who wasn’t. By this point Edwin was fairly numb to awe inspiring sensation. A young woman was giggling as she let some jewelry twirl in front of her. Another man was grinning like a fool playing with a water bottle. Edwin merely sighed and returned his gaze out the window. He would soon be onboard the Halfbeak class Fortis. The Fortis was a Bauduin family warship and had served as Edwin’s flagship during his patrol duties. As the shuttle escaped earth, Edwin could begin to make out the purplish form of the ship. Onboard was his Graze, and his crew; and he was eager to see both. Perhaps just as importantly was an old friend he was eager to reacquaint with; Erland Falk. Though the two men differed in age by almost a decade, Edwin thought of the younger man like a little brother and often treated him as such. He had been happy for the fellow noble when they had been assigned other duties on Mars. Now it appeared that fate would bring them back together. Gjallarhorn had given Edwin an important mission and was willing to give the Bauduin official any resources he needed, whether it be material or personnel; Edwin chose the latter. The rattle and clanking of the hull snapped Edwin from his contemplation and he tensed himself against his seat as the shuttle connected with the warship to drop him off. After the connection was secure a crewman gave the Captain a thumbs up. Edwin grabbed his briefcase and unbuckled himself to “leap” towards the engineer and the exit. The man gave him a salute and Edwin responded in kind, before moving down the narrow corridor towards his ship. Once he was on board a small collection of his staff saluted a greeting towards him and he returned the gesture yet again. He knew that by the time he found his way to the bridge he’d repeat the process with half his crew. By the time he made it to the bridge a grin did form along the edge of his face as he spotted his old friend. Erland stood staring out the windows, his red back turned toward him. Edwin let out a cheery greeting, “I had no idea that I’d be entertaining a member of the Falk family on my ship!” His tone showed his mock surprise. As he hovered up to the other man he stopped to regard him and offer his hand warmly, “it’s good to see you Erland!”

Jared Axle Biography Full name: Jared Axle Faction: Aegis Security Services (freelancer) Rank: n/a Age: 26 Sex: Male Height: 5’7” Weight: 120 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Dark Blue Skin: Fair Handiness: Ambidextrous Personality: Charming and pragmatic. Jared is a businessman and opportunist. Strengths and weaknesses Greedy - Jared won’t do anything unless there’s a profit to be made or an advantage to be had. While not daring in the courageous sense he is in the enterprising sense. Skilled fighter- growing on the streets meant Jared had to be good in a fight both in and out of a mobile suit. He takes pride in his body and keeps himself on a skilled edge. AJ system - starting out his life as human debris he has this dreaded system implanted. Which acts as both an asset and a possible hindrance. Indomitable Will - Jared his hard headed and once he sets his mind to something he Carries through with it. Charismatic - Jared is good at relating to people and is empathetic if not tactful when dealing with others. He knows that the best way to build his wealth is by networking. As such he is incredibly mindful of her persona and hates damaging his reputation. Appearance: In great physical shape. He speaks with a commanding tone and almost has the mystique about him. History: Jared grew up in squalor in the slums of mars. At a young age he was sold off as human debris and operated on, giving him the Aliyah Jenana system. Forced to use it, he lamented using the whiskers on his back. As he grew, he constantly looked for opportunities to elevate himself above his meager position. He eventually found the opportunity to kill his would be slavers and become free. By the time he was a teenager he was what he considered a “self made man”. Though often equated to being a good thief, Jared found mercenary work to be becoming and profitable. He developed a reputation as being a very good soldier of fortune. He soon found himself surrounded by like minded individuals, forming a crew and business. He established a private military company: Aegis Security Services as a front for his operations. Being a legitimate business meant obtaining a base which he could use. He settled on a battleship, the Loose End, which largely remains in orbit around Mars, occasionally venturing out. Because of his lifestyle Jared is incredible embedded in the underworld, being well connected with information and reputation. He’s worked hard to set himself up as an operation leader and is always looking for the next big payday. Possessions: The Loose End, a privately owned battle ship that functions as his base of operations. Kills: n/a Role plays: Coliseum battles: n/a

“Damn it! Damn it Damn it!” Gabriel screamed, his voice hoarse from emotions. He futility clicked the trigger on the Vulcan controls trying to shoot the cursed woman down. He had long run out of bullets, he couldn’t even see the enemy anymore but still he clicked the trigger. *** People were mad at him, that was to be expected. The glares Dustin gave him hardly seemed worth the effort to return however as Gabriel blankly left the medical bay and headed back to the hangars. He leaned against the railing staring glumly at his wrecked Quel. There in the near darkness of the hangar his thoughts tortured him, why couldn’t he shoot down that cursed GOUF? His eyes repeatedly traced the edges of the damage, replaying all of the events. It wasn’t the Quel that failed him, it was himself. So engrossed in his thoughts he didn’t hear Albert approach or call out to him. It wasn’t until the man roughly grabbed his tunic to make him face each other did Gabriel snap out of his trance. “I want you to explain yourself.” Albert hissed angrily at the Ensign. There was the unmistakable glimmer in the officer’s eye, the intent to kill. Gabriel instantly knew that his leader was in a sour mood. “Do ye even care…” Gabriel’s Aussie twang trailed off, and as the man crinkled his nose. Gabriel quickly added, “Do ye even care that we lost to those bloody basterds? Or do you care about all the evil they’ve done to this world?” Albert was taken back by the philosophical question before grinding his teeth, “what I care about …. ensign… is you destroying not one but two Quels!” “And how many zeeks did you kill today sir? On the battlefield and not tied to a chair?” Again his twang trailed in the air and his eyes seemed glazed over. Albert was about to say something when Gabriel cut him off. “Do what you’re gunna do... as far as I’m concerned I was denying the enemy sensitive technology they were intending to steal. You saw them carrying Dustin’s unit, he should have been more dedicated and self destructed... But let me make this clear sir….” his gaze finally focused on Albert whose face was red with rage. “I don’t care what happens to me, so long as I get to kill more zeeks.” And the glare Gabriel returned to his commander was enough to give even the enraged Albert pause. The look on the ensign’s face was one of sheer hatred and intent, it spoke volumes about Gabriel’s will. Albert's fist flew into Gabriel’s face, reacting, more than anything else. The commander looked at the fallen ensign and spat out in a fit, “damn insubordinate little…” He muttered as he marched away clearly disgusted, if not a little on edge from the chat with Gabriel. The ensign brought himself back to his feet only to resume his vigil over his fallen suit. He spat out a mouthful of blood and cleared his throat, “we’ll get ‘er…” he promised his broken machine.