Mysteria
10-16-2009, 05:45 PM
A Game By Excalibur:
Excalibur:
The ingenuity of humanity has driven it from continent to continents, to the sky, to the stars and other worlds and galaxies, but the arrogance of the human race has also brought about certain troubles. Wars with other races and massive "backwards" movement atleast 3 times during its mighiest peak.
The Empire Earth has started to reach its peak once more. Will it stumble and fall again? What secrets will be unearthed or forever lost?
What impact will a girl(Pepui) dropped off in the back streets by an inconspicious vehicle, a personal slave bodyguard to the Iron Bitch herself, a runaway android hiding in an alley, an esper spy on New Hope, and a warrior slave to an ungrateful tyranical master have on its future?
Will the Enemies of Humanity, Shub, find what they are looking for?
Will there be equal rights for all? Will there be an all out war between the Normals, CSU, ELFs?
Kayl:
"This is it; the day I had been waiting for my entire life."
The recently commissioned Lieutenant nervously forced a smile. He stood before the Royal Military University. The University was a beautiful place, surrounded by Roman artwork and architecture. Lieutenant Arsen shook nervously, as he stood before the building that held his destiny.
He was a handsome young man, probably only twenty-three years of age. His body was forged rather well due to his tough exercise routines at the academy. His dark, brown eyes were sharp and serious; the ideal demeanor of an officer in the Royal Navy.
The Lieutenant entered the building, passing several cadets as he made his way toward the elevator. As the doors slowly closed shut, he tightened up his officer's uniform. He was anxious, for his hands trembled nervously under the stress of his situation. He had a scheduled meeting with Commander Riddle, his hero and new commanding officer.
The elevator doors opened slowly, revealing a grand hall. Its floors were made of black marble, which conveyed a feeling of coldness. The walls were a dark, slate grey stone, decorated with roman influenced art. Plants and other visually-pleasing objects were placed throughout the hall as well, surrounding several different offices belonging to generals and high ranking officers. If he hadn't known better, the Lieutenant would've throught he entered Trump Tower. Lieutenant Arsen stepped out of the elevator, and made his way toward Commander Riddle's office. He was greeted by a very beautiful blonde secretary, who took his name and allowed him to proceed into the commander's office.
When Arsen entered Riddle's office, he expected to see another beautifully decorated room. Instead, he found that the room was a complete mess. There were books carefully stacked in several corners around the room, surrounded by several strategic maps. The room smelt like an old library, with it's stale scent of paper and glue. Lietuenant Arsen stepped over a couple of books before he noticed the giant pile of tomes stacked onto Riddle's desk.
Upon hearing the door shut close, the Commander peeked around the massive stack of books layered on his desk. Although the Lieutenant couldn't see the Commander's head, he could see his eyes.
The Commander's eyes were replaced with a pair of bright blue goggles, which glowed eerily as they peered around the corner.
The Lieutenant saluted, and waited for his Commander to acknowledge him.
"Cut that bullshit out; at ease, soldier."
Lieutenant Arsen was surprised by Riddle's reaction, but did as instructed. The Lieutenant brought his hand down, and approached timidly.
"You're here for your interview, right? Have a seat," ordered the Commander. Lieutenant Arsen made his way over to one of the chairs, and sat down in front of Riddle's desk. He made sure that he wasn't slouching, and tried to look a bit dignified. Commander Riddle's arm slid around the giant stack of books, and pushed them off the side of the table carelessly. The Lieutenant coughed, as a plume of dust expanded out of the discarded books. When the dust settled, the Lieutenant finally caught a look at Commander Riddle.
He too, was dressed in the Slate Grey officer's dress uniform. His rank and numerous medals flanked both sides of his uniform. The amount of combat medals awed the Lieutenant, as he tried to hold back his admiring stare. The Commander wore a black Balaclava over his face, concealing his identity. He wore a grey Beret indicating his high rank as an officer. Commander Riddle clasped his hands together, which had been replaced by a pair of steel gauntlets.
"Right, uh, what's you're name?" asked the Commander.
"Second Lieutenant Embry Arsen of the 101 Royal Navy Regiment, reporting for duty, sir!"
The Commander chuckled. "All right then; I like your enthusiasm."
"Thank you, sir!" replied the Lieutenant.
"Okay, now it's starting to piss me off. Cut that 'Sir' shit out, Lieutenant."
The Lieutenant distorted his face in confusion. What was he supposed to do? This wasn't the proper etiquette of an officer..."
"Just address me by my rank, Lieutenant," ordered Commander Riddle.
"Uh, yes, Commander," replied the Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant observed Riddle's face, trying to guess what it actually looked like under the Ski-Mask. With closer observation, The Lieutenant could see the shape of Riddle's mouth. It appeared as though he didn't have any lips at all; just teeth and a jaw, almost like a skeleton. Arsen felt a chill crawl up his spine, but repressed it with years of discipline.
Commander Riddle got up and started pacing. The Lieutenant just stared at him, as he walked around the room aimlessly. Was this actually the war hero he heard about?
"Say, Lieutenant, do you like Coffee?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Good. The University has a good coffee shop around the corner. It's around the block, I'll take you there."
The Lieutenant was caught off guard; his commanding officer was taking him out for Coffee? Nevertheless, Arsen followed without question. The two soldiers left the room, and called for the elevator.
"So, Lieutenant, why do you want to join the Iron Guard?"
"Well, it's been a life long dream for me, Commander. I've been hearing all about the Iron Guard my entire life; and I really want to join so I could make a difference."
The Commander chuckled. "Did you come up with all of that horse-shit by yourself?"
The Lieutenant grimaced, for he had not anticipated such an insulting retort. The elevator doors opened, revealing a very attractive secretary. The Commander and the Lieutenant entered the elevator and stood behind the woman. When the doors closed shut, the Lieutenant thought he saw Riddle sniffing the woman's hair. She didn't take any notice, however, and exited the elevator on an adjacent floor.
"She smells good," said the Commander.
The Lieutenant wanted to puke. What the fuck was going on here?
"You may be wondering why I've got my face covered. The truth is; I'm one ugly mother-fucker. I've had parts of my face reconstructed after getting my face burnt off. My nose is practically the only organ I have left on my face."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Commander," replied Lieutenant Arsen.
"Don't be. I've gotten over it about 50 years ago."
The elevator doors opened, and the two soldiers made their way to the small coffee shop. It was somewhat odd that a distinguished Military University had it's own Cafe', but it made sense. Cadets need coffee to get up at 0400 in the morning.
They stood in line, waiting to order their Coffee. Lieutenant Arsen said absolutely nothing, for he had no idea what to do at all. It was extremely awkward.
Suddenly, a middle aged man, perhaps in his fifties approached Commander Riddle. He looked like a visitor, for he wasn't in any military dress at all. The man held the hand of a little boy. The kid was probably his son.
"Excuse me, aren't you Commander Riddle?"
The Commander sighed rudely, as if he were being pestered by an annoying fan.
"Uh, this is my son, James. He's a huge fan of yours. It would mean the world to him if he could have your autograph."
The Commander looked down at the small, blonde-haired boy. He was probably seven years old. He held out a napkin, hoping that his hero would sign it. The Commander kneeled down, and took the napkin from the kid. He took a pen from his own jacket, and wrote an extremely sloppy signature. It was totally unrecognizable. The Commander gave his "autograph" to the kid, and turned away as if the boy were a beggar. The Lieutenant was horrified; was this the way Riddle acts in front of his fans!?
The little boy piped up quietly. "Do you think I could be a hero like you some day?"
Commander Riddle looked down at the kid. He kneeled again, and held out his steel-clad gauntlet. He formed his index finger and thumb into an L-shape, and promptly asked...
"Can you do this?"
Suddenly, a steady stream of lightning erupted between his fingers. Everybody, including the Lieutenant, seemed to jolt as the electricity zapped between the Commander's fingers. The kid screamed in surprise and covered his ears in horror. A moment later, Riddle stopped the flow of electricity and relaxed his hand.
"Well, can you do that, son?" he asked. The boy shook his head slowly. Lieutenant Arsen's heart melted, as he watched tears well up in the boy's eyes.
"Well, if you can't do that, then no. Now scram, kid."
The boy buried his face behind his hands, crying. He ran behind his father, and started to weep. The man shook with rage, and screamed to the top of his lungs.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? HE'S JUST A KID!"
Riddle didn't even pay attention to the father. The rest of the Cafe' stared at the Commander in disgust. He didn't seem to care at all.
Insulted by his lack of interest, the boy's father charged at Riddle. He swung his fist toward the Commander's face, hoping to knock his block off. Suddenly, Riddle turned with amazing agility and caught the man's fist with his gauntlet. He gripped the man's hand, and began to squeeze.
Riddle's blue eyes suddenly turned bright red. He was pissed. Riddle stared the man down, as he fell to his knees.
"This is what I hate about you people. You just can't handle the truth."
The man roared in agony, as his hand slowly popped and crunched together. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor rapidly. A moment later, Riddle sent a small electrical charge through his body. He watched as the man convulsed uncontrollably to the floor. The boy screamed in horror, as snot and tears dripped down his face.
The entire Cafe' stared at the Commander in horror. Many patrons decided to leave, before he could do something else to endanger them.
Riddle was pleased to see that the line that had once stood before him had vanished. He cheerfully stepped over the twitching body of his assailant, and walked toward the Cashier.
"I'd like to have a cup of Coffee, please."
Lieutenant Arsen slapped his palm to his face. Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
Deleted User:
((Since no starting planet has been specified, I'm gonna take a wild guess... and say we're starting on Earth?))
It had been at least two weeks since he was last contacted by Blue Box for a mission. And frankly, after running him nearly-ragged for over a week, Jackson Laydamen was glad to have some time off. He'd been relaxing in a large apartment complex since his return to Earth where he rented out the entire top floor to himself. This particular complex was shorter than some of the nerve-racking tall skyscrapers and topped out at sixty stories. Not, of course, counting however many basement levels there might have been.
As the sun was starting to descend beyond the jagged horizon of the endless skyscrapers and monolithic structures, Jackson sat in a reclining chair next to a large window that ran the length of the room he was in. The room was bathed in a luscious orange-red light, save for the one place where he turned on a white-light lamp. He was in the middle of reading another of the many novels he gathered along the way on missions and trips and was perhaps the eighth book so far. Still, the stack of books to read was extensive and rested in a neat pile next to the recliner.
After reaching the end of another chapter, Jackson stuck his bookmark inside and set the paperback aside on the small table beside him with a sigh as he looked outside. The further the sun sank, the darker things got, but before too long, the city began to shed its own light as countless thousands of artificial light came to life. There were so many, Jackson didn't doubt that they were nearly as numerous as the stars in the sky. Speaking of the stars... one of the things he hated the most about city planets like this, was he couldn't see the stars at night.
A knock at the door behind him drew his attention back to within and he said, "Yes?"
A subdued, most-likely-insincere polite voice said, "Master, your dinner is ready." Soon after, he heard the distinct, quiet clatter of chinaware on a metal carrier.
"Come in," He stated evenly as he rotated the recliner around to face the servant that came into the room. It was a woman in her late twenties with long, red hair tied into a stylish, complicated bun. She kept her green eyes lowered for the most part as she brought the food over and set the plates and a cup of Jackson's favorite tea on the table, making sure that his novel was not bothered.
Glancing at the watch on his wrist to get a more exact idea of what time it was, Jackson asked, "Have I recieved any new letters or messages, Rayna?"
Shaking her head, the woman replied, "No sir. Simply another call from a business looking to attain support from you on some endeavor."
Quirking an eyebrow, Jackson took up his cup of tea and asked, "What sort of endeavor?"
"He was very vague with me, I being a simple servant, and said only that it was something that would benefit the Laydamen family greatly."
Humming thoughtfully for a moment, Jackson waved it off and said, "Just forward that message to my sister Lillia and Father. I'm not the one leading this family, so he shouldn't be calling me about it."
Bowing slightly, Rayna nodded and said, "Yes Master. Please enjoy your dinner." A small smile slipped onto her face as she dared to meet his gaze and said, "The Chef has recently discovered a new recipe and wishes to see if it is to your tastes." She gestured to a plate of something that looked unfamiliar to Jackson.
Nodding, he watched for a moment as the woman left then started on his dinner. While he was eating, he idly began to wonder when the Blue Box would be contacting him again. He was enjoying his time off, but it was starting to get monotonous again.
Pausing for a moment, he picked up the new dish and tested it, seeing if it might be poisoned. It wasn't that he thought the chef would try to poison him, he had carefully screened all of the staff he brought with him on his trips, but he could never tell when one of his younger siblings might decide to kill him on their way to their older sister.
Not that Lillia was in any danger, really. Father was delighted in everything she did, so if something were to happen to her he would find out who was responsible and he would kill them. His siblings knew this, which was why they hadn't dared touch her for the past few years. Rather, now they looked for ways to make Father lose his faith in her.
Deeming the dish safe, he took a bite of it and tested the flavor and texture, chewing thoroughly. After swallowing, he allowed a small smile to slip onto his face and nodded his approval.
He would be giving the chef a small stipend in addition to his usual salary.
((Not much happening in this post, I know... but I'll be able to do a bit more once some of y'all start posting.))
Allan-Hatai:
Liana shifted on her bench, then turned to the last page in her latest book. It was a lazy day in the Imperial Palace, for her at least. She hadn't been summoned to the Empress's side for more than a week, which made her hopeful that old Ironbritches had forgotten about her. It never turned out to be true, but one had to hope for something. Especially if one were a slave captured for abilities one didn't even know one had and walked around with a jeweled collar, able to go anywhere one wished except outside the cage. Sometimes Liana hated the palace, with its large room, expensive furnishings and bowing servants. But it was the only home she could remember.
She finished her book and reached with her mind to grab another one off the shelf in her quarters. People were used to seeing floating books in the hallways, but Liana used the out of the way passages out of consideration for the servants. As for the nobility, sometimes she "accidentally" let one hit one of them, especially if it was someone who'd insulted her in one way or another. They should know not to mess with an esper. Once the book reached her she sent the other one back. She had a lot of control, definitely more than she'd had as a child, but it still paid to be careful. The Empress was not known to be patient with those who disobeyed orders or created chaos. Once, when she was five, Liana had withheld information she'd gleaned from a servant's mind. It wasn't her fault, even as an adult it was hard to control what she heard. But the servant had been plotting an attempt on the Empress's life, and Liana had been left in the dungeon for three days. She still shuddered at the thought of going into deep, dark places.
"Liana." She heard it more in her mind that with her ears. She groaned quietly. Here comes a headache. She was referring to the fact that the Chamberlain, who was apparently looking for her, had a grudge against her and liked to try to make her do chores and stuff, when he knew perfectly well that she helped the kitchen staff, the gardeners, and the palace librarian on her days off. The only reason she was being lazy now was that She had gone to all three places and been turned away. Stupid idiot. Someday, when he wouldn't be able to go running to the Empress, he was going to get his reward.
Shani:
The Empiress was extermly bored, there wasn't much going on, nor was there anything to do. All was at ease today in her kingdom. She sat in her throne room thinking and wondering.
She was always thinking mostly of her past and the wrongs of her father."Liana," she called. Awaiting for her to show she was practicing some of her hand to hand combat moves on a drord she created, she was almost always on her toes.
"Liana," she called again wondering where that girl had gone to now. Once she called for the girl again, she was hit dead in the face. The Empiress fell straight down to the floor, her lip was split and she was bleeding. As she went to get up Misha did a back flip over the androd and smashed it to pieces.
Allan-Hatai
There. Her head spun as she heard the Empress's voice. Out of the fire and into the frying pan, Liana thought to herself. She concentrated and sent her voice to her mistress's mind. "Coming, Lady. Just give me a minute to get rid of the Chamberlain." She turned a bright smile to the man and, bowing, said. "I'm sorry, but the Empress is calling me."
She turned and walked away. Well, it could be worse. They could be throwing her into that pit of fire near the armory. Or they could torture her with a thousand scorpions. Ouch, that one would definitely hurt... She shook her head, locating old Ironbritches in her throne room. Wow, if She found out how Liana thought of her, Liana would be toast. Without butter. She entered the throne room and bowed. "Yes, Lady?"
Shani:
Walking over bits of broken metal, she made her way closer to the girl. Looking at her quite pleased, for she was in a rather good mood. " Liana," she spoke with the blood driping from her lips.
" Have you heard anything news stiring about?" She felt her lips and looked at her hand noticing the blood she grabed a cloth. She then put it to her lips.
"You seem a bit worried my dear Liana," Misha said in a soft tone. " Is everything alright?" She questioned. The bleeding in her lip calmed, but she still kept the cloth in place.
Allan-Hatai:
Hmmm, news? Let's see, nope, nope, and nope. "No news, Lady. And no news means no worries. Except..." Here she trailed off. She didn't want to tattle, but this was seriously beyond his station. The Chamberlain had wanted her to mop the floor in the privy. That was way out of her job description, and he knew it. Enough. She was done holding it back, and next time she saw him with another thought like that in his head, he would lose something.
"Lady," She said, bowing again. "I don't mean to tattle, but Chamberlain has been, shall we say, singling me out. He seems to have taken a disliking to me, and I'm almost at the end of my patience. Personally, I would like to avoid the kind of scenes that plagued me during my childhood. I do enough work on my off days, and he knows it, yet he still tried to give me more, and the tasks he chooses are menial and not mine to do." This was probably the most she'd said to old Ironbritches at once, other than giving reports, since she'd been a child.
Shani:
As she listend to her finish."No News and no worries then things shall be fine for awhile."She let out a sigh of relielf, Untill she heard Except....
She looked at her with curiousity,"Except what?" Misha questioned. As she listened to Liana, she felt a bit of disgust fall apon her. "Don't worry I'll take care of it.
You don't need to be afraid to tell me when something is wrong." She stated in a calm and yet friendly tone. "Is that all, dear?" She asked her.
"Oh do you think you could send in another fighting droid, this one is broken." She said with a smile.
Allan-Hatai:
Liana merely bowed. "Yes, Lady." With that, she turned and left. Outside she told a guard, "Send in another fighting droid. The Empress has already defeated the last one." She let them stew over that as she left. They were probably thinking they were in trouble, which they probably could be if the Empress found fault in any of the droids they sent her.
Ah, life was good, especially if you had a mistress who liked you most of the time... When you weren't giving her bad news, that is. Liana could remember several broken bones received at such instances, usually when someone wanted to overthrow her or something like that. It was a dangerous line of work, but it was the only thing Liana could remember. She didn't even know who her parents had been or what had happened to them. She'd probably never find out.
Kayl:
Commander Riddle delighted to find that he had finished up most of his pressing busy-work around 1500. The interview with the new lieutenant seemed to go fairly well, too.
Well, besides that annoying run in with the civilians...
Riddle placed his legs on top of his desk, and stretched out lazily. He pondered what he was going to do the next day. Perhaps he could do a V.R. training exercise with the rest of his team.
The V.R. simulations didn't offer as much thrill as a real skirmish, but it would be better than doing paperwork and interviews all day long.
Riddle turned off his eye implants and tried to take a nap. A minute later, his secretary called on the intercom.
"Commander, you've just received an order from the Warfighter's Commission. There's going to be a meeting at the Imperial Palace tomorrow. They say it's mandatory."
Riddle turned his vision interface back on, and reached over for the intercom.
"Thanks Linda. Could you get some kind of transport for me?"
"Yes, Commander. I'm already on it."
Riddle cursed to himself. He hated these ridiculous meetings; there hasn't been any real combat in over a decade. But, they were a big deal. The ruling families of the Empire would probably be there. They usually send in a representative or agent to take notes for them.
Riddle didn't know what they would cover in the meeting, but he guessed that it would probably bore him to tears. That is, if he had the ability to shed them.
The meetings usually involved the social, economic and military matters on each of the planets in the Empire. Riddle wasn't particularly involved in these subjects, because the Iron Guard had no real function other than to blow shit up.
Riddle sighed, and packed up some of his things. He stuffed a book or two in his leather bag, and left his office. He went back to his apartment and spent the night in his typical manner. He ordered some food over the phone, watched the holographic television, and drank a few shots of Vodka. Most of Riddle's evening were like this; unproductive and dull. Nobody to talk to, nobody to share a bed with.
Riddle dreaded the thought of going to the Palace in the morning. The thought of being stuck with a bunch of high-and-mighty clan members disgusted the Commander. He hoped that the meeting would reveal some kind of secret military operation that required his involvement. If that was the case, the Iron Guard would be sure to deploy, and Riddle could go back into the field.
Riddle turned off his vision interface and fell asleep on his dirty couch. He would have to wake up early in order to attend the meeting; the Palace was more than 500 miles away.
Deleted User:
If there was one thing that Jackson strongly disliked, it was being interrupted during a good read. He had just been getting into the climax of the book he'd been reading when he was suddenly pulled back to reality by a hesitant Rayna. But as he soon found out, that was only the beginning! And as he sat in his private transport en route to the Empress' Palace, he really wished that his servant had acted like he wasn't available.
Apparently, his dear sister and Father were unable to make it to some sort of important meeting that was taking place today. If he hadn't known better, he would have suspected they'd decided to send him as a proxy on purpose, but he was well aware that they knew how green around the ears he was when it came to politics. Deliberately sending him would have been stupid and he knew Lilia was smarter than that.
Still, the reason for it had been rather vague. They'd simply stated that an issue had come up back at home that required their full and undivided attention. So, they had requested that Jackson go and represent the Laydamen family in their places. And while he would have given anything to avoid such a task, he couldn't say no to his sister. The reason she'd chosen him as a representative wasn't just because he happened to be on-planet at the time, but because she knew she could trust him. His other siblings would use any opportunity they could to gain some leverage over her, but Jackson wouldn't simply because he had no interest in doing so.
Or she saw him as a loyal tool. It didn't really matter to him at this point. Lilia was allowed to have her opinions about his loyalty so long as she continued to do her job as heir good.
"We'll arrive at the palace in ten minutes, Master Jackson," His driver said through the speaker.
Simply nodding even though he knew the man couldn't see, he never took his eyes off the small computer he held in his hand. He had spent the entire long ride to the palace reviewing important information he needed, information relayed to him by his sister and Father, as well some information he'd looked up himself about the different clans and organizations' CEOs. He did not wish to go into this meeting blind and make a fool of himself and his family... even if only a select few of his family members were even deserving of his respect.
When at last they arrived at the Palace, Jackson was somewhat confident he had sufficient knowledge to handle the meeting without any major problems. The data and information he was to relay was simple, nothing particularly drastic or important that would require much effort on his part beyond simply giving it in a polite manner.
Stepping out and off of his transport, Jackson stuck his personal computer into his pocket and sighed, straightening his attire a bit. He'd changed into something a bit more appropriate to meeting with the Empress and other clan members... so it was actually fairly casual, but still more tastefully respectful than what he otherwise would have worn and wasn't too uncomfortable.
Moving on, Jackson moved towards the oppressively massive looking Palace with a placid look on his face. His appearance didn't exactly stick out, even among the other bustling people going in and out of the Palace. Honestly, Jackson never understood how Father or Lilia could stand being in this bureaucrat-infested hole. He was at least thankful he didn't draw any undue attention to himself and simply moved on, following the tide of people entering the building.
Once inside, people were a bit more spread out and less congested as they broke up to reach their different destinations within the Palace. Jackson took a moment to consult a display with a basic layout of the building to find the room he was supposed to go to, then made his way towards it. He'd arrived at the Palace about ten minutes early, as he didn't know if he'd have any trouble finding where he needed to be.
When he reached the room in which the meeting was taking place, he was a bit surprised to find he'd arrived first. A bit put off by this, he took a seat in one of the chairs and patiently waited for the others to arrive so that they could get this wretched meeting over with.
Kayl:
Commander Riddle climbed out of his military helicopter and onto the landing pad. He was on top of the West Branch, The place that holds most of Palace's military meetings.
Riddle was dressed in his gray officer's uniform, once again. As he walked away from the Helicopter's humming propellers, he took his gray beret and put it on top of his head. His balaclava remained on, as usual. His blue goggles lit up, as he peered toward the rising sun.
Riddle met two bodyguards, armed to the teeth in tactical military equipment. They saluted him, and followed the Commander downstairs.
Riddle entered the main chamber of the West Branch, and looked around. White marble and stone decorated the halls, while statues of warriors littered the area. Each statue symbolized every great war humanity had encountered, starting from the first World War.
Riddle noticed the extensive amount of palace guards in the area; many of which were cyborgs. Their exoskeletons were reinforced with Ornate Palace Armor, which made them resemble statues. They didn't have any weapons, but their guns were probably hidden inside of their robotic arms. They stood absolutely still, watching the crowd like gargoyles.
Riddle made his way toward the Conference room. As he walked, he questioned one of his bodyguards.
"Why is there so much security today?"
"One our bodyguards went missing a few weeks ago. His name was Victor, we've been looking for him ever since he vanished while on duty," replied the guard.
Riddle saw a statue of his predecessor, Commandant Daniel Ironside. He was the leader of the Iron Guard before Commander Riddle. Ironside's ship blew up in orbit during a battle against the Handenmen on Mars. He sacrificed himself to prevent the Handenmen from getting any closer to Earth. If there was anyone Riddle had respect for, it was Commandant Ironside.
Riddle entered the conference room. His bodyguards ran ahead of him, and flanked the door. The Conference room looked almost like a court-room and a theatre. Wooden benches were stacked against an ascending staircase. Each row had a long table laying in front of it, allowing people to take notes. In front of the room was a holographic projector, used to map out the galaxy. The room was dimly lit, giving a warm feeling of comfort to Riddle. His blue goggles were bright in this kind of lighting.
Riddle casually walked along one of the rows, and sat next to a fairly small man. The Commander could tell that he was probably in some sort of clan. Based on the way he was dressed, he was a very rich man. His messy black hair was casually stylized, which detracted from his otherwise noble appearance. He was a typical looking young man, but he was very small. He was only 5'4 and probably 20 years old. Guess he never got a growth spurt.
Riddle didn't pay much attention to him, other than the first glance. He just wanted to get out of the meeting ASAP. Making friends wouldn't pass the time, it would just irritate him.
As he looked around, he noticed that people were starting to flood in through the other door. They were all a bunch of unimportant Colonels in the Royal Navy and the Royal Army. They chatted amongst themselves quietly, talking about the paperwork they had to fill out in order to attend this meeting.
A few Colonels saluted the Commander, and sat down around his vicinity. Riddle nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing. A couple of the officers tried to ask Riddle about the Iron Guard, but Riddle just ignored them.
This was going to be a fucking nightmare. He was surrounded by a room full of adoring fans. Riddle just didn't get it. All he did was fight the Handenmen on Mars.
Granted, he did kill a lot more than his fair share of enemy soldiers...
Riddle sat in silence, and said nothing to the man beside him. The Commander shooed some of the pestering officers away from him, and waited for the meeting to begin.
Allan-Hatai:
(This (http://www.rivendellbridal.com/Eolande.html) is what the dress looks like.)
Liana had dressed carefully for this meeting, under orders from old Ironbritches. Unlike most people, Liana preferred her formal clothes in the Celtic styles of ancient times. It had taken years of searching to find a style she'd liked, and that had been it. Today she was wearing a lilac one, with a white and silver headband to denote her abilities. Since she was the Empress's Esper, she was...allowed certain privileges, and being picky about her clothes was one of them.
She quietly entered the room in the middle of the pack and took a seat off to the side. She wasn't technically allowed here, but the Empress did as she wished and so Liana was present for these talks. The thoughts in people's minds were interesting, but the conversations were boring. Perhaps she'd be able to leave early for this one, since most of these people just wanted it to be over anyway. She jumped as someone bumped into her.
"My apologies, Lady Liana. I hadn't realized you were there." The gallant bowed and tried to take her hand. He was, of course, the heir to some house who had tried repeatedly to force her to do his bidding, which ranged over several areas that Liana's principles had ruled off-limits. Besides, he liked to beat women. Naturally, he tended to forget that she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Sir, I believe you had better take your seat."
Deleted User:
Upon Commander Michael Riddle's entrance, Jackson spared him little more than a brief glance and a nod of acknowledgment. He'd read up on a summary of the man's history on his way here, but surprisingly the information spoke little of the man's actual character. Lilia had done a better job providing such info for some of the other people likely to attend this meeting, so the lack of effort could only mean she didn't like Riddle. At all. He also noticed a distinct lack of such info earlier for at least two or three others that began filing in shortly after the Commander.
When some of the others in the room began numerous attempts at conversation with the military leader, Jackson idly noticed with some amusement that he completely blew off each of them. One corner of his mouth tugged up in the slightest inkling of a grin as he faced forward again and simply said lowly, "I'm impressed you can put up with all that brown-nosing, Commander."
Shortly after saying that, he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his head to look, he noticed that one of the meetings' attendees was wearing a noticeably... dated formal garb. Admittedly though, she looked good in it. And from what Lilia's information said, she was apparently an Esper who could read minds. Still, his thoughts did not linger on the matter and he turned his attention back to the middle of the room.
He truly wished that the "Empress" would show up so that they could get this accursed meeting over with.
Kayl:
"I'm impressed you can put up with all that brown-nosing, Commander."
Riddle turned to the young man that sat beside him. His eyes were ice blue; almost as bright as the Commander's goggles. It was unnaturally noticeable; Riddle never observed another man's eye color.
"Uh... who are you?" asked Riddle, somewhat puzzled. It always made him angry that everyone knew his name, but he never knew theirs.
Right when the man was about to explain who he was, something caught the Commander's eye.
His attention turned to a beautiful young woman, who entered wearing an elegant, yet archaic dress. She had golden blonde hair and comforting brown eyes. She looked about twenty years old. She was very beautiful, even for Commander Riddle's high standards. Even though Riddle was considerably older than her, his 30 year old physique allowed was aroused by her.
What was she doing here? Was she in a clan?
Riddle didn't care. She was extremely attractive, and as long as he had something pretty to stare at, he wouldn't be bored for the entirety of the meeting.
He started to undress her in his imagination...
Suddenly, Riddle felt his balls twist painfully. He gasped painfully, and slammed his fist on the table. It was like a sucker-punch to the groin!
"AH! What the fuck!?"
The girl looked up at Riddle with a disdainful glare. She could read his thoughts?!
She grinned in satisfaction, and turned her attention away from him, and took a seat near the front of the room.
It took about about a minute before Riddle could feel his groin again. He cursed under his breath.
"Are you okay?"
The small man beside Riddle finally spoke up again. Riddle turned to him, still grasping his balls.
"No... not okay..."
Riddle placed his head on his desk. His beret flopped onto the wooden surface.
He looked back up at the girl. That had to be Baellis, one of the only psychic Espers under the order of the Empress. Riddle let out another thought, confident that she would be able to hear him.
'Vicious little thing, aren't you? I like a girl that can kick my ass...'
Suddenly, Riddle felt a telekinetic slap to the face. It stung horrendously; his goggles actually flickered from the pain. Riddle re-calibrated his vision interface, and put his grey beret back on. He then looked at the clock, on one of the adjacent walls. The guy that was supposed to lead the meeting was at least ten minutes late!
Riddle rubbed his face with his metal gauntlet. This meeting was going to take forever...
Allan-Hatai:
Liana kept most of her smiles inside. They weren't very pretty, anyway, and Ironbritches didn't like her to terrorize guests. Sometimes it scared Liana how alike they were in some things, such as being vengeful, holding grudges, and never letting anyone get away with even the slightest insult. You'd almost think they were somehow related.
"Be careful, Commander Riddle," she thought to him. "Though I do thank you for the compliment, you should remember: the most beautiful flowers often have the deadliest thorns." Perhaps the idiot commander would listen, but she doubted it. Men like that never changed their ways. As for the man next to him, he was a study. He didn't want to be in charge, instead making sure that the best of his siblings became the heir. Such a man could become very powerful, yet he didn't care. Very interesting.
She heard various other thoughts throughout the room. Most of the others were used to her by now and paid her no mind, but the new ones... They were either nervous, cocky, or making fun of her clothes. They would learn. She didn't really care what people said about her dress anyway. It was comfortable, a great deal more so than most modern finery. Liana was glad she wasn't from one of the great houses. Just being at the beck and call of Her Imperial Majesty could be exhausting, let alone trying to be in charge of other people as well. At times she thought she was happy, but she knew better. She was just used to it.
Deleted User:
Jackson heard Riddle's confused question, but he didn't answer right away. It was no surprise the man had no idea who he was, he wasn't the most noticeable of individuals... most of the time. He had earlier decided not to use an illusion over his eyes for the meeting, mostly because if he did, the telepath might catch a bit of his thoughts pertaining to the illusion. He was simply glad he could guard against even a small fraction of his thoughts. The fact that he was a member of the secretive Blue Box and the fact that he was an Esper were both bits of information sealed away within his mind. However, he decided it best to leave his surface thoughts and other low-priority areas of his mind open to telepathy.
It did an amazingly good job of keeping Espers from digging too deeply. That and he didn't often act in a manner that drew too much attention to himself.
Suddenly, at that moment, Riddle made an exclamation of pain and slammed a fist on the table. A few heads turned in confusion, but quickly went back to their own business afterward. Glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye he noticed him looking at Liana, Jackson quietly asked, "Are you okay?" To which the Commander replied in the negative.
Then it clicked!
Oh that's right... I forgot. She isn't just a telepath, she can also use telekinesis. An interesting combination. He made no effort to hide his thoughts, it wasn't like he was thinking anything crucial. I can only wonder what he was thinking to solicit such a reaction... Of course, he didn't actually ponder the possibilities, he was very much aware of the fact that she could do the exact same thing to him.
Glancing at the time displayed on his pocket computer, Jackson irritably noticed that it was well past the time for the meeting to begin. Apparently the head of the meeting was late... for whatever reason.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, he pocketed his computer again and mumbled lowly, "I just want this meeting to begin and get it over with..." He then remembered that Riddle had asked him who he was... and he'd never answered. So, he briefly and simply said, "I'm Jackson, by the way." He wasn't looking at the Commander, but he didn't doubt he'd know he was talking to him.
He also chose to leave his name on the very surface of his thoughts. He did wish to be polite to Liana, he knew her name already after all.
Kayl:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Warmaster Tyrale!" announced one of the guards.
Finally, the fucker showed up. He was fifteen minutes late.
The Warmaster entered, flanked by two officers dressed in dark blue uniforms. He was a fat man; probably weighing around three hundred pounds. Commander Riddle hadn't seen the Warmaster in ten years, he must've let himself go. How could such a gluttonous bastard be the one in control of the entire military?
The Warmaster saluted the officers in the room. The officers stood up, saluted, and took their seats.
"Good morning everyone. I'm glad to see you all again!"
Tyrale was an enthusiastic man, always cheering people up. He was like Santa Claus, fat and jolly. The only difference was that this guy was bald, fat and ugly. His eyes seemed to pop out of his head, and his face was old and wrinkled. His clean shaven face revealed chubby, wrinkled cheeks that made him look like a frog. He had a large double-chin, which seemed ready to croak at any moment.
"I've called this meeting to update everyone on some important information. This is all classified; you should all know the drill by now. If any word leaks out of this, you'll be tracked down by our telepathic espers and arrested for treason."
Tyrale cleared his throat; his fat neck seemed to ripple with each breath he took. Riddle shifted his eyes from the disgusting blob standing behind the podium. He looked toward Baellis, and kept his eyes on her instead.
Tyrale was rambling about something, but Riddle didn't pay any attention. Instead, he decided to ask the girl a question from his mind.
'So, you must be Baellis, right? What's it like to read a man's thoughts? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that thinks about you. Nice dress, by the way.'
Talking to a pretty girl was infinitely more compelling than listening to Tyrale ramble about crap that no one cared about. But, after a minute or two, Tyrale finally mentioned something of importance.
"The Empire has recently discovered and studied some new Alien Technology. This technology was found in the Veiled Region, outside of our borders. An excavation team found it on a dead planet, buried under tons of rock. This technology dates back to the Cretaceous Period on Earth."
'What? That's incredible!' thought Riddle. 'They actually found Alien technology? Humanity has never encountered Alien technology before!'
The room seemed to gasp in astonishment. This was a first in Human History.
"We're still in the process of studying it, however. It'll take time before we can figure out what we can do with it. Until then, we're going to keep studying it. The military will be equipped with this new technology as soon as it becomes available."
A Colonel raised his hand, asking a question. Tyrale pointed to the man, and allowed him to ask.
"Sir, my name is Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Greensfield. Why is the military going to be equipped to use this technology first?"
"Ah, it's a simple matter of defense, Colonel Greensfield. The Empress has decided to equip us with new Technology in case the Esper Liberation Front or the Clone Survival Union attacks."
Commander Riddle coughed to himself. 'Bullshit' he muttered, under his breath. There was no way in hell those Rebel bastards would try to attack the Empire. What Tyrale was really trying to say, is that the Empress is afraid of the Esper Liberation Front.
"As of now, these rebel organizations haven't made a move yet. We've got some people on the inside observing their every move. The Empire is safe, for now. There's no need to worry, at the moment."
Some clan members sighed in relief, but most of them said nothing. 'Great,' thought Riddle. 'This probably means that I won't have anything to kill for another ten years.'
"Anyway, as soon as the alien technology is harnessed by the Military, the Civilian Market will have access to it. That's why each of the major families are here. Those of you in charge of the market will be responsible for distributing this technology later."
Some clan members shifted in their seats, perhaps anxious about this new business opportunity.
"Speaking of new technology, the Imperial Research Division has begun researching ways of suppressing an Esper's power. If we manage to harness this new research, we'll be able to hunt down rogue Espers and take away their powers."
Riddle shifted in his seat nervously. The thought about losing his powers startled him. If that were to happen, everything that he worked for in the military would be forfeit.
"Anyway, the next order of business is going to get fairly boring. Get your pens out people, time to take some notes."
'Aww, Shit.' thought Riddle. He reached for the pen in his pocket and pulled it out.
Tyrale rambled on for at least five minutes, going into detail about the AI of Shub. He started to explain about their methods of teleportation, and the various ways to block their transportation.
Riddle tried to reach Baellis again with his mind, but she kept ignoring him. Riddle wrote scribbles on his paper, trying to look busy. Jackson, the guy sitting next to him, peered at the Commander's paper and shook his head, chuckling to himself.
Riddle was about to finish the next line of random scribbles, when suddenly, a large crack ripped through the room! The Commander looked up, as the lights in the room began to flicker uncontrollably. Bolts of lightning ripped through the room, and shot through the wooden furniture. Riddle saw one of the guards get hit by the bolt. The guard convulsed in uncontrollable agony, and fell to the floor twitching. He pissed all over himself as he spasmed.
Instinctively, Riddle kicked the table down and laid it on it's side. He pulled out his ancient American handgun, the Colt .45. He ducked for cover behind the table, and looked over at Jackson.
"You okay, kid?"
For some reason, Jackson didn't seemed that phased by the sudden attack. It surprised him, but it was as if he had been in this kind of situation before. Riddle could tell the difference between a frightened kid and a hardened veteran. It was clear that this guy was somewhere between the two.
Riddle peered over the table as soon as the lightning died down. As he looked over the top, he saw a tall metallic figure, standing in front of Tyrale. He had distinct armor plating; the kind that Riddle recognized. Suddenly, it hit him.
"What the fuck? A Handenman!?"
The cyborg glared at Tyrale, and then suddenly threw his metallic fist right into Tyrale's frog-like throat. He ripped open a giant, bloody hole in his throat and tore out his spinal cord. Blood spilled everywhere on the podium, as Tyrale's fat body convulsed and slammed into the floor.
The Handenman gave out a metallic roar, as if it were completely enraged.
"SHUB DEMANDS YOUR SOULS!"
Riddle suddenly shuddered in fear; it wasn't a Handenman! It was a Berserker, made from a Handenman's body.
Riddle flicked the thumb-safety off his gun, and took aim. He fired all eight rounds in his magazine into the Cyborg's spine, trying to paralyze it. The bullets bounced off, and richoeted into the room. One of the guards unloaded his assault rifle into the Cyborg. The bullet pierced through the machine, but did nothing to faze it. The Berserker leaped through the air, and grabbed the guard's head. The machine squeezed its giant hands together, and completely smashed the guard's head into jelly. The guard's helmet made a sickening crunching noise, as it caved in. Riddle heard people screaming in fear, trying to run out of the room. The guards from the outside were trying to run inside to fight the machine, but the crowd of people leaving the room blocked them from entering.
Riddle took cover and reached for another magazine. He dropped his empty magazine, and slapped a fresh mag into his Colt .45. He pulled back on the slide, and loaded the gun.
Riddle threw his arm over the table, and fired five rounds into the machine's head. The Berserker suddenly turned towards him, and roared furiously.
"FUCK YOU, MOTHER FUCKER!" roared Riddle, firing two more rounds into the Machine's face. The rounds bounced off, and ricocheted onto the floor. The Berserker leaped at Riddle, using it's gigantic mass to smash through the table. Jackson rolled out of the way, just in time. Riddle couldn't move out of the way in time, and was slammed against the wall by the machine. The Berserker held Riddle up by his throat, and pushed down on his windpipe. Riddle gagged, and grabbed the machine by its wrist. He suddenly let loose a gigantic burst of electricity, which traveled from his gauntlets and to the machine's arm. The Berserker suddenly released it's grip, unable to control its hand from moving. Riddle dropped to the floor, and landed on his haunches. Riddle then sprang up, and tackeled the eight-foot monstrosity with his shoulder. The Berserker toppled over, and fell on its back. It rolled back up to it's feet, and roared in fury.
Riddle climbed back up to his feet.
"Time to die, you fucking toaster!"
He roared, and sprinted after the Berserker. He utilized his momentum and body weight, and slammed his iron gauntlet across the Handenman's face. The Berserker stumbled, and smashed into a set of tables. The tables split open upon impact, breaking open with a large crack. The Berserker leaped back to his feet, unfazed by the tremendous blow by the Commander. The Berserker suddenly reached for Warmaster Tyrale's fat body, and grabbed his corpse by his foot. He heaved the man's dead body, and flung it at Riddle with all of its might.
Riddle tried to roll out of the way, but Tyrale's corpse met him halfway. His vision suddenly flickered, as he was tackled by an obese corpse traveling at about thirty miles per hour.
Riddle slammed into the floor, dazed and confused. His vision interface tried to correct his dizziness, but it didn't do much. Riddle couldn't breathe; Tyrale's fat body was crushing him. The smell of blood and oozing fat traveled into Riddle's senses, flooding him with putrid anxiety.
He was going to pass out, at this rate... Somebody had to pull Tyrale's body off of him!
He looked around, tried to call for help. He tried to speak, but he couldn't. The wind was knocked out of him. Riddle tried to reach somebody's attention, but he just couldn't. Baellis and Jackson were either running away, or fighting back at the monstrosity. He couldn't see what was going on, at all.
Riddle cursed, as blood and fat oozed all over his goggles. He needed help, and fast.
Allan-Hatai:
Crap. Liana had been enjoying the boredom in people's minds. She'd noticed that the interesting fellow next to Riddle knew what and who she was and wanted to be polite, giving her his name. Very interesting indeed. She'd been ignoring Riddle on purpose, but instantly plucked information on the cyborg from his mind.
Electricity hurt it. She'd been trying to figure out a plan while Riddle attacked it. What was it with men and thinking they were invincible? She'd never understood why they thought they were superior. After all, they'd allowed a woman to totally dominate them for how long? But, he was important, and loathesome as he was, the Empress would be displeased if he were to die while still useful. Why she cared, Liana didn't know. She supposed, as she pulled a huge power cable from the wall with her mind, that it was because old Ironbritches was about the only mother she could remember.
She caught a stray thought from Riddle. "Thor's Hammer!" She spat, throwing out her other hand to shove the body off of him. If he was still alive, she figured the ancient god Thor would forgive her for using his name, since he probably hadn't been mentioned in at least two hundred years. Her attention turned back to the cable. Water. Water conducted electricity.
Deleted User:
Jackson only gave the man a simple look upon his entrance. He wasn't a member of the military, he had no reason to stand and salute. Still, even Lilia's warning about the man's extremely ugly visage couldn't have prepared the young man for what he saw. Even so, he showed no outward signs of being phased, his expression neutral aside from a quirked eyebrow.
Still, he paid attention as the man began to speak, but once it became clear he was just giving a stupid speech, he tuned him out, simply pretending to listen to what he was saying. Only when he got to something vaguely interesting did he automatically tune back in. As the man started speaking about alien technology, Jackson wondered what kind of things they had found that would require military attention first.
If it didn't involve the kinds of weapons that went on ships, then the Laydamen family would have no real reason to be interested besides curiosity. It didn't really matter to Jackson either way, but he took a mental note about it anyway.
Once things got into what was apparently the boring part, Jackson only needed to devote maybe half of his attention to the task. He noted with mild amusement and a soft chuckle Riddle whipping out a pen and writing down illegible scribbles in an attempt to look like he actually cared about what was going on.
And then the attack came.
It was unexpected, but Jackson wasn't overly shocked. If ever one wanted to attack a group of officials, it would be during a big meeting after all. Ducking behind the desk along with Riddle, he peered over the edge of the table to see who the attacker was. Of course, the Commander saw first and shouted out what it was.
Had Jackson been closer, he might have been able to prevent the assailant from striking out at the Warmaster. Of course, that's assuming he was willing to reveal his abilities as an Esper to a bunch of strangers by using his physical abilities. Which he wasn't.
After the 'Hadenman' shouted out, it didn't take Jackson more than a second to realize that it was a Berserker. And with that in mind, he wondered how they might go about attacking this thing. He watched as several guards tried and failed to take it down, losing their lives in the process and then Riddle as he whipped out an antique gun and started firing ineffectually.
When the Berserker tried to attack, Jackson had no problem avoiding it, but he was disappointed to see Riddle collide with it. That is, until he saw him release a powerful spark of electricity and remembered what the man's ability as an Esper was. The following spat between the two was vaguely interesting to watch, until suddenly the Berserker threw the dead Warmaster's corpse onto Riddle, effectively pinning him and slowly suffocating him.
Then the Berserker tried to take advantage of the downed Commander by jumping up. Jackson could immediately see that it planned on landing on top of Tyrale's corpse and further crushing Riddle under their combined weights.
Sighing with exasperation, Jackson leaped into the air on an intercept course and lashed out with one leg. The Berserker apparently hadn't thought he would interrupt and took the kick in the side and was sent veering off course, smashing into the ground and rolling into the far wall. Jackson's kick hadn't been but just powerful enough to change its course, but its weight was enough to bring the wall and a section of the ceiling crashing down on it.
At that moment, Jackson looked over just in time to see something knock Tyrale's corpse off of Riddle and asked, "You still alive, Riddle?" It was a rhetorical question, he could plainly see he was alive and breathing, if barely.
However, he didn't get much time to check on his possible injuries when the Berserker burst back out of the rubble in outrage. Frowning, the Blue Box agent looked to the rogue robot and narrowed his eyes at it. That was when things got a little odd...
The Berserker stopped moving. If it had a face with expression that could be determined by humans, it would have a look of total confusion and disbelief on its face. Because while everyone else just saw it standing there like an iron lump, the Berserker was looking around at an empty room. His gaze would pass right over where one of the other people in the room was, but it couldn't see them.
And since all the noisy people were already gone for the most part, that left Jackson, Riddle and Liana.
Then it got a kick to the face and was knocked flat on its back. Landing on its chest, Jackson didn't even hesitate in sending his foot smashing down on the rogue AI's neck and severing its head from its body with a snap and a brief spark of electricity. He then jumped away from it and landed a safe enough distance to observe. He wanted to make sure it was 'dead...'
Jackson only gave the man a simple look upon his entrance. He wasn't a member of the military, he had no reason to stand and salute. Still, even Lilia's warning about the man's extremely ugly visage couldn't have prepared the young man for what he saw. Even so, he showed no outward signs of being phased, his expression neutral aside from a quirked eyebrow.
Still, he paid attention as the man began to speak, but once it became clear he was just giving a stupid speech, he tuned him out, simply pretending to listen to what he was saying. Only when he got to something vaguely interesting did he automatically tune back in. As the man started speaking about alien technology, Jackson wondered what kind of things they had found that would require military attention first.
If it didn't involve the kinds of weapons that went on ships, then the Laydamen family would have no real reason to be interested besides curiosity. It didn't really matter to Jackson either way, but he took a mental note about it anyway.
Once things got into what was apparently the boring part, Jackson only needed to devote maybe half of his attention to the task. He noted with mild amusement and a soft chuckle Riddle whipping out a pen and writing down illegible scribbles in an attempt to look like he actually cared about what was going on.
And then the attack came.
It was unexpected, but Jackson wasn't overly shocked. If ever one wanted to attack a group of officials, it would be during a big meeting after all. Ducking behind the desk along with Riddle, he peered over the edge of the table to see who the attacker was. Of course, the Commander saw first and shouted out what it was.
Had Jackson been closer, he might have been able to prevent the assailant from striking out at the Warmaster. Of course, that's assuming he was willing to reveal his abilities as an Esper to a bunch of strangers by using his physical abilities. Which he wasn't.
After the 'Hadenman' shouted out, it didn't take Jackson more than a second to realize that it was a Berserker. And with that in mind, he wondered how they might go about attacking this thing. He watched as several guards tried and failed to take it down, losing their lives in the process and then Riddle as he whipped out an antique gun and started firing ineffectually.
When the Berserker tried to attack, Jackson had no problem avoiding it, but he was disappointed to see Riddle collide with it. That is, until he saw him release a powerful spark of electricity and remembered what the man's ability as an Esper was. The following spat between the two was vaguely interesting to watch, until suddenly the Berserker threw the dead Warmaster's corpse onto Riddle, effectively pinning him and slowly suffocating him.
Then the Berserker tried to take advantage of the downed Commander by jumping up. Jackson could immediately see that it planned on landing on top of Tyrale's corpse and further crushing Riddle under their combined weights.
Sighing with exasperation, Jackson leaped into the air on an intercept course and lashed out with one leg. The Berserker apparently hadn't thought he would interrupt and took the kick in the side and was sent veering off course, smashing into the ground and rolling into the far wall. Jackson's kick hadn't been but just powerful enough to change its course, but its weight was enough to bring the wall and a section of the ceiling crashing down on it.
At that moment, Jackson looked over just in time to see something knock Tyrale's corpse off of Riddle and asked, "You still alive, Riddle?" It was a rhetorical question, he could plainly see he was alive and breathing, if barely.
However, he didn't get much time to check on his possible injuries when the Berserker burst back out of the rubble in outrage. Frowning, the Blue Box agent looked to the rogue robot and narrowed his eyes at it. That was when things got a little odd...
The Berserker stopped moving. If it had a face with expression that could be determined by humans, it would have a look of total confusion and disbelief on its face. Because while everyone else just saw it standing there like an iron lump, the Berserker was looking around at an empty room. His gaze would pass right over where one of the other people in the room was, but it couldn't see them.
And since all the noisy people were already gone for the most part, that left Jackson, Riddle and Liana.
Then it got a kick to the face and was knocked flat on its back. Landing on its chest, Jackson didn't even hesitate in sending his foot smashing down on the rogue AI's neck and severing its head from its body with a snap and a brief spark of electricity. He then jumped away from it and landed a safe enough distance to observe. He wanted to make sure it was 'dead...'
Kayl:
Riddle crawled over onto his stomach, as soon as the fat corpse rolled off of his body.
"You still alive, Riddle?" asked Jackson, from across the room.
"Fuck you..." replied the Commander, gasping for breath.
He crawled in a prone position, just as the military had trained him to do, and went under a table. He breathed in deeply, coughing. He smeared the blood off of his visor, and witnessed Jackson as he snapped the Berserker's head off with his foot.
Riddle was amazed, to say the least. He was only 5'4 and he could sever an eight-foot cyborg's head off! What the hell was that all about?
Even with Jackson's amazing attack, the Berserker was still moving. The AI of Shub must've put it's main processor somewhere in it's core! Jackson took a few steps back, recalibrating his strategy.
Riddle crawled toward Baellis. She was focusing on something inside one of the walls. Suddenly, she ripped a hole through the metal plating with her mind. An iron pipe burst through, spraying water into the room. She directed the pipe toward the Berserker, and soaked it.
The girl glanced at Riddle, as he climbed to his feet. Suddenly, Riddle felt her voice inside of his head.
'Kill it!'
Riddle clasped his Iron Gauntlets together. He mentally increased the voltage running throughout his body. His electrical implants began to hum wildly. Static electricity built up around him, popping throughout the air. Baellis' hair was starting to stand up, but she paid no attention to it. She maintained the steady stream of water, and doused the Berserker. Jackson turned toward the two Espers, as he noticed the unnatural amount of static electricity building up.
Riddle charged the ions throughout the air, and concentrated. His blue goggles flickered, as his body filled with electrical energy.
Suddenly, Riddle threw his hands off to his side. Lightning danced from his fingertips, cracking into the air with excitement. Suddenly, an enormous, concentrated bolt of lightning erupted from both of his hands. The lightning traveled to the Beserker in a blink of an eye, ripping through the air like a chasm of pure destruction.
The room flashed bright white, blinding everyone for a split second. The room exploded with the sound of thunder, nearly making everyone deaf.
Riddle's ears rung, as he watched the Berserker convulse uncontrollably. Electricity danced around it's chasis, as water seeped inside of it's main circuitry. The 8 foot monstrosity suddenly slammed into the floor, convulsing as it's circuitry fired off randomly. The wooden furniture caught fire, as electricity sparked around it.
Jackson regrouped with the other two Espers, and watched as the Handenman slowly stopped twitching.
Commander Riddle reached for his pistol, which was laying on the floor nearby. He loaded another magazine, and walked towards the abomination. He fired off all 7 rounds, slowly, into the machine's body.
"Fucking toaster! Stay dead this time!"
Baellis stopped the pipe from flowing. She telekinetically sealed it off by herself. Riddle holstered his pistol, and turned around.
He pointed at Jackson.
"You. You're coming with me, right now."
Jackson tried to hide a look of confusion. What did he want from him?
Riddle then pointed to the girl in the Celtic dress.
"You. I don't know your first name. May I have it? Pretty please?"
Allan-Hatai:
Liana sighed. Well, the thing was dead. Yep, water and electricity had killed it. What she couldn't understand was why she hadn't gotten anything on Jackson being... well, from w hat she'd seen, it looked like an Esper, but there was no sense of it in his mind. In most people, the part of the brain that controls movement also controlled any powers they might have as an Esper, but his only registered normal human behavior. Oh, right, Riddle had asked a question.
"It's Liana." She would curtsy, only she didn't think he deserved it. He was still a perverted lecher. "And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who knows things about ancient times." It made him a little more likable, but only the tiniest bit. Liana did not like being eye candy. She looked around the room and let out a breath. "Oh, dear. Lady Ironbritches is not going to be happy about this." Her eyes instantly widened and she turned away, thinking, Crap! Now she'll know how I think of her!
"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said, heading quickly for the door. She needed to change and report this mess to somebody, then make explanations to the Empress. Hopefully, those two wouldn't say a word about what she'd just said and she could continue to stay alive, for at least another week or so. She really needed to find a way to get out of the Palace. And fast.
Deleted User:
Jackson just made a disappointed 'Tch' sound when the Berserker started moving again and stepped back. Of course the processor wouldn't be in the head, that'd be thinking too much like a human. The AI of SHUB would be more practical in their processing. Of course, he tried to evaluate how he was going to deal with this thing. Even if he had impressive physical abilities, he doubted he'd be able to get at its processor... so would he have to break off each of its limbs until it couldn't move anymore?
His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard a loud sound and turned to see a pipe being ripped out of a wall. He knew immediately it was Liane doing it and made sure he wasn't in the way of the spray of water that ejected from it and collided with the Berserker. A second later, Riddle started powering up the currents in his body.
Knowing what was coming, Jackson clamped his eyes shut and covered his ears a split second before it happened. Even so, he still flinched at the brightness penetrating his eyelids and the roaring thunder, thankful when it faded away again. When he opened his eyes again, there was a distinct whiteness to everything and his ears were still ringing, but he could see the Berserker was finished as it fell over and became inert.
Seeing the situation was dealt with, he moved back over to where the other Espers were and frowned a bit when Riddle told him to go with him. He wasn't one of the Commander's subordinates, nor was he in the military in general. Still, he would defer to the man's experience for now.
When Liane spoke, Jackson glanced at her with a raised brow. He kept his mind blank, but grinned a bit when she turned and quickly departed. Before she was out of the room, he tried to send her a thought, leaving it on the very edge of his mind, You needn't worry, I won't say anything. I don't much like the 'Empress' either.
Facing Riddle again and letting his mind empty after that, he said, "So where are we going 'Commander?'" He said the title with a bit of emphasis, making clear that this willingness to follow his orders was only a temporary deal. He wasn't at all afraid of the man's electrical powers. His reflexes were much higher than humans, he'd be able to avoid the brunt of Riddle's lightning bolts if ever it boiled down to that. Not to mention he could simply lay an illusion over Riddle's eyes and disappear from his presence if he needed to. Organic or mechanical, it didn't matter what kind of 'eyes' they were.
Shani:
After she ran out of andriods, Misha had someone clean the room where she was practicing, and went to clean off. Once she was clean and dressed she was heading down to the meeting, She wore a long black dress. But she became sidetracted. Many of the servants were drinking, partying, and fighting.
She elimanated half of the staff and orderd the rest to clean up the mess of people and the remains of the party they had. The Empress ran into one of the guards and said, "watch them, then punish them however you'd like." She heard a crash down stairs, she decided to go down to it.
All the commotion was coming from the meeting room. Everyone was running and screaming which most of the time she enjoyed, but not during the meetings. Misha saw the flash of light and heard the water running, after that everything went silent, she heard and felt the crash of something heavy.
She also heard the gunshots.She happened to miss all of the conversation the remaining few were having. Then Liana came running out of the room. Hmmm.. she thought.
The Empress walked into the room that was now distroid and saw the two men standing there. " Hmm the one meeting I'm late to something interesting happends," she stated looking around. She saw the Warmaster's body dead on the floor. She also saw the body of the destorid Berserker. " Good day, Commander, good day..." She stopped did she know this gentleman, he seemed rather furmiliar. But she wasn't quite sure.
Excalibur:
The ingenuity of humanity has driven it from continent to continents, to the sky, to the stars and other worlds and galaxies, but the arrogance of the human race has also brought about certain troubles. Wars with other races and massive "backwards" movement atleast 3 times during its mighiest peak.
The Empire Earth has started to reach its peak once more. Will it stumble and fall again? What secrets will be unearthed or forever lost?
What impact will a girl(Pepui) dropped off in the back streets by an inconspicious vehicle, a personal slave bodyguard to the Iron Bitch herself, a runaway android hiding in an alley, an esper spy on New Hope, and a warrior slave to an ungrateful tyranical master have on its future?
Will the Enemies of Humanity, Shub, find what they are looking for?
Will there be equal rights for all? Will there be an all out war between the Normals, CSU, ELFs?
Kayl:
"This is it; the day I had been waiting for my entire life."
The recently commissioned Lieutenant nervously forced a smile. He stood before the Royal Military University. The University was a beautiful place, surrounded by Roman artwork and architecture. Lieutenant Arsen shook nervously, as he stood before the building that held his destiny.
He was a handsome young man, probably only twenty-three years of age. His body was forged rather well due to his tough exercise routines at the academy. His dark, brown eyes were sharp and serious; the ideal demeanor of an officer in the Royal Navy.
The Lieutenant entered the building, passing several cadets as he made his way toward the elevator. As the doors slowly closed shut, he tightened up his officer's uniform. He was anxious, for his hands trembled nervously under the stress of his situation. He had a scheduled meeting with Commander Riddle, his hero and new commanding officer.
The elevator doors opened slowly, revealing a grand hall. Its floors were made of black marble, which conveyed a feeling of coldness. The walls were a dark, slate grey stone, decorated with roman influenced art. Plants and other visually-pleasing objects were placed throughout the hall as well, surrounding several different offices belonging to generals and high ranking officers. If he hadn't known better, the Lieutenant would've throught he entered Trump Tower. Lieutenant Arsen stepped out of the elevator, and made his way toward Commander Riddle's office. He was greeted by a very beautiful blonde secretary, who took his name and allowed him to proceed into the commander's office.
When Arsen entered Riddle's office, he expected to see another beautifully decorated room. Instead, he found that the room was a complete mess. There were books carefully stacked in several corners around the room, surrounded by several strategic maps. The room smelt like an old library, with it's stale scent of paper and glue. Lietuenant Arsen stepped over a couple of books before he noticed the giant pile of tomes stacked onto Riddle's desk.
Upon hearing the door shut close, the Commander peeked around the massive stack of books layered on his desk. Although the Lieutenant couldn't see the Commander's head, he could see his eyes.
The Commander's eyes were replaced with a pair of bright blue goggles, which glowed eerily as they peered around the corner.
The Lieutenant saluted, and waited for his Commander to acknowledge him.
"Cut that bullshit out; at ease, soldier."
Lieutenant Arsen was surprised by Riddle's reaction, but did as instructed. The Lieutenant brought his hand down, and approached timidly.
"You're here for your interview, right? Have a seat," ordered the Commander. Lieutenant Arsen made his way over to one of the chairs, and sat down in front of Riddle's desk. He made sure that he wasn't slouching, and tried to look a bit dignified. Commander Riddle's arm slid around the giant stack of books, and pushed them off the side of the table carelessly. The Lieutenant coughed, as a plume of dust expanded out of the discarded books. When the dust settled, the Lieutenant finally caught a look at Commander Riddle.
He too, was dressed in the Slate Grey officer's dress uniform. His rank and numerous medals flanked both sides of his uniform. The amount of combat medals awed the Lieutenant, as he tried to hold back his admiring stare. The Commander wore a black Balaclava over his face, concealing his identity. He wore a grey Beret indicating his high rank as an officer. Commander Riddle clasped his hands together, which had been replaced by a pair of steel gauntlets.
"Right, uh, what's you're name?" asked the Commander.
"Second Lieutenant Embry Arsen of the 101 Royal Navy Regiment, reporting for duty, sir!"
The Commander chuckled. "All right then; I like your enthusiasm."
"Thank you, sir!" replied the Lieutenant.
"Okay, now it's starting to piss me off. Cut that 'Sir' shit out, Lieutenant."
The Lieutenant distorted his face in confusion. What was he supposed to do? This wasn't the proper etiquette of an officer..."
"Just address me by my rank, Lieutenant," ordered Commander Riddle.
"Uh, yes, Commander," replied the Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant observed Riddle's face, trying to guess what it actually looked like under the Ski-Mask. With closer observation, The Lieutenant could see the shape of Riddle's mouth. It appeared as though he didn't have any lips at all; just teeth and a jaw, almost like a skeleton. Arsen felt a chill crawl up his spine, but repressed it with years of discipline.
Commander Riddle got up and started pacing. The Lieutenant just stared at him, as he walked around the room aimlessly. Was this actually the war hero he heard about?
"Say, Lieutenant, do you like Coffee?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Good. The University has a good coffee shop around the corner. It's around the block, I'll take you there."
The Lieutenant was caught off guard; his commanding officer was taking him out for Coffee? Nevertheless, Arsen followed without question. The two soldiers left the room, and called for the elevator.
"So, Lieutenant, why do you want to join the Iron Guard?"
"Well, it's been a life long dream for me, Commander. I've been hearing all about the Iron Guard my entire life; and I really want to join so I could make a difference."
The Commander chuckled. "Did you come up with all of that horse-shit by yourself?"
The Lieutenant grimaced, for he had not anticipated such an insulting retort. The elevator doors opened, revealing a very attractive secretary. The Commander and the Lieutenant entered the elevator and stood behind the woman. When the doors closed shut, the Lieutenant thought he saw Riddle sniffing the woman's hair. She didn't take any notice, however, and exited the elevator on an adjacent floor.
"She smells good," said the Commander.
The Lieutenant wanted to puke. What the fuck was going on here?
"You may be wondering why I've got my face covered. The truth is; I'm one ugly mother-fucker. I've had parts of my face reconstructed after getting my face burnt off. My nose is practically the only organ I have left on my face."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Commander," replied Lieutenant Arsen.
"Don't be. I've gotten over it about 50 years ago."
The elevator doors opened, and the two soldiers made their way to the small coffee shop. It was somewhat odd that a distinguished Military University had it's own Cafe', but it made sense. Cadets need coffee to get up at 0400 in the morning.
They stood in line, waiting to order their Coffee. Lieutenant Arsen said absolutely nothing, for he had no idea what to do at all. It was extremely awkward.
Suddenly, a middle aged man, perhaps in his fifties approached Commander Riddle. He looked like a visitor, for he wasn't in any military dress at all. The man held the hand of a little boy. The kid was probably his son.
"Excuse me, aren't you Commander Riddle?"
The Commander sighed rudely, as if he were being pestered by an annoying fan.
"Uh, this is my son, James. He's a huge fan of yours. It would mean the world to him if he could have your autograph."
The Commander looked down at the small, blonde-haired boy. He was probably seven years old. He held out a napkin, hoping that his hero would sign it. The Commander kneeled down, and took the napkin from the kid. He took a pen from his own jacket, and wrote an extremely sloppy signature. It was totally unrecognizable. The Commander gave his "autograph" to the kid, and turned away as if the boy were a beggar. The Lieutenant was horrified; was this the way Riddle acts in front of his fans!?
The little boy piped up quietly. "Do you think I could be a hero like you some day?"
Commander Riddle looked down at the kid. He kneeled again, and held out his steel-clad gauntlet. He formed his index finger and thumb into an L-shape, and promptly asked...
"Can you do this?"
Suddenly, a steady stream of lightning erupted between his fingers. Everybody, including the Lieutenant, seemed to jolt as the electricity zapped between the Commander's fingers. The kid screamed in surprise and covered his ears in horror. A moment later, Riddle stopped the flow of electricity and relaxed his hand.
"Well, can you do that, son?" he asked. The boy shook his head slowly. Lieutenant Arsen's heart melted, as he watched tears well up in the boy's eyes.
"Well, if you can't do that, then no. Now scram, kid."
The boy buried his face behind his hands, crying. He ran behind his father, and started to weep. The man shook with rage, and screamed to the top of his lungs.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? HE'S JUST A KID!"
Riddle didn't even pay attention to the father. The rest of the Cafe' stared at the Commander in disgust. He didn't seem to care at all.
Insulted by his lack of interest, the boy's father charged at Riddle. He swung his fist toward the Commander's face, hoping to knock his block off. Suddenly, Riddle turned with amazing agility and caught the man's fist with his gauntlet. He gripped the man's hand, and began to squeeze.
Riddle's blue eyes suddenly turned bright red. He was pissed. Riddle stared the man down, as he fell to his knees.
"This is what I hate about you people. You just can't handle the truth."
The man roared in agony, as his hand slowly popped and crunched together. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor rapidly. A moment later, Riddle sent a small electrical charge through his body. He watched as the man convulsed uncontrollably to the floor. The boy screamed in horror, as snot and tears dripped down his face.
The entire Cafe' stared at the Commander in horror. Many patrons decided to leave, before he could do something else to endanger them.
Riddle was pleased to see that the line that had once stood before him had vanished. He cheerfully stepped over the twitching body of his assailant, and walked toward the Cashier.
"I'd like to have a cup of Coffee, please."
Lieutenant Arsen slapped his palm to his face. Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
Deleted User:
((Since no starting planet has been specified, I'm gonna take a wild guess... and say we're starting on Earth?))
It had been at least two weeks since he was last contacted by Blue Box for a mission. And frankly, after running him nearly-ragged for over a week, Jackson Laydamen was glad to have some time off. He'd been relaxing in a large apartment complex since his return to Earth where he rented out the entire top floor to himself. This particular complex was shorter than some of the nerve-racking tall skyscrapers and topped out at sixty stories. Not, of course, counting however many basement levels there might have been.
As the sun was starting to descend beyond the jagged horizon of the endless skyscrapers and monolithic structures, Jackson sat in a reclining chair next to a large window that ran the length of the room he was in. The room was bathed in a luscious orange-red light, save for the one place where he turned on a white-light lamp. He was in the middle of reading another of the many novels he gathered along the way on missions and trips and was perhaps the eighth book so far. Still, the stack of books to read was extensive and rested in a neat pile next to the recliner.
After reaching the end of another chapter, Jackson stuck his bookmark inside and set the paperback aside on the small table beside him with a sigh as he looked outside. The further the sun sank, the darker things got, but before too long, the city began to shed its own light as countless thousands of artificial light came to life. There were so many, Jackson didn't doubt that they were nearly as numerous as the stars in the sky. Speaking of the stars... one of the things he hated the most about city planets like this, was he couldn't see the stars at night.
A knock at the door behind him drew his attention back to within and he said, "Yes?"
A subdued, most-likely-insincere polite voice said, "Master, your dinner is ready." Soon after, he heard the distinct, quiet clatter of chinaware on a metal carrier.
"Come in," He stated evenly as he rotated the recliner around to face the servant that came into the room. It was a woman in her late twenties with long, red hair tied into a stylish, complicated bun. She kept her green eyes lowered for the most part as she brought the food over and set the plates and a cup of Jackson's favorite tea on the table, making sure that his novel was not bothered.
Glancing at the watch on his wrist to get a more exact idea of what time it was, Jackson asked, "Have I recieved any new letters or messages, Rayna?"
Shaking her head, the woman replied, "No sir. Simply another call from a business looking to attain support from you on some endeavor."
Quirking an eyebrow, Jackson took up his cup of tea and asked, "What sort of endeavor?"
"He was very vague with me, I being a simple servant, and said only that it was something that would benefit the Laydamen family greatly."
Humming thoughtfully for a moment, Jackson waved it off and said, "Just forward that message to my sister Lillia and Father. I'm not the one leading this family, so he shouldn't be calling me about it."
Bowing slightly, Rayna nodded and said, "Yes Master. Please enjoy your dinner." A small smile slipped onto her face as she dared to meet his gaze and said, "The Chef has recently discovered a new recipe and wishes to see if it is to your tastes." She gestured to a plate of something that looked unfamiliar to Jackson.
Nodding, he watched for a moment as the woman left then started on his dinner. While he was eating, he idly began to wonder when the Blue Box would be contacting him again. He was enjoying his time off, but it was starting to get monotonous again.
Pausing for a moment, he picked up the new dish and tested it, seeing if it might be poisoned. It wasn't that he thought the chef would try to poison him, he had carefully screened all of the staff he brought with him on his trips, but he could never tell when one of his younger siblings might decide to kill him on their way to their older sister.
Not that Lillia was in any danger, really. Father was delighted in everything she did, so if something were to happen to her he would find out who was responsible and he would kill them. His siblings knew this, which was why they hadn't dared touch her for the past few years. Rather, now they looked for ways to make Father lose his faith in her.
Deeming the dish safe, he took a bite of it and tested the flavor and texture, chewing thoroughly. After swallowing, he allowed a small smile to slip onto his face and nodded his approval.
He would be giving the chef a small stipend in addition to his usual salary.
((Not much happening in this post, I know... but I'll be able to do a bit more once some of y'all start posting.))
Allan-Hatai:
Liana shifted on her bench, then turned to the last page in her latest book. It was a lazy day in the Imperial Palace, for her at least. She hadn't been summoned to the Empress's side for more than a week, which made her hopeful that old Ironbritches had forgotten about her. It never turned out to be true, but one had to hope for something. Especially if one were a slave captured for abilities one didn't even know one had and walked around with a jeweled collar, able to go anywhere one wished except outside the cage. Sometimes Liana hated the palace, with its large room, expensive furnishings and bowing servants. But it was the only home she could remember.
She finished her book and reached with her mind to grab another one off the shelf in her quarters. People were used to seeing floating books in the hallways, but Liana used the out of the way passages out of consideration for the servants. As for the nobility, sometimes she "accidentally" let one hit one of them, especially if it was someone who'd insulted her in one way or another. They should know not to mess with an esper. Once the book reached her she sent the other one back. She had a lot of control, definitely more than she'd had as a child, but it still paid to be careful. The Empress was not known to be patient with those who disobeyed orders or created chaos. Once, when she was five, Liana had withheld information she'd gleaned from a servant's mind. It wasn't her fault, even as an adult it was hard to control what she heard. But the servant had been plotting an attempt on the Empress's life, and Liana had been left in the dungeon for three days. She still shuddered at the thought of going into deep, dark places.
"Liana." She heard it more in her mind that with her ears. She groaned quietly. Here comes a headache. She was referring to the fact that the Chamberlain, who was apparently looking for her, had a grudge against her and liked to try to make her do chores and stuff, when he knew perfectly well that she helped the kitchen staff, the gardeners, and the palace librarian on her days off. The only reason she was being lazy now was that She had gone to all three places and been turned away. Stupid idiot. Someday, when he wouldn't be able to go running to the Empress, he was going to get his reward.
Shani:
The Empiress was extermly bored, there wasn't much going on, nor was there anything to do. All was at ease today in her kingdom. She sat in her throne room thinking and wondering.
She was always thinking mostly of her past and the wrongs of her father."Liana," she called. Awaiting for her to show she was practicing some of her hand to hand combat moves on a drord she created, she was almost always on her toes.
"Liana," she called again wondering where that girl had gone to now. Once she called for the girl again, she was hit dead in the face. The Empiress fell straight down to the floor, her lip was split and she was bleeding. As she went to get up Misha did a back flip over the androd and smashed it to pieces.
Allan-Hatai
There. Her head spun as she heard the Empress's voice. Out of the fire and into the frying pan, Liana thought to herself. She concentrated and sent her voice to her mistress's mind. "Coming, Lady. Just give me a minute to get rid of the Chamberlain." She turned a bright smile to the man and, bowing, said. "I'm sorry, but the Empress is calling me."
She turned and walked away. Well, it could be worse. They could be throwing her into that pit of fire near the armory. Or they could torture her with a thousand scorpions. Ouch, that one would definitely hurt... She shook her head, locating old Ironbritches in her throne room. Wow, if She found out how Liana thought of her, Liana would be toast. Without butter. She entered the throne room and bowed. "Yes, Lady?"
Shani:
Walking over bits of broken metal, she made her way closer to the girl. Looking at her quite pleased, for she was in a rather good mood. " Liana," she spoke with the blood driping from her lips.
" Have you heard anything news stiring about?" She felt her lips and looked at her hand noticing the blood she grabed a cloth. She then put it to her lips.
"You seem a bit worried my dear Liana," Misha said in a soft tone. " Is everything alright?" She questioned. The bleeding in her lip calmed, but she still kept the cloth in place.
Allan-Hatai:
Hmmm, news? Let's see, nope, nope, and nope. "No news, Lady. And no news means no worries. Except..." Here she trailed off. She didn't want to tattle, but this was seriously beyond his station. The Chamberlain had wanted her to mop the floor in the privy. That was way out of her job description, and he knew it. Enough. She was done holding it back, and next time she saw him with another thought like that in his head, he would lose something.
"Lady," She said, bowing again. "I don't mean to tattle, but Chamberlain has been, shall we say, singling me out. He seems to have taken a disliking to me, and I'm almost at the end of my patience. Personally, I would like to avoid the kind of scenes that plagued me during my childhood. I do enough work on my off days, and he knows it, yet he still tried to give me more, and the tasks he chooses are menial and not mine to do." This was probably the most she'd said to old Ironbritches at once, other than giving reports, since she'd been a child.
Shani:
As she listend to her finish."No News and no worries then things shall be fine for awhile."She let out a sigh of relielf, Untill she heard Except....
She looked at her with curiousity,"Except what?" Misha questioned. As she listened to Liana, she felt a bit of disgust fall apon her. "Don't worry I'll take care of it.
You don't need to be afraid to tell me when something is wrong." She stated in a calm and yet friendly tone. "Is that all, dear?" She asked her.
"Oh do you think you could send in another fighting droid, this one is broken." She said with a smile.
Allan-Hatai:
Liana merely bowed. "Yes, Lady." With that, she turned and left. Outside she told a guard, "Send in another fighting droid. The Empress has already defeated the last one." She let them stew over that as she left. They were probably thinking they were in trouble, which they probably could be if the Empress found fault in any of the droids they sent her.
Ah, life was good, especially if you had a mistress who liked you most of the time... When you weren't giving her bad news, that is. Liana could remember several broken bones received at such instances, usually when someone wanted to overthrow her or something like that. It was a dangerous line of work, but it was the only thing Liana could remember. She didn't even know who her parents had been or what had happened to them. She'd probably never find out.
Kayl:
Commander Riddle delighted to find that he had finished up most of his pressing busy-work around 1500. The interview with the new lieutenant seemed to go fairly well, too.
Well, besides that annoying run in with the civilians...
Riddle placed his legs on top of his desk, and stretched out lazily. He pondered what he was going to do the next day. Perhaps he could do a V.R. training exercise with the rest of his team.
The V.R. simulations didn't offer as much thrill as a real skirmish, but it would be better than doing paperwork and interviews all day long.
Riddle turned off his eye implants and tried to take a nap. A minute later, his secretary called on the intercom.
"Commander, you've just received an order from the Warfighter's Commission. There's going to be a meeting at the Imperial Palace tomorrow. They say it's mandatory."
Riddle turned his vision interface back on, and reached over for the intercom.
"Thanks Linda. Could you get some kind of transport for me?"
"Yes, Commander. I'm already on it."
Riddle cursed to himself. He hated these ridiculous meetings; there hasn't been any real combat in over a decade. But, they were a big deal. The ruling families of the Empire would probably be there. They usually send in a representative or agent to take notes for them.
Riddle didn't know what they would cover in the meeting, but he guessed that it would probably bore him to tears. That is, if he had the ability to shed them.
The meetings usually involved the social, economic and military matters on each of the planets in the Empire. Riddle wasn't particularly involved in these subjects, because the Iron Guard had no real function other than to blow shit up.
Riddle sighed, and packed up some of his things. He stuffed a book or two in his leather bag, and left his office. He went back to his apartment and spent the night in his typical manner. He ordered some food over the phone, watched the holographic television, and drank a few shots of Vodka. Most of Riddle's evening were like this; unproductive and dull. Nobody to talk to, nobody to share a bed with.
Riddle dreaded the thought of going to the Palace in the morning. The thought of being stuck with a bunch of high-and-mighty clan members disgusted the Commander. He hoped that the meeting would reveal some kind of secret military operation that required his involvement. If that was the case, the Iron Guard would be sure to deploy, and Riddle could go back into the field.
Riddle turned off his vision interface and fell asleep on his dirty couch. He would have to wake up early in order to attend the meeting; the Palace was more than 500 miles away.
Deleted User:
If there was one thing that Jackson strongly disliked, it was being interrupted during a good read. He had just been getting into the climax of the book he'd been reading when he was suddenly pulled back to reality by a hesitant Rayna. But as he soon found out, that was only the beginning! And as he sat in his private transport en route to the Empress' Palace, he really wished that his servant had acted like he wasn't available.
Apparently, his dear sister and Father were unable to make it to some sort of important meeting that was taking place today. If he hadn't known better, he would have suspected they'd decided to send him as a proxy on purpose, but he was well aware that they knew how green around the ears he was when it came to politics. Deliberately sending him would have been stupid and he knew Lilia was smarter than that.
Still, the reason for it had been rather vague. They'd simply stated that an issue had come up back at home that required their full and undivided attention. So, they had requested that Jackson go and represent the Laydamen family in their places. And while he would have given anything to avoid such a task, he couldn't say no to his sister. The reason she'd chosen him as a representative wasn't just because he happened to be on-planet at the time, but because she knew she could trust him. His other siblings would use any opportunity they could to gain some leverage over her, but Jackson wouldn't simply because he had no interest in doing so.
Or she saw him as a loyal tool. It didn't really matter to him at this point. Lilia was allowed to have her opinions about his loyalty so long as she continued to do her job as heir good.
"We'll arrive at the palace in ten minutes, Master Jackson," His driver said through the speaker.
Simply nodding even though he knew the man couldn't see, he never took his eyes off the small computer he held in his hand. He had spent the entire long ride to the palace reviewing important information he needed, information relayed to him by his sister and Father, as well some information he'd looked up himself about the different clans and organizations' CEOs. He did not wish to go into this meeting blind and make a fool of himself and his family... even if only a select few of his family members were even deserving of his respect.
When at last they arrived at the Palace, Jackson was somewhat confident he had sufficient knowledge to handle the meeting without any major problems. The data and information he was to relay was simple, nothing particularly drastic or important that would require much effort on his part beyond simply giving it in a polite manner.
Stepping out and off of his transport, Jackson stuck his personal computer into his pocket and sighed, straightening his attire a bit. He'd changed into something a bit more appropriate to meeting with the Empress and other clan members... so it was actually fairly casual, but still more tastefully respectful than what he otherwise would have worn and wasn't too uncomfortable.
Moving on, Jackson moved towards the oppressively massive looking Palace with a placid look on his face. His appearance didn't exactly stick out, even among the other bustling people going in and out of the Palace. Honestly, Jackson never understood how Father or Lilia could stand being in this bureaucrat-infested hole. He was at least thankful he didn't draw any undue attention to himself and simply moved on, following the tide of people entering the building.
Once inside, people were a bit more spread out and less congested as they broke up to reach their different destinations within the Palace. Jackson took a moment to consult a display with a basic layout of the building to find the room he was supposed to go to, then made his way towards it. He'd arrived at the Palace about ten minutes early, as he didn't know if he'd have any trouble finding where he needed to be.
When he reached the room in which the meeting was taking place, he was a bit surprised to find he'd arrived first. A bit put off by this, he took a seat in one of the chairs and patiently waited for the others to arrive so that they could get this wretched meeting over with.
Kayl:
Commander Riddle climbed out of his military helicopter and onto the landing pad. He was on top of the West Branch, The place that holds most of Palace's military meetings.
Riddle was dressed in his gray officer's uniform, once again. As he walked away from the Helicopter's humming propellers, he took his gray beret and put it on top of his head. His balaclava remained on, as usual. His blue goggles lit up, as he peered toward the rising sun.
Riddle met two bodyguards, armed to the teeth in tactical military equipment. They saluted him, and followed the Commander downstairs.
Riddle entered the main chamber of the West Branch, and looked around. White marble and stone decorated the halls, while statues of warriors littered the area. Each statue symbolized every great war humanity had encountered, starting from the first World War.
Riddle noticed the extensive amount of palace guards in the area; many of which were cyborgs. Their exoskeletons were reinforced with Ornate Palace Armor, which made them resemble statues. They didn't have any weapons, but their guns were probably hidden inside of their robotic arms. They stood absolutely still, watching the crowd like gargoyles.
Riddle made his way toward the Conference room. As he walked, he questioned one of his bodyguards.
"Why is there so much security today?"
"One our bodyguards went missing a few weeks ago. His name was Victor, we've been looking for him ever since he vanished while on duty," replied the guard.
Riddle saw a statue of his predecessor, Commandant Daniel Ironside. He was the leader of the Iron Guard before Commander Riddle. Ironside's ship blew up in orbit during a battle against the Handenmen on Mars. He sacrificed himself to prevent the Handenmen from getting any closer to Earth. If there was anyone Riddle had respect for, it was Commandant Ironside.
Riddle entered the conference room. His bodyguards ran ahead of him, and flanked the door. The Conference room looked almost like a court-room and a theatre. Wooden benches were stacked against an ascending staircase. Each row had a long table laying in front of it, allowing people to take notes. In front of the room was a holographic projector, used to map out the galaxy. The room was dimly lit, giving a warm feeling of comfort to Riddle. His blue goggles were bright in this kind of lighting.
Riddle casually walked along one of the rows, and sat next to a fairly small man. The Commander could tell that he was probably in some sort of clan. Based on the way he was dressed, he was a very rich man. His messy black hair was casually stylized, which detracted from his otherwise noble appearance. He was a typical looking young man, but he was very small. He was only 5'4 and probably 20 years old. Guess he never got a growth spurt.
Riddle didn't pay much attention to him, other than the first glance. He just wanted to get out of the meeting ASAP. Making friends wouldn't pass the time, it would just irritate him.
As he looked around, he noticed that people were starting to flood in through the other door. They were all a bunch of unimportant Colonels in the Royal Navy and the Royal Army. They chatted amongst themselves quietly, talking about the paperwork they had to fill out in order to attend this meeting.
A few Colonels saluted the Commander, and sat down around his vicinity. Riddle nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing. A couple of the officers tried to ask Riddle about the Iron Guard, but Riddle just ignored them.
This was going to be a fucking nightmare. He was surrounded by a room full of adoring fans. Riddle just didn't get it. All he did was fight the Handenmen on Mars.
Granted, he did kill a lot more than his fair share of enemy soldiers...
Riddle sat in silence, and said nothing to the man beside him. The Commander shooed some of the pestering officers away from him, and waited for the meeting to begin.
Allan-Hatai:
(This (http://www.rivendellbridal.com/Eolande.html) is what the dress looks like.)
Liana had dressed carefully for this meeting, under orders from old Ironbritches. Unlike most people, Liana preferred her formal clothes in the Celtic styles of ancient times. It had taken years of searching to find a style she'd liked, and that had been it. Today she was wearing a lilac one, with a white and silver headband to denote her abilities. Since she was the Empress's Esper, she was...allowed certain privileges, and being picky about her clothes was one of them.
She quietly entered the room in the middle of the pack and took a seat off to the side. She wasn't technically allowed here, but the Empress did as she wished and so Liana was present for these talks. The thoughts in people's minds were interesting, but the conversations were boring. Perhaps she'd be able to leave early for this one, since most of these people just wanted it to be over anyway. She jumped as someone bumped into her.
"My apologies, Lady Liana. I hadn't realized you were there." The gallant bowed and tried to take her hand. He was, of course, the heir to some house who had tried repeatedly to force her to do his bidding, which ranged over several areas that Liana's principles had ruled off-limits. Besides, he liked to beat women. Naturally, he tended to forget that she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Sir, I believe you had better take your seat."
Deleted User:
Upon Commander Michael Riddle's entrance, Jackson spared him little more than a brief glance and a nod of acknowledgment. He'd read up on a summary of the man's history on his way here, but surprisingly the information spoke little of the man's actual character. Lilia had done a better job providing such info for some of the other people likely to attend this meeting, so the lack of effort could only mean she didn't like Riddle. At all. He also noticed a distinct lack of such info earlier for at least two or three others that began filing in shortly after the Commander.
When some of the others in the room began numerous attempts at conversation with the military leader, Jackson idly noticed with some amusement that he completely blew off each of them. One corner of his mouth tugged up in the slightest inkling of a grin as he faced forward again and simply said lowly, "I'm impressed you can put up with all that brown-nosing, Commander."
Shortly after saying that, he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his head to look, he noticed that one of the meetings' attendees was wearing a noticeably... dated formal garb. Admittedly though, she looked good in it. And from what Lilia's information said, she was apparently an Esper who could read minds. Still, his thoughts did not linger on the matter and he turned his attention back to the middle of the room.
He truly wished that the "Empress" would show up so that they could get this accursed meeting over with.
Kayl:
"I'm impressed you can put up with all that brown-nosing, Commander."
Riddle turned to the young man that sat beside him. His eyes were ice blue; almost as bright as the Commander's goggles. It was unnaturally noticeable; Riddle never observed another man's eye color.
"Uh... who are you?" asked Riddle, somewhat puzzled. It always made him angry that everyone knew his name, but he never knew theirs.
Right when the man was about to explain who he was, something caught the Commander's eye.
His attention turned to a beautiful young woman, who entered wearing an elegant, yet archaic dress. She had golden blonde hair and comforting brown eyes. She looked about twenty years old. She was very beautiful, even for Commander Riddle's high standards. Even though Riddle was considerably older than her, his 30 year old physique allowed was aroused by her.
What was she doing here? Was she in a clan?
Riddle didn't care. She was extremely attractive, and as long as he had something pretty to stare at, he wouldn't be bored for the entirety of the meeting.
He started to undress her in his imagination...
Suddenly, Riddle felt his balls twist painfully. He gasped painfully, and slammed his fist on the table. It was like a sucker-punch to the groin!
"AH! What the fuck!?"
The girl looked up at Riddle with a disdainful glare. She could read his thoughts?!
She grinned in satisfaction, and turned her attention away from him, and took a seat near the front of the room.
It took about about a minute before Riddle could feel his groin again. He cursed under his breath.
"Are you okay?"
The small man beside Riddle finally spoke up again. Riddle turned to him, still grasping his balls.
"No... not okay..."
Riddle placed his head on his desk. His beret flopped onto the wooden surface.
He looked back up at the girl. That had to be Baellis, one of the only psychic Espers under the order of the Empress. Riddle let out another thought, confident that she would be able to hear him.
'Vicious little thing, aren't you? I like a girl that can kick my ass...'
Suddenly, Riddle felt a telekinetic slap to the face. It stung horrendously; his goggles actually flickered from the pain. Riddle re-calibrated his vision interface, and put his grey beret back on. He then looked at the clock, on one of the adjacent walls. The guy that was supposed to lead the meeting was at least ten minutes late!
Riddle rubbed his face with his metal gauntlet. This meeting was going to take forever...
Allan-Hatai:
Liana kept most of her smiles inside. They weren't very pretty, anyway, and Ironbritches didn't like her to terrorize guests. Sometimes it scared Liana how alike they were in some things, such as being vengeful, holding grudges, and never letting anyone get away with even the slightest insult. You'd almost think they were somehow related.
"Be careful, Commander Riddle," she thought to him. "Though I do thank you for the compliment, you should remember: the most beautiful flowers often have the deadliest thorns." Perhaps the idiot commander would listen, but she doubted it. Men like that never changed their ways. As for the man next to him, he was a study. He didn't want to be in charge, instead making sure that the best of his siblings became the heir. Such a man could become very powerful, yet he didn't care. Very interesting.
She heard various other thoughts throughout the room. Most of the others were used to her by now and paid her no mind, but the new ones... They were either nervous, cocky, or making fun of her clothes. They would learn. She didn't really care what people said about her dress anyway. It was comfortable, a great deal more so than most modern finery. Liana was glad she wasn't from one of the great houses. Just being at the beck and call of Her Imperial Majesty could be exhausting, let alone trying to be in charge of other people as well. At times she thought she was happy, but she knew better. She was just used to it.
Deleted User:
Jackson heard Riddle's confused question, but he didn't answer right away. It was no surprise the man had no idea who he was, he wasn't the most noticeable of individuals... most of the time. He had earlier decided not to use an illusion over his eyes for the meeting, mostly because if he did, the telepath might catch a bit of his thoughts pertaining to the illusion. He was simply glad he could guard against even a small fraction of his thoughts. The fact that he was a member of the secretive Blue Box and the fact that he was an Esper were both bits of information sealed away within his mind. However, he decided it best to leave his surface thoughts and other low-priority areas of his mind open to telepathy.
It did an amazingly good job of keeping Espers from digging too deeply. That and he didn't often act in a manner that drew too much attention to himself.
Suddenly, at that moment, Riddle made an exclamation of pain and slammed a fist on the table. A few heads turned in confusion, but quickly went back to their own business afterward. Glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye he noticed him looking at Liana, Jackson quietly asked, "Are you okay?" To which the Commander replied in the negative.
Then it clicked!
Oh that's right... I forgot. She isn't just a telepath, she can also use telekinesis. An interesting combination. He made no effort to hide his thoughts, it wasn't like he was thinking anything crucial. I can only wonder what he was thinking to solicit such a reaction... Of course, he didn't actually ponder the possibilities, he was very much aware of the fact that she could do the exact same thing to him.
Glancing at the time displayed on his pocket computer, Jackson irritably noticed that it was well past the time for the meeting to begin. Apparently the head of the meeting was late... for whatever reason.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, he pocketed his computer again and mumbled lowly, "I just want this meeting to begin and get it over with..." He then remembered that Riddle had asked him who he was... and he'd never answered. So, he briefly and simply said, "I'm Jackson, by the way." He wasn't looking at the Commander, but he didn't doubt he'd know he was talking to him.
He also chose to leave his name on the very surface of his thoughts. He did wish to be polite to Liana, he knew her name already after all.
Kayl:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Warmaster Tyrale!" announced one of the guards.
Finally, the fucker showed up. He was fifteen minutes late.
The Warmaster entered, flanked by two officers dressed in dark blue uniforms. He was a fat man; probably weighing around three hundred pounds. Commander Riddle hadn't seen the Warmaster in ten years, he must've let himself go. How could such a gluttonous bastard be the one in control of the entire military?
The Warmaster saluted the officers in the room. The officers stood up, saluted, and took their seats.
"Good morning everyone. I'm glad to see you all again!"
Tyrale was an enthusiastic man, always cheering people up. He was like Santa Claus, fat and jolly. The only difference was that this guy was bald, fat and ugly. His eyes seemed to pop out of his head, and his face was old and wrinkled. His clean shaven face revealed chubby, wrinkled cheeks that made him look like a frog. He had a large double-chin, which seemed ready to croak at any moment.
"I've called this meeting to update everyone on some important information. This is all classified; you should all know the drill by now. If any word leaks out of this, you'll be tracked down by our telepathic espers and arrested for treason."
Tyrale cleared his throat; his fat neck seemed to ripple with each breath he took. Riddle shifted his eyes from the disgusting blob standing behind the podium. He looked toward Baellis, and kept his eyes on her instead.
Tyrale was rambling about something, but Riddle didn't pay any attention. Instead, he decided to ask the girl a question from his mind.
'So, you must be Baellis, right? What's it like to read a man's thoughts? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that thinks about you. Nice dress, by the way.'
Talking to a pretty girl was infinitely more compelling than listening to Tyrale ramble about crap that no one cared about. But, after a minute or two, Tyrale finally mentioned something of importance.
"The Empire has recently discovered and studied some new Alien Technology. This technology was found in the Veiled Region, outside of our borders. An excavation team found it on a dead planet, buried under tons of rock. This technology dates back to the Cretaceous Period on Earth."
'What? That's incredible!' thought Riddle. 'They actually found Alien technology? Humanity has never encountered Alien technology before!'
The room seemed to gasp in astonishment. This was a first in Human History.
"We're still in the process of studying it, however. It'll take time before we can figure out what we can do with it. Until then, we're going to keep studying it. The military will be equipped with this new technology as soon as it becomes available."
A Colonel raised his hand, asking a question. Tyrale pointed to the man, and allowed him to ask.
"Sir, my name is Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Greensfield. Why is the military going to be equipped to use this technology first?"
"Ah, it's a simple matter of defense, Colonel Greensfield. The Empress has decided to equip us with new Technology in case the Esper Liberation Front or the Clone Survival Union attacks."
Commander Riddle coughed to himself. 'Bullshit' he muttered, under his breath. There was no way in hell those Rebel bastards would try to attack the Empire. What Tyrale was really trying to say, is that the Empress is afraid of the Esper Liberation Front.
"As of now, these rebel organizations haven't made a move yet. We've got some people on the inside observing their every move. The Empire is safe, for now. There's no need to worry, at the moment."
Some clan members sighed in relief, but most of them said nothing. 'Great,' thought Riddle. 'This probably means that I won't have anything to kill for another ten years.'
"Anyway, as soon as the alien technology is harnessed by the Military, the Civilian Market will have access to it. That's why each of the major families are here. Those of you in charge of the market will be responsible for distributing this technology later."
Some clan members shifted in their seats, perhaps anxious about this new business opportunity.
"Speaking of new technology, the Imperial Research Division has begun researching ways of suppressing an Esper's power. If we manage to harness this new research, we'll be able to hunt down rogue Espers and take away their powers."
Riddle shifted in his seat nervously. The thought about losing his powers startled him. If that were to happen, everything that he worked for in the military would be forfeit.
"Anyway, the next order of business is going to get fairly boring. Get your pens out people, time to take some notes."
'Aww, Shit.' thought Riddle. He reached for the pen in his pocket and pulled it out.
Tyrale rambled on for at least five minutes, going into detail about the AI of Shub. He started to explain about their methods of teleportation, and the various ways to block their transportation.
Riddle tried to reach Baellis again with his mind, but she kept ignoring him. Riddle wrote scribbles on his paper, trying to look busy. Jackson, the guy sitting next to him, peered at the Commander's paper and shook his head, chuckling to himself.
Riddle was about to finish the next line of random scribbles, when suddenly, a large crack ripped through the room! The Commander looked up, as the lights in the room began to flicker uncontrollably. Bolts of lightning ripped through the room, and shot through the wooden furniture. Riddle saw one of the guards get hit by the bolt. The guard convulsed in uncontrollable agony, and fell to the floor twitching. He pissed all over himself as he spasmed.
Instinctively, Riddle kicked the table down and laid it on it's side. He pulled out his ancient American handgun, the Colt .45. He ducked for cover behind the table, and looked over at Jackson.
"You okay, kid?"
For some reason, Jackson didn't seemed that phased by the sudden attack. It surprised him, but it was as if he had been in this kind of situation before. Riddle could tell the difference between a frightened kid and a hardened veteran. It was clear that this guy was somewhere between the two.
Riddle peered over the table as soon as the lightning died down. As he looked over the top, he saw a tall metallic figure, standing in front of Tyrale. He had distinct armor plating; the kind that Riddle recognized. Suddenly, it hit him.
"What the fuck? A Handenman!?"
The cyborg glared at Tyrale, and then suddenly threw his metallic fist right into Tyrale's frog-like throat. He ripped open a giant, bloody hole in his throat and tore out his spinal cord. Blood spilled everywhere on the podium, as Tyrale's fat body convulsed and slammed into the floor.
The Handenman gave out a metallic roar, as if it were completely enraged.
"SHUB DEMANDS YOUR SOULS!"
Riddle suddenly shuddered in fear; it wasn't a Handenman! It was a Berserker, made from a Handenman's body.
Riddle flicked the thumb-safety off his gun, and took aim. He fired all eight rounds in his magazine into the Cyborg's spine, trying to paralyze it. The bullets bounced off, and richoeted into the room. One of the guards unloaded his assault rifle into the Cyborg. The bullet pierced through the machine, but did nothing to faze it. The Berserker leaped through the air, and grabbed the guard's head. The machine squeezed its giant hands together, and completely smashed the guard's head into jelly. The guard's helmet made a sickening crunching noise, as it caved in. Riddle heard people screaming in fear, trying to run out of the room. The guards from the outside were trying to run inside to fight the machine, but the crowd of people leaving the room blocked them from entering.
Riddle took cover and reached for another magazine. He dropped his empty magazine, and slapped a fresh mag into his Colt .45. He pulled back on the slide, and loaded the gun.
Riddle threw his arm over the table, and fired five rounds into the machine's head. The Berserker suddenly turned towards him, and roared furiously.
"FUCK YOU, MOTHER FUCKER!" roared Riddle, firing two more rounds into the Machine's face. The rounds bounced off, and ricocheted onto the floor. The Berserker leaped at Riddle, using it's gigantic mass to smash through the table. Jackson rolled out of the way, just in time. Riddle couldn't move out of the way in time, and was slammed against the wall by the machine. The Berserker held Riddle up by his throat, and pushed down on his windpipe. Riddle gagged, and grabbed the machine by its wrist. He suddenly let loose a gigantic burst of electricity, which traveled from his gauntlets and to the machine's arm. The Berserker suddenly released it's grip, unable to control its hand from moving. Riddle dropped to the floor, and landed on his haunches. Riddle then sprang up, and tackeled the eight-foot monstrosity with his shoulder. The Berserker toppled over, and fell on its back. It rolled back up to it's feet, and roared in fury.
Riddle climbed back up to his feet.
"Time to die, you fucking toaster!"
He roared, and sprinted after the Berserker. He utilized his momentum and body weight, and slammed his iron gauntlet across the Handenman's face. The Berserker stumbled, and smashed into a set of tables. The tables split open upon impact, breaking open with a large crack. The Berserker leaped back to his feet, unfazed by the tremendous blow by the Commander. The Berserker suddenly reached for Warmaster Tyrale's fat body, and grabbed his corpse by his foot. He heaved the man's dead body, and flung it at Riddle with all of its might.
Riddle tried to roll out of the way, but Tyrale's corpse met him halfway. His vision suddenly flickered, as he was tackled by an obese corpse traveling at about thirty miles per hour.
Riddle slammed into the floor, dazed and confused. His vision interface tried to correct his dizziness, but it didn't do much. Riddle couldn't breathe; Tyrale's fat body was crushing him. The smell of blood and oozing fat traveled into Riddle's senses, flooding him with putrid anxiety.
He was going to pass out, at this rate... Somebody had to pull Tyrale's body off of him!
He looked around, tried to call for help. He tried to speak, but he couldn't. The wind was knocked out of him. Riddle tried to reach somebody's attention, but he just couldn't. Baellis and Jackson were either running away, or fighting back at the monstrosity. He couldn't see what was going on, at all.
Riddle cursed, as blood and fat oozed all over his goggles. He needed help, and fast.
Allan-Hatai:
Crap. Liana had been enjoying the boredom in people's minds. She'd noticed that the interesting fellow next to Riddle knew what and who she was and wanted to be polite, giving her his name. Very interesting indeed. She'd been ignoring Riddle on purpose, but instantly plucked information on the cyborg from his mind.
Electricity hurt it. She'd been trying to figure out a plan while Riddle attacked it. What was it with men and thinking they were invincible? She'd never understood why they thought they were superior. After all, they'd allowed a woman to totally dominate them for how long? But, he was important, and loathesome as he was, the Empress would be displeased if he were to die while still useful. Why she cared, Liana didn't know. She supposed, as she pulled a huge power cable from the wall with her mind, that it was because old Ironbritches was about the only mother she could remember.
She caught a stray thought from Riddle. "Thor's Hammer!" She spat, throwing out her other hand to shove the body off of him. If he was still alive, she figured the ancient god Thor would forgive her for using his name, since he probably hadn't been mentioned in at least two hundred years. Her attention turned back to the cable. Water. Water conducted electricity.
Deleted User:
Jackson only gave the man a simple look upon his entrance. He wasn't a member of the military, he had no reason to stand and salute. Still, even Lilia's warning about the man's extremely ugly visage couldn't have prepared the young man for what he saw. Even so, he showed no outward signs of being phased, his expression neutral aside from a quirked eyebrow.
Still, he paid attention as the man began to speak, but once it became clear he was just giving a stupid speech, he tuned him out, simply pretending to listen to what he was saying. Only when he got to something vaguely interesting did he automatically tune back in. As the man started speaking about alien technology, Jackson wondered what kind of things they had found that would require military attention first.
If it didn't involve the kinds of weapons that went on ships, then the Laydamen family would have no real reason to be interested besides curiosity. It didn't really matter to Jackson either way, but he took a mental note about it anyway.
Once things got into what was apparently the boring part, Jackson only needed to devote maybe half of his attention to the task. He noted with mild amusement and a soft chuckle Riddle whipping out a pen and writing down illegible scribbles in an attempt to look like he actually cared about what was going on.
And then the attack came.
It was unexpected, but Jackson wasn't overly shocked. If ever one wanted to attack a group of officials, it would be during a big meeting after all. Ducking behind the desk along with Riddle, he peered over the edge of the table to see who the attacker was. Of course, the Commander saw first and shouted out what it was.
Had Jackson been closer, he might have been able to prevent the assailant from striking out at the Warmaster. Of course, that's assuming he was willing to reveal his abilities as an Esper to a bunch of strangers by using his physical abilities. Which he wasn't.
After the 'Hadenman' shouted out, it didn't take Jackson more than a second to realize that it was a Berserker. And with that in mind, he wondered how they might go about attacking this thing. He watched as several guards tried and failed to take it down, losing their lives in the process and then Riddle as he whipped out an antique gun and started firing ineffectually.
When the Berserker tried to attack, Jackson had no problem avoiding it, but he was disappointed to see Riddle collide with it. That is, until he saw him release a powerful spark of electricity and remembered what the man's ability as an Esper was. The following spat between the two was vaguely interesting to watch, until suddenly the Berserker threw the dead Warmaster's corpse onto Riddle, effectively pinning him and slowly suffocating him.
Then the Berserker tried to take advantage of the downed Commander by jumping up. Jackson could immediately see that it planned on landing on top of Tyrale's corpse and further crushing Riddle under their combined weights.
Sighing with exasperation, Jackson leaped into the air on an intercept course and lashed out with one leg. The Berserker apparently hadn't thought he would interrupt and took the kick in the side and was sent veering off course, smashing into the ground and rolling into the far wall. Jackson's kick hadn't been but just powerful enough to change its course, but its weight was enough to bring the wall and a section of the ceiling crashing down on it.
At that moment, Jackson looked over just in time to see something knock Tyrale's corpse off of Riddle and asked, "You still alive, Riddle?" It was a rhetorical question, he could plainly see he was alive and breathing, if barely.
However, he didn't get much time to check on his possible injuries when the Berserker burst back out of the rubble in outrage. Frowning, the Blue Box agent looked to the rogue robot and narrowed his eyes at it. That was when things got a little odd...
The Berserker stopped moving. If it had a face with expression that could be determined by humans, it would have a look of total confusion and disbelief on its face. Because while everyone else just saw it standing there like an iron lump, the Berserker was looking around at an empty room. His gaze would pass right over where one of the other people in the room was, but it couldn't see them.
And since all the noisy people were already gone for the most part, that left Jackson, Riddle and Liana.
Then it got a kick to the face and was knocked flat on its back. Landing on its chest, Jackson didn't even hesitate in sending his foot smashing down on the rogue AI's neck and severing its head from its body with a snap and a brief spark of electricity. He then jumped away from it and landed a safe enough distance to observe. He wanted to make sure it was 'dead...'
Jackson only gave the man a simple look upon his entrance. He wasn't a member of the military, he had no reason to stand and salute. Still, even Lilia's warning about the man's extremely ugly visage couldn't have prepared the young man for what he saw. Even so, he showed no outward signs of being phased, his expression neutral aside from a quirked eyebrow.
Still, he paid attention as the man began to speak, but once it became clear he was just giving a stupid speech, he tuned him out, simply pretending to listen to what he was saying. Only when he got to something vaguely interesting did he automatically tune back in. As the man started speaking about alien technology, Jackson wondered what kind of things they had found that would require military attention first.
If it didn't involve the kinds of weapons that went on ships, then the Laydamen family would have no real reason to be interested besides curiosity. It didn't really matter to Jackson either way, but he took a mental note about it anyway.
Once things got into what was apparently the boring part, Jackson only needed to devote maybe half of his attention to the task. He noted with mild amusement and a soft chuckle Riddle whipping out a pen and writing down illegible scribbles in an attempt to look like he actually cared about what was going on.
And then the attack came.
It was unexpected, but Jackson wasn't overly shocked. If ever one wanted to attack a group of officials, it would be during a big meeting after all. Ducking behind the desk along with Riddle, he peered over the edge of the table to see who the attacker was. Of course, the Commander saw first and shouted out what it was.
Had Jackson been closer, he might have been able to prevent the assailant from striking out at the Warmaster. Of course, that's assuming he was willing to reveal his abilities as an Esper to a bunch of strangers by using his physical abilities. Which he wasn't.
After the 'Hadenman' shouted out, it didn't take Jackson more than a second to realize that it was a Berserker. And with that in mind, he wondered how they might go about attacking this thing. He watched as several guards tried and failed to take it down, losing their lives in the process and then Riddle as he whipped out an antique gun and started firing ineffectually.
When the Berserker tried to attack, Jackson had no problem avoiding it, but he was disappointed to see Riddle collide with it. That is, until he saw him release a powerful spark of electricity and remembered what the man's ability as an Esper was. The following spat between the two was vaguely interesting to watch, until suddenly the Berserker threw the dead Warmaster's corpse onto Riddle, effectively pinning him and slowly suffocating him.
Then the Berserker tried to take advantage of the downed Commander by jumping up. Jackson could immediately see that it planned on landing on top of Tyrale's corpse and further crushing Riddle under their combined weights.
Sighing with exasperation, Jackson leaped into the air on an intercept course and lashed out with one leg. The Berserker apparently hadn't thought he would interrupt and took the kick in the side and was sent veering off course, smashing into the ground and rolling into the far wall. Jackson's kick hadn't been but just powerful enough to change its course, but its weight was enough to bring the wall and a section of the ceiling crashing down on it.
At that moment, Jackson looked over just in time to see something knock Tyrale's corpse off of Riddle and asked, "You still alive, Riddle?" It was a rhetorical question, he could plainly see he was alive and breathing, if barely.
However, he didn't get much time to check on his possible injuries when the Berserker burst back out of the rubble in outrage. Frowning, the Blue Box agent looked to the rogue robot and narrowed his eyes at it. That was when things got a little odd...
The Berserker stopped moving. If it had a face with expression that could be determined by humans, it would have a look of total confusion and disbelief on its face. Because while everyone else just saw it standing there like an iron lump, the Berserker was looking around at an empty room. His gaze would pass right over where one of the other people in the room was, but it couldn't see them.
And since all the noisy people were already gone for the most part, that left Jackson, Riddle and Liana.
Then it got a kick to the face and was knocked flat on its back. Landing on its chest, Jackson didn't even hesitate in sending his foot smashing down on the rogue AI's neck and severing its head from its body with a snap and a brief spark of electricity. He then jumped away from it and landed a safe enough distance to observe. He wanted to make sure it was 'dead...'
Kayl:
Riddle crawled over onto his stomach, as soon as the fat corpse rolled off of his body.
"You still alive, Riddle?" asked Jackson, from across the room.
"Fuck you..." replied the Commander, gasping for breath.
He crawled in a prone position, just as the military had trained him to do, and went under a table. He breathed in deeply, coughing. He smeared the blood off of his visor, and witnessed Jackson as he snapped the Berserker's head off with his foot.
Riddle was amazed, to say the least. He was only 5'4 and he could sever an eight-foot cyborg's head off! What the hell was that all about?
Even with Jackson's amazing attack, the Berserker was still moving. The AI of Shub must've put it's main processor somewhere in it's core! Jackson took a few steps back, recalibrating his strategy.
Riddle crawled toward Baellis. She was focusing on something inside one of the walls. Suddenly, she ripped a hole through the metal plating with her mind. An iron pipe burst through, spraying water into the room. She directed the pipe toward the Berserker, and soaked it.
The girl glanced at Riddle, as he climbed to his feet. Suddenly, Riddle felt her voice inside of his head.
'Kill it!'
Riddle clasped his Iron Gauntlets together. He mentally increased the voltage running throughout his body. His electrical implants began to hum wildly. Static electricity built up around him, popping throughout the air. Baellis' hair was starting to stand up, but she paid no attention to it. She maintained the steady stream of water, and doused the Berserker. Jackson turned toward the two Espers, as he noticed the unnatural amount of static electricity building up.
Riddle charged the ions throughout the air, and concentrated. His blue goggles flickered, as his body filled with electrical energy.
Suddenly, Riddle threw his hands off to his side. Lightning danced from his fingertips, cracking into the air with excitement. Suddenly, an enormous, concentrated bolt of lightning erupted from both of his hands. The lightning traveled to the Beserker in a blink of an eye, ripping through the air like a chasm of pure destruction.
The room flashed bright white, blinding everyone for a split second. The room exploded with the sound of thunder, nearly making everyone deaf.
Riddle's ears rung, as he watched the Berserker convulse uncontrollably. Electricity danced around it's chasis, as water seeped inside of it's main circuitry. The 8 foot monstrosity suddenly slammed into the floor, convulsing as it's circuitry fired off randomly. The wooden furniture caught fire, as electricity sparked around it.
Jackson regrouped with the other two Espers, and watched as the Handenman slowly stopped twitching.
Commander Riddle reached for his pistol, which was laying on the floor nearby. He loaded another magazine, and walked towards the abomination. He fired off all 7 rounds, slowly, into the machine's body.
"Fucking toaster! Stay dead this time!"
Baellis stopped the pipe from flowing. She telekinetically sealed it off by herself. Riddle holstered his pistol, and turned around.
He pointed at Jackson.
"You. You're coming with me, right now."
Jackson tried to hide a look of confusion. What did he want from him?
Riddle then pointed to the girl in the Celtic dress.
"You. I don't know your first name. May I have it? Pretty please?"
Allan-Hatai:
Liana sighed. Well, the thing was dead. Yep, water and electricity had killed it. What she couldn't understand was why she hadn't gotten anything on Jackson being... well, from w hat she'd seen, it looked like an Esper, but there was no sense of it in his mind. In most people, the part of the brain that controls movement also controlled any powers they might have as an Esper, but his only registered normal human behavior. Oh, right, Riddle had asked a question.
"It's Liana." She would curtsy, only she didn't think he deserved it. He was still a perverted lecher. "And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who knows things about ancient times." It made him a little more likable, but only the tiniest bit. Liana did not like being eye candy. She looked around the room and let out a breath. "Oh, dear. Lady Ironbritches is not going to be happy about this." Her eyes instantly widened and she turned away, thinking, Crap! Now she'll know how I think of her!
"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said, heading quickly for the door. She needed to change and report this mess to somebody, then make explanations to the Empress. Hopefully, those two wouldn't say a word about what she'd just said and she could continue to stay alive, for at least another week or so. She really needed to find a way to get out of the Palace. And fast.
Deleted User:
Jackson just made a disappointed 'Tch' sound when the Berserker started moving again and stepped back. Of course the processor wouldn't be in the head, that'd be thinking too much like a human. The AI of SHUB would be more practical in their processing. Of course, he tried to evaluate how he was going to deal with this thing. Even if he had impressive physical abilities, he doubted he'd be able to get at its processor... so would he have to break off each of its limbs until it couldn't move anymore?
His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard a loud sound and turned to see a pipe being ripped out of a wall. He knew immediately it was Liane doing it and made sure he wasn't in the way of the spray of water that ejected from it and collided with the Berserker. A second later, Riddle started powering up the currents in his body.
Knowing what was coming, Jackson clamped his eyes shut and covered his ears a split second before it happened. Even so, he still flinched at the brightness penetrating his eyelids and the roaring thunder, thankful when it faded away again. When he opened his eyes again, there was a distinct whiteness to everything and his ears were still ringing, but he could see the Berserker was finished as it fell over and became inert.
Seeing the situation was dealt with, he moved back over to where the other Espers were and frowned a bit when Riddle told him to go with him. He wasn't one of the Commander's subordinates, nor was he in the military in general. Still, he would defer to the man's experience for now.
When Liane spoke, Jackson glanced at her with a raised brow. He kept his mind blank, but grinned a bit when she turned and quickly departed. Before she was out of the room, he tried to send her a thought, leaving it on the very edge of his mind, You needn't worry, I won't say anything. I don't much like the 'Empress' either.
Facing Riddle again and letting his mind empty after that, he said, "So where are we going 'Commander?'" He said the title with a bit of emphasis, making clear that this willingness to follow his orders was only a temporary deal. He wasn't at all afraid of the man's electrical powers. His reflexes were much higher than humans, he'd be able to avoid the brunt of Riddle's lightning bolts if ever it boiled down to that. Not to mention he could simply lay an illusion over Riddle's eyes and disappear from his presence if he needed to. Organic or mechanical, it didn't matter what kind of 'eyes' they were.
Shani:
After she ran out of andriods, Misha had someone clean the room where she was practicing, and went to clean off. Once she was clean and dressed she was heading down to the meeting, She wore a long black dress. But she became sidetracted. Many of the servants were drinking, partying, and fighting.
She elimanated half of the staff and orderd the rest to clean up the mess of people and the remains of the party they had. The Empress ran into one of the guards and said, "watch them, then punish them however you'd like." She heard a crash down stairs, she decided to go down to it.
All the commotion was coming from the meeting room. Everyone was running and screaming which most of the time she enjoyed, but not during the meetings. Misha saw the flash of light and heard the water running, after that everything went silent, she heard and felt the crash of something heavy.
She also heard the gunshots.She happened to miss all of the conversation the remaining few were having. Then Liana came running out of the room. Hmmm.. she thought.
The Empress walked into the room that was now distroid and saw the two men standing there. " Hmm the one meeting I'm late to something interesting happends," she stated looking around. She saw the Warmaster's body dead on the floor. She also saw the body of the destorid Berserker. " Good day, Commander, good day..." She stopped did she know this gentleman, he seemed rather furmiliar. But she wasn't quite sure.