Fandom Fate Grand Order---The Kerberos Incident

[Dragonruby]

Berserker followed after Peli, silent but for his footfalls, hard leather clacking against the tiled floors, though he doubted it was something Peli had noticed in her panicked flight. He attempted to follow her into her room, but found himself stymied by the door sliding shut in front of his face before he could enter. The Servant simply stood there for a moment, as if at a loss at what to do now before he simply settled on waiting by the doorway with his back against the wall and falling into a stillness that made him seem almost lifeless. Anyone who passed him by would feel his eyes tracking them as the passed, but even that was perhaps an idle paranoia, as his mask gave no indication as to where he was looking and his head remained locked, staring forwards. It was only once Peli came out again did Berserker move once more, turning his head to look at her. "Are you prepared?" He asked simply now that she had changed and the girl who'd passed them by gave them directions for where to go next.

 

[Syvvaris]

Rider glared at the satyr and it seemed he did not want to use words, but his Master did. His glare turned into inquiry when she mentioned changing into something proper. She was wearing gown and it was very close to what the Greeks wear. "Is that not normal garb?" He sighed after she left the room. If she wasn't ready for answers then so be it. He would go and find this person for answers, and he left the room to find the man that was first to leave the room.

 

[MocaPoka]

Emerging from the barracks room, Peli nearly ran into the large back of Berserker. It seemed he was waiting for her. The thought eased her anxious mind a little. The masked Servant certainly gave off an ominous aura; but maybe he was nicer than his looks would lead a person to believe at first.

Smiling up at the Servant, she said softly, “Yes, I am ready Berserker. Thank you.”

She turned at the call of her name. It was Katya; the scientist that had helped wake her up. The woman seemed a little… unnerved? Perhaps it was because of Berserker or one of the other Servants that she had summoned? They did take some getting used to.

“Thank you, Ms. Uvichenko. I would be grateful if you showed me the way.” Peli raised her arms up, showing off Priestess robe’s sleeves. Long pure white fabrics embroidered with soft pink lines and symbols.

“It is much better to be in this. I feel somewhat like myself again. Thank you again for helping me. I hope we can be friends!” Peli said somewhat excitedly. All of this… was hard. She felt alone. The Servants were just too different and too bewildered in their own rights to bond with quickly. She wanted a friend…

CatJones Dragonruby

 

[CatJones]

Katya gave a soft smile at the notion of having another girl to talk to, even if it was only between missions. She had spent so much time alone or with Leone and the Director that she was starting to wonder if she could a real conversation again. They were both direct and rather professional. Leone was the more bearable of the two. The director could talk on for days about his own opinions but would almost never really focus on other peoples input. Unless it helped the mission or was urgent for his own decision making.

She quickly diverted her attention to the two servants who were making themselves rather known. They were on a much different level than Caster but at the same time one of them gave a similar energy. She wasn't a mage, so the whole notion was rather dubious to her. They were supposed to be ancient heroes? But who were they? One an obvious soldier and the other some kind of King. She was momentarily grateful that Peli would have to deal with them rather then her really needing to. Peli seemed to be out of ends as well. Katya dismissed the growing notion of asking if she had seen the ghostly image in the hall.

She couldn't see a reason to give the girl something else to worry about.

“Katya is fine. I'm not a ms, let alone much else. And I'd be happy to be your friend. We appear to be the only girls here so it feels nice having a similar perspective finally.” She bit her tongue to keep herself from mentioning that Peli seemed much more level headed then their male counterparts. “The Directors office is just over here, we shouldn't keep him waiting or we'll never hear the end of it. Excuse me.”

Katya had passed in front of Berserker, trying to not look directly into his gas masked face. He was a little unnerving. He must have been a soldier of some sort, but his uniform seemed like such a mismatch. Maybe it was Lauri Torni under that helmet. He had served in several armies after all. She also passed by the other Servant, looking up at his visage as she offered to guide him as well.

“This way, if you don't mind.” Katya quietly said as she passed by him.



The directors office was still as messy as ever. It was one of the larger rooms, almost twice the size of one of the barracks but seeing as how it was both office and quarters, the size made sense. Entering it, Katya was greeted by the unassuming starts of Leone and Vasily. The office was just short of half of the room, a large partition cutting the room. Vasily sat on the far side of the room at his large desk. Between him and the door was a coffee table that was cluttered with stacks of paper work. Flanking the coffee table were two immaculate ivory leather couches. Leone sat on one side, leaning into the chair.

Katya paused at the door to wait for the others to shuffle in before she would sit down by Leone.


Syvvaris Dragonruby MocaPoka

 

[MocaPoka]

A smile blossomed across Peli’s face. She was incredibly happy to have a friend in such a dower facility and troubling time as this. Just having a single friend made her feel ten times stronger. Katya seemed very competent and intelligent as well. Peli knew she was lucky to even know, let alone be friends with a girl like Katya.

“Yes! It is nice!” Peli nearly squealed in happiness. Her excitement dimmed slightly by the knowledge that Katya must not have had someone with a “similar perspective” in a long time. It must have been difficult being the only girl in such gloomy place.

Peli followed Katya, with Berserker and Rider in tow, and entered the director’s office. The place was a little messier than Peli thought was comfortable, but a lot of the more eccentric mages in the Tower had been the same way. She gingerly made her way into the room and stood politely in a space where her two Servants could both stand by and flank her sides if they wished.

“Hello again, everyone.” Peli greeted, still nervous but more confident than before.

CatJones Dragonruby Syvvaris

 

[Dragonruby]

Berserker watched as Peli spoke to Katya, the two of them seeming to get along rather well, but... He couldn't help but tilt his head, almost imperceptibly. Peli hadn't smiled at him in quite the same way as she had with Katya. The two of them had only just now spoken for the first time, and they were already friends. And the way Katya had looked at him earlier... Had he perhaps intimidated her? The reaction had been similar between his Master and her new friend, so then that meant he scared young girls. That certainly wasn't a very flattering thought. What was it about him that was scary, he wondered. His eyes? His mask? Maybe it was the uniform? These thoughts plagued his mind as he followed along behind them, operating mostly by instinct as he was lost in his own mind.

It took Berserker a moment to realize they'd entered an office, the stern man from earlier sat behind the desk, Vasily. There was a stranger there too, a doctor, or perhaps a scientist it looked like, based off the white coat and the glasses. A learned man. All the accessories required for running an organization laid splayed out on the desk before them, that is to say, piles of paperwork and a source of caffeine. For such a pristine looking office, the mess on the table certainly stood out, and it at least spoke to the fact that Vasily was willing to do some of the work himself. That was good.

Moving to stand beside the doorway, Berserker entered a clean parade rest, before a thought hit him. He should try to be a bit more welcoming if he didn't want to scare his new Master as much, right? So... perhaps he should speak. That'd make him seem more welcoming wouldn't it? A greeting would be good. "Reporting..." The words came out, rumbling from deep inside of him and spoken in countless voices. Yes, that was good. Simple and to the point. Surely he'd be less scary now.

 

[Syvvaris]

Rider roamed around the facility for a couple of minutes before he gave up and went to find his master. They met halfway from where he went and where he wanted to go, he must have made a wrong turn somewhere. Now it didn't matter, he followed Peli, Berserker and one of other women that were in the summoning room into a... throne room? "This is odd."[.b] Rider spoke when he walked in and looked around. The other three people were already sitting down by the time Berserker mustered a word.

"Since when do you sit down before a King?" He asked the three people, unsure what kind of society has devolved into. "A lady also has just entered the room, you will all rise when this happens." He spoke out.

 

[CatJones]

Vasily had made enough headway in his daily report to set it aside and did so just at the right moment. Peli and the majority of her Servants had entered just as he did so. He wasn't surprised that their numbers were already thinned. For one Master to summon so many Servants all at once, it was almost guaranteed that few of them would have a shaky connection and return to the Throne as quickly as they arrived. Still, she had a decent cadre with her and at least one waiting in the summoning room still. And it felt like the connection to the throne was still warm in the bounded field, as if another Servant would arrive soon.

Peli greeted the room warmly, her naive charisma still seemingly present. Katya shuffled in after her and her Servants. The soldier themed Servant seemed uncertain in what capacity he was to play. His body language was both professional soldier and yet there was the slightest break in his facade. His natural concern for his Master breaking through? Vasily nodded at the warrior.

Then came the point of contention. The Greek. Or was he Roman? Vasily wasn't a history major but he knew that skin tone and those clothes. Greek, maybe Macedonian. He obviously thought highly of himself. Leone shared his opinion, looking at the Greek before turning his attention back to the director. This was an official meeting after all. Vasily gave the king a blank stare before continuing his meeting as if nothing had changed in their line up.

“Firstly, log the time as 1537. Secondly, log that Master Peli and her associated Servants are present as well.” Katya had taken a seat next to Leone and pulled a pad of paper and pen from the coffee table and began to write on it, quickly noting what the director said. Vasily eyed the King in the room with his third edict. “Third, that there will be no change in our operational doctrine in regard to manners or command structure, regardless of what is discussed here or who is here. Fourth, log that we are discussing sensitive information.”

“Here comes the hammer.” Leone muttered under his breath, earning him an elbow in the rib from Katya.

“Peli, Servants, welcome to the Operation Command Team for the Kerberos Intuitive. The current and possibly last bastion for humanity. Around 200 days ago, the whole of the world was incinerated. Everything on the surface is gone.” Vasily gave the facts directly, pausing as he did so to let Peli feel whatever she needed to. It was like dropping a hammer, as Leone said, on an unsuspecting passerby. But he couldn't leave them in the dark any longer. They at least deserve to know the threat and weight of what they faced.

Yet Vasily still felt the color drain in his face somewhat. No matter how often the thought crossed his mind, putting it into words always seemed to have a finality to it.

“We're okay because of that bounded field thing. It's keeping the fire from reaching us.” Katya cut in, getting up from her sitting position to move to a counter situated against the wall, pushing aside a small stack of papers and books to reveal a nearly invisible laptop. She continued as she ran a finger across the track pad, the screen booting to life as she did so. The screen had a map of the island nation of Japan on it, along with a scrolling bar of information that ran along the side of the screen.

“We've been detecting weird fluctuation in time and space. The Cheldea facility speculated that we could use spiriton transfer devices to possibly correct these wrinkles and it might reverse the effects.”

“Katya.” Leone spoke up, his hard face fixated on her. Katya turned around to find her colleague and the Director both giving her calm, if not disappointed, stares. Vasily cleared his throat at her. Katya folded her hands in front of herself and lowered her gaze. “Katya, give her a moment to process.”

The room was taken with a unsettled quiet as they gave the girl, and by extension her Servants, a moment to process the information they had presented so far.

MocaPoka Syvvaris BlightGiver xAlter BlightGiver

 

[MocaPoka]

Peli gave a small hop in surprise when Berserker spoke. His voice (or voices) were intimidating and he seemed the type of Servant to rarely speak. Everything about the Servant was strange, dark, and seemingly unknowable. She didn’t understand him and scarcely believed she would ever be able to. The Servant, her role with him, and her own likely lack of ability to ever understand him frightened her.

He clearly was Servant that was strongly influenced by a military or maybe several in some way. Perhaps he was more a concept than just one person? She tried to divine some answer by looking at him. He was standing sharply with his arms behind his back. It looked very professional, and even his “reporting” was simple and professional.

Peli didn’t know much about any military’s culture; however, she did know that most modern ones valued discipline and professionalism. Perhaps she should try and behave more like him? That might create the start of understanding between them both. It would also show to the masked Servant that she could be competent in some ways. All of the Servants likely had little to no respect or confidence in her right now; this might be a way to start building their faith in her.

Happy with her plan; Peli gave a firm (however awkward and high pitched) “Reporting!”

Along with the (now second) greeting she placed her hands behind her back. It was in no way a proper parade rest and gave more of an impression of a young girl trying her hardest to learn basic manners, rather than a woman trying to learn military baring.

Proud of her “achievement” her newly born confidence was destroyed at Rider’s actions. The older Servant complained of a lack of respect. She could understand his affront for the rudeness to himself. He had been a king in the past, he was used to such courtesy. She was more horrified when he complained that a “lady” had entered the room and that they should rise. Her face turned crimson from his complaints for her and she was unable to muster out any words that could counter the old Servant.

She was a Priestess, not a lady. She was one in service. Not one who was serviced. To claim or demand respect from others for herself was nearly sacrilegious. She prayed that Rider would drop the matter. Luckily, the director seemed to take little not of Rider’s complaint and explained the situation they and the world itself was in.

She was horrified.

Peli hadn’t truly had a chance to process what type of disaster would cause Kerberos to wake her up. The world “incinerated” everything “gone.” It was too horrible to even imagine. Millions of people incinerated, the beauty of the world in flames or ashes? Was London gone? Was even her home in the caves of Bahrain gone? Was everyone she had ever known… gone?

Her friends in London, her magus teachers at the Clocktower, her fellow sisters in the Temple, her boyfriend. Had they all died in an apocalyptic fire? Had they been scared? Had they been in pain?

Peli did her best to stay composed and listen to Katya as she spoke of a “fluctuation” in Japan. She tired to focus on the words “reverse the effects” and not “keeping the fire from reaching us.” What was the point of any of this if they were the only ones left? If the world was gone, in ash and fire, what could they possibly do then and would it even be worth it?

With her hands still behind her back, Peli tried to stop them from shaking. She felt tears in her eyes and didn’t think she would be able to keep them contained for much longer.

With a trembling voice she was able to ask, “Is… is there a way to… get everything… everyone back… or is it all… gone?”

 

[BlightGiver]

One would think with the incineration of humanity having happened, and those remaining left baffled and struggling, any Servant would understand the severity of the situation at hand. Even a Berserker would have enough common sense on how to act at this point. Good Ole Caesar Alter, on the other hand, did not. With a world that existed after his death now gone, he had half a mind to be lethargic; just spending his time relaxing and avoiding any more assassination attempts from the shadows. He got what he wanted, without even having to lift a finger to boot.

Unfortunately (or maybe thankfully), his ego reminded him of what this meant for him now. No one would exist to remember him; to remember his legacy, the good things he'd done, and the terrible way he was literally backstabbed by his colleagues and peers. Would the people at Kerberos suffice for maintaining such a daunting task or remembrance? His realization was no, they wouldn't. If anything, they'd either die first or go crazy and terminate him. Begrudgingly, this left him with the only option of playing a hero.

Indubitably, it'd rather benefit the roman dictator; glory, recognition, and love as the one who saved humanity. He could care less about the people themselves at the end of the day, but having his ego satiated would be a personal victory. This is why Caesar Alter stood amongst other Servants, all tasked with a master to investigate what in the world is going on. Sure, they could be forced to kill him with a command spell, or order from their master, but Caesar felt comfortable enough that the situation at hand would dissuade infighting and casualties.

"Salvete, everyone." he gave a Roman greeting, cracking his knuckles and fixing the golden kotinos crown on his head. "I take it this is the entirety of our scouting party?" He inquired, judgingly. With a dissatisfied look on his face, "O bene. I've settled for worse in the military. This paltry crew will have to do." The tone of his voice was either one of frustration or annoyance. "So long as the important people, such as myself, make it in the end, we'll be able to celebrate. So, what's the sitrep?" He asked.

CatJones MocaPoka Syvvaris xAlter

 

[Syvvaris]

What disrespect this man has for manners, respect and tradition! Rider's tanned forehead crinked and burning rage filled his eyes. Yet, he stood still for a moment. He listened to the tale of this man, how all of humanity had been incenerated. How this facility was the last bastion of humanity and how they needed the young mistress and the few servants here to restore everything. Grave the situation was, but in Rider's time, wars were fought over for less.

The golden staff landed on the Directors desk with a hollowed thud, then slid everything off of it towards the director's left. "I understand the heavy words you speak, but manners and traditions must be respected." Rider's voice was stern and calm, mismatched of how his face looked. "The Trojan war was fought over a woman. A single woman. Thousands died because someone decided to disrespect another, and for the most part, the person who disrespected and the one who was disrespected barely fought in the war. It was their subordinates, their charges, their own people who died. This mess that I've made because you decided to disrespect me and the young mistress here. I will not clean this mess up, and you being the king, director, person in charge of this land will not either. You'll have one of your charges clean it up. Someone else is going to pay the price for your transgression."

Rider paused for a moment to catch his breath, "It would only take a few seconds of your day to stand up when other royalty enters and when a woman enters and leaves the room." He was finished with his speech, when another man came into the room. He greeted them in a language. that sounded familiar but foreign at the same time. This man wore a crown and had the feeling of being very similar to himself, he must be a servant and a king. "Another king has entered the room, stand up or the rest of the items on your desk fall onto the floor."

CatJones BlightGiver Dragonruby MocaPoka

 

[Dragonruby]

Berserker remained impassive at the news of the world's demise, not even twitching at news that would otherwise send others into shock. It didn't seem to register to him even, but the truth was different. He did recognize the severity of the situation and its implications, but that's all he simply did before moving on. His thoughts shifted to what could be done for it, before realizing that by himself, he could do nothing, before he simply accepted it, looking towards the assembled men and women for further responses. After all, they had been summoned, and the summoning of multiple Servants was not likely without due cause. There was a plan of action, and if one was lacking, they would come up with one. Orders would follow, and Berserker would see them through, such was his nature. His thoughts were only vindicated when a possible solution was offered by the young woman, Katya, and Berserker gave a slow nod in response.

His calm facade was broken, however, with the interruption of another Servant dressed in reds and gold, the slightest of sighs escaping from beneath his mask, not at his actions or behavior, but simply for cutting in when there was important discussion to be had. There was a problem to be fixed, a crisis to contain. More help was appreciated, but interruption to progress was not.

And then there was also Rider, the proud King. He seemed to insist on forcing matters of courtesy while being brazenly discourteous himself. As if making simply shouting louder and making a mess of things would prove his point. Now, instead of addressing important matters at hand, he was challenging Vasily to a contest of ego and will. The kind in which, win or lose, both would simply walk away even more vindicated by their beliefs and nothing would be accomplished. Berserker could only stare at the mess at the floor sadly for a moment, wondering who would be left to clean that up. And Rider had the gall to make demands about cleaning up other people's messes. Berserker glanced briefly towards Peli, watching her nervousness and unease before he spoke, breaking his posture.

"Enough. The Master cares not. We have our duty." Berserker said aloud to Rider, his thousand voices grating upon human ears like sandpaper. "If you will not act, then I will. If you wish to leave, then you are dismissed."

 

[CatJones]

Vasily wasn't surprised by the influx of emotions by those around him. Peli was scared. This Rider Class Servant was angry. Berserker seemed to agree with his own calm nature rather than any emotional one. None of this was uncommon, not to someone who was adjusted to dealing with the constant strain of leading others through such a dark time. The fall of the USSR had been a turbulent time as well and he would survive this just as he had that. He nodded his head to Katya to keep speaking on his behalf. She had an inkling of what was happening and would allow her to convoy it for the time being. He was dealing with an irate spirit, after all.

“You've said enough without saying anything.” Vasily leaned back in his chair, eyeing the newly made mess that Rider had made. A pang of guilt ran through him like a winters storm, his blood feeling like ice in his veins. The death certificates of the security officers who died during securities failed coup were in the pile. He might have been the one who led to their rebellion, but he had little want to disrespect the dead. He continued his conversation with the Servant as he ranted a great deal about the effects of decisions.

He stood as the Roman Emperor entered, never taking his eyes off Rider. He sat down only a moment after and brought a hand up to summon his own Servant. With a light glow, Caster reappeared. Though he took on a disguise this time around. He was a slightly muscular man with brown curly hair, a long braided beard, gold eyes and a soft smile. He wore high quality robes of dark browns and auburn reds, a golden European crown circlet, and sandals. He looked at Rider with a thin smile.

"Clean this mess." Vasily plainly ordered. The mirror image of Rider paled, doubling over.

"I cannot, my lord. I am weak of mind and pitiful of soul. I could scarcely lift this paper with my feeble hands. Perhaps if you would give me some gold, I would suddenly perk up and be able to. Otherwise, I must refrain from anything more challenging then breathing. Even thinking makes my mind ache."

Vasily didn't flinch or smile, keeping his eyes locked on Rider. He briefly glanced at what was left of his paperwork, casually lifting his eyebrows as if to dare him to knock them over. "After all, I should have one of my charges clean it up."



Katya incidentally stepped between Rider, Vasily and the rest of the group. She paused temporarily as the Roman Emperor entered. She wasn't sure that she was the most qualified person to do a briefing but the director had told her to continue. She had the basics down anyway. She cleared her throat to try and avoid the conversation happening behind her.


“I know this is all very sudden, but we have approached every avenue for a solution in regard to this event. Our sister foundation, Chaldea, came up with a possibly way to send Masters and their Servants into different time periods to stop the eroding of humanity. As far as we can tell, these events, singularities, are caused by someone or something interacting with human history in a way that causes humanity to become extinct sooner then anticipated. They spent a great amount of time and effort to create a 'spiriton transfer device'. However, only the Chaldea Organization can see these tremors in time. What we're picking up is something else, something that is eroding humanities connection to the Throne of Heroes.” Katya paused for a breath, letting Leone take over.

Leone seemed far less then pleased by how the material was being handled, but only in regard to the fact that it was being handled with such reckless understanding.

“With each passing day, mankind is further cut off from the root. The true destruction of the object you refer to as the Holy Grail has to be their goal. The Gate used to reach the Root and allow the Servants you summon to enter the world. We have a copy of it being used as the means to ensure the bounded field doesn't fail and so you could summon Servants in the first place, though its importance means only the Director knows wheres its kept. In any case, an outside force is attempting to destroy it completely. We don't know how or why. Only that they are.”

“And that's where you and we come in. We're going to use the spiriton transfer device to send you to the issue location to deal with it. We non-mages will remain here to provide support in whatever capacity we can. We don't know what you'll face, or how dangerous it will be, we're sending you in almost blind.” Katya cut back in. She was nearly sweating bullets, fidgeting a little as she spoke again.

“So, if you want to help, we would really appreciate it but if you want to say no, we can put you back into cryo-sleep and wake someone else up. But, um, please say yes. We looked over every mages files and we think you have the best chance to succeed.”

Leone looked away, now far more interested in what Vasily and the Servants were going to do. Vasily had a way of pushing people buttons and he was certainly doing everything in his power to do so now. Katya gave a nervous smile as she looked at Berserker, Saber and Peli. She felt like she was asking the world of them with almost nothing to give in return.

BlightGiver MocaPoka Syvvaris Dragonruby

 

[MocaPoka]

Peli turned in surprise at a new feeling. A new mana connection had been formed with a Servant. The new Servant, a male from Rome judging by his words and attire gave a greeting, assessment, and question to the group. Peli could only summarize that this Servant was a military commander or past Emperor of Rome. She could only hope if he was an Emperor that he wasn’t as insistent on past courtesies as her other old ruler of the past was.

Speaking of, her Rider’s situation was not improving. He was only growing more incensed, knocking the Director’s papers from his desk and continuing to threaten him. Peli felt a rare spark of anger at her Servant’s actions and childish behavior. He had just heard that the world had ended, and this is what he cared about? Her outrage and boldness grew when Berserker spoke; voicing her thoughts in his own numerous voices that she now appreciated for its harshness.

‘Rider. Stop.’ Peli ordered. Her voice an octave louder than it normally was and devoid of its usual inherent meekness.

Peli’s building anger was momentarily suspended when… Caster? The Native Servant appeared although he looked like Rider. He still felt like himself, however. She was dumbfounded at his apparent disguise until he began acting. It was clear this was intended to mock Rider. Peli would have never even conceived that the Director could do something so childish or vindictive.

“That is not appropriate or needed!” Peli very nearly yelled at the Director and Caster. The young woman couldn’t remember the last time she was this angry. They should be focusing on the literal end of the world and not this spiteful nonsense!

“Rider! Stand by Berserker and do nothing else or I’ll use a Command Seal!” Peli ordered, before storming over to the knocked over papers.

“Caster. Stop.” She ordered again; aware that she had little right to command another’s Servant, but unable to word her request more civilly in her moment of anger.

She did her best to focus on Katya’s words as she picked up and placed the papers back on the Director’s desk. They seemed to be dossiers of people. Old staff maybe? Regardless after she was finished cleaning up, she looked into the Director’s eyes; her original opinion of the man shifting.

Turning back to Katya she said, “I will do whatever I can to help. If this is where my fate has brought me, I will do my best to fulfill it.”

BlightGiver CatJones Dragonruby Syvvaris

 

[Syvvaris]

Peli's words fell onto deaf ears and he leaned towards Director Vasily, "At least you are learning." Rider whispered. Pleased only for a moment until the Director summoned his satyr in the disguise of Rider. For a moment there was insult, "I see. Even your satyr is trying to be a better person." He commented with a small smirk before Vasily's assistant walked in between the two warring men.

Katya wasn't enough to direct his attention from Vasily, but his Master took his attention whent she went to pick up the papers he had pushed off the desk. It was sad that this girl knew nothing about courtesy, and didn't think much of herself by the way she acted. He stood in front of Katya while his Master pledged her support for the problem at hand.

Rider turned around and walked towards Berserker, not necessarily because he heard what Peli told him but because there were too many people between him and Vasily. "There is nothing to act upon right now, soldier." He commented at Berserker.

 

[CatJones]

Vasily gave a smirk of his own, watching as proud man thought he was clever enough to get the last word. Vasily was already a few steps ahead of him. He shifted as Peli had moved to clean up the mess her Servant had made, waving a hand to dismiss his own Servant. Caster obliged, more out of the boredom that Rider had backed down so easily then any command and was gone in an instant, a light golden sparkle taking his place.

“Thank you, Peli.” He said quietly as their eyes met. “I apologize for becoming so upset, but one of these is important to me. It's the only picture I have of him here.” He leafed through the papers on his desk, finding one and pulling it out of the pile. “He was like a son to me. He was the former head of security. He lost his nerve however and became rather...”

He trailed off for a moment before he stole a brief glance at Rider.

“...Seditious.” He placed the paper up for her to see the man in the photo.

Katya moved quietly to stand next to Peli, looking down at the picture on the desk. Her brevity momentarily broken at the sight. Her thin lips twisting into a frown only for herself to force them back into a false blankness. Yet, they refused to stay that way, twisting back into a frown. She was obviously distracted, but did her best to quickly regain her composure once the director began to speak again.

“In any matter, Katya and Leone have done a grand job of explaining the situation. As it stands though, we have very little information on what you'll encounter once you're transported there. The utmost caution must be used in such a situation, but I'm certain this team will manage. Is it safe to assume that you and your Servants would be ready for this mission? If any of you have questions regarding our mission, and nothing else,” again another look at Rider, “Then now would be a good time to ask. And for the late comer, we can fill you in now or as we head over to the operations room, your choice.”
The last part was obviously directed at Saber.

The photo on the desk

 

[Dragonruby]

Berserker's eyes narrowed at Vasily's response to Rider's tantrum, and he found his respect for the man drop. The man was only making the situation worse, and dragging in yet another person into the argument. He didn't know, nor particularly care, about Caster's thoughts on being made to play a mockery of Rider, but either way it was simply escalation and forcing someone else into their problem. This was not how a leader of men was supposed to act, no matter one's feelings on the matter.

A sound escaped from Berserker's lips, low and menacing. Perhaps it was a sigh, but the nature of his voice made it sound much more like a growl. The egos in this room were growing much too large for comfort, and he simply wanted to move onto something productive. Ignoring Rider's comment, he directed his attention towards Peli now. As his Master, she was the only one who he would take orders from. "Just tell us who to kill..." He stated simply.

 

[MocaPoka]

Peli breathed a sigh of relief as Rider backed down and went to Berserk’s side. Although from his words, attitude and demeaner; he did so with little sincerity. Still, Peli was simply thankful the situation hadn’t escalated. She could think of little worse than infighting in this situation. She could understand differences in culture and beliefs being the cause for contention; however, she had no sympathy for outright hostile one-upmanship between two Servants or worst between a Servant and a living person.

With Rider no longer outright antagonistic, Peli turned her gaze back to the director. She nodded demurely to his apology; however, his tone and words scared her.

“Sedition?” Peli questioned nervously.

Was the director implying that he had… done something terrible to someone that he had felt was like a son to him? Surely not. The man was probably just let go of his position or transferred. The man had been the former head of security as well? What could have happened to the head of security for him to lose his nerve?

Looking at the picture the director showed; she felt a growing sense of apprehension at the older man before her. She wanted to ask more questions; what exactly had happened to the man in the picture, what where all those papers, who exactly was the director and why was he almost seeming to threaten Rider? Peli however, was too meek and fearful to ask such blatant questions with possible frightful answers. In truth she wanted nothing to do with this antagonism between allies; there was so much more at stake than whatever internal problems the director seemed to be having with his staff.

So, the Priestess only nodded her head and spoke submissively in answer.

“Yes… we are ready.” She glanced at her Servants and hopped that she had spoken the truth. “We should leave as soon as we can. We can’t leave the world as it is for any longer than can be helped.”

It would be better to leave the facility as well. Focusing on the common goal and mission would help ease the lingering tension and maybe get everyone to work and communicate better. So far (to her great surprise) Berserker was proving to be the most reliable. She gave a small smile and nod to the soldier at his words.

Never would she have ever believed until now, that hearing a dreadful voice(s) tell her “who to kill” would bring her comfort.

 

[BlightGiver]

Saber was all too jubilant to find another emperor in their midst, in the very boisterous Rider. Finally, another servant who would know what it's like to do what's best for their people and territory. Making their influence reach into every crack and every crevice of every stone, so that subjects will look up at their ruler and cheer for the golden ages consistently provided by him. 'He'd also be familiar with assassination attempts, too. A very valuable acquaintance indeed.' He silently surmised, stroking his chin. With their benefactor, Vasily, giving a rundown of the situation and responding to Rider's outburst, Saber couldn't help but smile. "Your foresight is spot on, Rider." He spoke. "Royalty such as yourself has much to govern; traditions are the foundation of an empire after all. If they are forsaken, it starts to crumble. I know that all too well."

Caster then appeared by Vasily's side, displaying his morphing capabilities; even mockingly becoming a copy of Rider. "Better not see you become a fat version of me." Saber stated, glaring at Caster, clenching his fist. Yet, he maintained a non-threatening tone, so as not to scare away this poor Servant just doing his job. So Saber pondered, 'These copying abilities would serve wonders; he could die in my place if it all goes downhill.' It was then Vasily asked Saber if he had any questions regarding the status of their mission. "Nihil a me." He responded. "Just saving me from a second death, yes? That's all I need to hear to get involved; don't read into it too much, however."

Not bothering to listen to what Saber would consider a sob story about someone Vasily knew, he gave Rider a pat on the back as he stepped over to meet his new Master. "Ah, dominus, a pleasure to make your acquaintance...relatively speaking.' He spoke with the flair of a disinterested emperor. "Must be a real kick in the face having to guide all of us summoned here. Hey, if you ever need someone to take the reins in this operation, I'm the perfect dictator for you!" The look of Berserker in his peripheral vision sparked a mental note in Saber's head. 'So this one can think? That's a minor relief.'

Shifting thoughts back to his master, Saber straightened out his kotinos to look more proper. "We must also discuss a few terms in the future, dominus. Particularly on those nifty little command spells of yours, and what I will not stand to be commanded to do." Cheerfully smiling with closed eyes, Saber nodded his head. "But, we can just make a little mental note of that for now, and file it away for later, bene? Let's get to work."

CatJones MocaPoka Dragonruby Syvvaris

 

[CatJones]

Vasily ignored the obvious shots at his position as director. What could a Servant do that he couldn't? They had no loyalty from the staff nor did they deserve any respect with their current attitudes. He wasn't sure how Katya felt about them, but he knew that Leone would have a similar opinion of them. Then again, Leone was more concerned with his own tinkering then with the politics of the facility. Either way, security wouldn't listen to them if they staged a coup and security already had the order to 'flood' the facility if it were to fall to seditious forces. It wasn't his hubris that made the plan necessary. It was simply a cautious evil.


He stood from his seat, nodding to Katya, who had finally pulled herself together again. Her obvious lingering feelings towards Eibern, the previous head of Security, were slowing her down. Yet she met his face and nodded back, turning around and quickly leaving. She did slow down and give Peli a smile. For the first time in ages, Katya felt like maybe they had a fighting chance at protecting the future of their entire species. She left the room as Vasily attempted to begin to herd the crowd to the operations center on the opposite side of the facilty.


“Good. Very good. We can start to make our way to Operations to start the process of sending you into the mission proper.” He moved into the doorway following Katya, attempting to lead the way. It was a short walk since the facility was so tightly built. From his office he turned right, walked to the end of the hall back towards Cryo and hung a right at the end of the hall, leading to the Operations Room. Operations was the most packed room in the facility aside from Cryo.


Along the left wall were two elevators, the closer one taped off with red danger tape. A sign attached to it reminding staff that the surface was off limits and that only Vasily could presently operate the lift. The other had no such tape, a low rumble from its closed door indicating it was in use. A large white placard next to it proclaimed it lead to the facilities nuclear power source. Katya must have gone down the elevator. On the far side of the room were the aforementioned Spiriton Transfer Devices. They were round tubes, each one two meters tall with sliding steel doors. Each was numbered, up to eight.


Finally, along the right wall was a series of terminals and desks, all currently without staff. Vasily stepped behind a more central desk, flipping a few switches and quickly typing in a few command prompts. The transfer devices flickered to life in rapid succession, each one letting out a quiet hum. To every magical sensitive person in the room they were like a vortex of mana. It was like they were sucking it in and dispersing it somewhere else. Somewhere far away.


“This marks the first mission of the Kerberos Preservation Organization. Master Peli and three Servants will deploy to Japan, in the region of Shinano, year 1575. Aside from the location and time period, we have little other information to go on. We know that there is something hostile on the other side but when and where it will engage you is a large unknown. Handling mission information will be myself, Leone and Katya. We'll be taking shifts to assist you. I'll be taking first watch. For now, this operation is being called Gatecrasher. When you're ready, please step into a transfer device. And don't worry, we have a direct communication line with you thanks to our command panels here. I'll contact you as soon as you're on the other side.”


Vasily reached down and pressed a button, each of the eight tubes opening in unison. Vasily looked at the tubes, feeling what he assumed was the same level of dread that those assembled in the room were. He knew the technology was safe from the reports given by Chaldea but he was still sending them into an unknown time in history. They had no real knowledge as to what was happening on the other side other then it was causing the Grail to become more and more isolated from the Throne of Heroes and the Root.

BlightGiver Syvvaris Dragonruby MocaPoka

 

[Syvvaris]

Rider kept a face of stone at the confession of sedition by Director Vasily. The Director already had people go against him in a revolt, and Rider hoped that those left were the loyal ones. Otherwise, this facility and their mission is doomed. If only he would adhere to customs, curtesies and pleasantries and maybe people wouldn't have revolted against him. His train of thought was derailed when the other King talked; reaffirming Rider's view and then going off on royal nonsense.

There were no words for Rider to say before or during the small trip through the facility. He just took in the information of their "mission" as they walked. Even when they entered the room where eight tubes opened, their transport to a relatively unknown space and time to a region called Shinano in a country called Japan. He would wait until someone else went first.

CatJones BlightGiver Dragonruby MocaPoka

 

[MocaPoka]

Peli turned her attention to her newest Servant. The Saber class Servant was in agreement with Rider’s actions. She was conflicted with the man’s encouragement for the other ancient ruler. On one hand it was nice that at least two of her Servants might get along; however, it was hard for her to understand the apparent agreement that the two had formed. She felt that it, in part, must be her own failure and lack of knowledge.

Peli shifted nervously as the Roman Servant spoke to her. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be fully against her role as the Master. He however, obviously, was more than willing to be the one in control. Without fully understand the Servant, she was hesitant in giving up what little “control” she did maintain. Still… a part of her wanted to give up the leadership and responsibility that had been given to her. What would be worst? A competent Dictator, or an incompetent girl fumbling at the reigns of leadership?

“I-It’s a pleasure as well, Saber. When a moment arrives, we can discuss the Command Seals.” Peli said to the taller man. She was reminded of how important the Command Seals were again. They would be the things that kept the Servants under control. She couldn’t be hesitant to use them if she felt the situation was necessary, even if the Servants may hate her afterword for violating their freedom.

With a thousand worries bounding inside her head; Peli followed the group to the Operations Room. Looking around curiously at the advance machines, equipment, and feeling the flowing mana; Peli felt she was again, ridiculously underqualified. So much time, effort, and money likely went into all of this; for her to be a part of all this… she hoped everything wouldn’t be wasted because of some mistake she might make or her lack of experience causing some disaster.

As the mission details and location were read aloud, and the tubes raised; Peli gathered what little courage she had and quickly stepped inside the transportation machine before her courage was spent.

“I… am ready.”

 

[Dragonruby]

Berserker simply followed along, having seemingly receded back into his own thoughts for the time being. The little spat between his ostensible allies had been both tiring and annoying, and he found himself wondering if this new Saber would be the same way. He wondered if, soon, the combined weight of all their egos would become suffocating, maybe in a rather literal way as well. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips at his own little joke to himself. That'd be one hell of a way for mankind to go. Swallowed up simply because they couldn't play nice with each other for five minutes.

He was pulled from his shell as they found their way to their destination. Looking around at all the machinery with the hum of electronics in the air, Berserker could only guess at the functions of the equipment around them, and so he didn't. They were given instructions, and to wonder about such things had no bearing on their current task. He would be prepared to fight and protect his Master, and ultimately bring the world back from the brink of destruction if they could, though he was still unsure as to how exactly they were going to be doing that, time travel aside. He stood nearby, waiting to see if Peli climbed into one of the tubes herself, and only then did he enter one as well.

Berserker found himself reaching out across the telepathic link he had with Peli, and speaking to her. His voice reverberated through her mind. "Be brave... We will not fail..."