Roleplay Area

[Raptordude115]

Adalia simply nods before ending the call. She sets down her data pad and folds her hands underneath her chin.


Alrize seems to be doing better than I thought...and the better she is...the better of a chance we'll have of capturing and executing Ren...


Adalia simply chuckles sinisterly as she sits at her desk.

 

[PercyJacks]

Alrize signed off and took the now-heated dinner out of the microwave. She opened it up and smelled the aroma of tomato and basil. 


This smells like spaghetti. Why is it so square shaped? And why is it spelled…la…sag…na…? Oh well. I need to get used to Earth food.


She cut off a piece with a plastic fork and knife and stuck it in her mouth


…


…


…this tastes exactly like spaghetti. 


Alrize switched on the TV after briefly looking through the operation manual and watched while eating.


I wonder how the Space Force is handling media coverage of that battle…


However, rather than a news channel, the TV was set to an anime entertainment channel.


What is this? It seems to be a cartoon of some sort. Right, I should learn about Earth culture as well while I'm here, it will help me blend in.


She ended up watching it for several hours unintentionally.

 

[Ishi123]

The next day, after having wolfed down a huge breakfast, Ren went back to the Space Force base, making the distance over to the hangar where Tsukuyomi was. Before he could get there, though, he was stopped by Leo.


"Hey, Ren!" He called, jogging up to him.


"What's up?" Ren asked.


"There's someone I'd like you to meet, actually." Leo said, smiling. "C'mon, he's with Jehuty right now."


"Who is it?"


"You'll see."


Leo led Ren over to Jehuty's hangar, opening the door and letting him inside. Up at Jehuty's cockpit was a single man at the controls, seemingly going over systems on the frame with ADA.


"Hey, Dingo!" Leo called up, pulling the man's attention from his work to peek over the cockpit down at the two.


"Hey, Leo!" The man responded. "That the guy?"


"This is him." Leo replied, the man nodding and jumping out of the cockpit onto the elevator and taking him down.


The man stepped off once on the ground and walked over to the two. He was tall... taller than average, at least, with slightly dark skin and white hair, wearing a Space Force pilot uniform that was black and white with a purple vest.


"Ren, this is Dingo Egret." Leo said. "He's the runner of Jehuty."


"The one who beat Nohman." Ren said.


"Well, my reputation precedes me." Dingo said, offering a hand, which Ren takes. "So does yours, actually."


"Yeah?" Ren asked, letting go of Dingo's hand after the handshake. "How much?"


"Not too well known to the public, but to the Space Force you've caused quite a stir." He said. "The first run-in you had with them wasn't the best first impression, especially since Rowan dropped the ball."


"Rowan..." Ren said, trying to remember the name.


"The runner you met back near Jupiter." He said. "Man, the higher-ups let him have it after that... surprised they didn't court martial the kid."


"He didn't get into too much trouble, did he...?" Ren asked, feeling a bit guilty.


"Ah, don't worry about it. A demotion isn't really going to put a dent in his piloting skills. It'll only temper his meddle next time something like that comes up."


"Well... Dingo here actually wanted to check out Tsukuyomi with you." Leo said. "He just got back from his time off with his wife."


"Yeah... and my kid." Dingo says, sighing. "The thing is a damn tornado, I swear... we can't keep the house clean or quiet for more than 5 minutes..."


"C'mon." Leo said, chuckling as he walked out of the hangar, Ren and Dingo following to the other.


The group entered Tsukuyomi's hangar, and Dingo whistled upon seeing the frame.


"Well, now." He said, putting a hand to his chin and the other to his elbow. "Neo BAHRAM's packing some serious hardware now, huh? Jehuty almost looks ancient compared to this."


"It's the most advanced machine ever built." Ren said, a little bit of pride in his voice. "Well... one of the two."


"Mind if I check out the cockpit?" Dingo asks.


"Well..." Ren said.


"Don't worry, I already told him." Leo said. "You can start the thing, but I don't think it'd mind if anyone else watched."


"Ah... sure." Ren said, going over to the elevator with Dingo. The two took it up and Ren hopped into the cockpit, starting up the frame.


"Ah... Ren." ARAI said. "Who's this?"


"This is, uh..." Ren gestured to Dingo.


"Dingo Egret." Dingo said, introducing himself to the AI.


"Hell, Mr. Egret." She said. "I am the battle AI of this Orbital Frame. A.R.A.I.. Pleased to meet you."


"Yeesh... why aren't you that formal with me?" Ren wondered aloud.


"This all looks pretty high-tech..." Dingo said, looking at the console and all the systems. "I can hardly make heads or tails of it. It's nothing like Jehuty."


"Compared to earlier frames, Tsukuyomi is much more sophisticated." ARAI said.


"The AI sounds a lot more convincing, too." Dingo remarked. "Sounds like it actually has a personality... uh, don't tell ADA I said that."


Dingo looked over and pointed to Leo, who was still on the ground.


"Don't tell her." He said, to which Leo simply chuckled.


"So... you helped design this frame?" Dingo asked Ren.


"Yeah..." Ren said. "I did a lot of the work on it back at Neo BAHRAM."


"Pretty impressive... you're as natural as Leo is. You know... I wouldn't mind seeing this thing in action."


"Yeah?"


"How about a little match?" Dingo suggests. "You and I? You and this frame against me and Jehuty."


"Uh..." Ren said, a bit nervous. "Well..."


"Are you scared, Ren?" ARAI asked.


"I'm not!" Ren quickly retorted. "Just... I don't think I'd be able to compare to an actual runner."


"Come on, do it!" Leo shouted from the ground. "Besides, it'd be good for everyone if we saw what Tsukuyomi was capable of!"


"Exactly!" Dingo said, smiling. "C'mon, what do you say?"


"Uhh..."


He didn't really have a choice, did he?

 

[Raptordude115]

With a groan, Zack wakes up groggily. His arms move lazily as he sits up. He uses his right hand to scratch the back of his head as he looks over at his clock. He rubs his eyes as he stumbles to his feet, still feeling somewhat tired. Zack found it difficult to fall asleep last night, yet he could not figure out why.


Ugh...was just one of them nights, Zack...hmm...


Zack shakes his head before putting on his casual clothing and exiting his quarters. He aimlessly walks down the hallways, wondering what to do today.

 

[PyroHunter16]

Rowan awoke in his quarters a few days after shopping with Raven. He was all by himself, until a knock on the door was heard. Lazily, he got up and answered.


"Can I help you?"


"The higher-ups have requested you spectate an Orbital Frame combat match. I've been ordered to deliver the VR gear to you for you to observe at a safe distant. The two combatants are currently preparing their frames for combat, so you can say a few things before the match starts." A delivery man held a box out to Rowan, who accepted.


"That's all?"


"Yes sir. When the match is done, I'll be sent to collect the gear from you."


"Got it." Rowan took the box from the man and closed the door as he left. After opening the box and setting up the gear, Rowan initiated the transmission and was immediately given a black space with two screens. One screen showed Tsukuyomi and Ren while the other displayed Dingo and Jehuty. Rowan used the interface to access Ren's screen and was given a full view of what Ren was doing. A button press activated the microphone, which played a preceding noise to get Ren's attention.


"It's been a while since we talked, Silber. How are things?"

 

[PercyJacks]

Alrize opened her eyes slowly as her consciousness was beginning to wake up. She saw the television in front of her, currently displaying, "Season 4 completed. Replay?"


Oh, season 4, I see…


Wait, I only remember seeing up till the 4th episode of Season 2. And weren't you supposed to only watch through half of the first season?!


She saw the sun high in the sky outside her window.


What time is it?!


She found her phone, which read "10:34".


10…34?


…


…


This is bad.


Alrize jumped off the couch and sprinted through her apartment, frantically trying to perform her early morning hygiene practices as quickly as possible so she could get back to work. 


What the hell were you doing?! You know you were supposed to go to bed early so you set a good sleeping schedule for this new Earth timezone, but apparently you decided to binge watch whatever this damn anime thing is. Now you're late, Ren's probably already left, and there's no way for you to make any progress on your mission today.


Alrize silently raged at herself as she put on some new clothes.


No, you know what? I'll find a way. Or make one, if I have to. I need to find out more about the traitor, no matter what it takes.

 

[Ishi123]

Ren, now fully immersed in the VR simulation, looked over to his comms, recognizing the voice on the other end.


"Uh... Rowan?" He asked. "That you?"

 

[PyroHunter16]

"Yep. Lucky for me, I got temporarily demoted and they're telling me to spectate your match. So, Silber. You're going against Jehuty and Dingo? He's the best runner we got, with the best frame we currently have, aside from Tsukuyomi. Good luck, or rather, try not to mess up Jehuty too badly." Rowan reclined in his chair as he waited for the match to start.

 

[Ishi123]

"It's VR, so it'll probably be fine." Ren said, sighing. "And if anyone's gonna get messed up, it's probably gonna be me..."


"Don't worry, Ren." Dingo said. "I'll go easy on you."


"Gee, thanks."

 

[PyroHunter16]

"Well, knowing the combat parameters of Tsukuyomi and Jehuty, and comparing their pilots. I'd say you two are relatively even, but I'd give the edge to Tsukuyomi, with that berserker-mode I heard about. Regardless, try not to die, either of you."

 

[Ishi123]

"That... what?" Ren asked, not knowing what Rowan was talking about.


"Think fast, Silber!" Dingo said, immediately launching a storm of lasers at Ren.


Ren gasps and quickly moves out of the way, circling around and shooting his own volley of lasers at Dingo, who puts up an energy shield to block them.


"Cheap shot." Ren commented.


"No such thing as a cheap shot in a battle, kid." Dingo says. "Come on, let's see what you got!"


"Don't got much." Ren said, sighing and readying himself.

 

[Ishi123]

Dingo immediately fired another volley of homing lasers. Ren boosted out of the way easily enough. As inexperienced as he was, Tsukuyomi was superior to Jehuty in almost every regard, so Ren was hoping that would compensate for his lack of skill... though he wasn't entirely sure that would work. He'd have to be careful. Ren retaliated with homing lasers of his own, Jehuty blocking the shots before calling forth homing missiles to send his way.


Ren quickly moved to evade the missiles, shooting powerful shots towards Dingo, who began to strafe around him. Ren followed and began to circle around the other way, keeping distance and judging his opponent.


He's going easy on me... Ren thought to himself as he circled around, Jehuty's menacing stare never losing him.


"Ren." ARAI said. "You won't be able to get the advantage unless you take it."


"I know that." Ren said, clutching the controls.


Dingo then suddenly shot forward towards him, closing the distance quickly between the two and taking Ren by surprise. Ren is able to jump over a horizontal slash from Jehuty's blade and position himself above his opponent, twisting his frame around and delivering a strong kick with its right leg, hitting Jehuty in the side and pushing it back, but not doing much in terms of damage. Dingo didn't take more than a second to recover before he came back at Ren, forcing him to dodge and weave around his flurry of strikes. Ren was able to keep pace, however, as Tsukuyomi's speed performance far outmatched that of Jehuty. Ren twisted and turned the frame at all angles in order to avoid Dingo's strikes, avoiding most but blocking others.


"Impressive..." Dingo says over comms, suddenly taking a sharp twist and lashing out in a spin slash at an awkward angle towards Ren. Ren, however, puts up his defense and blocks the strike, though the power of it sends him back a bit. He pushes the throttle up to stop his backwards momentum and surges forward, slashing at Jehuty, who blocks the strike and then backs off. Once at a distance, the two stare each other down.


"Never seen anything quite like that." Dingo comments. "The speed of that frame really is something else."


"It was designed for it." Ren said, extending his blade.


"Show me what you mean." Dingo said with a smile, firing another large volley of lasers Ren's way. Ren boosts through them, spinning around and slashing with his blade. Dingo blocks the strike, but Ren had more where that came from. Letting loose a fast and hard flurry of blows, Tsukuyomi's sheer speed proved too much for Jehuty, and its energy shield shattered, forcing Dingo to back up, the subsequent slash grazing Jehuty's left shoulder.


"Hah!" Dingo said. "That's more like it!"


Ren shot forward, knowing he had the advantage in close range combat, and kept the pressure on. Jehuty, despite being a masterpiece of Orbital Frame design, was still a 10 year old frame. Compared to the newest Orbital Frames Neo BAHRAM was capable of producing, it really didn't stand a chance. Ren kept he pressure on, overwhelming Dingo with his speed. Dingo then responded by backing up and quickly moving back in, punching Tsukuyomi with a force enough to send Ren back, careening into a wall of the VR arena, slamming into it hard.


"Ngh...!" Ren grunted. "Gauntlet, huh...?"


Dingo then launched more homing missiles towards Ren, who propelled himself off the wall before the missiles slammed into it, exploding. However, more missiles were to come, as from the explosions came more, unexpected. Ren twisted around quickly to dodge them and took a sharp angled turn to dodge the rest, throwing homing lasers towards Dingo, who dodged them and then sent a much larger volley of homing missiles his way. Ren, grunted, throwing Tsukuyomi's right pylon forward over its shoulder, firing his Halberd to sweep across the arena, shooting down all the incoming missiles. Then, there was calm... Ren floated, panting a bit, as he waited for the dust to clear so he could see Jehuty again, though he did have it on radar.


Then... it disappeared. It was gone.


"Target lost." ARAI said.


"What?"


Then it reappeared... right behind him. Ren couldn't react fast enough and he took a hard blade to the side, sending him back. He flipped around to face his opponent, but by that time it was gone again, reappearing to his side. He took another hit, sending him back again.


"Dammit!" Ren cursed. "Zero Shift!"


"The target is moving too quickly." ARAI said. "I can't lock on."


"I know that!"


Ren twisted around and blocked another blow, but another one came from another angle, forcing him to back up. Now forced into a retreat, all Ren could do was zig-zag around at sharp angles in order to avoid Jehuty's blows as they seemed to come from everywhere. There wasn't anything Ren could do against it. Tsukuyomi was superior to Jehuty in almost every way. Every way but one... the Zero Shift program assured that Tsukuyomi could not defeat Jehuty, no matter how hard Ren tried. No matter how skilled he was or how powerful his frame was... Zero Shift was unbeatable.


Dingo then appeared suddenly in front of Tsukuyomi, grabbing it then locking it into place with its three OPTIONs, rendering Tsukuyomi immobile.


"Ngh..." Ren grunted, trying to get the frame to move. "Dammit..."


"Not bad, kid." Dingo said. "But you can't win. Not against Jehuty."


Ren scowled, immediately throwing out his own OPTIONs, surrounding Jehuty and firing their lasers at once. Jehuty disappeared and the lasers missed, before reappearing a distance away.


"I'm not done yet." Ren said, panting lightly.


"Heh... you're about to be." Dingo smiled widely, using Zero Shift to dash around the arena around Ren. Ren couldn't track him like that. Calling in his OPTIONs to surround him, he looked at the lock-on ring radar. The targeting system on Tsukuyomi was capable of tracking a multitude of targets at once. However, as it was it wouldn't be able to properly track a target moving so quickly. Instead, all Ren would see was a single signature that moved around the area, pinging in and out. He wouldn't be able to follow that and fire at it... it would be impossible to predict where Jehuty would appear next. The system alone wouldn't be able to compensate for the sheer speed of the target and react in time... however...


Ren got an idea. He pulled up a holographic keyboard and immediately got to work. He knew the targeting computer would be overworked trying to keep track of one single target moving that fast. However, if he told the computer to treat Jehuty as if it were multiple targets, the computer's workload wouldn't be as constrained. He could take it as two targets moving quickly simultaneously, or three moving slightly slower, or four moving slower than that. He could multiply the number of targets tracked in order to make each one slower and slower to the point where they can be tracked, and by keeping the target on the one moving first, he could theoretically keep track of where Jehuty was. He wouldn't be able to track it through a Zero Shift, but if he did this... he could possibly tag it. At least that much. He calibrated it to six targets. Once his calibrations were complete, he put his hands back on the controls and readied his OPTIONs. He had six to work with. He then ordered the OPTIONs to attack all targets. They got to work, shooting wildly around him, once per target, hitting all the points they saw Jehuty at, even if it wasn't there anymore. Keeping track of six targets at once, they kept firing all around, fluttering and zipping all around the frame, shooting pinpoint lasers at wherever Jehuty had been.


Then... Jehuty got close. Close enough to strike... but that was the plan. The targeting computer instantly recognized Jehuty as a target and turned an OPTION on it. Just before the strike hit, the OPTION shot from below and to the side, hitting Jehuty dead-on. The strike still hit Ren, though not as hard as it would have, and the opportunity was just enough to where the computer recognized a single target, turning all the other OPTIONs on Jehuty. They all fired at once... but Jehuty was gone again. And then Tsukuyomi was cut in half.


Then the simulation ended.


Ren saw the simulation over screen and sighed, taking off his VR helmet and coming back to the real world, where he was inside the cockpit of Tsukuyomi, sweating a bit.


"Egh..." Ren sighed, catching his breath.


"I'm impressed, kid." Dingo said from comms. "I'm surprised you were able to manage something like that."


"I've never seen anything like that before!" Leo cheered. "Managing to hit Jehuty right out of a Zero Shift! How did you do that?"


"I just... egh..." Ren groaned, rubbing his head. He had a massive headache from all that.


"Yes... that was quite impressive, Ren." Commander Weinberg said. "You remind me of Leo when he was younger."


"Look... I'm really not meant for all this." Ren clarified again. "I mean... my head really hurts..."

 

[PyroHunter16]

"You'll get used to it, Silber." Rowan commented. "After spending enough time in a frame on the battlefield, you'll get used to improvising and changing that quickly. That is, if you do decide to join the Space Force as a Runner."


Rowan was speechless about Ren's combat performance. He had no words to describe just how well Ren did in the simulation just now against Jehuty. It was amazing how an Orbital Frame was able to attack another Frame with Zero Shift.

 

[Ishi123]

Ren sighed, leaning back in he cockpit and rubbing his head.

Meanwhile, in the main command post of the hangar, Commander Weinberg was sat down in her seat, mulling over what she had spectated. She certainly didn't expect anything quite like that. She expected Dingo to wipe the floor with Ren, truth be told. But the way Ren adapted... he showed remarkable ability to compensate for his inexperience. Going so far as to adjust calibrations on the Orbital Frame mid-combat in order to adapt to Jehuty's Zero Shift... she hadn't seen anything like that since Leo.

"Elana?" Leo said, noticing how lost in thought she was.

Weinberg snapped out of it and looked over to Leo.

"Oh... it's nothing, Leo..." She said, looking down through the window to Ren in the cockpit of Tsukuyomi.

"That really was something, huh?" Leo said. "I really hope he agrees to join us."

"He doesn't have a choice." Commander Weinberg said sternly. "We need him. There isn't any other choice."

"But... Elana, that's not fair." Leo said. "It's not like we can force him to work for us."

"We need that frame." She said. "It's the only chance we got in stopping Neo BAHRAM. We dragged our feet for too long... to think they had gotten this far..."

"Elana..."

"If Ren is the only one who can pilot that frame, then we need him. If he refuses... we'll just have to find a way to 'convince' him."

"What are you talking about?" Leo said, concern swelling in his voice. "I mean, I want him to join us too, but we can't force him to do something he doesn't want to do!"

"What other choice do we have, Leo?" Elana said, looking back to him. "We need that frame, and he's the only one who can pilot it, so we need him."

"You're talking like there's nothing else to him but his ability to pilot that frame." Leo said. "If he doesn't choose to join us, we'll just find another way."

"He'll join us."

Leo and Elana looked back to the voice on the other end of the room, seeing Dingo standing there.

"Dingo." Leo said.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it." Dingo said, walking up to the two. "The kid's just working through some things. Remember, I was in his situation before. The kid just left everything he's ever known. He's been thrown into a conflict he never wanted to be a part of, now fighting against the people he used to call his friends. Of course he doesn't want to fight, even aside from him not being a soldier."

Elana sighed and looked back out the window to Ren, who was talking to ARAI.

"It's strange how these things happen, isn't it?" She muttered to herself. "Every time, all our hope ends up on the shoulders of one person."

 

[PyroHunter16]

"Listen, Silber. I know you don't want to do this. I know you don't want to fight, but you also don't want Neo BAHRAM to cause mass destruction." Rowan tried to reason Ren, convince him to join. "Ren, join the Space Force, so you can stop Neo BAHRAM from destroying the solar system, hell, even the universe. You've been given the gift of piloting the only frame capable of stopping Neo BAHRAM, so use that gift for good and stop them for good. Please, Silber. Fight Neo BAHRAM. Stop them from destroying everything and everyone you love."

Deep down, Rowan felt his message wouldn't be taken to heart by Ren. He felt Ren would continue to be stubborn about not fighting for the Space Force. Ren wouldn't be convinced so easily.

 

[Ishi123]

Ren sighed, jumping out of the cockpit and taking the elevator back down to the ground floor.

"I don't want to talk about that right now." Ren said.

 

[PyroHunter16]

"Figured you'd say that. I'll see you around, whenever." With those words, Rowan exited the VR system and sighed. He was right, to some extent. Ren wasn't gonna be easily convince of anything, and who knows when he'll finally make a decision about this.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack had spent a few hours in the Fitness Room, casually punching some bags along with a few other crew members. As each member left one by one, Zack would continue punching bags, his knuckles growing a bit bloody. For him, it just felt good to punch something, even if he wasn't very muscular. It was a good way for him to relieve stress, especially when that stress came from having to accept the consequences of losing a battle. Eventually, he finishes, panting and shaking his hands as he sits down on a nearby bench. He rubs his right hand with his left as he lets his hands rest.

"Alright...woo, that felt good...now what..."

After resting his arms for a while, Zack stands up and exits the Fitness Room, beginning his stroll through the halls. Unknown to him, Adalia was also walking through the halls, her data pad tucked firmly under right arm. As she turns the corner, she sees Zack and decides to wave him down.

"Zack!"

Zack stops in his tracks and turns to see Adalia calling for him. He stands attentively as Adalia walks up to him.

"Hello, Adalia."

"Greetings, Zack."

Adalia notices that Zack's knuckles were slightly red, giving him a curious look.

"Judging from your knuckles, I assume you were exercising, yes?"

"I was, yes. Was busy punching some bags to let out some stress. Plus, I figured I could start working on my muscles."

Adalia subtly raises her eyebrow as she looks at Zack's rather well-toned arms. Not very muscular, but muscular enough for her to take notice. In her mind, she was smirking.

"I see...where are you off to now?"

"Uhm...I don't really know right now...I'm planning on seeing TESS again, but not until after a few hours. Repair teams are more than likely finishing up the repairs on Eclipse."

"Hrm...I see...you know Zack, you still owe me a certain something before Alrize interrupted us..."

Zack becomes a bit flustered as he understood what Adalia meant, who was now smirking. He quietly sighs as he looks at Adalia, aware he can't disobey orders from her.

"R-right...I do...when do you want continue the favor?"

Adalia smiles smugly as she gestures for him to follow her. Zack gulps nervously as he follows Adalia back to her quarters, and soon the two make it to her quarters. As he enters her room, she locks the door and lays her data pad on her desk before pulling him into a tight hug. Her smile grew wider and wickeder as the room lights went out. Zack knew there was no getting out, and even if he tried, he'd probably end up with a bullet in his skull, much like the crew member she unashamedly killed after he failed to capture Ren again. He just had to go through with it...whether he liked it or not...

 

[PercyJacks]

Alrize hurried over to the location of the Space Force base. Among the busy crowds of people, she gazed up at it, examining its construction. Then she looked around, and spotted a tall building close by. Alrize entered; it seemed to be a relatively new apartment complex. She went to the elevator, and made her way to the roof.

When the elevator stopped, she stepped into the outside, the wind blowing her hair across her face. She walked over to the railing, and saw the Space Force headquarters from above. From her backpack she took out a miniature camera that she had purchased on her way there and set it up. The gadget was functioning perfectly, and she was now able to keep watch on the base from wherever she pleased. Satisfied with her work, she decided to explore the city a bit, in order to familiarise herself with her new surroundings.

Time for an adventure, I guess. Could be fun.

 

[Ishi123]

Ren had spent a few hours out in town after his VR duel with Dingo. His headache had left him and he had taken the liberty to get a bite to eat. He was called back by Leo, however, who claimed that Commander Weinberg wished to speak with him personally. Reluctant to be going back so much, but being unable to refuse outright, he made his way back to the Space Force base. He entered and made his way to the main building, traveling up a few floors towards Commander Weinberg's main office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." He heard her voice say from the other side. He entered, discovering nobody else was present but her. She was on her computer, watching the VR match between him and Dingo over again for what had to be at least 50th time since. She gestured with her hand for Ren to step into the room without looking away from the monitor, and he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, stepping up to Weinberg's desk and sitting down on one of the two chairs in front of it.

"Um..." He said. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did." She said, still watching the match, which ended shortly after. Afterwards, she actually looked to Ren. "You probably know why I called you in."

"To try to convince me to join the Space Force." Ren sighed, already knowing what this would be about.

"Correct." She stated. "Ren, putting aside the business with Tsukuyomi rejecting any other pilot, there's something else I'd like to discuss."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Your piloting skills are beyond my expectations." She stated plainly. "You managed to tag Jehuty right out of a Zero Shift and you aren't even a trained runner."

"So?" Ren said, shrugging and crossing his arms. "I'm just familiar with Tsukuyomi, that's all."

"That familiarity allowed you to face off against one of the two best runners in the entirety of the Space Force in the most powerful machine in the Space Force's arsenal." Commander Weinberg explained. "You know what you could do if you were properly trained?"

"I'm not interested in being trained." Ren said, turning his gaze away from the commander.

"I understand that, Ren." She said. "But we need that frame. If there is an equal to Tsukuyomi that Neo BAHRAM possesses, there won't be much we can do."

"Jehuty has Zero Shift." Ren said. "As long as it has that, there shouldn't be any problems."

"But Neo BAHRAM is still developing the Zero Shift program, isn't it?" Commander Weinberg said. "You forget, I read those plans. We know that Neo BAHRAM is planning. It's only a matter of time before they complete the Zero Shift program."

"I still don't see how that's my problem."

"It's everyone's problem, Ren." She said sternly. "This isn't just about you, it's about everyone on Earth and the entire Solar System. We've been fighting Neo BAHRAM and BAHRAM before it for years to protect the people of Earth and liberate the system. You've seen what they're capable of and what they plan to do with their power. You're just going to sit back and let that happen?"

"I don't want to fight." Ren said. "I... I hate it. I killed all those people... that entire fleet. I wiped them all out. I already have blood on my hands... I don't want any more."

"Ren..." Weinberg sighed, being reminded so much of Leo when he was younger. She didn't know what else she could say that Leo hadn't already said, especially considering she couldn't relate as much as Leo could. But even still, she needed to tell him herself.

"Ren, if you don't do this, everything will be lost. Everything. Your old life is gone. You can never go back to what you were before. Even if you don't want to be anymore you've voluntarily made yourself a part of this fight, and you're not going to be able to back out of it until Neo BAHRAM is completely wiped out. I'm sure you understand that."

Ren scowled to the side, knowing that everything Commander Weinberg was saying was true. There was no way he could go back, and there was no way Neo BAHRAM was going to ever let him get away if they could help it. They'd find him eventually... no matter how well he hid himself, they'd find him. Deep down Ren knew he had to fight. He knew that the only way out was to fight. He had already taken the plunge. There wasn't any escaping from what he had done. She was right. Ren had voluntarily put himself into this fight, and he had absolutely no right to back out of it now.

He didn't think things through entirely... if he had, he probably wouldn't have done what he did... and he still couldn't figure out which path was the right one.

"Ren." Commander Weinberg said. "Join the Space Force. With you and Tsukuyomi on our side we can beat Neo BAHRAM for good. After that, your life will be yours again. If you won't do it for us then do it for yourself."

Ren bit his lip, letting out a puff of air through his nose. He clenches his fist, still staring to the side. He already knew what he had to do... maybe it was selfish of him... but he'd fight his way out of this. And he wouldn't do it for anyone else but himself.

"Fine."

 

[PyroHunter16]

Raven was called into the Space Force, arriving in the hanger where the new Specter units were being built. Only one of the units had been fully built, and featured a dark silver color scheme with shining emerald green accents throughout. Its slimmer design was made up for by its slightly heavier-looking armor. The other unit remained under construction, still in the form of an unarmored endoskeleton.

"So... I get the green one, right?" Raven asked one of the technicians. They replied with a yes, and she was led up to the cockpit. After getting in and starting up the frame, she launched and was sent out to space to begin testing. She saw Rowan was already in space, waiting for her in his Specter unit.

"Hey there." He spoke over the comm channels. "Ready to take your new unit for a test drive?"

"Hell yeah!" Raven switched into flight mode and prepared to fly off at top speed, only to get an error message. "What?! Boooo~"

"You don't get to go flying at Mach 7 just yet, there. Higher-ups told me that the system has beginner restrictions so that you don't go hurting yourself. You gotta get used to the higher specs of the frame before you can go all-out."

"Hmph. Fine." And so Raven began training to use the Rudra Specter with Rowan supervising in the original Specter.

 

[Raptordude115]

With a slight groan, Zack wakes up in Adalia's bed, covered by the disheveled bedsheets. He sits upright, his eyes tired and half-asleep as he idly looks to his left, and seeing that Adalia wasn't next to him. He rubs his eyes with the top bedsheet and blinks his eyes, getting more of his sight back. He sees clothes strewn all about on the floor, and then he begins hearing the faint sound of the shower in the bathroom. He sighs quietly as he lays back down on the bed, remembering what he and Adalia had done together as part of his "favor". He was still surprised how things escalated, how he and Adalia had simply done it. Not to mention, how long it seemingly went on for. He, and probably Adalia as well, had lost track of time. Zack begins scanning the room for any kind of clock, but the darkness of the room made it difficult.

"Aye...so friggin dark in here..."

Zack stands up and walks slowly around the room, squinting his eyes in order to see a bit better. As he looks around, he manages to spot Adalia's data pad lying on the desk, laying perfectly still. He contemplates whether or not to touch it, unsure and afraid of what would most likely happen if he was caught using Adalia's data pad. He makes a sour face before reaching down and picking it up, pressing the side button to turn the screen on. He turns his head away with a grunt of pain as bright light from the screen flashes his eyes. He keeps his eyes squinted as he looks down at the data pad, and is surprised when he sees that it was unlocked. He raises an eyebrow in surprise, as he would have assumed that Adalia would have made sure to lock it. Perhaps she forgot to when she went to take a shower...

"Hmm..."

Zack could still hear the shower on in the bathroom, and feeling a bit curious, he sifts through Adalia's data pad. He was definitely worried about being caught, but at the same time, he doubted he'd be able to get another opportunity like this. Besides, from what he was looking at so far, it was mostly just numbered documents and a few blueprints of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Then, he found a file that read "Project Obsolescence". He was intrigued by the specific title, as the other documents were only labeled as numbers. He fidgets his fingers a bit, contemplating whether to look at the file or not.

"Eh, I'm sure it's nothing all that special..."

Undeterred, Zack taps on the specific file, opening it up for him to read. Little did he know that what he was about to read would change his outlook on Neo BAHRAM and Adalia...as well as on Ren Silber and the Space Force...

 

[Ishi123]

The following day, Ren was called into the Space Force base early. Commaner Weinberg had already done all the paperwork for his enlistment, and he was presented with his official Space Force officer's uniform, consisting of black shoes, pants, and a white shirt with a red jacket over it. Additionally he was officially given the rank of Ensign as a Space Force Orbital Frame Runner. Ren looked at himself in the mirror of the bathroom he was in to change into his new clothes... he looked military, alright, though he didn't much like it... still, the jacket looked pretty nice.

Ren then reported to an office where he and Commander Weinberg finalized his enlistment with some officials by signing papers and what-not. There weren't very many issues or complaints from the officers due to the unique method by which Ren had come into their company, and considering he brought both vital Neo BAHRAM plans and one of their most powerful Orbital Frames with him added with recommendations from Commander Weinberg, Leo Stenbuck and Dingo Egret, being some of the most well respected officers in the force, nobody objected to Ren joining their ranks. Ren was placed under direct command of Commander Weinberg, along with Leo and Dingo, and would make up the third of a now three-man unit of frame runners under her command, receiving a special badge that he put on his uniform signifying this.

Once all that was done, Ren was put on operational standby and was free to roam around as he wished for the time being, though he could be called into action at any time. Now he was officially a member of the Space Force.

Ren walked down the halls towards the hangar, deciding to check up on Tsukuyomi, when he was stopped along the way, noticing both Leo and Dingo waiting for him.

"Hey, Ren!" He said, waving to him. "I see you joined!"

"Yeah..." Ren said, looking off the other way.

"Hey, we're going to be working together now." Dingo said. "You can't be so standoffish."

"I guess..." Ren sighed, looking back to them.

"Well, now that we're an official squadron, how about we go out and get some lunch to celebrate?" Dingo said with a smile.

"As long as it's on you, sure." Leo said.

"Wha- I paid last time!" Dingo complained.

"Too bad, you offered!"

"Oh, come on, that's not fair!"

Ren couldn't help but crack a smile at how friendly and familiar the two were with each other. He didn't like the fact that he had to join the Space Force... but he didn't so much mind Leo or Dingo.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack's hands were trembling as he stared down at the data pad, his eyes wide with horror and shock as he wraps his head around what he had read. He breathes shakily, feeling sick to his stomach as he read the Project Obsolescence file. He couldn't believe how the main objective of the project was the complete annihilation of Earth and its people. And how Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were the catalysts for carrying out the plan. The most shocking fact of the project, for Zack on a personal level, was that Adalia was the one spearheading the operation. He was disgusted and in disbelief that Overseer Adalia, the woman who was one of the main leaders of Neo BAHRAM, the woman who gave him and other Neo BAHRAM soldiers an encouraging speech before battle, the woman he slept with, was the one in charge of enacting this horrid operation. His views were now changed, as he no longer saw Neo BAHRAM the same way ever again. Not after reading this. This wasn't just a war to Neo BAHRAM. This was an effort to commit mass genocide of an entire planet.

"Dear, god...this can't be happening...this just can't...ooh, god!..."

Zack grits his teeth and tosses the data pad onto the bed, clamping his hands around his head as he begins to sob quietly. He digs his fingers into his black hair as he rocks back and forth in controlled rage, ashamed of being apart of Neo BAHRAM. He briefly looks up, eyeing the bathroom door in anger. So many emotions were flowing through his mind, but he was focused on the fact that Adalia, that monster, was in there taking a shower.

"Damn you, Adalia..."

He then looks back at the data pad, gritting his teeth in anger before freezing up. The shower just turned off. He glances at the bathroom door and back at the data pad quickly before grabbing it, closing the Project Obsolescence file as he stands up and runs over to the desk. He places it back on the desk, putting it back the way it was. At least, as well as he could remember. It may have been a bit slanted from it's original position. He quickly sat back down on the bed, just in time before the bathroom door opened, Adalia walking out. She smirks as she sees Zack sitting on the edge of the bed, walking over to him.

"Ahh, you're awake now, Zack..."

Zack gulps and does his best to control his anger, knowing that if he acts up, she'll begin to suspect him. With a fake smile, he looks up at Adalia as she sits down next to him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. Although he was faking his happiness, deep down he wanted to do nothing more than push her away from him. Just feeling her arms wrapped around his body like this made him feel disgusted. Regardless, he had to just hold out until he was able to leave. Adalia continues smirking as she leans in and kisses Zack's left cheek, still hugging him tightly.

"You passed out some time ago...thankfully for me, after we had our fun...~"

"Heh, yeah..."

Zack continues wearing his fake smile as Adalia let go of him, only to then lean against him. She was still wearing that smirk of hers, and knowing what she was in charge of carrying out, Zack felt even more disgusted and uncomfortable.

"Now, I know you've done your deed for my true forgiveness, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind if..."

Zack had to think of something to get out of this situation, as the last thing he wanted to do was sleep with her again. Still remaining calm, he slowly backs away from Adalia, holding her right hand with his left.

"Ooh, I wouldn't Overseer Adalia, but as a loyal soldier of yours and as Overseer of Neo BAHRAM, it's important for us to eat. I'm starving, ya know?"

Adalia frowns a bit, eyeing Zack questioningly as he looked back at her with a gesturing smile, faked of course. Adalia sighs before smirking once more. God, that smirk...

"Hrm. Very well, Zack. Go and have your breakfast. As you said, a loyal soldier must eat. If he doesn't, he won't be as strong."

Zack nods his head and puts back on his casual clothes, not even wanting to bother using Adalia's shower. Adalia also dresses up, putting back on her Overseer uniform and tying her brunette hair into a bun. As Zack exits her room, Adalia briefly hugs him from behind, kissing him on the cheek once more. It was a good thing his face wasn't facing hers, since he was furrowing his eyebrows in disgust.

"But do remember, I'm always available for another night of fun~"

Ah, of course."

Adalia smirks wider as she lets go of him, and Zack walks down the halls, heading for his quarters. His fists were balled up, and he frowned bitterly as he wiped his cheek. He muttered and cursed under his breath as he approached his quarters.

"Like hell I will...I'd rather die than spend another night with you..."

Zack hangs his head down as he enters his quarters, feeling disgusted, furious, and ashamed.

 

[PercyJacks]

The city was large and expansive. Alrize decided not to use her GPS while on her walk, and instead look at the city itself and really experience what life was like on Earth.

There's a lot of people. More people than in the cafeteria during lunch. And it's always like that. Pros: Easy to hide into. Cons: A lot of people means a lot of danger. Don't fully trust anyone you meet on Earth yet.

Alrize discovered the existence of department stores, in which she saw multiple items of clothing that could be purchased for an unreasonably high price. She disliked them.

Eventually she came across a restaurant as the afternoon sun hung high in the sky and caught sight Ren, Leo, and Dingo.

Is that…

…

…no, no, no way.

Leo Stenbuck and Dingo Egret, having lunch with…Ren Silber.

This is dangerous.